Forms of speech:

"Talking out loud"

"Inner thoughts"

"Text"

Chapter 15:Friends Pt.2

(onboard train to paulownia mall)

Last where we left off, Snow was sandwiched between two of his friends Saya and Cater. Which definitely left him in a mute state. Making very little eye contact to either person next to him and listening to music to calm him down.

A few seats down Jack was slumped in his seat while looking at Snow with some jealousy. "Why is he getting all of the attention?" Jack said under his breath

Trey was sitting next to Jack while scrolling through a social media app and heard what he said. "Why don't you ask for some tips? Snow's always happy to help someone in need." Trey said half jokingly.

"You'd think he would do that for me!?" Jack says with enthusiasm as he's sitting upright in his seat turning towards Trey.

Trey had a shocked look on his face. "I-I don't know. I was just…never mind good luck with that Jack." said Trey. He didn't have the heart to burst Jack's bubble so he let him be for the time being. Besides it'll be comical to see Jack ask for advice on talking to girls from someone who knows next to nothing about dating.

10 minutes later they reached their stop,paulownia mall.

(Paulownia mall)

The group of teens reach the front doors and Snow heads to the front of the group and holds the door for everybody. Everybody says their thanks but Cater had to be her usual self and add a little more to her thanks.

"Such a gentleman,thanks cutie." Cater says with a wink. This causes Snow to blush and quickly look away. Saya caught wind of what happened and devised a plan to have Snow pay the price for "flirting" with Cater.

Once inside they all stand near the water fountain that was located in the center of the mall. They all look around and see various shops/storefronts,recreational places like an arcade, and various spots to get food or the option to go to the food court instead.

Saya got in front of the group and pointed at Snow and exclaimed "We're doing karaoke and you're gonna like it!"

Snow starts to break into a nervous sweat and tries to sway Saya. "I-I can't sing."

"Don't play coy with me Snow!" Saya says while putting her hands on her hip.

Snow lets out a nervous laugh before speaking. "I seriously don't know what you're talking about Saya."

Saya narrows her eyes at Snow and glares at him. Snow realizing that Saya wouldn't drop it lets out a defeated sigh and droops his head. "I really had no say in this did I?"

"Nope." Saya said with a smile. Everyone else watched their quarrel with confusion and all had the same question in their head.

Deuce decided to ask the question everyone had. "Snow you can sing?"

Snow turns around to Deuce. "Yeah it's not something I typically share. Draws a lot of attention."

"Yeah because you're really good at it." Saya added.

Snow starts to blush a little from the complement and decides that he should share more about his musical talent. "I can also play both electric and acoustic guitar and I'm currently learning the drums."

"Wow, that's really cool Snow. I guess it's pretty obvious that I know how to play the flute. I can play a little bit of the piano as well. I look forward to your singing."

"Thanks Deuce."

Ace and Machina join in the music themed conversation as well,Machina spoke up first. "We should play together sometime,I can play bass guitar really well."

"And maybe you could teach me a thing or two Snow because I've been learning how to play guitar recently."

Snow is overwhelmed by the sudden responses but it's a good feeling to know that others share his hobbies. "Uhh,yeah we should all get together some time and play. It sounds like a lot of fun."

After some additional chatting the group of teens make their way to the karaoke place. They walk through the automatic doors and Snow goes to the counter. The lady at the desk recognizes Snow and greets him with a warm smile. On certain days at night the karaoke place would have open mic nights and Snow is what you would call a regular. He and his family along with Saya's family would spend the nights there just to listen to Snow.

"Hi there Arisato,I see you have a big group with you today."

"Hello and yeah I'm here with my friends today. 1 room for 11 please."

"Sure thing Arisato!" Kazanari starts to punch in some numbers on the cash register. Once done she opens the drawer and brings out a key and hands it over to Snow. "Here you go and you can pay when you're leaving. Have fun!"

"Thank you ." Snow gestures to everyone to follow him. They all walk down the velvet blue halls until they stop in front of a dark red door with the number 101 written at the top of it. Snow unlocks the door and holds it open for everyone to walk into the room. Snow then closes the door behind him and stuffs the room key in his pocket. He looks around the spacious room and it's pretty similar to the smaller rooms he uses when it's just him and his family.

The room is filled with red furniture of sectional sofas and a round table in the middle. The room also had screens on the walls to display lyrics and vibrant colors to light the room up. Snow looks at the table and sees a set of microphones and a tablet for song selection. He grabs the tablet and is snatched away by Saya. "H-Hey!"

"I get to choose the first song." Saya says while leaning back into the sofa and scrolling through the song selection.

A sweat drop forms Snow's face the last time that Saya had played DJ. Snow claps his hands together and brings them close to his face,forming a prayer. "Please no one direction this time. I'm begging you Saya!"

"Oh stop complaining you had fun the last time we were here." That comment was accompanied with snickers and held back laughter from Jack,Trey,Sice and Cinque. Snow's face has a shade of red from embarrassment.

"That's something I need to see." Said Sice

Snow grabs the mic and stands to where the middle screen is so he could have a view of the lyrics if Saya picked something he didn't know. He also notices the mic stand to the side of the room and grabs it to place the microphone in place.

Saya scrolls through the selection of songs and has a mental debate on what she should pick. "I could pick a one direction song just to see his reaction,but I think I'll save it for another day." Saya continued to swipe until something caught her eye. "This one should be fun." Saya looks up from the tablet and looks over to Snow."How about sangenshoku?"

"Thank you she picked a song I know." "That's fine. I'm ready whenever." Saya nodded and pressed play on the tablet. Guitars and a drum beat could be heard from the speakers around the room. Snow shakes off any nervousness and moves his head slightly side to side getting a feel for the tempo while also tapping his foot against the floor lightly. Snow breathes and begins to sing.

"Sora no iro wa doushite aoku mieru no darou ka

Kioku wa kiiroku yakete shimau no darou ka

Aoi hibi wa marude moeru you na hageshisa

Kiiroi koe agete umareta

Kioku no shizukesa ao to kiiro ga mazariatte dekita

Midori ni wa hana wo hana ni wa mizu wo boku ni wa yume wo"

Snow starts to raise his voice for the chorus.

"Zero ni tashite ima wo kakete nagareru akai chi moyou

Sen wo hiite kara wo watte saita hana no moyou

Tsunagu teishiki fude wo motte torimodoshite iku inochi

Me ni mienai ruuru e ima ikou, ikooru wo sagashi ni iku"

Snow brings his voice to a lower tone and still keeps the smooth sound to it.

"Aoi sora ni ito no you na kumo ga ugoite

Kiiroi koe agete umareta

Omoi ga shizuka ni ito to shisou ga karamiatte dekita

Iji ni wa hibi wo hibi ni wa imi wo boku ni akai chi wo"

Once again for the chorus Snow raises his voice. Everyone was amazed at how he easily made his vibrato flare in and out. Saya watched proudly as her friend sang his heart out.

"Ima mitashite ima nigakute nagashita namida no you

Sotto hiite ima kawatte saita yume no moyou

Tsunagu teishiki fude wo motte torimodoshite iku inochi

Me ni mienai ruuru e ima ikou, ikooru wo sagashi ni iku"

For the bridge Snow brings his voice in a bit and swaying his body while singing.

"Souzou wo shiteita ichi kara mieru keshiki

Souzou wo shiteita ichi wo teigi shita toki

Souzou wo shiteita yori haruka ni koeteta

Souzou wo shiteita tadoritsuita kono ichi de"

For the final chorus Snow takes the microphone off the stand,he closes his eyes and sings his heart out.

