『ARC TWO: CAREFUL STEPS』

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The chime of the bell bounced off the walls of the hallways and classrooms one fine afternoon. This was followed by the click of the lock of the classroom door when it closed shut. Heavy footfalls trailed until they were positioned behind the wooden podium in front of the class. Propping his elbows on the podium, Kohei tilted his head and grinned. "Alright! Time for Heroics!"

Tanami shifted in her seat, hands cupped in her lap. She awkwardly sent a longing glance at the seat beside her. She tore her gaze away from the empty seat and settled her eyes on the long desk in front of the podium. A total of five backpacks were atop of the surface along with a black belt and a few other random items.

Raising a hand in the air listlessly, Yoshimi stifled the yawn threatening to escape his mouth. "Kohei-san, are you finally going to tell us why you switched morning and afternoon classes?"

"Yes, yes," Kohei shifted his stance and laced his fingers together. His eyes lingered on the nine kids before his smile morphed into one of sheepishness. Beads of sweat began to form on Tanami's hands from the expression Kohei was displaying. "I was in the staff room and long story short, I made a bet with Impression."

Impression? The breath escaped her lips. Her body's muscles instantly grew taut and her fingers gripped the fabric of her crimson skirt.

The timer halted, stopping at two minutes and fourteen seconds.

Not too long after did Tanami and Yoshimi gain their sight and hearing back.

Blinking, Tanami felt the tension leave her shoulders as everything became clearer once more. Impression's blue eyes and dark hair stood out against his tan complexion. The girl tilted her head and drew her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Why didn't you try to stop us?"

The Hero's answer sent a chill running down her spine for some odd reason. "The principal said to not bring harm to team thirty-one."

Now that she thinks about it, did Tomohiro ever give her a reply back? It has been a while since she brought it up. It was always in the back of her mind and yet she never said it again. Why? Anytime Impression was around the area, she would go in the opposite direction or flat out ignore the Hero. He made her feel uneasy because of those words spoken so long ago.

"And what was it?"

Junpei's curiosity-filled voice broke Tanami out of her trance. Picking her head up, she realized that she was still in class. Swallowing the saliva building up in her throat, the girl tried her best to rid herself of thoughts that did not need to be dwelled on at the moment. She's in Heroics and she can talk with Tomohiro later. Class comes first after all.

Linking his fingers together, Kohei laughed sheepishly. "That Team Alpha can beat Team Beta, the second equidistant team, in a game of tag."

The class itself became silent. Visible confusion was written on all the student's faces. Snapping out of her stupor first, Yua's brow crooked while she leaned back into her chair. "With all due respect, Kohei-san, but- what the fuck?"

In a moment of relapse, Kohei stood still with a hint of bewilderment swirling in his golden eyes. He rolled his shoulders as he began to formulate his next sentences in his head. "No, no, no. This is not your normal game of tag. For the next five days, Team Alpha and Team Beta will switch between the tagger and the hunted. Twenty students will be put into a maze. The hunted will have to find the exit while the taggers have to catch the hunted. Taggers will be given a pair of handcuffs and they have to lead the hunted into a specific part of the maze to be registered as caught.

"Taggers win by catching all of the hunted and hunted wins by everyone escaping. You can engage in fighting with Quirks. If something is too extreme, Impression or I will intervene. We'll make sure nothing too drastic happens."

"Is that why you were teaching us how to properly fight and defend ourselves last week and the beginning of this one?" Kagemi leaned into his propped palm, staring scrutinizingly at the teacher.

"No, and yes... but you need some way to defend yourself. A Powerhouse will not always be paired with a Pillar. What is a Pillar going to do if they were cornered?" Kohei questioned with a flick of his wrist.

Whether this was supposed to be a real response or an attempt to sound as childish as ever, Junpei cheerfully exclaimed, "cower and scream for help?"

Their teacher circled around the podium until he firmly positioned himself against the table. His hip collided with the edge of the long table. "The items you see in front of you will be the things that you will be carrying on a belt and backpack. Why a backpack? This is just a requirement for equidistant for the first few times. You can discard it if you don't need these support items later on. Team Beta will be given these as well."

