Chapter 26: Starting Line Part 1
When Izuku arrived at the Shoowaysha Publishing on Sunday morning to check on what news, if any, had come from the people who had been brainwashed and forced to attack the…..cat girl….who interrupted his and Kendo's evening? The lobby was quiet, but entering the elevators and rising through the building and reaching the media floor, he saw that he had entered a beehive of activity. As he headed to Hodo's office, he caught brief snippets from the staff.
"Look, I'm just looking for confirmation here."
"And you're sure that it's a forgery? They confirmed it?"
"I just got a confirmation from the security firm about the system; it was upgraded last fall."
He caught sight of a whiteboard setup near the center of the room, with people stopping to give updates to a checklist, or scribbling a new detail down. In large blank print was the topic at the top of the board, 'Tokyo Museum: Life and Time Tablet theft!' Izuku immediately pulled out his phone and typed that in to see every news site was live at the moment. The story is breaking right now. He realized
A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he whirled around to see Hodo. "Midoriya! Perfect! I was just about to call you, come on." She said as she began pulling him towards her office. As she walked, she told him about the story. There had been an anonymous tip given to the police that the Tablet of Life and Time, an incredibly ancient artifact from the Hyborian age, had been stolen.
Izuku, however, was a bit distracted, not by his promised conversation with Kendo, in that he would have to reveal his biggest secret. Not that the UA entrance exam was the day after tomorrow, and there was the chance he, Set, Yui, Uraraka, and Itsuka might not make it into the college of their choice.
It was that Itsuka messaged him today a picture of her, with her casual clothes on, but the jacket he had given her on their date on. The brown bomber coat he wore out, and then put on her when she got a little cold….and left with her upon setting her down in her bed. Which itself REALLY had Izuku lying awake at night as his brain would not let go of that scenery unfolding.
But now he was thinking of her picture, standing in front of the mirror with her phone taking a photo while her other hand was in his jacket pocket, the brown looking good against her orange hair draped over the single shoulder while the message stated, 'I might have to steal your jacket. <3'
"YO!" Hodo clapped her hands in front of his face, making him jump. "Midoriya don't space out on me! I'm on a roll here."
"S-Sorry, Hodo." He sputtered, his cheeks turning red.
She tilted her head, "You ok? You're not sick or anything, are you?" He shook his head, "Then why is your face red?"
"I…it's nothing."
"It's nothing."
He pouted, "I forgot. Was my quirk that I could control the color of my face?" He replied before blinking. He normally wouldn't be that flippant; that was saved for when he had his mask on, and he was able to be unfiltered. Maybe he was getting a little too comfortable.
"....HA!" Hodo barked out as he blushed harder at his own defensiveness. "That's a good one!"
"Ugh....I um...got a message from the girl I went out with." He admitted with an embarrassed heat to his cheeks. He risked a glance at Hodo and saw her smiling slyly at him, "…..she um…..is stealing my jacket….she was cold, and I gave her mine." Hodo bit back a teasing remark, and instead settled on a complacent hum. "Sorry, sorry, I swear I'm listening. I'm just….."
"It's hard to keep your mind off a girl who likes you?" She guessed; he sighed and nodded. She smiled at him, "Been there. Still am. Look, you gotta make room for her and what's actually going on in your life. You know?" She said with a playful smirk. He blushed more, but nodded in agreement; he had much more pressing things to concern himself with at the moment. "So anyway, this Tablet thing is priceless." She walked over to her computer and rotated the screen.
On the monitor there was a news article from some paper in New York, with a picture of the tablet. It consisted of two noticeable parts: a circular section, which had an eye-like symbol in the center, was near the top. It was attached to a corner of the square beneath it; the square itself had been rotated at a 45° angle, so it wasn't a traditional square like most wood pictures in their mind. Instead, it almost resembled two triangles, with their bottoms connected to one another.
Across the tablet itself was a language that didn't seem recognizable. They brought to Izuku's mind hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt that his history class showed in middle school. "It's….really unique." He noted. "What exactly is it?"
Hodo looked at it skeptically. "Well, according to a history professor at Empire State University, it's believed that in ancient times it was able to produce eternal life." She explained with heavy skepticism. Izuku shared it; it would be one thing if this was discovered around the time that Quirks developed. There were plenty of people who could create an effect on an object to do something; one of the first cases of medical advancements from Quirks was a doctor being able to enhance the blade scalpel that could cut through dense skin, which could be the result of a patient's own quirk.
It was later replicated by using micro lasers to sharpen medical instruments according to the individual patient.
If someone was able to have a quirk that could somehow heal someone by imbuing it with an object? That'd be one thing, but this was hundreds, thousands of years before superheroes were even conceptualized.
"Um…..how?" He asked curiously.
Hodo shrugged, "That's what no one is sure about. One source I heard said that it's a prophecy or something about someone born with this ability; another is that it's a map that leads to what people thought the fountain of youth is. Hell, I think one conspiracy nut says that just touching the tablet will do i;e it's irradiated." She said, causing Izuku to rub his head in confusion at the logic behind that.
"It sounds like nobody knows what it even says." He noticed Hodo smirked, and he stopped rubbing his head. "...no."
"All that's been translated is the name, that top part. Everything else is apparently a weird cypher." Hodo further explained, gesturing to the symbols on the tablet's picture. "Part of why it was here is that the Museum was in the midst of decoding it. I'm heading out to learn what they've figured out so far." She said as she grabbed her bag from her desk.
"Want me to tag along and get some pictures?" Izuku offered, holding up his camera as they left her office.
Hodo smirked. "Well, it's not like I hire you to take pictures or anything. She joked, "Besides, I wanna hear about this little lady whose got you in a tizzy." she said as she closed the door behind Izuku, whose face turned red as he thought back to the photo she sent him...…he liked that jacket too but the warm fuzzy feeling that his girlfriend was wearing it easily overrode whatever sense of property he has for it.
Waking up and being questioned by your dad was an experience that a lot of people had. Although for Itsuka it actually WAS his job to know what happened on her date. Particularly when a crime happens, and he's the commissioner, even more so when innocent people are seemingly brainwashed to commit violent crimes on someone's behalf. Itsuka didn't mind in the slightest though, she told him everything, her abd Izuku arriving, the sudden appearance of the Black Cat and how they were perusing her, and telling Izuku tp run and call the cops while she helped people.