"Douka junsui na hajimari wo shoudou ni kawaru hajimari wo

Seimeiryoku wo sangenshoku de azayaka ni

Douka junsui ni kagayaki wo shoudou ni kawaru odoroki wo

Seimeiryoku wo sangenshoku de hirogete

Hakushi no jidai kako wo nose kizukiage kizukasare

Kuroku natte imada keshite tsumiage tsugi wa doko e

Aa bokura no ashita ni iro ga attara

Me ni mieru you ni saa egaite iku"

Once Snow fades his voice out for the last part everyone starts to clap and give him compliments on his performance.

"That was really good Snow! I gotta say you make it look easy to sing like that." Said Deuce.

"Yeah and now I'm curious how good you are at playing the guitar and drums. If this was anything to go by I have a lot to look forward to." Machina added.

"I wonder if Snow could teach me to sing for a girl." Jack thought.

"He has to sing something to me!" Cater thought

After some additional complimenting Snow was able to speak. "Thank you guys. It means a lot." Ace questioned that last part. He knew that Snow always kept to himself but wasn't sure why. It wasn't right to get that answer from Saya,not like she would answer anyway. It wasn't her place to say why Snow keeps to himself and it would be better to get an answer from the source. Ace made it his mission today to find out why Snow is the way he is. He truly considered him a friend and wanted to let him know he can be himself around him and everybody else in class 0.

"Don't mention it Snow. You're crazy talented,you deserve these compliments." Said Trey with a smile. Snow sheepishly rubs the back of his head with a smile of his own.

Snow places the mic back on the stand and takes a seat next to Saya. "So,who's next?" asked Snow. Everyone looked around at each other to see if anybody else would step up to mic. Considering that Snow set the bar really high no one wants to sing because by comparison no one is topping Snow. Looking around and seeing that nobody wants to sing Snow decides that he'll keep going until his voice won't let him.

As Snow was about to get up Machina got up and stood near the microphone. Machina looked towards Saya and said "Could you play the song Tomoshi beat please Saya."

"Oh uhhh sure." To say the least, everyone's interest was piqued when Machina stood up to sing. Rem was also very confused considering they're childhood friends they practically know everything about each other. Saya pressed play on the tablet.

Snow got up and grabbed another microphone from the table and joined Machina in the center of the room. "I'll sing with you Machina." The beginning parts of the song began to play through the speakers. Snow spoke in a low voice so no one would hear him. "I can tell you're nervous,follow my lead through the chorus and you can handle the rest."

Machina was confused but also grateful that Snow wanted to help him. "Thanks Snow."

"Anytime."

The duet noticed it was time to sing once the lyrics showed up on screen and Machina started off first.

"souteigai no omoi ga mune no biito wo kizami hajimeta

Oikakete oikakete

Jinseikan no chigai wo togisumashite wa kisoi tsuzuketa

Oikakete oikaketeitan da"

During the bridge Machina's voice was more pronounced while Snow sang with a softer tone so Machina could be in the spotlight. It was only towards the end Snow raised his voice to match Machina's tone in preparation for the chorus.

"fukai fukai fukai toko made

Tadashiku tsunaida te to te

Nando demo nando demo nando demo nando demo kizande kure"

Then came the chorus and the duet sung in unison.

"wow wow takaraka ni

Asahi mo shitto suru hodo ni

Kizame saikou no yoake wo zanzou keshite

Wow wow takaraka ni

Doko ni mo tadoritsukenu hibi ni

Kizame taiyou no kawari wo enjikitte kure"

Machina took the lead once again.

"seikai wo sagasu tabi ni ima no heisoukan wo nejimageta

Oikoshite oikoshite

Suiheisen no sono saki e itsumo genkai nante ato kara sa

Oikoshite oikoshite ikun da"

Once again Snow helped out during the bridge with the soft tone and raising his voice to Machina's level.

"kurai kurai kurai soko made

Tadashiku utsushita me to me

Nando demo nando demo nando demo nando demo terashite kure"

The duet sung in unison once again.

"wow wow takaraka ni

Yozora mo waracchimau hodo ni

Tomose seimei no hikari wo kattou keshite

Wow wow takaraka ni

Daremo ga tadoritsukenu michi ni

Tomose seimei no hikari wo senjin kitte kure"

During the instrumental part Snow took the liberty in adding some flair to their performance."Alright everybody clap just like I do and keep the rhythm up!" Snow's clap consisted of 2 fast claps and a pause between the last clap. Machina joined in as well and so did everyone else.

Snow and Machina stop clapping together and start to sing the last part of the song.

"wow wow takaraka ni

Asahi mo shitto suru hodo ni

Kizame saikou no yoake wo zanzou keshite

Wow wow takaraka ni

Doko ni mo tadoritsukenu hibi ni

Kizame taiyou no kawari wo enjikitte kure"

The duet faded their voices out once the song was over and were greeted with the same amount of fanfare Snow had gotten.

"Wow I gotta say I didn't expect that. You two looked like professionals." Sice said with acclamation.

"Machina, when did you learn how to sing?" asked Rem. Suffice to say she was amazed the whole way through the performance but wanted to know when her friend picked up this talent.

"Oh umm,sometime last year I decided to learn how to sing. First I started with just going to the park and singing out loud to myself. With no one around of course,Then my mom and dad heard me one time and they suggested taking lessons. Which I happily did and well here we are." Machina looked over to Snow and decided to ask him the question Rem asked him. "So when and how did you start singing Snow?"

"I started around last year or so and I'm actually self taught." Snow said nonchalantly. There were a few audible gasps of disbelief from the group of teens. Understandably so,how can someone sound so good and only be self taught.

"There's no way you're self taught. Saya, is this true?" Sice asked with disbelief stretched across her face and in her voice.

"Yeah I had the same reaction as well Sice. Believe it or not he's self taught." Said Saya.

Sice slumps into the couch and wonders what Snow can't do. "So not only are you starting hero work before us,you can do all this parkour,and you know how to play 3 instruments along with singing. What else can you do Snow?" Sice's question was a rhetorical question but Snow didn't catch wind of it and answered truthfully.

"Oh uh well I can create a scythe with my quirk."

Sice lets out a sigh from Snow's answer but was curious as to why he named a scythe specifically. She decides that she'll ask more about it later. "Of course you can mister perfect." Snow lets out a nervous laugh rubbing the back of his head. Both Snow and Machina take their seats and continue to answer any questions their friends have.

20 minutes passed and everyone decided they should give Snow and Machina's voice a rest. And their ears after going through Jack's odd performance. Everyone was getting up to leave and making sure they didn't leave anything behind. Once everyone was out of the room Snow locked the door behind them and told them to wait for him outside while he paid.

Snow walked up to the front desk and gave Kazanari the key and took out his wallet. Kazanari decided to have a quick chat with Snow. "Did you have fun Arisato?" She said while turning the card reader towards Snow.

"Yeah,I had a lot of fun. I have a feeling we'll be back again in the future." Snow said with a smile while swiping his membership card.

"That's great! You should definitely bring them when it's open mic night."

"For sure." Snow puts his membership card away and hands some money over to Kazanari. Which she took and put into the cash register.

"Enjoy the rest of your day Arisato!" Kazanari said with a smile.

Snow returns the smile with one of his own."I will and you too ." The two wave goodbye and Snow goes his separate way out of the karaoke place to join his friends.

The group of teens walked around the mall some more and stopped by some stores to do some window shopping. They eventually broke off into groups of girls and boys and wanted to meet back at the water fountain after some shopping.

(Saya and friends)

The group of girls were currently in a clothing store. Although Sice was pretty much dragged into the store since she refuses to wear anything "girly".

