Chapter 22 - The Sword and The Knife
Yu slumped over in her seat, watching as officials in business suits shook hands with each other, packing up their briefcases with a few documents, or leaving the room she was in outright.
"Uwa… I'm tired."
She had just finished a meeting with U.A's board of directors, a cautious yet careless bunch when it came to their budget. Kind of understandable, seeing the expenses that went into the school itself.
Now, you might be wondering why she would be in a stuffy board room meeting with a whole bunch of old guys, but the reason was simpler than you'd think.
After the whole incident at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, the budget allocation for the upcoming sports festival was almost doubled completely. Pro Heroes would literally fill up the venue in case of villain attacks, but that's disregarding the hundreds of heroes that were already going to attend the event as audience members.
Yu wouldn't be surprised if over half of the professional heroes in the city were going to be attending. Even in her tired state, Yu snickered at the thought of any villains attacking such a high profile venue.
To her right was Aizawa, who was wrapped from head to toe in bandages. He looked like some sort of petrified mummy. It was only from the fact that the guy was diligently looking through several papers, at the time, that she managed to recognize him.
He wouldn't be a part of the security detail due to his injuries, as much as that irritated him. Who knows? Maybe he'd find something else to do.
Beside him was a rather deathly skinny man with a messy bundle of bright blond hair on him. Yu didn't really recognize him at all, but he seemed to be helping Aizawa out with the documents. They were probably friends... however few of them that the anti-social professional hero has.
And then there was Shinji, or Kamui Woods, who was going to be apart of the security detail patrolling the outskirts of the sports festival. His quirk was great for restraining so he'd be able to stop incidents before they even started!
… Hopefully.
Unfortunately, even with his impressive reputation, his status as a newbie required him to also have a partner with him.
Yu was going to be apart of the security, ignoring her constant protests at the idea. She wanted to be in the audience cheering Shirou on, damn it! Not wandering a venue that was never going to be attacked!
Seriously, if there was even a slight hint of bloody trouble in the water, the hundreds of gathered pro heroes would be on it like a school of wild piranha.
Oh well, at least she wasn't guarding the lower levels without any big screens of the event. She was thankful that her mother birthed her with such a wonderful quirk. Truly, she was.
Maybe I should call her some time?
"Oi, Yu, you still awake?"
A familiar voice entered her notice.
"Yeah 'bami-chan, I'm up," Yu muttered loud enough for her friend to hear. "I couldn't sleep last night."
Uwabami instantly smirked.
"Oh really? Finally decided to get yourself a man?"
Yu's brow twitched.
"No, I didn't," Yu uncharacteristically answered in a stoic tone. "Besides, you know how men work. They just want to get in our pants and call it a day. I'm not into one-night stands."
Uwabami, despite her little smirk, nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, that's true~" She agreed with a sigh. "Fame and fortune make it almost impossible to get a good man. Only ass hats have enough courage to walk up to us."
"Is that courage or stupidity?"
"Both?"
The two women madly giggled at the notion. Already Yu could feel some inkling of stress that she had on her fade away.
Once Uwabami finally calmed down from her hysterical giggling, she let out a sigh to regain her breath.
"Anyway, I heard of this cafe that opened up a while ago but I hadn't had the chance to go there. Do you want to come with me? You don't have any plans today, right?"
Eh?
"How did you–?"
"Your secretary told me," She replied instantly, already anticipating the question from the hero. "That horned secretary of yours seemed pretty excited at the idea of you leaving your office."
Yu furrowed her brow in confusion. "… That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't my secretary want me to do my job?"
Heck, the guy she hired had always nagged her about doing them early, so why now? Those incident reports weren't going to write themselves! She still had five left to write up before the end of the week!
"Something about insurance, I think. Anyway. Come on Yu, at this rate you're practically married to your job," Uwabami whined. "Although, I guess it's better than what you were doing before."
And by before, Uwabami had meant about how Yu would laze about for days on end and write barely passable reports the night before the deadlines. High school habits didn't really fade that much with the years.
Although… that all did change when she adopted Shirou. She wasn't providing for just herself anymore, but for the welfare of a kid too. If she slacked off now, then it wouldn't just be her that paid the price.
At least doing them early left her with a whole lot more free time, which made it all the more confusing that her secretary wanted her to take a break.
Speaking of Shirou… Yu slowly gained a frown as she recalled the young man's recent behavior. He had been coming home late, barely making it home in time to make dinner. Which was odd, seeing as U.A. was practically a hop and skip away from their home.
Whenever Yu would ask, he would always answer that there were group projects he had been working on… but Yu could still feel that nagging feeling that he was hiding something.
What if he fell into the wrong kind of crowd!? Do those kinds of crowds even exist in U.A!? Gah, I just don't know!
"Still not convinced?" Uwabami muttered, mistaking her worried frown for something else entirely. "Fine. Hey, Kamui Woods! Aizawa! Can you help me drag this workaholic along? We're going to a cafe!"
"Wha–"
"I supposed I could go for a cup of coffee," Kamui Woods agreed, a mischievous and slightly vindictive smirk hidden under his wooden mask.
"I don't have time for that," Aizawa bluntly stated as usual. "I still have–"
"Nothing to do for the rest of the day," The skinny man interrupted. "Recovery Girl told me to make sure you get some rest and relaxation. I know you like working yourself to the ground, but you need a break."
Aizawa's brow twitched.
"I've already taken a break yesterday. I'm fine."
"A lunch break where you grade papers isn't a break," He argued. "Just a cup of coffee should be fine. You can continue what little work you have left tomorrow."
Yu spared a glance at the multitude of documents Aizawa had before him, almost all of which was already marked and or checked for mistakes. There seemed to be quiz papers too that had already been checked.
The guy really didn't have any documents left to check.
Then again, this was Aizawa. The guy who did everything as soon as he could and sleep the rest of the day away, which also included some nightly hero duty for the entirety of that very same night.
Huh… he'd only have four hours of sleep with that kind of timetable… No wonder he sleeps in the middle of the day.
"... Fine," Aizawa muttered in minor annoyance. He sent a glare towards Yu and frowned. "Pack your things."
What did I do!?
"If I have to go, then you're coming with me," Aizawa spoke up as if reading Yu's thoughts. "We're burning daylight. Hurry up."
