Fuku-sho town centre, 16:30
"Shit…I'm hungry. Are we gonna work overtime at this rate?" Kuroi Niriyama snarled as he looked longingly at a few diners and ramen stands lining the streets of Fuku-sho.
Daichi Hisekawa sighed and replied "You should keep your voice down. Best Jeanist may hear you. Also, it's well within their rights to keep us overtime even if unpaid. Hero work isn't a fashion show."
Kuro gritted his teeth and spat "I'm so glad I have a walking employee handbook with me then. That's great. You aren't hungry?" he spat out with venom.
"…I could eat." Daichi Hisekawa stared down at his stomach for a second, then tried to shake the thought from his mind. Best Jeanist caught up with them.
"You two look quite tired. This is just a standard patrol, come on!"
"But man-" an icy glare from Best Jeanist changed Kuroi's tune. "I mean Sir, why are we in Fuku-sho? What does this have to do with that fire bastard or your Gundam woman?". Best Jeanist looked like he was about to have a migraine.
"Tell me Niriyama, are you incapable of speaking properly at all!?" Best Jeanist threw his hands up exasperatedly. Daichi nodded and robotically added "Yes Sir, that's correct." Kuroi looked to raise a hand to slap Daichi but Best Jeanist talked him down.
"I swear…I thought after that encounter, you guys were better at working together now!" Best Jeanist continued "But I guess it'll take more than just one desperate situation then."
Kuroi merely grunted in a snide manner, which annoyed Daichi to no end. Best Jeanist tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Look I can definitely see this going past 5 pm. How about I treat you to some-" he looked around quickly and spotted a very high-end restaurant "Wagyu beef and stuff like that?" The students both perked up immediately, and any animosity was a thing of the past.
"I'll definitely be less annoyed with this asshole if we do that. I think it's a great idea Sir" Kuroi said quickly, making sure to stress the Sir part. Daichi raised his eyebrows, but chimed in with "Thank you Sir, you're too kind." Best Jeanist squinted at them.
"I'm rarely kind. So, make use of my graciousness." The boys both did a short bow, and they all proceeded into the restaurant.
The boys were closing out the third day of their internship with a lovely, well deserved feast. Kuroi ordered an assortment of the most expensive beef and other meat platters he could find on the menu, ferociously funnelling the food into his mouth barely taking a breath. The other two just watched him in abject horror. The blatant lack of manners was almost too much to handle.
Daichi on the other hand ordered all vegetarian dishes. "Are you vegetarian, Hisekawa?" Best Jeanist asked curiously.
"Not precisely. I just treat meat as a special treat, usually one day a week. It's mostly for dietary and health reasons, but also they say abstinence makes the occasion all the sweeter." Now it was Daichi's turn to face scrutiny.
"Are you a warrior poet? Are you Aristotle? Are you a delusional freak?" Kuroi chuckled to which he received an angry glare. He returned the sentiment.
"These are sixteen-year olds these days. What in the heavens…" Best Jeanist muttered, then also thought "The duality of man".
"So anyway, I didn't explain as best I could. Let me do that. The top heroes all keep in frequent touch through conferences. Usually these are over video, but we try to meet up for serious concerns and also bi-annually in general. Essentially, I relayed the information about the two unknown villains we encountered, and also the camera feeds they had installed. It was worrying that they had eyes in many districts in Tokyo. As you know, we got local teams to go find the cameras at all of these locations, and a majority of the locations were discerned through patrols or knowledge of the area. And of course, we didn't find any villains or valuable leads in any of the locations. However, Edgeshot contacted me and told me that they had apprehended two mental patients from an asylum breakout that was being investigated. One of these perps identified our mysterious flame man." The two students leaned in subconsciously at this new information.
"Don't get too excited. All he said was he knew the man, and that we were in for a world of hurt. He then proceeded to laugh like a maniac. He couldn't ID the woman I faced though. Still, the patients escaped around this area, and were tracked to a convenience store across the street. The one we went to earlier. That's why we've been patrolling here today. Also, I'm undecided but there's potential we will work with the Edgeshot agency in the future if our interests align in such a way."
