Princess Yurei
"The fun thing about being a ghost? No one's surprised when I have skeletons in my closet." Reiko Yanagi and Class 1B. Just what is going on over there? F/F romance, neurodivergent MC.
8-8
Chapter 7
8-8
"Welcome, honoured guest, to my humble abode." Shishida bows low. Even wearing a proper gi, even with fur covering most of his body, he looks almost regal. The glasses—it must be the glasses.
Or the literal mansion he stands in front of. That could be it.
Either way, he escorts us in from the stadium-sized front yard, into a ballroom-sized room, where a lady is just walking down the gilded staircase. Yukie's gonna be dating him before the week is out—or at the very least, she'll try.
"Jurota. Who have we here?"
"Pardon my poor manners, mother. My class's vice-president, Reiko Yanagi. And her associates, Yukie Namisa of UA's management course, Ai Yonju of UA's general course, and Mei Hatsume of UA's support course. Ladies, please meet my mother, Baroness Shishida."
We bow low, not wishing to cause any trouble. Thankfully, Shishida gave us a brief breakdown of some basic protocol before we went home yesterday, or I'd be lost. "Baroness. Thank you for your generous hospitality. And please allow me to assure you that my associates and I will cause neither you nor your house any strife." Don't get the reason it's worded that way, but Shishida was adamant.
"It is an honour to meet my son's friends, Miss Yanagi. Please. I know he can be a handful, but it would mean the world to me should you aid my son during these trying times." That wasn't in the protocol lesson. Interesting. And given Shishida looks uncomfortable, that means he didn't expect her to go there.
"Baroness?"
"There are two names that stand out amongst your class. Ibara Shiozaki, heiress to the Shiozaki assassins of Kanagawa." My eyebrow ticks up. "And Reiko Yanagi, the sole scion to the late crime lord Yurei Yanagi of Nagoya."
I didn't know Shiozaki was from the underworld.
"I know of your family history, Miss Yanagi. And I suspect you choose heroism to spite her legacy."
I grin. "Unn." What can I say? It lets me be petty and spiteful and moral in one fell swing. Of course I'm gonna be a hero!
"What I ask, I ask plainly. Aid my son, and should you have need of it, seek us out. We will never let you fall." Poor Shishida stares with wide puppy-dog eyes, trying to look as non-threatening as possible just now.
"You have my word, Baroness." I bow.
8-8
The man paces before us, his gi and black belt hinting this might be a good fighter. But it's his casual alertness as he paces that I find most intriguing. He's ready for a surprise attack at any moment.
"When Vlad asked me to teach his students, this is not what I had in mind," the muttering continues. Even now his awareness never fluctuates. Is he trying to egg on of the hotheads into attacking him?
The only one that might fit that niche is Tetsutetsu. Or copy-blond, but every time blondie twitches Kendo and I glare at him.
"Only one of them wears a gi." Shishida beams, the rest of us roll our eyes. "Only two of them are vaguely aware of their surroundings." Everyone looks around, trying to be subtle about it, but miss his point entirely. "And none of them look like you're hero material."
Definitely goading us into a fight.
"Still. Credit where credit is due. Not one has yet to lose their patience. And they were already lined up and waiting when I arrived. I've started with worse. Alrighty then!" He rips off his shirt…for some reason. His blue skin and bulging muscles become all the more apparent—with him showing this much skin, it'd be impossible to miss.
"I've only got you guppies for one day. So we're gonna do this the fun way! You're gonna attack me with everything you've got! And I'm gonna teach as we go! Let's start with you!" He points to Shoda.
The pained and frightened eep doesn't speak too highly of my classmate.
"Come on, come on! We haven't got all day!" What is he, Present Mic's cousin?
Shoda trembles in place. Truly awe inspiring.
I fiddle with my hoodie's zipper, uncaring for this kind of thing. This is the type training that works when you're already confident. Lack thereof directly translates to lack of progress.
"No? Well how about you, little girl?" He points to me, stepping up to get my attention.
"This is supposed to be an introductory lesson," I say, zipping up all the way.
"My name is Zei Anuyatsu. There, we're introduced. So don't worry about me, my quirk is shock absorption, so hit me with everything you've got!"
