Chapter 105: Steel-Gate Rikishi
So, they've finally arrived. Yoshikage Kira turned to look at the shop's entrance. A portly, middle-aged man with a brawny face, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, climbed out of the car. He had paint on his face, giving him a very intimidating aura.
Kira expected they might have to fight before clearing up the misunderstanding, but to his surprise, the man ran over and stood in front of him, spreading his arms wide to block Mrs. Sakihara.
"Guest-san, are you okay!? As long as I'm here, Ms. Sakihara won't be able to harm you!"
Before Kira could even comment on this bizarre turn of events, Mrs. Sakihara shouted angrily, "Steel-Gate Rikishi! Didn't Fujiwara tell you what's happening!? This guy behind you is a pervert! He has ideas about my Yu! As a Pro Hero, is this how you protect a criminal!?"
A middle-aged man in casual clothes with a scruffy beard climbed out of the driver's seat. "Sakihara-san," he said wearily, "could you please stop accusing people of being perverts every time they compliment your daughter? How many times has this been this month alone? The patrolmen don't even want to come by here anymore..."
Steel-Gate Rikishi lowered his hands. "Ms. Sakihara, the only reason I'm here is because I was afraid you'd assault this tourist. Your inn doesn't get many visitors as it is. If you keep doing this..."
By now, seeing that Kira was just sitting there calmly, waiting for the pro-hero to arrive, Mrs. Sakihara was beginning to feel that her accusation might have been wrong. But she was stubborn. "This is Tottori Prefecture, the most obscure part of the entire country! Who would travel this far to our poor, remote town alone at his age!? He must be a criminal who committed a crime!"
"Well..." Steel-Gate Rikishi turned to size Kira up. He didn't look like a criminal, but he still had to go through the proper procedure to get this stubborn woman to back down. "Excuse me, sir. Do you have anything to prove your identity?"
Seeing that this person was reasonable, Kira nodded. "I am a student from the U.A. High School Hero Course, here for my work-study internship."
"U.A. High's Hero Course!" The moment he said this, everyone in the room was stunned. Even if they didn't pay much attention to the Sports Festival, the name "U.A." was legendary. It was the most famous birthplace of Pro Heroes in the entire country. In the eyes of most Pro Heroes, the title of "U.A. Student" was enough to earn their complete trust.
"Ms. Sakihara, you must have made a mistake. He's a U.A. student," Steel-Gate Rikishi said.
"Ah! You're that Yoshikage Kira, right!? The one who got second place in the Sports Festival but missed the awards ceremony!" Mr. Fujiwara stared at Kira's face, which had seemed familiar. As soon as he heard "U.A.," he immediately recognized him. "I saw a few glimpses of you when my shop was broadcasting the festival. I wasn't sure, but it really is you!"
"Can we clear up this misunderstanding now?" Kira asked, seeing that the two "rescuers" Mrs. Sakihara had called were now on his side.
Mrs. Sakihara, adhering to the principle that an apology must be made with utmost sincerity, bowed her head in shame. "I'm sorry... I was so rude..."
"Sigh, I knew it," Yu said, stepping out from behind her mother. She walked up to the three men and bowed maturely, like a small adult. "My mother has caused you all trouble. If it's possible, please forgive her."
Seeing Yu act this way, both Fujiwara and Rikishi blushed. They waved their hands frantically. "Don't worry about it, Yu-chan! We were happy to help!"
Kira, his eyes half-lidded, watched the two middle-aged men who seemed to have found a new lease on life. The perverts are someone else, he thought, rubbing his forehead.
"Mrs. Sakihara, are you going to kick me out now?" Kira asked.
She shook her head frantically. "Guest-san, I'm so sorry! I was just a little impulsive. But my daughter, Yu, her Quirk is to release different kinds of hormones, and she can't control it yet. It just happens, without her meaning to. People who are familiar with her are fine, but I'm afraid that strangers who smell it won't be able to control their... emotions."
"Hormones? Really?" Kira sniffed the air but didn't smell anything strange. Though it was possible his Hamon had automatically dissipated them when he had breathed in.
Mrs. Sakihara was a little surprised. "Perhaps this Quirk only works on certain people. In any case, I've caused you so much trouble. I'm truly sorry!"
