Beta Reader(s): Neo and Nica
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Chapter 5: One Task or Two
Kazuna always wondered if being a professional hero would mean losing her privacy. It was unfair to think that she'd never have a chance to enjoy a weekend night with her friends without flashes following them, but for fifteen years of her life, she had never encountered a top-ranking hero that could calmly do their job without having their every single move monitored.
On the third Monday of the month, there was a commotion in front of Yuuei. Countless reporters gathered with their microphones and camcorders, all just to get one or two glimpses of All Might's new life as a teacher. They blocked the students and staff from entering the school and often deliberately stopped them to get an interview, specifically if they were from the hero course since they knew All Might would only teach at this one department. Some students tried to answer timorously because their face could be broadcasted to the entire country, but most chose to run away out of discomfort.
The next day, there were even more reporters. The teachers and security asked them to leave since they were causing a disturbance, but they were hired for a reason. They managed to interview some kids that they couldn't meet the day before, but once again, most just fled in silence. The day ended with them accidentally stepping into the school and activated the Yuuei's legendary barrier that shielded the outer wall with metal that couldn't be shattered that easily. Fortunately, it happened when the first class had already started because if not, then it would create a chaos for those who couldn't go in.
Everyone was talking about the scene, especially Yuzuru who felt as if she was in the middle of something worth externalizing in a history book her grandchildren would read. She gave some worst-case scenarios of what could happen soon, ranging from how All Might would come and someone would die from breaking their neck when everyone fought to speak to him to a random downpour that would make them calm down for a bit, but still with someone breaking their neck when everyone tried to get into their respective car.
Things turned into a bigger question after they changed into their PE uniform. A senior came to inform that the PE teacher was unavailable to attend the class and assigned them to pull the weeds out from one of the training areas. Once they were done, they could go to the cafeteria, library, their own class, or somewhere else until the lunch break ended at 1:20 p.m. Most of the them were furious because they had to clean a facility that would only be used by the department of heroes, but since a teacher's words were absolute, there was nothing much they could do to spare themselves.
Taking the five-minute walk to the area that they had to clean, some students began to discuss the possibility of this having something to do with the press. Seeing how the teachers from other classes were still present and there wasn't any uproar nearby, the two must have no connection. It wasn't rare for a teacher to suddenly be busy with a personal or academical matter, so maybe he was called by the principle or his family got into huge trouble that required him to go home at this instant. The second one sounded more believable.
There were four male janitors in matching grey uniform standing on the sideline when they arrived. At least their teacher didn't let them cluelessly mend everything by themselves as the janitors had brought with them several wheelbarrows, shovels, and disposable rubber gloves. Thankfully, the field where they had to work on wasn't that massive and the weeds grew sporadically. If forty hands didn't stop moving, they could finish everything under an hour and spend the rest of the time occupying the cafeteria however they wanted.
It wasn't only Kazuna's imagination when some eyes peered through her back the moment she took off her gloves and kept them inside her pocket. No one spoked it out loud, but she knew how wary people around her could get when she didn't have anything concealing her hands. She chose not to mind the cold running down her spine as she wore the rubber gloves and stuck closely to Hitoshi and Yuzuru, while Yuuta pushed a wheelbarrow in front of him, guiding them to a lush area that was quite far from the other groups of three to five.
"Seriously, what is this?! Don't they usually hire people to do this for them?!" Yuzuru grumbled for the eight time within the past twenty minutes as she kneeled on the ground, ignoring the dirt on her covered knees just like the majority of her classmates. Her eyebrows were slanted to emphasize her sweaty angry face under the blazing sun, yet she still managed to stay pretty and graceful.
"Cut it out," Yuuta snarled, seemingly getting tired of the never-ending topic that should had been dropped the moment they left their classroom.
"Um… I think Ishii-sensei doesn't want us slack off. Imagine if he told us to do something at the gym. We'd just lay on the ground and play with our phone…" Kazuna voiced her opinion in order to soothe the heat between the twins, but Yuzuru clicked her tongue, proving that she didn't accept any kind of explanation towards this treatment.
"He could've told us to go to the fitness center. There must be something to do there, running or cycling or anything better than pulling weeds," Yuzuru continued. "I hope this ends quickly."
"Don't worry, we're halfway done…" Kazuna cooed while looking around the area, where people appeared to be no less stressed than Yuzuru. She flicked the hair that was sticking on her damp forehead, taking a deep breath afterwards. Her throat was a bit dry and no one in her group thought of bringing anything to drink with them. There were some other kids who did, but it'd be weird if she suddenly asked for a sip of their drink since she never talked to them. She had no other friends besides the three people working next to her.
"There's some dirt on your left cheek," Hitoshi muttered.
"Huh?" Kazuna turned her head towards the guy who kneeled to her right. "What?"
