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Post by notdomino on Mar 4, 2023 3:50:55 GMT
OOC:This is very literally so we don't have to copy and paste two whole threads lol. I'll just brief it as if it just happened.
After a brief internship, our young heroes return to school from break. After receiving a phone call from Nocturne, it's clear Shinja's past isn't as closed as she once thought. Here she receives a final confirmation from her agency leader that he's caught onto the thread of something, but h
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"No not at all! I just got here... are you..."
Depleted, he would shake his head. "I'm doing well enough. There are going to be some changes coming, so please bare with the staff. " He'd looked away before returning to meet Shinja's eyes. He didn't want to push the subject, because he wouldn't be around to give her appropriate updates. BUT... "It's about your grandfather Aeronaut..." He paused to further collect himself. First Terebi, now one of the students. It was as the dusk hero was the bearer of bad news this semester. Today was absolute shit.
He struggled to air out all the details. The best bet was to wait until he'd gotten more info from Tatsuki and Tendo. They were the one combing through old records in the first place. But these U.A. kids... they were so... SO. He had to stall Shinja so she wouldn't go looking on her own. " When I got off the phone with you that day. Me and the fellas did some digging. My hunch was correct. The way he died... it wasn't just an ordinary killed in action. It was planned hit by a small team of villains. There are two known members who are currently in holding for processing. I may be able to catch them before they receive a final sentence from a judge. The issue is... with the new year starting, I'm stuck doing all this damn paperwork. "
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 4, 2023 8:19:29 GMT
Shinja was as still as a statue, staring up at Nocturne with a strange expression. Aeronaut was murdered? Not only that, but the culprits were known? Her fists clenched and her fans began to whirr. A storm was brewing inside the young hero. She lowered her gaze, trying to compose herself. Two weeks at least... Shinja allowed her mind to compose the words before they tore from her mouth like a vicious wind.
"I... understand. I never knew... I can't believe my grandfather had such vicious enemies."
Slowly Shinja raised her head to look at Nocturne. Her expression was dark and stoney, a mask of loss and anger, both fighting on the front lines. She felt tears, and white hot rage, and sorrow without limits, but held herself with a trembling stoicism.
"Nocturne-sensei... these villains... you said you knew their names? Please... let me know who murdered my grandfather? Even two weeks... I'm not sure my heart could wait that long to know..."
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Post by notdomino on Mar 6, 2023 4:27:26 GMT
OOC: Since there is no ice queen or Gwen, I think we can start deviating around here. Her response sent him reeling internally. He wasn't good with people... even with this newfound acceptance and respect gained from his time here. Had he really grown that much? He wouldn't run away, only looking at Shinja directly. With hesitation, he'd swallow deep and finally answer. "One team of villains by the name Team Air Raid delivered the hit. They are only a hitman squad so that means, there was either a person or group who wanted Aeronaut gone. He was one of the more prominents heroes when I had first started, so a collaboration between groups might make sense. There is also likely a few who aided in the overall execution." The tension could be cut with a knife, but Yoo would press on to make sure Shinja understood. Stern, he made sure to drive the point home. "Don't do anything hasty until I can get back and do some digging!" He took a breath, before speaking once more. " I WILL make sure to employ a full investigation when I get back."As if the timing couldn't get any worse. A text from Kako would hit the group chat between her and Tanzo. "I'm free after this next class~~~  SUP" |
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 6, 2023 21:09:02 GMT
Shinja's face was stormy for a second, then suddenly it melted away like a wax mask. She smiled, not warmly, but nodded her head. Nocturne could see her eyes glistening with fresh dewdrops of tears, but she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, bowing at her teacher.
"Of course, Nocturne-sensei... I'll wait to hear from you on your return."
Her phone buzzed, and Shinja quickly looked at the message. Kako. She looked at Nocturne, still with that queer smile on her lips.
"Sorry, sensei - I have to fly. Please let me know when you get back. I hope... I hope you find what you're looking for."
