3 More Problems

"This isn't happening… a robbery at this time of day, at this hour, specified directly in this location? Well, as long as they don't mess anything up remotely close to me I'll be fine!" Kia reassured herself before going into a coughing fit. "Ack! Right, smoke, gotta get inside and wait this shit storm out. Ack!"

Kia pushed her body against the door, swinging it inward before seeing Matsuura leaning against the counter with a camera in his hands. "So they're here," he says cryptically. 

"Uhh? They?"

"Do all of you beautiful but dumb individuals always ask obvious questions?"

Kia took a step back, surprised at the seemingly ordinary employee suddenly changing their attitude. "...What?"

In response, Matsuura clicked his tongue. "A few minutes ago you asked me 'Are you hiring?', what the hell do you think the sign outside is for? Next, you're asking who I am referring to, perhaps the big smoke and all the screams outside aren't enough for you to know that I'm talking about the villains."

"The fuck is your problem?" 

Matsuura rolled his eyes. "Of course, you're dumb and oblivious to not know. Here, make yourself useful since you're going to be my co-worker until you end up like the last one."

He tosses over his camera as Kia catches it, startled by the sudden request. "Woah! What's this for?"

"Recording, is it hard to understand what a camera does?"

"...I meant why are you recording right now?"

"The villains outside. What else idiot?"

"You're starting to get on my nerves. I'm just asking a question—"

Matsuura interrupted her with a clap. "Okay, don't even try wasting more time. I'll be brief, this street is a hotbed for villain activity. I'm very interested in recording fights that break out between heroes and villains. It's why I took this boring job in the first place. The difference is that I don't watch the heroes, I observe the bad guys. Easy to understand, no?"

Kia shook her head. "Hold on, why should I help you?"

"You get on my good side."

"...I'm starting to realize the other reason why there's not a lot of hires. You must be good at hiding your real personality from the boss and the customers."

"Just shut up and point the camera to the street, I'm going to the back and finding a better second angle." Matsuura quickly moved to the back, opening the exit with a harsh thud as he left. 

Kia sighed and did as she told, opening the camera and pressing the button to record after a few attempts to find it. "Instead of running away like a sensible person, I'm doing this."

The response time for heroes is high. Patrols that were nearby started to inconvenience the villains robbing the bank. A group of three, Kia saw. Countless minor heroes evacuated and cordoned off fans who were excited to see who would respond.

Kia looked at the gathering crowd with displeasure. "The amount of people willing to risk their lives just to watch these fights is insane. Doesn't it just make it harder for heroes to work? Citizens are getting too used to heroes saving them all the time… hmph."

Guessing right, Kamui Woods, the local pro-hero would be first to arrive at the scene leaping from the rooftops with his elongated wooden arms trailing behind him after swinging to the position. The versatility of his quirk made the difference in how long he'd arrive. Kia made sure to catch the moment a big battle broke out.

Splinters fly as wood tackles flesh covered by illegally gained villain suits, Kamui Woods whips two villains with ease, sending them flying into a nearby store with a crash from the window. Kia commentates with mild interest, "So two of them are useless and the only guy that's somewhat of a threat is the one making all this smoke."

It didn't seem like the smoke was actually harmful, just irritating and hard to see through. At most, the smoke villain could delay the inevitable. It would be hard to escape when there'd already been ample time to call for backup. 

"So the rest is just a showy capture. Figures." Kia says with a snark. 

"Oi, you're ruining the video by talking too much." a sudden voice emerged from behind. 

"Man! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Kia protested, sternly turning with a frown. "If you're so interested in these fights, why can't you do this hobby by yourself?"

"It's not just a hobby, it's also a profession. Which is why it's unprofessional to get only one point of view. "

"Who's the villain anyway?" Kia asked, receiving a small nod from Matsuura. "You said you watch them fight, why?"

"Figure it out yourself, I believe I have given enough context clues. As for the villain, he's your average one-shot wonder. Popping up after a scene and getting decent attention before being locked up because of a mistake. Carbon Die-oxide, that's his villain name."

"That's a stupid name."

"Aren't you the one with an obvious fake name? If you're a foreigner, you should probably learn about naming conventions. This makes me think that your quirk is also a bad excuse."