"…..Emi? Why do the mats need cleaned?" Eri asked the older Kemdo woman as she stood in the doorway to the dojo with her. In the middle of the room, Itsuka was on her hands and knees with a sponge, a bottle of soap, and a bucket. The ginger-haired girl had her hair tied back with a bandanna over the top of her brow, collecting her own sweat as she went about the task.
Because I'm an idiot who decided to risk her life trying to be a pro hero. Itsuka thought with a shake of her head. She knew that once she told her parents that she ran headfirst into danger to save others, they would be proud...but couldn't have her thinking that was something she should do until she had her license.
Emi knelt beside the little girl, "Well, sweetie, we need this room to be nice and clean if Setsuna and her sister are coming over." She explained in an excited voice.
"...but why is Ken doing it?" Eri followed up. Itsuka herself felt like this was a comedy sketch directed at her and rolled her eyes.
Emi sighed and patted the girl's head. "Because she did something very dumb. So she needs to be punished so she doesn't do it again." She explained before looking at her daughter with an amused expression. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Itsuka dropped the sponge in the bucket and gave her mother a fake smile. "Why yes, mother. Of course."
Emi snorted as she stood. "Alright, sentence is served. This dojo is ready for a sleepover." She said proudly as Kendo walked over with the bucket. Emi reacted and took it while her other hand rested on her daughter's shoulder. "And while what you did is dumb. We're both proud." She added before pulling her in and pecking Itsuka on the forehead. As Emi took the water upstairs to dump in the sink, her daughter smiled up after her. Edited unwrapping the bandana and wiping her face with it.
She had to run out and grab the soap from the store this morning angst her parents issued her punishment. But given that she just needed to do this today and not a week straight like she did when she was little? She got off pretty easy. "Moral of the story, Eri, don't be dumb like me." She smiled jokingly before looking down at the girl, only to find her looking down nervously. "Oh sweetie, what's wrong? Look, my mom calls me dumb, but she doesn't actually mean it," she quickly added, hoping that the familial teasing didn't sound too genuine.
"It's not that," Eri said as she fiddled with the button of her overalls. "Emi said that your friend and her sister are coming over..." she nervously figured. Itsuka pursed her lips together. Setsuna was all for a playdate with her sister and Eri, and Sera seemed super excited to meet Eri, but the horned girl herself clearly was growing anxious at the prospect of meeting new people.
The older girl gently put a hand atop Eri's head as she knelt, "Yeah, they are…..and I can tell you're nervous." She began, "But remember when you met me for the first time? You were pretty nervous then too, huh?" She asked. Eri nodded and blushed a little bit. "But are you nervous around me now?"
Eri shook her head, "No, you're….. you're really nice…..and…." She trailed off as she seemed to pick up where Itsuka was going with this. "And…..so these new people might be nice too?" Itsuka smiled and nodded her head in approval at the girl's answer. Eri responded by pursing her lips together, looking down at her hands, and then, with the courage a seven-year-old could muster, "Ok….ok I'll meet the nice people."
Kendo smiled, "That's the spirit."
Eri nodded, and then tilted her head to the side questionably. "Um…..Ken? You have a….brother. And Sets…set-"
"Set is fine, sweetie." Itsuka gently helped; longer names were a little hard for her to sound out so close together.
Eri nodded, "Set has a sister…..what does Deku have? A brother, or sister?" She asked.
Itsuka blinked in confusion before she realized what she thought, "Oh! No, sweetie, not all families have brothers and sisters. Izuku is an only child." She informed.
Eri blinked, "…..like me?" She asked, pointing at herself.
The redhead shifted her weight, relieved that the girl wasn't sounding sad but more curious. She nodded, "Yes, like you."
"....thats sad...I think Deku would be a good big brother."
Kendo smiled, "I think he would be too. The next time I see him? I'll tell him you said-" she began to say before her phone rang. "One second, honey," she said. Eri nodded; unlike some kids her age, she seemed to grasp that phone calls weren't someone ignoring her. Standing up, she pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was her dad's number. She answered, "Hey dad, what's up?"
"Hey hon, I just wanted to tell you I'm going to be home a little late tonight." Her father's voice said.
That phrase, familiar to her from years of his duty, sent a wave of nostalgia over her. He had been working late so often one time she threw a tantrum that he wouldn't tuck her into bed like he usually did. So he compromised saying that he would tell her if he would be hold up late, and talk to her a little before getting back to work. The memory brought a mixture of parental fondness, and a tiny pang of sadness, the latter she easily brushed aside.
"That Museum thing?" She guessed.
The tired sigh was her answer, "Normally I wouldn't even be out of the office but this is a national monument as well as a government funded one. It's all hands on deck for this in terms of police presence."
Itsuka smiled, "Well hey at least you're not trapped inside all day." She tried being positive.
There was another sigh, "I know. Anyway I wanted….to…..tell…..you…." her dad trailed off.
"Dad?" Itsuka asked with a hint of concern.
"...Itsuka your never going to guess whose here."
Izuku had been to the Tokyo Museum back in middle school on a field trip. And there was an odd sense of Déjà vu to when he stole the picotech suit as once again, somewhere that he had been on a school trip was now swarming with police. If this keeps up that petting zoo we went to in pre-school will be attacked next. Izuku thought as he snapped a picture capturing the contended off front of the Museam while Hodo badgered one of the officers at the tape.
"I'm not asking for much, I just want to know if there's any details your willing to share with the press." Hodo said with a honeyed voice to a stoic officer whose quirk gave him another set of eyes beside his regular ones each of them looking bored. Izuku was thankfully standing back to let Hodo do all the talking, she suddenly gestured to him, "Look I just want to show my protege here how police and reporters can have a good healthy relationship, isn't that what you want?"
The man's eyes looked at izuku, whose expression shifted to a betrayed expression and slowly shook his head. Hodo caught it, "Traitor." She accused.
"I don't want to be a scapegoat is all." He replied with a deadpanned expression that matched the officer's expression. He gave the teen a nod of approval, causing Hodo to walk off with Izuku in tow. "I don't know exactly what you expect, it's an active crime scene, they have investigation pro heros inside….i wonder which ones? HoundDogmight eagoodchoiceofthetesascebthereheciyldfollowbut" he muttered before a game clapped down on his shoulder.
He whirled around instinctively and blinked at the man. "Mr Kendo??"
Ryuji smiled at him, instead of the casual clothes he was used to seeing the man tearing, he wore a very nice tailored suit, pants, and tie. The pants and jacket were a dark blue color that complimented his black hair with greying sides, "Midoriya, I have to admit I'm surprised to see you here."
