His eyes met mine for a brief moment before breaking contact and redirecting his gaze somewhere else.

We stood there in silence, the only sound that could be heard was the small howling of the wind and the sound of the birds that flew near by.

"Jin…" I addressed him again as I took a few steps forward, trying to decipher his state of mind. I tried not to narrow my eyes as my eyes caught the bottle of whisky that only had half of its content. "You've been sober ever since we became friends. Remember?"

"Y-… Ye-Yeah," he stuttered, making me stop.

Jin has an unusual speech pattern. He often contradicts his previous statement which made people unfamiliar with him believe he wasn't a serious person. But that couldn't be farther from the truth.

He could be serious depending on the circumstances, he was reliable and capable. Should he have been born any different I didn't know where we would be today.

Which was a complete surprise to me to hear the next words coming from his mouth.

"I-I'm… S-Sorry, b-bos… G-Gu…Gurē"

Then he sniffed.

Once. Twice. Three times…

And then I found myself in front of Jin, my friend, my confidant and partner sobbing while he held his half covered face.

I raised my right hand with the intention of reaching him and touching his shoulder but I hesitated.

"Jin. You don't need to ask for forgiveness," I began, only to be interrupted by my friend who abruptly directed his gaze towards me.

"I d-do! Of co-course I do!" Jin screamed before he began to scratch his head with his free hand while he moved the bottle of whisky around. "It's all my f-fault!"

"What is it, Jin?" I asked him, a look of concern marred my face. My gaze shifted to the glass bottle only to go back to my friend. "What happened?"

"Y-You know! You… Y-You k-know," was his 'answer' before closing his eyes and choking on his own tears. He raised the bottle to his lips, but stopped and lowered it down without losing his grip on it.

'I know?' I stood there for more time than I thought that I should until the realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. 'E-'

"Emiko," I muttered while sporting a pained expression. "I'm sorry it took me this long to notice, Jin. How foolish of me."

"N-No boss I… I…"

"To think that all this time you've been hurting in secret and I didn't even notice. Salt had to rat you out for me to know," I said as the memory of the day I found her hat among corpses resurfaced. "I'm such a bad friend… And hero."

"…"

I approached the person I considered a friend and took a seat next to him.

Silence engulfed the space as nobody decided to continue the conversation.

I sighed.

"I-"

"It's n-not your f-fault, boss," were the words that came from the man from my side. "It's… It's…"

I tried not to sigh. How many times have I heard Jin blame himself for what happened that day?

I closed my eyes.

The memory of our first encounter all those years ago when I met him as he leaned against a wall, wasted on alcohol and how my words changed his life resurfaced across my mind.

Then I opened my eyes.

"Jin," I began, a small and melancholic smile grew around my lips. "Is that what you truly believe?"

The man to my side who was about to take a swig of whisky stopped immediately and directed his entire being towards me.

"O-Of course it is!! It's my fault!!" He screamed, growing furious by questioning his logic. Good. That's exactly what I wanted. "I-It's my fault she's dead!!"

If normal narrative won't fix the problem, then…

"Then what are you doing?"

…

"E-Eh?"

"Drinking while wallowing in self pity? Do you really think that's how Emiko would like to see you?"

"I-I…"

"What about Daisuki? Cream? Kon? Himiko? Huh?" As I kept talking I stood up and towered over Jin, who tried to look as small as possible. "Are they less important so that's why you don't care about them? Answer me!!"

"N-No! I-I-I mean yes! I mean-"

Seeing the opportunity, my hand flew and took away the bottle from my friend's grasp and threw it against the roof, reducing the bottle into pieces.

Jin was so scared of me that barely registered my action, but jumped when he heard the breaking sound of the bottle.

"Aren't you their friend? Didn't you promise them to protect them from harm as I did?"

"Y-Yes… Yes! Yes I did!" Was Jin's response, something that almost made me smile as I noticed my gamble started to pay off.

If normal reasoning didn't help.

Then my best bet was to attack him. Give him a way to defend himself and come back strong.

"Then what are you doing?! We have an oath to keep!!" I screamed as both of my hands smacked each side of his head. "To stay strong so we could always protect them from harm!!"

"Yeah…" My friend said before he suddenly hugged me. "YEAH!!"

I awkwardly stood there for a few seconds, before I smiled and decided to return the affection. We stood there in a comfortable silence that stretched until sunset.

