Images are in the chapter.
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Eri pulled the lid off. Her breath caught. She reached inside and slowly lifted it out.
A miniature hoverboard, just her size.
The room went dead silent. Kaminari was the first to break it. "No fu- freaking way." (Check Here)
Eri turned it in her hands, inspecting the sleek design. The board itself was compact, built with smooth curves and a sturdy base. The edges glowed faintly, tiny stabilizers flickering on and off. She pressed a hand against the surface, watching it hover just a few inches above the table before settling back down.
Her grip tightened. "It is floating."
"Yeah," I said, grinning. "Made it myself. Tweaked the stabilizers so it won't tip over and added an auto-slow function in case you crash."
Nejire gasped, practically vibrating in place. "Wait, is that what you were messing with the other day? You told me you were just fixing something!"
I shrugged. "It was classified."
Eri's eyes darting between me and the gift like she was trying to make sense of it. "You really made this?"
"Who else?"
She hesitated, like she wanted to say something else, then placed it carefully on the floor. The second her foot touched the surface, the stabilizers hummed to life, keeping it steady beneath her weight.
Mina let out a low whistle. "Holy shit, it actually works."
Eri's hands hovered slightly at her sides, unsure. "How do I move?" (Check here)
"Lean forward a little. It is all balance."
She tested it, shifting just slightly. The board glided an inch. Her breath hitched, then she did it again, moving a little further this time.
Mirio grinned. "She is a natural!"
Nejire had already grabbed my arm, shaking me. "Oh my god, this is the best thing ever."
Eri focused, adjusting her stance. The board wobbled slightly, but the stabilizers kept her from tipping. She bit her lip, concentrating as she pushed forward. A second later, she was moving, rolling smoothly across the floor.
Kaminari smacked my shoulder. "Dude, this is insane. Where the hell did you even get the parts for this?"
I shrugged. "Took some old tech, did some modifications. Used a bit of Nejire and Uraraka's hair for floating, a bit of Aoyama's for sparkling and light. Iida's for engine, Todoroki's for heat control, Toru's for invisibility function, oh yeah, it can go cloak, and a few more. No biggie."
Mom groaned. "Is it safe, Ryuu?"
Eri was already rolling back and forth, testing the stabilizers. "It feels safe!"
Kaminari pointed. "Hold the fu- freaking up, invisibility function? How does that even work?"
"Aoyama's sparkle shit bends light. Toru does… whatever the hell she does. Smashed the concepts together, now it can disappear while riding giving the illusion she is floating," I said.
Momo frowned. "That sounds highly unstable."
"That is what the auto-stabilizers are for. Stops her from yeeting into a wall."
Todoroki crossed his arms. "You tested this?"
I shot him a look. "I may be insane, but I am not stupid."
Nejire was practically vibrating. "I WANNA TRY!"
Eri gripped the board. "Mine!"
"Aw, c'mon, let me just-"
Eri spun on her heel and glared. "Mine."
Nejire clutched her chest. "Oh my god, she learned from Ryuu."
Mirio patted her shoulder. "It is a dark day."
Nezu's beady little eyes locked onto me like he had just discovered the next big money-making scheme. "Can this be mass-produced?"
I rolled my eyes. "Dude, do you see me riding one? I might have downplayed it, but that shit was expensive as hell."
Nezu opened his mouth, probably ready to start talking business, but I held up a hand. "Not in money."
I screamed internally. In system points.
The tiny rat bastard didn't need to know I had basically bled dry my precious stash of points to make the damn thing. Wouldn't matter anyway. Not like I was about to make a business out of Eri's Christmas gift.
Todoroki tilted his head slightly. "How expensive are we talking?"
I shrugged. "More than you wanna know."
Nezu steepled his paws, looking way too pleased. "Fascinating."
Jiro crossed her arms. "Why do I feel like you just dodged a scam?"
"Because I did," I said, pointing at Nezu. "He was about to turn my suffering into a paycheck."
Nezu chuckled. "It is simply the nature of business."
Mina snorted. "Damn, Ryuu, you almost became a corporate slave."
I rubbed my temples. 'I am already a slave to this system bullshit. I don't need capitalism screwing me over, too.'
After the mess of Secret Santa and dinner, the night wound down. People slowly drifted to their rooms, stuffed and exhausted. I ended up hauling Eri and Mom back to the house on campus, ignoring Mina's smug little smirk as I passed. Whatever she was planning, I would deal with it later.
Inside, Eri was still bouncing from all the gifts, clutching her new plush like it was a lifeline.
"Ryuu, can we try the board tomorrow?" she asked, looking up at me with the most hopeful eyes imaginable.
Mom gave me a look that said don't you dare give her false hope.
I nodded. "Yeah, after breakfast. Gotta make sure you don't wipe out on the first try."
Eri beamed, gripping my sleeve before running off to change into her new hoodie. Mom sighed, watching her go.
"You spoil her."
I shrugged. "She deserves it."
Mom muttered something under her breath about problematic influences, but she didn't argue. Instead, she waved me off and headed to her room, muttering something about getting up early.
Eri crawled into her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. I flicked off her light, only for her to mumble, "Night, Ryuu."
"Night, kid," I said, closing her door.
