Chapter 14: Dual Tuning
"Bye-bye, Jiro-chan! Good luck in UA!"
The rock-loving teen waved at the girl as she disappeared from view. Grabbing the nylon bag from the bench she was on, she stood up and began her trek home. She idly thought of jacking into her phone and playing a Soul'd Out album, but ultimately decided against it. So she idly hummed a tune, occasionally swaying to the melody.
"Mom, I'm back with the groceries!" she called out as she stepped into the house.
"Oh, thank you Kyoka!" replied Mira Jiro, her blue hair peeking from behind the kitchen entrance. "Did you get everything?"
"Yep. Even the milk."
The woman nodded and pushed up her glasses. "That's great. Your father will be here in time for dinner, he's out drinking with a friend. Do you have anything you need to do?"
Kyoka shook her head. "Nope."
"Then you're free until dinner" she waved her off as she turned around. With that conversation over, Kyoka headed up to her room.
Falling on the soft bed, the purple-haired girl let out a sigh as she allowed her eyes to roam around the room and take in the rock-themed décor. From the instruments at the corner of the room to the various band posters, this was her sanctuary, the one place where she could unwind and relax. And knowing what would happen soon, she would need to savor every second she could.
'Good luck in UA!'
U.A. High. Some days she couldn't believe it, thinking it was a dream or hallucination caused by the adrenaline rush of fighting robots. But the letter was still there. Containing a message from All-Might himself.
She smiled at the memory of that day. Both her parents were with her, hands on her shoulders to support her no matter what, just like when she told them her choice:
"Helping out others and making them happy…it just seems so cool!"
She would forever be grateful to them, no if they said it was their job as her parents. And when she heard that recording…
"Congratulations, young Jiro! This is your Hero Academia!"
The rock session that night felt like an earthquake.
As those memories came up, so did queries about what it would be like. She saw plenty of stories online, but none of them would compare to being there as a student in person. What kind of training will there be? What will the teachers be like? What will the other trainees be like?
Just like pre-school but with more fighting.
Thoughts still swimming in her head, Kyoka pulled out her phone and jacked into it. Hitting the 'random' button on her playlist, she closed her eyes as Dio started ripping his guitar.
[DIO - Rainbow in the Dark]
And so she lay there, allowing the hard rock beats to soothe her fears, her feet occasionally bobbing to the beat. But when the song neared its end, a ping rang in her ears. Holding up the phone, she saw the simple message:
Hello. How are you?
She checked the sender, blinked, and cracked a smile at the name on her screen.
Ritsu-oji.
The next song started to play. Kyoka looked at the message for a few more moments and typed in her response.
Fine, just chillin. What's up?
Same. Nothing much going on.
Now, while Kyoka was no social butterfly and she was accused once or twice of being too blunt, she had a good deal of experience with chatting and texting. Being in a band both in Elementary and Junior High helped with that. Combined with her two encounters with the older boy, she recognized something she saw every time a new member joined the band group chat.
He was someone who barely talked to other people.
The retirement home not giving you enough meds?
Ha ha. Hilarious.
So what does one do to open a person up socially? Make jokes. Even in the world of Quirks and Heroes, no amount of weird appearances will take away the image of a white-haired elder. It was too big of a target to ignore.
But seriously, I'm just playing on the pc. School's not gonna start for a bit.
Same. But UA.
True dat.
Truthfully, Kyoka was surprised at herself. Why was she trying to befriend a boy she barely knew? She didn't know the full answer yet. But there was…something.
A minute passed and no one replied.
How's the weather?
Yeah. Case in point.
-x-
Wow. I do not know whether or not to give in to the urge to dig a hole right here and bury myself.
How's the weather? Come on Ritsu, what are you, some boring salaryman!?
I lean backward as I feel heat rush to my cheeks. It's just a goddamn text message! Why is it so embarrassing?
Fine. How about you?
Ugh…if she's not laughing behind her screen, I'll eat my mask.
A bit nippy, but also fine.
I rack my brain for any more topics of conversation before this whole thing turns into an old ladies' tea chat. Maybe I should ask Mawla for – no. Just no.
I scratch my futon as I stare at the chat. Come on…there's gotta be something…
What do you think school's gonna be like?
I blink at the new message. A topic! I'm saved!
Most likely just like first year, but harder homework. A few might change homerooms, but I don't think there's gonna be anything groundbreaking. If anything, I should be asking you that question.
What, how do I think my school year's gonna go?
Of course, it's UA! Not exactly your everyday high school!
A few moments pass. Another ping.
To be honest? I have no idea.
What do you mean?
Well, what do you think a Hero is supposed to learn at a Hero school?