The boys were satisfied with Jeanist's explanation, and moved on to discuss their experiences thus far, as well as general banter on current affairs. Already the extent of Best Jeanist's strict but just teachings were having an effect. The boys were still rough around the edges when it came to teamwork, but their antisocial tendencies had already diminished exponentially. "I just hope they don't revert to foolishness when they leave here" Best Jeanist mused.
Suddenly, Daichi looked frozen, staring at the entrance to the restaurant. The next second he had taken off, running towards the entrance. Kuroi swore to which Best Jeanist glared at him, and also reassured their server that this wasn't a dine and dash. "Go after him please. I'll settle the bill."
Kuroi sighed, but had eaten his fill by now and complied. Outside, Kuroi found Daichi standing, with a cold sweat. "What is it you punk-" he started but stopped when he saw the look on Daichi's face. It was a mixture of fear and confusion. He followed Daichi's eyes to a non-descript, middle-aged man who was loading some food ingredients onto the back of his truck. He had shades and gloves on to protect from food contamination, but seemed ordinary otherwise. He didn't seem to see the boys, but just got in the truck and drove off.
"You alright?" Kuroi found himself saying in spite of himself, and Daichi just looked at Kuroi and smiled weakly. "Yeah…I thought I recognised him but…maybe not". It was the first time Kuroi had seem Daichi in such a vulnerable state, that it threw him off guard. But they were interrupted as Best Jeanist caught up to them and dismissed them for the night. Daichi told Jeanist he thought he'd spotted an old friend, but Kuroi could tell this was bullshit. All Kuroi could think about was that look of fear on Daichi's face.
Fuku-sho Family mart, 18:30
On his way home, Kuroi had stopped at the convenience store for a quick snack and tea. He had only just eaten an hour and a half ago, but he had quite the appetite. While scanning some magazines on the rise of delinquency and scoffing, he peered around the corner and saw Mitsuji Saiga looking at magazines on confidence and the art of seduction. Trying not to laugh, he crept up behind Saiga, and whispered behind him "Gotcha." Mitsuji shrieked and jumped, knocking over a few magazines from the rack. Other shopkeepers turned around at the commotion, and Mitsuji started bowing furiously and apologising vehemently.
"Hey…it was my fault, why are you apologising? Man you really have no spine." Mitsuji looked embarrassed and said "so about those magazines-"
Kuroi just interrupted him, trying not to grin. "Look, I don't give a shit. I won't tell your friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever it is. Just move past it."
Mitsuji just looked at him warily, before changing tone completely, and saying "Niriyama-kun, can I trust you?"
Kuroi looked at him incredulously saying "Isn't literally the one thing I've tried to beat into you that you can trust nobody? Anyway, you know all my secrets and haven't spilled, so I guess you can rely on me to do the same." Saiga decided not to correct the overbearing Niriyama's grammar.
He decided to tell Kuroi about the entire Nagai situation, and about the possibility of a traitor.
After all was said and done, Kuroi looked at him. "Yeah your classmates probably would be pissed if they found out you told me."
"They're your classmates too."
"Okay, but they're your friends."
"Yeah…I just don't know what to do now. After tailing Nagai-kun, they all went home, but I needed to clear my head. Figure out a plan of action, how to approach this situation with Nagai-kun."
"Okay…so self-confidence and seduction magazines?"
"I got side-tracked okay!? Jeez…" Mitsuji looked scared when he realised what he said, but Kuroi chuckled.
"Be like that more often. Speak what you feel and say it with chest. You'll be less annoying that way. Also, I don't really know the class president, but he didn't strike me as a bad guy. I'm a good judge of character, because trust me all I do is constantly judge people. I'd just talk to him. Directly. Straight up. If he's innocent, great. If he's not, beat him up and bring him in. Is that doing it by the law? Fuck no. But it's more efficient, and you can just make up some excuse about him attacking you, and self defense or some shit. I don't know, get creative with it. But that's just me."
Saiga listened to the tirade, and just responded with "…You give really, really bad advice". The two both laughed at this together, like two people who have been good friends for years.
"No but seriously. Don't get any ideas about telling people I'm a softie or some shit. I'll cave your nose in." Saiga looked intimidated for a couple of seconds, but just sighed and said, "Yeah ok whatever".
Kuroi squinted at him and said "You're 40% less annoying. Good job." Then waved and departed. Mitsuji just started wondering about what bits of Kuroi's advice he'd take to heart.
