Yoichi, in his rush to get them away from the orphanage, forgot about the need for food and shelter. The two of them are in the heart of the city, where Yoichi knows no one will follow.
During this period, the intense upheaval caused by the emergence of quirks caused most cities to fold against crime. Some people still held out in the cities, and eventually heroes were designated civil servants and crimes quickly dealt with.
Toriichi says, "Brother, I'm tired. When can we sleep?"
Yoichi says, "Just give me an hour to figure things out, I'll find us a place to sleep. Don't worry."
It's an empty platitude, Yoichi has no idea what they're going to do. He considers heading towards their old hideout in the city, but he doesn't know if the building has been abandoned yet. At least he has some money.
Yoichi tucks his piggy bank money further into his jacket pocket and fixes Toriichi's collar.
That's when they spot them.
A woman is yelling, chasing after a man holding her purse. The man has purple horns. The man is about to pass by them; he's reaching out his arms to shove past them.
Toriichi trips the man.
Yoichi yells, "What are you doing?"
Toriichi says, "Well, someone's got to stop him."
The man is getting up from the ground, and the woman is about to catch up to them.
Toriichi whispers, "I don't have to hide anymore. I can use it."
At that moment, the spines reappear from Toriichi's back and shoulders, shredding his sweater, and Yoichi can instantly tell that Toriichi has been practicing when no one is watching.
The spines grab the purse from the man with surprising strength. The man is staring, and his mouth has dropped open.
Toriichi, looking more like an eldritch horror than a little boy, smiles and says, "Boo."
The man runs away, screaming. Yoichi is thankful, he doesn't really want to call the police right now. Or ever. He shudders, remembering the way they manhandled his brother when they took him away.
The woman catches up to them, her pace slowing down as she gets closer. When she reaches them, she just stares at the spines.
Toriichi says, "Here you go ma'am." He hands her the purse with his spines. The woman shudders a bit when they touch her hands.
She says, "Thanks," very flatly and then walks away very quickly.
Yoichi pauses. The Toriichi that Yoichi knew would have never helped someone without getting something out of it first.
Yoichi decides that he deserves some praise and says, "That was a good thing you did there." He pats his head and messes up his hair.
Toriichi beams at him.
A woman emerges from the konbini they've been standing in front of. She says to Toriichi, "Hey kid, I saw that. You're one of them, aren't you?"
Toriichi says, "One of what?"
The woman says, "The people with the powers. They've been driving off customers, and I've been robbed twice. I was considering moving to the country until I saw that. I think we can help each other. You're runaways, aren't you?"
Yoichi, suspicious of her, says, "And how do you figure that?"
She smiles at him wryly and says, "You're out here in the middle of the night, no responsible parent would let that happen during these interesting times."
She says, frowning, "They probably kicked you out when they saw your brother do that, didn't they? I've been seeing a lot of kids with powers on the streets."
Yoichi says tersely, "We're orphans, actually, but yes we are runaways. What about it?"
The woman winces a bit and says, "Sorry, look at me making assumptions. Well, I could give you a place to stay if you agree to protect my shop, like a security guard. I want people to feel safe here."
Yoichi is hesitant. It gives them a place to stay, but he has to hire out his brother for a dangerous job he may not want to do. He feels a bit like a pimp.
The woman suddenly bows 90 degrees and says, "I'm sorry for being rude, my mouth gets away from me sometimes. Please, just protect my shop and building. I'll keep you fed and housed. I can even give you math lessons, since I assume you're also out of school."
Yoichi pauses then turns to Toriichi and asks, "Well, what do you think brother?"
Toriichi says, "I want to do it, we need a place to stay, right? And I like using my powers, it feels good."
Yoichi takes a look at his brother and sees the shredded sweater. He turns to the woman and asks, "Will you provide clothing too?"
The woman sighs with relief, grins at them and says, "I can figure something out. I'm Yumi, by the way." She reaches out to shake Toriichi's hand and says, "I look forward to working with you."
Toriichi shakes her hand back and says, "Me too."