Chapter 38: A Dragon Queen.
The soft chime of the elevator echoed in the quiet space as it began its smooth ascent. Harue stood near the panel, briefcase in one hand, his other tucked into his pocket. The polished metallic walls reflected the soft golden lights above, and the silence stretched for a moment before it was broken by a bubbly voice.
"Wait a sec!" the girl beside him suddenly exclaimed, staring at his face as if she were trying to place a puzzle piece. "I know you!"
Harue arched a brow, glancing sideways.
"You're that fire guy! The one who won the U.A. Sports Festival! Harue Dai, right?"
He gave a small, calm nod, voice flat but polite. "That's me."
Nejire grinned brightly, her hands clasped behind her back as she leaned closer, unabashed. "I knew it! Your fight with Bakugo was crazy! Oh! And the one with Todoroki too. You're, like… boom! And whoosh! And then that giant phoenix at the end—so cool!"
Harue allowed a small smile at her energy, even as he kept his posture relaxed. She was definitely more energetic in person than she looked on the anime.
She tilted her head at him, curls bouncing. "But wait… if you're all fire and explosions and flashy kaboom stuff, why'd you choose Ryukyu? I mean—no offense—but you seem more like an Endeavor guy, y'know? Big fire, boom boom, angry face?"
Harue let out a soft sigh, shoulders rising then falling with a quiet breath. "Endeavor didn't send me a nomination," he answered, gaze fixed on the glowing elevator numbers. "Guess he didn't like that I beat his son so easily… even after he used both sides of his Quirk."
Nejire blinked, slightly taken aback at first. Then her expression softened, though the curiosity in her eyes only grew.
"Hmm… that's kinda petty of him. But, wow, you're amazing. Oh, oh! Can I ask you something? What's your flame temperature? Do you sweat, like, lava? Can you fly just by lighting your feet? Do you need to eat a lot of calories? Do your clothes burn off when you power up?"
"…Do you always ask this many questions?" he muttered.
Inside he was relieved that she seemed the same as the anime depiction of her, so this truly wasn't a alternative universe.
"Yup!" she chirped. "People are fascinating. Oh, right! I'm Nejire Hado, by the way—third year at U.A. I've been interning with Ryukyu for, like, two years already!"
Harue raised an eyebrow. "You're a third year? You don't act like one."
She puffed her cheeks at him. "Rude! I'm very mature—sometimes. Besides, Ryukyu says I'm a hard worker! She even lets me co-lead on some patrols now."
He let out a dry "Huh," under his breath, somewhere between amusement and disbelief. She's not even trying to be annoying. She's just like this, he thought.
Still, there wasn't anything malicious in her rapid-fire barrage of questions. She radiated pure curiosity—like a kid staring into a volcano and wondering how it worked.
As he tried to answer some of her questions the screen on top of the door flashed with the last floor number.
The elevator dinged softly as it reached the top. Harue straightened his posture, the smirk fading back into neutrality.
"Guess we're here," he said.
"Yup!" Nejire stepped out first, spinning on her heel to face him as they walked into the brightly lit hallway beyond. "C'mon, let's go meet Ryukyu! She's gonna love having you on board!"
Harue sighed as he smiled a bit and followed the energetic bubbly girl.
While not on the level of endeavor Ryukyu is known for her efficiency and damage control, so he is expecting a good learning experience from here.
—————-
The hallway outside the top floor office was quiet, save for the distant hum of the building's elevator shaft descending. I stood next to Nejire as she buzzed with energy, shifting on her feet like she was ready to fly off again. My fingers adjusted around the handle of my briefcase, the heat of my Quirk always resting beneath the surface—never completely dormant.
Before I could let another thought linger, a calm but firm voice called out through the intercom next to the door.
"Come in."
Nejire wasted no time. She pushed the door open with the confidence of someone who's done this a hundred times before. I followed behind her.
Ryukyu's office was clean and professional, but it had a warmth to it—not in temperature, but atmosphere. Large windows let natural light pour in, casting soft shadows across the polished floor. Her desk sat near the back, flanked by filing cabinets and shelves filled with hero memorabilia—commendations, framed headlines, photos of rescue efforts, and group shots with other Pro Heroes.
And behind that desk stood Ryukyu herself.
She looked exactly like she did in the Anime: calm, strong, graceful. Her long blonde hair was tied back, her green eyes sharp but kind. She didn't need to speak to command respect—her presence alone was enough. She wore a simple blazer over a dark shirt, civilian clothes that didn't take away from the fact she could transform into a dragon and tear a building in half if she needed to.
"Welcome," she said with a nod, her voice as calm in person as it was on TV. "Harue Dai, and of course, Nejire."
"Ryukyu-sensei!" Nejire beamed, practically skipping toward her. "Your homework made my head spin again. Are you secretly trying to kill me with essays?"
Ryukyu chuckled softly, shaking her head. "It wouldn't spin so much if you actually read the material instead of guessing based on instinct."
Nejire let out an exaggerated groan. "That's so mean… but fair."
I let a small smirk slip.
Ryukyu's eyes shifted to me then, assessing—not like a threat, but like a professional. She didn't look surprised that I was here, but I could see the curiosity behind her calm expression.
"I'll admit, I was surprised when I saw your name on the intern list. You're quite the celebrity now, Dai-kun. I didn't expect the Sports Festival's top student to pick me."
I met her gaze evenly. "You were one of my top choices. I've always respected the way you operate—your rescue work, your control, and how you carry your agency. You don't need to shout to lead."
She smiled at that—a small, approving one. "I appreciate that."
