Location: Cairo, Egypt – Salaam Hero Agency
Time: Three Days Later
The desert heat was blazing outside, but inside the top floor of the agency, the air conditioning was running on full blast.
Salaam was pacing back and forth across his massive office.
He was wearing his full pharaoh hero costume, nervously chewing on his thumb.
He kept glancing at his desk, then at the door, then back at his desk.
SWISH.
The automatic doors slid open.
His sidekick, a tall man with a jackal mutation named Nuubis, walked into the room holding a digital tablet.
Nuubis looked incredibly tired.
"Nuubis!" Salaam practically yelled, rushing right up to him. "Tell me you got the email. His vacation is over! Tell me Kaito Arisaka finally replied to our blank-check offer!"
Nuubis let out a long, heavy sigh. He looked down at his tablet.
"He replied, Boss," Nuubis said slowly.
"And?" Salaam grabbed Nuubis by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. "When is he flying to Cairo? Do I need to book a five-star hotel? Should I clear out the VIP gym? I want him treated like royalty!"
"Boss, let go of my shoulders," Nuubis grumbled, stepping back to break the grip. "He isn't coming."
"..."
Salaam completely froze. His jaw physically dropped. "What?"
"He politely declined the offer," Nuubis explained, reading directly from the screen. "He said he was incredibly flattered by the blank check and the private island offer, but he has no plans to travel overseas right now. He wants to stay local. He already signed a new management contract with a Japanese hero."
THUD.
Salaam dramatically fell backward, landing completely flat on his back right in the middle of the expensive office rug.
"Nooooo!" Salaam cried out, throwing his hands over his face. "I flew all the way to Japan! I offered him infinite money! Who did he pick instead of me?!"
Nuubis scrolled down the email thread.
"Uh, it says here his new client is Mirai Sasaki," Nuubis reported. "Hero name: Sir Nighteye. He runs an intelligence agency in Tokyo. He was All Might's previous sidekick."
Salaam peeked through his fingers. He suddenly sat straight up, his eyes wide with pure, salty outrage.
"Nighteye?!" Salaam yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Are you kidding me?! The guy in the boring gray suit who throws heavy stamps at people?!"
"He is a very respected investigator, Boss," Nuubis pointed out.
"It's nepotism!" Salaam complained loudly, standing up and aggressively pointing a finger at the wall. "That is blatant nepotism, Nuubis. That guy totally pulled the 'All Might's sidekick' card to skip the entire international waitlist!"
Nuubis just crossed his arms and watched his boss throw a total tantrum.
"I have pyramids!" Salaam ranted, pacing around the room again. "I have the Nile River! What does Nighteye have? A creepy centipede sidekick and a bunch of filing cabinets! This is completely unfair!"
"Boss, you are the Number One hero in our country," Nuubis sighed, pinching the bridge of his snout. "You don't even need a manager. You are already strong enough."
"I wanted to punch a tectonic plate, Nuubis!" Salaam whined, dropping heavily into his desk chair and pouting. "I wanted the Golden Manager to teach me how to slap an earthquake! Now I'm just going to be stuck fighting normal villains in the sand."
Nuubis shook his head.
"Look, Boss," Nuubis said, trying to be the voice of reason. "Mr. Arisaka is a free agent. We can't force him to leave his home country. But his contracts usually only last a few months, right?"
Salaam blinked, looking up. "Right..."
"So, if you want to be next in line," Nuubis explained logically, "we need to keep our agency's stats at the absolute top. We need to beat every other international hero waiting for him so he has no choice but to pick Egypt next time."
Salaam stared at his sidekick. The dramatic sadness instantly vanished from his face.
He stood up and slammed his hands on the desk.
"You're totally right!" Salaam yelled, getting completely hyped up again. "I'm not losing to a guy in a gray suit twice! Let's get back to work!"
*-*-*-*
Location: Paris, France
A man in a highly expensive designer hero costume sat at a small table outside a high-end cafe.
He was looking down at his phone, reading the exact same polite rejection email.
He frowned, tapping his fingers on the table.
"He chose Japan again?" the French hero muttered to himself. He picked up his coffee cup. "Hey, Pierre! Cancel the order for the private jet! The kid isn't coming."
