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Chapter 42: New Look, Old Arson
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 16:22:09 +0000 UTCChapter 42: New Look, Old Arson
The smell of exotic spices, foods, and drinks waffled through the air of the open market; people of all shapes and sizes went about their days; merchants advertised their wares and negotiated for the best price they could before clapping or shaking hands when those deals were struck. Customers walked about the place, some stopping at one of the many stores and stalls, some conversing with those they came with. Though Midoriya could hardly understand any of it, he could feel that most of it was pleasant.
Stepping away from a stall with beautiful-looking birds for sale, Pyre…Izuku turned away from it and continued skipping the path, taking in the place's sights, smells, and general atmosphere.
According to their captain, they had arrived in Manila the night before, right as scheduled. Because she knew the people around the port, they were able to get what they could and get off the ship without anyone seeing them. Those who should have been on watch had a monetary incentive to skip work that night. They would also have an incentive to be rather lax with inspecting the ship and its cargo when it leaves port in a few days. However, Izuku wouldn't be involved in that part.
In the meantime, he had some free time to kill, so instead of being boring like Swordkill and his men and 'laying low', he left the busy work to Nine and decided to explore the city. Honestly, he wondered why the Americans seemed so against it.
'We're in a foreign country well outside the range the heroes or anyone else would think we could end up in. A simple disguise and not getting into trouble would be enough to have some fun.' Izuku smiled at the thought, as all he had to do was change out the amber hair dye for a grey-haired wig. His terrible English wasn't even a bad thing here. Manila had tens of thousands of tourists, many of which didn't have English as their first language, so his Japanese features and accent didn't stick out any more than any other person here.
'Maybe it's the fact they're shot on cash.' That was a possible reason why Swordkill glared at him for suggesting they have fun, as he didn't know if they were paid in advance by the Professor, nor did he ask. But he knew he was set as he was able to find an ATM and easily withdraw another $1000 from one of the many accounts they had set up for themselves, something Giran suggested as a means to keep their funds out of the hero’s hands, with the more you had in different banks in different countries, the better as any one account getting compromised didn’t affect the others.
Humming a song to himself, he continued his day, walking through the informal market and shops, stopping when he found stalls and stores that sold bright-colored clothing. With stars in his eyes, he couldn't resist looking through what they had, talking with the merchants, and laughing as they tried. They largely succeeded in getting him to purchase clothing, new hair accessories, or shoes.
One bag turned into two, then three, as he kept going. "Thank you, young man, for your service. I hope you have a nice day!" An older gentleman with a smile waved him off after Izuku purchased some pants from him.
"You too, I'll be sure to tell my friend about you!" He waved back, though he wondered how they'd find this guy in another country…oh well, they could figure it out; maybe they could travel more when things in the future. Besides, he wasn't just getting stuff for himself as he peaked into the bag at those flashy women's pants he had purchased; he was sure Hasaki and the rest were going to love what he picked out for that; it was summer, so why not change up their closets?
As time went by, Izuku moved about the informal market, and he traveled deeper into it, carrying more bags. Despite the odd looks he was getting from some, he didn't show any issues carrying around five bags of clothing and other souvenirs as he stopped outside another business. As he read the name, it wasn't a gift shop, clothing seller, or some other traditional seller.
“CypherDen's Wondrous Stylists." Izuku read the sigh aloud, looking over the side of that odd name. He saw a picture of a pink-haired cat girl smugly smiling at any wounded customers. Underneath the more prominent business name, he saw it read "Hair and Nail Salon."
"Do I need to change things up? " he asked himself, placing his bags down to inspect his hands and nails. They didn't look bad, as he kept them clipped and clean, but they had no life to them or color— unlike Hasaki's, as she always had the best-cared-for nails. Reaching for his hair, he stopped as he recalled he was wearing a wig.
'Wouldn't do to remove it, but maybe we can work on it when I return to Japan?' He suggested before he sighed and moved to pick up his shopping and get on with his day. He would need to get this stuff back to the little motel so he would be free to hit the city's nightlife, as he had heard in passing from others how exciting things could get.
His contemplations didn't go unnoticed as an older woman walked out of the saloon towards him, a savvy business smile on her aged face. "Why, hello there, miss. I couldn't help but notice you were interested in my saloon. Perhaps you'll be looking to try out a new style? Come in, come in, and we can show you what we can do for you!" The pink-haired cat lady grasped him by the shoulders and guided him back into her store.