As he said that, all the documents he had laid out on the table were suddenly piled into a neat stack and shoved into a briefcase. For a partially crippled man, that was fast.
Yu sighed and sent a short half-hearted glare to her best friend, who also sent her back a simple wink and cheeky tongue.
"Come on!" Uwabami cheered in the relatively empty meeting room. "There's a neat cafe I've always wanted to go to!"
When she gets back to her office, she'd have to have a little talk with her secretary.
-0-0-0-
It really didn't take long, but Yu had managed to work herself into a disguise. Which really wasn't much, seeing as she just took off her mask and costume and put on civilian attire. She didn't really need any more than that, her costume had a mask anyway.
It would be really inconvenient if someone recognized her while she was going to try and relax.
Uwabami had worn a new hoodie, one that had nice and fluffy innards for her head snakes to rest in. There was a blue fist on it too. When inquired about it, Uwabami just said that the jacket was a gift from her parents, saying it was a precious relic from the past or something like that.
Aizawa didn't need to wear a disguise, seeing as he never worked in the public eye anyway, and was thus nearly unnoticeable. The skinny office worker was with him too, most likely there to ensure the pro hero actually went to the cafe.
Which was basically why Uwabami and Kamui woods were with her.
Speaking of Kamui Woods, Shinji had worn a simple coat over his body. His usual wooden mask had been altered with his quirk, so now it looked closer to a knight's mask with a small opening for his mouth. It was different enough that people didn't recognize him.
Although, in Yu's opinion, the knight mask look was kinda stupid looking. Why couldn't he just take the darn thing off instead?
"We're here!" Uwabami shouted in glee, not drawing any attention from the slightly street. The sun had only just begun to set, which meant that people were probably on a rush home.
"It doesn't look like much," Aizawa stated.
"I think that it is quite homely," Said the skinny man with a blonde shaggy mane, whom Yu should really learn the name of.
"Indeed, the atmosphere of the cafe when I was last here was… refreshing," Shinji said with a smile. Kinda odd, seeing as Yu wasn't used to seeing him with a mouth of all things.
"Wait," Uwabami uttered, sounding just a little bit betrayed. "You've been here before? When?"
"I think it was several days ago… Or was it a few days ago?" Shinji muttered. He turned to Yu for assistance. "Takeyama-san, do you recall? You were here with me."
Yu felt her brow twitch.
"Shinji, I thought I told you to call me by my name, didn't I?" Yu berated. "Did you already forget?"
"Ah… my apologies, Yu," Shinji muttered. "Yes, I did forget. It has been quite a few harrowing days."
Yu simply sighed in response.
"Just don't forget again. I don't like my friends calling me by my last name. I'm not my mother, damn it!"
"Fine, fine." Shinji waved her off. "I'm going ahead to reserve us a table."
Yu just watched as Shinji walked right in, greeted by Endeavor's kid again. She still couldn't believe that Endeavor's kid worked in a cafe. He was ranked the second-most popular professional hero in the country for crying out loud, you'd think his daughter would be able to get a much better job.
"Well? Any explanations, Yu?"
The single mother simply blinked at Uwabami's question.
"Sorry 'bami-chan, did you ask something?"
"That little exchange with Kamui Woods!" She whispered hurriedly. "Already on a first-name basis? You sly girl!"
Yu could feel a headache forming.
"Nope. Nuh-uh. You got it wrong," Yu denied fervently. "Didn't I say it a while ago? I don't like being called 'Takeyama'. That's my mom's thing."
Uwabami's smile dropped.
"So you're not dating?"
"Nope."
"So the first name thing?"
"We're not in middle school anymore, 'bami-chan."
Uwabami sighed and turned away, muttering something about a betting pool and her luck being horrible, not that Yu overheard her or anything…
She was going to keep an open ear about anything related to gambling from now on.
"Are you girls coming in or what?" Aizawa called from the half-open front door. "Nishiya found us an open table. Hurry up, I'm already hungry."
Seeing the irritated look on his face, Yu sighed and walked on ahead with Uwabami following after her. Yu's own irritation didn't last long when she entered the establishment.
She smiled as the atmosphere hit her once more. The smell of freshly brewing coffee and confections. The sound of customers simply relaxing in silence after a hard day's work. It felt like a breath of fresh air after the mountains of paperwork she had been working through during the last few days.
Maybe her secretary was right, she really did need a break.
She followed Aizawa and Mr. Skinny Skeleton man until they stopped by a window, one that showed the street that they had just been on, and took a leisure seat.
Oh… how comfy these seats were. She could feel the stress practically slip away~.
"Well, well, if it isn't another table full of professional heroes. I see that you are all enjoying yourselves. If it isn't too troublesome, may I take your orders?"
Yu blinked to see a familiar dark-skinned man besides their table, the owner of the cafe, Farran. It hadn't even been a minute since they sat down and they were already handed menus. The service must be doing great, it took a short while during the last time she was here.
Or… maybe it wasn't? The usual waiter and butler seemed to be absent… Oh, never mind. Yu spotted the two of them with serving trays to other tables. It was just a very busy hour for them this afternoon.
It was very surprising though, that a new cafe managed to garner these many customers in its opening week. Now, it's only a matter of time before we see how many of them end up becoming regulars.
"Black Coffee," Aizawa muttered as he made his order. "Nothing fancy, I need something to keep me up."
"I-Ignore that order!" Skeleton McGangly said. Oh wow, Yu really felt bad about that one. "He's under his doctor's orders to rest well. Can you get him something lighter, if possible?"
The owner of the cafe simply sent Aizawa a glance. The two of them seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes. When one blinked, the other did so too.
"Those aren't regular injuries… I see. I think I know what will do," Farran uttered. "Take it as a guarantee, if what I serve you doesn't satisfy you, then you may leave without paying."
Wha–
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Aizawa said, his eyes narrowing at the challenge. "That's a rather naive thing to do. What's stopping me from walking out with my wallet full, even if I do enjoy it?"
"Aizawa-kun!"
"Absolutely nothing," The owner of Cafe d'Acier proclaimed boldly. "However, I am confident that the coffee you will get will be able to satiate you."