*-*-*-*
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Deep inside a massive, heavily fortified jungle agency, the top Brazilian hero was slouched on a leather couch.
He let out a loud groan and tossed his digital tablet onto the cushion next to him.
"Man, this sucks," he complained to the sidekicks standing around the room. "I told you guys we should have offered him a private beach instead of a mountain. Japan always gets all the good stuff."
*-*-*-*
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Inside a bustling hero agency, the local top-ranked hero stared at the computer screen on his desk.
He read the email twice just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
RIP.
He grabbed the physical blank check he had signed earlier that morning and aggressively tore it completely in half.
"Alright, listen up!" he yelled loudly, standing up and pointing at the dozens of sidekicks rushing around the office. "We are doubling our patrol routes starting right now! We are going to catch every single villain in this city! I want our resolution rate to beat other countries so we can secure the Golden Manager next contract! Let's go!"
*-*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – The Sky Egg Tower
Time: Evening
The noise was absolutely deafening.
The Sky Egg Tower was throwing the biggest party of the year. Down on the lower levels and public squares, thousands of fans were screaming, waving glow sticks, and buying merchandise.
Sato X News reporters had cameras set up on every corner, broadcasting the farewell event live across the entire country.
Up on the massive, open-air VIP observation deck, the real party was happening.
Music blasted through giant stadium speakers. Bright neon lights flashed across the night sky.
Right in the center of the deck, O'Clock Studio took the stage.
Soga, Rapt, and Moyuro hit the stage first, perfectly executing an aggressive, heavy hip-hop dance routine in matching street gear. The crowd below lost their minds.
Then, Kazuho stepped into the spotlight in her pink Pop Step costume. Koichi and Tamao flanked her, grabbing their microphones.
BASS-THUMP.
The beat dropped hard.
"Shizukesa ga shimikomu yo de iki o tometa gozen goji
Hijo kaidan de tsume o kamu asu wa docchi da?
The day has come"
[Breath stopped at 5 AM, like a permeating calm
You bite your nails, standing by the emergency exit—which way is tomorrow? THE DAY HAS COME!]
The fans below screamed the lyrics right back at them. "POP STEP! SKYCRAWLER!"
Makoto stood off-stage near the soundboard, crossing her arms and grinning proudly. Her crew was completely owning the stage.
Away from the massive speakers, Kaito leaned casually against the glass railing of the VIP deck, holding a cold drink.
He looked around. The observation deck was packed.
Footsteps approached from his right.
Best Jeanist, wearing his high-collared denim suit, walked up holding a glass of sparkling water.
Endeavor walked right next to him, looking as serious as ever in his civilian suit.
"Arisaka," Best Jeanist greeted him smoothly. "A very loud, but tightly woven event tonight."
"Good to see you, Tsunagu," Kaito smiled, taking a sip of his drink. He looked at the flaming hero. "Enji. You actually took a night off?"
"I didn't have a choice," Endeavor replied, crossing his massive arms. "After all its a farewell celebration for the American guy. But seeing you here reminds me of my request again. Can you still give me any developments on my qurik? With the way I am now, I can't still defeat All Might and take his number one spot."
The despairing power that Almight shown last raid was really overwhelming for him. He knew he was strong. Stronger than the others but facing All Might who could create wind pressures that could split the clouds all over across Asia was a different matter.
And looking at the guy infront of him, who made it possible for All Might to become stronger.
"You just had to work harder for the threads, Todoroki," Best Jeanist chuckled lightly. "But I must admit, Kaito. The system you built for him was incredibly difficult to surpass. I could ask the same thing as well."
"I just balance the scales," Kaito joked. "But of course, just send me an email in the future. I could plan for another quirk development for you guys."
Endeavor grunted in acknowledgement, and the two top heroes gave Kaito a respectful nod before continuing their walk toward the VIP buffet.
A moment later, Ms. Joke basically sprinted up to the railing, wearing her casual clothes and a massive, genuine smile.
"Kaito!" Emi cheered, leaning against the glass next to him.
"Emi," Kaito greeted her. "Having fun?"
