The Best of Us - Chapter 26 - SparkSparta - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia (2024)

Chapter Text

Polished silver automatic doors of the hospital parted as Nobuko and Shō led their daughters into the waiting room. Even though it was only a quarter past seven in the morning, the waiting room still had a fair number of patrons within. The summer sun shone through the skylights and windows with an intensity that would make one think that it was the early afternoon that was counterbalanced with the strikingly cool AC from within the building.

And despite it being so bright and being naturally early risers, both Katsumi and Ibara looked like they had just rolled out of bed. Ibara rubbed her eyes and yawned for what felt like the fifth time within three minutes. Katsumi still had visible eyebags and her hair was still in a slight disarray despite being brushed moments before they had left.

Shō turned towards Nobuko, "Go ahead and grab some seats, I'll check us in."

"Right."

With gentle taps to their backs, Nobuko led the girls towards a somewhat vacant sitting area, right next to a public water dispenser. When they sat down, the older "Vine" user handed them both filled cups.

"Drink, it'll make them find your veins faster."

With a tired groan in the back of her throat, Katsumi took hers and took a large swing. The water was ice cold that sent a shiver down her spine. However, despite the shock, it did little to wake her up. "Man... I hate fasting blood work…" she muttered as she rubbed her tired eyes.

Nobuko smiled gently at her. "I know that it can be cumbersome, Igarashi-chan, but the sooner we get this over and done with, the better." She reached out and took Katsumi's cup, already refilling it.

"Would've been a bit better if we didn't wake up to pots and pans clattering in the kitchen."

"I'm inclined to agree." Ibara finished off her water and faced her mother, "What on Earth was going on?"

"Yeah, I wanna know too," Katsumi raised a suspicious brow, "especially since we can't eat anything until after all of this, and after we were strictly told not to cook for the party?"

Nobuko bit her tongue to stop herself from flinching, even just slightly. She managed to smile, and in the back of her head hoped that her cheeks didn't seem too pink. Although her propriety and faith were screaming at her to be honest, the situation in which their daughters had found them in was what she found so humiliating.

When the two had reached the kitchen entrance, it was what one would expect: several pots and pans scattered all around the floor. However, there were also remnants of Shō's black feathers. He was slouched over the countertops, one hand pressed against the back of his head and Nobuko stood before him with her hands clinging to his shoulders. A moment of heavy silence had passed before any of them decided to speak up.

She knew that Katsumi and Ibara meant no harm and were simply curious - if not still annoyed that they had been woken up so abruptly. It wasn't that she felt unsure or less-than-confident, it was the fact of delving into one of the uncommon times of where it was just him and her. Having the girls find out was embarrassing enough, but to explain it out loud, in public of all places, was something that she was certain that she'd never let herself live down.

"...Well, um..." She nervously cleared her throat, hoping that her face didn't turn a darker shade of pink. "...It's all rather...convoluted."

"Wh... 'convoluted'??"

"Mother, what-?"

"Nobuko."

With a slight start, she turned to look over her shoulder. Shō was walking back towards them - she thanked God for the timing. However, her relief was quickly replaced with concern when she saw the expression on his face. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, they're ready for us now." He turned towards the girls. His eyes softened when he saw them both visibly bristle - Ibara more so than Katsumi.

With their heartbeats in their ears, they wordlessly stood up and started to make their way towards the lower floor. Shō and Nobuko took the lead, occasionally glancing around to see if anyone stood out. Although they had no idea what Probe looked like or if he was even associated with anyone besides himself, they didn't dare let their guards down. They weren't the police nor Pro Heroes, but they did trust their parental instincts. Ever since that day, their nerves were ablaze with desire to catch him.

Ibara walked beside Katsumi. She glanced at the latter, slightly envious at how nonchalant she seemed to be. A part of her wished she could yawn so unabashedly like before. However, the only thing that she found that she could do to try and settle her frayed nerves, was to pray.

Nobuko, already aware of what Ibara was feeling before they even got there, turned towards her. Her features softened towards her daughter. “Everything’s going to be okay, Ibara…” She reached over and gently cupped her cheek. “The doctors know what they’re doing. We’ve done this before.”

“I know, Mother…”

Despite leaning into the gentle strokes of her mother's thumb rubbing against her cheek, Ibara still found herself fidgeting uncomfortably.

After taking a ride down the elevators to the lower floors, Katsumi gently nudged Ibara as their parents walked a few steps ahead of them. One of her eyebrows was raised questioningly, “You doing okay?” She made sure to keep her voice low. “I didn’t think you’d be the kind of person who hates hospitals?”

“Ah, well… It doesn’t really have to do with the hospital itself, Igarashi.” Making sure to also keep her voice down, Ibara toyed with her fingers in her nervousness, “It has more to do with the fact of getting so much blood drawn that’s…”

“Oh.” Katsumi blinked, eyebrows furrowing to meet in the middle. “You’re scared of blood?”

“No, not particularly. It’s…” She cupped her hands in prayer. “I simply…have a strong disdain for shots and…needles…”

“Really??”

The sound of surprise from the other girl felt humiliating and amusing simultaneously. She tried to ignore the slight tingling in her cheeks, understanding just how confusing it must have sounded out loud. With how often she had gotten poked and prodded with her own thorns throughout her life thus far, she knew that it was such an irrational fear for someone who possessed her kind of power to have. Nevertheless, she always felt how her skin crawled and the cold shivers running up her spine whenever shots or blood work was needed, villain attack disregarded.

“I guess it makes sense.” Katsumi offered a sympathetic smile Ibara’s way. “They’re pretty uncomfortable. For lack of a better word.”

The younger “Vine” user chuckled ever so softly in return. “I… Believe it or not, it wasn’t originally a fear of mine until I had turned eight.”

“Then…what…what changed?”

“One of my Kamakura friends had gotten a mandatory shot for school. But, the nurse had made an…incorrect judgment call…” A shiver that she couldn’t suppress traveled up her spine. Her threaded fingers tightened around each other. “It had gotten stuck in his skin, and they could not remove it. His skin had to regrow over the needle… Ever since that happened, I’ve been afraid of the same thing bestowing upon me…”

She didn’t have to look at Katsumi to know that her face had gone two shades paler.

"Okay... Okay, yeah... That's completely understandable."

"I'm so sorry, Igarashi... I don't mean to cause you any further discomfort-"

"Hey, you think I liked getting poked to begin with? I just...try not to think about it." She awkwardly scratched her cheek and blew her somewhat even more unruly cowlick away. "Or watch. Once it's in, it's in. Hard part over."

Ibara supposed that it could be viewed like that. A small sense of sense of appreciation ran through her system as she let out a soft sigh.

“If that’s the case, then…what about when we…?”

“Oh… To be honest, I didn’t even notice when we were recovering. I was in far too much pain initially.”

“Gotcha. Still, had to ask.”

“I understand.”

They nearly bumped into the backs of their parents. A sign in small print that said ‘Special Cases Clinic’ on the top right corner of the door stood out as Shō stepped inside. A small room that could’ve been mistaken for a normal physical therapy room if it weren’t for the doctor’s weight scale, wall-mounted monitor, and soundproofing alongside the walls.

For a split second, both girls felt like rats about to be taken into the lab for experimentation and instinctively clung to their respective parent. Shō immediately went to gently scratch the back of Katsumi’s neck and Nobuko’s fingers tenderly threaded through Ibara’s vines.

“Shiozaki-san? Igarashi-san?” A bespectacled doctor with a mallard duck head, no older than thirty, stepped out from one of the changing curtains with a clipboard in hand. “I’m Yabu, and I’ll be taking care of your CBC tests today, quack.”

‘…‘YABU’?!’ The suddenly-stony-looking four thought in unified disbelief.

“I’ve been made aware of your situation, courtesy of the Shinsō family and Detective Tsukauchi.” He gestured towards the curtains he had just emerged behind from. “There are surgery wear for both girls to change into. Once you do, we can proceed with the evaluations and then the blood drawing, quack-quack.”

Sighing through their noses to ease their nerves, Katsumi and Ibara nodded and bowed at the doctor before heading into the changing area. Shō and Nobuko approached the doctor as he handed them a clipboard: a detailed process of what they would be looking for and how they would be going about it.

Several Hours Ago…

“SUMI!!”

“I heard you!!”

Katsumi’s impatient tone echoed slightly as she descended down the stairs. Shō, Nobuko, and Ibara were standing by the door and within the genkan was Detective Tsukauchi. With a quick pep in her step, she went to stand by her father as the detective was going over the paperwork with the adults.

“They’ve been making decent progress on the vaccinations. The last time that I’ve heard from them, they’re studying the production of electricity in natural cells from electric eels to develop the main component to counter Probe’s Quirk.”

“And what about Probe himself?”

“We suspect that he’s from a small town and his spree is one fueled by personal revenge.” He flipped through the notes and showed them the missing persons’ pages – Ibara and Katsumi’s eyes widened when they saw that some of them had matched the ones Hiroto showed them in the restaurant. “However, I suspect that the only reason your daughters got involved was because of being inadvertently caught in the crossfire.”

Nobuko nodded, “That sounds about right… Even though he is a madman, it’s clear he had no original intention of harming them.”

“Any luck finding his whereabouts, detective?” Even though Shō had a sinking feeling in his gut, he still felt compelled to ask. It was one of the very things sometimes keeping him up at night.

“Unfortunately, no. But now that more rural-based pros are aware of him, I believe the building pressure of such a thing will drive him to make a mistake that we can then capitalize on. The American Heroes were already aware of him, even before your daughters got attacked.”

As the two adults sighed in defeat; said daughters exchanged glances and shared a look. Although neither of them had any personal interest in Rumble McSkirmish or Dr. Karate, the fact that there were pros besides Lammergeier, Voltage, and Biclops knowing who the villain is was a little comforting.

“In any case, I’m sure you’re both aware of what should come next.” Naomasa handed Nobuko and Shō another set of papers: specialized forums to fill out for a specific part of the nearby hospital. “Even though we suspect that Probe is no longer in the area, we can’t rule out the possibility of getting a professional insight towards your daughters.”

Shō’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He had heard from Hiroto shortly after the meeting he had with the Shinsōs and other pros. Details were spared, but the man was all the more happy to tell his son about how his suspicions of the doctors and police putting Katsumi and Ibara into a quarantine had they gone in earlier now had verbal confirmation. Shō had initial doubts about the police leaning in towards the possibility, but it was more of gut feeling on his part. Now, the winged man’s paternal instincts were through the roof.

Naomasa, sensing and seeing Shō’s feathers bristle, held up a polite hand. “Just so you all have medical confirmation that nothing has gone awry within their bloodstreams and guaranteed immunity. Full recovery aside.”

“Even if we got verbal confirmation from one of Voltage’s sidekicks?” Nobuko raised a brow at Naomasa, albeit in a much more worried manner. “Biclops is a registered medic, and a renowned Rescue Hero. Surely his word counts for something?”

“Indeed it does, and I’m not trying to undermine him or his abilities. I’m merely recommending the idea to have more than one professional review their bodies – mainly their circulatory systems, for obvious reasons.”

The parents exchanged glances. The idea had crossed their minds on more than one occasion, but due to the severity and circ*mstances that were discussed in the attack’s aftermath they were mentally conflicted on what to do. Hiroto had told them to wait, before and after he had the meeting with the Shinsō parents and the other pros. More out of caution that even if they did everything right, it didn’t mean that the staff of the hospital couldn’t.

“Even if the slightest chance of it being seen by the wrong eyes is there, it could mean an absolute disaster for us. The fact that the local news stations got some information of the attack in the first place is already concerning enough” was what Hiroto had said several weeks ago; over the phone, made into the ungodly hours of the night by a restless Shō with Nobuko sitting right beside him.

“Detective,” Katsumi started as she made eye contact with Naomasa. “I… Is the possibility of us not being immune to Probe high?”

“Indeed. If that would be the case, how high would your assumption be?” Ibara dared to ask, somehow managing to form words through her bone dry throat.

Nobuko reached for them both. “Girls…!” However, her efforts were stopped short when she saw their pleading looks.

Naomasa sighed silently through his nose – he had always hated getting questions like this. Not only because it could bring upon unnecessary pressure towards the victims, but also his police force to do better when they were already doing much as they possibly could do. However, he didn’t like leaving questions unanswered; it punched holes in the people’s faith in justice and he wanted to leave the affected individuals with more hope than when they first started speaking.

“I’m…not a medical professional,” He said simply. “However, I understand that it’s important to know that whatever is in your blood to be your cells and your cells alone. Pathogens, heart blockages, blood obstructions, and other illnesses could cut your careers as pros before they even begin.”

Katsumi swallowed the stone in her throat. She tried not to let the thought settle into her brain. “You mean…it could act as leukemia?”

“I don’t believe it’s on that same level of concern. Some diseases such as sickle cell anemia can be physically felt while other blood-based illnesses are silent offenders.” He offered them both a gentle smile, “It’s extremely unlikely that you both have anything to even spread to anyone – the Shinsōs have confirmed that in full, thanks to their findings the night of and post.”

Both girls nodded. They didn’t look very relieved, however.

“Though, the possibility of it mutating can’t be overruled either. Any mutations it could have gone through from the white blood cells failing to register it as a threat, during your attacks and recovering process… But that’s also why you should have yourselves be examined, to have that form of confirmation and security since both of your immune systems have been recovering and fighting back for a while.”

“I think our girls get the idea, Detective Tsukauchi!”

Both of Nobuko’s arms were wrapped around a visibly paler, semi-unnerved Katsumi and Ibara, and Shō extended a still-bristled wing in front of the women almost like a protective shield. “And we do as well,” he said with a nod towards Naomasa. “We’ll meet the doctors on the dates scheduled, and I’ll be sure to have the information forwarded to you.”

“Ah, that last part won’t be necessary,” Naomasa said after giving the joint-family an apologetic bow. “Someone will meet you there, just before the tests conclude. For extra precaution, as you understand.”

“Of course.”

With that, Naomasa again bowed towards them all, placed his hat back on his head, and saw himself out. Once the door clicked shut, the four of them let out audible sighs that held all but relief. Slowly, Shō’s wing retracted and laid flat on his back. Nobuko then surrendered her grip from around the two teenagers, but let her fingers linger on their shoulders for a few seconds longer.

The silence was palatable. Even as they all went to sit down on the couch, nobody could find the nerve to say anything. Katsumi and Ibara exchanged tense glances from their spots – although they knew that they weren’t walking, talking disease carriers, the possibility of it mutating to counteract the power that once saved them being a legitimate concern was one of the things that sometimes kept them up at night.

Finally, Ibara found her voice. “…As concerning as it all is, I believe that this is God’s way of showing us that all is well. Or, it will be well.” She turned towards her mother and Shō, “With how uncertain even the police are, it is only natural that we should seek an unquestionable resolution.”

Shō nodded and smiled at the younger “Vine” user. “I trust Hideaki and Ayame’s initial diagnostics. I’ve known them for as long as Sumi has, and I have yet to see their findings be anything less than unreliable.” He ran a hand through his hair. The unruly cowlick stayed sleeked back for several seconds before slipping back down in front of his face again, “They have yet to fail us, and if there was something wrong, they would have told us by now.”

“I don’t doubt them either,” Nobuko said as she got up to go grab them all some waters. “But we should still do as Detective Tsukauchi recommended. Just so that we all have a stronger peace of mind.”

“No objections to that.”

“I agree wholeheartedly, Mother.”

The “Armored Feathers” user let out an annoyed ‘tsk’ after sucking her teeth. “Who knows, maybe this’ll finally convince Akari that you and I aren’t walking sick bugs,” she firmly looked at Ibara. “But I still doubt that it will.”

Ibara stared at Katsumi sadly. During their time recovering in their old apartment, Katsumi had expressed and vented of her worries about how she was going to be eventually treated by the “Glitter Glue” user. At first, she had suspected that Katsumi was blowing it all out of proportion – a mix of physical and mental pain and strain on top of the frustration for having such a limited choice in diet for the past few days. However, on the separate occasions where Denki and Hitoshi visited with their respective families, Akari had remained consistently absent.

When they had finally been able to return to school, her heart became heavy when everything that Katsumi had told her about was coming to light. The hugs that lasted for at least a moment were now reduced to three seconds at most. Akari taking refuge in her wings was now completely avoided, even when offered. And whenever they were even in a personally close vicinity to her, there was an undeniable air of tension that only seemed to fade whenever Akari walked away. There were a select few instances where it was either ignored or forgotten, but now Ibara could say she understood where her roommate was coming from.

Her heart felt heavy ever since realizing. ‘I’ve come to see her as a friend as well, and I was told that the sentiment was returned…’ She thought, reaching up to cup her hands in prayer. ‘Lord, was it all for not?’

The thought physically pained her.

Nobuko watched as Shō pulled Katsumi over towards him. Despite the topics at hand, her heart warmed and pattered against her ribcage when she saw Shō hold his daughter close; arms wrapped around her almost protectively and a soft kiss was placed to her temple. Nobuko herself reached over to Ibara and gently started to thread her fingers through her vine hair.

A tiny little smile pulled at her lips as she watched her own daughter lean into it and rest against her shoulder. She then looked up towards Katsumi, “If you don’t mind me asking, has she always acted this way? Towards sicknesses, I mean?”

“One time, Denki got a twenty-four hour flu and stomach bug…she wore a mask outside and inside her own house for two weeks straight. I think she even slept with it on too.”

Nobuko and Ibara stared at her.

“She even gave masks to Hitoshi and I, which we never wore because…he was sick for only twenty-four hours. Then, she had the gall to interrogate us if we hung out with him without wearing them once he got better.”

“And…what did you say? When she did that…?”

“The truth – we threw them out and we told her that we didn’t want to wear them. She was pretty pissed at us, told us that she didn’t want to be near us if we didn’t wear masks around him. But we’re allowed to choose regardless how she feels.”

Shō sighed sadly through his nose as he remembered.

“So, we let her have her way and we just…hung out without her. She wouldn’t go near Denki for a month regardless of it all,” Katsumi said with a shrug that seemed far too stiff to be nonchalant.

“But, what about when you were all at school? Or when Shinsō-kun went home?”

“She wore rubber gloves, sometime double – whenever we worked together or whenever Hitoshi was around her in the house, even though we never got sick or even showed symptoms.” Katsumi leaned into her father. Her eyes traveled low, her gaze forward but not really focusing on anything. “Just because she’s scared and didn’t want to see or hang out with him doesn’t mean that we have to follow her example or do what she says. And I standby that statement to this day.”

Given how Akari almost refused to come inside the Shiozaki house unless she had brought something from her own home to sit on at the sleepover, Nobuko didn’t dare ask anything further.

Present Day…

Clad in the blue, two pieces of cloth that had snap buttons in front, Doctor Yabu monitored the two teenagers as they ran at full speed on the treadmills. Bio-scanners were attached to their temples, chests, and waists that sent readings of their stress levels, heart activity, and oxygen levels respectively.