Aizawa simply narrowed his eyes further. He made no other comment and looked out the window, effectively ensuring that he wasn't going to say anything else.
However, the owner wasn't deterred and simply smirked at the challenge. "And for the rest of you?"
"A-Ah… Then, a regular Latte will be fine."
"Flat White will do," Uwabami ordered.
"A Mochaccino if you would," Shinji said.
Yu looked over the menu and shrugged. "I don't know much about coffee, so I'll take whatever you recommend."
"I understand, if you would please wait for a few minutes," Farran said as he bowed, taking only a second to turn on his feet and walk away, undoubtedly towards the kitchen if the smirk on his face told Yu anything.
"So, Aizawa," Uwabami began. "That was kinda weird, antagonizing a civilian like that over coffee."
"If he was brazen enough to say that his coffee would be able to satisfy someone he hadn't met yet, then it means he's either a fool… or someone with enough skill and experience to do so," Aizawa said with a frown underneath his bandages. "I'm merely testing his resolve. I don't like mediocrity in my coffee."
"… Were you always such a high-spec person…?" Skinny man said with a raised brow. "Never mind, I hope his coffee will be able to satisfy you."
"I sure hope it does, Toshinori-san," Uwabami said, saving Yu the need to ask the guy about his name. "It is strange though. Did you guys recognize that they sound kinda similar? Like, if Aizawa lost the bandages and sounded less tired, then they do kind of sound the same?"
"… I don't like where this is going."
"Now that you mention it…" Toshinori muttered. "It certainly sounded like Aizawa in his early hero days."
"Stop."
"The resemblance is definitely uncanny, to say the least," Shinji muttered. "Perhaps he is a long lost relative?"
"I'm warning you all."
"I wouldn't put it past him to keep it from us though." Yu found herself mischievously echoing.
It just felt so vindictively good!
"Fine, do whatever you want."
"Don't be such a sour puss, Aizawa!" Uwabami cheered. "We're here to relax. Don't rain on the parade, right Yu?"
Suddenly having the torch of the conversation thrown at her, Yu just sighed and winged it, much like she usually did. "I don't know, I don't really see it. That owner kinda reminds me of someone else."
Uwabami raised a brow.
"Really? Who?"
After scrunching up her brow and racking her brain through a metaphorical grinder. The professional hero sighed as she gave up.
"I don't know… can't really place a finger on it." Yu said. "I met him before when I last came here, but he really does look kind of familiar… but in a weird way, not that familiar. Dunno, can't really explain it."
It was really weird, just plain weird. When Yu first laid eyes on him days ago, she didn't really think much of him. However, today she saw the guy smirk at the thought that his coffee wouldn't satisfy someone. She really felt that she saw that smirk before…
Oh well, no use thinking about it.
"Well, it seems that your musings will have to come to an end. Here he comes," Shinji uttered.
As if clockwork, the owner came back with a serving tray. There were five beverages on it, three of which were handed out readily to the Toshinori, Shinji, and Uwabami.
"Thank you," Toshinori thanked as he took his regular latte. A rather medium sized cup with foam atop of it. There was a sword very stylistically drawn atop of it, probably a rapier by the looks of it.
When Toshinori took a sip, the foam jiggled as the coffee crawled out from underneath it and into his lips.
"Mmm… Truly refreshing… How are your drinks, everyone?"
"Well, only one way to find out!" Uwabami said with a smile. She took a leisure sip of her Flat White, which looked much like an Espresso but with a very small layer of foam atop, where a similar sword was stylistically drawn atop of it as well.
In contrast to Toshinori's latte, where the foam reached above the boundaries of the cup, the Flat White's foam layer was flat, as the name implied, and completely parallel with the cup itself. The drawn sword jiggled but didn't break apart when Uwabami finished her sip.
"Hmm… this tastes better than the others that I've tried before? It looks like a regular Flat White though…?"
"Coffee can be influenced a lot by the way it is handled, ma'am," The owner informed with a satisfied smirk. "From the way we pour the hot water to very beans we select, it is all done with customer satisfaction in mind."
"I can certainly taste it… it is rather pleasing," Shinji said as his sip into the hot beverage failed to even phase him. He was probably tolerant of the heat, which he would probably want to train to be considering his quirk.
His drink, a Mochaccino, seemed to be similar to Uwabami's, but there was a sprinkle of chocolate flakes atop of it, contrasting greatly with the pearly white foam beneath it… which also had a rapier drawn atop of it. Kind of noticing a theme here.
"It tastes a lot closer to chocolate than others… I wonder why?"
"That is because I took the liberty to mix the coffee beans with just a little cocoa powder in order to add a hint of chocolate," Farran added. "I see that it has paid off well."
Yu watched in slight amusement as her beverage was placed before her. It looked like much of the same that Toshinori had, save for the stylized cream that was atop of it, with a stick of cinnamon as well. She eyed the owner, who took the prompt to explain with a slight smile on his face.
"Compared to the other drinks, I prepared an iced coffee variant for you," He informed. "The whipped cream atop is decorated with shredded chocolate to add some sweetness. The stick of cinnamon adds a unique tang and flavor, though I advise that you do not directly eat it."
He said that last bit with a slightly tired smile. Poor man, there must have been a ton of idiots who did that.
"I remembered that you ordered a parfait and cake the last time you were here, both of which are cold so I thought that you would be partial towards much colder beverages. Please enjoy yourself."
This guy…
He hit the nail on her preferences. The fact that he remembered Yu was here a little over a week ago was just a little odd, but it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it.
Yu eyed the beverage one more time before smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Farran. I just might."
She was here to relax, and that was what she was going to do.
"And I suppose that the last beverage is mine?"
Ah, wait a minute. There was still a challenge that was going on.
Damn.
"Yes, it is," Farran confirmed, once more with that oddly familiar smirk. "I do hope that you enjoy it."
"I certainly hope so," Aizawa blurted out.
The beverage was set on the table. It looked like nothing out of the ordinary... like it was a simple latte… exactly like one, actually. Aizawa narrowed his eyes, and it was there that Yu started to grow uneasy.
She really hoped that the sleep-deprived pro hero didn't cause a scene, or hoped that the latte itself had some special property to it.
"This is what you were so confident about?" Aizawa asked. "It doesn't look like much."