"Quirk usage allowed?" I grab my apple squeeze, pop the cap, and trap the nozzle between my teeth. My classmates meep, nervous about that. I suck the whole thing down in one go, capping it and stuffing it back into my pocket.
"Yanagi. Please don't destroy my residence."
"Ooh. Looks like I picked the resident badass." That's Kendo and Tetsutetsu. I'm just the scary one. "Alright, poultrygeist. I'm game. Quirk usage is a go. But you gotta use punches and kicks as well. Can't much train you otherwise."
He was only told to watch out for grey hair? Oh whatever.
I step forward, he dashes and throws a haymaker punch. Oh crap, he's purposely making mistakes to point out what not to do.
He freezes mid-punch, and I walk right around him, before throwing him back. Unsurprisingly, he does a somersault and lands on his feet.
"Class what did I do wrong?" Not even a little phased. He just stands right up and continues—no heavy breathing, no flushed face. He's used to getting rough. I don't stand a chance.
"You telegraphed your move," Kendo states the obvious.
"You antagonized an unknown quantity, and you ended up with a poor matchup." I like Shishida's analysis more, but this guy knows my quirk. So that isn't quite right either.
"Looking for a different answer." I nod, having figured as much.
"You expected me to play by the rules you set," I say.
"Bingo!" He points to me, making a weird hip roll. What is wrong with this guy? "When you face villains. Do not expect them to play fair. They will kick you when you're down, and they will take hostages to force your hand. Now. Let's try this again. Miss…?"
"You already know my name."
"Ha. Quite true, Yanagi. Now, show me your fighting stance."
I blink and tilt my head to one side.
"HAVE IT YOUR WAY!" He charges, coming with another telegraphed, if straight, punch. I pivot from one leg, get well out of his way. He rockets passed, not altering his trajectory at all. "Interesting choice. Wing Chun?"
"Don't have a style. Don't much care." He nods and he regards his audience.
"Alright. Mistakes. Who's noticed one?"
"Again. Telegraphing your moves." Kendo would probably smack him around. Or at least give him a run for his money.
"Announcing your attack." Why are only Kendo and Shishida saying anything?
"What do you think?" Anuyatsu points to Pony.
"Well. Lots of things. You're only attacking with your hands when your whole body should be used. I mean, you didn't even put your back into it. You go for the most direct route, which only works if you're faster than your opponent. And you aren't taking her quirk into consideration."
"I like you kids already. Now, let's try this. Hit me!"
"That's not my style. I only defend if my opponent gets too close, and either get them off their feet, or I distract them to create distance."
"A thinker. Me likey. Let's try showing a move or two then." He throws a quick punch. I step back and out of his range. He steps forward with another punch, more power behind it. I side step and kick for his knee. He takes the hit, hurting me more than him.
"Ooh. I see what you mean." Yeah, he no doubt noticed the wince. "Your technique is horrid, and you rely too much on your quirk. Interesting. Alright, I want you to start doing sit-ups and crunches. A hundred each. Please point to someone that will take your place as my assistant." I point to Shoda, getting only an eep in response.
"How can you be a hero," I get on scardie-cat's case, "if you're afraid of making mistakes?"
Shoda swallows, hard. But he steps up just as move over to the far side, well out of the way, but close enough that I can still pay attention while I start my sit-ups. He takes a ready stance, holding his fists balled tight and kept closed to his face.
"Good. Now hit me!"
Shoda squeaks, high-pitched. But he winds up and he punches for the guy's face with a haymaker. The exact mistake already pointed out.
Anuyatsu chambers his block and locks his stance, taking the blow with relative ease. His whole body vibrates like jelly on a speaker, but he stands strong.
"Whoa. That's some punch you're packing, pally. Nice!" He high-gives Shoda, getting a shy little smile from him. "Alright. Mistakes. You telegraphed your punch. With a stronger but slower opponent, that would work well. They'd underestimate you, and you'd come out on top. However, if you were against a faster or a tricky opponent? You'd be crawling on the floor in pain right about now. So here's what you could do instead."
Anuyatsu takes up the exact same stance as Shoda, and throws a slow straight punch. "You set up one punch, make it predictable. Then?" He stops three quarters to the target, Shoda's face, and drops, hitting a sucker punch in the gut. He doesn't hit hard, since Shoda isn't in any pain—except maybe a bruised ego. Just taps him, near as I can tell.