Shō and Nobuko watched silently from behind Yabu. On the nearby sanitation counter were six vials waiting to be filled with blood by both girls, though three had a different colored label. Nobuko wasn’t familiar with the process of vaccine development, but she couldn’t help but wonder how using her child’s blood would provide the Shinsō family with making a step further in their developments. Her eyes traveled towards Ibara as she pondered.

Given that they had to avoid consuming anything besides water since the night prior, their energy levels were possibly nearing zero. Yet, they kept running; feet landing hard and steady on their treadmills, determined to go until the doctor told them to stop. Sweat dripping down their foreheads and further past their reddening cheeks. Their breaths became shorter and heavier, hands suddenly clenching into fists to fight against the urges to stop.

Her heart ached. The uncertainty, the stress of it all, and watching her child pushing herself…she knew it was for their peace of mind, for their security to live as they did before Probe came into their lives. However, her maternal instincts were practically screaming bloody murder, because Ibara was being pushed to her limits by outside forces yet again.

She felt something against her hand. Calloused, yet warm. Her heart skipped a slight beat, but a smile inevitably tugged at her lips as she felt her boyfriend’s fingers slip through her own. Glancing up at him, she was met with his eyes boring straight and his mouth in a thin line. She then saw his feathers bristling up nearly straight as he continued to watch the scene before them both. She ever so gently squeezed his hand in hers.

“Okay, you two, very well done,” Yabu said not a moment too soon. His hand was on one of the dials on the monitor in front of him and he began to turn it to the left. “I’m reducing the speed to a steady walk now. Go ahead and catch your breath, quack.”

The two girls nodded wordlessly, gladly slowing down and unable to feel anything but the aches in their legs, sides, and chests. Faces now flushed an angry, alarming red and the amount of sweat that continued to drip down their faces that would have made someone none the wiser think that they were suffering from an extremely high fever. Their torsos heaved slowly and steadily, the breaths of their exhales partially visible in the sunlight from the room’s coolness.

The doctor gestured for the parents to come closer. They obliged, eyes naturally drifting down towards the monitor. On the screen were diagrams of a particular large vein on a simulated heart. Beside the monitor were three separate wavelengths for both Katsumi and Ibara. They were labeled for heart rate variability, brainwaves anomalies, and their oxygen levels. Naturally, their heart rates were skyrocketing.

“I know that they had nothing to eat, but we can get more accurate readings this way. The scanners are monitoring the superior vena cava.” Yabu faced the two parents as he spoke, “The Shinsōs informed me of being able to see their circulatory systems in the attack, yes?”

Nobuko nodded, suppressing a shiver the dared to run up her spine. “Apparently, the oxygen-rich portion of it. What does this vein in particular have to do with that?”

“This is the large vein that carries the blood from the head and arms to the heart. It passes next to the upper part of the right lung and the lymph nodes inside the chest. If anything is abnormal, it can develop into SVC syndrome, which in of itself can be treated with time.” He rubbed the tip of his bill with his thumb and index finger, “But due to the special nature of their attack, we wanted to make sure that there were no causes for concern.”

“Would there be evidence of abnormalities?”

“SVC syndrome can cause headaches, dizziness, and a change in consciousness if it affects the brain. Considering that Probe intended to take over their cognitive functions, I wouldn’t be surprised if your girls experienced anything similar during recovery.”

“Are…” Nobuko steeled her nerves. “Are they susceptible to heart attacks, then?”

“…Possibly, quack. However, my hypothesis lands when it was during the early stages of their recovery, due to angina.” Yabu continued to stroke his bill, “Angina is when a coronary artery is narrowed by more than fifty to seventy percent. Because their hearts went under intense strain, they experienced higher odds. But because they made little to no movement during their recovery, I’d say the possibility is rather low.”

The older vine-haired women let a breath of relief.

“Why ‘rather low’, doctor?”

Yabu gave them a causal shrug, “Well, if they become lazy and let themselves go, then the possibility of a heart attack is higher. But that’s with anybody and everybody.”

Now Shō sighed a breath of relief.

“I see no causes for concern, from these readings alone,” He gently tapped the monitor with his free hand, “And after you’ve all confirmed that they experienced no such symptoms or drawbacks, I can see we can rule out the possibility of any damages to their hearts and muscles.”

Behind Shō, his feathers began to soothe and even out. The winged man glanced at Katsumi, watching as she wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her wrist. “And what about anything else? Their stomachs, or kidneys, or lungs?”

“All normal from what I see.” Yabu gently pointed at the girls, “These scanners detect organic and inorganic metallic biometrics to an atomic level, considering the potential for Quirks such as Probe’s. If any of his nanobots were to still be inside of them, they would’ve been found by now.”

“By reading any abnormal iron levels?”

“Precisely. Which is also why I made sure to ask to ensure that your daughter didn’t train using her armor for several days beforehand, Igarashi-kun.”

He nodded and smiled gratefully at Yabu, who finally smiled back at them both. He placed his hand on the dial again and lowered it to zero. With steady electric hums, the treadmills began to slow to a stop. Both Ibara and Katsumi led the treadmills lead them off, finally breathing normally. Their natural colors were breaking through the flushes on their faces and the sheen of sweat was almost completely gone. After removing the scanners, the doctor gestured for them to sit on the nearby patient tables, which they gladly took upon to rest their weary legs.

“Doctor,” Nobuko held her hands close to her heart. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a bead of sweat running down her cheek. “In the immediate aftermath of the attack, we were told that our girls were safe to touch and be around… I just want to ask if that’s…based on reliable evidence and not word of mouth?”

“The madman himself that once he finished attacking your daughters, he would be able to control them, correct?”

She nodded, forcing herself to swallow and not think of that night.

“That alone could serve as confirmation. And now that further research has been done, I can say for certain that your girls are not putting anyone at risk.” Yabu smiled at Nobuko, “Any remaining nanobots would be obsolete. And we know that they can only be activated by the Quirk-user. And since the Quirk-user wasn’t able to take control of them, then it’s safe to assume that them still being infected or being able to spread anything is highly improbable.”

Her heart skipped at least three beats before her brain finally registered what Yabu said. She took in a slow breath, determined to take back control of her brain as it went through every single ‘what if’ in the span of seconds. After taking a long moment to breath out, a smile that she was able to feel in full force appeared on her face. “…Thank you so much…”

“It’s what we’re here for, Shiozaki-san, quack-quack.”

With tears in her eyes, Nobuko made a beeline for Ibara and promptly embraced her. Shō walked over with cups of cold water and a wide smile on his face. Ibara and Katsumi smiled back at their parents before, literally and figuratively drinking the stress away as they let themselves indulge in the warmth and relief and safety of their hugs. For the first time in ages, the weights on their shoulders felt like they were finally being lifted up and away.

“Though, I understand that you all may have question as to why we need to take so much blood, right?”

Before any of them could answer or respond, Yabu went to open the door. Not even three seconds later, a tall, sturdily built man dressed in a suit with the head of a beagle entered the room.

“This is Tsuragamae Kenji, Chief of the Police Force.”

Katsumi’s eyes were bugging out of her skull. ‘Tsuragamae?!’

Ibara was not much different. ‘The chief?!’

Nobuko couldn’t remember the last time her thorns sharpened, but today was damn close to being the day to set a new record. Shō’s feathers stood out on end as he stood beside Nobuko and bowed deeply to Kenji, and she quickly followed his lead.

Ibara and Katsumi moved to do the same-

“No, no. Please stay seated, woof.”

‘…“WOOF”??’

Kenji stared at the two girls. Although his face was as inviting as a real dog, his eyes were hard. The color that was possibly once bright and lively dulled and saturated from the trials and tribulations of life and what his career brought upon him. “So,” he sized up the two teenagers slowly, steadily, “you two are the only survivors of the villain named Probe.”

“Y…Yes, sir…”

Ibara laced her fingers together and brought her hands close to her chest in prayer. “The only ones? Are you certain?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Considering the abnormality and rarity of this Quirk and the connections that have been brought to my attention in recent weeks, it is safe to assume that you two are the only ones who escaped Probe’s clutches to date.”

The two girls exchanged saddened glances at the news. Just weeks ago, they were sitting with Hiroto in a restaurant thinking about how they were hoping that they wouldn’t cross paths with him. But now their hearts were alight with burning righteous fury, because they couldn’t help but question why.

‘Why me?’

Kenji stared at the four in front of him, “There’s a lesson that you all should know by now, woof: not all men and women are created equal. And when Quirks became the norm, that quote is all the more true.” He dipped his head slightly, “From what we’ve gathered, this villain is working under personal motivations. You two have no reason to question or blame yourselves. If anything, you should count your lucky stars that you are both still alive and able to live as you did before.”

They stared back at him, not at all reassured.

“The people working on this investigation, however, have been making progress. Slow, but steady progress. We are currently investigating any and all possible traces that he could have made in the past, to try and catch him before he strikes again.”

Shō’s eyes narrowed, “It’s a given that he’ll strike again?”

“Since his attacks seem to be motive by personal grudges – amongst other things – it is entirely possible. We’re attempting to get one step ahead of him, before he strikes again.”

Kenji almost included how some detectives theorized Probe recruiting with other villains now that two of his victims were still alive and he knew no better. However, the dog-headed man bit his tongue and watched as the news sank in to the joint-family. He watched as some of the tension left their bodies. Not all of it, evident worry was still on their faces, but he could tell that they were more at ease than before.

He cleared his throat to grab back their attention, “Also, we have been informed that there is a possible cure in the making, thanks to you both. The samples that Shinsō Hideaki and Shinsō Ayame gathered shortly after Probe lost his control over you both was enough to study the nature of his Quirk, woof.”

The two girls perked up, as well as their parents.

“How does that explain that we assisted in making such a thing?” Ibara placed a hand to her chest in a vain attempt to try and stabilize her hyperactive heart. “The nanobots that were once inside of us were deactivated when they took them…”

Katsumi nodded beside her, “Yeah, how could that be anything useful?”

“They have given them a direct sample, a near undisturbed insight to study their molecular structure during the process of mutation. That is why Doctor Yabu was able to make sure that nothing has gone awry in your bodies. He knows exactly where and what to look for.” Kenji turned towards the table, where the vials were undisturbed. “Alongside that, they believe that your blood types are also a key factor in creating an effective vaccine.”

“But how would it counter Probe to begin with?”

Yabu took a step to take over, “As of right now, they’re studying wattages of naturally-made electricity. Organs that are found in electric eels and any animals related to such abilities to create a form of plasma bacterium to surround Probe’s nanobots.”

“Indeed.” Kenji nodded, “If the plasma is effective, it would sense Probe’s nanobots and attach itself to it, delivering a shock. Just strong enough to deactivate the bot, but not enough to harm the red blood cells.”

Both girls straightened up in realization.

“That’s why Denki’s electricity…!” Katsumi breathed, exchanging amazed looks with Ibara.

Shō took a step forward, “But what does that have to do with the blood work?”

Kenji nodded again. “Igarashi-kun, your daughter’s blood type is O; the eternal donor. And to extend that title, it’s negative.” He then turned towards Nobuko, “And your daughter’s blood type is AB, that is already quite rare. She also falls into the negative category, Shiozaki-san.”

Shō and Nobuko stared at Kenji silently, letting the words sink in.

“Combined, not only can both of your blood types be effectively donated to every single person in the world, but we are guessing that they already possess the necessary macrophages.”

“Macrophages?”

Yabu nodded, “A type of white blood cell, quack. They engulf and digest pathogens such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris, and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that are specific to healthy body cells on their surface.”

“It is highly likely that your cells have already registered the biometric readings and anatomy of what Probe’s Quirk uses. In short…”

Their heartbeats were in their ears.

“Not only do Igarashi-san and Shiozaki-san have a high chance of natural immunity, but…” He made eye contact with both Ibara and Katsumi, “They both might just be the missing links towards a silent defeat for Probe, woof.”

The only audible sounds were the occasional beeping from the monitor. The four of them stared at the chief of police in silence. In return, both Kenji and Yabu stood by idly, letting the information sink in for however long it needed to. He watched as Nobuko’s and Shō’s gazes drifted down towards their daughters.

Shō decided to take the initiative. “Sir,” he made eye contact with the dog-headed man, “what does that mean for them?” His gaze sharpened, and even though his wings were shrunken down to a quarter of their original size, his feathers were starting to stick out on end. “Are they going to be kept in a lab? Passed around throughout the country to have their blood freely given out on a bi-weekly basis?”

“Dad…!”

Ibara looked at the winged man, aghast.

“Shō, peace!” Nobuko placed her hands on his forearm that was closest to her. She gently squeezed, able to feel his racing pulse beneath her fingertips. “Peace, please… Let us hear what Chief Tsuragamae has to say before we assume anything.”

He looked at his girlfriend, still glaring.

“Your concern is justified and warranted, Igarashi-kun. However, I can say for certain that quarantine or lab work aside from blood withdrawals – if they agree to do so – would be unnecessary, woof.”

“Think of it this way, Igarashi-kun,” Yabu nodded at Shō before looking back at Katsumi and Ibara. “Their two blood types fill in all of the gaps with who can receive the injection. Once the vaccine is past its initial trial stages, it can be implanted into their blood.”

He took a step forward and lifted up the six empty vials that had the different colored caps firmly between his fingers. “Their macrophages will already have registered the components for Probe’s Quirk, and we’re hoping to develop a bacteriophage that won’t conflict with the natural cell responses. Instead, the vaccine’s phages will simply “hop” from their red blood cells to the receiver’s red blood cells.”

The dog-headed man nodded in agreement. “And once that is achieved, alongside with creating a plasma to deactivate Probe’s nanobots successfully, the only thing that they will have to do is simply donate more blood in here.”

Kenji then held up two of his fingers, “With the vaccine, you two will be able to donate to two or more people. And then those two people will be able to donate their blood to other people, woof.” The rest of his fingers uncurled as he continued to speak, “And then the donors who receive that intake can donate afterwards, and the process repeats.”

“It’ll be like a silent super-spreader. The more people who get the transfusions, the more the vaccine will be able to be immunize the population.”

“But not everyone in the world needs a blood transfusion,” Nobuko gripped her cross necklace, thumbing it gently. “What about those who choose not to donate?”

“That is why we’re referring to it as a vaccine, quack-quack. It won’t be nearly as effective due to the lower amount of blood, but we’re hoping that it will still be able to provide the same results as a “blood donation” with enough time.”

“The only thing that we ask is to allow the possibility of more blood work to be done in the near future, even after this.”

Without warning, Kenji and Yabu bowed to the joint-family in saikeirei. Kenji heard movement, though he knew that it was more from their stunned silence than anything alarming.

“The doctors and researchers may need blood work at different intervals during the vaccine’s development stages. I understand how you all may feel. But I am asking…from the bottom of my heart: will you, Igarashi Katsumi-san and Shiozaki Ibara-san, donate your time to giving them the amount necessary when the time arrives?”

“Absolutely.”

“Girls…!”

Ibara and Katsumi stood firmly, in both their stances and decisions. Determination was set ablaze in their eyes.

Shō stared at the two teenagers. Although he had expected them to agree with little to no hesitation, it still took him by surprise regardless. “Kids… Are you both sure?”

Nobuko nodded, her hands clasped together in prayer. “Yes, think about this, the both of you… We aren’t sure how many times this may arise. This could go on for the rest of your lives!”

“That doesn’t matter.” Katsumi clenched a fist, popping several knuckles as she did so. “If me donating blood is what helps bringing this villain down, then nobody has to ask me twice!”

“I am in complete agreement. What I felt that day…I would never, ever wish upon even towards my worst enemies.” Ibara placed a hand to her heart; it felt like it was burning white hot. “I want to help in any way that I possibly can. If this is one of the ways, or possibly the only way as of right now, then I will pour every ounce of my soul into it.”

“I’m not gonna sit around and hope that Probe will be caught one day, all day everyday. Even if what I do helps by just one percent – hell, maybe even less – then I want to do it. Because Probe…” Katsumi glared at the floor like it had just spit in her face. “If that’s what his victims went through, even if it was for just a few seconds…then I want Shio and I to be the last.”

Ibara nodded in agreement with her friend. She then looked at Nobuko and Shō, a gentle smile pulling at her lips. “We understand that you both are our parents and will worry regardless, but please…” She clasped her hands together, as if in prayer. “See it from our point of view as well…”

“Ibara…”

“We have experienced his power firsthand. If the opportunity to prevent such a thing from happening again presented itself to us, then we both vowed to take it. Even if our efforts pale in comparison to others, it is still something that we both agreed on long before this day…”

“We’re future Pro Heroes, Dad. And one of Grandpa’s first lessons to me was if I could help, even in the smallest amount, it can make a major difference. If this is going to help, then that’s all I need to know.”

“Sumi…”

“…” A soft, steady sigh escaped Nobuko’s nose as she smiled just as softly back at her daughter. “We see you both… We had a feeling that you couldn’t simply standby…”

“Detective.” Shō watched as Kenji and Yabu lifted themselves back up to look at them properly. “Do we have your word that our girls will only be getting their blood drawn here? And that there’s already a system in place so that there’s no more information leaks on this case?”

“Indeed. In fact, we suspected that you would ask such a thing, because I made sure to inform Tsukauchi and his team about contacting you both in such a way,” he said towards Shō and Nobuko.

He then looked at Katsumi and Ibara. Even though they were still young women in the throes of adolescence, he could feel the desires to help and aid people from just looking into their eyes alone.

He bowed his head at them. “You girls never should have been a part of this to begin with. I know that my words may mean nothing, woof, but I apologize from the bottom of my heart that young ones such as yourselves got involved.”

“Do not burden yourselves with the sins of others, sir.” Ibara held her clasped hands close to her heart. “It was done in the act of evil, but God has brought us a plan to have it turn towards good. And I truly believe that.”

“So do I. Everything happens for a reason. We’re stronger now, in different ways because of this. And we’ll gladly share it with the world to stop him in his tracks.”

“Shiozaki-san, Igarashi-san…” He bowed in full to them again. “You have my thanks, and the thanks of the investigators handling Probe’s case. And in time, I daresay that I believe that it will benefit us all; to stopping him, and understanding cell-based Quirks in general.”

Standing together, the Shiozaki women and the Igarashi duo then gave their own bows to Yabu and Kenji.

“And you have our deepest thanks as well.”

After agreeing to be contacted via an unregistered number – with the reassurance that the locations would be displayed as Hosu and Musutafu only from both Kenji and Yabu respectively – the joint-family departed seconds after the two girls changed back into their normal clothes. As they left, their parents double-checked to make sure that the bandaged, reddening gauze on their recessive arms had been securely held in place. The blazing heat of the mid-morning sun greeted them all as they exited the hospital.

Having to do some food shopping, Shō and Ibara went along towards the nearest department store while Katsumi and Nobuko headed back to the Shiozaki household to take care of some last minute cleaning. The prospect of coming home to housework didn’t bode well for any of them and they were eager to enjoy the air conditioned party without the thoughts looming over them the entire time. Nobuko also planned to have a surprise birthday cake for Shō when they came home, and promptly gave herself a mental reminder to tell the girls some time beforehand.

