The next day, after making sure that no one was following us - also to confirm if all the teachers at U.A were really gathered for an emergency meeting, we decided to go to the place the two content creators had agreed to meet up, and honestly, this place was fucking creepy.
The whole place, the whole place was huge, empty, and gloomy with only a few remaining warehouses scattered far apart and rows of rusty old containers, as if this place was almost like Chernobyl without the radiation. The salty sea breeze and the strong smell of rust wafted through the rows of silent containers like giant iron monsters, making the atmosphere of this place even more creepy.
Before entering the warehouse area and entering warehouse number 5 - the designated meeting place, I turned to Himiko, who was hiding in the shadows with me.
"Same plan," I whispered. "He probably won't trust a U.A. student, instead he'll definitely attack immediately. That's when I need you to step in."
"Get close to that short hacker girl and restrain her, then shut her up while you two are playing around and punching each other like two men," Himiko repeated, her golden eyes flashing with amusement. "..to make that gentleman stop. Got it." She tilted her head, a mischievous smile on her lips. "But there's a condition."
I raised my eyebrows.
"After you come back, I have to teach you how to swim at the school pool. In I-Island, you didn't teach me anything, instead you just..."
I cleared my throat, hurriedly covering Himiko's mouth with confusion and embarrassment...
Putting aside the whole night of "making love" together that day, swimming was never my strong point, and having to teach someone else was even more troublesome. But looking at her expectant eyes, I couldn't refuse…
"Okay. I agree. But just swim, okay?"
"Great!" she exclaimed softly, then quickly returned to her serious expression. "Then I'll get in position."
She was as quick and quiet as a cat, blending into the darkness of the containers so that I couldn't tell exactly where she was anymore. I took a deep breath and pulled out my revolver. Six bullets for the six old security cameras that I knew were still working, and another 12 in the pocket of my uniform jacket.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Fuck, the gun is as bad as a hand cannon! I swear that black market dealer will know who I am after this for daring to give me these old junks!!!"
Six dry explosions rang out slowly, following each other in perfect succession each time I approached a camera. Six lenses shattered. The path for Himiko to sneak in was cleared.
I reloaded the gun, then entered the warehouse with anticipation. The space inside was large and empty, with only a single lamp hanging high above, casting a halo of light down the middle of the floor. And in the center of that halo, was a sight that left me speechless.
Tobita Danjuro, dressed in his Gentle Criminal outfit, was standing in an extremely stylized pose. He held a teapot high in one hand, pouring a perfect stream of water into the cup in his hand in a skillful and professional manner. Not far away, Aiba Manami - of course - was holding a camera, recording every moment of this artistic "Aura Farming"...
I glanced down at the floor around them. There were still a few damp spots, and near Manami there was a thermos of hot water and a half-opened box of tea bags, proving that they had reenacted this scene many times.
"You two," I said, breaking their solemn silence. "Are you really free enough to do something like this?"
They both turned around in surprise. Gentle set the teapot down on the ground with unflinching grace, despite having just been caught red-handed.
"So you're our potential partner," he said, his voice echoing. "A U.A. student, huh?" His eyes scanned my uniform, his suspicion evident.
"So you are a 'former' U.A. student. Well, I guess I'll have to change the way I address you a bit... I came here with a request as i sent before, Tobita-senpai, Aiba-san," I said bluntly, calling their last names slowly and clearly.
That was the last straw.
"So this is really a trap." Gentle said sternly and directed his hostility towards me. "La Brava, turn on the camera. We have to teach this brat a lesson today."
Seeing this, I pulled out my gun and threw it aside, transformed my entire body into a tungsten-titanium alloy and got into a fighting stance.
"Come in and fight like a man, don't think I'm that easy."
Fighting in a confined space, no problem. But the problem here is this guy, because even without the buffs, he's still insanely strong, not to mention his Quirk - Elasticity - allows him to make anything he touches soft and elastic like rubber. And I, a melee-based Quirk that allows me to turn anything I touch into any other substance I want and turn myself into any substance my skin can sense or I know, have absolutely no chance in a one-on-one fight with this man.
