Location: Tokyo, Minato Ward – The Azure Dining Room
Date: Three Days Later
CLINK.
Uwabami lightly tapped her wine glass against Kaito's water glass.
She wore a stunning red evening gown, looking completely in her element.
Her three golden snakes rested quietly in her hair, looking sleepy after eating bits of premium wagyu beef.
"To the Golden Manager," Uwabami smiled, taking a sip of her wine. "For making me the richest retrieval hero in Tokyo without making me break a sweat."
SIP.
Kaito took a drink of his water. He set the glass down on the white tablecloth. He wore a sharp, dark suit, but left the collar open without a tie.
"I just gave you the business model," Kaito said. "You're the one actually doing the tracking. And charging them two million yen a job."
"Don't act humble," Uwabami laughed, leaning across the table. "You built the whole system. I have corporate CEOs begging my receptionist for a five-minute appointment. It's crazy. I used to pose for shampoo commercials just to pay my agency rent. Now, the shampoo companies are begging me to buy their stock."
"Careful," Kaito joked. "If you keep bragging about how much money you're making, I might have to retroactively double my consulting fee to cover your shopping habits."
"Don't be greedy, Kaito," Uwabami teased. "Besides, I deserve the money. Unlike you, I don't spend everyday standing in an agency or warehouses letting pro heroes break concrete. Seriously, how do you deal with those meatheads all day?"
"It's just a lot of yelling and taking notes," Kaito smiled, cutting a piece of his steak.
The restaurant was incredibly quiet. Soft piano music played in the background. It was the kind of place where billionaires and high-profile politicians ate to avoid the cameras.
Kaito casually looked around the dining room while Uwabami kept talking about her new designer bags.
His eyes stopped on a large, round table near the back corner.
There were four people sitting there. An older man in a traditional dark kimono. A younger man in a sharp gray suit. A woman holding a napkin. And a tiny little girl with pale blue hair and a small horn on her forehead.
Kaito recognized them immediately. Especially the little girl with a cute horn, Eri.
They were eating quietly. Yamato (the Dad) was trying to feed Eri a small piece of fish, but the little girl looked uncomfortable.
Suddenly, the air in the room felt heavy.
Kaito stopped chewing. The atmosphere around their table violently shifted. It felt like standing next to a live electrical wire.
BZZZZZT.
A bright, blinding yellow spark shot right out of the little horn on Eri's forehead.
"Ah!" Eri cried out.
She dropped her fork and grabbed her head.
Squeezing her eyes shut in pain, her tiny hands clamped down hard on the massive, living bonsai tree sitting in the center of the table.
FWHIIIOSH.
The beautiful, sprawling plant started to glow with a sickly yellow light. Right in front of everyone, the living tree violently shifted.
It rapidly aged backward. The green leaves shrank into nothing. The thick wooden branches retracted into the trunk.
Then, the trunk shrank.
In less than two seconds, the entire massive centerpiece turned into a tiny green sprout, then into a single seed. Then it completely vanished into thin air.
In her panic, Eri thrashed wildly, hitting the table.
Plates, glasses, and hot food crashed straight onto the floor.
CRASH.
SHATTER.
The entire restaurant went dead silent. People stared in shock.
"Eri! Oh my god, are you hurt?!" Aika screamed, jumping up from her chair and rushing toward her daughter.
Eri was crying hysterically, holding her head. The yellow sparks were getting bigger, arcing off her horn like wild electricity.
"It hurts! Make it stop!" Eri sobbed.
"Hold on, sweetie, daddy is right here!" Yamato panicked.
He reached both of his hands out. He stepped forward to grab her shaking shoulders and pull her into a hug.
Kaito knew exactly what was about to happen.
He didn't even blink. He just moved.
Kaito reached straight across his own table and shoved his hand right into Uwabami's open designer purse.
"Hey!" Uwabami gasped.
Kaito ignored her.
He grabbed the emergency spool of high-tensile carbon-fiber capture wire he knew she always kept hidden in there.
Thud.
He stood up, kicking his chair back. He threw his right arm forward like a baseball pitcher.
SWISH.
