[Next Day - Heroic News Association - Mei's POV]
Waiting to be called on stage, the pink-haired duo stood behind one of the curtains at either side of the set, though one of them wasn't liking her outfit as she kept pulling on its front in an attempt to pry it off her skin.
"Do I seriously need to wear this? My chest is killing me."
"Had someone allowed me to take her measures, then her boobs wouldn't be uncomfortable."
Mei avoided her mother's stare while pretending to adjust the cuffs of her new suit. Seeing this, Miku let out a sigh of defeat. Realizing that having her daughter suffocate wasn't ideal, she gave in and unbuttoned the black jacket, leaving the white waistcoat and shirt exposed. She also loosened the necktie.
"At last! Oxygen!" Now free of her fabric prison, Mei stretched her arms over her head while breathing in. "I still believe my workshop outfit is better, by the way."
"And I believe you..." Miku gestured to her own outfit, consisting of a formal suit, high heels, and a skirt. "You should be wearing a pencil skirt instead of men's trousers, yet here we are."
"Bleeh." Mei stuck out her tongue, feeling repulsed at the very concept of a skirt. "Skirts are for pretty, delicate strawberry girls."
"...Y-You're a girl..."
"I identify as a Kawasaki OH-1!"
Miku dragged her right hand down her face. If one looked close enough, you could almost see the energy she had evaporating from her body, or maybe it was her soul deciding now was a good time to rest. Whatever it was, Mei couldn't really tell.
"E-Excuse me?"
Both pink heads turned in unison as a female staff member called out to them. Taking note of the exhaustion on the older woman's face, she figured it would be best to throw her a bone and cut things short.
"We're beginning in forty seconds. If you could, please put this on?"
The staff member held out a lavalier microphone for Mei to take, which she did. While the teenager attached the device to her collar, Miku took the chance to try and better style her daughter's hair, with little to no success, as the dreadlocks proved to be an immovable object.
"Tch... Who did you even get this hair from? My father was bald by nature, and so was my mother. I also don't recall Kyosuke's parents having hair like this..."
'My grandma was bald? Damn, why wasn't I born earlier? I want to see that!'
Suppressing the urge to curse out her bloodline, Miku gave up and stepped back to give her daughter a last lookover. Mei, of course, didn't miss the opportunity to strike a pose.
She spun around so her back faced her mother, wrapped her left arm around her torso, peeked over her shoulder, held her right hand up to the side of her face, and lastly, bent slightly backward.
"So? Am I going to gain an unbearable number of simps ready to hand over their life savings?"
"That's the last thing you want, trust me."
Before Mei could ask what was so bad about having people give you money, the staff member called out to her once more to inform her she was going to be called on set in ten seconds.
"Sure you don't want me going with you?"
"Mehh, relax." Mei undid her pose and waved her hand dismissively while moving over to the edge of the shadow provided by the curtain. Up ahead, she saw the host already speaking to the cameras and the audience on set. "All my moves are coldly calculated."
"I know someone who used to say the exact same thing, and yet he was barely more agile than a turtle."
"For real?"
"Mhm, met him on one of my tours. Maybe I'll tell you about him someday."
"—Joining us on this fine evening, we have a special guest! Everyone, let me introduce you to the star of U.A.'s Support Course: Mei Hatsume!"
'Finally! My feet were getting tired!'
Feeling no shyness whatsoever, Mei walked onto the stage. Despite being her first time in such an environment, she moved with the confidence of someone who's done this dozens of times.
She waved at the people sitting in front of the stage, but her attention was mostly on the cameras. After all, she knew the people on set were paid actors for background noise.
The crowd did what they were hired to and clapped their hands in perfect sync. The host—an attractive woman in her mid-forties with fiery red hair and flaming eyelashes—stood up from her seat and leaned over her desk for a bow, that Mei returned before sitting on the sofa in the middle of the set.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hatsume!"
"Likewise, Ms...." A bead of sweat began forming on Mei's forehead as she realized she didn't pay attention to the host's introduction. Thinking quickly, the teenager used her Quirk to zoom in on the name tag on the woman's chest. "...Haruna! Do call me Mei, though. Ms. Hatsume feels too formal."