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She landed in the grounds, falling to her knees beneath a pink blossom tree. Shinja tried to keep herself together, fists clenched tight against her skirt. It was too much. How could this be true? Her grandfather, the man she looked up to and the reason she wanted to be a hero... he had been murdered? Shinja wiped errant tears with her sleeve again, and fumbled for her phone, pinging a message back to the others with deft fingers.
Hey. Need to talk. Meet me in the grounds by the cherry blossoms - both of you. S x
Shinja took a deep breath, then another. She had to be strong, be level-headed... but Nocturne had driven a spike inside her mind, really driven it deep. Team Air Raid. She felt pain, sadness and anger, all fighting to dominate. Shinja had no idea what would win. She needed Kako and Tanzo to talk things through.
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Post by cmd1095 on Mar 7, 2023 5:30:28 GMT
Tanzo had originally had plans for the afternoon to go purchase some art supplies, walking through the grounds towards the front gate, but then his phone buzzed.
Both of them? That sounded serious... what could this be about? Then Tanzo remembered the other day... Shinja had gotten a phone call that had seemed like not good news, even if she didn't disclose everything at the time. Could this be about that? Regardless, if it was bad enough that she was requesting they both meet her immediately then his art supplies could wait.
Changing course, Tanzo veered off towards the cherry blossom trees, it didn't take long to find Shinja, kneeling underneath one of the trees. She'd doubtless hear him coming as he walked over and plopped down next to her.
"Hey, got here quick as I could, what's going on?" he asked, keeping his posture open for a hug if Shinja wanted it, his warm body made him give great hugs... but he rarely ever initiated them for fear of squishing people.
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Post by notdomino on Mar 9, 2023 5:39:54 GMT
"Sorry, sensei - I have to fly. Please let me know when you get back. I hope... I hope you find what you're looking for."
Yoo pushed himself to smile back, and even further to bow for the girl as she walked away from him. Why did things have to heat up now of all times? He feared for the future... There was no telling how this school year would go.
_________________
While it was just a message, Kako couldn't help but feel something was off. Shinja was the up beat sort. So anytime she wasn't, that meant something was obviously wrong. She was already going through her own hellstorm, but Shinja and Tanzo were always there. She'd be miserable without them. As a true friend, she felt it was her duty to show up in full force. With a flash of lightning and a quake of thunder roaring behind it, the heated air and flying sparks beckoned the entrance of the white haired teen. She skidded to a halt, blades of grass singed beneath her feet upon arrival. She'd pluck the battery from her lip and scan the scene, namely her two friends. Shoving the battery in her carrying case, she glared at Tanzo in hopes of pushing the mood into their usual upbeat comedic routine.
"Senpmmmmm" She slapped her hand over her mouth. The boy was a third year, practically a man now. She never had a big brother, and he was the closes thing to it. To be brutally honest, Tanzo had earned his senpai rank fair and square a long time ago... Kako was a bit too conceded about her own personal growth to admit it. "TRAINEE, what did you do to senpai!?!? She's all... not buzzing" She frowned, unable even blurt out a proper joke. This wasn't the scene to be joking in. She pulled herself in close to the two. She was too weak to pull Tanzo's large body into a warm group hug. Hopefully he'd catch the hint. To Shinja, she-"We're here for you!"
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 9, 2023 7:07:00 GMT
Shinja wasn't a natural hugger, but seeing her two friends arrive filled her with powerful emotion. She thrust her arms out around both of them, absorbing Tanzo's heat and allowing the warmth of both of their hearts to calm her own. After a few moments she leaned back, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Ah... it's-"
She paused, catching breath. Shinja knew she was being foolish... she had never even met her grandfather, hadn't been born when he died- when he was killed. She looked at Tanzo and Kako in turn, then let out a half-sob, half-laugh.
"It's stupid, now I actually try and say it. I heard from Nocturne-sensei... he told me about my grandfather."
Shinja breathed in deep again. Closed her eyes against the ragged sunlight, centred herself. It would be one thing hearing about it from Nocturne, but to say it outloud...