Then suddenly I heard Jin sniff one last time.

"Boss?"

I chuckled.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Sometimes I wondered if I even deserved to be his friend.

"You're welcome, Jin."

---

"What…?"

*…*

"No I… Yes. I… One of my early theories… Yes. Yes…"

*…*

"How young?"

*…*

*…*

*…*

"Yes. I'm…. I'm still here."

*…*

Aizawa let out a long and suffering sigh as he scratched his scalp with more force than usual while the hand that was holding the phone to his ear tightened. He so very much wished he could have a smoke right about now, but the rules of the school prohibited him from indulging. Instead he took a piece of mint flavored gum and immediately began to unwrap it.

"What's your goal by telling me this at this point? You had this information… for how many years?" The underground hero turned teacher said, holding the gum close to his lips, ready to bite once he got the chance. "This is out of my hands now."

Having said his piece, he closed his mouth around the gum and started to loudly chew.

*I was hoping you could convince-*

"Convince what? The police so they stop their efforts on what they think it's a killer because he's underage?" The black haired man said, frustrated. All that time… and the person he believed he was trying to capture was only a kid toying with him. "Think! If they know that, they're going to increase the task force to ensure his capture either way. A young killer it's still a killer. There's no winning here."

He heard a few voices coming from the other end of the call.

*But he-*

"So he really did do it. Shit. That's no good," He muttered the moment he didn't get a negative response on his previous comment. "I was really hoping you would tell me he didn't do it."

*…*

"Look. Like I said. I no longer have any part in this and I have no intention of participating either," Aizawa heard someone from the other line give a sigh of relief. They probably thought his quirk could work against Smiley. "Know this. Everyone in the task force has already made up their mind. His status and legal age won't change anything, so don't bother."

There was a long silence, only broken by his chewing.

*What should we do?*

"I… I don't know," he said, noticing Nemuri enter his vicinity as she made her way towards him while holding a teasing smile that made his stomach churn. "You know where he is?"

*…*

"Of course you do," the black haired man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Look, my colleague is coming. So do what you think it's best. If I knew his location I would immediately mobilize the task force. Maybe skip the process and get in touch with All Might, see if I can sell my pitch one last time."

*Eraserhead… you…*

"It's a good thing I don't know his location, do I?" Aizawa revealed while sporting a small and relaxed grin. "Bye."

The moment his thumb made contact with the button to cut the call was when Nemuri, more known as the R-Rated Heroine, Midnight, got close and put her hands on her hips and made an amused sound.

"My, my! Did my little Aizawa finally find someone that can tame the beast residing inside of him?" That was the 'question' of the woman with long dark purple hair who he considered a 'friend'.

"Nah. Someone was trying to sell me something so I wasted their time," he responded between chews as he smoothly pocketed the phone, a look of pure boredom marred his face. "And don't go around speaking like that around me. You can be so annoying."

"Ahh! You are so mean, my little Aizawa. And you call yourself a hero?"

"I'm a teacher now and so are you. Behave."

It had been, what, A month since he joined?

With everything that had been going on, he could barely remember the moment it all started, much less could he say what was the last straw that made him abandon his work on the streets in exchange for the mantle of homeroom teacher.

Of course a great part of the reason for his departure as an active hero was because of the steady decline of his rescues and the corresponding increase in the time he thought about the capture of Smiley. One could say that it was attributed to his latest failure in the vigilante's capture, Mirko being the reason for his escape.

But maybe he had already been fed up for a while.

Maybe looking at the corpse at the crime scene changed him.

Who knows?

"Ahh! So forceful!" Nemuri, enthusiastic as ever, joked as her hands roamed her entire body and shook in… 'enthusiasm'. "To think that youthful spirit I love is withering away!"

Then, before he could complain or offer a rebuttal her expression softened and locked eyes with him.

Eraserhead blinked.

"Hey… I know it's been a while, but are you doing ok?"

There was a small pause.

"Hm? What's with the sudden concern?" Aizawa asked as he took a piece of paper from his pocket and put the gum in it so he could throw it away later. "Those should be my words, no? We hadn't had the time to talk since Best Jeanist made you join the capture squad."

Of course, he wasn't going to delve into her role in the capture plan. Like he previously said to the members of 'The Wild Wild Pussycats':

It was beyond his hands now.

