Kitty-Kitty Cat-Cat (IzukuxMandalay)

24: A Real Date

Brutal. Life-staking. Treacherous. Demanding. Sacrifice. So many words to describe a crucial operation that it was impossible to truly find them all and paint the vivid picture for the normal citizen. So as a means for the Pussycat group to skip the pain staking process of describing everything that's happened during the operation, they'll focus on the important thing, the one word everybody was trying their best for at the end of it all.

Success.

Success in knowing that at last Eri was liberated from the clutches of the Shie Hassaikai, now in the hands of those who participated in her rescue and the dismantling of the Yakuza organization. Though liberated as in physically, as no doubt her heart and soul were still shackled by the influence of Overhaul and his drive to become the one above all in the criminal underworld. The time it's going to take to actually free the child from the darkness that is her traumatized past could be lengthy, months or perhaps even years depending on how deeply the seeds of chaos are rooted into the soil of her soul, but as heroes with the duty to give themselves for the line of justice, it will be worth it. It will have to be.

It was unfortunate though that the I in price was paid by a life given for the heroes' success. With the death of Sir Nighteye, the Work Study program has temporarily been disabled for the time being, forcing the students to return to a daily routine of not being with their mentors after school for hero work. For those like Hado who loved spending time with Ryukyu in her agency it was a shame, even more so for Midoriya as it meant one less perfect excuse to give for spending time with Mandalay. Of course it wasn't the end of the world for him it's not as if the two were forbidden from seeing each other from now on but the Work Study was the easiest excuse to give. Though, the disabling of the program could also be a good thing in the end.

Throughout the build-up leading into the operation Mandalay was wound up tight and hard, the stress of overthinking her decision clearly getting the better of her, though nobody could blame her given the situation. But with the Work Study program down for the time being and Eri safe in the hands of the proper guardians, the Pussycat can finally de-stress and ease the tension out of her body knowing it all turned out for the better in the end. And Midoriya's noted that the signs were clearly showing on her already, she smiled more, she didn't sound as exhausted or drained like she did previously, she doesn't seem to hold an issue with being around Kota due to his similarities with Eri, she wasn't weighed down anymore by the weights of her decision. She's in relief.

And in the period of relief he knew that if there was ever something, ANYTHING that could be done while the time was ripe, it would be something for the both of them to enjoy. No stress, no having to worry about anything that came with the Pussycat uniform, no having to deal with any hero board or heroes in general or anything of that nonsense, this was about them, and them alone.

*ZIP*

A date.

The zipper of a small black duffel bag was zipped shut as Midoriya patted the pockets of his black jeans to ensure he had everything he needed, his phone and wallet being where they should be to his approval. After a short discussion with Mandalay it was agreed that some personal time with each other would be the cherry on top of a metaphorical sundae, thus leading to the deal of a date out in the town and spending the night in a nearby hotel right after. Normally the idea of having a date in the first place was concerning for Midoriya as he wondered about how their appearance out in public would be taken, it certainly would generate some odd looks from passersby when seeing a 33 year old woman holding hands with an eighteen year old. But apparently Mandalay has a 'solution' to that issue, what that solution is exactly he had no idea and he wouldn't until he arrived at the hotel with his belongings.

What he did know was this, per her request he was instructed in dressing up with a more 'low-key' style of clothing, the type that wouldn't draw much attention in his direction if he was placed in a crowd. To be frank he doubts any attention would even come his way given his shorter than the average male height but what Mandalay says, Mandalay gets. His attire consisted of primarily black clothing with the exception of his usual red shoes, a black undershirt exposed underneath the half zipped black hoodie. He's also been told to bring a baseball cap if he had one, as well as a pair of shades if he also had any in his possession. Reasons? She didn't tell him, but if this is supposed to assist with whatever her "solution" is for this then so be it.