It was raining and the people were covered with black umbrellas.
The crowd was actually fairly big, more than half of the UA student body came to the funeral and several known pro heroes attended.
Even a news team shot a few videos and then put up...
In order for Mai to stay unseen and off the radar she needed to blend in. Dumpster diving wasn't the best experience but Mai couldn't exactly shop right now. Because she didn't have money and she also did want to be seen on cameras.
She found some clothes that fit her well enough, including a black hoodie that she could use to cover her face a little and she found a black medical mask, reading glasses and some tennis shoes that were kinda falling apart. The next thing on her list was hairdye. It took a strong dye to cover black hair but luckily Mai knew Kirishima, and he talked about hairdye all of the time.
After stealing two bottles from a delivery truck she snuck into an apartment that seemingly belonged to a young couple that were staying with their parents for a few months because of how bad the villains in Japan have gotten. How did she know this? Let's just say she didn't know it was abandoned when she first broke in and had to hide under their bed once they came in. The woman was complaining about having to stay with her parents in law while he was seemingly paranoid that the villains were going to come after them.
That was a very long twenty four hours for Mai.
But now she had the apartment to herself and they likely wouldn't come back anytime soon if they did at all. Mai set to work dyeing her hair in their sink, making sure she didn't make too much mess.
Her hair was a dark burgundy red that didn't look too much like Kirishima's, though she used the same brand as him.
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She had also taken some concealer and different makeup products to cover up her easily identifiable scars, such as the one over her eyes making them look almost invisible after Eri's healing.
..................
Mai walked through the crowd in the middle of the city. She needed the little bit of information the police had on Amaya before she left town. Otherwise she'd have no clue where she was looking. Besides Mai knew him a little more than the police did, maybe she'd spot something they'd missed.
She drifted between the people bustling through the crowd and made her way towards the police station. Once she was only a few yards from the door it opened and two people she really didn't want to encounter.
A boy with spiked cherry red hair and a girl with long brown hair the color of chocolate and bright blue eyes.
'Shit.' Mai turned her back on them and started walking in the direction she came from. But they kept step behind her, close enough that she could hear their conversation.
"Have the others sent any messages? Did the police stations in the forth and faith sectors have any information?" Kirishima asked Ami.
"No news quite yet, don't worry! I'm sure we'll find her!" Ami assured him.
Mai's heart ached that she was this close to him and she couldn't even turn around to look at him, even though she hadn't seen his face in several months.
"I... I just don't know why she would do this..." Kirishima said with a sigh.
"Didn't she leave you a note explaining why?" Ami asked him.
"Well yeah... I mean I know why but I don't know why she would actually do it. Without asking for help or telling anyone but Eri. I just don't get it." Kirishima vented to Ami while only a few feet away from the subject of of his affection and conversation.
"It'll be okay! Once we find her we can talk some sense into her." Ami assured him, Mai couldn't see him as he shook his head but she could see it clearly in her mind's eye.
"No, if she doesn't want to be found she won't be. Trust me if anyone can avoid us it's her." Kirishima said with a groan. "She could be right infront of us and we probably wouldn't know."
It felt like a thousand needles pricked her spine when those words left his mouth. She hoped they were true, that they would keep walking past her as she moved to the side, changing paths to enter a random store a block from the police station.
She walked with confidence, hoping the flannel tied around her waist would cover her tail well enough. That her glasses and makeup disguised her face and that her beanie wouldn't fall off and reveal her horns.
And none of that happened. She made it inside easily and stayed by the window until Ami and Kirishima's head disappeared from view.
"Hello dearie." Mai coughed and spun around, the person who decided to speak out of nowhere was just a short older woman. She was several inches shorter than Mai and had grey hair with lighter white streaks twisted into a bun.
"Hello ma'am!" Mai said, holding her hands behind her back.
The old woman looked at Mai with wise light grey eyes from behind her spectacles. "Would you like a sweat treat? Of are you going to spend all day looking at that young hero through the window?"
Mai's face felt warm as her golden blood rose to the surface in embarrassment. She'd been caught watching Kirishima. Not for the reasons The woman assumed, but it was still embarrassing. "I uh... I don't have any money ma'am." Mai admitted, bowing to her elder.
The woman smiled softly. "It's on me today sweetheart."
