Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As a child, Reina always found the concept of vigilantism interesting.

Someone who lives by their own rules as they go around enforcing justice under an alias? Count her in. Reina would always role play as one in her room, making herself a goofy mask to cover her face as she jumpscared her parents while they went about their day.

It felt like the best way to live life, and whenever someone asked the little girl what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say "vigilante!" with a proud smile.

However, looking back on it, as Reina fought with a snake hybrid thing and his buddy that had the ability to shoot his nails out like sharp, thin bullets, she was starting to hate her younger self for ever wanting to be a vigilante.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows unlike what she thought it would be as a naïve child. It was sleepless nights, ungrateful people, and horrible work-life balance. She would come home with a tapestry of bruises and cuts, to the point where she had become a pro at concealing it with makeup and baggy clothing. Talents that she will definitely use after this stupid fight.

"C'mon Kunoichi!" The snake taunted, slithering along the pavement of the dark alleyway that they were in as he tried to attack her. "I thought you were merciless! It seems we've overestimated you!"

Kunoichi.

Of course, Reina didn't choose that name for herself. If she did, it probably would've been something ridiculous like "Pack-a-Punch" or "Flashlight", since she was horrible at picking names. Kunoichi wasn't just the name of the mask that she put on every night as she went causing her own kind of havoc on small-time villains, no. It was a responsibility that the city of Musutafu had draped on her shoulders as its own protector.

She was named Kunoichi because of the way that she moved, the way that she never talked whenever she would fight. Quiet, quick, and stealthy. Just like a Kunoichi. She was given a name because she was trusted by the people of the city, no matter how few people actually believed in her. They trusted her to keep her safe, to make the darkness that the night brought seem less scary, little by little.

She dodged another nail, but the snake tripped her from behind as she stumbled back, making her world go sideways as she fell flat on her back on the concrete floor.

She stifled a groan, rolling over and standing up with difficulty. She had some nail shards embedded into her shoulder, and she wanted to throw up at the fact that some weird ass guy's nails were sticking into her body.

"Is that all you got, you worthless vigilante?" The nail guy sneered, readying his hands to shoot again.

So much for being stealthy, I guess, Reina thought, getting into another stance.

She had interfered with these idiots when they were trying to steal money from a lady. They cornered her in the alley and were obviously going to take more than just her wallet, and Reina would rather rot in hell than let that slide under her watch.

However, her fight against the guy with the boar quirk the night before still hindered her, bruises around her stomach and legs not exactly helping her movement and speed right now.

The nail guy let out a cackle as he swung his arm with a battle cry, letting out another barrage of his ugly nails that could apparently grow really quickly.

She was ready, swinging her arm to launch a hit of her own. A wave of light followed her movements, cutting through the nails and hitting the man, pushing him back against the wall.

The snake dude spared a glance at his companion, before he glared at her. "You'll pay for that, asshole!"

It was difficult to keep her eyes on his figure, since his quirk let him move quicker on the ground, but she didn't let him leave her sight as she stomped her foot on the ground, letting out another wave of blue neon light to knock her opponent off-balance.

She didn't waste time before launching herself forward and grabbing the snake by the shirt and flipping him over her shoulder, the pavement cracking slightly under the force.

"You ever approach another lady like that ever again, I'll find you," Reina said. Well, she didn't speak a lot on the job, but she still did. It's hard not to.

Reina got creative with her binding and used the sleeves of the two guys' baggy jackets to tie them together in a way that restricts their movement by a lot.

She looked over her shoulder. The lady that was victim to the attack was still slumped on the side of the alley, shaking and obviously terrified to the core.

Reina let out a sigh and approached her, crouching in front of her. "You're safe now, ma'am. Next time, I suggest you bring a friend with you to walk around the city at night with you so no one will bother you again."

"Thank you," the lady said shakily, her voice weak. Suddenly, she launched forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Reina's neck.

Reina was taken aback by the hug, her arms awkwardly hanging by her sides as she let the lady hug her. When she saved someone, the average reaction was immediately running away. The neon mask that she wore wasn't exactly friendly, which was the point; it was supposed to intimidate.

The lady obviously didn't care.

"Thank you," she repeated, louder this time.

"Uh…" Reina raised her hand to pat the lady at the back. "You're welcome, miss."

The lady must've finally realized that Reina was uncomfortable as she pulled away and wiped some tears that streaked down her cheeks. "You better take care of yourself, miss Kunoichi, okay? You're doing good work here, even if not enough people appreciate all that you're sacrificing."

Reina blinked. She was silently grateful that her hood and her mask did well in hiding her flabbergasted expression.

I'm getting appreciation on the job? That's… definitely a first!

"Of course," Reina decided to reply, standing up and pulling the lady to her feet as well.

The lady's eyes wandered over Reina's body, her brows creasing in concern once she noticed the wounds on her right shoulder. "You're hurt!"

Reina followed her gaze. "Oh this? Don't worry, I've dealt with worse," Reina waved her worry away.

The lady didn't seem convinced. "I can help patch you up, if you want me to…"

"No, that's quite alright." Reina heard a groan, and she saw that the nail guy was slowly regaining his consciousness. "Actually, if you want to help, can you call 119 to pick these guys up real quick? After that, you should probably leave."

The lady nodded vigorously, obviously eager to offer her assistance in any way that she can. "Of course!"

She turned away to pull out her phone and dial the number. "Oh and —" Once she turned back, she found that she was alone, only wisps of light left in the wake of the vigilante that had helped her.

"Thank you…" She muttered, facing up into the night as a smile grew on her face.

—————

It was around three in the morning when Reina arrived in her family's apartment, where she opened the window of her bedroom and slipped in as quietly as she could despite being the only one home. Her mother worked the night shift as a nurse in the nearby hospital, and her dad was a police officer. Their jobs called them away from home during the late hours of the day, which was very convenient for Reina to go out and do her thing as Kunoichi without them noticing.

How ironic, the whole family tends to their jobs at night.

The moment she stepped in, she turned on her desk lamp and took out the medkit that she kept under her bed. She pushed her hood off of her messy black hair and slipped the mask over her head, throwing it onto her desk haphazardly. The black hoodie soon followed after, wincing as she raised her injured shoulder.

Sitting down on the floor beside her bed, Reina raised the sleeve of her black undershirt and got to work removing the nails, challenging herself to not make a sound whenever she pulled one out.

She pulled out the first one and swore she almost saw the Lord.

(She's being dramatic, of course. Mostly.)

There were three more that she had to pull out.

