Mind Games - Chapter 40

“-and, I'm uh... sorry, that it's taken so long to arrange this, Toga-chan,” Shinso Niko stated, coughing into his fist. “I've just been, um... very busy with work orders, recently.”

“That's okay! Father often has to stay late at work!” Himiko chirped happily. “I'm just glad I finally got to meet Hitoshi's otou-san! Hee-hee!”

A wave of crashing anxiety and relief swept over the room.

If you didn't know Himiko, which my father very much did not, you would have sworn that she couldn't even feel it with how apparently non-existent her reaction was. Personally, I could see the micro-expression denoting surprise and unease, the tension in her muscles that were fractions of a second away from triggering a fight or flight response, and the way her eyes dilated as she swept the room for threats and exfiltration routes.

“W-well, I'm glad we finally managed to arrange something,” Dad stated, returning to his fish and pickled vegetables. “This is a good meal, Hitoshi. We haven't had something like this in a long time.”

Himiko blinked at me slowly.

“Both of us prefer fresh vegetables,” I answered the unasked question with a small shrug. “It's kind of rare for us to go to the extra effort given we're two guys.”

“Oh, I didn't mean to put you out!” Himiko replied, the barest trace of an apology in her tone. “The miso is very good.”

“Hitoshi made it himself,” Dad stated, a smile touching his face as we felt an invisible sun warm our skin. “He's really stepped up in the kitchen lately.”

“He's a very good cook,” Himiko nodded, then pouted as she glared at me playfully. “It makes me jealous. I should be better at cooking than him.”

“Ah, well... the wagashi you brought look delicious, Toga-chan,” Niko amended quickly, casting a look at a covered dish where painstakingly decorated traditional Japanese confections rested.

“Thank you so much! Mother helped guide me through the process,” Himiko stated proudly. “She and Father are very happy that my relationship with Hitoshi is progressing apace.”

“Oh, that's... um, good,” Niko hummed, his eyes seeking mine for a long moment as an ethereal whirlwind of confusion swept through the room.

Himiko's chopsticks clicked on open air, the single click a non-verbal plea.

“You mentioned they'd been giving you more work?” I poked my father mildly. “Was that Deternat or one of your other contracts?”

“Oh, uh... Incredi-tech, actually,” Niko blinked, the strange currents of un-weather stilling abruptly in surprise. “They had some security breaches recently and they wanted an overhaul of their older systems. It's all ancient C-Secure stuff from the early Dark Ages. Honestly, they should just eat the cost and upgrade everything.”

“Eeeeewww, C-Secure is gross!” Himiko pulled a face. “The only thing it does well is big batch data transfers and even then Trekka is waa~aay better at that these days.”

“Exactly!” Niko cried, pointing his chopsticks at Himiko in a way that made her twitch. “That's what I've been telling – wait, you know coding?”

My lip twitched.

“Mmm, yep! Coding is Himiko's hobby – kind of, I guess? Hitoshi says I need something that's fun and coding is fun. Making all the little numbers and letters make sense and be cute is nice,” Himiko nodded firmly.

“That's, ah... not how I would put it, but I think I understand,” Dad stated, sounding a bit stunned as an invisible sun beat down on us. “So what are your thoughts on the FURU system update that just got sent out?”

“Ah... it's like trying to take the ugly girl in class and make her pretty, but not understanding how fashion works?” Himiko rambled aloud. “Each piece is nice, but they didn't really understand how to put everything together, so it all clashes and makes her look worse.”

A spring's rain of amusement started to fall as my father snorted, “An interesting way to put it. I see what you're talking about, though. The interface with the various pieces is clumsy and spools up too much memory when operating at higher loads.”

“It's a pretty cute little OS for low-performance machines, but no one who's serious about doing important stuff should be using it,” Himiko giggled and shook her head. “I told Endeavor that when I patched security holes in the network. He made a cute face and the room got really hot all of a sudden. Hot Ice-senpai said the guy from their company had said that it was really-super-secure with high performance stuff.”

