Mind Games - Chapter 22

Kirishima Eijiro fiddled with the settings on his computer, frowning thoughtfully. “Let's see, Hitoshi said that the best way to get the bug out of the audio was...”

Pushing the little slider as far as it would go, he saved the settings and pulled the mic up. “Testing, testing, one-two-three... Crimson Riot is the best hero!”

“I don't know, I'm still partial to Ryukyu.”

Eijiro blinked, turning and slapping his face with his hand. “Ugh, I left the door open again, didn't I, Ma?”

Flashing him a sharp-toothed grin, she nodded in his doorway. “That you did, boy. Gearing up for another stream?”

Eijiro hummed, stretching. “Yeah, Hitoshi's finally got things with his agency sorted out, so he's going to be on for an hour or two with me tonight.”

Kirishima Reiko's smile broadened. “So you're up to given names already, huh?”

The teenager felt his cheeks heat, “Ma, come off it. He's got a girlfriend already, it's not like that. Hitoshi... he's just... informal with friends. I don't think he's had many.”

His mother's smile faded and her expression sobered as her son's tone took a turn for the contemplative and melancholic. Eijiro himself frowned. It was one of those things that Hitoshi had occasionally mentioned in the more academic side of their hero training. 'Conspicuous by its absence.' It wasn't a phrase he'd been familiar with before that, but a neat one to have in his pocket for special occasions.

Occasions like noticing his friend had never spoken about his own friends even once in the months they'd been hanging out together.

Not even when prompted.

Eijiro nudged Hitoshi with an elbow. “Oh, c'mon man! You've gotta' have at least one or two stories from school. I told you about the time me and my buds made fools of ourselves at the talent show during the cultural festival last year. Gimme sumthin!”

Hitoshi frowned as he leaned back against the park table they were taking a break on. “Hmm... I guess there was this time last year two guys got in a fight over a girl...”

His stories were always like that.

Nothing that included him, just events that had happened around him. It was as if he was a silent observer to his own school life. Eijiro felt awkward about prying further, but the only thing he could really do was resolve to show Hitoshi all the perks of having a best bud that he'd missed out on!

It was the manly thing to do, after all!

“People judge by the kind of quirk you have, Eiji,” Reiko sighed, rubbing at her head. “Sometimes there’s something to it, I've seen a lot of really nasty quirks in my time, but usually it's more about the person than whatever they can do with their power.”

“Hitoshi's good people, Ma,” Eijiro nodded, smiling. “You've heard the way he talks.”

Reiko snorted, grinning again. “I have. And I've seen the effect he's had on you, which is why I'll remind you again that you should bring him by for dinner. Maybe he'll wise up and dump that girlfriend once he's had a taste of your mom's home-cooking!”

This time Eijiro felt like his cheeks were actually on fire, not just hot. “Ugh, Ma! Just... I'll see about it, but cut the jokes while he's here, alright? I don't even know if he'd be cool with knowing about that, okay?”

The muscular woman sniffed pointedly. “If he's not, then he's not the type of person you should be associating with, Eiji. Much less the type who should want to be a hero.”

Eijiro opened his mouth to respond, but his mother shook her head and held up a hand. “I know, I know... just, be careful. Even if he's got an unlucky quirk, don't pin your hopes too high on him. I don't want to see you hurt.”

Eijiro chewed on that advice for a moment. “That's why you want me to bring him over, isn't it? To see you and Mom and find out what he thinks?”

Reiko blinked, then gave him an assessing look. “Huh, well he can't be all that bad if he's finally got you using your brain.”

Eijiro rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah... I'll... I'll see about maybe next week? He really has been busy.”

Reiko nodded. “I'll see about asking Suki to buy some good stuff for next week then. I'll let you get onto the streaming stuff.”

“Thanks, Ma. I'll try to remember to close the door next time,” he called as it shut behind her.

Sighing, he rubbed at his face before reaching for the mask and slipping it on. The cursor for Bootstrap was already lit up, so all he had to do was join this time instead of starting it up.

“-and it looks like Buster's joining us now,” Hitoshi called out across the channel as Eijiro joined, the other masked boy stretching languidly that hinted at the defined musculature-

No, Bad Eijiro. He's taken.