His fingers first brushed against the leather of the belt before hooking it up in his grasp. A total of eight things hung off the clips attached to the leather rings surrounding the obsidian item. At a closer look, two of the things seemed to be made of plastic instead of thick cloth like the rest. Four of the cloth pouches appeared to be carrying silver bottles.

"The belt itself has six pouches and two holsters. There are four canisters, two that are smoke bombs and two that are tear gas. You open the lid, twist the lock to the left, and throw it wherever. It works for both. The holsters are for a taser and a gun- although we would only give you rubber bullets. You're never aiming a loaded gun with real bullets at each other during your three years here and I'm only giving each of you six rubber bullets if we use guns. The last pouches are empty for whatever you want to put in there for easy access."

"You're going to give us tasers and guns?" Yoshimi had tilted his head, clearly baffled by the words.

Tanami brought a hand to her mouth, the tip of her index finger touching her bottom lip. Her brows slightly furrowed together. She vaguely remembered an argument between Tomohiro and Sumiko one day at the agency. She and Akihiko were eleven. Sumiko had brought up the topic of teaching the twins how to use a weapon in case something happened. Tomohiro was quick to shoot the idea down. He rebutted that eleven-year-olds should not learn how to use a gun of all things.

The two Heroes went back and forth on the idea until Puppeteer grew tired of their banter. He suggested that the two compromise and teach the twins how to defend themselves without weapons. If they needed a weapon, well a diamond would surely hurt if you smacked someone across the head with a lump of it. They begrudgingly agreed.

"Not for this exercise. I don't trust any of you with either of those. Quirks may be dangerous but that doesn't make this-" Kohei placed the belt down and reached to grab the gun and taser on the table. Were those always there? Flicking off the safety, the blond firmly placed a finger on the trigger. He stretched his arm out, aiming the pistol at one of the textbooks on top of the metal lockers. The only thing Tanami's ears registered was the boom of the bullet leaving the barrel and the sound of it being embedded in the book.

Surprisingly, the girl did not flinch in fear or gasp quietly like the rest of her classmates. A silent sigh left her lips. The sound of a pistol being shot was something she grew accustomed to, unfortunately. More often than not would the drunkards in her pare- Kiyoko and Souta's bar get into a gunfight surprisingly.

You think that in a super-powered society, drunk people would dish out their Quirks but apparently, a gun was the preferred option. She and Akihiko would always cower behind the island in fear but after a few months, they unknowingly got used to it. Tanami bit her lower lip. She wished her body flinched naturally like everyone else.

Kohei placed the weapon back on the table after emptying the rubber bullets from it. He then picked up the taser and presented it to them. "-or this any less dangerous. I need to teach you how to use these, and then you need to acquire the license to use a gun. Even then, you may not use these until your second year. Maybe the end of the first year if I think you are ready."

"And the taser?" Mei asked.

"I don't trust any of you at the moment with an object that sends electricity through your body," Kohei stated with an obvious tone.

Yeah giving a group of teenagers guns and tasers did not seem ideal. Although they lived in a society with Quirks, most would not be able to stop a bullet from coming their way.

"Alright, the backpacks are only for those who specifically requested gear that will be useful for their Quirks and could not be carried in pouches. Inside are items tailored to all of your Quirks respectively. We've ordered these from Hatsume Industries so do not worry about them being defective. Daiki requested something to be able to prick himself and store his converted blood, sweat, and saliva."

The next thing that Kohei did was pick up one of the backpacks from the table. He unattached the magnetic clip and flipped the flap open. He stuck his hand in and pulled out a glass cylinder and a needle with a thin tube and plastic hemisphere attached to it.

"The needles and thin tubes are about the same as those used by phlebotomists. The top of these glass cylinders connect to the tube and will stop when it is full. These cylinders can be inserted into the syringes like so-" the teacher twisted the lid slightly, clipped on the plastic, and showcased the combination of the items. "-and by twisting it, the contents will be inserted. On top of this, your bag will also have a medical kit."

