Papa Arashi was a wise man indeed. He taught Enma nuances in combat that most wouldn't receive unless they went into the streets and learned for survival. To be as durable as he was took conditioning beyond simply lifting weights. As they sparred, Enma knew that someone needed to treat Masao as someone who can grow, which means treating her as someone who will know pain. It was a harsh lesson, one he had to be more careful with than his grandfather, but a lesson that would help her decide if she was willing to be a warrior.

Every field, to Enma, had merit as long as there was enough determination and consideration behind it. A creator like Masao had talents the warrior could never hope to achieve. To a degree, it made him jealous. Focus would make him a frontline hero, but he would be one of many. As they clashed, he pondered how he would bring change when he couldn't separate himself from the masses. Enma didn't want fame as Helsing, just impact.

"That is a good book."

As Masao lunged at him, he held his bokken straight-up and let his companion's blade slide along his. In a pendulum motion with the way he rotated his hips, he slammed his elbow against Masao's arm in an attempt to strike the muscle and make it difficult for her to wield her sword as firmly. "My form isn't perfect by any means, but if I inspire then it'll just make me aspire to be even greater. Your form isn't bad, but it's simple and you need to be stronger. Faster."

Leveraging his greater speed, he would shift and close the distance and attack on the offense. Not necessarily trying to strike, the tip of the Bokken would stop shy of Masao's chin. "Especially more so than the other combatant." He was impressed with her form, but battle was quick. It was unpredictable. An element that every warrior must learn, usually the hard way.

Masao Ando

Enma was able to get a good laugh once he realized that they both came with bokken, but realized he hadn't thought of bringing any water. Hydration was important to physical activity, especially if he ended up using his quirk for a demonstration. The hard part of their training session was going to be modulating his strength in response to hers, so using the wooden swords was preferred for the swordsman.

"I get the rest I need." In reality, Enma was training at all hours of the day to maintain his fitness. A strong heart and lungs were necessary for his quirk and the stronger a person was, the more they needed to keep up the discipline. If it was some inherent strength from a quirk, it might've been different. He wasn't sure what it was like for those that were born with supernatural strength like that.

The demeanor of Enma with how he carried himself would hide the fact that he often sacrificed sleep for his insane training ethic. People usually just assumed that he was just an intense and dark person. Moving over to Masao, he unconsciously entered her space more closely than he normally would. "Ando-san, do you mind if we use yours?" He trusted the strength of her bokken more than the ones he had. They were purchased from a typical proprietor, but Masao's skills were certainly beyond them.

"From what I've gathered, there are powerful monsters that make up the super villains that counter us heroes. Think of me as one of those monsters as we spar, Paragon." He looked up at her as he awaited the wooden sword. When he realized how close he had gotten, his mouth squished and squiggled out of anxiety as he tried to subtly step back. This would be the first time he trained with someone that wasn't his grandfather or some robots, which excited him.

But the excitement wasn't just the anticipation, it was the electricity between them.

Masao Ando

A sports event.

Enma's worst nightmare. He works one day a week for his father, and that ONE DAY had to involve him manning a rental area for sports equipment. While the Festival was going on for more than one day, Enma couldn't participate in the duties he wished to attend. Enma surprisingly had plenty of product knowledge, but his issue was people. The festival brought in spectators of all kinds as well as participants. Allowed to sell keepers, Arashi Sporting Goods also provided a source of well-maintained goods to use for the duration of the event.

There was a tag system and the pieces were given specific markers his father used his quirk on. Painted parts of the goods with color codes according to the day, it would fade in a unique pattern over the course of the Festival's duration and beyond to show if anybody tried slipping away with them. Enma briefly thought that his father could do with Loss Prevention for a bigger company, but apparently that was why they didn't hire an LP team for the store.

"Thanks for using Arashi Sporting Goods."

"Thanks for using Arashi Sporting Goods."

"That will be 50,000 yen. Yes, that is with the warranty included. Thank-you for shopping with Arashi Sporting Goods."

This was the routine of the day as Enma manned the area alone. Thankfully, his not-so-friendly eyes kept people from trying anything. He was short, but his physicality helped him zoom around and carry normally heavy things with ease. If only he had some help!

The response to the touch was anxiety-inducing and so sudden. Enma had stopped Jun from cracking her head open, yet she was so apprehensive. Blinking, he offered the sword back to her. Perplexed, he wasn't sure if he needed to be worried for her or sorry for his actions. "I will respect your boundaries in the future, but you almost fell head-first into the ground." He apologized but couldn't get over the conflict on if he did the right thing or not.