"Oh, I don't know…" She uttered as she began to tap her chin with her index finger. "Maybe it was the public rejection to join the task force? Does that ring any bells?"

"Do you really care?" He asked, fetching for his cigarette package.

Only to remember he no longer smokes.

And he's not allowed to.

So instead he went for another piece of gum.

"Of course I do!" Nemuri said exasperated then her expression softened. "Yamada thought he saw a ghost when he saw you in the meeting. He couldn't believe you would…"

"Give up?"

"I was going to say pass on the opportunity."

There was a pause between them, the only sound that could be heard was the occasional bird call and his loud chewing.

"Well, at least Yamada can hold a promise and keep his mouth shut," Aizawa mentioned, making his female friend begin to open her mouth to berate him. Only for him to immediately interrupt her. "We already had a talk about the subject. So don't worry about him. You on the other hand… I wasn't sure how to approach it. I would have been comfortable never addressing it at all. Besides, the job of a teacher was harder than I thought it was going to be."

"Ah! Isn't that the truth!" Nemuri solemnly nodded while sporting her usual 'know it all' smile. "I didn't know you would adapt so fast."

There was another pause.

"Look. I know there's a lot you're not telling me and I don't want to pressure you into saying more than you want . So instead of that…" Midnight trailed off, showcasing a semblance of maturity that he rarely saw in her. "I wanted to tell you that I'm here if you ever want to talk, ok?"

There was a time in which both of them were much closer than they were currently. A time in which they would share their problems and the like with Yamada and… Shirakumo.

But those days were long gone… And now they were just colleagues.

What's more…

…

'16 years old… Quirkless… He debuted when he was 8 years old… What a sick joke.' Aizawa though, shaking his head. 'I wonder what I would've done if I had this information sooner?'

"Aizawa?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just thinking about what I'm going to have at home," he said with a shrug before getting an idea and fetching something from his pocket and offering it to her. "I'll give you a call should I ever need help. Want some gum?"

"Oh! Thank you!" Was her immediate cheery response.

The tense atmosphere evaporated, as if it was never there.

---

"Ok. That one was easy. What kanji is this now?" PopStep asked while sporting the smuggest grin she could muster as she scribbled a symbol I could barely decipher.

The moment I revealed my inability to read and my academic level to both Kazuho and Manami I regretted it immediately. Not because of how embarrassing it was, but because it was as if something was lit in both of them and between the two of them decided it was the time for me to learn.

And who better to learn from than a highschool student and a hacker.

"Uh… Mm… Wait, don't tell me…" I muttered with indecision as I robotically cut the vegetables and put them into the pot, an action I was so used to doing that I could do it with my eyes closed. "Manami said that some may look like stuff or animals… Ah, got it. It's the kanji for elephant!"

In response the pink haired teen just blew me a raspberry.

"Bleh. Wrong!" She responded, moving the finger that was hiding the answer in what I believe was Hiragana… or was it Katakana? "That makes 5 right and 12 wrong. Come on Gurē, there's 23 more before we can review the kanji alphabet again."

"So confusing… " I muttered in frustration while fishing for the meat and cut it into small cubes. "English is so much easier."

At least they didn't try to go into foreign languages. I was somewhat afraid of how my english would come out. I meant. I could read it. That's how I relayed information between my clones in the past, plus all the spices and food products I bought from the stores were from the international section.

As my embarrassment kept growing and Kazuho kept testing my retention of information that any child could learn, the familiar smell of sweat, asphalt and metal appeared from my right.

My eyes immediately zeroed onto the ones of the person I used to run into, Ingenium. Who, for some reason, sported a strained smile that put me on edge.

"P-… Kazuho, can you go and fetch the tip jar? It should be inside," I told the girl who stopped teasing me once she noticed how tense I was. "If you can't find it then ask the old man knuckles, he should know where it is."

Old man knuckles was no longer in the shelter. Once he finally got in better shape he immediately went to pay a visit to his daughter and never came back.

Meaning that I just told Kazuho to hide in case this was what I thought it was.

A raid.

Ingenium didn't seem the type to tip the police about the shelter…

But looks could be deceiving.

"But he's… Oh, s-sure," were her words before she took everything related to our studies from the food stand and approached the door of the shelter behind me before entering.