"You see what I'm saying?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Then show me."
Shoda tries the same setup a few times, his form is every bit as sloppy, but his speed isn't half bad. He hits Anuyatsu each time with the sucker punch, but the man doesn't seem to notice.
"Right on! Now, what I want you to do. Point out my next assistant and practice that move until your muscles know it without thinking."
"Uh. Kendo?"
"Roger!" Kendo dashes up, taking up a vaguely American boxing style rope-a-dope stance.
"Boxer, eh? Well, alright. Quirk usage is still a go. Show me your moves, girly!" Kendo supersizes her fist and rams it into his torso—from almost two metres away.
Again, Anuyatsu stands his ground, jiggling out the attack. "I'm starting to see why Vlad likes you kids. Even though you telegraphed, your actual attack caught me off guard. Nice tactic, but your technique can be improved. Try shifting your hip while you throw the punch. Think of it like a wave of water, the motion should be that fluid. And have you tried only lengthening your arm instead of enlarging your fist?"
8-8
Shiozaki, for her vines. Fukidashi, for his dialogue bubble. Komori, for her mushrooms. Awase, for his weld. And me. Well, and Ai, Mei, and Yukie—but they aren't hero course, so that's to be expected. We're deemed the you-suck-at-this club. Even Shoda is doing better than us, and he's ranked lowest. But the fact remains, our quirks don't lend well to hand-to-hand combat—weakness identified.
So, of course, Anuyatsu is having us to the most extreme work out. "You guys really need to start beefing up. I'm thinking weights. Bulk up those muscles. If you come to my gym, I can give you a decent discount. Got everything from five kilos to five hundred. You'll need to work on everything, too. Every muscle group needs love. And you're gonna need to up your protein intake."
And this is only made worse by the fact that guys bulk up easier than girls. Stupid testosterone.
"I can't believe you chose to do this for a living." Ai complains, lying in a pool of her own sweat.
"It isn't for everyone," Shiozaki says, smiling at my mess of a waifu. "Still, this is a great workout."
"Unn." Komori nods, frowning for some reason.
"Well, kiddos! That's it for today's crash course!" Anuyatsu picks up the tattered remains of his shirt. Idiot. "You be sure to keep stretching, or you'll hate me in the morning."
The front-liners gush and brag and promise a bunch of junk. I'm mostly trying to not rip people in half—I can't believe I agreed to suffer through this while on my period. Whatever.
"So, Shiozaki?" Might as well see what I'm working with here. "Kanagawa assassins? Really?"
Miss vines-for-hair goes slack-faced and ghost-white, her eyes hollow.
"I figured I'd be the only one with underworld relatives, since my mom was a crime lord."
Shiozaki's shoulders shake, her face shifting from pale to red as laughter overtakes her. She doubles over—made easier by the fact she was doing a split to stretch. Her joyous laughter fills the room, teasing everyone's curiosity.
"You know, Reiko. You finally make sense." I blink, wondering where that even came from. Shiozaki looks up propping her elbows up and resting her chin on the base of her palms. Between her amused smile and her laughing eyes, she looks too entertained for this to end well. "Your blatant disregard for rules and authority. You being a team player, but always with an if-I-have-to air about you. You finally make sense."
"Shame. I like being a mystery." Mei chuckles, elbowing me right in my sore side—or just somewhere on my sore body, seeing as everything's sore. "So what's your deal? You doing this to spite your family too?"
Shiozaki's eyes go wide, but not from shock. Well, not only from surprise. She, and pretty much everyone here, bawls with laughter.
"The pettiest reason to be noble," Ai says, slinking over to me and plopping her head on my thigh. Looks uncomfortable, so I levitate her up and sit her in front of me. My poor waifu collapses back into my embrace, groaning and almost sliding away from me because of her lubricating sweat. I wrap my arms around her middle to steady her. "Still. Better than the alternative." Ai kisses my eye, her sweat pouring down my face.
"No, Reiko. I must be a hero, to show my family that we can use our skills for the betterment of society. To turn our blood-stained family history into one of honour and prestige. And to ensure that my little brother may choose his own path."
