Center of the Sunlit Sea || Chisaki Kai/Overhaul x Shirabe Mariya(OC)

0. Fair Greetings

- Null Winter -
1860 words

"Take care of the child, Chisaki." The old boss' words echoed in the young yakuza member's head as he walked down the quiet side street, empty save for an elderly man sweeping the front step of his shop. He bowed his head politely, his expression neutral despite the weight on his thoughts, towards the man who returned the gesture. A gross sensation filled his throat whenever he thought about Eri, a little girl abandoned by one parent right after her newly awakened power made the other disappear into thin air.

It was difficult for him to give a name to the feeling, but the closest description he could think of was discomfort. After all, the child just appeared in the house out of nowhere. Pops had told him about his estranged daughter and how she dumped his granddaughter, whom he had never even met, on his doorstep after the girl's quirk caused an accident that ended in the death of her father. The woman called her a cursed child, the boss said her quirk may be similar to Overhaul; a child born with an uncontrolled, destructive power? The concept indeed sounded familiar. What bugged him about the situation as a whole was Pops' cryptic assurance: "You'll have help, so don't worry too much."

A chorus of chirps rising up from a nearby playground distracted him for a split second. A pair of birds were fluttering around on the dusty earth, a dove and a crow upon closer look, circling each other and colliding like in a frenzied dance. He watched for a moment as they both tried to gain the upper hand, on what, he could only guess. Admittedly, it was quite a show. He switched his gaze back to the street in front of him right as the dove shoved the crow to the ground and took off into the air, the spectacle already pushed to the side of his mind. There were things he had to take care of and worrying about cursed children or random animals chasing after crumbs would only muddle his focus.

He adjusted the black leather gloves he wore, relishing in the way the smooth material brushed against the skin of his palms, and discreetly checked over his shoulder. Seeing the old man was long gone, he turned down an alleyway while reaching into his inner pocket. A skinny metal door with a fogged window higher than his eyes peeked out from within a carefully crafted stack of old wooden crates. After rapping his knuckles against the surface in a rhythmic code, he pulled out a tangle of wires from his jacket. He pressed a single headphone into his ear and flicked on the small radio right as the door screamed on its hinges from being forced open.

"Bzzzt!—News welcomes All Might for an exclusive interview! Don't touch that dial if you want to hear the Symbol of Peace recount his many heroic deeds, his most troubling villain encounters, and perhaps even a few deep secrets."

The newscaster's voice was loud and clear, even over the din of the seedy dive bar he stepped into. His two least favorite things, filth and the Number One hero; they made his skin crawl horribly, but he had to stifle his aversion to both. Information and connections were what he needed and in a place like this, it was easy to bond over a mutual distaste for the so-called Symbol. Many scorned by the hero's hold over the nation would gather together to cry over the unfairness of it all, so he would be their shoulder to cry on. He only had two hands, but he would gather more to achieve his goal. And achieve it he will, without any interference.

The taxi driver grew more nervous as he turned onto the fourth consecutive empty road. He had picked up this particular fare for a couple of reasons: airports were a prime location for lengthy trips and his passenger had too lovely a face to deny, but he soon regretted his decision when he realized just where he was driving to. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he went back and forth in his mind over what he should do, but by the time he decided it would have been better to drop them off and throw together some excuse, he was more than halfway there. The stranger didn't make much conversation, every time his eyes flitted to the rear view mirror they were just staring at the passing scenery, a soft smile on their lips.