Chapter 18: Shopping Spree
Rei groaned as her alarm clock blared, throwing her back into the world of the living. She dragged her eyes open to glare at the infernal device that so rudely interrupted her rest, briefly considering throwing it out the window. She might've followed through with that urge if it didn't mean she'd be subjected to the unlawfully bright light of the morning sun.
A bone-rattling yawn escaped her as she pulled herself up to prop her elbows on the section of tail she'd chosen to use as a pillow. Her head dropped into her hands, scrubbing at her eyes, which were already trying to pull shut again, weighed down like a sack of bricks. Even then, she just barely caught herself drifting off again.
It wasn't normal for her to be so sluggish like this, even so soon after waking up – normally the sluggishness and exhaustion came right before she went to bed, after she'd spent all night bouncing between schoolwork and helping Izuku –, but switching her sleep schedule around was taking a toll, as it usually did.
Rei was temporarily transitioning back to functioning during the day, on account of the newest addition to the apartment, Ochako Uraraka. It had been a few days since Izuku had brought her home, and after discussing the situation a bit further, Rei had volunteered to be the one to take Uraraka out shopping to make sure she had everything she needed. And now that it was the weekend, it was time to actually get to it.
She wanted the opportunity to get to know Uraraka; something she didn't have much chance to do with dinner and breakfast being just about the only times they saw each other. Izuku had brought her home with next to no warning, and had been so bold as to call her a 'new sister,' if in a joking manner. And while Rei had no issue with his decision – she trusted him and his judgement implicitly – she wanted to learn more about the person that had inspired that sort of reaction in him.
Izuku had explained the situation he'd found her in, and the fact that he'd sympathized with her, but it wasn't like that was the first time he'd ever encountered someone living in such terrible conditions. It was unfortunate, but they couldn't do much more than try to ensure those people didn't suffer any further at the hands of criminals and villains.
He'd also mentioned that he didn't want to leave Uraraka like that when she'd already been so nice to him. And coming from Izuku, Rei knew that those words likely meant more than someone simply showing him some small amount of kindness or displaying slightly above-average manners. No, something like that meant that he was seeing her as a friend. Something he hadn't been allowed to experience in so very long.
A combination of his and Rei's living situation growing up, the secretive nature of the majority of his life, and the lack of any real instances to interact with anyone his own age had prevented him from making any friends. Not to mention the self-hatred that Rei suspected he was still harboring over his quirk and his mother, that she'd tried to help him past as best she could, but that she could only do so much for.
And that was really what it all boiled down to for Rei. She wanted to get to know more about the person that was turning out to be the first friend Izuku'd had for as long as Rei had known him. Or at least one his own age; she'd heard tell of the relationship he had with All Might, but that didn't count in her eyes, not with the man being upwards of three times Izuku's age.
That and she wanted to make sure Uraraka didn't end up overwhelmed by what should hopefully be a simple shopping trip.
Izuku was the smartest person Rei knew, and she firmly believed that he was one of the smartest people on the planet, not to mention one of the strongest. But the same circumstances that had limited his opportunities for friendship had also limited his knowledge and awareness of the emotions of others. And while she wasn't much better off, she knew enough to not go too far.
Knowing Izuku, he'd either go overboard by buying just about everything he could find for Uraraka, overwhelming the poor girl who had so obviously come from a poorer background, or he'd still go overboard in his fixation on fashion and clothing, which wouldn't work for the same reason. Neither was ideal for her right now.
Well, Rei intended to buy a lot too, but she knew how she would go about it.
Letting out another yawn, Rei finally dragged herself into a standing position, taking a moment to stretch out before heading off towards her bathroom.
A few minutes later and she was freshly showered and dressed for the day, feeling considerably more alert. Just in time, too. She could already smell whatever Izuku was cooking for breakfast.
Opening the sliding door that led into the living room, her mouth started watering as the smell hit her full force. Moving through, a smile appeared on her face as she found the source. As always, Izuku was already hard at work preparing the meal. She watched as he all but danced around the kitchen, focused entirely on the food and hands blurring occasionally as he worked. The only thing that would make the scene better would be if he were wearing an apron; maybe she could get one for him when his birthday came around?