By the time she was gone Ingenium the 'high-speed' hero was in front of me.

My lungs expanded and the world slowed down until nothing was moving.

My eyes went into different directions trying to pinpoint anyone from his agency among the people waiting for the food around us but no dice.

Ingenium came alone.

I let the air of my lungs go as slow and silent as I could, then I offered a half smile.

"Hi Gurē, it's been a while hasn't it? Haha." Was the greeting of the 'high-speed' hero before he gave a weak and awkward laugh.

"No worries. I haven't done any running over there for a while, so no harm done," I replied as I cleaned my hands with a clean rag and began to stir the pot. "The food won't be ready for a while. Wanna grab a seat?"

"Ah! I'm not really here for the food," he said but took a seat in front of me regardless.

"I'm aware," I sighed as I stopped stirring the food and put the lid in the pot.  "Why would that many members of your agency keep coming here if not to keep tabs on me? You should give that Cruller guy something easier to do because it seems using his brain is not his forte."

I blinked when the man in front of me suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! T-Thank you for that! Ahh… I needed that haha… Yeah… Koichi's speciality lies in rescues and villain control," he said with mirth, trying to get his voice under control. "I'm so sorry if he has caused you any trouble. But hey, you won't be seeing him from today on, he got reassigned to a new branch, he has more responsibilities now."

I tried not to frown. I was really hoping to make him uncomfortable by insulting his sidekick, but it turned out I helped him with his nerves considering he was more relaxed now.

'Well, as long as it doesn't involve me in any way, then I don't care,' I idly thought as I reached for the walkie talkie at my side and gave a click, getting one in return a few seconds later. 'Hmm… I hope my gut is not playing games with me.'

"Kazuho, are you there?"

It only took less than a second for Pop to respond from the other end.

Kshh… Y-Yes! I'm here, ov- hey is that Gurē?! HI GU- Kshh…

My lips quivered as I heard Himiko's voice through the other end of the device and from the warehouse… And now I could also hear Kazuho giving her an earful through my sensitive ears… but by the way Idol to be was shrieking. It was a matter of time before her voice could be heard by Ingenium who for some reason looked amused by my change of expression.

I sighed.

My hand went back to the walkie talkie and pressed the button again and spoke.

"Don't worry about the tip jar. I found it. You can come back now." I said, before something dawned on me. "And tell Himiko to start her workout routine or I won't get her tomato juice."

During the stage of approval before I gave her a taste of a drop of my blood I learned that if Himiko tired herself out then her anxiety towards consuming blood would lower slightly. The desire would be still there, but the negative emotions that would lead her to become aggressive lowers when she's at her tipping point.

Meaning, she could go longer without blood and could satiate her hunger with other options. Which wasn't the best alternative, but when nobody can offer her the blood she needed besides Cream who came up with the idea of giving blood to be in pain so she could use her quirk without the need to go hungry or me who would give her small amounts mixed with tomato products so her brain would associate them with the taste of blood.

So far I have had good results, but I needed new recipes.

'I'll ask Manami for ideas when I see her. She's smart. I bet she can find more alternatives than me.' I thought, before putting the walkie talkie away.

I lowered myself and reached for the tip jar from one of the base cabinets and put it in front of Ingenium who gave an awkward laugh before reaching for his wallet and to my surprise put everything he had in there.

My smile returned to my face just as I heard Kazuho exit the shelter.

"Now, that's a tip!" I commented as I counted the stack of bills without opening the jar. "If your sidekick tipped like that I would feel sad that I'm not going to see him anymore."

"Hahaha!" He cheerfully laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "That's true!"

"If you're not hungry, what brings you here?" I asked as I began to clean my work space. "I don't think the news of withdrawing your team from here was the reason for your visit, there's something else, am I correct?"

"Correct again. Koichi could've told you that on his last day here if that was my intention! I keep forgetting you're very perceptive," Tensei told me while sporting a relaxed smile.

"And you're too nosy."

His response was to awkwardly laugh.

Kazuho took a seat as far away from Ingenium and began to unpack a few of the school supplies and silently watched us.

My eyes narrowed as four scents entered my range.

"To tell you the truth I-" that was as far as the man with arrow shaped brows before he was interrupted.

"Lock on with these sparkling gazes!" A feminine voice said, making me look to the left just to see a group of four people, three women and one man in the middle of their heroic introduction.