Will I pass out because of pain? Let's see!

It was a gruesome process, but she was able to get through it. She dropped the last nail onto the bloodstained tissue that she then rolled up and threw in her trash can. Normally, Reina was good at bandaging herself up, but doing it with only one hand and without a mirror was a different story. The white patches were messy and had air bubbles, but they would hold for the night.

Reina let out a great sigh as she stretched her uninjured arm over her head, letting the joints pop and relax. She just had to wash up and go to bed.

She put her clothes in the laundry and stuffed her jacket and her mask in a box that resided under her bed. She would wash the jacket herself when she had the time, so she could avoid her mom finding out about her late night shenanigans.

When Reina was finally settled in, she collapsed on her bed with a great sigh escaping her lips. Even if her body was heavy with exhaustion, she couldn't find it in her to fall asleep.

This was unfortunately a common thing on most nights. She would finish hours of vigilante work, fighting off various villains (and gaining various injuries in the process), but at the end of it all, the girl would still be stuck laying down in her bed, staring up at the ceiling while waiting for sleep that seemed to never come on time.

The lights of the city flashed through her bedroom window, the light distorted by the glass. They cast shadows on the objects on her desk, making a pencil look like a person looming over her bed.

Two years of late nights, fights, and pain, and yet she was no closer to achieving her goal than before she first put on the mask.

Reina let out a groan of frustration as she flipped over in her bed, squeezing her eyes shut and forcing her mind to go to rest. She had a test tomorrow for biology, and she would definitely need some sleep for that. It's the most she could to do compensate for the fact that she didn't study for it — at all.

Oh well. The end of her middle school years was right around the corner, so it was just a few more tests and clearances before she's finally free of the shackles of education — for one summer, at the very least, until she'd have to start high school, which would be a different story of her life entirely.

I wonder if I would get plus points in classes if they knew I was Kunoichi, she thought sleepily before her body fully relaxed against her pillow.

To Reina, it felt like she just blinked for five seconds and then the morning arrived, but in reality, she slept for quite a while. Four more hours, in fact.

"Reina!" Her mom, Himari, shouted from the kitchen as she scooped the last of the eggs off of the pan and onto the plate on the breakfast bar. "You'll be late at this rate!"

The girl groaned, turning her head and planting her face into the fluff of her pillow. "Five more minutes…" she mumbled, words muffled as she felt herself about to fall into sleep's embrace once more.

Wait, why do I feel like I've been sleeping for too long?

Reina mustered up all the strength she had to turn around and look at the clock on the desk beside her bed.

The time on it read, 7:40 AM.

Reina blinked once, then twice. That's how long it took for the realization to set in.

"Crap, I'm late!" She immediately jumped out of bed, messily putting her comforter back over her mattress at a rushed attempt of fixing her bed before she rushed over to the kitchen to inhale her food.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Himari chuckled, watching her daughter rush out of her room, hair still messed up and pillow marks still apparent on her face. "C'mon, you might as well try not to miss your first class."

"Goo' morn'ng, Ma'," Reina greeted through the eggs she stuffed in her mouth.

"Stop talking with your mouth full, it's rude," the older woman scolded, but she had a fond smile on her face as Reina's dad, Akira Kobayashi, entered the kitchen, already dressed in his uniform.

"Rough night, I take it?" Akira said jokingly, approaching his own plate and eating his food with a lot more manners than his daughter beside him.

Reina shrugged, not bothering to answer her father with words as she gulped down her glass of water. "I gotta go shower, so bye," she placed a quick kiss on her dad's cheek before running over to the bathroom to take the quickest shower known to mankind.

Akira chuckled. "She's only hyper when she's late."

"Yeah, but I'm glad she seems to be in a decent mood today," Himari hummed, untying the apron from around her waist. "I can tell she still isn't getting enough sleep."

Akira faced his wife and let out a long breath, setting down his utensils and grabbing his glass. "If she doesn't want to tell us what's bothering her, then the best we can do is support her."

"You're stealing my words now, are you?" Himari said accusingly, but her tone was light and her eyes were shining with mirth.

The two parents have known for a while that Reina was struggling a bit with life lately. She had been like that since the beginning of middle school, but both of them assumed that she was going through the pre-life crisis that many kids experienced when all their decisions in life seemed to suddenly matter a lot. The eyebags underneath Reina's yellow eyes didn't seem lighten, and both Himari and Akira have found the girl asleep almost everywhere in the house more than once.

They were worried for their only kid, but they knew that if she had wanted help, she would have told them what was bothering her by now. The most they can do is just make sure that she doesn't collapse by feeding her right and making sure that she's attending all her classes.

"I'll go now!" Reina called, dashing through the apartment and grabbing her school shoes from the shoe rack, hopping on one foot as she put her shoes on. "I'll see you both tonight. Bye!"

"Be safe on the way, I love you!" Himari called, but the girl had already left, the door swinging shut in the space where she once was.

"Being a chronic oversleeper seems to run in the family," Akira sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he finished the last of his coffee.

Himari laughed again as she cleaned the kitchen. They both knew who was the oversleeper, and Himari was an early bird.

Reina, on the other hand, was not laughing as her morning unfolded. She crossed the street with so much speed, it was almost like she was using her quirk (but she wasn't, of course — she's a law abiding citizen!). The train that she normally took to school had departed long ago.

I'll do this just once.

Reina ducked into a random, narrow space between two decently tall buildings and activated her quirk. The light energy that built beneath the soles of her feet was let out, and she used both walls of the buildings to get to the rooftops.

It was uncommon for her to use her quirk outside her… nighttime appointments. Normally, the usage of her quirk would result in tiny cracks in her skin from where the energy was released, sometimes dripping with blood — the drawback of her quirk. The opened wounds weren't enough to hurt, but they sometimes got itchy as the blood hardened over the wound, resulting in Reina having to deal with the annoyance of restraining herself from scratching them in order to heal.

But, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, she had her emergency roll of bandages in her backpack if using her quirk became strenuous.

Feeling the warm breeze of the morning on her skin was a refreshing feeling compared to the chilly night air that she was used to. A grin made its way to Reina's face as she leaped from building to building, feeling eternally grateful for the cycling shorts that she had underneath her school skirt.

Not being limited to the roads gave Reina the opportunity to take shortcuts, but she made sure to not jump too high so she wouldn't catch any unwanted attention. That would definitely not end well for her. Also cause the shoes she was currently wearing were definitely not made to handle her quirk for that long.