Uraraka was already at the table, still in her pajamas and sitting in a chair that Izuku had bought one day after school. She was slumped over, her head propped up on her hand, eyes barely open. She didn't seem to be much of a morning person.
"Come on over." Izuku called out, eyes darting over to her for just a moment before returning to the task at hand. "The food's just about ready."
Rei complied, smile still in place. "Good morning to you too."
She saw him grow a smirk of his own. "Good morning."
The moment she was settled at the table, Izuku deposited a steaming mug in front of her. She wrapped her hands around it, enjoying its warmth, and brought it up to her face to sniff at it. She almost sighed in pleasure as smell of fresh coffee hit her senses. It wasn't often that she needed it, but when she did, Izuku always seemed to know before she even left her room and had it ready for her. It was a wonder that she never even smelled it until it was right under her nose.
Across from her, another mug was set in front of Uraraka, the movement and the smell drawing the girl from her half-sleep.
Taking a sip from her coffee, Rei smiled at her. "Good morning Uraraka."
Taking a drink of her own, Uraraka's eyes seemed to struggle for a moment to focus on Rei, before she mumbled out a mostly intelligible "Morning." in response.
A few minutes later, and after a refill for both of them, Izuku was setting out plates full of food, settling down with his own a moment later. Uraraka was looking much more alert now that the caffeine was doing its part. The three of them sat in comfortable silence as they dug in. Rei savored the taste in every bite. Izuku's cooking was stellar as always.
"So, have you remembered to get your Lunch Rush cookbook signed yet?" She questioned after swallowing a bite.
Izuku froze at her words, fork halting halfway to his mouth as he stared at her.
"Shit." He almost whispered. "I forgot. How did I forget?"
His fork dropped back down to his plate, and Rei giggled at the completely lost expression on his face.
"Maybe you're just losing it in your old age." She suggested.
"You're older than I am." He retorted immediately. "But seriously. I have near-perfect memory. How did I manage to forget that? Especially when I wanted to get it signed so badly."
"The world may never know." Rei said. "But saying 'near-perfect' does imply that it isn't completely perfect. You're bound to have something slip through the cracks at some point."
He didn't seem to be listening, instead squinting down at his plate as he contemplated the non-issue.
Rei just rolled her eyes. "Whatever the case, just take the book in on Monday to get it signed. Don't stress yourself over something inconsequential."
Izuku pouted jokingly – she could see the upturn to his mouth – but complied, lifting his fork to continue working at his food.
"The two of you are heading out to go shopping today, right?" He asked after a moment. Rei knew that he already knew the answer to that. He was probably just trying to include Uraraka in the conversation.
Said girl, who up to that point had been watching the interaction with a look of amusement, spluttered at the question.
"Ah! Yes, that was the plan I think. But it's really not necessary for you to-."
"It is." Rei cut in before she could go any further. She didn't need Uraraka putting herself down. "At the very least, you need more clothes to wear. And I know that Izuku's planning on buying furniture for your room either way, so you're better off picking it out yourself so you'll at least end up with something you like."
Seeing the apprehension in Uraraka's expression, Rei continued.
"You're a part of this household now. Which means that you're our responsibility. We're going to take care of you and make sure you're comfortable. And part of that means making sure that plenty of clothes to pick from and having a room with more than just a bed."
"Okay…" Uraraka replied, turning her focus back to her food, her doubts silenced for the moment.
"So what are your plans for while we're gone?" Rei asked Izuku in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
"I've got some errands of my own I need to catch up on that I intend to use this weekend to take care of." He answered.
He was going to be getting ahead of schedule on his analysis work and digging through the information he and Shadow had been digging up on their nightly ventures. Rei was also pretty sure he'd mentioned wanting to get back into contact with Nezu again. The two still hadn't had a chance to talk since before the entrance exams.
She hummed in acknowledgement, and the three of them dropped back into silence as they finished their meal.
---
Some time later and Rei and Uraraka were at their first stop in the outdoor mall where they'd be doing most of their shopping. It was slow going, but the two of them were gradually filling the cart with clothes.
Slow going because it was taking a bit of work to convince Uraraka to not just pick out the cheapest items she could find, and to shop based on preference first. And even once she was at the point where she was pretending not to look at price tags, she would still put an item back when she thought the price was too high, even though it so very obviously piqued her interest. Rei settled for discreetly grabbing them once they moved on and adding them to the cart while Uraraka wasn't looking.
