Location: Tokyo – Naruhata Apartments
Time: 08:00 PM
SLIDE.
The automatic glass doors of the apartment lobby opened.
Kaito pulled two rolling suitcases inside.
Makoto walked right beside him, carrying a massive plastic bag filled with American snacks and souvenirs.
She stretched her arms high above her head and let out a heavy breath.
"I am going to sleep for fourteen hours straight," Makoto groaned.
"You already slept the entire flight," Kaito pointed out calmly.
"Plane sleep is completely fake," Makoto argued back. "My back is killing me."
"Hey! You guys are back!"
Koichi Haimawari jogged over from the mailboxes.
Makoto reached into her plastic bag. She dug around for a second, pulled out a small plastic Hollywood palm tree keychain, and tossed it to him.
SWISH.
"What's this?" Koichi caught it.
He looked down at the cheap plastic toy.
"A keychain?" Koichi whined comically, his shoulders dropping. "You guys get to fly all the way to California and I get a piece of plastic?"
"Turn it over," Makoto laughed.
Koichi flipped it.
The name 'Koichi' was painted on the back in bright yellow letters. He chuckled and stuffed it into his hoodie pocket.
"I am so jealous," Koichi complained, leaning against the lobby wall. "The only vacation I ever get is when the Kaito drags us to Okuto Island. I want to see actual tourist spots."
"You have plenty of saved time off," Kaito told him smoothly. "You can take a real trip whenever you want."
"I can't right now!" Koichi grinned, his envy vanishing instantly. "We are way too busy. And everyone is completely hyped right now. Soga, Rapt, and Moyuru finally did it."
Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Did what?"
"They passed the government licensing exam!" Koichi cheered loudly. "They are official sidekicks now!"
Kaito gave a genuine smile.
"That is great news," Kaito said.
"Right?" Koichi nodded quickly. "Now Kazuho and I actually have a full backup team when we go on patrols."
"Tell them I said congratulations," Makoto smiled brightly. "They earned it."
"I will," Koichi waved, heading for the front doors. "I have to go meet them for patrol right now. See you guys later!"
Koichi ran out into the street.
Kaito and Makoto walked into the elevator.
"Those three came a really long way," Makoto said softly as the doors closed. "From picking fights in alleys to holding official hero licenses."
"Hard work pays off," Kaito agreed.
*-*-*
Location: Osaka – Golden Bites Branch
Time: Next Day | 09:00 AM
SIZZLE.
The smell of hot frying oil and grilled meat filled the back office.
Kaito walked through the door wearing a casual button-down shirt.
The new restaurant opened two days ago. It was loud and busy outside, even before opening hours.
Kimiko and Kenji sat at a large metal desk pushed against the wall.
The desk was covered in thick stacks of printed spreadsheets, employee rosters, and shipping manifests.
Kimiko wore a sharp business blazer. Kenji wore a clean white shirt and tie. They looked exactly like real corporate executives.
Kenji looked up and grinned.
"Look at that California tan," Kenji joked, leaning back in his chair. "How was the trip?"
"It was good," Kaito said, pulling up a chair and sitting across from them. "How is this branch doing?"
Kimiko tapped her red pen against the top spreadsheet. She looked completely in her element.
"We are fully on schedule," Kimiko reported confidently. "The automated Detnerat-Shield grills are installed and calibrated. The new Quirk-specific staff is finishing their paid training week right now. And Fat Gum is promoting us on his social media accounts non-stop."
"He wants his VIP discount," Kaito chuckled.
"Well, it is working," Kimiko said. "People are lining up outside taking pictures of the sign. We open in a few days."
Kimiko set her pen down. She looked at Kaito with a very serious expression.
"But we need to talk about the big picture, Kaito," Kimiko said. "We are getting franchise requests from Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Kyoto. Managing the Shibuya, Naruhata, and Osaka branches from their tiny back rooms are going to break our supply chain."
Kenji leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
"We had to drop baby Emi off with Saki-san in her house just to get this Osaka branch finished on time," Kenji laughed. "She is probably destroying Saki-san's garden right now."
Flap.
Kimiko pulled out a large map of Japan from under the spreadsheets. She spread it flat on the desk.
"We need a real Corporate Headquarters," Kimiko pitched directly. "A central hub to handle the custom spice shipping, the logistics, and the hiring for the whole country."
Kaito looked at the map. "Where?"
Kimiko pointed to a red circle drawn on the map.
"Shizuoka Prefecture," Kimiko stated.
Kaito looked at the circle.
"The land prices are way cheaper than central Tokyo," Kimiko explained her business logic. "It has direct access to the major train lines and shipping ports. We can supply the Tokyo branches and this Osaka branch perfectly from the middle of the map."