She finally arrived at her school, and it was quiet due to the classes that had already commenced inside. The girl looked at her watch — she was about halfway through the first period.

Not bad. I honestly expected to arrive at recess.

She knew that she was going to get hell from the hall monitors, but it was the last school day for her grade before graduation, anyway. What are they going to do, expel her?

Reina arrived in her classroom at no time (after a brief scolding from their sweet old janitor — but he always had a soft spot for her).

"And where have you been, Miss Kobayashi?" Their homeroom teacher chastised, narrowing his eyes in disapproval. "It's the last day of school. You should at least have the courtesy to show up on time."

"Got caught up in the train rush, sir," Reina replied, the lie easily slipping off of her tongue. "It won't happen again soon, I promise."

The teacher rolled his eyes at her quip, but gestured for her to take her usual seat at the back of the classroom, beside the spikey blonde boy she's grown to consider her only friend in this stupid school.

"I call bullshit on your excuse," he muttered, leaning back in his chair. His uniform was a mess, as usual; the top two buttons free and without a tie, his pants rumpled from the odd position that he put himself on in the chair, with his feet perched on top of his desk.

The girl shrugged. "Well, it wasn't meant to convince you, eh, Bakugou?"

The boy simply scoffed, facing forward as they listened to their teacher yak on about how much of an honor it would be for a graduate of Aldera Middle School to make it into UA, the prestigious school that was the breeding ground for many successful and well-known hero, like their current number one hero: All Might.

"You already announced that you're trying out?" She asked Bakugou, and he stared at her like it was obvious.

"Yeah. I'm the only one in this shitty school that has the guts to take the exam and pass it," Bakugou said.

Reina smiled with mock nostalgia. "So egotistical. I hope you never lose that while you suffer in the clutches of the government."

Bakugou scrunched his face up at her. "You're weird."

"I'm not weird." She laughed at his expression. "You're just too normal."

"Whatever," Bakugou rolled his eyes.

Reina remembered the day that they got close to each other; probably when the first semester of their first year in middle school had ended and the results for the exams had been put on the bulletin board.

And she had scored higher than him in Math and English.

She had been really proud of herself that day. It was during her pre-Kunoichi era, so she had the time to actually study, and she finally built up the courage to actually eat in the cafeteria instead of outdoors like usual.

And Bakugou, being the outspoken, loud kid that he is, approached her and smacked the hell out of her juice box. "That's what you get for scoring higher than me, nerd!"

Reina simply looked up in confusion. Is this going to happen every time I eat in the cafeteria? She thought to herself dreadfully. I knew it was a bad idea to eat here.

"Since you scored the highest in everything else, doesn't that make you a nerd as well?" Reina pointed out. She wasn't an introverted kid; on the contrary, her parents made sure that she watched her words when speaking to others, because there were times where the things she said were a little… too honest, if left unchecked.

The boy simply blinked. This was the first time that he had ever met any opposition from his targets, and he didn't really know what he felt about it.

Taking advantage of his distracted state, Reina reached up and snatched the juice box he had in his other hand and sipped on it like it was always meant to be hers.

"Wha — hey!" Bakugou reached for it, but Reina evaded him with ease. "That's my juice box!"

Reina stared at him while sipping, making sure he could tell that she was enjoying his drink. "It's mine now, since you took mine."

"I didn't take it!" Bakugou snarled, mini explosions coming out of his palms. They looked more like happy fireworks than threatening sparks.

"Say that to the juice box on the floor," Reina pointed out, glancing at her original juice.

Since then, neither of them could leave each other's lives. No matter how hard they tried, their paths always crossed, whether they liked it or not. At some point, they just stopped trying altogether.

Which is why Reina had no doubt that she'd be able to watch Bakugou succeed as a hero, especially if she wasn't going to hang up her battered Kunoichi jacket any time soon.

Bakugou let the silence flow between them for a little while before he spoke again. "Deku's trying out as well."

Reina's head snapped to the side so quickly, it cracked. "You're joking."

The blonde scoffed at the very idea. "Me, joking? The fuck do you think I am, a clown?"

"Ha ha, hilarious," Reina responded blankly, glancing at Midoriya for a second.

Izuku Midoriya was another boy she had met early in middle school, but they never really clicked, especially when Bakugou and his goons thought that he was a good target and he never stood up from himself. Although the teasing would have definitely escalated to bullying if Reina didn't restrain Bakugou, he was still pretty harsh on Midoriya, judging from the cruel nickname that he gave him.

Although his obsession for heroes was far from discreet, Reina knew that he didn't have what it takes to be a hero with this current society. He had a good heart, but nowadays, that wasn't enough. He was as weak as a twig, struggles to communicate with strangers, and had no quirk. He was smart, she'd give him that, but what was the point of being able to come up with strategies if you don't have the strength to execute them?

And having no quirk? Villains are just getting stronger as time continues to pass, as evolution waits for no one. Being a hero without a quirk to give yourself the upper hand was basically a signature on a death certificate.

"What, you rooting for the nerd?" Bakugou sneered, following the girl's line of vision.

She shrugged, folding her elbows on her desk and resting her chin on her arms. "Not really," she replied. "He won't make it past the entrance exam with his current state. He has to either work out to the point of death for the next ten months, or pray that the universe actually gave him a quirk that he didn't know of."

"And what quirk would help him?"

Reina smiled. "Luck."

—————

Soon enough, Reina was already walking out of Aldera for the last time. She had to leave early, since her parents wanted to prepare a celebratory dinner for her completion of middle school, so she didn't stick around and wait for Bakugou unlike usual.

She was relieved that she had entered summer. She applied for a pretty good high school (where brains mattered more than quirks, thank god) and she was 87% sure that she made it in with a partial scholarship. She may have been busy with vigilante work, but that didn't mean that she sucked at school. She had the fourth highest overall grade — totally not because her entire class were dumbasses.

Her mom had texted her a few minutes after she was dismissed to pass by the nearby market to buy some ingredients for udon, so Reina decided to skip subway and walk a few blocks down to the Tatooine district.

"We need eggs and some meat," Reina muttered to herself as she rechecked the short list that her mother had sent her. "Alright, no biggie."

She went through the market and acquired all the items fairly easily. She was even able to bargain prices with the short-tempered meat vendor. By the time she was leaving the district, Reina felt like a professional market visitor despite rarely even visiting there.

Yay, I have everything. Now I just need to get home.

As if on cue, Reina's phone rang. When she fished it out of her pocket, her mother's contact shone through the screen.