"He told me my grandfather, Aeronaut, was murdered. Twenty years ago, a group of villains killed him... and he told me that they were still at large."
She tightened her fists, gritting her teeth. Now anger was flowing into her. Shinja felt like an emotional storm, too many different feelings hitting her in waves from all sides, threatening to capsize her.
"I know who they are, and where they were last sighted... and all I want to do is go and find them. Find out why they did it. My grandfather was an amazing hero... why did you kill him?"
The last sentence was spoken in a raised voice, etched with anger and pain. Shinja opened her eyes, misty from her emotions, looking up at the two with a pained fury.
"But if I confront them, I'm worried I'll just act out of revenge! That's no way for a hero to act, but I'm not sure I can control my heart. Nocturne-sensei told me not to do anything before he returned, but... Please... Kako, Tanzo. I need help. What should I do?"
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Post by cmd1095 on Mar 11, 2023 17:25:47 GMT
Tanzo of course reciprocated the group hug, holding both Shinja and Kako snugly against him in a nice warm protective grasp. He might've teased Kako about her almost calling him senpai on any other occasion, but right now there were bigger concerns at hand. Namely finding out what had Shinja so upset.
And find out he did, listening as she explained how her grandfather had been murdered by villains... villains she had a lead on tracking down. It was good she was coming to them first and not just rushing off to do it and seek her revenge... but what could he say here? The responsible thing would be to caution her against doing this... but thinking on if it were him he was pretty sure he'd just do it alone. So maybe it was better to support her and help her get out of this alright on the other end of things?
"That's a lot to take in..." Tanzo sighed "I get how that would rattle you. Thank you for coming to us first before rushing off to do anything on your own."
Tanzo shook his head "strictly speaking, going after them is a bad idea. If this group was able to take down your grandfather, that means they're very dangerous and know how to overcome quirks like you and your grandfather's, and while you have your provisional license going villain hunting isn't exactly legal. And you're right, once you find them the temptation of revenge would be in play" he said, "by all accounts, Nocturne-sensei is absolutely, undeniably correct in telling you not to act... that being said I know how hard it can get when family matters are involved. If you gave me a lead on the villains responsible for the attack that stole my father from me..."
Tanzo trailed off for a moment, negative emotions trying to bubble to the surface. He pushed them down, he couldn't let that out to others. He would keep it locked up and be the helpful guy he always was.
"Well it would be hard to not pursue it, even if I knew it was a bad idea. And so if you decide this is something you need to do Shinja, I'll have your back. If nothing else, having my extra muscle around should help mitigate the danger factor of things. Not saying that it'll be any measure of safe... they took down a top pro. But at least our odds are better as a team." Tanzo said "I may think pursuing them is probably a bad idea, but I'll have your back regardless"
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Post by notdomino on Mar 11, 2023 23:41:47 GMT
"But if I confront them, I'm worried I'll just act out of revenge! That's no way for a hero to act, but I'm not sure I can control my heart. Nocturne-sensei told me not to do anything before he returned, but... Please... Kako, Tanzo. I need help. What should I do?"
This wasn't the Shinja Kako knew... She could understand totally why she'd want to get back at them, but was that really the right move? Tanzo's warm was a luxurious help in calming things down. He should honestly name a super move after it. Kako closed her eyes and thought hard. Part of her wanted to say no, but she could feel herself pulling toward saying go for it. Maybe that was too gungho of an attitude to take. She didn't want to burden them like this. Tanzo was usually the voice of reason, surely he'd echo some wise and reasonable thoughts.
"That's a lot to take in..." Tanzo sighed "I get how that would rattle you. Thank you for coming to us first before rushing off to do anything on your own."
"And, don't feel embarrassed to express yourself. It's never silly to share things with us!"
