The Woes of Being Timid
The ride to this Giran guy's neighborhood just spoke volumes of a sketchy area. Every two minutes, Ritsu and her would hit potholes in the road with the kei truck. Its engine moaning out horrific sounds that made Kobeni question if she should jump out now or later.
The sun was beginning to dim to its final shining moments until the azure sky began to take over, dotting the stars like a pretty canvas. It was the only sight that Kobeni could smile at in this scenario. To be free of all worries and stress…. What a dream.
She tried to at least opt to change the radio station but the truck's stereo seems to have been ripped out unceremoniously. Kobeni imagined that someone had broken in and stolen it judging by the way the wires were all sticking out in various places.
There were various beer cans by her feet and a few burger wrappers from the very place she's going to be working at.
"So…" Ritsu's voice drawled. Oh no. Please don't ask her questions. She'd much rather enjoy a quiet car ride. "The Boss says you're tough shit." Ritsu said, sipping away at a stale cola in the cupholder by his thigh. "How tough are you exactly?"
"I'm no one special." Kobeni murmured, resting her chin onto her palm, paying more attention to the city through the passenger window. The buildings looked top notch; the people dressed luxuriously; heck, even the vehicles beside them looked like stuff out of rich movies.
" 'Nobody special,' she says. Yeah, I've heard that a bajillion times." Ritsu's pudgy cheeks rose as he chuckled. "Well, if the Boss says you got it in ya, then who am I to judge?"
He made a sharp right turn to another alleyway. People dressed in rags and haphazardly worn clothing were squatting all around a fire, warming themselves up. What was with this city…? First luxurious apartments and now she was in the slums?
Right next to the band of homeless vagrants was another demolished building and beside that even more destroyed structures and what looked to be a burnt up park. There was a construction crew with a bulldozer removing the remnants of it. Was this a daily occurrence?
"Yeah…" Ritsu sighed wistfully. "Guessing you've seen what the aftermath is like. Those Pro Heroes and Villains running around are all responsible for this mess. They're leaving a crap ton of stuff like this almost every other week." Ritsu said with a huff. "Anyways, here we are. Giran's newest hideaway." His pudgy hand gestured to the front of the windshield towards what looked to be the only building not destroyed whatsoever.
In fact it looked like it was purposely left alone amidst all the other destroyed buildings in this neighborhood. Like there was a code amongst the destroyers to not harm this spot in particular.
"The Wyld Lands…?" Kobeni said quietly as she read aloud the faded neon sign.
"Yep. This new guy says it's a pretty good coverup place for him to conduct his newest business: Information brokering. Don't know how he's gonna outdo the other one though."
"You're coming in with me, right?" She opened the loud creaking door and hopped out.
"I'll tell the Boss you wanted to be alone for this. I'll make you sound cool and shit." Ritsu made no motion to leave the kei truck. In fact, he rolled the windows back up and reached to slam the door closed - locking it. The man didn't even look at her!
"Ritsu…?"
He turned his waist and proceeded to back up, leaving her all alone outside the front of this shabby cabaret club. The truck bemoaned its sudden reverse and Ritsu hit a couple of garbage cans in the process. The way he acted was like he'd seen someone he's trying to avoid.
Kobeni felt a dark shadow approach from behind and she was imagining it'd be a fiend or some devil of untold power. Ready to eviscerate her and wear her skin.
"Ritsuuuuu~! Come baaaaaaaaaack! I promise–ahh, fuck." The kind and compassionate aura from this person immediately dissipated. "Never mind. Fat shit's gone. Damn it." A woman cursed aloud, biting at her acrylic red nails and kicking at pebbles over what Kobeni assumed was lost prey.
But then the succubus turned her devilish gaze to Kobeni with a dark grin.
"Oh my~! Are you here to join up, hun?" A sultry voice purred into her ear and she yelped, pulling back with arms raised.