“But I’m not-!” Izuku tried to resist, but the woman, while frail-looking, had some muscle on her bones as she guided him inside, the little bell above the store ringing with their entry. Inside, Izuku saw it was a small set-up, with chairs for only 6 people to have their hair done and another 4 for people getting pedicures or manicures. Besides him, there were just 2 other clients, one getting their hair washed and another styled; both were old enough to be his mother while one older man was getting his feet tended to.
Izuku didn't know how to feel about being walked into what seemed like an old person's hair and nail salon.
The matron didn't seem to mind much; to her, any customer was good. "Oh, I insist; our prices are very reasonable, and I assure you that our quality never fails to leave a happy client. Inday! Come, we have a lovely young lady here who could look through some options for hair." At her call, someone came out of the back, a woman who seemed a few years older than him but incredibly tall, as Izuku figured she could look Kon in the eye if she wished. And just like Kon, she was a heteromorph, less cat girl and more humanoid feline.
When she saw him, her smile grew, showing off those pearly whites, which made Izuku think she saw him as food as she clapped. "Oh, not a regular? It's a shame she's a tourist because I'm sure we could get her to come back." Their English was definitely better than his own. Was it because they had a lot of foreign clients, or were there just plenty of regulars who spoke it instead of Filipino or Spanish?
Things were moving so fast that he didn't notice that the matron had already left to return to whatever she was doing before she spotted him. She left him with Inday, who gave him a quirk bow and hug, her fur-covered body hiding some impressive muscle.
"Morning, mam. I'm Inday, and here are just the same styles we offer here, but if you have something in mind, we can customize them to ensure your beautiful locks look their absolute best!" She was highly bubbly as she looked over her hair, which made him feel terrible. Aside from the fact that his hair was fake, and she was sure to notice, he wasn't who she thought.
“I…I’m a boy…” He admitted, pausing as it felt like the small group of people looked over, surprised by that statement. Still, Inday was back in the mood without missing a beat.
"Oh, you are a pretty one, aren't you? I can only imagine you must be popular with the girls and boys at school." She started to tease him, leaving him flustered as he recalled some of the things he had heard people say about him. from compliments about how 'pretty' he was to what some people, men, and women, wanted to do with him if they had the chance.
“I…no, that’s not the case.” He shook his head to clear away that, as he hadn't even kissed a girl before and could hardly process doing more than maybe snuggling on a couch or something.
Inday laughed. “They must be blind, as you're a real beauty! Such expressive and bright green eyes, a cute face with the right amount of youthful plumpness, lovely freckles to bring attention to your cheeks, and smooth, silk-like silver locks. Do you use any product?" She kept looking him over, but unseen by him, she frowned as she continued to inspect his hair, suspecting that it was a wig.
"Well, I shampoo my hair whenever I shower, but I need to use something to relax it," Izuku answered honestly, making her suspicions all the more prominent. His wig had straight hair and was easy to work with in any style. He wouldn't need a relaxing agent unless you wanted to damage it. Was that why he had a wig? He had made that mistake, and now his natural hair was dried out and brittle.
Well, she was great at what she did, and what she did was help make people look their best, so she quickly showed the smaller cutie of a boy to a free seat next to one of their regulars. One of the ladies in the community was practically everyone's aunt. "Say no more, my little man. I've had plenty of experience with such hair stands and found and created numerous ways to help."
“Pakiupo ka na lang at pakitingnan ang mga pagpipilian natin habang inihahanda ko ang mga gamit ko.” She patted the seat, leaving him confused about what she said, but he could infer enough from the context. Sitting down, she quickly grabbed a barber cape and put it on him with an experienced flourish. She handed him a book with the names, pictures, and prices of all they did.
Izuku wasn't so sure about this, especially with her strength, but he didn't want to just get up and leave. She seemed nice, and it wasn't like they had many clients. Besides, he wanted to try something new, and if what he saw in the book was a good indication, they knew what they were doing. As he looked through it, he saw most of the women's styles. More importantly, their clients had easier-to-manage hair, leaving him wondering if she could do this. Hasaki had to pull serious strings to get him the relaxant he typically used.
"Excuse me, but wouldn't some things not be something I can do?" He asked, to which his hair stylist hardly batted an eye as she gathered her supplies.