“Yo Party People, who's ready to get Manly!?” Kirishima shouted into his mic, flexing as much as he could while still seated in his chair.

Hitoshi's head dropped to his desk, impacting the wood with a solid thunk. “Oh my gods. It was a joke. I can't believe you're sticking with that as your intro phrase.”

Eijiro laughed and scratched at the back of his head, inwardly reflecting that the best part about full-face masks was that no one could see you blush. “I-is it that bad, really?”

NerfHerder: It is. It really is.

Bobox42: Nah, dood, keep it. You can pull it off.

Alskdfj: Hate to agree with Nerf up there, but it is really bad. If you were less of a cinnamon roll, it wouldn't work.

Bobox42: But he is. So it works.

Yukkkun: Not a cinnamon roll, Buster reminds me of a puppy. Like a corgi or a terrier. Adorable.

Kerry: Buster = Doggo. New headcanon.

SunrakuRizzer: No. Buster = Best Doggo.

“Welp, that's not going away anytime soon,” Hitoshi chuckled. “Oh, know what? I'll take a reasonable request from the first person who uploads Puppy-Buster art.”

“Noooo...” Eijiro felt himself whine. “Aren't you the one who told me not to encourage them, Bootstrap? C'mon Dude!”

“Heh. I said not to encourage them when they're making fun of ME. I didn't say anything about you,” his friend gloated, leaning back and cradling his hands behind his head.

“You suck so much,” Eijiro muttered, unable to fight off the smile on his face and once again grateful for the mask. “Ugh! Okay, what are we supposed to be doing with this one, anyway?”

“For all my many sins, I have been burdened with the immense weight of announcing we will be doing a karaoke episode for the stream in a week or two,” Hitoshi sighed audibly. “I'd say I didn't know what I've done to deserve this, but that would be a lie.”

“Aw, it won't be that bad, man! Karaoke's fun! I bet you'll sound great!” Eijiro cheered him on, playing the happy-go-lucky character Buster needed to be in order to properly foil Bootstrap's deadpan cynical melodrama. Admittedly, Kirishima found it a naturally-easy role to fall into, even if it was somewhat tiring throwing off the quieter side to his personality that had dominated his middle school life so far.

“Karaoke isn't about sounding good. It's about sounding terrible together,” Hitoshi replied so dryly that Eijiro had to laugh.

OMJezuz: Holy shit! Someone finally gets it! Praise be Bootstrap!

UTUTUT: I think that's another quote for the quote pit.

LOL365+/-1: Hey, are we just gonna let Bootstrap's first showing in a week go by without asking him about the internship!?

booty: Yeah! Woo! Internship news!

FlameFan86: What's Endeavor like?! Have you met him!?

“Oops, someone remembered why you haven't been around, Bootstrap,” Eijiro chuckled, his friend taking a put-upon pose as if the sudden influx of questions were literally weighing him down.

“Okay, yeah-yeah, I'll answer...” Hitoshi took a moment to compose himself in front of the camera, grabbing a bottle of one of those nasty energy drinks he'd been chugging lately and maneuvering his mask so he could draw from it through a straw.

“Endeavor's Agency... so, I've been there a week and there's a lot I can't talk about. In addition to active cases that I'm very, very peripherally involved in by virtue of filing paperwork for a few pro-heroes, there's also a lot that goes on with the Big Boss in relation to coordinating with government departments, foreign hero teams, and high-level stuff like that.” Hitoshi paused for effect as the chat was suitably appreciative. “So any questions like that? I'm going to either ignore or ridicule you over. You've been informed, enjoy the roast.”

CALLOUT: Fake. It's all fake. Now way some no-body is entering at Endeavor's Agency. Especially a shill like this fucker!

Dude-DOOD-Dude: Not this nut again.

HzelnutDonot: Bootstrap Buster Ban this guy PLEASE?!

Eijiro began to instinctively for the moderator functions Hitoshi had briefed him on, but the other teenager held up a hand.

“Now, now, just because someone's being an idiot I'm not going to ban them. I'm going to mock them. I'm especially going to make fun of them for thinking my photoshop skills are good enough to fake the pictures of me and Hot Ice or me and the three amigos.” Hitoshi took another pull from his neon sewer water before continuing lazily. “I'm also going to mock him for thinking that Endeavor wouldn't have sent a cease and desist order by now if I really was indulging in stupid bullsh-pit. Stupid Bullspit.”