It wasn't long before they were laden down with bags full of everything she might need. Casual wear, pajamas, athletic wear, and even a few items that were a bit more formal, should she ever have need of something like that.
"Are we going to going to carry this all back to you- the apartment now?" Uraraka asked, looking slightly hopeful that they were done spending money on her.
"Don't worry." Rei responded with a smile as she pulled out her phone to send a message. "I've got it covered."
Barely five minutes later, the fluttering of giant wings overhead grabbed their attention, along with that of most of the people nearby. Looking up, they saw Izuku coming in for a landing, touching down right in front of them.
"Giant reptile delivery service. How may I be of assistance." He deadpanned as his wings folded against his back.
"Here you go~." Rei said with a smile as she handed off the bags in her arms, before motioning for Uraraka to do the same.
"Is this everything?" He asked once he had all the bags looped around his arms, not even fazed by the amount.
"For now."
"Alrighty then. I'll see you later."
With that, his wings stretched out once more, and he launched himself back into the air, drawing the attention of the people around them once more.
Smile still in place, Rei turned to Uraraka. "Ready for round two?"
She saw Uraraka practically sweatdrop in response.
---
Partway through the second load, when they were heading to a new store, they passed by a hero merchandise store. Something in the window caught Uraraka's attention, and she stopped to look at it. Coming to her side, Rei noticed a little Thirteen figurine on display.
"You like Thirteen?" She asked.
Uraraka nodded in response. "She's my favorite hero! It's not often that she has merch out. Most of the time it's all just All Might or one of the other bigger heroes."
"Not that there's anything wrong with All Might of course!" She backtracked. "He's number one and everyone says he's their favorite. But Thirteen is a rescue hero, and her quirk is space themed, like mine."
Rei hummed in agreement as they continued to look at the figurine. "Do you want to be a rescue hero?"
Uraraka nodded again. "I do. I'd rather focus on saving people than fighting villains. But I've still been learning how to use my quirk offensively. I know that it's unrealistic to expect to never fight."
"Smart." Rei said. "You never know when you'll need to put down the villain that's making you save people in the first place. Besides, your quirk is ideal for pacifying criminals. A single touch and they can't really do much to fight back. You wouldn't even have to really hurt anyone."
Uraraka smiled at her words.
After a few moments, Rei spoke up again.
"Do you want it?"
"Want what?" Uraraka asked.
"The figurine." Rei said, gesturing at it.
"Ah! No that's not-. We don't have to get it."
"That's not what I asked." Rei responded. "I asked if you wanted it. There's nothing wrong if you do, and you just said that it isn't often that she has merch available."
"I-." Uraraka seemed to struggle over what to say, before she visibly relented. "I do want it."
Good, she was at least starting to not fight being spoiled.
"Then let's go get you some hero merchandise." Rei said as she moved to the store entrance, Uraraka joining her a moment later. She didn't miss the small smile on the brunette's face as they entered.
By the time Izuku arrived to haul the second load home, there were a few bags full of as much Thirteen-related merchandise as they could find, with a choice few others mixed in. Uraraka's smile had brightened considerably.
---
Before long they were taking a break for lunch at the mall��s food court, digging into their selections from the plethora of restaurants all around them. It was good, but it didn't hold a candle to Izuku's cooking. Even the leftovers of said cooking, which is normally what she had for 'lunch' in the middle of the night.
They were about halfway through the meal when Uraraka spoke up.
"So, if you don't mind me asking." The girl began, looking a bit nervous. "How are you able to pay for all of this? Or live in that apartment? Izuku mentioned before that you don't live with your parents. Do they send you money or something?"
Rei almost would've laughed at the notion of either or their parents sending them anything. Almost. Were the reality not so grim.
"Nope." She responded. "Our parents are… Let's just say that they aren't in the picture and haven't been for a very long while.
"Oh. Then how…"
"It's all Izuku."
A look of confusion plastered itself across Uraraka's face. "Izuku works? But he's attending Yueii?"
