Chapter 60: Oh, Come on! Another Extrovert?!
Summary: Ryukyu is still secretly evil, and Izumi needs her Emotional Recharge Station again...
Warning! Chapters 59-61 were all published back-to-back! Make sure you don't miss any!
Chapter 60: Oh, Come on! Another Extrovert?!
Izumi was much more confident as she entered the Dragon Heroine's agency this time. She was greeted cheerfully by the same receptionist as her first visit, checked in a bit more thoroughly as she was getting more than just a guest pass, and sent up to see her Work Studies boss. She was extremely pleased that Ryukyu had been willing to take her on for Work Studies. After all, even if Ryukyu was unrepentantly evil…Izumi recognized her evil as necessary to grow into the aspects of her herodom that she wasn't all that comfortable with.
Besides, better the extroverts you know, than strange extroverts that might ambush while you're trying to read a good book or something. It was this thought, that she could deal with Nejire because Nejire was one of her extroverts now, that carried her through the squealing hug from her senpai and into the Dragon Heroine's main office. It was there, however, that her calm was shattered by an only half-familiar face.
"Izumiiii! I wondered if I would see you here! Greenette power represent!"
Izumi oofed in surprise, then instinctively flailed as she found herself ambushed by a Setsuna missile. As in, the Group B girl's torso had detached and flown off to tackle-hug her unexpecting victim. Nejire and Ryukyu were no help, one brightly grinning as the other looked on in quiet amusement, seemingly content to remind Izumi that she was quite evil. Izumi couldn't even summon an adorable 2B for distraction, as she'd already been grabbed in an ambush-hug! After flailing around for a few seconds, she awkwardly tapped the other greenette's back in a sort-of-hug, which thankfully seemed to satisfy her assailant as she retreated back to the rest of her body. Whew.
Wait.
Why was Setsuna here?
Looking toward Ryukyu with dread, she got the answer she was already half expecting.
"It's good to see you again, Resolution. I'm sure you're already at least passingly familiar with the other Work Studies student I've decided to accept from your year. Hydra was recommended to me by Nejire as she 'loved her energy.' I gave her a closer look, of course, and I think she'll fit well. She fills a recon role my agency somewhat lacks, currently, while I and Nejire can both help her with tricks regarding three-dimensional movement. She'll even be good for you, I think."
Oh. That grin was more proof that Ryukyu was secretly evil. Her evidence was piling up into a mountain! Why did Izumi get stuck with another extrovert?! Inhumane! This has to be a war crime or something, right?! Geneve Convention violation! Cruel and unusual punishment! She did her best not to whimper as Setsuna and Nejire both took off chattering at speeds she could, sadly, follow. Sometimes having the speed of thought to process all of that was a headache waiting to happen…
... ...
Izumi faceplanted into her emotional recharge station. Also known as her girlfriend's boobs. Momo oofed at the impact of Izumi's not-inconsiderable weight, then chuckled as she recognized the behavior. She let Izumi soak in the Oppai Therapy, putting down the tablet she'd been reading from as she lay on the couch awaiting Izumi's return. She lowered her hands to massage Izumi's shoulders and reflected on her own first few days of Work Study as she waited for her girlfriend to recover. The offer from Gang Orca had come as a complete surprise. Most notably in that he had reached out to her, which was not the way Work Studies usually worked. Apparently, he'd heard from Selkie just how well Momo did underwater, once she'd realized that Float could propel her even more easily under the water than over it.
When he'd reached out to her through Jirou, who was doing her own Work Studies with the hero, Momo had been quite pleased to accept. While she didn't think she would base her long-term efforts around the ocean like Selkie, Gang Orca worked on both land and sea. He was based in the port city of Yokohama, with a significant chunk of Tokyo Bay under his agency's jurisdiction. Which certainly explained his interest in someone with a Quirk suited to underwater patrols. Yet, his agency was large enough that he also patrolled a significant chunk of Yokohama itself, his status as a top ten hero making him the large port city's primary hero. Add in the fact he was one of the physically strongest members of the top 10, and he had a lot to teach Momo, while Momo offered a highly versatile potential asset to his agency in exchange. Her first few days had, she thought, already proven she'd made a good choice. She was learning a lot, with lots of new people to meet and learn from, spiced nicely with a chance to spend more time with Jirou. She hadn't missed the fact that both she and Izumi found the punk rocker girl cute, but they really hadn't had enough time to get to know her with all the chaos of the year. The chance to feel her out a bit more was a welcome one.