"Um….you too actually." Izuku admitted, his mom told him how Ryuji told her how mind numbing boring his job could be until some crisis happened. And considering what happened it seemed this counted as the latter, "Oh! You look nice sir!" He suddenly straightened up, realizing he WAS addressing his girlfriend's father.
The man chuckled, "Thank you, but honestly I'd rather be in anything else right now." He said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand as the early summer sun pelted him. "I was just on the phone with Itsuka telling her I saw you here, I'm guessing you heard?"
Hodo, meanwhile, watched this scene unfold with her jaw dropped to the ground.
She had, WAY too many questions right now but she managed to collect herself, and stepped forward, "Mr. Kendo, I'm Hodo Nayuki with Shoowaysha Publishing. Is there anything you can tell us?" She asked professionally. Izuku gave her a look, which she ignored as Ryuji fought the urge to roll his eyes and sighed. She raised her hands in a peaceful gesture, "I'm not asking for some basic information here sir. Lot of us are confused by how this happened and why they would steal something priceless." she explained.
"As our statement said, an unknown thief infiltrated the Museum last night at approximately seven pm. They disabled the alarm system and proceeded inside where they retrieved the Tablet. And went out the way they came in." He said as he crossed his arms. "At the moment the prevailing theory is that the tablet was stolen to be held up for auction for private collectors. It's the only rational reason why anyone would steal something priceless." He explained. Izuku looked over at the Museam, remembering how on his trip here the guide boasted about the security systems.
"Um. Mr. Kendo, do you know how they disabled security? Was it some sort of quirk? Something that shuts down electricity?" He asked, thinking back to the Kaminari sibling he had fought.
Ryuji paused for a moment. Considering answering the question before nodding to himself, "No, it doesn't appear to be based on a quirk. In fact, the method of entry points to no single quirk being used. Which points to either a team of criminals, or a singular specialist who has a versatile quirk."
Izuku thought back to the Black Cat; she wasn't a pro hero... and the robbery was last night. Could she have been meaning to sell it to someone who then tried silencing her? He pushed the thought aside; he didn't know for sure that she did steal the Tablet so it was just conjecture.
"Are auctions like that common?" Hodo asked, quickly typing away on her phone for notes.
Ryuji nodded, "They are actually; mostly they're harmless though. Private options are usually related to pro hero memorabilia. Discontinued support items, costumes that were rejected or upgraded later, stuff that collectors would grab," he informed. He and Hodo paused to each turn to Izuku. The young man blinked and looked down at his shoes in response before he continued, "There's also the possibility that they might try to ransom the Tablet back, which we believe to be the more likely scenario." Hodo nodded as she jotted that down, "Which is why, if you or any news outlet get any sort of message from someone claiming to have access to the tablet, I'm expecting to be looped in."
Hodo's head snapped up; she blinked, then nodded in understanding. Izuku snapped another picture of an officer talking to one of the museum employees. "Thanks, Mr. Kendo; sorry for bothering you," he said.
"No problem Midoriya. If you want more information on the tablet itself, the Museum Director is probably who you should talk to." he nodded towards the man Izuku had captured a photo of. "If you'll excuse me I need to get back to work." he said, giving the young man a wave goodbye.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Hodo grasped him by the shoulders and spun him around to look at her. "Ok, how the fuck do you know the chief of police!? Who's Itsuka, and why..." she began to rattle off before she saw him blush....and she recalled how flustered he was this morning. ".....no."
"....."
Hodo's arms dropped at his silence of confirmation. "Oh my god your dating his daughter?!"
"Shhhh!!!" He hushed, looking around to make sure no one was looking at them from her exclamation, he turned back to her with an exasperated look, "Fine, yes, I am. Can we focus on the story???" he asked, wishing that Hodo would switch her attention back to her job, regardless of how invasive her questions may be or how pushy she was.
After a few miniutes of badgering him, Hodo relented and focused back on the task at hand, which brought them to the museum director. "Personally, I'm shocked that such a thing could even happen given our security measures," he told the pair.
"Are you going to re-evaluate your contract with the company behind the system?" Hodo questioned.
He shook his head. "Nothing is decided at this point. While the loss of the Tablet is devastating, the systems have repelled countless penetration attempts in the past. Re-evaluating the system in place is more likely," he answered as he adjusted his tie.
Hodo nodded, making a note to reach out for a quote from the Security firm. "Last question, your museum was given the Tablet on loan from Epire State University in America; in the academic world is this a staggering blow?" she asked. She wanted to cover all the angles she could think of, and while the theft itself was the main story there was still the ramifications of it she needed to report in a way that was easy to understand.
The director sighed, "Unfortunately I believe so. However, it's not all bad. While the thief has taken the Tablet they didn't get anything related to the translations we've decoded from it." he said, looking on the bright side. That made both Izuku and Hodo blink in surprise.
"You've…..how much have you decoded?" Hodo suddenly asked in interest.
"Well, we still are," the director said. "We took a number of scans of the tablet with 3D imaging tools, so we have an exact digital replica of it. We've been running it through a customized large language model to try and translate it using a number of ancient texts to try and translate it." he said before sighing. "Unfortunately, while in theory this is sound, in practice, the machine makes many mistakes based on false assumptions. We've had dozens of false translations; we were looking into gathering multiple language experts to decipher it with a conference, but with it gone? It's up to the AI to sort through it. As a precaution, we've had our security move the servers containing the data offsite to a branch facility where-" he began before an officer ran over to him.
"I'm sorry but we need to discuss an urgent matter." The officer said as he led him away as the other investigators around them became suddenly abuzz with activity. Hodo's head snapped around inquisitively as Izuku's eyes followed the director towards Ryuji who was on the phone.
He watched as he talked to another officer pointedly, who then rushed off towards his squad car while Ryuji made his way towards his escort of officers.
Hodo turned back to the photographer, "Midroya, let's get some shots before-" she began, only to find he was gone.
She didn't see him as he ran back between; in the mad scramble, he didn't look out of place, even as he darted across the street and down an alleyway. Putting his camera into his backpack, he continued his full sprint before leaping up to the wall, his hand catching it and throwing himself towards the opposite side of the alley and into the air, flicking his feet, he threw his shoes off into the air showing off the red boots of his suit. Landing on the rooftop, he hopped out of his pants and bundled them into his backpack as well while he continued running towards the ledge.
