Karaoke Part 1

Hiro sighed and stared at his drink. The lounge was so full that if he looked anywhere else, he'd probably meet the eyes of one of his classmates. On one side of the room, there was a small stage with a large screen behind it. On the opposite side was a long couch with a large table in front of it. The ones currently singing are Bobby and Sandatsu. "Come with me; I will teach you the song of my people," said the blonde, who then proceeded to pick All Star by Smash Mouth and sing it alongside his friend.

How did his evening end up like this? Hiro wondered.

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"Oh, now this is an unusual group!" Said Nene.

"Same goes for you guys, actually," responded Bobby.

The two groups met right outside the school gates. On one side was the lineup that visited the arcade and Thanks a Latte café: Bobby, Chihiro, Imai, and Sandatsu. On the other side were Hiro and Yui, their faces failing to hide their annoyance, and Nene between them, with a cheeky smile.

"It may not look like it, but I actually like to hang out with these two grouches sometimes. I have no idea why you guys would hang out, though." Said the catgirl.

Imai joined the conversation. "Hifumi set up a chance for us to get together some time ago, and it was pretty enjoyable, so it became a regular thing. Also, what are you doing, Nene-senpai?"

As they chatted, Nene casually started to pet both Imai and Sandatsu's heads without a care in the world. Surprised, Imai lost track of the chat and fell silent.

"Hm? What? Can't I pamper my cute kouhais a little?" Asked his senpai

Imai tried to regain his composure. "For some reason, I don't think this is appropriate."

"It's fine, it's fine, right, Sandy?"

Sandatsu gave a thumbs up, agreeing with his senpai.

"But I get it; if you don't want to be pampered, I can always focus my other hand on petting this cutie right here!"

Nene stopped petting Imai and instead switched to gently caressing Chihiro's hair.

Hiro let out another sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking, "Oi, Nene. "Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, come on, just let me pet them for a little longer. Ack!"

Yui had grabbed Nene's tail and said, "Stop making us waste our time, and let's get this over with!"

"Alright, alright, but don't pull my tail so hard it's sensitive!" She begged Nene with a flustered look, which made Yui do as she said. With her tail now free, the cat senpai quickly regained her cheeky grin. "I think I've got an idea... Do you guys have a class group chat or a way to contact each other?"

"Huh? Why?" asked Hiro and Yui at the same time.

"Oh, I just know the perfect place to hang out with you guys and my cute kouhais all together."

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Nene had brought them to a karaoke place where she had worked part time some time ago. Apparently, there was a larger lounge on the upper floor where they could all hang out. And by all, she meant literally the entire class of 1-D. Sitting from right to left were:

The Korean clique, a.k.a. the Hivemind. Hiro, didn't even know why they came. Was Nene's charisma that strong? Did they invite themselves just because everyone else was coming? The group was kind of isolated, with a single exception. Hailey, sitting on the leftmost side, also chatted with the boy next to him every now and then. Said boy wasn't there now though. He was signign with one of his freinds and Nene.

That boy was Hifumi, and both him and Bobby would be sitting if not for the fact that the american teen decided to sing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI6V2nwlcEk] again before sitting down,this time convincing his bro Hifumi to sign alongside him. Nene had decided to join the two as well, liking their enthusiasm, and the three of them were pulling off quite an impressive performance. Continuing to the left was Sandatsu, who seemed to lack presence at the beginning of the year but managed to become friends with the rest of his team during battle training and, as Hiro had learned that same day, had been part of a setup by Hifumi that resulted in an unlikely group of friends being formed.

Sitting next to Sandatsu was another blonde boy, shorter than Bobby, though. Inigo was enthusiastically cheering on Bobby and Nene, and his quirk, the small dragon Gigan, was happily shaking a couple of maracas to the tune of the music. Hiro sits right beside Inigo in class and knows well how, with enough time, he can worm his way into anyone's heart. Inigo might not be a beacon of charisma like Bobby, have the insane grit that Hifumi has, or be as much of a wildcard as Sandatsu, but Inigo was the member of the group that Hiro looked up to the most. Just the fact that he was so genuinely good—the kind of guy that asks about your day and really wants to hear your answer—made him the kind of friend that everyone should have.