People were complicated. Thankfully, she dispelled any thought that there was a terrifyingly confident nationalist in front of him. Explaining it was homage to something she enjoyed, he could appreciate it. His aspirational hero name was Helsing, which wasn't entirely fitting to his being but was in homage to Dracula. "Chainsaws aren't sharp anyways. To clarify, I was strictly thinking of how it could benefit lumberjacks."

In the purest sense, this was a lie. He thought about fighting with it, but regretted the impulse immediately. Something like that sword was "cool" in concept, but a terrible idea for any hero to wield. A villain would be more likely. "Regardless, I admire it. I must be on my way, have a good day Kanjo-senpai." Nodding, Enma began to walk straight as an arrow towards his destination. That destination?

An exit, given Junsuina didn't prod him further.

junsuina

To hear it for the first time was jarring. Enma had chosen Helsing out of appreciation for Abraham Van Helsing and his favorite novel, Dracula. He wasn't much of a media-consumer, but did find an appreciation for novels. This included western fiction, and so the name was chosen. A homage to a long-dead author and to the values that Enma sees villains as no more than the vampiric foes that Helsing vanquished.

Tension was felt in every step as the wet clap of each step was felt buy Enma's hyper-awareness. As she was explaining her history of the agency, he pieced together the gaps and nodded and verbally signaled he was listening. It was fascinating to think he could be where she is in just a short amount of time. Soon, Enma could be operating as Helsing and staking the vampiric criminals of Japan. Maybe metaphorically, maybe literally.

"That's clever, expansion can be toxic to a growing business or operation. My father attempted to expand his store when the financials did not align. It did not end well." Recalling a tough time where his father had a rather harsh failure in a second location in Kyoto rather than focusing on Tokyo, he sighed as he remembered how mean a man who was normally jolly had been. "He recovered, thankfully."

When the hero had mentioned establishing more connections, he knew it to be true. He begrudgingly began meeting people, with one in particular having been the most pleasant surprise in Masao. She was working on something new that he could call his own, though he hadn't broken the news to Papa Arashi. "I am not a social person, my place is in being reliable. I'd rather be utilized than pose with false niceties."

He didn't say it rudely, but he was honest. Enma respected the professionalism of Yuki Onna, so he figured he could be direct. The environment he'll never thrive in is the false, bubbly, corporate glow of most agencies or workplaces. It's why he hated working for his father.

As they crossed a corner store, there was an old lady that seemed to struggle with her bags and had a bit of a noticeable curve to her back. Without hesitation, he put his sword over his shoulder and approached. At first, the old lady was terrified. Assertive and without wasting time, he introduced himself. "Hero-in-training Helsing at your service. No need to fear, let me help you across the street."

Warmth, but no sweetness to his tone. He would help the old lady get her umbrella out and walked her across the street. She simply needed help getting herself on the straight and narrow and holding the bags in a way that would let her drop them once inside her place, a set-up for a quick walk home. Moving back towards Yuki Onna, Enma's natural intensity was more apparent with the palpable social anxiety he possessed.

"The night has been quiet. Shinjuku is not normally peaceful, I hear."

Shirayuki Mai

Enma didn't know what to make of the abrupt commentary, but marveled at the machinations of the sword. His hands were clamming at the prospect of holding it, but not because of fear...but excitement. They wanted it so bad. He wanted to feel the steel vibrating and the destructive power it wielded. Was it even legal to use something like this sword in the field? A question that was not his responsibility to answer.

As for what the person said, it made him tense up and dart his eyes around. Strange looks met them as Enma had no idea what the person was referring to. "Uh, I...I would be careful about spreading nationalism around like that. We're going to be heroes, we have to be careful!" Enma knew Xenos meant Alien and Heretics usually referred to non-believers or blasphemers. To experience that there, so suddenly, felt controversial. Was it bad to associate with this person?

"Even I don't feel great about that sentiment. I mean, there's due process and there's an abundance of resources..." Sweating a bit, Enma rubbed the back of his head. When suddenly Jun began to fall, the nerves washed away and steeled seriousness replaced them. Dashing forward and catching the sword at remarkable speeds, Enma slid and not as gracefully stopped Jun's head from hitting the ground by...

Grabbing a handful of hair. The sword was completely okay, Jun's hair being pulled by gravity might've hurt. While the sword was indeed heavy and dense, the vibrations felt amazing and he could wield it with enough practice. Resting the backside on his shoulder, he looked down at Jun plainly. "It's manageable weight, though I'm used to a sword that is a twentieth of the weight." He really only cared about the sword at the moment, Jun hadn't even introduced herself and that was okay with him.

The sword was as wonderful as he thought.

junsuina