"Having the best time!" Ms. Joke laughed loudly. "I'm so excited again! The next provisional hero license exam is months away. Ketsubutsu Academy must take another 100% passing rate."
"The kids did the work and you faculty teachers were the guides." Kaito replied casually. "I just presented a better playbook to read."
"Well, the drinks are on me next time I see you! Let's celebrate after the academy will surpass others. Hehehe." Emi laughed, waving happily as she walked off to grab some food.
On the stage, the music suddenly shifted.
The tempo sped up into a fast, swagger-filled rap track.
Koichi stepped to the front of the stage, spitting the verses while Soga and the boys hit a wild, fast-paced choreography.
"Ay, raibaru kuchi wo soroete
Wow, raibaru kuchi wo soroete
Bagu de, magure, mitomenee zettee
Maji de? Kore wo ma
Zenbu namami de?"
[Ay, my rivals are all telling me
Wow, my rivals are all telling me
Error struck, pure luck, never gonna admit
Seriously? You're doing all of this… all brawn?]
"It's namami, it's namami, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born"
[It's brawn, it's brawn, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born]
SWISH.
A gust of wind blew across the deck.
Hawks dropped out of the sky, landing right next to Kaito.
He threw an arm around Kaito's shoulder like an annoying younger brother.
"Yo, Kaito!" Hawks grinned, holding a plate full of chicken skewers. "Man, the food here is amazing. You want one?"
"I'm good, Keigo," Kaito laughed, pushing the plate away.
"Suit yourself," Hawks shrugged, taking a massive bite of chicken. "Heheh... Kaito, your ultimate move tailored for me was really strong. No villains have been able to escape or defeat it head on."
"Glad you liked it. But always take care of your feathers, after all its your lifeline."
He pointed a skewer at Kaito. "Thanks again and keep up the good work, man. See ya around."
Hawks flapped his red wings and took off back into the crowd.
As Hawks flew off, Uwabami stepped up to the railing.
"Hey, Arisaka," Uwabami smirked, leaning slightly closer. "You still owe me a proper dinner date. The last one got cut short, and I expect our next date to have zero explosive quirk awakening."
"I'll make sure the restaurant have quirk tech that can detect possible awakening on children," Kaito joked smoothly.
"I'll hold you to that," Uwabami smiled warmly, giving his arm a light tap before smoothly walking away to mingle with a group of fashion sponsors.
Sip.
Kaito took a sip of his drink.
Snipe and Ingenium walked past behind him.
Snipe tipped his hat, and Ingenium gave Kaito a deep, highly respectful bow. Kaito nodded back to both of them.
"Always so calm."
Midnight slid up to the railing right after them.
She rested her elbows on the glass, looking him up and down with a playful, assessing stare.
"Nemuri," Kaito acknowledged her.
"I'm trying to profile your vacation mindset right now," Midnight teased, a wicked grin on her face. "But even at a party, you still look like you're plotting a hostile corporate takeover."
"I'm completely relaxed," Kaito defended smoothly.
"Sure you are," Midnight laughed loudly. "Don't work too hard tonight, Golden Boy." She gave him a wink and walked off toward the VIP bar.
SMACK.
Almost the exact second Midnight left, Mirko stomped up and slapped Kaito hard right on the middle of his back. Kaito barely flinched.
"Hey Manager," Mirko grinned a feral, challenging grin.
She crossed her arms, looking totally shameless. "The M-Usagi brand pre-orders completely sold out yesterday again. Told you I'd hit the top. I'm already rank 11. I surpassed that lion faced guy."
"You did," Kaito nodded, completely unfazed.
Mirko leaned in a little closer. "So, miss the view from the underground bunker yet? The bio-tank feels a little lonely without you staring at your tablet."
Kaito didn't blush. He didn't stutter. He just looked right back at Mirko and smiled.
"I told you, Rumi, the view was a ten out of ten," Kaito shot back effortlessly. "But if you keep ignoring your intel team's dispatch routes just to go punch bigger villains, I'm doubling my merchandise cut."
Mirko let out a loud, barking laugh, totally respecting the fact that he didn't back down.
