Muse

Chapter 8

"You just had to pick a pro-hero to rob, didn't you?" Amaya grumbled through her hand, trying to shield herself with the hood of her cloak as people gathered excitedly around Izuku and flashed their camera phones at them throughout the restaurant.

"You were the one who said to go after the dumb-looking targets. How was I supposed to know that he was a pro?" Tachi whispered conspiratorially.

"You idiot. You didn't recognize him with the messy hair, freckles, and the green lighting? You just tried to rob Deku. He's only in the top twenty pro-heroes of all time."

Tachi, having realized his error, only uttered an "oops, sorry, sis." Not like they could do much about it now. Having overheard the conversation while he was trying to arrange for a more private table, Izuku felt a twinge of hurt at the 'dumb' comment but decided to be good-natured and let it go. It was his own fault for being so distracted, and if all that was hurt in the ensuing fight was his pride and a superficial nick to the hand, he'd count himself lucky.

"Mr. Deku, it is an honor for you to be here. On behalf of the staff and everyone here at JoJo's Diner, we thank you for your service. Whatever you want, it's on the house." The owner greeted him amiably while he and the rest of the staff bowed in thanks. Izuku just smiled through the over-the-top gesture. He liked JoJo's Diner and Mr. Kujo, but Izuku would have been lying to say that he had hoped the other manager was working today. Being a fan was one thing, but being on the receiving end of hero worship sometimes felt a little much, and he was still struggling to deal with the latter.

Once Izuku was done with basic pleasantries and requests, he sat down at the end of the booth opposite of the siblings. After being bombarded by various fans or restaurant goers that wanted selfies with him or autographs, he had them seated in a corner booth away from prying eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this. Normally, it isn't this bad when I go out, but I saved this place from a boulder villain a couple months back, and the owner was so grateful that he sometimes gives me a discount." The girl narrowed her golden eyes at him.

"So you brought us here so you could show off and call in a favor while not having to pay at all? Real heroic."

"No, actually, I just come here because of the amazing sliders. It's one of the few places in Akihabara that has American cuisine," Izuku mentioned before adding, "And I told him that I would pay for my own meal but that you two could order whatever you like, so please help yourself."

"Really?" Tachi exclaimed before excitedly picking up his menu. "Sweet! I'm going to order one of everything!"

"You sure you want to be making that promise?" Amaya said after glancing down at her menu. "This place is kinda ritzy and we can eat a lot."

"Yes. Please order whatever you want."

"Fine then. It's your funeral," she muttered before pulling the menu in front of her face. Izuku took the opportunity to look at what he wanted, hoping to stay within his budget of ¥1500.

"So you both know my name, but I don't know either of yours." The two kids shared a look like they had been caught before the brother spoke up.

"I'm Hitachi Shirogane, although everyone calls me Tachi. The grump sitting next to me is my sister, Amaya." The sister in question sent him a not so subtle glare that spoke volumes, as if to scold him for being so open with him about their names. "What? He's a pro-hero, not a cop. If he wanted to do something bad to us, he could have done it a long time ago, right?"

"That's right. I don't want anything like that." His eyes fell on the older sibling, who simply slunk further into the booth with her arms crossed. They locked eyes for a few moments in a friendly staring contest before she glanced towards the glowing jukebox in the corner that was playing some sort of 60s rock band. "It's very nice to meet you two. I'm Izuku Midoriya, though you can call me Deku if you want. Either is fine with me."