~NRK~
Rikiya led them up the club building's steps, the man's easygoing smile, and powerful posture, really sending an image.
Successful, confident, experienced, it spoke of a lot of things that left Ippan a bit confused now that she knew more about it all.
Why was the Meta Liberation Front organization NOT well-known?
They reached the very top floor of the club building before the two blinked at the… odd shift in floors?
Students moved about with purpose, the rooms they passed had a differing energy about them as they saw many on computers with their phones to their ears, others teaching their fellow students, or webinar-esque meetings that they caught a familiar glimpse of Koku in.
The more they walked throughout the top floor of the club building, the more Obito realized something both amazing and yet horrifying.
This ONE club owned an entire floor of a BUILDING.
'What the hell is going on here?' What the hell kinda set-up was this?! "Rikiya-senpai, is the entire top floor the Liberation Front Club's… floor?"
Ippan blinked at that, realizing as she looked behind her that, yes, they'd seen no other clubs. Her ears flagged in disbelief.
'No way…' T-This was insane!
"Yes, as the club grew bigger since I left, they gained permission for more rooms and space. With the other clubs sort of feeding into our own, they lent us the space for some funding," Rikiya said proudly as the two teens' eyes widened. "Honestly, I think we have members in every club in the school save for most of the quirkless-separated ones."
Most? As in, he did have people in those clubs that endorsed only the quirkless?
"T-That's impressive," Ippan said with some worry but even more surprise and awe. "I-I didn't think… school clubs can do that?"
"It's all about organizing and business sense," the alumni explained as they reached an office. "Ah, we've reached the Business Integration room."
"The what room?" They asked as he chuckled.
"This room is meant for those graduating or seeking employment," Rikiya explained as Obito nodded at that. "We have an Away Program for those seeking employment and experience in Tokyo and Deika City."
"We've heard, Koku-senpai did say those were your two main places," Ippan said.
"Indeed," he chuckled before opening the door for them to enter, the two doing as offered. "Tomoyasu-kun! We've got two more for the presentation," Rikiya said as the two looked at the long table of the conference room filled with several individuals, one of whom was the familiar Chitose and one very tall man who stood up.
As said before, he was tall, somehow taller than Ippan, with light skin, a slightly square jaw, and long black hair that covered his eyes with a hime-cut and fell down to his lower back.
Wearing a sleek black suit, black loafers, and a gray ascot, the lanky-looking Tomoyasu looked at the two with a hum.
"Both quirk students?" He asked before Chitose shook her head with a grin.
"Obito-kun is well-known in this school, Tomoyasu-kun," she said as he blinked before somehow looking through his bangs to observe Obito. "He's the one with the baby sister?" He gasped.
"I see, I see," the tall man rubbed his chin as the students and teachers within the room nodded. "Alright, take some seats, this is a presentation of our company and the club. It's one that introduces the two entities and how they work together."
Obito nodded while Ippan hummed, the two of them sitting in two seats held by Chitose herself.
"Sorry about earlier, I got caught up helping move some things," the blue young woman grinned nervously. "Kinda… lost in the moment."
"It's fine," Ippan smiled. "We did meet our alumni so things worked out."
Obito nodded as the room's lights dimmed, a projector screen at the front showing a video from Tomoyasu's laptop.
Obito raised a brow at the man on the screen as Rikiya chuckled.
"The man on screen is my ancestor, Chikara Yotsubashi, he lived in the earlier, more turbulent, times of our quirk explosion. He's the one who started everything that became the Meta Liberation Front while passing down the business practices, methods, and skills we use today to ease the lives of those with quirks of our era," the 'nosey' one explained as Ippan hummed. "Now, as some of you know, we have two specific places of operations."
He explained the locations to the gathered group while Obito's eyes flicked between him, the screen, and Tomoyasu.
'You better not make any worrying moves,' he thought as his katana bag rested in his lap, one of the two kunai he had within it not jostling as he messed with their outlines through the bag.
As Rikiya explained more and more, he perked up.
"Yes, within our methods, we have several made to accommodate those with odd quirks that need more specialized clothes. Some individuals' bodies make it difficult for normal clothes to handle them and most don't know how to manufacture them."
"Curious question," Obito spoke up and Rikiya looked curious. "So, how are they made? It's not simple, I'd assume."
"Hmm, the general idea is to meld together their DNA into the making process," Rikiya admitted as Obito raised a brow at his honesty. "Of course, our method is a trade secret, Obito-kun, it's like a baker's secret recipe."
He nodded without any feedback. "I understand," so he'd likely not get to see it here.
"Do you know how many people you've helped so far?" Ippan asked next as Rikiya grinned along with Tomoyasu, Chitose giggling next to her.
"Up to this very moment, the Meta Liberation Front has helped well over 400,000 individuals with quirks in Japan!"
Those in the room's jaws dropped as Obito nodded with an impressed look while Ippan gasped in awe.
"It's been a long road to get here," Tomoyasu explained as he kept changing the slides. "We're many-strong but the world's still a trifling place that rebels against proper change, we're here to make that shift happen," he grinned as he stopped on one screen specifically.
Obito raised a brow at the slide.
On it, a series of political campaigns seemed to be taking place, several of which had blatant quirk users within them with a series of arm-raising groups behind them.
"As of recently, we're challenging the political stage," Chitose explained. "Getting notable people with quirks into positions of power will help diversify the views in the courts and judicial system."
Many murmured or considered the idea with more interest than before.
Ippan hummed. 'That'd be nice,' or was that naive?
Ever since she started living with Obito, the fox girl was noticing that she didn't take a lot of things at face value without wondering if it was true or not. Ippan wasn't sure if that was right, she didn't have the amount of worldliness that Obito did so was that right?
She didn't know. For now, she was simply curious about this whole organization.
As the three talked more, Obito mentally wrote it all down before looking ahead of him and blinking as he and Geten locked eyes.
They blinked in surprise, seemingly not even noticing each other before now.
"Finally," Rikiya rubbed the back of his head as they turned their gazes back to him. "There's also another aspect of our organization that's become… well, a testing trial," Tomoyasu nodded, changing the slides to a shadowy image of a hero with a cape and a light shining down on him. "We all are considering a new change in a program for the recent development from America. You know about the notable hero system, correct?"
Geten, Obito, and Ippan balked. 'They're supporting heroes?' That was… they didn't know.
Geten felt conflicted.
Ippan was unsure.
And Obito was suspicious. 'Political power, finances, organizations, connections, and now power?' That was so diverse and yet they were seemingly well-established enough to support upcoming hero candidates? 'Where in the world did these people really come from?' This was all so concerning that Obito was now more worried about them than ever before. "Ahem, so, what about UA?" He asked and many blinked, focusing on him as if just remembering that it existed. "That establishment has been supposed to be taking upcoming applicants for the Summer to test their classes, right? What about UA?"
"A good question, we're actually considering sending a pair or trio of students there," Rikiya explained as Ippan tilted her head.
"Wait, m-maybe I'm remembering wrong, but isn't it essentially replacing high school?" She asked them before Obito shook his head.
