Chapter 3: NO. 3 - Money? I Need That!
...4 Years Later...
The bustling city streets were filled with a steady stream of people, each one seemingly in a hurry to get to their destination. The sounds of car horns, chatter, and footsteps filled the air as pedestrians weaved through the crowded sidewalks. Tall buildings loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the bustling streets below.
The occasional street performer added a touch of music to the urban symphony while the smell of street food wafted through the air, tempting passersby. Amidst the chaos, a sense of purpose and determination seemed to drive each person forward, creating a captivating energy that pulsed through the city.
That was until a large explosion and thundering cracks filled the air due to four individuals dressed in dark outfits.
One of the darkly dressed individuals was crashing through brick walls and parked cars with reckless abandon with his great strength. The man had a large body that seemed to be made up of sharp blue-colored stones. His heavy footsteps caused rumbles to rock the streets as he continued his charge.
The next individual was covered in a black body suit as purple flames covered his hands and feet. Using his flames, the man was capable of pushing his body through the air to allow him to fly. Occasionally, he threw small fireballs at the cars lining the street, causing them to explode. Luckily, no one was standing near the vehicles when they exploded.
Gliding on some sort of invisible flying disc a few feet behind the two was a woman with bright blonde hair who had a large grin on her face. On her shoulder was a large backfilled with money that occasionally let loose a few loose bills through the air as she maneuvered in and out for now panicking city folk.
Lastly, A thin man with extremely long and stretchy limbs used his body to move over everyone below him with maneuvers resembling a slinky. The man's extremely stretchy limps made it easy for him to move with great speed and precision. This allowed him to move out of the way just in time as the Lion hero, Shishido, swiped the air from where he once stood.
Shishido's hero costume resembled a lion, with long, spiky, brown hair that appeared like the mane of a lion. On his costume was a large amount of golden fur, with several spikes both in front and on his back, positioned so that they resemble fangs, and a black mouth with exposed teeth that resemble a lion's maw.
"Hah! Some hero! You're slow as shit!" The man with the elastic quirk yelled as he laughed at the chasing pro hero.
"Ragh!" Shishido growled in anger as he looked over to see the large man covered in a blue-colored stone crash through another car. Nearly crushing a woman alongside her young child. Seeing this, Shishido grew even more enraged and pushed his legs to go even faster. "Stop at once, you villains!"
The lion-themed hero exploded forward and flew under the elastic villain, much to the stretchy man's surprise. Shishido's goal was for the woman to glide through the streets. But just as he was about to reach the blonde woman, she looked back and raised her hand in front of her.
"Gah!" Shishido grunted as he crashed head-first into an invisible barrier.
"Hah! Is this really what pro heroes are capable of? How funny!" The woman laughed as she and her three partners in crime all laughed and continued to run.
Shishido shook his head as blood ran down his forehead. "Damn you, Fearsome Four! I won't let you get away!" He then stood up and continued the chase. As he ran, he yelled for everyone on the streets to get out of the way for their safety.
This all happened as I leaned against one of the walls of this street's local bookstore with my hands in the front pockets of my black and red hoodie.
"These four clowns are going to get away if another Hero doesn't show up soon," I said as I watched their retreating forms disappear around the corner. "Anyways, what was I doing? Right, looking for work."
I ignored the chaos around me as people looked at the destruction caused by the fleeing villains and lone hero. Now, then. Despite being 11 years old and the legal working age in Japan being 15, I still had hope I could find a shop that would hire me for some cheap child labor. I wasn't particularly concerned about how much I would get paid as long as I got paid.
A question anyone would ask in this situation would be why an 11-year middle schooler needs a job. The answer, you simpleton, is for money. Being an orphan didn't necessarily come with a weekly allowance. To be able to complete my goals and ambitions, I needed money. One of the said goals was to have a steady stream of passive income. The way I planned to accomplish that was to begin selling my own written stories and manga from my original world. Considering most of the most prolific and famous works from my world didn't exist here, it was a guaranteed way to make some dough.
"Oh, so you're doing what most reincarnated people do in these types of situations? How original." I hear you saying.
Yes. Yes, I am.
If it ain't broken, don't fix it.
Jumping over some rumble, I stopped when I saw an elderly woman struggle to get to her feet. Before I could decide what to do, an older girl in a high school uniform jogged over to the elderly lady and helped her up. Seeing that, I continued on to the street filled with several shops a few blocks away.
As an orphan, I knew it was only a matter of time before the orphanage would no longer be able to support me once I came of age. Meaning I had 4 or 5 years left until I got kicked out onto the streets with nothing but some pity money and a bus pass. This only made my need for money even more imperative. I needed money to fund my art supplies and writing tools. Without those, I could never bring my stolen stories to life for me to sell to a publisher.
"Hah... if only I could have gotten adopted. Then I wouldn't have to do this."
Normally, a cute and handsome, well-behaved boy like myself would have been adopted years ago like my many orphaned siblings, like Keiko. However, due to what happened to me four years ago, my body passively releases a slow and steady stream of negative energy that scared away any hopeful parents from adopting me. Then again, most people tended to avoid me due to my negative energy as well. Bad vibes, I heard some say.
Said negative energy was my cursed energy.
I paused in my trek and waited alongside many others for the passing cars to stop at an intersection. As we stood patiently, some of the people closest to me began to step away from me slightly. Their expressions were nervous and anxious. I paid them no mind. Once the cars stopped due to the red light, the do not cross sign changed to walk, allowing us all to cross the street.
"Even after four years, I was only able to pull two other techniques besides the Boogie Woogie," I muttered as I finally reached the busy shopping and service center located in my city of Hamamatsu. The sound of clinking marbles could be heard from my hip, where a small black bag was tied to my belt. "Then again, I did get a lot of lesser skills and items, so I guess it's okay. Not like I was able to rack up the points to spend for the higher tier rewards."
