At 12:27, Len showed up at his train platform. He was the last to arrive; Mina and Tsu and Hagakure were already there.
"There he is, ribbit."
"Heyyyy, Kagamine-kun!" Hagakure's sleeve waved at him. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming!"
Len closed the distance. "I'm still three minutes early."
"Yeah, but don't you live around here?" Mina asked, twirling her house keys on a pink finger. She was wearing a peach-off-the-shoulder red shirt, showing off her bare shoulders… and her bra straps.
"Like I told you, I had… chores." Or I would have had, if I'd stayed home and told the truth. Maybe he really should have just done that, and stayed away from the facility. There was a possibility that he'd have received a light load and gotten to show up to this anyway. "So, where are we going?"
Mina narrowed her dark eyes, smirking. "I'm really beginning to think you don't actually live here at all."
"Weren't you the one who suggested lunch, ribbit?" Tsuyu stared blankly at him.
"Uh… well, Hagakure probably has a better grip on the local restaurants than I do."
"I know a cheap seafood place!" the invisible girl chirped. "Does everyone like seafood?"
"Yep," said Tsuyu.
"Are you kidding me?" Mina laughed. "I breathe seafood."
"Works for me," Len said.
So they were off, Hagakure and Mina chatting in front, while Tsuyu and Len walked behind. He became immediately aware of people turning their heads to look at them. Was it because of the news? Or perhaps the girls' odd appearances? Or…
"You look anxious, Lenny," Tsuyu stated. "Could it be because you're with three girls?"
"Guh!" he gulped. Mina turned and grinned at him. "Wait, is that really it, Len? Hmm? You must think you're pretty lucky, huh?" She slowed to match pace with him, and then suddenly wrapped herself around his arm, pushing her chest against him. "Do you want people to think we're dating?"
No, I want us to REALLY be dating. And it doesn't help if you act all flirty with me like this! Len wrenched himself free. "It's not like I could be dating all three of you. And no, I'm just anxious that people are watching us at all."
"You're gonna have to get used to that if you want to be a hero, ribbit," Tsuyu told him. "Especially after tonight's special TV report, and the upcoming sports festival… we're gonna get recognised everywhere we go."
"It's gonna be so great…" Mina breathed in a dazed tone. "Rich and famous, here I come!"
"I hope I get to stand out!" Hagakure exclaimed. Tsuyu gave her a dubious look.
They arrived at the seafood restaurant, and sat in a booth. Tsuyu ended up sitting next to him instead of Mina, which caused him to feel a pang of disappointment. Don't be so selfish. You're still not sure if you really have a crush on her.
They ordered food, and it arrived. "So," said Hagakure as they dug in, "how did your families react when you guys got home yesterday? Mine were worried sick!"
"Same here, ribbit."
Mina shrugged. "My dad made a big show out of crying hysterically, partially to make fun of my mom, and partially to mess with me. Then he made a big joke about it. Said I could handle myself just fine, and that he wasn't worried." She flashed a grin.
"Your family seems fun, Mina-chan," said Tsuyu.
"Well yeah, that's what they want you to think." She rolled her eyes. "Every friend I bring home says that. But they do get irritating after a while!"
"What about you, Kagamine-kun?" asked Hagakure. "What did your parents say?"
Len was chewing food, which gave him time to think of a response. I suppose I can tell them part of the truth. He swallowed, and said, "My parents don't really watch the news. They don't know what happened."
Mina's jaw dropped. "Seriously? But surely… I mean, my mom said the school called, and…"
"Yeah…" Len coughed. "Like I've told Hagakure-san before, my family is kind of erm… technologically behind. They have a tendency to not answer phone calls."
"Don't you think you should tell them, Lenny?" Tsuyu asked, her large eyes remaining neutral. "They deserve to know about it."
"I wouldn't want them to worry…"
"That's silly," said Mina. "What happens if they find out eventually anyway, and realise you never told them? Then you'll be in deep shit. At least, I would be with my parents, in that situation."
More than you know, he thought. "I guess you're right. I mean, it's not like I was intentionally holding out on them. I was really tired when I got home last night."
The girls all nodded and hmm'd, as if to say "fair enough."
After the meal, they went back out onto the street, and all eyes went to Hagakure… or where Hagakure's head was supposed to be. "Where to now?" Tsuyu wondered aloud.
"What do you gals wanna do?" the invisible girl asked.
Len winced. Am I included in the gals? Not shopping. Please. Anything but that.
Mina's eyes lit up. "Is there an arcade around here?"
"There is!" Hagakure exclaimed. "Follow me!"
Len sighed and relaxed, following. "What's got you fired up about the arcade?" he asked Mina.
She turned to him, smiling. "Rhythm games!"
"Oh. Like, erm… Dance Dance Revolution, that kind of thing?" He'd heard about that from his middle school friends.
"Yep! I enjoy some more obscure ones too, but this arcade'll probably just have a basic DDR board. Still tons of fun. Now I'll get to show off those moves you were challenging me to do at lunch." A cheeky glint flashed across her eyes.
"Oh, brother. I'm about to eat my words, aren't I."
"You'll eat them so much you'll puke. I'm a seriously…" she twirled with one hand above her head, coming back to rest next to him. "… fantastic dancer."
"And humble, too."
"Bleh. Save humility for the heroism." She stuck her tongue out at him, and then laughed with Hagakure about something. Len briefly spaced out. She's such a goof. That's something I like about her. She's extremely expressive. Another thing. And not afraid to show off. That's… a really attractive quality. Okay. Okay, maybe this crush is legitimate. The real deal. Now what do I do.
"Lenny," Tsuyu whispered as they arrived at the arcade. "Do you need any help?"
"Huh? Help with what?"
"Getting with Mina-chan, of course."
"GAH!" He whipped around, but the other two had already gone off into the arcade, taking stock of all the games and chatting loudly. Paying them no mind.
"Tsu, you gotta be more carefu… IIIIIIIIIIII mean, I don't know what you're talking about!" He suddenly reorganised himself, having forgotten to deny his crush.
The frog girl sighed. "It's kind of obvious, ribbit. To me, at least. I'm probably more observant than she is, so you got that going for you."
"Listen, Tsu. I'm still not really sure what I feel yet, okay? And… it may not even be a good idea to… get with her. Shouldn't we be focusing on UA and stuff?"
"Well, if that's how you feel, then sure." The frog girl blinked, giving him no tells. "I think you might have a chance, though. Kinda hard to say."
Len blushed. "If I need your help, I'll ask for it. How does that sound?"
"Peachy." She croaked out another "ribbit" and then followed the other two. Len went with her.
"I was right," Mina was saying at the back of the arcade. "Just a basic DDR board, as expected."
The machine was a lot of bright lights and colors. Len had a pretty basic idea of how it worked. You stood on those pads, and stepped on the arrows as they came down the screen. Simple enough.
"Who wants to challenge me first?" Mina asked threateningly as she hopped up onto one of the pads. "Leeeenn?" she gave him a wink.
"I'd rather watch for a turn. Not to throw these two under the bus or anything."
"Let's do it, Mina!" Hagakure stepped up.
"Alright," the pink girl pumped her fist. "I'm gonna set it to a medium difficulty, okay? Normally I'd go all in on hard, but…"
"Works for me. I've played this a few times before!"
"Awesome." She picked a song… and then they were off.
Len's jaw dropped as he watched the girls move. It was kind of hard to track Hagakure because she was wearing shorts, making her legs invisible, but you could at least see her shoes as they stomped the arrows. Meanwhile, Mina moved like one possessed. Her hips gyrated. Her legs seemed to circle one another in a blur. And all the while, she had the biggest grin plastered on her face, lit up by the light of the machine. She was having the time of her life.
Pretty…
"Enjoying yourself?" Tsu asked him.
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
"That's creepy, Lenny."
"Whatever you say."
Tsuyu might have smiled. Hard to tell.
The round was over, and Hagakure drooped in exhaustion, breathing hard. "How do you do it like thaaaat?" she half-complained.
Mina wiped sweat off her brow, her chest rising and falling. She was still standing up straight. "Practice, and lots of it!"
Len saw the scores. Mina had won handily. It wasn't really all that close.
"Okay," he said, stepping up. "I'll bite."
Mina wagged her finger at him. "Oh ho, wait a minute. I've got to catch my breath. Don't think you've got a better chance by waiting to go second and tiring me out."
He grinned. "I just figured I'd let you get a victory in before I crush your dreams."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Have you played these before?"
"Not once."
She smirked. "Okay, Mr. Confident. Let's get going, then." She picked medium difficulty again, and another song. Len took a stance on the board.
Time seemed to slow. Oh energy within, he thought.
It seemed to stir, like a growl. He remembered Kurogiri's words. Something about summoning the power of the void? Is that what I'm doing? In any case, weird yellow glowy stuff. Don't let me down now.
The energy served to make him more hyperactive. Len had made a somewhat risky assumption that that would extend to a game like this.
As the arrows arrived at the bottom of the screen, he was proven to be correct.
Len matched Mina's speed, getting a spray of perfect combos in a row, feeling his legs come alive. "Haha!" he cried, dancing around like a madman.
Mina's eyes darted over to his screen, and then back to hers. "Grrr, it's gonna take more than that to beat me!" she challenged.
They kept going, faster and faster and faster. Len didn't look over at her screen. He just kept persevering on his own. This is fun! Haha! Yes! He felt free, untethered. That scared boy in the dark corner of the house would never have imagined this future. But here he was.
The song ended, and… Mina still won. But it was close, and she was clearly shot, sweating all over, and breathless. Len was sweating too, but the energy had largely protected him.
"I thought you said you'd never played." Mina was giving him a daring smile.
"I haven't. That's the honest truth." He held up his right hand solemnly.
"Lenny was using his Quirk, ribbit," Tsuyu pointed out from behind them.
Mina's head whipped to her, and then back to him. "What?! Is that true?"
"Well…" he scratched at his neck, chuckling. "Not explicitly, but… my performance is a side effect of my Quirk, yes. Hyperactivity and such."
"And you knew that." Mina's lip curled.
"I made an educated guess."
"You're clever, Len. I thought you weren't that competitive."
"Well, I…" his face darkened for a moment. Where DID all that come from? "I'm usually not." The energy seemed to stir before settling again.
"Ya better get competitive fast!" said Hagakure. "With the sports festival coming up…"
They played some more games, ones that weren't as physically taxing as DDR. Then they DID end up going shopping, much to Len's dismay. At around 3:45, as they were walking down the street through the shopping district, he bid them goodbye.
"Huh?" Mina gave him a look. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I said I had to go around four-ish, remember?" Len tapped his phone. "I messaged you that."
"Oh, right…"
"I should probably go too, ribbit," Tsuyu stated. "My family will want me to help with dinner and all that."
"I guess we're calling it." Hagakure sounded disappointed. "Aww. It was fun though, guys! See you at school tomorrow!"
"Yep, see you." Len waved, beginning to walk away, to turn away.
"Bye, Len," Mina said, waving back. At him. Just him.
Len had to turn to keep her from seeing his heated face. I've got it bad. Damn.
And yet, it had been a great afternoon. He enjoyed Tsu and Hagakure's company a lot too, and he'd had the most fun that he'd had in a long time. The facility thing that happened this morning… just forget it about it. It's fine, you got out, you're not going to go back there. Just don't worry about it.
He arrived home at about 4:08, which was fine. "I'm home," he announced when he walked in, taking his shoes off and then hanging his backpack on the hook. No one responded.
He paused. He could hear the TV going in the living room. The TV was on. Unusual, but not shockingly so. It wasn't out of the question behaviour for them.
He walked into the living room… and his parents both turned to look at him. Their faces were pale with fury.
Len froze. Next to the TV stood his sister, looking extremely guilty. And on the TV? The news. The special report. Of the USJ attack.
"Umm…" he took a step backward, as his dad rose from the armchair, still glaring at him. "I… can explain."
"Can you now?" his mother raised an eyebrow. "Then please. Why didn't you tell us about this last night?"
"… because you didn't care." The truth.
"How DARE you!" his father rumbled. "You say we don't care ? After we let you live under this roof, let you go to this foolish school?"
Len's face twitched. I just had one of the best afternoons of my life, and they are not going to ruin it with this. "Don't kid yourself," he spat. "You could have found out easily without my help, if you bothered to answer my school's calls. They phoned everyone's parents before we even went home."
He had caught them off guard with that, he could tell. His mom seemed surprised for a moment, but she steeled herself again. "UA cancelled school today, according to this report. So where were you?"
"I, um…" he had not prepared any kind of excuse. "I went out with friends." He obviously couldn't tell them about the illegal Quirk training.
"Out with friends? That's rich," his father sneered. "Up to no good, more than likely. I wonder if those pro heroes know what kind of kid they're working with in you."
"I really was out with friends. Seriously." At least for part of the day.
His mom's eyes narrowed. "If that was all it was, then why didn't you tell us? We don't have any problem with you going out with friends, you know. There's no reason to keep it a secret."
"Because, well, umm…" his mouth felt awfully dry.
"Because you knew if you told us about your day off, then we'd give you work to do." She ground her teeth in rage. "It all comes back to laziness with you, doesn't it? We give you one good thing with this hero course, and you just throw it back in our faces, reverting to your old ways."
"How many chances have we given you to prove yourself?!" his father roared. "How many? How many have you SQUANDERED?!"
"Wh-wha…" Rin stuttered from by the TV. "What are you g-going to do with him…"
"Hmm, what are we going to do with him indeed, sweetie," his mother nodded.
"You wouldn't dare pull me out of the school now," Len hissed, and they both went silent, taken aback. "You can't. It's too late for me to start at any other school, and the last thing you want is for me to be some dropout. Force me to sleep outside, give me endless chores that I'll do PERFECTLY and still call me lazy, do whatever you want. But the only way you could truly punish me is to take me out of that school. That school is my everything. It's where I'll succeed far more than either of you ever have. It's where I've found my friends, and where I'll find my real family. And you can't take me out of it. So what's the point of having this confrontation? Just to make me squirm a little? I could take a steak knife from the kitchen and kill the both of you in a flash if I thought you were even one percent worth the effort. But you're not. Good night."
He stormed up the stairs.