“What's up, man? I've heard you say worse on the channel before,” Kirishima asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Hitoshi sighed and rubbed at his exposed eyes. “So, yeah... one unfortunate part of being formally affiliated with the Endeavor Agency is that I had a sit-down last week with one of their press teams. I have been told – in no uncertain terms – that I am a naughty boy with a dirty potty mouth and need to clean up my act.”

Eijiro shuddered once, twice, then three times before exploding in laughter so hard he fell out of his chair. Proving that his friend's off-screen quirk training was working, his body reflexively hardened enough to easily take what might have been a bruising fall, leaving him free to continue rolling on the floor, laughing.

(.)(.): LOL ROLF even.

Touchette: ROFL literally. Look at Buster!

CALLOUT: Laugh all you want you sheeple! There's no way a shill like you is working with the Endeavor Agency! If you are they've truly joined the ranks of the FALLEN HEROES!

“While Buster is trying not to choke to death on his own laughter, I'll further say that I'm genuinely confused whether this guy – or girl, I don't discriminate – is an Endeavor Stan or just a complete whackjob.” Eijiro heard Hitoshi comment, driving more wheezing laughter from him. “Okay, okay, I'll stop with the jokes before I need to find a new streaming partner. You okay over there, Buster?”

Eijiro let out a few more breathless chuckles before gripping the side of his desk to slowly leverage himself up. “D-dude... you've got to warn me before you drop a bomb like that. Holy crap. They're really making you watch your mouth, huh?”

“That's what they told me to do, but I had to explain that I wear a full-face mask, so that makes it hard to watch my own mouth,” Hitoshi hit a key and a rimshot sounded, then canned laughter rang out.

Eijro laughed a bit, more at the overblown effect than the humor itself. “Okay, but for real, what's the internship stuff like?”

“Surprisingly boring?” Hitoshi offered with a shrug, raising his arms to emphasize the gesture. “A lot of it is down to my age. There's a lot of legalese and insurance stuff that prevents me from going out on patrol with anyone since I'm not part of a formal hero school. That means I'm stuck doing a lot of internal scut work and learning how the agency itself operates. Oh, and to answer the question, I have met Endeavor, but he cuts a very intimidating figure and I don't know how he'd react to a photo request.”

“Eh, fair,” Eijiro commented, even as a number of people in the chat started posting chicken emojis. “Anything else you can tell us?”

“Hmm... while I can't go out on patrol, I am going to do a physical assessment tomorrow to see if I'm in the kind of shape a hero needs to be in. Granted, I'm still in junior high so I don't need to do anything crazy like take down a seasoned hero in one-on-one combat or anything, but there will be some sparring involved.” Hitoshi paused, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, and I'm going to be getting my quirk reassessed!”

“Why's that?” Eijiro asked, putting his chin on one hand contemplatively, as if he didn't already know the answer to the question. “I thought you knew what your quirk did?”

“I mean, I did too!” Hitoshi replied, holding empty palms skyward. “But they're the pros and they said my quirk doesn't work like I think it does, so I'm gonna take their word for it. Apparently I missed a doctor's appointment a few years ago to spot any development problems with my quirk and that's bad juju.”

“Any chance you'll let us know what your quirk is, finally?” Eijiro asked teasingly, as he was supposed to do once every few streams to build up the hype, mystery, and frustration.

“Like I've said before... it's a psychic quirk. I can't say anything beyond that, especially now since it looks like I might need to testify a teeny-tiny bit in court?” Hitoshi rambled out, and the chat exploded.

CALLOUT: BULLSHIT-BULLSHIT-BULLSHIT!

Joy8881: Our boy's goin' ta court!? He in trouble?!

PauperPrince: Nah, he's a hero-wannabe. Odds are he psychic'd up some evidence.

Touchette: You bastard, you scared us there! Thout you were going to jail!

“Hmm... gotta' side with chat on this one, Boss,” Eijiro grinned, even if they couldn't see it. “That was bait.”

“It was. That was bait,” Hitoshi replied unashamedly. “PauperPrince has it right. I ran into a suspect under questioning and accidentally figured some stuff out, but that's literally all I can tell you. For the unlucky bas-er, PERSON assigned to watch my streams... please report to legal that I am obeying their edicts!”

