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elydraws · 4 years

Text

Twist of fate

02 │ おじいちゃんシュウ

pairing: dabi x oc

genre: angst, action, dramatic, lemon (maybe future smut)

word count: 2.7k

masterlist

part 2/? <previous next>

warnings: none for this chapter

author’s note: the next two chapters will serve as an introduction and presentation of the characters and timeline!

as I have already warned in the presentation chapter this is a translation of my original fanfiction (written in my language), so I hope there are no big mistakes, however I wanted to try to write it in english hoping it won't make your eyes bleed. （；´д｀）ゞ

forgive me if there is any mistake, I am not very good at translating, so if you have any suggestions about it, it is absolutely welcome.(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

"Every man is surrounded by

a neighborhood of voluntary spies."

┈┈┈┈․° ☣ °․┈┈┈┈ 02 おじいちゃんシュウ (grandpa shū)

"IT'S MUCH FURTHER?" UNMEI ASKED, LOOKING AROUND.

The Kamino district in Yokohama, despite the late hour, was full of life. The shops still had their shutters raised, even restaurants and bars were in full swing.

Overlooking the sidewalks with pinkish tiles were only commercial activities and some frightened offices. The houses were far from that area. And Unmei could easily understand why.

In Kamino, there was no distinction between night and day. The neighborhood vibrated with life: whether it was the shouts of excited children shopping just out of school or the drunken laughter once the sun went down, there was little difference.

In that neighborhood, every sense was amplified to the point of no longer knowing where to look. Unmei glanced at the groups of people she could glimpse between one building and another, where some secondary alley overlooked the street.

Kamino district was a strange choice for a headquarters.

The streets were always crowded and, as much as she and the man who had introduced himself as Twice, were carefully avoiding the main road, there was still the possibility that some passersby could see them moving in the shadow.

Her eyes lingered once more on his companion's back, the suit stretched with each step on the sculpted muscles, adhering like a second skin. The fabric didn't creak like the cheap clothes of the little criminals who could not afford anything else.

No. The group that Twice claimed to be part of was undoubtedly not unwary.

Probably the choice to hide in a commercial district had been considered. The continuous exchange of activities would have made their come and go unnoticed. Moreover, in such a large neighborhood with such a massive turnout of people and new faces, their presence would have gone unnoticed, hidden between tourists and customers visiting the area.

Unmei had only heard rumors about the League of Villains. It was a whispered name, in the darkest alleys. The most disparate gossip had spread across them.

Some insinuated that Stain was part of it before being arrested and disappeared from circulation, others believed that it was an unscrupulous and unregulated madman who commanded it. The most skeptical were convinced that it no longer existed, given the blow received after the attack on the USJ.

Of course, Unmei would now find out the truth about them. And she had to admit that she was rather curious about them.

That type of organized crime was rare. Usually, the most extensive criminal groups were foiled even before they could succeed in their first venture, the League of Villains instead, not only had managed to gather under their control more than fifty criminals, but they had had the audacity and the possibility of attack one of the most prestigious high schools of heroes in the country. And apparently, their boss had managed to escape capture.

And given the interest in her, he was looking for recruits.

An inviting scent of octopus teased her nostrils. Somewhere there must have been a Takoyaki kiosk.

That delicious smell reached her like a boulder to her stomach, reminding her that she hadn't dined yet.

She looked crookedly at the man walking in front of her as he juggled the back streets that lined the main street of the commercial district.

"Hey you, I asked a question," repeated Unmei, raising her voice more "It's not like you're lost, huh?"

"LOST?! Me? NEVER!" Twice cried, startled, in the deepest and harshest voice that the girl had understood to be his most aggressive and unpredictable personality.

"A little more patience, Unmei-chan" the gentle voice informed her, Twice turned slightly, winking at her "We are almost there, but first we just have to make a small detour."

Unmei frowned, ignoring the nickname and wondering what prompted her to accept such a proposal from such a strange guy.

She was still alert, ready for any man's move. As far as she knew, that of the League of Villains could be a bait to catch her in a trap.

Ever since she had managed to make her way into the underworld, laboriously sewing a name among the best thieves in the city, tranquility had only been a mirage.

There was no honor among the criminals and, by killing her, some idiot was convinced that he could become famous or take possession of her customers by trying to cut short the apprenticeship and the hard work necessary to survive in that cruel world of criminals. But at the moment, Unmei had shown that getting her out of the way was not that easy.

She had worked hard to be where she was and would not have allowed some too self-confident rookie to ruin everything.