I wondered how Dad would react to learning what had actually happened beyond the highlight reel Himiko had just given him.

A 'cute face' was, after all, one hell of a way to interpret the apocalyptic anger on our mutual boss' face when the revelation of the exact cause behind all of the glitches in the agency was finally driven home. To be perfectly fair, the OS wasn't that bad. But Himiko's criticism wasn't unfounded, either.

Between River and Cass, I could see enough to be sincerely concerned. And even then, it wasn't what Himiko saw, especially through Kira's eyes. Even as much of a miracle as my mind was, there were certain tasks that she simply excelled at now. The amplification of her own hypersensitive awareness and the coordinator's hyper-computational abilities made her... something more than what she had been.

And she'd already been more than human.

I could code, yes, but what Himiko could do was different. She could rewrite entire operating systems when she got it into her head that they were 'cute enough,' which translated to what kind of high-end functionality she saw in its unfulfilled potential.

It was interesting, I wouldn't lie.

Coding was all about making something functional and, eventually, refining the product until it compiled and performed to the greatest extent possible. It was taking a bunch of bits and pieces, numbers and letters and equations and instructions, and telling a greater whole how to effectively function within an information ecosystem it was but a small part of. A significant part of that was ensuring its behavior was optimized and without significant deviation and...

...stop me if you see where I'm going with this analogy.

I didn't know whether I entirely approved of the way coding meshed with her behavioral sensibilities regarding society at large, but I'd noticed Himiko was significantly calmer while working on snarled and dysfunctional programming. She simply enjoyed putting order to chaos, and my cleaning-type OCD was strong enough that I couldn't really throw black kettles at glass houses.

Or however that saying went.

I listened in as my girlfriend and my father lost themselves in an extremely nerdy discussion about things no one beyond that profession actually cared for until the desert was well and finished. “Himiko, you wanted to see my room?”

“Oh! Yes, I'd like to, of course, dear!” Himiko stated, hopping up from the table and heading for the hallway. “I'll wait for you there!”

My father, who'd jerked slightly at the way Himiko had said 'dear,' blinked at the statement and her suddenly-empty spot at the table. “Shouldn't you show her...”

He waved vaguely towards my room.

I shrugged and tapped my nose. “Heteromophic trait. She'll be able to tell.”

Niko blinked again, “Ah... so...”

“She's giving us time to have a private conversation,” I explained with a shrug, picking up one of the last sweets she'd made and taking a small bite out of it. One one layer, these were a familiar – if rare – treat, on the other though, they were something foreign and contained nowhere near enough sugar for someone who'd grown up eating pecan pie and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. “I told you that Himiko is moving into an apartment so that she can make the commute to UA more easily, right?”

Niko nodded slowly, the feeling of a deep sea of suspicion with dark waters sweeping past me. “Hitoshi...”

“I'm not moving out,” I waved him off, knowing – quite literally – where his mind had gone. Dad relaxed, the deep waters becoming shallow, but not disappearing. “But I did want to let you know that I'll be staying at her place a few nights each week.”

The man grimaced, “I'm not sure if I-”

“I'll still be making your meals like usual,” I noted, continuing as if the man hadn't spoken. “And her apartment comes with a small laundry unit, so even if I don't have a spare uniform with me, I can launder the one I'm currently wearing. And I'm open to sending you a text or calling every day for a few months to let you know that I'm at her place and not wandering the town at all hours or sleeping in and missing classes or something.”

The barest hint of a roiling storm filled the air, static seeming to cloud the room as I felt the apparent pressure drop. “Hitoshi, that's not what I'm concerned about.”

I hummed and nibbled on my sweet a bit more. “No kids until after high school. Himiko thought she could manage her final year, but-”

A surge in the pressure now, as the room filled up with a presence, my father leaning forward to bring the flat of his fist down on the table. All things told, it was a relatively weak expression of anger compared to what other people might indulge in, but... all the more significant for the fact that it was Shinso Niko demonstrating it.