And just as I thought, he instantly made the entire ground and warehouse bounce like a spring mattress, then started to accumulate kinetic energy from bouncing around and punching me all over his "playground". His punches, while doing almost no damage to me, were actually extremely annoying to the point where I just felt dizzy from being thrown around this warehouse like a punching bag.
Did I hit him? Yes. I managed to land two full-force punches to his face, one was blocked, the other directly to his chin, causing Gentle to stagger back for a moment before teasing me again.
Just when I thought I was going to go home empty-handed and with the added bonus of some bruises and a montage of being beaten like a ragged dog that went viral online, that was when the deciding factor came in and flipped the whole fucking chessboard.
"Tell that gentleman to stop right now, or both of you will be dead here tonight!!!" Himiko stood right behind La Brava, holding her revolver up as if about to pull the trigger, with an extremely scary expression and a murderous aura that made me shiver. "Don't challenge me, this will be the last time we show mercy..."
Himiko, by clearing her mind and regulating her breathing, had completely hidden herself from La Brava's detection, and with me having shot down all the cameras here, sneaking inside - while I was beaten up - wasn't that difficult...
And in a situation like this, even Gentle didn't dare to act rashly, so there was no other way but to stop and find a way to deal with the problem at hand - to keep La Brava safe and deal with Himiko.
But he thought everything was going as he wanted? Not on my watch.
As soon as he turned around to calculate how to handle it, I immediately ran over to where I had thrown the revolver earlier - which had bounced quite far away - and pointed it straight at Gentle and said.
'Either you put your fucking ego and camera down, then we talk professionally. Or I will personally be the one to bury both of you tonight.' I finished. "No one wants a lesson paid for with blood and tears, right?"
Seeing himself almost cornered, with no other choice, Tobita raised his hands and knelt down on the ground in unwilling surrender.
"You two can do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt her." Tobita's voice dropped, his artist pride now giving way to genuine fear for his companion. "If you want, arrest me. She had nothing to do with what's been going on up until now."
La Brava, restrained by Himiko, had tears in her eyes.
"Gentle..." she sobbed.
I lowered my gun a bit, but still kept my guard up. "The fuck? I'm here to cooperate, not to arrest or anything like that. Do I have the authority to do that shit?" I turned my gaze to Himiko. "Uh darling, can you let that woman go?"
Himiko glared at me, clearly displeased that the fun was interrupted, but reluctantly loosened her grip and took a step back, the gun still pointed at La Brava as a slightly warning.
As soon as she was released, La Brava rushed to Gentle's side, checking to see if he was injured. The sight moved me a little, but this was no time to be soft-hearted.
"Now then," I said, tucking the gun back into my uniform jacket. "Can we talk like adults now?"
Tobita stood up, dusting off his outfit, trying to regain what little dignity he had left. "Speak. What do you want from us?"
"I want to invest," I replied simply. "I want to turn your 'Gentle Criminal' into something bigger. A real internet legend instead of just some shitpost like it is now."
"Legend?" He smirked, but I could see the curiosity and disdain in his eyes. "How? Become a lackey for you hypocritical heroes?"
"Nah," I shook my head. "By becoming Vigilantes, that's more accurate. Think about it, Tobita-senpai. Instead of doing small 'cases', disturbing public order to attract views and then being taken to the police station one day, why not aim for bigger targets? Criminals, drug gangs, even the Yakuza that pro heroes are too shy to touch. You'll still be stars, still have spectacular footage, plus you'll have salary, sponsorship, fame, and most of all, satisfy your desire to pursue 'justice' and become the hero you always wanted to be. Isn't that fine?"
I can see that this idea has hit Gentle's weak spot. He's always wanted to go down in history, but failed on the path to becoming a hero. This is a third path, a path that's perfect for his ideals and talents.
La Brava, a talented hacker, immediately saw the potential but also pulled everyone back to reality.
