Three Weeks Later

         “The next thing you need to focus on is Mind.” Tenko explained. “Mind is your overall knowledge, experience, and intelligence on Yokai and paranormal events. We have to learn, study, and analyze every single event we come across, and yeah that’s going to take a long time to get used to.”

Izuku waved goodbye to Inko as he collected several pencils, notebooks, papers, and folders. Once he grabbed his bright red shoes, he headed for the door.

         “After breakfast tomorrow, use this technique to enter the Spirit World straight from your place, it’s called ‘Toguchi.’” Tenko said.

         “I thought it was ‘Tobari,’” Izuku replied. “That’s what you said on the first day wasn’t it?”

         “You’re right. Sorry about the confusion, but when you use Tobari, all it’s doing is transporting us to the Place Between.”

         “The Place Between?”

         “Yeah, it’s basically Limbo, ever heard of it?” Tenko asked. “Tobari is a spell that allows us to move around unseen from the general public. We don’t have to worry about civilians, police, Heroes, Villains, or anyone else while we work. In a leigh man’s terms, we’re completely invisible and untouchable.”

Izuku approached the door to his apartment, and took a deep breath. He raised his right hand and closed his eyes.

         “Toguchi is different though,” Tenko explained. “Toguchi acts as a gateway between our world and the Spirit World. When you use it, you’re essentially walking from one world to the other, even when they’re connected.”

         “That sounds cool! How does it work? Is it okay to use it all the time?”

         “Well it works like this.”

Izuku raised his pointer and middle finger together and took another breath.

         “Take your two fingers like this and form a pointer, but remember, in order for this spell to work you need to be facing a door.”

As Tenko’s words came to the surface of Izuku’s mind, he did as his mentor instructed.

         “Shoji and automatic doors won’t work, it has to be a regular door on hinges,” Tenko explained. “Now then, raise your dominant arm and have your finger pointer facing the door. And remember, it has to be facing the door, don’t point at it.”

Izuku opened his eyes and stared at his apartment door with conviction.

         “Now, draw a circle using only your hand and wrist, if you try using your whole arm it throws the incantation off balance, and you’ll have to start all over.”

Izuku saw golden particles leave his fingertips, and he drew in the air. He flicked his fingers upward, creating a straight line. Then, he rotated his wrist in a clockwise manner, and as he did, a golden circle appeared on his door. He moved his fingers and wrist until the circle was finished, he even curled his fingers into a fist when the spell was finished.

         “Once the circle is drawn, pinch your finger pointer on your thumb. And then, you can either shout ‘Toguchi’ or think it.”

          Toguchi. Izuku said in his mind.

Then, the boy snapped his fingers.

          SNAP

 And with his very own magic, the door flashed with golden particles.

          戸口

The kanji appeared on the door, and Izuku’s face lit with that of excitement. A smile appeared as he gasped, and shot a fist into the air in excitement.

           “I actually did it! Mom come take a look at this!” He cried.

           “Take a look at what?”

Inko appeared from the living room and as she approached her son, she gasped.

           “Oh wow!” She cried. “What is that? Is this that magic Inari and Mayu were telling me about?”

           “Mhm, and I actually pulled it off! This is going to be so useful for these new classes I need to take. I bet if I keep doing it it’ll be as natural as breathing. Oh, maybe there’s also another factor like how much of my Niwa it uses, if that’s the case then I’ll have to be careful from now on, or I could pass out like I did last week.”

Izuku continued to mutter to himself over and over, and over, and over, and over again.

           “Izuku, you don’t want to be late on your first class.” Inko said.

           “OH YOU’RE RIGHT! SORRY!!”

           “Mhm. Now get going.” Inko replied. She approached Izuku and kissed him on the cheek.

           “Well, seeya.” Izuku said happily.

