Location: O'Clock Agency, Naruhata
Date: Tuesday | 02:00 PM
SLAP.
"Got any threes?" Moyuru asked, tossing a card onto the low table.
"Go fish," Soga grunted, not even looking up from his hand.
The agency lounge was loud and completely disorganized, which was totally normal for a Tuesday afternoon.
Rapt was sitting on the floor, trying to balance a spoon on his nose, while Soga and Moyuru argued over their card game.
Kazuho ignored all of them. She was pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor, staring intensely at a tablet.
"I can't believe him," Kazuho groaned. She dragged a hand down her face. "He is literally making our lives impossible."
Koichi sat on the worn-out couch. He was wearing his blue hoodie and sipping quietly from a small juice box. He looked up.
"Who?" Koichi asked.
"Kaito!" Kazuho yelled.
She walked over and shoved the tablet right in Koichi's face.
"Look at this," Kazuho said. "These are the leaked preliminary metrics for the upcoming Hero Billboard Chart. Look at Endeavor's incident resolution rates! They are completely insane! And Best Jeanist? His public approval just spiked another ten percent!"
Koichi squinted at the screen. "Wow. That's really high."
"And look at Edgeshot!" Kazuho continued, swiping the screen aggressively. "His disaster relief scores just went through the roof after that highway fight last week. Kaito is basically handing his clients the weapons to kick us out of the Top 5!"
Since Kazuho and Koichi knew Kaito's secret identity as Hero X, they weren't actually mad.
It was just a crazy, frustrating rivalry. It felt like their friend was showing off and making them look bad by accident.
Koichi finished his juice box. He didn't look worried. He actually smiled and cracked his knuckles.
"Well, if Kaito is raising the bar, it just means we have to jump higher," Koichi grinned, getting completely pumped up. "We can't let the old man lose his Number 4 spot! I'll do double patrols tonight!"
Soga threw his cards down on the table. He didn't know Kaito was Hero X. He just thought Kaito was a really scary manager guy.
"Calm down, man," Soga told Koichi. "You can't do double patrols. You're gonna burn out."
"Soga is right."
Everyone looked toward the hallway.
Step.
Step.
Iwao walked into the lounge. The veteran hero wore a simple white button-down shirt and loose grey pants. He was holding a warm mug of tea, looking completely relaxed.
"You are worrying too much about the statistics, Pop," Iwao said gently.
He took a slow sip of his tea and sat down in his favorite armchair near the window.
"Ranks are just numbers on a board," Iwao reminded her. "We do our job, the city stays safe, and the people go home. That's all that actually matters."
"But the prestige!" Kazuho argued, stomping her foot on the floor. "If we drop ranks, people will think we are slacking off! And we'll get less budget!"
Iwao just chuckled. "We have plenty of budget. Makoto fixed our finances months ago, remember? The agency account is totally fine."
Kazuho let out a long, frustrated sigh. She flopped down onto the couch right next to Koichi.
"Still," Kazuho muttered. "We can't just roll over."
"We aren't rolling over," Iwao smiled. "You're just forgetting the third metric."
Kazuho blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The Billboard Chart looks at Incident Resolution, Public Approval, and Societal Contribution," Iwao explained, pointing his tea mug at her. "We can't beat Endeavor in catching bad guys. But we absolutely beat him in community outreach. It's time to finalize another Naruhata Charity Concert."
Kazuho's eyes instantly lit up. She sat up straight.
"Another idol show!" Kazuho gasped.
"Yes," Iwao nodded. "A free, local concert right in the middle of the district. We use it to raise funds for the local orphanage and the disaster relief shelters. It shows the country that the O'Clock agency actually cares about the people on the ground."
"That's brilliant!" Koichi cheered. "Everyone loves your Pop Step routines, Kazuho. The plaza will be packed."
"I have the stage layouts drawn up already," Kazuho said, her brain moving a mile a minute. "But we need the city permits cleared, and we need to sign off on the stage equipment budget."
