15. Shadow Garden!

Nishioka stretched as a satisfying series of cracks and pops rang out in the now empty office.

"Finally." He exclaimed, packing his things, as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

7:00 p.m.

Good, it wasn't too late. He could still meet his friends for the mixer.

He hoped that today would be the day he would finally get a girlfriend.

He had been single for far too long, and he wasn't too keen on making love to his right hand for the rest of his life.

It was getting a bit too muscular for his taste after 28 years single. Another two years and he might just turn into a wizard!

Maybe then he could ask for a promotion to the field team.

He had joined the HPSC hoping to be one of those cool agents, with the sunglasses and badge, who got the girl and saved the day.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fit enough to meet the standards, and his quirk was confetti, great at parties, shit at everything else.

And so, here he was, a 28 year old virgin, destined to live out his life as a salaryman, pencil pusher, sitting behind a desk, filling out paperwork in a soul crushing job. And with last year's budget cuts, they didn't even offer dental anymore!

Briefly, he had wondered about switching jobs, but there was no one who'd hire someone with a crappy quirk like his, even more so with his affiliation the HPSC, what with their draconian regulations against quirk use in industries and hero supremacy concerns.

No one liked the HPSC, not even the heroes they served.

He sighed as he swiped his keycard by the scanner and exited the office, greeting the guards goodnight, as he made for the subway.

Nothing he could do about it, and besides he was meeting some hot babes tonight, and there was no way he was going to let his shitty job ruin the moo-

Zap!

Nishioka twitched as electricity ran through his body, debilitating him.

He fell to his knees as he turned to see a girl in a seifuku and demon mask staring down at him, as she jammed him with her taser a second time, before dragging him into the alley.

A man in an All Might mask stood above him, holding a metal bat, ready to swing. And swing he did, knocking Nishioka's lights out.

"There we go!" I said, stripping the man bare, as Himiko extracted a syringe worth of blood from him.

"You ready?" I asked and Himiko nodded, drinking the blood as she transformed into the man, Nishioka Jugo.

"Odd name." I said, as I handed her the essentials, before pulling out his book.

"Okay so he's practically blind. That's something we can use." I said flipping through his book, as I picked up the man's glasses.

placing them on a nearby dumpster, I aligned the broken shards together before scratching out the line in his book that mentioned the glasses shattering, before doing the same in my book and Himiko's book.

Instantly, the glasses recombined and returned to their previous condition, and I popped out a lens from it.

"Here. Hide this one in your pocket and reattach it once you get in." I said, handing her the spectacles.

"So I am going in to get a backup pair?" She asked.

"Oh! You catch on quick!" I said, as she giggled at the praise.

"My grandfather had a backup pair." She replied, checking the ID and HPSC keycard before putting on the suit and broken glasses.

"How do I look?" Himiko asked, twirling in place.

"Like my dad. Now go!" I said, patting her shoulder, straightening out the creases, before putting a bluetooth earphone on her.

"And remember the plan!" I added as she nodded and walked out, making her way back to the HPSC.

I put in my own, and listened in as Himiko approached the guards.

"Oi Nishioka, weren't you going to that mixer today? Get rejected already?" A guard teased.

"Haha, very funny. But no. I slipped and broke my glasses. Figured I'd get my backup pair from my desk. Won't be a minute!" She bantered, as she swiped the keycard, and entered the building.

She took the elevator, and reached the second floor office, as she switched on a PC, and plugged in the Trojan USB, before giving me the signal.

"There it is!" She said, enthusiastically, reaching into the drawer, and shuffling stuff about.

"Got it." I said, as I opened up a burner phone that I'd acquired from the mantis triplets back in Naruhata, calling up La Brava.

"The chicken has been plucked. How's the rest of the dinner coming along?"

"I see. I'll start cooking the rice then." La Brava answered, as tappping sounds rang out from the phone.

"Alright. I'll be back with the chicken in a bit so keep the batter ready." I said, before, breaking the phone and dumping it into a nearby drain.

"Well, then, time to get the chicken home." I said, unmuting my earphone, as Himiko walked out of the office.

"Hmm..didn't find your glasses?" The guard asked, as Himiko exited.

"No. I found them alright, but I'll put them on when I get to the party. Don't wanna break them again, you see?" Himiko replied, patting her slingbag.

"That so. Mind if I see them?" The guard asked.

"What?!" Himiko asked.

"The glasses. Mind showing them to me?" He repeated.

"No? Why do you want to see them? Mind your own business!" Himiko replied, agitated.

The guard pointed his gun at Himiko and smirked.

"You see, Nishioka and I, we're from the same school. And I know for a fact that Nishioka is blind as a bat without his glasses. So imagine my surprise, when timid, little Nishioka started to joke around, and worse, walked out without his glasses."

Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!

Damnit Himiko!

"So why don't you start with who you are and what you did to Jugo?" The guard continued.

"Himiko, run!" I shouted, as she kicked the guard in the groin before making a run for it as he doubled over, haphazardly aiming at Himiko.

"Gyaah!" He cried out, missing his shots, as it ricocheted across the street, burying itself into the curb.

Himiko on the other hand was already disappearing into the maze of alleys out of the city, as I teleported away.

We met up at the station, with her in having shifted between three different forms before arriving there.

"No tails?" I asked, as we walked one behind the other.

"Not to my knowledge." She replied.

"Good. But just in case, camp out in Fukuoka for a bit. You'll find the gear and funds at the beach, hidden in the big blue fridge by the stairs." I said, taking a turn, as she nodded, pretending to be on the phone.

We took a train to Musutafu, before going our separate ways, her to the beach, and me to the cafe, to meet with La Brava and Gentle.

As I entered the cafe, I saw them sitting our usual corner table, hunched over a laptop.

"Yo! You got the stuff?" I asked, sliding into my seat.

"No mask today?" La Brava asked, sporting an awkward smile, clearly trying to be distract from the topic at hand.

"Do I still need to doubt you guys? Even now that you've seen the sort of things I oppose?" I answered with a question.

"You're not- you knew! Then why?" La Brava asked, confused.

"Because I wanted you guys to know. And because I needed evidence." I replied with a serious tone.

"Why us?" Gentle asked, gripping his hands, grinding his teeth.

"You said you wanted to change the world, right? To leave your mark on history? Here's your big break! Right now, right here, you two have a choice to make.

Hand me this file, forget about all that happened today and wipe your hands of this mess.

Go back to being simple, low class throwaway villains, harassing convenience stores over price hikes.

The safe option.

Or, take a stand here, and rise to the ocassion. Become more than just a nuisance, a force to be reckoned with! If you have the will to bring real, tangible change to this world, to undo those evils you witnessed today, to lay down your lives in service of true justice, a higher purpose in life, then take my hand and I'll train you to be better than you could have imagined in your wildest dreams.

So tell me, Gentle, La Brava, do you want to be the real heroes?!"

They didn't need to answer for me to know their intentions, as they looked upon me with twinkling resolute eyes.

"Please!" Gentle replied.

"We'll be in your care!" La Brava added.

"Good. Let me be the first to welcome you to Shadow Garden."