23 Who are they?

- Location: Japan, At the Heinrich estate

[POV. THIRD-PERSON]

Later that same night that the Yaoyorozu family came to visit.

"Have you figured out who sent that Pissant to my doorstep?" Mr. Heinrich said with an impatient tone.

"I must apologize, sir. The villain had nothing on him that indicated where he came from or who sent him to the estate. And with him being covered in blood, the police also made no progress in the matter," Liam stood in front of Mr. Heinrich as he gave the report of his investigation.

"How unfortunate. That foolish teacher didn't seem to be a part of any well-known villain organizations. He acted solely based on his emotions," Mr. Heinrich said as he placed his cane on the side of his chair, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Have you learned more about little Jihye's mother?" Mr. Heinrich's question seemed to have thrown Liam off as he composed himself.

"Not much, sir. But I did find out that she came to Japan with no passport or any sort of identification. She seems to be using a fake name as well," Liam said as he accepted a cup from Mr. Heinrich.

"There has to be more to this than meets the eye. Be more careful, Liam. That villain was an almost perfect counter against your quirk. I feel as if they are watching and waiting for us to make a move first," Mr. Heinrich said as he stood up from his seat.

"For now, get some rest. You deserve it. Thank you for your hard work," Mr. Heinrich said, patting him on the shoulder as he headed for his chambers.

"I need to figure out who's on the other side of this war as soon as I can," Liam said as he also went to sleep in his room...

....

A week passed, and it was now the time for Henri's fifteenth birthday.

Over the past years, Henri never invited Jihye to these formal parties because she particularly didn't like them and found them to be quite boring. So she usually has a private party with Jihye, Liam, and Kei instead.

"Are you ready to go?" Kei asked as he tied his shoes.

"In a minute," Jihye said as she combed her hair. She was wearing a knee-length white dress, long black boots, and a black jacket.

"We're going to be a little late at this rate," Kei said with a worried expression.

"Hold on, Dad," Jihye said as she wore her earrings. Over the past year, Jihye has been getting a lot of ear piercings, totaling up to six.

"Alright, we can go now," Jihye said as she went downstairs.

"Oh, what a beautiful daughter I ha—!" Kei was interrupted as Jihye pinched his ear.

"Let's just go, please!" Jihye said as she went out of the house.

"Let's go, Mary!" As soon as Jihye said those words, Mary suddenly manifested with twintails. Her hair has been like that ever since Henri tied them.

They all got into the car as they headed towards the Heinrich manor...

"Jihye, I miss you!!" Henri screamed as she ran up to hug Jihye. Henri was wearing a pink and black dress that made her blue eyes shine.

"It's only been two days," Jihye chuckled as she kissed her on the cheek.

Henri blushed as she backed away, trying to hide her face.

Jihye couldn't help but think about how adorable Henri is.

"Why don't we all head inside first, young miss?" Liam said as he looked at Kei.

"I'm sorry that Mr. Heinrich could not greet you here himself. He is currently occupied with some of the guests. I hope you can forgive our rude hospitality," Liam said as he bowed gently.

"N-no, Liam, it's fine. We totally understand. You're right, maybe we should head in and find ourselves somewhere to sit," Kei replied as he apologetically waved his hands.

As they entered the hall, they saw lots of upper-class people mingling, making them feel out of place.

"Ah, the Kurosawas are here!" Mr. Heinrich said with a hearty greeting.

"Who are they?" "I've never heard of that family before." "Why do you think Mr. Heinrich greeted them personally?" Gossip filled the hall as they were curious about who the Kurosawas were...

Some time passed as the party went on. Henri left their table to get some more food.

"Man, do I feel awkward being here," Kei said with a chuckle as he took a sip of wine.

"I never truly got used to it myself," Liam also said with a chuckle.

"Hey, Dad, I'm going to go look for Henri. She's taking a long time just for some food," Jihye said as she stood up from her seat.

"Sure, just be careful not to bump into anyone. I don't think they particularly like us being here," Kei said with a nervous tone.

As Jihye started walking around the hall, she started catching the attention of certain people.

"She's gorgeous. Do you think I have a shot with her?" A teenage boy said as he talked with his friends.

"Anyone one of us can take her. I heard she's just from small family of nobodies," another kid chuckled as he talked.

"Hey there! You with that tacky jacket!" One of the kids said as he tried to catch Jihye's attention.

But she did not react at all, as if she didn't hear him. She just continued walking.

The kid got irritated and he immediately went towards her as the rest of his friends followed.

"You dare ignore me?! Who do you think you are?" The kid said as he stood in front of Jihye.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting on his cheek.

"Argh! What was that?" He exclaimed as he touched his cheek, noticing a small amount of blood.

"Don't do it, Mary. They're not worth it," Jihye said as she walked past the kid.

"You b*tch!!! Stop ignoring me!! You are just some lower cla—" He was suddenly interrupted as his vision showed him flying two meters above the ground.

"GAGH!" he exclaimed as he fell on the floor clutching his stomach.

"Don't... you... dare... touch even a single strand of her hair... you got that?" Henri said with a terrifying expression as she looked down upon him, wearing the Repulsion Cat gauntlet on her right hand.