In front of Kobeni was a woman dressed in a short denim skirt with a very bodacious curve to her body. It almost looked… unnatural. A very thick fur-lined bomber jacket tried its best to wrap itself around the woman's upper half, the fabric likely praying to its sewing gods to stay alive.
"Kyaa~! You look so cuteeee! You'd make a lotta men swoon, that's for sure!" She said with dollar signs in her eyes that roamed over Kobeni's body. "I can tell hidden gems when I see 'em." The woman's hands went to Kobeni's face, kneading at her cheeks. "Gosh I could just gobble ya up. Are you here to join our numbers?!"
"No… I'm here to see Giran." The woman's hands fell from Kobeni's cheeks in a flash.
There was an immediate frown to the woman's sharp face, her almond eyes joining her frown. "Oh… So you're one of those kinds of gals, huh? A shame. We could've turned ya into something real special here. Fine, fine. Come on in. I'll show you where that bastard's at." The lady turned and went back inside, Kobeni following close by.
The cabaret club she walked into didn't exactly scream of a beacon of a higher society. It was more so a place where a person's dreams went to retire superbly fast while holding onto a horrific lukewarm beer and a smidgen of a cigarette.
That faded neon sign had a second one on the inside by the entrance, its light flickering like a pathetic dying firefly, just barely illuminating the legs that were all that remained of some long-forgotten pin-up girl's poster. Further in, Kobeni coughed from the thick, cloying air mixed in with a lavender wall-air freshener plugged in somewhere, rough-smelling gin, and desperation.
Kobeni was ushered along by the bodacious woman even further and she caught sight of the red carpet beneath them. Oh heavens the red carpet… Kobeni blessed its perseverance and heart, as it tried to look plush and inviting, but it mostly looked tired. Like it's seen a lot of foot traffic. Like it had seen too many spilt drinks and broken promises between the cabaret club's patrons.
Lots of booths lined the walls on both sides, each a tiny stage for awkward conversations and forced laughter. Something that Kobeni was super familiar with. There was no doubt in her mind that these women were charging outrageous rates to these guys.
"You're sure you aren't interested in a job, hun? We've got some spots to fill. Good work benefits. Everything."
Kobeni shook her head. "No. I just really would like to see Giran please."
"Feh. Giran, Giran, Giran. That's all I hear these days." The woman scoffed, checking her nails and continued to strut her way even further into this den of misery.
The girls of the cabaret club all held whispered promises and noticeable fake giggles that filled the air. The bar towards the back end of the lounge, a semi-circle of sticky wood and questionable hygiene, was currently being manned by a bartender who was busy being chatted up by a few of the patrons.
Kobeni kept her distance from the booths though. The women were eying her up and glaring at her. As if she was supposed to be competition.
"Look at her. Thinkin' she's all that." A blonde haired girl with gothic makeup said.
"All skin and bones that one. Where's the meat? The curves?" Another girl with a cropped haircut said.
Kobeni's never truly been inside of a cabaret club before, but she'd heard from Himeno that it was closer to paying someone to talk to you but with alcohol and food mixed into it. Her attention got snapped back to the woman who was leading her further past the booths into a curtained room that led to a rusted staircase.
"I'm Kit-Kat. But you can call me Kat, hun." The bodacious woman said, taking Kobeni towards the upstairs section in the back of the club. They ascended the swirling steps while Kat began explaining some ground rules. "Giran's a busy man. You'll have to tell him upfront what you want or else it's skedaddle time. Any guns and knives gotta go."
Kobeni nodded and passed Kat the tanto that Kazuma had given her. The woman gave a whistle at it and stashed it into a bin full of other dangerous items.
"Understood…"
"Good. Now, are you sure you're not interested in a job? I've been meaning to look for a gal with your figure. Might make a pretty big amount, y'know~?"
