Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
May 26, 2xxx - Izumi Pov .
Oddly enough, today I had a date with Tanya, just Tanya. It was a Friday after our school day had finally ended. I honestly thought that since the requirement to go out with her was to also accept Visha, our dates would also be just the three of us together. But apparently, I was wrong.
I'd sensed Tanya at the UA entrance 10 minutes ago; there were still 30 minutes until our scheduled time. I didn't know whether to laugh because I was anxious or just being cautious. Still, I headed toward her, following her aura even at such an early hour.
" Pfff!" I stifled a laugh once I got close enough to look at her.
" Y -you're early, Izumi." Tanya said through gritted teeth and a fake smile. My shoulders shook slightly as I tried to suppress my laughter.
"Y-you really tried hard to look good. You look like a doll," I said between laughs. Tanya tensed even more, her fake smile never leaving her face. Tanya was wearing a red and white dress with a burgundy bow on the chest and a red beret, an outfit I recognized immediately.
The same dress she canonically wore for the photoshoot after one of her victories. It really made her look adorable.
"O-of course, I wanted to look presentable for our date. By the way, you look... quite handsome," Tanya said with a plastic smile. I laughed lightly at her once more before smiling back. It was apparent she was trying really hard.
"You know you don't have to fake any of this, right? " I asked playfully. Tanya froze.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tanya said demurely. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"I have an ability called 'Transparent World'. I can see people's internal organs. I can also use Observation Haki to read other people's emotions. You'll have to try harder if you ever want to lie to me," I said mockingly. Tanya went utterly still. I raised an eyebrow at her. She immediately lost her fake smile and grimaced.
"That's a trap," she said immediately. I shrugged.
"I'm aware of that fact," I said playfully. "Now, the dress? It doesn't seem to be your style." I said as I looked her up and down once more. Tanya grimaced.
"It's not. I... It's obvious you like women. You're about to date six of them. I wanted you to see me as a woman," Tanya mumbled, blushing slightly and looking away. I smiled widely. I knew what she was talking about, but she handed it to me on a silver platter.
"Because of your height?" I asked mockingly.
"Not because of that!" Tanya growled angrily. "You know what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed again. I burst out laughing. Yes, she was definitely talking about being a man before she was reincarnated.
"You don't have to wear a dress for me to remember. I know you were. Also, you forgot one detail, you don't have to wear a dress to look 'feminine,' definitely not in this world." I said playfully. Tanya absorbed the answer before groaning loudly. I laughed lightly. "Besides, you could have worn something simpler than that if you wanted to look more 'feminine,' clothes that you would feel more comfortable in and would be more feminine, or even a simpler dress," I said playfully.
"It's… the only dress I have." Tanya murmured, blushing slightly.
"Oh?" I asked curiously. Tanya cleared her throat.
"It was a gift from my parents… when I was 12," she finished, closing her eyes. I stifled a laugh. "I'm going to kill you," Tanya growled in embarrassment.
"Do you want to go change?" I asked, finally recovering myself. Tanya sighed and grimaced.
"...Do I look that bad?" Tanya asked, conflicted. My eyebrows raised slightly. Unsure? Curious. I smiled softly at her.
"Of course not; it was just unexpected. You look beautiful," I said honestly. Tanya blushed before straightening and puffing out her chest as if she were preening at the praise.
"If you like it, then I'll wear it. That was the goal," Tanya said with more confidence and a more genuine smile. What a change!
"If you'd like," I said simply with a smile. "But there are some things to take care of first," I said seriously. Tanya looked at me curiously. "How do you want to do this?" I asked simply.
"What do you mean?" Tanya asked, confused. "If you mean the date, I've already called a ride to pick us up," Tanya said simply. I hummed softly.
"That's good to know, but that's not what I meant. I meant more like, which gender roles do you want to use? The old ones, or these new ones?" I asked curiously. Tanya stopped and opened her eyes slightly.
