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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 1, 2023 1:35:23 GMT
Daichi was already tired. He had told his family this free day was for students to get supplies for their dorms, not socializing. Yet, here they were... the twins... causing unwanted attention. He shouldn't have told them he was going to be here today. He just wanted to see them, not have a whole fucking meet and greet... again... But the twins and Habiki are annoying as always.
As soon as he got to the mall he was grabbed and taken to the fountain in the center where the twins had set up an impormptu event for their fans as well as Habiki's since they all happened to be free that day. The omniglot just wanted to chat while stocking up on toiletries and lizard food. Instead he was now being forced to chat with dozens of people. Why did this always have to happen? Not only that, he saw some of his fellow UA students in the crowd. Of course some of them were fans of his siblings. And now they new who he was in relation. If they stated bugging him every day about this it would be torture.
Still, he had to admit, it was nice to be with them. He hadn't gotten to see them since school started. Itachi had him sat on his lap nibbling on a pretzel while the fans came up to say hi and get pictures. At least their fans knew him well enough to know to to expect much, though some did start asking him too many questions. It was loud, but he was putting up with the migraine like he always did. He was just shocked the chaperone from school was letting this happen.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 15:05:32 GMT
Shizo really hadn't needed much from this trip, some plushie materials, some toiletries, the usual stuff. But once he had his shopping done he decided to wander around a bit and just explore... which led him to discovering a crowd of people surrounding... hey wasn't that another first year? And whose lap was he sitting on? It was an odd sight to behold, and he couldn't help but be curious about it... and so Shizo entered the crowd of people and eventually made it through to his fellow UA student.
Getting up close he could tell at a glance Daichi was uncomfortable here. Looking at the situation, mobbed by people, the noisy crowd... Shizo had a decent guess as to what was the issue.
"Hey buddy, found something at a quiet little store over that way you might be interested in. Wanna take a break and come check it out for a bit?" Shizo lied, giving Daichi a quick wink to convey he was giving the boy an out to go have a breather if he wanted it.
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 15:24:09 GMT
Daichi sat nibbling his pretzel as more and more fans came for pictures and chats. He was on the last few bites of it (or would be for those that didn't eat like a mouse) when a semi-familiar face came up and offered a way out to him. What was his name again? He was in 1A right?
Didn't matter. A break from the noise sounded nice. Looking up at Itachi with pleading eyes that only the siblings would be able to tell were pleading eyes, the twins looked at eachother before looking to Habiki who nodded. Habiki, for as much trouble as he was, always was softer with Daichi than those two... which wasn't saying much but was saying something.
"Ffffffffiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnneeee." His brother sighed.
"So cruel! Leaving your loving siblings high and dry! Have you no shame!?" His sister gave hims a squeeze and a whine.
Daichi with absolutely zero extra thought hopped off of Itachi's lap and out of Hitomi's grip. He then stared at her form a moment, almost as though to test and see if she would actually try to stop him. It got a loud laugh out of Habiki.
"Get, Lassy! Before she changes her mind!" The rock star laughed.
Didn't have to tell him twice. With a nodded to Shizo to show him the way, he finished off his pretzel and licked the salt from his fingers as he followed the other first year out of the crowd and away from the head pounding noice.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 15:32:09 GMT
Shizo would lead the way around a corner into some quiet bookstore away from the crowds before saying "Ok so full disclosure I didn't actually have anything to show you... I could just kinda tell you needed an out. I don't really like huge crowds myself so I get it"
Shizo briefly flashed back to the crowd of wooden mannequins attacking him, swarming him, pressuring him so much. No room to breathe, just fending off advances from all sides... he shook it off. The last thing he needed was another phobia developing, he'd push those thoughts down. If he didn't dwell on it then it couldn't bother him right?
