A Brewing Tension

Times where villains and heroes tolerate each other are rarer than a blue moon. However, through the calming properties of a good drink, all things are possible. The neon sign of "Thanks A Latte" café hangs outside, blinking in its usual manner, with the shop bell occasionally ringing as customers come and go. Recino Percutio sank into her armchair, adjusting spreadsheets, writing documents, and fixing timetables.

Although her client was seven minutes and twenty seconds late, the compensation for this meeting would justify any further delay. The soft chimes drew her attention once more as sundown approached, and a sharply dressed young woman slipped in. Without acknowledging the barista, she made her way over and gave hope that the meeting might still go well.

"Thank you for waiting, Percutio-san. I... almost got lost on the way here," the girl admitted to her, bowing.

"Perhaps it would have been wiser to schedule a call. Private consultations can be quite expensive, especially for someone new to such a competitive industry," she remarked, resisting the urge to scoff at the young lady.

"I do not own a telephone. They simply will not work. Forgive me if it is cutting into your schedule."

"Water under the bridge."

"I can, at the very least, start us off with some drinks. Do you drink anything in particular?"

"A doppio for me and get whatever you'd like."

As Yumiko approached the counter, she saw a woman with a blonde ponytail, her apron dusted with flour from the morning's baking, wiping down mugs behind it.

"Hey there! What can I get for you today?"

Yumiko looked down at Helene Lysingen, the cafe's sole proprietor and barista extraordinaire, and placed her order. By day, Helene was a friendly face, but Yumiko couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her than met the eye. Rumors circulated that Helene was also Noctiluca, a crime-fighting vigilante who brought unruly customers to justice with 17,000 kilowatts of power. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was a connection between the two personas, but there was no painless way to prove it.

"Please prepare a mocha latte and doppio."

"Mhm, will that be all?"

"Thank you very much. You have quite a homely place here, and I appreciate such hospitality."

"Y..You too?"

Yumiko placed rolls of cash onto the counter, paying for far more than the cost of every drink for sale combined. Helene met her gaze and gave a subtle nod before pocketing the money.

The hiss of steam and the whirr of the espresso machines filled the air as hot water mixed with the coffee grounds, producing a rich and complex aroma. Their fragrant liquids cascaded into porcelain cups and were topped with a thick layer of cream. With a gentle clink, Helene set the cups on the tray at the counter.

Balancing the tray carefully in her hands, Yumiko made her way back to their seats. Recino was so hyper-focused on whatever she was working on that she didn't even notice her return.

"Okay. We may begin now. If you please, there seems to be a lot on your mind."

"The files are here. I recommend that you read them at your own pace since work documents like these are confidential."

Envelopes swapped between the two as they enjoyed their drinks.

"Was it hard getting your hands on this?"

"My employers have their ways. No one will be missing those files. But if you don't mind I want to know one thing. Why this one?"

Nakata Yumiko fixed her with an unblinking stare, as if she couldn't believe the question that had just been posed to her - as though it were on par with asking why the earth revolved around the sun or why water was wet. Recino could feel her discomfort growing, but decided to press on.

"Look, I don't mean to pry. It's just that, well...you seem really invested in this person."  As she spoke, Recino couldn't help but think of her boss and the way he threw money at anything that caught his fancy. This situation reminded her too much of him, and it made her uneasy.

Yumiko's eyes lit up with an intense, possessive gleam. "I am going to make them a star, no matter what happens," she said, making a strange smile as if overcome by intense emotion.

"Nothing will stand in the way of their talent being recognized. They have a spark inside them they haven't released and I won't let anyone else do it."  Her voice was filled with an unwavering determination, her eyes filled with an intense, possessive gleam.

"The crowd will be mine to entertain, and they will love her. It is unfair that she's been overlooked for so long, but that is all going to change soon enough." Recino couldn't help but be amused - this was the first time she had seen Yumiko display such intensity outside of her costume.

"You have history then?"

"She doesn't remember me, but that's okay. It's enough that I remember her," Yumiko said, her voice softening as she calmed down from her near outburst.

"I want the crowd to love her, but only if I am the one to make them love her. When the Mitsurugi Dojo still opened its doors to the public, I served a young master who viewed his servants as nothing more than playthings, to be toyed with and discarded at will. But Chihiro-san was the only one who treated me like a human being."

"The papers mentioned something about this. Some sort of quirk related incident occurred on  ///// which took ///// lives. All public operations in that location have ceased to this day. Media coverage at the time was unfair to say the least." Recino interjected.

"It was his whims which spared me. He sent me out for a Caffe Mocha," Yumiko admitted, sipping the sweet brew.

Recino nodded slowly, taking in the story. She faced similar clients before, of people wanting to right the wrongs done to those who had helped them. But there was something different about Yumiko's intensity, something almost manic in the way she talked about her goal.

"I see," she said carefully. "And you're sure this is the best way for you to help her? To make her famous?"

"I have no doubt. Something needs to shine against the dark sky, after all."

Nakata Yumiko drank in silence before placing the envelope into her handbag. As she stood up, Recino cleared her throat and brought her   attention back to more pressing, terrestrial matters.

"Goodbye, Recino-san."

Recino massaged her temples and muttered, "You know how to find me."

The door would ring twice more as the cafe transitioned into its later hours, signaling the start of Noctiluca's graveyard shift. She was tightening a few nuts and bolts that had come loose throughout the day all over the cafe. It was strange, as this rarely happened.

"At least it's popular here..." she consoled herself, her heavy eye bags matched only by the weight of her heavier pockets.