Over the Top

by papireaz

When I died, I expected a few manga volumes. Maybe to learn what the One Piece is. Instead, I found myself in a world that I recognised, a story I had read and what's worse was that it was a story I had no interest in wanting to involve myself in! Then and again, the offer to become a Hero is far too tempting...

66. Issue 64

Homework Ga Owaranai Instrumental - Yu Yu Hakusho OST

---

"It just never ends,

The speed of this world."

---

"And welcome back folks! Musutafu Radio General is back for another hit story! After All Might's disastrous funeral, the entire country of Japan and the world has hit back at Prime Minister Yamaguchi's press conference and speech with negative buzz! Boo! And I can't blame them, her words were quite optimistic in a negative situation!"

"I agree! A world where our hearts will no longer be closed off? Three hundred people died a week ago and she wants us to hold each other's hands and sing Kumbaya around a campfire?! Important people from across the world who came to this country seeking to pay respects to All Might were murdered by unidentified assailants, but our sources say that the Yakuza were primarily involved in the killings! Along with the Cult of Stain AND the League of Villains!"

"Just what the hell are these Heroes and our government doing?! Trying to sweep the truth under the rug so that peace is maintained is a stupid tactic! Especially here in Musutafu, the heart of where the event took place! It was only just recently that this city faced its biggest ever crisis with the Overhaul incident and now there are forces looking to sow even more chaos?! AND THE BEST OUR PRIME MINISTER CAN DO IN THIS SITUATION IS APOLOGISE AND TELL US TO FORGIVE AND FORGET?!"

"Frankly, I'm surprised Yamaguchi hasn't been called for a vote of no confidence yet! I always knew she was a terrible fit to be our Prime Minister! She's far too young and inexperienced! No wonder she's facing disaster after disaster! Her Deputy Prime Minister, Daisuke Ryuichi should have won the previous election! In fact, I think he should take over the job right now!"

"Haha. That's certainly an unpopular opinion."

"Well if Ryuichi, a seasoned veteran in politics were in charge, a half-assed apology from a twenty-something in charge of the country wouldn't be the predicament we are currently in! We all know the reason Yamaguchi even got in power was the strong campaign bankrolled by the Yaoyorozu Corporation who's current CEO, a notable woman and mother of U.A. Hero Creati actually adopted Yamaguchi when she was a child! I'm telling you, she is an industry-plant that will spell chaos for this country!"

"Well, Yamaguchi has made some good decisions. Sure, her handling of this situation has been poor, but the much detested Hero Bill that recently passed was changed by her to allow cross-communication between Heroes and police on cases! In this country that seems to change its opinion on Heroes every ten minutes, her careful balance of powers has allowed Heroes to remain in power as of now."

"Which is a shame! The Heroes she mentioned, what have they done to address or talk about the funeral?! Have you seen their social media accounts? Just generic PR talk about community healing and how they will do their best to support the Prime Minister! This country will never talk about how Heroes never seem to take these events seriously and move on like nothing happened! We should hold these Heroes accountable to the amount of innocent people murdered! Did you know that wars have been started for less?! How do we know that France won't bomb us tomorrow?"

"Well, I doubt that France would bomb us. They love anime and manga too much to do that."

"This isn't a time for jokes! Here these Heroes that are meant to protect us are failing to do so! Once again, we are shown the depths of which this country and its stupid systems have fallen down a pit! More and more incidents will happen with more innocents getting hurt, and no one will be punished! We are trudging along the fated path to this country's collapse and everyone is too busy worrying about what will happen today to focus on the future!"

"Er, all this doom and gloom is beginning to creep me out."

"I'm not wrong! History has proven it time and time again! This country is finished! And here we are, collectively deciding to move on as the United Nations mulls over its decisions on what to do to punish our country! Economic sanctions have already been put in place, foreign investment has been cut and more and more conglomerates are deciding to pull business from Japan! Our systems have painfully eroded so much that the mere threat of Yakuza has become a serious issue! That terrorists can openly attack and get away from the authorities with ease!"

"...True. Have you seen the Cult of Stain stuff?"

"About that hero Kamui Woods paying criminals to commit crimes so he could stop them and move up the rankings? Absolutely disgusting! The bastard deserved death! The Cult of Stain may be led by a deranged psychopath, but at the very least he's targeting the scum of this society! And what about the allegations levelled against the Royal Family? The Crown prince's crimes were published online! Slaves! In this day and age! We are still waiting on the United Nations decision on that matter too!"

"It sounds like our future doesn't sound too bright."

"How can it be bright? We have terrorists among us! We have an ill-equipped Prime Minister that was voted in due to her optimism right after a negative situation hit this country! And you can't win the war over crime by optimism! You have to be pragmatic! And these so-called Heroes that are supposed to protect us are simply teenagers fighting against forces they can't even comprehend! They should be doing their homework, not goofing around in serious situations!"

"True. But our country has been like that for-,"

"Change is necessary! Yes! Change needs to happen in this country! Maybe it's time for Heroes to NOT exist anymore if their continued existence just keeps on letting people die because of their incompetence! I pray that when the rest of the world replies to what happened a week ago, our country will remain healthy and alive! Because right now it's not Japan against crime, it's Japan against the entire world! And that's a battle we will lose!"

"You may be right. Anyways, onto the next topic raised by Parliament - Should e-cigarettes be banned?"

---

"Sora Yamazaki!"

I sighed as I crouched on the floor with a lit cigarette in my mouth. If I just stay quiet, maybe she'll ignore me. Sadly, Jiro stomped furiously over to my 'hiding spot' on the roof, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor as she folded her arms and looked cross.

"So, you're really here. Smoking again," Jiro sighed. "We have joint heroic training. Do you really have to bunk? Especially after what happened? You can't take a single thing seriously, can you?"

"Cut the crap, Jiro. It's entirely my freedom if I want to smoke. You're just jealous Aizawa doesn't make me run laps around the courtyard," I joked as I leaned over the railings and stared down at everyone who waved up at me. "And I do take things seriously. Just when the situation calls for it. I don't care about politics or whatever, I'm more focused on my own issues."

"Yes, we know. You and your selfishness know no bounds."

"Fine. I'll come and join your shitty training. Just to keep you from complaining any longer."

"With your lungs, I doubt you could run for five minutes."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"You know just as well as I do that smoking doesn't affect me."

"Yes, yes. We all know how superior you are for having more than one Quirk," Jiro sarcastically replied. "You mention it all the bloody time. Are you ever going to let it go? You sound like a broken clock, honestly."

"Better a broken clock than a nagging bitch. How the fuck does Denki put up with you? Sheesh, you make my head hurt more than the smoke," I had to avoid a swift kick to my shins for that comment. "Deranged psychopath too. Man, I really need to save my brother from another mother from you."

"Denki doesn't need to be saved," Jiro replied. "And I refuse to let you corrupt him. I'll have you know he constantly buys me presents and we go on multiple dates per week. He's a gentleman! He's a great boyfriend! What would you know about that? You are single, constantly smoking or slacking off and generally a bastard to be around."

"No wonder he's skint. You're the expenditure he keeps complaining about," I snorted at that, causing Jiro to huff and pout. "Relax. It's not that bad. Sure, he owes me about ten thousand Yen, but if it means he's treating you right, the money's not an issue. I think it's more of a respect issue or something."

"My boyfriend shouldn't owe you money!"

"To be fair, I might owe him at least ten times that," I explained to her. "Something about lunch money and the fact that I crashed his motorbike. Eh. Whatever, not like I care or anything. Do you think if I light a cigarette inside the smoke alarms will go off?"

"What do you think, genius?"

"I think that it could be a great science experiment. Coincidentally, a great way to end a long and arduous day at school so I can kick back, relax and enjoy Summer," I replied. "Only Summer is still five months away."

"We're in February. It's four."

"Isn't June a part of Spring?"

"No. March, April and May are Spring. June, July and August are Summer."

Huh.

"So then… September, October and November are Autumn? Wait, that means that December, January and February are Winter. But we're in February right now, it doesn't feel like Winter," I scratched my head in confusion. "I mean I'm not wearing a coat or anything."

"Just because you wear shorts in Winter doesn't mean it's not cold for the rest of us normal people, you demented bastard," Jiro shot back. "Jeez. First, Aizawa-sensei sent me to collect you, now I'm having to deal with your idiocy."

"I'm still smarter than you," I pointed out.

"That's because you studied in the general course for over a year! It's not my fault that the general course is multiple topics ahead of us at any given time because we hero students have far more responsibilities than you ever did," Jiro huffed out. "Outside of smoking and bunking lessons."

"Oi. I'll have you know that in my time spent as a general studies student, I still skipped school often. For work, training and lazing about," I corrected her. "But now since training is a lesson, it feels weird not to skip it."

"Aizawa-sensei is so going to make you regret this."

"Nah, he loves me. Seriously, the first thing he said to me after the funeral was 'good job'. He didn't chide me like you or anyone else did for 'injuring myself too much'. Uncle 'Zawa completely gets me, ya' know?"

Jiro scoffed as we made it to the courtyard where all of Class A and B were gathered, along with their respective homeroom teachers. Tokage snickered at my late arrival as Vlad King stomped his way towards me, embarrassed and furious.

"Yamazaki. Where were you?"

"Uh… Training my lungs," I replied. "That's training, right?"

"...You were smoking again, weren't you?"

Before I could rebuke that absolute lie, Jiro told him the 'truth'.

"Caught him on top of the school roof smoking again," Jiro said. "I get that he's a 'special case' since he's not technically a Hero, but even as a member of the law and enforcement, you should be more active. And not lie."

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"I'll have you know Nejire and I made two arrests yesterday," I pointed out. "And relax, Recovery Girl still hasn't cleared me for active training yet. It's too 'strenuous.' Give me until next Monday at the very least."

Vlad King had enough of my antics however as he shook his head and pointed at the remaining spot in Class B's lineup. He didn't have to say anything to me as I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stood next to Tokage, who was trying her hardest not to laugh her absolute arse off at me.

"You're such a delinquent."

"I resent that," I whispered back at her. "I'm not a delinquent. I mean firstly, I don't act that bad. Secondly, I'm a respectful young man who doesn't say naughty words at all. And thirdly, I'm a Detective. Like, being a delinquent would go against my job, don't ya think?"

"YAMAZAKI!"

I sighed, staring at Vlad King's red face.

"Yes, sensei?"

"You turn up twenty minutes late, and now you're interrupting the class with poor behaviour? If you keep this up I won't hesitate to put you on a behaviour report. Think about how embarrassing that is, a third-year Hero studies student on report for bad behaviour."

"Technically, I'm not in my third year until the start of April."

Vlad King growled at that, and thankfully Aizawa took over for his colleague.

"Sora. Can you shut up for like five minutes? I'll let you go after that."

"Thanks, Uncle 'Zawa."

"Don't call me that, you ungrateful twerp," Aizawa harshly responded. "Just for that comment, detention. And you're going to be stuck here for the rest of the lesson training with me."

I groaned at that.

"Come on, can't you be nice to me? I'm your nephew."

"You could be my son for all I care about. Nepotism has no place here," Aizawa told me. "Go run around the courtyard. Three laps."

Huuuuuuuh?!

I looked at him strangely as a sadistic smile formed on his face.

"You know what? Since you smoke so often, how about we make it five? Just to truly test your lungs."

"You motherfu-,"

---

Chapter

Sixty

Four

'Some Like It Hot'

---

"Sooooooraaaa~!"

I stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a hug that would have tackled me to the ground. Instead of hugging me, I watched as Nejire's head bumped into the wall behind me with a dull thud. Nejire pouted as she clutched the top of her head, tears forming in her eyes as she sniffled loudly.

"Why did you dodge?!"

"Because it would have been my head that banged against the wall. And that shit hurts," I replied. "And why the hell are you jumping around our office like that anyway? If something breaks, we have to pay for it."

"Speaking of payment - where are my wages?"

I stared at her in confusion.

"Wages?"

"Yep," Nejire folded her arms, bobbing her head as if it were basic information. "I work under you, boss. So, technically, you owe me my wages. You even signed a contract-,"

"I know what I signed!" I cut her off. "About your wages… There has been a slight issue," Nejire's eyes narrowed at that as she stepped forward with a dangerous gleam in her eyes, a far cry from the bubbly woman I had come to know. I raised my hands up in defence as I was backed up against the wall. "N-now listen! I can solve your issue, you'll just have to wait."

"Why?"

"So, I guess, you know how our department has its own funds?" Nejire nodded as I said that. "Okay, so that was depleted. So I had to use your wages to pay for some bills and other things."

"Other things?"

I winced at her tone of voice.

"Did you buy cigarettes with my wages?"

"Er… I'll have to get back to you on that one."

Nejire's screams were incomprehensible, but at the very least provided me with some amusement. It was even funnier when Nanao came strolling to our office and took one look at Nejire being tied up to her chair and laughed.

"Nice… decorations."

"Thanks," I twirled Nejire on her chair, before cutting her ropes loose. "She wouldn't shut up about her pay. I guess not everyone can understand the fact that our economy isn't stable and there is massive amounts of inflation."

"You used my wages to buy cigarettes!"

"And alcohol," I added sheepishly. "But they were for the department, don't worry. I filed it under 'special undercover operation costs'. Fitting considering the name of this group," While Nejire stared blankly at me, Nanao snorted loudly as she clapped my back proudly.

I guess I made her proud.

"You know, the Special Reinforcement Group is such a mouthful to say. Even calling it the S.R.G. is still annoying to say," Nanao told me as she sat down next to Nejire. "You should really consider changing the name of this office at the very least."

I shrugged my shoulders at that.

"I want to change it, but it's not like I have the perfect name ya' know. And am I even allowed to change it? Isn't this a branch of the Musutafu police?"

"Officially, yes. A three-way partnership between the Musutafu Police Department, U.A. and the government. While it's affiliated with the three of them, it's also its own organisation. Nezu pushed for it on your behalf," Nanao explained to me. "You have access to whatever the Musutafu police have in store at the main office paired with your own autonomy to investigate what you want. You can help whoever you want."

My ears perked up at that.

I still hadn't forgotten the promise I made with Death Arms.

To follow whatever 'trail' he had been forced to let go.

"Sora?"

I blinked as Nanao stared at me in confusion.

"Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts for a little bit," I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head as I said that. "You know that case, the uhm, the one Death Arms was forced to drop. Something about the missing money from a few months back."

Nanao nodded in response as Nejire gave me a weird look.

"The government forced him to drop the case. Well not outright, but the laws that were introduced just a few months ago… Even before that, the case was a dead end. Everyone's seen the evidence Death Arms managed to gather."

"Evidence?" I asked.

Nanao giggled at my words.

"I call it 'evidence', but Death Arms wasn't a detective. His 'evidence' consisted of a single testimony from a schizophrenic drug addict who claimed he saw 'demons' in their dreams that stole the money. From the Bank of Japan. Around ten billion Yen. Death Arms was a staunch believer of this schizo, that was before he killed himself in the most gruesome way possible. Jumped off the side of his Hero office."

I gulped at that.

"And that's… it?"

Nanao nodded in response.

"Yeah. But why do you care so much?"

"About the money? Well, I promised I'd look into it," I replied. "I know that ten billion Yen isn't that much. Around about fifty million pounds. Realistically, the big Yakuza groups of this nation make that and more in about a year or so. But the issue is that this money has vanished completely. It may be a small amount, small enough for it to be swept under the rug, but I have to ask if this is the first time that amount of money has been stolen? I have to ask how such an amount of money just vanished without a trace."

Nanao hummed at that.

"...Do you think there could be a conspiracy here?"

"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Realistically, I think that's why Death Arm's investigation probably failed. He was too caught up in following the money than the bigger picture, and what you've told me about his schizo friend probably proves it. I'm not just doing this for him, at the very least, I want to do it for myself. It seems like an interesting case to take my mind off things."

"I don't blame the case being taken away from Death Arms' hands, it's not like it was going anywhere. But it's not like that case has had a lead in a few months now, even with the entire police network of Japan working on it. I guess it's just a crime that can't be solved," Nanao shrugged her shoulders in response. "Either way, it's not like that's an important case right now. More of a distraction, like you said. After what happened at All Might's funeral, things aren't looking too good for the Cult of Stain. Or anyone for that matter."

I growled at that as Nejire looked between us, lost.

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"...The entire incident that happened during All Might's funeral is being blamed on the Cult of Stain. Despite the fact that the League of Villains showed up, as did Yakuza from the South, the government and police would much rather hide that information than release it to the public," I told Nejire honestly. "Not only that, but arrest warrants have gone out for anyone in the cult. That coupled with the League of Villain's arrest warrants is one of the first steps this country will have to make in order to appease the United Nations. They still haven't drafted a response to the whole funeral."

"And if those with arrest warrants resist, well, I hope that they don't resist," Nanao added. "Tch. Just one bad decision after another. It's just making everyone look more incompetent at their job than they actually are. And isn't that a funny joke?"

I frowned at that.

"That doesn't mean that we can't do anything. Sure, there is a warrant out for their arrest and even execution if it goes that far, but you said it yourself, right? This isn't the police, nor are we heroes either. I may just be an idiot, but I'm not going to let things play out without trying to help."

"Sora. Just because that may be true, it doesn't mean you are invincible. You can still be arrested and tried just like anyone else if you break the law, don't forget. No one is immune from the law."

I smirked right back at Nanao.

"Fair point. But like that'll stop me anyways."

To her credit, Nanao sighed at that.

"Exactly. That's what I'm afraid of the most."

"Not to say that Sora isn't headstrong like that, because he is. But there isn't anything wrong with that. It's admirable, don't you agree?" Nejire chimed in. "The fact is that so many of his contemporaries may hesitate - they may fail to decide what to do. Sora won't hesitate, everyone saw that at the funeral. And I'm not trying to paint a different picture from the past, if we're talking about Aozora then I'd have to agree. But Aozora isn't here anymore."

Nanao clicked her tongue as she studied me intently.

"Just don't be rash, Sora. You're right, you aren't a Hero nor really a member of the police. But in this world? That doesn't mean shit. Just because you can tread over the toes of those you wish to do so does not mean that you won't face any consequences for those actions," Nanao warned me. "Things are going to get a lot worse than better. I'd rather not see you be put on trial for treason against the state because something you didn't like wasn't changed. That strong will of yours is a positive thing as much as it is a negative."

I chortled at that, leaning back in my seat.

She wasn't wrong.

And ultimately, wasn't that exactly why I failed as Aozora?

A Hero?

Because that's just who I am as a person.

"Yeah, I guess. I know that who I am as a person could easily make me a villain. Hell, Tokage once joked that if I ever became a villain she wouldn't even try to take me down. It would be too much effort to take down because I wouldn't stop until… Well, you get the point," Nejire and Nanao cracked a small smile at that. "I know that who I am as a person could make me fight against everyone. But thanks for trying to look out for me anyway."

"You know, if you did become a villain, it would be for a good reason. So, at the very least, I'd probably join you," Nejire said, wrapping her arms around my neck gleefully. "Hehe. Just so that you don't die a stupid death. And so you can pay me back the money you owe me."

Haha…

Ah.

---

As I entered the Millennium Spiral once more, specifically the floors on which the Tatsuya Clan operated most heavily, I was greeted with tons of heavy praise from many Yakuza members. Perhaps it was weird because I was a Detective, or maybe because I used to be a hero who hated their guts. Either way, I nodded stiffly at them as I accepted their thanks and gratitude.

"Thanks for driving those Southern fucks away from our city!"

"Yeah man, you really showed those assholes who run this place!"

"Oh, and the Cultists and League of Villains! You're a fucking legend!"

I made my way to Ryutaro's office where the distinct sound of a champagne bottle being opened could be heard. Yuuya Hinode, Ryutaro's young protege opened the door for me with a dopey look on his face.

"Look who it is!" Yuuya yelled, surprising me as he wrapped one arm around my shoulder as we entered Ryutaro's office where I could see the man and a few of his 'girls' could be seen partying. The man turned around to face me with a grin on his face, raising his glass as some of his champagne fell on the floor. "Boss! He's here!"

"Sora!" Ryutaro grinned at me. "Sit. Want a drink?"

"Sure, I'll take a drink," I sat down on a nearby seat as Yuuya poured a glass of expensive champagne for the two of us before he sat down next to me. We both watched in amusement as one of Ryutaro's 'girls' started to give him a lap dance. "So, Yuuya, I hear you're now a captain. Congrats."

Yuuya grinned at me.

"Thanks. Oh, and the Boss told me all about you, Sora," Yuuya said cheerfully. "You know, even if no one will ever know, thanks. You saved my life as Aozora. If it wasn't for you, Overhaul would have wiped out everyone in my family."

"...No problem. I was - am - a Hero, so it was my duty," I replied. "Even if my duty now is also one that's a Detective. So, what's all this about?" I asked him, pointing at the expensive champagne, hired hookers and party music.

"Oh, we're celebrating you kicking those Southern hillbillies out of our city. Cheers!"

Our glasses clinked at that, some champagne spilling onto my clothes.

I'd just dry-cleaned my jacket as well…

"Yeah, well it is my job. But you know, the fact is they'll be back."

"We know. In two weeks we'll be having a meeting with Kanto and Osaka here, in this city," Yuuya told me as I choked on my drink. Meeting? Here? "Didn't the Boss tell you? Kanto got pissed over what Osaka tried to do here at the funeral, so now we're the mediators and they'll discuss reparations and sign a peace treaty. Hopefully."

"You're telling me the two biggest Yakuza groups that hate each other are going to be meeting here? In this city? In two weeks? One of the groups has just infiltrated this damn city and tried to kill a ton of heroes?!" I asked incredulously. At Yuuya's nod, I couldn't help but feel a migraine coming. "Oh, for fuck sake. Jeez. Ryutaro! Ryutaro!"

The man waved at me as a hooker went behind his desk and-,

Oh.

Oh…?

"Hey, boy," One of the blonde women called out to me seductively. "You look… stressed. Maybe I can help you out?"

"No thanks," I replied, showing her my badge. "Plus, it feels kinda wrong. Nothing against you sex workers, but, looking at you just makes my skin crawl. I'd feel sorta bad just using you. But, continue the good work I guess?"

She huffed away in response, and maybe I could have worded that better.

Maybe.

"Aha! There he is," Ryutaro pointed at me with a grin on his face. He looked positively flushed which meant he had either drank a lot in a short amount of time, or more likely, he'd been day-drinking the entire time. "Ladies, have I ever told you about this beautiful man right here?"

"No. Who's he?" One of the women giggled.

"This guy right here is a legend! He's a real hero," Ryutaro told them, pouring champagne into each of their glasses. "He's a good kid. One day don't be surprised when you see that this guy's busted a few major cases. So, Sora. What can I help ya' with?"

"..."

"What? Stop busting my balls already. Listen, kid, right now I just want to take these lovely ladies into my private suite. If you want to discuss business, Yuuya over there will be happy to help you," Ryutaro replied with a grin. "He knows everything I know. Plus, it'll give him some experience in bargaining with an esteemed gentleman such as yourself. If he's to be the next Tatsuya and Co. CEO, well, he's going to need some experience."

As Ryutaro and the women left for some 'fun time' I couldn't help but sigh."

"Really?"

Yuuya shrugged his shoulders at me.

"Wasn't my idea. Tch. I love the Boss, but sometimes he can be a meddling old fart," Yuuya replied. "So, I assume you're wondering why our city is being held as the meeting ground? It's because Kanto doesn't want to meet in Osaka in case of an attack, and vice versa, so Musutafu is being viewed as neutral ground."

Hm.

"I need to be at that conference," I told him. "Non-negotiable. If Osaka wants to pull another stunt like they did at the funeral, being blindsided is going to lead to even more deaths. We already have the U.N. crawling up our arses, I'd rather not prove the world right by turning a blind eye to this.I don't care where you put me on, if that's on the security detail, insurance in case something happens or as a special consultant. I need to be in the room with all the leaders of Kanto, Musutafu and Osaka."

"No problem," Yuuya said. "To be honest having Aozora around is so fucking cool."

"Hey. Can you keep that piece of information down, yeah? It's supposed to be a secret," I told Yuuya, who immediately apologised. "It's fine. Just… Don't talk about it too much, alright? Two weeks from now… So it'll be in March. Alright."

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, not really. But if you do know everything that Ryutaro does, I have to ask. Death Arms' investigation on the missing money. You know, the billions stolen from the Bank of Japan, what do you know about it?"

Yuuya hummed in response.

"Nothing really. Ryutaro said it was interesting that his case was dropped and the law preventing Heroes from investigating crimes without the use of Quirks was passed around the same time, but he just said it was interesting and that's about it," Yuuya answered. "I mean you are a Detective, so surely you should be able to see what Death Arms was able to investigate before he was taken off the case."

"Well… that's the thing. The case is empty."

"Huh?"

I nodded at Yuuya who looked at me in confusion.

"Yeah, my superior and I found it weird. She's asking for more files on the case, but all we found was empty leads and dead corpses from schizophrenic addicts," I told him. "It all looks like a waste of time. Death Arms was just pissing away the money the government gave him for the investigation, and they got fed up with his lack of answers and took him off the case. It's unbelievable."

Yuuya hummed at that.

"Oh. You know, a little off-topic, but maybe you aren't seeing things correctly?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever heard of the saying 'spin the chessboard'? It's from this old visual novel I played once, I think. My point is that you're a detective, so you're not stupid by any means," Yuuya said. "Why don't you 'spin the chessboard' and see things from the other side? Surely, if Death Arms was getting a little too close to the truth, you'd want him taken off the case. You'd want to bury the truth and the people searching for it."

Hm.

"Maybe, but all of his leads were documented well. They led to nowhere," I told Yuuya honestly. "But that is good advice for the future. 'Spin the chessboard'. Cheers for that, it does sound like it'd be useful."

"Haha. I helped Aozora. Anyway, no problem. Is that all?"

"Well… Did Ryutaro tell you about the personal favour he was looking into for me?"

"Uh, this Raiden Aotisuki guy?"

I nodded in response as Yuuya stroked his chin, humming deep in thought.

"I think he's still looking. From what I remember, he dug up something interesting about a place up North that might have seen Raiden around two years back," Yuuya told me. "I mean, I'm also helping around in the investigation. I heard something about a blonde guy with Yakuza connections who came from Saitama, but they also dried up around two years ago. So, there is that."

Hm.

Two years ago.

Right before I was about to start U.A.

"Cheers. I'll keep that in mind with my own investigation into Raiden," I shook Yuuya's hand, finishing my glass of champagne. "Keep me updated on anything you find about Raiden and the Yakuza meeting soon. Got anything else to add?"

I watched as Yuuya deflated slightly.

"Haven't you heard the news?"

"What news?" I inquired. "Huh?"

"Dude. The United Nations finally responded and they aren't happy," Yuuya told me, turning on the TV. "Economic sanctions are the least of this country's worries. If shit gets worse, the U.N. is considering taking matters into their own hands and setting Heroes here to clean up shop. It'll basically spell war on the streets. Tons of foreign investment has already left this country, companies are beginning to close shop because of how uncertain Japan's future even is. There's been a ton more protests around the country too."

I watched the TV in silence.

A statue of All Might was defaced and set on fire in Tokyo.

Huh.

"Yeah, but that's the worst scenario," I replied with a grin. "We'll make sure that shit doesn't go down that path. Me, you, hell even the fuckin' Prime Minister if she grows a pair and starts acting like a leader and not our hypeman. At the end of the day, we're all in this together."

Yuuya hummed at me.

"Maybe so. But at the very least, the future doesn't look too bright."

Mmh.

…

---

"A press conference?"

I scratched the back of my head in confusion as what was supposed to be our afternoon lesson on heroics turned into a massive gathering in the assembly hall at U.A. for multiple different news outlets. Aizawa shrugged his shoulders at me, confusion was also written all across his face.

"Wasn't my idea. Nezu just told me, so I'm glad you're already in costume," Aizawa replied. "It's supposed to clear up what happened at All Might's funeral since Prime Minister Yamaguchi has used the funeral to boost us.. Boost U.A. and Classes A and B while ensuring the public thinks they're safe. Realistically, I think today will be addressing the United Nations and their declarations. As you know, economic sanctions have already happened. Heavy fines, the cutting of all foreign investment but most importantly, foreign aid too. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"The world is pushing for Japan to demilitarise their nation. In a sense, they want the government to put a ban on Heroes," Aizawa sighed. "Of course that's mighty unpopular. It'd put me out of a job. And it'd ruin a lot of prospects across the country. So, we need to stand strong. I don't resent Yamaguchi for doing what she did, but it was a naive decision that happened out of passion at the moment. We are not well equipped for this."

I nodded at that.

"Right. They are basically giving us one chance to deal with our shit here. This entire country is now being isolated," I replied. "At least that's the gist of it, right? Sounds kinda stupid. I know a fuckton of important people died and they want to save face, but we were blind sighted by the attack-,"

"The issue, Sora, isn't that we were blind-sighted by the attack. It shouldn't have happened in the first place," Aizawa replied. "Although no one will ever really admit that. Instead us Heroes will be blamed for the failings of the corruption in society, there was no chance of us protecting everyone. But nonetheless, the world thinks we should have. We're supposed to keep the public safe after all."

"And are they safe? To me the public are like little toy soldiers getting ready to be thrown in a mosh pit," I said with a smile. "At the end of the day, I don't care. Sure, I'm not going to let people die if I have the power to stop it. But I have my own issues. They're far more important than whatever this country has to say. Then whatever the world wants. They can go fuck themselves if they think I'm going to bend over backwards and let them control me or my decisions."

"You know as well as I do that if anyone hears us, we're fucked," Aizawa whispered in a hushed tone. "I'm not asking you to give a riveting speech. Just smile and wave, let someone else do the talking. And I know you have your issues. At the very least, keep it quiet and don't for the love of God say that you don't care if people die so long as you get to accomplish what you want."

"It was a joke."

"No shit, Sora. But I understand that," Aizawa replied with a sigh. "They don't. They'll just see someone that's meant to protect them make an insensitive comment and it'll rile them up even more. I know it's hard for you to shut up, but I'm begging you, just stand there in silence. Stare at the ceiling if you have to. Let us run damage control so you can be on your way."

"I know, it's just… I feel kinda bad having to lie to them," I said to him. "It's like sheep not knowing that the guy they're following is about to lead them to a cliff and jump off it. Things are going to get worse. But whatever, I'm too tied up in Nezu's game to complain now. I guess I'll shut up."

"Thank you."

As I went to line up with my classmates, I couldn't help but stare at them. Jiro and Kaminari held hands as they passionately kissed behind the stage that was set for us, and I didn't dare look at them as I walked past them stoically. I don't like her, I don't like her, I don't like her, I don't like her, I don't like her-,

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tokage asked me as she twirled her kiseru pipe around her fingers. "Or should I say five hundred Yen? I mean both are pretty worthless to me. You should wipe that jealous look on your face else someone might get the wrong idea. Or do you want to snog me to make Jiro jealous? I'm down, it's not like I don't enjoy seeing that bitch seeth in anger."

"Sh-shut up!" I whispered to her, sighing loudly. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it? You just don't like seeing people in happy relationships because it reminds you of the fact that you can't have a stable one yourself. That's even more pathetic," Tokage teased. "Don't you ever think that maybe not being in a relationship is freedom? Call me selfish, but Heroes have a parasocial relationship with the public. It feels like they shaft us every day. I sorta want to shaft them back too."

"Har, har. You only say that because no one wants to date your crazy arse. Being lonely isn't freedom, it's just a pitiful existence," I sneered at her. "And secondly, that comment with society makes no sense. I get that you're even more apathetic to people dying than me, but can you pretend to be a Hero for at least five seconds?"

"I'm not apathetic. I just know what I want."

"A rich husband who pays for your expensive lifestyle as you do nothing but be a burden on his sanity and finances? Wow, Setsuna, I almost thought you were a good person for a second," I sarcastically replied. "Then I remembered that you are the most selfish bitch I know. Jokes on you. No wonder all the rich guys avoid you like the plague, they can smell the desperation from you ten miles away."

"I have had far more suitors approach me in the last week than you've had in your entire life," Tokage replied. "Don't get it twisted, honey. It's not for a lack of trying that I'm not in a relationship, I just don't need one in my current moment in life. Compare that to you, someone who has no idea what he wants and is still jealous either way. I'm the one that's free and you're the one that can't tell your ex that you're still in love with her."

"Like I said, it's not like that," I told her once more. "I'm not jealous. Not really. It just… feels weird, that's all. So let's drop this conversation, alright? I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"You're not facing them."

"I don't need to face them."

"The real reason you're still not back to being friends with Jiro specifically isn't because of your guilt. It's because you still love her," Tokage observed. "I can't blame you. I mean, you did a lot for her. You don't necessarily deserve her love to be reciprocated, after all, you did hurt her-,"

"Drop it."

Tokage sighed at that, shaking her head at me.

"What am I going to do with you?"

I didn't answer as we were eventually all led on stage. Classes A and B, the premier heroes and I could see the aura we had as pictures from the press blinded my eyes. Unlike the rest of my classmates, I wasn't used to the press and Tokage immediately picked up on that as she squeezed my hand reassuringly, something that surprised me.

Despite our little arguments.

Despite our comments.

Setsuna Tokage had my back no matter what.

"Just smile and wave. I got you, Sora."

It didn't take long for the representative of both classes, Izuku Midoriya, to approach the podium. I didn't miss the sly look he gave me, nor the trepidation in his voice as he mumbled something under his breath that not even the microphone was able to clearly pick up.

I swallowed down my nervousness as I looked at him facing the lion's den by himself.

"As you are aware, All Might's funeral was attacked quite recently," Izuku began. "And there has been a lot of misinformation spread around the internet. Across the world. And the United Nations has replied with sanctions that I do not agree with! Something our government hasn't helped by staying silent-,"

"Deku, is this your proclamation against our Prime Minister Yamaguchi and her policies?" A reporter jumped in. "Are you saying that you're against the current government agenda? Do you agree with the terrorists and their claims of changing this world for the better? What about your comment on the United Nations sanctions, are you going to make a speech on that too?"

"I…"

"Deku, what are your thoughts on the terrorists who attacked the funeral?"

"Deku, regarding Endeavour working together with the HPSC? Is that a move you wish to replicate?"

"What about your speech during All Might's funeral? What about-,"

It didn't take long for Midoriya to quickly get overwhelmed, and a quick look around showed that everyone simply stood quiet and allowed him to handle it. But not me. Surprising everyone, but truly something that everyone should have seen coming, I walked over to the podium and lightly shoved Izuku aside as he looked at me in shock.

"Those are your questions? C'mon, even I can think of more important questions than that, you freakin' vultures!" I yelled down the microphone angrily. "You heard the same speech I did. Deku is here. He's going to surpass All Might, so why don't we get to the real heart of this conference instead of asking stupid questions? Fucking idiots. I swear you all have no respect for the guy! He's only seventeen and you want to put the weight of the world on his shoulders! Fuck you assholes-,"

"...Who are you again?"

"Who am I? Oh, you stupid motherfucker, I'm-,"

"No one, my friend here was just leaving," Izuku cut me off, shoving me lightly as he retook his place on the podium. Tokage and Aizawa dragged me behind the stage, chiding me for being so brash as we listened to the rest of what Izuku had to say. "To answer your questions honestly will take a while. But, unlike Prime Minister Yamaguchi, I will try to answer all of them."

Midoriya's proclamation was initially met with silence.

I stared at him in confusion.

Why was he throwing Yamaguchi down the drain?

She was praising him and everyone's actions just a week ago, she's on our side. Sure, was it a bit dumb in retrospect? Maybe. But I'm not the Prime Minister of this country, frankly speaking I don't care.

"We just want answers, Deku," A reported yelled. "Will you give them to us or lie just like our government? Terrorists? Members of the Royal family were murdered. Over one hundred politicians died that day, a lot of them were foreign ministers and what about the amount of casualties from the police and even fellow Heroes? What about the mountain of corpses that came from these so-called 'terrorists'? What truly happened that day that our government won't tell us?"

There it was.

The desperation from the public.

Even though they were reporters looking for a story, you could feel the tension in the air as each and every one of them had matching looks of worry on their faces. They could feel that there was a significant turning point in our lives, that we were marching on toward an uncertain future.

And maybe Izuku knew that as he nodded in response.

"...I know that I will get in trouble for this. From my superiors, the government and even the HPSC," Izuku began. "This city - my home - of Musutafu has been through a lot. But what happened during All Might's funeral was a massacre. Terrorists? We were caught off-guard by three factions, Yakuza from Kansai, the Cult of Stain and yes, the League of Villains. Grouping them as terrorists undermines what each and every one of those separate groups stand for."

"Are you sympathising with them?!"

Izuku snarled at that.

"Sympathising? Hundreds of men and women were killed and you're talking about sympathy? These criminals deserve to be captured, tried and brought to justice regardless of their motives. But calling them terrorists is a foolish way of dealing with them and is giving them more power than they should. It's acknowledging that they've caused chaos when we're stronger than ever," Izuku yelled passionately. "Sure, we lost many great lives. Death Arms, and so many other heroes and civilians that I can list. But that's not the point. And the United Nations and their decisions on the matter have frankly been appalling."

Izuku paused, clutching the podium tightly with enough force to crack it.

"That day was harrowing for us all, but it was undoubtedly a victory for the world! We were caught off-guard and thanks to so many people, we fought with everything we had and managed to save more lives than were lost! We were able to protect the Prime Minister herself!" Izuku told them. "Many people may have died, but ultimately, we won. We drove those criminals back, and that's what is important here! Us, a class of teenagers! Our government isn't hiding anything - They're choosing to move on from this disaster so they can avert the next one on the horizon. Prime Minister Yamaguchi may be young and inexperienced but even she understands one thing. This isn't over yet."

"You think things will get worse?"

"I do," Izuku answered honestly. Even I was taken aback by how brutally honest he was being. "The night is darkest just before dawn. That's not a statement, that's a fact. The ringleaders of these three factions are still out there, and there are many more villains who are looking at this chaos to seize the right opportunity to hurt and destroy what little confidence the public has in us, Heroes. But that's why I'm here. Why my classmates are standing not behind me, but alongside me."

Snap.

Cameras took photos immediately, blinding my vision.

"As I said during my speech, I will surpass All Might. But I won't be the only one, because as far as I'm concerned, everyone here in U.A. is doing our best to stop this chaos, doing our best to save everyone no matter how hard it may be," Izuku told the reporters who took pictures of him, furiously jotting down what he was saying so that they could print an article sooner. "I can't promise that everyone will be saved. I can't promise that you won't get even more disillusioned with us, but I can promise that I'll try. The United Nations can urge countries from across the world to leave Japan, but that does that accomplish?"

One reporter stood up at that.

"Economists are expecting a recession the likes of which hasn't been seen here in Japan in centuries," They said. "Tons of people have already lost their jobs. In fact, the United Nations is even thinking of forcing Japanese companies to stop business all together internationally. They want to isolate us and our issue from the rest of the world, or else they'll step in and take care of it as a last resort. What good's your word if civilians are still being slaughtered and nothing truly changes?"

…

"I agree. The number of casualties was far too high, and for that, I apologise," Izuku bowed his head deeply. "If I were a better Hero, perhaps they could have lived. But what good is my word? I'm not perfect and I never will be. I've seen what trying to attain perfection does to someone, it twists them into someone unrecognisable and left with tons of regrets. Someone who failed. But I've also seen someone turn around and break the cycle, and my friend who was just here was someone who broke that cycle."

My eyes widened as Izuku grinned at me.

"And I too want to break this cycle that our society is dead set on following. The price of freedom is high, and yet it's a price I am more than willing to pay because none of us here are fighting for peace today. That's impossible," Izuku said. "Not even All Might could achieve that. But what I can achieve with everyone here is a carefree tomorrow. A future where you can go out and not feel like you'll be mugged or stabbed to death, a future where children won't be stuck in a cycle of eventually becoming criminals. I plan to break this cycle."

Snap.

The words coming out of his mouth were incredible.

I couldn't help but clap loudly, whistling as I saw Izuku blush at my actions, refusing to look my way as Tokage punched me in the arm lightly. Ow. Whatever. Either way, I completely agree with what Izuku was saying.

"I stand with our Prime Minister and her policies. I stand with the HPSC and Endeavour, I stand with the police of this country," Izuku told the world. "Everyone here stands alongside everyone as we try to make this world a better place. We all have to work together for this. It may be hard, it may come after more pain has entered this world, but one day it will come. Is that all?"

Aizawa frowned at his speech, pulling me aside quietly.

"What?" I asked him.

"That speech… It's pro-government."

"Aren't you pro-government?"

Aizawa shook his head at me.

"What do you think? The same government that reduced the power of the common Hero, the same government that's still incompetent. You say you've changed Midoriya, and you have. But even you understand how dangerous it is for him to have now allied with them. I don't need to tell you that this stunt of his has gone against Nezu's script," Aizawa told me. "Not that I agree with Nezu either. He's even more anti-government than I am. Or rather, he doesn't matter what they do so long as Heroes still exist. He'd even be a villain if it meant that."

I clicked my tongue in response, glancing at Izuku who proudly answered any other question.

Showing his support for the government.

The same government that Aizawa and everyone else - even me - were critical of.

The same government the world was punishing.

The same government ran by a woman who was just like me, the same government that was trying to change and be better. But it clearly wasn't was the same government running our nation also had an information leak leading the attack on the funeral-,

The same leak that forced Death Arms to give up his case potentially.

And things weren't looking good.

"...So what if he's allied with the government? The rest of Class A and B can decide who they want to ally with themselves," I replied. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bend over and suck the government off so easily. They're the reason All Might's funeral became so fucked anyways. Whoever had loose lips has hundreds of deaths on their heads. And I intend to find out as a detective and bring them to justice."

"...And isn't that going against the government itself?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe. It won't stop me."

"And who do you think they'll send after you?" Aizawa whispered angrily at me. "Tch. Sora, you broke Midoriya's old way of thinking. The way I and every other Hero used to do things, deals behind closed doors to keep the peace - It had its merits and it once worked. Now Midoriya's trying to keep the peace by becoming a government puppet, you know as well as I do that the government and the HPSC are corrupt. Do you think this is them keeping the peace? What do you think the Cult of Stain and the League of Villains are fighting against? Imaginary monsters?!"

Tch.

"I got this," I told him. "They can send whoever they want. I have my investigation, and as a detective, they can't stop me. I'll fight no matter what, Aizawa. I don't regret a single thing. I won't regret a single thing. I'm better than I was before, you don't have to worry about me crashing and burning again."

"That's what I'm worried about, Sora. You have the potential to go against the very government giving you your powers," Aizawa replied. "Out of everyone here, the one most likely to join up with the League of Villains or Cult of Stain is you. And we all know that. You and your impulsive behaviour, your selfishness and most importantly your stubbornness. Those are traits that make you a good detective-Hero… But also a good villain."

Truth be told, the look on Aizawa's face concerned me.

Because it wasn't nervousness that was written all over his face -,

No-,

It was fear.

Because even I knew that it was an easy trap I was falling back into.

The same trap that killed Aozora.

---

"Sora."

Hm?

I yawned, tiredly rubbing my eyes.

"Nejire… What are you doing in my room?"

"This isn't your room," Nejire replied, dropping a bag in front of my desk. Ah. I slept at our office. "Your family called me. They said you didn't come home last night, and that's not really a good sign. Then Tokage called, and she said you hadn't come back to the form either. Then Kaminari called me and said he couldn't find you either."

I peeked inside the bag and smiled.

"You brought me food?"

"Of course!" Nejire cheerfully told me. "But don't touch my breakfast muffin. You get everything else."

"Cheers."

I dug into the food right away, turning on the TV in our office as I listened to the morning news. February was practically over as Spring started to bloom once again, the once cold and showery mornings were replaced with sun and a pleasant heat.

The lino flowers were beginning to bloom again.

"You seem distracted?"

"In a month I'll be a third year student. The final year before I graduate," I told Nejire with a small smile. "U.A.'s basically stopped taking us on trips across the country. Midoriya's stunt didn't help at all. Now the government just wants to send him and whoever he wants to do some PR around the country. And the United Nations still aren't backing down on their harsh stances. Taxes are increasing, and the price of living has skyrocketed."

Nejire frowned at that.

"This is going to become a big problem for us, isn't it?"

"Well, you're the Hero working under a detective in a unit that was formed as a result of a three-way partnership. U.A., Prime Minister Yamaguchi and the police," I replied. "I don't even know what my role in all this is. What Nezu wants from me, what Yamaguchi wants from me, or even what the police want. All I know is that this is the best chance I have at finding Raiden and that's all that matters. Society can go fuck itself, I guess."

Nejire nodded at that.

"Raiden. Your brother. You've mentioned him before, so I have to ask, why is he that important to you? You don't really talk about it often, but you're still so determined to find him," Nejire said. "It's a good thing. Even if it confuses me sometimes. Who is Raiden and what does he mean to you?"

"It's less about Raiden and more about the promise I made to Yukari, our biological mother," I told her. "She died giving my powers back to me. I promised I'd look to reunite our family. That I'd protect my younger siblings. And I have, to some extent."

"Miwa?"

I shook my head at her.

"Nah. Mashiro and Tomoya Ryuichi are my half-siblings, I think they're around seven or eight right now," I answered. "I keep an eye on them sometimes. I'll patrol their school area sometimes."

"You do?"

"It's in the North part of the city. Some rich area. But sometimes when I have a free period I'll go visit them. They don't know me and I'd like for it to remain that way, they shouldn't know that their mother was taken away by someone they look up to," I bitterly spat out. "...Sorry. You don't deserve that rant."

"Why not?"

"It's my own self-hatred talking, that doesn't mean I'm right," I replied. "I know that now. I'm trying to work on it. It's just… hard. Feeling like you're not good enough when you are. When everyone around you tells you that you are, and that's not just something I face with them. It's a problem I share with Class A too."

Nejire wrapped her arm around my shoulder affectionately.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do."

I nodded at her.

"I know."

It was just a matter of forgiving myself.

"You know, this city really is interesting," Nejire told me, pointing at our window that had an overview of the city skyline. "Ever since the U.N. decided to sanction us, the redevelopment project has been working double overtime! Wait, you don't know about the project, do you?"

"Huh?"

"...After the Overhaul event, Mayor Daguchi partnered up with Detrenat and other Japanese companies to provide funding to help redevelop this city. From a leading economic city in Japan to the leading economic hub in Asia," Nejire explained to me, pointing at the Millenium Spire at the heart of the city. "Frankly, after all this sanction business they want to complete the project so that the sanctions aren't felt as much. At the end of the day, Japan is far too important of a country to be completely cut off from the rest of the world forever."

"Musutafu as an economic hub of Asia? Huh."

I hummed to myself.

Just another set of plans on this board of life I had to look out for.

---

"S-Sora."

It was around Ten at night as I found myself in front of the stove, cooking my dinner for the day. I couldn't help but have an unlit cigarette in my mouth as I hummed to myself while cooking pasta, farfalle. The pasta was boiling in my pot as I cut up my onions, garlic and seasoned chicken before frying it up. The aroma was enough to make my stomach grumble, but food was coming soon.

Man, adding the oregano to the chicken really made things-,

"S-Sora."

Hm?

"Oh, shit," I swore loudly, causing her to flinch. And by her I meant Reiko Yanagi, my fellow Class B classmate who's hair was wet as she stood behind me in the kitchen. "Yanagi. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me."

"Oh… am I in the way of your cupboards?"

She shook at that, her silvery hair that fell down to her shoulders swinging wildly.

"I want to speak to you."

"To me?"

Yanagi nodded at that.

I blinked at her in surprise, scooting over so she could see the food I was making as I added the tomato puree and some cream to my pan. Yanagi watched in admiration as I made the best pasta dish possible, draining most of the pasta water before I finally mixed both the pan and the pot together for the final dish.

Pasta a la Sora.

Without even asking, I retrieved two bowls and a fork as I divided the food fifty-fifty, passing the bowl to Yanagi who looked at me in surprise.

"Uhm…"

"If you wanna talk, you might as well eat with me," I told her. "Plus, I've never really made a sauce before. Usually I just, er, buy the jars of them. I tried to follow a recipe online but I didn't have all the required ingredients so I improvised."

Yanagi smiled at me as we sat by the kitchen counter.

"Bon appetit?"

"It looks great. Thank you."

We both used our forks to try my pasta at the same time. While Yanagi clearly enjoyed it, I knew that it needed a little something more. Turning to the fridge behind me, I scoured for Tetsutetsu's parmesan knowing that he wouldn't mind if I borrowed a little of his ingredients.

"Want some?" I asked Yanagi as I opened up the pack of cheese and poured it on top of my meal, mixing it well before I passed it to her. But Yanagi shook her head at me. "Alright then. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Uhm… The food is really nice."

"Eh, it's alright. I've made better pasta," I told her. "I just wanted to use the chicken before they expired. And I only have pasta in my cupboards, which means I need to go shopping… Oh shit, sorry."

Yanagi giggled at that.

"It's fine. You're funny."

"I guess? I mean I don't want to be rude to you, but I think this is the first time we've ever had a one-on-one conversation."

"It's not the first time."

Hm?

"We spoke like this once. L-last year. School trip."

"We did? Sorry, I just don't remember. Especially from that trip with what happened after."

Yanagi nodded at that as she continued to eat.

"So, what's up?"

"I… Are you busy tomorrow evening?"

"Tomorrow evening? I don't think so, why?"

"Do you want to g-go watch a movie together?"

"Sure. Do you want me to invite Setsuna and everyone else?"

Yanagi visibly deflated as I said that.

Oh.

Oh…

"Uhm, I was wondering if it could be just us-,"

"On second thought, I actually have to do some work tomorrow with Nejire," I cut her off apologetically. "I'm really sorry for this. But do you think we can reschedule? Next Friday maybe?"

Yanagi nodded as a small smile formed on her face.

"Great. It's a date."

No, it really wasn't-,

Argh.

I watched as Yanagi ate the rest of her pasta in comfortable silence before taking both her and my bowl and cleaned it before putting them in the dishwasher. Something about paying me back for the food, but whatever.

I left Yanagi alone with Kodai and Kendo who were giving me not so subtle looks on the couch as they giggled when I walked past them. I had to pretend like I didn't know what was going on as I walked up the stairs to my floor and sprinted to Tokage's room, slamming my hand against it until-,

"What the fuck do you want?"

Tokage was still in bed as she detached her hand to come and open the door for her.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" Tokage yawned, inviting me in before she shut her door again. Outside of the LEDs and fairy lights she had put up around her room, nothing was on - Even the blinds were completely shut. "What do we need to talk about that you've woken me up at Eleven?"

"Oh shut up, talking about 'waking up'. You just have a shit hangover from last night."

"You poured me a triple vodka-, Nevermind, you're a fucking alcoholic, you know that?"

I hummed in response as I sat on top of her bed, her legs playfully reached out to kick my back. I couldn't help but scoff at her, but when it happened again, I couldn't help but sit on them.

"Move your fat arse off my legs, Sora."

"No."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Yanagi just asked me out."

Tokage stared at me sleepily.

"Okay? And?"

"And? And?! Setsuna, don't be stupid. You know how I feel about this."

"You mean how you feel about Kyoka Jiro, a girl already in a relationship," Tokage replied. "Just tell Yanagi the truth. You still love your ex. Then she'll get it through her empty skull that someone like you can't ever find love."

"Hey."

"It's harsh but true. What did you say to Yanagi?"

"I made some bullshit excuse saying I can't go tomorrow, but we can reschedule it for next Friday," Tokage hissed as I told her that. "What? I didn't break her heart or anything, so what the fuck should I have done?"

"Maybe just tell her you aren't interested? I don't know Sora, you don't seem particularly interested in her," Tokage told me. "Don't be stupid and lead her on when you know you don't want to date her."

"I don't know what I-,"

Tokage shut me up with a pointed look.

"Sora. If Jiro came up to you and said she broke up with Kaminari to be with you again, what would you say?" She asked me. "And don't lie. I know your answer. I told you, don't be stupid."

"Whatever."

"It's not whatever, you dimwit!" Tokage yelled at me. "Listen, if you hurt Yanagi's feelings I'll still be on your side. But I will say I told you so. And don't expect me to defend you in front of the rest of the class who love Yanagi, by the way. I know you are a little bit stupid but that doesn't mean shit because you're nearly eighteen and you still don't want to tell others you love Jiro."

"That's-,"

"You haven't even told Jiro. Give up," Tokage told me. "You haven't even told the girl you like that you're in love with her, but here you are ruining Yanagi's life for a month or so because you don't have the balls to be a man."

"Shut up. Fuck. Whatever," I got up from her bed angrily as I made my way to her door. But her hands stopped me. They wrapped themselves around my shoulders, despite both being detached from her body that was still in her bed. "...I'm sorry. It's just, Kyoka and I are-,"

"Complex? You're a complex soul, Sora. But it doesn't give you the right to hurt Yanagi, and you will," Tokage told me. "You know this. And I also know that you won't tell her about Jiro, I know that you'll fuck up a date with her and make yourself look like an arse on purpose so she can go date someone else that will treat her right while you wallow in your self-pity because you love a girl that will never love you back again. Because you fucked up and missed that train."

"..."

"Sora, you know exactly what this is, right? You still haven't accepted that you and Jiro-,"

"I know that. That Jiro and I… It doesn't matter, as long as she's happy, that's all that matters to me," I told her truthfully. "I'm under no impression that I could make her happy. Or Yanagi. Or anyone else for that matter."

Tokage sighed at that.

"Now you're just being a sore loser."

I grinned at that.

"All I am is a sore loser who couldn't get the girl in the end."

"All I am is a-, Just shut up for a second. Gosh, you're so fucking annoying and negative about yourself, maybe if you weren't such a little bitch you'd be happier in life," Tokage berated me. "Actually, if that ever happened I think the world would end. Just go out on a date with Yanagi and give it a try, alright?"

"Fine. Fine."

---

There's something about the awkward silence during the first date that can't be explained.

Perhaps it's the nervousness that forces you to act more like an idiot than your usual self, or the fact that you don't quite know what boundaries you can and cannot push when asking questions, sensible ones, that sort of make a first date feel like a game.

A weird, unpleasant and stress inducing game.

Your average FIFA experience.

As the movie Yanagi and I watched came to a close, I couldn't help but hold a sigh as she turned around to face me with tears in her eyes. It wasn't that emotional of a movie, it was just another tragic movie where the star crossed lovers didn't get their happy ending, and in my humble opinion La La Ground was pretty shit for a romcom.

Why couldn't Seb and Maya get together?

Fucking stupid reasons.

And as Yanagi held my hand for support, wiping her tears away, I couldn't help but inwardly be a little turned off. Yanagi was fit, objectively, and she had a nice personality. But this?

Ugh.

Kyoka Jiro never did this.

See if we had watched La La Ground right now, we'd be talking about how awful the movie was and how convenient it was that the main character, Seb, didn't get a happy ending. That he was forced to let the girl of his dreams go for her. Blah, blah, blah, blah. That was why I hated romcoms; they weren't funny, they were just quite depressing.

"Did you like the movie?"

"It was alright," I lied to her, shrugging my shoulders. "Seems like you enjoyed yourself."

"It was really sad."

I nodded at that.

"I guess."

Another awkward silence.

"So, uh, you want to go and get some food? I think Macca's should be opened, so-,"

"N-No!" Yanagi interjected. "Well, I do want food. But not Maccas."

"Er, KFC?"

"No! No fast food! Er, how do I say this… I already reserved us a spot!" Yanagi told me. "I know it's early March, b-but I was able to pull a few strings, sorta-, And I'll pay! Uhm, thank you for the movie and the snacks."

I nodded slowly at her.

"Oh. Yeah, sounds good. Lead the way?"

No wonder I had been asked to dress formally.

I had trimmed my beard neatly, taken off my one ear piercing and wore some chino's, smart shoes I borrowed from Monoma as we were thankfully the same shoe size and a tan shirt that was slightly oversized but still fit me fine. It was about as smart as I could dress, and compared to Yanagi who wore a dress that did wonders for her figure, well I wasn't about to take this gift and not appreciate it.

As we left the very expensive cinema, I was grateful that Yanagi had a car.

Was it a rundown Yellow Beetle? Sadly. But it was better than taking the train, or even worse, the bus. Yanagi drove me to the restaurant which was located near the Millenium Spire at the heart of the city, which left me with some time to lean my head against the window and stare at the night sky.

Yanagi had a smile on her face for some reason.

Did she think this date was going well?

All we did was watch one shitty romcom that I hated.

And now we're going to some fucking restaurant when I could have had Maccas and gone home, but no, now I have to be the good guy and not shatter her heart completely. It was even more annoying because in just a week the meeting Ryutaro had told me about would finally happen. Osaka and Kanto's biggest gangs would be meeting here in this city to negotiate a peace treaty.

Instead here I was, on a date with a girl I couldn't-,

"Sora, do you want to play some music?"

"Hm? Oh, okay."

I reached out to her radio and turned it on, flickering through the channels.

"-and now we have heard news that Earphone Jack's brand new single-,"

Click.

"You've heard it here folks! Earphone Jack has just announced a date for her brand new album, with the lead single 'Hold On' being able to be streamed right now! A response to the recent backlash the government and Heroes have faced from the people of this country and the rest of the world! In fact, here it is in full-,"

Click.

"Guys, GUYS! The wait is finally over! 'Hold On' by Earphone Jack has finally released-,"

Slam.

Yanagi was focused on driving, but even I could see from the corner of her eyes that she was surprised to see me slam her radio off. I didn't say anything to explain myself, merely stared out of the window in comfortable silence, hoping that the awkward tension in the air would fade away.

Of all the times.

…

The sound of the bustling nightlife of Musutafu filled my ears as I rolled the window down and enjoyed the fresh March air that tasted a little like mint. The lino flowers were starting to bloom, and that did signal the end of one school year and the start of a new school year - One filled with more plots and crazy adventures to come.

I couldn't help but harken my mind to Sai Yafuso, and the rest of the oncoming firsties.

To Mashiro and Tomoya.

Even to myself.

I was going to be a third year student.

It would be my final year at U.A. and after that I'd be finished with school forever.

Thinking about that in Nejire's cramped and beatdown Yellow Beetle that she let me borrow for the evening was certainly a memory I'd never forget, even if I'd rather be anywhere else right now. Eventually we found a parking spot near the restaurant that impressed me immensely.

Lights stemming from the ground marked the entrance to the place like it was a treasure map, with the waiters dressed in suits more expensive than I'd be able to likely afford. This was a place for rich people, and looking at Yanagi who fit in the crowd like a glove, I did feel a little out of place.

"Names?"

"Yanagi."

The waiter hummed, flipping through a reservation list.

"Right this way."

We followed the waiter inside as he led us upstairs to a table for four that overlooked the city, and I couldn't help but whistle at how gorgeous the view was. Until I saw who else was waiting at our table.

Oh, fuck-,

"Sora!" Jiro waved at me excitedly as she wore a backless navy dress that emphasised just how much she had changed. It left me speechless as she came over and hugged me tightly. "We were just about to message you. But, I suppose you two came just at the right time! So, how was the movie?"

Kaminari stood at the table in a black and white suit, hands in his pockets as he nodded at me. I nodded back as Jiro and Yanagi chatted about their journey so far, sitting together at one end of the table as I went over to Kaminari and sat opposite them.

"You looked shocked."

"I didn't know it was a double date," I told him. "And neither did you."

"Didn't know myself until I got here," Kaminari told me. "Personally, I would have just preferred a quiet night out with Maccas and some ice cream. But here we are. Momo had to call in a few favours to get us a reservation here. For the four of us. Jiro and Yanagi are paying Momo for some of the reservation costs but she's paying for our meals and drinks. Says it is in the house."

"No shit. Either way, I look way underdressed for this."

"Eh, you like fine," Kaminari responded, grinning at me. "What's even better was that Momo, as 'straight laced' as she is, was forced to tell the restaurant that we're above eighteen. Not that we don't look like we are eighteen, of course."

"You don't look like it."

"Oi! I shaved!"

"Shaved my arse, you blonde bimbo. You shaved off your pedotache."

"Hey! Not everyone can start growing a beard like you."

"Well maybe don't be born with blonde hair-, Oooh!" I flipped through their drinks menu in surprise. "Yanagi. Hey. Kaminari said everything here for free? That's correct, no? Please tell me that it's correct."

"Yeah, Momo's paid for us," Jiro told me. "Oh, sorry. I'll let you two talk."

Yanagi gratefully nodded at her, but I ignored it.

"Yo! Waiter! Come here, we're gonna order some drinks," I whistled, waving at a nearby waiter. Yanagi and Jiro both looked at me in confusion as I turned to Kaminari and smirked at the poor bastard. "It says here you do triple shots of drinks, is that right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, so here's the plan. For the ladies you'll be giving them triple vodka with soda water and lime, and for me my friend here we'll be having triple whiskey's. Your choice, just make sure it's the highest alcohol percentage and make sure it's on the rocks. And I want all four every fifteen minutes for the next hour, then bump it to ten for the next hour and eventually five."

"...Excellent choices, sir. Shall I come back in ten minutes for your food orders?"

"Sounds good."

As the waiter left, I could feel the judgement from Jiro reach across the table and wrap itself around my neck. Yanagi nervously laughed as she took a look at the food menu while Kaminari simply matched my smirk.

"You're seriously doing this?" He asked me. "Right now? Dude, you're a bad influence."

"Doing what exactly?" Jiro asked.

"Nothing," I replied. "And Denki - Shut up, won't you?"

"You bastard."

"Don't blame me."

"Uh, sorry to butt in, but," Yanagi interjected shyly. "How are we going to get home?"

"Oh- Oh," Jiro's eyes softened as she realised my 'plan'. "That's your plan."

"Plan?" Yanagi asked in confusion. "Guys, what's-,"

"Tonight, we're all getting absolutely sloshed," I cut Yanagi off, my eyes being kept at Jiro at all times. Her and that dress of hers. Her makeup that made her look so amazing, her long hair that instead of being tied up in a ponytail laid by her shoulders that framed her face beautifully - It wasn't hard for me to admit that right now Kyoka Jiro was the most beautiful girl in the world. "And we're heading back to mine. My parents do not live far from here, maybe a twenty minute walk."

"Y-yours?"

"Don't worry, Yanagi. My parents are home, plus since Miwa's away you and Kyoka can share my sister's bedroom," I explained to her. "It's a Friday anyway, and outside of meeting with Nejire I don't have anything going on tomorrow. I'm sure we can loosen up tonight, right?"

It was then that our drinks arrived.

With a cheer, I lifted my glass up before I took a hearty swig from the glass.

"Fuck."

"Oh fucking hell, Sora."

"Uhm…"

"Sora, now we're talking!"

The varying reactions to our drinks was amusing.

"You know," I began as I finished my drink in one big gulp. "If you can't finish your drink before the next one arrives, you can pass it to me and Denki. We'll be happy to finish it off for you."

Jiro rolled her eyes at me, but it was Yanagi's reaction I was most looking forward to.

As her eyes darted between Jiro and I, she could finally realise the truth.

Minutes passed as we ordered our food, a plate of calamari and salad as starters with our mains being a mixed meze grill for the four of us with some sharing platters. Right as our second rebound of drinks came, I saw that Jiro still hadn't finished her drink and grinned at her.

"Sora-,"

"We love to drink with Jiro, cause Jiro is our mate! And when we drink with Jiro, she downs it down it Eight!" I sang loudly, with Kaminari joining me as we wrapped our arms around each other's shoulders and began to dance while sitting. "Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Whey!"

Jiro absolutely looked like she was going to vomit as she down her drink in eight seconds.

Yanagi smiled at our antics.

"Sora. Denki. I hate you both."

"No you don't," Kaminari replied. "C'mon. Now we have a new drink to finish."

"After that?"

"Especially after that," I told her as Kaminari and I downed our drinks once again. "You have your new album coming out. The radio wouldn't shut up about it outside of the funeral and the U.N. sanctions. Might as well celebrate it despite the negativity that's been in the air. Think you'll win a Grammy this year?"

"I don't know. Can we… not talk about my music? Especially after everything that's happened recently," Jiro sighed out. "It just doesn't feel right, you know. So many people died, and here we are not taking things seriously and just hanging out. It sort of feels wrong."

"Why not?" Kaminari asked her. "Why shouldn't we celebrate? We lived. So what if others died, we're only teenagers. We did the best we could at the end of the day - Whatever happens, happens. Also, on the way here you were so proud of your album. Before Sora came back, you were struggling from writer's block-,"

"Denki!"

The table laughed at that.

"So… you, uh, finished your album because of me?" I asked her. "Because I came back?"

"Not because of you. Don't get your ego inflated, your presence may have helped me complete the last few remaining songs, but it was because of everyone in my life that the album was finished," Jiro answered, flushing red. "Don't get it twisted. Denki might prop you up, but your contributions to the album were next to nothing-,"

"Isn't one of the songs about him!"

"Denki!" Jiro squawked, it was something I hadn't heard from her in so long. Since when we were together. "You know what, fine. If you want me to talk about business, I'll talk about business!"

We then watched in fascination as Jiro downed her entire drink in one go.

"Now that's how you drink."

---

Minutes turned into hours at the restaurant.

"Haha! You blew up your school?" Denki doubled over with laughter as I told them that. Hie tie that had once been done up properly was now loose as his blazer had been taked off "Bro, what the fuck! Haha. Of course you blew up your fucking school just to beat the shit out of someone."

I shook my head at him, pushing my empty plate to the side.

"No, no! You don't understand! It wasn't my fault! I didn't even blow it up, he did!"

"And then he took your car and went away?"

"Eh, sorta," I replied. "I may have given him the keys to my car."

"You did not!"

I chuckled at that, sipping my God-knows-how-many drink of whiskey.

"Who knows?"

"Aiding and abetting. You're the world's worst detective, you know that?" Yanagi told me with a smile. "I've heard the story before, but still. It's crazy that you managed to get away with it. I mean you still never told anyone how your powers came back."

"Oh, that? Ha, blame Yukari," Slurring my words out as I finished the rest of my drink. "Aizawa too. They plotted it behind my back instead of being upfront about it. I know 'twas to protect me but it still hurts."

"Yukari?" Yanagi asked.

"She's no one," Denki told her seriously. "Forget about it."

"Ok."

It was like Yanagi's mind had been hijacked by Denki for a minute there, but that was probably because I was so drunk and couldn't even keep focus on what was in front of me anymore.

"Sora. The restaurant is nearly closed."

"Kyoka, they're going to have to call the police to get me to leave without another drink," I joked. "And that's funny 'cuz I am the police. Haha. Hehe. Waiter! C'mon, brink the fuckin' booze already!"

As soon as the final round of drinks came, I couldn't help but grin as we all raised our glasses for one final toast - Only we were all so drunk that no words came out as we drank our drinks quickly and definitively.

Leaving the restaurant was a nightmare in it of itself as Jiro became quite interested in the coat hanger, but Denki and I managed to successfully push her outside… the cold rain of the late hours of the night.

"Ugh! My hair!"

We giggled at Jiro's antics.

"I'll take her to yours," Denki told me with a wink. "I still know the way, don't worry."

"Bro. You're drunk."

"I'll be fine," Denki told me with a smile. "Plus, a little girlie behind ya' wants to speak to you. Privately. Good luck."

I gulped at that, standing in the rain as it showered me completely.

Yanagi stood opposite me with a smile tugging at her lips.

"So, that was our date."

"Yeah. I guess it was."

…

"You really love her, don't you?" Yanagi asked me as her voice cracked slightly. "Sorry. I just… You know, this was my first ever date. Before you, I didn't really find anyone cute. Or funny."

"It's not going to be the last of your dates."

"Probably," Yanagi agreed with me. "But for a first date? Well, I won't deny that seeing you pay more attention to her than to me didn't sting a lot. I know she's your ex and everything, but really? Kyoka Jiro? I have a bigger arse and tits than her."

"That's not everything."

"No, but with the way you act you make it seem like it is."

I shrugged at that.

"I'm sorry for being such a shitty first date. At least now you have a funny story to tell," I joked, placing a cigarette in my mouth. But before I could light it, Yanagi reached inside her purse to find her own lighter as she lit it for me. "Cheers."

Yanagi smiled sadly at me.

"You know, in a sense, I think I'm sorta glad this date didn't go to plan."

"Oh?"

"Mmh. I was prepared to have sex, but… I don't, after hearing Jiro call you a manwhore, I feel a little better that I didn't jump the gun," Yanagi told me. "I mean I think I probably would have regretted it. I already sort of regret coming along with you. Sora, you are an asshole, you know that?"

I laughed at that.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothin'."

Me being a manwhore?

That was I lie I had told Jiro so she could try and be jealous of me.

It didn't work.

I was still a virgin, and I just missed my chance to…

Fuck.

I can already hear Tokage's 'I told you so!'

"You're a nice guy, Sora. Outside of being an asshole on this date. And while Denki is also great, you and Jiro really suit each other," Yanagi told me. "But I must decline the offer to stay at yours. I think it'll be awkward, plus there's a taxi right there, so…"

I nodded at her, giving her some money for the fare home.

"Get home safe."

Yanagi grinned as she leaned over and plucked my cigarette from my mouth, taking a drag before she firmly planted her lips on mine. It was a sloppy first kiss, I had to admit. But that didn't mean neither of us grinned as she stole my cigarette and ran off to the taxi.

"Hey! If you weren't so shy, maybe you'd find yourself a man."

"I think I like girls just a tad bit more!" Yanagi yelled back with a grin. "Thanks for a horrible date! And making me realise that! Jiro seriously looks stunning! I can't blame you for liking her, but who knows? Maybe I'll get to be with her too."

"Fuck you."

I waved bye to Yanagi under the rain, stuffing my hands in my pockets as I slowly sobered up while I made my way home. It didn't take long to find my apartment complex and use my key to get inside where I could see the living room lights were on.

Heh.

"I'm home," I called out, kicking off my shoes as I stumbled forward to see my Mum and Miwa talking to Jiro and Kaminari. "Mum? Miwa? I thought you're supposed to be at school, the fuck?"

"Language."

I rolled my eyes at my mother as I plopped myself right next to Denki on the couch.

"It's my reading week, so I thought I might as well come back here for the week," Miwa told me. "And imagine my surprise when buzzing our door at one in the morning is Kyoka and Denki?"

"We were out drinking."

"No," Jiro shook her head at me. "You had a date."

"..."

"So, come on! Tell us! How did it go?"

"Well," I started with a huff. "Yanagi said she prefers girls."

Jiro blinked at me in confusion.

"Huh?"

"I rejected her. Or, she rejected me? Point was there was no chemistry between us, so no hard feelings," I told them. "I wanted to reject her anyway, but this made it a lot easier I guess. A shame though, I could have totally fucked her tonight if I was smarter. I'm a fucking idiot. Damn it!"

"Sora!" My Mum yelled scandalously. "I didn't raise you to be like this."

I shrugged my shoulders at that.

"Eh. She was going to offer, but someone had to go run their mouth about me and tell her that I was a manwhore," I glowered at Jiro who shrunk a bit. "I could have fucked the girl with the second biggest tits in our year… God damn it. Thanks, Kyo-ka! Ruining my moment here."

Kaminari patted my back reassuringly, as did Miwa.

"W-well, she was drunk!"

"Obviously I wouldn't have fucked her if she was drunk! We wouldn't have drank in the first place!" I weeped in mourning. "Man. Just thinking about it-, God damn it. Why? WHY?! Why do we live? Just to suffer? Is that it?!"

Amidst my dramatic monologue, my mother brought over some food for us.

"Here. I know you three went to a restaurant, but you're so drunk I think you need more food," Hinata told us. "And Sora? Stop being so dramatic. We all know you wouldn't have slept with her anyway. You're far too shy for that. Plus, I would have killed you. Metaphorically speaking of course."

"You're my Mum! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"True, but when I wake up I can now tease you for the rest of your life," She winked at me. "Good night. I'll go set up Miwa's room for Kyoka while you all eat. Your room is set up for your sleepover with Denki."

"Hah. Sleepover."

We rolled our eyes at Denki as the three of us plus Miwa dug into Hinata's food.

Karaage, rice balls and some sushi.

"Oh, I so missed your Mum's cooking!" Jiro told me enviously as she ate two sushi at once. "Fuck. This is so good I think I'm about to die and go to heaven. Dude, why the hell haven't you invited me here since you came back to U.A.?"

"Uh… We've had so many rows ever since I came back."

"That's true. Damn it, stupid me. I could have been eating Hinata's cooking sooner."

Miwa giggled at her.

"So you missed this place?"

"Missed this place? Do you know how much I resisted this past year to knock on this door when I knew Aizawa was eating here for dinner? If it wasn't for this blockhead being a cunt and leaving us, I could have had such a good year! Fucking hell this karaage is so good!"

"It's alright, don't gas Hinata up too much," I replied, eating one of the rice balls. "Oh, Kaminari. You want a beer?"

He simply grunted in response as I turned to plead to Miwa.

"I'm not getting you a beer. You're already drunk."

"Two beers. For me and Kaminari. Pretty please."

"I'm not-, Fine, but I'm drinking half of yours!"

"Deal."

As Miwa got up from the couch to fetch us our beers, Jiro turned to grin at me.

"What?"

"Last time I was here… Well, it wasn't a good day for us, was it?" Jiro asked me. "Are you sure about Yanagi? I tried to wingwoman you, but if you weren't interested, then you aren't interested. Do you even currently like a girl?"

…

"Sora?"

"Idiot," Miwa grabbed my attention as she brought over two opened beers, handing one to Kaminari and me. "She asked if you like a girl. A pointless question in my opinion, I think you're far too ugly to even consider dating a girl. A troll suits you better."

I ignored her comment.

"Do I like a girl right now? I… Yeah. I do."

Jiro squealed in excitement.

"Really? Oh man, tell! Is it Tokage? I bet it's Tokage. You know, you two would make such a good couple, seriously," Jiro told me. "You should ask her out. Right now. Call her and ask her out, I know she's awake because she messaged me asking if you got home safe-,"

"It's not Tokage."

"Okay, who is it then?" Jiro asked me. "You should ask her out. But tell us already."

"...You wouldn't know her," I lied to them. "And anyway, me and her? I doubt it'll happen."

"You won't know if you try."

"I know it won't happen," I smiled sardonically as I said that. "She's… well she's everything, and I'm just me. Two different worlds. She's way out of my league too, so why would she give me a chance?"

"C'mon. Don't doubt yourself, you don't know anything until you try."

I shook my head at Jiro.

It hurt.

"Trust me, it won't happen."

"Then you trust me," Jiro replied haughty. "I dated you for five months. I've known you since middle school. Even when you're being a cunt, you're still a great guy that deserves love. And the way your eyes look when you speak about her, that's love! I know how it feels! So let me tell you, as someone who is in love right now, go for her. Because if you don't, you'll miss your chance forever."

…I did.

I already missed my chance.

"Duly noted."

"C'mon Yamazaki, spill the beans already!" Kaminari said to me. "How big are her tits? Bigger than Momo's? Wait, no you're more of an arse guy, aren't you? Bigger than Jenifer Lawrence's? Dude, tell me. Holy shit, her hips don't lie, do they?!"

"Denki!" Jiro yelled in outrage.

"I like the way you think," Miwa said. "I've seen Sora's search history before. Surprisingly, he likes small titty girls with nice arses. What a weirdo. See, I always knew that my brother here was gay-,"

Kaminari scoffed at that.

"Now you listen here! Sora's my brother, I know exactly what kinda' girls he likes! And he doesn't like guys, I'll tell you that much!" Kaminari valiantly defended me as he sipped his cold bottle of Peroni. "I know for a fact that his taste in women is exquisite! Just as mine are! It's like we share a single brain cell!"

"How do you know?"

"Miwa," I warned. "You caught me looking at naked woman on our family computer. When we were five. You then snitched on me. Do you know how much trouble I got into back then?! Mum and Dad were convinced I was being groomed or some shit."

"Well you were a weirdo five year old looking at naked women, can you blame them?"

"It's not my fault I figured out I liked girls when I was five, and that hasn't changed now!"

"Shame."

"What do you mean by shame? You're not even lesbian or bisexual?!"

"I know," Miwa agreed with me. "I just really like boys' love. Yaoi is such a good genre."

I sighed at her.

"Your fetishes are weird."

"Are not!"

"You're seventeen. Grow up already."

"No!"

Jiro cut our argument off as she threw her head back and laughed loudly, shaking her head as she slapped her knee while she giggled furiously at us. It was something I hadn't seen from her in so long.

I couldn't help but smile at her.

"I miss this. I missed you, Sora. I missed Miwa and her playful banter," Jiro wiped a tear away from her eyes. "I missed all of it. Thanks for coming back, Sora. Even if you're not fully back yet."

Miwa shot me a glare at that.

"Hey! I'm trying to be friendly to Class A, and most are even being friendly back," I told Miwa. "I mean that is because of the funeral. I did save Momo's life, I did save Jiro's life and… saved everyone else's life? Huh, who knew I could save people."

"Do you want a medal?"

I smirked at Miwa.

"As a matter of fact, I do!"

---

Hangovers.

I rarely get them.

But when I did, well, they weren't pretty.

"Ugh," I groaned as I opened my eyes only for the world around me to still be dizzy as I felt so nauseous I thought I might vomit. "I'm never doing that again. Fuck."

Sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor, Kaminari grunted in response.

"Man, I haven't been that smashed since Kur-, Never mind," Kaminari yawned. "Long story. I'll tell you a different day, Sora. Maybe in a few years."

A few years, huh?

"If I live that long."

Kaminari snorted at me.

"Dude. You will live. We are all gonna live, no matter what the U.N or the public think."

"We'll see," I replied, thinking back to the fact that I was slowly dying. Kaminari didn't know, and I felt way too sick to tell him as I got out of bed and opened my curtains only to hiss at the sunlight. "Fuck. It's three PM already. Well, I guess Nejire's coming to me then. At least she knows where I live."

"Think Kyoka's awake?"

"Nah. We went to bed at five. In the morning."

"I'm surprised your parents didn't come over and kick us out."

"It's a Saturday, they don't really care, plus Dad's outta town for a conference," I told Kaminari as I drank my glass of water before filling it up and passing it to him. "Ugh. This headache is a killer."

"I know right? Why'd you convince me to drink whiskey straight."

"I thought it was cool."

"It was cool."

Yawning, I looked down to see my phone charger wrapped around my neck with my phone resting on my stand peacefully. No battery. Ugh. Instead of putting my phone on charge, it looks like I just played around with the charger instead.

Now Nejire was going to be super mad.

Where did I park her car again?

"Sora. Cheers for last night."

"Hm?"

"I… There's been a lot on my mind lately. A lot of stress, and I don't really know how to deal with all of it," Kaminari told me. "There's a lot of things I need to control. A lot of people I want to protect and I-, Well, thanks. Last night helped a lot."

"You're my friend, Kaminari," I replied with a smile. "My best friend. You said it a lot last night while drunk, but we're basically brothers you know. Nothing is ever going to replace that. Nothing."

"So, I'm higher in the ranking than Monoma?"

"Was that ever in doubt?"

"Wohooo! That's one less stressful thing to worry about."

I blinked at him.

"Really?"

"Hey! There's only room for one stupid blonde best friend in your life, and that spot is reserved for me! Denki Kaminari!" He told me. "You know, if you moved back into Class A, we'd be able to do this practically every week."

"Denki…"

Kaminari grinned at me.

"I know, I know. You're not ready for that step, even if we are," He said bitterly. "Whatever you need to do to be able to forgive yourself one-hundred times, just call for me. I'll be there, ready to help you."

I smiled at him.

"I appreciate it."

"Now, can we get some food?!"

Haha.

I guess some things never change.

---

Early upload because I'm nice and certainly not because I'm going to be busy soon!

Hehe...

This was just a transitional chapter.

Just setting up a few plot points for this arc (That have already been set but I want to focus on their set up a little more since they'll largely be resolved soon.) And with this chapter, we enter the 300k+ words range of Part 2 which is insane to think about.

We're also 1/4th of the way through in terms of chapter count compared to my notes….

As I said once, when I finish writing Part 2 (months in advance maybe even a year hopefully) I'll do daily uploads until it's finished. Or every two days. That's the plan, so until then bear with me!

I am a massive workaholic and probably need a break but fuck that.

I enjoy writing too much.

See ya soon!