Technical Support

Chapter 13

Ayano heard the slamming of metal pieces onto the work station beside her. Paying it no mind, she continued her work as if she had heard nothing at all.

The boy, clearly perturbed by her behavior, tried fake coughing to get her attention. "Ahem!" This time, Ayano genuinely did not hear it, having gone into one of her normal zones. The boy's eye twitched in annoyance. He coughed once more, much louder than the last and nearly hurting his throat. "AHEM!"

Ayano had heard him, but chose not to turn her head. Most of her focus was still on her bionic arm cannon in front of her, as she opted to only glance at him in her peripheral vision. "...Can I help you?" She asked, giving him the bare minimum of her attention.

Though she had only glanced at him, she noticed his incredibly slanted and ferocious eyes. She vaguely recognized him to be the boy from the entrance exam. He was the one who made a scene and shouted at Present Mic along with that boy who wore glasses.

Still irked by her attitude, the boy spoke. "I'm Fujiyoshi Yuudai." "Sasaki Ayano." She quickly responded, clearly indicating that she had no intentions of continuing the conversation further. She had only given her name in response because it would be impolite to do otherwise.

Yuudai frowned, pretending to work on his invention while talking. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you and Junk Master speaking earlier. So, you're quirkless?" Ayano found no point in answering a question he already knew the answer to. She preferred to use her brain power on her work.

His frown deepened at her silence, quickly disappearing into a seemingly amiable smile once more. He picked up a piece of scrap metal and held it up to the light, pretending to inspect it to give off a sense of nonchalance. "That's pretty amazing, getting into U.A. without a quirk. You must be pretty good at making weapons then." His tone was very strange. It wasn't quite condescending and it wasn't quite mocking, but it also didn't seem like a genuine question. It most certainly didn't sound like a compliment either.

Assuming he wouldn't leave her alone, Ayano decided to humor him. "That would depend on what your definition of 'good' is. Regardless, there is always room for improvement." Yuudai's eye twitched in annoyance again.

It was a rather common phrase, one that many believed in. Yet, the way she said it, coupled with her impassive attitude, seemed to irritate him. "Well, you must be since you passed the entrance exam with flying colors. Your weapons must be top-quality. Those Hero Course kids will be lucky to have weapons made by you."

Ayano nearly slammed the screwdriver onto the table, unable to concentrate with his constant intrusion. She finally tore her eyes away from her invention and turned to look at him with her neutral face. "What exactly do you want?" It was less of a question than it was a demand.

Yuudai just blinked in confusion, not understanding what he had done to provoke her so. "I just wanted to get to know you, the person who seems to be at the top of the Support Course of us first-years."

There was a slight downwards tilt of Ayano's lips, though the frown only lasted for barely a second. So, that was his play, trying to cozy up to the people he thought would benefit him. It was no wonder his tone had agitated her so much.

"Maybe we could become partners and make weapons together." He continued. "I would prefer it if you would stop using that word." He blinked in confusion again. "What word?" "Weapons."

Yuudai chuckled. "But isn't that what us support students make?" Ayano now openly frowned. "I am a Support Course student, yes. As such, I make support items. Items to help heroes. It just so happens that weapons can also fall into that category. Making weapons is not my intention or my priority like you are suggesting."