[This whole first section is in English]
"You stupid whore!"
"Stop! Please!"
"Leave her alone!"
A small child put themself between their mother and her attacker. The violent man in front of them was, unfortunately, this child's father. He was in yet another rage, and threw the child to the side to continue beating his wife. The child tried to get up and intervene, but her mother yelled at her not to. Even without that warning, the child was too tired from the fever to move. They passed out again to the sounds of whimpering moans and fists hitting flesh.
Later, well after dark, the child woke up in the mother's lap. She had been crying, but tried to put on a brave face for her kid. The child sat up, body still feeling heavy.
"Sorry, Kumori. Did you have a good nap?"
"Yeah," the child answered flatly.
"Do you want a story to go to bed?"
"Sure."
The mother picked up a comic from a nearby stack, and started reading it with a strained enthusiasm. The child listened intently, and enjoyed the colorful pictures at least. The issue was a newly purchased one, so the new story was fun. The child drifted off to sleep again, whispering as they faded out.
"Sorry, mom."
This set off another round of sobs from the mother as she tried to reassure her child. She settled for running her fingers through the kid's messy hair, and stared out at the bright moon. Her sobs quieted, and her eyes went dark. She sighed, knowing her daughter would need to go back to the hospital soon. And that brought with it more bills, and more fights with her spouse over those bills. Just because her daughter had a quirk that made certain things difficult, and because that child's body was weak since birth.
…
"What's this about, you damn nerd!"
"K-Kacchan! I just-"
Senji snapped awake. The classroom was empty, meaning the school day was likely over. The commotion that had woken them up was a familiar pair arguing in the back of the room. Arguing may not have been the right term though, it was fairly one-sided.
"Y'all should kiss already, damn," Senji chimed in as they cleared out. There was some more angry shouting behind them, but they just kept on their way. They were already tired, and needed to check some things before heading to their job. A teacher stopped them in the hallway to tell them to head to the principal's office the next day. Senji nodded their acknowledgement, then kept teacher was nervous, just like many of the others. They had at first been pretty persistent about the hair, piercings, and uniform. But now they just all talked to Senji only when absolutely necessary, and always looked uncomfortable.
"Am I that scary?," Senji wondered aloud as they scanned their phone. No new messages today, and only a few mentions on social media about some local vigilante hero. Things were oddly quiet, which was a welcome change. Middle school graduation was coming up soon, and hopefully the end of their time with the two arguing back in the classroom. They had both expressed an interest in attending UA, but Senji was sure they weren't cut out for it. A prestigious pro hero school surely wouldn't want a quirkless dork or an obnoxious delinquent. Though, they had accepted Senji who was frequently called out for their wild appearance.
…WORK…
"You're late."
"Oh, my bad. School stuff," Senji gave a weak excuse to their boss. The old man grumbled more, then hurried them to the pile of orders in the back of the restaurant. Senji had been working there for a few months, running deliveries to nearby places. This was their fourth job in the area, never lasting a year at any of them. They weren't a bad worker, just frequently late or a little lacking in the service and hospitality mentality.
"One more strike and you're gone," the boss shouted as Senji carried some orders out, "I mean it!"
Senji's deliveries went relatively smoothly, until they had to go to one apartment. It was a regular customer, so even though the location was through an alley, that wasn't an issue. The issue was that this spot had recently become a hangout spot for a few of their classmates. The loud one, and two of his lackeys. One was smoking and leaning against the wall, while the other two argued about something. Normally Senji could pass through without much issue from them, but remembering their comment earlier gave them a slight pause. There was an awkward silence as they passed the group, and through the whole delivery and payment process Senji could feel someone staring daggers through their skull.
"Hey, delivery loser!"
There it was, the inevitable insult.
"Can I help you?," Senji tried to move past them, but the blonde blocked their path. Senji's eye twitched, and they heard the lackeys move in behind them. The group leader cracked a few small explosions and grinned, clearly set on getting even.
"Think you can just say shit and get a pass?," the blonde leaned in closer, in what must have typically been an intimidating move he'd used before.
"If you can't tell, I'm busy. Can we pick this up later," Senji was getting more irritated at this situation, and stressed about their job.
The blonde eyed the other two, who must have taken that as a signal. They moved in to grab Senji, but she tripped one and elbowed the other hard in the ribs. Their leader swung, connecting their fist with Senji's face. One of the lackeys scrambled back, but the other started swinging too. Senji dropped their customer service act and scrambled with the other two for a few minutes. After pinning the fearless leader to the ground, Senji threw one last punch and collected themself. The third member was still avoiding conflict, but they had their phone out. They got one good kick, too.
"Well shit," Senji cursed at the sound of footsteps heading their direction. Shortly after, a few officers showed up and began questioning the teens.