"Hehe.. In your dreams, Kaito," Mirko grinned, bumping her shoulder against his before she finally turned and walked off to grab a beer.
Huff.
Kaito took a quiet breath.
Step. Step.
"You certainly know how to handle a crowd, Kaito."
Ryuko Tatsuma, the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu, stood a few feet away.
She was his second client ever, back when he was just starting to build his name.
"Ryuko-san," Kaito said, giving her a respectful nod.
"It's good to see you," Ryuko smiled warmly.
She walked up to the railing next to him. She looked out over the VIP deck, watching Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and all the other top heroes mingling.
"I was just thinking about that night at the restaurant," Ryuko said softly. "When I slid that black envelope across the table and offered you a permanent contract."
"I remember," Kaito said.
"I was so disappointed when you turned me down," Ryuko chuckled lightly. "But looking at you now... looking at what you built across this entire country. You were right to leave. You really did change everything."
"I had good clients," Kaito replied quietly.
On the stage, the heavy rap beat faded out.
The stage lights shifted to a soft, bright blue.
Koichi and Kazuho stepped forward together.
The crowd went completely silent.
"Zankoku na unmei ga sadamatteru to shite
Sore ga itsu no hi ka boku no mae ni arawareru to shite
Tada isshun kono isshun iki ga dekiru nara
Dou demo ii to omoeta sono kokoro wo"
[Assuming a cruel fate is becoming inevitable
Assuming it will appear before me one day
Just in this moment, this one moment, if I'm able to breath
It seems nothing matters
Just that heart…]
"Mou ichido
Tooku e ike tooku e ike to
Boku no naka de dareka ga utau
Doushiyou mo nai hodo netsuretsu ni
Itsudatte me wo harashita kimi ga nido to
Kanashimanai you ni waraeru
Sonna hero ni naru tame no uta
Saraba kakagero peace sign
Korogatte iku story wo"
[One more time!
"Go far, go far!"
Somebody inside me is singing
With an infectious enthusiasm
For you with constantly swollen eyes
So you won't ever have to be sad again
I'll become a smiling hero
That's what this song is for
Holding up a peace sign as I bid farewell
That kind of bumbling story]
The pro heroes on the deck stopped talking.
Rhey just listened.
Down below, the civilian crowd was swaying, genuinely moved by the lyrics.
Kaito and Ryukyu watched the stage in comfortable silence.
As the song slowly faded out to a low hum, Captain Celebrity walked out onto the center of the stage.
He was wearing his full aerodynamic hero suit, but he wasn't doing his usual arrogant poses or flexing for the cameras.
He looked completely serious.
He grabbed the microphone off the stand.
"Hey everyone," Christopher Skyline's voice echoed across the massive observation deck and down to the public levels below.
The crowd cheered loudly. Christopher held up a hand to quiet them down.
"I'm flying back to America tomorrow," Christopher said, his voice carrying a heavy, genuine emotion. "I spent two years here in Japan. When I first arrived, I was a complete different. I only cared about the cameras, the money, and the fame. I was running away from my wife and my kid."
The VIP heroes listened closely. They remembered how awful he used to be.
"But Japan taught me what being a real hero actually means," Christopher continued. "It taught me that putting your life on the line for the people standing behind you is the only thing that matters."
Christopher turned his head. He looked past the cameras, past the stage, and pointed a single, steady finger directly at the VIP balcony.
He pointed right at Kaito.
"I wouldn't have learned that lesson if it wasn't for one guy," Christopher said loudly. "He changed me. He made me face my own mistakes. He saved my career, and more importantly, he saved my family. I became the Symbol of Hope because of him."
Every camera from Sato X News immediately pivoted. Every pro hero in the VIP section turned their head.
Hundreds of eyes locked onto Kaito.
"Thank you, Kaito Arisaka," Christopher said, bowing his head deeply. "You are the best DAMN MANAGER in the world."
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP
WOOOOOO.
"CAPTAIN CELEBRITY!"
"SYMBOL OF HOPE"
"THANK YOU!!"
"GOLDEN MANAGEER!"
The crowd erupted into massive, deafening applause.
Uwabami smiled and raised her wine glass toward him from across the deck.
