August 20, 20XX
Corey Island Boardwalk
Koichi and his mother, Shoko, strolled along, each holding onto a large serving of funnel cake.
«It's a shame Dad couldn't get time off to visit. He would have loved funnel cake.»
Koichi took several quick bites. A grin of sugary content shone across his face.
Shoko sighed.
«It can't be helped. He keeps letting his supervisor take advantage of him. That man is too gullible.»
Mrs. Haimawari stared at the powdery confection in her hand as if it were trying to tempt her. Defiantly, she turned her head away from the fried treat and continued speaking.
«Though, he did purchase a first-class round trip for me,» Shoko reached a hand to her neck placing her fingers upon a beautiful ornate, diamond necklace, «And this necklace is rather beautiful as well so I accepted his apology.»
Koichi chuckled but his eyes showed a deep concern about his father's financial situation for the next four months. He quickly brushed the thought aside as he once again saw his mother staring daggers at the funnel cake in her hand.
«You should eat it while it's still warm. I promise it's not bad!» Koichi said.
«This country might have an aversion to healthy foods.» Shoko snarkily replied.
Mrs. Haimawari took a small bite of funnel cake before wiping her mouth with a napkin. She tried her best to hide the delight on her face.
«A-at least eating here isn't boring so as a tourist I may as well indulge.»
Koichi laughed and pointed at his mother's face.
«You got some powdered sugar on your cheek.»
Mrs. Haimawari turned away in embarrassment and feverishly wiped her cheeks with a crumpled napkin.
Koichi jaunted in front of his mother, walking backwards as the two continued to stroll down the boardwalk.
«Keeping myself in shape can definitely be a challenge but always having something new to try makes post-workout meals all the more exciting! Just wait until you see what we'll have for dinner.»
Shoko smiled as Koichi continued to prattle on about the foods he's tried since coming to New York. After all he has been through, to see that same joyous grin on his face warmed her heart greatly.
However, while Koichi regaled his mother with tales of his emergence as an American foodie, he unknowingly bumped into a passerby. It was a muscular, blonde fellow draped in a white shirt and black beach shorts.
"Watch it, man! Why the hell are you walking backwards in the first place, idiot!" The man shouted, spittle flying off the ceramic piercing on his bottom lip.
Koichi immediately turned and apologized to the man, bowing deeply. However, the man only grew more antagonistic. He rested his large hand on Koichi's head, ruffling his hair in a demeaning manner.
Before the man could utter another insult, his vision was impaired as Shoko threw funnel cake at his face. As the man wiped the fried dough from his eyes, Mrs. Haimawari berated him in a tirade of broken English. She punctuated every sentence with a slap on the man's head using her quirk, Fly Swatter.
Koichi struggled to find the right words to deescalate the situation. Luckily, before the confrontation had completely boiled over, a small girl emerged from behind the hulking man clutching a dragon plushie.
"Woah! You're that Skycrawlin' guy! Can you sign Jasper!"
"Jasper?" Koichi replied, confused.
Both the man and Mrs. Haimawari froze, their anger replaced by a sudden bewilderment.
"B-but Jessie, you don't even let daddy touch your stuffed animals." The man said meekly.
The child's response was curt and cold.
"That's because only me, mommy and cool heroes can play with Jasper and his friends."
The man bowed his head in shame, another lost in a series of fatherhood defeats.
Koichi chuckled nervously as he looked around for something to write with.
«Here.» Shoko walked calmly towards her son while she rummaged through her purse. She produced a ball point pen and handed it to her son.
As Koichi grabbed the pen, he realized his hands were still coated in sugar from the funnel cake. Instinctively he placed the wrapper with the fried treat on his shoulder. A small, glowing ring formed at the point of contact, keeping the confection suspended at an impossible position. Jessie was elated by this and let out a thunderous applause with her small hands.
"Okay! I'll try not to get any sugar on Jasper." Koichi said as he wiped his hands skittishly against his jeans.
The felt that composed Jasper's cuddly exterior was an unruly surface to write on. Shoko sighed as she saw how Koichi's already poor penmanship became an undecipherable glyph that poor Jasper would have to bear for the rest of his days.
Regardless, Jessie was beside herself with joy. As Koichi handed Jasper back, she lovingly embraced the stuffed animal.
"Thanks mister! Now Jasper will be able to fly just like you do!"
"Fly? I'm sure that'll be fun!", Koichi smiled. For the few fans he did have, meeting them always improved his mood, "Do you like dragons, Jessie?"
