Mind Games - Chapter 16

“Why don't we do quirk tutorials, anyway?” Kirishima asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

I sighed as I considered the question, my eyes scanning the small cafe that we'd decided to meet up near. It was really just a single ten-by-ten foot building that served to house the two or three people working, the stove and oven, and whatever ingredients they had. However, it was placed on a hill overlooking a river and had a generally excellent view. Honestly, I had no idea how these people stayed in business given how far off the beaten path the entire thing was. I didn't even think a full-sized car would be able to make it up the winding path that led up here.

“Because quirk tutorials are dangerous,” I replied eventually, deciding that full disclosure was probably the best way to go about things.

“Really? I thought you'd know a safe way to...” The dark-haired boy made a vague motion. “Test things or whatever.”

I shook my head. “It's not that easy. Quirks range in their abilities so widely that it's actually difficult to construct some kind of generalized training schema.”

Kirishima seemed to chew on that declaration thoughtfully. “So we couldn't just show off our quirks and talk about how we're training them?”

“I mean, we could. In theory, as long as we do so on private property with the permission of the owner, there's no legal problem with doing so,” I replied. “But the issue there is that we'd instantly lose about a third of our subscribers if we did.”

Kirishima blinked as he picked up his cup of hot cocoa. “What, really?”

I shrugged. “Psychic quirks are generally pretty unpopular outside of straight-up telekinesis. Anything that involves mental manipulation, outright control, or mind reading routinely rank as the least-popular broad category of quirks. That's why I haven't actually talked about my quirk on the channel.”

“And why you make it more about the skills and training and stuff instead,” Kirishima nodded, then scowled. “Man, that sucks though! You shouldn't have to hide a part of who you are like that! It's totally not manly.”

“It is what it is,” I stated bluntly. “To be perfectly fair about it... people have a lot of good reasons to be wary of psychic quirks. They're easy to misuse or put to criminal ends and leave few obvious tells as long as someone is careful about it. Quirks like telepathy especially make it easy to cheat on tests or steal things like PIN codes or credit card numbers. Given that my quirk, brainwashing, is literal mind control... I get it, I really do.”

And I wasn't just blowing smoke up society's ass, either.

An ability that could fundamentally violate either your volition or your sense of self was existentially terrifying. It was one thing to confront a person with super-strength, they were generally straight-forward in how they'd attack others. Even the most creative villains would only think to pick up a car or mailbox and throw it instead of punching or kicking someone.

Someone with a psychic quirk? If we went bad, we got creative.

And, as I was rapidly coming to learn from my internship, creative villains were just the worst.

“Still...” Kirishima began, his voice almost coming out in a whine. “You'd think there'd be more people with quirks like yours on the news going villain if they were that bad. As it is, you barely ever see that. I think there was that guy a couple of months ago that stole a safe combination from a business across the street using... I think he could touch things and read a person's thoughts that they'd had while they were holding it?”

“You want the official answer for that or the conspiracy answer?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

The other boy frowned, rubbing at his chin. “Uhh... both? I guess start with the first one?”

“The official answer is that psychic quirks, especially ones of sufficient power, range, and ease of use... well, they're just rare. A lot more rare than someone who ends up with tactile telekinesis, an enhanced metabolism, a mutation that gives them gorilla arms or anything else that amounts to being able to tear the face off an ATM,” I explained, waving a hand out as if banishing the idea that anything were strange about his question.

Kirishima nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought it over. “Okay, I get that. What about the other one, the conspiracy or whatever?”

“You don't hear about many psychic-quirk users as villains because they're all either snatched up for secret government jobs or, if they turn bad, killed by a black ops squad on government orders,” I grinned widely, intentionally giving off creepy vibes as I was doing so.

Kirishima shivered. “Ugh, yeah... don't do that man. I can't handle spooky stuff. Good to know it's all a conspiracy theory, though.'

“Eh,” I replied, then shrugged.

“Eh? What 'eh'? What do you mean, 'eh'?” Kirishima asked, his eyes wide.

My thoughts shifted to an article I'd found from a few years prior about the early retirement of the last HPSC head. He'd not been seen in public since then, as best as I could tell. There had been another, much smaller article covering the transfer of a moderately well-known hero going by the name of Lady Nagant, transferring to the JSDF around the same time.

As much as I was happy that her story had a better ending than it could have, I could also read between the lines.

“Just that the Japanese government has scandals pop up every few years,” I replied vaguely. “If those are what we know about... well, it stands to reason that there's a lot we don't know about, doesn't it?”

Kirishima grimaced and reached for his drink, downing a good portion of it. “Man, that's... yeah. You really think...”