The seat next to Inigo was empty. Maybe that's where Hoge, the class rep, was sitting? It was really hard to keep tabs on her. That quirk was a dream come true for any introvert.

Then there was Noah. If Inigo's friendliness felt like a warm ray of sun, Noah's was like a calm, soothing breeze. He had become something like a class pet, not because he was small and cute (which he was), but because he could seamlessly get along with just about anyone. And Noah had a visually appealing quirk on top of that. Hiro, cynical as he was, thought that it was all an act on Noah's part for good PR. But he slowly warmed up to the idea that maybe he's just good and pure, as weird as that sounds.

Noah was casually talking to the person next to him, Yui. Hiro hadn't talked much with Yui, even though they had both been held back. The reason was simple: she didn't look easy to approach, and Hiro already had enough on his plate to worry about making friends. It looked like Noah had been putting in the hard work to break through Yui's shell. Hiro silently cheered for him. You can do this, little guy!

Then there was Hiro himself, and to his left sat Ashleigh. She was nervously staring at the tablet used to select the songs. Next to her was Shinkan, whose cheering was as intense as Inigo's, if not more so, making him hard to approach for the anxious Ash.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I just don't know what to pick." Ash said sheepishly.

Hiro could have said the usual stuff: 'Just pick whatever you like" or 'You don't have to sing at all if you don't feel like it. But instead of just trying to be nice, he leaned forward to look at the person sitting beyond Shinkan, and that was Chihiro, who was quietly looking at Bobby and Nene's performance.

"Hey Mitsurugi, you are planning on singing, right?" The sudden callout startled Chihiro, but her expression didn't change much.

"I'm interested in doing so, yes. I don't know many songs, though." She said.

Hiro looked back at Ashleigh. "Then why don't you two sing together? Go for the songs Mitsurugi knows so you don't get choice paralisys. Plus, I'm sure you will do great. If you are nervous, it's always easier to start with someone else."

Ashleigh looked a bit relieved. Having someone else take the wheel in situations like those was the way to go if you wanted to avoid anxiety.

Beyond Chirhiro sat Kaylee and Christopher. The two of them were happily talking, even with all the noise and music around them. Like many other businesses, this karaoke place had taller ceilings and bigger doors and seats to accommodate customers with more inhuman physiologies.

Hiro's train of thought was interrupted by Bobby and Nene finishing their song.

"Alright, who's next?" Cheerly asked Nene.

Chirhiro raised her hand. "Katsuragi-san and I will sing together," she said as she stood up.

"Hold on, Mitsurugi-san, my heart isn't ready!" Said Ashleigh.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two will do great! Cheered Nene as she walked to her seat. She sat in the place Hiro thought Hoge was sitting and started happily talking to Noah.

"Gosh, you are so cute! I'm jealous~" Said Nene, patting one of Noah's fluffy wings, while a traditional enka song started playing.

"Don't worry, Nene senpai, you are plenty attractive and charismatic," answered Noah.

Hiro bluntly joined the conversation. "You know, last year Nene had a habit of saying 'Nya' whenever she spoke. I'd say that was the peak of her charisma! It's been downhill ever since."

Inigo almost choked on his drink. "Really, Nene Senpai?"

"Yup yup!" She casually answered without a hint of shame or cringe. "I just got tired of doing it. Being more natural feels better. Plus, I think it'd end up tracking fans that are more on the otaku or moe side of things once I go pro.

"Oh? So Senpai doesn't like otakus?" Unlike Hiro, Noah's way of speaking seemed to help the conversation flow.

"That's not it. I just didn't want to be tied to a specific niche. It's already tough not to be restricted to a specific image when you are a mutant like me. I don't dislike otakus; it's just that I prefer other types of people."

