Chapter 23
"Argent, what do you say to the allegations that you are dating a villain?"
Ugh, press conferences were a pain. M, the snivelling bastard insisted that she show up to the appointment he had scheduled, but he couldn't be bothered enough to just set up a fake event where the annoying reporters knew beforehand exactly what to say and how, if they didn't want to lose their careers.
Tanya kept her pleasant smile however, fixing the crowd with a calm gaze that made it clear that she was absolutely in control of the situation. No reason to throw bait in the water when so many hungry sharks were present.
"Firstly, I was not dating anybody. I am the eleventh ranked pro hero, I do not have time for romance. Secondly, the person who accompanied me wore a disguise. I admit that I should have noticed sooner, but who would expect their co-worker to turn into a completely different person?"
It was somewhat unpleasant to publicly deny her connection with Himiko when she knew that her friend would be reading a transcript of this conference at some point, but it was for the best.
"So you could have gotten ambushed later by this person if they completely blindsided you?"
She expertly faked a chuckle.
"Could I have gotten surprised? Of course! My quirk is not lie detection or illusion dispelling after all. But if this disguised person could have actually killed me is a whole other matter. After all," she lowered her voice to a darker tone, "the League tried their hardest as well."
A few murmurs broke out and instinctively knew that this quote would be clipped and posted on the net in some sill compilation.
"And what about your employment of potentially lethal force? It looked like you wanted to seriously harm this villain, Shigaraki I believe!"
Ahh, this was truly the most unpleasant question of them all. If she chose the wrong words here it could potentially ruin her career. In a way it was as laughable as it was reassuring that the modern people of Japan were so shocked by violence, despite being more exposed to it than ever. There was not a single day that the news would not talk about superheroes, but real blood was seldom seen anywhere.
"I would not have killed them of course," she totally would have, "but I was fully prepared to take drastic measures to protect my own life and that of others in the face of the threat he represented."
The best lies contained a large amount of truth.
"Shigaraki's quirk lets him disintegrate anything he touches, so I planned to scare him with my shields and then take care of his hands. It looks far more menacing in the video then it was in reality, I assure you. Even with a slight concussion the control over my quirk remained impeccable. Next."
She pointed at a meek looking man in the front row.
"Are you afraid for your life now that the League has gone after you in private?"
"A very good question. Luckily, principal Nedzu was kind enough to house me on campus, so I have absolutely nothing to worry about."
Hopefully, soft-soaping his work would be useful for the genius's plans. A little flattery could grease a lot of doors...
"Despite their attempts, the fact that the League got dispelled twice even with the aid of their powerful bioengineered creatures is testament to UA's security. Furthermore, I will aid him in the future to improve the already considerable foundations of its protections. I am honoured to receive such a privilege. Truly, when I say it out loud, I feel a little guilty that I am one of the lucky few people in Japan who get to live rent-free in a nice room with the best security systems money can buy."
"Do you fear your ratings will plummet after spending so little time on the streets? Will you choose your teaching job over your hero career?"
Ha! Tanya did not even know herself how her future would play out! One of the few good things the HPSC had provided her was stability. She knew how her life would play out if she kept being useful. Bureaucrats were predictable like that.
But now...
"I am not worried. Ratings are just numbers after all. What matters should be my service record. Helping people is what being a hero is all about and I will continue to focus on that goal more than ever! I promise to the people of Musutafu that I won't let them down! I will never yield to evil!"
Her bandaged hand lay softly over her heart as she gave the world her most determined smile, already certain that this was going to be tomorrow's headline. The public wanted to believe in brave, unstoppable heroes who would stare unflinching into the face of certain doom and emerged victorious. It was a tale as old as storytelling itself. And the press was going to sell it to them, helpfully distracting from the less glamorous questions of today.
As the cameras flashed in a dizzying staccato Tanya discreetly waved at the guy standing behind the curtain to wrap things up.