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Reina! Where are you?"

Reina's eyebrows rose in concern when she heard the worry in her mom's voice. "I'm exiting the Tatooin marketplace with the ingredients. Did something happen?"

The girl didn't miss the way her mother inhaled sharply. "Get home as quickly as you can. Your father was called to the scene because of some kind of a sludge villain in that area. Be careful."

Reina clenched her jaw, looking back at the district. She was outside of it already, but she could faintly see smoke rising on the other side. Was the faint sounds of explosions always there?

"Will Dad be okay?"

There was a pause. "Of course he will, honey. Trust in him. Just stay safe, okay? Stay far away from there."

"Okay, I'll be home soon. See you."

"Alright, hurry back okay? I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

And with that, Reina ended the call and quickly switched over to the police radio app that she had on her phone. Why didn't she get a notification? Normally, whenever the channel was active, it would give her an alert.

And true to her mom's word, there was an incident in the district. Judging from the overview, there were five pro heroes on scene — six, technically, including the rising star Mount Lady that Reina just saw when she looked up at her phone from the booming sounds of her footsteps.

Eh, they got it.

As a vigilante, Reina normally dealt with nuisances the moment that they happen to avoid overlapping with pro heroes. After all, she was kind of wanted in the city for the constant illegal use of her quirk in public, and the harming of other individuals with said quirk, so her vigilante life — much like her actual life — was done solo. Besides, the other cases that she normally included herself were mostly for her own benefit than to help others.

Pros were on scene. If any of them were competent, they would apprehend the threat in no time. Besides, her dad was also there, and he was by no means an amateur when it came to fighting. She was sure that they could handle themselves.

So why did her chest squeeze as she walked away, clutching the bag of groceries in her hand as she ignored the fight that raged on?

Focus on the udon. Focus on the udon.

She thought about the dinner that was awaiting them, but the uneasy feeling in her body didn't leave any time soon.

Chapter Text

A couple of months have passed since the incident. When she read about it in the news sites, apparently her friend (could she really call him a friend?) Katsuki Bakugou was a victim in the villain attack, and her classmate Izuku Midoriya had rushed in to save him despite not knowing how to. In the end, the Symbol of Peace himself was the one who rescued the boys.

Reina bowed her head in front of the small altar in her family's living room. The dull smell of incense wafted through her nose, the black stick with the lit end emitting smoke that traveled around Reina, like silk ribbons around a dancer.

She could still remember the day they took the photo of her brother that they placed on the altar. It was the day he got his UA acceptance letter, when the hologram of his favorite hero Aizawa appeared in front of him and told him that he could officially start his journey to becoming a hero.

If Reina focused, she could faintly hear the laughs that escaped him that day, the pure joy in his voice as he hugged her so tight she almost couldn't breathe. He could hear him crying as he sobbed into her ear over and over, I'm gonna be a hero.

Aiko Kobayashi was the kindest person Reina knew, a boy with a heart of pure gold. He had the quirk that had skipped their mother, the one that their grandparents had: Healing. Even with his simple quirk, he wanted to be a hero that fought against villains to protect others, like how he would protect them.

He knew, ever since he was a kid, that he was meant to live as a hero. He just didn't know that he would soon die as one, when he got involved in a mission that took him too soon during his second year in UA.

"Hey, Ai," Reina hummed softly, staring at her brother's grinning face. "You passed away two years ago, starting today. Mom's planning to make katsudon tonight, just the way you liked it."

The girl trailed off, her soft expression slowly fading away as she felt loneliness surround her even more. She had always struggled to fit in with others, to find friends, but her brother had always been the one who could truly understand her. He knew her like the back of her hand, just like how she knew him like the back of hers.

Now that he was gone, she felt like the real her had left with him.

"Mom's been okay. I can tell she's still a bit sad, but she's healing, slowly. Maybe you're using your quirk to help with that." Reina chuckled at her own joke. "Dad's… he's burying himself more into his work, especially with the spike of villains recently. I think he's happy with the distraction, since I can tell he's giving up on finding your killer."

The black blood that leaked out of her dead brother's mouth and ears haunted her in her dreams. It was the last time she'd actually scene him, and it was what changed her. Thank the gods her brother couldn't see who she turned into now.

"I haven't found much regarding your case, but I'm getting closer," Reina continued. "I won't break my promise of avenging you. It's the last thing I can do for you, now that you aren't around for me to repay in person for everything you've done for us."

She took a shaky breath, clasping her hands together as she ended her prayer. "Keep watching over us from up there. I hope we get to talk soon, so we can share katsudon together. I love you."

Reina bowed her head and closed her eyes, straining her ears for any sign that her brother was there.

She heard nothing.

With a sigh, she stood up and slid the glass door over the altar closed.

Two years ago, Aiko Kobayashi was involved in a quirk trafficking case that turned out to be his last case as a hero. During a raid that was supposedly "sure to succeed", they were ambushed by more firepower than anyone could have expected from the shitty lab. He lost his life saving his mentor from a fatal quirk that infected his blood stream and left no traces that could help anyone figure out who exactly murdered him.

His murder was an active case in the police station for a few weeks, until the lack of leads and new evidence led to his file being labeled cold, buried in some dusty metal drawer in the depths of the station. Forgotten.

Reina begged her dad to keep looking, that there had to be something out there that could help them, but he had snapped at her, telling her that it was time to move on.

That was her breaking point. If her own father wouldn't do anything to bring peace to her brother, she'd do it herself.

A month later, with much bitterness and an insane thirst for vengeance, Kunoichi was born.

Although her area of expertise had expanded from finding her brother's murderer to helping out with problems in the city that heroes felt too entitled to deal with themselves, she still hasn't forgotten the whole point of her nighttime persona.

But as two years passed, she has gotten no closer to finding who killed Aiko than the police were back then.

Reina went inside her room, shutting the door behind her as she let her back hit the bed. Her eyes stared unseeingly up into the ceiling as the thoughts in her head distracted her from reality.

"I'll find who did this," she gritted out, her body shaking as she caressed her brother's cold cheek. "I swear it."

Reina wasn't known for making promises, but when she did, she made sure to never break them.

This was no exception.

—————

The girl's summer had been… uneventful, at best. With the lack of school, Reina could finally catch up on some much-needed hours of sleep, and she could stay out as Kunoichi longer as the streets grew more active with teenagers that had nothing to do — something that greatly affected both her mother's and her father's lines of work.