Tanzo started off well within her expectations in his explanation but soon would sound off his support regardless of Shinja's decision. Kako eyed the floor... Oh yeah, licenses! She skipped out on taking her test. It had been schedule during break, but by that point she had already solidified her stand on no longer wanting to continue schooling. Well, what would it hurt? If they didn't get caught, then her not having one didn't matter... right? And Tanzo was right, they would be better as a team. The thought only gave more confidence in her response. "I say we go for it! If Nocturne-sensei is on personal leave, that means we time before he can even catch on to us. I bet we can tell the teachers we're visiting Osaka again! I can have Ms. Hack, Nyana or Flora vouch for us!" She didn't have a ton of resources, but the ones she did have were rather convenient. It wasn't often they were going against the rules. To be fair, sneaking under the school's radar was her area of expertise... As bad as that was, she- "If he told you not to... I think he'd know if you used his agency resources... BUT, your mom or dad should know more details than anyone, right? It's their dad after all. They probably have some sort of document hidden at home."
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At the same time, somewhere in japan.
"I thought I told you, if I ever hear your voice again, I'd kill you." An older gentleman roared into his phone.
"And yet, here we are talking on the phone." KK's lips curled into a smile.
"WHAT do you want"Mr Informaiton Broker"? Such a step down from ordering hits on hero with that silly group of yours. What was the name ,again? Cerrr. Come on you can help me remember, Cerrr-"
"Irrelevant is their name. Hmm~hmm, well a talk with an old friend could never hurt. Sooooo, how have you been?" Silence would meet his response. He'd continue on for his actual purpose of the call. On the front end, it was to deliver some info." WELL, if you must know. A little birdie has let me know, a rather dusk hero has his eyes set on you. In fact, he may already be sniffing about." He chuckled. "Did you know, the very last hit I hired you for... his granddaughter is on that man's agency?"
"We almost were wiped out on that operation! So fuckin what, his daughter wants to be a hero..."
"You're missing the point. If she is in his agency, and is inquiring about the past. What do you think that means the number 10 will do? He's quite the detective, I hear. " He was met with silence once more. KK would seize the opportunity to sow the seeds of chaos. In his line of work, information was king. In fact, he knew a few things already. "Hmmm~hmmm, a full assault by the Dusk Agency. Even I would get a little scared. Fleeing is always an option. But if I pay you a handsome sum to gear up and kill the number 10 hero, what shall you do?"
"My predecessors will get it done. If he is coming to us, all we have to do is lay a proper trap. We can talk fees later. "
"You must feel very confid- oh?" The person on the other side hung up already.
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 13, 2023 12:18:13 GMT
Shinja's heart bloomed to know she had such good friends. She hadn't known what to expect as a reaction. If she had told Jack, Shinja knew he would leap straight into action, whereas these two had a good leveled response. Kako's energy and Tanzo's sensibilities balanced each other well. She rose to her feet, wiping her eyes and giving the two of them a smile. Genuine and beaming.
"Thank you, both of you. It means so much to know you have my back!"
Shinja paused at Kako's suggestion. She still wasn't totally sure about that group, especially not Izumi Hack, but... it would be a reason for them to be in the area, right? She nodded, half to Kako, half to herself.
At the mention of her parents, Shinja bit her lip, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Thing is... I've not spoken to my father since I joined U.A., and mum's only sent a couple of birthday cards... I'm not in either of their good books. Plus, dad never wanted anything in the house that was related to my grandfather. Said it was his fault I turned out this way, that I should have followed in his father's footsteps instead."
She waved a hand at the inconsequential information, pondering some more.
"Still... I might be able to talk to my brother. Maybe he can find out for me."
Shinja looked at the two of them again, sombre in her expression.
"If we do this... I don't want either of you getting hurt. I don't think we should go as Heroes... just as ourselves. If they're the kind of people I think they are, we have to be ready to flee, not fight. Right?"
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Post by cmd1095 on Mar 14, 2023 7:49:50 GMT
Tanzo mulled over their options, it seemed like they were going through with this after all, so instead of making a case for why they definitely shouldn't be doing this... his new focus needed to be getting all three of them out of it alive and not in jail. They needed allies for that. Three hero students couldn't dig around much on their own without drawing attention. He could ask Moonbeam for a favor and the renowned detective would surely dig something up... but that would give them away for sure.
