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Hyori was huffing in the Zeta gym ground. She was glad to receive in-door training. She didn't want to be exercising under the spring-turning-into-summer sun rays. The room lived up to the commercial posters displayed on the Ultra Academy website and billboards. The overall training area looked like an Olympic complex. The accommodations were nice yet she didn't regret paying a premium fee for personal classes outside of school. She doubted she would ever train in the area on her own. As much as very few people lingered around the non-heroic training facilities, the space was still open for anyone to come in during her sessions. It was irrational but she hoped no one would catch glimpses of her training, especially not the heroic students. She wouldn't mind them witnessing her monopolise the attention of their teacher, though. As long as they didn't see her actual training. It wasn't out of shyness, for sure. Hyori couldn't remember the day she had been shy. Still, she had a lot to learn and felt in a rather vulnerable position. On a less glorious note, she suspected she wouldn't welcome any comments that didn't come from a teacher or a professional coach.

The first training session with the heroic teacher had barely ended and she was a bit winded after half an hour of testing her abilities following an hour of gymnastics classes. She hadn't voiced her changed stance regarding heroics to the teacher and didn't want to stand the teacher up. That would be worse than any excuse she could have provided. A smaller part of her was curious to know where she stood in terms of expectations from the heroic course. She might have talked herself out of attempting to transfer but she was still curious. Plus, results leaving a lot to desire would put an end to the training in a more effective way than the best excuse could. Her breathing was gradually evening and she took one last deep breath before straightening from her doubled-over position. Her lack of drive didn't mean she wouldn't give her one hundred per cent during the assessment. She had given her all on every test… Her one hundred per cent minus the energy she spent during her previous gymnastics class.

"Now is the time to take notes." The teacher told her as he was eyeing her from above, according to the teen girl.

Hyori didn't think she had enough breath to answer. Honestly, she didn't even want to. She silently retrieved a 4B graphite pencil and the notebook she had left in her backpack. Hyori enjoyed writing with a drawing pencil. The traits seemed more esthetic than with a regular pencil and she could correct her notes with more ease than if she had written with a pen's ink. This type of pencil was hard to remove from paper but it was a plus since she wasn't going to erase her scriptures anytime soon. Once she collected the utensils, she sat on her knees and looked expectantly at the teacher who started the theoretical lesson.

"The learning roadmap of the training can be partitioned into four branches. The technique, physical condition, mobility and mental strength."

Hyori partitioned the first page into four sections, one for each branch.

"Your mental strength and physical condition are averaging the heroic requirement levels."

Hyori perked on the inside as she noted 'average' in brackets beside the concerned sections' titles.

"Your mobility is advanced but your technique is below ground-level."

Hyori experienced an emotional roller coaster as she went from elation to dejection. She noted the mentions with a side pout.

"You need to power up with resistance training on top of your gymnastics classes. We will focus on your technique every weekday until the second semester. I advise you to delete any booking you had for the summer break." The teacher finally said.

Hyori noted the last bits and closed the notebook. She put the items in her backpack and started her cooling-down stretches. The teacher overviewed her cooling down the way he had her warming up. He didn't say a thing which meant her moves were probably correct. The training session had started with an interview to assess her historical and current regimen. She told the teacher she had received gymnastics classes when she was a kid and had reached an age-appropriate competition level by the time she turned twelve; had paused her high-level training during the rest of middle school; had picked up when she entered high school and was now having classes with a private coach for two hours per weekday. She added she had quirk training at home but wasn't making substantial progress since she was working with willing participants. She had refrained from confessing the practice revolved around entertaining old men during the night.

The teacher had encouraged her to keep up her quirk training as it was for the time being. Working on her physical abilities was urgent and they could figure out how to enhance her quirk abilities in the future. He also pointed out how she had only reinforced her strong points and had failed to work on her weaknesses during her training for the sports festival. That had been a rookie mistake and her lack of resistance was revealed to be fatal since she hadn't been prepared for a quirk-free fight. The assessment proved she had no idea of how to fend for herself, let alone initiate a fight; and stressed her need for resistance training on top of her gymnastics classes. She planned on adding strength training classes and would need to adjust the two classes' timetables in the private facility.

"Thank you for your help." Said Hyori with a bow once she had packed her belongings.

"We'll see." Replied the teacher before departing.

Once alone, Hyori considered taking her shower at her training facility instead of stopping by the school nursing unit. After consideration, she wasn't ready to out herself yet. She was already used to her school image and didn't want to have to adjust to the change that revealing herself could induce. She doubted anyone would be lingering in the general education showers and changing rooms. Yet, she didn't want to take any chances. Taking her shower in the private facility would mean she had to exit the school in her gym uniform. She unlocked her phone and read twenty minutes to eight. She would have at most forty minutes before she needed to board the bus back home and get ready for the night. It would be enough time to shower and receive a massage for muscular tension relief. Having made her mind up, Hyori rushed out of school without changing and hoped not to come across anyone she knew on her way.