Hitoshi pointed at his own left cheek. "There's some dirt on your left cheek."
"Oh." Kazuna brought her hand up, wiping the spot with the back of her hand that wasn't as mucky as the other side. "Gone?"
"You've messed it up even more."
Kazuna did the same thing as before, but rougher. "Now?"
Hitoshi showed a little smile as he pulled his right glove off. He didn't warn Kazuna when he stroked her cheek with his bare thumb while the other four fingers rested on the side of her face. The dirt had dried off as it took him some effort and occasional presses against the skin to make sure that she looked as good as when he saw her this morning. For others, she might seem too nonchalant about this—it was as if he had treated her this way millions of times before—but her sight fell onto the ground. It'd be too embarrassing to meet his eyes when the act between them could create misunderstandings.
"Done," Hitoshi said after some time before standing up. "I'll get a new glove."
"Thank you, Shinsou" Kazuna made sure that Hitoshi's kindness wasn't underappreciated.
"Can you buy us something to drink?" Yuzuru asked, just before Hitoshi walked away.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Pocari," Yuzuru promptly decided before glaring at Yuuta. "You should go with Shinsou. He can't carry everything by himself. Don't you want a drink for yourself?"
Yuuta checked the two vending machines located on one side of the field between some wooden benches and a trash can. He stood up as he stared at the stack of dead wild grasses near his feet that he hadn't moved into the wheelbarrow. His eyes were a mystery—it was either he got annoyed at them or he actually didn't want to be separated from them.
"What about you?" Hitoshi asked Kazuna. "The usual milk tea?"
"Ah, yeah, that one's good." Kazuna nodded her head several times. "Thank you again."
After a soft "no problem", Hitoshi left the place, followed by Yuuta who soon enough caught up to the other's step, ending up with them walking side by side to their destination. It was fun to see how Hitoshi was the one who almost always initiated a talk, but was never too much for it to last longer than a maximum of three sentences before the two of them had nothing else to say. They never had a frivolous discussion about movies or video games like their other mate classmates did, so that should explain the limited topics they could thoroughly enjoy.
"Tell me…" Yuzuru grinned, right when she was sure that the boys couldn't hear her anymore. "How close have you and Shisou gotten?"
Kazuna frowned. Her mouth was opened and closed a couple of times like a fish longing for oxygen because she didn't know how to answer. Yuzuru's question wasn't a simple yes or no matter. It was about a real value; a clear number or range. That said, should she mention a percentage? But "Shinsou and I are sixty-eight percent close" sounded like a joke.
"I don't even remember your 'usual milk tea' because you don't always get that every time we have lunch together," Yuzuru put emphasis to what Hitoshi said to Kazuna just a few moment ago. "Well, you two spend a lot of time inside and outside the school together. It should be normal, I guess?"
"I like Kirin's milk tea. I've had it several times here, but he knows it's my favorite because I always buy a lot when we go to the supermarket," Kazuna explained as concise as she could manage. She was relieved when Yuzuru smiled and dropped the subject altogether by not interrogating her even further and continuing the work on the land below them.
With all her heart, Kazuna understood any suspicions regarding her actual relationship with Hitoshi. They lived in the same apartment and were only a floor away from meeting each other whenever they wanted, they had started traveling to school and other places together, and they were almost never seen apart besides when they had to go to somewhere private like the toilet. The word "close" was suited to describe how they appeared in the eyes of those who had heard a few things about them. If someone else were in her shoes, she'd probably judge that person the same way. She had no control over this.
Hitoshi came back soon after with a bottle of jasmine tea and milk tea, while Yuuta had a bottle of lemon soda and Yuzuru's Pocari. They handed the drink to the girls and began chugging, not caring about the dirty gloves that soiled the outer part of their bottle. Yuzuru was overreacting a bit by letting out a few "ahh" and "ohh", but considering the fact that they hadn't had anything for twenty minutes under the scorching sunlight in the middle of the day, her reaction was understandable.
"Who paid for this?" Yuzuru asked, putting her drink down.
"I did," Hitoshi said, looking one by one into the eyes of his three friends. "You guys don't have to pay me back."
Yuzuru narrowed her eyes. "Be honest, Shinsou. Is your family rich?"
"No." Hitoshi's answer was like a flash. His straight face came out as if he was used to be misunderstood in this particular topic and Yuzuru wasn't the first one who asked.
"Okay, I've never been to your apartment, but I know that it's expensive. It has its own lift and a huge parking lot, that alone should explain. High school students won't just move to another town and get a place like that, unless if their parents get some long number in their bank account. Other apartments around are just like a small room with a small bathroom and small kitchen inside. Of course, they have stairs. Not a lift. Not even a door that uses a card—they all use a normal key," Yuzuru gave a thorough explanation before looking at Kazuna. "You're also rich, aren't you? You went to a middle school with its own dorm. I bet it was a private one."
