Welcome back to the start of the next pick arc! The school Festival is just around the corner as our Heroes and killers return to school, but something dark is always lurking in the background! Stay tuned and read the postscript for an announcement for this story! Also, I'm honestly surprised by how little reaction there was to the reveal that Pony was a descendant of Desmond Miles. I kind of expected more from that reveal. Oh well.
Gamelover41592: Thank you.
LEGOBRCK13: What? Hold on, I thought- *checks control room to find "prevent dead spirit summoning" button is not lit* Oh, I thought I'd pushed that. Oh well, I guess you can keep her since she won't be returning to the story, but that room of yours must be getting pretty cramped. Why am I not surprised you'd have a thing for Bubble Girl? Anyway, I had to show what curiosity does to outsiders and needed to wrap up Nighteye's quest, so what better way than to give you all some information and then why it never gets out? I'd had that chapter planned for MONTHS.
Monkey D. Conan: As much as it hurts to see our favorite characters fighting each other, I can't just put all of them on one side. I know what you mean with Kendo, but induction into the Templars was just the next logical step of her location and interaction. What that may cost her, well, only time will tell.
Monster King: Here you go!
Pirohiko-Baltazar: He got himself too deep. Such a shame so many, myself included, needed him out of the way. I wonder who gets all his merch? Honestly, probably All Might.
Shadowwolf1997: I think you're the only one that commented about that reveal. Yeah, that family line took a major twist somewhere in the interim, so I wonder what went wrong there? Also, I love and hate to tell you we're only getting started. I have a lot of other deaths planned for the future.
stevenpiskunov2: I've read so many stories of Izuku with OFA and suddenly getting overpowered. I wanted to make an Izuku that's so much more focused on skill alone. I didn't want AFO and OFA to be a centerpoint of this story because, unlike the clearcut good-vs-evil in Canon, the morals and motivations of this story are not so clear. At the same time, I couldn't totally write them off. I hope this his a good middle ground.
zagan: You're right, by seeing All Might's future, Nighteye essentially engraved it into stone. It probably doesn't help that he's one of my least-liked Heroes in the series.
ZonZus: Yeah, he really rushed forward in his pursuit for answers and was overconfident in his abilities. And while he could have seen the future of Centipeder or Bubble Girl, he would have essentially set them on an unavoidable path to their grave. At that point, he had never been able to change a future he saw, and until he could avert All Might's by convincing him to give up OFA early, he would never risk doing the same to his Sidekicks. That really cost him, but he also never could have predicted what Pony was capable of.
Chapter 61:
Enter Gentle Criminal!
The pair of thieves bounced through the air, one of them facing back toward their pursuers with his palm out toward them. Gunshots cracked through the air, a number of them causing the air before the taller figure to stretch unnaturally, bleeding away the bullets' momentum. The half-moon hung high in the sky, casting its shadowed glow over the grinning figure. There was shouting below, but what they said was lost from the man's showman laughter.
"Ha ha ha!" he grinned, his silver mustache flapping in the wind along with his coat's tall collar and long trim. He wore a fancy, gold-trim vest beneath with a deep purple scarf and striped parachute pants. He held a cane in one hand. "As you can see, these guards are unable to touch us! Such is the power of a true gentleman thief! Especially when performing acts for the sakes of those like you, my faithful viewers!"
"Of course!" the smaller figure agreed, her camera steady on the man, her voluptuous red hair in two large pigtails that very nearly brushed the ground. She didn't quite reach her companion's hips in height and was dressed in a similar style without the cape and scarf but with a large, white bowtie. Her eyes were pink, as were her heart-shaped earrings. "No one can compare to your beauty and elegance, Gentle!"
"Such kind words. Thank you, La Brava."
The pair landed, the ground beneath them stretching and distending as it absorbed their kinetic energy. They were surrounded in moments, three individuals dressed in the colorful ensembles of pro Heroes placing themselves in a triangle around the tall man and very short woman. The lone woman of the three (dressed in red) pointed her finger at the bag in Gentle's hand.
"Drop the data and we can do this painlessly, thieves," she said. "Of course, we'll need the camera, too. Comply and we won't have to break a few bones on your way to prison."
"Oh dear, how uncouth," Gentle sighed, stretching the bag out for La Brava to take. It was small, only about the size of a fist, the contents clacking a little. The two male Heroes (dressed in blue and yellow) readied themselves for battle. "I do wish there were means other than violence that you Heroes were amicable toward. I get so bored of fighting."
"Then maybe you should get bored of stealing."
"La Brava," Gentle muttered. "Be a dear and turn the camera off. We have no need of violent footage."
"Cocky, aren't you?" the woman grunted as La Brava closed the camera she carried, tucking it into a safety pouch. "Get them!"
La Brava jumped back as the man in blue seemed to blur, his body appearing multiple places all on top of each other but just out of sync. His hand (hands?) swiped at the bag holding the stolen items, but La Brava completed her backflip, yanking it from his current range.
The Hero in yellow growled, his face and body morphing to become more feline as he took on an appearance like a cheetah. La Brava's eyes widened, her body moving on its own as the cat-man charged toward her with considerable speed, the small woman spinning around him. Her leg shot out, impacting one of his now-hind legs. It wasn't there to help the other catch his weight, the Hero's eyes widening as he tumbled forward uncontrollably, skidding painfully over the concrete.
"Come here, bitch!" the other Hero hissed, one of his blurry hands grabbing the base of La Brava's right ponytail. He solidified with that image of himself, yanking her upward with considerable strength.
La Brava gasped in pain as she was pulled off the ground, both of her hands going to her hair reflexively. The Hero's free hand grabbed the bag as it came up, the man trying to pry it out of the thief's grip. She didn't let go, the differing force ripping the simple bag apart.
Computer chips and flash drives scattered over the ground, several bouncing unnaturally where they landed closer to Gentle's fight with the red-dressed Heroine, her fingers lengthened, pointed, and bladed as she swiped at the bouncing criminal. La Brava knew Gentle could handle himself and didn't want him to have a reason to worry about her, so she grabbed the hand holding her hair and heaved, swinging her small legs.
The diminutive woman flipped, bringing both her feet into the Hero's face. His hand let go of her hair, the man stumbling back as La Brava landed on her feet. She closed in before he could get his bearings again, her leg sweeping his ankle. His head hit the concrete with a crack, the man going still but still breathing.
"It's quite rude to approach a lady without announcing yourself, you know," La Brava heard Gentle say. She turned, the silver-haired man tapping the ground with his cane. The cheetah Hero gasped as the ground below him was no longer solid. He looked up just in time to see the shadow of Gentle's cane, the metal whacking him right between the eyes. He bounced on the ground as his Quirk turned off, leaving him to flip over the man and land on the other side, unconscious with a bloody nose.
"Bastard!" the woman yelled. She stabbed forward with her deadly fingers, Gentle quickly parrying with his cane.
"What foul language, and from a lady Hero of such standing no less." Gentle pushed her back, treating his cane like a rapier while getting in the Heroine's guard. She backpeddled, trying and failing to hit him with both of her hands. "Haha!"
La Brava dropped to her knees, gathering the spilled data storage devices and stuffing them into her pockets. It wouldn't be the most comfortable nor most efficient means of transport, but she'd handled worse. She froze, however, her hand hovering over a white flash drive with a red cross-like symbol on it. She glanced at Gentle, seeing him distracted with the growling woman, before picking up the drive and smashing it into the concrete several times. It shattered.
"Pardon my manners," Gentle said, spinning around another stab. "We must be off. Tata." His cane smacked into the woman's head. She stumbled slightly before crumpling, dead to the world. He turned. Finding La Brava standing with her pockets bulged with flash drives and computer chips.
"Sorry!" she squeaked. "The bag ripped!"
"Not to worry, my dear. I brought an extra." Gentle reached into his coat, pulling out a second bag which he opened, kneeling down to get closer to La Brava's level. She blushed, dropping handfuls of technology into the bag from her pockets. "Very good. Shall we film the outro?"
"O-Oh, right!" La Brava pulled out the camera and moved to a point where she could film all three now-unconscious Heroes. She held up a hand, silently counting down from three. She pointed at him.
"My, my," he said, casually walking through the downed Heroes. He pulled out a teacup and pot, pouring himself a spot of golden-brown liquid. "If you were so attached to these secrets of yours, you should have hired better security. Worry not, my dear viewers. I know this seems quite the step up from before, for it is. Exposing corporate dishonesty is one thing, but my gentlemanly honor demanded larger prey. Soon enough, our government secrets shall spill like the leafy brew of a shattered teacup. Such is what it means to be a modern-day Gentleman Thief. But now, we must make our getaway. This has been Gentle Criminal. Tata!"
La Brava saved the video and shut the camera. Her eyes sparkled as she turned back to Gentle, the man sipping his tea.
"That was amazing, Gentle! Oh, I wish you'd let me film your fights! You'd get so many more views that way. You really deserve them!"
"That is kind of you to say, but I must decline," the man replied, walking away from the battleground as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. La Brava followed, needing to almost jog to keep up with his longer legs. "However, a gentleman thief like myself cannot be seen doing battle, such would be counter to my persona. Besides, the need to censure the foul mouths on so many of today's Heroes would break the ambiance of the videos. No, we will need to rely on your expert editing again, La Brava. And I'm certain you'll understand more of the data we took than I would."
"Of course, Gentle! You can count on me!"
Gentle hummed, pulling out and pouring a second cup of tea that he offered to his companion. La Brava took it —jumping slightly to reach— and sipped it.
Hiding her frown was easy with the man's attention ahead. She hated having to lie to him, the smashed flash drive still in her mind. She didn't know what could have been on that device or what may hide in what she still carried, but she knew she didn't want any secrets about that associated with or even anywhere near her Gentle Criminal.
That war would take no one else away from her, this she swore.
-AHC-
Izuku was glad to see the walls of UA after his month away. Sure, he'd also be happy to get home to his mother and his bed after sleeping most nights on Master Usagiyama's old, borrowed couch, and those were the nights he actually got to sleep. Things had also been tense between them despite his apology, their farewell more of a curt nod. She still did not approve of his plan to bring justice to Teian and Heartseed's clients, but more out of the unnecessary risk of exposure rather than a definition of innocence. She was of the opinion that the women bought should be able to free themselves if they wanted now that Teian's brainwashing had died with her, something several already had done by loudly and publicly filing for divorce. Izuku, however, felt the rest needed looking into and the now-ex-husbands watched in case they want to try anything.
Then there was his mother. She'd been weird since he returned, asking him about Tsuyu and her family amongst questions of his work-study, Mirko, and classmates. Izuku had trained enough with Brotherhood intelligence to recognize probing questions when he saw them, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out the woman's angle. She didn't really think he and Tsuyu would end up together, did she? He was just, well, him.
Izuku walked through the gates, ignoring the flashes of cameras and blatantly-agenda-fueled questions from the media all around him. (He did chuckle to himself at the way the media avoided Iida, who was trying to answer their questions thoroughly.) The walk into campus was almost relaxing, the boy getting to just breathe and take in the scenery. Other students milled around, talking and laughing with each other as they made their ways to their classes.
"—was nice and all, but I'm happy to be getting back to school, you know?"
Izuku approached the shoe lockers, the verdet instantly recognizing the voice of 1-B's class president Itsuka Kendo. He glanced over, hours of practice causing him to do so subtly without meaning to. Standing across from the orange-haired martial artist, and closer to Izuku so he could see her back and hair, was Momo. Though he couldn't see his own classmate's face, Kendo wore a smile, a new locket hanging from a necklace resting against her collarbone.
"I concur," Momo nodded. "It will certainly be nice to wake up without the soreness every single day."
"Hey, Midoriya!" Izuku turned. He hadn't been hiding, but he wasn't sure either girl would see him amidst the rest of the entering students. Kendo beckoned him over. "How was your work-study? I'd like to hear about it now rather than waste time during a meeting."
"It… wasn't the best," Izuku decided as he approached. "I mean, I got what I wanted out of it, but Mirko and I weren't exactly on the same wavelength at the end, you know? Her way of doing stuff and mine are just too different to mesh well."
"I am sorry to hear that," Momo said. "Perhaps you should join us with Uwabami."
"I'll have to pass," the verdet replied, forcefully keeping his voice even and not too rushed. "I may return to Edgeshot this summer if given the chance, but I fear Mirko will basically abduct me. We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot, but I think she loved having a punching bag that could at least try to fight back."
"Why did you go with Mirko, anyway?" Kendo asked.
"Physicality," Izuku answered. "I learned a lot of technique from Edgeshot, but that means little if my punches don't have the oomph to really do anything. Oomph is something Mirko has in spades."
"It is kinda her whole deal," the 1-B president chuckled.
"I'm going to head to class," the boy said before Momo could get in another word. "I'd like a chance to catch up with some of the others before Aizawa-sensei makes us sit down and shut up."
"I suppose we can chat at a later date," Momo sighed as Izuku took his leave, only letting out his sigh of relief once he was out of both ear- and eyeshot. Something about Kendo's necklace didn't sit right with him, but he didn't have any reason to ask about it at the moment. Perhaps he'd get a chance at their coming class presidents' meeting, but maybe it would be better to find a time when Momo wouldn't be there to run interference.
Noting that information down in his mind for later, he made his way to the 1-A classroom. It was eerily quiet as he approached, the boy almost hesitantly opening the door. Inside he found about half the class whispering to each other to keep the noise down, many stealing glances at Ashido and Kirishima.
The former was seated at her desk, the latter in a chair from the desk ahead turned around. He was resting his head on his arms, apparently asleep, with Ashido's pink fingers going through his hair. Though Izuku raised an eyebrow at the rather-public display of what he was pretty sure had been an attraction one party was oblivious to, his focus was pulled to the crimson, almost-crystalline horn now growing from the center of the boy's forehead and how his hair was now both black and red, not the dyed red it had been before. As he watched, Ashido stroked the horn with a finger, her cheeks turning magenta.
"Uhh, what's going on here?" he muttered, stepping into a group with Tsuyu, Hagakure, and Ojiro.
"Not really sure, ribbit," Tsuyu replied. "Mina's shushed just about everyone that's come in."
"Kirishima had an incident during his work-study and almost died," Hagakure whispered, her sleeves making it clear she was hiding her mouth from Mina's view despite her hand and mouth both being invisible. "He ended up in the hospital and his mom called Mina to check on him. That's all I could get from her excited call the day after. And then things got busy for me until the work-study ended."
"Kirishima almost died?" Izuku echoed.
"I'd love to wake him up and ask," Ojiro commented, "but I'm kind of scared Ashido might throw acid at me if I try to break up their moment."
"It's a legitimate concern, ribbit," Tsuyu nodded. The door slid open, whomever it was taking a single step into the room.
"What the hell‽" Sero questioned, the entire room turning to him. He pointed at Ashido and the waking Kirishima. "When did that happen‽"
"Oh, hey Sero," Kirishima yawned. "Actually—"
"You ruined the moment!" Ashido interrupted.
"That's so not fair!" Sero lamented, closing the sliding door a little too forcefully. "Kiri, I thought we were bachelor buddies!"
"What?" the now-horned student blinked.
"Ojiro, Sato, back me up here!" The pair glanced at each other from across the room. Sero forged ahead. "Great, now we have to watch your lovey-dovey shenanigans while the rest of us are all alone! I hope you're happy, Kirishima you traitor!"
"Uh… yes?"
"Does anyone else have something to declare? Anyone else get a girlfriend during our work-studies?"
"Well now that you mention it…" The sleeves that indicated where Hagakure's arms were wrapped around one of Ojiro's, the tailed student flushing red. "Mashiro and I are together now. Our work-studies were close enough that we got to hang out and one thing led to another."
Sero looked like the invisible girl had pulled out an invisible trout and smacked him with it, Izuku having to turn away to avoid laughing. The tape-producing student almost stumbled his way to Sato, throwing an abnormally-elbowed arm around his friend.
"Do you know what this means, Sato?"
"Uh, no?" the other boy blinked.
"Our trio's down to two!"
"Actually…" Sato hesitated. "Actually, I got a girlfriend, too."
Sero recoiled, the rest of the class starting to snicker at his misfortune.
"What‽"
"Yeah, I helped save this bakery and went back to check on the owner since he broke a leg from the Villain attack." Sato shrugged. "His daughter was manning the register and we hit it off. Her name's Panya."
"I'm losing my high school years!" Sero cried. "My years and my friends!"
"Izuku's mom caught him and me in the park, ribbit," Tsuyu said, knowingly throwing gasoline on the fire. Every eye in the room turned on them.
"Dammit, Tsu," Izuku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're just trying to start rumors, aren't you?"
She stuck the tip of her tongue out with a smirk.
"Et tu, Midoriya?" Sero wailed. He closed his eyes and focused himself, muttering. "No, it's ok. It's ok. It's all good. I'll at least get a girlfriend before Bakugo does. No girl could like Bakugo with his attitude."
"Did I just hear my name?" The class turned toward the door as it slammed open, Bakugo stepping into the room. Much to everyone's surprise, however, was the black-haired girl slightly behind him, her fingers holding the cloth of his sleeve by the elbow. "The fuck you extras looking at?"
"It's hopeless…" Sero cried, sinking to the floor. "I'll never get a girlfriend…"
'Man, I wish that was the top of my concerns,' Izuku thought.
"What does that—" Bakugo stepped into the room, his words stopping as the girl's hold tugged at his sleeve. He turned, blinking. "Mouse? I thought I told you to get to class."
She stared at him,
"Don't look at me in that tone of voice. Just tell me what you want."
She continued to look at him in that tone of voice, as if she could beam her thoughts into his head if she through hard enough. Izuku, unlike several of his classmates who recognized the girl as a member of 1-B from the Sports Festival but didn't remember her all that well, knew that her Quirk did nothing of the sort. She slowly raised her other hand, showing a small box wrapped in a cloth.
"Lunch?" Bakugo questioned. She blinked. "Fine, we'll have lunch together. Happy? Now get the fuck to class, Mouse."
Yui Kodai smiled and let go of his sleeve, bumping one of her shoulders against the taller boy's arm before heading to her own classroom. Bakugo sighed and turned back, glaring.
"If any one of you little shits even think…" He let the threat hang and stomped to his desk, dropping his things.
"Bro…" Kirishima whispered.
"Alright, that's enough," Aizawa sighed from behind the desk, sitting up in his yellow sleeping bag. Several students blinked, having not seen it for a while. The last of the stragglers entered just before the bell rang, Momo among them. Aizawa sighed again, pulling himself from the warm confines of his napping apparatus. "Hello and welcome back. I do hope you all had productive work-studies. I believe Snipe will ask you in your Basic English classes to write a report about what you learned. That, however, is not my concern nor should it be on your mind during Homeroom. Rather, we have an important matter to discuss."
He paused for dramatic effect, numerous students physically leaning forward.
"The School Festival is coming up at the end of the month."
"Oh, good," Jiro sighed. "It's something totally normal."
"I remember coming to UA School Festivals as a kid," Kaminari grinned. "It's part of what inspired me to become a Hero."
"Yes, yes, it's a big deal," Aizawa waved off. "As a class, you all will need to put something together. The School Festival is another big fundraiser for UA, but unlike the Sports Festival which is mostly focused on the Hero Course, the School Festival is the chance to show off for the Support, General, and Business Courses, especially the former and latter. People from across Japan will be coming in to see what the students can do with their creativity and cooperation. That said, you all need to come up with your presentation or booth and put it together. Us teachers are limited to review and assistance in appropriation of approved materials."
"Uh…" Ochako started, raising her hand. "What happens to all the money?"
"You don't get to keep any of it," the teacher answered. "You're given an allotment to start with based on the expected cost of your presentation or booth, and you must pay for anything beyond that yourselves. The money you make then goes into reimbursing first the school, then any excess you paid, and the rest goes into the funds for your course, in this case Hero Studies."
"So, it doesn't necessarily advance our careers," Iida began, rubbing his chin, "but it is a major business venture for the school as well as the surrounding community."
"Of course," Aizawa nodded. "Those mock cities don't come cheap. Now then." He yawned, sitting in a chair behind his desk. "Decide on your presentation. You don't need to have the form filled out until Wednesday, but the sooner you do, the more time you'll have to put things together and get the materials." He closed his eyes, conking out.
"I wish I could fall asleep that fast," Pony muttered. Momo and Izuku stood, the class differing to them as the Class President and Vice-President respectively.
"Alright," the raven-haired girl said. "We have three days before our decision deadline, so we should come up with a list of potential ideas and weigh their value and practicability. We can then take some time to consider each, what our roles would be should we do it and what materials we would need. So, does anyone have any ideas?"
Instantly, multiple voices started trying to talk over one another. Izuku blinked, trying to parse through the sudden influx of noise and determine who said what. He heard Ochako suggest a planetarium, Kaminari a maid café, Iida a history of Quirks museum display, Kirishima a reverse maid café, and Pony an American-style bar and BBQ. Momo took a half-step back, overwhelmed.
"One at a time, please!" Izuku called, writing the ones he could remember on the blackboard. Momo sent him a grateful smile and pointed to some of the other students. Koda recommended a petting zoo, Shoji a Takoyaki stand, Tsuyu a dunking booth and/or other carnival games, Aoyama a photography setup, and Mina a dance party. Neither Bakugo nor Todoroki had any recommendation and Sero's kissing booth idea was thrown out as soon as it passed his lips. Sato wanted to do a desserts café, Tokoyami a "mad banquet of darkness" (whatever that meant), and Hagakure wanted something romantic with Ojiro saying whatever she wanted. Jiro recommended a skit or play of some sort.
By the time Homeroom ended, the class decided they could combine most of the food ideas into one, though the themes of maid café, reverse maid café (which was surprisingly popular among the female students), and the American bar were still up for debate. Shoji, Tsuyu, and Aoyama's suggestions were wrapped together as a carnival row. Ochako and Idda's suggestions, while interesting, were passed on for their uncertainty of breaking even for the school. The list when the bell rang read as follows:
- Carnival
- Café (maid, reverse, or Hero-themed)
- American BBQ
- Dance party
- Skit or play
The students easily fell back into their normal school routine, even the less academically-inclined enjoying the calm after their hectic work-studies, though they had plenty of stories to tell each other during their downtime. Most of them sat together at lunch, several telling their stories while others measured the pros and cons of each of their festival ideas. Bakugo and Monoma yelled at each other from across another table a way away.
"That was when I learned Sirius gets competitive, ribbit," Tsuyu finished. "She didn't talk to me for the rest of the night, and even put cockroaches in my breakfast."
"But… can't you eat cockroaches because of your Quirk?" Kirishima asked.
"Eiji," Ashido chastised from beside him. "You can't just assume she eats cockroaches."
"I mean, yes," Tsuyu replied. "But it's the principle of the thing, ribbit."
"Speaking of Quirk things," Ojiro put in. "When you'd get the horn, Kirishima?"
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting about that," Kirishima laughed. "Yeah, this crazy guy with a blade Quirk showed up with this new Trigger and some of it got in me. It overcharged my Hardening and this happened." He flicked his new horn which made a clink sound.
"You're a terrible storyteller, Eiji," Ashido giggled. "What he didn't mention was the fact that that Trigger put him in a chrysalis for almost 36 hours."
"What‽" the others around the table gasped. "How?"
"So, I had to get most of the story from Tetsu," Ashido began. "He and Eiji returned to Fourth Kind's agency for their work-study. They were on patrol when they ran into Fatgum and Sun Eater, his third-year UA student. While they were talking, this guy showed up screaming about hooded people killing his buddies and, when he saw Sun Eater's hood, he went nuts. Started doping himself up with this Trigger he had. So Eiji, Tetsu, and Sun Eater-senpai are fighting this guy while Fatgum kept the collateral damage to a minimum. Well, somehow Eiji got the Trigger in him—"
"I had to stop him and my teeth were they only thing free!"
"—like an idiot, but they won. Except Eiji's Quirk then wouldn't turn off; it just kept getting harder and harder until he couldn't move. They tried everything short of diamond to break it with no luck."
"But I was fully aware of everything," Kirishima added. "I didn't count seconds or anything, but pretty soon they had me in a hospital bed. Mom came by and then I guess I slept for a while. Then Mina showed up all teary eyed and crying. She—"
"That's not important!" the pink-skinned girl interrupted, her cheeks flushing magenta.
"Well, anyway, Mina's acid was able to melt my hardened skin and free me." He laughed. "And to think that's all it took for us to go to the next level."
"What do you mean by that?" Hagakure asked. "Were you already in a relationship?"
"Well, yeah," Kirishima grinned, Mina apparently finding the far wall very interesting all of a sudden. "She passed me a note in our second year of middle school and we'd been dating ever since, but Mina wanted to take things slow and Mom always told me you never do anything first. Always wait for the girl to say something before you say it and don't do anything until she does or she says it's ok."
He grinned, Mina mouthing 'Go with it' behind his back to everyone else. He gathered his tray and Ashido's before standing, pecking her on the top of her head before taking their trash.
"So, what's is the real deets?" Pony pressed.
"I, uh…" Ashido played with her fingers. "I may have melted that note before reading his answer by accident?" she admitted. "He didn't change his behavior or anything, so I thought he just wanted to stay best friends?"
Kaminari snickered, setting off several other students who tried to keep their mirth on the quieter side. Izuku leaned back, letting himself enjoy the simple moment. After the chaos of the past month, he really needed it.
Unfortunately, he knew his month before the School Festival would not be so carefree. In his head, he was already reviewing the lessons he'd learned during his work-study; those from Mirko and those from his own failures. Samedare had informed him that morning that Okina Yashin had managed to convince the police she was ignorant of Akane Yua's kidnapping, and the Pricetag Killer couldn't —wouldn't— let that stand. Recompence for her actions were due. Soon.
-AHC-
Minami Aiba sighed, one finger pressing a button to wipe another hard drive. She'd finished editing and uploading the video from the weekend and was now sorting through the data they had. It was a mixture of all sorts of conspiracies, most of which were connected to the secret war. Oh, she could give most of it to Gentle by leaving out key details; those were the kind of small-scale manipulations the public can believe and get mad about without the shadow organizations getting too mad at them. No, she was worried about some of the details she couldn't give him that she'd found in the data. If Gentle decided to pursue any of these further, if he decided what details she did give him weren't enough, Minami feared what sort of danger Gentle would be walking into. She didn't know if she still had the power to protect him.
She closed her eyes she shook her head, smacking her own cheeks lightly. There was no use dwelling on the What Ifs of the future. She'd kept him away this long, she could surely keep him away longer. Turning back to her work on the computer, Minami set about compiling the relevant —and now incomplete— data into files for Gentle to understand. Half of these weren't even connected to the darker aspects of the government, so she could hopefully direct Gentle to those first.
"La Brava!" she heard the subject of her thoughts call from the front of the apartment they shared. Her head whipped around. "Could you please join me? We have a guest."
Dread ran down the young-looking woman's spine, but she took a deep breath before doing anything. Surely if one of them had shown up, they wouldn't have introduced themselves. No, one of them would have just killed Gentle and been on their way to plant a bullet or a knife in her. Still, that left the question of what sort of person Gentle would consider a surprise guest.
Minami hopped out of her chair and hurried to the doorway, reaching up to get her fingers around the handle. She followed the small hallway to the living room that held their front door to find Gentle standing with a man in a yellow trench coat and black top hat. He wore a white mask with a vague simulacrum of a face, two eyes denoted by wide hexagons and a smile-like shape of vertical black lines like teeth.
"Ah, greetings and salutations," he said in a cheery voice, taking off his top hat to bend into a extravagant bow, showing his short, brown hair. "You must be the camerawoman. La Brava, yes? I must say, your camerawork and editing are second to none. Very impressive."
"Um, thank you?" Minami replied, trying to look more confused than on edge. "Then you're a fan of Gentle's?"
"And of you as well, even if you stay away from film. Not that I think either of us could blame you; one look at you and the show would no longer be his." The man laughed, gesturing to Gentle with a nod. The silver-haired man joined his laugh with good nature.
"Quite right you are," he agreed. "La Brava would be in internet sensation of I could get her in front of the camera."
"Er, who are you?" the woman prompted.
"Dear me, I forgot to introduce myself," the man realized. "You may call me Mr. Compress, or just Compress for short. I'd love for the pair of you to hear me out. I have with me a number of locations that may be of interest to you. Should all go well, I feel we could form a mutually-beneficial partnership."
Minami didn't like the sound of that, but Gentle didn't hesitate.
"In that case, come in! La Brava was just going through some data, but I would love to hear some of this information you have to offer."
Gentle all but pulled Mr. Compress into their home, Minami watching his every move. She didn't like the feeling of this. It felt like a threat to her Gentle, and she would meet any threat to her Gentle with extreme prejudice.
End of Chapter 61
We finally see Gentle Criminal and La Brava, but one of them isn't being too forthcoming with the other! And it's time for the School Festival! Without all the incidents nor the implementations of the dorm system, the festival is not a closed event and the other classes aren't grumbling!
All that said, I can't decide what to do for the festival, which is why I'll leave it up to you fine folks! I've put forward some suggestions and you could leave others and who of the class would suggest them in your reviews. I'll take them all and make a poll on my page. You all have about two weeks to vote before the week I work on this story comes around again and the poll closes. Don't miss it!
Read, Review, and check the poll!
-SwordOfTheGods