Having the Skill: Low Presence, was extremely helpful. My classmates almost seemed to forget that I existed. Teachers generally didn't notice me if I wasn't trying to draw their attention. Bakugo and Co. seemed completely unaware of my presence, too. At least during class. This resulted in a rather calm day where I didn't really have to worry about being beaten and chased.
Or at least that's what I thought until finally the schools bell rang. Bakugo head, together with his "friends" heads, turned to me like they had always known I was there. Which technically wasn't wrong as I had to make the teacher aware of my presence during role-call. I gathered my things as quickly as I possibly could. I tried to avoid panicking as that would lead to a slower pace, but I was still quick enough to be the first to leave the classroom.
It took them only a few seconds to follow and run after me. My speed was that of an regular 7 year old. Not that fast if compared to an adult. But I was still fast enough to actually gain a few more meters in distance. My endurance was higher than it was supposed to be, but in my unique case it mostly reflected how much punishment I could take before the final collapse. Which was more than a regular kid but my stamina sucked. Malnutrition, yeah.
Needless to say, they soon began to catch up again. But by that point, we had already left the school grounds behind and headed into the city. Crowds were already gathering and moving in more than bothersome ways. Still, somehow, they managed to follow me for quite some time. Eventually however, the line of sight was finally broken for long enough and I could hide myself inside a shop. While breathing heavy and looking out of the window, I watched as the kids ran by like bloodhounds on cocaine. I think Bakugo was actually drooling too.
"Hrhmpf" sounded a rather annoyed person behind me. Based on the depth of the "cough", it was likely a guy. "So what's a Quirkless kid like you doing in this shop, huh?" Oh god, it was one of those quirkist assholes, wasn't it?
I slowly turned around, trying to make myself smaller than I already was...
"Did I sound to harsh, honey?" asked the guy. He was about three meters tall. Definitely taller than the average human height. And there wasn't much "human" about him either. The Horns of this guy seemingly scratched the ceiling and I hadn't even realized he had some. Actually he looked like he had a deer-mutation quirk. Except for the protruding fangs piercing out between his lips. Those definitely gave away a carnivorous nature. And were those claws on his hand? Wait. Did he just say "Honey"?
"Yes, I think you were. Just look at the poor thing. He's practically trying to merge with the floor." came another deep voice from somewhere. "Awe, sorry little guy. Didn't mean to say it like that. Look over there. You see those seats? Go and have a seat. We will be right there. You definitely look like you would need it."
Before I could even respond, I was being shoved towards the aforementioned seats. They were fluffy and extremely comfortable. But they weren't enough to make me trust those people.
A few moments later, another person came over. This one, clearly another guy, looked like he a wolf, so probably a wolf mutation. Nothing much remarkable about him, really. No noticeable oddities. "Sorry little one. Noc has problems with his word choice sometimes. He's rather nice, so please don't mind them. You okay, though? Those kids looked like they were about to kill you?"
"Yeah," ...I mumbled between breaths ".... it's an occupational hazard." I said, allowing a small smile on my face.
" Huh, I wasn't aware that society could fall that deep." came the deers voice from behind the counter. Only now did I begin to realize what type of shop this was.
The smell of freshly ground coffee and baked goods filled the air. Small, quiet conversations came from the different costumers sitting in some booths. A few people were looking at me, but glanced away, once I made eye contact.
"How old are you, by the way? You look like you're on deaths door." The wolf guy asked. I answered honestly, considering I knew I sucked at lying. "I am seven. Just turned actually." This made the wolf look....put off. "For a child your age, regardless if quirk or no quirk, you are way to small, not even mentioning how thin you are. Say, how do your parents treat you?" The wolf looked curious. The deer however, still standing behind the counter, only took a quick look at my face before his eyes began to glow red and gold. "Honeybun, this kid is being treated exactly how you think he is."
Now how the hell did that deer get that information? I for sure didn't tell and the system should have stopped any mind reading. "Huh. Well we can't really let that stand, now can we, hon.?" wolfguy had sight and looked at me again. A weird and unfamiliar feeling began to bloom in my chest. "Do you have any money? Do you need some?" I was suddenly asked by the deer. Me being the quirkless kid I was, couldn't possibly say no to a potential job offer. And considering I was going to be basically homeless soon, if I wished to achieve the weekly quest, it wasn't something I could risk refusing. "Yeah, I could use some." was my honest but quiet answer. God fucking damn it, I used to be a grown up. I used to have grown-up money. And now I live as a seven year old in an abusive household. I would do anything to get out of that house and into my own living quarters, short of prostitution. That might be a step to far, even for me. Killing people was of the table. I am seven, god damn it.
"We could use a quick delivery boy. See, we wish to expand some of our services to more people in this city. But since both of us are needed to run this shop, neither of us can leave it. And our last delivery person usually never actually brought the customers their orders but instead ate them. You would get a fair salary and maybe even a monthly ticket for city wide transportation. Sadly that's all we can offer. First we don't have a company car, secondly you're seven and thirdly, you definitely don't have a license. What do you say? Oh and work starts whenever your school is over. You would probably work until eight in the evening, but you will get a bonus for any order between six and eight." Their offer genuinely surprised me. First of all, it was incredibly considerate. Too considerate to be exact. Any sane person with options would have said no, expecting there to be some hidden trade-offs. Or worse, a bad work-climate. But the coffee shop didn't seem like it. So I had only one question, no two questions, left before accepting. "What about vacation and sick-days? And how much would you be willing to pay me?"