[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

Tokyo was a-fucking-LOT.

Miroru had needed to do some shopping for custom parts to further upgrade the mobility gear she was working on, as well as collect some study materials on electromagnetic control systems and applications, as well as some new articles on theoretical nuclear physics. All that done, though, had burned her out completely on being around crowds, and she'd melted into the backstreets to get away from as much of the populace as she could.

Spotting the little cafe in the alleys seemed like an oasis in a desert, what with the mid-day timing meaning it was likely abandoned as a bar, and it being late enough that the early morning coffee addicts had likely cleared out. She pushed the door open, her bookbag bouncing against her hip with each step, and glanced around to see what this place was all about.

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

There was a quiet lull that embraced Noyote during this time of day. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan streets, the day-time cafe/night-time bar was tucked cozily away in side streets. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods gave the spot an inviting atmosphere. This was also the time of day when Noyote was the least busy. Most of the people present were either older residents or college kids in need of a quiet place to study—the "quiet crowd" as Shu liked to call them.

In truth, it was the ideal time of day for the tanuki. In between new orders and refills his staff could tidy up the place in preparation for the late afternoon and evening rush.  

"Booooooossu~" a feminine voice called out to Shu from across cafe, disturbing the silence. A young woman with medium length hair and an octopus tattoo had just finished processing a check. She then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her bra and flashed them at the tanuki. Her name was Mari, one of the locals that worked part-time for a little extra cash. "I'm gonna step out for a bit, okaaaay~?"

"Yeah, yeah," Shu said as he wiped down his counter space, paying his waitress no real mind. His thoughts more focused on whether he should order food for Zazie's dinner or ask his neighbor to make something for her instead since he'll be working.

The door chimed as Miroru entered into the cafe, nearly hitting Mari in the process. The older woman hopped back just in time and giggled to herself. 

"Almost got me," she mused as she gave Miroru a once over. Mari then called out to Shu once more. "Got a fresh face, Bossu. Be nice~!" She then brought her fingers to the edge of her mouth and pushed up, creating a smile, and stepped out.  

Shu sighed to himself before letting his wash rag fall on the counter. He then motioned for Miroru to take a seat at the bar, which was practically empty save for two or three patrons.

"Welcome to Noyote," the tanuki greeted as he slid a menu her way.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
Thinking of making Mari a regular NPC for the bar. She would be in her mid-twenties, possibly a recent graduate or something. Her quirk is fairly low-key. For the majority of her life she assumed she was quirkless. But in actuality, any tattoo she has comes to life on her body. Kinda like Maui in Moana.

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

Miroru took a deep breath to soak up the scent of roasted coffee and brewed drinks, and sighed a tiny bit. This place felt-

"AH! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention, I should have known you were there, I'm so sorr... nice..?" Miroru muttered, bewildered as Mari swept past her, leaving the redhead in the cafe with the Quiet Crowd.

Plus the tanuki.

She zoned back in as she was invited to the bar, where she headed, setting her bookbag on the ground and taking the menu to scan over it. "Well, thank you. I feel quite welcomed." Her eyes flicked up after she sat down, then back again. A familiar sight, but she said nothing. If anything, her expression tensed a little bit.

After all, her track record with pro heroes wasn't the best.

"Ah, I'll have... just a cup of coldbrew. Black's fine. Thanks."

Maybe it wasn't him.

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

Shu's golden gaze remained upon Miroru as she looked over the menu, most likely coming off more intensely than he might have intended. It was a habit—good and bad—of his to thoroughly size up anyone he interacted with and had little care to be subtle about it. So far, her reactions were typical. The double glances. Tensing up. She had an idea of who he was—no, who he used to be.

"Coming right up," Shu stated simply before moving over to the station with the taps. At the end of the row was the house's cold brew. It wasn't anything ground breaking, but the regulars seemed to enjoy it. Dropping a few ice cubes into the glass he began to pour the coffee. When the glass was filled he placed a coaster in front of Miroru and set down the drink.