Mirko gave him a respectful nod. Ms. Joke clapped loudly. Endeavor and Best Jeanist both looked over in silent agreement.
Kaito didn't say a word. He just raised his drink in the air, accepting the thanks.
As Christopher waved goodbye to the roaring crowd, the stage lights erupted into brilliant gold.
O'Clock Studio grabbed the mics for one final, soaring track.
"Kimi he no omoi ga takanatte
Kagiri naki chikara umareru
Tomadou naraba kono sekai ni
Sotto inorou yoru ga akeru you ni"
[As my feelings for you soar
There's a boundless power rising in me
So if you're hesitant
Then we'll quietly pray for this night to end]
Kazuho hit the final high note perfectly
"Me wo tojite mimi wo sumashite
Sagashidasou kimi no kotae wo
Motomeru naraba doko made mo
Kawaranu kizuna furikazasou
We are hope"
[Close your eyes and listen to me carefully
So we can search for the answers you desire
We shall find if we seek for them well enough
And raise our eternal bond 'cause we are hope]
POP.
POP.
Confetti cannons fired from the edges of the stage, raining gold paper all over the Sky Egg Tower while the thousands of fans below screamed into the night sky.
This time there is no sudden villain attacks which made countless police and HPSC agents sighed in relief.
*-*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Sir Nighteye's Agency (Main Conference Room)
Time: Two Days Later
The large glass conference table was covered in thick, heavily redacted files.
Kaito sat comfortably at the head of the table.
Sitting around the table was the entire agency staff.
Sir Nighteye sat directly across from Kaito. Bubble Girl, Centipeder, and three logistics analysts sat nervously along the sides, clutching their notepads.
This was their first official meeting with the Golden Manager.
"Alright, let's get started," Kaito said, leaning forward. "Mirai, I've read the public reports on this agency. Your case resolution rate is fantastic. But your public approval is completely in the gutter. Why?"
Nighteye pushed his glasses up his nose. "I assure you, our operations are flawless. The public simply doesn't understand the nuance of our work."
"No," Kaito corrected him flatly. "The public thinks you are running a creepy cult."
Bubble Girl physically flinched. One of the analysts choked on his coffee.
"I walked through your lobby today," Kaito continued, not missing a beat. "And I saw a massive, mechanical 'tickle machine' in the corner. I also read your employee handbook. Section four strictly mandates that every sidekick must make you laugh before they can clock in. What is that?"
"Humor and energy are essential to heroism," Nighteye defended himself smoothly. "A society without smiles has no future."
"A society without smiles is bad," Kaito agreed. "But strapping an intern to a machine and violently tickling them until they cry just to meet a daily quota? That's assault, Mirai. It makes you look unhinged. The tickle machine goes in the trash today."
"..."
Nighteye frowned deeply, but he didn't argue. He knew Kaito was right.
"To fix this, we are launching a dedicated Corporate PR Department," Kaito told the logistics staff. "You are going to hire professional publicists. Mirai, you are going to stay behind the scenes as the stoic 'Brain of Justice'. Let Kaoruko and Juzo be the smiling, public faces of the agency."
The logistics staff furiously scribbled notes, completely relieved that the forced humor rule was dead.
Kaito turned his attention back to Nighteye. He locked eyes with his friend.
"Before we go any further, I need to know something," Kaito said, his voice dropping into a serious, steady tone. "What is the actual goal here, Mirai? Are we just trying to run a neat little detective office, or do you want to be the absolute best?"
Nighteye didn't hesitate. His eyes narrowed with pure, quiet intensity.
"I want to protect what Toshinori built," Nighteye said firmly. "All Might has bled for this country for decades. Even now, with his Quirk awakened, he still pushes himself too hard. I want to build an intelligence network so massive and so efficient that he never has to overwork himself again. I want to catch the villains before they even step outside."
Kaito smiled. That was the answer he was looking for.
"Good," Kaito said. "Then we are turning this agency into the premier intelligence syndicate of Japan. The central hub for the entire hero network. But to do that, you can't be out on the streets making small arrests."
Nighteye blinked. "I am a Pro Hero."