Placing the objects down, Kohei opened up another bag and revealed a series of items that Tanemi had no clue what they were. At the other side of the circular placed tables, a certain person perked up at the sight.

"Junpei requested items used for forensics in order for his butterflies to narrow down the number of things they need to touch. These are basic and I would usually prefer to tell you how to use them but I'm assuming your Quirk would tell you anyway."

Said teenager chippered with glee, "of course!"

Moving on, the blond fished out similar metal canisters from the ones that hung on the belt. "Kagemi, these are the same canisters we use for the tear gas and smoke bombs. However, you can unscrew the top and store your smoke inside. Screw it shut and open them the way I showed you how to open the other canisters."

"Thank you, Kohei-san." Kagemi nodded.

Drawing in a deep sigh before breaking out in a grin, Kohei adjusted the cuffs of his button-up. "Frankly, Yoshimi, we don't use these for exercises because we want to see if a student asks for them. I've taught for nine years and this is the first time that a first-year has asked for them."

Daiki raised an eyebrow. "What'd you ask for?"

"Communicators," Yoshimi stated bluntly.

"These earpieces are communicators. You would be surprised how almost no students ask for these. This makes team exercises so much easier. Since these will be giving Team Alpha an advantage, you have to place a communication device-" Tucked between his index and thumb was a small black circle. A tiny button was on the surface. The next thing he pulled out was a rectangular box that was about the size of a box. "-this thing, in a specific spot for it to work. You'll have an advantage but not in the beginning. You'll know where to put this once you see the spot.

"The rest of the things you will be provided with Yoshimi are trackers that can be placed on someone else, the glasses that can enhance sight and they can also protect your eyes from the tear gas. Everyone else, you do not get this luxury so I suggest you file a modification to the support team. The last things you requested were flares and flash grenades."

"What are you going to do with a flare and a flash grenade?" Tanami sent a scrutinized stare at her classmate.

Yoshimi shrugged. "They might be useful."

"Why do I feel like you would shoot the flare at someone?" Daiki sank into his chair and threw his head back to release a groan.

"Tanami and Shinsha, both of your Quirks rely on sugar intake. These are condensed sugar pills. There's a total of thirty inside. You won't have backpacks as you can carry these on your belts. I wouldn't ingest more than two in an hour unless you want a sugar crash."

Tanami's body stiffened. She felt that that last sentence was directed specifically to her because Shinsha only nodded. It seemed like someone noticed her because they called her out on it.

"Have you sugar crashed before?!" Daiki exclaimed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was nine and was left alone with a bag of sugar. I thought it was a good idea at the time." The female's pale cheeks were dusted with a light lavender hue. The tips of her ears were beginning to burn from the embarrassment. She stared at the table in front of her to avoid looking her classmates in their eyes.

A stifled snort escaped Kagemi while he shook his head. "Yeah, and you were kneeling over the toilet for hours."

"Oh, shut it." Tanami shot back. Her ears were still burning.

"Mei, there are differing sizes and types of paper in this backpack. Some are light while others are heavier. Yua, this small metal tube-" his finger pressed a button on the tube and a long pole shot out. He gave it a hard turn in the middle and it broke into two parts. "-turns into a bow staff and can be split in half. We'll discuss the other weapons you wanted at a different time. You don't need a backpack either. Akihiko's backpack has mirrors and glass. Ichigo, you don't have a backpack since you did not request anything that needs to be carried around."

"Are we going to change into our gym uniforms?" Ichigo asked as she placed her hands on the table.

Kohei shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. "In the locker rooms are metal cases with your names on them that hold your costumes. These are beta costumes that you will use for now until your second year when you do internships. You will design your actual costumes then. These are identical to each other with some differing details to tell them apart. All of the things I've shown here are in those cases."

The teacher had made a 'shoo' motion with his hand. "Get a move on now! We have an exercise to get to!"

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Pushing the door to the restroom in the girl's locker room, Tanami crept inside and slowly closed the door. She flinched slightly when the lock clicked. Walking into a stall with the case clutched to her chest, the crystal locked it before pressing her back against it and sliding down onto her bottom.