"I figure this bookstore is a good place to hide out until you're ready to go back or until it's time to go back to UA" Shizo added "can always find a book you like and say that's what I showed you if you need an alibi"
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 15:59:55 GMT
Daichi listened to Shizo, taking his usual few minutes to absorb the information and flipped through languages. It took him all of five minutes to walk away and then come back with a book on reptiles. Daichi loved reptiles. He found them cute and also they were one of the few things he couldn't talk to. It was a nice change of pace when he got to be around them. He then looked to Shizo and tilted his head and a questioning matter. He needed another minute to circle back to Japanese before asked, "1.... A? ..... Name?"
His blank stare was impossible to read as always. He was very different from Atsuro who was pretty open and told others most things, or Flynn who Shizo may have gotten the chance to meet and was a fully open book even with no clue what he was actually saying. Daichi was what many would call an enigma. Hard to comprehend. A subject that required years of study in order to even get mastery of the surface level. Of course... this was all on accident as Daichi really had nothing to hide aside from how much pain he was always in. Even that wasn't really a secret persay... But he wasn't good at expressing himself at all.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 16:43:40 GMT
"Shizo, and yeah I'm 1A... and you are..." Shizo closed his eyes for a moment and scanned his memories.
He actually did know most of the other first years to an extent, even the B-class ones. Shizo was socially awkward when interactions went off script, but he was quiet, and observant. He noticed things other people didn't, understood more than he let on. It was a product of never being allowed to express himself or be anything more than a vessel for his parents dreams of heroism and fame. He had to be perceptive enough to anticipate their demands and be a step ahead, or face punishment. He had to be able to gather and store information in case it might be useful, had to notice everything. It was a useful set of skills, even if it did come from a terrible source.
"Daichi, class 1B... and I think your quirk had something do with languages... ah right I heard from Kitana about you. Omniglot, and you struggle with... ah crap hold on." Shizo said, then fished around in his bag and pulled out a pen and notepad, writing down
"this should be easier right? So you don't have to figure out which language to speak?" Shizo 'said' via writing. He'd had the idea back when Kitana mentioned Daichi's struggles, but she hadn't been talking to him so he hadn't said anything to her about it, but now was a good a time as any to see if his theory on a way for Daichi to struggle less held any water.
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 17:04:34 GMT
Daichi nodded along to Shizo's description, confirming everything he said. When he pulled out the note pad the other first year sighed and shook his head. But he did offer another solution by taking out his phone from his pocket and typing into it. His fingers where quicker than one would expect from him.
Hand writing is about the same as talking. I have to use devices with autotanslators to communicate with people outside my family normally. Otherwise every word would be written in a different language cause they never stop switching and cycling. It's a headache.... literally....
Daichi suprised most people when he started typing. He had a lot to say but never really bothered saying it. Too much effort to explain everything. Better to just relax and let people do or say would they would. Then he seemed to perk up a slight bit as though remembering something and typed a bit more.
Thank you, by the way. My siblings are... a lot... sometimes. Love them. But they are loud. The whole family is really.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 17:21:00 GMT
"Darn, hoped that would work, glad you have your own solution though" Shizo said, putting the notepad away, he did however fish out a bottle of painkillers instead, it seemed Shizo's bag was very well stocked with anything he might need, either that or he had his own pains he needed to have medicine on hand for just in case
"here, probably not strong enough for quirk-based pains, but better than nothing" Shizo said, offering a pill over "so those were your siblings huh? That would explain why you were getting swarmed by people. They seem nice... but I guess with your challenges their fame must be a constant headache both literally and figuratively huh?"
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 17:30:30 GMT
Daichi shrugged. He was used to it really. It wasn't a big deal.
I have my own painkillers, but I avoid taking them unless it gets really bad. If I took painkillers everytime I had a migraine I would just be taking them constantly. No need getting myself addicted.
He explained. Daichi's quirk was just constant pain in his head really, but over the years that just became normal.
