Chapter Thirteen: Tides
It isn't that Kaina thinks Tsunade can do anything about the HPSC that she tracks her down. It's that she can feel herself peel away, layer by layer, until she can't take it anymore. She wanted to help people so how had her world become so filled with blood. And what have those deaths led to? Nothing. No changes. No improvements.
The world is like a staged play. Rehearsing and acting the same scenes on repeat while the audience watches on and people coordinate out of sight to make everything possible. The only way for the play to change is if some improvises or rewrites the scripts. Improvisations are usually one offs that don't change the flow of the story. Rewriting the script requires those in power to want to change the narrative.
Kaina feels herself ready to snap. Reaching out to someone, anyone, was her last-ditch effort before completely loosing it. Except who is she supposed to turn to? She has no one.
Tsunade said 'if she ever needed an escape.' It was a sentence fragment with no conclusion what to do, but is it wrong to assume it was an implication to seek her out if needed.
Yet even as she sits across from her, everything feels surreal.
"Are you willing to speak out against them?" Tsunade's fingers are crossed which she uses as a chin rest.
Kaina winces. "That's…"
"To be completely honest with you, it's taken you a while to show up, so you're against the clock anyhow." Her voice is stern and direct. "Even if you go back and warn them now, it'll be too late."
"I don't want to protect them." Kaina speaks immediately as if on reflex before her face scrunches in confusion. "What did you do?"
"Nothing much." Tsunade glances to the wall clock. "Nezu should have submitted the documented proof by now to the House of Representatives and various news outlets, among some other organizations of interest. You'll have to decide what you want to do about that. There's enough information for the public to think of you sympathetically, but the HPSC's documentation of child recruitment is one of the many footnotes."
Tsunade did most of the snooping and Nezu took care of most of the synthesizing. It's a pleasant experience to work with someone who is usually on the same wavelength and who would take on most of the compiling and paperwork. If all goes well, Nezu's plan is to use the news as a promotion to publicly announce their upcoming agency.
"Though I must admit they did a relatively good job hiding their tracks. So, what are you going to do about it?"
The words Kaina are hearing don't sound real.
She hears the footsteps and tenses.
"Is that Lady Nagant? You're so cool!" No. She shouldn't be anyone's role model. People shouldn't look up to her.
"Weren't you playing video games?"
"Yeah, but I'm hungry."
"We are in the middle of something. Can it wait a few minutes?"
"Are you planning to take down a villain together?" Tenko's eye light up with interest, all the more determined to stay.
Kaina looks to Tsunade. She's intending to go pro? She hasn't heard about it, but also there's more news than any one person can keep up with and she's busy enough.
She looks back but the boy is still looking at her with such intensity. She roughly stands up, knocking the chair over in the process. She tries to control the shaking of her hands as best she can, but she can still feel her minor tremors.
Tenko's expression changes from one of delight to horror. Right, it's been mostly alright cooped up in the house but there's people out there who will judge him. He should have expected heroes to be particularly sensitive to his past actions.
Kaina takes Tenko's expression to be proof that anything less than actions confirming her public image would cause people to fear her.
"You both should calm down. You don't fear each other." Tsunade notices their reactions and breaks it up before they spiral down the rabbit hole.
Tsunade fights back a sigh as the two stare at each other suspiciously. There's still a lot to be done.
Toshinori doesn't feel good after his talk with Gran Torino. He's heartbroken like him about Nana's family of course, but it turned into another lecture.
He's eating his weight in food in another poor attempt to feel better about the situation. Or maybe that's what he tells himself to excuse himself to drown in his sorrows.
He can't blame a child for the accident even if it brings him pain, and it brings just as much pain to know her grandson has to live with such a burden. He's tried to reach out to Tenko but he's been keeping his distance. He even had Keigo comfort him saying Tenko's a fan of All Might so give him time.
All Might is a beacon of hope. A symbol of peace. He's supposed to bring about comfort and safety to others. They shouldn't be trying to comfort him.
He takes another piece of sizzling beef off the grill and places it in his mouth.
"There you are."
Toshinori sees a young, elementary aged school kid in street clothes and chokes on his beef. "Lady Tsunade." He doesn't believe it's a coincidence. Same hair colour. Same eyes. Same expressions. He knows she can transform her appearance, so it isn't a stretch to deduce who's before him.
She stands a little taller. "You'd be surprised how many people can't tell." Tsunade thinks it's a travesty. Her young self is adorable so she could understand a little but to not make the connection at all is too much. However, it does mean she could run about in this form and it still be counted as a disguise.
He offers her a seat and scrambles to pass a pair of chopsticks and other wares so she could join him.
She sits down across from him and extends him a bag. "What's that?"
"A gift. I never thanked you for putting up with everything with no notice, and for using your name as political sway without your input. I probably still would have used you anyway, but I would have at least taken your outlook into account." She releases the string handles to the paper bag once it's in his grasp. "You aren't exactly easy to buy for. It's usually work, work, work with you. Would it hurt to invest in some hobbies?"
It's not the same as being scolded by Gran Torino, but he feels the sweat form anyway.
"Seriously. What's the point of hiding your identity when your identity revolves around your work?" Tsunade takes a piece of eggplant.
Because people could trace back his origins. The could find out he was born quirkless. Could question where his quirk came from, and from there open another can of worms involving other matters like All for One.
"How's Tenko?" Tsunade notes the drop of 'young' as an honourific.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You can't prevent every incident. You know this." She points her chopsticks at him. "Though you might have to fight for his number one hero spot again."