"Aww c'mon Sice try this 'll look great in it." Cinque was holding a bright pink mini dress. She shoves the dress in Sice's face and Sice quickly shoves it back.

" ." Cinque pouts in an attempt to get Sice to try the dress on. "Stop looking at me with those eyes!" Cinque continues to look even sadder and possibly on the verge of tears. Not wanting to make a scene Sice gives in and takes the dress from Cinque. "Fine, I'll put it on." Said a defeated Sice.

Cinque's mood took a complete 180 and she wore a very bright smile on her face. Sice shakes her head and goes into the dressing room.

Saya and Rem weren't too far away from Cinque and Sice and they were looking at some shirts and talking about a particular topic that involved a certain azure haired teenager. "So Saya has Snow ever sung to you."

"Well yes and no." Rem was confused by the answer and thankfully Saya was gonna elaborate for her."Yes he did sing to me and no he didn't because the first time I ever heard him sing was when he came back from a trip. Then there's the time we went to the same karaoke place with our families. Then there were times it was just me and him."

Rem notices the last part of Saya's explanation and decides to have some fun."So like a date?" She says with a sly smile.

Saya starts to blush and quickly says"N-no it wasn't like that. Not that I wouldn't mind if it was a date." Saya's voice went from embarrassed to a somewhat somber tone. "I don't think he'd be interested anyway."

"Why do you say that Saya?" Rem was very confused as to why Saya would say that. They're practically joined at the hip so why would Saya say something like that.

"W-well I…"

Saya didn't have to finish her sentence. Rem instantly knew by the tone of Saya's voice what was going on in her head.. Rem was all too familiar with the feeling of self doubt. She puts down the shirt she was looking at and puts a hand on Saya's shoulder. Their eyes meet each other and Rem gives Saya a comforting smile."You have nothing to worry about Saya."

"What makes you say that?" Asked Saya.

"Well you're determined,funny,supportive,dependable,independent,the list goes on. Oh and not to mention pretty. Did you not see how he reacted to you when you walked up to him earlier today. I'm sure you notice as well but he becomes a mess whenever you start to talk to him. He may not be aware of how you feel Saya, but trust me he's into you." A small smile crept onto Saya's face as Rem continued to talk. "You two have known each other for your entire lives. He is always there for you when you need him and vice versa. You have nothing to worry about Saya."

Saya was left speechless and couldn't form a response to Rem. The two stood in silence before Saya started to speak the only words applicable to what she heard. "Thank you Rem."

"No problem Saya that what friends are for." Rem smiled at Saya and she returned the smile back. They continued to look at shirts until they heard a loud squeal from a distance.. It sounded offley familiar to Cinque's voice. Rem and Saya looked behind them and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sice,in a dress. The rest of the girls made their way to the source of the sound and couldn't believe what they were seeing as well.

Sice folded her arms and looked the other way with an agitated look on her face from all of the attention. "YOU LOOK GREAT SICE!" Cinque said in a cheerful tone.

"T-thank you." Sice said in a low tone. The other girls started to compliment Sice as well and Cater even made the suggestion that she should buy the dress. Sice was reluctant at first but with a bit more convincing she eventually gave in."Maybe Flare will like this?" The group of girls continue their shopping spree.

(Snow and friends)

Snow and the rest of the boys were currently walking around the mall. Occasionally they would stop to check something out at a store but leave shortly after. While walking Snow was towards the back of the group and Ace was right next to him. Ace thought it was the perfect time to get some answers from Snow since they're in the back. Ace spoke up so only Snow could hear him. "Hey Snow, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Ace,what's on your mind?" Ace ponders how he should phrase his question. A silence had grown between the two and Snow was wondering if Ace was alright."Hey,everything ok?"

Ace was broken out his train of thought and waved away Snow's concerns. " alright." Ace paused before speaking."Snow how come you're so,how do I say this,reserved."

Snow was taken aback by the question considering he never let on that he was reserved. Then again he never shared anything about himself unless he was asked. It wasn't out of trust like his father but more so Snow has always had trouble making friends. Part of it is never really being around kids his age growing up apart from Saya. He was always homeschooled by his mother for most of his early childhood until they moved to Aptos. Due to Hayato going around and taking down syndicates all around Japan and even in other foreign countries, Snow was never really given the chance to make friends. He doesn't blame his parents for it either and them visiting certain places like Italy gave him and the rest of his family memories they'll always cherish. The other part of Snow being reserved was and still is that Snow is crippled with self doubt. He's always thought his interests and just him as a person were never really all that interesting to other people. Saya being the first person to prove him wrong and now everyone in class 0 would define Snow as a great friend despite only knowing him for a week. And he was thankful for that and that only pushes him further to metaphorically reach his hand out to them and be friends with them.

Snow thinks about how he should respond. He can't say too little or that'll spawn more questions he couldn't answer. And he can't say too much considering the sheltered life he lived has a reason he can't exactly share. It's kinda hard to explain to someone you've only known for a week that your father is a hero who isn't bothered by getting his hands dirty if need be. "I don't really wanna lie to Ace and to everyone else for that matter. I never really thought this far as to how I should answer this type of question. Maybe I should just tell half lies,it'll give me enough time to make a soundproof explanation if the need arises." After Snow has confirmed what he wants to do he starts to formulate the half lies he'll tell Ace.

Ace notices Snow is taking a long time to answer so he tries to tell him not to worry about it now."Hey if it's too personal we can always leave it for another time. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No no it's fine. I'm just overthinking it that's all" Snow says while scratching the back of his head. "Well for starters at a young age I never really grew up around kids my age due to my dad's job as hero."

"Really? What kind of hero is your father?" Ace was curious about Snow's father's hero status. Typically hero's are stationary in one town or city.

"Well…..He's a special type of underground hero that is called in around the world for specific cases. I can't really say what those cases are, sorry about that Ace."

"That's alright Snow, what you've told me already makes sense. So did you and your family move often?"

"Yeah we did, it was only when I was 5 we moved here to Aptos to stay here permanently."

"Then how did you meet Saya? You two are childhood friends so how did you meet her with your father's work?"

"Oh that's easy. We lived in Soleanna for a while. That's where Saya originally lived as well. My mom took me to the park one day and that's how we met. This happened when I was about 3 years old."

"That makes sense. So Saya really was your only friend until you met us."

"Yeah and I'll be forever grateful to have a friend like her in my life. There's so much she's helped me out with and even now she's still helping me. She is part of the reason why I'm even here with you guys." Through Snow's answer and explanations Ace was able to quickly piece together what Snow was getting at. But he needed to know more for the full reasoning behind Snow's reserved nature. Snow continued to talk while Ace was tentatively listening. "When we first moved here and started my first day of school I wasn't all that talkative. Saya helped me out of my shell and as time went on it was somewhat easier to talk to people. But there was something else that caused me to put up a wall in a sense."

"What was that Snow?" Asked Ace.

"I've always been embarrassed and just couldn't find the courage to talk about the things I like. I always felt that people just wouldn't want to talk to me. I was never bullied or anything,I just felt that I wasn't an interesting person." Snow droops his head a bit from finishing the last sentence.

Ace puts a hand on Snow's shoulder and they stop walking. Both of their eyes meet each other. "Snow, that's not true at all. You are an interesting person. Believe it or not there's a lot to learn about you and the same goes for us. To be honest I don't really have a whole lot of friends. You and everybody else in class 0 are the first friends I actually get to know outside of a school setting."

"Really?" Snow was confused given how friendly and inviting Ace is.