Hitomi, Itachi, and Habiki are all handfuls in their own ways but they mean well. I know they love me and want to show me off to their fans. I also know their fans like it when I'm in videos since its a rare thing. I don't understant why. I'm not that interesting. But its whatever.
However, Daichi did zero in on something when Shizo's hand was reach out with the painkillers. He ended up taking Shizo's wrist and sliding his sleeve back to get a better look. Daichi upbringing meant that personal space was not in his vocabulary... figuratively that is. Looking at the scars for a moment, he looked up to Shizo and tilted his head with concern... not that most people would pick up on it.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 20:06:20 GMT
Shizo was about to put the painkillers away as he read Daichi's messages, when suddenly Daichi grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Lichtenburg scarring on it. Shizo tensed at the sudden physical contact just like anyone would, and seemed uncomfortable with his scars being the center of attention all of a sudden. He couldn't exactly read Daichi's expression, but the context was enough to guess that the boy was concerned.
With a sigh Shizo pulled his arm away and rolled up both sleeves to show the scars ran up his forearms and a bit onto his upper arm "Happened during training, my quirk lets me generate and control lightning, but also lets my body absorb and channel external sources of electricity to amp up my own. So my parents stuck me on a tall metal structure in the middle of a thunderstorm so I could be struck by lightning and train my power output to be on par with the real thing... my body wasn't ready for that much energy though, and I lost control of it. This was the result" he explained. His tone was matter of fact, like this was old news and it didn't bother him... he neglected to mention that this event had caused him to have a phobia of his own quirk and any visible electricity. "Honestly it's not that bad, most people would've been killed, and all I got were some cool looking scars."
Shizo tried to deflect the conversation, paint it as a good thing that he got his scars, but he doubted he was very convincing. Still, no need to have someone worrying over something they couldn't change on his behalf.
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 20:33:47 GMT
Daichi's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight and explanation. Without a word, he snapped a picture and seemed to be texting someone. Only ten minutes later a tall young man in a button up, slacks, and a nice vest came running over to them. He adjusted his glasses and took a few breaths before speaking.
"Little brother! If what you say is true, there is a serious domestic abuse case here! We should inform father immediately and take the case to court at once!"
Daichi stared at Goro for a moment with a raised eyebrow. It took him a moment to realize why he was staring before stiffening for a moment and giving a nervous laugh. "I... I promise the twins didn't tell the whole family you would be here and everyone decided to come and hope to see you." He very obviously lied, getting a sigh from Daichi.
He just shook his head and pointed to the other UA student. "Shizo." He noted, then looked to the lightening user and pointed to his brother. "Goro. Lawyer."
The young man stoood tall with a grin and put a fist to his chest before giving a low, Japanese greeting bow. "Goro Chiaki of Chiaki Law. A please to meet you Mr. Shizo. Thank you for looking after Little Bother."
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 20:47:32 GMT
It all happened so fast, first Daichi snapped a picture and sent a text, and then suddenly a well dressed man showed up talking about lawsuits? What was even going on? Was Daichi trying to get him to sue his parents? Could he even do that as a minor? It had been on the docket of things to do after he graduated but... this was so sudden!
Shizo took an involuntary step back, overwhelmed and trying to rapidly process everything that had just started happening.
"Ok hold up let's just slow down here. I never said anything about suing anyone, I can't afford a lawyer on my own right now and I'm still a minor anyway. Yeah my parents are pieces of shit who deserve it but they're not wealthy enough to pay for the expenses of hiring a lawyer even if I win the case so I can't do that yet. Plus I don't have a whole lot of proof of everything else they've done, and they'll just claim these scars were an unfortunate accident, not abuse" Shizo said "also I don't really look after Daichi, we're in different classes and all, so you don't owe me a bow or anything like that.
Shizo looked between the two, panicking a bit, he'd just wanted to help a socially awkward first year like himself get a breather from an overwhelming situation. How did it turn into THIS?
