Disclaimer - Don't own anything in this story aside from my original characters.
Chapter 3 - "No Heart"
[Third-Person POV]
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..."
Kinoru gripped the sides of his seat as the car sped forward, they were currently cruising through the desolate streets of Mustutafu... at night. True to her word, they went to a less reputable part of the otherwise boring city.
As they slowed down at a light, the boy observed the rather sketchy figures hanging around corners, the degraded streets, and poor-quality buildings only spelled trouble.
"It's alright to be scared ya know, I'm here so you two are safe." Their driver stated the rabbit hero seemed rather joyful despite their current location.
"And besides, a few street thugs aren't going to overpower Miruko!" Hana added, which made Kino wonder if she was sane.
"Our parents don't even know where we're going, I don't know why I'm the only voice of reason here," He said.
"People with reason are boring Kino-kun. Besides, we're only going to look for a bit." Rumi looked to her left window, "Ah, we're here."
They pulled up to a building that looked as, if not more, sketchy than the ones they'd passed. With his limited understanding of hiragana, Kino noted that it said "Hashiro Ramen".
Deciding that they wouldn't listen to his complaints, Kino followed them as they exited the car, cursing himself for going along.
The entrance was a sliding bamboo door, which led into a dimly lit restaurant. There weren't any tables, in their place were wooden counters that lined up like pews, except there were stools at the sides of each one.
The lack of customers wasn't what unnerved Kinoru, it was the masked bartender.
From their physical appearance, they were definitely a woman. Outfitted in attire usually befitting that of a bartender, she was wiping down empty glasses with a cloth.
"Hope you haven't been too busy Ito-chan!" Rumi smiled as she slid into a stool in front of her.
Hana followed, patting a seat next to her for Kinoru, who reluctantly sat down.
A gentle voice filled the air, almost putting the two middle-schoolers to sleep,
"Nice to see you... Usagi-chan, you brought... guests?" She spoke like she was in a lull, but the rabbit hero was unaffected.
"I'll cover their tabs, Inube-kun and Naneko-chan are here to talk to you, actually."
The white-masked woman turned to the two, noticing their ears.
"I see... well I'm here." She gestured to the two, "Go on."
Not wanting to look scared in front of her idol, Hana spoke first,
"What's with your mask?"
Kinoru sensed sadness from the woman, which ceased quickly.
"Ah, this? Would... you believe... if I said it was a stylistic choice?"
Hana, being rather stubborn, shook her head.
She chuckled, "I expected that".
To their surprise she took off her mask, revealing a set of black orbs.
Well, eight of them, but that was the only oddity about her facial features they saw, other than her black hair which was tied up into a bun.
"You have an animalistic quirk too?" Kinoru asked, getting a nod from her.
"I'm surprised that ya two weren't scared as soon as you saw her eyes, I know I was the first time I saw them!" Rumi stated, lightly giggling.
"Where are my manners... I'm Ito Hashiro, a barkeeper during the day..." She looked at the dog-boy, before proceeding, "and a vigilante by night..."
Kinoru hummed, "My full name is Kinoru Inube, I didn't know that you were the one Miruko-senpai wanted us to meet."
"Hana Naneko, nice to meet you!" The cat-girl grinned.
Looking at her again, she had a very pale complexion, almost like paper, only contrasted by her black hair. Her mouth had two protruding fangs, much like Kinoru, except hers were razor sharp.
"You seem... to have taken a liking... to these two, Usagi-chan." The spider-woman said, getting a nod from Rumi.
"I thought that Inube-kun's view could use some... broadening. Yeah, that's the word." Glancing at the person in mention, who looked rather bored.
"There's more to being a hero than just the title. And I thought that you were the perfect person to show this!" She put her hands together, "Pleaaasee...?"
Hashiro sighed, "You've always... been like this...during our time at Yuuei."
The woman stepped out from behind the counter, revealing a lower half that more resembled her quirk. She had a small, bag-sized thorax at the small of her back, though it didn't take away from her figure, which made Kinoru blush.
"Hold on... for a second." She walked towards the front, flipping the "open" sign to "closed".
"There," Her eight eyes focused on him, "Inube-kun, you don't see... the importance of...heroes, don't you?"
He raised a brow, "I don't see why I can't just go fight villains without some silly license-"
INCOMING FROM THE LEFT!
He listened to his instincts, barely dodging right as a thick strand of web sailed past him, colliding with a wooden stool.
"Wha-?"
"You have... good senses. Rumi-san?" Hashiro looked at the rabbit hero, who nodded in response.
"Go for it, he won't learn otherwise."
"Now hold on, I thought we already-"
BEHI-
Kinoru spoke, but was cut off by the stool colliding with the back of his head.
He fell to the floor, the dusty spruce doing a poor job of cushioning his fall.
"You're doing a really bad job, Kino-kun." Hana said, but the boy was still regaining his balance.
Another web sailed past his right before he could even sense it, this time colliding with the wall.
Kinoru chuckled, "You missed."
The spider-woman smirked, pulling on her web twice.
Suddenly she was closing distance, heading straight for him.
Kinoru readied his fist, relying on her velocity to carry the weight of the punch.
"You can't change directions in mid-"
Her feet touched the ground, stopping a few feet before the boy.
UNDER-
'Under?!' Kino's thoughts were a mess.
"What the-" His foot was stuck on a mass of web the size of a tennis ball.
'She must've tossed this when she tried to gain distance...' The boy steeled himself for her attack.
"Your reflexes are... quite good... Are you trained?" Hashiro asked. The boy opened his eyes and mumbled,
"I'm in cross-country..." He tried to move, but was restricted by the webbing "ugh, it's my loss."
She seemed satisfied with that answer, as she turned her back.
"Your turn then... Kitty-chan." She looked at Hana, who seemed surprised.
"Wha-? But I thought only Kino-kun would be going!"
Rumi, who was sipping what looked like to be water spoke up, "Mm. Mm. Looked like you enjoyed seeing Kino-kun get his ass whooped, it's your turn."
Hashiro shook her head at the rabbit hero's cursing, "Language, Rumi."
"Didn't ya just give one of them a concussion?" Rumi said, to which the spider-woman sighed.
Hana contemplated, 'This'll be my chance to show off in front of Miruko-senpai...'
"Alright! I'll do it!" She took off her beret, setting onto the counter closest to her.
She brought her hands close to her face, her fingernails were replaced by claws.
"I've never seen your hands like that before." Kinoru observed, he'd given up trying to get free of the web.
Hana stuck her tongue out, "Then be glad I'm not fighting you."
The girl observed her opponent, with the difference in experience and training, she'd have an extremely slim chance of even landing a blow on the woman. In order to make up for that gap...
Hana readied herself for the instant she moved.
Hashiro noticed the intensity in the girl's eyes, her pupils were constricted so much that they were almost completely white.
'So that's her plan...' She thought.
She decided to test her skill by shooting a web at the Hana, who surprised her.
Instead of sidestepping the easily avoidable string, she'd instead grabbed it and pulled the woman towards her with an odd strength.
"Got you!" Hana shouted.
As Hashiro flew towards her, she changed her posture in mid-air to one of a sharp kick, which would've hit the girl square in the face had she not hastily dived away at the last second.
She landed on her feet, "You aren't... as athletic as the boy..."
Hana looked annoyed, "Don't compare me to him."
'Hmm...'
"He was a lot... more nimble. Though I suppose... dogs are... better than cats." She taunted her, hoping she'd fall for it.
And fall for it she did, as instead of observing her movements again, the girl charged her.
She was surprisingly agile, as her light footsteps allowed her to close the distance between them.
But the lack of experience ended up being the deciding factor, as before Hana could even scratch her, her wrist was webbed to the ceiling.