The stall was a bit cramped but it was super clean so Tanami did not feel that bad that her skirt was touching the tiled floor. She sighed heavily, lightly running a hand through her fiberglass bangs. Personally, the teenager did not want to come into the stall to change into her costume and rather preferred to dress with the other four girls in the locker room but, well, reasons.

She popped open the locks and opened the metal case. Just by looking at it, inside of the case were black and violet clothes and a slightly bulky midnight gas mask. Tanami stood, peeling off her blazer, tie, and button-up. As she was slipping off her collared shirt's sleeve, she frowned at the faded scars running down her shoulders. The dim scars coating her pale skin like an arachnid's web.

She tore her gaze away, a small noise escaping her lips. The periwinkle-eyed girl was quick to slip into the long sleeve, the armored plates on the shoulders and elbows making it a bit difficult. Tanami released a puff of air once the scars were no longer visible.

Although the twins acquired wounds on their forearms when they overused their Quirk, at the beginning when they barely discovered them, it was easier for the entirety of their arms to spill blood. The scars on their forearms disappeared without a trace each time they were healed but the ones on their shoulders and halfway down their upper arms left behind unpleasant memories. They never healed since they were there longer.

Tanami shook her head, disregarding old thoughts. They were no longer here and they would never appear again. She needed to change into her costume. It was the most important thing at the moment.

Exiting the stall, the girl could not help but take a look into the mirror. The entirety of her body was covered in clothing and thick armor. The black long sleeve and leggings clung to her skin and above that was an obsidian jumper with shorts. Two lavender and violet lines trailed down the jumper until it circled around the ends. Long gloves ran up her arms, ending at the elbows. Metal cuffs cured around her upper arms and another set of cuffs weighed on her wrists.

Reinforced violet and raven boots enraptured her shins. The bottom of the boots were flat, soles similar to those of combat boots. They were lightweight with no laces to make it easier to run without the worry of tripping over the strings. Weighing down on her collarbone was the reinforced gas mask. Hanging off her hips in an 'X' were the belts with various pouches, some with silver canisters inside as Kohei had said.

She was fairly happy with the costume itself. She was glad that no skin was exposed. Tanami would feel more than just insecure and embarrassed if even the tiniest bit of skin was shown without her consent. Her Quirk had nothing to do with skin so exposing any would be useless. She never understood why many Hero costumes revealed skin if it was not necessary.

In cases such as Creati, it made sense since the Pro needed exposed skin due to her Quirk. But those that showed cleavage, stomach, or a large portion of their back made little sense to Tanami. That was just asking for someone to nail you there and take you down with ease. What if someone had an acid Quirk and the residue landed on your skin instead of your clothes? That was going to hurt.

The teenager laced her fingers in front of her and stretched. She took another look at herself in the mirror and a frown slipped onto her lips. The one thing she would want to add was a hood. Her shiny hair could pose to be a problem since it was eye-catching. She would have to make a request to the support team for a modification. Maybe a smaller mask too.

Curling her fingers into fists, Tanami breathed in deeply and nodded in determination. "Okay, let's do this."

Exiting the restroom, the female nearly crashed into Yua who was about to enter. The crystal mumbled an apology which was effortlessly ignored. However, Yua's violet eyes lingered on Tanami's form longer than needed. It appeared as if she wanted to question the amethyst-haired girl but did not want to pursue it. She continued on into one of the many stalls.

Just about all the girls seemed to be done putting on their outfits. They all relatively shared the same design except the secondary color differed from person to person. Like hers which was violet and lavender, the others had two shades of scarlet, cerulean, honey, and magenta. Her female classmates were struggling to put their hair up. Even Shinsha and her hair is made up of gummy.

A tiny part of her ached with disappointment. She vaguely remembered having normal hair when she was a little child. Her mother would do her best to style it but after getting her Quirk, the hair became crystal and well you can not style hard glass rock. Her fingers lightly grasped the tip of amethyst hitting her jaw. Sometimes she wished that her hair turned into a fiberglass texture like her bangs. At least you can attempt to style that.

