Defy Me (MHA/BNHA OC Insert)

Chapter Eighteen

written by WickedLachance

♤

Evelyn:

After half an hour of wandering around in the wretched abyss that is the underground yakuza tunnel, the white-cloaked man called Chronostasis finally brings us to a Japanese-style door. I breathe a quiet sigh of relief, clearly not impressed by what Chisaki dubbed as reasonable during his meeting with Tomura. I understand that the Shie Hassaikai deal with some particularly shady affairs, but mile-long tunnels have to be overkill; certainly not a good first-impression for potential business partners.

"We're here," Chronostasis speaks, turning to face us for the first time.

"Ugh! Finally!" Toga groans from my right, "We've been walking around forever."

"Yeah! What kind of torture is this, ice man?" Jin asks suspiciously.

He crosses his arms in discontent before tossing them into the air. "That was super fun!"

I shake my head, aware that Chronostasis must be rolling his eyes behind that black plague mask of his, but certainly the Shie Hassaikai don't expect us to be polite. We're the League of Villains, after all; it's our infamy that led Overhaul to seek us out to begin with, and Toga and Twice aren't here to disappoint. They loathe these people far more than anyone else he could have chosen, however, my mission is different from theirs: I have to gain Chisaki's favor, which means that I'll have to behave.

"Keep your mouths shut," Chronostasis says sharply before turning to me. "And you. Use your quirk like that again, and I'll personally kill you."

So much for making a good impression...but this could work, too.

I lean forward, peering into the hollow eyes of the gangster's mask. "Wouldn't you have done the same, Chronostasis?" I ask innocently.

And now a smirk.

"Because I'd do anything for my boss."

In modern-day society, a hero can surpass another in ranking through popularity. It doesn't matter if all said hero did was sit on the sidelines; if he or she was present during a crisis, then his or her rank would automatically see an increase during the next Billboard event. The higher the rank, the more valuable the hero; however, in the underground world of organized crime, there are only two traits that are considered when it comes to worth: ability and loyalty. From respected syndicates like the yakuza to a petty band of thieves, these two characteristics are key.

Questioning a fellow member's devotion to their leader may as well be a slap in the face, especially when it comes from an outsider, and one wouldn't have to look far to see that Overhaul values Chronostasis the most out of his subordinates. He's, without a doubt, the right-hand man of the Shie Hassaikai, even being trusted to deliver visitors through a complex range of tunnels without revealing their location to them. It's his level that I'll need to aim for in order to become a confidant of Overhaul, and in a competition between criminals, one can only play dirty. I've simply delivered the first blow.

Chronostasis's fingers tighten around his fist, telling me that I have indeed landed a hit, however, he is quick to regain his composure and turn back to the door. For a mere moment, I had forgotten that we're inches away from the Shie Hassaikai's inner circle: The Eight Bullets. Chronostasis and the small, angry potato sack from the last meeting are the only two I've met thus far. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to seeing the latter yakuza again.

"I'm tired of babysitting you three, so come on," Chronostasis says.

Before any of us can object, he opens the door to reveal a blinding light, and, of course, we all immediately have to squint after being used to the dim light of the tunnels. After a second or two, my rose-colored eyes are able to take in the new setting of an area that isn't foreign to me. The conference room is unchanged from last week's meeting— the only exception being a purple couch that has been pushed to the left of the room, presumably to make room for our arrival. Well, I suppose the eight men, who impatiently stand around the couch Kai Chisaki sits on, are worth mentioning as well.