Chapter 3: A Part-Time Job in Progress
Saturday. Today was the day of Inasa Yoarashi's recommendation exam for U.A. High.
Yoshikage Kira opened his phone and saw a confident declaration from him.
"I'll definitely pass and get into U.A.!"
Kira rubbed his face and silently closed his phone.
To be honest, he had complete faith in Inasa. With his insanely powerful Quirk and excellent adaptability, he could even hold his own against a regular Pro Hero. He shouldn't be worried about Inasa; he should be worried about himself.
His true Quirk, Killer Queen, was completely unusable. If it were ever discovered, he would likely be branded as villainous. After all, people always fear what they don't understand, and no one wants to find their body inexplicably exploding.
On the other hand, Quirks that were simple and powerful were trusted by the public. Quirks like All Might's unscientific strength, or the power of the No. 2 Hero, Endeavor, who could manipulate fire.
Inasa was the same. He had the power to control wind. Simple, direct violence gave people a sense of security. A Pro Hero was surely someone like him.
Following his usual routine, Yoshikage arrived at his part-time job at a movie theater. His parents had been missing for a long time, and he had been making ends meet with government compensation and the money from his job.
"Alright, enjoy the movie. Next customer, please."
Yoshikage handed the ticket stub to the customer and greeted the next person with a professional smile.
"What movie would you like to see today?"
Yoshikage stared at his computer, waiting for the customer to choose. After a moment, seeing no decision had been made, he looked up with a bit of surprise.
The customer was a middle-aged man who stood eight feet tall and had the appearance of a rhinoceros. With him was a younger boy of average height who looked like a pink rhinoceros. For some reason, the two of them were just staring uneasily at the menu screen on the counter, seemingly unable to pick a movie.
Yoshikage wasn't surprised by their unusual appearance. Quirks were divided into emitter, transformation, and mutant types. Some families possessed mutant-type Quirks that made them resemble various animals or creatures.
When these traits were passed down, they became a distinguishing feature from the general population. It also indicated that their ancestors had powerful Quirks. Generally, society didn't look down on them, but you could never be sure about individuals.
Maintaining a good service attitude, Yoshikage took the initiative to recommend a movie. "Are you two having trouble deciding? I'd recommend Primal Rivals. It's a story about a transformation-type Pro Hero and his childhood friend who are forced to become enemies because of their ancestors' conflicting ideals."
Seeing the boy's interest was piqued, Yoshikage seized the opportunity and spoke to the man. "It looks like your son aspires to be a hero. This film will give him a better understanding of the world of Pro Heroes and could help him plan for his future."
The man thought for a moment and then agreed to Yoshikage's recommendation. Though he was indecisive when choosing, he was swift in his actions. He decisively selected two tickets for the middle section and smiled at Yoshikage. "To be honest, I have decision paralysis, so I'm not very good at choosing. My son is a bit shy, too. You've been a huge help. I'll be sure to give you a five-star review."
"Don't worry about it; it's my job," Yoshikage replied with a formulaic answer. "By the way, the feedback forms are on the bulletin board near the fire extinguisher box in the lobby. The movie starts in twenty minutes, so you have some free time."
The rhino-like man caught the underlying suggestion in his words. He smiled and took his son's hand, preparing to leave. "Is that so? It seems I really should go take a look."
Looks like I might get a raise, Yoshikage thought to himself.
This was just a small interlude. Nearly two hours passed. Just as Yoshikage was about to take a short break, he heard screams and a hysterical shout from the theater lobby.
What's going on?
Never mind. It's not important. I should just focus on my own work.
That's what Yoshikage thought, but in this world, people generally had a morbid curiosity and couldn't resist a spectacle.
"Kira-senpai, please, can you cover for me for a bit? I'm just going to see what happened," his junior coworker, a boy who had been working there for less than a month, begged excitedly. "I'll be right back, wait for me!"
Isn't it time for our shift change? An irresponsible guy like him won't get far in the professional world with that attitude.
Still, Yoshikage wasn't particularly tired, so he just waved his hand and let him go watch the commotion.
A girl who was waiting to have her ticket checked looked at Yoshikage curiously. "You don't seem surprised by this sort of thing at all. Don't you want to go see?"
This counts as overtime, so I guess I don't have to keep up the work persona, right?
Yoshikage relaxed, leaning his upper body on the counter with his eyes half-lidded. "I've seen this kind of thing plenty of times. I don't even have to guess. It's just someone who finished a movie, their mindset hasn't shifted back, and they get a rush of blood to the head and decide to do something illegal, like using their Quirks in public."
"Oh? You seem to have it all figured out, little man," she said, apparently abandoning both the movie and the commotion. She leaned on the counter as well, watching Yoshikage with intense curiosity. "My name's Camie Utsushimi. And you are...?"
"Yoshikage Kira." Since it was just the two of them at the counter, Yoshikage didn't mind chatting with a girl who had a great figure.
Camie was wearing a form-fitting leather outfit that made her look like a biker who could throw on a helmet at any moment. Her eyes sparkled with a strong sense of curiosity. "You must be a junior high graduate, right? Don't you want to become a Pro Hero?"
"I do," Yoshikage said. From his angle, he had a clear view of the girl's curves. He straightened up and started tidying some things. "A hero's defining trait may be meddling, but they should still take care of their own responsibilities first, right? If every little incident could be written off as an 'unavoidable circumstance' and forgiven, this hero society would have devolved into chaos long ago."
Camie seemed thoughtful. "That's true. Meddling is a privilege reserved for Pro Heroes. If people like us, who don't have that privilege, try to force our way in, we'd probably just get a warning. Or worse, we could be banned from the exam and never get our hero licenses."
"That's more or less the logic," Yoshikage said, gesturing vaguely toward the disturbance. "For all we know, a Pro Hero has already resolved the situation."
"That fast?!" Camie was taken aback. While she didn't think such an incident would cause a major stir, she hadn't expected a Pro Hero to handle it so quickly. They had only been chatting for about five minutes.
Just then, a man who looked as if he were made of denim walked by with a cool indifference, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't seem to be doing anything, but the villain trailed behind him, his face ashen. One of his arms was held up as if caught by something invisible, and he followed obediently.