"We've come to lend a paw and help!" Was the next line, coming from a green haired woman in a yellow dress, cat ears and paw gloves.

"Coming out of nowhere…" Came next from the only male from the group. Surprisingly he also wore the same cat ears, paw gloves and dress as everyone else.

"Stingily cute and cat-like!" And finally the last member, a blonde woman in a blue motif with the only difference between her and her peers was that she was wearing a visor.

They were…

"The Wild Wild Pussycats are here!!" They announced before every single one of them struck a pose.

After the Sky Egg incident I needed an update of the active heroes. My eyes immediately went towards the green haired woman who smiled and spoke with their team who were patting their backs at their entrance as it seemed the heroic announcement was created for their Sky Egg presentation.

The moment her eyes met mine I broke contact as a sensation of being seen and dissected immediately went across my body.

'So… my body was not playing tricks on me,' I thought as I took a ladle, opened the lid of the pot and began to stir once more. My eyes roamed the food, noting if everything was in order. I raised my head and my eyes immediately went towards Ingenium, who looked just as surprised as me by their presence. 'He didn't bring them here? So how did they-? That woman!'

I shifted my gaze just to see Kazuho who was looking at me very nervous. I couldn't fault her, considering we were both in our civilian personas and Ingenium, one of the fastest hero in japan plus a team of heroes were a few feet away from us.

I closed my left eye and gave her a nervous but reassuring smile. She smiled back and went back to the notebook right away.

The sensation of being dissected and seen never left my entire body, it almost made me audibly growl.

'That woman of green hair… She knows, but how? Can she read thoughts?' I thought before I immediately brought up all the times I had to kill animals, skin them, eat them young or raw. I looked at the group expecting a reaction from the one who identified me, only to be met with a smile and a wave as they began to approach us. 'Well… that was unpleasant to remember. So her quirk doesn't let her read or see thoughts, but somehow… She can see beyond me. Can she see my body under my clothes? My muscles? My arteries? What else can she see?'

"Friends of yours?" I asked Ingenium while I thought of possible scenarios that could follow this encounter and a lot of them were not good.

Even if they didn't come with the intention of apprehending me, then what was it?

The shelter?

If push comes to shove I would rather fight than give up what we worked so hard to build.

My identity as Smiley mattered little compared to the shelter and its people.

My eyes bored into the blue haired man who looked at me in shock

"N-No. I-I mean w-we," he pathetically stammered. "We *cough*. We are colleagues."

"What are they doing here then?" I asked just as the group arrived at the stand. I then directed my stare towards the 'Wild Wild Pussycats'. "Can I help you?"

'They know,' I realized when I saw the forced smiles and nervous aura. My eyes locked at the small bed of sweat that rolled from the male member of the group. 'So this is it, huh? Do they think because there are civilians around I won't strike, then they're mistaken. Go ahead. Give me a reason…'

"Hehe!" The green haired woman giggled as she adopted a pose. It seemed that she was the only one who lacked the same nervousness as the rest of her team as they looked between us as if expecting me to attack. "Do not fear! We come as heroes to perform our civic duty and help you in any way you need, Mr. Volunteer!"

"We don't need your hel-" I began only to be interrupted by the walkie talkie.

Kshh… Gurē!! The bathroom is not working again, we need help!! kshh…

My eyes went towards the device then towards the team of heroes.

"Like I said, we-"

Kshh… Gurē, Kon here. I was searching through the pantry and we're gonna need to restock. I know we're low on funds, but if you can go to the store we'll appreciate it. kshh…

I blinked.

Then I sighed.

My gaze went from Kazuho who made herself as small as possible, then towards the cat themed heroes who were more relaxed as all of them were smiling at me and finally to Ingenium who chuckled at my expense.

I sighed again. Loudly this time.

"Well, would you look at that? It seems I do need some help," I said as I took the walkie talkie and sent a click once. The moment I had the signal to speak I spoke: "Kon, Cream, could you please come out? I need you two to get me a rundown of what you need in person… Now."

'I guess it's time to increase their training as well.'

---

It took a lot of effort and good will but Tensei managed to get the grey haired teen to stop judging the 'Wild Wild Pussycats' as they awkwardly helped and invested from their own pockets to the shelter.

Even while cooking he could see how stiff and serious the boy looked at them, as if he was waiting for them to claim the illegality of the place… And do something.

