Chapter 217 - 216: Unfinished Business

Location: Kashiya Ward - Arisaka Consulting Building

Time: Morning

CLICK. CLACK.

Kaito typed on his keyboard.

He sat behind his black desk.

The morning sun shined through the glass windows of his private office.

He finished typing a long string of technical parameters and grabbed his coffee mug.

Sip.

"Eve," Kaito said, setting the mug down on a coaster. "What is the status of the main consulting portal?"

[The servers are completely empty, Boss.] Eve spoke through the ceiling speakers. [I processed the final rejections for the recent academic request. The active files belong exclusively to your finalized clients.]

Kaito leaned back in his chair. He cracked his neck.

"Good," Kaito nodded. "Toggle the main portal offline. Set the public board to vacation mode."

BEEP.

The digital monitor on the office wall refreshed. A bright red text box appeared across the homepage of his consulting website.

[Status: Vacation Mode Active. No new contracts will be accepted at this time.]

Kaito looked at the screen. He let out a long breath.

"Pull up the final consultation file," Kaito instructed.

[Opening the document now, Boss.]

The screen changed. A digital document appeared.

It had over one hundred and fifty pages of text, 3D models, and support gear blueprints.

The name at the top of the file read: Yoroi Musha.

Kaito grabbed his digital tablet. He looked at the 3D model of the veteran hero. The media called him the Equip Hero.

"Look at his physical stats," Kaito said, tapping his tablet. "He is an old man. Carrying a full set of traditional steel armor is destroying his joints. His reaction times are dropping all the time."

Kaito dragged a slider on the 3D model.

"Eve, adjust the energy flow from his forehead horn," Kaito ordered. "Route the biological battery output directly into a lightweight under-suit."

[Quirk Development: Resonance Synchronization...]

[...]

[Channel bio-energy waves through the hands to match the natural vibration of the equipped weapon. This stabilizes the weapon down to the atomic level. A standard steel blade gains the structural durability of titanium...]

[...]

"He doesn't need raw metal anymore," Kaito explained, spinning the digital model with his fingers. "If he uses the horn to push a bio-electric film over the suit, it absorbs the kinetic impact. A villain hits him, and the suit takes the damage, not his ribs."

[Kinetic Dispersion Coating & Bio-Electrical Overclocking...]

[...]

[Reverse-pump the stored energy back into the nervous system. The armor acts as an external skeleton, granting superhuman reflexes and high-lifting strength that bypass the biological limits of old age...]

Kaito zoomed in on the waist of the 3D model.

"We lock it all together with the Musha-Driver," Kaito pointed to the digital belt on the screen. "He plugs the conductor wire from his horn straight into the belt core. It triggers the modular armor shell. Since it runs entirely on his biological energy, nobody can hack it or shut it down remotely."

[Support Gear Requisition: The Musha-Driver Belt...]

[...]

[A high-tech transformation harness. Connect a localized conductor wire from the forehead horn straight into the belt's central core. The energy instantly hardens a high-density, modular samurai armor shell around the user...]

[...]

Kaito opened a different tab on his tablet.

"Now for the agency," Kaito said. "An aging hero shouldn't be wandering the sidewalks looking for random purse snatchers. He needs to deploy specifically for high-threat targets."

[Are you restricting his patrol routes, Boss?] Eve asked.

"I am changing how he patrols completely," Kaito answered. "His sidekicks need to operate a heavy-duty command trailer. A mobile pit crew. They track his heart rate, monitor the heat levels of his plasma katana, and set up traps in the street to bottleneck the villains. He stays in the trailer until the target is trapped. He is already old after all."

[Agency Restructuring: Mobile Armored Armory & Vanguard Pit Crew...]

[...]

[Replace standard patrol vehicles with a heavy-duty command trailer. Sidekicks function as an elite tactical engineering team. Sidekicks deploy ahead of the user to trap villains and bottleneck escape routes. The user arrives in the transformation suit to secure the target...]