She swallowed the saliva building up in her mouth. Why am I even thinking about this?

Insecurity. Insecurity is what she chalked it up to.

Can you really blame her for thinking like that? Her childhood was anything but normal and to be honest, this is the first time she has been in a locker room. Yes, they had physical education in middle school but apparently, if you have a parent as a Hero, they can pull a whole lot of strings. Tanami stifled a giggle. She still remembered when Tomohiro threatened to sue and take legal action over that one fight.

Besides that, she never undressed in front of others, never went swimming unless it was a full-body suit that covered her shoulders and arms, and always wore shirts with sleeves that ended at her elbows. She did not even bother with the short-sleeved button-up for her school uniform since she never knew if she would need to take off her blazer. She rubbed her arm, feeling the smooth fabric. The girl flinched when her fingers raised to the part where the scars would be.

Go away you stupid thoughts, Tanami inwardly scolded those dumb thoughts circling in her mind. You're annoying.

"Why did you go in the bathroom?"

Released from her stupor, Tanami lifted her head to meet questionable sapphire eyes staring her down. Clearing her throat, the crystal swung her arms back to lace her fingers behind her back. She gave Mei an awkward yet passable smile. "Huh? O-oh, just not used to dressing with others. I live with my brother and dad."

She did not like the way the words sounded like a lie and a truth at the same time. She wondered how she managed to spit those words out without seething them through clenched teeth.

The girl who questioned her weaved her chocolate hair into a french braid. Mei's lips pressed together into a deep line before she decided it was not worth the effort to press any further. "How is your brother?"

At the inquiry, Tanami's shoulders fell forward in melancholy. The fake cheer she displayed easily fell apart for worry to string itself onto her features. "The same. Hopefully, he gets better this week..."

The atmosphere in the locker room instantly plunged into one of unnerve. The four stood in silence, unsure as to how to break the stiffness they all displayed. Tanami found her front teeth beginning to gnaw on her bottom lip and she nearly hit her ankle with her own heel because she was not supposed to be biting her lip. She did not want to taste the familiar metal that came with blood.

Unable to stand in the silence, Shinsha gently shut the locker closed. The gummy placed a hand at her chin and leaned up against the coolness of the metal. "It's kind of w-weird not seeing you with him. Y-your brother I mean."

"Feels weird without him." A light laugh vibrated through the periwinkle-eyed girl. Of course, it was weird. They were never separated. Always with each other one way or another. Dependent on one another. Akihiko was her other half. The person who knew her best...

So why did it leave her feeling empty yet it was like taking a breath of fresh air? No, no, she's mistaken. It is like withdrawal. Being apart from someone for so long- it is just her way of feeling-

Dammit! Why was this so hard to- to... comprehend? Is that it? Is that the right word? It has to be. How can someone such as herself be so selfish to think that she would feel bittersweet about being away from her own flesh and blood. She just can not comprehend it. That is the answer. Nothing more. Nothing less. Then why does her chest not tighten like it did when she realized that they were separated at the beginning of the week? She nearly tried to weaponize a pillow when Tomohiro forced her to go to school. He even roped in Kagemi to make sure she did not try to do something stupid.

She wished her stomach would tighten at the selfish thoughts. Too bad it did not.

"Is everyone done?" Ichigo announced just as she finished tying her hair into a high ponytail.

By then, Yua had exited the bathroom. The female was adjusting the cuff on her wrist. The dark pink stood out against the ebony of Yua's outfit. Then again, the different colors popped out on all of them as well.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go." Yua stated as she pushed the door open to leave the locker room.

The rest exited as well, walking down the long corridor to the specific waiting room Kohei informed them to go to. Once inside, the nine admired the costumes they adorned. The only real difference between the female and male outfits was the fact that instead of shorts and leggings, the boys wore slightly baggy pants stuffed into combat boots.

"Man, you guys take forever to dress," Daiki muttered as he picked himself up from the bench he laid on.

"Excuse us. I didn't expect for boys to dress so quickly." Mei shot back while placing her hands on her hips.

Nearly groaning, Kagemi walked toward Tanami. "Does anyone know who makes up Team Beta?

