Patrol Hours
Ryusei rummaged through his dirty fridge, looking for a frosty drink. On nights like this, it's always good to indulge in a little bit of hooch, just to take the edge off. As he pushed the various items in his fridge aside, he kept note of the contents. Rice, leftovers, leftovers, eggs, soy sauce... but no beer, no sake, not even a bottle of shochu. Just a jug of milk. He took the jug, twisting open the cap and giving it a tentative sniff. A pungent odor assailed his nostrils and he physically recoiled from the rancid stench.
"...No milk either then. Fucking shit." Ryusei set down the milk, twisting the cap shut. Breathing a sigh of exasperation, he looked around the rather crumbling dojo before letting his eyes rest on an old black dog, sleeping peacefully. Ryusei whistled, clicking his tongue.
"C'mon boy. Patrol time."
The portly pooch perked up, leisurely walking up to Ryusei and panting, excited at the prospect of a night time stroll. Ryusei threw a leash around his companion and slipped on some old sandals. He gave the dojo one last look around, finding his wallet and picking it up along with a pack of vanilla Claster cigarettes. They didn't have great of a flavor profile, but damn were they cheap. Stuffing the items into his pocket, he walked over to a mount holding a wooden training sword and a steel katana. He threw his wooden bokuto over his back, giving his steel one a glance, before slipping that one over as well. As he left the dojo, he took in the sights of the night city. The warm hues of the street lights lit up the damp, smooth pavement, and a cool breeze blew past him, sending a pleasant chill up his spine. It was quite the scenic night, and Ryusei let out a small grunt of approval. It's the little things in life that count.
The walk was largely uneventful, as always. Usually, not many passerbys come around at this time of day, or night rather. Never hurts to keep an eye out for something, though. You never know what kind of unwanted company you can stumble across. Ryusei remained vigilant, looking behind him every now and then just to make sure until he saw the familiar light of the convenience store. Eight Eleven!
"I'll be back soon, boy. That's right, whosa good boy, you are! Yes you are!"
Rubbing his loyal friend's chin and face making kissing noises, he tied the leash to a lamp post before trudging into the conbini. As he walked in, a frigid blast of wind hit him from an overhead condition. Brrr. Should've brought a sweater. Ryusei walked through the aisles, heading straight towards the refrigerated section. The sterile white contrasted by the mishmosh of colored bottles, branded products and signs depicting new sales and deals brought a strange sense of comfort to him. If he could, he would hole up in one of these stores and live there forever. Looking through the shelves, Ryusei eventually decided on a jug of milk, an alcoholic juice box and a case of cheap beer. Happy with his haul, he set the drinks on the counter. The cashier raised an eye, staring at Ryusei. Ryusei leaned on the palm of his hand, flashing an innocent smile at her.
"Rough night again?" The cashier spoke up, setting down her phone.
"Nope, was just running low on some milk."
"Oh, sorry, would you like some milk with your booze then?"
"Nah, sorry, not a drinker. Haven't you heard? Sobriety's all the rage these days." The cashier smiled as she picked up the items, running them through the red lights of the scanner. BEEP.
"You know all that alcohol is gonna kill your liver, right?" Ryusei shrugged, tapping the his fingers against the counter. BEEP.
"I'll be fine. Hasn't done me any harm. I mean, look at me. Have ya ever seen a healthier looking guy?" The cashier rolled her eyes before letting out a laugh. BEEP. She scanned the last item and set it back on the counter.
"Sure. That'll be 3723.84¥." Ryusei nodded, taking out his wallet and slapping down a 5000 bill. The cashier took it, putting in the register while taking out some change.
"Here y'are."
"Thanks, see ya soon."
"Better not be for more alcohol. If you die of liver failure, who'll buy our shit?" Ryusei laughed, taking the bag of groceries and leaving the store, once again greeted by the night sky.
"Hey, Anko. I'm back." He ruffled the dogs fur, removing the leash from the lamp post. Ryusei couldn't help but smile, today wasn't that bad of a day! That thought was quickly cut off however, as a few footsteps set off an alarm in Ryusei's head. He slowed down, stopping a few meters away from an alleyway. Out of the alleyway, he sees someone in a mask and black hoodie come out of the darkness. More footsteps, another masked figure behind him. Brilliant. Just fucking fantastic. Ryusei kneeled down, whispering a command to his friend, and the dog barked a response, scampering off into the distance. The masked figure barked in a low male tone, pointing a bat at Ryusei.
"OI, YOU! You'll drop everything you own, or else!"
"Th...that's right! Everything on the floor now!" The voice that piped up behind him was quite feminine, more on the timid side, and as he turned around, he saw a rather short looking baton in the lady's hand. Ryusei took a moment to observe the two, before collapsing to his knees.
"P-Please! D-don't hurt me, he-here! Take everything, just le-leave me alone!" He dropped everything on the floor, putting his wallet on the ground along with his . The man gestured over to the woman and they both closed in onto Ryusei. He started to hyperventilate as they came closer, and he fumbled with his pockets.
"C-could I just.. li-light a cig..? I... I'm having a panic attack... ahh.. fuck...fuck.."
The man stared down at Ryusei, looking him up and down while flipping through the wallet.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Ugh, there's fuckin' nothin' in here...!"
The man continued to mumble to himself, and Ryusei turned his attention to the woman who was keeping a keen eye on Ryusei, pointing the baton at him. Ryusei took out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a deep breath. He blinked at the woman, before smirking and blowing smoke in the girl's face. She looked puzzled for a second, before furiously swiping at the smoke that was beginning to stick. She coughed violently, knees buckling and the male turned his attention to Ryusei.
"HEY, WHA-"
Ryusei kicked up the wooden sword into his hand, bringing it down and smashing the hilt into his face. The man crumpled to the ground, toppling over like a domino. Ryusei spun the bokuto around his neck, letting it rest on his shoulders with his arms ontop of it. A smug smirk on his face appeared as he admired his handiwork. When he turned to the girl, she was still violently wheezing and flailing at her face in an attempt to get the smoke off. With tears in her eyes, she shot a deathly glare at Ryusei before charging her baton with electricity. The woman stepped forward, swinging her baton at Ryusei's head. Sparks were flying, but Ryusei ducked under the hail mary and briskly backhanded her, using his quirk to remove the smoke off her face. She stumbled back, clutching her cheek with a shocked expression. Well, as shocked as someone can look with a mask on. He pointed the bokuto at the two criminals, before turning it to its side and examining it for any splinters.
"C'mon, I know one of them is just a practice sword--but really? What gave you the idea I'd be an easy target? Was it my pretty face? Hehe-"
"FUCK YOU!" The masked man picked himself up, rushing at Ryusei. The lady followed his lead, joining him to attack in tandem. Ryusei flipped the sword into his hand, delivering three blows in quick succession to the assailant. THUK THUK THUK. The sword hit his leg, sending him stumbling, then his ribs, knocking the wind out of him, then his chin. Lights out, just like that. The woman was next as she bounded past her comrade and leapt at Ryusei, electrified baton in hand. Ryusei sidestepped the attack, and in one swift motion smashed the hilt into her face, sending her flying into the milk. SPLASH! The milk exploded and splattered all over the sidewalk, leaving a sad puddle of milk on the floor. Fuck.
"T-the milk..! Ah, sh-" As he rushed over to the spilled contents of his grocery haul, the baton rolled right in front of him He stepped on the baton and slipped into the milk, along with the baton. Slamming his head into the pavement, he was also met with quite the uncomfortable jolt as the electrified baton short circuited Ryusei.
"ZZGGZZGGHAHAAAZGGFGHJGJGHHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" And the world went dark. Well, for about 10 minutes. As he came to, he felt a very pleasant wetness and warmth on his face. He blinked, looking at the black blur near his face. He rubbed his face, before reaching out to grab the blur. He felt a nose, some ears, it was furry too. Dog? Was it a dog?
"Augh.... eh? An.. Anko?" The familiar black dog then came into sight as his vision returned, continuing to eagerly lick his face while panting--clearly out of breath.
"...There you are! Good boy, Anko! Who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are!" Ryusei continued, enthusiastically picking up his dog, giving him all the bellyrubs and babyspeak in the world before setting the poor furball down. Anko ran around in a circle before going over to the milk and lapping what was left of it up. Ryusei felt around for his wallet, picking it up and going through its contents.
"Yeah. That was the last of it. Whatever." He sighed, lighting up another cigarette as he remembered the two robbers next to him. He glanced at the two, still out like a light surprisingly. Ryusei reached over, taking off their masks, trying to see who tried to rob him at... whatever o'clock, in the early AMs. As he examined their faces, he realized that they couldn't be that old. Hell, they even looked like seniors at highschool. He gave a long stare at the unconscious pair, a somber sense of pity crawling up his body.
"...Just kids. Must've been desperate." He took another drag of his cigarette, propping himself up against a fence. He smacked his lips. Huh. The cigarette didn't taste like vanilla anymore.
"Wonder how the other pros are doing. It's been a while since I've seen my classmates from hero school. Heh. They've GOT to be doing better than me." His thoughts wandered a bit, before settling on Popsy and how quickly her life took a nosedive. He grimaced. Man, that was not a pretty spectacle. Hope she's doing alright after that, fucking hell. He didn't know how much was true and how much was just conjecture--but he chalked that up to the media being... well, media. Hmm. What about Rosethorn? Ah, right, looking after those newblood Shiketsu heroes. Poor kids. They'll be put through the proverbial wringer, though, if they're Shiketsu, they'll probably end up damn fine heroes. Hopefully. He took out his phone, dialing the authorities. No point in thinking any unpleasant thoughts.
The dispatcher on the other side piped up almost immediately with a "Dou shimashita ka?" Ryusei sighed. Work sucks.
"Hello, I'm with the Hero Association. Please bring the police."