System Chapter 9

Shelter wakes up to the sound of keys outside his apartment. He realizes it's still early and checks his phone for messages. He sees messages from Namuri and Hisashi saying they will be coming over. They arrive and Shota is ignored by Itsugu, who is excited to see them. Itsugu has been training and has developed his new quirk. He spends time with the messages and All Might at the beach. All Might gives Itsugu a bento and a crocheted bunny. Itsugu asks if All Might knows how to crochet. Hello, I am back with chapter 9 of System Synthesis entitled, I SWEAR ADOPTING HEROES IS NOT MY HOBBY. Shelter blinked his eyes open when he heard the jingle of keys right outside his apartment door. He craned his neck to the side to check the wall clock. 6 30 p.m. Not ankle then. There's still 30 minutes to an hour left before she gets off work, unless Shelter racked his mind to try and recall everything Inko had said to him today and check if she had mentioned anything about getting off work early. Nope, nothing. So in that case, Shelter reached out for his phone and grabbed it from the coffee table while trying to disturb the sleeping body on top of him as little as he could. He heard a meow and looked to his side to find Coffee sitting on the coffee table, swaying her tail side to side and watching him curiously. Pass me my phone, then you can get a treat. Coffee pushed the phone towards the edge and closer to his reach before jumping down from the table gracefully and walking her way to the kitchen where his snack dispenser was kept. Shelter stared at her. I knew it. So all this time pretending not to understand me was her being a little shit. Rolling his eyes slightly, he grabbed the phone by stretching his arm as far as he could. A whine came and he froze. Hovering in the same position, he waited for a second before shifting back into his original position and opening his phone just as the door to his apartment opened. He sensed it before he heard it. SHUT UP! A coarse voice came. He cringed at the sudden loudness, disrupting the silence, but then again he was used to being with them for over a decade and wasn't surprised in the least. Sighing, he opened his phone to find two messages from Namuri and Hisashi announcing that they would be coming by in the evening. Sorry, he had missed the message and missed his chance to run away. Loud and fast footsteps thundered down the hallway, followed by softer but much quicker ones. They both came to a skidding stop right behind their couch. Then he heard Hisashi quietly tiptoe around for a peeing in front of him. He gapped and slammed his hand over his mouth before squealing. Shota immediately activated his quirk, erasing Hisashi's before his friend could crack some windows. Oh my god, Shota. Hisashi clutched his hand over his chest dramatically. Shota had been working on his paperwork related to his mission, typing down the summary of everything that happened, along with his own speculations. But he had been busy the night before and hadn't had any chance to sleep, so evidently he fell asleep while working. Itsugu had been spending his time in his apartment then, playing with coffee and writing in his hero analysis notebook, HAF number 12 he recalled. That's all he knew before he was dead to the world. The next time he woke up, his laptop had been removed from his lap and Itsugu had taken its place, along with coffee cold in his arms. And it's not that Shota didn't have the heart to ask them to move, it's just that he was really tired of it, really. That's the actual reason. He felt Itsugu stir before slowly blinking his eyes. Shota could pinpoint the moment his kid realized the presence of the others in the apartment, and recognize the said presence. He shot up, viridian eyes shining and a wide grin on his face. Sashi! He beamed, and just like that, Shota was forgotten. Sigh. Itsugu! Hisashi greeted back with equal enthusiasm. He heard Nomori's footsteps come towards the living room from the kitchen. Uh-oh, is that my favorite nephew I hear? Nemi! Itsugu chirped before rushing over to her. Shota huffed and rolled his eyes and turned around, when Nomori leaned down to press a kiss on his forehead and pull him in a hug. I'm your only nephew though, Itsugu said, the same time Shota mumbled gruffly, he's your only nephew. Hisashi and Nomori gasped collectively, and from the corner of his eyes, Shota saw Nomori huddle Itsugu close, protectively. Sashi, did you see that? Our baby Itsugu is finally becoming Minishota. It's happening. We need to hurry up and steal the green bean while we can, Nomori exclaimed. We should, Hisashi agreed. Shota heard Itsugu giggle and turned his head to find Sashi having picked him up like a sack of rice before stealing him along with Nomori. Shota sighed, he did not feel left out, not at all. Nuh-uh. Itsugu hung upside down from a bar on the beach, watching All Might talk to his fans in the distance. It's been three months since he started dreaming big of the beach, and the results showed. Itsugu's body had bust up visibly, with