I shrugged again. “No idea for sure, but... when you can't say for sure, that tells you something, doesn't it? That there's at least some kind of possibility.”

Kirishima shook his head. “Anyway... let's talk about something else. So we're not doing quirk stuff on the channel, then. Right?”

“Not unless something changes,” I replied with a nod. “We can do more advanced self-defense exercises, though. And there's nothing stopping us from doing quirk training off-camera, like we have been.”

“I'm just worried that the content will get stale, eventually. I mean, I know you've got that stuff about getting a first aid and lifeguard license and stuff, but... we should do something every now and then to reignite interest,” Kirishima suggested.

I hummed. It was a good idea to appeal to sensationalism every now and then. While things were advancing faster than I'd thought they would, with my upcoming 'Office Hero' license exam potentially being as soon as two weeks away... I was loath to simply drop the channel. Even if I was never going to pursue a truly public hero identity, my ideal goal being something akin to the heroic non-entity of Eraserhead, having some way to publicly interface with society was more than just a good idea.

Pushing any level of societal change would require public support, after all.

Even if that's a long-term goal, it's the kind of thing that requires long-term planning.

“What do you propose, then?” I asked, leaning back in my chair thoughtfully.

“We could do... uhh, maybe...” Kirishima pondered. “Oh, hey! Tests of courage are really hot right now! I've seen a bunch of herotubers going to haunted places recently and filming them!”

I stared at the other boy, slowly cocking my head. “I thought you couldn't take spooky stuff?”

Kirishima shrugged awkwardly, looking away. “I mean, didn't you tell me that being a hero was all about 'owning your fear' and stuff? If I'm afraid of something, shouldn't I be trying to conquer it?”

I took a deep breath and sighed it out. “As long as you're okay with a video of you screaming like a preteen girl living on the internet forever.”

Kirishima hissed, looking as if he immediately regretted his proposal. “It would, wouldn't it? Damn, uhh... hey! We could do karaoke!”

“That's... not an awful idea.” I nodded slowly, thinking it over. It wasn't exactly the best use of my time, but I'd never actually been to a karaoke place or whatever. Well, outside of a particularly memorable incident involving Stephanie Brown a few lifetimes ago. Personally, I chose not to count 'martial arts karaoke' as a thing that existed, for my own sanity if nothing else.

“Tell you what,” I decided slowly. “I'm going to be busy with my internship for a while, still. Why don't you use the opportunity to do a solo-stream?”

The dark-haired boy blinked, his eyes going wide. “Whoa... really? You don't mind?”

I shrugged. “You've been on four times by now, I think you know the drill. Think about what you want to do for an hour or two of content, map it out, and pick a block of time. Let me know ahead of time so I can be on-call if you have an emergency, but otherwise it'll be your show. You can do an AMA, talk about your hobbies, chat up the audience to see what they like... maybe even do a poll for future content.”

Kirishima's mouth slowly twisted into a shark-toothed grin as he slammed his fist into the opposite palm. “Dude, alright! You've got me pumped! I'mma do it! Just lemme-”

“Ah, hello Shinso-kun.”

Kirishima startled at the sudden interruption, but I'd already caught the quick flash of blond hair on the reflective surface of a chrome railing. Golden cat's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as I calmly took a sip from my drink in response to her appearance.

“Toga-chan, this is Kirishima Eijiro. You know him as Buster on the channel. He's my... coworker, I guess you could say. Kirishima-san, this is Toga Himiko, my girlfriend,” I motioned between the two with my free hand.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Himiko stated, bowing politely with just a touch too much formality as she dipped her head and gave the other boy a small smile. “I'll be in your care.”

“Ah!” Kirishima blinked, standing up abruptly as his face flushed and ducked into a bow that was definitely too stiff and formal. “Nice to meet you, too! The boss-”

I rolled my eyes.

“-er, ah... Shinso said you were coming by. Sorry if we ran long or something. We just needed to meet up and talk about the channel since he's so busy at the Endeavor Agency,” Kirishima apologized.

Himiko giggled, the intonation in the sound identical to that of her tall friend's even if the pitch was different. “Don't worry, I'm a little early. The sewing club didn't meet today because of a bug that's going around, so I came straight here from school.”

Unbending, Kirishima grinned at Himiko-

-the girl freezing for a second-

-and nodded. “Sorry to hear that. Well, I'll let you and the boss get to it then. I think we talked about everything, right?”

“You don't have to leave if you don't want to,” Himiko assured him with every social cue aligned to present a worried expression. “I wouldn't want to interrupt anything just because I'm early.”

