Chapter 7: Absolutely NOT a Date

Having had a free day on Friday, All Might was therefore technically unavailable for lunch on Sunday. Unfortunately it only occurred to him late on Saturday, after Nozomi-san had texted him to finalize their plans. Strictly speaking, he should've immediately let her know of the conflict so they could reschedule… But each time he picked up his phone, he had a vision of her face that morning when she came to his door. Though her expression had been hopeful instead of despairing, the red rims around her eyes had clashed harshly in the flat fluorescent light. He just couldn't bring himself to let her down.

That was how he came to be rushing about early on Sunday, intending to resolve as many disputes as possible before lunch. If he could give the impression that he was everywhere, hopefully crime would take a dip for the day. In his younger days when he'd had the energy to work the entire day without rest, he'd heard that his morning efforts had that effect. It was only temporary of course - the onset of night gave criminals fresh courage. Not even the potential presence of All Might could hold them off forever.

It was exhausting work. He spent hours rushing from one end of the city to the other, solving everything from assaults to accidents to terrorist attempts. After nearly a dozen successes, he was running ragged and straining to stay in his muscular form. He was moving so fast that the press could barely keep up with him: a side bonus of his extra effort. He had to make sure that no one was around when he finally ran out of time.

After capturing an escaped zoo ostrich, of all things, All Might caught sight of a public clock. Perfect. If he headed for Meguro now, he could change and meet Nozomi-san just on time. An hour or two of rest at a café with her would give him back his energy, perhaps enough to let him run another patrol in the evening to make up for his break.

"Farewell, all! A hero's work is never done!"

All Might leaped to the roof of a nearby building, trailed by cheers, hopscotching across more to make his way past traffic and crowds below. He had his eyes on the skyline to the southwest where Meguro lay. But near the river to his left was a tall column of the black smoke…

No one saw how it happened. The Nihombashi Postal Distribution Hub was a bustling hive of activity, even on a Sunday, with trucks and people constantly flowing in and out of its bays and doors. It resembled Tsukiji Market in some ways, with people shouting back and forth to one another and the din of sorting machines filling the interior of the building. It could be hard to believe that the entirety of eastern Tokyo's mail came through this one small, unassuming building.

It was just as workers were starting to think about their waiting lunches that calamity broke loose. In the depths of the sorting area, the scent of smoke was detected. It was noted but not cause for undue concern - machines were machines after all, and even the best maintained could get a case of mechanical hiccups. But only minutes later the smoke was thicker and flames had appeared.

A fire suppression team sprang into action immediately but this was no regular friction or overheating outbreak. The fire swelled even as the sorter was switched off and potential fuel was moved out of harm's way. However, the moment that the smothering chemicals were applied, the blaze erupted out of control.

The sprinkler system activated but that too only added fuel to the fire. The flames climbed into the rafters to gnaw hungrily at the beams supporting the roof as the general alarm was raised. But it was too swift for the automatic systems, and in less than a minute the exits were all blocked; the sorting hub had become a furnace.

Panic spread as fast as the fire and the people crowded into the shrinking safe areas. Hope was beginning to smolder around the edges when an almighty crash shook the structure. Then a gale swept past the huddled group, tossing the fire aside and clearing a path to a newly made hole in the wall.

"It's fine now," announced a figure barely visible through the smoke. "I am here!"

"Shitshitshit!"

Toshinori may have lost many things after receiving his wound from All For One but there were some things he'd managed to keep. Among these were his long legs, perfect for when he was in a hurry. Like right now.

He'd come across a fire at a postal sorting center on his way back to Meguro - well, truthfully it'd been somewhat out of his way - and seeing himself first on the scene, he'd leaped into action to rescue the trapped workers. He'd moved swiftly and had the whole thing settled in fifteen minutes, but it was enough to make him late. Even worse, it used up the last of his strength. Kilometers from Meguro, he lost the ability to traverse the cityscape quickly.

The one saving grace was that he was close to his hero agency. He made it there in time to change back with some privacy and there were also some changes of clothes kept there for just this sort of emergency.

After putting on the civvies and stowing his hero costume in a duffle bag, he'd taken off running as fast as he reasonably could. He fought against the omnipresent weakness and the subway crowds, breaking into a sprint again as soon as he was back above ground.