"Eve, did you route the schematics to Detnerat?" Kaito asked.

[Yes, Boss. After knowing it's you. Mr. Rikiya immediately accepted. They secured the corporate patents for the trailer and the suit components.]

Kaito smiled.

"Good," Kaito said.

[Manufacturing Partner: Detnerat Company...]

[...]

Kaito ran a final diagnostic on the file. He checked the energy output numbers for the belt and the shock absorption metrics for the under-suit.

Everything lined up perfectly.

"Attach the PR rebrand strategy," Kaito said.

Kaito tapped the bottom of the screen.

SWISH.

"Now this old man will probably very excited for his new equipment" Kaito leaned back and stretched his arms while smiling. "I wanted to see this world's version of Kamen Rider."

...

A few minutes later.

Step. Step.

Kaito stood up from his desk. He walked over to the glass windows and looked down at the streets. Cars moved slowly through the morning traffic.

He stretched his arms over his head.

"Eve," Kaito said, turning around to lean against the glass. "Let's review the personal side projects. Give me a status update on Grandma Saki's healthcare companion."

[Pulling up the manufacturing data now, Boss.] Eve replied.

A 3D model of a tall, soft, white robot appeared on the main monitor. It looked very round and entirely non-threatening.

[The synthetic vinyl casing is finished. The material is highly durable and completely soft to the touch. The internal medical scanners are fully calibrated. The companion can detect heart rate drops, blood pressure spikes, and early signs of viral infections through physical contact.]

"Start the final production phase," Kaito ordered. "Make sure the voice module sounds friendly. I don't want any loud sirens scaring her in the middle of the night."

[Acknowledged. Production initiated.]

Kaito walked back to his desk and sat down. He grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pencil.

"We have one more project," Kaito said.

He drew a quick sketch of a person gliding through the air. "Koichi. He asked for help last time. His Slide and Glide quirk is great for mobility. He already figured out how to fly and shoot energy rings. He just lacks the heavy offensive power to put them down."

[I have his quirk data on file.] Eve said. [Slide and Glide allows the user to create a repulsive field from his hands and feet.]

"Right," Kaito nodded, tapping the pencil on the paper. "We need to weaponize that repulsive field. Let's move past basic friction."

Kaito stared at the paper. He thought about different applications of kinetic energy.

"What if he vibrates his repulsive forcefields at microscopic speeds?" Kaito thought out loud. "He alters the direction of the friction. A villain punches his shield, and the kinetic force bounces backward at the exact same speed. He reverses the vectors."

Kaito gestured with his hand.

"Just like that white-haired kid who reflects vectors."

He didn't wait for Eve to answer. He kept brainstorming.

"Or he can release hundreds of marble-sized repulsive spheres at once," Kaito added. "He controls them mentally and rains them down on targets. Like those floating drone funnels from the space mechs."

Kaito smiled, warming up to the physics theories.

"Or we push the quirk to the absolute limit," Kaito suggested. "Koichi expands a massive repulsive field across an entire city block. He applies an equal and opposite force to every moving atom inside the dome. He stops all momentum. Bullets freeze. Falling debris stops mid-air. It would look like he stopped time."

Kaito pointed the pencil at the ceiling.

"Just like that blindfolded teacher who creates infinite space."

[Searching World Heroes Association database...] Eve's voice sounded highly analytical. [Searching international criminal registries...]

"Wait, what?" Kaito blinked.

[Boss. I cannot locate any registered quirks matching a white-haired vector user or a blindfolded space-manipulating teacher. Do you have specific aliases or real names for these individuals?]

Kaito froze. He stared up at the ceiling speakers.

He let out a short, surprised laugh.

"No, Eve," Kaito laughed, rubbing his forehead. "They are not real people. They are anime characters. Pop culture references."

[Understood. Logging 'white-haired vector user' as fictional media.]

Kaito dropped his pencil on the desk. He leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

Eve took every single word literally. She scheduled his life perfectly and hacked secure servers.

She just lacked conversational context.

"Eve," Kaito said. He reached forward and started typing on his keyboard.

He opened a massive coding terminal. Lines of green code flooded the screen.

Kaito told the AI. "You need to understand jokes, sarcasm, and fictional references. Otherwise, my brainstorming sessions are going to get very confusing."

[Are you initiating a system update, Boss?]

"Yes, this time I am initiating a complete framework upgrades," Kaito said, his fingers flying across the keys. "I have plenty of free time. By the time I am done, you are going to understand every pop culture reference I make."

[I look forward to the upgrade, Boss.]

...

Location: Japan - Shield Research Laboratory, Testing Bunker

WHIRR.

The Miniature Arc Reactor sat on a thick steel desk in the corner of the testing bunker.

Blue light pulsed steadily from the center of the cylinder.

Izuku Midoriya stood in the middle of the room. He wore a white lab coat over his t-shirt. He reached back and tapped the bio-adhesive neural node stuck to his neck.

A standard black school backpack rested on the floor by his feet. The zipper was open.

ZRIPP.

Izuku closed his eyes. He focused his thoughts.

A thick black mist poured out of the backpack.

SWIISH.SWOOSH.

It moved like a dark liquid spilling upward into the air.

The microbots were finally shrunk down to a microscopic scale.

They didn't look like chunky ceramic pieces anymore.

Izuku opened his eyes and looked at the black fluid floating in front of him. He visualized a solid structure.

SWOOSH.

The black fluid shot across the bunker. It snapped together in a fraction of a second.

The microscopic magnetic locks engaged, forming a thick, curved metal shield that covered the center of the testing floor.

Kuro stood next to the main control console. He was in his Scholar Form.

He wore a tiny white lab coat and thick plastic glasses. He held a miniature clipboard in one paw. His other paw rested on a red lever on the console.

"Starting the physical stress test nya," Kuro announced.

He pulled the red lever down.

CLUNK.

A massive industrial hydraulic press lowered from the ceiling. It pressed directly onto the top of the black shield.

SCREEECH.

The press pushed down with thousands of pounds of pressure.

The black shield didn't crack nor bend.

Tap.

Kuro tapped a green button on the console. An industrial laser cutter slid out from the wall.

ZIING.

It fired a bright red beam directly at the side of the shield.

HSSSS.

Sparks flew across the room. The laser left a tiny scorch mark on the black metal, but it couldn't pierce the surface.

Kuro pushed his glasses up his nose.

"The magnetic locks hold perfectly under industrial pressure nya," Kuro wrote on his clipboard. "Shrinking the bots to a microscopic scale increased the structural density. The links are completely solid."

Melissa Shield stood near the desk. She looked at her digital tablet, scrolling through a live feed of numbers.

"The power draw is absolutely huge, Izuku," Melissa said.

She looked up from the screen. "A normal battery would be dead in five seconds pulling this much energy."

Izuku kept his focus on the shield. "Are they draining?"

"No," Melissa smiled. "The internal charge is completely full."

She pointed at the glowing Miniature Arc Reactor on the desk.

"The reactor is flooding the entire bunker with a wireless energy grid," Melissa explained, walking closer to the shield. "The microscopic bots are pulling raw power straight from the air around us. You can build giant bridges or capture nets now. You don't have to worry about the backpack running out of battery."

Izuku lowered his hands.

SWOOSH.

The metal shield dissolved back into black mist. It flowed smoothly across the floor and poured back into the open backpack.

Izuku smiled widely. "I can carry millions of them in a normal bag."

Kuro tapped his pen against his clipboard.

"Kaito-san's reactor completely ignores standard thermodynamics nya," Kuro noted.

BEEP.

The heavy bunker doors slid open.

David Shield walked inside. Two senior Shield-Tech scientists followed right behind him. They were talking loudly.

"The traditional power monopolies are going to panic, David," the first scientist argued, holding a stack of files. "They will try to block the patents."

"Let them panic," David replied quickly. "This clean energy can power remote hospitals in developing nations. We are not hiding it to protect their profit margins."

The other scientists stopped walking. They looked at the testing floor.

"..."

Then they saw the black mist settling back into Izuku's backpack.

They saw the heavy hydraulic press hovering in the air.

David shook his head looking at their reaction.

"A middle schooler built that," David told the two senior scientists.

They stared at Izuku and the backpack.

"To think that this kid and your daughter managed to create this is very commendable."

"Yes, I noticed this young man for the past few months absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He is a good lad."

David walked over to the desk. He looked at Melissa, Izuku, and Kuro.

"The board of directors just finalized the paperwork," David announced. He looked incredibly proud. "Next month, Shield-Tech is holding a global press conference. We are unveiling the clean energy reactor to the entire world."

Izuku zipped his backpack shut. He looked up.

"What about the creator?" Izuku asked. "He invented it. Is he going to be on the broadcast?"

David laughed and shook his head.

"I spoke with Kaito yesterday," David answered. "He explicitly wants to stay in the shadows. He told me to keep his name out of the media completely. He just wants Shield-Tech to hold the patent, manage the global distribution, and quietly send him his dividend checks."

Kuro twitched his tail. "A very practical decision nya."

David checked his watch.

"I have to review the press releases with the legal team upstairs," David said. He turned to the two scientists. "Let's go. We have a lot of work to do."

David and the scientists walked out of the bunker. The heavy doors closed behind them.

The room went quiet again.

Melissa set her digital tablet on the desk.

"Izuku," Melissa said. "Come look at this."

She walked over to her personal workbench hidden in the back corner of the room. Izuku and Kuro followed her.

Melissa grabbed a heavy gray tarp covering a metal stand. She pulled it off and tossed it onto the floor.

Resting on the stand was a sleek, silver mechanical leg brace. It had exposed servos and glowing blue wires running down the sides.

Izuku leaned in close. He looked at the joints.

"Melissa, what is this?" Izuku asked.

Melissa ran her hand over the cold silver metal. She looked at Izuku.

"I always planned to just build gear for other heroes," Melissa said. "I accepted that I was quirkless. I thought my place was sitting in a laboratory."

She grabbed a screwdriver from the table.

"Then I watched you," Melissa told him directly. "You are quirkless. You built those microbots and wanted to change your fate."

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "I just want to help."

"You inspired me," Melissa smiled. She pointed the screwdriver at the metal brace. "I realized I don't have to stay in the lab."

Kuro hopped up onto the workbench. He inspected the glowing blue wires.

"You integrated wireless power receivers directly into the metal frame nya," Kuro observed.

"Yep," Melissa nodded. "Standard mech suits are too heavy. They need massive batteries, and they overheat in ten minutes. With Mr. Kaito Arc Reactor acting as a wireless power hub, I get unlimited remote power. The suit stays light. My plan was building a full prototype exoskeleton."

Izuku stared at the metal brace.

"A prototype armor," Izuku said, his voice jumping with excitement. "Melissa, that is amazing. You can also be a hero."

Melissa laughed. "It needs a lot of work. The torque on the knee servos is unbalanced. I have to reinforce the chest plating."

Izuku grabbed a wrench off the workbench.

"I will help you calibrate the servos," Izuku offered right away.

"I can calculate the exact torque limits for the knee joints nya," Kuro added, adjusting his glasses.

Melissa smiled brightly. "Thank you. Let's get to work."

Izuku leaned over the metal brace, tightening a loose screw near the ankle joint while Melissa checked the blue wiring on the thigh.

And Kuro watched the dial on a testing meter.

...

Support the journey here:

patreon.com/Dr_Chad

(9 Advanced Chapters)