However, as he did so Mari's words echoed in his head mind alongside that stupid smile she liked to make. Be nice. He'd heard those annoying little words all of his life. It wasn't in his nature to "be nice." But neither was being a barkeep, and yet here he was.

With an exasperated mental groan Shu reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of yen. He grabbed one of the wrapped red bean mochi that was on display near the register and scanned it. Dropping the pocket change into the cash bin he closed the register and made his way back to Miroru, setting the confectionary next to her cold brew.

"On the house," Shu stated. One more tertiary glance at her told him enough to continue on with the niceties. "How are you enjoying your time at U.A.U.? This is your first year, right?" He asked the question with such a casual air that any bystander would assume they've known each other for years. "My daughter has been desperately working to get in one day," the tanuki confessed. "I'm still not sure it's worth it though."

At that moment, one of the patrons stood up from their seat and started to head to the door.

"Barkeep, I'm heading out. Mari already too care of the check," the older man announced.

Shu gave the man a nod of acknowledgement and raised a hand. It was almost like a scene out of Fantasia the way the dishes came to life. The black dishes instantly rose up, flew across the cafe, and neatly stacked themselves on a cart near the kitchen entrance where other dirty dishes waited to be cleaned. At the sound of the clatter, one of the kitchen staff slipped out and collected the cart.

"Sorry 'bout that," Shu said as his attention returned to Miroru, realizing that he probably cut her off with the theatrics.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
I....have no notes this time. It's late. Lol.

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

"Thanks."

This was the rough thing about all the old guard. She could never be entirely sure who was gonna be decent and who was like her dad. She'd been burned so badly, though, that the more in common they had with her father, the less she trusted them enough to give them a chance to prove otherwise.

Demura had done a good job being up front with his priorities and stances, though. That hadn't gone so bad at all.

The confection plunked in front of her dragged the redhead back to the present, and she blinked in surprise. "Oh. I- thank you. I didn't- you didn't have to." She took it, though, and let out a tiny little breathy noise. "Red bean... okay. Double thanks. I love these. They're like. Sweet and savory all at the same time."

She seemed a touch surprised to get clocked so easily, but entrance exams and that quirk demonstration had garnered a lot of attention and talk. After all, that one kid had turned into a black hole, and she'd-

Well. They told her to show off.

"YOUR daughter probably doesn't have to -worry- so much," Miroru murmured, taking the coffee with another silent thanks and sipping it. "-but it's really good she's putting work in anyway. U.A.U. has a lot of legacy kids. I still don't know for sure how much weight my dad's reputation counted for. There's exam scores, but- it's hectic. It's not like scores couldn't be fudged. Nobody'd know."

Worth it? "... I think if that's the road she wants to take, there's worse paths to take. I'm hoping that by the time she's looking at entrance exams, maybe the culture will have shifted for the better. I'm trying to... I dunno. Cultivate a more communal approach to heroism. Less cutthroat posturing and sponsorship deals. We'll see if it takes."

She went quiet during the exchange with the regular, and frowned faintly at the display of his quirk. "... huh. I always thought it was some sort of magnetic control or... nanite swarm, but there's no EM signals or magnetic fields. You've got direct control, don't you?"

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

It really wasn't that hard to pin the girl as a U.A.U. student. A lot of them shuffled through his door for one reason or another—be it to actually patron the establishment or ask him for training. Though it was actually her physique that gave it away. Pint-sized as she may be, Shu knew a capable fighter when he saw one. Her musculature was more refined and practical, far more than what came from maintaining simple fitness—a hero's build. Her young appearance and the fact that she wasn't currently in school, despite the backpack, lead to the idea of her being college age. The U.A. part was just a guess though. There were plenty of other schools in Tokyo, given its scale, that were happy to capitalize on being alternative options for those unfortunate to make the cut.

Damn right, the tanuki thought to himself when the girl made her comment about Zazie. A swell of paternal pride rose up at the thought of all the hard work she's done over the years. However, it seemed that the mochi had bought him more information than he had expected.

As Miroru unloaded, Shu simply raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't an alumni of U.A., but that was an easy mistake to make. He had absolutely no clue as to who her father even was, let along what reputation he might have to sway things at the university. Though, Shu had every intention of doing that very thing when it came time for Zazie to take the exam. Granted, he'd probably have them make the test harder than have them fudge scores.

Dealing with the dishes distracted him a little bit, hence the apology, but the comment about his quirk brought him right back. A prideful smirk spread across his face. A lot of people made that assumption about his quirk—especially villains.

"Of course," Shu with a hint of amusement. "After all," he started while spreading out his arms. His left hand seemed to ripple for a moment before turning into black sand, retaining its shape. The transformation raced up his arm and spread across the rest of his body—fully taking on his Satetujin form. "I'm still the God of the Black Sand," his voice was a bit more ethereal in this form.

Many of the patrons that were still around couldn't help but "ooo and ahh" and the sight. Though they were smart enough to not try and take any pictures. That was the fastest way of getting banned from Noyote. Then, just as quickly as he transformed he returned back to his normal state. 

"I suppose that counts as an introduction," he said more so to himself than her. Mildly curious about the father comment she had made earlier, Shu decided to take the spotlight off of himself for the moment. "Though it's better to just call me Barkeep these days. And you would be?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
There are three main ways to get on Shu's good side: 1) Praise his daughter. 2) Talk about his quirk. 3) Feed him. He is actually a really simple person to deal with once you get to know him.

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

Another thing Miroru didn't really clock about herself. In a world full of heroes with massive, fantastic builds, she saw herself as a small girl with floofy hair- not as the carefully sculpted fighter she was. She knew she could handle herself in a fight, but again, it was tainted by her exposure to pro heroics all her life- she was, in reality, a world-class hand to hand fighter in any arena besides heroics, and her body showed it.

Just one more blind spot in her self esteem carved out by her upbringing.

The transformation was startling- unsettling, honestly- and Miroru's mouth gaped a tiny bit. "Don't... you... feel... I dunno, disjointed..? I can see the massive tactical advantages, but if I was disconnected from part of my body, or the entire thing, I'd feel so... adrift, I think."

Miroru had to smother a laugh at such a humble understatement. "Introduction indeed. I'm Miroru. It's nice to meet you." It took a long moment for her to push past her reluctance to share any more. He could see her struggling with it, observant as he was. At last, she sighed a bit. "Rokuhane Miroru."

As in the daughter of Incapacitor, father and lead hero of the Thunderhead family agency, one and all the children trained by his hand alone.

Except this one.

She did her best to change the subject, offering, "I can't do anything as fantastic than that. Mostly it's just tricks of the light. Or some pretty straightforward electromagnetic manipulations. Definitely can't turn into a thunderbolt or anything as visually spectacular as that!" She was looking up at him through her bangs now. Hiding behind them. Hoping no bells rang at her father's name. And uncomfortably confident some would.

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

Shu let out an amused huff at the girl's reaction to his transformation. Even in retirement, the tanuki enjoyed utilizing his quirk at any and every opportunity. Next to Zazie, Xillions was his pride and joy—having spent nearly his entire life to cultivating its versatility. He was even more amused by her assessment of the Satetsujin state. Two for two. With just a short display the girl had managed to unravel some of the nuances of his quirk. There were villains that spent his whole career uncertain of what he actually did. But just because she was right didn't mean he would admit to any of it.

"I am thou, thou art I," he recited the quote from one of his favorite RPGs growing up. "There is no disconnect. My sand is just another extension of me," Shu explained. Which was true. In fact, he didn't even need the prior hand gesture to move the dishes. The thought alone would have sufficed.

Maybe being "nice" wasn't so terrible. The girl was proving to at least be a decent distraction before the afternoon/evening rush.

And then she said her name. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"Ah." His tone, while stoic before, carried an icy chill with it this time. The smirk on his face faded and his expression turned to one of absolute annoyance. Whatever she said after her name fell on deaf ears. His vexation was palpable as his gaze narrowed on Miroru. "They allowed that shit stain to reproduce?" 

However, he recalled her previous sentiments and her general mannerisms up to this point. Shu leaned in closer with an analytical look in his eye.  

"You adopted or something?" He pried. "You seem too reasonable to be his child."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
"I am thou, thou art I..." is a common quote of the signature Personas of the protagonists of the Persona series when they are being summoned the first time. The complete quote varies a bit throughout the series, but the general meaning is almost the same.

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

It was always a bit relieving to be able to keep the pro heroes nearby in good moods. Angry, powerful people felt like echoes of her father and it was extremely hard to suppress the urge to run and hide. Shu getting to show off and praise his kid seemed to make him quite happy, and Miroru was more than pleased to bask in that safe spot.

"Okay. I guess I can understand. I feel connected to the EM fields around me- I just don't... identify with them, so that sorta explains my disconnect with the idea."

"Oh, it gets worse," drawled Miroru. "I'm the YOUNGEST. I've got older brothers. He filled an entire agency with the rest of his kids. But since I didn't get his amazing, all-important quirk, and can't even generate static cling without some energy to play with in the first place..."

She shrugged.

"It's fine. I wouldn't have been a part of anything to do with him anyway. Missing out on his quirk is just icing on the cake."

She looked up and shook her head. "No, not adopted, just- what's the line, "That's the trauma talking"?" She said drily. "Get burned enough and you get a feel for how to keep everyone else's hands off the stove."

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

Rokuhane Kentaro, otherwise known as Incapacitor, was a man that grew mass popularity around the same time that Shu began his international heroics. In fact, Incapacitor was one of the very first heroes that Shu worked alongside as he ventured into the Japanese hero market. Understandably, his support team thought that the two would make for a powerful combination—on the field and in marketing. Both heroes yielded undeniable levels of power and took every opportunity to remind the world of it. Both were vicious in the battlefield and capable of ending threats almost as quickly as they started. In fact, one of their greatest team up moments was when Shu captured a villain in a tower of black sand and let Incapacitor use it as a lighting rod to direct his full might into.

Yet, Shu couldn't stand his ass. It only took a few interactions for the tanuki to see past the veil and see the truth of the man—the antithesis of everything Shu believed how the strong should be. So, as Shu continued to rise in fame throughout Japan, ultimately becoming the "Symbol of Strength," he openly refused to work alongside Rokuhane ever again. 

"I suppose even he's capable doing something right every once and a while," Shu said as the iciness melted in his tone. From this short interaction, he was able to tell that she was in no way a reflection of her father. Which, while a low bar, was not a bad starting point. Though he had to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration at the thought of his other offspring. From the sound of it they were just as obnoxious as he would have imagined.

Not wanting to dwell on the asshole any longer, Shu decided to shift the focus a bit.

"And you need to stop downplaying your quirk." Shu would have added something about her needing to stop downplaying herself as well, but he felt himself reaching his "nice" limit. "You electromagnetic emitter types have always been a pain in the ass to deal with in my book."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
Nam mauris lacus, faucibus quis lectus eu, varius consectetur justo. Pellentesque aliquam velit a nulla lobortis condimentum. Integer ut lectus sit amet justo faucibus luctus et sed eros. Nulla facilisi. Morbi ac

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

"I mean, I won't deny that the criminals he's taken off the street have made things safer, but at the same time, it's hard to justify the extent of his brutality," Miroru murmured, staring at the counter. "It'd be easier to deal with him if he was 100% awful and did nothing useful. But." Such was not the case.

She snorted a little at his comment, shrugged. "I know the score. I can barely be classified as an emitter. I don't emit anything. I can move around what exists. And don't worry, I -do- know the value of what I CAN do, and there's lots of useful tricks for logistics and getting an edge in a brawl, but something like that swarm you turn into... unless it's wirelessly controlled, I can't do much to it without a downed power line or an electromagnet nearby." A pause, and an admission. "Or a big fire. Fire's literally just light coming off of superheated particulate. So all the heat it puts off can be harvested. Literally just infrared light. But even then, we hit a problem all over again, cuz cooking people where they stand isn't exactly a useful heroic talent."

A bit of a sigh. "It's not that there's no applications. It's just not useful in takedowns like... at all. And I'm trying not to worry that it's gonna hold me back as a hero. The same empty places that are safest to conduct nasty battles are gonna mean I'm without any easy access to even the possibility of a downed power line or something."

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[shu]

 

There were those that often asked Shu why he chose to be a barkeep after retiring from being a pro-hero. That if his only stipulations were not doing field work then he could have simply shifted to teaching—passing on his skills and knowledge to the next generation. Surely with his reputation he could have easily secured a position at U.A. University. Shu never really gave a proper answer to the question. At best, he would give a disgruntled groan and hand wave the entire conversation off.

The reason he never considered teaching at an institution like U.A.U. was actually very simple. And it happened to be sitting right in front of him at his bar.

Listening to Miroru go on only really sparked one thought in his mind—That bastard really did a number on her. The lack of self-esteem. The dismissal of her own potential. The self-doubt dripped from every sentence that she uttered. Perhaps it was his paternal nature kicking in, but the whole thing really started to piss him off. Shu would never admit to being a great father, but he was confident that he had raised a young woman that was fully confident in capabilities. Which was the crux of the issue. Shu didn't have the capacity to be a parent for anyone other than Zazie. He didn't have the capacity to tackle the trauma instilled on all of the up-and-coming generation of pro-heroes.

Letting out a light sigh, Shu grabbed a glass and walked over to the closest sink and turned on the faucet.





This really wasn't his responsibility to fix. Especially not for a kid of an asshole that he absolutely could not stand. The tanuki took two large gulps of the water, leaving it half full and set it back on the counter. He then extracted a slip of paper from one of the drawers behind the bar and set it down in front of Miroru.

"I'll say this and leave it at that," he inititated and held up one finger. "One, we are sitting in the beating heart of a metropolis." He held up a second finger. "Two, support gear exists for a reason."

That was all the advice he was willing to give—for free—before walking off to do the rounds with the quiet crowd. The slip of paper that Shu had set down was a very vibrantly designed sign up sheet. There were a handful of names on it already, having filled out the simple terms of name and contact information. At the very top of it was an artsy interpretation of the tanuki next to the words BARKEEP BOOTCAMP. In the description it described a one-day bootcamp with pro-heroes to help every day civilians learn how to protect themselves better in this chaotic world. 

And in the fine print at the very bottom it read:

Disclaimer: Sessions were held at the discretion of the event host. They will contact you with the time and the place prior to the event. The event host is none other than Tanuki (though we're not supposed to advertise that part).

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
Shocking reveal. Zazie made the flyer and snuck in the disclaimer after he reviewed and approved of the design. 

   

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

shu | ### | notes

Miroru looked up as Shu explained those two things before departing, frowning in thought- but certainly not giving any air of dismissing his points. They were, after all, in the living core of a megacity, and if he meant to say that she wouldn't be able to drag fights out of dangerous locations... well, he was probably right. But if that was true, that did mean she'd often have something she could make use of in battle, if not always.

That second point... hm. He might have something there. On one level, she felt like trying to outwit her own quirk's... quirks... was disingenuous or dishonest, but it did make sense. With that, though, he deposited the signup sheet and wandered off.

She looked down at the paper and read through it, widening her eyes a little bit. She'd basically been personally
invited to take part by one of the top heroes that Japan had ever seen. That... meant something.

She made sure to correctly add her information- Miroru, #XXX-XXX-XXXX- and then bent over a napkin for a little while before excusing herself without fanfare.

When Tanuki came back, he'd find a childish drawing of a raccoon giving a thumbs up with a simple "Thank you <3 I'll come again soon!"

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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