The train doors opened up at their stop, the hot sun beating down relentlessly on their heads as they made their way back to the house. In Katsumi’s peripheral vision, she couldn’t tell if Nobuko’s vines looked greener because of the season or if it was just because of the sun’s intensity. Despite her curiosity, however, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

The words the police chief and doctor were on a loop in her head. It was now confirmed; she and Ibara were perfectly healthy and had an extremely high probability of immunity to Probe if he ever tried to attack them again. It sounded too good to be true. A part of her almost didn’t want to believe it, and she knew that if she didn’t hear or see the evidence from the readings, she possibly wouldn’t have.

Her brow crinkled with annoyance –there was proof, physical proof. And even though she knew that the answer was still no, she still had to ask. Ask for copy, to shove it in Akari’s face so that she would stop walking on eggshells around her. And vice versa.

She had always tolerated and even sympathized with Akari’s germophobia and how it heightened her anxiety; extended use of masking, wearing double rubber gloves, and extended distances from herself and the boys if they had ever gotten sick throughout childhood to the present day. She completely understood why she had been so wary of herself and Ibara in the days, weeks even, since.

But it had been a good, solid two to three months since that day and it was beginning to wear onto her last nerve. Over the years, she saw how Akari had gotten a better handle on managing how she went about approaching them if they had ever came down with something, but Probe’s one single attack seemed to have completely wiped out any and all progress. And despite Hitoshi, Denki, and even Hideaki and Ayame’s reasoning and logic, she still refused listen.

Memories of her and Hitoshi offering her help and advice came bubbling up all at once, and the rejection and reasoning that followed never failed to make her grit her teeth and clench a fist in anger.

“I know that look anywhere.”

Katsumi jumped slightly, instantly broken out of her thoughts. She dared to look at Nobuko and met her eyes; the older “Vine” user was smiling gently.

“A lot has been on your mind, hasn’t there?”

“…What gave it away?” She asked through a weak, pitiful laugh.

Nobuko chuckled softly, “You wear your emotions on your sleeve. Much like Ibara, I suppose.”

“You think so?” Katsumi started to fiddle with the strands of her hair where brown and red met. “She doesn’t get nearly as hopped up as I do, though?”

“True, but she still is a very emotional person. And that is a good thing, it’s always better to express yourself than holding anything back or within. Though…” She sighed softly through her nose, eyes drifting towards the stone wall to her right, “sometimes I fear she may cry a little too much or far too easily…”

The “Armored Feathers” user raised an eyebrow at Nobuko. There was something in her tone that sounded off. Exasperated? Worried? Whatever it might have been, it alarmed Katsumi slightly. ‘I might hate crying, but someone being an easy crier isn’t a bad thing…’ To her, tears were something that could express strong emotions when words failed. A way for someone who was staying strong for far too long to finally be able to unravel.

Although she had seen Ibara tear up and come close to crying quite a lot when they had first started seeing and getting used to each other, she never once felt put off by it. If anything, it only made Katsumi want to hug Ibara until the first trumpet was blown. With how much loss and grief and sadness that her friend had went through in such a short amount of time, she was still blown away that Ibara hadn’t developed some kind of horrendous coping mechanism.

Very much unlike how it was something she and her guy friends had always feared of Akari developing if her liking of knives were anything to go off of.

Regardless, Nobuko had hit the nail right on the head.

“…I guess I’m just frustrated…” A heavy sigh escaped her lungs as she brought up her arms to cross them over her chest. “I finally had proof – of what Hideaki and Ayame had said from day one – to show Akari that I’m not contagious, and I can’t even have that!”

“I was quite surprised myself that they didn’t at least give you a doctor’s note…even with terms that only those who witnessed such atrocities would understand…”

“Right? And here I was thinking I could finally clear it up.” She sighed, rubbing her temples, “I can’t take it anymore…”

“I admit, from what I have been told and have seen for myself, I’m surprised that she hasn’t…resorted to her usual habits regarding sicknesses, since....”

“I think it’s because Ayame or Hideaki had a word with her… Quirk aside, I’m kind of surprised that even that got through to her, with how she’s been acting around me and Shio ever since…” Katsumi sighed, “But I think it’s also because she’s trying to protect their reputations and keeping our “sicknesses” a secret, considering the leak and all…!”

Nobuko nodded her head, slowly and silently, unsure of how to feel about that.

“And then that…joke about my mom at the sleepover…”

“In my honest opinion, she shouldn’t have said that. Whether you were okay with a joke like that or not.” Nobuko’s gaze hardened, “I’m surprised Ibara didn’t say anything.”

“I don’t blame her. She probably assumed that I was okay with it…” Katsumi fiddled with the strands of her hair where brown and red met. “At first, I didn’t mind. I did find it kind of funny. But…the more I thought about it later, the more it…”

Nobuko’s features softened.

“And…it’s not even just all of that, either!!”

“Oh?”

“Now, all of a sudden, she’s battling her anxiety! Like, actually trying to fight it! Because of…a new boujee boy! One that she met online until recently!!”

She threw her arms up in the air in exasperation as they went past the house gate. Armored feathers started to jut out on end, and even though Nobuko was aware of them, she made no attempt to soothe them out. Instead, she kept one ear out towards Katsumi as they entered the house.

“Every single time me, Hitoshi, Denki, or anyone else tried to give her advice or ideas to try and combat it, she’d shoot us all down!! Even Riku, who’s Hitoshi’s penpal and Teruo’s cousin, tried to give her advice! But she shot him down too, all because he doesn’t sugarcoat anything! The guy has autism for God’s sake!!”

Nobuko watched as Katsumi clawed through her hair as she spoke, knuckles white and fingers tense with pent up frustration. Katsumi didn’t even bother fixing her shoes in the genkan. Snorting like a bull, she pressed on.

“Riku of all people would know about coping mechanisms, and healthy ones at that! I can’t wrap my head around it! This is the same girl that openly and earnestly licked my hand,” she pointed to the very hand to Nobuko, “when we all went to our first Literature Club meeting!!”

Nobuko wasn’t sure whether to feel amused or disgusted.

“And I’ve tried to be direct with her too! It’s not like I’ve always tried, or hell, even wanted to sugarcoat anything. I can’t stand doing that!”

“Because it takes away the gravity of the situation.”

“Thank you!!” She could’ve bowed at the woman’s feet. “You get it!! And it’s not because you’re a teacher either, I’m guessing!”

The older “Vine” user gave her a weak chuckle and smile. “When you deal with as many school kids as I do for a couple of years, sugarcoating can only go so far, I’m afraid…”

“At least you get it!”

Nobuko watched as Katsumi continued to claw through her hair as she spoke.

“And God knows I’ve tried to get the boys to be more direct too! But…” She let out a heavy sigh, and then took in a deep breath. She didn’t even realize that it was becoming irregular. “But now, somehow, this Aoyama guy and his family have an effect on her that we’ve all apparently never had!! And now she’s going to France, for how many years!? She wouldn’t even let us step foot into Shibuya, not even once on Halloween! Lord knows we’ve all tried!!”

The older vine-haired woman’s heart and eyes softened – although she had only seen and known about these kinds of mannerisms for a short while, what she did get more of was how it was taking a toll on Katsumi. The winged teen wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Nobuko could tell from her body language that it was affecting her. She had steadily become more and more withdrawn, almost constantly hugging her knees to her chest and wings wrapped around her frame even though the summer heat was stifling.

“After all this time, all these years of riding the train to school together and dealing with those jackasses of classmates, the sleepovers, the birthday parties, and…!! I…! Argh!!!”

Little pops from the joints in her fingers popped and cracked from her ire. Nobuko stared at her silently for several long seconds, and then went to the fridge.

“And the worst part about it all for me is that I’ll probably never even get the chance to tell her how I feel!! Even if – big if – I ever do, it just feels like it goes out the window! Whenever I wanted to try and explain my feelings and my thoughts in the past, the conversation either dies out or gets prematurely stopped because she doesn’t want to keep going! I’m lucky I got to say what I wanted to at the Kiyashi mall- Mmph?!”

Without warning, a semi-chilled melonpan was carefully shoved into her mouth. Katsumi instinctively sunk her teeth into it, though her eyes were as wide as a doe’s and her hands were frozen halfway up to her mouth. Her brows furrowed and met in the middle, and then she blinked up at Nobuko several times.

The vine-haired woman was smiling, softly and gently with a slight hint of amusem*nt in her spring green eyes. “I completely understand that anger is best to be let out than bottled up, but I also have a feeling that your frustration also has something to do with your lack of nourishment.”

The winged teen made a noise that sounded like a mix between a huff of a laugh and a slightly annoyed grunt. Nobuko’s smile stretched into a grin and lifted her fingers to her mouth, her shoulders shaking lightly from her laughter.

‘Like mother, like daughter,’ Katsumi thought, trying not to roll her eyes at the vine-haired woman’s poor attempt of hiding her amusem*nt.

Before a string of saliva could drip down the corner of her lips, Katsumi hastily wiped it away after biting into the piece of the melonpan that was in her mouth. Although she preferred having the treat when it was fresh and warm, it was still exceptionally tasty. The little sugar crystals on the top gave it a much-needed crunch and the soft sweetness sent her tastebuds on a ravenous journey that made her brain go “eat more, eat more”.

“When Elijah was in the desert and wanted to die, God simply said for him to eat and sleep. After he did, his vigor became renewed. Hunger can enhance our feelings of ‘me against the world’, though I know that is only a small portion as to why you feel the way you do.”

Katsumi’s gaze lowered to the floor. Instead of answering, she just bit out another chunk of the melonpan.

“You have every right to feel frustrated and upset, you have those emotions for a reason. Considering how long you have known your friends and how much history you have between you all…” Nobuko’s grin softened into a gentle, understanding smile, “From my perspective, it’s rather surprising. From how long I’ve known you, you’ve done nothing but think so highly of her.”

“…I feel like…I just don’t get her anymore…” Katsumi finally said after finishing off what she had in her mouth. “Even after all these years, it’s…it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time, her true colors. She tells me that I don’t listen to her, but ever since that talk we had outside of my old apartment, I feel like I’m the one not being listened to. Especially as of lately, even before then...and all this aside, how she acts when she doesn’t get her way is whole different story…!”

Nobuko nodded solemnly. “Ibara had mentioned about what happened at the Kiyashi Mall.” She held up a hand when Katsumi looked up at her in alarm, “She didn’t go into detail, but she did mention that you were rather upset about what happened. And I’m certain that other people can, at the very least, understand why as well.”

“Every time I feel like I don’t agree with her or try to offer her advice, I…” Her eyes wrenched shut, feeling them suddenly sting horribly. “I feel like I’m a bad friend or a villain…”

“But you most certainly are not either one.”

She felt a slow, steady hand on the top of her head. Her eyes sprang open. Fingers, far daintier and thinner compared to her father’s, how more tenderly they threaded through. Her instincts were already expecting Nobuko do something similar to what Shō did, but instead Nobuko was moving her fingers through her hair much like how she watched what she had done to Ibara numerous times.

She didn’t scrunch anything up or attempt to scratch her neck. Instead, she opted to move from the top of her head down just past her ears, and then back up again. Like a sculptor, polishing and refining a marbled statue that had took far longer to carve than anticipated. It was different, but not bad in any sense. Katsumi could feel her feathers starting to fluff out slightly, finally loosening up from the tension and anger.

“Just because your methods weren’t appreciated and taken into account by a friend doesn’t mean that it was wasted or won’t be appreciated ever. Why…” The older woman’s smile widened a little, “I daresay that it has been a positive effect on Ibara!”

“Wh… You…think so?”

Despite Nobuko’s firm nod, Katsumi still had her doubts. She sometimes wondered how it would affect her future; having blunt communication and boyish behaviors– her father had cautioned her about her attitude many times throughout her life. Even though she took little regard of how a select few people viewed her, there were nights where she layed awake in bed, wide awake. Wondering if the tomboyish way that she openly expressed herself was what drove people away, or if she did have a behavior problem as many of her past and present classmates mocked her for.

“Just because Shinsō-san’s fight is now happening or being helped through someone else doesn’t mean the experience was wasted.” She continued to thread her fingers through Katsumi’s hair. Since she had yet to receive any backlash or rebuttal, she continued to do so. “Now you, Shinsō-kun, Kaminari-kun, and even Ibara and the Literature Club know how to offer help to sensitive other souls if or when the opportunity may arise.”

“That’s one way to look at it…” Katsumi weakly said through a huff of a sarcastic laugh. “I just…”

The hand that was threading through her hair slowly stopped. Then, Nobuko began to draw it back to ever so gently cup Katsumi’s face. She caressed Katsumi’s cheek with her thumb, much like how she had done countless times to her daughter. “Whatever you may be thinking, Igarashi-chan, you’re allowed to feel the way you do.”

“I just…don’t… I don’t want…”

Nobuko stared at Katsumi. Her heart wrenched as she saw the flush of embarrassment appear on the other girl’s cheeks, watching as her eyes slid shut and eyebrows drew together and curled upwards to silently display what was in her heart. The girl who normally so sure and confident in herself, her abilities, and seeing the potential in others, suddenly looked so meek and uncertain. She was like a shell of her former self.

In that moment, the fact that Katsumi wasn’t her own flesh and blood didn’t matter to her at all. This was a girl treading into the uncertainty of young womanhood, and her motherly instincts flared to life more than before. “What don’t you want?”

“…I’m worried that Akari will use this over my head…”

“…‘This’ being…?”

“How fast she and Aoyama-kun have bonded. That her bonding with him will give her leverage to equate to how fast Shiozaki and I became friends…” Finally, Katsumi opened her eyes, just slightly. “I… When I’m around your daughter, I feel comfortable. And safe… Like I can talk to her about anything without being judged. I feel like I can stay around her all the time and never get tired of being with her…”

Nobuko felt her heart skip a joyful beat.

“And, I hope that she feels the same way about me too. I mean, I feel that way about the guys, but with her… It’s stronger, and it just happened faster. I’m afraid that…” The remaining bits of melonpan in her hands crinkled slightly from her tightening grip, “…after everything that the guys and I tried to do after all these years, I feel like if I were to voice my opinions on how she should handle her anxiety and all, she’ll counter it and throw my friendship with Shio in my face as a way to justify her listening to Aoyama-kun instead.”

“I see…”

The winged teen suddenly waved her hands wildly, “D-don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that someone is finally getting through to her – about time, actually – and that she’s finally doing something about it! I…” She sighed, her eyes closing yet again. “But I can’t help but feel frustrated… What does he have that Hitoshi, Denki, and I don’t…?”

“There can be many reasons. But, I will say that if Shinsō-san is truly your friend, she wouldn’t do what you fear most about her.” Nobuko gently stroked Katsumi’s cheek with her thumb, slowly and steadily as she gave her a gentle smile. “Given your history, I understand your perspective. But at the same time, you never truly know someone either. And this is something you needn’t trouble yourself with. Her battles are her own, not yours. Your own burdens are enough.”

“…”

“I can tell you for certain that Ibara truly enjoys your company. There’s something about you that…has helped her open up so, so much compared to me in these last two years…” Nobuko ever so gently placed her fingertips under Katsumi’s chin. “Considering that the growing relationships that you both are experiencing, I believe it is fair to say that you’re both one in the same in that regard – minus the romance between you and Ibara, of course. Your fear of such a thing happening between you and Shinsō-san worries me, though…”

“I guess after all these years of calling me “onēchan” it kind of hurts not being trusted and treated like one…” A quick fidget ran through her body when she realized what she said. “N-not that I know what being a sister is actually like, but still-”

“I understand. You don’t need to explain yourself.”

The older “Vine” user started to rake her fingers through Katsumi’s hair again; it was just as thick as Shō’s, but much, much softer. It had grown slightly since cutting it during her recovery, but still not nearly as long as her father’s. Nobuko couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance when her fingers left it much sooner than when she did the same motions to her boyfriend’s.

She watched as Katsumi followed her movements, a shimmering uncertainty in her chocolate brown eyes. Her heart thrummed against her chest, wanting nothing more to take that look away and squash it with every ounce of her weight because she just couldn’t wrap her head around a child not knowing what a mother’s love felt like.

The vindictive part of her soul cursed and berated Katsumi’s mother for her doing such a horrendous, selfish act that drove their family to break apart. But at the same time, she felt grateful. Because if she didn’t do what she did, Nobuko doubted that she would have ever had the privilege to meet Katsumi and Shō to begin with.

“You’re always putting up such a strong and tough front, Igarashi-chan. And as admirable as it is, I can tell that it is exhausting you.”

“Wh-what do you-?”

A playful look stopped her in her tracks.

“I’m a teacher, I can tell when students are putting on a mask,” She chuckled softly. “Ever since you and your father moved in, I can tell you have been less relaxed.”

“I...” She couldn’t keep her gaze. “Because of the attack and all… And I’m still getting used to living here…”

With a tender look in her eyes, she managed to guide Katsumi’s gaze back at her again. “I’m not chastising you, I’m simply telling you what I see. For however long you and Shō stay here, I want you both to feel like this is a place of safety and warmth, just as much as your old home was.”

“…” Finally, a tiny little smile began to peek out on Katsumi’s face. “You know… Shio said the same thing to me, before we went to the mall…”

“And I’m sure for good reason.” Nobuko dared to take a step closer towards the winged teen. When she didn’t pull away or shrink into herself, she then lifted her other hand to cradle Katsumi’s other cheek. “Reliable people need someone to rely on too.”

“…I-I guess it’s…”

Katsumi’s gaze drifted down. However, her eyes were glazed over, unfocused and looking right through everything and anything. Behind her, her wings had long since gone limp.

“…When Hitoshi and Denki can’t be strong, I… I always assumed that I had to be strong. To stay strong. Because if they can’t, then…what kind of message would we send to Akari? And our bullies too, if they saw that they got through to us…?”

“You’re such a chivalrous soul… You remind me of Ibara in so many ways…” Her eyes shimmered lightly with tiny, unshed tears. “You put on such a powerful front for those around you… But remember, you need to also tend to your own strength before you tend to others.”

Katsumi’s eyes widened when she saw the tears. “Miss-!”

“Don’t ever be afraid to let your guard down here. It’s what Ibara and I wish to give, for as long as you and your father stay here.”

Katsumi blinked. Her eyes met Nobuko’s, and this time, she managed to keep eye contact. They way that the older “Vine” user was looking at her reminded her of how her father looked at her, yet it was so different at the same time. Her features were rounder, curved towards a softness that she could only connect back to how she was looked at before she turned four years old.

“However, if I may also say…”

“…?”

“…I’m becoming quite fond of how you are deep down, Igarashi-chan: a very sweet and gentle girl at heart.”

Her heart skipped a beat. And another. And then another. The kiss, as quick and chaste as it was, brought a type of nervousness that made her eyes start to sting. It was like the kisses that Shō gave her, but so much more soft and gentle. Careful, even. Like someone finding something dirty or broken, yet saw value anyway. And then, began fully intending to bring it back to its former glory.

“You're allowed to let your guard down here. You’re allowed to, because home is where the heart is.” Nobuko lightly rested her lips on the winged teen’s hairline, smiling against it. “And if your heart isn’t in it, then it isn’t home.”