"It was a private one…" Kazuna spoke first. "My parents are good, I guess…? I've never had problems asking them for stuff, but the reason why I got this apartment is because it's actually cheaper than the other high-end apartments around here. There were only some rooms left when I contacted the landlord, so I knew I had to take it…"
"Same about the last part, but my parents aren't rich," Hitoshi added, closing the lid of his bottle. "My father works on the railway and my mother works as a high school teacher. They saved up. They always told me that high school would be the best experience in my life and I'm not planning to go to any higher education, so they spent everything on me attending Yuuei."
Yuzuru nodded her head several times, hinting that she understood Hitoshi before dragging her eyes back to Kazuna. "What's your parents' job then?"
"Mine? Um, just a normal corporate job. They go to the office in the morning and go back home before dinner. I assume they have a high position there, but I never ask what."
"Ah, I see." For the second time, Yuzuru stopped asking when she thought that she'd gotten enough information.
Fifty minutes later, the class was done with their task as they returned all the wheelbarrows and shovels to the janitors who had spent the entire time leisurely chit-chatting with their legs crossed on the pathway that wasn't as dirty as the field. This would leave them thirty minutes of free time—or twenty, since they had to walk back to their building and change their clothes, perhaps also wash their face and hands because many of them were covered in grime, sweat, and oil. If they had brought some extra clothes, everyone would probably take a shower at the fitness center or one of the gyms.
"Argh!"
Kazuna was about to throw her rubber gloves into the wheelbarrow that acted as a trash can when a short-haired girl squeaked and fell on her left side, hitting the ground quite violently that it made a sound. People gave the girl a questionable look since no one was close enough to accidentally push her this hard and make her bend in such position. When she tried to move one leg in front of the other, it was made obvious that her feet had bumped against a small clump of dried soil that she failed to notice when she strolled past the area.
As the person closest to the scene, Kazuna immediately went the girl and offer her right hand with a thoughtful smile. "Are you okay? Can you stand—"
"Don't touch me!" Instead of receiving the sympathy given to her, the girl slapped Kazuna's hand away. She grunted as she struggled to stand up by herself, patting her lower back to remove any dust afterwards. The look in her face showed that she didn't care about what she just did, especially not about Kazuna who was stunned in place with lips sealed. She didn't even seem to sense the people who were staring at her; some might wonder why she treated Kazuna that way and some might think of a way to cut through the unpleasant atmosphere between them.
"You should've been ruder than that." Hitoshi who stood not far from them spoke out with a sardonic tone that would send chills down everyone's spine. Over the past three weeks of being in this school, he had never looked this stern before. His face didn't show a single clue that he was about to burst into flame of anger, but there was something off about the way he glared into the person who had disrespected his friend.
Laughing breathily, the girl retorted, "What? She should've worn her gloves. Do you think people aren't scared of her? Who knows she's actually able to read our memories just by touching our—"
"Shut your mouth," Hitoshi raised his voice and the intensity in his eyes. "She was going to wear her gloves, but then you fell for whatever stupid reason that was and she intended to help you. What about 'thank you'? And what made you think that she was planning to read your memories? What's a significant thing that you have in life besides just being a high school student?"
"Wha—why are you defending her so much?! Have you two started dating or something?!" the girl shouted with eyebrows knitted. "Never mind! You two are exactly the same with your freaky quirk! That's why you understand each other!"
"Can you please stop? Are you having that time of the month?" One guy stepped in with a popular question that made a few people chuckle, calming the situation slightly.
There was no answer given back as the girl left the place, not even removing her gloves or waiting for her friends. The only logical reason must be shame. No one in their right minds wanted to be the center of attention for something abysmal like this. Her attitude was awful, but there should be a part of her that understood that everything she did next would push her into the corner. She made a mistake and the best thing she could do to redeem herself was to be silent and own up it. Too bad for her, people didn't seem to care that much about what she was planning to do when they resumed their previous activity.
As soon as the air inside of her chest became lighter, Kazuna walked to Hitoshi and weakly faced him. "Shinsou, you didn't have to do that, but thank you for defending me… again…"
Hitoshi heaved a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't have to do that? So, you were okay when she did that to you?"
"Not at all… I was very surprised…" Kazuna muttered. "You know what… I don't blame her… I tried to understand her point—"
"You don't," Hitoshi interrupted, face shrouded with irritation. "You should learn to talk back to people. Not always, but there are many cases where you have to tell them off. Don't let people step on you like that."
"I agree!" Out of nowhere, Yuzuru held Kazuna's shoulders from behind and joined the conversation. "Next time this happens to you, just tell them exactly what Shinsou said! 'Who are you to think that I want to read your memories?' Okay?"
Kazuna went quiet for a moment before lifting one corner of her mouth. "Thank you. I'll try."
