Downtown Tokyo.
Seiki.
Seiki Yamazaki was starting to get annoyed.
It was honestly kind of impressive. With the power to navigate any situation, as well as avoid problems before they even came to pass... it took a special kind of dumbass to piss Seiki off in a way that made him want to do something about you permanently.
"Firestarter, Deathclaw. Both of you are strong in your own right... but you let yourselves be led around by this brat. Do neither of you feel tethered? Limited?" Overhaul asked, most certainly enjoying the sound of his voice. "Instead of just throwing around daddy's money– no offense," he added, glancing at Atlas, "I have actual plans for the future. And I also have the strength, support, and power to back them up. Interested?"
Seiki understood Overhaul, he really did. Those first few days after escaping the HPSC's control, Seiki had felt freer than he had ever felt before... but it only took a few weeks before he realized just how vulnerable his new life was. It might've been false security, but Seiki had been used to having an entire branch of the government in his corner.
So while Seiki might not be yakuza, he understood the importance of building yourself a powerbase. Wealth, strength, and loyalty. All things that Seiki has slowly accumulated over the years, all in preparation for whatever the world tried to throw at him.
Overhaul was very much the same in that regard... but even so, Seiki's already had to reload tonight's outing half a dozen times thanks to this obnoxious little fuck.
For some goddamn reason, Overhaul was dead set on recruiting his women.
First, Seiki pitted him against Azula, mostly just to see what would happen. Without a proper warning, Azula instantly got vaporized, only for Overhaul to reassemble her a few seconds later. Such a fascinating Quirk. And after feeding her own future mistakes back to her... Azula managed to last a few moments longer.
Azula's Quirk, Ignition, converted her body movement into flames, flames that could rival Endeavor's. But unlike most fire types, her Quirk activation was not mental– at least not entirely. Her Quirk converted her own kinetic motion into heat, so while she had more stamina than someone like Endeavor, her methods of attack were much more limited. A weakness that could easily be exploited in a cage match.
Azula's loss was all but guaranteed.
So Seiki flipped the script, pitting Overhaul against Rinka instead. In which the outcome was mostly the same, if not worse. With both instant death, and instant long ranged attacks, Overhaul's win was almost always guaranteed, even if his opponent knew his tricks beforehand. Overhaul was honestly quite the formidable opponent, but Seiki... Seiki was just on a whole nother level.
To defeat Seiki, one needed to be faster than he could ever possibly react, to have an unavoidable large scale AOE attack, to have some sort of unquantifiable X-factor that he simply could not prepare for... or to have some sort of mind control. And then on top of that, they would need a way to deal with him permanently. And now that Seiki knows that he cannot die by ordinary means, only one person in the entirety of Japan actually met those criteria, at least as far as Seiki was aware.
Eraserhead, or Shota Aizawa.
An underground hero without a single kill on his record, and a soft spot for children.
With that in mind, the up and coming yakuza thug was no threat to him, and most likely never would be. Compared to Hawks' feathers, or Razor's slips... Overhaul's spikes were nothing. But that was not information the current Overhaul was privy to. That was why he was perfectly fine spitting in Atlas' face, confident that he could recruit Atlas' women right in front of him. Since based on the limited information that he had, Overhaul knew Firestarter and Deathclaw valued strength... strength everyone thought Atlas did not have.
And while Seiki could easily shrug off most recruitment efforts, the local riff-raff not willing to push their luck against the might of Deathclaw and Firestarter, Overhaul was one tough, stubborn cookie. A cookie that could not be threatened by the might of Atlas' subordinates, since their defeat was an outcome that the cookie was annoyingly certain of. The very moment Overhaul caught wind of Azula and Rinka, he would want to recruit them both. It did not matter if he didn't fight them personally. Overhaul had an eye for talent, and he was annoyingly persistent, as well as annoying in general.
For the first time in nearly a decade... Seiki has found himself in a situation that he could not feasibly navigate.
"Ugh, you win," Seiki sighed in defeat. "You're a persistent little bitch, you know that?"
Overhaul growled. "You dare–?"
"Yeah yeah, fuck you too. If I ever need a miracle doctor, we'll be in touch."
And before Overhaul could respond to Seiki's second taunt... 'Load1.' They were all back in Seiki's car, parked just a few blocks away from the arena.
"Ugh," Seiki slumped forwards, pressing his forehead against the steering wheel.
"Boss?" Rinka asked, clearly worried. "What's the matter?"
Face still planted against the steering wheel, Seiki muttered, "Razor, mission."
The entire car stilled.
"Male, early 20s. Short brown hair, golden eyes, pale skin, no visible mutations. Goes by Overhaul, has connections to yakuza. He's one of tonight's fighters at the arena," Seiki informed, and all three of his subordinates instantly committed the description to memory. "I want to know his name, his location, his support structure, everything. Don't get caught."
"Of course, master," Konan muttered, and the driver side window lowered half a centimeter, a dozen more slips of paper flying into the night.
"He gonna be a problem, boss?" Rinka growled, all but ready to kill for him. A sentiment that Seiki greatly appreciated... but no. That was not the right play.
"No, he's just annoying," Seiki sighed as he leaned back in his seat, still not exactly sure how to go about this. "His Quirk is total matter control. Instant death and instant healing with just a touch. But he's also a greedy little bitch who wants to recruit you guys from right under my nose."
At his words, Seiki felt the slips of paper beneath his coat bristle, the temperature rose quite a bit, and Rinka's jaw clenched, her fangs growing slightly as the wolfgirl shook in her seat. "Boss, we would never–!"
"I know," Seiki cut her off, his voice surprisingly soft. "I know you wouldn't. But Overhaul is annoyingly persistent, and the attention he would draw to us is not worth it."
"So we kill him?" Azula asked, a manic gleam in her golden eyes.
"Hah... if only it was that easy," Seiki sighed. "But even with how annoying he is, Overhaul is worth far more to us alive."
"Right, you said he's a healer..." Rinka muttered, frowning slightly. "But do we really need a healer?"
Seiki hummed. It was honestly a good question. After all, in the seven years since his return to the past, not a single member of his 'cult' has received a life threatening injury. In fact, the only injuries that had even left a mark on those in his care were the scars that Rinka herself flaunted. With Save & Load, securing the safety of those around him was an easy task.
But...
"I can navigate time perfectly, but I cannot undo it. I can prevent injuries before they even happen, but illness, disease... if anyone in my care were to fall terminally ill, I would be completely powerless."
"Tch," Azula gritted her teeth, clearly annoyed, even if she understood the logic. "I still want to kill him."
Seiki chuckled, turning around in his seat to face her. "You could try... but you'd fail. Actually, I don't think any of you could beat him, at least in a fair fight. Maybe Razor and Locust, but the rest of you would certainly lose. His fingers just need to brush your skin once, and you instantly die. Then there's his long ranged attacks and his instant healing..." Seiki trailed off, and everyone in the car became much more wary of the man. For Seiki's words were absolute.
Shaking his head, Seiki let out a tired sigh. For him, this outing has already lasted five hours... but he was still willing to indulge his followers. "Whatever. Let's just go back to the house, we can spar there. Two on one."
A declaration that instantly lit a fire under both Rinka and Azula's asses.
Because after thousands of losses, one after another, Seiki no longer fought them at their request. Because after proving beyond a doubt, that they could never hope to challenge him... it meant that Seiki gained nothing from their spars, if they themselves did not improve.
So if they wanted another chance to prove their strength, on their own terms, they had to innovate. Whether it was a new application of their Quirk, or a breakthrough in their fighting style, they needed to obtain something, anything. And to Rinka and Azula, who worshipped his strength like no other, it was the best motivation possible.
As it currently stood, both Rinka and Azula were strong enough to break into Japan's top 100... and in a few years, they'd be strong enough for Japan's top 10. Not that either of them wanted to be a Hero in the slightest.
'I hope mom's having more fun than me,' Seiki thought with a sigh, driving back to their manor. Because even if Overhaul's Quirk was an incredible find, the prissy yakuza bitch was still a right pain in the ass.
*
Meanwhile, Chiba.
Narumi.
"Woohoo! Girls night!" Hahari cheered, and Narumi fondly rolled her eyes.
Chiba was quieter than Tokyo, but it still had quite a few hot spots, including the bar they were currently at. With music blaring in the background, and the dance floor flooded with people, it was certainly a bit livelier than what Narumi was used to.
Not that she wasn't having fun.
"Mmm... where'd your bodyguard sneak off to?" Yuki asked, and now that Narumi thought about it, Yuki was right.
D'Vorah was nowhere to be seen.
But Narumi wasn't worried. D'Vorah's Quirk would easily let her protect them from a distance, even if the manner in which she did so was off-putting. Besides, Narumi knew just how loyal every single one of Seiki's recruits were... and even if there was a problem, it wouldn't matter. Because her son would always be able to undo it.
But even so, Narumi couldn't help but feel annoyed, for a reason she couldn't quite place.
"It doesn't matter," Narumi muttered. "Let's get some drinks in me... and then I want to dance. That's why we're here, right?"
"Alright!" Yuki grinned. "Let's get you out of that shell of yours!"
Things were kind of a blur after that.
They each had quite a few martini's, and while Narumi wasn't exactly a light-weight... she also wasn't a cloud, nor was she brimming with a seemingly endless amount of vitality.
She remembered drinking, dancing, more drinking... and more dancing. Then they went to a different bar, rinse and repeat, before going to another bar again... when was the last time she even went bar hopping?
Oh! And some guy tried to hit on her, but he was kind of gross, so she said no. Narumi wasn't looking for anything anyways. But for some reason the guy wouldn't leave her alone, and Yuki and Hahari were still dancing, and then the guy became scary... until he... yelped?
Oh, right, there was a wasp. Quite a few of them, actually. Then the guy was swarmed with mosquitoes, bees, dragonflies, and so on... which was really funny. Narumi giggled. And then she remembered, she was being protected by bug lady, wasn't she?
"Tanks, Voruh!" she slurred into the air, before giggling again.
Going back to the dance floor with another drink in her hand, it wasn't long before she found Yuki and Hahari. Hahari was as excitable as ever, but Yuki... the alcohol was clearing getting to her. Her proportions were all over the place– her hips, ass, and tits were far too big, and her waist was unnaturally thin. Like a pixar mom.
"Bigger!" someone hollered, and the chant quickly spread through the crowd. A chant that Hahari was happily participating in.
"BIGGER! BIGGER! BIGGER!"
Narumi furrowed her brow, clearly missing some context... before she watched Yuki's mega-tits swell even further, stretching her pantsuit to the absolute limit, the buttons clearly about to pop. Then she watched as one of the buttons actually popped, sent flying across the room, nailing a guy right in the forehead.
Who toppled over, instantly fainting on the spot.
For a moment, there was silence.
And then... "HELL YEAH!"
Shaking her head, Narumi stumbled over to Yuki and Hahari, before shouting, "I want to go home, I'm sleepy!"
"Naru, it'sh only...!" Hahari trailed off, before checking her phone, "3am!"
"But I want to go hooooooome!"
"Uuuuuuuuugh, fine!" Hahari grumbled, "Yuki, Naru wants to go home..."
"But it'sh only 3am!"
"That'sh what I said, but Naru ish sleepy..." Harari argued, stumbling slightly. "I'm sleepy too..."
"Uuuuugh, okay, let'sh go," Yuki groaned.
A few minutes later, the three of them were stumbling outside, where an SUV was waiting for them, the one that they arrived in. One of Seiki's many maids behind the wheel, and D'Vorah leaning off the side of the car.
But before they could get in...
"—No! No, no, no! Shit!" a woman's voice cried out, rummaging through her purse just a few meters down the sidewalk. Devastation clear in her voice.
"What'sh wrong?" Narumi blurted out.
"My ring... I can't find my engagement ring!" she cried out in response. "I t-took it off for just a moment, because I d-didn't want my friends to know, I w-wanted to surprise them later... but now it's g-g-gone!" she wailed, clearly distraught.
And even as drunk as she was, Narumi knew that her Quirk was perfect for this.
"I cansh find it," Narumi slurred, holding out her hand. "Gimme hand."
"What?" the woman asked, confused, but with a bit of hope leaking into her voice.
"It'sh her Quirk," Yuki answered, clearly proud of Narumi. "Naru can see yer past! Itsh such a cool Quirk, much cooler than being a cloud... sthupid cloud..."
"Noooo, your Quirk ish amazhing Yuki!" Hahari refuted.
"But mah hands, mah feet... mah ass, mah tits... they ain't real! I'M LIVIN A LIE, HAHARI!" Yuki wailed in despair.
"Y-You... you said you can help me?" The girl asked, ignoring Narumi's friends.
"Gimme hand," she repeated.
The woman offered her hand, and Narumi grabbed it, activating her Quirk. The mental dissonance caused by her Flashback instantly clearing up her mind. 'Wait, what was I doing again...? Right, engagement ring,' she recalled, metaphysically retracing the steps of the woman she just met. '30 minutes ago, not there. 1 hour ago, not there. 3 hours ago, there. 2 hours ago... not there,' Narumi thought to herself, quickly parsing through the woman's past, trying to find the exact moment she took off her ring.
Despite not being a hero, Narumi had quite a lot of practice with her Quirk, far more than the average civilian. Her 'training' was nowhere near the same level of Seiki's, but her son had spurred her on quite a bit.
'There!' she cheered to herself, finally finding the exact moment the woman lost her ring.
Then Narumi deactivated her Quirk, only 0.2 seconds passing in the real world.
The buzz of alcohol instantly coming back to her in full force.
"Woooooah," Narumi muttered, nearly falling over, but Yuki and Hahari kept her on her feet. "Floorboar," she mumbled, "fell outta purse when you grabsh phone. It'sh in car, on your floorboarshs."
"Oh... oh!" the woman gasped, before pulling her into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"It'sh nothin," Narumi mumbled with a smile, more than happy to help.
And as the saying goes, no deed went unrewarded.
With a single strand of thick, yellow in her purple hair, and a Quirk that let her view someone else's time, almost any hero nerd would be able to make the connection. A connection that the HPSC tried their hardest to hide, a connection that was made with just a single girls night out.
"Uh, I um, I don't mean to pry, but you're related to Sir Nighteye, right?" the woman asked, her voice an excited whisper. "The yellow strand of hair, the time-viewing Quirk– you're totally related, right?"
"Wha?" Narumi mumbled, frowning. She didn't have any relatives. She was an orphan!
'And who the hell names their kid Knighteye?!'
*
*
*