The first few days at Hawks' agency blurred into a rhythm of running, endless paperwork, and the quiet frustration of inaction. Neither Robinn nor Tokoyami had seen anything that resembled the kind of heroics they had signed up for. No daring rescues, no high-stakes fights. Just signatures, staplers, and sprinting to keep up with a man who never seemed to slow down.

  By the end of another long evening shift, Robinn collapsed across her bed, arms flung wide, glaring at the ceiling with stormy eyes. Her muscles ached from constant training runs, but fatigue wasn’t what held her in place. It was the gnawing anger, the weight of falling behind. She had joined Hawks expecting speed, experience, maybe even a taste of the chaos he thrived in. Instead, she’d been buried under villain arrest reports and told to catch up if she could.

  Her phone buzzed against the small desk by the window, the vibration rattling a pen to the floor. With a groan, she rolled off the mattress and shuffled over. The screen lit her face in pale blue, making her look more tired than she felt.

  "Kirishima’s calling? What could he want?" she muttered, staring at his name before finally swiping to answer.

  She forced her tone into something lighter and less jagged. "Hey Kirishima, what’s up?"

  "Hey Robinn! I’m bored, so I’m checking up on how everyone is doing with their internships."

  "Oh. Okay."

  Her words dropped flat, and silence stretched before he tried again.

  "So how’s your internship going, Robinn?"

  She exhaled slowly into the receiver. "Great, I guess."

  "You guess?"

  "I mean, it’s been nonstop action, but I’ve mostly just been doing cleanup and trying to keep up with Hawks. He does this thing where he basically ignores us, then flies ahead to wrap things up before we even get there. By the time the rest of us arrive, it’s just paperwork and turning in the villain to the cops."

  Her rant unspooled in tight, quick words. Kirishima listened with the kind of eager patience that only made her irritation sharper.

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  "Yeah, that sounds rough... If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had any action either. Trash collecting is pretty much all I’ve been doing."

  There was a heavy pause, then her blunt reply. "Yeah, you’ve got it worse then."

  He laughed awkwardly, but kept his tone bright. "I mean, it’s not all bad. I’ve been learning a lot from Mr. Fourth Kind, and it’s been fun hanging out with Tetsutetsu too."

  Robinn sank back onto her bed, knees tucked up, staring absently at her phone screen as though it might give her something else to focus on. "Oh yeah, you’re with him. Nice." She said after a while of silence, remembering she had to continue the conversation.

  "Speaking of which, you were with Tokoyami, right? How’s that been going?"

  She hesitated before answering. "I’d say it’s going good. He’s been going through the same stuff as me, but I put him in a new routine and have been training with him."

  Kirishima’s voice shifted into sheepish excitement. "That’s very manly of Tokoyami!... but I was kind of asking how you’re getting along with him."

  "Getting along? We get along fine. Train and work together, then go our separate ways on breaks. Though Dark Shadow seems to be more social than he is."

  She stretched out on her back again, eyes tracking the cracks in the ceiling plaster.

  Kirishima chuckled. "Right, I forgot who it was I’m talking to. Should’ve known you’d say something like that."

  Then his voice sped up, apologetic. "Hey Robinn, sorry, but I’ve got to go. My mom’s calling. Talk to you later!"

  "Mk, bye." Her reply came flat and clipped, then she ended the call herself.

  For a while she just lay still. Eventually, she rose and drifted to the window. Her palm pressed to the cool glass as she looked out at the sprawling city of Kyushu, city lights shimmering like a scattered constellation. A bitter thought edged its way in.

  This was supposed to be my new playing ground. But so far, I’ve done nothing worthwhile.

  Meanwhile, a few floors above, Hawks leaned lazily against Bluejay’s desk.

  "Hey Blue, I’m leaving on that mission. Tell the students I won’t be on patrol tomorrow."

  Bluejay looked up from the mound of documents he had been combing through, brow furrowed. "Sure, boss... but don’t you think you should actually teach them something while they’re here?"

  Hawks pushed off from the desk, his wings folded tightly, footsteps unhurried as he walked away. A single feather drifted loose, spiraling down the hallway toward the stairwell and out of view.

  "You more than anyone should know I have no interest in raising the next generation of heroes, Blue."

  He glanced back, eyes sharp but unsmiling. "Besides, I think they’ll learn more without me here to steal the spotlight."

  The door clicked shut behind him, and Bluejay’s shoulders slumped. He rubbed his temple, the desk lamp casting hard shadows across his tired face.

  "So you’re just going to leave everything on me for a couple of days again." His voice was quiet, more defeated than angry.

  He bent back toward his paperwork, pen dragging across the page with mechanical steadiness. "At least tell me what you’re actually doing when you go away," he whispered to no one at all.