She stood up and looked around the room.
"Where is Makoto anyway?" Kazuho asked, putting her hands on her hips. "She's supposed to be managing this. I tried calling her three times this morning and it went straight to voicemail."
"I haven't seen her since Friday," Koichi shrugged.
Iwao laughed quietly. He set his tea mug down on the small side table.
"That's because Makoto is on a vacation," Iwao told them.
"...."
"....."
The whole room went completely silent.
Even Soga stopped playing with his pocket knife.
"A vacation?" Kazuho asked, completely confused. "Makoto? Our Makoto? She never takes time off. She literally yelled at me last month for taking a two-hour lunch break."
"She asked me on Saturday morning," Iwao smiled. "She walked right into my office with a perfectly organized leave-of-absence form. It was already signed and stamped."
Iwao chuckled, remembering the conversation.
"I told her, 'Why are you just asking now? You work way too hard, take a whole month if you want!' " Iwao laughed. "And she looked me dead in the eye and said, 'If I leave you guys alone for a month, the agency will burn to the ground.' So she just took a week."
"Well, she's not wrong about the fire hazard," Soga muttered, looking over at Moyuru, who always had little accidents.
"Hey!" Moyuru complained.
"Wait, where did she go?" Kazuho asked, walking closer to Iwao. "A vacation? That takes forever. The flights alone take days."
"She didn't take a flight," Iwao said simply. "She went with Kaito."
"..."
"..."
The silence in the room was deafening.
Koichi's jaw dropped open. Kazuho just stared at Iwao, her eyes wide.
They knew exactly what that meant. Kaito had spatial teleportation. He could go anywhere on the planet in a single second.
"Wait," Kazuho gasped, clutching her head. "You mean... Like, instantly?!"
"Yep," Iwao nodded, picking his tea back up.
"PARIS?!" Kazuho suddenly yelled, her voice echoing off the walls. "Is she in Paris right now?! I've always wanted to go to Paris! Why didn't she take me?!"
"I want a vacation," Koichi whined, slumping down into the couch cushions. "My legs hurt from patrolling. I want to eat pizza in Italy."
"What are you guys talking about? I don't get it. Vacations take days of traveling back and forth," Rapt complained from the floor.
"Haha, don't worry about it," Koichi replied, awkwardly deflecting the question.
The lounge completely devolved into a mess of complaints and pure, unadulterated envy.
Kazuho was pacing again, but this time she was just complaining about French pastries and missed opportunities.
Iwao just sat in his chair, smiling and watching his chaotic, noisy agency, perfectly content with how things were going.
_-_-_-_
Location: Shizuoka – Grandma Saki's House
Date: Friday | 08:00 PM (Flashback)
Kaito leaned back in his office chair in Kanagawa. He held his cell phone to his ear.
The Edgeshot contract was officially closed.
"I have a free week, Grandma," Kaito said. "Pack a bag. I'm taking you on that world tour."
"Oh, really?!" Grandma Saki's voice came through the speaker, sounding incredibly happy. "That sounds wonderful, dear."
"Wait, what?!"
A second voice yelled from the background of the call. It was Makoto.
She was at Saki's house for dinner, helping out in the kitchen like she usually did on her days off.
There was some shuffling on the line. Makoto clearly grabbed the phone.
"Kaito?" Makoto asked loudly. "You are going on a worldwide vacation?!"
"Yeah," Kaito answered, slightly confused. "Tomorrow morning."
Makoto remembered the conversation she had with Saki a few months ago.
Saki told her to be proactive. Don't wait around. Make a move.
"I'm coming," Makoto declared bluntly.
"You have work at the agency," Kaito pointed out.
"I'll file the leave-of-absence right now," Makoto fired back. "I work too hard anyway. I am not letting you two go to Paris without me. Pick me up tomorrow morning."
Kaito just chuckled. "Alright. Pack light."
BEEP.
The call ended.