Shinsha tilted her head. She connected the tips of her fingers as she pondered over the question. "I-I've seen the other students attending Mizu but who belongs w-with what team, n-no."

Out of the corner of her eye, Tanami noticed that Yua flinched. It was barely noticeable unless you were standing near her which Tanami was. However, the shocked expression on the magenta-haired girl's face was gone before anyone else could have noticed it.

Yoshimi stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Let's assume that they have five Powerhouses and five Pillars. Pillars don't have as much strength as shown by the ones we have here. Let's be honest, Junpei, Daiki, and I are not reliable in a fight but as support. If that's the case, our Powerhouses have to go against Beta's Powerhouses."

"Unlesss," Junpei forced his way into the middle of the group. Spinning around in a circle, he took a look at all of his classmates. He brought a hand to his chin with a small smile. "We are the hunted. If we are the taggers, then what Shimi said would make perfect sense. Our Powerhouses would face off the other team's Powerhouses and then our Pillars would go in with the handcuffs."

"If we're the hunted, we will not pair up at first. It's a game of cat and mouse and we're lacking mice. We should scatter and try not to engage. However, if you have no other option to fight, then fight." Yoshimi carried on.

"Why you may ask? It's because we're going to hook this communication device. Or I will since I'm the only one who knows how it works. Since it's a game of tag, going in alone is not the best idea but it's the best one if we are hunted since they have to chase all of us. Most of the fights will be one v. one." Junpei concluded by clasping his hands together. The movement caused the backpack he wore to swing a bit.

The sound of someone's palms connecting caught everyone's attention. Picking their heads up, they saw Kohei entering the room with a confident grin. "For barely any instruction, those are good observations. Glad to know my students are already thinking this through."

"Are we going to start soon?" Tanami crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke.

Kohei let out a burst of hearty laughter and nodded his head. The teacher was practically beaming at this point. "Five minutes until your game of tag begins! But first things first, I want the nine of you present to choose your leader and vice-leader. Usually, a team will have two leaders who will either stand in the spotlight or stay in the shadows and have another team member be the center of their agency. I may be the one who stands out in my agency but Empress and Afterimage are the leader and vice-leader in my team."

"So what, you're like the cover?" Daiki raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly. So choose." the blond nodded.

Stepping forward, Yua brushed out a knot from her hair with her fingers. She picked at her hair while stating her claim. "I think all of us can agree that Junpei and Shimi are our best bets. The rest of us can't formulate a plan as fast as those two. I don't think you two even spoke prior with each other before you connected the dots."

"No." Junpei and Yoshimi said simultaneously.

"I see no problem." the crystal voiced. To be honest, those two seemed like the best contenders to lead a team. Back in the flood zone, Yoshimi was quick to come up with a plan that worked efficiently and although she did not want to admit it, Junpei was the next best choice due to his Quirk. She did not think anyone else would be good enough in order to fill those roles.

"T-then who is the leader and the v-vice?" Shinsha asked.

Yua finally freed the knot in her hair. A slight puff escaped her lips. "Simple. Yoshimi is the leader and Junpei is the vice-leader. Any objections?"

"I'm not being the so-called 'cover' and I'm not that thrilled at having to do work." Yoshimi instantly stated. He rubbed his wrists, sending a light glare at Kohei of all people.

Junpei sprung up at the answer. He stood on his toes, trying to appear taller in front of the aqua-eyed male. A firm smile had lingered on his lips. "But you didn't object! I take that as a yes and I don't have any problems. It's your decision."

Everyone shot each other a glance. No one seemed to object. Kohei handed the two leaders a black armband with a white alpha symbol. They were all ushered into a hallway that would lead them into the place where they are going to play tag. The door in front of them began to slide open.

"Team Alpha, hunted. Team Beta, taggers." Impression's voice filtered through the speaker.

This was followed by Kohei's eccentric tone. "Ready, set, go!"

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Author's Note:

And the game of tag has begun! We will be focusing on Tanami rather than Akihiko during this short time. Who do you think will win, Alpha or Beta?