Chapter Text
Sunlight shone through the windows of the bustling classroom, falling on a classroom of dull-eyed students. Homeroom had finally brought an end to the endless hours of the school day, and almost everyone was eager to head back home. Their weariness was intensified by the final lesson of the day, an especially brutal task. Their last professor, a man by the name of Nagisa Shiota, had just drilled them on foreign literature for the past three hours in preparation for their midterms.
Amongst the weary crowd, one student remained curiously lively. The student wasn't a standout in Paradise High, which made his contrast to the rest of Shiota-Sensei’s class even more surprising. Thick-rimmed glasses, neatly organized hair, and a full uniform made him look like your stereotypical nerd, the type that would willingly take extra schoolwork just for fun. Dangling around his neck was a nametag, Satoshi Watanabe written in bold script. "Trust me, Yuki! Shiota-Sensei is hiding something, I'm 98% sure of it!" How this nerdy guy had fallen in with a class of delinquents, none could explain.
His seatmate, on the other hand, was a perfect fit for the delinquent class. Dyed hair, leather jacket, and a sharp glare all contributed to the rulebreaker look. Rolling her eyes, she jammed her textbooks back into her bag, snapping several pencils and rulers with one brusque motion. Stuffed into a pocket was another nametag, Tsuji Yuki printed on it."You always say that. Yesterday, you were 100% sure the school faculty were secretly hoarding your favourite juice. The day before, you said the superbeing incident was just a government plot to drive up sushi sales. Just give it up, Watanabe. It's likely nothing."
Watanabe was not convinced. “But this time, I’m certain! I mean, just look at how well he speaks English! He must have gotten some kind of special training just for that! And remember how he never talks about his past! All teachers love talking about their past, Yuki! He's hiding something, I know it!"
Suppressing a long-suffering sigh, Yuki hefted the bag over her shoulder. Best to just let him explain the whole thing now, rather than inflicting it on herself for an indeterminate amount of time. "Fine, fine. What do you think Shiota-Sensei’s up to?”
“Well… I don’t know.” Watanabe hadn't thought that far ahead. To him, the prospect of a secret existing was far more interesting than what the secret was about. His mind rushed through the possibilities: Government agent? Secret spy? He could be anything! "I just know he’s hiding something. And it’s up to us to find out!”
Shaking her head, Yuki walked off. “Count me out. I’m not getting tangled up in another one of your crazy conspiracy theories.”
Watanabe sighed. He really hoped it wouldn't have come to this. Resigning himself to his fate, Watanabe played his final trump card. “I’ll do your homework for two weeks-”
“Deal.”
Flickering city lights constantly brought the cityscape between light and dark. Night had just settled itself on the city, shadows growing within the twisted back alleys of their city. Keeping her guard up, Yuki walked underneath the pale glow of neon signs. She knew this place well. While not the most dangerous part of the city, it was still not a place she wanted to linger in long. Keeping her voice lowered, she muttered to her companion. “Remind me why we're here?”
Unfortunately for her, Watanabe had a terrible survival instinct and even poorer street smarts. Speaking in an overly proud tone, he kept his eyes fixed on his Phone's map. "Shiota-Sensei takes a specific bus route home everyday. Calculating the amount of bus stops on the route, the density of passengers, and time constraints concluded that this was the likeliest place for him to be!"
For some inexplicable reason, it didn't seem quite right that their calm, erudite professor spent his free time running this lawless back alley. Raising an eyebrow, Yuki shook her head. “You sure? Because this place seems pretty dangerous. Are you sure Shiota-Sensei hangs around here?”
“Huh. Let me… oh.” Watanabe’s face turned pale as he stared down at his GPS. “We… may have taken a wrong turn, several streets back.”
“What?! Give me that!” Yuki snatched his phone away, proving once and for all that Watanabe was the best victim a thief could ever hope for. Muterring, Yuki tried to get a sense of their bearings from the map. They had stopped in front of an auto-repair shop in the middle of a dead-end alley, so they were definitely not on the right path.
Before Watanabe could start yelling, a voice called from the alley's entrance. "Hey, hey, hey. What's a couple of kids like you doin' all the way out here?" One look at him was all it took to get Watanabe nervous. Garish tattoos, leery eyes, and a terrible haircut were all flashing warning signs at him.
