The Harunagi District was only separated from the rest of the city by a small road that stretched for a few hundred meters. The only way to enter it was through a fence, placed there by the city to keep people out, and a gate that wouldn't open normally. However, the gate had already stopped working as intended. The gate itself was fine, even the lock was still intact. It's just that the key was inside the lock. I took it with me once I decided to stay.
The streetlights activated at night; even if some of them flickered for no reason, the small channels on the side of each pathway—be it a street, a sidewalk, or even a skybridge—still ran with clean and clear water. The windows were clean and free of cracks, though most of the ground-floor windows were completely covered by climbing plants. Even the upper floors were covered in climbing plants, but not entirely. One could still see what lay beneath. The rooms were clean and free of the usual trash and graffiti.
The higher up one went, the more mesmerizing the view got. At night, the star- and moonlight got filtered, shaped, and reflected in uniquely changing and almost hypnotizing ways. The buildings were undamaged and fully furnished. Flowers and trees grew from several balconies, indoor and roof gardens, and some had even begun to wind their way around lanterns and bridges.
The streets were cracked and unusable for any vehicle besides bikes. Trees lined the street, mixed in and sometimes having grown into and around streetlights, making them almost invisible during the day. The parks at night became the origin of thick fog. A fog that, on almost every night—except those special nights where everything remained clear—rolled through the district.
The streetlights flickered and gave the trees, buildings, and even the pavement creepy patterns, making one feel like they had left Earth behind and entered a new city, one abandoned by life except for plants. A city that had become a forgotten piece of land, untouched by thought and mortal hand in millennia.
School had been easy. Bakugo and Co. never even got close to me before I bolted out of the classroom. The teacher didn't even notice that I left before the bell rang.
They tried to follow me for a while but lost me just as quickly as I had left the school grounds. My heart pumped with excitement while I ran. I felt like I hadn't been free in a long time.
The café was busy. Customers were constantly flowing in and rarely left. The two owners were unprepared for the pure amount of business. I put on a small version of the uniform and began taking orders as soon as I was through the door. People were genuinely surprised about my age, but they never questioned me or felt insulted being served by a quirkless person.
That was the benefit of having work clothes, including shoes. Why were the shoes important? Well, that's because of the extra toe joint. Mainstream shoes were no longer made with the joint in mind, but there were still enough quirkless in Japan to create a business revenue for specialized shoes. The niche, however, was only capitalized on by one company, and they only made one type of shoe, always in red. So yeah. As long as I wasn't wearing the red sneakers, people were generally unaware of my quirk status.
The owners, the deer being called Hyro and the wolf having been named Cain, were happy with my initiative.
Then, as the business began to thin, the telephone rang.
"Hey, Izuku…" called Cain from behind the counter, "...your first delivery is here. Two coffees, one black and one with cream. Some freshly made Indian-style curry and several desserts. Two blocks from here. I already put the exact address in the phone. Name is 'Konosawa Family.' Told them you'd be there in 15 minutes. Go."
He handed me an insulated backpack, one that optimized warmth retention, and sent me on my way. I was quick but careful. Couldn't risk shaking the containers too much.
It took me just a few minutes to reach the family's home. Turns out it was two guys who had their nephews staying over. The coffee was for the two, and the desserts were for one of the kids' birthday tomorrow.
Delivery 2 was just as easy—seemingly, at least. Turns out the guy was currently on the move, constantly changing location. I was told to bring it to a drop location, but it was very difficult to reach. Worst of all, the customer requested it to be on a roof. I nearly slipped on my way down the escape ladder.
Then came Delivery 3. Boy, did I want to reject it. Because guess who decided to order? One Midoriya Inko. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she had found out where I worked.
To my luck, the café had the rule to pay upfront if they ordered for delivery. So all I had to do was go into the building, put the delivery bag down, and continue walking. Minimize contact and get the hell out of there.
To my benefit, she would only receive the "Delivery Completed" notification once I typed it into the phone. However, there was one thing that put me off. The given address wasn't hers. It was the Bakugos'. And they had a small house with a yard in front of it.
Cain had given me 35 minutes for delivery. Judging by how impatient both Inko and Katsuki were, they would be waiting by the window once 25 minutes passed. So I had to be there even before that and gone just as quickly.
I took the backpack off, holding it in my hand, and started running to cut down as much time as possible. The bag, thanks to my efforts, remained stable—mostly.
I rushed through the streets, and once I reached the Bakugos' residence, I put down the bag and pissed off. And not a second too late. Barely 10 seconds later I heard Katsuki's voice exclaiming how "the delivery guy already brought the food."
Fuck. That sounded suspiciously like they were going to order again sometime.
[Objective 3: Complete]
[Rewards: +5 Exp; Food Voucher x3; Item: Padded Work Shoes]
Once I reached the café again, I began to help them out again. The phone hadn't rung once for the rest of the evening. At the end, I was told that I would get my paycheck at the end of each month, and to wait just a few more days. The tips I had gotten from all three customers for quick delivery were handed to me and were enough to afford a new sweater for the coming cold.