Which to be fair, it was.

It was in fact very illegal.

Especially after they got to see the interior. Used and old furniture, the entire warehouse was filled with different types of 'beds', one of them being a mattress on top of crates. A single bathroom in the back of the shelter, meaning they had to do illegal plumbing and wiring to access to water and electricity.

It was a mess.

And it wasn't only Gurē who was looking at them critically, but everyone else in the shelter, even the teens.

The moment the two people who called for the grey haired boy came out of the door, they tensed as if they realized they screwed up, which once he looked at how Gurē was inspecting them, it appears they did.

Once lunch was ready he noticed that the residents slightly relaxed considering nothing was happening. So it was a surprise that Gurē decided he had enough by that point and began to order him and his colleagues around.

Eventually, after helping with the broken furniture, the loose wiring, the plumbing, filling the pantry, replacing and buying new cookware did the gray haired teen decide to leave Tensei's colleagues be.

He tried not to laugh but it was hard to keep the joy from escaping from him.

Such a shame that all that work will be useless in a few months.

Which brought him to;

"We've been riding in your car for a while. Where are you taking me?" Asked his passenger. As he stopped at the red light his eyes went towards the teen who he asked to take for a ride sitting in the passenger seat.

"It's a surprise," was Tensei Iida's swift response.

They were just a few more blocks away from the present he prepared for Gurē and as both of them arrived and got out of the car they directed their gazes towards the imposing structure in front of them.

An apartment complex still in the latest parts of its construction.

It still misses certain components and furniture but they're nearly at the last stages of completion. Three to four months give or take.

His eyes went towards the face of the teen who had an expression of longing. A small and sincere smile found its way towards the dark blue haired man.

"You brought me here to show me your new headquarters?" Gurē groaned as his expression changed to one of realization.

"No Gurē. What you're looking at is your future home."

…

"What?" Was the gray haired boy's only response.

---

"I didn't know how to feel about it," I told my friend of red hair and small stature who for some reason decided to take a seat in front of my lap. "So that's why I didn't call you back."

"An apartment complex… That… That could change everything," Manami said with a pensive tone. I couldn't quite see her expression, but I could admire her red locks that were tied into twin tails. "What did you say?"

I remained silent for a few seconds, trying to recollect my thoughts.

Being offered an apartment complex after the construction was over was not something I was expecting when the day started.

"I… I told him I needed time to think."

It was too good to be true.

"Oh." Was the quiet reply of my friend.

"I know, I just… I don't know," I said as my arms snaked around my friend's frame and held her close. I heard her breath hitch at my action but she stood attentive to my words. "What if it's a trap?"

…

"Do you really think he's the type of person to do something like that?" I shook my head but then I realized she couldn't see me, so I opened my mouth.

"Mmm… No. I guess he's not the type of person to use me like that," I responded. I felt her hands touch my arms and saw her move her head slightly in my direction, but not enough to see her beau- her face. "It's just… Those other heroes…"

"I could hack into his company archives and see if it's a setup… I-If you want to!" Manami said, correcting herself at the last minute.

I let out a hum as I thought about how easy that would make to identify not just Ingenium, but every hero that came across my path. Their plans, their strategies, their civilian personas…

But…

"No," I muttered loud enough for the redhead to hear. "I don't want to cross that line… Ingenium… He has been good to me so far. I don't… I don't think he's the type of person to betray me like that."

Manami's hands put a bit more pressure on my arms and even though I couldn't see her face, I knew she was smiling as she said:

"I'm glad you finally found a hero you can trust, Gurē."

"Trust is such a strong word," was my immediate response. A small smile found its way back to my lips as I heard my friend's melodious laughter which I soon joined.

 I sighed.

"I'm going to miss this…"

Manami stopped her giggles and directed her attention back to me.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Ah, that's right. I forgot to tell you," I said as I untangled one of my arms from her and began to scratch the back of my head. "Jin is feeling better now. Much, much better."

"What does that have anything to do with… oh. Oh!"

"Yeah. Not so long ago, we had a talk about Emiko." I began, letting my hand fall back and join my other one holding onto my friend.

"Oh Gurē…" She replied, I closed my eyes in comfort as she pressed her back against my chest. "Are you feeling ok?"

The memory of a hat covered in blood was replaced by a man twice my age crying in front of me.