There was silence for a moment as the threatening storm began to roll back, my father taking controlled breaths to tamp down on his temper.

There were memories, the same type which had made my pulse race during the confrontation in that conference room at school, bearing down on me. Living with this man had been oppressive for a child to endure, each mood a full weather front in a confined space and no way out. Anger was rare, true, but frustration was common enough with larger projects and tight schedules, and the only thing that changed was the violence inherent in the storm those two emotions brought.

Anger was a towering thunderhead, full of sound and fury, trying to tear apart the foundations of your very being. It came and went with equal suddenness, pushing and pulling as turbulence mounted. Whereas frustration was less intense, but a steady howl of rain and pressure that could be all the more maddening without the distance of secure walls to block them out.

But I have those walls now. You can't just huff and puff and blow me down now, Dad.

I could still feel the storm, but it was lessened now. Something that was happening outside, past a barrier, where I could see the water pounding and trying to get in, but ineffectually. I understood the turbulence, I'd stood in this very storm before unprotected, but it couldn't touch me.

“I'm sorry,” Niko began, closing his eyes briefly and rubbing at his eyes. “That was... I shouldn't have lost my temper. I just... you're not even fifteen yet, Hitoshi. Spending nights with your girlfriend, that isn't something I'm comfortable with.”

Time for both barrels.

“She's going to be your daughter-in-law, Dad,” I told him bluntly, making him jerk. “For all intents and purposes, she already is.”

“You mean, she-” Niko's eyes widened.

“Knowingly,” I nodded, leaning back in my chair.

“O-oh,” he mumbled, slightly stunned. His eyes tracked back to the direction of my room from where he sat. “W-well... she's a smart girl, there's that at least. So I can't say it was an accident on her part, no...”

I allowed the man to mutter and ruminate for another few moments, then glance back to me and appear to snap himself out of his fugue. I cleared my throat. “Himiko and I fit together. She doesn't care about my quirk, or yours-”

And that's another lie I'll put next to baiting you into snapping out of anger a few minutes ago.

“-and she knows about Mom.” Dad winced at that, looking away again, in the opposite direction. “She's attending UA with me, in the hero track with me, and we're working together at the same agency as interns.”

Even if my 'internship' was in name only and hers was subsidized through renting her apartment and offering a living-allowance.

“She can even hold up a conversation with a mega-nerd about coding,” I nodded at him. “So while I get that you think we're moving too fast – and, honestly, I do too to a degree – we make each other happy and unless I can track down a zaibatsu heiress who'll hook me up with a harem of mistresses, I'm pretty sure Himiko is the absolute best prospect I'm going to be able to achieve.”

Niko looked back, staring at me for a long moment, then allowed his shoulders to droop. “When you put things like that, Hitoshi, yes. She's seems like she's the perfect girl. But that's precisely why I don't want you to spoil things by jumping into the deep end before you're ready.”

I nodded. “Which is why this will only be for a night or two at a time. We might just sleep in the same bed, or something else might happen, but if we're absolutely not going to work out together because we can't stand sharing the same space, it'd be better to find that out now than three years down the line the hard way.”

“So... how will that work given you're...” Niko searched for the right word, “already committed to each other?”

“It likely ends with us getting apartments next door from each other and maintaining separate living conditions parallel to one another,” I replied dryly. “Although considering how much time we're spending with each other and how close we are to cohabitating already, I find that unlikely.”

“It seems like you've... given this a lot of thought,” Niko stated, the storm further quelling but stubbornly refusing to vanish.

“Given the seriousness of the topic, I thought I should,” I stated, standing up from the table. “I'll let you give it the same consideration I did and, if you have any concerns, bring them up with me later.”