And then, the boy opened the door. A sudden gust of wind poured into the Midoriya apartment as spirits and Yokai walked through the streets of Shinkyo. Men, women, children, bipedal animals, umbrellas, even sentient rocks, all were bustling through the streets, and Izuku stepped through the door, into the Spirit World. When the door closed, the golden kanji vanished, and the gold particles along with it. Inko, still in shock by Izuku’s sudden use of this ‘magic’. As if on impulse, Inko grabbed the door knob, and twisted it open.

As the outside world appeared, she saw the streets, the balcony of the fourth floor where their apartment lay. She looked at the door, seeing the new Ofuda charm gracing its surface. Then she looked back at the city of Shizuoka. She stepped back into her home after grabbing the mail, and closed the door. She slumped against the door, and looked at a picture on the wall.

           “Our little boy’s growing up so fast huh?” She asked.

As she stared at the picture, she studied it well. It was her, holding an infant Izuku in her arms wrapped in a blanket. Her smile was as pure as the sun, and sitting next to her… was her husband. Izuku’s father, Hisashi Midoriya. He cried tears of joy looking at his son, and together, the three of them were a family.

           “I just wish you were here to see it Hisashi…” Inko said. Then, she teared up, and a tear dripped down her face…

Izuku gulped as he stepped into a shrine in the heart of Shinkyo. Hundreds of spirits were walking the streets as he stared at this grand building. He watched the grand wooden doors as they waited to be opened, waited to show Izuku the secret that lay behind it.

As he stepped into the scared place, all the light in the world disappeared. The doors closed behind him, and Izuku was shrouded in darkness as the walls closed in. The room he was cast in was dry, with a rustic scent that nearly overwhelmed Izuku’s nose. He stepped through the darkness, reaching his hands forward while his yellow bookbag was hanging from his back, he felt a wall made of something smooth, and he called out.

         “Hello?” he cried. “Uh, my name’s Izuku Midoriya! I’m here to learn about Yokai!”

Only silence replied, and Izuku was left alone wondering around.

         “When you get there, you’ll study with the same man who taught me, and then Jiro.” Tenko’s words echoed.

         “HELLO?!”

         “Yes yes, I’m coming I’m coming!”

Izuku froze in his tracks, a voice had responded to him from the abyss. Who was it? It seemed to be a man’s voice, one slightly raspy from age. Izuku continued forward, feeling his way against the wall.

         TAP

He felt something on his arm, something hard yet smooth, made of wood. Izuku moved his hand along the surface and rounded a corner, that’s when he felt something strange, a surface that was malleable yet crisp.

         Is this… paper?

         “Aha, light the way and you may find your answer!”

         “Uh, light the way?”

         “Why of course young man! Who else is capable of such a task…?”

Izuku felt a shiver up his back.

         “Wait, how am I supposed to do that? I left my phone at home and-”

         “And you have no flames nor flint nor flashlight, but the answer may lie in the depths of the soul, no?”

         In the depths of the soul? Izuku thought.

He sat and thought, his finger resting above his chin.

         “Young man, you’re in the Spirit World are you not? Surely you can think of more unconventional methods of completing something as simple as lighting the way.” The voice said.

Izuku widened his eyes. That’s it! He thought.

He placed his hands together and closed his eyes. He thought quietly to himself.

         It’s a part of you now, it’s your own power.

And as Izuku opened his hands, the light appeared, a beautiful golden strand of light shone in the air. Izuku used his Blessing to light the darkness, his wires flying with the golden strand of the gods themselves. His eyes sparkled, for their magnificence.

Suddenly, an older gentleman appeared before Izuku’s eyes.

         “Gah!” He cried after being spooked.

         “Oh? Did I startle you? Please forgive me that wasn’t my intention young man!”

As Izuku’s Blessing lit the area in front of him, he saw the man in his full attire. He had short, gray hair and his face was quite aged. His laugh lines were extremely defined and the man had deep brown eyes. His mustache was finely trimmed and hanged from the edges of his lips, and his beard was just as thin. It lined the bottom jaw, and a long piece of the beard hanged from the man’s chin.

His attire was one of high nobility. He was wearing a bright red sokutai, with an elegant pattern of a bird flying in the air. The long sleeves nearly draped against the ground, while his black kanmuri hat made of a smooth silk. The long attachment of the hat bend backwards at a perfect angle, and the man brought his hands together.

         “Uh… hi there.” Izuku said nervously. “I’m looking for Suguwara no Michizane, I was told he’s going to help with my training.”

         “Training for what exactly?” The man asked.

         “Oh, to become-”

         “To become a Kaiho-sya, the third one in modern times yes?” The man asked. “I can already see it… the Heaven’s Chain.”

         “Huh?”

The man lifted his hands and grabbed Izuku’s golden threads, and he caressed the light with a studious face.

         “Fascinating…” He muttered aloud. “To think you were given such an incredible and ancient power at your age. This is truly remarkable.”

He looked down at Izuku and suddenly pressed himself into Izuku’s face, causing the boy to step back and squirm.

         “Forgive the intrusion but may I see your Contract?”

         “My- oh, sure, do you think you can give me a minute.”

With a flick of his fingers, Izuku detached the threads from his hands and he curled two of his fingers. The threads then wrapped into a perfect sphere, the light shining even brighter than before. Then, he reached into the collar of his shirt and took it off, leaving his upper body bare for all to see. The man looked at Izuku, and he smiled.

         “Hah! Three weeks training with young Shimura and you’re already showing progress.” He said.

         “Oh!” Izuku gasped, he blushed profusely as the man stared at his half-naked self. “Thank you sir.”

         “But of course, and your Contract lays there on your chest. I recognize that writing anywhere. It belongs to that jovial friend of mine…”

The man leaned forward and read the kanji permanently ingrained on Izuku’s chest and upper stomach. He studied every line, every character, and he smirked.

         “You may put your shirt back on, I’m convinced.” He said.

         “Oh, thanks.” Izuku said. He grabbed his shirt and put it on, then he grabbed his bag.

         “So, is it alright if I speak to Suguwara? I really need to see that person.” Izuku asked.

         “Hmm… Suguwara… that’s a name I haven’t heard in a great while.” The stranger replied.

         The orb Izuku created started flowing into the air, and away from the duo.

         “Wait, do you know this person? Uh, is it okay if you take me to him?”

Suddenly, the light flew away, and Izuku was shrouded in the black once more. He couldn’t see anything, but he heard something sinister.

         “Hehehehe…”

         “Um… s-sir?” Izuku asked.

         The man continued to snicker. And suddenly, voices started to echo throughout the entire building. They were whispering, muttering something.

         “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! YOUNG MAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY CENTURIES IT’S BEEN SINCE I’VE BEEN REFERRED TO BY THAT NAME?!”

         “HUH?!” Izuku cried.

         Suddenly, Izuku heard a loud clap.

         CLAP

The golden light Izuku created with his Blessing exploded across the entire building. Candles were lit as color filled the grand building; the entirety of the building could be seen. Large shelves of books, encyclopedias, scrolls, magic tomes, artifacts, sculptures, and many more monuments of history stretched as far as the eye could see. Rolling ladders zoomed across the building as spirits cataloged every piece of history.

         “Young man!”

“You’re looking for Suguwara? Well, you’re staring at him!!”

Izuku gasped while everyone else clapped for his introduction, and shortly after, many of the spirits returned to their studies. Izuku watched as a spirit with multiple tentacles and the mask of an Oni slid across the bookshelf on a rolling ladder, carefully cataloging every textbook, manuscript, and sculpture.

         “By the way, I go by a different name now, I am Tenjin, kami of academics, education, and teaching!” the man cried. “I’m honored to have you join one of my many classes, I’m well aware of how important this task is, and if you work hard for it, you will flourish! Now then, it’s time for your first lecture!”