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 21:14:43 GMT
"Not to worrt Mr. Shizo! Father and I would take your case on pro bono! Little brother has made so many friends since starting at UA. It's so nice to see him finding people who aren't put off by him."
The comment got the older man the slightest of pouts that not many people would notice, but he just gave a hardy laugh and put a hand on his head.
"If you don't wish to take them to court yet that is fine, but I must inform you that according to law any suspected child abuse must be reported to authorities. I... can look passed it this once... but truly you SHOULD report them. The police will be able to find evidence usable in court. Anything you find such as recordings or such can be thrown back at you with a loophole. They can say they had not consented to being recorded to try and get you in trouble instead. While technically it is evidence, it would be down to the judge to decide whether to rule to use it despite the techincally illegal means of getting it. If they rule against it at best the evidence will be thrown out, at worse they could flip the case on you. I would suggest-"
Goro's legal rammbling got stopped by Daichi grabbing his arm. He looked at him for a moment before sighing.
"Yes yes, of course. It is up to you whether you want to and are ready to take them to court. But in the country of Japan there is no age limit to suing or being sued, especially in a domestic abuse case. However, I will say you will want to sue them not just file for independance. If you win the law suit there is a chance you would win quite a bit and they be forced to give you compensation and then you can file for independance after being placed in foster care. If you simply file for independence and win they would not owe you anything afterwards techincally speaking, they would just lose custody of you. Thus, it is smartest to-"
Once again Goro's arm got squeeze by Daichi, stopping him from ranting on and on.
"Right. Yes. It is still your decision. Just know that it is an option and Father and I always work pro bono for abuse cases."
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 2, 2023 21:23:18 GMT
Shizo was glad Daichi was there to cut off the legal tirades, as it was just making him more overwhelmed. It was a lot to take in, but it was sounding like... this was a thing he could do? Could he cut ties with his parents so soon? It was always in the plan but... already? It had only been a few months since he got free from their micromanagement of his life... he still hadn't really had time to sort out the kind of person he wanted to be without them. He'd wanted to do that and then as an adult stick it to them.
But... a pro bono lawyer... and he was familiar enough with the family name to know they were really good lawyers... could he pass this up?
"Let's... say I did want to report abuse and sue... and become independent... how would this affect my enrollment at UA? My parents still have control of that, they could pull me from it. Honestly knowing them they'd do it out of spite if they learned I plan to rebel and not be their obedient little moneymaker. If they can't benefit, then neither can I. That's the kind of people they are." Shizo said "and despite it being forced on me... I want to train to become a hero for my own reasons. I don't want to jeopardize that just for my own petty revenge on them"
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Post by ghostmytoast on Jun 2, 2023 21:35:10 GMT
"The most likely hypothetical is that you would get pulled from the program since their names are ones keeping you there. However, once the filing for independance goes through fully you would be able to reapply as a dependant with your own name linked to the school records instead of theirs. However, the law suit itself in abuse cases could take weeks or even months. Filing for independances also typically takes quite some time and is not a garaunteed victory as once you are put in foster care if there is now real reason for your wanting of independance, such as more abuse, trauma or phobia of parental figures due to the previous abuse, etc., there is a chance your request could get denied. In that situation your foster parents would have to be the once to reenroll you. I can't image a foster family with good morals and intentions would go against your wishes to be enrolled in UA, though."
Daichi was about to squeeze his arm again, but this time he grabbed Daichi by the hand lifted him up to hold him in the air so he couldn't.
"I am not rammbling this time, he asked an honest question. Would you please stop?"
The boy stared at the larger man, ragdolling as he got dangled to be at eye level. He just nodded and flipped himself up to hold his arm, then wiggled his way to be on Goro's back like a piggy-back ride.
"All that to say, you would not need to give up on UA, it would simply be put on hold. That hold COULD last anywhere from a few weeks to a full year. There is no way to know for sure. But ultimately you would be able to go back to UA."
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