It Can't Be Him... (Villain Kaminari Story)

CHAPTER 2: Charged Food

Ching! ♪

The store door sang with a satisfying chime as Todoroki pushed it open. He sucked in the air sharply into his nostrils to ingest the savory scent of sushi and soba. He exhaled slowly, feeling his stomach practically screaming with hunger and his mouth drooling for food. He was a constant customer at this store, so he roamed the room very familiarly, greeting workers as he passed by.

As he placed himself at the back of the checkout line, he stared at the pictures of soba and people on the wall. Of course, there were happy pictures of the store owners, an old man and his wife, who were smiling proudly as they held up an award. There were also pictures of best employees, chefs, well-known neighbors.

Some of them were framed, emphasizing prizes and newspapers about the store. There were many people in line today so Todoroki busied himself reading the pictures. Soba Eater King: 71 Bowls!, Soba Dessert???, Endeavor's Love of Soba, Todoroki scoffed at that one, Soba Saves Farmer, Cold Soba vs. Hot Soba, Best Soba Chef, Charged Food, Best—Wait...Charged Foods? Todoroki blinked in confusion, and glanced back at the picture that said "Charged Foods", except, it wasn't that title anymore. Suddenly, the title was changed back to "Soba master mesmerizes audience". Todoroki reached for the frame, when...

"What can I do for you?"

Todoroki jolted and turned around in surprise. It was the employee, Taro, a plump man who wore a wide grin and a pair of giant clean glasses. He was the most cheerful employee in the and he always greeted customers, like Todoroki, with a good attitude. Todoroki noticed now that he was now the only one in line and bashfully made his way to the counter.

"Having fun lookin' at the frames, huh?" said Taro, "I don't blame you, though. They're interesting to see!" He erupted a hearty laugh, "So! Will it be the take-out cold soba for you, again, boy?"

"Yes, two please. I want to give one to my mother," replied Todoroki modestly.

"Your mother—Rei, was it? Great woman, she is. Great woman," He winked. When the man went to prepare his sobas, Todoroki looked back at the wall to find the strange headline he saw earlier, but it never caught his eye. It was probably just my imagination.

Ching!♪

Todoroki saw just in time a figure in a black hood and robe to depart the store. The person scurried very quickly so Todoroki was only able to glance a peek at his appearance. Though it was just a glance, he was still able to make out the figure's bright yellow hair. It was unmistakably yellow, unmistakably bright. The color really reminded him of someone he knew...

Todoroki gasped in shock, letting his heart pound heavily in his chest. He stepped forward with a sudden desire to chase after the hooded figure, but instead drew back. It's not like this is the first time he's seen somebody with yellow hair. Besides, he was in no position to play hero now, not when his mother is waiting for him. Todoroki relaxed his shoulders and massaged his temples. I need to get more sleep.

"Cold Soba is done."

Todoroki snapped back, "Yes, thank you—" He paused after only seeing a singular container on the counter. He was sure he ordered another one. "Taro, I think I ordered two sobas..." He looked up at the man, and suddenly, his heart beat accelerated again. The entire store went quiet, and the machines seemed to have stopped operating. Taro was staring straight ahead at something that doesn't appear to be anything. Blinking, breathing, but motionless. His face was...different. His usual smile was gone, and his eyes were exactly like a robot's. Todoroki did his best to get his attention.

"Taro! What's going on? Hey!" He slammed his palms on the counter, desperate to get any sign of aliveness or movement from Taro. He reached over the table to slap his arm, amd Taro suddenly jolted awake as if he had been asleep. The man blinked and smiled at Todoroki again with the same smile he had before.

"I'm afraid we're out of soba, kid," he said, "Come back next time." Todoroki could not help but notice the tint of peculiarity in his voice.

"But—"

"Next, please!"

A man with black hair, who was next in line, was staring at Todoroki curiously, either from the fact that the boy had just randomly slapped Taro's arm or he was baffled by his sudden yell. Todoroki gave a grunt of frustration, snatched the container, and stormed out of the store, peeling away the many eyes that stared at him as he left. Something was not adding up together, and this something was getting on his nerves. The weird headline, the hooded robe, Taro...Was it really sleep that Todoroki needed? It may even have something to do with....

Todoroki reluctantly shook the feeling off his mind and focused on moving forward. He did not want to disappoint his mother, after all.

The boy decided to buy take-out ramen at a different store, and picked up his pace towards the hospital.

Hey. Sorry if this story is moving slowly. I promise I'll try to make it go faster. 

This entire month has been kinda tiresome af, and I'm dying from the heat. AFHDFSDFJKSDFLSFFJWPEFJPE HELP ME. Is there anyone out there who actually looks forward to the summer but then ends up hating it because it's so hot and you just give up on all the things you said you were gonna do that summer? This is me allll the time.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed Part 2. It's a lot shorter compared to Part 1.