After showering and receiving her massage, Hyori had left Hakone by bus. Before she could forget, she opened the sports facility application. Every establishment seemed keen on operating on an application and as handy as it could get, she was growing tired of having multiple passwords. Their application's designers seemed to always be the same since most applications she used had a similar design. She browsed through the course options and tapped on 'pool strength training'. The program promised to substantially reduce the occurrence of tears on joints and overtraining injuries. She was new to the activity and would rather take the safest route. Plus, water was more resistant than air. It should amount to something substantial in the long run. Hyori decided to book three-quarters of an hour of pool training and keep the same amount for gymnastic classes for every weekday. Afterwards, she napped before she had to wake up and start her nightly routine. She was eager to recount the day to Megumi during their joint shower time. As the forest was defiling outside the window, she fell asleep in her seat.

The summer sun filtered inside Megumi's bedroom as the latter opened her curtains. Warm sun rays were shining through the thin window of the basement and Hyori stirred under the covers. She was exhausted and second-guessing getting out of bed. The week had been draining and she still hadn't rested enough despite already being on Sunday morning. Megumi pried the blanket off of Hyori's form and the latter mumbled.

"Rise and shine, Hyori." Sing-songed the little one.

The big one's eyes fluttered open and she sat on the bed.

"Good morning, Megumi." Said Hyori as she fought a yawn.

She copiously stirred in her sitting position before climbing out of the bed. The bedside clock read a quarter past eight in the morning. Hyori had an appointment for an in-home yoga class at eleven. She had barely enough time to get ready and board her train for Tokyo.

"Thank you for waking me up." Added Hyori with a sign.

"You're welcome." Replied Megumi.

The taller headed out of the bedroom to retrieve her toiletries purse and take her morning shower. She shampooed her hair which now reached her collarbone when wet. Her petals hadn't been trimmed since the beginning of the year and Hyori would be too busy to have a trim in the upcoming weeks. At this point, she might as well wait for the next month to stop by the salon. She would turn sixteen the following week and would get the dye off her wig. She might even get her hair attached back to her current strands. After all, she would have more free time than she currently had.

After her shower, she headed back into her bedroom and put on a light blue Kimono dress above her dark grey gym wear. She pushed her hair into her usual slick high bun and exited her bedroom. Once dressed, she reviewed the contents of her duffle bag. She had a towel and her insulated bottle. Her coin purse was still inside from the previous day's classes. She turned towards her desk under which her school bag was sitting on a squared carpet. From her backpack, she retrieved the small notebook the heroic teacher gave her. She had been too exhausted on Saturday but would review her notes during her train commute. She had been too tired to review her notes during her Saturday commute and was already using her nights to learn the upcoming lessons, exercise and complete school assignments.

Inside the train, Hyori had ordered an iced americano. She eagerly drank the cool beverage and enjoyed the bold and bitter taste on her tongue. She had had her breakfast and should be safe with a single cup. She retrieved her notebook from her ruffle bag and skimmed through notes of her training lessons alongside her adjusted workout program until she reached the page she was looking for. She had been training with the teacher for two weeks and was learning the basics to stand her ground in a fight. The teacher had sequenced the fundamentals in four steps. She needed to master taking her opponent to the ground, get past their legs, pin them and secure a dominant position to neutralise her opponent.

The first step aimed to "remove the explosive dynamic movement" from her opponent. A standing position is the most appropriate to generate explosive power from the legs. Explosive movements are generally less effective on the ground and she needed to even the ground between herself and physically enhanced quirk users. Plus, she could use the floor to her advantage by pressing her opponent against it or using it as leverage to get a better position. Once her opponent would be on the ground, securing a dominant position would offer her the opportunity to neutralise them with a side control or a rear mount. She would also be able to deliver damaging strikes to her opponent. A mount was generally more useful than a side control since she could control her opponent as well as deliver powerful strikes. The whole point was to minimise risk and maximise her chances of ending the fight as soon as possible. Time was a valuable resource and the longer a brawl extended, the more she would leave openings to her opponents.

In a similar fashion to her former classmates, Hyori's peers were surprised that she had been the top scorer of the semester examinations. She might sleep during the classes but she would have practised them the previous night. Her class was currently gathered in front of the green board where their semester results had been hung. Everyone had been looking for their names and the pupils who passed were congratulating each other. Those who hadn't had been surrounded by their friends who offered their help for the catching-up session. At some point, the class representative turned towards her to congratulate her for achieving the top of the ranking. Some classmates joked that they might start dozing off during classes if that helped them unconsciously gain knowledge. To that, others replied that it was the other way around and they would receive detention for the rest of the school year since their marks would dive instead of soaring. They would be punished for sleeping while their marks weren't even good to begin with.

Before parting for the summer break, the pupils had exchanged their plans and some would meet up during their holiday. The Gotemba mall was a hotspot for the Ultra Academy pupils and hosted multiple events throughout july. Some classmates asked Hyori if she would join them for an afternoon. They could watch a movie in the cinema, play some arcade games or go have a karaoke party. Some pupils mentioned they would spend an afternoon in Hakone to visit the city museum. A lot of her peers would travel with their family or visit relatives but they could arrange something for the remaining days of the break.

"I won't have time to hang out during the summer break. I have some work to do." Had replied Hyori.

The class's mood sored a little at her words. It was common knowledge in her class that she worked to help at home. She was glad no one pointed at some inconsistencies in the narrative. She had the latest phone while her family was supposedly on a tight budget. She sported couture shoes while most of the class had regular shoes and a few had brand shoes. Thankfully, most couture creators didn't obnoxiously sign their models or grossly displayed their logos. It wasn't a lie since she was really working to support her younger sister in the following months and had never said she didn't have money. Yet, they made an idea up and Hyori wasn't willing to correct them. Doing so would only raise unwanted questions about what job a high schooler could land that paid enough to have a closet full of pieces costing more than a hundred thousand yen. Her peers could have simply followed her after classes to witness her entering a private complex that not everyone could afford. It had never happened and even if it did, Hyori would have answered she worked in the complex.

Later during her private classes, Hyori had appreciated her modest progress in resistance training. She was in the early stages of her training and hadn't passed the slow debuts of the learning curve. At least, she had passed the stage where her energy levels plunged to zero after the sessions. She knew she was going to achieve the desired level with dedication and practice. She hoped she would make it there in time for whatever moment she would have another chance to transfer. The teacher hadn't elaborated on how or when she would be evaluated for an eventual transfer into the heroic course. For all she knew, her training would end in another dead end. She assumed she should also trust the process and let time do its part. The uncertainty might be a way to test her mental strength and assess her ability to work with undefined parameters.

Hyori was already on the plateau of her gymnastics classes and was working on maintaining her ease of discipline. She had already learned her lesson about slacking off and wanted to maintain peak agility. She would have her gymnastics class after her strength training class since she was already proficient in the former. The first week had been hellish and she had been forced to take things slow in gymnastics if she didn't want to be even less sturdy than a boiled noodle during her technique training. She was glad the exercise was her last one of the day as she would already be warm enough to dive into mimicking the teacher after a few stretches. She was taught in slow motion with the teacher guiding her movements before she tried on a dummy at an effective pace. She was taught individual moves for the time being and would gradually put them together once she mastered them. Hyori had never learnt to dance with a partner but she had an idea it would be similar. Practising with measured movements until they both grasped the ins and outs of a figure before trying at a regular pace. Except, she was working on putting her partner on the floor and dodging his attempts at bringing her on the floor.

The following day, Hyori had spent her Saturday morning in the hotel's beauty salon. It was her first free day in months. Her studio was closed from July to August due to the end-of-semester examinations, catching-up sessions and summer break. Also, her hosting contract had been put on hold since she requested her emancipation on the first day of July. Three days ago, Hyori had been late to school after heading to Tokyo and signing the mandate for her lawyers to request her legal emancipation. The following day, her contract with the pension had been put on hold alongside her hosting agreement. Her lawyers were currently collecting statements from her studio's clientele that would testify the seriousness of her venture and an auditor had been tasked to evaluate her abilities to operate without supervision. She hadn't hosted for two days and Orochimi had yet to execute her threats of having Megumi host. Doing so while Hyori was still in the pension would be too dangerous. She could easily take the young teen to a hospital and the pension would be charged for abusing a legally underaged kid. She had no idea what the pension said to her regulars and couldn't care less.

Hyori was enjoying herself. Rather, she was enjoying being pampered in a way she had been craving. She was lounging on a beauty parlour chair while an esthetician gave her a pedicure. Her hands had been manicured and a face mask was resting on her closed eyes. The teen girl still had her head in the clouds from the full-body massage she previously had. After her feet had been taken care of, the man who magnified her hands and feet stood up and ousted the salon. Another esthetician entered after a minute and took her epilation kit out of the case she carried. Hyori had booked multiple procedures and paid a supplement to have them executed inside the same room. Once her skin had been shaved, the esthetician applied a peeling followed by a softening lotion that would make her skin smooth like velvet. Finally, she was ready for the hairdresser to take care of her curly mane. The dye had been removed from her wig but she decided against having the strands attached to her hair. She hadn't outed herself at school and would rather not become the centre of her class's attention for growing forty inches of hair over the break.

After spending her morning in the beauty salon, Hyori headed for the spa to enjoy the indoor pools and some fresh drinks. She had grown fond of swimming after two weeks of practising in the water. She entered the dressing room and switched her bathing peach yukata dress for an evenly coloured swimsuit. It was a one-piece suit with a laced midsection and a plunging back. Afterwards, she put her pool cap on and entered the swimming area. The pools were the most visited during the summer, especially on a Saturday afternoon. Most people hung around the shortest side of the pools. Therefore, she headed near the main drain where the depth was the greatest. The feeling of slowly swimming deep in the waters was exciting and soothing at the same time. At those depths, the ambient sounds were muffled and she felt as light as a feather. It was like a break in time for a few seconds. She swam for roughly half an hour before exiting the pool to head towards the lounging area. She served herself a glass of grapefruit flavoured water before settling on a sofa. Once she was comfortable, she took a light novel from her embroidered beach purse. She hadn't read for leisure in a while and wanted to start slow.

At three in the afternoon, Hyori entered the apartment after a day of doing absolutely nothing. The living room was void of any sign of life. Megumi was probably in her bedroom like her other roommates. Hyori beelined for her nearly empty bedroom where she changed into an oversized silk wine-coloured blouse and a pair of denim shorts. She had packed her belongings and shipped them to the apartment she rented in Kamakura. She didn't have any reason to believe Orochimi would prevent her from accessing the basement as soon as she would get her emancipation from the establishment but she would rather be safe than sorry. Therefore, her clothes for the cold seasons, her multiple shoes and the furniture she bought had been settled in the place she would be living in a few days. She couldn't move too far from her high school or from Megumi's middle school. Once she was dressed, she left her bedroom to enter the one she shared with Megumi. A look at the girl's prone posture on her bed indicated she had already spent the maximum amount of time on her tablet. She was currently working on a sketchbook and Hyori peered over the younger's shoulder while she climbed on the bed. The taller teen smiled at the shorter's predicament and the latter smiled through a pout.

"Can we blow the candles yet?" Asked Megumi as she directed her attention at Hyori.

"Yes, we can." Answered Hyori.

Megumi closed her felted pen alongside her sketchbook before she climbed out of bed.

"I'll get it for you." She said as she left the bedroom and came back after a few minutes while cradling a box in her hands.

Megumi put the box on her desk and Hyori straightened in a sitting position.

"Let me also get your desk chair." Said Megumi as she walked out of the bedroom and came back after a minute with the item.

Megumi put the chair beside hers and angled it in a way they would be facing each other while enjoying the cake. Inside the box, a cookie ice cream cake was put with candles on it. The cake was barely big enough for the two of them and too small to put readable text on it. A '1' and a '6' candle stood on the piece that had been ordered from the hotel's kitchen in the morning. The two girls had planned to enjoy the cake and play some board games for the rest of the afternoon until Megumi pried extra hours from Hyori to watch hero news or enjoy a hero comedy. The little girl was a huge hero fan and loved watching hero-related content. Even if Hyori didn't retain most of the information, she still watched with her little sister. She might need to listen more closely. She would once she got out of the pension and had decent sleep hours to register non-school or training-related content. Plus, she wasn't sure to transfer and would rather not get ahead of herself. She didn't want to get caught up in hero worship. Not that she could when she already witnessed the mundane sides of some of the most affluent ones. She never told that bit to Megumi, though. She didn't want to give her ideas about staying in the pension or crush the image she had of them.

Lately, the little one's attention had been caught by 'Nejire'. She was a debuting hero. The girl's light trails and her flying abilities made her look like a fairy. Had they been colourful, they would have looked exactly like the rainbows Megumi would create in her headspace. From the footage she witnessed, she was a candid and capable eye-candy. She had good odds of achieving a high position on the hero charts. As expected, Megumi asked for an extended tablet time to show her the latest footage of her new favourite hero. The older teen complied and added two extra hours from her smartphone. Hyori was going to enjoy the rest of the day and would start worrying again the following week. For the time being, she would put aside thoughts about the advancement of her legal emancipation procedure. She would save for later brainstorming the right words to gain Megumi's Grandmother's trust and cooperation. All of these subjects could wait for a couple of days before she dived into the debut of her adult life.

"Monday the Six of July 2xxx, Hyori Shinsou".

Hyori just signed the form for her national identification card at the nearest police station from her lawyer's location. She didn't want to do the procedure near the pension and would rather put her company's domiciliation address as her identification card's address. Her card will be available in three weeks and she had been granted a receipt in the meantime. On a sunny morning in July, Hyori officially gained her legal emancipation for the Red Velvet. The pension didn't fight as she expected Orochimi to. The woman who had managed her for three years hadn't reacted to her procedure. Though Hyori hadn't tried to contact her, the change in behaviour was intriguing. Either way, she knew she was on a clock since she might be denied access to the pension. For that reason, she had brought Megumi with her and had packed a few of the girl's clothes. The duo would head for the Grandmother's studio. She was still the adult of the kid's family the girl had been living with before being put under the pension's guardianship. Hyori wouldn't be held for kidnapping if she simply tagged along Megumi's travel to visit her Grandmother.

The two teen girls had ordered a taxi for the commute. Hyori felt compelled to impress the Grandmother and Megumi wanted to show her former care-taker how she was treated. Motivated by the need to impress, the taller was dressed in a purple kimono dress with golden embroidery and had put her hair in a slick bun secured by golden hairpins. She had dressed the younger teen into a pink kimono dress and her orange-gold hair had been styled into a ballerina bun with strands of clumpy curls falling in the front. The style showcased the platinum butterfly earrings Hyori had gifted her for her birthday last February. The colour was unusual for a traditional dress but was trending and Megumi wanted to 'look like a princess' when she would see her Grandmother again. The traffic wasn't jammed and they arrived in front of Megumi's old residence at three in the afternoon after half an hour of driving. From the outside, the building was decent and located in a quiet neighbourhood. They had walked towards the interphone where Megumi rang her former address number. After a few seconds, the voice of an elderly woman resonated from the device.

"Ms Yu speaking. How can I help you?"

"Hello, Grandmother." Greeted the girl's cheerful voice.

"Megumi, is that you?" A buzzing sound was heard. "You can come in."

The two teen girls entered the building through the unlocked gate. The inside was rather bland with a tiled floor and wooden doors. Movement-sensitive lights lighted the entrance hall that parted into two opposite ways at the end. From the right side, an elderly woman appeared. She was a petite woman with greying hair cut in a bob with bangs. She was wearing a shirt with loose pants and sandals.

"Good morning. Please, follow me." Said the woman while leaning towards the side she just came from.

Hyori followed Megumi into a studio right on the right side. It was the first door on this side of the hall and a lift was located at the end of the hall. Inside the studio, a low squared table was put on a carpet, a micro kitchen furniture with upper drawers was located on the left side, a small and rounded television was sitting on the floor in front of the low table and a door was located on the wall opposite to the entrance. The door was open and revealed a bathroom with an open window. Said window seemed to be the only source of natural light in the studio and Hyori assumed the low table was a kotatsu table during the cold seasons.

Megumi helped herself into the kitchen's low drawers to retrieve two cushions that she put in front of the low table. While the elderly woman was heating water on the stove, Hyori sat on her knees above a cushion after Megumi. After a minute, she retrieved a tea set and a platter from the upper drawers and poured hot water into three cups. Afterwards, she turned around and put the platter on the low table. A variety of infusion bags were displayed on the platter. Then, she sat in front of the teen girls and invited them to choose their flavour. Megumi picked a red berry bag and Hyori picked a menthol one. The girls enjoyed the tea before Hyori started.

"Thank you for having me, Ms Yu." She could sense the woman was anxious. "I'm here to ask you to end your agreement with the Red Velvet regarding Megumi's guardianship. I'm aware the pension's manager promised you a fortune but your granddaughter would have to pay a cruel price. I'm willing to help you and your granddaughter while she's still a minor. Please, could you-."

"I can't." Came Ms Yu's prompt answer to a question that Hyori hadn't fully formulated.

The elderly woman was hiding something from the teens.

"Can't you? Or won't you?" Countered Hyori.

At these words, Ms Yu's mood became grave and Hyori sensed she had offended the woman.

"How dare you? I know what's best for my granddaughter. I won't let you sabotage her chances." The woman spoke with clenched teeth and anger in her voice.

Hyori soothed the anger of her correspondent with the veil of her daze. She needed the woman to put her feelings aside and focus on the well-being of Megumi with a clear mind.

"Is that your quirk? It's nice. I guess you are the girl Ms Orochimi talked about. Look at you, wearing gold and embroidered silk. Why won't you let my grandchild have the same chance you had?"

The woman was bitter and Hyori could understand. From her point of view, she was refraining Megumi from encountering the kind of fortune she had benefited from the pension.

"Such chances are granted against a personal sacrifice. Please, don't let Megumi endure it." Added Hyori.

The woman was still uncooperative but her resolution seemed to falter.

"You can't ask me to backtrack when you are the living proof there is a fortune in that pension. Ms Orochimi assured me Megumi wouldn't do anything before she's of appropriate age." The woman tried to reason.

"You need to be aware that the journey isn't the same for everyone. As much as we have similar quirks, they don't operate the same way." Warned Hyori.

"She's right." Supplied Megumi. "You must have sensed that Hyori's quirk physically softens her subject's. Mine can't and is unlikely to be as sought after. What aren't you telling us?"

The woman took a shaky breath and took refuge in mutism. The young teen rose from her sitting position and circled the low table to sit in front of her Grandmother. Once there, she took the elderly woman's forearm in her hand and ventured inside her mind. From an outside perspective, the two looked like they were sleeping in a seated position. After a minute, they parted and both of them had tears in their eyes. Megumi was stunned while her Grandmother looked defeated.

"Everyone is winning with the deal I made." Tried to defend the elderly woman before she was even accused of anything.

"Orochimi had been giving her parts of the hotels' benefits from your performance and said she would stop if you leave." Muttered Megumi towards Hyori. "I'm sorry."

The passiveness on Orochimi's side was now understandable. She didn't have to fight when she had already secured her alternative to keep Hyori operating in the hotel. She was aware Megumi wasn't the fittest for the job. All along, the manager ployed to use her as a hostage. And she did so with the cooperation of the girl's Grandmother. Hyori understood she wouldn't be able to change the elderly woman's mind. The latter wanted money right there and then. She didn't care about someone else's child and probably didn't care enough for her granddaughter. Her materialistic ambitions had already won. As long as Hyori remained working for the pension, nothing would happen to Megumi. Hyori's head was spinning as the horror of the scheme downed upon her. Orochimi and the elderly woman were willing to sell them for their sole benefit.

Disgusted but resigned, she rose from her sitting position and bowed in front of the Grandmother before walking towards Megumi. She took the youngest hand in hers and they exited the studio. Hyori hailed a taxi from an application on her phone and they waited in the hall for a dozen minutes until the driver came. They silently boarded the cab and travelled back towards Kamakura. They arrived at the hotel at six in the afternoon and Hyori's card was still granted access to the apartment. Megumi headed straight for her bedroom and Hyori went inside hers. She needed to talk with Orochimi. At least to give her a piece of her mind. She contemplated using her quirk to have the manager resign the guardianship but it won't amount to anything except getting herself in trouble. The guardianship would be handed back to Ms Yu who will hand it back to Orochimi. In the process, the latter would have tape on her that she could use to further coerce her.

Hyori didn't have time to clear her thoughts when her phone's ringtone took her out of her head. Orochimi was calling her.

"Hello, Haze." Greeted the woman. "I need you in my office right now."

Hyori hung up and obliged herself towards the 'Private Affairs' office of the hotel. On her way, she was greeted by Haru's scrutinising gaze and bowed slightly before passing him. Once in the office, Orochimi invited her to sit with a smile on her face. Hyori channelled her upbringing posture lessons to remain collected. She didn't want to look defeated in front of her jailer.

"As I've already told you, you need to stay if you want to keep Dream off of the hotel's rooms. I can still have her host with my supervision to keep her visitors in check. I can't promise I won't fall asleep, though." Announced Orochimi.

Her message was clear. She wouldn't hesitate to torture Megumi to get at Hyori. If she left, she would never be at peace knowing what the girl she considered as a sister could be forced to endure.

"I will do nothing but the bare minimum." Contered Hyori.

"Please, take it seriously. We need you." Replied Orochimi.

The woman arranged a stack of papers on her desk before handing a pile to Hyori.

"It's your new contract."

Hyori read the document. It was an intermediation agreement with the hotel instead of the pension. The establishment would be allowed to process payments for Hyori's services in the hotel and would keep a two per cent margin for mediating. There wasn't any clause that allowed the hotel to hand the contract to another party but there was a thirty days notice period. She could use the basement apartment as a recreational area.

"There are no performance obligations." Stated the girl who assumed the pension's requirements still applied.

"You are free to manage your working hours. Although, I expect you to keep your professionalism up." Replied Orochimi.

Hyori took another minute to read the contract before she could make a decision.

"I will sign it once my lawyers review it." Announced the girl.

"Of course." Said Orochimi with a strained expression as she mailed the contract to an email address she already knew after receiving the numeric copy of Hyori's emancipation request.

"I would like to be added in carbon copy. Thank you." Said Hyori.

The teen girl wasn't going to make the process easy for her former manager. She bowed her "Good evening" and exited the office once she had received the email notification on her phone. She headed straight towards Megumi's bedroom and found the girl still sobbing on her bed. She hadn't changed out of her clothes. Hyori put the younger's hair out of the way before caressing her cheeks.

"Let's go to the bathroom." She invited the girl with a soft voice.

The younger followed her in silence and they didn't talk for the rest of the evening. They eventually fell asleep earlier than usual, being emotionally drained by the roller coaster they experienced.

The following Monday, Hyori received a review from her lawyers who had broken down the key features of the contract. Compared to the previous one, she had leeway in her working hours. They advised her to have her operating period noted in the contract and offered to formulate the clause on her behalf. Hyori thought for a moment before settling for one hour per day. Since the hotel would take two per cent of her earnings, she would minimise her working time as much as she could. Her regulars would probably pay her with gifts. Thinking about her regulars, she wondered if she would have to face the 'Supreme Leader'. Had he assumed she would never come back and wouldn't show up again? Her question was answered when she received a booking notification at seven in the afternoon. 'Supreme Leader' had booked her from eight to nine in the evening. Begrudgingly, she put on a frilly red dress, strappy low heels, and put her wig with a side part to reveal the heart-shaped earrings she bought with the gift card he offered her for her first birthday in the pension. She had gotten her wig dyed black again after signing her new contract.

The man wasn't there yet when Hyori entered room 302. She ordered flavoured water from the room service and waited for doom. She was physically tired from the afternoon spent training in Hakone and mentally drained by her mitigated performance during said practice sessions. She thought the training sessions would help her mind but it didn't work. She had been unfocused during her pool training and had been called out multiple times by her gymnastics coach. During her technique training, she had had issues keeping up. At some point, the teacher had told her off for the day while 'hoping she would get her mind in the right place on the following day'. Twenty minutes after she settled on the couch, the suite's door unlocked and the angry man entered the suite. She promptly stood from her sitting position. His mad gaze zeroed on her and she approached the beast with the cover of her haze. The beast roared as the man raged.

"Where have you been?!"

She attempted to cover the beast again.

"Can you imagine how worried I've been?!"

The man arrived in strides at her level before holding Hyori by her arms. His grip was firm on her.

"Can you?" He raged again in her face.

Tears rolled down Hyori's face. She could sense he was genuinely worried and felt angry at the perceived betrayal. The sight struck something inside the man and he held her in his arms.

"Don't do that again." Said the man with an even tone before kissing Hyori with a needy fever.

He took her to the bedroom where he grew even more feverish and melted in her. After dozens of minutes, he cooled down and was drawing circles on her exposed shoulder while spooning her.

"What happened?" He asked in a measured voice.

"I can't leave. A kid will be forced to host visitors if I leave." Answered Hyori with a small voice.

"Is she dear to you? I can pay the pension to receive her guard." Offered the man.

Hyori shook her head.

"Her Grandmother was her guardian and made a deal with the hotel. They grant her a share of their benefits from my performance in exchange for keeping her granddaughter in. She won't let her leave the hotel."

"I can pay her."

Hyori turned to face him. She wasn't sure his intentions wouldn't evolve in the long run.

"You could be convicted of trafficking. She's not thirteen yet. The hotel could accuse you of anything."

Hyori's display of concern positively affected the man.

"When is she turning thirteen?" He enquired.

"Next February." She answered.

The man rolled on his back. He didn't like that but she couldn't let him entertain running away with the two girls any time soon. Her plans might have been delayed but she still planned to leave the pension with Megumi by her means. She had no intention of getting trapped under a dangerous man's radar. Hyori climbed on him and caressed his cheek with her hand.

"We still have half a year to wait but I don't want you to take any risk."

The man grabbed her hand and answered.

"Fine." He said before kissing the palm of her hand and switching their positions.

"Just stay the night." He added.

"I will." She replied with softness.

Hyori woke up the following day with movement on her side. The suite's bedroom was dim with the curtain still drawn and the lights off. It was probably six in the morning, the usual time 'Supreme Leader' woke up. The man's biological clock was on point and she would often feel his mind bubbles under the daze in the mornings. This time, she had fallen asleep after a second round. She stirred in bed and was greeted by the other occupant of the room.

"Morning."

"Good morning." She replied.

The man headed inside the bathroom and she heard water running. Hyori picked up the phone on the bedside table and ordered breakfast from the room service. She asked for two platters of a salty breakfast, one with a double omelette serving. After hanging up, she climbed out of bed and retrieved a bathing dress from the suite's closet. Hyori walked inside the bathroom to clean her teeth and face. Afterwards, she headed into the suite's living room to retrieve the man's supplements from his pilot case. He was on a subscription of magnesium and zinc to balance the stress induced by his quirk. She opened the kitchen's drawers looking for a glass. She poured water and the two effervescent tablets inside, one was grey and the other was white. A dozen minutes later, the room service rang the door and she opened it. A hotel worker pushed a food trail inside and put the contents on the dining table.

"Thank you." Said Hyori as the worker exited the room with the trail.

She arranged the plates on the table and retrieved the glass she had left on the countertop to put it beside one platter. Sitting on the adjacent chair, she started eating breakfast. In the meantime, the man exited the bedroom dressed in navy suit pants and a baby blue shirt. He sat in front of her and downed the glass before having his breakfast.

"Did you sleep well? You seemed tired yesterday." He asked half way into his breakfast.

"I did, thank you." Answered Hyori. "I was exhausted due to travelling back and forth to Tokyo last weekend. I'm now feeling better."

As she replied, Hyori had activated her quirk in a way to affirm her declaration. They spent the remainder of the breakfast in silence until the man's taxi arrived. They parted with a peck on the lips while Hyori wished him a good day.

Later during the afternoon, Hyori boarded a bus for Hakone at one in the afternoon. She would take some time to decompress in the sports resort's pool before the beginning of the day's session. She was feeling better than the previous day even if the feeling of being back at the starting point lingered. There wasn't much she could do at this point. Even when Megumi would turn thirteen, she still wouldn't be able to run away with the girl. Yet, she couldn't remain in the pension past that time. The only solution she could envision would be to let 'Supreme Leader' help them. In the end, that wouldn't change much of her situation since the man could hold her little sister hostage to force her into submission. On another note, she didn't want to reward the elderly woman for her greed. The other option would be to let the worst happen to her little sister hoping to put the broken pieces back together. At least, she now had more sleeping time and would have better ideas. She hadn't slept like she did on a weekday for years. With a settled mind, she fell back into the routine of her training sessions.

In the early days of August, the heroic teacher had left her on her own devices to monitor his class's summer training. The journey aimed at developing the pupils' use of their quirks. He supplied her week alone would be a way to measure her ability to practise her technique on her own and see how she managed on her own. She had kept her routine during the weekday and practised individual technique movements inside the school's gym rooms equipped with mirrors on the walls. It was either that or recording herself executing the movements. With the facility being deserted during that time of the year, she assumed she wasn't likely to meet any classmates. Also, the heroic pupils being on a trip meant she was unlikely to meet her may-be future classmates. She had the school grounds for herself.

Feeling it might be an opportunity that wouldn't present itself again, Hyori decided to make her fantasy come true. On the second day of the summer camp, she strolled down the halls wearing ballerina shoes that she put on the side since she practised bare feet. Her layers had been discarded save for the minimiser. In the gym room, she took some time to look at herself in the mirror. She felt something was missing and retrieved the wig she had packed against her better judgement. Her reflection made the teen girl long for a lifestyle she felt robbed of. The funniest part was herself being her own burglar. She felt too far gone to switch during the school year. Either way, she was going to enjoy the break as long as possible. She was thrilled and only had a few days left before her fantasy would have to come to an end.

Of course, she took time to notice her change in shape. The pool training had developed her shoulders and arms. During her pool training, she had noticed she mostly used her arms to move rather than stand during her gymnastics classes. That was probably the part she had worked on the least through her life. The revelation came to her when she noticed she got better at holding handstands instead of only using her arms as leverage or a turning point. She had also gained traction and gripping strength over the course of nearly two months. The change in her legs had been minimal since she already solicited the part to jump. Overall, she looked more elongated than she used to and her head also looked a little smaller. Her frontal appearance was still the same with more defined arms and a more developed thorax that made her waist look slimmer and gave a nice curve. She still had big legs that were quite handy for jumping but also noticed her pectoral development made her chest look higher or rather more upward and with less weight. Her side profile seemed leaner with more noticeable glutes. Fat tissues could still be noticed under her skin but she supposed it was normal for a teen girl who daily drank drugged milk.

The week ended and Hyori's bubble exploded. She was mourning the loss of her freedom in a very drama-queen fashion mixed with self-sabotage. Technically, nothing prevented the girl from switching uniforms. She supposed she would look funny with her short loose curls but her hair would eventually grow back. She wanted to taste that freedom of dressing the way she wanted to at school. Eat out with the girls in her class at the cafe near the school. They had gone on errands and restaurants during the summer break. She could have joined and asked them not to say a word. Her feelings of missing out were getting stronger with each passing day. All of a sudden, she wanted to enjoy the summer with her classmates. Her last emotional roller coaster seemed to have affected her deeper than she thought. She wondered how long it would take for her feelings to even. Somehow, she doubted her home affairs would have allowed her to properly enjoy the outings. Still, she hoped to not be affected by her classmates' recounts of their summer breaks, even though she had been the one to deny herself.

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Notes:

" Here is the training reference. www .martialdevotee articles/ how-to-track-your-progress-in-martial-arts

" Here is the reference of the fighting/defence tips I noted. medium AbbasPlusPlus/ the-4-steps-of-jiu-jitsu- according-to-one-of-its-greatest-coaches- 1928a49aa9eb