"No thanks! I'm just here for Giran." Kobeni waved away the proposition as if it were the devil. The last thing she wanted to do was that. It was a last-resort option and she'd rather work in a fast-food restaurant than this…
"Boo… Oh well. Here's my card if you ever change your mind, hun." Kat pushed a strongly lavender scented business card into Kobeni's hand and knocked loudly at the door. "Giran! You got a visitor!"
A little camera was above the doorway and it zoomed its lens in on the two, with Kat using both hands to flip him off before the door buzzed and unlocked. Without a moment to spare, Kat pushed Kobeni through the door and slipped away to go harass someone else.
The room itself was more of a storage closet than an actual living space. Papers, computers, and binders littered the ground in mini towers, and Kobeni had to tip toe past everything to even get to the man lounging about on a couch.
The walls had been plastered with an off-white color that was painted over red. It spoke of Giran trying to make this space his own without the influence of the cabaret's 'luscious' choice of colors.
The man looked to be in his early twenties, a full mop of shoulder length grey hair. He rose from a very bright pink couch with a welcoming gesture and smile.
His dress pants and blazer had a deep purple hue to them that spoke of some wealth to Kobeni's eyes. He quickly slipped into some plain black oxfords and grinned, a full row of teeth with a cigarette in between his lips. "Huh… You don't look like a Yakuza. Usually women of that caliber are all tomboys and dykes. Y'ain't a dyke are ya?"
Giran turned away from her, pouring a big bottle of whiskey into some shot glasses. He placed the bottle somewhere onto a counter of more papers and a giant printer rammed rod into a corner of the small room.
"I'm not…! I've just… I've been sorta pushed along to you."
"Hah. That's a funny way of being told you're here against your free will."
"I am–"
"But nobody would come here without something from me. I've got a real good business going here. Everybody needs a reliable source of information, be it crooked or not, and I am stepping up to fill that spot." Giran picked in his ear and flicked away some wax. "Yet I ain't ever seen a timid Yakuza before. That's a first. Usually newbloods of that type are doing their best to act brawny, stoic, and mean. I don't see that about you."
He squinted his eyes, adjusting his frames. "Hmmm. You're not here to ask for money are you?"
"No… I'm sent here to get these fixed." Kobeni fished out her burnt up ID's and gently placed them on the counter beside Giran who chuckled and looked at them.
"Wowza's… These are super old fashioned. Whoever made these must have been complete idiots. I mean… 1994? That's a whole long ass time from now, y'know?"
"Whuh?" Kobeni blinked. "But that's not old–"
"Feh, no matter. I'll get 'em up to date. DMV's could fix that. Not that I'm askin' ya to though."
"I'll just go to the DMV then…." Kobeni said with defeat, taking them back with a wilted stance.
"Woah now, that's not exactly what you wanna do in this situation." He grabbed at her shoulder, stopping her. "You're sorta all over the news at the moment. Wouldn't really recommend that." He shoved his flip phone into her face and pointed at a very distressed looking version of herself in a newscast.
"W-what…? A homeless woman goes on a rampage. Works in tandem with the local Yakuza gang–eehhh?! No! No! I am not a part of any of that! I just wanted hot cocoa!"
"Welp, that's not what the media is telling everybody. So, as soon as you waddle on out of here and to a DMV, you'll be behind bars. Probably get some sorta charge for being an accomplice to the Yakuza." Giran took a swig and exhaled. "Egh… That's strong."
The man ran his right hand through his luscious grey locks of hair and sighed. "But I owe the idiot who sent you here a favor. A real damn good one too. If he's got trust in you then I guess I gotta do what I do best. Hand 'em over."
She did so and was surprised when the man pocketed them. "W-whuh? Umm… So do I get those back today?"
Giran laughed. "Gods no. Y'think I just make these on the spot? If I did, I'd not be renting from Kat of all people. It'll be a week tops. Which in the meantime means I can draw a favor."
"Favor…? But Kazuma–"
"Isn't here right now. And if he's sent someone, his Brother, no less, then that means I've got an A-rank gangster in the midst. A darn good one too.
