Eugene Seven Stark considered himself to be a level headed person.

How couldn't he be? As the de-facto second in command of the orphanage, the ginger haired young man had to be as such in order to lead his fellow orphans in the event of Orga being MIA or, worse, KIA. For all his grouchy bravado and occasional cockiness, the guy really did love his fellow orphans, and he refused to allow even the drawbacks of his Quirk stop him from doing his best for their sake.

With all that being said, however… Eugene now felt his usual level-headed personality trait being shoved out the window as he tried to process the fact that Emi Fukukado, AKA the Smile Heroine, Ms Joke, was now sitting in front of him with a somewhat pleasant smile on her face. And what was stranger… was the fact that Mikazuki had called her mum.

The Chryse deputy had to punch himself in the face to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating after hearing that, and even now, he wondered if he was still awake… and alas, he still was, and quite frankly speaking he didn't know if he was fine with that or not. Sure, it was good to have Mikazuki back in some capacity… but even so… he was still hopelessly confused as to why the Heroine was with him.

Regardless of his confusion, however, Emi had said nothing to break the awkward silence and mild tension between the small group of individuals as they sat quietly. By now, Yosetsu had been shaken awake by Mikazuki and was sitting beside him on the couch, not too far from where Fukukado sat at, and Atra, being who she was, had claimed a spot on Augus' lap, with her having missed him greatly as she sighed in satisfaction after getting herself comfortable.

Both Emi and Eugene would admit to finding that adorable, though the latter would be found dead before he admitted it verbally.

"Eugene! I've called the Old Man! He said that he'll be here within the next hour to chat with Ms Joke!" called Embi, with him hanging up on the aforementioned Old Man as he spoke to Eugene. The Chryse Deputy nodded in thanks, with him having told Embi to contact Yukinojo the moment Ms Joke had made her presence known to the remaining two residents of the orphanage, and with that over and done with, Fukukado found herself leaning back and tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Old Man? Hm… Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa?" tried Emi, with her partially remembering the owner of the orphanage as she spoke. To this, Eugene nodded, prompting her to grin victoriously before fistpumping enthusiastically . "Nailed it! He's the owner of this orphanage, right? I came to talk to him personally! Where is he, though? And for that matter, why're things so quiet right now?"

"... Old Man Yuki's out with the others at the moment. They're helping a… family friend with her store," stated Eugene, with him finding Emi's high energy rather jarring as he spoke, but then again, considering how her title was literally the Smile Heroine, he supposed that he was a fool to assume her personality to be something else entirely. "Orga and Akihiro left to show a new kid around the place. The only ones still here are me, Embi, Atra, Awase-Kun, Mikazuki and now you."

Ms Joke's response to Eugene's explanation was to hum softly as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, silently wondering something that was mostly unimportant to the orphans as she nodded in acknowledgement. Thereafter, she opened her mouth to say something to Seven Stark, though before she could do so… a semi-transparent head abruptly popped out of her chest and smiled up at her, shocking her quite a bit all the while. On instinct, the Heroine attempted to strike at the entity, though her hand phased through the little brat's head rather than connect with it.

"Why are you even here, anyways?" asked Embi innocently as he phased out of Emi's chest, dealing no actual physical damage to her all the while. Fukukado blinked a little at that, with her grabbing at her chest as she put two and two together, and as she realized that she was fine, she sighed and glanced up at the floating ghost-boy in front of her, ignoring the giggles coming from Atra and Yosetsu all the while. Mikazuki, on the other hand, had the Rex Tail wrap itself around Embi's ankle and yank him down to the couch, much to his bemusement.

"Well, the answer to that is… just a little top secret, you could say. Well, not top top secret, but still a secret nonetheless. I was hoping that Nadi-San would be here, since I was told to discuss the issue with him in private…" stated Emi, with her leaning forwards and resting her elbows on her thighs as she spoke. Eugene raised a brow at this as he leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms, with him looking somewhere between wanting to sleep and wanting to know what this top secret nonsense was.

"Hmph. I'm no Old Man Yuki, nor am I Orga, but I'd like to believe that you can let me in on whatever this top secret bullshit of yours is," tried Eugene, with him legitimately wondering about the Heroine's reasoning for being here was in the first place… though truth be told, he could probably make an educated guess on why, though confirmation would always be nice.

For her part, Fukukado seemed to be a little reluctant on telling the ginger haired young man about why she was here, but after a few moments of pondering, she grinned and nodded, though not before gesturing towards the younger kids present. Yosetsu, Atra and Embi all gave her a confused glance at first, with Mikazuki remaining neutral as this happened, though not long after, the former three seemed to realize what that gesture meant as they gave Emi varying looks of disappointment as she spoke.

