The program opened on a massive stage, occupied only by a couch and a desk and surrounded by a multitude of cameras and lights. A pink-haired, middle-aged woman sat at the latter, hands folded in front of her and a huge, television-ready smile spread across her face. Her outfit was a gaudy, loud-patterned jumpsuit in a shade of green that clashed horribly with her hair. She took a deep breath and waited for the camera to focus perfectly on her face before she spoke.
"Welcome back to Shimura Speaks – the number-one talk show in all of Japan!" Her voice was high-pitched and loud – grating to the ears – shrill and unpleasant. She thereafter managed to alter her tone to something lower, an attempt at melancholy, to convey a more solemn note. "Now, folks, we've got a bit of a different show for you all tonight! In light of recent events, we've decided to break off from our regularly scheduled programming to invite a very special guest to the stage."
A broad grin split across her face once more, forged and off-putting, as her vocals rose back to its initial harsh soprano. "Please give a warm welcome to the youngest, hottest Pro in the Top Ten – the Freezing Hero: Haze!"
The crowd erupted in a cacophony of cheers and thundering applause as the young Pro walked out onstage. They were dressed in a lavish navy blue three-piece suit, foregoing their usual hero outfit entirely. Achikita Mirei had spent nearly their entire life in the public eye, so there was no point in attempting to conceal their identity. Their hair was left tied up in a half-bun, a spill of icy blue waves escaping down their back.
Mirei shook hands with Shimura before they sat down on the couch. The young hero's smile was easy and relaxed, and they crossed one leg over the other before settling upright, clasping their hands around their knee.
"Thank you so much for coming, Haze," Shimura said breezily, her red-painted lips still pulled back into a wide grin, all teeth. "We all appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to make an appearance tonight."
"It's a pleasure to be here, Miss Shimura," they responded. In spite of the fact they had been awake since just after three in the morning, and it was currently eight p.m., they didn't appear tired at all. "But please, call me Mirei." Everything about them appeared calm and put-together. It was almost as though there wasn't a killer running free through Japan at the moment.
Shimura's eye twitched a little bit at the correction, but her smile never wavered. "Of course, Mirei," she gleamed. "You're welcome to call me Yui as well. Feels more personal, doesn't it?"
In response to her falter, Mirei's lids lowered a little, their eyes as gray as winter clouds. "Sounds good to me," they replied, leaning back a bit against the couch. "Yui is a lovely name."
"You're too sweet," Shimura commented. "But surely you haven't come here just to compliment my name. Why not address the citizens directly?"
"That's right." They turned to face a different camera, which had focused on their face. "As you all know, at approximately 3:15 this morning the convicted murderer, Hado Koushi, escaped from prison. His whereabouts are unknown, but please rest assured that we are working tirelessly to track him down and bring him to justice." Their tone was level and even, confident in spite of their age and the stressful situation they were in.
Shimura cut in, manicured nails like talons tapping on the surface of her desk. "Is it true that this case is one that you've requested to personally take the lead on?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side. Her hair, caked with hairspray, did not budge.
"That's correct," Mirei confirmed, turning their attention back to her. "I have partnered with the police and several hero organizations have agreed to assist. I've also been speaking directly with the Chief of Police, Kominato Shinichi, on the matter."
"It sounds like you've got a solid network of people working with you," Shimura commented. Her grin quirked ever so slightly. "But there have been some... concerns about your level of involvement with this case."
The young hero raised a brow. "Such as...?"
"Well, your age, for starters! Being twenty-one years old, you are younger than Hado himself." Shimura leaned forward a bit. "That, coupled with the fact that your hero training was... unorthodox, and that you debuted so young, has led some to question your competency with such a complex case. Some believe it might be best to let a more... seasoned Pro take the reigns on this one."
Mirei appeared unaffected by the statement and instead offered her a patient smile. "Taking a look at the cases I've personally handled in the past should reassure whoever is having these doubts that I am more than capable of tackling this case," they remarked. "As for my 'unorthodox' training and debut, my family is licensed to train their own heroes. Everything was legal and monitored, and my family has always produced effective heroes. The fact that I've been licensed since I was fifteen should be even more evidence of my experience."
Shimura's eyes glinted with a poorly concealed malicious intent. "Ah, but your family is another controversial topic," she pointed out, straightforward and knife-edged. "According to the report, Hado did not escape confinement alone. Allegedly, there was a woman with a Quirk that allowed her to phase through solid matter present, as well." She turned and gestured to a large screen behind them, which immediately began to play the grainy security footage.
It was a short clip, likely taken outside the prison itself, of a tall, masked woman with dark hair as she walked straight through the brick wall. The scene played on loop as Shimura looked back at Mirei.