She felt Katsumi’s head dip lower; not exactly resting on her shoulder, but close enough to where if she wanted to, she could have. Nobuko didn’t mind, because she was all too focused on the faint scent of strawberries that came from Katsumi’s hair. Her smile widened, ‘How endearing…even someone as tomboy as her likes sweet-smelling soaps.’ She then lowered her hands to wrap around Katsumi into a loose hug that she hoped still felt comforting.

A warmth somehow spread throughout all four chambers of her heart. Katsumi suddenly felt like she was four years old again, sitting in her father’s lap on the bed of the hotel room. Resting against him in his arms, listening to his quiet sniffles because no matter how many other things he lost, he managed to keep a hold of her. And she wouldn’t dare let him go.

The burning sensation in her eyes got worse. Her vision started to swim and her lower lip trembled. However, Katsumi quickly bit her tongue and screwed her eyes shut to make it stop. It felt like far too much and so very little all at the same time. Her mind was in a frenzy, swirling with ways to respond and with every single emotion that made her whole body clench up.

Though, one was overpowering the rest.

With shaking arms, Katsumi raised them up to wrap around Nobuko to return the sentiment. She couldn’t bring herself to hug her like she was able to do with Shō and Ibara, but she made damn sure that she could at least have Nobuko feel something. Because if she didn’t, the guilt of not doing so and the gratitude that she had towards the woman’s words would eat her alive.

‘I never thought that teachers could actually be cool…’ She swallowed, feeling the saliva grate against her bone dry throat. “…You’re too kind, miss…”

“You can never be too kind, my dear.”

Her embrace felt different to Shō’s. His hugs were warm, but firmer, tighter, and left her with confidence even when she thought that she couldn’t have room for it in her overactive head.

This one felt delicate; treading lightly to ensure her that even though there was newness to it all, it was still filled with that very same warmth and care, alongside a faint sense of security. Like it was always there, ready to refill her with such feelings whenever she needed it.

Chores couldn’t even be bothered thinking of. All Katsumi could focus on was how welcome she felt, listening to Nobuko’s gentle humming in her ear with equally tender fingers running through her hair once again.

The nearest department store in Musutafu was known as Būta; seven upper levels that served as the stores and cafeteria, and then two underground levels dedicated to actual food shopping and fresh stalls for families and retailers alike. Since the day was bound to be the hottest on record for the summer, many flocked to the food retailers to purchase premade desserts and fresh cuts of meat and fish to barbecue. However, to those who had a culinary perspective like Shō and Katsumi, it also had to do with being Yakiniku Day.

Both Shō and Ibara sat contently in one of the air conditioned small bakery establishments on one of the lower levels. After getting what he had originally came there for, he couldn’t help but stop by the place, knowing Ibara’s penchant for bread and similarly-styled pastries. One of his baking-savvy former coworkers had opened the establishment to achieve his dream of owning a patisserie. It had local desserts like matcha and strawberry shortcakes, but specialized in international desserts such as French macaroons, German chocolate black forest cake, South American flan, Portuguese egg custard tarts, and even Louisiana-style beignets.

Needless to say, she was intrigued (and not on the behalf of her empty stomach).

A small plate of the warm, overdosed powdered sugared American-styled fritters sat between them, alongside cold cups of green tea and black coffee respectively. The winged man was leaning back in his chair, his coffee cup to his lips as he watched the department store steadily become more and more crowded. With their shopping bags resting on the empty chair beside him, he thanked his lucky stars that he chose to come when he did. In the corner of his eye, he saw Ibara taking off another piece of her beignet.

“Mmm!” A look of child-like bliss was etched across her face as she savored the texture. “Igarashi-sama, you were not lying about this place. Not that I believed you would, but…oh my!”

He couldn’t help the smile from stretching across his face. “You like it?”

“It’s wonderful!”

His smile widened – he himself had a particular preference for beignets, and these were the closest to the ones he had for the first time in Café Du Monde on his honeymoon. One could argue that beignets were more suited to be saved for a coffee date or as a dessert, but Shō didn’t think that it mattered when it was already so close to noon.

Although both Katsumi and Ibara had been given small sweets and juice to replenish their glucose levels, both he and Nobuko knew that it was going to take much more and much longer for them to feel like themselves again. He initially insisted on buying her an actual meal, but Ibara simply reassured him and planned to eat at the party alongside Katsumi. Both girls considered it a form of hero-based endurance training.

Both parents considered it could be called that after what they had just heard and witnessed at the hospital.

‘I just hope this keeps her somewhat alert until then,’ he thought. “I gotta admit: you’ve impressed me too.”

“Hm?”

“With finding some good tuna, I mean. You need a certain amount of experience to gauge the freshness and umami of fish, and you managed to find some of the better ones in the market.” A cheeky grin spread across his face, “A lot better than Sumi ever has been, if I’m being honest!”

She balked slightly. “Truly?” Having known and seen her friend’s cooking abilities first-hand, she had suspected Katsumi to be far more well-rounded than Shō was giving her credit for.

“My culinary knowledge aside, Sumi and I don’t eat fish nearly as often as you and your mother do. I need someone with a keen eye and know-how to match mine.” He took a sip of his coffee, “That’s part of the reason why I wanted to bring you here.”

Ibara stared at him silently.

The grin on his face widened. “I’ve been slacking lately. But I can’t have that, not when I want to keep your mother interested in my cooking.”

“What do you-?”

“I can’t have a fancy French chef show me up. A first impression only happens once, and I want to make sure that even if the food there is outstanding in its own right, I want my own cooking to be memorable to her.”

Although it was brief, Ibara sat up slightly straighter when she saw Shō’s eyes dart towards the ground for that single split second. Her heart warmed slightly – although she detested envy and jealousy with her entire being, something about seeing Shō sounding insecure made her feel all the more grateful to how much he valued Nobuko and her opinions. And, her own thoughts and opinions on matters in addition.

A soft smile appeared on her face, “I believe you already have made such a strong impression on my mother with your talent, Igarashi-sama. I know for certain that you have impressed me.” She broke off another piece of the beignet, “You and Igarashi. The creativity that you both possess alone has tempted me to try things that I otherwise wouldn’t imagine eating,” she said before delicately placing the piece in her mouth.

He watched her as she spoke. Amidst the comfort and reassurance, it felt strangely odd to him because he felt as if he was watching his own daughter eating. He took another sip of his coffee, darting his eyes away from her just as she was about to look up at him in her curiosity. If she had been expecting a response, she didn’t show it.

Even though they had been around each other fairly consistently, Shō still wanted to tread carefully around Ibara. She had been polite and courteous as usual, but he knew from just looking into her eyes that having them around consistently was still such a major adjustment for her.

The grief from losing her father was also still so deeply engraved into her heart. Having lost his own mother around her age, he felt an immediate connection to her and wanted to help her not just open up, but offer ways to heal. The problem was going about it.

She was so vastly different from Katsumi in terms of attitude and approach; it practically gave the man whiplash. At the same time, he couldn’t help but appreciate it. It made the conversation that he and Nobuko had on their first night at the Shiozaki household hold all the more true.

Shō moved his gaze back towards Ibara. She was dabbing at her mouth with a napkin before taking a sip of her tea. His steeled his nerves. “…Shiozaki-chan?”

“Hm?”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” He placed his coffee down on the table. “What inspired you to become a Pro Hero?”

She immediately stopped. Some of the powdered sugar that was on the piece of the beignet that she was holding fell onto the table and instead of hastily wiping it down like she normally would, her eyes wouldn’t move away from Shō’s.

“I know it happened to come up when Sumi and I had dinner at your house for the first time, but I can’t help but ask again.” Shō started to smile softly at her, fingers lightly pressing against the rim of his cup. “Because it took a bit more than just viewing pros for Sumi to become one.”

Ibara couldn’t help but blink in slight surprise. “Is that so? Pray tell, what sparked her interest, then?”

“…I think had to do with the divorce.”

Her lips immediately parted-

“But not in the way that you’d imagine…” A rough sigh escaped him as he rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze drifted towards the windows again, where the sea of people had somehow grown bigger. “I think…it has to do with how acute Sumi is towards how other people feel. My ex and I split because of the topic of pros, because the way she had seen it and went about the job was…not ideal.”

“I understand. Being a pro is not for everyone.”

“No, it isn’t. But…my ex was never really supportive of Katsumi’s decision, either. To put it lightly.”

Ibara squashed her curiosity. ‘If he’s wording it so lightly, I can’t imagine how painful it must be to go into further detail…’ Even before her father had passed away, she and Nobuko maintained such a strong relationship that if she were ever to be asked who her best friend was, she would know instantly. With what little she knew of Katsumi’s mother, and how little Katsumi seemed to even think of the woman in terms of memory and worth, it was clear that the opposite was true for her.

Shō slowly started to smile again. “That’s why I want to ask again. Though, am I far from the mark when I ask if your reason has to do with your faith?”

“…” She folded her hands in prayer, “How familiar are you with imprecatory psalms, Igarashi-sama?”

“Not familiar at all.”

Now she started to smile. She had a feeling, considering that it was something nearly controversial to speak about by people who even shared her faith. “To be frank, people in the Bible who found themselves in situations of injustice, violence, and oppression cried out to God against the well being of those responsible.”

Shō blinked. “So it’s a curse? A prayer for damnation?” If he hadn’t been familiarized with Christianity because of his ex-wife and daughter, he had a feeling he would’ve been put off.

Her smile didn’t falter, however, even as she shook her head. “It leans more towards righteous anger – praying for damnation and praying for justice are two very different things. Although we believe that all people can be saved,” she placed a hand to her chest, “there are times when it is appropriate to stop praying for their salvation when God makes it clear that they will likely never turn and repent.”

‘Where is that spotlight coming from?’

Her fingers began to thread together. “It is my belief that we should be involved in dismantling systems of injustice and oppression. And where we don’t have the power to do so, we are empowered to ask God to either change the hearts of oppressors or neutralize their power.”

She stopped. It could’ve been the sunlight or the reflection from the windows, but she could’ve sworn that she saw Shō’s eyes twinkled slightly.

“Fixing what doesn’t work and taking out abusers with power… Sounds pretty nice to me.”

“Indeed,” Ibara nodded in agreement. Her gaze slowly drifted to the floor, her smile falling. “That’s not to say that I hate villains or believe that they are too far gone… Hate is toxic, no matter whom or what it is directed towards. If there is even the slightest chance of a villain turning from their sinful ways, I will pray with ever fiber of my being that it is taken upon.”

The winged man raised an eyebrow in confusion. “So what use are imprecatory prayers as a base for becoming a Pro Hero?”

“It is not uncommon for Christians…or anyone else really, to see justice and grace as opposing forces…” Ibara pressed her hands to her chest, gaze still low. “They are different sides to the same coin. When justice prevails, it is a grace to everyone around.”

“…Shiozaki-chan.”

Their eyes met. His voice was quiet, but there was evident tone of concern within. The strange, warm feeling in her heart grew.

“From what you’ve just told me… Are you worried that people will call you a hypocrite, or anything along those lines? That people will use your beliefs as excuses to abuse your generosity, compassion, and kindness?”

“…As my Mother and Father had taught me, I will pray for them. And even if the lesson did not come from her, I would still pray for them. Not just to bless them, but to open their minds to the wisdom of understanding that righteous anger can pave the way to justice.”

Even though she spoke firmly, she still couldn’t help but feel rather hurt; even for the day when those words sent her way hadn’t even happened yet. “Loving your enemies is very different than allowing and accepting abuse.”

He sighed through his nose. Although the thought of seeing Ibara being treated like anything less compared to how she treated others – far better than how many adults he had encountered on the daily – made his blood boil, her answer did satisfy him. Memories of when Katsumi told him about what had happened between her and Ibara in the Kiyashi Mall when they first met the Literature Club came back, and he relaxed a little. ‘

‘I know that she isn’t a pushover, far from it. But… I still wanted to be sure.’

“I also grew up with my faith, but I had never truly felt the security and power of it that I hold now when I was a child. My first experience with loss was when I was five, when my father’s family pet died.” A small, sad smile broke through her features despite herself, “She had been rather protective of me when I was a baby, and she was one of the many highlights when we went to see my paternal grandparents.”

“A dog, huh?” Shō nodded understandingly, “My parents had one too growing up, but I was way too young to remember him. But, my dad says that dog behaved exactly what your grandparents’ dog did.” He watched her rub the corner of her eyes with the back of her wrist and felt tempted to reach over and brush them away for her.

“I love dogs… I believe that’s partly why I have such a soft spot for them. I’ve always wanted one, ever since that day.” To her surprise, Shō’s grin threatened to split his face, making her eyes widen. When she saw his shoulders shaking with laughter, she couldn’t help but feel a little affronted. “What’s so funny?”

‘I want to tell her about Sumi’s cousins even more now.’ A sharp breath through his nose quelled his silent laughter. “Nothing… Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. Just…something else, in relation to all this.”

She blinked, not completely convinced. However, she had a feeling that even if she were to ask, he would remain fairly tight-lipped about it. Threading her fingers together and praying, she continued, “Through loss, I had experienced God’s true presence. Of course, I had experienced it even more so when I lost my father, but that was…understandably, much more intense.” Her eyes started to sting again, and she quickly shut them to make it stop.

Shō nodded back understandingly, a sad smile on his face.

“In those years, I had almost nobody to rely on… Of course I had Mother, but she was grieving also. And her grief was far deeper than mine. You cannot comfort those on a topic that you yourself just scratch the surface on…”

“True…”

“And that is why I strive to become a Pro Hero. To be that somebody for those suffering, to rely on.”

Her voice that had started of shaken and thick with brewing sadness began to warp into something more determined and confident.

“I strive to be that person that people look at when they’re uncertain or scared, and then feel a sense of security when they see me. A presence that knowing that no matter what, people feel safe enough at night to sleep peacefully. Because someone strong enough is there to protect them.”

“You sound just like Katsumi, especially with that determination in your tone.”

Her eyes met his.

“I’m glad that you have a goal. It’s important to have one, especially for a job like being a pro. But remember – and I tell this to Katsumi as well – that it’s okay to rely on someone. If your instincts tell you to trudge ahead and face what may come alone, don’t do it blindly.”

“…Blindly?”

He nodded, “When other people extend their hands to you, don’t feel obligated to say no because the responsibility is on your shoulders alone.” He smiled into the last of his coffee, “Faith can move mountains, but every shoulder has a limit to how much weight it can hold.”

“My strength comes from God. But…” A smile tugged at her lips. A small part of her heart warmed up seeing his concern. “But of course, I won’t be neglectful of the body that He has blessed me with, either.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Her eyes widened when she felt a hand on her head. Shō had reached over the table, gently scrunching up her vines in the same manner that he did with Katsumi’s hair. Immediate concern for her thorns made her open her mouth to speak. If he felt any sort of discomfort or irritation from her thorns, he hid it exceptionally well. His eyes were soft, sparkling with a form of pride that she hadn’t seen in over two years.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, kid. Don’t ever lose that, because that’s what’s gonna help you become a great Pro Hero.”

Her tongue suddenly felt like lead. Shō didn’t seem to notice, because he was gazing out the window once again. The two sat in silence, neither exactly sure of what to say next. But, a moment passed and they soon felt fine with it. The beauty of the day and each other’s company was before them.

Ibara couldn’t help but think back to when she and Katsumi were alone in her room for the very first time. She had allowed the “Armored Feathers” user to see her fondest memories and hit the nail on the head with how vulnerable she had been feeling for so very long. It was embarrassing, even to this day, because Ibara still considered Katsumi a stranger before she had offered her friendship to her.

But, the more she thought about it, she realized that Shō saw his daughter in her – someone who was ready to be someone to rely on, without thinking of how she needed someone to rely on that wasn’t their parental figure.

Her heart skipped a beat, a rush of comfort coursing through her system. “…How odd…” A small, warm smile appeared on her face. “This talk…I can’t help but think of Igarashi…”

“She learns from the best, you know.”

A snrk escaped her before she realized, and then a quick hand clapped over her mouth to stop herself.

Regardless, Shō grinned back at her playfully. “…You look prettier when you laugh. Just like your mother.”

She blinked. “Wha-?”

“You have a very serious face, like her too. And that in of itself isn’t bad, though…” Shō smiled over his cup. “You and Sumi are going through a lot, but at the end of the day, you’re still just kids. It’s nice, to see you smiling and laughing and having fun.”

She felt a small, strange sense of warmth. One that felt so familiar, yet so different at the same time. A type of warmth that when he pulled away, it left a form of reassurance that shooed away that anxieties in her mind. “Everyone says that I’ve been smiling more… I believe it has to do with meeting your daughter…”

She clasped her hands close to her chest. Memories of spending time with Katsumi in her room, when they met up alongside their parents on their dates, and at the Literature Club room all flashed in her mind’s eye. “However, when all is said and done…I can only hope and pray that she enjoys my presence as much as I do hers, Igarashi-sama.”

“Honestly…”

“They’ll be each other’s greatest allies and biggest obstacles.”

His smile widened. “…I don’t think you have to worry about that at all.”

BZZT, BZZT

After fishing in his pocket for a solid minute to grab his phone, he checked the screen and nodded. “We better get going.” He started to stand up from the table, gathering the dirty dishes together in the center of the table. “The fish need to be refrigerated and I don’t want your mother to start worrying about us.”

Ibara couldn’t help the slight giggling from bubbling up in her throat. ‘Knowing Mother, she would possibly chastise us first.’ If there was one thing she knew about Nobuko and learned from her, it was to never be tardy for important times and gatherings.

Once everything was set, they gathered their shopping bags and Shō wished his former co-worker a good day with Ibara bowing and thanking him at his side. As she followed his weaving form through the crowd, he started to ascend to street levels via staircase.

Keeping pace with him, she tilted her head slightly in her confusion. “Did we need to purchase anything else?”

“Huh? Oh no, not really.”

Ibara blinked, mind blanking. She glanced over her shoulder, where the bakery and the rest of the shops were for several seconds before turning back towards the winged man. “But… Then, why did we go in there?”

“Just because we go into a place doesn’t always mean we need to buy something from them,” Shō said with a casual shrug. “At least, not every store. That’d be a pretty…” His grin threatened to split his face, “crummy situation.”

Almost immediately, Ibara had to cover her mouth to stifle her giggle. Despite her efforts, Shō heard it. He turned towards her with an accomplished glint in his eyes, “Aha! Gotcha laughing!”

“That was…absolutely horrendous!”

“But you’re laughing! I count that as a win!”

“…” The corners of her upturned mouth poked past her hand. “Must I ask you rye you’re being so serious about making me laugh?”

Unabashed uproarious laughter filled the stairwell. So much, he had to lean against the wall to support himself. Bystanders became onlookers, though neither of them seemed to notice. Ibara watched him in silent fascination and mild worry, his feathers fluffing out in all directions because he was laughing like it was the funniest thing he’s heard in a hundred years.

“That was pretty good, kid!” He managed to say through his chuckles, “But, as for making you laugh, it’s because it’s the best medicine. I can dough you one butter!”

His feathers somehow became even fluffier as he watched Ibara laugh behind her hands.

