Rumi glanced down at the green-haired man's extended hand and scoffed. "Sorry, I only shake hands with two kinds of people. People I have saved, and people I respect. You are neither of those."
Immediately Rumi could hear Miss Sasaki sigh loudly in annoyance. However she was not the one being forced to work with a total stranger.
The liaison's smile faded as he retracted his hand and slightly narrowed his eyes. "Look Miruko, I know you have a reputation for being difficult, but I am just doing my job. Can't we at least talk things over a little first before you go and decide to keep disrespecting me?"
Now it was Rumi's turn to narrow her eyes. She was about to snap back with a venomous reply but was interrupted as her agent stood up and quickly got between the two adults.
"I think that is a reasonable request." Miss Sasaki said pointedly as she glared at Rumi, clearly informing her that any more resistance would not be tolerated.
Huffing in annoyance like a rebellious teenager being scolded by a parent, Rumi turned on her heel and immediately walked out of the office. Not checking to see if her agent or liaison were following, Rumi walked down the hallway and over to the bank of elevators. Pressing the elevator call button, Rumi rolled her eyes as she heard her agent politely talking with the (admittedly cute) government stooge.
"So how exactly do you plan on integrating your work with my client's activities?" Miss Sasaki said bluntly to Izuku as the two came to a stop next to Rumi.
"Good question." Izuku said politely. "I think what I will do is try to implement a system where I can inspect her work without actually having to be next to her. I am not foolish enough to try and force a pro-hero to bend over backwards just to make my job easier."
The elevator doors chimed softly and opened, allowing the three inside. Rumi then pushed the bottom floor button and gritted her teeth as the doors closed and the elevator began it's slow descent.
"I know that this was forced on your client unexpectedly, so I am going to try and keep my interference to a minimum." Izuku said diplomatically, obviously knowing that Rumi was listening.
"Oh would you stop with that goody-two-shoes act already!" Rumi said loudly as she turned around and glared at the stone-faced liaison. "Cut the bullshit and just admit you are here to fuck with my work. You suits have always pissed me off, and that is not going to change any time soon!"
Rumi was surprised to see the liaison roll his eyes and lean back against the gray metal wall of the elevator.
"You do realize that not everyone is out to get you right?" Izuku said in a bored tone. "I am just doing my job. If you would just get your head out of your ass and listen for a second you would understand I am not your enemy."
Rumi felt her blood pressure go up a few notches as she quickly closed the distance of the cramped elevator and got nose-to-nose with the disrespectful little shit.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Rumi growled. "I could punt your ass into the stratosphere if I wanted to, so choose your next words carefully."
Rumi's new "partner" squared his shoulders and stared back challengingly as he spoke. "You heard what I said. People like you have been talking down to me all my life and you all sound the same. All bark and no bite. Go ahead and hit me if you want, all it will do is earn you a suspended hero license."
Rumi would have been shocked by the sheer balls on this government peon if she was not so furious. However, before she could think up a witty reply the elevator doors rattled open to reveal a crowd of office workers looking on curiously.
Using all the self-control she could muster, Rumi ended the conversation with a snarl then stomped out of the elevator and out the front doors of the building.
Izuku watched as the crowd of office workers hastily cleared a path for the angry rabbit-girl, who then stomped away grumbling under her breath.
Sighing tiredly, Izuku stepped out of the elevator with Miruko's agent and gave her a slight bow. "Sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me. Hopefully once both of us have cooled our heads a little we can have a more civil discussion."
Miruko's agent snorted softly and waved away Izuku's apology. "Considering how my client acts I say this went better than expected. To be honest I think it is good that someone finally stood up to her. She may be talented and have a powerful quirk, but she still has a lot to learn when it comes to people."
Izuku simply stayed silent as Miruko's agent handed him her card with her contact information. Nodding gratefully, Izuku walked the agent over to the building entrance and respectfully held a door open for her to exit.
Waiting until the agent had walked out of sight, Izuku let his shoulders sag as he trudged back to the elevator.
He had promised himself to be professional and diplomatic for heaven's sake! Why was it that he lost his cool with Miruko of all people?!