"What's it to you?" Yuki snapped back, scowling back. She didn't like him either, though she was much keener on giving his face a pounding than avoiding one herself.
"Well, to put it bluntly, this is our turf. We don't want little kids running about on our streets, got that?" The man's tone carried a hint of malice, like a hidden blade soon to be drawn. Yuki's fists had curled up into balls in response, her scowl morphing into a snarl.
"G-got it. C'mon, Yuki, let's leave the g-gentleman alone." Watanabe muttered, awkwardly trying to shuffle past.
"Tch. If this guy wants a fight, then he's getting one!" Itching for a fight, Yuki rushed headlong at her opponent. "C'mon, let's see you-"
Smack!
Yuki was flung sideways, crashing onto the rough floor. Despite her bravado, a grade-schooler was still no match for a college student in a head on fight. Watanabe stumbled back, then balled his fists in desperation. What little courage he had was gone now, but he couldn't just abandon his friend! I have to get both of us out of here... But how?!
Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the motor shop. Standing in it's doorway was a grim man, tall and stern. His hair was fashioned into dreadlocks, and he wore a stained jumpsuit. "Hey! You want to fight, you do it someplace else! This place isn’t your playground, you know?” Caught unawares by the blinding light, the thug stumbled back. He had only terrorized these two for easy sport. Fighting a full grown man was out of the question for him. With an insulting hand gesture, he stumbled, then fled in panic.
“T-Thanks… Mister… uh…” Stunned by his sudden salvation, the words left Watanabe's throat.
The mechanic made no sudden motion, save for the crossing of his arms. “Yoshida. Taisei Yoshida." With a quick tilt of his head, he turned his attention to the fallen student. "Your friend's gonna be alright?"
“Y...yeah. I’ll be fine. It’s gonna take more than a knock on the head to put me down.” Dazed, Yuki unsteadily got up to her feet. She got taken off guard with one quick blow to the head, but was otherwise unharmed. "He got a lucky shot. I'd better return the favour."
“Hmph. You’d better sit down for a bit before trying anything. Come inside, it's not safe to linger." Yoshida headed back inside, gesturing for them to follow. “What are you waiting for? It’s a parts shop, not a death trap.”
If there was one good word to describe the garage, it would have been disarray. Steel pipes, engine chains, and other mechanical parts were scattered all throughout the garage, the clutter surrounding an engine in the dead center of the room. Off in a corner of the room, a table had been littered with take-out ramen of a brand Watanabe didn't recognize. Sweeping the empty cartons into a nearby westering, Yoshida set a pitcher of water and some cups in front of them. Picking up a wrench, the mechanic turned to his engine. "I'll just finish this up. You two stay right there."
Watanabe watched him work in silence. The mechanic work was dull, but still far more entertaining than staring at the drab-gray walls. Suddenly, a flash of green caught his eye. Hanging off Yoshida's toolbelt alongside all the rusted equipment was a green army knife, letters printed on it in bold white. S.A.A.U.S.O? Where have I heard that acronym before? Watanabe took another sip of water from his cup. The adrenalin still hadn't worn off completely, and his thoughts were foggy. Yuki wasn’t faring much better either. Suddenly, it occurred to Watanabe that he should probably thank the mechanic for saving him from a beating. "Thanks for intervening, Mister Yoshida.”
“It’s no big deal.” Yoshida shrugged, wrenching another bolt back into place. "Truth be told, I don’t usually bother with the gangs around here. They’re more trouble than they’re worth, honestly. I only stepped in because of your uniforms.”
“Uniforms…? You mean the Paradise High Uniforms?” Watanabe tugged at the hem of his black school blazer. Grateful as he was for the rescue, he still couldn’t help but wonder at the significance of it.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Yoshida headed over to the table, dropping the wrench into a nearby toolbox. Taking a massive gulp of water, he fixed his eyes on Watanabe. "Yeah. I’ve got an old friend who teaches there. Maybe you know him?”
Yuki raised an eyebrow. “Maybe we do… What does he look like?”
With a small frown on his face, the mechanic stroked his chin. “He’s short, quiet… Looks a bit like a girl.”
Annoyed, the delinquent crossed her arms. “Could you tell us a name?!”