"If I recall correctly, Enoshima Asahi – formerly known as the Pro Hero, Snowblind, was a relative of yours," the host continued, batting her eyelashes. "Wasn't he?"
Mirei sat up a little straighter. "He was my uncle, yes," they replied, tone just as level as when they began the conversation.
"And his wife, Enoshima Ayane – her Quirk allowed her to phase through walls, just like the woman in this video, correct?"
"That would be correct."
Shimura hummed and tapped her nails on the surface of her desk again. Click, click, click, click. "There have been rumors – concerns – that you may be too... emotionally invested in this case to handle it effectively," she went on. "Could it be that you have an ulterior motive – that you want to bring the woman who killed your uncle to justice more than you want to capture Hado?"
The young hero's shoulders squared just slightly before relaxing again, a smile crawling back onto their face. "I can assure you that my interest in this case has nothing to do with Enoshima Ayane or my uncle," they stated. "Capturing Hado and keeping Japan safe is my number one priority."
"Hm," the host hummed, tilting her head to the side. She seemed to be dissatisfied with the answer, but decided to drop it regardless. "On a lighter note, you recently did a collab with Mercy for an up-and-coming fashion brand."
She gestured to the screen again, and an image of the two of them – Marin in a strapless black mini-dress and Mirei sporting a tight pair of leather pants and a crop top – popped up. Marin was sitting on a stool with Mirei leaning over her – their faces were close, lips parted and makeup smeared. The crowd wolf whistled and crowed in excitement. The shoot was meant to be a bit sensual, with dim lighting, their clothes askew and their hair messy; a typical magazine cover, really.
"Of course, all of Japan is dying to know - are the two of you dating?"
That pulled a small, breathy laugh from the young hero, who glanced at the photo fondly. "No, no – Mercy is a great hero, and she's wonderful to hang out with, but we aren't dating," they dismissed with a wave of their hand. "I've partnered with her several times, both in photo shoots and on the field. She's a good friend."
Shimura pouted a bit, clearly displeased with that response, but was able to recover quickly. "She went to Chikara with Hado, didn't she?" the host questioned. "You've teamed up with several Chikara graduates over the years. Mercy, Bountyhunter, Breakdown, Enlighten – just to name a few."
"Yes," Mirei confirmed. "Chikara has produced many capable heroes, and it's always an honor to work with them."
"Which one would you say you've worked with most often?" Shimura asked.
Mirei took a moment to consider before replying. "I'd say Enlighten and I have teamed up most often out of anyone from Chikara," they told her. "He's an incredibly skilled hero – I know not to worry when Enlighten is on the field with me."
The woman grinned again. "He's a handsome one, too, isn't he?" she purred. "There's been some speculation online about the state of your relationship with him, as well."
"There's speculation on a lot of my relationships, apparently," Mirei stated, their smile faltering just slightly. "Surely there are more important things to discuss right now."
Shimura put her hands up in a seemingly placating gesture. "Well, of course there's a lot of speculation! You're a pretty hot topic right now. Young, successful, sexy. Who wouldn't want some insight into your personal life? It's not too often we get you on our show like this."
Mirei closed their eyes and took a deep breath through their nose. "Of course," they amended, a small smile on their lips. It looked more forced than before. "I apologize. As you are aware, it's been a long day. I might be a little tired."
"No apologies necessary!" Shimura cooed, fluttering her lashes at them. "I just wanted to make the most of the time we had with you, but we can certainly change the subject if it's making you uncomfortable."
"I would appreciate it." Mirei settled back into the couch again, posture still proper. "Perhaps we can circle back to the Hado case?"
"Absolutely!" the host proclaimed, her grin just a bit too wide to be comfortable. "Is there anything else you'd like to say to the people of Japan?"
Mirei nodded their head and glanced back at the camera. "There will be an increase in both police activity and surveillance in the cities surrounding Kobe, so you can all rest easy knowing we are here to keep you all as safe as possible. Please remain calm and continue living your lives as usual." They cleared their throat. "If you happen to see anyone matching his description, please do not panic. Alert your local law enforcement and we will have a hero on the scene as soon as possible. Do not engage in conversation or confrontation with him, and don't try to bring him in yourself. Hado is a very dangerous individual and we don't want anyone to get hurt."
"That's some good advice," Shimura commented, nodding her head. "And I think we'll end on that note. Thank you for your time, Mirei, and for your dedication to the people of Japan. Good luck on your investigation."
"Thank you for having me. Stay safe, everyone – we'll find Hado soon and bring him to justice," Mirei responded, and the program abruptly cut to commercial.