'Whew... What a save.'
"Mei it is, then!" Either ignoring or not picking up on the young girl's slip-up, Haruna returned to her seat behind the desk with an easygoing smile on her face. "Before we begin, I have to thank you on my director's behalf. He was very happy when you decided to contact us last night."
"Hehe, I don't think many people out there would waste the chance to be on the Hero Association's official channel. Honestly, I was shocked you guys wanted to talk to me."
'Not really, my baby and I are amazing. Anyone would want an interview!'
"No need to be humble. You and your creation have been the talk of the entire Hero community since the Sports Festival!"
The flat TV mounted on the wall behind Mei turned on, making her adjust her position on the sofa to look at it properly. On the screen were various screenshots taken from multiple forums and social media posts.
Analyzing the images, Mei saw that they were mostly nice comments, clearly handpicked by the TV crew, with a few negative ones here and there.
'Drama attracts attention, so that's good! A bit of controversy does warm my soul... and maybe my pockets in the future!'
"With the introduction out of the way, let's begin the interview with something light, shall we?" Still smiling, Haruna put her elbow on the desk and rested her cheek against her palm. "How did all of this start? What inspired you to create your own Hero?"
"A videogame!"
"'A videogame'?"
"Yes! You see, when I was a tiny little child, I found this reaaallyyyy old game called 'Sonic CD'. In it, I discovered a villain called 'Metal Sonic'. Let me show you!"
Fishing her phone out of her pocket, the girl tapped the screen and—having asked for permission beforehand—took control of the TV. Using that control, she put on a GIF of a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog getting kicked in the face by a mechanical copy.
Alongside that, she also put a comic panel of the same hedgehog being held by its neck by the same robot, though its appearance had changed to a more imposing one.
"Being created by the main antagonist, Metal Sonic was made to adapt and eventually surpass Sonic!"
Mei's eyes lit up as the memories of all the hours she spent reading about the original Metal Sonic resurfaced, be it studying its design, its backstory, its abilities, or simply reading because she wanted to.
"That evolved over time, and eventually, he even became the main antagonist for a while, but I don't want to spoil anything in case anyone wants to read the comics. It'll take some digging, but you can still find them online."
"That's adorable! But there are a couple of things that don't add up to me."
"Hmm?"
"First off, you're sixteen, correct?" The young girl nodded in confirmation, prompting the host to keep going. "Soo, when exactly did you have the time to make such an advanced machine?"
"...I can't really remember..." Mei frowned as she went deep into thought for a few seconds. "I was around four? Five? Maybe six... Metal has been around for so long that everything is blurred together... I do remember Dad telling me I was five when I began creating Metal, so let's go with that."
'There's also the fact that Metal is four years old but is actually older than that, but I best keep that to myself. No need to make things more confusing.'
"T-That's..." Haruna stopped leaning on her desk and reclined back in her chair while staring at Mei in surprise. "I don't mean to be rude, but such a thing is hard to believe. The information I was given about you didn't mention an intelligence-enhancing Quirk. Are you certain you don't possess one?"
"Far as I know, my Quirk is and always has been zooming in on things." Mei shrugged her shoulders, almost dropping her phone in the process. "I do have to be fair and give my old man some credit. He helped me a lot when it came down to Metal's body, though the A.I. was all me!"
"Your father... I assume he has experience with this sort of thing?"
"Yep! He graduated from U.A.'s Support Course and has been working in a freelancer sort of way for years, making support items by custom request. Sometimes, he gets called by companies to help around for a set amount of time."
'Why do I feel... cringey all of a sudden?'
---
[U.A. Development Studio - Kyosuke's POV]
Hrrrnk!
With no shame at all, Kyosuke used a blank blueprint to blow his nose while rubbing his eyes with the back of his free hand. Witnessing such... an event, Power Loader shook his head and regretted the day he bought a small TV for the workshop.
"Not in a hundred years would I have guessed you were like this, Kyosuke."
"B-Be quiet, midget. I'm having a moment..."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
'Uh-oh... Where's my abusive wife when I need her to protect me?!'
