Location: Arisaka Consulting Office – Kashiya Ward
Time: Friday | 08:30 AM
Kaito sat behind his wooden desk. He kept his eyes on his laptop monitor.
He was finishing the massive digital dossier for the first online consultation.
The client was John Smith. Hero Name: Jacksmith. He was the Number 31 Pro Hero of England.
His Quirk was called Lock & Key. He could touch an object and instantly freeze it in a specific spatial coordinate.
Kaito reviewed the combat footage the English agency sent over.
Jacksmith was touching heavy concrete barricades and parked cars, freezing them in place to block villains. It was a massive waste of his power.
Kaito typed his solutions into the document.
[John, your current three-object coordinate lock is being wasted on simple barricades....]
[Quirk Development: Train yourself to lock invisible, low-mass objects. Specifically, the air molecules directly beneath your boots. By locking the coordinates of your footwear's micro-friction points, you can establish invisible stairs in mid-air. You can walk straight up into the sky without depleting your primary locks on massive physical targets.....]
Kaito scrolled down and moved to the logistics section. He watched a clip of Jacksmith's sidekicks getting in the way of the frozen objects.
[Agency Logistics: Your sidekicks must stop trying to fight right next to your frozen targets. They create friendly-fire hazards. Have your thermal-projection sidekick apply intense heat directly to the spatial coordinates right next to your locked objects. This creates high-pressure atmospheric barriers that prevent villains from flanking your fixed points....]
[Your first sidekick....]
[Further developments of your quirks below....]
Kaito read over the paragraphs one last time. The agency breakdown was finished.
He clicked the send button.
BEEP.
The four-million-dollar online contract was fulfilled and sent to their servers.
SWISH.
The automatic glass doors of the office slid open.
Kaito looked up from his screen.
A young woman walked into the lobby. She wore a cheap brown coat and faded blue jeans.
She looked entirely out of place in the high-end Kashiya Ward office. She clutched a thick folder tightly to her chest.
She took a deep breath, puffed her cheeks out, and walked straight past the waiting area, stopping right in front of his desk.
Kaito looked at her face. A brief flash of familiarity crossed his mind.
He recognized her features from deep within his past memories, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.
"Can I help you?" Kaito asked smoothly. "You are?"
"Yu Takeyama," she answered, her voice shaking just a little bit. She tightened her grip on the folder. "Manager-san... do you have five minutes?"
Kaito closed his laptop. He leaned back in his leather chair.
"Have a seat, Takeyama," Kaito offered calmly, gesturing to the guest chair.
Yu quickly sat down. She placed the thick folder on the wooden desk and opened it.
Kaito glanced at the papers.
They were covered in crude, hand-drawn new costume concepts.
Some of the pages had messy lists of potential brand sponsorships, catchphrases, and incredibly high goals.
"I just finished my mandatory sidekick tenure yesterday," Yu started, speaking very fast. "I don't have an independent agency yet. I don't have a costume finalized. I haven't even made my official debut on the streets."
"You are completely new to the field," Kaito nodded, keeping his tone relaxed to ease her nerves. "Why are you here? I usually deal with established agencies."
"Because I want to be at the very top," Yu said, staring him dead in the eye.
Her nervous energy completely vanished. It was replaced by pure, raw ambition.
"I want the billboards. I want the commercials. I want the spotlight," Yu admitted honestly, tapping her finger on her drawings. "I know I have a strong Quirk. But I also know the hero industry is a meat grinder. If I debut on my own without any connections, I will just be another random background hero fighting for scraps. I refuse to be a nobody."
She pushed the folder closer to him across the desk.
"I need the Golden Manager," Yu told him, her voice full of determination. "I know I do not have millions of dollars to pay your contract fee upfront. I have absolutely zero capital right now. So I am offering a gamble."
Kaito raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What kind of gamble?"
"If you choose me for your three-month physical contract and completely fund my debut," Yu explained, speaking quickly before she could lose her nerve. "I will give you a fifty percent equity stake in my future agency. I will also give you fifty percent of all my future commercial branding rights. Forever."
"..."
Kaito looked at her face.
He easily read her emotions. She was incredibly desperate.
She was a complete rookie sitting in front of a billionaire, willing to throw away half of her entire career just to guarantee her success.
She wanted fame so badly she was ready to sign a way her life.
He let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
"Fifty percent is highway robbery, Yu," Kaito told her directly.
Yu flinched hard in her chair. "I can go higher! Sixty percent!"
"Stop," Kaito raised his hand, cutting her off. "I am already wealthy. I have a global consulting firm, massive restaurant franchises, and top-tier shares. I do not need to steal half of your future."
Yu blinked, completely confused. "Then what do you want?"