Itsuki
"This is bullshit!" Sayuri seethed, pacing back and forth in front of the television in Itsuki's dorm room. It was just the three of them – Itsuki, Sayuri, and their best friend, Rintaro. Goketsu High was fairly relaxed on their curfew, so the trio being together after dark wasn't a problem, but if Sayuri kept shouting like she was, there would most likely be an issue. "Can you believe... after all of... they just... these fuckers!" She seemed unable to form a complete sentence, tail fluffed out and ears pinned to her skull in rage.
"Sayuri," Rintaro fretted, black eyes round with concern. "Are you okay...?"
"Do I look okay?" she demanded, whirling to face the older teen. Guilt and regret marred her expression and she tensed bodily, gaze shifting to the side. Snapping at Rintaro was a cardinal sin, after all, and he had only been worried. "Sorry. It's been... a rough day."
Being the sibling of a high-profile murderer was about as fun as you would expect. Still, Itsuki figured he and Sayuri were lucky. At the very least, the two of them had each other, rather than having to deal with the chaos alone. It grew easier over time, but now that Koushi was out, things were bound to get more difficult again. The two of them had been on the receiving end of dirty looks all day.
Rintaro smiled a little. "It's okay," the silver-haired boy assured her, ever the peaceful one. "I'm sorry about... all of this. But I'm sure they'll find him!"
That... probably wasn't as reassuring as the older boy expected it to be.
"We'll find him," Sayuri asserted, baring her teeth at the floor, frustration muddled but evident in her tone. Her default response was anger, always, and she tried her best not to direct it toward either of her companions. Golden eyes flicked up to meet her twins matching set. "Won't we? Itsuki?"
It was Itsuki's job to be the level-headed one. The one who was careful, composed and in control. Sayuri and Koushi were impulsive and rash, but not Itsuki. He was supposed to...
But he couldn't! Not this time, anyway.
"We can definitely try," he assured her, sitting up straighter in his messy bed. Itsuki was surrounded by blankets and pillows – a makeshift fort they'd created earlier and a source of comfort they'd inherited from their mother.
Rintaro, for his part, looked more than a little stressed by this idea and did not hesitate to question them over it. "You're going to try and find him?" he asked for clarification and blanched when the twins nodded in unison. "...How?"
"Looking around, obviously," Sayuri grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. Typical.
Itsuki took a deep breath and prayed silently for patience. "Think about it. We're in Yokohama – that's not too far from Kobe, right? Sayuri and I have a good sense of smell, so maybe we can track him that way." It wasn't much of a plan, but what else were they supposed to do?
"Well, what are you gonna do if you find him?" Rintaro asked, lips pursed and brows knit together in thought.
"Try and figure out what happened," Itsuki stated. "Koushi is... I don't think he'd do something like this for no reason. We never got the chance to ask him before, so maybe if we just sat down to talk to him, we can get to the bottom of it."
Rintaro leaned back against the wall, black gaze focused on the ceiling. "Well... please be careful. If you need to buy anything, you can borrow my credit card! My brother always said to use it in case of emergencies, and this.. this feels like an emergency, right?" he offered. Itsuki had no idea what Rintaro thought an emergency was, nor how much money was on that card, but it had to have been a lot considering how often the older teen bought the twins meals and other miscellaneous items.
It was a blessing, and neither Itsuki or Sayuri were going to question it.
"We'll have to be sneaky," Sayuri said then, squinting her eyes in thought. Itsuki wondered if it was giving her a headache, using her brain so much. "The teachers can't find out we're doing this."
That was true. It had been difficult enough to find a hero school that would accept them, what with their unimpressive family tree and older brother who happened to be a high-profile murderer. Goketsu had been skeptical about the twins at first, but over time, they'd proven that they were trustworthy. It would be a shame if they messed that up.
However, in this situation, did it really matter anyway? Wasn't Koushi more important than a career? Itsuki wasn't so sure that he wanted to be a hero if it meant he would never get to speak with Koushi again.
"We'll try, but if we get caught, we get caught," he decided firmly. Sayuri and Rintaro both looked alarmed, and Itsuki held up his hands defensively. "It's Koushi. Doesn't he matter more than some school?"
Sayuri snorted a bit, curling her lip. She wanted to be a hero more than Itsuki did, and he knew that, but he also felt confident that his sister's loyalties would always lie more with her family than a potential career.
"He does," she huffed, tail lashing behind her. Her ears were still plastered to her head, flattening her normally-fluffy hair. "Koushi is more important."
