Chapter 222 - 221: Laundry Hero: Wash

Location: Tokyo - Clean-Room Agency Headquarters

Time: One Week Later | Morning

SWISH.

The automatic glass doors opened. Kaito walked into the lobby of the Clean-Room Agency.

The floors were spotless white tile. The walls smelled like heavy bleach and fresh linen. A large washing machine logo hung behind the main reception desk.

A young woman stood waiting in the center of the lobby. She wore a light blue hero costume with white foam padding around her shoulders.

She bowed deeply the second Kaito walked in.

"Arisaka-san," the woman said, standing back up. She had a wide, excited smile on her face. "My name is Ayumi. I'm called Spotless. I am the lead sidekick here. Welcome to the agency."

Kaito stopped and gave a short nod. "Nice to meet you, Spotless. Is Wash ready?"

"He is waiting in the main briefing room with the rest of the core team," Ayumi said. She turned and gestured down the hallway. "Please follow me. And honestly, thank you for coming. I submitted our agency profile to your online portal for the last few months. We never got picked."

"The portal was based on code that was inputted and chosen by our AI," Kaito explained, walking next to her. "It's good that Wash came to my office directly. I didn't have any contract yet for the past weeks."

Ayumi laughed. "I was the one that told boss to just have a 3-Month contract with you instead of just waiting for online slots."

They walked down the clean hallway and entered a large briefing room.

A long white table sat in the middle of the room. Susugu Mitarai sat at the head of the table. He wore his bulky washing machine armor, but his white helmet rested on the floor next to his chair.

Three male sidekicks stood near the whiteboard. And the rest of the nine sidekick were all present.

Ayumi walked over and pointed to them one by one.

"These are the other three cell leaders," Ayumi introduced them. "Kenji, known as Centrifugo handles underwater rescue. Taro, as Slipzy ,has a frictionless quirk for sliding across wet zones. And lastly Shiro known as Line Dry generates high-heat wind to dry out flooded areas."

The three men bowed respectfully to Kaito. They looked incredibly eager.

Kaito walked to the front of the room. He pulled his digital tablet from his bag and connected a cable to the main wall monitor.

The screen flickered to life.

"You have twelve sidekicks total," Kaito said, looking at Susugu. "I read the shift schedules. You deploy them randomly based on whoever is clocked in. We need to stop that."

Kaito tapped his tablet screen.

[Agency Restructuring: The 3-Cell Drop Deployment...]

[Divide the twelve sidekicks into three dedicated four-man cells...]

[The Vanguard Trap Cell will use barrier and wind quirks to box the villain into a specific zone...]

[The Aero-Evac Cell will stay directly beneath Wash to catch and guide the floating civilian bubbles to the medical tents...]

[The Ground-Sanitation Cell follows directly behind to flush the street of hazards...]

"You operate like an assembly line," Kaito told the room. "Nobody crosses into another cell's territory. It eliminates radio chatter and stops you from tripping over each other during a heavy fight."

The sidekicks whispered to each other. Kenji nodded slowly, talking in a low voice to Taro. They clearly liked the structure.

Kaito tapped the screen again.

[Pre-Emptive Hydro-Grid Integration...]

[Install a dedicated Municipal Interface Desk inside the agency...]

[Tap directly into the city underground water mains...]

[Route local water pressure straight to nearby fire hydrants and street drains the second a villain alert triggers...]

"You rely on water," Kaito said, looking at Susugu. "You waste five minutes every deployment looking for a busted pipe or a fire truck. We will access the underground grid. When you arrive at a fight, the street will already be flooded and ready for you to use."

Kenji raised his hand.

"Arisaka-san," Kenji said hesitantly. "The city government controls the water grid. They will never approve direct access for a private hero agency. The permit paperwork alone takes a year."

Kaito didn't blink. He just tapped his tablet.

[Direct-Response Treaties...]

[Sign private protection contracts with the major commercial transit lines and the bullet train corporations...]

"We can bypass the government," Kaito answered plainly. "We sign a treaty with the bullet train executives. We guarantee them zero operational downtime during a villain attack. If a fight breaks out near the tracks, this agency clears the collateral damage instantly."

Kaito looked at Kenji.

"The transit corporations lose millions of yen every hour a train is delayed," Kaito said. "Once we sign the treaty, those corporate executives will personally force the city government to give us water grid access. They will do the lobbying for us."

"..."

Silence fell over the briefing room for a moment then countless soft discussion appear from the rest of the sidekicks.

"Is that even possible?"

"I really can't think like that.."

"Well duh, you're not the Golden Manager.."

"Quiet guys. This is a serious meeting."

Ayumi stared at the screen. She pulled a notepad from her belt and started writing rapidly.

Shiro covered his mouth, looking at Susugu in pure shock.

Susugu leaned forward in his heavy armor. "That is a very aggressive legal strategy."

"It gets the job done," Kaito replied. He swiped to the next page on his tablet. "Now we fix your combat output. I have two proposals, before we start with all of your quirk development plans.."

[Gear Development - Option A: Chemical Alteration...]

[Add a mild, localized acidic compound to the soap bubble solution...]

[Use the acidic bubbles to actively dissolve villain support gear and light armor during capture...]

[Blueprint for the support gear is shown below...]

"No," Susugu said immediately.

Kaito stopped. He looked at the pro hero.

"Absolutely not," Susugu repeated. His voice was hard. "If an acidic bubble pops over a crowd, it will burn civilian skin. I will not risk permanent injuries just to arrest a villain faster. And I'm more a of rescue specialist. Even If I'm fighting villains I also need them to be safe."

Kaito held eye contact with Susugu for a second. He saw the strict moral line the man drew.

"Understood," Kaito said. He highlighted the text on his tablet and hit the delete key.

BEEP.

The text vanished from the monitor.

"Option B," Kaito said, pulling up a new schematic.

[Support Gear Changes...]

[Remove the heavy washing machine exterior suit...]

[Replace with a lightweight, tactical vest with the same and upgraded function to increase ground mobility and physical dodging speed...]

Ayumi raised her hand high in the air.

"I have to veto that one, Arisaka-san," Ayumi said quickly.

Kaito looked at the lead sidekick. "Hmm?"

"The washing machine suit isn't just for branding, it is his image that was built for years." Ayumi explained.

She pointed to the bulky white armor Wash wore. "His quirk generates the soap, but he lacks the lung capacity to blow bubbles large enough to hold a car. The suit houses three heavy industrial air compressors. It forces the air into the soapy water for him."

Kaito looked at the armor. He didn't realize it was entirely mechanical on the inside.

"Then we can upgrade Wash's armor without changing it's appearance then," Kaito said easily. He deleted the text from the screen.

The sidekicks visibly relaxed, realizing the Golden Manager actually listened to their input.

"We keep can upgrade the suit," Kaito confirmed. "Spotless, I need you to order the aerosol decontamination tents today."

Ayumi nodded sharply. "I will place the order right now."

Kaito disconnected his tablet from the monitor.

"The briefing is over," Kaito told the room. "We start the changes today."

...

Location: Europe - Unknown Dark Basement

Time: Flashback - A Few Days Ago

The room was completely dark.

Flect Turn sat behind a heavy wooden desk. He held a secure black telephone to his ear.

"Congratulations on getting the serum, Wolfram," Flect Turn said. His voice was completely calm.

[Cut the small talk, Flect,] Wolfram growled through the phone speaker. [You gave me the serum. I drank it. I felt the power inside it. Now I want answers. Is All For One actually out of prison? Hero X crushed him into a piece of paper years ago.]

Flect Turn kept his expression entirely blank.

"The Master's current physical status is classified," Flect Turn answered smoothly. "His will is active. That is all you need to know to follow his orders."

[I don't take orders from missing individuals,] Wolfram shot back. [I run a mercenary crew. I need proof he is breathing before I commit my people to a dead cause.]

Flect Turn shifted in his chair. He didn't care about Wolfram's pride or his suspicions.

"You take orders from the power that awakened your quirk," Flect Turn reminded him. "Do not forget who provided the serum. Since we are on the same side now, I need something from you."

[What?] Wolfram demanded.

"I want a piece of your Quirk Amplification device," Flect Turn said. "Send the schematics and a physical sample to my European laboratory."

[...]

The line went quiet for a long moment.

[You want my hardware,] Wolfram said slowly. [Why should I hand over the only advantage my crew has?]

"Because Humarise will continue to fund your mercenary operations in America," Flect Turn offered. "You need millions in untraceable cash to operate. I have plenty of it. We trade resources. You get the funding, I get the hardware."

[... Fine,] Wolfram agreed. The anger left his voice, replaced by cold business logic. [I will send you the blueprint tomorrow. Keep the funds flowing.]

CLICK.

Flect Turn hung up the phone.

...

Time: Present Day

Flect Turn sat at the head of a long, polished conference table.

The room was brightly lit. The walls were painted a pristine white. The Humarise logo hung behind his chair.

Sidero stood at the opposite end of the table. The villain wore his usual metal-sphere combat suit.

He held a laser pointer in his right hand.

A large digital map of Otheon displayed on the wall monitor.

Several bright red marks covered different districts across the city limits.

"The situation in Otheon is deteriorating," Sidero reported. He pointed the laser at the red marks on the map. "We lost three regional warehouses in the last two weeks."

Flect Turn rested his chin on his folded hands.

"Explain," Flect Turn ordered.

"It is the Number Five Pro Hero in Otheon," Sidero said, tapping the screen. "Clair Voyance. She is aggressively dismantling our supply lines. She raids the warehouses, burns the financial ledgers, and arrests the base leaders before they can scrub the hard drives."

Flect Turn narrowed his eyes.

"Why is a top-ranking pro hero suddenly targeting our low-level warehouses?" Flect Turn asked.

"We don't know," Sidero answered. "She suddenly used her quirk to tear the city apart looking for our bases."

"..."

Flect Turn looked at the map.

He didn't care about the millions of dollars Clair Voyance destroyed in property damage.

The Humarise organization had sponsors all over the globe. Wealthy politicians and corrupt business moguls funded their operations because they feared the rising power of people like Hero X.

If Clair Voyance found trigger gas bombs were finished, the WHA would soon notice it and send some more disgusting and annoying pros.

"... She is getting too close," Flect Turn said quietly.

He looked toward the dark corner of the conference room.

A tall woman stepped out of the shadows. She wore a dark, tactical combat suit.

She had short hair and cold, emotionless eyes. She carried a heavy, high-tech longbow in her left hand. A quiver of specialized arrows rested on her back.

It was Beros. The elite Humarise archer.

"Beros," Flect Turn said.

Beros stopped at the edge of the table. She gave a short, crisp bow.

"Yes, Leader," Beros replied.

"Pack your gear," Flect Turn instructed. "Travel to Otheon immediately. I am giving you full authorization."

Beros looked up. She gripped the riser of her longbow.

"You want me to track Clair Voyance," Beros stated.

"I want you to execute her," Flect Turn corrected her. His voice held zero hesitation. "She relies on finding her targets first. Show her what happens when the target finds her from a mile away."

"Understood," Beros said.

She turned around and walked out of the conference room.

Flect Turn looked back at the map of Otheon on the monitor.

He watched the red marks pulse on the screen.

...

Location: Tokyo - Warehouse District

Time: Three Days Later

"Move back! You are crossing the line!"

Ayumi yelled through a red plastic megaphone.

She stood on the roof of a parked agency van.

Twelve sidekicks ran across the empty concrete lot.

They were running a live-action patrol drill for the new 3-Cell Drop Deployment.

It was a complete mess.

A guy from the Ground-Sanitation cell sprinted forward to block a cardboard villain cutout.

He tripped over a Vanguard cell member who was trying to set up a wind barrier. Both of them hit the ground.

"Stop!" Ayumi shouted, lowering the megaphone.

She rubbed her forehead. "Ground cell, you stay in the back. Why are you rushing the front line?"

"I always take the front during street patrols!" the sidekick yelled back, dusting off his knees.

"We don't do free-roam patrols anymore!" Ayumi argued.

"..." Wash stood near the chain-link fence. He watched his team argue on the concrete.

He looked at Kaito standing next to him.

"I am sorry," Susugu said, shaking his head. "They are completely disorganized."

Kaito held a cup of coffee. He watched the sidekicks untangle themselves.

"They spent years running a free-for-all system," Kaito said. "You can't overwrite muscle memory in three days. They are reacting on instinct."

Kaito walked forward a few steps. He looked up at the van.

"Spotless," Kaito called out.

She looked down, her face flushed with stress. "Yes, Arisaka-san."

"Don't push them at full speed today," Kaito told her. "Run the drills at half-speed. Have them walk through the cell boundaries. Once they memorize where they are supposed to stand without thinking about it, then you speed it up."

Ayumi let out a long breath. Her shoulders dropped.

"Understood," Ayumi said. She raised the megaphone again. "Everyone back to starting positions! We are walking through the sequence!"

Kaito walked back to the fence and took a drink of his coffee. Susugu watched him, appreciating the calm direction.

...

Location: Tokyo - Clean-Room Agency Headquarters

Time: Four Days Later

SLAP.

Kaito tossed a physical paper folder onto the white briefing table.

Kenji sat across the table. Susugu stood near the window.

"Read the bottom page," Kaito said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Kenji opened the folder. He flipped past the legal jargon and looked at the final sheet of paper. His eyes went wide.

He stared at a bright red stamp from the Tokyo Mayor's Office.

"This is a direct municipal water grid access permit," Kenji said. He looked up at Kaito, completely dumbfounded. "How did you get this? The city council takes a year just to read these applications."

Kaito pointed to the other document in the folder.

"Just a casual talk and reason," Kaito explained. "We signed a direct protection treaty. If a villain attacks near the tracks, Wash clears the zone instantly so the trains don't stop running."

Kenji looked at the treaty.

Kaito continued. "I told the executives we needed the water permits to fulfill the contract. They called the mayor. Negotiation on both sides."

Susugu walked over to the table. He looked at the red stamp.

"You used a private corporation to strong-arm the city government," Susugu said.

"I used leverage," Kaito corrected him casually. "Your agency now can use water in any street the second you arrive at the place."

Kenji closed the folder. "Your amazing Manager.."

...

Location: Clean-Room Agency Garage

Time: Two Days Later

THUD.

Taro dropped a heavy wooden crate onto the garage floor. Shiro grabbed a crowbar and pried the lid open.

"Careful with the fabric," Ayumi warned, holding a stopwatch.

They pulled out thick rolls of yellow industrial plastic and heavy mechanical fans.

These were the new inflatable aerosol decontamination tents Kaito ordered.

"Let's test the deployment time," Taro said. He grabbed one end of the yellow fabric and ran across the garage.

Shiro hooked the mechanical fans to the intake valves on the side of the tent.

"Ready?" Shiro asked.

He just crouched down, took a deep breath, and blew a massive gust of hot wind directly into the fan blades using his quirk.

WHIR. WHIR. WHIR.

The blades spun rapidly. The yellow tent inflated in seconds, forming a long, enclosed tunnel in the middle of the garage.

"Thirty-five seconds," Ayumi read the stopwatch. She smiled. "That is fast."

Wash walked out of the locker room. He wore his hero armor.

"Let me test the intake," Susugu said.

He walked up to the side of the tent. He placed his bulky hands over a specific mesh vent.

FWOP. FWOP. FWOP.

He activated his quirk, pushing a thick stream of soapy bubbles into the fan blades.

The spinning blades caught the bubbles. They shredded the soap and blasted it into the tent.

Taro stepped inside the yellow tunnel.

"Whoa," Taro called out from inside.

He walked back out a few seconds later. His clothes were slightly damp, and he smelled like heavy disinfectant.

"It turns the bubbles into a thick mist," Taro said, wiping his arm. "It covers everything."

"We can walk a hundred civilians through that tent in a minute," Ayumi said, looking at the tunnel. "It washes off acid, villain chemicals, and smoke ash all at once."

The sidekicks laughed and talked over each other, looking at the gear.

They realized how much faster they could process a disaster zone now. Morale was spiking.

Kaito watched from the doorway, letting them enjoy the win.

...

Location: Clean-Room Agency Briefing Room

Time: December 23

Kaito tapped the screen of his tablet, closing the files.

He sat at the long white table.

Wash, Ayumi, Kenji, Taro, Shiro and the rest of the sidekicks sat around him. They looked completely exhausted, but they were smiling.

The fourteen day initial development phase was done.

The new patrol cells worked smoothly. The legal permits were filed. New gears was installed.

Kaito told the room. "Next phase will be dedicated strictly to combat and quirk development."

Wash nodded. "Thank you, Arisaka-san."

Kaito stood up and zipped his bag shut.

He checked the calendar hanging on the wall near the door.

"By the way," Kaito said casually, looking back at the team. "I am hosting a gathering on December 25th. It will be at the Musutafu Golden Bites headquarters. You are all invited. You can bring guests if you want."

"..."

The room went completely quiet.

Ayumi blinked. She looked at her boss, then looked back at Kaito.

"Golden Bites is hosting a corporate Christmas party?" Ayumi asked.

"It is my birthday party and a christmas party" Kaito corrected her plainly.

Wash stared at him.

"You were born on Christmas," Wash said slowly.

"Yes," Kaito replied. He slung his bag over his shoulder.

"The Golden Manager was born on Christmas," Ayumi muttered, staring blankly at the table. "That makes entirely too much sense."

Kaito laughed. He walked toward the glass doors of the briefing room.

"I will see you all after the Christmas break," Kaito said. "Have a good weekend."

He walked out, leaving the core team sitting in stunned silence.

"Do we need to have gifts for the manager?"

"Of course it's his birthday after all."

"But what are the odds being born in December 25."

"Can anyone think of good gifts?"

"It's the thought that counts..."

...

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