MHA: Blackout

[Cresion Breezes]

Pre-festival

Iniji's Peace and Quiet

"Phhh-"

It was a quiet morning drifting into midday, the sun climbed higher as Iniji sat up and stepped off of his hospital bed, opening the curtains. It's been a few days since the operation, the one where he passed out immediately after rendezvousing with the rest of the team. Perhaps the woman with the villains was right, he overexerted himself, without her help it would've been much worse.

"Yeah…Oh right..." The boy mumbled as he looked over on the cabinet beside the hospital bed, on it sat a battle report clipped to his medical case book. Even with medicinal quirks it appears he requires some time with rest, it appears the fluid and air that built up in his lungs while he fought could've been fatal, and they had to cut out a part of the organ to reset the ribs...or something. Iniji didn't really care, it was all a tool anyways, his organs or whatever. What weighed on him more than the dull aches that came with each breath was the truths that the whole operation revealed. It appears that every organization has its traitors, ANVIL or HA isn't exempt from that. It was very hard to keep people happy, Iniji knew that well.

A gentle knock on the door came with a female voice of a nurse. "Irokei-kun? Are you well? There's visitors looking for you, if you are fine with that."

"I'm fine. It would be impolite to decline visits of good will if I am in the condition to reciprocate." He replied while still seemingly spacing out while looking out the window. The outlines of the building tops and clouds were a bit hazier than usual.

Among if not the first to enter was Mari, though unlike the previous meetings she didn't seem to be all business with this one. Her own wounds had long since been tended and she had spent some time with others, be it as in her capacity as the leader or not, she had come to check up on Iniji all the same.

"Ah, you do not seem any worse for wear at this point at least."

"Yes, Naoko-san. The surgery has gone well, there will likely be no long term hindrance to my performance." Iniji replied, with a certain robotic tone in his words. In his understanding of his relationship with Mari, that was for the best.

"INIJI BRO HOW'S IT GOING," Agi called out loud and proud as he busted in a little after Mari's more calm entrance running up the boys other side he offered Iniji a high five as he gave a big wide smile. Agi was still quite covered in bandage, but not as bad as when he had first come to the hospital.

"Good morning, Mizushima-san." Iniji didn't really understand Agi's gestures, he just knew the other had a penchant for doing such eccentric things. Although Mari wasn't exactly wrong and he wasn't that much worse for wear, a certain weariness still followed the boy as his face lacked colour more so than usual and he constantly fiddles with his IV drip. It has a weird itch the whole time.

"I am well enough, as you can see. As I was mentioning to Naoko-san, it may take some time before I recover from the surgery fully, my constitution is lacking even in the context of being a receiver of recovery quirks."

"So it seems. But are there other visitors here besides us?" Mari seems to both say and ask as she glances back towards the doorway, offering some encouragement for the rest to come in.

"Don't leave me hanging Iniji," Agi suffered as Iniji had yet to give up a high five. Slowly Agi starts to sink from Inijis view as he is quickly defeating the nano boy with the power of ignoring.

"Oh...please excuse me if my response was insufficient, I am still quite fatigued. Formalities are hardly my priority at this moment...Mizushima-san?" Iniji was slightly confused at all of Agi's actions, he knew the other was an eccentric person, he always had trouble reacting to people like that.

"Ah, I apologize, Naoko-san, it wasn't my intention to upset Mizushima-san...I…I am unsure what course of action I should currently take." He was mostly at a loss for words, this was an entirely new experience, even the presence of Mari didn't ease Iniji up much.

"Agi.. High fives may be asking a bit too much for now. Not everyone has energy the same as you do."

"Fair… fair enough," Agi said in defeat, letting his hand drop to his side with a sigh of defeat as he basically kept to his corner on the matter.

"No...uh….I'm sorry, Mizushima-san, I wasn't aware of your gestures as a method of requesting a high five." When Mari spoke to Agi, Iniji suddenly realized why the other boy had his arm up like such. Body language like that were all faded distant memories to him, even before his disastrous detours in life his reclusiveness made him oblivious to these motions.

"Thank you for your help Naoko-san, please don't be too harsh on him, it was my lack of ability to interpret…" Words trailed off as a sharp pain came from Iniji's side, he paused a bit and looked up this IV drip, slightly adjusting the roller clamp. "I am quite inadequate at reciprocation…" He continued to say, half to himself as colourful irises stared at the dripping liquid.

"Given how shy the others are, I think we'll take our leave, I promise you the next visitor is much more quiet." With that she takes Agi arm in arm and subtly tries to lead him from the room.

Ren just missed someone with a tail, as he moved through the hall to figure out how this hospital worked. He had never been much for hospitals before. When he visited Isa, a nurse was able to bring him to the right place. But this time he wanted to try and do it on his own. It wasn't long before he was completely lost. But with some luck, he ran into Haya who knew exactly where they should go. As Ren knocked, he poked his head in before opening the door. He wanted to make sure Iniji was there. "Hey, we never got the chance to really meet on the mission. Just thought we should and to check to see how you were." Ren said as he walked in.

"Hi, Iniji-san, how are you feeling?" Haya said as she walked in after Ren. She was used to finding Iniji now that she had a chance to be near him and it was important for her to know if he was okay. He was part of her team and he was the only option she had to go after the scientist, but she could feel something was wrong on the mission and smell the blood coming from him too.

"Oh...Abiko-san, Kimura-san." Two of his teammates on the mission entered after the president and the noisy one left, it made sense for them to come around, after all he did pass out in front of his team, the amount of blood that was around then was perhaps startling. "My condition is passable at the current moment. There is no need to be overly concerned about me." He said while quietly adjusting the roller clamp again to fix the dosage dripping from the IV.

Ren smirked, "Well, that is not what it looked like. But you look better. You did a really good job on the mission." He added with a smile, "How is the hospital been for you?"

Haya smirked, She was glad that he seemed to be okay. She agreed, he didn't feel like he was okay on the mission. It was concerning and she was worried if he would make it. "Are you planning to join the festival?" She asked.

"...Thank you, Abiko-san, I was simply doing what I was instructed, it is my fault that I ended up in such a predicament." Iniji's eyes darkened as he mumbled towards the other, it was true that he felt inadequate at least of his performance, even his ability to heal his own injuries were lacking compared to his peers.

"And...I do not do well with crowds, festivals are not events tailored to me, I am afraid to say." The boy continued softly. In reality, Iniji has never been to a festival barring one where he was barely a toddler, it was another thing that was far-fetched for him, another thing where non-engagement would be more comfortable for him. "...I...Perhaps I am in need of attending to more important matters."

Ren smirked, "Well, to be fair, I got there pretty late. I am used to fighting as a team over doing things on my own." he stated before he turned to Haya, "Not that your plan was bad, it was actually a very logical plan."

Haya smirked, "It's okay, my plans are pretty bad in some aspects, but they usually work." she told Ren, who blushed from embarrassment at the way it sounded. But Haya turned to Iniji, "Well, I should be back at the dorms before the fireworks, if you want to hang out. Maybe you can read to me? I have been curious about the books you read."

"O-Oh, uh, well, you may find what I read awfully dull, Kimura-san. It is not the most thrilling material to be listened to." Iniji leaned over to pull over his book on open channel hydraulics, it's full of diagrams and example systems that won't be of any interest to most high school hero students. He quietly flipped through the pages while scanning the words, which only further solidified his theory.

Haya smirked, "Well, we won't know until we try. I have been read science manuals before and they were not bad." She assured him. She had no idea what any of the books really added up to. "Plus, it might give me ideas or information to help with missions." She figured that if they were dull they might have stategies that could work or give her ideas for their next missions.

Ren smirked, "So it's not just me that trains a lot." He teased as he chuckled and turned to Iniji, "What kind of books do you read?I am not much of a reader, but it sounds like they might be helpful to improve. I might be interested in learning about them myself." He wasn't sure how he would do with reading big books, but he was more then willing to try anything once.

"Ah...I-I'm not sure if I have what you are looking for, Abiko-san...it's…" Iniji caressed the book he had by his bed side and pulled it onto his lap: Hydraulic Principles of Open-Channel Flow was etched on the cover. He opened the book to a page with a folder corner, traced down the paper to a paragraph and tried reading it outloud in a calm voice.

"...The fundamental equation of motion for steady flow may be derived by applying the principle of conservation of energy to individual fluid parcels. At this point it will be assumed that an ideal fluid exists for which no shearing stress occurs. In such a fluid there can be no frictional effects between moving fluid layers…" Iniji's voice trailed off as he knew his studies likely didn't interest any person in this room, or at the very least will spark no discussion of substance. "...Y-Yeah...It's not very...interesting."

Ren and Haya listened to Iniji read and thought about what he was reading. When he finished they were silent for a moment. Ren thought about it for a moment and smirked, "Hmmm, I think it might make a little more sense to me if I knew the paragraph before. It flows through some information but I am not sure I am getting the information completely." he pointed out, "When you are done with that, can I read some of it. It sounds like it might have some properties that can be used." he pointed out. The flow made some sense to him, but the idea kind of seem to form but got lost in the additional information that he got lost in.

Haya smirked, "Well, that actually was helpful. I think I might be able to try something soon, when I think of how to use what that kind of saying. Can you read a bit more? I want to be sure I understand it enough." she asked curiously. She had been following most of it, but some parts felt like when Iniji stopped it was in the middle of a thought. "Do you think you can read a bit more, or should we let you rest?" Haya asked, the idea still working its way to completion, but it could wait.

Iniji's multicoloured eyes lit up slightly at the other two's reactions, he wasn't expecting them to actually be interested even if it was just a feinted polity. "Oh, t-this was actually the first paragraph already, it's an introduction of ideal fluids in a chapter about the Manning equation used to calculate varied flow in open conduits! I've been studying it because hydraulic engineering is the principle basis of all the equipment I use to-" He cut himself off before he could say much more, after all it wasn't anything pretty or to brag about. It appears he's gotten too excited, it was rare for Iniji to talk about his interests with another person.

"Ah, I apologize for startling you." Iniji cleared his throat, though it was just a dry cough from his injuries. "As I said, this is a chapter regarding the Manning equation, used to calculate flow resistance. It's derived as flow velocity equals a unit basis coefficient over the Manning coefficient multiplied by the hydraulic radius raised to the power of two-thirds, then the friction slope to the power of one-third. In order to properly deduct a Manning coefficient from the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor and Chezy resistance coefficient...ah, it's not the most beginner friendly method of derivation, there's quite a lot of modification values based on the various resistance factors."

Ren smirked, "It's cool. Sounds like you are really into this kind of stuff. I think it sounds interesting, but I have to actually go do something. So, when you are done with the book, it would be cool if I could borrow it. Maybe we can bounce some stuff off each other when I am done with it." he said as he moved towards the door and paused, "It is really good to see you doing better Iniji-san. I won't be late next time." he promised. Ren still felt bad about not being there for Iniji in the fight, but he would do his best not to let that happen again.

Haya smirked, "I still have some time, if you want to keep going. I think it's really interesting, and listening to how you spoke about it, it means a lot to you to have the information." she stated. She was curious about the rest of the book and about what else it talked about. She had never been able to read something like that before and when someone read to her, she actually liked it a lot better. It made her feel special and made every word mean so much more.

"Ah...Are you interested, Kimura-san? I been questioning the accuracy of the sheer stress and friction coefficients that are up upon the infrastructure so it would be great to hear another opinion, there is a table listing the types of environmental factors...but I think it's somewhat outdated. Although it's not a big deal for me since I only use it on a small scale when dealing with flow resistance. In controlled environments boundary friction isn't actually that big of a deal, hmm, actually I'm not sure of that...oh, sorry, was I speaking too much again?" Iniji averted his gaze once he realized he was rambling on again, he wasn't supposed to speak this much to his peers anyways.

"Um...If you are interested, there are open lectures from the University of Tokyo that are available for listening, and if you are comfortable with English, a lot of resources from America exist as well, UC Berkeley is one and there's others..." Seeing that Haya was interested but unable to read, Iniji suggested some other methods of studying if she was interested in this information.

Haya smirked, after letting out a giggled, "It's nice to hear it from you, though. You have a lot of passion for the information you read about and it is important to hear it from someone you trust that has that passion. I might look them up, but I would rather hear it from you." she stated, as she heard the door open and close as Ren left the room. "You are my friend, and you seem to get excited on explaining it. It's actually a really interesting topic when you do that. So, I would rather you read to me. But if you don't want to, I will look it up as you have told me." she assured him. The topics were very interesting and she thought they could help her be a better leader, but at the same time, listening to Iniji ramble on about it in his own way, made her happy to listen even more.

Iniji tilted his head, sort of like a confused animal. He was just a self taught hobbyist student who barely had formal education out of middle school, he must have given Haya the wrong impression with how much he talked. "I...I'm not the most trustworthy source of information, there's many more experts in these fields that possess years worth of experience and peer reviewed research." Iniji felt a little bad, maybe Haya was just here to humour him, as much as she seemed to act interested she didn't really say anything in regards to the particular topic or ask specific questions. Maybe she's just being polite...Iniji thought, as he had towards many of his colleagues in the past.

"I...perhaps I've overdone it, it's not really a passion, it's just something to pass the time." The boy's voice went back to its usual calm, even slightly chilling tone. "Sorry if I have led you to misunderstand anything. I would not want to keep you if you have other matters to attend to, Kimura-san."

Haya smirked, "I don't and you are not. Learning from an expert is a good way to understand if you are interested in it. But when you listen to someone with a passion fro it, it helps you want to know more. For example, although not on topic, the first part you read made me think of my quirk. If I apply the flow of sound in a steady way and since I already use it as an energy source for my quirk, there is a way for me to use it in a blasting way. The information is interesting and the way I understand it, it could help me improve my quirks abilities and add to what I can already do. Also, since I use my leadership in the same way, I think that it could be a lot of help. But I won't be able to recall it by memory, especially in combat if I am just listening to some expert instead of someone I trust and had a passion for it. I hear it in your voice, the passion. It is how the words stick with me and how I will be able to get a handle of them, even in the field. That is why I would rather you read it to me." she explained. She was sure that what he read was not exactly how she used it, but that was even more reason to have him help her. After all, she was learning about romance with Kuroi as her partner, why not learn Iniji's books the same way.

"Hmph." A little scoff came out of Iniji after hearing the words. Passion, passion, what a beautiful word. A tempest driven by naught but the desire to achieve something, to push on without a single thought of retreat, and eventually to burn up yourself and all around you. "Passion...huh? I apologize for my callousness, please forget that ever happened, Kimura-san." Ah, he was doing things without thinking again, he was talking without thinking again. How despicable, being unable to control yourself just because someone showcased a pinch of interest in your bullshit. Iniji's head hung slightly low, a few strands of multicoloured hair covered his darkened eyes.

"...Sound does not flow, Kimura-san, sound travels in waves. Passion is not a reason to believe that information will be useful to you, expertise is always more reliable. I apologize for leading you on, please do not take what I said as advice, I am ill fitted to give such consultations." Closing the book slowly Iniji kept with the calm, and slightly melancholic tone.

Haya looked at him with some concern, "I don't believe that. If there is any advice I won't take is that expertise is more helpful. Passion is a drive. It's an infection that can be good and bad. I rather listen to passion in the sound than the expertise in it." she sighed, "Expertise can't teach, they can only command. To be honest Iniji, I could listen to them for information, but I carry my friends with me, in every situation. The information would be pointless coming from anyone else but you." she told him before she bite her lip. "You don't have to read to me. I am sure the information will happen one day for me. You should rest, but just to be clear, I don't believe you understand passion and friendship the same way that I do. It means everything to me and one day, I hope it will to you too."

"...Truly said like a hero." Iniji looked up at Haya for a moment while he muttered under his breath. He didn't really have anything to say about that, he was just someone from a different world, that is all. Of course there are many things he didn't understand, and at this point, he didn't deserve anyone to teach him anymore. That is the fate of someone who's passion burned too many bridges.

Haya smirked, "You are also a hero, Iniji. You should remember that." she commented. "I will leave you to rest. And we'll see each other after the festival." she added.

A gentle rap upon the door preceded Kikyo's entrance into the room. In truth, she had struggled with whether or not she wanted to pay him a visit. Not for a lack of caring or interest, simply because she second guessed whether or not her visit would be fruitful at all. She afterall was never particularly gifted at cheering people up. Least of all one of her most stoic peers like Iniji. Nonetheless, she decided if for no other reason than for the sake of attempting friendship, she would stop by and wish him well.

"Hey, Iniji!" Kikyo called excitedly as she entered the room. She was a bit caught off guard when she realized he still had company there, but shook it off quickly, adding; "...oh, I didn't realize someone else was still here. My apologies."

"Anyway! Uhm, looks like your mission was rough, huh? How is your recovery going?" Kikyo asked with a cautious step towards him, hands folded behind her back and a warm smile on her face.

"...Asuka-san, good afternoon." Iniji's voice was back to it's usual stoic tone as another person entered, he struggled to figure out why so many would be interested in visiting him. "It was nothing of note, my injuries were due to my own missteps. The surgery last night went well, thank you for your concern." He sighed slightly while looking at her and putting away his book, unsure of what to do.

"Well, i'm glad you're recovering, Iniji. We all make mistakes in the field, right? But, uhm, I may have overheard a little bit. I"m sorry. Do...do you think that you aren't a hero?" Kikyo nervously added, a little uncertain about just how deep she was willing to pry into his head. After all, the last conversation they had seemed to weigh on him. She worried that she had bored or annoyed him.

"No, I don't." It was a simple answer without hesitation. "In fact, it is quite troubling when others so fervently suggest so, at least to me. It troubles me a great deal." Iniji added on, explaining his more than usual deal of melancholy.

"I think, in a way, I feel that way too. But, it's because I feel like i've been useless and some part of me is trying to get out that doesn't care about doing the right thing. I-I know that probably doesn't make any sense, but maybe if I can get an idea on whatever my problem is, maybe I can understand yours? I don't mean to trouble you, though. But I do think that you at least have the potential of being a hero, Iniji." Kikyo replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

"No, I do not, Asuka-san." Iniji said,even with a faith smile this time. "I have no interest in proving myself worthy as a hero, and inadequacy is the least of my problems. Those of inadequate skill can improve, but somethings will never change no matter how much you work." He averted his gaze from the girl once more. "I suggest you do not emphasize with me too much, those who stare into the abyss should be prepared for it to stare back, perhaps even to be swallowed whole."

Kikyo frowned as he responded, looking to the window when she noted that he looked away. "Well, you don't have to be a hero to do good. Some of the best people that have ever lived were very, you know, mundane in the lives. No great destinies or powers, no fan base, no glamour or anything like that. Just hard working people that help others. Sometimes those people are also troubled. It doesn't make them less valuable or....good for that matter. I just think that you're capable of being that kind of person. Doesn't darkness just make light brighter too? I also don't think it's possible for anyone to be completely swallowed by darkness. There is at least a little light in everyone. It's all about which one you feed."

"Of course, Asuka-san, of course." Iniji said quietly, almost like a whisper, acknowledging the other's words. It appears that his penchant for mingling metaphors gets turned on him more than often, vagueness is a gift and a plague when it comes to speaking with others. "Very well said." A thing about heroes was that they often talked about friendship, passion, and fighting against the dying of the light, but concepts were concepts, actions were actions. Iniji wondered how many of his peers wouldn't hesitate to cut him down if they witnessed the person he was years ago, and he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I hope you will hold onto that light then, do your best, and fight for all the good people in this world."

"Thank you, Iniji. I hope that so long as you are an ally that you do the same. Uhm, also...do try to make sure you rest up enough to get better? It's no good to push yourself to the point that you don't heal properly. Have a good night, okay?" Kikyo sighed softly, walking back over to the door to head out for the evening.

Iniji sat back on the hospital bed and closed his eyes, hearing the sound of footsteps outside and going abouts of car engines. He didn't think much, as the previous interactions had already drained him of those thoughts.

"My peers are certainly...all a bunch of…" The last parts of the words were drowned out by the wind razing the curtains.

The Bug and the Sunrise (Kaizen & Iniji)

Once again, it was another sleepless night for Kaizen. Despite his best efforts to try to get back to his normal routine, nothing has been the same ever since the incident. He couldn't enjoy his food anymore, everything was always tasteless no matter how much spice he added. His garden had been neglected, and he had been spending much of his time either alone in his room or training in the gym with his newly revealed human body.

Tonight, he decided to get a bit of air on the rooftop, hoping that it would give him some peace of mind and eventually allow him to sleep. The moonlight shines onto his garden, showing some overgrowth and weeds. He slowly made his way to the railing and sat on the edge, feeling the cool night air on his face. His recent visit to Vitalis gave him a lot to think about.

A haunting soft light came on the horizon on the opposite side of the dimming moon as the first break of dawn began to show itself in the early morning. Iniji picked up the porcelain mug that reflected the dim white light and took a small sip, before going back to his morning routine of reading and staring out at the city. The pains of his injuries subsided, though breathing felt a bit more tedious than before. His eyesight was noticeably more blurred now, a side effect of the overt usage of his quirk in the past months.

The breathing troubles made Iniji wake up earlier than usual, as it was barely past 4:00 in the morning. That was nice though, there were less people bothering him at times like this, sleeplessness was common enough for him for the morning dew to be a regular companion. But there was something unexpected today, as he heard the familiar sound of ruffing clothing and footsteps.

"...Shinkami-san. Good morning." Iniji simply acknowledged the newcomer, it was still somewhat unusual to see his ally as a full human, but it wasn't a major thing of note. He knew from the reports and debriefings of what happened. Iniji was never good at comforting people, thus he resorted to nothing, nothing other than the most basic politeness a civil person would muster; he was no hero.

Kaizen immediately recognized that familiar voice, as Iniji. He hasn't talked to him much lately but has heard of his recent success in the most recent missions. He was happy for him. "Kaizen… " he said in reply. "Just call me Kaizen or bug, whichever you prefer." He often found it strange how he would still refer to him as such. Kaizen gave a small smirk to him, secretly happy that he wouldn't be alone up there. "What brings you up here? Admiring the sun rise perhaps? The cool breeze?" He answered while staring at the horizon.

"I am here everyday, Kaizen-san. It is a rare occasion for others to be here at this hour, thus I use it as my escapade." Iniji closed the hardcover heavy duty book on his lap and set it aside, picking up the porcelain mug again, feeling the temperature of the beverage get slowly carried away by the wind. He didn't know why the other was here at this hour, of all the occasional run-ins he had with others, Kaizen was not one of those he deemed likely to do such a thing. Perhaps it had something to do with the recent incident, early morning is always in style for a soul search.

"Hmmm I guess I am kinda doing the same thing as well…" he thought outloud. In a way, he was using this place to escape his sleepless night. "Say, Iniji, you wouldn't happen to have any tips on falling asleep would you?" Iniji seemed like the type that would know this. " I've been having a hard time sleeping lately.." he clarified, waving his feet at the edge of the railing. "Maybe I just need to tire myself out or something.." he added, while looking down.

"No." It was a simple answer, Iniji didn't have any ideas on the likes, his circadian rhythm was by no means normal, it wasn't something he knew how to give advice on. "Perhaps medication. But no, I don't." He concluded, with a voice as dull and emotionless as ever, almost fading into a whisper like the dim white daybreak light. It was clear Kaizen was very troubled, whether by the recent events or anything else, Iniji didn't want to speak of the troubles of others. He had no right to after all.

"Medication...most stores aren't even open right now and I'd hate to bother medical staff this late." He sighed in defeat. As he stood up to admire the height of the building. "Hmmm… yes I think this is high enough…" He took a good look downwards before standing up, balancing himself on the railing. He looked to Iniji and gave him a sly smile before taking a step back, allowing himself to fall off the edge. Seconds, Kaizen would somehow return to the edge of the roof. "Tch, not quite high enough…" He complained before revealing he had shot out a strand of webbing from his insectoid arm. "If I can't sleep, guess I might as well exercise a bit you know?" he said to Iniji, trying to lighten his own mood.

Iniji blinked a few times as he saw Kaizen hop off of the roof, but his surprise only lasted for a few seconds. He's seen this gimmick before, Agi had pulled it on him once at the resort. Perhaps hero students had this need for grandiose gestures to thrill seeking, Iniji wasn't the type to consider it, but he stared at the other for a moment nonetheless.

"...An interesting course of action, Kaizen-san, however I do respect it." Picking up his hardcover book again Iniji looked at the other, oddly coloured eyes swirled with the reflections of the white horizon. "Mizushima-san had done such a thing in front of me in the past, please do not be offended by my lack of reaction."

Kaizen sighed upon hearing Agi had done the same thing as him. Of all the people, why did it have to be him? "Hmm guess we are more alike than I thought...explains why we always butt heads with each other." he placed a finger on his chin, acknowledging the similarities between them. "Although as much as I dislike him, I can't deny the fact he's closer to being the ideal hero than I am..at least for now.."he admitted.

"Ideal hero...huh?" Iniji whispered, the words came out in a fashion similar to a scoff, as if he was making fun of something. It was himself, he was making fun of himself. Unlike Agi, or Kaizen, he had no hopes in becoming an ideal hero. He wasn't delusional, he lost that qualification long ago. "A most excellent goal to pursue, Kaizen-san. I wish you the best in regards to your endeavors." He replied calmly, perhaps even apathetically, with words accompanied by the sound of rustling paper as Iniji flipped another page.

Kaizen raised his eyebrow towards Iniji's response. It was strange, almost as if he didnt share a similar goal despite being in the same programme. "What about you Iniji, what are your goals for joining suppression?" He always wondered what went through the head of the most quiet member of his class. Now was his chance to find out.

"...To bring upon myself some sort of value as a person, whether it's as a hero, or something else." Without even looking up, Iniji said as his fingers caressed the slightly reflective book pages. Many people have asked him this question before, perhaps his enigmatic demeanor perks some of those curiosities. But curiosity is not always something good to adhere to, he had very little to say about his career at Suppression or as a hero, because it was all trite in the end.

"Always the mysterious one aren't you?" Kaizen was amused by his response. Specific enough to answer the question but vague enough to reveal almost nothing about him. "Something else huh?" He thought about what he had said and interpreted that as something outside of hero work. "You'd make a good architect. I recall you spoke about a complex type of structure with regards to how our pro hero opponent achieved her gigantic form. Additionally, your quirk would be useful in preparing the building materials as well." he shared his opinion on how Iniji's quirk could be used outside of combat.

"Perhaps. I always dreamt of being an engineer when I was young." Iniji replied blankly, Mari had said something similar to him, albeit in a less encouraging way. "But my quirk would be quite useless in the realm of material preparation for architecture, its limitations too great. Anything denser than vertebra would have me struggling quite harshly." It was a strange comparison, Iniji always knew that his quirk was more useful snapping necks rather than doing any sort of construction, if he truly dedicated himself to that sort of life, he would likely be blinded in months. Although that doesn't sound like a bad deal now.

"It would likely not even match up to a fraction of your's." Kaizen's quirk, Iniji knew, is much more useful than his in nearly every way, from combat to utility, perhaps he would only outpace the other in assassination. That was his and his quirk's fate, to be outclassed in everything other than drawing blood.

"Hmm that's an oddly specific limitation." Kaizen's eyes narrowed at Iniiji specification. Perhaps he has seen his share of violence. "You give me too much credit. I'd probably be the labourer while you'll be the guy who does all the planning." He made note of Iniji's advance knowledge of physics. "Well, you can always try cutting fruits. I'm sure people would appreciate clean cuts." His attention turned towards his garden. "Hell you could probably do some gardening as well." He added, finding more amusing ways his quirk could be used.

"I would love to." Iniji looked up again and at the horizon, the distant shape of the skyline was blurred a bit in his eyes. He blinked and squinted, then rubbed his eyes, before pulling out a pair of eyeglasses from his pocket. "Though I would hesitate to use my quirk in such callous ways, not out of pride or the likes." Iniji didn't even know why he was explaining that, it was because he was looking for excuses for himself. Regardless, his mind was set, and nothing can stir him from his path.

Slowly unfolding the eyeglasses, the boy set them onto his face. The formerly slightly blurred horizon became crisp and clear again. It wasn't severe, it was normal nearsightedness that can be seen on almost any regular glasses wearing person, but it only took a few months to get to this point. "My quirk, when overexerted, pressures my optical nerves." Iniji said while wearing a weary but slightly unsettling smile.

"One day it will blind me."

In a second he paused and looked at Kaizen, realizing what he had just told the other. "Sorry. This has no bearing on you, it must be awfully uninteresting." The smile remained, although in a more apologetic fashion now as Iniji looked onto the sunrise.

Upon hearing about the reason why he wouldn't be able to use his quirk so casually, he couldn't help but sympathize with the boy. "That would explain why you don't use it as often." Yes it all made sense to him now. Apart from its sheer strength, his quirk was also dangerous to himself. In many ways, those two were very alike, as even Kaizen can't use the full extent of his quirk without negative repercussions. "Believe it or not, I can't use the full extent of my quirks as well. I have a form that has unmatched combat prowess, but it is not without it's drawbacks." He explained before going back to the original topic. " That being said, I think that limitation also makes you stronger, making you less reliant on your quirk, allowing you to diversify the tools of your trade.' Kaizen slowly walked towards Iniji, his curiosity getting even stronger. "On the contrary, I find it extremely interesting. In just a matter of minutes, I've learned more about you than the last few months. I wonder what else you have to share?" He felt Iniji was someone who was more than meets the eye, and he just hit the tip of the iceberg

"...Is that so? I have very little to share about myself, my apologies for such disappointment." Iniji stared blankly into space, he didn't know how to cope with these sorts of situations, he wasn't as shaky as the beginning of the school year, but it was not something he was comfortable with regardless. "My quirk only damages me when used excessively. Yet, I do not need to use it excessively to obtain this 'unmatched combat prowess' that you speak so fondly of. In fact, I have little interest in it." His smile faded while talking about it. He didn't know if Kaizen would figure out the most extreme tactics he is able to employ, he is able to easily dispatch almost any villain with those methods: the easiest way out. They were polar opposites in that regard.

"We both use violence. In a way your quirk is always at its strongest for the most part. While I always have to "charge" myself up to reach my full potential. We both have negative repercussions when we overexert our quirks. You'll slowly go blind. And I shorten my lifespan. But not everyone has to know that, am I right?" Kaizen smiled at him, trusting them both to keep each other secrets. "And I have a feeling based on what you told me so far… I am not the only one with a violent past, am I?" he added. In truth, he wasn't really sure, he had scars so those had to come from somewhere, in his quirk of unparalleled strength and flexibility in combat situations.

"I see, you are going through a great deal of thought to relate yourself and I." Iniji said calmly as usual, but his voice was slightly more chilling this time, the polite phrasing and tine remained, yet an air of condemnation could be felt. "I have no interest in violence, in some ways you can say I lack the ability to even properly identify what constitutes as violence. It is merely a means to an end. I can see the ends only." Violent? Could his past even be described as such? Yes the bloodshed and death piled up, but it came about in such a apathetic, unfeeling way that Iniji often failed to even recognize it as violent.

Slowly, Iniji leaned a little towards Kaizen, it was unusual to see him in his human form. Perhaps for the both of them. Although he refrains from indulging in such emotions, Iniji can't help but feel irritated, at the other's tendency to ask such inconvenient questions, and fruitless efforts to close the chasm between them. He reached out a hand with his index finger out, and placed it on the other boy's neck.

"3.8 centimeters," Iniji said, his voice still the same puddle of still water. "The central carotid artery." He pushed into the other's skin a bit, feeling a pulse, Kaizen was still a human after all. "Once cut, it will bleed uncontrollably. Resulting in death after 6 to 15 seconds." Incandescent eyes blinked a few times as Iniji retreated his arm, the chilling frost also melted from multicolored irises.

"I did not consider such a thing 'violent' for the vast majority of my life. It would be a poor choice to discuss such matters with me, Kaizen-san."

Kaizen could feel the chill in the air, a sudden shift in tone. His touch felt incredibly ice cold, the hands of someone that dirtied their hands many times. He stared into his eyes while he talked about his vulnerable artery. He has seen those eyes before… they were the eyes of a killer. There was a brief look of distress in Kaizen's face before it slowly turned into a smile...followed by laughter. He amused...very amused by all of this.

"Hahahaah….HAHAHAHAHA…"Kaizen chuckled turned into a full blown brief but hysterical cackle. "And you dont even deny it...that….I can respect." he smiled, having a newfound appreciation for his friend. "I dont know what type of situation you grew up in, or what led you to such a path. But I am not one to judge…" In many ways, he could have ended up just like him had he not receive the help from the right people. "All I know is this… out in the field, I'll have your back and in return I hope you have mine." he smiled giving him a thumbs up. "And dont worry, I won't let anyone else know about the "interesting bits" of your story." He put a finger on his mouth indicating that he'd keep quiet about it.

There was a certain resonance between people with the capacity to kill, and an even stronger one between those who are true killers. Iniji did not know which category Kaizen falls into, though he hoped it was neither, as the other spoken of a desire to become an ideal hero. An ideal hero had no business to even be remotely on the same wavelength as him.

"Of course, Kaizen-san. I am not a person who is apt at lying, thus, I prefer not to. I have not lied to anyone about what I am lest they make inquiry, even if Naoko-san may desperately want me to do so." The tea had lost most of it's temperature, but Iniji picked the cup up nonetheless. He reacted little to Kaizen's laughter or compliments, those who stare into the abyss should understand that the abyss will stare back. Even in his lack of ability to read the air, Kaizen at least understood that.

"Hmm so Mari is in on this secret as well. I wonder who else has such interesting secrets…" he though about how he didn't really know the background of most of his classmates. "This has certainly been a very fruitful escapade. I guess I might as well tend to the garden while I'm up here." Kaizen's brandishes an insectoid blade as he began cutting down the weed and overgrowing. It seems finding out about Iniji true colors have reinvigorated him. In no time at all, he managed to clean up his entire garden. He even harvested some fruits. "Hey Iniji. Catch!" He threw the boy an orange. "You won't find a fresher harvest!" He boasted.

"I am glad you are receiving these facts well. Many throw out questions only hoping for answers they wish to hear." Iniji was used to being a disappointment, so there was no stress in answering honestly. He caught the orange and held it in his hand, looking at the shape, texture, taking in the existence of this round, citrus-tinged "thing" that existed in his hand. Kaizen was an interesting person, the part about the other's lifespan was certainly interesting. Perhaps other people would have mentioned it, but Iniji didn't, he had no right to lecture others on whether they should or shouldn't throw their lives away for something.

Encircling the fruit with his fingers in the middle, Iniji looked down at the orange and blinked a few times. The fruity sphere didn't change at first, but then broke into half with a cut that went right down the middle. A cut so clean that it seemed surreally unnatural, as if a homegrown fruit just turned into an artificial looking CGI rendered model. "A good clean cut, huh?" Iniji mumbled under his breath glumly.

"Hah! Told you you'd be a good fruit cutter!" Kaizen took note of how clean his cut was, just as he expected. He threw his orange in the air before slicing it apart with his retractable blade. "Hmmm.. zesty." He savored the freshly sliced fruit before turning to Iniji. "What are you reading anyways? You definitely look like the bookworm type." he made note of his relatively reserved personality, someone who only speaks when spoken to.

Looking down at the fruit and fiddled it, taking out a slice and biting into it in a reserved way, Iniji silently showed the book cover to Kaizen as per requested while the citrus favour spread out inside of his mouth. 'Principles of Hydraulic Systems Design' was printed on the cover with a fractal design background.

As a loner himself, Kaizen knew when someone preferred to be left alone but nonetheless was happy about what he had learned about Injinji. "This truly has been a "fruitful" encounter." he joked as moved ever to the edge once more. As the sun finally rose, he took one more look at Iniji before saying goodbye to him. He had something else to attend. "It was nice talking to you Iniji. Who knows, I might see you again up here soon. Until then, farewell." And with that, he backflipped off the edge, seeing it as a much more interesting method of descending.

"...Yes, farewell, Kaizen-san." Iniji whispered under his breath as he watched the other leave, once again flipping open the book. The sun also rose today.

---------------

White Hydrangea (Kikyo & Amon)

Kikyo strolled along the street, glancing around in earnest at the variety of games and stalls set up in the city. The festivals were wonderful, a chance to cut loose and have some fun. Not to mention all of the delicious foods! Humming to herself, Kikyo picked up her walking pace a bit more, suddenly stopping when she noticed a certain scent in the air. Grilled squid? How long had it been since she had been able to indulge in that? Too long, frankly. Of course, considering what her diet had been for most of her life, food stapes and simple recipes were quite literally her bread and butter. It was rare she had the opportunity to indulge in more fancy foods, or even just less commonly basic home meals.

The young woman walked up to the stall with a hungry look in her eyes, almost salivating from just the scent. As she stepped up she gave a couple of gentle tugs at her skirt to readjust the fabric so it was more comfortable, her school uniform now back in proper order. It was only about to get more interesting though as she raised her gaze up behind the stall, seeing a familiar face. The young man behind it had a familiar face, even though she had only met him once so far, it was during her last mission. This was perfect! Great eats and if she were lucky she could get to know another one of her classmates a bit.

"Oh wow! Amon?! Hey, I wasn't expecting to run into you here! How are you doing?" Kikyo asked with a broad excited smile, stepping directly up to the stall.

"Alrighty! One rice and parsley stuffed grilled squid, Italiano style, order up." Amon picked up some sauce packets and a pinch of bonito flakes, sprinkling it on the chubby stuffed squid sitting in a thin coated cardboard take out container, handing it to a student in front of the stall. Ever since he got dragged into the school festival at Ketsubutsu in his first year by some nosy people (cough cough), it appeared that his ability to grill and season nearly any street food stall regular recipe had become valued. And that hasn't really changed even at Suppression and after everything that happened.

"Ohya? Kikyo-chan? Welcome welcome." The boy glanced over at a cell phone sitting on a table on the side. "It's almost my break time, but I'll take one more order for you." Seeing it was his own classmate, Amon didn't see a reason why not to work maybe a few minutes overtime, and pointed up at the menu. "Feel free." He added with a smile, and a tone of voice almost completely the opposite of seriousness he exhibited during the mission.

Kikyo was happy to see one of her classmates. The fact that he was working the stall and providing goods and services was great too. The way he was behaving was definitely different from how he was on the mission. She couldn't help but wonder if he had the tendency to act differently from one scene to another. After all, there are a good variety of reasons to be more or less stoic or what not.

"Oh, really? I mean, uhm, I don't have the, uh, m-money. I'm a broke girl. But! But, uhm, I appreciate it nonetheless." Kikyo replied with a slightly nervous giggle, looking over at the boy and admiring the handy work of all the food he'd been making.

"Hmm-" Amon thought about putting whatever Kikyo wanted to order on Agi or Yori's tab for a moment, but eventually decided against it, it's not like he knows her too well, he didn't want to pressure her with any favours of that sort. "I see I see, then does that mean you dropped by just to see me?" He said with a small laugh in a joking manner, though seeing what happened in their previous mission together, it wasn't too big of a stretch that Kikyo would want to speak to him for whatever reason.

"Alright alright, please be patient we're doing a shift change!" With a small clap at the crowding line in front of the stand Amon wiped his hands on a towel nearby and waved to Kikyo. "Wait on the side for a bit, I have to pack up and get changed and stuff." He pointed to a clearing nearby with a flick of his wrist and stepped back, retreating into the backend of the stall tent.

Kikyo laughed nervously, rubbing her arm in a nervous manner as she swayed on the balls of her feet at Amon's question, a faint tint coming to her cheeks as she diverted her gaze. "I mean...yeah...but, it's like...uhm...that mission was intense, you know? I wanted to see how you were holding up after it and...stuff."

The young woman cursed at herself inwardly. Why was she suddenly so damn shy? Well...duh. She was always tripping over her own tongue and saying silly stuff. He didn't mean anything by it, obviously, so, just relax. Kikyo sighed briefly and shook her head, stepping aside as he had requested so he could finish up.

"Oh, yeah, sure, no problem. Hehe...Sorry about that." Kikyo responded with a slight smile, watching him work happily. It was always nice to see people providing something for others, especially with a smile.

Slowly Amon hobbled out of the back of the stall while adjusting his yukata sleeves, Kikyo was sure a caring person, and not just in the normal hero student way. Perhaps he got disillusioned by all the brutalness that their class' missions had the misfortune to face, or perhaps he was always this disillusioned. Anyways, caring about one's teammates was a good trait regardless.

"Right right, I almost forgot about that, haha, most of our missions were crazy, it is how it is." He walked up to Kikyo with arms folded inside of yukata sleeves. "How about you then? You must be holding up fine if you have the attention to spare others, no?" Amon asked with a soft smile, of course he knew that selfless people exist who neglect themselves for others, it was just the question of whether the girl in front of him was that sort of person.

Kikyo nodded at the boy as he approached her, only just now really noting that he was wearing a yukata as opposed to his uniform. Which made sense, really. She wondered if she could pull off more traditional styles of clothes, but, again, pushed her wandering mind back into the correct frame when she noticed he was speaking again.

Yeah, I'm definitely getting the impression that the program is usually pretty rough, hehe. But, me? I'm doing okay, you know? I mean, I have my problems, but, if I'm being completely honest, it's a lot easier for me to just focus on how other people are doing. The less time I spend stuck in my head worrying about my own stuff, the better." Kikyo responded with a polite smile, chuckling a bit at her own mentality of basically just ignoring herself.

"Is that so? Haha, spoken like a hero, that sort of selflessness is a noble trait, hard to come by these days." Wearing his usual gentle smile Amon looked at Kikyo while complementing the sentiment, 'complementing' at least on the surface. The girl was wearing her usual clothes, uniform and all, unlike some others that got dressed up or at least casual for the occasion. "Phew-" Amon took a deep breath, pretending to take in the slightly cooling night air, but was just taking a moment to think about how to deal with the uptight sort.

"Although we all have to take care of ourselves from time to time, just an unfortunate part of being human." He said with a chuckle while walking a bit closer to the girl, his yukata sleeve slightly brushing on the other's shoulder.

Kikyo tilted her head a bit, glancing at Amon as he responded. "You think so? It doesn't feel like a heroic mindset. Sure, I care about other people and I hope they're doing okay, but, sometimes I think it really is just because I don't want to worry about myself. Sometimes I just don't want to think about what i'm dealing with because it's painful. Sometimes because it's...scary."

Kikyo shrugged a bit at his comment about them just being human. She supposed that it was completely normal to be selfish sometimes because everyone had to. Part of the human condition. Maybe that was true. But there were times, in her darkest moments, that she questioned her own humanity. Usually, these moments involved her being alone. Conversations with her reflections. Even if she were still completely human, she must have been at least a bit off her rocker.

"Your yukata is nice, by the way. I don't, uhm, I don't own one. Don't own a lot of clothes in general, if i'm being honest. But that's fine. Besides, these uniforms are pretty neat, right?" She responded with a quiet laugh, looking at him again before returning her gaze in front of her.

"Yep yep, the uniforms are neat, whoever designed it sure has some interesting taste...sort of like the designer of my hero outfit…haha." Amon returned the comment with a similar soft laugh, mirroring the girl's tone and wording, it was a cheap trick to get someone to trust you more during talks, not like he exactly needed to build trust at this point.

"Most of my clothes are pretty old, second handed or whatever, but you know what they say." Amon leaned forward a bit and looked at Kikyo, "good looking people look good in anything." He straightened back up after giving a sly smile to the girl, she sure lacked confidence, it wasn't like one or two phrases would change that. "Looks are a part of heroism nowadays too, don't put too much hope on a mindset or whatever, too many people just go around putting on shows or are raised in a greenhouse of idealism."

"Sometimes heroism is like a disease." The boy's tone of voice got deeper as he finished up the statement, a bit more stoic than before, with a strange sense of powerlessness to it.

Kikyo chuckled a bit at his words, shaking her head. When he leaned in and spoke to her, the blush returned and increased a bit in intensity while she averted her gaze for a moment. He was clearly just messing with her, or, at the least, making a pass at flirtation. She supposed he had a pretty good point. With heroes tending to be attractive and many of them even paraded around in one manner or another because of their appearance just as much as their heroics.

"That's a fair point. I guess I hadn't really thought about it before. Not that I'm, uhm, one of those people. You know?" Kikyo replied with a faint smile, looking ahead again. Then something strange happened when his voice changed. This kind of thing was fairly subtle usually, but tone was something she had always been the type to pick up on.

"A disease huh? I don't think I understand what you mean, Amon. Isn't heroism a good thing?" Kikyo asked with a curious glance, a slight pout forming on her face.

"Well well...selflessness leads to self sacrifice, heroism is the same logic. It's something that requires you to burn so brightly until it one day hollows out your soul, and will eat away at you until it leaves you with absolutely nothing." Amon paused a bit before snapping out of whatever he was thinking about, he berated himself wordlessly about being influenced by the girl's gloominess.

"Umm...I just mean that heroes need to take care of themselves too, or else it's too easy to stray yoru course, and if people learned to take care of themselves better, maybe the world wouldn't even need that many heroes." He followed up the statement with a chuckle to dispel his gloomy metaphors from before, his voice regained that cheeriness from before as if nothing happened. "You seem awfully thoughtful all the time, must be exhausting, haha."

Kkyo's eyes watched Amon as he replied to her question, her eyes narrowing slightly. There was a strange sense of darkness in his words. She couldn't help but feel like she understood what he meant, as though even with her still being as young as she was that she was already burning out. Even if her soul were still intact, how much longer would that remain so? The more she felt like she was changing inside, every sideways glance that her reflections gave her made her worry for the future. But, this wasn't the time for that. This was a festival, damn it. She sighed softly, shaking her head.

"I think I get what you're talking about, Amon. I hope i'm not bothering you." Kikyo replied with a slight shrug.

"I suppose I do get lost in my head a lot. I think you're right though. I'll try and stay more in the present."

"No, not at all." I'm used to being bothered. It was what Amon wanted to say, but he halted himself before he could say it outloud. That would be a bad thing to say in this situation, almost anything would be a bad thing to say in this situation. Crimson eyes rolled around and looked at the stalls nearby, then to the sky and the bustling crowds.

Something that sparked a bit caught his eye, it was one of the stalls run by some of the more handicraft orientation students. Hana kanzashi, various flowery and fan designs lined the racks, with some small signs noting price and its handicraft. His eyes narrowed as he approached the stand while walking with Kikyo, a bit abruptly the boy stopped and turned to the stand, pulling what seemed like a sheet of paper from his yukata sleeve.

[Handicraft Club - Kanzashi Voucher] was written on the sheet, along with a flowy signature: something that someone who didn't pay their tab used to bribe Amon with at his earlier shift. Not every person with long hair was into those accessories, and he was never into hair styling anyways...though Yori might've liked one. Seeing Kikyo around Amon decided to maybe give it to a person who needed it rather than that showy bird who gets professional haircuts for free.

"The white hydrangea one." The stand worker was the student who gave him the voucher, and seems to recognize him as the guy they paid with coupons, thus working much faster fetching the item. Amon looked back and found Kikyo before she caught up with him. He didn't really understand girls, but this sort of stuff is supposed to be universal, and she did mention she didn't have much clothes.

"Yeah, the present." He calmly resumed their previous conversation while fastening the kanzashi on the black part of Kikyo's hair. The white fabric stood out against it. "Go watch some fireworks or something."

Kikyo admittedly struggled a bit to keep up with Amon as she watched him walk ahead. He was fairly tall, at least in comparison to her. Curse her short stature. He had gone to a stall, but, she hadn't really seen what he was getting. At least until he turned back to her and situated the flower into her hair. Her eyes looked at his, wide with surprise. It took some effort, but, she managed to maintain a decent degree of composure. It was a very nice gesture, especially considering they basically just met. What's more, he definitely didn't seem like the type to really get into this whole kind of thing.

"Uhm...thank you, Amon. It's lovely." Kikyo responded with a smile, looking at him briefly before averting her gaze as she pondered on what he said.

"Fireworks huh? Yeah, that would be great...uhm, it was great talking with you, Amon. Thanks again for the gift. I hope the rest of your night goes well." Kikyo offered a polite bow before moving off, seeking to find something else to do so she could enjoy the festival and remain in the present. Her fingertips played with the material in her hair, almost entranced by the gift.

"Phew-" Amon took a deep breath as he watched the girl walk away. "That was harder than expected…"

Another Break (Isa & Amon)

Taking time off from another performance, Isa holds a bottle of water into the air and pours it down into her mouth and a little over her face. Still early into the night she was taking a break for another act to go up and was thinking of what songs to do next, she had a few in mind, but for now it was a time for something much more important.

A break! An actual break, that was, she wanted to get some snacks or visit a few booths, she had been doing so on and off throughout the night and there was still time to go! In her modified Yukata and with her piercings and messy hair, she stuck out a bit, but even with her more as of late usual cleaned up appearance she would have stuck out.

"Hm...I wonder where they all went…" Amon walked along the stalls while nibbling on a light soy sauce grilled squid on a stick, he wondered where all his friends would be around while he was being dragged to man a grill himself. Now finally on break he managed to find the time to change into a much more traditional and long yukata and wander around the festival grounds.

Looking around Amon was searching for anyone familiar, or maybe just something else to snack on, though his wallet felt a little empty just by looking at the various signs and lights that littered the path. "Oh, Isa-san?" There indeed was someone familiar, as red eyes caught a glimpse of one of the girls in his class. They weren't exactly that close, but at least it was a decent classmate relation. "I heard you were performing, haha, sorry I couldn't come around, ikayaki stand." He waved around the skewered squid a bit explaining. "Say, you've seen Agi-kun or any others around?"

"Huh?" Turning her head to see who it was; "Oh Amon!"

Listening to his question she shrugs off his mention of coming over. "Nah, you're busy and so was I, I'm just happy to have a few breaks like you do right now to look around. But yeah, I did see him off around the central plaza or whatever you wanna call it, waiting on Mari it seemed. Surprise'n huh?" She says of that then thinks about the others. "And yeah, I've ran into a few of the guys of the class off and on, haven't seen any of the girls yet though. A few of them are doing things for the Festival too, and ikayaki eh? That might be nice for a snack but don't wanna drag you right back to where you've been held down at." Isa says in a rather lengthy reply.

"Anyone of note yah trying to pin down?"

"Nah, not really." Plucking off the last bit of squid off the skewer Amon tossed the bamboo stick into a trash bag nearby, and huddled his arms into the sleeves of his yukata. "You know, it's a festival and stuff, the point is to do whatever you run into, whatever catches your eye, stuff like that, right?" He shrugged while saying it with a soft smile, "I just been snacking, and besides, I'm sure I'll run into those guys eventually."

Tilting his head and thinking about Agi's recent reactions and plans, Amon decided maybe it wasn't the best time. As airheaded as he can be about that sort of stuff, he understands that even friends don't appreciate third wheeling. "I see I see. Perhaps it's best not to bother them then, Agi-kun sure have nerve though, the pres seems hard to impress."

"Eh, doesn't concern me what they do really. Get the feel'n Agi boy comes from one of the big.. Well no I know he comes from one of the bigger or err, important families. Doesn't matter to me none."

Listening to his explanation she nods. "Yeah gotta enjoy it, I get the feeling we will be busy a lot here soon. As to snacking, not a bad idea are worse ways to spend the time. Might tag along with you if that is what you are plan'n, least till it's time to head back up. Well if you don't mind me tagging alone. Not like it would stop me if you did. Keheheh!"

"Hmm...you're not wrong about that." Amon blankly looked around lost in thought for a moment, "Agi-kun is from, well, it's basically a generational hero family, it's not aristocracy but I suppose it's something, better than my situation at least." What Isa said was unnerving, the part about them being busy was ominous if she was right. In this line of work business often meant bad news.

"No rest for the righteous, except for today I guess." With a yawn Amon nodded as a gesture of confirming the validity of Isa's attempt to follow him, it's not like he knew what he wanted to plan anyways. "So...Okonomiyaki? Or maybe crepes? Are you the sweet or savoury type?" He asked, naturally referring to food taste. Not like it could be interpreted as anything else in this context.

"Huh, well sweet or savoury is good. Just not sour." Isa says in response. Thinking back to the family situation she laughs a little at that.

"Can't be no stranger than the rest. Plus I still like to think we all have some means to move away from that with how we'll be.. Hmm.. what about seeing if there is any senbei or maybe there is some an-donatsu around the place, have a bit of sweet and savory, I wouldn't hold my breath on a chinese sweet and sour chicken stall.. Though I'll need to ask someone to do that next time… Though I dunno why it's sweet and sour, it never tasted sour to me, or I just haven't added somethin.."

"Oh, Tso chicken and the likes? The original is actually made with much more vinegar, but the more widely used recipes were made in Taiwan and America, so the sweetness became more dominant. There's also a lot of variants of sweet vinegar..." After Isa asked the question Amon decided to go on a tangent on the various types of vinegar used in the orientals to explain it, he picked it up from seeing the sheer amount of seasonings that lined the shelves at the big supermarkets.

"Ah, did I go off again, haha." Noticing his self indulging mutterings Amon chuckled and looked around. "I remember there's a place that is selling super sized shoyu senbei, though I prefer nori myself."

Following along, Isa sorta tunes out most of his lengthy tirade about the types of vinegar and how the ones she likely had here were made by Americans or Taiwan. Partially following along she gives some automatic replies and nods of her head till they read the end of it all. Though it seemed he had gotten some of what he wanted from a supermarket, maybe he had something planned for it?

"Ah, yeah the bigger stores have a lot more stuff. And uh, nori would be fine, but I dunno if they have that here, well by itself you know, maybe they have Onigiri or some veggie and tuna rolls, yah know some cheap convenience store sushi.. We could make that the goal of this visit, to find nori or anything that makes use of it." She offers.

"Mhm mhm, but the charisma of night festivals is in the freshly prepared food isn't it?" Amon himself wasn't a huge fan of convenience store food, it was cheap but not that much cheaper than ingredients, and he didn't like the dry chucky texture of the rice. "Takoyaki! Yakisoba! Oden! Warm food that cuddles your spirit in the night wind." He did a few slightly unusual arm motions as he listed the wonders of night festival food choices.

As they spoke the senbei stand drew close, Amon hopped up to the place and surveyed the options. "One super sized nori wrapped senbei please." He pointed at the large sized biscuits hanging in the back of the stand for display before looking over to Isa. "Have anything you prefer?"

Following alongside Amon, Isa hears the hawking of various wares and in short order they had found what they were looking for. "Damn, I was hoping for a little bit of an adventure there. Ah well, all's well that ends well, ain't that the saying?"

Getting a more normal sized senbei, Isa nods at what he asked. "Same as you, though not too crazy on the nori. I suppose an event like this is a great one for you ehh? I'm sorta enjoying it when I get moments like this to look around. Though having limited time to do it isn't new. I spent a lot of time helping out with the temple stuff to be able to just run around."

Nibbling on the senbei Amon's ears perked up when hearing about a temple, he found it interesting that someone with a rowdy personality like Isa helps around with a temple of all things. "Well well, I'm always pretty stripped for cash, so making choices is always the hardest part. I'd even call it pure suffering." He said with a chuckle and a sigh.

"You work at...a temple? What sort? I always went to the honden of this shrine when I was younger, my family did that kind of stuff…" Looking a bit lost in thought Amon tried to remember what he did at the main family house, it all felt pretty faded to him due to its blandness compared to later years of his life.

"Eh?" Listening to what Amon had to say, he couldn't have not known, could he? "Yeah, those robes I wear time to time, my Family runs a Shinto Temple out in the West. Rural area, Gramps is technically the head of it but we all for the most part help out at it and at the other villages, traveling services and the like, but anyways in the biggest thing that counts for a town we tend to host the local festivals, that was where I learned to play the drums, but I can't slam out with those like I can here unless we are playing O-daiko or something with the group, my other siblings mostly, that's pretty fun and hard work. And really, your family did huh? But yeah our temple houses the spirits of mountain and river gods plus some Tengu or so I've been told, some of the older people never liked when I went around in a Kishin mask, what with the horns I got and my forms, still was funny to me. If the Gods don't know how to laugh, not my problem."

"Ah right, now that you've mentioned it." Recalling the few times he brushed shoulders with Isa, Amon did remember her religious attire from time to time; it was evident enough that she came from a family with traditional practice. "Is that so? Haha, my family never liked me period." With a laugh Amon flinged his tail to the front and pointed at his own horns with it. "Seeing these always made the elders go crazy, me being part foreigner and all, too bad it was also what made my quirk the strongest, some people just need to be more open minded." Looking up at the darkening evening sky the boy continued. "I don't feel like a foreigner though, even if they kept calling me one, I even learned how to do this."

Pointing his tail tip upwards Amon generated a slightly curved red blade: an odachi blade to the learned eye. "Although those oldies were always still annoyed I can't do it from my hands like the rest of them."

"Huh, didn't know that about you. And don't let em get to you, though hell with making that you should have joined the Kaizen and Vigridis show. I'm gonna watch that but I'm still expecting it to go poorly somehow. Maybe I'll be wrong, rather hope I am."

Stretching a bit Isa yawns. "Though I wish I knew that we could have done a special side show to make the kitty happy."

The red blade dissipated into a few white sparks that floated up into the night sky and vanished. "Kaizen-san and Viggie-san huh? Indeed, they sound like a handful to coordinate with, but they're capable."

"I was never really interested in making weapons with my quirk, I got good at it because I wanted to make my family happy, but when I realized they'll never be satisfied I just decided to do that makes me happy." Amon smiled, then twirling conjured a fully constructed, detailedly modeled folding chair with that signature red glow. He sat down on the construct he made, though it was even less restful than just standing around. "Kitty? You mean the pres? She has this sort of interest?"

"Handful to coordinate? More like I don't trust them to not blow up the fucking stage. It's a hell of a thing sparing against them, do it one day when you have a lot of food." Isa says in response before rolling her eyes a little at the later question. "Well what sort of Politician have you known that doesn't want some wholesome event like that put on? Though the Kitty, or President isn't so bad.. I gotta admit that."

"Ah...politicians are a bunch of showy bastards, I knew enough of them in my life. I don't mind the traditional sort of stuff, but showy nationalism isn't my thing. I don't know if that's suppose to be wholesome or whatever." Amon got up with a shrug and dissipated the constructed chair, the extraordinary sized senbei was now conspicuously gone.

"What were Kaizen-san and Viggie-san performing anyway? I didn't know those battle nuts were into improv."

"No idea but they said a light show and they needed people he trusted to not get hurt. So my money is on them doing an old fashioned play but for real." Isa says in response to the later bit. "Eh I dunno about the nationalism, but both of my parents are ANVIL, so we get a lot of that at home, I just don't like how dishonest a lot of them are, can't trust em to be straight with yah."

"Ah, I see I see. Your family probably treated you much kinder than mine, but that stuff is awfully dull for me anyways." Amon ruffled his yukata sleeve and laughed a bit, "Politicians have dishonesty written on their job description, that's sort of the point. Though a light show? Stage play? Wasn't it them that left the crater in the field a few months ago?" With Isa's description, the whole ordeal with the show from Kaizen and Vigridis felt more concerning by the second.

"Eh, I would say I love my family yeah, but I doubt your family put you through a wall or made you drag a tractor disk through a field by hand. I mean I don't blame them but you know it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I am the daughter of the Guard Dog of ANVIL and that carried over to home a lot.. Still doing all this has me seeing ma a bit differently.. And uh."

Pausing to think on this, Isa grins a bit at the crater remark. "Yeah they did and we caused some damage when I fought both, why I kinda worry with it. Might not be any stage left for a closing show."

"I suppose we all have our own problems, seems common enough in this class at least. I was actually supposed to go to UA, family got me a recommendation and all, but I jumped to boat to Ketsu." Speaking of problems, it was currently unknown (though probably obvious enough for anyone in their class) whether or not that light show would become a problem.

"Good grief, I just hope our class don't get saddled with the responsibility for any gratuitous property damage...this isn't training…"

"Well yeah, though we got a few stars as well, like bird boy. And eh, wouldn't be the first time we got saddled with that. Just consider it a group effort to fix it all up… The group being Kaizen and Vigs, the rest of us can stand around for Moral support. Kaheheh!"
"Khuhu, that sounds like something I could get behind." Amon's tail crawled in front again and generated a shape that looked remarkably like a cheer glow stick used at concerts. He had a sneaking suspicion that Isa's 'moral support' is more along the lines of 'watch and laugh', but who is he to critique that line of thought? "...Should we go...check it out at least? Maybe we'll even have to do some impromptu hero work, heh!"

"Oh I already promised to go, though I think it's about time for me to head back to the stage, you had anything else to talk about Amon?" Isa says after she checks her phone, not that she was bored of him at least. "But yeah I dunno if I'll be out where you guys are or behind the stage when it happens."

"I was just wandering around anyways, guess I'll see if I can catch the show, sounds like something wild might go down." Amon gave Isa a little wave, it's not like he had a lot of plans this night. Barring something extremely unexpected and distracting circumstance happening to him later it sounded like a good pastime to see whatever those blood-thirsty peers he had been planning. "Catch you around then?"

"Sure!" She says with a shout and polite laugh before hurrying off on her own. "See yah Amon! Well, unless I'm backstage!"

 

[Moonlight]

Kaizen walks Haya

Haya had wanted to be there for Aika, but Aika wanted to do it on her own. Haya was sure that Aika would do just fine. After she got passed the nervous part of singing she could get lost in it. That is the best part. When Aika gets into the music and starts to really get into it. She was amazing and could really pull your attention in. Aika also could get lost in it for hours. It was something Haya thought was pretty cool to feel and hear.

But since Aika wanted to do it alone, Haya decided she would find Kaizen and they would go to the festival together. That way she had a chance to talk with him about what happened and hopefully about his visit with Vitalis. They had been friends. She imagined Kaizen felt more betrayed than most of the class. Aika and Haya made plans to meet at the Ferris wheel.

She knocked on Kaizen's door and waited for him to answer. She was sure he was there, she could feel him, even more that she had decided not to wear her headset to the festival. So she just waited for him to come to the door so they could walk together.

Kaizen was just about to leave, he was collecting a few more things from his room before heading out. He had already made quite a considerable amount of plans for the festival. At first, he only joined the activities to quell the worries his classmates had about him, but eventually it became a bit of a passion project for him.

He opened the door to greet his friend, he wasn't expecting anyone but was nonetheless still happy to see her.. He was in his human form, wearing a custom made jinbei which had his clan's insignia embroidered on its back. He wore a strange looking mask that resembled a kabuki mask with a rhinoceros beetle motif. "Hail Haya. I assume you want to go to the festival grounds soon?" he asked, smiling behind the mask. He didnt think anyone would go out of their to look for him but he appreciated it.I

Haya smirked, "I thought we could walk together. I've never been to a festival and leader to leader, I thought we could talk about our mission." She told him and sighed, "I heard about Aika visiting and thought I should stop by too. And what better time then one where you can forget all about it in the an end." She offered.

"First time for everything!" He replied in a cheery tone. Kaizen grabbed a large box with one arm and closed his door. "Let's get going then shall we?" He added.

As went down the stairs he decided to start talking about the new status quo. "Oh and I'm not a leader anymore. Let's just say my last mission didn't exactly impress anyone." Kaizen in an unusually casual tone, despite what he was talking about. "You've never been to a festival you say? Well I will be your guide. I am actually running a food stall right now, I'll be sure to let you sample our offerings." He changed the subject to something much more lighthearted.

Haya smirked as she nodded, "That sounds like it could be really fun. I mean, I don't know what that all means, in the long run, but I have smelled you in the kitchen. You are a good cook and I think that whatever you make is going to be good." she said. But frowned a little, "I don't think anything that a leader does can be called impressive. You were not given all the information and Aika might be right, about your decision, you did it because you trusted a friend. Vitalis betrayed everyone without a second though, it is her fault things happened, not yours." she sighed, as she frowned, "Honestly, I don't know how you could see her after it, but I would say that is an impressive strength of character." she assured Kaize. She thought that the fact that he could look at Vitalis without killing her, was a good strong character trait that a leader should have.

"Aika….I still have to make amends with her. She was generous enough to give me another chance and I shall not squander it." he remembered he had a promise to uphold to her, something he took very seriously. "Strength of character? Or weakness?" He asked himself, wondering why he didn't have the urge to execute her like he normally would for any other criminal. "I just wanted closure. Doesn't mean I forgive her. And yet, I can't bring myself to completely hate her." he didn't know why he would be so conflicted about this. She is a traitor, no two ways about it.

Haya nodded, "You might not, but I do." Haya's face turned away slightly from Kaizen as it went dark. She would never forgive Vitalis for her betrayal. Nor would she ever full trust someone that would sacrifice a friend for something only they believed in. "She is more than a traitor to me. She took the trust of others and decided that they were not worth her friendship. I believed you should trust your team, but after what she did. I question that belief." She commented before she stopped herself. Giving a slight smirk, "Sorry. I just….after betraying you and having Aika finish a mission alone. I am finding it hard to control myself. My uncle tells me I should never be angry, but that seems to be harder to do while I am away from my family." She explained. She had never been upset about a mission before but this time, not only her team was in danger but those she cared for.

To see the usually calm and composed Haya become so angry and spiteful was painful for Kaizen to watch. "Calm down Haya. There is no use dwelling in it. Believe me when I say, I've given it some thought. That's why I am doing all of this, not just for me but for everyone. Every single one of us will need to move past this." While the bugster knew that he would never be able to truly let go of such an event, he knew he needed to at least portray a strong front for his allies. "And they say I'm scary when I'm angry." He joked, noting how different she looked when she was pissed about something. "Anyways with regards to the festival. You simply must visit my stall. We got all sorts of festival food over there. My treat." He tried to cheer Haya up by changing the subject.

Haya frowned, "I wasn't angry, just upset. But I am sorry. I keep thinking that I heard her voice and something sounded wrong, but I never stated it or addressed it with her or anyone else. Maybe we could have caught her before this. I also think Mari should have addressed this suspension with the males. Or at least made it be known that our teams should all stick together. That way, you wouldn't have been captured, because you wouldn't have split up your team under orders." she sighed, he was right. They should move on, but her trust in their current leader was now gone and it felt that chaos was all that she could feel around her now.

She smirked at him, "Well, I hope to try as much as I can, at your stall. But can you do me a favor, I need to meet Aika at the Ferris wheel, can you take me there, when we are done?"

"Hey. Nothing's gonna change what happened back there. And well, I am just gonna have to be fine with that, regardless of how many ``what if's we may think about." Kaizen patted her on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get you some food. And yes, I can do just that right after you finish eating. Would you like me to hold your hand as we move?" Kaizen offered his one insectoid arm in front of her. He wasn't sure she could "see" well enough in a busy environment.

Haya smirked, as she took his arm in her hand, "Yes. I hear that the festivals are very noisy, and my hearing is good, but if there are as many people and things going on I might not be able to identify anything to move around in." she explained. It was true, the 'what if's would not get them anywhere, but at the same time. Haya thought that they should have been a part of the original briefing for the sake of the mission. "Lead the way."

"As you wish, fair lady." Kaizen grabbed her hand as headed out of the dorm. "He remembered accompanying the nobles of his clan during bodyguard duty. He was often asked by the young maidens to hold their hands as part of his escort duties. But now that he thought about it, they may have had other reasons. "So tell me, Haya. What type of food do you like? Sweet or savoury? Warm or cold?" he asked curiously as he got closer to his food stall.

Well, that was a strange question or rather a question that could get complicated. "I have had steak, but that is the only beef I have ever eaten. I generally like chicken and tofu. My family does not eat pork or beef or much sweets. I don't really have much experience with other foods." She explained. She thought of what else she ate, "Oh, have had duck once or twice."

"Hmm have you tried seafood." He was just about to reach the stall while still directing her. He quickly prepared a batch of takoyaki balls and snatched one set for her. "Here you are, they are still hot though so you might wanna wait awhile before taking a bite…" Kaizen sat them both down at a table to allow her to get comfortable. The environment was reasonably noisy so he knew he had to stay close.

Haya nodded, as she held onto Kaizen when they were at the border of the festival. "I do like seafood." she told him before her set her somewhere to seat. She waited for him to returned and smirked when he did. "Thank you, Kaizen. You are a very good friend, I am glad Agi and his team could bring you home." she would miss him, if something had happened. Quirk or not, Kaizen was a friend that she wasn't sure she could survive losing. She nodded at his instructions and took a moment to wait for the balls to cool. Goto had taken her somewhere to get the same thing, next time she should just tell him that Kaizen can make them.

"Don't worry about it! It's the least I could do for worrying all of you like that." The genuine appreciation was most welcomed. "So what are you plans for the day anyways? You got something on with Aika?" The two seemed close. But what he was more surprised about at the moment was how the school managed to fit an entire ferris wheel here.

Haya smirked, "Yep, I planned to visit with you and make sure you were okay and knew you were important to me. Then I meet Aika at the ferris wheel and I will have her take me to somewhere with water, where Hideki should be able to find me. I heard there were going to be fireworks, so I plan on leaving before that happens. And that was pretty much everything I was going to do." she stated. She didn't really have any other plans. The only other friends she had were Yori, Agi, and Kuroi that she could think of on the top of her head. She heard Isa was going to be performing too, but she wasn't really close to Isa.

"Hmm I don't hear that very often. Thank you." He doesn't know if the feeling was mutual, but he couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside, something he thought he was immune to for the longest of times. "I would invite you to my show, but I doubt that you would enjoy it that much." Considering that she wouldn't be able to see most of it. "Ah yes. I do remember you did enjoy that time in the pool." He remembered that it was where they first met. She was one of the first to see him in his human form. And to think all his classmates have seen it now, that truly was a long time ago for him.

Haya smiled, "It was nice and silent. Something I rarely get a chance to have." She chuckled before she moved in to start eating. They were good. "Wow. This is good. You should have Goto try them. He seems to like them, he tried stealing mine before." She commented. "What kind of show will it be?" She asked between bites.

"Mainly sword fighting. Don't worry I've trained extensively with her so that we don't actually hurt each other.. much." He was happy to see that she liked the food, hopefully the customers would feel the same way. "Oh yea Goto. Didn't you two go out somewhere? I didn't think you two were that involved." It seems like just about everyone is getting into relationships these days, he was envious. He had sights on someone, but they likely wouldn't feel the same way as he did.

Haya nodded, "I hope your show goes good then I am sure you will be great." She was sure he knew what he was doing, so she wasn't very worried. "Goto and I had a date because I lost the race. We ended up being very bad at it, so we are just friends." She informed Kaizen. "But I have to say, I am glad that you decided to be without your shield. I feel closer to you this way. As a big one you are fine, but locked in that thick shell it felt lonely. But maybe if you were a hybrid form, you would be happier. I like you like this but you don't feel as happy." She commented from their other conversations.

"Oh… well, Goto is known to be rough around the edges… but hey, he is actually a nice guy once you get through...well everything else." Goto was certainly an acquired taste for most people, and yet there is a certain charm to his personality. "Shield? I dont know what you are on about. The only thing I've changed about myself is my appearance, I am still the same person/bug on the inside." Kaizen was confused by her statement. He felt the same as always, although he does notice that people react differently towards seeing a more human friend. "But if people are more comfortable with a more human visage, then so be it." Truth be told, he has been having more fun lately. Whether or not that has anything to do with his human form remains to be seen.

Haya smiled, "Exactly. When you are a big bug you have a shell on, protection. I am talking about the last conversation we had before the mission." She shook her head, "Never mind. I just feel like being a big bug makes you feel happier. But at the same time, you are more open to being touched this way. And I think that you are best with your guard down." She giggled a little, "I like you either way but I also like feeling you happy. This way I can feel you better though."

"Hmmm you certainly have a way with words…" he noted how flirtatious she was in the way she talked. She was dangerous. Kaizen was weary about these kinds of people. "Letting my guard down.. I guess I can do that in an environment like this." He thought about it, and how often he actually relaxes. "Well, I think its almost time for you to meet Aika. Shall we get going?" Kaizen once again offered to hold her hand with the insectoid arm.

Haya smirked as she nodded, "Yes." she said as she jumped up and waiting for Kaizen to come to her. She was happy to go meet up with Aika, she wanted to ask about her performance and make she was okay with her mission. "Thank you, Kaizen. And I am glad you can relax, it is nice to know that I am one of those about to be around when you do." she smiled.

Kaizen smiled upon hearing her statement. To think someone like him could have so much profound effect on her, an unexpected turn of events. "The feeling is mutual, Haya." and with that he took her hand and made their way to the ferris wheel.

Haya smirked as she liked the idea that Kaizen was glad to be able to relax with her. It was important to her since Kaizen was important to her. It was strange for her, that she had made friends that she could trust and were important. When she got to this school, she thought she could trust everyone, but now, she only trusted Hideki, Kaizen, Aika, Kuroi, and Yori. they had already proven to be her friends and she counted on them to help her. While she had some trust for others in her class, she was starting to question who she should really trust after Vitalis betrayed them and Mari open the door to that betrayal. "Thank you, for taking me. You can just leave me there when we get there and I will stay there and wait." she assured him.

Kaizen was reluctant to leave Haya alone, especially considering her circumstances. "You're most welcome. If I am being honest, I'd rather not do that, Haya." He wasn't about to leave her alone in the crowd where she could possibly get lost. " I would do so under normal circumstances but I suspect you'll have a lot of trouble navigating through such a large and noisy crowd. The last thing I want is for you to get lost. I've got time to kill. I'll wait with you until Aika comes by." He explained himself, hoping not to come across as overbearing.

Haya smirked, "I will be fine. I can still defend myself at close range and I won't move from where you leave me. I already made Aika a promise that I would be waiting for her there, after her preformance. I don't know how she will react to you. Since the mission went sideways and she was left alone. I think it would be best not to chance a fight." she said, not knowing if Aika and Kaizen were on better ground as after their mission.

"I dont quite follow." He was confused on why his presence would start a fight, unless of course she just wanted to be alone with her, for other reasons. "If you are concerned about any tension between me and Aika, don't be. She checked up on me just before you did. She even spoke about going to the ferris wheel with you. Unless of course you have other reasons…." he thought about it, but he didnt want to assume anything.

Haya nodded, she understood that, but at the same time, she didn't want to be in the way or to bother Kaizen when she knew she would be okay. "You don't have to worry about me, though. I imagine your booth would need you back sooner rather than later and I honestly just want to wait at the Ferris wheel for Aika without bothering anyone," she explained. It always felt strange to her to have to need help, but when she did. It felt like she was bothering otters from being normal. Even if she was taught that she was normal and normally she was.

"Hmm.. we can spend here all the going back and forth, but I have a feeling you won't budge. Very well Haya." He conceded to the girl's request. "Take care of yourself and have fun." And with that, he left, blending into the crowd. However, he would stay just a bit longer, lurking in the shadows to make sure she was safe until her friend came.

Haya smirked, "Thank you, I will catch you later Kaizen. Thank you for the food." she told him before he was gone. She sighed as she stood there, waiting, she would not go anywhere, she couldn't see anything so it would be pointless to try. So she stood there and waited.

Kuroi to the rescue

Haya was sure that she heard Aika singing, between what she guessed was someone else in school singing. She decided to follow the sound, hoping to be able to get the end and show her support. Of course, without a guide and since she didn't bring her headset, which probably would not have done much good. The noise made it impossible for her to know where she was and those around her. When the sound of the music changed, Haya figured that the break was just a time to recap Aika's music so that music was always playing. If it was just music, Haya could navigate through. But the people talking and moving and the countless sounds and music, her echolocation grew smaller and smaller.

She tried to figure out her way back but ended up just as lost trying to retract her steps as she was trying to move towards the music. She was lost completely, every step gave her frustration, for the first time since her quirk activated, she was completely blink. She took a few breaths before she decided that she would try to find a booth. Someone had to be able to see one of her classmates so she could ask for help, right? She might even find Kaizen if she managed to find herself near one of the food booths.

But as she tried to navigate through she found herself in a little panic. Until she found herself colliding with someone taller than her. She landed just against them and if it wasn't for the closeness and the roaring heartbeat she would not know who it was. It was thankfully Kuroi. The one friend she had that thankfully helped her out more than he probably should, "Kuroi. I'm sorry. I just… I'm not able to navigate this place. Can you help me?" She asked curiously, hoping she wasn't in the way asking for help.

Kuroi had entered the festival grounds without much of an idea as to what to do. He originally had apprehensions about coming without any set plan or plan to meet with anyone. However, there were a few sights to behold and stalls with an assortment of games and food. He hadn't really gotten dressed up like some of his class, opting for instead a more casual look that was his usual.

So, it was a surprise when he ran into Haya, or that she ran into him.

"Yeah… it is pretty crowded… ah, you don't have your headphones," Kuroi mused. It was easy to forget that she didn't see in the way that he did since she was normally so capable. However, it seemed here the amount of background noise interfered quite a bit. "Yeah, I don't have anything else going on. Have you been wandering around like this the whole time?"

Haya shook her head, "I figured for once, I would look as normal as possible. So I decided not to wear my headset. Which I don't regret, but I am having a lot of issues being blind at the moment. I haven't been so in the dark since before my quirk." She explained before looking confused at him. So he came without any plans. She guessed that was normal. Of course festivals were only another thing she wasn't allowed. "I didn't think I wouldn't be able to use my quirk. But Kaizen helped me here, I just managed to get myself lost waiting for Aika." She wrapped her arm around his, so that she wouldn't lose him, "I just need you to be my eyes for a bit, if that's okay?" She told him.

"You look good; I don't think the headset detracts from that," He stated, glancing around at the mobs perusing the festival. He eyed those with more obvious characteristics from their quirks. "Not sure what normal is supposed to mean with this group, though."

Looking back to her as she grasped his arm, Kuroi recalled his previous conversation with Yori for a brief moment. After a short pause, he gave a nod. "Sure, I can help. Were you going to wait for her around the stage?"

Haya shook her head, "We are supposed to meet at the Ferris wheel. She wasn't there when I first got there, so I think she was going to do something first." she explained and then smirked at Kuroi, "If you want, we can hang out and I can get you something to help me out again. I have never been to a festival before and like you said, you have no plans." she offered. She knew from him that bribing him with food was the easiest way to get him to do something. From the fact that he was forced to have a mock date with her, she was sure that food was the only reason Kuroi went through with it. So that was probably a good bit that to kill some time he would be open to food.

Kuroi huffed in amusement. "It's not something to thank me for if we're just hanging out anyway," He replied. "But I'm not going to say no to free food and there seems to be plenty here."

He wasn't that surprised that she had been sheltered from festivals as well. His own experience was a bit limited as well. It was another instance, like the aquarium, where his sister had taken them once or twice. It certainly wasn't common.

"How are you liking it so far?" Kuroi asked.

Haya frowned a little, "I feel like I'm in a dark room with nothing but noise." she smirked a little before she chuckled, "Of course, everything smells good, some things smell really sweet, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I don't eat sweets a lot." she told him. Kuroi probably was one of the few people that knew more about her then most in the class. Aika and Hideki knew a lot, but very different things. Kuroi knew more about her past and family, Aika knew about who she was and what she liked, and Hideki was like her brother, so he had a good grip on her personality and habits. Everyone else knew very little about her, in comprises.

"Okay." she said as she sighed, brushing it all out of her mind, "What should we do first? You have more experience than I do, and you can see, so I will follow your lead. I can feel things close, so I should be fine to do just about anything."

"Well, might as well get me in more trouble with your family," Kuroi mused as he inspected some of the food stands. He didn't really care for her family's strange, arbitrary rules on what she could or could not eat or do. Some made sense and showed care for her disability. Others--Well, what the hell was so bad about a steak? "What do you smell that you wanna try? There's chocolate bananas, Taiyaki… I think some shaved ice or cotton candy around here too."

Haya thought about the things she smelled. There were a lot of different things, "Karaage?" She said, smelling the fried chicken and smirked at Kuroi, "You seem to like this trouble thing don't you?" She chuckled. "At this rate you would have to be romantically my boyfriend to ever meet my family." She added as a tease while laughing.

Leading her over to the karaage, Kuroi ordered a couple servings with a slight shrug. "Eh, I wouldn't say like… More indifferent towards… and are you hiding me or something?" He inquired as he took the cup with two skewers and held one out to her. "They might get the idea that I am if you do that… Isn't that a thing? The boyfriend you hide from your parents?"

Haya took the cup and let Kuroi go for a moment as she listened to him. Was hiding a boyfriend a thing? "Well. I'm hiding you for a different reason though. Why? Do you want to meet my parents?" She offered. She didn't think he would mind if she was hiding him. But if he did she wouldn't. "I mean I never really figured out how to explain you to them. After all, you teach me to cook which they will be concerned with and my uncle might be upset. I just thought hiding you would be safer." She said as she started to snack on her chicken.

Kuroi snickered a bit. "I'm teasing mostly. I don't really want to, but don't not want to if that makes sense," He tried to explain, though he raised a brow at her wording. "Explain me how? Am I more difficult to describe just cause I helped you cook?" He wasn't too worried about her family being upset with him. Well, he wasn't exactly looking forward to dealing with it, but he didn't expect it would be that troublesome. He was more wary of them connecting the dots with his family.

Haya tilted her head at him, nope, it made no sense. "Well, no, that doesn't make sense. But you aren't hard to explain. Just hard to answer. My uncle will have a lot of questions and telling him you teach me to cook is like lighting a fuse and not knowing what it's to. He can be fine with things or he could blow up. He can be childish or scary, from what I have heard. I am sure my mother and father will be concerned but trust you since I haven't gotten hurt so far but my uncle is a very different story." She explained as she continued with her chicken. "Oh. Speaking of teasing, I did talk to Hideki. Have you got a chance to talk to Yori?" She asked curiously.

"I guess… indifferent, kind of," He clarified, humming at that. That attitude was what made him cautious of the uncle. If he was going to ever meet them, Kuroi was sure he'd have to have a talk with Haya so that there aren't any surprise reveals. "And what about when they learn it was meat?" He questioned since that, too, was apparently taboo.

Though then the topic of Hideki came up and Kuroi glanced at her, taking one of the skewers and biting on it. "Yeah, I talked to him. Things are a bit clearer now, but he still said it's not really a thing you can explain easily."

Haya nodded, "Hideki said about the same thing." Then she smiled, "Honestly it was harder to get it out of him then I expected. So, I'm still better liking you and romantically liking you, as Amano said I was." She thought about it for a moment and then back to her chicken. She shrugged, if she liked him romantically there had to be a way of telling. Didn't there?

"I don't think the meat thing would really matter as much. But I see your point. Well, as well as any blind person can see a point." She giggled, jokes made little sense to her sometimes but she still found silly ones she told funny. "But I guess you should met them and find out." She offered.

Kuroi hummed again. So Haya didn't get a clear answer either. He thought on some of the signs Yori mentioned to look out for. "I mean, yeah. You asked a guy that said he liked you to explain what that meant, or felt like… Uh… Yori mentioned enjoying your time with them more than anyone else and butterflies in your chest."

He wondered if what Hideki said contrasted that in anyway or perhaps would make things clearer. Either way, he wasn't too keen on meeting her family. At least not prior to telling her about his own. Rather than butterflies, that thought gave him a sinking feeling. Kuroi didn't think she would care, or at least she wouldn't think less of him, but the topic still gave him anxiety.

"Ah… I mean, I could… So long as you give me warning."

Haya nodded, "Hideki mentioned that too. And thinking about the person a lot. I don't get butterflies, when we are together I just feel...comfortable. Free. I do think about you or mention you almost as much as my uncle." She said as she thought of what else but that covered just about everything Hideki mentioned to her, "But that was all of what Hideki said. Honestly out of all the girls, who would you rather be around? I know out of the guys I would rather be around you or Hideki. But he feels like family, so in that understanding that would mean I am romantically interested in you. But at the same time, I only mention or think about you when something relates to our conversations or what we have done. Other than that, I told Hideki about my promise to you if you go to the dark side. I just thought of warning him more than talking about you." she pointed out as she finished off her chicken and thought a little more before she wrapped her arm around Kuroi again, holding her cup in the other. "But I will try to warn you. Hideki met my parents by….oh, that was the last thing, you get jealous when the person you like is around someone else. To be fair, I don't think I have ever felt jealous"

"Yeah, Yori said that too…" Kuroi stated. She felt about the same as he did from the sounds of it. The only time he felt those butterflies was when she "attacked" him. "I don't hang around that many; I've spent the most time with you, or Isa." It didn't sound like she was very sure, more of that she was using the process of elimination. "The only time I felt butterflies was when you attacked me," He said with a small chuckle.

At the point of jealousy, though, he shrugged. "I dunno… I don't think it's fair to get jealous unless you're a thing. I'm protective of my family, though, so maybe that would change if we were dating… though did you tell him it was me? I don't want people to think I'm planning to bomb Suppression after the clusterfuck that just happened."

Haya smirked, as she chuckled, "No, of course not. I learned from the date with Goto. Telling people who said what or did what is best kept to myself. It's our, almost, secret. Because it is technically a promise." she smiled up at him, "After all, if we go through with it, I have to make sure we don't do the Vitalis thing. Someone has to keep you from going crazy and that will have to be me. I have my own reasons for going with you, as it is."

"Well, I guess after the third date, we should have a better answer. Whenever that seems to happen. Seems like dates are our thing, but you are right, even if you didn't answer the question." she pointed out. "I mean the first date you cooked, the second we were tricked and so, the third date I guess we should do on purpose, you know, to make sure that the other two times we weren't just two hostages making nice." she giggled, it had been a running joke between them, but in all honesty, they were the only dating experience either one had, so probably best to just go with it.

"Yeah… I wouldn't do the Vitalis thing." Kuroi wasn't particularly close with the vampire, but he didn't expect it. He wouldn't stab his friends in the back like that. Though, it did make him raise a brow. "Oh really, you have a reason for being evil?"

Kuroi let out an amused huff at that. She still didn't give off any evil vibes to him. Haya couldn't be the "bad guy". "Well… it was kind of an answer; you or Isa. I do like being around you… and I don't think hostages get steak,"[/color] He pointed out, eyeing her. "Are you asking me out, then?"

Haya nodded, "I have another promise to keep and being a villain will help me fulfil it a lot faster." she told him, but like her conversation with Hideki, it was something that she was not going to explain in detail. Unlike Hideki, she was sure that Kuroi would let her get away with her little secret. After all, everyone had them, right?

Haya smirked at him, "You said who you have hung out with, not who you rather. So, I will have to guess Isa, because you care about people and probably don't want to hurt my feelings." she teased, "But no, but the steak was not a date, it was an outing and lesson." she giggled, before she shook her head, "I'm not asking you out. That is not how our dates usually start. They just kind of happen, like now. This would be a date, if it wasn't for the fact that you are taking me to go with someone else. Besides, I think I have made the dating thing pretty easy, you should take a turn asking for a date." she teased again.

"Oh really? It would be easier, huh?" Kuroi questioned with some suspicion. He still didn't believe she could pull off the villain route. "And is that a secret promise too?"

Kuroi avoided eye contact after she pointed out his indecisiveness, though he scoffed lightly at her taunt. "You also mentioned Hideki, and does that mean your feelings would be hurt if it was true?" He asked. She said she hadn't felt jealousy or any other determinable feeling. Though, he pondered the idea of a real date. "...Before that, I think we should have a bit of a talk."

Haya tilted her head, "I did mention Hideki, but I also mention he is like my brother, I'm sure. But I don't think I would be. Maybe if you told me it's like talking with me I would be. Because when we talk, normally it is isolating, kind of like being the only two around and we talk about everything but school. You are the only one that I have not talked about missions or class with and you don't mention them either. So, it's like we just talk and everything just moves around. So, knowing you do that with someone else so… I don't know how I would feel. Since I only do that with you." She informed him.

On the second part she got quiet for a moment before she smiled, "After what I said, I don't think a bit of a talk would be that hard. We can always talk. And I am always willing to talk about anything." She assured him.

Kuroi listened to her explanation and smiled. "Yeah… I know what you mean… though if you want to lower the mood by talking about the clusterfuck that just happened…" He proposed jokingly. They did just click rather well. Kuroi didn't have to think about his words or watch himself around her. He could just act as himself. "Though we don't really talk about heavy stuff that much, do we?"

Kuroi pondered her words a bit. "Yeah… but that can wait. It's not a fun topic, so I'll leave it for another time," He said. "...but I will tell you about it next time."

Haya smirked, "Well, I don't have anything that deep to talk about and isn't that what you have the guys for?" She chuckled. She didn't mind a deep conversation and it sounded like it was going to be extremely serious. But she sighed, "Well. Whatever it is. I promise it won't change how I feel about you. After all, I won't let you be alone, villain and all." She teased. If he wanted to avoid a serious mood, She would avoid it.

"So where to next. Since we snacked should we do something else? I'm sure Aika will understand if she get there after her." Haya stated.

Kuroi scoffed in amusement. "I don't think you have any idea what guy talk is like," He stated. They could be serious, but it pretty quickly devolved into--whatever the hell it was. "I don't think it will either, but… we'll see."

Considering that, Kuroi hummed lightly. "Well, did you want any of the sweets? Chocolate banana, shaved ice, cotton candy. There's a lot more food too, or games… but…" The last he saw involved shooting a "gun" at targets.