I rub my chin. That's a very good question. If it's anything like my own training (although probably way less lethal and sadistic than Mawla makes it) then…
Combat, for one. If fighting giant robots wasn't a huge flag wave, I don't know what is. Maybe first aid, useful for patching yourself up. Parkour, what with all the roof-jumping Heroes love to do. PR maybe? I'm just throwing stuff out there.
More moments pass.
I think you just answered your own question.
-x-
Jiro couldn't stop snickering at the text. For someone who didn't go to a Hero school, he certainly put a lot of thought into it.
Are you sure you didn't think of joining a Hero school?
Positive. This is just me thinking about it.
She took her eyes off the screen and let her eyes wander around the room, mulling over his words. All of those certainly sounded like what she heard on online chats or the brochure she was given. But to actually experience it was another matter altogether.
Eventually, she returned her gaze to the phone.
So, any advice?
…
Advice?
Yeah, what should I do?
After a minute of radio silence, he replied. Again, you're asking the wrong guy. I'm sure there are plenty of people online who can give you tips.
What he said was true. She did take a look at some blogs and chats of UA students and graduates and some of those gave pretty detailed descriptions of the expectations and the curriculum. If she went online and PM'ed one of them, she was sure to get a response. But for some reason, that wasn't what Jiro was looking for.
Like I told you in the mall, outside perspective. I don't care if it's a stupid suggestion.
Another minute passed.
Be prepared for anything. That's all I can think of.
The rock-loving girl's lips twitched at the reply. Thanks.
She put down her phone and stared at the ceiling, a sigh escaping her lips. As her fingers idly moved to play another song on her playlist, thoughts of her future as a Hero swam through her mind, with Ritsu's word remaining on top.
'Be prepared…well, better it's than nothing. And definitely not a stupid suggestion.'
That was…nerve-wracking.
I flop down on the futon and let my phone slip from my hand. Why on earth was this so…difficult? I mean, I'm not 100% socially awkward, or at least I don't think I am.
…well, at least it ended on a good note and I gave her some advice. Which is weird considering she might try and stop me one day. But what was I supposed to do, ignore her? No, I promised Mom that I would try, and I damn well did. If it comes back to haunt me, I'll think of something.
'It appears as though I might need to add in etiquette and conversation lessons to thy tasks, contractor. I have seen mutes with better tact than what thou just displayed.'
"Oh, come on!" I moan, rolling my head on the pillow. "It wasn't that bad! I just never engaged in idle conversation that much. I mean, she did end up liking my advice." I hope.
'True, but that is no excuse. I do not expect thee to be a master orator or the like, but extracting information from conversations is a skill thou art all too familiar with, art thou not?'
"Of course I am!"
'Then it is even more prudent for thee to learn this skill. A potential source of knowledge will not always be inebriated and threats may not always provide thee with optimal results.'
I let out a sigh and lean back. Well, Mawla has spoken. Looks like my brain's gonna be working overtime in the future, so I best make good use of what time I have left. I slowly let myself drift off, the aches of a late-night scouting session fading from my mind.
…
…
…this is nice. I should do this more –
DING-DING-DING!
My eyelids swiftly shoot up. That was not my phone's ringtone. And Mom is out, so that left…
I scurry over to my duffel bag and pull out the black smartphone. I'm still unsure if I shouldn't have just left it at the hideout, but Mawla taught me that information is often like fish; it's better when it's fresh.
I unlock the screen and a single message appears.
Dabi: Got something juicy. You interested?
-x-
"…I will inform my secretary to deliver you the files by tomorrow. Mr. Fueguchi, you have the floor."
It took a great deal of effort from Asuka Ogawa not to groan. The meeting had stretched on for what seemed like hours. Files were laid out all over the conference table and half-empty or empty glasses of water stood before each of her colleagues. At this point, she almost didn't remember what was even the purpose of this meeting.
'Ugh, thank goodness I gave my report early. At least I got that over with.'
The dark-haired lawyer idly played with her glass, her thoughts drifting further and further away from the meeting. 'I love this job, I really do, but there are days like this where I just want to get up and…' she shook her head. 'No, Asuka. Remember that poor intern. He came out of the head's office shaking like a leaf.'
Fortunately for her, Mr. Fueguchi was brief in his words (whatever they were). When he finished, the bespectacled man at the head of the table rose. "Thank you for that Mr. Fueguchi. Now, unless there is anything else on the agenda…" he quickly scrolled through his phone. "I think we could all use a break. Believe me, even I can get restless with these meetings."
A brief chuckle went around the room, Asuka included. The man clapped his hands. "If that is all then, we meet next week, same time, same station."
Asuka groaned as she rose from her chair, her colleagues following suit. She quickly gathered her papers into her file and power-walked out the door. Her destination?