"That fight... was over fairly quick." Hashiro watched as the girl tried pulling the webbing from her right hand, only to get her left hand stuck on it as well.
"You really show no mercy, Ito-chan. You sure you like kids?" Rumi got up from the stool she was sitting on and walked towards Hana.
"This is for... their own good." The spider-woman observed her kick the webbing away with her leg, an impressive high kick freed Hana.
"Uh, hello?" Kinoru was still stuck in the web, so Rumi freed him as well.
"So what did ya learn from this Kino-kun?" Rumi asked him.
He scoffed, "That someone with more experience would win against someone with none."
"If that's all... you learned from this... don't become a hero." Hashiro looked at him with a displeased expression.
The air suddenly shifted to one of a more serious tone, with the woman's glare turning towards Kinoru.
'Uh oh... she's getting like THAT again...' Rumi decided it was best to watch from the sidelines, so she headed back to her stool.
Kinoru looked on with an indifferent expression, "What, you gonna beat me up some more?"
She simply walked up to him and flicked his forehead, catching the boy by surprise.
"Wha-" He felt her hand grab his hoodie's collar, her eyes digging into him.
"What do you think... makes a hero?" She asked.
"Gah... let go-" He tried to shake her hand off, but she held tight.
His struggle was pointless, as she only pulled him closer to herself.
"A villain wouldn't let you go... no matter how much you beg." Hashiro stomped on his left foot with her right, causing the boy to kneel instinctively.
"Sheesh, no mercy huh?" Rumi chirped in the background, which the spider-woman ignored.
Hana decided it was her turn to ask, "If you went to UA with Miruko-senpai, then why aren't you a Pro Hero like her?"
Hashiro let go of Kinoru, who was too busy nursing his foot to notice.
"It's because..." She sat down, still looking at the boy, "There are things... a vigilante can do... that a Pro cannot."
"His arrogance... shows that he... isn't fit for either."
Kinoru stood up, "Man that hurts... I'm not normally like this, you know."
"Excuses-"
His response only seemed to anger the woman, who stopped when Rumi cleared her throat loudly.
"Are ya going to tell them or should I?" She donned a more serious expression on her face, her finger stirring her glass of water absentmindedly.
Hashiro gestured for her to stop and sat down on the nearest stool, her pale elbow leaned on the dark oak counter.
"There's a reason... Rumi-san brought you two here tonight."
She looked at the two as she said that. Hana was looking intently, and Kinoru, who was now intimidated by her, thought it was best to pay attention.
"It was... when I was still... in my first year at UA..."
...
[Ito Hashiro,Year One Hero Course Student]
"Nice to meet you... Usagiyama-san."
I shook the hand of the girl who sat next to me, she was oddly lax for someone who was so clearly athletic, as she sat with her muscular legs extended on the desk.
"You can call me Rumi, ya know? My last name's kinda long." The rabbit-teen grinned.
I gave her a closed-mouth smile.
'I'm not really that good at dealing with people like her...' I thought.
After our homeroom teacher concluded the lesson, we were free to explore the campus.
"So what's your dream, Ito-chan?" Rumi asked as we walked towards the fountain in the center of UA.
'Chan?'
Since we were free to go wherever, I thought it'd be nice to relax instead of moving around.
I looked down at the cleanly cut asphalt, "It's kind of... embarrassing."
She looked at me curiously, a grin slowly forming on her face.
"Tell me! I promise that I won't tell anyone!"
I thought for a moment, 'This ecstatic teenager just asked me what one of my most well kept secrets were, so I could either lie; or-'
"I... don't know." I blurted out.
'Damnit.'
I didn't know why I had been so open with someone I'd just met a couple hours ago, but something about her told me that she would become one of my closest friends.
I looked at her face, which surprised me as it showed a serious expression.
"Mhm." She nodded, her arms were in a contemplating position, with her hand on her chin.
"Well I want to be the number one hero someday!"
I felt a stab of emotion pierce my heart.
Rumi had been so confident in her decision that it made me feel like she'd actually accomplish her goal someday. It made my goal seem juvenile...
We arrived at the fountain, the clear water reflecting my neutral expression onto its surface. I sat down on the flat edge while she decided to stand and face me.
"What are you gonna do when you graduate then?" She looked at me expectantly.
"I... didn't think that far ahead. My quirk allowed me to get into this school, so I guess I'll just work as a Pro Hero." I said.
I didn't see an issue with what I said, but her reaction surprised me.
"That's no good." She said bluntly.
'Huh?'
"That's such a boring life, ya know? Taking the easy route just cuz' you're lucky to be born with a good quirk." Rumi leaned forwards, her face a foot from mine.
"Are you boring, Ito-chan?"
I struggled to give her an answer, as I'd never realized how fortunate I'd been my entire life.
...
"Unfortunately... I didn't change... until it was too late."
I looked at the pair in front of me, Inube and Naneko, with interest.
"So what happened?" The cat-girl asked, clearly immersed in my story.
I hummed, "I flunked... out of the Hero Course."
Naneko was shocked, as she stood up almost fuming. Inube had a surprised expression as well.
"I didn't have the... conviction nor motivation... to become a Hero." I said simply as I twirled a web between my fingers.
"Of course I was... frustrated." I stared at the cobweb in my hands, "My entire... life, I had gone with... whatever those around me suggested."
"Be nice to your teachers..."
Okay.
"Cover your eyes with a hat, no one wants to look at them..."
Alright
"Get good grades, and be at the top of your class!"
I guess...
"Go to UA! Your quirk is perfect for a Hero!"
Sure.
"Rumi-san's words had... meant a lot to me, so I finally made a choice... on my own." I felt my face heat up.
I looked at her, noticing a grin on her face.
"Rumi-san became... a hero who saves everyone..."
"And I became... a vigilante who stopped illegal underground animal-quirk... fighting rings."
"What?!" Naneko yelled.
Inube sat up, "Wait, those exist?"
I sighed, "Yes... To some, having an animal-like quirk... is almost as bad as... being quirkless."
"I assume... you two have experienced it as well?"
The look they shared told me the answer.
"...Yeah." Inube-kun spoke for both of them.
I looked at the time, which read as 1:14AM "I'll leave it at this... it is getting quite late."
Rumi got up from her chair, "We should probably get going, your guys's parents might get worried." She bowed to me, "Thanks for this Ito-chan, it means a lot."
I grabbed her hands, cupping them.
"Any time... Miruko."
We giggled for a bit, and for a second... I felt like I was in my youth once more.
I grabbed a pen and a couple napkins from a nearby counter, inscribing my phone number. I then faced her two students.
"You two... can call me regarding anything. So long as... I am not busy."
I handed them out.
'Huh?'
I didn't expect a hug, but Naneko gripped my waist tightly.
"I'm going to work twice as hard now! Thank you so much Hashiro-senpai!"
'...senpai?'
"I think I get what you were trying to show us" Kinoru nodded, "Thanks for beating me up... Hashiro-san."
I couldn't help but feel emotional as I bid the three goodbye, so I made sure to turn around as soon as they left. I heard the front curtain close, then I knew I was alone once again.
I ran my hand along the countertop, grabbing a bottle of Stella Noir, even though I rarely touched alcohol.
"To their success..." I held up the bottle and drank.
'Kids these days...'
END OF CHAPTER 3
A/N: And the slow part is over! I hope you liked this chapter as much I liked writing it! Sorry for the delay as I've been really busy with school and just found the time to continue this story.
If you're wondering, Ito Hashiro is 26, the same age as Miruko. She's an OC, but I couldn't just center the story around her, right?
Her quirk is Spider, and I needed someone to push our unmotivated protagonist into the right direction. If you're expecting an OP protagonist, well then you're not going to be happy...