"Oh… I mean, I assumed I'd be the one taking the proactive role in the relationship. I've always been in that position in both roles," Tanya said seriously.
"Not really. If we're using the old role, you're currently a woman," I pointed out playfully. That made Tanya frown.
"While… I don't mind the idea of letting you take the lead. I'd prefer to stick with our plans, at least for this date. Then we can swap places occasionally," she said nonchalantly as if she had no preference.
"Fine, I don't mind either of you. We'll see as we go along." I said simply. She nodded. "Now, how far can I go with you?" I asked with a smile. Tanya tensed.
"It's the first date," Tanya said robotically. I snorted amusedly.
"Yes, it is, and that's not what I meant," I said amusedly. I could feel Tanya sigh in relief.
"So?" Tanya asked, confused.
"I flirt more than anything. There are different kinds of flirting," I said simply. Tanya wrinkled her nose.
"Are there different types of flirting?" Tanya asked, confused. I could feel my eyes twitch slightly.
"You... you have dating experiences in your life, right? " I asked slowly. Tanya blushed slightly and looked away.
"Do…paid encounters count?" Tanya asked slowly.
"No," I said flatly. Tanya blushed deeply.
"Well! Excuse me, there's nothing wrong with being dedicated to your work and wanting to climb the corporate ladder! I didn't have time for relationships! " Tanya defended herself embarrassed, I laughed lightly.
"I'm not judging you. I'm the least likely person to be doing that," I said playfully. Tanya just glared at me. "But let's continue. I mean, what kind of flirting are you most comfortable with? Subtle, playful, provocative, aggressive, physical—there are so many levels of flirting. I don't know how comfortable you are with your body, so I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." I explained slowly. Tanya stopped and frowned.
"Oh, I'd never thought of that," Tanya said, frowning. "As long as you don't go as far as with Dustiness, I guess everything else would be fine," Tanya said. I rolled my eyes but nodded.
" Fine, I can work with that," I said simply, nodding. Finally, the vehicle Tanya had called arrived to pick us up. We made light conversation throughout the ride, which, to my surprise, wasn't very long. Once we got out, I saw we were at a rather fancy restaurant.
I'd say I felt underdressed, but I didn't really care that much. I looked quite presentable if I was being honest with myself. Certainly nothing compared to the other men around us, but I didn't really care. And Tanya didn't seem to mind either.
We finally got in and were shown to our relatively private table.
"Laugh again, and I'll shoot you with my rifle," Tanya snarled as she glared at me. I was trembling slightly.
"This is the third time they've asked for your ID, and they still haven't brought us our food." I said playfully. Tanya just grunted.
"It's this stupid genetics! It's not my fault!" Tanya growled, her cheeks flushed. I gave her a seductive smile.
"I mean, you look adorable. You're so tiny I want to hug you. I'm sure you'd fit perfectly in my lap and arms. I can't wait to hold you while you squirm on top of me." I said huskily as I looked up at her. Tanya paused for a few seconds and blushed, quickly clearing her throat.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Tanya said quickly, trying to divert the topic. I hummed as I looked at the restaurant menu.
"So, how did you come to live with the Serebryakovs?" I asked curiously. Tanya looked confused.
"Didn't I write that on the papers I gave you the other day?" she asked, and I nodded slightly.
"You did, yes, but I skipped a lot of parts. I prefer to meet in person as we talk, not reading off a piece of paper. It's… more intimate. More real," I said honestly. Tanya paused for a few seconds and nodded.
"I grew up in an orphanage. It was the first thing I saw when Being X sent me here. It was an old church. I was there until I was four years old. When my quirk awakened, they gave me an aptitude test, which is the norm for children outside, and they classified me as a possible Rank A. So I immediately caught the attention of people who wanted to adopt me."
"Since there were several of them, they let me meet them and decide my fate for myself. I chose the Serebryakovs because of Visha. They already had a daughter my age. She didn't seem abused or neglected when I met her. So, it was an obvious and easy choice. My other options… were much murkier."
"But even so, I knew they had certain expectations of me, so I applied myself properly in my studies and extracurricular activities. I even enrolled in a junior military school to prepare for my future career," Tanya said easily, almost as if she'd rehearsed it beforehand. Curious, even here, she had a military education. Though, I was curious about why a military school and not some kind of preparatory school for heroes and hunters.
I mean, I knew those kinds of schools didn't exist everywhere. Japan didn't have them, but Vale had Signal, which Ruby attended before coming to UA. I expected Europe to be different, but it seems Germany was just like Japan in that regard. Or Tanya just liked the regimented structure of military life.
We paused to order our food.
"Future career? As a heroine or a hunter? Is it something you wanted to do? " I asked curiously.
"Both, possibly. And it's irrelevant what I want. My parents adopted me after my rank evaluation. It's easy enough to connect the dots. They expect a lot from me, and I'll live up to those accomplishments. I'll work as a hero/hunter for a couple of decades, and then I'll retire." Tanya said as if it were written in stone. I looked at her amusedly.
"So what then? Will you try to get into a bureaucratic position? " I asked playfully. Tanya looked at me, slightly impressed.
"Oh, you did read the file I gave you after all. In fact, once I achieve enough success in a successful career, have a stable relationship, and give birth to the children required by law. Then yes, the plan is that in 20 years, I'll be sitting behind a desk comfortably filling out paperwork. 15 if I'm lucky." Tanya said, utterly pleased with herself. I burst out laughing. This was precisely the Tanya I was hoping to meet.
"Not that I'm criticizing you in any way, but just out of curiosity, did you ask your parents if that's what they wanted for you?" I asked, resting my hand on my chin.
"It's a waste of time. Like I said, it's too much of a coincidence for my adoption not to have been intentional," Tanya said, without any hint of malice. She didn't sound upset in any way; it was just what she expected and had accepted long ago.
"I mean, a lot can happen. I'm sure they weren't bad parents," I said simply.
"Oh, not at all. As parents, they're wonderful. They supported Visha and me in everything we wanted to do. They were always there and quite loving. It was much better than I expected when I chose them. I'm satisfied with the result, and I don't really mind referring to them as parents," Tanya said with a fond smile. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"And after all that, you really think they wanted you as a hunter?" I asked again. Tanya frowned.
"I already said yes. Just because they've treated me with care and kindness doesn't mean they don't still appreciate my skills as a hunter and the status that comes with it. It's just a way to gain my loyalty through affection. It's really effective, and I certainly don't mind it. What are you trying to get at? " Tanya asked defensively. I laughed lightly.
"A couple of things. First, assumptions are the mother of all mistakes. Did you actually ask them if that's what they wanted for you?" I asked simply. Tanya frowned. "And second, I don't like comparing people to their 'canonical' counterparts from the series I'm familiar with. But most of the time, there's a huge resemblance. You and the other Tanya seem the same in some ways. Especially in that, you view everyone as a profitable human resource." Tanya tensed slightly.
"...I don't know how to feel about you knowing some pretty personal things about my thoughts," Tanya said slowly, narrowing her eyes. I smiled apologetically at her.
"I know, I'm sorry, I really don't like it. But I have a point." I apologize sincerely. Tanya nodded slowly, and I sighed. "I'm just saying, in the 'series,' there were many mistakes on your part, many misunderstandings, both with your superiors and subordinates. All because you think everyone thinks the same way you do, and you don't consider that some people are simply much more sentimental and act irrationally." I said slowly.
"That…" Tanya tried to say, but she closed her mouth immediately. I smiled softly at her.
"You don't have to change anything, just think about it. I don't want to cause any problems in any way. But we're going to be a couple, maybe more so. If I can help you in any way so you don't make easily avoidable mistakes, then I'll help you," I said simply. Tanya had a conflicted look on her face. During her silence, the waitress returned with our food.
"I'll think about it," Tanya said finally, and I nodded.
We both paused to eat slowly.