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Even on a brisk November day, Iida Tenya thought there was no better drink in the world than cold-pressed orange juice.
He would never claim this to be an unbiased opinion – it was his literal fuel source. He was biologically inclined to love the drink. Still, there were plenty of benefits to the beverage that any person could enjoy. Orange juice was not only refreshing and delicious, but also an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin B9.
So he was pleased to see that the Jawa Gyoen National Garden had a vending machine with a variety of cold-pressed juices. He bought one orange juice for himself and one grapefruit juice for Tensei, who would be meeting with him shortly. If anything could rival Tenya’s affection for orange juice, it was how Tensei felt about grapefruit juice. (Their mother, unfortunately, was powered by lemon juice. She drank her fuel out of necessity and nothing more.)
Tensei arrived a few minutes later. He accepted the juice, although not without an attempt to pay him back for it. Tenya refused, of course. This was a gift for his beloved brother! His gratitude was all the recompense he would need. With that matter settled, the two brothers began to explore the park.
The garden was expansive and historic – 144 acres of land, maintained since the pre-Quirk era. As expected, the scenery was gorgeous and well taken care of. The garden was also notable for its accessibility: a majority of the park was traversable by wheelchair, with the few exceptions being noted by signposts.
Tenya was ashamed to admit that, prior to Tensei’s injury, accessibility was not something he often considered. He was working on rectifying that flaw. At every place he visited, he consciously assessed if somebody with mobility difference could navigate. And naturally, when planning outings with Tensei, he took care to choose accessible locations such as Jawa Gyoen.
Partway through their visit, the two of them entered the greenhouse.Hundreds of tropical and subtropical plants were maintained with these glass walls, many of them endangered species in dire need of conservation.
Because of his winter clothing, the humid temperature of the greenhouse did cause him some discomfort. Luckily, he still had some orange juice left to keep him cool. Once he emptied his bottle, his next thought was on how he would properly dispose of it. He remembered there was a trashbin by the greenhouse entrance.
“Do you have any trash that needs disposal?” He asked his brother.
“I think I’ve got some old receipts in here, hold on…”
It was only while his brother rummaged through his wheelchair side bag that Tenya noticed it: the bottle of grapefruit juice, unopened.
Tenya thought this was odd, but told himself not to get too concerned over it. Perhaps he just wasn’t thirsty yet, or maybe he was saving it as a treat for later.
It was only at the chrysanthemum exhibition – a temporary display only available at the beginning of November, highlighting over 50 different cultivars in a wide variety of colors – that Tenya finally figured out his error.
“Brother! I sincerely apologize!” For good measure, he quickly bowed. “I knew that you prefer red grapefruit… and yet I foolishly bought you white grapefruit juice! I do not know how I managed to make such a mistake, but I promise it was not a purposeful slight. You do not need to pretend that–”
“Relax, Tenya,” Tensei interrupted. “The color really isn’t the problem. I really should have told you earlier, but… I don't drink any grapefruit juice anymore.”
“What‽” Tenya yelled. It was an inarticulate response, but the only one he could manage.
“Well, I can’t use Engine anymore, outside of my Quirk therapy sessions. So my doctors told me not to drink any of my fuel – they don’t want me overloading my tank, as it were.”
“I cannot believe I have been so ignorant!” As a fellow bearer of Engine, he should have figured out this side effect long ago. Once more, he bowed. “I sincerely apologize!”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” he insisted. “If anything, I feel bad for letting you waste your money on the juice. Any chance you’ll let me pay for it now?”
“None whatsoever,” he said, chopping his hands for emphasis.
Tensei laughed. “I had to try it. Now come on, let’s view another arrangement!”
Tenya understood that this was Tensei ending the discussion. Although he had more questions he wished to ask him, he wanted to respect this boundary. They moved along to the next display, which featured a variety of genetically modified chrysanthemums.
At that moment, an idea began to sprout in Tenya’s mind.
But he would contemplate it at another time. For right now, he wanted to be here in this moment, spending quality time with his brother.
-
He quickly realized that this project would need to be a team effort – his first attempts at creation made it clear that his own knowledge was not sufficient. Fortunately, he knew two people with the perfect skillsets for the job: Yaoyorozu Momo with her mastery of chemistry and Lunch Rush with his culinary expertise. Even more fortunately, both of them were willing to work with him.
(He attempted to monetarily compensate them for their time, but was denied by both of them. Yaoyorozu told him that she had already had more than enough money, and Lunch Rush insisted it was a favor for his old student. It turned out that he was Tensei’s former homeroom teacher.)
Their product was ready by the end of the year. The three of them had personally overseen production of this first batch, but if it was well received, Tenya planned to provide instructions to the Team IidaTen support crew.
“Brother! I have a gift for you!”
“Ooh, a late Christmas present?” Tensei asked.
Tenya scowled and chopped his hands. “Of course not! That would imply I intended to deliver it at Christmas, but failed to meet the deadline. I would never–”
Tenya took a breath. His excellent time-management skills were not relevant at the moment – he needed to focus on the task at hand. He unzipped his insulated bag, pulled out one glass bottle , and handed it to Tensei.
He read the label aloud. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Grapefruit: 100% Artificially Favored Juice.”
“This drink was developed by Yaoyorozu Momo and Lunch Rush.” It was the latter who insisted upon the ridiculous name, but Tenya decided not to bring that up. “It tastes exactly like Star Ruby grapefruit juice, but is chemically distinct enough that it will not act as fuel for Engine. Please, give it a try!”
Tensei twisted off the cap and drank a large swig. He had a shocked expression on his face – just as the name promised, it seemed he could not believe it was not grapefruit.
“I didn’t realize how much I missed this,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “Tenya, this is so thoughtful. You’re the best brother a guy could ask for.”
Tenya smiled and shook his head. “No. You are.”