“Two for one, Igarashi-sama?” Her cheeks were tinged pink, though whether it was from her amusem*nt or the realization that they were being watched was hard to tell. “I suppose it’s expected, you certainly don’t loaf around when it comes to your goals!”

“It’s the yeast I could do!”

Their laughter echoed throughout the stairwell. The several few bystanders looked at them in confusion while another select few shook their heads in exasperation for having to endure the conversation of the horrid puns/dad jokes before tending to their own duties.

After a few more moments, they both managed to calm down enough to actually get back to walking up the stairs properly.

“That aside, though, I had a more important reason to go there. Something that had nothing to do with the party.”

Her curiosity got the better of her. “And what might that be, perchance? Besides my initial hunger?”

“Easy. I just wanted to sit down and have some fresh beignets with you!”

While they had no doubt of expecting the Shinsō family to be at the apartment complex, not even Nobuko or Ibara had imagined running into Yuri and parents first. As they all exchanged greetings and pleasantries – Nobuko a bit more causally since she had known Yuri’s parents as the sponsor teacher – Katsumi and Ibara began to see the similarities between Yuri and her parents.

Like the Shiozaki women, Kubo Tomoki had passed on a plethora of traits to her daughter: straight, silky violet hair, captivating eyes that were equally as purple, and body shape. In contrast, Tomoki possessed a much higher level of extroversion that even surpassed her husband’s.

“Are you the two girls who have been looking out for my Yuri?” Tomoki asked with her fingertips pressed together, her smile wide as she examined the girls before her. “I’ve been meaning to thank you!”

“Mom…!” Yuri shrank into herself, cheeks already tingeing pink. “It’s been months now...! They’ve probably already forgotten…”

“Forgotten?” Katsumi and Ibara parroted, unable to hide their bewilderment. Behind them, Nobuko looked equally as shocked at the choice of words.

“Oh, Yuri, how could they forget something like that? They caught those two awful girls in the act, especially after so long.”

The “Analyze” user was already wringing her wrist. “Yes, but…”

“I appreciate the compliments, however I cannot take credit,” Ibara placed a hand to her chest as she bowed to Tomoki, “It was Igarashi and also another friend of ours, Shinsō Akari, who was with Igarashi when they had defended Kubo-san.”

“Ah, so that’s why it seemed rather off.” A tone of gentle masculinity accompanied Tomoki’s soft sound of surprise. Behind a pair of rectangular spectacles was a man who had two soft brown eyes, short black hair, and the height that had been passed down to Yuri as well. “However, we must thank you as well, Shiozaki-san, for treating our girl with respect ever since meeting her.”

“I have no reason not to, Kubo-sama.”

“Junpei-san is just fine.”

Even though she felt rather odd about calling a friend’s parent’s name so casually, she couldn’t help but smile back at Yuri, lacking the gratitude and sheepishness that the latter possessed on her face. Ibara turned back towards Junpei and Tomoki, “and please, think nothing of my actions. It is simply what friends do.”

Katsumi nodded, unable to resist giving Yuri a slight nudge on the arm. “No one deserves to be treated that way, and I can relate to her on it, unfortunately. But,” she started to grin, “I’m glad that I had a hand in giving them their comeuppance.”

‘Lord knows it’s been far too long…’ Nobuko lamented, trying to sigh softly and silently to hide her frustration.

It wasn’t long until the others started to show up. First Denki and Hotaru, then Natsuki. Minutes later, the FPS Crew had showed up, holding a different group game to play in each of their hands per Akari’s request to spend some time alongside them. In the moments after, Monika and Sayori arrived shortly afterwards.

As they all exchanged pleasantries, Nobuko’s focus was fixated on Monika. Even though she was smiling and bowing to Yuri’s parents and Denki’s mother and walking amongst and beside her friends, her eyes weren’t bright.

Ever since she had met Monika, Nobuko never failed to see just how much her eyes sparkled. Whether it was during the club, in class, and especially whenever she was with Sayori, there were always several twinkling shades within her irises. Hues of darker and brighter greens mixed amongst the depths of emerald that were sometimes the only true reflection of her joy when she had to keep face amongst her peers and teachers.

But now, it was like a flame had died. Even though she was putting up a good front, Nobuko could tell that Monika’s smile didn’t reach her ears and her heart wasn’t in it. Even though Sayori’s arm was around her shoulders and she leaned into her best friend’s touch, it only brought back a pitiful ember of what would normally be a roaring flame.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand brushing against her own, and then breathed out a tiny sigh of relief when she saw that it was Shō. He was looking at her worriedly, and Nobuko simply rubbed her thumb over his hand to silently reassure him.

Unbeknownst to her, she wasn’t the only one who noticed. As Taichi, Daichi, and Teruo talked to Denki, Ibara, and Monika, Yuri and Katsumi had wordlessly exchanged glances that felt as loaded as the air around Monika.

Katsumi reached out and gently tapped Sayori on the shoulder. When the other girl turned to look, Katsumi leaned over her shoulder, “is Hashimoto okay?” She whispered, eyes locked on the “I.R.” user.

“She seems…” Yuri trailed off, suddenly unsure. Words kicked and screamed in her throat and she struggled to get them out. The wringing on her wrist became slightly faster. Swallowing, the salvia grated against her dry throat as she forced herself to speak. “…Sayori, did something happen?”

“…It’s…”

Sayori looked ahead, where the others were. They were all entering the elevator, Shō and Nobuko included since there was only so much space that they could occupy. Sayori decided to linger back with Teruo, Katsumi, Yuri, and Yuri’s parents. Once the doors closed, Sayori finally glanced back at Katsumi.

“Does it have to do with her parents?”

If Sayori hadn’t been paying attention, she would’ve missed the anger in Katsumi’s tone. And even though she wasn’t looking at Yuri, she could feel the latter’s eyes upon her because the winged teen’s voice was just high enough for only them to hear. Her inside were burning – she wanted to tell them everything. Everything that happened today, and yesterday, and the day before that, and the days before that…

She stopped herself, however. ‘Today…isn’t about us…’ She thought, remembering why they were all there suddenly. Every fiber of her being was telling her to say something, drop a hint, send a text, anything to let them know that their wonders were warranted. But, a smaller part of her, the one that was screaming at her for being selfish because today was supposed to be about spending time with Akari. ‘…If I tell them…they would want to know more…’

And that wasn’t something for her to share. Not after what happened earlier.

Forcing the smile to her face, she shook her head. “No… Don’t worry, Sumi.” The “Motivation” user reached over and gently booped her friend’s nose with her index finger. A genuine giggle escaped her as she watched her friend jump and blink slightly in shocked response. “It’s… This is fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Yūga, this is very much not fine.”

Said blonde perked up slightly from his venture into the fridge in mild confusion. Upon Neito and his parents’ arrival, Yūga’s parents’ summer apartment was now filled up with all of their expected guests and the party was pretty much in full swing. The smell of cooked meats and seafood permeated the air from the grill on the outside balcony, both Gilbert and Shō taking turns to mind the food while Rei and Yūga took it upon themselves to flitter around and about with small cheese boards and whatnot.

The adults had all formally introduced each other and their children had long gone past formalities and greeted each other with an air of familiarity not long after giving Akari proper congrats. Taichi, Daichi, and Teruo all expressed their surprise and amazement when she and Hitoshi had told them the news, and then presented Akari with a good luck/going away gift with a set of Japan’s top 10 Pro Hero gaming cards. The box was signed by all three of them, as well as Taichi’s two older brothers, wishing her equal luck.

Even though Akari worried that her anger at losing would inadvertently damage the cards if she ever played, the boys simply laughed and told her that it was her gift and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

However, any would-be worries of the card game’s wellbeing went straight out the window when she had caught sight of Gilbert beginning to serve Burgundy wine that dated back to 1967…alongside the packs of cold Sapporo beer. The “Glitter Glue” user got closer to her boyfriend, eyes hard. “I thought that I made it pretty clear that I didn’t want alcohol at the party, Yūga…!”

Upon hearing her words, he looked up over her head to watch. Gilbert and Marri were chatting amicably with the Shinsō parents, Hotaru, Neito’s parents, Yuri’s parents, Nobuko, and Shō; all of them laughing pleasantly with the drinks in their hands. He smiled softly, “Mon oiseau, you know that wine is a staple in my home country now. It is considered good manners to serve it amongst guests and family alike. ☆”

“I know! I’m talking about the beer!”

He blinked. “The beer?”

She sighed, almost in exasperation. “Oui, ma chéri…” Her expression scrunched into one of mild disgust and worry as she listened to her father laugh in the background. “My dad’s… He’s a lightweight, and I don’t want him going…you know, overboard.”

“Mon oiseau.”

Thin and delicate fingers laced between her own.

“I can assure you, nobody plans on getting drunk.” Yūga buried his nose into her hairline and he breathed in her scent. The familiar wafts of peppermint overrode any would-be worries that dared to peek through his shimmer visage of self-esteem and confidence. “We are here to celebrate you and your accomplishments. Maman and Papan made that very clear before the day even started. ☆”

“Well…” She tried to ignore how having him so close to her made her stomach turn in on itself. “I mean for everyone else’s parents too… I know Shō-ojisan can’t hold his liquor well, and I don’t even know about Ibby’s mom or-”

“Mon oiseau, I fear you are worrying too much. ☆”

A pair of lips pressed against her forehead ever so slightly.

“Remember, this party is for you. There’s no need to stress yourself with what ifs or things that had not happened yet.”

A frown threatened to pull at her face. Even though she definitely trusted Yūga with her mental health problems, she had yet to have him understand that there were certain things that she just couldn’t help but fret about. ‘No amount of distracting will be able to pull me away from it, now that I know that it’s here,’ she thought, eyes drifting back towards the adults yet again. They were all nursing their own respective drink now.

It was also the fact that she was within the same vicinity as Neito’s parents. Even though she had heard nothing but good things from both him and Rei, she still felt her nerves prickle uncomfortably around the two. They had been as pleasant and warm as Marri and Gilbert, but it was the sheer fact that Neito had inherited his exaggerated drama-inducing provocations from at least one of them.

And that alone made her wary before even knowing their names.

The fingers laced within hers tightened ever so slightly. Her silence lasted a little longer than she expected because Yūga was looking at her, still smiling his usual smile but with an evident implore within his indigo eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she made eye contact with him – she wanted to get lost in those pretty gems for the rest of her life.

“…” Finally, she sighed. “I’ll… I’ll take your word for it.”

He almost raised a brow in confusion at her, but gave a soft huff of a laugh through his nose in the end. In his heart, he knew that was the best kind of reaction and answer that she could give thus far and figured to work on it further when they got to France. The sooner she came to realize that wine was served with lunch in every corner of Paris, the better to stamp her unease into the ground for good.

“Can I play with your phone, mon Sparkle Partner? Mine’s still charging.”

“Of course! ☆”

Upon having his phone in her hands, Akari’s eyes widened. On his phone case was his usual go-to color of indigo, but before their first date, it was simply adorned with star stickers. Now, an extra clear case was settled over it to protect the shimmering glue that she had offhandedly drew and left on it in the shape of a heart. Her whole body seemed to relax and warm up as she smiled, thumbs gently grazing against the screen to distract herself from her crackling skin on her knuckles as she went to sit beside Hitoshi.

The teenagers were settled in the living room, playing games. Katsumi, Natsuki, Sayori, Taichi, Hitoshi, Neito, Teruo, and Daichi were in the middle of a free-for-all tourney in Pro Hero Smash Rumble on Teruo’s Switch, the extra controllers available thanks to Daichi’s Switch. Meanwhile, Ibara played a co-op game of Hogwarts Legacy with Denki on Katsumi’s Switch with Monika and Yuri watching from over their shoulders. In the background, the soft sounds of alternative rock played just over the sounds of the video games.

When Yūga and Rei got to them with extravagant offers of the barbecued meats and seafoods alongside platters of cured meats, cheeses, and fruits, they all expressed their thanks. But none more so than Katsumi and Ibara; the small meals that they had earlier had run their courses and their stomachs were practically begging for something that wasn’t water.

Seeing how hungry the two girls were, both Rei and Yūga beamed and set the trays down on the coffee table to let them take what they wanted. Rei then took a free spot on one of the chairs beside Yuri and Yūga took the free spot next to Akari, letting her lean into him as he watched the tourney.

“Sweet playlist you got, Sumi,” Denki said with a beaming smile from his spot beside Monika. “Did Jirō-san make this?”

Katsumi finished off the last of her miso chicken skewer, “Wow, how’d you guess?” She grinned back at him, eyebrows raised from her genuine impression. “Too alternative for my tastes or-?”

“He saw your texts from her while looking over your shoulder earlier.”

“Oh come on, Toshi-man!” To his relief, however, the laughter that followed was nothing short of pleasant. He let out an indignant huff before turning back to slaying goblins with his Hufflepuff character. “Can you blame me? It’s not every day that you guys branch out from something different.”

Natsuki huffed out a laugh at him, “What are you talking about? You think you’re a music connoisseur or something?”

“Nah, but I like to think that my music tastes range as far as my shocks go!” Denki gave her a playful wink with his tongue sticking out between his teeth, “Sumi listens to classic rock a lot, and Toshi-man and Little Shinsō share pretty much the same music tastes. It’s just nice to have someone who branches out a bit better.”

Monika raised a quizzical eyebrow at the “Electrification” user. “Did you ever ask? Or, try to get them into new things?”

Despite her cold tone, he nodded at her. “Yeah! It’s like trying to find that perfect girl, you know?” He let out a dramatic sigh that would’ve impressed Rei and Yūga. The back of his head went limp against the back of his chair, “Or, should I just say “the perfect girls” instead?”

All the girls aside from Rei and Akari gave him dirty looks for their own reasons…all of which that went straight over his head.

Akari spluttered out a laugh. “Kami, what do you mean? Are you trying to become a Disney prince or something?”

“Hey, I’d make a great Disney prince, Little Shinsō!”

“And I can teach you how, mon ami ☆”

“Remember when we were kids, Toshi-man? We used to pretend that I was Prince Eric and I’d save Little Shinsō as Ariel, from Medrucula?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Neito stared at Denki. “…Medrucula…?”

“Yeah! You know…the octopus villain lady?”

Natsuki was biting her thumb in a vain attempt to stop herself from laughing. Rei and Yūga slowly made their way back to the kitchen as they watched Akari’s eye twitching steadily get worse and worse.

“…Medrucula.”

“…Yeah?”

Taichi let out a tiny snort. That made Katsumi start wheezing, and she quickly ducked her head into the crook of her elbow to hide her grin. Daichi laughed under his breath, lightly slamming his fist onto the table.

“Don’t you guys know who I’m talking about?”

Sayori slapped her hands over her mouth, her shoulders quaking with laughter. She buried her face in Monika’s shoulder; meanwhile the latter rolled her eyes.

“Medrucula!”

“…Kaminari…” Hitoshi was at least attempting to hide his grin. “I think you mean Ursula.”

“Her too!”

That did it. As the dam of unrestrained laughter broke down amongst them all, the few who weren’t trying to hide and/or restrain their laughter marveled at the sheer fact that Denki couldn’t hear – or even see – Akari’s brain sizzling with rage.

“MEDRUCULA.”

Those who were laughing were laughing hard. Laughing so hard that some of them had to lean against the closest person beside them to keep themselves from falling onto the floor. Tears were already springing to their eyes as the sheer stupidity and ridiculousness of it all because every time that they thought that Denki’s idiocy wouldn’t surprise them anymore…

“What??” Despite himself, he was grinning. “It sounds like a plausible name!”

“Yeah, but only to an idiot, like yourself!!”

“Mon Sparkle Partner, do not trouble yourself. ☆ He is, how you say…a dolt.”

“Wow. Wooow, Aoyama.”

“You know what? You’re right, Yūga.”

“WHAT??”

Rei, feeling a little more comfortable now that Akari’s anger was quelled – just slightly – grinned and sat back down in her spot. “…Before you even become a prince, Kaminari-kun-”

“He’d be a sh*tty prince, Rei!”

“LITTLE SHINSŌ.”

“-Have you ever considered looking around what you already have, Kaminari-kun?” Her grin widened when he turned to look at her, and when she saw Akari practically freeze. “Like say…Igarashi-san?”

“Me???”

The laughter ceased instantly.

Eyes that belonged to Natsuki, Hitoshi, and Ibara were glued to Katsumi as she pointed to herself. Her wings were nearly sitting up straight. A small cluster of snickering caught her attention and when she turned, Taichi, Daichi, and Teruo were all hunched over and shaking with barely-concealed laughter. A tiny little flush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks. Ibara sent out thin little briars in warning to make them stop.

“I don’t-!! Why me??”

Taichi, still shielding himself from Ibara’s vines, looked right at her. “The real question is ‘why not you’, Sumi.”

“Wha-?”

Rei kept her eyes on her, “Well, you care for each other, non? You have quite a lot in common: skateboarding, rock fans, and you both enjoy a chill atmosphere?”

Denki immediately waved his hands in mild horror. “No! No way! I mean, we do, but I don’t think of Sumi like that! She’s… She’s honestly more like a sister to me.” He turned to look at the winged teen, smiling apologetically and sheepishly. “Honestly…we’ve known each other for so long, it’s hard to think of both her and Little Shinsō as anything but sisters.”

“Same, Kaminari!”

Monika rolled her eyes, “He’d sooner try and hit on Shiozaki again before trying what little luck he has on Igarashi.”

“A reminder to atone for your vices, Kaminari-kun…”

“Vices?? It’s just a question…!”

“You had asked me multiple times…”

“Oh come on, can’t a guy try?? Don’t you know all my shirts are made out of boyfriend material?”

Akari blinked slowly. Amidst the laughter, she couldn’t find herself able to be join in on it at all. Her throat felt like sandpaper. “…“Sisters”, Kami?”

Denki nodded. He was smiling sheepishly still. “This might sound weird, Little Shinsō, but whenever I look at you, I just see…littler Toshi-man. And…littler you, like when we were kids. We’ve known each other for so long, that’s how I’ve always seen you.”

“…But…” She was going to scream at herself later for this, but her wanting to know was overpowering all of her anxiety at the moment. “What if you did catch feelings for me?”

“I feel like…catching feelings for you would be no bueno.”

“H…How come?”

“Because even though we can complement each other, that doesn’t mean we’re good for each other.”

They all watched in silence as he gave Akari a half-hearted shrug, a nervous sweat rolling down his cheek. He suddenly didn’t feel so comfortable being the center of attention anymore.

“I don’t think I’d…” He scratched his cheek in an attempt to get rid of the jitters. “…I’d fare well with Shinsō constantly watching me like a hawk. On top of…you know, what I just said before.”

“At least you’re aware, Kaminari.”

Taichi gently elbowed Denki, “Not to mention all the razzing they do to you.”

“I don’t mind the banter and the jabbing all that much. I never really associated any of it as romantic, though. It always felt like sibling stuff, just friends poking fun at each other.”

“Kaminari-kun,” Neito huffed out a laugh as he shrugged casually, “I’d honestly be impressed if you found yourself out of a paper bag first before you manage to land a date.”