The black capture wire unspooled across the restaurant. It perfectly wrapped right around Eri's waist just a split second before Yamato's hands touched her skin.
SWISSH.
Kaito yanked his arm back hard.
"Waaah!" Eri shrieked as the wire pulled her backward through the air.
She flew right out of her father's reach. Kaito caught the little girl securely against his chest, tightly wrapping the rest of the capture wire around her arms so she couldn't touch anything else.
The yellow sparks on her horn flared violently against Kaito's suit jacket, but they couldn't rewind the carbon-fiber wire.
"Hey! Let her go!" Yamato yelled, rushing forward with absolute panic in his eyes. He thought some villain just grabbed his daughter.
"Don't touch her!" Kaito shouted, his voice echoing loudly through the dining room. "Her quirk is completely out of control! If you touch her skin right now, whatever just happened to that plant is going to happen to you!"
"..."
Yamato froze in his tracks. He looked at the empty space in the center of the table where the massive plant used to be.
He looked at the single seed resting on the tablecloth. His face turned completely pale.
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
Uwabami was already out of her seat. She didn't panic. She just clapped her hands loudly, directing the nervous civilians.
"Everyone, please move toward the front exit immediately! Give them space!" Uwabami ordered.
The rich patrons didn't argue. They grabbed their coats and rushed out the front doors.
"UWAAH!"
Eri was still sobbing heavily against Kaito's chest. She was terrified of the sparks and the noise.
"Hey, it's okay," Kaito said quietly. He knelt down on the floor, keeping his grip firm but gentle. "You are okay. Nobody is hurt. I've got you. Just take a deep breath."
He didn't treat her like a monster. He just acted like a calm older brother. He rubbed her back through the capture wire, speaking in a warm, steady voice.
"There... There... It's scary, I know," Kaito kept talking to her. "But you're safe. Just breathe with me."
"Uwaaaa.. hiick.. hiecck.."
Eri kept crying, but she slowly buried her face into Kaito's jacket.
After a few minutes, her breathing started to slow down. The yellow sparks on her horn finally stopped arcing and faded away completely.
Yamato, Aika, and the grandfather immediately rushed over.
"Eri!" Aika cried, dropping to her knees. She looked at Kaito with tears in her eyes. "Is she okay? Is she hurt?"
"She's just exhausted and scared," Kaito said softly. He unwrapped the capture wire from the little girl and gently handed her over to her mother.
Aika immediately hugged Eri tight, rocking her back and forth.
Thud.
Yamato dropped to his knees right next to them, wrapping his arms around both his wife and his daughter. He was shaking.
"Thank you," Yamato said, looking up at Kaito. His voice cracked. "I... I didn't know what was happening. I just wanted to hold her. If you hadn't pulled her away..."
Yamato looked at the seed on the table again and swallowed hard.
"You saved my family," Yamato breathed out. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
The grandfather slowly walked up to Kaito. He looked at the young man, his old, sharp eyes studying Kaito's face.
"You are Arisaka," the old man said, his voice deep and raspy. "The Golden Manager. You run the big hero agencies in the city."
"I am," Kaito said, brushing some dust off his suit jacket.
He acted completely normal, giving no hint that he knew they were the heads of the Shie Hassaikai. "Her Quirk just had a violent awakening. That happens sometimes with rare mutations. You need to take her to a specialist doctor right away to figure out exactly how her power works. Don't let her stress out, and keep her away from anything she can accidentally touch until you get answers."
"We will," the grandfather nodded deeply, showing genuine respect. "We owe you a massive debt, Arisaka-san."
WEE-OOO. WEE-OOO.
Police sirens wailed in the distance, getting louder as they approached the restaurant.
"You should get her home before the police lock down the building to ask questions," Kaito advised. "She's been through enough tonight."
The grandfather nodded again. Yamato picked Eri up in his arms, holding her securely.
The family quickly slipped out through the back exit of the restaurant just as the front doors burst open.
Location: Outside The Azure Dining Room
Time: Twenty Minutes Later
The street was flashing with red and blue police lights. Officers were taking statements from the restaurant staff.
Kaito and Uwabami stood on the sidewalk near the valet parking stand.
