Bab 6: 6: Kinzagawa & Steady Acceptance
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Disc: HrPrTeam
-Story Start-
December 30th, 2233.
The sun was at its peak during noon, nevertheless, the relentless cold of the Akita Prefecture during this time of year was merciless in spite of it.
A boy, carrying an obscene amount of firewood over his shoulder casually strolled through the poorly kept road, making his way through the layers of snow that had yet to be cleared in a gruff manner.
The biting cold didn't faze him, his focus unshaken as he went about his duties with a practiced calm.
The teenage boy paused his march at the sound of a loud car horn from behind him.
Turning to look over his free shoulder, he smiled at the familiar face, "Afternoon, Hashimoto-san!"
The car stopped beside Yuji, and the window rolled down, revealing a bizarre sight that, before arriving in this new world, would have left him completely gobsmacked.
However, that had already happened in their first meeting.
Acting all shocked and surprised would be just downright rude at this point, no?
The bent head of Hashimoto smirked at Yuji, "Never a moment's rest for our Hero, now is it?"
The calling of the odd title prompted a sheepish smile from Yuji, "Nah, I'm just helping around... There's no need to call me... That." He slightly cringed at the title.
Hashimoto snorted, "While I'd like to lecture you on being so overtly humble, young man. I see you have yet to figure out what to do. Right?"
Yuji sighed, lifting his clawed hand to put a stop to Hashimoto's insinuation, "Stop right there. I know you want me to go and become a... Urgh, Hero, but I still need to think about it." He firmly stated with a cringe.
Blinking as he processed Yuji's serious tone, Hashimoto lifted his arms in placation, "No pressure kid. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want you to become a Hero. I just think you're just perfect for the job, you get me."
'Right... A "Hero" is a job here...' Yuji scratched his head at the realization.
It looks like they have yet to get used to the odd terminology of Superpowered Glorified Police Mascot = Hero.
Hashimoto snickered, "Especially when compared to the fame and money rats scurrying along the streets keeping em "Clean". All Might's not getting any younger, you know... Just make sure to mention we sent ya." He winked.
He loosely wagged his finger, "Super strength, speed, regeneration and you've got spirit. You're a whole perfect package! I'd invest in you if I could!"
Yuji deadpanned, "From that statement, you sound just as driven by fame and money as those rats you mentioned...'
Hashimoto barked a laugh, "Ha! Good one kid! Anyway, are you sure you don't need a lift? With the rate you've been doing this, we've got enough firewood for a decade."
Turning to look at the obscene amount of firewood over his shoulder, Yuji hummed, "Hmm. Nah it's pretty relaxing. The sights here are pretty nostalgic." He mentioned with a smile as he shrugged.
His gaze fixed onto the mountains from afar, the rice fields, the forest.
A soothing sight all around.
Hashimoto mirrored Yuji's expression, as he also observed their beautiful surroundings, "Yeah... I wouldn't trade this view for anything."
Quickly turning back to Yuji he added with finality, "Do me a favor kid... Wear something warmer when you're out here. Will you? I know you don't mind, but they'd think I'm torturing you or something."
Yuji's shoulder slumped, "I'm sure Leafblade-san would like that..."
"Oh stop it. He's got nothing against you kid. If anything, he's grateful underneath that grumpy paranoid mug of his... Well, he does hate your older brother."
-------------------------------
Within one of the homes in Kinzagawa Town, was a family-owned business.
As is customary within such detached, separate, and faraway communities - Every resident has a role in making a coherent and functional settlement.
Most jobs are owned by families, whether out of necessity or tradition:
Blacksmithing.
Tailoring.
Woodworking.
Barbery.
Etc...
This has not changed in Superpowered Quirk Society.
Although there have been many regulations against the usage of Quirks in professions and otherwise to curb unfair advantage.
Such regulations were mostly withdrawn due to social movements whether violent or peaceful which will NOT be named.
Regardless, such regulation is fruitless for a town so detached from Modern Society.
Thus, family-owned businesses, that are passed down from generation to generation are generally manned by a family with a Quirk fitting for the task.
Blacksmithing?
A family with a Fire Resistance Quirk.
Woodworking?
A family with a Chainsaw Quirk.
Quirks are hereditary and have been proven to grow with each generation, this allows for a business to remain active for generations.