Besides the Boogie Woogie, I had managed to pull two other cursed techniques.
One of the techniques was Big Bro Choso's Blood Manipulation.
Blood Manipulation allows me to control and shape my blood beyond its natural form or motion for a variety of effects. It can be used to manipulate every aspect of the user's blood, including blood composition, internal blood flow, plasma, pulse rate, body temperature, and red blood cells.
The technique allows the user to control blood externally as long as it belongs to the user. The external blood can be hardened to create mid-range projectiles and or objects that the user desires. This is called Convergence.
In the hands of a competent sorcerer like Big Bro Choso, it has the potential to be an incredibly useful technique. It was the skill that allowed Choso to stand against Uraume and False Geto for a brief amount of time. Unfortunately, I don't have the same potential as Choso due to my normal human body. I could only use so much of my blood before I would pass out. Something I learned the hard way.
My third technique was Takuma Ino's Auspicious Beast Summons.
Damn you, Japan's laws! Why must you be so considerate? I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists tightly in frustration. Off behind me, I heard the cackles of Mei as several loud clangs from a hammer echoed loudly. Don't give up, me! Do I really have to use that card?
"I'm 11! Also, you don't have to pay me a full wage! I'll even accept five-er, s-seven hundred yen an hour! Please!" I bowed my entire body while I used my most pathetic and sorry-sounding voice for the most empathy. Minato looked over to me with a remorseful look as he carried a box.
[+5 SP]
"Hah... Sorry, kid. Can't do it." He sighed and looked out his shop's glass windows. With a nod, he walked over to the yellow phone that was on the counter and brought it up to his ear. "Listen, kid, I'll call your parents to come get you. It's gotten too dark for me to comfortably send you out. Some real sketchy people are out there these days. What's their number?"
I guess I have to use that card after all. The orphan card!
"... don't got any."
"What's that?" Minato raised a brow in confusion. "Speak up, kid."
"I don't have any parents. I'm an orphan." I said with a sad but angry expression. "They died during the Iwata incident a few years back."
[+5 SP]
"...I see," Minato whispered, his eyes briefly looking over to where his daughter was working. "I'm sorry."
"I don't need any pity or empathy." I looked up into his surprised eyes. "I just need a chance! Let me prove to you that I can do what you need me to do! Please! I don't... don't want to be homeless in a few years. So, please. Let me prove to you that I can do this."
[+5 SP]
Minato stood still for several moments and maintained eye contact with me with a serious expression. I didn't flinch or look away and kept eye contact with the large man. I didn't want to have to use my orphan status to get a job, but I couldn't let this opportunity go. I had to use this chance to earn SP by interacting with Mei. She was the only person I've run into besides All Might in the past 11 years who could give me the points I needed.
Seeing as she was around my age or younger, I finally had a good grasp of where I was in the timeline. At most, I only had five or six years before the major events from the plot started. If I wanted to be able to survive and thrive in this world, I had to pull more Gold and Diamond tier rewards.
Because in this world, power meant everything. I need to pull the Limitless technique and the Six-Eyes. With that power, I would become untouchable. Nothing could stop me from living the easy-going and wealthy life I wanted. And to do that, I had to become one of Japan's top heroes-
...Is that really what I want?
Huh?
Minato closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, missing my startled and confused expression. I then heard him whisper something along the lines of "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Fine. I'll hire you." Minato said, reaching inside the box of mechanical parts he had brought over and pulled out a thick manual for a fridge and a large textbook about mechanical engineering. "But only on the condition you're capable of putting one of these together from scattered parts. Do that, and I'll hire you as an apprentice. This way, you can be paid, and I won't get in trouble with the law. Hopefully. You can come here after school to watch and learn from me so that you can accomplish your assignment. How does that sound?"
I accepted the books from his hands and flipped through the several pages full of information and mechanical jargon. I nodded and looked up at him with confident eyes.
"That sounds great. Thank you very much! I won't fail you, Hatsume-san!" I said with a deep, respectful bow.
[+5 SP]
Despite being practically guilt-tripped into this, Minato nodded with a smile and grabbed a blue jacket from one of the chairs near the wall. "We'll see, kid. Come on, I'll take you over to where you live. MeiMei!"
Off all nicknames... MeiMei?
"Hm?" Was the pink-haired girl's response.
"I'm heading out, so I'll be locking up early. I'll be back in a few minutes; try not to blow up the shop. Okay?" Minato said as he guided me to the front door.
"Okay! Can you bring back some more ball bearings and an electric actuator?" Mei called out without stopping to look at us, too entrenched in her project. "My adorable baby is almost complete!"
"Ah, I almost forgot. That's my daughter, Mei." Minato told me as we watched the young inventor work with an intense focus. "If I'm too busy, you can ask her any questions. She could put one of those fridges together once she turned four, so I advise you to learn from her, too."
"At four?" I muttered as I flipped through the thick and complicated manual. That wasn't surprising, considering what she would accomplish at UA in the future. "I see. I'll be sure to ask her for help then."
"Just a small warning, though." Minato smiled awkwardly as he rubbed the side of his head. "My daughter is a bit... eccentric. You'll understand soon. Okay, let's get you home."
"Right."
As Minato and I left the store, Mei stopped her machinations and looked back at our retreating forms with a confused expression. Shrugging, she slid her goggles over her eyes and grabbed a pair of fine tweezers to twist a tiny wire into place.
AN:
Looks like this story is picking up some traction. The metrics and power stones are picking up! So, as a thank you, here's the next Chapter! Keep those reviews, comments, and power stones coming! Trust me, those really tell me you all are interested in me continuing this story. Otherwise, I'll move on to the next thing that my mind thinks up.
Until next time!