Izuku's brain completely short-circuited.
He jumped straight up from the leather couch.
BUMP.
"Ow!" Izuku smacked his knee hard against the edge of the coffee table.
He didn't even care. He scrambled back, gripped his hair, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"A-ALL MIGHT?!"
He immediately folded himself in half, bowing frantically over and over again.
"Oh my god! You are All Might! I have all your posters! The limited edition Silver Age action figures! The trading cards! What are you doing here?!"
All Might burst into a loud, booming laugh. He stepped into the office and closed the heavy door behind him.
CLICK.
"Relax, Midoriya-shonen!" All Might chuckled, waving his large hands in the air to calm the boy down. "Take a deep breath before you pass out. I just wanted to talk."
All Might walked over and sat down heavily on the armchair across from the couch. He dropped his loud public voice and smiled warmly.
"Sit down, kid," All Might said gently.
Izuku slowly sat back down on the edge of the couch. He gripped his knees tight. His face was entirely red.
"I saw you a few weeks ago," All Might explained casually. "I was doing an evening patrol over the Musutafu rooftops. I looked down into an alleyway and saw a guy in a green hood fighting a sludge villain."
Izuku gasped quietly. He remembered that exact night.
"You handled it perfectly," All Might continued, sounding genuinely impressed. "You ducked his heavy swings. You used those thick metal bracers to eat a direct hit. You threw an electric bola and stuffed him into a thermos without a Quirk."
Izuku looked down at his shoes. His absolute idol was actually praising his fighting style.
"You fought like a pro," All Might said. "But you have been doing this for three years with zero legal protection. Why? What is your actual goal?"
Izuku stopped shaking. He looked up and met All Might's blue eyes directly.
"I want to be a hero," Izuku declared firmly. "I want to go to a hero school. I want to save people with a smile so they never have to feel scared."
All Might smiled widely. He liked that answer a lot.
...
Deep inside All Might's mind, a quiet space opened up.
The past users of One For All sat in a circle of comfortable chairs. They watched the conversation through a floating window in the air.
"Look at his arms," Kudo, the second user, pointed at the screen. "He looks skinny in that jacket, but those muscles are completely compact. That kid grinds out heavy combat training every single day."
"His posture is solid too," Bruce, the third user, agreed. He crossed his arms. "He sits ready to move. He uses his brain and his gear."
Hikage Shinomori leaned back in his chair. "I just want to know how he stayed off the police radar for three years. The kid is good."
Across the circle, Daigoro Banjo leaned entirely forward. He pointed aggressively at the black cat sitting on the couch.
"Forget his muscles!" Daigoro yelled loudly. "Look at the cat! We saw that cat became a bipedal ninja and threw metal spikes! And a lot of other forms from the video that Toshinori got. Animal Quirks do not work like that!"
"It makes no sense," En, the sixth user, muttered. He rubbed his chin. "A polymorphing cat with high-combat intelligence? Where did he even find it?"
Nana Shimura sat next to them. She laughed warmly.
She completely loved watching Toshinori deal with an overwhelmed super-fan and a phantom cat.
Yoichi, the first user, just smiled. He looked at the pure, absolute drive in Izuku's eyes.
...
Back in the physical office, the side door opened.
SWISH.
Sir Nighteye walked into the room carrying a fresh pot of coffee and two mugs.
"He really means it, Toshinori," Nighteye said calmly, setting the coffee on his desk. "He spends every weekend here trying to learn how a real agency operates."
Izuku looked at Nighteye in total shock. "Wait. Is it because of All Might you found me?"
"Yes," Nighteye admitted. He poured a cup of coffee. "Toshinori called me the night he saw you fight that sludge guy. I used my agency's satellite network to track you. I bypassed the local security grids and followed your patrols until I found out your real identity."
"..."
Izuku swallowed hard. His paranoia was completely right. They really did track him from space.
Nighteye walked around his desk and leaned against the wood.
"We know your gear. We know your patrol routes," Nighteye said. He looked directly at the black cat on the couch. "But there is one massive blank spot in my files. Midoriya, what exactly is that cat?"