"You are the Chief Strategy Officer," Kaito corrected him. "Your brain is too valuable to risk getting punched by a street thug. You are going to expand your sidekicks into a Vanguard Unit. You process the intel. A sidekicks of Vanguard Unit lead by Bubble Girl and Centipeder kicks the doors down. And then, you process that intelligence database to smaller agencies across Japan. You'll get Social Contribution ranking points for hundreds of cases without even leaving this room."
"That is a massive structural shift," Nighteye said, clearly impressed by the sheer scale of the plan. "But what about my team? They need to be ready for this."
Kaito picked up two thick manila folders and slid them across the glass. One stopped in front of Bubble Girl, the other in front of Centipeder.
"Kaoruko," Kaito started, pointing a pen at her. "Your bubbles smell nice, but they don't stop villains."
Bubble Girl shrank back into her chair a little bit. "I know. My Quirk is mostly just for distractions."
"We are changing that," Kaito said. "I contacted a Support Item company yesterday. They are building you a custom 'Aroma Gauntlet'. You aren't going to use perfume anymore. You are going to use weaponized tear gas, sleep pheromones, and blinding skunk compounds."
Kaoruko's eyes went wide. "Wait, like... combat alchemy?"
"Exactly," Kaito nodded. "And you need to train your lung capacity. I want you to heavily pressurize those bubbles. You compress the gas so tight that when the bubble finally pops, it acts like a concussive flashbang."
"That sounds amazing!" Kaoruko said, bouncing in her seat. She paused, looking nervous. "But... how do I compress the air without accidentally blowing myself up?"
"You practice the breathing techniques in the folder," Kaito told her. "Start with small bubbles. Don't rush it."
Kaito turned to Centipeder.
"Juzo. You are too stiff," Kaito said bluntly. "You use your centipede head to bite and intimidate, but you leave your body completely open. It's a waste of a mutant Quirk."
Centipeder tilted his long head. "What do you suggest, Mr. Arisaka?"
Kaito said. "You are going to train your physical body so you can use your long limbs like high-speed, autonomous armored tendrils. You should be swinging off streetlamps, scaling walls, and whipping weapons out of villains' hands from twenty feet away while you type on a computer with your regular hands."
Centipeder looked down at his hands, genuinely amazed by the concept.
"And for your undercover work," Kaito added. "Centipedes are highly sensitive to vibrations. If you plant your elongated limbs into the ventilation shafts of a building, you can map out the entire layout just by feeling the vibrations of the people walking inside."
"Wait, biologically speaking, how does that work?" Centipeder asked, leaning forward, totally engaged. "Do I focus on the micro-hairs on my limbs?"
"Yes," Kaito nodded. "It will take time to isolate the sensory input, but once you do, you'll be the best infiltrator in Tokyo."
Nighteye watched the exchange.
He saw the fire and excitement in his sidekicks' eyes.
Kaito wasn't just giving orders; he was giving them a real, logical path to get stronger.
"This is all incredibly efficient," Nighteye admitted, folding his hands on the table. "But it all hinges on my Quirk. And Foresight has massive limitations."
"I know," Kaito said. "First flaw was no sound. You watch silent movies of the future. You see a villain hand over a box, but you don't know if they are talking about a bomb or a jewelry heist."
"Correct," Nighteye nodded heavily. "It leaves far too much room for error."
"So we fix that," Kaito said smoothly. "You are going to learn advanced forensic lip-reading."
Nighteye blinked. "Lip-reading?"
"Yes," Kaito said. "If you see a villain talking in your vision, I want you to read their lips perfectly so we have actual dialogue, names, and passwords. It fills in the blanks."
"That is a highly specialized skill," Nighteye pointed out. "It takes years to master. I suppose the logistics team can hire an expert to teach me."
"No need," Kaito said casually, spinning his pen on his fingers. "I'll teach you."
"..."
"..."
The entire table went dead silent.
Nighteye just stared at him. Bubble Girl and Centipeder exchanged a very slow, shocked look.
"You?" Nighteye asked, his voice dripping with disbelief. "You are a global manager, and a tactical analyst. And you are also fluent in advanced forensic lip-reading?"