"It originally was one and they're still doing that on the normal schedule," he explained as Chitose nodded.
"But their hero program is still sketchy in the eyes of the populace, they're holding the program as a 'volunteer' program that'll accept all applicants who can pass a rather lenient screening exam," she explained as Obito's eyebrow rose.
"Lenient?"
"It's sad to say, not everyone is built to be a hero. That said, you can also find rough diamonds with slight criminal records and turn them into shining gems with appropriate teaching," Rikiya explained as Geten frowned.
"I-I thought that America literally ousted every criminal?" He asked.
"Yes, America did," Tomoyasu emphasized as Obito mentally frowned. "But Japan's crime rates, while being higher than they ever were 200 years ago, are still considerably less severe than that country. We believe that some individuals can be changed to work for good."
'Can they?' Obito didn't like the idea, it was very worrying that they'd allow possible criminals to represent Japan. "Is there not a reason to not do that? I was of the mind that they'd want to present the hero system in the best way possible."
"You believe it's a bad idea?"
"I think before you try to make a turn-around case, you should establish your system works within the parameters already set out. If we're trying to change people fundamentally, it's going to take more than just a few random Summers."
"Hmm," Rikiya cupped his chin with a nod. "I see your point, it's likely not going to be the best publicity to do so but it's sadly not in our hands, you understand."
Obito leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed and eyes closed. "I do. My issues with the system aren't with you but just with the too-eager idea."
"I can tell, you know," the man grinned. "You took it into your own hands to grasp an understanding about the situation that, I'll be honest, I didn't expect, no offense."
"None taken."
"This conversation, I hope, helps enlighten many of us in the room," Rikiya nodded. "Knowing everything that's going on around you is important before you realize your opinions."
Many nodded or cupped their chins at the idea more while others looked interested.
"Back on track," Tomoyasu urged him as Rikiya nodded. "This hero business is the last bit of the meeting for a reason. Right now, there's a special space below the Meta Liberation building that's been reinforced," Obito's eyes widened as Ippan balked. "Anyone who's joining can go there to test or train their quirks for the sake of being considered for the program in the next two weeks."
Shocked sounds and yelps rang out as Obito and Ippan's mouths dropped.
Chitose nodded as they looked at her. "The thing is, Geten-kun is one of our candidates," she explained as the boy-in-question looked down in embarrassment. "The fact remains, you'll eventually be facing criminals that'll likely either have guns or quirks. It's dangerous to not send strong individuals."
"Yes, I see the logic," Obito said as Chitose grinned while Ippan frowned.
"S-Still, what about their lives? Will they just… stop going to high school? Will they move to UA? Will they immediately be thrown into fighting? I-It just seems like a lot of possible problems," she said and Chitose hummed with her eyes closed and mouth set in a frown.
"Not wrong… sadly, though, we don't know. This whole situation is barely a month and some change old, no one's even been through it yet to tell you. All we know is that the staff is composed of government workers who had quirks and were trained agents."
The room grew more curious.
"If that's so… maybe I'll try."
"M-Me, too?"
"What kinda money do heroes make again?"
More interest like that arose as Obito looked around with Ippan and Geten, the grinning Chitose coming into view.
Rikiya and Tomoyasu smiled. "For now, think about it. This was just an introduction, after all," the carrot top chuckled. "There are complimentary food and drinks in the large resting area at the end of the hall, please, take your time. We're all here if you wish to discuss anything."
The group divided on that line, many going to talk to the trio of Chitose, Rikiya, or Tomoyasu while others went to the refreshments area.
Obito and Ippan got up, the former hoisting his katana bag over his shoulder as they did.
"Hmm," Chitose stood up with them, looking at the oncoming people behind her. "You two, do you think you could talk with me a bit more another time?" She asked them as she pulled out her purse and took out a pair of business cards.
Taking them, Obito and Ippan nodded.
"Sure, I don't mind," the fox girl said as Obito shrugged.
"I'll be wherever Ippan is most of the time," he admitted as Chitose tilted her head. "... Ah, well, we have a living arrangement," he said vaguely as she made an understanding sound.
"Ah, I get it, apartments and all that," sure if that's what you came up with, go crazy. "Alright! Speak to you soon! Now, who wants to chat?!" The young woman turned around before addressing her waiting potential new club members.
As they left, Obito and Ippan chatted.
"It sounds pleasant, for the most part," Obito lied as she grinned.
"I think so, too, though I can't help but feel a bit too skeptical and I don't know if that's the right way to do things," Ippan admitted, head down in thought as they began to leave the others. "I… I-I don't think I like thinking like that."
"... you don't have to, not always, that's not a way to live… maybe it's my fault, I simply tell you to be mindful of people's intentions but I don't want you to be paranoid for the rest of your life. I guess, to me, it just comes naturally."
"Hmph… you still help in ways I can't, though."
"So? You do the same," he said as they entered the stairwell. "I… Look, in a way, you can take care of people in ways I wish I could be so emotionally capable of, Ippan, I'm just… You're more mature than me in that regard."
She tilted her head at him as they stopped in the middle of the stairwell, Obito on the platform between steps while she stood on the one step below him.
She smiled as he rubbed the back of his head but huffed.
"I'm glad you think so highly of me, I guess I just feel like I'm not good enough for… well, whatever comes our way," Ippan admitted as he nodded. "But I'm glad you can trust in me so much, it feels good!" She grinned as Obito blushed a bit, running his hand down his nape.
'Stop being pretty,' the very fact that he could even perceive a literal fox person as in his tastes had never stopped sitting in the middle of his mind. "Right, let's just go-"
"Wait!" Came a familiar voice as the two turned their heads up to see a familiar boy on the handrail of the fifth-floor stairs.
He jumped down, Ippan's eyes widening as Obito's eyebrow rose.
He landed on the handrails by Obito, Geten's form hopping off the rails without too much trouble as they locked gazes.
"... hi?" Obito said randomly.
"... you… you…" Geten looked conflicted. "W-What did you think would happen with criminals there?" He got out with a look of pain on his face.
"You're worried?" Ippan asked softly as the boy scuffed the floor.
"I don't want things to be ruined for everyone else, I'd hate that, we can't… y-you were…" Geten struggled before sighing. "You're… right. I don't want to fuck things up, I want to be safe and happy… but others might mess things up?"
"... I was a bit pessimistic," Obito admitted. "But, surely, you'd also have reservations of even potential quirk users who are even light criminals," Geten looked away. "The fact remains, you don't know what these people were capable of, Rikiya-senpai and Chitose-senpai did say it was lenient but we have no idea how far that goes."
They didn't, a worrying fact that seemed to be dawning on the Freshman even now.
"Obito-kun's right," Ippan said. "... I've been more hurt by other people with quirks than I ever was by humans, Geten-kun," the boy's head snapped up in horror as she rubbed her arm with a nod. "Obito-kun saved me from other people with quirks, not humans."
The boy leaned against the rails with a pale face as he swallowed. "W-Why would they…?"
"It's why we have to be careful, I know how some people can get drunk on power with their quirks. I think the program is amazing."
"We both do, despite my reservations," Obito interceded as she smiled brightly at him. "... h-hmph," he looked away as Geten blinked at the two.
He looked back and forth before being left confused.
'A fox girl and a normal guy?' When he thought about it, he was left wondering if this wasn't some manga. "... life's complicated."
"Yep."
The boy sighed again before nodding slowly. "Alright, well… I don't know if you'll come back tomorrow or not…"
"We'll see," Obito said with a nod. "I do want to know more. I don't know if I'll join but knowing more about the world around me isn't the worst thing to do."
"Maybe one day, I will," Ippan smiled as Obito shrugged and Geten tilted his head. "We have little kids to look after so I want to devote my time to them before doing anything… G-Geten-kun?" She blinked at the boy's dropped mouth.
"... why do you look like-?" Obito began to ask only for the boy to scramble.
"Y-You two have kids?!" He choked as the two blinked for two seconds before their eyes widened, their cheeks reddened, and they denied quickly.
"W-Wait! Hold on! Not like that!" Ippan squeaked. "I-It's like we said down below! W-We adopted…" She blushed like a red balloon as Geten looked away with red cheeks.
"Ahem!" Obito cleared his throat. "It's not that, like she said, we adopted, are taking care of, and are related to kids with quirks in ways that aren't… teenage parenthood," this little muck-up was not what he wanted people thinking about them!
He didn't dislike the idea so much as knew it'd be a world full of headaches he did not need in his life.
"A-Alright, uh, fuck," the boy inched away onto the stairwell before climbing it backward. "G-Good luck with your… kids…" He ran like bats out of hell, leaving two horrified teens in his wake.
"It's not what you think!" Ippan squeaked loudly as a door slammed shut. "... O-Oh no," she blushed while not looking at Obito who dragged his hand down his face.
"Just great. Fantastic."
~NRK~
Getting home, the two sighed in relief when they got back, Hokei's current situation of wiping Eri's cheeks stopped as he looked at them.
"Trouble at school?" He asked.
"N-No, nothing bad," Ippan blushed as Obito huffed, Tenko and Tooru running towards them from the TV.
"You're back!" They cheered as Obito snorted while Ippan smiled.
Ippan crouched to the two's levels while Obito leaned on one side with his arms crossed.
"We played video games!" Tooru said joyously as he raised a brow at her.
"... Ah, right, that Gamecube Classic Console, right?" He asked her as she nodded with a grinning sound. "What particular-Okay, then?!" Obito began to say before she grabbed his elbow and dragged him towards the console in question.
"Let's play a game!"
Tenko smiled as he and Ippan hugged.
"Hm, hm, I bet you two had a lot of fun," the fox girl grinned as he nodded, letting go. "Come on, I'm a bit famished!"
Hokei chuckled as he finished feeding Eri, the baby girl smiling for him.
"Yes, your siblings," he chuckled. "Are something else."
~NRK~
The following day, back in the club building, Obito and Ippan found a huffing Geten standing there, the boy wearing the school uniform for boys now.
"Hmm, your hair's very nice, Geten-kun," Ippan complimented as he huffed, ruffling his white locks.
"I could do without them," he admitted before gesturing to the stairwell.
Going up to the fifth floor like last time, Obito asked the Freshman some questions.
"Have you been with the organization for long?" He asked and the boy hummed.
"Only a year," he admitted. "Rikiya-dono helped me out of a situation with four human girls," Geten's eyes narrowed as the two frowned.
"Are you… I'm guessing there are scars…" Ippan said softly as he nodded. "Oh, Geten-kun."
"They took more than I'm willing to forgive," the boy grumbled as Obito frowned but kept his peace.
As they reached the top level, though, there was noise?
"Huh?" Geten frowned as they entered the top floor. "What's-?"
"You bastard!" Tomoyasu seemed to be helping a bruise-cheeked Rikiya to his feet, the carrot top looking confused. "This is progress, you cretin!"
The man he spoke to was certainly growling, showing enough aggression that Obito knew he'd done the welt to Rikiya.
He was a tall man with a plump body. His skin tone was seemingly dark brown while his head was rounded, noseless, and bearing pointy ears. With an antenna sitting at the top of his head and three holes on each side of his noggins, his shoulders also bore three holes on each one.
He wore a black vest with white trim, white pants, a handkerchief around his neck, two black armbands with white lining on his arms, and a pair of black boots.
The man looked annoyed beyond measure, more so as Obito came up to them with Ippan and Geten, gaining his ire.
"You quirkless bastards are the worst of the worst!" He raged as he stomped up to Obito, the former shinobi's eyebrow raising at the man's one-foot-above-Ippan height. "You bastards keep moving around and acting like we're the scum of society and yet we're supposed to play nice?!"
"Do I know you?" Was all Obito asked him as Ippan frowned at his side while Geten grimaced.
"Cut it out, dude, it's not-" He tried to say only for Obito's eyes to flash.
The man, who'd begun to swing, found himself on the ground with his offending arm and neck locked between Obito's legs.
"H-Hey! Get off me, you little shit!" He roared, looking confused and angry while Geten's eyes widened.
'I-I didn't…' The older male had seemingly blurred before locking the man on the ground. 'Fast!'
"Learn to mind your manners," was all Obito said as Ippan sighed in relief. "Or…" He tightened his limbs and the man began to struggle, trying to get him off. "Cut it out and leave if you can't be amicable," Obito declared as he made sure to cut off blood supply from the man's hand.
"G-Gaaaahhhhh!"
"It's alright, that's enough, Obito-kun," Koku said as he hurried into the area, locking eyes with Obito who hummed before nodding, letting go, and pushing his body up into a crouch before standing up. "Sosai-san, I believe he has the right idea. You may wish to step out for today."
"You'd side with the quirkless bastard?!" The large man growled as Chitose sighed.
"You do remember what this club is for… right?" She asked him with a frown as the man got up with throbbing anger on his forehead. "This is supposed to be peaceful, why are you doing this right now?"
The large man grit his teeth as he held his feeling-returning arm while glaring at Obito, Ippan coming to stand by his side while giving him back his katana bag. "Fucking dogs," he hissed before rushing out.
"Haaa, thank you, Obito-kun," Rikiya said as he rubbed the back of his head, Obito noting a small black mark on his forehead.
"Did he hit you in the head, sir?" Obito asked with a frown as Rikiya blinked before Tomoyasu explained.
"Your quirk, sir," he said with a huff. "Sosai is usually more tolerant but I guess, yesterday, he didn't like the hero talk."
"Yes, I guess tensions are still high about it. Still," Rikiya faced Obito with a curiosity written across his face. "Obito-kun, you moved faster than I expected of a quirkless person."
Obito simply crossed his arms. "I train to keep my body in tip-top shape. I literally don't know what's going to come around a corner so it's better to be prepared than not."
"A good mindset to have," Chitose said with a smile. "Still, perhaps it'll be a good idea to postpone today. It seems like the energy around here might be a bit compromised."
Those gathered did seem on edge, many looking uncomfortable or just not as eager as they used to.
"... very well, please, all of you, go home and de-stress," Rikiya said as Tomoyasu grimaced. "It's fine, today was going well but let's not push it," he added with a smile as those gathered nodded.
Ippan looked a bit disappointed and Obito sighed before knowing what to do.
~NRK~
The fox girl giggled at her ice cream, the kids and Hokei enjoying their own, as all of them sat back in that hotel room once more.
"So, what is your first move after graduation?" Hokei asked Obito who hummed.
"Finally get acquainted with those businesses I've been running. Akane-obaa-chan has been handling it for me but it's time I deal with my business," Obito nodded as Hokei hummed.
"Then I'd suggest ending with the talent agency second-to-last then," he offered as Obito raised a brow. "If you're going to stay there the longest second-only to the Naruhata situation, you may wish to just deal with it then. The drugs and the gang that needs removal can come at the same time if you're lucky."
"Hmph, since we're here so early," Obito began as Hokei raised a brow. "Perhaps it's time I go and see those trucking stations and suburbs. I'm only supposed to meet the former and do the accounting for the latter with some extra roughing if I find their numbers too little or too large."
"Hmm?" Tooru lifted her head. "Y-Yakuza stuff?" She asked and Obito ruffled her hair.
"Yes, I took over a decent amount of businesses and overhead operations I need to monitor. I've been putting them off for the past month, Tooru, I really should get those straightened out."
"... Okay."
"I know, I know," he rubbed her head some more and she leaned into his touch before giggling as Eri pat the invisible space where her head was. "Eri knows, too."
"Heheheh! She does!"
'He's like her father,' Ippan thought with some red on her face. 'Obito-kun, despite himself, really could be a great dad,' she knew it as such.
He handled Tenko well, the young boy taking to him easily and even took up small habits from the young man. Obito handled Eri like it was natural and Tooru just seemed to gravitate towards him and deem him her 'parent' while she was here.
And Obito didn't shy away from each of them, he simply did as he thought was best and they were reacting positively.
All in all, he may have been a bit more logical than she'd have liked but Ippan found that part of him amazing in its own ways.
So, yes, he was 'father material' in her eyes.
"Hmm."
~NRK~
The truckers at the Doon Trucking company blinked as they waited in the back of their station, the group of assembled men, quirkless and not alike, blinking as their foreman gestured to a young man who came on stage.
Wearing a dark blue kimono, black hakama, a pair of ninja sandals, and a black haori showing his symbols, Obito looked at the gathered members of the truck station.
"This guy is our backer, remember that you lug-heads!" The foreman said as they all choked.
"Hold on, what happened to that pair who was running things?" Someone asked, a man with a powerful build, red eyes, and short black hair. "And a kid?"
"One, things… changed, Kirishima," the foreman explained. "The kid's taking over things and backer oversight so, as always, be on your best behavior," he explained before turning to Obito. "Look, Obito-san, I get you're now the big backer and all that."
"You don't respect me in the least, do you?" Obito said outright to the man's face who flinched before rubbing the back of his head.
"You're a kid. Besides, I didn't with your parents."
"Ex-parents," the man winced as he saw the small baby on the boy's chest with a horn. "The Uchiha name now rests with only us and that's the biggest reason for your change of overhead employment," he said to the men gathered. "Anyone who finds an issue with that will send in a complaint with your foreman and I'll get back to it in a week or so. I've other business to handle so I can't very well handle all of them in a week. Keep doing as you have been. I've already updated the rules of your general contracts and spoken to your union. You'll find the new changes more to your liking by the end of the day. For now, just do your jobs."
"Alright, ya heard him, do whatever you usually do and don't make that a sex joke!" The foreman said as many of the guys threw him the 'okay' signal which got a snort out of Obito. "They're usually better at this."
"I can imagine. For now, we'll speak more at length in a week as I said. You've got my information and business line, do as you have, foreman."
"It's actually… Nah, never mind."
"No, please, I've literally been calling your 'foreman' because I don't know your name. I'm assuming my parents didn't find out and that you have a quirk, right?" Obito said without hesitation as the man and his men balked at him.
"H-How'd ya know that?!" Kirishima balked.
"I read everything. The notes, your actual records, work ethic, contracts, payment, union contracts, agreements, 'under' agreements, and more, I've memorized every section of your paperwork," Obito said simply as the men blinked in surprise. "Amano Kirishima, correct?" The man jumped. "The man next to you is Kuroku, the one behind him, Ichiro, Ichigo, his brother, next to him, and he…" He literally listed off every single man within the room.
They all just nodded with looks of respect.
Okay, so this kid might actually be scarily competent.
"Now, you, foreman-san."
"... Hmph," the foreman huffed but smirked.
His nape-length spiky orange hair, fair skin, and dull blue eyes shifted as he nodded, his iron-tipped fingers coming up and out.
"Higari Maijima."
Obito grasped that wider-than-usual but powerful hand before they shook on it.
"Pleasure to work with you, Maijima-san."
~NRK~
Next came the loan sharks.
This one, Hokei had decided to come for.
"Hmph," the two of them sat across from a woman with a shaky grin and more shaky finger as Obito finished counting the stack on the coffee table between them, the two sides sitting in a small lounge area of the woman's 'business'. "W-Welcome, Hokei-sama, I didn't think we'd be receiving a visit."
"Hm, hmm, don't worry, I wasn't planning to but Obito-kun's the new overseer of this operation and his position is to be understood and accepted," Hokei said simply with emphasis as she nodded rapidly.
"W-Well, I hope you know that we'll accept this change without worry!" The woman with snake eyes, and weed-like hair, said slowly as she observed Obito. 'A kid?!' To monitor their money-laundering operation?
Sure, okay, she did know that he handled big money within the main families and, sure, she also knew that he was basically everything that Hokei would have wanted in an heir… hmm…
"Hmm, you know, Obito-kun has quite the reputation behind him," she said as Hokei smirked, the woman rolling her eyes. "Oh, hush, we know how you view him. The fact remains, he'd probably be the best to oversee this outside of Akane-san which is high praise."
"Akane's always saying as much, he's a regular accounting marvel."
The woman grinned, sharp teeth on display before a small child came into the room, a girl with dark green hair, fair skin, and green eyes with slit pupils.
"Hmm? S-Setsuna-chan?" The woman swallowed before urging her forward. "This is my daughter, Setsuna Tokage."
Obito blinked as he and the child, who had to be around Tooru's age, locked eyes.
The girl grinned with sharp teeth. "Hiya, sirs," she bowed in her small yellow kimono, her mother sighing with a smile. "Pleased to meet ya."
"Hm, hm, yes, a pleasure, shoujo," Hokei chuckled as Obito leaned back on their couch. "You know how my family works better than that, Wakame."
"... I do, I know, it's not like we're dealing with a safe biz, though," the two's eyes narrowed as she rubbed the back of her head. "... okay, so, there's been some 'noise' recently, one of our borrowers has been trying to take out a bigger loan even though he defaulted on the past one," Wakame frowned. "And, as it turns out, he's part of a gang!"