"Yeah growing up a lot of my friends either moved or we just drifted away as the years went on. Which is pretty normal but I have a feeling that won't happen with us given that we're in the same class together. And well I truly consider you a friend Snow." Ace finishes with a friendly smile.

A smile grows on Snow's face from Ace's words. Snow's filled with an overwhelming feeling of happiness. It's a feeling he's not all too familiar with but knows he's felt this before with Saya. "Thanks Ace. I really appreciate it and I too consider you my friend." Snow says while returning a smile. Snow looks to his left and sees that they're a bit a ways away from the group. "Hey Ace, we should probably catch up with the rest of the group." Ace notices the distance as well and nods to Snow and they speed walk to catch up with the group.

(Paulownia mall: Water fountain)

Everyone was once again together after their escapades. Currently they were all talking about where they should head for food. Snow suggested that the food court would be the best option for variety which everyone agreed on. Before they start walking to the food court Snow notices a woman with brown hair having trouble reading the map kiosk. "I'll be right back, everyone." Snow said before leaving. Everyone looked to where Snow was heading towards and loosely followed him out of curiosity. Snow made his way to the brunette and greeted her. "Hello there miss, are you having trouble reading the map?"

The woman turned her head towards Snow and started to speak broken japanese. "Hi,can help?"

Snow knew by the way she talked that she was american. Snow cleared his throat before talking. "Are you American,miss?" Snow asked in fluent english.

The brunette gasped. "You speak english!?"

"Yep, I'm fluent in both Japanese and English," Snow answers.

The brunette laughed happily. "I'm so glad I found someone who can speak english!" She exclaimed. "Do you think you can tell me where the furniture store is?" She asks.

"Sure thing miss." Snow looks at the map kiosk and looks for the store. "Let's see…Ah here it is. It's on the second floor towards the east wing." Said Snow.

"Thank you so much!" The brunette said in a happy tone.

"Happy to help." Snow says with a friendly smile. The brunette thanks him one more time before waving him bye. Snow turns back around and sees everybody but Saya wears a confused expression on their faces. Snow tilts his head in confusion as to why everyone else was confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Sice was the first to speak. "Dude you spoke perfect english. None of us can do that." She exclaimed.

"If you don't mind me asking, since when could you speak English Snow?" Asked Deuce

"Oh my dad taught me when I was 6. Saya knows how to speak fluent English as well." Snow said while looking at Saya.

Everyone looked towards Saya for confirmation. "Yeah it's true. Snow's dad also taught me English."

"And I find that unsurprising." said Sice.

Trey had an idea pop into his head. "Hey Snow,Saya." Snow and Saya turn towards Trey giving him their attention. "We should have a study session in the future. Majority of us are all struggling with the language and I think it would be a great idea to have you two tutor us." Trey explained.

Snow and Saya looked at each other before responding. Snow nodded "ok" and Saya spoke for both of them. "Sure it sounds like a lot of fun. Snow's a great teacher. Don't think I would've passed my math classes without his help." Snow blushed from the compliment but took it nonetheless.

(Paulownia mall: Food court)

The group of teens made their way to the food court and dispersed to the different counters that were serving food. Since Snow was still on the mend from his fight with Flare he needed to be on a diet for a couple of days. He makes his way to the salad bar and grabs the small plastic salad bowl for his side. He starts to assemble his salad that contains dark leafy greens and various vegetables. Once done he closes the container with a lid and pays for it. While paying Snow thinks to himself.``Should I go beef or chicken today. Hmmmm probably chicken,I could go for some grilled teriyaki chicken." Snow leaves the salad bar and makes his way to grab his main meal.

5 minutes later everyone comes back with their food and sits at a long table. Not on purpose but everyone separated the table into a boys side and a girls side. This caused a very interesting conversation to happen at the girls table but first the boys.

Everyone was getting settled in and getting ready to eat. Before Machina was about to dig into his ramen he saw that Snow had an unusually healthy meal. He looks over to Snow and asks him "Hey Snow not to sound judgemental or anything but is there a reason why you're eating so…..healthy?"

A sudden realization hit Snow that he never really gave the full specifics about his quirk and the repercussions that come with it. "Oh right I don't think I ever told you guys how my quirk works." Snow quickly mulled over his explanation before verbally saying it. "So as you guys know my quirk allows me to create ice and shape it to whatever I want." Everyone was following along so far. "But there's a cost to it. That being my blood fuels my quirk. So after a big fight like yesterday I eat foods that are rich in iron,vitamin B and C for a couple of days."

"That makes sense but doesn't it hurt to use your quirk Snow?" Asked a concerned Ace.

"No, not at all. I could hurt myself if I were still untrained or if I wasn't being careful but I'll be fine." Snow says while waving off any concerns.

"That's good to hear. So with the way your quirk works that explains why you know a fighting style." Asked Trey.

"Yep my dad taught me how to use systema so I'm not over reliant on my quirk."

"So does your dad have the same quirk Snow?" Asked Machina. Snow simply nodded to confirm Machina's suspicion. "That's pretty cool Snow,thanks for sharing."

"Yeah no problem. This actually reminds me that I still need to tell the rest of the class whenever I get the chance." A question popped into Snow's head. "Do any of you guys have a drawback to your quirks?"

Ace answered first. "Well during my fight with Saya I could tell that enclosed areas aren't ideal."

Snow instantly had a solution for Ace's dilemma. "How about ricocheting the cards off each other. In theory if you're throwing them at adjacent angles they'll converge and bounce off each other. Oh and since you're mainly a ranged fighter maybe learning a fighting style would be beneficial. You could even incorporate your cards into it."

Ace had a blank stare from Snow's quick assessment and answer."Wow thanks Snow…..I….Never thought about that."

"No problem." Snow said with a smile.

Everyone else started to think of any drawbacks to their quirk and see if Snow could potentially help them. For Machina and Jack since they both leave themselves wide open for one reason or another Snow suggested to Machina first that he should focus more on his speed. In theory if he moves fast enough he could create afterimages for an optical illusion and go for some quick hits and get out when needed. For Jack Snow suggested that instead of releasing all of the stored up energy at once he should use smaller increments throughout a fight instead so he isn't totally defenseless. Lastly, Trey was given similar advice that Ace was given. From memory Snow remembered Trey's fight during the mock battles and saw that he didn't need any advice on the range front. However he definitely needs help on the close quarters front. Agility and learning a fighting style incorporating his bow was what Snow suggested. Everyone had the same reaction that Ace had. Blank stares and thanks were given to Snow from how quickly he came up with solutions for everyone.

Snow felt really good about himself after that. Being able to help his friends and hold a conversation by himself was something he felt really proud about. After some more talk about quirks they started to eat their food they've left to sit out.

Now for the girls' conversation. After they all sat down and started to eat their food Cater proposed a question to them. "So who do you guys think is the cutest boy in our class?" Everyone looked over to Cater and had no response to their question. Or rather no one was really brave enough to give their answer. Cater shared her answer in hopes to get everyone else to share. "It's really hard to choose between Snow and Flare." Snow heard Cater's words and his face started to turn a shade of red. "But if I really had to choose it would have to be Snow." If Snow's face wasn't red before it definitely was now.

Ace saw that Snow's face was red and was a bit concerned. "Hey Snow are you eating something spicy? You should drink some water to cool down."

"Y-yeah I will." Snow said in a hoarse voice to play along.

Cater looked over to Saya and wanted to ask for a second opinion. "You have to agree with me that Snow's the cutest right Saya." Snow's eyes widened and his heart started to beat faster than normal. To say the least he was on the edge of seat in anticipation of Saya's answer.