Then her expression turned more serious as she walked around her desk, folding her arms loosely as she leaned back against the edge.
"I've seen your fights, Harue. Can i call you that? Your strength is obvious, and your instincts are sharp. But strength alone won't be enough here. This is where reality starts."
I nodded silently, listening.
"Being a pro hero isn't about winning battles or putting on a show. It's about protecting lives. It's about split-second decisions that could mean life or death. Your Quirk is powerful—devastating even—but it also makes you dangerous if you lose control or let your ego get ahead of you."
I could feel the weight of her words, not in an accusatory way, but in a way that reminded me that I was stepping into a world where reality wasn't always pretty. I didn't flinch, though. I knew of this before hand.
I'm not fighting classmates anymore. I'm not here to impress crowds or light up the arena. This is the real world not an anime that I have watched before. Out here… the consequences are real. Out here, one misstep could burn down a hospital or collapse a building. Out here, there's no reset button. No applause. Just people counting on you to be better.
"I understand," I said simply.
She studied me for a moment, then nodded, satisfied.
"Quirks like ours," she continued, "come with high collateral risk. Heat, fire, explosions, transformation—these things can destroy entire blocks if we're not careful. Rescue should always come first. Always. That's the golden rule. Even when you're chasing a villain, even when someone's throwing punches your way—civilians come first."
She looked toward Nejire for a second and then back to me.
"Understood?"
I gave a firm nod. "Crystal clear."
There was a brief silence between us before Ryukyu stepped aside and gestured toward the door that led further into the agency.
"Good. Then let's get you settled in. Your real work starts tomorrow morning. Early."
With that I followed an excited Nejire as she went to show me where the guest and student interns live.
——————-
The day went fast as tomorrow morning I went to meet Ryukyu for my first day as a hero trainee.
I then entered the room I was told to go to by the receptionist.
As I walked in I was meet with a couple of stares by people who seemed to be heros judging by their costumes.
Probably her side kicks.
I was called out of my thoughts as a happy Nejire called out to me.
"Harue!!!" The blue haired girl waved to me with a happy smile on her face.
She was sitting close to the windows making her blue hair shine even more as the sunlight reflected off her.
Making my way towards her, I greet the bubbly teen. "Good morning Hado-san"
"Call me Nejire!!! Ohh~ is that your hero costume? Is it heat proof? Why is it blue and white!? Are those your favorite colors?"
As she was bombarding me with questions, she stopped to catch her breath but just as she was about to continue, Ryukyu finally arrived.
"Good morning everyone." She said as she made her way towards the center sitting at the front of all the seats, nodding slightly at us two as she did so.
As everyone returned her greeting they all set down.
I looked at them, it seems that the majority of her team consists of people with some sorts of mutation quirks seeing as almost all had some sort of animalistic traits.
The normal looking ones were probably transformation types.
I am interrupted from my thoughts as the Dragon lady begins the meeting.
"Alright," she said, calm but firm. "Let's begin the day."
"We'll start with the patrol routes," Ryukyu continued, pointing at the city grid projected on the central monitor. "Route C and D — pedestrian traffic has increased near Shinkyo Station due to ongoing protests. Flashpoint will handle that with Were-Girl. Keep crowd suppression to visual presence only. Don't escalate."
Flashpoint nodded, arms crossed, glancing briefly at me. Not unfriendly, just measuring. I returned the look calmly, keeping my thoughts to myself.
Ryukyu continued, her voice smooth but exacting.
"Recent villain sightings," she said, clicking the remote again. Three mugshots appeared on the screen — two unknown thugs and one more serious-looking guy with a blade-shaped chin. "Last night, a knife-quirk villain attempted to break into a convenience store. He escaped before the patrol unit arrived. We believe he's working with the Naruhata Strays. Hornet, keep eyes on routes E and G."
"Understood," the bug-like hero replied in a tone flat as concrete.
I leaned forward slightly. This was a rare opportunity to learn hero and agency management, while at first I was disappointed when I learned that I would not be patrolling until some days later.
This more than made up for it.
The knowledge and experience of managing a whole hero agency was invaluable especially because it's coming from the top 10 Pro.
While Ryukyu may not be comparable to endeavor to crime catching efficiency, she was certainly no slouch either.
I listened carefully as the Dragon Hero continued to explain the plans and goals of the week to here sidekicks and subordinates.
She then shared a piece of info i'd never thought about.
"And finally," she added, opening another tab on the screen, "weather."
At first, I blinked. Weather?
But then she elaborated. "Rescue planning depends on it. Flash storms are predicted in the northern district tonight — flying or airborne movement will be restricted. Slippery terrain increases rescue risk. Nejire, that means no full-speed flight during rooftop patrol."
"Ugh, fine~," Nejire groaned, slouching in her seat.
"Being grounded doesn't mean being helpless," Ryukyu replied without missing a beat. "It means being adaptable."
Ryukyu looked around the room once more.
"Questions?"
I had a few — but I held them back, choosing instead to memorize everything, engrave it into my brain like muscle memory. Hero work wasn't just flames and glory. It was listening. Learning. Knowing when to act.
"No, ma'am," I said quietly.
Ryukyu gave a satisfied nod and folded her arms.
"Good then follow me to the training hall Blazeling!"
Huh!?
I look at her in confusion as she got up and started walking ahead of me.
"Let me see what you can do."
I turn and stared at the others who were looking at me with smirks and smiles on their faces.
Even Nejire had a dumb smile on her as she gives me a thumbs up.
I turned around and saw Ryukyu waiting for me as I then made my way towards her.
This was interesting.
Truly interesting.
End of the chapter.