"Kako is right, the NJPD is our best bet. Flora did tell me if I ever needed help I could call on her, and I know Nyana too. They're both former heroes, they've got connections and the organization itself is a good cover for our being around there." Tanzo said, keeping the rest of his reasoning to himself. He knew with relative certainty that the NJPD was a vigilante organization. He'd pointedly avoided confirming that so he didn't have any obligation to crack down on them, but he knew.
And if they were a vigilante group, they'd be perfect for helping with this kind of off the books investigation. He didn't know how he felt about exposing his classmates to a group like that and risking them getting in trouble. But they couldn't go after these villains alone. He was strong but had a few very exploitable weaknesses, and the group had taken out someone with Shinja's quirk before... so they definitely had countermeasures for her then. And Kako was just a 2nd year who hadn't been studying or training particularly hard. He wasn't sure if she even had much live combat experience... the three of them against a group that ran a hit on Aeronaut? No... he didn't like those odds at all.
So NJPD it was... he was going to have to owe them some favors and hope they could help without landing them in legal trouble. But even if they did, better legal trouble than death.
"I agree we don't go as heroes too. We leave our costumes here and only bring critical support gear. We don't use our licenses if we can help it either. This is off the record and under the radar." Tanzo said "the less evidence we leave that we did this the safer we'll be legally... and yeah fighting should be avoided. That goes double for you Shinja. They killed your grandfather, that means they've got direct counters for your abilities. Of the three of us you're the one that needs to be the most careful here."
Tanzo sighed "but you're smart enough to know that so moving on... I'll put some feelers out in my circles. The art world isn't exactly privy to a lot of hero secrets... but my circles involve rich collectors and influential people like that... where there's big money there's corruption and villainy. There's an off chance I might be able to dig something up that way, worth a shot if nothing else. But the NJPD is definitely our best bet."
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Post by notdomino on Mar 18, 2023 4:58:44 GMT
"Still... I might be able to talk to my brother. Maybe he can find out for me."
"I agree we don't go as heroes too. We leave our costumes here and only bring critical support gear. We don't use our licenses if we can help it either. This is off the record and under the radar." Tanzo said "the less evidence we leave that we did this the safer we'll be legally... and yeah fighting should be avoided. That goes double for you Shinja. They killed your grandfather, that means they've got direct counters for your abilities. Of the three of us you're the one that needs to be the most careful here."
Kako deflated upon hearing the response about how Shinja's parents felt about the matter but was able to bounce back when the senior mentioned her brother. Okay, so they had a starting point! Comparably she nervously nodded to Tanzo. Her line of thinking was more hard-pressed on having them vouch for their absence... they'd have to account for being gone so long. "Being in Osaka doing community work" sounded far better than, "three students disappear after Nocturne explicitly tells Shinja not to jump on this." A proper alibi was all she had thought of, whereas Tanzo was showing his greater wealth in experience here. He was right, reinforcements couldn't hurt... She pulled her phone and poked at it rather indecisively. She wasn't quite sure how to word it. She'd keep it short, and simply text Izumi some exclamation points. It would be met with some laughing emojis, then the simple question of "need help?" Kako sighed in relief. They'd take a while, but help could be on the way if they figure out where to go. Her eyes veered to Tanzo... lingering.
Tanzo... she could actually call him a senpai now. There was no real reason not to at this point. "Good call, Paisen" This was as good as it was going to get, though the nickname came with a thumbs-up of approval.
"So wait..." Looking at them both, a smile crept up on her face. She could feel her excitement building. "Let's leave now! Where does your brother live? " She couldn't imagine a boy who looked like her. The mere thought of a male Shinja almost made her giggle. Aeronaut was a hero of the golden age, so Kako wasn't exactly all THAT worried about fighting the villains. They had to be old farts by this point! Age would kick their ass, before a hero's foot would ever kick it. Her optimism would fuel her, but again, her lack of experience showed itself.
