Era

43

"This is ridiculous."

"I don't make the rules, kid."

"This is insulting."

"Trust me, I also don't want to be here." Shouta sighed, fishing out his phone and trying to ignore the acrid scent of gunpowder as they entered the wide open field of the official UA gun range. Trailing behind him Suzuki just stuffed her hands in her pockets and huffed, clearly offended for some reason or another.

Checking his phone, Shouta saw a short confirmation from Snipe that he was running late but would be there shortly. Great.

Shouta knew he should be grateful that Snipe was taking the time to even do this. He also knew that this wouldn't have to happen if his resident problem child wasn't so insistent on certain aspects of her hero gear.

UA didn't usually provide first year students with firearms. In fact, they typically didn't supply firearms to any students until they'd passed a certification course in third year, and even then most people didn't take up the offer. Snipe, of course, was the expert in that field, and the ultimate arbitrator on who was permitted a ranged weapon in the field.

"It's not even a real gun," Suzuki muttered, and Shouta glanced over his shoulder to find her staring across the range at the targets beyond.

"Power Loader says it's close enough. Anything that could cause injury is something that needs proper certification." Honestly, Shouta wasn't quite sure what the difference was between her Sports Festival rifle and the proposed design for her field gear, but if Maijima said it was more dangerous then he would bow to his wisdom.

Luckily enough for Suzuki, Snipe had taken an interest in her marksmanship during the Sports Festival and agreed to run an expedited assessment that might secure her some provisional certification. Just enough to use her weapon under guidance, like all students would be able to use their quirks during their internships with licensed professionals.

Thing was, Suzuki certainly didn't seem to see it as lucky. In fact, she was more vocal about her disapproval than he'd ever seen her. Sure she could be snarky, sarcastic, a little shit sometimes, but she'd never actively questioned his authority, never directly maligned his direction. Shouta supposed he should be pleased that she was trusting him with this, with her real opinions. That she didn't believe she would be punished for speaking her mind.

"I'm not an idiot, I know what I'm doing. How would you like it if I implied you didn't know how to use your scarf?"

Shouta sighed. Yes, it was reassuring that she didn't fear any retribution, but damn was her obnoxious Sparrow persona threatening to shine through. "First of all it's a capture weapon, not a scarf. Second of all, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe I've been training with this far longer than you have with a gun."

Suzuki scoffed. "How long?"

"Excuse me?"

"How long have you been training with it?" she insisted, a glint to her eyes that Shouta decidedly did not like.

"Fifteen years, give or take."

Suzuki just hummed, seemingly content to drop the matter. Weird.

"Something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Give or take?" She wasn't looking at him anymore, instead leaning against a table set in one of the booths. "Probably take, right?"

"Probably." Shouta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Where is Snipe?

"Gotcha." She sounded smug, which was nothing less than extremely concerning.

"Why?"

"No reason," said Suzuki with a shrug. "Just doing some math is all."