Chapter 5: NO. 5 - Confrontation

Chapter 5: NO. 5 - Confrontation

At the sound of the school bell, everyone in the classroom began packing their stuff to head home. Some cliques were discussing what to do or where to go; other students headed toward their after-school clubs. At the front, the teacher began to organize and gather all the work from their busy day to start the slow grading process.

Still in my chair, I lifted my arms above my head and stretched them. Hearing a few pops from my stiff joints, I sighed in relief and stood up. Grabbing my bag, I walked out of the classroom to head towards my job, or if a police officer asked, my apprenticeship. Heh-heh. Who knew breaking the law was so rewarding? Oh, criminals and villains did. No wonder they did it.

It's been around three weeks since I completed my fridge assignment, much to Minato's approval. He was genuinely impressed that I could complete the fridge within three weeks of watching and observing him or Mei. He was so impressed that he placed me in charge of refurbishing and repairing all appliances brought to the store/workshop.

It was a large responsibility that pushed me to continue learning. It didn't hurt that the pay was good. Minato didn't start paying seven hundred yen like I originally asked during our initial professional interview. No, Minato began my hourly wage at two thousand yen. How generous of the guy.

Thanks to my generous wage, I was able to buy the materials I needed to start working on the drafts for the stories I planned on writing.

I decided to begin with writing and selling three books before moving on to work on making the manga I had planned. Thankfully, my ability to draw from my previous life carried over, so I had confidence that I could pull this off. I just needed to save up some more money for the art supplies I needed to get.

In terms of my planned books, I had already completed the first entries for two of my books, with my third one halfway done. The three stories I wanted to tell were the novelization of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games. These were some of the most prolific works from my world that had sold millions on their own, with successful movies to go along with them.

When I had finished my first two books, my next challenge was to find a publisher that would take a chance at taking me in. So, instead of searching for one in person and being brushed off due to my age, I decided to use the internet to find a publisher. I started off by selling one book instead of two; that way, I could ask for much more money on my next book once the publisher saw how much money my stories could make.

The Hunger Games series would be my first work as an author. With that in mind, I began sending the first five Chapters of the book to several publishers I found online under the pen name Gege and waited to see who would bite the bait. I didn't have to wait long because, after a few days, I received several offers from at least half of all the publishers I contacted.

At that point, all I had to do was play my cards right and choose the best offer. It didn't hurt that I mentioned to my potential publishers that they were currently competing for the rights to my story, causing them to double their offers for my story.

Having my pick of the litter, I chose the offer from a publisher in America where I would receive an advance of 65 thousand USD and 8% of the royalties from each copy of the book sold. It wasn't a lot, but that was mostly due to me being a new and unknown author. But for an orphan with little money, it was enough to start.

Now, all I had to do was wait for my new publisher to begin selling my book to the public, which should take a few weeks from now. At that point, all I had to do was sit back and watch the money flow into my bank account.

Reaching the shoe lockers, I switched out my indoor shoes for my old outdoor sneakers and walked outside. I came to a stop in front of a bike rack near the entrance of the school but stopped when my ears picked up a far-off noise.

I looked over to the side of the school, where I saw four students walk around the corner. Two of the students had their arms over the shoulders of a short boy with a mutant-type quirk that gave him the appearance of a hunchbacked ogre.

e on, come on. We want to talk."

"U-um, but I have to go home-"

"Hah? What the hell do you say, freak? Didn't you hear Keiji? We just want to talk!"

I squinted my eyes where the four disappeared and shrugged. This wasn't really my problem, so there was no need to get involved. If I did, I could risk getting those bozos to focus on me due to me being quirkless.

It's not like I don't have my own set of hecklers to worry about or anything. Most of what they did was call me names and petty stuff like that, but it never escalated from that. I mean, there was that one time one of them got physical, but he mysteriously ended up unconscious behind the school with a bag of drugs that somehow ended up in his school bag, causing him to be expelled when one of the staff found him after receiving an anonymous tip.

How terrible.

Just as I was about to leave the front gates of my school, I found my legs frozen and unwilling to move. I stared down at my sneakers with a heavy frown and sighed. Turning around, I began to head off towards where the four students went.

Mutant decrimination.

It was a significant problem no one wanted to talk about in this society. Those with mutant-type quirks were treated like second-class citizens just for the fact that their quirks made them look so different from regular humans.

Shoji, Spinner, and that fox lady Midoriya saved when society collapsed came to mind whenever I saw these forms of discrimination. It was just so easy for some people to mistake those with mutations for villains on the simple fact they looked monstrous. It wasn't fair.

"Hey, hey. Kagawa? You got any money?"

"Ah, n-no..."

"You're not lying to me now, are you?"

"N-no! I swear!"

I came to a stop around the corner of a rather desolate spot behind the school and peered back at the scene ahead. The boy with ogre-like mutation, Kagawa, I think I heard them say, was against a wall with the other three students incircling him. From their looks, they were a year or two older than us, making them our upperclassmen. They each had these amused and predatory looks as they watched Kagawa squirm under their gazes.