Damn, he was a special kind of idiot. A young woman invites him out for lunch to thank him and here he was, showing up late. He might be the top hero but he wasn't nearly so high ranking as a considerate person. Nozomi-san was sure to be furious with him.

Nearing the address that she'd texted him, he saw the sign for Kayaba Coffee hanging over the corner. It was subtle and tasteful, carved in dark wood with the letters painted to stand out. The café itself looked small and it was constructed of massive old timbers - below the name on the sign he saw the year "1926".

And under the sign stood Nozomi-san. She was dressed in a V-necked wine-colored shirt and a black skirt - the day had been fairly warm for early spring so her jacket was open and hanging off her shoulders. Leaning against one wall, she had her phone out and was studying it with a frown on her face. Yes, she wasn't happy with him at all.

He slowed his pace to a fast walk, not that it'd make him less late or fix the flush of exertion from his rush. He was even too winded to call out to her. But as eager as he was to spend some time with Nozomi-san, he was equally hesitant to be lambasted for his tardiness.

His approach caught her attention and she looked up, the bright sunlight casting glossy highlights through her rich brown hair. She had it down in a loose cascade across her upper body - it suited her.

Toshinori didn't even notice he was ogling her until he saw the expectant expression she wore and realized she was waiting for him to reply to something. "S-Sorry, what was that?"

"I asked if you'd gotten lost on the way here or what. I was texting but you didn't reply so I was getting worried." Her tone was reproachful but far from furious.

"I'm sorry." He gave her a deep bow in apology. "I was caught up in work and forgot my phone at home today. I'm very sorry."

She was quiet and he held the bow, waiting for a response. At last she sighed and moved closer. "Well, as long as you're okay."

He straightened up, the tension in his body draining away. But he got an unpleasant jolt as he saw her make a strange face. "… Do you smell smoke?"

Not good. He broke out in a sweat and the tension returned tenfold as he tried to figure out what to tell her. She was probably smelling the smoke on him, or maybe on his hero suit. He unconsciously gripped the duffle bag tighter.

"W-Well, that, ah…" he stammered, scrambling for an excuse. "It… must be because I came straight from work."

Confusion bloomed on her face in addition to the existing emotion there. "From work?"

"Yes." His tone took on a little more pep as an idea occurred to him. "I think some of my… coworkers were smoking. That must be it."

His answer only seemed to make her more skeptical - he wasn't a very convincing liar - but thankfully she dropped the subject. "Well, let's go in. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Yes, let's."

As they neared the entrance he picked up his step so that he could at least get the door for her. He had to start making up for his earlier discourtesy and now was as good a time as any. The extra effort was well rewarded when she gave him a warm smile in thanks as she entered the tiny shop.

The first thing he noticed was the powerful scent of coffee as he stepped inside. The interior was dark, paneled in ancient wood - perhaps it'd once been lighter and then long decades of steam from brewing rich beverages had dyed it. One side of the room was lined with windows glowing in bright contrast to the rest of the surfaces. Off to one side, a beat-up old TV set rested on the counter - it looked like it was meant for the owner to watch as he worked but it was currently positioned so the rest of the room could see it too. At the moment there was some sort of talk show on. The atmosphere of the café was reserved and classy: this was no trendy chain franchise but was probably family-owned and operated, possibly for generations.

It seemed very suited to Nozomi-san. He could picture her sitting in one of the booths with Onimaru-kun by her side, reading a book for hours on end. The image tugged at his heart.

Although it was still lunchtime, there were only a handful of people inside and most looked to be about finished. At least they wouldn't have to wait for a table.

"Welcome!" called the man behind the counter. "Have a seat wherever you want. I'll be right with you."

"Thanks!" Then Nozomi-san turned back to Toshinori. "Where would you like to sit?"

"Wherever you would like to."

"How about right here?" She indicated a booth a short ways inside, next to a window framing a small holly bush outside.

"That looks perfect." A little delayed he offered her an encouraging smile. He had to remember to do that more often when he wasn't All Might.

They sat and he began looking over the menu. It was short and the options were simple, another sign that it was managed by a family. But each item on it sounded more delicious than the last and he felt his mouth begin to water.