Leading to our current situation:
"Now make sure to cut only a few inches off the top, Nero-san's hair grows to the left, so angle it just like that-" A man with extremely long hair that moved as he willed it, guided Choso's hand.
Choso's hand gently and professionally held the scissors, his expression the epitome of concentration as he followed his teacher's guidance.
"Perfect!" The man clapped with his hair.
Although his temporary Sensei exclaimed his approval.
The Customer was the most important.
Choso's eyes met with Nero's poker face through the mirror, his voice was low, "What... Do you think?" His tone came out uncertain and awkward.
Nero scrutinized his face as he turned left and right, his eyes narrowing at his visage in the mirror.
A moment of tense silence passed as he smiled, "Not bad." Nero got up satisfied.
Choso smiled lightly, keeping somewhat of a poker face, but he pumped a fist of success when no one looked.
Nero met eyes with Choso's Barbering Instructor, "Thank you. The usual pay?"
The barbering instructor shook his head, "No pay this time, good friend. Consider letting this newbie touch your hair for the first time as the payment." He stated in amusement.
Nero shrugged, "Works for me. Cya around Sota-san." He turned to Choso, "Hero's brother, thanks for the cut. You've got talent." He nodded respectfully at Choso.
"My brother is definitely a Hero. My name is Choso." He smiled pleased, introducing himself.
"Nero. See you around, unless you've got a place to be other than this pretty little snowhole." He chuckled as he left through the door, closing it with a thud.
The now-named Sota bluntly mentioned to Choso, "You're a bit awkward around people."
Choso froze at the blunt and rather factual statement.
...Though, could you really blame him? He wasn't really used to hanging around... Humans.
Or hanging around in general.
He frowned lightly, "Would that be a problem?" Choso hoped to gain the ability to smoothly integrate into society, for his brothers' sake.
Scratching his chin with his hair, Sota replied, "Not exactly. I mean, it's a learned skill. I think you'll get over it. But you mentioned the chance to move into the big cities, right?"
Choso nodded.
"Then that'd make it slightly harder to get a barber business going. People over there are much less talkative, so if you're being silent and they are also silent... You can't really form a connection with your customer."
Choso frowned, lifting an eyebrow, "How is that related to cutting their hair?"
Folding his arms, Sota mentioned wisely, "I'd wager it's 50% of the actual job. It's what keeps people loyal and coming back to you. You could be the best barber but if you're a poor conversationalist then that's that... I mean you'd do good here considering you're a mighty fine listener, but you gotta get the skill to open people up."
Lowering his head in thought, Choso stroked his chin, "I see..."
Then, suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing a figure that soured Choso's expression.
His eyes narrowed at the familiar figure, "What is it this time?"
Leafblade casually strolled in like he owned the place, his gaze scanning the room to see if anything was out of place.
Sato's eyes narrowed, gesturing to Choso with his hair, "This man's brother saved my son's life. They've been here for five days. If anything was out of place, you'd have known it by now. Get a grip."
Leafblade turned to Choso, ignoring Sato's words.
"I've gotten intel that you and your brothers were planning on moving to the big cities." His tone was neutral and professional.
Choso corrected, "We're still considering our options. And that is not very impressive intel when my Little Brother has been openly talking about it without care."
"How do you plan to do that without any actual identities, then?" Leafblade's tone turned stern and confrontational.
Choso shrugged as a sinister smirk formed on his face, "That's our problem to solve. Not yours."
Sato blinked, glaring at Leafblade in disbelief, "Are you... Trying to accuse them of preemptive crime? Have you gone mad, Leafblade? First, you wanted the saviors of children out of here, and now this? Bloody decide damn it!" Sato roared in vehemence.
Shaking his head, Leafblade sighed, "What I do, is for the protection of this town and societ-"
"Heh." Choso scoffed.
Leafblade's eye twitched, as he sighed, his tone reluctant, "You...Three are going at a good pace. I'll be off your case once you're out of here and you've continued good behavior."
"Or... You can simply elaborate on your entire background to cease my allegedly pointless hounding."
"Keep hounding," Choso affirmed.
-------------------------------
These past few days were not easy for Todo Aoi.
Glued to his bed in the clinic.
His only respite...
The regular and happy visits of his brothers.
Informative books on history, quirks, this new society, and the state of the world.
And finally...
Depression.
When his brothers were gone...
When he couldn't even deliver punishment to Doctor Tenma for his poor taste...
He lay there, gazing aimlessly at the white, empty, and sterile ceiling.
