~Inari's POV~

Flashback:

Inari- Age 19

Hitoshi- Age 12

Hitoshi and I had been staying with an old high school friend of mine in exchange for some cheap rent and me taking care of all the housework. It was temporary while I adjusted to my new job serving at a strip club and was able to find us an apartment of our own.

I got home late and went to check on Hitoshi. He was sound asleep in our small closet sized room. I tucked him in and kissed the top of his head before exiting the room to go clean up the rest of the apartment since Maro lived like a frat boy.

The kitchen was a mess, there were empty pizza boxes and beer cans scattered across the counter. I frowned as I started cleaning up. I'd asked Maro not to drink around Hitoshi, yet he still did. Sighing, I resigned myself to have another talk with him in the morning when he was awake and sober.

Maro suddenly stumbled out of his bedroom with a can of beer sloshing in his hand. He turned his crimson gaze my way and grinned, "there's my cute little maid." He slurred his words together.

"Very funny." I grumbled sarcastically. "I asked you not to drink in front of Hitoshi." I frowned.

"I waited till he went to bed." Maro staggered into the kitchen and attempted to wrap his arms around me.

I roughly shoved him away, "what the hell? You're drunk, go to bed."

"I don't think that's any way to treat me, I let you and your kid brother stay here out of the kindness of my heart." He slurred.

"In a closet for rent and free housekeeping." I pointed.

"Well, I think rent's going up." He reached out to touch me and I swatted his hand away.

"Choose your next words very carefully." I hissed at him.

"How about you pay me with your body?" He leaned toward me and caught my wrist in his hand before I could pull away.

I hurriedly activated my quirk, "punch yourself in face and walk away from me."

He punched himself in the face hard enough he fell over and I ran to the small closet sized room I shared with Hitoshi and quickly shook him awake.

"Nee-san?" Hitoshi looked around confused.

"We're leaving. Grab your bag." I said quietly and grabbed one of Maro's old baseball bat's from his time on the school's baseball team as I heard him let out an enraged yell from down the hall.

"Nee-san?" Hitoshi asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. I've got everything under control." I reassured him before ducking out of the small room as Maro ran down the hall. I swung the bat with all my might. It made a loud low clanging sound as it connected with his skull and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. I dropped the bat between his legs before grabbing my bag and stuffing the few possessions I had into it. I helped Hitoshi gather his things, made sure he had everything and marched him out of the apartment.

I returned to the apartment, victorious after besting my stalker, and found Kazuma's delivery waiting at the front desk. I struggled to get it all upstairs but managed it in one trip. Kazuma must have heard me swearing down the hall as he opened his door before I could figure out how I was supposed to knock.

"Thanks, Inari." He breathed a sigh of relief and helped take his groceries from me. I searched my own bag and pulled out the leeks I'd picked out and extended them to him. "They're perfect!" He gushed.

"You know we could probably get one of those aero garden things and grow you some veggies or something. I doubt the landlord would mind as long as we don't go too crazy." I suggested.

"That's a good idea. I'll do some research and see what I can find online." He inspected my bag for a moment. "Did you get a cat?"

"No?" I frowned and followed his gaze. There were two cans of cat food in my bag. I'd been so smug about my victory I hadn't been paying attention as the cashier was ringing me up. "Apparently my stalker does though."

Kazuma stared at me, completely baffled, "I'm sorry, what?"

I sighed and recounted the events of the supermarket to him.

He laughed. "Sounds like you like this gentleman."

"No fucking way." I growled.

"If you didn't, you would have done something far worse than make him put away some groceries and redo his shopping." Kazuma pointed.

"Ew gross, I do not like my stalker." I hissed.

"Whatever you say." Kazuma grinned. "So what are you going to do with the cat food?"

"I'm sure my stalker will turn up again, I'll just throw it at him next time he stalks me." I shrugged.

"Sounds healthy." Kazuma laughed.

"Need anything else?" I asked politely, trying to get him off the topic of my stalker.

"I'm good, thanks for all of your help, Inari. Have a good night." He bid me farewell before returning to his safe haven.

I headed to my apartment and set the bags on the counter to make sure there wasn't anything else weird in there. Aside from the cat food, there wasn't anything other than the ingredients for Miso glazed salmon which I was relieved about. I scolded myself for not looking before blindly checking out. That could have gotten extremely weird if he'd purchased anything kinky. Though it would have given me some leverage.

As I was putting the groceries away, my phone started ringing. I dug it out of the pocket of my sweatpants and hurriedly answered it as I saw it was a call from Hitoshi. "Hey, brat, how was the first day at UA?" I asked him with a smile, stopping everything I was doing so I could give him my full attention.

"It was okay." He began calmly, but I could sense an edge to his voice as if he were excited about something.

"Just okay?" I pondered with a smile.

"Alright, more than okay, I heard some good news from Mr. Aizawa."

"Mr. Stalker." I corrected him.

Hitoshi sighed, "I'm not calling him that, he seems nice." I could practically hear his eye roll.

"If you say so. What's the good news?" I asked.

"He said I might be able to transfer into the hero course if I stand out in the upcoming Sports Festival and do well in my classes." Hitoshi said excitedly.

"That's amazing news!" I cheered, though I'd already been made aware of that at the grocery store. Though if he'd already told Hitoshi, why did he need to approach me about it as well? Unless it was just an excuse to talk to me...seemed like a stalker tactic.

"That means I have to study and focus a lot more, so no more crazy distractions." He said sternly.

"Excuse me?" I asked, appalled.

"You filled my entire bedroom with balloon animals last year." He grumbled.

"You said you were having a bad week,and how much fun was it to stab them all with scissors?" I huffed.

"The neighbors didn't appreciate it." He grumbled.

"Kazuma found it entertaining once he realized we weren't under fire." I pointed.

"Everyone else was pissed!" He snapped.

"Everyone else has a stick up their ass!" I snapped back.

"No more shenanigans this year." He sighed.

"I'm not going to be happy about it, but fine. Whatever you need." I sighed.

"Thank you." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Anything for you, buzzkill." I teased him.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about these random sticky notes I keep finding in my school supplies, would you?" He pondered.

"Not a clue." I grinned.

"Liar." He chuckled. "Thanks, Nee-san."