Rei sighed as she considered her answer. Luckily, she'd already talked to Izuku about this and gotten his approval for this sort of circumstance. He was okay with her telling the truth. It was better than lying to Uraraka about something so trivial.
"Have you ever heard of the quirk analyst, Deku?" She asked.
Uraraka nodded, still confused. Actually, Rei was pretty sure she remembered Izuku mentioning something about a gravity quirk a few months ago. Had that been Uraraka?
"That's Izuku." Rei continued. "He's Deku."
Uraraka's eyes widened to the point it was almost comical, and Rei very nearly started laughing at her shock.
"Wha- huh?" Uraraka spluttered like a fish out of water. "He's Deku? But that's-. He's the reason I got into Yueii!"
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"I sent in a request a few months ago, because I knew that I was aiming for hero schools and wanted to know how to prepare. I wasn't really expecting anything back because I couldn't afford to send money with it, but he sent it back a few hours later and it had so much advice for me. Because of what he told me, I can use my quirk for so much longer, and on so much more, than I ever could before, including on myself. And I also started putting what little money I had into martial arts classes."
"Because of what he told me, I was able to get third place in the entrance exams, and managed to get into my dream school!"
"Well, firstly, don't give him all the credit." Rei said once the words had stopped spilling out of Uraraka's mouth. "He gave you the advice, but you still had to be the one to actually do something with it. You're the one unlocking your potential, he's just the one that showed you the path to take."
"And second, your quirk made an impression on him. He loves quirks, and goes through dozens within a day, but I still remember him gushing about yours over dinner that day."
Uraraka didn't seem to know what to say to that, blushing slightly at the praise and Rei's comment about Izuku, so she settled for moving on to something else.
"But wait." She said. The look of confusion was back. "I read somewhere that Deku has been active for nearly nine years now. How's that possible? Surely there has to be someone else?"
"No, it's just him." Rei answered. "And you're not wrong. Officially, he's been Deku since he was eleven years old. Unofficially, he's been analyzing quirks for a bit longer."
And there was the fish again.
"But how? Aren't there, like, classes or certifications you have to take for that sort of thing? And wouldn't he have still been in school then? Although, he's mentioned that he finished school really early."
"Correct again." Rei said. "He did finish school extremely early, and he got those degrees not long after."
She took a breath. Now for the part that she'd almost hoped that she wouldn't have to get into.
"Has Izuku told you, or at least hinted, that we know what it's like to live in less-than-ideal conditions?"
Uraraka nodded and Rei continued on.
"Well, that's the watered-down version. What he means is that the two of us were completely homeless for a good portion of our lives, and then lived in crappy apartments for a few more years before moving to where we are now."
She ignored Uraraka's look of shock as she spoke.
"From Izuku's fourth birthday, until just before his ninth, we were on the streets, and then until just before his fourteenth we were in the cheapest apartment we could find."
"So, when you said that your parents haven't been in the picture for a while…"
Rei nodded. "I meant that quite literally. And just in case you were going to ask, I have no intention of explaining exactly how we ended up like that. At least certainly not here and now."
"Okay. But how did you manage to get out of that?"
"It's all been because of Izuku. I got the first job I could find when I turned fourteen, and around the same time, when he was eight, Izuku realized just how smart he really was, and started educating himself. Within a year, he'd gotten himself to a high school level, and another year after that he was moving on to college-level courses. He had two college degrees just after his eleventh birthday, and just kept going from there. He went crazy with his analysis, to the point where he was burning through a few hundred in a single week, and it wasn't long before we were able to get by with that alone."
"Just how smart is he." Uraraka said after a moment of shocked silence, to which Rei let out a small laugh.
"Technically, I'm pretty sure his IQ can't be classified on a normal scale. There are tests out there that were built for people with intelligence quirks to use, which I'm fairly certain the official one was put together by your principal, Nezu, but I don't think he's taken it to find out."
He'd told her before that he had more than one intelligence quirk enhancing his mind, and she knew for a fact that those were among the ones that he never turned off. Part of her was curious about where his IQ would actually fall if he were to take the test.
"What the fuck." Uraraka whispered, only to slap her hands over her mouth at the profanity, her face already starting to turn red.
Rei let out a bigger laugh at that. "Right? Like, he was years younger than me, but he was the one teaching me and getting me through school."