"I believe that will be all for today. Thank you for coming and if you have any further question please talk to our-"
She tuned the rest out as she left the stage in a dignified and collected manner. All in all, she would count this as a success.
~[#҈#]~
Tanya stood with all the poise she could muster as the middle-aged woman walked around her with a measuring tape.
"So, you need your uniform adjusted, is it? I'm surprised; I thought your last growth spurt was behind you."
Tanya clenched her jaw at that, but kept her tone even as she responded: "Actually, my physician thinks I'll grow another few centimetres yet."
"Oh? And is that the reason for your visit? The hems of your pants don't look too short..." the woman said with a teasing lilt which Tanya struggled not to rise to.
"... No, I need it let out in a few places."
"Growing a bit tight, eh? And where exactly should I focus my attention?"
Tanya really hated this woman. She was an exceptionally skilled tailor and costume designer employed by the HPSC, but she was utterly unprofessional in her demeanour towards her clients, always filling the air with idle and mundane chatter which – if Tanya tried to ignore it – would lead to an 'accidental' prick of a needle. It amazed the young heroine to this day that her uniform, a vague colour-swapped replica of the military uniform she wore from her days serving the Empire, was made by this woman. Something so sleek and respectable hardly resonated with the plump and talkative nuisance who created it.
Taking a deep breath, Tanya answered as plainly as possible, as if merely observing the weather or ordering a black coffee: "Around the waist is a little tight, as well as the midriff... and buttocks."
"Not the chest, though?" the woman asked, mirth clear in her voice.
Tanya grit out: "No, not there."
"Well, don't worry too much, dear. If the doctors say you'll grow a few centimetres more then perhaps another miracle will happen too."
"Can you just do your job already?" Tanya finally snapped, turning her head to glare at the smiling woman, who promptly released a hearty chuckle.
"Of course, of course... Though first, I'm just dying to know how you've managed to put on so much weight in only a few weeks. Just what have you been up to?"
She rolled her eyes and huffed.
"I've hardly put on that much weight. Only a few kilograms and the reason is simple. Since I've taken up teaching at UA, I go on far fewer patrols, which means burning fewer calories and less proper meals replaced with energy bars."
That, the fact that Lunch Rush was far too good a chef to be working in a high school cafeteria and that she's taken Himiko out to eat various sweets far more frequently than she used to, but the seamstress didn't need to know that.
"Ah, yes, teaching, and how have you been enjoying that so far?" the woman asked as she at long last began to take measurements.
"Well enough," she shrugged, eyes forward, hoping it would be enough of an answer.
Of course it wasn't.
"Any favourites?"
"Choosing favourites would be grossly unprofessional. I treat all of my students equally."
"Come now, you can tell me. How about this, my niece is fifteen, why don't you help me set her up with a strapping young lad? She has a thing for heroes, you know."
"As does the majority of teenage girls in the country." Tanya said with a roll of her eyes. "And besides, I'm hardly the one to ask about that. I don't have time for romance."
The seamstress's hands stalled, and Tanya could tell that she was getting an incredulous look for some reason.
"You don't have time for romance?" the woman repeated.
"That's correct." Tanya confirmed. "Haven't you seen my interview? I'm far too busy with teaching and heroics."
"Riiight... and how's Himiko doing? She's still following you around like a lost puppy?"
How this woman could jump from topic to topic so randomly was beyond Tanya's understanding, but she still dutifully answered. Technically she wasn't supposed to know anything about her whereabouts as far as the Commission was concerned, so she was extra careful to avoid saying anything that could indicate the opposite.
"She's doing well I hope, and she doesn't follow me everywhere. More often than not, she waited at the apartment for me."
"The way you say that makes it sound like she's living with you..." the woman noted.
"She doesn't." Tanya corrected. "She's only been staying the night four or five days a week recently, and that's not including how often she's out doing the jobs the higher-ups assign to her. Really, she's barely there more than half the time."
The hands halted in their work once more, much to Tanya's annoyance, and the woman asked: "And you say you don't have time for romance?"