"I'm willing to share some details, but not with these three present. Top secret and all that guff," stated Emi, with her smiling sadly as she spoke. Atra seemed to understand why she said this, as she nodded a little in acknowledgement, though Yosetsu and Embi both appeared to be a little upset at this. Even so, they said nothing of it as she continued. "Augus-Kun can stay, but I think he's got better things to do right now. Don't you, kid?"

"... ah," was all the Tail user bothered to say as one of his hands instinctively moved up and gently clasped onto Atra's, prompting the girl to blush a tiny bit as she gently squeezed his hand in her own. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the others in the room, with Eugene grinning whilst Emi raised her brows in surprise at first, though not long after, her surprise gave way for an amused smile as she nodded and glanced over at Eugene pointedly.

"You four go upstairs. Fukukado-San and I will be down here talking. And Embi, no eavesdropping. If you do, I'm banning all your game sessions with Awase-Kun for the rest of the month," ordered Eugene, with him threatening Embi at the end to make sure he followed his orders. In response to this, the ghostly boy paled more than he already was and promptly disappeared into the ceiling, vanishing into the second floor of the orphanage all the while, leaving Mikazuki, Atra and Yosetsu to follow him.

Atra and Yosetsu waved goodbye to Eugene, who mirrored the gesture, while Mikazuki remained pointedly silent. The Rex Tail, however, slithered out of the bottom of his jacket and wagged itself around, with that being its method of waving, and with a snort, Seven Stark 'waved' back at it as well. Emi took note of this and did the same, eliciting a squak of satisfaction from the semi-sentient Quirk as it slithered back up its host's shirt, much to the two adults' amusement.

"Is his Quirk always like that?" asked Emi, to which Eugene shrugged.

"Hmph. It gets hyper from time to time, but it usually only gets this excited whenever Mikazuki's in a good mood. Make of that however you will," stated Eugene, eliciting a nod of acknowledgement from Fukukado as she recalled reading that the boy's Quirks, both of them, were affected by his emotions, though that in itself was irrelevant for now as she opened her mouth to speak, only for Seven Stark to cut her off once more. "Hold it. Before you say anything, is what you're gonna say gonna take some time?"

"Well, let's say thirty minutes at most, eh? Is that too long or something?" asked Emi, curious as to why Eugene was asking this, and at that, the young man sighed and stood up, with him walking towards the kitchen area moments later. Fukukado watched, confused, as he did this, though moments later, she found herself growing rather curious when the young man used his Quirk to levitate several kitchen appliances, namely a container filled with store bought coffee powder, some condensed milk, two cups, two spoons and an electric kettle, out of various cabinets.

"You like coffee, Ms Joke?" asked Eugene curiously as he filled the kettle, to which the aforementioned Heroine nodded, eliciting a snort from the young man. "White or Black?"

"Erm… White, please? Oh, and when I'm dressed in civilian garbs, just call me Fukukado Emi. It helps with the double life thing," said Emi, with her grinning as she struck a pose with her hand in front of her face, eliciting a grin from Eugene as he filled the kettle and began boiling it.

"Hmph, good tastes, Fukukado-San," smiled Eugene as he began making preparations for the coffee. Emi took note of how he filled his own cup with twice the amount of coffee of her own, and by God, she would've commented on how unhealthy that was, though before she could do so, Seven Stark, having seemingly caught onto her worries, grinned and spoke up. "Don't worry about my coffee intake. My Quirk drains a lot of stamina, and I've been using it a lot recently. This much caffeine won't kill me."

"Well, hopefully it doesn't, anyways. I know a friend that drinks almost as much as you do, and he hasn't died just yet!" snorted Emi, to which Eugene grinned, having found her humor to be especially amusing as he nodded in agreement.

"Eraserhead, presumably? Don't give me that look, Fukukado-San. We orphans know a shit ton about Underground Heroes. Hell, Mikazuki's a big fan of his," said Eugene, with him adding that last part in when he saw the surprised look on Emi's face. "You managed to get him to marry you yet? The orphanage's still vouching for your engagement some time soon, or at least until we accidentally blow this joint up."

"Hah! Nice one, though to answer your question… no. He's still a no show when it comes to my requests. I don't understand why! I've been so nice in my messages to him! He clearly doesn't know what he's missing!" laughed Emi, with her dramatically throwing her arms up as she said this, and to that, Eugene grinned and rolled his eyes.

"He'll see what he's missing one day, Fukukado-San," assured Eugene with a shrug, to which Emi grinned.