         “Uh, right!” Izuku said.

Soon after, Izuku grabbed his bag, and followed the kami through this library. Tables upon tables of students, from human spirits to otherworldly creatures, were studying, socializing, and taking exams. Lecturers adorned in traditional kimonos paced around those taking tests, others however were wearing modern day attire such as two-piece suits, dresses, and even casual blue jeans. As Izuku looked around the grand hall, Tenjin hummed a soft melody and he suddenly flicked one of his fingers. Suddenly, several pages flipped rapidly in a textbook in front of a spirit, one with seven eyes and a large head the size of a large dog.

         “Page 394 Yusuke! You’ll find the medicinal herbs there.” Tenjin hummed.

         “Oh, thank you Lord Tenjin!” the spirit cried.

Izuku looked over his shoulder as the spirit skimmed the paper, and then, it suddenly looked up at the young boy.

         “Staring is oft rude young man!” Tenjin said from a distance.

         “Uh sorry!” Izuku cried as he scurried after Tenjin.

As they moseyed through the library, another spirit approached the two. It was a young woman around Izuku’s age, and she had a noticeable lotus flower blooming from her hair.

         “Lord Tenjin, I can't wrap my head around this! This old saying, if nothing is true then why do laws exist? If everything is permitted then why not give into your desires? Why are we punished?”

         “Why indeed, young lady?” Tenjin replied as he guided Izuku through the library. “Perhaps instead of asking why such a belief exists, you should understand where they came from, and what led to their creation.”

The young woman looked down at her book, her eyes scanning the texts up and down repeatedly.

         “Look towards Egypt, specifically the Ptolemaic Period, you may just find your answers there.” Tenjin said with a shining smile.

         “Oh… oh, that’s right! Thank you Lord Tenjin, sorry for bothering you!”

         “Haha! Perish the thought, come to me with any further questions.”

The man continued to walk forward and Izuku followed, and yet, he couldn’t help but look back yet again, the girl sitting down at a table surrounded by large scrolls. He could barely make them out, but he saw something foreign.

         “Are those hieroglyphics?” He asked.

         “Indeed, my collection contains far more than Japan’s history, but also the history of the world.” Tenjin answered. “We gods of knowledge are always seeking new information and details, whether it’s myself or the others in the world.”

         “That’s so cool…” Izuku muttered. “Wait, around the world? You mean there are other gods out there?”

         “Of course! The gods of all regions have existed since time immemorial. Gods of Greece, Egypt, Norway, even the old pantheon of the Mayans and Aztecs, the list could go on.”

Tenjin stopped in his tracks and snapped around facing Izuku.

         “But since you’re so new to our own world, it is best you focus on your own homeland first. Shinto is in your blood.”

Tenjin reached forward past Izuku’s right ear, and as Izuku gulped, the man brought his hand back, having picked something from his hair.

         “Hmm, a Kodama was hanging off your hair, how peculiar.” Tenjin said with a curious voice.

He snapped his fingers and a book popped in front of him with a sparkle. He threw the small spirit into the book, and snapped his fingers once again. With a flash, the book vanished, and Tenjin moved forward again.

The two continued to walk through the grand hall until Tenjin walked up toward a cliff, and he continued walking forward. Izuku gasped as there was nothing beneath, only a large, bottomless pit. Tenjin continued to hum as he snapped his fingers, and out of thin, a long pipe appeared, and Tenjin started smoking his tobacco.

         “Sir look out!” Izuku cried as he ran forward.

He ran trying to catch Tenjin before he could fall, surely the elderly man knew there was a large cliff, he had to it was his shrine! Izuku didn’t think, he dove into the air trying to catch the man, but it was too late.

Tenjin took a step into the open air.

         NO!! Izuku cried.

Yet… nothing happened. Tenjin continued walking on the very air itself, continuing to smoke his pipe without a care in the world.