I blink. "Okay, now I feel petty."
"To be fair, Yanagi." Awase grins, amused. "You are pretty petty."
Ai snorts, but kisses me again.
"You guys have no idea." Mei shivers, but a mischievous peeks out. "The second Rei-rei accepts you as her people? She acts like a dragon guarding her hoard."
"True." I wipe Ai's brow with my sleeve, and press a kiss there.
"I mean. Seriously. I don't worry about much of anything, because I know even if villains attack, Rei-rei's not gonna let them lay a finger on me or anyone she cares about."
Sigh. If only that were true. I'll do what I can, but…fact is, my best sometimes just isn't enough.
8-8
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Mr Kan!"
"You're all here, good. I was afraid some of you would lose your nerve. Thank you for proving me wrong." I grin, quite liking his sense of humour. "Now. The first major thing we need to discuss today, is the upcoming sports festival. Before the questions start pouring in, yes, it's going ahead as scheduled. And yes, we've upped security in general, and we'll be even more cautious during the festival."
Shit. I was banking on them cancelling.
"Mr Kan? Why would the school allow this to take place so soon after an attack?" Doesn't matter who asks, everyone's wondering the same.
"Because we need to show both the villains and the world that we are not afraid, that we will not be intimidated. And besides, events like this are the best way for my students to be scouted by agencies across the country. You'll only get one shot a year. Three in your lifetime. If we allow villains to ruin this, we would fail our students on a level I can't put into words."
To get scouted. That also means everyone watching will instantly know who I am—if they knew my mom at all. Who knows, maybe mom's boys have moved on.
Waaaaaaait a minute!
My hair flares up, my eyes flicker to mist, and I turn around. Mei's about ready to cream her panties. Shit. She's entering for sure. Yukie looks disgusted, shaking her head violently, no. Not a chance she's entering. And Ai?
I'll be cheering for you guys, for sure. She pumps her right hands up like she's holding pompoms, her eyes turning to me. Her cheeks redden, eyelids lower. And that little smile. I'm rooting for you.
"Wait a minute!" Oh boy. Tetsutetsu's riled up. "Those posers in One-A faced those villains! That means everyone's gonna be watching them no matter what!"
Sigh. He isn't wrong.
"You're not wrong." Everyone pipes down as Mr Kan paces back and forth. "Everyone will set their sights on One-A. Everyone will underestimate you accordingly. But. This is your chance to set the record straight."
The boys grin, many already looking my way. They'll start pestering me to come up with something.
"One-A may be in the spotlight now. It's my job to train you to be better. Be prepared, class. Because I'm going to run you into the dirt over the next two weeks."
8-8
"Aren't you gonna stop him?" Kendo asks, pointing to iron-boy storming off. I shrug.
"You're the class rep. I'm just the backup." I take out my phone and turn it on, already finding a score of messages. Mostly from Ai telling me how excited she is and how she's gonna work extra shifts at Mazami's so she can treat me for all the hard work I'll be putting into training for the festival.
It's in two weeks, though. Not a whole lot of progress can be made in that time. And we won't even be allowed anything other than our PE uniforms. That technically plays into my strengths, since my quirk allows me to go for short bursts, and I won't have to take anything into account other than my opponents' natural abilities.
But that means I also have to worry about my people.
Sigh. This is going to be a nightmare.
"What's with the long face? At least we'll be training together every day." Kendo really doesn't get it. The more publicity you get, the more both heroes and villains can scout you. If they scout you, they can predict you. If they can predict you, they can kill you.
"You'll see." Ai comes running, as does her whole class. Only, Ai ducks into our classroom, leaving the mob to go bother One-A. Idiots.
I send Yukie a message: "Keep an eye on Mei. She'll start skipping meals to prepare. And she'll need a brain to bounce her ideas off of."
Yukie: "Thanks. On it."
"I was thinking." Shishida comes over to our impromptu meeting. "Perhaps it would be beneficial for all of us if I were to proposition mother to allow the use of the Shishida grounds for extra training."
"That's a great idea!" Kendo is already sold.
I turn my attention to Yukie, who seems really worried. When did she even get here? We need to talk about this sooner rather than later.