"I pick up hobbies to avoid boredom," Kaito shrugged, completely unfazed by their shock.
"We start lessons today."
Nighteye rubbed his temples.
He had already accepted that Kaito was a terrifyingly talented kid, but the sheer depth of his skills was starting to feel completely absurd.
"Fine," Nighteye sighed. "I will learn to read lips. What about the blurry timelines? When I look years into the future, I can't see the exact date or time."
"Chronological Anchor Pointing," Kaito answered instantly. "You train your eyes to ignore the people in your vision and look at the background. Look at the smartphones they are holding. Look at the calendar on the wall. Look at the model of the cars on the street. You tell the logistics team what those background items are, and they cross-reference them to find the exact year."
"Brilliant," Nighteye muttered, honestly impressed. "And the biggest flaw? The twenty-four-hour cooldown lock?"
"We are going to train your stamina," Kaito said, leaning forward. "Quirks are like muscles, Mirai. You get locked out because you burn your brain watching a full hour of the future at once. We are going to use Micro-Bursting."
"Micro-Bursting?"
"You and your sidekicks are going to the sparring ring," Kaito explained, a sharp grin on his face. "They're going to throw a punch at your head. You activate Foresight, look exactly five seconds into the future to see where the punch lands, and then instantly shut the Quirk off."
Nighteye's eyes widened. "If I shut it off before the brain registers a long-term viewing..."
"You will bypass the daily cooldown lock," Kaito finished for him. "If you master it, you'll be able to dodge attacks in combat multiple times a day without losing your Quirk."
"...."
Nighteye stared at the files on the table.
The heavy, suffocating panic he had carried for years was completely gone.
In less than an hour, Kaito had deconstructed every single flaw in his agency and his Quirk, and provided a perfectly logical roadmap to fix all of them.
Nighteye looked up at Kaito, a real, determined spark finally burning in his eyes.
"I have a lot of work to do," Nighteye said softly.
"Yeah, you do," Kaito smirked, standing up from his chair. "So let's hit your gym. I want to see if you can actually dodge a punch. You two follow along."
*-*-*-*
Location: The Shie Hassaikai Compound
Time: Afternoon
The hidden medical room deep inside the Yakuza compound was completely quiet. The only sound was the slow, steady rhythm of a heart monitor.
BEEP.
BEEP.
Lying in the center medical bed was Yamato. He had been in a deep, Quirk-induced coma for months.
Slowly, Yamato's heavy eyelids twitched.
He groaned, his throat feeling like dry sandpaper.
He shifted his head on the pillow and slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh white lights on the ceiling.
"Daddy?"
Yamato weakly turned his head toward the small voice.
Standing right next to the bed was his little girl, Eri.
The tiny horn on her forehead was unsparking and quiet. She had tears completely streaming down her cheeks.
Standing right behind her was his wife, Aika. She was covering her mouth with both hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Eri? Aika?" Yamato whispered, his voice incredibly raspy.
Eri didn't hesitate for a single second.
RUSTLE.
She threw herself forward, climbing up onto the mattress.
She wrapped her tiny arms around his chest, burying her face into his hospital gown and crying loudly.
Yamato weakly raised his heavy, scarred arms and hugged his daughter back. He looked up at his crying wife, totally confused.
Then, his memory suddenly sparked.
The kitchen. Making hot cocoa. The wooden walls shifting and crushing inward. Chisaki stepping out of the dark with Kurono and Irinaka.
Yamato's eyes went wide. The confusion instantly vanished, replaced by pure, panicked adrenaline.
"Kai!" Yamato yelled roughly, trying to push himself up from the mattress. "Aika, take Eri and get behind me! The walls.. Irinaka shifted the house! They're staging a coup!"
He tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed, his protective instincts completely overriding his weak muscles.
A heavy wooden cane tapped against the floorboards.
TAP.
"Calm down, Yamato. You are safe."
Yamato froze and looked toward the corner of the room.
Sitting in a chair in the shadows was the Boss of the Shie Hassaikai. Aika's father. His father in law.
"Father?" Yamato breathed heavily, holding Eri tight against his chest. "What is going on? Kai ambushed me in the kitchen. He had the Bullets with him."