Izuku froze.
He hesitated.
MEOW.
Kuro hopped across the couch. The cat walked onto Izuku's lap, sat down, and gave a soft purr. Kuro nudged Izuku's hand, giving him clear permission to talk.
Izuku took a deep breath. He relaxed his shoulders.
"We met three years ago," Izuku explained, keeping his voice quiet. "I was walking home late. I accidentally ran into a giant, mutated cockroach in a dark alleyway. It was completely crazed on the Trigger drug. I saw that it will attack someone so I took its attention and run."
All Might leaned forward, listening closely.
"It tried to crush me," Izuku continued. "But right before it hit me, A huge figure stepped out of the shadows. He was a giant, muscular fighter on two legs and completely obliterated the cockroach with one punch. The moment I saw the face, it was a cat. I thought he had a mutant quirk but then he transform into a normal cat."
Nighteye stared at the cat in surprise.
"As far as I know. Kuro transforms based on what I visualize in my head," Izuku revealed. "We have been partners ever since."
"Anything?" All Might asked in surprise.
"No, anyone. He can become a ninja cat or a police cat or a detective cat. Any professions I can think of."
"Hmm, if that's the case your combat abilities was trained by Kuro right? I presume he can also become your combat teacher" Mirai asked.
"Aah, yes."
MEOW.
*-*-*
Location: Shibuya – Mt. Lady Agency
Time: Five Days later | 09:00 AM
RING.
BEEP.
The agency lobby was full.
Cardboard shipping boxes were stacked all the way to the ceiling.
Rei slammed her forehead against her desk.
Rei grinned, staring at her monitor. "We literally have fifty thousand people trying to check out at the exact same time!"
Renzo was sweating, typing furiously on two different keyboards. "I am trying to reroute the traffic! Give me a minute!"
Yu Takeyama stood in the middle of the chaos.
She wore a casual oversized sweater and leggings, looking at her phone with a massive smile on her face.
Because she spent the last month eating dirt and doing heavy cardio, her skin was completely glowing.
She capitalized on it immediately. She officially launched her new high-end cosmetics and skincare line this morning: Giantess Glamour.
The marketing hook was brilliant: Flawless skin even after fighting villains in the mud.
CLICK.
The glass front door opened. Kaito walked in holding two cups of coffee.
He looked at the mountain of cardboard boxes.
He looked at the three logistics employees looking completely dead behind their computers.
"The sales numbers are great," Kaito said casually, walking over and handing Yu a coffee. "But you need to hire a dedicated PR and marketing team today. Sora, Rei, and Renzo are logistics operators. They are going to pass out if you make them pack makeup boxes all week."
"I know, I know," Yu laughed, taking a sip of her coffee. "I will put the job listings up tonight. We are definitely expanding."
*-*-*
Location: Osaka – Dotonbori District
Time: Next Three Days(Thursday) | 01:00 PM
The food alley smelled good.
CRASH.
A minor mutant villain with thick rock fists smashed right through a wooden sign. He was trying to rob a local grocery stall.
Fat Gum stood right in his way. He was in his massive, round form.
"Get out of my way!" the villain yelled, throwing a heavy punch.
THUD.
The rock fist sank deep into Fat Gum's stomach. It got completely stuck in the thick, yellow fat.
The villain pulled frantically, but his arm wouldn't budge.
Yu was in her giant form. She didn't blindly stomp around like she used to. She used the strict spatial awareness Kaito drilled into her head for weeks.
She carefully stepped right over a Takoyaki stand without touching the roof.
Thud.
She brought her giant boot down, completely blocking the alley exit.
The local police rushed in and slapped cuffs on the villain.
SWOOSH.
Yu shrank back down to her normal human size.
Fat Gum walked right over to the Takoyaki stand and bought five boxes of hot food.
"Thanks for the backup, Mt. Lady!" Fat Gum smiled brightly. He handed her a skewer of Takoyaki.
"No problem," Yu smiled, blowing on the hot octopus. "You had him totally trapped."