"And it is right near U.A. Academy," Kenji added. "There is a massive amount of foot traffic and pro hero security in that specific area. We want to build two massive flagship restaurants right next to the new corporate building."
Kimiko dropped her strict CEO tone for a second. She smiled warmly at Kaito.
"Plus, it's near our home and closer to Saki-san," Kimiko admitted. "We can visit her on the weekends and pick up Emi without taking a bullet train."
Kaito looked at the map.
"It makes perfect sense," Kaito nodded, looking back up at them. "Buy the land. Start the construction next month."
Kimiko gasped. A huge grin broke across her face.
"Yes!" Kimiko cheered, grabbing her phone from the desk. "I am calling the construction firms right now to get the quotes."
Pat. Pat.
"Hahaha... So energetic. But boy, you're so damn rich." Kenji laughed and patted Kaito on the shoulder.
They watched Kimiko immediately start dialing numbers, completely fired up to build their empire.
*-*-*
Location: Kamino Ward – Bar
SCRATCH. SCRATCH.
Tomura Shigaraki sat on a wooden barstool.
He dug his fingernails deep into his neck. Tiny drops of blood ran down his collar.
"So annoying," Shigaraki muttered, dragging his nails harder. "So annoying."
He stared at the empty shot glass on the counter.
His right arm still felt a weird, heavy numbness. His ego was completely bruised.
A perfect raid ruined by a bunch of mid-tier street bosses.
Shigaraki remembered the exact moment he was attacked a few months ago.
*-*-*
Location: Abandoned Warehouse (Flashback)
BOOM. BOOM. SWISH. TWOOP.
Mr. Compress detonated his marble bombs perfectly. Dabi rained down blue fire from the upper catwalks.
Thick black smoke filled the warehouse. While Shigaraki and his minions fought back.
Three minutes have passed since the members of the underground vigilante gave a suprise attack on Shigaraki.
They have been fighting back and forth, with Shigaraki being annoyed by the surprise ambush.
Step. Step.
But Shigaraki just walked right through the smoke.
He didn't even flinch.
"Hahaha.. bugs." He laughed, dropped to a crouch, and placed all five fingers flat on the concrete floor.
"Rot in hell." He was going serious.
FWOOSH.
Crack. Crack.
A massive wave of dark, grayish-black dust erupted from his hands.
Crumble.
It completely annihilated the concrete. The floor, the walls, and the steel pillars instantly crumbled into dry ash.
Mr. Compress dropped his theatrical smile. Pure panic crossed his face.
"Get back!" Compress yelled, backing up fast.
Spinner pulled out his giant sword.
"....." He froze.
He looked at the massive wave of dust rushing toward them.
He realized he couldn't cut a pile of ash. "What the hell is this? This is different from the previous attacks and the video we saw."
"No shit! Move dumbass!" Compress grabbed Spinner by the collar.
Bang.
He dragged the lizard mutant backward and threw him out the back window just as the floor beneath them turned to dust.
Dabi and Stendhal were left behind. They stood stranded on a melting piece of rubble.
The decay wave was rushing straight at them.
"This guy is no joke." Dabi looked at the slouching kid.
He realized instantly that this guy was also a monster. If this hits them, they're going to suffer, if not dead. The intensity of this attack is nothing compared for the first few minutes.
CLICK.
"We need to take it. Our quirk won't be enough for this."
Swish. Swish.
Dabi pulled a hidden glass vial from his coat.
"No need to tell me." Stendhal did the exact same thing.
They stabbed the needles right into their necks, injecting the Enhanced Trigger directly into their veins.
FWOOSH.
Dabi's blue flames violently shifted.
The fire turned into blindingly white plasma.
The sheer heat instantly melted the remaining metal pipes around them.
Dabi let the white fire wrap tight around his own body, creating a blazing sun armor.
Crackle-crickle.
The decay dust rushed at him, but the intense heat incinerated the dust into nothingness before it could even touch his clothes.
Dabi raised his hand.
SNAP.
A pinpoint explosion of white plasma detonated right in Shigaraki's face.
BOOM.
Shigaraki stumbled backward.
Dabi didn't stop. He chained the attacks with zero cooldown.
SNAP. BOOM.
SNAP. BOOM.
SNAP. BOOM.
Relentless white explosions blasted Shigaraki's chest and arms.
Dabi laid down heavy artillery fire just to keep the villain from touching the ground again.
"Burn to ash!" Dabi yelled, winding his arms back.
He unleashed a massive, concentrated beam of white fire straight ahead.
The sheer pressure slammed Shigaraki hard against the crumbling back wall.
SWISH.
Stendhal moved.
He used perfectly predictive, minimalist steps to slip right through the chaotic crossfire.
He appeared directly beside Shigaraki.
SHING.