Haya smirked at him, "No sweets, thank you. How about we do something you want to do, instead of asking me when I want to do. Honestly, since I have never been here and can't really move freely enough to really know what is here, and you are my eyes. I can't really have that much of an idea of what is around me. So, you lead the way and I will use as many of my senses as I can not to be too much of a bother." she did feel bad that the festival was somethings he had such an issue with. She couldn't really be that much fun around, in a place like this. But she would try her best. So, she just smiled, but as she thought of it, Kuroi did come without plans, so being a bother to him at least finding fun did make her a little upset, deep down.

But she brushed the thought away before she knew where it was heading. She was sure that she knew that it would be a bad place. When she had been little before, her uncle was used to working a different way than he did now. When he tried showing her his old way, she had a hard time with it. It made her have doubtful thoughts and being open with her family, she told her uncle. It was the one time he had been so upset with her that he actually yelled at her. So, she decided never to think that again, in case it upset her uncle again. Now, she felt thinking that might upset Kuroi, he was helping her and she doubt he would want her to regret something she couldn't control. So, she took a breath and calmed herself, as she smiled at him.

"I told you, you're not a bother… but let's see. What do I wanna do…" Thinking about that, he glanced around at the various stands. There were games, food, and even shows. Though there was a limit to what she could experience with all the background noise. A lot of the games involved water or aim, or both. Perhaps the gun range would be close enough for her to make out.

Regardless, Kuroi noted that Haya seemed to become lost in thought. He glanced down at her for a few moments. "Haya? You good?" He asked. She was smiling, but seemed off for a second. "...Let's go for the guns after all," He said, pulling her over to one of the booths. Lined on the front were fake rifles with stacks of items and targets farther into the booth. He didn't want her to feel inept, or that he was avoiding things because of her. Even if her quirk was too hindered to see the targets, he could help her aim. "Well, wanna give it a try?"

Haya nodded, "I'm fine." She answered before following him to the gun game. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage it. But there had to be a way. She was born blind there had to be a way for her to at least have some function. She just had to remember how she did it before. Maybe once she got the hang of that she would be able to manage. She nodded again as he asked her if she wanted to try. She reached in her pocket and handed him some money to pay for the game for them both. "Yes. I want to try." She assured him.

Not pressing the issue too much, Kuroi shrugs and picks up the gun to hand it to her. Circling around her to help her on how to hold it, he glances at the various prizes on the wall and smiles. "Let's see… There's some masks, stuffed animals, looks like some coupons too. Which did you wanna go for?" The prizes all had varying targets, but Kuroi would help her aim it regardless of which she chose.

Haya thought of what he was telling her and thought of what to get, "A mask would probably be interesting and a lot easier to carry." she pointed out, "I wouldn't know what to do with a coupon." she mentioned. She actually was a little confused about how they worked, but she didn't mention that part, she took a breath did as he helped her. She wanted to play, win or lose, at least she hoped it would be fun.

"Alright, then you need to knock down that cutout target next to the cans… I dunno if you can tell but it kind of looks like Goto." Whether that was a joke or not remained to be seen, but the smirk on his face showed that he was fairly amused regardless. Reaching around her with both arms, Kuroi helped adjust the aim of the rifle with her. "There… now steady and shoot."

Haya nodded as she shoot, the sound was immediate and somehow, she managed to recall her original way of moving around. She always used sound by feeling her way around, but she had forgotten about hearing her way. The sound that went off echoed in her mind, showing her a little of what was around it. She smirked to herself, she had forgotten all about her ears and since they weren't covered she could use them. As Kuroi had guided her and she fired, she was happy to know that he was helping her and more that she could recall how to be blind a little.

The pellet shot from the gun and collided with the chest of the cutout, shaking the target a bit. However, it ultimately stabilized itself. Kuroi pushed her hand up a bit to aim more for a bullseye to tip it over. "Alright… go for the head and try it again," He told her.

Haya nodded as she took the shot, the picture got a little clearer. She smirked as she closed her eyes to listen to it. It was getting easier, She was getting used to it, just a little more. The sound was different this time. She smirked, as she took a breath but left her eyes closed..

Glancing at her as she shut her eyes, Kuroi smile a bit. The target was hit again and tilted slightly, but it wasn't quite enough. "Tiny bit to the left and up," He said, giving her trajectory a bit of a nudge to adjust the aim. With the last shot, the target should get knocked off and the prize secured. Though he let Haya more or less adjust it herself this time, only using a slight nudge if she veered too off course.

Haya did as she was told by Kuroi, using her own senses to navigate how far. She took a breath before shooting again. The sound was similar to the last with a small difference. She was glad that Kuroi was with her, but after this she felt they should go meet up with Aika. So, she put the rifle down and opened her eyes. "I think I could get it." She commented.

The final pellet did the trick and kicked the cutout off the table. The booth owner handed over the mask hanging behind it as Kuroi stepped to the side. "Well, you did get it," He pointed out, wondering about the time. "When were you supposed to meet Aika?"

Haya smiled as Kuroi confirmed the win. She took the mask and ran her fingers through it. She couldn't tell the colors but she wanted to know how it looked. "Well, we didn't actually set a time, since I can't see time. But she should be there by now." She smirked as she handed the mask to Kuroi, "Try it on." She told him, "I want to feel it on someone. Please? " she asked him, "Then we can go. If that's okay with you. Unless you want to give it a try." She chuckled.

"Sure, let's go," Kuroi said before pausing. He looked at the mask she held out to him. It was a kitsune style mask colored in black with white accents and yellow eyes. Complying with her request, he fitted the mask onto his face and looked at her through the small slots for vision. "Nah, I'm pretty sure it's rare enough to win the first time… does it really feel different when it's on someone?" He asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Haya smiled wide, as she wrapped her arm around Kuroi's arm again, "Not really. I was just curious how open you were to it." She giggled, "And if you would. I actually can feel the mask a little more because I feel how it fits. But I could have don't that by putting it on myself. Thanks Kuroi." She was glad to be around him. He was sweet and nice to talk to. Now she was starting to think he was easy to mess with too, though. Maybe she could like him romantically, but if not. As her friend he was exactly the person that she would like spending time with.

"Wah-" Kuroi paused at her admittance that it was a trick and stared at her in semi disbelief. "...did you punk me?" He questioned accusingly. For the innocent Haya to trick someone… Though, an innocent joke like that fit her, in a way. "...Well, I guess I'm a fox now."

Ferris Wheel Adventure

As they got closer, Haya could almost hear the symphony, it was a sound only Aika could give off. It was faint and low, as it always was, when she wasn't in her diamond shape. As she held on to Kuroi, following his lead she was sure that what she felt, was them nearing Aika, were they would split. "Thank you, Kuroi." she told him. Kuroi was usually very helpful to her, but he was more than someone that helped her, he was an important person in her life now. And she wasn't really sure how much he knew that, but she would have to find a way to tell him. She was happy to be with Aika though, as they got closer. Aika and Haya never hung out when Haya didn't have her headset on, so this was going to be new, since Haya decided not to wear her headset for the festival.

It was pretty easy to spot Aika given her general appearance. Though it seemed Haya was familiar enough with her to be able to "see" her as well. He never really interacted with the girl and she seemed to mostly stick to herself, but she must've been alright if the two had gotten close.

"I told you that you don't have to thank me. You're fun to be around; it's not some torturous experience that I have to go out of my way for," Kuroi replied. He didn't see most of what he did as helping her or something to be necessarily grateful for.

Haya smirked at him, "Well, either way, next time we have a date, I will make sure that it is somewhere nicer than a cafe." she teased, before reaching out to go to Aika, "I will find you later." she promised. She had planned to stay with Aika most of the festival, but that didn't mean that she was going to be with her the whole time. The fireworks were not something Haya could feel and the sound was not something that helped her. So she was planning to leave Aika before then, since she was sure that Aika would want to enjoy them with someone that could enjoy them. And it would give her a chance to check on a few of her friends.

Kuroi gave a smile in turn and raised a hand in a still wave. "Don't spoil me, now," He replied before nodding. He still didn't have much of a plan for what to do next, but that likely meant he'd be still hanging around if she found him later. "Sure, have fun." For now, he was sure he could find something to keep him occupied for the rest of the festival.

Seeing Haya arrive with Kuroi, Aika didn't seem surprised that Haya had someone escort her. She kind of expected it, seeing how there were a lot of sounds around, and even if she gave a certain sound, she doubted Haya could hear it as well as she normally would. Seeing Haya reach out for her, Aika gently took Haya's hand and put it on her left arm "Heya. So that was your chosen escort?" She asked, glancing briefly at Kuroi's back that vanished into the crowd, before moving her gaze back to Haya "And I gotta say, I am a bit surprised this is what you wanted us to do first. Ever been on a ferris wheel before?" She asked, leading Haya to the end of the line as she talked.

Haya smirked at Aika, "Actually Kaizen brought me here first. I got lost and Kuroi helped me back. He is a really good guy, even though he doesn't see it." She smiled at Aika, "I have never been to a festival but my uncle said that the Ferris wheel is the biggest ride. I thought it would be the easiest to get to." She shrugged. She didn't know much about what the Ferris wheel looked like but she thought it would be a good meeting place. "Plus, I could use the break from all the noise. Makes me miss my headset." Haya motioned to where her headset usually sat on her head.

"Is that so? I actually ran across Kaizen at the food stalls not long ago. I was glad to see he was doing well." Aika mentioned, while glancing over Haya. It was a bit odd seeing her without her headphones while outdoors. As they slowly walked forward in line, Aika glanced at the ferris wheel "Well, the ferris wheel is basically a giant wheel that has us go around it. Up above and then back down, a single round. Usually either families or couples get on it. So I didn't normally get on it. But if it lets you experience something new, what the heck." Aika said with a smile, giving Haya a light bump with her shoulder "Though," she turned to look at Haya "If you got here with Kaizen, how'd you end up lost? Do I need to go beat him up for losing track of you?" She asked.

Haya chuckled, "I guess they played your song again or I just missed your song. I heard your voice following it but couldn't find the stage." She frowned a little, "I wanted to support you and everything is kind of dark for me with all the sounds around me." She didn't want Aika to fight Kaizen, he had hung out with her a bit and left her at the ferris wheel. He had no idea that she would leave the spot.

Haya smiled at Aika, "Sounds like a good idea. Plus, the ferris wheel isn't only for families and couples, right?"

"Well, it isn't only for them. But it's like, those are the types that normally get on. But breaking what's considered normal always sounds good to me." Aika said with a smile. As they got to the front of the line, Aika made sure Haya would step into the compartment without any problems, before sitting down across from Aika "And we're here. I don't know exactly how long we'll have on it, but I reckon one we're at the top, you'll probably have a much nicer sound to your ears. Though do let me know if the wind becomes too much for you or anything of the sort." Aika said, before feeling the wheel begin to move.

Haya nodded as she smiled, So it wasn't just for family or couples. That was good. She sat down where Aika had her and waited, the car they were in was not too small, big enough for them to seat across, Haya could feel. But the noise was still very clear in her senses, so she smiled, "I will let you know, but after dealing with wind blades, I don't think a little wind is probably going to be a problem." she teased. She sighed as she leaned back, "So, are you okay? We haven't talked about your mission at all, since you got back. And when I heard what happened, I wanted to help, but at the time I was already on the way to the hospital."

"Well, that's because there isn't anything to say about it. Kaizen split up our team, Vitalis turned out to be a baddie in disguise, and Mitsuo flipped us all off by just walking away the way he did." Aika muttered "Sorry. Basically feels like it all went to shit pretty damn bad with how things turned out. And by the time anyone else found me, I was already downed by a villain." Aika said, leaning back a bit, causing her knees to touch Haya's. The wheel kept moving them upwards, stopping after every car to let people in and out. As they rose in height, Aika looked at the surrounding area "I feel like this is unfair to you." She whispered. The voices of everyone from below were becoming quieter, which probably helped Haya, but still Aika felt a bit bad.

Haya listened to Aika about her mission and tilted her head when she mentioned it was not fair. "What do you mean? I wasn't left alone on a mission." She stated. Aika was left alone, Haya had her team and succeeded in her mission. Technically Aika did to which was impressive. Haya thought Aika was the one that got the unfairness.

"I didn't mean the mission. I meant right now. Ferris wheels can give quite the view." Aika said, watching as they slowly rose higher "I don't know how much it might do, but hopefully it does sound nicer as we get higher from the ground and the noise." She said, turning the fingers on her right hand into diamonds and hoping that Haya could perhaps enjoy the symphony that apparently came from her better now.

Haya blushed a little, she hadn't thought about that. "Oh. Well, I kind of wasn't thinking about it." She smiled when she heard Aika's diamond. It was small, so she figured it was probably just a small part of Aika that was now diamond. But she was happy to hear it. "Thank you, Aika." She said without much else. She closed her eyes, "The noise is a lot more controllable right now. I can honestly feel what was going on a lot better up here." She assured Aika.

"That's good." Aika said, turning to look at Haya. She was a bit relieved that Haya was unable to see her expression right now, as it was a bit of a conflicted one. As they rose up further, getting over halfway to the top of the wheel, Aika started tapping her fingers a bit and humming one of the songs she sang in her performance earlier, before something dawned on her "Wait, did you before that you heard me being looped? Because I didn't give a recording of me singing or anything of the such. Only sang a couple of songs once." Aika said. She didn't rule out the fact that people would have recorded her in the performance, but she really hoped no one went go and put up her singing on a loop afterwards.

Haya shrugged, "I just know it was your voice. Even crowded in this noise I know your singing anywhere and it comes to me clearly. Like Kaizen's bug form is clear and Kuroi's heartbeat. They sound unique to you, so I can identify them even in all this noise." She explained. It was true, she heard Aika singing. "Why?"

"I mean, it was meant to be another step to just break out of my shell, you know? But the thought of it being recorded in some way just feels a bit scary." Aika explained, looking as they were about to reach the top point of the wheel "At this height, some people would start claiming 'I can see my house from here!'. But this wheel isn't high enough for that." Aika remarked, making a very clear attempt to switch away from the very topic she brought forth.

Haya smirked at Aika, "Why is it scary? You have a great voice and when you get into singing, you get lost in the music and it honestly feels like you are very happy. It's probably a wonderful sight and inspirational to others." Haya believed Aika could be a little silly when it comes to her singing. But it was Aika's thing and all she could do was support her in getting her out of her shell. When Aika mentioned the view, Haya smiled, "I am pretty sure this can not get high enough to see any of our homes. If it could, I am sure my uncle would be concerned and see us too. Then he would rush over and I don't know what would happen then." She shrugged.

"Ha! I think you overestimate just how well people can see to a distance. When we're up high, it's normally not really easy to tell who is there. Unless a person has either a visual enhancement like binoculars or a telescope, or a quirk that helps with that." Aika said, before shrugging a bit "And I dunno. I was pretty damn nervous the entire way through the performance. My hands still shook a bit even after it. It's less about how I feel when I play and more of, like, how I'm basically exposing my feelings to a ton of strangers. That's the scary part." Aika explained.

Haya smirked, "I wouldn't put any of that passed my uncle, to be honest." she teased as she thought about what Aika was afraid of. She frowned a bit, Aika did shield herself a lot from others and Haya had been no exception at the start. Technically, Haya was only supposed to spare with Aika, from their first meeting, but they never really got to that part of their promise. "Aika? Maybe we should spar?" she said, thinking that maybe it was time for them to work on her diamond, "If your diamond is stronger then you might feel like you can let yourself out more. You are a really beautiful person, you have a temper but I honestly believe the more you let out of yourself, the more others can see and be inspired. When you sing, it feels like you are letting others in, but so are they, I mean. Most people that would like your music, also feel the same way. I want to help you do that, open up as much as I can because you are very important to me. Singing is something that you love and you should share that, my uncle tells me when you find something you love, sharing it is the best way for you to get more of it." she commented.

"If that was the case, then I would've been able to put myself out there some time ago. My diamond used to be pretty thin and fragile. Had to work quite a bit to get it to where it is now." Aika said, looking at Haya as she did "And well, you got a smart uncle. Pretty sure I told you that before. But even if I feel like singing is the greatest feeling out there, it only makes me that much more scared. To be rejected for what I love." She glanced sideways, as they got to the highest point of the ferris wheel, and another moment stop came "Spar. I honestly forgot about that. Maybe we could." She said, looking at the view from the top. She was able to see about the whole area that the school was in from this up high. All of it seemed so far away now.

Looking back at Haya, Aika briefly bit her lip "Could I… Could I try something?" She asked, keep her voice as calm as she could be, though asking this question alone caused Aika's voice to be a bit shaky.

Haya tilted her head a little before she nodded, "Of course, should I do anything?" she asked. She trusted Aika, and she could now feel how high they were, and listening to her, she felt that Aika wouldn't do anything that would put them in danger. Plus, she would have time to think of something else, maybe if Haya sang with Aika, for once. But since Haya was a sound quirk user, she wasn't sure anyone would really focus on her singing. When it came to sound, Haya wasn't really sure anyone could believe that the sounds she had were what she was born with. It gave her an idea, a year or two back that she was just about done working on. But helping Aika was important to her, so she hadn't mentioned it before.

"Just… stay still." Aika muttered, turning her fingers back to normal before she gently reached for Haya's chin. Carefully touching it, Aika came closer to her, and placed her lips against Haya's. She closed her eyes, letting the kiss sink in for just a moment, before she moved away slowly. Haya's lips were sweet, as she figured they'd be. She could feel her cheeks burning up right now, but Aika only had to hope that she didn't just ruin how things are between her and Haya "Uhm… Sorry. I guess I just, you know, w-wanted to share how I felt." Aika muttered.

Haya was surprised and a little confused, that was a feeling she never felt, and something she wasn't really sure of. Her heart raced as soon as Aika's lips met hers and part of her panicked a bit, but she did as she was told and stayed still. In the end, Haya was blinded a little and tilted her head, "What was that?" she asked, she knew what happened, but since she had never felt something like it she wasn't sure what it was or what it meant. Her uncle never explained this and her parents never showed her this when her quirk was active. So, what did she do now, was it like a hug, where you return it, or was it like a thank you, where you just accepted it and welcomed the person. Aika said it was her feelings, but what feeling? Haya smirked at Aika, "Hmm, it's fine, it was nice and I did like it. Besides, I am trying to get you to open up your feelings and if you do that with me, it will always be okay." she assured Aika, not wanting her to feel bad about it, even if Haya had no idea what it meant.

Hearing the question made Aika a bit dumbfounded, before the next bit did have Aika realize a bit better "Right, uhm. So, that was a kiss. You kiss family on their cheeks, normally, or sometimes forehead. Can also kiss close friends like that, on the cheeks." She said, coming in closer to Haya again "But if you know someone that you like-like, or well, feel very, very close to, romantically-attached to, then you'd normally express it with a kiss on," Aika stopped talking for a moment, putting her lips against Haya's again, once more for a brief moment, before moving back "The lips." She finished, by now her face turned as red as a tomato "You'd normally know how you feel if you feel something special inside. A feeling that's hard to describe." She tried explaining a bit further, before slapping her cheeks a bit "But you didn't ask about love. I'm an idiot." Aika slapped herself a couple more times afterwards.

Haya listened to Aika's explanation before she was kissed again, Romantically attached came to mind, as her lips cleared her mind when Aika kissed them again. As she listened and her heart raced, she wasn't sure if the strange feeling was the one Aika meant or the butterflies Hideki and Kuroi mentioned. But it was clear that she needed more information, the tone of Aika and hearing her slap herself, made it clear that Aika was a little more than embarrassed. Haya reached out to stop Aika from slapping her face anymore, each hand taking hold of one of Aika's, "You aren't an idiot. My parents don't normally do anything around me, so, don't worry." she smiled, "I understand better." she encouraged, as she bit her lip, blushing slightly, as she was thinking about kissing. If you do it with someone you are romantically attached to, and there should be a feeling, then wouldn't that be the easiest way to find out if you like someone in a way that was romantical. She smiled at Aika, who meant a lot to her and she did feel something but didn't have the information to be sure. Plus, she had already made plans to figure it out with Kuroi. This made things complicated but Haya would have the walk back from the festival to think about it. For now, she just wanted to be with Aika, "And thinking that I could lose you just added to how much you mean to me. I don't know how I feel romantically, but I am glad you showed me how you feel."

Being stopped by Haya, Aika just looked at her as she expressed things to her. Lowering her hand, she felt as they began moving again slowly, this time downwards. When Haya finished speaking, Aika nodded "I'm just glad you didn't outright reject me." She sniffed her nose a bit before grabbing hold of Haya's hand with hers "You are too nice, you know that?" She added, gently squeezing her hand, before thinking about something "Oh, if you decide to try it with anyone else, do it like I do. Ask first. You could be a bit more direct and specifically ask to kiss them, but it'd be better that way. Just kissing out of the blue can cause people to be a lot more confused. At least, that's what I saw in a bunch of shows and movies." Aika said, looking sideways for a moment as she realized it might've not been the best type of reference for kissing. There was always so much drama in those "I'm not sure what else to say right now. My heart feels like it could jump out of my chest." Aika muttered.

Haya smiled at Aika before she jumped up slightly and landed in a hung, wrapping her arms around Aika, "I would never reject you, Aika. I don't think I could live without you now. You kind of make the world better for me and one of the reasons I still want to be a hero. I will always come back from a mission as long as I have you to come back to." she told her. Aika was always sweet to her, Haya was happy to have her and after the kiss, it gave her more to think about and explore, to find out what she wanted. She was starting to really hope she would be a mother someday and that finding someone to be romantically involved with was not impossible. She just have to figure out the romantic part and then she would be able to find her person. Knowing that she might have already found them was nice, but she had to be sure. She had made promises and she was going to keep them. Which also had to be added to everything else. But for now, she was just happy to have Aika with her and to know that no matter what, she could make a goal passed being a hero.

Feeling her cheeks flare up again, Aika just looked at Haya "You keep saying stuff like that and I'll end up kissing you again." She said, before she smiled "Well, I feel the same. I can't really see myself without you in my life. I would break down every wall and door in my way just to make sure I see you again. And I will always make sure that you will always be able to hear my diamond symphony." Aika told her, feeling a bit embarrassed, but also relieved. Expressing these feelings took a huge weight off her heart. She didn't know what or who Haya would end up choosing, but at least she knew that even though she confessed, Haya was still there for her.

Haya smirked, as she held on to Aika tight for a little while longer, before she moved back t her seat, she reached out her hand in a fist and extended out her pinky, "No matter what, we will always come back to each other. It's a promise, even if that means we have to go through others to do it." she said "A promise between us." she said, waiting for Aika to agree. If nothing else it gave her a reason to fight even more and with what she was trying to master of her sound, she was sure that it would help her get away from anyone that she could and get through anyone she had to.

As Haya moved back to her seat, Aika felt like just grabbing onto her and not letting go. Seeing the forwarded pinky and hearing her words, Aika smiled and held out her own pinky, before having it gently go into a hold with Haya's pinky "Even if we need to cross the world. It's a promise." Aika said, very clearly agreeing with Haya. Sniffing a bit, Aika let go and looked at the slowly decreasing ferris wheel. They were already halfway down "Ah, I probably look like a tomato right now. I really hope no one from class catches us down there." She said, glancing over the side of the compartment to see if anyone she knew was waiting to get on the ferris wheel below.

Haya couldn't see Aika, not if she was a color, she sighed, shrugged, and took a breath as the noise started to slowly make its way through her again. She bite her lip, "Aika, would you feel better if I started to sing with you?" she asked as she turned back to Aika, "I like being one of the few that you share your feelings with, but singing is a gift you have that is something that I think others should hear. You seem to want to do it but are a little hesitant. I don't usually sing because no one would believe me, since my quirk should allow me to change my sounds when I get it figured out. But I would be more than happy to do it with you." she offered, "If not, then maybe I can sing for you one day. I have been working on something and music is kind of how I have been doing it. So I would like for you to be the first to hear it."

Looking back at Haya, Aika rubbed the back of her hand "Well, I was probably a nerve wreck during my own performance because I was alone. And when we went down to play together, it was nice to be playing and singing together. Maybe that's exactly what I need to be getting more comfortable playing and singing for others." She smiled at the offer "And pfft. People that don't believe you because of your quirk are just idiots. And I would love to hear anything you worked on, you know that." Aika told her "I'd suggest we go and listen right now, but I actually have another obligation after our little meeting now. With Vigridis, of all people." Aika said, sounding a bit surprised herself that Vigridis ended up asking her to help with her light show.

Haya was surprised, "I see. I would go with you, but I am avoiding that classmate." she confessed but smirked, as she leaned over and kissed the corner of Aika's lips, she figured that was between being romantic and friendly, so it was a safe place not to warn. "And I have one last person to see before the fireworks start and I go to the dorms. Since I can't see them, I decided to go back before they start. If you can guide me to somewhere with water, I think I should be fine while I wait." she asked Aika.

The sudden kiss caught Aika by surprise. But since it was a pleasant surprise, she didn't complain "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I was avoiding her too for the longest time. Not sure how much I'll want to hang out with her after this. It's a bit… much." Aika said, sighing, before holding Haya's hand again "Somewhere with water huh? I'll see which one I spot first. Unless you have more details, which can help narrow things down. Theres apple bobbing, goldfish fishing, getting dunked into a pool of water and a water gun one." Aika told her, as they arrived back at the ground. The compartment door was opened for them, and Aika helped Haya off, before beginning to walk with her, still holding her hand, towards the nearest water stall she could see.

Haya smirked, "Never been to a festival, so I wouldn't know where to go." Haya laughed as she followed Aika. She thought for a moment, "I have an idea, maybe we should plan a time to do it. I never sung for you before, but I am pretty sure I almost got this down, so I can do it soon, I am sure." she told Aika. she wanted to sing for Aika, "Let's do it on the roof." she offered.

"If it's no idea, then the first water stall is where we'll go." Aika smiled as she kept listening to Haya "The roof, huh? You want to sing to the skies, the plants, everyone in the dorm and me?" She teased as she spotted one of the water-themed stalls, being the goldfish one, and began leading her there. It didn't take long to arrive, and Aika took Haya's hand and put it on the stall's beam "This is it. One goldfish stall." She told her, before hugging Haya.

Haya smirked, nodded, she would be fine with that, and when Aika hugged her she hugged her tight as she smiled. "Don't let Vigidris stop you from coming back to me, or I will blast her with so much sound, her great-grandchildren will die with ringing throughout their bodies." she teased before pulling away, "As promised," she told Aika.

Moving away, Aika couldn't help but laugh at that promise "I wouldn't let her stop me from doing anything, trust me. Not that she could anyway, I could probably shatter all of her light constructs." She said "And yeah. As promised. Have fun and don't let the fireworks catch your ears!" Aika said, turning away, before beginning to walk away towards where the show with Vigridis was scheduled to take place.

​

Meeting Hideki

Haya sighed, her family came to see her, and Ichika had brought some snacks, which Haya could smell the sugar in. She shared them with the staff and Kuroi, Yori, and Aika. There was a few left and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to give them all away before she was ready to get out of the hospital. But she would try, maybe Ichika would be back and she could finish off the last of them. After all, Haya didn't eat sweets like most of the others.

Hideki was getting out of the hospital, the boy had gotten some damage from his fight with Vitalis and needed to go to the hospital to take care of the poison. They also needed to stitch up the cut that he had gotten across his chest. He had been in the hospital for just a day and the doctors told him that he could continue to rest back at campus. Though he wasn't allowed to do any training or strenuous activity for a few days while he recovered. Before he left though he wanted to stop and see some of his classmates who were also in the hospital. He had heard that some of them had tough times as well so he wanted to check in on them.

Hideki would knock on the door before walking in and closing the door behind him. " Well I didn't expect to see you here, figured you just beat anyone up who tried to put you in here." Hideki slightly laughed as he took a seat in the chair that was next to Haya's bed.

Haya glanced up as the door opened and smirked at Hideki when he entered. She smiled more at his comment, "And why would you think that?" she questions as she sighed, he looked like he had just gotten out of the hospital. "I have never rejected help before, plus, weren't you the one that said you would come to save me?" she teased him knowing he couldn't come to help her during the mission. But at the same time, she was concerned about everything that happened. She was glad to know he was okay.

" Ehh you just don't seem like the type to want to stay laid up in the hospital is all." She seemed to be doing okay which Hideki was happy about, and while he knew she was joking her second comment about him saving her did make him frown for a second. " Yeah I was a little tied up, Vitalis just seems to like poisoning me I guess."

Hideki put his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling for a moment as he thought back on his battle with Vitalis. He needed to be stronger, that was the conclusion that he came too after their fight. If Hideki wanted to reach his goals then he needed to improve. " How are you feeling?"

Haya sighed, "I know." for the first time her face went cold and she turned away for a moment. Vitalis. She knew something was wrong with the girl, but she would never have guessed that she would betray her friends. That was bad enough without Aika being left alone to face an enemy and Mitsuo vanishing. Haya would never forgive Vitalis in her part in the domino effect that ended with Aika being the only one on her mission, Kaizen being kidnapped or Mitsuo leaving. The whole team was hurt by the little vampire and she was probably feeling nothing about it.

Haya took a deep breath, her uncle reminded her, her temper was darkness she could not afford to have. So, after a few moments, she turned back to Hideki and smirked slightly, "I should be getting another transfusion later today and if everything is okay, I should be back on campus tomorrow afternoon. What about you? I couldn't help you get some of the poison out of your system, so I imagine it got pretty bad. How are you feel?"

Hideki could see the shift in Haya's mood. At the mention of Vitalis's name her face went cold and lifeless, she even had to turn away for a second. She did turn back to face Hideki as she answered him. It seemed that she had a rough time during her mission as well. Probably rougher than what Hideki had dealt with. Hideki wished that he had been there to help her out. " Well I'm glad you should be getting to head back to campus soon. As for me, well Vitalis used a poison that I didn't know she had. She claimed that it was the poison that knocked out her mother for all those years." Hideki stopped talking for a moment as he caught his breath. He was still feeling the effects of it and his body was tired.

" The poison took a lot out of me, I could feel my body starting to weaken and lose power as I kept fighting her. Luckily Yamoshi and I were able to defeat her before our bodies gave out. When I got to the hospital the doctors were able to extract the poison I had in my body, but it was in there for a little while so they aren't exactly sure if I'll have any lasting effects from it. They are hopeful I should make a full recovery but they are going to want me to come in for checkups for a few weeks to make sure. She also gave me a nasty cut along my chest that the doctors had to stitch up. Though they said that I can go back to campus today and continue to rest up so that is good."

Haya nodded as she listened, before she recalled the snacks, she motioned towards where they were, a few were left she was sure. "Well, do you want something sweet to make up for me not being there." she offered. She felt like out of everyone, it was probably clear that Hideki and her on the same team work out for them both a lot better than when they were apart. "Ichika brought them over when she visited and I don't eat sweets much, so I have been offering them to everyone." she explained.

"So, you are going to have your first scar, how does that feel?" Haya asked after a moment or two. She wasn't sure how scars worked for those that had them, but she hoped that Hideki was going to be okay with his. Or maybe they would be able to help him, so there wasn't a scar. "And what are you going to do with yourself if you can't train.

Hideki looked over at the basket that had some sweets in it. He wasn't usually the biggest sweets guy, but right now he decided to just go for it. " I'm not usually the biggest sweets guy, but those look really good so sure i'll have one." Hideki smiled as he reached in and grabbed one. He took a bite and instantly smiled, it was so good! Hideki ate the sweet in less than a couple of seconds.

He then felt where the cut was and sighed a little bit. " Yeah well in our line of work you kind of have to expect to have some scars right? It's on my chest so it's not like people are going to see it. So at least I can keep my pretty boy status right?" Hideki chuckled a little. It was nice to be able to talk with Haya and just relax and joke around, ever since their mission all he had thought about was how the mission went, how he had personally done and how Vitalis had turned on their class and on society as a whole. Right now though it was just nice to relax. " I'll find some way to keep training, maybe I'll have to do some of Ren's training for a couple of days. He says that cleaning and cooking are better forms of training so maybe I'll have to give them a try."

Hideki laughed for a moment and smiled before his smile went away. " Do you want to talk about what happened on your mission? I haven't gotten to see any reports or anything but from the little I was able to hear it sounds like you guys had a tough situation." Hideki looked over at Haya his eyes showed some hints of caring.

Haya sighed as she smirked at him, "I suppose you are right. And when you become a man you will be a tough guy." she teased. She giggled a little as she leaned back in her bed and faced in his direction. "Well, I know for a fact that you might get faster in that case. I had him on this mission and running fast is something he is apparently good at. Even with a hurt leg." she told him.

It took her a moment before she sighed, when he asked about her mission, "My team did what they had to. I ended up stuck with someone that I can't feel and I guess the hard part of the whole thing was the fact that I was wrapped up with that guy at a disadvantage. Things got rough, but we managed to get through it without any problems. What about you? I don't know how I would feel to have to face someone that I thought was a friend. She wasn't one of your romantic interests, was she?" Haya slightly teased.

Hideki laughed a little bit " Well I think I'm pretty much a man already, so a tough guy and a pretty guy I guess." Hideki smirked as looked around at the room for a moment before turning back to Haya and sighing. She didn't really tell him much information about their mission. She probably didn't want to talk about it but Hideki thought maybe she'd talk to him.

" I was angry at first, I've known her since our first day at UA together and while I always thought she was a little strange I never thought she would do something like this. She was always a nice person. Anyway I didn't fight as well as I needed to in the beginning because I let my emotions get the better of me. As the fight went on I was able to calm down and just focus on taking her down no matter the cost. I also felt like I needed to protect Yamoshi, in the end he did his fair share and landed the final blow on her, but he had a hard time accepting what she was doing. He tried his hardest to stop the fighting which I don't really blame him for but for a little while there it was really just Vitalis and me going one on one. Anyway I was able to land one of my super moves on her at the end and that was what pretty much ended the fight. At first fighting her was hard but then it just became another fight."

Haya nodded, she would have been angry too. She was angry at Vitalis, Mari, and the whole thing. And he just gave her another reason to be. That was one thing she was going to have to control, the anger inside of her. Of all things, this was the first time Haya had made her own friends and the first time that one of her team had betrayed them with her own command knowing. But if this was an example of anything, it was that this would not be the last time. "I felt something was wrong with Vitalis when I met her, when I spoke with her. But thought it was just the fact that I had not been around many people my whole life, that was part of my mistake. But I understand what you mean, I would have been angry too. And there would be no telling what would happen then." she smirked slightly, "In all honesty, anger is not something that we are allowed. My father has been upset with my uncle, but my uncle and mother refused to give in to anger. I am not allowed to be angry, since I got my quirk. I have no experience with it now and controlling it, in a battle, I am not sure that I could have done what you did. Bringing Vitalis in. I actually have no idea what would happen if I let myself be angry in a fight." she commented.

Hideki thought back on his life these last five years since his parents passed. For a while after Hideki basically shut down his emotions, he decided that showing them would only get in the way and that they would get him killed. Since he started going to UA and then Suppression though Hideki started to change and allowed more of his emotions to show. He wasn't sure if this was good or bad but it was what it was, there was probably no going back for him at this point. He was going to be normal like everyone else and show his emotions. " For awhile I didn't share any of my emotions that I had, whether I was happy or sad or angry. I thought they would just get in the way and get me killed. I guess I didn't want to look week after my parents died and then I just kind of did it with all of my emotions, after I started going to UA though I really grew up and changed. Emotions like anger in a fight can be beneficial or a detriment. You have to be able to control them though. I think letting out some of my anger at Vitalis helped me more than just keeping it in the whole time, but it's probably different for everyone." Hideki offered Haya a smile, he wasn't exactly sure why he told her that but he felt like he could tell her and maybe it would help her even a little bit.

"For what it's worth I do think you could have done it."

Haya smirked a little, "Well, I'm glad that you have grown. And to celebrate I think we should do something." That statement made her think of something else that she had been meaning to ask him. She was happy that he opened up to her about his emotions and she opened up about the darkness inside of her. But that reminded her about her conversation with Kuroi on there, 'mock date'. "But before that, I did have a question. How do you know when you like someone? You said you like a few girls in our class, including me, but you never explained how you know you like them or how you can like so many?" she asked to change the subject. While thinking about what he would say, she also thought about what they should do to celebrate his growth and their friendship, since the more they talked the more it was clear to Haya that Hideki was more than just a pretty face, even if she knew that before.

Haya's question surprised Hideki a little. He wasn't really expecting that question from her. He thought about it seriously for a moment because it seemed like she really wanted to know and this was a legitimate question. "Hmm I wasn't expecting that question." Hideki laughed a little before continuing. "Well there are a couple of ways that you know if you like someone. If you want to spend a lot of time with that person and be around them a lot, that usually means you like them. If you think about that person often then you probably like them. Maybe if you get a little jealous that that person is spending time with someone else that means you probably like them. There are a lot of ways for someone to realize that they like someone else. It's different for everyone though." Hideki offered her a smile, the two of them had really become good friends and it was like they had a brother and sister relationship. Honestly Hideki wasn't sure if he would change that.

Haya thought about what Hideki was saying and decided to ask him directly, "You said you like me romantically, so how do you know you like me specifically? If you think of one person often, then wouldn't you have only one person on your mind?" she asked curiously. Her mind still wandered back to the earlier conversation, but she had to understand what made Hideki state that he liked her romantically. He had to know she was joking because he stated she had options, which she was slowly starting to think was just Hideki and that she was overthinking, trying to figure out what other options she could have.

She wasn't letting this go was she. Hideki just kind of sat there mouth slightly open not exactly knowing what to say. " Well people can like more than one person at a time, so they may have multiple people they think about. Though I'm not sure if you're messing with me right now or not." Hideki offered a smile, a sudden pain came from his cut on his chest. Hideki put his hand over part of the cut and coughed slightly as you could see him wince for a second.

Haya frowned, as she bite her lip, "Are you okay?" she asked concerned, it was started to be clear that he should probably rest, but she wasn't sure if it was the excitement of moving around or the questions that she was asking. "And I am serious. How am I going to understand my options or what makes me someone that someone will like?"

" Yeah don't worry I'm fine, the cut is still a little sore after the stitches and stuff but i'll be alright." He offered her a smile before listening to what she had to say. So she was serious with her question. " Well why would you think people wouldn't like you? You're a kind person, you're beautiful, you're strong and you care for your friends. Those are just a few of the traits that you have that make people like you."

Haya thought about it, he seem to say he was fine, but that was not how it felt, "If you say so." she said, not sure how she could help him if he wasn't. And he wasn't lying so she had to think that he was just going to take it at it came. When he asked about her though, she thought about what he said and what she thought about it. "I wouldn't say that I don't think people would like me. It is just that, liking me as a friend is easy to understand. I know myself well enough to know that most people would think I am a good friend, by instinct. I mean romantically. I don't know why someone would like me romantically. I don't understand it enough to avoid sending out the wrong signal and hurting a friend. I am asking you because you are my friend and you understand me well enough to know that I would never want to hurt you. You are a close friend to me, so I know I can trust your understanding of this feeling, because you said you had it and not take offense if I don't feel the same."

Hideki smiled a little before laughing a little bit. It seemed clear that Haya was talking about Hidkei and didn't want to hurt his feelings or anything. In reality Hideki had really been setting his sights on Amano, and she was always really the number one girl for him. He did like Haya a lot, but it might be better if they stayed friends and kept this almost sibiling relationship they had going. "I know you would never want to purposely hurt me, you don't need to worry about that. I wouldn't want to purposely hurt you either. And the reasons I gave earlier are more for why someone would like you romantically than as a friend. Someone who likes you romantically is going to do that because they know how kind you are, how beautiful you are. I think they will also like that you're really honest and don't beat around the bush. If something needs to be said you say it. People like that kind of stuff."

Haya thought about what he was saying and nodded, so he thought that someone would like her romantically because of how she was. That made some sense, she guessed, she just wasn't sure that was exactly what she was looking for. But she smiled at him, "Thank you, Hideki. You give me a lot to think about. And I was thinking….we have a festival or something the class is going to. Do you want to do something together? I was going to ask Kaizen to help him relax and hopefully get his mind off of everything. And from what I know about festivals, it is the only place that I will need help getting around. But I hear it is a lot of fun and we should celebrate your additional growth from being a jerk." she teased. The way that he spoke about who he was before, it sounded like someone that one of her old 'friends' would call a jerk. "Who knows, it will make someone jealous and you will have to fend off the person crashing on you afterward. Or maybe you might get a chance to defend me, as previously promised. she giggled. She wasn't sure if that would be the case, but she was sure that she wanted to at least tease him about it. After all, if he liked someone, to her, that meant someone had to like him. He was a nice and honest guy who was pretty, so from what he said, if someone liked her they had to like him. Probably not the same person though.

"Anytime, you can always talk to me, and yeah sure that sounds like a good time. Though hopefully we won't have to fight anyone or anything." Hideki offered her a smile. He the. Thought for a moment "hmm to me it sounds like you have an idea of someone who might get jealous seeing us together. Got anything you want to tell me." Hideki smirked, he was going to tease her right back.

Haya smirked, "Well, if I knew that, I could tell you. But I am pretty sure that there will be someone. You are the pretty boy after all, I wouldn't be surprised if some random girl won't just bust in to get your attention. she teased him. "I will be just out of the hospital, later than you. I just want to make sure that you will keep me safe.

[color=#red]"I don't think any girls are going to be doing whatever they can to get my attention, though that is like every guys dream."[/color] Hideki laughed a little "And of course I got your back no matter what." With that Hideki stood up and stretched for a moment before looking back at Haya. "Alright well I've taken enough of your time, I'm going to head back to the dorms. You get some rest alright."

Haya nodded, "Okay, then I will meet you at the festival, just don't forget." she pointed out, although she wasn't really sure what she was going to do with Hideki. Aika was her concern for the festival, but Aika would have some plans, knowing her. Maybe Haya and Aika could hang out with Hideki for a little while, before the festival was over. Haya wanted to spend some time with Hideki, but didn't want to neglect Aika.

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It was now the day of the festival and Hideki had just gotten done spending some time with Isa. The boy had been in a bad mood and Isa actually had gotten him to get out of that bad mood a bit. After playing some darts with Isa Hideki went off to look for Haya. He had promised to spend some time with her during the festival but he hadn't seen her yet.

After her walk with Kaizen, her talk with Kuroi, and hanging out with Aika, Haya had one other person to hang around with before the night was over. It was a promise but unlike with Aika, she didn't plan a spot to meet with Hideki. Instead she had Aika leave her by the goldfish. The water helped to suppress some of the noise a little. Hideki would find her at some point. If not she would just wait until Kuroi showed up, or someone else. She had faith that someone one come to her, and since Aika, Kaizen and Kuroi knew that she couldn't move from where she was without getting herself lost. She was sure if not Hideki then one of them would help her.

Hideki made his way around the festival. Students from all the different classes were enjoying the festival by playing games, eating good food and enjoying the acts and performances from the other students and some outside school entertainment that was brought in. As Hidkei made his way around he finally found who he was looking for. Haya was by the goldfish area. That seemed to make sense, the water would suppress some of the noise for her. Hideki made his way over to her and smiled. "I guess this is as good a spot as any for you to be be."

Haya smirked as she heard his voice, "I thought you would find me here." She told Hideki. Of course if he didn't she figured someone would. But either way, "So, are you ready?" She asked as she noted a tone in his voice.

" Wouldn't be much of a hero if I couldn't find you right?" Hideki laughed a bit as he then looked around at everyone having a good time at the festival. " Yeah I'm ready, what do you want to do?"

Haya smirked, "Let's do something but I do have a question. See I recently learned about kissing. And was curious if you could explain more?"
She asked as she moved closer to Hideki, wrapping her arm around his, "I can't navigate this place with all the people so I have been having to hold on when we move. So if you want to move I have to be close or I'll be completely lost."
She explained so that it wouldn't be weird.

Something fun, well alright that should be pretty easy. It looked like there was a lot of fun stuff to do around here. Hideki was about to speak until Haya then asked him a question out of the blue and one he definitely wasn't ready for. Hideki blushed a little before answering " Um kissing huh, well what exactly do you want to know about it?" Hideki had turned his head and didn't see her move in to wrap her arms around him. Hideki shivered for a moment but then it made sense once she explained why she was doing it. " Alright that's fine, I'll help you get around."

Haya smirked, "The meaning behind getting kissed on the lips and giving a kiss on the lips. And how to warn someone you are going to do it."
She asked and then shrugged, "We can do anything you want. It's my first time and I am completely in your hands."


"Wait really? You don't know what kissing means?" Hideki looked at her a little bit confused. He knew that she was blind and that her parents sheltered her a lot, but still he was just surprised to hear that she didn't really know anything about kissing.

Hideki thought for a moment on how to answer her question and he decided just being as honest as possible was the best way to go about it. " Well when someone kisses someone on the lips it's a romantic thing. People who are married kiss each other as well as people who are dating each other. Friends don't really kiss each other on the lips, they might kiss each other on the cheek but not the lips. That kissing is saved for people you have romantic feelings for."

Hideki looked over at Haya and hoped what he said made sense. She really was like a little sister who was asking questions to their older sibling. Hideki had no problem answering her questions for the most part. He just hoped that she understood what he was saying.

Haya thought about what Hideki said and nodded, that would explain what Aika meant. Now she felt like there was one thing she had to know about the kissing, that had not been covered in Hideki's explanation. "Okay, but what if you kiss between. Like right at the corner of the lips, where it connects to the cheek. Does that count for the lips or the cheek?"
she didn't know what she felt about kissing, but she knew that she didn't want Aika's kissing and hers to hurt their friendship.

Hideki just kind of deadpanned stared at her for a moment before lightly laughing. " I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm guessing you kissed someone on that corner spot. If you guys want to take it further and be in a relationship then you would kiss on the lips. If you just want to stay friends then you will can kiss on the corner. I wouldn't think about it too much."

Haya nodded, "I understand."
She had some idea of what he meant. So Aika wanted to be in a relationship with her. That was what she meant by being rejected. Haya smirked to herself, she didn't understand if that was something she wanted but the idea was not something she could say was something she wouldn't at least think of. But she was trying to focus on her relationship with Kuroi. Once she had that figured out she could think about other relationships. She should have a better idea by then. "Thank you, Hideki. That was very helpful. I am glad you understand on of this."

They spent the last of the time before the fire works together. Haya told him about her adventure with Kaizen and Kuroi around the festival and how she had some understanding of her way around blind. She had not managed to figure it out but wanted to keep trying. But when the time came, she kiased Hideki's cheek and thanked him again before she went back to the dorms before the fireworks started.

​

​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Like Looking in a Mirror

Goto wasn't wearing anything special. His usual joggers and a running jacket. His hands were shoved in his pocket, as he walked a little frustrated. "This sucks…" For the past 3 weeks he hadn't been able to use his hands for anything. They were wrapped tightly in bandages, as he had apparently sustained severe burns on his hands from touching the weapons from Vigridis for so long. He had hoped he'd be able to take them off by now, but nope.

Here he was now at this stupid school festival with nothing he could actually do. Didn't even have the hands needed to impress a girl at any of the games. Instead, he sat down on a bench, slouching. "This really fucking sucks…" He reiterated.

Kikyo hummed to herself as she wandered about the festival, having officially run out of things to do and see. She was just about ready to call it a night when she noticed a familiar looking boy sitting on a bench on his own. The young woman stopped at the bench and leaned forward on the back of the bench, glancing over at the boy from his side. It took a moment to recognize him, but it was obviously her classmate Goto. She had recalled that he had an injury. Unfortunately it didn't look like he was making a speedy recovery.

"Oh, heya, Goto. How's it hanging? Didja manage to enjoy the festival?" Kikyo asked with a polite smile.

Goto looked up at the scarred face of the girl in front of him. He raised his hand to her face. "I'd be flipping you off if I could move my fingers individually. Needless to say, no not really. Haven't been able to do jack shit." He rubbed the back of his head. "I tried eating some Takoyaki earlier, and dropped the whole thing on the floor. Well… I guess it wasn't all that bad. Isa agreed to buy me some more. Got a little awkward toward the end. She offered to help me out, and well… She was feeding me. I guess I can't complain though. It's not everyday a girl treats you to food. And I guess Isa is pretty cuu… I shouldn't talk about girls like that around other girls should I?"

Kikyo was almost taken back by the attempted gesture, but she figured he had plenty of reason to be bothered. It must have been really annoying to try and deal with everyday issues while injured. "Sorry to hear that you've been having such a hard time, though. It's good that you managed to have a little fun, even if it was just a bit of food being provided by a cute girl."

Kikyo giggled for a moment at the idea of Isa feeding him. Especially what with his insistence of her being cute. She shrugged her shoulders a bit. "I'm not really the gossipy type, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to say about a girl, even to another girl. I mean, so long as you aren't saying mean things or something like that about other girls it should be fine. You know?"

Goto threw his arms back after hearing that. "Yeah? I think Ichika would say otherwise. Caught me saying something once and she spit gum at me. But whatever. So what about you? Were you at least able to get something out of this whole thing?"

Goto had plans previously. He was gonna hit some girl likely from a different class, and use the carnival games to win her some things. Can't very well do that like this now can you? So might as well spend what he could with Kikyo for now.

"Hmm? I mean, it's been fun chatting with iut classmates and Amon bought me this pretty kanzashi." Kikyo replied, happily pointing out the white flower accessory in her hair. She was happy to have an accessory to show for once, though she wondered if she were being a little too proud of it.

"Anyway, I guess I can't speak for other girls. Mostly it's just nice to be included or considered. And hey, if you'd like, maybe I could play a game and win something for you? I know it's not the same, but at least then you'd still get something out of the festival, right?"

"Man this whole day is all sorts of backwards isn't it. The guys supposed to be the one winning the prizes for the girl. But hey, I've got nothing better to do. C'mon, let's see what you've got. Sorta like your version of the arcade." Goto stood up, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket and walking past her. "You comin'?"

Kikyo shrugged at his comment on everything being backwards. Wasn't that a bit of an archaic viewpoint? Eh, no reason in give him a hard time about it. She followed after him, searching for a suitable game that she may have a chance of winning at. There were several games set up that she could be decent at. Finally, she found one and stopped, gesturing to it to point it out to Goto.

"Hey, this one looks good. Let's see if I can win ya something." KIkyo remarked with a bit of a smirk, gathering up some leathery spheres to throw at pins. It looked like all of the prizes were things that would probably be considered a bit, well, childish. But, she inwardly hoped that he would appreciate the gesture more than the actual gift. After a couple of throws she managed to hit her rhythm. The young woman focused on her target, sticking her tongue out in concentration before aiming and throwing, striking them all and knocking them down.

"Woo! I did it!" Kikyo cheered, mostly to herself, grinning happily at Goto as she pointed out a large stuffed lion. When the person running the stall brought it over to her, she turned to Goto with a wide grin.

"Here ya go, Goto. It's a lion! Which is, you know, kinda fitting right? I mean, you're abrasive and intimidating with the claws and the roaring and all that. But, beneath the mane and all the bestial fury is someone that needs help now and then, no matter how strong they are. Even the great lion could use a little help from a mouse now and then, right?" Kikyo spoke softly, a faint blush appearing on her face as she held the stuffed animal out to him.

Goto couldn't help but smirk as she patted herself on the back for winning the prize. "Wow. You're not half bad short stuff." He tussled her hair with his bandaged hand. As she gave him the lion, he looked down at it. Then she started talking about things. She called him a lion, giving him all sorts of… He'd call those complements. Then she talked about how even the lion needs help from the mouse. He bent down to her level, and started looking at her a bit, face to face. Then he met out a sudden roar, right in her face, raising his hands up in order to look larger

"Short stuff? I'm not that short." Kikyo responded with a pout, almost recoiling when he tussled her hair. Her eyes were fixated on his as he did so, but her pout slowly faded into a slight smirk. She raised a brow inquisitively as he leaned over her, as though to accent his point about her being short. Then out of nowhere he made this loud roar sound, making a surprisingly good lion impression.

The young woman's eyes widened at the sudden act. She just stared at him for a moment, a blank expression on her face. After a solid ten seconds her face scrunched up, attempting to stifle her laughter before a sudden fit of laughter broke out. She had to take a step back to avoid falling over, her hand coming up to point at him for a moment.

"Oh my god! Goto, that's hilarious! You're...oh wow, you're so funny for someone who likes brooding so much. Haha!" Kikyo managed to say through her laughter, which did manage to die down after about a minute. She absently wiped tears from her eyes, still dealing with a slight giggle fit while looking up at him.

"Ahh...I needed a good laugh. Thank you, Goto. Ya big scary lion, you." Kikyo said quietly, this time managing to mostly suppress her giggling.

"Huh? Not even a little scared?" She was laughing at him now. This was supposed to work a bit differently. "Geez, what a weird mouse you are." He chuckled a bit too. "What the hell? I'll take it then."

He looked down at her. "So you getting a kick outta having me depend on you?

"Hehe...no, sorry, Goto. I just don't see you as scary." Kikyo smirked, sticking her tongue out at the boy in a playful manner when he referred to her as a weird mouse. She shook her head a bit and looked at the lion in his hands, her smile remaining before looking back to him when he spoke again.

"Huh? Nope, not really. I do like being helpful, though, and there is something satisfying about being able to provide any kind of assistance for someone." Kikyo replied, smiling up at him with her fingers interlocking behind her back.

"Is my help bothering you?"

Goto shook his head. "I mean, why would it? I may be a stubborn asshole, but I can admit that I have things I can't do. I'll let others cover my weak areas. I'll keep playing to my strengths. And by the way, a mouse is a terrible animal to compare yourself to if you're trying to not be called short stuff."

He was having a better time now though. "So what now then? You got any more plans for the day?"

"That's a smart way of looking at it. Happy to back you up, big guy." Kikyo replied with a quiet chuckle, taking a few steps away from the stall while glancing around for something else that would draw her attention. She glanced back at Goto, flashing him another smirk.

"Hehe...that's fair. I am short, though. So, I think the metaphor worked for the situation, hmm? Oh, but, yeah. As for plans, I don't particularly have any plans. I suppose I could get some sweets or something, but I'm not really hungry. Was there anything you wanna do, Goto?" Kikyo's smirk returned, her lip curling up ever so slightly to show a bit of teeth in an uncharacteristically mischievous expression.

"Well that depends. What do I always wanna do… Well, I like games. Can't really do that. I like girls so. There's that. Doubt you're looking to help there. Um… I don't know. I heard there was a fire works show later. Could do that I guess. Haven't seen Agi or any of the rest of the gang for a while. And I heard Haya wasn't planning on sticking around for it. So I guess if you've got nothing else to do, we could kill time 'til then."

"Hmm…" Kikyo tapped her fingertip against her lips, pondering on the ideas offered. She couldn't help but smirk at him at his mention of liking girls and of course his addendum in regards to her not looking to help. That was a fair guess. Didn't mean she couldn't find amusement from it.

"I mean, you never know unless you ask, right?" Kikyo asked, sticking her tongue out at him again before turning towards where she was told the fireworks would be going on.

"Fireworks sound great though, right? Let's go!" With that, the young woman reached back and grabbed hold of his sleeve, making sure to avoid his injured hands and began to move off towards their destination. As they approached it appeared that the festivities had already begun, with colorful flashes lighting up the sky.

Goto nodded hearing her agree. "Cool, I understa- whoa wait!" He tried to keep his balance as she pulled him along. Once they were there, Goto looked down at her as she watched the fireworks. Seeing her smile like that, well he felt his own lips curl too. And instead of watching those fireworks, he found himself watching Kikyo. Fireworks were kinda lame anyway. They didn't even destroy anything.

But as Goto watched her, he noticed something. The day that the walked back from the arcade, he swore he stood on the same she as he scar, but now… he wasn't. But he was still on the same side. Wait did that mean?...

He didn't want to ruin the moment. Instead he just shook his head and watched the fireworks. This was still nice he guessed.

One the show had ended, Goto looked back at Kikyo. "You're not the original, are you?" He looked at her from the side, his eyebrows raised.

Kikyo watched the fireworks with a sense of glee. It wasn't something she was really accustomed to seeing. In fact, she'd only seen a display like this a couple of times. Her eyes would occasionally glance over at Goto, who she had realized wasn't really watching the fireworks. In fact, he was watching her rather curiously. Still, she wouldn't let it dissuade her from enjoying the show, or his company. As the last of the bursts ended, she cocked her head at an angle and looked up at him from the side, her smile again curving into more of a mischievous smirk.

"Huh? Why, Goto, whatever do you mean? It's me, really!...okay, you got me…" Kikyo's smirk shifted into a full grin, followed again by the playful teasing gesture she had taken to employing.

…"what gave it away?" Kikyo asked quietly, her voice shifting from smooth and innocent to light and playful.

"Seriously, though, I hope you're not offended. It's just nice to stretch my legs and spread out sometimes, you know? Besides, this way I get to spend time with more of my classmates at a time. You're not mad are ya?"

Goto just shook his head with a sigh. "No, no I'm not mad…" wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her in close. "But that's not going to stop me from getting you back you little shit!" He tightened his hold with one arm as his other hand reached her head. He may not be able to hold things super well, but these mitts were still able to give one hell of a noogie. He pressed the hand into her hair and started rubbing it back and forth messing her hair up a whole bunch.

"Not gonna make a fool outta me like that again!" He shouted. Playfully of course. There was something sorta nice about this. He imagined this was what having a younger sister might have been like. "Still think I'm not scary now?" He taunted.

Kikyo squeaked as she was grabbed, crying out from his devastating noogie attack. The pressure didn't really hurt, but it was definitely uncomfortable. "Aaaahhh! Whyyyyy?!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled in vain to escape the larger boy's grasp. "You're meeeean!" Kikyo cried out while flailing her fists harmlessly against his chest as though she were struggling for dead life to escape.

"Okay, okay! You're super scary. Now stooop!" Kikyo's crocodile tears streamed down her face as she continued to struggle until he let go, allowing her to step away and straighten up while rubbing her head. Her pained expression slowly faded into an irritated pout, her arms crossing in front of her chest.

"Hmph. I guess it was mean of me to do that, so, maaaaaybe I deserved that. But, I won't let you catch me in one of your evil noogies again!" Kikyo huffed indignantly, averting her gaze while making a fierce and irritated expression, closing her eyes and tilting her head upward. She held that pose for a few seconds, then slowly opened her eyes to sneak a peek at Goto, her expression slowly melting back into her playful smirk.

Goto broke out laughing as she whined and complained. He hadn't planned on letting her go so easily, but when she started hitting him he relented "Ow okay okay!" Still, he was laughing. It was funny seeing this version of her, who had painted itself as some mischievous mastermind caught off guard like that.

"Yeah you deserved it. Don'tchu think that acts gonna work on me, I don't give a shit what people think of me." He chided. "I'll pull you in for another right now. Whatcha gonna do, run from me?"

This was strange. This version of her seemed so different. Goto didn't know her all too well, but he was fairly certain the original might have started crying by now. But here she was, playfully playing along. "Hey, um. How are you gonna feel after everything is done? Like the other part of you. She's… You're not gonna be upset are you?"

Kikyo took a fake fighting stance as he threatened her, the expression on her face shifting quickly into one of fierce determination. Which quickly melted into another giggle fit. "Yeah, yeah, big guy. You're super scary and such an edgy boy to our classmates. Psh…"

The young woman chided him with another quiet laugh, shaking her head before he took a more serious tone, causing her to raise a brow at him with a curious look. "Hmm? Oh...I mean, I don't think so? I'll feel fine. At worst she'll just be bothered by the sensation for a moment. But, i've had a lot of fun with you tonight, Goto. I think the good will significantly outweigh that little bit, ya know?"

Kikyo smiled politely at him, taking a step back toward him to pat his arm. "Don't worry, big guy. You've been great tonight. I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, though."

"Wait so like, does that mean you're not the same person? You're not like a small part of her?" He voiced a concern that he didn't even know he had until just now. How could he know two versions of the same person? Would he ever see this one again? And if so, what about the other?

Kikyo's nose scrunched up at his question as it did whenever she was puzzled and had to try and think hard about something. She pondered for a moment on how to answer his questions. "Uhm, well, it's a little complicated, ya know? Like, I AM her, and she is me. We're the same person, just, I don't know, different parts? The best way we've been able to describe is it that whenever she splits, she being the prime, her psyche, her mind is fragmented and split between us. For the most part it just causes different personality traits, thoughts, ideas, stuff like that, to come to the surface, right? So, I may be a bit more rambunctious or something, because that's the part of her that i'm reflecting. I'm still the same girl." Kikyo spoke slowly, as though she were still thinking about how she wanted to express the concept, and as though she were still uncertain herself.

"Oh! So, imagine that you're holding a magnifying glass, and rather than just looking at me as a whole, you're looking at me through the glass, magnifying certain parts of me so they're more pronounced. It's still just ME, but different parts of me. Does that make sense?" Kikyo asked with a quizzical smile.

The blue haired speedster crossed his arms and closed an eye trying to imagine the picture she had described. It was all really complicated. "I guess it makes sense a little… Graaah it's too complicated… but like I guess if you're a part of her, it's a part I wouldn't mind seeing more…" He was still thinking, not actively focusing on the possible implications of what he said. Just what was slowly working through his mind.

Kikyo's smile grew, though she still looked a little bummed that he wasn't quite getting it. "I know it's weird, but that's my life. It...it would be nice to see more of you too, big guy. I had a nice time tonight. We should do this again soon."

Kikyo stepped up to him, her smile broadening as she patted his arm again before walking off passed him. "Take care of that lion, okay? And more importantly, yourself. Gotta rest up your injuries so you'll get better. See ya soon?" She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his cheek, giving him a chaste kiss before walking off, humming contently to herself.

Goto was still thinking about it, his little gears doing their best. "Yeah, sure." He said dismissively, not really paying much attention to her. That made that sudden act of affection stand out. He opened his eyes, and watched as she walked off. That's weird. He wasn't watching her ass-sets. Her assets. As she walked off. What did he just not find her attractive?

Now he had even more confusing thoughts to work on. And what the hell was he supposed to do with this? He looked at the stuffed lion in his hands. He looked straight into its emotionless, blank gaze. "Alright I'll take you home..." He said with a sigh (as if it were begging him to come back with him) and tucking it under his arm. Guess it was time to get going. He hoped none of the boys would hear about this. They'd just try and force their help on him.

-------

Kikyo sighed to herself as she left the fireworks show. At this point it was getting late, and she was growing tired. Even only creating one reflection to help divide up her time was exhausting. She yawned, making her way back to the dorm. After a few minutes of meandering, she made it to her room and sat on her bed, pondering on what her clone had been up to, especially since she hadn't returned yet. After another few minutes she laid down in her bed, now fully prepared for bed in her usual sleep attire, eyes drifting closed. She had almost passed out when she felt a familiar sensation of her experiences catching up to her, the images and sensations rushed into her mind.

Kikyo's eyes shot open, her cheeks turning a bright crimson as she brought her fingertips up to her lips. "Oh...oh my...what?" She muttered to herself, pondering over not just the implications, but at the bit of fluttering in her chest and the urge to laugh at the recollection.

"This is going to be interesting. I wonder how he'll react next time I see him. Ugh, what am I getting myself into?" Kikyo whispered as she looked to the window in her room, then to her dresser, where she could all too easily imagine a small stuffed lion sitting on the corner.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

Play Stupid Games Win Stupid Prizes (Amon's "Date")

As Amon would be out, and about during the festival little did he know there was someone just sorta watching him eyeing him a bit before going straight for him. Their footsteps would be so silent that as soon as they were in the range there were easily able to swoop their hand around Amon's so silent it would take a moment to register the physical contact.

"You look like fun you're from class seven right," a girl with a white mop-top of a haircut, and rather festive clothing asked. She was wearing a white shirt covered by a green over cloak with semi-lengthed sleeves, and a long back hiding her feminine features leaving her face to be the only thing to somewhat be used to identify gender. On top of that were tanned pants riddled with beads well sown in making for a beautiful array of spiritualism perhaps. She had a bit of makeup on lifting her smooth features. With piercing yellow eyes she smiled gingerly at him like a cat who had caught its prey.

"...Hello...ma'am? Have...Have we met before?" It wasn't like Amon didn't know anyone from other classes, such as that girl named Shoko, although not extremely familiar with everyone from the school he was pretty sure he'd never seen this person before. Despite this, he can't help but feel like he's seen this strange newcomer at some point in his life, there's that air of familiarity one can't put their finger on to her, which is utterly unsettling for Amon. He wasn't Yori, it's not like he had tens of thousands of people who knew him but he does not know.

"I am. Class seven that is. Are you looking for someone? Something?" That inquiry was also rather strange, knowing of the class numbers implied this was a student from the school, yet in Amon's memory there wasn't anyone who even remotely resembled her. Perhaps it's the clothes or accessories, it was rare to see students outside of their class out of uniform.

"Nope we haven't met properly, but I have seen you around," she smiled giving a peaceful smile along with a peace sign. She took out a lollipop poping it in as she held onto him walking with him as if they had known each other forever.

"So care to meet "properly"," she asked with a sweet tease popping out the lollipop for a second with a big cutsy smile.

"I am looking for you silly you have been on the news making a name catching quite the hype train and such with your classmates. So there must be something neat about ya, and I wanna know more," she expressed.

"I see." Amon crossed his arms and tapped his chin a bit, seemingly lost in thought. He found it to be slightly strange that someone could find which school (or even knows that he is a student) and which class he is from just by hastily cut together news coverage with blurry enlarged footage. "I never expected I would have...a fan, per say." Red eyes narrowed a bit as Amon spoke, he was wary of how someone outside of the school could get so much information on him.

"It must have taken a great deal of effort to track me down, I don't know what about me makes you feel that the effort is worth it, but I suppose I'll appreciate this." While I can. Of course there's no guarantee that something would go wrong, but it's best to tread with caution. At the very least he could avoid upsetting a girl who seems to be fond of him.

"Ah, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm usually different on and off duty. It's quite common amongst heroes actually."

"Hmm," she hummed aloud as he rubbed his chin. Chuckling a bit as he seemed to be absent in his thoughts while they walked. She did laugh at the fan bit though pulling Amon over to a particular cork gun stale.

"I wouldn't say I am a fan yet we are both students so I would say rival is a better fit at the moment. Alright, show me what you got. Go for the jar with the charm bracelets," she chimed in excitement finally letting go of his hand as she gave him a bit of space sitting next to him with one hand for her chin to rest on while the other patted him on the back as she paid for the game.

"Not really I go to this school silly I am in class 3 Kioni Obinoto," she giggled at his obvious drilling for information.

"I know how about a game every time you miss I get to ask a personal question, every time you hit you get to ask me one," she challenged.

"I see I see, I wonder why you see me as a rival, I don't think I've done much of note since my arrival." That was mostly a genuine statement, unlike some more show-y members of his class, Amon was a pragmatic fighter, his antics were often not the most amusing to look at regardless of effectiveness. He was a bit startled when the strange girl grabbed his hand and dragged him around, he erred on the side of politeness and let her do it.

"Oh? Is this an icebreaker? It's hard to come across someone so eager...well, you'd understand if you've seen the girls in my class." With a shrug Amon said casually, this was a big school and perhaps it was normal for him to not recognize some students from other classes. Speaking of drilling for information, this girl was coming on stronger than he expected. "I suppose you know that aiming isn't exactly my specialty, how sneaky…" Propping up the cork gun Amon did his best to take aim at the jar, the bullet flew across the stand and managed to graze the jar on the side, making a strange rubbery sound. With a shrug he looked at the girl, "Close enough?"

To be honest, Amon had no idea what he wanted to ask, everything was so vague that all questions seemed useful and useless at the same time. He paused for a while to think of something, it shouldn't be too daring...but not too pointless either...The weird air of familiarity still bothered him, and thus Amon came to a seemingly logical conclusion.

"...You have any siblings?"

"Everyone here is a rival silly all competition to one another you just happen to be getting the most unique stuff happening to you it seems at the moment," Kioni pointed out placing her lollipop back in her mouth as she watched him prep.

"Heh, well not every girl is gonna be a sweet little sunflower-like me," she teased nudging Amon with her elbow softly with a cute look, and a wink to add in effect. She cheered for him as he grazed the jar making it rattle just a tad bit.

"I am a single child," she answer straight to the point pointing her hand right at Amon's heart and pretending to fire a shot as she was clearly having fun.

"I suppose my class has been through a lot, it's just that compared to my classmates I haven't had that much happen. I didn't even get hospitalized yet." Amon realized how that statement might have sounded to someone outside of their class, hopefully, he didn't paint a bad picture of his peers to a basically stranger.

"That's nice, though I heard it can be kind of lonely too." As he aimed the next shot Amon half-heartedly commented on the answer, he was an only child too, though he had some distant relatives. But his loneliness in his childhood had nothing to do with that. Pulling the trigger, trying to shift over a little from his last shot, it appears that talking between shots didn't do great for aim. "Perhaps it's harder to aim while you talk." He commented, not seeming too down about it. Whatever 'personal' question this girl can ask, as long as it's personal it shouldn't be a huge deal.

"Hey that's a good thing it means you're careful, or smart both of which are good attracting traits," Kioni complimented Amon as she was trying to cheer him up spinning in her chair to cheer him on to take another shot.

"Awww is that sincerity for me," she teased as he seemed to miss his second shot while in the throughs of conversation.

"Are you seeing anyone," she asked a rather basic question equal to his with a face that hid why she had asked something so bare-boned.

Amon may have choked on the air for a second when she asked that question, he was a little dense sometimes but this was too obvious. Whether it was serious or just a tease didn't even matter, he doesn't know this girl, and this girl barely knows him. "Uh...No. I'm not." The boy mumbled after the facts reconvenged in his brain and managed to be processed. "That is indeed personal...Are you the type who's into gossip…" He said a bit defeatedly.

Attempting to aim again Amon took a deep breath trying to calm himself down, now that he knows this girl seems to just be one of the gossipy types, he somehow felt less stressed. With a flick of his finger a bullet hit the jar, though it bounced off the side once more, only moving it a little. He thought about some questions, though it was still quite difficult.

"What about you then? Ever been in a relationship yourself?"

Kioni immediately giggled at Amon choke up at the questions though it turned into a rather serious look at his implication for her question… she clearly didn't like what he was suggesting. In fact, her look turned from the bubble, and sweet to piercing and unamused.

"I am not here to waste my time on something stupid like a drone slave to the media gossip is moronic, and does no one good," she responded as she adjusted her cloak jacket as she leaned forward returning to her original bubbly look.

"I am here cause I am interested in you nothing more nothing less," she smiled a little devilishly.

"No I have honestly never met anyone I have had even the slightest interest in… well except for right now even though he assumed something rather harsh without knowing me at all," she stung a little back on him.

"Alright alright I'm sorry, it's not like girls are interested in me a lot, I already said the ones in my class are super super weird." Perhaps his word choice was a little harsh, some people would hate to be accused of being a gossiper, probably more so if it was a stranger. "It's just that you're coming onto me but I never knew you, so it's...sort of hard to figure out what's going on?" Amon wasn't the type who believed in love at first sight, but it's more so that he's never given it any real thought since he wasn't cynical enough to totally dismiss it...yet.

He aimed again, now slowly getting into the rhythm of it. The jar moved a little more when the bullet deflected off of its surface. "So...what exactly made you interested in me…? I mean, was there this, specific thing or event?" Amon asked, now a bit more awkwardly while searching through his memories about something impressive enough he's done that could get someone to instantly fall for him, to no avail.

"No worries I was a little rude myself… I apologize for that outburst I have a… bad past with people assuming things," she admitted as she calmed down with a soft sigh. He explained his stance which was extremely understandable in full honesty.

"Heh, never had anyone interested in you before I take it. So I can wagger your a completely innocent snow pea," Kioni teased.

"That's rather cute actually I would say would you like to change that, buuuutttt its quite clear you don't plan to give me much leeway yet," she smiled clearly not dissuade, but not going to force anything. Though as he asked his question she leaned against him watching his method for aiming.

"Honestly out of everyone else you seem the most genuine. Like someone willing to give anyone a chance even if they don't deserve it," she answered.

"...If they don't...deserve it?" Amon repeated back the words Kioni said last quietly underneath his breath, does this mean she thinks she doesn't deserve a chance? He wondered what made her say that, though it seems best not to pry at the moment. A lot of things went through his head, when the girl showed a more serious demeanor that sense of familiarity came back, perhaps she was acting so differently from another fleeting meeting they've had that she's basically a different person.

"Innocence is a nice way to put it, most people would just say dense, or fear of commitment, or just problematically unattractive." Amon wasn't an unconfident person by any means, but he knew he had a few inevitable human flaws he had to deal with eventually. "I suppose you could say that, I still deeply love someone who once tried to kill me." Although that is my mother. It was something he left out, after all, not even his father or closest friends knew, it wasn't something to be shared with someone on a first meeting even if they are interested in him.

The next bullet narrowly missed, Amon can feel his scar tingle a little, or perhaps it's the added weight on his side (he briefly thought about calling the girl out for cheating, but decided that was too petty). He always felt down when he thought of his mother, what a pointless and stupid thing to do. "Sounds intense, but you should know there's no shortage of people who'll try to kill you in this line of work."

"I think innocents is the honest way to put it I think your pretty smart, and I dont think you fear commitment as to say maybe dont understand it," she implied surprisingly defending him from himself she did go silent, and listened intently to what he had to say not extremely reacting to it like most would.

"I am sorry to hear that do you talk to them still," she asked out of the game if he felt comfortable talking about it if not she understood as it was not her game question.

"True this is a rather dangerous line of work. Alright my turn hmmm. Would you be interested in going out with some if they gave you enough time to get comfortable with them," she asked teasingly as she rubbed on him a little before leaning away.

"They're somewhere I can't go to now, so even if I wanted to, I'll have to work for it." Amon closed one eye and tried to line his finger with the jar, preparing for the last shot.

"Going out with someone? Sure, it's a normal part of life isn't it? I've got a friend who's dating, it's not such a big deal." Although he never gave the topic much thought, it somehow became a positive, as Amon didn't really get stressed about this sort of thing anyways. Perhaps it's his mother's French blood inside of him, notions of 'romance' or whatever came pretty naturally, at least compared to what usually goes on with the Japanese.

Now a little more used to the predicament and after doing some surveying, Amon took the last shot, finally knocking the jar off of the shelf after several attempts of displacing it. "Phew…" It was a little close, but at least he got it. "...Oh yeah, last question huh…" The stuff they been asking each other has obviously been steered in a certain direction, and at this point Amon understood this Kioni girl's stance and goal decently.

"Well since you seem to be pretty clear on what you want already, guess I'll ask something else?" He stood around pondering while watching the stall worker wrap up the bracelet. "Ah right, you said you thought of me as a rival, and you're in this hero program and all, what type of quirk do you have?" With a smile, Amon thought it was a nice way to dispel the awkwardness of (what he thinks probably is) some sort of confession. He even raised up his tail and showed the red glowing energy is generated, "mine's is like this, it's a pretty common energy type haha, I once had to fight an energy manipulator, that was a tough one."

"OH well I hope when you can you do keeping something like that bottled… is bad for you," she seemed to float in her own mind for a second as she left him alone to take his final shot, and upon victory, she clapped for him cheering for him like a legit cheerleader jumping off her seat doing a small victory rally dance for him as she halted at his question.

"I knew you had it in you," she gave him a big smile as he asked his final reward question she smiled as he showed off his quirk she watched it with genuine interest before stretching out her hands prepping to show off her quirk. With a quick sweep of her hand, quite a few purple marbles appeared in her fingers swirling them around as they turned into a lavender-like color clearly fueled by energy.

"Basic gist my quirk is an amplifier I can converge power into things and when I throw them in any way shape or form they turn into bullets I can also overwhelm my opponent with energy burning them out," she chimed as the ball turned back to regular purple color.

"Oh oh, that's interesting, also an energy type huh? Those truly are pretty common." The colour and the way the small orbs flared up with energy was pretty mesmerizing, Amon stared at them for a while, noting the swirling and flickering of the energy wrapping around the objects.

"I see, that seems more fluid than mine, your energy I mean. It can coat around things like a liquid, I can only construct solids, though I do pride myself on making stuff other than weapons, khehe." The small red glow that protruded from Amon's tail folded around and generated a construct that looked like a red polygonal rendition of an origami crane.

"Overwhelm? As in like, cover them?" The second half of Kioni's quirk description was also interesting, it made sense that if this energy could be coated on objects, it would be coated on people too. "I can cover people with my constructs too, but it's more for defense. I used it to defend myself while in the air, or before an explosion, or when I needed to jump out of a moving car or something. It's super convenient, I pulled it out almost every mission." Amon took a trip down memory lane about all the missions he did after joining Suppression, the only one where he didn't was the escort mission on the highway...because the villain he fought protected him...with some sort of splash of liquid-like energy…

"Th-...i-...-s...-ust a...cidence...o-…" That...is this just a coincidence...or...Amon seemed very lost in thought for a moment as he mumbled something completely incoherent.

"Just a what now," Kioni asked curiously sneaking up on Amon with her face close to his to study what he was up to and saying. She giggled at his questions on her quirk that he ended up answer himself.

"So shall we go get some food," she asked.

"Oh! Uh...It's nothing, it's just that...You reminded me of someone I knew for a second, that's all." They have the same hair colour and styling, somewhat similar stature...or maybe it's the clothes. Amon dismissed the idea of trying to get...a girl he just met to take off her clothes, that sounds like a dumpster fire waiting to be started. Even if he did suspect her of being an enemy and possibly spying on him, it won't be the most improbable thing that's happened in this class. And even if his guesses were true, exposing them right now might be dangerous for him and the others.

"And sure, have anything you prefer? Sweet or savory? Japanese style? Chinese? Western?" Half forcing a smile Amon replied to Kioni, still pretty unsure what to do in the long run.

"You look like you just had a dirty thought. Alright, my knight in shining armor with a swordtail let us fetch something western style," Kioni teased as she placed her lollipop back in her mouth once again grasping his hand as if they were on a date as they continue on their date. Regardless it was clear she was having fun on the matter rather than dicing Amon's theory on her being a threat by any means in the way he sought to find it.

"So your tail sounds so cool is it all rubbery and stuff though," she asked waving her free hand like a noodle.

"...Y-Yeah, okay…" Letting himself get dragged by the girl Amon said a bit defeatedly, this was one heck of a situation, hopefully, no one from the class sees this or he'd have a lot of explaining to do. "Anything specific in mind or are you one of those…'whatever' types…" He asked while they walked.

"It's...not really rubber, it's more carbon fiber? Steel? I can move it because of this energy I produce that affects it." He tried to explain his quirk's functionalities, which he wasn't too sure if he's done a good job of, theories like that was always Amon struggled with.

"So has anyone tried to bite it or cut it off before," she asked curiously surprisingly getting his explanation on the first go. She clearly had energy quirk logic down which wasn't shocking given her quirk. Seemed she had a good understanding of science as well as she continued.

"So it's always malleable due to the constant energy flow that's cool so it must have no nerves than I bet," she took a stab in the dark. Letting him go as she grabbed his tail gentle and felt it.

"Surprise me," she winked at his food question before returning to inspect his tail.

"Well, yeah? Of course, you can cut it off with enough force, it's not like I'm invincible, but that's only happened once before and it does grow back...actually I think it never stopped growing for my whole life, I haven't really kept track of it." Thinking back on his childhood and early hero courses, it wasn't something that occurred to Amon a lot to think about, as long as it's enough for his use then there's no need to mind it.

Amon never liked other people poking around with his tail, even if it was a friend or someone he's known for years. A basic stranger being this interested wasn't the most riveting thing for him. He tried his best to ignore the whole ordeal going on and decided to think about the street food stalls. At least this gives him an excuse to not be dragged around anymore.

Eventually, the boy would arrive at a conclusion: a western-style pastry stand with a few strange squiggle-shaped pastries displayed in the front. "...One sea salt baked soft pretzel please, and one chocolate sauce." He asked the student running the stall, who looked at him slightly weirdly for asking for such a combo. As he was handed the pastry Amon put the freshly warmed soft pretzel into Kioni's hand along with the chocolate sauce. "In Europe a lot of pâtissiers put salt in their chocolate, maybe it sounds weird to you, but it's something beloved there." He wondered if giving something chocolate to a girl on the first meeting is too callous, but seeing what's already happened it appears that anything goes at this point.

"Huh," Kioni responded mulling over what Amon said as she was handed the strange food combo tilting her head like a confused dog as she considered whether, or not she was going to try it. Though with her curiosity piqued she attempted the combo dipping the pretzel in the chocolate, and found it rather…

"I dont hate it," she honestly answered dipping it again to take a smaller nibble before tearing off a none bitten piece dipping it into the chocolate, and raising it to Amons mouth watching him to see when he would open up for her to deliver the treat.

"That's nice, there's a lot of things that are acquired tastes…" Amon's voice trailed off as he saw the next course of action the girl took. It was one of those things that he's only seen in those weird romance dramas, which usually didn't happen on the first meeting. His mind was mostly occupied by the question 'what should I do?', looks like that sensation wasn't going to go away for awhile.

"Uh, Kioni-san, isn't this a little too...I mean if someone from my class saw they'll never let me…" Yes, Amon had legitimate concerns, and no shortage of them either. But he looked down at the other who was slightly shorter, before sighing defeatedly, closing his eyes and opening his mouth.

"What were becoming friends this is things friends do is it not," Kioni countered with a pouty face at Amon's silly absurdity as if being with her like this made him look weird or out of place to the world. She did laugh at Amon worrying about his friends.

"So you surrender to peer pressure, and judgment how unexpected," Kioni responded with an amused look different than their bubble faces up to this point. However, it returned to a bubbly output as Kioni dropped the piece in Amon's mouth.

"Alright fine I'll dial it down a notch mister sensitive," she nodded taking a step away from him as he made his concerns known by his actions or words.

"Ok, listen, Kioni-san, I get it if you say you're interested in me, or want to hang out with me or whatever, but there are boundaries I like to keep, with friends or with strangers." Amon sighed, whether or not this girl was actually to be suspected, there are some things he prefers to make clear lest he gets accused of leading her on.

"I'm not saying I want to dismiss you or I don't want to be friends with you, but people have personal space and standards, even if you're trying to be nice some people might not like it. There's plenty of people like that in my class, they're clearly troubled and need help, but I can tell that trying to help them would just make them even more uncomfortable. And sure, call me sensitive but we really need to take a step back." Amon crossed his arms and said in a slightly more stern fashion, he wasn't the type to let a girl he just met push him around that much. Besides, it was unknown if this girl truly liked him or wanted to flirt with him, or had other motives.

"Yes, but if you are unwilling to step out of those boundaries how do you plan to experience what you may never know," Kioni asked with puffed-up cheeks yet she let it go with a sigh as this was starting to ruin her fun.

"Standards hah whatever hold to the rules all you want just another tool waiting to happen," She mumbled clearly upset by his response whatever was causing her sudden temper was out of Amon's zone to guess.

"And how you plan to help anyone if you can't see beyond such a narrow view of it," she mulled walking away in frustration.

Amon sighed again with a defeated smile, maybe Goto was right, girls were a handful to deal with. "We've met for less than an hour, miss." It was strange that the girl was levying these vague moral accusations on him, almost as if she's witnessed him closely in situations other than this one before. "Perhaps wait until the third date before judging whether or not someone is a tool?" He responded still with a faint smile, in some ways she was cuter when trying to sulk.

"I don't know what this has to do with helping people...am I helping you right now? In regards to what, if I might ask." That last comment was strange too, maybe it was a common insult amongst hero students to question each other's ability to help others, but strange nonetheless.

"A third date implies you plan to give me a second one," she grinned halting in her tracks twisting with a perfect about-face towards Amon with a big smile on their face as well as a sly look of victory as she mosied on back over to him.

"Hm fair enough and I will apologize for invading your quoted "Personal space"," she teased with air quotations with a smile.

"Help me? Heh strange thing to say, and even stranger to do what do you want from me in turn I wonder," she teased.

"What...You're the one that said I can't help anyone, and now you say I'm strange for asking what this has to do with helping people…" Amon resisted the urge to facepalm, he might have his issues when it comes to communicating but this girl just loves to talk in circles. She might make a good politician, though probably not villainous enough.

"Aren't you a hero student? Didn't we sign up for this job because we want to help people without needing to ask for things in return...or at least not from the people we help personally considering the government pays us? You sure are cynical for someone in the system..." Amon commented, almost off-handedly returning the sly smile as if trying to say something more.

"Pffftttt you really need to work on realizing when someones teasing you," Kioni fought back a stifled laugh as she walked up to him patting him on the shoulder mutually as she then took a step back.

"Not like that's uncommon a lot of heroes do this for the fame and money after all, and there are cynics everywhere to be fair. Besides your pretty cynical yourself it seems," she pointed out blocking his jab with a factual point.

"Anywho let us continue our playdate shall we," she beamed excitedly.

"Well...I did mention that nice government paycheck, didn't I…Right." A little mentally exhausted at the girl's antics Amon muttered and decided to just continue going along with it for as long as he can.

……………………………….

It was sometime after the festival as Amon hopped around a crowd on school grounds, throwing out a few 'excuse me' and 'sorry coming through' as he tried to make some leeway.

"Ah, excuse me, you are from class 3, right?" He asked after finally finding a student who fitted the bill. "Do you know where Kioni Obinoto was during the school festival?"

The student blinked a few times. "Kioni was...I think she said she went home for it, a few people said they saw her around but maybe they were just mistaken, or it was someone who looks like her." The class three student explained, before pointing over to another part of the campus. "If you as her yourself it should be a more reliable answer."

"Is that so...thank you then." Amon thanked the student and headed down to the school entrance. The check-in and check-out attendance does show Kioni Obinoto's absence during the day and around the time of the school festival. The check-in time was still fresh, and Amon was able to catch the girl with a small luggage bag heading back to her class' dorms.

"...Excuse me, Kioni...san? My name is Amon Deakaha, I saw you during the school festival."

"Um did you hit your head or something Deakaha-san cause while I recognize your face I wasnt at the festival," she said taking a step back with a timid nature clearly on her face, not in fear, but clearly a reel back to how close he had gotten to her as if they were friends all of a sudden.

"I was visiting my grandparents in Nagasaki," she explained, and now that Amon was close he would notice she suddenly seemed a lot shorter, and a bit more feminine in figure than how she looked that night.

"Um if you will excuse me Deakaha-san I have to get to my dorm to unpack," she apologized with a polite bow before running off to her class.

"I see...I must have gotten the wrong person then, sorry." Quickly Amon apologized to the girl and left her to her business. Pointed ears perked a little as he listened to her voice, it was a bit different from the one last night, a bit more pitched, and her face, her body type...not to mention that she was actually on school grounds during the times of the festival.

Back at his own dorm room the battle report from a few weeks ago given to him by Amano was still sitting on one of the shelves, he had put it there after flipping through it. He grabbed it again and looked through all the images and available information inside. There was no mistaking it now.

"Is this what they meant by 'play stupid games, win stupid prizes'?" Amon half-heartedly said to himself as he tossed the documents aside.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Daich and Isa a brief meeting

Having finished her initial songs a couple later on, Isa find a drink machine during this break and gets an iced mocha coffee, purchasing the can and opening it, she takes a gulp pausing to think of what she should do for now, she hadn't had a chance to view everything just yet.

After rocking out and hyped up from Isa's performance, Daichi ran up to his friend with a huge grin on his face. "Holy shit Isa that was kickass! I didn't know you played!?" Not knowing proper social distancing, he pulled her into a hug just in pure excitement. "You were so good! RAGE ON PRISTINE BEAT!" Pulling away from a hug Daichi played air guitar on his chest before giggling from excitement.

Isa wasn't like most other people at least, she didn't really mind the hug and laughed in reply before giving a shrug. "You didn't know I play the drums up on the roof and scream at times?.. Huh, no you are on the ground floor, you likely wouldn't know would yah?"

With that thought in mind she pats him on the back and grins. "So what you up too Daichi, manything neat in the festival other than yours truly? Keheheh!"

"You- uh your band was the first thing I checked out actually!" and was it a great start to the festival, he was already pumped and his excitement for the rest of the festival was what kept him from relaxing. "Well I don't know if you checked it all out yet but would you wanna go with me? Honestly I don't even know where to start, it's huge!"

"Well no shit, it was the opening act." She says, sticking her tongue out in taunting. Listening to his request she grins. "Eh sure! Why not, I got just a bit before I'm back on stage though, so I'll be exploring the festival bit by bit. Uh, I dunno where to start either though, anything you wanted to do exactly, like snacks, a show, some arts and crafts?"

"Hey, you are the one that asked." Daichi sassed back clearly in a joking way. "Well we can't have you miss that! We better go fast, I do love some crafts, so how about we start there?" As the oldest of his household while living on a farm, Daichi would often distract his siblings with arts and crafts, oddly something he enjoyed. "After you m'lady…" He gestured his arm towards the festival, letting his friend go first.

"Heh, don't worry about that, I'll take my time with it. Who knows maybe I'll be the boys choice of hang out partner!" She says with a haughty laugh for a bit before leading them off. Looking at the various stalls there were some with Origami, Mask crafting and a few with painting or weaving. "So which one, farm boy?"

Walking along with Isa, he began to realize how comfortable he was with her, usually with most others he felt like he had to be a different way to fit in, but with her it was just natural. "Like I'd let that happen!" Daichi laughed along with her while following her lead until they made it to the craft area. "Y'know I don't actually got a mask, you think I could work a kitsune?"

"Huh you as a fox boy? Maybe, could be nice, though no fair if you already got a mask, though guess I shouldn't hide myself from the world! Keheheh!"

Daichi chuckled back at Isa before pondering what she said. "Y'know you got a point, imagine how much harm I will cause by not showing my gorgeous face!"

The two sat down at the booth and each given their own mask to decorate, Daichi, choosing the fox mask, pondered what to paint on it before looking over at Isa. "So whatcha gonna do? Ooh! What about something that matches your metal band theme?"

"Eh?" Isa for herself had a kishin mask, she was already painting it in the motifs of her outfit and hair. Red, black and white. "Ah I'm already ahead of yah! Though hopefully I got enough time for it to dry, I might wear it to my next singing."

Daichi took a gaze over at Isa's mask painting and was thrilled to see how good it was already looking. "That already looks great! Who knew you could look even more kickass!" There was no hiding how cool he thought Isa was, not like he was someone who hid feelings well anyway.

Going back to his own painting, he was having the time of his life putting his artistic ability to work, already he had painted a semi realistic set of teeth with fangs to intimidate the villains he may face, as well as starting to dart the eyes to emphasis the monstrous mask.

"You know I'm glad you were the first person I met moving into the dorm, you gotta be the coolest person I know." He gave her a genuine smile, always one to appreciate everything he had and earned.

"Yours doesn't look half bad either." She says in reply to his own as she gets to the finishing touches of her own. "You know it's kinda fun doing these time to time. And heh, me? Cool? I know it! Kehahah!"

Giving him a thumbs up she thinks back to that day. "Yeah I kinda figured you were one of the new guys but I didn't know for sure, but you seem to be doing alright with the class yeah?"

"Heh thanks, my dad tried pushing me to go to art school, though his reasoning was mostly just to keep me away from hero school." He sure was overprotective but at least his love for his son conquered it. "Y'know maybe you could come to the farm sometime with me? Left most of my art supplies back at home so it would only make sense." Daichi let out a short chuckle to lighten the blow if she denied.

It was honestly great being at Suppression, he enjoyed the group dynamic better here than at U.A, plus his classmates were all friendly. "I really am loving it here, a lot better than my last class anyway.". "

"Huh?" Listening to him, he didn't strike her as an Artist as Isa nods in response. "Uh sure, I'm sure some of the others would like to help too! My grand parents place was a Farm too. Well still is? But huh, never figured you to be the artsy sort. And yeah? That's good!"

Daichi had to stifle a frown from Isa's response, maybe he should have been happy that she agreed either way but he was kinda hoping the two could just hang out again, why was he feeling this way?

"Oh awesome! We could definitely invite some others, though I don't know how much they would enjoy the farm life."

After a few more minutes of further details and painting Daichi was finally finished with his masterpiece. "Okay I am definitely wearing this in mission, how'd yours turn out?"

"Eh it's just picking up art stuff so it won't be too much of a bother yeah?" Isa says as she watches him paint, it still surprised her. "Ah? Oh. Our mission went alright, we got our asses handed to us a bit there, why we couldn't help the other teams. I got even with the Samurai fuck though. Still feel a bit sorry for what it was, I got cut up a bit but not as bad as before. Goto got his hands burned pretty bad, Kuroi didn't even get hit enough to matter and Vigridis got a few nails in her."

Well sure that wouldn't be the problem, at least not what he was worried about. "It must have been difficult, let alone finding out your friend was a traitor...were you both close?" After joining the class late he never got the chance to talk to her at all, though he was a little relieved.

"Hey how about we find one of those ball throw-y things, y'know the ones you hit the targets or whatever?"

"Huh?" Laughing a bit at that, Isa turns her head a little. "Won't no friend of mine, never did anything with her, figured she didn't like me, so why bother? Nah, you need to talk to the ones from UA, seemed more than a couple of em weren't surprised bout all this. If I were there I would have pounded her face in at the first chance. It's a pain in the ass trying ta make friends with everyone in the class, who's got the time?"

At his suggestion of a game she gives a nod. "Might as well, maybe they got one of those ball throw games out here, I've done shooting already."

It was relieving to know she wasn't close to Isa, the least thing he'd want was for her to feel betrayed. "My dad always used to say that you can always tell someone's character by their eyes, look deep enough and you'll see their intentions." It was something he believed too, just looking at Isa's he saw her strength and perseverance.

"Hey we are here to relax, no need to be reminded of work with all this entertainment!" Grabbing Isa by the wrist, Daichi dashed into the crowd and pulled her around until he eyed a colourful tent with small clown signs with targets in the back. "Ah there it is! Let's go!"

Getting pulled along by the boy, or rather allowing it, he seemed rather excited, nothing wrong with that was there? She thought to herself. Grinning at that and thinking about his eye remark, it wasn't the first time she heard that. At times in the positive at others not so much. He seemed to think the former at least.

"Haha! Fine, fine, I'm coming. Huh so you good at this?" She asks as the reach the small tint with the clowns, was this one of those dunking booths or just some of the bottle targets? Either way they would try to rile them up she suspected.

"I mean I'm more infamous for my hand-to-hand combat but I've been known to hit a few skee balls in my day." Daichi eyed up all the prizes pinned to the wall ranging from stuffed animals to even posters. "So which one you want? You seem like the stuffed animal type?"

"Eh, I could take a stuffed animal for a change yeah? So you wanna try winning one eh?" Isa says with a grin looking at him in turn.

"Oh you are damn right." Daichi gave a cheeky grin back at her in response before turning back to the game. Sadly Daichi didn't do all that well on his first try but after a few attempts he was finally able to win a prize on the third shelf full of different stuffed animals.

"So m'lady which one you want?"

"Eh, let's see." Isa settles on what seemed to be a stuffed brown dog that was dressed up a bit like a Yakuza with an eyepatch, its 'fur' was brown and it had a tongue stuck out. It was something made by someone in the school rather than bought from a store, a simple little thing.

"Wanna get something for yourself though or me try my hand at winning you some'thin?"

"Great choice, suits your style well." Daichi looked down at his phone to check the time to make sure they wouldn't be late for her next performance, thankfully they still had a few minutes before she had to get back.

"You know what I would be honored if you won me something." Daichi gestured over at the worker who then brought over three more balls. "Ready to show me up?"

"I dunno about showing you up, that was pretty good. But I think I can match it." With that Isa takes her own turn at the pitch, roughly scoring in the same region as he did but with different targets, oddly missing more than he did but hitting more of the high scorers.

"Heh. So what about you?" She says wondering what he would grab.

"Bravo Isa! How about that cute little fox up there?" The fox was a small stuffled orange and white plushy with a small smile which made Daichi fall for it even more. "Ah lovely! Seems like we bought enough time until your back on stage, how about we do this again sometime?"

"Keheheh! Sure! And a fox huh? Nothing wrong with that, but shoot, you're right! I need ta get going on back! Later Daichi!"

Meetings between students

In the aftermath of their operations, injuries were rathe extensive and even Mari had to stay in a bed for awhile. The situation was not ideal but they did have a win, removed an actor in bad faith and stopped a significant plot. It was all good.

Or so Mari should have and wanted to think, but she could not freely. With how scattered they all had been it was only a couple days later they all were summed together in one place, some injured others not so much, the inquiry hearing.

With that taken care of and a few grievances aired, Mari found her way back out into the halls as she stopped by one of the few windows in the gothic structure to take in a few rays of sunlight.

Amano was taking a break, finally finishing up her intense emotion and memory processing. Everything that was important was left, and the rest was trimmed away. As she stepped out, she caught sight of Mari bathing in the sun. Amano approached her.

"Hey Mari. Glad to see you got a break from all the extra work." She and Mari certainly had a lot to talk about. Amano didn't blame her for not letting her in on the secret, but she hoped that she could be someone that Mari could trust.

"Ah Amano.." Turning to look at the other she pauses for a bit. "Oh I'm sure I'll have even more work before this is all said and done. In fact I'm sure you are here for something more than a casual chit chat are you not?" Mari had known Amano for awhile now, the girl usually did not try being so sociable in her experience and she had some idea as to why. There was no harm in humoring the other at least.

Mari was as sharp as ever. Perhaps it was just obvious what she was thinking. "You're right. I've just been thinking a lot about everything that happened. I understand why so many of us were kept in the dark, myself especially." She was perhaps the most dangerous traitor.

"You made as good of a decision as you could at the time. But now that we know, I want to remind you that I'm here too. I'm your Vice President and also partially responsible for our class. If you still are hesitant to trust the class I understand. But if you can, I want to help keep everyone safe and put an end to this before it escalates beyond our scope."

"Amano I never expected you, but the risk was always there. If I'm honest I thought from the very start it was Vitalis, but I felt had I shared that you all would have stopped me, just as you all used to in UA and if it makes you feel any better or worse. I'm dating Agi and I didn't tell him either. It was also not my decision to make alone, all of the information the teams found was reviewed by the Principle and I. I'm not blaming her for the plan however, that was my choice as well and I willingly allowed the trap to be sprung."

Pausing for a bit and tightening her jaw, Mari shakes her head. "I just did not expect it to go so far or that one of the villains would make use of us all. More than a few of you didn't like what I did and it was far too volatile of a situation. I also don't think there is any one else to not trust here as of now.. Though there is one more secret that Ota-sensei will reveal in a week from today. I cannot promise that I can tell you the truth always after this, but I can promise I'll advise the group as a whole instead of leaving you all in the dark."

With a pause Mari continues. "I can say with the info we found from this past mission we may be dealing with things far more dangerous in short order. I won't send you all blind into that. Not again."

"You think I'm one to judge you? Mari, I think you did all you could. Anything else was being limited by the staff if I'm correct. Besides, I suggested things I'm not exactly proud of either." She sighed. Others in their class may have been irritated with Mari for what she did, but Amano wasn't anyone to talk. She was beginning to see that she may be more manipulative than she realized, as well as the effects it had on others.

"I didn't know about you and Agi though. I'm happy to hear that for you two, though… I'm not sure I want to be talking to him right now. I sorta got mad at him and exploded…" This wasn't the first friend she felt she had alienated either. Now Hideki was also being weird with her after their date. Amano's faith in her relationships were beginning to waver a little. "I think we all need something to relax. I'm not sure when we'll be able to again."

Nodding at that, Mari wasn't sure what to say if anything about it at all, it seemed to be a touchy subject as she searched for the words to say. "You'll get more chances Amano, be they to lead or to patch things up. We'll have much more to do with this class. Though if you want to talk about any of those things, I have the time."

Amano looked away a little timidly. "There isn't much to talk about. I've forgotten most of it by now anyway." She wasn't lying, but "forgetting" for her was more of a choice than anything. "But I understand none-the-less. I'll keep up my duties. And… Thanks for that. It's nice having someone dependable like you around. I should get back to my room for now then. I still have some work I need to do. Feel free to call on me if you need something though."