_-_-_-_
Location: Shizuoka – Grandma Saki's House
Date: Saturday | 09:00 AM
Kaito stood in Saki's living room. He wore a simple, casual dark shirt and pants.
Makoto was standing next to the sofa. She was wearing a nice summer dress and a wide-brimmed hat.
And right next to her was a massive, incredibly heavy-looking rolling suitcase.
"I told you to pack light," Kaito sighed, looking at the giant bag.
"This is light!" Makoto argued, crossing her arms. "We are going around the world! I need different outfits for different climates!"
Kaito just shook his head. He walked over and tapped the handle of the suitcase.
VWOOM.
The massive bag instantly vanished, sucked right into his spatial storage ring.
He had developed the technique months ago, drawing inspiration from the Wuxia and Xianxia novels he read in his previous life. Now, it was incredibly handy.
Makoto blinked. "Oh. Right. You have that."
"Ready?" Kaito asked, pulling out a small stack of glossy reference photos from his pocket.
"Ready!" Saki smiled, grabbing her small purse.
Kaito grabbed Saki's hand and placed his other hand on Makoto's shoulder. He focused on the first photo.
SNAP.
The quiet living room disappeared.
WHOOSH.
A freezing, biting wind slammed into them.
They were suddenly standing on a wooden observation deck.
Massive, snow-covered mountains stretched out for miles in every direction. It was a high-end ski resort in the Swiss Alps.
"BRRRR!" Makoto shrieked, instantly grabbing her bare arms. "It's freezing!"
Kaito laughed.
He reached into his ring and pulled out three thick winter coats, handing them over.
"Put these on," Kaito said.
A few feet away, a resort worker wearing a heavy uniform walked down the wooden steps.
He held his hands out, and small bursts of orange heat radiated from his palms, instantly melting the dangerous ice off the stairs.
"Oh, my knees," Saki suddenly complained loudly.
She leaned heavily against the wooden railing, looking at the snow-covered path leading to the lodge.
"The snow looks very slippery," Saki sighed, putting a hand on her chest. "I have to walk slowly. Kaito, make sure Makoto doesn't fall. Hold her hand."
Makoto choked on the cold air. Her face turned bright red. "W-what? I have boots on! I'm fine!"
Kaito looked at his grandmother. She gave him a very obvious, mischievous wink.
Instead of getting awkward, Kaito just laughed softly. He went right along with the joke.
"Grandma is right. It's slippery," Kaito said. He walked over and offered Makoto his arm. "Don't fall, Makoto."
Makoto stared at his arm.
Her ears were burning. She hesitantly reached out and looped her arm through his, clutching his thick jacket.
"L-let's just go get some hot cocoa," Makoto stuttered, looking away.
Saki smiled proudly and followed them inside.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
Date: Tuesday | 01:00 PM
SNAP.
The freezing snow of Switzerland was totally gone.
Now, the air was incredibly hot and smelled like roasted coffee, lamb, and a hundred different spices.
They were walking through a massive, crowded indoor market.
The arched ceilings were painted with bright colors, and thousands of people were walking between the tiny shops.
CHATTER.
CHATTER.
A vendor nearby was selling colorful glass lanterns. He wasn't hanging them up.
He was using a minor levitation Quirk to make them float in a slow circle above his stall to attract tourists.
"This place is huge," Makoto said, looking around in awe.
She had a small paper bag in her hand. Then she bought a wooden box of expensive loose-leaf tea.
"That's for Iwao," Makoto said, handing the box to Kaito.
Kaito took it and tossed it into his spatial ring. "He likes green tea, Makoto. This is black tea."
"He needs to expand his tastes," Makoto shrugged.
She stopped at a clothing stall.
She picked up a bright yellow hoodie with a terrible, generic cartoon cat printed on the front.
"Oh my god," Makoto laughed. "Look at this. Koichi will absolutely wear this on patrol."
"He really will," Kaito chuckled. "Buy it."
Makoto bought the terrible hoodie. She bought some weird carved wooden statues for Soga, Moyuro and Rapt.