Back to her girlfriend's symptoms, though. Ryukyu was in much the same position for Nagoya as Gang Orca was for Yokohama of course, being the city's ranking hero. Yet her agency was smaller than Gang Orca's, supported by several other mid-tier agencies to better handle the city. Even so, it was obvious to her from the short exchanges Izumi had shared over the last few days what was wrong with her girlfriend. While Momo found herself supercharged by the chance to meet and interact with so many new people at the large Oceania Agency, it had become increasingly clear that Izumi was being slowly overwhelmed by the social interaction offensive Ryukyu was inflicting on her. Both at the agency itself, and in assigning Izumi to regularly deal with the public. Her girlfriend needed to learn the skills, Momo and 2B both having been guilty of letting her use them as defenses against the extroverts of the world in the past. But she fully understood that it was going to take it out of her girl for a while.
Still, there were ways to help Izumi through this trying time. Oppai Therapy was a place to start, certainly. But Momo was certain she could do better. Remembering one of the more childish-yet-fun games Izumi had put her through on their Tahiti vacation, she leaned forward and whispered into her girlfriend's ear.
"Simon says: You're wearing too many clothes."
The speed with which Izumi perked up was every bit as humorous as it was flattering…
... ...
Nervous Jirou was, Izumi discovered, very adorable. Even so, she was determined to upgrade from nervous Jirou to comfortable Jirou! This trip that Momo had arranged to the mall was the best chance yet to get to know Jirou, outside heroics! Clearly, she'd already mostly gotten comfortable with Momo, via Momo's aggressive Momoness, or she wouldn't have come along at all.
Which meant that Izumi must be the problem.
That wouldn't do! Izumi wasn't going to waste the opportunity! She had more Jirou head pats to acquire! It was clearly time to put those social skills Momo had forced her to learn to good use. Also, the online stalking she'd accidentally done by looking at 2B's background checks! Not that she was going to admit to having read those for the entire class. If someone did find out, she was going to declare excessive paranoid instead of simple curiosity! A foolproof plan. Put that thought aside, she steered her companions subtly, pointing to a specific store as they got closer to it a minute later.
"Hey, mind if we check out the music shop? Setsuna is intent on forcing me to expand my horizons beyond hero music, and I actually sort of liked some of the stuff she played. Though not the pop stuff. That was just hero music with less heroes."
Jirou blinked, then snorted. The mix of incredulity and amusement on her face was a new expression Izumi didn't think she'd seen before. How does one successfully mix both of those with deadpan? Izumi didn't know, but Jirou was pulling it off…
"Most hero music is pop, Midori. Not the other way around."
Izumi smirked unrepentantly.
"The Hero business is bigger than music in Japan, so I stand by what I said! Now…help?"
Jirou hesitated as Izumi waved toward the store they'd been getting closer to.
"Well…if your taste is really that bad, that all you listen to is hero soundtracks…that can't go unanswered."
Izumi nodded along, perfectly willing to get an education, since it meant Jirou was unconsciously loosening up. See! She has social skills! And enthusiastic Jirou is just as adorable as nervous Jirou had been! Wait, what's post-third-wave-funk-retro-rock again? And why was she being pulled toward it by a suddenly confident Jirou with a manic expression? Momo…help! Social skills are dangerous! Why did no one warn her?!
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A/N: So...I've obviously shuffled some of the Work Studies around. I believe I've already mentioned in the past that I don't actually like Sir Nighteye, even if I don't hate him either. More to the point...he has nothing to offer either Izumi or Momo, so there's no reason for them to go to him. Both of them have intelligence boosting aspects to their Quirks, have been learning things like Investigation from Nedzu, and...really just don't have a whole lot to learn from Nighteye. Don't worry, though, the Shie Hasskai arc is still going to happen. I just changed the vector by which Izumi get's invovled. We'll see the start of that in the next chapter.
A/N 2: I changed Setsuna's hero name, because Lizzardy is kinda...weak. I think Hydra fits her better, despite having to push passed instinctively associating it with Marvel Nazis. Not only is her fighting style sort of hydra like, but the whole regeneration thing is a thing too. It's also a nice mythology reference, I think.