Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Tanya POV – November 1st.
Miorine Rembran. Just as Izumi had promised, she really did keep me informed about all the information regarding her meta-knowledge. We were the only ones who could talk freely about our past lives without holding anything back, and it was something we did very often.
Izumi was mainly talking about the large number of worlds merged with this one. He had told me about Miorine Rembran. That she supposedly came from a world where there were mechas. Damn real mechas. Gundams specifically.
The Gundam series I remember watching was ZZ, and that was before the '90s. According to Izumi, there must be at least 20 more Gundam series after that, so the last thing I wanted was to hear Izumi ramble about all the alternate universes in the Gundam series.
Although The Witch From Mercury was a different case. With Miorine Rembran and the Benerit group, I had asked Izumi about all the details of the series, just as I had done with the others.
Just one, just one world without some end-of-the-world catastrophe, I asked for; it wasn't that complicated. Luckily for me, in this world there wasn't even anything close to Mobile Suits or Gundam or any mecha, really, although… currently technology would certainly make it possible.
If what Izumi said about All Might being able to create a suit to fight on par with an unleashed and rejuvenated All For One was indeed possible. But for the moment, we hadn't found anything about the Mecha, Prospera Mercury, Elnora Samaya, or anything related to Quiet Zero.
So, for the time being, we decided to put it aside. There was no point in worrying about things that might not happen when there were much more important things to prepare for.
Like Jeju. I almost grimaced at that. The idiocy of the Japanese Hunters Association was astronomical. The waste of valuable human and military resources involved in needing to kill Korean hunters made the idea simply stupid and short-sighted.
While I could understand the need to strategically position ourselves at a higher level due to the loss of our national hunters, simply killing Korean hunters was the stupidest way to achieve it.
The dungeon gates were the most pressing emergency in the world, not the egos of politicians. Even if their plan had succeeded, it would have been useless, not when there was a formidable deterrent like Sung Il-Hwan, South Korea's national hunter.
And in the worst-case scenario, if the Koreans found out, then we would have a war on our hands, whose deterrent, Sung Il-Hwan, would go from being a mere deterrent to a nuclear weapon dropped on Japan as retaliation, and we would not have the necessary strength to stop it.
A complete waste of effort and resources for a short-sighted and ridiculous plan devised by the superiors and which those of us below had to fix.
But that was good for us. Principal Nezu was right in the plan he devised; the easiest way was for Izumi to resolve everything while he was on Jeju. If the Koreans found out about the attack and Izumi stopped it, it would foster good international relations with Korea, which is a good thing.
Especially if that Ant-King that Izumi had seen actually existed and could put the Korean hunters in a tight spot. That would further help Izumi stay on the Koreans' good side.
In Japan, Izumi's presence was incredibly positive, being Ryuma's grandson and acknowledging his achievements, but Izumi's international presence was, so far, quite vague. Yes, people kept an eye on him because of his lineage, but he was hardly important to most people. He was still a student, so it would be good to start off on the right foot internationally.
And here I was now, in Miorine's room to sort out this whole Jeju problem.
"Then, the news about Izumi and Taylor's attendance was finally revealed to the public in the HSPC and Association statement." I said as I stared at the screen in front of me while typing quickly and heavily on the laptop.
"Of course," Rembran scoffed, sitting at her desk surrounded by multiple monitors, typing away at an equally rapid pace. "Those idiots didn't even have the decency to wait until after the festival. This complicates things for UA. Principal Nezu must be furious; he'll have to increase security even more than he already has," she said. I just nodded.
"Journalists hate it when they can't get interviews. Especially since they've been trying for weeks to get a statement from Izumi and his grandfather, but neither Izumi nor his grandfather will give them one. Now with Jeju, they're going to be incredibly persistent, so they'll come looking for him, and the festival is their ticket in. It'll be a media circus if it's not controlled. The director will really hate it." I said dryly. Rembran hummed softly.
"Public opinion is divided. Half the people really love that Izumi is taking up his grandfather's mantle so quickly, while the other half think it's irresponsible to send a student, regardless of their strength or background. There's a small margin that's still undecided, but the other two halves are the loudest," Rembran said, frowning.
"As expected," I said easily as I opened another window and typed another message. "It's lucky we got ahead of the curve and changed their personal social media accounts in time to avoid receiving a flood of comments, messages, and much more."
"I mean, more than we have now, since we still have to manage the public ones." I said curtly as I opened another message and began typing a firm rejection without hesitation. "We need to write a statement, and as much as we might want to, we need something that doesn't make the HPSC and the Hunters Association look bad." I said coldly. Rembran snorted.
"Can we lean on Taylor?" Rembran asked with a hum. I paused to think about it. "We still have to make statements on her social media anyway, so could we link both statements? Right now, Taylor has way more media capital than Izumi; her approval rating is higher, simply because of her quirk."