Eijiro chuckled again and redirected the conversation. “So, what kind of songs do you wanna' sing at karaoke next week?”

“We'll probably leave a few slots open for a top five vote so that chat can pick the most embarrassing or popular stuff they can think of, but for my choices? Two hundred year old Disney songs.”

Kirishima blinked as his phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket.

Pink Trouble: So when's the karaoke?

The worst part was that Hitoshi ended up being all for it.

…

Todoroki Fuyumi had not slept well.

She hadn't slept poorly or anything, just... not well.

She was a Pro-Hero, after all, and knew how to compartmentalize well enough to get enough rest to be functional the next day. It wasn't the healthiest outlook, she knew, but part of being a hero meant putting the needs of others before your own, at least to a certain extent.

'I'd rather be functional than healthy.'

But only to a certain extent.

And Shinso Hitoshi was treading such a line so thinly that she couldn't help but feel that he was going to cut himself on it, sooner or later.

“I swear to the gods, kid. You better be getting at least four hours of sleep,” Fuyumi growled, then shook it off as she threw down her morning cup of coffee perhaps a little too quickly. Even then, the almost-scalding liquid didn't do any damage; one of the things she had her father's side of the quirk she'd inherited to thank for.

Most cryokinetic quirks and their users didn't respond to excessive heat well.

Fuyumi, though? She had to walk into a blazing building before she'd break a sweat on temperature alone.

Hot Ice.

A name she'd earned.

 Today, she'd taken a break from the costume, though. Instead of the armored firefighter's coat, helmet, and boots, she was wearing a set of sweats over some of the better elastic supports she had. Having put in a patrol earlier, she had to admit it was nice – if unusual – to be walking around the Agency out of 'uniform.'

She'd also swapped a shift or two around and gotten the 'three amigos' as Shinso had referred to them on his stream last night, in on the action for today.

Even if they were a B-Team by the agency's classifications, they had the most experience with dealing with Bootstrap and she wanted the familiar faces on tap given how many new ones she was introducing to the kid today. Which... wasn't really about Bootstrap himself so much as the rest of the agency, really.

Shinso was the new wonder-kid, by all accounts, and it was rubbing a few people the wrong way. She wasn't sure if he knew it, but his early admittance to the internship program, then being offered a contract at fourteen as a 'reward' for involving himself in a human trafficking case in an act perilously close to vigilantism...

Well, to the outside observer, it reeked of favoritism.

Granted, it was somewhat unbelievable that the kid was fluent in over ten languages at the age of fourteen and increasing that count weekly now that he had access to their resources. Or that the kid had the kind of photographic memory usually only found in bad fiction. Or that he had the kind of traumatic backstory that was both horrifying and utterly astounding it hadn't turned him into the worst kind of villain.

The kind that had a legitimate grievance.

“Hey, Hot Ice, they find the infiltrator yet?” Brazier asked in a low voice as he walked over, the man looking a lot more casual in a t-shirt and baggy pants.

...and to top the day off, she had this to deal with.

“No such luck,” she replied, her tone equally soft as she looked around the room. “I understand the need for a penetration test every now and then given our government contracts, but I wish Da-er, Endeavor wouldn't pull this on us last-minute.”

“Isn't that kind of the point?” Charcoal rumbled, crossing his arms over a wife-beater stretched to its absolute limit by his gigantic size. “To catch us off-guard?”

“Shitty day to do it. Normally we wouldn't be caught up in the mess,” Onibi hummed, stretching in her own gym outfit even as Fuyumi sent a few glares towards the more obvious agency workers eyeing up the woman.

Really, you could at least wear something over that halter-top.

“Any day would probably be a shitty day,” Fuyumi sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Wow, everyone's here for little old me?”

Turning to the person who asked the question, Fuyumi's breath caught in her throat. Without the loose-fitting costume and clad in a pair of martial arts gi-pants with a tight piece of black exercise clothing that did precisely nothing to hide the chiseled abs on display or the sculpted physique of his arms. Seeing her looking, he flashed her a confident smirk as he paced slowly over to their group.

“Damn, that is one amazing cut of meat,” Emiko – Onibi – whispered in her ear.

“He's fourteen,” Fuyumi whispered, outraged and shocked.