His expression was as blank and empty as the ceiling itself.
Occasionally, he would turn on the TV in front of him.
Blankly he would watch the entertainment and informative channels of this brand new Japan.
Nevertheless...
There was no Soul.
No substance to it.
His study was empty and lacking in purpose.
But a mere distraction from the hole in his heart...
Takada's departure from her Idol career, followed by her sudden leap into the world of MIT, had struck a blow to Todo Aoi's spirit that even time seemed to barely heal.
Even with the miraculous revival of his dear brother Choso...
It'd be weeks, maybe months before Aoi is fully mentally recovered.
For the sake of his brothers, he'll pull through, he knows it.
He must do it.
Right now, he's acting like a disgrace.
"Hey! Todo! Look! There's a Hero girl who's just our type!" Yuji arrived as the sun began to set alongside Choso, he gestured to the TV showing another Mount Lady interview.
Plastering an empty smile, Aoi replied, "Indeed, she is quite the attractive specimen."
Yuji and Choso couldn't help but frown at Aoi's sad response as they exchanged weary looks.
Aoi bit his lip.
His brothers...
They needed him in this new and confusing Japan.
Hell, Yuji seemed to have considerations for what he'd be doing in this new Japan!
Choso... His dear brother's purpose shall never change.
Not in the Past.
Present.
Future.
Or Alternate Reality.
Aoi's being shameful.
So, so shameful.
Aoi's grip tightened around the remote of the TV, as his muscular fingers soullessly clicked on the change channel button.
His restless search through the channels finally paused as an Idol Show flashed on the screen.
"Oh, an Idol Show," Yuji mumbled, his interest piqued as he turned towards the TV
The announcer's voice rang aloud in the hospital room, "In today's Idols For Heroism, we've got brand new faces!"
He gestured to a sudden cloud of smoke produced in the artificially glittery studio.
Out of the smoke came three girls standing on a bright pink podium:
Aoi shook his head, a small smile forming on his face, "How nostalgic..."
Yuji quickly tugged at Choso's sleeve, "It's working!"
Choso nodded resolutely, "Turn up the volume." His features hardened in pure determination.
"To our left... We've got... Phony-chan!" The announcer donning flashy sunglasses gestured at the girl at the left.
"H-Hey, everyone! I'm Phony... I'll be hopefully enrolling in a Hero School soon... My Idol Name is from my... Ears." She waved awkwardly, her ears were blocked by giant eye-catching headphones and heavy makeup.
"Shy and cute appeal! We love to see it! Good luck Phony-chan in your heroic pursuits!" The announcer laughed cheerily.
"To our right... Ali/En - Chan!" He gestured at the girl to his right on the podium.
He quickly whispered under his breath, "That was really hard to pronounce, make sure to bully the market team to NOT make up such dumb names."
She looked just like a normal girl, without any makeup, her only noticeable feature was the odd antennae on her head probably generated by her quirk.
"Hey hey everyone! I'm really really glad to be here! I'm also enrolling in a Hero School. For sure tho! And... My name is because well... These make me look like an Alien! Haha!" She laughed, waving cheerfully to her imaginary audience.
"Cut that out. Cut that out. We'll get canceled! Lecture the damn brat and get her some PR training for All Might's sake!" The announcer ordered firmly.
"Give it up for our boisterous little Alien! Haha!" The announcer laughed very loudly as claps resonated in the record room VERY LOUDLY.
Coughing, he gestured to the girl at the center, "And finally... The star of the show! Give it up for..."
The girl in the center was a rather tall buxom girl with wavy greenish hair, like her other attractive Idols, she'd do well in the scene.
"Takada-chan!" The announcer's voice rang out aloud.
At the call out, Yuji's and Choso's eyes widened in shock.
They quickly turned to look at Aoi.
His expression was unreadable.
Stoic.
Frozen in time.
Yuji and Choso could only gaze with a hopeful apprehension that this would kick up his spirit...
-------------------------------
Back at the airport, Aoi's slumped shoulders and tearful visage watched on as Takada-chan left for her plane, his eyes following each of her graceful steps forward.
But then, just then...
She froze, turning around to look at Aoi.
He was confused at her sudden look of realization.
Just then, she ran towards him in a hurry.
"T-Takada-chan!?" He roared in a panic.
He began to run towards her himself, he wasn't sure what she needed to still do here.