Saya's face also had a shade of red from Cater's question which was more than enough for answering. But Saya had other plans. "Y-yes I do think Snow is the cutest boy in our class." Said Saya with a growing shade of red on her face.

This caused Snow to choke on some rice and started to lightly pound on his chest to free his airways. Ace who sat next to Snow was also patting his back to help Snow. "Hey you ok Snow!?"

Snow quickly nodded and downed his drink as quickly as he could. "Y-yeah I-I'll be fine." Snow said in a hoarse tone for real this time. Luckily for him no one on the girls side of the table didn't notice Snow's outburst.

"Do you find teriyaki spicy Snow?"

"Not normally." Snow said to play along. Ace was confused by Snow's response but decided to drop it."If only you knew what I heard."

Back to the girls side Cater had a smile on her face from Saya agreeing with her. "I knew I wasn't the only one." She looked over to Deuce to ask a similar question. "So Deuce, who do you think is the cutest in our class?"

"Oh well I-I don't really know." Deuce said meekly with a blush on her face. She had one person in mind but didn't want to share.

"Oh come on don't be shy. What we say here stays between us." Cater reassured.

"I should've sat with the boys if I knew this was gonna happen." Thought Sice. "Don't answer if you don't want Deuce." Sice wanted to stand up for Deuce and everybody else for that matter. She knew this was all in good fun but Sice doesn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable because of this.

"It's alright Sice. I-I'll say my answer." Sice wanted to object but decided that if Deuce wants to she won't stop her. "Ummmm I'd have to say it's Ace." Deuce finished with a very bright shade of red on her face.

"I can never speak of things I'm hearing right now." Snow thought. He tried to block it out as best as he could but enhanced hearing was something that he was taught when he was in luxerion. It was for his stealth training and environmental awareness but the massive drawback to it was situations like these.

The girls continued their conversation and after Deuce shared everyone felt a bit more open to the idea. Rem quickly answered Machina which everyone thought was a no brainer much like Saya with Snow. When Sice was asked she simply said "no comment." and kept on eating her food. Despite Cater trying to pry she gave up after a few attempts seeing as how Sice won't budge. Then that left Cinque and she gave a vague answer with the description of blonde hair and blue eyes. To which everyone pondered upon but quickly let it go. Now that the air of uneasiness was gone they started to have a conversation that didn't involve the opposite gender. The group of teens enjoy their lunch together and the remainder of the day.

(Arisato household)

Now back to Saori and Hayato who also had an outing planned. Saori was dressed and ready to go and was currently waiting for Hayato to get back from his daily patrol. Saori grew somewhat impatient and decided to call Hayato. She dialed his number and brought the phone up to her ear. After 3 rings she was met with exhausted/agitated Hayato.

"Hey dear, now's really not a good time." Hayato says while dodging acidic spit from a villain who has a cobra like head. Hayato rolls to his side to evade another wad of spit coming his way. Once evaded he creates an ice wall to serve as a moment's reprieve.

Saori could hear the commotion going on and was concerned for her partner's safety. "Are you ok Hayato!?" Worry stretched across her voice. She knew firsthand that hero work is dangerous and that Hayato was more than capable to hold his own. But that didn't stop her being worried about Hayato's well being.

"I'm doing great." Hayato says with a hint of sarcasm as he releases a pin off a flash grenade and throws it at the cobra villain. He ducks back into cover so he's not blinded by the grenade. Hayato quickly places two fingers behind his lower ear to speak with Saori. "I'll be home in 10 miuntes. Love you bye." Hayato presses the small button underneath his collarbone to hang up and continues his fight with the villain.

Saori was left with more worry but deep down knew Hayato was fine. She needed to take her mind off of what was happening but was coming short of ideas. "I wonder" Saori grabs the TV remote and turns on the TV and starts to go through the news channels. Eventually finds what she was looking for. A broadcasting station that was live reporting the fight between Hayato and the villain. There she saw Hayato fighting the cobra-like villain. It's appearance resembled that of an Equatorial spitting cobra,their head was ovallike and scales all over their body in a jet black color.

(Central Aptos)

Hayato's ice wall succumbed to the acidic spit causing him to leave his cover and out into the open. "That flash grenade bought me little time." Hayato looks over the remains of his ice wall. "Making a shield won't do me any good either." Hayato looks back at the villain and starts to devise a plan. "Since animal based quirks give the appearance and even physical capabilities of said animal in theory he should be cold blooded like any other snake." Hayato was on the right train of thought but the issue arises as to how he should test out his theory. Can't exactly fight someone who can not only spit acid at you but also move elusively like a snake. Hayato begins to slowly strafe around the villain with both of his dagger in each hand.

The villain begins to taunt Hayato from seeing his cautious behavior. "Whatssss wrong hero? Afraid of a little ssspit." Of course a snake villain would extend words with the letter S in them

"No, I just don't want to get close to someone as ugly as you." Hayato retorted.

"WHAT!?" This agitated the villain and caused him to charge forward at Hayato. "I'LL MAKE SSSSSSURE THERE'SSSSSSS NOTHING LEFT OF YOU!"

"Here goes nothing," Hayato goes into a full sprint towards the villain. Once they're close to each other Hayato tries to swipe at the cobra with his daggers but dodges all of his attempts effortlessly. They continue their stalemate until the cobra villain violently reels his head back and lets rip full force on Hayato's body. This causes him to reel back and is sent flying to a nearby car. "Enhanced strength was something I wasn't expecting." Hayato slowly rises from the dent he made from the car and shakes his head to clear his blurry vision. Once his vision cleared up he immediately saw a projectile hurling towards him. He reacted fast by diving down to the ground avoiding the acid. "That was close….Wait!" Hayato looked to where the spit had landed and saw that it landed where the engine was located in the car. Hayato quickly got up to make his escape from the inevitable explosion but he was too late.

(Arisato household)

Saori watched in silent horror and almost fainted when she saw the explosion. Tears started to roll down her face no matter how hard she tried to fight it back. She silently whimpered "Hayato…" as she forced herself to watch in hopes that he was ok.

(Central Aptos)

A loud boom reverberated through the air accompanied with smoke and fire consuming the car and its nearby environment. The news helicopter that was live reporting the incident had to fly to higher altitudes to any danger. "Hey, zoom in right there" The news reporter said to her cameraman. He did what he was told and zoomed in. The camera was directed towards a figure in the clearing of the smoke. The smoke eventually faded and a maniacal laugh could be heard.

"The hero is no more." The cobra villain exclaimed. He started to look towards the flying helicopter and gave a devilish smile. He was eyeing his prey that would be easy pickings. He starts to reel its head back and builds a giant spitball. During the process of trying to harm the bystanders a noise could be heard where the car had exploded. The cobra villain didn't hear it since he was so entranced by the idea of killing the news reporters. It was only when footsteps could be heard. They reverberated through the air and a figure was forming in smoke.

"Wait, who's that in the smoke!?" The figure continues to walk through the smoke, its figure becoming more noticable.

(Arisato household)

Hopeful optimism rose in Saori's chest. As the figure was emerging from the smoke she started to wipe her tears. "Hayato…...Fight.."

(Central Aptos)

"Who ever said I was dead." Hayato emerges from the giant smoke cloud. His costume is now charred and half burnt. His mask was severely damaged and looked like the left side of it was about to fall off. Hayato slowly walks towards the villain and stops midway.

Just the mere sight of Hayato sends the cobra villain into a blind rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He starts to run at Hayato and tries to throw a punch at him. Hayato effortlessly dodges and goes for a quick gut punch which causes the villain to reel over. Now behind the villain Hayato goes for a punch to the back and causes the villain to fall face first to the ground. Hayato encases his right arm in ice. The villain starts to run at Hayato letting out a loud hiss of anger. He lunges his head forward and tries to bite Hayato's neck.