Kira thought of Midnight, whose Quirk was a sleep-inducing aroma from her skin, and Ana from Overwatch. In a team, both healing and control abilities were incredibly useful... Perhaps little Yu could develop in that direction?
Now that Kira knew Mrs. Sakihara had a reason for targeting him, he didn't mind so much. "Back to my original question, Mrs. Sakihara. Could you recommend a well-known local restaurant?"
Mr. Fujiwara spoke up. "Young man, if you don't mind, why don't you come to my shop? I'm quite confident in my cooking."
"Then I'll be in your care." Kira didn't refuse. This was likely the shop Mrs. Sakihara had been about to recommend.
"Steel-Gate Rikishi, you come too?"
"Of course!" he laughed. "The only reason I came back to my hometown was for your cooking!"
Fujiwara then looked at Mrs. Sakihara. "It's probably inconvenient for you to cook now. Why don't you and Yu come eat at my place? My treat."
Mrs. Sakihara hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Sorry for the wait!"
After setting down the fixed-course meals, Fujiwara placed the restaurant's signature dish in front of Kira. It was a plate of glistening, translucent shrimp.
"Tottori may be a small place, but these are our local 'Phantom Shrimp.' You can't get them anywhere else. A lot of people come to Tottori to travel just for this dish."
Kira picked one up with his chopsticks. After one bite, he was pleasantly surprised. The shrimp was slightly sweeter than the usual varieties and had a unique flavor when paired with the miso.
Steel-Gate Rikishi was chugging a small cup of sake, his chopsticks flying. In no time, his own portion of shrimp had been annihilated.
He asked Kira curiously, "Kira, you're here for your work-study, right? As far as I know, there aren't any agencies around here besides mine. The only other one is a rookie who just got transferred from somewhere else, and he doesn't seem like the type who can mentor anyone."
"The agency I'm going to is called the Twilight Agency. I believe it's on the mountain."
"The Twilight Agency? Isn't that the name of the zoo up on the mountain?" Fujiwara said, having sat down opposite Kira and Rikishi after serving the Sakihara family. "I went there once. They have lions, but the variety of animals is just too small. There's not much to see."
"Is that so?" Kira was surprised. He hadn't realized the Twilight Agency's profile was so low that even a local Pro Hero didn't know about it. Don't tell me they registered the agency and then never did any hero work?
"Pops! We're here!" The restaurant, which had only contained their group, was suddenly filled with noise as the door was pushed open and several teenagers in large, matching jackets swaggered in.
"I'll have the katsudon today!"
"Tonkotsu ramen for me!"
"You idiots! It's seafood season! Obviously, you have to get the kaisendon!"
The teenagers loudly sat down at a table. Fujiwara said apologetically, "I'll go take care of this. Please, take your time."
Kira watched the group of teenagers. On the back of their jackets, large, calligraphic kanji read: "Tottori Domination."
Don't tell me they're a local biker gang?
"Lads! You all didn't get into any trouble today, did you?" Fujiwara quickly cleared up Kira's confusion. He pointed at a band-aid on a bald kid's face. "Uwagata, you're hurt. If you don't have a good explanation, you're not getting any dinner."
The boy named Uwagata rubbed his head and grinned. "You've got a sharp eye, Pops. We had a run-in with the 'Shark Bites' from next door in Niu-san City—"
Fujiwara was alarmed. "The Shark Bites? They call themselves Gang Orca's little brothers! There are over a hundred of them! And your 'Hyakki' gang only has a few dozen. You dared to fight them?"
Uwagata quickly waved his hands. "You misunderstood, Pops! We just had a motorcycle race! The cut on my face is from a little accident when I couldn't control my speed. I already got it treated at the hospital!"
"As long as you didn't fight. Steel-Gate Rikishi is watching you," Fujiwara said, nodding his head toward Kira's table. Only then did the teenagers notice the other two in the corner. They laughed and waved.
"Hey, Rikishi-san! Don't worry! We won't cause you any trouble!"
Steel-Gate Rikishi snorted and cursed at them with a smile. "Like I'd believe a word you brats say! You're always tearing around the city on your bikes! Stop giving the patrolmen a headache!"