         HUH?! Izuku thought.

Before he could react, Izuku fell, he fell flat on his face in the air, and as his face smooshed against the hard “floor,” he could see what lay beneath.

         “Oh come now you didn’t think I’d be so idiotic as to jump to my own death did you?” Tenjin asked as he stopped in his tracks.

Just then as Izuku opened his eyes, he saw it all. A vast collection, one endless as it stretched into the infinite pit below. He gasped in awe as an endless well of books, bookshelves, candles, and librarians all flew through the air on strange clouds. So many of them were floating around moving books and trading trinkets with others, yet some were simply floating and reading some of the knowledge stored away.

         “Whoa…” Izuku muttered.

         “Impressive, is it not?” Tenjin said as he approached Izuku. “As the kami of knowledge it is my sacred duty to collect anything of historical and educational value. It’s impressive how so much information can appear from the smallest of decisions…”

Tenjin lent a hand, and Izuku took it. The boy was amazed knowing that he was standing on thin air and that so much could move around. Tenjin removed the pipe from his mouth and blew a large cloud of smoke outward.

         “Young man, I’m well aware that you’re under your training right now, and that Inari has trusted you with a power, but I have a question.”

Izuku turned his attention to Tenjin, and to his shock, the elder gave him a rather stern look. His brown eyes shining even amongst the light of the candles.

         “Why should I teach you? What is your reason for being here? What is your goal, and why do you walk this path?”

Izuku felt his heart stop, and he gulped.

         He...

There was an unspoken silence, the entire library grew quiet as Izuku and Tenjin stood still. For a moment, it felt as though time itself had frozen.

         He has a point.

         “Well?” Tenjin asked.

         “Oh… uhm…”

Izuku pondered his thoughts.

         He’s right! Why am I doing this? I know Inari told me that I’d be some big change, but what did he mean by that? But… no, there’s another reason why I’m doing this

That one person flashed in his mind again. That all too familiar face, one filled with pride and an arrogance which knew no bounds. The explosives dashing from his palms.

         “Hmm….”

Yet the face of another appeared, a kind and caring woman with green hair.

         “I see, you’re conflicted on why you’re here, no real direction on your purpose.”

         “How did you know?” Izuku gasped.

         “This place serves as more than just a library, not to mention that everyone here is a learning experience.”

Suddenly, Izuku felt himself levitating, and Tenjin went right with him.

         “Wha? WHA!!” Izuku cried.

         “Hahahaha!!! Have no fear Izuku Midoriya! That was simply a test, we’re on our way to the classroom now.”

         “But… we’re flying!!” Izuku screamed.

         “I know, isn’t the Enenra beautiful?”

Izuku looked down and saw that they were being carried by a gray cloud, one that smelled like tobacco and smoke. As the boy looked around, he saw it. The cloud had emerged from Tenjin’s pipe, and it made a strange sound, like a humming dog. It rode faster, and soon after Izuku realized that he and Tenjin were flying through another endless tunnel of bookshelves.

         “The one below the bridge wasn’t the only section of my pieces, I have two of them young man, haha!!” Tenjin cried.

         “Whoa, so the building is like a large cylinder! The two pieces are connected from top to bottom, and because of that…”

Izuku started taking notes in the air, like he was holding an invisible notebook.

         “You’re able to create two separate floors of books!”

         “CORRECT!!!!”

And suddenly…

         “WHAAAAAAAA!!!!”

The Enenra roared into the sky holding Izuku and Tenjin on its surface, the body flowing around them with tendrils of smoke flying outward at blazing speed. Some much knowledge was passing by them, like they were zooming away with no time to focus. Izuku felt a great wind on his face as he screamed, and Tenjin continued to laugh until…

It stopped, Izuku felt himself fly into the air, and as he started falling, he felling into the cloud of smoke once more. His legs folded over his back, he fell like a scorpion, and he shook his head as he slowly stood up.