"True, looks and presentation play a big factor to food…" The owner said. "However, it is the taste that matters above all. I suggest that you partake."
"Oh…?" Aizawa muttered with a slightly amused tone. That was good, at least he wasn't outright angry. "Very well."
Aizawa took a sip.
Silence fell on the table as the surrounding curious professional heroes glanced his way.
He took another sip.
"It's… passable."
"I suppose it is," Farran smirked. "Well, I suggest that you take a nap after you finish it. Valerian root is hard to come by these days."
Valerian– what now?
While Yu and the others had not a single clue as to what that was, Aizawa, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what it was.
"So that's your game…" Aizawa muttered. "Never mind. You win, it surpasses my expectations."
"Um… do you know what Valerian root is, Aizawa-kun?" Toshinori asked what Yu was going to.
"It's a root that acts as a natural sedative. In other words, it makes you feel sleepy," Aizawa said. "There have been records of it being used in coffee… are you trying to make me take a coffee nap?"
"You seem like someone who does his work well at night. Once you finish with your coffee nap, then you'll be feeling refreshed enough to continue working," Farran smirked as he finished explaining. "I'm sure that your doctor wouldn't disagree. After all, you're still getting some rest."
After that, Aizawa did what Yu never expected.
He laughed.
Like, literally laughed. Like a loud one and not his usual creepy chuckles. It was as if he had just heard a joke that he couldn't just ignore, which was odd because Yu didn't notice a joke there.
He actually laughed.
"You have an unexpected level of insight for a cafe owner."
Farran smirked in response.
"It's a chef's duty to understand their customer, isn't it? I'm merely fulfilling that duty."
"I see…"
Aizawa spent a few seconds sending a scrutinizing glance towards the cafe owner whilst finishing his coffee. It was because Yu worked alongside him and other pro heroes that she noticed just a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Yu was going to ask him what he was thinking, but ultimately she wasn't going to be able to, seeing as the forever sleepy pro hero reclined his head back on the soft chair they sat on.
"Wake me up in fifteen minutes."
And just like that, he was out like a light.
"I… didn't think he would actually sleep," Toshinori muttered. "Aizawa-kun always fights to stay awake until he finishes all of his work. And even then, with his schedule, he doesn't sleep at this time of day, at all."
"Or night, seeing as it's seven pm now. The guy really needs to take a break once in a while," Uwabami informed as she glanced at her watch and stared out the window, with the night sky present…
… Night sky?
Shit! Shirou!
Her panic rose like a torrent, which was noticed by all save for the sleeping Aizawa.
"Sorry guys, I need to head home!" Yu muttered as she took a glance at her beverage. Looks like she'll need to suffer a brain freeze for just a little bit–
"Archer! Where do you keep the black coffee beans!?"
–Hm? That voice…?
Farran's eye twitched as he turned around and faced towards the kitchens.
"Don't call me that! Didn't Todoroki tell you where it is? At the back of the hallway, the fifth barrel!"
"She left before she could tell me!"
No… it couldn't be.
"You should've known, imbecile!"
"I can't read minds, asshole!"
… It is.
"You should've known where I would put it! And be quiet!"
"There's no way I'd know what you'd be thinking about– wait, aren't you shouting too!?"
"Shirou?" Yu muttered, ending the two shouts between the owner and the mystery voice.
Farran blinked.
Two seconds later, a familiar mop of red hair exited the kitchen wearing an apron over a small black butler suit.
Once he laid eyes on her, his mouth automatically stammered.
"Yu!? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be busy with work tonight?"
"Yu?" Farran eyed them both. "You thought she would be… you two know each other?"
Yu's brow twitched.
"What am I doing here…?" She muttered, seemingly ignoring what the owner asked. She got off from her seat and stood up. "I should be asking that! Why aren't you on your way home!?"
"Home?" Farran muttered once more. "Clearly, I am missing some important detail."
Uwabami peered over the shoulder of standing form of Yu. She took a sip of her Flat White and made a sound of understanding.
"Oh… Look Nishiya, it's Yu's kid."
The wood hero leaned forward and stared at the small event unfolding. "Ah, it is definitely young Shirou. I wonder what her son is doing here."
Farran blinked.
"Wait, Son?"
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly on her son before facing her once more.
"My apologies, I was unaware that your… son, wasn't here with his parent's permission." He said those parts weirdly, yet Yu couldn't figure out why. "He has been working under my supervision for the past week as a part-time chef. If you wish, we can talk about this issue somewhere more private."
Yu narrowed her eyes on her adoptive son once more.
"... That would be appreciated."
Looks like she wasn't going to be relaxing today after all.
Terrific.
Shirou sat on his folded apron laid upon a box – for comfort – which was up to his waist in height. From there, he could see the irritated glare that Archer gave him and the troubled and confused stare of his adoptive mother.
Archer opted to lean on the wall, as per usual whenever they were in this room, whilst the only chair was offered to Yu, but she too opted to stand.
Seeing the two of them stare at each other for just a short while was like watching a powder keg on the verge of imploding. More due to Yu than Archer, who was relatively calm throughout.
It was a good thing that Shirou had told him that he had an adoptive mother when he first came to the servant.
Otherwise, the lie that Archer had no idea Shirou didn't have permission wouldn't have been as fluid.
While Shirou was confident in his ability to lie, something that Archer laughed at for some reason but he chalked it up to him just being able to read his younger self easily, Archer's ability to lie was a step further than what Shirou could do.
He watched as the two of them started talking. While Shirou could overhear them, he opted to just let Archer handle the entire debacle.
Although… the few uncertain glances that Yu sent his way were painful in their own right.
It may seem odd to Yu that Shirou was here in a cafe, but he could pull always pull a bluff that he was working on his coffee brewing skills. The trust built from living together for a few months was no doubt going to be tested here, no thanks to Shirou himself… but, he couldn't have told Yu was going here in the first place.
He could have told her, Shirou really could have, but the thing with that idea was that she'd ask why he'd be training in a cafe of all places.
It'd just look odd, which was no doubt what it looked like now. There was a tournament in his school coming in a few weeks and here he was, doing some relaxing work in a cafe, while his classmates worked on getting stronger.
