The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with shades of orange as Astra and Miyako walked together towards the restaurant.
The tension from the plaza was left behind, and now only the soft afternoon breeze and the comforting sound of their synchronized steps remained.
Miyako, despite everything, remained silent. It wasn't unusual for her to stay reserved after a difficult moment, but Astra knew those emotions were still swirling in her mind, searching for a place to settle.
"How about a giant pizza?" Astra asked, trying to break the silence with something she knew always worked.
Miyako looked up, her pointed ears twitching slightly at the word "pizza." Despite her seriousness, she couldn't help but smile. "Only if we can order extra cheese," she replied with a small spark of enthusiasm.
Astra chuckled softly. "Deal. Pizza with extra cheese, and if they let me, we'll even get dessert."
As they walked toward the restaurant, Astra's mind briefly returned to the group of students from the plaza.
She had held back her anger in that moment, but the rage still pulsed deep in her chest. She knew Miyako didn't need more violence in her life, but Astra… she couldn't help but feel like those people deserved more than just an intimidating look.
"I have to stay calm," Astra thought, making a conscious effort to suppress the part of her quirk that always whispered in moments like these.
That dark part that told her she could absorb their energy, that she could feed on them and make them disappear from the world as if they had never existed.
But not today.
Miyako suddenly turned to Astra, interrupting her thoughts. "Hey... thanks again," she said shyly.
Astra glanced at her, surprised. "Why are you thanking me so much today? You know I'll always be there for you."
Miyako shrugged. "I know... but I think I don't say it enough."
The comment, though simple, made Astra pause. She looked at her seriously, but with a warmth she rarely showed.
"Listen, Miyako," she said in a softer tone than usual, "you don't have to thank me every time I help you. You're my friend, my best friend. If there's anyone in this world I'd do anything for, it's you. So, enough with the thanks, okay?"
Miyako nodded, flashing a more open smile. "Alright… I'll try not to say it so much."
Finally, they arrived at the restaurant and sat down to enjoy a pizza with extra cheese. Both ate heartily, but Astra, as usual, devoured much more.
"Miyako, how's university going lately?" Astra asked while taking another big bite of pizza. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, though her tone was relaxed.
Miyako, who was enjoying a slice of pizza, put it down on her plate and sighed lightly.
"Well... it's fine, I guess. Nothing really interesting has happened. I've tried to focus more on my classes, but..." She paused, fidgeting with her napkin. "It's hard to ignore those who are always there to bother me. You know how they are."
Astra tilted her head, listening attentively without interrupting, though her blue eyes narrowed slightly. "They're still bothering you?" she asked, her voice more serious.
The image of the students insulting Miyako at the plaza still lingered in her mind, and the thought that her friend might be going through the same thing at university didn't sit well with her.
Miyako smiled, trying to downplay it. "Not as much as before. Since you left, I've been trying to handle it on my own. But it's not always easy. Sometimes I wish I were more like you... facing them without a second thought."
Astra set the pizza down on her plate and crossed her arms, looking at her friend with a mix of pride and concern. "You don't need to be like me, Miyako. You're amazing just as you are. I... Well, you know I don't care what people think of me, but you have something I've never had. You've got that... I don't know what to call it, but you make people want to be better, you know?"
Miyako looked up, surprised by the comment. "I do that? I never thought of it that way."
Astra flashed a confident smile. "Of course. I'm good at fighting and eating pizza," she said with a teasing grin.
"But you're good at making others want to be better people. At least in my case, every time I see you, I want to do something good."
Miyako stayed silent for a moment, processing Astra's words. "I never saw it that way," she murmured, feeling a warmth in her chest she didn't often experience.
Astra always had a particular way of seeing things, and even though she sometimes seemed cold or uninterested, there was something genuine in the way she cared for her.
"Well, now you know. And if you ever need someone to teach them a lesson, you know who to call," Astra said with a wink, taking another slice of pizza.
Miyako chuckled softly, feeling a bit lighter. "Thanks, Astra... really. You help me see things differently."
Astra simply approached as if it were no big deal, but deep down she knew that those small conversations could make a big difference for her friend.
As they continued eating, the atmosphere between them became more relaxed, with laughter and jokes flowing naturally.
"So, tell me, has any idiot tried using your size as a shield again?" Astra asked suddenly, her tone playful but with a spark of interest.
Miyako quickly shook her head, smiling. "No, ever since what happened last time, everyone's been more... cautious." Her eyes gleamed with a hint of gratitude, and Astra couldn't help but laugh.
"As they should be. No one messes with my friend and gets away with it," Astra said proudly.
As they kept sharing their meal and conversation, time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the pizza was gone.
After finishing, Astra stretched her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I don't think I'll be able to move for a while," she joked, though her usual energy still lingered in her mischievous smile.
