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Nana has only become a surrogate mother once again for the first time since she took her child away for a month. The child, in this case, was not an eight-year-old like her son Kotaro, the only remnant of her broken family left, cast aside so she can muster the courage to finally destroy All For One and his reign of terror. She believes she can handle it— the boy was obedient, attentive, and an idealist, things that Nana could work well with, while not being reminded of her son every time the boy turns to her, his sunflower-like hair becoming the light of her life.
She had found Yagi Toshinori (only introducing himself after poking and prodding from Nana; he told of his vision for the future first before his name) beating up a gang of delinquents on the rooftop, and he was winning, even though he was Quirkless. He had not needed her help, yet she stayed to fight. To her, all she sees is the boy who will inherit One For All; despite numerous objections from the previous users, all because she's giving a Quirkless child insurmountable power, and they fear that he might be harmed when the power goes to him.
They don't need to fear, because Yagi Toshinori may as well be their best candidate if they want the world to continue as they know it. At least First and Fourth didn't feel the need to comment on her choice.
So, Yagi Toshinori.
Toshinori is an enigma, a boy that even Nana couldn’t quite understand. Truth be told, she doesn’t know where he came from, either. She just saw him fighting for his life against some thugs, and went to help, and then, he never left her alone after that. He sees her as a true hero, someone who will fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. What would happen if his assumptions were not at all true? Will he see her as a fraudulent hero, whose golden sheen will rust from being exposed to the hard air?
Perhaps. That is one of the reasons why she had distanced herself from the boy, although he was like a magnet— he does not seem to like being left alone by someone he regards highly. He clings to her like a lost pup, as if he has never felt the warmth of a mother before.
Where did Toshinori come from, then?
When Nana had asked him where he came from, he said that, when he was young (he never told her his proper age), he lived in Kamukura with his family, and that his mother was Quirkless like him. That is, he interrupts himself while he was eating a sandwich which Nana had bought for him, because he was penniless, until some villain destroyed and leveled their city, the most overwhelming destruction he had ever seen happen in his six years of living.
Nana then asks him where he lives now, and Toshinori shrugs, as if that is the least of his worries.
Well, Nana can cross having parents off her list, when it is implied from his story that his parents were killed by the destruction of the city— and she can bet that it was all because of All For One. The records of what happened were sparse, but the destruction was where her friend, En, had his biggest battle with All For One, being spared for two more years before getting split in half by the bastard and giving One For All to her, and perishing.
So, Toshinori is a homeless orphan and, from what she could tell, on the run from the police and bypassing any identification.
Nana, also on the run from authorities under the control of All For One, doesn’t blame Toshinori, but that doesn’t mean she’s not concerned about the life he lived before he met her.
Case in point: Toshinori’s clothes.
Toshinori wears a school uniform, and when asked where he bought it, he just told her that a janitor gave him the uniform so he could look like a part of the school curriculum, despite never having joined a school in his life. He further explains that he has never been to school since his city was destroyed, but he can read and write just fine. And, seeing that he is able to solve problems intellectually without relying on his fists, he was also reliable when it comes to problem solving, a needed requirement of hers to pass One For All towards.
Speaking of that uniform, it’s the only uniform that Toshinori has, and it makes Nana feel depressed. She had never let her son go to another place with the same clothes every single day, and she observes that even the uniform he’s wearing is beginning to become torn and the rich black colors are dulling due to the overusage of it.
Nana couldn’t bear to see him pretend that it was all right for him to continue wearing clothes like this, so she hatches a plan.
Nana observes how uncomfortable Toshinori is in large public spaces; Nana herself is uneasy, not knowing which person is an All For One spy in disguise, so she decides to bring him to a smaller marketplace. There are still some people around, but they’re not going to make too much of a fuss with a pro-hero accompanying a tall fifteen-year-old. From the tension in Toshinori’s shoulders, however, he was still uneasy around the people that are inside the marketplace.
Skittish, he turns to look at Nana with a worried expression. “What are we doing here, Nana?”
“We’re going to the tailor’s.” It’s not as luxurious as where she got her own costume, made by a company, the first of many to ever get a superhero suit, but it’s not like she could contact those companies to ask them for normal clothes. They’re for heroes, and she’s supsicious if any of them have some ties towards All For One and his affliates.
Toshinori frowns. “For what reason?”
“To get you new clothes.”
He shakes his head like a child. “No, thank you, I’m perfectly fine wearing what I am wearing.”
Nana shakes her head. “Nonsense. We'll just get your measurements so we can buy something for you.”
Toshinori is stubborn, which Nana has clocked since she saw him. “Why?”
Nana frowns. “Why… what?”