The coffee machine. That invention of the gods which every working man alive swore by.
The woman grinned as she approached the table where the machine stood, right next to a jar of sugar, a carton of milk, and a stack of paper cups. No one else was around; perfect. Just in time to avoid the post-meeting line. Within minutes of any meeting in the building, everyone involved would line up at the machine and try to take the best coffee capsules, provided they didn't bring their own. Then they would just resume their jobs, guzzling down the hot drink as they did so.
'Not Ritsu' she thought, inserting the capsule into the machine and pressing a button. 'He'd just go down and get some ice cream from that stall down the street. Or just pull a tub from the kitchenette freezer. Or anything that's not coffee.'
The thought of her son brought a happy smile to Asuka's face. 'Heh, but he'd just sleep right from the start, or at least read a book right in front of the boss's face. Cheeky brat…'
"What's with the smile Ogawa? The meeting wasn't anything special; unless you count Minamoto's new haircut."
She turned around and scoffed. "Please, with that much hair gel? He's trying too hard."
The woman before her crossed her arms and shrugged, her hair bun bouncing once or twice. "He looks better than last time. Remember when he went to wash his face? He came out like a hedgehog!" The woman giggled at the memory.
Asuka heard the machine stop whirring and grabbed the cup. "So again, what's with the smile?"
"Don't you have a report to write, Misaki?" she asked the woman, sipping the beverage. "I remember the boss telling you to get on it as soon as we were done."
The woman – Misaki - grinned and flexed her fingers, revealing mechanical-looking coverings running along the bone and ending at the knuckles. "Already halfway done. I managed to sneak in my tablet."
Asuka snorted into her cup. Misaki's Quirk, Robo-Joints, allowed her to turn any part of her limbs into mechanical instruments. When she applied the Quirk to her fingers, she could type five times faster than any human could. She even got special touch-sensitive pads for her fingertips so they wouldn't break any screen or keyboard she was using.
"Is that before or after the spell-check? 'Cause I don't think I need to remind you what happened the last time you rushed a report. It looked something like a preschooler might've written. In crayon."
Her fellow attorney pouted. "Asuka, you're so mean! That was one time!"
The dark-haired woman chuckled. "Yeah, but it's one time that I'll never forget." She started walking down the firm's hallway, with Mikoto following close by.
"But come on, what was that smile?"
Asuka gave Misaki a quick glance before sighing. The woman was not going to stop until she got an answer, no matter what. A good trait in the business, but not in times like these. Still, if only to get it over with… "Just thinking about what my son would do in a meeting like this. Probably fall asleep on the spot."
A bright smile graced Misaki's face. "Ritsu? How is the little guy? I haven't seen him in ages!"
"He's hardly little, Misaki," Asuka said as she stepped into her office. It was a rather modest space, with a simple desk and computer along with a few cabinets. The view was nice though, stretching out into the city. "And he's fine. Just finished his first year of high school."
Misaki nodded. "An important step. Is he thinking about what he wants to do in life?"
The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "I think it's a little too early to start asking that but…" she trailed off. It was an intriguing question, to say the least. "You know what? I don't really know. I don't remember asking him, at least seriously. But if I had to guess?" she shrugged as she sat down in her office chair. "Probably something related to history. Maybe an archaeologist. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows more than some professors at this point."
"Hmm…maybe you could offer him a spot here? I'm sure you could talk to the boss and convince him to reserve a spot for him."
Asuka looked up at her colleague before letting out a sharp bark of laughter. "HAH! Ritsu, a lawyer? I'd have a better chance of getting him to drink a pot of coffee than this job!" She shook her head. "No, he'd choose something else. Maybe something that would let him travel around the world; I know how much he wants to do that…"
Misaki shrugged. "Just throwing it out there." Noticing her coworker looking at her screen with a soft smile, she walked around the desk and took a look. The desktop wallpaper was a picture, taken in front of a temple in Kyoto – Tenryu-ji, Misaki recalled - of a younger Asuka wearing a dark jacket and sunglasses, and holding her hand was what had to be a young Ritsu smiling at the camera, his white dash of hair nearly covering his eye and an infectious smile on his face.
"…you really love him, don't you? All those times I invited you to our bar crawls – you wanted to spend time with him."
"It's the least I can do," replied Asuka softly. "He's more than just my son; he's practically my best friend. I just can't imagine what these past years could've been like without him." Noticing Misaki's slightly confused look, she chuckled and shook her head. "It's a mother thing. If you have a kid of your own, you'll understand."
The woman shook her head. "Not me! Single and proud of it, girl!" she exclaimed, striking a pose with a victory sign over her eyes, making Asuka chortle.