The smell of octopus was more intense now, and Unmei could feel her mouth fill with saliva at the thought of it.

Her frustration was about to cry out again against Twice, worsened by the sense of emptiness that had gripped her stomach, when, turning the corner, they found themselves in front of what seemed like a mirage to Unmei.

"We will stop here for a second before we go to our destination!" the masked man informed her, stepping aside to show her better the small stall wedged in a corner between one building and another.

It was small and dug inside the cement. A colored sign of shiny fabric, with a fat angry octopus drawn, waved above it, hiding the face of the man who was skillfully turning small fish balls in the pan.

Swirls of smoke came from the sides of the small shop filling the narrow alley with the inviting smell of fish.

Unmei's eyes widened, and her mouth remained ajar for a moment, "A Takoyaki kiosk?" she asked, confused, returning to stare at her strange companion, frowning. "Was this the deviation?"

Twice nodded, proud of himself, raising the index finger of his right hand, "You didn't have dinner, didn't you Unmei-chan?"

"As if I don't give a damn!" shouted the other himself, but Twice ignored him.

"Don't worry, he's an old friend," the man reassured her, pointing to the figure hidden by the sign "he'll keep our secret," he added, bringing his index finger over the mask, where his lips should have been.

Unmei continued to stare at him, trying to figure out if he was catching her or if it was just a trap. When Twice saw that the girl did not even take a step towards the kiosk, he preceded her, "Come on, I'm starving."

"Ungrateful!"

Unmei took a few more moments before deciding to move forward and follow that curious man with an uncertain step, checking the surroundings to be sure that someone would suddenly not attack her from behind.

"Grandpa!" Twice's gentle voice rang in the alley when his face disappeared covered by the kiosk sign.

"Old bastard!" muttered the roughest voice.

"Oh, Jin... are you passing by or on business?" a third voice joined the other two. It was rough and croaking, so low that Unmei could barely hear it above the sizzle of the grill.

The girl lifted a flap of the sign with her arm, carefully studying the kiosk interior. It looked like a typical stall like the ones on the main roads. And its owner must have been as old as it was.

He was short; to get to the pans, he was forced to climb onto a small stool. His calloused and wrinkled hands moved expertly on the grill and cutting the ingredients, sometimes without even needing to look.

His face seemed kind and friendly, but Unmei had learned never to trust first impressions.

He might have looked like a normal old man, grey bald and aching, bent over himself with bone pain, but the speed with which his fingers and hands juggled that platform made it clear that he wasn't as harmless as he wanted to believe.

"Business, I'm taking a friend for a visit, and she was starving," Twice informed him, sitting down on one of the stools. When he got into his chair, he let out a sigh of relief, stretching his back with an exaggerated movement.

In that short time with him, the girl had understood that he was an extraordinarily theatrical and melodramatic type. As if the dual personality was not enough.

Perhaps noticing her gaze fixed on him, Twice turned to the young woman, gesturing for her to sit next to him, clapping the wooden seat with one hand. "Don't be shy, Unmei-chan."

Unmei lingered a second, looking around one last time.

"Don't worry," the old man reassured her, Unmei looked at him sideways "nobody will hurt you here, you're safe" he continued while checking the cooking of the Takoyaki, without even raising his eyes on her.

The girl's lips raised in a mocking smile "Safe you said?" she repeated, sitting down "There is no safe place in this world" she corrected him starting to wrinkle in her pockets "but I guess I have no other choice, isn't it?" asked, glancing between Twice and the old man.

"Rude! Does this seem like a way to talk to an elderly person ?!" the man croaked from under the mask, beating a fist on the table in front of them, forgetting that shortly before he had given him the 'old bastard' "There is no more respect!"

Twice turned to the owner of the stall "Excuse her, Old Shu, she is not the type who gives confidence" the most gentle voice justified scratching his cheek with the forefinger over the mask "But she is not wrong, we have known each other for twenty minutes "

"And I still don't trust you," Unmei added, glancing at him.

Old Shu gave her a wrinkled smile. "I hope you will at least trust the food," and with those words, he served two portions of Takoyaki in front of them at a speed that Unmei's eyes struggled to follow "Or they will be wasted."

"Enjoy your meal!" Twice rejoiced, moving excitedly over the stool to the point of swinging it.

"I hope you choke on it!"

By now, Unmei no longer paid attention to that duality. It was amazing how easily she got used to his presence. And she didn't like this thing at all.

She took one last look at the steaming plate in front of her. Five golden octopus patties, skillfully modeled, were arranged on a paper package. Each of them was skewered in the center by a toothpick.