NOM. NOM. NOM.
Fat Gum chewed a huge mouthful of food. He swallowed and looked at her.
"Hey, how is Kaito doing?" Fat Gum asked casually.
"He is doing okay." Yu admitted.
"Tell that guy to stop hiding in Shibuya!" Fat Gum complained playfully. "He still hasn't opened a Golden Bites branch down here in Osaka! I am craving those double cheeseburgers! Tell him I am going to break into his office if he doesn't expand south!"
Yu laughed out loud. "I will definitely pass the message along."
She took a bite of her food, realizing that Kaito was literally friends with everyone in the country.
*-*-*
Location: Shibuya – Commercial District
Time: Few Days Later 11:30 AM
BEEP.
"Bank robbery in progress on 8th Street," Sora called out over the radio.
Yu sprinted down the sidewalk in her normal size.
She turned the corner and saw the local police taking cover behind their cruisers.
Three armed villains stood inside the bank lobby.
They were hiding completely behind thick, solid concrete pillars. The hostages were lying flat on the floor.
Yu stepped forward. She got ready to grow and to grab them.
Step. Step.
The Pro Hero Snipe walked calmly past the police cars. Three of his sidekicks walked right behind him.
"Hold your fire, rookie," Snipe said, tipping his cowboy hat. "We don't want the ceiling crushing those civilians."
Snipe drew his heavy revolvers. His three sidekicks pulled their guns out too.
They aimed at the concrete pillars. They couldn't even see the villains.
Yu frowned. 'What were they aiming at?'
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
They fired.
Right as they pulled the triggers, Snipe and his sidekicks violently flicked their wrists sideways.
The bullets shot out of the barrels.
Then, they violently curved in mid-air. They whipped in a sharp, impossible arc right around the concrete pillars.
"GAAH!"
"My leg!"
CLATTER.
The three villains dropped their guns instantly.
They fell to the floor, hit cleanly in the knees and shoulders.
Yu stood on the sidewalk. Her jaw literally hung open. She stared at the sidekicks.
"Wait," Yu said in pure shock. "I know your Quirk locks onto targets. But how did your sidekicks do that? Bullets fly straight!"
Snipe spun his revolvers and holstered them smoothly.
"The Golden Manager taught us these a few years ago," Snipe chuckled. "He contracted my agency. He showed me and my boys how to angle the barrels to bend the trajectory. Tell Kaito I said hello."
Snipe walked into the bank.
Yu just stared at his back.
Kaito's name was literally everywhere.
*-*-*
Location: Industrial Scrap Yard
Time: A week later (Sunday) | 02:00 PM
The dirt lot was totally empty.
Yu stood in the center. She wore her hero costume and the heavy silver Detnerat-Shield gauntlets on her wrists.
Kaito stood on top of a shipping container. He held his megaphone.
Kaito yelled loudly. Combine the moves! Minimize the collateral damage! Go!"
Yu activated her Quirk.
WHOOSH.
She shot up to twenty-two meters tall.
She immediately raised her right arm. She channeled her massive kinetic energy straight down to her wrist.
ZAAAAP.
A concentrated photon laser blasted out of the metal gauntlet. It instantly melted a red target painted on the far wall.
"Incoming counter-attack!" Kaito yelled over the radio.
Yu didn't hesitate. She instantly deactivated her Quirk.
FWOOP.
She shrank back down to normal size in a micro-second.
She dropped straight to the dirt and rolled forward, completely dodging the imaginary blast.
Before she even stopped rolling, she pushed off the ground.
WHOOSH.
She grew back to twenty-two meters. She widened her stance aggressively.
She dropped her hips and anchored her giant boots deep into the dirt.
She pulled her arms back and slammed them together.
BAM.
The Canyon Clap fired.
The massive, pressurized shockwave blasted perfectly down the center of the yard. It stayed completely contained in a straight line, tearing up the dirt without spreading wide to the sides.
FWOOP.
She shrank back down to her human size.
Huff-puff.
Yu put her hands on her knees. She breathed heavily.