distinct muscle lines on his arms, legs, and even his abs. He had also finally optimized with the combined training schedule for the system and All Might. He no longer felt like he was on the verge of passing out. His muscles didn't ache at night and make it hard for him to fall asleep. Regeneration did help with the fatigue, though, but not entirely, because fatigued muscles didn't count as injuries. It mostly healed the torn muscles, and he had already unlocked the first part of his new quirk, i.e. one for all at one percent. Hey, Itsugu, turn the page. Itsugu looked down, or upwards, depending on how you see it, and reached out his hand. He imagined an invisible thread getting attached to the currently open page of the comic Shigaraki was reading, before flipping onto the next thing. He wasn't sure if it was weird or not, but he had gotten closer to the messages, especially N and Shigaraki, but he guessed it was because they were one of the youngest messages so far. N was 21, and Shigaraki was 24. They didn't talk about how they died, but Itsugu assumed it had something to do with the comic and an enemy, or one for all its purpose, though he never pushed them about it, either. During his training, almost always a message would be there with him. If it wasn't Nana, watching over them, both him and All Might with a smile and glimmering eyes, it would be Banjo loudly cheering for him while he struggled to push the heavier objects. Sometimes it would be N supporting him silently, or just sitting next to him talking softly about fishage or serving the crabs. Apparently he was a big fan of marine life. Itsugu promised to take him to the aquarium sometime. Every now and then, Shimmery would tag along, but it was mostly during the evenings, and he spent most of the time walking around the beach or just admiring the sunset. Sometimes it would help him cheat in his task, like, oh hey, you could put this under the cupboard and then just roll it to the truck, when he struggled to move a heavy object, or oh shoot, Yagi's coming, hurry. Because All Might gave that disappointed look that had Itsugu feeling horribly guilty whenever he caught him using tricks to move the trash. The only message that tagged along all the time was Yorichi Shigaraki, and that was so he could read all the comics discarded on the beach, and there were an awful lot of them, and the message was absolutely delighted because of it going as far as criticizing the condition of some of the comics and how rude it was to just throw them away. It wasn't fun for Itsugu to change the page every single time, so he more often than not stuck the job on All Might. Itsugu laughed harder than he felt bad when Shigaraki threatened to possess the man if he didn't turn the page for him. The hero was yet to be informed that the messages weren't technically ghosts and couldn't leave Itsugu's side, even if they wanted to. Oh, he's coming, and informed from where he was hanging upside down right next to him, but the other way around so he could keep an eye on All Might. Itsugu easily slipped off the bar and landed on his feet, thanks to all the parkour lessons from Syota. That guy's awfully flexible and agile, like a cat. Itsugu had blue screen the first time he had seen the man do a full stretch like it was nothing, while he could barely touch his toes. I still can't get over how smooth his backflip is, he heard Shigaraki mumble. Just say you're jealous, we get it, there's no shame in it, and replied from where he was crouching and watching a crab dig a hole in the sand. Shigaraki flipped him off over his shoulder before walking over to All Might while Itsugu handed him the comic book. At first, the hero had been awkward, unsure of the job, but after the first day, he too got hooked into the comics, much to Shigaraki's delight. Young Midoriya, All Might called once the training session came to an end. Itsugu really lifted his head up from the ground and looked at the hero standing next to him in his normal form. I have something for you. Itsugu blinked. Huh? I've read, I mean, rewards are after hard work is important, All Might declared. Itsugu stifled a smile because he had seen the man carry around a mentoring guidance book along with him. Oh, but you don't have to! Nonsense! All Might waved his hand dismissively. Of course I have to as your mentor, but here, All Might handed over a bento wrapped in, oh my god, that's adorable, a green cloth with dark green bunny prints, and when Itsugu pointed it out, All Might looked inexplicably gleeful. Shigaraki was snickering for some reason, even N was hiding a grin behind his hand, and then All Might produced a crocheted bunny and placed it on top of his head, and Shigaraki doubled over with laughter. Itsugu ignored him promptly and focused on the green bunny. Why green though? Oh my, he heard not a chuckle in his mind. Seriously, what are they laughing about? Itsugu shook his head. He peered up at All Might. Did you make this for me? All Might grinned proudly and nodded. He heard Bando's presence in his mind look