"Hypocrites, she's still a student like Izumi, but as if having an insect quirk magically solves everything. A quirk that may or may not have the potential to control Jeju ants won't make fighting them any easier." Rembran sneered. "Even so, we could rely on that." I nodded.
"Is this a good angle, a joint statement then? People don't really know they're married yet, so it could be a good way to reveal it to the public? The public would go wild." I pointed easily. "Changing a media drama about students going to Jeju into a romantic drama—people love love stories." Rembran paused for a few seconds.
"Wouldn't that be counterproductive? If we make Izumi's assistance revolve around his concern for Taylor because they're married, it could be implied that he doesn't care about Jeju, Japan, or Korea, but is only doing it because of her feelings for Taylor," Rembran said worriedly.
"A reasonable concern, but there's an advantage: empathy will work in our favor. Izumi is a boy, a teenager, and a newlywed—an emotional motivation that's easy to understand and that many will either adore or call stupid." I quickly pointed out.
"It's a very dangerous line," Rembran said quickly. "And Izumi will hate it," she added with a smile. I snorted in amusement, because yes, Izumi would.
"So we don't make that the main story; that will still be Jeju and helping to free it. The secondary aspect will be Taylor and Izumi participating, and we'll just mention that they're married, not as the reason for his travel, but as context, letting the audience fill in the rest."
"The concern about Jeju is a major concern for South Koreans, while the marriage of two Japanese S-ranks, one of them the grandson of a national hunter, will be much more important to the Japanese," I said quickly. "They'll focus on it, but without needing to point out that Izumi is being sentimental about his decision," I added with a hum.
"Hmm, good idea. Since the statement also involves Jeju and Korea, we also need to consider the international reception. The eyes of every nation are on Jeju. Especially the United States, with Taylor involved and the US government still linked to her; it must be a complete disaster for the HPSC and the director."
"And unfortunately, it's not just the United States watching closely. My father is already demanding answers. The Benerit Group will definitely be aware of everything because of my commitment to Izumi, and they'll be looking at how they can capitalize on it if Izumi succeeds. And obviously, they'll be monitoring all the statements, so we have to worry about them," Rembran said with a grimace of disgust.
"Great, so our statement has gone from being a student's statement to a diplomatic one," I said dryly. Rembran snorted, amused.
"Scared?" Rembran asked with a smile as she looked at me over her shoulder.
"You wish." I said dryly, smiling slightly. I continued reading quickly before returning to writing.
Ah… office work, how I've missed you.
I smiled happily as I continued typing and replying to messages. After about two hours, both Rembran and I lazily stretched out, most of the work finished. There were a few things we needed to complete, but nothing too urgent.
"Well done," Rembran said as she threw me a can of coffee. I happily caught it before opening it and starting to drink, then I sighed contentedly.
"Likewise." I congratulated her cheerfully. Miorine slumped back in her seat, sipping from her coffee can. We remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes, recovering from our work.
"So... you love him?" Rembran suddenly asked. I stopped and looked up, only to see her staring at me.
"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.
"Izumi, you love him? I've heard a lot about you, I'd normally call you pragmatic, but fortune hunter would be more fitting. You found someone with potential and positioned yourself immediately." Rembran said without hesitation, my fingers trembling slightly.
"A gold digger? Do you make that accusation about all of Izumi's partners, or just me?" I asked curtly. Rembran snorted.
"Taylor, as clever as she is, doesn't have the capacity to deceive someone like that, and she'd engulf the world in her insects to protect Izumi. Ruby simply wouldn't. I'd be wary of Azula, considering the possibility that she's using him to further her claim to the Fire Nation, but Azula fell so hard for Izumi that it's not funny. Darkness is even worse; she cares more about Izumi's sexual prowess than her future."
"Mai resists, but she's hopelessly attached to Izumi and doesn't realize it. Maki doesn't care yet; she's more focused on training to fight the Zenin family than anything else. The only thing I have to worry about with Jinx is that she might drag him into breaking some rules or laws, or vice versa, but nothing serious. Viktoriya is simply too good to do it, but she follows all your orders. So that leaves you. I find you hard to read, so I'd rather ask you directly." Rembran said, shrugging. I snorted loudly. I was truly impressed by her analysis of all the girls in Izumi.
"Relationships are an investment. In terms of time, work, money, and emotions. I chose this job as a heroine and hunter because it was the most optimal, the most profitable; a career here would make it easy to earn a living that way, so I could even support someone if necessary."
"But every relationship is a partnership. You share resources, responsibilities, time, projects, risks. The difference is that here you also share your life. If I'm going to give years of my life to someone, I want that person to have a future, to have discipline, goals, and to be someone capable of building something, not someone who expects me to carry everything."
"People often act as if love is enough, but it isn't. Sentimentality rarely solves anything, and love definitely doesn't pay the price or solve any problems. Especially when I'm more than aware of my... flaws, I knew I couldn't give the same emotional investment to just anyone I chose; it's not something that comes naturally to me."
"There are reasons why I brought Visha into this; I knew she could give me what I was missing."
"I'm not the most expressive person in the world. I work too many hours, I overthink, and I usually prioritize solving problems over talking about feelings. It would be selfish to pretend those things would disappear just because I'm in a relationship."
"So I thought about what I could and couldn't offer. If I knew I had a significant deficiency, then I had to compensate for it somehow. It's not very different from hiring someone to complement my shortcomings."
"And most importantly, I love Visha, she's my sister, it's my job to make sure she's well cared for and to be close enough to make sure she's happy, it's the best of both worlds I could have hoped for."
"I just... didn't expect it to turn out this way," I hummed, twirling my finger on the coffee can. "Honestly, I didn't expect to fall in love, when I didn't even know I was capable of it." I said with a small smile. Rembran chuckled softly.
"So you screwed up. You chose someone with potential who could give you the easy future you were looking for, you did the smart thing for yourself and your sister. But you woke up one morning and realized you were going to ruin all the plans you made just to help him," Rembran said, amused. I snorted and rolled my eyes.
"And honestly, I don't regret anything," I said honestly.
"So, at first it was an investment, but you're not calculating returns anymore. If Izumi collapsed one morning, you'd still stay, and that's your job now. Not as an investment. And there's no shame in admitting it." Rembran laughed; I just rolled my eyes.
"Yes," I said easily. "Does that answer your questions?" I asked dryly. Rembran just shrugged and smiled amusedly.
"Oh yes, I never thought you were a gold digger, I was just curious about your answer." Rembran said easily, my eyes widening slightly. "A gold digger never looks at a boy for his future, but for what she can give her in that very moment."
"I understand you submitted your 'application' even before Izumi was revealed to be Ryuma's grandson. That's not being a gold digger; you're not in it for money or influence, but for stability. I appreciate that perspective on relationships. Especially since you're not a leech. If necessary, you'd be more than capable of supporting Izumi and the other girls. You like to work."
"You're realistic about who you're looking for and why, for both you and your sister. But at the same time, that pursuit and the relationship aren't fake; strategic attachment and genuine love aren't opposites. Honestly, it's refreshing, and Izumi should be flattered to be seen as a rational choice and to have confidence in his future success," Miorine said playfully. "Despite his 'flaws,'" she added with a laugh. I blinked slightly before raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, you're the first person, after Izumi, who understands," I said honestly. "Izumi... knows how I think, actually, to such an extent that it's terrifying, and he doesn't mind my way of thinking, which is nice, but the other girls, including my sister, sometimes seem to think that my way of... approaching certain things is... cold." I said with a sigh. Rembran shrugged.
"There's nothing wrong with you, I'd even say you were born in the wrong place. My father would have applauded your way of thinking," Rembran said dryly. I raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like both a compliment and an insult at the same time," I said dryly.
"Yes," Rembran said with the same dryness. I chuckled.
"So, while we're at it, what about you?" I asked curiously, playing along. Rembran snorted.
"Love him? Definitely not," Rembran said without hesitation. "Too soon to talk about that," she added with a sigh. "But... I really wouldn't be against it if it happened." She shrugged. "I mean, fighting Izumi is just plain stupid when my problem is with my father. Besides, he's way better than my previous fiancé or any other option I had before." She said dryly, and I snorted.
"Were your standards so low that you settled for Izumi?" I teased playfully, and Rembran burst out laughing.
"Oh, you have no idea," Rembran said, shaking her head. "Let me tell you." Rembran grunted as I began to listen to her complaining about her ex-fiancé. I wasn't bothered; she, as the heiress of the Benerit Group, could open a lot of doors for her in the future. Working as her assistant, as I recently did, wasn't a bad office job, so, as her subordinate and secretary, I should act as her confidante. Besides… that's what friends do, right? I'd have to ask Izumi or Visha, but for the moment, I smiled and listened to her talk.
Author's Notes : Uff, what did you think? Writing from Tanya's POV always gives me a headache, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
After that, there should be one or two more before the festival, which, I admit, will be really short. I haven't decided yet whether to include Gentle Criminal, but if it does, it will be resolved off-screen with Izuku solving it himself.
So the festival itself would be short, one chapter, two at most, or something similar. And after that, Jeju would begin.
So, questions. Should I use these POV formats more often? Or just leave them as interludes between arcs? I liked them both ways, so maybe a mix of both, though perhaps not as many as in this arc.