Nozomi-san's giggle distracted him: she was studying the specials list for March. "Yagi-san, look. Isn't this cute?"

She tapped part of the drinks section for him to study. Springtime Sakura Matcha Latte. Next to it was a picture of a frothy green drink with a pink dollop on top shaped like a blossom. It really did look very cute.

"Is that what you're getting?"

"Yes! And the honey toast set. What about you?"

"Those sound a bit too sweet for me. I"ll just have a regular coffee and the butter toast set."

After placing their order, there was a slightly awkward pause. Toshinori wasn't quite sure what to say to fill it. He still didn't know Nozomi-san very well… and it'd been a long time since he'd done this sort of thing. Not that this was a date! No, it was just a friendly lunch between neighbors! And while he also hadn't done that in a long time, it wasn't as stressful to think about.

Taking a nervous sip of his water, he said the first thing that came to mind. "It's been pleasant weather this spring, hasn't it?"

She murmured agreement, drowned out by a surge of self-loathing in his gut. Literally the most trite sentence he could possibly have uttered - that was the best he could come up with. Now the awkward atmosphere was tinged with gloom.

"You know…" Nozomi-san began, "I said that I was inviting you here as thanks for the other day. But I also wanted to get to know you better too. Sorry for not being more forthright about it."

She was studying her water glass intently so he couldn't read her expression. But the heaviness he'd inadvertently caused was beginning to lift.

"No need to apologize. I understand that it might be difficult to approach someone like me." Despite his efforts, a note of self-deprecation entered his voice. Perhaps his appearance really did put her off even though she behaved so calmly around him.

But her response to that was to look up, brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't get what you mean."

He fidgeted a bit in discomfort. Usually his gaunt appearance needed no further explanation - he wasn't used to elaborating verbally.

"Well… I'm aware of how I look and how people react to it. Mostly those reactions aren't positive. So I could understand if you had difficulty spending time in my presence."

Her confusion cleared up. "Ah. I admit that your appearance is certainly unique, but that wasn't really my issue."

"It wasn't?"

"No," she chuckled. "I was actually more concerned that you'd be uncomfortable around me. A lot of people are on pins and needles around psychiatrists. I think they're afraid we'll spend the whole time analyzing them for mental illnesses or talking about how the brain works or something."

Toshinori hadn't thought of that. Though to be fair, he hadn't really considered what a psychiatrist's interests would be - he'd accepted to get to know Nozomi-san the person not Nozomi-san the doctor.

"Do you usually do that?"

"Not at all. Well, I would notice obvious signs of course, but I'd go broke if I analyzed every person I came across," she chuckled. "And there are much more interesting topics than brain functions. That'd be one of the last things I talk about with someone."

"Well, what sorts of things would you talk about?"

Nozomi-san thought for a moment before she started bringing up things. She told him some funny things that Onimaru-kun had done recently, but quickly switched to talking about movies, books, food, and several other common topics. Slowly at first but with increasing ease he joined in to make it a real conversation. By the time their food and drinks arrived, the initial gloom had been dispelled and they were warming up to one another.

It was a tricky balance for him to maintain: he wanted to share with her and be honest, but he couldn't reveal too much. She was clever and he feared one wrong sentence would let her figure out that he was actually All Might. He also had the issue of his lack of a personal life to talk about. There were a couple of times when coming up with an answer made him sweat.

Fortunately his food and drink gave him a good excuse to pause and think before answering. And while she was obviously interested in him, she was equally happy to tell him about herself. He listened carefully and his image of her began to broaden.

"It sounds like you have a wide range of interests," he commented. "Even if I'd thought that you were analyzing my mental state, you definitely have more to talk about than just brains."

She gave him a wide smile in response. "If it makes you feel better, you do seem quite sane."

For a moment he was taken aback and just looked at her with uncertainty. Then her expression changed slightly and he saw the glint of mischief in her eye - she was just teasing him.

He chuckled. "Are you going to charge me for that analysis?"

She raised a hand to hide her obvious smile and laughed along with him.

There was a chime as the door opened - focused on Nozomi-san, he barely noticed. But suddenly an enthusiastic voice drowned out the owner's standard greeting.