"Hm? And what types would those be, senpai?" Said Inigo. Gigan left the maracas for now, as they didn't fit the rhythm or style of the traditional Japanese song that Ash and Chihiro were now awkwardly singing. On the other side of the room, sitting between Shinkan and Jugo, was Christopher. quietly doing his best to eavesdrop on their conversation. The music and chatter were making this incredibly hard, though, but thanks to how loud the others were talking he still managed to pick up bits and pieces.

Nene gave him a cheeky smile before answering.

"Well, for boys, I'm really into manly and wild guys!"

The boys huddled together like a sports team.

"Wooo, did'ya hear that, Sandy? You might have a chance." Said Inigo while giving Sandatsu a nudge with his elbow.

Sandatsu stopped wolfing down snacks after hearing that and looked at the others with his mouth still full.

"I say shoot your shot, man!" Said Bobby with a huge smile, giving Sandatsu a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Oh man, group dates are closer than I thought!" Hifumi said, letting out a laugh.

Meanwhile, almost mirroring them, after hearing the guys whispering about the blue-haired boy, the Hivemind also got all together and started talking among themselves as well.

"Pfft, wild. You mean homeless," said Hailey to the other members of the Hivemind, mocking the others' conversation.

"What was that you said in battle training?" Asked Faith, snickering.

"...Hobo Boy..." They all laughed a bit more.

"Hobo Boy," said Minnie. "Maybe that should be his hero name."

"So poor he can't even have his own quirk; he gets a more disgusting version of mine..." Said Maxine.

"Pffft. He spends the day scavenging in the dumpsters behind restaurants for food instead of fighting villains." Added Edith.

Christopher felt the world crumbling around him. The bundle of nerves that had formed inside him as he overheard their conversation quickly turned into a swirl of quiet grief and teenage angst. He slowly started moving to stand up and go home. Maybe he could try and copy Hoge's quirk to get out of there easily.

"You said 'for boys'. Does that mean you have preferences for girls as well?" Asked Noah.

Christopher stopped moving, going back to eavesdropping mode almost without thinking. What good could hearing that do? And still, he chose to keep overhearing their chat. The mind of a teenager works in mysterious ways.

Nene held her chin with her index and thumbs as she answered, "Well, you see, my cute angelic kouhai, there's only a single woman in this world that can claim my heart, and that would be... Yui!"

Yui, who was sitting all the way on the opposite side of the room alone, suddenly perked up after hearing Nene and lashed out at her.

"Again with that stupid nonsense! Don't go around saying whatever you want, you idiot!"

Nene, carefree as always, ignored Yui's words.

"Doesn't she make your heart race? One day I'll make her mine."

That bold declaration of intentions from Nene had left most of the group speechless. Inigo's mouth was open as he stared at the revelation of Nene's other preference. Bobby was pulling at his collar with a shocked look on his face. The hivemind looked at her in shock, muttering things like 'Oh my god' and 'Is she for real?' to each other.

"That's pretty neat," said Sandatsu, giving a thumbs up before going back to eating.

...
......

"Pffft! What the hell is that answer, bro?" said Bobby, busting out in laughter at the awkward response. Bobby's charisma permeated his laughter, and quickly everyone else broke out laughing as well.

"Holy fuck, that was a lukewarm response if I've ever heard one!" Said Inigo, holding his stomach.

"My sides are in orbit!" Said someone else.

"What does Sora have to do with your sides?" Answered another student.

The laughter increased; at that point, the mood had gotten so silly that the jokes didn't even have to be good for them to laugh.

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In the end, the students decided to order pizza. After calling and splitting costs, they had some quick games of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would pick up the pizzas since ordering delivery for so many was a pain.

Despite having won his share of rock-paper-scissors matches, Hiro was told to go by Nene. "You thought I didn't see you talk Ashleigh into singing with Chihiro? You did the same thing last year, encouraging people around you to sing, so nobody calls you out on not singing yourself!"

