Chapter 36: The Pre-Festival Bustle
"One order of takoyaki, please."
The owner of the takoyaki stall looked up and his face immediately lit up with surprise. "Well, if it isn't Mt. Lady! I didn't expect you Pro Heroes to come to the Sports Festival too."
"Hold the aonori," Mt. Lady said with a smile, flashing a peace sign.
"You got it." The owner quickly got busy. "One order, that'll be 500 yen."
Mt. Lady froze. He recognized me, but he's still asking me for money!?
Dressed in her tight-fitting hero costume, Mt. Lady put on a troubled expression. "Um... I don't seem to have any cash on me..."
"Say no more!" The owner instantly abandoned his principles, his eyes practically on fire. He put on a magnanimous air. "In that case, it's on the house!"
"Thank you!"
"Mmm, mmm~"
Watching Mt. Lady stroll ahead, eating the steaming hot takoyaki, Kamui Woods couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "Hey! We accepted a security detail from the school! Is it really okay for you to be wandering around like a regular tourist? And you even freeloaded off that shop owner!"
"My agency's finances aren't in the best shape. Every little bit I can save helps," Mt. Lady said, turning to face Kamui Woods with a relaxed smile. "Lighten up. Pro Heroes from all over the country are here to watch and scout for talent. Nothing major is going to happen. Besides, even if something did happen, do you really think I could use my Quirk in a crowd this dense?"
"Urk." Kamui Woods was choked speechless.
"Ahem." Death Arms, with his enormous fists, coughed twice to ease the awkwardness. "We were originally hoping to do some scouting ourselves, but since we've accepted this job, that's out of the question." He pointed to the badges on their chests. "For the most part, we're just here as a deterrent, but we still have a duty to fulfill."
"Hisako, I've explained it a dozen times! I did not put drugs in my cooking!"
"Don't call me Hisako! Are we that familiar? Use my family name, Arato!"
Mt. Lady pointed her toothpick toward a commotion nearby. "Seems like there's a dispute over there. Should we go check it out?"
"Finally, something to do!" Kamui Woods was the first to move, pushing his way through the circle of onlookers to the center of the incident. He addressed the two people at the heart of the argument. "I'm a Pro Hero hired by the school to maintain order. Could you please tell me what's going on?"
The red-haired young man spoke first. "You're Kamui Woods, right? I'm the owner of this stall. I was just selling my food normally, but this disciplinary committee member and her friends keep finding fault with me and won't let me work!"
"Hmph," the girl with short, crimson hair said, displeased. "I'm the disciplinary committee member in charge of this area. I suspect this person has put drugs in his food. My colleagues have been poisoned. I am merely carrying out my duty!"
Poisoned? Kamui Woods looked behind the stall. Two girls were sitting on the ground, leaning against a refrigerator. Their eyes were hazy and their faces were flushed. They were hugging each other, staring deeply into each other's eyes as if they were about to kiss.
"Stop!" The girl named Hisako spread her arms, blocking Kamui Woods's view. Her face bright red, she gestured to the other girls wearing armbands on her team. "You two, get them out of here! Their mission is complete!"
Hisako turned back to Kamui Woods. "You see? Those two became like this right after eating the food this person was selling! I'm going to have his stall shut down before he can harm anyone else!"
The red-haired young man said indignantly, "At first, you just told me to move my stall back! But didn't I explain to you? My equipment takes up a lot of space! I can't move it back any further! And their faces are flushed because I added onions to my cooking! It doesn't make people lose their minds! It just means they already had those kinds of desires to begin with!"
The young man was selling something one wouldn't expect to see here: two whole cows, which he was using to make steak. To keep the ingredients fresh, he had brought two refrigerators, which, along with his cooking station, left him with no room to move back.
"Kamui Woods, you were hired by the school to help maintain order! Do you think it's acceptable for him to be putting drugs in his food!?"
"Kamui Woods, you're a Pro Hero! You're the embodiment of fairness! Your word has the force of law!"
Hearing both of them appeal to him at the same time, Kamui Woods felt a headache coming on. He never should have gotten involved in this mess.
"If that's the case... may I have a free sample?" Mt. Lady stepped up to the stall, resting her chin on her middle finger. She tilted her head, her mouth watering at the sight of the steaks sizzling on the griddle.
"You're Mt. Lady!" The young man's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed. "No problem! As long as you can clear my name, you can have as many as you want!"
"Well then, don't mind if I do." Mt. Lady gave a slight smile and accepted the paper bowl from the young man, popping a small piece of steak into her mouth.
Everyone stared at her. She chewed a few times, then smiled at the young man. "There's no problem at all. It's delicious."
"Glad you like it!" the red-haired boy said, beaming. He turned to Hisako. "See? I told you my cooking is fine! You must have been deceived by those two!"
Damn it! At this rate, I won't be able to complete the young lady's mission... Hisako thought, grinding her teeth as she glared at the boy.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out, "Everyone, look! Mt. Lady... she's...!"
Kamui Woods quickly looked over and saw that Mt. Lady's face had, at some point, become deeply flushed. Her every movement now carried a seductive aura.
She walked up to Kamui Woods with a cat-like gait, hooked his chin with her hand, and leaned in close, her voice filled with bewilderment. "Hmm? I'm just now noticing that you're actually quite handsome. Tonight..."
Before she could finish, Kamui Woods leaped back and, in a panic, chopped her on the neck, knocking her unconscious to stop her from talking.
"Now what do you have to say for yourself!? Your food clearly has drugs in it!"
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it! You're talking nonsense!" the boy said, issuing a three-part denial. He didn't believe it was his fault.
However, when the boy looked to Kamui Woods for help, he saw the hero give a slight nod. Several people around them began to crack their knuckles and close in. The boy ripped the towel from his head and bolted.
"Get him!" Hisako ordered. She walked over to Kamui Woods and gave a formal bow. "Thank you for your assistance."
When she was bowing, she looked like a well-bred young lady. But when she straightened up, her aura shifted again, becoming that of a capable disciplinary committee member as she directed her subordinates to help clear away the stall.
Kamui Woods looked down at Mt. Lady, who was unconscious in his arms, and finally realized what he had just done. The color of his brown, wooden face suddenly deepened.
So even wood can blush, Death Arms thought to himself, watching Kamui Woods.
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