"I see, we'll handle it," Obito said as the woman blinked at him, his eyes getting a flinch out of her. "Simply do as your job entails, that's all that's being requested. I've looked over the documents, it's hard to say what hasn't been changed in those damn things," he said with a shake of the head as he placed a manilla envelope on the table between them, confusing the woman while her daughter looked at it and then him.
"Are you a nice guy, mister?" Setsuna asked him and Obito smirked. "... mmm," she pouted as she scrutinized the envelope.
"Hmph, Obito-kun is rather nice despite how he looks," Hokei smirked as his grandson rolled his eyes.
"Let's just go and handle this 'ruckus', yes?"
An hour later, Wakame had never been happier to have her upper management changed.
"We're eating well tonight, baby! Get your friends!" Wakame grinned at the new contract while her daughter grinned.
"I knew he was a good guy!"
~NRK~
Obito rolled his shoulder as Ippan smiled at him, the group back in their hotel room, Rappa cooking in the kitchen.
"That leaves the Mustafu grocery stores," Hokei smirked as Obito perked up. "The talent agency, and then everything that's going on in Naruhata. With that, you'll be checking up on everything every other week for those nearby and every other month after Naruhata is solved."
"Understood," Obito said. "Still, for the talent agency, how long am I expected to stay?" He asked curiously as Tooru slept in his bed, Eri currently within the young man's lap. "It's a talent agency, I still don't even know what to do with it. I've seen the talent documents, I've seen the contracts, and I've seen the faces of the man and woman who run it. It all seems like it's gone well despite my parents' hand in it."
"Well, it's true, you'll not be doing much but actually checking out the talent," Obito raised a brow and his grandfather chuckled nervously. "Some of us have had to attend a pageant or two," the young man's eyebrow ticked. "... Hmm, it's life. We do run these businesses legally despite the underground bunkers for resting and housing our men in case of an emergency. You're also checking out the building's undercover areas, the staff, interpersonal contracts between them and their students, and a few other things. It's honestly less about judging talent and more assuring our business does its best at culturing it."
"It sounds like a notable act, Obito-kun," Ippan said as she and Tenko watched TV. "Besides… it may need your touch," she implied something that Obito sighed at.
"We'll see. For now, we've got our final number of Exams in the morning."
~NRK~
With their Exams done… That was it.
They were done with high school and now would lead lives unbothered by things such as scholastic learning.
"T-This feels weird," Ippan said as they leaned against the railings of the school roof, not going down to the club building just yet. "I-I've graduated, I-I never thought I'd ever…" She leaned on the railings a bit more. "... thank you, Obito-kun."
"It's…" The smile she shot him told him that deflecting wouldn't help. "... I'm glad I could, I think you were amazing enough to handle it yourself," he 'countered' if only to deflect in retrospect.
Ippan blushed a bit, cheeks a nice pink as he rubbed the back of his head, looking away.
"Hmm… I want to continue the way our lives are now i-if that's fine, you know?" She asked.
"Sure, I was going to ask you if you didn't."
"Hm," she smiled brighter than before. "Alright, I think we should go down."
Obito nodded, the two of them picking up their things before Obito frowned as a shadow passed overhead.
One too big and too fast? He looked over in the direction it went and frowned deeper at the resting woman standing atop the club building.
"Let's hurry," he said to Ippan as she blinked before nodding, following as they rushed off the roof and hurried down the staircases.
"W-What'd you see?" Ippan asked as they skipped several steps at a time, both of their forms moving without too much trouble. "W-What?"
"There's someone above the club building," Obito grimaced as they reached the bottom floor in thirty seconds from the roof. "Come on!" They ran through the halls only to skid to a stop as they found Kyu there. "Principal Kyu?" Obito frowned as the man blinked at them.
"What's wrong? What happened?" He asked with a frown.
"W-We're heading to the quirk club building," Ippan said and the man blinked before smiling.
"Oh, you're joining the Meta Liberation Front?" He asked curiously. "Being honest, from what I'd heard, I'd thought you'd be happier just living a normal life, Ippan-kun."
She blinked before nodding. "I am, I… there's a lot I'm currently working with but I've got Obito-kun by my side," Ippan smiled as the young man huffed.
"Right, we're hurrying to the club building, sir," Obito explained as the man nodded.
"I was actually going there myself so come along, I can meet an old underclassman and you can go do as you please."
They entered a brisk jog out the school towards the quirk club building before the man's mouth set in a frown as they stopped.
"I knew it," Obito said as they saw the woman atop the building, seemingly the only three who were worried about her position. "I don't remember a student like her, Kimyona-sensei."
"... she's not any staff or student I've met," Kyu frowned. "Let's go inside, we'll let Rikiya-kun know," he said softly as they powerwalked towards the quirk-side-
There was a yell and the three froze along with many of the students outside, the sound of a loud crash reaching their ears.
"Dammit," Obito noted a familiar figure by the quirkless club building before growling. "Sosai."
"You little shits!" The darkly-colored quirk user growled at the young man in his grasp.
"T-Tsk!" The hostage-in-question growled back. "Y-You filthy quirk bastard! This is the thanks we get?!"
"Thanks?" The man's head holes sprouted smoke. "I'm going to enjoy this-"
"That's enough, Sosai," came Obito's voice as he, Ippan, and their principal arrived on the scene.
"You!" The easy-to-anger mouth shouted at the at-the-ready Obito whose eyes narrowed, his hand on the handle of his weapon through its bag. "You little shit!" Sosai roared as he threw the young man at the group.
Ippan caught him before settling the junior down. "Are you alright?" She asked him, looking at his arms before he pushed away from her with a grimace.
"You're just like him-!" The student began to say only for a quick jab of a katana bag to his sternum to send him on his rear. "T-The hell?!" He turned to see Obito and froze at the look of disdain on his face.
"Get out of here," was all the brunette said as he began to walk towards Sosai. "I don't have time to be protecting trash," Obito said as the student balked at him. "This is your last chance, Sosai, cut it out, pay for the damages, and don't get a criminal record."
"Hahahaha, yeah?" The large man sneered before Obito sighed as a familiar shadow descended on him.
He stepped back and around, katana bag coming around and slamming into the side of the winged woman.
"Ahh?!" She stumbled in the air before a hand gripped her leg. "H-Huh-?!"
Ippan pulled down and the woman crashed into the ground, a dent of her body forming in the earth below as a familiar quartet of people rushed out of the quirk club building.
"Kyu?! What…" Rikiya blinked as he, Koku, Chitose, and Geten came to a stop by the principal who sighed in relief. "What's going… haaa, Sosai," he groaned as the principal crossed his arms.
"You, Obito-kun, and Ippan-kun seem to know this man," Kyu said as Geten frowned before hurrying ahead with a pair of frozen water bottles in his hands. "W-Wait, young man!"
"It's fine, sensei," Koku said as Tomoyasu came running out of the club building with a sneer. "Geten's training will make this situation moot."
