Sleep does not come to those who allow worry and confusion to simmer in their thoughts.

Irises crafted of periwinkle found themselves staring at the whiteness of the ceiling, counting the small bumps decorating its surface. A short breath escaped Akihiko as the familiar darkness of his room stilled in transience with only him as its companion. The pull of his mirror image was nonexistent, the other him lost within the plane of reality and illusion.

A frown pulled at the crystal's lips as yesterday became nothing more than a hectic memory. Another attack that was written as a random Villain who wanted to cause a scene. A lot of those were happening, which caused his Dad to stay at work longer than needed. But that was the life of a Hero, and in a couple of years, it would be his own life too.

Using the illuminance of his hair, Akihiko lifted his arm and gazed at the back of his hand. His pale skin had taken a lavender hue. "Your worth, huh?"

His nose scrunched up in bewilderment. Those words spoken by the person wearing the leather plague mask were in his mind. He had been trying to tear the meaning apart since he returned home with Yua after she left and into the early morning since sleep did not come easily. Even Akimitsu was confused because he did not warn him of incoming danger, so was the person, not someone to worry about?

But why could Akihiko see him whereas others could not? When he asked Yua about it earlier, all she gave him was a confused stare and a half-hearted joke saying maybe his Quirk was spazzing out again. The back of his hand pressed against his forehead, knuckles rubbing against his fiberglass bangs.

Maybe he was just going crazy. This would not be surprising, considering how much chaos popped into his life daily. A sigh slipped free from his lips as the beginning of a headache was developing.

"Your worth lies within the eye of the beholder."

The eye of the beholder. Was the meaning of that phrase saying that true beauty differed between people because of their opposing views? What did that have to do with worth? What did that have to do with him? And as far as he knew, Akihiko had never met that person in his life. His younger memories may be a bit blotchy, but that was only concerning Junpei, which had been resolved already.

The crystal glared at the ceiling through slits as a huff left him. Should he try? He shifted his attention to his phone lying on his bedside table and then to the clock. It was only three in the morning. It was not that early. Akihiko knew that was a lie, but it made him feel better anyway.

With his thumb and index finger, he unplugged his phone from the charger and pressed the power button. He did not flinch at the high opacity of his screen and typed in his password. Tapping the messages button, his thumb lingered above one of the contacts. After a few seconds of thinking, he clicked on it before typing on the keypad.

Akihiko

Hey, I need to ask you something.

The crystal stared at the screen as if the longer he did, the faster he would receive a response. But given that it was the witching hour, he quickly doubted that it would become a reality. But he was anxious; for once, it seemed like amethyst's calming properties were not working when he once wanted them to.

Your worth... Was the person talking about his character or rather his value? His Quirk? Did it mean something entirely different than what he thought? Was he finally losing his mind? Or was he being haunted by some ghost now?

"I hope a ghost is not haunting me. Wait... that sounds dumb." He groaned as he shut his eyes. "Oh, I am probably going to say something stupid when I meet Briar at this rate."

Slowly, he cracked his eyelids open. "But Quirks are weird and do not make sense half the time. I could be haunted."

Maybe he needed to sleep if he was contemplating this option. If Akimitsu was listening into this conversation, the crystal could already see the amused smile of the other. Just as he was about to turn off his phone, three dots on the bottom of the screen began to jump. In a surprise, the teenager scooted up into a sitting position and waited for the reply to come in.

Junpei

Oh, texting me so early in the morning? It must be something important if you're asking for help. You're never the first to start a conversation with me, Mochizuki.

Akihiko

By any chance, do you know of a person wearing a plague mask?

Junpei

What a way to start a topic. Plague mask? As in one of those worn by doctors centuries ago? Frankly, nothing comes to mind. If it's a Villain, then I know of none. I'm sure it wasn't the one apprehended during the attack on the Gion District.

Akihiko

Of course, you know.

Akihiko rubbed his eye with the base of his palm, rubbing away the tears that were developing. Probably the lack of sleep and the stark brightness of his screen.

Junpei

I interned with Ception, who is essentially an information broker who's a Hero. She gave me special access to the Hero network, so it isn't hard to find out certain things. Plus, the internet exists, dear Akihiko. Surely you're not that dumb. But you haven't been sleeping, have you now?

If Junpei was present, Akihiko was confident he would be met with curious laughter and scrutinizing eyes.

Akihiko

I don't need to tell you.