I finally made it to my own room, dragging off my clothes and flopping onto the bed. The day had been loud as hell, but it was a solid Christmas. Even with the system throwing bullshit my way, I had survived.
CHRISTMAS QUEST COMPLETION REWARDS
+675 XP (Main + All Sub-quests)
+4 CHARISMA (Holiday charm, festive impact, emotional bonds)
+1 DEXTERITY (For decoration handling + avoiding Bakugo's rage)
+2 INTELLIGENCE (Secret Santa planning, gift tact)
+1 PERSUASION (Got Bakugo to cooperate with minimal homicide)
[NEW RECIPE UNLOCKED] - Hearty Holiday Feast
[HIDDEN REWARD] - Rewind Residue (A crystalized fragment of Eri's quirk stored in a containment ring. Automatically negates one fatal blow per month. Time does not forget, but sometimes, it forgives.)]
I stared at the list. "Not bad," I hummed, then muttered, "Bastard, you didn't give me the rewards for the previous quest."
[OH, FUCK, GOD FORGOT!]
LOVE CALL FROM THE ABYSS QUEST COMPLETION REWARDS
+1,700 XP (Main quest + Completed sub-quests + Bonus objectives)
+1 AWARENESS (Tracked her with zero leads, intuition and grit)
[PASSIVES] - Bloodbound (Combat synergy with Toga), Warborn (Bonus vs. multiple enemies)
[SKILL] - Oathbreaker (Nullify betrayed ideals' power once per battle)
[ITEM] - Hemothread Fang (A semi-sentient wire blade coiled inside a gauntlet, forged from and bound with, your blood.)
[TITLE] - Madman Among Monsters
[BOND] - Permanent (Ryuu ↔ Toga)
UNCLAIMED:
"Paint the Battlefield Red" – Not enough high-profile takedowns
No "Phantom Requiem" Combat Style
-200 XP not gained
"Your Heart, Your Choice" – Did not walk away
Mental State Shift avoided
No bonus XP from this path]
Fuck, that item is good. I gotta try it sometime soon. Not today though. Today, I need some sleep.
I had barely closed my eyes when something shifted. A weight pressed down on my legs.
For a second, I debated ignoring it. But then, warmth settled against my side, and I cracked one eye open.
Nejire was curled up on top of my blanket, another blanket draped over her.
I blinked. "Nejire, the fuck are you doing?"
She didn't even flinch. "Sleeping."
I stared at her. "You know I sleep naked, right?"
Her hand flopped lazily over my stomach. "That is why I have my own blanket."
I sighed. "That is not how that works."
She hummed, burrowing deeper into her blanket fortress. "Shhh. I am a genius."
I scrubbed a hand down my face. "Nejire."
Nothing. She was already half-asleep, dead weight against my side. I had two choices… kick her out, or accept my fate. Considering how damn tired I was, the second option won.
I would deal with this bullshit in the morning.
–
I woke up feeling way too warm, and that was my first mistake.
The second was realizing that at some point during the night, my blanket had betrayed me. Nejire was wrapped up in it like some kind of oversized burrito, and worse… she was hugging me to sleep.
The third mistake? My body had fully committed to the morning routine, and my morning wood was not fucking helping.
I closed my eyes, inhaled, and exhaled slowly. Maybe if I didn't move, she wouldn't notice.
Nejire shifted, her body pressing closer, and I clenched my jaw. This was bad. This was some next-level bullshit. She was still knocked out, face buried in the pillow, and snoring like she had no idea the goddamn crisis she was causing.
I needed to get out of this. Carefully, I tried to pull back, but the moment I moved, her grip tightened.
Fuck.
She wasn't even awake, and she was making my life harder. I tried again, slower this time. Maybe if I…
"Mmgh… Ryuu?"
Shit.
She blinked blearily, shifting slightly. Then she stilled.
A pause.
A long pause.
"…Oh," she said, voice still thick with sleep. "How did this happen?"
I stared at the ceiling. "I would love to know."
She moved again, her legs brushing against mine, and I barely swallowed a groan.
Then she escaped my gaze. "Are you hard right now?"
I looked at her face. "Very."
Nejire blinked, her brain still catching up. Then, as if reality had just smacked her, she turned her head and stared at me. "Like... very very?"
I sighed. "Nejire."
She hummed, still half-buried in her blanket cocoon. "So, uh… what now?"
"Good question," I muttered.
She wiggled a little, which did absolutely nothing to help the situation. If anything, it made things worse. My patience had a breaking point, and she was about to find out exactly where it was.
"Nejire," I warned.
She tilted her head, amusement creeping into her expression. "What? It is just a natural response."
"Exactly. Which means you should stop moving before it becomes unnatural."
She propped herself up on one elbow, her face way too close to mine. "Hmmm. Or I could make it worse."
My eye twitched. "Try it and see what happens."
Nejire's grin widened. "Oh? That a challenge?"
I climbed on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head. Her breath hitched, eyes flickering between mine. I leaned in, close enough that she would feel every word.
"I warned you before, Nejire. Do not tempt me. I am not some fucking beta Japanese protagonist."
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blurry pic of Ryuu staring out a rain-covered window
caption:
vibing.
thinking about how y'all read 153 chapters
and didn't drop a single stone
lol it is fine
i am fine
it is all fine
#writerthings #cryingintheshower
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