"Oh my boy, you don't need to worry about a thing. This is a battle I've fought many times, and I've not known defeat in five years." She came back over, leaning closer to purr into his ear. But I think you should ditch the wig, so I better know what I'm working with, " she told him, which made him freeze.
“You knew?” he asked, wondering if he needed to bolt. He had to be sure, as if she wasn't onto him, then running would only make things all the more suspicious.
She chortled. "Of course, I knew I wouldn't be worth my brush and hair dryer if I couldn't spot a fake from the genuine thing. Though that isn't a bad wig, you definitely didn't buy it from that cheapskate, Martin, a couple blocks down the street."
Izuku noted that she seemed calm and relaxed. The same was true for the rest, as he spied the matron doing some work to the side. However, she was not on the phone, as she input numbers into a calculator, so she was just balancing the books.
Looking back at Inday, she still seemed as friendly as ever, so he slowly reached for his head and removed the wig, exposing his green hair to her. However, there wasn't a single hint that she recognized him.
"Hmm, I can't say why you would hide your hair. It's amazing, as wild and green as a forest. But since I know what I'm working with, I can finetune my approach." She started by placing some of her tools down before heading back to the cardboard to look for a more suitable relaxant than the one she had wanted to use. As she looked, he continued perusing the options they offered before he landed on one that seemed to call to him. When he saw that they provided highlights, he immediately knew what he wanted.
When she returned, she seemed eager to start. “So, have you picked out what you want?” Izuku nodded as he pointed at the image. Gazing at it, she nodded before she smiled and held up the bottle and a comb. “Then let’s get to work.”
Line Break
"And we are done!" Inday said she had finished putting the finishing touches on his nails before turning him to a mirror so that he could see the new man, leaving him speechless.
The Izuku he saw in the mirror was nothing like the one he typically saw, as his generally wild, bushlike hair had been tamed into a more relaxed if still rebellious style as it was angled downwards, with a bit of tuff of hair tied into a cute tail on the back of his head. At the same time, he had a large bang covering the right side of his face, but despite that, his vision didn't seem impaired in the slightest. Adding color to the hair, Inday had followed his wishes and added yellow highlights to his hair, which contrasted wonderfully, like strips of gold placed on green fabric.
Holding his hands, he saw that his nails had been expertly cleaned, filed, and shaped. Each of them was painted a bright turquoise, which shone under the store's lights, and he was sure it would pop when out, whether under the sun or moonlight.
"Going by your smile, I would say I did a bang-up job," Inday noted as Izuku's face had a smile from ear to ear on it, the boy reaching for his opposing fingers to feel the freshly done nails or his hair and moving his fingers through them.
"I love it," Izuku started before he jumped to his feet and hugged the taller woman. I love it!" She laughed at his joy, patting his back before he calmed down. He paid for the services along with a large tip, and he was off with a hoop in his step.
Line Break
Eventually, Izuku had to stop by a local restaurant to grab a bite. He had left early, around 7 am, and now it was past 2 pm. Inday had worked fast, but he was still with her for 2 hours, and now he was hungry. He could have done for a chain establishment he knew, but he wanted to try out what the locals had daily; after all, when you traveled, part of the fun was experiencing such.
The place he had chosen wasn't fancy by any means, being quite rural looking with cheap wooden tables and plastic chairs for customers. The roof over their heads was less that and more a tarp, but it kept them out of the sun, and he was pretty sure that it was waterproof, so there was where his concerns ended. Having been seated at a table by himself, the waiter handed him a menu which, lucky for him, had its prices and decisions in English and Spanish, so he could read what it was and practice some Spanish along the way, a win-win.
After 30 minutes of doing that, the waiter returned, and Izuku went red when he realized he hadn't been looking for what he wanted to eat. So he picked the first thing he saw and went with that. When his waiter returned with his order, his nose was hit by the scent of spice and pork. When it was placed before him, Izuku saw that what he had ordered might have been the best dish he had ever seen.
The pork was placed on a heated metal plate, minced with the smell of melted butter and an uncooked egg that had been cracked over it, spring and Spanish onions, little orange-looking circus halves, and green and red chilies peppered around it.
He slowly picked up his fork and spoon, gathering some of the pork onto the latter before tasting it, which led to him letting out a moan at the flavor explosion in his mouth, as he could taste the meaty texture along with the fried and grilled fat that had been left in the dish, the sour and sweet sauces along with the bite of what tasted like garlic. That first bite turned into two and then three as he ate his meal like it was the first meal he had had in weeks, mixing the pork with the rest of the ingredients, spraying the circus juice onto it as it meant to add to the experience.