"N-no! I'm not his brother or anything."
"Hmmm…" The man's face didn't believe her! Why was nobody believing her?! What's wrong with this place? "The tanto he's given you says otherwise." Giran rolled his eyes. "Look, you do this one thing for me, I'll fix up those ID's free of charge. I'll toss some yen your way too."
"What is it…?" She knew he was going to send her off somewhere ridiculous. "I just sorta wanna get these fixed and get a call."
"A call? Well… I suppose I can at least give you that." Giran tossed her a scratched up cellphone and she looked at it and then at him before hastily flipping it open and dialing Kishibe's number. Someone had to tell her what was going on!
"I'm sorry, the person you're trying to call is not available." The prerecorded messenger told her.
Kobeni figured she'd try Himeno's number next but it said the same thing. Screw it! Her family's number!
"I'm sorry, the person you are calling is not answering the phone right now. Please try again later."
She wilted and fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. "Why…? Why aren't they picking up…?"
"Ouch, that sucks." Giran tutted his tongue and yanked the phone out of her hand. "Guess whoever you're trying to reach ain't pickin' up. Oh well, life is life, y'know?"
"What…?" She looked up from her position, wiping away her tears. "Just… Tell me what you need. I'll use the money to get a ride back home."
It'd be the next best thing. Sure, her family may really hate the idea of her coming back and asking for some leniency, but they'd never turn down their daughter? Well…. Maybe they would. But at least her little brother would help out!
Steeling her resolve, she sucked up the rest of her remaining courage and rose with new purpose.
"Thatta girl. Now, seeing as you're probably a Yakuza, you're not afraid of gettin' your hands dirty."
"Dirty…?"
"Hmmhm… See, I've got a real piece of work snoopin' around my tracks. My competitor so to speak. They're trying to one-up me on who could be the reigning info broker around these parts." He gestured to a giant whiteboard full of papers, red thread pieces stranding out to various locations and photographs.
"I wanna be the only reliable guy to come to for these sorts of things. Kinda like how you're coming to me for picture-perfect forgeries." He took another swig of the whiskey he poured. "Eugh… Ooof. That's not–" Giran coughed. "Spicy…! Anyways, I need you to, y'know?" He made a slicing gesture over his neck.
"Kill him?!" Kobeni squawked. "Is he like those fiends running around…?"
"Fiends…? What're you–hah! Oh!" Giran facepalmed himself with a condescending chuckle. "You mean those quirk-wielding looneys runnin' around? Figures you'd call them that. Mr. Freeze could be considering he comes to this very cabaret club to be pampered by Kat."
"So he is…?"
"Let's say he is, will that incentivize you to kill this guy for me?" He pointed to a frog-faced fiend wearing a suit.
He didn't look human whatsoever. His bulging yellow eyes nearly bursting out of his eyes, a bulbous throat and thick green skinned body screamed of a fiend for her, so she nodded.
"Good. You're really a breath of fresh air compared to the idiots Kazuma usually sends over. His last Brother he sent over here demanded I give him more than his fair share for a job. But the target's bodyguard killed him pretty fast, so it was a win-win. Didn't have to deal with him anymore. Greedy asshole's entire body drained to the last drop I heard."
Eh…?
"W-wait. Wait." She held up her hands to stop Giran from talking. "What's that about Kazuma's previous–"
"Anywaaaays," Giran hastily switched topics. "Kazuma says you're pretty fast. Full of energy and quick on your feet. Might make this whole job superbly easy since all that bastard does is hang around a night club called The Rouge. You'll go in and get rid of him, and I'll be free of one less headache. Win-win."
"Well…. If I don't do that–"
"Yeah, I'd not recommend that. If you hadn't noticed, that Kazuma guy is keeping tabs on you." Giran gestured to a camera monitor on his filthy coffee table. Four of the previous men she's seen at that poor excuse of a dive bar from earlier were waiting. "You're being tested. Usually how it goes with Yakuza's, and I ain't one for judging how you lot run your honor. But something tells me if you don't do as they say, you may lose fingers and more."