“Why are you adamant about giving me proper clothes? I still have some clothes in the shed I live in.” Right… he lives in a shed near the school. Nana had the grace to be invited there, only to pretend she wasn't horrified over where this child had been staying all this time. There are some clothes other than his uniform, indeed, but they were mostly rags by now, and no longer fit the muscular physique that Toshinori sports.
“Because you're a growing boy, you need clothes appropriate for your height and body.” Nana smiles, pretending that everything is all right. “You're my pupil, so let me take care of you, okay?”
Toshinori blinks, and he suddenly looks like he's about to cry— god, she hopes not. She doesn't think she could handle a crying boy. “I've never had someone say that to me before.”
Nana smiles, but inside, her heart breaks for the boy. Just how long has he been left alone?
“Well, it’s time for you to have a new set of clothes! It’s like… practice, for when you become a hero one day.”
“Taking my measurements?”
“Yes! When you become a hero, you have to take measurements before they design each of your uniforms, especially as you grow up surrounded by hero society. You should be used to it already.”
While Toshinori still looks like he’s nervous about something, he decides to agree with Nana. Nana doesn’t know what he’s so skittish about, but maybe it’s because he has never had the chance of a trustworthy adult figure in his life up to this point. There has to be a reason why he’s on the run from the police, and why he pays no mind to other adults in his life when he interacts with them… right?
The pair head off to the direction of the tailors to take his measurements— and, for a surprise that Toshinori will only find out once they get the results from the U.A. Entrance Exam, once he actually joins after the encouragement of Nana (with the added cajoling of Sorahiko) in applying for the position.
The tailor greets them with practiced ease; Nana has to spearhead the conversations, as Toshinori grips onto her cape like a child going to the doctor for the first time. It makes her heart squeeze a bit, reminded of Kotaro and his skittishness towards new people, and now, with Toshinori, who was nervous around the woman they’re going to be talking to.
“He needs a fresh set of clothes,” Nana says, as she lets Toshinori roam around the store, studying at every quirk inside the tailor’s apartment, suspicious. Nana wishes he wouldn’t look at everything with trepidation and anxiety, but… it must be ingrained in him, and that was something of note to think about. She leans in so he won’t hear what she says next. “And he needs a hero suit based on this picture.” The said picture was a doodle Toshinori made when he was asked what his hero costume would look like.
Nana wants to surprise him with his hero costume in real life, hence why she's here.
The tailor's eyes grow wide in realization, and she nods. “All right, I'll keep in touch with you about his costume. This is a surprise for him, isn't it?”
“Yeah, he's going to U.A. soon.”
Toshinori’s behavior with the tailor while measurements are made was civil. No mild accusations, no unnecessary comments about how he does not trust her, and most importantly, when asked a question he doesn't know the answer to, he always looks at Nana, as if she harbors the answers that he has been searching for.
It resembles Kotaro, when asked a question he believes only his mother knows, and Nana feels her heart break faster at the reminder of her son.
Toshinori is not Kotaro, and Kotaro is not Toshinori. They are different children, and she made the decisions she had to so they could live.
Toshinori is a large young boy, already hitting six feet at the age of fifteen. It was difficult to go looking for clothes his size in this country, but Nana will prevail. She will give him kindness when he has made it clear that he has never been treated like this for a long time.
The two of them bid farewell to the tailor once she makes her proper measurements, taking Nana aside and telling her that the costume should be ready after he enters the U.A. entrance exam. Then, much to her astonishment, she gives Nana a handful of cash, telling her to ‘fill the boy up,’ finding him too skinny, concerningly so. So, despite the bulk, it is clear that Toshinori is underfed.
… Nana had already guessed that.
The two of them bid farewell to the tailor, and Nana sets out to treat Toshinori to lunch. Come to think of it, she's never seen him eat…
She shakes her head, not liking the implications. She wants to be there for him, and what better way to do it than to buy him food and clothes? She smiles at him as she shows him the cash she had gotten from the tailor, pretending she had it with her all along. “How about we eat something to fill up our stomachs?”
Toshinori's eyes grow wide. “We'll eat something?” He says it so hopefully, and Nana has to pretend that there's no pretense for it.
“Yeah, you must be starving, aren't you?”
Toshinori looks embarrassed. “Yeah…”
Nana places a hand on his shoulder as slowly as she can. “There's no need to be embarrassed about it. I don't mind spending money on you.” Indeed… she can already feel her money draining just to feed this boy.
Toshinori looks at her… like, looks at her, as if she's hung the stars and moon. He looks at her in pure disbelief, as he nods slowly, pretending he is not affected by what she's told him.
“Thank you.” He tells her, looking more at peace. “You're the first to extend such kindness to me.”
“You deserve it,” Nana replies, ruffling his hair. “Everyone does.”