And so Nene had given him an ultimatum: sing or help bring the pizzas. Of course, Hiro chose the latter.

And so the pizza retrieval group was formed, with Hiro, Minnie, Sandatsu, and Kaylee. When they left, the stage had been taken over by Inigo, who was pulling off a great performance [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZk0SChlebs] full of dramatic singing poses while Gigan held the microphone for him. While the rock-paper-scissors tournament was going on, it looked like Bobby was going to be one of the losers, so Minnie had been convinced by her friends to do her best to lose so she could go with him.

The original idea was for only a couple people to go, but Hiro was forced by Nene, and Kaylee offered herself voluntarily. What's even worse, Bobby managed to clutch a victory in the last round against Sandatsu. And thus Minnie was stuck with them for the time being.

Even if she decided not to go after seeing the results, he knew that her friends would've talked down anyone complaining about it. But despite that, she decided to go. Something inside her drove Minnie to take action. A spark (heh) of change, one could say.

If there was something Minnie liked about Bobby apart from his golden hair, those chiseled muscles, that broad back, his handsome face, that voice... Was how he could easily get along with just about anyone, even those he had just met.

Maybe she could try the same. She wanted to try and get along with Bobby's friends if possible. Minnie already interacted with Hifumi well enough, and Sandatsu was the only other option other than talking to Inigo. Still, he seemed specially hard to aproach out of nowhere, so Minnie looked for a different option to break the silence.

Her attention shifted to Hiro. They had fought during battle training, and judging by what Bobby had said, guys could just become friends after duking it out.

"So, you get along with Nene, Hiro?" Said Minnie. Her words drew the attention of the others as well.

"Yeah, we were on the same class last year"

"Sometimes I forget you were held back a year" Said Kaylee "Aren't you like, in the top 3 with the highest grades in our class?"

"Unauthorized quirk usage, right?" Sad Sandatsu "Also Nene-senpai said you 'flatlined an old lady', whatever that means "

"Wait what?" Minnie was stumped. Another murderer in her class? No way.

Hiro sighed "That's a very rough way to put it. Some thugs had just stolen the register form a convenience store, and when they got in their car to get away they hit an old lady that was walking by..."

"A hit and run on top of theft..." Said Kaylee

"...when I got there the old lady's heart rate was all over the place. I thought she was going to have a heart attack" continued Hiro "She was a mutant, but I had no time to wonder how her mutation affected her internal organs, so I took some drastic measures..."

"So you flatlined her? I get the idea of putting someone out of their misery bu that's a bit..." Said Sandatsu

"..." Hiro stopped talking for a second "No you moron, I cooked up something to cardiovert the rythm. An antiarythmic agent similar to adenosine, but more effective while also retaining control. That caused the flatline for a second."

"Hmm. I guess it's still an illegal use of your quirk. But being held back for helping like that..." Wondered Kaylee.

"Maybe it's because of the nature of the quirk? Like, a quirk that tampers with health like that would have all the ethical problems of quirk usage and of unsupervised medicinal treatment combined" Said Minne.

"Oh that's not all. I was 100% sure that lady would be fine. It's just that after she was stabilized I chased after the car, ripped one of the doors when I caught up to it and dragged the thiefs to a police station myself." Explained Hiro.

"Oh. Oh damn. now I'm surprised you got away with only being held back a year" Said Minnie.

"That's pretty much vigilantism, straight up." said Kaylee "I'm surprised you weren't kicked out form school right away."

"Hijack sensei vouched for me. Told them that I had tons of potential and I was just misguided, and that it'd be a shame to kick out a studen't that's gifted both with a good quirk and academically. Plus, he said that he needed an assistant like me for his personal research."

"Yeah but how the hell did you catch up with the car?" Asked Minnie.