Now that they were in front of her, the scent they gave seemed even more inviting. And her stomach, which rumbled loudly, seemed to agree.

"So gross!" commented Twice's croaking voice beside her on hearing that low sound, Unmei decided to ignore it.

Finally, though not yet convinced, she grabbed one of the toothpicks between her fingers and brought the food to her lips, sniffing it one last time. No alarm bell rang in her head, so she decided to give in.

She gave it a little taste. The meat was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, melting on the tongue. She felt her cheeks flare as she took the first bite down.

She had never heard of such good Takoyaki.

The low and loud laugh of the Old Shu made her jump "Judging from your expression they must have liked you" he pressed his elbow on the counter "I opened this activity that I was a little older than you" he told her by thinning his eyelids, losing himself in the memories "Not that I had a lot of choices, in this society, it is not very clear who has a dirty record."

"Old Shu is a 'Lookout,'" Twice explained to her, folding the edge of the mask under his nose to eat one of the Takoyaki. When he spoke again he was still chewing "He pretends to be a normal trader but is in direct contact with us, he keeps an eye on what happens on the street, the movements of the police or criminal gangs and reports everything to us."

Unmei looked back at the cook, lifting a corner of her lips. "I knew you weren't telling me right, old man," he shrugged the accusation, completely heedless, while Unmei continued to taste her Takoyaki.

"We do what is necessary to survive," Shu justified himself before nodding towards the girl's pocket. "Are you going to let your friend out or not?"

Unmei stiffened, taken aback.

Twice stopped with her, a Takoyaki still raised in midair and half-eaten "EH?!"

Unmei and Old Shu stared at each other for a moment that seemed almost infinite before the girl looked away, her lips pursed in a half-smile as she sighed, "You are a keen observer."

"It's my job."

Unmei pulled her hand from the pocket. On her palm, intent on munching on the piece of octopus that the girl had passed him a short time before, believing she was not seen, was sitting a small humanoid creature. His body was dark and soft, made of shadow; the only thing distinguishable were the eyes—two bright yellow spheres.

Twice almost fell off the stool, horrified to recognize him "EEK! It is the thing that almost killed me!" he shouted.

In response, the little creature stared at him for a brief moment before returning to eat his dinner happily.

"KILL IT!" shouted the most aggressive voice, but Unmei scolded him.

"He is Umbra"

"Very original..." Twice muttered in his usual rasping voice, the girl ignored him.

Unmei stroked the little creature's head, who, in response, made a sound very similar to a joyful squeak.

Old Shu nodded, studying the little guy, "A Mutant Quirk."

The girl nodded. "He can merge and use the shadows to block his opponents," she confirmed "His size and power decrease if there is too much light. He can also change his body as he likes taking the shape that best suits him."

Twice nodded. "This explains many things," he murmured cryptically, crossing his arms over the chest "I didn't know that your Quirk was anything like that."

Unmei ate another octopus meatball, shrugging, "A girl must be ready and have some tricks up her sleeve to protect herself."

"DON'T SAY IT WITH A SO INNOCENT FACE! WITCH!" the more aggressive 'I' of Twice pointed her out.

"How nice..." the other voice murmured, putting both hands on his cheeks, waving his body back and forth.

Old Shu handed a whole octopus meatball to the little Umbra, who accepted it by emitting another happy squeak. Umbra almost lost his balance in grasping it, being nearly as big as it in his current form. In the end, he dropped down to sit only to be able to sink his face on the food again, starting to chew it.

Unmei smiled and, at that moment, almost forgot why she had been brought there. She could almost believe the words of that strange old man.

You are safe here.

Those words sounded so strange and alien in a world like that.

"Old Shu is a safe haven" Twice went on, lowering the mask on his face again, covering it entirely. "If you have a problem, you can turn to him. It's a sort of 'human cell phone,' if you can't contact us, he will find a way to you, "he explained, standing up.

Unmei rearranged Umbra inside the bomber's pocket "I have not yet accepted to join the League of Villains."

"Bitch!"

"It doesn't matter" Twice reassured her by raising his arms and shrugging her shoulders, then, with a theatrical gesture, he raised his index finger "And then I'm sure you will eventually accept, your goals are not very different from ours."

Unmei let that last statement run. How could he be so sure?

"Goodbye, Old Shu," Unmei greeted him, following Twice out of the kiosk.

The elder replied with a nod of his head before returning to cook, "At the next Unmei. I'm sure we'll meet again."

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