Jitters and a cold wash of dread went over Kobeni's body at the sight. They were serious?! Can't she just be left alone? No… She'll have to do this stupid plan. Maybe she could just do Giran's favor, get her ID's back, and then leave. That sounds better. Yeah, way better.
She nodded and Giran patted her head. "Good, I'm glad you're choosing the better option. I'll be in touch. Let you know more on the way."
Before she left, Giran handed her a burner phone and a gun of all things just in case things got dicey. She turned and retrieved the tanto she'd gotten from Kazuma and descended the stairs with one objective: Assassinate the frog fiend.
Assassinate it and she'll get some money and get home. Sounds easy.
The skies looked absolutely wonderful to Kobeni at this time of night - the stars twinkling above a dark azure sky with a full moon shining its beams of light occasionally through the few clouds hanging around.
Some cars drove by, the bright lights from the buildings reflecting off their pristine coats, while people talked of plans while walking next to her.
The streets of downtown Musutafu looked pretty busy for a Friday night, and it reminded her of a usual Tokyo weekend. Busy, loud, and full of chaos.
She followed the map given to her by Giran and she had to squeeze past a couple of groups going the same way she did. Some of them were hyping up this DJ that was coming out of retirement to play tunes, and others mentioned getting completely shit-faced that it made her chuckle at how good it must be to be so carefree.
Just do this job and you'll be out of this whole situation in no time. You can do this. It's a fiend. A regular fiend.
Her ears picked up the ever-growing techno-music blaring from the outside of The Rouge. It's long line snaked down the block, with each individual pulling their ID's at the ready like their lives depended on it.
Some of the women's heels clicked against the pavement, making Kobeni cringe at how painful those must be to wear for a long period of time. The bass thumped ever louder from the inside, its beat so ridiculously powerful and deep that each dub drop made a vibration that hummed into her own heart.
How people could listen to this sort of thing while trying to dance was a mystery to her. She waited behind a group of matching-outfitted gals. Their conversations overlapped with everyone else behind her and in front of them, all of it full of excited chatter of this DJ again.
Kobeni's nostrils flared with disgust again with the strong mixture of colognes and perfumes. She had to endure it. Endure it and she'll get out of this scotfree.
When she finally got to the entrance, a bouncer was waiting, his biceps flaring out in a show of strength. His black shades hiding what Kobeni assumed was a death glare as he held his hand out.
"ID, ma'am?"
ID's…. Oh. She didn't have one yet. "W-well…. I think I look–"
"Like a kid? Yeah, we ain't falling for this shit again. Get the fuck out of my sight before I call the cops. Tired of you delinquents trying to slip in. Next!" He shoved her aside and started demanding an ID from another set of people.
There goes my entry point…
"Psst. Over here." A girl whispered with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Hey!"
Kobeni pointed to herself and walked over to a young teenager wearing a doo-rag on top of her head. Beside her was a grumbling teen with arms crossed. "Yes you, duh, who else would I be speaking to!"
She walked over and checked their surroundings, expecting this to be an ambush where she'd get jumped or worse, robbed. It was in a spacious alleyway that was just across from the nightclub.
"Really, Emi…? I thought you'd be done with this by now." The young teen beside the girl said with a sigh. "We really shouldn't be out here. We should be at home studying for the exams."
"Shut it, Aizawa! This is our chance to get the nightclub life! I don't wanna miss out on some unforgettable moments. Besides, you lost the bet, so it's only fair you honor it with my dreams of a nightclub date!"
"You cheated is what you did." Aizawa mumbled, kicking at a can.
A third and fourth teen joined them, both smiles and full of energy. One with light blue wavy hair that looked to flow upwards…. Like a cloud. The other was a full-blonde with a big grin and a rather giant pompadour. "Just kiss already, ya two! You're making me and Oboro here gag."
