Monster (xMale!Reader | FIC)

Chapter Seventeen: Panic Button

Todoroki threw himself off the ledge above Itona's regular feeding place. (Y/n) came soaring right down after him, the wind stinging his eyes. They landed less than gracefully in front of his spot, out of breath. He wasn't there.

"We're too early, shit." (Y/n) dragged his palm down his face. He and Todoroki had just flung themselves across town without their masks on in their hurry to reach Itona and hopefully Isogai. A thought crossed his mind briefly. "How far are we from Anteiku?"

"Too far to go right now. It was stupid of us to come here right now. We should've known Itona wouldn't be around yet..."

"Do we wait?"

"Ministry of Defense—Mr. Karasuma might know where we can find one of them–" the sound of someone landing softly behind them rung in (Y/n)'s ears– "huh?"

"Mr. Karasuma isn't going to help you find them for this," she said matter-of-factly. 

"Who're you?"

"Hayami Rinka. He gave me a call after you guys ran into the Emperor, and we talked. He only told you the little bit he did to convince you guys to stop getting involved. Whatever is so important that you're rushing to come here probably has nothing to do with you."

Todoroki glared at her. She wasn't very tall, and her roots showed just the tiniest hint of dark brown atop the much lighter shade that took over the rest of her hair. He and (Y/n) hadn't met her while they were still looking for Karma and Nagisa, but she wasn't exactly a friend from what he'd heard of her. 

The cool, almost cold look in her eyes sent a chill down (Y/n)'s spine. He'd talked big earlier about making her talk, but he was glad that he'd more or less taken it back. Something about Hayami Rinka made him uneasy, and he couldn't put his finger on it. 

"Why should we listen to you?" Todoroki inquired.

"Mr. Karasuma isn't even at the Ministry of Defense right now. He's taking his shot at looking for Karma and Nagisa."

"Why won't you just tell us where they are?"

"I offered to keep his home a secret, and he didn't turn me down."

"That's your reason? Bullshit."

"Is it hard for you to believe that Karma wants a break? I'm surprised he hasn't unenrolled from your school already." Todoroki and (Y/n) both gave her curious (and possibly offended) looks. Hayami dropped her neutral look, glaring back at them. "Karma's a coward. You two are idiots if you haven't figured that out."

Hayami turned away from them, heading towards one of the park exists. They look at her back, puzzled. Akabane Karma, a coward? Where did that come from? "Where are you going."

"None of your business. Now, go home."

The two of them stared at their phones in anticipation, waiting for either Isogai or Itona to pick up. It was almost seven-thirty. Todoroki regretted running out of the house earlier. If they'd waited until now, they would have been able to at least see Itona before the next morning. (Y/n) jumped when Isogai finally picked up.

"Can you call someone else? I'm at work."

"Isogai–" Todoroki snatched the phone from (Y/n)– "the Blood approached the Crows at Rakuyama today, and we let them walk right past us."

Isogai was silent for a moment. He was mid-sigh when (Y/n) took the phone back and put him on speakerphone. "That's...not good, but what do you expect me to do about it?"