She was about to say something else when an alarm sounded out somewhere off to their side. Looking over, she saw a small group of people rushing into a nearby jewelry store. The front windows were already shattered, which was likely what triggered the alarm.
As everyone around them rushed to get away or pull out their phones, either to record the commotion or report it to the police, Rei pulled out her own for a different reason. As she watched the robbery, she held her finger over a button on the screen, ready to tap it should the situation require it.
In essence, it was a panic button, similar to what most phones had if they needed to contact the police but couldn't speak. The only difference was that hers didn't connect her to the police. If pressed, it would send a signal directly to Izuku's phone.
Actually, there were two buttons on the screen. They both sent a signal to the same place, but would achieve two very different outcomes depending on which was pressed.
The first would have Izuku show up as quick as he could to make sure she didn't get hurt and focus on getting her away from whatever was happening.
The second was reserved for if she were in much more immediate danger. Pressing it would let Izuku know that whatever was happening had a decent chance of getting her hurt or killed, and would trigger a very specific response. Within a minute or so of pressing it, Oni would drop out of the sky in all his fury, and would do whatever was necessary to put a stop to whatever was happening as quickly as possible.
For a simple robbery, her finger hovered over the first one.
Thankfully, she hadn't been in a situation where she needed to use either, but it made both of them feel better knowing that she had the option. Despite being off the streets for as long as they had been, neither of them had really grown out of the fierce protectiveness they held for each other.
Uraraka glanced over at Rei, halfway out of her chair. "Shouldn't we get out of here?"
Rei's eyes didn't leave the jewelry store. "Not unless it escalates. They're here to rob a store. So long as no one does anything stupid, they'll have no reason to do anything else. And besides, with as many people as there are around here, it won't take long for police or heroes to show up."
Just she said that, they both heard a faint whistling noise, accompanied by an instantly recognizable laugh. Rei rolled her eyes and put her phone away, knowing that she wouldn't be needing it now.
All Might, in all his glory, landed right in front of the store, crouched to soften his landing. As he stood, the entire mall fell silent.
"It's all right now! I am here!" He said, voice booming through the space.
At the sound of his signature catchphrase, all of the people that had stuck around erupted into cheers. At the same time, the criminals all dropped whatever they were holding, surrendering themselves immediately. Were it any other hero, they might've fought back, but they were smarter than to try to go up against the number one hero.
It didn't take long after that for the police to arrive and restrain the criminals, with All Might standing over them to make sure they didn't try anything. Once they were being led away, the crowd surged forwards. They had somehow managed to restrain themselves while the criminals were still loose, but not that the danger was gone, they were restless and demanded his attention.
All Might took it in stride, smile remaining in place, if not brightening further, as the crowd pushed in on all sides. He did his best to placate them for a few moments, his voice lost in the cacophony, before he decided to put a stop to it.
"I'm sorry citizens, but I must be going now! Duty calls!"
That managed to get everyone to back off, however reluctantly, and he was able to breathe again.
Just as he was crouching down to launch himself back into the air, Uraraka stood up from her seat.
"Thank you, All Might!" She called, waving her hand at him.
The hero glanced over at the noise, and a split-second later recognition passed across his face. In a flash he was up and walking over to their table.
"Young Uraraka!" He greeted. "How wonderful to see you. And with-" He looked at Rei, eyes passing over her tail. "Young… Etsumi?"
She smiled. "Yes, but not the one you're used to. I'm Izuku's sister."
"I didn't know he had a sister." All Might said, still looking her over, before letting out a laugh, slightly quieter than usual. "The resemblance is certainly there."
Rei was about to respond when people started getting closer again.
"Whoops, looks like I really must be going now!" All Might said as he crouched once more. "I shall see you tomorrow for more hero training, Young Uraraka!"
Without another word, and just as the crowd was pressing in, he took off into the air.
With the hero gone, the people dispersed again, most eyeing Rei and Uraraka as they did, jealous or angry that they had the privilege to speak with the number one hero.
Once they were alone again, and things returned to some semblance of normal, Rei turned to Uraraka.
"Well then. Now that all of that mess is dealt with, what do you say we go get you some furniture."
"I would say that you don't have to, but I know that you'll still end up getting some anyway."