More laughter. Any feelings of embarrassment that Katsumi, and anyone on her behalf felt, evaporated into the air.

Amongst the laughing from (most of) the others, Neito could swear that he felt eyes boring holes into the back of his head. ‘Hm? Did I touch a nerve?’

Akari stiffened, the scowl on her face deepening when she saw that Neito barely reacted to how harshly she was glaring. Despite her newfound feelings for Yūga, she still felt hurt and offended on Denki’s behalf.

“And I, Monoma,” the way his last name rolled off of her tongue like rattlesnake venom, “would be surprised if you managed to curb that arrogant attitude of yours enough to actually make friends.”

Although she knew that Rei had good intentions of bringing it up, the fact that she suggested Katsumi’s name instead of her own felt like a spear made of pure ice stab straight through her heart. Although she loved and respected Katsumi with every fiber of her being, the thought of her and Denki actually becoming an item would’ve been more than enough for her heart to physically snap in two.

Especially since Katsumi had figured out about her crush on Denki well before the start of their third year of school. She knew to her core that Katsumi wouldn’t even consider pursuing a relationship with him, but the thought of it was more than enough to make her blood boil.

“Huh?” The “Copy” user turned towards her, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “What do you mean, Shinsō-san? I’d like to think that I’m already friends with Shinsō, Shiozaki-san, and Sumi?”

Her fingers slowly started to curl into a fist. “…Do you have permission to use that nickname?”

“Yeah, he does.”

The “Glitter Glue” user froze. Her head slowly craned towards Katsumi. “What… What do you mean? He does?”

Katsumi nodded, “After having that soccer match and how he’s used my Quirk in ways that took weeks for me to get used to, he’s definitely earned my respect.” She smiled down at Neito, offering a fistbump. “And after hearing that he’s bonded well with Toshi and gets our…stances at school, that sealed the deal for me.”

“Honestly,” Neito returned her fistbump with a satisfied smile on his face, “it’s just nice to find people who don’t underestimate me because of my Quirk. I’ve been meaning to thank you all for that.”

“Join the club.” Hitoshi gave the “Copy” user a slight jab on the shoulder, unable to fight down his own grin. “Literally.”

Unbeknownst to him, Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori all turned towards Monika in anticipation. Despite her soured mood, she couldn’t help but shrug, a little light returning to her eyes as she weighed the possibility of it happening. Her curiosity was piqued.

“Monoma-kun,” Ibara shook her head at him, “you don’t need to thank us.” Her hands clasped together, as if in prayer. “You were a formidable and worthy opponent in our match. It is only natural to see how skilled you are with your power, even if you must rely on others to grant you such strength.”

“But you said that you didn’t like that he was using your vines the way he did, Ibby!”

“I certainly did. I still do. However, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t proven his adaptability and prowess.”

The others nodded in agreement – mostly the ones who actually took part in the soccer match and had witness to what Ibara was saying about Neito.

Akari almost couldn’t believe her ears. Deep in her heart, she was glad that Hitoshi and Katsumi had someone else to relate to when it came to being underestimated or made fun of. However, the sheer fact that Neito hadn’t even known them for nearly as long as Ibara had and was already so warmly invited and welcomed into the group made her feel somewhat cold and confused.

Despite this, she knew that what she was feeling was just insecurity – irrational and annoying insecurity. And she definitely didn’t want it getting in the way of Yūga and Rei’s good moods. Considering that they were leaving the country soon once again, seeing their cousin who struggled so often finally getting the recognition he deserved seemed to have taken a weight off of their shoulders.

Monika watched as the “Glitter Glue” user bore holes into the ground as if it had just insulted her, however. Her eyes were half-lidded to conceal the emerald glow as she tapped into Akari. A part of her couldn’t understand why she despised Neito so much, but Monika also knew that it wasn’t the time nor place to ask such a thing. ‘But what I do know is that his Quirk gives him the ability to understand people’s Quirks on a better level, that is already a good reason why he’s already so liked. Bullying and other relations aside.’

Ever since her screw up with the video Hotaru had sent her, her mind was sent into an absolute frenzy to find out just how far she could stretch her Quirk. She had always known that she needed to look at someone in person, and over the years, she had naturally assumed that she could do the same thing from just looking at someone through a screen.

Now, she wasn’t so sure. The time where she and Yuri watched Lady Nagant’s trial was on replay, a consistent loop. ‘Did I really tap into her? Or…was it because Yuri was next to me and I read off of what she had been feeling and seeing? Did I tap into Yuri and just assume that it was Lady Nagant or the jury? If I didn’t tap into it like I thought I did, did I just use my own intuition to come to that conclusion?’ were questions that circled around like a planet’s orbit within her head. It was starting to drive her mad, in both a mental sense and an emotional sense.

‘Especially since Kiara and Masaki looked at-‘

She instantly forced her train of thought away, her stomach already becoming a pit from anger and disgust.

In the dining area, the adults sometimes spared glances at the group of teenagers from time to time. Though compared to the others, even Yuri’s parents, Neito’s parents seemed to be doing it more often than not. Each time that they did, their relief and happiness only seemed to grow as they watched their boy laugh and join in alongside the others.

Shō and Nobuko watched their daughters with relief in their eyes. Occasionally, they looked at their arms; the bandages that were once wrapped around their recessive arms only left a small indication of the medical work of some faint, and still somewhat red, scabbing. As the teens all talked and laughed and joked, they watched as Katsumi and Ibara continued to pick off of the platters and ate earnestly.

“Your girls are wonderful…” Monoma Chantal said just above a whisper as she watched Neito playfully jab at Katsumi and Ibara.

In return, Shō and Nobuko watched in amusem*nt as Katsumi wrapped her arm around his neck and started giving him a well-deserved noogie. Their grins widened when they heard Neito cry out for Ibara to help, only for her to refuse in her usual spiritual way.

“And your boy is something else, Chantal-san,” Shō smiled back at the other woman. “I can’t put my finger on why, but…” He turned back towards their kids, “I’m kind of relieved… Sumi has someone that she can relate to, ethnicity-wise.”

Monoma Kei nodded in agreement. “Neito’s had a bit of trouble regarding that alongside the doubts surrounding his Quirk. It’s nice to see him getting accepted without his power being a deciding factor.”

“Agreed, Monoma-kun.”

When Chantal wasn’t speaking to her older sister and Gilbert, she and Kei had spoken to Yuri’s parents and Yūga’s parents the most. With their consistent back and forth between Japan and France, Chantal had owned a European goods store in both Tokyo and Musutafu that was well on its way to getting an additional shop in Osaka and an expansion out in Tokyo. Kei worked within the building that was currently under construction as a lead partner in management consulting, marketing everything to make sure that the products could reach the highest selling potentials.

Yuri’s parents also went off on a similar branch as lead partners in financial advisory for various Pro Hero agencies in the neighboring prefectures. Tomoki specialized in helping new agencies set up and getting up off the ground. Meanwhile, Junpei made connections to the necessary support developers to have the newbie indie pros establish their names through marketing campaigns.

Junpei smiled softly after taking a sip of his wine, watching his daughter as she excitedly spoke to Hitoshi about something. “Our girl is so shy and abashed. I’m glad she has friends she can be herself around; she has such a bright future ahead of her… Sometimes I worry, though.”

“Oh?” Nobuko turned towards him. Having known Yuri and seeing her grades for three years straight, she too knew of her potential. “What makes you say that, Kubo-kun?”

“Her love lies in literature. Tomoki and I hope that one day, she’ll want to continue our legacy if she can find a way to combine her writing and reading talents.”

“The pen is mightier than the sword, but sometimes we fear that it can be overpowered by just how many pros there plan to be out within the coming years…”

“It’s possible, if she knows where to look.”

Junpei and Tomoki turned to look at Shō. The winged man was smiling; and both Kei and Chantal had similar expressions. The Kubo patriarch raised a brow, “How can you be so sure, Igarashi-kun?”

“My dad’s a pro. He’s been in the business for a long time, sometimes had to do agency stuff all by himself.” Shō swirled the contents of his Sapporo beer as he spoke, a melancholy smile on his face. “He still sometimes does things like that, to keep himself ahead of the game.”

“…How old is he?”

“He’s not as much of a spring chicken as he used to be, I’ll say that much.” His grin widened when he heard Nobuko quietly chuckle next to him. “But, honestly, if Kubo-chan were to ask him about it, I’m sure he’d be willing to give her places of interest, at the very least.”

Junpei and Tomoki exchanged glances with each other. After a moment, they smiled.

“We’ll be sure to forward the information to her.”

“But we’re also keeping in mind that this is her decision to make, not ours. So, I hope that you or your father won’t be offended if she ultimately decides not to take that route in life.”

“No, not at all! Just figured to throw it out there for you.”

The Kubo parents smiled gratefully at the winged man.

Nobuko rested her head on Shō’s shoulder, her smile widening when she saw his feathers begin to fluff out at her touch. “It seems our children all seem to have friends in high places when the time comes for them to start their careers.”

Ayame nodded in agreement, “Especially after they fulfill their required year of sidekick work.”

“Speaking of work…” Shō turn to look at the Shinsō couple, “How do you two have off? Considering…?”

Almost immediately, Ayame huffed and turned to glare at her husband. Hideaki rolled his eyes at her, “It’s really nothing. Ayame is making it seem like a bigger deal than it really is.”

“Me? You’re the one who got in trouble, Hideaki!” She gave him a slight jab on the arm before turning back to the others, “He got into a quarrel at work, one of his co-workers-”

“Work rival!”

“He believes that his coworker is trying to plagiarize him.”

“The llama-headed guy?”

“He stole my notes and tried to make his research look like his own! And when I confronted him about it, he spit in my eye!”

“That doesn’t mean you had to report him, Hideaki.”

“That’s the perfect reason to report him! That llama knew too much!”

While the rest of the adults chuckled at the “Adhesive” user’s plight, Nobuko found herself slowly coaxed over to the other side of the dining area by her boyfriend. Before she could voice her visible confusion, she felt him press his forehead against her temple. The warmth that she felt from just his skin alone made a shiver run up her spine in the best way possible.

“Shō?” She dared to ask just under her breath. Her eyes traveled down to his free hand, which led her occupied one to place her drink on the counter. Then his fingers, thick and slightly calloused, started to lock between her own.

“You feeling all right?”

His breath hit the shell of her ear, nearly making her shiver again. His voice was low, but she could hear the concern in his tone.

“You’re not still…on edge? From earlier?”

Her eyes widened. When she turned to look at him, they were nearly nose to nose. Not wanting the others – especially the teenagers – to see anything, she quickly ducked her head so that she was looking straight at his neck.

Not that it helped much. Her face was already feeling like it was on fire and even though she was trying to focus on his question, all her eyes could do was take in every detail of his upper torso. The way that his collarbone and the tendons on his neck visibly poked out from beneath his skin reminded her of just what happened in the early hours of the morning.

Despite the blush on her face, she smiled genuinely. She felt Shō bump against her temple with his nose again and she dared to peek up at him. He was smiling, albeit much more playfully.

“Why do you always try to hide from me?”

“Oh, would you…!” Nobuko laughed bashfully into her palm, having half a mind to swat at Shō’s shoulder when she heard him laughing softly in his throat. Her heartbeat was thrumming loudly in her ears, but she didn’t mind. After giving herself a few more seconds to collect her thoughts, she nodded up at him and met his eyes again. “I’m much better. It feels like a weight has been taken off of my shoulders.”

“Mine too.”

The relief that Nobuko saw shining his eyes was exponential. She had a feeling that she had reflected that very seem emotion not too long ago, if it had even went away to begin with.

Shō took her hand. “But, I didn’t mean just that. I mean…before we left for the hospital.”

Her eyes widened a little, and then softened all over again. She took a step forward and gently pressed the bridge of her nose into his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. The familiar citrusy scent of his cologne sent a wave of relaxation through her as she sighed in contentment. “Yes…” Their fingers started to lace together. “Thank you, for comforting me.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He tightened his grip around her hand that his was held in. “S-sorry about…ruining it.”

“You didn’t ruin it.” Nobuko couldn’t help the shy affection in her voice. She could see his feathers had started to stand up on end from over his shoulder. “It was a simple misstep – it happens when you don’t dance very often. And I appreciate the gesture regardless; you took a step outside your comfort zone to…help me.” She couldn’t fight down her smile even if she tried.

“Guess I just feel like I ruined the mood…” He said through a shy chuckle, unable to keep back the red from tingeing his face. “I just had to bump into the shelf and make all those pots and pans fall-”

His voice died in his throat when he saw her free hand reaching up. She wasn’t looking at him, but it didn’t matter. The simple gesture was more than enough to make his knees go weak.

“We don’t have to stop there. We can continue our dance any time we’d like.”

Shō’s heartbeat quickened at her words. Although what she said about him stepping outside his comfort zone was true, the guilt was still laced in his chest. It wasn’t every day that he was awoken to rapid breathing and tears and soft mutters from someone sleeping – and he was damn glad that was becoming a lesser occurrence between Nobuko and himself. But upon pulling Nobuko out of her nightmare, he soon realized that words and holding her close weren’t going to be enough this time. It was then he remembered something that she had told him in brief on their second date.

The only time he had ever danced was with his former wife during the reception for their wedding. Before that day and after that day, he hadn’t stepped foot on the dance floor. His older brother often joked about Shō was born with two left feet, and it was that very insecurity that kept him from going to any dances while in school.

But seeing Nobuko in the tear-filled state as she recovered from the nightmare of her daughter dying in her arms stirred something within him.

The vine-haired woman no longer just reminded him of spring time, she made him feel that way himself. With each passing day, Shō could swear that he heard more birds sing and saw more flowers bloom with just her smile. If he were more verbose, he would be able to tell her. But instead, he silently swallowed his insecurity and took her by the hand, playing a song on his phone just loud enough for them to hear.

It surprised her at first, and the winged man had momentarily forgot what he was doing as he stared her blushing face – the sight reminding him of a stunning red and green flower. It was only when he felt her hands clasp back within his grip that he realized that he was staring like an idiot, and he promptly warned her that he was a terrible dancer as he started to sway her.

She ignored his warning. The smile that spread across her face when she reveled in how he remembered one of her hobbies gave him all the more reason to keep going, no matter how embarrassing it would be if he stumbled.

As they swayed, she stepped closer and removed any semblance of space between them. It was then she guided one of his hands to wrap around the small of her back. After, she then placed her own arm to rest on his shoulder, smiling all the while. The fingers on their other hands slipped between the gaps and locked together.

Their rhythm was jaunty and even fell out of it at points, knocking into furniture that sounded just a little too loud in the quietness of the house. Yet, it always resulted in quiet laughter and soft, bashful apologies before they would resume. Rocking side to side, going through the hallway, spinning in a few small circles, and then eventually into the living room. Even at one point in the kitchen, Shō felt brave enough to twirl her. The sound of her giggling enticed him enough to do it again.

Hearing it a second time, unburdened and cheerful, took the his breath away.

And when his back happened to hit the countertop from another spin, the moment was instantaneously swept away as the kitchenware clattered around and down to the floor.

He sighed softly, blinking slightly when he realized that she was still resting her head against his shoulder. Giving into temptation, he buried his nose into her vine hair and breathed in the sweet and fruity scent of star jasmine amongst the usual fresh linen. “You’re okay with that?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“I am. I’m grateful for your efforts, truly.” Nobuko peeked up at him. Her eyes were shimmering a little. “You make me feel…safe.”

She could hear his heartbeat race in her ears and her smile widened, a little glad that the tables seemed to be turning even just slightly.

“…Oh~?” Grinning, Shō leaned into her and nuzzled his nose against her temple again. Her responding giggle made the hairs on his arms stand up in the best way possible. “Safe enough to try and dance again? Even though I can only do the Funky Chicken from memory?”

“Shō!” Nobuko laughed, hoping that her hand concealed her grin and lowered her giggling enough from any heads that had turned their way. “You’re so ridiculous!”

“I know, I’m such a delinquent!”

She laughed again, feeling his teasing grin even though she wasn’t looking at him. Her cheeks turned as red as rubies as she became at his mercy when he held her hips and drew her closer towards him. She put her hands to his shoulders in a vain attempt to push him away, but made no effort to actually do so.

“Stop it, you’re embarrassing me!” Her smile betrayed her tone and words. “People are watching!”

Shō snickered through his grin, tempted to respond with a flirty ‘let ‘em look’. But, he knew her limits and deciding to let up (for now), he simply pecked her warm cheeks and held her hand.

Despite their attempts to be quiet and subtle, they inevitably caught the attention of several of the other adults nearby. Ayame, Hideaki, and Hotaru kept to themselves, but were not even remotely ashamed of smiling – all too aware that there was something else floating around in the air.

Tomoki was too busy slapping her husband’s arm in her excitement, and even though he had his gaze averted, they couldn’t help but feel happy. Having known Nobuko since her start as their daughter’s involvement with the Literature Club, the parents had gotten to know each other on levels past teacher-to-parent conversations. And unbeknownst to Nobuko, Yuri did mention the fact that her sponsor teacher was in a new relationship, but spared the details out of respect. Regardless, both Kubo parents were happy to see Nobuko within her own blossoming love.

“…Also, Shiozaki-san, Igarashi-kun, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Marri looked between the two adults, smiling all the while even as they jumped in surprise. “How long have you been married?”

Chantal nodded in agreement and stood beside her sister, looming over her shoulder. “I’ve been wondering so as well.”

“…”

“...What?”

Hideaki, Ayame, and Hotaru tried to keep their snickering down into their drinks.

Marri pressed her fingers to her lips as she smiled, “Or…are you newlyweds? Sorry, I cannot tell-”

“HUH?!”

The fact that they didn’t spill their drinks was nothing short of a miracle. Deep shades of red painted both of their faces and they started sputtering out words that were a mix of embarrassed explanation and flustered denial.

“No, no, no! You misunderstand, Aoyama-san!!” Nobuko cried as she waved her hands almost manically. “We’re absolutely not married!”

“Oh? You’re not newlyweds?”

“Oh, no! No! I mean, we are dating – have been for several months now! H-however-”

“C…certain circ*mstances made things…go at a faster pace than usual!” Shō’s feathers were practically sticking out on end from his humiliation. “A villain! And he went after our kids! Took us all by surprise and-!”

“Precisely! The shock and worry of it all escalated the tensions of our previous predicament-!”

“I was on the verge of being homeless, helped a coworker out! N-Nobuko offered her home to us and-”

Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

“N-nothing against the law or anything in that regard!”

“It was just making certain that Shō and his daughter had a place to live, I can…assure you!”

Marri laughed softly behind her fingers. “Oh, no need to get all flustered! It’s just, you both remind me of when Gilbert and I first got married!”

“I…I-is that so…?” Nobuko could swear that her ears were steaming from how hot her face felt. “I apologize…it was rather indecent of us to-”

“No harm done, Shiozaki-san! I was just making a simple observation.”

“That, and…” Kei stared at Shō and Nobuko, not truly believing them in full. “It’s not often that co-habitation happens so quickly between the beloved.”

“B-beloved?!”