"Shut it." The Aizawa teen said with a scoff. "Well, are we done yet? The bouncer denied us entry."
"Uhhh, no. It isn't! I've got ways, guys. Real good ways." Emi said with a dark chuckle. "This lady is our gateway to the party." She pointed at Kobeni who squeaked.
"M-me?! I got denied like you guys did…"
"Uhhh, yeah, but you're easily forgettable." Emi said with a roll of her eyes. "I can't really tell if it's your quirk or nature, but you're… You know."
"She means boring if you haven't gotten the gist of it." Oboro whispered, getting a punch to the shoulder from the green-haired girl as he laughed.
"It's a weekend, so I'm sure he's seen a dozen or so people, dude. I mean it's techno-night. Hisashi's been killing to come here. Right, my dude?" Emi pleaded, giving the pompadour teen puppy-dog eyes.
"Well…. She is right." Hizashi said while scratching at the back of his head. "DJ Forklift is supposed to be coming out to treat the floor to some remixed tunes. It's our only chance."
Aizawa facepalmed and groaned. "I still think this is a waste of time, Emi. We're going to get in a whole lot of trouble if we do this."
"Shush, sweet prince of mine." Emi pressed her finger to his lips. "Once we get in there, I'll be having you on the ropes with my skills."
Aizawa rolled his eyes and pushed the girl's finger away with another grouchy scoff. Kobeni could tell there was a one-sided love going on between the two of them, and it was getting painful to watch.
"Just give in, Aizawa. You've got a hot babe practically yearnin' to wrap tongues with you." Oboro joked and he got a death glare from his friend.
This was her time to leave.
"I-I should get going–"
"Ahh, noooo~!" The green-haired girl lunged at her ankles, holding onto them with a tight grip. "You can't do that! You can slip in and then prop open the side door by the bathrooms. The owner always locks it because of people slipping in without paying the entry fee, but if you do it, I doubt any one would be the wiser!"
"Yep! C'mon…! I didn't skip out on my family's dinner night to be told that this party is shut down." Oboro joined in with Hizashi and Emi. "You know how to get in!"
"I-I really don't…."
Emi rose back up and wrapped an arm around Kobeni's shoulder, pulling her away from the group of boys who were joking around and talking about video games. "Boys, am I right?" She said with a laugh that made even Kobeni chuckle…. Weird.
"Look… I really need a deus ex machina type of saving tonight, and you're like… trustworthy looking." Emi said, her happy facade fading as she pleaded with desperate eyes. "I really like him. It's the only natural thing I got going. I feel like this is my do or die moment, and if this doesn't work out… I think he'll avoid me forever."
Kobeni's timid nature slowly vanished and she nodded, looking over to the kid in question. "It's that one… yeah?" She pointed over at a grumbling Aizawa who was listening to the pompadour's gallivanting story of some sort.
Emi nodded with a blush to her face. "I'm real pathetic, aren't I…?" She sighed with defeat. "I did a bet with him. Whoever did the best on our exams, we'd get to decide what the loser did. And I cheated. I cheated to get the outcome I wanted. I'm selfish. Maybe I don't deserve him."
The once proud smiling girl's aura and bravado faded after a while. She messed with the hem of her dark green denim jacket. Kobeni's eyes softened further at the sight, noticing the subtle slump in her shoulders and the way her eyes kept darting to Aizawa.
A full wave of familiarity came over Kobeni. It was a familiar sight, that awkward bubbling of anxiety and wanting to provide some mode of help, but not really knowing how. Gosh… Why did the weirdest scenarios have to come to her?
She patted the girl on the back and shuffled a little closer, her voice just barely audible to Emi. "Umm… Well."
The girl's dark green eyes looked up, a flicker of hope and surprise in them. It made Kobeni's heart sting a little. She could easily walk away from this. To do her job. To get out of this web of Yakuza and get home.