“And, last I checked, you're nineteen. Tell me that isn't an age gap worth crossing,” Emiko rejoined, grinning widely.

Fuyumi took a deep breath and shrugged Emiko off, shaking her head to clear it. Her first instinct was to reply with the fact that Hitoshi had a girlfriend, but that would imply that she'd consider it even if he didn't, which she wouldn't. Even if the laws around the age of consent in Japan were... well, they had more holes in them than swiss cheese, really.

Some quirks gave people unfortunate appearances, after all, and other quirks gave different people extremely young appearances.

Even before someone got into the weeds with the actual application of laws, her position as a figure of authority, and the existence of the famously-saucy Midnight... well, she could. In theory. If she wanted to. Even if word got out, it would be one of the less salacious news stories of any given cycle. The worst part would be her father's disappointment.

That would sting even more than the disappointment she felt in herself.

Because Hitoshi had enough decency to turn down an easy cheesecake shot that the PR department had tried to pressure her into doing.

He deserved better than being treated like a notch on her lipstick case.

...even if there were few enough notches there to begin with.

Mentally setting aside her frosty love life, Fuyumi smiled as she approached Hitoshi. “Glad you could make it on time. I hope the security checks weren't too bad?”

Bootstrap shook his head, an amused smile on his face. “Nothing awful. Why'd they double-down today?”

Fuyumi sighed. “Don't tell anyone, but we're having a penetration test done today. Apparently they're an infiltrator that's going to be running around the agency today at some time. Department heads and active pro-heroes are on alert, but the rank and file haven't been made aware of the test.”

Bootstrap's eyebrows rose. “Huh. So, a test then? What do you get if you pass?”

Huffing a quiet laugh, she replied. “Well, first we don't have to sit through more security briefings, that's a prize in and of itself. Then whoever actually makes the catch gets a bonus and time off.”

Hitoshi whistled lowly, laughing. “Well, for what it's worth, I hope you catch them.”

“I'd like to, believe me,” Fuyumi sighed, drooping slightly. “It would really help my rep in the agency as someone other than just the boss' daughter and I'd love a bit of time off. Anyway... where's your girlfriend, anyway? I thought you said she was coming?”

“She ended up not feeling well today,” Hitoshi frowned and looked away, obviously a bit embarrassed. “I think... her time might have come early, this month.”

Fuyumi grimaced in sympathy. “Yeah, I could see why she might not be up for physical exercise like this. Still... if she really is interested in a job like this, she'll need to learn to work through the pain sometimes.”

“I'll talk to her about it. Maybe we could reschedule?” Hitoshi asked hopefully, an uneasy grin on his face.

“Maybe. I've gotten really busy with the trafficking case and arranging your early license, but we might be able to make something work. Honestly, I'm relieved though. Given what you implied yesterday... I'm just glad it's a normal problem keeping her away and not something more seriously.”

There was a flash of emotion too quick to catch on Hitoshi's face, but it was gone before it really registered. “Yeah... me too. Ah, by the way, do you know if the infiltrator is supposed to be doing something too? Like, does she have an objective to finish before you catch her?”

Fuyumi frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Hitoshi paused, then smirked. “Well... wouldn't I get the bonus too? Now that I'm under contract? Plus, I could take Himiko out somewhere nice with a little time off.”

The white-haired girl barked a laugh. “Hah! I suppose you would. Yeah... the infiltrator is supposed to get something from each of the Pro-Heroes' offices to prove that they were there and, apparently, they get a bonus if they leave actual marks with a permanent marker somewhere on a hero's body.”

Hitoshi nodded slowly. “That's... difficult. Well, maybe I'll catch them and give you the credit?”

Fuyumi rolled her eyes. “If you catch them, you deserve the credit, but don't get too bit a head just because you're our newest prodigy. Now, let's get started!”

~~~

...and here it is! The last chapter of March! In the early hours of April 1st!

No Fooling here, though! Or maybe there is?

Anyway, hope everyone enjoys the new chapter and there should be some The New Ron out in a few days. After the poll completes, we'll see what shocking and totally unexpected new front-runner gets the most chapters this month.

Thank you again for all of your support. It really means a lot to me.

*P.S. - Yes, I know there are typos in the chat-post sections. Those are intended as a mark of authenticity.