Uwabami was holding her designer purse, looking at Kaito with absolute disbelief.
"Arisaka, I need you to be honest with me right now," Uwabami said, crossing her arms. "How in the world did you do that?"
"Do what?" Kaito asked casually, checking his pockets for his phone.
"Don't play dumb," Uwabami narrowed her eyes. "You moved faster than half the Pro Heroes I work with. You noticed the danger, reached into my bag, found my capture wire even before me, and pulled that little girl out of the way in less than a second. You don't even have a physical Quirk."
Kaito just laughed a little bit. He shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Hehe... When you spend your entire months and weeks contracting countless pro heroes, you naturally pick up some quick reflexes," Kaito said smoothly. "It's just occupational hazard training. And besides if I can't do that, being a haken specialist in hero industry wouldn't suit for the Golden Manager right?"
"....."
Uwabami stared at him for a second, trying to see if he was lying.
Then, she let out a sigh and shook her head, a smile creeping back onto her face.
"You really are something else, Kaito," she laughed softly. "Well, I guess the Golden Manager is a part-time hero now."
"I don't get paid to be a hero," Kaito joked. "Speaking of which, our dinner was cut short. And I didn't get to finish my steak."
"Oh, please," Uwabami bumped her shoulder against his. "I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll take you somewhere even nicer next time. No explosive plants allowed."
"I'll hold you to that," Kaito smiled.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Kaito's Office
Date: The Next Morning
RING. RING.
Kaito reached across his wooden desk and picked up the office phone.
"Arisaka consulting," Kaito answered, leaning back in his chair.
"Arisaka-san. It is the man from the restaurant."
The raspy voice of the Shie Hassaikai Boss came through the speaker. He didn't sound like a terrifying Yakuza head today. He just sounded like a really tired old man.
"I remember," Kaito said, his voice calm. "How is the little girl?"
"She is asleep right now," the Boss sighed heavily. "I had my private doctor run some tests on her overnight. We figured out what happened to that centerpiece on the table. Her quirk didn't just break the plant. It reversed it. She rewound the biological clock of that tree straight back into a seed."
Kaito stayed quiet, letting the old man talk.
"The doctor confirmed it only targets living organisms," the Boss continued, his voice shaking a little bit. "Manager... if my son-in-law had grabbed her shoulders like he tried to do, he would have been erased. Completely."
"It's an incredibly dangerous power," Kaito agreed. "How are the parents doing?"
"They are exhausted," the Boss admitted. "Aika and Yamato haven't slept a wink. They are taking turns sitting on the floor next to Eri's bed. They aren't scared of her. They love her. But they are absolutely terrified for her. We don't know how to raise a child with a lethal Quirk that she can't even control. They don't even want to hold her hand right now because they are afraid of setting it off."
"That makes perfect sense," Kaito said. "It's a massive shock for a family to handle overnight."
"That is exactly why I am calling you," the Boss said, dropping all of his pride. "My doctor can run blood tests, but he doesn't know what to do next. You do. I know you train the top pros and fix their Quirks. I need your help, Arisaka. I don't want to lock my granddaughter away in a padded room for the rest of her life. I want her to be normal and happy."
Kaito picked up a pen from his desk. He was already putting the steps together in his head.
"Listen to me," Kaito told him directly. "What happened last night was a first awakening. When a strong power wakes up for the very first time, a kid's body just panics. The power flares out uncontrollably because she doesn't know how to hold it in yet. It's dangerous right now, yes, but it isn't a permanent curse. With the right training, she will absolutely be able to control it."
A long, shaky breath came through the phone.
"You really believe that?" the Boss asked.
"I know it," Kaito said firmly. "But we have to take it one step at a time. First, you need to use your resources. You have a lot of money and connections. Reach out to a high-end support gear company. Buy her a set of custom Quirk-dampening bracelets. Have them fitted for her wrists."
"Dampening bracelets," the Boss repeated, writing it down. "I can get those."
"Good," Kaito said. "Get them on her as soon as possible. They will temporarily suppress her quirk. The random sparks will stop immediately. She will feel safe, and her parents will be able to hug her again without worrying."
"And after that?"