Hayato quickly turns around and lunges his fist in the cobra's mouth with the ice encased arm. "Chew on this." he said coldly. The villain chomps down on Hayato's arm and is greeted with a large mist cloud. The mist was slowly filling up the villain's lung making it hard to breathe. He quickly releases his bite from Hayato's arm and reels back not before stumbling down to the ground. The villain starts to become fatigued from the sudden cold air. He tried to fight the tiredness he was feeling yet it was futile. As he was succumbing to the fatigue his gaze met Hayato's piercing red eyes.

The cobra asks one question before passing out. "W-who are you?"

Hayato turned around while creating a singular ice wing that dissipated as he was turning around. The wings shape resembles that of a dragon. "I'm the ice dragon hero Hyorinmaru." With the response given, Hayato walks away.

EMTs and police arrive on scene and Makoto was the first to rush to the frontlines to find both hero and villain. He looks around the sight and sees the degraded cement sidewalks and the blast marks from the explosion. Eventually his eyes lay on Hayato. Hayato slowly walks to Makoto. Hayato was about to speak before Makoto cut him off. "Haya-I mean Hyorinmaru are you ok!? What happened here? What about the villain?" Makoto was firing one question after another.

Hayato's serious expression softened when Makoto spoke. After the first contact they made through the one phone call they had,they became the best of friends in a couple of months. There was an air of trustworthiness that Makoto gave off that allowed Hayato to open up. He'd even go as far to say he trusted Makoto as much as he trusted Kisara. "Hey one question at a time Kobayashi." Hayato says with a small laugh. Makoto stopped talking and let Hayato continue to speak. "First off the villain has been subdued; they'll be out of it for a while so you won't be in any danger when cuffing him." Makoto nods and directs 2 of the on scene officers to apprehend the cobra villain. "Second, let's go over there for some privacy." Hayato points to where there's less police and bystanders' eyes.

Makoto looked over to where Hayato was pointing and responded. "Right." They walk over to the designated area and head into an alleyway where no one could hear where they were talking. Once in the alleyway Hayato almost loses his balance and slumps up against a wall to support him. "Hayato!" Makoto extends a helping hand out and Hayato puts a hand up to stop Makoto.

"I'll be fine Makoto. I just need to catch my breath." Hayato says while taking off his mask and starts to breathe in and out heavier.

Makoto takes out his phone to call for an ambulance. "I should take you to a-"

"No hospitals. Trust me you'll know when I need one." Hayato says in between breaths. Makoto was hesitant to put his phone away. He knew Hayato always had a habit of downplaying injuries but he chose to trust him this time. Makoto puts his phone away. "Thank you Makoto." Hayato's breathing is no longer rugged and stunted.

"So what happened back there? I came here as soon as I heard the explosion."

"Oh you know the usual. I meet the villain,they get mad,and stuff happens." Hayato said in a sarcastic tone. Makoto couldn't help but laugh. It was odd but comforting to know that Hayato could joke about these things. "In all seriousness though this is what happened." Hayato recounts his encounter with the villain. From the cat and mouse game he played earlier to eventually fighting the villain and the explosion that followed. Makoto's expressions went from shock to relief knowing that Hayato standing in front of him was more than enough proof that he was alive.

"Glad you're ok and thanks for the detailed explanation. It helps with the report I have to write."

"Yeah no problem. Let me know if you need me to elaborate on anything else."

"I will."

A helicopter flies over them and Hayato looks up and his eyes widen. "She's gonna kill me." Hayato notices that the helicopter flying overhead was a news copter. Hayato looks at Makoto and quickly puts on his mask. "Hey Makoto, I have to go. Call me if you need anything." Hayato said with urgency. He turns around and wall runs and jumps onto the nearby firescape and starts to pull himself up.

Makoto watches in great confusion and only answers "Uhhh sure. See you around Hayato."

Hayato continues to hastily scale the building. Once on the rooftop he breaks into a full sprint and leaps across rooftop to rooftop. "Maybe I'm worrying about nothing and she didn't see any of it." Feigning ignorance only made Hayato distress more about the predicament he's in."Who am I kidding? Of course she saw it. I just hope she's mad at me and not crying right now." Once again his thought process was only making Hayato worry more. "Who am I kidding? She's absolutely crying right now.. I was just in a car explosion!" Hayato continues to run in a great hurry to do some possible damage control. "I'm so sorry, Saori." If there's one thing Hayato hated, it was making Saori worry about him. They both knew how dangerous the job can be and Hayato has since stopped the way of life he had in the past. But that doesn't mean danger was no longer imminent.

(Arisato household)

Saori was currently pacing back and forth awaiting Hayato's arrival. Despite what Hayato's line of thinking had you believe Saori was ecstatic that Hayato was alive. She was just more worried that he'd downplay his injuries when he shouldn't be. There's a particular moment in her head that keeps popping up. It was when they lived in a city called Palumpolum for a period of time and one time he had collapsed at the front door. Thankfully Snow was only a few months old and didn't have to see his father in that kind of it scared the living hell out of Saori.

Saori was broken out of thought once she heard a key unlock the door. She stood in front of the door awaiting her guest. The door opened and there was Hayato. He closes the door behind him. Saori's eyes looked from bottom to top. For the lower half of his body he wore kevlar pants and tactical boots. As her eyes moved she saw he was wearing a long sleeve kevlar shirt with a harness around his chest that held his daggers. This is what layers underneath Hayato's costume. Eventually she stared at his eyes. Most people were afraid of his eye color,but she wasn't. She loved Hayato's eyes despite their menacing color. She always loved them. They gave off a sense of security. What Hayato wore triggered the aforementioned flashback that seemed to be on replay for her in times like these. Hayato noticed Saori standing in front of him and saw her teary cerulean eyes. "Hey Saori I'm…..Sor- '' Hayato was cut off from a sudden hug by Saori.

"I'm just glad you're ok." Saori says while looking up into Hayato's eyes. Saori sees a scratch on his neck and begins to worry. "Are you ok Hayato? You're not hurt are you? Let me get the first aid kit."

"Hayato couldn't help but laugh. This is what he loved the most about Saori. "Yeah I'm fine. You know I've been through worse before right?"

"I know but you were literally caught in an explosion most people would be in a hospital bed or worse."

"Well I'm not most people and I have this." Hayato reaches under his shirt and pulls out the necklace with a heart shaped locket he wears on a daily basis. "No matter what happens I'll always find my way back to you when I have this."

Saori wipes away the tears and smiles at Hayato. She remembers the day he gave her the exact same necklace. "You always have such a way with words don't you."

"So I've been told." Hayato says while smiling back at Saori. He notices Saori's outfit and remembers he had plans today with her and the grim reapers. She had on a light blue sundress with a pair of heel sandals. Her matching necklace also accompanied her outfit. "You look great by the way."

The compliment caught Saori off guard. "Oh thank you."

Hayato breaks away from their embrace and starts to head to their shared bedroom. "Guess I should get ready."

Saori shook her head in disbelief. "Sometimes I just don't understand your body, Hayato. Get caught in an explosion and you act like nothing happened."

Hayato turns around and remembers a memory of something of similar outlandishness. "Well there was that one time we fell out of that 3 story building in kowloon and you were still adamant about having that date."

"That was different." Said Saori

Hayato had a quistive look on his face."How so?"

"Because I wanted to be with you. Food wasn't on the forefront of my mind then." She simply stated.