To anyone other than Shirou and Archer, it'd look like he wasn't taking it seriously, which was honestly what Shirou felt about the tournament anyway so there weren't any misconceptions about that there.
But he wasn't relaxing at all.
There was only one way for him to get stronger right now, and the only person that could help him in that endeavor was standing right in front of him talking with his adoptive mother.
Shirou rolled under a sweep as a sword swiped over him. However, he couldn't avoid the boot kicking him away and onto the pavement of the rooftop.
They were high enough that no hero would be able to normally see or notice them. There was always the occasional hero flying above them, but the bounded field on the rooftop prevented them from being noticed as an extra precaution.
"Too slow," Archer rebuked. "Are you really trying to get stronger?"
"Shut up!" Shirou retorted as he stood up once more, holding the heavily favored Kanshou and Bakuya in each hand.
Archer stood before him doing much of the same. However, even from a glance, Shirou could tell that his projections were still at a higher quality than his own, even if they weren't the same blades.
The two rushed at each other once more, with Kanshou and Bakuya meeting his blades.
Each moment of impact between the married blades, Shirou felt like he understood more, felt like he could do more.
He had heard Archer speak about this once before, about how monks used to commune with their past lives to further gain enlightenment.
That was what he was doing now. Instead of training, Shirou was taking the shortcut of sparring with Archer in order to gain more experience artificially. However, in the process, he would be seeing through Archer's eyes the same horrors he had lived through his service under Alaya.
It was honestly as bad as it was the first time he had seen them. Yet, throughout their short ten-minute training session so far, Shirou had not once thought of quitting.
Quitting here and now would be unfathomable, especially since Shirou was the one who asked Archer in the first place.
There was a reason he was going through this sort rigorous of training.
Shirou did not know when Avenger, or that league of villains, would show their faces again. Training regularly like everyone else wouldn't suffice, he had to get stronger physically, magically and mentally.
Otherwise, he would not be able to protect his classmates.
It was from that reason alone that he hiked his way to Archer's cafe in the first place. His friends didn't mind that he left early, seeing as they were all going to be spending their time training anyway, so they probably thought he was doing the same…
Although probably not to the extent that Shirou was going for. The process of siphoning experience was long and arduous, especially considering how long Archer exactly lived…
Archer growled.
… but that connection was also a two-way street.
Archer kicked him away, causing Shirou to roll on the concrete roof once more, but he had reinforced himself to prevent any damage. He could already sense the indignant irritation from the servant, mostly because that kick he gave could've shattered a rib or two if Shirou didn't specifically reinforce them.
"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you use a bow more!? At that time, if you had reacted sooner, then you could have ended the threat before it even began." Archer berated heavily. "The more and more I see your memories, the more I want to gut you. Why did I even agree to this?"
Yes, the memory and experience siphoning happened both ways. Just as Shirou saw his memories and experiences, Archer saw his own.
Before, they had an incredibly similar past – if not then completely identical – but because Shirou had been living in this world of quirks for the past several months, they were different in some way. In other words, Shirou had something that Archer didn't have.
So with that in mind, Archer could see how he arrived, how he continued after that, and how he arrived at their current situation.
"Get up, we're not done yet," Archer ordered.
As much as Shirou was annoyed from it, he obeyed without question and charged once more, resuming their ballad of blades once more.
"You're using your smaller body well enough, that I admit," Archer said as he dodged a thrust, but held a dagger in his left hand, using it as an extension of his body to drag Shirou's smaller arm forward, and into a painful piledriving knee to the chest. "However, you shouldn't be rushing in like an idiot all the time! Let them attack first!"
Shirou tried to find room to breathe as he backed away, but the knee to his chest had stunned him for a bit, allowing Archer to kick him away once more.
"If that had been reinforced, you would have a punctured lung."
Archer fought as he usually would, taunting and baiting his opponent to attack his openings first, before inevitably countering every attack before they even landed. However today, there was a huge difference. The servant was implementing far more kicks and movements that relied on being physically stronger.
It was a complete antithesis to his usual fighting style, so much so that it both looked and felt unnatural to both him and Shirou.
But adopting that style was necessary.
For it was the fighting style of the current Angra Mainyu.
Yes, from just a few minutes of sparring, Archer had learned what he fought all those months ago and just a few days ago, and in order to prepare for him once more, Archer was currently sparring whilst using both Tawrich and Zarich, the Fang Grinders.
Perhaps he should have thanked Avenger, because if he wasn't around, then Shirou wouldn't have been able to convince Archer to even begin training him. Then again, Avenger was half the reason Shirou even wanted to train in the first place.
When Shirou first arrived to ask for training, all he had to do was mention the amalgamation of all the world's evils to convince him. Archer really liked this vacation, and having Angra Mainyu here was going to make it harder to enjoy, apparently.
Shirou didn't really think that 'wanting to enjoy his vacation' was his true reason, but he didn't push it.
So by using the Fang Grinders, he would be helping Shirou get used to fighting against him in the future. They shared such a similar enough height and body structure that they were practically the same foe. Familiarity with the enemy was paramount.
Honestly, Shirou expected Archer to head out there and start hunting the rogue heroic spirit himself… but the fact that the much stronger servant didn't try that was… not exactly comforting.
A timer shaped like an egg rang its dissonant tone from off to their side, signaling the end of a session. Archer hadn't even broken a sweat, but Shirou was left groveling in his own puddle.
"Time's up. Take a breather and we'll resume in three minutes." Archer ordered.
Shirou nodded, not bothering to say anything back.
After all, the two of them had nothing more to say to each other, their dance of blades told each other more than enough…
"I heard from Todoroki that you'll be joining that U.A. sports festival."
… or, at least it should have been.
"Yeah," Shirou confirmed. "But it's going to be broadcast out to the entire country, so I'm not going to participate as much as you'd think."
Archer gave off a short sound of mild interest. "… keeping what skills you have up your sleeve a secret in case any villains watch the broadcast. I see, that is certainly something that I would do."
A short second after that, Archer threw a water bottle. It soared through the air, flipping a few times, before hitting Shirou right in between his eyes.
"What the hell was that for!?"
"Your idiocy frustrated me so I wanted to hit you."
Shirou felt his brow twitch violently.