One of the boys, the one with short red hair and eyes, held up his left hand next to Kagawa's ear and lit a small pathetic fire no bigger than a match on his palm. "You better not be lying to us, Kagawa. I don't have to remind you what I do to liars."

Kagawa jumped and squealed as the red-haired asshole slowly brought the fire closer to his ear.

"I-I s-swear! I-I'm not lying! I used it all up at lunch!"

"Hmm. That so?" The boy with brushed-back purple hair said with a thoughtful look. He was what one could call handsome. But to me, he looked uglier than a pile of dog shit. "Very well. We believe you."

"R-really? I-"

"From now on, you won't be eating lunch. Instead, you'll be giving me your money every day." Purple shit stain said with an easy smile. "Got it?"

"Huh? But I-"

Kagawa was interrupted when the last of the three stooges kicked him directly in the stomach, causing Kagawa to hunch over and hold his stomach in pain. The boy who kicked him had spiky black hair and serrated teeth. Let's call him Dipshit.

"Shut it, freak!" Dipshit grabbed Kagawa's short brown hair and yanked his head up so he could look at Dipshit's angry face. "Didn't you hear what Nobuyuki said?!"

Kagawa closed his eyes and tried to look away but was once again yanked by his hair. Tears were now flowing from his mismatched eyes.

"Okay, that's enough." I said while I approached the four with my hands in my pockets. They all turned to look at me in surprise and slight fear, but the three bullies quickly relaxed when they noticed I was not a teacher.

"It's the quirkless loser," Dipshit said as he walked over to stand next to the red-haired asshole, who looked amused. Purple shit stain looked over to me and then over to Kagawa with a smile.

[+5 SP]

[+5 SP]

[+5 SP]

"This a friend of yours, Shimizu?"

I didn't respond but continued walking toward them, causing Purple shit stain to frown.

I have two options available to me right now.

One option was to go grab a teacher and tell them what was going on, letting the adults handle the situation.

Option two was to ask these clowns to kindly stop bullying Kagawa. This will cause them to reflect on their actions and, in the end, make them change their ways.

"Hey, we're talking to-"

Slap!

[+5 SP]

Dipshit's face rippled as my open palm slapped him across the face, sending him rolling across the ground. His eyes were blank, and a large red welt began to grow on his cheek.

"Grah!"

I struck the man on his side with a powerful punch and clapped my hands again in order to appear on his left. I spun in the air and landed a kick in the man's face, causing the man to take several steps back. One of his feet rolled out from under him as he stepped on something small and round.

I jumped back and winced. Each hit I landed began to hurt my fists or feet. It was as if I was striking solid stone.

"What! They're all over the floor!" The man said in surprise as several of my marbles surrounded him. "Just what kind of quirk do you have?!"

Clap!

"What? You thought I just had one of them?" I said as I used Blood Manipulation to cover my fists in hardened blood once I reappeared to his right.

Before he could move, I landed a quick one-two combo at his midsection. The man folded over from the pain and flinched when he heard me clap again. His eyes looked around wildly to find my new position but grew confused when I didn't suddenly appear anywhere close to him. The man's head then jerked to where I originally stood, and he saw that my hands were now outstretched in front of me. Palms pressed together.

Convergence.

Blood Manipulation: Convergence. This skill involves applying pressure to blood in order to compress it to its limit. The blood compressed with convergence is then released through a single point. The initial speed of blood enhanced with CE well exceeds the speed of sound when released. The secret art of Blood Manipulation has a name...

"Piercing Blood."

I released an incredibly fast ray of blood straight at the man's shoulder, causing him to drop his knife. I could have aimed straight for the man's heart, but I had no intention of killing a man today. I knew this was risky, but I believed I could defeat him without killing him.

Crack!

"You're strong kid. I'll give you that."

The man said as he grabbed the front of his jacket and ripped it off. My eyes grew wide when I saw that his entire body was covered in grey stone.

On his shoulder, where my piercing blood attack landed, I saw a big crack stretching from his shoulder to his chest. The pale exposed skin underneath had a large bloody gash. I also noticed that everywhere else I had landed a strike, there were now small cracks on his skin. His face was composed of several large plates of stone while a pair of white eyes stared at me in begrudging respect. "But you won't beat me."

This guy is like Kirishima and Tetsutetsu... Getting past his rock-solid defense won't be easy. Using Piercing blood again isn't an option either; I'm starting to feel lightheaded. I took an unconscious step back as the stone-quirked man stepped forward. Using my blood katana against him won't work then. Where the fuck is Edgeshot when you need him!?

"I think I'm doing well for a little kid. You, on the other hand, haven't landed a single hit on me." I said with a confident and easygoing voice. I was doing my best to channel Gojo's confident personality so the guy wouldn't see how nervous I actually was. "Kinda pathetic if you ask me."

