The Quirk of Solitude by ShadowAlchemy
Chapter 7
The next morning came and went rather quickly. Izuku found only a handful more of supplies but what he was really excited for was the first bit of training he was going to receive from Starrk. But after the first few minutes of explanation…both realized he kind of sucked as a teacher.
"Just focus your energy and release it like a sonar!" repeated a slightly frustrated Starrk
"How do I even focus my energy?" replied a frustrated Izuku.
"Just like this. Pesquisa." Starrk answered by demonstrating his ability again. Izuku did feel the familiar shiver of cold go up his spine but he couldn't see or feel what Starrk was implying.
"And I am telling you I don't know what you're talking about! I can't see or feel how you specifically do that!" Izuku retorted, rubbing his face with one hand.
Starrk also rubbed his face in frustration, "Fine. Let's switch to sonido and see if it makes any sense to you. Go find or make a small clearing free of any debris in the sand."
There was a small circle with a diameter of 10ft that met the requirements and Izuku carefully listened to Starrk's instruction, " Sonido is about visualizing your intended destination with perfect clarity and then pouring your energy into your legs to transmit yourself there. It's as instant and familiar as if you were going to jump from one leg to the other. Stretch first and practice that at your own pace. Feel how much force you put on your legs. Pay attention to how your weight shifts before you jump and after you land. When you are comfortable enough I will explain the next step."
Izuku was actually surprised at the good level of explanation for this technique. He was kind of expecting another half-assed vague instruction from the terrible instructor.
"Oi kid. You were thinking of something rude weren't you?" Starrk said with a scowl and crossed his arms. "Single leg jump from one to the other 100 times without a break or I won't teach you the next step."
Not wanting to try his luck and think of other insults, Izuku opted to do some good stretching and a couple practice jumps before he started the challenge. Remembering what Starrk said, he began the challenge with immense focus. Every muscle being used, the displacement of the sand underneath his feet, The amount of fatigue each jump used. Starrk could feel Izuku's seriousness and it pleased him. Nearing the end of the 100 jump challenge Starrk added,
"Do it faster with less thinking. Try just to imagine yourself appearing in your next position. You have to imagine the feel of landing and the strain on your body. Then imagine giving your legs a boost of power but too much or too little will put you—-"
BZZT. Izuku sonido'd further from his intended position and into a pile of trash.
"-somewhere other than your intended target." Starrk finished while scratching his head. He was impressed how quickly Izuku caught on to learning this technique and luckily the kid didn't land too hard being face first into a fridge.
Izuku removed himself from the fridge while rubbing his face gently. Ouch. It hurt but he was so happy at his first successful sonido that he didn't care about the pain. The reality was setting in that he really was developing his own power. He glanced down and looked at his tattoo'd number 1 with a look of pride and expectation. His number glowed bright blue and Starrk spoke to him,
"Well done on your first successful sonido! Now do you understand what it means to feel it?"
Izuku smirked and joked "Do you mean the fridge? Yes, I specifically know how that feels."
Starrk let out a long sigh and face palmed, hiding his smirk. Smartass. He ignored the joke and clarified, "The feeling of channeling power into your legs. If you keep practicing this technique it will be the foundation for the other techniques. At the current distance of travel, it doesn't seem to stress your legs too much but keep an eye on your fatigue. You will need to develop more muscle mass in order to handle a larger flow of energy in order to travel larger distances. For example if you tried to sonido to the cafe right now not only would you not make it but both legs would be stressed like having dual charlie horses. You would be completely immobilized for a significant period of time."
Izuku thanked Starrk for the very serious warning but had an important question,
"What should I do to gain muscle? I've never worked out before."
Starrk hummed to himself thinking of an answer. He too never worked out a day in his life and only had combat experience as his training, but the kid wasn't ready for that. "I guess move some of this garbage around and try using all your muscles to do it. You will definitely need to find a better source of calories though. The food you have now is only good to quell your hunger."
It was Izuku's turn to start thinking hard. Starrk had a point but was a little too vague. Then a bold thought came to the front. "What if I bargained with that man Giran who said he will be looking for me tomorrow morning to see if I change my mind?"
"Kid, when dealing with men like him you have to be very careful. The expression in your memory 'The devil is in the details' is very apt for this situation. If you think this is the best course of action then you must spell out ALL of the details with him. For example, he might ask you to steal, hurt, or kill someone. It might cost you your freedom or he might try to enslave you with a quirk or use torture to force your obedience. Naturally I would step in and save you but try to prevent that kind of scenario from happening in the first place." Starrk answered with a serious expression, remembering how his previous commander Aizen was a professional at deception and manipulation. "I strongly recommend practicing your sonido technique hard for the rest of the day. Get to a level of control where you can use it to escape."
"Yes. I will. Please tell me more about the nuances for this technique. It could very well save my life tomorrow." Izuku stated resolutely while gently caressing his number 1 with his right hand. He wanted to learn more and exceed Starrk's expectations or at the very least not bring shame to the title of primera.
Practice continued well until the last bits of sunlight were threatening to leave the twilight sky. Izuku practiced diligently, being able to sonido in the tiny practice circle in a triangle pattern. Starrk even clarified that when sonido needed a clear visualization it didn't necessarily mean a visual, but seeing the intended location greatly assisted the technique. With sweat pouring down off his face, chest, and back, Izuku occasionally attempted a backwards sonido to simulate dodging being grabbed or assaulted. The trash welcomed him with figurative open arms at some of his attempts but he was starting to become consistent.
Starrk watched and coached him the whole time. He was seriously impressed at the level of Izuku's determination and practicality. He didn't even mock the kid whenever he ended up in the garbage piles but encouraged him to get up and try again. Unknowingly, this was Starrk's battle instinct trying to teach the kid not to dwell on his mistakes and get back into the fight. A moment's hesitation could always lead to disaster. When the waxing crescent moon was clearly visible in the night sky Starrk called the practice over and used his energy to mend Izuku's worn muscles and bruises from the trash impacts. They conversed a little longer about the potential exchanges with Giran tomorrow and both eventually fell sound asleep.
The morning sun was painting the city of Mustafu. In a dark alley near the coast Giran was going for one of his casual strolls. He did most of his work in the dead of night so to him the morning sun was closer to the signal for his bedtime. Puffing a cigarette and humming a tune he needed to check whether or not that beaten up looking kid from a couple of days ago would take him up on an offer. Plus side even if the kiddo didn't show up at least he would grab a fresh breakfast danish from that cafe so this truly wasn't a waste of his time. To his delight, he saw the kiddo already waiting for him by the same spigot he saw him at when they first met. Now, let's see if this morning will be interesting or not..
Walking up to Izuku with a partial salute and his iconic grin and cigarette Giran greeted,
"Morning kiddo. Might I take it yer interested in making a deal?"
Izuku had a calm but still wary expression and answered, "I would like to hash out some specifics before accepting anything."
Smart. Giran only grinned wider. "Well then. Let me treat both of us to some fresh breakfast and let us hash it out." He said while gesturing to the cafe "Seriously. No obligation. Just a morning conversation between two individuals."
Izuku nodded and Giran followed him into the cafe. They each got a fresh danish with some orange juice. The aroma of the cafe was heavenly and they sat at a table far from the counter and began their discussion.
"Before I feel comfortable asking you for anything, I need to know the kind of favor you will want in return. I don't want to hurt or steal from people or get entangled with the law in any capacity." Started Izuku before taking a bite out of his pastry. It was delicious so he wanted to savor it.
Giran only continued to smile and answered his concern, "You've got a good head on yer shoulders. Tell ya the truth I wasn't expecting you to be so cautious but I like it. Dealin' with smart people is better for business than dumb ones." He took a couple bites out of his food and continued after swallowing them "What I had in mind is you being an errand boy. Delivering a piece of mail to a bar across town. Simple and easy right? Of course I will ask for more if you ask for something too expensive for me to get."
Internally Starrk was going over Giran's words trying to detect any hidden loophole or missing detail. He calmly stated to Izuku to verify something,
"I won't ask about the nature of the package itself but is there any chance that the bar in question won't just kill me and take it or kidnap me when I get there?"
I like this kiddo. Giran chuckled and looked Izuku right in the eyes, "See, I told you you were smart! Yes, I will tell them you are coming on my behest and are to be returned to me unharmed. If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have cared what they would or wouldn't do ya." He said with such nonchalance it gave Izuku some goosebumps. "Now then, what would you like to ask for fair payment from me?"
Izuku saw a glint in the man's eyes. Did he earn his respect somehow or was he interested in what he wanted?
"I would like some protein rich or calorie rich food rations with water. If you could find some generic training clothing I would be grateful. I also have an honest question for you but I don't know if it would change your mind about our deal." He asked and saw Giran gesture with a friendly wave to continue. "Do you know of a bath house close to here? I would like to be able to use a shower without drawing suspicion."
The glint in Giran's eyes sharpened. Izuku indirectly just told him some information about himself: that he was probably a run away or at least having some home problems where he didn't feel safe to even bathe. Giran felt he could definitely sell this kiddo to the mad doctor and get away with it but right now he wanted to see what the kid could do and how he handled himself. After all, troubled kids were the perfect seeds for villains and if this one was smart and capable Giran could be possibly talking to a very promising future customer.
"Tell ya what kid. In good faith I will tell you two locations of interest to you. Plus I have no issue with your price. I just need to know where the goods can be delivered discreetly and you need to hide them away without having any questions being asked." Giran stated and offered his hand out for a handshake.
Izuku was going over the agreement with Starrk in his head and finally shook Giran's hand.
"Can you deliver the stuff at one of the ends of the garbage filled beach?" Izuku inquired, then was the first to let go of the hand shake.
"You mean Takoba Beach? The one right over there within walking distance? That'd be perfect! Check the north side of the beach sometime after midnight tonight for yer goods. The package I need you to deliver will be an unmarked beige box that is sealed. Here is the address I need you to deliver it to before dawn tomorrow." Giran answered happily and wrote down an address on a napkin. When he handed it to Izuku he briefly caught his wrist in a tight grasp and had a dangerous expression on his face "Do not open the package and do not miss the deadline for delivery otherwise very bad things will happen to you. Understand?"
Izuku was slightly frightened at the sudden aggression but firmly nodded his head.
"Good. Now then since you didn't feel like telling me yer name I told the bar that they should be expecting a green bean of a kid with their package sometime later tonight. For today though, you can have this:" Giran affirmed and handeed Izuku a couple $50.00 bills. "Feel free to eat whatever you want and lastly if you walk up and down the coast in either direction there will be public bath houses normally people would've used to clean up from a day at the beach so I can safely bet they probably aren't frequented very much. The city does occasionally clean them and empty out the public dumpsters next to them about once a month. Catch ya later kiddo." Giran partially saluted and walked out of the cafe lighting a fresh cigarette.
Izuku watched the man leave and then began to quietly talk to Starrk.
"I don't see why he would trust someone like me to do an errand like that."
"It's because he doesn't trust you that he's letting you do it." replied Starrk lying on the tile floor while sleepily waving his hand. "This is a deceptively simple test of your abilities and honesty. If you succeed you might be kept around because you are useful. If you fail, you take all the blame and punishment. If you flee, he doesn't lose anything of value and will probably tell some pretty filthy individuals that they can kill or capture you to earn a favor from him. It would be wise to get his task done without delay."
"Do you disagree with making a deal with him?" asked Izuku, slightly worried he disappointed Starrk.
"I told you I don't care what you do or don't do. Just don't be careless by needlessly putting yourself in danger. This will give you something you need and some experience as well. That being said, I do feel you should continue training hard today just in case there are any unmentioned difficulties attempting to deliver that package tonight."
Izuku never thought of the possibility that there might be some difficulty with his errand. He face palmed at his lack of common sense. If he hypothetically was attacked and let the package get stolen he would technically fail the errand and have to answer for it. He felt Starrk deserved more respect for warning him about missing details like that. Finishing his breakfast he chose to save the extra money Giran gave him for another time and returned to his beach training grounds. There was nothing to do besides train until night came so Izuku came up with a couple new ideas for his sonido training. Starrk took a daytime nap to conserve his strength for later but was amused at the boy's creativity.
Izuku used different sized platforms at different heights in a small area and practiced his sonido to competitively land from each one in random patterns. Even a small misjudgement in height caused him to trip and fall several times and bang his knee really hard on one particular spectacular failure. Determined to work through the pain, Izuku imagined it as if he was injured in a fight and found out really quickly that it greatly affected his technique. Better to have learned this here than being in actual danger He thought and plowed on. Adjusting for the pain, he was building up a nice sweat as the constant buzzing noise of his sonido echoed into his deserted junkyard of a home.
Starrk woke up before evening and started the healing process. Izuku was really grateful for the assistance and was in awe as he watched his bruised knee slowly regain its normal color. He also told the kid that he should try and take a nap before going out tonight. He will wake the kid up in a few hours and keep watch until then. Starrk was happy the kid was taking his advice and this practice seriously. The kid's usual distant eyes were filled with purpose every time he practiced, regardless how good or bad the attempt was. Starrk was confident that Izuku would eventually develop his powers and become a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Night quickly arrived and Starrk stirred Izuku awake using his Pesquisa. He noticed every time he used it Izuku would shiver like if there was cold water being poured on him and it proved to be highly effective waking him up. Izuku mentally cursed Starrk and vowed he would get back at him for that but it was time to make his way to the north part of the beach. There were no lights in the garbage field itself so he chose to get close to the outer piles closer to the walkway and used the city lamps to help illuminate his way. From what he remembered at the cafe he was going the correct direction and he eventually did get to the northernmost point of Takoba beach. There wasn't good lighting but Izuku could see the outlines of a crate with a duffle bag next to it. Approaching slowly, he asked Starrk if he could merely illuminate his hand from the tattoo, to which he agreed.
Blue fire and light gently emitted from Izuku's left hand and he first checked out the duffle bag. Inside was a decent sized beige package being covered by a couple articles of clothing that had the ArmorUnder brand on them. Izuku quickly took off his destroyed and sweaty school uniform and replaced it with the new clothes. They smelled like they were fresh from a store. A small note escaped and nearly flew away before Izuku caught it and read,
"Enjoy the food and clothes but remember: dawn or else"
Easy enough. Izuku checked the pockets of the duffel bag but didn't find anything else and decided it was better to leave the package inside and carry it that way. Okay maybe not so easy He thought as the weight of the package dawned on him. It was at least 50 lbs which was about half of Izuku's body weight so he strapped the duffle on and wore it like a backpack. It was a little awkward but once Izuku tightened the straps it fit better. Would he be able to sonido with this extra weight? He had to ask Starrk.
"Yes you can but you need to brace your legs for a sturdy landing. If you don't, the baggage will still try to continue moving forward and it will probably knock you over. Same rule applies if you grab a person. They will most likely get motion sickness the first time. Since I'm rested I will be assisting your body with the extra weight tonight."
This gave Izuku the idea to try and practice while carrying some weights later on in practice, but then he focused on the task at hand. He pulled out the napkin with the delivery address and realized he had no clue where it was. Izuku face palmed while Starrk poked fun at him, "Did you really not think about looking or asking for a map?"
Izuku looked at the street address again and realized something: It was in Kamino, not Mustafu and the last train already would've departed by now. He had to get to another city and deliver this before dawn and didn't know how he was going to do it. Then, an idea came to mind. He wondered out loud if the money Giran gave him this morning would be enough for a taxi and perhaps it was another one of his tests. Starrk raised an eyebrow. "That may be entirely possible."
"Let's go find a taxi then and ask about the fare." Izuku said with a determined look and began to walk into the maze of Mustafu buildings.
The street lights illuminated vacant streets and the darkened alleys showed no signs of life. Izuku's new top was black with a dark gray hood and side pants were black like his school uniform but was more of a polyester material making them more comfortable to move around in. Giran had even thrown in a pair of black and red sneakers which Izuku was particularly fond of. He decided to put the hood over his mop of unkempt green hair and kept moving toward the increasing sound of traffic. Glancing into the mirror of shop windows he couldn't help but feel he looked a little more menacing than he was intending. It may be useful to keep random people from approaching him but he didn't want to be suspicious enough to garner attention from heroes or law enforcement.
Passing another dark alley his gut told him something was wrong. He quickly got away from the alley entrance in time before three punk looking guys with cruel looking smirks emerged and were looking straight at him.
"A bit past your bedtime isn't it? Why don't you just hand over what you have and we'll let you get back to mommy." The one in the middle said with a cocky sneer.
Izuku clenched his fists and teeth in anger. These guys reminded him so much of his school bullies but he already resolved to Starrk that he wouldn't stand by and be tormented by people like this anymore. Starrk was surprised at the rushing emotions of anger, resentment, and the resolve to stand firm. He wanted to see what Izuku would do and luckily for him he didn't have to wait long.
With a BZZT, Izuku vanished in front of the punk's eyes and they watched in surprise as Izuku reappeared with his right leg kicking into skinny guy's gut. The man immediately hunched over in pain and barely was able to hold his dinner from throwing up. Using the momentum from the sonido, Izuku let the duffle bag on his back slide off partially to his right and let it collide with the guy on the right's face. The impact sent that guy crashing backwards onto the ground holding his face in pain while the duffel bag's momentum was reversed and was safely secured onto Izuku's back. The last punk looked stupidly confused as his two buddies were both on the ground groaning in pain and then looked up to meet Izuku's gaze.
"Do not trouble me again. Leave me alone." Izuku spoke with a harsh tone and eyes filled with fierce anger.
The unharmed man nodded stupidly and then began to help his friends to their feet. Izuku continued walking in his original direction slowly letting his anger dissipate. Starrk was really surprised but didn't say anything. He knew the kid never fought before in his life let alone with sonido. Where did he learn that? Starrk thought seriously. He once again retraced Izuku's memories but nothing was revealed to answer his question. Now wouldn't be a good time to ask so for now he'll have to wait for a better opportunity.
Eventually Izuku did manage to hail a cab from one of Mustafu's busier streets and he was correct to assume the cab fare was close to $50.0 one way to Kamino. He asked the driver to drop him at the furthest end of the listed street address. Starrk was silent the whole cab ride, still making guesses how Izuku figured out how to fight using sonido and was getting slightly frustrated. Exiting the cab and walking down a beaten up street with even more beaten up looking buildings, Izuku finally calmed down enough to break their silence.
"Starrk, you've been quietly watching the whole time. Is everything alright?" he asked in a soft voice, not wanting to appear like a lunatic talking to himself in case people were watching.
Starrk sighed and scratched the back of his head and responded, "Kid, I'm proud of you for defending yourself but I can't figure out how or when you learned to use sonido to fight like that."
"I learned it from you." Izuku answered with a little bit of confusion
"I did not teach you anything like that yet." Starrk countered with a serious tone
"I meant when I read the manga you originate from. You used sonido to plant yourself and swing your sword so I copied it but used a kick instead." said Izuku, satisfied that he understood Starrk's confusion.
"I never thought of that." Starrk retorted with a mildly surprised look. Indeed when he quickly rechecked Izuku's memories he saw those specific panels he was referencing. This kid is gonna be really strong one day, Starrk thought to himself with a pleased grin. Using his manga source as a reference and inspiration to develop his own fighting style was a brilliant and unplanned surprise. Starrk scratched his head in slight awkwardness. Maybe it wasn't too early for him to teach him some offense techniques.
Izuku reached the correct address and was kind of confused why it was a bar. He shrugged and entered the establishment. The bar was a little worn but he could see it was clean even in the dim lighting. The only person there was a black mist figure with yellow glowing eyes wearing a well kept bartender uniform and he was calmly cleaning a glass. The misty man immediately noticed Izuku enter and warmly greeted him,
"Good evening young one. Tell me, do you have a good reason to be here at this establishment so late at night?" he said with a polite welcoming bow.
"I-I was told to come here on a man named Giran's behest. He said you would be looking for a young green bean looking kiddo." Izuku stammered out after tripping on his words. He lowered his hood to reveal his mess of green hair.
The misty figure's yellow eyes seemed to raise up in a smile like fashion and then replied,
"Indeed I was told that. Will you please bring the package to the end of the bar here?" and pointed with one of his misty hands.
Izuku nodded and did exactly as he was asked. He stepped away as a courtesy and observed as the misty bar tender opened the duffle bag and fished out the beige package.
"Hmm. The seal does appear to be intact and you managed to deliver this faster than I would expect a young man such as yourself could do. Well done." The bartender acknowledged in an approving tone.
Izuku watched in awe as a small black misty portal opened up and sucked the package into it, leaving the duffel bag still cast on the floor.
"That was so cool…" Izuku couldn't help but mutter out loud. Internally Starrk was (definitely) not pouting with a scowl with his arms crossed. He was the primera and could show the kid so many more cooler abilities when he was ready.
The bartender chuckled and then regained his composure. "Forgive my late introduction. My name is Kurogiri and I run this humble establishment. I greatly appreciate you delivering this package to me so quickly and intact. Giran told me he saw you had some potential and I am glad he is correct. Would you like anything to eat or drink for free for your trouble?" the now introduced Kurogiri asked politely.
Izuku was about to politely refuse but his stomach growl betrayed him. Slightly embarrassed and scratching his head he politely responded, "I will accept your kind offer. Any simple dish with water would be fine please."
Kurogiri politely bowed and gestured to Izuku to take a seat at the bar. He gave him a glass of water and walked behind the bar into the small kitchen area and began cooking up a quick and easy rice dish with assorted vegetables and meats. Izuku could hear and smell the cooking and it made him very hungry. He started to sip on his water and looked at the televisions positioned high in the air with the slanted screen facing Izuku. There was a report going on about an arson incident at an orphanage in Hosu. The word orphanage sent a flux of unpleasantness into Izuku. He refused to go back to that awful place with its unwelcoming atmosphere. A small flicker of guilt rang through his mind accusing him of belonging there, but he quickly shook his head to silence it.
He knew he wasn't wanted at the orphanage or his school but he didn't want them either. Living at the garbage filled Takoba beach with Starrk as his only friend and teacher was good enough for him. Kurogiri walked back into the bar area with a fresh bowl of delicious smelling food. Izuku generously thanked him for the meal and began to wolf it down with pleasure. Kurogiri was a little surprised but then saw how skinny the boy actually was underneath his slightly baggy attire. He remembered the tidbit of Giran telling him this kid never told him his name and gave strong hints of having a bad home life or being a runaway. He also specifically requested that the boy needs to be returned to Giran unharmed if he was successful in his delivery, which he was. Kurogiri had no intention to break his word with the broker. If word ever got out that you broke a contract it would be exponentially harder and more expensive to acquire anything else because no other broker would deal with you.
Izuku finished his food and drink in record time and gave a happy sigh of relief. Perhaps this kid would be a future league of villains member once his master's chosen successor was done with his current training to become its leader. Potential for later He didn't even know this kid's quirk or moral compass. There was no need to potentially scare someone off a future recruit.
"Young man." Began Kurogiri but he noticed Izuku's grim expression while looking at one of the televisions. "If this news article troubles you I have no issue changing the channel for you."
Izuku snapped out of his negative thoughts and shook his head. He looked at Kurogiri and replied, "Thank you Mr. Kurogiri for your consideration but I don't want to trouble you because I will be leaving soon."
Manners and cleanliness meant a lot to Kurogiri and he nodded at the kid's words.
"Very well. Would you like me to hail a cab for you or would you trust me to teleport you back to your home city?" Asked Kurogiri politely.
Izuku nearly forgot he watched the man teleport the package away earlier. He didn't think Kurogiri could make long distance portals like that.
"Thank you for your offer but I wouldn't want to impose. I would prefer the taxi please."
Kurogiri nodded and began texting on his phone for a taxi service. When he looked up at Izuku again he again saw him looking at the news on the tv with the same conflicted expression.
Internally, Starrk was very puzzled at the situation. Both at the small Pesquisa result of Kurogiri and the information Izuku was reading. This guy almost reminds me of the monster at the doctor's office but something is different. Starrk scowled in disapproval. He needed to share his findings with the kid after they were safe back at the beach.
"Young man, this news article clearly bothers you. I will turn it off until after you leave." Kurogiri said while walking to grab the remote and then proceeded to shut off all the tvs,
"I-I'm sorry for imposing that on you. I just don't like seeing stuff like that." Izuku managed to say.
He had to suppress the urge to reveal that he was probably being hunted or completely written off as a runaway by his own Mustafu orphanage. Even if they were in a different city, Izuku had been conditioned not to immediately trust or warm up to people. Every one either wrote him off or hurt him and there's always a chance even the very polite bartender in front of him could do the same. A small alert dinged on Kurogiri's phone.
"Your taxi has arrived and I hope you will be sent again to fulfill one of Giran's requests. Thank you for coming, you are a welcome guest here during your free time." Kurogiri stated while giving a polite bow.
Izuku thanked him and returned the polite bow before leaving the bar and entering the taxi. When the car was heard leaving Kurogiri internally thought, I hope I never have to see a polite young man like that become a Noumu. He returned to his post behind the bar counter and began to clean all of the drinking glasses one after another. He was lost in thought entertaining the hope that the unnamed green haired kid would eventually be recruited in the future.
Izuku was very tired but managed to stay awake. He had the cab driver drop him off a couple blocks from the cafe and walked back to his home without any interruptions. Starrk also decided to wait until tomorrow before discussing with Izuku of his findings. They still had to move the crate of supplies closer to their school bus but that could wait. Once they hit the mattress, both fell quickly into sleep with thoughts full of tonight's encounters.