Catching the shoes in his bag as he ran, he reached down past his clothes and pulled out his mask and gloves with one hand, tossing the bag up with his other, and putting the remaining pieces of his costume between his teeth, pulled his shirt up over his head before tossing it up into the bag as it sailed over head, he didn't even look as he pointed his hand back and webbed the bag to the side of a wall. He pulled his gloves on as he reached the ledge, and with his mask still in hand lept off the building before pulling it on and shooting a webline out and swinging off after the police cruiser he saw Ryuji direct.
"Suit, what's going on with that cop car?" he asked as he swung after it, launching himself over a building as he overtook the pace of the cruiser.
\\It appears that a police evidence escort has been hijacked by a group of villains. The same one transporting from the location you were just at.//
Spider-Man's lenses narrowed as he shot a webline around the corner of a building and launched himself down the road. "Terrific," he said sarcastically as the location popped up on his field of vision. "Well, the cops probably have this handled, but I'm here so I might as well help." he thought as he used a pair of webs to shoot himself up over a rooftop and down towards the street where the truck should be-
"....what the heck!?!"
He had pictured something like an armored car, and….by all accounts it WAS one…..if done right year old came up with it. The tires belonged on a monster truck, the body was extended out like an APC, and the exhausts on the back looked like something one found at a street race with blue fire shooting out the back as Spider-Man swung after it.
"...ok just to be sure this is real." He shot a webline at the cab; it hit the roof and pulled him onto it, onto all fours. "Ok, not an illusion! Thank god it's not Mysterio, but also more confused." He said as he crawled forward and peered into the driver's cabin. "...…ok doubly confused."
There were four people inside, each of them dressed up in costumes. The driver of the car was the simplest, wearing an all-black suit that resembled what race car drivers wear, complete with a matching motorcycle helmet that obscured his face completely. The second one wore a blue and white costume, with a blue undersuit and white pads on the shoulder, chest, and back; he also wore a mask with the mouth exposed and his eyes covered by an angular visor.
The third was another man in a skintight crimson and blue suit, with golden lightning bolts across the shoulders, wrists, and looped around his waist, which broke the red section to just be around his waist, and the goggles across his eyes.
The final passenger was female, wearing a purple and violet costume with eyes similar to his but….. beetle-looking. "Oh shit! Spiderman!"
"The one and only!" The vigilante said as he flipped onto the hood, "Now, how about you pull over, and I'll web you guys up? I won't even get upset that you missed the hyphen." He joked.
His spider sense earned him just before flames erupted from the vents of the hood, jumping up onto the roof in time, "Gah! Hot foot! Hot foot!" He yelped, grabbing one of his feet while the other stuck to the roof.
The driver turned his head. "Beetle! Get out there!"
"Why me?!"
"Because you can fly!"
"And? Boomerang, just throw something out there!" The Beetle replied.
"Wha-oh fine!" He said before the boomerangs on his belt snapped to his hand. Reeling his arm back as far as he could in the space he threw it out the front window. CRASH! "Gah! I meant roll down your window!" The driver yelped as they. The projectile curved back towards the roof as Spider-Man finished patting his foot off. His sixth sense buzzed, and he ducked his head, looking back at the missed projectile.
"….was that a boomerang?" He asked before looking ahead; his lenses widened when he saw ahead of them was a backed up police barricade! Aiming his two hands ahead, he unleashed a large canvas of webbing between the buildings on the road to trap the car!
"Shit! Overdrive, detour, I'll take care of the pest!" Beetle said, launching out the window, the insect-like wings on her back fluttering fast enough to keep her aloft. As the transformed truck approached the blockade, it suddenly lowered down, the wheels extending out to the side, so it could lower towards the road before launching itself up, jumping into the air! And sending Spider-Man airborne as well!
"What the-" he began before the beetle intercepted in mid air, "-heck!" He wheezed down as she grapple with him. The truck's arc cleared both the webbing and the blockcade, the tires screeching as they peeled around a corner. " OK seriously where did you get the car, the wacky races?!?" Spider-Man said as he pried her arms away from him, she tucked her legs in and kicked the wall crawler in the chest, their combined momentum keeping them going but on different trajectories. Spider-Man deployed the web wings and glided on a trajectory to take him back to the car.
As he zeroed in, Boomerang stuck his head out of the car and whriled his projectile at Spider-Man, his spider sense gave him plenty of warning and he performed a barrel roll manuver he had been practicing, spinning him slightly off course and dodging the boomerang...and sending right through the window of high rise.
Tumbling across the ground, he quickly recovered and began running, "Sorry everyone! That seven years goes on my tab! Wait, that's just mirrors, never mind!" He called out to the office workers who he ran past, leaping onto the windowed wall and sprinting, looking down and outside the window, he saw the top of the truck….thing, passing between buildings. Looking ahead he saw the subdued continued around the corner of the building, launching from the wall, he spy a web to his side while kicking through the window, hooking around and swinging directly towards the truck as it kept driving on, "Sorry again!"
As Spider-Man tried to catch up, Beetle, already reunited with her accomplices, flew beside the passenger side door and looking in on Boomerang. "Where's Speed Demon?" she asked.
"Ran up ahead to give us a heads up for any more cops or pros." Boomerang informed her. "Look we might not make it to the switch, Get started on cracking the lock on the back." He said, throwing a thumb to the back of the truck.
She looked back, then past Boomerang to Overdrive, "Can't you just remove the lock?"
The driver shook his head, " My quirk doesn't work like that, my quick lets me improve mechanical parts only. Not remove or rearrange them." He reminded her, she was about to reply before Spider-Man swing out from an alley on the other side, shot a web to the underside of the truck and swung up and kicked Beetle with both feet!
Landing back on the hood, he webbed the exhaust vents closed that had burned him before. "All right the joy ride is over!" He said before webbing the driver in his seat! His spider sense warned him to turn and dip as a horizontal boomerang flew past his head. "Missed." He said, and then dipped his head in the opposite direction as the projectile returned. "Aaand missed again." he mocked before his Spider Sense rang again just a millisecond before he was struck in the back, sending him tumbling across the roof before he stuck to it.
He looked up to see Speed Demon's blurry visage close in on him, driving his knee into the vigilante's face. Spider-Man grunted as it was followed up with a jab in his back, then a right cross, He's fast-too fast for my spider sense! Izuku thought as he swung a fist back, which hit nothing.
He was a whirlwind, and Izuku was caught in the eye of the storm.
Setsuna smiled as her little sister ran around her as they walked towards the Kendo dojo. "Slow your roll green bean." she said, gently guiding her sister to be beside her as she grabbed the strap of her backpack. Sera groaned, "Its a sleepover, not a race." She said, ruffling her sister's hair.