         “So sorry about that! But hey, we’re finally here.”

Tenjin once again helped Izuku to his feet, and in front of them was a door sitting aside one of the bookshelves. It was a small shoji door, and as Tenjin stepped off the gray cloud, he slid it open for Izuku. The young boy slowly stepped off the cloud, and as he stepped onto the floor of this one bookshelf, the cloud groaned.

         “Thank you for the assistance, now then, I release you from your service, be free now.”

The cloud hummed a melancholy tone, and it drifted into the air. Izuku felt hypnotized as it slowly vanished, like all the smoke had slowly faded into nothingness. As Izuku looked upward, Tenjin placed a hand on his shoulder.

         “Don’t worry, it didn’t die, it simply moved on to another place…” He said quietly.

         “What was that thing? Something about it felt… sad.”

         “It was an Enenra, a Yokai.” Tenjin explained.

         “That was a Yokai?”

         “Indeed, one of the many you’re about to study,” Tenjin replied. “They are creatures of smoke usually found being born from bonfires, even great flames in some circumstances.”

Izuku looked back at the open air, and soon, Tenjin pulled him into the room.

         “I don’t understand, couldn’t we have done something to make it feel… happy?”

         “It was! The Enenra finds the greatest joy in simply flying in the wind,” Tenjin said as he approached his desk. “They are mostly peaceful…”

“But they are just as deadly if provoked.”

         Izuku shivered and gulped immensely.

         “Yokai are many and varied young man, as are their personalities. They are just like humans, wouldn't you say?” Tenjin asked.

         “Yeah, I guess so…” Izuku replied softly.

         “You guess? They are like us.”

Izuku snapped his head to the right and saw a familiar face sitting at a desk. She was wearing a bright yellow tank top and slim pants. Her desk was covered in papers, a notebook, and a large scroll. As Izuku looked at her, her extended headphone jacks from her earlobes were hanging off her collarbone.

         “Jiro!” Izuku cried. A smile formed on his face as he saw her. “Hey! Are you taking classes with me?”

         “Yep, I’m uh… mmm…”

Izuku’s expression turned from excitement to slight concern.

         “Ah yes, she never told you!” Tenjin cried. “You see Jiro never actually finished her courses so she’s here to finish them!”

         “Although,” he continued as he whispered to Izuku. “I understand that teenagers your age start having feelings, oh young love is truly a wild thing haha!”

         “OH SHUT UP!!”

         ZAAAAAPPPP

         “GOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO I SEE! I SEE!!!”

One of Jiro’s headphone jacks flew across the room and stabbed Tenjin in the neck, shocking him. Jiro grit her teeth in anger and ire as the kami shriveled up like the old man he was.

         “GAAAHH!! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!” Izuku screamed.

         “Teaching the teacher a lesson!”

Jiro released her Quirk and Tenjin slowly climbed to his feet, his body still jolting every few moments as he stood at his podium.

         “R-Right, l-let’s get on with the *jolt* lesson…”

And then Tenjin suddenly stood upright and let out a deep sigh.

         “Apologies for my boisterous behavior, I get excited when meeting new students, now then, we have delayed long enough,” Tenjin said. “Izuku Midoriya, please take your seat, it is time to begin your lessons in Yokai and the supernatural.”

         “Yes sir.” Izuku replied. He took a seat next to Jiro, much to the girl’s surprise.

         “Now then, let us begin with the history of our Home, and where it all began. Jiro can help you out with notes, but be prepared Midoriya, this is the beginning of a long… long journey.”

          "It won't be all bad though, you'll learn a lot from it, but in the field it gets tricky." Jiro said.

          "Alright... but hey, I'll work for it, even if I have to pull all-nighters, I'm ready!"

          "Hmph," Tenjin groaned in happiness. "Then let's see your academic prowess..."

         And with that, Tenjin took out a scroll, opening it wide… and Izuku’s lessons had begun.