“Monoma-kun! We’re not that far into the relationship!” Shō cried, his blush matching his girlfriend’s.

“That’s what they all say.”

“What-!!”

“Oh, Kei, don’t be such a tease,” Chantal smiled up at her husband as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I doubt Igarashi-kun and Shiozaki-san are the types to lie. Let’s just take their word for it.”

Kei still didn’t seem all that convinced, but he wasn’t one for arguing with Chantal. Instead, he simply shrugged the shoulder that she wasn’t resting on and smiled at her. For extra measure, Marri batted her eyelashes against her husband’s cheek. Hearing his chuckle made her smile widen, and a faint little flush appeared on her face when he pressed his lips against her cheek in response.

Married.

The words made their hearts feel lighter and heavier all the same time. Upon first meeting each other, they had simultaneously promised to themselves that even if the relationship that they were pursing were to last years, the concept of marriage would be completely off the table.

Shō, for obvious reasons, was not planning to relive the uncertain seemingly numberless days of going through the courts, banks, and whatnot. It had taken him far too long and had cost him too many sleepless nights to ever want to do it a second time, despite the fact that Nobuko was a far cry from his ex-wife in every way imaginable.

Nobuko was against it as well, though more in regards and respect towards her late husband. Even though he had said the chambers of the heart were made to store more than one love, she had found herself finding it difficult imagining having another man’s last name and wearing another man’s ring. Especially on the same finger, where she had promised herself to never, ever remove the one Yuta proposed to her with.

Regardless, Shō and Nobuko exchanged glances…and then promptly turned away, flushing to their temples as the realization of the question even coming up in the first place dawned on them. With everything that had happened between themselves and their daughters respectively, they only now just realized the how and why became more aligned with a whirlwind romance when the context was removed.

From the living room, Katsumi was side-eyeing her father and her roommate’s mother. ‘Took you both long enough to figure out…’ She thought with the dullest expression she could possibly muster on her face.

“It just makes perfect sense!”

“Oh my God, Kaminari!” Natsuki had her head in her hands. “Shiozaki is NOT a vampire!”

“What do you mean, Mochizuki? Can’t you see it?!”

As the conversation/debate about Ibara’s Quirk having vampire-like qualities to it went on, several wise few had separated from Denki’s spiel. Having the games at hand, Neito had decided to play against his cousin in Hero Uno; Ibara, Katsumi, Taichi, Daichi, and Hitoshi being also joining in to have an excuse to avoid being roped into the conversation.

Though, it wasn’t long before Neito had taken nearly full command of the table. The “Copy” user was as dramatic as ever, constantly laughing and hamming up a storm as he threw Reverse Cards, Draw 4s, and random colors changers almost every five minutes.

Within just ten measly minutes, everyone but Yūga had found themselves free from the table thanks to their not-so-sh*tty hands. Now, they were all staring at the “Naval Laser” user in mild concern as he shivered and quaked.

“…So, uh…” Katsumi gave Yūga a few unsure yet reassuring pats to his shoulder. “Anyone else want me to get his mind off of ‘Shiozaki being a vampire’ possibilities?”

Ibara almost looked desperate. “Could you please…?”

Denki pointed at his phone screen like a madman to a picture of the mitochondria. “Nitrogen and phosphorous are integral to stem and vine growth! Ergo, blood meal is a very plausible supplement for Shiozaki due to her mass output!”

Yuri stared at the “Electrification” user.

Natsuki couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But she doesn’t need blood, Kaminari!”

“In any case, the difference between a Catholic and a vampire is a few millimeters of bone, really.”

“But she’s Christian! Not Catholic!”

“Same dif!”

“…”

“…”

“No, they are NOT the same!”

“…”

“…”

“…Um…?”

“Okay, Kaminari…” Monika rubbed her temples, “if you can figure that as a plausible Quirk factor and have grounds to back it up… Why are you so behind in your science classes?”

Denki gave a huff and puffed out his chest proudly. “Because this is important!”

“This is the idiot I call my best friend, everybody,” Akari said with a grin that threatened to split her face in half.

“No, the real question is: are you HIGH??”

“Maybe! But not as high as he was when he had to get his wisdom teeth removed!”

“Ugh, Little Shinsō…”

Katsumi’s ears perked up. “You remember that, Akari?”

“Can’t believe it’s been a year already.” Hitoshi smirked at Denki, “All because you didn’t want to wear braces for a year?”

“No, dude, it’s because if they grew in, I was gonna need braces! So, easy fix for two problems!”

“Come on, braces can’t be that bad.”

“I’m trying to improve my looks, Sumi, not ruin them. Not eating solid food for a week was hell, but it was worth it in the end.”

“That was the best, Kami! You were stuck on soup and booster drinks!”

“Yeah, and then you ate a hamburg steak right in front me, Little Shinsō!” Tears – though it was to be suspected that they were just crocodile tears – poked out from Denki’s eyes. He tried to glare at her, “You knew that my mouth was going through hell, yet you tormented me!”

Monika froze. Her eyes were stuck on Denki.

Akari blew a playful raspberry at him. “We were video-calling you during lunch at school.”

“You still had a hamburg steak, though! So not cool…”

“I was just teasing you, Kami.” Akari slid her arm around his shoulders, grinning and barely looking even remotely sorry. “At least I didn’t it in front of you! Physically!”

“You have no idea just how much you take food for granted unless you’re in my shoes, Little Shinsō…”

The conversation seemed to blear together. In fact, all of it was melding together to Monika. Every single voice and action was nothing but white noise, but somehow, the conversation between Akari and Denki had her full attention. The way she was teasing and poking fun at him, even though he seemed like he was taking it in stride, she could still see the hurt in his eyes.

“So this is why he doesn’t see her like that…!’

It wasn’t just the normal banter that he had mentioned earlier. This was something that had actually affected him, on an emotional and even mental level. A time in his life where he actually felt down, and his friend – someone that he trusted – had laughed and teased him even when he wasn’t at his best state. Almost making a mockery of him, if she didn’t know better.

It was such a simple, maybe even insignificant thing, but if there was one thing Monika knew about Denki since meeting him, it was that he found comfort in food. The way he reached out to hang out at Katsumi’s apartment all those months ago, or when he always got just a bit more excited when he found out that he was going to be eating dinner with his mother, and how excited he got when he spoke of his father coming home soon to eat as a whole family again… It meant a lot to him.

She didn’t know why he liked hamburg steaks so much and didn’t even feel the need to know why. All she knew was that it brought him comfort. When Yuri and Katsumi had given her the somen, tea, and coffee jelly at Tanabata, the thought alone still made her feel better. It was such a simple thing, but it meant the world to her.

‘I wonder…before any of this happened, did he ask them not to eat in front of him? Or is it just because of it being a hamburg steak itself? Because that can also make a big difference-’

“You want to be a vegetarian??”

“You’re serious about that? Why can’t you be serious about training your Quirk, to be like grandpa?”

“Your siblings are your family, Monika. People grow from tough love. You can too.”

“Don’t disappoint us. Not after everything my daughter does for you-”

“Monnie?”

She jumped. Her heart was in her ears.

Sayori was looking at her. Her bright blue eyes were wide with concern; the conversation between the others kept going on without much or any interruption.

“Monnie, are you okay?”

She stood up in a haste. “I’m fine! I’m fine, I just…”

Her tongue felt like lead.

Sayori watched with a heavy heart and a half that was half stretched out towards her as Monika made her way towards the balcony. The adults didn’t seem to pay her any mind, and Sayori wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or angry. Her fingers, stretched out to the max, began to curl back in towards her palm.

She wanted to go and talk to her. But she knew what was going on in her friend’s head. Before they had even gotten to the Aoyama apartment, Monika was squabbling with her older siblings yet again.

Having overheard of her trouble helping Denki, the older Hashimoto siblings had taken it upon themselves to try and give Monika their own form of…motivation by taking pictures of her diary and reading several of the passages out loud. Monika, in an obvious attempt to stop it before it got far too out of hand, had managed to keep it hidden in the crevasses of their house where only she could know of its whereabouts.

When Sayori arrived to head out with Monika, the “I.R.” user practically threw the book in Sayori’s face in a desperate attempt to try and keep Masaki and Kiara away…whilst trying to escape her older siblings. Although Sayori’s Quirk kicked right in, she could still vividly hear Monika shouting “you two are THE WORST!!” at the top of her lungs before rushing to catch up.

“Sasaki?”

Sayori started and blinked out of her trance. Katsumi and Natsuki were looking at her – the commotion in the background between their friends was still going on. There were knowing glints in their eyes.

“Is Monika doing okay?”

“…As best as she can…” Sayori said through a heavy sigh. Not wanting to lie aside, she knew that there would be no point in trying. Not when Natsuki could see bullsh*t a mile away and Katsumi had something in common with the “I.R.” user in regards to older family units. “She’s just been…really stressed out lately…”

“Is it because of her mom? Or because of her siblings?”

“A bit of both, Sumi…”

Katsumi’s eyes immediately hardened. Armored feathers began to prick up.

Natsuki turned to look out past the adults, right to the balcony. “Stressed out might be an understatement.” In the distance, she could see Monika’s ponytail and dress flowing lazily in the wind despite how high they were in the building. “She shouldn’t listen to whatever crap comes out of their mouths.”

A corner of Sayori’s lip twitched at that – she tried. She had tried for so long, so many times, telling Monika that exact same thing despite everything that her family put her through. ‘It’s so not fair… Monika is already so crazy talented…why can’t they just be happy with what she can do already?’

“Should we go after her?” Katsumi was already starting to get up.

A hand instantly grabbed her wrist.

“No!”

She looked down in shock. Beside her, Natsuki looked just as shocked. Sayori’s grip was tight and firm. Despite it, her fingers were quivering, like she was at war with herself.

“No… Not yet at least…” Her bangs obscured her eyes. “Just…give her a few minutes. She needs time to breathe…”

The last few words trailed out of her mouth pathetically. Her heart swelled uncomfortably. As much as she didn’t want to leave Monika alone, she knew that the best course of action that they could all take for her sake was to just let her be. However, every time that she did, Sayori couldn’t help but feel like her chest was being poked and prodded by a bunch of tiny little needles without an end.

It was still so foreign to her as to why she started feeling this way – having known Monika before they had even started elementary school, she knew how her best friend operated when she was angry. The talk that they shared in the park during the spring was different; a looming threat was over something that she held near and dear to her heart, and Sayori loved the club just as much as she did.

When it came to their Quirks, it was always a different story.

Something twinged in Sayori’s head. Her mind’s eye flashed back to when she was laying in the bed the day of her birthday. It was such a strange feeling, like the thought had crept up into her out of nowhere. ‘It’s…not like I didn’t know that Monnie and I wouldn’t be able to relate to each other on that level, but…’

Although they did share how tired they both felt after using their powers – sometimes inadvertently in Sayori’s case – neither of them looked down on each other or thought of each other as any less because of it. If anything, it made them strive to understand their powers on a much deeper level so that if there was ever a time where self-care wasn’t possible, they could lean on each other.

But Sayori could tell that Monika pulling away slightly. Sibling fight happening in the morning aside, the “Motivation” user could tell that ever since Tanabata, something had been off about her best friend. The level of confidence and security that she once possessed was now all but there. Although Sayori wasn’t there to see why or how, Monika’s funk after coming down from her room the day they were working on their summer homework had gotten worse.

It was only when she finally gave Katsumi and Natsuki a small, little smile did she realize that Neito was nowhere to be found.

Monika stared out into the distance of Musutafu’s skyline. It wasn’t a sight that she wasn’t used to seeing; her parents were respectfully feared and extremely well-known in their careers and it wasn’t uncommon for herself and her siblings to be dragged out to a high-end building and attend a dinner party compiled of adults who talked about statistics and logistics for hours on end.

The skirt of her dress and ribbons of her bow flowed lazily in tune with the wind as it blew through her hair. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Monika held it for a few more seconds before letting it out from her slightly-parted lips.

She felt a little better.

The sun was still blazingly hot in the sky, but the wind from being so high up provided just enough for her to feel comfortable, if not a little warm.

Sayori never had any trouble grasping her powers, having it being so cut-and-dry. Monika’s however, always seemed to be a mixed bag; “Intuition Reception” was believed to tune into a person’s first instinct when approaching primarily anything in their lives, and have some affect on the user. But as they grew up, the differences started becoming more pronounced.

At least, she was aware of her differences.

‘Not like I had any other choice,’ she thought, bitterly placed her chin on her folded arms on top of the guardrail. She pointedly kept her gaze out towards the distance. Anger was rushing through her veins at an unprecedented pace all over again. ‘I wonder if there’s anything that I can do to make them f*cking happy…!’

Her gaze slowly drifted down. Down towards the lower balconies, and then to the streets where she watched the ant-like traffic moving. Her fingers squeezed her bicep; her parents’ carrot-and-stick method had been a thing for as long as she could remember. There were instances in her life where she overheard her older brother and sister talking about how it sometimes got on their nerves as well.

‘But the difference is… Why does everyone have such high expectations of me?? Why me?!’

The day she announced that she was starting her own club and wouldn’t be doing anything – aside from piano and tennis – was a day that was permanently instilled in her brain. The frustration, the anger, all overwhelming her senses so much so that she needed to run up to her room to get a breather. Then, she got the looks of (what she thought to be) jealousy from Masaki and Kiara before locking herself up in her room.

Her parents were angry, but her grandparents were livid. Especially her maternal grandfather. He wasn’t a top ten Pro Hero, or even a top fifty Pro Hero, but he still made his mark and many of the people why had grown up and known his legacy were devastated when he announced his retirement. It was when Monika’s Quirk first started to develop that he had the possibility in mind to have her take over his agency from his lifelong sidekicks and follow in his footsteps, something that he had yet to drop even though she had stated multiple times that being a Pro Hero was not a career choice for her.

A burning sensation was followed by her vision warping.

With a sniff, Monika scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands in quick succession, determined not to cry. Especially when this was supposed to be a happy day; and a day that wasn’t even supposed to be about her to begin with. ‘f*ck, I’m being selfish to Shinsō-san… I’ll worry about this later-’

“Leaving already?”

She looked over her shoulder. Neito was sliding the balcony door shut. There was a small smile on his face. Blinking several times, Monika could only watch him as he approached, and then stood beside her with his arms lazily folded on the guardrail.

“…Monoma-kun…what are you doing out here?”

“I don’t think I’m the only one who would think that you’d have to be a little crazy to willingly come out here on the hottest day of the summer.”

His following chuckle made her all the more on edge as she stared back inside the apartment. Although there didn’t seem to be anyone watching them, it did little to ease her worries.

“That being said, are you okay?”

She looked back at Neito, and locked eyes with him. Although he had a resting contemptuous look on his face thanks to his eyes, half-head tilt and smirk, Monika wasn’t naïve enough not to say that the “Copy” user did have a rather handsome face.

‘In Kaminari’s words, maybe it’s the French prettiness in French people?’

“Hashimoto-san?”

Monika jumped slightly. “Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as she forced her gaze away from him, embarrassed about staring at him for a little too long. “Sorry… I just needed some air.”

“I get it. I used to do the same thing, when I was helping Yūga out.”

A surge of temptation to look at him almost overpowered her initial reaction. However, human brain overpowering monkey brain kicked in just as quickly and she pointedly kept her gaze on the nearby skyscrapers.

Neito kept his gaze on her. His stomach was in slight knots – he really didn’t like the look that she had on his face. It reminded him far too much of how Rei, his aunt, and his mother commonly had on when he and Yūga were younger and were working out the kinks and understandings of his finicky “Naval Laser”.

“Hey…”

Finally, she turned to look at him. Albeit slowly.

“…Kaminari had mentioned that you and Kubo-san had been helping him with training?” A wry little smile appeared on his face as he watched her eyes widen. “I don’t know the details, and I’m not gonna pry. But…just know, I have an idea of what you’re going through?”

“…You do…?”

He nodded.

The few clouds that had managed to break the sun’s intense beatdown passed over the city as Neito told her everything. He didn’t spare many details, but the few that he did was more out of privacy for Yūga and his parents.

Monika was almost beside herself, a wave of déjà vu spiraling throughout her system as she listened intently with an equally unblinking gaze. In the back of her mind, she wondered how Neito was so easily able to speak about such things – age and time were evident factors, but it was more of how casually he was about it all.

When Denki had spilled his guts to her about what happened when he first met his friends, he had to pause here and there every so often; the feelings of the past event sometimes taking seize of his voice and nearly preventing him from continuing before he finally found his nerve again.

But on the other hand, Neito was the complete opposite of him. He was talking about those days like were just another visit to the park or even another family member’s house. He even occasionally laughed when he recalled how sometimes the pains and aches that he got from copying “Naval Laser” sometimes kept him up at night, some being so bad, it equaled the time spent in the shower after a colonoscopy.

‘Is he…all there in the head?’ She wondered. On one hand she felt honored that he was being so open towards her, but on the other hand, she became more and more concerned with his mental sanity. Despite herself, there was a growing sense of peace spreading throughout her body. ‘I don’t get it… The pains of being physically hurt and mentally hurt are on usually on different wavelengths-’

She froze.

‘Aoyama-kun and him were being hurt in different ways alongside the stomachaches…!’

A corner of Neito’s grin stretched. “Ah, I see you’ve caught on?”

“Monoma…” Monika felt tempted to reach out to him. “Why are you telling me all of this…?”

“Well, it’s normal to have a bad day. And when they happen, isn’t it easier to deal with them when you have someone to share the aches?”

“But…why would you do that? You barely know me…”

“You’re a friend of Sumi, Shiozaki, and Shinsō. And Yūga found someone from your friendgroup that he genuinely likes, she makes him happy. That’s all I really need to know that you, and your club members, are good people.”

Emerald green eyes met gray-blue. She hadn’t been alive on Earth for very long, but if there was one thing that had always surprised her in the new norm of Quirks and superpowers, it was white pupils.

Even when Quirks were beginning to become accepted, many people like her and her family had once thought that it was a link between a serious illness alongside the Quirk the user possessed. It was only until a decade or two ago that there was no correlation between the two. Just like how some people became more object-like or animalistic, it was now yet another thing that shaped their new world.

Deep in her heart, she was glad that was the case. Because if there was one thing that made her feel a certain type of way, it was how the sunlight reflected off of a person’s white pupils. Forcing herself out of her stupor, Monika turned back towards the skyscrapers. The sun was beginning to come out from the clouds again.

“It just feels like lately…everyone in the club has problems. And I don’t mean anything in particular with what we do, it’s more how… I don’t know?” She buried her face in her arms. “It feels like everyone is suffering, and since I’m the president, it’s my job to make them forget about their worries. But I’m too bogged down with my own sh*t to worry about them right now and it’s…”

“It’s conflicting.”

“Yeah… I’m also not really good with talking to people…” Monika ran a hand through her bangs, a pathetic, shaky smile on her face. “Some leader I am… I think the only reason why I’ve been able to do this for so long is because of Sacchan…”

“Hashimoto-san, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. From what I’ve heard, you do quite a lot, inside and outside the club. Sasaki-san aside.”