After descending to the parking garage and walking back to his car, Izuku drove straight to his office. The building he worked in was not anything special, just a blocky rectangle that was clearly designed for utility and not style.
After using his ID card to pass through multiple doors and metal detectors, Izuku took the stairs up to the second floor and entered his office.
Izuku's office was always neat and tidy even though it was fairly plain. A single bookshelf stood on one side filled with various textbooks and manuals, while a digital clock hung on the wall. His desk was sturdy and made of black metal and his laptop sat on one side of the desk in a rotating charging station. A simple rolling office chair accompanied the desk and a decently sized window let in enough sunlight to make the room warmer on sunny days. The only thing that stood out was a small glass display case hung on the wall. Inside the case were all of Izuku's military awards and merits as well as the patches of the units he had been part of.
Unfortunately, Izuku's office was not empty when he walked in.
A man in a cheap black suit sat in Izuku's chair with his feet up on the desk and a tabloid magazine in his hands.
"Yo Mido, how did your meeting go?" The man said in a friendly tone.
At a glance the man looked like any (relatively) normal adult. Caucasian skin, muscular, with brown buzz cut hair. But if you looked closer you would notice some very interesting details. First was that the man's eyes were a moldy green color with slit pupils similar to a crocodile or alligator.
Rolling his eyes, Izuku walked into his office and pushed the intruder's feet off his desk.
"C'mon Oscar, if you are going to keep breaking into my office at least keep the place clean. Last week I found a stale piece of beef jerky on my bookshelf."
Oscar smiled toothily and stood up, folding up the magazine and sticking it in his pocket. His teeth were like that of a hyena. Sharp, large, and clearly meant for crushing bone and tearing flesh (on a slow day Izuku had spent nearly an hour looking up pictures of various kinds of animal teeth to satisfy his curiosity).
"I was wondering where I left that. Sorry Mido." Oscar said in a clearly unapologetic tone. "If you want, feel free to swing by my office and leave some paper clips or something for me to find."
The man's name was Oscar Smith. American CIA agent, snoop, and all around pain in Izuku's neck.
Oscar walked out from behind Izuku's desk and leaned against one of the office walls, letting the green-haired agent sit down with a heavy sigh.
"So?" Oscar said teasingly. "Did you go toe-to-toe with the big bad Miruko? Maybe bore her to death with some statistics? Oh! Did you put on that classic Mido charm and make her fall in love with you at first glance?"
Oscar was a strange person. That had been clear from the day he had first started working at the Ministry of Defense. On loan from the American CIA, Oscar's official job was that of a tactical operations advisor. However the popular theory that was often shared over coffee or lunch was that Oscar had pissed off the wrong people and had gotten shipped off to Japan as punishment. Honestly the rumour was not that hard to believe after you interacted with the oddball American.
Oscar always seemed to be unnaturally friendly and energetic, like some kind of undercover alien trying a little too hard to blend in. Unfortunately for Izuku, Oscar had been given the office directly next to him. This meant that Izuku was the one who had to deal with the aggravating man the most. It had been over a year since Oscar had arrived, and one of his routine habits was to break into Izuku's office for reasons unknown. Sometimes he would simply leave the door ajar, other times he might leave things behind for Izuku to find (like a piece of beef jerky), and occasionally he would simply wait for Izuku to come back so he could pester him some more (like today).
Izuku leaned back in his chair and glared at Oscar who was smirking annoyingly. "Neither of those. I let her get under my skin and in the heat of the moment told her to get her head out of her ass."
Arching his eyebrows in surprise, Oscar tilted his head like a dog hearing a curious sound. "Huh...interesting. I guess I should consider her a challenger then. I mean you have only blown up on me like, what, two times? I kinda feel jealous."
Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation Izuku spoke in a dismissive tone. "That's because I have to deal with your crap every day. Maybe if you actually left me alone I would yell at you more."
The problem with Oscar was that while his antics were annoying, they were not enough cause to get him transferred (no matter how many times Izuku complained). The other part was that for some reason the American was weirdly obsessed with Izuku in particular. Like an annoying moth drawn to a lightbulb in the dark.
"Aww you're gonna make me blush." Oscar said teasingly. "But I think I like things the way they are, after all you are my buddy."
