[color=fff79a]Toshinori smiled a bit as Mela started the interview and commended him continuing on his work helping, even as his Quirk had long since snuffed out. If he could puff out his body to let out a hearty laugh as he did many times before, he would have done so at this moment. He was satisfied to beam as wide a grin as he could muster up, renewed with a bit of purpose once more to carry on. He heard praises over and over on a daily basis with Deku, and though he was proud to know he was doing all he could with his successor, every now and then, praise like this felt special.

"Miss...you've got the heart of a hero. You're right. Being a hero isn't just about having a powerful or impressive Quirk. I know that now from many years of having and building upon my skillset and abilities with a powerful and impressive Quirk. And from being on the other side of it for a few years now. For all that time when I could stand tall as the Symbol of Peace, I brought with it a brash attitude. I felt invincible, to a degree. Like if I could jump headlong into danger, anyone could."

He sighed as he once again remembered those times. He had even continued watching old recordings from time to time on days when he felt particularly rough or weakened. Even having moved on for the most part, there were still memories and yearnings for times when he could personally stand up to those with powerful and impressive Quirks who used them for themselves and their selfish and criminal ends. Reflecting back, it almost felt wrong in a sense. Like sending children off to be the next round of soldiers. Like assigning them to charge against villains who could kill them without remorse. And yet, the alternative - survival of the fittest - was a worse outlook yet. If they were to die and suffer, better they fall standing.

"I have started to see more and more over this time focusing on my teaching that is not always the case. Typically, great heroes do start out with a great story from their days in school. We, as a society, glorify those who, in their youth, charged into a situation, even if they knew they would lose. As you may have noticed, the reality is UA doesn't view this as kindly. Security measures have only gone up. Access continues to recede. Even the Sports Festival has been on the block since UA erected on-campus dorms. You at least have to get creative to get involved. Heroics in school like from my generation at UA will get you thrown out in this generation at UA. Part of doing the right thing is knowing what that right thing is."[/color]

- - -

[color=a187be]Ryuichi had come in expecting no less regarding Nemuri's language when she spoke and he started jotting down notes. Even if he would have to break up her quotes into more appropriate sound bites, he took care to write down her words verbatim. He took notice of the way her office was decorated and tried to hide his discomfort with how this setup was almost so suggestive, it wasn't suggesting anymore. Nevertheless, a slight nervous sweat betrayed being a bit on-edge with her demeanor. While he understood she had a reputation she embraced, he did try to steer clear of urging the act onward.

Her comments had his slight sweat grow into one more noticeable. He still was a teenage boy and such thoughts still crossed his mind the same as they did those who had also rushed in to interview Midnight for their assignment. He seemed much more conscious about them, however, and as he heard her describe the general ideas behind what she thought it took for her to get her job done, he attempted to filter the naughtier talk for the nuggets of wisdom he could take out of the conversation. He especially latched on to relying too much on a Quirk. Frustration and disappointment were familiar to him, especially in the backdrop of his last Sports Festival on the horizon. Over the past year, he felt he did a lot of what he could to make himself more versatile, more prepared to take on anyone, no matter what they knew about him. Beyond that, she was correct to implicate he had to face off even the least favorable enemies. Lives would depend on it. His first lesson from the interview itself: learn to thrive in the face of danger.

As she cut to turning the question back on him, he snapped back out of his focus and back into a cold sweat once more, becoming conscious of her undertones again.

"Well...more or less, since I don't have anything to combat you knowing I'm there, like hypermobility, an elemental power to change the terms of engagement or anything like big bursts of energy to say 'forget what you can do, I'll just blow you away,' it would stand to reason my best bet against you would be an ambush. I would have to catch you before you could roll back enough of your suit, which wouldn't take much time at all. Even if I were successful in touching you, fractions of a second make the difference in whether you take me down with you or not. And it's more likely you wake up first afterward. As soon as you know I'm there, you could protect yourself and I would have to back out if possible."

He felt it was an honest self-evaluation, even if it had a heavy pessimistic outlook. He assumed a writing position again, ready to take further notes from Nemuri on her thoughts about his answer. Would she agree? Offer something he could use in the short time left before the Festival? Or maybe even turn his thinking around?[/color]