"Hmm... Twenty percent," Kaito countered simply.
"..."
"Twenty?" Yu asked, staring at him.
"That is a fair management cut," Kaito explained. "It covers the funding for your debut and gives me a stake in your success if I decided to contract with you. It makes us partners. If I take fifty percent, you basically become my employee. I want you to keep the vast majority of your own money. It will keep you hungry."
Yu's mouth fell open. She sat completely frozen in the chair for a few seconds.
She realized he actually cared about building heroes, not just bleeding them dry.
"Are you serious?" Yu asked, her eyes wide.
"I am," Kaito smiled. "Leave your contact details with Eve on your way out. I will call you for further details if I finalize my decision."
Yu stood up so fast her chair almost fell backward. She bowed deeply, her face flushed with pure excitement.
"Thank you! Manager." Yu said loudly.
She practically ran out of the office, buzzing with absolute adrenaline.
Click.
The glass doors slid shut.
Kaito sat in the quiet office. He looked over at the premium files sitting on the edge of his desk.
Lion Shishido. Yoroi Musha. Pam Carter and other pros.
He respected all of them. They were incredible heroes.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He tapped his fingers on his desk. Improving a veteran hero was standard work.
Taking a Top 10 hero and making them five percent stronger was easy.
Yu Takeyama was absolute zero. She had absolutely no idea how the industry actually worked.
She had zero corporate baggage. She had zero bad habits to unlearn. She was a completely clean slate.
Building a top-tier hero from the dirt up was a genuinely interesting project.
"Eve," Kaito spoke to the room.
["Yes, Boss,"] Eve replied instantly through the desk speakers.
"Send polite rejection emails to the domestic physical bidders," Kaito instructed. "Update the company website. Formally announce that the hero for the next three-month physical contract has been chosen."
["Updating the servers now,"] Eve announced.
Kaito closed his laptop.
*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Shishido Agency
Time: Saturday | 09:00 AM
Lion Shishido stood over the large glowing table in his main office.
He wore his heavy fur coat draped over his shoulders.
He traced a thick finger along the digital street map, planning out the afternoon patrol routes for his squads.
His head sidekick stood near the door, swiping through a digital tablet.
CHIME.
A sharp notification sound rang out from the tablet speaker.
The sidekick looked down at his screen. He swallowed hard.
"Boss," the sidekick called out nervously. "We just got the official email from Arisaka Consulting."
Shishido didn't look up from the map. "And?"
"Arisaka didn't choose us." the sidekick told him.
Shishido stopped tracing the map. He stood up straight and crossed his massive, hairy arms.
He wasn't angry, just slightly annoyed by the inconvenience.
"Who beat us?" Shishido asked loudly. "Was it Crust? Did the Shield hero throw more money at him? Was it Old Man Yoroi? Or any international pros?"
Tap. Tap.
The sidekick tapped his screen quickly. He swiped through the public announcement posted on Arisaka's website.
"...."
He stared at the name, looking completely confused.
"No, Boss," the sidekick replied. "The next contract is Yu Takeyama."
Shishido raised a thick eyebrow. "Who?"
"I just ran her name through the national registry," the sidekick explained. "She doesn't even have a hero license page yet. She hasn't made a debut. She just finished her mandatory sidekick duties yesterday."
Shishido stared at him for a solid five seconds.
He threw his head back.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
His massive, booming laugh echoed off the office walls. He slapped his hand against his leg, completely dropping his annoyance.
The sidekick flinched. "You aren't mad?"
"Why would I be mad?" Shishido grinned widely, showing off his sharp teeth.
Shishido pointed a heavy finger at the tablet.
"A complete rookie" Shishido said respectfully. "But don't forget you guys are the future of this country. So when you decide you'll become independent in the future just tell me. I'll help you."
*-*-*
Location: Kashiya Ward
The newly leased commercial building smelled heavily of fresh paint. Unpacked cardboard boxes were stacked everywhere across the massive floor.
Pam Carter sat on a sturdy wooden crate right in the middle of the empty room. She wore her red flannel shirt and heavy work boots. She held a paper cup of hot coffee.
Her American logistics manager walked quickly across the room.
He was staring at his smartphone, looking completely stressed out.
"Miss Cow Lady, we didn't get chosen," the manager groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Golden Manager just sent the rejection email."
Sip.
Pam took a slow sip of her coffee.
"Who got it?" Pam asked calmly.
"Some local kid who hasn't even debuted yet!" the manager complained loudly. "He passed on a Top 50 American pro for a complete nobody!"
The manager started pacing back and forth across the floor.
"We flew twelve core staff members across the Pacific Ocean," the manager panicked. "We signed a massive commercial lease right here in Tokyo. Should I call the airline? Can we break the lease and fly back to Los Angeles tonight?"