The child nodded fiercely, her strawberry blonde hair shaking feverishly in the coastal breeze.
Koichi took his phone from his pocket, leaning down towards the child as he typed away at a glowing screen. He turned the phone towards little Jessie, and on it played a video showing rescue highlights of Ryuko Tatsuma, better known as the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu.
"This is Ryukyu, her quirk is super cool, isn't it?"
Jessie's eyes grew wide as she snatched the phone from Koichi's grasp to stare even closer at the screen. Koichi laughed timidly as he feared he'd just lost one of his few fans.
"Man, you foreign heroes got it easy," Jessie's dad interjected, still wiping funnel cake from his face, "I bet getting into the hero courses over there is a breeze."
"It might have been. I wouldn't know, I failed it." Koichi said matter-of-factly. He reached for the funnel cake bizarrely hovering over his shoulder, "That didn't stop me from helping people."
"Pfft! Didn't you like stop a whole plane? With a quirk like that doing the heavy lifting, you're on easy street no matter what you decide to d-"
The man bit his tongue as a newly enraged Shoko began smacking him again. The pair started to draw unwanted attention and a horde quickly formed. Koichi could see the flickers of a familiar blue uniform, but before he could alert his mother, officers emerged from the crowd. The quarreling of the two parents were cut short as members of boardwalk security slowly surrounded them.
Hours passed, the sand along the shore grew into a deep brown as dusk drew along the skies. While he never ruled it out, Koichi hoped his mother wouldn't find herself in a law enforcement facility on her birthday. Fortunately, security was lenient, in large part due to Jessie's endearing nature. Though she rather heartlessly pinned the whole thing on her father.
Koichi was the last one to exit the security building. He waved goodbye to Jessie as she and her downtrodden father made their way to the parking lot.
"Thanks again mister! I'm gonna go home and watch more of the dragon lady—and uh you too!" Jessie shouted, swinging Jasper around by the tail as she waved.
Koichi smiled and turned away. As the evening sea breeze blew past, Koichi wondered if he could salvage this situation. Not only did security make him throw away his funnel cake, but this whole incident made him miss his dinner reservation.
As he paced back and forth, he spotted his mother a few feet down the boardwalk, leaned against the railing, taking in the evening shoreline. He approached her cautiously, expecting to be scolded for the negligence that started this whole mess to begin with.
«I lost my composure but don't expect an apology from me.» Shoko said sternly.
Koichi was baffled. Wasn't he in the wrong for bumping into the guy to begin with? He stood next to his mother and scanned her with a scrutinizing gaze as he wondered if this was an impostor. Offended, Shoko casually swung a hand down, striking Koichi in the head using her quirk.
«Ow! I-it's okay, I wasn't asking for one.» Koichi weakly replied.
Mrs. Haimawari turned and stared at her son.
«Remember when you were six? You used to race the neighborhood cats when you got home from school.»
Koichi chuckled, «I was so excited after figuring out how to move with my quirk. Definitely crashed a few times though.»
«That's putting it lightly. Your father and I were on the verge of tears every time you came home with a new bruise.»
«Oh..»
«It's fine Koichi, that's not the point I'm trying to make. Just don't let what that oaf said earlier affect you.»
Shoko held Koichi's hand. It wasn't her usual domineering grip, like the kind she'd used to pull his ear whenever they argued. As his hand rested in her small palm, Koichi saw a fragility in his mother he thought never existed.
«You've gone from racing cats to overtaking speeding buses—even soaring up the sides of skyscrapers.»
Ms. Haimawari gripped her son's hand more tightly.
«The path you find yourself on now wasn't laid out for you the moment your quirk manifested. It was effort, Koichi, that's what got you here. That's what made your dream come true. Effort.»
Shoko leaned back and stared skyward, counting the few stars that managed to peer through the evening veil.
«I'm so proud of the man, no—the hero you've become. That adorable girl from earlier had the same smile you did when you were little. So keep up that effort, Koichi. Be a hero that can bring a smile to every child's face.»
Koichi was taken aback. His mother, who staunchly opposed heroics as a profession, stood there giving a pep talk in defense of it.
«Of course I will.» Koichi smiled. He leaned forward, embracing his mother in a hug.
«Continued effort is nothing I can't handle. I was born Koichi Haimawari, after all.»
Shoko's eyes became glossy as she clung to her son.