Translator's Note: 'Yes, please leave. I need to talk to my boyfriend and you're in the way.'

Admittedly, it was one of the few times I'd seen Himiko display something approaching 'normal' subtextual interaction with one of her peers. Instead of an outright lie, this was just pretty standard social untruths designed to sidestep being rude and telling someone to fuck off.

“If you need to head out, I won't stop you. Feel free to call me later or drop an outline for your stream format in the shared folder,” I told Kirishima, implicit dismissal obvious. “You've got my digits if you need to reach me for some face-to-face.”

Kirishima grinned and further goodbyes were exchanged while I grabbed Himiko's drink of choice and a refill for myself. Setting down the outrageously colorful mocha with a full head of whipped cream and edible red sprinkles strewn about the candy-straw, Himiko squealed slightly and pulled out her phone to take a picture of it.

“You know he likes you,” she stated bluntly, tapping away at her phone.

“I'm aware,” I nodded.

“Hmm,” Himiko frowned, sipping her abominably cute confection before staring at me again. “And you liked that girl at the music store, didn't you? You're harder to read, but...”

I felt that lying, here and now, would be the last mistake I would make in this relationship. So I told the truth. “I like the idea of her. I'd have to get to know her, first. And she'd have to get to know me, to see if we're compatible. That's how relationships – dating – usually works.”

Jiro Kyoka was 'my type,' insomuch as I had one. Tomboyish punk-rock girl that could pass for goth if you squinted... yep, for all that it mattered I found her very attractive. But I also didn't know the first thing about her, not really.

“Is that what we're doing?” Himiko asked, blinking those piercing golden orbs at me.

I shrugged as I sipped my drink. “I didn't think we were at that stage yet. All we'd agreed to do was pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend to keep other people off our backs.”

The blond's lips screwed up in something that wasn't quite a snarl. “My parents want you to come over for dinner.”

I nodded again. “I gathered that. Your message said you wanted me to delay. I can keep making excuses if you'd prefer.”

Unlike Endeavor, Toga's parents appeared to be very much on-track, as horrible as that was for Himiko to experience. As such, I wouldn't mind lying out my ass to them on virtually any subject imaginable. Hell, I'd tell them I'd had Mexican instead of Chinese for lunch just for shits and giggles.

“They want...” Himiko began, swiping a finger through the slowly-melting cream and licking it off. “You're the first guy I've had a second date with.”

I hummed, my eyes narrowing as I read between the lines. “They want this to be more significant than it is.”

Another serious glance at me. “My parents moved here for work. We're originally from Kyoto.”

I exhaled a quiet 'ah' as I internalized that fact. Much like in other nations, being 'from somewhere' had cultural connotations that outsiders wouldn't pick up on unless it was shoved in their faces. Even then, though, it only mattered if it was said in a certain specific way when delving into certain specific topics. The closest comparison I could make to my current situation was asking an American if they owned a gun and having them respond, 'I'm from Texas.'

An answer to the question without actually answering the question, in other words.

When you're talking about relationships and someone mentions they're from Kyoto...

My eyebrow crept up. “On the second date?”

Himiko twitched slightly. “You're already interning at Endeavor's hero agency while you're still in middle school. I told them you'd be taking the license exam early, too. Mother was very impressed. Father doesn't want anything formal, though. I don't think he likes how casual your are on your channel.”

Well... damn. What do you say to that?

“What do you want?” I asked, because that was the only important thing.

My desire to discreetly murder her parents could wait.

Himiko's movements, as small and contained as they were, carried the kind of vicious pent-up energy of a particularly angry, large predatory cat. It was hard to explain, but every tiny motion of her fingers, every tap of her phone, every glance at me was just a bit too calculated, too focused.

Intent. That's the word.

“I... don't know,” Himiko finally muttered, her voice deeply unhappy.

I nodded, reaching up to cradle my chin as I considered the reply. I'd had tentative plans to move things along with Himiko slowly. Not out of any true reason, but merely out of a personal preference. I didn't like jumping into things quickly and was just careful and methodical by nature. Still... I hated seeing her like this, torn between things she obviously didn't understand. If I had to take a few steps out of my comfort zone to give her the support she needed, then so be it.

“I'd like to take you on a real date, this Sunday,” I stated boldly, drawing her attention away from her internal issues.

Himiko looked up from where she'd been studying the grain of the wood table and stared at me. “A real date? Is this a fake one, then?”

“In the sense that these have largely been performative outings to make people believe we're dating instead of actually doing so, yes,” I replied, and she nodded. “I'd like you to come with me and accompany me in an activity on Sunday. It won't be something that dating couples usually do, but...”