Pam lowered her coffee cup.
"Stop pacing," Pam ordered flatly. "We are staying right here."
The manager stopped and looked at her. "What are you talking about? He said no."
"I don't run away from a setback," Pam told him, her strong American drawl filling the empty room. "Besides my second plan was to collab with these pros in Japan. I can just wait for another three months before asking him again."
Pam stood up and stretched her tall frame.
"We are already legally cleared to operate in Japan under the bilateral hero treaty," Pam explained confidently. "We have full jurisdiction to take domestic cases and coordinate with the local police."
She walked over to the large glass window.
She looked down the busy street. Arisaka Consulting was only three blocks away.
Pam smiled.
"Tell the staff to finish unpacking," Pam ordered. "We're officially starting on Monday."
*-*-*
Location: Arisaka Consulting Office – Kashiya Ward
Time: Next Day | Saturday
SWISH.
The automatic glass doors slid open.
Yu Takeyama basically bounced into the lobby. She wore a simple purple tracksuit and white sneakers.
Her face was flushed, and she was smiling from ear to ear.
She practically jogged past the waiting area and sat down heavily in the guest chair right across from Kaito's desk.
She was completely buzzing with nervous, electric energy.
"Arisaka-san!" Yu started, speaking so fast she almost tripped over her own words. "Thank you again for the phone call last night. I couldn't even sleep after you confirmed that you chose me. I am so ready for this."
Kaito sat back in his leather chair. He watched her jittery excitement.
"Should we order my costume today?" Yu asked, leaning forward and resting her hands on his desk. "Do we call a press conference right now? I know a couple of reporters who cover rookie debuts. We could do a live interview downtown!"
"..."
He reached across his desk and opened the thick folder she had left with him yesterday.
"We aren't calling the press today, Mount Lady," Kaito told her bluntly.
Yu blinked. Her massive smile dropped a few inches. She tilted her head.
"What do you mean?" Yu asked. "I thought you wanted to fund my debut."
"I do," Kaito said. He tapped his finger against her hand-drawn stat sheet. "Your Quirk is Gigantification. You can grow to twenty-two meters tall. Tell me, do you know exactly how much a standard city bus costs?"
"..."
Gulp.
Yu looked completely confused by the question. She swallowed hard, trying to guess.
"Uh... a few million yen?" Yu answered hesitantly.
"Try forty million," Kaito corrected her. "What about the underground water mains? Do you know how much a commercial gas line costs to replace?"
Yu stared at him. She shook her head slowly.
"If you debut right now, exactly as you are," Kaito explained, keeping his voice serious, "and you pick a fight in a crowded intersection, your first step will crush a city bus. When you throw a punch, your giant heels will crack the asphalt. You will completely shatter the pipes buried under the street."
Yu sank back into her chair.
"Repairing a ruptured gas line under a main road costs hundreds of millions of yen in city contracts," Kaito continued. "If you fight a villain downtown this afternoon, you will be in massive debt before your first patrol even finishes. Even with insurance it's not enough."
Yu looked down at her hands. She hadn't thought about any of that.
She only thought about punching bad guys and looking good for the cameras. She never considered what was hiding underneath the pavement.
"The taxpayers will absolutely hate you," Kaito told her. "You won't look like a hero. You will look like a massive public liability."
Yu slouched in her chair. The harsh reality completely wiped out her adrenaline.
"So my Quirk is just useless in the city," Yu muttered quietly, staring at the floor.
"I never said that," Kaito replied.
Yu looked back up.
Kaito softened his tone. He knew she was a rookie. It was his job to guide her, not just crush her dreams.
"Your Quirk is incredible, Yu," Kaito reassured her warmly. "You have massive potential. Your power isn't the problem. Your approach is the problem. We are going to fix that right now."
He closed the folder.
"Your official debut is postponed for exactly one week," Kaito instructed. "Starting tomorrow morning, we are doing a strict crash course. I am renting a private training yard outside the city."
Yu sat up straight. She reached into her tracksuit pocket, pulled out a small notepad and a pen, and got ready to write.
"What are we training?" Yu asked, her determination coming back. "Combat moves?"
"Spatial awareness," Kaito answered. "Footwork calibration. Your biggest risk is stepping on cars and fragile infrastructure. I am going to fill the training yard with empty cardboard boxes and thin wooden pallets. You are going to grow to twenty-two meters and walk through the entire course without crushing a single item."
Yu's eyes widened. "That sounds incredibly hard."
"It is necessary," Kaito told her. "You need to memorize exactly where your heels land. You need to learn how to only step on solid structural concrete or wide-open spaces. You have to know the exact dimensions of your own body."