"Yume-channnnnnn!"

Nozomi-san jumped and Toshinori had a moment of alarm when he wondered if the figure charging at their table was some kind of threat. Not that he looked like one: the short, stocky man had skin and hair patterned with monochrome stripes like a zebra but was otherwise normal. He was elegantly dressed in a pastel pink shirt and light slacks with black thick-framed glasses perched on his nose and a wide smile wreathing his face.

"Ao-chan!" Nozomi-san exclaimed in apparent surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"Silly Yume-chan! Of course I had to come by to meet your date!"

He looked expectantly at Toshinori, who was too confused to do more than gawk back, while Nozomi-san sighed in a long-suffering tone. "I told you already, it's not a date. We're just having lunch together."

"Ao-chan" ignored her protest and continued staring at Toshinori in a strange way. He recognized that expression - it was identical to the one Nozomi-san had been wearing when they'd first met. It was a mixture of suspicion and distaste trying to hide beneath a façade of blandness. Almost every single person Toshinori interacted with showed some variation of that look - he thought he'd gotten used to it by now. But while he could mostly ignore the ugly feelings the looks raised, they still affected him every time.

The younger man seemed to catch on that he was making an impolite face and he tried to offer a friendly smile instead. "Excuse me for interrupting. I'm Oyamada Aoki, a friend of Yume-chan's."

"I'm Yagi Toshinori. I just moved into the same apartment building as Nozomi-san."

The weak smile changed to exaggerated surprise. "Oh! I thought Yume-chan was just being coy when she said she was having lunch with a neighbor! I guess you were serious."

The last sentence was directed at Nozomi-san who was obviously annoyed and attempting to restrain herself. She responded by giving Oyamada-san a look that wasn't quite a glare but was very close to it. "Don't you think I would've said it was a date if it was? And why would you show up if you thought I was on a date?"

"I was curious!" Oyamada-san squealed in a tone weirdly similar to a teen girl's. "You're so shy about your personal life, Yume-chan! You've never even told me what kind of man if your type."

"Because I know you!" she snapped back. "I don't need you blabbing about my love life on your blog!"

Suddenly Oyamada-san dramatically leaned back, putting one hand over his eyes and the other on his heart. "Oh, you wound me! Don't you know how hard it is to find juicy information to feed my devoted followers?! I work myself to the bone every day to ensure they don't go hungry and this is my thanks!" He punctuated the declaration with some convincing sniffles.

Toshinori held perfectly still and attempted to turn invisible, both fascinated and embarrassed by the unfolding drama. It was revealing a great deal about Nozomi-san that he wouldn't learn through normal polite conversation, but at the same time he felt like a voyeur into her personal life. He was sweating more now than when it'd just been the two of them talking.

"Well, you'll have to go dig up dirt someplace else," Nozomi-san said sternly. "There's nothing here to interest your rabid fanbase."

Oyamada-san snapped back to a normal stance as if nothing had happened. "True enough. So, I'll just have to settle for satisfying myself!"

"What?!"

The strange man directed his full attention to Toshinori, placing a hand on the table to lean in closer. "Yume-chan doesn't usually spend time with her neighbors. What makes you different, Yagi-kun?"

"Um, I don't-"

"Ooh, do you have a similar Quirk?! Just wandering one night through a forest of sleeping minds, maybe you bumped into hers and realized she was a kindred spirit!" He sighed dreamily. "How romantic!"

"Ao-chan, I already told you-"

"Come on, you can't tell me the idea itself isn't romantic!"

"Well, ah…"

"You didn't meet in a dream? Hmm… A former patient? I know Yume-chan is strict about fraternizing with current patients."

"No, I've never been a patient."

"What a puzzle!" He thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "I suppose we can rule out your looks…"

Toshinori didn't consider himself a vain person but that remark stung a bit.

Abruptly Oyamada-san yelped and grabbed his shin on the side closest to Nozomi-san. A quick glance at her showed her to be responsible: if looks could kill, her friend would've keeled over that very instant.

"What was that for?!"

"Ao-chan, you are dangerously close to having a week of constant nightmares. Go sit at another table and behave, or else I can guarantee it."