Her whole body was dripping with sweat. The rapid shifting back and forth between giant and human size for hours was incredibly exhausting.
Thud.
Kaito jumped down from the shipping container. He walked over and handed her a cold water bottle.
He just gave her a smile.
"Your transition timing is perfect," Kaito praised her. "You are completely controlling your mass."
Gulp. Gulp.
Yu took a huge drink of water. She smiled back.
The weeks of absolute torture in this dirt lot finally paid off. She was a completely different now.
"Hehe... I know... I'm getting good, Kaito."
*-*-*
Location: Saitama Super Arena – VIP Skybox
Time: A Week Later | 07:00 PM
The entire stadium was vibrating.
Thousands of people were screaming and cheering inside the massive arena.
Bright stage lights swept wildly across the crowd.
The live finale of Japan's Got Quirk was broadcasting to millions of televisions across the country.
High above the stage, inside a luxurious glass-fronted VIP skybox, Kaito Arisaka sat on a long leather couch.
Chitose Kizuki sat right next to him. She wore a stunning maroon evening gown and held a glass of expensive champagne.
She looked down at the massive crowd with a highly satisfied smile.
On the other side of the room, Kaito's family was enjoying the massive catering spread.
Grandma Saki was eating a plate of high-end sushi.
Kimiko and Kenji, the managers of Kaito's Golden Bites franchise, were relaxing with glasses of wine.
Their little daughter, Emi, was pressing her hands against the thick glass window, pointing excitedly at the bright stadium lights below.
Grandma Saki looked around the room. She frowned slightly.
"Kaito, where is Makoto?" Saki asked bluntly.
Kaito rubbed the back of his neck.
"She is wad busy, Grandma," Kaito explained. "And OClock agency had a job this week. She couldn't make it."
Saki pouted. "You are just working too much. You should have made time to bring her. I really like that girl."
Kimiko smirked and bumped Kenji's arm with her elbow.
"Yeah, Kaito," Kimiko teased loudly. "Your 'very busy' girlfriend is missing out on all this free food."
"Haha." Kenji laughed and took a sip of his wine.
Kaito just rolled his eyes, taking the teasing completely in stride.
Chitose burst into a loud laugh. She walked over and stood next to Saki.
"Hehe.. I completely agree with you, Saki-san," Chitose smiled, playfully throwing Kaito under the bus. "He is a total workaholic. You have to force him to take a day off."
Saki nodded in total agreement. "Exactly! I want a great-grandchild eventually!"
Sigh.
Kaito sighed, taking a drink of his sparkling water while the women laughed at him.
Chitose kneeled down next to the glass window.
She pulled a shiny, heavy gold lanyard out of her purse and slipped it around little Emi's neck.
"Here you go, sweetie," Chitose smiled warmly at the little girl. "That is an all-access backstage pass. You can go meet the contestants after the show."
Emi gasped.
She jumped up and down, hugging the shiny gold badge tight.
Kimiko smiled and thanked Chitose for the gift.
Down on the main stage, Present Mic walked into the spotlight.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Present Mic yelled into his microphone. "Welcome to the back grand finale!"
The camera drones zoomed over the massive audience.
The live broadcast panned across the front rows to show exactly who Chitose invited to the event.
Hawks slouched in his front-row seat, happily eating a massive tub of buttery popcorn.
Best Jeanist sat next to him, giving a polite, refined golf clap.
The new pro hero Mt. Lady was also included talking with Ryukyu on the other side.
A few seats down, All Might sat in a sharp suit, smiling warmly at the civilians.
Over by the judges' table, Mandalay and Pixie-Bob were jumping up and down, holding a sparkly neon sign that read "GO TIGER!"
"We already saw some incredible acts tonight!" Present Mic hyped the crowd up. "The Telekinetic Musician rocked the house! The Neon Breath painter lit up the ceiling! But we still have two acts left!"
The crowd cheered wildly.
OOOOHHHH.
"Let's bring out our next finalist!" Present Mic yelled.
A young civilian man walked onto the stage.
RUMBLE.