8-8
Yukie's quiet all through dinner, and she asks to speak to me privately the second I'm done eating. She grabs me by the elbow, dragging me up into my room and locks the door behind us.
"This is bad." I'm aware of that. "Really bad." Thanks for the update. "You're gonna enter, aren't you."
"Do I have a choice?"
She sighs, shaking her head in disgust. "You know our moms' syndicate will recognize you."
"Genetics are funny like that."
"WILL YOU TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!"
"The die is cast," I say, fishing out my phone. I dial matron's number.
"Reiko?"
"Matron. UA sports festival is coming up. I'm entering."
"Shit." Temper temper. "You do realise you look just like your mother?"
"I'm aware."
"Shit."
"Language."
"You don't understand. Your mother's boys. Not all of them moved on. Some of them might even hold a grudge."
"I feared as much. But the die is cast." Yukie glares at me, obviously disagreeing with me.
"You understand the risks?"
"I joined a hero course. No matter how the chips land, word will get out sooner rather than later." But, this can be spun to our advantage. "Get the word out. Tell them yourself. That I'm in UA, that I'll be in the festival."
"Why would… You want them to think this is a ploy?" Better they think that and give me time to grow strong, than have them understand the truth while still vulnerable.
"Do this for me?"
Matron sighs. "You play a dangerous game, Reiko." There's a rhythmic rapping sound. No doubt matron taps her fingers against her desk, trying to figure out my angle and the ramifications. "Very well. But I'm only telling the ones I believe stayed loyal."
"Thank you." I end the call.
Yukie stands there, eyes wide, sweat frozen on her brow. "You're not…gonna start up the syndicate again…are you?"
"Of course not." I shake my head, heading downstairs to help Ai with the dishes. Not that she needs it, but still.
8-8
Monday morning commute. After training all weekend with our class, I feel like a giant bruise. Ten days to the festival, and I honestly don't feel like I've progressed at all. It's about the journey, though. So I'm good.
I get off the bus two stops before UA's, taking the scenic route, through the park. Dunno why, just felt like getting some fresh air. And really, seeing all the flowers in bloom is soothing.
"Yukie's mom." Ai stops walking. I turn around, wondering that she stopped just under a cherry blossom tree. "She was someone important to your mom?"
"Her second in command," I say, walking to her. "You're upset I didn't tell you?"
She grabs her bag's strap tight. I was wondering when she was going to bring it up. That she didn't say a peep is nothing short of amazing. "I'm…kinda still processing it. I mean, my girlfriend's mom was a crime lord."
"If you think that's awkward. Imagine how her boys will react when they find out I'm training to be a hero. Just like those that took mom's syndicate down."
Ai fiddles with the hem of her skirt, her nervous frown hurting me more than I expected. "Will. They target you for it?"
"Maybe." I look up at the brooding grey clouds. It'll rain soon. "Maybe they'll hate me for turning my back on mom's legacy. Maybe they're over it and want to move on with their lives. Maybe they'll want revenge for something mom did to them. Maybe they're behind bars. I don't know, and I don't plan on finding out. If they've moved on, they deserve whatever peace they've found."
"And if…they want back in? Back into that life?" Are you curious, Ai? Or is someone pulling strings somehow.
My hair flares up, my eyes flickering to mist. There doesn't seem to be anyone mom marked around. I look over my shoulder, finding Mei and Yukie already arriving at the school gate. They look my way, but I can't read their lips at this distance—too blurry.
"I'm training to be a hero. The best they can hope for is being part of an organization that fights crime. If that isn't their thing, they need to move on." My hair flops down as I turn towards our destination.
"What. What about me? I. I'm."
"You are you. As long as you choose to walk beside me, I'll be here for you." I start walking, not wanting to be late. "If you choose to walk a different path, I'll live up to my end of the bargain."
Footsteps, hard and harried. Ai wraps her arms around me, holding me every bit as possessive as she has been. "Promise you'll never lie to me?"
"Unn."
"And you'll tell me what you're really planning?"
"Unn."
"Even if it's illegal?"
I smile. "Unn."
8-8
End Chapter 7
8-8
A/N: So, Reiko's past comes a bit more into the light. How will this affect things? And what really set her on the path to becoming a hero? Is she telling the whole story?