Well, in a way, it also affected her. She came home with more bruises to hide under makeup and baggy clothing, cuts that made her wince when she stretched her body the wrong way. There were more petty crimes with even pettier criminals, but it was all in a day's work. Every night she spent out there was a new opportunity to find things that could help her figure out the identity of her brother's murderer.

During the day, Reina found herself wandering the streets, taking note of new shops and just observing what her daily life could have been if she was just an ordinary teenager. In all honesty, she had only walked around once to clear her head and intended to never do it again until she came across her old classmate Midoriya in a light green tracksuit, running around their neighborhood with a horrendous form.

Looks like he's working hard for UA, Reina had thought when she passed him by. He had shot her a nervous wave, which she returned with a nod. She didn't think much of it, save for the weird old blonde man that seemed to be his personal trainer.

She was on another one of her walks when her phone buzzed in the pocket of her pants, and she pulled it out to check who texted her.

Her jaw clenched when she saw the contact name.

Got time today? I have some stuff for you to try out.

Ichiro Nakajima. A third year in UA's Support Course. He was one of the best and most reliable students if you want things made, from support items to weapons to technology in general. Oh, and he was Aiko's best friend before he died.

He was the only other person that knew Reina's identity as the face behind the infamous vigilante, and he helped her a lot with trying to find her brother's killer, despite not having a lot of leads even after two years. He provided her with minimal gear (mainly her shoes, mask, and gloves that helped regulate her quirk so her fingertips didn't start bleeding). Although she wouldn't really consider him a friend, they were there for each other at their lowest points, even until now. Only they could understand each other.

Reina texted back. What time?

The reply was almost immediate. Now, if that's okay. I'm in the garage.

The girl let out a sigh, not bothering to reply as she sent a quick message to her parents, saying that she would be staying at Ichiro's house for the day, then putting her phone back in her pocket and changing her route.

It didn't take long to reach the boy's house. She's been there so often that her feet made the rights and lefts without her mind having to tell them to. It wasn't that big of a house, but it felt like it was looming over her.

She approached the garage gate and knocked, the sound echoing from the metal. After a few seconds, there was a buzz, and the door receded, just enough for Reina to squeeze underneath before it closed.

"Hey," Reina greeted the boy hunched over the messy metal work table.

Ichiro didn't bother glancing up from his work, meticulously piecing something together with tweezers and a magnifying glass in front of him. "C'mere."

Reina didn't hesitate to walk over to his workbench, looking over his shoulder. It looked like he was working on small panel, with a few wires and some pieces metal that Reina didn't really understand what they were for.

"What am I looking at?" Reina asked, squinting a little bit. She wasn't used to looking at something so small with the harsh light of the lamp in front of them shining on it.

"This," Ichiro placed the last piece in securely, then lifted the small panel and slid it on to the bigger work: a glove, "is your new gear."

Ichiro moved his chair to the side a little bit to give Reina space to check what he made. It was a pair of black gloves, similar to the ones that she had always been wearing as Kunoichi.

"I added some new features that make absorbing neon light quiker," Ichiro explained as she examined them. "They're also more durable so they can take on most of the weight of your quirk's drawbacks."

Reina hummed in approval, setting the gloves back down on the table. "What about the boots?"

Ichiro glanced at the corner of the room. Propped up on a machine were thick, black boots. It was more skeleton than actual material, obviously still a work in progress. "I'm trying to find a stronger material that's also lightweight. Your quirk erodes the soles of your shoes too easily."

"I know," Reina huffed, grabbing another metal stool and perching herself up on it, one foot on the ground and the other propped on the footholds. "I can't really control it. Part of how I still manage as a vigilante without getting caught is using my quirk to amp up my speed. It's expected that shoes won't really stick with me for that long."

Ichiro moved the magnifying glass away and adjusted the headband holding his white hair away from his eyes. "How about your normal shoes?" He asked.

Reina shook her head. "I almost never use my quirk when I'm not Kunoichi. If I do, it's in small amounts — not enough to ruin anything or give me wounds."

"Hmm," Ichiro stood up, heading for the small sink in the corner of his workplace-slash-garage and washing off the dirt that got on his fingertips from his works. Taking it as a sign that he was done working, Reina migrated from the table to the couch, settling in comfortably.

"Got any new cases for me?" She asked, leaning back and letting her head rest on the top of the couch's backrest.

"Unfortunately, no," he sighed. He took a seat beside her, propping his feet up on the wooden coffee table. "Haven't seen anything worth looking into recently."

Reina squeezed her eyes closed, suppressing a groan of frustration. In the darkness beneath her eyelids, she saw the vague shape of her brother's face, stained with black.

He followed her wherever she went.

"We'll find them, Rei," Ichiro said softly, reaching an arm around her and pulling her towards him, making her lean onto his shoulder. "It doesn't look promising right now, but it'll look up soon. I can feel it."

"It hasn't looked promising in two years, Ichiro," Reina gritted out, but she leaned into his warmth. "I've seen a lot of dark things, we've sacrificed so much, and yet we're nowhere closer to avenging him."

Ichiro glanced at the girl tucked into his arm. He knew that she saw him as nothing more than a mechanic, a source of good gear, but to him, Reina was the closest thing he had to family. Not even his own parents made time for him. He felt the same for Aiko, and now that he was gone, Ichiro felt just as much anger as she did.

He would help her find the killer. He swore it the moment they both broke down in each other's arms during the day of Aiko Kobayashi's funeral and Reina sobbed out that she would let her brother's soul rest easy by finding the person who took him away from them so soon.

"We have to be patient," Ichiro whispered, leaning his cheek on Reina's messy black hair. "You don't have to push yourself too hard. Take a break, be a normal teenager. Aiko would not approve of you pushing life away from yourself for him."

Reina let out a heavy breath, closing her eyes. She felt her body involuntarily relaxing, lulled to a state of peace from Ichiro's embrace. "This is how life is now, for me. Other than this, I have nothing."

She fell asleep before Ichiro could reply to her. The boy knew better than to move her. He was very well aware of how little she would sleep every night because she felt guilty to rest when her target was out there, scot-free. Every time she fell asleep, no matter where or when, Ichiro would just let her be.

She deserved that much.

—————

Reina didn't remember falling asleep, but she woke up with a dull pain in the side of her neck. Groaning a little bit, she forced her eyes open as she shuffled in the cushions.

"Good evening," Ichiro greeted, sparing her a quick glance before his eyes darted back to the laptop he had on his lap. Reina didn't even bother trying to understand whatever the hell he was typing.

"How'd you get your laptop?" She asked groggily.

Ichiro looked at her like it was obvious. "Hammerspace, remember?"

"Ah." Hammerspace, his quirk that allowed him to store a specific amount of small items in a sub dimension that only he had access to. "What time is it?"

"Half past seven," Ichiro replied. "Don't worry, I told your parents you were staying here for the night," he added before the girl could spiral at how long she had slept.

"I don't have my gear, though," she muttered, stretching and feeling satisfied at the lack of soreness from her previous fights.

"That's fine," Ichiro hummed. "You won't be working tonight."

Reina snapped her head to the side to gaze at him incredulously. "What do you mean I 'won't be working'?"

Ichiro showed her the screen of his laptop. "I've been working on a software that gives alerts to both your and my numbers whenever there's a case similar to Aiko's that's posted anywhere on the internet. It could be a news article, YouTube video, or even a report to the police database. If something pops up, you'll know. Until then, rest. It's summer, which means you have to at least take a break as well."

The girl glared at him. There has almost never been a night that she didn't go out as Kunoichi. Even though finding new leads with the recent criminal inactivity was unlikely, she still didn't want to risk it. She didn't like risking it.

"You deserve this, Rei," Ichiro insisted, sensing her hesitation. "Musutafu can manage without you for one night."

She still battled with herself, but eventually, she relented, standing up. "I'm gonna make us dinner. I'm starving."

"Sure, call me over when you're done," he said.

"No," she replied, but Ichiro didn't fret. They both knew that she was going to do it anyway.

That night was the quitest night Reina had in months. She ate karaage for dinner, talked about her high school plans with Ichiro (he didn't approve of her not going to UA, but she knew he'd get over it eventually), and they watched a few movies.

It took a few hours for Reina to get used to the fact that she wasn't Kunoichi for tonight — for one evening, she was just going to be Reina Kobayashi, a fifteen-year-old girl that's enjoying her summer break with a friend and whose biggest worries were not of a serial killer, but of her new high school and how the hell she was going to fit in.

"Props to you for making it into Kings," Ichiro commented after swallowing another spoonful of his food. "Honestly, I didn't know you had the brains for it."

Reina scowled, reaching over to slap his upper arm lightly and frowning even more when he laughed. "Excuse me, I'm actually a smart kid, okay? Give me a night to study, then I'll ace any test you throw at me."

"Sure," Ichiro chuckled. Once his laughter died down, he decided to finally ask the question he's been meaning to ask since her summer break had began.

"Rei, why don't you try applying for UA?"

The girl stifled a sigh. She knew he was going to ask eventually.

After a moment of thought, she replied. "There's a lot of reasons why I can't do that." She brought out her fingers to list them down. "Using my quirk at a higher capacity will increase the risks of my identity being discovered. Being a hero means being restrained to the endless rules and regulations that the government set up — those of which basically encourage corruption by the way. Being a hero student would take even more time away from Kunoichi than being a regular high school student."

"But aren't you basically a hero already?" Ichiro interrupted. "I mean, as Kunoichi, you do almost exactly what a hero does, except your identity is hidden and you don't have a license."

Reina shot Ichiro a stone cold glare, and it caught the boy off guard. "If you think that Kunoichi is a hero, then you've forgotten the reason why she was even born in the first place."

Ichiro furrowed his brows, slightly disoriented from the sincere yet quiet anger coming from the girl. "What do you mean by that?"

Reina's grip on her chopsticks tightened as she calm herself down. "Kunoichi wasn't made to help society, or to pick up the slack that the heroes have nowadays as they fought for fame and recognition rather than for the good of the people. There's nothing honorable or heroic about Kunoichi," she said harshly.

"Kunoichi's main and sole purpose is to find the person who killed Aiko Kobayashi. The only reason she's going around solving petty crimes is because the case Aiko started investigating was once also a petty crime, until it scaled up to trafficking."

Ichiro stared at the girl sitting in front of him. He knew that she was younger than him by a bit more than two and a half years, but the exhaustion and the aging anger and resentment on her face made it look like she had lived a hundred lives.

"And what happens when Kunoichi finds Aiko's murderer?" He asked, but he already knew the answer.

"She'll die," Reina replied simply, eating another piece of karaage. "It's the people's mistake for viewing her as a symbol of hope and strength when she's born out of revenge."

That's what you think, Ichiro thought to himself as he said nothing more and finished up his dinner. But I can tell that you're already emerging from that cocoon of hate.

Reina said that she was dealing with small-scale criminals for her benefit and not for the benefit of others, but the older boy could tell — a bad thing happened to her years ago, ridding her of something good, but she was subconsciously bringing back the good, bit by bit.

You'll do more than just help yourself, or your brother. You'll help others.

And Ichiro knew that he would still be there, still making her gear and giving her intel, because that was their dynamic. He was there during the lows, so there's no doubt that he'll be there when it all turns upside down and Kunoichi becomes more than just a means to an end.

Chapter Text

"Oh I fucking hate you," Reina groaned, struggling to push herself off of the ground.

The peace that she felt during her stay Ichiro's house weeks ago was long gone now that she was up and about again. She was out doing Kunoichi errands that fine summer evening, doing her rounds around the city for anything suspicious.

The man in front of her was drunk as hell, alcohol reeking from his breath and his body, and he was harassing a boy around her age. It didn't feel right to just leave it to the pros or to the police — they wouldn't make it in time.

So of course, she had to step in.

The boy had long since fled, and now the culprit was half sober and fully angry at her for interrupting whatever he was planning on doing to the boy.

"Ya think that I'm afraid of you, just 'cause you run around playing vigilante?" The man sneered, wobbling slightly where he stood in front of her. "My quirk can change the force of gravity on anything, even people. Not so cocky now that ya can't move, eh?"

Reina ignored him, focusing on building energy in her palms. If she couldn't bear the weight on her own, then maybe her quirk could help ease the burden.

She released as much energy as she could, pushing herself off the ground and towards the man. He let out a grunt of surprise as her weight pushed him down to the floor, twisting him mid-fall so he fell stomach first.

"Get —" he wheezed, "Get off me."

"Can't do that with your quirk on me, bud," she said sarcastically as she kept her elbows on his back.

All of a sudden, she felt light again, but he took the opportunity to push her off and reach behind him, fingertips grazing her mask. She leaned back just in time for him to not get a full grasp of it, but it was enough.

He activated his quirk.

Reina cried out as the added weight to the mask forced her head down, the strap keeping it to her face digging into the back of her skull.

Without thinking twice, she reached behind her head and pulled the strap over her head. The mask fell to the floor with a thud, with enough impact to split into two.

She was eternally grateful for the black cloth mask that she wore beneath that covered her nose and her mouth, obscuring most of her face, but she still felt exposed.

"Ya look even frailer without the mask, sweet'eart," the man laughed, mocking her. "Ya sure ye have what it takes to take me on?"

Pulling her hood lower over her head, Reina dashed forward, using an excessive amount of energy to launch herself at the man once more, but this time she didn't give him any opportunity to use his quirk as she punched him square in the jaw, making his head snap to the side. His body soon followed as he crumped onto the dirty concrete, knocked out cold.

She was breathing heavily, her body feeling a bit sore from the guy's quirk. She limped a bit as she reached for her mask, now back to its original weight. The girl sighed, examining the damage. Ichiro was definitely going to lecture her next time she visited. Her gloves were also in rough condition from the amount of energy she had to let out during the fight.

She turned, activating her quirk and running up the walls of the alley to leave the area. She stumbled a little bit, her injured ankle not suited to take on the strain of her running.

I have to stop by somewhere and wrap this up before it gets worse.

Her jumps were lower and shorter due to her injury, barely making it from roof to roof. She spotted a distant convenience store sign — that would be a good place to stop.

She jumped again, aiming for the next rooftop, and her ankle flared up in pain.

Reina's eyes widened. Her jump was short.

She tried activating her quirk in her hands to slow down her descent, but her gloves sizzled, the panels in the lining sparking and burning her hands, and she let out a small yelp.

That's not good.

She fell through the gap, just a few feet from the next ledge. If she fell all the way to the floor, she would definitely be paralyzed for life, if she didn't die from the impact.

Reina reached out, desperately, and her elbow got caught on the railings of the fire escape of the building. she heard a faint crack followed by a wave of pain from her shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and pulled herself over the railing, collapsing onto the metal grill.

Okay, so not only do I have a sprained ankle and burned palms, but I now have a dislocated shoulder.

She brought her hand to her mouth and removed her glove with her teeth, shrugging off the other one as well and checking the damage. It wasn't too bad; they were just surface-level injuries and would probably heal without a scar.

Stuffing a hand into her pocket, she whipped out her phone and reached to dial Ichiro's number. She didn't know what he could do, but it was better than just sitting there in pain.

Just as she was about to press the call button, she heard the rustle of wings from above.

"You look pretty roughed up there, Kunoichi."

She turned her phone off immediately so Ichiro's contact wouldn't be shown and glanced up, heart dropping to her stomach as she made eye contact with Hawks, the number three pro hero in Japan, beating his large red wings rhythmically to keep himself in air.

"None of your business, hero," She replied coldly, steeling her voice to not show any pain, but her stiff body proved otherwise.

Hawks didn't pay her mean words any mind, eyes drifting over her figure to survey her injuries. "Looks like you dislocated your shoulder and messed up your hands a little bit."

He perched himself on the railing in front of the vigilante, just like a hawk. "Mind if I help you?"

"Yes," she answered immediately, pushing herself against the railing even more, as if she could escape in her condition.

The hero chuckled, relaxed and carefree, like he had all the time in the world — he probably did. "Come on, you and I both know that you won't can't go anywhere in your condition. Might as well repay you a little bit for relieving the burden from us heroes around here."

Reina weighed the options out in her head. He was right; her injuries were too much for her body to handle, especially since her home was quite a ways away. And her shoulder was really starting to hurt.

She stayed silent, and Hawks took it as a sign to approach, putting the flight googles over his eyes on his head and raising his hands in front of him, like he was approaching a wild animal instead of a fifteen-year-old girl playing hero.

Reina let the hood fall lower over her face as Hawks put his hands on her shoulder. "Do you like chicken?" He asked suddenly, and she looked at him in confusion.

"What —" crack!

Reina yelped, her body flinching forward, but Hawks kept her still. "I thought asking you a question would make it hurt less," he commented, stepping back with an easygoing smile. "Did it work?"

"Don't think so," Reina huffed, rolling her shoulder a little to test it out. Instead of something sharp, the pain had dulled to an ache, one that she would probably feel a lot more tomorrow. "Thanks, I guess."

Hawks waved her off. "Of course. Always ready to help someone out. My job after all, as a hero."

Reina resisted the urge to roll her eyes, especially now that they were visible. She may not like the hero, but she didn't want to offend him.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" He said.

She stared at him. "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" He replied cheerfully, before his persona faded a little bit into something more serious. "Why do you do what you do, without a hero license at that? What's in it for you?"

Reina didn't hesitate. "Just picking up the slack. You heroes owe the people more than you thought."

Hawks stared at her, and she stared back. She recognized his gaze; he was studying her, trying to detect any hint of a real answer beneath the lie that she had told him.

It was the same look Aiko would give her when she would lie about eating. He was just waiting for her to tell the truth.

She didn't relent. Gold eyes met each other without blinking.

The hero sighed, dipping his head in defeat as Reina's rose in victory. "Fine, fine, I'll get out of your hair, Kunoichi."

"Thank you," she said monotonously, pushing herself up to her feet and pointedly ignoring the hand Hawks offered to her. "I'll be on my way as well."

Hawks stood up. "See you around, vigilante. I have a feeling that our paths will cross more often in the future."

Reina didn't say anything in return as the hero spread his wings and launched himself into the air, the red wings getting less vibrant as the darkness of the night swallowed him.

She thoroughly brushed herself down, making sure the hero didn't stick some kind of tracking device to her. Although he was being kind and politely curious about her, she didn't fully trust him — he was a hero, after all. When she was satisfied, walked down the stars of the fire escape, taking off her jacket and her mask as she descended.

Once she was Reina again, she walked with her head down and blended in perfectly well with the night crowd of Musutafu city, finally getting the opportunity to call Ichiro.

He picked up at the fourth ring. "Hello?" His voice was muffled and groggy — he was probably sleeping.

"Sorry for waking you up," Reina greeted, "but I… need your help."

"Stay where you are." He sounded more awake now, more alert. "I'm going to you."

Reina nodded. Her ankle felt even more painful as she continued to limp down the sidewalk as discreetly as she could. "Hurry up a little bit. Please."

Ichiro didn't reply, but the rustling from his mic and the ending of the call was enough of a reassurance for her.

She spotted a small, dark, and empty park. A perfect place for a vigilante to wait for their guy in the chair to pick them up. She sat down at the first bench that she reached, hugging her jacket close to her body.

Her body slumped against the backrest of the bench, head tilted up. Through the leaves of the trees that shrouded the area and the clouds that blanketed the sky, she could still see the faint glow of the stars. There weren't that many up there, but they were there.

She read somewhere that when people died, their atoms dispersed, leaving the earth and earning their place among the stars. The brightest one that a person could see was their loved one that had passed, showing that they were watching over them, even in death.

None of them are bright tonight, Reina commented bitterly, letting her head drop down to her chest as her eyes began to flutter.

She heard faint roar of a familiar engine, but the exhaustion was too much for her to watch Ichiro mount his bike and jog over to her. She felt his arms wrap around her body, lifting her up and half-carrying, half-dragging her to his motorcycle.

"Don't fall asleep yet," Ichiro muttered, placing her in front of him and planting his helmet on her head.

Reina hummed absently, feeling herself drifting away already. She tried to keep herself awake, which was a much harder task than it seemed.

Ichiro must have broken at least half a dozen speeding laws, because they arrived at his house in less than five minutes. Hastily parking the bike, the boy pulled the helmet off of the girl's head and carried her bridal style to the garage. The door buzzed when Ichiro came close, and he had to crouch below the rising door so he could lay the girl down on the couch.

"'m fine," Reina said groggily, trying to sit up while pulling the mask down to her chin.

Ichiro's hand on her shoulder stopped her from going any further. "No you're not," he retorted. "Now lay back down. I need to get the medkit."

Once he was sure that Reina wouldn't be moving, he reached for the medkit he always kept under his worktable. He had used it a lot on himself, but he's never had to work on Reina after Kunoichi.

"Where are you hurt?" He asked.

"Right ankle's probably sprained," Reina mumbled. "My ribs hurt like a bitch too. Oh, I also dislocated my shoulder, but Hawks showed up out of nowhere and fixed it for me. It's just swelling, I think."

Ichiro frowned at the mention of the winged hero. "Hawks? That's new. I didn't know he was patrolling Musutafu tonight."

"Think he's looking into me," Reina commented, wincing when Ichiro removed the shoe from her injured foot. "He asked me why I do what I do?"

"And what did you say?" Ichiro questioned, gingerly wrapping the swollen joint.

"Just told him that I'm disappointed with the heroes' performance lately," Reina replied. "Don't think he bought it entirely, but he was convinced enough, I guess."

Ichiro sighed, but he said nothing, opting to just patch the girl up in a comfortable silence. It took a bit of a while, but he finally got her cleaned up in around twenty minutes , ending at nearly three in the morning.

"You're all good now," Ichiro informed, leaning back. Reina felt an odd weight inside her jacket, and suddenly she remembered.

"The mask broke, by the way," Reina said, pulling the two pieces out of her jacket and giving it to the mechanic. "Some guy with a weight or gravity quirk made it crack. Sorry."

Ichiro waved her apology away, taking the mask without any fuss. "I'll make another one. The mask was due for an update, anyway."

"Right." Reina leaned her head on the arm cushion of the couch, her hair falling off and dangling over the floor.

Letting out a breath, Reina forced herself up, ignoring the way her body screamed in protest. "I gotta head home. Both their shifts end in two hours."

"I'll bring you there," Ichiro said, giving the girl a pointed stare when it looked like she was going to argue. "You're too injured to go back on your own. It'll be faster on my bike."

Reina rolled her eyes, but she wasn't really annoyed. "Whatever. Let's go."

The drive back was slower, with Ichiro finally adhering to the speeding laws of the road, and it was quiet. There were much less people out and about at that time, just some random drunks or office workers who just got let off a rough night shift. Reina was grateful for the drive, feeling the cold tread itself through the strands of her hair and soothing her aching skull.

"Take the elevator, okay?" Ichiro instructed when they stopped in front of Reina's apartment complex. "You might pass out if you take the stairs."

"Sure, sure," Reina muttered, getting off the bike and waving at Ichiro. "Don't crash on the way back."

The boy winked. "No promises."

He pulled the visor of his helmet back down over his face and drove off after one final wave.

It took some difficulty, with a lot of limping and cursing, but she finally exited the elevator at the third floor and made it back home. Stuffing her home key into the keyhole, she stumbled inside, kicking off her shoes and carrying them to her room to hide underneath her bed, along with the rest of her Kunoichi clothes. Thank goodness she arrived earlier than she anticipated, which means she had more time to settle in and fall asleep before her parents arrived.

Taking off her clothes was an absolute pain as she winced every now and then when lifting her arms caused her to pull on a sore muscle. Eventually, she was finally in her comfortable sleep clothes, and she collapsed onto her bed.

She fell asleep almost immediately, but not before thinking: Is all of this even worth it?

—————

"Were able to get any information from her?" Madame President asked promptly, her stern stare trained on the number three hero.

Hawks shook his head. "She was tight-lipped about her motives. I don't think I'll be getting anything out of her any time soon."

"Well, keep trying," the older woman snapped, and Hawks resisted the great temptation to roll his eyes. She had always been so demanding of him, like he was nothing but a tool to her; meant to be utilized and can easily be disposed of when he's no longer needed. "She's tipping the balance of the people's trust in heroes. If you still can't make her talk, terminate her."

"Is that really necessary?" Hawks said before he could stop himself, sighing. "She's not that big of a threat. In the bigger picture, when a true danger to the country appears, the efforts of multiple heroes will outweigh her singular contributions."

"It may seem illogical to get rid of her now, but if left unchecked, she will become a threat." Madame President put her reading glasses back on and read the report that she had previously abandoned in favor of listening to Hawks' report. "You may go, Takami. Make the Commission proud."

Hawks said nothing in reply as he left the room as fast as he politely could. Kunoichi has been a topic of great interest in the Hero Commission for a while now, ever since she showed up out of the blue two years ago with no clear motive. The appearance of vigilantes would be more understandable ten years ago, when there were less pro heroes, but in a world where almost one-third of the population either was or was training to become one would make becoming a vigilante illogical. The public eye would never truly accept you, no rewards would be reaped for your actions, and you always had to work alone.

However, he couldn't deny that he was also interested in finding out the inner workings of the vigilante, the one that had gained the reputation as the "Shadow of Musutafu". Their interaction a few hours prior only boosted his curiosity.

He'd figure Kunoichi out, regardless of whether or not he'll give the Commission the information that he would acquire in the future.

The chase is on, vigilante. Let's see how fast you can run with a hero behind you.