Stagehands rolled out a massive cart and dumped a huge pile of raw, white beach sand directly in the center of the reinforced floor.
The civilian stood in front of the sand pile. He took a massive, deep breath. His chest expanded heavily.
FWOOSH.
He activated his Quirk.
He blew a concentrated stream of superheated air from his mouth.
The intense heat hit the pile of sand. He used his bare hands to guide the melting, glowing orange liquid in mid-air.
He worked incredibly fast, sweating from the sheer heat and lung exertion.
In under two minutes, the glowing orange liquid cooled.
It hardened into a massive, crystal-clear glass sculpture.
"WOOW."
"IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?"
"He perfectly captured the moment!"
The stadium gasped.
He didn't just sculpt a generic hero. He perfectly recreated the legendary moment Hero X stopped the mega-tsunami in Japn.
The glass showed Hero X in his pristine suit, his fingers perfectly posed mid-snap.
Behind him, a massive, terrifying tsunami wave was literally folding over flat, sculpted to look exactly like a piece of 2D construction paper bending in half.
The tribute to their savior hit everyone in the arena instantly.
The camera cut to Best Jeanist. The number four hero nodded in absolute respect, staring at the fine, thread-like details of the glass paper folds.
Up on the judges' panel, Ryukyu grabbed her microphone and heavily praised the civilian's insane temperature control.
"And now!" Present Mic yelled, stepping back into the spotlight. "For our final act of the night!"
The stadium lights went completely dark.
A massive, pure white screen dropped down from the ceiling rafters.
A group of four civilians stepped behind the white screen.
They didn't have one powerful Quirk.
They had four minor Quirks, and they combined them perfectly.
The first civilian activated his Bioluminescence Quirk, lighting up his entire body to create a blinding white backlight behind the screen.
The second civilian used his Elasticity Quirk, stretching his limbs and contorting his body into massive, terrifying shapes.
The third civilian used his Silhouette Manipulation Quirk.
He grabbed the shadows cast on the screen, detached them, and started animating them like a massive movie.
The fourth civilian rubbed his hands together, using his Acoustic Foley Quirk to generate booming, realistic sound effects that echoed through the arena speakers.
The shadow play started.
The massive black shadows formed a terrifying tsunami wave and an erupting volcano.
The sound effects of crumbling earth and rushing water made the crowd hold their breath.
Then, a single, sleek silhouette stepped up to the massive disasters. It slicked its hair back and raised a hand.
SNAP.
A loud, sharp popping sound echoed through the stadium.
The tsunami and volcano shadows instantly vanished.
The story shifted beautifully.
Countless normal-sized silhouettes appeared on the screen.
Police officers, everyday civilians, and recognizable Pro Heroes with familiar hair tufts stepped forward.
They pulled people out of the rubble. They held hands. They helped each other stand back up.
It wasn't a story about fighting villains. It was a heartbreaking, beautiful story about Japan surviving and rebuilding together.
The lights came back on. The screen rolled up.
OOOOOOHHHH.
The crowd gave a deafening standing ovation.
Tiger sat at the judges' table. He literally wiped a tear from his eye with his thick glove.
He leaned into his microphone and praised their absolute, flawless physical coordination.
A few minutes later.
"That is it!" Present Mic yelled. "The nationwide voting lines are officially closed!"
The stadium vibrated with nervous energy.
All ten of the final acts walked out and lined up across the massive stage.
The Telekinetic Musician, the Neon Breath girl, the Crystal Sculptor, the Shadow Theatre team, and the rest of the civilians held hands, looking terrified and excited.
The crowd started chanting.
"Shadows! Shadows!" a group in the front yelled.
"Glass wave!" another section screamed back.
Present Mic stood in the center of the stage.
He held a shiny golden envelope in his hand.
DRUMROLL.
A slow, agonizing drumroll echoed through the massive arena speakers.
Present Mic dragged the pause out for a full thirty seconds, building the tension until the crowd was practically screaming.
RIIP.
He slowly ripped the envelope open.
He looked at the card.
