"Bye, Himi, I'll text you when I get there."
"Bye, I will too…"
At the subway entrance, Himiko and I hugged tightly, she was about to leave.
"Love you~" we said in unison, followed by a short kiss.
Hesitantly, Himiko let go of the hug and went inside, standing next to her two friends.
"It's just a week…" Jiro said quietly, but received a jab in the ribs from Uraraka.
Jiro wouldn't be going to the same agency as the two of them, but her internship was practically next door, so they ended up staying in the same hotel room.
The accommodations were managed either by the agencies or paid for by Nezu and U.A.
The door closed, and Himiko stood in front of the glass, waving while holding back tears.
Shortly after, my 'ride' arrived.
Luckily, I managed to get a seat, it would've been a hassle to keep carrying my backpack, my costume case, and the box of blood I was taking with me.
Nezu had stocked the box with more blood packs for me, probably more "generous donations" from random villains.
The principal was being quite attentive in that regard, and I had no reason to complain.
─── ◆ ───
After taking a bus and walking for a few minutes along a dirt road in a more remote area outside the city, I found myself in a forest that was fairly open, with little undergrowth but plenty of trees.
I arrived at a wooden cabin, following the dirt trail.
It was a medium-sized cabin, relatively simple in appearance, but it looked quite cozy.
'This should be the place…'
'What a strange place for such a famous hero to live…'
She didn't even have an agency, was rarely seen working with other heroes, and hardly ever appeared in commercials or interviews.
Knock knock knock
I stood in front of the door, observing the surroundings of the cabin.
'It's pretty isolated… How does she even get to the city in time to work as a hero?'
The door suddenly opened. On the other side stood a short woman with tanned skin and white hair, the most striking feature being her rabbit ears, the same color as her hair.
She wore her classic hero outfit, which was essentially a sleeveless white leotard with a high collar.
Around the collar there was a fluffy synthetic fur trim, and she also wore a white glove made of the same material.
"AHA! You finally arrived!" She flashed a wide grin, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Good morning, I—"
"Go put on your costume and meet me further down the trail."
She stepped aside at the door and pointed to what I assumed was the bathroom.
I shrugged and went to change.
When I came out, I didn't waste time looking for her, I just placed my things on the floor next to a couch and went outside.
Mirko was stretching in the middle of the trail. I approached quietly, but I noticed she had already sensed my presence.
'Hm… Should I introduce myself?' I mean, she already saw me at the sports festival, so she should already know some—
"Well, let's start." She stopped stretching.
I tilted my head slightly to the side, confused.
'Start? Start what?'
But my thoughts were interrupted when, out of nowhere, Mirko dashed toward me in the blink of an eye.
She delivered a side kick to my stomach, sending me flying and slamming my back against a tree.
'What the hell??!!'
The impact wasn't enough to break anything, but it hurt a lot.
Clap clap clap!
I got up while Mirko clapped her hands, laughing loudly.
"So you're as tough as you looked in the sports festival!"
She leaned forward.
"Then I can increase the power!"
Mirko dashed at me again, throwing another kick my way.
'CRAZY WOMAN!!!' I complained internally as I jumped to the side, dodging the blow.
Her leg crashed into the tree, but didn't stop, tearing through it and splitting it in half.
She turned her gaze back to me, smiling wildly as the poor tree collapsed behind her.
"..."
I released my Rinkaku and immediately used it to dodge another kick, which also destroyed another tree.
She attacked me again without pause.
This time I tried to block the attack with the tentacles of my Kagune.
Her kick made me slide across the ground a bit, but she seemed to get even more excited, spinning her body and delivering another much stronger kick.
I was sent flying again. I staggered a bit but managed to land on my feet.
It was more than obvious that she was holding back, a lot.
"THAT'S IT!" Mirko roared, and this time she leaped from tree to tree at a dizzying speed, leaving holes in the trunks where she pushed off to jump.
I stood still, trying to track and predict her movements, keeping my Rinkaku hovering evenly around me.
"Show me what you're made of…"
Mirko stopped speaking, and I noticed she had paused on a tree, tensing her legs as if she were about to launch toward me.
I quickly turned toward her, positioning my Kagune in front, preparing for impact.
I planted my feet firmly on the ground, ready to dodge the attack.
She tensed her legs even more, making the wood of the tree crack violently.
CREEK!!
Mirko then jumped…
Landing not even two meters away from the tree...
She stood upright and placed a hand on her chin, thinking.
"I forgot your name…"
I stumbled to the side, nearly falling, barely keeping my balance on one foot.
"Whaat?"
Mirko then pulled out a small piece of paper from her belt.
"Hmm… Introductions, explaining what we're going to do—"
"Tsk, Ryukyu's handwriting is awful…" she muttered, narrowing her eyes to read the paper.
"..."
"Yeah… Looks like we skipped a few parts." She shrugged and tucked the paper back into her belt.
"I'm Mirko! The Rabbit Hero!" Mirko said, pointing at herself, overflowing with confidence.
"..."
"I'm Ghoul…" I said cautiously.
"...Could you explain why you started attacking me out of nowhere?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm testing and training you."
"..."
"Anyway, that was the introductions and the explanation of what we're going to do."
"Let's continue!!" The wild smile returned to her face.
"Wait!"
"What?" Mirko stomped her foot impatiently, placing her hands on her hips.
"Uh…" I looked around, searching for something that could make this crazy woman stop beating me.
"The trees! Isn't it a problem that we're destroying everything around here?"
"Nah." She waved her hand dismissively.
"This whole area is mine."
"..."
'Damn…' I deflated internally, though on the outside I still looked like an emotionless rock.
Seeing there was nothing else to discuss, Mirko started running toward me again, and all I could do was sigh and return to my fighting stance.
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