"That's the spirit!"
---
By the time they finished, the two of them had picked out a whole room's worth of furniture for Uraraka. They found a massive set of space-themed blackout curtains for the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up one wall of the room, along with a matching bedspread. They also picked out a matching dresser and nightstand set, and a desk. All of it came in sets to be assembled later, and all of it had already been carried back to the apartment by Izuku.
Afterwards they went through and found a few more miscellaneous items to help decorate the room, like an area rug, a few posters – in addition to the ones they'd picked up in the hero merchandise store -, a lamp, a fan, some books, and a few other smaller items.
Rei made a note to pick out a new phone and computer for Uraraka once they got home. She could probably find something that would suit the girl's needs while they were at the mall, but that might be a step too far for her right this moment. There was a difference between buying clothes and even a few pieces of furniture, and buying brand new electronic devices. She'd still buy them, but Uraraka wouldn't know about it until it was done.
The two of them made their way out of the mall, carrying the few bags they'd ended up getting after Izuku's last trip, and started on the path back to the apartment. In the distance, the sun was slowly beginning to sink towards the horizon. It wouldn't be too much longer before it set completely.
Rei found herself satisfied with how the day went. They'd accomplished everything they needed to and then some. Uraraka now had a full wardrobe and everything she needed to make sure she was comfortable while she attended Yueii. Rei now felt like she had a good grasp on what type of person Uraraka was; kind, almost to a fault, and humble, but with an underlying determination that made it clear to Rei why she'd been able to get into Yueii. It wasn't surprising that Izuku had taken a liking to her.
She hummed to herself as they made their way down the street, pulling her phone out to send a message to Izuku, letting him know that they were heading back, and giving him plenty of warning to hide anything incriminating.
She continued to hum as she put her phone away.
Rei had already known before, but after today, she was doubly sure; she didn't mind that Izuku had offered Uraraka a place to stay. She would even go so far as to say that she was glad he did.
---
Izuku stared down at the spread of papers scattered beneath him, brow creased as his eyes flickered between them. Swinging himself across the room, he dropped closer to one in particular so he could focus on what was written on it.
He was currently stuck to the ceiling of his office. 'Gecko' keeping his tail stuck to the surface to clear up floorspace and giving him freedom to move his torso over the mess below. He was in the process of sorting through all of the information he and Shadow had gathered over the past few nights. He'd spread it all out across the floor, matching it up with a mental image of a map of the city he'd found and memorized.
Raising a hand, he made a grabbing motion at a book lying on his desk, making it float over to him. Opening it up, he pulled out another piece of paper and set it in an empty spot on the floor.
He was working to figure out just how widespread The Triad was, and to map out everything that was associated with them. If he could work out patterns in their locations and facilities, he might be able to start working out where some of there leadership might be located.
He'd already started to pick up on a pattern with the processing facilities in relation to the locations that capture crews were based out of, and he'd even made a connection to a few adjacent cities. From the little information he had on the other cities, everything seemed to be based out of Shadow's, which was why there seemed to be such a high concentration in such close proximity, nothing anywhere else seemed to be nearly so widespread or as dug in. He hoped that meant that this was where the leadership was, and not that this just happened to be a good area for kidnapping people.
A buzz from his phone drew his attention away. It was Rei, letting him know that she and Uraraka were on their way back. That brought a smile to his face. It seemed like Rei was successful with everything she'd wanted to get for Uraraka, at least if the sheer volume of stuff he'd carried back was anything to go by. He hoped that Uraraka would be happy with everything. He wanted her to be comfortable.
His smile died as he took one last look at the spread of papers, superimposing the mental map over it once more before he would clean it all up. He picked out a few in particular, making a note to pass them along to Shadow. The other vigilante seemed to be restless, and wanted to try to make more progress outside of their nightly ventures. Izuku was fine with that; Shadow seemed competent enough to take care of himself.
He made another grabbing motion to lift up a random paper, it had information on a holding facility that bordered the city. It served a similar purpose to the first one they'd taken down, a waystation of sorts, only the shipments that passed through it all came from another city.
"Kamino." He muttered as he moved to gather everything up. "What's so special about you? To have The Triad resurrect within your borders."
"What are you hiding?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone