Midoriya Izuku was barely holding back tears from the pain. His "Detroit Smash" had left only one arm intact. He didn't want that sweet girl to see him so pitiful, even though she wasn't even in the infirmary.
The first person to enter the infirmary was the pro hero Recovery Girl, followed by an unknown guy with a scary eye. Immediately after he was given a magical regenerative kiss and a candy, the pain subsided, and he was able to leave the infirmary ten minutes later. The amazing miracles of an incredible Quirk and a young body.
— Um... who are you? — Midoriya asked, unable to contain himself, as the scarred stranger followed him.
— I'm Taiko Garaki, a participant from another section. I was wondering why you were so injured. Was it by any chance because of the robot?
— I...y-yes. It was because of the robot... oh, I mean no!— He exhaled, starting over. — My name is Izuku Midoriya.
— A familiar name...— Taiko scratched his chin, then cleared his throat. — Did one of the participants really hurt you like that? I hope they expelled him. — Taiko cracked his knuckles slightly angrily, intending to teach a lesson to the potential offender of such a frail and delicate guy as Izuku.
— N-of course not! I...got hurt from using my Quirk. — Izuku considered for a moment whether to tell him the truth or not. No one should know All Might's secret, so he decided to tell only part of the truth.
— Hmm...from your Quirk, you say...strange. In any case, try to hurt yourself less, unless it brings you pleasure, haha.— Taiko left, leaving Izuku alone.
«This Taiko is strange. But...strong.»
***
A young girl with slender, delicate legs in black stockings, a shirt, and a knee-length skirt sat in the office, taking the theoretical test for admission to UA. She had a formal appearance, one might even say, like an accountant or office worker. Quite modest. Her ash-blond hair was tied in a ponytail, a strand falling to the side, and her red eyes were trying to catch every question on the test sheet.
Kuinn was nervous today, because her boyfriend, Taiko, was taking the entrance exam to Japan's most prestigious hero academy, just like her. Taiko still had some money left over from buying a house in the quiet suburban district of Musutafu. After everything she'd been through, it had been difficult for her, but thanks to Taiko's encouragement, Kuinn finally decided to enroll with him, this time in the Management Department.
Kuinn was inspired by Taiko's example of being a hero and strived for justice, but sometimes she thought back to Taiko's past as a Grimm. He regretted those times and repented, but she knew that even if he were to witness something terrible and monstrous again...he might not be able to control himself. However, that was up to him.
Not much time had passed since then, but much had changed. Kuinn and Taiko matured, supporting each other and growing together. They shared useful information when they knew it.
In any case, what happened was in the past, and now they have a wonderful new home, a new life where they openly love each other even after all the hardships. Meanwhile, Kuinn awaits her studies. Without a doubt, being a hero is dangerous, and in some ways, she didn't want her dearest and closest friend to get hurt. He'd already suffered enough.
Over the past couple of years, crime has been extremely low thanks to the effective All Might and its rival, Endeavor, with its cumbersome agency. So Taiko and his rise to herohood haven't been caught up in the peak of villainous activity, and that was a relief.
While All Might operated solo thanks to his unrivaled abilities, which strengthened him, Endeavor decided to build on numbers, expanding his agency and training young talent. However, how these guys manage to record numerous cases on paper is a separate topic for study.
Everything in the curriculum overloads the mind to the point of exhaustion. "Okay, let's take it one step at a time. Taiko is trying, and so should I," the girl muttered to herself, continuing to take the test.
Analytics, algebra, economics, marketing, and other semi-economic subjects were on the tests. The questions weren't particularly difficult, but they required basic knowledge from high school. It's a good thing Kuinn had prepared for everything.
***
Returning from his part-time job that afternoon, Taiko approached his house. A high stone fence reliably blocked out prying eyes. He and Kuinn disliked attention and publicity—their past had left its mark on them. But the two-meter-high brick fence directly facing the forest looked perfect. Opening the locked gate, Taiko entered a space where he could truly feel at home.
Unlike the open, fenceless houses of Europe and America, the Japanese prefer privacy and modesty—their version of comfort and minimalism.
Finally, privacy. Here, you can truly escape the world. Perhaps that's why people invented the word "home"—a guarantee of safety and comfort.
Taiko and Kuinn found this house unfurnished and bought it for a relatively low price. They furnished everything exactly as they wanted. Their part-time jobs allowed them to cover expenses and utilities, and with the UA scholarship, they could even save some money.
The small plot is covered with lawn, and there's a swimming pool in the back. A couple of months before the summer season, Taiko installed solar panels on the roof. Electricity is expensive in Japan, so a standalone power source is a smart investment.
It was at her initiative that Kuinn began managing their small family's finances. Taiko trusted her completely, but she was far more calculating and cool-headed with money. After purchasing and renovating the house, it was she who insisted on wisely allocating the remaining 16 million yen: investing part in conservative funds, the rest in riskier but more promising ones. Her approach was simple: money must work, otherwise it's nothing more than paper.
Taiko didn't object. He never sought to dictate the budget and believed that, among their team, Kuinn had a better understanding of how to secure the future. After all, she had recently become much more efficient and skilled in management. This was due to her preparation for management studies. From then on, she was the one who oversaw the accounts, investments, expenses, and savings. When she wanted, she asked for advice, but she always made the decisions herself.
It's just a shame he doesn't have a car. He's not yet eighteen—the age to get a driver's license in Japan. He would have bought one long ago, but he promised not to rush, so they chose a house with transportation in mind. Just walk down the street next door and you're right at the bus stop.
UA offered a ton of benefits:
1)Internships with popular pro-heroes;
2)The highest scholarships among Musutafu's schools;
3)Frequent events where you can prove yourself. Especially the UA Sports Festival—a national event watched by the entire country.
Entering the house, Taiko took off his shoes and went to the shower. The bathroom was a simple, modern one, with white tiles. The stall was wider than standard, at Kuinn's suggestion, so they could shower together ❤️.
After showering, he combed his medium-length hair back. His burnt fingers throbbed slightly—a consequence of work. Kuinn hadn't returned yet, so he decided to make lunch. UA was a 30-minute train ride away: the routes are fast and rarely delayed. The kitchen, by the way, overlooks the pool and Musutafu.
While frying cutlets and cooking rice in the slow cooker, he reflected on his first impressions of UA.
«Although what impressions are there—I haven't even seen the academy yet. But the preparation is serious. They have a huge training area in the city, a network of training centers across the country, camps, training grounds... the USJ complex alone is worth a lot. We need to find out who owns all of this. I doubt it's just UA.»
UA has always been a private school, formally owned by Principal Nezu, but private investors and government agencies also swirl around it. A struggle for influence of its own.
Aizawa struck him as calculating and taciturn, with a perpetually sleepy look—as if part of his persona. He has a quirk that erases others' quirks, but only with uninterrupted eye contact. There's almost no information about him, but articles and eyewitness accounts give us a sense of his fighting style and strategy.
When Kuinn returned, she was delighted to find Taiko's muscular back at the stove. Taking off her shirt, she quietly hugged him from behind.
— How did the exam go?— she asked, her voice trembling.
— I beat them.— He smiled, kissed her lightly, and made her blush. — By the way, dinner's ready. How are you? Although what am I asking... after all the preparation you've done, it would be strange not to.
— Yes, it was easy. — The embarrassment vanished, and she enveloped him with affection.
One moment was enough for Kuinn's shirt to fall to the floor and the condom to end up in her teeth. The girl, playfully holding Taiko's hand, led him into the shower. «That's what such a wide stall is for.»
At their age, once you've tried it, it's hard to stop looking forward to it again. Especially when the feelings are so strong and mutual. After everything they'd been through, they had become emotionally dependent on each other—and weren't shy about it.
After another round, Taiko was contentedly snoring on the double bed, and a naked Kuinn, having had her fill of pleasure, went to eat lunch. Her slender, graceful figure always attracted Taiko's gaze, but she showed it only here, only to him.
The scars on her body, left by the tragedy, had long since ceased to be something shameful. On the contrary, they were a symbol of strength and love, both shared and personal. She was not ashamed of them, nor was he. They opened up to each other completely, trustingly. Taiko always tenderly kissed her scars, as if silently promising to heal them.
And she responded in kind.
The day was warm and clear. They spent the rest of the time in the pool, admiring Musutafu, Mount Fuji—and each other.
***
The judges were trying to figure out Taiko's Quirk.
On one side, they had an old document confirming he was Quirkless. The date was several years ago, when Taiko was about twelve. On the other, a medical report from six months ago stated that he had suddenly developed a Quirk. The doctors had called it simply and succinctly: "Staff." It was an all-too-familiar situation. Izuku Midoriya had once "suddenly" developed a Quirk in the same way. One such instance could be a coincidence. Two—not so much.
And the Quirk's name itself only reveals part of the story, as if deliberately leaving a sense of ambiguity.
What Taiko demonstrated in the entrance exam exceeded all expectations. Even All Might took notice and drew some conclusions. He became the second participant to destroy a robot. Izuku Midoriya, with his Enhancement Quirk, was first: he didn't neutralize a single robot, but earned 60 points for Rescue and placed seventh.
«Luckily, the guy has a positive attitude toward heroes. It's so good that such a Quirk will be legalized—then he'll have practically no reason to doubt society and descend into villainy,» — Nezu mused, analyzing Taiko and trying to grasp more details about his and Midoriya's Quirks.
With Izuku, it's clear—he's the successor to the power of One for All. Toshinori had already openly told the director about his choice. Time would tell whether the young man could handle the weight of responsibility or break down.
«Taiko, however, is different. He's a bit of a wild card. There's essentially no information about his Quirk, and the story of its origin is vague. It's been overly carefully edited in several places.»
Nezu didn't believe the story about him being adopted by the doctor was entirely true. «A certain Kyudai Garaki...» — The name meant nothing to him, but his intuition twitched with a weak alarm. He should ask his friends, or better yet, Detective Tsukauchi. Later. For now, the principal needed to prepare for the new academy year.
So much to do. So much to do.
***
With classes starting so soon, Taiko stopped attending staff training.
The week passed quickly with his duties, and the letter from UA arrived on the weekend. Taiko and Quinn were playing on the large plasma console in the gym. Quinn always managed to win any fighting game at the last minute. Taiko couldn't understand how she did it, and most often just pressed random buttons. Quinn laughed at him every time he huffed and puffed, frantically pressing buttons, trying to win.
— What am I doing wrong? Maybe you installed some kind of cheat in the controller, huh?— he asked, trying to tickle her. — There is no forgiveness for villains who break the laws of the gaming world!
— Oh, ha-ha-ha! Taiko, that's enough, ha-ha! You just need to know which button does what. This one jumps, and this one hits.
— In real life, I don't need to press a button to hit someone. I understand everything instinctively, but here these stupid buttons are hard for me >_<.
— Then why isn't typing on a keyboard hard for you :D?
— It's easy! It's written in black and white what each button does. Press the B key and you type the letter B. And in fighting games, there are entire combinations for some cool moves. Try memorizing them in the heat of battle.
Distracted, Quinn continued, — This morning, the letter you've been waiting for arrived. — Quinn playfully hid her face behind the letter with the UA seal.
— Yeah?— he came closer, continuing to devour Quinn with his eyes. — Probably something very important...
— Then take it~❤️.
Lowing the letter down, Taiko crushed his lips to hers, hugging her. Taiko didn't even want to think about why those weird guys from UA sent an email with a hologram and a video inside, when they could have just emailed him the results. "Probably to show off." He turned on the hologram and threw it on the floor, sitting on the couch, clutching Quinn to him.
Present Mic burst into a cheerful voice.
— Hello, Taiko! You won't believe it, but you got the top score! Top one, damn it! I hope you'll one day overtake me in the hero rankings and, just like on the exam, become top one, but in the rankings!" Present Mic said a little sadly, while Aizawa tried to say something in the background, but realized it was futile and disappeared off-camera.
— How...eccentric...— Quinn commented on the hero, slightly surprised by such a vivid image and facial expressions.
— They're full of freaks there. — his masculine voice, altered by puberty, caressed Quinn's ears, and she pressed herself even closer.
—Congratulations, I know you're the strongest.
There's no question of accepting you into UA. Almost all the judges rated the performance a ten. Cunning, resourcefulness, agility, strength, knowledge of both your own and your opponent's weaknesses, and skillful use of your Quirk. But one of the judges noted a doubt about the "cooperativeness." Therefore, he was the only one to give it a nine instead of a ten.
—Who's the idiot who gave it a nine? He rates for "cooperativeness" when there are no teams. This is a solo challenge. Apparently, he was offended that I didn't share the points with the others.
In total, 96 points for Villain, 10 points for Rescue, and a destroyed Zero—first place in the standings. Although Taiko wasn't talking about saving anyone, he was simply trying to farm points as quickly as possible. Apparently, one of the participants didn't hold a grudge against him after all and truly believed he'd been saved from the robot.
Izuku Midoriya ended up in seventh place, with a certain Katsuki Bakugo in second and Kirishima in third.
— Okay, enough,— he said, turning off the hologram. — It's time for bed...— but Quinn interrupted him.
— What about my hero's sweet reward ❤️?— she pushed him onto the bed.