Chapter Text
I stood still, back pressed to the wall, and moderated my breathing. Calm steady breaths were more effective at concealing one's presence than holding your breath. At least, that's what my dad always said. It went against every instinct I had, but I avoided holding my breath and continued to breathe normally as a man in dark clothing patrolled the outside of the warehouse. I wasn't sure if something had gone wrong or not, but there weren't supposed to be any people outside. No information had come over my comm, but it didn't matter. I wasn't authorized to interact in any way with criminals.
I stayed still and waited for the man to round the corner before reaching a finger into my sleeve and pressing a button on my watch. It wasn't long before the voice of my dad's partner came through my earpiece.
"I saw him, Hina. Don't worry, you did great. Hold your position and stick to the plan. I'll signal you when you need to open the door."
I clicked the button on my watch twice, confirming I had heard and understood his message. I continued to stand against the building across from the warehouse my dad was currently infiltrating. There had been no other movement of any kind, except that one rogue man. I stood still, patiently waiting until I heard the voice in my ear.
"Now, Hina."
I walked forward and stood in front of the door, waiting. I heard the soft click of the latch being released and cautiously pulled the door toward me, only opening it the tiniest bit. Peeking through the crack, I saw a small action figure-sized man hanging from a wire just inside the door. Holding my hand beneath his feet and giving him the smallest nudge to notify him I was there, my dad released his grappling hook and dropped down into my outstretched hand. I carefully placed him up onto my shoulder, then silently pushed the door closed. I could feel my dad climb up and position himself behind my neck, hiding himself in my hair. Two strong pokes made me flinch but had me moving quickly but quietly to our rendezvous location.
Walking the six blocks back toward the city, we eventually reached a bustling commercial district. Not wanting to run into anyone, I crept alongside the parked vehicles on the street until I finally saw the white windowless van with the obnoxiously large tech-support logo. Reaching down and once again pressing the button on my watch, I waited until I saw Teru exit the driver's side. Then, I began to move once more.
Ryohei Teruo, who would only respond if you addressed him as Teru, was my dad's partner or "the man in the van" as he jokingly referred to himself. Currently wearing a jacket with the same tech-company logo as the van, he held a tablet in one hand and opened the back doors of the van with the other. Climbing inside, he began searching the small shelves, sorting through different lengths of cable cords. While he was fiddling with the wires, I quietly climbed up into the van. I tapped him on the back, signaling we were aboard and quickly found my seat. Having selected a piece of cable, Teru closed the back of the van and reentered the driver's seat. He started the van and carefully pulled away from the curb. Meanwhile I held my hand up to the back of my neck and waited for my dad to climb into it. Setting him on the seat next to me he quickly grew back to normal size and I finally deactivated my own quirk.
"Did you get what we were looking for, 16?" Teru asked, eyeing my dad through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah," he said with a heavy sigh, before turning to face me. "You did very well, Hinako. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad," I said while reaching up to unbutton the top of my bodysuit, allowing me to breathe a little easier. "But was there really something so important just sitting in a warehouse on the edge of town?"
"That's need-to-know."
My dad's voice was firm but he reached a hand over to ruffle my hair, smiling softly to let me know I hadn't crossed the line or anything.
"Your big test is coming up soon right, Hina?" Teru asked while driving through the city streets.
"This weekend," I said, chewing on my bottom lip. "But I'm not too worried. I got permission to bring my suit, so that should make it loads easier." I smiled brightly, hoping to show my confidence.
"I still don't understand why you didn't take the recommendation," Teru said with a huff.
"The recommendation isn't a guarantee, it just lets you skip the line, so to speak. Besides, Nei-tan and I promised we'd go together. We want to prove ourselves and that means doing it the hard way."
"You aim high, I'll give you that. Best of luck to you. I'm sure UA's entrance exam is no cakewalk."