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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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Another day. Another breakout. Rui was single-handedly ruining Sho's balance of his karma with her impulsiveness. His specific set of values meant that any act involving a person had a cascading effect. If he let Rui out from jail then anyone she hurt during that period of time he would need to make up for. He honestly did consider just leaving her alone but at the same time letting your sibling get executed would definitely not be good for his karma either. So begrudgingly, he did what he always did, completely masked his face with shadow and took his sword with him as he waited for nightfall.
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While he had never been inside this particular station, it was likely similar to the others. So he skulked through the night dipping in and out of objects to mask his approach as he avoided the security cameras until a section where that wasn't possible. Instead he would sink into the ground and use his extra appendages to pull himself closer until he was out of the line of sight. From there it was an easy job to cut the power line which would cause the lights to flicker as he went for the backup generator.
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In the basement is where he would find this and with one quick strike, he would not out power for the entire building. Now able to move a bit more freely he would listen to the chaos above him, waiting for one sound...the sound of his sister screaming. Pulling himself through the floor just slightly to see her tied to a chair, he would gently tap his hand with the small knife he brought for her to grab it and then cut through the chains holding her in place. Not willing to show himself just yet, he remained in the floor a few feet back from Rui to assess the situation at hand before he would act.

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[attr="class","likedotitle2"]Stat Upgrade/Purchase

[attr="class","likedosub"]Precedent - Master Swordsman

[attr="class","likedosub"]Current - Stat Name Here

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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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Sho raised an eyebrow at the words "symbol of beauty" thinking that it must have been a self-imposed title. Attractive, sure, but symbol of beauty? He knew at least a handful of people he considered more conventionally attractive than her, even if she was in the top ten. "I suppose" he quipped about her feelings on relationships, she was clearly too absorbed in her own world to realize that he didn't mean he was actively pursuing anything. Being alone was fine for him and less people to worry about the better it was. The Matsui siblings were enough of a handful, plus dealing with Retsu and Meliora occasionally meant he wasn't ever lonely, even if the nature of a lot of these encounters was antagonistic. "I'm not particularly looking for anything. Just wanted to clarify that it's nothing personal." he added, satisfied with what he had said.
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Being classified as a handsome loner didn't really make Sho feel strongly one way or another. Plenty of people had tried to put him into a box without knowing his whole story and they had all failed to accurately paint a picture. Sunadokei wasn't much different in that regard as she had decided he was a loner within a few minutes of meeting him. Perhaps it was the alcohol or that he had a full schedule today, but he opted to eat the last yakitori and then order a small cup of ramen as his last meal for the night before he headed home. Clearly, his correct assessment of being groomed into her lifestyle hit a nerve as her demeanor pulled a 180. Perhaps this was what she was actually like past the facade? Either way, he found this version of Sunadokei much more appealing than the vain, self-indulgent one he'd been talking to moments earlier. This was much more genuine and less filled with PR speak.
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He listened to her rant in full, taking the opportunity to indulge himself in some ramen while it was still hot. If she could see his face right now, she'd see a small smile, the first one of the night that was genuine and not out of politeness. "I never said there was anything wrong with the way you live your life." he added as she stood there in a huff, taking a sip from his drink. "I was just saying that lifestyle isn't for me. Between my band, traveling and teaching at Shin-Gyokuto I have a lot of fun. Never a truly dull moment, and it sounds like you're the same in your own way. I was just remarking that the way you spoke about your experiences growing up your words didn't reflect your feelings, at least from my perspective." It was true there was definitely a tinge of something else when she talked about her father, the family business, and being a third-generation pro hero. "I take what I do seriously." his head would swivel for a moment giving her an actual smile. "It is nice to see you talking so candidly, even if its being angry, for the first time since you sat down. It's cute." he would turn back to his food, unconcerned whether she stayed or left. She was free to do whatever she wanted, of course, and he didn't mind the company or alone time either way.

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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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Sunadokei didn't seem as old as she was. His expression unchanging the mention of a decade ago for UAU lectures meant at the earliest, she was in her late 20s or early 30s. He would have guessed about 25 or 26, but with all of her stories, the age gap made more sense. Even as a corporate hero, one usually doesn't get as famous or infamous over just a few years. Not that he knew much more than the basic knowledge of the hero system, just enough to be more effective at his job really. "Third Generation, huh? Being a Pro Hero must have been something you've wanted since childhood." At least that was his experience with most of the Pro Heroes he'd met. Fixation from a young age with a system just as broken as the loose one that villains followed.
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"I think you'd need to ask the rest of my bandmates for a tour backstage." he said rather bluntly, either not picking up or not indulging her flirtations. "Or if it's too much of an inconvenience for someone with your schedule, I would be more than happy to get their signatures for you." he would indulge himself with another bite, remarking internally that the food was better than expected. Traveling the country, he had experienced a lot of different cuisines, and most izakaya were middling at best. "A'z. That's a name I haven't heard in ages." The timing of this just confirmed that she was likely in her early 30s, as he was around 4 or 5 years old around the time they blew up in popularity.
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"So, no rock music, huh? A shame you'd likely be popular as a musician if you had decided to go down that path." If anything, her boundless confidence was precisely what most rockers needed to be successful, especially as a frontman. "It started as a hobby and then became a career after a few years. I was 9 when I started playing." he always tried to keep the details of his past as vague as he could. "What made you come out here? I would think that a Pro Hero would be too busy for something as small as this event. You seem like the type to do publicity shoots instead of exploring dive bars." Since she was a new fan, he was off the thought process that she didn't come here specifically for them. From there, he would finish his drink and flag down the bartender for another light beer. He was not much of a big drinker except for after shows, as that was also part of his ritual.

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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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Sho couldn't be considered unapproachable just rather reserved. This was mostly done so that there was less of a chance of his Gyrfalcon identity being leaked with a much smaller portion being that he just didn't like being in the spotlight. His siblings did enough of that for him with their unhinged behavior and just like his philosophy on how he conducted himself the balancing act applied there too. So he sat away from the crowd occasionally entertaining the signatures of those who asked and luckily for him the rest of his band mates knew how much he liked to stay out of the limelight so they didn't point anyone else in his direct instead entertaining all the fans themselves. This dynamic is largely what kept Sho a member of their band after all. Well, that and that they were all talented and passionate about the music. Some are more concerned about money, but most about the music.
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A long set like that wasn't too usual as they usually played a few popular songs from their albums but the band lead had urged them to play the full album this time to boost sales. This seemed to work pretty well as they had a larger volume of people by the merchandise than usual including some from the entourage of the Pro Hero who had stopped in. Even she had found their music appealing which was always a good thing. The extra play time did work up a bit of an appetite so he flagged down the bartender to order some yakitori to eat alongside his drinks.
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He had planned to sit alone and eat in peace but it seemed like someone had other plans. The call for the drummer made his head swivel, greeted with the site of the Pro Hero herself alongside what he presumed was a group of her sidekicks or colleagues. A robot, a shinobi, and a bull mutation. All carrying or wearing merchandise from his band which as an odd sight to him. Usually Pros didn't indulge themselves at least in his experience. "Sho." he would utter in case she didn't know him which given her introduction as their newest biggest fan, seemed likely "It's a pleasure to meet you too." he didn't expect her to take a seat, but he wouldn't put up much of a fight. If nothing else Sho was great at keeping his composure and her suggestive suggestion wasn't exactly too uncommon in his circles, with a closed eye smile he would nod "No problem." first signing all of the merchandise of her followers and then signing her bust without hesitation "I've seen you on the news, you threw that bus at the villain you were fighting. It's an interesting quirk." he remarked purposely getting her to talk about herself so as to not draw more attention to himself. His yakitori would arrive shortly after and before he would dig in, he would clasp his hands together to give thanks for the food. "If you'd like to complete the set I'm sure my other bandmates would have no problem signing as well." his eyes would flit back to the crowd "Once the crowd has died down that is."

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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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So far, it looked like two of the bands playing were going to need to go for a second set as a tiebreaker. No one else had managed to impress either having amateur mistakes or just generally being out of their depth. The two frontrunners, Entropy and Piles of Postcards, were clearly made up of experienced musicians if not obscure ones. Each had a full roster of 4 for their performance which definitely aided in their rankings so far. The owner had opted to put a counter of applause nearby which automatically put any performers on a ranked list. It seemed a little biased towards those with more members as they would be able to give a more complete experience, but nonetheless, there were some duos and trios up there.
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'Another one,' he thought to himself as a single person stepped up on stage and introduced herself as Yvel Koyama. Not anyone Sho had ever heard before. The only difference he could see between her and the others that came before her was that she was much more confident. Sho had enough experience with people to see when someone was masking their intent and out of anyone who had performed tonight, she was the first who seemed to truly be up there for her love of music. Her song she played, Seishun Complex, wasn't one he had heard before either and it was very well put together. She was being drowned out over the ambient sounds of the bar and unlike him, most of the others had already written her off as a low placement.
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Perhaps it was fate or perhaps it was the alcohol but he felt that this was someone worthy of his time. Putting back the rest of his drink he would stand and move towards the stage. He wasn't exactly famous but he definitely wasn't an unknown in these circles. As he approached the front of the house, having gotten a decent feel of the song so far as she had played about a quarter of it, he would speak up "Can we run that back?" he would direct towards the coordinator who begrudgingly agreed and without Yvel's permission he would climb up on stage and pull his drumsticks from his back pocket. "Can you take that from the top? Don't worry about me, I'll keep up." There would be some hushes from the crowd who were able to recognize Sho as he took his seat on the drums and readied himself for Yvel to start over.[break][break]

For some reason, he wanted her to win.

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Yvel Koyama[break]
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Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin [break]
“We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

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"Sho is fine" he would say in return, unsure how she got subaru out of his name. Maybe Rui had mentioned something about wanting a car? Either way, she said a lot of nonsense so he wouldn't dwell on it, instead opting to let them both in only to be greeted by his energetic little sister. She was always a fan of spectacles and he was certain that she only invited the two because of their inexperience with video games.
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"I don't think Retsu or I have played a video game before." he would toss the bag of chips towards Rui certain that she could catch them. "It's customary to bring a gift whenever you enter someone's place." he would take a look around, eyes narrowing as he noted all the bite marks around the place. Pointing to one of the bigger ones, he would add, "You need to get her to stop. I'm not going to help with any more repairs if you let her do whatever she wants." he would take a seat at the table not entirely sure what to expect but knowing that whatever it was, it was guaranteed to be chaotic.
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