Kazuna thought Hitoshi was impartial with the whole "doing something for the department of heroes" since he didn't say a single complaint when cleaning the field, but she was dead wrong.
After having lunch at the cafeteria, she and her group of friends went back to the classroom. They sat closely to each other while discussing about some lighthearted topic like a funny new commercial on TV that was booming on the internet. Roughly five minutes after lunch break started, Kazuna felt thirsty and asked Hitoshi to accompany her to get a drink from the vending machine on their floor. She was okay with anything when the cappuccino brand that she wanted to get was out of stock, but Hitoshi talked her into looking somewhere else. They ended up finding one in the vending machine near the library located on the first floor of the main building.
Just when Kazuna opened the can of her cold drink, one male teacher—who she rarely saw—left the library and approached them to ask if they were from 1-C. She affirmed his suggestion and he told them to take the books from his desk at the teachers' room and bring them to 1-B. They couldn't refuse because there wasn't a polite enough excuse to give. As they walked to the room that wasn't too far from they were, Hitoshi began mumbling about how they weren't supposed to do this while there were kids from 1-B passing through the hall and that he felt like he was being a slave for people who were better than their class.
The only thing Kazuna did was smile because she didn't have the exact same opinion as him, Yuzuru, and perhaps more people than she knew. Previously, she thought that they were told to pull weeds simply because their teacher was worried that they wouldn't do anything productive if left unsupervised. Right now, she thought that the 1-B teacher just happened to see them before anyone else because they were literally standing beside the library's door. If they had stood five meters away, the story would've been different.
"Aren't they heavy?" Hitoshi stared at Kazuna who just took one of the two piles of thick green books from the teacher's table.
Kazuna smiled at the way Hitoshi showed how he cared about her, which wasn't something new. "We're carrying the same amount of books, Shinsou… I'm good—"
A sudden ear-piercing ringing sound almost caused Kazuna to bite her tongue, followed by a warning from the central that the school's security had been breached and that all students must evacuate the school in an orderly manner. She looked around, making sure that everyone in this busy room also heard the same thing as she did. The answer was obvious when the students began running towards the only door available for around twenty people to use, while the teachers appeared to be confused as to what to do. Sentences such as "is this real?" and "let's hurry!" were chanted by almost everyone.
"Ah!" Kazuna squeaked when two guys shoved her sideways to create a way for themselves, resulting some of the books in her hand to fall onto the floor. She blamed herself for standing in the middle of the aisle between the teacher desks. It wasn't their fault if they got terrified and wanted to save themselves as fast as possible.
"Just leave the books!" Hitoshi dropped the stuff he held back onto the table beside him. Kazuna did as what she was told. Before she followed Hitoshi's step into the exit, she checked on what scattered down there. She felt awful for leaving and dirtying them, but they could be taken care of later when the situation had been cleared up. Just like the people who treated her like nothing, there wasn't anything they could do during a time like this.
"Hang on! There's nothing!" One female teacher who held a smartphone in next to her ear announced, gaining the attention of a few people who were still inside and waited for their turn to leave. "Calm down, kids! It's a false alarm! The press in front of the gate did something, but it was nothing serious!"
"What?" one student with long hair confusedly asked. "There's nothing?"
"There's nothing!" the teacher repeated her words.
"…seriously?" Hitoshi rolled his eyes before walking back to the table that was only less than three meters away from where they were stopped. He mumbled a few things about how the brief suspense was good for nothing and for this one subject, Kazuna had to agree.
"My heart almost stopped beating," Kazuna said while kneeling to pick up the books from the floor and stacking them with the rest on the table. "I bet it's a bloodbath there around the cafeteria."
"Hey." Hitoshi's tone went deeper. "Your arm is bleeding."
All at once, Kazuna's brain registered the numb sensation that she'd had for who knew how long. She lifted her right arm and found a long streak of blood running from her wrist, all down to a few centimeters above her elbow pit. It wasn't deep. The blood wasn't overflowing that she'd lose consciousness in a matter of seconds, but she needed something sanitary to clean and block the wound from producing more blood. Some bandages would be the best since they would also protect the skin from bacteria and other objects.
"What did I hit?" Kazuna inspected her surrounding to find a sharp object that had punctured her skin, but couldn't figure it out. She might have gotten the wound when she was looking for a drink, but then Hitoshi would've noticed it earlier.
"When those guys bumped against you, I think you hit your arm against that. It looks sharp." Hitoshi pointed at the corner of the teacher's cubicle right beside Kazuna. "It doesn't matter. Go to the infirmary. I'll ask someone to help me with the books."
"Are you sure…? I won't die, you know…" Kazuna pledged to stay, but Hitoshi's face was all it took for her to turn around and leave, not forgetting to say thank you because his gentleness deserved nothing less than that.
Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤
