Slayer Anderson
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Mind Games - Chapter 20
🕑 Added 2025-03-21 12:01:28 +0000 UTC“So, how do I look?”
My father turned, blinking owlishly at me... and stared.
“Uhh... don't take this the wrong way or anything, Hitoshi, but... I think you're a little overdressed,” he commented, amused and bemused simultaneously.
I rolled my eyes. “Dad, don't worry about it. Just... any smudges or stains or anything? Is my tie straight? No wrinkles?”
“Hmm...” The chronic insomniac rumbled, taking a few steps around me and giving me the once-over thoughtfully. “No, you look fine. Very professional. Reminds me of myself when I was still trying for job interviews years ago.”
Bittersweet nostalgia was like a soft wind.
“I still think you're overdressed. A first-night meet the parents thing doesn't really need a fully-pressed set of slacks and a dress-shirt with a tie,” Niko commented with a shake of his head. “Honestly, you look more like a junior salaryman than anything else.”
“That's perfect, then,” I snorted, pulling out a small glass bottle.. “Exactly what I was going for. Do you mind if I use a little bit of this?”
My father blinked again, perplexed as he looked at the decorative bottle, then warm humor and old sadness swept in. “Where'd you even find this, Hitoshi? I thought... isn't this the gag gift your mother got me that one year? This cologne smells awful. It's why I've never worn it.”
“I pulled it out of the cupboard under the sink in the guest bathroom while I was looking for that old bottle of aftershave. That had actually gone bad, though, so I threw it out,” I waved him off and double-checked the bottle of sake he'd gotten me. “Thanks again for picking this up, by the way.”
“No problem, I know you'll be responsible wi-wait,” Niko stopped mid-sentence and shook his head, holding up a hand as the turbulence of confusion swept over us. “I... I trust you, Hitoshi. And I know you'll make the right decisions, but... I don't think I'm out of line to expect-”
He cut himself off again, making vague motions with his hands before settling for saying, “-some kind of explanation? Please?”
I paused in my final preparations, sliding the box of moderately-expensive chocolates into the bag with the rice wine and reached up to rub thoughtfully at my chin. “There's an American expression... 'Keeping up with the Joneses,' are you familiar with it, Dad?”
“I think I've heard it somewhere before. Maybe a movie?” Niko muttered after a moment's confusion. “Isn't that one of those cultural jokes that doesn't translate well?”
I frowned and nodded. “Kind of. It's a turn of phrase used to describe people jockeying for social position using material wealth, bragging rights over otherwise meaningless accomplishments, and the presentation of an – often fake – idyllic family life.”
Understanding started to enter my father's eyes as confusion lifted into muggy and cloying irritation. “Ah. Those kinds of people.”
The phrase might not translate well, but its meaning apparently does.
“Are you sure you want to keep dating this Himiko girl if you have to put up with that kind of...” Niko waved his hands again.
“Assholes,” I replied dryly.
Dad choked on his own spit, coughing and laughing at the same time while the atmosphere shifted abruptly to match his mood. Managing to contain himself, he affected the veneer of a stern demeanor. “Hi-Hitoshi, language young man! B-but yes, those kinds of people. You need to ask yourself if this relationship is worth putting up with them long-term if this is what you have to go through to even have dinner with them.”
I considered my answer again as I matched my father's gaze. “I'm... going to exercise my right to be annoyingly cryptic and mysterious here, because the answer would take a lot longer than we have before I need to leave, is that alright?”
Niko's face smoothed out into an exasperated deadpan. “I think I liked you better before you hit puberty, became a teenager, and learned how to be sardonic.”
I raised an eyebrow, pressed my hands together, and gave a too-formal bow. “This humble one can only reply that he learned at the feet of a great master of the art and still is but a student.”
A gentle spring rain's worth of humor sprinkled the room as Niko snorted. “I suppose a cryptic answer is better than none at all, then. Hit me.”
There was the momentary impulse to continue the joke with a soft tap to my dad's shoulder, but I hadn't been lying about needing to leave soon. From how Himiko had described her parents, they wouldn't understand the concept of 'fashionably late,' or if they did, they wouldn't approve of the notion at all. Instead, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before shifting my demeanor and footing.
“Toga Himiko currently stands at the crossroads of her destiny,” I explain, injecting gravitas and an air of ominous energy into my words that made my father's back stiffen in surprise. “Poised at the intersection between two futures, the instruction she has received bars her from properly understanding the weight her decision will have on the person she will one day become.”
Sensing something more serious was afoot, even if he couldn't intuit the larger context of my declaration, Niko frowned. “And... you need to be the one to give her that instruction? For some reason.”
“The weave of the Loom of Fate is a complex thing that even one such as I cannot know the purpose of each and every thread,” I stated. “While I refuse to force her down one road, my ability to see with eyes unclouded allows me to serve as a guide.”
“...why do I get the feeling this has to do with your job?” Niko asked, the heat of mild frustration and bitter chill of helplessness mixing chaotically. “Your other job?”
“Feelings are an attunement to one's own soul and often offer insight that the conscious mind cannot properly understand,” I grinned, breaking the weighty mood and relaxing my shoulders as I turned from my father to grab my bag.
“Ugh,” the older man grunted. “Fine, fine... just. Call me if you need help, okay?”
I looked back at him seriously and nodded. “I'll always be your son, Dad. Part of that will still mean getting a call to help me clean up a mess even when I'm fifty.”
Niko blinked at the sudden warmth of my words, the metaphor becoming more literal as he smiled and clapped me on the back as I passed. “I lo-ah,” he paused, then cleared his throat. “I'm proud of you, Hitoshi. Remember that.”
“I will,” I nodded. “Now I've got to go.”
“Yeah, you should. That cologne smells like you're a fifty year old man who's been hiding out in a bar for two weeks instead of going home to see his family,” Niko pulled a face.
“All according to plan,” I chuckled as I walked out the front door and headed towards a train station.
But, seriously, it was a pretty godawful cologne.
It was the kind of thing a young man with an underdeveloped sense of masculinity might wear to try to seem mature to his older work colleagues, or an older man who, through excessive smoking, drinking, and possibly diabetes had dulled his senses to the point where he needed a scent with more substance to mask the slowly-growing olfactory markers of death that never quite seemed to wash off. As distant as those two might be, they had one thing in common. The young gun with his bright-eyed inexperience and the aging burnout going through the motions with zombie-like repetition...
Neither of them were a threat.
Especially not to a successful and established upper-middle manager.
Which was why, as I entered the home of Toga Daiki and Chishio, the two of them took a single breath and, despite their dual hidden grimaces, both of their shoulders unconsciously drooped.
Really, it took more than a simple dab of cologne to pull things off, but attention to detail when constructing any sort of disguise made things much easier. The intent of wearing a disguise at all, of course, being that one wanted to present a false front from which they could act. The most successful types didn't simply present an illusionary image, but actively manipulated the target's subconscious to associate with archetypes and relationships they already possessed.
“Punctual.” Daiki noted with a glance at his watch. “Excellent. Dinner will be served after a short conversation.”
“It's a pleasure to meet the young man our Himiko is so taken with,” Chishio bowed.
“Thank you for welcoming me into your home,” I replied, equally respectfully. “This is a small token.”
The bag was handed over to the wife, as the husband made no move to accept it, merely nodding in approval at the gesture as he crossed his arms and inspected me more fully. I returned the favor a bit more subtly, though, taking in the man's neatly-pressed dark slacks and button-down white shirt complete with pressed and starched tie. A set of thick-rimmed sturdy glasses sat perched upon his nose, their structure and color obviously picked to distract from the cat-slit pupils of his gold eyes. Likewise, the man had a pair of blonde cat ears that matched his hair, both of them perked and shifting in parabolic motions.