“I doubt it… Lately, it feels like everything I do isn’t enough.” Finally, she managed to look at him. This might have gone over your head because you don’t know her as well, but Yuri’s normally not this relaxed or at ease around so many people. I think it’s because her parents are here with her.”

“Hm.”

“And they’re leaving to go back abroad soon. That wouldn’t be so bad…if her grandparents weren’t also going out of town. They’ll all be gone for a while, and it’s our last year in middle school.”

Neito nodded.

“Natsuki’s been going through some sh*t for years now. I don’t know what’s really going on, but I know her home life…isn’t great. But things seem better for her, but…”

“But…?”

“…It’s our last year in junior high and the stress of getting into a good high school is starting to become more apparent.” Finally, she looked at Neito, “I want to be there for them, but I’m not sure how. And because I don’t know how, it’s stressing me out!”

“But even as their friend, that seems like it’s putting too much pressure on yourself.”

Monika shook her head, “It doesn’t matter! Because if I can’t be useful to myself, then I at least want to be useful to my friends! Shiozaki, Igarashi, and Shinsō…they don’t need my help! And even if they did, I’d be useless, just like how I am with helping Kaminari!”

Bittersweet memories flooded Neito as he watched her go through six different emotions all in the span of seconds. He saw this a lot when he was studying abroad for the one year in France – the students that he had once called his classmates were often staying later at school. Throughout the day, they would be on their phones, talking to people that he could only assume were either their parents or the butlers and maids that were around when their parents couldn’t be.

He never heard the details. But he saw them in their expressions. The light slowly dimming from their eyes as they listened to the feedback that they had once presented with such excitement and confidence. The worry and fear of not being able to reach the heights that were presented on them. To branch out farther, reach outside of their comfort zones, learn everything that they could in order to achieve what they needed to uphold the respect they all so craved.

And, in turn, they saw how he didn’t have to do that and took their frustrations out on him; saying how his Quirk wasn’t good enough to achieve what he wanted to do. In spite of his methods, Neito was at the top of his class. It wasn’t to prove them wrong, it was to show them that their words didn’t get to him. To show that even if they didn’t believe in him, he knew he had support that wouldn’t waver. And he also knew that a Pro Hero couldn’t do everything.

There were reasons that there were other sections of what makes a pro being able to do the things they needed to do. Support, business, marketing... And now that he was facing someone outside of his school, from outside his usual social circle, all the feelings came rushing back.

“Hashimoto.”

“…”

“Imagine you just said this to one of your clubmates. Any of them.”

For some reason, she could only imagine Natsuki. Some came to her head before others, but for some reason, Natsuki stood out the most.

“What do you think they would say? Not just to you, but all of you?

“…Probably something blunt, but…sweet in its own way.” A corner of her lip twitched upwards, “Something like: Anyone as well-read and brainy as you guys should have no problem getting into a good high school. And…don’t worry about your parents not being around because…they’ll come back, Yuri. They wouldn’t just abandon you, especially with how doting they are towards you. Yeah”.”

“Being a Hero may seem like a job anyone can do. But it takes a special kind of person to place the burden of others and shoulder them without falling into a pit themselves.”

Finally, she turned to look at him.

He locked eyes with her.

“…I just want to help them, but I don’t know how…” She said as she looked down at her shoes.

“Simply listening can be enough for someone who’s hurting. I did it more times than I can count when I was helping Yūga get a hang of his Quirk,” Neito slowly started to look out towards the city again. “And I learned the hard way that we can’t do everything by ourselves.”

She couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Sometimes we need help. It’s easy to see how being a Pro Hero can bring the illusion that they do everything themselves too.”

“…Illusion?”

Neito nodded. “Being a pro is only one part of what makes someone a Pro Hero. It also takes support items and a good agency to bring a Hero to stand out.” He glanced at her from between his bangs, “I bet Kubo-san’s grandparents wouldn’t be able to stand out with their own without their support items, or the agency that saw the potential in them.”

A strange feeling struck something inside of her. A memory, one that had become dormant from the years that had gone by, suddenly resurfaced to her mind. One where she overheard her grandfather talking to his wife and Asano about how his support items could now be improved with the new technology.

She forced herself to stop there. The rest had to do with her, and that was the last thing she wanted. “…I think Yuri said something related to that…”

“A hero also isn’t a pro without a good agency. Without that, they’d be a vigilante, and those days are long gone now.”

“…I guess…”

The feeling had gotten stronger. Under normal circ*mstances, she would feel nauseated whenever the topic of becoming a Pro Hero came up to her. But, she then realized that Neito wasn’t implying that at all. He admitted he could see her potential to be one if she chose to, and yet…

“Ever since we met Shinsō-kun and his friends, and ever since Shiozaki started becoming more social around us, the topic of Heroes has come up a lot more lately. And I know it was to be expected considering what they all want to do, but I’ve…always imagined myself supporting people who choose that career from a distance.”

Neito smiled softly.

“But now…it’s like… I can see why they want to be Heroes. Not just the kinds who do it for fame or fortune, but they’re all going through some serious issues and true conflict. They see the flaws in society and they don’t want to just…blindly follow it.” Monika finally moved her eyes back up to meet Neito’s again. “And I think Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori see it too.”

“Do they want to be pros too?”

“I know Yuri and Natsuki have thought about it, and Sacchan has been told she could be a great one when we were both kids. But they all decided it wasn’t for them.” Monika smiled softly, “I think they’d be amazing, honestly.”

“I think so too. Supporting roles aren’t second or third-liners.”

“No, not in the slightest. And thank you…I’m sure they’d appreciate it, even if they’d disagree with you.”

“Ahaha! Just because we disagree doesn’t mean there’s disrespect!”

Monika’s smile widened and she nodded in agreement. The strange feeling was starting to settle. “Sacchan and I started getting into literature by the end of elementary school, when we both realized that our Quirks aren’t suited for that line of work, though.”

Neito’s smile widened. “About Shinsō and the others… You’re saying that you can tell that they want things to change. Fix things that don’t work?”

“…” She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. ‘Fixing what doesn’t work… It sounds so simple, but it feels so…out of reach…’

“Pro Heroes are just what people see in front of a curtain.”

“…Huh?”

“Think of pros like an actor on a stage; they’re the focal point, but they wouldn’t be able to get up on stage and do their thing without their crew.” Neito gave a light shrug of his shoulders. “It takes more than one person to put on a play, unless they’re really determined and whatnot. But most people can’t, and that’s why there’s support teams and business involvement.”

Monika raised a brow. “Where are you going with this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The “Copy” user smirked lightly, “What I’m saying is, if you want to help us future pros to make a genuine change in our society, our country, maybe even the world, you gotta help pave the way for us?”

“…W-what??”

“You said you can’t imagine supporting anyone but your hero friends, right? Well, if you – and the others by extension – want to see them make a genuine change and help them achieve their goals for that kind of change, then they’re gonna need help finding the proper ways to do so.” His grin turned slightly sad*stic, “maybe even using some loopholes and exploitations to do so.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, thank you!!” Holding up her hands, Monika was sure that this was going to go in a very unhinged direction if she didn’t stop him. “But…” Slowly, her arms lowered back to her sides. “You… I think you might be onto something, Monoma-kun.”

“It’s all just food for thought, Hashimoto-san. It’s really up to you, and your club members, if you want to follow through with supporting them in their journeys to becoming heroes or not.”

He turned towards the sliding glass door. Behind the sun’s reflection on the glass, he could see Denki, Katsumi, Hitoshi, and Ibara all chatting amongst the others. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew that it was from a passionate subject because of their body language and frequent bouts of laughter.

“…Thank you, by the way.”

He turned towards her – Monika was bowing at him.

“For talking to me. I know we don’t know each other very well, but this…this made me feel better, at least a little.” As she lifted herself up, she locked eyes with him. She was smiling much more genuinely. “Thank you, Monoma-kun.”

“…You’re welcome.”

It was hard for him not to smile back. Memories of helping Yūga came flooding back, but this time, it was the aftermath of all the pain. All of the sleepless nights finally being caught up on, the stronger endurance that they both gained from the stomachaches, and the ability to improve their bond throughout it all. Not once did Neito think that it wouldn’t be worth it; even if he didn’t get to keep “Naval Laser” to use for himself whenever he needed it, the knowledge he gained from it and the ability to use it to help Yūga was all the reason he needed.

‘Copy’ was finicky and had no power on its own. But Neito knew that if he was able to show someone the capabilities that their Quirk had and the ways it could be improved, then it would be worth it. Even if it was coming from him, and not the user themselves. “…Also?”

Monika blinked up at him.

“If you ever want to see what “Intuition Reception” can do, just ask me.”

Her heart skipped a beat. In all her years, she had once though she knew everything that she needed to know about her Quirk. But in these past few weeks, everything that she thought she did was completely monkey wrenched. Second-guesses, inability to decipher what was what when she thought she could… Even though Monika didn’t have the heart to tell Denki yet, she still wondered if she could even still be useful to him and his friends even if she did.

“Wh…what do you…?” Her throat suddenly felt dry. “Are you…?”

“I don’t need an answer now. Take a rain check on it, and get back to me when you’ve decided.” He gave her a crooked half-smile, “Unlike Rei and Yūga, I won’t be going anywhere.”

And with that, Monika was by herself again as she watched Neito open the sliding door. Her feet remained frozen to the floor, even as Neito headed back inside when Yūga called for a rematch in Hero Uno.

“Are you sure that you can’t stay a little longer?”

Akari placed a quick and chaste kiss to Yūga’s lips. “I want to, but Toshi says that we need to talk about something really important. I just think he wants to spend some extra time with me,” she said through a playful wink. “Plus…”

Yūga followed her eyes. Past his shoulder and towards the kitchen, where Gilbert and Kei were splitting the last of the remainder of the wine bottle. Their faces were flushed just ever so slightly, but their feet and handling of their glasses remained steady.

“I don’t want to be around your family when they’re…like that.”

Yūga managed to hide his slight grimace on the side of his face that wasn’t facing her. True to his word, not a single adult in the vicinity had gotten sloshed, or tipsy even. Despite his constant reassurances and physical support, Akari still held a sharp gaze whenever the metallic crack of a can or pop of a wine bottle permeated through the air.

The remainder of the beers had been equally distributed between the rest of the adults as the goodbyes had started, and neither Ayame or Hideaki had planned to take any. A part of Yūga wanted to bring up the question of her possibly having a constant problem of wine drinking at every dinner meal in France, but something in his gut told him to do so later.

‘A time and place for everything, I suppose,’ he thought before looking back at his girlfriend. “Video call me later then, mon chéri? ☆”

“Wouldn’t miss it. ☆”

With one last kiss, they squeezed each other’s hands for a lingering second before finally parting ways. The FPS Crew had left earlier than most due to their longer commutes home. Hotaru and Denki had already left, as well as the Igarashi and Shiozakis. Natsuki was on her way out beside Yuri and her parents. The only ones remaining were Neito’s family, Sayori and Monika, and the Shinsōs.

Once Akari had joined them, Ayame and Hideaki bowed to Marri and Gilbert from the waist down. “Thank you for having us here. We sincerely enjoyed ourselves.”

“And we feel much more reassured that Akari will be in good hands once the time to leave comes.”

“Guys…!”

Despite her embarrassment, Akari was smiling. She and Hitoshi bowed alongside the adults before taking their leave, Akari waving over her shoulder at Yūga the entire way out.

Not even five seconds after, Yūga pulled out his phone and tapped on his Instagram app. Feeling a weight added onto his shoulder and immediately knowing that it was Rei, he kept scrolling through his scheduled photos. Pictures taken from both himself and Rei, and even pictures from his parents that they sent to him.

“Already missing her?”

“Is that bad…?”

“No, but you gotta remember to give time for yourself. ☆”

“Rei, you insult me. ☆ I cannot let myself go, no matter how much I may adore someone and their shine~!”

Snickering with satisfaction, Rei let up from leaning on her cousin just as he went to his DMs. As Yūga scrolled down, looking at the different notes and messages that he had yet to reply to, he couldn’t help but linger on Akari’s profile as she-

His scrolling stopped suddenly.

“…?” Blinking, he scrolled down again. Like before, it stopped after a second or two. “Odd…” He muttered, staring at his screen. There were at least ten chats that he had yet to reply to, but the overall number of chats were around the fifty mark. Or so they were.

Now, it looked like only there were only around twenty chats. Some of them were older than others and hadn’t been replied to in months from the recipient, but Yūga had made it a habit to save the old chats for memory’s sake. There were many people outside of his social circle that had been far more accepting and understanding of his body’s limits and Quirk, and he had found comfort in some of their shared experiences. But now…

“Did I accidentally delete them and not realize?”

Their shoes made soft sounds against the concrete as they walked towards the nearby train station. Although they had initially planned to take the train all together, time constraints between the members of the club members slashed them through.

Sayori didn’t mind, she was still concerned for Monika. She glanced at her childhood friend; Monika seemed to have relaxed quite a bit and no longer had that dark gloom in her eyes compared to earlier in the morning. She couldn’t help but wonder what made a difference, because she had tried everything she thought of to try and perk her childhood friend up beforehand.

They reached the platform.

“Monika?”

“Hm?” Monika glanced at Sayori, meeting her eyes. “What is it, Sayori?”

“You seem better.” The “Motivation” user leaned in closer. The usual shimmer she found in those pretty emerald green eyes was slowly coming back. “Are you… Do you want to crash at my place for the night? Because…”

Monika jumped slightly, realizing that yes, she was still very much angry at Kiara and Masaki. A part of her was screaming to call and tell her parents to lessen the blow that she would inevitably get from her parents. But the other part of her didn’t give a sh*t anymore. After a moment, she nodded. “You don’t mind?”

“Of course not, silly!”

It was impossible not to smile at Sayori’s adorable power pose. Any leftover tension that Monika had been feeling was slowly washed away – Sayori just had that amazing ability to do that. It was something that she had and always will cherish.

“Thanks, Sacchan. And yeah, I’m feeling a bit better for sure.” She glanced up at the digital schedule – their train wouldn’t arrive for five more minutes. “I’ve just been thinking a lot.”

Sayori began to lightly tap her index fingers together. “…About your Quirk, you mean?”

“That and…what high school to go to.”

Sayori froze. “Wh… Huh??”

Monika laughed into her fingers, “Ahaha! Sorry, caught you off guard there?”

“Ah… Yeah! What brought that up, Monnie?”

“Well…while I was talking to Monoma-kun, I happened to mention about how being Pro Heroes have come up a lot more often in our club. For obvious reasons and all.”

Sayori nodded.

“And…that’s got me thinking: When Shiozaki, Kaminari, Shinsō, and Igarashi get into U.A… Will our club even be able to exist?”

“Monnie…”

A firm hand was placed to her shoulder. Eyes of emerald green met bright sky blue. A lovely contrast, and completely complimenting to just how orange the sky had become from the sunset.

“Our efforts aren’t, and never will be, in vain. We’ll save the Literature Club! We’ve already met so many amazing people! And!” A bright smile graced across Sayori’s face. Her eyes twinkled. “We’ve expanded our horizons! Talking about heroes and helping them expand their horizons with literature too!! That’s an accomplishment, Monika!”

“…It is…isn’t it?”

“Yeah! No matter what your mom and dad say!”

It was hard not to smile from Sayori’s words. No matter how upset she would feel about her parents, the sheer fact that Sayori could make her feel so much better with almost no effort would always floor her. “Sacchan…” One of her hands was suddenly placed atop of Sayori’s. “What do you think of the expectations on me?”

“It troubles me…because it troubles you.”

Monika said nothing. Sayori took that as her cue to continue.

“It may have been passed down to you, but it’s your Quirk, Monika. You can use it for anything you want, as long as it makes you happy”.

Monika’s smile widened. ‘As long as it makes me happy, huh?’

Contrary to Sayori’s words and beliefs, that line alone would’ve made several heads turn. In fact, the “I.R.” user was beyond gobsmacked that anyone in the nearby vicinity didn’t whip their heads over to look at them in sheer bafflement.

With the years that had come to pass to stabilize the superpowered society, it had steadily become frowned upon and later law to prevent anyone from using their Quirks for personal use outside of a licensed profession. With the rise of crime and uncertainty, it was initially accepted with almost no drawback or counter argument. However, alongside the law, the bystander effect and reliance on Pro Heroes had created a bit of a black and white feeling amongst the populace.

In the sleepless nights that both Sayori and Monika had growing up (for different reasons) they sometimes found themselves scrolling through various internet threads. The ones that stuck out to them the most were the ones of people complaining, venting, and vehemently expressing their anger and dislike for the current age of Quirk suppression. Many were from whom who had mental drawbacks from their Quirk and their lack of physical usage contributed to their slipping sanity.

It made them think if this had something to do with Japan’s sh*tty takes on mental health. Of course, not everyone had the right to step in. But Monika and Sayori both felt that if someone could make a difference in times of need, even a miniscule one, then wouldn’t it be for the better?

“…Do you think there’s a way I can combine my love for literature with doing something hero-related?” When she felt Sayori’s grip fault, she held her friend’s hand firmer. “I mean…a career in just the arts is hard enough. Wouldn’t it be more lucrative and…rewarding to…”

“I… I think it’s possible.”

The sound the approaching train sounded far away.

“But I can’t really see it working in our favor or cases, Monnie…”

“Me either. But…” A hint of a grin appeared on her face. “But I can’t deny that I do enjoy thinking that we can be involved with Pro Heroes in some way, and not just because of my parents trying to influence me.”

Sayori stared at her. “Do you…want to do something hero-related?”

“I… I’ve had a lot to think about. Especially these past few weeks.”

Reaching up, Monika grabbed the strands of her bow and tugged. The knot became undone and her hair flowed down her shoulders and back almost effortlessly graceful. It still amazed Sayori to this day.

“Between myself and what we’ve been seeing, with and without Shinsō-kun and the others, it…” Monika fiddled with the strands of her bow between her fingers. “It’s beginning to concern me. Because what if the law starts to change and it restricts us even more? It hides it true intentions behind pretty words?”

“Like a poem?”

The “I.R.” user grinned, “Exactly.”

“…But I guess that’s what fascinating about it too, Monnie.”

“Fascinating?”

Sayori nodded. “Mhm! It kinds of reminds me of what Yuri’s parents do! Like starting a hero agency or something important like that, even if it’s behind the scenes-” She froze.

“…?”

“…”

“…Sacchan?” Monika carefully waved her hand in front of her best friend’s face. She could swear that she heard the old AOL dialup sounds coming from one of Sayori’s ears.

“I can’t believe I forgot, Monika…”

“HUH???”

“U.A.’s business department!!”

No matter how many times she saw the sudden shift in Sayori’s expressions and emotions, it would always amaze her. However, when she was on the receiving end of it all, that was when Monika felt a bit more concerned for her safety. This time, it was one of those times.

Her hands were in Sayori’s. Although their grip on hers were hurting her slightly, the only thing she could focus on was the shimmering shine in Sayori’s eyes. “U.A.’s…business department?”

“I’ll show you when we get back to my place, okay? It involves the Newspaper Club too!”