"I know! But it's with Kendo! She's like my other big sis!" Sera protested, acting as though Set wasn't excited enough.
Setsuna grinned at her with her shark-like teeth, "Oh yeah? What's wrong with your real big sis?" she asked, ruffling her sister's hair. Her smile lessened a little as she slowed her pace, "You remember what I told you? About the girl staying with Kendo?" She asked carefully.
Sera hummed, "umm…Eri, right?"
Set nodded. "Yeah, she's going to be there too. But, Sera, I'm telling you this now." She said in a more serious tone that made her younger sister look up at her. "Eri is very shy. She doesn't have any friends, and she's been through some really rough stuff, so I want you to get along with her. Ok?" She asked.
Sets blinked in surprise. "She doesn't have any friends?" She asked a little quietly. "…..that's so weird. I wonder why?" She asked.
Set made sure not to let her lips drop into a frown; she knew exactly why, and it still boiled her blood. "Well, I'm hoping you can change that. I'm not saying you have to be friends, but please, be nice. Ok?" She asked. Sera seemed to think about it, but then nodded, making her sister nod back and smile, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to her side affectionately.
Soon after, the Kendo dojo came into view; out front, the sisters saw the orange-haired girl kneeling beside her bike, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she used a wrench to tighten something down. Standing beside her was a little girl with a horn on her forehead, Holding a smaller wrench and watching with fascination, "Hey! Gearhead!" Set called out.
Both girls turned and Itsuka smiled as she stood, Eri watched as Kendo strode up to her friend and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Hey Lizard Brain." She greeted back before pulling away and smiling down at Sera, "Little Lizard," she greeted. Sera grinned, showing off her familial sharp teeth. Its sister looked down at Eri, and the little girl instantly froze up.
"So, is our uninvited guest here yet?" Setsuna asked with a grin.
Of course the first people outside her family that Itsuka told about the whole masked men attacking last night were Setsuna and Yui, and while she had organized this playdate to be with Sera and Eri, Yui immediately made a point to come out and make sure she was ok. "Yeah, she's inside helping get supper ready," Itsuka said, tilting her head to the house.
Setsuna nodded and then turned her attention to Eri. The little girl shied behind Ituska a little-
"Oh wow! Your horn is so cool!" Sera gushed, making both Eri and Itsuka's heads snap towards her, the color draining out of the former's face as Eri self-consciously raised her hand to it.
Setsuna facepalmed, "Oh my god, Sera, that's not what I meant." She muttered to herself in a wheezing voice at her sister's lack of tact.
"U-um-" Eri started, not entirely sure how to respond.
"I wish my pointy bits were outside," Sera said before hooking her fingers into the sides of her mouth and showing off her teeth. Eri blinked at the sight, "Seesh? They'resh pointy Toosh." She said through her fingers before letting go and smiling to show them off again.
"Sera don't stick your fingers in your mouth, that's gross…..and unsanitary," Setsuna said, her eyes narrowing a bit as she added the last part.
Itsuka breathed in relief, glad that Eri wasn't upset, but she did seem taken aback. "Sera, this is Eri, she's staying with my family and me. Eri, this is Sera and her older sister Setsuna. She's one of my best friends," she introduced, causing Setsuna to give the little girl a friendly smile.
Eri blinked at that, "Your best friend?" she asked in awe. Kendo smiled and nodded, "Even more than Deku?"
"URK!" Kendo mentally bluescreened as Setsuna gaffawed in laughter, watching her friend's face turn as red as her hair.
Setsuna's smile turned smug. "Well, Ken? Am I?" she asked in a sing-song tone, which earned a playful shove from her friend. She then looked down at Eri, "Yeah, I've known Itsuka since we were as tall as you, Yui too." she smiled.
"Ooooh. The quiet lady…..she's nice," she said, Eri said with a shy smile. Yui's usual stoicism could be a little off-putting to some kids, but Eri actually thought it calming. Yui didn't say much, but the small smile (which was REALLY rare) she had given her was really all she needed.
The little girl felt a little calmer now that she saw how Itsuka was getting along with them. But Sera's comment about her horn had pulled up a bundle of insecurities that a girl her age didn't even know how to begin to process. Maybe it would just be better if she was quiet this whole time, she knew she told Itsuka she would try to be friendly...but she was being held back by her own past….
Then she noticed the button on the backpack that Sera wore; she pointed at it. "Is that Spidey?" she asked in awe.
Sera blinked and snapped her head to Eri, on the strap of her backpack with a pin depicting the mask of the vigilante. The other girl smiled and cupped it proudly. "Yeah! There's this lady who sells them at a stand; she said Spidey helped her carry groceries up to her apartment one time." she said as Eri stepped closer to look at it with awe. "You like Spider-Man?"
Eri nodded, a trembling smile blooming, "Y-Yes...he…he saved me." She admitted.
Sera's eyes widened, "Get out! Me too!" She exclaimed, surprising Eri. "See we went to the Zoo this one time and there was this big Lizard guy-"
As Sera regaled Eri, wide eyed and enthralled, in the story of the Lizard, Setsuna and Itsuka watched on with fondness and relief. "Phew….thought Sera might have botched that. Thank goodness for Spider-Man, weirdly enough." She said with a grin.
"I know right?" Itsuka reflected back.
As Sera continued to talk, Itsuka smiled in fond recollection of that day as she knelt down and finished tightening the screws on her bike into place before rolling it back into the driveway behind the house. Who would have thought returning Izuku's camera to him would bring them to where they were now? She vaguely recalled trying to place him there after meeting him, but admittedly he didn't exactly stand out in a crowd. Then again a well known Vigilante fighting a giant Lizard was pretty distracting.
Weirdly enough, the beach we met up at later was where I met Spider-Man before he started going by that. She thought to herself.
Then she blinked.
That was…..also the day that we saw those Enforcer guys. And…..weren't they the same ones who Spider-Man took down later that day? She thought, recalling how when that video had been leaked, the footage had been altered, and when the full version was released much later, showing Spider-Man was saving them from the explosion, she hadn't even considered the date.
Her blue eyes blinked. And…..after that was when I found him scuffed up. He said he got mugged and…..well he's quirkless, it'd be easy for someone to. She winced a little at that, Ok no, not what I mean but...that's weird.