Leaving the table first was a power move, as was referring to the conclusion of the discussion as finished, at least tacitly. I wasn't lying in that I would listen to his concerns, but they wouldn't change the outcome of my decision. Unless Dad wanted to go to war over this – and as his last real social connection, I was too valuable to risk doing that for – he'd accept it. It was a cold-blooded way to resolve the matter, but I didn't really need family drama on top of everything else.

“Hitoshi,” Dad called, shifting in his chair as he rose as well.

I turned back, raising an eyebrow.

“Your mother...” Niko paused, frowning. “For what it's worth, I think she'll like Himiko.”

I smiled, and nodded. “Thanks, Dad. That actually helps a lot.”

“Good,” Niko nodded, then waved me off. “You see to your girl, I'll clean things up here.”

Feeling better, I traced the well-worn path to my room, finding Himiko busying herself looking through the small collection of pornography I'd had stashed in one of my desk drawers. Dad had never been motivated enough to be curious about my 'reading habits' since Mom was put away, so they were in a fairly insecure place. If someone was really out to get me, they'd go after the computer and not my fap material.

When they lifted the desktop from its mounting, of course, the pepper spray would trigger and they'd get what they deserved.

“Hitoshi likes sisters,” Himiko noted as she flipped the page. “Do you want Reiko?”

The question was neutral, not accusatory, but then I hardly expected something as mundane as an accusation from the girl who'd offered me one of her closest friends on a silver platter.

“I'm exploring other options at the moment,” I replied.

“Hmm... but the contract said you need three,” Himiko noted, frowning. “Reiko would be nice! I think. I've been trying to arrange snacks at cafes with her, but Mother and Father are making it difficult.”

“Before I evaluate the possibility that I bind Reiko,” I answered, a bit tiredly, “I'd like to meet her personally and get to know her. I'm not telling you no, Himiko, I'm telling you 'not now.'”

“Focus on Kyoka first, then.” Himiko nodded.

I sighed and pulled her with me to sit on my bed together. “Wife, listen to me. Adding people to our relationship is a joint decision, one which I would prefer to put off for some time. I want us, you and I, to have more time together to enjoy being together before we make plans for another person.”

Himiko's smile turned dreamy and toothy at the confession and she leaned against me as she sighed happily. “Okay, Husband. I promise not to bring it up again for some time. I just want to make sure some slut doesn't come in and try to wreck our home.”

I was grateful Himiko couldn't see my expression at the moment, her face pressed into the nape of my neck as it was. “Your Mother's advice?”

“Mmm... yeah, Mother knows a lot about this stuff. There have been a lot of naughty women who tried to get Father to leave her,” Himiko nodded. “So now she vets any mistresses he has! Just like I'm doing! Mother was so proud of me when I asked for advice!”

I swear this girl is going to give me a stroke one day.

“Your father has mistresses?” I asked instead, morbidly curious.

Himiko hummed against me. “Yep! He sometimes smells like other women when he comes home. Once it was a man, even! I finally asked Mother why and she said that the average married man in Japan has an affair of some kind. They talked about it and agreed that he gets to have one every three years and she gets one every five. Then they have a fight about it in a semi-public setting and everything goes back to normal.”

I stared at my wall for a moment, taking comfort in its plain boring nature.

“Himiko, Dear,” I stated blankly. “I don't want you to have an affair.”

“Hmm... I guess?” Himiko sighed a bit, her breath hot against my skin. “Does that mean I can't enjoy the cuties Hitoshi picks?”

“Those will be mutually-agreed-upon,” I replied dryly, “so they're fine.”

“Oh, that's nice!” Himiko chirped happily. “Also, your father's quirk is weird. I know you explained it, but I don't like it. Are we going to eat here often? Because feeling the emotions he projects, even if I'm protected... it makes me feel all twisty and... not-good.”

I took my mental model of my father and estimated how much and how often he would want to see Himiko. “I'll make sure you have each other's numbers and can contact each other that way. He'd likely be more comfortable with a video call, honestly.”

“That's great!” Himiko laughed, smiling. “My Husband is so smart!”