"Hmm.. Will do, till the next time Amano." Mari says before heading off on her own way having made a promise of sorts with Amano.

~~~

Isa was finally on one of her earlier breaks, wondering what she got herself into, still could be worse, she thought to herself. "Hmm.. What to do now?" Taking a seat on one of the benches, she thought of watching one of the other shows, or going to get some snacks or anything really, but at the same time she wasn't all that motivated on what to do.

Not far off, a sudden shriek of despair called out. The source of this sound? Goto. He had burned his hands something fierce during their last mission, even with the work of doctors, his hands were still tender and needing to be wrapped. So wrapped they were. Goto was essentially wearing thick mits of gauze and medical tape. But the pain he was feeling right now was not physical. On the floor in front of him, flipped upside down was a tray of splattered and dirty Takoyaki.

"Fuck, that was the last of my funds for the month!" Annoyed and frustrated that he couldn't enjoy the festival like he wanted to, Goto kicked the tray, as it went flying toward the bench Isa was sitting on.

"Huh?" Looking to see what the commotion was, Isa quickly had some idea of what it was, more so as the tray went for her bench splattering a bit over it, though at least not on her. "Hey! Mister Mummy!" Isa says to him, making sure none had hit her clothing. "Jeez Goto, no need to be so upset! I mean...well no that batch is gone, but I could buy you some more unless you got money." Looking at his hands she pauses for a bit. "Huh that might make things harder though. Need some help?"

Goto looked up at Isa, as she called back at him, offering to buy him some more. "Huh? You'd really do that!?" Goto walked up to Isa, and wrapped his arm around her neck to lift her up and drag her back to the Takoyaki stand. "Man Isa, I knew you were cool! Though uh… How are you planning on helping me with the whole 'No hands' thing I got going on?"

"Uh, mostly I just hold it up for you to eat them… Er well not those, those have been all over the ground, but you know. That or we just make some holes in your bandages so you can grab em yourself!" Isa adds in quickly.

Goto seized up for a moment. Isa was cool, but she was also still a girl. And not a bad looking one at that. A little on the small side, but that's not too big a deal And of course here she was offering to feed him. A little awkward, maybe. But can his pride as a guy even let him decline?

"Uh… Nah, it's fine I suppose. Rather not mess any more of these things up."

"Alright, here we go then!" Isa motions for him to stay as she runs off to get him another order of Takoyaki, and returning with it a bit later. "You remind me of when people in the village were wounded and needed help in day-to-day activities. So it doesn't really bother me much if you need the help." Sitting down next to him she holds up one of the skewers. "Unless you rather not do this then I can try and help your hands out a bit with the grip and you can feed yourself then."

"No it's fine, alright. We'll just…" He was cut short with the ball of Takoyaki finding it's way into his mouth. It tasted great, but was still incredibly hot. "Ha-Ha- Oh das ha…" He tried breathing through his mouth to keep himself from getting too burned. Eventually he managed to get it down. Tasted really good though. "Try not to get my tongue wrapped up now, a'ight?" He joked, lightly punching Isa in the arm.

"Heh, Don't worry I'll keep my eyes out or my ears, whatever, I'll just not choke or burn you with the food." She said, holding it out for him to more or less help himself. "Gotta say I didn't expect to use one of my breaks for this, but gotta help a friend, classmate, ally, whatever you wanna call it." Isa chuckles a bit at the last bit.

Goto took another piece, this time more prepared for the hot ball of octopus, as Isa mentioned she was willing to help out a friend, or classmate. "You know one of those is a lot more close than the other. You'd really do good for just about anyone?" He gulped down one of the balls again. "Guess I'll just need make it up to you somehow."

"Eh maybe. You know, as long as they aren't a shady fuck or make a habit of it. How we were brought up sorta. And I guess that makes us friends then?" Thinking on his offer to make it up, she gives a shrug. "Just buy me some food one day, no need to feed me either, that's good enough." Isa says with a firm head shake and smile. Once he was done she waved and head off to her other activities.

 

[Reanimator Buns]

The Black Jar

After some time had passed since the sting operation Agi had made it to the point of recovery where he was allowed to walk out of his room, and around the medical facility getting some much-needed movement as he hummed about just happy to be taking a stroll for once in what felt like forever. Stopping at the vending machine for an apple soda he hummed a small tune as his desired treat was vented though he halted while noticing a figure looking at him from behind.

"How's it going Amano... everything alright," Agi asked as the drink was dispensed with his nanobytes grabbing it and lifting it to him as turned around with all his bandages all over his body barely showing through his med gown, and at the seam of his shorts. He hadn't had much a chance to see his friends only seeing Mari, and Kaizen up to this point so it was nice to see a familiar face. Amano had been one of those closes to Vitalis as such Agi would avoid that topic all together unwilling to open that wound for the girl.

Amano hadn't been around too much for the past bit. She was currently processing some complex emotions. And processing her emotions usually actually meant doing some physical processing as well, with the help of Mnemu. And some of these emotions were directed at Agi as well as Hideki and Yamoshi.

"Hi Agi… That really depends. Are you looking for my real answer right now? Because I've still got a few jars I need to sort through to figure it out entirely…"

"Then let's just chat for now," Agi offered instead sitting down as he patted the spot next to him for her to sit down on next to him as he bought another soda offering it to her as he waited for her to come over.

"I promise I don't bite," Agi joked as he wanted his old friend to feel comfortable and relax. He could tell she wanted to talk to him directly she was good at hunting down people when she needed to unload certain things.

"So what's wrong?"

Oh boy, was he in for a talking to. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. I'd have Mnemu tell you it all if he weren't too busy combing over all the information from the last mission, and some of the previous ones. Come on. Sit down Mr. Nanobrain."

She dragged Agi to take a seat next to her as she let out a long huff. "Well then where to start? Someone I used to be close with put us all in danger, so there's that. Anyone would be upset about that. But the one directly involving you is that you, among everyone else in our team, didn't listen to my warnings! I spend every mission racking my mind for solutions, and everything led to our survival being far more vital at the time. I was thinking as hard as I could, and the thing is that's the best way I can contribute."

"Fair enough," Agi nodded in acknowledgment as he watched Amano prep for her speech. It started how he expected as she listed all the things that went wrong the betrayal, in particular, hurting her aura as she spoke. Then hit the wave he knew was coming his way as his own guilty action came out on the table… ignoring her when he by all means logically should have listened. Agi let a sigh escape his lips as his smile dissipated into a blank line.

"True you were definitely the smartest of our group during that whole incursion you listened to sound logic in the panic, and stress of it all. However the rest of us were tugged in by emotions Yamoshi didn't want to let go of Vitalis innocents, Hideki was engulfed by the rage of betrayal, and I was unwilling to lose two people that day in the madness of it all like a selfish child," Agi admitted leaning back in his spot placing Amano's drink in her lap as he took a big gulp of his.

"And like you always do you adapt, and overcome. You're the reason Hideki, and Yamoshi were able to ko Vitalis, and the reason I was able to rescue Kaizen at the climax of it all. So I disagree there was a lot more you contributed that night than you give yourself credit for," Agi chimed his smile returning for a moment as he patted her on the shoulder.

And she knew it. Their success was fantastic, and it wasn't that she played any small role in it all. But going over everything over and over again, everything about the event told her they were supposed to retreat and counter-attack when they had more time to prepare. "That's just it though! I can adapt, sometimes the best way to adapt is to regroup! I had to work within the set limits of rules and conditions. My flexibility has its limits Agi!" She grunted in frustration. "I understand everyone wanted to play hero, but playing hero doesn't mean you have to throw yourself into unnecessary risks."

"But if I hadn't what would have happened most likely to Kaizen," Agi pointed out darkly giving Amano a serious look as there was no doubt how that would have played out had they let Anvil handled it.

"Anvil while better than it use to be still neutralizes extreme hostiles without question. Better to protect what's for sure your ally than risk trying to knock out someone who might not be anymore. Had I not risked myself there was no argument in my mind Kaizen would be in a body bag as well as Vitalis," Agi's normal sociable personality was no longer present, and in its place was the much rarer tinker, tailor, soldier mentality few like Amano would know about.

"I knew that the moment you said it yourself on the comms that Anvil would come to that conclusion themselves with all the unconscious bodies, and lost souls in that facility there is no doubt a berserker Kaizen would be given no quarter a thought," Agi spoke letting out a long-lasting sigh as he looked at her deeply eye to eye.

"That's the job Amano in its true nature risk yourself to give others a better future both Anvil, and Hero's jobs can be broken down to that very line. I chose to risk myself so Kaizen could live, and that Vitalis could be taken in alive," Agi spoke in a lower tone with no regret nor concern on the matter it had played out well, and extremely lucky without lose.

"Was a large part of it luck… no argument there. We're still pretty far away from pulling that stuff off on skill alone. Yet no matter what I wouldn't play it out any other way if I have to place myself on that line of surviving, or disappearing again I will cause that's who I am. I wont leave others behind," Agi got heated for a moment, but calmed down as he slumped forward contemplating himself.

"Limits are made to be broken Amano, and just like use that night you broke your own to new heights. Your boundless in potential Amano, but you can't expect everyone to play safe all the time. If you stay at this your going to have to keep surpassing yourself just like I did," whatever Agi meant by that last line would be hard to understand, but with his eyes closed while taking a last big gulp of his drink he did break a joke.

"Gotta admit though Mnemu was the underdog MVP," he darkly joked.

Amano was getting irritated at this time, and with that last bit, she couldn't help being pushed from irritated to downright irate. "You're really not listening to me, at all are you? I spend the whole week up before we begin a mission developing contingencies and countermeasures so I can make sure everyone can make it back alive. And even with all the planning I do to make sure everyone makes it home safe, I can't guarantee that. So my planning doesn't end there. I make even further contingencies, in case someone were to go MIA or worse."

She wasn't sitting at this point, but instead standing. Usually she would be more composed, but now she was moving about, pacing back and forth and gesturing aggressively with her hands. "Even if no one has died, do you know how exhausting it can be to just come up with those plans? I literally keep them in jars, away from my main stash because I never want to wrestle dealing with them. But the other day was the first time I had to open one. And I was prepared to open a few more. Because if you die without accomplishing your goal, you've left everyone behind. And that's so… SO much worse Agi."

"...," Agi was silently letting Amano lash out at everything she was pissed about that night from how her plans had to drastically change. To how far she was pushed to the edge of sanity, and as she stood up ranting, and raving it finally clicked in with him what this was really about.

"Amano it wasn't your fault," Agi spoke softly without much warning as he stood up somewhat cornering her to the vending side as he looked at her in full seriousness.

"Its not your fault. It was my burden to bare the branch of leadership that night. Everything that happened was made by my choices, and I didn't consider the damage it would do to you to see us so wounded, and pushed to the brink. Yet it's not your fault you saved us when we needed you," Agi expressed realizing that she wasn't yelling at him, but at herself. It wasn't the rage Hideki felt, the sorrow Yamoshi fought, or the danger Agi threw himself in… it was the pain of watching them do it, and not have a plan to stop it that was eating her alive. With no place for her to run he did the only thing he could do… hug her tight.

"I am sorry for putting you through that, don't blame yourself. Place all your rage unto me," Agi whispered holding his own tears back from flooding as everything he was holding back from that night came rushing in from Vitalis's betrayal, watching his friend suffer, and even forcing Amano to watch them threw themselves into the flames of chaos.

As Agi hugged her, Amano stopped for a moment, not really sure what happened. "Stop it…" She was upset, and angry, and Agi was just talking stupid! Of course it's not her fault! All she cared about was making sure everyone made it home safely! And here he was acting like her concern wasn't important. "You're an idiot!" She raised her hand into a fist and slammed it against his back with a thud. "Let go!" She slammed against him again. "Risking your life isn't the same as gambiling it!"

Agi took the abuse for a moment as Amano lashed out frustrated yet he didn't let go instead he just held on as if taking a punishment he was overdue for.

"Amano I can't be anyone but me," Agi spoke, wincing as a sudden tinge of pain took place where she was hitting him. Finally he let her go as his nanobytes caught her attacking hand not covered in his blood. Apparently she had opened one of his smaller wounds back up. His nanos let her go as they converged on the bleeding spot magnetizing it closed.

"And you know who I am, I will always think of others over myself. Can you tell me that's wrong? That I should reject a part of myself just because you can't logically agree with it," he shot back this time. For once in Amano's life he than raised his voice to her.

"I REFUSE TO LET PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE ITS THE LOGICAL CALL. YOUR CONCERNS ARE IMPORTANT BUT DAMMIT AMANO NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE LOGICALLY HANDLED OR PLANNED FOR," a massive waste of pain passed over his body as that emotional outburst clearly upset his wounds. He closed his eyes in frustration at himself for yelling at her like that… she hasn't deserved that.

Of course he brought that up… And here so was being portrayed as a cold, relentless machine that only looked at things as a simple game of numbers. "That's not fair…" Amano was beginning to have a hard time seeing through her eyes, as they were beginning to tear up. She had so many more things that she wanted to say. You're being selfish, how can you say you're always thinking of others when you're about to leave them all behind, what about those who don't get to see you again.? Wanting to live isn't a cowardly thing to feel. And instead, Agi sunk his teeth into perhaps one of the few things that Amano truly regretted.

"I didn't… I wasn't… I just wanted everyone to come back with me!" She began sobbing, all her frustrations and fears being far closer than she could ever have imagined. She pushed away from him, realizing that there was a red stain on his clothes. Had she done that? Great… One friend betrays her, she suggests they kill another, and now she's bloodied a third. Was there any way that this whole thing could go worse? She tried to wrestle herself away from him, and regain control. Right now she was feeling trapped and claustrophobic. "Let go, please! I didn't mean… I didn't want-" She wasn't able to formulate any of her thoughts properly.

How could you have suggested that we neutralize Kaizen? Are you not the bad person here? Was everything that you have been fighting for stupid? On the first day of class, you said that heroes were people too, and they fight because they have something they want to protect. Well what of it now? What of it when you suggest you kill what you're wanting to preserve?

Her mind was racing as she kept fighting to get away from Agi. She didn't want to be here anymore. This was an awful idea.

"Here I am talking like I know it all myself, but I don't," Agi interrupted her, finally letting his own tears fall unwilling to look her in the eye one of his oldest childhood friends. His tears dropped on her hands, mixing with the blood and dripping of Amano in a chaotic spiral of water and blood before hitting the floor. He let her go as the tears wouldn't stop from either of the two.

"Yelling at someone whose opinion is one of the most important in my life… and rejecting the fact she's right cause I don't want to admit I have my faults in my own ideology," he whispered to Amano. The look of uncertainty and defeat now equally on his face.

"What if he had hurt you," Agi spoke a bit strangely out loud. There was much more he could say as well he didn't charge Kaizen just to save the bug but her as well there was nothing Amano could have done to kaizen and Agi knew it the moment she had communicated in fear to them.

"Kaizen wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had done something to you nor could I live with myself had I lost you...another drop of something important gone. And as I think that I attack you for wanting to formulate a way I came back safe and sound as well…," Agi growled at himself for his stupidity, his body seven casing in dropping to his knees as he had not recovered as well as he had thought.

"Yet there was no correct answer to being safe so I rushed in cause I had to lay it all on the line Amano. For Kaizen… and you," he hissed at himself for appearing so weak right now so vulnerable… yet if anyone deserved to see it at this moment it was Amano.

Amano had opened his wounds again, and now he was crumpling to the floor. She wanted to get away still, this whole experience was something she was hating. But when Agi fell to the floor, Amano jumped back. "Agi!..." She quickly ran to her room, and gathered a large amount of ooze from her jars. She wasn't strong enough to carry Agi by herself. But as she stood in the dark room, she thought about whether she was going to go herself. She may have helped Agi see her side, at least a little. But Amano was having an opposite reaction. Agi yelled at her. She had never seen him yell at anyone like that before And she hurt him. He was in pain because of her.

With her mass of ooze gathered, she opened the door, letting it out to head to Agi's aide and bring him back to his room. It also had a message, simply saying "I'm sorry." Amano meanwhile stood back, tears still leaving trails of wet down her face. She walked toward her closet and began rummaging through it, tossing things to the side without really caring for the contents.

Once Mnemu got to Agi the wounds had already been well closed by his nano's yet in his defeat of hurting a friend emotionally, Agi didn't resist Mnemus help as he was lifted up to his feet with the massive slime acting like a crutch. The message was delivered, but the damage done by knowing he had hurt Amano verbally would probably never heal. Once he got in the bed his nanos works on applying gauze, and new bandages patching him up pretty quick as all he could do was look at Mnemu, and the message.

"You got nothing to be sorry about," Agi simply muttered petting Mnemu before resting down drained in more ways than one.

---

The ooze would remain for Agi. Amano didn't want to leave him alone at the time. But back in her room, Amano drew her curtains, and flicked off the lights. She had pulled out a jar that once had a label, which was now diligently blacked out. Making out what it originally said would be nearly impossible. But inside the old jar bits of grey ooze, which had been left in there for a long time. She opened the jar, and reached into her ear, still crying, and lightly sobbing. She pulled out a piece of Mnemu which flattened itself out into a thin square.

Amano opened up the drawer of her desk, and pulled out a scalpel. Then she closed her eyes, as all of her memories from the event that just transpired were pulled from her head and sent into that square of slime. She pressed her scalpel into it, pulling those thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, whatever she could from what just happened, and cut them away, dropping them in that jar with the blacked out. When all was said and done, she cut away one last piece: The memory of using this jar, and stood up from her desk.

Amano didn't leave her room that day until a few hours into the night. Confused, and not sure where the time had gone. But she was also feeling a bit better. Her memory of the day was a bit patchy, but she remembered that Agi and she had some harsh words with one another and that she had apologized. She remembered that their mission was a success, and that Kaizen was alive and well thanks to their efforts. She of course kept the knowledge that Vitalis had betrayed them as well. And she remembered that there was more to the story. But that wasn't her concern at the moment.

Always There (Aka: Video Editing)

Well her date with Hideki had ended in another awkward spot… Mari and her had a good talk, which did help to alleviate some of her guilt, but with everything that had happened, and her date with Hideki, she began to wonder if she had hurt anyone else like that. Was she a bad person? This was not a new thought that had popped into her head. But it was one she hadn't wrestled with for a long time. And now, riding on the coattails of suggesting they merced one of her classmates, it was stronger than ever before.

And all throughout that week, her little black painted jar was out. When did she last use it?... Was that just a few minutes ago, or 2 days ago? Her memories of the past week and a little before were all filled with holes., as she essentially cut and paste most of the undesirable parts out.

For now, her sense of guilt and fears that she was a bad person were mitigated, at least somewhat. She knew something wrong had happened, but otherwise, she was feeling a bit better. She still had a heavy feeling of guilt in her chest, but without knowing the reason for it, why should she need to worry?

She left her room, realizing she was hungry. Her last memory of eating was only what seemed to be about a few hours ago, but that clearly was not the case. It was morning then. It was dark outside now. "Oh… What time is it?" She muttered, wishing she had a watch with her.

As Amano wondered about her memories, she would soon hear knocking. One after the other, almost frantic as the person on the other end waited for her to answer.

Yori had been excited about hanging out with his sister. It'd been too long since they last got together and just hung out. They'd made plans that they would hang out together at the festival, but when Amano didn't show up at the agreed upon time, Yori started to become a little worried.

He asked around the festival to see if anyone had seen his sister, but after receiving multiple "no"s, his worry started to become frantic. A younger brother wondering what happened to his big sister.

Was Amano okay? Was she okay?!

Hearing the knock on her door, Amano jumped, grabbing the little aged jar and tossing it in her laundry hamper. "Coming! One moment please!" She looked around her room. It looked like she had forgotten to clean it. She'd need to get on that. "Coming, coming." She said, as she gathered some of her clothes and put them away, trying to clean up a bit. She then turned on the light, and wince at the sudden change in brightness. Then she opened the door, sticking her head out.

"Oh! Yori, what are you doing here right now?" She smiled, happy to see her brother as always. But, his face told a different story. He seemed a lot more… concerned. Like he had just seen something.
"Is everything alright?"

Seeing her alive and well, relief immediately washed over Yori. So much so that he grabbed his sister and hugged her tight for just a moment. He was still in his festival yukata, though his hair was a bit messy thanks to him running, and possibly flying, around to see if he could find her.

"You could have just texted, you know!" Now it sounded like he was a bit angry as he let her go. "I thought something happened to you when you didn't show up and… just tell me if you don't want to hang out! I was worried sick about you!"

Amano didn't realize Yori was in his Yukata until he hugged her. As she wrapped her arms around him, she was reminded of how they were as kids, back when they were practically attached at the hip, and never separated. When Yori told her she should have just said she didn't want to hang out she was piecing things together.

"Oh no… It's not Friday night, is it…?" She wrapped her arms around him and nestled in between his neck and shoulder. "I'm sorry Yori… I just lost track of time." It wasn't actually a lie. Just one of omissions.

Yori looked at her, a bit confused. "Lost track of time? Amano, you remember everything. You have a literal memory bank of a quirk. How did you manage to forget?" He asked her. It just wasn't like Amano to just forget something. Not with Mnemu.

If anything, he remembered her to be really good with memories and remembering exact details. How could she forget what would have been their first proper hang out since he got back from touring?

Well… It was a hard bit of information to swallow. Yori had never seen her last doing this, so he had no frame of reference. "Yeah, you're right… I'm sorry I was just… Cleaning up a bit. When I bottle up my memories, sometimes I need to go through them and trim the fat. I guess I've just been a bit clumsy while running through them."

Great, now the call of her little black jar was yelling again. She just stood up her brother. "Look Yori I'm really really sorry. Give me 5 minutes and I'll be out and we can go hang out. You're my twin brother, and I wanted to properly hang out with you."

What she said just confused him a bit more. "Trim the fat"? What do you mean?"

At this point, Yori wasn't really interested in hanging out. He had questions. What the hell did she mean by "trimming the fat" of her memories?

At the words, he shook his head lightly. "The festival's over anyway, don't worry about it. We'll just do something else another day." Then he said, "I want you to answer my question."

Amano looked back, stuttering slightly. "W-Well, sometimes I have too many jars. So I need to clear space. Figure out which ones I need to keep! You know. I don't need to know what I had for lunch last week. I like to hold on to memories, but I've got too many jars. I was just clearing mental clutter." She gave a sigh, and opened her door a bit more.

"Come on in. We can talk a bit more if you're really concerned." She knew Yori was worried. She wanted to help make sure he didn't need to waste his energy on someone like her.

Yes, he was worried. He wanted to know everything she was doing to her own brain. Yori needed to know exactly how she was doing it so if one day she makes a mistake and forgets something important, he'd be able to help her.

He walked into the room then looked at her, "I'd like a thorough explanation, Amano. What the hell are you doing to your brain?"

Amano looked away for a moment, rubbing her arm. "Fine. I'll show you what I'm doing. But it's not bad I swear. I actually do need to clear out a few jars anyway." There was no lie there. She really did need that to do that. But of course, that still wasn't the actual truth to what she was doing. She opened her closet revealing a large number of her previously bottled memories. "When I've got a lot of things like this, I need to work through it so I can keep what is important." She opened a jar and pulled a small piece from her ear and dumped the rest out on her desk as it took a familiar square shape.

She then opened her drawer and pulled out her scalpel. "This jar is just information I've gotten from around the dorms with the Mnemu's I've placed everywhere. I don't need all of that." She said this outloud, but it was more for herself as she took the scalpel and began thinking of the memories from the ooze. She didn't need to know what Amano had for breakfast, and definitely didn't want to catch Goto getting a midnight snack like that. Seriously, that boy needs proper pajamas.

But as traumatizing as that memory was, she was still not able to shake her negative feelings, and the act of processing right now was difficult to keep doing. It was a sensitive topic right now, especially given how she knew that she did it but had no clue what exactly she chose to forget.

Yori stared at the jars unveiled to him. It was, in a way, fascinating, but it was still the equivalent of something he'd see in a mad scientist's laboratory. Why did Amano have to keep her memories in jars again? She couldn't just keep them in her brain? Or in Mnemu? What the hell…

"So…" He was trying to wrap his head around this. "You keep in your head whatever information is important, then you dump whatever you don't need into jars? You can't keep them and let your brain forget about it naturally? Or is that not how it works?"

Yori remembered he asked Amano about her quirk when they were children, but she herself didn't have much information regarding it. Now that they were older, more experienced, and Amano having a much better understanding of her quirk, he could get better information.

"Well um… I mean it sorta does. And I do jar a lot of important memories too. My memory is good, but Mnemu's is better. But since my greatest asset in combat is also my memories, if something happens to them then I lose a lot of memories. The jars are for excess, overflow, inventory, and even just for display. Sometimes I like taking a memory and putting it up in a jar." Had she and Yori really not talked like this for that long? She and him had shared so many things together, and then he left her. And now… Now she was finally sharing something with him again. She hadn't developed her jarring habits until he was gone. And the jars normally weren't an issue. In fact, they really did help keep her mind from being too cluttered.

It was just that one was an issue. And now she was lying to him. She had spent every moment when he was gone wishing for nothing more than to tell him everything. And now she was trying to hide it all from him. After her stupid weakness led her to making him worry. She sighed. "These jars aren't the issue… I promise…" She walked over to her hamper, taking a deep breath. She hesitated for a moment. It was scared. What would he think? What if he made her replace these memories? Sure some of those things had just happened, but… what about the old memories?... The ones she put in there to start?

She slowly pulled the jar from the hamper. It was activate now. All the memories from the last few weeks, along with several years ago all swirling around in the jar. "This is my… well… I actually don't know what I first called it. I crossed it out at one point. And I guess I cut out the original name from my memories. Its… Probably in here…" She gave a light chuckle, wanting to alleviate some of her stress. It wasn't working.

Yori could understand that. Amano wanted to protect her memories in case something happened to her, sure. But wasn't this a bit.. much? Was this healthy? Was this why she forgot about their hang out actually? She might have gotten that piece of information on accident and jarred it. That means she could forget other short term plans if she kept doing this…

That's when he saw the jet black jar, the contents swirling around within it. He looked at Amano, then at the jar, listening to her explanation of just what he was looking at.

"What…" Considering the color and how stressed his sister seemed to be, Yori decided to try and make a guess. "Are these your bad experiences?" He asked, getting a closer look.

"If that's what that is… You know you can't just snip and forget your bad thoughts, right?" He said to her, "These experiences help shape you as a person."

"Actually I can. I just did actually. That's what this is…" She nervously chuckled trying to alleviate her anxieties. It did not succeed. "I know its something I shouldn't do… Mom and Dad found out about it once before… I told them I had thrown them out and they weren't going to come back, but… Well that wasn't the whole truth."

Her voice was quivering as her hands trembled with the jar, heavy in her hands. "Yori, I don't see the world like most people do. I'm... alien in a way. I mean, no one remembers the moment they were birthed, let alone the exact number of minutes between when you and I. Not even Mom and Dad. To be able to give your memories a tangible form, you sorta start looking at them a lot differently. And what lonely teenager wouldn't want to forget something bad they felt or did? I know… I know that experience, good and bad, make a person… But what if those experiences make me a bad person?"

The contents of this jar were enigmatic to say the least. The sheer mystery of something that she deemed too negative to keep with her scared her beyond belief. What had happened? "I don't want to be a bad person Yori…" The last word got caught in her throat, as her eyes started to well up with tears. It didn't take much for them to start falling down her face, as she quietly whined.

Yori was silent. He listened to his sister give her explanation about why she did the things she did. Why it was important to her to begin jarring up these memories. He thought she was just trying to forget whatever embarrassing moment she had, or something that wasn't as bad as she was making it to be.

Just what the hell was in those memories?

He frowned seeing her tears. Yori brought her closer and hugged her. "You're not a bad person though." He assured her. "You worrying about it already says you have a good heart." He assured her. Yori had another question for her, one he'd like the answer to.

"When did this start?" He asked her.

When Yori hugged her, she paused for a moment before she started crying. She didn't remember, at least not exactly. But as her brother comforted her she figured she needed to try. She tried to regain some composure. "I… I think it was… In middle school… and there's only one way to remember…" She pulled away for a moment, and opened the container. "Yori?... Promise me I'm not a bad person? Even with what I might learn?"

Middle school? What happened in middle school that warranted the need for jarring up emotions? He hadn't been there, so he wondered what had made her want to start.

Yori let her go when she pulled away, though hearing her next words, his eyebrows furrowed a bit.

Did Amano kill someone or something? What the hell did she do that was making her question whether or not she was a good person? The answer kind of worried him.

"I promise." He said. He knew his sister wasn't the type to commit a crime, so it had to be something else.

Amano took a deep breath, closing her eyes. He promised her that she wasn't a bad person. She needed to believe him on that. Still she was nervous as all hell. "Um… Yori? Is it… Is it okay if we do it together?..." She reached out with a piece of the Mnemu, handing it to him. She didn't want to dive back into her bad memories alone. Besides, she wanted someone to witness it with her. And Yori… He'd been there from the very beginning. He was probably the person she felt the most close to.

Yori looked at her, hearing her request. He almost asked her to repeat it, since he couldn't remember if she had asked him this question before. Knowing Amano, this was a big request… Big enough that Yori wouldn't say no even if he wanted to. So, he nodded a few times. "Yeah. Let's do it." He said, taking the piece of Mnemu. Yori waited for her go ahead so that they could continue.

"Thank you…" Okay, it was time to get going. No turning back then. As she put the ooze into her ear, the first thing that came back was what happened most recently. Her date with Hideki. She saw how Hideki was crushed realizing that Amano didn't like him the same way he did, even after everything she had said and done with him. Next up was Agi, and how she got mad at him, and made him yell at her, louder than she'd ever seen him yell, and forced his wounds to open again. Followed soon after was her call: finding Kaizen enraged and suggesting "neutralization"

And then the memories jumped back. She was back in middle school. Yori had just left and she was listening to a bunch of girls talk about him. Everyone still knew Amano was his sister, but. They were saying a bunch of things that were clearly not true about him.

---

"No, Yori is absolutely the kind of guy that likes a strong girl!"

"What? No way. I bet he likes girls that are shy. He may seem noble and gentle, but I bet he's a total sadist behind it all"

It was all really stupid. Like incredibly stupid. Amano was getting tired of hearing these two girls argue about this. Especially since there was no chance Yori would like either of them. He had only been gone for a year, and his debut, only a few months after he left, and already people at the school had forgotten the real Yori, instead crafting these mundane fantasies in their heads. Amano was getting tired of it.

"No he's not. Yori cried when he accidentally hurt a butterfly once. When he found out he vomited on our mom when he was a baby, he wouldn't stop making it up to her until he was 5. He even tried to take our pet fish on a walk in the rain, and got sick. The fish was fine, surprisingly. And one time, Yori put a bunch of glue in his hair trying to look like his favorite anime character as a kid. Point being, Yori's a dork."

The two girls looked over at her, each with a look of annoyance. There was silence as they exchanged glances with one another. "Geez Amano, can't you just let us have fun?" One chided.

"Yeah, you're always so defensive about him. What, you got a bro-con?" The other laughed at that

"Haha, oh my god, that's exactly it! Amano's a pervy little bro-con! She's mad that now she has to share her 'dear lovely brother' with the whole world!"

Amano crossed her arms. "No, it's not like that. He's my twin, and I remember everything we've done. He's always been by my side so we'll stay that way." The two girls immediately knew they had caught her in a trap they couldn't have ever hoped to get. It was rare that anyone got the upper hand on Amano.

"Eh?! Gross! You sound like you actually want to marry him!" "Haha, she really IS a perverted Bro-Con!"

Amano furrowed her brow, getting annoyed with these two. She knew nothing she said right now would help, she just grumpily collected her things and left the room, as the two girls kept laughing at her.

It was just a minor thing. But Amano wanted payback. All she needed was something little to get back with. It was just a brief moment. She had left a small piece of Mnemu to look. That was when she saw it. It was just a tiny little keychain doll attached to one of the girl's bag. She set her slime to do it's work. Soon the doll was in her hands, and she needed a place to put it. Probably that other girl's locker. Thankfully her dad had taught them lockpicking. He stressed that this was a skill only to be used for the aid of another, but just this once was fine right?

The next day the girl was looking for her doll. Much to Amano's surprise, it seemed like it had some sentimental value to it. But that didn't matter that much. It would get found eventually. But the day wore on, and sure enough the doll fell from her friend's locker, right in front of her. After that, the two got in a huge fight, with them refusing to speak to one another. But things got worse and worse as people began taking sides. At first it was funny, but apparently she was being bullied and shunned by the other girls. It started getting worse and worse. Eventually the girl she framed stopped coming to school for a while. Amano started to feel guilty. It was her fault this happened wasn't it?...

Then, one day, as Amano was getting off her train home she saw the girl sitting on a bench at the subway. And the girl… "Hey… You're Amano…" Amano was hesitant to say anything at first. "H-Hey…"

"I'm sorry for being a jerk to you before. I was just jealous… You're so well off, with an idol brother and absolutely gorgeous. Of course we'd take any chance we could to try and get on your level."

"N-No, it's not important I-"

"But that's not fair to you. I guess girls can be pretty mean huh." She gave a smile, but there wasn't any warmth to it. It was tired, the ashes of a fire. "I'm sorry, I'm keeping you here. This doesn't concern you anyway…"

Amano just nodded, but she felt a heavy pull in her stomach. She quickly turned and sprinted home. She felt awful. She needed to tell someone-tell her what she did. She made a vow. She was going to set everything straight. It wasn't right. It was just a small act of retaliation, one that shouldn't have spiralled out of control like this. As she opened the door to their house, she was met with the smell of dinner, which helped soothe her heightened emotions. After she ate, her dad turned on the TV. She made off to her room to make notes which would absolve her classmate of guilt, but as she walked past, she caught a bit of news from the TV.

"-lept in front of the train as it passed. The young girl has been identified as…" Amano turned to look at the TV. That wasn't it was it? That couldn't possibly be it. The image they put up on the screen said otherwise. It was her. It was her face. That girl… And it was all her fault. Amano suddenly felt incredibly sick, running to the bathroom, hurling into the toilet. She heard her mom ask if she was alright, she reassured her she was. She went to bed after, but she didn't sleep. She couldn't. There was a mistake. There had to be. She snuck out of her room, and made her way to that girls house, having remembered the addresses of all her classmates after rummaging through the staff office once. As she approached, there weren't any lights on inside. It was dark.

It was late though, so they were just asleep!... She wandered around, her curiosity and guilt eating away at her. She sent Mnemu inside. She heard wailing. The ooze searched for the source of the sound, and there, lit only by a dim candle was a middle aged woman and a man, trying to comfort her as she moaned and cursed god and the world. Then the slime returned. Amano slowly put it up to her ear, and as she learned what Mnemu had seen, began sobbing, as she ran back home.

Climbing back inside she quickly sat down and started cutting away the memory she just made, placing it in a jar. Then she did more. She needed to tell someone, but now there was no one she could tell. Not without being called a murderer. Not without everyone hating her, leaving her alone. And if Yori ever found out… Yori… Would he even want to look at her anymore?...
He already left her, why would he come back if he found out?

She needed to forget. She HAD to. She cut out large chunks of the last month, and maybe more, all being shoved into that jar. Then she pulled out a label, and wrote in black ink, "You're a terrible person." Then she cut out the memory of what she had just done, placing it in the jar, and hiding it in her closet. She had forgotten why she made that jar. All she had to go on was that message. And over the months, it filled more and more when she did something wrong. Eventually she was found, but the jar remained hidden. She crossed out the message, and with one last time, she cut out the original name, and placed it in the jar. But it stayed hidden. She knew something bad was in the jar. But not what it was.

---

Amano pulled the string from her ear in a quick motion, as all the guilt and pain flooded back over her. Yori had promised that she was a good person. "No, no you lied to me…" She whimpered as she stepped back, tripping over something and falling onto a pile of clothes, letting out a frightened yelp. "Yori, you lied to me…" She curled herself up into a ball, as she started sobbing again.

Everything that flashed by his eyes was a lot of information to take in at once. Rejection was normal, that didn't make his sister a bad person. The argument… He wanted to talk to Agi about that one. He wanted to know why the hell he was screaming at his sister… What argument sparked between them that it would make someone like Agi angry enough to reopen his wounds? Then there was Kaizen's "neutralization"...

He was almost surprised he didn't see Vitalis there. Maybe the two weren't as close of friends as he originally thought…

Suddenly, a new memory flashed. Their old junior high school. Yori had made the announcement to his class that he was going to pursue his career as an idol and would move to classes online. He hoped they would all support him and gave each of them a farewell gift before he left. Yori had made sure to leave one for Amano as well, but it was more of a "see you later" gift than a "goodbye." He knew he would see her again. They were family.

He saw the two girls talking about him, which he paid no mind to. It was the teasing and bullying they directed at his sister that made him annoyed. Yes, he and Amano were very close and she was simply defending him. But it put Amano in a spot that no matter how she tried to defend him, she'd look like she was some incestuous older sister. As he thought, she thought the same thing, so she left.

Yori saw her put the doll in the friend's locker, then that was that. He predicted the doll would be found by the original owner, the two friends would fight, and that would be the end of that.

But he was wrong.

The fighting turned worse, to the point that even the school was torn between who was right and who was wrong. In the end, it seemed more people took the side of the doll's owner, leaving the other girl at the mercy of her peers. It started off as mostly harmless, from what Amano saw. Just a nickname and some more...hostile body language around the girl. Then the bullying got worse… and worse… and worse…

All over a doll…

When Amano had seen that girl again… the girl seemed devoid of life. Nowhere near what she had when she made fun of Amano… Yori swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to pull Mnemu out of his ear and stop watching. He wanted to scream at Amano to stay with that girl and take her away from the subway. To just be there. Anything!

But she ran away. Amano ran straight home to a dinner Yori's mother had told him about during a voice call. He didn't remember exactly what it was since it was so long ago, but in Amano's memories, it was clear as day.

The news came on, and Yori's heart sank to his stomach.

She was dead… That girl from school was dead, all because of a stupid doll…

Amano was going through all of this on her own… while Yori was singing on stage having the time of his life…

The jarring of her memories wasn't just a strange hobby… It was a coping mechanism, wasn't it?

The memories suddenly stopped and Yori felt Mnemu fall out of his ear. His eyes immediately went to his sister. However, he didn't look at her with shame or disgust. But sorrow. Sympathy.

Seeing her curled up as she was, crying… She'd been going through this all by herself and Yori hadn't been there to help her. Who else could she tell? Their parents? Her brothers?

The girl's parents?

Yori moved and sat down next to his sister, then pulled her into a hug once more. He held her tight, refusing to let her go.

"You were just a kid… You didn't know…" He told her, clutching her tightly. "It should have ended with the argument, 'Mano. They didn't have to do that to her. You just put a doll in a locker, they're the ones who escalated it…"

Amano just wasn't that kind of person! He knew his sister his whole life! She was a good person! He would bet his life on it! It's not her fault their classmates decided to take things too far! Why would anyone bully a girl just because of a doll? A stupid doll!

"It's not your fault… They didn't have to bully her…" He told her. "You were going through this all alone and I wasn't there to help you… I'm so sorry."

Yori insisted she didn't cause it. That she wasn't responsible for it escalating. But she was. SHE knew the truth that no one else did. SHE could have stepped in at any time beforehand and come clean. SHE could have stayed at that station, knowing something was wrong.

And the only thing she did was use her abilities to cause harm to others. Even if the intent was a minor inconvenience, the results were disastrous.

"I could have said something… But I just hid! I hid and I ran! I could have said something, but I was terrified! I was scared! And it got worse and worse and… And then I tried to kill another person because I was scared!" Thinking back on Kaizen. She knew she couldn't have done it alone, but she had seen he was enraged and perfectly willing to kill. And she was terrified he would.

Everything else was just riding on the wave of ease that came from cutting out the memories. Running from her negative feelings was so easy when the jar had been opened. But with her secrets out, and everything compounding on her she was so overwhelmed she just grabbed Yori's arm as she kept crying.

He had seen everything. But he was still here. Even if Amano thought she didn't deserve that..

Yori could only hug her tighter, but left enough breathing room for her. "You're only human, Amano. A young human who was scared. No one is perfect… I get there's a lot you wish you could do differently, but what happened wasn't your fault." He assured her. Yori kept assuring her because he wanted to let her know that he believed in her. He knew that Amano was a nice, sweet person. She was just scared at the time. She made mistakes.

It wasn't her fault!

"Stop it 'Mano." He told her. "You're not a killer.. You're not a bad person… Whatever happened the second time, I know it's because you didn't have a choice. The situation escalated or something, but you're not a bad person… It's not your fault."

Right now, Yori himself wasn't sure if everything he said was true, but he didn't care. He was on Amano's side because she was his sister. She was his family. She'd been there for him since the very beginning, and thought he wasn't there when she needed him, he was here now.

He would be there for her whenever she needed someone to talk to.

Amano cried for a long time. Eventually she wasn't able to produce any tears. But she still sobbed some more. It took a long time, but she had been able to cry herself into a state where she was able to talk. Crying just wasn't possible anymore. She whimpered out a plea for help. "Yori, what can I do?..." She needed someone to help her. Someone to give her guidance. For the first time i'm a long time, Amano was questioning her ability to make decisions. She wasn't fit to take charge. She wasn't fit to keep her team in line. She shouldn't be a hero.

The entire time she cried, Yori held her. He hugged her and refused to let go until she settled down. 5 years they'd been apart, and 5 years where he wasn't able to be there for her. The least he could do was be there for her now…

Then she asked her question about what she should do. In all honesty, Yori didn't know either. He didn't understand personally what Amano had gone through, but she wanted someone to tell her what she should do. To help her. Who else could she ask that wouldn't judge her?

"I think… I think you shouldn't keep your feelings bottled up. The guilt is eating you alive… I'll never judge you about it. I think mom and dad wouldn't either; they just want you to be okay." Yori told her. "Do you think you can talk to a professional? Get it off your chest? Or would you rather tell someone else you trust?" He asked her.

Maybe she should do that. Even before she was reminded, she was getting stressed and frustrated thinking up plans and trying to keep her party safe. But she couldn't. Not yet. "I think I will… But I can't yet… I just want to practice first…"

She sat up, placing her hands limply between her legs. "Yori, I need to put my faith in you… Because right now I can't be sure I'm the person I thought I was. My confidence is pretty shaken… and I think I need to wait on it. Thank you Yori…"

She stood up and walked to her desk, picking up the scalpel, followed by the jar on the floor. "I'm not sure I'm strong enough yet to keep myself from trying to run away from it again. Please take them. I'm better now. At least calmer. I… I'm still going to have a hard time, but I want to be a better person. And your faith in me is the best thing for me. Thank you for stopping by, and checking up on me. I'm sorry for putting everything in a foul mood. But I'll be okay. Go back and enjoy the rest of the night okay? We'll catch up again another time. Hopefully we can have a more positive time after that."

Yori frowned, almost not believing her. He wanted to stay and make sure his sister would be truly okay, but he knew better than to question her. So, with a nod, he grabbed the items she told him to take. In response to her words, he offered her a smile. "I'm happy you were comfortable enough to open up to me. Next time, we'll do something fun. Something to keep your mind off the bad stuff, okay?" He assured her. "I stand by that you're a good person Amano. I always will. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

With that, Yori headed for the door. He opened it and paused, waiting to hear his sister's words of confirmation. That way he knew that she knew.

As Yori was walking for the door, Amano ran forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind, squeezing him tightly and pushing her face into his back. "Thank you. You'll always be the most important person in my life." She held the hug for a very very long time before finally letting him go. "I'll make sure I don't run from things anymore. If you're able to put your faith in me, even after all you saw then I know I can do it." She pulled away, and waves him on. "See you tomorrow Big Brother." She smiled. It was weak, and somber, but genuine.

He paused feeling Amano's hug. He smiled softly, staying where he was as his sister continued to hug him. Then, when she let go, he looked at her. Her words were reassuring, letting him know that everything would be okay. She would get through this; he knew she would.

She won't have to suffer in silence anymore.

"See ya, and stay safe."

With that, he closed the door behind himself. His smile faltered, letting out a small sigh.

Amano was a good person… she was just scared back then. You can't expect a teenager to just do the perfect thing all the time.

This was why he would keep having faith in her. Now, until the end of his time.

Left alone again, Amano needed a place to start. And the best way do that was to clean up the mess that was her room, and herself. She didn't have Mnemu do the cleaning. Right now this was something she wanted to do herself. It was a simple place to start, but it was a step forward.

Uncertain, but Ready

Katsumi hadn't seen Amano at the festival today. Or rather, at all for that matter. So she decided that she would pack up a bit of takoyaki, ikayaki, and yakitori from Kaizen's stall and take it to her personally. She had made the food herself and wanted to give her friend a treat from the festival.

She arrived at Amano's door then gave it a few gentle knocks. She was still in her yukata, but in her hands was the packaged meal, chopsticks, a few napkins, and a bottle of a leftover drink they had.

Amano may have missed a large part of the festival, but with the help of her brother, she had at least gotten herself and her room cleaned up. There wasn't really any time left for her to enjoy it in full now, but Amano was surprisingly okay with that. That was when she heard another knock at her door. Assuming it was Yori, Amano sighed.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be okay." She said as she opened the door. She wanted her brother to have fun today. Not to spend it worrying about her. But as she opened the door, she realized her blunder. It was Katsumi there, dressed in a beautiful Yukata. "Oh, Katsumi! What are you doing here? I thought you'd want to be out having fun with everyone else."

"Hm?" Katsumi tilted her head a bit in question as to who Amano thought she was talking to, but she wouldn't press her about it.

"I did, but the festival is just about over and, thanks to your brother, I'm exhausted. But the stall I was working in had some food leftover so, here." Katsumi handed her the box with the chopsticks attached to it, the drink, and the napkins. "I saw you did not attend the festival, so I thought I'd give you a treat from it."

It was a simple gesture. Just handing her food that she had, but after her date with Hideki, Amano was a little more on edge. Amano liked Katsumi. She liked her a lot! But it was apparent that the way Amano liked people was… A bit different than most others. It had already hurt one of her friends. But she couldn't run from that. Amano did like Katsumi. And she likely needed to talk to her about a lot of those things.

"Hey, have we missed the fireworks yet?... Why don't we eat up on the roof."

Katsumi could tell something just… wasn't right with Amano. Wouldn't the festival be something she'd want to explore? There was so much she could have learned from the festival, but she chose to stay inside of her room?

Seemed so strange.

In truth, Katsumi was worried she would fall asleep watching the fireworks if she stayed at the festival any longer; her plan had been to just drop off the food and head to her room for the night. Buuuut, after being invited to watch the fireworks… Well, Katsumi would make time for her friend.

Amano seemed to have a lot on her mind after all.

"The fireworks have not started, but come. Let us watch." She gestured Amano to follow her, walking with her towards the room of the building. By the looks of it, they weren't the only ones with the same idea, but there would be plenty of space for them to have their conversation in peace.

Amano took a seat. She had a lot on her mind after everything was said and done. She took a bite of the food Katsumi brought her. It was only then she realized how hungry she was. She quickly dug into the meal, barely taking a moment to breathe, before finally slowing down. "Sorry… I haven't eaten all day…"

She set the food down for a moment. What had she done wrong to Hideki? Thinking back it was an issue with them not being able to see relationships the same way.

Meanwhile the light was lit up in a fantastic array of color, with the rhythmic boom and crackle of the fireworks. They were beautiful, but that wasn't why Amano asked for this moment. "Sorry for dragging you up here. I know you're exhausted. But I need to be selfish this time, so that I can make sure I don't hurt you."

There was a lot to process still. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I can't share everything with you right now. But I was recently reminded of a few of my biggest flaws." She looked her deep in the eyes. "Katsumi I don't see the world the same way as other people."

Amano seemed strangely… distant. That was the word Katsumi would use to describe her. She seemed so lost in her own world, and Katsumi was left wondering what she was thinking about.

Watching Amano wolf down the meal, Katsumi felt a sense of pride. "I hope my cooking satisfied you." She said with a little smile.

The fireworks began, leaving Katsumi and Amano to watch the beauty that sparked in the sky. The colorful display was beautiful; She almost wished she had been recording.

Then Amano spoke up, beginning with the reason she brought Katsumi up on the roof.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Amano put her hands up quickly, "Well I didn't mean that was my flaw. But its not always boon. When you're stuck with a negative experience forever, depending on just how bad it was, you end up wishing you can run away. And the thing is, I can. I have that ability. I can force myself to forget things. And recently I did… But I'm… I'm better now. Yori helped me."

She looked back at the fireworks. "One thing I realized is I don't see relationships the same way as other people might. I guess I may have given Hideki the wrong impression. Which sucks because I actually really enjoyed spending time with him. I thought I understood romance, but I guess I was just putting on a show for curiosity's sake. And well… You and I have done a lot. A lot. But I'm not sure how you see our relationship. So, in an effort to become a better person, I want to make sure I'm not setting you up for heartbreak. Katsumi… How do you see our relationship?"

She was quiet, listening to her friend talk. What she could decipher was that something did in fact happen, but Yori helped her through it. Hideki had confessed his feelings as well but Amano did not return his affection.

Was it her turn for rejection?

"Hmm…" Katsumi hummed in thought of Amano's question. "I see potential. Something that can turn romantic if both of us wanted it to be. Yes, those "activities" began because of curiosity, but I still think you a kind, charming, and attractive person. Even if you asked that our relationship remain platonic, I would still like to stand by you as a friend. If you share the romantic sentiment, then I will not say no. But if you do not, I will not be devastated."

Was being by her the most important part? "Why do I get the feeling that last part is only half true…" She couldn't help but to smile anyway. "But what if we tried dating out of curiosity? And what if I never was able to develop those same feelings? What if my idea of love never matches yours?"

"Disappointed" would be the more appropriate word." She responded, her smile still present. "That is the point of dating, is it not? To see if you could have those feelings for me?" Katsumi asked her.

To be honest, she never expected to have this conversation with anyone.

"If, hypothetically, I fell in love with you romantically, but your love for me was familial or purely platonic, then it would hurt in the moment. But time moves on, and with time, things heal. I would heal, and I would move on." Katsumi answered.

"I do not know what goes on in that head of yours, Amano. I do not understand you on many levels, but I'm willing to accept it and try to learn because I enjoy your company, and you as a person. No one can make you fall in love, or have any sort of romantic feelings. If that is who you are, that is who you are, and I've already made my decision to accept you for who you are."

Well if hearing that didn't make Amano feel better, then she wasn't sure what would. "Um… Thanks Katsumi. That means a lot." She took a moment to think. She probably lived with the most profound example of two people loving each other unconditionally, but the way they expressed it seemed so much different than anything she felt. And she of course loved other people. She loved her family, and her friends. And of course Yori. Yori was her baseline for a lot of things, as the person she found herself most attached to. But what she felt for him was different than the rest of her friends. What did that mean?

"Um… Do you?... Love me, that is…"

Katsumi's attention had been caught by the fireworks again, the colors in the sky vibrant reds, orange, and blues. The people on the roof gave small "ooh's" and "aaah's", accompanying the noises of the firework's explosions.

Then she heard Amano's question, which made Katsumi's cheeks darken a few shades of red.

"I...I believe "love" is too strong a word. But, it would not be impossible for me to develop those kind of feelings one day." She answered her. "Do you not feel any sort of affection? Besides platonic."

"Well yes. I do. At least I think I do… My best base line is Yori. What I feel for you is different than that. It was similar to what I felt for Hideki, and even Vitalis for a time… But, what makes things different? I don't want to hurt you Katsumi. I already hurt Hideki because I couldn't say I felt the way he did. But… I'd want to know. Even if I'm just playing the part, or emulating what I've seen, I'd know in the end right?"

Hideki turned her away. He didn't want to gamble his feelings like that. But Amano wanted to know. "I'm sorry, I know it's a selfish request."

Katsumi's blush darkened a bit more, listening to the girl's words. She understood loud and clear what Amano was saying, and in truth, she wanted to try too. Katsumi was curious about where this relationship would lead, should the two of them begin dating. Would Amano not develop feelings and that be the end of that? Would Katsumi not develop feelings? Would they both agree to go back to being friends? Or would this be it.

There was only one way to find out, wasn't there?

"I believe you're right. The only way you can know about your feelings for certain is if you try, and of course, I'd like to help you find your answer."

Amano couldn't help but smile. Someone who was willing to work with her and experiment on something like this? It made her happy that Katsumi would follow her into the unknown like that. It was the happiest thing she had heard for almost 3 weeks. She couldn't contain her excitement as she lunged toward her and wrapped her arms around Katsumi. "Thank you. Um… I guess that makes us girlfriends then." She laughed, her stress alleviating, but the butterflies in her stomach still there.

Katsumi couldn't stop her smiling. If someone had told her she would have a girlfriend during her time at Suppression, she would have thought them foolish. But now, she had one, and she couldn't be happier.

She welcomed Amano into her arms, holding her. "Mhm. We can plan our first date tomorrow, or whenever we have time. I am not too picky about what we do."

There was still a few more fireworks left for them to enjoy together. While Katsumi was still rather tired from working at the stall, she'd make time for Amano. Always.

Amano leaned in close as the fireworks show came to a close. "Katsumi, loo-..." She looked down at her, hoping to get her attention for it. But instead he noticed her softly breathing, resting on her shoulder. She fell asleep… She was adorable… Amano just let her rest. She stayed still, keeping close to her as she sent a small bit of Mnemu to go and gather some more. It felt a bit sad, having to leave her and sleep in her own bed. But Amano had already been selfish with her, dragging her up here after such a long day.

Still, she savored the brief moment next to her, feeling the warmth of her body close by. She took her to her room and had Mnemu put her in her bed after picking the door open. As she was about to leave, she pressed her lips against Katsumi's, being selfish for just one last time tonight before tucking her in and taking her leave.

The last three weeks had been emotionally exhausting. Amano wasn't sure when she fell asleep, as she found herself falling into her bed fast first and passing out. Things would get better. She could still improve. And she had people she could rely on to help her.[/spoilers]

 

[Thaleko]

Vigridis' Light Show

Vigridis had begun her light show. It was a casual affair. Nothing like the stage singing or the shows that had been readied beforehand with backstage production and actors and the like that had been put on earlier in the festival. The white-haired woman was simply standing out on the school grounds near the various stalls, as the sun dipped and the sky's color began to darken. This was a good time to start.

She had just come from another show. The one Kaizen had put on, where she had acted. She wondered if many would still be thinking about her performance during the play while they watched her light show. A show she decided to perform in large part due to Hotaru telling her she could do more than fight with her quirk. Hotaru had said her quirk could be used to make beauty. Vigridis would prove her correct tonight.

Vigridis had changed from her stage outfit from the previous play into her yukata. The yukata was in a sleek silver and blue -- colors that fit her well. The woman's slender form was emphasized by her yukata like usual, except it had a slightly daring part in the leg area that allowed her more freeform movement, and daringly revealed some bust area with a deep V, as the sleeves clung to her shoulders.

But it wasn't her attire that was meant to draw attention. It was the show she was performing, that she had practiced for the past week. Several streams of light were fired up into the sky, bursting into simple light pops, with sparks dissipating into the air. A few of these signified the beginning of the show.

After which Vigridis ramped it up a bit. Putting more energy behind her light blasts created bigger, more impressive bursts -like fireworks. Then she concentrated and fired ones that popped in different colors. Blue. Red. Purple.

Luckily Aika had agreed to help, so she turned towards her partner, and fired a stream of light at her outstretched hand, which was how they'd begin this portion of the show. Her light splintered off and broke, casting dazzling light gleams all over the place similar to a disco ball. It was up to Aika to control and manipulate the light now.

Aika began controlling how the light shattered over her hand by beginning to move her fingers around. It caused the light to shift and turn, but still be spread all around. Until that is, she took out a piece of cloth from her pocket, one that seemed to have holes in it. Covering a bit of her hand with the cloth, it allowed Aika to further shape the lights, causing what could be described as glimmering constellations, right in front of everyone's eyes. She went and shaped the lights in a few memorized forms, including existing constellations and some unique shapes.

"Ohh.." Isa says slowly looking at the light show. It still had nothing to the fireworks she was going to help set off, or so she hoped, though she admitted it was pretty. She didn't know either of the girls could use their powers to such a degree and purpose. Keeping her eyes fixed on what the pair were doing, Isa had nothing else to say.

Kikyo had heard word that some of her classmates were putting on shows. Unfortunately, she hadn't been exactly supportive in making it to some of them. However, this one promised to be particularly interesting, given that one of the more stoic members of her class was going to be performing. In this case, it was Vigridis, one of her classmates she had been wanting to meet, but hadn't had the chance yet.

However, this one she was able to meet, her eyes were glued to the beautiful colors the other girl was creating, along with the lovely attire she was wearing. It was already proving to be quite a lovely show. A wide grin was on her face, the light reflecting in her eyes.

Vigridis grinned as Aika began manipulating her light causing new shapes and constellations to form. After a bit of instruction, Aika's head became diamond, and Vigridis shot some light at it. In different colored bursts. Before blasting a long, stronger form of light at Aika's head for her to manipulate and change. -This was after they had practiced a bit to make sure this strong of light would not damage Aika in any way, of course. Vigridis wasn't sure who was watching in their class, but she could see a gathering of random students and staff, and hear many gasps and cheers as they enjoyed the beautiful light works display.

Having her eyes closed for this portion, Aika this time held a straw hat in her hands, above her head, and started to spin it, using the small holes in the hat to cause the light that reflected off her head to appear as though it was sparkling around them.

Vigridis was appreciative of Aika's aid, watching her spread her light out into pretty sparkles like a disco ball. Hearing all the gasps of delight from the audience. Together with her diamond-partner, the pair continued to dazzle the audience for a short while longer. Even turning on some music so people could have fun dancing in the disco-light.

Finally, they finished the material the pair had worked on. And Vigridis began once more on her own. She fired off a few more bursts of light to blast the sky like fireworks. She colored them once again, with pink, green, purple, red, blue, etc., bursts that brought out gasps of awe. Then Vigridis began doing something only she could do; she began to make constructs in the sky.

She shot up a stream of light that "burst" into a Flower Construct. That literally bloomed in front of everyone's eyes. Then she bloomed even more flower constructs around, creating a garden above. She created a construct that was poofy and dense -a Cloud Construct, glowing there in golden light. Purple flashes extended from it. Lightning Constructs. Not actual lightning, only constructs in the shape of lightning. She heard gasps from that one. Finally, she began forming different patterns of light in the sky with alternating colors, and began to change them, and manipulate them, like a kaleidoscope in the sky. After that dazzling, beautiful display, Vigridis created geometric shapes in the sky glowing in bright light and different colors, and began to rapidly morph them and change their shapes before everyone's very eyes. It all seemed so seamless. But it honestly was very difficult on her. Yet Vigridis persevered until what she had planned was over.

Watching Vigridis's solo performance from the side, Aika was impressed with the lengths Vigridis went to for her performance. However, seeing how everyone was focused on the shapes and lights she was currently making, Aika silently slipped off the stage. This wasn't her show after all, it was Vigridis's.

Vigridis kept up her light show for a bit longer after Aika's departure. She made more "firework"-like bursts in the sky, culminating in a pretty impressive display of vibrant colorful flashes. The shapes she created in the sky morphed into one another and subsumed the others, then split apart, forming other geometric shapes and other abstract designs. The level of detail and control therein was putting intense strain on the white-haired woman, but she pushed through to "wow" the audience. Swords, and other various weapons also appeared in mid-air, and clashed and swung around. That in particular caught the attention of some of the more macho guys who enjoyed swordplay and stuff. Finally, after the final flashes of light, Vigridis's impromptu, casual light show came to an end.

As the shapes and lights all dissipated, showering the gathered audience in beautiful sparkles, there were many whines and "awwws" of disappointment. Apparently they wanted to see more. But a moment later, Vigridis's ears were met with cheers and screams of adulation. She blinked, surprised by the reaction. A slight pink appeared on her cheeks as people began to praise her in earnest, voicing how much they loved the show and her quirk. And how impressed they were by the many beautiful things she could do. For once, Vigridis was a bit at a loss.

She simply bowed and said, "Thank you all for watching, and for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the shhow. I have my hero training to thank for my quirk control."

Some people chuckled at her stiff response, but ultimately the affair ended on a light note.

"When will your next show be?" asked a random observer, with an obvious tone of eagerness to see her again.

Vigridis was surprised by the question. "Uh… I.. I do not know. However, if you wish to seee more, jusst keep an eye out for the hero Ashen One."

 

[TreasureSniper]

Broken Bug: Agi

After some time, Kaizen finally mustered enough courage to limp towards Agi's room. Sooner or later he needed to face up to what he had done and things were only gonna get more difficult if kept delaying them. It took a while before the doctors would let the bugster roam free again, but once they were satisfied that he wouldn't go berserk again, they reluctantly agreed to it.

He took a deep breath before knocking on the door, perhaps a bit too gently. "Hey Agi…it's me, Kaizen...We need to talk." He said with a somber tone. Would Agi even be willing to open the door and talk to him? He honestly did not know, but he wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to.

At first there was no response then after a few minutes there was no sound at all either Agi was completely ignoring him, or was sound asleep yet as the bug would eventually turn around in defeat Agi would appear right behind him without a sound holding a food tray.

"Oh hey whats up Kaizen," Agi with his usual smile though it was a bit hard to see with all the bandages around his body.

"What do you need also neato you're in your human form," Agi chimed, aware of what kaizen officially looked like as he had seen the bug's profile pic for Suppression records.

"Didn't think you would be walking so soon…" He tried to smile to feign a cheery attitude as he turned around. "Well...I suppose I should start by apologizing for almost killing you…" he added somewhat awkwardly. "I don't quite remember what happened, but I know for a fact you got hurt because of me. And for that… I am sorry." Apart from sparring, the last person Kaizen would ever want to hurt was his friends. To not only lose control but also hospitalize an ally was essentially nightmare fuel for the bugster. And despite the differences and at times, abrasive nature Kaizen had towards Agi, he did consider him his friend.

"Eh I am stubborn like that can't keep a busy body down am I right," Agi chuckle as his nanobytes opened the door holding it for Kiazen to come in as Agi placed his food tray down before pulling up Kaizen a seat before sitting himself down on the bed.

"Ah welp there's nothing to apologize for my friend. As you said yourself you were not in control, and to be honest you were clearly heavily drugged. I wasn't going to lose another ally in this madness of one person's bad decisions I took on that road of my own choice," Agi expressed, though clearly appreciative of the apology, clearly didn't believe Kaizen owed him one.

"Besides that's what friends are for to recover others in their direst of moments. So think nothing of it alright. Now how are you recovering," Agi asked with a smile.

In a way, Kaizen was thankful for how optimistic and positive Agi was towards just about everything. "Look at you. As happy-go-lucky as ever. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous." Kaizen took the seat that was given to him. "And thank you for stopping me. Hopefully one day I can return the favor." He'd hope that day would come soon. He hates owing people debt, especially Agi. "My quirk is messed up, it'll take some time for me get back my full bug body, but I'll just have to manage until then." He sighed. "I still find it hard to believe we were betrayed so easily, by one of my closer friends from U.A no less." He still could not fathom such a betrayal. Her motives were still unknown to him at this time. Part of him still believed that she was forced into it.

"To be honest I was aware of Vitalis hatred toward her own quirk, but I didn't know it extended to all quirks with such a seething hatred to overlook that naturally people are just that violent with or without quirks. Just one less tool in the box of doom," Agi mumbled thinking on that night when she claimed herself the new title of Miasma.

"Alright alright I'll hold you to it," Agi surrendered to Kaizen demanding he pay back Agi on the matter, the boy even jokingly lifting his hands in defeat on the matter.

"She did it of her own free will to her own ideal Kaizen," Agi spoke, noticing the look of dejection of Vitalis being willing to do this on her own. It was the same look Yamoshi had that night as well.

"I could tell by the look on her face that it was all her choice, and she chose to stand her ground for it just like we all would have done if pushed to the brink," he spoke.

"Hmm if that were the case, then perhaps she should have paid the price for her treachery." Kaizen replied almost immediately. The bugster did not take kindly to traitors, especially ones which were willing to hurt their own friends. "I don't know how soon they'll let us see her, but I have a few choice words for her." The belief Kaizen had for the little girl was all but gone and yet he still wanted answers.

"Have the culprits of this case been dealt with accordingly?" The bugster was clearly itching for a chance to get back at the perpetrators. No evil will escape his justice for long.

"There was a lot of people caught in the sting raids, it's probably going to be a while to syphon all of them to the appropriate levels of punishments they have earned," Agi answered.

"And Vitalis is being kept at a maximum Anvil cell; she's as restricted as can be. More than likely she will get 20 years," Agi answered as well.

"I dont think it would be that complicated…" Kaizen didnt think much of the criminals they caught. If they had it his way, everyone would get the maximum penalty or worse.. "Thats it? 20 years? Didn't think Japan has gotten that soft…" Kaizen sounded disappointed by such a light sentence. And yet part of him is thankful she wouldn't be executed. He had so many conflicting feelings right now.

Suddenly a small girl with moth-like features shyly popped her head into the doorway as if she was looking for someone. "Are you in here, big brother?" for a second, her red crimson eyes met with Kaizen's, prompting her to charge towards him for a bear hug. "Big brother!" she exclaimed excitedly while hugging the not so buggy boy.

"Dear sister… you have grown a lot since I last saw you." He replied, returning the hug in equal force.

"I heard you got into a fight again… did you win? How many bad guys did you beat? Oh who's that? Is he your friend? Is he the guy you want to punch the most?" She bombarded Kaizen with some questions, some of which he wasn't quite comfortable with answering.

"Uhh..you see.." he was struggling to find a suitable answer towards her question.

"Ya well they have to actually figure out everyone's involvement by fair trial I doubt any of them will escape judgement, but they have to be judged for the right things at least," Agi pointed out as justice did have to be delivered on the appropriate level.

"Vitalis didn't kill anyone nor did she have a legit hand in their doings you gotta remember to a degree she was a puppet to them. They got her on kidnapping, funding cruel experimentation, assault of a law enforce being us, and terrorism charges. However if she plays ball, and gives up info I doubt they will go past 20 years if she takes a deal," Agi expressed not really feeling much emotion on the matter anymore as he was quite burnt out on the matter. If anything he doubted he could look at Vitalis for a long while.

"Pft," Agi stifled back a laugh at the sudden adorable overload of Kaizen's sister busting in on the scene, overwhelming the bug with her new namesake of Kaizen Buster. However while it was funny to see someone actually torture Kaizen in emotional submission Agi none the less helped out.

"He busted a whole facility of baddies. Basically, pasting them all across the yard should have seen him like a wild animal," Agi answered in the realm of truth while not giving out the darker bits of it. Everything Agi had said though was a hundred percent honest.

"Ooo! I knew it! Big brother Kaizen never loses to anyone!" The little girl cheered excitedly upon hearing his apparent victory. It is clear that the little girl looks up to her big brother.

"Hi! My name is Tenyuko. But you call me Yuko. I'm Kaizen's little sister." The curious moth girl gave a polite bow to Agi. "Hmm… considering how you look.." she snapped her fingers in an eureka moment. "O! You must be Agi. He always talks about wanting to punch you! He must like you a lot! Are you guys best friends?" Kaizen's shame was growing by the second. "Ahem… if your here then… the others are here as well aren't they?" He pretended to clear his throat and switch topics.

"O yeah! I'll go get them right now! Don't run away again!" She said with a cheeky smile as she fluttered away. Kaizen stayed awkwardly silent, he didn't even know where to begin.

"A pleasure to meet you Yuko," Agi smiled bowing back as he watched the girl ran off again tilting his head to Kaizen.

"Soooo wanting to punch me in the face I see heh," Agi teased laughing a little aloud.

"Well, to be fair… most of the time you had it coming." He replied with a shy smile.

"Oh how so," Agi asked.

"Something about the shounen protag attitude you got drives me up the wall sometimes." He said half-jokingly.

"Say what now," Agi asked, raising an eyebrow to Kaizen's insanity answer.

"You know what? Don't worry about it." Kaizen simply gave up halfway through and turned his attention to his sister who just came back followed by a larger four armed moth lady and tall beetle humanoid.

"It's been awhile hasn't it, son?" The beetle spoke. "You really have grown a lot, Kaizen." The woman said, noting that he was in his rarely seen human form. "What do you people want?" Kaizen responded rather coldly towards his parents, prompting a sad look from his sister's eyes. "Is it wrong for us as parents to want to check on our son? Especially right after a life threatening event?" The father replied. "That didn't stop you from letting me be exiled by the elders.." it was obvious was still very spiteful towards what happened in the past. The tension in the room was high. His mother sighed and gestured to the family to go outside. "We'll be outside if you want to talk.." was all she said before exiting the room.

"Well that wasn't awkward in my own hospital room, dare I ask for an explanation I might not get," Agi asked in all fairness rather curiously to the major amount of info that was just given to him about Kaizen without nary a warning.

"Hm… I suppose I can tell you.." Kaizen was always reluctant to share about his past, even among his closest friends. But considering he beat Agi within an inch of his life, he felt he owed him something. "If you have read my file, you would know that my family is part of a large conglomerate. Lots of fishing things happen from time to time, which most people would overlook. But during my internship.. I stumbled onto a large conspiracy of sorts." He tried to keep everything brief, not revealing too many details. "I foolishly tried to capitalize this moment as an opportunity to remove the corruption of the higher echelons….but things didn't go well. And I was swiftly exiled." While it was indeed a sad event, he has quite some time to get over it. "My parents, in spite of everything I had done, did not believe me or perhaps they were scared to back me up, lest they be exiled as well." Kaizen sighed. In truth there was more to it than that, but those were the most important points he could share.

"But they still came to see you, and quite honestly they were genuinely concerned," Agi expressed not wanting to step on Kaizens toes on what he had to say, but it was clear Agi had no right to ask Kaizen about his clan.

"I mean being from a intense clan like that with you being exiled wouldn't seeing you put them at risk of ridicule clearly there will in to risk it to see their son when he's hurt," Agi added knowing he was overstepping, but it was clear his family held no ill will with how his sister acted they clearly were not dissuading her to think highly of him.

"I am sorry to hear the right thing burned you from your family, but I am also proud to be the friend of someone who didn't let that stop them from continuing to do the right thing," Agi smiled, giving Kaizen a thumbs up seal of approval.

"It's not quite that simple.." And now Kaizen had to tell him about what happened after that. "Right after I was exiled, there was a hit put on me...and well.. It didn't go so well for the perpetrators." Kaizen looked around to make sure no one was around to hear him say the next part. "I came back, stronger than ever, and confronted the elder of their transgressions. Eventually after some...ahem.. physical encouragement, they admitted to their crimes. And from that moment onward I was officially welcome back to the clan." Kaizen sighed, thinking back whether or not it was the right decision for him to leave for moment. "At least that how it should have been..but I willingly chose to stay exiled. Because in my eyes, the clan had failed me, and thus had no value to me anymore" he finished it off. And now just like that, Agi knew pretty much about his history. "So no, they are not at risk of anything. In fact, I have feeling they are probably trying to get me to return to the damned clan." He said in an angry tone.

"And I thought Kuroi's family had issues," Agi mumbled while listening to Kaizens story.

"Well do you love them," Agi bluntly asked Kaizen about his thoughts to his parents.

"I am well balance with my relations with my family so i wont pretend to understand or solve that tangle, but its at least fair to let some hint that you still care for them pass when they show concern for you," Agi expressed getting properly into his bed as he took his plate.

"There was in point in time that I did, with all my heart and all my soul." He answered his question without hesitation. "I was willing to give up everything to protect them… but I guess they weren't willing to do same…"Kaizen looked to the side in sorrow. He pondered over Agi's next suggestion. He couldn't really see himself completely hating them either. Seconds later, his little sister returned and grabbed him by his arm. "Come on big bro! Ma and pa want to talk to you!" It was obvious she was trying to convince him as well.

"Sometimes you gotta be stronger for others sakes right," Agi simply responded seeing Kaizen's adorable sister come in to whisk him away.

"It never hurts to give a little weigh," Agi added, waving to Kaizen happy they had this talk as it allowed Agi to understand the bug a little bit more.

"Tch. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk.' He surrendered to his fate and was ready to talk until another humanoid beetle entered the room. He was much smaller than his father.

"KAIZEN!" He screamed as he sent a fist to his face.

Thankfully, Kaizen was fast enough to catch the blow with his insect arm. Though was noticeably struggling against the sheer strength of the beetle. "It's good to see you too...little brother.." he muttered as he broke the deadlock by backing off.

"Kaizen, I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you're coming back home." The beetle demanded.

"Challenging me while I am at my weakest? That's low, even for you." He taunted his little brother.

"You're allowed to nominate a representative as always.. perhaps your frie-" Kaizen immediately interrupted such a proposal, in fact he found it insulting. "Nominate him?! Not in a million years." The tension in the room suddenly rose exponentially.

Agi raised an eye at the drama in front of him playing out as he nibbled on a rice ball as he swirled his miso soup with his soup spoon letting it cool down as he slightly tilted to the little sister.

"I assume this is a common event challenge," Agi asked her.

"Oye down Kaizen, this is a hospital, and someone at least explain to me what's happening because I missed an episode or too," he lightly joked, trying to kill the tension of this anime moment with a knife.

"There they go again…" his little sister muttered. "Yea…. Kuroto always wants to fight Kaizen to bring him back home. But Kaizen always wins." Yuko looked sad for a moment, although she always wanted Kaizen to win, at the same time, he wanted him to come home too.

"That enough!" The mother shouted as she entered the room. "If you two must fight, please take it outside. There are people trying to rest herer" She warned both of them. Although they were hesitant at first, they would eventually drop it.

"I apologize for their intrusion." She gave a polite bow to Agi.

"You must be one of Kaizen's friends. A pleasure to meet you. From what Yuko tells me, you two are the best of friends." The moth mother's comment prompted an immediate response.

"We are most certainly not!" Kaizen said as he stormed off to the vending machine.

"Has he been treating you well? How are his grades?" She seemed genuinely curious and worried about her son's student life.

"I see," Agi responded before apparently Kaizen's younger sibling enraged him only to be reigned in by their mother. A fearsome parent indeed reminded him of his own mother when she placed her foot down in the house.

"No worries ma'am I am quite adjusted to Kaizen's battle tendencies. I am definitely a friend of Kaizen my names Agi Mizushima," Agi chuckled as Kaizen mumbled out the door trying to reject their friendship humorously.

"Hes been very kind to me ma'am and very honest to which I appreciate.If I remember correctly Kaizen grades have him in the top ten in the class currently," Agi nodded remember the last score board listing.

"Ah, you are Mizushima's kid. It's good to know that our son is in good company." his father chimed in, happy to hear that his son has friends. His father seemed pleased to hear that he was getting along well enough.

"Honestly, Kaizen worries me to no end. As strong as he is, he is also prone to get wrapped up in so much trouble, always putting himself in front of everything. Doesn't help that he never replies to our letters or emails." His mother shook her head in worry. "We've always taught him to never pick a fight he can't win, but it seems he thinks he can win every fight." she added. She was afraid that one day that would be the death of him.

"He's a good guy. Ya I am probably just as stubborn to be honest which seems to upset him a bit," Agi laughed in admitting to having the same issue.

"Well you don't have to worry cause this class wont let that happen Kaizen is just as important as everyone else," Agi promised.

"Thank you for that Mizushima-san. But don't push yourself too hard on yourself either! Knowing my son, he'll likely try to outdo all of you." His mother replied, somewhat relieved to know that he had such good friends.

"Mom! Kaizen punched a hole in Kuroto again!" The moth girl cried out to her mom, prompting her to shake her head in disappointment.

"Let's hope he doesn't bleed too much this time." his father added, making his way to the doorway.

"It was nice meeting you, Mitzushima-san. It puts me at ease to see that my son has made such a fine friend." The family waved Agi goodbye as they went to check on his son's handiwork.

"He's already trying to do that," Agi chuckled at their concern being very real, and happening 24/7.

"I wish you luck on getting him to act like he has emotions," Agi laughed at their departure, not shocked by what he heard at all.

@Azurian Dream

Brooding Bug: Hotaru

Right after Ota's interrogation, Kaizen returned to his room to rest. It was a strange feeling, to be in his human form once more. The nurses delivered him some food to eat. But as he took a bite, he noticed how tasteless it was. Just about everything went wrong today. Not only did he fail as team leader, letting the villains get away and more importantly he also almost killed his friends during his berserker's rampage. He didn't even know what he would say to them at this point. Suffice to say, he believed his time at suppression will be cut drastically short if this keeps up.

In spite of how tasteless the food was, he continued eating it until the nurses left him alone. He let out a sigh of frustration and disappointment. How much of this could have been prevented had he been more observant and methodical?

"...Hey, Bugs…!" Hotaru greeted with a cheery tone that missed a beat and a knock on the doorway. It was obvious she was trying to sound upbeat to counter his downtrodden appearance. Stepping inside, she gave a weak smile as she looked him over. "...How ya feeling?"

He turned towards the source of the cheerful voice, envying her upbeat greeting, in spite of what had happened. "...oh.. Hey tomboy.." he replied quietly, giving an extremely weak smile to her which was barely noticeable. "I am fin~.." Kaizen almost instinctively answered he was fine before relenting. No, he wasn't fine, he wasn't fine at all. He was broken, both body and spirit. "Not good...not good at all.." he replied, correcting himself in a sorrowful tone. "I dont know if you heard, but….lots of people are in pain….because of me…" Kaizen took a deep breath and sighed. Despite seeming composed on the outside, his mind was completely on the verge of losing it. It's one thing to fail, but allowing others to suffer because of your failure was something else entirely.

Hotaru's face dropped when she saw he couldn't even bring himself to lie about it. She approached the side of the bed and sat on the edge of it. He was so demoralized it was hard to look, and so she partially kept her gaze held in front of her. "Kind of...We got the news that shit hit the fan and… about…" Trailing off at that, she pursed her lips a bit, wondering how to proceed. "You… wanna talk about what happened? Vent?"

The bugster briefly closed his eyes and thought about it. According to many of the self help books he reads, venting is a good way of reducing your frustration however, he was always reluctant to do it since he didn't think it would work. "To put it simply.. I couldn't protect my team and even worse, I became a threat to my own friends.." he began explaining."I got careless.. Trusted the wrong people...and now… Mitsuo is gone…." He listed off the things that went wrong. He didnt even bother talking about what happened to his quirk and body, to him those were secondary next to the impact his actions had on the team.

Hotaru sat and listened. Naturally, he was more worried about everyone else than himself, even though he wasn't in a much better place than anyone. "...You mean with Vitalis?" Hotaru didn't know much about the girl, save for her cousin's disdain. She still didn't have the full story of why Vitalis acted out. She was more upset that people got hurt by her than that she was a traitor.

"Kai… you can't blame yourself for this, though that's probably not going to keep you from doing it…." Hotaru mused. "Vitalis is the one that did all this, and those villains. Not you."

"Yes.. I was the one that allowed her to do it. As the team leader, I had the duty of care towards my team, regardless of the circumstances." he looked towards his friend, noting how she was trying to comfort him. "Guess I am not as strong as I thought I was." he sighed. Looking at his one insect arm. "I know there's no use crying over spilt milk but...this stings." yet again the somewhat calm tone of his voice did not match how distressed he actually was. He's used to ignoring everything that came his way, be it physical or mental. But things are different now.

"You did. That includes her too, or it did. She was the one that betrayed you and all of us," Hotaru replied softly. One shouldn't have to be prepared for their friends to stab them in the back. Though, she chuckled a bit at the comment of strength. "None of us are. We're all noobs, even if we're high-tier noobs. I don't think I'm as strong as my grandad was, and if you compare us with the top-tiers right now, it's clear we still have a long way to go. The good news about that is it means we haven't hit a wall. We can get stronger."

Sighing a bit again, Hotaru wasn't sure that would cause him to bounce back as if nothing was wrong, but maybe it would give him some solace. She looked at him again with another proposal. "Hey, who's your favorite hero?"

"I suppose you are right…" was all the bugster said. Nothing Hotaru said was wrong, it's just something Kaizen had to accept and move on. He raised an eyebrow towards Hotaru, thinking it was strange of her to ask such a question at this time. "The mantis hero, Paladantis. A hero that doesn't let everyone else's opinion bother him and simply does what needs to be done." he explained. "And what about you? Who's your favourite?" he wondered. It would probably be her grandfather since she seem so fond of talking about him.

"Titan. Surprise, surprise." She chuckled a little bit. "He was blunt, outgoing, and tenacious as hell. Didn't care much for bookstudies or beating around the bush, but he could be pretty wise too." She gave a reminiscent smile. "I'm not sure if I mentioned I didn't have the drive for this and went to U.A. just because of my quirk and family. I could've asked him for help with anything and he would've, but I just coasted off what he thought I should know and didn't really ask him much of anything…" Her smile faded a bit at that. "Now I ask myself what he would do when I need help. Try that with Paladantis, and I'll help you too."

"Yes. That is one way to look at it…" however Kaizen strongly believed that palandantis wouldnt have gotten himself in such a situation in the first place. "He'd pick himself up and continue doing what he needed to do." Which was exactly what Kaizen needed to do. "I know no matter what I do is not gonna change the past. And honestly that's what pains me the most. To have an unerasable mistake, taunting for rest of eternity. And such things are even worse when they are mistakes which could have been avoided." He explained his logic with regards to failure. "But truth be told, it difficult to tell what is truly avoidable in this world." He spoke as if he just realize this. "I thank you for your support, Hotaru. I think those self health books were right. Venting my frustrations does help." He gave her a small smile to acknowledge that her efforts of cheering him up had indeed succeed to certain extent.

"And that's what you gotta do," Hotaru said with a nod. "If it stings, all the more reason to learn from them. I told you one of my biggest regrets… Just have to do what we have to."

He hadn't magically perked up, but Hotaru didn't expect him to. She just didn't want him to look as broken as he had, and it seemed as though he was in better spirits. Grasping his shoulder, she gave him a nod again. "Like I said, if you need help, I'll help. We're friends, after all… and I have to make up for punting you that first time."

"Heh, you're gonna have a lot more than to make up for that." He joked. He was thankful to have a friend that was willing to talk to comfort him. "How are the others holding up? I didn't get a chance to see most of them.." Kaizen wondered if her team had suffered any injuries as well. "How is it that whenever I see you, you're always in high spirits?" he asked, somewhat envious of her happy go lucky nature.

"Jeez, what do I have to do, take you to a buffet? Or let you hit me? What?" Hotaru complained with a huff before rocking her head a bit. "I just got here myself. Everyone seems to be different, but alive. My team got away practically unscathed, save for Yori. He took a shoulder hit, but should be good."

Pausing at that, Hotaru glanced at him with a raised brow before shrugging. "I don't believe in stress… or, well I believe in it, but try to avoid it. I used to be a silent anxiety case and it sucked. So, now I just… move."

"Hehe..I think I'll cash in that cheque much later. Once it appreciates in value…" Oh he had such plans. But he wasn't sure which one to execute. "That's good to know.." He was relieved to hear that the other teams didnt have it as bad as he did. "That… is a very interesting concept. I always remembered you as the quiet one from your U.A days. " He remembered others talking about how shy she was. Some of them even expressed interest in her but could never get close enough to her. "Hmmm any move is better than no move…." But was it really? To move forward as fast as possible, no matter how much it hurts.

"Huh?" Hotaru tilted her head at that comment, not really getting what he meant by it appreciating. Still, she gave a nod when Kaizen said he was relieved. He was the type to worry about others, so it was good to let him know that people were okay.

"Yeah… like I said I kind of took after my grandad a bit when he passed… push myself out of my comfort zone a little bit, be more outgoing," Hotaru explained with a sheepish chuckle. She pondered his statement before nodding. "Sounds like something he would've said. You can take a breath, but ya' can't dwell on things too much either."

@EmperorsChosen

Farmer's Festival Prologue

As the festival date got closer, Kaizen enlisted the aid of Katsumi, his best (and only) cooking students, as well as pretty boy Yori. With a combination of hardwork and starpower, he believed his stall would be a great success. Additionally, it'd be a good avenue to promote his own night show as well.

A few days earlier, he had spent a lot of time training Katsumi on how to properly prepare everything on the menu. He wasn't too worried about Yori since he had a feeling he would know what to do.

On the day before the festival, he had spent all morning and all night preparing the stall, hanging menu posters and checking the machinery. He had a lot to make up for, and this one way he could do it. In the morning, he would wait for his team to arrive, hoping they weren't late. He specifically asked to meet them at 7:00 am.

Katsumi had not made any plans for the festival; at least, not ones that would take the whole day. After everything that Kaizen had done for her, she would repay him for his kindness.

Though she didn't understand why he had recruited Yori. Yes he was a celebrity, but shouldn't the food do the talking to bring in customers? Or would he simply be helping them cook?

Regardless, more hands would be of great help to them.

Yori himself had a good idea why he was drafted for cooking duty with Kaizen, but honestly, he didn't mind. It would help his classmate significantly and he wanted to experience something new during the festival.

The meetup time wasn't an issue either. His manager had conditioned him to be used to waking up early. So when 7 AM rolled around, he would show up with his tied, in suitable clothing and ready to work. He brought his yukata in its packaging so that he could wear it during the times he could enjoy the festival.

She would arrive at the time Kaizen requested, yawning softly. Katsumi would see the two had arrived, the girl herself wearing regular clothing and her own apron, as well as tying her hair back into a large bun.

Both looked at Kaizen, ready to hear what he had to say.

He was in his human form, wearing a custom made jinbei which had his clan's insignia embroidered on its back. He wore a strange looking mask that resembled a kabuki mask with a rhinoceros beetle motif.

"Good morning, Katsumi. Yori. Good to see that both of you are being punctual!" Kaizen said as he got ready a first batch of Takoyaki balls, Ikayaki and Yakitori for his crew. "Come on. Let's finish our breakfast and get this show on the road." He invited them over to sit at the stall. It was still early so there weren't that many customers just yet. Though he did note that there were already a few fangirls (and boys) starting to look for a certain idol. "Oh Yori, check it out. I have a feeling you'd like this." Kaizen unveiled a large banner with a caricature of Yori eating various things on the menu.

"Good morning, Kaizen." Katsumi greeted him with a smile.

"Yeah, morning." Yori greeted as well.

They heard his words regarding breakfast, and both were happy to start eating. The smiles on their faces said as much. After both gave him their thanks, they

"I will admit, I am a bit nervous." Katsumi spoke, taking a bit of everything that was offered. She normally wasn't a fan of fried foods in the morning, but honestly? She was too hungry to really care.

Yori took his share as well, blowing on a piece of takoyaki when he saw the banner Kaizen unveiled.

He smiled, stifling a laugh at the sight of it. He didn't hate it; far from it actually. It was charming in its own right.

Yori just had no idea that Kaizen was going to use him as advertisement.

"My manager usually charges for this." He chuckled, eating the takoyaki, chewed, then swallowed. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her. The banner looks fantastic."

"Are you sure we need to advertise Yori?" Katsumi asked Kaizen.

"Nervous about what exactly Katsumi? We've practice each dish with you yesterday and you seemed to do just fine " Kaizen overseer her training on the previous day to ensure that she was capable of carrying out her duties and more importantly not hurt herself during cooking.

"Don't worry. Both of you will get your cut." He was fully prepared to share his profits with them. "And I'm glad you like it. I spent all night putting the finishing touches." Kaizen added, feeling rather proud of his accomplishments.

"Yes. Most definitely. It is all part of my grand strategy." he boasted. "Also between me and him, he has a more marketable face." Kaizen knew that an insect themed hero wouldn't appeal to the wider audience. He was satisfied with being a side character for the success of the business. "Take your time and enjoy your food. All of us will have a very long day." And with that, the bugster made his way to the stove to serve his first round of customers. He had put Yori mostly on cashier duty while Katsumi and him would do most of the brunt work.

"This will be the first time that I cook for random strangers. The food will be the impression of the stall." Katsumi explained, taking another bite of her food. She had confidence in herself and her cooking, mostly. Katsumi just didn't want to be the reason everything fell apart.

"The banner is very impressive though. I had no idea you were an artist." Katsumi commented looking at the banner.

Meanwhile, Yori could feel eyes on the stall. More specifically, on him. He couldn't wait to hear it from his manager…

'I knew I should have worn my disguise today.' He thought to himself, but if it means helping out a friend then he supposed he could play idol for a few hours.

"Kaizen's nice banner, the great cooking, and a bit of idol influence… Yeah, today is gonna be a busy day." He said aloud, finishing the rest of his food. "That was delicious Kaizen. Thank you!"

"An amatuer at best, but it gets the point across and looks like him enough" he replied to Katsumi's compliment.

"Glad you guys liked it. Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" He announced, prompting a huge wave of customers to begin ordering from Yori. Many even started asking for autographs on their posters. The pressure was on. "Keep calm Katsumi. Remember we dictate the pace of the food, not them." He gave encouragement to his student to not be pressure by the onslaught of customers. "I need 5 sets of takoyaki, hold the sauce for 3 of them." He read out an order for her while he worked on the fried squid. "Yori, if possible don't let signing autographs clog the line." He advise him, hoping that it won't interfere with operations.

With both Katsumi and Yori finishing up their meals, they were ready to get to work. She heard Kaizen's words, acknowledging his encouragement with a smile and 'thank you.'

Perfection could not be rushed… They dictated the pace of the meal, not them.

They should be fine.

With that, Katsumi headed to the kitchen area to begin working. 5 sets of takoyaki, hold the sauce for 3. Easy!

Kaizen had already poured the batter into the half circles in the tray, so Katsumi would use cooking chopsticks to focus on turning them when necessary.

Meanwhile, Yori was greeting customer after customer with a smile.

"Hello, can I take your order?" He would ask them.

Some were normal, and though excited, they kept their cool. Others would wait patiently to get to the front of the line and ask for an autograph along with their takoyaki, which he could provide.

But then the peace stopped for a moment because of a scream.

"YORI! Oh my god Yori! I can't believe it's actually you!"

The woman was starting to sob, pushing her way through the crowd of people. Yori preemptively stepped back from the register as the woman not only got through the crowd, but was trying to climb into the stall.

Upon seeing the woman attempting to enter a restricted area, Kaizen's bodyguard instinct kicked in, prompting him to intercept the intrusion. With a firm grip on her shoulders. "Pardon me Ms…. I would ask that you refrain from entering the restricted area…" Despite being in his human form, Kaizen had an intimidating aura which surrounded him. "The most I can permit for you to have is a picture and autograph, but even then, I would require you to wait in line. Your cooperation is very much appreciated." And with that Kaizen released his hold on the woman, allowing her to get back in line, albeit somewhat shaken. "I think everything should be fine for now. But just let me know if anyone else acts up, Yori." He let his friend know that he was there for him should he require it.

Kaizen returned to his station without any further problems. He carefully watched Katsumi do her work but eventually decided that she was good enough to just be left on her own way. It took awhile, but the crowd finally died down a bit, prompting Kaizen to ask if they wanted to take a break. "Looks like the rush is just about done for now. Do you two want to take a break? I can take care of the stall myself until you guys finish.?" Both them had worked really hard, it was the least he could do, apart from splitting the profits.

Katsumi had paused in her work when she saw the woman trying to, literally, crawl over the stall to get closer to Yori. Did she not realize there were hot stoves everywhere? She could have gotten hurt, over some guy that didn't know she existed!

What a fool.

She resumed her work, ignoring the glares of jealousy she received for being a girl working so close to him. She had bigger things to worry about.

The woman herself wanted to argue, but the dangerous aura that emanated from Kaizen stopped her in her tracks. She knew what she wanted to say, but fear would not allow it.

"...F-Fine. But I'll be making a huge order!" She warned them in advance before returning to the line.

Katsumi could guess that the lady just wanted to have more time to talk to Yori.

Yori seemed undeterred by the event that transpired, mostly because he was used to it. He smiled at the crowd. "Please don't step into the stall. It's surrounded by dangerous equipment, and I'd hate to see any of you get hurt."

The way he said it earned a swooned response from the audience, save for the few who had come simply because they were hungry.

At the word of a break, Katsumi and Yori looked at one another, then back at Kaizen.

"Only if you go on break right after us, Boss." Yori responded.

"Yes, what he said. It would be unfair otherwise." Katsumi added.

Kaizen smiled under his mask. He was thankful to have such caring friends with him throughout this whole festival. "Very well then. I look forward to your return. I'll try not to do all the work myself." He joked as he waved them off to go take their break.

………

When all had come back from their break, the three had to suffer what was probably the busiest time of the day. The lunch rush. Yori and Katsumi were already quick to focus and keep going. Yori had basically turned his brain off and switched to idol mode, all smiles, warm, and welcoming to the establishment. He kept up with the orders, though what broke his concentration a few times were fans trying to ask him questions. He only gave them answers that Katsumi had to wonder just how many times he had to do this in order to be able to switch like that.

However, as Katsumi was working on the next batch, a hand stretched up and tried to grab her, making her act to try and dodge.

However, this sudden instance made her accidentally knock something over, spilling it into a finished batch of takoyaki.

"You!" The woman called out. "What makes you so special that you can work with Yori!? He's too good for this!"

Kaizen upon seeing the accident reacted as quickly as possible, dashing to Katsumi's side and shielding her from the hot batter which was splashing off the machine with his insect arm. The liquid was hot, but thankfully, his insectoid arm had no pain receptors. "Are you alright?" he asked Katsumi before redirecting his attention to the machine. Thankfully, he managed to scoop away the excess batter and avoid any permanent damage to the machine. Burn marks could be seen on his arm, some of his exoskeleton pieces looked "cooked". "Lady, I'd appreciate it, if you kept your distance from the machinery and kept your rude comments to yourself." The bugsters said to the lady with a hint of annoyance.

Katsumi's and Yori's concerns went right to Kaizen, seeing him take the brunt of the damage that was about to be done to her. Their eyes were wide, but Yori was faster to recover from the shock than Katsumi was. Yori did see him lose his arm before, but the smell of Kaizen cooking did make his stomach churn a bit.

"I-I'm fine. Are you alright?" She asked him in turn, trying to inspect the damage on him. Thankfully they had a first aid kit in the stall, in case something like this happened.

"Oh yeah? You think you're worthy of Yori because you've got a cute face and a smoking hot bod?! Well you're not! Don't go trying to get your paws on him!"

"Just fine. I've had worse. Much worse." Kaizen laughed it off awkwardly. He didn't think too much about the incident. However it did give him a new perspective with regards to how fanatical people can be about their idols. However, upon hearing the lack of regret from the fan, Kaizen was noticeably vexed. "She's more worthy than you'll ever be, but not for the shallow reasons you stated…" he spoke as he slowly walked towards her. " Time and time again she has risked her life to fight alongside him and her teammates out in the field." Sometimes, people need to be put in place. "She is something you'll likely never be to Yori, no matter how much you stalk him or buy his merch..she is a friend." People have gotten too comfortable with disrespecting other people. "This is your last warning, continue your foolishness and I will be forced to remove you from the festival grounds." His eyes glowed through his mask, burning bright with righteous indignation.

The more Kaizen spoke, the angrier the woman was becoming. Katsumi herself appreciated what Kaizen had to say and defending her. It was nice of him, and she made a mental note to repay him for such kindness appropriately.

"Thank you." She said to him.

However, the fan was not having it. "You think you're scary? Take that face and stick it up your own ass! As a matter of fact, I'll help you, you idol stealing little-!"

The girl was on the move to try and climb the stall again, but before a fight could break out Yori was quick to get between his friends and the girl.

For the woman, the moment she saw Yori's eyes, the world seemed to slow down. A pink, shoujo-esque tint to her vision as he looked at her. He smiled, and her heartbeat quickened in pace. She froze, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she stared.

He opened his mouth.

"Leave." He said.

His voice was music to her ears.

"I-I.." She tried to talk again, for any sort of rebuttal. But then he spoke again. The magical words that made her knees weak, and all fight in her system leave her body as quickly as it entered.

"Please?" He would ask of her.

Her gaze softened and a fool's smile crept onto her lips. She stepped off the stall, grabbing her blushing cheeks.

"O-Okay~"

With that, the woman had an extra pep to her step as she was leaving the premises, singing a little song of "he talked to me" as the giddiness overwhelmed her.

'Weirdo.' was the thought in Yori's mind as he got back to the register. "Sorry. Sometimes violence doesn't work." He told his friends.

Kaizen walked up to the fan, unfettered by her empty threats. He was gonna let her hit him and be done with it, he knew he could take the hit, she probably couldn't. Thankfully Yori stepped at just the right time. He was thankful for his intervention, the last thing he wanted to do was send one of his fans to the hospital. "You just saved her from becoming a donut." Kaizen joked. But he was pretty sure none else would catch it. "If anything I should apologize for underestimating your followers' fanaticism. I hope my knee jerk reaction did not leave any negative effects on your brand." Kaizen knew how important it was to keep up a positive image as an idol. "I will be sure to compensate you well with your cut."

Well, that was the main reason Yori stepped in in the first place. He was trying to keep his friend from getting in trouble over something not worth it.

"Stop, you did nothing wrong." He assured with a little wave of his hand, "You protected us from a potential fight. Don't apologize. Regarding that cut, I think you and Katsumi deserve the better ends of it."

Yori was just working the register and attracting fanatic customers. Kaizen and Katsumi wouldn't be working so hard if he hadn't been recruited.

Katsumi looked over, remembering the spillover. She cursed softly, moving to try and inspect the damages. She took one of the takoyaki balls from the batch and looked it over.

"This batch is drenched in something awful. We can't use it." She told Kaizen. This meant they were now behind.

"An unfortunate turn of events. I will have to make the batter again from scratch." He thought about it. It will take some time before they can get the ball rolling again, so they need a diversion, or at least something. He had a lightbulb moment, and went to the back, grabbing a microphone and portable speaker that he had initially planned on using for a promotion. "Yori. I need another favor from you. I don't know how much you charge per song, but would you mind giving them one or two? Just enough time for me to finish the batter. I will compensate you appropriately for it, anything you want." He asked him as politely as ever.

Katsumi frowned, but she understood that they needed to work quickly if they wanted to serve these customers in a timely manner. Yori would make for the perfect distraction.

"Good idea." She murmured to Kaizen.

Surely Yori's fans would be happy with an impromptu concert? Maybe even just a break for him to sign autographs and answer questions?

Honestly, she didn't care what he did as long as he kept them distracted.

Yori gave him a nod. He turned and looked around in the stall before grabbing a crate that they used to bring stock. Then, he would go outside in front of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I formally apologize for the wait, but we've run into some issues with the takoyaki balls. While a fresh batch is being made, please relax and enjoy a peaceful song."

The fans in the audience were thrilled to have their own private concert, with some readying their phones to start recording. Those there for the takoyaki balls were a little more understanding, since they witnessed first hand that it was not their fault.

While Yori had quite the selection to pick from, he could only sing so much before hunger grew to impatience. The clock would start ticking for Kaizen and Katsumi.

Katsumi looked at Kaizen. "You'll be readying the batter, yes? I'll handle everything else."

"Leave it to me!" He gave a thumbs up and wink to his student. And with that, the bugster rushed to the back to preparing the final batch of batter. He fortunately had the foresight to stock up on raw ingredients, just falling short of preparing them since he didnt expect such a huge turn out. Within the last chorus of Yori's song, Kaizen burst out from the back with freshly mixed batter, ready for use. "Showtime, Katsumi." He carefully poured the mix onto the hotplate and let his student do the rest. He was happy to have such reliable people on his team.

With the batter finished, Katsumi had already prepared the grill with oil and the pieces of octopus for cooking. On the side was the bonito flakes, the powdered seaweed, the takoyaki sauce, and the tenkasu. Her cutting board would have some green onions ready for chopping and next to that would be the kewpie mayo.

The batter was poured into each circle on the grill, which was the flag to tell Katsumi it was time to move.

Pieces of octopus would be placed within the batter at the appropriate time using her set of cooking chopsticks. As that would start cooking, Katsumi moved on to the green onions. Using her quirk within her muscles, she started chopping the onions at high speed, being very careful with her left hand as her right moved in a blur. Was this cheating? Maybe, but did she have time to care? Absolutely not.

The green onion was chopped into small pieces. Small enough to be sprinkled on top of the takoyaki should a customer request otherwise.

Picking up the chopsticks again, Katsumi could see that the batter was overflowing a bit while the bottom was thoroughly cooking. She stuffed the batter back in to begin creating the round shape, and once the takoyaki was ready, she'd start flipping them over.

"Kaizen, ready some boats. The takoyaki is almost done." She'd tell him.

Yori seemed to be doing well in the distracting part, with a few girls even crying or pretending that he was singing to them. Katsumi was just glad the girls weren't trying to tear him down from his crappy little stage.

And with the bodyguard busy too, it would have been a good time to do it.

Thankfully, they were too distracted to think the same thing.

"Already on it." The bugsters quickly prepped as many boats as he could without spilling anything. He had been watching Katsumi all this time and he was extremely proud of how far she had come. With everything prepped and ready, Kaizen began serving the food to the hungry customers, quelling their hunger and replacing it with satisfaction.

"Mind if I cut in?" He asked Yori who had just finished his song. "Thank you all for you patronage! I'd like to give big thanks to Yori for his very generous guest appearance. None of this would be possible without him." He stopped for a moment to let the crowd react appropriately by clapping. He turned his attention to the tired Katsumi and pointed out to the crowd. "But can I also have a round of applause for the hardest working member of my crew, Katsumi! To be able to serve so many people in such little time is truly a breathtaking feat!" Surprisingly enough, the crowd also cheered for the girl in appreciation for her efforts, though it was mostly from the customers who were there for the food.

Yori gave Kaizen the stage per his request. Hearing his words, both Katsumi and Yori smiled warmly at their friend. Once again, he was pushing them to receive all the glory, and nothing for himself.

Katsumi left the stall so she could be by Kaizen's side, smiling.

"May we have a round of applause for our friend here? He's the reason all of you were able to see Yori today." She told the audience.

Yori joined in. "He's also responsible for the delicious recipes we all enjoyed today, and he saved us both from danger when it was present. If anyone deserves praise, it's him."

Katsumi and Yori led the applause, which was soon followed by the audience. Kaizen had in fact been the reason they could witness a lovely concert, receive autographs, and the food that had been quite delicious as well. Plus, he was being sweet by trying to give Yori and Katsumi all the praise.

Kaizen was glad he was wearing a mask to hide expressions of embarrassment and gratitude. He didn't say anything but only gave the crowd a bow.

It was about time they closed. The food was all sold out, the whos were about to start. "Thanks again you two. I truly appreciated your help. I couldn't have done this without your help." There was some clean up to do, but he was comfortable with doing it himself. "Yori, please invoice me the cost of your performance. I don't know what's going rate of a performance like that, but if the profits are not enough to cover it, I will supplement it with my own funds." He knows such private performances can be quite expensive. Friend or not, he wasn't the type of person to take advantage of relationships like that. "And don't worry Katsumi, I'll give you your pay as well, regardless of whether there are any profits left." He never really did this for profits, he just wanted to have fun with his friends.

At the mention of the invoice, Yori gave him a little shake of the head. "No need. A milk crate show like that would probably cost more than the profits made today anyway. So, how about we all split the earnings equally?"

Katsumi nodded a few times. "Agreed. It's only fair."

She looked over at the stall briefly, then back at Yori. "Would you be a dear and count the money? Kaizen and I will start cleaning up the kitchen." Before Kaizen could speak, Katsumi pointed a finger at him. "And yes, I would like to help. None of this "I will do it myself" nonsense."

"You're too kind, Yori." Kaizen sighed in defeat, knowing that wouldn't change his mind about something like this. "You know me all to well, Katsumi." He chuckled behind mask as he turned off all the machinery. As he threw away all the waste from the machine, he thought he might as well do it now. "You might wanna look away for a sec." Kaizen shed the burned exoskeleton away, in favor of a new one. Today was a good day for him. "So what are your plans after we close up shop?" he asked, curious as to what she was up to. Knowing her, she would probably have a group of friends to spend time with, or even someone special.

Yori got to the register to begin counting the process, not paying attention to Kaizen shedding his exoskeleton. Meanwhile, Katsumi needed to turn around so that she did not have something she didn't want stuck in her memory.

When Kaizen was finished, Katsumi turned back around and started helping. She figured getting the cleaning the counters would be a good start while they waited for the grill to cool.

"I may put on my yukata and enjoy the rest of the festival. Ah, and I saved a bit of food for Amano. I did not see her at all, so I thought I'd bring her something. You can remove the cost from my cut." She told Kaizen. Katsumi had thought it strange that her friend was nowhere to be seen at the festival. Perhaps she stayed in her room or decided to celebrate a different way?

Regardless, Katsumi thought it nice to deliver some food for her.

Yori, who was eavesdropping, thought it nice as well.

"What will you do, Kaizen?" She asked him.

"Surprised you're not in one already, but I guess you wouldn't get that dirty. " He commented on her statement about Yukata. "Oh no I wouldn't do that. Consider it a gift for your hard work. Ah yes Amano, I haven't had the chance to talk to her much. Please give her my regards." Kaizen remembered how he essentially almost killed her and AGI during the whole ordeal till this day still felt bad about it. "I have a stage show with Vigridis. Do come watch us if you have the time!" He knew that it wasn't exactly everyone's cup of tea but nonetheless would appreciate e support.it.

@Jessica

Beam Boy & Bug

After spending a little time with Yori, Yamoshi found himself at the stall run by Katsumi, Kaizen and the idol in question. He was certainly in better spirits than before, but one thing kept eating at him. Well… a few things were eating at him. He sucked in a breath, trying to think.

"Oi, Kaizen!" he called out. "I brought back your poster boy." He laughed a little bit.

"Technically banner boy." Yori responded, sticking out his tongue a bit playfully.

Yamoshi rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he bumped his hip into Yori. "Alright pretty boy. Go get ready to work. I'mma talk to your boss for a minute," he said with another little laugh before turning to look for Kaizen.

"Sure. Just make sure dinner's ready when I get home, honey." Yori quipped.

"Anyway," Yamoshi said, shaking his head once more at the purple idols sassy quippy comeback. "Kaizen? Ya got a minute, bug buddy?"

Kaizen raised his his eyebrow behind his mask throughout the whole interaction. He found it amusing to say the least. "Welcome back, Yori. Guess I'll be taking that break now, as promised." He knew Yori and Katsumi wouldn't let him continue working without resting. "Just let me know if you guys need any help with anything. That includes crazy fans, yori" he gave a specific warning before turning to Yamoshi.

He wasn't really that close to Yamoshi compare to the others, but he wasn't about turn down a friend who seemed like he was in need of something. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Yamoshi?" He said while sitting down at an empty table. He gestured to him to sit down next to him. What was going through this boy's mind? He wondered. A

Yamoshi smiled at Kaizen. From everything he could tell about the guy, he was far from the worst. He was a good person. Although... maybe Yamoshi wasn't the best judge. After all, he'd thought Vitalis was a good person. Part of him still wanted to believe that.

"We've never really talked much huh, Kai," he said calmly, shaking his head. "Honestly, I wanted to see how you were doing." Looking at him now, he was certainly in a good mood. "I guess I wanted to know how you're holding up. Everything with Vitalis and all that. Even when we went to the prison. It was a lot. At least, it was for me. How are you even managing dude?"

"No we haven't, but hey but later than never." he added, still curious as to what his true purpose was. "I'd be lying if I said I am completely fine. But, I know that in spite of everything that has happened, we have to move forward." Kaizen slid his mask up to allow his friend to see his face. He was sweaty but he seemed happy enough. "I've been keeping myself busy as you can see. The way I see it, I can't afford to let other people see this setback affect me any longer." He answered while rubbing his chin, still wondering about something. "In fact, I think I should be more concerned about you. From what I heard you and Vitalis were more than good friends…... I apologize in advance if they seemed insensitive." He had heard rumours here and there but based on the way they talked to each other in prison, it could be true.

Yamoshi thought about what Kaizen said. "Heh, no need to worry about me," he said with a small chuckle. "Honestly, just talking to you about it, seeing your outlook, it's helping. Plus, I talked to Yori about… some other things," he laughed again, this time a little louder as he rubbed the back of his head. "Then again, I hope you aren't pushing yourself too much. Have you been able to actually talk about it? Deal with the emotions?" There weren't many Yamoshi could talk to about this who would really get it.

"That's good to hear. I don't expect anyone to bounce back from that too fast." He knew that better than anyone, but all the same, there were bigger problems that needed to be dealt with. Bigger than his "feelings." "Ah I see. I had no idea that you and Yori were so…."involved." He tried to find a word that would best describe their relationship. "And yes. It's been tough, but to have people to talk to about it has made it easier… To be honest, I didn't think people cared that much about me." For the most part, Kaizen always viewed himself as an expandable asset, hence why he would always put himself in front of everyone.

"Yeah. But sometimes taking a little extra time is more beneficial in the long run. It'll stop ya from… ya know… making dumb mistakes." Yamoshi thought back to the Fight with Vit. He definitely could have been smarter, more decisive. Now all he had time for was to think about it. Then again, maybe finding ways to keep himself busy might have helped too. Reaching out more like this. How was Amano doing? Hideki?

Yamoshi shook his head, pulled from his thoughts by the comment about him and Yori. A light blush appeared on his cheeks. "Heh… well… we aren't really… I mean… it's weird." He laughed a little. Luckily Kaizen shifted momentum a bit. Yamoshi nodded. "Hey man, don't underestimate how much the people around you might care. As much as people can surprise you in bad ways, they'll surprise you in good ways too."

"Well whatever it is, you better not let any of his fans know about it. They can be quite…. difficult to deal with." It seems like everyone in his class is developing relationships these days. He briefly wondered if he would ever have anything like that. "Yes. For better or for worse, I have seen both sides of it." Kaizen nodded in agreement. "So what are your plans for today?" Yamoshi always seemed like the social type, a polar opposite to Kaizen.

"Don't worry about that. I know how fans can be. My brother is an idol too," Yamoshi replied. Plus, he knew a thing or two about being discreet. He smiled. "As for me. I'm not a big plan kind of guy." It didn't help that he hadn't been doing too great. He hadn't made plans. He wasn't even dressed for the occasion, wearing a more normal outfit: shirt, pants, etc. Maybe he should have done more. "Besides, seemed everyone had a little something going on. Didn't feel like imposing at the time. What do you have going on? After you finish running the stall I mean."

"Hmmm I guess you superstar types are attracted to each other..Oh sorry! I didnt mean it in an insulting way!" Kaizen had a realization on how rude that sounded. "I have a show with Vigridis later. And…. I think that's about it. Running this stall is gonna take up most of my festival time. You're most welcome to come watch it. Its a sword fighting play!" Kaizen excitedly handed him a flyer which had both him and the vampire crossing blades with each other.

"No worries Kai," Yamoshi said laughing at Kaizen's quick apology. He could tell immediately that he didn't mean anything insulting, but it was kind of funny to consider. "Honestly, from the sounds of it, you're more the superstar type than me, bro," he said with a small whistle. A sword fighting play with Vigridis did sound interesting. He grinned, taking the flyer and inspecting it with interest. "I'll look forward to checking it out. I'm sure it'll be cool." Part of him still wasn't sure about Vigridis, but he'd only really interacted with her the one time. It would be interesting to see her out of the combat element. Well… semi- out of the combat element.

"I doubt that, most people are not into the whole giant bug thing.." he brandished his insectoid limb to his friend, showing how "alien'' it looked. Most people would struggle to consider it was his actual arm instead of a costume. "I doubt that the business would be as good if I went out all buggy." Insects weren't exactly broad appeal material. He was planning on having some candy insects but scrapped the idea.

"You're more than just the giant bug thing though," Yamoshi replied calmly reaching out to touch the large insectoid limb. "Well, I guess it's easy for me to say. I mean, I've seen you like this." He hummed, thinking about it as he pulled his hand back. Still he laughed a little. "And I don't know. Pretty sure if Yori vouched, his fans would still do anything he wanted them too." He shook his head. "Besides, we live in a world where a giant bug can be, and is, among the least of people's worries." At least, that was how Yamoshi saw it.

Kaizen was caught off guard by him suddenly grabbing his hand like that. Before calming down. "Fanaticism has its limits." He commented. But then again people kill and die for their beliefs everyday. "And what would you say that is their biggest worry?"

"Does it though?" Yamoshi asked with a little laugh. Fans did do some crazy things. Still, he thought about the question. "Well, your quirk is powerful, right? Despite the drawbacks. Plenty of people would kill for a good ability. Plenty of people are worse off too. Sludge monsters. Mutant types that give no chance of reverting back to a less conspicuous form. Etc." Yamoshi tried to think more about it. "Plus, ya know, there are also villains needlessly killing, harming others to further their own agendas." He sighed. "It's all in how people see it I suppose. Don't ya think?"

@Demon Shinobi

Power Play: Proposal

It didn't take long for Kaizen to keep himself busy with other activities for the festival. Eventually he came up with an idea of having a kabuki inspired performance, something he was familiar with due to his family traditions. He spent a few days drafting a script until he came up with something he could be satisfied with.

And now comes the challenging part.. Finding people who would actually be willing and are able to take part in it. Based on what he heard, quite a lot of them would be busy with their own activities. More importantly, the roles also required their actors to be as physically capable as the bugster himself. And so, he decided to approach someone he was sure wouldn't be too busy… or at least isn't as eager to join in on the other activities.

Kaizen knew it would take some very strong points to convince Vigridis to join his show, but he had a feeling she would be a good match for him. Kaizen began his persuasion by stating the purpose of the show was a show of strength and finesse, to inspire her fellow classmates and perhaps even other classes. "So what do you say, Vig? Would you, O great Ashen one, Apex of the Alucard, be willing to raise the morale of our comrades with a display of unparalleled swordsmanship?" he asked with intense vigor.

Vigridis stared at the bug, who surprised her by bringing her this ridiculous idea. She frowned slightly, "My name is Vigridis," she grumbled to remind him. She folded her arms and tapped her foot. "I do like shhowing off strength and finesssed weaponshhip.. But I do not care about inspiring or raising morale of our -uh- what did you call them? -Our 'comrades'. Still, it couldn't hurt for them to seee real strength and decide for themselves whether or not they want to remain weaklings or reach a higher echelon… Though I do like how you claimed I have unparalleled swordsmanship -which is true, hm.." She trailed off, staring at him intently. This was the time he should add a bit more to convince her. Hence the tapping foot.

Kaizen smirked at her being very responsive towards his words of praise. "You play the role of a great hero known for her prowess with a sword, entrusted by her royal family to avenge her people. I see no other candidate worthy of such a role!" He formed a finger window gesture on Vigridis, trying his best to visualize her in that role. "Your opponent. And ancient evil, a demon king that will stop at nothing to subjugate the world, played by yours truly." He pointed to himself with his thumb. "With your abilities my reflexes we can make the choreography as flashy and fast paced as we want! So whadaya say?"

"Hmp. Well of coursse there izn't," she claimed, folding her arms. "No one matches my swordsmanship." She said without a hint of irony. She raised her eyebrow at what he claimed next. "You want to play a demon king?" She smirked. "Somehow that fitss. Hmp. My grandfather likes plays, but I always thought they were pedestrian." She considered it for a moment. "I… do not know how to care about people enough to want to avenge them; the part you wrote for me does not sound like me at all. I feel I would make for a poor actor."

"You know what a play is? Splendid. I was worried that I had to explain such concepts to you." He was happy to hear that she was somewhat familiar with what it meant to be in a play. But hearing Vigridis put herself down with regards was strange to say the least. "It is most unusual to hear you say that you are unable to do something. And here I was thinking your talents had no limits." Kaizen feigned disappointment upon hearing her admitting that she wouldn't be a good actor. "I apologize. It seems I might have overestimated your non-combat abilities. Considering your talents I didn't think "acting" would be that difficult for you. But alas." Kaizen sighed. He was hoping that Vigridis would respond to this indirect challenge well enough.

"What do you take me for? Some ssort of imbecile?" Vigridis hissed. How could she not know what a play was? However, hearing what he said next about her talents made her broadly smirk. "Do you think one can be the best at everything? Do you think I am the best at everything? Heh! Shinkami, Kaizen! Are you trying to get me into your bed?" Her eyelids drooped and she had a wicked smile. "If that'z your intenshun, you need only ask."

When referring to herself as an imbecile, he was trying really hard not to make a snarky remark. But her next few sentences did make him raise an eyebrow since he would never have expected her of all people to say such words. "Yes. I do and yes I have been, ever since we had our first fight…" Kaizen looked into her eyes and moved closer to her. " and I am happy to see that you are finally taking notice after so long…"he whispered to her as he got closer. "Annnd cut. See! You're a natural at this!" he patted her on the shoulder as he complimented her. "If you can act like you are in love with a giant bug, you can surely act like a vengeful hero. In fact I think that role comes naturally to you." He nodded to himself, very satisfied with the casting selection.

Vigridis seemed both bemused and surprised by his admission. It was refreshing for someone to agree with her on her power, and even more refreshing for someone to agree that she was 'the best', but it was so refreshing that it was a genuine surprise to hear it admitted. She stood firm as he stepped nearer, eyes locked on his, watching the slightly taller male draw close into her physical space. So he did, did he now? She grinned. Again, honesty was refreshing.

Then he said cut and her lips fell into a frown. She narrowed her eyes as he patted her shoulder. Honesty? Was there any there? She did not appreciate being the butt of a joke. "Whoa, hold on now. Who ssaid anything about 'love'? Going to bed and love are entirely different conceptss. Are you ssaying you're in love with me? Ha! Now that'z quite the unbelievable joke!" She paused. "Does it? How so?"

"You know...I find it interesting how you first mentioned that you didn't know how to care about people enough to avenge them. And yet you clearly know the difference between love and lust." He rubbed his own chin, thinking how paradoxical she was, claiming not to know how to care for someone but knowing how to differentiate love and lust. "The script and setting of your character is flexible to say the least. But think about this way, rather than thinking of them as people, think of your family as an extension of yourself, a resource that belongs to you and only you. Wouldn't you get angry if someone damages your property and takes it away from you? Imagine something like your quirk. Being stolen from you and used by someone else and claiming it as their own. I am pretty sure that'd make you very angry." he finished his sentence with a smile, hoping that she would be able to visualize herself as a vengeful hero.

She was getting irritated now. "I never ssaid I did not know how to care. I ssaid I did not know how to care enough to turn into some avenging specter. I care about lotss of things, as does everyone. I care about having a healthy body. I care about my training. I care about getting stronger. But I would not losse my head if I had to losse a day of training or something. And if you know the differencce between love and lust, why did you mention love?" Vigridis sighed, this had turned complicated. She glared at his insinuations. "A resourcce? My quirk would NOT be stolen from me! That would never happen! Grr.." She growled.

"Great! See that's type of energy you channel into this role. Now calm down...the last thing I want is for another girl to hit me." He already got punched by a diamond girl before, and he definitely did not want to get punched by Vigridis. "With regards to the love part. I guess some people just interpret love differently, you know?" It was obvious to him she did not share the same type of feelings as he did, but that's just something he had to accept. But then again, even if he did not fully understand his own feelings.

Vigridis realized she had been squeezing her fists, and was on the verge of totally losing herself to the accursed Alucard genes in her, her fangs just barely biting into her lips. She was embarrassed when Kaizen called her out to calm down. She shook her head to clear it and unclenched her hands. Her fangs receded back hidden neatly in her mouth. "That?! You want that on sstage?! Why?" she asked. Vigridis knew what plays were, but clearly she didn't understand them one bit.

In regards to his love comment, she furrowed her brow. She wasn't sure how to respond to it, nor did she really understand what he meant. "How so?" she inquired.

"Yes! Conveying or at least convincing the crowd that you are conveying genuine emotions is part of what makes a good play." He explained to her why expressing one's emotions was important in the play. Kaizen thought about how to answer the next question as it could be problematic if he said something wrong. "Actions can sometimes be perceived differently from person to person. While getting in bed with someone doesn't necessarily mean that you love that person. Some people are only willing to get in bed with you if they love you. Or at least like you a lot." He tried his best to explain that some people (him included) did not take such an offer lightly.

Vigridis's face creased in concern. "Iss that so?" She had no idea. And she still barely understood the notion.

At what he said next… well it left Vigridis stunned. Her eyes widened and her mouth slowly hung open. "The fools! What on earth doess physically relieving stresss and pleashuring one's body have to do with such a flimssy concept as 'love'? I do not understand the lowly dregss. Mixxing love with such fulfilment iss only going to leave a lot of people unsatissfied, weary, jaded, moody, and malcontented. No, having it be such a way can only causse isshues."

She looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggeshting I'd willingly give 'it' up to jusst anyone? You'd do well to take that back, Shinkami, Kaizen. I wass only offering becausse I at least have rapport with you. You could even call it 'liking' you. Maybe I was misstaken to put such favor with you."

"You know, you have a talent of interpreting things in the worst way possible." Kaizen palmed his face in slight frustration while smirking. "No, that's not what meant. Far from it. And to be honest. I'm not sure how serious you were when you said that. It just seems so out of character for you." Kaizen couldn't help but smile a bit upon hearing her say she sorta liked him, even if it was very indirect. "And yes.. it tends to do that.. especially when it is a one-sided affair." Kaizen was no stranger to being heartbroken. He remembered he had quite a few crushes during the U.A days which never led anywhere. He would either always be too late or not forward enough with his advances. But more than anything else, he knew people weren't exactly fond with having relationship with a large insect. "For many people, finding love is fulfilment. Regardless of how that is expressed. Be it through words or action." He tried his best explain the definition of love that he believed in.

Another low throaty growl left her, as she glared in irritation. "What'z that suppossed to mean? Iss there something wrong with the way I understand your words? I thought I had a grassp on thiss language." She folded her arms and turned her nose away, "Hmp! Do you know me to joke? Very well, then it shall be a joke! Too bad."

She frowned, and gave him the side-eye. "It iss my understanding with love comes tragedy. Hate and love are said to be two sides of the same coin. Whereass lust and pleasure are jusst so simple. They revitalize your body and relieve pent-up frustrations of the flesh and even emotional frustrations. Hmp, besiides, many never find their -what was it? 'True love', anyway. They search, and they search, they pine and they pine, and are left dreary and alone and sorrowful at their demise. Heh, such a life seeems to me to be a waste and pitiable, don't you agree?"

"Right...a joke..." Part of him really did want to accept the offer. But he had a feeling that satisfying the pleasures of flesh wasn't the only thing he was looking for.

Kaizen briefly wondered how a recruitment for a play turned into something so much more complex. All he wanted was to recruit Vigridis for a play and suddenly it turned into a large discussion about love. "Maybe you're right. Some people do end up pursuing something that may very well be unobtainable. But for many, the promise of success is enough for them to dedicate a good portion of their lives towards." Kaizen sighed. At this point, he had a feeling she wouldn't understand him regardless of what he said.

"So then. Are you still interested in playing the part? If nothing else I think it would be a useful exercise for you, learning how to deceive your opponents. Acting weak when you are strong or acting strong when you are weak to secure victory." Deception was an important of strategic combat. If nothing else Vigridis could use this opportunity to sharpen her ability to misdirect people.

Vigridis looked back over, considering his words. It honestly sounded like what she was aiming to achieve, so it resonated with her, yet she didn't think she was 'pursuing' something, nor did she think it unobtainable. "Elaborate. How do you mean? Why would people pursue something unattainable? If it iss unobtainable that sounds like a huge waste of time. Why seeek the 'promise' of success, when you could simply seeek success?"

"Hm.. I didn't see any merit in it at first, but you have done a lot to try to convince me otherwise. Iss thiss one of those instancess? Did you think 'I am pursuing the promise of success' here?" She frowned, but not because she was angry, but because she wasn't sure she understood. "Deceeive my opponents? Acting weak?" She was clearly distraught. "What do you mean? How.. Do I do thosse things? Why would I do thosse things? How does thiss little play have to do with thosse things?"

"I should choose my words more carefully when talking to you. I often forget your tendency to take everything literally." Kaizen sighed before giving it another shot. "Alright let's try this again. When I say unattainable, what I should have said was difficult to attain. But just because something is difficult to attain doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for it. Why do you think so many people want to be heroes despite how difficult and low threatening it is? Some humans find challenges and difficulties to be alluring. And well, it's just nice to know to have someone you care about just as much as you care about them. Something I believe transcends physical wants or needs." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before moving on to the next topic.

"Anyways, have you really never read about "The art of war"? Portraying a false appearance of weakness will make your enemies have a false sense of securities, which can ultimately lead to their downfall. You know...strategy...like in our first fight?" he was wondering if she even remembered their first encounter. "A play is pretend fight, so you can essentially train yourself to make deceiving attacks, make them look weaker or stronger than they really are to get a desired reaction from your opponent."

Vigridis wasn't pleased at that, saying she took things too "literally", because it implied she had an issue with understanding. "I have no idea; I jusst thought they were idiots." She frowned, turning away. "Hmp! Finding the dangers of thiss work alluring iss nonsense if it means you'll die becausse you're too weak to face villains. How iss death 'alluring'? What does having someone you care about have anything to do with attaining something -nearly- 'unattainable'? Many people have people they care about." She shook her head. "I really don't get it.."

He caught her attention once more. "'Art of war'?.." She asked in a curious tone. She narrowed her eyes. "That sounds like cowardicce to me. Sometimes it iss unnecesssary to go all out against an opponent, but purposefully holding back because you think you cannot win iss cowardly. Why are you even fighting then? If it iss a fight you think you cannot win, you should retreat and find a battle you can." Still, she wasn't an idiot, she somewhat understood strategy and tactics, she just never really relied on them. She frowned. "I do that without needing to perform in a play… But okay."

"Sometimes, it is not just about winning but also about how you win. Its about proving a point. Imagine this scenario. No one would think twice that I would win a fight in my insect form. But if I defeated someone in my human form, it would likely demoralize followers of my opponents. Why would they trust someone who is easily defeated by a normal kid?" He tried to think of something else to say. "And well.. I just thought that it would be a good opportunity to spend time with each other." he added, it was the simplest reason he could think of. But at this point he was ready to cancel the entire thing since she seemed so apprehensive about it.

"What?.. Ahhhhh!" It seemed like a lightbulb went off above her head. "I seee! Yes, you have beaten them so badly they are crushed! I get it now." She grinned, then blinked. "You.. want to spend time with me?"

"Yes. I do. I think...the biggest joke here is that I wasn't joking when I said I like you, Vigridis." he finally said it. "But from what I can gather, I don't think you feel the same way. Which is..fair and I will not hold it against you for that." It took a lot of courage for the bugster to let that out, but he figured he needed to be as direct as possible with someone like her. "Well… I think I've said enough already. The choice is yours on whether or not you want to join. Regardless of your choice, I'll still be your friend." He was sincerely hoping she would, but his instincts told him she would decline that request without hesitation. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The worse she could do is say no….right?

"You.. like me? I have never had someone tell me they wanted to spend time with me before. Only that they needed me for something, or a spar. If you want to spend time with me, I supposse we shall do it with your play idea," she answered. She paused, "But what do you mean 'feel the same way'? I look upon you with favor and great respect, Kaizen. You've shhown to be a powerful ally."

And here it comes the inevitable reaction followed by an onslaught of insults probably he closed he braced himself for it...only to be surprised by...acceptance? The bugster was so happy that she agreed to his request; he almost could not believe it. "Wait..really?" he had to do a double check before realizing she did indeed say yes. "Lovely! You won't regret it Vig, I promise you that!" He instinctively shook her hand in excitement before realizing it. "Oops, apologies. Force of habit." But her next questions made him slow down a bit and think of a proper answer. "In that regard, I do feel the same way about you, maybe even more. But that's fine, we can sort all that other stuff later!" It will take some time to get her to understand how he actually feels, but that's fine. He was willing to invest time in her. "Our training sessions can start tomorrow! But for now...are you doing anything later tonight? Because if you're not there is this movie I would like you to watch with me, just to give you a better idea of the type of tone and feel that I am going for with this play. Would you be interested?" He ddint know how Vigridis really knew about the genre so a good place to start would be watching movies which had similar aspects to the script.

She did not expect to regret it, necessarily. But after hearing that, maybe she should have. With a small frown she had to remind him. "My name iss Vigridis," she said flatly. She stared as he enthusiastically grabbed and shook her hand. Was it a habit? How many hands to Kaizen shake with his bug pincers and sickles?

She grinned. "That iss good to hear! I sense most do not appreciate my power or my effortss." She wondered what he meant by 'more', but figured it had to do with what he was talking about earlier, and didn't bring it up to get into that whole thing again. She nodded when he said they can 'train' tomorrow, but wondered how one trained for a play. Her eyebrow raised, "A movie?"

"Yes a movie! Its samurai movie. I'm sure you'll like it if you enjoy sword fighting!" He drew heavy inspiration from such a movie for both the script and fighting scenes.

Power Play: Research

Later that night. Kaizen waited for Vigridis to get ready outside her room. He didn't have much normal clothes, so he just wore a simple shirt, hoody and jeans. Though he does roll his right arm sleeve to expose his one insectoid arm for greater comfort. He was planning on taking the train there.

Vigridis also dressed in something simple, something casual. Denim skinny jeans, a simple lavender top, a choker, and a bracelet. Her shoes were nice with simple ankle straps and a small 2 inch heel. She opened her door and saw Kaizen standing outside her room, staring at him. "Evening, Shinkami, Kaizen."

"Evening, Lady Vigridis. Looking as ravishing as ever. " He gave her a polite bow before admiring her rarely seen casual attire. "Shall we get going then? The movie starts in about 30 minutes, I've already bought the tickets online." He motioned her to follow him.

At the cinema, the place wasn't as packed as most days, and it had been a few weeks already since the movie was released. Though there were some people here and there including some couples that were holding hands and doing other couple related things. He approached counter to order some popcorn. "You ever had popcorn before, Vigridis? Or maybe a corndog?" He asked. He probably already knew the answer considering she has said she never tried any food. "You should try some! Here, my treat." Kaizen paid for the food and offered her a corn dog.

She heard his comment and was momentarily taken aback. Then she grinned. "When did you become a gentleman of the court, Kaizen? If I had known you were, I would've dresssed up even more." She was very familiar with the deportment of a lady, which she had been given extensive training on. "I supposse in thiss instancce I shall thank you for the compliment regardlesss." She nodded and they departed.

She didn't even need to answer before he bought some. She stared at the corn dog he was holding out for her, then took it from him, only to stare at it some more between her fingers.

"Well. Whaddya waiting for, take a bite out of it." Kaizen found it strange how she was simply fiddling with the thing. "And some drinks as well please!" After grabbing the food and drinks, Kaizen walked over to the theater with Vigridis by his side. "Have you watched any movies before in Romania Vigridis?" He still found it strange how she never experienced many supposedly normal things.

She had recently eaten something with Aika. 'Instant ramen' it was called. This was not that; it was a 'corn dog'... She stared at it. But spurred on by his words she opened her mouth and took a bite. She chewed a moment then froze. She could now tell they tasted different, but not so different. Still, they were slightly different in texture. She couldn't place it. Her eyes flicked back up to Kaizen before she chewed a bit more and swallowed. There wasn't a pleasant look on her face.

"I have witnesssed motion picturess before, yes," she answered flatly, her voice a bit stilted due to having just eaten something.

"Hmm not a big fan I take it?" Kaizen asked with a disappointed look. "I'll get you something better next time. Maybe I can cook something for you." He smiled, promising to give her a proper culinary experience. "What type of motion pictures? Does it involve action? Comedy romance?" He wondered what sort of movie she had watched.

"It's almost time for the movie. Let's get going." He offered his hand to lead her to the movie hall. He was testing the waters if she would take it, or perhaps she is too proud to do so.

"A fan?" She raised her eyebrow. He knew she was a person, not a fan. "I can create a fan, iss that what you mean?" She cocked her head. "You want to cook something for me? Why?" At his question she slightly frowned. "I do not know.. I do not remember much about it, so.. I don't know."

She glanced down at his extended hand. Unfortunately for Kaizen she began walking in the direction of the movie. Not now, but who knows what could happen in the future?

"Well… that stings.."he said to himself quietly before walking to her. "Our movie is at hall number 7, its this way." He walked over to the hall and opened the door for her. And just like that they were both seated. The opening credits rolled, introducing the studio and setting the scene of a snowy mountain covered with the blood of many fallen samurai. One by one, they were slain, as demon warriors mercilessly slays each one of them. Some went out with honor, preferring to end their own lives, while others cowered in fear as they were gutted. But there was one who attempted to continue the fight, in spite of already missing an arm. With his last breath he charged to the demon, only to be swiftly cut down and thrown down a cliffside into a dark river.

Vigridis was pretty much engaged from the get-go. Though she silently complained all the samurai were cowards. "Only that one iss a warrior of true honor and bravery," she whispered, pointing to the armless one that was just swatted away.

Kaizen found it adorable that she at least knew cinema etiquette of talking too loudly during the movie. Kaizen nodded in agreement but stayed silent. As the warrior began to drown in the pool, has life began to flash before his eyes, a life full of hardship and yet, there was a bright spot within the dark pool. A memory of his love, a family and a farm. His eyes opened as he coughed up the black liquid from mouth. The samurai was on the shore of distant land.

The land seemed strange, full of other strange looking creatures. They did not know the man, and yet they needed to help him nonetheless.

Vigridis was not really familiar with cinema etiquette, since she had never been to one before. But she was familiar with the etiquette of those watching a play, and this was similar. But more, she felt the urge to be as quiet as possible. It just fit the atmosphere. She sat watching the movie, wondering what this samurai would do next. She knew what she would do -- destroy those creatures.

At first the man was distrustful of these creatures due to their strange appearances. He was also proud of himself, declaring that he didn't need any of their help, calling them inferior creatures. He distanced himself from them, leaving far away. And yet, as time went on, he had difficulties surviving properly due to not knowing the environment, poisonous vegetation as well as the dangerous wildlife.

Eventually, the proud samurai found himself cornered by the wild animals. He fought tooth and nail to stay alive, but knew that he wouldn't survive his wounds and eventually passed out. He woke up, to the creatures tending his wounds.

Vigridis narrowed her eyes. "I might've overestimated thiss man. What person loses to wild animals?"

Kaizen rolled his eyes upon hearing her remark. Perhaps she failed to take into account that the wild animals were large monstrous beasts that could easily overpower any human. Eventually, the creatures and samurai were able to build somewhat of a mutual respect for one another and eventually developed a symbiotic relationship. The physically weaker creatures were knowledgeable of the land as well as some mystic arts which were able to bolster his already superior strength.

"Hmp! Well the man got a lot stronger! Good for him," Vigridis said much later. After watching the man learn spirit techniques from the creatures, and how he used his power to restore his honor. The woman seemed pleased at this turn of events.

Eventually, the man was able to return to the land he came from, enact his revenge against the demonic creature that slayed him and his men. However, little did he know, it was just beginning. The film ends in cliffhanger with its ending hinting that this was just the beginning, and there were stronger demons and challenges to come. The man set aside the memories of his family to continue his journey of cleansing the world from the demonic filth.

"So how did you like it?" Kaizen asked as the credits played. He seemd eager to hear her reaction.

Vigridis's face soured as the movie came to an apparent end. "What? The story izn't over yet!" She complained, turning to Kaizen. "What is going on? Why is the story not over? Why did it end? Was thiss just a wasste of time??"

"Well, that's how they make money by keeping you coming. Making you want to see the conclusion. But if you really want to find out what happens next, you can always read the book. I already got the collection in my room if you are interested." he offered. Was it genuine? Or was he just trying to get in his room?. Nonetheless he was happy to see that she was interested enough to keep track of the action.

"Hmp. I do not have time to wasste on frivolous reading," she pointed out flatly. "So they withhold the ending to get you to come back?! What a sscumbag, cowardly way of doing things!" she hissed.

Kaizen couldnt help but stifle his laughter. She was actually strangely cute when she gets frustrated by everyday things. "Hey dont worry, I'll take you out again when the sequel comes out." Kaizen gestured to get up, as other people were doing the same.

"And when is that?" She questioned, getting up, ready to march out of there not too happily.

"About a year or so from now.." he muttered. He couldn't help but look at the other couples with envy. They were all exiting the theatre holding hands. He looked at his own hands before sighing in defeat. It was unreasonable to expect such things on their first outing. Heck she probably doesn't even understand what he was trying to say in the first place. "Oh well. He muttered it outloud. They made their way to the train station which was pretty much a ghost during this time. The trains were automated so there wasn't anyone else there either. That's what he gets for picking a late night show. "Let's go. If we miss this train, we're gonna be walking home."

"A year?!" Vigridis gasped. "One hass to wait a year to seee the conclusion to the story? That'z desspicable and torturous." She was unhappy as they left the theater, and as she followed him. She raised an eyebrow, knowing what his quirk was. "You walk? Can you not fly or something similar?"


"I could just tell you what happens next. But where's the fun in that?" he replied as they boarded the train. "I used to, but it takes time for me to turn back into a bug. Also, my quirk is still a bit messed up from that serum. Why do you think I am in my human form so often right now?" He answered, getting comfortable in his seat.

"No! Do not tell me what happens next. That would be…" Well she wasn't quite sure what it would be. Or why it bothered her so much to be told it. "It wouldn't be growth, or development. If I was told.. It would feel like I lost, or something." Yeah, something like that. That was the only way Vigridis understood to explain this feeling.

She raised her eyebrow at his reply. She wasn't sure she had noticed much difference, so she said as much. "Iss that an excuse? I honestly haven't noticed much of a differencce with you. Are you claiming to be weaker than you oncce were? Well, then, like the samurai you only need to train and get stronger oncce again." She rubbed her arm, "For me, I've been trying out something new myself recently…"

Kaizen smiled upon hearing Vigridis say something pleasant and encouraging for a change. He was honestly expecting an insult from someone like her. "A new technique in your fighting I assume? Or perhaps something else?" He was genuinely curious what she was talking about.

"Yes. You could call it a new technique, but I shall accompany you on the train regardless," Vigridis stated.

Power Play: Trainning

Kaizen got up early in the morning and waited for her to arrive on the field as agreed. He had prepared a few wooden swords beforehand. Hopefully she will grasp the concept of it being a pretend fight instead of just gutting him.

Vigridis showed up not too long later. She was dressed in some tight yoga pants and a sports bra, and gloves. She heard 'training' and since this was her training-wear it's what she showed up in.

"Lookin sharp, as always." He threw a wooden sword to her, he was pretty confident should catch it. "I know you know how to fight, but stage play is slightly different from normal fighting. Main difference is we are not actually hurting each other, not much at least…. So let's try wooden swords first shall we?" It was time to find out how much this girl knew about stage fighting.

She raised her eyebrow. She understood he was complimenting her appearance. "Thank you," she replied, knowing that's the etiquette around compliments. Though her current attire was nothing special, so she was a bit confused. "These are my normal training scrubs, nothing special."

She caught the wooden sword and stared at it. "I seee… If you say so." She wasn't sure exactly what either of them would get from this, but she raised the wooden sword up.

"Well, its special to some people." He brandished his sword before switching to katana wielding stance showing he had some form of prior training. "Let us begin." Kaizen charged forward, swinging his sword at Vigridis. "Take it slow first and than we can ramp it up." He lightly swing his towards the left, waiting for his partner to block it before swinging again to the right. "Essentially its like we are dancing, each time we swing at each our blades must meet in a stunning display, making it look as realistic as possible." With that Kaizen starts to pick up speed with his wooden blade, trying to strike her own "sword.".

It was? "What people?" She asked, listening to his description of what they were to do. She was still slightly put off. It felt like some sort of lie, some sort of infringement on her as a warrior, as the strong, to wield something pitiful like this, and to fake-fight.

She noticed his stance. At least he seemed to have some sword training. Vigridis was largely self-taught. But since she had put a lot of time and effort into her training, her sword skills were quite refined. She easily blocked all of his strikes with wooden thuds. She didn't even falter once. But she wasn't sure she was achieving what he asked.

"Alright, let take up on notch!" Having been satisfied that she knew the difference, Kaizen kicked a second wooden sword from the floor into his arms, revealing his true favoured form of combat, dual-wielding. He looked so much more natural in the way he held his weapons, as if it was part of him. His frequency of strikes tripled, with much more force behind them, but he had one more trick up his sleeve.

Vigridis also preferred dual-wielding. Or more precisely, multi-wielding. He began his assault, and she was forced to 'kick it up a notch' as the bug said. Her speed was forced to increase as she blocked his strikes. But then she used her quirk, creating wood-sword equivalent constructs that lacked any edge, heat, or power behind them. Psychically she began blocking his strikes with them.

Too think she would try to top his performance with such fervor. Kaizen then started using his legs to kick her floating weapons away. He would swing at her weapons specifically, trying to make it look as strong as possible despite the truth being far from it. "Alright. Let's try it with metal weapons. Also would you mind helping me with some special effects as well. Like whenever our blades clash, would you be able to create some sparks? To simulate the clashing of two great powers?"

"I could do that, but I assume you do not want anything to catch fire… It may be slightly difficult to control the minutiae of my power in that way. But I will manage it." She showed this to be the case by clashing their wooden swords together and causing spark-like light effects with her quirk.

"Yes! Just like that! And now we add a bit more flare." Kaizen retreated for a moment and pulled back his blade, like a stinger about to unleash venom. "Do you remember visuals from the movie yesterday? I need to make something similar for myself. But the tricky part is, you have make it look like it's coming from me." Kaizen explained, referring to the projectile move known as the soulfire slash . "Only you can do this, Vig. That's why I chose you."

That was why he chose her? She nodded. "Very well. I will do it."

"Annd…..release!" Kaizen gave her the cue to shoot the projectile out. In truth there were other reasons, but he had a feeling telling her that now would just be a waste of time. "Awesome! Let's try something else. Remember that scene where they were battling in the forest, where the samurai was moving so fast that they were creating multiple after images. I believe you can replicate such an effect by creating light constructs of yourself. Give it a try." He was pretty sure she could do it.

Vigridis paused, mouth slightly agape at his suggestion. "You must have a lot of faith in me." What he was asking actually sounded quite difficult. She had thought she was a master of her quirk, but she had never considered what he suggested before. Now that she was thinking about it, she realized there was still much she could learn. "I shall try."

The woman began to run, concentrating hard on forming Light constructs of herself. At first they were nothing but misshapen masses of light. Then gradual shapes began to form, but nothing too distinct. Then arms and legs, a torso, a head. It was difficult to give them the required subtle shapes and curves required to mimic herself. The closest she had ever done was creating small intricate designs on swords, but she had been doing that for years. This was her first time trying to recreate a person. It would at least take quite some time to perfect what he called 'after images' of herself.

"Good job, Vig. You don't need to put too much effort in the actual details as these images would likely appear for a split second at a time." He studied the after images, noting how detailed they were, he could probably use them for…..other applications. "Now comes the difficult part. You're gonna have to do the same for me as well. After all, what use is a strong hero if there is no equally strong villain. Though if you can't we'll just have to cut that part out entirely." He was being considerate, since he was asking a lot from her.

"Hmp! Never do anything unlesss you give it your all!" Vigridis growled, hands on her hips. She understood that the after images didn't need intensive detail, but was giving them such because it was a good way of training quirk control. "I will do that, then." The color for the Light constructs of him would have to be different, but she could manage it.

"This is why I like you, Vig. You always go all out!" He applauded her effort and was impressed that she was able to pull it off so easily.

"Of course! I take things seriously!" She said with a firm, strong gaze. She began to manipulate the "after images" into something more of his shape. And then began to focus intensely to alter their color using different Soul Energy. Finally coming up with a greenish after image of him. Which fit his character as a 'Bug', but maybe he was wanting a different color for the character he was playing in the play.

"Hmm yes. This will do nicely." He nodded, admiring the shapes of the after image. "Alright let us move on to the next part. The "damage" we do to each other. Obviously it's a play, so were not actually trying to hurt each other. Normally this is done by having fake blood, we can do one step further from that. How well do you simulate liquid? Additionally, I would also like to see how well you could make an impalement look." He explained before grabbing one of her floating blades. "Let's try it." Kaizen performed the hakiri ritual, which involved stabbing oneself in the guts to save oneself from dishonor.

Vigridis could not simulate liquid, and when he stabbed himself with one of her constructed blades, she was forced to act on the fly. Since he probably did not want to stab himself on her weapon, she was forced to shrink it as he "stabbed himself". Then create a brand new construct appearing behind him, growing as if coming out of him. It looked perfect, despite being done on the fly. But there was no 'liquid' or anything.

"Guess we gotta add in fake blood. Nonetheless. Good job." He gave her one more praise before moving on the next and probably the hardest concept for her. "And now finally, perhaps the most challenging part. The script. Though, I actually created the character based on your personality, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue for you."

"Oh? And what iss my personality?" Vigridis questioned him.

Kaizen thought about what he was about to say, he had a feeling she might not like his view of her, but nonetheless thought she would appreciate him being straight forward. "An arrogant and cunning person that is abrasive and difficult to talk to. Though this is mostly due to ignorance rather than malice. And yet, one who is willing to learn from others and has shown the capacity for kindness, even if it takes a certain nuance to see it. A person who has the potential to be a great hero, maybe even the best, if they are willing to do it." He pointed to her to emphasize himself. "That is the type of person I think you are. Whether or not I am right, only time will tell."

Vigridis's face soured. She narrowed her eyes, but stayed her tongue.

Power play: execution

And so, the long awaited event finally arrived. After a week worth of preparation, some help with props from Agi, they were finally ready. The stage was set, as the backdrop was lowered into frame. The narrator spoke, it was a prerecorded voice from Kaizen, trying his best to sound like a demon lord.

Long ago in a distant land I, Kodoku, the Demon King , unleashed an unspeakable evil!

A short backstory was given to Shiroihime, Vigridis' character. A warrior from a noble family from a far away land. She was sent to the demon king's realm to avenge her war-torn nation and restore honor to her family name.

The environment was made with a combination of Vigridis' constructs as well as physical props.

The first scene is set at the border of his kingdom, where there was only one way in. A single
demon guards the gate, a testament to the confidence in his ability. It wielded a large scythe and had an air of savagery to him. "Are you lost? Little girl!?" The demon questioned, brandishing his scythe. "Who dares approach the great demon king's realm? For 10,000 years I have stood guard in these gates. Many have tried, none have succeeded!" he boasted as he pounded his own chest to assert his superiority. "Do you wish to become another red stain on my blade?"

Warrior (Heavy bruiser)

"I am not a little girl! I am.." She paused, nearly about to say her real name, but then remembered her acting training. "Shiorihime! I am here to avenge my land and restore my family's honor!" She proudly announced her intentions, standing up in a dignified manner, with sword in hand.

"Oh?" She smirked. "10,000 years is impressive! But your guard shall end this day!" With that the battle began. Using her superior speed, Vigridis -er- the princess struck first, slashing at his waist.
The demon guard recoiled in pain as black liquid spilled out of his wound. "What?! No weapon has ever been able to pierce my skin! Unless…" He jumped backwards and spun his scythe, focusing crimson energy into its eye. "You are the wielder of the Ashen blade….yes! Master Kodoku will reward me greatly when I bring him your head!" He shouted as he slammed his weapon into the ground, launching a large wave of red energy towards her as he disappeared from sight. The red wave surrounded her while pushing her away with great force. The demon guard would reemerge behind the girl, swinging his scythe with all his might, trying to behead her.

Unbeknownst to the audience, the red energy was also made by Vigridis. It had taken a lot of practice to be able to coordinate in this way, and draw her own light energy towards her in a way that seemed like an enemy attacking her. She blocked what she could and was knocked a bit back. The demon appeared behind her, and for a split second the princess seemed to shake with the fear of her death. But she twisted just in time and blocked the strike. Only to parry and then slash the demon across his vitals. "Take that foul demon! How dare you strike a princess from behind!"

The demon guard backed off once more, clearly having suffered a grievous wound from the previous attack. "No! Impossible! I will not lose to likes of you! RAAGHHHHH" He yelled in defiance and anger as a crimson aura completely envelopes him . The audience would feel a wave of heat as he powered up. Once the aura dissipated, a bright red demon could be seen charging towards her with scythe in hand. This was in fact just a construct. Kaizen had momentarily left the stage to change his costume and prepare the other props. "PREPARE TO DIE!" a recorded voiceline played in conjunction with the charge.

The princess stared him down. "I cannot die yet," Vigridis intoned, waiting for the right moment in his charge. Just as he raised up his scythe and was bringing it down, she side-stepped the strike and with the legendary Ashen blade glowing bright white-gold, she finished her slice, cutting the demon's head right off. The demon's body and head began to disintegrate into particles of red energy which slowly flowed into her body. The he wielded would manifest once more Shiroihime's hands, showing to the audience that his power had become hers.

"Having defeated the gatekeeper, Shiroihime entered the demon king's realm's outer layer where the reaper of souls awaited her."

The stage transitioned to a different backdrop to simulate a passage of time and distance. The environment had small cages which contained red glowing orbs, souls of the damned. As Shiroihime moved forward, she would be ambushed by a spectral sickle from the shadows which flew straight into her and attempted to pull her soul out. Once again, this effect was achieved through the use of Vigridi's construct which this time included a weapon made to look like it was attacking her. "Your soul is mine!" The jailer announced as he tried to rip her soul out from her body.

The princess looked around. She seemed concerned by her new locale. Especially the ominous cages housing the poor souls. Then the girl let out a well-rehearsed feminine scream when the sickle flew out and struck her, attempting to yank out her soul. Vigridis made a good show of fighting with the strange sickle. "You.. cannot.. have my soul.. yet, foul specter!" She grabbed the chain and yanked back, pulling the sickle's owner out into the light.

The demonic figure is revealed to the crowd in its full splendor, demonic shell which constantly emanates crimson blaze from within. "I do not know how you manage to defeat the gatekeeper, but your journey shall end here." The demon retrieved its sickle and placed it within his mouth, to taste a portion of the girl's essence. "Hmmm you taste differently from the other souls. Could it be? A descendant of the Arukado Clan? Hmmm Yeeessss." He tapped his lantern with his sickle, awakening the souls, forcing them to materialize and fight against their will. "If I consume your essence, I'll have enough power to overthrow the demon king himself!" He cackled with laughter as the enslaved souls began their assault on Shiroihime. He would attempt to attack her from afar with few long swings from the sickle while the souls kept her busy.

"A demon with ambition? If only you demons learned to fight each other and stay out of human affairs!" Shiorihime shouted. "But I will not be your stepping stone to realize your ambition!" She fought back against the souls with kicks and thrusts of her sword. She also was forced to defend against the sickle.

"Silence!" He swung his lantern at her, absorbing a portion of her essence as it struck her. "You Arukado scum are always so troublesome! Yet the taste of your souls makes it worth it!" The souls around her metamorphosize into red chains which bind her in place, allowing him to reel in his catch. He grabbed the girl by her chin to admire her beauty. "It'd be a shame to eat you all at once… I think I'll savor you for a millenia….hehehe" the laughed, revealing his somewhat perverse and sadistic nature.

When Vigridis was captured by his chains, she seemed stunned by what he said. "How would you know what Arukado soul tastes like? What have you done??!" She glared, looking utterly disgusted with the demon as he grabbed her chin and said his foul words. "Don't touch me, you repugnant fiend! I have no intention of being your meal, I have a duty to fulfill! Yya!"

She began releasing her energy. Violent silver light erupted out of her, shoving the demon back and straining the chains on her.

The chains eventually gave way, shattering into tiny pieces. "You don't know? Do you honestly think you are the first one they sent here?" The chain demon got back up while dusting himself off. "No matter. As strong as you are, you are merely human!" His lantern began to glow brightly, as he released the soul of a large beast to fight at his behest. "Go on, fight for your master!" The chain warden commanded, the beast obeyed. The monster swiped at her multiple times, trying to tear her apart.

She grit her teeth. "Then I'll avenge them! Don't underestimate humans!" She shouted. She watched the strange beast bear thing being summoned right before her. "Heh, for all your bluster you're just a huge coward, huh? Can't fight your own battles!" She dodged the swipes, and fought back some by cutting the beast with her glowing sword.

"Geh!" Shiorihime grunted when finally one of the beast's claws scraped her shoulder. But she had deliberately drawn close to finish it off, stabbing it straight through.

As his greatest beast fell and disintegrated, he seemed incredibly distraught, realizing that he was completely outmatched. "How...how is this possible!? The greater beast should have been more than enough to rend you asunder!" He drops his sickle and lantern and falls to his knees. He didnt know what else to do but this. He bowed down and performed the dogeza. "Please, forgive my earlier insolence. It is clear to me now that you are a superior fighter. I will let you pass without any further interference, in return I only ask for my life.." With his head on the ground, he awaited his judgment, but he had other plans should this maneuver fail.

This was not what she was expecting. Shiorihime raised her sword, then stopped. "I shall grant you your life, if you release the souls you've trapped, and promise to never trap another soul again."

"Yes yes...of course anything you want." He said, slowly raising his head, as the cages around him shook and shattered, transforming themselves into chains that latched onto each of the girl's limbs. "HAHAHA You fell for it! Now your soul is mine!" He taunted victoriously as he went in to consume her soul once and for all with sickle in hand. "Always so gullible Arukado scum!" he taunted her once more.

The girl displayed genuine shock, frustration, and disappointment. "Fiend." She said simply, before suddenly calling forth the scythe from the gatekeeper, instantly breaking his chains. In one swift motion she sliced through the demon and killed him. Truthfully, as the demon died, it was pretty tough on Vigridis to maintain all these constructs, especially the humanoid ones that she manipulated into fighting herself. But she'd persevere through the show! Because she was Vigridis, and she could do this.

With one foul swoop, Shiroihime destroys the soul chains along with the Jailer, leaving nothing but a hollow shell of himself, shattering upon falling to the ground. The chains and sickle began disappeared, their energies flowing into her.

Kaizen was impressed at her performance, especially given that he was watching from behind scenes, preparing the next backdrop and props.


"With the defeat of the chain warden, Shiroihime was free to proceed into the labyrinth where her next opponent awaited her. The Crimson Hunter. "


Once again, the stage shifted, to make it look like she was entering a labyrinth maze. She was forced to do some parkour until a few shots came her way from an unseen entity. "That's right, keep dancing! Don't let this end just yet!" The ominous voice called out as more shots from outside the audience view came for her.

Perched on top of the tower was a lanky demon that held something resembling a rifle. The figure waved playfully at her "Come now, the audience expects more from your performance!" He spoke, seemingly breaking the fourth wall while unloading another volley. Her attempt at dodging his shots will be met with explosive mines on the ground, which would explode into a firework like pattern, courtesy of Agi's craftsmanship.

Shiorihime paused at the labyrinth, staring at the entrance. What she contemplated was left up to the audience's imagination, leaving it mysterious. Before she bravely entered. Then the scene showed her circumventing the maze, traps, and some parkour sections. This was where she was shot at.

A couple of the surprise shots hit her -which was really just Vigridis making sure her own constructs collided with her in bursts. She faltered, obviously affected by the shots and in pain. "Another one?" the princess commented. "How many do I have to go through? Oh well, I knew this wouldn't be easy.."

She avoided the next shots from the mocking demon and screamed as the script called for it, when an explosion caught her. Shiorihime stumbled back, protected mostly by her light. She glared the shooter down. "I don't suppose you will simply stand aside and let me through?"

"And why would I do that? An instrument will not perform without input. Come get up! Its not your curtain call yet! You still have so much to show!" The hunter reconfigured his gun into a mortar-like device before launching for shots from it. "Here's your time to shine! Try not to disappoint!" The whistling of mortar shots could be heard to simulate the shells coming closer to the ground, when in reality they were some bags filled with stage explosives that were prepared beforehand.

Vigridis made a valiant display of slicing them and making them blow in mid air. She did so in a way that was meant to be rather captivating. Finally she caught one in light and tossed it right back at the gunner. "Then I must remove you from my way, myself! No hard feelings, but I have more important matters to attend to!"

The gunner upon seeing the returning shell quickly disassembled his gun into its most basic component, namely a pistol. The gunner took a direct hit from the explosion, causing smoke to cover the stage for a moment. The smoke cleared, the injured gunner could be limping towards the warrior, trying his best to shoot her with his pistol to no avail. "No no no! Not yet! We haven't reached a satisfying climax yet!" He ranted as he grabbed a few grenades from belt and threw it at her. The grenades would explode into beautiful plumes of red smoke. Their silhouettes could be seen slowly approaching each other.

"I apologize, but a satisfying climax for my story isn't a satisfying climax for yours!" Shiorihime shouted as she summoned forth the chains from the previous demon. Through the smoke, you could hear her scream out her words as her silhouette swung the chain and caught all the grenades, only to swing and whip them back to where they came from -the gun demon.

"Ah… I see it, now..I was never the main event...hahahahaha HAHAHAHA" the gun demon laughed hysterically as he the grenades around him exploded, sealing his fate. His gun shatter into a thousand pieces before reassembling in Shiroihime's hands.

"The defeat of the gun slinging had opened a hidden path within labryinth. Leading the girl right into my chambers. Right where I wanted her to be. Hahahahahah"

The stage begin shift one last time. Changing into a throne room befitting a demon king. Her final adversary could be seen slouching on his throne, hand tucked under his chin. A small smile formed around his face. "At last, you have arrived. Honestly, I thought you'd be here sooner." He was different from the other demons, there was an air of superiority to him, despite having such a relaxed voice. "So tell me, why did you come here?"

"Arrived? Then you are the last…" The heroine says, realizing she was almost through with her quest. With the gun holstered on her back, she unsheathed her sword and held it up. "I am here to avenge my family and bring peace to this land!"

"Is that what you want? Or is that what your parents want?" He chuckled as he got to his feet. "Have you even considered what you wanted for yourself?" He grabbed his blade on one hand, and a twin-barrelled shotgun on the other. "Come on then! Show me your resolve!" He shouted, beckoning her to attack.

As he continued to pester her with questions, she grew more and more frustrated, until she angrily shouted, "Enough! You have no right to speak of my parents, my family, or my people!" She swung her brilliantly shining sword back. "What I want is of no concern to you! But if you must know, what I want the most is to strike you down, demon lord!" With that, she leapt at him, bringing the blade down to clash against Kaizen-demon lord's own sword. A clash that would be strong enough to shake the stage and seating

"Such power! Such beauty" He muttered while smiling as his blade grinded against Shiroihime. The demon king broke the blade lock with a push of his blade. He spun around, allowing his cape to strike her and obscure her vision for a moment before blasting her with his shotgun. The blast sent her flying across the stage with a giant red energy projectile.

"We need not be enemies. Shiroihime." He spoke he sheathed his sword and shotgun. "What's the matter? Surprised that I already know your name?" He laughed. He was about to unveil the truth. "Have you ever wondered? Where does your strength come from? Not from your human side, I can tell you that much. He walked to her and offered her a hand to help her up.

For the most part, Vigridis did not like being blasted away, but it was for the show. She rolled on the ground, until she came to a stop and looked up at his outstretched hand. "What do you mean? What are you getting at?" she questioned.

"Ahahaha. You half-demon! Honestly I don't blame your parents for not telling you. It's always easier to hate something you do not understand." He laughed, revealing the source of her power. "Now then, I shall provide you with two options. You can join me, and rule by my side! Or you can die, just like all the Arukado that have came here before you. The choice is yours." The demon king turned his back to her, waiting for her to make her choice.

"What?!" Shiroihime gasped. She tried to understand how she could be half-demon. She glared, then got back to her feet. "No! You do not get to do that! Whether or not you're right or wrong is irrelevant. This is my power! Not yours! It has nothing to do with being a demon! I'm this strong in spite of you!"

She swung her blade and blasted him back with white light, posing with her sword up by her face, pointing at him. "I will not join you! Nor will I die! I came to avenge the Arukado! That's why I'm here! Now raise your blade and fight, oh great Demon Lord! You're embarrassing yourself!"

"You chose…" The demon king turned and swung his blade, splitting the white light in half, causing explosion on both of his sides. "Poorly!" The demon pushed forward, pressing his blade against girl's once more before delivering a knee strike to her gut. He would follow up the attack by jumping over her, unleashing another twin shot from his shotgun. The demon king landed behind her, allowing his cloak to form a giant hand which grabbed her, pummelling her multiple times into the floor before throwing her onto his throne. "Face it, without that power, you'd be nothing!" He taunted her once again.

Vigridis was never pleased with this part - getting beat up, but Kaizen had convinced her it made for a good show. So she hit the throne convincingly, gritting her teeth and clutching to her sword. "That's not true… I'm so much more than this power.. You're just envious, demon king."

"I'd rather not destroy you. One last chance, Shiroihime. To become something greater!" He raised his shotgun and pointed at her once more. Red energy gathered around the gun, this blast would surely be enough to finish her off and then some.

"How considerate of you! Demon King, you will perish here this day!" She whipped out the demon gun she had just gained and fired a blast quicker than his, blowing up on his own gun, causing an even bigger chain explosion from his own built-up energy. Shiorihime held out her hands, and chains broke out of the walls and ground, wrapping around various parts of the demon king. "Now it's your turn for two choices! Continue your evil ways and succumb to my blade! Or give up your demonic power and be jailed for the rest of your existence, where you can think about your crimes and repent!"

Bits of his armor flew as the explosion engulfed him. While the chains held him in place, it was only for short while before the shatters the chains, absorbing the power and transforming it into a second blade. And now the real battle begins. "You seek to use the powers of a demon against the demon king!? Pathetic!" He leaped forward, attempting to slice apart his adversary with a few lightning fast strikes, slashing his own throne to small pieces in the process. His attacks were unrelenting in terms of speed and power, like storm of sharp metal.

"Hmp! Demon King, I was praised for my swordsmanship! Said to be unrivaled and have unparalleled swordsmanship! Let's test that theory!" Even though the demon king's sword swings were unrelenting in speed and power, the princess was able to keep up with him, strike for strike, parry for parry. Their clash was enough to spark and shake the theater. It almost didn't even look like a play, and almost appeared as if Vigridis was fighting an evil demon villain for real. That's how real the impacts felt.

Finally she saw her opening. "Rest now, Demon King!!" She shouted, parrying the demon's strongest blow yet, opening up his stance. "Yyyaaaaa!! Radiant Shine!!" Vigridis shouted, her sword bursting with golden energy that lit up the theater. She took the opening to stab it straight through the Demon King. Only she didn't really, she was forced to shorten her blade as it "stabbed" him, and she precisely created another construct "coming out of" his back, to simulate the effect she had stabbed him. After practicing this move, she was able to do it perfectly to completely trick the audience. "Now you will atone for your evil deeds in the afterlife!!"

The demon king gasps in pain, trying his best to old onto life. His cape began to disintegrate as he dropped his swords, signifying his end was near. Black liquid oozed out from his wounds, staining the floor. With the last of his strength, he raised his hand and caressed her the girl's face. "You have...your mother's eyes...enjoy your victory…" and with that, the demon king collapse on top of her, his lifeless body would never rise again, satisfied knowing that he had a worthy successor.

Shiorihime's face seemed to realize what he meant and twist in pain. "No, I knew my parents. You had your chance. Finally, it's over," she said as the body slumped. "I did it. Mom, dad, I avenged the Arukado." She sighed and took a seat in the throne to rest, breathing hard. A smile came to the woman's face.


And so, Shiroihime rule had begun, ushering a new age of peace and enlightenment into the lands. Having restored the honor of her family, she was bestowed the title as the greatest of Arukado clan, keeping with her forever the glory and secrets she had learned on the day she ascended, The End.

And with that, the stage lights went back to normal, prompting Kaizen to get back up for the curtain call. He stood next to Vigridis and gave the audience a bow as the curtain closed on both of them. Kaizen let out a sigh of relief and satisfaction, he couldn't have asked for a better performance from Vigridis. "Good job out there Vig! I couldn't have done a better job myself. I knew I made the right decision by bringing you in as the star!" It seems all their efforts had been well worth it, Kaizen was extremely happy with how the show went. "Hey uhhh Vig, if you're not too busy later on after your light show, maybe we could go to the final fireworks display together? I know a perfect spot where we can get the best view." He asked, being uncharastically shy. The sting of rejection from the previous attempt was still fresh in his memory, so he wasn't too optimistic with this attempt either.

Vigridis gave a simple, dignified bow. Then turned to Kaizen as the curtain closed off the two of them. "That is because I am strong enough to shine like a star." She pointed out. "Also, I have mentioned this before, my name is Vigridis. After all this, you should know that by now."

She raised her eyebrow, but otherwise remained as vigilant as she always was. "Still, I am glad to have met your expectashins and put on a good performance. Hm, I supposse so. Meet me after my shhow ends and I shall join you."

"Yo won't regret it Vig!" He wasn't expecting such positive response from her but was excited at the prospect.

Power Play: Epilogue

Kaizen, after watching a dazzling light show performance, waited for her outside. Apart from the performance they had put on, he didn't really have high hopes for anything else and was simply trying his luck. He knew, Vigridis wasn't the easiest person to convince to do such activities so he had to tempered his expectations.

"Hm, that seeemed to have gone over well.." she mused as she stepped over to the bug, wiping sweat from her brow. "Between your play and my show I am all out of Soul Energy. They want me to continue but I literally cannot summon even one more sword."

"That's pretty rare, to see you all tuckered out. But I'd like to think you had a bit of fun throughout the whole thing." Vigridis shown a tremendous amount of character growth from first time he met her. Though she still has his ways to go, he is happy to accompany her on that journey, assuming she would was willing to do it. "Well, I hope you're not too tired to walk. Unless you want me to carry you to the top. But I have a feeling you wouldn't like that." Kaizen gave her a cheeky grin as he beckoned to follow him to the highest building the school had.

"Fun?" She repeated, wondering exactly what he meant. At his question to carry her, she frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Don't be absurd, I am not that tired. I siimply cannot call forth any constructs, I am sstill perfectly functional." She walked after him, following to the place he beckoned.

Once they went to the edge of the building Kaizen shot a long strand of webbing all the way to the top. "Hop on! I guarantee its faster than taking the stairs." The fireworks was about to start and he knew taking the stars with take too much time.

Vigridis paused, then hopped onto his extended webbing.

Like a slingshot, webbing launched them both to the top of the building, where both of them could sit at the roof. Kaizen crossed his legs sat on the roof waiting for the show to start. "Have you ever seen fireworks before?"

Vigridis wasn't prepared to be launched that way. However she quickly recovered and landed nimbly. She glanced at Kaizen. "Of course I have," she said, sitting down beside him.

"Ah I see." He replied awkwardly. He just like that he didn't really know what to say, he didn't think he would honestly get this far. And yet at the same time, he felt they were still so far apart from each other. "Hey Vigridis… would you mind holding hands with me?" Kaizen was willing to give it another shot. As they say nothing ventured nothing gained. He found it strange he wasn't afraid of the prospect of death but rejection was something he actively avoided.

Vigridis looked over at him with her silver gaze. "Is thiss why you have been paying so much attention to me lately?"

"Yes." He replied as directly as he could. "As I said before. I have been interested in you ever since our first fight with each other." While the show was indeed for the school as well, it was also an opportunity to get to know her better. "It's no secret that you've come a long way from how we first met. I know you don't usually do the stuff we've done for the past few days, and the fact that you agreed to them means a lot to me."

Vigridis' mouth formed a thin line. She wondered what he meant by 'come a long way', but he did seem genuinely interested in her for reasons she couldn't understand. Her hand opened beside her. "Do as you wish."

Kaizen couldn't help but smile. "All this just to hold hands." He silently laughed at himself before reaching out to hold her hand. His insect hand lacked any touch receptors, but it was nice to have someone else's hands in his. "Thank you, Vigridis." When the firework display started, he mostly silent, but every so often he would look to Vigridis, just to see her reaction.

Vigridis frowned somewhat at his word of gratitude. She turned to watch the fireworks show. The flashes of light and color were quite a bit different than the ones she had done, so even briefly she watched with some enthusiasm. But if he was looking for any sort of out-of-this-world crazy reactions, he wouldn't see any. That's just now who Vigridis was.

"What's the matter? Not up to your expectations?" He asked jokingly. He wasn't anything too bombastic from her but then again this is Vigridis. "You're a difficult person to impress, you know that?" She wasn't an easy person to get a reaction from, that's for sure. "I suppose it's not too impressive for someone that can create her own lightshow." He knew Vig could probably produce her own fireworks if she wanted to.

"Expectations? No, it exceeeded them." She cocked her head. "Am I? Iss being 'impresssed' something to boast about?"

"It did huh. Interesting." He didn't expect her expectations to be achievable. "Yes you are. And yes it is." He replied in short order, trying to savor the moment.

Vigridis's face clearly showed her confusion, but she went back to watching the rest of the firework show peacefully.

@Thaleko

 

[Azurian Dream]

@Jessica

The Roundabout Festival

Yori had just managed to get his break from Kaizen's stall and speaking to so many fans, he was just exhausted. He hoped having a conversation with all of them satisfied them enough that they would leave him alone… He just wanted to enjoy the festival a little bit… But he had more important matters to attend to.

He was walking around trying to find Ichika.

After she confessed her feelings to him, Yori had been a bit confused. They'd just gotten in contact again, and she wanted to be in a relationship? They had crushes on each other when they were just teenagers… But weren't they different now? Did she know how stressful dating Yori would be? She wouldn't be able to hold his hand unless he was in a wig. She wouldn't be able to do anything with him in public that wasn't past the friendly border, and even then, if people found out who she was to him, the fanbase would eat her alive.

Ichika deserved so much more than that!

He found her working at a sweets stall, a lump forming in his throat from nervousness. He hoped she didn't hate him.

Yori waited until there were no people at the stall before he walked up to it. "Ichika, do you have time to talk? If you're too busy, I understand."

Ichika was rather surprised at the popularity of her stall as people went nuts coming over to grab whatever goodies she had made. It seemed the school had heard the rumors about her cooking from all her classmates making for a mystery jump start for people to try her snacks. Then it went nuts with her selling faster than she could make as couples, singles, and groups came ordering like a madman's wave. The amount of money she made filled both her pockets, and the pockets for class 7s pantries.

"Hehehe me Amon, Kikyo, and Mari can cook like royalty with this turn out," she giggled to herself at how well things had gone. Thinking up numerous things the class could enjoy for months to come she was caught off guard as Yori appeared out of the blue causing her for once in a very long time to release an adorable "eep" sound before quickly blushing and regaining her composure.

"Oh Yori you caught me off guard… guess I was lost in my thoughts of cooking grandeur," Ichika laughed off moving her orange hair to the side as she raised a brow to his notable nervous body movement. With concern for her friend she grabbed his soft hands with her scaled ones.

"Are you alright," she asked with a concerned look.

Yori was glad to see her, truly. She let out a cute "eep" and turned around, a blush on her cheeks from what he could see. He couldn't help but chuckle in turn, relaxing a bit. It was good to see that she'd done well with her bakery.

"I'm fine, just tired. Helping the food stall is tiring work." He responded. "You look happy. I assume you made a huge profit?" Yori asked her. Of course this wasn't all he was here for.

"Oh that's right you helped Kaizen didn't you here how about a treat for my worn bird," Ichika teased handing him the last strawberry pastry she had left which it was damn clear she had saved it for him just in case he had come around to visit her.

"I made enough to where Class 7s pantries will never be empty again even with all our big eaters like Mari, and Amon," she chimed happily as she collected her back pack. With her stall closed she turned to him.

"So what do you want to talk about," she asked.

Seeing the pastry, Yori's mouth immediately started to water. It looked delicious, and he always did love the sweets his friends made for him; Ichika's in particular had a special something to them that he really enjoyed.

"I just.. Wanted to be sure you were sure." He said. "You heard what I said at the studio, and everything you told me has really stuck to me." Yori took a bite of the pastry, chewed, then swallowed. "I don't want to have our relationship turn romantic, then we both end up ruining our friendship because we're not the same people anymore."

That was what Yori was mostly afraid of. He didn't want to lose Ichika as a friend if their expectations turned out to be delusions. On top of that, he still believed Ichika deserved better. No romance in public, no revealing the relationship. Nothing. Did she really want to go through that?

"Yori you really haven't changed much," Ichika giggled once all was laid out to her she raised a finger to Yoris lips before he could speak as what she meant probably needed a better explanation than how it sounded.

"You have grown a lot, but you're still that overthinking caring song bird I played with all day when we were little. Being silly stupid with Agi, protective of Amano, and checking on me whenever you were considered you said something wrong. That's who you are, and that's a good chunk of you I want to spend time with," Ichika explained with her mellow look as she fixed his collar for him in the middle of talking.

"And if you didn't care for me you wouldn't have been racking your brain around all this time about this. So dare I say you feel something for me a little more than friendship can describe," she asked not saying it was but asking him what he thought of the observation.

"If I have to wait on the side for a while I will wait for Yori. I have been this patient with you so believe me when I say I can wait longer. If you want to have me in secret than you may have me, and I will be the wind beneath your feather never seen but always lifting you up," she smiled with a wink as she finished fixing his cloths.

"Though mind you if a tramp gets too handsy with you I will cut a bitch," Ichika spoke for a moment with a rather violent fixated slitted eye before it returned to a more normal rounded pupil, her murderous aura peaking out for a moment.

He blushed a bit as Ichika called him out on the feelings part. While yes, what he felt wasn't completely friendship, it was dangerous. Not just for the idol part, but as a hero as well. Whatever he did as a hero leaked into his idol life. Ichika said she was fine with it, but was she really? Would that really be okay? Did she really want to be treated as if Yori was ashamed of her?

Before Yori could continue his own destructive chain of thought a clawed hand hit him lightly upside the head as Ichika released a calm sigh as she took both his arms, and looked him straight in the eyes with a genuine smile.

"Yori I am a hero too. I have many concerns for your own safety as well. I place myself in danger of my own accord. Us dating does not change that by much at all. I will be targeted for my own actions. So don't use that as a wall to hide your concerns behind let them out," she expressed softly, pulling him away from it all towards the dorms where there was no one to interrupt their conversation or to see what they were doing.

"Do you like me?"

"...Yes it does Ichika. It's not just heroing that'll be affected. It's you. You've seen my fans, they're crazy. Well a chunk of them anyway. They don't care if you're strong or murderous, they'll come after you. Me too."

He frowned. "I do, yeah. But… I don't think my feelings are worth you getting hurt in the process. This might sound narcissistic, but what if a major villain is a fan of me? What if they aim to kill you because they wanted me all to themselves? I couldn't live with myself if I lost you like that."

"So," was all Ichika said with a piercing look at Yori that showcased a unique wave of determination to the bird boy as she seemed to not be upset with his concern but more so making a stance against it.

"And even if you don't believe me I can handle what comes my way Yori I am a hero in the works as well I have fought, and won against villains. I can hold my own, and whether or not you believe it is on you, and I can't change that if you don't believe in me too," she proudly pointed out yes had she lost a few fights yes Maunder got away, and that insectile bitch to.

"Don't you make excuses to hold back on how you feel. Expressing I cant handle it is a coup out I place myself in danger Yori can you handle that," she expressed turning the table to make him feel how his words felt.

"Will you be able to handle how people will come after you to get at me, or when your fans feel betrayed unrealistically to come off after you are my feelings worth you being in danger," It was a little harsh, but it's point was clear this wasn't a single edged issue this was a double edged sword.

"I have already told you Yori I can handle it, and I won't repeat myself again. So let me ask you front and center, do you like me enough to handle being with me," she asked with a serious piercing look no longer wanting to be questioned on something he had asked multiple times, and now wanted him to answer her instead.

He fell silent. Quiet. Yori started to think about it again. She had a point, and he had a lot to say after a moment. But, he couldn't say it there. Yori didn't want their risky conversation to be heard more than it already could have been.

"I'd...I'd like you to come to my room. There, I can give you my answer without anyone else hearing it." He said. "Don't worry, I don't have any "intentions," I just want to give you the answer you've been waiting for."

"Very well," Ichika responded, motioning him to lead the way. It would be a long night of conversing, and only that as Yori, and Ichika went over everything they needed off their chests. When it was all said, and done Ichika left his room with a smile on her face, and a pep in her step.

.................................................................................................................

@RedArmyShogun @Nim

Summer Date With A Party Or Two Part 1

As Agi waited for Mari to finish up, she snuck up on him for a change as she grabs his arm and leans herself against it, smiling up at him a bit, she lets go and shows herself off smiling still. She was wearing a summer Yukata, that was chiefly purple with orange highlights here and there. "I can't say purple suits me all that well, but this was the surprise I had in mind. I'm afraid I'm not as rebellious as the Oni." She had some stockings on as well which could be seen at the lower ends of her robes and a pair of traditional geta.

"So what shall we do while I'm free?"

Agi in his own white Samue with amber linings waiting patiently for his gal who was doing a few preemptive Festival class representative things he did watch Isa's, and Aika impressive performances cheering them on for such amazing talent. After a few other shows, a sudden hand snuck its way into his catching his full attention as Mari popped out of nowhere leaning against him with her own pearly white smile before pulling back to showcase her very stunningly well matching purple/orange Yukata.

"I… beg to differ. It looks amazing on you," Agi said, actually very well caught off guard by how good she looked in it. He chuckled at her comment on Isa's more daring design as he walked up to her taking both her arms.

"You look amazing in your own innocent way," he teased, giving her a small kiss as he took her arm, and started to walk with her.

"Well while I have you all to myself let's just go wander off into the festival, and lose ourselves to the fun of it," Agi motioned as they would quickly find the hustle, and bustle of the classes alive and well all over the place with student ran spots with games, food, and snack as far as the eye could see.

"Oh? Are you sure you aren't saying that because you like purple? Still, I'll take your comment at face value." As she had her arm taken, Mari maneuvers it a little to better match his own as she leans in, she didn't care if the others seen them like this and she was serious about his suggestion as well. "I've seen most of them, but I don't mind seeing them again as a customer this time. Plus you were waiting for so long, so let's enjoy ourselves, anything of note you wanted to do first?"

At his Kiss, she blushed slightly but had no words to add for a little while, till she finally spoke; "Hmm and now I wonder who is the one taking us too fast?" She says before brushing him with her tail and leaning her head against his arm.

"I am saying that because I like you, and how you look," Agi responded with a chuckle to Mari's snarkiness with her questioning what to do first he had a perfect idea of the ultimate must-do on any festival night… caramel apples.

"Two, please. I think we're going at a pretty good pace beside you seemed to enjoy it," Agi teased lightly as he paid for the treats, handing Mari's her's first before taking his own.

"Well, I did always aim for something more, she says, accepting the apple treat. "Though we've both had plenty of time to see what is here, that is not the same as experiencing them. Or I hope you didn't spend all evening there looking lost without me." She says as she takes a bite of the stick sweat treat, interestingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, she did have canines that were longer and sharper than those of a normal human, though still not too far out there, she could likely give a snaggle tooth smile if she wanted.

"Though if you run out of things for us to do I have some in mind... But watching the fireworks together is a must. So how was your day till now, darling?"

"Nay I did look about, see what some of the others were up to…," Agi tilted his head towards Mari eating her treat as he noticed her rather sharp canines. Not to say he wasn't keeping a tab on how she looked, but he had never just looked at her teeth in general before.

"Huh, well noted," he oddly said as he took a bite of his own caramel apple taking her over to one of the games centers filled with winnable prizes this one, in particular, being the ring toss. Looking at the prizes at hand he tilted his head.

"Do any of them catch your eye kitten," he asked pretty confidently in his skill to win something if she wanted it bad enough.

"By all means, if there is anything, in particular, you want to hit up lemme know. Eh most of it was alright just nice to not be covered in bandages anymore honestly," he admitted with a chuckle.

"How about you did everything smooth over with the other regarding the secrets?"

"Hmm.." Thinking about what all else he had said and asked about she stopped eating to answer. "Honestly, I don't mind where we go, so long as it's together, but hmm.. We should just try out the various games I think, see how good or bad we are, like fish scooping or shooting. Getting some foodstuff or seeing a show... Ah yes that reminds me, Kaizen was doing some sort of show later on and there is the singing Isa does, but I don't know right off the top of my head if the others were doing something."

Still dressed in her attire from the performance she gave, and having eaten at the food stall Kaizen was working at, Aika felt pretty happy. She was also quite happy with the compliment he had given her. As she walked, she suddenly noticed a familiar pair that seemed to just walk around. As they seemed to be deep in conversation, Aika quietly made her way behind them, listening to what they were talking about. Seeing how they were acting made Aika wonder for a second before a smirk came onto her expression.

"Well, I performed earlier, but not going to again. And Vigridis is gonna do a light show. I have no idea about anyone else." Aika spoke up, just loud enough so that the two would be able to hear her over the sounds of the other people around them "So you two, huh?" She asked, the smirk staying present for a brief moment before changing into a genuine smile "Nicely done to both of you."

"I think I like that idea to," Agi adorably agreed to Mari's call to happiness as long as they were doing it together. With a big smile he paid for a ring toss game for both of them to play each of them had six rings.

"Alright which prize should we go for. I am sorta feeling the gundam model, or the oh hey how about the lucky golden cat necklace," Agi chimed pointing out a gundam model, and then to surprisingly his more excited drive something that looked like it would be perfect for Mari. However before Mari could respond a sudden familiar voice popped in.

"Aika hows it going that was one hell of a performance," Agi chimed offering her a high five for excellence as she noted to them being a couple.

"Heh jealous I already called dibs so don't be trying to steal her now," Agi chuckled putting a hand around Mari's waist pulling her into an adorable "she's mine" embrace before letting her go as he nodded.

"I bet those shows will be rocking as well… wanna join us for a game I bet we can give you a good run at ring toss," Agi challenged the girl.

As Mari processed all that was happening she nods her head a bit as he tried to collect the cat necklace, eying the Gundam and how he himself mentioned it, she goes to cast her own rings at it. Missing the first couple of times her cat-like finesse scored a hit on the third attempt. As Aika showed up.

"Hmm, a light show? And you must have come up right after Isa then?" She asks of Aika as Agi's hand and arms wrap around her to pull her close and mentions not trying to steal her. "Yes, we've been going out for a while now, but ah, are you enjoying yourself Aika?"

With her win of the prize, Mari holds onto the miniature model and grins a bit at Agi and his expense. "Well let's see if you want to win me something, otherwise I might just put this together myself." She was taunting him a bit but it didn't sound serious, even for Mari.

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@RedArmyShogun @TreasureSniper

Summer Date Part 2 The Kaizening

After getting some free time from his own stall, Kaizen proceeded to completely dominate the game stalls with his sheer brute strength. Tossing balls with enough force to completely topple the bottles despite them being tampered with to be heavier. "Come on! Is that all you got?" he hyped himself up as he toppled another pyramid of bottles. As he turned his attention to the other stalls, he could see Agi playing a bottle ring game along with the two other girls.
Almost immediately, the bugster slammed his money at the countertop to have a chance to play as well. "Set me up as well." he didnt know whether Mari or Agi would recognize him through his strange getup, but it didn't matter. He wanted to win, even if he didn't really care about the prize. His strange beetle kabuki mask hid his face enough, and no one else would recognize his family insignia on the back of his jinbei.

Still walking beside them, Aika shrugged a bit "Calm down Agi. Not gonna steal your girl or nothing. Mari is nice, but I do have my own plans for the festival." She said, before turning her gaze to Mari "Huh, that so. Well, I would take up your boyfriend's challenge, but like I said, got my own plans. And I rather not be late for them." She said, before glancing sideways and seeing Kaizen, who was with the mask on "But maybe you could ask our mutual classmate right there. I'm sure Bug would be up for the challenge. Have fun." She said, before walking off with a wave of her hand.

"Wait what hey no fair," Agi having been distracted by Aika had not noticed Mari was still playing the game having, in fact, won the piece he had mentioned. He blushed a bit as Mari teased him as now the stakes were raised. However hilariously Agi was sweating as he let go of Mari and concentrated on the game trying to hit the most difficult and furthest of bottles for the necklace.

"No no no no," Agi mumbled in full concentration before giving out a hilarious battle cry at the unexpected battle bug who had just thrown down money to join the two started to throw ring like crazy hilariously battle for the necklace while Mari would just watch them be insane folk. The competition got so intense that they were blocking each other with there own rings.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME," Agi yelled at Kaizen.

"Ah, hello there Kaizen, overdoing it a bit?" Looking back at Aika she gives a bow as the other left. "Is this really that important Agi?" She said blinking a bit at the two, she hoped they didn't cause damage to the stall.

"Because you don't deserve the prize! Not just yet!" he yelled in response. The victory was its own reward for Kaizen. At least most of the time. In reality, Kaizen actually wanted the gunpla as well, but no one needed to know that. "Let it go, Agi. You'll get one next time." Kaizen continued to block the nano boy's rings while trying to score himself.

"It depends do you like how it looks, and in full honest yes cause I want to win it for you," Agi asked frantically not taking his eyes of winning Mari the prize asking her full-heartedly to be honest on the matter. There was only one way to defeat Kaizen at this dangerous game of two hands versus four, and that was to use his own strength against him.

"Why are you so interested in a lucky cat necklace Kaizen," Agi demanded to know.

Staring at the two, Mari shakes her head slowly and sighs. Guessing correctly that Kaizen just wanted the robot. But with the two like this she doubted she could stop them. "I mean it would be a nice present but I'm pretty sure I can just go buy it from the store in town for a little Yen! Do you two just want to play for the robot?"

"Thats all i need to hear," Agi responded with determination halting one throw into two simultaneous throws one blocking Kaizens which in turn hit lower down knocking his second ring right onto the goal.

"HAHAHAHAHA VICTORY…. I would like the cat necklace thank you, and I appreciate the powerful competition you brought me Kaizen," Agi politely asked after soaking in the victory before thanking Kaizen for the unexpected stress making the victory so much more uplifting.

"The prize matters not to me, winning is its own reward!" he replied to Mari, lying about his reason for fighting so hard. "Silence! Do not tarnish your victory with your words of pity!" Kaizen immediately responded as he turned away. "You win this time. " He said, clearly disappointed by the results "Good game." He gave a begrudging thumbs up.

"You were an amazing opponent regardless Kaizen I expect a rematch someday. Kaizen I mean that truly no pity attached beside it was just two friends in the thick of battle right," Agi smiled genuinely offering Kaizen a high five.

Seeing that he had no option, Kaizen slapped Agi's hand with herculean might before pulling him in to talk. "Savor your victory while it lasts." he whispered to his ear before breaking away.

"Be safe Kaizen also I'll be cheering for your show event," Agi cheered on giving Kaizen a thumbs up to his words taking it as a friends promise for another grand match.

"... You guys do know...there are more of these robots right?" She says pointing out at some of the other prizes, she honestly didn't understand why they were so obsessed with this, she was pretty sure she seen this same kit in the 1000 yen section of the general store. Accepting the gift from Agi she shakes her head a bit and hands him the gundam figure he had technically won. "If you guys want to play for the other ones I don't mind just sitting here for a bit, it is amusing in it's own way."

"Hmph..its not the same. The moment has passed…. Agi has ruined all of my future victories for the day…"The bugster humorously said before slowly putting more money at the counter. "Set me up again!" he demanded. While he still wanted to beat Agi, the gundam model was a good consolation prize if nothing else.

"Aight well be safe Kaizen, and good hunting my friend get all the gunpla's for I have already won the best reward I can tonight," Agi chimed happily as he opened up Maris gift taking it from her as he placed it around her neck as he without warning picked her up in bridal carry before running off with her victory shouting in a straight line towards some of the eatery vendors.

"Heh, that's okay I got the best prize tonight making you happy," Agi smiled as he took his victory lap in stride until they were in the eatery section.

"Later Kaizen, we'll go see your show later on tonight. Do enjoy the game."

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@RedArmyShogun @Demon Shinobi

Summer Date Part 3 Rosalie

Being carried off by Agi, he seemed more than a bit happy and she couldn't fault him for that, though she was still the straight man to his comedy act. Holding the cheap jewelry trinket up to her face that was now tied to her hand she laughs a little and shakes her head. "It may be a little fair trinket, but I'll be sure to treasure it. Just don't expect me to wear it. But never fear it will have a place on my bracelet stand." She says nuzzling her head against him for a bit as she walked in arm with him. "Though would you mind putting me down till we have an actual marriage, there is but so much embarrassment I can take before the kitten has to scratch you one."

"Oh fair enough," Agi calmed down placing her down as she requested though her nuzzling had fueled him a little too in fairness as he looked about for a moment.

"So we still got a little bit before the fireworks, anything on your mind to do or see?" Agi asked happily with his victory of the day now up for any challenge.

"Hmm.." Adjusting her yukata, Mari takes a bit to think about this before speaking up. "Let's get some meat dishes or at least squid, just a few snacks and find a good place to sit. I'm still hungry, sweets and fruits aren't exactly at the top of the list for me."

Another stroll found Rosalie with yet another assortment of snackage in her hands. She was truly enjoying the food of the festival with every morsel of her being. She was content to spend the rest of it alone if necessary until she saw...

Wait. No. It couldn't be.

Agi and Mari. Mari and Agi. Together. Were they on a date? Were they dating? Together? Together together? And Rosalie was left without a clue?

A small grin formed on the girl's features as she raised her hand, skewers in hand to wave at the two. "Oh my~" she said as she ran up to them, a certain bounce in her step as she intruded on what could only be a date. "If it isn't the class rep!" Her grin turned into a smile, big and wide. "Agiiii~ Something ya wanna tell me? Huh? Huuuuh?" she teased, nudging him playfully as she looked the two over.

Nodding towards Rosalie, Mari waits to see if Agi had anything to say, Rosalie knew him far better than she did her at any case, it would be improper if she started things off.

"Oh hey Rosalie," Agi waved at the french girl carrying a ton loud of snacks and skewers waving them like a flag of an acknowledgment as she rushed over. He chuckled as he knew this was an eventuality with Rosalie beginning the tease train.

"Ya this is my girlfriend," Agi chuckled letting the topic get right to the point.

"Apparently there is a girl out there who can handle me," Agi chuckled.

Bowing in greeting, Mari speaks up at that. "Indeed, though at times I wonder if I chose correctly." She said, cocking her head to stare at Agi for a bit, then chuckles. "Well I could have done worse.. Still.. Rosalie, yes, I trust our class and the festival is treating you well?"

Rosalie couldn't help laughing. Agi with a girlfriend of all people. "I don't know. How much worse could you possibly do?" she asked, poking fun at the male as she gave him a little elbow jab.

"Come on Agi, don't leave a girl hanging. Details!'' She switched gears pretty quickly. "How did you get aaaaaallll of that?" she asked, clearly curious. She wouldn't accept anything less than answers from the guy she'd known almost her whole life after all.

"Well I offered her to join me for a trip to the national Tokyo museum ran into Grandpa Allo who chatted with her, sorta turned down her advances so I could get to know her better… and than asked her out during the aquarium hotel break," Agi gave the lightning-fast version of it.

"More or less that is the end and outs of it. We've been dating since then when time allows." Mari affirms with a nod. "It was interesting to say the least."

"You? Turned down her advances?" Rosalie looked shocked. She was surprised that Agi could even tell if advances were made on him. Unless Mari had told him.

"Lackluster story aside..." Wait. How long? Rosalie paused. She shook her head. She blinked a few times, counting the weeks. "You've been dating how long?!" her voice rose in both shock and exasperation. "Since the Aquarium?! And you didn't tell me?! Does Yori know?! I swear if you told Yori and not me," Rosalie was happy for Agi, but her feigned anger seemed almost real. At least, it would have if she weren't so quick to shift to fake sobs.

"How could you Agi?" she asked, accentuating her fake cry with whimpers and little "boohoos" to let Agi know she was joking. "And here I thought I was important to you..."

"You just thought it was shocking she was making an advance on me didn't," Agi glared at Rosalie and her evil attempt to mask her clever words. He sort expected this, and knew he should have told his friends earlier, but with how busy they had all been.

"You are still my favorite dumpling dork," Agi teased back unwilling to let Rosalie get away with her evil by teasing her with a old nickname he use to call her when they were little.

"And no Yori doesn't know yet which I will correct soon enough. Just everyone's been chaotically busy, and given what happened… I didn't think it was a good time to give the news. It's almost been about two months now though," Agi honestly expressed.

"Really? I hadn't thought I had hidden the matter that well. Though I'll leave that to you, I rather not have your extended family coming to knock my door in." Mari says in half taunt to Agi, though a hint of it seemed serious. "Still why is this a large issue, did you boys have some sort of bet going on?"

"No!" Rosalie retorted, sticking her tongue out at Agi. "I just thought it's amazing that you of all people could even recognize an advance being made at all, let alone turn one down." With that, she gave a smug little grin before her cheeks lit up red at the childhood nickname.

"W-who are you-" she stopped herself, pouting as she chose to ignore it altogether. Out of mind like it never happened, Rosalie turned to Mari. "Girl." She shook her head. "You could do so much better," she said, taking another little jab at Agi, who had confirmed that Yori didn't know. Good. Rosalie might have had to kill someone.

Still, she laughed. "It's not an issue. It's just surprising is all. Agi of all people? A girlfriend? Honestly… Yori and I might have made a bet. I think I might owe him some special treats…" She said, trying to think. Was there a bet? Hmmm… Well… no matter. "Anyway… Maybe I should leave you two to enjoy the rest of your date. I've intruded long enough," she said laughing a little bit, trying to weasel out before Agi could make any comebacks to her little jabs at him.

"Well I mean have you had a chance to tell anyone," Agi asked Mari sticking his tongue a little bit out at her for the taunt. He laughed though as Mari caused Rosalie to explain killing her jokes for a second.

"Oye I recognize a flirtation well enough miss trouble maker 2.0," Agi hissed back at Rosalie's teases calling her by her Isamus adorable nickname for her in comparison to her mother being a legit troublemaker.

"She could definitely do better than me, but Ill take advantage of that confusion as long as I can," Agi chuckled in agreement, complimenting Mari's worth as a person to counter Rosalie's tease as he hugged Mari before watching Rosalie try to escape. His nanobytes caught one of Rosalie's skewers stealing it as he waved to her.

"Be safe, and don't end up in a food coma," Agi laughed.

"Hmm, I could do better? Now I'm curious who you consider better." She says with narrowed eyes at his expense. "It is interesting how you somehow know half our class. I do wonder if that was by design on part of the school. Or it's just a case of a small world afterall.

Watching as he stole the food she shakes her head. "That isn't very heroic of you. And not even offering me any. Ah, how much I need to teach you about the world.. Though for now, just getting food that isn't taken from others would be a good start."

"Guh… not cool, but probably true," Agi admitted as Mari sank her teeth into the fact she could do better joke. He did quickly recover as he chuckled at her knowing half the class from the get-go.

"To be fair Suppression chooses the best and my friends just happen to be part of the best," Agi chuckled as he move his hand around her waist a little more boldly lower but not touching anything that would get him in trouble.

"Who do you think I stole it for," Agi teased, offering her the skewer as the nanobyte that had placed 500 yen in Rosalie's pocket returned, accomplishing its mission successfully.

"So I think skewer sound really good maybe some rice balls. Actually, rice balls sound amazing right now," Agi admitted with a smile.

"Hmm.. that isn't exactly true of our class, but those are secrets for another time... One of them if at all. It's alright at least." She says of his offering. Mari then flicks her ears a little at that as her slit pupil eyes glance around. "We are near some of the vendors at least, let's just find what we want then go pick out a spot, the fireworks will only last but so long and the hour is close."

Brushing her tail against his back, she stares ahead and smiles. "Though I don't mind the company we've had till now a little quiet time with one another would be nice."

"Oh. I think I have had enough secrets revealed for one month so let's save that one," Agi admitted as Mari hinted at something he really didn't want to dwell in at the moment they were getting to the end of the night, and he just wanted to spend it with her in peace. As her tail rested on his back he chuckled.

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@RedArmyShogun

Summer Date Conclusion

With that, the two hit up some vendors collecting a stash of not-so-healthy food, and snacks as they headed to the more secluded higher rafters of the school to prep for the end of the festival fireworks. Agi nanobytes handled the food becoming a floating table as the two were finally able to sit down.

"Alright we are officially set," Agi chimed as he looked at his watch countdown being five minutes away as they got to relax for a moment.

"So then I think this was a pretty successful event how about you," he asked.

"Hmm.." Thinking about that from where they were, she wondered how long till someone else came up here, but maybe they wouldn't. "No one was injured badly so far and nothing has burned down, so it went well enough. Though I worry about allowing Isa to help set off the fireworks. Either way, we have food and a nice place to sit for now." Leaning her head against him Mari lifts it back up after a bit and stretches. "And what of yourself?"

"Wait... Isa's doing what now," Agi immediately interrupted Mari with a deadpan face of concern yet as nothing seemed to have exploded earlier than expected… or anyone for that matter he let that concerning bit of info go for now.

"I wonder how Kaizen and Vigidris light show went… hopefully, Kaizens are still alive," Agi expressed, now dwelling on the fact that extremely violent girls were running events that could definitely maim people on the flip of a dime. Not to say he believed such a thing would happen… but well he wouldn't be shocked if it did. Hilariously Agis Nano's formed a trap above them… just to be safe.

"Just in case it rains," he lied hilariously.

"Honestly I had quite a great time thanks to you," he chuckled sweetly resting against her as well as he watched the midnight sky counting down in his head when the fireworks would go off.

"Quite frankly I have been looking more and more forward to these moments with you. They have been almost surreally genuine in fun, and well I hope we keep having them," he expressed trying not to sound too corny.

"Hmm... For now, I won't worry about any of that, though we cannot stay out too late." Listening to the rest of what he had to say as he leaned against her, Mari smiles thinly, turning to stare at him. "Why wouldn't we have more moments like this? She says with a chuckle as she stares up at the fireworks. "Agi it was a fun day wasn't it?"

"We can stay out as long as you want," Agi teased Mari who was acting like a schoolgirl with a curfew which they hilariously didn't have tonight yet that was Mari a girl of clockwork mentality. It was definitely different yet Agi found it cuter than anything else. Her next question triggered him to remember his argument with Amano as let out a random sigh.

"Your right nothing is stopping us from having more moments like this," right as he finished his sentence the first massive firework went off signaling the network of much more sounding off as the sky filled with many different shapes, and colors as wide as they could see.

"Is it anything you care to talk about? A random sigh isn't very concealing of you." Mari says behind pointed eyes, before then laughing a little. "Maybe I do want to head in after all of this to enjoy some well-deserved rest."

"Nay that is better left alone," Agi smiled as he watched Mari, and in her moment of distraction with the fireworks, a hand gently rested against her chin as it directed her face directly to his as he twisted in for a much more romantic kiss lightly parting his lips against hers as the fireworks continued to go off.

With the sudden and passionate kiss, Mari opened her eyes wider in surprise but still accepts the kiss, returning it in kind. Breaking off after the exchange she smiles at that. "Very well, though taking advantage while I wasn't looking.. Though it keeps me from having to be the one to start it." She says with a bit of a taunt as she locks her fingers with his own, leaning her head against his shoulder to watch the fireworks.

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@Moonlight

Agi Meets Ren

As Agi waited patiently for Mari to be down with her events he had decided to go about the festival humming about seeing if he could catch up with any of his friends, but to his surprise, the event was a lot bigger than he original guess it would be. Yet while distracted he heard a rather strange whistling…

"HELLO," Agi twisted left barely having enough time to react as his hands, and Nanos caught a rouge flying spear that impressively pushed him back quite a bit, but thankfully didn't damage his sumei outfit. Once the spear lost its bravado he could see someone running over to him.

Ren had planned on just going without it, but he heard that his spear might actually be able to be used. So, he brought it, on the way in thinking that he would buy time by practicing his throw and control. He expected the spear to drop when it was far enough, so when he tossed it, and he couldn't feel himself controlling it, he panicked. The spear hadn't stopped, worse, it was at that festival before he was. As he ran, he watched his spear move through the crowd, as he yelled for them to move. Of course, he hadn't closed enough distance to gain full control so all he was doing now was chasing a spear until it hit someone.

"Sorry." he called, as he got closer, someone had stopped his spear, that was good. And from the looks of it, without his quirk backing it up, his spear didn't hurt the guy. He sighed, as he got closer, his lungs having built up enough to take long runs, he wasn't really tired as he was worried. "Sorry about that. It was just a test, I didn't think my arm had given it that much of a build," he said, as he got to the guy, letting out a bashful chuckle, as he took his spear from the ground and planted it beside him. "My name is Ren Abiko, from Class '07." he bowed, "I hope you will accept my apology," he said as he straightened up.

"OHHHH Your Ren heh I am Agi Mizushima I am one of the leading classmates for Class 7," Agi chimed hoisting the spear into a comfortable shoulder carry as Ren came running over. This was actually pretty good timing as Agi had yet to meet with Ren.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Agi chimed, offering Ren his spear along with a handshake as Ren telekinetically reclaimed the weapon Agi watched with the perfect balance of movement.

"No worries heh took the wind out of my boredom so I'll call us good heh. So how are you enjoying the festival, and are you getting along with the class," Agi asked politely.

Ren smirked, "Actually I just got here but everyone has been…..well, they aren't mean, but they aren't exactly all friendly. Although, I am glad that I wasn't one of those to fight Vitalis. I had warned her she would be a villain if she didn't try to find common ground and forget about that True Hero thing. I just hadn't thought it would be so soon." he commented as he took Agi's hand, "It's nice to meet you. Sorry about that though, I threw it first and used my telekinesis to bust it, but I was expecting it to stop once my quirk stopped guiding it, but it didn't. Guess it helps to have another attack in mind, but I don't know if it will be a good one to try again, while not in combat. Also, I should get it back to the dorms. I heard that I might be able to test it out in a game, but I have to get it purified again, seeing as it is now taboo."

"So you meet Vigidris then," Agi laughed before he felt his mind mumble to the Vitalis situation. Not wanting to think on that he chimed to the next convo bit. Agi tilted his head as Ren said his Spear was apparently now taboo.

"Oh, how so," Agi asked curiously to what Ren meant.

Ren smirked, "Yes, I have, but she was not so bad. A little power-hungry, but she just needs a few losses and she should get some humble kicked into her." he joked. He met Vigidris briefly, and in all honesty, he didn't think anything bad about her. But something told him that Vigidris could get...colorful.

But before he could ask, Agi asked him about his spear, "Oh. I have a rule, I never spar with allies or those in my team. This means that the fact that my spear had to be stopped by a classmate, my spear now is taboo, because it did cause another to defend against it from my class. My family purified this spear when my father and I finished it, in order to give me the strength to never fight another teammate and to ensure that any blood it tasted was an enemy of those I will protect, and work with. Not really sure if I will be able to ever use it again, now that it had been used in another way."

"Fair observation," Agi commented. It seemed Ren picked up on dynamics rather fast which was good given how he was late to the team layout for class 7. Agi didn't need to worry about him thankfully.

"Hmmm well would it help if I helped purify it with you as I am the one who defended against it if I give my blessing in forgiveness would that be enough to forgive it cause quite honestly it's beautifully made, and i would hate for such craftsmanship to be lost do to me," Agi expressed not wanting such a beautifully made spear to be disowned because of him. The blacksmith in Agi didn't want to see such a weapon disowned by its owner.

Ren smirked, "Actually that would be perfect for a blessing. The purification would benefit from that greatly I believe." he confirmed, "Well, How about you hold on to it then." he said as he handed his spear to Agi, "Being around someone you wronged, is an important step for blessings of weapons. In my family. Understanding the one that is wronged and finding some closure, it will help the spear to be purified." he explained. It was a long tradition in his family this way, and the fact that Agi was willing to do it without being asked was an important part of the ritual itself.

"Okay if that will help return it to you shall provide the cure," Agi chuckled placing the spear on his back as his nanobytes made a makeshift satchel for it to be held by.

"So what are you up to than wanna hang out. I am kinda waiting on my girlfriend to get here so something to do would be really nice while i wait," Agi admitted.

Ren paused for a moment before he smirked, "Actually, festivals are not really much of anything but training for me, so I can do just about anything. If you want we can compete for a bit. Might be fun to put something on the line, but I am not going to tell you to do that if you don't want to. But thank you, that spear has been with me since my father and I made it, so I really wasn't looking forward to the punishment of purification that would come if the wronged were not blessing it of their own will." he said as he bowed again.

"Aight then how about for round one we do some ball toss games," Agi challenged Ren with a smile waiting to see if the new guy was down for the epic series of matches that were about to begin.

Ren smirked, "I will hold back as much as I can." He assured Agi as he nodded, "Let's go for it. Your pick." He offered. Ren spent annual visits to festivals with his family. His parents both had skills from winning most games at festivals that they showed Ren. So much so that Ren started to hold back when playing just to train to hold back.

"So you train holding back to hold back. Ren I am not going to lie you sound like you have a very unique mentality to training," Agi chuckled as they got to the ball toss game where the goal was to knock down as many pins as possible as quickly as possible.

"So then let's try a different method we have to get the exact same score sound challenging enough for ya," Agi asked.

Ren smirked, "Training is not just about winning, it is about losing. I would rather lose at training than on the field. So, if I am pretty good at something I try it a different way, to see if I can be bad at it too. It is the only way I can think of to improve."

When they got to the ball, he thought about Agi's challenge and smirked, "Okay, a tie. So should we do it together or should we do it one after the other?" Ren asked curiously how to do it.

"Thats not a bad way to look at it. Definitely different, and out there. Yet not in a bad way by any means," Agi expressed actually rather interested in the unique was Ren saw things. When Ren agreed to the match Agi smiled knowing he had reeled Ren in for some fun.

"One after the other I'll go first," Agi nodded as he took the ball eyeing the ten laid-out pins. With a smile, he gave an underhand throw knocking down three at one with a fourth falling out thanks to one of the first three.

"Aight you gotta match four," Agi chimed excitedly to see how Ren would go about this.
Ren nodded as he took a ball and sighed, looking at the target for a moment, he watched Agi, but that was a chance throw. Ren would have to use the skills he would normally use. So he moved a little over before he tossed the ball and it hit between two, having a domino effect on the next two behind it before the ball fell over. He smirked, "There, we are now tied, next."

"Nice, but to make this a true game of challenge you must go next," Agi situated as his Nanos reset the pins bringing Ren the ball before returning to Agi the stall vendor chuckled quickly understanding these two would be playing for fun rather than prizes as he let them get away with it without a complaint.

"So let's take it up a notch, we can do trick shots now but the goal is still to tie," Agi suggested not wanting the game to get stagnant, and better yet let it evolve to keep them both on their toes. Ren was clearly a student of adapting, and being an adapter fighter himself Agi wanted this experience to go the whole mile.

Ren smirked at him, "Okay. I'm not good with tricks but I'll give it a try." He nodded. It was going to be an interesting turn of events. But he would come up with something to do. He just had to figure out what a trick looked like.

"Alright, to help out I'll go again then. Quirks are allowed since we have a similar field of effect," Agi expressed as he took a few steps back tossing the ball into the air before punching it like a cannon as it burst forward taking out two pins in a precision shot.

"Basically do something unique that's how you play, but you have to get the same score," Agi chimed.

Something unique that includes the ball, Ren thought, as he watched Agi and nodded. That did not seem so hard, he had plenty of ideas for combat, so one of them could actually work pretty well here. "Okay," he said as he picked up the ball and sighed before he turned his back. He tossed the ball up and waited, as it passed behind him, before he swung back and hit the ball with his elbow, it shot back and hit between a pair, which also fell. "How was that?" he questioned Agi.

"Pretty damn cool," Agi grinned as Ren caught on to the game, and even showed off pretty well with an intense elbow goal.

"Alright now you start, and I match your score," Agi chuckled throwing the ball back to Ren.

Ren looked at Agi a moment a little surprised, and nodded, "Okay." he said. From what he could tell, Agi was pretty good at this, so he decided to do something simple. He took the ball up and tossed it in the air a little, one after the other until he tossed it a bit too high. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again, as his palm struck outwards hitting the ball and knocking three of them over, "Ops. I meant for that to be a little softer, my bad." he said as the ball fall and the back wall tore a little.

"No worries that just the name of the game," Agi laughed as Ren showed some spunk with his last trick going through some of the walling. As the vendor tossed the ball Agi started to spin round, and round spinning as his quirk turned into a sling holding onto the. ball as Agi jumped, and threw the ball. Luckily the shot made its mark, but Agi accidentally knocked down four pins.

"Ahhhh you win this round Ren I got cocky," Agi chuckled.

Ren smirked, "You should watch your targets closer." he teased. "The trip is only the show, the target is what you have to focus one and the important part." he pointed out. He felt Agi was focusing more on doing tricks than on just playing the game. Even if his ball was a little more forceful than he meant it to be. "Maybe we should try another game. Something with a little less show and a lot more aim." he suggested.

"Heh why not I got an hour before Mari is free," Agi admitted with a thumbs up taking the loss well as more fun than a defeating experience. As the two looked for a new game Agi decided to get to know his new classmate a little more.

"So lemme ask you this why become a hero Ren, and where are you from? Got any interesting aspirations, or goals after Suppression," Agi started with some small questions.

Ren shrugged, "It's in my blood. My family has always had a hero. Not popular heroes. We travel a lot and stay low key. My parents had wanted me to be whatever I wanted. So I was going to be a hero's support. To help them out. But when i saw them in action, quirkless. It became clear to me that being a hero is exactly what my grandparents said. Helping people. Nothing more. Popularity and recognition is nice but in the end, it's not a hero. So, I was born in Shirakawa, but I travel everywhere with my parents and that is what I want to do with my life. Travel as a hero and save people from being victims of torment. What about you? Why do you want to be a hero?" He asked back in return after giving his little passionate speech. But it was true, that was why he wanted to be a hero and how he would be a hero.

"That's rather heroic in itself of you Ren," Agi smiled having immediate respect for Ren right out the door. It was than he turned the question on Agi which to be fair he had really never been asked for a legit reason.

"My mom is Aurora Mizushima or as most people know her Iron Volt the current number one hero, my father Ichirou Mizushima was once the hero Blue Inferno, and past that all of my grandparents were amazing heroes. Yet that's not why I want to be one it doesn't have anything to do with lineage though don't be mistaken I think my lineage is kickass," Agi smiled with a soft chuckle as he gave Ren some backstory.

"I want to be a hero because well I just want to protect people plain, and simple. The thought just tags at me in my soul to help those in need at their direst of moments. I am one of those people where if I see someone who needs help I run right to them regardless of my own safety…," Agi mellowly expressed for a moment thinking on Amano's reaction to that very ideal.

"Some people think I am insane for that, and a danger to myself, and honestly there right," Agi continued surprisingly unloading a lot on Ren. Yet to be fair Ren felt like one of those people you could unload to.

"Yet that's me at my core self destructive till the bitter end, but now I do have more to consider outside that. I can't just think sacrifice is alright I have to fight to survive like everyone else around me. If I have to go out with the blaze of glory, or a soft whisper Ill make sure I'll have done everything I can to survive before it ends," Agi smiled with a thumbs up to Ren.

"Sorry I am sure that all sounds weird for our first talk. Probably makes me seem insane to you as well," Agi apologized.

Ren nodded, "True. It is insane to just throw yourself in the fire for others. Even if you give it all you got, you openly enter with the option of sacrifice. Meaning that you should avoid contact with others in the same way you rush to their ad." He sighed that might make more sense if he explained.

"When I fight, I'm not just out there for myself but for the life that I make. I made friends and allies and leaving them behind hurts them not me. Sacrificing myself would only be selfish. Because when you open yourself to others you openly make the promise that you will never do anything to hurt them." He thought about what they did and tried to clear up what he means as a hero.

"It's hard to be a hero. It's dangerous and the possibility of death is everywhere. You only make it higher by selfishly believing that to save everyone you have to put your life on the line. Going in with a plan is only the first step, you have to go in with a clear objective of what you plan to leave with too. And the number one thing is it should always be your life because there's someone waiting for you. Heroes die, but that doesn't mean you should be open to the option of sacrificing yourself. Sometimes it is something that has to be done but should never be done if you are leaving others behind while your sacrifice has nothing to do with them. If I had to sacrifice myself, it's to protect my life and those I have in." He explained and sighed, "Sorry for the lecture. But I have been on the other side and nearly lost my mother. I would never wish that feeling on anyone else."

"Heh, fair enough I'll call my spilled guts, and your lecture even," Agi smiled nodding at Ren agreeing for the most part what Ren had to say while some of it was a little to lecturer Ren did have valid points throughout it. The two would play some other games before Agi would head off to catch up with Mari.

.................................................................................

@RedArmyShogun

Villain Ranks

It was rare for this sort of roll call from the government to call an assembly of the Number One hero of Japan, and the head of ANVIL to the same briefing to sit on the new listing of ranked villains. Apparently, over the last two months, certain villains had made leaps and bounded into the registry for needing threat levels raised. This meeting which would be televised to all heroes, ANVIL bases, and training schools would see a massive projection as Aurora herself AKA Iron Volt found her way over to a rather notable red panda-eared woman.

"Well well Ayame you're looking well," Aurora chimed as she took a seat next to her old friend dusting herself off from the long-ass dusty hall walk to get to the assembly room. "Can't remember the last time I was personally asked to sit in on one of these," she hummed making small talk.

"Oh I'm looking well? Haha!" She says as her ears shift about. "I've gotten more grey hairs than you do, or fur...or both." For her part Ayame had own a uniform with an assortment of badges or ribbons as the military and police would call them that was largely white with black highlights in contrast to the usual black uniforms favored by ANVIL.

"Still I don't know why we have to do this, isn't that the point of the others? Though it's not like I mind seeing you." Her name tag read A. Adachi the rank pins near her neck were the formation and colors of a general officer. "I would have sent Kanna, it's not likely I'll face whoever goes on the list. That's more of a job for the young or powerful, or maybe both."

"Heh, true I doubt I will see many of these faces myself," Aurora chuckled as the lights lowered and the updates begin. As a snake-headed government official started to go over the briefing.

"Asss many of you know there hasss been a sssudden ssspike in crime recently from the newer generation of villainsss. Unlike their older counterpartssss that have for the most part gone sssilent these ssscumbags act asss if their golden age is returning to the front and center. Given the particular listed folksss involvement in not only their own crime spree's but the event leading to the wave of insane scientists. Thessse particular individuals' threat levels will be raised," the man finished before Ork Orkenson came down to the mic.


"A'rite! Lets see'er Yah Gits list'n up. All of yah normal sheets are like always, yah know the who's who n all that, but we haz a few that are move'n up ta join da list.

First off is this ere git. Doc' Mobius his rep sheet has changed from person'o'ntrest ta bring in on sight. Da sorry git haz been up'ta his ole trikz, but der haz been some new'n's wat wit ez bits'n'bobs an thingmedo's. Ole git made er corpse into some sorta cyborg, turn'd on'is allies, fer gud'reason too. But da git haz been busy with his machine terrors n'needs some watch'n."

"Next up we got the Queen O'bugs Insectica. Da Boyz at da top believe'm ta be someone in da know with the turn o' Mobius, so we wanna gets her and givez a right gud talk'n, or a krump'n, don't care which. She's bein moved up cause we need ta keep an eye out for er."

Reaching the end of his sheets he calls up the next on it. "Err Shovelier, we been in talkz'bouts move'n er'round. Crazy lil lady took part in a right propa fite ag'nst sum'o'ere student ero's n'then cut da throats of couple civies 'made er escape then. So da big'eads went an decided to rate her up all real propa."

"A few other specimens of note is the villain who popped out of nowhere attacking the Suppression students investigating the scientist lead that brought quite a bit of information to light who dubbed himself Maunder," an orange-skinned bat-like woman took over.

"Given the nature of what was detailed of his quirk and description from Calico Kid, Bittersweet, and Meiyko we were shocked to find no such record of a quirk like his in Japan, or anywhere for that matter. We have next to no info, and given in his involvement with espionage to the scientist cleanup we are racking him up straight to rank B for immediate capture if seen," she signaled as the projector swapped over to CCMM.

"I know I needn't detail this one. An attacker of heroes with extremely unknown secrets even turning some out to be villains in their own right. The problem is from the civil unrest he has caused while doing it. The crimes he commits to set up revealing these fakes heroes, and fallen Anvil operatives are too destructive on the vigilante scale. We are bumping him from D to rank B priority," the batwoman explained as Eum appeared on the screen.

"This nightmare was involved with both the theft of the Chaos Emerald Collection and the destruction of the Opako Mailing facility. She is new to the scene, but she in the system as a mentally ill patient named Haruko Miozuki had extremely violent tendencies as a child with quite the juvenile record underneath her. She is wanted for questioning on the whereabouts of the Chaos Gems, the death of Mr. Opako, and the massive damage she is leaving in her wake. Her quirks growth is quite clear giving use reason to hope her right into a class A threat level," the batwoman flipped the switch on the projector.

"Those are the most immediate of updates all others are in your pamphlets provided. Among concerns though we have noticed a resurgence of an older Villain who has returned to the game Orahara Moniko better known to all of you as Trance Hack. She is a relic of older days when villainy was more rampant. Her hero and anvil kill count had made her a high target, and quite frankly she had a hand in the theft of the Chaos Emeralds. Extreme caution is still advised of this class S villain that is all," Aurora responded to that name with a growl it was an unpleasant surprise to hear Chevalier's damage to that woman the last time she had popped up had not in fact killed her.

"That's one name I didn't want to ever hear again good thing Kanna wasnt here for that she would have thrown something," Aurora sighed looking at Ayame.

"Just when things were starting to fizzle out completely. So any luck on those two unknown elements," Aurora cryptically asked.

"If I had to guess one is the Seer's followers," Ayame said straight to the point. "Some odd disappearances and people on the scenes who weren't later makes me think of that shadow. But he's more of something ANVIL has followed than the Association." The truth of the matter in regards to what had gone on in those labs was heavily buried by ANVIL and the Police, there was no point in telling the Association the full truth of it. Along the way she had inherited some of her Mother's caution and pessimism.

"If I had to guess the other side is likely some group of villains that used to be managed by the number one. As to why I also suspect the Seers, if this goes against what they've tried to do, there are the missing holes in the reports and the Shovelier has some dealings with them... But she has dealings with lots of people. So it could just be me wanting to remove an itch to public safety.. But I do agree on a second force doing it. It's too subtle for that Cult alone."

"I heard what happened to Foxglove… unofficially I also heard the vehicle's recording log. How Foxglove was talking to someone who wasnt there, and how his body has not been found yet even though it was reported cremated in the fire," Aurora whispered equal to Ayame so only she would hear it. She had already lightly zapped the area around them so any recording devices would be fried if near them. Something only Ayame would notice as Aurora's hair was a lot longer than it had been when she first sat down and was now tying itself up in knots.

"I also noticed that Anvil didn't report how all the scientists except for two missing are now dead all in mysterious ways," Aurora pointed out eyeing the Anvil leader.

"I remember a while back about a theory a certain retiring hero had about a strangely unknown right-hand man to the past number one villains plans. No one ever knew them, but swear they knew it existed someone who collected the people the number one didn't want in his organization. I am sure you remember the disappearance of budding villains who just vanished without a trace only to appear two years later much more skill, and well more armed to fight heroes, and Anvil operatives," Aurora spoke with a blank face not revealing to anything even in the dark what they could be talking about besides the noise all around make it impossible for those to hear them.

"You should know more than anyone else that this nation has secrets that must be left as such. If the truth of the Yakuza insurgency ever became known it would mean the full collapse of the Civilian Government, ANVIL and the HA, or a lot of drama at least. One day the truth will be known, to all things because a secret cannot be held forever once it goes past the self, but that day isn't today.. As far as we know he is dead and his work is better off left in the rubble of his facilities." Ayame says quietly during the rowdiness of the room.

"So we hope," Aurora whispered accepting Ayame's answers for now.

"So have you visited your nephew Agi in a while hmmm he does find you as much a role model as he does me and his dad," Aurora teased lightly as the conference was nearing the end?

"Also I am curious why is Anvil a Suppression backer. You folks usually stay away from Hero school connections for the most part only ever when one pops up as a good match for Anvil do you appear," she asked curiously on the matter.

"I've not seen Agi in awhile, or Isa, Ichika, Amano, I could name half their class." Narrowing her eyes a bit at the later bit, Ayame brushes her tail a bit as it rests in her lap.

"ANVIL was approached by the project some time ago even before now. We accepted because I felt the best way to see what they do and how was to have a seat at the table. My Mother would have been livid over this had she still been in power. Suppression makes use of powers and a mission set that was ANVIL's at the height of the troubles… Plus I sorta don't like the idea of sending school children out to do hero work, that made a return too. So right now we help to better know what they are up to, our opinion will be decided after this pilot run."

"Ahhh yes well we, in particular, can't hound such measures, can we? Seeing how we were forged that very way," Aurora sighed pointing out as she watched her friend with a chuckle as her fluffy tail moved to her lap.

"Sounds like someone is overdue for a visit hmmm? Fair enough, and this isn't me honking my own horn, but Class seven, in particular, has done quite a bit of good on their missions. I do hear whispers in the wind it's quite clear crime rates are going back up slowly, but surely. Best we prep the next generation as well as we can," Aurora spoke as the conference ended.

"My Mom may have done some things wrong, but that was not one of them. What good are we adults if we must always throw the work we are meant to do on the next generation? It is for that reason I am glad none of my children are enrolled to be Heroes.. I can only imagine how the parents of some of those students feel." Ayame says in response.

"Crime rates are one thing, escalation in violence another. Though yes maybe I should bring Kanna with me and visit that class one day. To test them before entrusting them with our problems."


"True. Not saying we go back to the old way. I am saying we make sure we have the tools ready for the next generation Ayame. Even I won't deny the lump I got in my throat when I heard Agi had ended up in the hospital," Aurora expressed, remembering the panic. Even more, so recalling when she had saved Goto from Cackle Blast.

"Haha oh those poor souls," Aurora laughed amused at Kanna's use to teach kids never went really well mainly with all the kids on the floor by the end of the lesson.

"But we can't be foolish either. Villains nor crimes disappear never for good. As such we do have to prep the next wave of protectors so that they may see more peaceful times. Unfortunately like you say there is no good way to lean to that nor accept it. So we do our best to avoid, but I and you know from personal experience that one day they will have to hit it head," Aurora finished her thought as she stood up.

"Speaking of which how are my favorite little nieces and nephew," Aurora asked motherly.

"Miho, Reina, Maiya are all three doing well, as is Taheiji. Reina misses hanging out with Isa and Taheiji is as he always is, my one and only son. He takes after Tohaku a lot, but he is his father's son. I had three daughters that are mine, so I shouldn't mind him having his own footstep follower. Miho is doing well in her nursing studies, I think she'll graduate soon. Maiya is my baby, though she isn't that young anymore so she tries to stand out a little bit. Honestly, with your own Son being here, or there rather, I can't say I would be as calm as you are, but I know you too well to think you don't care… You are just used to it, most of your family are heroes, while I'm sorta happy that none of mine are showing an interest in the Association or ANVIL... Though I suspect one of mine will, and I can't say anything about that when I make use of the children of others... That would be very selfish of me." Ayame says in reply.

"I worry about Agi every day, but it helps that I went over this all already with his older brother. Yet it doesn't make it much easier by far I still worry about my baby boy. Iona is doing well shes is about to take over Surge Tech at the rate she's going Dad knows he has to retire eventually," Aurora expressed both her concerns and praises to her children. Laughing a little at her dad though knowing at this point he was the last of his generation to not yet fully accept retirement just yet.

"I better bring Miho a celebratory basket then. Yes, that seems to be my family's legacy I was sorta hoping Hidachi, and Agi would go a different route. Yet Hidachi looks up to his dads legacy too much, and Agi is very much the spitting image of my dad," She sighed yet was clearly proud of her children just like Ayame was proud of hers.

"Oh, I bet I can guess which one but let's not worry wart you over that today. Come while we both have a moment to breathe let's go get something to eat," she sung, hooking her hand around Ayame's as she used to when they hung out as teenagers.

"I would be curious about which one you think, but we can leave that for another day for now let's focus on our work unless you had something else in mind, but how you are dragging me off. Hmph, some things never change, Aurora."

"And they never will Ayame heh."

 

[Nim]

Incomplete Reunion and a New "Home"

For five days after letting Jack of Pain go and resigning from the school, Mitsuo kept himself low and hidden. While his quirk had made it easier for him to do this, he went even further by creating a false trail, with bits from his tail, that initially led in a direction to the north of the country, before finally beginning to make his way to his actual destination. He had to steal money and food to be able to keep himself from being found, not using any sort of identification he had used before.

Finally, the day came, and Mitsuo made his way to Goncho street in Kyoto, as instructed by the villain. He still didn't know if the villain would keep his word and actually meet him here and take him to see his sisters, who were missing for over a year now. Arriving at the run down and burnt building, Mitsuo kept a low profile the best he could and simply looked around, waiting for any indication that someone was coming for him.

As Mitsuo would near the building a unnatural gust of wind would flow by him as a burnt door eerily opened as he neared it lead to the inside of the dark unlit building yet noticeably there was a dim light further in coming from the side of the building. If Mitsuo would go in he would see a strange out of place staircase going down from the floor level.

Hearing the opened door, Mitsuo glanced at it briefly. From everything he was taught, going to investigate such a thing was the wrong move. But he wasn't following what he was taught now. Going into the door, he came some stairs, and started heading down. He eventually found a peculiar sight in the burnt building. A door, looking perfectly fine, and with a light even appearing from under it. Opening the door, Mitsuo suddenly felt a strange vacuum, one that dragged him into the light, and away from the burnt building.

Where he would end up would be nowhere near where he began as the overwhelming breeze of fresh air, bright lights, and bustling sounds would overload Mitsuo's senses as none other than Jack of Pain caught the lizard from falling over from all the surging overtake of his senses.

"Congrats you made it," Jack smirked, letting the boy regain his sense of grounding as an old man closed the door behind Mitsuo as it disappeared. "Don't mind the disorientation, it'll pass," he said, handing Mitsuo some saltine crackers. "It'll help with the teleportation sickness," he explained as he started to walk away clearly expecting Mitsuo to catch up or be lost in the….

Whatever Mitsuo may have felt from the teleportation would be pushed to the back of his mind as he would discover himself clearly underground in what is clearly a massive underground city. Street lamps shone the way among the rows of buildings, some clearly shops, others clearly residential. People of shader designations were all about, rough sorts, bruisers, and even shader charmers were all about. With even some normal people mixed in there was a strange sense of no hostility as everyone around was being strangely respectful of one another. The place was lively by all means almost feeling like a legit town in fact with working machinery, and even a fountain in the cities supposible square.

"Oye keep up ninja scales," Jack called out.

Breathing deeply, Mitsuo shook his head a bit after the sudden teleportation. Hearing Jack of Pain's voice, he glanced in his direction, before accepting the saltines and putting them in his mouth. They did seem to help with the sickness that rose. After about a moment, he started walking, following in the footsteps of Jack. His pace slowed as he began to more properly take in the new area he was in. An entire underground city. That, along with the way of entry, would certainly explain how they managed to avoid being found for as long as they had.

Hearing Jack calling out to him, Mitsuo hastened his step and caught up to Jack "It's Chameleo. Or Mitsuo, I guess, seeing how I dropped out of the heroics now." He told Jack as Mitsuo still looked around, taking it all in.

"Oh ya they have you reported as missing if that does anything for ya," Jack expressed being kind enough to give Mitsuo some info on that scenario. Watching with a grin as Mitsuo was clearly taken by the place.

"Shocking right? A bunch of unwanted trash is able to make something on a grand scale, and coexist peacefully together outside the annoyances of society, or the blood lusty Anvil law. Of course we have our picks of trouble makers, but no one every does anything to stupid here. We got one rule, and it's pretty brutally upheld," Jack chuckled as he led Mitsuo to a particular bigger building with quite a few generators around it, and quite the feeling of importance at its siz climbing all the way up to the underground ceiling. It was a black stained building somewhat almost missible if it wasnt for the lights on the inside of its structure shining out.

"Aight the boss wants to meet you first before we take you to your sisters wants to explain some house rules, and clear some stuff up to what your going to see. So have fun, and whatever," Jack mulled opening the door not caring whether or not Mitsuo went in.

Hearing about his current status, Mitsuo couldn't help but wonder how long that will last for. Unless Aika kept anyone from seeing the note he left behind, which he doubted. And as he kept listening to Jack, the lizard boy couldn't help but wonder what was that one rule that was held so tightly. And despite what Jack seemed to claim, to have a place that was held together firmly by any kind of rule seemed very similar to how things were under ANVIL. But he didn't make any remarks about it.

As Jack opened the door for him, Mitsuo was a bit surprised. The Boss wanted to see him? He didn't know if it was that doctor Mobius or someone else, but it certainly felt a bit weird. Still, the way they let him in so far didn't seem to suggest they had any ill intent, surprisingly enough "Right, thanks." Mitsuo told Jack, before walking inside the door. If that was all it took for him to find his sisters, then he'd do it.

"Ah welcome to our humble abode Mitsuo I have heard so much about you," a voice eerily rang in Mitsuo's ears as a wave of unnatural feelings would be felt sending his senses on edge for unknown reasons. The open door revealed the lobby of the dark building filled with monitors of the town, and computers where people were keeping track of what was going on. It seemed the first floor played two parts of a sort of security measure.

"Impressive is it not? A little invasive, but given how reactive the residents are, it's necessary. Besides we don't place any inside the residential area so there are fair blind spots to feel at ease," the voice would finally reveal itself as a sort of fox man with pure white fur came out dressed like something out of the ringleader's most prized desire of highly graded clothing materials. Chuckling at Mitsuo's alertness, the man waved a few others who had been with him off as he walked towards the boy.

"Jack, would you please go fetch the "twins" I am sure they have waited long enough for this moment," the man expressed as Jack nodded, closing the door as the only light source on the floor was now the monitors creating an unnerving ambience.

"Before you are reacquainted I must ask what do you know of what happened to your sisters," the man strangely asked.

The room he entered gave him an odd feeling, and the fox-man who greeted him also caused Mitsuo to feel some shivers go up his spine. A sensation he was not used to. All the security measures made Mitsuo wonder briefly if this was truly as free as Jack of Pain had proposed it was. As the fox man had Jack go and fetch someone, and then proceeded to ask him about his sisters, Mitsuo shook his head "Over a year ago, they both vanished from my family home. Despite working with my father at the family business, and having no reason to leave otherwise. Loving and caring family. Nothing else was found about their whereabouts or their fates afterwards. At least, not until Jack showed signs that he actually knew them. That about sums it up." Mitsuo stated, his tone and body language still being clear that he is not letting his guard down.

"Hm, I figured as much. They were kidnapped into a human trafficking ring both grabbed at the same time I believe. They were tortured, and groomed towards becoming specialized weapons given their potent quirks," The fox explained, handing Mitsuo a peculiar file with pictures showing the process, and operation of steps used to break strong quirk users. What was in those files was monstrous, and disgusting to a length that throwing up was usually the follow up.

"A relic of a tactic used by the bygone number one villain Penumbra. It was used to create his elite security guards or better known as the hero/anvil killing squad "The Numbers". You might be a little young to remember such a thing but oh were they the nasty bunch you could run into. Took both Anvil, and Heroes to kill them all in one well black booked fight in Nagano," the man expressed, detailing Mitsuo the reasoning, and function of it all.

"Warriors that to the end fight till they can no longer function. They gave even the bulldog demon of Anvil a run for her money. That's how successful this project was, it took years to have a ripe unit though it was a long gamble to some people simply broke before their time in the program was finished," the fox man spoke surprisingly having a tired look on his face just speaking about it all as he sat down at a table a ways away offering Mitsuo to join him before he continued.

"I have spent the later half of my life hunting down the remnants of Penumbra's fragmented projects with another… friend of mine. We were both slaves to Penumbra's will and effect leashed to be his pawns in japan wide board game. Until of course the man himself died, and was erased. He was obsessed with complete control, and I mean complete control said what he sought was a unified Japan with no resistance of any kind completely synced. Yet where is the soul in such a life forever leashed to one's opinion," the man asked Mitsuo directly as a butterfly girl brought over some tea, and snacks nibbling on one of them herself before leaving them as the fox nodded to her in thanks.

"When I found that particular program still running I gutted the whole operation with my followers leaving no trace of it alive. Minus the victims, some were able to be sent home after being mind wiped of what had happened… and others were too far away for such a thing to work. Your sister's were unfortunately very far along as it were. We tried to help them, but we were only able to pull some of their lost consciousness back. We tried getting them medical help, but it… did nothing. The damage was done, and quite frankly we offered to take them back home, but they said all they wanted to do was work, and when we tried to force them home they got… violent to say the least. Thus we did as they asked, and put them to work to uphold this underground city of ours," the fox ended his story keeping it simple, and clean.

Listening to the fox as he was handed the file, Mitsuo glanced at the man, wondering how much he should believe his words, before beginning to look at the files contents. As he looked at the pictures and details of what those people underwent, what his sisters apparently underwent, he felt sick to some degree. But for once in his life, he also felt his blood boiling. He was only getting angrier at the thought that someone had used such barbaric methods.

Looking up at the fox as the man kept on describing their actions. Taking down Penumbra's projects even after the villain had died. Made some sense, considering how big of an impact the villain had. He wouldn't be surprised if some villains still followed Penumbra's own desires. The question presented to him would receive no answer, as Mitsuo remained silent and took in everything else that was said. Some of the kidnapped were released to their homes, and some minds were broken beyond repair. And his sisters were among the latter. Fist forming, Mitsuo just stared right at the fox "As sickening as the file is, I hope you'll forgive me if I don't believe you until I see them myself." He said, his voice sounding as though he was trying to keep himself calm, and failing rather miserably at it "And have you considered that not everyone can regain their senses in the same way?" Mitsuo added, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"I understand that completely. I believe in only one thing Mitsuo, and that is family. In fact the only rule we have here is one never hurts family, the punishment being quite extreme the removal from our home," the man expressed as he wasn't fazed by Mitsuos hostile yet more so respected the emotion of it.

"We did Mitsuo. We tried mental quirks, medicines, and even therapeutic studies, but there are some wounds that will never heal. No matter how much you unrealistically want them to. Quite frankly the fact that we regained any part of their sanity will be proof enough to you what we are about here," he expressed with a fatherly stern look before the doors opened as Jack lead in both of Mitsuo's sisters.

As the doors opened, Mitsuo turned to look in the direction. His eyes widened as he saw Jack leading two faces he hadn't seen in what felt like forever. He took a step closer, not believing his eyes. Jack of Pain wasn't lying. And neither was the fox man. As Jack stepped aside from the sisters, Mitsuo stepped closer, until he was face to face with his eldest sister "Sai? Is it really you?" He muttered, gently grabbing her hands and raising them. Both of them seemed physically well at the current time. Sai still had the family scars on her wrists, and upon checking, so did Gali. Not believing it, Mitsuo took them both into a hug, wrapping an arm around each of them "Sai… Gali… I found you."

Holding them both, Mitsuo could already tell something was wrong. Neither of them were reacting to him. It was very, very unlike the sisters he remembered. Letting them both go, he looked at both of them again, this time focusing on their expressions. Both Gali and Sai had rather hollow expressions. Their eyes were moving, they were awake and aware of him, but neither seemed to recall or know who he was. Mitsuo turned his gaze back at the fox, his expression being that of a desperate man "They were like this? And you still had them work? It would've been better to throw them at any medical facility and let their, my family know!" Mitsuo shouted at him, before looking at his sisters again "If the rule is family first, then I hope you won't mind if I try doing what I believe is best for my family." He stated clearly to the fox, not bothering to look at him again, before gently grabbing a hold of their hands with his "Sai, Gali, we're going home. Everyone is waiting for you."

Mitsuo wouldn't make it past two steps forth, before he would already feel upon himself what the fox had meant earlier, by reacting violently. Gali would be the first to scream, and start to use her telekenisis against Mitsuo, raising him off the ground. Sai appeared to react to Gali, and also focused her powers on him, helping Gali keep him in stasis above the ground, before both slammed him against the ground. As he felt their power around him fade, Mitsuo had an aching expression. He rose back to a stand, and immediately saw Gali's hands start to raise in his direction "Don't. Please don't. I won't take you anywhere." He told them, loud and clear. It seemed to help calm Gali, who lowered her arms. Stepping back towards them, he looked at the faces of each, before passing both and walking back into the office "I had to try. I can't allow myself to go back home without them. I'll just be taken into prison at this point, and then my parents would lose another child, and for nothing."

Sitting down by the table, Mitsuo glanced in the direction of his sisters, who were just standing in place now, likely waiting for the next work instructions "At least, it does seem like you are looking after them well. They appear healthy, physically-speaking. Managed to find a way to get them to wash up, eat and sleep despite…" Mitsuo couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want to say it, because then it would be real.

As Mitsuo lashed out the Fox man watched as he had the reaction any true sibling would have trying to run away with their sibling. There was surprisingly no reaction to stop him though Jack was about to halt him before the Fox man raised a hand to stop him as Mitsuo would have to learn the hard way. Which he did rather fast as his sister nearly beat the wind out of him in one go.
"Indeed you see the root of the problem now. It's not that we don't want to give them up, it's that we can't. They are glued to their wiring. We are still attempting to retrieve their conscious mind through mind quirks, but it's gotten us only to the point where they manage to be able to take care of themselves in the most basic ways," the fox man explained.

"However, you might be able to help that. You being around them might help trigger things. If you're willing I can offer you to stay here, and help them till they can finally leave," he expressed, offering Mitsuo a chance to reclaim what he had lost.

"I know you're a hero at heart so you won't be asked to partake in our operations, but I will warn you to not interfere. However you can't be here for free either so we will place you with your sisters in security to help keep this home of ours in check. Nothing aggressive, and nothing violent, just proper patrol," the man offered.

Listening to the fox, Mitsuo initially made no indication of what he was thinking. He just remained silent, clearly thinking things over, before he finally spoke up "Well, if I can help improve their situation, then of course I'd accept staying. Until the day comes that they are willing to go home." He said, fixing his gaze on the fox "And I have no interest in what you have planned anyway. The only reason I came here was them. So I'll do as you ask, patrol around, and otherwise, stick to my sisters." Mitsuo said, before moving to look at his sisters again "I'll get them back." He muttered under his breath.

"A good clean choice you have made. However let me be honest with you, staying here may force you to one day clash with your old family at Suppression. If your sisters are not broken from their surreal slumber will you be able to protect, and those you once fight alongside," the fox man asked not in concern of Mitsuo's new job, but in curiosity what Mitsuo's resolve would hold to.

"Food for thought my new acquaintance if you ever have questions please just come here I am always around as it were," the fox man expressed standing up walking away though if Mitsuo spoke he would halt, and listen. Jack however walked over to the boy handing him quite interestingly a strangely shaped badge.

Mitsuo sat there, taking in what the fox said. How much of a family did he even have back in Suppression? He hadn't really gotten to know any of them, aside for perhaps Kaizen. And even then, it could hardly compare "My family is here, not there. And while I won't be psyched about fighting them, I'll do what I need to keep my sisters safe." He spoke quietly, before taking the badge from Jack "What's this?" He asked, moving his gaze between Jack and the fox.

"Proof you're a peace keeper, and to help you get answers when you need them welcome to your new home sheriff," the fox chuckled in response.

"There are a few others that hold that badge the more you go around the more you will realize how massive this city really is, and how easy it is for things to get a little wild here," Jack expressed.

Looking at the badge, Mitsuo remained silent for a moment, before standing up "Are we done then? Can I go look after Gali and Sai? Or are there more things to show me?" He asked, glancing outside to his two sisters, who appeared to become more agitated with staying there without doing anything.

"By all means you're free to go," the fox responded, allowing them to do what Mitsuo wanted to do.

Nodding, Mitsuo walked outside, and began escorting his sisters. As he did, he looked at Sai. He wasn't entirely sure, but he could've sworn that after the two slammed him against the ground, that he saw a tear roll down her cheek. So perhaps the chance was still there, for both of them.

 

[Jessica]

Team Haya

Haya would be paired off with Iniji, Aika and Katsumi for this patrol, there would be no secret plots, reinforcements or unknown objectives, all in all things were simple. The only contact they would have would be with Ota if need be over the communications devices.. This team however was of an interesting makeup.

Today's task was a simple hero patrol of the southern districts of the Greater Tokyo area., known only for it's small towns and in terms of Americans, Suburbs. Mostly the rich or well to do and elderly lived in this portion of the district that the patrol was currently taking.

The team was, in Katsumi's opinion, rather solid for a simple patrol. She had to wonder if this little "patrol" would simply remain just that. What sort of "huge big bad" were they going to face this time? Who would be the one to come and suddenly make their lives more difficult this time?

It was rather pessimistic, but at this point, she was beginning to see a pattern.

Aika was already a bit acquainted with the area they were patrolling at now. Her mother still had friends in the area, from back when her father was still around. The pink haired girl wasn't a fan, considering how they came to have said friends. But, there was a bright side to today's patrol, and that was that for the first time in a long time, she got to work alongside Haya. She hadn't talked to Katsumi or Iniji before, but if they weren't up for working with people they didn't know, then they probably wouldn't be there at all. At least, that's what she thought.

Haya was excited, she was finally going to be with Aika, they could try out some of their combos and although it was work, they would have a chance to be together. Haya was still thinking about Hideki's words, Aika's actions and Kuroi's 'talk' statement. She was curious about how it would affect her friendships, but at the same time, Aika and Kuroi never showed signs of a change and Haya wasn't going to change how she felt about them. So, after the announcement, Haya went to find Aika, and smiled as she stayed beside her. Haya was leading again, but this time, she was going to stay close to Aika, she wasn't going to let what happened last mission happen this time. Aika would not come back alone or fight alone.

As the four carried on with their patrol a short and terse reply came over Haya's communications device, breaking her spell and thoughts in regards to Aika. "Hollow. A few blocks from here, there local police are requesting support, it seems there is an incident at a nearby residency. I couldn't get much out of them at the time and all further communications have ceased. Use caution. I'll..send the location to one of your team members.." This was one of the few things that had thrown him off with the class among several more. The location however was only a few blocks away and reinforcements would be in route.

Iniji was silent like always throughout the trip, the three others he teamed up with were people he was on mediocre terms with, they haven't interacted much, although he didn't interact much at all. Haya always gave him an immense and crushing sense of pressure, she really liked to pry at his personal space and time a lot, though he had no issues with having her as a leader. Superiors were superiors, that was all.
The strange colour changing blade he had was taken out as the boy gently caressed it, the multicoloured edge reflecting his similarly chromatic eyes. Iniji seemed like he was thinking about something, it's been a long time since he sat down and thought about stuff, like a strangely glowing blade. Some remnants of his past, that was all.

As the communication came through Iniji looked up slightly at the source of the sound, but he didn't move much beyond that. How he should react wasn't up to him anyways, it would be best to wait for an order.

Haya listened closely before she turned to the others. "Iniji, you take the rear. While Aika and I take point, Katsumi should follow close." She said. The formation was strategic to her. Haya wouldn't put anyone in danger ahead of herself. And after how hurt Iniji got before she wanted him to have some distance. Katsumi was strong enough to back him up. But only if the enemy got past Haya and Aika. Together, Haya was sure that Aika and herself could at least slow someone down. For now, this was the safest way to keep Aika beside her and not risk Iniji getting hurt after his surgery. While not limiting Katsumi's rare power. The lightning could be used in a way like her sound with Aika if they got split. "Aika, I'll follow your path, just follow the instructions and we will keep to our promise." She smirked at her.

As the group moves off to it's next objective a Japanese style mansion laid before them, the doors torn from the hinges, the grounds in chaos with cracked walls and a couple of squad cars were wrecked. A woman in red and black stood with a police officer held in the grip of an armored hand by the neck, more bodies laid broken and bloodied around her, with a male laying facedown in a pool of blood behind her on the mansion grounds. In traditional garb and a hair full of grey hair, he was likely the owner of the place or had some sort of connection to it.

Almost immediately a threat notification would be sent up, the woman was an A rank Villain, an Assassin at that.

"Well, well, well." The woman says as she looks at the hero Team as they came around the narrow streetways leading to the location. "A ghost from the past will make its return." Looking dead at Iniji her free hand reaches up to the device around her chest and neck as she then lowers it towards the "axe" at her side, thumbing vibrations around her. To Iniji this would knock up small bits of debris, causing the image of the woman to shift ever so slightly and for Haya walls of sound would assault her near abroad obstructing the woman's vision with an oversaturation of sound waves.

"How yah been Killer? Why are you with them kiddo? You used to be pretty good at our job, don't tell me you think you'll get some sort of forgiveness?"

Her face was obscured but one could be led to believe she had a smile on her face. Holding the cop by the neck in her armored left hand she looks at the four. "Unless you want to give me back the Cutter I suggest you all drop your shit, or I'll drop him.. I'm not so disadvantaged."

Incandescent eyes widened a bit, then closed, then opened again. Iniji had to blink a few times to confirm what was happening, it was one of those moments where he could feel his fingertips go a little cold. He was panicking, although it didn't show on the outside other than the slight ripples on the surface of those strangely hued irises. Karma was something made up to comfort people, at least that's what Iniji believed, but perhaps it was an apt way to describe the current situation. These sorts of emotions always sorely lacked proper descriptors.

Thinking about his past appeared to be less pointless now, as it had finally caught up back to him. Iniji took a deep breath, he knew that this woman won't be easy to deal with, even back within the organization he never thought too high of her. Noisiness always bothered him.

"Clamorous as always, Hisaki-san." Iniji knew Haya put him in the back because of what happened last time, he wasn't fit for the frontlines anyways, but he walked up a few steps despite knowing so. "It has truly been a while, hasn't it?" Iniji's voice was a little different, it lost a certain floatiness or whisper-like quality that he had during the school days.

"I would presume that the Seer-dono have informed you in regards to…'disposing me'?" There was an eerie calmness to the boy's voice, although that should be nothing of surprise to a former colleague, even when speaking about his own demise, the question trailed off with almost a laugh. "...Right, perhaps I should explain, but I doubt any of us have the patience or time." He added solemnly, the multicoloured blade tucked far up his sleeve.

"The Seer?" Laughing at that she keeps up her strumming. "Like the Seer even noticed your existence. Though my other boss may want you dead, personally. You just came to the wrong place at the wrong time."

Arriving at the location provided to them, Aika immediately wanted to curse at the situation that they were facing. Hostage situation like this, and they had no one who could reach the hostage quickly. What was worse is that Aika could recall the woman from the briefings, and she used soundwaves, meaning Haya would be blinded. While she hoped her potential solution would work for Haya, she couldn't think of how exactly they could go about tackling this without putting the hostage's life at further risk.

Shifting her chest and back into a diamond, only the parts that were covered by her shirt, Aika hoped this would let Haya essentially see her as a beckon among the soundwaves produced by the assassin, without the assassin noticing. She then took off her gauntlets as she listened to the exchange between the villain and Iniji. Last time she saw an exchange like that, it ended up with both the villain and her teammate vanishing. Tossing her gauntlets aside, Aika looked towards the woman, still trying to figure out how they could try and counter her and save the hostage.

Haya brought up her sound field to protect herself. The sound was overwhelming as a whole. But if she let it through slowly she could handle it. She just couldn't see outside her field. Which she made small enough to fit mostly just her. But she could hear what was happening around her. Iniji knew this villain. They worked together. Aika was still beside her and the sound of her diamond made it easier for her to be sure. There was a hostage, she saw that before her sight was limited to one spot. She moved to her headset and pulled out the heavier parts, as she sighed. Both in her hand, she handed it to Aika. "As soon as you can get close set them off." Aika was the only one that knew about the foam yoyo, but it didn't need to be used that way only. "They will stick." She assured her still holding off the sound as best she could.

"I am sorry." She said out loud, "I really am." To the hostage before her head stayed straight, "Iniji, stay in the rear. Katsumi, keep him safe. I am at a disadvantage, but I won't give one hostage for another. Especially if one of them is my friend. We can't get you but that doesn't mean we aren't going to try." She said to the villain. There was no good outcome to this. The hostage was dead as soon as he was captured. Haya wouldn't give her two more victims to the added pool already. Not to mention, from what Haya recalled from when they arrived. She guessed that the mission that the villain was sent for was done. "Aika, we need to find a way to slow her down." It was the only way to get out of this with both Iniji and probably their lives. Haya would figure something out she had no choice.

There was the villain. As Katsumi thought would happen, their peaceful patrol turned into a mission. Can't say she was surprised at this point.

The hostage was taken, and though Katsumi could enhance her speed, there was no way she could get there before the villain noticed. None of them could… Damn it… Damn it all!

Hearing her directions, Katsumi gave a slight nod. "Don't stray too far from me, please." She said quietly to Iniji.

"What part of disarming yourselves did you not understand?" The woman says, tightening her grip. "I won't stay here all day for you to debate and buy time for more friends to arrive..."

Suddenly and without Warning she throws the policeman by her one arm and as he flies through the air, switches to two handed play as vibrations could be seen from her horns and the heavy metal rises in bass and pitch. Like some sort of game from the distant past the aggressive beat rises as a wave of sound is fired at the group. Forcing them to risk themselves if they wanted to save the hostage as the physical waves of sound cut up the ground ahead of her in rythme with the beat.

"I'm not so disadvantaged.. Fuck yeah!"

With that another figure begins to move...

"WELL NOW LOOK WHO IT IS," a very familiar voice to Katsumi came ringing in from high above as some sort of jet flying figure closed in, landing behind the group impacting hard into the ground pinning the suppression unit between two villains. As the robotic presence stood upright the female figure would trigger with Katsumi real fast who it was.

"If it isn't the pretty little princess, see you made a full recovery," Transfora scoffed at Katsumi.

Katsumi wanted to move and rescue the policeman, but doing so would leave Iniji unprotected. Though, before she could make a move at all, she heard a voice. An all too familiar voice that made her blood boil.

She looked to see the woman.

"Yes." Katsumi's hand went to the grip of her sword. "But the love and support from my friends and family allowed me a speedy recovery. Oh, how insensitive of me, I forgot no one cares about you."

"Aw, how pathetic you can't stand up on your own two feet without using others as a crutch, but I must say you truly must have grown cause here I thought everything important to you just happens to "shatter" completely in your hands," Tranfora surprisingly shot back this time unphased by Katsumi's words it was clear she to had grown quite a bit. Upon those words, and at the sight of Katsumi grabbing her sword, Transfora's arm transfigured into her heated axe blade.

Things were unravelling all around her, and Aika couldn't help but curse under her breath. Haya had already given up on saving the hostage, Iniji knew one villain and Katsumi the other. Being handed the yoyo foams from the headset, Aika looked in the direction of the villain, who threw the hostage upwards and then started sending stronger sound waves at them. Noticing the rhythm, she started charging forward along with the sounds, moving faster between the beats and slowing whenever it was possible. She didn't want to bring up her diamond skin entirely, as she could already feel pressure over her chest that had diamond on it. Taking one of the yoyos, Aika put the hoop around her finger, before sending the yoyo upwards, to above the sound wave's villain's head, before readjusting it with slight movements, aiming to release the foam right on the villain's horns. As soon as she saw the yoyo was aimed right, Aika pulled on the string, causing the yoyo to open up on its lower side, and the foam to pour down.

Haya kept her field up, as the sound slowly bleed in for her to absorb without a great pain. She didn't lower her field as the sound was done to be sure that another attack wouldn't catch her off guard while she worked out something. They were going to lose this one. Or rather they already had. She closed her eyes, losing to Katsumi and someone snap at each other and the snap of her yoyo in Aika's hand and noticing the issues she was having. "Aika, go. I'll be fine. Move as much as you need to. I can hold off her attacks and if anything gets in I can feel it. It's a small space but I'm not helpless. She has an advantage over me but I'm not dead." She pointed out. Aika was staying close. But it would help her get more done if she could avoid the sounds and work on helping those she could. Haya would move slowly to find out if everybody around them was completely dead or if any could be saved.

"Had you said that when we first met I would have been furious. But now, I believe it is more pathetic to be alone than to accept the care of another. Besides, I had the option to decline the crutch, unlike you, who was never offered one in the first place."

Though Katsumi's attention was on Transfora, she quickly realized that no one seemed intent on saving the hostage. She sighed inwardly, surging her electricity through her legs. Katsumi shot forward, rushing through the obstacles and speeding to catch the policeman.

Though the sound attack hurt her in the process, Katsumi worried more about saving the officer.

……………………………………………..
(Haya, Iniji, & Aika Vs ???)

Iniji can feel his hand slightly tremble, was he scared? What was he even afraid of? He had nothing to lose, he never expected to outrun his past, he had no expectations of his own survival when it catches up to him and beckons to swallow him whole. Haya and Katsumi both told him to just stay back, was that really what he was supposed to do?

"I…" Do not question your superiors, just don't think about it, if they tell you to kill then kill, if they tell you to run then run. Haya told him to stay back, so Iniji won't fight, that's how it should be, isn't it? But Iniji knew all too well of Hisaki's quirk and temperament, what the rest of his team could do is limited, though the same goes for himself too, as long as his quirk's nature was clear to an opponent he had lost his biggest advantage. "Kimur-Hollow-san, I...I am willing to fight. Please do not hesitate, it is of no concern." With a deep breath Iniji finally spoke out those words, it has been a while since he's done something like this. "Light is faster than sound."

As the foam collects onto her, Hisaki did not seem disturbed or even angered by it, maybe more amused. "My, my, Iniji, upgrading to the hardware store?" She says with a bit of a laugh, though it was more of a mocking one than one of good humor. With that her sound waves lift briefly and focus on herself, ripping the foam apart as the waves rebound from her metal hand. It seemed metal, her horns and her battle axe guitar were all possible vectors of use.

The Cop was thrown from her grasp and attention as rolling as errant waves cut up the ground around him, jerking up and away before splitting off into the sky and dissipating right around Katsumi as she seems to ignore her recovery of the man for the time being.. "I'll just have to do an Encore."

Listening to what else Iniji had to say, she smirks a bit. "But Light is such a dull thing.. But this close in and I don't need to be faster Iniji!" With her vitals armored, his former junior boss seemed to have had him in mind, or was it just traditional defenses and common sense? As the ground craters around her, she increases the tempo and the waves start to tear up the ground around her, hovering in the air were bits of rock and dirt as her attention starts to shift once more. "Let's see how much redemption you've gained, boy. I'll play with you and your friends for a little while."

Haya nodded at Iniji, he was right, he was a hero. Just cause he was also in danger, it doesn't mean she should put him on the side lines. "Okay. Iniji, I want you to stay close to me. Attack from where I can feel you." she ordered. This was the closest thing to keeping Iniji in the fight and making sure that she was there to help him, at the same time. But it wasn't long before she could feel the vibration of sound moving through the ground, it was powerful and the ground was shaking. The sound wave would move further then Haya, but she quickly slammed her hands together into a clap towards the ground. The sound to the ground was to clash with the sound that was being sent her way. Quake against a Quake, in order to stop her attack from moving any further.

Bringing the yoyo back to her after her attempt to slow the villain down, Aika pocketed it, seeing how it did what she wanted to try and do. As she could feel the ground shake a bit, Aika suddenly felt the ground start shaking from the other side as well, and a glance was enough to see that Haya started to try and counter the sound waves. Fixing her sights on the villain, she noticed the rocks in the air. Turning her fists into diamonds, she started moving forward and jumping, hitting the rocks to send them in the villain's direction as she came closer to her. She wanted to break her attention. Split her focus as much as she could.

The sand and dirt that were riled up irritated Iniji's eyes, his sensitivity to this sort of thing was something known by the people of his past. Yeah, he was disadvantaged, there is no doubt about that. Rubbing his eyes a little Iniji heard Haya's orders, it was a bit confusing, despite his usual quietness he felt that he would be nothing but a distraction to his teammate yet she insisted for him to remain close, although in the end the boy didn't question it. "...I understand." He responded dully before dropping the coloured blade into his hand and raising it up to his eye level.

Closing one eye to aim the bright neon blade stood out well against the muddy backdrop of flying earth. In an instant the clouds of dust had been split in half by what seemed like a sharp shockwave. A slight ache was in Iniji's eye, though it wasn't severe at all. "Yes, Hisaki-san, I have come to learn that there are many things I cannot cut through, not unless I shatter myself to do it." His voice was quiet and like a pool of dead water, Iniji wasn't even sure if the other could hear those words, but that didn't matter to him. If she knew him well, he'll only need to use that against her.

"Heh." The rocker says as the debris travels back for her and the other starts her own sound wave attack. Strumming up what sounded a lot like a rendition of the 2010's Doom Opening the pulsing waves and cutting blades come faster and more densely. As Iniji tried to pierce her defenses couple with the actions of the other, it initially made the cloud of debris even worse. Behind her veil, Hisaki steps up her attacks aiming them at the wreck patrol cars rather than the students, triggering explosions from the volatile fuel units. Her ability wasn't to move things, persee but this added more metallic shrapnel to move her ability through, as the cratered earth starts to edge towards the three at a rapid rate.

Haya couldn't hear anything until it was right in front of her. She managed to dodge most of it, as she lowered herself. She snapped her fingers and expanded her field a little. It made the wave come through more than she would like but enough for her to tolerate. As she felt the blood on her shoulder, she calmed herself as she removed her headset. She would have to try and take her renewed skill into account to help her stay alive. She couldn't stay still any more. She was a target from the start but this was more than that.

"Kimura-san!" Iniji knew that it wasn't only him, Haya was also at a disadvantage as Hisaki's sound based quirk interfered with her's a lot, especially seeing that she also lacked sight. He looked at the blood on his teammate and the bodies that laid around the ground, taking a closer look at those at the foot of the villain.

"Why are you toying with us, Hisaki? Your job here seems done long ago. Is it because I'm here in front of you?" Iniji's voice, on a rare occasion, seems to be tinted with frustration. His quiet and reservedness were always at odds with his former superior's lack of subtlety, perhaps it was about time for those feelings to be vented out. Looking up Iniji closed one of his eyes as he had a clear idea on his next step, he glared at one of the villain's horns, and slashed down upon it with great effort. A painful sensation spreaded out in the open eye, as if the entire eyeball shattered for a moment. The boy's eyelid twitched a little, but he watched on.

As the sounds started having more effect against the area, Aika saw debris around become worse. And even more, the ground was breaking even further. Turning her skin completely into diamond to protect herself from the shards, Aika turned her attention back to her teammates. Iniji seemed to have his own thoughts, while Haya seemed almost completely frozen, completely overwhelmed by this. Which wouldn't be surprising. Haya was trying to fight sound with sound, and this lady had her own amplifiers. Suddenly, Aika's eyes widened slightly as Haya dropped her headphones. And there was blood.

Rushing back to Haya, Aika would grab a hold of both of Haya's arms, before putting Haya's hands against Aika's body "Haya, use me as an amplifier. Give her the goddamn strongest sound you can put out through me. She's not the only one with the option to increase her sound, and we can show it to her." She said, watching the blood from Haya's ears and really hoping Haya would follow through.

"Her horns." Iniji said, beginning to collect himself more from the recoil of his last strike. As he saw Aika reeving up for another attack, he decided it was his duty to let her know the information. "They're the source of amplification. Attack her horns."

Haya felt Aika reach into her field and speak to her, she also heard what Iniji had said, before she nodded. She had never focused everything in one spoke, but she had released every sound she had collected to get out of wool. It was an exercise she had for training, but it seemed to start becoming something she was using in her missions. She took a breath and from every sound she had collected, the sounds from the villain and throughout the day. She focused on her hands. For once, the sound hurt, it was not something she had ever thought of doing and her hands shook as she did. Sending the amplified collection of sounds through Aika, would make them like a bullet of sound. "Okay, aim for the horns." she told Aika before the pain in her hands was nearly unbearable, she blasted it through the diamond surface of Aika. Her hands had most of the sound, but as she emptied it all out, through Aika, her arms also released sound. The pain of her wound was not as bad as the pain from all the sound focused in one spot or that fact that the sound she had was the most she had ever released at one time.

"Oh? You'll just let me go Iniji? Do I look that fucking stupid? Or did you forget it's your j-" Before she can finish, Iniji commences his assault, cutting off her rebuttal as she felt a crack in her horns, they were part of her body and not decoration being somewhat thick Iniji did not manage to cut them all the way through, but the woman held a hand to her head and the strumming stopped if only briefly as Haya and Aika's joint attack, sound meets sound, waves pulse as the attack hits her horns and face, causing chipping and cracking, even spilling blood from them and into her eyes, a section chips akin to bone as a hellish wale is unleashed upon the trio.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" With her voice modulator boosting the force and frantic motions as she swung about, she one handily picks up her axe guitar and smashes it into the ground repeatedly, without reason, without target, but with cause her attacks frantically overwhelm and cut up the surrounding area, churning into the earth, into buildings, the road, water pipes and all else aside. Iniji was partially incorrect in his advice. While the horns were a key to it she also could amplify through metal and materials in relation through it, and her horns while damaged and batter were still functional, but her aim and concentration of the power was all over the place.

Engulfing the group and all else it was akin to watching a wounded beast, striking out in fury. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" She repeats on and on as her sound waves amplify, ripping into the ground beneath her, leading into the sewer system, she drops out of sight, but not before, in the debris and the chaos a look of pure hatred was affixed upon Iniji, his former team leader wasn't the sort to usually take things so far, but deep down he would know this was not the last he would see of her, and likely of his immediate boss. The battle had been fought and won in a matter of minutes and the collateral damage was immense, the wounds and state of the other three was all open to chance, though at the forefront of it all, Aika likely took a bit of the assault.

As Haya's attack went through her, aimed at the villain, Aika could feel the pressure of the intense sounds starting to overwhelm her body. The diamond skin around her arms and hands, which was what she used to aim the sounds at the villain, started to crack. And afterwards, when the Rocker started to go crazy, Aika was quick to turn and try to cover Haya the best she could, including covering her ears. After the sounds had ceased, she released Haya, looking over her for a moment, before looking towards Iniji "You alright?" She called out to him. She could feel blood dripping all over her arms and hands, and that even pieces from her diamond skin were falling off.

"...Y...Yeah." Iniji's head was a little groggy, his eye still hurted a bit and the shockwave might have torn open some old wounds. He can feel some blood seeping out of the tears, but his dark coloured outfit hid that fact well. "I apologize, I've...miscalculated. Pushing her was a poor choice of tactics." Despite knowing about her capriciousness, Iniji didn't think Hisaki was on the edge enough to launch indiscriminate attacks like that, she was aloof and indifferent most of the time, though that seems to be a staple of nearly everyone in that industry. There were more things for Iniji to worry about than what was happening in the immediate moment, it weighed on him constantly, and now that weight will finally collapse.

"Hisaki…" Iniji clenched his teeth and whispered harshly, he knew this was far from over, in fact, it was only the beginning.

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(Katsumi Vs Transfora ROUND 2)

As Katsumi sped in to catch the guard a burning sound ziplined through the air as the robotic girl caught up to her at the moment of Katsumi catching the guard. Seeming to let the girl catch the guard the woman used the rather full handed electric girls disadvantage as she slammed into them both sending them both hurdling forward with the guard thankfully alive but unconscious as Katsumi would feel a painful stomp on her stomach as Transfora smirked.

"Aw how sweetly foolish," Transfora swung down with her heat axe.

Katsumi groaned in pain as Transfora's kick smashed against her abdomen, pinning her for a second. She growled and reached her hand out and delivered an electric burst at the other's torso.

Using the moment of confusion, she would kick the leg off of her and use that time to recover, getting up and setting the unconscious guard somewhere safe.

"How cheap." Katsumi said to her, drawing her sword. "As dishonorable as you are foolish." She rushed in quickly, aiming to strike Transfora's leg with her electrified blade.

The first electrical blast pushed Transfora upright negating her swing as the robotic woman cursed under her breath as she was forced back.In response to the blade strike Transfora dropped to one knee slamming her blade down to block Katsumi's attack forcing the the two girls to lock eyes for a moment.

"Honorable is your life's mistake not MINE," Transfora sparked as with all her might she forced back Katsumi's blade forcing the electrical girl to spin away before a shoulder cannon formed on her left shoulder blasting an energy shot at Katsumi mid spin.

Her first instinct was to bring her blade up, deflecting the energy shot towards the sky. The shot itself pushed her back a bit of distance and the suddenness had Katsumi panting a bit, but she quickly recovered.

"Tch, honorable is why I'll never become a foolish villain!"

Katsumi's weapon surged with electricity again, however this time it was to be used as a conductor. Lightning shot from the blade and aimed at Transfora, this one trying to deliver a controlled shock.

Transfora would tank the damage with her shoulder cannon taking the brunt of the attack falling apart from her body as she hissed. It seemed both of them had gone through quite a bit of growth annoyingly in equal measure. Detaching her axe hand into a full battle Axe Transfora chuckled.

"Honor is why you won't win this fight," Transfora yelled as she jumped at Katsumi swinging her axe at multiple angles at the swordswoman clearly wanting to damage her whenever possible. Halfway through the parry, an attack dance Transfora pulled back her axe as her other hand became an arm cannon shooting a laser beam at the girl at close range.

"Honor is why I didn't kill you in the first place."

Katsumi surged electricity through her, using her quirk to move side to side, dodging each axe swing that Transfora aimed at her. Not even a strand of hair fell from her head. Then, when the arm cannon came out and shot, Transfora would see the gaping hole in the wall that her attack had left.

From a bit of distance behind her, Katsumi aimed her weapon again, the sharp cackle of lightning being Transfora's only warning before Katsumi shot it at the mecha girl.

"Let's hurry and finish this, shall we?"

"And that's why I will be a thorn always in your side ," Transfora roared as she hissed at missing as Katsumi came in with a heavier attack forcing Transfora to block it being pushed back my the elemental force as her axe was overwhelmed by the surge falling apart as she roared with tesla coils popping up around her body eating away the remainder of the attack forcing her to devour the energy in a painful process. Her arm cannon fell apart as well as the tesla coils resided back into her body.

"Hmpf don't think I am something you can just wipe, I refuse to let you shine," the woman bellowed as she formed an arm blade dashing at Katsumi with a spinning heated blade attack. Added in with some miniature rockets that shot out of the robot girl's legs.

"The rose is always more striking than the annoying little thorn in her side."

Katsumi's usage of her lightning was gradually beginning to tire her. However, pride is what was pushing her forward. She would not lose to this heap of mechanical waste again. No, she would sooner be sent home to her father crying.

She readied her blade and moved forward. Though she was able to dodge the rockets, a part of the heated blade attack hit, but the heat of said attack immediately cauterized the wound, leaving a burn mark on her person. Katsumi dashed at the woman with electricity surging through her blade, the entirety of her body having miniature strikes of lightning crackling all over her arms, legs, body, and head. With so much electricity going through her and her sword, if no part of Transfora could stop electricity from hurting her, then each parry and hit would result in her getting a good reminder of the power of lightning.

Transfora went wide-eyed as Katsumi made it all the way past her onslaught of attacks making right to her with an overbearing force of nature at her side as she went in for the kill. With no option, but forward Transfora insanely threw her hands forward catching the blade between them as she was overwhelmed with a powerful all encompassing surge of power overtaking her.

Screaming in extreme pain two cannons formed on her cannons unleashing a intense sound wave to push back, and hit the princess of lightning away as both combatants were thrown backwards from the others attacks sending them slamming into the wall behind Transfora, and the house behind Katsumi around them koing them both in a instant.

Luckily for Transfora as she laid there unconscious a phone rang as electrical tendrils slowly absorbed her into the military grade phone before blowing up upon full retrieval.
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[TreasureSniper]

Boring days and sudden calls: Part 1

There was no lengthy briefing this time, no need to contact Mari outside of through the dispatch, who in this case was Ota. There was no mustached mother fucker to be dealt with, no allied betrayals, no secret orders or sudden urgency. It was a normal day to day patrol. And yet Isa was not happy with it as she found herself in the lead once more.

Grunting her displeasure at the situation, Isa keeps the earpiece in this time, finding herself a bit bored as the four of them walk around for the public morale. "Dunno if I should be wishing for something to happen or just smile and wave. Least no bullshit to deal with this time." She says to the other three.

"It's best we hope it stays that way too. Nothing good comes from desired conflict," Ichika expressed chuckling at Isa, and her clear confusion whether she should be happy or bored that nothing was about on this rather cloudy day. Bittersweet had made some small modifications to her outfit after her experience with the big woman. She had added some plating to the areas of her body that had no scales making her a little more heavy, but it was a worthwhile minor loss of speed.

After the festival event, the bug was itching to get back into action. He walked alongside his allies with a new more humanoid form. He called it his hybrid form, it featured a slender humanoid-shape, pain receptors and even a retractable bio helmet to allow him to have a human face during non-combat situations. It's important for him to be able to relate to other people, even if it's just on a superficial level for now. He had recently begrudgingly accepted a gift from Agi in the form of gauntlets and bullet balls that were supposed to improve his ranged attacks. "Whatever comes our way, I am sure we can handle it." he said while walking with a noticeable energetic stride. "We have interesting team compositions here." Kaizen said noting that it was the first time he had team up with any of them.

Yamoshi's hands rested clasped together at the back of his head as he looked up toward the sky. "Another day, another patrol," he said softly, shaking his head. He wasn't exactly bored. He rather liked the calm atmosphere. If he were honest, he would say he hoped nothing happened. But he knew better now than to take the more lackadaisical approach toward his hero work. He listened to his comrades. Isa seemed like she was itching for something to happen. Ichika was right, in his opinion. So was Kaizen. "Although, I'm pretty sure hoping for nothing to happen is just playing with fate in it's own way." He found, you usually got the opposite of what you wanted anyway in situations like this. "We just keep a lookout and pray for the best. No reason to worry too much about it."

"Eh… Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Should be happy'n all that. But man I would love anything to do now, even if it was just getting a cat down from a tree." Stretching a bit she speaks up a bit. "Heh with all of you being so happy with nothing to do, you are just begging for some sort of Yokai or Kami to fuck with us out of spite. Not that I would complain."

With that Isa holds up a hand and twitches her jaw a bit. "Huh." Listening in to what the other voice had to say, or in this case Ota, who had a dispatch request for them.

"Alright everyone! Rise and shine or the fuck ever. Seems some guys that look to be up to no good are meeting up in a car parking deck not too far from here, we've been asked to take a look thanks to an anonymous tip. So let's walk over, I start hitting people if they get uppity, see where it takes us. Any questions?"

"Sounds like people are cruising for a bruising." Kaizen spoke as he palmed his fist. "Let's hope we can settle this with our words rather than our hands." He gave a sly grin to the team. He was almost thankful to hear that there was something to do, but it didn't sound like that big of an issue at the time. "Should we take the high ground? I can carry a few of you up at a time. We can get a better vantage point up there." He was of course referring to his ability to scale the walls of the surrounding buildings.

"I blame you Yam," Ichika sighed jokingly as a mission did in fact pop in amongst all their peace talk which to be fair they did indeed ask for it as it were. Prepping her candy claws she smirked at Kaizen and his suggested helping them up.

"No worries big guy, I am a lot faster at climbing. I'll play recon with Yam as support while you, and Isa figure out a strategic plan," Ichika offered, knowing Yamoshi would be able to provide perfect cover fire if they were caught.

"Yeah yeah, it's always my fault," Yamoshi said with a small laugh as he thought for a moment about what it was they should do. Leaving the thinking of a more strategic plan to Isa and Kaizen, who generally brute forced their way through life didn't seem like the best of plans. Honestly, he was surprised Ichika suggested it.

He thought about it for a moment. "I think it'd be smarter if we went in from the front, you and me, Ichika," he explained. "Go in through the front door so to speak," he added, an analogy of sorts. "Lets Kaizen scale the place with Isa on his back or something so they can flank the baddies or back us up if things get out of hand." Of course, Yamoshi wasn't exactly expecting to be listened to, but he could at least offer his thoughts. "Either way, I'm ready to back you up. Gotta keep each other safe."

"A few, but not all. Sorry Bugs gonna have to take a raincheck on that one. No one is getting left on their own, We should have just learned why not." She says in response to Kaizen's offer. "When we get there we may do that if it looks like a good idea, otherwise I ain't got a fucking clue what the insides of that place looks like, minus you know, what it is. As to the other buildings, it's a fuck'n parking deck unless they are doing the deal on the roof, piss all it'll tell us about the insides of it. Though I won't ignore your ideas all the way."

With that she points at the entry and exits of the place. "We'll split in half two towards the entrance and two towards the exit. Don't care who. Keep to the same level as the other team, don't fuck off on your own, the tour group will not stop for you and don't split up once inside.. The meeting seems to have been going on in the sub floor so shouldn't be hard to see, more like they'll see us."

Turning to Ichika, she gives a shrug. "I'll let you decide who you want to go with."

"Hmm right. You're the boss. I'll follow your lead. Though if I may make a suggestion, I'd say me and Isa should be in separate teams to spread out our muscle. That way, our pairings would be more flexible." He knew the dangers of splitting up, especially from what happened the last time. He just wanted to cover as many bases as possible. This time, he'll protect everyone. Kaizen tightened his grip around the large mace strapped behind his back, another gift from Agi.

"All valid points. Alright I'll go with Oni Meetsu since I can work off her better and Yamoshi can work off Apex Bugster," Bittersweet responded as her sharpened candy claws came into full form. Given the quirk styles this pairing mad sense as both groups complimented each other.

"Going off how big this group is by assumption of trading deals we should calculate our strikes at the same time. Best we make full advantage of the element of surprise," Bittersweet added.

"Heh, we'll see, but yeah count to 12 or some shit, move then stop for five and maybe we'll all be there at the same time catch 'em in the middle. I dunno about this being sneaky shit though, we'll just wait and see."

With that the teams were decided and split up with Isa taking the exit ramp with Bittersweet. "Good luck, last one there buys drinks for the rest!"

P2: Dirty Deeds

On the lower levels of the car deck awaited a van with two cars that seemed out of place with the fact they were parked in the drivers lane as some men in black shirts and pants move about the place and scare off a couple of people that came for their own vehicles. It wouldn't be long till the heroes or the police showed, not that he cared too much, the man had all the firepower he could need, though even then he wasn't sure it was enough to take out that elephant fuck. A man dressed all in black with a trench coat and ponytail was not so subtle in hiding that he was a person of interest.

Still this deal had struck him as amusing. Why that maimed elephant wanted a fucking Oni Club was beyond him, still his money was good, there were also some other items but they weren't from his part of the cult..

"There are those who still respect the personal touch of combat," the massively bulked Elephant man expressed to the arms dealer as if reading the man's thoughts as he inspected the massive weapon. It was for something old school like this to be made even rarer to find someone who could make such a well balanced Kanabo.

"You truly did live up to your hype, anything violent at any time," the Elephant smiled, clearly pleased with the product. That and the crates of explosives, and sealed crates going into his van. With the transaction nearing its end the Elephant hoisted the Kanabe club onto his shoulder as he brought over the final suitcase of money personally to the arms dealer.

"I'm just a simple man making his way through the world.. Though I'll admit it was a problem finding someone to make that club, with as large as you are and all the bombs, why not something like a crew served weapon? I would wager you could walk around with a Duce or even a mini. But ah well, personal touches and all that."

"I believe it hence why I went to a master of procuring things," the Elephant chuckled, swinging the kanabo with a single hand with such demanded strength that a ripple of wind could be felt even as far back to Kaizen's location. The Elephant had much more than sheer strength that much was obvious he had complete control of his power.

"Hm I once did that actually it felt pretty hollow a victory though. Besides i doubt much anyone will get past this," the Elephant chuckled.

"Hmm.." The man in black says as he holds a hand up to an earpiece. "How interesting." He says lowering his hand as he reaches into the van for a weapon of his own, Cocking the pull handle on and M4 style rifle he sights it briefly before loading it and putting it back into the van as he forms his hands into sharp claws with black scales.

"Ah, you'll have a chance to field test your weapon." He says off handedly. "Some heroes were closer than it seemed, young ones at that. We'll have to fight them off or blast our way out.. One of them is of a personal interest to me. It's up to you what you wish to do however, though I'm fairly sure they'll be here soon."

"Oh? Hm good than it shall be a fine test run indeed," the Elephant chuckled, turning his head as if almost seeing where Kaizen was hiding.

P3: Confrontation

The bugster made his way to the entrance alongside Yamoshi. With his large mace over his shoulder, he certainly had an intimidating silhouette. "If things go south, don't be afraid to let me take hits for you. That way, you can focus on hitting them." He advised his friend, not wanting him to take damage unnecessarily. Even from afar, he could see a large elephant man within the crowd. "Isa, they got a big one over there. Do you see him?" He tapped his communicator, just to be sure they were nearby for a coordinated strike. Under normal circumstances he would call dibs on something like that, but he had a feeling he should play by the rules for this mission.

"We see him however I strangely feel like we should equally be concerned about the man in black exchanging with him their is a strange air to him as well," Bittersweet commented not sure why, but she could have sworn she had seen this man somewhere before.

Isa for her part leads her team, or rather just Ichika onwards. As her communicator buzzes. "What, the elephant fucker? Dumb bastard is missing his trunk, lets see if it's in the jail.. I don't think stealth is going to cut it, some of the others are heading into the cars, got two vans, some fuck with dragon arms.. Just make the most of what you got. Hit them soon, hit 'em fast. Watch out for that club, I kinda want one myself now."

With that she motions for Ichika. "Kinda want to let the ones trying to leave, leave, but dunno about the vans. Just move in with what surprise you can get and hit the goonies, then we go for the vans. Need to clear those two fucks to do it though.. We'll take the Dragon fucker, maybe he's kin of yours." She says with a bit of snark.

"Hmmm I'd say we should try our best to immobilize the vans to prevent them from escaping. A few good shots from bug and candy spikes should do the trick. Neon blasts would likely have the desired effect as well." He noted that three of them could actually stop the vans. And given that they seemed to contain important cargo, it was definitely an option they should consider. "And from there, we can take care of the elephant guy and co…" Just from his observation alone, he could tell the elephant would be a tough opponent, and yet, he found himself enticed by the opportunity to fight him one on one if given the chance. "Don't worry Oni, when we defeat him, you can have it, assuming that it survives battle."

"We could also disable the vans, and have Yamoshi concentrate on their occupants that allows me and Isa to nab the dragon while you take the elephant Apex. Who knows Isa he looks rather standoffish, maybe he gave you lessons at some point," Bittersweet sneakingly shot back with a smile.

"Alright team, we're moving in now." Kaizen spoke to the communicator as he walked towards the group. "I'll leave the disabling of the vans to you guys, I'll distract them until then." With his mace over his shoulder, the bugster finally revealed his presence to the group by approaching them out in the open, making sure that all eyes were on him. This was his moment to make an impact. "I don't suppose any of you are up to anything good over there.." The insect hero lowered his mace onto the ground with a loud thud. "And I suppose none of you are gonna come in quietly either…"

"Well, distract'n one of em." Isa adds in before charging in. "If Elephant man is too much for yah just lead em to us for some two on three."

P4: Oni & Dragon vs Asshole

With that she points at the Man in Black and speaks up loudly with a pointed hand.

"Oni Meetsu Challenges you! Well me and er the Bittersweet girl as well." She says pointing her thumb over her shoulder at the other.

"Oh?" The Dragon scaled man says, smiling a bit at that. "Ah Are you by chance the daughter of a former pro hero? No, I think you are.. Or rather I know you are. You see I'm going to walk out of here, but I think I'll take a swing at you and the savage." He says, powering red energy into his claws as scales shimmer up around his face.

"Why would you throw away our position like that," Ichika asked with a confused look as the destruction of Yamoshi attacked the goons in the distance. Bittersweet raised an eye at the man before it clicked who he was… a villain from her fathers past.

"Oni Meetsu be careful my father clashed with this man a lot," she hissed as she responded in equal kind with her candy claws forming into more aggressive a form as she charged forward launching a few shots of gum globs at the man before fainting right to slash at his side.

"Cause I'm the fuck'n hero!" Isa says to Ichika. "These fucks are the ones that should be slinking around in the dark like fuck'n bugs!" Rolling her shoulders at that, she listens to the rest of what she had to say. "Yeah, sides, I think this fuck has know we were here for awhile now. Why are his boys packing up shop? Bet he wants to fuck you up a bit."

"How Astute from the Savage." He says of Isa's theory crafting. Looking at the other as she launches her gum, he uses his red energy to envelope his body in a red lightning effect, melting the material and clattering off with a slight burn. Energy of some sort as his transformation completes. He didn't much care about Isa being there, who switches into her red form. Who he wanted to hurt just a bit, or a means to do so was here and now. Rushing to meet her distraction he goes in for a clawed swipe as Isa charges into the fray.

Seeing the change in tempo Ichika spins left, using her momentum to form a rock crystal ball at the end of her tail slamming it into the man's hand forcing him to go with a full swipe leaving him hopeful open to a strike from Isa.

"Clearly you have a massive grudge from my father, but I warn you my bite is just as wild as his," she threatened, halting her spin as she went for his back with all her claws forward aiming to slash his back side up good with a roulette of rock candy claws.

Isa for her part joins the Melee unleashing a full force punch as her skin takes on a reddish hue. With the two physical impacts, he flinches at bit at the impact of Isa, though his hard scales prevented serious damage.

"Then I'll put you down like the wild animal you are!" He says before reaching out with both hands at the two girls as red lightning radiates from his hands aiming to shock and burn the two girls in turn. Keeping his ground the lightning arced from his body onto theirs as Isa kneels briefly during the exchange.

"Gahh!"

"Guh," Bittersweet felt her attack connect but was quickly countered she formed a massive collection of rock crystals around her chest, but it only negated so much damage before bursting and damaging her forcing her back as she watched Isa take it more direct. With quick reaction Bittersweet tail swung latching onto the man's right left pulling to trip him or disorient his footing.

"Send him my way," Bittersweet yelled.

"Right!" With that Isa gets back up to her feet and launches a sweeping side kick as the man recovers from the tail sweep, getting knocked towards the Candy Dragon, going for a claw swipe as his body bent with the blow, he coughs a bit, but his armor was holding. "You fuck-"

Bittersweet caught the blow wincing as her whole hand has been consumed by rock candy to both block his strike and negate as much of his follow up energy surge as she took her open hand and blew the dust off right into his mouth as he cursed them out. With her rock guard shattering she pulled back, eyeing him with hostile intent.

"All bark and no bite," she hissed, snapping her fingers as the pop rock effect took place inside his mouth.

"Urk!" He says to the sugar rock explosion. Turning his attention to the Ogre, he couldn't hope to overpower her, but fortunately she had the grace of a dump truck. Waiting for her to follow through on what happened, he glared at Ichika as he grabbed the arm of Isa mid swing, spinning her around to off balance her to throw the girl into Ichika, coughing a bit as he spat out the sugary remains and a bit of blood, he makes a beeline for the Van he did his deal out of and grabbed two items midrun, a suitcase and the M4 type rifle. Firing at the two heroes, Isa took most of the gunfire with seemingly little damage outside of a "Son of a bitch!" Immediately he takes off running for the ramps leading up.

Catching Isa as best she could Bittersweet accidentally turned Oni Meetsu into a bullet shield as Isa let out a ton of curses as the bullets bounced off her like a rubber bullet. Using her clawed feet to regain balance she was able to get Oni Meetsu upside right as she gave chase after the damaged villain.

Flinging her hands forward she shot a few crystal rock shards at Black Dragon mixed in with a few gum shots aiming to disable his movement.

Casting his red energy as he did before to melt the gum, the crystal rock shards hitted what amounted to heavy armor, doing little of note other than peppering and tearing his clothing as he continued to run, throwing the M4 type rifle like a club at Bittersweet. "Take a hint!"

Isa for her part was being left behind by the two speedier types and still upset about this and the later, she grabs hold of a car in the parking deck and pulls it forward into her grasp as she makes use of the the low ceiling to throw it forward, rolling it like a ball as it bounced, dented and skidded across the paved surface, slamming into one of the retreating vans. "Heh!" She says, somewhat impressed with her destruction.

As they go higher up the ramps, goons pile in to cover the boss, brandishing all sorts of weapons, their efforts coordinated, their purpose clear. To keep the two girls away from the boss for as long as possible.

With great annoyance with each attempt to get closer the man got further away as his goons were now throwing themselves at them to allow the boss to escape. Dodging a rather comically thrown gun at her, Bittersweet roared out.

"GET BACK HERE YOU TOAD," she roared, coming off more hostile than Isa impressively as she beat the tar out of every goon in her way. There was something more feral about her reaction to this villain, and she wasn't about to let him get away.

Reaching the point of his escape, the man leaps over the edge of an observation port on one of the upper floors, employing his claws in stopping the rapid descent, her grins a bit and turns to opening the suitcase with one hand, spilling the money all over the street and grounds below causing crowds to gather, before running off through them all.

P6: Fateful encounter

"Ah now this has a sense of destiny to it hahahaha," The elephant man laughed clearly happy to see though surprised at the same time by Apex Bugsters presence. The man chuckled even further at the boy's weapon creating a nice dent into the ground.

"Oh by all means enter the pit Apex Bugster," the Elephant smiled clearly knowing who he was.

"Oh? You know of me?" The bugster questioned while lifting the mace against his shoulder once more. He tightened his grip around the handle before charging into the fray. He didn't know how strong the opponent was, but considering his size it would be safe to use at least bone breaking levels of strength. It was time for a test drive. He extended the mace towards the elephant's center mass at great speed, treating it more like a spear, a feat he could only achieve with great strength..

"Heh," the Elephant didn't answer as with one hand he spun his Kanabo bashing it against Apex Bugsters Mace parrying the weapon with an immense amount of force as the contact sent both fighters a few feet backwards only causing the Elephant to smile.

"Yes I know of you Kaizen quite well, but let's see if you live up to what i hope for," the Elephant chuckled as he moved in fast with one step throwing to close the distance fast as he swung the Kanabo downward threatening to hammer Kaizen straight into the ground.

The bugster was impressed by the opponents ability to not only parry his attack but completely neutralizing by attacking with equal force. "A fan of my work I presume?" he quipped as he prepared for counterattack. Kaizen narrowly avoided the elephant man's strike by using his mace as a pole to push him off the ground. He knew he couldn't afford to get careless with such a strong opponent. Using the implanted weapon as leverage, the bugster would deliver multiple kicks to his face before launching himself upwards with an explosion, carrying the mace with him. A few moments later, he would descend upon the giant opponent with a downward strike of his own with his trusty mace.

"More fond of your rebellious nature," the Elephant smiled eerily as Kaizen dodged with perfect reaction time. As the kick came through the elephant blocked with his none weapon hand as the kicks savagely beat against his guard. The explosion would break the guard as the Elephant took a step back not in retreat, but in muscle force to build up a upward swing bashing Against Kaizen swing this time send the bug up instead of negating the floor of force as the rush slamming into the forced back Kaizen as the two bashed through multiple cars in forward force.

Most sane people would dodge such a strike, but it seems that the elephant was not most people. After flying through two cars, Kaizen would use the mace to anchor himself into the ground, stopping from flying any further from the giant. "That….stings." Without missing a beat, he got back up brandishing his mace as multiple panels began to open around the weighted side, revealing multiple thrusters. "Let's redline this baby!" he shouted excitedly, happy to have a chance to test his weapon on his first outing. Oranges flames burst out from the thrusters before slowly transitioning to an azure color.

With his ignited mace, he charged towards the elephant man with renewed speed and energy. He was using the thrusters on his mace to increase his own speed, like a horse pulling a carriage. As he got closer to his target, he would extend his arms blades for a quick slash at his legs. He would repeat this process as many times to capitalize on his speed advantage.

"See your more into the new age boy," the Elephant grinned rather keenly on the adage of old versus new as the Elephant went into a two handed grip on his Kanabo Slamming it downward into the ground as the blades dance against it in a flurry of dancing sparks. The man in black had really delivered on this hunk of iron. Even as the elephant was pushed back by the bugs speed attack his Kanabo stood its gorund ripping through the ground as the two acted out an impenetrable wall meeting an unstoppable force.

"Well balanced technique boy, and a strong form yet your missing something hmm," the Elephant strangely spoke to Kaizen before slamming his feet down rooting them into the ground halting the movement of them both before breaking Kaizens through Kaizens attack with a old shield the elephant had pulled from his back. Returning to a one handed grip with his Kanabo in his non shield hand the Elephant rang the drum of war bashing the kanabo against the shield as he roared in forward momentum swinging the massive weapon in turn at each of Kaizens limbs forcing him into defense with immense swings of his weapon.

"And what would that be?" The bugster immediately went on the defensive when the elephant began his onslaught of strikes. He dodge whatever strikes he could while parrying the others with his rocket assisted blows which made up for the difference in strength. "Who are you? How do you know me? A member of the Sagozo clan trying to avenge his elder?" Even parrying wasn't enough, as he could feel the sheer impact of his strikes when their weapons make contact. He needed to tip the balance in his favor quickly. As he parried the last blow, he quickly grabbed a stink ball and fired it into the elephant's face. Regardless of whether he actually blocked it, the ball would explode, releasing a putrid vomit inducing smelling gas into the air, something Kaizen was used to. Using it as cover, Kaizen would then swing his mace low, seeking to break his legs if possible.

"True purpose," the Elephant responded this time seriously as he took the stink bomb to the face. At first he seemed to have a abhorid reaction yet it seemed to only affect him for a moment as he laughed.

"Oh boy thats a good wake up smell," the Elephant roared as Kaizen's hit met the back of his left leg as the elephant had twisted to take the hit forcing him onto one knee. Yet the vicious blow turned into a quick disadvantage as swinging his body was not to negate Kaizen's damage yet to give the Elephant a wide swing swatting Kaizen like a baseball with his Kanabo sending the boy flying into a wall. Yet it took a second for the Elephant to get back up laughing all the while as Kaizen's hit had clearly got some good damage.

"Oof that passion of youths strike your definitely strong boy, but you need to learn the old ways still you never received your clan rites of passage you use the most basic of the clans ways, but you could learn so much more from their arts of the past," the Elephant strangely informed Kaizen.

"Come now boy, show me more of you through your way of the warrior."

Seconds after being planted into a wall, the bugster reemerged from a cracked concrete wall, Kaizen too was clearly hurt by the strike, so much he didn't even bother reclaiming his mace instead he just crawled out, clutching his chest area.

"You speak to me of my clan rites as if it holds meaning to me." he rebutted, spraying a large burst of web to the elephant's face. They weren't exactly strong, but they would take some time to remove. Once again he would extend his arm blade, for quick hit and run strikes.. He was actually trying really hard to catch this guy alive, but his strength and way of fighting was making that difficult.

The bugster began making quick cuts on his already damaged leg while he was busy removing the web. He was clearly planning something, seeking the immobilize the threat as soon as possible, even if he could defeat him.

"Hah no one escapes the clan boy no matter how long you RUN," the Elephant blocked the webs with his shield yet Kaizen's speed allowed him to get his tracks slashing at the Elephants tough skin barely digging in at all, but making their marks. Yet the strategy would see its error as upon one Kaizens turn arounds met with a shield bash breaking the bugs impressive momentum as the Elephant swung his Kanabo upward destroying the bugs blades in brutal fashion. With a forward punch the Elephant grasped the Bugsters throat intensely lifting Apex Bugster up before performing a chokeslam.

"You're not a bad boy, but you are too wild for your own good, no decision of life control sways you yet. You have no footing, but you are indeed a worthy warrior. Without proper enlightenment or devotion to a path you're just a ronin in the wind," The Elephant spoke, taking a few steps back awaiting to see if his opponent could continue a strange sense of honorable waiting.

Kaizen slowly but surely got back to his feet, clearly shaken by the attack, but still able to continue the fight. To think he would have his blade shattered so easily, this fight was unlike anything he had experienced thus far. The gap in power and experience was noticeable and yet he felt like the elephant man was still holding back. "You're right. I have nothing holding me back." He answered. This opponent was strange, taking his time to lecture him, almost as if he wanted to sound like a mentor to him. "Then by all means, enlighten me with this information. Who are you? You're clearly from the clan or at least know of it." He was buying himself time, keeping track of his opponent's position.

"Hm, you will soon know the role I bear in your life. For now I will wait to see the weight of your worthy boy," the Elephant barely answered, watching Kaizen's action, curious as to what the boy was planning yet not attacking.

"Alright then! This seems about right." He was satisfied with something, as he charged forward, clenching his fist. With his other arm, he pulled on a very thin strand of webbing, moving closer to the elephant man. Seemed simple enough, he was going for a direct frontal attack. At the last second, he would perform a side step, revealing that his mace had been rocketing towards the elephant man. The bugster would grab the weapon's handle, letting the momentum carry him forward. Upon impact, the bugster would unleash the pile bunker, which he sure had more than enough strength to pierce through his shield should he choose to block with it.

"NOW THAT IS THE SPIRIT," the Elephant laughed insanely not blocking the attack but instead catching it with both his hands like a psychopath as both went rocketing straight into the wall as the forward movement continued to pressure high, cracking the wall with the Elephant pinned. Yet with the marvelous attack accomplished Kaizen would feel something he would probably feel was unsurmountable the motion of resistance it was to fast a scene as the elephant roared punching the rocket bug back gripping the rocket mace before swinging both it and Kaizen into the same wall with such force the already damaged wall shattered under the pressure sending Kaizen straight through with his mace.

"Oh quite crafty you are," the Elephant laughed, breathing heavily clearly not having expected that show of force. The boy showed true promise, and the Elephant was now satisfied with not much else left to do he fetched his Kanabo before walking towards the exit walking up a few flights know Kaizen would by no means be far behind as he made it to the middle section hearing the fight all the ways over on the other side.

The bugster crawled his way out of the hole in the wall. In spite of being bloodied and bruised from the last attack, he pressed on, dragging his mace across the floor. He seemed more angry than in pain, a very common occurrence. He gave chase to the giant wounded opponent, gradually gaining speed, leaping and using his webs to gain distance. He finally caught up to him, stepping down from a higher elevation and blocking him from his escape route. "You throw me into another wall, and I'm gonna lose it." Kaizen was annoyed to say the least with being treated like a ragdoll. The bugster began spinning his mace around like a quarterstaff and assumed a spear stance. "You're making it really hard for me to bring you in alive, you know that right?" He complained to his opponent, preparing to finish the fight.

"Hmm this is the path you chose right cause if so you seem to complain about the restrictions it bears," the Elephant laughed however as he had made it to his actual destination unbeknownst to Kaizen. Lightly walking to the ledge of the side he smirked at the bug hero.

"I think I have had enough for a day, let's do this again," he smiled before leaning off the edge, falling as he dialed a number on a massively old phone as he was consumed by electrical tendrils that pulled him in removing him from the area altogether.

Kaizen threw his mace like a javelin towards the elephant with all his might in an effort to stop him, but it was all in vain. It was fortunate that the elephant managed to disappear as he did, narrowly avoiding his head being caved in. With the elephant out of the way, the mace harmlessly flew deep into the ground below it. "Tch"

 

[EmperorsChosen]

The Chunni and the Snake

"...So… Anyone wanna grab a drink or something?" Hotaru pitched in after a few moments of silence.

The group had gotten the "easy" assignment, a patrol route to cover for out of commission heroes and understaffed agencies. Suffice to say, nothing had occurred, leading to the bored look on Hotaru's face. It was likely a good thing given the last engagement by the students left many spirits and bodies broken. Though, who was to say if it would last for much longer.

"Hmm.." Mari says, pausing to think a bit as they carry on with the patrol. "I rather have a day in which nothing happens.. Though I guess it would be fine if we take a break and I won't be coordinating other teams this time around. Is there anywhere of note you wanted to go or just any convenience store?"

"Hmmm~" Rosalie hummed thoughtfully at Hotaru's question. "I think I could go for something sweet," she said, chipper as could be as she walked. She was in high spirits and hoping for an uneventful patrol. "You got any ideas or suggestions Hotaru? Amano maybe?" she asked, looking from one girl to the others. "No idea is a bad idea." She said that, but there was always the Amano factor to consider. She could have some very bad ideas every once in a while. Well… bad was in the eye of the beholder.

Amano gave it some thought. Smoothies didn't sound bad right now. Perhaps doing that was good. "Oh Mari, it should be fine. I could even send Mnemu there! That way we don't have to worry about anything. Here, I'll take the orders. What's everyone wanting?" The little string of pink reached out from her ear, waving to them to indicate that she was listening.

After everything that had happened so far, a little fun on a mission seemed to be something that was much needed.

"It really wouldn't be a problem if we went, are you sure you want to send Mnemu on his own? Well…. It's own. You might need Mnemu later." Mari adds in, though she wouldn't outright overrule it. "Though if you insist…" Thinking on it, what would she like right now? "Hmm a Milkshake of some sort maybe?"

"Ooh! Yeah, a milkshake or one of those frappuccinos! Wait… will the store be able to understand him?" Hotaru questioned, wondering if that was perhaps the best plan after all. Regardless, their order intakes would be interrupted by the quick steps of small feet.

"E-Excuse me, you're heroes aren't you?"

The voice belonged to a small girl, no older than a middle schooler. She was dressed in uniform pitch black with blue tints. Her hair and eyes matched the accents of the uniform in a crisp azure. She seemed timid and a bit frantic.

"C-Could you help me? Please? M-My dad needs help… right now!"

Rosalie opened her mouth to give Mnemu her order. She didn't worry too much about it. Somehow the little goo ball would get things done. She wasn't worried about it at all. What she was worried about though was the interruption. She looked over the girl with baited eyes. What was wrong?

"Don't worry your pretty little head," Rosalie said softly, placing her hand on the child's shoulder. "We're heroes and we will help your father," she said, wanting to reassure the little girl. "Can you lead us to him?"

"Sorry girls, looks like we'll save the drinks for later." It looked like Rosalie was already working with the girl. Amano nodded, sending Mnemu scattered about in search for any sounds or evidence of whatever trouble the girl had going on. She placed her canister on the ground and let loose another container of Mnemu, as the pink blob rose from its cold storage and slid down beside Amano, wrapping itself on her arm and giving a nod to her crew before turning back and smiling at the girl. "Alright, leader, ready to save the day!"

Looking at the little girl then the two on her team, Mari was a bit more sceptical on this, wanting a few answers, though if time was of the essence they would just have to go, or at least question the girl enroute to the problem in question. "It does seem that way.. Lead us off and what can you tell us about your father, what seems to be wrong?" She asks as she motions for the girl to lead them off, motioning for the others to follow and to keep close.

"We have to take a look either way," Hotaru stated.

The girl, while worried, was fairly well-composed. She nodded for them to follow her and proceeded into the space between some of the buildings. She meekly tapped her index fingers together as she led them through a maze of alleys.

"My family's been having money troubles for a while… I think my dad took some loans out from the wrong people… some men showed up at our house today and papa said he was a friend but…" The girl glanced down a bit. "I followed them to this run down office… but they haven't come out yet and there were some scary noises inside."

As she finished explaining, they came upon said disheveled office building. It was on the smaller side and didn't seem to have been maintained for a while. Regardless of what happened earlier, it was quiet with no signs of movement now.

"Hmm.." Listening to the girl as she went on it sounded like the father he owed some money to loan sharks or what was left of the Yakuza. Either way they had to take a look, glancing at the other three, this problem was not so simple to solve, however she would not leave one of their number out here to keep watch.

"Alright. Titan, you and I will go in first, Cherry Bomb in the back, Diva Vu you'll also be in the back to keep an eye on the child, your slime should be able to get her out of the way if needed. I don't want the team splitting up and two of us might not be enough, so we all are going in." Mari says in response, making her orders clear. Unless any would like to debate them."

Amano nodded as she released a larger mound of ooze from her canister, before turning to face the young girl. "This here is Mnemu. He's very smart and very strong." She reached into her ear, pulling out orders for the ooze, before sticking it onto the mass. "He may not seem like it, but he's very good at sensing things nearby. Stay with him. He'll keep you safe, alright? We'll come back with your dad."

She gave the girl a warm smile before turning back around. The ooze around her arm crawled it's way around her body into a thin film, before crawling into both ears. She pulled her blade out, ready to finally take her chance to prove her martial prowess. "Alright then everyone, you heard her. Prepare to engage."

"Amano I want you in the front with us, we can trust Cherry Bomb with her for now." Mari says in terse reply having seemingly changed her order of battle up a little as she enters the building with the rest in tow.

"Roger!" Hotaru affirmed, proceeding forward on point. She was the tankiest so it made sense.

The girl looked hesitantly at the blob, but nodded lightly. "Be careful," She cautioned as the group made their way inside.

The building was as vacant as it appeared to be outside, however as they made their way further into the building, the silence would be replaced with audio. Clinking, groans, muffled voices that became more clear as they drew closer, until they came upon a vacant boardroom with one person inside. The man was fairly large and dressed well in a button-up with dress slacks and shoes. The only contradictory piece of apparel was the leather coat he wore unzipped. A pair of sunglasses covered half his eyes from where they hung and he was smoking a large cigar.

The source of the sound was also more clear, as he seemed to be watching something on his smartphone; a drama of some kind.

Entering the structure and seeing what was playing out, Mari holds up a hand to tell the others to space out where able to in the building as they entered deeper into the structure. Finally coming upon the man in the boardroom, Mari enters telling the others to take space along the interior walls, she did not want them bunched up more than necessary, interior spaces like this were also a disadvantage to her and running away would need a clear exit.

"Is the little girl working for you or where is her father? Or do we have some sort of business with you alone?"

The man glanced up from his phone, as the three entered. He breathed a puff of smoke out as he took the cigar out of his mouth, raising a brow at Mari. "Eh? Father? What little girl?" The man grumbled a bit in annoyance, seemingly garnering an idea as to what they were on about. "Ah… that. Fuckin kid… Should've done this by myself… Well, sort of. More with her than any o' you." He tipped the cigar in the direction of Hotaru.

"Huh? What do you want with me?" Hotaru asked pointedly.

"Yer the one that jumped our boys a while back and cost us some enhancers and a dealer. Well, you and some others, but one's better than none," He answered, putting away his phone. "And just in case it wasn't clear, I didn't kidnap no one's dad. That fuckin' runt said he'd lure you and I made the mistake of trusting him. Not only did he lure all of you but he made up some bullshit story."

Amano bit her lip, hearing that the child was apparently on the enemy's side. Truth be told, she wasn't surprised, and after having someone she once thought of as a friend betray her, she knew this was a possibility. But she wanted to just still be able to trust people. To still be able to put her faith in the words of others.

"What did you promise that child?" Amano called out, her grip tightening on her blade, as the ooze spidering across her body quivered slightly. She was able to look from all angles around her currently, thanks to the cover of her ooze. Was there anyone hiding in the corners, the rafters, behind any containers. What resources did she have at her disposal too?

The man seemed unphased from the girl's outburst. As far as she or anyone else could tell, he was alone. "I didn't promise shit to the guy. Hell if I know what that chuunibyou wants, getting involved with we lowly mortals," He said with a scoff. "Either way, as to business, I just wanted the tomboy so that we could get a new ANVIL contact. That, or send a message to keep the fuck away. I've seen what that shark-teeth witch can do; I'd rather hit her below the belt than throw enough bodies to drag her do-"

Without any other trigger, Hotaru suddenly lurched forward with a blackened arm, ramming it into the man's face. It landed cleanly, and he flew out of the chair and through the flooring and walls. He tumbled and spun as his inertia slowed once he reached the ground outside, landing shortly in front of Rosalie and the girl.

He groaned, lifting himself up and eyed the two before scoffing again. "Are ya' fuckin' kidding me? You get this shit from a drama?" He asked, though it didn't seem to be directed at her.

As if on cue, the girl began to fade into a smokey blackness, and a echoed voice spoke from above. "I am not as crude as you mongrels. My actions must have taste!" He answered dramatically.

This figure stood atop a black mass similar to that which took the girl, pitched in black with accents of a glowing blue.

"The hell is tasteful about this!? You have a fuckin' job, so do it!" The larger man retorted as Hotaru leaped from the building, none too happy with the attempted ransom. However, this time the man grabbed her collar and slung her forcefully past him and into the cement, uprooting it as she slid across.

Amano quickly followed through the window, taking a look at the scene before them. Fortunately, she still had a large mound of Mnemu beside the villain. She'd need to overwrite those orders though. Shouldn't be too hard.

The shifting ooze quivered once again, pulsing like veins. The man up high could be troublesome it seemed. Amano would have to keep an eye out on everyone all at once. If he was able to change his appearance, he may use subterfuge and the confusion of combat to gain an upper hand, or force a stalemate. Either way. So long as Amano kept tabs on him, she could deduce quite effectively what tricks he may have pulled.

In an instant, the mass of ooze, shot back down her arm, gathering around her hand, engulfing the handle of her weapon. Amano swung her hand, releasing her weapon from her grip as her ooze whipped it forward far enough to reach the floating man above them.

"Hotaru, I'll be relying on you to keep the brute at bay. I'll focus my efforts on keeping the illusionist engaged."

With the tables being turned, Mari wondered what had happened to their fourth member or the slime.. Hopefully nothing major.. Either way they couldn't do much about it for now.

"Dammit!" Thinking on it as Hotaru lept from the window and the big man followed, this situation was far from ideal, on her own initiative Hotaru had split the team and Mari for herself did not trust the girl's odds alone against that man, much less both. Shouting her orders, Mari makes for the window as well.

"If you can still move, Cherry get back outside and back me or Titan up, quickly as possible. "Amano continue as you are but back up whoever Cherry doesn't! I'm going for the Actor!" With that Mari jumps out and scales a small privacy wall as she picked up speed, trying to jump upwards and outwards, with electricity sparking off of her.

Everything happened so fast. Rosalie was legitimately unsure how to process the disappearance of the little girl, the floating male, or the villain that'd come through the window. All of it was so far out of left field. And yet, at the same time, she wasn't even surprised.

There was once a time where a hero could listen to a person in need and they would actually be a person in need. Now Rosalie needed to question everything.

"R-right!" She cried out to Mari who was quick to bark… hehe bark… orders at the group. It was a good thing they had skilled leaders and the like. Rosalie wasn't so sure that she'd be as composed in Mari's place. Then again, she'd never been in Mari's place. She rushed to support Hotaru. "We got this!" She shouted as she threw 5 ball bearings which would explode on contact with the male. He was tough enough to take the fall and go toe to toe with Hotaru. He could take a few explosions.

"I do not expect the grace of divinity to be comprehensible to-" The masked man began to speak, however reacted to the weapon thrown by Amano. His arm was engulfed by the black material, forming a muscular, bladed appendage he used to bat the oozed weapon away. "I was speaking, you harlot!"

Angered by Amano's interruption, the mist-like substance that emanated from his back like wings curved around his body, preemptively aiming for Amano but pausing as Mari arrived. "Not one mongrel, but two I have to deal with…!" He growled as the wing spread into rope-like tendrils that shot out at Mari.

The larger male straightened his clothing a bit and combed back his hair with hands before Rosalie threw the bombs at him. He braced with his arms forward and took the explosions. Some of his body appeared scuffed, but primarily it was his apparel that displayed the most damage. By now the cigar was gone as were the sunglasses, now showing off a pair of slit pupils mimicking a snake's.

"Didn't want to hurt you, kid," He commented before charging forward at them. Though cratered into the asphalt, Hotaru shot up and intervened in his path. Her arm spread into a shield to cover Rosalie and intercept a punch from the man, countering with a punch of her own as she shielded appendage returned to normal as the other built up its muscle mass. The snake man took the punch to his stomach with a lurch, yet powered through it enough to grab Titan by the throat while his other arm stretched outward to grasp at Rosalie.

As the tendrils shot out at her, Mari uses her gauntlet to take the initial impact, grabbing more of them, even if they cut her, the cat girl uses them to swing around closer, or to pull herself forward. "I can't hit you if I can't get closer!" She yell out while charging up her electrical field in an attempt to zap him through the extensions as well.

"Juxtapose!" Amano called out somewhat suddenly. Her ooze mound from below the floating man she had interrupted sprung to life, stretching a tendril up and around his legs. "On it!" She then turned her attention to Hotaru. Her large Mnemu glob would provide Mari with some excellent support for now.

Meanwhile, Amano tackled Rosalie out of the way of the snake man. "You're alright." She said with a smile, before standing up focusing her attention on Titan, who was currently in a bit of a predicament. Amano needed a plan to help her get out. She charged forward, with Mnemu taking care of her reactions. She should be able to react to any movement much faster with Mnemu's sensitivity, making her assault safer.

"Are you mocking me with some kind of reference?" The man in black replied, turning to Mari with the bladed arm. "You will come to regre-AH! What is this!?" Suddenly cut off, the man appeared visibly disgusted by Mnemu crawling up his leg, shaking it in an attempt to rid himself of the substance.

The snake man appeared to wince at the high-pitched duress of his partner and the arm that reached out for Rosalie returned to his side. Hotaru aimed a punch at his kidney, but his torso seemed to unnaturally shift to avoid a clean hit, twisting and pulling her with him to toss her away as he turned to the charging Amano.

"You gonna slime me too, girlie?" He asked, unimpressed.

As the man came charging toward her, Amano backed away slightly, instinctually trying to keep herself from being directly in harm's way. But there were others in need of help right now. Amano needed this moment to think clearly. She evened her stance, as Mnemu shifted closer to her head for her new plan. She ducked to the side, grabbing hold of the ooze at the back of her head. The ooze almost looked like something from a horror film, as it wrapped itself around his face as tightly as possible. "Titan, Cherry Bomb, quick!"

"Thanks!" Rosalie chimed having been tackled out of the way by Amano. Still, the man was strong. It was like her bombs hadn't done anything. She needed something a little bigger. So, as his focus shifted to the others, she took the time to tear a door from the warehouse entrance. Thus, when Amano yelled for the assist, she was ready with a much larger, charged bomb. She grinned. "Right Diva!" she shouted as she swung the door at the man as hard as she could. It would explode upon impact and hopefully do a little more damage than the earlier smaller explosives.

Continuing her climb, his ignoring of her to focus on the slime was going to bite him in a major way. Reaching out with her electricity and physical touch, she felt she was close enough to deal with him.

His shock was replaced with muffled growls and grunts as he quickly attempted to pry the damn slime off his face, twisting and stumbling as he did so. This was short-lived as the large man felt hard contact before propulsion that knocked him off his feet and launched him back into the dilapidated building.

The chunnibyou, distracted with the slime, was ill-prepared for Mari whose electrical touch ran through him with an echoed shout. His body tensed as the current ran through him before the black substance surrounded him like a protective orb. "ENOUGH!" He shouted, as the orb pulsed and extended black spikes in all directions if himself while the top of the barrier dissipated. "I am above these crass squabbles! AND RECALL YOUR HORRID PET!"
Amano was breathing heavily, frightened by his attack. She knew nothing good could have come from messing up there. But it looked like things were going alright. "Well… That's going better than I could have predicted…" That was when she heard the man Mari had been taking on shout out. She quickly turned to see him, absolutely fuming.

"It seems he's not as much of a pushover as I had first thought."

The man in black huffed at the apparent disrespect, descending for the first time since his appearance. He altered his attention from Mari to Amano and swooped down from where he stood, piercing the blade-arm at her as the "wings" returned to their original form, curving ominously around him.

With the orb's spikes forcefully "bouncing" her away, Mari ponders the situation on the ground, wondering which of the two were the greater danger. For now however she didn't wish to try sky jumping towards the younger again, switching her focus over to the older man who was grounded and locked in battle with two more of their number, trusting Amano to keep the shapeshifter busy till they could resolve this, charging up her electricity and speed, Mari tries to dash and tag the man.

It took a bit, but the snake man slowly rose out of the debris he created when thrown by the explosive. He seemed a bit more scuffed up, obviously having his endurance dragged down. He hardly registers Mari before it's too late and he feels a current of electricity travel through him. Dropping to his knees, he grits his teeth and whips an arm to grasp and claw at her.

Amano could tell this man was frustrated, and she needed to keep him focused on her. She lunged at the large blob she had used to slow him down previously, pulling off a small piece before pulling out her Slime blaster. "He's not horrid, he's Mnemu!" She called out, aiming at his face, launching a small bit of ooze at him.

One couldn't really tell, but underneath the blackened mask, the chunni held a disgusted face. "Oh lord, the mongrel named it…" He muttered before swiping the sword arm at the incoming blob. "I will not have my perfect visage violated by that disgusting secretion! I am insulted that you would even attempt to pretend to be my equal!" After swiping it, he dashed forward again, though this time a similar blackened blade crashed down on his own, pinning it to the ground.

"You talk way too much," Hotaru commented followed up with a punch that connected with the man's face. She was now bulked up and armored, and while it seemed the man wasn't an equal in strength, whatever material he had must've aided his defense as well given that he slid backwards, anchoring his arm into the ground.

"Oooh… how DARE you!" He muttered angrily, clutching at his face with his normal arm before charging at the trio again.

However, with Hotaru acting as the tank with Rosalie and Amano striking from flanks, the chunni found himself far less adept. He seemed more impulsive, though he wasn't weak as previously ascertained, and stood his ground somewhat against the three.

The snake man attempted to land clean blows on Mari, however speed was not his specialty as she outmaneuvered him, the shocks slowly dragging him down. The fight was leaning towards the side of the heroes until the man in black switched targets again, having his black matter cut into the office building's foundation, causing it to destabilize.

In the ensuing destruction, the chunnibyou had escaped while the snake man had been incapacitated due to some of the building's collapse. The man was arrested as law enforcement arrived, though said nothing on the other man who proclaimed himself to be some higher power, nor anything else about the group he was part of.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

Iniji's Truth

"Iniji you may enter," Principal Amagi called out as she opened her door to someone who had been clearly waiting outside for quite a bit but seemed unwilling to knock to come on. The Principal motioned him in as she walked back to her desk curious to what he wanted exactly out of the blue.

Walking in was the young man who had the same dispassionate look as always, although his brows seemed slightly more furrowed than before. Iniji took a bow at the principal, slow and methodically.

"Amagi-dono. " His voice was like a puddle of stagnant water. "I am here to inquire about the previous mission." Finally straightening himself up Iniji continued to the more crucial components. "It appears that my former...collaborators are now clearly aware of my whereabouts. I would expect there to be a number of them who would be more than pleased to see me dead." The boy maintained eye contact with the principal, he always had people, especially superiors who hated him for watching onto them with those strange flowingly colored eyes. But he insisted, it was the only thing that made him feel heard. "It's just that...I am unsure what negative repercussions this may have upon future operations. I do not wish to question any decisions made, but…"

Multicolored orbs shifted to the side as Iniji continued. "...it is comforting to have an answer, whether it is the truth or a lie."

The Principal nodded as Iniji bared out his concerns, his plight, and quite noticeably at the end... his hesitation. She let out a soft sigh pulling out a seat for him patting the top of it for him to seat as she kept the eye contact he clearly wanted. The respect of full attention he in truth deserved.

"Iniji your situation is by far an extremely rare case. Quite frankly your lucky you got this deal from the get-go. There's no arguing that many wanted you incarcerated from start, and others even wanting much worse to befall you," she expressed sitting down herself never breaking eye contact as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Ota and I excepted this request for your rehabilitation cause unlike most those who wish you ill in the system ignore the fact you too are a victim of many points. You were turned into a child soldier, you were coerced into many a sin, and the blood staining your soul from everything they told you was in righteousness will never wash off," she spoke finally pausing as she pulled out a water bottle tossing it to Iniji as she pulled one out for herself.

"And those who did it have finally come out into the open, and poetically your appearance has triggered them to a retaliation mindset. The cult you were a part of has been on Anvils Radar since its damn inception almost everything they are clashes with what you are now, and that's pissed them off clearly," she speculated giving Iniji a perspective as she took a drink mulling on the next words to use as she decided to go with what he wanted… the truth.

"The matter of the fact is if you want to quit now you can, and I doubt anyone would blame you. However you yourself handed over whatever you could about your group when you walked into that police station. You know how monstrous these people are the lengths they will go. Yet there smart they make a cycle of never being in one spot too long never caving into a pattern making it impossible to pin them down," Amagi expressed slamming her bottle on the table as she looked at him with a serious look.

"But for once that can be changed you can drag them out into the light finally allowing damage to be rot upon them. I won't lie anything I suggest here on out is basically using you as bait to finally guide the mammoth of a cult to the edge. Yet more importantly it could finally help you let it all go, and return to something of a true life away from all of this," she looked deep into his eyes those unique eyes… it was clear she was aware of his quirks issues.

"You have a chance to atone Iniji, and prove your right to exist. However you have to take that step, and plunge one more time into that darkness," Principal Amagi stated looking at the boy awaiting anything he wanted to say or ask now with everything on the table.

Iniji closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought a bit. It took a long while before his eyelids fluttered open, along with a deep breath that sounded half like a sigh of relief and half like one of resignation.

"I never had delusions that I am here because of trust or forgiveness, atonement isn't what I am seeking, it never was." Iniji stared at the ceiling a bit, the ceiling light burnt into his eyes, it ached slightly until he decided to close them. "I just...I need to do something...I just..I would…" He held his hands together, one finger slipping under the black gloves he constantly wore. A few bits of tough, leathery skin like dried tree bark, they were the chemical scars from his younger strange experiment days, but a few were of different origins. They were fresher, more personal wounds. It took a moment for Iniji to recollect himself, he was at a loss for words, or perhaps he simply didn't want to speak of those things, to the principle nonetheless.

"I have no quarrel with that decision, Amagi-dono." The boy took a deep breath and his voice returned to a certain stagnantness. He hung his head a bit lower. It was a relief to know that his purpose was to bait out those former cohorts of his, it was good to have a reason for his presence, a purpose to this life of his even. "Thank you for your clarifications. I appreciate it. " Iniji stood up and took another slow bow. "Apologies for disturbing you."

"Iniji do remember you were as much a victim as anyone else in all this. You have more than proven your innocence of soul," She said halting him before he could leave sighing herself as she stood up walking over to him like a concerned mother kneeling down next to him.

"You have the heart of a protector just like the rest of your class well minus you know," she joked saying no names as she laughed for a moment pointing at him for a moment with a smile.

"However while I cant make you talk about what you do to yourself I ask that the remember those that have come to care about you here, and to keep yourself together. If were going to take that cult down we need you at your fullest as well," she strongly urged him like a parent both scolding yet trying to morally boost their child at the same time.

"You weren't brought here under the illusion of trust or forgiveness. Yet you have earned our trust," she added.

"...Thank you, Amagi-dono." Iniji gave a slight nod, colours swirled in his eyes, yet the surface of those orbs were still as water. "I understand my assignment, please do not be concerned, I will make sure to complete what is asked of me." He looked away slightly, preparing to leave the office. A victim? A protector? Perhaps, but the boy had a hard time realizing himself as any of those. Even if he were to be a victim of something - in some way everyone was, it was his own weakness and selfishness that enabled himself to fall that far. Iniji rubbed his eyes, protection was not one of his fortes, whether form or function wise. It was something he lacked, the thing that many heroes had: a body that moves before the mind, moved by the will to do justice. Iniji was aware of this, the pain that it brought has already dulled over the years, like every sensation.

"I will bid you farewell here then, Amagi-dono. Thank you again for your help." He spoke, much more quietly this time, with a bit of hoarseness to the words.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Bug gets lucky?

Training

Kaizen yawned as he arrived at the field early in the morning just as he was told to. It was rare for Vigridis to do an activity together instead of the other way around, but he had a feeling it probably had something to do with training. Kaizen was confused about what their relationship with each other was at this point. Due to Vigridis' upbringing, and to a certain extent, her personality, it was difficult for her to comprehend such things. He found it somewhat amusing, how one of the toughest challenges he had faced so far was not fighting villains or slaying monsters but expressing emotions towards someone.

He lied on the training field, where they first had their fight. So much has happened since then, and yet he felt some things were still out of reach. Perhaps he was being unreasonable to expect so much from someone who is clearly not familiar with forming bonds. Afterall, she only recently discovered what it means to be friends. He sat back up, sighing enjoying the cool breeze while waiting for the vampire's arrival.

Vigridis calmly strolled over to the training field wearing her usual hero outfit that had long since been fully repaired. It had even been given an update to be more streamlined, making the flow of her quirk's energy through it better and more efficient. It also provided the same amount of toughness, while simultaneously being easier to move in. She was ready for this practice session. She had to be, if she was training with Kaizen, who she viewed as amongst the strongest of their class. When she had asked him, he had seemed surprised, but to her, asking him had been completely natural. So she didn't understand his surprise. Asking to train and become stronger only made sense, right?

She looked up and noticed he was already on the field. Walking over she began by saying, "You're early."

"Heh, better early than late." He replied while getting up. He got up to greet the girl properly with a smile. "Alright. So what's the agenda for today? Trying out a new move on me?" Normally he would try to say something witty or flirty towards her, but he felt that such advances would fall on deaf ears.

"I have had a few ideas to try out. New movess and new applicashuns of my quirk. Siimilar to how we trained for the play," Vigridis answered him. "Do you have any ideas for new movess or how to progress your quirk?"

"Hmm I see." He nodded. He was happy to see that she saw the training they did together as something noteworthy...but he wanted her to acknowledge the other stuff that happened. "Yea. I got something as well." Kaizen got two metal shot put balls from his belt. He threw the first ball like a baseball pitcher, letting it curve as it moved forward. Seconds later, he inserted the first ball into his palm cannon and blasted it out using his explosion to propel it. Moments later. The second ball would strike the first ball, resulting in both of them cancelling each other's momentum and dropping to the ground. "Been practicing that move for a while now. But havent had the chance to use it. But maybe you'll change that."

She observed what he had to show, then glanced at him. "And what iss that supposed to do?" She asked. She hadn't intended it to sound as rude as it did. She was genuinely pretty curious. "Will training with me strengthen your new technique?"

"Made to shoot down long distance targets, or if I need to make a concentrated strike on a specific part of the body. The force generated by the two balls colliding on the same surface would be more than enough to shatter bone and armor alike." he explained as he retrieved the ball with a slings of webs. "Maybe, if you'd like, but you're probably fast enough to dodge it. I try not to shoot them full strength most of the time since I don't actually want to kill the targets." He explained while fiddling with the high density balls. "And what about your technique?"

She nodded. "I seee." A smirk appeared on her face. "Are you calling me weak, Kaizen? I am almosst offended, but I do not believe that was your intention. Do not worry. Usse your strongest version on me! I will overcome it and help you perfect your new technique!"

At his insistence on hers, she held out her hand and a golden bow appeared. "I have jusst begun to usse thiss. But thiss iss just one technique I have yet to perfect that I intended to try today."

"Had a feeling you'd say that." Kaizen laughed. "Very well, and I suppose you want to test that thing on me then?" The bugster's bio helmet covered his face, preparing for what was to come. "So then how shall we do this?" He had a feeling Vigridis was eager to get down to business.

"Thiss 'thing' iss Sharanga. Or it will be.. When I've mastered it," Vigridis told him, staring at the gold bow in her hand. It was gold, but it was dull, and uninteresting. As flat as her normal silver sword constructs. "Hm." She looked up at him. "Let's start by throwing a few practice punches at one another, and seee where it goes from there?" She suggested.

"Ah yes. Vishnu's bow." Kaizen took notice and found it interesting that she would always name her constructs after weapons of the Gods."Very well, let us see if that bow lives up to its name." Kaizen assumed a pouncing position before launching himself forward with his powerful legs, shattering the ground behind him. He went forward at great speed, causing a noticeable change in the air current as he surged closer towards his target with a clenched fist aiming at her gut.

A wide smile found its way to the woman's lips. "Ah, so you recognize it?" Vigridis seemed pleased by that fact -almost sparkling. No one ever seemed to recognize her efforts, or the magnificent weapons she used. "Soon, yes, soon, Kaizen, I shhall be deemed worthy enough to wield the great Vishnu's bow. Thiss meager thing will become Sharanga. But only after I have proved myself worthy. Then I will be able to wield the power of that bow."

She was too busy being proud of the fact he recognized it, which made her eager to explain away. So she took his punch to the gut. I bent her a bit before she was flung back. She caught herself, skidding on her feet. Then Vigridis righted herself and took in a breath. "Ah, forgive me for losiing focus.. Yes, I have been meaning to train my ability to dodge as well." His punch had reminded her of that fact. She held up her bow, a charge of Soul Energy appearing in the string as she pulled it back. Then she fired it at Kaizen and leapt quickly at him, punching down at him on the back of her arrow.

"Ah…" Kaizen felt extremely embarrassed by the whole ordeal. To think, he of all people would punch someone while they were talking about their passion. "Don't worry about it. You can tell me all about it after we finish this fight." She seemed unbothered by it, so why should he feel bothered?

Kaizen narrowly dodged the oncoming arrow, feeling it's tip scratching against his carapace before turning to Vig. He would catch the vampire girl's fist before using that momentum to toss her across the field. "Why do you that anyway…. Naming your constructs after mythical weapons of the Gods." He asked briefling wondering what was her logic behind it.

Vigridis hadn't expected her arrow to do much. Nor her punch. When she was thrown, she landed and cursed her fist, staring at it. She looked up at him and smiled. So he was interested! "I thought you said we could talk after we finished the fight?"

Her face grew stern. "It iss because I am granted those weapons from the gods. They recognize my strength. So I am obligated to usse them to the best of my ability!" She held up the bow, charging another shot in it. "Ballistae," she said. Two golden ballista forming at her side, aimed at Kaizen. "Astra!"

She fired the charged shot and the ballista began firing multiple energized arrows at Kaizen. The shots were rapid-fire like energized bullets.

Kaizen tried his best to hold back a chuckle. "Guess I can't help it. I just find it rather… intriguing." He replied rather casually before ripping a big chunk of the ground to block the multiple projectiles headed towards him. The chunk of the ground eventually shattered upon being shot enough times, prompting him to throw a curveball towards her, aiming at her right arm. He would then follow it up with a straight shot, aiming at her guts. He shot it at medium strength, still not wanting to hurt the vampire girl too much. "Try this on for size!"

She swung her bow at the ball thrown towards her arm. It shattered the bow, much to her surprise, but flew off course. She was then forced to avoid the one aimed at her guts, not prepared to take a hit that could shatter her construct like that. The soul sparkles dissipating, as she stared at the broken bow part in her hand. She had thought there was enough strength in that construct to handle his attack, but she guessed not. Pouring more Soul Energy into the bow, it mended in her hand. Then she looked back up at him. Aimed another shot, and shot a charged arrow at him again. This training would make the bow she needed.

The bugster tanked the charged shot, allowing the laser a glancing strike onto his carapace. He could feel the heat emanating from the area of impact, but nonetheless proceeded with his attack, shoving his palm to her face and unleashing a point blank explosion into it.. She was trying to train her long range attacks, but she couldn't overlook the weakness when targets were at close range.

She conjured a wall of SE right between his hand and her face. Just in time, too. It tanked most of the explosion, which knocked her back. Vigridis backflipped and launched up into the air, firing more arrows at him. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough! She knew she had to put more into her archery. She couldn't rely on this pathetic excuse for 'archery'. She had to focus! Put her heart into it! Really feel the string, feel the bow. Let it become her. Become it. Listen to the bow. She wasn't going to force the arrow to go where she wanted, she was going to listen to where the arrow wanted to go, and simply let it.

She landed once more, and drew back her bow.

The bugster took to the skies with an explosion while dodging the oncoming arrows. While some did manage to hit their mark they did not leave any substantial damage on his carapace. Using his webs he retrieved his balls from the ground as he circled around her air space. With this maneuver, he would get to see how accurate her archery skills actually are, especially against a moving target. The bugster circled her a few more times before diving in towards, looking to strike her at a melee range, or so it would seem.

Vigridis was not hyper-accurate with archery just yet, but she knew she would get there. It would just take a bit of time. That's what this training was for. She watched him carefully as he circled around her in the air. Firing off a potshot here or two. Then when he dived at her she fired a charged shot right at his face and dove out of the way.

Kaizen had expected such a straight forward attack from her and reacted accordingly by using one of palm explosions to change his direction mid flight, cockscrewing him out of harm's way. While spinning, Kaizen raises his other palm towards her, revealing he had lodged a ball in the explosion cavity. With a strong blast, he would once more launch the ball towards her weapon arm, trying to shatter it once more. "You gotta do better than that Vig!"

"Weren't you training to use those? You seem already used to using them!" Vigridis replied. She strengthened her bow by turning it into a shield, and bringing it up to block his attack. It cracked the shield with a heavy strike. Then the shield began to crumble in her hands. But he was right, she would need to try harder.

She looked up at him, and held up her bow -newly reformed. She had to let the arrow lead her, she had to let the arrow go where it wanted. She had to sync her heart to her bow. Her eyes glowed bright silver. "SHARANGA!"

She felt it. Soul Energy gathered in her hand -around her bow. Suddenly it morphed into a fierce, large, and sleek bow of silver. It glowed with newfound power. "BRAHMASTRA!" Vigridis shouted. A large amount of Soul Energy flooded into the position an arrow would normally be. Then she loosed this mighty shot of colossal Soul Energy. Which fired out like a shooting star, ripping through the air and crackling with sizzling power. Aimed directly at Kaizen, with a surprising, intense speed. Vigridis had no doubt, even with Kaizen's defense, that this shot would definitely cause some significant damage to his carapace.

The projectile was fast, there was no doubt that he didn't have time to dodge it, he was also pretty sure such an attack would cause significant damage to him as well. So he did what he needed to do, grabbing the other ball in his hand, he extended his arm to allow the ball to take the hit rather than him. With ball in hand, he pushed back against the arrow, allowing the high density tool to absorb the heat generated from her projectile. The ball was bright red, his entire hand was starting to burn from the heat. "Right back at you!" Kaizen flung the super heated ball right at her at full strength, eager to impress her with a new empowered attack on the fly.

Chunnibiyo tendencies

"Tch," Vigridis clicked her tongue, irritated her attack didn't make it through. She was as quick-thinking as he was, forming a slide construct to catch his thrown ball and sling it away from her. She snickered. "Getting used to your ball weapons?" she asked. She looked down at the brilliant silver bow in her hand. Even if he blocked her attack, she had still managed to create Sharanga like she had wanted.

"Well, you seem to be in high spirits." he noticed that she was much happier today, something he quite enjoyed seeing. "Yea, I guess you could say that. Never thought I could use it as a shield." Using relatively small objects as cover never occurred to him, but fighting stronger opponents often brings the best out of him."I can see that your archery constructs become noticeably more solid as well, particularly that last attack. He took a look at his hand which was severely burned from holding the ball. "You certainly have a knack for names huh? Brahmastra, a world destroying weapon." he commented on her choice of names once more. He found it amusing as he had the same habit when he was younger. But none of the weapons he held back then lasted long enough.

Vigridis beamed, leaning back and grinning. "Kheh! I always am, when I am mastering new skills and gaining new power. It iss siimply you fools who do not seem to notice!" That may have not been entirely true. Vigridis was going through some changes here at school. Subtle or otherwise, not even she was noticing them.

"Kheh, hearing you mention using a shield iss odd in of itself. I never would've thought you were the type to use them." She smiled as he noticed that. "Indeed they are! I am getting the hang of them. I have always thought myself a swordswoman, but I can seee the reasoning behind branchhing out and learning more. Having more options in my skillsset will only make me a stronger fighter. A knack, huh?.." Her smile turned into a wicked grin. "Yes. Brahmastra, the deadliest weapon. It iss said it cannot be defended against. I am surprised you have heard of it. Pleasantly surprised." She glanced at his red ball. "Well, mine could use a little work. But one day my Brahmastra will be so powerful it cannot be blocked." She stated with confidence.

"Fools huh.." he laughed a bit as the helmet retracted. It seems that even a cold hearted vampire can warm up towards her friends given enough time and effort. "Let me guess, you wouldn't happen to have a spear called Gungnir? Or a hammer called mjolnir?" She was like a walking arsenal, so it wouldn't be so far fetch for her to have such weapons. "Have you considered throwing javelins?" He asked, wondering if she was simply considering more ranged based attacks.

She grinned. "I have yet to wield Mjolnir, and I have not yet found a use for the mighty Gungnir. But I asshure you, it iss only a matter of time!" She nodded. "I used them against the walking machine men." She held out her hand and two masterful spears of note appeared in swift fashion, indicating she was used to constructing them. An obsidian spear appeared. "Gáe Bulg." And a spear glowing with an intense red. "Gáe Dearg."

"Hmm impressive." Kaizen clapped his hands upon seeing her manifest such beautiful weapons in such a short amount of time. "Seems like you're much more experienced in making these ones. A preference for spears perhaps?" He got up and shot a web to a pile of equipment he had brought before pulling a large mace into his hands. Despite its large size and heavy weight, he was able catch it without any issue before planting it onto the ground with a flourish. "Agi made me one." Since she was showing off her weapons he might as well show his. "He called it the Kinetic Demolition Strike Module. But I call it the Giant slayer." Kaizen spun it around with one arm, treating it more like a bo staff instead of a mace.

She watched as he flourished his own weapon. She supposed Agi making him one made a bit of sense, since he did not have constructs like her own. Yet she wondered if he could make his own mace. She held her hand out and a circular ornate golden mace of her own, with four gem-like barbs, appeared in her grip. "Kaumodaki," she announced to him. "Impressive, but do you not supposse you could create your own weapons? Manifest a carapacce with extended insect-like weapon-like protrushis and break them off as weapons," she suggested.

"Haha what is this? A measuring contest?" He laughed upon seeing her manifest an ornate mace. "All you need now is the charkram, conch, lotus and an extra pair of arms!" Kaizen wondered if she would get such a reference, though she does seem to be familiar with hinduism. The only reason he himself knew was because he was a book worm during his earlier years. "Yea, I can already do something like that." Kaizen's arm's carapace shifts apart, creating a small gap where an arm blade is able to slide out. "I can create disposable blades and spines and flick them towards my enemies. But the only reason I dont is because they are usually lethal." The bugster retracted his blade back into his arm. "In anycase, it's good to see you smiling so much. It's something I don't get to see often enough." Kaizen smiled back. To think she would show so much emotion over something like this.

She listened as he prattled off some random objects with a bit of confusion. Then it struck her. "Ah, yes, the visage of the god Vishnu, of coursse!" She considered it for a moment. "Iss being 'lethal' an isshue?" Vigridis wondered aloud. "Most villains would not hesitate to kill you. I seee no reason for you to hold back if you have the power to stop them or end them quickly. Doing so iss both inane and naive. And iss that mace you're holding any lesss lethal, anyway? Or your punches?"

She cocked her head, frowning slightly as he mentioned her smiling. "What iss the siignificance of my smiles?" she asked him.

But as he was contemplating her words and her questions, she began to focus on what he had suggested. It was something she had never considered before. It took but a moment, but a pair of golden arms with muscles 'sprouted' -or really- were constructed off of her shoulders. Then the various objects he mentioned were constructed in their hands. "Kheh, the visage of Vishnu." She mumbled proudly.

"To an extent. In many cases I believe lethal force is necessary and even warranted, but certain people don't see it that way. Besides, I see it as a challenge. Killing them would be effortless for people like us. But to defeat them and let them live would demoralize their people. Showing that we could have won anytime and any way we wanted to.

"Well...I just think you look good when you smile." He really didn't have any other reason beyond that. Besides, even if he did, she would likely not understand.

Kaizen set down his mace to admire the girl's ability to quickly adapt to what he had suggested. "And there it is again, the wondrous quirk of yours. So many possibilities, that goes beyond just fighting." Kaizen walked closer to her, to admire the pseudo-craftsmanship. "Have you ever thought about life outside of hero work? I bet you'd make a good artist." He nodded to himself, noticing the little details she put into her constructs. But he of course had another question he wanted to ask. Considering she seems to be in a good mood, he might just go for it.

"I didn't say kill them, I jusst said "use lethal force." She corrected. "Police use guns, but they rarely shoot and actually kill the culprit. Using a spear, for instancce, you can jab it into someone's leg and stop them from running, or pin their foot to the ground. While a spear iss lethal, you do not have to use it to kill them." Vigridis more or less spoke from experience here, since she had been fighting using swords -typically lethal edged weapons- since she was five.

She wasn't sure she agreed with his 'demoralizing' statement either. "Hmp. I think flawlessly crushing them eazily iss more demoralizing to whatever group they may be apart of, rather than shhowing mercy."

She paused, giving him a weird look. "What do you mean by that? That I look good when I smile?" She had no clue. In fact, she didn't even realize she had been smiling so much. She touched her lip. "I.. think the only time I ever smiled before.. wass in seecret, by my lonessome, after mastering a new move or power."

She raised her eyebrow at his words about her quirk. It sounded like praise so she allowed it, but still was a bit confused. "Outsiide of hero work? What do you mean? What ssort of life?" She frowned. "I have been told something siimilar about my quirk before, but I cannot be an artisst. My constructs will always disappear. They only stay around as long as I will them to. Or as long as I have the energy to maintain them. I cannot will pieces of art for forever. It would be a wasste of energy."

"I dont see why you have to do it in secret. I am sure most of your friends would be pleasantly surprised by that cheerful face you have." He realized that perhaps thats how the other saw him before he had a proper face, an emotionless robot. "Nonetheless, I suppose it is more treasured since it is so rarely seen."

"Not quite what I had in mind… Considering that you can make and control multiple tools at once, you could be an amazing sculptor. Besides that you can always make a mold out of your constructs." He was of course referring to her ability to perfectly create shapes directly from her mind.

"Hey Vig, I've been meaning to ask you. You already know that I like you, I just wanted to know if the feeling was mutual. If nothing else, I would like to know what you feel about me. whether it be a positive bond or indifference." He wanted to know if it was possible for her to reciprocate anything at all or was he just barking up the wrong tree.

She tilted her head. As if not understanding what was so special about smiling at all. "I did not do it in seecret on purpose. It siimply worked out that way, sincce I did most of my training alone." She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "I do not seee what iss so treashured by it, but okay…"

"I doubt a mold would hold the same significancce or beauty you seee with my constructs," she argued, but seemed to be considering it anyway. A myriad of sculpting tools appeared in the air around her. "Hm. If thiss helps me become stronger, I would not be opposed to it."

Testing the waters

She tilted her head once more, a quizzical look on her face. "You like me? How so?" She had gotten the impression most people did not like her.


Kaizen sighed, knowing that this would take some time."How shall I put this? I like you because you are as real as you portray yourself. As abrasive as you are, you are only being true to yourself, even if it's to the detriment of others. And yet, time and time again, you have shown a great capacity to grow and adapt, not just in your combat skills, but your social skills as well. Despite what others think of you, I believe you're actually a nice person, even if most people can't see that." Kaizen walked closer to her, into her personal space, taking note if she would move away to see if she was comfortable with him being that close. "But I know that you're a person of action. So my words may never reach you. So let's how you respond to this. Just so you know, this is not something I do just for anyone, it's a gesture of intimacy for most people." Kaizen took a deep breath and prepared himself for any retaliation he may receive. He has heard of horror stories where people were not only rejected but were physically pushed away with great force. Kaizen opened his arms and wrapped it around her body, giving her a gentle squeeze. She smelled nice.

"Nice? Me?" She snickered. "As if." She leaned back a bit as he stepped close to her, but Vigridis was not one to ever back down. Nor was she the type of girl to get in a tizzy if someone got too close. She felt this big thing envelop around her and hold her. She supposed this 'big thing' was Kaizen. Well it obviously was. "What are you doing?" she asked. To her, he smelled like a strange earthy gunpowder, and like the dirt. But her nose was sensitive, so she had already known that.

"I am giving you a hug. An action of intimacy for a lot of people. You know, like kissing but slightly less." He felt neither of them were ready for that, considering that she probably wouldn't even understand it. "Normally if the other person feels the same way they would return the favor. But..perhaps you don't…" he waited a bit, to see maybe, just maybe she would catch on to the idea.

"I have heard of hugs, I am not stupid, Kaizen," Vigridis reprimanded. "I meant why are you hugging me?" She paused. Then understood. She brought up one of her hands and patted the bug's shoulder. "Do you remember what you asked me? I have a favorable opinion of you. It iss positive."

He smiled once more. It wasn't much, but from a person like her, perhaps that's all he could ask for, for now at least. "Must I say it again? Very well. Because I like you, Vig." He replied before letting her go. In truth he wanted to stay like that a bit longer, but one-sided hugs were fairly awkward to anyone. "Positive huh? How positive?" It was his turn to ask the questions.

"My name iss Vigridis, I don't know how many times I have to tell you.." She mumbled. "Positive. Just positive," she answered with a chuckle.

"Well. I like calling you Vig. Remember, nicknames are a term of endearment." He nodded to himself. "You do know there are varying degrees of positivity, right?"

She pursed her lips, but said nothing more. If he was going to keep calling her Vig, he could do as he wished. But he'd have to get used to hearing her correct him every time. "Oh? How so? What do you mean 'degrees'?"

"People often like some people more than others because of certain qualities. So you saying that have a positive outlook on me can range from liking the color of my shell to wanting to get in bed with me." Kaizen explained before thinking of his next move. "You're always so stoic, never letting anything bother you." She was rarely surprised by anything, so he decided to borrow a secret technique from his good friend Hideki. " But I wonder…. If you can handle the Hideki maneuver!" Kaizen extended his towards one of her breasts. He felt like he understood her enough that she would more likely be impressed by such a bold move then strike him for being a "pervert.".

Vigridis was new to this whole 'liking' something -or someone- thing. But even she held a faint grasp of that. There were people she saw in a good -or perhaps, "okay" light- but she wouldn't say she particularly liked them in any significant way.

She stood there, watching as his hand extended to her chest, grabbing at a piece of her body. Specifically a breast. Most women would be disgusted by such actions -and that included Vigridis, but she just stood there. "Iss that what you want? To grab my breasts?" It was another test.


"Yes" He extended his hand to her other breast. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge, as ridiculous as it may seem. Now his next move entirely depends on her reaction, or lack thereof. "Do you take issue with that?" He gave her a sly grin.

She stared him down as he fondled her. She snickered. "Your boldness iss impressiive. Doing something like thiss to one such as I. I'm shure my grandfather would have smited you down in an instant if he had seeen thiss, or if he knew. But I am not my grandfather. Your bravery iss impressiive, and I shall reward it. Have your fill, brave bug."

"Heh… as I expected…" He had anticipated such an outcome from her. She, after all, wasn't like other girls. "Under normal circumstances, I would love to do just that and maybe perhaps even more...but…" Kaizen release his hands before stepping back. "This insect body is not suited for such...activities. Besides, I dont think you'd find it mutually enjoyable with me in my shell." He couldn't really enjoy it either since even in this form he had limited touch receptors. In truth, this was just a test to see how well he actually understood her. "I shall claim my prize...some other time."

"Oh? Prize now? What prize?" Vigridis asked, her face darkening with a sinister look. "Don't be presumptuous, bug!"

"Presumptuous about what exactly?" Kaizen was utterly confused by her sudden sinister look.

"Claim it if you can." She darkly answered.

Fight of a lifetime

"And what exactly do I have to do to make that claim?" He asked clearly not backing down from the aggression. Whether it be combat or something else, he was ready to follow through with it, not because of the prize but for the challenge it brings.

She gave him a dismissive look. "How should I know? Figure it out yourself, bug." She held up her hand and a silver sword came stabbing down where Kaizen was standing near her.

"Hahhahahahah!" He began laughing out loud as he saw the silver sword coming down on him. He did not flinch, but was instead enthralled by such actions. "If that was an invitation for a challenge, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY ACCEPT!" Kaizen grabbed the silver and began multiple flourishes with it before pointing it towards her. "May I have this dance? Oh great Ashen one?" There was a wickedness in his grin, a tinge of bloodlust and...something else. Tension.

She stared at him for a moment then grinned. A sword appeared in her own hand, one with a fancy, extravagant silver handle, and a large flat blade of white. "Iss thiss what you consiider dancing? I'm partial to that sentiment!" She ended with swinging her blade in a horizontal slash at him.

Kaizen parried the blow with the borrowed blade in hand, his helmet going flipping downwards once more to protect his face and signifying that he was ready to fight. With his superior physical strength, he overpowers the bladelock by pushing against hers, breaking the stalemate before wrapping his free hand around her blade arm's wrist to stop it from moving so much. With his other arm, he releases the silver sword and locks his hand onto hers. "So..what do I get if I beat you?" he asked very cheekily.

"Beat me? Who says that'll ever happen?" Vigridis refuted. Many silver spikes with glowing red tips sprung up beneath him and between them, separating them. Unless he didn't release her and would prefer to get skewered.

She summoned out another sword, staring at him between the spike skewers. Then they went back down and she rushed him to swing her blades at him in a frenzy of slashes that looked wild, but actually were the product of countless hours of training with the sword. He may have had superior physical strength, but Vigridis was not lacking in the physical strength department either.

Kaizen released his grip on her, momentarily retreating and grabbing his mace which was nearby. Upon recovering from the brief retreat, he was instantly met with a hailstorm of slashes from a very vindictive vampire. Using his mace, he would quickly spin it like a quarterstaff to parry the attacks. There was doubt she was skillful with a blade, but Eventually he would counter attack with his own swing, it would be unwise to block or tank such a swing due to the sheer pressure of such an impact, but he was pretty sure Vig would find a way.

One of her swords was knocked out of her hand. But Vigridis didn't lose a beat, nor did she seem to be affected by that. Her freed hand was open and Kaumodaki flew into her hand, replacing the weapon she lost. She planted her foot and took a step forward. Crossing her sword and the mace, she clashed against Kaizen's. Despite her lesser physical strength, her form more than made up for it, not being broken by Kaizen's spin attack. Vigridis pumped more Soul Energy into her arms and her weapons to not only maintain her stance, but to gradually raise her strength. The Soul Energy began sparking and flashing, making her arms and weapons glow.

Kaizen retreated back for a moment, shifting his stance to that of the spear man. He began attacking with powerful thrusting motions with one arm, aiming to shatter her constructs with sheer brute strength. While doing so, he had prepared something on freehand, an insurance in case of a counter attack. On the fifth strike, multiple panels of the mace would slide open revealing the numerous thrusters hidden inside it. A split second later, the thruster would ignite with power propelling one devastating thrust towards Vigridis, being at least 3 times faster than what he had done so far.

The new thrust of his attack clashed heavily against her two weapons and pushed her back, causing the woman to grimace. But she continued to hold. She wasn't worried about her constructs shattering, but was worried about her stance being broken. But no matter.

Suddenly more weapons began to manifest, and began to insert themselves in various directions between his attack and her block. Until it appeared like an entire wheel of weapons was between them. Now Vigridis didn't really need to block at all. The weapons then all morphed together into a huge block of gold, and the center carved out, allowing Kaizen's mace and arm to slide suddenly through, before the block then formed back in and completely encircled his arm, holding it there. Vigridis flew out from behind, forming one of her legendary spears which had a rainbow radiance. She aimed at him and flew towards him in midair, aiming to stab Kaizen and win; beneath her feet, she was standing on a constructed sword that was larger and flatter than the rest -like a platform.

"Heh.." Was this it? Is this how the bugster is gonna die? Unlikely. Kaizen managed to break his other arm free from the block of gold by shedding the exoskeleton on his arm, allowing it to slide out of the block safely.

With both his hands free, he had more options to work with. He moved slightly to side, allowing the spear to over go pass his torso. With his legs he would push himself forward towards the girl for a grappling hug. If succeeded, he would once again fly skywards, taking them both high into the sky. Was he just looking for another opportunity to hug her? Yes but he had other plans.

Unfortunately it would not go quite as he wanted, just as it did not go as quite as she wanted. She attempted to dodge his grapple, only for the sword beneath her feet to sway in the air, the blade sizzling its heat on her feet, and for Vigridis to uncharacteristically lose balance. With that, she fell off and hit the ground humiliated. She pushed herself up and chuckled through her shame, "I am still getting used to thiss technique.." Nothing but an uncharacteristic excuse from her.

"NO TAPPING OUT ON MY PIT!" He shouted to the heavens as he immediately lifted her skywards just as she fell. He had notice that she was acting quite different, taking the failure rather well despite being who she is. Once high in the sky, he decided to hover in the air for a bit. And exchange some choice words to her. "And I am still getting used to trying to court you. Is this considered my win?" he asked her with curiosity. His next actions would depend on her answer.

Firstly, she struggled in his grasp. She flexed her muscles, pushing out on his bear hug. But she couldn't break it. Not even if she had used her Soul Energy-infused strength. She glanced around the sky, then to the ground below, then she calmed and looked into Kaizen's face. "Court me, huh? Kheh, you're really pushhing your luck there, but good luck anyway." She paused. "I guesss so. I foolishly fell, now I am here at your mercy." She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "You have won." It was exceedingly rare for Vigridis to admit such a thing. Though she wasn't against admitting defeat when it happened, even when she lost, she generally waved it away with fancy words. This time she freely admitted it.

"Well….That was….unexpected…" Kaizen could not believe the words he had heard. A few months ago he would never have heard such words from her, and yet here she is saying it. "I would want to claim my prize, but… taking advantage of you like this...seems wrong.." Kaizen's helmet rolled back, revealing his human face, his eyes locking onto hers. "Tell me Vig, do you know what a kiss is?" He asked, there was a bit of shyness in the tone of his voice. Maybe he really was pushing it.

She watched as his helmet rolled back and a face much more similar to her own -that is to say, a human face, appeared before her. "My name iss Vigridis, but you know thiss." She narrowed her eyes briefly. "Just as I know what a kiss iss, of course. Asking such a question of me could be taken offensively, you know? Do I always pressent myself as suchh an idiot that these questions of suchh common things are so frequent?"


"You're really good at killing the mood, you know that?" He chuckled. "Fortunately for you, I am not one to back down so easily. "You still owe me a prize, remember?" He gave her a sinister grin. "Would the great Ashen one be willing to give me a kiss as my prize?" He asked as politely as he could. Theoretically he could just kiss her there and then, but even the bugster had to be gentlemanly as to not take a kiss without permission.

"Iss it really I that ruined -what you call- 'the mood'? Or you who ask a question of me that assumess I'm stupid?" Vigridis retorted. At his question she fell silent, and bristled briefly. "Ah, I seee. That is why you wanted to win so badly, hm?" She didn't seem particularly impressed. "... Are you asking should I give you your prize? Or if I want to reward you with what you ask?"

"Well no.. I always want to win. Anything else is just extra. Not that I am complaining about getting extra stuff." He explained his motives, showing that he didn't really plan any of this and was just winging it. "I'm asking you if you would be willing to give me such a prize." He was of course referring to the kiss. "But I am not opposed to other suggestions should you have any." At this point he would be happy to get anything. In fact he was tempted to just body slam her into the ground.

"Hmp!" She stuck her nose up to the side. She would've folded her arms, too, if she could. But it wasn't possible in this bear hug. "If that iss the prize you desire, perhaps you shhould siimply take it, like the one who rightfully won it, instead of pleading for it, like a poor, lost child crying to their parent."

Kaizen pouted a bit upon hearing her remark but eventually smiled when he fully understood what she said. She was essentially saying yes to it, even if it's in her usual abrasive fashion. Without delay, or even letting her finish her sentence, Kaizen went for the kiss on her lips, letting it go on for a few seconds before pulling back. "I apologize if my performance was a bit lacking, truth be told I don't kiss people very often." He remarked while slowly descending to a lower elevation.

Vigridis had said that, but even she was a bit surprised when it happened. Yet, she did not let that surprise show.. too much. The kiss had been.. fine? She assumed it was, anyway. Neither was she accustomed to kissing people. In fact, she had never done it before. "I shhould hope not. If you were, you would've greatly offended me, as I would have just been another pair of lipss to you, another conquest." She rubbed her lips together, trying to come to terms with how it was. "It wass.. adequate. Though I am no expert on kisssing."

Eventually both of them reached the ground. Kaizen was quite pleased with the turn of events. The fact that she didn't react negatively to his actions spoke volumes at least to him. "I suppose both of us would need more practice in that area huh?" He winked, knowing that she was at least open to such ideas.

"Hmp." She huffed briefly, turning away. "I supposse I should practice things I am weak in, and become an even greater being." That was her way of basically affirming what he said.

"I believed both of us have learned quite a lot from this…"training" session." Kaizen said full of satisfaction as he retrieved his mace. "We should do this more often. Don't you think?" Kaizen felt that was enough training for one day but nonetheless wanted to know if she enjoyed it as much as he did.

"Of course. I am always available for training." Vigridis answered simply, then said, "Claíomh Solais." Holding out her hand. Soul Energy gathered and was formed into the construct of a familiar larger, flatter blade, hovering just before her. It had an unnaturally bright orange glow. The heat of it could be felt on her fingertips. She winced. It was clear she had yet to fully complete and master this technique.

Moar training

"Ah so you're trying to fly as well? Ever thought about making yourself some wings? " Kaizen asked, perplexed on why she would choose standing on a construct instead of simply having wings.

If one knew who Vigridis was, then standing atop a construct, riding it into battle, was not that unusual. "Wings?" she repeated, nonetheless, as if considering it. She decided to test his idea. It took her a moment but constructed wings of light that looked like some sort of wire-frame idea of the concept like out of early cgi in movies or early polygonal graphics in video games appeared on her back. Or rather, right at her back. She frowned.

Kaizen didn't know this, but she was attempting to fly with them. Or rather, to flap them. That's what caused the crease on her face. Finally, the right wing curled up a bit. Then uncurled. It looked slightly unnatural due to the polygon shapes of the wings. Then finally, she managed to move both in the lamest way you could call "flapping." But nothing happened.

"How bout thiss..?" She murmured to herself. Kaizen was witnessing Vigridis's meticulous application of her quirk when she was trying or testing something new. Which she typically did in private. A harness appeared around her chest, then spread to support some of her waist. The harness and wings attached to one another. Then she began to flap them again. Only a few weak, haphazard flaps were evident in her attempt. Before finally she was able to "flap" them convincingly. But she didn't move. "Still no lift, huh?"

"Hmm nothing.." Kaizen took a closer inspection on her wings. "I don't think the issue is it's movement but it's construction. If I had to guess, your wing constructs are much too heavy and are not the right shape. I believe that you are used to making solid and static shapes such as weapons. But wings need to be light and flexible. Hence why you may not be able to fly with them." He explained his deduction to Vigridis, hoping that it would help her in some way. You can try replicating different wing structures and see how that works for you. Or alternatively you could have a jetpack that siphons your power to generate thrust." Despite his suggestion he had a feeling she would not be keen on relying on machines to give her an edge. "Since you can levitate your constructs, couldnt you just make a thin layer of armor over yourself and levitate that?" Theory crafting was one of things Kaizen enjoyed, especially when it comes to quirks.

"I know that." Vigridis immediately responded with, her voice a low, warningly growl. She had gotten used to his presence, but perhaps Kaizen had forgotten just who she was. With that said, she calmed down. Even if she was frustrated. This was how it always went when she first attempted something with her power. "I mean, I know. It will take many attempts of trial and error to find the correct formashun to make wings work."

She smoothed out the wing structure to appear flatter, almost like fabric -or bat-like wings. But they looked more like the edges of weapons. Then she dispersed them into tiny glittery particles. While the hover-board like sword remained.

She heard the excitement in his voice at quirk theory-crafting, so she wouldn't chastise him too much more. She turned towards him. "I could do it that way. Eazily. However, that would be most ineffichient with Soul Energy." To prove her point, she immediately constructed something that looked like a 'jetpack' on her back, holding her with a harness. Suddenly it began releasing heavy "fire" of Soul Energy, and immediately she lifted off into the air. She still wobbled somewhat, not used to this, but the point was made. "All of that iss Soul Energy." She said, turning to show the 'flames' that kept her aloft. She immediately put her feet back on the ground and released the jetpack construct. She laid her hand on the sword beside her. "Thiss already exists, so it doezn't require any more Soul Energy. However, it does require the mental fortitude of controlling it psychically, and my own dexterity to remain on it. Plus.." She removed her hand and shook it. Smoke coming off of her palm and the sword. "Regulating its temperature iss also difficult. And Claíomh Solais iss particularly hot."

"As for that.. Hm, yes. I probably can. But it has the same isshues the sword has. The mental strain and mental might it takes to psychically move myself around will be difficult to master." Vigridis suddenly grew firm with rigid resolve. "Not that that will stop me from doing so! I will eventually master such, make no mistake!"

"I have no doubts that you shall master flight as well." If anyone could do it, it would be her. "Its good to know that you are open to all type of solutions." He smiled, enjoying the fact that she is always trying to improve herself. "Have you tried insect wings? You flap them faster and harder but in exchange they are lighter. In a sense, you need to focus more on the movement rather than the construction." Kaizen opened his wings, showing off to the shape of it and how they fold back no neatly into his shell.

Hearing that, she grinned. "Well, of course!" She nodded. "Who do you think I am? Not mastering all forms of flight would only mean I am weak. As the strongest, I must master all and everything. It iss a prerequisiite to be called "the strongest," she said matter-of-factly. She looked at his display of insect wings and considered it. "They need to be strong enough to lift my weight, but hm, we'll seee."

"Well considering, I am strong enough to lift not only myself but whatever I am carrying into the air. I don't think it would be an issue as long as you get the movement and construction right." He replied, confident she would be able to figure something out.

"Mhm, nonethelesss, it will take a while to master flight with wings. As you said, I am more ussed to objects, and not free-flowing constructs."

"I guess you can always stick to your surfboard sword. Maybe you try skateboarding first to build your balance while on the ground before moving on to what is essentially a hoverboard." Perhaps she can be trained in doing more supposedly mundane things first. Either way, it an interesting to see that even the vampire struggled with certain things.

"Hm. I am not so shure that would help. My balance iss already really good. It mostly comes from how the construct feels in the air, how to mentally control it, and how to withstand wind. Oh and, the heat. I start burning my feet often and that causess me to stumble due to involuntary movement from pain. You do not really need to worry about your skateboard being too hot. But I shhall take your suggestion into consideration."

It was a strange, seeing being so receptive to him, especially since had become so accustomed to her simply slinging dismissive insults at many of suggestions he had given her in past. It was strange but a nice feeling. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you just make the construct not emit any heat? Unless of course the heat is crucial to it's flight or other properties. Alternatively you could just wear boots that absorb heat really well." He had his suggestions, but they were all based on what he knew about her quirk.

"Wearing boots that absorb the heat sounds like a smart thing to do. However, it would only prove I am too weak to control my own quirk," she pointed out. She shook her head. "Most of my constructs radiate with heat. The one I usse to fly iss esspecially hot. I can make it radiate with less heat, but then I losse focus in psychically controlling it. It iss just how it iss. I will work on it and overcome it all, though," Vigridis stated. "I become stronger when faced with a problem, and become stronger by beating back adversity."

"The lengths that you go to to be independent is always impressive. One of your most favourable qualities I would say." Kaizen gave her an honest compliment. "If that is the case, then how about you compromise by making boots that are cold. I seem to recall from one our teammates that you are capable of such a feat." He read one of the team reports, where she conjured a weapon that was cold to touch.

"Kheh.." She grinned. "Thank you. It is why I left that place after all. Why I am here." She tilted her head. "Boots that are cold?..." She hadn't thought of that. "An extra obstacle I would need to endure… Hm! Yes! That may be it! Good idea, Kaizen!"

She thought about what he said, then seemed to understand. "Ah! You mean Boreas." It took her but a moment, but a wickedly curved axe with what looked like a maw of icicles formed in her hand. It was a light blueish hue and the chill from it was obvious, as her hand immediately encased in a light frost.

"Yes, Boreas. The God of winter in Greek mythology. If you could create these cold touch boots, you should be able to balance the temperature out. On top of that you should try making cold steel arrows for your bow to immobilize opponents or at least cool the flame types like Hideki." Such ideas come naturally to him, but whether or not Vigridis was able to utilize them was another matter.

"Indeed!" she said with a smile, glad he recognized her inspiration. "Hm. Yes. That iss a good idea as well!" Vigridis held out her hand and began focusing. She easily created an arrow construct between her fingers, which looked like nothing more than a glass arrow. But then she had to put focus into it to achieve the desired results. Her face strained and strained, staring at the arrow tip. "It appears I still have much training to go. I ushually require a lot of inspiration to create new weapons of different power. My Soul Energy naturally skews hot. Finding the right frigid soul to create the arrow iss.. Difficult."


"Hey dont sweat it, its mostly uncharted territory for you anyways so don't beat yourself too hard on it. Look Vigridis, I don't claim to know what type of environment you grew up in, but I want you to know you don't always have to face your challenges alone. Your friends and are I always willing to help you should you need it." Kaizen paused for a moment before continuing knowing Vigridis would likely take that statement the wrong way. "And before you say it is a form of weakness, know that not all battles can be won alone." And now it was time for the riskiest part of his advice. "I guess what I am trying to say is..I want to be able to rely on you..and vice versa...for you to be able to rely on me." Now it was time to wait. To see how she would react. Perhaps she hate him for showing such "weakness" but it was worth a shot.

Vigridis looked at him, not revealing anything on her face. Then she smirked, "Look! You finally said my name! Kheh heh.." Then she went back to being a bit quieter. "Yeah, huh? Iss that so? You want that, then? Well, you can rely on me if you so wish. It'z up to you."


'Heh would you look at that, you learned a bit of humour." He laughed a bit upon hearing her "unique" laugh. He already did rely on her but he was hoping to hear her say that she would rely on him. But he still did find it adorable that she was able to crack a joke. "Well, let me know if you want to train again, whether it's about fighting or...some other skills, I am your bug!" He gave a cheeky wink before gettin ready to leave.

Her eye twitched briefly. She could be funny! Then, there was a small grin on the woman's usual blank face. "Got it, bug."

Bug Seeks Wisdom from Cat

Kaizen had thought long and hard about where he was headed with this pursuit of a relationship. But he still had his doubts, so many unanswered questions. He thought about asking Agi considering that his relationship is going well, but the idea of him owing him even more than he already did didn't sit well with him so he settled for the next best alternative, asking Mari, the arguably the smartest student in the class.

The bugster made his way to Mari's room and gently knocked on her door. "Hail Mari, its Kaizen. Would you happen to have some time to talk? Its not anything too urgent…but I feel you would have greater knowledge about this topic compared to me.." He patiently waited for her to open the door or at least give him an answer.

"Hmm?" At least her ears didn't have to ponder too long on the footfalls outside her door, with some amusement at his question, it was rare for Kaizen to ask for anything, much less help, both duty and curiosity compelled her to see just what it was he wanted.

"Coming!" With that she gets up from her desk and opens the door. "I would have came to answer for the knock alone, but what is it that you need help with Kaizen?"

"You see.." Kaizen looked left and right to make sure no one else was there before turning to answer her. "I need some relationship advice.. You and Agi seem to be doing well together and I just wanted to know what it would take to make it work that way." His choice of words was confusing, but his intent should be easy enough to understand.

"Hmm, I see, I see, come in and have a seat, I'll make us some tea." She says offering him a place to sit at her tea table. "It might be a bit of a talk, has someone caught your eye?"

"Thank you Mari." He accepted the offer with a smile as he entered the room and took his seat. Kaizen had an oddly serious look on his face despite the topic being relatively lighthearted. "Yes they have. In fact… I have already confessed to her..and we have some semblance of a relationship. She is….odd perhaps just as odd as I am… she can be difficult to talk to and no matter what I say to her my words don't seem to reach her, at least not all the way." While he omitted who this girl was, Mari was probably smart enough to deduce who it was based on his descriptions.

"Oh.." Mari faltered a little on readying the teapot and boiler once she connected all of that, she didn't know about the Alucard's as much as Isa might have, but that was still an interesting topic, given what she had seen of the family up till now. It was her or Katsumi, and that one made Vigridis look approachable.

"Well your first problem is you need communication and a means for both parties to know where the other stands. A relationship has to be two ways unless you plan on buying one.. Though… Given who I think it is I'm not sure words or much in the way of Japan would reach her anyways."

"Yes… that is exactly the issue. I often find myself trying to explain to her concepts which are supposedly easy enough to understand. But I suspect that her "unique" upbringing is the source of this difficulty. Even now, I feel that I need to temper my own actions and expectations when interacting with her as her reactions can be rather unpredictable." Kaizen sighed, feeling that may be the most challenging obstacle he had encountered in his life. "At times, I feel that she likes having someone like her rather than liking the actual person." He took note of the fact that she had never really reciprocated his feelings as clearly as he would like. But maybe that was just his interpretation. "But at the same time, maybe I am just too dense to notice such signs."

"Hmm.." With her ears twitching at that, Mari turns on the boiler and takes a seat. "Maybe that is the best place to start, to see if she is interested in you or just the idea of you. That was something Agi and I had to clear up in our talks. She also is very aristocratic and I cannot say what she may want or hold loyalty towards ultimately. Though I would say with dealing with her you may wish to do the opposite of what you are now. If she only respects strength then being timid with her would likely produce the opposite effect, so on those grounds it may be better to just be yourself. I would not reinvent myself for another, neither should you.. However it is clear you are at an impasse."

"Hmm…" he thought Mari advice and being "himself". While it's true he is almost always seen as a monstrous bug even he eventually realized he too was still human. "If that is the case, wouldn't she only like the warrior part of me and disregard everything else?" He can act as strong as he likes, but even he knows when not to push it. "I am reinventing myself per say, just adapting to her." The bugster sighed, still deep in thought of his next move. "What sort of activities do you two usually get up to?" Kaizen was seeking some inspiration.

"Well all the more reason to show her what you are minus a warrior. Plows have built more than any number of swords. If that is all she's interested in then there is nothing to stop her from just having a child with you for the genetics then running back to Romania." Mari said, unknowingly stating the actions of more than a few Alucards.

"Hmm.." She thought about his later question as the water came to a boil. "We do all sorts of things really, like here lately I had met his family and he mine. But outside of that during our down times I go watch him work in the lab, bring him some lunch, we go into town and do something cheap or I let him up here and we have tea, I even sing to him at times or give him back rubs or massages, he in turn takes me out to do things or makes new things for me. In many ways we aren't alike, but we are in just enough of them that we have a common ground. In your case I don't think any of this applies unless Vigridis decides to be less of a Warrior. I could not ever see her cooking lunch for you without a change.

So maybe focus on what you have in common then introduce her to the waters of other things you may need out of her to see if she can adjust. If the sword is all you two have in common then that isn't much to build off of, and it has to be give and take from both sides, yeah?"

"That is… a disturbing thought." Kaizen responded to her having "stronger children" statement.

As he listened to the activities that Mari and Agi often do together, he couldn't help but feel envious. But at the same time he hated himself for it, it was unfair of him to expect such things from a person who can barely comprehend different types of relationships. "No… I cannot see that either." He responded with a sad tone. Her last few sentences resonated with him well enough. Is that all they had in common? A thirst for battle? But he is so much more than that. "Yes..I understand. Not all relationships are meant to be….but I'd be damned if I were to give up so easily!" He clenched his fist with the resolve he was known for. A small smile forms on his face. "I know what I must do. She deserves my most earnest effort, nothing less. Thank you for your advice. It has been...enlightening to say the least." Kaizen thanked Mari, he was grateful to have a friend who was willing to talk to him about such sensitive matters. "Could you do me a favor. Would mind keeping my relationship a secret? At least until it was more solidified." Kaizen was strangely shy about letting anyone else know about this matter.

"As I said, use what you have for now and build off of what more you need. And see what she needs, though to be honest learning what you need and acting on it may teach her far more than anything else. She seems to have lived a rather sheltered life.. I still have questions in that regard." Mari says, as he went from one low to another high she smiles thinly. "Yes, Agi shot my offer down the first time after all, but once I make my mind up towards something I do not give up so easily. I am sure there is something else you two can build off of, you just have to find it."

At his request she starts pouring the boiling water into her pot, adding in a few leaves. "A red tea this time. And hmm.. I can do that, yes. As long as it doesn't affect the team, maybe I'll even see about putting the both of you on a team that is aimed to meet trouble next time."

"You are much too kind. Thank you." He was delighted to hear that not only would she keep his secret but also play matchmaker if she sees an opportunity, something he completely did not expect. "And rest assured, I will not let my feelings for her affect my personal performance." He of all people knew the importance of professionalism. That being said, he did look forward to a battle date with her, something very appropriate for both of them.

"We've been meeting a lot of more dangerous villains lately." While waiting for the tea, he might as well talk about some more serious topics. "It's an idea I've had a for a while now. Remember that AI from the aquarium? Would it be possible for us to have something like an AI support assistant that would run a database search as we meet the villains as well as collect data on them as we fight them? It could give us an edge in an encounter and help development countermeasures for new villains that have thwarted us "

"Hmm.. Something like that is beyond my means. And the Aquarium one is a special case though she did do that job brief for UA. Our hero phones do to part of that already, more of at a limited scale.. It's mostly a scanner system that looks at the most wanted areas first, then down the list, which takes some time."

"Hmm I see, well I suppose it's better than nothing. I am just tired of us getting caught flat footed by enemies that we have no idea about." He complained a bit, before going relaxing a bit once more. "You got any insider knowledge on the test coming up next week?" He joked, she is after all the class representative.

"Even if I had I wouldn't share it with all of you." She says flatly in response as she pours tea for the two of them. "As to being caught flat footed, that's been the usual for heroes for many years. After all, anyone can just become a villain suddenly. Like that one fellow I ran into. There was nothing in the system about him at all." Mari adds on.

"Hahaha, I wouldn't expect anything less from you." He laughed before taking a moment to blow the hot tea. He held the cup in a strange way, holding it by the entire body instead of just the handle. He took a few sips to savor the taste a bit. "Hmm red tea huh. Reminds me of the stuff my Ma used to make for guests." He reminisce about his younger years where he needed to entertain guests and be a good "bug". But such days were behind him.

"Oh?" She asks at that as she enjoys her own cup. "I prefer tea to coffee, the latter just makes me jittery. So what do you have planned for next Kaizen?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am going to court Vigridis." Kaizen proudly announced with a smile. "I will make her understand! The Apex Bugster never backs down from a challenge!" He said out loud before realising his faux pas. "Ehem, apologies for that. I guess I got too excited. I am probably gonna go training with her and spar a little. I am sure we'll find something to talk about besides just fighting each other." He explained with a bit more clarity.

"Well yes.. But no, what is it you plan to do? Or is that a secret? Do you need suggestions?" Mari says in a simple response.

"I have some ideas.. But please by all means, I would like to hear your suggestions. You've always been keeping an eye on everyone, so I am sure you would have some knowledge about her that I can exploit." he was open to hear her suggestions on the matter. She was after all one of the smartest people in the class.

"Haha, I honestly don't. From what I know of her is what I gather from my higher social circles and what I've seen here. She doesn't eat, her room has very little signs of life, her family is known to be filled with eccentrics that care little for Japan, there are other whispers about that. Otherwise she seems okay with collecting anime figures and likes to fight and strength. Maybe take her to a sports park or an arcade with an outdoors game section like a wall climb or some such. I think that those may be good ways to reach out to her."


"Anime figures huh...I didn't know that…." This was news to him, from what he remembered her room was pretty empty compared to everyone else. Anime figures were the last thing he thought he would find there. "Yes, physical activities are the key to her heart… if she has one.." he said half-jokingly while acknowledging Mari's analysis. "In terms of anime figures, do you notice a certain pattern on what she prefers?" He was looking into the option of procuring a figure or two for her.

"Hmm well me and Isa took her into town to find her a new hobby, she seemed to like Magical girl figures, or that is what she bought at any rate." Mari offers. "Though.. I'm not sure if it is as she liked them or to get us to leave her alone, I'll assume the former."

He couldn't help but snicker upon hearing her interest. He didn't she of all people would like that genre but nonetheless was willing to use this information to his advantage. "Not quite what I expected. But I can work with that." He made a mental note of her preference before continuing his line of questioning. "She doesn't seem to like food.. like at all…. You got any remedies for that? I don't think I've ever seen anyone react so harshly to my cooking.." he remembered that she didn't like eating and instead prefered to feast on soul energy. Whatever that means.

"Well given what she looks like maybe she likes blood, but eh I wouldn't test that out. And I'm even less sure I want to know about this soul energy. Isa would likely get all sorts of riled up over that. And carefully make us of that, if she assaults you out of embarrassment then it is your own fault." Mari says with a smile.

"I see...so.. why exactly does Isa have a problem with soul energy?" He wasn't too familiar with whatever history the family had. "You seem to know a lot more about the Alucards. Do they have a colorful history or something?" Knowing her backstory could help him understand her better.

"Well if it's made out of souls, she is a priestess, even if she is foul mouthed." Laughing a bit at his later bit she stares at him.

"Given they produced two figures of note and there is Vitalis, those three left plenty of examples and all three were in or returned to Romania. Other than that the male figure that is central to that clan is a man of influence in his own country with some pull with figures abroad."

"A foul mouthed priestess isn't the weirdest thing in our class."He laughed at the concept. He had a hunch they were from a wealthy family but not to that extent. "Ah… so she probably wasn't kidding when she said her grandfather would destroy me on sight." He laughed awkwardly, thinking about what he did to her. "So are they like royalty or something? I knew they were rich, but having an entire country under your thumb is taking it to a whole nother level." He still found that to be hard to believe.


"Ha, Royalty. They are just a self important family cult that uses power to its advantage.. Though I'm not sure if they have the whole nation under their thumb or not. Nor do I wish to find out. Though in your case you might learn more of these things. There is much to question with that family. I cannot tell you how to live your life, I can only say that I have little interest in learning more." Mari says, sitting down her tea cup.

"Hmm I see you're not overly fond of them. But given how some of them are… I can't really fault you." Kaizen replied as he finished his tea. "Thank you for the tea and time, Mari. Honestly, I was afraid you wouldn't even entertain such trivial matters from me and I am glad I was wrong." He was grateful for a friend who was willing to give him honest advice. "I now have a clearer picture of what I need to do." He got up and smiled while clenching his fist.

"Well good luck and it's not a problem Kaizen, I wish you luck.. Or a calm landing should that fail, but yes just try and reach out and see what it is that you need and what she may need." She says, collecting both cups.

Kaizen left her room feeling satisfied and eager to apply his newfound knowledge onto his next encounter with the vampire.

Buggy Revelation

Kaizen would find himself summoned to a rather peculiar spot on this day he had been requested to the police HQ along with Principal Amagi as his chaperone. As the Principal guided him into the main building they had been for most of the trip silent, but now that they were here she finally spoke.

"You remember your mission involving the Chaos Emeralds heist, and the murder of the transportation Head Ogumari Otoshi," She asked naming the squid man who had been the only death reported from the scenario.

Kaizen wondered why the principal was looking for him. He was honestly worried he had done something wrong again. Much to his surprise, it was about a previous incident from a while ago. "Yes I remember, many of the villains got away and Vitalis was the one that found Mr Otoshi. What about it?" He was wondering what was the significance of this man, and why did she bring him of all people.

"Well something awhile back was found inside the man as evidence which rather intriguingly lead to a coincidence with the profilers looking into on your background. Before you jump the gun no your not in any for of watch or trouble, but they think yo may be able to help identify something as your clan is well a bunch of shut tight assholes," Amagi spoke rather blunt on the matter as they made it past a few security check points before entering a evidence room with a single coin on the table on a tray.

"More directly we would like you to answer if you know anything about this join," the detective of the case asked motioning Kaizen with some rubber gloves so he could touch it." It was found behind the man's eye of all things," the detective explained.

"Interesting choice of words." The bugster chuckled a bit upon hearing her remarks about the clan. He turned his attention to the coin presented to him. The small details such as the insignia and unique construction of the coin all point towards a myth and legend taught to all clan members during homeschooling. Though it was treated more like a myth than actual history.

"This coin… it's like a calling card..for a certain killer.. They hunt those who have left the clan and leave this in their corpse as a warning to others…" he knew of the myth and it seemed that the evidence had lined up with it. "I would normally chalk this up to copycat killers, but… looking at this coin, it's something that was made a long time ago… long before I was born which is….disturbing to say the least. I don't recall this man being part of the clan, but if the legends are to be believed, there is a possibility that he was related to deserters." If this myth is true, than it would mean that he was a target for this killer as well which he found to be both terrifying and intriguing. "Did you find anything else of note in the crime scene?"

"No, but the man was able to draw some blood from his attacker the DNA matches no one in our system at all, but does resonate with Elephant DNA so more than likely an animalistic quirk user revolving around that particular animal line," the detective answered.

"No… it can't be… two weeks ago… I fought an elephant man of some sorts. He seemed like he was very familiar with the ways of the clan, he even knew my name and my ways…" Slowly Kaizen put the pieces together and realized hey may very well just had a close run in with the bogey man of his clan. "In any case thats all I can tell you. But if the myth is to be believed, I may very well become one of his targets." he answered while rubbing his chin with anticipation.

Before Kaizen could very well get that last sentence out of his mouth Amagis hand slapped him upside the head killing the line from being heard by the Detective or worse off the security recorder.

"All info for that mission is already on police record case file #4568721," Amagi expressed to the detective who was curious why the boy had got hit, but didnt seem to have the time to care questioning it as Amagi was just that way. As the two walked out of the police station Amagi spoke silently.

"YOu dont go around saying shit like that unlease you want to be pulled off your training, and missions. Cause words like that will land you in police protection for months since your not a official hero yet," she sighed rubbing her temple as this was something he damn well should have known already from class.

"Better get on Ota's ass about slackers," she evilly teased glaring at Kaizen for his reckless words.

Kaizen was surprised by her sudden actions but soon realized the gravity of what he had said. But considering Kaizen's personality, he often takes such things very lightly especially when it only concerns his own life. In that regard, he was very selfish. "My apologies, Principal Amagi. I will choose my words more wisely next time." Despite all that had happened, he couldn't help but feel excited and terrified for the next clash. A mythical figure hunting him? An opportunity for greater glory or nightmare made material? "So what happens now principal Amagi?" He was ready accept whatever consequence he would receive. If the myth was to be believed, he sure nothing will stop his faithful reunion with this reaper.

"Huh? Oh ya, better talk to your parents about this your clan's very close-knit on its history so if this is something dealing with that you need to dig for info, and share it with Ota, and your class. As I doubt this will stay to just you," Principal Amagi answered.

"Well I'm not exactly in good terms with the clan at the moment.. but given the severity of the situation, I will talk to them about it." Thanks to their meeting at the hospital, Kaizen was much more willing to talk to them as of late. He suppose he has Agi to thank for that. The last thing he wanted was other people getting hurt by his actions. "And I assume you are fine with continuing to part of the regular missions?" She didn't exactly say he would be pulled out of team but it was definitely a possibility. Would his parents even believe him if he told them?

"Yep being a target is a very common thing in the hero society thus this is something you will have to manage someday," Amagi bluntly answered though their would be proper protocols put in place with this info know known.

"Hahaha!" He couldn't help but chuckle with anticpation. "My apologies. That was not quite the response I expected, but nonetheless, I am thankful that you would allow me to continue. This will either be a harsh lesson, or an opportunity of a lifetime." Perhaps he was just being too optimistic about this, but he didn't see any downsides to this at all. If he dies, he would be known as one of the few in his generation to have an opportunity to fight the reaper. But if he wins, his will solidify his name as the one who bested the reaper. It's a win-win situation for him. As long as no else gets in his way, there is no downside to this situation.

"Do realize you will have a team to handle this with you, and if you try to force a one on one for moronic glory there will be consequences," the Principal reminded him as they walked.

"Oh but of course. But if the myth is to be believed, what we do will only prolong the inevitable. And frankly speaking, I'd rather not endanger my teammates for my sake." He knew there was consequences but he just wasn't willing to let his teammates take any more hits for him.

"You really like insulting your teammate's capabilities I notice. I keep seeing it pop up on your team reports you try to burden everything rather than allow your team to do its part. You try to play the perfect tank, and in doing so seem more to trying to hog the combat than play shield. Mind explaining that," Lazarus harshly asked.

"If that is how you see it, then I apologize. I do not doubt my teammates ' capabilities. But I do not want them getting hurt on my behalf. For every blow I take, is an opportunity for them to strike. I do not feel pain to the same extent as they do, and I am able to recover from grievous injuries more easily. Essentially. I am the perfect meat shield. That being said, I understand your concern with regards to hogging the combat, it is something I've been working in my entire life. But for the sake of everyone I will strive to be better. " Kaizen didn't seem to be shaken by her harsh tone. Kaizen had been fighting alone for years, even going as far becoming a meat shield for important officials. It was in grained into him to always be in front of everyone. To take all the punishment and return in tenfolds.

"I only see it that way because that's how it comes off Kaizen. Think of it like this if you are the shield then what's the point of letting you play the sword. You should stick to your role of blocking for that's what you do. Why should other more offense-styled people let you attack when you are simply a shield," Lazarus asked putting it a different way the bug could get.

"All roles do not lock someone's capability. Sometimes the shield must play the part of the sword while the sword plays the part of the shield. You have to let them carry the burdens just as much as they let you carry there. If you don't then theirs no mutual understanding on the field, and everyone questions what they should do," Lazarus further explained as they halted at the light.

"Hmm..." The bugster contemplated her words for a short moment before forming a reply. " Very well. Your words have reached me. You have given me a lot to think about." He replied, acknowledging his shortcomings and "main character" syndrome that he had been portraying. He just didn't want his friends getting hurt unnecessarily and he didn't care how many times he must break himself or his enemies to achieve his objectives. But perhaps that in a way shows that he does have some sort of superiority complex, believing that only he is worthy of taking the hits. "All I can promise you is that I will do better next time."

"And that's all one can ask you to do," Amagi smirked as they headed back to the school.

 

[Moonlight]

Ren Abiko

Interaction: @Thaleko

Weakness

Ren sighed, as he moved to find Vigidris. He didn't hate the girl, but after their last mission, he was starting to understand why some people didn't like her. She was…in his opinion, not a team player, making her the weakest link of their class. It was something that he had to understand or make her understand. If she was going to make any improvements on the field, she was going to need help. It was a lot easier to improve with a team than alone. And when he found her, he sighed, before he approached, "Vigidris. I would like to talk to you, if you have a chance.?" he said, as he went up to her. Taking the moment as a way to calm and ready himself for this conversation.

"Talk? What about?" The silver-haired woman asked, turning to look at him. She was just on her way to train.

Ren paused, for a moment before he said, "You and the fact that you don't fight as a teammate. I noticed you tried to be the one to take on the Nomu alone. It is clear that you lack the will to work as a team, I want to understand why? Because right now, you are the weakest link in our class." he bluntly stated.

She narrowed her eyes. She felt a bit of rage bubbling to the surface. "What do you mean 'weakest link'?" she asked. She had vaguely heard the statement before, but had never bothered to really care what it meant.

Ren looked at Vigidris seriously, "I mean, you make the team you are in handicap. You force them to pick up your slack because you are out being a solo….I have no idea what to call you. And if you don't work with your team, you are the one that is going to get yourself killed or worse, your team and civilians. You make your team weak and that makes you the weakest ink in the class. The reason we will fail, if we can't carry your weight." he stated, he had to be honest, explaining it this way was a little mean, but his point was to get her to understand his way, so she could explain and he could understand hers. There had to be some equal ground, if they could just get to understand each other, right?

Vigridis stepped closer to him, radiating anger. "Huh?! What do you know? You deduced all that from one single misshin together? One where you didn't even have a direct line of ssight with me? That's mighty presumptuous of you! I'm from Shiketsu. All we did there and all we learned there was how to work as a team." She hissed. Her eyes flashed silver. "I know how to work as a team. I've saved plenty of you classsmates siince coming here. Don't start with me. You don't know anything. It'z you, who doesn't know how to make use of my strength. If you fail because you cannot handle me, then that'z on you. I won't lower or weaken myself to fit into whatever mold you have in mind for me." She turned to go, she saw no reason to continue talking.

"I got that from your words, more than your actions." He told her, "You said you were the hero, but you forgot that we are all heroes. You said you had to save us, but you were part of a distraction team that couldn't keep Numo distracted. You decided that you would not follow orders, I heard you say you should defeat it, which was not what Agami-sensai ordered. If you could play as a team, we shouldn't have to make use of your strength, you should make use of your strength to match the team's needs. That is how being on a team works. I am trying to understand why you think someone else has to help you be part of a team, when it is your job to take a part in a team." he sighed, to keep him tone calm, "You are the weakest link because you don't know how to fit in a team, Shiketsu might have wanted to teach you how to work as a team, but they failed with you. You can't work in a team when you think you are the strongest, because I know a few other students that probably could take you on and beat you. Just from what I have seen. You are not the strongest and you can not work as a team. Walking away doesn't change that and it just makes the point that you would rather be in your way, right, then to understand my side, as I am trying to get you to and for me to understand yours." he called to her.

"I didn't say I would save you. I jusst said I would kill that thing," Vigridis refuted, annoyed that he was putting words in her mouth. "You shure like to run your mouth, don't you? I didn't fail in disstracting it, it got scared of me and ran away. Ran to you guys, where I wass not at. That wass not my fault, I wass ordered away from everyone. And I am the strongest. Even if I am not right now, I will be. My strength iss absolute."

Ren sighed, "You said you would be the hero, what do you think a hero does? And you couldn't kill that thing, I doubt it was scared of you though. I saw fear in those things, but it wasn't because of you. Kikyo's mirror clones were immune to it and actually did some damage when we were trying to do our job. It ran back to you, because it would rather deal with you then her. I don't think it saw you as much of a threat when we were the ones who had the means to stop it, that is why it ran away. Maybe you are the strongest, but right now, you are not. And you aren't much of a listener either. You are defending yourself without trying to understand what I am saying or help me understand why you can't work as a team. The team is not designed to cater to your style, you are supposed to change for the team. I don't understand why you think you are the strongest, but to me, you are the weak link and you refuse to change that. If you keep going solo, when you fail again, there may not be a team there to pick up the slack. You need to grow with a team, it is the quickest way to get stronger." he told her before he smirked, "And I may run my mouth, but it's only because I care about the team and you. I want you to grow, but if you want to stay the same, I welcome you to it. But you will fail alone." he warned.

"At leasst you admit it," she said. "You done?" She asked, glancing back at him. "If I killed that thing, then I would have saved you as a 'hero', no?" Rhetorical question. It was obvious the answer to that. "It did not return to me. It ran away from me when I pinned it down and stabbed it. That'z when it felt fear and fled when it could. Most heroes run solo, for the record. While they say "it'z nice and better to work as a team," that often siimply izn't the reality. Reality iss, as a hero, you need to learn how to defend and fight for yourself. Otherwisse you will die a weakling. No villain iss going to wait for you to pair up or call for backup. Only those that can handle themselves solo in all situashuns can truly call themselvess strong. Neither does having a team at your back mean you're invinciible either. Although, as I have said, I have shielded plenty of our classmates in real fights. But that iss coincidencce, and iss due to my power, which you shhould honestly be thankful for. If I had been weaker, the monster would've attacked your team quicker, and then who knows if you would've been able to succeed then. You cannot always expect a shield to materialize between you and the enemy. You must learn to fend for yourself."

"I guess I am. You are close minded from what I can tell, I see how you and Vitalis are related. You believe in your way and no other way is an option. I told her she would be a villain at some point and I warned her to be careful. I hope my warning to you doesn't come true." Ren sighed, he understood that Vitalis and Vigidris were from the same line, but since Vigidris was still on their side, he hoped that she was different. But she seemed as close minded as Vitalis was. "Don't worry about me, I have fend for myself long enough to deal with anything coming my way. And I will avoid trying to help you, it seems like you have two options that I can't hope to help you with. I hope all that happens is you lose to a villain. Just try not to follow Vitalis' lead or get yourself killed. I hate being right." he commented, "Have a good day, Vigidris. May the guardian you believe in watch over you and bring you home safe every day." he said. It was a blessing he had mixed up, to open it to others. He hoped that he was wrong, and that Vigidris would never know the worse side of a hero, or be left behind in power.

"I bet you couldn't get through to my cousin with your condescending, 'know-it-all' attitude either, huh? Yeah, my cousin never responded well to that. I only listen to people who have proven themselves worthy of being heard." She snorted. None of what he said had any merit. Nor did she believe in some "higher power", she only believed in herself. Praying was an act that had no meaning. "What iss it you want from me?" she questioned, wondering what his purpose in speaking to her was.

Ren shrugged, "To be the best you can be. It might come out as knowing it all, but I have seen many heroes, I have learned from a lot of different people. I feel like something might happen, and I try to stop it, if it might hurt the person. And your words here and then are the same. People shouldn't prove anything to you, that is not how making friends work. Nor is it how you don't end up alone." he frowned, "If that is the only way for you to take my warning to heart, then all I can do is watch and hope it doesn't come true. Because I don't care if I have proven myself to you. I care that I help others that need me. I would rather not be worth listening to then to hurt someone when there is another way to save them. Thank you Vigidris. I will not try to help a relative of yours or you again." He sighed deeper. He wasn't sure how they expected him to be, but he wanted to help and as Vigidris seem to show, it was because her family was close minded to others that didn't prove themselves to them. Something that made he feel like they liked being a lone.

"Oh~?" Vigridis began in a slightly mocking tone, brightly smirking. "How very consiiderate of you. What do you feel, pray tell, may happen? And how will you try to stop it? What do you claim I shhould do to be best I can be?" She cocked her head a bit. "You're contradicting yourself. You esspouse about working together, yet claim there iss no need to prove yourself to another. Are those not conflicting thoughts? If you do not prove yourself to someone, how can they trust you? What a 'hero-like' thing to do and say! 'I will not help you again!'" She laughed lightly. "Seee? That'z the differencce between you and I. You get offended over nonsensse and then take it out on the other party in punishment. Yet I, the strongest there iss, do not hold such frivolous grudges. I may hate you with every fiber of my being, but I would still save you, because that iss what the strongest does. Have fun being angry and upholding your strange creed of 'I will not help you'."

Ren smirked, "No. to work as a team doesn't mean you prove anything. You never proved anything when I worked with you. But no, I will not help someone that thinks they are the strongest because they decided it. You will never learn to stand on your own two feet if you can't work in the setting you place yourself in. You are weak in my eyes and to you, you are the strongest. I'm not upset, I just don't want to have to explain to you why I pity you. You will understand when I am upset, it is the only time I can not control my quirk. I can't help you, Vigidris, you will never be the best. You will never be the number one hero or even strong enough to take the spot from even the current number one. The strongest does not play for the weak, saving them. Don't save me, please. It will only give me hope for you. And I fear that will only cause me to pity you more." he sighed, again. He wasn't sure if she would understand what he meant, she had not listened or understood anything he had said so far, so he bowed. "Good day, once more. Do not help me, for I will not help you. A hero has to know when something is lost, you are lost and I have to step back before I end up just as lost. It would only stop me from saving those I can." he said before giving her a smirk, before he turned away. He couldn't say anything more, he wished her the best, and wished that he could help. But it seemed that she was not the type to take advice from someone.

She sighed and shook her head. And Vigridis was not really known to sigh. It was just that exasperating to talk to this individual. "I am ussed to people hating and loathing me. I am ussed to their hateful, negative, ignorant comments. Yours are no different, and hold just as much weight; that iss, none at all." Then she laughed. Heartily laughed. "Yet, you are very odd! You do not want to be saved? You'd rather die? Oh, yes! How very amusing! That'z the first thing you've said that hass any bit of reason behind it! You finally admit to your own pride! Ha ha ha!" She shook her head, and wiped a tear. "Most amusing. Everyone wants to be saved in some regard. Even if they say they do not. Though, most would not ever say "Do not save me," as that iss nothing but nonsensse. Even I would not say that. I rather like my life. I may be angry I had to be saved, but I would never say "Do not save me," to another, as it iss so utterly ludicrous! Yet you say it with such conviction! Ha ha ha! Oh, Ren. Your name iss Ren, yes?" This was the first time she had bothered to remember. "I am sorry, I cannot carry out your request," she said, holding her hand out towards him, then clutching it closed. "I will save you when the time comes. Regardlesss if you would prefer death. That iss my nature. I am not so weak I would allow even one such as you to die. Though you would not appreciate it I am shure, I will say "You're welcome" in advance." She blithely shrugged. "And do not worry with saving me. Oh, it iss not that I am like you, and deny wanting saving, no. It will siimply be unnecesssary." She said while smirking.

Ren paused for a moment and sighed, he would not allow himself to be saved, he would have to push his quirk to its limit. He moved to continue to walk away. To him, Vigidris would always be weak. He couldn't help her anymore and he would do what he could not to help her. He only hoped to keep his resolve when she was in danger in front of him.

"Kheh." So he had nothing left to say? Or he couldn't figure out what to say next. And he was the one who came up to her to talk. Talk was cheap anyway. It did not matter if he 'thought' she was weak, or said she 'wasn't the best'. He was not the arbiter of such things, and never would be. She turned and went back to training her new techniques that she had worked on with Kaizen.

 

[Nim]

Diamond Complains

After hearing about where Ota was, Aika went to the office and knocked on the door "Ota-sensei, are you here?" She called out to him. There was something that had been slightly bothering her from before already, but now, after the last mission, there was yet another topic she wanted to discuss with him. She had told him about Mitsuo before, so she felt like she should tell him about what happened with Iniji during the mission too. She contemplated confronting the boy directly, but if this was another case of a spy in the class, then she didn't want to tip him off.

"Hmm? Ah yes, come in." A male voice says from the door beckoning her inside. Once she did so, Aika would find her teacher with a cup of tea or coffee on his desk in the teachers workroom which had a few others but they seemed busy with their own things or gone. "What can I do for you?"

After entering the office, Aika briefly glanced at the other teachers, before fixing her gaze on him "Well, I wanted to ask about something and also let you know of something. I first wanted to ask about the teams. I can tell you are grooming those that show more potential to leading teams, but what about the rest of us? How are we supposed to even try and see if we're fit if you won't even give us a chance?" She asked, crossing her hands as it seems to have been on her mind for some time.

"Hmm." Ota says as he listens stopping with his work for the time being. "To answer your second and third question, we look for factors outside of hero work, such as social acceptance, agreeability or team chemistry. There are some people who we see as problematic in a team lead position when they can't even be open with their own classmates. Then there is the burden of command. People have died in some of the other classes or been hurt or dropped out. Could you carry such? Knowing a choice of yours can lead to danger? What about those you care for, can you send them into danger without hesitation and focus on the mission in front of you, can you live with that?"

Asking his own questions, Ota smiles a bit before standing to his feet. "There may be times we try switching some of you around, to give some of you a chance, but understand this is no children's game of picking the leader. Could you say you would follow Vigridis? Can you say the rest would follow you? One day we may see about that with the two of you but such thing needs thought put behind it, Mari as an example has her position because she can carry that weight and as she has.." Pausing a bit to think of a good word, Ota continues. "Realizations as it were to our world."

"As to the rest or even the debate on this, I think we should take a walk." Rising to his feet, Ota leads Aika out of the room and into the mostly empty halls waiting for her to speak.

Watching stand up and offer her a walk, Aika begin walking alongside him before speaking up again "Personally, on the field, I put any feelings on the side. Doesn't matter if I love or hate someone, I gotta have my priorities set." She started, before briefly thinking back to the last mission "And as far as I've seen and heard, people will always find reasons to not follow others, or to complain, and so forth. But that doesn't mean they don't follow. A person who has the right qualities can lead regardless. But without giving everyone the chance, how will we know who can handle it or can't? Everyone can end up being a diamond in the rough." Aika stated.

"And that is where the problem lies. Your missions will only be harder from here on out. So such openness may come at a cost. Some missions I cannot allow for a flexible lead, but on others I'll see what I can work out with Mari and the Principle."

As they walked along he grunted a bit. "I Assume you are here about Iniji. We do record all of your comm traffic after all."

Listening to his response, Aika still didn't feel content with his answer, but she understood him. If a mission was as serious as the one where they had two defects and one student went berserk, then they needed solid leadership. When the second topic was raised, Aika nodded "Yeah. I didn't know if I should confront him, seeing how we did have one spy in our midst before, and he basically confirmed he had a connection to other villains. So it's definitely caused me to worry, and think about something else too." She said, looking at him.

"We are well aware of his situation. He in a manner requested this." Ota says in flat reply, cutting to the chase. "It is unfortunate what has happened to this class but this one goes over both our heads."

Staring at Ota after his response, Aika was in disbelief for a moment. A student had connections to villains and that was all they could say? "Well, excuse my language, but that is some bullshit. Last time I saw a fellow student talk to a villain, they went rogue. And even if she threatened him, for all I know, it could've been some stupid act! And if it wasn't, it means that someone wants him dead! Keeping us in the dark, in this case, will just lead to another bad case like how it was with Vitalis!"[/color] Aika complained to him.

Stopping in her tracks, Aika rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed "I don't like this. Not one bit." She said, lowering her hand and sighing "I came to you because I trust you, Ota-sensei. But honestly? This is making it just harder to keep the trust in the school." She said.

"The case is not that simple, but should I be the one telling his tale?" Ota asks simply. "He came to us, or rather to my superiors and offered what he knew for a second chance, those in command agreed to it. If you plan to stay in hero-ing or go into ANVIL you will see more than a thing or two you do not like. I cannot say I like keeping you all in the dark, but just imagine if I went "Hey, Iniji here used to be a terrorist but sold his former bosses out because of the guilt of his crimes, welcome him to the team." Are you saying that it would all just go over well?"

"I also told him his secret would not be possible to hide for long, but Iniji is the one that should tell you all, if you want to argue the decision the Principle and the head of ANVIL is where that decision lies." Ota says in reply. "There was always an element of politics in hero society and society in general. That has not changed."

Listening to his explanation, Aika put a finger to her temple "Well, it doesn't sound good. But at least I know the truth now." She said, before she sighed once more "And I do try to get the political aspect of things. It is more that after what happened that keeping stuff like that feels wrong. But, you are right. It is more for Iniji to tell others. His story and all that. And I am definitely in no place to argue against the principle and the head of ANVIL."

Aika shook her head a bit "I won't go tell no one about Iniji. We already got enough stuff that shook us up recently. But before we end, I did want to suggest, maybe try asking Iniji if he knows anything about that villain that fought Mitsuo and me? I still want to bring Mitsuo in and slap some sense into him before sending his ass to prison if need be, and any bit of information could help track him down. That villain is the only lead I could think of." Aika told him "And thanks for sharing that still, Ota-sensei. I know you could've still gone and told me nothing." She nodded to him.

"I can tell you right now that he likely does not. Or if he did so it was in relation to it. More of the truth than this should be from him and I rather you act as you wish, second guessing yourselves at this point will only lead to more losses. From what we gathered in the follow ups to Mitsuo's..defection.. He for whatever reason joined an order of Assassins that used to work for the number one. Given what they are, we still know little. Iniji on the other hand worked for what amounts to a cult. Such people have a way of making those who have fallen to believe they have a place to be… They also do not take kindly to betrayals. I'll give Iniji an opening to tell his story to you all, but I cannot force him into doing so. Your team knows the truth and unless they went to the Principal, you were the only one who came to me. As I told you at the start of the year, I would rather you all develop the means to think and decide on your own than being just toy soldiers to follow commands.. And if the latter is all you wish to be, I would like for that to be what you decided.

Iniji's secret cannot be hidden for long. He has angered those he once served, they shall come for him and I will not have you all die from sheer ignorance."

As she heard Ota explain what they did learn, Aika lowered her gaze somewhat, disappointed that it couldn't serve to help gain further intel, and that they already had a lead. An order of assassins. And Iniji worked for some cult. While she did have some more thoughts on the matter, she didn't raise them, letting him finish speaking "Right. Well, that's reassuring at least. That you won't let us die of sheer ignorance." Aika said, bringing her gaze back to him "And I definitely have not decided yet that I want to be a soldier that only follows orders. But anyway, you answered my questions and explained things. Thanks for that." She said, and begin turning around, before looking back at Ota "Could you keep me involved with details about Mitsuo? I do want to kick his ass personally if I can."

"Heh." He says at the last bit, venturing a smile. "I'll see what I can do. The Principle seems set on keeping your group into both of these problems, a meeting is set for later today on all of that, though you didn't hear that from me. I will be digging up what information I can on both groups. Having all of the groups reporting in and supporting one another has had mixed results. To rectify this I'll be giving more detailed briefings where able." With that he heads for the vending machine and gets a melon soda, one for the two of them and tosses one over to her. "For now, if you wish to track down Iniji or wish to enjoy your break, I suggest you do so. More work awaits."

Catching the soda, Aika looked at it briefly before opening it and taking a sip "Right. I've got some other plans for the break. So again, thanks Ota-sensei." Aika told him with a nod, before heading off. So they had some plans set in motion already. Not surprising. But at least Ota planned on providing more details when possible. Taking another sip, Aika couldn't help but think that her teacher had a bit of a peculiar taste with sodas.

 

[Moonlight]

Haya Kimura

Interaction: @EmperorsChosen

The Talk

Haya's mission was pretty much a failure before it even started, but that was something that she would not be able to help. For now, she sighed as she sat on the mattress that laid on top of her bed and thought about something else. A lot had happened at the festival, even if she didn't really do much and was blind. She had an adventure and wasn't sure how to move everything around to make a clear picture of everything. So, she figured she would start from the beginning.

She got up and started out the door, down the hall to the stairs and to the first floor, only to head back up, on the boys' side. She was going to find Kuroi. She had thought about what he could be wanting to talk to her about and nothing really made as much sense as just asking him. It was the best idea. Please, they had been friends for a while, it would be interesting to see how he kept his room. So that was where she headed. When she arrived, she knocked and waited. His heartbeat was something she could find anywhere in the dorm, she was sure, and right now, it was here.

Kuroi's mission could've gone better, but it also could've gone worse. He had a bruise in his abdomen from where he was hit, but other than the soreness that came with it, he was fine and recouping in his room. That was until he heard a knock at his door. He was a bit surprised to see it was Haya when he opened the door, though he supposed they hadn't really talked since the festival.

"Oh, hey Haya," He greeted simply. "What's up?"

Haya could feel the way he moved, something hurt and she frowned for a moment. She wasn't sure if now was a good time for this conversation. She still had no idea what it was that he could think was so bad that she might not feel for him. But she took a deep breath before she faced him, "I thought we should have the talk you mentioned." She stated.

Kuroi visibly deflated a bit at that, recalling that he brought it up. It was about as good a time as any, he supposed, but he was still taken aback by it. "Ah… sure, come on in." At the very least, lizard guy was gone and Yori knew everything, so he didn't have to worry about anything leaking to his neighbors. She could also leave at any point if she so chose.

Stepping back so she could enter, he shut the door and made his way back to his bed. Rubbing his eyes a bit as he considered how to begin the "talk". "Oh… are you doing okay from your mission, by the way?"

Haya nodded as she moved in his room. She could notice his demeanour change. This talk was something but she still was in the dark about just what could be so serious. But she moved to sit at the corner of his bed and turned her head towards him. "We got there too late to stop the villain from killing everyone but Katsumi managed to save the last cop. The villain seemed to be playing with us and it was a sound quirk something like mine. So, honestly, it was a terrible mission and our team was not designed to handle the villain. But we got out with much trouble after we upset the villain and it left. What about your mission?" She asked. She didn't think to mention that the villain could have killed them at any point. And she wasn't sure why it hadn't. Or Iniji's relationship with the villain. That was something for Iniji to talk about.

"Ah…" Well, that wasn't a good distraction from the current topic. "Okay, more or less. The biggest hit was to Yori's pride, I think…" He said, explaining without doing so fully. It was a far cry from Haya's death-filled assignment. Unfortunately, the topic of morbidity wasn't done with.

"Right… right…" He murmured, pushing himself to actually get on with it. "Um… well, my family's not really normal… and not the not normal like your family where they don't like steak for some reason. Remember that villain you said your uncle saw on T.V. and hated? With a quirk like mine?" He asked, exhaling softly in pause. "...I can't know for sure, but, that probably is my dad."

Haya tilted her head slightly, "That was a hero….I think." She corrected. She thought it was a hero. But Kuroi said it was a villain….his dad? She thought for a moment, "So….you dad is a villain? Is that why you thought of being one too?" She asked. It would make sense, but if Kuroi's dad was a villain and Kuroi joined ANVIL….Haya wasn't really sure why it would matter about his fatter.

"No. The villain thing is me being worried I'll step wrong and get classified. I don't want to be one, but there's some people watching me more closely than others," Kuroi stated before nodding. "But yes, he is. Or was. So was my mom. Pretty bad ones too; the only reason they're not arrested is because by the time ANVIL found them, they already had my sister and me and hadn't done anything since."

Haya nodded as she listened, "So they were both villains?" She grew silent. So people were watching him closely. And he was afraid that would lead him to be labelled like his parents? It took a moment of silence and some thinking. That was his concern? The silence was a little longer than Haya meant for it to be but she reached her hand out to take his. "Then we will just make sure they understand you aren't one." She finally said. "You can't choose your parents but you have done a lot of good and shouldn't be defined by their bad. Besides, you love your mother for sure and she may be a villain but there is some good in her if she had you. You are good and your sister is good. From what you say, the twins could use some work. But I will help you." She assured him with a smirk "So you won't be labelled a villain."

Kuroi stayed silent as she did, not looking at anything in particular until he felt the touch of her hand. He glanced at it, before her, then went back to staring ahead, though he reciprocated the grasp a bit. "They weren't run of the mill villains. They were part of that terrorist group of Akio Kara's that led to ANVIL's foundation. Hell the guy's technically my grandfather."

Part of him felt like life would be less stressful if they had just robbed a bank or something. "If that was my dad your uncle saw on the TV, he's only been broadcasted like that once when the group killed the old prime minister and a bunch of civilians. It's not…. They didn't just jack someone's purse or something," Kuroi said with a choppy sigh. "My mom doesn't believe in any of that stuff anymore; she is good."

Haya nodded as she listened, so his parents killed the old prime minister. They killed many people. She could only guess what kind of people. They were dangerous, if it took ANVIL so long to catch them. "What happen to them? I mean, if they were in prison you would have mentioned that. So, when ANVIL caught up to them. What happened?" She asked, keeping hold of his hand. Her father told her she would meet many kinds with pasts that were complicated and difficult. She would have to understand that they were not their past. And now she understand his warning. She wouldn't have been able to guess that his parents were villains. "Is this why you avoided talking about your parents when I asked before?" She asked curiously.

"My dad was in prison a couple times, but they broke him out," Kuroi clarified. "Isa's mom was in the U.A. class they targeted. She was also one of the ANVIL agents that found them. Like I said, the only reason they were cut loose with restrictions is because they had us already and hadn't acted up. My mom also lost the quirks she had access to, so she isn't as much of a threat even if she still believed in all that stuff still."

That was why he tried to avoid Isa early on. Kanna's death glare still hung over him, though after the meeting at the hospital he was more unsure of her ill wishes.

"Yes, that's why I dodged the subject… It's hard to gauge how people will react, especially since half the class' parents were in that U.A. class..."

Haya nodded, she wasn't one to have a parent that did but her uncle was in hero school. "I won't tell anyone else." She promised. He didn't ask her but if it was something that he didn't want others to know then she would not let anyone else know from her. "Thank you, Kuroi for telling me. You aren't just nice and caring though. You are pretty brave. I mean, your parents did some terrible things and your mom lost the ability of her quirk. She became a good person and even though they are restricted and you are. You still decided to take a path that isn't easy for someone that knows so much about their family. I decided to follow the path of my uncle and finish what he started with his name. But you are making your own path and helping people. I think you are very brave for being who you are." She smiled at him.

She was sure knowing about your family's terrible actions and to hide that was hard. It was something that could worry someone. She wouldn't know how she would feel about him if he had told her everything before. But she was glad she did know now and that they wouldn't find out otherwise. "Is there more? Because right now, it still does not change how I feel about you. It actually makes me feel a lot more for you knowing that this is part of your past." She assured him.

"Thanks…" He said. Kuroi was going to tell her not to say anything, even though he didn't think she'd blab about it. Though he still sighed a bit as she spoke. "I told you, I'm not doing this to help people; I'm not a hero. Mom taught us all how to fight, so I was pretty decent even before Ketsu; better to play to your strengths, or so I think. I figure if I do good work for ANVIL, they might lighten up on some of my mom's restrictions too." That was his plan, anyway.

Shaking his head, that was about it. At least, it was in a nutshell. "That's more or less the big secret, unless you have any questions off the top of your head. No hiding anything, anymore," He offered with a bit of a solemn chuckle. It still didn't feel as relieving as it likely should to hear that she didn't care, but that was typical with the others as well. He kept it from most so that he wouldn't have anyone reaming him, but a part of him thought that those who found out should react in that way. "Only ones that know are you, the guys, Isa, and Rosalie. Isa already kind of knew because of her mom and Rosalie… that wasn't a planned situation, so no, I don't make a habit of this."

Haya smiled at him, "Well, you seem a lot softer than I thought." she teased, as she sat closer and bumped his shoulder with hers, "I am sure that you will be able to help your mom. And I will help you if you need me to. I have to help catch a villain anyway, so helping out an ANVIL member won't be as hard. Honestly, I think it is a good goal for you, it's very….you." she giggled a little. So he didn't much care about ANVIL, but wanted to help his mother the best he could. That was noble in it's way and something worth helping him to make sure of. From what he heard, there was a lot of bad that happened because of his parents, but bad happened to his mother too. And she did everything to help her children be better. "I hope one day to meet your family, you just have to let me know when you want to meet mine. Though, I might need to make sure my uncle isn't around until I am sure he is on a leash."

She wasn't sure that would be soon, her uncle would know by his name who he was. After all, he kept up with everything, since he still valued the hero's way of life. He always wanted to stay up to date on it. But she was sure that her parents wouldn't notice by his name and would be fine with meeting him. "Kuroi? I do have questions. Why did you think it was time to tell me? And what does that have to do with my joke of a third date? Figuring out if romantic feelings are between us, does it include secrets? I like that you told me, but you seemed very worried. I am just curious about why and why it matters if we are….still not sure?" she asked honestly. She wasn't sure if he could answer the questions but she did want to know why the secret was so worrisome. After all, if they had feels for each other, would his family's past matter?

Kuroi looked at her with a bit of a pout and nudged her back. "I'm not soft. What about that is soft?" He questioned her before nodding a bit. "She doesn't deserve all this, not that most would agree. Actually they'd probably want worse. Either way… now that you know, I don't mind if you meet my family, save for my dad maybe." His dad was different from his mom though.

Giving a slight shrug at her offer, it wasn't something he could jump up in excitement at, but he wouldn't mind it much now. "Well, I don't not want to meet them but… yeah, not looking forward to if that topic pops up."

The following set of questions caused him to sigh and lean back on the bed a bit. It wasn't just because of the possibility of being a couple. "It wasn't that specifically. I do this for anyone I really want to trust, which isn't many. You say that it doesn't matter and so do the guys, but what you don't get is that… you're all weirdos. Most people don't distance people like that. Even if there's just a thought in the back of their mind, there's something."

Kuroi couldn't even blame anyone. It made sense to an extent. It wasn't as simple as the sins of the parents pass to the children, but more of what would such parents teach or encourage in their children? "Liking or not liking; I want you to be in my life and I don't want to have to hide or dodge subjects… It's also not fair to you. Whether a friend or anything else, you should know what baggage to expect and what you're getting involved in."

Haya couldn't hold back the excitement to know that he wanted her to be in his life, just like she planned to be. She jumped up slightly before she landed on top of Kuroi and hugged him as she kissed his temple. "I am glad to know that. I don't plan on leaving you, I did promise not to let you be alone. And now I promised to help your mother. Weirdo or not, you are not trapped with me." she grinned at him, before she thought for a moment. "I don't have any secrets to tell, well….It's not a secret, but I guess no one else knows just yet. But I didn't know what a kiss was, until Aika kissed me at the ferris wheel." she told him, trying to think of any other secrets that might have been part of her life, but she had none.

Kuroi was taken aback by the sudden glomp, though after taking a moment to process, he let out a chuckle. "Yeah, you made that clear with the becoming evil together thing…" It was still naive, but he didn't have doubts that she meant it fully. He didn't even question how she planned to help his mother; it was just another heroic-sounding thing she meant to strive for.

However, the latter part of the talk took another moment to process. "Aika? Wait, you didn't know what a kiss was? You kissed my cheek," Kuroi stated, though that also was like her, not truly understanding it. "So… are you and Aika a thing?"

Haya tilted her head as she moved off of Kuroi. She shook her head, "No. I told her I was focusing on you. She is my best friend. She understood." She told him before she shrugged, "Well, I know about that kissing. But she kissed my lips. I never heard it before so I didn't think much about kissing anywhere but on the cheek. She said if I do it to anyone else, I should warn them. Hideki explained that the kiss meant she likes me romantically. But we are still trying to figure out if we like each other that way so I decided to focus on that instead of lead Aika on to believe I had to think about it. I was clear." She nodded as she smirked at Kuroi. "Don't you think if we romantically like each other we should focus on figuring that out before deciding if we like someone else?"

"Yeah… usually couples do that kind of stuff," Kuroi said. She did have a point. They needed to figure that out since either only had a vague idea of what it was like. The last thing he wanted to do either was lead someone on. "I mean, yeah. We should figure things out before jumping into anything. More importantly, though… I think it matters how you're feeling about it."

Things were still iffy with Kuroi, but he didn't want to hurt Haya or Isa. Whatever they were needed to be established. "...So… that should probably be what we talk about next then. How did you want to "test" this? Do you feel anymore clearly since the last time we talked?"

Haya thought for a moment and smirked, "Well, I technically did say that it was your turn." She teased before she shrugged, "You should decide. I will follow your lead and we will figure it out from there." She decided, she did say he would have to ask her on their third date. Which was a joke since the first date was how they met and the second was a mock date. But she was sticking to her word and making him decide. Of course, she hope if one had feeling afterwards that the other would too.

Kuroi laughed a bit at that. "Right, right… then, do you want to go on an actual date with me, Haya?" He asked in a slightly mock dramatic tone. "We can… go to dinner, though we've kind of done that already. Maybe a picnic at the park?" He suggested, pondering it.

Haya giggled a little, that was a strange way to ask, but she did say for him to ask, "Okay, then I will make the picnic and you can work out the date." she told him, "I would like to see you on an actual date, so the answer is yes." She felt a little excited at the idea and shrugged, "I think it will be a lot of fun, I am excited for it, but I will try not to jump on you again, until after the date." she teased. He didn't complain about her doing that, but she figured it was something a little closer then she had been to him before.

"Sounds good." Or so he hoped. Planning this stuff wasn't his strong suit. "Yeah, it'll be fun. Looking forward to what you put together." He said before pausing at her tease. He felt that was probably befitting a euphemism, but it was Haya so likely unintentional. "I'd say take me out to dinner first… but, that's kind of what's happening anyway," He said with a chuckle. "We can do it in the next couple days. I gotta look at where to go first."

Haya nodded, "Okay, that will give me a chance to get the picnic together. Just tell me when and I will make sure that I have it ready." she assured him, before she got on her feet, "I will be ready when you tell me, but I will warn you, don't take my food." she joked about Goto taking her food, by warning Kuroi. "I will have a toothpick with me to safe."

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Amusement Park Date

It was the time between assignments and Kuroi had gotten back from acquiring some fish food for the pair of goldfish he won at the fair. Coming through the back area where the pool was, he was surprised to see Isa spending time with, or rather being rebuffed by, that seal that inhabited the pool.

He paused for a bit, simply watching the two's exchange with silent amusement, before calling out to her. "Having fun?"

"Eh?" Turning her head to see who it was she grunted a bit, shrugging her shoulders. "Ah hi Kuroi! And Eh, not really but it's my turn on the care list, he doesn't do much with me, so about to leave."

"Seems he has certain tastes…" Kuroi mused as he recalled the animal didn't take much to him either. "Want to talk a bit then? Your last mission go okay?"

"Eh, not much happened in it really, guy jumped off the roof and threw money to get crowds to get in the way. Badguy that is. Rather uneventful yeah? Kaizen has more fun on his side of things far as I gathered. How about you Kuroi? And sure I'm fine talk'n to you for a bit."

"Well that's good… maybe?" Kuroi said, unsure. "What happened to bug guy? Ah… okay more or less. Some girl group jumped us but we beat them back. Biggest hit Yori took was to his pride." He would leave out exactly what that meant out of respect and pity to the aforementioned. He had bigger concerns at the moment anyway. After the carnival, thankfully nothing too crazy had popped up and clouded his mind, but that also meant he had a lot of time to think. He was still apprehensive, given that this was all new territory, but Yori had given him enough advice and he couldn't hold his hand the whole way through. "...So… are you doing anything before we have our next missions?"

"Oh, he had to fight this elephant man with a club. I wanted his club but didn't get it, was one of those Oni clubs, maybe I'll get one made." She says off handedly.

"Eh nothing that I usually don't do, mostly just messing around, you know how it is, playing some games, fuck'n around, sleeping, eating, whatever really. Why something up?"

"You want a giant club?" Kuroi repeated. She had the strength for it, but it just sounded unwieldy. Shaking his head a bit, that wasn't his focus. He exhaled lightly, somewhat anxious, though his face was relatively stoic still. "Uh… yeah, kinda. I got tickets for that amusement park that's started putting its ads everywhere. Did… you wanna go with me?" He asked with a brief pause. "Like, as a… date…"

"Well yeah, I'm ONI Meets You after all." She says with a shrug. "But maybe not best for a hero." Listening to what else he had to say she grins a bit at his awkwardness. Hearing out his request she was pretty keen as soon as he mentioned where it was, the why of it also didn't really bother her, least he was being direct with it. "Sure! You don't seem so bad or overly stiff...well.. You do a bit now, but yeah sure, just name when and where, I'll even dress up a little."

"Sure but… like, my maul will break some bones. Won't a giant-ass club break… everything?" He asked before sighing a bit, but visibly perking up. Of course he was stiff. He didn't know how to do or ask for stuff like this. Or maybe he did, considering she had accepted. "Well, yeah. I was nervous. I don't do stuff like this… but, how about the weekend? At that Seven Flags."

"Heh, fair enough.. And yeah, sure, Saturday it is. I'll let you decide, sunny or dark? What I'll wear." She says with an impish smile as Cecil continues to ignore the both of them.

"Huh?" He wasn't sure what that meant for clothing, sunny or dark, but pondered it nonetheless. Isa was a pretty bright person. "Uh… sunny?"

"Heh. Alright then! See you soon Kuroi!" She says before running off having finished her tasks. "I'm sure you'll like it!"

A tinge of red graced his features as he waved goodbye, breathing a sigh of relief. For now he had to go feed his fish and see if he had some of his nicer clothing to wear on Saturday.

~~~

The day of, Kuroi had picked out some nicer clothes than usual, though it was still unsurprisingly simple, consisting of a black fleece jacket, a white graphic shirt, jeans with a belt and a pair of his newer shoes. Checking his phone, it was still relatively early as he waited at the station for his date's arrival. For some reason, his nerves were still acting up.

Showing up soon after him, she sneaks in from the side and gets in close to stare at him, saying as much like in an anime; "Jiiiiiii" As he would turn to stare at her, Isa had on a short black skirt, a white form fitting shirt, a hoodie that was mostly black and white, with a pair of sneakers that were chiefly her own colors with a little blue. With the jacket partially open, it was an interesting style. "It was this or a sundress for the sunny. Been waiting long?"

Jumping a bit, Kuroi's head shot to the side at the sudden sound. Looking her up and down, she seemed to be messing with him a bit again. Though she looked nice. It was simple, but it suited her well. "O-Oh… you look good. I haven't been here long…" Kuroi replied before staring back. "So… did I do good or bad? Because it can't be anything in between with the hole you're burning into me."

"I think one or both of us have dressed a bit too much with the coats and stuff considering how hot it is, but meh, whatever, can always tie em around the waist, sides we are going to have fun, no? You look good though." It was a bit amusing seeing him here like this as she stands back straight and leans against him with a sarcastic smile. "Want me to hang on yah like a proper lady like the cat? Kehahah! Given this is a date though maybe you would rather hand holding? So daring of yah."

"Eh, mine's pretty light, but yeah, not like we can't take them off," Kuroi said with a shrug. "Yeah… I haven't actually been to like a full amusement park before. Should be fun," He agreed before he felt the nudge against him. The cat must've been Mari. It was still weird to think of Agi dating someone, let alone miss prim and proper.

The sides of his face turned a bit pinkish at her teasing as the tram pulled in. Glancing at the car, he reached over and took her hand in his before leading her towards the open doors. "Tease me if you want, but I'll just take that as an invitation." He was nervous, sure, but that didn't overtake his bluntness.

Laughing a bit at that, she takes his hand in hers. "Well of course it is!" She says, pulling him along. "As to the amusement park, not like I've been *that* many times, but they are fun yeah.. Just don't play any of the booth games, that's how they sucker you in." She says as they get on the train. "Don't worry though, I won't make you blush too much.. On the first date at least." Taking a seat she lets go of his hand for now.

Kuroi was taken aback a bit by her forwardness, letting her take the lead and drag him into the train. So much for his bluntness. "Well, duh. You can play those booth games at any fair. Isn't the point of amusement parks all the rides?" He asked before raising a brow. "Oh, you are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"And you aren't?" She asks blankly. "But yeah it's about the rides. Normally there are some discounts you can use for groups or passes. Err you alright with paying for all this? Well maybe a bit too late to be ask'n that." She says with her tongue tuck out.

"Well… maybe…" Kuroi half-admitted. He didn't dislike the attention, that was for sure. Either way, he gave a nod to that. "Yeah, I had some money saved up… besides, I asked for your company, so I should pay."

Letting Kuroi have some peace for the time being Isa carries out some small talk with him till they finally arrived at the Amusement Park, or rather a nearby station and then walk to the park, where the two are ticketed and allowed in, taking his hand into hers with a mischievous smile she swings his arm with hers for a little bit before letting it come to a rest. "Well watcha want to do first?"

"You've been to these before; what do you recommend? There's like… four different roller coasters here," Kuroi mused, glancing around. The roller coasters typically got the most buzz, but there were a couple of other towers that seemed to shoot you up in the air or sling you around. Honestly, some of the rides were starting to look more like deathtraps. "Or which do you think will get the best reaction out of me?" He asked after noticing that expression of her.

"Haha! Does it matter? Like I said at the festival! There is no best, it's what you do all together!"

With that tugs him along and thinks. "Hmm… You would just look silly on a roller coaster, you would just try and look normal but your face gets pulled back, maybe one of the droppers or take it slow with bumper cars or something."

"Alright, then lets do as much as we can," Kuroi suggested as he walked with her.

He gazed at her suspiciously and with a bit of a pout. "Oh, I would look silly. I can handle these deathtraps." He refuted, glancing at some of the larger ones. Very fast and a lot of loops. They definitely were death traps, but he was in ultra hero school, so it was fine, right?

Leading her by the hand, he chose one ride in particular that seemed to shoot back and forth in the air. This would prove his point, or hers rather. Some cheered and screamed, though Kuroi was rather silent. Doing as she predicted he tried to look normal but seemed more stunned and trying to keep his eyes focused not on the ground. He was also gripping the handles rather tightly.

By the time they got off, he was still rather stunned by the whole ordeal. "...I swear that thing was going to fly off."

"Kehaha!" She laughs before pulling him towards her, seemingly enjoying herself. "Told yah!" She says of his face as she thinks back to her own time, not being afraid of the ride and enjoying herself. "I think there is only one ride here that might give me trouble.. As to which one, that's a secret!"

With that she points to one of the roller coasters. "How about that? Or you need a break old man? Kehehe!"

Kuroi let himself be yanked closer. At least the reaction seemed to get him some points. That was worth it, right? "Oh, you have a weakness, then?" He questioned with a scheming gaze. That meant he just had to find it. Of course, that meant going on more deathtraps.

Eyes drawing toward the attraction she suggested, his eyes narrowed a bit at the challenge. He wasn't normally the competitive type, but Kuroi was determined to find the so-called troublesome ride. He grasped her hand in resolution. "Oh, we'll see who's laughing when I find your little secret," Kuroi warned.

Though, that ride would wind up much the same as the last, except this time Kuroi had Isa seated next to him to grab onto and use as an anchor through the various loops and accelerations. Following the exit of the ride, he would exhale in relief again. "That belt was not tightened! I lifted! I felt myself lift!" He accused the evil machine.

"Eh what's that saying? What doesn't kill you, usually succeeds in the second attempt?" She says mocking him a little. "Sides you seemed to like holding me a bit there didn't you? Kehaha!" She says at his expense before counting with what he said before. "Why at this rate will yah be able to last long enough to find what ride bothers me or am I gonna need to carry you around?"

"...I don't think that's the saying…" Kuroi retorted with an accusatory gaze. Glancing around as she challenged him, he would find the ride, if all the ones before it didn't kill him. His eyes set on a large tower that seemed to hoist people and drop them repeatedly. "Hm… Maybe I'm using the rides as an excuse. Either way, what about that one!"

"Heh, sure!" Taking him by the hand, Isa takes the initiative leading them off to the lift drop. Getting in one of the rows next to him, she holds his hand and grins. "I know you'll need ta hold lil'ole me some more, kehahah!" She says as the machine starts to jack them up into the sky once they with others were strapped in.

As they strapped in, Kuroi fiddled with braces, a bit skeptical of their effectiveness. Feeling his hand taken, he looked over to Isa and that grin of hers. "I mean, I'm not going to say no, but I can handle this!"

As he says that, Kuroi glances down a bit blankly. "...that's pretty high…"

"Hey look on the bright side! If it kills you, you won't know about it for long! Just kinda SPLAT!" She was enjoying this too much as the interlocks her fingers with his. "Don't worry though I can keep yah safe!" as the ride reaches the top and releases the car comes sliding down at high speed with a WOOOOOOSH as it stops only a short distance from the bottom. "Woah!" Isa says as the ride jerks them back up to do what it did before. "Holding up alright?" She says with a grin.

"...You're just saying tHA-" Kuroi countered before being cut off by the drop. His breath hitched and his hand gripped hers a bit tighter, exhaling only as the ride came to a pause. "...why wouldn't I be? ...Wait, it's going up again… Does it do this twice?"

"Uh, like three or four times." She says as it slams them around, even Isa was a little shaky on her legs after that.

"Well there are more coasters and the UFO spinner. Or well spinner rides in general. So.. fuck you wanna do next?" She asks of him.

"You're fuc-" Kuroi got out before the drop came. By the time it ended, Kuroi's adrenaline was high, as if he'd gotten flung around in a fight. Humming at her suggestions, he glanced around again. "Uh… spinner? Yeah, spinner. Sure." After accepting that, he looked over at Isa again and saw that she was starting to feel the effects from the rides as well. "Course if you need me to, I can carry you," He offered, only partially as a tease.

"Heh, don't make an offer you won't keep smartass." Going along with it, she already knew how this would end, but it was alright if he had a few laughs as well. Leading him to the next ride they were strapped onto the walls of a large ring like device with a solid foundation.

As they spun around and round, Isa got more and more Dizzy till the ride was over and she stumbled out, holding her head as she did so. "Ugh.."

"Who says I won't?" Kuroi questioned as they headed over. After being spun around for a short while, this ride turned out to be troublesome for an entirely different reason. Wobbling out of the attraction, Kuroi saw that Isa was struggling a bit. He gained a small smirk at having found her apparent weakness.

"Hah, so the spin-ride is your weakness." Coming up behind her as he remarked that, Kuroi scooped her up into arms and off the ground. He stumbled a bit as he was also a bit dizzy, but she was light enough that it didn't really take him off balance. Laughing a bit, he seemed content to be on the other side of things. "Told you I could… I'm only half being a smartass when I ask if you need a break."

A little surprised that he actually could much less did pick her up, Isa doesn't fight over it or even says much at first, letting her senses settle a bit, she wraps and arm around his back and neck, holding on to it with her free arm to make carrying her easier. "Heh, yeah, yeah it is, if we stay like this though people may start to think this is more than a first date.. Which I guess it sorta is… So where to next prince charming?" She says partially mockingly to the last bit.

"...I don't think that's so bad. Out of the things I don't want people to know or see, that isn't one of them," Kuroi said with a pause. "But… what's that mean?" He was still fairly clueless when it came to this stuff.

Thinking on that last bit, he hums a bit disappointingly. "I thought princes were supposed to be rich," He mused. "Either way. Want some food? There's also a shop here I think."

"Heh. We've hanged out or gotten something to eat a few times now. As to being rich, eh, I think it takes more than that to make someone the prince. But unless you like carrying me around like this might wanna put me down for that." She says of his offer of food.

"I can pay for that if you want, I don't like just making it all so one sided. Though let's get something for sure."

"Sure, but I was told by someone those weren't dates," Kuroi said with a smirk, though he tilted his head slightly at the prince bit. "Maybe. You're not heavy," He stated, but set her down nonetheless and took her hand again. "Sounds good to me. They probably have ice cream and stuff, right?"

After locating and acquiring some ice cream, the two would find the gift shop to peruse. It contained various knick knacks and plushies, most overpriced. Kuroi thought there might be something for his siblings.

"You have siblings, don't you?" He asked.

Following along with him she looks over the rows of gifts trying to decide on one for her own siblings, well more than one, maybe for her parents as well. "Oh yeah, though we all are close in ages like just around a year going from one to next, when Ma decided to settle down for a little while to have kids she really went at it so she could get back to work.. But yeah three others. I got two older brothers and a younger sister, think I'll get something for them, like having a big family. Maybe just maybe some sort of keychains or posters, something like that. I know you have some siblings but not how many.

Care to share about yours?"

Kuroi hummed at that. So hers was a larger family as well. Giving nod, she knew enough that he didn't have to bite his tongue much. "Four others. One older sister, a pair of twins, boy and girl, and another sister who's the youngest. We're pretty close in age too, though my older sister's about two years ahead of me," He shared, perusing some of the clothing. "Trick is to find something the twins won't break or kill each other over… ah, you'd like the youngest. She's the normal one, or so we say."

"Huh, thats a few people with a bit of spread, and eh I wouldn't mind meeting any of them, though I'm not exactly the one ta call Normal." Looking at all the gifts there was the issue of his parents though she wasn't going to bring that up, she remembered from the last time how difficult that was for him.

"Huh.. So twins and older sister and a younger. Sure you want to get something from here? Let's see…" Looking around she didn't know much about them to tell what they would like, never mind the price of things in here. "Damn, I don't know what they would like, I'm just going to find something like accessories for mine… Though if they are a bit like you or more normal as you put it with the youngest...Uh…"

Looking through the items and checking the prices, she picks out a pair of matching figures based on sheep with traditional japanese clothing. "For the twins.." Given the girl was around their age, if not a little younger, Isa picks out one of the more simple plushies, it was a purple kitty shaped in a humanoid fashion, which left the eldest. "I was just going to get a key chain or magnet with the names engraved for my older siblings, maybe you got an idea for her?"

"Eh… I'd say out of all of them, I'm probably most like my older sister. The others not as much." They were siblings so they all shared some similarities, but really he took after his mom by a large amount. Thinking on that, the sister was like their mother as well, though a bit more smartassed at times. "That's a good idea actually. Think I'll do that or something that can hold a picture," He says, looking at some of the keychains and accessories. "Are yours like you more or less?"

"Nah. Eldest brother takes after our mother and her father.The next brother takes after day like me, he's in college, might go police or ANVIL, I'm contrayan on purpose a bit but like dad, and the Youngest sister, shes just in the middle of all of us." Thinking about the picture frame suggestion, she gives a nod. "That might do good."

"Your mom married a contrarian?" That somehow didn't seem to fit her. Then again, it wasn't as if Kuroi was familiar enough with Kanna to actually know the non-smashing side. Nodding a bit at her approval, he picked out the small keychain locket for the elder sister. "And you're contrarian… on purpose?"

"Eh nay, he's mostly agreeable but he like curses and stuff and yeah! Well sorta.." She says of the later bit. "But being here has made me realize that I am my own person, even if that person has a bit in common with her mom, I don't have to be a copy of her, but I don't have to try disowning her either. You know how it is..well maybe?" Isa says in response. "Ma is mostly more reserved while he was more outgoing. She's real big on manners while he isn't. Stuff like that. I wouldn't say they are opposites though, they have more than a few things in common, she would have pounded him into the pavement otherwise."

"Well, yeah you're your own person. Did you think you weren't?" Kuroi asked curiously. "Wasn't that you're whole speech that you gave to me? About not being my parents or owing for whatever they did?" He asked with a raised brow. He found it strange she had a similar complex considering her mom was somewhat of a hero.

"Well yeah, I mean that is why I can say that and I learned that lesson around then while dealing with all of you. So shut it." She says back to him, before crossing her arms and turning her head up and away from him as if to be pouting.

Kuroi looked at her a moment before chuckling and turning back to buy the various knick knacks. "You're cute," He commented simply. "Though I guess I should say sorry then. For the record though, I was never avoiding you because I thought you were your mom or like her. I just didn't want to risk creating any beef with her, like I said. And I did mean it when I said you were pretty, too."

"Heh." With that she smiles and gets closer to him before tilting her head up and striking a bit of a pose. "Of course I am! You aren't half bad yourself you know? But man I'm tired, we should call it a day. Though I hope to do this again unless something keeps us from it. My treat next time, or we split it. I ain't too used to having money spent on me like this. But really, I enjoyed it a lot." With that she gives him another kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, humble aren't you?" Kuroi remarked with a smirk. "Not wrong though… but yeah, I'm glad you came with me. It was fun," He agreed with a smile. Though, as he felt the peck against his cheek again, his face reddened slightly once again. "I guess that means I did good… I'll take it."

"Heh! A few more of those and better at that and I may have to up the level of rewards." She says with a smile. And with that the date ended as the pair take the train back to the school station, with a few souvenirs in tow.

 

[Azurian Dream]

Phantom Pain

As Vigidris, Kikyo, Daichi, and Ren awaited Hideki to meet up for the slotted meetup time for their patrol. Rather oddly though he was running late to the point that the concern to make an HQ call was probably forming in their minds. Right at the apex of it a voice loudly sounded off to them in a strong drill sergeant call out.

"Alright look alive Team Hideki I got some updates for your patrol route today," Principal Amagi yelled walking up to them with Nurse Nyx right behind her most notable from the get-go was both older women were in their hero outfits, and completely decked out with their gear.

"First off Hotshot will not be leading you today he has unfortunately been hit hard by some nasty food poisoning from a week-old meal he decided was a wise idea to eat. So he will be recovering for the day at the school hospital as he suffers some unfortunate side effects. So to make up for it you three will be patrolling with us today any complaints or questions voice them now before we head out," Principal Amagi aka Lazarous asked her teammates.

Nyx sighed as she looked between Agami and the students, of course, she would bluntly blow everything at them at once. She smirked at the team and bowed, "I will be sure that everything is okay." she told them, as she glanced at Agami. Before she smiled at them, "I am only here for support and to ensure that Agami-san allows you to learn from this patrol. I look forward to assisting you on your patrol." she announced as she stood beside Agami.

"Seems like something Hot-shot would do, so makes sense." Daichi shrugged it off, hopefully, he would be okay for their next mission. "So do we follow principal agami with this mission or are we on our own?" Honestly, Daichi hoped it would be just them on this mission, he still needed to prove himself and to have another successful mission on his papers, plus beating up some baddies with some friends sounded like a lot of fun.

Vigridis' face soured when she heard the excuse for why their 'commanding officer' wouldn't be joining them. If something like 'food poisoning' could take out their commanding officer, then perhaps he shouldn't be in such a position. Conversely, now that she was actually delving into this whole "eating" thing, hearing that 'food poisoning' was so bad that it could take one out of commission, it was making her have second thoughts about ever eating. "Well, at leasst we will get to witness the respected abilitiez of our esteemed 'senpais'."

Ren smirked, yep, sounded like Hideki, after all, he met him in the kitchen. Of course, he suspected that food poisoning was probably not just caused by the questionable meat, but he wouldn't say anything about that. He still felt familiar with this class, and openingly questioning them was something he did his best not to do. After all, that is what started fights in his last class. "Probably not as much as you might like, Vigridis and best not to. Think about it. Pro Hero Lazarous and Pro Hero Eclipse on our team would mean we wouldn't really need to fight. They both have the ability to take on just about anyone, as a pair. Lazarus dealing with groups and Eclipse being known for her rampage. Like Eclipse stated, this is to help our abilities not theirs. So, it's all on us and they are more like backup while leading up into our patrol. Am I wrong, Agami-Sansei?"

"Yes, and no on all fronts I will be leading you today as a unit, but I will be standing out of the combat unless it is necessary for me to jump in, or assist. With your accumulated skill I trust in your skills to not be needed on the field of battle," Lazarus smiled complimenting their skills, prior victories, and learning curves. Class 7 had gone through many up, and downs. To the point no matter how much Ota wants to bite at the program he could not disregard the growth these students had in such a short time.

"We will be hitting up the seaside city Kagoshima if you are all prepped. I'll give you low down on what we are hunting today once you are all ready to head off. Also I know its rare for you to have a medic on your team so let me say it once is you need to withdraw to Nyx for repairs do it trust your instincts," she sounded off as she headed towards the transport van.

Nyx nodded, "I'm here for support in the field. And will not be fighting." She glanced at Agami. "No matter what happens." She wanted to be very clear to her old friend. She had agreed to only support. Anything else and she would have to fall back.

"Hmp." Vigridis turned from Ren and the others when they denied her words. "Very well," she said flatly, giving the two leaders a simple bow. "Yes, you are correct; I will handle it," she said confidently. She had never gone to a medic, so she didn't think Nyx would be needed in particular.

Ren smirked, "We will handle it, Vigidris. As a team." He stated before he nodded, "Okay. We are ready for our route team lead." He grinned even more, "Let's get started and see what it'll be like with a Pro leader." He half-joked. He was looking forward to learning some leading skills but when it came to combat he was interested in how he stacked up after his last mission. He wanted to have improved, but at the same time there was no telling. With the festival and his game with Agi, he was starting to debate his straight and combat moves with some tricks.

Kikyo bit her lip as a nervous habit, her arms crossed as she tried her best to listen to everyone talking and absorb the information. Unfortunately, every few words or so, her mind wandered, like pieces of other information just decided to jut out in front of the input to block it off or just soak up her attention. Of course, the whispering and speaking in her head were only growing worse these days, especially after the last couple of missions. In truth, she was worried that this would become a pattern and after each of her missions, some additional part of her mind would fracture.

Kikyo almost audibly gasped when the group began moving to the van, but mostly maintained her composure. However, so far she was only really able to nod along to her comrades, unable to bring herself to speak. Was it just anxiety? It felt like everything was getting harder to maintain, harder to control. It seemed her allies weren't entirely on the same page either, and their leader was sidelined. At least, that's what she gleaned. She assured herself with a stern expression that she was ready to help, regardless of whatever she was dealing with in her head. She was determined not to let it leak or break out.
"Meiyko hurry up," Lazarus called out noticing the girl was lagging behind as the group traveled out their trip would be met by a bizarre sight. While the city was a little separate from the rest of Japan the sudden lack of vehicles or sight of people was a bit strangely noticeable.

"Nyx check weather reports I see black clouds but I don't note anything threatening," Lazarus spoke opening a window to feel a strong, but not powerful gust. It was albeit strange and while strong weather could mess with a Seaside city well it didn't feel that bad. Yet the clouds were indeed an ominous tinge.

"Keep your eyes out everyone, something is not right," Lazarus hissed as her gut feeling started to twist. From the window, the students would notice between flashes of lightning something off as if for a moment they could see something like multiple silhouettes stuck in place yet they appeared and disappeared with the lightning strike too fast to see, and too quickly gone to register.

"Do you expect something threatening when you take a simple stroll out in Japan?" Vigridis questioned. She glanced at the dark clouds and the strange lightning flashes. "Hmp, it seeems I have spoken too hastily."

Nyx looked around and then took a tablet out to check the weather as told. She sighed, "Looks like a fair storm but it might build up." She stated before moving to look at what was going on outside and her eyes opened. "Damn it." She whispered under her breath. "Agami, please tell me we aren't seeing this." She said. She couldn't hold just support if it was what she thought. They were getting close and chaos was taking hold and there was no way the storm was natural. All she could think of was what would happen if she had to step in.

Kikyo shivered in her seat, wrapping her arms around herself. Even a rudimentary glance outside should have been enough for anyone to tell that something was wrong here. The feeling in her gut of dread was only growing worse. The coming storm felt as metaphorical as it did literal. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it. The young woman looked at her classmates and her superiors with concern, feeling like she had to give some kind of warning that she just couldn't give voice to. But then, these people were all far more formidable than she, right? Surely they would be fine?

Ren looked towards the storm as he listened to everyone, seemed like the nurse had some idea what they were riding into. The principal was focused on the mission and Vigidris had not gotten into the rhythm of exacting trouble. He smirked to himself as he watched Kikyo, who was the most concerning. He frowned as he watched her, his eyebrows looked worried and he just had the expression of someone that was not sure about what was wrong with her but the way she was acting made him sure that something was going on that he should be concerned with. "The sooner we get there, Vigidris, the sooner we will know if you spoke hastily or not." he commented, but his eyes were still on Kikyo.

"Shit we need to pull ba… HOLY FUCKING HELL," Lazarous had noticed very well what Nyx had, and unfortunately, she had no doubts it's what exactly they both thought it was even though it seemed damn impossible to be that very thing. Yet as Lazarous was about to turn to drive away a massive wave could be seen coming at them in an aggressive torrent they had no choice they had to go into town. Flooring the gas pedal they would all watch as the massive destroyed the road behind them with immense force. The storm was now turning extremely violent.

"All of you get ready this is about to get worse Nyx call in," before she could say anything the radio went nuts with a high pitch sound before going dead… now it was clear without any doubts what was waiting for them in the town.

"Shit shit all of you prepare for combat," beyond the torrent rain starting to fall, and massive increase in bad weather a singular figure could be seen on the road draped in all white with red lines of cuts stitched all together. The more eerie thing was the fact at small moments of time it almost seemed like she was see-through. Once she noticed the car with very high levels of violence five high octane lasers shot out all around the car trying to blast the female woman to hell. Yet while the attack seemed to hit, a blast of purple lightning hit the car, and in an almost surreal moment, everyone would find themselves flying with the car absolutely gone. Luckily for them, all the disappearance of the vehicle seemed to kill the essence of momentum causing them to not hit the ground hard. Lazarus herself would roll with her shield allowing her to jump back upright quickly as she looked on the extreme edge.

"Nyx gather the unit get them inside a building now ALL OF YOU RUN," Lazarus yelled blasting at the entity as it was now clear all her attacks seemed to only phase the female creature's attention as the woman ran to the other side away from them.

Nyx waited for Agami's replay but it never came, instead the van was tossed up before it was gone. She rolled with the flow which she fell to avoid damage and managed to flip herself back to her feet."Is everyone okay?" she said as she nodded to Agami, "Follow me, we need to get covered." she orders as she started to lead the way to the closest building and sighed when she was inside. She counted in her head who was there, "Everyone is here, we just need to wait for Lazarus." she said, as she poked her head out to see if she could see her annoyingly aggressive old friend.

The air was full of ozone, the smell was so strong it stung Kikyo's nostrils. Her entire body felt tingly as she was flying through the air, almost weightless. Until gravity remembered its job and she returned to the Earth, landing in a roll. It took a moment for her to gather her senses, and even then it was scarcely true. She could feel panic rising in her chest as she began to hyperventilate. What the hell was going on? The car? All of this lightning? What was with that weird translucent figure? What was happening? The young woman managed to get to her feet, but her entire body seemed to be trembling. A voice in her head shouted for her to calm down and get a grip.

The sounds of her superiors speaking finally registered, and she realized they were being led into a building. Once inside, the shaking subsided and her heart rate slowed to a more reasonable level. However, the fear was still there. It seemed like everyone had made it so far, but whatever was going on felt far out of her scope. She pressed her back to a wall and slid down it, wrapping her arms around herself as she had done those years ago in her prison. Behind her, however, two figures crawled out of the nearby windows, crouching down beside her. One put her arm around her, the other stood and looked out the window, searching for whatever was causing this.

Ren used his telekinesis to land on his feet as the van vanished and he looked around, he listened to the disaster that was going on around them and his orders before he turned to Eclipse. He nodded as he looked around again, seeing Kikyo, who looked like she was in the worst shape, and when she finally started to move, he followed after her. Still keeping an eye on her, something was off but at the same time, they were now all mission set and it was not something that he could have a whole conversation with her about. When they were in the building he moved towards her but stopped for a moment, before he moved to stand in front of her. "Are you okay? You have been looking worse for wear since this whole thing started. You should be so scared, not as a hero, but you should know, I have your back." he wanted to assure her. It was a bad situation, but her being afraid is something that didn't make sense for a hero.

Vigridis had been expecting something like this when the villain was spotted. She flew through the air as the van vanished, and hit the ground with her feet. She held firm then stood up straight, glaring ahead. "Are all villains thiss stupid?" she questioned. It seemed foolish to her to attack a van of heroes alone for seemingly no reason.

She had already prepared to fight -to strike back even, a glowing sword at her side. She glowered at the order to retreat. Then groaned and followed the others quickly, darting inside, the blade still floating near her. Once inside she remarked, "Guess we'll seee madam leader's strength after all."

Lazarus hissed as the silhouette currently was nowhere to be seen, but she knew, she knew it was somewhere, and upon the next strike of lightning, the entity was finally around in full form in front of Lazarus with a hand extended out trying to touch her. Yet it was blocked with an electrically charged baton slapping the hand away before the creature screamed in reaction before seemingly vanishing in front of the pro hero. Making a run for the building another flash of lightning sounded off as the creature appeared again this time with a hand charged with purple electricity that shot out from behind Lazarus. Twisting fast Lazarus was able to block the attack with her shield but the force sent her flying straight through the building window as the shield phased out of existence in front of the students, and Nyx. Before anyone could respond another flash of lightning sounded off as the creature in white appear right outside the window ready to attack before it screamed at the sound of radio at max volume played like a man in a suit appeared running down the stairs throwing a single play card that halted right at the broken window before expanding into a blockade halting the creature from seeing them.

"Stay away from all the windows and doors," he voiced in a panic, placing the radio next to where the window used to be. From a glance, it seemed like the person was some scared man but upon further inspection, some might recognize him as the pro hero "Suitor".

"Nyx please tell me that wasn't the freaking Nomu monstrosity made by Mauve Stinger from all those years ago that was supposed to be killed off," she hissed pissed off that her shield had literally been wiped out of existence.

"You're that pro hero Suitor right," Lazarus asked as the man didn't respond instead running away to check his blockades around the house mumbling in panic.

"... Never mind ignoring him, for now, you three I am sure you have heard about the mad scientist Mauve Stinger in Villain history. Well that thing out there is what use to be known as a Nomu. It's a Frankenstein's monster straight out of hell, its quirk basically is lighting that slowly rips things out of the reality of time trapping them in a single moment until it goes away. That's what you were seeing on the drive here, its victims trapped in a moment of time. If it hits you seven times you'll end up like them if it hits something inanimate its automatically a goner… it can be hit by energy-based quirks or things that can kinetically grab it so Ren, and Vigidris you have an advantage as do I, and Nyx the problem is it phases out randomly once it appears so the damage rarely stays," she spoke feeding them a lot of info fast but needed in this unexpected scenario.

"This thing has no master anymore, its force of nature now it has no purpose or life so be as violent as you want, but make your attacks count and avoid getting hit as much as you can. If we can kill it everyone will reappear. The problem is the only way to kill it is with a high voltage of electricity its cells cant handle a large amount of em wave hence why it attacked the car and reacted to the radio," she explained.

"Problem is we need something that can generate a high frequency to kill it… like an oversized speaker Suitor DAMMIT MAN HOLD STILL," Lazarus grabbed the panicking man holding him in place.

"Is their anything like that here," she demanded.

"What? I… don't know… maybe at the radio station… I am only here because I was chasing the villain CCMM," he responded frantically.

"CCMM… wait, are there survivors here," she asked as he shook his head yes.

"I saw my target run into the radio station with them, they might be contactable maybe," he squirmed, getting out of her grip as he ran back upstairs.

"You all prep while I try to find a line to them," Lazarus hissed.

Nyx nodded, as she thought of how she was right. She didn't think she would face this thing and she wasn't sure that she was going to be happy about it. "Okay." she sighed, as she watched the shield vanish, and then the talking started. Damn it to hell, this was going to be a mission that the students wouldn't be able to do with just Suitor and Lazarus, even if they had a few more years. "Okay, so the attack is simple, Ren, your spear is pointless, avoid using it. Kikyo, avoid directly attacking, Vigidris, every attack you get will simultaneously cause lightning to strike you, so don't stop moving. Diachi, do not go anywhere near that thing at all. Keep this in mind as Lazarus waits to give a plan. But if you come face to face with combating this thing, take my advice and work with it. Seven hits and you're gone. If we can't stop that thing, you are gone, if you act recklessly, you're gone. I can't help you, if you get hit, I can't help you. Your chi and mine together can't help you. Chi from your classmates can't help you. So, be smart about this. Because this mission is not for training." she said, as she motioned to Suitor, "As you might notice."

Kikyo noted the presence of Ren when they spoke to her, nodding a bit while looking up to meet his gaze. The reflection beside her that was checking on her stood up and watched over her while the boy spoke. "I'll be fine, but I joined this program to be the kind of hero who saves people, not the type who is constantly attacked by villains who don't even know who she is."

With her response out and her nerves slowly settling, she stood up and looked to her superiors, who gave her advice about and informed her of what they were facing. It sounded like this creature was something insane. The quirk was positively absurd. Luckily for her, the reflections could do the fighting for her. One of which was all too eager to do it too. Of course, the situation had to worsen.

Upon the arrival of the pro hero Suitor, Kikyo froze. This time, both reflections immediately moved to either side of her, one staring at the man and the other again attempting to console the prime. The young woman's blood ran cold, then gradually grew to a boil. She recognized this man. He wasn't a hero she had ever met. However, she knew all too well who he was and more importantly who he had worked with. Her fists clenched tightly, but she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall again.

"I'm fine. It's not him. He doesn't know. Let's just deal with this monster so we can go." Her words weren't particularly directed at anyone, but her reflections nodded in affirmation before moving to the windows, ready to try and engage their strange foe.

Vigridis did not recognize this man or "Mauve Stinger" -whatever that was. But she did recognize the nomus. So this was a nomu, then? Heh, exciting. This Nyx lady was a worrywort and intense, wasn't she? A small smirk appeared on the silver woman's lips. "So my attacks work on it. That means I'm the 'hero' here, huh? Heh, that'z only natural. I'll be the vanguard, just don't stay sstill -got it."

Daichi tried his hardest to comfort Kikyo but he couldn't get his mind off what just had happened. He learned about this creature back at U.A and from what he was told it died years ago, though that now seems to be inaccurate. Without voicing a word he looked over at the window to look for Nomu, only to lose sight of her when they darted inside. "This has gotta be the coolest and scariest thing that's ever happened to me." A sense of anxiety and excitement ran through his body, both emotions fighting to take over him. His attention turned towards Nyx who informed them of everything not to do, his whole advantage was close quarters fighting and durability, neither of those would even help in a fight like this, the only trait he could count on now is his wit and reflexes.

"Seems like you'll be picking up the slack Vig, think you could distract it enough to not let us get vaporized?" Vig's reputation seemed to be accurate, while quite blunt and full of ego, she had the power to back it up, so he was glad it was her who they count count on.

Ren nodded to Kikyo before he heard Vigidris and chuckled a little, "Well, you are one of the only ones. I do a lot more than spear play. But you are partially right, Vigidris." Then he turned to Diachi and Kikyo, "Don't worry about anything Kikyo, I will keep you from getting hit, from what Lazarus said, I won't need debry to avoid getting hit. And I got your back to Diachi. You can't fight it, but you can still be way more helpful than if you weren't here. So we will work this out like a team." he said as his gaze moved back to Kikyo before they followed her fear to the Pro Hero that joined them. That hero was a coward, the way Kikyo looked at him, Ren figured that there was something behind it and instead of heading to the radio station at first where the villain and people were, he cowered in here. Ren was going to keep an eye on him, Kikyo didn't look happy with him. But first he had a question, "Hey, Suitor? Why are you all the way out here from your target? I understand that thing, but if you knew radio waves would work, you could block out the creature there and have come up with a plan to deal with it, before we even got here. I know this isn't time for a discussion, but if you are with us, how do we trust you, when you left a villain with civilians?" he asked bluntly.

"You want to know why right as I was about to nab that guy that thing appeared between and blasted us both," Suitor explained moving his neck color to show he was in fact a bit see through around his neck line.

"Also I can't move from here cause there's survivors down in the basement and thus radio is the only thing keeping that thing out ergo me rushing to the radio station is either suicide, or places those folks in danger," Suitor expressed so much in a panic he had jumped when Ren had spoken to him.

"He's telling the truth, I just spoke to them. Luckily one of them has this," Lazarus spoke up with a walkie talkie with the radio station's logo.

"...This is Pro hero Lazarus to Kagoshima Radio station," Lazarus called in, waiting for a response that came in rather quickly.

"Heh great another Pro hero in town hopefully your more useful than that pretty boy scaredy cat," CCMM's voice came through crystal clear.

"I assume you know what we're dealing with," she asked.

"Ya unfortunately… before you ask, no they do not have a high frequency radio speaker. Yet I can make one, but I have a problem," CCMM followed up, already knowing why they had called.

"And that is," Lazarus asked.

"The power is down, and the moment I try to turn any device on, or go outside to turn the station's power on, things are going to come running at me and the fifteen people with me," he expressed.

"... Fine keep doing what you can to build your device we will handle the rest," she simply spoke.

"Oh wow good luck you psychopaths tell Suitor he sucks by the way," CCMM responded.

"Here's what we're going to do Daichi, Kikyo, Nyx, and Ren. You are going to the radio station. You need to get it back up and running. Talk to CCMM to guide you through. Me and Vigidris and Suitor, willing or not, will be playing distraction as long as we can understand," she asked, prepping her shock batons.

Before anyone could Express anything though a much larger resounding flash of lighting sounded off as the house's power went off Lazarus threw the walkie talkie to Kikyo. With little chance to react the Nomu was no right dead center of the group as it unleashed an undodgeable radius blast hitting them all throwing them in numerous directions. They would all be able to see where they were hit and slowly become see through. Before the creature could strike again it was blasted through Suitors barricade by a larger blazer blast sending it hurdling back outside.

"Ashen One after it. Suitor give the damn radio to the civilians and join us. Everyone MOVE OUT," Lazarus immediately jumped out of the building giving chase.
………………………….
(Distraction Group)

It was still strange being referred to by her chosen 'Hero' name. But she supposed it was better than just 'Vig' everyone used. She braced for the attack, then followed the orders, rushing out. A chuckle left her, "Distraction? Let'z defeat thiss thing!"

As she ran outside after the enemy Nomu she held up her hand. "Sharanga!" Soul Energy began amassing around her hand, forming into a large, fancy bow that shined and sparked. She pulled back on the 'string' and built up energy. Racing after the enemy she loosed, firing a burst of built-up energy right at the Nomu.

The Nomu as lethargic as it seemed to be watched the attack come right at it piercing it with such force that it was even knocked off its feet yet as the attack delivered seemed to do major damage until the creature phased out of existence with the attack still going damage the ground.

"Ashen One keep your eyes open for the lightning strikes that signal for its return," Lazarus yelled out in the rain waiting for the purple streak warning. Then it happened a flash appeared, and the creature came close quarters at Lazarus herself dodging the first attempt from the creature trying to grab her pulling out both her shock batons she bashed both sides of the attacking hand electrocuting the creature forcing it back as four laser beams hit it hard sending it right at a wall before it disappeared again.

Upon the next lightning strike the creature appeared again on cue but this time it was mid-air falling right for the Ashen one as it unleashed a wave of electricity at the girl with multiple blasts aiming to strike her on all fronts.

"Understood!" she responded. Vigridis saw the Nomu attack Lazarus and prepared to strike, but by the time their exchange was through, the Nomu vanished once again.

She felt the thing's presence above, striking at her from the air, like a cold chill on the back of her neck. Quickly glancing up at the sudden danger, she flung the sword at her side straight up to intercept its electric attack. While quickly dodging the other oncoming electric blasts. "Corona Borealis!" Giant golden stakes taller than humans all stabbed the ground all around as she dodged, leaving a trail of magnificent golden stakes for the electricity to strike like lightning rods. 'Just try to break my defenses,' she thought self-satisfyingly.

At the same time as she dodged around, creating the stakes to divert the electricity, she lifted up her bow, taking aim mid-run at the Nomu. "Ballistae." Several silver ballista constructs appeared around her, all aimed at the Nomu. She had no time to create the powerful Feast of Legends, but she could do this much. "Sagitta!" She shouted, losing a charged shot from her bow. The ballistae all fired at the same time, raining arrows of light at the Nomu.

While her diversions had halted a third strike to befall her Vigidris had taken too much time with her next attack as proven upon near impact the creature phased out again. Another lightning strike resounded off, but there was no sign of the creature anywhere.

"Shit its caught on," Lazarus hissed as it was clear it was aware of the split of teams now, but that didn't mean they were out of the woods yet as upon the next flash of purple the creature appeared below Vigidris unleashing a faster attack climbing right up for her unexpectedly being blocked by a blockade that appeared from a single card thrown mid-air blocking the attack as Suitor ran out to join the fray yelping as the creature launched an attack at him in retaliation which he used another card transforming blockade to avoid.
Before the creature could return its attention to Vigidris a stun baton smacked it in the face hard and was followed up by a multitude of strikes from both of Lazarus batons before she ended the combo with a ground laser blast the entity up into the sky.

"LET HER HAVE IT," Lazarus shouted before oddly noticing the cut on its forearm clearly fresh, and surprisingly… bleeding? What had caused that?

Vigridis glimpsed down at the sudden attack that was meant to strike her, only to watch it be blocked by someone else. She didn't really have time to bother noticing who. A moment later, she was witnessing the principal's assault on the nomu.

"I appreciate the set up, but Madam Principal, I am the best, I am the strongest." While she was saying this, she was pulling back on her bow, charging a shot and aiming it up. "-I understand the advantage of aid given, but I do not need it! You already said the staff were going to hang back and leave it up to the studentss! I will prove I am the best here and now! I will take care of thiss vile creature myself! Brahmastra!!" Vigridis shouted as she finished charging her Soul Energy and released the built-up energy. The ballistae all fired along with a super-charged shot from her bow up at the nomu in the air.

Upon firing yet again luck was against her as the creature twisted with an electrical swirl blaze of energy throwing itself at Vigidris as it vanished before the hail fire could make its mark yet unlike last time where it would disappear until another clasp of thunder it instead immediately appeared right in front of Vigidris catching her by the face as it blasted her into the ground.

Shit, was all that repeated in Lazarus's head as she ran forward unleashing a protecting ring of lasers around Vigidris so the creature couldn't get to the student before the Nomu disappeared once more before catching Suitor by the throat and flung him right into Lazarus shocking them both with another tinge of electricity bringing both Amagi, and Vigidris to two hits. As the Principal rolled into a recovery stance she ran over to Vigidris.

"No more heavy attacks it's speeding up its tempo you need to hit smaller, and quicker we're not doing much, but pissing it off at this rate which is good. We need to hold its attention do you understand no more being flashy," Amagi commanded of Vigidris.

"This is not a study, or instruction scenario this is people's lives legitly endanger Ashen One we are comrades right now so listen dammit," Amagi scolded Vigdris pulling the girl up before spinning upon the sounds of thunderclasp. On cue the creature appeared again right between them both threatening to grab them both before Lazarus deliver a knee to the gut on the Nomu slamming her baton into the creatures face as it grabbed full at her instead of zapping her in full as Lazarus forced it to stay in place trusting Vigidris to move fast.

Vigridis was already in the process of recovering and getting up when the other woman ran over to her to exposit some lecture. She didn't need any aid. "As I said, madam, I will take care of thiss one myself." She saw the opening provided and immediately created a silver sword, jabbing it into the back of the nomu in a way that it wouldn't harm the woman holding it if the sword went straight through. Then she managed to connect a small mithril-like light chain around the nomu's wrist, connecting to her own hand. And in the same breath created an assortment of silver swords around her, all posed to pincushion the beast.

"Strike at its feet, and around it force it into a stationary position avoid damaging its upper body do not give it a reason to retreat egg it on," Lazarus yell finally letting go of the beast to let Vigidris do her part.

Vigridis eyed the principal and glared. She stabbed one of the swords into its feet to pin it. Then one of the blades from her sword skirt shifted into a silver rope, quickly wrapping around the nomu's waist, a heavy weight appearing on its end and hitting the ground with enough thud to crack the earth. She did as instructed, awaiting what the purpose of this was.

The reasoning would become apparent as the creature did not or apparently could not retreat but slowing it was starting to move past Vigidris's constructs at an extremely much more sluggish pace. It wasnt trying to removing any of its bindings but was indeed slowly pulling them without signs of stoping like a slow-moving tractor. Yet with a roar, it unleashed a massive wave of purple electricity aiming to hit anything near it as it was phasing out all around it. It was now pissed which is what they needed.

"Suppressive FIRE," Lazarus yelled blasting at the lightning with six high-power-beamed lazers clashing with its electrical beams the long they kept it distracted the faster the other team would get. Yet once freed of Vigidris chains it rushed at the Ashen one jumping at an extremely fast speed ramming into the girl until the two slammed into a house electrocuting her all the way in a massive explosion of purple light.

Vigridis climbed out of the house a moment later. She was still enduring residual shocks. But the woman put on a brave face and grinned. "Okay, where iss the beast?"

"I am not sure, but its the type to never give up. Steel your mind, and listen for its signs. The lightning strike is the signal, but it's not the only one that signals where it will be," Lazarus hissed slowly moving around in small steps batons at the ready.

Vigridis clicked her tongue in annoyance. This beast was more annoying to fight than she initially realized. It didn't fight like any beast she had come across before. Which typically just ran headfirst at you gnashing its claws and teeth. The only time beasts ever ran away was when they were proven to be much too weak in the face of a predator stronger than them.

The silver-haired woman hit her chest, as a few little sparks sizzled on her. She still felt their tingle, but was quickly getting over it. She looked down at her hand that she had hit her chest with, it was slightly see-through. But that didn't bother Vigridis one bit. A sword floated into her hand and with a surge of her quirk, it solidified and became much fancier, glowing with new power. "It iss probably accosting our allies, tch, the sore loser." Vigridis was annoyed that she couldn't fight it when it was off somewhere else doing who-knows-what.

……………………
(Repair the Radio Station Group)

As the group made their way to the radio station CCMM would call into Kikyo

"Okay, so three problems, one the antenna above is dented up and disconnected someone needs to get up there to put it back in place. Two the circuit breaker on the outside is fried so someone needs to turn on the manual backup. Three once we turn this station back on that things going to be pissed so try not to get me killed in the process of doing this thank you," CCMM finished.

Nyx sighed, as she took the radio from Kikyo briefly, "We will do our job, be ready to do yours and if you die, it's your own fault." she growled before giving the radio back. There was no way that they were going to get to the station without any issues. So, Nyx turned to Kikyo, "You stay in the center with the civilians, Daichi, you too. Ren and I will take the sides, using everything we can to block attacks. This isn't a game that you can slack on, we won't be able to stop every attack if the destruction doesn't go right. So, keep moving." she ordered, "Let's go. When we get there, Daichi and I will deal with the backup, and Ren and Kikyo will take the antenna, but not until everyone is inside the station." she said, but she was already starting to move. She hated to be in combat anymore, she could already feel the itch of it, so to speak. But she had to stay focused on the mission and move. They were already under attack and that was all that was stopping them from making it back alive.

Kikyo blinked absently as she listened to the person spouting information. At this point, the bad news was the expectation. Any time any piece of even remotely good news came up she was surprised if not baffled. She raised her hand as though she were going to reply with something irritated or thought-provoking, only for the device to be snatched from her hands. Nyx replied for her, with a fairly similar choice of words, though likely more polite than she was feeling right now. Nonetheless, she nodded along and followed after Nyx. Following orders was never something she had a problem with. Her reflections moved along with her on either side, further attempting to shield her from any sudden attacks or hazards.

"I really need this to be over. I just want to dive into a mirror and hide or something. Too much today. Talk about sensory overload! With everything going on, yet ANOTHER ambush, I swear I'm going for a record, and now seeing his sidekick, I think I may really be losing my freaking mind." Kikyo complained out loud, though it was mostly directed to her reflections, who simply nodded in agreement while patting her shoulders. One of them whispered something in her ear. The young woman quickly shook her head and shushed her.

Daichi scattered around the building looking for anything to protect himself while he was out in the open, sadly there wasn't anything large and light enough to act as a shield, though he did find a shelf that covered half of his body, he just had to be fast to act if that thing tried to zap him again. The inner empath in him wanted to comfort Nyx but it looked like that type of stress was only helping her stay sane, instead, he patted Kikyo on the back in an effort to calm her down. "Hey just take some deep breaths, there are seven of us, and one of them, this will be a piece of cake." He gave her a smile and one more pat on the back before he kept moving, following closely behind the pro hero.

As Nyx collected the civilians, Ren moved into position using the derby around them he made a shield around them. Holding it was something he struggled with but as Vigidris started her charge he had to make sure that everything that could hit the civilians as they moved from the building couldn't. He let it go when they finally were clear of direct contact with the creature and it took some wind from him as he moved with the group. "Daichi, you have to be our eyes for attacks we don't see." He panted as he moved with the group, "We have work to do." He added as he placed his spear behind him. He would die if his spear vanished, he would keep it behind him and hope Daichi would be able to help him from getting hit from behind.

As the group made their way an unnatural lightning strike sounded off as the creature appeared near Kikyo threatening to grab zap her with its hands extended out wide with such a dead look in its eye as it unleashed its purple lightning.

His eyes darted from all angles as Daichi followed in the middle of their group, it wasn't long before the creature appeared. "KIKYO BEHIND YOU!" Daichi tried his best to show his makeshift shield in front of his colleague, though it did leave him open to a blast that struck his leg, causing him to hit the ground. As much as it stung, he was able to jump back on his feet but not without a limp. "I'm okay, keep going!"

Kikyo cried out as the creature appeared, the reflections moving to try and intercept any harm that could come for her. However, it was Daichi that threw himself in harm's way for her sake,
Interposing himself and his shield. Kikyo flashed him a worried look, while one of her reflections smirked, but quickly averted her gaze back to the creature. It was obvious she wanted to attack it. However, it was unlikely from what she had heard that she would be able to do much of anything to it.

"Daichi! We need to hurry and get where we're going! One of you try and get that thing's attention!" Kikyo shouted, looking at her more aggressive reflection. The reflection in question simply shrugged, then stretched her fingers out as glass sprouted out from her fingertips, forming sharp cylindrical claws, then leaped at the foe attempting to slash at it with her makeshift Neko-te.

Upon Daichu taking the hit, the boy would notice he was becoming more unseeable especially on his leg where he had been hit in particular his makeshift shield had also ceased to exist upon blocking the primary attack.

Yet when Kikyo clone went in for a hit instead of going through it a solid sound of impact would be heard as the creature stumbled back from the clone it seemed confused as on its arm was a legit gash as it disappeared again. Kikyo's clone would notice that on its hands was a visible line streak of blood. Another flash saw the creature not returning meaning it had continued its fight with the distractions team giving them a bit of time to achieve their side of things. Yet as Ren would head for his destination the creature appeared in front of him aiming to touch him with its purple glow.

Ren looked at the creature when it was in front of him, he had made a point to keep a mental map of where they were going and what was around them. Mostly the destruction that was around them. He made a quick motion of his hand to guide a piece of the debris in the way of the lightning at the same time he moved to dodge. He was fast, but if it wasn't for the debris, he was still going to manage to get hit. He sighed as he used his kinetic pressure to blast back at the creature before he moved again. Recalling the advice Vigidris was given. There had to be a reason that Nyx didn't pull them each aside to give them the information. Before he called out, "Hey, Vigidris, I thought you were supposed to be the hero." he teased, seeing if she could get the things attention again.

Daichi upon seeing his leg start to become see-through almost panicked inside before he was able to get himself back in check, there was no time to panic at the time like this, is all he thought. "Okay everyone's out guys retreat outside! Our duty right now is to protect the civilians and get them to shelter, Vigidris will handle this." Daichi followed close behind the group ready to protect anyone who could get hit from behind, the only problem was that he had no shield to protect him.

Kikyo's reflection paused for a moment after her blow landed, glancing at the claw with a drop of blood dripping from the tip. A grin crossed her face as she shouted out to her comrades;

"It bleeds! We can take it out!" The reflection called to her comrades, incapable of informing the other team due to a lack of a communication device.

The prime Kikyo was a bit taken aback, but a little preoccupied with worrying about the civilians and now poor Daichi who took a hit for her. They needed to keep going. The two reflections spread a bit, now under new orders to try and force the creature away with attacks if it showed up again. Which of course, it would. The formerly passive reflection flexed her fingers as the same sort of glass claws formed on her fingertips.

"Ugh, I hate doing this." The clone complained, now ready to defend the civilians and her comrades if it showed its ugly mug again.

The group seemed to be making good progress, and if anything positive could be said, it seemed that the distraction team was doing a great job of providing a distraction. Surely they would make it inside any time now. Then, Kikyo and Ren would have to manage to get the antenna taken care of.

Nyx was concerned about the creature's next motion, it had taken its lightning movements and nearly got Ren. even with her own experience, she was sure that she would not be able to avoid an attack of the creature herself.

As the teams made their presence known the doors to the Radio stationed open wide as CCMM's mask stared at them looking clear for the damn creature outside behind him was a collection of amplifiers, and sound boxes fused into one massive device. Clearly, this was how CCMM planned to deal with that thing.

"Oye whoever's coming in get in now dammit before the next lightning strike bends us all over into oblivion," he yelled out waving for them to send in anyone they wanted. He paused at the sight of Kikyo raising an eye at the fact there were three of them, and well the scaring.

"Fix the issues and then use yourselves as bait, and I'll blast the thing. And then we can all go back to cops, and robbers rather than FREAKING HP LOVECRAFT DEAR GOD WHY," He yelled closing the doors once all the people coming in were inside the building

While listening to the pros command, Daichi made sure everyone was safe and piled inside the radio station, with them taken care of that left them to act out phase 2 of the plan, he needed to find that backup and light this baby up. "Now where's the bloody backup?"

Nyx sighed as she motioned everyone to go inside and had half a mind to snap back at the villain that had led himself in this mess. But instead she moved towards Kikyo and Daichi, "Daichi with me, Ren and Kikyo, you two are going up top. Fix that antenna and then we can do something about everything." she reminded them, before she motioned Daichi to follow her. "We are just going to have to go looking for it. It shouldn't be that hard to find." she told him. In all honesty, she guessed that it would be in the rear of the building, but if it was inside CCMM wouldn't need the heroes to actually do it. So, that was where she was heading.

Daichi nodded in response to her plan before looking back to the door, this was going to be messy if they didn't find this backup fast. He followed closely behind as Nyx lead them to the back of the building although they were stopped by a steel door with it's knob just below them. "Shit okay I'm gonna have to kick this thing down, step back…" Thankfully with the strike from that frankenstein's monster, he had enough momentum to ram through the door causing it to fall of it's hinges onto the floor along with Daichi. "If I could feel that then that would have stinged."

Kikyo nodded her affirmation of the standing orders, bringing along her reflections just in case they were attacked while trying to secure the objective. The young woman gave Ren a quick pat on the shoulder as she moved past them. The trek shouldn't be long, and it wasn't likely that the building's layout would be difficult enough that they wouldn't be able to navigate it. In fact, it only took about five minutes to find the correct location towards the rear of the building, where a ladder provided rooftop access.

"Come on, this way! Let's hurry!" Kikyo shouted to her comrades, the reflections of which mumbled a bit under their breath but followed behind nonetheless.

As the roof hatch flew open, the first reflection jumped out first, just in case there was something nasty waiting for them, with the other Kikyos following swiftly behind to find the antenna so they could get to work.

Ren sighed, there wasn't much they could do, other than what they came for. He looked around to be sure that there wasn't anything that they should be concerned with. Before he let Kikyo take the lead. He followed in silence, his quirk was how they were going to get the job done, much like he was sure that Daichi's quirk was why Nyx chose him to go for the generator. But as he looked up and sighed, they had no time for anything but to hurry, so when she was clear, he used his telekinesis to jump up and bounce from step to step, passing a few as he did to make his arrival to the roof sooner and faster. When he landed he looked at the antenna and smirked, "That is going to be a little work." he said. The antenna wasn't just bent, it was hanging by a wire and ready to fall if the wind blew any harder. "I will have to focus on this and it is going to be a pain, I'm counting on you, Kikyo." he smirked at her and her reflections. Before he got to work, moving closer to use his quirk and lift the fallen piece into its place. The trick wasn't to get it into place, it was to keep it there. That was what Ren was trying to think of at the same time. But as he lifted the piece it grew heavier and he struggled a little to get the piece in place.

Upon that very notion, the real Kikyo would suddenly get blasted by an unexpected streak of a smaller lightning blast lifting her off her feet, and sliding back a few feet as the Nomu appeared in front of the two reflections as it grabbed them both by the face as it train ran them into a fixture nearby luckily not cracking them but probably giving them a nasty headache to enjoy later. Unleashing a web of electricity between the two the Nomu reeled back as if something was wrong. The real Kikyo would probably notice first as neither of her constructs… were becoming see-through… it seemed… her quirk was immune to the Nomu's.

Kikyo cried out in pain when she was struck. The recovery from the blow was just in time, even a fraction of a second later would have sent her sliding across the building, potentially to a rather grim fate. However, she caught herself on three points, both feet and one hand planting into the ground beneath her to steady and stop herself from moving. There was still a degree of lingering pain, thorough, and the smell of ozone. Her reflections took a harsher hit, being slammed into a fixture by their heads. Amazingly, the force wasn't what they were expecting, as neither had even been mildly damaged, aside from the pain and a brief moment of dizziness.

The lack of damage from the electricity was staggering to Kikyo as well. The reflections were wise enough to take advantage of the surprise, sparing each other a quick surprised glance before simultaneously driving their glass claws into the wrists of the Nomu with both hands. One released, one clung to the fixture, flipping upward into a pouncing position from the fixture while the other dropped in low. Utilizing the moment of distraction, she slid between Nomu's legs in a sort of baseball slide as she raked her claws across its ankles. Once it's footing was less stable, the other reflection grinned and pounced with a furious cry, landing atop it's head by digging her claws into the sides of it's head.

Now for the follow-up, the grounded clone slashed the rear of the left leg, then spun around it's side and threw her leg into the rear of the other leg, bringing it down to a knee while simultaneously stepping out of the way of the creature falling backward. The other clone roared with effort as she dug her claws in deeper, throwing her knee forward to drive it right into the enemy's face, withdrawing her claws as it fell onto its back. Both clones took their stance, stepping slowly around it in a circle, prepared to strike it again once it tried to recover.

The attacks all made their mark forcing the Nomu to have a hard time keeping up as her attacks were legitly harming it forcing it for once to feel legit nerve reaction as it winced, and pulled back before roaring in an upset manner, and kicking the closest one in the side to send it flying beside the real Kikyo. The second would have its hand caught before it was spun like a boomerang at Ren as the Nomu finally phased out to heal, and clearly to retreat.

A solid impact into her side forced the breath out of her lungs, the reflection grunting in pain as she was thrown to the ground, sliding painfully to a stop beside the prime. The real Kikyo watched with wide eyes as her other reflection was grabbed and thrown at her ally. She stood up and shouted to them in hopes of warning them in time;

"Ren, look out!"

The reflection didn't have time to react but managed to turn her body around in the air so if whatever she impacted, she would be a smaller projectile and be easier to avoid. Unfortunately, that also meant she would likely be taking more damage. Oh well, hopefully, it wouldn't be enough to break her. The first reflection, now lying beside the prime, was favoring her side, noting an apparent fracture that splintered across her torso, revealing her glass nature. The damage was pretty severe, but it wasn't enough to destroy her or prevent her from moving.

Ren heard his name, and glanced over, just noticing the clone coming towards him. He was going to lose the antenna, at that moment, but he moved just enough to catch her. Hearing the sound of the antenna coming down, he looked up, "No." he growled, his hand pushing forward to catch it. It hurt, his head was pounding and he was back where he started, damn it. He needed to find the right way to seal the melt together and make it last for just a little while. But It hurt and thinking about it was not better, he forced his eyes to stay open as he could feel the pain grow. As he moved the clone away with one hand, he moved both hands to the antenna again, "I need heat, or something to get this to stay, can you get a mirror or something. If we reflect the lightning at the right spot, I can let the antenna go and it will melt the metal enough to hold for a little while." he suggested.

Kikyo's reflection gasped softly as she was caught, and allowed the boy to swing her over so she could grasp onto the metal. With her claws and some extras on her feet, she could climb this thing with no problem. She nodded as he spoke, pondering on what she could do. Using this body as a reflective surface or even a magnifying glass was super easy, simply a matter of willing it and being in the right spot. With that in mind, she swung herself around and began climbing the metal until she reached what she believed was an ideal location. She would spare a glance at Ren and give him a sort of shrug to silently ask if the spot was sufficient. The next step would be more tricky. As far as she could tell, the best bet was to convince it to attack the reflection herself, or to attack Ren and have her intercede. Safest bet was to antagonize it into attacking the reflection itself. So, the reflection held onto the spot and took in a big breath.

"Hey! You look like some crap that Doctor Frankenstein would have thrown away! I've seen double A batteries with more impressive shocks than you!" The reflection shouted in a loud and mocking tone, hoping that the creature would attack her with a bolt of lightning.

The plan was simple, once the attack was launched, she would lose all of the disguise and human features, effectively reverting to a glass golem in her shape. Then, the lightning would be directed through her reflective surface and onto the correct point. At worst, she would have to direct the current and the power may be enough to disrupt or even outright destroy her. But that was just fine for her, after all, dying to protect the prime wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence.

Ren watched as the reflection moved into place and nodded when it turned to him. "Perfect." he said, she was where he planned for the heat to be most effective. So, all they had to do was wait for an attack. He held the antenna up and in place and waited, it hurt, enough that he could feel the blood rushing towards his head to start repairing the stress of the quirk. But he had to focus on getting the down and for now, they were in position for when the lightning hit and their job would have been done.

On cue, the creature reappeared not wasting any time to attack clearly a bit enraged with how Kikyo had handled it before the blast came forthright, but in a more massive volume clearly aiming to fry the reflection or burst it apart with heat.

"Here it comes!" The reflection shouted as the features faded from her body, holding her hand out towards the target location so she could direct the current.

The blast was huge and almost entirely engulfed the crystalline girl. The plan was working, with the current being directed and amplified into a specific space. However, unexpectedly, the surge of energy was greater than she had anticipated, and her form warped rapidly to accommodate the influx of energy. Her left arm shattered, her right leg now misshapen with a large hole forming in her lower abdomen. She collapsed and groaned in pain before becoming still, finally shattering completely after a few more seconds.

Kikyo herself cried out as the reflection dissipated, and she fell to her knees clutching her head, trace amounts of blood beginning to escape her ears and nose. So long as the plan worked, though, it was worth it.

Ren noted the antenna was in place, as the lightning blasted through the reflection. He had no time to react though, as the lightning surged through the metal. He couldn't move, for fear of losing the balance of the antenna. The lightning spared out from top to bottom of the metal antenna, as Ren was standing close by. It blasted him and forced him to fly a little back. It hurt like hell, but his head shot up to make sure that the job got done, with luck it had. He used some part of the building to swing at the creature in hopes of catching its attention, "Kikyo, get out of here and let them know we are done. I'll hold it off here if it stays." he commented, noticing it's lack of staying in one place.

Kikyo nodded in affirmation, activating the radio and she and her clone moved away, with the reflection attempting to serve as a shield as much as possible. "We're done! The Antenna is repaired and repositioned! Objective complete! Repeat, objective complete!"

Once the scenario had played out for the better the Nomu had disappeared without much shock. Yet Nyx, and Daichi who were at the switch board would run into similar trouble as they tried to get the power on the creature appeared in front of it aiming to snatch Daichi.

"IT'S BACK!" Thankfully Daichi's stamina had kicked causing him dodge out of the way of the upcoming attack, hopefully Nyx was fast enough to do the same thing. But now the two of them were trapped with Nomu blocking their exit, so their was no way of getting out of here without taking a hit.

That was until he got an idea. "Look I may not be the biggest techy in the class, but what happens if that switchboard gets zapped by electric boogaloo over there?"

Nyx used her chi to block the attack as she dodged and listened to Daichi when he asked a question, "It could fry the system or reboot it, depending on the energy output." she answered, while keeping an eye on the Nomu. She sighed, she was going to have to figure out a way to calculate how much energy they would need, and if she could collect enough chi, she might be able to redirect the lightning just enough to do what she was sure Daichi was thinking.

With that said the Nomu immediately shot a surge of energy at Nyx before charging trying to ram into Daichi it was clearly having no actual plan and was at this point just flailing around like a wild animal.

"Well we better get the right output!" Daichi had a few ideas when it came to zapping that box, Daichi could be used as a human decoy and distract him long enough to make Nomu try and zap him, although it can easily backfire, hell all this could backfire if they don't get luck-

Forced out of his own thoughts by a charging Nomu, Daichi tried to dodge out of the way but unfortunately was struck by the Nomu's forceful ram. Agh! Longer they stay down in this enclosed room, the quicker they will get killed. "ANY IDEAS!?"

………………………

The situations would turn rather chaotic, but with the pulled efforts of the group they were able to pull the radio stations power back on fueling CCMM's device to EMF wave blast the Nomi out of existence. Yet as the dust settled the villain CCMM had escaped as all the victims coming back into existence had created a bit of chaos allowing him a perfect distraction.

..................................

Go Team Bro Force

"Well never thought I would see the day we would be in a team setting in Suppression," Agi smiled happily to lead his merry band of brothers as they were a bit up in the mountains near Mt Fuji. It was an unusual patrol sector, but given the chance to be near a staple of their nation was an honor to patrol. The weather was a bit windy with a high chance of rain, but for the moment it was sticking to cloudy winds.

"So anyone got anything intriguing to chat about today," Ion Storm chuckled as they continued upward from the base of the mountain path having a set path they were to patrol.

Yori thought about flying up the mountains and scouting ahead for the hell of it. However, the chances of rain were scaring him, because with rain comes lightning. He couldn't exactly do anything if he was shocked out of the sky, or too heavy to fly, could he?

"Aside from my manager wanting to kill me for singing at Kaizen's food stall without telling her? Nothing much." He responded. Yori looked to the rest of the team. "What about you guys?"

Kuroi was mostly silent, not having anything he particularly wanted to discuss. He yawned, the gloomy weather only contributing to his drowsiness. Though he perked up slightly at Yori's escapades.

"...What," He questioned with a raised brow. "Just dump the manager and idol stuff already. Let the simps get jobs and work for a date."

Goto was leaning against a wall, nothing much to really happen at the time. Looked like they were just hanging out right now. Well then, sure. He was fine with that for now. Agi asked if anything interesting happened. Yori was going off on his whole manager thing again. "Dude, your manager sounds like a bitch. I'd have looked for a new one by now."

But he gave it some thought too. "Well, Kikyo kissed me on the cheek after the fireworks at the festival. I wouldn't think much of it though. May have been her copy." It was her copy. But he felt like leaving that bit out would mean more clout.

"Oh, really Kuroi nothing happened at all? Nothing… spellbinding contractual ruiningly magical," Agi strangely teased with an unusually evil smile as he nudged Yori with his elbow on the side laughing a little as asked how everyone else was.

"Careful he might be close to doing that than the fans will come after you, and pummel you for what little lunch money you got left," Agi teased as Goto added into the attack over Yori's manager.

"Oh wow she didn't explode from all the junk food cells in your body damn must have been the clone for sure," Agi laugh clapping at Goto for achieving that which well was a shocker in full honesty.

"So since we're all sharing… I am dating Mari," Agi admitted nonchalantly as he used his hand in a rallying signal to inform the group it was time for them to start following the mountain route they were designated to take.

"But singing is fun." Yori responded to Kuroi. "Besides, it's fun if you don't mind the extra attention." Then came Goto's response. "She's not terrible, I assure you. I just do stuff without telling her and it makes her mad."

He chuckled a little at that. Rika had gone from overbearing idol manager to naggy mom, which was a huge difference compared to her past behavior. Yori could have dropped her and searched for another manager, but she was part of the reason he was as successful as he was now. She tries her best and gives it her 110%. That's why Yori couldn't bring himself to drop her.

Hearing Agi's tease, Yori looked at Kuroi with a little smile. Oh? Did something magical happen? He wanted to know.

"Try not to get stabbed by a toothpick if you ask out Kikyo, yeah?" He told the blue haired man.

When Agi mentioned his relationship status, Yori put a hand on his heart and feigned sadness.

"B-But Agi, I thought we had something." Then he laughed. "Congrats on the girlfriend. Here's hoping you two have a long and fulfilling relationship." Yori was truly happy for his friend, although of all the people in their class he didn't expect Mari to be the one to date him. She was really proper and traditional. Two things Agi wasn't.

Kuroi deadpanned at Agi with a hint of aversion in his gaze. He leaned a bit closer to Goto with a look of pity. "Help. He's turning into a Disney princess." It was nice that Goto had recovered from the date with Haya, but he didn't like what Agi was insinuating. "You know I don't do roundabout. What're you on about now? Or did your new girlfriend leash you so hard you lost out on oxygen?" That was, of course, a joke. Agi rarely made sense right away. He couldn't attribute that to Mari.

"Y'know she said something similar the next day. Forced me to eat something alien. I don't think it was actually food. Though she hid it pretty well with some actual food, though" Goto said in response to Yori 's jest. "Anyway, that's not important. Good on you Agi, Mari may not be at the top of the leaderboard, but she definitely got a few things going for her." He raised his hand to high-five Agi.

Amon was a little distracted, he picked up the whole dating thing back at the school festival when Isa dropped some hints on Mari and Agi. He would've joined in on the congratulations of a friend finally getting hitched and the other stuff teenagers talked about, but he had some other things on his mind, which was funnily enough tangentially related to the conversation.

"Oh yeah...grats on the thing with the pres." Half-heartedly Amon replied to Agi, he's been continuously hitting a pebble up the mountain with his tail and feet, seeming a little distracted when the dating topic started. Of course he could share his experience, but was that really a conversation for his friends, 'help I think a villain I fought might be into me and also stalking me and also infiltrated our school while stealing the identity of another student' didn't seem like good material right now. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes a bit Amon tried to throw the thought, it wasn't good to be this distracted on missions, it was unusual for him to seem this lost in thought anyways.

"I know Yori but due to the Monopoloy game four years ago that caused strife between our families they would never allow us to be," Agi spoke in his jokingly well suited Shakespearean accent. With his hand over his heart with dramatic flare he laughed a bit before lightly shoving Yori in good spirit.

"Heh I don't think we're that fair to be bringing in leashes yet besides I don't think she plays that into her kitty role," Agi chuckled to Kurois countering it by a little as he smiled at the Disney stab.

"Thank… you," Agi questioned giving Goto a solid high five, not sure if he should question what Goto meant by that. Yet the red striped haired teen shrugged it off more so pulled into Amons strangely distracted voice.

"You alright buddy," Agi asked Amon with some concerns

"Huh?" Amon looked up from his pebble moving project after hearing his name, it was still a mission even if he was with friends. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about stuff." He mumbled a bit in his usual casual tone. It wasn't all that unusual for him to be on the sidelines when talking about relationships, although he always had that intimate flare with others Amon never thought about that sort of thing in a serious fashion before, hence having no input. "You know I don't really know what to say about...you know…"

"Perhaps in another life, where the circumstances are more forgiving to our fiery, passionate amore." He responded, the back of his hand on his forehead in the overly dramatic fashion to match Agi's.

However, hearing Amon, Yori frowned at the other's word choice, more so that he seemed a bit unsure about whatever was on his mind. The others questioning him must have made him feel awkward about it.

"You don't have to if it's not something you're comfortable sharing." Yori spoke up, giving Amon the out if he wanted to take it. "If you want to, I'm sure we'd all be happy to listen. Well, maybe not Goto."

"Hey! I mean you're right, but you don't gotta throw me under the bus like that."

Kuroi raised a brow at the odd behavior presented by Amon, rolling his eyes a bit at Agi's remark. "It's not like anything else is going on right now."

"I mean in general Amon you seemed rather out of it since this whole mountain trail started the rise of elevation isn't messing with you is it," Agi asked walking over to his buddy halting the traveling group for a moment to let Amon get his head on straight.

"Oh ya you would make quite the Juliet I am sure," Agi teased back at Yori before laughing at Gotos response to Yori's follow-up statement. Yet before much else could be said a massive sound of a rifle being shot of could be heard further in the distance.

"Defensive Parameter," Ion Storm called out as a wave of Nano shields formed around them all ready to take on any gunfire coming their way, and as a second shot sounded out it was much more clear the fire was further away.

"Everyone move out. Corvus and Jabberwocky recon ahead stay amongst the trees and be hidden in case we need to plot an ambush. Try for a higher elevation, but keep to a healthy distance. Jetstream, Lifeblood you're with me lets go," Ion Storm directed fast staying to the ground as the wind started to pick up, and a flash of lightning sparked the moment of their mission start.

Deeper into the forest was a lone woman running for her life bleeding, bruised, and clearly near her limits with the bullet wound in her shoulder. Her quirk had barely allowed her to escape her stalkers. The foliage barely kept her out of sight from the attacker, and as she cringed at the sounds of footsteps she picked up a stick ready to whack whoever was nearing her with all her might.

Higher up their was something clearly moving fast above the trees zipping around, and a pretty good speed as if searching for something with hostile intent to find, and strike as its yellow blurr visage kept moving between sections of trees.

Yori jumped a bit at the sudden sound of gunfire, his senses peaked for the imminent danger. He listened to Agi's directions and acknowledged them with a nod. "Let's go." He would tell his designated partner before rushing forward to recon ahead. He decided to jump from tree to tree, using his wings to lengthen his jumps and soften his landings. If need be, he could sit in the branches and hide himself.

He could hear something moving around on the ground; running. Then there was the rustling of trees.

Yori used context clues to decide that it was a high-speed chase. He pressed the button on his headset to talk to his designated partner. "You see anything? I can hear something getting chased, but not much else."

"Aye, I believe it's...coming from above." Slightly pointed ears perked up as Amon listened closely to the ruffles of the leaves, Yori made sounds, and so did the wind and whatever inhabited the forest.

Walking up to a good enough shaped tree Amon conjured up a blade onto his tail tip, and swung the slender appendage up the tree trunk, deeping burying the sharp construct into the wood and pulling himself up. There seemed to be something up here, that much was obvious. He was disadvantaged in terms of mobility compared to Yori and whatever could move that well in the trees, but that doesn't mean he had no methods.

"I can't move as well as you up here, but I'll try to set something up." A quick visage flashed in the distance as Amon caught a glimpse of it. Hmph. If it's speed they're up to, then the best way is to use that against them. Raising his tail up and shoving it into the tree trunk behind him, thin red constructs began to burst out of other parts of the bark, extending and extending into nearby trees, thin wire like constructs that weaved a net between the trees. It was a web that Amon had constructed and set up between the tree tops for this unexpected force. The constructs were thin and difficult to spot unless up close, a sort of aerial trip wire.

"Corvus, if possible avoid the air space around me, I'm setting up a wired zone for the projected enemy." He mentioned to Yori, not wanting to have a teammate caught up in his anti-air strategy.

"Well this is great, can't very well kick the shit outta them if I don't know where they are." Goto gripped. It seemed they had little info on the location of their attackers. All though there was evidence they were in the airspace above them. "The air is my domain too. If they breakthrough, I'll intercept them before they even know what hit em." Goto engaged his gear, ready to speed off when the moment called for it. "Not used the being the one that's chased. Unfortunately for them, I'm always looking to be 'It.'" He was as confident as ever.

…………………………………….
(Corvus & Jabberwocky Vs Cosmic Celluar & ???)

With Jabberwocky's net casted a sudden series of tugs and pulls sounded off as his netting tightened and caught the yellow blur yet as Corvus, and Jabberwocky watched it became quite clear whatever they had caught was not surrendering that easy. Now held to on selected area a massive buzzing was audible to the two as whatever the blur was, was tugging and pulling refusing to be held causing massive strain on the tree Jabberwockys netting was using as a holding rod.

"AMBUSH," a female voice would scream right above Corvus as the sudden torrent of pinky-orange glittering slime came falling down aiming to capture distracted purple bird as from bellow a wave of dark purple slime tentacles shot out aiming to catch Corvus's feet. Both attacks aimed to immobilize the bird fast if he didn't move fast.

As for Jabebrwocky the sudden sound of multiple slices was followed by his netting losing its tightened grip with the red string falling all around as sudden added weight could be felt on the bigger branch near him with a very pissed hostile bee-like woman with a stinger appendage, two reverse armblades, two mechanical antenna's, and two sets of wings producing the clearly agitated buzzing noise glared at him.

"I do not like being held STILL," she yelled in clear frustration flying at him fast threatening to slice him with her reverse arm blades as she performed an x slash-like attack.

"Huh?"

Yori heard the voice from up above, his first instinct being to barrel roll out of the way, and nearly got hit by the slime.

'Slime?' The suddenness of the attack messed up his flight pattern, forcing him to take to the trees and land roughly on one of the branches. He hugged the tree, panting softly as he looked around for a second. Then he pressed the button on his headset. "Slime person. I need someone to switch opponents with me."

"OMG YOUR YOU," the pink slime slithered onto the tree splatting onto it before pointing a hand at him from her slime ball form as the rest of her formed with a massive gleeful smile.

"Yori…. Corvus the IDOL AHHHHHHH," the slime flung her hands wildly before the purple hand swung underneath Yori catching his feet before spinning him around the branch until holding him disoriently upside down.

"Huh… cool," the purple slime said with less enthusiasm, but also just as surprised. Than in Yori's ear piece a answer came.

"Were under attack down here as well Jabberwocky assist if you can we will get to you as soon as we can."

Red strings dissipated into the air, rising up into sparkles that flew and faded above the tree tops, Amon leaned back against the tree, observing the thing he just caught. At least the plan worked to an extent, he had an idea of what his opponent is now.

As the winged girl aerial charged him it was clear that this would be a disadvantageous fight for him, despite his flexibility Amon's aerial mobility was lacking compared to his teammate. He smirked as Yori's voice came across the comms.

"Aye aye, but I'm bringing a surprise."

With a small smirk Amon leaned backwards and free fell out of the tree, though he kept his tail wedged into the branch firmly, as he dodged the speedy charge attack. Immediately the small red blade enlarged and with a swift slash, chopped down the entire tree. Amon hoped that the falling canopy would be a good enough cover for them to do this baton pass.

"Aerial enemy over here, looks like a fast...bee? Quirk? Seems like your specialty, I won't be able to keep up." Running towards Yori's coordinates Amon can see the strange slimy substance that lingered in the trees, seems like he was on the right track as he saw two familiar slime textured girls.

He paused a bit a distance away from the trio, time was tight, but first strikes were also important. The soil of the forest was soft and much easier to tunnel through than concrete, so he inserted his tail into the ground. In an instant, countless red bramble-like constructs erupted out of the ground in attempt to bind the two slime girls holding up Yori. 'As long as I can make an opening enough for him to fly away…" Amon thought as red brambles continued to crawl up.

'Oh no.'

Well, it could be worse, right? Maybe if he gave the screamy girl an autograph, he could maybe influence her to reconsider her path… Maybe. She's a villain for a reason, and he'd rather not associate with her more than he needed to.

He felt something grab his foot, then his whole world spun around before Yori's vision reoriented when he was upside-down.

Two, there were two slime women. Would two autographs help then, if they were such big fans?

Sheesh, wishful thinking…

Suddenly, the ground erupted with multiple red constructs, catching the women by surprise. With a few needles, Yori used them to get the slime off his foot before quickly flapping his wings. Then, as quickly as the girls appeared, the purple-haired man flew off in the direction of the bee Amon mentioned.

"Thanks, I owe you." He told Amon through the headset, making a mental note to get a gift for his friend as a proper thank you.

'Now, where are you…'

Upon Jabberwockys captured the slime girls seemed to explode oozing out of his trap with ease though a little more solid on some parts with the pink one immediately returning the capture favor by wrapping around him.

"Ohhhh your that boy that kissed Phanes during the trick mission hehehe such an evil boy," the pink-skinned giggled as the purple one slithered fast sending out tentacles that slamming into Amons stomach sending him free from the pink ones grasp right towards a tree.
"Not sure how I feel about being called 'evil' by an actual criminal…" Amon muttered half to himself as he flung his tail around the tree and swung himself back onto his feet after getting knocked back unexpectedly. It appears that he can't save on materials this time around as he saw the slimy textured girl simply squeeze herself out of any entrapments.

Amon was glad that he had to reread that grueling combat report from Amano, as it did detail much of the weaknesses of this particular slime villain, though his lack of access to antifreeze made it so that he didn't really have an instantaneous option, but the openness of the field compared to the last encounter also meant he had more leeway. It was also strange that one of them bound him, yet another decided to knock him away. Were they not symbiotic? It seemed like they had distinct personalities.

Straightening himself up, Amon's tail was still hidden behind the tree he was almost thrown into, and in the unseen place, a large red blade appeared. The tree trunk was cut clean through and the entire party began to fall towards the villain. As the sound of rustling leaves and branches filled the forest Amon quickly hurled himself up to another tree's towering branches. Although his mobility might not be good enough for the aerial villain, it was or a grounded one, strength is relative after all.

"Not so fast," the pink slime sang as she slither up the tree as multiple slime snakes reforming and wrapping around his tail legitly applying pressure to force it straight. It seemed his own weaknesses were out in the open just as the tail was his Achilles heel.

"Does this count as tail play for you," the pink bubble slime laughed as her gooey hands wrapped around his waist for extra support while wrestling for control of his tail?

The purple slime he had dropped the tree on had finished reforming as she watched her twin go wild on the boy slithering up the tree fast she joined in wrapping around Amon like two snakes trying to strangle a mongoose.

"We can't kill him though Phanes said so," the pink one reminded the purple one.

Phanes? What? Amon struggled a bit as he heard the girls speak, it was strange to hear someone seemingly capricious as those girls speak like that. All he wanted was to focus on a fight and maybe forget about that weirdo for a moment, but it appears that fate had other plans for him.

The slime's advantage was its flexibility, and Amon had yet to show the full capabilities of his tail. A swooshing then cracking sound filled the air as the demon swung his tail fast and hard like a steel whiplash in order to shake the girls, attempting to slice the slimy portions whole with its great speed. Even with just a small breather red energy generated out in a long narrow piercer shape, trying to stab into the slimy portion. Its viscosity means...Amano's report mentioned membranes, then attacking the inside should be an option. Amon thought as he expanded the construct into pressured shockwaves briefly launched from the piercer-like construct.

"Uh oh hes getting smart," the pink slime smiled outstretching her hand to catch her purple sibling as she separated her lower have to avoid being ripped apart by his attack as her lower half was sliced, and burned to ribbons.

"I call a tactical retreat…"

"Agreed," they communicated before jumping up into the trees and quickly bursting away.

"Sheesh…" Amon got up and threw some slime residue off of himself, flaying the more troublesome bits with a small flat knife. Listening into the comms he can tell that the other fronts weren't done with their battles yet, and headed off to another direction.

……………………………
(Corvus Vs Stinger)

Corvus in turn would find his target fast as her buzzing came from below with much aggression as she slammed into the purple her I to disorient him before speeding around to come in with a single blade strike aiming rather unexpectedly for his hair of all things.

Just as Yori looked down he was met with a rushing body that knocked the wind out of him. The strike to his hair did nothing but give him time to recover, given how strong his hair was usually.

He broke a few needles from his hair and flapped his wings, giving himself some distance and throwing the needles at the person's body.

Swishing around the bee girl was able to dodge most of the needles with a few stabbing into her shoulder. Yet she seemed unphased as she caught up to him slashing at his side while her abdomen swung in trying to sting him.

Yori quickly kicked his foot down on her stinger to redirect the stinger to the side, using the momentum to try and swing a punch at the bee. Meanwhile, he broke off more needles to ready for a surprise attack if need be.

"A shame. Villainy doesn't suit you." That was all he said.

The bee blocked his punch with her hands gripping his attacking hand as she threw him over her shoulder as she buzzed higher up watching him for his sneaky attempts as she brandished her blades in full grip.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she hissed nose-diving at him

Yori was falling with his back facing the ground after she threw him over her shoulder. As she nosedived, he shot out a barrage of needles her way from his hair.

He'd have to be careful, 'less he wanted to shoot too many and become too heavy to fly.

"No flattery, just the truth." That was all he said as he used the distraction to recover. Yori had a plan now, he just needed her to come closer.

Registering his attack in the nick of time she spun like a tornado deflecting a majority of his needles with a few jabbing her upper chest area but it was clear her pain tolerance was high as she finally returned the favor as her sting shot out its needle-like harpoon right at Yori.

"I don't need your weird words," she hissed clearly having quite the temper.

"I don't need you trying to stab me either; can't always get what we want."

The needles that were smacked away he stopped in midair, manipulating them to redirect and point at the bee woman again. The stinger grazed his leg when it shot out, Yori barely managing to avoid something more serious. He boosted towards the bee with his wings, using his legs to wrap around the girl's waist and his hands would grab at her wrists. He stopped flying, and instead hung his entire body weight onto the girl. Either she would get tired out, frustrated, or she would start heading towards the ground because she was too heavy to fly.

"YOU FUCKER," as the two fell in a final line of resistance the bee girl grew out her second stinger whipping her abdomen all of the places before finally stabbing the poor hero right in the right ass cheek before the two slammed into the ground knocking the wind right out of the girl koing the fight right out of her into unconsciousness. Yet wounded the hero's sense of pride, and comfortability as no matter how he moved… that stinger had to come out, and would not be a pleasant experience.

Above the rustling of tree would signal Yori to new development as it was clear someone was around amongst the tree's everything was quiet until an unsettling bubbly cheer rung out from the pink slime girl who had a wide grin as she slowly oozed down from the tree tops.

"He knocked out Blade Hornet… pffttttt looks like she got the last laugh though. Want us to pull it out cutey patootie," the pink slime asked stifling her laugh as her growing slime arms started to grasp at the stinger.

The pain that rode along not just his ass cheek, but down his right leg and a bit up his spine was enough to make him not want to move. He let out a little groan, trying to figure out the best way to move without sending another wave of pain through him. But after the rough impact and the stinger that was pretty deep in his skin, Yori eventually exhausted his ideas.

It didn't seem he had much of a choice except to wait for one of his teammates to help him.

Just as he was about to ring them, he heard a voice coming from the trees. He recognized it as the excitable villain who screamed at the realization that he was, in fact, the idol.

His body tensed and his eyes widened a bit, looking over his shoulder at the woman. Since he was lying on his stomach, Yori was at her mercy.

"Uhh…" He began. "If you don't kill me, yes."

Suddenly spiked brambles erupted from the ground with an eerie red glow, but unlike the last time, the spikes extended after binding the slimy substance and attempted to pierce deep in, locking the woman in the place. It crawled up her figure to the arms that approached Yori before suddenly expanding as a method to pull the slime apart.

Amon moved forward from the foliages' shadow that he hid under while launching the attack. Trailing the slime-based villain proved to be a good idea, she seemed to have some sort of obsession with Yori judging from the previous reports, and she clearly didn't seem that pressured when she decided to retreat.

"I don't think lying would gain you any points with your idol, Missy." He remarked at the girl while gripping the spiked and brambles tighter.

As the pink slime was caught again in the barbed trap she simple mumbled at Amon as she was both being torn apart, and boiled it seemed her pain resistance was extremely high to these sorts of attacks meaning it was logically a good guess that nitrate and cold themed tactics were the most effective. However, the heat seemed to keep the pink slime from enlarging in response meaning she was legitly trapped.

I wasn't hmpf you're a terrible judge of scenario," she responded sticking her tongue out at him with a devilish smile as the purple slim came crashing down on Amon with a tree branch aiming to distract him as she flipped Blade Hornets reverse blade swinging to lop off Amon's tail.

"Tsk." Amon dismissed the red constructs for a moment and snapped his tail back in order to enclose himself in a constructed prism completely, knowing that coming into contact with the slime would be bad news. He didn't have an efficient way of dispatching this girl quickly, the energy consumption to keep her melded in place was too high for it to be a drawn out tactic.

Sliding to the side Amon replanted his tail tip into the soil, but instead of bursting more weaponry into the opponent, he aimed for the roots of the trees around. Before long the slime girls would be caught in the center of multiple toppling trees.

As the tree trunks continued to tilt, Amon ran over to Yori. "Get up, it's tricky to hold her." He whispered sharply while slicing cleanly through another tree nearby and pushing it towards the girl's direction.

"What the tree storm," Ion Storm asks running into quite the scenes of trees falling left in right in the area ahead. A bit in he could see two blobs moving frantically about avoiding certain death from all the trees which was weird cause…

"I think those villains are idiots," Agi said blankly as running further in got him to Amon who was the clear attacker, and Yori… oh dear.

"Oh that does not look like any sort of okay," Agi gave a dicomforted look as he saw Yori's misery. Quickly using his nanos to form a stretcher underneath lifting both the unconscious Blade Hornet, and Corvus placing them both well… into a rather ahem friendly position as Agi could just remove the stinger from either Party.

"Jabberwocky I got another unconscious perp wrapped up west of here we need to retreat collect, and regroup with Jetstream, and Lifeblood," Agi directed as the levitating stretcher started to head south.

The foliage around thinned out slightly as Amon knew this wasn't a long term plan, so he was relieved when Agi showed up. Another tree was uprooted and toppled over before he looked over at his teammate.

"Understood." He replied while ducking under a fallen tree's crown, covering the tracks of their retreat direction if needed. As they neared the other unconscious villain Agi tried to build an idea on what they could, and should do.

"The likely hood of us catching the slime twins is extremely low so the best we can do is make sure they don't recover their allies. I am going to send you off with Corvus to turn them in… and to deal with Covus's unfortunate situation," Ion Storm instructed handing Jabberwocky a gps device.

"I'll play distraction, and regroup with Lifeblood along with Jetstream so you have enough time to get off the mountain call me if anything happens," Agi expressed heading off making some noise to draw the slime girls attention.
…………………………………………….

(Lifeblood, & Ion Storm Vs Oni's Ghost)

Before Kuroi could add anything to the conversation a stick came out of the blue slapping him across the face as a woman strange dressed like a scientist thrown through a blender came out of the blue in a sheer panic running away with any sense of stopping.

"Jetstream catch her, she might be a victim," Ion called out checking on Lifeblood. "You alright," he asked, checking his face for any puncture or other wounds. Before anything else could be said both Ion Storm and Lifeblood were sucker-punched by levitating massive hands rocket punching them off into a brutal downward roll on the mountain as a massively tall woman jumped down laughing revealing a muscular woman in some strange clothing watching the boss plummet.

"Life Blood let's go," Ion Storm flipped landing on his feet burrowing downward as his Nanos caught Lifeblood throwing him back up the mountainside to counter-attack as he radioed to Jetstream.

"Goto that girls running from villains get her to safety if you can, and be on the lookout for further attackers we will catch up when we can," Ion instructed before receiving Yori's call to help he had no doubt Jabberwocky would jump in.

"Were under attack down here as well Jabberwocky assist if you can we will get to you as soon as we can," Ion Storm called in wondering where those damn massive fists had disappeared to.

Kuroi jumped a bit as everything went to hell, then scowled and followed suit. He didn't contribute much to the conversation until he heard Yori requesting a switch due to a "slime person". Getting distracted by that, he was slow to react to the stick smacking him in the face and even slower to react to Agi's examination of his face.

He lightly slapped away all prodding, assuring his friend that he was fine. "I'm good, it's a-" Interrupted once again, Kuroi was thrown, yet quickly recovered in a tumble. He felt himself slung back with Agi's nanos and growled a bit. "Yeah, I'm done with this."

Spinning with his leg extended, he countered with a roundhouse kick accentuated by a blood crescent extending from his shin to cleave the woman that came from nowhere. Blood as well trickled from his arms, ready to follow-up with the attack or counter a defense.

"Ora ora your a spicy one," the now clearly oni-like woman responded as a disembodied massive size hand appeared taking the hit as Kurois blood attack dug in, but not enough to cleave through.

"Pleasure to meet you," she growled in excitement as another fist materialized ready to slam into Lifeblood before being blocked by one of Ion Storms' nano shields allowing Kuroi to counter-attack.

"Eh," the oni female said, caught off guard by the levitating shield.

"Stop flirting with me," He commented pointedly.

Kuroi was quick to react to the shield, swiping with both forearms as a pair of crescents extended to cut the new hand. He then kicked off the shield to gain some distance as well as place himself on solid ground. Dipping low, he sent a couple more slashes out at the woman's legs while the materialized arms were elsewhere.

"Great, running away. Just my strong suit. As much as I hate it." Goto turned on his heel before sprinting off, achieving air smoothly as she sped toward the running survivor. "C'mon, we're moving fast." He shouted as he passed her up, wrapping an arm around her and carrying her bridal style. Goto called back through the woods, "Hey leave some action for me and don't die!"

"I think she's more saying she's excited your a fighter and not flirting kinda like Isa… unless that's how Isa flirts," Ion suggested as Kuroi's numerous attacks seemed to do quite a bit of damage to the arm as it surprisingly dispersed all together.

Upon the blood attacks to the legs, they were intercepted by a massive disembodied oni-like head that backed at them as the attacks did little damage. It then sped right at them only being halted by Ion Storm's four pawn chess pieces slamming into.

"Get at her," Ion yelled to lifeblood.

"I-...It's just fight banter, Ion," Kuroi replied in slight exasperation.

Using the further opportunity, Lifeblood charged forward, vaulting over the pieces and kicking off the materialized head to somersault, and bring a blood arc from the back of his shin down at the woman. The crescents from his arms disappeared into his appendages and returned as claws on his hands to stab and swipe after he would land.

"You wanna explain why you're fucking with us before or after I shiv you?"

"How about you get me a drink first," she laughed in response before Kuroi jabbed into her metal-plated side armor earning him a gut punch from her legit fist which backed quite a wallop as it sent Kuroi backward a bit as she raised the same hand summoning another Oni fist rocketing it after Kuroi as Agi charged her backside with his nanobytes using the oni head she had summoned like a boulder throwing it right back at her.

"WHAT THE FUCK AHHHHHH," she dodged her own oni head as she summoned another fist slamming it into Agi sending him rocketing all the way into a tree.

"Lifeblood I think retraining might be the better idea," Agi suggested as he uprooted himself from the tree.

"You're not my-" Kuroi paused a moment, reeling back the retort as that would be a lie. However, it was also partially due to the air being knocked out of him. Tumbling, he turned to Agi and growled. "I don't think you get the thing I've got going here. It's stabbing or breaking," He said, referencing the hammer.

"You are just made she rocket punched you aren't you," Agi asked bluntly.

"You got hit into a tree," Kuroi replied pointedly. "So stabbing, breaking, or both?"

"... How about choking out," Agi suggested as he rushed over as the girl reformed her three pieces of the spirit Oni sending the head at Kuroi trying to trap him with its massive mouth to which she was suddenly vaulting over aiming to kick the crap out of Lifeblood with a dropkick. Ion Storm redirected his path to Lifeblood as he dodged the floating fist deflecting them with multiple nano shields left, and right.

"Why not…" Kuroi muttered back, unsure of how they would be able to manage that. Kuroi jumped backwards, flipping and springing off his hands to further the distance between them. Landing on his feet, he pulled out his maul and swung it at the oni to keep her at a distance. With it slammed on the ground, he used it as a pole to jump from, kicking off the materialized and attacking the woman with a midair kick aimed to hook around her head and pull her to the ground. After that, he would hopefully be able to keep the pressure until she passed out.

"Fine then we beat the tar out of her better," Ion Storm argued with Lifeblood like a bickering old married couple as he dashed forward. The Oni hissed as she was forced back by his hammer before being met with a solid kick to the back of her head sending her rolling forward as she regained her momentum swinging her fist summoning another of her massive fists to force him back in turn before Ion Storm snuck in swinging with his nano blade forcing her to block with her gauntlets giving Kuroi a wide opening.

"Yes." He murmured with narrowed eyes. Kuroi grabbed the hammer, filling it with blood to give it weight and covering the exterior to soften the actual blow. He carried it in a large horizontal swing at the woman's stomach. Hopefully, it didn't break anything, but if it did, they were the ones being attacked, right?

The woman let out a massive breath as she was flung onto her back flopping right into a tree. Before they could celebrate she resummoned all three of her ghostly figure sending the face at Kuroi again to devour him. Agi rushed forward throwing Kuroi high up into the air as he caught the oni's face by the horns as his nanobots chained, and captured the arms.

Kuroi's eyes widened a bit as he was grabbed and thrown up. As he looked down at the head, his face returned to a scowl as he raised the hammer up. The blood retracted from the coating it had formed on the outside and grew a spike from the hole at the head of the mallet. He didn't have to worry about killing her by attacking the oni head--or at least, he hoped as he carried the maul down as he fell to bring against the materialization's cranium.

Upon the impact, the head bellowed before dispersing freeing up Agis hands as he flooded more Nano's onto the disembodied Hands before crashing them both altogether. Recollecting all his Nanos he formed a whip that wrapped around the Oni chick before yanking her right at Kuroi.

Kuroi planted a high kick firmly in the woman's face as she was slung towards him, effectively clotheslining her without too much damage. He breathed a sigh of relief after, collapsing the hammer and stowing it on his waist. "Well, that was annoying."

"No joke… alright I'll tie her up you go catch up with Jetstream while I go aid Corvus, and Jabberwocky," Agi nodded offering a fist bump to their victory before they split up towards their need destinations.

"Great, more running…" Kuroi grumbled, hitting Agi's fist before he moved onward to assist Goto.
……………………………...
(Jetstream Vs Eum)

"Well great, how are you doing then? Lucky I'm here to step in then." Goto just uttered without any real care.

"OYE THAT'S MINE BLUE BLUR," the voice was loud, and proud from above as an insane woman who had clearly jumped off a cliffside came crash tackling onto Got sending the victim screaming again as she was flung away from the hero. It would only take a second to register the girl as villain who had fought with Vigidris a few missions back named Eum.

"DONT… TAKE… THINGS… THAT… ARNT… YOURS," she yelled at him with each word landing a new punch to Goto's shoulder as the girl had wrapped her legs around his waist holding onto him as they rolled wildly out of control.

When suddenly leapt upon, Goto let out a whirlwind of profanities, quickly trying to upright himself. He needed to get this crazy bitch off him. Quickly, he took the two of them into the air before using his rotational inertia to move faster and faster, aiming to send her flying off him. "Don't grab on to something you can't keep up with!" He shouted as the villain was flung into the air, quickly following up, riding the path she made while moving with a flying knee into her stomach.

Hilariously in turn as Eum was flung into the air a second whirlwind of profanities were shouted out as Goto came diving in with a flying knee while the attack made its mark Goto would instead feel the intense pain of hitting a supercharged orange vest negating his damage as she hooked a hand around his attack kneecap and stabbed a taser into his upper thigh letting it go full shock on his ass.

"KEEP UP WITH THIS ASS HAT."

Goto let out a cry in pain as the shock pulsed through his body, quickly using the backdraft caused from his assault to retreat, unable to really control his return. He ran into a branch as he fell, spiralling onto his front as he landed with a solid thud. Really? Electrified vest? What a fucking pussy!

He tried to gather his breath as he picked himself back up, looking back up into the air to see if that bitch was still airborne. Damn. How was he supposed to deal with that? He grabbed a rock from the ground. Might need to get his cannon arm going. Been awhile since middle school baseball. Hopefully, he won't be too rusty with his form.

"Awwww what's wrong blue bitch did I knock the wind out of your spikey sails you call a hair style," Eum laughed at his bitch fall as she landed with a combat roll negating her force of motion halting in front of him as he picked up a rock. She raised an eye with a chuckle already knowing what he was thinking about. With a devilish smile, her whole body started to glow orange as she motioned him with both her hands in a come hither antic.

"What tired of pitching for your home team," she insulted waiting for him to do the only thing he could with that rock.

Goto wasn't about to take this sort of crap. His form happened to differ from an actual pitcher's form. Goto's jets sped faster, as he spun rapidly, throwing a fastball that could punch a whole in a car's door, let alone splinter a log. And Goto came striking hard, directly against her face.

In the moment that Goto had released the rock, it's trajectory was off. But his aim with the stone wasn't to strike her directly. He just needed an opening. One faster than she could have expected. Then all he needed was to be faster than his rock and grip it, using it as a means to give him some space between whatever this orange energy was and him. Hopefully the combination of being faster than she could react to, and the unexpected guidance of his attack would knock her down a peg or two.

As he came sliding to a halt, Goto quickly glanced around the area. He figured someone like Yori, Amon, or Agi would be a better fit than him. Could be fun to mix up the plays a little. Swap positions.

As the rock made its impact the girl forced he way through tanking the rock pretty well though it did force her back a step as it shattered against her enhanced body. As the attack made its mark the pussy ran from her causing her to scream in fury.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BLUE SLUT YOU DONT JUST GET TO LEAVE LIKE THAT," Eum went wild chasing after Goto up the mountain trail fixated on catching up as she saw his projector and pulled out a grappling hook charging it with her power before taking a shot and impressively catching him by the right leg. Pulling on the grapple rope she pulled hard aiming to bring him back to her.

Goto was struck by the hook, as it wrapped around his leg, causing him to trip. He was dragged back the other way, as he tried to stand back up. He couldn't stand up, being dragged the other way. He needed something to get out. Then he had an idea. He turned onto his back, raising his hand up. His jets on his wrists started up, and he used that to propel him into the air, trying his best to grit his teeth against the pain.

He sped into the air, then let himself start falling, draping the line between the two of them over a thick branch, and pulling down on it hard, forcing her in the air, and falling face first, with his leg still wrapped up.

With the sudden torque, Eum was fighting Goto like a stubborn fish in a strange tug of war game between a grounded, and aerial opponent. Upon his little sneaking trick, she was yanked off the ground landing hard on the ground with her whole body glowing orange she was able to mitigate the damage, but Goto had regardless got a one upon her. Unfortunately for him this simply earned him a dark smile. With a sudden reel back up she grabbed the rope still attached to him, and in trun yanked back rooting him upside down as she logged the gun into a stump before running at him nailing him in the stomach with a solid screw kick freeing him from the rope, but sending him against a boulder as she popped her knuckles with a demonic grin equal to a hostile Isa.

"Aight imma enjoys this now," she sneered as she pulled out a knife and a pistol. As she took aim she fired to warning shot-making to clear this was now a true battle of chaos between villain, and hero. Using the blasts as a distraction to close the gap she jumped on the boulder as her energy around it turned a deeper orange as she aimed down to step into him.

Goto was freed after being taken into the air himself and pummeled against a rock. He let out a grunt as he tried picking himself up, stumbling as he put pressure on the leg that was wrapped up with shooting pain. He looked down quickly to see that it was not pointing in the direction it should. That's definitely not a good thing.

Then he heard the warning shot, looking over at the villain in front of him. Bitch had a gun! His goal wasn't even to fight her. He still needed to find that person and get her out of here. And he still needed to accomplish that. Goto smirked. One leg outta commission meant he needed to keep things aerial. "You better make sure the first one hits."

The horizontal rotary blades engaged, spinning at high speeds. Using this gust, he flipped widely into the air, before speeding through the woods, dangling from his "rail." Didn't look like he was going to have much luck breaking through her barrier. So what option did that leave him with? With his leg possibly broken, not much.

For now, he just needed to lose her.

"Hey. We finished with ours, Jet. Where are you at?" Kuroi questioned, pretty much just running towards the sound of commotion and hoping for the best. However, it didn't take too long for Kuroi to actually run into him, or vice versa. Suddenly Goto blasted past him with urgency and Kuroi ducked behind one of the trees. They didn't hear that Goto had won or that the villain had retreated, and Kuroi didn't see anyone on his way.

Was it a chase?

Blood secreted from his arm like knives as he waited. If Jetstream was being pursued, Lifeblood would have an ambush ready.

As Goto rushed by he saw a familiar emo kid, dressed in black and drenched in his own blood. Seemed back-up has arrived. He couldn't really stop moving super easily right now, not without breaking another bone. But he wasn't alone anymore. Goto swung back around, still hanging by his hand. He swung back around and started circling his teammate, slowing down as much as he could. "I'm pretty much stuck like this. Think I fucked up my foot pretty badly. Careful though, bitch is persistent and has a gun. You can probably block it though. Keep her busy, I'll run interference."

And with those words, Goto was speeding around the woods again, waiting to do something about his target.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LOUSY LICE," Eum came running in full speed after Jetstream, and upon sighting Lifeblood immediately fired off to bullets as she pulled out a strange-looking device charging it with her power as she sped right for the blood hero.

Kuroi gave a curt nod at Goto before he heard the shrill screech of the harpy pursuing him. She seemed to have noticed him as she turned the corner, though that didn't matter. Kuroi swiped at both of the bullets with his arm blades. Eyes gleaming red, he slashed the blood in an X formation at the woman's lower body, then spun around with a back roundhouse kick, of course, accentuated with another large, bloody crescent aimed higher.

With that bitches focus split, getting in closer should be a whole lot easier. Goto quickly spun around and ran right toward the girl, He picked up speed, waiting for Kuroi's attack to finish, and rammed into her with the best shoulder charge he could pull off while hanging onto the air current with one arm. Hopefully being blindsided gave them enough of an upper hand to take back the advantage.

Upon seeing Lifeblood's quirk in full display the girl smiled devilishly as she swapped her gun for a combat knife with a very notable grin. Upon his lower attack, Eum vaulted over it rolling past the blood attack before dropping into a slide narrowly missing his blood kick. Now, this was more like it. She twisted around threatening to slash his attack foot open before she was bulldozed by the blue bitch again.

"Sorry I am not into rodents," She smiled her quirk defending against most of his force to avoid any serious damage even more so she latched onto him with both her feet before stabbing the strange device which quickly turned out to be a taser electrocuting Goto with quite the current.

Kuroi winced as he felt skin break, but as the knife made contact and drew blood, the liquid rushed out, pushing against the blade and clamping at her hand holding the weapon. After the woman gained some distance, the blood seemed to stop leaking with only a few splatters of blood lost. It still hurt, but unless she took out a bone or tendon, a flesh wound wasn't very threatening in the long term.

Kuroi rushed to the side of goto, with blades and tendrils erupting from the open skin on his arms. He slashed at the woman's midsection while the tendrils stabbed at various other parts of her body. Hopefully his quick recovery would take her off guard. "You would've been better off using that on me."

Effectively Kuroi had dislodged Eum from Goto, but before any words could be shot back Eum noticed… she was still falling? "OH SHIIIIIITTTTTTT," in a perfect spot of location Goto had delivered her right to the edge of the cliff with Kurois attack having literally sent her over it.

Once the police had arrived on the scene Yori had been taken to the hospital to get the stinger dislodged from his ahem derriere. Blade Hornet and the Oni girl were handed over yet neither would give a word on their group or their mission. The scientist who they had run into had completely disappeared with Eum and the slime twins. Whether they got her, or she had gotten away was simply a mystery.