Stendhal swung his katana. He landed a quick, shallow slash across Shigaraki's right arm.
He didn't stop to lick the blade.
The Trigger pushed his Quirk over the limit. The spilled blood on the steel instantly vaporized into a thick red mist.
Shigaraki gasped and inhaled the red vapor.
"Gah!"
Shigaraki's entire right arm and shoulder went completely numb.
The paralysis locked his muscles instantly.
But Shigaraki didn't drop. He glared at them, ready to force his way through the paralysis with pure strength.
WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.
Loud police and pro-hero sirens wailed just down the street.
Dabi's massive heat signature had drawn the authorities.
VWOOSH.
VWOOSH. VWOOSH.
A dark purple warp gate opened directly beneath Shigaraki and the other minions. Kurogiri pulled them down, forcing a tactical retreat before the heroes arrived.
*-*-*
Location: Kamino Bar (Present)
CRACK.
Shigaraki squeezed his hand. The empty shot glass shattered into fine dust.
VWOOSH.
Kurogiri opened a portal near the bar door and stepped into the room. He wore his usual sharp suit.
"Tomura Shigaraki," Kurogiri spoke in his deep, echoing voice. "I have massive news."
Shigaraki didn't even look at him. He picked at the dry skin on his neck.
"What?" Shigaraki snapped.
"The Master has returned," Kurogiri announced formally. "He is back, after missing for a year."
"..."
Shigaraki paused for exactly one second.
He dropped his hand. He looked at the dust on the bar counter.
"I don't care," Shigaraki stated bluntly.
He completely brushed off the Demon King's return. His ego was way too bruised to care about his master right now.
"Find me the location of the fire user and the that masked guy," Shigaraki ordered, his red eyes burning with pure obsession. "I want to finish the fight. I am going to rot their skin off."
'It would be better to recruit them. They're strong. It would all depend on his decisions.' Kurogiri thought.
"Yes."
*-*-*
Location: Kiyashi Ward – Arisaka Consulting
Time: Wednesday | 01:00 PM
Kaito walked down the sidewalk holding his black briefcase.
He was back to his usual work attire, wearing a sharp charcoal suit. His long vacation was officially over.
He approached the glass front doors of his office building.
A small group of pro hero sidekicks stood outside on the sidewalk.
"Hmm?" Kaito recognized them immediately.
They were Lion Shishido's sidekicks. They were the exact same guys who camped out to watch his office the last four times.
When they saw Kaito walking up the street, they went completely crazy.
They started waving excitedly. One of them frantically pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Boss! He is here!" the sidekick yelled into the phone. "Get to the office right now before anyone else shows up!"
Kaito just smirked and walked past them into the building.
He took the elevator up and stepped into his private office. The lights and computer monitors booted up automatically.
[Welcome back, Boss. I hope your vacation in America was satisfactory.]
Eve's voice played smoothly over the room's speakers.
"It was great, Eve," Kaito smiled, setting his briefcase on the desk. "Good to be back."
He sat down in his leather chair and started sorting through his emails.
Fifteen minutes passed.
BEEP.
[Alert. A massive individual is approaching the building at high speed. It is Lion Shishido.]
BANG.
The heavy office doors swung open.
Lion Shishido stood in the doorway, panting heavily. He wore his heavy boots and thick fur coat.
He looked around the empty waiting room, realizing he was the very first client in the building.
He walked straight up to Kaito's desk.
"Arisaka," Shishido sniffled loudly.
The massive lion man raised his huge, furry paws and rubbed his eyes. He started dramatically fake-crying right there in the office.
"This is the fifth time!" Shishido wailed comically. "My sidekicks have watched this door five separate times!"
Kaito stopped typing. He looked up at the crying hero.
"Good afternoon, Shishido," Kaito greeted him smoothly.
"It is a terrible afternoon!" Shishido complained loudly, throwing his hands in the air. "I am getting destroyed in the polls! Selkie and Gang Orca took seven and eight! Those rookies Hawks and Mirko completely passed me for nine and ten!"
Shishido slammed his hands down on the edge of the desk.
"Ingenium and Snipe took eleven and twelve!" Shishido whined. "I am stuck at thirteen! The only people I managed to beat were the old guys, Crust and Musha!"
Kaito just leaned back in his chair, letting the hero vent.
"Almost every single top pro got the Golden Manager effect!" Shishido complained. "I need my turn!"
Then, Shishido dropped his hands.
His fake crying stopped instantly. His lion eyes turned deadly serious. He stood up straight, his massive frame casting a shadow over the desk.
"The rankings make me sad," Shishido stated, his deep voice carrying real weight. "But that is a secondary problem. The truth is, my agency is too slow."
Kaito tilted his head slightly, listening closely.