"The first grandwinner of the Japan's Got Quirk... The winner of the one hundred million yen..." Present Mic screamed at the top of his lungs. "IS THE SHADOW THEATRE TEAM!"
BOOOM.
Massive air cannons fired from the edges of the stage.
Thousands of pieces of shiny gold confetti rained down from the ceiling.
The four civilians collapsed onto the stage. They hugged each other tightly, crying absolute tears of joy.
The crowd went completely insane.
Up in the VIP box, Chitose turned to Kaito. She held up her champagne glass.
"To the media empire," Chitose smiled warmly.
Kaito picked up his glass of sparkling water from the table.
He clinked it against hers. He looked at Saki, Kimiko, and Emi laughing and cheering at the confetti drop.
"To the empire," Kaito agreed.
*-*-*
Location: Shield Research Laboratory – Testing Bunker
Time: One Week Before Contract Ends | 10:00 AM
The massive testing chamber was built with heavy reinforced steel and thick safety glass.
Inside the chamber, Kaito stood over a heavy metal workbench. He wore a dark tank top, thick heat-resistant gloves, and safety goggles.
WHIRRR.
Two massive industrial particle lasers fired up, glowing bright red.
They aimed directly at a tiny, circular housing made of raw platinum and palladium clamped to the table.
Behind the thick safety glass, David Shield was sweating heavily.
"Kaito, wait!" David yelled through the intercom. "The thermal feedback is going to shatter the room! You need to lower the output!"
Kaito completely ignored the warning. He grabbed a heavy steel wrench. He reached right between the two firing lasers and clamped down on the metal ring.
He twisted it hard.
CLANG.
A violent, blinding flash of pure light filled the bunker.
VWOOOM...
VWOO....
VM..
The heavy particle lasers automatically powered down. The room went completely silent.
Sitting on the workbench was a stable, glowing blue ring.
BZZZT.
Kaito wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
He pulled his safety goggles down and picked up the glowing core.
THUD.
He walked over to the heavy vault door and pushed it open.
David Shield stared at the glowing blue ring. He looked completely speechless.
"I saw the custom motorbike you commissioned for Skycrawler," David whispered in absolute shock. "You built an advanced artificial intelligence and embedded it right into the chassis. I thought you were just a computer programmer. But this..."
David dragged his hand down his face.
"This breaks every energy problem we have" David said.
David looked around the empty laboratory, suddenly looking terrified.
"Do you understand what this is?" David asked, his voice shaking slightly. "This can light up my tower for a year. If the wrong people get this, they will weaponize it instantly. I swear to you, Kaito. I will take this process to my grave. I will never leak the blueprints."
Kaito just laughed warmly. He tapped the blue reactor.
"Relax, David," Kaito smiled. "Nobody is blowing up the world today. If you ever decide to patent the housing for public electricity, just make sure you pay me my dividends."
Sigh.
"Don't worry, you're the creator of this Mini Arc Reactor." David let out a massive sigh of relief.
BAM.
Melissa Shield slammed her hands flat against the safety glass.
The fifteen-year-old girl practically had stars in her eyes.
"How did you stabilize the thermal output?!" Melissa yelled excitedly, running around the glass partition. "What is the exact compression ratio?! Does the palladium casing prevent radiation leaking?!"
She fired off questions without taking a single breath.
Kaito chuckled. He held the reactor up so she could get a closer look.
"The palladium absorbs the excess heat," Kaito explained calmly, treating her intelligence with total respect. "It forces the energy to loop back into the core. It feeds itself."
Melissa pulled out her notebook and started scribbling frantically.
*-*-*
Location: Shibuya – High-End Steakhouse
Time: End of the Three-Month Contract | 08:00 PM
The private dining room smelled like roasted garlic and expensive grilled steak.
The Mt. Lady Agency was officially fully staffed.
Yu Takeyama sat at the head of the long wooden table.
Sora, Renzo, Rei, and the five new marketing employees sat around her, eating and laughing loudly.
"I am just saying," Renzo joked, pointing his fork down the table. "The media thinks Mt. Lady is this graceful idol. They don't see her order five heavy steaks after a patrol."