"You got guts, kid; I respect that. But I'm ending this."

The man rushed me and threw a series of punches my way, each of which I dodged and weaved away from, thanks to my shorter size and speed. The man may have a tough defense, but it seems to slow him down as well. I clapped my hands and landed another punch onto the man's back, causing him to stumble, but he then spun around to swing at me wildly. I jumped back to dodge the swing and shook my hand in pain. Despite having hardened my fist with my blood, it still hurt punching solid stone.

"Number two, Reiki!"

I felt water wrap around my body, covering me in a layer of defense. I pushed myself forward and slid across the rough floor as if it were made of ice. My opponent looked momentarily surprised at my boost of speed but quickly recovered. He kicked the air where he thought I was going to be but stumbled when I backflipped over his leg. He looked up just in time to receive a powerful kick that cracked the stone armor on his neck and cheek.

"Got you." The man with the stone defense quirk smirked as he grabbed my ankle while I was in mid-air.

"Shit!"

I was tugged through the air and slammed into the brick wall to our left with enough force to crack the bricks in several sections. I gasped as all the air in my lungs shot out of me from the force of the blow. The man wasn't done there; no, he pulled me out of the wall and lifted me up in the air. He pulled his other arm back and punched my stomach with bone-breaking strength. I felt myself black out for a split second as I flew back through the alley, only to crash into a stack of trash bins and boxes.

If it wasn't for Reiki and focusing a layer of blood around my stomach at the last second, All my organs would have been turned to mush.

I tried to get back to my feet, but the sheer amount of pain I was feeling forced me to stop. I glared up at the approaching man as he walked towards me with a confident stride.

Damn it! I shouldn't have hesitated and held back with my piercing blood technique! If I hadn't, I wouldn't be in this situation.

"Your quirk is something else. Teleporting and blood control! How impressive! It's almost as if you had two quirks! Seeing that mask, it seems like you wanna be a hero. Don't you, you runt? Unfortunately, the road ends here for you."

[+5 SP]

Shit. Despite having three cursed techniques, I'm still so weak! I ignored the stabbing pain in my midsection and forced myself to my feet. My cheeks suddenly swelled, and I was forced to lift my mask so I could spit out a large amount of blood. I wiped my mouth and watched as my opponent was now only ten feet away. Sliding my mask back down, I felt my legs begin to grow weak. This is bad! I have to run!

"Now then, die!"

I looked up to see the man dash towards me with his arms held above his head, ready to smash my head into a paste.

"Number four..." I held my hands in front of me in a similar manner as Potential Man would for the Devine General, but my hands were open and flat. "...Ryu!"

The stone man may not be able to see my Auspicious Beast, but he could immediately sense a wave of negative energy explode out from me, causing his eyes to grow wide in fear.

From my hands, a wave of CE took the form of a large serpentine dragon that shot straight into my opponent's chest. Ryu opened its large jaws and clamped down straight into the man's chest. Shattering his armor and cutting deep into his torso.

[+30 SP]

This was a technique that was capable of pushing back the Ryomen Sukuna in his Heian-era form.

In other words, this guy was defeated in a flash.

A loud explosion shot out from around me as Ryu and the now-dead man crashed straight through the building beside us. Ryu kept flying even after shooting out the other side of the building and released my would-be killer in the air. Ryu vanished and returned back to me just as the man's body fell to the ground with a loud crack.

Unfortunately, the man landed straight in the center of a busy road. Causing a wave of panic to flood the streets. Luckily, no vehicle or person was underneath the man's heavy body when he crashed. In no time, a large crowd of people gathered around the body.

"Ahh!"

"Is he dead?!"

"H-his chest!"

Due to pumping almost all of my remaining CE into Ryu to ensure my victory, I began to feel extremely tired. It didn't help that my injuries caused pulses of extreme agony to echo throughout my body. But I knew I couldn't stay here. I had to leave immediately. I gazed over at my dropped marbles and cursed.

No time to gather them. What a waste!

Limping away, I took off my bloodied mask and used the wall beside me to support my weight as I left the area. As I neared the street from which I entered the alley, I was relieved to see it sparsely occupied. Everyone was too focused on the large crater with a dead man in the center to pay any attention to an inconsequential 11-year-old.

Don't pass out. Don't pass out. Don't...

I had numbly walked in a single direction; it didn't matter where I went as long as I left the area of the fight. My vision was blurry, and I couldn't make out my surroundings. Sadly, after a while, my legs took me as far as they could. Like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut off, I fell to my knees and slammed face-first onto what felt like grass.

Shit, I'm passing out.

Slowly, black began to encompass my vision, and I knew no more.

-

AN:

Happy Monday, everyone. Here's a new Chapter! Let me know your thoughts on this story's first fight sequence and what cursed techniques you'd like to see!

Until next time!