"Stop fooling around. Well, let's say you have a little economic advantage, but with just that little money, you're going to dream about this? Dream on!!!"
"So you haven't really gotten to know me..." I sneered, then walked to where Gentle had put down the teacup, picked it up and turned it into pure gold right before their eyes. "Whatever you want, I can satisfy. As long as it gets the job done and is worth the money you want. Of course, if you want gems, diamonds or whatever, I'll indulge you two, but the results must be commensurate..."
Silence filled the warehouse. Gentle looked at La Brava, and with just a determined nod from her, he had his answer.
He turned to me, and this time, there was no hostility in his eyes, but rather the respect an artist has for a visionary producer.
"Before I agree," he said, "I have a question. Why us? There are others out there..."
"Because you have talent, and she has almost unparalleled ability," I replied, then held out my hand to Tobita. "But more importantly, because you both have known what it's like to be rejected and defeated. You understand injustice better than any hero ever has, and you have a great ambition. That's all I need."
After a long silence, Gentle bowed, a solemn bow. La Brava followed suit.
"We accept the offer," Gentle announced, then stood up and shook my hand.
"Good. I'm in a hurry so I haven't prepared a contract for you two yet, so let's just talk about it verbally" I smiled, then turned on the recorder. "At least 2 videos a month, edited in found footage and POV style. Fixed posting dates on the 1st and 15th of each month, I only take 1/10 of the channel revenue, the advertising contracts from third parties are up to you two to decide. But there is one thing," I added, my voice becoming more serious. "From now on, you will work under my direction. There will be times when the mission is more than just making videos. There will be times when it is dangerous, and you must obey orders absolutely. This is not a game."
"As for..." Gentle asked me tentatively.
"Oh, here." I picked up a nearby block of concrete, turned it into pure gold, and gave it to Gentle. "Just hold it for now. This is the temporary deposit. We'll discuss it later via email."
The gold nugget felt unusually cold and heavy in Tobita's hand. He, who was accustomed to dramatic and flowery gestures, froze in shock for the first time in his life, as he had never expected to have this much gold in his hands so quickly.
La Brava, now also gaping, her eyes wide open in disbelief. She was the financial manager, the one who had counted every little yen and managed to make ends meet in the six years since following Gentle. This nugget of gold, it was more than just money, it was salvation and at the same time a temptation and an undeniable shackle. It was rent, enough food, the advanced recording equipment they had always dreamed of,...
Her trembling hand reached out, lightly touching the glittering surface of the precious metal as if it were a holy relic.
"This… is it real?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"Absolutely," I replied. "Think of it as a startup fund. Buy whatever you need. I expect professional quality."
Gentle cleared his throat, trying to regain his aristocratic composure, though the shock was still evident in his eyes. "Who will our target... be?"
"Let's try it on some crook on the street first," I said, my tone turning mysterious. "Your job is to create art. My job is to find the right angle for it. Just stick to your craft."
I glanced at Himiko, who stood with her arms crossed and an impatient expression. Maybe it was time to go.
"One last thing," I said, my gaze sharpening. "From now on, you're no longer criminals pretending to be heroes. You're artists with a license to be 'bad'... 'Gentle Bad'. Don't disappoint your new patron."
That was both encouragement and a silent warning. I didn't need to say more. They both understood.
Himiko and I turned and walked out of the warehouse, leaving Gentle and La Brava standing alone in silence, only the flickering light illuminating the heavy gold block in their hands, giving off a strangely sparkling light...
"You two seem like a good match..." I muttered.
...
When the young couple's figures were gone, La Brava burst into tears, but they were tears of relief and happiness. She hugged Gentle, burying her face in his coat.
Gentle placed one hand on her shoulder, the other still holding the gold block. He looked out into the dark space we had just left, and a smile of ambition and vitality spread across his lips.
"Manami," he said, his voice as dramatic as ever, but this time with an added iron determination. "Our greatest show... is about to begin."