The Boss said, his voice calm but incredibly firm. "He wanted to take over the Shie Hassaikai. He put you in a coma to get you out of the way so he could use Eri's Quirk to manufacture drugs. You have been asleep for week, Yamato."
"Weeks?" Yamato swallowed hard, looking at his wife. Aika just nodded, wiping her eyes.
Yamato pulled Eri closer, pure anger flashing in his eyes. His massive hands balled into fists.
"Where is he?" Yamato growled, his voice dropping low. "Where is Kai? Where are the Eight Bullets? I swear to god, I'll tear the rest of the house down with my bare hands if I have to."
"They are already dealt with," the Boss said simply.
"....."
Yamato blinked. He looked around the quiet room. "Dealt with? Did you call the heroes? The police?"
"No," the Boss shook his head. "Heroes ask too many questions, and I refuse to let the government anywhere near my granddaughter. When I realized Kai had drugged the loyalists and ambushed you, I already hired outside help.."
Yamato frowned. "Outside?"
"A vigilante who goes by the name Dabi," the Boss explained. "A kid who uses blue fire."
Yamato was stunned. "You let a street vigilante handle an entire armed Yakuza squad?"
"I didn't have a choice," the Boss admitted, leaning his weight on his cane. "But he was worth every single yen. Dabi crushed the rebellion in less than a minute."
Yamato couldn't believe it. "Minutes? Kai can level an entire building with a single touch. And Kurono and Irinaka were backing him up."
"It didn't matter," the Boss said, a hint of awe in his tired voice. "Kai turned the entire east wing of the house into a labyrinth of stone spikes. He threw everything he had. But this kid just coated himself in a superheated blue armor and blasted right through it. He vaporized Kurono's needles, shattered Irinaka's stone pillars, and knocked out the entire Eight Bullets squad without even breaking a sweat."
"...."
Yamato stared at his father-in-law. The sheer ridiculousness of the story was hard to process.
"Is Kai dead?" Yamato asked, his voice completely serious.
"No," the Boss answered coldly. "I took him in from the streets. I raised him. I could not bring myself to execute my own son."
Yamato's jaw tightened. "Father, if you let him walk away, he will just come back. He is obsessed with Eri."
"He will never come back," the Boss corrected him, his eyes turning hard. "I couldn't kill him. But I ordered Dabi to take his hands."
"..."
Yamato went totally silent.
He burned Kai's hands down to the bone. The nerves, the muscles, the skin... Everything is permanently ruined. Kai will not be able to use his Overhaul Quirk again for a long time. The threat is completely neutralized."
Sigh.
Yamato let out a long, shaky breath as the reality of the situation finally settled in.
Chisaki was powerless. The Eight Bullets were crushed. The terrifying threat of that reality-breaking Quirk hovering over his daughter was permanently gone.
"Where are they now?" Yamato asked quietly.
"Locked in the underground holding cells," the Boss finished. "Dabi charged me double the cash and took half our hidden armory as payment, but he left quietly. The loyal men are back in charge. The family is secure."
Sliid.
The Boss stood up from his chair. He walked over to the bed and gently patted Yamato on his broad shoulder.
"Rest, Yamato," the Boss said softly. "The nightmare is over... Oh... And you have a lot of catching up to do. The world outside was different than ever. It almost ended. Haha. Ask Aika about everything."
The Boss quietly turned around and walked out of the medical room, sliding the paper door shut to give them privacy.
Yamato looked down. Eri was still holding onto him, her small hands gripping his shirt tightly.
"Daddy is awake," Eri sniffled, looking up at him with big, watery red eyes.
"Yeah, sweetie," Yamato choked up, a massive wave of relief finally crashing over him. "Daddy's awake. I'm right here."
Aika sat down on the edge of the mattress and wrapped her arms around both of them, burying her face into Yamato's shoulder.
Yamato closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of Eri's head.
He wrapped his massive arms around his wife and his daughter, incredibly thankful just to be alive, breathing, and holding his family together in peace.
"Aika, what does Father meant? The world ended?"
.....
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(9 Advanced Chapters)