Junpei

You don't, but I know you haven't. You tend not to make any sense when you're sleep-deprived, Mochizuki. You're not hard to read. To me, you're an open book.

Scrunching his nose up, Akihiko suddenly regretted his decision to text the other male. The lack of sleep must be affecting his choices. Otherwise, he would never have texted Junpei with a clear consciousness. Instead of replying, the crystal glared lightly at the screen as if he would be able to rid himself of his problems. His nail clicked against the side of his phone case, mulling over his thoughts.

He never had a good time texting Junpei, so he wondered why he thought this time would be better. It was probably the fact that Junpei was the most intelligent out of all of their classmates that he did so. Yeah, that was the reason.

Akihiko was not doing any good at convincing himself otherwise. But since when did wishful thinking do anyone any harm?

His eyes lingered on the last message received. The screen's light reflected off his periwinkle eyes while a white halo of light encircled the wall behind his head. The edge of his lip twitched as he racked his brain for a response. The only ones appearing were harshly worded. Just as he was about to press his thumb against a key, the sound of knuckles rapping against his bedroom door stopped him.

Frightened from the sudden noise, his phone slipped out of his grasp. The device's screen collided with his nose, and a low groan followed afterward. His hand cupped his face as his eyes screwed shut. The door began to open and the light from the hallway seeped into his bedroom, which was evident from the blood vessels lighting up in his eyelids.

"Akihiko, we need to leave, or we're going to be lat- you dropped your phone on your face, didn't you?"

"Yes," was what Akihiko responded with. He blinked a few times, trying to rid his eyes of the few tears that threatened to drop from his tear lines.

Sighing, the male at the door shook his head in slight disappointment, but that did not stop the teasing smile on his face. His shoulder connected with the white frame of the door, and droplets of black ink fell onto the navy blue jacket he wore. "We must leave now if you're going to make it to the train station. You know how hectic Kyoto station is."

Grimace immediately enveloped the teenager's features as he recalled the station's vastness. The station reminded him of how busy an airport would be, and both of them gave equally painful headaches. However, he sucked up his irritation because he could only complain so much, mostly because he had entirely forgotten that today was the day he had to go to Yoshino.

That plague-masked person threw his thoughts into a spiral.

Slipping out of bed, Akihiko was quick to tug on his socks and shoes. Although he nearly tripped while doing so, which elicited an amused chuckle from his father, Tomohiro. The crystal hooked his fingers around the strap of his black backpack and pulled it around his shoulder. He reached for the grey duffle bag, but Tomohiro had beat him to it.

Tomohiro's hand placed itself on Akihiko's shoulder and lightly urged him to hurry. The crystal only nodded in response as a yawn left him. "Come on. We need to go."

Rushing out the door, he heard his father lock the door with his key. It did not take long to throw his bags in the backseat and get into the car. Akihiko propped his elbow against the lower end of the window and pressed his cheek to his palm. The veil of darkness that simulated the sky was dotted with pricks of white light. Silver light would trickle through the gaps peaking through the crisp white billows hanging overhead. Warm illumination peered through the windows of the buildings they passed, blurring with the dark shadows.

Hearing the relaxing hum of the car's engine, Akihiko tapped his cheekbone with his index finger. "How was work?"

Shifting his attention to the window, the crystal tried to focus his gaze on the reflection. Vaguely, he could make out Tomohiro's form, and his pale hands wrapped tight around the staring wheel. However, the lights from the streetlamp would sometimes drown the image out.

"There's been a spike of cases concerning Trigger, so that's been eating up my time along with the other cases my agency has to deal with." The ink-haired man responded as he turned the wheel to the right. "What are you anxious about?"

"I am not anxious." That was a stupid lie, but he was too tired to think of a better one.

Tomohiro hummed in response, although it did not sound even an ounce convincing. "That's what you're going with?"

"I did not sleep at all at night."

"And why is that?" The man shifted his foot from the gas to the brake pedal and slowed at the stoplight. His white eyes shifted to the rearview mirror, looking at the car behind them. "Just because I can survive off coffee doesn't mean you can."

The teenager's lips twitched. "I'm worried about the internship. I'm behind."

"Setbacks are normal no matter how much you wish they weren't. The only thing you can do is keep going forward with your head held high. Make the best of your internship with Briar. She'll teach you well."

"Do you think Tanami would have chosen her as well?"

Silence instantly flooded the vehicle as neither spoke for a few seconds. Akihiko's eyes flickered to Tomohiro and noticed that his knuckles had turned pale from how hard he gripped the stirring wheel. The crystal pursed his lips. He should not have brought that question up. It had already been a year since his sister had gone missing, but neither could find it within themselves to have an actual conversation about her.

It was painful to talk about her yet agonizing over trying and ignoring her existence. But it was nice enough to try anyway. They did not speak for the rest of the way except for saying their goodbyes and that they would see each other in two weeks. But that moment of solace did not change the fact that the air was still awkward between them. Akihiko should have kept his mouth shut.

❯──｢✾｣──❮

The train ride from Kyoto to Yoshino was at least two hours, and that short amount of time was just enough for Akihiko to get some shut eye. However, he would have preferred to sleep longer if it did not mean he would have missed his stop.

Blearily, Akihiko rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes with the balls of his palms. Tears pricked at his eyes as he yawned. Glancing around him, he saw a few other passengers lift their arms above their heads to stretch or pop out their earbuds in case the speaker fizzled to life. Silently, he watched how the colors in the sky faded into warm shades of yellow, orange, and red, and thin rays of sunlight peek out from the horizon.

Fractions of those colors reflected off his eyes, yet he did not move to blink. At the same time, his peripheral vision caught the lavender hue of his hair growing brighter. Only the ends of his bangs were peaking out though.

Still, in a daze, the crystal stared at the grey plastic tray on the back of the chair in front of him. He blinked a few times, trying to rid himself of the sleep that wanted to lull him back into an unconscious plane. In an attempt to fully wake himself up, he tugged harder on the string of his burgundy jacket. The hood tightened around his face and squished the amethyst hair strips against his skull.

Another yawn escaped him as he opened the top cabinet to grab his backpack and duffle bag. Slinging the straps over his shoulders, he saw a mother pick up her sleeping child and cradle him in her arms out of the corner of his eye. Unbeknownst to him, a soft smile spread across his lips at the sight. However, he did not stay to witness the scene any longer once he saw the time on his phone. Halfway past seven and Akihiko would prefer to be at Briar's Agency by noon at least.

He already screwed up enough from the licensing exam to the remedial classes. Being late for his internship would be the nail in the coffin if he was.

After falling in line with everyone else, it took a few minutes for everyone to get off the train. The sole of his shoe connected with the concrete, and the sweet scent of cherry blossoms instantly flooded his nostrils. Flashes of the day before eroded his thoughts, and the boy shook his head. That was a later worry. He should not drive himself senseless over trivial things.

A knock against his skull was clearly against that statement, but Akihiko decided it would be best to ignore it.

It was apparent to see that Yoshino station was far smaller and less extravagant than the one in Kyoto. It was pretty plain, with a simple overhead covering the trains and the platform beneath. But it made sense since Yoshino was a small town on the outskirts. A lavished station was not needed in such a tranquil place. The placidity was refreshing compared to the bustling city where he lived.

Living in such a town had its perks.

Strolling around the station, banners crafted of different colored fabrics with white Kanji sprawled on them drew his attention to the stalls. Fervently shouting out their specials, the stall owners displayed their food or souvenirs to those who wandered nearby. A few children tugged at their parents' hands, asking them to buy some sweets for them.

Akihiko readjusted the strap of his duffle bag and shifted the weight on his shoulder. He turned his gaze away, opting to read the signs hanging above. A quick skim only revealed where certain trains would arrive and at what time. Nothing said anything about where any building was. He hoped that at least one of them would point in the general direction of where Briar's Agency was located. His periwinkle eyes flicked over to the stalls to see them incredibly busy.

"I guess I need to go further into town for directions." He sighed in disappointment. His shoulder slumped at the thought of having to walk around aimlessly for a while. He suddenly wished he had slept more than two hours.

Exiting the train station did not take long as Akihiko followed the few people who trickled out of the area. As he did so, the overwhelming sight of cherry blossom trees covered everything. Every wooden building on the stone-paved street had multiple trees surrounding them like a halo. Anywhere you looked, only a flurry of specific colors would wash over your vision. Petals colored pink, orange, yellow, red, and white were plucked free from the branches. They tumbled to the ground with glee, releasing more of their sweet scent for those who graced their presence.

The crystal lifted his hand and cupped several scarlet petals in his palm. The texture of the petals was smooth like silk on his skin. Rubbing a petal between his thumb and index finger, it eroded in his hand from the amount of force he used. The minimal amount of stickiness from the liquid it emitted. His nose scrunched up, and he quickly wiped it off on the fabric of his pants.

Unlike the towering buildings made of steel or lesser ones made of bricks in Kyoto, these buildings were created solely of wood coated in a sleek coating. Some were painted with a fresh coat of white paint, whereas others were decorated with oak planks which brightened up with contrast.

Akihiko weaved around the people bustling around the street. At times, he would misstep and bump into someone but was quick to apologize. Other than that, the usual curious eyes that stared at him did not exist. Hiding his crystallized hair with his hood was the best course of action then.

Walking around for a few minutes longer, Akihiko's lips pressed in a firm line. Nothing indicated where or how to get to Briar's Agency. It was not like Kohei-sensei had given him a map or instructions. He did not even know if Briar had even sent him anything. He did not have her phone number either. And even if the town was small, it was still large enough that it would take more than a couple of days to explore it all. Not to mention the forest that veiled the uninhabited portion.

Well, Akihiko was lost and clueless in this town. He did not want to admit it, but he was. There was no use wasting any more time. He should probably go into a shop and ask for directions. He was getting nowhere anyway.

It took a minute or two more of walking to stumble upon a store that was still open. Roux Cafe was painted in a soft vermillion across a white wooden sign with dotted flowers curling around the words. On either side of the small building were two seated tables with white umbrellas in the center. On the sides of the entrance were orange pots with pink flowers growing out of the soil.

Large planes of glass allowed anyone passing by to gaze inside the shop if they wanted. At first glance, the store appeared to be empty, but Akihiko could vaguely make out the form of a person behind the counter. Releasing a puff of air, Akihiko nodded before grabbing the door handle and stepping inside.

Although he did not wish to, the ringing of the golden bell signaling his arrival made him flinch. Subconsciously, he bit down on his bottom lip as he took a glance behind his shoulder. He half-expected to see a paper crane floating behind him but was met with nothing.

"Oh, you! You must be new to this area, right? I don't think I've seen anyone with those colored eyes!" A cheerful voice vibrated against the air, which immediately caused Akihiko to turn his head to the source.

Leaning over the wooden counter, a woman with thick black hair styled in a braid waved at him. As she did so, the aqua apron she adorned wrinkled. "Yup, you are definitely not from around these parts? Got family in Yoshino? Though I don't remember any of my regulars mentioning that they were expecting a nephew or cousin coming on vacation."

"No, no, I do not have any family here. I was wondering where Briar's Agency is?" Akihiko said as he walked toward the counter. He glanced around briefly. But there was not much to see besides the tables covering most of the floor and the display cases showing off different types of food. Above the woman's head was the menu.

"Briar?" The black-haired woman echoed. After pondering for a bit, her sapphire eyes brightened with excitement. "You must be the inte-"

"Reika! I can't find it!" A disembodied voice yelled from the open door leading to the back of the shop.

Pushing herself off the counter, Reika placed a hand on her hip. "Natsuki, it's in the left drawer!"

If Akihiko listened closely enough, he could hear the shuffling of stuff tossed around in a drawer.

"No, it's not! I can't find the chocolate!"

Reika's shoulders slumped as she shook her head. "I swear they're in that drawer. You, um, I don't know your name, but can you wait here? I'll explain how to get to Briar's Workshop as soon as I help Natsuki out."

Not exactly sure what to do on his lonesome, Akihiko decided to waste time by reading the menu. By the time he had gotten to the curry buns, he felt the familiar sensation of tapping his skull. Rolling his eyes, he continued to read until another more urgent tap was felt. Before he could grumble about it, he managed to pick up the sound of something rolling across the wooden flooring. Confused by the sound, he turned his head to see two people reappearing from the back.

Seated in a black wheelchair was a young girl, probably no older than eleven, who was gushing over the bag of chocolate in her hands. Caramel-colored hair framed her face, and bangs fell into her eyes, but she made no move to brush them away. Reina's hands were settled on the handles as she pushed the young girl to one of the tables. It did not take long for the girl's green eyes to fall onto Akihiko.

"You're new around here, aren't you! What's your name?"

"Natsuki, you can't just ask someone for their name!" Reika responded as she tossed her braid over her shoulder. She turned to Akihiko. "I'm sorry, she gets excited when she sees new people around."

"It does not bother me. You can call me Akihiko." The crystal responded as he waved at the young girl. She eagerly did the same.

The brown-haired child tilted her head as her eyebrows scrunched up. "Why do you have your hood on? It's not cold in Yoshino."

Drawing closer to the girl, Akihiko smiled softly at her. "My hair is quite eye-catching because of my Quirk. I do not want to distract anyone because of it?"

"Why?" Natsuki popped one of the chocolates from her bag into her mouth. She chewed quickly before swallowing. "Is it bad? Do you have a cursed Quirk?"

"Cursed?" The amethyst-haired teen questioned. He sent a side-glance toward Reika, who quickly shook her hands in dismissal. She sent him a look that said, 'I will explain.' "No, nothing like that. It would be better to show you."

Slowly Akihiko loosened his hood and allowed it to fall back. As usual, the slight glow coated the edges of his vision. A gasp of surprise came from Natsuki, and she clutched her bag in excitement. "You're shiny!"

Even if it was a normal reaction, seeing the girl brighten up instantly brought a smile to his lips. "See why I had my hood on?"

"Yeah, everyone would stare at you. It glows brighter in the sun, right? That's why you had your hood on." Nodding her head in self-confirmation, her hair bounced up and down.

"It does," Akihiko shifted the duffle bag he carried to his other shoulder as he was getting sore.

"Put your bag down. I'm sorry I left you standing for so long! It wasn't my intention." The blue-eyed woman ushered for Akihiko to do as she told and even forced him to sit on the other side of Natsuki. She even managed to get him to place both of his bags down. The child quickly offered him a piece of chocolate, which he accepted.

"Right, you wanted to know where Briar's Workshop is?" Reika inquired.

"Is it not referred to as her agency?"

"Technically both, but here we refer to it as a workshop. But you must be her intern then! You should have seen her excitement when you agreed to do your internship with her. Gosh, she was so nervous about it. As the days got closer, more of her creations exploded. She fidgets a lot more when she's anxious." The woman placed her hand on her chest and laughed quietly. "You saw the mountain going upward with all of the cherry blossoms?"

"The one leading up to the temple at the very top?"

Reika nodded with a smile. "When climbing up the stairs, on the third tier, you're going to turn left at the second trail. Once you're on it, walk for about five minutes, and you'll see the building. It's the only building surrounded by cherry blossoms after all."

So Akihiko's going to have to climb a bunch of steps? Great.

"Oh, oh!" Natsuki raised her hand to catch their attention. "Don't take the first trail, however! It's haunted!"

"That trail isn't haunted, Natsuki!"

The girl puffed her cheeks out and glared at the black-haired woman. "Yes, it is! Remi says it is! That's where all of the people have been going missing! Because they go through that trail where Lamity is!"

"People have been going missing?" Akihiko asked, leaning forward as he was intrigued by the sudden information. He thought Yoshino had a low amount of crime.

"We've had a few residents suddenly disappear. Some say they went through the first trail and were never seen again. Some say it's kidnapping, but there are no signs of their houses being destroyed or entered by someone of unknown origin. Because of this, an old folktale has started to rise again among children.

"Long story short, it is said that a doctor used to live in the woods and took care of patients. However, something went wrong, and he was found dead. Afterward, those that ventured into that part of the woods would be greeted by a person in a plague mask to steal their soul. But the myth of Lamity has been here for decades and is just used to scare children."

"It's real! It's not fake!"

The minor bickering between the child and the adult fell on deaf ears as Akihiko suddenly found it hard to swallow. A plague mask? No, it has to be a coincidence. It has to be because it does not make sense for Akihiko to have seen that person in the Gion District. Indeed, this had nothing to do with that.

The saliva in his throat was suddenly nonexistent. "What was that thing about cursed Quirks?"

Reika swiped one of the chocolates from Natsuki's bag, to the child's dismay. "It's another part of Lamity's tale. If you somehow manage to escape the woods unharmed, your Quirk is cursed and no longer usable. Like there's a block of the flow of power. What was that other thing? Do you remember, Natsuki?"

The brown-haired child nibbled on her sweet. "Hmm, something else? Uhh- oh! Was it concerning value? No, not that... you worth! That's it! Something about your worth!"

Akihiko suddenly realized he should have chosen that internship in Tokyo instead.

❯──｢✾｣──❮

Author's Note:

This chapter was a lot longer than I expected. I had to cut it into two chapters. That will come at the end of the week, hopefully. Concerning the myth of Lamity, it is a made-up story I made. I've only talked about it vaguely in this chapter, but what do you think will happen next?

Character Spotlight:

Name: Reika Roux

Quirk: Angelic Voice

Like: Cooking