And…..and then there was Eri...ran into her….and then Spider-Man shows up to save her. Gives her Izuku, and-
"-and then BAM! He punched the box Lizard right in the nose! Er-snout!" Sera excitedly recalled, throwing an exaggerated punch herself while Eri's eyes sparkled in wonder while the gears in Itsuka's head that were turning at alarming speeds were halted.
For now at least.
"Woah…..I didn't know he did that." She said in awe. "I'll sometimes watch TV and I'll see heroes like the giant lady but not Spidey." She said with a disappointed look. Kendo felt herself sheepishly smile, she had carefully explained the difference between the pro-heroes that were on TV and commercials, and how they worked with the police to save people and stop crimes. While Spider-Man was technically breaking the rules by not being a pro and not working with the police.
It ….didnt really make much a difference to her.
"Oh Set! Set! Can I show her that thing you showed me? Can I?" She asked, hopping excitedly.
Itsuka raised a brow, "The thing?"
Setsuna rolled her eyes, "There's this Utube channel that captures Spider-Man footage. I throw it on when she behaves." She explained. Itsuka felt herself smirk at the use, and then looked down at the girls. "Well, tell you what? We can watch some later, but first we gotta get the dojo set up for you two sleeping over. Deal?" She asked.
Eri and Sera both nodded, the horned girl visibly rejuvenated. She turned to the door to the dojo and hurriedly opened it. As she and Sera walked in she paused, "Um…..Sera?" She asked nervously; the other girl turned to her, "…..I like your teeth too." She complimented, returning the one she made about her horn.
Sera smiled, showing them off.
It had been ten minutes.
Ten minutes of continuous assault, from every side that Speed Demon could attack. Izuku tasted the copper of blood in his mouth, his lens was cracked, and he felt the stinging of bruises across his body. But he still remained standing atop the truck as it sped down the road, sticking his feet to the ground like a tree rooted in place whilst his arms were raised in a defensive pose to block some of the hits.
Ironically, Speed Demon was probably more hurt as his knuckles were now bleeding, "SONOFVABITCH just fall down!!" He welled as he waved his hands to try and ease the pain. It wasn't like punching steel but at this point most anyone would probably be down and out for the count.
"Ugh. I think I forgot how to." Spider-Man grumbled, the speedster rushed forward and Spider-Man's hands dropped and shot webbing directly at the spot on the roof in front of him. Speed Demon barely had time to react and tried to slide to a stop, only to stop directly in the substance. Looking down he tried to lift his foot up, only to barely remove it.
He looked up. And saw Spider-Man draw his fist down and back, "Uh oh."
The uppercut sent him flying ahead of the car and out cold, a large web captured him between two buildings, keeping him secure as the truck continued on.
Spider-Man leaned forward onto his knees, "Ok. I'm gonna need a minute to-" I've started before he felt his spider sense buzz in a warning. "...…uggggghhhhhh." He bemoaned as he looked up to see Boomerang climbing out of the front seat and onto the hood. "…..you know we could just pause here, go grab a coffee, and then just resume this whole thing in like an hour. Can we do that?" Boomerang replied by launching three of his weapons, Spider-Man leapt back, folding his leg up as one grazed it and cut through his suit. "Ok seriously, what's your quirk? Is it just you throw stuff and it comes back? You sharpen things and you just use boomerangs because your good at throwing them?" He asked.
He felt the first two return, tilting to the side for one and ducking for the other. "...scratch that I think your aim is just bad." He replied. And that was when the entire car swerved as the large rear wheel was shredded by the 'razorang'. "Really bad! Actually, it's really bad!" Spider-Man corrected.
"Boomerang what the hell?!?" Overdrive yelled as he turned the wheel, mama going to bring the truck up onto the freeway. The weight distribution, causing the front to rise up and the front tires to bounce unevenly across the road.
"So. Um. I'm gonna bail." Boomerang said.
"WHAT?!" Both Spider-Man and Overdrive exclaimed as the Beetle finally caught up.
"Oh god damnit Fei!"
"You guys got this!" Boomerang exclaimed as he pressed a button on his belt, causing the large, V shaped boomerang on his back to extend out and small thrusters to blast off into the air. "I believe in you!" He exclaimed as he flew off…..a good thirty feet before a concussive explosion sent him sailing into a water tower. Spider-Man turned his head to Beetle.
Only to see the man in green and purple armor slam his glider into her, "Hey! How's it going?" The man greeted in a amused voice.
Deku smiled beneath the mask and looked down the road, which made it vanish when he saw a turn coming up. Overdrive was trying to turn the wheel to go with the flow of concrete, but with the weight of the car off center, it was leaning towards the oncoming curve. "Uh, well, saving the day. Stopping a car crash, hopefully. You mind taking care of-" he began before the Beetle drop kicked herself into the armored ally. "….hes got that, right? Sure. Yeah!"
He had planned to cast a Web net between two buildings like he had before to catch the vehicle properly this time with, and then maybe another if they decided to jump it again. Unfortunately, up on the freeway, which was above most of the surrounding buildings that was not an option, and none of the light posts were nearly strong enough to hold down the momentum that the car would be carrying.
So Spider-Man had to do this the hard way.
Going to the hood of the truck, he ripped the top off, exposing engine which he proceeded to gunk up with webbing. He heard Overdive shout in protest but as soon as he put, what he thought would be enough, inside the engine before back flipping away from the car, as he rotated back, he aimed his wrists at the rear doors and shot a pair of webs to them, hitting the street with his feet, he braced himself as best he could as he the car dragged him down the road.
Izuku grunted in pain as the sores from fight compounded with the strain of fighting against the momentum, his heels digging into and tore up the road behind him as the truck closed in on the ledge! "Come on, come on!" He gritted out, grabbing both weblines with one hand while shooting another neck onto the road, in a final attempt to stop the truck.
CRACK!!!
The Truck stopped so abruptly that Overdrive's head smashed into the steering wheel, causing the air back to deploy and knock him out of comission…..and while one would think that crack was from his visor on his helmet shattering….it was not.
That…..was my arm…..popping out of its socket.
Izuku's lenses twitched as he bit back a scream which came out as a whimper. "Oh….oh god that hurts. That hurts more than….oh I don't know I can't be funny and in pain, OWWWWW." He winced as he held the dislocated right arm with his left.
He heard the glider of his armored companion churn, looking over he saw as he hopped off it into the ground. "She got away, ducked down into the crowds and I didn't want to risk flying down or using anything that could hurt people." he explained before seeming to wince. "…..this is the second time I've come down to find you severely hurt."
"Yeah, I noticed that." Spider-Man hissed as he stood up.