"And what, exactly, am I being stupid about?"
"You plan to hang back and let your classmates get ahead of you," Archer stated.
"And what's wrong with that?" Shirou argued. "Success in the festival means a lot to all of them. Their future as a professional hero counts on it. If they don't do well, then it'll be harder for them to get a good start in the future. I don't need to succeed here as much as they do."
"Let me guess, even if you don't do well, you'll still try to continue on being a 'hero' regardless," Archer muttered as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "It's not even hard to think about what you would do. Your thought process is so painfully obvious that I want to wring your throat."
Archer's eyes opened once more. "Never mind, if you can't see what's wrong with it, then there's no point in talking about it. Get up, we're going again."
It hadn't even been three minutes.
Shirou sighed and grabbed the egg-shaped timer next to him, twisting it for ten minutes. In a few seconds, they resumed.
He was truly lucky that he managed to convince the servant. At this rate, he would be able to protect his classmates better.
"… and that's the gist of it," Archer explained, snapping Shirou from his reminiscing. He had no idea what the servant had said, but from the look on Yu's face, it must have been marginally convinced.
"… I still don't get why Shirou would be here when there's the sports festival just around the corner," Yu spoke her mind. "He's supposed to be training. The sports festival isn't a joke, it could determine the success of his future career as a hero as a whole."
At the word hero, Shirou noticed Archer clench his fist ever so slightly. However, it was already clenched and hidden under his apron, so Yu didn't notice.
"There is no need for worry ma'am," Archer offered, looking a bit annoyed he had to say it. "While I may look like an average chef, I am uniquely suited to aiding your son in his hero training."
There's nothing average looking about you, Archer.
"Is that so?"
Shirou had to blink as he spun his head. Behind him was the entrance to the backroom that they had all stood in, and from that entrance was none other than Aizawa-sensei.
Shirou did fleetingly notice him sleeping a while ago, but the teacher seemed to have awoken, no doubt from the screaming he had been doing earlier.
That, or from Yu's own screaming. She had a louder voice in comparison, mainly due to her quirk.
"Aizawa?" Yu muttered in surprise. "Wait, you're awake?"
"With the amount of screaming that you, the brat, and the chef did, anyone would be," He muttered annoyed, stepping into the room uninvited. "At least I had a five-minute nap. Not enough for the coffee to set in, though."
Archer frowned.
"My apologies. I can offer you another on the house at a later date. Perhaps on your next visit."
"Ensuring a returning customer… Smart. That'd be appreciated," Aizawa thanked in his roundabout way. "By the way, the others are starting to get antsy, so let's wrap this up quickly. Back to my question, how would a chef know about training a hero?"
"Well, the reason is quite simple. I am not an average chef," Archer said.
The pro hero scanned the cafe owner from head to toe.
"… You're right about not being a regular chef," Aizawa muttered. "Anyone can see that your physique is a cut above average. Did you study to become a hero before?"
Once again Archer clenched his fist, something that Aizawa actually seemed to notice this time around. However, he didn't react to the act at all, acting as if he never saw it.
"You could say that," Archer managed to force out in a surprisingly natural way. "In addition to that, our quirks are similar enough that I know how to help him out."
He held out his hand and traced a simple chef's knife. Surprising the two pro heroes.
"I provide him tips and training, and as payment, he works for me during rush hours," Archer said with a smug grin. "While I'm restricted to only making these knives, I'm sure I can instill some ingenuity in your son."
That was the biggest bold lie Shirou had ever heard. Can only trace knives? If only, then Shirou could have at least some advantage over the guy.
At least it was a good lie, no doubt Archer had come up with it during their many training sessions together… or he made it on the spot, which was also as plausible as it was unlikely.
Shirou wished he had thought of that lie instead before he had been caught by his adoptive mother.
"I see…" Yu muttered. Shirou was sure that in her mind, there was no doubt that sticking around with 'Farran' for a few weeks could be beneficial for developing his quirk. Somehow.
However, she still wore a look of slight unease, almost as if she didn't fully trust him. Shirou couldn't really blame her, he didn't really trust Archer either…
Damn it.
Even if they settled their differences already, they still subtly abhorred one another. It was a given, seeing as they represented what each other despised the most.
"Fine," Yu finally agreed. "But, I'll be here every day from now on to pick him up. I don't like the idea of Shirou wandering around at night alone."
Archer seemed to find this funny and gazed at Shirou with a smug grin.
"I suppose it is fair that you would be worried about his wellbeing. We wouldn't want a child getting hurt at night."
Oh… Shirou was so going to aim for his jewels the next time they sparred.
"Come on, Shirou," Yu started. "We're going home. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Farran."
Archer nodded.
"It was… an enlightening meeting, ma'am," He returned. Archer then sent a minor glare towards his younger self. "And you, don't be late next time."
Shirou found his brow twitching.
"The school gates were crowded, Archer."
Archer didn't care and walked out of the room, most likely to head back towards the kitchens.
"Then jump over a wall."
The thing is that Shirou could tell that Archer wasn't joking there. Even after sparing and technically learning more about him, he still couldn't understand the guy.
Shirou sighed.
"I'll go get my things," Shirou said as he turned to his mother.
"I'll be waiting for you outside," Yu replied, but it was in a softer tone. "We'll talk about this when we get home."
Shirou's feet stopped cold as Yu's own hurriedly left.
… Looks like he would need to make the dinner extra tasty tonight.
I really wish I thought of Archer's excuse sooner.
"Looks like there are no issues with your body now," Kurogiri's disembodied voice said. "You're back at peak performance."
Angra Mainyu, who sat on a chair with flexible pipes embedded into his back and nape, smiled. "No need to tell me that, I already feel better."
Kurogiri sent him a strange look but made no further comment. He stepped out of the room that Angra Mainyu sat inside, no doubt back towards his personal bar to relieve some stress.
Angra Mainyu flexed his wrist and craned his neck, feeling slightly sore from sitting still for several hours. Using his Noble Phantasm had been strenuous for the bag of flesh he called a body.
Kind of understandable, this body of his might have regeneration, but that regeneration still had some flaws, and that was it wouldn't be able to handle straight and continuous use of his Noble Phantasm.