"You remember how during our battle training I jucied up my teammates? The drug I used is a downgraded version of the one I used that time"

"Then why not use the real thing?" asked Kaylee "With a boost like that you guys could have stomped the other team right away."

"The after effects are too strong. After I used it that time I was unable to move for two days"

"I'd say, for strength like that on demand it sounds worth it." Said Kaylee.

The group arrived at the pizza place right after that. It was a small restaurant, hidden away from the main streets. The bulk of the sales came from deliveries, judging by how small the space to eat inside was and the motorcycle parking outside, which was only occupied by two bikes, but there were signs of it holding several more.

Just as the students were going to enter, another group came up from the restaurant. The kids stood aside, letting the customers come out before going in themselves.

"Hm...? Hey, aren't you from Shiketsu?" One of them spoke to the students. It was a short woman with an athletic physique and short, green hair. She was wearing a baseball cap and a baggy white t-shirt with the words 'Ryu no Seirei' written on it.

"We—Uhm, yeah. We're Shiketsu students," said Hiro.

There were two others accompanying that woman. One was a tall, muscular male. He had blue skin and small horns on his head. He was wearing sunglasses, a white shirt that looked a few sizes too small for him, brown cargo shorts, and Crocs. He was holding at least a couple dozen pizza boxes.

The other was a girl, taller than the other female. She had a long tail similar to that of a crocodile but more flexible, and long dark blue hair tied in the shape of a messy bun. She was wearing a brown trench coat, but her remarkable curves underneath were still notable. Like the other man, she wore sunglasses and also had her mouth and nose covered by a face mask.

"Oh man, we were talking about your school just now! Doesn't that hero teach there? What's his name? Ah, yes, isn't the hero Majestic a teacher there?"

That woman's way of talking reminded some of the students there of Nene.

"This is no time to play with kids! This is the time for pizza!" Said the blue guy.

"Uh, we have to pick up some pizzas ourselves." Added Kaylee.

"Oh, of course! I'm also sorry about my little brother; he just really likes pizza. The woman gave a quick nod as an apology.

The other girl, on the other hand, wasn't so talkative. Even with her sunglasses, you could tell she was staring at Kaylee and Sandatsu a bit too much, with her leg starting to coil around the boy's leg. Even through the face mask, it was evident that her breathing was becoming heavier.

"Oh, and sorry about my older sister! She just thinks that your uniforms are really cool!" I apologized to the woman again while delivering a soft slap to the back of the girl's head, getting her to step back from the students. "Anyway, we won't take more of your time. You are from the hero course, right? I hope we can see you suited up and acting all heroic soon!"

The woman took her companions and left, leaving the group speechless until Kaylee broke the silence.

"Little brother...?" She was trying to contain her laughter at the absurd group they had just met.

"Pfft... and the older sister..." Said Hiro.

They started laughing. Even Minnie was snickering with them. "I'm guessing you two got your first die-hard fan even before graduation," she said, pointing out how the tailed girl seemed to have a fixation with Kaylee and Sandatsu.

"Anyway, let's get the pizzas and go back," said Hiro, looking back at the street the strangers left.

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The trio of strangers made their way through the alleys and backstreets. The woman with the baseball cap lifted her baggy t-shirt a bit, letting her chameleon tail out. She kept it wrapped around her upper body when in public, but now there were no civilians around. She used it to take a slice from the pizza box at the top of the pile that his comrade was carrying.

"Drekus thinks it's better to eat together with everyone at the hideout," said the blue, muscular, horned man.

"Oh, come on, this is my commission for acting as a babysitter. By the way, what's up with her?" Karma said this while eating the pizza slice.

The third member of the group was walking a bit behind them. She had pulled her face mask down. The girl's face looked flushed. She was sweating and blushing; her breathing was heavy; and her sharp teeth were on full display because of the huge smile. She was also drooling, her movements were wobbly, and her legs were shaking slightly.

"Drekus thinks Hitomi-chan has fallen in love. She is a young maiden at the appropriate age!"