Work Text:
Ring Ring
"Hello?" Neito answered.
"Plan my funeral. Aizawa is gonna kill me." Hitoshi said.
"What happened?"
"I lost Eri."
"Y-You lost Eri?!"
Neito paused.
"Yeah, I would have killed you too." Neito chuckled.
"I'm at Aizawa's place. I turned his apartment upside down looking for her till I realized she must have gotten through the door."
"Why would she leave?"
"I-I don't know." Hitsohi sobbed.
Neito might seem narcissistic but he would never let his friends down when they are in dire need of his help.
"Hitoshi, tell you what. I will come over and help you find Eri." Neito said.
Why did Eri leave?
To be frank, Eri saw there was a balloon man outside giving away free balloons. How could she possibly past off this offer? She thought she could sneak off and surprise Hitoshi and Aizawa with something to thank him for taking care of her. However, she overestimated how long the walk would be.
After getting the free balloons, Eri quickly found herself lost in the city.
Thankfully, she remembered what Aizawa told her if she ever found herself in a situation like this.
Flashback
"Children will always get lost. It's pretty much in their DNA." Aizawa chuckled, carrying Eri in his arms.
"Remember three things. One: Don't panic. Take a big deep breath."
Eri nodded her head.
"Two: Think. This is a toughie. You have to decide if you should stay in one place or retrace your steps and find your way back. People always say stay in one place, but you should make sure you are in a safe place. But more importantly, figure out where you are. Look at landmarks. You might even find a map along the way."
"Three: Find a trusted adult. Keyword: trusted. I don't want to scare you, but there are some bad people out there. Criminals. Depending on where you are, you could probably find a police officer, mall cop, security guard, even a store salesperson with a nametag! Maybe even a hero on duty. Ask them to show you their license. You should give them your name. Thankfully, in this time of age, we have cell phones! Call my cell. If that doesn't work, call the agency I work at. If that doesn't work, call the UA school.
Hitoshi and Neito were out in town showing pictures of Eri on their phone asking if anyone has seen her.
No luck.
"Let's try thinking like Eri. My favorite fruit is apple. Um…" Neito said.
Hitsohi saw a balloon stand in the distance.
He smiled.
"Maybe...I would want a balloon." Hitoshi said.
*
They spoke to the balloon man and asked if the saw the girl in the photo on their phone.
"Oh yeah, I saw her." The Balloon Man said, "Her cousin took her."
Neito and Hitoshi looked at each other.
"What?!" They said in unison.
"I think they said something about getting food or something." The Balloon Man replied.