---
[Heroic News Association - Mei's POV]
'Never mind, it just went away. Lucky!'
"The other question I want to ask is: What about copyright? Your creation is a one-on-one copy of the character you've presented. Also, how exactly did he do the entrance exams for U.A.?"
"He took the practical exam, and I did the written part. I also had to send a report specifying my involvement with the project." Feeling her mouth going dry, Mei took the glass of water that was on the small table in front of her and took a sip. "On top of that, my spot on the Support Course depended entirely on Metal's performance."
"'Depended'?" Seeing the teenager drinking water, Haruna also took a sip from her own glass. "Were they going to ignore your personal performance in the exams for the Support Course?"
"I didn't take those exams. The principal believed that if I was capable of developing someone—"
"Don't you mean 'something'?"
"No, I don't care if that's the right term. Metal's not a something, and I won't stand for anyone referring to him as such."
Hearing Mei's tone change from passionate warmth to borderline cold anger, Haruna couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle as her smile became strained.
However, her experience as a host kicked in rather quickly, so to avoid an awkward situation, she agreed with the young girl, apologized for the interruption, and signaled for her to continue her explanation.
'Boooriiiiing, I'm trying to clip farm over here, woman!'
"To put it in simpler terms, the principal didn't want me taking two spots, so that's what he came up with." Mei put the half-full glass back down, hiding her disappointment in the process. "As for copyright, I'm glad you brought it up!"
Fixing her posture and tapping on her phone again, Mei swapped the TV's display for a picture of a figurine that looked exactly like her creation.
The vinyl imitation was sculpted in a permanent pose with one arm above his head holding a piece of plastic shaped like lightning.
"As you may know, lots of companies went bankrupt within the initial chaos caused by Quirks, especially in the entertainment sector. Among those was SEGA, the company behind Metal Sonic."
"Yes, I'm well aware of that... It was... an interesting time period, to say the least." The woman got a far-off look in her eyes as if she truly remembered living in that time. "Does this mean Metal's image is public domain?"
"Nonono."
Mei lifted her free hand and swayed her index finger from side to side while clicking her tongue repeatedly. Her gaze drifted to the main camera mounted above the crowd on the set as she elaborated.
"Seventy years have to pass for such a thing. Fortunately, SEGA was bought by none other than Yaoyorozu Enterprises before that mark could be met."
Feeling confident, the girl puffed out her chest.
"They haven't done much with the characters, but they made sure to keep renewing the patents, and I managed to get permission to use them! You can expect toys of my baby very soon!"
"Impressive! For someone so young to have such initiative!"
Haruna decided to stroke the girl's ego a bit and engage with the obvious spam by gently clapping her hands.
"There's no doubt you're going to inspire lots of people out there. With that out of the way, let's move on to the main event of the night!"
Just like the student, Haruna put her own glass down to free her hands. Standing up from her desk, the older woman directed her attention towards the cameras. Widening her smile, she gestured with both arms to the curtain opposite the one Mei came from.
"Everyone, please welcome the expert in Heroics and ex-secondary manager of our beloved Symbol of Peace: Kazuki Kuroki!"
'This wasn't in the script... jackpot!'
While Mei was fighting the urge to cheer, a well-dressed man stepped onto the set with the crowd clapping for him. Despite being well-dressed and having his short hair meticulously combed back, the man could pass for an ordinary office worker.
Regardless of that, he calmly sat down on Mei's left side after exchanging a quick bow with Haruna.
"Mr. Kuroki, I've been informed you aren't fond of wasting time, so let's jump straight to the point!" Haruna held her pencil skirt in place as she lowered herself back onto her chair. "You've been rather vocal in your stance against Metal. Maybe discussing it with the mind behind it would ease your worries?"
"There's no 'easing my worries.' Trusting a machine created by a child with the safety of any living being is foolish. I can't imagine why the Hero Public Safety Commission hasn't stepped in to put an end to this."
"Because why would they? Metal hasn't done anything wrong! Matter of fact..." Using her phone once more, Mei showed a news report talking about a recent bank robbery. "He's only been out there for a day and has already showcased that he can solve complex situations without issue!"