"I like you, kid. What's your name?" asked Emi, eliciting a raise of Eugene's brow as he responded accordingly.

"Eugene Seven Stark. Or I guess… Seven Stark Eugene? You Japanese people confuse me with your naming systems and formalities. Personally, you can just call me Eugene. Calling me Seven Stark-San or whatever is a mouthful," said Eugene dismissively, with him recalling how everyone used to call him Seven Stark-San back in the day. It was rather messy.

"Hm, how about 3S? Seven Stark-San and all that," suggested Emi, to which Eugene opened his mouth to protest, only to shut it once more when he thought it through for more than a few seconds.

"Shit, that's not too bad."

"See?! Suck it, Eraser! I'm smurt!"

Upstairs

Yosetsu hasn't really been to the second floor of the orphanage all that much, and by all means, it was for good reason.

The second floor was, simply put, the personal rooms for most of the residents in the orphanage, with there being five separate rooms that were shared between several teens and young adults with very little recourse. Awase never did enjoy the sight of these rooms, as it did make him feel just a bit guilty about how much better his own living situation was.

With that being said, however… the Welder still offered no resistance as he followed Mikazuki, Atra and Embi into a room that was shared between Mika, Orga, Takaki and… an unknown third person whose name had been scratched off the plaque on the door. The sight of that unnerved Yosetsu something fierce, though he thought it best not to comment on it as he entered the room, shut the door and watched as Mikazuki and Atra dropped down onto one of the two bunk beds present whilst Embi floated up and claimed a top bunk for himself.

The room itself wasn't anything really special. It was about half the size of Yosetsu's own bedroom, with two bunk beds, a single study table crammed between them and a single window that the aforementioned table was situated in front of. Various tools and nick-nacks, including but not limited to a book on advanced Japanese words, a container filled with ping-pong balls, a foam plastic sword and several toolboxes laid strewn about the room, and though Awase would be a little privy to the hygiene issues that this might bring up, he knew better than to bring it up as he smiled sadly and moved to take a seat beside Atra and Mikazuki.

Atra herself remained by Mikazuki's side like a magnet, with her acting as though the boy would disappear the moment she released him. Glancing downwards a fair bit, Yosetsu took note of how their hands remained firmly intertwined with one another as they sat shoulder to shoulder, and after some time, Mixta leaned her head against Augus' shoulder in an adorably endearing way, something that the boy beside her didn't comment on as he simply smiled ever so slightly at the gesture.

Yosetsu himself found that act to be endlessly adorable. Though it was never spoken verbally between anyone present in the orphanage, nor was it ever made too apparent, Awase has long since accepted the fact that both Mikazuki and Atra were very much an item. The latter was most certainly infatuated with the former, and vice versa, the Rex Tail wielder was very much protective of his pink haired friend, even more so than most anyways, and it would always lead to some cute scenarios between the two, though, out of respect for his friend's personal space, the Welder would never comment on it out loud.

"Yuck. They're being all domestic again," groaned Embi from above as he floated around nonchalantly, snapping Yosetsu out of his thoughts as he glanced up to see the ghost kid hovering about with nary a care in the world as he observed the small bit of affection being exchanged between Atra and Mikazuki. To this, the former widened her eyes a little in embarrassment as she buried her face in the crook of the latter's neck to hide her blush, and all the while, Mika simply shot the younger kid an annoyed glare while the Rex Tail jolted upwards and bopped the kid over the head for ruining the mood. "Youch!"

"... hmph," muttered Yosetsu, amused at what he had just witnessed as he glanced back at Mikazuki and Atra, with the former staring right back at him all the while. Figuring that this was a better time than any to ask, the Welder offered his friend a mild nod before speaking his mind. "Hey… there, Mika."

"Yosetsu," echoed Mikazuki, with him nodding in response to his words, and at that, the Welder smiled as he leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his thighs as he spoke. It felt… nice to have the Tail user back once more, even if he had to get used to seeing his Quirk wagging around now, but even so, he still had so much to ask his friend about, and moreover, he wasn't sure on where to start… and as such, he decided to just wing it.

"... I'm not gonna beat around the bush with you for this… so… is it alright if you told me why Ms Joke is in the orphanage… and for that matter, why'd you call her your mum?" inquired Yosetsu, with him sounding painfully curious about the issue at hand as he spoke. To that, Mikazuki simply frowned as he… blushed in apparent embarrassment, a sight that was almost enough to make Awase faint for the second time in the past hour as he acknowledged just how rare that sight was, though he was able to keep himself together for now as he watched his friend lift his right leg up and pull on one of his pant legs.