Oh yeah, speaking of his Noble Phantasm, Verg Avesta seemed to have taken a level-up pill. He didn't just reflect regular damage, but now the wounds that came with it, evident from the marks that the hero All Might left on his own body.
He could still use his regular Verg Avesta to reflect regular damage, but that was only when he used a regular human body. Angra Mainyu wasn't a magus, nor would he claim to know of its inner workings, but maybe his new body was somehow supplementing the change.
Somehow, but he didn't care either way.
He'd think about it another day, for now, he simply recalled the aftermath.
The aftermath of USJ, that is…
"You knocked me out!?" Shigaraki screamed once he came to a looked around him, seeing an ever familiar bar. "Why!? I still had lives left! I could have killed the Symbol of Peace!"
Angra Mainyu had to resist the urge to sigh at his 'boss'. Actually, he couldn't even sigh if he wanted to, his throat was still busy regenerating. The pale guy was currently using his quirk to rip parts of his body into dust.
Angra Mainyu liked the guy, he really did, but when was this tantrum going to end? Not that it was painful or anything, he felt worse when he was just a boy, whose body bled from the curses they carved onto him, and buried up to his neck. And even after all that, they had his arms and legs both beaten and broken so he couldn't even attempt to escape.
He would've smiled if he could.
Even with time, humanity's evils never changed.
"That's enough."
Like clockwork, the television beside Angra Mainyu came to life. As soon as those two words were uttered, Shigaraki Tomura ceased his mindless raging, focusing on the screen. However, his eyes were still haggard and filled with fury.
"Why!? Explain, sensei!"
"There is no need for you to be upset. There will be many more chances for you to kill the Symbol of Peace." The television screen flickered with static for just a short second as the 'big boss' began his reply. As the words smoothly flowed out, Shigaraki Tomura silently listened.
Even while crude and raging with fury, Angra Mainyu could see the respect Shigaraki held for the big boss in his eyes.
"Angra Mainyu's decision was a right one, there is no shame in a tactical retreat. While your ally managed to wound All Might, he was still strong enough to fight back. You would not have been able to beat him before the other pro heroes arrived, there is no shame in admitting that."
The words slowly sank in for the pale man, but his fingers were still twitching in anger.
"Damn it!"
The guy grabbed a hoodie and was out the door quicker than most would.
"Follow him, Kurogiri. Ensure he does not do anything… rash."
"Yes, sir," Kurogiri agreed. His spectral body faded into himself as he teleported away, but Angra Mainyu could still see the lingering gaze of confusion and wariness he held.
He wished he could smirk, but by the time his face had regenerated enough to do so, Kurogiri was gone.
There was a long string of silence left between them.
"So, are you going to ask, or what?" Angra Mainyu uttered.
"I am merely waiting for the best way to phrase my question," The main boss said. "When we said that you'd be the back-up fighter against All Might, I expected that you would end up becoming a punching bag. However, I did not expect you to do so… well, against him."
Angra Mainyu let a little chuckle escape him as he crawled to his feet, his tendons finally regenerating.
"Of course I did, I'm the embodiment of humanities evils, after all! Even if he was the Symbol of Peace, he was still human." He boasted.
Even Angra Mainyu knew that those words wouldn't convince anyone.
"I suppose you aren't? Again with these delusions…" The voice sighed out. Angra Mainyu snickered, almost as if there was a joke. "Fine, whether or not you're what you say you are, it does not matter. What does matter, though, is how you were able to enter that bestial form of yours."
Angra Mainyu felt like there was more to be said and stayed silent to listen.
"A stronger and faster form tied with the ability to reflect physical injuries… I did not add those quirks to your body, Angra Mainyu."
He smirked.
"Of course you didn't. To begin with, it was my power ."
"So even as a creature without a body, you were able to use a quirk? Interesting…" There must have some thought going around the big boss' head because he was silent for a while. "… As interesting as that is, do not forget that you only exist for Tomura."
The nape of Angra Mainyu tingled.
"I would hate for you to gain any… ideas."
He still smirked as he recalled it. The old geezer thought he had a secondary quirk that reflected wounds. He didn't even acknowledge that it was supernatural in the slightest. Not even with his own worthless testimony.
Angra Mainyu would have to drown the guy in curses for him to believe him, but even then, it was a long shot.
Not that being 'believed' was actually worth anything, but Angra Mainyu could admit one thing. When that guy kicks the bucket, he would become one hell of a heroic spirit, assuming a throne even exists in this world.
Until then, he was just a person that thought Angra Mainyu to be a boaster with a big ego. One who could now boast of nearly killing All Might, but a boaster that he dismissed all the same. With a single push of a button, the old geezer could erase him.
The chip in the nape of his artificial body was proof of that.
As old and arrogant as that guy was, he wasn't senile nor a fool. The big boss had put it on him to control him, thinking that he was nothing but a wild animal. True, with how he acted when he first appeared in the world, it was a good assumption.
However, Angra Mainyu wasn't an animal. The chip still subtly tried to influence him, but as long as he was aware of it, it wouldn't be doing anything at all. Essentially, granting him technical free will.
Technical, but that was it.
It was a shame, but there was a fail-safe in the chip. It could be manually or automatically activated if Angra Mainyu acted with malicious intent to the man-child, Shigaraki Tomura. It would activate even if he tried to rip it out of himself, or if someone else tried to.
Once it would be activated, it would turn off his regenerative quirk and release enough of an electric jolt to disrupt his nerves. Effectively killing him.
Well, not really, but it'd kill the body, leaving it useless for Angra Mainyu.
He'd be back to a wraith, possessing random bodies, driven by the remaining embers of will that each of those bodies had, until they broke or died, like with what happened to his first one.
He didn't even bother to remember the guy who he possessed, but he definitely recalled the evil in his heart. The thoughts of finding the blonde that had murdered the original spirit, to break his or her limbs and bones, to utterly eviscerate the killer until nothing remained but a bloody wreck.
He'd be like a zombie with different intentions each and every incarnation. If he became like that… he would never get what he truly wanted.
His current body was ideal. There was no previous ill intent to work his way through, essentially immortal to common causes of death, and it had the ability to let him do whatever he wanted!