Back with Obito, Ippan, and Sosai, the man's eyes widened as the teens turned to him.
"Last chance," Obito said simply as Ippan frowned.
"Why are you doing all of this? T-This isn't worth jail time is it?!" The girl asked him and the man growled.
"I don't want some dog of theirs barking at me."
Ippan looked offended something fierce while Obito frowned.
"Pathetic," he said and the man's forehead throbbed. "You put yourself in a shitty situation and this is how you respond? You're an insect," Obito said as Geten reached him.
"What happened?!" He asked before looking around with a blink. "... Sosai, for the love of God!"
"That's IT!" The man's head holes erupted into white smoke that covered the area. "I'm ending this here and now! GET 'EM!"
They heard them before they saw them.
"Back up!" Obito said as the first new opponent sprung into view. "Hmph!"
A loud 'THWACK!' rang out before the odd person with a set of wooden claws' head snapped up and Obito kicked out, slamming his foot into the man's raised chin and sending him flying back.
"W-What?" Geten blinked before his eyes widened at something at his side-
A clang rang out, Obito's bag-covered sheath blocking the set of metal claws that came for Geten's face.
"?!" The Freshman jumped back in shock, bouncing into Ippan who lifted him up.
"Obito-kun!" She called as Obito nodded, breaking several of the offender's fingers with a swift downward slash before they ran out of the smoke as fast as they could. "Sorry, Geten-kun!"
The girl tucked him underarm before reaching out for Obito who grabbed on.
They exited the smoke at a greater speed than either boy could have accomplished.
As she skidded to a stop, shoes strained, Obito let go of her hand before standing guard, another form rushing out of the smokescreen.
"Third Kata:," his eyes narrowed as he whispered, the young man holding his sheathed blade in its full glory, the katana bag around Ippan's shoulder.
The woman who lunged at him swung down with her uninjured metal claw.
"Black Sun."
The weapon made a slow revolution before Obito held it out in defense.
He lunged forward and slammed the side of the black sheath into her palm before turning it like a clock, bringing his opponent down and to the side.
A flash of black dug across her chest before she was sent flying back, Obito shaking his head as he re-sheathed his blade in an instant, the reverse-blade unseen.
Geten's eyes widened as Ippan got up and put him down, their principal and the Meta Liberation group hurrying over.
"I wasn't aware he was so strong," Rikiya noted with a raised brow at the battle-ready Obito. "Hmm? Ippan-kun?" He asked her as Chitose blinked as two more individuals came out of the smoke.
"Watch out!" The blue woman winced as Obito nodded.
He ducked under a swing of a fist before hopping on the back of the other one's tackle. Obito jumped over the block-like fist of the first man who clocked his fellow thug in the head before turning in the air and slamming the side of his sheathed blade into his opponent's neck.
When he landed behind him, Obito walked back to the others as the two offenders crumpled to the floor, a pair of twitching messes.
"Did someone call the cops yet?" He asked them as he crossed his arms, Koku nodding off to the side with his phone by his ear. "Well, this should be solved soon."
"Gaaahhhh! You quirkless bastard!" Sosai roared as he charged Obito through the smoke, the former ninja's eyes narrowing as he saw the shadow of something else in the smoke behind him. "Hit him!"
A gun fired as Obito's eyes flashed.
Three bullets were sliced through with two iai draws, Sosai's eyes widening as he reached the glaring Obito.
Precision
The quirk-user's head snapped back as he flew off his feet, Obito's sheath's tip left where his head was.
"Hmph," he huffed before blinking as a large shard of ice sliced past him, the gunmen in the dispersing smoke going down in one blow to the noggin as Geten came up on his side. "Your aim's pretty good," Obito complimented as the younger male smirked.
"I've been practicing for years," he said before looking around. "But that's nothing, y-you just beat people with quirks," Geten whispered in shock and some awe, looking embarrassed. "Y-You know? I could have done it," he immediately backtracked as Obito snorted.
"I'm sure you could if you're training as hard as I think. It's the difference between a person like us and them, they're taking their abilities for granted and don't put in the work to aim for greater heights."
Geten looked confused by that as the others came over. "I… I get that but, surely, a guy with a quirk that makes him unbreakable would be hard to beat."
"Only if you only see hitting him as a win condition, if you trap him in the ground, he's not going anywhere. If you choke him, assuming his quirk doesn't make his body unmalleable, he can't exactly fight that. His height, disposition, ability, and strength can all be circumvented pretty easily."
Rikiya smirked at that. "That's an excellent breakdown, Obito-kun. I wasn't aware you were a swordsman," he chuckled as Ippan smiled.
"I've learned for years for safety, I've unfortunately had to use it more as of late."
"Yes, the Mall Chain Assassins, right?" Chitose grinned at him as Tomoyasu made a confused sound before opening up a laptop he had underarm, using one hand as a platform and the other to type at fast speeds. "You've been shaking up the internet as of late, right up there with a 'Dragon Slayers'," she said as Obito's eyebrow twitched at the name while Ippan giggled a bit. "It's pretty insane that you haven't been swept up by the government."
"Huh?" Obito, Geten, and Ippan looked confused. "What do you mean?" And the young woman smiled shakily.
"Well, the government's a big one on quirk acceptance and they've been taking up specific individuals around Japan. Just the other day, two other alumni we know got offered jobs to work with them and they had quicks and showed decent fighting skills."
"Who?" Ippan asked.
"Hmm… ah, Shouta-senpai and Tomoko-senpai. Their quirks were 'Erasure' and 'Search'."
Now it made more sense. "That sounds like the government just wanted their quirks," Obito said as Kyu tilted his head.
"If that's true, it sounds like they're certainly accepting of quirks, even if it's for their own benefits," he said with a frown before shrugging. "Better than being jobless, I suppose."
"It is, having more of us in the government is also better publicity," Rikiya explained before Tomoyasu rubbed the back of his head.
"So… what do we do?" He asked as they waited for the cops. "Will we close for the second time in the row?"
"... no, I think we'll do this outside!" Rikiya grinned as Koku smirked while Chitose giggled a bit. "And, if you would, Obito-kun, I'd like to borrow your expertise."
Obito raised a brow.
He helped his sheathed weapon at the man's neck, fire-covered hands useless in the face of outstanding skill and experience.
"That's just about everyone, right?" Obito asked as he removed his weapon from the flaming-hands quirk-user. "All that's left is Geten-kun and… well, that's it?"
"Hmm," Rikiya chuckled as the gathered 'hero candidates' were either groaning on the side or looking on in shock while other students balked at Obito's relatively unscathed form, the young man rolling his shoulders and neck as Tomoyasu blinked along with Chitose and Koku.
"I… he beat all of them?" Koku looked shocked while Chitose tilted her head in confusion.
"How?" She asked in confusion as Obito helped his opponent up before the man walked off in defeat, Geten swallowing as he stepped up and steadied his resolve. "I-I… I'm sure a couple of them have some kinda increased strength and s-speed, right?" Chitose's mouth dropped.
Ippan giggled a bit at their side, gaining their attention. "Obito-kun's never not training, we do that often, almost five days a week. He's in prime condition," she explained as Rikiya and Kyu raised a brow.
"That's odd, I know he typically sits out on Sports Days… is this why?" He wondered out loud as Rikiya raised a brow before cupping his chin.
"I see, I see, he doesn't desire fame or attention, it seems," he said as Ippan nodded. "Curious, still, the martial prowess, training, and sharp wit, he'd have made a dangerous hero and he doesn't want to be one?"
"He doesn't. Obito-kun just wants to take care of his baby sister… a-and a few others, now, I guess," she admitted with some red on her face, Chitose's smirk telling. "A-Anyway! I've been learning a lot of stuff from here, he's like a whole different beast when he's actually fighting, though. He's quick, simple, and precise."
They watched as Geten 'pulled' on the four frozen water bottles around his waist, Obito waiting patiently with his blade at his side in his left hand.
Ice exploded out of their containers before shooting out at Obito, the quirkless young man simply ducking and weaving throughout the volleys as Geten's hands raised and he kept tossing them around, the four large ice shards coming around and around but missing each time.
Obito ran low towards the cryokinetic who brought his hands back, the shards shooting past the quirkless male before his arms came down and Obito skipped to the side to dodge now pipe-like ice spears.
"Not bad! You've clearly got spatial awareness!" He complimented the grinning Freshman who slashed his arms across his torso, the icy spears flipping towards Obito before straightening out with flat tips. "Hmph," Obito jumped back before assuming a solid stance, weapon tucked behind him.
When the projectiles got close, he unsheathed.
Geten balked at nearly impossible-to-see slashes, four in total, decimated his projectiles as Obito's blade resheathed itself
"What?!"
"I've learned several basic forms of other blade work, I've incorporated them into my style for coverage," Obito explained as the younger student rubbed the back of his head. "Can you do anything else with them like this?"
The shards rose but only half in number, Obito nodding at that.
"Hmm," he rushed the ice user who scrambled before jumping back while pulling on his ice.
The broken shards came flying but Obito simply skidded before rotating on the ground.
The ice was cut in half of the half it already was, leaving Geten scrambling to pull back more only to be tackled to the ground.
"Oof!" He gasped as he was straddled before finding a sheathed blade at his chin. "... I-I lost," Geten said while blushing a bit. "Dammit," Obito got him off-
Got off him, God w-was he that bad?
Obito raised a brow as he helped the blushing Geten to his feet, the androgynous boy brushing his jacket off with a bit more red on his face.
"Are you well? Your quirk doesn't strain your body by raising your temperature, does it?"
"W-What? N-No, no, no! I'm cool, seriously!"
Ippan tilted her head at Geten while Rikiya and the others smirked.
"Hmm?" She looked at them and Chitose answered with a sly look.
"Geten's gay," she said and the fox girl's mouth dropped before her head snapped back to the blushing boy getting praise and advice from Obito. "And it seems like he likey."
"What?! W-Well, um," Ippan cleared her throat as the adults smirked. "T-That's nice, t-though I know Obito's not gay s-so…"
"Hm, hm, it's simple information," Kyu smirked as she squeaked in embarrassment.
With the two back over, Obito nodded to the oddly amused, to him, Rikiya.
"So, Geten is the best of them but there was some potential. Chitose needs better spatial awareness and trap placement but her quirk, Minefield, is rather versatile," Obito observed as Chitose grinned nervously.
"I'm definitely not hero material," she said with a shaky grin as Obito hummed before nodding. "That said, why not test out Rikiya-senpai?"
Obito raised a brow before he locked eyes with the curiously humming Rikiya.
"It's only if you want to, Rikiya-san, like Chitose said, not everyone will want to be a hero as is," Obito said simply as Rikiya smiled and nodded.
"Apologies, Chitose-kun, I'm just not built for the hero life," he said and the young woman nodded.
"It was just a thought. For now, what about the others?" She asked Obito before looking at Ippan who shook her head. "Not a fan, either?"
"Well… I-I do think it'd be nice to help people but I have someone I need to focus my all on, remember?" Ippan said with a smile as Chitose smirked. "No."
"Alright, alright, I was just kidding."
Obito considered the crowd of quirk users before humming.
"Well, there was one," he noted as he looked in a direction. "You," Obito said to a woman who pointed at herself.
Having fair skin, slightly angular blue eyes, and shoulder-length hair that flared up near the end and had a long bang on one side of her head with a cheek-length one on the other, she blinked as she rubbed the back of her head, the dirt on her hands and feet currently being washed off.
"U-Um, well, I don't think I did all that well," she said as Tomoyasu hummed, typing for a moment before making an 'ah-ha' sound.
"Ryuko Tsuchikawa, right?" He said as she nodded. "She's got a point, we all saw how she did, her quirk's pretty decent but it's basic geo-telekinesis."
"But it's also one of the more versatile quirks," Obito countered as the woman blushed while Tomoyasu hummed in interest. "You didn't see anything interesting about it when we fought, did you? How she had that small earth cat chasing me around while she tried to trap me?"
"Hmm? You noticed something curious?" Kyu asked as Rikiya grinned.
"She can automate her quirk."
The area blinked as the two men looked confused for a moment before their eyes widened.
"He's right!" The carrot top realized in shock as Ryuko blushed a bit while shooting Obito a weird pleased but confused look.
"I-I don't really get it," she admitted as he nodded. "I just use it to help out around the house."
"Exactly, you can help more than most heroes would if you can master your quirk to increase the number of automatons," Obito said as Ryuko rubbed the back of her head. "It's only a matter of hard work and, even then, would you want to?" He asked as she considered it.
"W-Well… I want to leave my mark on the world, yeah? I-If I can do that by being a hero, I-I guess so!"
"Magnificent," Koku smiled as Ippan chuckled, Geten's eyes going to Obito before he blushed some more. "Any other notable ones?"
Obito gave his observations when he could before the group nodded.
"I think today was rather informative," Rikiya said to the schoolyard as Kyu chuckled. "Please, think of the things we learned and saw today, I think it will help bridge our understanding of one another."
Many nodded while Obito stretched a bit, Ippan handing him his bag back, gaining his thanks as he put his weapon back in.
"I hope today was good," Obito said to them as many nodded while others said their thanks. "Hmph, take care, sensei, senpais, we'll see you around whenever we cross paths," he added with a bow that Ippan copied.
"Thanks for having us," the young fox woman smiled as they nodded.
"The world's a brighter place with us all in it, I'm glad I got to meet you, hopefully we'll work together one day," Rikiya smiled with a bow himself. "Take care, don't be strangers, this is still your school."
"He's right," Kyu chuckled. "Don't be strangers, you two."
"We won't!" Ippan grinned as Obito smirked.
"We'll do our best, it's not like we live far from here."
~NRK~
As they walked the streets, Ippan just looked around with a hum.
"It feels kinda unreal," she said as he hummed before nodding.
"I can imagine, I'm not much better," Obito admitted as she nodded. "I now have businesses to overlook, I can dedicate myself full-time to Eri, Tooru, Tenko, you," he listed off without thought as the fox girl blushed, messing with her book bag strap. "I'm not more a part of my family's business than I ever expected or wanted, honestly, things got overly complicated."
"Y-Yeah… sorry."
"I don't blame you, this was literally all bound to happen, unfortunately."
As they walked, they found themselves at a crosswalk in a slight crowd.
Obito's eyes snapped to his employee's behind… that is, he saw the movement by it… obviously.
A small thwack got a small yelp out of someone that got heads turning but not finding the origin.
"Fool," Obito muttered with a huff, keeping an eye out for a repeat attempt before the crosswalk light turned green. "Hmm, come on," he said to Ippan who nodded, the two of them walking ahead a good distance.
"Thank you," Ippan whispered and he blinked at her embarrassed gratitude. "I-I never… I didn't think that could happen on the street."
"... you're an attractive young woman," Obito admitted, looking away from her look of shock and embarrassment while rubbing the back of his head. "You need to be more aware of that, just saying."
"... Y-Yeah," she blushed but smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem."
They walked for a time, not going directly back to the hotel just yet.
"Hmm?" Obito noticed something as they kept going. "Hmm? What in the world?" He muttered softly as Ippan tilted her head.
The more they walked, the more he noticed that quirk users gave him a wide berth. Any eyes that he caught looked away from his gaze and left him confused as they stopped by a noodle shop.
"What in the world is going on?"
"I… it IS weird," Ippan said with a frown as they looked around. "It's a bit worrying, i-is someone following us?"
Obito looked around normally as she walked rigidly, his eyes looking over the crowds around them but finding no odd movements.
Just a normal day in Tokyo.
Up above atop a building, a boy nodded.
"There he is, the so-called Assassin-Destroyer," he said to a walkie-talkie. "A-And his girlfriend… I think?"
-No one knows, all anyone knows in rumors is that Victor once learned she lived with him. That might have changed-
"So, what are we doing?" He asked nervously, red wings twitching a bit. "I mean, he seems ta be a normal quirkless guy."
-You've seen his videos, Hawks, he's clearly not a normal individual. A quirkless person defeating a crowd of, even with a lack of intent to kill, quirk users isn't normal. His records all come up negative, he's got no known quirk ancestry going a generation back, he is yakuza, though. Perhaps they have some sort of training regimen-
'Hawks' scuffed his feet. "This doesn't feel so heroic," he muttered and the person across the line sighed.
-... we know but this is also a part of keeping the peace of life between those with quirks and the quirkless-
"Yeah, I get it," the young boy said.
They walked aimlessly for a time before Ippan stopped by something, Obito blinking as he stepped back for a moment and turned to what she was focusing on.
Children, a bunch of children with quirks that were currently playing in a park that was covered in slightly old pieces of metal and plastic but worked well enough for the excitable youngins.
"... I remember the day I got kicked out," Ippan said with a soft frown as Obito crossed his arms with a nod. "I was doing just this, just playing in the park, and they… just left," she said with clenching fists as Obito's eyebrows shot into his hairline.
"Wait, what-?" He balked as she kept going.
"I don't know when it really sank in, maybe it was when I was walking home at night with no one around, I think it really started when I got home and the door was just left open," Ippan frowned with something stinging at the corners of her eyes. "I-I don't know when, m-maybe it was when I was just wondering when they'd get back and I just-"
"Ippan."
The girl felt his hand rubbing her upper back and she looked down some more, sniffling as Obito sighed.
"I-I went looking for them, I don't know, I thought something had happened, I was worried for them, Obito-kun."
"I know you were, you're far too kind to think badly about people, for the most part… I don't know what else to say," he admitted as she sniffled some more but a smile peeked through as she wiped her eyes. "I'm no good at this, Ippan-s… Ippan-chan," Obito said with a bit of embarrassment as she perked up and shot him a glowy-eyed look.
Even in the day, Obito found that those eyes of hers made her 'pop' for weird reasons he wouldn't delve into… because it was because he found them attractive… powering through, Obito realized that, yes, as a person, another living being, and as a woman, he found Ippan attractive and that fact floored him a bit.
"W-What I mean to say is…" He struggled with 'words' before sighing. "I wouldn't want that to happen to you again… and it won't, not if I can't help it," Obito finalized with a huff before being enveloped in a big hug.
It felt different compared to the usual, he realized, the gentleness of it getting a small sigh out of him before he hugged back… huh?
"When you get so short?" He wondered out of nowhere as she laughed before holding him at arm's length only to blink as they locked eyes more than usual. "... I see," Obito blinked as she blushed a bit before grinning brightly, rattling his emotional cage. "Y-Yes, well, ahem. Come on, let's go… let's go home."
She smiled with a nod as they walked off, the children in the park's leaning-on-the-railing's stares going unaddressed.
One of those said children tilted his head as he blinked, sharp teeth set in a confused look.
"Weird," he said to a girl at his side, one with hair that hit her shiitake mushroom top-like eyes.
"Hehe, it's romance, Tetsu-kun."
"Really?"
Hawks leaned over the edge, eyes alight with interest at the two odd individuals.
'How can you fall in love with someone like that?' He didn't understand.
His parents had been the same… and they were thieves with his mother a horrid support for his father.
The boy frowned, holding onto something in his white shirt's dress pocket, a small police officer badge, a fake one, but one that reminded him of why he was here.
Hawks followed them until they reached a hotel.
Watching them go in, he tilted his head.
'Right, ummm… wasn't it his grandfather, right?' He didn't remember, he'd be getting a remedial lesson on that. 'So, they're now graduates,' what did that mean for his 'work'?
Would he be following these guys forever? Hawks didn't know-
His stomach growled and he held it before flying off lazily.
For now, he was hungry.
~NRK~
Back in the hotel, Ippan smiled as they reached their floor and walked down the hallway.
Reaching their room, she fumbled with her key before opening it up, the two teens going inside-
Hokei looked up from the visible bed with Eri, the man humming as they came in and found a man there. Around the corner of the kitchen, Tooru and Tenko watched.
Wearing a sharp dark blue suit, a pair of black shoes, a blue dress shirt, and a yellow tie, his hair was black and neatly combed to the side, his skin a fair shade, and his eyes a green one.
"So, you're the young man who owns these ones," the man said simply and without emotion as Obito's eyebrows slowly furrowed.
"If you're going to talk like that, get the hell out of my home," was the sharp response as narrowing green and unfaltering, chilling, black locked gazes. "Don't test me. What are you here for?"
The man looked ready to rebuke the statement but the way his bones chilled, on both sides of him, made him reluctant.
"Hmph, whatever, I need you, as the new owner of the Mustafu Talent Agency, to do something that'll make us both happy."
"You're not going to give your name, are you?"
"... Ouryu Toga, my daughter has a quirk and I want you two to teach her how to control it," the man, Ouryu, said with a frown as the two blinked in surprise.