"Must I repeat myself? Yes, that's correct, now can you please finish the adjustments? I promised somebody we'd go out for ice cream later today, and I shan't be late."
"Aha... You know, it's kind of surprising you gained any volume at all when you put on weight. I'd more expect for you to simply grow in density instead."
Tanya chose to ignore the older woman's inane ramblings and instead enjoyed a moment of silence as she went back to measure her without talking. With some luck the silence would last and she was going to arrive early to pick up her kohai.
Himiko could be a very impatient girl at times.
~[#҈#]~
Tanya left the salon of her tailor with a newly adjusted uniform and a slightly sour disposition. That woman was so infuriating with her nonsensical ways of inane questioning! Nonetheless, she was more than trained in brushing off those irrational feelings and smiling them away. After all, her day was going rather satisfactory so far. No need to ruin it with pointless sulking.
Her small apartment was situated on the ground floor of the new dormitory building, both to let her keep track of the students living there and to be able to access the basement inconspicuously. An unassuming maintenance door downstairs led directly to Nedzu's secret labyrinth below the campus, for which she was immensely grateful. Being able to calculate the future by simply using raw logic was an enviable quirk.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to her accomodations and stepped inside, making her way to her bedroom to set the bag with her uniform in the closet. The entire time, she made no sign of noticing Himiko, who was silently stalking up behind her.
With a little growl the younger girl pounced, only to careen headfirst into the closet as Tanya easily stepped aside, hands behind her back as she stared down at her upside down companion.
"Nice try..." she complimented cheekily. "Though I heard the hinges of the bathroom door squeak. I removed the oil there yesterday."
Himiko pouted rather adorably from her position on the floor before easily going over into a handstand and flipping back onto her feet.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I have to work on my stealth 'cause I'm getting rusty..." she whined, holding her arms out. "Now can I glomp you or not?"
Tanya chuckled and fondly shook her head.
"Fine, commence the glomping, but do be quick about it, will you? It's getting late, and-"
"Yay!" squealed her friend as she lunged forward to wrap Tanya in a hug, lifting the smaller girl off her feet so that she could rub her cheek against her senpai's.
Bearing the treatment like a limp doll, eventually Tanya cleared her throat. Her friend had gone through much in the past weeks, but there was a limit to how much she could ignore their professional relationship.
"Are we finished? Remember, we're supposed to be heading to the park and getting ice cream from that cart."
"Oh yeah, ice cream!" Himiko chirped as she suddenly let go of Tanya. Luckily she landed with all the grace of a professional hero and reflexively straightened out her clothing.
"I'm going to get cherry sorbet this time!"
"Of course you will, now go get your blood so you won't be recognized, and let's go."
"Yes, Senpai!"
With that cheerful declaration, Himiko skipped out of the room to prepare as Tanya went to a drawer and grabbed a face mask, sunglasses and a wig. If she didn't wear them, then Himiko would have to put makeup on top of the disguise so as to not risk the poor owner of the real face getting targeted for being close to Argent. Although she was confident in Nedzu's ability to procure blood from people that would not be recognized, possibly from foreigners or other faces that the HPSC couldn't easily check. Nonetheless, the more questions she avoided, the better.
Twenty-five minutes later they met up at an unsuspicious location outside UA and began walking towards the nearest park. Himiko was strangely worried that they would get separated or something, as she always insisted on holding hands while out and about, their fingers laced to ensure a strong grip. It was Tanya's job to put her kohai's mind at ease, so she didn't fight it, even when the younger girl swung their held hands in an exaggerated fashion as if to draw their fellow pedestrians' attention to the fact.
'How childish...'
Eventually, the two made it to their destination and quickly located the target of their little mission:
A small purple ice cream cart which boasted to sell some exotic flavours.
