"What are you doing on the swing instead of exercising?"
"Woah!"
Toru immediately twisted around at the sudden voice, nearly losing her balance, before realizing it was just Isshun.
"Oh, it was just you, Shishou." She frowned. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Is that so?"
Isshun raised an eyebrow as he tore open a pack of gummies and popped one into his mouth.
He then lifted his phone, showing her the message on the screen.
[Toru: Shishou! Come early today! I have something to show you!]
[Me: Sure.]
Toru read it, then puffed out her chest with a haughty expression.
"You remember how you told me to make myself invisible even when I'm at max energy, right?" Toru began.
"So you did it?" Isshun cut in.
Toru shot him a glare for interrupting her moment, but nodded anyway. "Well… kind of!"
"Witness greatness, Shishou!"
Her expression sharpened into intense concentration.
"...Why does it look like you're about to shit yourself?" Isshun asked.
The comment shattered her focus. Toru glared at him.
"Don't say things like that to a young lady!" she yelled before shutting her eyes again and concentrating harder.
This time, her face was tightly frowning instead of blank focus. Isshun stayed quiet, zooming in on her cell membrane.
If the threshold for Toru to be visible was a barbell, then Toru was basically lifting that barbell to increase the threshold like a muscle.
'If she keeps this up, it'll get easier, like working a muscle.'
Isshun inwardly noted, popping another gummy into his mouth.
He watched as sweat beaded on Toru's forehead, before her body started glitching, some parts flickering invisible before becoming visible again.
After a few more seconds, Toru finally exhaled sharply and turned toward Isshun, glaring at him with all the fury of an angry kitten.
"If you hadn't distracted me, Shishou, I would have totally pulled it off!"
"Gummy?" Isshun offered, holding one out.
Toru snatched it immediately and shoved it into her mouth, chewing with visible irritation.
While she munched, Isshun spoke again. "Still, that's more progress than I expected. It's only been a few days since I explained it to you."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Toru mumbled through the candy.
"Yes?" Isshun tilted his head. What else would it be if not a compliment?
He added, "It's also probably easier right now since I haven't charged you up in a while."
"Don't say it like I'm a phone battery!" Toru complained, though she couldn't really deny it.
When she'd first started, she'd felt no progress at all. It had taken days just to get to the point where she could even glitch.
"So," Isshun said casually, "do you want to be visible by the time middle school starts, or not?"
At the rate Toru was losing light, full invisibility by then was almost guaranteed.
"Nope!" Toru shook her head enthusiastically.
It wasn't that she didn't want to be visible, she was very aware of her looks now.
Over break, she'd watched a lot of anime, and one trope had completely captured her imagination.
The plain background girl who suddenly shows up as a total beauty and stuns everyone.
Isshun, as if reading her mind, looked at Toru's excited look with an expression as if looking at an immature child.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Toru questioned, noticing his expression. "Aren't you going to ask me why I refused?"
"No point if I already know." He popped another gummy into his mouth. "You're aiming for the hidden beautiful girl reveal."
"..."
Toru went silent.
"See?" Isshun shrugged. "Too obvious."
"...Darn it."
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands once. "Let's exercise. We've missed a few days."
"You're the one who missed them, Shishou!" Toru protested. "You said you were busy after graduation!"
"I was visiting a friend," Isshun replied. "All the way in Musutafu."
"Isn't that far?" Toru tilted her head.
"Math."
"...Was it that Hado Nejire you talk about sometimes?"
"That's senpai to you." Isshun corrected. "She's starting her last year of middle school."
Isshun finished off the last gummy, tossing it into a nearby trash can.
"Then shouldn't you call her senpai too?" Toru countered.
"She's like my little sister," Isshun said thoughtfully.
Question marks practically floated over Toru's head.
'She's older than him… but also his little sister?'
"Well, are you ever going to introduce me?" Toru asked.
"No," Isshun answered immediately. "And I still don't see you exercising."
Toru quickly started stretching, talking as she did.
"Why not? I'm suuuuper curious about her!"
"Because."
'If you two ever teamed up on me, I'd never have peace,' Isshun thought.
"Darn it…"
--<>--
"Hm… would Student Shunkan feel more psychologically pressured if I scheduled a meeting closer to U.A.'s entrance exam?"
Nezu hummed thoughtfully.
If his goal were to apply pressure, tying the meeting to an impending event would certainly do it. But Nezu had no desire to antagonize Isshun unnecessarily.
According to Student Isshun's mental evaluations, he was the picture of perfect mental health.
Of course, someone with Isshun's presumed intelligence could also just as easily fake the responses for a biased result.
Then again, he could always be telling the truth.
But if everyone always told the truth, the world would be much better, wouldn't it?
Still, Nezu's true intent was simple: to understand Isshun's motivations for becoming Blink, and his long-term goals.
Perhaps it would be better to hold the meeting sooner rather than later, before the student could mistake it for a threat to his friend's admission.
"Hmm. I've decided!"
Nezu nodded to himself.
Sooner was always better than later.
--<>--
A/N: Short chapter, but needed a transition chap
--<>--
4000PS - Not Complete
8000PS - Not Unlocked