Himiko nodded slowly, still staring at me. “We'd need to have dinner at my house, with my parents. I can put them off for that long if we have a date.”

I hummed. “This... I'll be trying to authentically capture romantic affection from you during this outing. Are you okay with that?”

“I don't know,” the blond girl admitted, pausing and frowning slightly. “I've never... felt that before.”

“Then it comes down to whether or not you'd like to try,” I stated, then continued after a short pause of my own. “You. Not anyone else. This is your choice.”

Himiko bristled, irritation rising to the fore as she fought to maintain a mask of politeness.

Once again, I was struck by how much more enthralling that anger was over that vapid happiness she wore like armor. At the same time, though, I could read fear in her... or at least deep uncertainty.

Still, she nodded. “Sunday.”

Then she did something I didn't expect and pulled out a small box from her schoolbag. About a one hand's length and a quarter of that in width and depth, it was wrapped in some kind of pink kitten-covered atrocity with a blood-red bow on it. I cocked my head and looked at her.

She gave me that fake smile again. “Mother said that you're supposed to get your boyfriend gifts.”

“Ah, thank you,” I stated, taking the present. “Though... you should know, it's customary to wait until the third or fifth date for something like this. It's usually a tacit social cue that the giver wants to extend the relationship and potentially make it more serious.”

Himiko froze and took a momentary shuddering breath before nodding. “I apologize. I must have misunderstood her instructions.”

Yeah, I'll bet. No way this wasn't an opening gambit to induce a more serious courtship.

“Do you still want me to have it, knowing that?” I asked, making no move to open it.

Himiko stared at me for a long moment before replying. “Yes. I liked the movie, and the steak was nice. Even if I'm not sure I like you yet, you're the only one who hasn't looked away.”

I hummed and set my hot cocoa down before carefully opening the wrapping paper and pulling out a small case that-

I blinked.

“You squint when you're in bright areas,” Himiko stated. “And your fingers sometimes twitch like you're reaching for something, before you stop. Then you blink hard and force your eyes open a little too wide.”

A small smile curled on my lips as I picked up the sunglasses and put them on, sighing with quiet relief at a sensation that shouldn't be familiar to this body. “You picked the swept back ones with the half-rims. Why?”

Himiko frowned. “Do you not like them? I thought it would be better to get you something that didn't block the corner of your eyes, since you tend to watch people from them.”

I chuckled, shaking my head as I looked at her admiringly. “I really need to stop underestimating you.”

My eyes – Hitoshi's eyes – were a shade of pale violet just a bit darker than my blue eyes had been in a past life, once upon a time. I didn't know if that was the cause of it, but I'd always been a bit more sensitive than normal and I'd gotten used to wearing sunglasses whenever I was outside. Especially when I was driving. I'd picked up a pair of half-rim sweptback sunglasses after a near-miss car accident I almost hadn't seen coming because my peripheral vision was blocked... and had been wearing basically the same style for nearly two decades after that.

I'd been trying to stop wearing them because of how completely my costume/uniform covered my face. Leaving some bit of skin showing was humanizing when you were basically wearing a bodysuit otherwise.

Still... going on three months without a pair, it feels nice to have one again.

“Does that mean you like them?” Himiko asked, smug satisfaction replacing the surprise and betrayal from earlier, even if her minute smile didn't shift. “Mother wanted to get you something else, but I picked those out.”

“I like them a lot,” I smiled at her. “I'll have to think about something to get you for Sunday on our date.”

Himiko nodded, then paused. “I... there are... things, about my parents. Things you should know.”

“I guessed as much,” I replied. “If you want me to make a good first impression, I'd like you to tell me as much as possible about them.”

The mask slipped back into place as Himiko visibly perked up and smiled that fake smile. “Oh, Father is a senior manager at an insurance firm. He's in charge of a lot of people-”

As Himiko rolled out a string of empty chatter that contained nuggets of useful information, something she'd probably done a dozen times whenever a classmate or teacher had brought up the subject of parental occupations, I took mental notes about where to start my own search. Sadly, it looked as though my busy schedule just got even busier.

Well, at least I’ve got a pair of kickass shades now.

It was the little things in life, after all.

~~~

This should have been out yesterday, but I've been feeling really tired for some reason and needed a little more time on this chapter. I really hope I'm not coming down with anything. Don't need that noise.

Anyway, I'm feeling better now and got this wrapped up.

Not too much to say about this chapter. More Kirishima, more Himiko, so it's automatically a winner. Other than that, just setting up some dominoes for later.

Hope your weeks are all going well and thank you for your patience.

Next update should be Marvel Industrious in a few days.