Requiem of the Broken

Chapter 9: Relax

Izuku looked himself over in the mirror. He was prepping for work tonight and needed to make sure his appearance was up to snuff. Mr. Sasakura was adamant that anybody working for him had better look appropriate for what was likely one of the most prestigious bars in the city, if not the country. Only a handful in the city knew of the bar, but there were plenty of people (important people) that knew of the existence of the bar outside the city as well. Granted that number was still small, but it was enough. Of course, Mr. Sasakura being rated as one of the best bartenders in the region also helped.

Izuku gave himself one last look over, before trying to get his hair under control. It had an annoying habit of sticking every which way, and while Mr. Sasakura didn't mind it, it had always bothered Izuku. After trying to get it under control, Izuku merely sighed and gave up. He grabbed his gloves, put them on, and headed out of his apartment into the hallway. He started down the hallway and came to the staircase leading down into the bar when the door opened and Mr. Sasakura's head popped into the staircase.

"Ah, Izuku perfect timing! I have a new client in the bar today and she also happens to be a hero, she's asking for my papers that authorize me to use my quirk for my establishment. Could you do me a favor and grab them from my desk before heading down?" Asked Mr. Sasakura

"Of course sir, just give me a few minutes." Replied Izuku. Mr. Sasakura had told him he didn't have to call him sir, but it felt appropriate when Izuku was working.

Izuku turned around and headed towards Mr. Sasakura's apartment door and opened it. It had always surprised Izuku how spartan Mr. Sasakura's apartment was in comparison to the bar below. The walls were hardly adorned and the rooms didn't have much furniture, though this wasn't always the case. The apartment had been much less spartan years ago when Mr. Sasakura's wife had been alive, the few pictures on display showed that. She had died years ago, and the apartment had slowly become more and more spartan as the years had worn on. Until eventually the only furniture left had mostly been furniture selected by his wife.

Izuku wandered into Mr. Sasakura's study, the only room in the house that felt cramped. The walls were lined with bookshelves, with a desk and comfy rolling chair behind it. There was also a recliner in one corner where Mr. Sasakura liked to read. A tape deck was on a small end table next to the table, that he would occasionally use to play music or listen to the news while reading or working.

Izuku walked over to the desk and opened the bottom right drawer and took out the stack of papers and envelopes that held important financial and other related information about the bar and building itself. It took him a minute or two until he found a manila envelope labeled, "Commercial Quirk Usage Authorization" in Mr. Sasakura's handwriting. He set it aside, put the rest of the document away, picked up the folder, and headed out of the study. He walked through the apartment, heading towards the door when he lingered a moment in the hallway to look at a picture on a hallway table. It had been taken to commemorate Izuku's employment in the bar. A happily grinning Sasakura stood beside Izuku, one hand on his shoulder while Izuku (at least to Izuku's eyes) smiled awkwardly and tried not to look like a nervous wreck for the photo. It had been taken by a patron of the bar who loved to take photos as a hobby. When she had been told Izuku was a new employee she had jumped at the chance to take a picture of the two of them to commemorate the moment. The bar had never had another worker apart from Mr. Sasakura so it was a big surprise to many of the patrons whenever they came by.

Izuku went out the front door and down the stairs, he could hear Mr. Sasakura talking outside and as he opened the door he said "All right, I found the documents Mr. Sasakura I-" He cut off abruptly and his eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of Ochako sitting at the bar in the middle of a drink.