Itsuki relaxed, then, and took a deep breath. "Right. So, I was thinking we could start tomorrow after school..."
Mirei
Well... that definitely could've gone better.
Going on those kinds of shows was always a gamble. Sometimes the hosts were pleasant and respectful, while other times... not so much. Shimura Speaks was notorious for bullying their guests, wheedling at them and making them uncomfortable, but it was also the most popular talk show in Japan at the moment. PR had requested that Mirei appear there specifically for the announcement.
Logically, they knew that Shimura Yui was something of a genius. Riling up her guests was what she was good at, and the drama she caused boosted the show's ratings off the charts.
Emotionally, however, Mirei never wanted to see that too-wide smile again.
She had lipstick on her teeth the whole time. They hoped she'd be embarrassed about it when the entire internet decided to point it out tomorrow.
It had been a long day. Really, most of Mirei's days were pretty long, but this one was something even they weren't used to. Waking up at 3:20 in the morning after they'd only just gotten to bed about two hours before, to immediately rush to Kobe's maximum security prison was a bad enough start, but the investigation, meetups, calls, texts, emails, and rushed talk show appearance had been the icing on this fucked up cake.
The fact that they'd forgotten to eat all day had been the cherry on top.
And thinking about all these food analogies only made them hungrier...
But it felt better outside, where they could just walk down the street aimlessly and breathe in that thick, smoggy city air. Not as ideal as the mountains up north, but still better than the too-hot, too-bright stage lights.
Mirei pulled their phone from their pocket – 9:07 pm, with thirteen percent battery remaining. They'd been planning on walking home, but their body was shaking from exhaustion and en excess of energy, and their mind was racing nonstop. Even if they returned home, they would hardly be able to rest given how wired they felt. It was all too much, right now, and they didn't want to be alone.
They jumped a little when their phone buzzed in their hand, but the contact name calmed them immediately. They picked it up on the start of the second ring.
"Hey," they greeted, looking up at the sky. The stars were fully obscured by light pollution and clouds. "I was just thinking of calling you. We talked about you on the show."
"Yes, I saw," Akito responded, deep voice crackling just a bit through the receiver. It was funny how soothing it was just to hear him speak sometimes. "That was..."
"A shit-show?"
"...Yes. I suppose it was." The older hero's tone lightened incrementally. "It wasn't right of her to pry into your private life like she did."
Mirei snorted. "Yeah, that's kind of her job. It sucks, but it is what it is. You've been in this gig long enough to know that." Sure, Mirei had been at it a couple years longer at this point, but anyone who'd been a Pro for more than half an hour has met a vulture like Shimura Yui before.
"Mm," their friend agreed, and Mirei heard some shuffling on the other end. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Dinner? No, I haven't. Been a little busy today."
They could hear the judgment in Akito's voice when he spoke again. "No breakfast or lunch, either, I assume?"
Which... damn it all. Of course he'd know. He was such a mother hen.
"Maybe I'm on a diet," Mirei defended halfheartedly, leaned back against a lamppost. They weren't sure which direction they were planning on heading anyway, so it was probably best just to stand still for the time being.
"I have extra soup and rice from earlier, if you'd like to stop by for a bit," Akito offered immediately, which made Mirei want to cry a little bit, because how could someone be so kind? They'd been planning on picking up a pack of instant noodles from the convenience store on their way back to their apartment.
"You sure? I'm a lil wired right now - I might talk your ear off for a while. Dunno if I can even sit down." It was only fair to warn him, after all, even if Akito had certainly seen Mirei in this state on multiple occasions.
"That's fine."
He said it so easily, like it wasn't something he had to tolerate or deal with. Like it was totally fine if Mirei babbled on about nothing at all for an hour. Not for the first time, Mirei was overwhelmed by the fact that Akito was such a good friend.
They swallowed past the lump in their throat and took a deep breath, fully relaxing for what felt like the first time all day. "Then... yeah, that sounds great. I'll be there in half an hour?"
"I'll keep the door unlocked."
This time, when Mirei started walking, they knew which direction they were heading in.
AN -
I am so sorry for my absence.
So many things have happened. Health scares, multiple illnesses, my best friend's death, my partner's father's death, the family dog's death. It's been absolutely insane for the last several months – it's just felt like one thing after another. I want to thank everyone for being so patient and so supportive through everything, and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. It's still difficult, but we're all managing, and while everyone is sad and still struggling, I believe things are starting to look up. I've been feeling more creative recently, and I've been desperately wanting to get back into writing and communicating with people. Things will will be okay.
Major shout out to my partner, who beta reads all of my work to make it coherent. Without him, this story would be unreadable.
Thank you,
Van.