“Oh, honey! It's your favorite brand!” Chishio cooed, extracting the sake bottle and showing it off. The woman had darker, brown hair and an entirely human body-type, free from any heteromorphic traits. Beyond seeming a bit on the young side – my research putting her at a comfortable thirty-nine – but she appeared to still be in her late twenties. At a guess, this was her quirk at work.
Blonde cat ears perked up and the man turned to take the rice wine while his wife smiled at the box of chocolates. Fighting off a small smile himself, piercing eyes flicked up to dissect me more carefully.
Despite everything, I can see where Himiko gets it from.
“I hope this didn't trouble you too much,” Daiki stated, the not-question carrying all of the implication of a request for information that was so common in his daughter's speech patterns.
“I asked my father to acquire it on my behalf,” I replied, assuring the man that it wasn't stolen or bought under false pretenses. That being what he really wanted to know. “He understands the value in making a good first impression.”
“And clearly you have his trust to be allowed access to alcohol,” Daiki murmured with a hum as he handed the bottle back to his wife. “I'll summon the children. Chishio, show our guest to the living room, please.”
“Of course, dear,” his wife nodded.
All the while, I was reading them as they moved about.
The phrase 'relaxed tension,' came to mind immediately. There was nothing of a coiled spring's anxiety in their muscles, but the sheer deliberateness and quiet focus on each detail was too intentional to be anything but. It was the kind of constant vigilance that implied many things, some of them deeply worrisome.
“I can't do that, Father would know.”
When Himiko had initially said as much to me, I'd taken it seriously, but underestimated exactly how firmly she'd meant it. I hadn't missed the twitching ears, the keen eyes, or the flexing nostrils on the man. Any single one would be a strong clue, but taken together they were all but a declaration that the man had some sort of enhanced senses. Obviously he was where Himiko had gotten her own, far more limited, feline morphology from.
That didn't mean the mother was any slouch, though.
As she walked through the house, leading me to the living room, I noticed her gaze sweeping over the spotlessly-clean surfaces and geometrically-perfect pictures set on the walls and tables. Between Cass and River, the two had given me one hell of an eye for angles and, if Himiko had been truthful that her mother was the homemaker of the two, I could probably take a laser level and not find any single item more than a single degree off from its intended position.
The woman walked past the various inanimate objects of the house like a street-hero on the beat as she examined each passerby for the potential to commit a crime or violate the law.
Or... more disturbingly, like a prison warden inspecting cells.
I was seated at a small low-lying dining table in a sparse room with seat cushions surrounding it. The floor wasn't proper tatami matting, but a kind of modern imitation material I was passingly familiar with from its use in a few of my school's mock-traditional rooms. These people didn't strike me as the type to tolerate that, but perhaps there was some quirk of the home itself that wouldn't allow the woven straw grass to be installed.
“We had a mold issue some months ago,” Chishio commented idly as I was seating myself, forcing my body to continue the motion flawlessly as I realized I'd been caught out. The woman placed a cup in front of me and lifted a pre-positioned pitcher of green tea to pour me a glass. “I'm embarrassed that you have to see the house in such a state of disarray. Once we're sure the problem has been resolved, we'll be removing this unsightly mess.”
Well, that answers that.
Himiko was a monster from a family of monsters. Her mother was a woman who had evaluated my gaze lingering on her flooring for a split-second too long. Her father was just as observant. I didn't know what had motivated them, precisely, to twist themselves into what they had become, but honestly this was slowly eclipsing the horror of the unknowable creatures from beyond reality.
“There isn't really any substitute for the original article,” I nodded in confirmation and thanked her for the tea with a dip of my head. “That said, I would recommend seeing if Himiko's school takes donations of these. Schools often use the lower-quality mass production versions for certain specific rooms in their buildings.”
“Such a civically-minded young man,” Chishio smiled and dipped her head. “I think I'll do just that, thank you for the insight.”
“It's no problem, I'm happy to help out in any way I can,” I stated calmly, taking a sip of my tea and being careful to replace the cup on the coaster exactly where it had been. “Delicious.”