"You big meanie!" he pouted. He melodramatically pretended to wipe tears from his eyes as he flounced to an open table on the other side of the room. He sat and turned his back on them in an exaggerated fashion.

"Well, that was… something," Toshinori commented lightly. The intense awkwardness eased, but only a little.

"On his behalf, I apologize. Especially for that last comment." Nozomi-san was pinching the bridge of her nose like she had a headache. "He doesn't mean to offend, but his mouth has a mind of its own."

"It doesn't matter." That was only a half-truth but he didn't want to cause a rift between her and Oyamada-san. "Like I said before, I'm aware of how my appearance affects people."

Unexpectedly she let out a sigh loaded with frustration but didn't comment further. Grasping her coffee cup with both hands, she raised it to take a sip, all the while scowling at her friend's back. Toshinori scrambled for a topic to change the subject to something less thorny.

He quickly hit upon an idea. Oyamada-san had mentioned her Quirk, which they hadn't talked about before. As All Might, he'd been told a little about it but Toshinori wouldn't be privy to that information. And he'd surely be curious, especially given the context of the earlier conversation. He figured it was the best opening he could hope for.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began, "what sort of Quirk do you have? You said before that it's suited to being a psychiatrist and Oyamada-san said something about dreams?"

It worked - she refocused on him and irritation morphed into surprise. "Didn't I tell you before? I'm sorry, it must've slipped my mind.

"I'm a psychiatrist, primarily associated with U.A., though I freelance at any hospital that requests me. My Quirk is called Dreamwalk and it lets me enter other people's dreams when I'm asleep. And…" She paused, but just as he started to wonder if she actually didn't want to discuss her Quirk, she grunted with dissatisfaction. "Ugh, it's difficult to explain."

She leaned back and shut her eyes to think. After a moment she opened them again but she still didn't look satisfied with the explanation she'd come up with. "I suppose you can think of it like sewing up a rip in a shirt. Some mental issues are like a rip in normal mentality, with dreams being a reflection of it. So by entering a person's dream I can access the mentality to fix it."

"Hmm…" Toshinori hummed. "It sounds… useful for a psychiatrist. But I don't quite get it."

She sighed and tugged at her bangs. "Yeah. It's complicated to explain."

"That's not to say it doesn't sound amazing!" he quickly added. "And however it works, it's clearly effective if you've been so successful."

Strangely that didn't lift her mood. "Most of the time it's effective…"

Her face fell, turning bleak, and he could've kicked himself for reminding her of the patient she'd lost. Damn, he was such an idiot!

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dwelling on my failures right now." She took a deep breath and life returned to her face. "So what about you? What sort of Quirk do you have?"

He'd been expecting this question. It was one of the consequences he'd predicted if the topic of Quirks came up between them. But even before that, he'd considered how to answer the question as part of his civilian cover. Would he admit to having a Quirk but stay vague about what it was (as he did when the question was posed to All Might)? Or would he claim to be Quirkless, as if he'd never had that fateful encounter with Shimura Nana? He'd struggled to decide: it was hard to predict what effect either answer would have on a relationship, for better or worse. But finally he'd chose his path so that he could be prepared for this moment.

"Well, actually-"

He was interrupted by loud buzzing and his heart nearly stopped as he realized it was a phone call. Then he was flooded with relief in the next instant as he remembered that he'd switched his phone to vibrate. He'd been a whisker away from potentially having his cover blown.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me a moment," he apologized as he checked the incoming call. He couldn't afford to ignore any emergency call while he was technically on-duty.

Which was exactly the sort of call he was getting.

Immediately adrenaline began pumping through his system and he leapt to his feet urgently. "It's my work calling. I need to go!"

But then he hesitated, unsure how Nozomi-san would react. When he'd accepted her invitation, she'd probably expected that he wouldn't have any other commitments. How would she feel about him being called away like this?

She looked concerned but just like before there was no anger. She simply watched him expectantly.

"I'm sorry," he said, feeling the need to explain himself. "I wouldn't leave if it wasn't urgent. Or if there was anyone else who could handle it. But…"

"Don't worry about it," she replied calmly. "As someone who gets her fair share of urgent calls at odd times, I understand. Just do your best."

"I will," he replied gratefully and hurried out the café's door.