Rogue

Chapter 22

Akira had taken all of Saturday to hide away in her temporary room and cope after the events of the morning. Unfortunately for her, however, Sunday was much more demanding. Jin had woken her up bright and early, telling her to get ready to head back to Headquarters. As per Kido's request, Akira was to appear before the top brass along with Kuga to answer some questions they apparently had. When she tried to ask Jin what it was about, he refused to answer and instead threw his signature jacket at her and told her to hurry up.

Unsure of his motives, she threw his coat on over her outfit for the day and put her hair up into a ponytail. She didn't have it in her to wash it the day before so this would have to do. Akira then shoved her breakfast into her mouth and filed into the cars to be transported to Headquarters. While Kuga, Osamu, and Chika rode with Reiji, she got to ride with Jin and Rindo who made small talk throughout the drive in order to keep Akira from falling into her thoughts in the backseat.

The ride was quick and Akira dreaded every second that the humongous building inched closer. She wondered if she was absolutely vital to this meeting or if Rindo would permit her to wait in the car.

Without even asking, she finally jumped out ahead of the men because she knew no matter how hard she tried, her request would be denied and she'd have to step foot inside eventually. She figured if she got it over with and found a good hiding spot, she had a smaller chance of running into someone she didn't want to see. Of course, she could go to her room, but she didn't want to risk the chance of running into Izumi while up in that area of the building.

The kids all split off; Mikumo went to the cafeteria, a horrible place for Akira to wait and be bombarded by her team. Chika went to sniper training, a place where the blonde definitely didn't belong. Finally, Kuga went to normal C-Rank training in the Solo Rank Wars, the safest option of the three to hang out.

She knew that sticking around Jin or Rindo would probably subject her to one of the high-ranking teams and she could live without having to talk to anyone. Unbeknownst to the girl, Kuga had disappeared on a detour to a vending machine for a quick drink before he participated in C-Rank matches. In the meantime, Akira picked a couch and lounged around, her eyes darting across the screens to make sure she didn't see anyone she recognized.

Not long after she had gotten comfortable, Mikumo waltzed into the Solo-Rank booths with a small kid and a crowd of people trailing behind them. Akira cocked a brow and watched as the Tamakoma Captain got into a booth as did the short brunette. Everyone else began to take seats around the area, eyes glued to the main screen where Osamu was now getting the absolute piss beat out of him.

Akira scowled and noticed that Kuga had finally walked into the room with Yotaro, Raijinmaru, and a tall boy she was unfamiliar with. He had long, dark hair which was swept back by a headband, and narrow, mischievous eyes. Unknowingly setting herself up for her daily demise, she stood from her seat and approached the two who watched as Osamu got sliced down for the final time.

"Isn't he the Four-Eyes from before? Did he have a rank battle with Midorikawa?" Akira settled on the opposite side of Yuma, her arms crossed as she glared at the score on the screen.

"And he drew a crowd without knowing it," she grunted. The tall boy glanced over at her, only now realizing she had joined them. When he realized who she was, his eyes widened just the slightest but he returned his attention back to the screen. "Looks like a setup to me."

Osamu stepped out of the booth looking exasperated and joined them, all seemingly disappointed in his performance.

"Looks like you're in the spotlight~"

"You've worked hard, Four-Eyes." Everyone tilted their head up to the second level where the short boy, Midorikawa, looked down on them. "I roughly determined your true strength. You can go now." Akira leered up at the snot-nosed brat. Who does this kid think he is? It was Akira's natural instinct to put people in their rightful places, but she couldn't help but bite her tongue at this moment. She really didn't want to stir up any trouble and notify people that she was present.