Chishio's smile broadened imperceptibly as the custom of complimenting the beverage after first taste was observed. “I hope you are serious about Himiko, young man. She seems quite smitten with you, especially after your date to the park this afternoon.”
I nodded, smiling at the lie repeated back to me. “I am quite taken with her in turn. I hope this is just the second of many outings we will go on together.”
Chishio nodded and rose from seiza. “I'm sure Daiki and the children will be down shortly. Please wait for a moment while I bring some light snacks.”
While Himiko's mother moved towards the kitchen, I pondered whether it was too late to make a run for the nearest window.
Opening or bashing through a door would just take too long.
No, I've made my bed. Now I'll lie in it.
The only other option besides going through with the dinner was assassinating her parents, after all.
Near-silent footfalls caught my attention and I kept the corner of my eye out on the doorway to my right, watching as the master of the house led in two blonde girls. Himiko, of course, was present. She was wearing a knee-length dress and a matching blouse with sleeves to her shoulders, both bearing elegant blue and white flower patterns.
The girl next to her was only slightly shorter and, I knew, only two years younger than Himiko herself. Her blonde hair was a shade lighter, almost to what I'd call platinum blond, but not quite. Her own dress was a simple single-piece sundress with a sash around the waist in earthy tones that matched her eyes-
Eyes that shifted from brown to blue as I watched, flexing from normal human pupils to ones which matched her sister and father.
“No quirk use while guests are in the house,” Daiki stated firmly, the decree of an upper manager.
He hadn't even been looking at her.
“You've met Himiko,” the girls' father stated and would have cracked a joke or a smile were his plastic imagining of normalcy real, but it was not so he did not. “This is her younger sister, Reiko.”
I turned, repositioning myself on the seat cushion and dipped my head in a shallow bow as best I could from a sitting position. “It's a pleasure to meet you. Your sister has told me much about you.”
Eyes that were once again brown, matching her mother's, flickered to Himiko in an unreadable expression before Reiko smiled. Normal teeth, no fangs. No cat ears or other visible heteromorphic traits for that matter, either. She bowed. “As Father stated, I am Toga Reiko. Please be welcome in our home.”
“Sit. We will be having a period of light conversation to introduce ourselves to Himiko's suitor before dinner is served,” Daiki stated, moving towards his own pre-set position at the table before the girls did the same. Himiko took the seat next to me, her father across from me, and her sister sitting at one end of the table that would leave her between her mother and sister.
All in precision movements and perfect silence with smiles on the girls' faces and nary a wrinkle or speck of lint on their clothing.
This is some Stepford Wives bullshit right here.
“It's good to see you again, Hitoshi,” Himiko smiled and dipped her head at me as I rearranged myself. “Thank you for the pleasant walk in the park and light lunch today.”
“You're welcome. I had fun spending time with you as well,” I nodded back at her.
My girlfriend had been very clear, no overt displays of affection in the house save for the possibility of a kiss on the cheek as I left. I watched a tremor run through her plastic expression as she visibly resisted the urge to reach up and touch the band of black and red cloth woven through with silver thread which tied around her neck. It was a style that she'd been particularly fond of when I'd shown her the design options.
“I'm pleased you've made a connection with someone you like, Big Sister,” Reiko chimed in beyond Himiko and...
Well, realistically, I can't expect any child raised in a home like this to be normal, but... damn.
Every part of me firmly agreed that there was something off about the child. No, 'off' didn't really do what I was seeing justice. Himiko was easy enough to understand for me, at a glance. For all that she was a 'monster,' she was also uniquely human. Driven by a desire for connection with a repressed psychological and physiological need that resulted in a psychotic break, Himiko's story was an intimate tragedy.
Toga Reiko possessed none of the glimmering shards of humanity rearranged into a monstrous mosaic.
There was something there, no doubt. The girl wasn't simply an empty vessel devoid of substance, but neither was she remotely like Himiko's own condition.