"W-who said I was thinking about food." Hayato said feigning ignorance. Although his stomach answered for him truthfully. Saori couldn't help but laugh at the grumbling Hayato's stomach was making. Hayato sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "O-OK maybe I am but you're already dressed and I don't have it in me to just cancel plans."

Saori walks up to Hayato and kisses him on the cheek. "We're leaving in 10 minutes then. That should be enough time for you to shower and change into the appropriate clothes. Speaking of which, where's your hero costume?"

"On the way here I left it at Kisara's for repairs"

"She's gonna kill you once she sees what you've done to it."

Hayato lets out a loud sigh."Yeah I know."

(Nothern Aptos)

Currently Hayato and Saori are walking to the outside restaurant the grim reapers wanted to go to. The couple had passed by multiple eateries and stores. Northern Aptos was primarily a commercial district with some housing here and there. The grim reapers also live in the northern district where they mostly patrol. They usually meet Hayato around central Aptos. Eventually Hayato notices a woman with lilac colored hair sitting next to a man with black hair on a nearby bench. The woman wore a purple sundress with heel sandals. The man wore thin framed glasses and had on a white t-shirt,black pants and a pair of black and white running shoes.

Hayato instantly recognizes the woman as Phantom and couldn't believe that she could wear something so…..Feminine. She always gave off a tomboyish attitude. Moving his eyes to the man she was sitting next to he couldn't tell who the man was. Hayato used his free hand to take out his phone since his other hand was holding Saori's. The couple stops walking once Hayato pulls out his phone. Hayato looks over to Saori."One second dear." Saori nods her head and he starts to dial Eyepatch's number to confirm his suspicion. He brings his phone up to his ear and sees the man go for his phone in his pocket."You can't be serious. That's Eyepatch,he's so….normal looking."

"Hey Hyorinmaru wasn't sure you were gonna call me since you were preoccupied," Hayato stood silent from his utter disbelief. Eyepatch is usually intimidating towards villains which compliments his quirk well. But Hayato couldn't fathom that the man talking to him was Eyepatch. A silence grew in the call and Eyepatch started to talk again. "Hey you there?"

Hayato was snapped out of his stupor and all he could say was "L-look to your left." Hayato hangs up and puts his phone in his pocket. Saori was confused as to why Hayato was cryptic in his response. She was gonna ask why until a man started waving and yelling at them.

"We're over here!" Eyepatch exclaimed. Saori waved back and Hayato slowly waved back to him as well with a strange look on his face. Eyepatch and Phantom get up from the bench and meet Saori and Hayato halfway. As they were nearing Hayato and Saori both of them were confused about Hayato's face. But that was a question for later since they still had to properly introduce themselves. Once they were face to face Eyepatch started to introduce himself and his partner. "Hello there as you may already know I'm the hero Eyepatch but my actual name is Ken Kaneki it's nice to meet you two." Ken extends his hand out for a handshake. Saori shook his hand first and then when it came to Hayato he weakly shook Ken's hand. "Ummm before we get to that the wonderful lady standing next to me is my amazing girlfriend Phantom."

Touka extends her hand out."Hi I'mTouka Kirishima, it's wonderful to meet you two." Touka extends her hand out for a handshake. Like before Saori shakes her hand normally and Hayato shakes her hand weakly. He just couldn't believe the persona's of their heroes were polar opposites of who they were.

Saori, still smiling hoping that Hayato would introduce them, noticed that Hayato hadn't spoken in awhile and he still had on his look of disbelief. She lightly nudged his arm."Umm Hayato." she said in a whisper.

Hayato broke out of his stupor again, cleared his throat and tried to make the greeting less awkward. "Uhhh Hi I'm Hyorinmaru but my actual name is Hayato Arisato it's nice to finally meet you two personally."

"Ahem." Saori said, making her presence known.

"Oh sorry about that dear. The beautiful,caring and lovely woman standing next to me is my wonderful wife."

Saori was blushing a bit from the compliments. "Hi, my name is Saori Arisato. It's nice to finally meet you two. Hayato talks about you two all the time." Saori said with a warm smile.

"Good things I hope." Ken said. Now that introductions are out of the way Ken directs everyone to follow him. The group of 4 started walking and Saori and Touka quickly started a friendly chat between each other. While Hayato and Ken were awkwardly walking next to each other.

"There's no way they're the same person/There's no way they're the same person." They both thought in unison. Although Ken had an easier time believing that Hayato was Hyorinmaru considering his alter ego was a different person demeanor wise. Ken decided to break the ice,no pun intended,by complimenting Hayato's necklace. "That's a nice necklace Hayato. Your wife also wears a matching one. Who's idea was it for matching jewelry?"

Hayato looks down at his chest and starts to hold the necklace. "It was actually my idea. I bought them for our 1 year anniversary."

"How sweet of you to do that Hayato. Not to be mean or anything but you didn't seem the type for sentimentality."

"Oh I wasn't at first"well minus a few things I kept from my syndicate days" It wasn't until I met Saori I grew sentimental for certain things." Hayato starts to relax a little. "So how long have you've been with Touka"

"For longer than I can count." Ken says while scratching the back of his head. To say the least he's embarrassed to only call Touka his girlfriend despite the substantial amount of time they've been together.

"How long are we talking?" Hayato was also curious.

"How do I say this? It's been 10+ years." Ken says meekly

Hayato shook his head in disbelief. "10 YEARS-!"

Ken places a hand over Hayato's mouth and puts an arm over his shoulder and brings him close. "Not so loud!" Ken hushed. Luckily for them their significant others didn't hear Hayato's little outburst. Ken lets out a sigh before speaking again. "I know it's ridiculous but it's been hard to pop the question you know. With our busy lives as heroes and not to mention I haven't even bought a ring yet."

Hayato shared the same sentiments. Especially since he and Saori were only together for a year and some change before getting married. Hayato felt the need to apologize for his reaction. "Sorry about that Ken. I shouldn't have reacted that way."

"Don't worry about it, you're not the first person to react that way." Ken reassured Hayato. Hayato could tell that Ken was hiding another reason why he hasn't proposed to Touka yet. Not wanting to pry since they're only just getting to know each other he decides to ask when the time is right when it's just them. For now he wants to focus on closing the gap between him and his comrades.

Eventually they arrive at their destination. It was an Italian restaurant which made Saori very delighted. Italy was one of the few countries Saori always talked about going to when she and Hayato were dating. Eventually he did take care and those are memories she'll cherish forever.

Since it was a nice day outside they opted to go for the outdoor patio. As they approach their table both Hayato and Ken instinctively pull out chairs for both Saori and Touka respectively. While sitting down Touka decided to have some fun with Hayato. "Oh so you do have manners?"

Hayato rolled his eyes but was oddly happy knowing that she wasn't putting up a front. "There's the mouth I know." Hayato says while pushing in Saori's chair for her. Hayato and Ken sit down next to their significant others and wait for their waiter. Hayato looks over to Ken. "So you're gonna say or do something so I know it's you."

Ken begins to take off his glasses and reveals his heterochromia red eye. "The white hair as you would imagine is a wig I wear. Happy now." Ken said.

"Very and your glasses have special lenses in them to hide your red eye. Smart move and I guess it's only fair I play along." Hayato reaches into his back pants pocket and grabs his mask and shows it to Touka and Ken. "Here's my mask." Hayato puts his mask away.

Touka looks over to Hayato and wonders how he and Saori met. "So how did you guys meet? Surely Hayato wasn't the charmer back then."