"Hey, that's my real… name… " Kia froze. "How did you—"

"It was obvious. You left the room and basically broadcasted your entire conversation within a 5 meter radius. I picked up a few clues and put the pieces together, it's all elementary. Your quirk is harder to verify but judging by your reaction, it's all made up." Just as Kia started to speak, Matsuura continued. "And no, I'm not harsh to you because you're quirkless or something senseless yada yada, I just hate everyone equally."

"It's good to know you're an asshole in general." Kia talked back.

"Did it take you a year to come to that conclusion? You're a bit slow, you know that? Ha!" Matsuura chuckles before returning to the cash register. "What are you waiting for? Kamui Woods already caught the villain, get out of here."

"Don't tell anyone that… I'm not actually sure if I have a quirk."

For the first time, Kia saw Matsuura have a different expression, surprise. "Wow. I was wrong in thinking you were quirkless… you're just an idiot."

"Fuck off."

"You'll be working with me, so deal with it. Or leave if you want. Though, I have a good feeling that you're going to work here anyway. You seem like the pathetic type."

"I swear I should call the cops on you."

"Don't bother, it'll never work out. It never does."

Silently, Kia walked outside, leaving with a twitch in her eye. "...I can't wait to start being paid for being unemployed again."

<>

The bed was left as it was after he explored the outside world. There wasn't much Kia could do but sleep… then she remembered to start learning who she was and more importantly what she looked like. 

"This feels much better than a bench…" Kia muttered, flopping her face right into the pillows of her bed. "I don't want to leave."

Tick.

Tock.

The sound of an old alarm clock reminded her of the passing seconds, and eventually with a groan she got up. "I'll try finding anything about myself in the room. I wonder why I can't remember much more from this girl's body."

Opening the nearby drawers, she found nothing. As she does so, almost everything is filled with unassuming objects, a few notebooks with nothing written, some miscellaneous objects, and even a set of headphones. 

"I'm starting to think I don't have an identity." Kia gave it more thought. "Then again… Tamago… that's what the landlord called me. Egg doesn't sound like a last name, which meant that the landlord knew me personally."

A small headache coursed through her temple, making her try rubbing the pain away. "No use trying to ask him, it's quite suspicious if I just asked for information about myself. It wouldn't make sense."

After an exhaustive search around the bedroom and hallway to the entrance, there was one last place she neglected to look— the bathroom. Kia didn't have high confidence that it'll be there. "I don't think people keep their IDs in a bathroom but I'll check anyway. A medicine cabinet, maybe."

While she was there, Kia took a glance at the mirror. "Holy… I never expected to be… attractive."

Kia never saw it in his life as a homeless man back in his original world. There were few visible marks dotting her face, fiery orange eyes, and a face so perfectly shaped that Kia doubted it was real. 

"Damn, okay, I gotta stop staring." Kia softly slaps herself on the cheeks before checking around the room. "There it is…" She finds the small cabinets located under the sink. 

There were a lot of beauty products, more than what Kia was used to seeing. Not knowing the brands, she just noted the different types and the amount, not understanding whatever was written on there. "How many skin care stuff do I own? Is this thing normal?"

Curious, she checks the trashcan, filled with a bunch of small boxes with the same labels she saw in the cabinet. There was even an empty bottle of shampoo inside. "Nothing, damn… I don't even have an ID. How am I going to get a job… or get welfare!"

Pain, that was what Kia felt at that moment.

She needed a job but that common employment warranted an ID, she could probably find another place but the chances of them not requiring any kind of identification are close to zero.

"Oh, G O D. You don't make this easy for me."

What Kia needed was easy-to-pick options; find a way to get an ID quickly, try to find other means of employment… or… crime.

"I can't believe I'm considering being a criminal just to get money. Odd jobs are decent but that's not going to make me money fast enough and it's not consistent. We're talking about a 500,000 Yen loan and missed payments! This is why I hate borrowing stuff or being indebted, it always ends up going to shit!"

Kia punches a wall. "HRAGH! OWCH!", forgetting that she's not in America where the walls are made of paper. "Even taking my anger out of something is making it all worse…"

Thinking deeply, Kia couldn't bear much of the stress. "It's happening again, just like last time… I'm not going to give up. Taking the easy way out is stupid. This isn't my body, I should start taking care of it."

After nursing her bruised fist, Kia takes a deep breath before exhaling sharply. "I'll pay it off. Owing someone is pitiful but escaping debt is deplorable. I think I know someone who I can ask for this kind of stuff… I'm probably going to regret going back there."