He would never find a body like this ever again… The only problem was the chip in his nape. He was stuck as their reluctant ally until he could remove–
He could already feel the chip already vibrate in preparation, ready to release a surge of neurological-electricity to destroy the brain, and his precious body, if he dared to even finish the idle thought.
A smirk wormed its way onto his face.
Whether it was a vindictive one or a sad one, not even the embodiment of humanity's evil could know. Positive emotions weren't really his thing.
Angra Mainyu put on a coat and hoodie, taking steps out a back door and deciding to roam outside of the run-down building they called a base. He couldn't go too far from Kurogiri, seeing as the chip would also activate if it thought he was running away.
Luckily, the chip had a rather large radius, enough for him to journey around the entire city from one end to the other. It gave him enough freedom to wander as he wanted.
And so he did. Angra Mainyu wandered out of the alleyway to take in the sights of this brand new yet familiar world.
He saw a casino with multiple rich looking dudes walking in and out.
He saw clothing stores filled with regular high school girls.
He saw a bar with drunken men happily singing and cheering.
He saw arcades filled to the brim as competitive students surrounded the fighting game area.
He saw all of these things, seen from under the black, dark and starry sky… All seen with a chain around his neck, ready to choke the life out of him and end the freedom he had to wander.
All of his thoughts roamed, the curses within him bellowing out to the world with their endless evil, screaming whenever he saw the people around him live a life of blissful ignorance…
… but for Angra Mainyu, the man that was known to this world as 'The Beast' – who had experienced all of the world's evils to the point of irrefutable return – those evils were nothing but background noise to him. He smirked as he quelled the curses within him with a metaphorical tug on the chain and walked along without missing a step.
He would not let them.
Because as much as he hated humanity…
He still loved every aspect of them.
Even though he reigned in these curses, he still felt them ready to lash out to the world once more, eager to drown them in their own curses and wondrous hypocrisy… but he would not let them.
These curses were more like angry and bloodthirsty dogs chained to a wall…
Just like he was.
Nothing more than a beast.
Nothing more than a Beast chained to a wall.
From outside the cafe, Aizawa stood beside Yu as they waited for their respective companions. Shirou for Yu, and Toshinori for Aizawa, who seemed to be busy trying to finish his latte.
Uwabami and Shinji had waited for them, but once they knew that Yu would be heading home, they decided to get a head start. Apparently, Shinji also had nightly duties to perform – only for Thursdays though, for some reason. Uwabami, on the other hand, had a photo shoot coming up soon and wanted to get some beauty sleep.
"How does he look?" Yu asked, voice unusually serious.
"He's clean," Aizawa replied, his own voice serious as well.
Within the grasp of his sole functioning hand was his phone, with his finger seamlessly scrolling through a database of names. In other words, the civilian records available to all professional heroes.
Well, not all of them. Only the rare few that were trusted with them, like the top ten in the country, or those who had proven to be undeniably trustworthy like Aizawa.
Someone like Yu, who had been a hero for only half a year, was still technically a rookie and didn't have that luxury.
With the ability to access the civilian records, pro heroes could make much more accurate decisions once they knew who they were up with, who around them had a quirk that could be useful, or who a potential villain could be.
Yu really didn't like the thought of potential villains, it was like holding a gun to someone's head just because they had a malicious quirk, kind of like that Hitoshi Shinso kid. He was listed there under the 'potential villains category'.
Of course, that category wasn't made public, but it was an open secret that nobody actually talked about.
Oh yeah, you also couldn't access the files of other pro heroes. Because why would you need to?
"Are you sure?" Yu asked. "How about his education history? He doesn't look Japanese, so could he be an immigrate?"
Yu really didn't trust the cafe owner at all. The fact that they were running a background check spoke volumes of it. From the looks of it, Aizawa didn't either.
Hence, why they were doing what they were currently doing.
"I tried to check, but I ran into a problem."
Yu narrowed her eyes.
"The rest of his files seem to be on lockdown," Aizawa said. "On request, only high ranked pro heroes have the authority to view his profile. I don't have enough clearance for it."
"That's… really not normal," Yu muttered with worry in her eyes. "Have you figured out under whose authority? You need to be pretty high on the totem pole to get someone's records protected like that."
Protected files were rare to come by, but they did have the names of the people who requested them written under them. They would only need to ask the pro hero who requested the protection in the first place for permission.
Which begs the question… who indeed would have requested it, and why?
Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
"We may have to give up on looking into his file."
"And why is that!?" Yu shouted in confusion. The streets around them were empty as the night sky, but her voice had still been loud enough to draw at least a few curious stares from within the cafe itself.
"We won't be able to reach this pro hero, or convince him at all," Aizawa informed. He held up the phone towards Yu's face.
Indignation was replaced with silent understanding upon realizing exactly who it was that ordered 'Farran's' files to be protected.
"Damn it."
Yu nodded and gave up in frustration.
It would've been easier if Shirou had fallen into the wrong kind of group. At least she could beat the fear of a mother's wrath into them.
After all…
How in the world would they be able to convince someone as headstrong and prideful as the number two professional hero, Endeavor?
A high wall of glass separated the world from his office.
From behind that glass pane, he could see the city nightlife slowly come to life. The cars running about the streets, the people walking in crowds returning from their day jobs… and even students, acting carefree about their lives, moving forward with absolutely no plan about what to do next.
Pointlessly frivolous.
This was what he swore to protect, even if they didn't like it.
His eyes drifted to his desk beside him, one of the only things in his admittedly large office. Upon the woodwork was a file containing the recent incident at the U.A. high school.
It was a report of the students and their injuries, mostly useless to one such as he. However, there were details of a lesser-known villain, one who fought against All-Might.
Yes… that All-Might.
The Number One Professional Hero of the country.
The fact that there was someone who could face him and actually escape… it got his blood boiling. Whether it was out of anger or excitement, he didn't know.
Anger at a mere villain thinking he could go toe-to-toe with the country's best and actually survive… and excitement for any future chance that he could be the one to burn the arrogant upstart's bodily form.
When he succeeded, it would be a chance to get a higher rank than that stars-and-stripes man. It would be a chance to finally attain the rank he worked day-and-night to achieve.
All he would need to do is slay– capture the villain known as The Beast.
And none were more fit to do so, than Endeavor.