"I read that article, and yes, its involvement is undeniably valuable." Kuroki crossed his legs, resting one ankle on the opposite knee, and put his hands together, fingers intertwined. "However, the same article tells us it needed the assistance of an intern going by 'Rule,' who used her Quirk to shrink down the robot, allowing it to slip into the bank undetected."
"Okaaay, and?" Not wanting to be outdone, Mei also put one leg over the other and folded her arms across her chest. "Even All Might needs help here and there, so what's your point? Also, let's note how you left out the small detail about Rule's Quirk only working on inorganic materials, a limitation shared by lots of Heroes."
"The point is that your robot isn't a necessity. It's a commodity at best. The Heroes could have no doubt resolved the situation on their own, all while preserving the true spirit of Heroism."
'Ignoring my last statement, eh?'
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but..." Whoever granted Mei permission to use the TV was surely going to get in trouble as she displayed a picture of Mt. Lady. "Last time I checked, 'true' Heroism didn't include flashing your ass in front of a camera, but hey! Maybe I missed something. I don't know, I'm just a dumb brat!"
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"...I admit some of our Heroes are... peculiar..." Kuroki had to clear his throat and adjust his red necktie to regain his focus. "Regardless, I am certain that all of them do their jobs with utmost purity."
"Ha! What else did you dream?" Mei couldn't contain the snort that escaped her after hearing those words. "Face it, the majority of Heroes do what they do out of selfish reasons. True Heroism became extremely rare the instant it became a job, but everyone chooses to ignore that because if they didn't, Heroes would feel hollow."
Before Kuroki could muster a comeback, Mei pressed her advantage by projecting a compilation featuring All Might, Endeavor, Mt. Lady, Mirko, and Ryukyu.
"On one side, we have All Might, who needs no introduction. Then there's Ryukyu, who constantly donates to and visits orphanages. We wouldn't even know that if it weren't for the staff refusing to let it go unnoticed!"
Kuroki tried to intercept, but Mei put her index finger against her lips and shushed him.
"On the other side, we have Mt. Lady, no need to explain. Then Mirko, who's efficient, yes, but we're all aware she only wants to beat up Villains. Then there's Endeavor, who's similar to Mirko, but at least with Mirko, you can take a selfie if she's in a good mood. But Endeavor? You'll be lucky if that self-centered, arrogant, braindead, reta—"
"COMMERCIAL BREAK! NOW!"
'Ending it before I make my point. Whatever, if the people out there have at least two neurons, they'll see where I was going with all that...'
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---
[Tachikawa - Sky-High Orphanage - Metal's POV]
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Nejire—dressed in civilian clothing aside from the bunny ears on her head—clutched her stomach as she banged her forehead against the floor. Thankfully, the colorful foam mat of the game room prevented a concussion. The cause of her borderline insane laughter was the small TV positioned at a corner of the room that had been displaying an interview moments ago.
"Mr. Metal?" Following the sound, Metal looked down to his left, where a brown-haired girl watched Nejire wheeze and roll around, her giant and only eye portraying her concern. "Is big sister okay?"
"Eh?" Another child, this time a boy with the lower body of a tarantula, approached Metal and stared at the older girl. "What's a maniac?"
Metal's system didn't have nor need to do any processing for his next action: pointing straight at Nejire.
Both children let out an 'ohh' at the explanation as if they actually understood. Nejire, of course, couldn't let her pristine image among the kids be tainted by her junior, so after fighting back her laughter with all her might, she managed to get back on her feet.
"D-Don't listen to the tsundere, he's jealous because he can't laugh!"
"What even was that?! There's no way that counts as a laugh!" Nejire turned to the two kids standing on either side of Metal, aiming to gain their support and use them against the evil machine. "Right, kids? He's just a big, scary meanie!"
"Hmmm, I think that was a good laugh, right, Izumi?"
"Uh-hum! I think the same, Sazuki!"
Nejire's hopes and dreams were once again shattered, leaving her stone-cold as her white skin became paler by the second. Seeing this as an opportunity to get away from the maniac, Metal walked out of the room with the children clinging to his waist cape.
Realizing it was getting late, the machine decided to find the nearest staff member to hand them over before making his way back to Ryuko, who should be somewhere in the building reading to the other kids.
[Ego Integration: 25% -> 28%
"No, I don't care if that's the right term. Metal's not a something, and I won't stand for anyone referring to him as such."
Ego Integration: 28% -> 32%]
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---
[Bar Twilight - Stain's POV]
"What do you mean she's NOT worth the trouble?!"
Tomura slammed both fists into the bar counter and sprang up from his stool. Seeing the man-child grow more erratic, Stain gripped the handle of the katana at his back.
"Are you blind?! Deaf?! She only wants everyone to look at her and her fucking toy! Doesn't that go against your so-called code?!"
"It would if she was trying to be a Hero."
"Huh?!"
"The girl knows her place and is honest as to who she is."
Tomura grew more irritated with each word, scratching at his neck. Despite being familiar with blood, the Hero Killer felt the need to spit in disgust at the sight.
"I won't be going after her as long as she stays in line."
"What about the damn robot?"
"You want me to judge an object? How stupid are you exactly?"
That insult snapped the last string holding back Tomura. Without thinking, the Villain rushed forward with both hands outstretched, making the worst possible move: he gave the Hero Killer the perfect angle to slash his katana horizontally, cutting both of Tomura's palms.
As Tomura recoiled, complaining about the pain, Stain raised his weapon to his face and dragged his long tongue across the blade. The effects of his Quirk were instant. Tomura fell chin-first onto the floor, palms facing upwards, the impact creating a hollow thud as the hand he used as a mask detached from his face, leaving his uneven, blistered skin exposed.
"I don't want you contacting me ever again. I have better things to do than deal with a brat and his temper tantrums." Stain glared down at the struggling Villain with nothing but disdain. Unwilling to spend another second in that place, he turned to the mass of mist behind the counter. "Back to Hosu, now."
Kurogiri didn't have to be asked twice. He opened a gate behind Stain, who stepped through it after shooting Tomura one last glare over his shoulder.
---
[Bar Twilight - Tomura Shigaraki's POV]
'FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!'
For all his anger, Tomura's body refused to listen to him. No matter how many times he cursed in his mind or how much hate he felt at that instant, it all amounted to nothing. The invisible force keeping him pinned like a rabid animal didn't let up.
In the background, Kurogiri called out to him, but Tomura's brain didn't even register the words. All he could do was glare at the hand resting on the wooden floorboards inches away from him. It almost felt as if the object was mocking him, asking him why he wasn't wearing it.
'I HATE THIS! WHY DOES EVERYTHING GO WRONG FOR ME?! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATEITIHATEITIHATEIHATEITIHATEITIHATEIT! I'LL KILL THEM ALL, ALL OF THEM, I SWEA—'
Suddenly, the familiar hand that brought Tomura comfort disappeared from his view, replaced by complete darkness illuminated only by the orange glow coming from the thing in front of him
Slowly but surely, the temperature rose around him. His red eyes began itching, his mouth went dry, his skin felt like melting wax, and his heart fought to abandon his own body. Yet, no matter how afraid he was, all he could do was lie there, helpless.
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"It's okay, I'm here."
Tomura returned to the bar as the sensation of his mask settling back onto his face yanked him out of his hallucination. As his vision stabilized, he recognized a man he knew all too well kneeling in front of him, breathing unevenly and loudly as the device on his head provided him with oxygen.
"Were you afraid, Tomura?"
"N-No! M-Master... I-I—"
"Don't lie to me, Tomura. I know that expression all too well... but do not fret, I'm not disappointed. I'm here to guide you."
"G-Guide me?"
"That's right. Tell me, do you hate feeling fear?"
"Yes!"
"How much do you hate feeling fear?"
"More than anything!"
"Then cling to that fear."
"H-Huh?"
"Cling to it with all your strength, all your soul. No matter how much you hate it, cling to it so hard that it turns into dust, and once that happens... you won't feel fear ever again."
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