Mikazuki didn't even need to pull his pant leg up too high before a black object lashed onto his ankle could be seen by everyone present. Without pause, Embi floated down to it and prodded at the thing curiously, and likewise, Yosetsu and Atra both leaned forwards to observe it closer, and as for the former child, he needed about a moment or two to realize what it was exactly.

"This is… this is a tracker," stated Yosetsu, with him saying it less like a question and more like a statement as he eyed his friend solemnly, and at that, the boy nodded.

"Ah. I… I'm on Probation, or at least I think I will be," stated Mikazuki solemnly as he slouched his shoulders a little more than usual, confusing the Welder slightly as he raised a brow.

"What do you think… you think you'll be?" asked Atra curiously. She was vaguely aware of what probation meant, but as for why her friend was uncertain on if he would be put on probation, she had no clue. Mikazuki took a moment or two to process her question before he leaned back and laid down onto the bed they were sitting atop, and after some time, he sighed in exasperation and responded accordingly.

"It's… a long story…"

Meanwhile

With a tired sigh and a lick of his lips, Eugene set his cup of joe down and leaned back against the couch. At the same time, Emi drank from her own cup and smiled a little before setting it down, with her finding the coffee to be quite agreeable with her as she grinned.

"Damn, Eraser should hire you to make him some coffee from time to time, 3S! You can brew up quite the storm!" stated Emi, eliciting an eyeroll and a cocky grin from Eugene as she spoke. "Doubt I'll even be sleeping tonight!"

"That's what happens when you get a pro like me to brew you coffee!" laughed Eugene, with him trying his best to not yell out in victory at the prospect of Ms Joke complementing her as he waved her off dismissively, and moments later, the two shared a quick laugh as they shook their heads in bemusement, though not long after, Seven Stark cleared his throat and sighed. "But… jokes aside, I'd like you to tell me why you're here, exactly, Fukukado-San."

"Huh. No nonsense, eh? You're reminding me of Eraser now, rather than Midnight or Mic!" pouted Emi, to which Eugene rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment, but even so, I might not show it, but I'm also worried about that brat upstairs, and I'd rather hear about what's going on with him sooner rather than later. We're family, you know? We look after our own," stated Eugene, to which Emi nodded. She understood that some bonds were much thicker than blood, and it seemed as though the orphans here took that statement to the extreme, as evident by Seven Stark's attitude towards the whole situation.

"Understandable. I can respect that, actually," said Emi wholeheartedly, with her smiling as she spoke. Eugene nodded in response to this, though he said nothing else as he gestured for Fukukado to continue speaking, which she did. "But regardless, if you'll allow me to be blunt as fuck…

"The situation behind Mikazuki is… incredibly complicated, and without revealing anything that could get me into trouble… I have been assigned to be his legal guardian until he reaches the age of maturity."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So that's why he called you mum. Good to know."

"Seriously, is that your first thought after I revealed this info to you?"

"Fuck no. Trust me, I'm still in shock. But I'm suddenly too tired to visualise it."

A snort was Fukukado's only real response to what Eugene had just said, and as she gave him some time to process her words, the ginger haired young man buried his face in his hands, exhaled sharply into it and then rubbed at his face aggressively before peeking out at Emi from between his fingers. He appeared… apprehensive about this, but he spoke up nonetheless.

"So… do I even want to know why you're his legal guardian right now, Fukukado-San?" asked Eugene tiredly, eliciting a shrug from Emi as she grinned cheekily. His response to this was to sigh, a sign for her to do as he said.

"I'll take that as a yes, 3S," giggled Emi as she leaned back and slung her arms across the backrest of the couch. Thereafter, she crossed her legs to get a little comfortable before she glanced up to stare at the ceiling. "Ah… aphem… tell me, 3S, how much do you know about laws surrounding vigilantism and repeat offenders?"

"Hmph, well enough, I guess," stated Eugene as he leaned back and recited all that he knew. "Vigilantism is simple enough; someone using their Quirk for Hero duty without having a license. They can be fined from anywhere between 46k Yen to 150k, depending on the severity of the case, and if they don't pay up, they get locked up. And repeat offenders… can't say I know much about that case. If it weren't for Mikazuki, I would've assumed you'd lock em up after case one, really."

"Well, you've certainly done your homework on this issue," smiled Ms Joke as she nodded in approval of Eugene's knowledge. The vigilantism segment was mostly common knowledge, but she was still impressed that he knew as much as he did, and after giving him a moment or two to soak in the praise, she continued. "With that being said, however, I do hope you don't mind me… educating you a little on the repeat offender situation."

"Enlighten me," scoffed Eugene, eliciting a grin from Emi as she nodded, and seconds later, she mimed propping a pair of glasses up higher onto her face as she spoke.

"Now, as you stated, Vigilantism often comes with a fine of 46-150k yen, something that usually puts people off from becoming Vigilantes. Not everyone wants to pay that hefty sum of money, after all," stated Fukukado, prompting Eugene to nod in agreement. "If you don't pay, you get put behind bars for some time, or spend a month or two in a juvenile detention center. Either or, really.

"However, the two of us know that Augus Mikazuki… has not paid his 90k yen fine, and likewise, he hasn't served time either. And we both know why."

"... that is irrelevant to the issue at hand, Fukukado-San," growled Eugene, with him grimacing at the resurfacing of an old memory that the orphanage wished to forget. It seemed as though Emi was well aware of just who Mikazuki's old… caretaker really was, as she smiled sadly at Seven Stark before nodding.

"Yes… it is. However, the fact that Augus-Kun has been set off on bail is very much so. Though he did not serve any form of time behind bars, he still had to serve probation for upwards of five months," stated Emi, with her watching as Eugene nodded, very much remembering those awkward five months from quite a while back. "And thereafter, he was free to go."

"And now?" asked Eugene, with him redirecting the conversation to the present as he spoke, to which Emi frowned deeply and shut her eyes in exasperation.

"Now… is a different case altogether. I can't exactly disclose most of this information… but… Mikazuki's not exactly in a good spot at the moment. His first violation of the Vigilantism Law was already bad enough, and he just barely managed to slip away from being severely punished," answered Emi direly. Eugene was quick to feel a pit growing at the bottom of his stomach when he heard this, though he said nothing of it as he listened to her continue. "Now that he's broken that law a second time, voluntarily or not… he won't be able to get off the hook scot free."

"How much do we have to pay? If it's community service, we orphans can handle it. We'll do whatever the fuck you guys want, just don't throw him in Tartarus or whatever…!" groaned Eugene, with him leaning forwards and making several offers to Emi as he spoke. To this, Fukukado was taken aback by just how much Seven Stark cared for his fellow orphan, though she ended up smiling before she shook her head in dismay.

"None of that will be necessary, 3S. That is because I have already signed for Augus-Kun's immediate release," assured Emi, with her grinning a little when she noticed Eugene's confused expression, an expression that quickly became understanding as realization dawned upon him. "For repeat offenders, they typically have one of three choices to determine their future, jail/juvenile detention for upwards of two years, maybe even more, paying a fine that could be triple that of what they had originally paid… or, if they get very lucky, they can be bailed out and be put on probation by someone with enough money, power and influence."

"Money, power and influence… did you-" began Eugene, only for Emi to grin cheekily.

"Hell no. I have some money, a tiny bit of power and a decently sized circle of influence. I wouldn't be able to bail him out, even if I wanted to!" bellowed Emi in bemusement, with her leaning back on the backrest as she spoke. As she did so, however, the Heroine reached into her sizable bust and pulled out a business card from her cleavage, one embezzled with the letters J and F. "I just happened to have friends in the Underground scene! They run a pretty sizable business that encompasses Malaysia, Singapore, a decent chunk of America and a small part of Russia! They just got to Japan to try and expand their reach around Asia, specifically!"

"Friends…" muttered Eugene as Emi flung the business card towards him. He caught it with the aid of his Quirk and began reading its contents… and thereafter… "T-The Fleming-Javor Co. again?!"

"Oh right, they covered the medical fees for both Augus and Awase-Kun. Heh, small world, huh?" laughed Emi, with her pretending that she didn't have a hand in this as she winked at Eugene, who appeared mildly catatonic as he eyed her warily.

"Why would they want to help us out, anyways? Not that I don't appreciate their help, but why do it for a kid with a clear history of vigilantism and a random boy that's not too noteworthy, even if we all do like him. There has to be some bigger fish out there… right?" stated Eugene as he used his Quirk to get himself another cup of coffee. If he was going to keep himself awake through all this, he needed another good pick-me-up.

"Well… let's just say that they had an anonymous tip that gave them some incentive to look into the two of them. And the two… higher ups of the company that I contacted were… fans of what they read regarding Augus and Awase-Kun, so to speak" stated Emi with a wink, causing the orphan before her to tilt his head in confusion at first, though not long after, something seemed to click in his mind as he lowered his brows and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So they covered the hospital fees and helped me set Augus-Kun out on probation. All just to cover up an old favour they owe me!"

"... firstly, you Underground Heroes must have some hidden power that I'm unaware of to be able to pull a miracle as sick as that off," began Eugene, eliciting a snicker from Emi as she posed dramatically with her hands formed into rock horns in an attempt to further assert her dominance. "And secondly… I'm guessing that that's why Mikazuki's calling you mum now?"

"Oh, because I helped him with this whole kerfuffle? Psh, fuck no!" answered the Smile Heroine as she threw her head back and laughed. This confused Eugene at first, though his confusion eventually died down as she continued to speak. "He's calling me that because, and once again I have to say that I can't reveal everything due to contracts and legalities, but he called me that because, after a fuckload of legal loopholes and bribery on Sasha's part of the company, I managed to get Augus-Kun a probationary status, and to make sure that no one tries to take advantage of him… I became his probation officer."

Upon hearing that, Eugene slowly set down his coffee cup and pinched the bridge of his nose, with him appearing somewhere between exhausted, amused, elated and upset all at once as he sighed and eyed Emi critically. Glaring at her menacingly, the young man did his best to discern any form of deception from her body language, and when he saw that she had none, he sighed and crossed his arms before speaking in a serious tone of voice.

"So, what do you gain from this, Fukukado-San?" asked Eugene, with him sounding completely serious as he spoke. Emi was confused by this at first, prompting Eugene to explain. "There's got to be a catch, right? Did the HSP… whatever. Did those fucks put you up to this? Did they pay you to look after Mikazuki? Or are you trying to groom him into-"

"STOP! STOP. HOLD IT! WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE! CHOTTO MATTE! Sheesh, 3S, I know you're very protective of the kid, but jeez, this is a bit much!" bellowed Emi indignantly, with her almost pouting as she eyed the orphan before her. Eugene said nothing to defend himself as he simply gave the Heroine a deadpanned glare, and moments later, she chuckled softly and nodded. "Not that I blame you, of course. You kids had some bad experiences with Heroes, that much I can tell. It would be weird to not have some form of suspicion on your end."

"Hmph. I don't care if you understand our situation or not, Fukukado-San. I just want to know if we can really trust you on this matter," stated Eugene coldly, with him keeping his guard up as he spoke. To this, Emi simply grinned as she cracked one last joke…

"Heh. There you go, tryna be like Eraser again! 6/10 for this impression!"

… though after she did so, she simply sighed and leaned back against the backrest once more, with her staring up at the ceiling uncertainly, as though she were in a daze, before speaking.

"But… jokes aside, I want to ask you something, 3S. Do you know that I'm a teacher?" asked Emi, with her keeping her gaze on the ceiling as she spoke. She got no response from Eugene, who was a little surprised to hear this, though she didn't care to wait for a response before continuing. "Ketsubutsu Academy. You heard of it, yes?"

"F'course. It's a C-Ranked Hero School, somewhere in the Ibaraki Prefecture, isn't it? The forums we visit speculated that you were a teacher there, though considering how you're an Underground Heroine and all that, none of that shit was confirmed," stated Eugene, with him holding himself back from celebrating about how he was one of the very few civilians to know about Ms Joke's secondary job. To this, Emi simply grinned as she snickered softly.

"You really did your homework, eh? Well, in that case; pop quiz time. Tell me, what subjects do we Ketsubutsu staff teach?" asked Emi, almost rhetorically as she eyed Eugene down, to which he scoffed.

"I haven't looked too deep into it, but if I had to make an educated guess… Heroics, for a start. Japanese, history, social studies, English, Math, all the basics. Probably more that I'm unaware of," stated Eugene, eliciting a nod from Emi as she acknowledged how accurate the ginger was, especially since he had likely never been to a school before. Though he was missing out on one more subject.

"You're mostly correct. But we do have one more subject up our sleeves," stated Emi with a grin, and when Eugene raised a brow at that, she continued. "Villain Rehabilitation. For minors, anyways."

"Villain… Rehabilitation…" echoed Eugene, with him having not heard of such a thing prior to now as he stared down at his feet uncertainly. Emi nodded at this as she smiled.

"Yeah. you'd be surprised at how many middle-to-high schoolers resort to petty crimes and/or vigilantism at a young age. Out of every hundred or so students we get, we have about ten of them signing up for the VH program," stated Emi with a fond smile. "They tend to get into the Hero Program by their second year, but that's neither here nor there.

"What is both here and there, however… is the fact that I, and many others working in Ketsubutsu, have worked with kids that have the potential to become Japan's worst nightmares, and though we can all attest to how difficult it is to get them in line… we can all also agree on the fact that anyone and everyone has at least a small spark of Heroism within them, even if they've been preemptively called a Villain or a Vigilante in the past, and sometimes, they just need some guidance towards the path of heroism."

The words that were spoken by Emi would've been passed off as meaningless platitudes by Eugene, who's heard what she said several times over in the past. Her little speech of how everyone has the chance to become a Hero has been repeated so many times, by so many Heroes and Heroines in the past that it's long since lost its meaning to the orphans in Chryse… but even so… something about Fukukado Emi, rather than Ms Joke, saying it… it made it feel more… meaningful, in a sort of way.

This wasn't a Heroine spitting meaningless platitudes in Eugene's direction just to look good. Nay… this was just a woman telling him that she knew that everyone has the capacity for good, that even someone like Mikazuki could very well become a Hero… and the mere notion of such a thing… it was almost enough to make Seven Stark's demeanor falter ever so slightly as he nodded in acknowledgement of her words, though he managed to keep himself together as he exhaled sharply.

"So… you helped Mikazuki out of jail-"

"Juvenile Detention."

"Whatever. You helped him out of whatever… because you think he can become a Hero?" asked Eugene, to which Emi smiled.

"That's… part of the reason behind why. Augus-Kun's got a Hero's heart, that much is obvious, but on a level beyond that… I just couldn't bring myself to let a boy that's been wronged by the world as much as he has to suffer any more than he already has," rebutted Emi, eliciting a blink of surprise from Eugene as she spoke. "I'm a Hero, 3S. It's my duty to stop any and all injustice wherever and whenever I see it. Augus-Kun's case might not be a case of injustice, per say, but it is very much a case of a tragedy that has not been resolved for years. What Hero would I be if I couldn't help ease the pain of a single child, I ask you? And to answer that question… I wouldn't be.

"If I can't even help a pained child that's been constantly wronged by the world around him, then I have no right to keep my title as the Smile Heroine."

"..." not much was said by Eugene, not at first, anyways, as he silently judged Emi's sincerity. Call him overly cautious, but he's had his fair share of deceptions in the past, and by God, he didn't want to take a risk when it came to Mikazuki's future. With that being said, however, after about twenty seconds of silence, he found himself smiling as he acknowledged how Fukukado was indeed speaking from the heart, and moments later, he nodded in approval. "I think I like you even more now, Fukukado-San."

"Heh. I'm assuming that you trust me now?" inquired Emi, eliciting a nod from Eugene.

"Just about, but how couldn't I? Quite a lot of the other kids here like you, Fukukado-San. You've got a good reputation, a good track record, and you've even donated to causes that're similar to ours. You coming in to essentially give Mikazuki back to us is enough reason for me to trust you without question," stated Eugene with a grin, though as he said that, Emi scrunched her face up.

"If that's the case, then why'd you ask me so many questions beforehand?" asked Emi, prompting Eugene to snort.

"Just because my heart says something doesn't mean that my brain agrees! I still need to think smart and figure out if you're being legit, you know?" shot Eugene, with him almost pouting at Emi's accusation, and in response to this, the Smile Heroine found herself grinning as she nodded at what he had just said. Good call, especially for a civilian.

"Heh, you've got a good head on your shoulders, 3S. I'd take you in as an intern if I could, but Civilians can't be hired without any form of outside approval, unfortunately," lamented Fukukado, to which Eugene snorted.

"Thanks, but my place's here. With the others," rebutted Eugene, with him speaking truthfully as he did indeed feel content with his place in Chryse. Emi nodded in understanding as she smiled, finding some approval in how content Seven Stark was with his current life, though before long, the younger man grinned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Also on that note, did Mikazuki choose to call you mum just because of the fact that you're now his legal guardian?"

"Erm… yes?"

"Hah! That does sound like him!"

And to that, the two adults present shared a quick laugh at that notion.

Upstairs

'... adorable.'

That was more or less the only thought that swam through Yosetsu's mind as he watched Mikazuki and Atra laying down next to one another, in a deep sleep, with the former clinging onto the latter with both arms and his Rex Tail. The sight of this was more than enough to make the Welder's heart swell up a little as he observed them from where he stood, seeming both happy for them and just a tiny bit envious of their situation all the while.

That aside, Yosetsu still knew that it would've been for the best if he woke them up. Heavens knew if the Tail user could remain here for more than a handful of hours, and he'd rather not have his friend get into trouble when he could do something about it… but with that being said, he was still very much reluctant to wake them up as well, and as such, he simply resolved to shake the two awake the moment Emi called up to them.

