Ashi always went to the park after school to do his homework. It helped him focus. Today, there was a new visitor at the park today. He sat on the edge of the fountain, looking at his reflection within. He didn't recognize this person, so he did the obvious solution and went to introduce himself.

"Hey there! You like how clear the water is?"

He looked up at Ashi. "Oh! Sorry. I didn't see you there!"

"Don't worry about it. I like coming to this park to relax. The peaceful feeling here helps me think." He sat next to him. "And you looked like you were thinking about something pretty hard. Is everything okay?"

"I just...don't know who I am. It feels like I should know, but I don't. And it's driving me mad!"

"Well, you sound pretty well-versed for starters. If you need any help, I'm here for you."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Ashi. Ignoring the fact I'm a deer, I have metal manipulation. Watch."

He put his empty soda can on the fountain and glanced at the trashcan nearby. He moved his hand up, the can following. He flicked his wrist, and the can fell right in the open mouth of the trashcan.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'm Olive, and I don't have any special powers." He rubbed two fingers against his bangs. "And I have no idea who I am, or what I'm supposed to be doing...It feels like I really shouldn't exist at all."

"That sounds rough. Hey, maybe you're lonely? Would you feel better having somebody by your side?"

"Like...a friend?"

"Yeah. You seem sad, so maybe hanging out with some people can cheer you up. Sound good? I need to head home soon, because I need to start some dinner. We can hang there, if that sounds good."

He nodded. "Y-yeah! That sounds great!"

Ashi slid off the fountain. "Alright. This way."

Olive followed him.

"So, let's get to know each other, yeah? I'm Ashi, as you already know. And I told you my Quirk too. Let's see...I might seem like a cliche 'animal-themed hipster character' for saying this, but I like woodworking and playing guitar."

"You play an instrument? That's interesting. I don't remember what any of my hobbies are. Maybe you could help me find one?"

"That sounds fair. I need a singer for one of my new songs, maybe you could try with that first."

"Singing? That sounds...right."

"So that sounds good?"

"Yeah...It feels like that's what I do. But that might just be the desire to figure out who I am taking over."

"I don't really get it, but if I can help, I'll do whatever I can." He opened the door. "Here's my humble abode. Make yourself at home. I'm going to go start some spaghetti."

Olive sat on the couch and looked around. There was a park ranger guide on the table, so he picked it up. He flipped open to the first page and started reading it out of boredom.

Schedules...Uniforms...Training...The main office location...Qualifications...Seeing all of this information about them was so interesting! It was as if a brand new world opened up to him without him even needing to try and look for it.

Olive put the guide down and grabbed another paper-back book. "All about heroes," it was called. He flipped through those pages as well.

Ashi came back. "Whoa! A fast reader, huh?"

Olive stopped. "What?"

"You were reading that thing like the speed of light! I was only gone for a minute and you're almost through it already! Impressive! Or you were just skimming it for the pictures. It's a bit hard to tell. Don't say this to anyone, but I sometimes just look at the pictures in books too. It's nothing to be ashamed about, but I feel a bit embarrassed saying anything like that out loud."

Olive didn't think he was reading fast. He was actually reading quite slow. Perhaps Ashi just looked too quickly, and misunderstood the situation.

"You can keep reading. I need to call my mom really quick." He pat his pants pockets. "Wait...Oh f*ck, where's my phone? Sh*t. Sorry, you're going to be waiting for a while. I dropped my phone somewhere and-"

"What's wrong with your mom?" Olive sounded so serious.

Ashi sighed. "She's in the hospital. She's a hero, and she got damaged pretty badly during her last fight. She's currently recovering, and calling her is the only way I can talk to her right now. I just wanted to see if she was feeling any better today..."

"I'll watch over the house, and the food. You go find your phone and talk to your mom."

"Are you sure?"

Olive nodded. "You let me into your home, so I feel like it's a fair trade."

"Thanks, you're a life saver!" He grabbed his house key off the table. "I'm going to lock the door on my way out. If the food finishes, just put some in a Tupperware for me if I'm gone too long." He left, the sound of the door locking ringing in Olive's head.

Olive looked at his suit. He felt too formal for the cozy little house. Ashi wouldn't mind if he borrowed a pair of clothes, would he?

Yeah, he should be fine with it.

He went into Ashi's room, seeing a guitar hanging on the wall over his bed. A binder filled with music notes and lyrics sat opened on his bed stand. The song that was currently visible said "for mom" over the notes. Olive went to the drawer and opened it. One of the shirts said "Tekken Championship Winner 2023" in big white words on the front of the black tee. He found a red plaid shirt and thought it was good enough. He checked the water, which wasn't boiling yet, and decided to change into the shirt.

He took off his suit with a bit of effort and dropped it onto the floor. He grabbed the shirt he "borrowed" and was about to put it on when he spotted something on his arm in the reflection on the mirror on the back of the bedroom door. He looked at it.

"Ol V-13."

It was a code.

For technology.