“Oh?” Izuku noted as he went for another bite, only to see that he had already finished, leaving an empty plate.
“Was the meal to your liking, sir?” the waiter asked him, an amused smile on his face. He never tired of tourists losing their appetites when they ate their food.
"That and more. Can I please get another serving?" Izuku asked, feeling like he could have another three or four plates of that. In fact, he had to find out more about it so he could try to make it for the rest when he got back!
"Of course, let me just take those used dishes, and I'll be back with more." The waiter laughed as he quickly collected the plates, his glass, and his utensils and turned to leave, but there was a crash to the side. Looking over, Izuku saw that the cause was a kid who had run into another waiter, which led to the woman dropping the bowls she had been supporting on her tray.
The boy seemed scared to be there but was also pretty skinny and dirty. He got up to try and leave as he was being yelled at to stay, but then the security stepped in and caught the boy. Looking over to his waiter, the man hardly seemed surprised by the incident. "What was that about?"
“Just some gutter punk, probably trying to steal cash. It happens now and then here.” The waiter dismissed, but Izuku still looked as if it seemed the man didn't want him to see how the security and the manager yelled at the boy in Spanish. Izuku only caught pieces of it, but it seemed like the kid was known to them. His frown grew when he heard threats leveled at the kid, who was promptly kicked out.
With that in mind, he told the man he would return to watch his stuff, paying for the first meal before he walked out, ignoring how the man yelled that he couldn't watch his stuff and still handle his job. Getting out into the street, he looked about to try and find his target before he managed to see a piece of faded yellow turning the corner, power walking in that direction; when he turned the corner, he saw the boy walking down the street, back slumped and hands in his pocket.
He followed the boy briefly, closing the distance between them before he coughed into his hand to draw his attention. The boy jumped in fright, turning his fish-like face towards him. Izuku frowned more at how terrified the kid looked at seeing him. He didn't think he was scary, but maybe he seemed like that to the kid.
"Hey, I wanted to talk. Can we do that?" Izuku softly asked, crouching so as not to tower over the kid, but the boy refused to respond, looking at him with a wary eye.
“¿Hablas inglés? Lo siento, mi español no es bueno.” Izuku tried again, calling on the limited knowledge he had gained of the language.
“I speak little English.” The boy eventually spoke up, and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, that's good. Listen, why were you kicked out back there?" Izuku asked, wanting to make the boy more comfortable with him, but he didn't know how, so he skipped to the main thing.
“What you mean?” The boy asked, taking a step back, to which Izuku didn't move; he didn't want to give the kid any more reason to run.
"I was sitting there eating my food when I saw it. I just wanted to learn more about it." He explained to the kid, who looked him over. He had not seen him at the restaurant, but then again, it wasn't like it was deserted empty; he could have easily just missed him.
"I had no money; I wanted food, " the boy replied, angry that he had to admit that when anyone with eyes could have known that. He was dirty, and his clothes were just as bad and hardly fit as he wore what he could get his hands on.
“Parents?” Izuku asked, to which he didn't respond, but his eyes gave the Japanese villain enough to understand. “Home?” The kid looked away, ashamed of his lack of either. Izuku couldn't say he related, as he had both. Maybe one day, he just couldn't return to any of them.
Shaking his head, he got up while scratching his head. "Okay, this makes things difficult, but not impossible."
“Come on, we’re going back.” He stated as he turned to return to his meal and get his stuff before someone stole them.
"They don't want me; they have a stick." The boy didn't move, shivering as he remembered the threat.
“Well, they better use it on my first…” He looked up at Izuku's response, seeing that he wasn't just talking out his butt like other adults; if anything, there was something dangerous in his eyes. "And they'll regret that, but I will get you a good meal."
“This trap.” Still, he didn't move. He was young, but he wasn't stupid; he wouldn't have survived this long if he had, and going with strangers, foreign ones at that, was a surefire way to end up missing and never found.
"You can walk ahead of me if you like; you already know the way there." Izuku stood aside, putting plenty of distance so the boy could pass him should he choose. While that seemed to have an effect, he still looked hesitant, so he dug into his pocket. "Alright, then, how about this? Here is some cash. You can buy something else with it, and we'll never see each other again."
Izuku walked a little closer and tossed the wad of cash onto the floor. The orphan rushed to pick it up, seeing that it was a wad of at least $100 made up of $10 bills. Looking into Izuku’s eyes, he saw something he couldn’t describe, but it made him feel like he could give him a chance.
So, the orphan led the way back to the restaurant. When they got there, the response from the staff was as he expected, extremely negative as the security looked ready to beat his face in, only for Izuku to appear with a smile and handshake, telling the men that he was paying for both of them. The boy didn't know that Izuku's grip on the taller man's was nearly crushing, while his eyes housed a fire to them that the guard knew would see him burnt to t a crisp if he got in the way.
Returning to his table, Izuku thanked the waiter for watching his things as he told his guest to order whatever he wished, which Izuku was happy he did as the boy ordered what looked to be the most significant thing on the menu and ate three servings of it. As the boy ate his fill, he opened up to Izuku about things in the area and how he was being hunted by criminals because he saw something he wasn't supposed to.
Izuku listened carefully to this, shifting his plans for the evening to accommodate a new fun idea he had in his head. Once they had finished their meal, he told his little friend that he would handle things, handed him some extra cash, and turned to walk away.
Line Break
Nine had just finished preparing a cup of tea for himself and walked over to their motel's one armchair to sit and relax after a long day's work setting up buyers, talking about prices, and moving products that had been paid for. Their accommodations weren't the best, as the motel he shared with Swordkill and his people was the type of seedy place criminals loved because of how little the managers cared. Still, that lack of integrity also meant that it was a dirty little place, as the man scowled at most of the furniture waiting for them, hesitant to go out and get a black light for whatever horrors he found.
So, before he and Izuku had gone to sleep, they rushed out and bought plastic to cover the surfaces where they would touch the beds and the chairs. Because of that, he didn't mind the crumbling sound of plastic as he sat down, having, among other things, been busy finalizing Midoriya's travel plans. At the same time, he remained with their precious cargo.
Only for his phone to ring. Pulling it out, he saw the number. "Speak of the devil," Nine mused before answering and bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello."
“Afternoon, Nine. How was your day?” Izuku asked over the phone; nine heard something in the background, what sounded like police and firefighter…sirens.
"Busy, but I imagine yours wasn't nearly draining, correct? If I'm not wrong, you called during your little saloon trip and said you planned to hit the city's nightlife." Nine asked, but he already suspected he knew where the boy was.
“Well…I was, but then something came up.” Izuku replied, though rather than embarrassed or anything, he sounded giddy.
“What did you do?” Nine asked him, already knowing it would be best if Swordkill didn't hear about this, their smuggler, or they would react poorly.
"Oh, come on, why is it that it's something I did?” Izuku asked him, only for Nine to roll his eyes as he sipped his tea.
“Because if you weren’t involved, you wouldn’t be calling.” Nine replied before adding as an afterthought. "Also, I can hear the commotion in the background, and knowing you, it has something to do with something, or someone is burning."
Izuku wasn't even offended by the casual statement of his pyromantic tendencies; that was how he operated. “Touche. All right, fine. Have you watched the news?”
“No, I just sat down…” Nine looked to the side where the remote was on the coffee table, and the small TV was in the corner of the room. Leaning forward to pick it up, he paused. “Should we be packing up to skip town?”
“Nope! I left no evidence.” Izuku replied, chipper as ever as Nine turned the TV on and went to the news, and he was glad he did.
“Authorities are still battling the blaze that suddenly broke out at this warehouse close to the harbor. While there have been no reports of anyone trapped inside, we have heard from first responders that this was a suspected gang attack.” The on-site reporter stated that a large warehouse was engulfed in raging flames behind him. Still, thankfully, they were shades of orange and yellow with no hint of green.
That said, it was still a massive fire. He saw three fire trucks spraying water into the blaze while firemen did the same with a couple of hoses, and even that didn't seem to stop it. It continued to burn away as if mocking them for trying to kill it.
“For those of you just tuning it, 30 minutes ago, police got a report of a fight happening in this warehouse, shortly followed by reports of a fire raging out of control. While evidence is still waiting to be found, this was likely a byproduct of a quirk triggering some flammable materials.” The reporter went on, as off the side, several people, most likely criminals, were being escorted into police vans, but Nine noted that they all looked like they had been beaten pretty badly.
"Well, you certainly left your mark. Why was that?" Nine asked over the line, now suspecting that Izuku was close to the action, no doubt watching things in real-time.
“I ran into this kid earlier; according to it, he saw some people smuggling drugs from that warehouse. The people doing it are connected to the newly elected mayor, so they were protected from the police and local heroes.” Izuku explained, Nine wanting to be surprised that the mayor was dirty, but then again, what politician wasn't? It was their job to lie professionally.
“So I tracked down the two the kid had seen had after…convincing them to talk, they gave me all the evidence I needed to track down where they were keeping their little smuggling operation. It turns out that it wasn't just smuggling; they had an entire drug lab in there; it was insane!” Izuku continued, sounding like he had a rather fun time. If he was asked, he would say as much as while he didn't like the whole…convincing two men whose apartment he snuck into to talk, the fight in the warehouse was something else. They just came, and with a handicap, it made things all the more engaging.
“So you decided to hand them some justice?” Nine asked, though he already knew the answer. Out of the Thunder, Izuku had the strongest drive toward justice; perhaps, in another life, he would have made an exceptional hero.
“Of course I did; why wouldn't I?” Nine chucked at that confused response.
“Of course, that was the wrong question to ask. I should be asking what sort of drugs were being made there?” He asked.
“Trigger.” That pushed the smile off his face. He had experience with drugs, bad ones, as he once tried using them to get past his quirk's limits. It was foolish and doomed to fail, but he had been young and desperate. The power it granted him was immense, enough so that he could threaten an island with disaster. Still, by the end, he was nearly killed by it, needing weeks in the hospital to recover.
The rest of the thunder shared his disapproval of the drug, as it merely corrupted the mind and damaged the body for a short-term power boast. Because of that, they had already taken down at least 2 dozen dealers back in Japan, even if they didn't play ball and left places they claimed as theirs.
“It's a pretty popular drug here, Nine. Kids often get their hands on it, but I don't know why, and I don't care why. So I decided to eliminate it, and by tomorrow, all the shipping logs and other evidence I found would be sent to half the news agencies in town. Maybe we can't target the mayor, but I can ruin his life with this massive scandal.” Izuku seemed pleased with himself there, Nine just as much as for kids to have access to that stuff…well, it hoped the mayor’s criminal allies decided that he was better off dead before he could rat them out.
Line Break
“Did you use your quirk for any of it?” Nine asked over the phone as Izuku sat on the roof of a nearby warehouse, watching his target burn with stars in his eyes.
"As much as I wanted to, I didn't. Green flames are well associated with me, but I was able to use it to boast myself." Just relying on unarmed combat was a thrill; no wonder Kon loved to fight people with just a fraction of his power.
“And the fire?” Nine asked, to which Midoriya smiled.
“There were plenty of flammable materials around. So, after I got those drug peddlers out, it was pretty easy to set up the blaze.” He researched plenty of ways to start fires in his free time, so quirk or no, he could ensure that whatever he pleased burned or just to give himself a snack.
Nine chuckled at that as Izuku stood up, stretching his arms over his head. “And your plans now?”
"Well, the night is still young, so I was thinking about hitting up this club I heard about. I heard that they have a fire theme, so I wanted to see it for myself, " he said as he turned and started to walk off, unseen by anyone.
“You’re taking every second of this trip to enjoy yourself, aren’t you?” Nine replied, impressed and amused by how Izuku could shift gears like that.
"Well, yes, we're always working or waiting for another job. Tomorrow we should go out together.” Izuku replied, only for an explosion to go off behind him, leading to people screaming and yelling as the blaze seemed stronger than ever. Izuku paused to look over his shoulder before he smiled. That large propane tank he left behind must have finally caught light.
“We'll see. Talk to you later. I would like to rest, " Nine said, Izuku confirming that before he jumped down to behind the warehouse, where his shopping still sat. Gripping it, he started to whistle a tune before he turned and walked off into the shadows of the docks, planning to head home, drop off his stuff, and then hit the town.
Line Break
Another episode of Arcane is down, so I'll be watching episode 6 after this. I would watch it faster, but I try not to binge these days; it leaves me with more to look forward to at the end of the day, you know?
As for the chapter, it is another relatively easy one to write. And the second last one for this Path of Storms for the year, which is a bit of a shame as this is the final chapter before Izuku gets back to Japan and rejoins with the others so they can plot their next move against an opponent that is shifting its approach, strengthening itself to better track, predict and fight them. In a way, where the League had been struggling to get its footing, they've been having it real east, but that won't last.
