Chapter 13: The Kira Residence
Camie Utsushimi knelt on the floor, not answering him. She slowly poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and closed her eyes to savor it for a moment before setting the cup down with satisfaction.
"This is Chinese Biluochun. It has a fresh aroma, but a hint of bitterness in the mouth that gives way to a sweet aftertaste. It really is a fine tea. You have good taste."
Yoshikage Kira watched her act like a tea master with an internal scoff.
Keep pretending, he thought. Who knows which corner of the room you dug that old stuff out of. It's just some cheap tea I bought from the owner of a Chinese restaurant, hoping to sell it to some unsuspecting fool. It barely has any flavor, let alone all those complex notes. Biluochun? More like 'Broken-gong Spring' with fancy packaging.
Kira didn't burst her bubble. He saw a large insulated cover on the dining table, so he stood up, took the groceries he'd left by the door, and put them in the fridge. Free, home-cooked food was not something to be passed up.
He sat down at the table by himself, put his hands together, and muttered a quiet "Itadakimasu" before lifting the cover.
Inasa Yoarashi often brought over food his mother had made to eat with him, so he was used to Kira's dismissive attitude. He cheerfully went to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks and sat down next to him.
Seeing this, Camie dropped her act. She threw down her teacup and scrambled over on her hands and knees—she had been sitting for too long, and her legs had gone numb.
"It took me a long time to make this," she said, naturally sitting down across from Kira and serving herself a bowl of rice. She grinned. "This is to celebrate you finishing your exam, future hero~"
"Thanks," Kira said flatly. He still didn't know his results. Although he felt confident, there was always a chance something could go wrong. Right now, he was worried U.A. might question his actions in defeating the robot.
Camie had made curry rice, a common dish in this country. The taste was fine, just a very ordinary flavor, but she had drawn a smiley face on each portion.
She looks like the 'cool older sister' type, but she still has this childish side.
After finishing the last of his miso soup, Kira quietly stood up, went to a corner of the room, and began to pack up the review materials that had been piled there. The exam was over; it was time to put away his junior high things.
Although he had been busy studying, Kira had a bit of an obsessive-compulsive side, so everything was already neatly arranged. It wouldn't take long to pack it all up.
Camie came over and took a book from his hands. "So you like to read this kind of stuff... 1984?"
"I read it when I have time." Kira put the textbooks into a box, sealed it with tape, and prepared to take it to the storage room.
By the time he came back, she had tossed the book onto the floor and was sitting in front of the TV, playing a game with Inasa. Kira glanced over; it was a classic fighting game, Tekken.
She held the controller with focus, her fingers moving nimbly, while Inasa next to her wore a pained expression, clearly struggling in the fight.
Kira wasn't surprised by this at all. Inasa was too straightforward, a complete novice at games, yet he tirelessly challenged Kira. He was probably just the type who couldn't stand losing.
Kira wasn't good at entertaining guests. In his past life, he was the type who never brought people home. In this life, although Inasa came over often, he was the type who could entertain himself and never felt awkward, whether the host was present or not.
Perhaps Inasa had considered this and dragged her into a game to save Kira the brain cells of having to deal with her.
I think that PS4 was brought over by Inasa too... I wonder why he doesn't want to stay at his own house and always comes here to play games...
Normally, Kira might have rested his chin on his hand and watched from the side, but he was particularly tired today. Not physically, but from constantly using Hamon to heal others. It left him feeling drained, without much energy.
Inasa had already cleared away the dishes. Kira said goodnight to them, and Inasa, understanding, told him not to worry about seeing them out and to just get some rest.
Of course, Camie wasn't going to let it go so easily. It was her first time here, how could she let the host just leave them outside! It completely escaped her that the host had no intention of entertaining them in the first place.
But Inasa grabbed her and, after whispering something serious to her, she pouted and relented, waving dismissively at Kira as if to shoo him away.
Kira trusted Inasa completely. He would definitely keep an eye on her and not let her do anything out of line. There was nothing to worry about. So, he washed up and went into the back room.
The house was a traditional Japanese-style home. Kira's adoptive parents were traditional Japanese people and hadn't installed many modern amenities. Although there was an air conditioner and a TV, there was no bed. Kira hadn't changed this habit after they passed away, simply laying a futon on the tatami mat to sleep.
Kira closed and locked the door, then walked over to a cabinet covered by a cloth next to his desk. He lifted the cloth.
On the second shelf of the cabinet was a row of slender women's hands.
Pale and bloodless, as if preserved in formalin, they were as exquisite as works of art.
If those two came in here and saw this, they'd definitely think I was mentally disturbed, right?
Kira had once told Inasa in all seriousness that his bedroom was secured with a special lock that only he, the keyholder, could open. If anyone else tried, they would be blown to smithereens.
It seemed Inasa had listened well and hadn't let that woman with unclear intentions inside.
"Am I only comfortable in this kind of environment? I really am a pervert, aren't I..." Kira touched one of the hands to his cheek and said with self-deprecating humor, "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm becoming more and more like him..."
For a long time, Kira had felt as if another soul was residing within him, influencing his every move with a demonic whisper. This feeling grew stronger every time he used Killer Queen. It wasn't obvious, but it was definitely there.
His desire to become a hero wasn't just inspired by All Might's spirit. It was also a way to get closer to other Pro Heroes, to perhaps find a way to solve this influence. In the end, "Killer Queen" was just a Quirk. There were no unscientific things like Stands, nor was there a Bites the Dust that could turn back time. There were plenty of Quirks stronger than his.
Oh, I forgot to mention. These hands were all from life-sized silicone dolls that Kira had bought with the money he earned from part-time jobs over the years. After removing the hands, he would list the dolls on a second-hand website for a low price.
Although the armless dolls looked a bit strange, Kira had only intended to sell off the parts he didn't use to recoup some of his losses. But for some reason, they were surprisingly popular.
Because he sold a lot of them, and had a keen eye for high-quality, highly realistic products, and sold them in basically original condition, he had gained a good reputation on the site. Many people even sent him private messages asking for pre-orders.
But Kira didn't understand. Were they all perverts, wanting to have these armless dolls as their bedside companions? Or was there some kind of beauty in imperfection that they, with their aesthetic sense, could appreciate?
"Ah, speaking of which, all my money has gone into buying these things. I still need to save up for tuition."
Kira covered his face with one of the hands and lay down on the floor. The sensation on his face was like a gentle caress.
And just like that, Yoshikage Kira closed his eyes and stopped thinking.