Kouki glanced at the Pro Hero Ace, who had walked into the room. They looked around, smiling at the place. "Snazzy," the American Number One Hero said. "So, this is where you work now, Mr. Amachi?"
Kouki's jaw dropped nearly to the ground and his face exploded with color. "W-w-wait, h-how come you're even here?!" he exclaimed. "D-doesn't America need you?!"
"Dude, I'm exhausted. Got coffee?"
"NO! I'm not giving you coffee!"
"Ms. Ace!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, running up and giving the muscular hero a big hug. Of course, Ace's legs were so ripped and Lucy was so small her arms barely went halfway around. "Welcome to Japan!"
Ace was the Pro Hero who had rescued Sylvia and her siblings when they were in danger. Upon first meeting, Kouki had quickly developed a somewhat of a celebrity crush on them. Ace Jumper was the top hero and the most popular example of self-expression in all of America, possibly the world. Ace's hero outfit made it clear that they had the body of a male, but they grew out their hair and used the pronouns "they/them" and "she/her", often being referred to as Ms. Ace, and became America's symbol of peace and freedom. Ace, as a proud American, obviously wore red, white, and blue on their uniform, and became the new "American flag" for the country, despite their tyrannical president. Some voted Ace to be president, but as Ace wasn't even running for president and doubted their ability in leading a whole country, Ace remained a Pro Hero instead.
Of course, as Chicago was the third biggest city in the country, and as Ace had happened to be there for a meeting of some kind, when they heard someone in trouble, their first instinct was to "jump" in and save them. Unfortunately, in Sylvia's case, they may have been too late, but Ace was still determined to use their connections and the money they earned to save Sylvia's life. She only had a few months.
Ace had slick black hair and brownish skin, but their eyes were a radiant purple, different from Jack's dark, wise eyes. Their eyes, unlike his, were bright and energetic, like the hero themself. Kouki could never help getting lost in them, so instead, he avoided eye contact from the hero, turning his amber gaze to Sylvia, who gave Ace a small, but vivid smile. It was rare to see the once bouncy and energetic girl--someone who was so much akin to Ace themself--smile anymore, ever since her injury. Perhaps since it became harder and harder for her to laugh or feel happy. Any kind of stress that stimulated her heart made her lungs burn. Sylvia could only show small hints of joy anymore. It wasn't that she didn't want to, either. Her hyperness just drained away against her will.
It wasn't fair.
"A-Ace... what're you doing here?" Kouki asked, finally locking eyes with the hero.
"I came to support you and Sylvia," Ace said simply, rubbing their tired eyes. "Man, jetlag's gonna be awful... How long have you been working? A week?"
"Yes. Ace, how much have you slept?"
"Two hours. Never mind that--"
"TWO HOURS?!"
"--you haven't slept a wink either, hypocrite."
Kouki blushed and turned away.
Ace's expression turned serious. "Sylvia's only got four months at this point, right?"
"It's been two months... She should have six," Kouki said, shaking his head.
"According to Recovery Girl's latest records, she'll only live 'til August 28th," Ace said sadly. "She's going to need some serious help and fast. If Recovery Girl can't do it, then who can? We've tried some of the best doctors in America and now Sylvia's afraid of hospitals..."
"There's nothing we can do," Kouki said. "A-at least, I don't think... if Recovery Girl can't, and if you don't know anyone, then..." He buried his face in his hands, hiding his tears from the Pro Hero and the children. "W-what... what'll we do...?!"
Ace's expression dropped suddenly. They reached out, hesitant at first, but with a gentle touch they removed Kouki's hands from his face. "Hey, hey... we'll get through this. Actually, I'm here to work alongside All Might and find you guys a proper healer. All Might's my close friend, remember? For now, you and I can work on earning money for the kids and getting them what they need, but you just need to worry about caring for the kids and working for now, okay? I'll take care of any medical business regarding Sylvia. Besides, you need a babysitter at home, and I left a babysitter for America. The US is in good hands, and even ol' Donald can't do anything to mess this up. I made sure of that."
Kouki flushed, but he wiped his tears and nodded, unused to being so close to someone (especially his crush).
"Ace," Jack finally spoke up. "Where's 1-A? I just saw Eraserhead leading his class outside. Can we go see?"
"Oh, yeah! About that," Ace said, beaming. "Jack, Eraserhead's interested in you! Call him Mr. Aizawa, though, okay? Mr. Aizawa likes your determination and your powerful quirk. He wants to test you after school. Will you be okay with that?" They turned to Kouki. "You're gonna have to be the translator between them, though, okay?"
Kouki nodded. "I'm alright with this. Jack's strong, and I'm certain he'll be a great hero in no time."
Lucy hadn't been paying attention to Kouki and Ace's exchange until the two finished talking about the serious stuff, in which case Lucy kept raising her arms up and asking to be carried. Finally, Ace caved in and lifted her up. Jack led the way outside, but Sylvia was only slow enough to be left behind by everyone but Kouki.
"I'm gonna die in four months?" Sylvia asked Kouki.
Kouki's breath hitched. "Ace w-won't let that happen, sweetheart," Kouki said. "I adopted you all because I wanted to keep you alive, and Ace is doing their best as a hero as well. Ace is super, right? They'll make sure you stay alive. I already have your eighth birthday gift planned. You'll just have to wait until December, alright?"
Sylvia nodded, but it was an empty nod. Kouki hadn't lied, he had the gift planned already. He just hoped he could give it to her later than just August 28th.