(Third Person POV, 48 hours ago)
It was a cold night in Osaka, a man lights a cigarette in the dark alley, his face drenched in blood before he wipes it off.
*BRRR* His phone goes off.
He picks it up and answers.
"Yeah?"
["How was the job? Did you finish?"] A distorted voice was heard from the side of the phone.
"It's done. All targets dead but I had to make a fuss about it and had to beat some heroes. That's gonna cost extra to my client by the way." The man commented.
Just like there's heroes, there's villains, that's a story as old as time by now. People who use their Quirks for their selfish desires and cause chaos in society. Normally, people think of them are just thieves or killers, but there's a degree of depth in some of them.
Villains for hire.
They're more akin to mercenaries, however, since mercenary-work that's not affiliated with any government agency was barred decades ago, the current concept of this job has been rendered controlled entirely by the system.
Anyway, back to the guy in the alley and his call, they're both mercenaries that are currently discussing the job alley guy just took.
Why's any of this relevant? Just wait and see.
["Heroes huh, by the sound of your voice you got hella beaten."]
"Tch! Just a bad matchup between our quirks, nothing I couldn't handle." Alley guy defended himself.
["Yeah, sure, whatever, listen, there's a new job for all three of us and I wondered if you'd be in."]
"Depend when." Alley guy then blended into the shadow of the wall before reappearing on top of the building.
["Two days from now."]
"Wow, just like that? Sounds awfully specific, what's the job?"
["Just to steal some papers from some jagoff."]
"Why not steal them now?"
["The target lives in a zone near All-Might's, need I say more?"]
"Fair enough, I like my bones where they are thank you. Where to then?"
["I-Island, the client said that he'll be traveling there to deliver the package in person, we just have to go in, sweep it under his face and then enjoy our spoils."]
"You make it sound so easy…" He finishes his ciggy and throws it away.
["Don't mind that, the question is: Are you in?"]
The man looked at the storm clouds and let his face be drenched in the rain water before answering.
"Yeah, tell the client that the Villain: Ashborn will take the case." The man, Ashborn, answered.
["Alright! I'll meet you with our brother in the airport the day after tomorrow, rest well and heal up, we don't want to fail another big job."] With that, the call ended.
The man, or rather Ashborn, looked at the sky with a smirk.
"Time for another thrill rush." He quietly commented to no one before he blended back with the shadows and disappeared.
(Present Time)
Ashborn looked at his target, Daimon Masaru, from a distance. When spying on them earlier he saw him take a folder from his jacket and was about to leave it in the room to steal it, however, due to Masaru wanting to hide it from his wife for some reason, he took it with himself.
So now, Ashborn is just tailing behind them in order to find a good time to steal the folder, and if he has to break a skull or two in the process...oh well, win some, lose some.
'But I can't just cause a massacre in broad daylight, in an enclosed place like this raising attention isn't going to do me any favors. Just have to be patient and wait for my opportunity.' Ashborn thought as he tailed behind the family of three.
From the spinning cups to a small child rollercoaster to the pirate's grove, spooky house, artificial parachutes, eating, and bumper cars, however, believe it or not, there wasn't a chance to steal or even attack…why? Because of a simple variable that Ashborn wasn't expecting.
Daimon Kai.
(Kai's POV)
To summarize the entire day in a single word...…AWESOME!!!
It's been such a blast! The park, the attractions, everything was so fun to just be around! I really liked spending all this time with my parents, it felt especially wonderful with them around.
Although...…
There's this one presence I can't exactly pinpoint but I can feel someone spying on us. It's literally like when you hear a mosquito in your ear but then can't even see the little bugger, hate it when that happens.
I could say that I still had a blast but at some point it became more about protecting my parents than enjoying the park. It was even worse when I had to "ruin" the rides we were in due to my "bad luck" in order to keep that guy at bay.
For example, in the pirate attraction he was going to emerge from a shadow to grab my dad, I got "enticed" by the gold in the water and "fell" causing the ride to come to a stop as the lights were shone upon me.
Needless to say that I don't wish to recall every single "incident" that I caused, I'm not one to get mad over small stuff but if they dare mess with my family then they have both my attention and my ire.
Moving on, we came out of the park exhausted, well, mom and dad were, I'm still full of energy and I can't tell if it is due to my training or just child hyperactivity.