She basically went on a shopping spree for the entire O'Clock agency.
Kaito just walked behind her like a pack mule, letting her hand him bag after bag. He tossed all of it into his ring.
Saki stopped to look at some expensive woven rugs. She gave Makoto a little push.
"You two go look at the jewelry down there," Saki said, waving them away. "I want to look at these carpets. Go on."
Makoto knew exactly what Saki was doing.
She walked down the crowded alley with Kaito. It was loud, but it felt oddly private in the middle of all the strangers.
"Sorry about her," Makoto laughed nervously. "She's not very subtle."
"She means well," Kaito smiled. He grabbed two cold drinks from a street vendor and handed her one.
"So," Makoto said, taking a sip. "No hero meetings. No villains. No paperwork. How does it feel to actually act like a normal guy for three days?"
Kaito looked around the busy market. He took a sip of his drink.
"It feels pretty good," Kaito admitted honestly. "I forgot how loud normal life is."
Makoto smiled, feeling the tension drop. She just bumped her shoulder playfully against his arm, and they kept walking down the market.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Date: Thursday | 04:00 PM
SNAP.
SPLASH.
Kaito's boots hit a thin layer of water.
They were standing in the middle of a massive, endless flat plain.
It had just rained. The thin layer of water over the pure white salt turned the entire ground into a perfect, flawless mirror.
The bright blue sky and the white clouds reflected perfectly on the ground. It looked like they were standing in the middle of the sky.
"Whoa," Makoto breathed out, stepping carefully.
Saki immediately dug into her purse and pulled out a digital camera.
"Alright, picture time!" Saki announced. "You two, stand over there by that little salt pile."
Makoto walked over, feeling a little nervous. Kaito walked up and stood next to her.
There was about a foot of space between them.
Saki lowered the camera and gave them a very flat look.
"You look like strangers waiting for a bus," Saki complained. "Stand closer! Put your arm around her, Kaito! Give an old woman a good photo to put on the fridge!"
Makoto panicked. Her brain completely short-circuited. "We are close enough! The lighting is fine!"
Kaito just let out a warm laugh.
He didn't freeze up. He just stepped closer, reached out, and casually wrapped his arm around Makoto's shoulder, pulling her in.
Makoto squeaked quietly, her face burning up. She stood completely stiff.
Kaito just smiled at the camera and threw up a casual peace sign with his free hand.
CLICK.
"Perfect!" Saki cheered.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Santorini, Greece
Date: Friday | 06:30 PM
SNAP.
The sea breeze was warm and smelled like salt.
They were sitting on a beautiful white balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea. The sun was starting to set, turning the sky orange and pink.
Small plates of fresh grilled fish, olives, and bread sat on the table.
CLINK.
Makoto tapped her glass of sparkling water against Kaito's glass.
"Thanks for letting me crash your trip," Makoto smiled, leaning back in her chair. She looked totally relaxed.
The dark bags under her eyes from managing the agency were completely gone. "I really needed this."
"You earned it," Kaito said, taking a bite of fish.
Saki wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked right at Kaito.
"You see?" Saki said pointedly. "She works very hard. You should take her out to nice places more often, Kaito. Not just when you have a free week."
Makoto hid her face behind her glass, groaning quietly.
Kaito just laughed out loud. He didn't deny it or get awkward. He just looked at the sunset.
"Yeah," Kaito smiled comfortably. "Maybe next time I get a day off. Let's do this again sometime, Grandma."
And?" Saki prompted, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Makoto included," Kaito added with a chuckle.
They sat back and watched the sun dip below the ocean, enjoying the quiet end to a completely normal, perfect week.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Underground Laboratory (Unknown Location)
Date: Present Day
BLUB.
BLUB.
Thick green liquid bubbled loudly inside four massive glass tanks.
The lab was buried miles underground. The air smelled strongly of bleach and cold metal.
Inside each glass tank floated a naked, pale body.