Hayato rolls his eyes and Saori lets out a small laugh before speaking. "Well we actually met when I was still a hero. I was chasing down a petty thief and the next thing I saw was a shadowy figure from above jumping from a small building onto the thief and tying him up in a zip tie."

Touka wondered why Saori retired but decided that was a question for another time. "That's an interesting way to meet someone Saori. Tell me what Hayato was like back then,was he a cryptic person like when we first met him?"

Hayato once again rolls his eyes while Saori talks. "I wouldn't say cryptic but he was definitely more silent back then as he is now."

Hayato starts to think back to when he and Saori first met.A smile forms on his face from these thoughts. "Wasn't exactly keen on talking to other heroes. But meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me, Saori." Hayato decides on directing the question to Touka and Ken. To say the least he was curious how they met. Surely Ken made a good first impression that made Touka stick around for 10 years. "So how did you two meet?"

Touka and Ken looked at each other and Touka spoke first. "You can tell them Ken. Unless you want me to embarrass you with my side of the story."

Ken has a slight blush of embarrassment and will gladly tell his side of the story. "Yeah I can tell them." Hayato was curious why Ken was embarrassed but let it go for now. "So one day I was walking into a cafe that was near the apartment complex I lived in. I've never been there before so I thought hey why not. As I'm waiting for my lovely waitress." Ken says while looking at Touka. "I was reading a book and then that's when I saw her. We talked a bit before she took my order."

Saori was fully invested in the story. She was a romantic at heart and wanted to know every little detail. "What did you two talk about?"

"About the book I was reading. It was a book for a college course I was taking. That's when I found out she went to the same college as me. We just never met each other on campus."

Hayato was curious as to why Ken and Touka were in college at the time and not heroes with a provisional license. "So you two went to college. Then I guess you two decided later to become heroes?"

Touka answered the question"Yep it was in our second year of college we decided on becoming heroes."

Ken chuckles at Touka's answer."More like I was convinced into becoming a hero. But I don't regret the decision one bit. Back on topic after she took my order and brought me my coffee we talked some more about the classes we took. After that day I kept on coming back just to see her."

The couples continue to talk about how they met and how their first dates went. To much of Ken and Touka's surprise, Hayato was capable of having a good first date. A really romantic one at that. They eventually talked about Hayato and Saori's wedding along with their honeymoon. They even showed them the pictures inside their lockets. On the left was their wedding day as they were looking to the right their eyes saw the second picture. It was Saori and Hayato with a small child and birthday cake. Touka gasped from the pure cuteness that was Snow when he was a child. And she quickly pieced together why Saori was retired and respected her even more now. "He's so cute, Saori. How old is he now?

Saori was ready to gush about her child. "He's 15 right now and I couldn't ask for a better son."

"Do you have any pictures of him now?" asked Ken.

Saori reaches into her purse and takes out her phone. She starts to swipe through her gallery and finds the picture of Snow on his first day of highschool. "Here you go." Saori passes the phone to Touka.

Touka and Ken look at the picture and look back up at Saori and Hayato and immediately see the resemblance between Snow and Saori. Touka passes the phone back to Saori and was curious to know what kind of person Snow was. "So since Snow looks a lot like you Saori,does he act like Hayato?"

Hayato starts to smile because he thinks back to when he almost started a fight with Flare. "Yes and no. He does resemble me in some ways but definitely takes after his mother more." Hayato answered. Although a part of him does hope he gets to see that side of Snow more.

"I recognize the uniform,is he attending gekkoukan high?" Asked Ken.

"Yes he is and he's even in the hero course as well. Not to mention he's in class 0. Only those who got high scores on academics and quirk apprehension during the entrance exams could get into there." Saori said pridefully. Hayato never saw this side of Saori but welcomed it with open arms. He was glad that she was having fun.

"Wow you must be really proud of him. I vaguely remember hearing something about class 0 when me and Touka decided on being heroes." Ken turns to Touka in hopes that she might know something.

Touka thinks for a bit before remembering that they met someone who was from class 0. "I'm trying to remember his name. I think it was…..Kirigaya."

Saori and Hayato's eyes widen from the familiar name. "Did he have black hair in a bowl cut?" asked Hayato.

"Yeah I think he did. Why do you know him?" asked Touka.

"He's Snow's homeroom teacher." Said Hayato. "So a former student of class 0 is now a teacher of the class. That's pretty interesting. I wonder if that applies to past administration for that class." They continued to talk more about Snow and Hayato was more than happy to chime in here and there. Eventually their waiter came to take their orders. Hayato noticed that the waiter was Italian due to his accent. Although he was speaking Japanese perfectly fine with some hiccups here and there Hayato wanted to try to make it easier on him for at least one of the orders. The waiter turned to Hayato ready to take his order. "Scusa, vedo che fai fatica a parlare giapponese, quindi non ti dispiace che io parli italiano, vero?"

The waiter was taken back by Hayato speaking italian. As were Touka and Ken but Saori knew Hayato could Italian due him being in the syndicate. In the past he was sent on missions over there and forced himself to learn the language to at least talk to some locals to blend in before having to do his business. The Waiter responded "No non mi dispiace affatto. Cosa avrai signore?" Hayato tells the waiter his order and makes small talk with the waiter before he goes on his way.

Hayato turns to everybody else and Touka and Ken wear a confused look on their faces. "Yes I speak fluent Italian. Not to mention I can also speak English and a little bit of french."

"Do you like to travel Hayato or do you just like learning new languages?" Ken asked.

Hayato simply replied,"A little bit of both." "Depending on how today goes you two might know the full reason behind the languages." Hayato thought. Seeing how the day started and is going he thinks that this could be the start of a new friendship. "I…..I could get used to this."

Author's Note:

First I am extremely sorry for the long wait. From unwanted memories resurfacing(nothing to be alarmed of) and to be completely honest procrastination this took way too long. I fell into the hole that many people fall into with fanfics,OCs and just a form of art in general. I spend way too much time thinking about it then actually doing it. I'm currently making a schedule for designated times for me to force myself to write. I usually spend most of my writing time at night(which explains simple misspelling and grammar mistakes. Right now it's currently 1:50am as I'm typing this part up) and I shouldn't be doing that. So from now on if I'm ever lazing about on my phone I'll open up google docs on there or if I'm near my laptop open up a blank page and start writing. Something I have been getting into the habit of is jotting down ideas for future chapters along with upcoming chapters.

Which is a great segway to mention that I'm currently storyboarding a chapter for Flare. I initially wanted my Flare chapter to be like 5 chapters from now(rough estimate) but better to have it now then have you guys wait. Depending on how long it'll be, it might be a 2 part chapter still unsure on what I want in it and what to take out.

Now for references there wasn't a whole lot here actually. First one would be the song Snow sang first. Although that's not really a reference, that's just me liking the second opening to . The second song though is a band I actually listen to and highly recommend you guys give them a listen. The actual reference here was Hayato's fight against the cobra villain(who is a one off OC). I recently started kamen rider Kabuto with my brother and the second episode of Tendou coming out of the car explosion unscathed gave me an idea for Hayato.

The next reference deals with Hayato as well. It's when he created the wing. It's pretty much what Jin does in his win animation from the blazblue games.

I'm sure that you guys noticed already but Ken and Touka themselves are references to their actual character from tokyo ghoul. I just tweaked them so they bit in here better and no it's not a crossover it's just their likeness that is being used.

I'm happy with how the chapter came out,gave some background and development to the main cast characters and even had a fight scene in here. Before I forget the italian was done in google translate. I don't speak a lick of the language but I do at some point because much like Saori. I would love to go to Italy specifically Venice

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll try not to make you guys wait practically an entire month for the next chapter. Take care and see you guys next time.