"Well hope your other arm is good, our old friends the cops are heading here. Need a lift?" He gestured to the glider.
After the two vigilantes left the scene with the truck secured by webbings sticking the wheels in place, there was the very distant sound of sirens echoing. The Beetle, who upon seeing her pursuer had broken off his chase, had doubled back and flown under the freeway to avoid detection and maintain the element of surprise. When she saw them fly away together, she made her move, flying up and over to the car, and taking out the blowtorch equipped to her belt.
"Uggh….Beetle?" Overdrive mpaned from the front seat, still stuck in place with the webbing. "Get me out of this, we gotta bail."
"Look, Fei's an ass but he had the right idea. And I can't carry both you and this to the boss so your gonna need to take the fall." She said as she worked. Overdrive groaned, "Ph don't be a big baby, I'll find a way to get you free. Boss needs us anyway." She said as she continued the task at hand.
After securing the truck away from the ledge, the pair escaped before the HPSC and police arrived on the scene. "Your sure about this?" His armored friend asked as he stood behind Spider-Man, who was webbing his right hand to the strut of the Tokyo Tower that he faced. They were on one of the levels near the top, far above what any of the normal patrons could reach for privacy.
Spider-Man shook his head, "No but...do it." He said, the armored man grabbed his shoulder and side before yanking him back while his arm remained stationary, popping his shoulder back into place. The yelp that came out made the armored man jump back, "OW! OW OW!!"
"Jeeze!" Your sure you don't want to go to a hospital?
Spider-Man groaned as he ripped his arm free of the webbing, "Well for one, I couldn't really explain going there this beaten up without the police coming by and asking questions." He started as he rolled his shoulder, "And two, I heal fast, so in a day or so it should be right as rain. And three...I have painkillers at home."
"And that's why I wear this armor." He said, patting his metal chest.
Spider-Man chuckled as he walked up the side of the struct he was just braced against. Rubbing his arm, he turned his head to the armored companion, "So, um, how's it going?" He asked.
"It's uhhh….." the green and purple man began before letting out a sigh. "It's complicated." He admitted, landing his back angst the pillar and looking up at the vigilante. "When we first met I was gun-ho about taking on the Comission, but before that I thought maybe I wanted to be a vigilante like you. Even stopped the Kingpin from escaping."
"Wait-what??"
"Yeah. Night you got him arrested he had someone on the truck escorting him. I stopped it from taking him away and I left him." The man admitted freely, but with an unsureness in his voice that Izuku recognized. "But then I saw that they were doing that thing with Nagant, and o figured it'd be an easy way to….well, take them down."
He shook his helm and sighed, "But not only was it nowhere near that easy…..I was completely willing to just use her to get what I wanted without a second thought." He turned to look at the wall crawler who was crouching on the wall, "If you hadn't been there…..I'd be right where I am now and she'd probably be captured or worse." He admitted harshly, the tone his voice had was the same tone that Izuku himself had when he was first doing all of this last year.
The unsure was, the enormity of what laid before him, and while his fight against the Kingpin was one thing, the HPSC was something else.
The red and blue vigilante was quiet, "...Iunserstand what you mean. This whole thing can be…..daunting." He acknowledged. "But what usually helps me is stuff like you did today."
"You mean loosing the bad guy?" He asked dryly.
"You did see that video of me getting tased by an old man right?" He asked, recalling his first meeting with the Tinkerer. The armored man stifled a snort, badly, but he still attempted to for his companion's sake. "My point is that stuff happens, but you know what else happened? No one got hurt. That's the most important thing."
The man's helmet turned towards the city, he was quiet before he shook his head, "Your way too positive."
The masked teen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I found it helps to look at the bright side of things."
The man stepped back from the spill at and looked up at him directly, "My point is, I've been kind of listless in this whole thing...and I was hoping you would….be willing to help me figure it out." he asked. Spider-Man stared at him as he words sunk in, "I mean, you seem to know what your doing. And to be fair, being a vigilante isn't exactly a well documented career path-"
"Ok." Spider-Man blurted out. The armored man looked up at him. "I mean-yeah! Sure, I'll help you. I'm…..um…..not really sure how. But I can try." He said.
What the armored man couldn't see was that Izuku was currently panicking under his mask. Teach him??!? He barely knew what he was doing himself! It was all on the fly! What am I gonna do?! Say 'No your own your own?' I can't do that! He thought to himself as he hopped off the wall to stand in front of him, "So. Um….first thing is...well actually this is more just so I can stop referring to you as 'Armor guy' in my head, so you have a hero name picked out?" He asked.
The armored man tilted his head and then cupped his chin. "Actually, I've been kinda stumped there." He admitted. He pulled out the pumpkin bomb he had shown Spider-Man during their last outing. "I mean I named this because it looked like a pumpkin with a face."
"Oh! I got it. What about Jack-O-Lantern?" Spider-Man provided.
"....damn that's a good one." The man admitted, "But I'm Green and Purple? I could recolor, but I kinda like this look." He gestured to himself.
Spider-Man crossed his arms, "Hm. True…..Veggie-Tator?"
"I see where your mind is, but no. I am not theming myself after vegetables." He replied dryly before holding up his forearm where he could shoot energy out of. While his other pulled out a small yellow circle that extended sharp-looking 'wings' out the side, "I got these plasma discharges….and some razor sharp projectiles; these are not vegetable coded."
"...so where DID you get this stuff anyway?" Spider-Man suddenly asked, realizing that this was ALOT of weaponry that his ally held.
The man put his projectile away, "Well….its a bit of a long story, this gear basically was designed back when quirks were first popping up. Do that quirkless people like myself could stand toe to toe with guys with quirks." He revealed.
The double whammy of information caused only one response from the vigilante, "WHAT?!"
"Well yeah? You really thought the governments of the world were just cool with people developing random superpowers?" The man asked with a amused tone to his voice.
"No-I mean-well, yeah. Totally makes sense, I just..." He trailed off. It was one thing that he became a vigilante after getting bitten by the spider and getting powers, but it wasn't as though he was going around being a vigilante before that. But then again if he had access to what his ally had- an arsenal? Would he not be doing the same thing he was now?
Probably.
"….nevermind." He shook his head, "But I guess it's kind of Halloween themed. I mean your glider kinda looks like a gargoyle." He pointed out, looking over at the hovering drone that was laying on the strut near the opposite end they were at. "Kind of sensing the designer had an aesthetic here." he sweatdropped.