“Oh, right. Nagisa. Nagisa Shiota.”
Watanabe blinked in shock. They had found one of Shiota-Sensei's old friends, and here of all places! His wonder could not be expressed. Yuki evidently did not share the same wonder. With a shrug, she confirmed it. “Oh, yeah. He’s our advisor, believe it or not."
"Your advisor, huh? Well, good for him… And you two, I guess." A contemplative look passed through the mechanic. "So, what's he like?"
For a brief moment, Watanabe considered the possibility of the man lying. Not likely; Yoshida had mentioned Shiota-Sensei's name first, so he couldn't have been trying to trick them. "Well… He's really patient. He doesn't mind repeating lessons over and over to make sure we understand. He's also secretive about his past. We really don't know him at all."
Yuki shook her head. "Don't listen to him, he was absent on the first day. Shiota's real scary. Back on the first day, some tough guys tried to test him out, see what kind of guy he was. He just freaking knocked out the ringleader, just like that. Ever since then, everyone's just kept quiet."
Much to their surprise, a nostalgic grin crept over Yoshida's face. "Trust me, it’s going to take more than kids like you to faze him."
A sudden memory flashed though Watanabe’s mind. “Oh! Yuki, remember that time you tried to surprise him?"
The troublemaker frowned, a hint of fear passing through her. "Yeah. Once, I tried to fling a paper ball at him while he was writing on the board. Without even turning around, he just knocked it out of the air with his clipboard." Yuki shivered, remembering the way he casually swatted her attack away. The unnerving smile on his face when he told her to try again next time, like he had expected her attack somehow. "Actually, Watanabe thinks he's got some sort of dark secret, something that's giving him all these crazy powers."
“Hm. Well, he's certainly the type of guy to keep secrets." A glimpse of realization was quickly stifled within the mechanic's face. "Actually… Huh. I guess he wouldn't want to mention that .
“Huh? What wouldn't he want us to know?" Yuki stared Yoshida down, a newfound curiosity surging. Could Watanabe be right for once?
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Yoshida looked regretful for even bringing up the topic in the first place. Opening the door, he motioned for both of them to leave. “I’m about to close up shop here, so unless you two are planning to stay the night, I’d suggest going home right now. Wouldn’t want to get attacked again, right?” Neither Watanabe nor Yuki moved from their seats. Sighing, Yoshida fixed his stare upon them. "Look, your professor and I aren’t the closest of people. It’s not my place to spill his secrets, whether I’d like to or not.”
Yuki nodded, speaking in a low tone of voice. “We understand, sir. Come on, Watanabe, we’re leaving.”
“But-”
“Leaving!”
The bright lighting of the bus was a welcome sight. Settling herself into the bus seat, Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. Their retreat from the twisting back alleys was quick and uneventful. Right beside her, Watanabe was fuming silently to himself. “Why did you do that?! We could have found out Shiota-Sensei’s secret right there!”
“He wouldn’t have said any more. We just met him, after all.” Yuki rubbed the bump on her head carefully. That's gonna start hurting in the morning . "Plus, I don’t want to get hit on the head again.”
“Oh, right… Are you going to be fine?" The investigator's head hung down low. Yuki could probably guess why. Poor guy probably blames himself for the whole mess at the alleyway.
Slapping him on the back, Yuki gave him a thumbs up. "Tch, do you even need to ask? It's gonna take much more than that to put me down for good!" That wasn't a lie. She'd been in plenty of scraps already, so getting knocked down in a fight wasn't a big deal for her.
"I guess…" A guilty expression played on Watanabe's face. "If you want to go, it's fine. I'm sure I can find out Shiota-Sensei's secret myself."
"Heh, you kidding? This secret thing's the most exciting thing to happen this entire school year. We're getting to the bottom of this, you hear?" Yuki couldn't help but grin excitedly. Originally, she hadn't thought much about this latest conspiracy theory. But the mechanic's sudden behavior made her think differently. Maybe, just this once, he's onto something...
"A… Alright." He muttered, slightly more confidently.
Yuki shot a serious look at him. "You're still going to do all my homework for two weeks."
"Fine…" The nerd sighed, an exasperated look on his face.
"Plus one extra for the bump on my head."
"Fineee…"
"And a free soda. Extra large."
"HEY!"