at the bunny before letting out a roaring laugh, but Itsugu ignored that. Them laughing wasn't the point, neither was the color of the bunny. The question was, you know how to crochet too? Itsugu asked, too. You know what as well, young Midoriya? All Might axed eyes widening a little. Here, Itsugu nodded his head eagerly. He had learnt to crochet from his mother, and for Shota's 28th birthday, bought him a matte finish dark gray reusable coffee cup and crocheted a coffee sleeve with a design that looked exactly like coffee. Blue eyes and everything. Hisashi and Namiri later on told him that Shota had been carrying the cup the entire day at school. All Might stared at him before mumbling quietly. Maybe I should make a puppy next time. Shigaraki and Banjo laughed harder. Even Nana and N were stifling their laughs. Seriously, what's so funny? Itsugu liked heroes, but it was no longer blindingly adoring everyone. Now he liked heroes based on their skills and how they worked, and sometimes their aesthetic played a part too. I mean, have you seen Eclipse? His off-white, dark blue suit with warm yellow glowing streaks? Gorgeous. And everything he attached to his suit was there for a reason and not just show perfect. The point was, Itsugu didn't actively go around looking for heroes. Didn't have a time for it between his final year in middle school and training. It's not his fault he runs into them so often. He had been jumping across the roof to practice his parkour. He was supposed to have a race with Shota that evening. Itsugu was determined to win, because so far he didn't even come close to defeating Shota in a parkour race. That's when he spotted it. A pro hero dealing with several villains on top of a roof. Oh my god, is that Hawks? Now Itsugu would've usually let it be and only observed from the sidelines because both his mother and Shota had strictly warned him to stay away from trouble, but there was one villain that the hero hadn't seen right behind him and he had a knife in his hand and Hawks looked extremely preoccupied with the four villains he was fighting in front of him. It struck Itsugu wrong to sit by and do nothing while the pro hero might get injured, so he acted on instincts, activating stealth and using pull to cover the distance between the two rooftops in a second. Itsugu used the momentum from pull to kick the knife out of the villain's hand. One quick look at their body and selective focus pointed out that they had a heteromorphic quirk given the tentacles with spikes sprouting from their back. Another quick look at their profile with the help of concentration and Itsugu learned that their strength wasn't high as compared to their agility and speed, therefore one hard kick to the head should be enough. Itsugu planted his left foot on the ground and spun around swiftly landing a near perfect roundhouse kick to the villain's jaw. Six out of ten the mini Shota in his head graded. The villain dropped to the ground with a thump. Just then his oil sensed that the other villains had been taken down as well and he turned around to find Hawks staring at him. I didn't use a quirk, Itsugu blurted. This won't count as vigilantism. Hawks eyes behind the green specks glimmered for some reason and his lips stretched into a wide smirk. I wasn't even amused to grin. It was hard to tell with the number three hero. The man retracted his wing which standing so close to it made Itsugu realize how magnificent the wingspan was and shifted his weight to one leg. Don't worry little bird, I got nothing against a little vigilantism. Little bird? Itsugu tilted his head a little, confused at the nickname. Is it because of his quirk? That of a bird? But that was a dope kick there. Hawks continued picking up the unconscious villain with one hand and tossing him aside. You like martial arts? My dad teaches me stuff now and then, Itsugu replied. Hawks looked interested as he rolled over the villain before sitting down on his back. Then he twisted his arm and tied him up with a strap he produced from his pocket. Oh, that was some neat stuff, Chirp. Your dad's a professional, he asked. Um, he's a pro hero? Hawks looked even more interested. Ooh, a legacy kid. Is your dad someone I know? Itsugu recalled Chirp telling him on multiple occasions that most slime-like heroes didn't recognize him, especially the ones that worked out of Mutsutafu, but this is Hawks. Itsugu doesn't need to be obsessed with hero work to know just how talented the number three hero is. Even Shota complimented the hero about his keen intellect, efficiency, and talent despite begrudgingly and while calling him an oversized chicken. I guess, but he doesn't like giving out information about him, so... Aha! Hawks exclaimed cheerfully while stacking another villain with horns and claws on top of the one he just tied. He must be an underground hero. Understandable. He nodded and then made a face. They're uptight about their identity and stuff. He added another villain to the pile and sighed somewhat wistfully. Lucky them, they get to work