That wasn't exactly the only reason behind why Yosetsu didn't wish to wake them up, though. He also needed some… time to himself to think about what he was just told by his friend. He was to be thrown into juvenile detention until he was no longer a minor, where he would be thrown into jail to serve a sentence that was anywhere between 20 to 50 years… something that was absurd all on its own, but at the last possible moment, Ms Joke, or Fukukado Emi, had came in and pulled some strings to keep such a fate from befalling him. Awase would be eternally grateful to Fukukado for doing such a thing… but even so…

"Fukukado-Ka-San told me that she's my legal guardian until I'm no longer a minor. If I'm on good behaviour till then, they'll consider lifting my probationary status."

… what Mikazuki had told him still stuck with the Welder, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking about it as he moved to the single table in the room and leaned against it in exasperation.

"If I break even a single law, they'll go with the original plan. It's annoying, but I have to go with it."

"... fuck…" groaned Yosetsu as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, with him not liking what he had heard back then as he recalled some of his friend's words. Though the Welder knew that Mikazuki was a law abiding citizen, for the most part, the boy still worried for his friend, as, according to what he had learnt over the course of the past few weeks, the Tail user was a Vigilante in the past, and because of this, he would be subjected to increased scrutiny. Only God knew what counted as a law to those that would be overseeing him during his probationary period, and if they counted accidentally tripping someone over as a violation of a law, then shit would be over in an instant.

With an exasperated sigh, Yosetsu shook his head and began to think of some way to distract himself from this mess of a situation. Reaching into his pocket, the Welder considered using his phone, though he reconsidered when he realized that the noise from his games would likely wake his friends up, prompting him to slip it back into his pocket before he sighed and just… had a look around. Embi had floated off to God knows where, leaving him here to stew in his own boredom.

Staring down at the table he was standing by, the Welder hummed to himself as he absentmindedly opened up a handful of the drawers on it. Nothing much was held within them, with a few chewed up pencils, broken pens, sliced up erasers and a few eerily life-like pistol clips that Yosetsu chose to ignore. On the third drawer, however, Awase took note of something… intriguing.

It was… a piece of paper, one that was yellowing with age. Frowning at it uncertainly, the Welder glanced over at Mikazuki and Atra, with him making sure that both of them were still asleep, before he had a quick look around the room to make sure that Embi wasn't present. He sighed in relief when he saw that the ghost-boy was still absent, and thereafter, he crouched down and reached into the opened drawer, with him retrieving the slip of paper from within with very little issue.

The side that he had been initially staring at was completely blank, prompting the Welder to turn it around curiously, and when he did, he found his brows raising themselves higher onto his face when he saw what was on it. It was a picture of Mikazuki, Atra and a third individual, one that was not known to Yosetsu whatsoever. Though the picture was fading with age, with the colours having mostly been faded out by now, Awase was still able to take note of the third individual's shirt, wavy, light brown hair, modestly tanned skin and jovial brown eyes, and his attire was the standard Chryse outfit.

The third individual was standing between Mikazuki and Atra, with him sandwiched between the three and with his arms slung around their backs, smiling like a maniac as his hands were formed into twin peace signs. The latter appeared mildly awkward as she did her best to smile as well, though her smile did seem genuine despite her awkwardness. As for the former, however… Yosetsu had to pause briefly when he saw that… Augus was smiling.

It was a tiny smile, but when compared to most others that he's seen in person, it may as well have been a full blown smirk, and his gaze was directed up to this third individual fondly, with his focus not even on the camera taking their picture all the while. The sight of this was almost enough to make Yosetsu chuckle as he observed the picture for a handful of seconds, though not long after… he took note of something else that was present on it as well, something written on in faded marker ink.

Never forget.

The words were written directly on the third individual's chest, and if he squinted, Yosetsu could see what appeared to be faded tear stains splattered atop on the image, prompting him to gulp as he realized that he might have just stumbled onto something… he was never meant to discover, and after glancing at Mikazuki and Atra to make sure that they weren't awake just yet, the Welder hastily placed the image back into the drawer and shut it once more, with him sighing all the while.

I wonder what Awase found...

I wanted to do worldbuilding! So I did it!

Spyro fanboy: I'm glad you did! And regarding Deku and UA, they'll be here after the prologue... whenever that happens

wd120911111: well that's honestly fair. This does feel more thought out than that story I wrote in 2016 and just upgraded till now.

BanzEye: well Reiner is a half-reference to Io Fleming, but the other half is... a secret for now~

Quick note: I'm honestly burning out now from writing too much. I just need a break, so the next update for... anything will be anywhere from next month to... undetermined. I'm sorry, but I just need to sit down for now.

Cheers.