But another, timid, and more kinder aspect of her, wanted to help. Kobeni swallowed a wad of saliva, her own heart doing backflips. "I…"
"Yeah..?"
"I think you're pretty…"
"Hah… Don't I know it?"
"N-no… I didn't get to finish. People keep cutting me off… I think you're brave. Probably braver than me." Kobeni scratched her face in a bashful manner, her own laughter soon rising. It felt good. It felt like an actual moment of peace rather than insanity. Finally after all the random bouts of madness.
Emi, on the other end, blinked, not at all expecting this. Kobeni knew she couldn't just offer something as little as that, so she had to push forward. Use the words that Himeno told her. Use those!
"It takes… Ahem," Kobeni coughed into her hand. She kept her sight of the three boys, too busy squatting and hovering over Hizashi's phone like cavemen would to a fire. Good, they weren't here to see this. "It takes… a lot of courage to do what you wanna do. And… to try, even if you're darn right scared to the gills." Kobeni fidgeted with her own fingers, wringing them and avoiding eye contact with Emi.
"And your friend, the moody one, he seems cool. Kind. Sort of?"
"Heh… It's the quiet and mystery ones that get me riled up."
Kobeni nodded at that. Those types of guys always did have something beautiful in their souls. "Your friend must care about you. He wouldn't have come to this if he didn't. He could've said no to this."
"He could've…." Emi said with some realization.
"So… I just think…" Emi scooted closer, her eyes in awe of Kobeni's words. Aw shucks… Is this what it felt like to be Himeno? The cool, older sister type?
Still, she had to look responsible! "Just be yourself… Just do your best tonight." Kobeni took another deep breath for herself. Being the mature one felt exhausting. Her cheeks flushed and she looked down at her dark brown oxfords she'd gotten from Kazuma.
She felt so ridiculous talking this much to a teenager. Someone who probably would be the last person she'd be talking to at an alleyway of all things. "Just do your best?"
"And how can I do that…?" Emi said with hopeful eyes.
"I-I'll do it. I can get you guys in." She looked at the nightclub's exterior - a large two-story brick building with two alleyways flanking each side. A fire escape was on one end that could be her entryway.
"Yes!" Emi pumped a fist up in the air quietly. "I'll let the others know. Thanks!" She rushed forward to hug Kobeni and laughed into her bosom. "Sorry for guilt tripping you…."
"N-no. It's fine… I know that feeling; to do the best that you can for something as important as a first date." She said with a smile of her own.
Though it made Kobeni's mission a bit harder now… She could've assassinated the target inside as quickly as possible and be done with it. But with this girl's first date in the way…. How could she ruin it? She didn't have the heart.
First date ruined because there's a dead guy with a throat full of holes not too far off from the dance floor? Yeah… She couldn't do that.
AN:I weep for the unfortunate circumstances I make for Kobeni. Plus it is actual whip-lash switching between the cruel and machiavellian mindset of Makima to the timid, unlucky soul that is Kobeni.
One is immortal and domineering. The other like a wet dog that gets kicked in the ribs by fate itself for just existing.
Plus as you haven't seen already, this is in a prequel timeline. Everyone is either not born yet, still in U.A., or in their prime like Gran Torino and Nana Shimura still running around. Very much a test of my skills of getting characterization right considering some of these characters didn't get much screen time or manga time in their younger years. Big oof to me.
I figured it would be an interesting take as I haven't written or read much stories regarding that aspect of the MHA timeline. It'll be different that's for sure. Will be a little difficult trying to get the ages and such right. I'm freeballing it with Aizawa, Hizashi, Oboro (Kurogiri), and Emi (Ms. Smile) being teens still in U.A. High.
Will it backfire...? Maybe. Will it make for a funnier journey? Possibly. But it darn well makes for an interesting spin as Kobeni will likely, and inadvertently, cause a ripple with her skills and unlucky ass. XD
Glad this is seeing more motion too and that you're all enjoying Kobeni's down spiral into success and confusion!