Sighing, Oscar pushed off the wall and walked over to the office door. "Anyways, I got stuff to do. People to kill, rats to threaten, you know, the usual. If you ever wanna talk some more my door is always open. Like, literally, I think I broke the lock."
Izuku did not bother to respond to the parting words as Oscar disappeared from view, simply waiting for the man to leave before standing up and closing his office door.
Finally alone, Izuku sat back down at his desk and opened up his laptop.
"How...to...find...common...ground…" Izuku mumbled to himself as he typed into the web browser.
Night had fallen and Rumi was still seething from her encounter with that government jackass. She had tried venting her anger on a purse snatcher and then a drug dealer, but no matter how hard she kicked her mind kept circling back to that green-haired dickwad.
"Fuckin talk to me like that…" Rumi mumbled as she stood on the roof of an apartment building and scanned the street below. "I'll show him...next time…"
Sighing in irritation, Rumi sat down on the ledge of the rooftop and let her legs dangle as she watched the many lights of the city twinkle and shine like stars in a concrete sky.
How did that guy get under her skin so easily?! She was a pro-hero dammit! It should have gone the way it normally does when she deals with cocky assholes. They spew some bullshit, she replies with a snarky comeback, then she leaves them either dumbstruck or unconscious.
Shortly after Rumi had stormed off she had gotten a text from her agent that simply said "play nice."
There was no point in trying to argue with Miss Sasaki. Rumi had tried many times in the past and it was like trying to have a verbal debate with a brick wall.
So it seems that she is stuck with this government prick, for now.
Rumi tilted her head back and looked up at the cloudy night sky, her rabbit ears twitching slightly as a cool breeze wafted over the rooftop. After a few seconds of pondering a small grin formed on Rumi's face.
She would deal with this problem the only way she knew how, with overwhelming force. It had been awhile since she last had a challenge in something other than physical strength. After all, a sharp mind can be just as useful in a fight as raw power.
Feeling a little better, Rumi stood up and began making her way back to her apartment.
It took a few minutes for Rumi to arrive back at her apartment, after all it's not like she could just use the front door of the building while dressed in her hero outfit. That just attracted too much attention. Luckily owning a penthouse meant that she could use the roof to come and go as she pleased.
While it was a penthouse, Rumi was not the kind of person to flaunt her wealth. She believed achievements and accomplishments were more valuable than art or rare jewels.
The penthouse was a single floor and featured the basics needed for living along with a few creature comforts. It had a fully stocked kitchen (that was rarely used), a training room with custom equipment built to handle Rumi's strength, a living room with a single couch and a massive flatscreen, as well as a long but narrow indoor pool for swimming laps. Then there was the spacious bedroom with scenic views of downtown (complete with one-way glass to prevent unwanted peepers.
Every hero had their own ways to unwind. For Rumi, it was just a long soak in a hot bath. Good thing her bionic arm was water-proof
Once she was done with her evening ritual, Rumi changed into an oversized short-sleeve shirt and pajama bottoms.
Letting out a relaxed sigh, Rumi flopped onto her king-sized bed and let herself drift to sleep as she imagined various scenarios where she made that cute liaison look like a bumbling fool.
The next morning Rumi was awoken by the sound of her doorbell chiming annoyingly.
Still half asleep, Rumi clawed her way out of the warm embrace of her blankets while cursing under her breath. Today was her day off dammit! The building staff knew that, so why the hell was someone ringing the fucking doorbell so early in the morning?!
"I swear if it's that creepy old guy from downstairs I'm gonna strangle him with his own bathrobe." Rumi mumbled to herself as she stomped out of the bedroom and over to her front door.
Whipping open the front door, Rumi began talking with a snarl before she even saw who it was. "For the last time I won't give you an autograph!"
Brushing her long white hair out of her eyes, Rumi finally saw who she was talking to.
"Oh, I don't need an autograph." The (cute) liaison said politely as he looked Rumi up and down.
Freezing like a rabbit in the headlights, Rumi felt her face blush bright red before slamming the door in the man's face.
A/N
- accidentally posted an unfinished draft, should be fixed now