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I sighed as the System barfed quests like it was allergic to peace.
Words flashed, icons loaded, a stupid little beachball spinning next to "Cellbreaker: Island DLC" like this was some summer update to a game that forgot I had shit to do. The objectives read like satire.
Keep the kid alive. Don't get caught. Don't die in swimwear.
The System really had jokes.
I leaned over the edge of the roof and watched Katsuma trip over a cooler. He popped up, still grinning, like face-planting into plastic was part of the plan. Below him, Eri and Mahoro argued over crab placement on the sandcastle's west wall. I heard Kaminari declare war on a grilled pineapple.
My head throbbed.
Little time. No prep. No backup. Of course it happened like this. Toga drops a love-bomb hint, and now I am juggling barbeque duties with island-scale threat management.
I slid my phone into my back pocket and dropped off the rooftop.
"Nejire," I called as I passed the drink table.
She glanced up mid-sip. "You finally smile?"
"Need a second. I want a schematic of this village. Cliff range, water access, cellar doors, anything. Quietly."
Her straw stopped halfway.
"No flirting?"
"Tempt me later."
I cut across the sand, stepped over a half-buried floaty, and spotted Shoji watching the edges like someone told him it was monster season. Good. I waved him over.
"Perimeter detail. Just eyes. Nothing loud."
He nodded and vanished behind the storage hut.
I passed Kaminari still squatting near the grill. He held up a half-burnt skewer.
"Want some emotional support meat?"
"Save it. You will need the energy."
He blinked. "Why did that sound like a warning?"
I didn't stop.
Halfway to the inner street, I caught Yaoyorozu already folding up her chore lists. She didn't even ask. Just started scribbling a map. She is making me proud.
"Need help with layout?"
"You reading my mind now?"
"You have three modes... eat, stress, fight. This is fight."
"Just mark entry points."
Behind me, Jiro cursed as the portable speaker died mid-song. Sero yelled that it was probably Hatsume's fault. She yelled back that "radial field tension" was a myth.
Midnight watched from her deck chair, drink halfway gone. She tracked me like a bored cat. I walked past her, leaned in.
"We are gonna need your backup plan."
She didn't ask what I meant. Just stood up, drink dangling from her fingers, and walked off like she already had the next hour scripted.
I sat on the outer wall of the storage shack, feet dangling over a pile of old nets and crates, closed my eyes, and leaned back against the wood.
"Break the bastard before he breaks your people."
That meant someone was going to get hurt. Family, friends, or the islanders... the System didn't clarify. Neither did I care. They were mine. None of them were getting handed over to some reject experiment on a villain leash.
"Keep a kid-sized walking miracle from getting organ-napped."
Could be Eri. Could be Mahoro. Could be Katsuma. Would not be the first time a toddler got marked for something awful. Mineta technically fit the size bracket, but he was more biological hazard than miracle. I doubted anyone wanted to dissect him unless it was out of morbid curiosity or revenge.
"Neutralize one quirk-hoarding test dummy plus three mini-bosses."
Quirk-hoarding. That phrasing smelled like All for One's leftover bullshit. Which was weird, because the crusty bastard was supposed to be locked up in Tartarus, marinating in maximum security. But if this thing was running on the same power, maybe an early clone or test shell? Then the 'test dummy' bit made sense. Disposable. Trial run. That made him dangerous in a very temporary kind of way.
Three mini-bosses. That was gonna be a problem. One meant we could regroup. Two, maybe split forces. Three? That was an invasion wrapped in a scavenger hunt.
My foot tapped the wood.
I jumped down from the rooftop and hit the edge of the cliffs. From here, Nabu Island was a smudge on the horizon. You could see its outline, if you squinted. Big enough to have a port. Not big enough to be worth guarding. That made it perfect for whoever the hell was coming.
Toga said the target was Nabu. Not here. Not us. Not Sorashima. Yet. Maybe. For now.
If they landed on Nabu and didn't find what they were looking for, what then? Would they pack up and go home? Sure. Just turn the stealth sub around and apologize for the inconvenience.
No. They would tear it apart. Every house, every person, every kid that smiled at the wrong time. If they were sent for something and failed to bring it back, someone was getting opened up to check for answers.
And if that failed… then they would expand the search. And we were next door.
So what now?
The wind kicked up salt and dust, scratching against my face like the island was trying to weigh in on the choice.
Do I go there and try to stop them before they dig too deep?
Or do I bring them here?
If I left this place and went to Nabu... maybe I caught the threat there. Maybe I beat it before it moved. But that meant gambling Sorashima would not become the backup meal. That meant trusting they would stop looking once they failed.
Or... I could flip the board.
If they fail here, on my terms, under my eyes, I learn their tactics. Their weaknesses. I make this place the trap.
Yeah.
I turned back toward the village, kicked another rock for the hell of it.
Let's bring them here. Let them chase ghosts. If they find nothing, maybe they leave. If they don't, they find me. Better than them tearing into Nabu and carving answers out of whoever they can grab.
I found Hikaru near the storage shed, loading water tanks onto a rusted dolly. He didn't look surprised when I approached. Probably saw me coming three crates ago.