slowly. Hey, Buzzy, pass me that one, will ya? Hawks requested while tying up another villain and pointing to the one that Itsugu knocked out with his left wing and Itsugu still in the middle freaking out about standing in front of the Hawks. Nodded dumbly with a high-pitched, okay, before picking up the villain with his hand and waddling over to the hero. He was getting so many mixed signals from the hero in front of him. His feathers were sharp, threateningly so, as they cut through the restraints of one of the villains. They looked like spider silk, so a spider-based quirk, and he knew how strong spider silk was. His feather cut through them like a hot knife through butter, which was scary, and his wide wingspan didn't help. But he was chatting with him in such a queer, carefree, wasn't just. Itsugu took a quick look at the villain's profile, dealing with seven C to B-ranked villains and stacking them up like Jenga blocks. Is he trying to put me at ease? Hey, chick. Hawks called letting out a grunt as he struggled to put the fifth villain on the sack. But you're quick. Itsugu froze and slowly looked at him. But I didn't use one, though. Hawks raised a challenging eyebrow at him. Oh, really? Cuz I didn't hear you jump onto the roof, though, or even realize you were there until I turned around. Oh, shit. Uh, Itsugu racked his mind to come up with a decent lie. But before he could, Hawks asked another question. The number three hero rested his elbows on top of the stack he made, and then rested his chin on his palms, before looking at him with curious eyes and a grin. Is it a stealth-based quirk? That's cool. Uh, sort of? Itsugu answered. Hawks' wings bristled as if he was excited, and his eyes gleamed. That's cool, little bird. Itsugu blushed. The Hawks think his quirk is cool. Thanks. Say what, little bird? Since you helped me capture the villain, I'll buy you a treat, Hawks said, attaching a different sort of restraint to the last villain. You like KFC? Cuz I love KFC. He paused and tossed the villain on top of the rest. You think it's weird, buddy? People tell me it's cannibalism. That's stupid, Itsugu mumbled. Raptors are known to eat swallowbirds. At that, Hawks beamed. Exactly. His expression changed to a somewhat serious one in an instant and shifted his position to point at him. Kid, you're officially my favorite little bird. Itsugu felt like he was about to combust. Alright, it's decided then. Hawks straightened up. Let me call the PAW Patrol and have them arrest these little bad guys, and then we can go have some KFC. Oh my god, the Hawks is going to give me a treat. God help, I'm about to faint. Now don't faint before you get the free treat. Shigaraki teased in his mind, but honestly, damn, he's hot. Itsugu scrunched his nose. Stop, please, N. Take him away. Rude. And for your information, N agrees with me. N? I mean, you know what, not the point. I don't care. Stop talking in my mind. Nana, help. He heard Nana chuckle in his mind before she said, now come on, guys, let the little fanboy have his little fun. Itsugu ignored the subtle tease and focused on fishing through his book. He was about 90% sure he was carrying a new notebook with him and, aha, found it. Mr. Hawks, Itsugu called hesitantly as Hawks platted down the bones for any hidden weapons. The winged hero popped his head up from behind the pile and looked at him curiously. If it's not a problem, can I get an autograph, please? Sure, the winged hero chipped and stretched out his hand. Gimme. Itsugu passed the notebook and pen to the hero. The pro hero's eyes once again shined when he saw the hot themed pen as he got to signing his autograph on the notebook. In the meanwhile, Itsugu decided to take a sneak at the hero's profile. Name. Takami Kigo. Username. Hawks. Age. 21 years. Language. Japanese. Level. 200. Rank. S. Quirk. Fierce Wings. A. Description. Fierce Wings grants the user a pair of large red wings made up of dozens of feathers. They can freely manipulate each individual's feather using their mind. Status. Title. Number 3 Hero. Janus. HP. 24,595 out of 25,000. EP. 35,322 out of 35,400. Statistics. Strength. 240. Dexterity. 198. Agility. 250. Speed. 300. Charisma. 150. Intelligence. 275. Damn. Sugawaki whispered in his mind. These new gen heroes are a whole different breed. Banjo muttered somewhat dejectedly. Here you go, little birdie. Hawks handed him the notebook back. Right then, Itsugu heard the sound of the cop's car. Itsugu panicked. He could jump off and get away without being seen. If Afasanza or Tsukatsi was with them, they will snitch on him to his dad. After the attack at the mall, Detective Tsukatsi had interrogated him because apparently, there were no trace of those villains breaking out of Tartarus, so he wanted to know if there was anything suspicious about them when he fought them. But for some reason, the detective's eyes had lit up with the recognition the moment he uttered his name and had looked between him and Shota with a gaze Itsugu couldn't comprehend. Don't worry, Hawks said and pointed to the cabin on