Toshinori grimaces. It's only natural. Tsunade has been able to do much more for Tenko than he has.
"It started off a little rocky, but he's started to take to Kaina."
That's not… "Who's Kaina?"
"Right. Hero names. Lady Nagant." Tsunade stifles a laughter. "She doesn't know what to do with his attention though. It's funny. He's shown me video clips in his excitement, and it's hilarious how someone who should be in her element flounder. Though I still question whether he's more of her fan or a personal cheerleader." Tenko has been very adamant that she can keep being a hero even after her 'crimes'. It's good for him to navigate in a world in a way that keeps him pushing forward.
"From the HPSC?" Ever since the reveal, criminal activity had gone up to take advantage from the government's instability.
"She's technically on leave of absence as she figures out what to do next and as the government continues to investigate, but she still has her license. I hear she still has her fair share of action when the situation calls for it. She can't help herself."
Toshinori panics as he remembers something. "Congratulations on your upcoming agency. I heard you're starting in spring."
Tsunade groans. Did he say something wrong? "I take it back. Forget picking up hobbies. Keep to your job." The more he does the less she has to do.
Tsunade stands on centre stage in front of nearly 5,000 people. The first of several seminars promised.
"I wish I didn't have to explain this to a group who practices medicine, but the information shared in today's lecture is for the benefit of those who have been medically negatively impacted by their quirks. This isn't for your personal curiosity to mess with people's individual capacities or mess with people's well-being for the pursuit of science. As you may have already heard, new laws are being rushed through to deal with those of you who may disregard this warning."
She slowly give her hard stare across the room. She signed off on this but the chances are at least one person is an idiot and will harm someone with this knowledge.
Time to get it over with.
She knows the government wants to hold an international conference in Japan later on, but she's secretly hoping they change their mind and they can speed up the passport process so she can gamble to cope in other countries. Pachinko isn't going to cut it.
Keigo reveals his cards and collects the money with a huge grin. "I win again."
"I thought you weren't supposed to gamble anymore?" Tenko peeks into the room.
"Considering people expect your money to be mine, society doesn't count this as real betting." Tsunade hangs her head in shame as she looses again. Which god instilled luck on this child?
Tenko rubs his eyes as Keigo and Tsunade both grab a piece of chicken the same way, devours it the same way, swallows an entire cup of beverage before grinning as they start the next round the same way. It's weird. He really would think they're blood related if he didn't know otherwise. He leaves to go to bed.
"What if we convince the public that I need to go abroad for work, help someone for the press, and then go gambling in their countries." There's no reason that just because she's in another world she can't fulfil her dream of traversing every corner and winning at every casino there is. Maybe she can even count it towards her 'owed work time'.
"Would I even be allowed in?" Keigo deals the cards. The only reason he's been able to play before is because the illegalness of the activity overall.
"Then hurry and grow up. It's probably faster just to find a way to sneak you in."
"Want me age to kick me out already?" He dramatically places a hand over his heart.
She snorts. "Brat."
"The biggest brat." He shows his hand. "And the winner again."
She looks around the room. "You're not cheating are you?"
"No need. Not against you."
Tsunade takes another shot before slamming the glass down. "Again."
Tsunade flicks his forehead sending him flying into a wall.
Ever since Oboro found out about her age, he's used it as a weapon knowing it's one of the few things that get to her.
Retaliation is to put him in his place.
"I still don't understand how a flick hurts so much." Oboro's hand covered the sore sport on his forehead. "Mom! Can I get some ice."
"Get it yourself!" She yells from the back of the kitchen.
He grumbles under his breath before perking back up. "Exams are almost done! Then I can become an official hero. Er, once they get around to updating our provisional license for a full license. Couldn't you have waited a few months before you busted the Hero Public Safety Commission. I might not get my license updated until June at this rate." It had been hard enough to find a placement during third year. It was only because of Kayama he and Shouta were able to secure a spot second year and she's graduated already and off doing hero work. He pretty much had to beg her to see if anyone she knows would be willing to take him in for third year too.
He wants to be a hero but he wants to form a trio with his friends. For a while at least. That's going to be hard to do while they've barely squeezed by. Well not Hizashi. Oboro needs to know his tricks! "Hey! Hey! Why don't you hire us once we graduate?" It's mostly a joke. She's not just part of an agency but starting one, so she'll be plenty busy and probably looking for established people to help out. Not a bunch of newbies.
"Then make sure not to fail your exams."
Oboro freezes before jumping in excitement. "Really! What about Shouta and Hizashi?"
"Yeah, sure. Them too."
He squeals in delight. This is too good to be true. He must be dreaming.
Tsunade doesn't think much of it. It works out. She needs people to do the work for her. She'll have to invest some time training them up because she doesn't exactly trust their education up until this point or their abilities to properly assess a situation. She still remembers Oboro's battered body and recovery process.
"Thanks granny!"
Twice in one day? He really wants to die.
She flicks him in the same spot she had a few minutes ago.
"Arg. That hurt. Wait. This isn't a dream?" He slaps his cheeks. "I'm awake?! The offer is real?"
"Not if you keep calling me that. Maybe I'll hire your friends and leave you out just to make you suffer."
He hugs her. "You got it. Never say granny—" Tsunade's glare shuts him up. "Never that again. Can do."
He can celebrate for now. He might come to regret his decision when she puts him in additional training.