"Once the panic is over and she feels like a normal kid again, I will send over a complete training proposal," Kaito explained. "I'll draft a long-term counseling regimen specifically for her. We will figure out a safe, gradual way for her to practice using it as she grows up. She will learn how to turn it on and off."
"Arisaka, I don't even know what to say," the Boss sounded completely relieved. The heavy, dark weight was gone from his voice. "I will order the dampeners right now. Whatever your consulting fee is for the training plan, my organization will cover it in full."
"I'll send the invoice when I finish drafting the regimen," Kaito said, keeping it professional but warm. "Keep her away from stressful situations until you get the bracelets. Let her rest."
"I will. Thank you. My family owes you a massive debt. Have a good day."
CLICK.
Kaito set the phone down on the receiver.
He leaned back in his chair and tossed his pen onto the desk.
A genuine smile crossed Kaito's face. He didn't just secure a high-paying contract.
By giving the grandfather a solid, hopeful plan and making him buy the dampeners, he completely locked down Eri's safety.
"This should changed her life right? I did a good thing again."
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: The Osaka Shield Agency – Ground Floor Restaurant
Date: 1.5 Months Later
CLATTER.
Loud voices and the clinking of heavy ceramic bowls filled the ground floor of the agency. The lunch rush was in full swing.
Click. Click.
Kaito sat in a corner booth near the back. He had his laptop open on the table, typing a quick email.
A large, half-eaten bowl of spicy pork ramen sat next to his keyboard.
"Manager, you're going to let the noodles get soggy."
Kenjiro leaned over the counter. He was wearing his white apron, his face sweaty from working the hot stoves all morning.
"I'm eating, Kenjiro," Kaito said without looking away from his screen. "Just giving it a minute to cool down. You put way too much chili oil in this one."
"That's the house special!" Kenjiro laughed, wiping his forehead with a towel.
Mari rushed past Kaito's booth, balancing four massive bowls of ramen on a large tray.
"Excuse me! Hot soup coming through!" Mari yelled, weaving through the crowded tables.
A few booths over, Fat Gum was holding court. He was wearing his hero hoodie, sitting with three local construction workers. He had a literal mountain of empty bowls stacked next to him.
"I'm telling you, the foundation on that new high-rise is sinking," one of the workers said, taking a drink of his beer. "They used cheap concrete."
"Good to know," Fat Gum grinned, slurping down some noodles. "I'll make sure to avoid swinging from those cranes. Thanks for the heads up, Taro."
Chimee.
The front door chimed.
A local delivery driver walked in, holding a small stack of boxes. He walked past Fat Gum's booth and casually dropped a crumpled paper napkin right on the table next to the empty bowls.
The driver didn't stop. He just kept walking toward the kitchen.
Fat Gum picked up the napkin and unrolled it.
He read the messy handwriting, his smile dropping into a serious line.
Fat Gum swallowed his food and stood up. His massive frame shadowed the booth.
"Duty calls, boys," Fat Gum told the workers. "Put your lunches on my tab today."
Fat Gum walked over to Kaito's booth.
"Got a tip from the delivery guys," Fat Gum said quietly, leaning down. "Four guys with heavy, illegal support gear. They are trying to crack the back doors of the electronics warehouse down on 8th Street right now."
"Take them down," Kaito said simply. "Just remember the basics. Don't be a sponge. Act like a pipe."
"Force it straight to the hands," Fat Gum nodded, cracking his huge knuckles. "I got it."
"Mari!" Kaito called out.
Mari didn't even have to ask. She jogged over, digging into her apron pocket.
She tossed three tiny, matchbook-sized plastic boxes right at Fat Gum.
THWACK.
Fat Gum caught them easily.
"Emergency calories," Mari said cheerfully. "Beef and rice today. Just add water."
"You're a lifesaver," Fat Gum grinned. He shoved the boxes into his pocket and pushed his way out the front doors, breaking into a heavy jog down the sidewalk.
--+++++--
Location: 8th Street Electronics Warehouse, Osaka
Time: Ten Minutes Later
CRASH.
The heavy metal loading doors of the warehouse blew completely inward.
Four villains in black masks spun around. They were standing around a massive pallet of flat-screen televisions.
Fat Gum stepped through the broken doorway. He dusted some drywall off his shoulder.
"Alright, guys," Fat Gum said loudly. "Put the TVs down. You don't even have the wall mounts for those."
"It's Fat Gum!" the leader yelled. He raised a heavy, illegal support-gear blaster and pointed it right at Fat Gum's chest. "Light him up!"
BOOM.
A massive blast of raw kinetic force shot out of the cannon.
It hit Fat Gum dead center.
Fat Gum didn't flinch.
He didn't slide backward.
He closed his eyes and flexed his stomach tight. He completely relaxed his arms.
He didn't let the impact slosh around his body. He forced every single ounce of that kinetic shockwave straight down his arms.
His massive knuckles instantly lit up with a blinding orange glow.
"My turn," Fat Gum laughed.
He charged forward. The heavy steps shook the concrete floor.
"Run!" the leader yelled, dropping the blaster.
Two of the thugs tried to sprint past him toward the broken door.
Fat Gum didn't throw a punch. He just widened his stance and let them run right into his chest and arms.
SQUELCH.
Fat Gum shifted his surface tension. The two thugs sank a few inches into his yellow hoodie and got completely stuck. They struggled frantically, but they were trapped like flies on glue.
"What the hell!!" the first thug panicked, pulling his arms.
"Damn, this is disgusting," the second one groaned, stuck in the fat.
Fat Gum didn't even look at them. He just raised his glowing right fist and tapped both of them on the side of the head.
BAM. BAM.
The stored kinetic energy released like a gunshot. Both thugs went limp instantly, knocked out cold.
The leader and the last thug took one look at the glowing, unstoppable giant and completely froze.
They slowly raised their hands in the air, dropping to their knees.
Fat Gum looked down at his belly. He was completely round. He hadn't lost a single pound of fat.
---++++---
Location: The Highway to Tokyo
Time: 1:30 PM
Kaito walked out of the back alley of the Osaka Shield restaurant. He carried his laptop bag over his shoulder.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, toy-sized black sedan. He tossed it onto the empty pavement.
FWUMP.
The car instantly expanded back into a full-sized, luxury sedan.
Kaito opened the door and got into the driver's seat.
He pulled out onto the main highway heading toward Tokyo.
Traffic was a nightmare.
Kaito didn't care.
He pressed his foot on the gas. He tapped the dashboard with his finger.
Fwiirp.
The black sedan smoothly shrank down to the size of a go-kart.
Kaito just kept driving, weaving right between the bumpers of the stalled cars and the concrete median.
He bypassed miles of dead traffic in a matter of minutes, cruising at highway speeds while everyone else was stuck in park.
_-_-_-
Location: The Thicket Agency, Tokyo
Time: 4:30 PM
The front door of the agency opened.
Kaito walked in holding a cardboard drink carrier with three iced coffees.
The Tokyo office was completely different from the Osaka restaurant.
It was a proper, fast-paced corporate space. Phones were ringing.
Yuna Morita was sitting at her desk, looking like she was about to pull her own hair out. She was completely surrounded by massive stacks of paperwork and contracts.
THUMP.
She slammed a rubber stamp down hard on a document.
"Hey," Kaito said, walking over and setting an iced coffee on her desk. "Take a breath, Yuna."
"I can't breathe, Manager," Yuna groaned, taking the coffee and immediately taking a huge drink. "We just secured the green-energy sponsor from Kyoto. They wired five million yen into the Reforestation account an hour ago. The paperwork is endless. The city wants permits. The sponsors want photos. I'm drowning."
"It's a good problem to have," Kaito smiled, pulling up a chair next to her desk. "Did you eat lunch today?"
"I had half a granola bar at noon," Yuna admitted, stamping another paper.
"Go buy some actual food," Kaito told her, closing the folder she was working on. "The paperwork will be here when you get back."
Across the room, Daiki Chiba was sitting at his dispatch desk.
He wasn't looking at the computer monitors. He was staring blankly at the ceiling. His eyes were glowing solid white.
Kaito walked over and set a coffee next to his keyboard.
"Thanks," Daiki muttered, not blinking. "Man, pigeons see some weird stuff up there. Somebody left an entire pizza on a roof near Shibuya."
"Stay on task, Daiki," Kaito laughed, leaning against the desk.
Daiki's glowing eyes suddenly narrowed. He sat up straight in his chair.
"Got something," Daiki said quickly, his voice dropping the joking tone. "3rd Avenue alley. Behind the national bank. Three guys trying to pop the back doors off a parked armored car. They have crowbars and a heavy plasma cutter."
Yuna immediately dropped her stamp. She reached over and grabbed the radio mic on her desk.
"Kamui Woods, do you copy?" Yuna asked.
Static crackled for a second.
"Copy," Kamui Woods' voice came through the speaker. He sounded slightly out of breath, wind rushing past his mic. "I'm two blocks away. Moving in."
_-_-_-_
Location: 3rd Avenue Alleyway, Tokyo
Time: 4:35 PM
The blue flame of the plasma cutter hissed loudly, melting through the heavy steel hinges of the armored car.
"Hurry up!" the guy with the crowbar yelled, looking over his shoulder. "The alarms are going to trip any second!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" the cutter yelled back.
WHOOSH.
A dark shadow dropped straight down from the skyscraper above them.
Kamui Woods landed in a low crouch right behind them, his new wooden respirator mask fixed tightly to his face.
"Step away from the truck," Kamui said calmly.
The three men spun around.
"It's the tree hero!" the crowbar thug shouted. "Burn him!"
The guy holding the plasma cutter didn't hesitate.
He pulled the trigger fully, blasting a long stream of blue, super-heated plasma right at Kamui's chest.
"What the hell!!"
FZZZZT.
The blue flame washed over Kamui.
Kamui didn't dodge. He didn't even flinch. The heat hit his wooden skin and just slid right off.
The green, fire-retardant sap soaked into his pores completely ignored the plasma.
"Why isn't he burning?!"
"Boss! What do we do?"
The cutter thug stopped firing, his jaw dropping in shock.
"My turn," Kamui said.
Kamui planted his feet and threw his left arm forward. He focused on density, squeezing the fibers tight.
CREAAAK.
Thick, dark, heavy Iron-Wood pushed out of his arm. It shot forward like a steel python, wrapping around all three men and slamming them hard against the side of the armored truck.
"Ack! I can't move!" the cutter yelled, dropping his tool as the dense wood crushed his arms to his sides.
Kamui tightened his grip just a fraction of an inch.
CLANG.
The Iron-Wood squeezed.
POP.
HISS.
The hidden capsules in Kamui's branches crushed open.
A thick cloud of dark green sleep gas blasted right into the faces of the three trapped thugs.
Huff.
They breathed it in.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Their eyes rolled back. In less than three seconds, all three men slumped over inside the wooden bindings, completely knocked out and snoring softly.
Kamui stood there in the dissipating green fog, breathing clean air through his filtered mask.
He looked around. The armored car wasn't damaged.
The nearby windows were intact. The whole fight took thirty seconds flat.
Kamui raised his wrist to his mouth to speak into his radio.
"Dispatch. Target secured. Three suspects unconscious. No property damage," Kamui reported smoothly.
Back in the office, Yuna threw her hands up in the air.
"Yes!" Yuna cheered loudly
.
Daiki blinked, his eyes returning to normal. He picked up his iced coffee and took a huge drink. "He makes it look way too easy now."
Siip.
Kaito just stood near the desk, taking a sip of his own coffee. He watched the live street-camera feed on Daiki's monitor, seeing Kamui easily tie the thugs up for the police.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Abandoned Industrial Warehouse, Shizuoka Prefecture
Date: The Final Day of the Contract
HUMMM.
The old fluorescent lights buzzed near the high ceiling.
The massive concrete room was completely destroyed.
Kamui Woods swung from the metal rafters, firing thick, heavy Iron-Wood spears down at the ground.
SWISH. SWISH.
Fat Gum was standing right in the middle of the room. He didn't dodge.
He let the dense wooden spears hit his chest and his shoulders.
THUD. THUD.
The impact was heavy, but Fat Gum used his kinetic buffers. He pushed the energy into his fists. His hands glowed bright orange.
"Come down here and fight, Shinji!" Fat Gum yelled.
Fat Gum threw a massive punch at the empty air.
BOOM.
A heavy kinetic shockwave blasted upward, shattering the wooden spears before they could even hit the ground.
Kamui flipped off the rafter, dropping straight down. He covered his arms in thick Iron-Wood, turning them into heavy clubs.
He swung hard at Fat Gum's head.
Fat Gum didn't block. He just leaned forward and let the wooden club hit his shoulder.
SQUELCH.
The Iron-Wood sank into the yellow hoodie and got completely stuck. Fat Gum's adhesion trap worked perfectly.
"Got you," Fat Gum grinned, pulling his glowing fist back.
"Not this time," Kamui replied behind his mask.
Kamui didn't try to pull his arm free. He flexed his trapped wood.
POP.
HISS.
A massive cloud of green sleep gas exploded right in Fat Gum's face.
Cough-cough.
Fat Gum coughed loudly, his eyes watering.
He had to drop his stance and step backward to get out of the gas cloud, releasing the trap.
Kamui jumped back, creating distance.
HUFF-PUFF.
HUFF-PUFF.
They stared at each other, both breathing heavily.
They had been fighting for almost two straight hours. Nobody was giving an inch. The weaknesses were completely gone.
FWEEEEET.
The sharp sound of a silver whistle echoed through the warehouse.
Kaito walked out from behind a metal shipping crate. He was holding the whistle in his hand.
"That's enough," Kaito called out, walking onto the cracked concrete floor. "If you two keep going, you are going to bring the roof down on our heads."
Kamui dropped his arms.
The Iron-Wood retracted back into his skin. He pulled his respirator mask down, wiping sweat from his face.
Fat Gum let the orange glow fade from his knuckles. He sat down heavily on a broken chunk of concrete, panting.
"Man," Fat Gum laughed, looking at Kamui. "You hit way too hard now. I can barely keep up."
"And you are a walking tank," Kamui smiled back. "I couldn't trap you for more than two seconds."
Kaito stopped in front of them. He tossed them both a clean towel.
"The three months are officially up," Kaito said. "Your metrics are completely stable. Your agencies are fully funded and running smoothly. You don't need me anymore."
"You did good work, Arisaka," Kamui said, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "I actually enjoy patrolling now. I don't feel like I'm just waiting to get burned."
"Yeah, Kaito," Fat Gum agreed, standing up. "You completely changed the game for us. We owe you big time."
"You don't owe me anything. You paid the invoice," Kaito said smoothly.
He gestured toward the open garage door. "Now come on. I bought food."
Ten minutes later, the three of them were sitting on the trunk of Kaito's black sedan in the back alley behind the warehouse.
The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the industrial park.
Kaito handed Fat Gum a massive paper tray full of hot takoyaki. He handed Kamui a plate of grilled chicken skewers.
They sat there eating cheap street food, watching the sky change colors.
"So, what's next for the Golden Manager?" Fat Gum asked, popping a hot octopus ball into his mouth. "You going to contract next hero?"
"No," Kaito said, eating a skewer. "I'm taking a week off. Going to visit my grandmother. I need a break from looking at spreadsheets."
"You deserve it," Kamui said, taking a bite of chicken. "Just don't forget about us when we hit the Top 10 next year."
"I never forget a client," Kaito smiled.
They bumped their paper plates together in a quiet, casual toast.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: U.A. High School – Main Gates
Date: Monday | 07:30 AM
The massive glass building of U.A. High School shined brightly in the morning sun.
Hundreds of middle school students were walking up the paved path, nervously holding their exam tickets.
Mirio Togata stood right in the middle of the path.
He was wearing his standard school uniform. He had a massive, confident grin on his face. He punched his own palm.
"This is it, Tamaki!" Mirio cheered loudly. "The big leagues! I am so pumped up right now I could punch right through that front door!"
Tamaki Amajiki stood right behind him. He looked completely sick to his stomach. He was hugging his backpack to his chest, staring at the ground.
"Mirio, please stop yelling," Tamaki mumbled nervously. "People are looking at us. I want to go home. I think I forgot how to walk."
"You are going to do great!" Mirio laughed, slapping Tamaki on the back. "Come on! Let's go be heroes!"
Mirio grabbed Tamaki's arm and dragged him toward the massive front doors.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Aldera Junior High
Date: Monday | 03:00 PM
The final bell rang loudly through the hallways. The first year of middle school was officially over.
Students grabbed their backpacks and rushed out of the classrooms, laughing and talking about their spring break plans.
Izuku Midoriya stood up from his desk. He packed his notebooks away carefully. He had grown taller over the last few months. He looked physically fit, his shoulders looking much wider in his uniform.
He looked across the classroom.
Katsuki Bakugo was grabbing his bag.
Izuku walked over to him. "Hey, Kacchan."
Bakugo stopped. He didn't turn around. He didn't yell. He didn't let off small explosions from his palms to intimidate Izuku like he used to do.
Ever since Izuku pinned him to the dirt in the past, Bakugo had completely changed. He was dead silent. He didn't bully anyone. He just looked angry and intensely focused all the time.
"What do you want?" Bakugo muttered, staring at the chalkboard.
"I just wanted to say good work this year," Izuku said calmly. "I heard you got the top score on the mock exams again."
Bakugo tightened his grip on his backpack strap.
He finally turned his head and glared at Izuku. It wasn't a glare of superiority anymore. It was a glare of pure, frustrated rivalry.
"Don't talk to me," Bakugo said coldly. "I'm going to train."
"....."
Bakugo shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the classroom, leaving early just like he did every single day now.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Kaito's Consulting Office
Date: One Week Later
The office was completely quiet.
Kaito sat behind his heavy wooden desk. He looked relaxed.
He was wearing a casual gray sweater and dark jeans.
His one-week vacation visiting Grandma Saki had cleared his head completely. He finally got some actual sleep.
His computer monitor was glowing brightly in the dark room.
BING. BING. BING.
The notification sound wouldn't stop. His email inbox was flooded with over two hundred unread messages.
It wasn't just local agencies anymore. The international hero market had completely lost its mind trying to get a hold of him.
He scrolled past an email from a top hero in London begging for a consultation.
Below that, a hero manager from Singapore was offering double his usual rate. Below that, three different American support-gear companies were fighting to send him prototype armor, hoping he would test it on his clients.
Kaito didn't open a single one of them.
He moved his mouse and clicked the browser closed. He didn't want to deal with international headaches right now.
CLICK.
He opened a secure tab and logged straight into the official Hero Public Safety Commission database.
He clicked on the live, real-time Hero Billboard Chart.
Kaito leaned back in his leather chair. He rested his hands behind his head and slowly scrolled down the massive list of names.
Rank 2: Best Jeanist.
Rank 3: Endeavor.
Rank 7: Ryukyu.
Rank 12: Ingenium.
Rank 13: Snipe.
Rank 15: Selkie.
Rank 17: Wild, Wild Pussycats.
Rank 20: Hawks.
Rank 22: Mirko.
Kaito stared at the numbers on the screen. He looked at the current date in the bottom corner of his monitor.
It was crazy how fast time actually moved.
Three years. It had already been three full years since he quit his normal job as a haken specialist on ordinary companies and took his very first hero contract.
It was a massive grind.
But looking at the screen right now, it was totally worth it.
"It's been three years. A lot of these people's lives have changed. I think I did a good job right?"
CHIME.
The small bell above the front door of the agency rang.
Kaito stood up from his desk and walked out into the main reception lobby to see who was there
"I apologize for the intrusion," a calm, smooth voice replied. "Your phone lines were completely jammed. I figured walking in was the only way to reach you."
Standing right in the middle of his reception area was a tall, lean man.
He was wearing a dark blue and red ninja uniform.
A long, red scarf covered the lower half of his face, and his silver hair was styled up into a sharp, rigid point.
Kaito recognized him instantly.
Edgeshot bowed his head slightly, keeping his sharp, focused eyes locked on Kaito.
"It's been a long time Arisaka," Edgeshot said quietly."
"It's been a long time, Edgeshot. Have a seat."
_-_-_-_-_
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