Kazuho knocked on the door and waited.
When the door opened, she found herself looking at a beautiful woman with black hair and black eyes, carrying a smile on her face.
"Kazuho!" Makoto Tsukauchi beamed. "You finally showed up!"
The Apostle walked inside the apartment, matching her old acquaintance's smile.
"Sorry for requesting to meet you on such short notice," Kazuho apologized, looking around at the freshly furnished surroundings. "Mentor told me you had moved to this city. I'd wanted to catch up for some time. I was here on some business, so I thought…"
"Hey!" Makoto looked over her shoulder, pouting. "Enough with the pleasantries, yeah?"
Kazuho smiled wryly.
She adjusted the eyepatch on her left eye and sat down on a sofa in the living room.
Her gaze went to the table, where, scattered like junk, were news articles, documents, and several scribbled notes, all revolving around either Gehrman Sparrow, Dr. Blessed, the Apostles at large, All For One, All Might, the Claws of Conformity, or the Shie Hassaikai's rumored young Head.
Then, Kazuho's eye landed on the screen of the open laptop, which displayed several videos as large icons, and her heart skipped a beat.
Those videos were clearly labeled as footage gathered from the LA Villains Detention Center.
Instantly, Kazuho remembered Makoto's last job—as the General Manager of Captain Celebrity's Hero Agency!
Captain Celebrity and Koichi, as the Pro Hero's Sidekick, had been heavily involved in that incident.
Kazuho had missed it, though, as she had been knocked out by the Radiant of Gravity's Quirk.
Still, Makoto's status at the CC Agency was nowhere near enough for her to get access to this highly confidential footage from that day.
However, Kazuho also remembered that despite her older brother being a Detective here in Japan, Makoto had never shied away from resorting to questionable, illegal methods, especially if she believed those methods were for the betterment of society and the greater good.
In fact, it was this trait of Makoto's that had let the Naruhata Vigilantes survive years ago.
And for that, Kazuho was deeply grateful to this day.
But as she looked at those video icons, her mighty Spiritual Intuition as a Sequence 7 Astrologer warned her that Makoto hadn't come back to Japan only for Gehrman Sparrow.
There was more than met the eye about her return, Kazuho was certain.
She would have to consult with Mentor and Leader regarding it.
Suddenly, a hand landed on the back of the open laptop screen and snapped it shut.
Kazuho looked up and found Makoto smiling at her, her heart skipping a beat for the second time.
"Sorry…" the older woman apologized, clearing the desk and putting some fruit, cookies, and coffee on it. "Old habits die hard, I guess."
Kazuho managed to smile. "… Yeah."
"So, little bird," Makoto asked, sitting across from her. "Took you long enough to meet up, huh? It's been what? A few months since I returned? I really thought you would drop by sooner…"
It had actually happened right after the UA Sports Festival, Kazuho remembered.
The woman had fallen like a ghost upon them, declaring that she had left her job at the CC Agency to pursue independent journalism and was chasing Gehrman Sparrow's various appearances all over the coastal regions of the world.
That had not been the entire truth, if not an outright lie, Kazuho now believed.
"Hehe…" Kazuho giggled, sipping her coffee. "I was just busy job hunting… It's not easy… with my record…"
Makoto nodded silently.
"Anyway," Kazuho said, "I'm working for a marketing firm as a consultant. Came here to meet some clients. Didn't know you'd moved here from Tokyo… I thought you must have gotten used to big cities after spending a few years in New York."
Makoto shook her head. "I rarely left the concrete jungle, kid," she said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Believe me. Being the GM of the CC Agency was… like experiencing several migraines at once. The guy is a good Hero, but a terrible man… But he has surrounded himself with good people. Skycrawler, for example."
Kazuho blushed so hard that she hid her face behind the coffee mug, taking a long sip.
Only a few days ago, she had been ready to face Amon if she had to, just to know why Koichi had not been texting her back.
But then Leader had rejected her request, taking the job upon himself.
A day later, he had told her that everything was alright with Skycrawler and he would soon wake up, without going into too much detail.
Those missing details would have haunted her, Kazuho knew.
But before that could happen, Koichi finally called her, apologizing, and promising to meet her in person.
If it hadn't been for that call, Kazuho doubted she could have attempted this mission with a clear mind.
Opposite her, Makoto giggled. "I actually moved here because of my new job," she explained. "The salary is… alright compared to what I made overseas. But… I like it. I like it a lot."
Kazuho felt puzzled.
Mentor hadn't mentioned anything about Big Sis Makoto's new job.
"Job?" Kazuho asked. "I thought you were pursuing independent journalism…"
"I am," Makoto said, smiling. "That's why I got a job that lets me do that without it becoming an issue."
"… I don't get it," Kazuho admitted.
"Haha…" Makoto laughed. "It's another managerial position at a Hero Agency. What else?"
Hero Agency?
Which Hero Agency is in this…
Kazuho's heart skipped for a record third time.
"Sir Nighteye was All Might's sidekick," Makoto said. "He is also involved in a few cases that I am pursuing on my own, especially the cases that Japan and the USA have in common. They were short-staffed and had the position open. I applied. Here we are…"
Kazuho kept holding the empty coffee mug, her heart racing.
Makoto reached out and grabbed her hand, furrowing her brow. "Are you alright, kiddo?"
Kazuho smiled. "Of course."
Makoto's black eyes glowed as she pulled back, a frown crossing her face. "No, you aren't," she said. "You do remember what my Quirk is, don't you?"
And instantly, Kazuho realized that she had to up her game by leaps and bounds…
… if she wanted to trick this woman and steal her years-old diary!