But he had to make sure it was short.
After all, it'd be a shame for Takada-chan to miss her plane because of him.
She almost slipped in her run, but Aoi caught her, as she huffed tiredly, "Heh, thanks."
He grabbed onto her shoulders, "Takada-chan. What is the matter?" He asked worried, his grip tightening, reluctant to let her go.
She smiled knowingly and sadly, "I forgot to show you something... I was careless in saying goodbye." She pointed over his shoulder.
Aoi followed her gesture, turning around to see a figure approaching the two of them from behind.
Aoi's jaw hung loose, "T-That's..."
The figure of the New Takada-chan was approaching them.
"That's right... Aoi-kun." She whispered gently.
"T-Taka-" He started, turning back to meet the Old Takada's eyes.
"No, do not look at me, Aoi-kun. You must understand... I am no longer Takada-chan. My name is Takane Daimyo."
"T-The Legendary Real Name?! That's..." He sniffed.
"Embrace the future, and let the past rest where it belongs," Takane whispered with a hopeful tone, gently holding Aoi's hand as if anchoring him to the present.
Silently, however, she was untying a binding attached to his severed arm.
Aoi's expression was mystified as he observed the New Takada-chan reaching ever closer to him.
As Takane was undoing the binding, she whispered in his ear, "Exchange the Past with the Future. Aoi-kun. Look forward to it, embrace it. For yourself... For your brothers."
His expression turned from bewildered to one of deep contemplation.
The New Takada.
Nay.
Takada-chan arrived beside Aoi, her wavey hair breezed with every movement, as she whispered softly, "Tantaka-Tan~!"
The catchphrase caught Aoi off-guard, as his eyes widened in recognition... Of the Future.
Takane finally let go of Aoi's arm, "You can look at me now. Proudly."
He turned, his gaze alongside Takada-chan's met with the sad and yet proud smile of Takane, "I'll be taking this thing with me. It'll help deal with the in-flight boredom~ Hehe~" She giggled as she waved around the Vibraslap.
Aoi finally smiled, this time, no tears were present, "As mischievous as always... Thank you... Takane-chan. I shall look to the Future."
He turned with a smile and nodded towards Takada-chan.
Takada-chan mirrored his expression, "He's in good hands!"
She corrected, "That's my final lesson, Aoi! Exchange the Past with the Future!"
Takane clapped her hands together, the clap resonated in the airport.
Turning to Takada-chan, Takane exchanged a clap with her replacement.
Nay, with her Future.
Finally, she boarded her plane, as Aoi and Takada-chan gazed upon the beautiful sunset as Takane's plane flew over the horizon.
A New Age.
A New Future.
-------------------------------
Exchange the Past with the Future.
Multiply the negative against itself to create a positive.
...
He had finally grasped it on the verge of losing Takada-chan forever...
THE TRUE ESSENCE OF CURSED ENERGY!
The energy bubbled from his brain, sending it all around his body.
A broad grin slowly crept across his face, as warmth surged through his body, his injuries and severed arm knitting themselves together, a glorious manifestation of his newfound understanding...
Something he had not realized in his fight and training against the King Of Curses...
Aoi Todo had finally come across...
"THE REVERSE BOOGIE TECHNIQUE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter roared and boomed over the entire room, his bed tremored from the gleeful force.
"TAKADA-CHAN! SO THAT'S WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT?!"
With now both his arms, he ripped his hospital robe apart, revealing his muscular and healthy abdomen as well as chest.
...
If Yuji and Choso's jaws could drop any lower than the floor.
They would have.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Getting RCT on the verge of death?
For Todo Aoi. That would never make sense.
Getting RCT on the verge of losing Takada?
REAL SHIT.
Anyway, hope the chapter's been to your enjoyment.
Make sure to spread your JJK Lobotomy cause this chapter deserves every bit of it.
Thanks.
Cya later!
Also, special thanks to my Creative Directors for the idea for Todo's delusional method of obtaining RCT.
I could have never thought up of something so... Fitting lol.
Idk get this to top 50 in Fanfic ranking and I might post a chapter much earlier lol.
I still have a Ten Shadow Fic to write LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I'll also appreciate any and all constructive criticism and feedback regarding the characters that appear in this fic (Especially my representation of the Bruzzahs.)
If ya'll feeling frisky and rich you can donate to my P A T R E 0 N to show some nice and kind support.
Here's the link:
patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes
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