"Phew! What a day." My dad comments as he wipes the sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I was this tired." Mom agreed.
"Really? I can still play more." I commented as I hopped from one place to the other.
"That's our Kai, your stamina is on another level." My mom commented, making me feel a bit embarrassed.
I look around searching for that guy that's been following us but it's to no avail, unless he's closer, I can't even feel where he is.
'Guess I already know what to train once we come back.' I made the mental note for the future.
Seeking a place to rest for the meantime, I realize that it's time to eat lunch, how do I know I hear you ask?
*GRUMBLE* *GRUMBLE*
That's how.
"Dad…mom…I'm hungry." I tell my parents.
"Well, let's see. *My dad takes out a map* It says here that there's a sushi restaurant around here, wanna check it out?" My dad asks.
"Hm...I feel heavy, I'd like something lighter, like Ramen." My mom answers back.
"Hm…it's a bit further but it shouldn't be an issue, you're up for Ramen Kai?" My dad asks me.
"Yeah! Ramen~ Ramen~ Tasty noodle soupy~ Gentle meaty broth-y~ Pork is better than broccoli~" I sang as I walked alongside my parents.
.
.
.
.
Don't judge me.
So, what if I like singing dumb songs, I'm a kid, I'm allowed to have fun for no reason other than just cause.
*COUGH* *COUGH* Anyway!
We went, we ate and we spent a great deal of time talking to each other. For example, there's a small daycare in the building where the event will be held, meaning that I don't have to stay alone while waiting for mom and dad.
Apparently, this was such a common occurrence to the point of discomfort that the entire park has at least three daycares per district to ensure safekeeping of children.
Huh?
I stopped having that eerie feeling in my gut. The guy following us just stopped, I'm not 100% sure about it but at least I feel like enjoying myself a little bit more.
(With Ashborn)
He's standing in an alley with his phone calling his group.
"Change of plans, we're attacking during the inventor's gala at night." Ashborn informs.
["Why? I mean, aside from the night being the best time for you to use your quirk and all."] His contact responded.
"I just feel like it'll be easier and all, or harder considering how many heroes will attend, but in all seriousness, weren't you looking for a challenge?" Ashborn.
["I was sold at "challenge", fine then, we'll start tomorrow then, prepare yourself well Ash, we're going to be busy."] His caller didn't even get a chance to say any to anything else before Ashborn hung up.
"Busy. That's an appropriate way to put it." Ashborn looked at Masaru before merging with the shadow of the building.
(Back with Kai's Family, Kai POV)
We passed by several stores while we were exploring the place, and I even got a piggyback ride from my father. Toy Stores, Candy Stores, gaming console's stores, but now we're experiencing some human traffic, in the sense that there's a lot of people blocking the sidewalk as they're amazed about something.
"What's going on?" My dad asks.
"Oh, take a look for yourself." The bystander moved a little and let my father see, since I was sitting in his shoulders, I could see clearly what was happening.
It was an obstacle course, for Quirk usage! It was awesome how many people were seeing kids and adult handling the course.
It was a simple one in which you have to destroy several targets before attacking training dummies and finally pressing a red button at the top of a cliff.
"Oh...I really wanna play." I commented but given my "circumstances" I'm not sure whether my parents would allow it.
"I know Kai, but you're still just a kid, maybe in a few years we'll come back and see what you can really do." My dad comforted me as he patted my head.
Alas, I KNOW I'm strong, but how much is that in this child body? Chances are I'm not even that strong, this is really making me uneasy now, I better distract myself somehow.
(A/N: He IS strong, he just doesn't know it yet.)
Drifting my attention from the unreachable stage, I look around and see a store that interests me. It's a normal-looking store in blue hues with the sign: "Ready to Go" in white letters.
But that wasn't the real reason it caught my attention; it was the fact that almost all the clientele were heroes. Big time, small time, underground, it didn't matter, heroes of all kinds were buying in this store.
"Dad, can we go there?" I ask him as I pointed to the store.
"Where? That store? Well, alright." Dad.
The three of us entered the store and let me tell you, I wasn't prepared to what I'd see there. Several gadgets of all kinds were being displayed, calibrated, and even tested inside this seemingly small store.
"Whoa...this feels amazing." I commented.
"And it has AC, perfect to cool off in the meantime." My dad comments as he gets me down from his shoulders.
"What's this store anyway?" My mom asked.