"That's the exact attitude I sometimes get from Ritsu. I mean, I know it's a bit early, but I need to add a cute couple picture to the album!"
"You can't rush these things, my dear colleague" Misaki said as she wagged a robotic finger at the dark-haired lawyer. "You gotta let it come naturally." But then she saw the beginnings of Asuka's famous grin – the one she used whenever she knew she had a case in the bag. "You have something planned, do you?"
The dark-haired lawyer looked at her with a faux-innocent expression. "Me? Heavens no! I'm just a concerned mother who keeps track of my son's new developing friendships."
Misaki grinned; so that's what it was. Knowing nothing more needed to be said, Misaki pulled out her tablet from her file and started scrolling through it, occasionally tapping. A calm silence settled over the two women, although a few minutes later it was broken by the steel-fingered woman's broken hum.
"It's him again…"
Asuka looked up from her screen. "'Him?'"
Misaki turned the tablet around and showed her. Displayed on the screen was a news article which she began reading.
"No progress has been made on the investigation of what has been dubbed the 'Hosu Massacre'. Police and Hero Agencies alike have been scouring the office building for any clue that would lead to the whereabouts or identity of the individual suspected in killing the hostage-takers. While no exact details were given since the incident, it has been all but confirmed by eyewitness evidence that the killer of former Pro Hero Domino, Shinigami, is responsible. Tokyo PD has not released an official statement in regards to this case, but an anonymous tip from police headquarters says that investigators have Shinigami as the primary suspect due to the nature of the deaths, involving a possible invisibility Quirk. Unlike the Domino case, no security camera recording was available due to a localized blackout during the time of the incident…"
She lifted her gaze from the screen and met Misaki's worried look. "It's only been a few days, Misaki. We of all people should know that finding evidence is never always a quick process."
"I know that, it's just…the police say that he's been doing killings like this for a while. And do you honestly believe they haven't found anything new about him yet?"
Asuka shrugged. "Even if they did, it doesn't matter. The authorities can't allow panic to spread from misinformation. Any piece of intel they reveal to the public might bite them back in their paper-pushing asses if it's faulty. When the demand for answers reaches a certain point and they have enough reliable information, then they'll release it."
"In a perfect world, maybe" commented Misaki, to which Asuka chortled again. The mother waved at her colleague reassuringly. "Don't worry too much Misaki. In the end, they'll catch him. They always do."
"Do you think they'll ask us to represent him in court?"
"If he has the cash to pay the boss? Maybe. If not, then we can always watch it on TV."
"But aren't you at least a little frightened? I mean, what did you think when you saw that video for the first time?"
Asuka stilled and slightly looked down, lightly biting her lip, before looking back up at her. "How would you react if you saw a man being burned alive, Misaki?"
The woman flinched. "O-oh, I'm sorry-"
"No, no, it's fine" Asuka cut in, waving her off. "Let me just finish typing this up, ok?"
She returned to her screen and Misaki did the same, trying to hide her flushed cheeks with the screen's glow. All the while a thought trickled into Asuka's mind.
'Heh, doesn't Ritsu's mask look a bit like Shinigami's? I mean sure, anyone could get a skull mask at any cheap costume store for a few hundred Yen, but still, there's something odd about it. Gah, I don't know. I should at least tell him not to wear it in public. I don't want him to attract too much trouble…"
-x-
Later, nighttime…
The moon
And I alone remain;
Cooling on the bridge.
For her, it was not a bridge, but a path. Surrounded by tall bamboo stalks, obscuring the lunar light.
The evening breeze gently brushed against her cheeks. The gravel under her sandals softly crackled against the rustling of the leaves. The sleeves of her kimono, usually clean and pristine, marred.
The faint light of her house shone in the distance, peeking between the natural arch of stalks. Everyone would have gone to bed by now, and those who knew her would pay no mind.
If a bystander were to look at her, they would see no signs of distress or tiredness. Only serenity. But she felt her heartbeat wildly in her chest.
No, control.
In and out.
Sun and moon.
Yin and yang.
She cared not. It was hardly the first time.
But as she moved to cross the boundaries of her home, she stopped.
No one else would hear them. But she could not ignore them. Sometimes during the day, sometimes at night. But they all carried the same tone to them. An absoluteness that could not be denied. A weight that she was intimately familiar with.
She walked up the stairs and slid open the door, her e͓̋͢y̶̡̻͍͙̻͎̓͆̏͆̚͘͟͡ę̐͂̀̇͆ͮ̋ͭ̃͏͏́͘̕҉̵͏̮͙̥̘͈͓̟͚ͅs̡̢̨͔̥̮̠̞̒̆͛̎ͨ͘͢ slowly closing.
How many more times tonight, will the bells in the dark ring?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone