Izuku was told to wait outside of the precinct while Yui filled out a police report regarding the incident at the crosswalk. It was a calm and quiet evening. Quite the contrary from the hot and steamy afternoon he encountered earlier that day. He still couldn't get the thoughts of the incident out of his mind. The smug, lecherous expression her captor gave as he fondled her. The look of disdain, embarrassment, and fear from the face of the black-haired beauty. He continued replaying it in his mind on what he did to save her. Whether how much blood was spilled or the number of teeth coming from the pervert's mouth. Izuku was surprised at how quickly he reacted to save Yui.

The chain of events following the incident didn't leave a standing ovation from the audience. He didn't get a pat on his back for saving her. Matter-of-factly, many were figuring on why he would interrupt traffic and delaying their destination. With this generation's apathy, he could definitely attest why the birth rate was in declination, let alone why many were giving up hope in this society.

He decided to listen to some music while he waited. Music was the portal into his soul whenever troubles were to arise. Listening to Three Days Grace, he nodded his head to the instrumentals while pondering on the next move with Yui.

Yui Kodai

In one hand, describing her was like staring into a blank canvas in an empty art room. Bland and white, lack of color, lack of life. Deprived and in need of touch from a paintbrush. In the other, mysterious. She was a woman of few words. A woman who stares into the windows of one's soul, gathering information that didn't require words. Her actions painted a better picture of her personality. It was a living contradiction that although she didn't stand out, she wasn't unpopular. Love notes filled her locker, invitations of parties and meet-ups were asked, and she has been confessed from various suitors. Even as Izuku continued tossing pebbles onto the street, there was more than meets the eye when describing the silent beauty.

So, what could he say to the silent beauty? He wasn't exactly Mr. Popular himself. He had a handful of friends, occasionally hangs out, and oftentimes, even a date or two. He also couldn't describe himself as an expert on femininst rights. He could barely follow his mother's directions of washing the dishes or taking out the garbage. In one ear and out the other was the verdict. Be that as it may, what could he do to ease the pain of Yui's ordeal? Half of the time, he often wondered what the sixteen-year-old was thinking. What was in her world that hindered others from knowing what's occurring? Admittedly, he was an overthinker - too much of his father in him.

As he lamented, he recalled a song his father had in his record collection. He couldn't recall the artist or the tune, but could recall the lyrics - one day, it would all make sense. He couldn't recall the musician's intention of making that line. Or, maybe he was once again overthinking details. Izuku couldn't help it. Inquisitive just like his father.

Maybe sitting outside of the police station was giving him these thoughts.

As he was sitting, Yui was probably giving details about the recent ordeal. She hardly spoke a word following the rescue. When the police escorted Yui and Izuku to their nearby precinct for further questioning, the police felt that Yui needed to provide detail since she endured the ordeal. That plexed the emerald-haired teen. Does it require a witness to further provide the information? Why would they need only her and not him? As much he wanted to protest, what more could he do? The powers that be were controlling this world. Although he was a child, he was familiar with their tactics.

And why not, he concluded. She was a quiet, sensitive teen surrounded by the prowess of manhood. Even behind the badge, the essence of manhood was fueled by this. A jilted lover, a probable lie to attract attention? Anything that wouldn't force the officers to file further paperwork or searching for the culprit. By now, the lecher was probably lurking in the darkness of a gangway, waiting for an unsuspecting woman walking alone from a drink bar or heading out from work. Maybe a teen walking away from her cram school. He could be preying among the canned sardine of a train or a bus.

He hated having those pervasive thoughts but one thing was for certain.

The culprit remained free and Yui was confined in the concrete jungle being mercilessly judged by the boys in blue.

Izuku made a silent prayer to God that they wouldn't pester her with questions like 'was this a legitimate sexual assault' or 'what kind of outfit enticed the predator to do this?' She could have worn a mini-skirt and that was her choice, he thought. Why should she be prosecuted because men couldn't control their dick in their pants, thought Izuku. He gripped his pants leg tightly, wishing he had more assertion to stay with Yui.