Yu nodded slowly, scribbling the notes down furiously.
"Okay," Yu said, looking up. "But how do I actually fight? If I punch a villain at that size, the shockwave alone will shatter every glass window on the block."
"You don't punch them," Kaito said simply. "I am completely banning you from punching or kicking during your debut."
Yu stopped writing. Her jaw dropped.
"No punching?" Yu asked in disbelief. "How do I beat the villain?"
"We are going to use the Catch and Cradle maneuver," Kaito explained, leaning forward slightly. "When the villain attacks, you step around the buildings carefully. You use your giant hands like a cage. You simply reach down and gently scoop the villain off the street from above."
Yu imagined the movement in her head.
"You trap them against the pavement using the raw surface area of your palms," Kaito continued. "It requires zero Quirk modification. It creates zero shockwaves. You just pin them instantly."
"That... actually makes a lot of sense," Yu admitted
"That's right," Kaito nodded. "And finally, we are changing how the public sees you. We are using the Living Shield tactic."
"Living Shield?" Yu asked, writing the words down.
"When you arrive at the scene, your primary goal is to stand directly between the villain's attacks and the civilians," Kaito instructed. "Even if the villain throws a massive attack, your giant body can easily tank human-scale hits."
Yu looked at him, completely absorbing the strategy.
"The media won't see a clumsy, destructive giantess," Kaito told her, his voice full of absolute confidence. "The cameras will film a massive, invincible shield protecting the public with her own body. You won't just win the fight. You will be universally loved overnight."
Yu stared at Kaito. Her pen hovered over the notepad.
She finally understood. She finally realized exactly why he was called the Golden Manager.
He was literally saving her career, her public image, and her future before she even stepped foot on a battlefield.
She closed her notepad and tucked it back into her pocket.
"I am ready, Manager-san," Yu said, her voice completely steady and full of deep respect. "I will do exactly what you say. Let's get to work tomorrow."
*-*-*
Deep underground.
The subterranean laboratory was massive.
The air was cold and smelled heavily of chemicals.
Click. Clack. Click.
Dr. Kyudai Garaki sat at a large metal console.
He was surrounded by glowing computer screens and rows of thick glass jars filled with biological samples.
Two people stood near the heavy steel door, keeping watch.
Deborah leaned against the wall. She tapped her foot quietly. Gil stood next to her, checking his phone.
"I am so tired of sneaking into government basements," Gil complained in a low whisper. "We spent the entire week stealing DNA and Quirk records for the doctor."
"Keep your voice down," Deborah warned him quietly. "We do what we have to do. We are lucky we didn't get caught in the global raid like the rest of the family."
Gil sighed and put his phone away.
"I just want our family back," Gil muttered. "The Americans locked them up. We can't break them out on our own."
"We just have to wait," Deborah said, her eyes serious. "When the master wakes up, he will get them out."
WEEE-OOO. WEEE-OOO.
A heavy, rhythmic alarm suddenly echoed through the laboratory.
Red emergency lights started flashing rapidly on the ceiling. They cast harsh shadows across the room.
Thud.
Dr. Garaki dropped his clipboard on the floor.
He spun around in his chair.
His small eyes widened in sheer, manic ecstasy.
He scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as his short legs could carry him.
He stopped in front of a massive, heavily reinforced bio-vat in the center of the room.
The vat was filled with thick, bubbling amniotic fluid. A towering, naked clone body floated inside the liquid.
Suddenly, the clone opened its eyes.
The consciousness snapped back into the physical world.
All For One killed his own self inside the 2D paper prison, letting his trapped body die, and his soul slammed directly into the prepared clone.
Garaki hit a flashing green button on the console.
PSSH.
The fluid rapidly drained through a heavy grate in the floor.
The thick glass pod doors hissed and slid open.
FSHHHH.
The figure of All For One stepped out of the vat.
Cold steam rose from his wet skin. He was completely bare, standing tall in the freezing lab air.
Dr. Garaki dropped hard onto his knees. Tears streamed down his wrinkled face.
"Welcome back, Master!" Garaki cried out, his voice shaking with pure joy. "We kept the flame burning for you! We waited!"
By the door, Gil and Deborah watched with wide eyes.
A massive surge of hope hit their chests. The master was back. Their family was saved.
All For One stood silently.
Huff-puff.
He looked down at his new hands. He flexed his fingers, testing his new body. He felt the cold air on his skin. He felt his lungs expand as he breathes.
A smile slowly stretched across his face.
"It is good to feel the air again, Doctor," All For One said smoothly, his deep voice carrying through the lab.
He turned his head slightly toward the doctor.
"How long was I gone?" All For One asked. "Tell me all the things I've missed."
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)