They all looked exactly like the man standing in front of the glass.
Dr. Garaki rolled his chair over to the main computer console. His eyes were wide, and he was grinning so hard his gums showed.
"Master," Garaki giggled, pointing a stubby finger at the monitor. "It took perfectly. The cloned quirk grew from Cathleen Bate's blood without a single rejection. It's completely stable in your system."
All For One stood with his hands behind his back. He wore a sharp dark suit.
He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. A dark smile spread across his face.
"I can tell," All For One murmured. "The silence in my head is absolutely wonderful."
Garaki spun his chair around. "I still can't believe the Trinity process actually worked without killing you. Decaying your own brain just to kill the vestiges? It's complete madness."
"But necessary," All For One said calmly.
He walked up and tapped the thick glass of the first tank.
"The ghosts of the people I stole from were getting too loud," All For One explained, looking at his sleeping clone. "When I transferred my mind into this vessel, I used Decay to rot the brain tissue where those angry ghosts lived. I killed them permanently."
Garaki shivered a little. "And right before the damage killed you, you used Overhaul to rebuild the brain tissue from scratch."
"A perfect blank slate," All For One nodded. "And finally, I used the cloned New Order to lock the door. I set one permanent rule on my own body. 'My stolen quirks will never rebel.' "
Garaki started clapping his hands together like an excited kid.
"You are truly immortal now," Garaki cheered. "No more cellular breakdown. You can hold as many quirks as you want!"
"Yes, but stuffing hundreds of quirks into one body makes a person slow and bloated," All For One said. "I am not going to do that. That is why we are dividing the arsenal."
He gestured to the four tanks.
"The Seven Crowns," All For One declared.
Garaki scratched his bald head. "Well, you only have four left right now, Master."
"I know," All For One sighed, sounding a little annoyed. "I had five perfectly grown bodies. But I had to use the Vanguard clone in New York. I had to turn it to dust to steal Cathleen's blood and escape her little reality-warping trap. That cost me a lot of money."
"It was a good trade," Garaki pointed out. "We got New Order out of it."
"True," All For One agreed. He looked at the current lineup. "We have the Strength vessel, the Speed vessel, the Defense vessel, and the Utility vessel. I need you to start incubating the missing three to finish the set."
"Growing them flawless takes time, Master," Garaki grumbled, turning back to his keyboard. "It takes months to reinforce the bone density."
"Then start today," All For One ordered gently.
BEEP.
BEEP.
A red light flashed on the secure communications console sitting on the far desk.
Garaki tapped a button.
A blue hologram flickered to life in the middle of the room. It was Flect Turn.
The blue-skinned man looked completely exhausted. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose, and his hair was a mess.
"Good evening, Flect," All For One greeted him smoothly. "You look tired."
"I am tired, Boss," Flect said, dropping his hand. His voice sounded strained. "We have a massive problem in Europe. And it's costing us a lot of time and money."
All For One crossed his arms. "Tell me."
"It's Valdo Gollini," Flect reported, pulling up a digital file on his end of the call. "He calls himself The Sovereign now. He sent his mafia to hit our production lines."
Flect let out a long, frustrated breath. He was a neat freak who hated messes, and his carefully planned factories were getting ruined.
"They burned two of our Trigger factories in Italy to the ground last night," Flect complained. "And they just hit a warehouse in France this morning. They are slaughtering the consumable Nomus you left there, stealing the Trigger research, and burning whatever is left."
Garaki frowned. "Wait, ordinary mafia guys are killing the consumables? How? Those monsters hit with three hundred percent power."
"Valdo's people aren't normal anymore," Flect answered, looking at the doctor. "They have some kind of forced body modification. They don't burn out after three minutes like our monsters do. Valdo is trying to steal our Trigger formula to stabilize his family's quirks permanently."
Flect looked back at All For One.
"Boss, I want my cure," Flect said bluntly. "But I can't run these factories and make your drugs if this Italian guy keeps knocking the walls down."