Just then, a man approached us, his pink hair and unique scope-like eyes caught my attention.
"Welcome to our humble store dear clients!" The man announced loudly despite being just a few feet away from us.
My dad didn't seemed to mind and on the contrary, relish the straightforwardness.
"Hello, this is the first time we've come here, what exactly is this store about?" My dad asked.
"You mean you can't tell? It's an equipment store." The man commented as he proudly showed off his store.
"Woah…for the record, I had a hunch it this type of store, I just wanted confirmation." My dad tried to save some of his pride.
"What type of equipment?" My mom decided to change the subject.
"Oh, from weapons for heroes to use to equipment to better the usage of one's quirk, we have a large variety here." The man explained.
"Nice, I can see why so many heroes are here, the products look quite well-made." My dad comments as he inspects a bracelet-like equipment.
"That's a Mark 4 Injector bracelet." The man explained.
"Injector?" I ask.
"There's times in which someone's quirk needs some "fuel" of sorts to work, this bracelet is designed in a way that it injects the substance of choice into your bloodstream." The man.
"Wow…" I say with stars in my eyes.
'Wait, couldn't it also be used as a timed device to administer medicines at specific times? Why isn't any of that in the medical market these days?' I internally wondered.
"What about this one?" My mom picks up another brace.
"It's a weight-changing bracelet. It's used by those with strength enhancing quirks to train." The man answered.
I immediately perked up at that.
"Cool! Can we buy some? Can we? Can we? Can we?!" I asked like a normal kid would do.
Heavy weights are great for training but I'm planning on using them later since carrying so much weight as a kid might bring issues regarding my height, being tall or at least 170cm is ideal to being a swordsman.
"Hoho~ The lad here knows his quality." The man cockily commented.
"Mo…I don't know dear, aren't these too heavy for Kai?" My mom asked concerned.
"Hm…what's the weight of these?" My dad asked the man.
"Well, their standard weights are barely 4 pounds heavy with a maximum weight of 300 pounds." The man explained.
My dad looks at me. "Kai, if you're planning on using these make me the promise of NEVER, EVER! Using them beyond…let's see…10, ten pounds. At least until you're older, am I clear?" He asked me concerned.
It was clear that playing a kid wouldn't work so I steeled myself with my most serious face and nodded.
"I promise."
My dad nodded satisfied and looked at the employer. "Do you only have brace weights or are there ankle weights?" My dad asked.
"Right here sir." The man bent a little and picked up a pair of ankle weights.
Before we could pay for the weights, a little girl rushed from within the shop with a grin in her face.
"Dad! Dad! DAAAAAAAAAD!" The girl rushed before jumping towards her father.
The employer swiftly threw the weights above him, grabbed his daughter, piggyback her and then caught the weights again, all in a swift motion.
"Mei…I told you to be careful while I'm talking to the clients…" The employee didn't really sound mad, just concerned about what happened.
The girl, Mei, in contrast had a wide smirk in her face, her eyes with the same scope pattern as her dad as well as pink hair, though hers is in dreadlock style.
"Sorry, it's just that mom just made a brand new baby! It's awesome!" Mei commented.
'Baby?' I wondered if I heard right.
"Baby?!" My mom exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, it's not an actual flesh and blood baby, it's what my wife and now daughter refer to when they create new gadgets." The employee corrected the misunderstanding.
Mei appeared to be a tad ticked by his remark and pouted.
"If it's something you and mom make then it's a baby, gadgets are babies!" Mei complained irritated.
"Yep, yep, babies, babies." Her father patted her head before he puts her down.
Mei finally looks at my family and then gasps in surprise.
"Are these customers?! I thought you were just chitchatting." Mei.
"HAHAHA!!! That's Mei for you, ignores things till the last moment." The father laughed as he brushed his hair with his hand.
"Wit a second, if her mother, your wife, makes the gadgets here, wouldn't that mean that…" My dad starts asking.
"Oh yeah, you guys aren't from around here, allow me to present myself then."
He brushes the dust in his outfit before going back to his laid back posture.
"I'm Tokio Hatsume, owner of the "Ready to Go" shop, nice to meet you." The man presented himself.
"And I'm Mei Hatsume! Future master gadgeteer, I'll make lots and lots of babies!" Mei announced.
In that moment I only have a single thought in my mind…
'What a lively bunch.'