the roof. Get up there. I'll keep you hidden. Itsugu nodded wordlessly and climbed up on the roof of the cabin. He knew there was no way anyone would spot him behind Hawks' huge wings, but still, not wanting to risk it, decided to use stealth. The hero already knew about it, so there was no point in hiding it and risking getting seen. It was somewhat interesting to see the way Hawks interacted with the police. He was so casual, laid-back, and lively. He kept on chattering, having one-sided conversations while the police did their job, gesturing wildly with his hands. But his dad was the racerhead who pretended to be asleep and napping all the time. But Itsugu knew better, and he knew that the match was nothing more than a front, and even when he had his eyes closed, the man was constantly vigilant and aware of his surroundings. Which is exactly why Itsugu could tell that despite the laid-back and carefree attitude, Hawks was constantly alert and vigilant. Selective focus was providing him with all the And once the police left along with the captured villains, Hawks waited until they were completely gone before retracting his wings and letting out an impressed whistle. Damn, little bird, if it weren't for my wings, I would have thought you had left, he said, turning around. You got some mad skills! Itsugu felt himself blush yet again. Thanks. Alright, chirps, let's go get some tasty KFC, he stood up. Climb on my back. I would kill to be Itsugu right now, Sigrocky muttered while Itsugu poignantly ignored him. That's not very hero-like, Simmery said. Lucky for me, Sigrocky chirped. I was never a hero. Um, no, no, it's fine. Oh, come on, don't worry, buddy. It'll be quicker this way, Hawks assured. Sir, I will faint if I do that, please understand. Itsugu profusely shook his head. It's fine, I'm fast, I can run there. Oh, Hawks raised an eyebrow. How fast! Itsugu stopped and looked at the man, his eyes glinting with challenge. Itsugu let himself grin. Fast enough. Oh yeah? Hawks tilted his head. Let's race, then. Winner gets to pick the dessert. Itsugu felt himself grin wider, but before they could start, he dug into his bag and fizzed out the pre-written notes he had chosen right for him. In short, the notes said he had been given permission by an authorized personality user's quirk. Sign this for me, and then we can race, Itsugu said, holding out the note. Hawks did a quick sweep of it before raising his eyebrow. Why does it seem like you need this more often than you should? Okay, I don't actively go looking for trouble? Itsugu mumbled. Hawks smirked and took it from his hand before signing it. Aye, you got my permission to use your quirk. Done. Hawks handed it back before spreading out his wings. Ready, set... Itsugu stepped closer to the edge, activating one for all at one percent, along with Sprint and grinned. Go. He jumped, and Hawks flew. Meet you at KFC, little birdie! Hawks is ridiculously fast. He's so fast, it's not even funny. With Sprint at level six, doubling his speed stat, along with one for all boosting it up by 1.5 times of his original speed stat, puts his speed somewhere in the high 200s. Essentially, it should be fast enough to keep up with Hawks, and he had used Pool at every point he could, but still lost by a whole three seconds. Hawks' followers seemed impressed. Damn, little birdie, it's not easy to find people who can keep up with me. He tilted his head and studied him. I thought your skill was stealth-related, though. Itsugu bit his lip and grinned innocently, and you were right. Hawks raised his eyebrow further. You got two quirks? Itsugu shook his head. Nope. Secret, as I see. He nodded, then shrugged. Well, in that case, you keep yours, and I'll keep mine. Right then, a cop car stopped behind them, and Sansa stepped out. Along with another officer, Itsugu swore in his mind and stepped back. The moment Sansa saw him, he raised his eyebrow. Well, made an action that was similar to it. Unauthorized quirk uses the legal kid, Sansa pointed out. Itsugu thought himself being tugged back until his back hit Hawks' body, and then the hero's large wing curled in front of him. Don't worry, officer. I gave him permission, Hawks said. We were just racing. No harm, no foul, Hawks looked down. Hey, kid, show him the note. Itsugu stepped on his toes to peek beyond Hawks' wing and held out the note. Here you go, Officer Sansa. Sansa looked at the note and nodded, though Itsugu could swear he saw the officer's mouth twist upwards. All right then, kid. Stay out of trouble. He gave him a look. I mean it. Itsugu gave him a salute and beamed. Yes, officer. Come on, let's go, Sansa said to his co-worker before getting back into the car and driving off. Once they were gone, Hawks looked down at him while Itsugu looked up. Then they burst out into laughter. Did you see the other guy's face? Hawks chuckled, opening the door. I wish I would've taken a picture of him. Alrighty, that is the end of this chapter. I'm sorry for any mispronunciations and stuttering. I will see you guys next time. Buh-bye.