“I'd also like to not meet your parents very often, either, Wife,” I stated bluntly.

Himiko pouted – the expression mostly performative, I felt – and nodded. “Okay, I know which excuses Mother and Father will accept. I'll let you know if there's something important you need to attend. Like when we go visit my grandparents in Kyoto next winter. We'll have been dating long enough that you will probably need to meet them.”

I vaguely recalled that being the reason why we hadn't done anything for Christmas a few months ago. “That sounds good, I'll inform you similarly.”

“Yay!” Himiko cheered lightly, throwing her arms around my neck and giving me a kiss on the cheek before disengaging. “Now I need to get back to the apartment so I can get ready for tomorrow!”

I sighed at the state of my life in general and rose with Himiko off the bed. “Alright, let's tell my father goodnight and I'll walk you to the station.”

…

UA loomed large the next morning.

I'd met Himiko at the station closest to the school, barely a ten minute walk from UA itself and its expansive grounds. The area around the school had obviously shifted to conform to those who most-frequented the neighborhoods. A significant number of the stores catered to younger age groups, specifically teenagers, and focused on various kinds of secondary life-style equipment most heroes-in-training required.

There were a few public gyms, places that sold Detnerat gear, custom-fitted clothing for heteromorphic quirks, and several on-the-go eateries in addition to the obligatory book stores and cafes.

To answer the burning question on everyone's mind, though... no, Starbucks hadn't survived the Dark Ages. Societal collapse apparently means people go back to prepackaged stuff. I think the brand still existed, but the stores were pretty much defunct.

“I haven't seen you before, and you're awfully short to be an upper-year transfer.”

I pulled out my wallet and flipped the relevant document out. The girl who'd spoken to me, an upperclassman, leaned over slightly and frowned at it for a moment, then blinked.

“Hitoshi-kun's already passed the test and has his license,” Himiko chimed in from my side with a smile. “So he gets to wear his costume instead of his uniform.”

Hado Nejire blinked and dipped her head in a bow, “My apologies, Shinso-kun. I thought you were just a particularly dedicated Eraserhead cosplayer.”

I shrugged, “The man has good taste.”

Her serious, almost grave, expression broke slightly and she snorted. “Well, it'll be interesting if you have his class, at least. Tell him Nejire said hello, if you do.”

I gave her a thumbs-up and we parted ways at that.

“She's nice!” Himiko chirped, smiling.

I turned and gave her a raised eyebrow.

“Just nice!” Himiko smiled wider. “I promised!”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, but led her on.

“It's so uncute that we're in different homerooms, though,” Himiko sighed as she continued to walk with me towards the tower that housed the hero course students. “Why couldn't they put us together?”

“Probably because Vlad King has a blood-related quirk and wanted you in his class,” I replied, leaning on the common fanon explanation for such shenanigans. And it wasn't all that unlikely, either. I knew well enough that teachers enjoyed seeing a student that reminded them of themselves every now and then.

“And Eraserhead wants you because you dress like him,” Himiko nodded.

I hummed, not wanting to fight her on that. I didn't think the man was so shallow that he's select a student based entirely on that criteria. Although, if he'd decided that I could be a reasonable body-double to get out of doing his work, I wouldn't put it past him. Maybe he thought sticking me behind the podium up front meant he could nap in peace...

“I'll see you at lunch!” Himiko declared, kissed my cheek – much to the looks of irritation and envy by our classmates – and skipped off to her classroom.

I sighed and tromped towards my own.

~~~

And we're officially at UA! For real this time! First day of class and everything!

...god, I'm just realizing how long this story is going to run for. Well, at least it's fun to write.

Anyway! I'm going to try and squeeze in one more update before the month ends. It'll probably be one of those that go out right before/right after the new poll for October. I think I'll try and close out that cliffhanger for The Hand We're Dealt.

Spooky Season is also upon us. That'll be a thing.

As always, though, thank you for your patience and support!