All For One didn't yell. He didn't break anything in the lab. He just sighed.
"Valdo Gollini," All For One muttered.
"You know him?" Garaki asked.
"I offered him a seat at the League years ago," All For One said. "I told him to join my empire. He rejected me. He wanted to play king in his own little sandbox. And now his tantrum is becoming a real nuisance."
All For One turned around and looked at the four glass tanks.
He needed a field test anyway. He wasn't going to send his new toys to fight like All Might or the Hero X without making sure the Bio-Transmitter controls worked perfectly first.
Valdo's modified mafia was the perfect target practice.
"Doctor," All For One said.
"Yes, Master?"
"Drain the first two tanks," All For One ordered. "Wake up the Strength clone and the Speed clone."
Garaki's eyes widened. "You're deploying them already?"
"I am," All For One nodded.
He looked back at the blue hologram of Flect Turn.
"Flect, lock down the remaining factories," All For One told him. "I am sending the clones to Europe. They will handle the rat problem."
"Understood," Flect nodded, visibly relaxing now that he didn't have to deal with it himself. "What are the rules of engagement?"
"Slaughter Valdo's little mafia," All For One said smoothly, a dark, terrifying smile returning to his face. "Break his family. Burn his empire to ash."
All For One adjusted his cuffs.
"But bring Valdo back to Japan alive," All For One finished. "He rejected me once. Now, I am going to force him to work for me."
"Got it, Boss," Flect said.
CLICK.
The hologram vanished.
Garaki hit a heavy red button on his keyboard.
HISS.
The thick glass tanks holding the Strength and Speed clones slowly started to drain the green liquid.
The ultimate field test was about to begin.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Golden Manager Office, Arisaka Consulting
Date: Wednesday | 10:00 AM
CLICK.
CLICK.
Kaito sat behind his large mahogany desk. He scrolled down his computer monitor with his mouse.
The worldwide vacation was officially over. He was back in his casual work clothes, wearing a simple dark shirt and slacks.
The office was quiet.
The large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall was playing softly in the background. It was a rerun of Episode 2 of "Project Hero: The Runway".
On the screen, Best Jeanist was currently tearing apart a young designer's flammable rescue suit.
Chitose's publishing company was making an absolute fortune off the ratings.
Kaito wasn't really watching it. He was looking at his inbox.
PING.
"You have four hundred and twelve new inquiries, Boss," the simple sorting AI chimed from the desk speakers.
"Filter out the local requests," Kaito said, taking a sip of his black coffee. "Just show me the international ones."
The screen blinked. The list shrank down to about fifty names.
Ever since Kaito handled the Number One and Two heroes in America, and then pushed Edgeshot to the absolute top tier, his reputation had continued to explode globally.
He read the first few emails.
Top hero agencies from France, Korea, and Brazil were offering massive, ridiculous sums of money for a single consulting session.
Sigh.
Kaito let out a small sigh and hit the delete key.
They didn't actually want to change their agencies.
They just saw him on the news and wanted to buy a PR boost. He wasn't interested in fame-chasers. He wanted a job that actually built something real.
RING.
RING.
"Hmm?"
Kaito stopped moving his mouse.
It wasn't his office phone. It was his personal, encrypted cell phone sitting right on the corner of the desk.
Very few people had that number.
Kaito picked it up.
The caller ID showed a foreign country code he didn't immediately recognize. He hit the green button and the video call connected.
A man appeared on the screen. He had a thick beard, sharp eyes, and wore a bright red hero costume with a distinctive white crest on the chest.
It was Big Red Dot. The Number One Pro Hero of Singapore.
"Mr. Arisaka," Big Red Dot said. His voice was deep and completely serious. "Thank you for answering the call."
Kaito leaned back in his chair. He looked at the screen flatly.
"How did you get this number?" Kaito asked.
Big Red Dot rubbed the back of his neck. The serious Number One hero suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
"Christopher Skyline gave it to me," Big Red Dot admitted. "Captain Celebrity. We worked a joint maritime case a few years ago. I called him for advice, and he said you were the only guy who could fix my problem."
SIGH.
Kaito let out a long, heavy breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Of course it was Christopher.
"I am calling Pamela tonight," Kaito muttered, shaking his head. "I am telling his wife to take his phone away and put him on a tighter leash. He hands my private number out like it's a business card."
Big Red Dot actually let out a loud, booming laugh. The tense atmosphere completely broke.
"He really does talk too much," Big Red Dot smiled. "But he spoke highly of you. He said you completely turned his life around."
"I survived him," Kaito joked dryly. He rested his hands on the desk. "Alright. You have my attention. What is the problem? Singapore is one of the most secure, technologically advanced nations in the world. Your hero rankings are rock solid."
"Our internal street rankings are fine," Big Red Dot nodded. "The problem is our borders. The ocean."
Big Red Dot pulled up a digital map on his end of the call. He shared it directly to Kaito's screen.
"Look at this," Big Red Dot said, tracing a line across the massive ports on the map. "Singapore is the biggest maritime shipping hub in this hemisphere. We have thousands of cargo ships, passenger ferries, and private boats moving through our waters every single day."
Kaito looked at the map. It was completely crowded with shipping lanes.
"My heroes are fast," Big Red Dot admitted. "We are great at fighting street crime. But our maritime operations are a complete mess. Managing that much ocean traffic is a logistical nightmare. If a boat goes down, our rescue times are lagging. Our port security is stretched way too thin trying to scan everything on the water."
Big Red Dot leaned closer to the camera.
"We read the international reports on the Oki Mariner," Big Red Dot said seriously. "We saw what you did with Captain Selkie in Japan. You turned a local coast guard boat into a deep-sea authority. You gave them the 'Silent Command' sonar tech."
"I did," Kaito confirmed.
"We need that here," Big Red Dot stated. "We need the Golden Manager to come to Singapore and build us a maritime standard that actually works. Name your price, Mr. Arisaka. The government will pay it."
Tap.
Tap.
Kaito sat back in his chair. He tapped his fingers on the wooden desk.
He didn't just see a paycheck. He saw the macro-level chessboard.
He remembered the conversation he had with Captain Selkie and Sirius years ago.
The Blue Economy.
He told Selkie he wanted to make him the Coast Guard of the Western Pacific.
If Kaito took this job, he wasn't just fixing a random country's port.
"I'll take the contract," Kaito said smoothly.
Big Red Dot let out a massive breath of relief. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this helps."
"But I have a condition," Kaito added, holding up a finger.
Big Red Dot blinked. "Name it."
"I am not just going to build you a new system from scratch and leave," Kaito explained, looking right at the camera. "If I optimize your ports and install the sonar networks, we are going to link your entire maritime hero agency directly to Captain Selkie's network back in Japan."
"Link them?" Big Red Dot asked, surprised. "Across the ocean?"
"Yes," Kaito nodded firmly. "We share the data. We share the radar pings. If a ship goes missing in the Philippine Sea, both of our countries will know about it instantly. We won't just be two separate rescue teams. We will create a unified, international maritime coalition."
"....."
Big Red Dot stared at the screen. He was completely blown away by the massive scale of the idea.
It wasn't just an upgrade.
It was a total evolution of how heroes worked across borders.
"An international shield," Big Red Dot muttered, a massive grin breaking out across his face. "Skyline wasn't joking. You really do see the whole board, Arisaka. I love it. We are absolutely in."
"Good," Kaito smiled. "Give me three days to pack my bags and clear my schedule here."
"Done," Big Red Dot said firmly. "Send your flight details to my secure server. I will have a car waiting for you at the airport. I'll see you in the Lion City, Mr. Arisaka."
CLICK.
The video call ended.
Kaito set his phone down on the desk. He looked out the large window of his office, watching the busy streets below.
He was going to connect the Pacific.
.....
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(9 Advanced Chapters)