Miyako, who had eaten more than she expected, giggled. "Yeah, I'm pretty full too."
Astra quickly stood up, tossing some coins on the table to pay. "So, how about we go for a walk to digest all this? Plus, there's a dessert shop around the corner I want to try."
Miyako laughed, shaking her head. "Dessert after all that pizza? How can you even think about more food?"
Astra looked at her with a mock expression of disbelief. "Please, have you ever seen me say no to a good dessert?"
Both got up from the table and left the restaurant, the sun now setting on the horizon, bathing the city in a warm orange glow.
They walked side by side, laughing and chatting, leaving the day's troubles behind, at least for a while.
As they strolled down the street, both friends were quietly enjoying an ice cream as the sky darkened, giving way to a peaceful night.
Suddenly, Astra felt a chill run down her spine, her tail standing completely on end. It was an instinct she had thanks to her mutant quirk, a kind of heightened sense for detecting danger.
She stopped abruptly, causing Miyako to look at her with confusion.
"Astra, is something wrong?" she asked with concern.
Astra didn't respond immediately, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
The few people walking down the street seemed oblivious to them, lost in their own worlds, as if they didn't exist in the same space.
"We're being followed," she muttered, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Miyako, surprised, quickly turned her head, trying to see what Astra had noticed. However, she didn't see anything unusual, just the usual movement of the city.
"Are you sure? I don't see anyone..." Miyako said, a bit confused.
Astra nodded slowly, staying calm. Her instinct, almost primal, was on high alert, and there was no doubt in her mind that something was wrong. "Trust me. Let's keep walking, but stay alert."
They continued their path, but the atmosphere grew tense. As they moved forward, the street noise gradually faded away.
The people around them seemed to disappear one by one until only the two of them remained in an unsettling silence.
Astra quickly glanced over her shoulder, and there, just a few meters behind, was a man.
He wore a completely white mask that covered his face entirely. He stood in total silence, watching them.
Before they could react, another man appeared beside him. He was tall, with dark skin, and also wore a white mask. But the most alarming sight was his arm, grotesquely transforming into a massive blade.
"So, you're Astra, right?" said the first man in a calm voice.
Astra didn't seem impressed, crossing her arms as she adjusted her glasses. "Depends... who's asking?" she replied with indifference.
The man let out a light chuckle and began moving under a streetlight, swaying as if he were dancing. "A dangerous man... is interested in your mutant quirk. He paid a lot to bring you to him, but I hope you don't fight too much, miss."
The second man, whose hand had transformed into a giant blade, extended his arm even further as his legs turned into two sharp knives.
"The client doesn't want witnesses..." he said in a deep, menacing voice. "So let's get rid of the girl."
Upon hearing those words, all the color drained from Miyako's face. Fear took hold of her, and trembling, she tried to hide behind Astra.
Even though her large size still made her visible, she attempted to shrink away, clearly terrified by the situation.
Astra, however, showed no signs of fear. She stood firm, her blue eyes gleaming with determination as a dangerous smile spread across her face.
Astra took a deep breath, her mind calculating quickly. She knew they were outnumbered and that these men were no amateurs.
Her eyes narrowed as she analyzed the two men in front of her.
The one with the white mask [N1], swaying under the streetlight, seemed relaxed, as if everything was just a game. Astra knew that the most dangerous ones were precisely those who enjoyed the moment; it was a sign that they were confident they would win.
The other, the one with the blades [N2], was more direct, with a tense posture, ready to attack at any moment. His quirk gave him a modified body, which probably meant he was strong and fast. His blades reminded her of Mr. 1 from One Piece, but Astra doubted this man had the strength of a character of that caliber.
"Listen closely, Miyako," Astra said quietly, not taking her eyes off the men. "Hide. Leave this to me."
Miyako, still trembling, looked at her friend with terrified eyes. She knew Astra was strong, but she also knew these men weren't ordinary. "But... what if they hurt you?" she whispered, worried.
Astra shot her a calm, firm look. "Don't worry about me. If you know me, you know I'm not one to lose easily."
Suddenly, the blade man charged straight at Astra, running at an incredible speed. The blades on his legs gleamed under the dim light as he approached, ready to slice his target to pieces.
"Got you!" he shouted, as his blade-arm came down violently towards Astra.
Zuis
But Astra was already prepared. With an agile sidestep, she dodged the attack, and as she did, her arm transformed, becoming larger and taking on a pink hue, a sign that she was using her mutant quirk.
"You move well, but you're missing something..." Astra said with a confident smile before landing a direct blow to the man's side, sending him flying several meters backward.
Astra looked at her arm, noticing a cut between her fingers, and then glanced at where she had sent N2. The man had turned his arm into blades to cushion the blow and, at the same time, injure Astra in the process.