"My sidekicks is ok. We can take down villains," Shishido explained honestly. "But our response times are terrible. When a building collapses, we are always minutes behind Hawks. We arrive late. We get stuck in city traffic. People get hurt while we are just trying to reach the scene."
Shishido bowed his head slightly.
"I need your brain, Arisaka," Shishido asked sincerely. "I need you to fix my patrol routes. I need a better dispatch system. I need you to help me and my sidekicks with our quirks. I just want to save civilians faster. Please."
"...."
Kaito looked at the bowing pro hero.
He respected the honesty. And also felt pitiful. He wasn't chosen for four times.
"Well.." Kaito reached into his desk drawer. He pulled out a blank contract folder and set it on the table.
"Pull up a chair, Shishido," Kaito said calmly. "Let's make a deal."
Shishido froze.
His eyes went incredibly wide. He stared at the folder.
"YES!"
Shishido threw his massive fists in the air and roared at the top of his lungs.
"HAHAHA! Finally!" Shishido cheered wildly, stomping his heavy boots on the floor. "Take that, Gang Orca! I finally got the Golden Manager!"
*-*-*
Location: Musutafu – Midoriya Residence
Time: 10:00 PM
Izuku Midoriya sat at his wooden desk. His desk lamp was turned on, shining bright light over his messy notebook pages.
He looked down at his custom vigilante gear sitting on the bed.
The kinetic boots, capture tapes, the electric bolas, and the impact bracers.
"These are great for tying up street thugs and minor villains," Izuku mumbled to himself. "But they have hard limits."
He thought back to the time he went out with the sidekicks of Sir Nighteye to observe and learn. Izuku remembered watching the top-tier pros and villains fighting.
"If I fight someone like Muscular, these bracers will just be destroyed," Izuku said, tapping his pencil against his chin. "Single-purpose gadgets are too rigid. I need something modular. Something that can change shape on command."
He flipped to a fresh page in his notebook and started sketching rapidly.
POOF.
A small cloud of white smoke erupted on the edge of the desk.
Kuro transformed.
The black cat stood up on his two hind legs. He wore a tiny, perfectly tailored white lab coat and a pair of thick academic glasses.
Scientist Kuro crossed his furry arms and looked down at the new sketch.
"Look at this, Kuro," Izuku said excitedly, pointing his pencil at a cluster of tiny hexagonal shapes. "Microbots. Thousands of tiny, identical robots. They link together using magnetic fields. They can form a solid wall to block a fire blast. They can stretch out to make a rescue bridge. They can even form a giant fist."
Scientist Kuro adjusted his glasses with a small paw.
"The structural logic is solid, nya~" Kuro spoke, his voice completely clear. "I can just build the whole swarm system for you right now, nya~. My inventor form already knows exactly how to wire the micro-processors and code the magnetic frequencies."
"No, I want to build it with you," Izuku insisted quickly, looking up at his partner. "Just like we did with the impact bracers last time. If I don't understand the tech inside and out, I won't know how to fix it when it breaks in a fight. You have to teach me."
Kuro sighed, a small feline smile appearing on his face.
"Fine, nya. But you have a massive amount of studying to do," Kuro warned him. "Manual controls and voice commands are way too slow for a moving swarm. You need a direct neural-cranial transmitter. A gear that reads your brainwaves, nya~."
Izuku nodded, grabbing a fresh piece of paper. "What do we start with?"
"I am putting together a strict curriculum, nya~," Kuro said, tapping the desk. "First, you need to master advanced electromagnetism just to make the magnetic links work. Then we cover swarm-logic programming for the movement patterns. Finally, basic neuroscience to actually build the brainwave transmitter, nya~."
"I'll hit the books tomorrow," Izuku grinned, totally hyped up. "If we can build this, the U.A. Entrance Exam will be a breeze and fighting A-tier villains is doable. It covers every single weakness I have."
Scientist Kuro gave a short, professional nod.
"The math works, nya~," Kuro said calmly. "But let's look at the physical materials. You need thousands of micro-processors. Heat-resistant ceramic plating. Custom electromagnets. High-grade titanium wiring."
Kuro looked over his thick glasses directly at Izuku.
"Where is the funding for all of this coming from, nya~?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Izuku completely stopped talking.
His excited grin vanished. He slowly turned his head. He looked down at the bottom shelf of his bookcase.
A small, green plastic piggy bank sat there. It held a few thousand yens he saved up from his weekly allowance and the money he got from the villains and thugs he captured in the past.
Then Izuku looked back at the massively complicated blueprints on his desk.
Building few microbots are ok. Building thousands of them will be expensive.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Scientist Kuro patted Izuku's shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't mind... Don't mind nya~..."
Izuku just stared blankly at the wall, totally speechless.
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)