I held Manami closer.

"I'm feeling better now," I said, a sad smile was plastered across my face. I chuckled. "Where was I?… Ah. Right. Later that day, after our conversation was over, he took his measuring band and took my measurements and told me to give him the order."

"He's going to clone himself, that means…" Her breath hitched before muttering; "S-So many Gurēs!"

"Yeah." I affirmed, breathing in, the smell of strawberry assaulted my sensitive nostrils. "Old man knuckles says I need all the help I can get, so I'm going to take it and train against as many clones as I can."

"I guess we won't see each other for a while?" My petite friend asked, squirming in my grasp.  "W-Wait, what about our classes? You still haven't memorized your hiragana or katakana!"

Right. I almost forgot about them.

In fact, today's lesson had been interrupted by Ingenium and those other heroes. I had to let Pop go too. The constant presence of the 'Wild Wild Pussycats' plus Ingenium grated on her nerves and I wasn't blind enough to not notice.

"I'll visit every weekend, we can meet at the roof with Kazuho and learn together." My lips turned upward as the image of me struggling to learn while Pop and Manami worked together in walking me through common knowledge came to mind.

"O-Oh. I thought…" She quieted down after that. "Nothing. Just, please, don't strain yourself."

My smile never faltered.

"Hehe, no promises."

---

"W-What di-did heroes ever do t-to you?!" Stuttered the fake as he threw bouncing balls from the hole on his left arm and held the wound to his left side.

The fake didn't opt to run away but changed positions whenever he came close enough to another swipe of his katana. He was rather fast for someone who was only able to throw bouncing balls.

He had skill.

He had potential.

Too bad he squandered it all.

It was an experience watching someone change when they approached death's doorstep. The fake who crossed his path this time was someone who would use his status as a 'hero' to impress women on the streets. The fact that it often worked made him sick in the stomach.

The fake suddenly crouched, a look of determination was plastered across his face.

He narrowed his eyes before he noticed the projectile falling from the sky.

The first bouncing ball the fake threw towards him.

With a grunt he moved his arm and parried the projectile with his katana and redirected it towards another that was about to collide with his head, then another and another and another until finally…

Every single ball that was about to collide with his person missed its mark.

"You call yourself a hero?" Asked the man dressed in a red scarf, grey bandages and black clothes as he readied his large weapon, still soaked with the blood of the fake in front of him. "A hero who uses their status to lay with women because you have the power to do so is no hero… But a fake."

"Guh…"

"A phony. You're no better than the worms that crawl at the bottom of a dumpster…" he continued before with more strength than he had shown before he started to cut every projectile just as it came near him. "But don't worry…"

"T-Take this. 200% Multi-Bounce!" The 'hero' tried one last time, bringing both arms up, leaving his wound open for a second.

Before his attack could properly begin he brought up his katana to his lips and licked the tip with his long tongue.

"Gah!"

Like a puppet whose strings were cut, the fake fell face first, unable to move.

"Know this. Your death will bring a new era," he said slowly walking towards his target. "Rejoice."

The fake hero didn't have time to scream before the man's neck met the cold touch of his weapon.

As he left the man in a pool of blood, Stain brought up a small notebook and began to search for the name of the phony he just cleansed from this world.

"Bounce-man… " He grunted, crossing the name with a pen.

He then pocketed the items.

"Hm… I need to stop playing with the food."

After all, the last time he got over confident….

Stain hand slowly went towards where his nose used to be…

Before his unmasking…

"No… it won't happen again," the only living man in the alleyway said as he began to walk away, sheathing his sword. "The only ones who are good enough to be called heroes are either All Might or him… I won't let these fakes sully the name of heroism."

---

A/N: I know I said no more angst, but I wanted to get Jin in top shape for what's to come. I mean, the only way I could see to get Twice back in action is to use the "anime speech" you see in most shonen. Hopefully it wasn't too grating for you guys.

I just noticed the post schedule of this story and the last couple of chapters were an update per year and man that sounds rough, especially if I post a nothing burger chapter or a setup chapter (Like this and last chapter). In fact the reason why you're seeing an update on the same year is because the other snippet I was writing drove me to a wall and I can't keep going.

Anyway, here's my plug:

: https://www..com/c/QtaroCujoh

Discord: https://discord.gg/6bE7gbKFbc