He tossed a pebble as it bounced at the curve. It had been about thirty minutes. He made a promise to himself that after a few more minutes, he was going to walk in. At that point, he wouldn't care what the police would say, something needed to be done about this.

The sound of the steel doors opened. Instinctively, the emerald-haired teen turned to the origin of its loud and squeaking noise. In his eyesight was the quiet beauty herself. Her eyes were centered, her lips were pursed, her hands were centered at her waist as she was holding her purse. From her position, it looked as though she was preparing for an omiai interview. However, there wouldn't be any prospective husbands coming from the police station. Or at least, anyone who was reputable.

And respectable.

Izuku jumped from the stoop and stood attentively at the quiet black-haired teen. As if he was a servant waiting on cue for his mistress's orders, he was focusing on her next move. What would she say? How was she going to respond? The duo have barely made a few interactions, let alone conversations. It was always short and friendly. Just the usual "good luck" or the usual "hi and bye." If it wasn't for the fact of having a friendship with Itsuka, he probably wouldn't even know her first name.

As he stretched out his hand, the emerald-haired teen wasn't sure what he was reaching for. His head tilted upward to see Yui as she remained still.

"Kodai," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

If it wasn't for the sounds of traffic passing through, it would have sounded like an echo bouncing from room to room.

Kodai remained still, if not stiff. Her icy-blue eyes drifted to Izuku's sight. If it wasn't for her beauty, she would look damningly scary in her position, nevertheless hauntingly gorgeous. Its piercing manner staring into the pits of one's soul. Nevertheless, Izuku remained confident, knowing her ordeal and knowing that support was needed at this particular juncture.

A response wasn't met. Her grip was on her purse. Izuku decided to try again. "Listen, Kodai. I hope that you are okay."

It was met with silence. He was better off talking to a brick wall. Yet again, resilience was the key.

How could one respond after being fondled inappropriately and without permission?

"Okay" was probably the last thing that Kodai was thinking. Then yet again, the flatness on her face made it hard to tell.

"If you want to call you a cab or an Uber, I can," he suggested in a calm manner. "Don't worry about paying me back. It's my treat. If you want, I can escort you back to your apartment." He crossed his arms. "I promise that there aren't any motives, I swear! I just don't want you traveling back home alone."

A pregnant silence ensued. He wasn't sure if his words were impacting Kodai or she was still reeling in shock. Either way, he couldn't blame her.

"Hey, Kodai. I wish I could pretend how you are currently feeling and I know that it doesn't feel good." He bowed apologetically. "If I have to apologize for the cockroach who did this to you, I will."

Yui closed her eyes, shutting it tightly. Gripping to her purse, her knees were shaking. Izuku could tell that she was taking steady breaths, explaining to herself to not make a scene. She opened her eyes, appearing as if she had regained her composure.

"They say that they will call me within forty-eight hours." Yui's voice was another pierce to his heart. The kind of voice that reminded him of a hot knife on butter. Such a savory voice that it wouldn't surprise anyone that could easily fall in love with a voice like that. The kind of voice that belonged on a radio drama or the shoujo movies his mother watches.

"O-Ok!" Izuku felt the chill of the wind picking up. He looked at his cell phone and saw that it was a quarter after eight. He pointed to his chest. "Do you want to call you an Uber or see if your parents can pick you up?"

Yui nodded in disagreement. "My parents are out of town on business."

"Would you like for me to call you an Uber or a Lyft?"

Yui nodded in disagreement. "I am okay, thank you!"

Izuku stared blankly as the options were now limited. It was getting late. The streetlights were turning on and he didn't want to have a worried mother calling him. With time of the essence, something needs to be done. "Well, it is getting late, but at the same time, I don't want to leave you unattended. What would you like for me to do?"

"What are you planning to do," asked Yui inquisitively.

Rubbing the soles on his shoe on the ground, he looked onto the silent beauty. "Well, I was planning to head home."

Yui nodded in compliance. "Can I come with you?"

"To my house?"

She nodded compliantly. "Hmm-mmm!"

Izuku nearly lost his footing when hearing those words. Now, the teen was sounding more of an orphan looking for a home. Izuku needed to be subtle. In her defense, she was sexually harassed less than a few hours ago.

"Well, I am not so sure on how much my mother would appreciate having company at the last minute," said Izuku assuringly. He covered his mouth. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Wanting to head back home at an appropriate time but didn't want to leave the silent beauty alone either. "However, let me make a phone call and I can explain to my Mom what's going on." His eyes darted at her blue eyes. "She would understand."

About thirty minutes later….

Izuku grabbed the cord as they were approaching their stop. He immediately grabbed the railing as he nearly lost his footing of the bus suddenly braking.

While phoning his mother of the situation, he stood in front of the silent beauty as she was quietly reading a book. He couldn't read the title as it was written in Greek. It was safe to say that it was an attribution to the affluent. He stood resiliently like a statue. Onlookers pondered on his unilaterally standing at Yui. if they knew of the ordeal, then they wouldn't give him odd looks.

Yui was the first to stand. He followed suit as he kept his eyes at her. He silently nodded at the bus driver before taking the two steps off the bus. Yui's neighborhood was in the opposite direction of his neighborhood. Actually, they were in different districts. Therefore, the teen was to be pressed for time lest he wanted to miss the final boarding and would now involve his mother to travel the forty-five minutes to Yui's apartment.

As his mother unfortunately disapproved of his inviting Yui to their home.

"There is a spot I frequent on the way home," she said whimsically. She pointed at the building adjacent to where they were standing. "We can go there if you like."

Izuku didn't think that self-serve cafeteria still existed. He turned to the raven-haired teen. "Sure if you want to."

The fluorescent-lit sardine box was situated below the train tracks not too far from Yui's residence. Being the man of valor and respect, he held the door for Yui as they entered the cafeteria.

They were alone unless one would count the clicking sounds of cicadas and crickets hitting the lamppost outside the establishment.

Izuku wasn't particularly hungry. He pressed for a hot canned oyster soup. He turned around as he saw Yui took a seat in the empty booth. She was facing the window. He concluded she wanted to see who was entering in and out of the establishment. With her previous ordeal and knowing the culprit is still on the run, he guessed that he wanted assurance that she wasn't being tailed.

"Anything to eat," asked Izuku gingerly. "My treat."

"A tomato soup if they have it," she replied sheepishly.

Izuku scanned the vending machine and spotted the item in question. He pressed the button. By doing so, he heard the sounds of the machine dropping the cup and spitting out her soup of choice. He tried not to laugh as it was making flatulent noises.

With his canned oyster soup in one hand and with the tomato soup in the other, he cautiously made slow steps to their table.

"Careful, it's hot," he warned Yui as he centered the cup in front of her. He sat across from her as he situated himself with his back against the wall. He often pondered why he does that - placing his back against the wall to see what was in front of him. Originally, the inspiration came from the DeNiro-Liotta diner scene from Goodfellas. The idea of watching the other in case he was being tailed drew the inspiration and likeness of mimicking such scenes to Izuku. However, in this case, it was actually making sense.

He wouldn't call it a badge of honor. He wasn't particularly in search of being a rescuer or a bodyguard. Who wouldn't want to help someone in need?

"Thanks, Midoriya!"

Her voice penetrated his thoughts, breaking the silence. "Anytime, Kodai!"

Yui blew into the cup. Holding onto both sides, she slurped her warm soup. A moment of silence ensued. Observant was the role Izuku was portraying as he was looking at her well-manicured nails. Soft and pretty, he thought, thinking she could be a hand model of sorts.

Yui took another long slurp from her soup. Her body language indicated to Izuku that she was becoming more relaxed. With one eye on her and the other eye at the clock on the wall, he could spare another hour before catching the last train back to his neighborhood.

"Quite a day, hasn't it?" He was cautious on finding the appropriate words. He would admit that he wasn't a fan of prolonged silence. It comes from his own personal insecurities as he often thought that silence meant they were plotting or thinking negativity of him. He had to be mindful that it wasn't always the case. Nevertheless, an admitted insecurity that was a work in progress.

"The cops say that they will look into it." Yui placed the cup on the table. Her lips quivered. Izuku could see a tiny flake of dead skin hanging from her lip. "They get reports like this numerous times. Hourly, if not secondly."

"Can they investigate by checking out CCTVs and security cameras," questioned Izuku. "It is a very lively area. So, I know there has to be cameras that can give a full identity of that creep."

"I wrote what happened and they filed it. Of course they asked questions on the legitimacy of it all."

Izuku wished he was now in the room where it had happened. "That's foul!"

She gave him two blank stares before responding. "The dominion of men versus women in a chauvinistic society that we delightfully call home - planet Earth." Yui touched her lip. She began to lick the area where the dead skin resided. "Plus, I think that the cops have enough trouble than to worry about a creeper."

"That still doesn't mean it needed to be overlooked," he said adamantly. "What he did to you wasn't right, Kodai."

She lowered her brow. Izuku noticed how quickly she retreated to her former being. "Yeah!"

A bit of guilt hit his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel responsible for her actions resulting from the incident. "Listen, I am sorry. Don't take it the wrong way." He gripped the end of the table. "I just don't like when people take advantage like that and the cops can easily bat an eye."

Yui shook head as she grabbed the cup of soup. She blew more into the cup before ingesting the warm, savory taste. Seeing her returning tense demeanor, Izuku felt that he was pestering her instead of helping her. His mother entered his thoughts about his lack of understanding women.

The rest of the time at the cafeteria was met with silence. With the exception of exchanging slurps between cups of tomato and oyster soup.

Later….

Just as Izuku thought it would happen, it happened. The disdain looked on his face as he was minutes shy of catching the last train. He leaned against the door of the cafeteria as he was thinking of alternatives. If he took the bus, it would bring at least three-fourths of the way, but that would be an forty-minute walk if he did that option. His mother didn't have a vehicle as his father was out of town on business using that vehicle. He didn't have enough money on his Uber account to cover the drive back to his home.

He jerked his head to the sky as he didn't want to involve his mother. A born worrywort, the idea that her son was alone in the city would create stress bumps. She didn't like the idea of the sixteen-year-old traveling alone in the city, or at least unsupervised.

"Maybe I can split the bus fare and then catch an Uber from there," said Izuku to himself.

Yui kept her hands onto her backpack as she looked at Izuku's plight. Her attentiveness toward him didn't go unnoticed. "Oh," he said as he nervously laughed. "Overlook my talking to myself. I tend to do that whenever I am thinking out loud."

"That's okay," she responded. "If you want, I can give you the money for an Uber to take you home." She nodded. "It is the least I can do since you went out of your way for me."

Izuku produced a smile. "Think nothing of it, Kodai. Anyone would have done the same thing."

She shook her head disapprovingly. "Not anyone," she said. "There were others in close proximity and they didn't do anything. Onlookers watched and didn't do anything to stop him. As if they were in their own world, watching through the screen of someone's plight."

"Wow! A crude way of thinking, Kodai!"

"No! A realistic way of thinking, Midoriya." Kodai rubbed the soles of her shoes. "There are good kids like us who are trapped in a mad city. Surrounded by vagrants, miscreants, shysters, shylocks, and pure scum." She pointed in a random direction. "The ones who are to protect and serve aimlessly do nothing to stop the nonsense."

"Kodai!"

Her voice became highly pitched. "Let me tell you why, Midoriya! Without catching the sons of bitches, then the cops wouldn't have a purpose. A job, if you will." She stomped her foot. "I can smell the tobacco lingering from that bastard's breath when he grabbed my butt. It was like a feast to him. Then, to see others do nothing as if it was my fault or I was asking for it." Her body began to shiver. "Then, the very people who I thought had our backs were snickering and laughing as I pinpoint every single detail about my situation." She scoffed under her breath. "The fucking bastards!"

"Kodai!"

She wiped her face with her sleeve. He could easily spot the cascade of tears on her face. "Look at myself rambling. Yet again, guys would think I am probably bitching." She turned to Izuku. "Excuse me, Midoriya. I was just thinking out loud, as you would call it." She grabbed her cell phone from out of her purse. "What is your number? I can wire you the money to take you home."

Izuku waved his hand, declining her offer. "No charge! I wasn't doing this to seek a reward." He looked at the clock on his cell phone. "The least I can do is take you to your apartment. By then, I can think of a solution."

"Midoriya, you know I don't…."

Izuku interjected. "You've been through enough, Kodai. Why should you pay the price." He placed his hands in his pocket. "Let me take you home and I can think of something. I think Kaminari, Aoyama, or Mirio lives in your district. Kaminari owes me over an hundred favors anyway."

About ten minutes later….

Izuku followed Yui to her apartment. The skyrise apartments were top-of-the-line, or at least that what he read on the advertisement beside the building. Yui informed the security guard that Izuku was a guest. Regardless, he had to sign in for verification.

Izuku assisted Yui with her backpack. She pressed the elevator to the top floor. Even on the ride to the top floor, she kept silent. Her hands were closed together, holding on to Izuku's cell phone. For a moment, he forgot that he had loaned it out to her.

The sound of the bell pang to the top floor. Yui left first. Izuku was amazed by the red, grandiose carpeting and carpentry. He concluded that foreigners were responsible for this kind of architecture.

Yui pulled out the keys to the apartment. When he entered, his mouth became agape at the sight of her apartment. He stood in the living room where it had custom-made furniture. The couch appeared antique but could tell it was hardly used. The television was wide as one of his walls in his bedroom. In the center of the living room was a kotatsu. Looking at its design, he knew that it too was imported. He ventured further when he saw that the couple had a huge entertainment center surrounding the television. He thought that they must have the latest in stereo equipment. He saw on the shelves the abundance of DVDs. His mouth wanted to water on that sight.

Yui put the keys on the table next to the door. She pointed to Izuku where to leave her backpack. He figured once he dropped off her stuff, then he could head back.

"Thank you for today," she said as she bowed at him. Izuku returned her bow. "You're welcome, Kodai!"

"Yui!"

"Hmm?"

"You can call me Yui if you want." She bowed once more.

The teen blushed. "Okay, Yui!" A buzz on Izuku's cell phone interrupted their moment. A resounding yes can from his lips. "Awesomeness! Kaminari is going to let me crash for the night." He rubbed his hands together. "The kid just got the PS5 and I am so on with NBA2K20."

Yui lightly snickered at Izuku's excitement. He blushed. "Excuse me!"

"You're fine," she said. "Listen. Let me have your number. So I am sure that you made it to Kaminari's house safely."

"I'm fine," he said calmly. "Kaminari actually lives two blocks from here. I will be okay."

As he was about to turn, Yui grabbed his wrist. "Izuku, please!"

Izuku bit into his lip. He tried not to display his weariness. This was the first time to receive a girl's number without being a study partner or a relative. "Okay, Yui."

Izuku and Yui exchanged numbers. They even exchanged email addresses in case they needed a backup. Izuku walked to the door. "You're sure you will be okay by yourself?"

"I can manage," she answered.

"I will call you when I get over to Denki's." He placed his hands together. "I promise!"

She nodded in understanding. "Good night, Izuku!"

He bowed to her. "Good night, Yui!"

Yui, for the first time, smiled as she closed the door. As much as Izuku didn't want to leave the damsel behind, he just didn't want to feel the oddness of staying in an apartment alone with someone of the opposite sex.

Izuku took the elevator down to the bottom floor. Izuku hoped that Kaminari had some spare sleeping clothes he could borrow for the night.

As he pressed his hands on the door to the exit, he received a buzz from his cell phone.

It was from Yui.

Just wanted to be sure that this was actually your number. Good night, Izuku!

He chose not to respond. As a man of his word, he would respond when he got to Denki's house. Just from today, he learned a lot about the complexities of the silent beauty.

There are good kids like us who are trapped in a mad city. Surrounded by vagrants, miscreants, shysters, shylocks, and pure scum.

Nothing truer than the words she had spoken, thought Izuku.

To be continued….