Still, Reiko wasn’t my immediate objective tonight. I could concern myself with her later if… or, more likely, when it proved necessary.
“Thank you, Little Sister,” Himiko smiled back at her younger sibling, giving her a respectful nod. “Hitoshi was very gentlemanly.”
“That's quite good to hear,” Chishio stated, bringing in a tray with several small dishes on it arranged to artistic perfection. Small pieces of fruit dotted one, complete with a honey-glaze. Another held thinly-sliced meats drizzled with sauce surrounded by crackers. The final one was topped with the chocolates I'd brought arranged into a neat geometric pattern. “Reiko, Himiko, one chocolate each before dinner and one as a part of dessert. Thank Shinso for bringing such a thoughtful gift.”
Both girls chirped out the reply pleasantly before taking specific pieces that wouldn't unbalance the design.
“Himiko has told us some about you, Shinso,” Daiki stated, sipping his own green tea as he interjected and automatically dominated the conversation. “She was somewhat vague on what your parents do. Could you illuminate us on the subject?”
“My father is an independent information technology consultant,” I replied. “He has an unfortunate quirk which requires a degree of self-isolation in order to properly function within society, so he generally works from a home-office.”
“I see,” Daiki stated with a microscopic dip of an approving nod. “A very prudent decision on his part. And your mother?”
“My mother is undergoing treatment in a facility after an unfortunate incident involving a villain a few years prior. My father and I visit her frequently, but she has not been cleared to return home yet,” I stated.
“Unfortunate, you have my sympathies,” the older man replied with all the emotion of a brick wall. “Still, it seems you've taken that as motivation for your career choice. Himiko has disclosed your internet persona which you seem to intend to parlay into a professional hero identity. Truthfully, I was expecting a somewhat more relaxed individual from what I've seen of your channel.”
“A substantial portion of hero work that often goes unnoticed is maintaining an image that sets the larger public at ease. Affecting a more relaxed attitude and more amicable interactions sets civilians off-guard and allows one to gather information and render aid more effectively,” I explained.
“An affectation for your workplace environment, then,” Daiki stated. “Himiko tells me that you were involved in extracting her from that unfortunate incident some time prior when she was kidnapped by villains with her friend.”
“You have our gratitude for that,” Chishio spoke up, nodding at her husband. “We were deeply worried when Himiko did not come home before her curfew.”
“I was happy to help,” I replied. “Being a functioning member of society means assisting others whenever feasible.”
The parents nodded with approval again, small though it might be.
“It seems you are well suited in temperament for your chosen career, at least,” Daiki commented. “Himiko says you are planning to attend UA.”
“I will be taking the exam with the Endeavor Agency's backing, which puts me on a higher track than those taking the standard exams. It is very likely I will have attained a limited hero license by that point in order to better complete my work with them.”
“My daughter did mention something about that, yes,” Chishio stated, her eyes narrowing a bit. “Is that normal? A student as young as yourself engaging in work like that?”
That's a trap.
I side-stepped the bait to self-aggrandize. “I am merely doing my utmost to secure a position in my chosen field as early as possible to maximize potential options for later development.”
The parents exchanged a look.
The daughters were obediently silent.
“It's a credit to your character that you understand the value of workplace ambition at a young age,” Daiki decided. “I would not be where I am if I had allowed myself to languish as a low-level claims adjuster.”
“Still, it concerns me that Himiko is interested in someone with a career path so... volatile, even if it is laudable,” Chishio stated bluntly. “Do you have contingencies planned out if you are injured and unable to provide for her or your children?”
That was what Himiko had meant when she'd commented on the expected 'formality' of the meeting. This wasn't a simple meeting between parents and the daughter's new boyfriend. No, this was an interview for a potential spouse. It wasn't anything binding, of course. Arranged marriages in the classic contractual sense had fallen out of practice even before the rise of quirks, but I'd known that this meeting would still possess many of the hallmarks of such an archaic ritual.
“I'll be concentrating on back-line hero work investigating bureaucratic, financial, and other non-violent crime with the Endeavor Agency. Therefore it will be extremely unlikely I see any form of combat for the duration of my contract with them,” I stated, then offered a professional smile. “The most severe injury I'm likely to see on the job is a particularly severe papercut.”
Chishio obligingly giggled and Daiki flashed a nod of approval. “Bureaucratic crimes, then? I take that to mean the falsification of documents, attempts at forgery, and such.”
“Yes, quite a bit of what I expect to be doing will relate to the crunching of numbers and the verification of documentation rather than what one would classically assume hero work to be.” I paused. “It's very likely that, in addition to those duties, I'll be working as a translator and coordinator when circumstances require international cooperation between hero agencies. My quirk being uniquely suited towards enhancing my understanding of foreign languages.”
There was a ghost of something that passed over the husband's face, almost like nostalgia, and I knew my attempt to paint myself as working in a parallel career to his own was going well. The man's profile on his company's website still had several pages up relating to his honors from years prior and his successes in 'loss prevention.'
Even if it wasn't in the same field, there was overlap in what I claimed was going to be my profession and what the other man had done for several years as a junior employee.
“That sounds very interesting. You'll have quite the opportunity to network in those situations,” Chishio stated. “I do hope foreign travel would not be required? It would be a shame for you to need to leave our daughter on her own for extended periods of time.”
“It would be unlikely for the next decade, save short trips of less than a week,” I shook my head. “The contract on the table currently stipulates that I will be working part-time through my high school career and transition to full-time with the ability to take night classes at the college level upon graduation. Even then, though, Endeavor does not leave the country often or for long. Given his high position, it is preferable that agencies seeking cooperation come to him rather than the other way around.”
Daiki nodded judiciously. In corporate terms, one did not call a senior manager into a junior's office. The junior would go to see the senior. The truth, on the other hand, was simply that Japan was a regional power and not a global power. Not truly. Which meant the interests of the country seldom extended beyond its own sphere of influence, manifesting in very little need for Japanese heroes to travel significantly.
Outside of All Might, of course.
“After your contract expires, though, what do you plan to pursue? The creation of your own agency or a renegotiation of your relationship with the Endeavor Agency?” Daiki pressed, moving further into long-term career planning.
“Presuming that my relationship with Himiko develops properly, I'll likely need something more stable than striking out on my own,” I stated, hinting at the possibility of children. The ten-year contract with Endeavor would put me at twenty-five at that point. Assuming nothing went wrong, a child or two wasn't out of the question by then. “Although such plans require flexibility, I've been looking into the possibility of transitioning either to corporate investigative work or government work in the diplomatic sector if I manage enough contacts in either area.”
Daiki hummed in approval, likely satisfied both by the fact that I had any kind of answer at all and that I was keeping my options open.
“I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but I'd like to address the concern that Himiko and I would grow apart during an extended absence from each other,” I stated, breaking the flow of conversation.
“Heroes, even those in training, are often presented with a number of relationship options, Dear,” Chishio stated quietly.
The cat-man grunted, narrowing his eyes. “Logically, your suggestion is that Himiko attend the high school you are aiming for. UA?”
I nodded. “It's unlikely that she will be a fit for the hero course or, honestly, make it all the way through even were she to place well in the practical exams through luck. But even a position in the general education department would position her well for the college of her choice.”
Himiko dipped her head slightly, as if she were truly surprised by the points she'd suggested I raise.
“You envision her having a career, then?” Daiki asked, an almost unnoticeable curdle of distaste in his tone.
“It is my belief that any spouse I am to take would require at least some secretarial training, formal business organizational skills, or management skills to properly support my career path,” I lied through my teeth and felt dirty so thoroughly contradicting my true beliefs. “To say nothing of the possibility of a position in diplomatic affairs, wherein one would need a great deal of cross-cultural knowledge most easily acquired in academic environments.”
Daiki paused, considering the matter, then nodded. “I'm not against the notion. Given you are the only boy Himiko has shown interest in with a continuing relationship and, should it not work out, a position in UA will allow her better options...”
His eyes pierced me. “Do you believe she has what it takes to pass the exams?”
I nodded. “I've looked over her work and found it to be of acceptable quality given the standards you've held her to. Additionally, I would like your blessing to solicit the pro hero Hot Ice, Endeavor's daughter, to provide a reference for Himiko. Even if she fails the recommendation exam, it would allow her to bypass the bulk of the written portion.”
Chishio frowned. “And what if she passes and is admitted into the hero course?”
“It would be decidedly unusual to step back from such an achievement, but success in getting into the hero course does not mean one will stay in the course the entire year. Himiko would be allowed to drop into the general or management departments in a semester or two when the pro heroes running the classes deem her unfit for continued progression.” My explanation had the adults exchange a considering glance. “Further, even in the unlikely event Himiko remains in the hero course for the full term of classes and graduates, there are a number of part-time occupations she can explore while focusing more fully on homemaking. Himiko informed me that her mother performed significant work with volunteer agencies?”
Chishio blushed slightly and tittered. “Ah, yes. My quirk allows me to donate my time and services to hospitals to keep myself busy, it's true, though any income I bring in from such a thing is entirely secondary. A good wife should be active in her community.”
“A licensed pro-hero, even a low-ranking one, can offer significant aid in visibility and resources to such volunteer groups. This would allow her to use her training and education in a peaceful and productive way,” I explained. “It would be acceptable, in my eyes at least, for Himiko to keep herself busy donating her time to worthy causes, much as her mother does.”
There was an extended pause as both parents considered my points.
“I think we should move on to the meal,” Daiki stated, rising immediately. “Girls, help your mother clear the table and finish setting up dinner. Young Shinso and I need to discuss entry requirements for his school.”
~~~
And here it is, the long-awaited dinner chapter!
Watch as Hitoshi faces down Himiko's parents. How bad can they possibly be?
...pretty bad, it turns out.
Also, apologies for the lateness of the chapter. Some, ah... personal stuff happened and delayed things. Non-serious medical issue a friend was having. Don't worry about it, they're fine now.
Comments
Zebra Von Claw
Actual peak fanfiction right here.
Heggs
Picking up some Momobami Kirari vibes from the little sister. I guess that would be a best-case scenario, considering.
Fabhar
Wow, these people are insane. You wrote them exceptionally well, and I deeply enjoyed the dialogue. It was handled elegantly. Kudos to you.
Sage Berthelsen
I’m just imagining our blood lover sitting there panicking with flashes of awe/horniness at the MC dancing around her father.
ChillyMidNight
Shinso: "Alright, I was cool with the eldritch parasite thing docking my pay, I was cool with the nonexistent basement with a tear in reality, I was cool with the ghosts of the forsaken in abondoned towns, but that? That was fucking creepy."
Slayer Anderson
She actually donates blood, primarily. In addition to volunteering.
Skrubstar
Yeah, it's gotten a bit overdone. I love the focus on aspects of MHA's society beyond the normal heroes and villains, and the overdone commentary there. Their push to be so Normal has a lot of implications, from clinging to Tradition hundreds of years in the future to the probable push to be so normal due to the catlike heteromorphic traits. Also wonder what level of coordination applies if she can help out hospitals while also keeping everything level.
Slayer Anderson
I thought about making the Toga parents simply Japanese Dursleys, but that both been done before and is too one-dimensional for how I want the story to go. I'm going to enjoy using them as part of a larger narrative about societal pressures.
reeen
dam are her parents something else, you are doing a great job at writing them. There is just something about them that seem unsettling.
Tony Martin
How about sleeper agents for some kind of Outsider?
Tyric Gaias
Ugh. That was disturbing on multiple levels. Fantastic writing
Jeffrey Gassenheimer
Best and most horrifying portrayal of the toga family I’ve seen in a while
araconos
This was terrifying and uncomfortable in a way I've never had the pleasure of experiencing; ow. Good job and great chapter
Templar9999
I'm reminded of a B movie about giant preying mantises posing as humans. Except they showed more humanity.
Vysirez
Wow, I completely understand how Himiko turned out the way she did. The parents really come off as crazies. I hope MC tells Himiko that her parents are not normal and she should not feel weird for not being like them. Not that Himiko is well adjusted, but the little sister proves that there is no way either of them were going to come out of that sane.
Zerak
Would have been more palatable had they been part of a cult. Though while I find the way they raised their kids to be way to regimented for nightingale outside the army, the couple seem to work really well together, good on them for finding someone who complements them well.
ZloGlaZ
Oh, wow. High corpo girlfriend negotiation. Also, how do you do, fellow humans? Can we stamp them?
Einar Strandberg
Jesus Christ the way Shinso has to talk about Himiko around these fucks is awful. God, just kill them.
Axel Wate
Concern: the parents appear extremely abnormal in their normality, suggesting a psychological profile that greatly deviate from average human baseline. Hypothesis: The precision and diligence in upholding the masquerade may indicate sleeping agent behavior, possibly connected to the Outsider incursions. Possible solutions: 1)Covertly contact the Company contact to scan the surrounding environment. 2) Jet the motherfuckers in the sun and observe the effects of their demise in the surrounding space-time. >Option 2 is recommended
Anonymous Daniel
< robot noises >Hmm... I see nothing wrong with this family. < /robot noises > Beep boop beep
Nate
Himiko's parents are psychopaths. Plain and simple. The cat quirk was a dead fucking giveaway, considering cat psychology being what it is.
John Layton
Makes me wonder if they have Eldritch heritage.
Drim
A blank piece of paper has more personality then the parents do lol
Skrubstar
Oh. I was expecting them to be… dismissive? Absuive perhaps? Not this unsettlingly “normal” and “traditional”, with that aspect being enforced onto every level of their lives. And both their hyper senses utilized to maximize that enforcement… I feel bad for Himeko but also her little sister too with getting casually called out for expressing her curiosity with her quirk. Hitoshi had the right reaction wanting to jump out the window.
Matthew Robar
Thanks! I spent a good couple minutes thinking how to phrase it, it’s obviously malicious behaviour but finding a way to pin down exactly what they’re doing maliciously took a bit as everything they’re doing is normal if taken to an extreme level of obssesive to maintain that image of normal
Alex McGregor
When the Vampiric Super Villian Yandere is the least monstrous member of the family
Temp Email
Congratulations! This was honestly genuinely disturbing in a way I don’t think I’ve felt before. Hats off to you!
Ironforge
Wow, Himiko was not kidding about her parents. Though I have to say, this kind of set up really makes me curious about just how this family ended up like it did and why.
Sumgai101
You know what her parents bring to mind? Sleeper agents. Discount Soviet sleeper agents who have been trained to follow the book and have no personality outside of what the book describes. And said book was written by a committee of arch conservative geriatrics
Itisn1tmyname
I'm loving your characterization of her parents! I mean, I don't particularly like them, but your portrayal is really on point for that obsessive-compulsive Stepford feeling. Excellent writing. ^-^
SirWaddlesworthThe3rd
If she didn't come out a monster, anyway.
Slayer Anderson
I like the phrase 'maliciously normal.' I may steal that, FYI.
Matthew Robar
I don’t like how uncomfortable you made me feel reading this, im pretty sure you’ve awoken a phobia in me of people this maliciously normal
GentleMen
Damn, what a family. Honestly they can fit right in to Cyberpunk universe with all the corporate speak and this moronic attention to detail
Steve Jullian Perez
Jesus Christ, no wonder Himiko broke.
DarkthShadow
Now I'm curious to see what kind of damage these 2 horrible caricatures of human beings raised their second daughter into.
