In the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist Dojo, the three of them—Aomori, Bang, and Bomb—were sitting and discussing martial arts over tea.
"Taiji Duality, what a wonderful idea. I remember a martial arts master back in the day whose style was also conceptualized on the Yin and Yang of Taiji. I still remember his technique, the Great Yin-Yang Grinding Plate, vividly," Bomb recalled.
"And where is he now?" Aomori asked.
Bomb shook his head. "So many years have passed. He vanished without a trace, and his martial art is nowhere to be found."
"A shame."
"Our greatest wish is to pass on our martial arts. It would be a waste of all our effort otherwise," Bang said with a sigh.
"It will certainly happen," Aomori stated confidently. "If both masters wish to pass on your martial arts, I have a very well-developed proposal."
"Oh? What is your proposal?" the two elders asked.
"To ensure that martial arts can be passed down, the most critical prerequisite is that humanity must not perish, right?"
"Of course. If there are no people, there will naturally be no martial arts."
"But nowadays, not to mention the uncontrollable natural disasters, even the ever-increasing number of Monsters are threatening our very existence. Bang-sensei, you must be very aware of this, correct?"
"Indeed. The frequency of Monster appearances is gradually increasing," Bang agreed, nodding.
"Therefore, I plan to establish the Hero Association. I want to gather heroes like myself and Bang-sensei, uniting us into a cohesive force to counter the Monsters," Aomori directly laid out his plan to them.
"Establish the Hero Association?" Both Bang and Bomb were greatly surprised.
"Exactly. Only through the standardization and professional management of heroes can those who serve feel a sense of belonging, can those who are hesitant step bravely into the heroic domain, and can we protect more citizens. Sometimes, all that's missing is a pioneer. If no one else will step up, then I will volunteer myself and take on the responsibility without fail!"
Aomori's words set the blood of the two men, nearly 90 years old, boiling with excitement.
Bang was the first to state his position: "If these old bones of mine are of any use, you are welcome to them. Count me in for the Hero Association."
Bomb, however, had some reservations. "I still worry about my hundreds of disciples."
"No need to worry." Aomori had anticipated this and offered his solution: "For both masters, I intend to hire you as the Chief Instructors for the eight hundred thousand heroes of the Hero Association. You would be responsible for selecting heroes with martial arts talent and instructing them. You would only need to spare a few days a month to give lectures; it won't take up too much time, and you can spend the rest of your time at your own dojo."
"Those who aspire to be heroes are bound to have exceptional qualities, and many of them possess martial arts talent. If the two of you agree to serve as instructors, you will gain outstanding successors, the heroes will increase their strength to deal with Monsters, and the public will receive better protection. This is a triple win!"
"Now that you put it that way, it is indeed a good plan," Bang realized.
"In that case, I can't very well refuse," Bomb said, stroking his small mustache, agreeing to Aomori's proposal.
"Excellent! With the two masters joining, the Hero Association is bound to succeed! Also, if it's convenient, I'd appreciate it if Bang-sensei and Bomb-sensei could mobilize other martial artists you are familiar with, or at least provide a list. I will personally visit them one by one."
"No problem!"
…
Having secured the participation of the two martial arts masters, Bang and Bomb, Aomori was in high spirits. After returning home, he sought out Kayaba Akihiko.
Akihiko had been spending a lot of time with Child Emperor lately, tinkering with something or other. Since it was outside of working hours, and Aomori vaguely understood that it wasn't anything critical, he decided not to pry. All that mattered was that the tasks he assigned were completed.
Trust a person you use; don't use a person you don't trust. Aomori was willing to grant him that much freedom.
"Akihiko, how were the test results for the security robots?" Aomori had recently hired several new mechanical experts for his Purple Shield company. After handing over the security robot blueprints to them, he had completely stepped back, leaving Child Emperor and Kayaba Akihiko in charge of the rest.
"The test runs were very smooth. We expect to begin small-scale trial production in three days. Assuming no major issues, we can proceed to formal mass production."
"Very good," Aomori nodded. "On a side note, having been in this world for a few months, have you developed any new dreams?"
"Dreams?" Akihiko was clearly startled, though his voice remained flat and emotionless. "Dreams, you say. It's been a long time since I thought about that word."
"If I had one, it would be to travel to different parallel worlds and explore their stories and technologies."
"A very excellent idea. Work hard, and a trip to other worlds will happen."
After the unscrupulous boss Aomori dismissed the excellent employee Kayaba Akihiko back to work, he returned to his bedroom and proactively called Miss Fujiwara.
"Hello, it's me."
"Stop! Listen to me first. I know you have Chief Hamaka's contact information. Send it to me."
"Good, received. Tomorrow, I'll be taking him on a tour of the Purple Shield company. You come along too, and bring your good friend, Lawyer Kitahara. We may have a need for her services."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aomori deftly hung up on Miss Fujiwara. He then immediately dialed Chief Hamaka's private number.
"Hello, Chief Hamaka, this is Aomori."
"To thank you for your help two days ago, I'd like to invite you out for a meal to express my gratitude in person. I hope it's not too much trouble."
"That's excellent. How about tomorrow? Can you make it? It's the weekend."
"The location will be the Z-City Natural Barbecue Restaurant, 10 a.m. I'll see you there."
"Yes, I look forward to meeting you tomorrow. Goodbye."
Phew~
Hanging up the phone, Aomori lay back on the bed.
All these miscellaneous tasks were much harder than leveling up and fighting Monsters, yet he had to deal with them personally.
Once everything was running smoothly, he could become a hands-off manager. First, he needed to find a suitable executive officer.
Aomori recalled the various figures in his mind, and one silhouette caught his eye.
"He might be able to do it."
…
The next day, Aomori arrived at the Natural Barbecue Restaurant early, only to find that Chief Hamaka had beaten him there.
The chief spotted him the moment he walked through the door and stood up, waving his hand at Aomori.
Chief Hamaka was dressed smartly in a suit and tie today, his hair slicked back with product. One might have thought he was going on a date with a girl.
"Good morning, Chief Hamaka. I've already reserved a private room." Aomori greeted him and escorted him into a private dining room.
"Aomori. Ah, may I call you Aomori?" Chief Hamaka was visibly nervous.
"Of course. And I'll call you Hamaka, then."
"That's wonderful! I've always been approachable and dislike formality." As he spoke, Chief Hamaka pulled out a stack of Aomori's posters and a pen from his jacket. "I have a friend who is a huge, huge fan of yours. He insisted I get your autograph since I was having lunch with you today. Would you mind, perhaps..."
"Not at all. It's my honor." Aomori took the materials and his hand flashed into motion, quickly signing every single one.
Chief Hamaka carefully put them away, a satisfied smile on his face.