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Post by Beriadan on Mar 18, 2023 11:07:41 GMT
Shinja shook off her trepidation. Tanzo and Kako both had faith in the NJPD... and she had faith in them. She pulled out her phone, finding a contact that she hadn't messaged in a long time. Shinja stared at it, looked up at the other two, then nodded with a grin.
"Right! I just need to message Tabin , my brother. He still lives at home, so once you guys have got everything together for our... extra-curricular work, we'll be heading to-"
Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture
If it had been Shinja alone, she would have flown the distance in a matter of hours. As it stood, with Kako and Tanzo standing beside her, they reached the small town by train as the sun was setting behind the mountainous horizon. Here, the air was fresh and sweet. It was a fiercely quaint town compared to Musutafu or Tokyo, nestled at the base of a mountain range, and cold. Shinja shivered slightly at the feeling of being home. She checked her phone again. Tabin had grudgingly agreed to meet them at a small cafe downtown. She looked at the others, shrugging her backpack on and tugging her flight hat (the only part of her Hero costume she wore) down over her ears to keep in the warmth.
"Well... welcome to my home town, I guess."
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Post by cmd1095 on Mar 19, 2023 22:21:47 GMT
Largely unaffected by the cold, Tanzo looked around the quaint town and smiled at the comfy appearance of it. "It's a lovely town, and such a nice architectural style, oh I'm definitely taking inspiration for my next few art pieces from this." he said
Tanzo had the briefcase that carried parts of his hero outfit with him, though he hadn't packed the whole thing. He'd primarily packed the gauntlets and boots, as those had the most important bits of support tech in them. The gauntlets having the metal pods he could eat to fuel his quirk, and the boots/gauntlets having retractable and deployable spikes that would help him climb out of any bodies of water he got stuck in. Ideally he wouldn't have to put them on, but they would be easy to throw on if combat broke out and he needed them.
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Post by notdomino on Mar 25, 2023 3:20:02 GMT
With an excited jitter, Kako bounced about. So this was where her Senpai was from. There were no annoying skyscrapers to hamper with flight. Actually, the underclassmen would spend some time in her head drawing comparisons. Kako could picture a mini-shinja buzzing around with her fans roaring, while simultaneously having flashbacks of running along coarse mountain paths for endurance training. In comparison to her own quant little hometown, Oyama was much smaller and WARMER. Actually, that was putting it lightly. This place was an entire 5 hours north, quite chilly indeed! Instead of nestling close to Shinja, she was much closer to Tanzo. It was supposed to be springtime!
"It's so convenient having everything so close together. Oyama was way more spread out. We'd have to go to the next town for all the convenient stuff." She chimed in. They were on the hunt for a cafe, and little did they know... there may have already been someone on the hunt for them. Who knows... the pressing issue was how much of a help Tabin would actually be. Police record was a hard commodity to come by in Japan. The only people who'd have records were the family of the deceased and the police themselves. With some luck, and good wordplay, they could likely hit up both. Now Kako had some ideas poking around in her head, but she wasn't quite sure how to articulate them. Especially, since they had to little information to begin with. For now Shinja, and Tabin held the keys. The rest would just have to reveal itself.
In reference to Tanzo and Kako reaching out individually, there were two distinct reactions. Izumi sent a strong combatant, whilst Flora sent someone who was at the very least from the area. The NJPD had an array of vigilantes all with their own unique backgrounds. There was no telling when or what they'd show up with either. As the crew manuevered through the city, there was a distinct sense that they were being watched. It was likely because of Shinja. By this time, she had accrued a bit of a fanbase. Even Tanzo received some looks. It wasn't every day a hometown hero in training would make an appearance. The town may not have shown up to sports festival, but they kept their eyes peeled on tv screens. The young aeronaut was going to be a shining example, just like her grandfather! Kako wasn't used to so many eyes. She skipped over her own year's sports festival entirely, and skipped class for that matter. To be honest, she was a bit out of the loop when it came to the prestige of being a UA student.
"You guys don't even have a rank and are getting recognized! What's going on?" The cafe wouldn't be far now. Just a bit further to go.
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SUP"