The armored man paused, and then lofted his hands to the sides of his helmet, before Izuku could process what he was doing, he took it off. He made a strangled noise beneath his own mask, the man beneath the suit was…..well not much older than Izuku himself. He had black hair that was a little long and shaggy, and beneath the right side of his mouth was a small mole.
His eyes were grey, with wrinkles around them, which seemed a little odd until he reached up and rubbed one. He thought deeply, considering the helmet he held in his hand that reflected his gaze back to him. "…..what about…..the Green Goblin?"
Izuku blinked, "....its um…..actually it's pretty catchy:" he admitted.
The newly dubbed Green Goblin smiled, and then glanced over at the vigilante, noting his stiff posture, he smiled. "I'm not expecting you to take yours off." He said.
"I-er-sorry. I just...look I haven't even told my girlfriend yet." He admitted.
The young man stared at him incredulously, "...my girlfriend was the FIRST person I told!"
"Yeah! Yeah! I know, I know! I'm gonna fix that!" Spider-Man said defensively.
The young man grinned, "I mean…..I was kinda assuming you had it all figured out but CLEARLY not." Izuku facepalmed as the Goblin snorted. "...I'm Tenko….Tenko Shimura." He introduced himself formally, extending his hand to the vigilante. The red and blue costumed vigilante turned to him and took his hand.
"Nice to meet ya, Tenko…..and I'm glad to call you friend!" The young man said cheerfully.
Itsuka watched the two girls on the training mat with a fond smile. Gathering a bunch of pillows and blankets, she and Setsuna made a fort for Eri and Sera to sleep in as the girls had their dinner. Now they were huddled together, a large bowl of popcorn between them in their Pajamas as they watched Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the two girls absolutely enthralled by it.
"Hey, Sera?"
"Yeah?"
"That's a big boat."
"Ots not a boat, it's a submarine."
"…..what a Submarine?"
"It's something that swims underwater."
".....then if a boat sinks, is that a submarine?" Eri asked.
"...hey Set-"
"It's not a submarine," Setsuna answered, shaking her head and smiling as the girls returned to their movie. Looking down at her lap, she smiled as she unscrewed the nail polish cap. While her sister and Eri were enjoying the movie, she and Yui decided to have an impromptu 'girls night' with the three of them while the little ones got to hang out. While usually this meant a night of bad horror movies, ordering some pizza, and doing each other's hair and nails, they had decided to only do the latter of those.
Setsuna had detached her feet with her quirk, allowing Yui to easily paint her nails while Set returned the favor, they had already done Itsuka's and while they dried she had set about brushing her hair, pulling it out of its usual side ponytail to run her comb through her ginger locks. The lizard girl had noted the distant expression her friend carried most of the day, and given how she had her first date with Midoriya last night, she had some guesses about what was on her mind. "So...is there going to be another date?" Yui asked as though she read the other girl's mind.
Kendo blinked from her thoughts. "Hm?"
"With Midoriya, the guy you've been crushing on hard for months now and who you finally took out on a date last night?" Set asked amusingly.
Kendo's face matched her hair for a second, "O-Oh! Y-yeah, right." she chuckled, "It was….." she thought for a second and then smiled, "It was great….actally it was one of the best dates I've had...well, until those masked guys crashed the party…..and the lady in the catsuit." she growled out the last part, recalling how she had openly flirted with Izuku…..and then with Spider-Man. Both of them responded similarly by stuttering.
Yui pouted, "Why can't I be flirted with by the sexy cat lady?" she asked.
"Get a boyfriend for her to flirt with right in front of you. Seems like that's how it works." Itsuka replied dryly.
Set smirked, "Boyfriend?" she teased.
Kendo smirked at her, "Yes, boyfriend," she confirmed.
"Oo la la!" Setsuna Sang as Yui finished with her toenails. "Thanks Yui…..man I wish I were good as you are at this." she lamented, the green coloring she picked out was nice, but Yui, who had a deft hand a drawing, went the extra mile for her friend and painted her toes to look like the same shape as her sharp teeth.
"If being a pro hero doesn't work out, I could see myself becoming a tattoo artist," the stoic girl said casually with a shrug of her shoulders before turning to Itsuka. "So Kendo, the date was good aside from tomfoolery?"
Itsuka's smile bloomed. "It was....and I really want to do another one but I need to focus on the entrance exam," she sighed.
Yui shrugged. "Well then you can just chill; nothing wrong with hanging out at his place and making out on the couch," she said idly
What neither girl expected was for Itsuka's face to flush at the casual remark, the reaction causing both of them to pause and look at her. "...Kendo, you didn't…." Setsuna's shit eating grin was on full display as she asked.
".....what's 'making out?' " Eri innocently asked as she poked her head out from the Fort.
Itsuka let out a sound that was a cross between a chirp from some ancient dinosaur and a moan of humiliation. Yui opened her mouth, but Setsuna's hand flew across the space between them to slap over it, "It's-it's-erm...kissing someone."
Eri let out a gasp, "Itsuka kissed Deku!?" She inhaled before retreating back into the fort, her eyes shining with awe and wonder as Setsuna and Yui both grabbed Itsuka, who was trying to burn a hole in the floor with how intently she was looking down at it.
Eventually the older girls retreated up stairs to the kitchen to retrieve some snacks, Setsuna floating up there by disassembling her body as not to smudge her newly painted toes. "Seriously, though I get that you were excited but-" Yui began as she got a loaf of bread out to make sandwiches with. Itsuka leaned back against the counter with her hand on her face.
"I know, I know I…..guh. Look, we were having a nice evening, then the masked guys show up out of nowhere, things get dangerous, and I thought 'Damnit, I did not wait this long to have our first date be ruined by assholes' and...well, I kissed him and then pushed him to get help," she explained through her fluster.
Both girls looked at one another.
"....you know, fair." Setsuna relented.
"Mmm." Yui agreed.
Kendo sighed, and smirked to herself, "He was…..well he wasn't expecting it."
"I'm surprised he's still alive and didn't die of shock." Yui replied as she finished making her sandwich.
Itsuka dipped her head as Setsuna nudged her with her elbow playfully, "I'll have you know I didn't coach him on anything like that so teaching him is all on you. Your welcome." she grinned. The redhead rolled her eyes as she smiled, she had been doing a lot of that the last day or so.
In spite of the fact that things had been clicking into place in her brain…..and sending her to a conclusion that didn't….make much sense. "Yeah...but who knows, maybe Izuku will surprise me." she said, a sense of foreboding creeping inside her chest as she did the math in her head.