It's only been a week.
A single week since Rakugaki decided to take up the occupation of a street artist. Although Jirou recommenced it, Rakugaki does it for little or no money. Some people insist they pay her for her hard work.
And what a wonderful sight for sore eyes.
Parts of the city have never looked better. Art had littered the buildings everywhere Jirou went. Ashido and Uraraka fawn over such creations, 'oohing' in sync with each other as they gaze.
As for Jirou, she can't stop smiling. Yaoyorozu must have suspected something, because she asked her directly.
"Is this what you meant by…?"
"Heh heh… kind of. During Work Study, Shouji and I had to wipe off some graffiti, and I happened to meet the person who made it, and…"
Her silence only fuels Yaoyorozu's curiosity. "You met them? What are they like? They must be very refined to create these kinds of paintings! My family's painters hardly compare!"
"Guess you could say that. She is, uh, eccentric, to say the least."
"How dashing!"
Seeing Yaoyorozu's smile, Jirou turns cherry red and looks away. "A-anyway, enough about what I did. Let's go shop."
The girls walk among the many shops of the mall, eventually exiting to visit the bookstore, yet until a familiar accent catches drift on Jirou's jacks. She stops and turns to the source, quickly peeking around the bookstore's corner. There she sees a familiar blonde ponytail and messy pants. She's just set down a step ladder.
"Oh, Raku!" Jirou calls out. Rakugaki perks up at her nickname and widens her eyes at Jirou. Her smile is hidden beneath her striped mask.
"Ayy, Jirou! Whatcha doin' down 'ere? Who's that sexy broad of ya's right there?"
Yaoyorozu recoils.
"A-ah, she's—um, my friend," Jirou stutters, face flaming once more. "A-anyway, I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing?"
Revealing her shark-tooth smile, Rakugaki approaches the duo. "Hell, girlie, ah've never been happier! Dunno what the hell was wrong with me, this 'street artist' jank is better than ah imagined!"
"Is that right?"
"Yeah! And, ah know ah said ah'd do it for free, but hell, ah've been rackin' up stacks faster than ya can say uncle! Ya shoulda seen the look on them folks' faces when ah showed 'em the finished product!"
Her face looks so much better with a grin, Jirou decides.
"Aw, hey," Rakugaki zooms by and confronts the stunned Yaoyorozu. "Ah'll treat ya two! Ah was gonna start a commission just now, but it can wait! Jirou, what kinda boba d'ya like? Sexy broad, whaddya like?"
Yaoyorozu reels.
And Jirou blushes brighter. "W-whoa, whoa, that's okay! You don't have to treat us! A-and her name's Yaoyorozu…"
"Hell nah! Ah gotta say thanks somehow! Ya sincerely helped me out there, girlie, ya ain't walkin' free!"
What an amusing discovery.
She's almost like an aggressive version of Yaoyorozu…
"Fine," Jirou says, defeated. "You can… treat us to boba if you'd like. But you don't have to."
Rakugaki ponders for a second before clamoring out, "Ah've got it! Ya two broads are Heroes, ain'tcha?! Ah'll make it grand! Somethin' ya'll will never forget! Ah'll go work on it now!" She rushes back to her step ladder and supplies, slinging a bag over her shoulder and hoisting the ladder.
"Jirou, it'll be done by Monday, ah promise ya!"
"W-where are you going?!" but Rakugaki had already sped out of there without a moment to waste.
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu can't gain her composure perfectly. "You have interesting friends, Jirou…"
Ashido being the gossiper with a big mouth, she'd gone and spread the word of Jirou's 'graffiti incident'. Everyone wanted details about how she managed to reform a nasty villain, although Rakugaki wasn't exactly nasty. Jirou had simplified it down to the heart—she reached an inner part of Rakugaki and mended her like a sewing machine.
Good for you! her friends would answer.
Good for her indeed.
Although today is the appointed date. Rakugaki's 'thank you' is due today, and Jirou figures she'll pick it up somewhere along the road back to the dorms. Most of her weekend was spent wondering what it could be.
Maybe a super large boba…
She shudders…
…
She's getting close to UA. At the gate she can see people stopping and gaping up at the school.
…?
What's going on?
Upon reaching the gate, she is stopped by the one and only Aizawa-sensei. His tired glare pierced her eyes. In his scarf, Principal Nedzu is tucked firmly, yet there is a spark of menace hidden within.
She shudders…
"A-Aizawa-sensei…? What's happening?"
He lifts a brow. "Hm. I was wondering if you'd have the answer to that."
"Huh?"
"Miss Kyouka," Principal Nedzu chirps. "Would you care to explain this?"
Aizawa-sensei steps aside, allowing Jirou to peer at what all the commotion is—
!
...WHAT?!
In all its glory, in many colors of the rainbow, from cherry red to lilac violet, spread across UA's frontier, are big bold letters that stretch from the left side to the right. They read:
THANK YOU, JIROU! :)
Jirou can feel her blood turn stone cold. She's feeling despair itself.
…Kudos, Rakugaki!
Screw you, too!
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Thank you for reading. Feedback is very much appreciated. It keeps me motivated. :)