"What…do I really look like?"
Toru asked the question a little nervously, voicing what she'd wanted to know this entire time.
"Hmm…"
Isshun hummed in thought. He lifted his pencil from the notebook he'd been sketching in and glanced toward where Toru's face would be, one eyebrow raised in consideration.
"...What? Do I look fat?" Toru asked quickly. "Or do I look weird?"
"You look…annoying to draw."
At the unfamiliar description, Toru couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. "Is that a bad thing?"
"For some people. Maybe."
"Ugh, can't you just give me a clear answer?!" Toru waved her arms in frustration. "I'll bite you!"
She bared her invisible teeth in what was meant to be a threatening manner. Isshun couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
'Kinda reminds me of Nejire…'
Without comment, he handed his notebook to her.
Isshun had insisted to Kako that notebooks were pointless for someone with the processing and memorization power of multiple supercomputers, but she'd told him he should at least look like he was studying.
Actually taking notes, however, was wildly inefficient.
"What's this for?" Toru asked, opening it.
On the first page was a pencil sketch of a girl wearing their school uniform.
There was no color, but even Toru, whose artistic ability peaked at stick figures, could tell it was good.
Like…really good.
The girl looked like she was in motion, three fingers raised on both hands, a confident, lively expression on her face.
Her hair was messy as if it hadn't been brushed properly and shoulder-length, and the whole drawing carried the charm of a kid enjoying their youth.
"Who's this…?" Toru glanced up at Isshun, only to receive an incredulous look in return.
"...Is this what I look like?"
"Yeah."
Toru had always wondered what she looked like.
She'd tried things before—painting herself, for example—but that attempt had ended when her parents caught her flooding the bathroom.
Yet now, with a visible picture like drawing of what she looked like, her initial reaction wasn't surprise.
Instead, she felt… confused.
"...Don't I look a little too cute?"
"How narcissistic." Isshun drawled next to her.
"No, seriously!" Toru gestured wildly between the drawing and herself, pushing her invisible hair around as if she could somehow compare the two.
"I could be a child actor!" She looked back at Isshun.
"You're still invisible," he said flatly. "Just so you know."
"I know that…" Toru huffed. "It's just a what if, you know?"
"Yeah. Maybe." Isshun shrugged.
"But… than—"
RING! RING!
"Rrah!" Toru threw her hands up in frustration. How many times was this stupid bell going to be interrupting her today!
The math teacher walked in just as she was mid-frustration. Unfortunately, since she was invisible, it just looked like random, distracting waving.
"You in the back, hands down. Everyone get your textbooks out and go to page 13. Just cause it's the first day doesn't mean you can start slacking off."
'Oh! I forgot to put back my tray!'
Hagakure looked down, yet her lunch tray was nowhere in sight.
Instead, there was her math textbook… and her notebook.
'...What?'
She turned to her right.
Isshun was sitting calmly, notebook back in his hands, looking like the most normal student in the room.
"Psst. Shunkan-kun," she whispered. "Did you put the trays back?"
With his seemingly all-knowing Math Quirk, maybe he was behind it!
Without looking at her, Isshun wrote something on an empty page and tilted it toward her.
[No.]
'Huh…? Then who did?'
She grabbed her pencil and scribbled furiously.
[Then who did (╹-╹)?]
Isshun wrote below the [No].
[Who knows? Maybe a ghost?]
[Even I know ghosts don't exist! ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) You must have done it!]
He wrote again.
[Caught.]
[Hehe, I knew it was you! So, how'd you do it?]
He paused.
Then wrote:
[Math.]
"Urk!"
Toru slammed her hands on the desk. She was so sick of that stupid excuse!
Unfortunately, this caught the attention of the very strict math teacher.
"You in the back! That's a warning!"
"S-Sorry sensei!"
After being scolded, Toru glared in Isshun's direction. He sat there like a model student, stupid calm face and all!
'I know you can seeeee me!'
Isshun didn't react.
Left unsatisfied, Toru reluctantly turned her attention back to class.
--<>--
As the final bell rang, Isshun stood up, ready to head straight home—
Only to be stopped again.
"...Why did you ignore me?" Toru asked.
"Ignore you?" Isshun replied. "We were in class. You're supposed to pay attention."
"You weren't even taking notes!" Toru complained.
"Not taking notes doesn't constitute not paying attention." Isshun retorted.
"Cons—what?"
"..." Isshun sighed quietly. "You really do remind me of her."
'Though I don't know why I'm acting like Nejire's dead or estranged.'
"Remind you of who?" Toru caught the mumble instantly.
"A friend."
"A friend?" Toru brightened. "Oh! Shunkan-kun—we should definitely be friends!"
"Just because I can see you?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
"Well… that's, like, a super-duper tiny part of it, but—what, you don't want to?"
"...I don't mind."
Get a friend quest: complete.
'I truly am a master of social interaction,' Isshun thought. 'I'm not antisocial because I can't make friends. It's because it's too easy.'
Maybe he'd get even more friends than Nejire and brag into her face instead.
"Yay!" Toru cheered. "See you tomorrow, Shunkan-kun! I'm gonna go make some more friends!"
Isshun watched as she happily wandered off toward a group of girls, then shrugged.
'Hey. a friend's a friend.'
--<>--
"I'm back."
"Welcome home, Shun-kun."
Genzai was already on the couch, home early and watching TV.
As Isshun headed toward the bathroom, folded clothes and a towel teleported into his arms, and his backpack vanished into his room.
"I'm taking a bath!"
He announced, but paused, then reappeared in front of his dad just as Genzai opened his mouth.
Genzai stared at him, exasperated.
"I know you can see me speak ahead of time," he said, "but at least let me start and finish my sentence."
"Sorry."
Genzai just shook his head exasperatedly.
"This weekend, I've got a business trip to Central Tokyo. Got myself some tickets to a popular hero's farewell event at the Tokyo Sky Egg."
"I think his name was Captain Celebrity. There'll probably be a ton of Pro Heroes there. Want to come?"
Isshun thought it over.
'Well...seems like something Nejire would like.'
"How many tickets?"
"Three."
"...Sure."
--<>--
A/N: Some may know, but... Captain Celebrity, ykwim? Also, for the people wondering when i upload, i just use inkstone's browser timer at 12:00, which is always set in china time.
4 advance chaps on my p@tr3on Cypresss(shameless plug)
--<>--
2700PS - Complete
4900PS - Not Unlocked