"I burn a lot of calories growing!" Yu argued loudly, her face turning slightly red.
She picked up a soft dinner roll from a basket and threw it straight at Renzo's head.
BOP.
The bread bounced off Renzo's forehead. The entire table burst into laughter.
Sora grabbed the roll and took a bite out of it. "Hey, free bread."
The atmosphere was incredibly warm and loud.
They felt like a real, connected team. The three-month contract was officially over, and the agency was a massive, undisputed success.
Yu stopped laughing.
She looked across the table at Kaito.
Yu dropped the jokes completely.
"Seriously, Kaito," Yu said. She looked him right in the eyes. "Thank you. That first month eating dirt in the scrap yard was absolute hell. But you were right. The agency is perfect now. Thank you for choosing me."
Kaito set his glass down on the wooden table.
"You're welcome, Yu," Kaito told her honestly. "But we're friends and I own 20% of your brand."
"Hehe. That's right." Yu Takeyama laughed.
Kaito reached down next to his chair.
THUD.
He lifted a heavy metal briefcase and set it right on the dining table.
Skkid.
He slid it across the wood toward her.
The entire logistics team stopped eating. They all leaned forward, looking at the silver case.
"What is that?" Rei asked.
"A parting gift," Kaito said casually. "Open it."
Yu reached out.
CLICK. CLICK.
She popped the heavy metal latches open. She lifted the lid.
Her silver Detnerat-Shield gauntlets were sitting inside the black foam padding.
They looked totally different.
The bulky internal battery packs were completely gone.
Sitting right in the center of the heavy metal wrist plates were two small, glowing blue circular rings.
"I took the liberty of upgrading the power source," Kaito explained smoothly. "The scientists complained about the one-hour battery life. So, I replaced the capacitors with miniature Arc Reactors."
Yu stared at the glowing blue light.
"Arc Reactors?" Yu asked, totally confused. "What does that mean?"
"It means.." Kaito said. "You can spam your lasers as much as you want now."
Kaito took a sip of his water.
"And because the energy output is huge" Kaito added casually. "You can actually use the thrust to jump and glide."
"..."
"..."
The entire dining room went completely dead silent.
Yu just stared at him. Her brain totally short-circuited.
"I can fly?" Yu whispered.
"No, you can't fly with just these gauntlets, you can only glide after jumping really high. You will need to practice levitation in short bursts first," Kaito advised her. "But yes. You can fly if you decided to have another support gear for your legs with this energy. You can contact Shield Company. They can create it for you and the energy core which would they develop."
"..."
Yu absolutely lost her mind.
She screamed in pure excitement. She shoved the heavy metal briefcase aside. She lunged directly across the table, knocking over a salt shaker.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Kaito's neck in a massive, crushing hug.
"You are the greatest manager in the entire world!" Yu yelled happily.
Before Kaito could even say a word, Yu pulled back slightly and planted a massive, loud kiss right on his cheek.
Silence hung in the room for one single second.
Then, the entire logistics team erupted.
"Ooooooooo!" Sora yelled loudly, banging his fists on the table.
"Wow!" Renzo laughed hard, clapping his hands.
"We saw that, Boss!" Rei teased with a huge, knowing smirk.
Yu froze.
She realized exactly what she just did in front of her entire new staff.
She immediately let go of Kaito and sat back down in her chair.
Her ears turned bright red. Her entire face flushed with deep embarrassment.
"It was just a thank you kiss!" Yu stammered frantically, waving her hands in the air to defend herself. "It doesn't mean anything! Shut up, all of you!"
The staff completely ignored her. They just kept laughing, whistling loudly, and clinking their glasses together.
Kaito chuckled quietly, reaching up to adjust his tie.
"Wait a minute manager-san, If I remember you said you created this mini energy? Not the scientist?" Someone asked.
"Yeah, I just like to read books on my free time." Kaito lied smoothly.
"...."
"...."
"Damn! You're an omnipotent being." Renzo exclaimed.
The three-month contract was over.
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)