It had been her friend's idea to get their frozen desserts here so they could eat it as they walked the leaf-shaded trails through the park. In Tanya's opinion, it was a pretty enticing chance to pretend to be living an ordinary, peaceful life. Himiko was unexpectedly thoughtful like that sometimes.
Meanwhile the girl in question was bouncing on the balls of her feet as they waited in line, humming a pleasant song that Tanya enjoyed with closed eyes.
"So, what three scoops are you going to get this time?" Himiko asked suddenly. "Triple chocolate again?"
Tanya opened her eyes just in time to see the line move forward, and answered as they took a step: "Perhaps coffee, chocolate, and... dulce de leche."
Himiko giggled, poking Tanya in the side.
"You're such a little piggy, you know that, Senpai?"
She went to respond, but her mind drifted back to the tailor earlier that day – and her newly let out uniform – and her lips formed a thin line.
"Perhaps only one scoop will do, instead."
Himiko's smile dropped instantly and she looked worried.
"You know I was just kidding, right?… I'd never actually think of you as a pig."
"It's fine, you merely reminded me that I have been putting on weight lately and that I should cut back on the sweets..." Tanya tried to placate her, mumbling after the fact: "I'd rather not have to see that woman again anytime soon."
Her expression suddenly grave, Himiko leaned in to whisper: "Did someone call you fat, Tanya? Is that it? Who was it, and I swear I'll take care of them."
As entertaining as it was to imagine her subordinate berating that woman about proper conduct with clients, she shook her head and merely said:
"It's completely alright, Himiko. I just don't want to have to get my uniform adjusted again. Besides, it's merely a fact that I have gotten a little fatter in certain areas, and I should seek to rectify that."
"No! Your body is perfect!" Himiko insisted, getting some eyes to glance their way and Tanya's cheek to redden slightly. "No one should make you think otherwise! You're the most beautiful girl in the world, Senpai!"
"Thank you for that, but can you keep it down?" Tanya whispered, looking around to see a few people giggling at them. They probably thought that they were some romantic couple on a date right now!
"Fine..." Himiko conceded with a huff, glaring at the onlookers and making them quickly move on. Leaning down to whisper directly in Tanya's ear she however added: "But it's the truth. You're adorable and cute, always, Tanya... As a matter of fact, I think you look even better after filling out some."
Glad that the face mask hid her radiant blush, Tanya merely grunted as it was finally their turn to order.
Himiko chose the cherry sorbet, while Tanya got a scoop of chocolate ice cream, and, with a fleeting glance towards her friend, added an extra scoop of nougat too.
~[#҈#]~
"Mmmmm... How interesting... So you are certain about the cutting ability of her shields?"
"Absolutely. I've never seen a cleaner cut than on young Shigaraki's fingers."
"Mmmmmmm... You may leave me alone, doctor."
"Of course, master."
Through his electromagnetic vision he could see the old man closing the steel door behind him. The suffocating silence was only interrupted by the rhythmic sounds of his life support equipment, pumping various fluids in and out of him and measuring every conceivable variable of his condition.
"How surprising... How... wasted." All for One thoughtfully mused to himself.
To think that such a useful quirk was squandered on a hero. Of course he had known of her abilities as he kept informed on all the top heroes, but the entire extent of her quirk was unknown to him until not too long ago. That was as tantalizing as it was frustrating. Argent must have been extraordinarily restrained to never publicly injure anyone with her impossibly sharp energy fields which only further reinforced his opinion of her. Such skill was perhaps even more desirable than her magnificent quirk, because it was the one thing he could not take from her.
Oh, he certainly could copy some of her knowledge, but it would never be the same. Being the owner of hundreds of different quirks left him with few opportunities to train all of them, not to mention polish them to perfection like Argent had. And now her abilities had evolved even further when his disciple pushed her so clumsily to the breaking point...
Yes, he would watch her with great interest. If the Hero Commission wanted to play dirty by inserting spies into his operation then why shouldn't he do the same? One way or another he would find out more about this excellent resource before he harvested her.
It was time to call in some old favours.