"Well, it seems our girl knows how to move," commented the masked man, still swaying, unfazed.
"You're really not going to help your friend?" Astra asked, as her fists returned to their original size, completely healed. "If you keep this up, this will end badly for both of you."
The masked man stopped swaying, locking his gaze on Astra. "No need... I'm the main course."
With that statement, he began to move at an incredible speed, almost impossible to track with the naked eye. But out of nowhere, Astra completely ignored him and focused her gaze on N2, only to look down and see a knife stabbed in her stomach.
'How?'
Suddenly, the masked man appeared right in front of her, just inches away.
The masked man chuckled, clearly enjoying the surprise on Astra's face. "You're going to be fun to catch. The client will pay me very well for you."
"Catch?" Astra repeated, a dangerous smile forming on her lips as she completely ignored what had happened earlier. "That sounds like a misunderstanding. I'm not the kind to be caught."
Without wasting any more time, Astra leapt into the air, dodging another attack from N2. While in the air, she twisted her body, landing on her feet.
Quickly, as soon as her feet touched the ground, Astra let her hair fall, allowing a sword-arm to pass over her head, just like Maki against Yuki.
"It's uncomfortable when my breasts touch the ground, you know?" Astra commented, irritated, as she pushed herself with her tail towards N1, launching a kick.
The man slightly stepped back, allowing Astra to pass. "So, this is what the client was talking about... impressive."
"How?" Astra asked aloud, confused.
The man took it as a question. "Pink fool, why would I tell you how?"
Falling to the ground, Astra rolled until she stopped, then, using her tail like Genos, she launched herself back into action.
There was something strange about how this man's attacks seemed to come out of nowhere, as if Astra had ignored him at the most crucial moments.
How...?
Before she could analyze it, the masked man quickly moved toward her. But just when he was about to strike her, Astra, for no apparent reason, turned her attention to N2. Instinctively, she lunged at him, completely ignoring the masked man.
A blow to her stomach caught her by surprise. How did he...? Astra staggered back, feeling the impact she hadn't anticipated. It was as if the masked man had become invisible to her perception, but it wasn't physical invisibility... it was something much worse.
The man with the white mask chuckled softly. "Didn't you say you couldn't be caught? Girl, the hard one to catch here is me."
Astra frowned, noticing something was off. But then she smiled again, assuming her fighting stance.
Quickly, Astra dodged N2's first attack, moving to the side. Her fist hit the man's chest directly, and then she turned it into tentacles that caught him by surprise.
"How? This wasn't in the intel..." murmured N2, surprised as the tentacles held him in place.
Taking advantage of the moment, Astra turned her fist into a hammer and brought it down on N2's face.
Crack
As Astra brought her fist down, N1 appeared behind her, stabbing her with a blade. "Girl, you forgot about me."
Astra ignored the pain and continued pounding N2, smashing his face into the asphalt. Without wasting time, she spun around to attack N1, but barely missed.
"That was close..."
Puff
Where the masked man had been, there was now a candy.
What had happened was simple. Astra had dropped a finger when she enlarged her hand. When N1 attacked her, she remembered his presence but chose to endure the damage and surprise him with her ability to turn people into candy, using the finger she had let fall.
Astra breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the candy where N1 had been moments before. Her mind calmed for a moment, but her body remained tense, prepared for any other surprises that might arise.
Miyako emerged from her hiding spot, still trembling, but visibly more at ease seeing Astra standing. "Are you okay?" she asked with a shaky voice, her eyes quickly darting between Astra and the candy on the ground.
"Yeah, I'm fine... for now," Astra replied, putting a hand to her stomach where she'd been hit. Though the pain persisted, she knew her mutant quirk was doing its job, quickly regenerating her wounds. "But this isn't over yet."
Miyako nervously glanced around, searching for any signs of danger. "Do you think there will be more?"
Astra narrowed her eyes as she scanned the area. "I don't know, but these guys don't work alone. If they showed up, there's probably more nearby." Her mind returned to the comment the masked man had made before falling defeated. "The client... they mentioned a client. Someone sent them after me, but I have no idea who it could have been."
Still nervous, Miyako moved a little closer. "What are we going to do? We can't stay here."
Astra nodded firmly. "You're right, we can't let our guard down. But before we go..." She crouched down, carefully picking up the candy from the ground, holding it in her hand.
Then, she pointed her finger at N2 and, in the blink of an eye, a pink beam shot from her hand. In less than a second, N2 turned into a candy.
Astra reached out to catch it before it hit the ground, calmly putting it away.
"Well, shall we go, Miyako?" Astra asked, smiling as she stretched her arms toward the girl.
Miyako just sighed and took Astra's hand, and together they headed toward Miyako's house.
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[End of Chapter 7]
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[2975 Words]