"You got a minute?" I asked, nodding toward the edge of the cliff path.
"If you help with this," he said.
I grabbed two of the containers and followed him to the porch of a supply cabin. We set them down with a thud.
"There is a chance this island gets hit in the next two days," I said.
He didn't blink. "Storm?"
"Not the weather kind."
Still nothing. Just stared at the cliffs like he was waiting for them to nod.
"Something strong is coming. Real strong. Probably not looking for us, but they will find this place anyway."
"You sure?"
"No. But I don't take chances when kids might get scooped like fishing bait."
"Villains?" he asked, shivering lightly. Still trying to act like this was just another bad delivery forecast. But no matter how composed he was, he was just a civilian.
I nodded. "Yeah. I need Nabu's people to migrate here tomorrow."
He stared at me for a second, then exhaled. "Shit."
I waited.
He looked past me, toward the sea, then scratched the back of his hand like it helped him think. "I will talk to them. I will have everyone here."
"Before dark."
He raised two fingers. "Promise."
I found Mom at the main table, halfway through feeding Eri a spoonful of something orange and vaguely mashed with lots of fish. Eri was chewing like it was her life's mission. Mom glanced at me as I dropped onto the bench beside them. She handed me a plate, loaded, no fish. Just the way I liked it. She didn't say anything, just gave me that long look that said "Talk" without actually asking. Then she sighed and kept her eyes on Eri.
The woman could read me like a book... one of those long, badly translated ones with dog-eared corners and notes in the margins that screamed 'This boy is up to some shit again.'
Eri poked at the mush, "Is this carrot?"
"It is mostly carrot," Mom answered without looking up.
"What is the rest?"
"Optimism."
Eri made a face and shoved the spoon in her mouth anyway. "Is this plant meat?"
"Something like that," I said.
She poked it. "Does it scream when you cut it?"
"Only if it is organic."
"Organic means scary?"
"Only when the price tag is attached."
Mom sipped her tea like she was pretending not to listen. Her foot nudged mine under the table.
Jiro walked by with a cooler lid in one hand, muttering about ice shortage. I waved her off. She flipped me off.
Mom dabbed the corner of Eri's mouth with a napkin. The kid tolerated it for about two seconds before wriggling away and diving for another spoonful.
Nejire took the kids after dinner, Eri bouncing beside her. Katsuma tried to drag Mahoro along, she resisted until Nejire bribed her with promises of fireworks and marshmallows. Worked like a charm. Once they were out of earshot, I pushed off from the bench and started gathering the others.
By the time I ducked into the shed, the place was half full. Locals, Class 1-A. 1-B. Hatsume. Midnight. Few others trickled in, chewing leftovers or half-carrying drinks.
I leaned on the edge of an old counter. "Alright. I am going to talk. You are going to listen. Questions after."
That killed whatever jokes Kaminari had queued up.
"My informant sent me a message earlier. Not the usual crap. Said something is heading to Nabu. Something big."
Bakugo crossed his arms. "Villain?"
I glared. "No questions. And fucking of course it is a villain."
Bakugo glared, muttering curses under his breath.
I didn't bother pacing or playing with dramatic tension. There was no time for that.
"I don't know much. Nezu said backup might come in a few days. Might. That means we are flying solo until further notice. Their target is Nabu, not us. But if you think they will stop Nabu and send us a thank-you fruit basket, you are dumber than Kaminari during exams."
"Oi!"
Some of the locals were already shifting, muttering, exchanging glances that said panic was knocking. One guy near the back clutched his wife like villains were about to fall through the ceiling.
I raised my hand, fingers spread. "Alright, shut up and count. We got five things working for us."
I dropped my pinky.
"One, this island is crawling with provisional heroes. You know, people who passed a test where they had to dodge explosions, rescue screaming civilians, and outwit proctors who probably still have trauma flashbacks, you are welcome."
Index finger dropped.
"Two, we have an R-Rated Pro Hero who is legally allowed to seduce criminals and stab them in the spine. You are lucky she is on our side."
Midnight, standing off to the side, flipped the bird with a wink.
"Three," I said, lowering ring finger and turning and pointing at Hatsume, "we have a fucking lunatic who can build a railgun from beach debris."
Hatsume puffed her chest, a wrench already sticking out of her hoodie pocket like it was plotting something.
Everyone looked at her. She grinned like someone who would absolutely launch a plasma turret just to see what color it explodes in.
A middle-aged man, probably one of the village heads, pointed at my hand. "And the rest?"
I looked down at the two fingers still standing. My thumb and middle.
Grinned.
"The best and strongest thing on this island..." I jabbed my thumb at myself, "...is me."
I turned my hand, raised the middle finger high.
"And this one is going straight up their ass."
"Anyone not ready to back me up? Door is there. Everyone else… start stretching.
(Check Here)
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Q3: Ryuu has written 363k words.
Reader has consumed all chapters.
If Reader contributes 0 Power Stones, how long before Author begins writing unhinged eldritch filler arcs out of spite?
a) 1 day
b) 3 comments
c) Already happening
d) It is too late. Run.
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