Chapter Fourteen: The Pink Menace and the Three "Children"
(Suzuki) navigated the corridors at a brisk pace, his footsteps a determined tap-tap-tap on the polished linoleum.
He finally reached the Support Department of UA Academy.
He looked at the door, a solid slab of metal with a small, grimy window, and took a deep breath.
In truth, he had submitted a request to join this place first because he didn't have the financial resources to develop himself by building proper equipment.
And second, because his request had been approved by UA's principal, (Nezu).
After standing there for a moment, (Suzuki) didn't hesitate.
He pushed the door open.
SCREEE-BANG!
The moment he opened the door, something shot toward him at bullet-like speed.
It wasn't a bullet. It was a high-velocity screw, spinning with a lethal ZZZZZZZT!
His trained nervous system, plus the reflexes he'd acquired after receiving numerous "explosions" to the face (from his own prototype gear), made his reactions fast enough.
He jerked his head to the side—a sharp, instinctive twist of his neck.
The screw, which resembled a small, angry missile, missed his temple by mere centimeters.
He felt the displaced air whiff past his skin.
THWACK-CRUNCH!
The screw embedded itself deeply into the concrete wall behind him with a sound of final, violent intrusion.
(Suzuki)'s face paled with a fear that was cold and immediate.
His heart hammered against his ribs—thump-thump-THUMP—a frantic drum solo of near-death.
He turned, trying not to look ridiculous as he stared at the still-vibrating screw in the wall.
Then he heard a voice, a girl's voice, accompanied by the rapid pat-pat-patter of running feet.
"I'M SO SORRY! The baby seems to be having a little problem!"
The girl was speaking at an incredibly fast pace and skidded to a halt in front of him, sending a small cloud of dust and metal filings into the air with a shhh-fwip.
What caught (Suzuki)'s attention was her pink hair, tied up in messy buns, and her surprisingly muscular physique.
She looked as if she trained with weights, but at the same time, her muscles weren't bulky.
She looked like a pretty girl.
But one thing shattered all that and prevented (Suzuki) from thinking about it: the extreme proximity of (Mei Hatsume), coupled with the fact that this girl had nearly killed him moments ago with that "baby."
Simultaneously, the Support Department was filled with the smell of oil, ozone, and burnt metal.
Scattered parts littered every surface.
It seemed this girl was working on many things at once.
Furthermore, smoke was billowing from one of the tools, which resembled a massive, angry drill press that was emitting a low, distressed grrr-whine.
"Look at my baby! You seem to be looking at it well! I've been working on it since morning, but it malfunctioned at the last moment. How troublesome children can be sometimes! But they're still my babies!"
(Suzuki) swallowed the sarcastic remark that wanted to launch itself at the girl.
He recognized this girl the moment she said "babies."
She was the main Support Course character from My Hero Academia, who called the inventions she created her "children."
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On the other hand, (Mei Hatsume) was so energetic that she didn't notice the pale, shell-shocked look on (Suzuki)'s face.
He had been closer to death than at any other point, perhaps even during the entrance exam where he had to fight that giant robot.
That hadn't filled him with panic to this degree.
Inside, after (Suzuki) entered and was "greeted" by (Hatsume), he didn't say anything and walked further inside.
He noticed many high-quality materials scattered everywhere.
But they were certainly better than the scrap he had at home.
In the end, junk couldn't be on the same level as the materials found in the Support Department of the best academy in Japan, right?
(Suzuki) admitted he was being very sarcastic inside.
But at the same time, his body was trembling slightly.
Not for two big reasons, but one very immediate one: He had just nearly revisited his previous life.
The idea that he could have died from a "bullet" in the form of a shard launched from one of the inventions of the girl in front of him instilled a sliver of primal terror into his heart.
"But, seriously, why are you here? Did you come so I could make something for you? Do you want one of the babies? You should know my babies are very special and require special qualifications for adoption!"
Okay, this girl is definitely not normal, (Suzuki) thought, looking at her way of talking about her inventions.
But at the same time...
"I'm here to work in this place. I obtained permission from the principal to partially join the Support Course."
I can't fully benefit from this girl who might blow me up. So, it's better to repair and create tools myself. Anyway, I don't think Tony Stark would ask Pepper or any other engineer to build his suits, right? True, I'm not on the level of a man who can create an artificial intelligence that can perform precise calculations for him. But I'm not so helpless that I need to ask a crazy girl—who could blow me up by accident and laugh the next second—to do it for me, right?
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It seemed the girl had frozen in place, thinking about something.
Then she smiled and laughed, a bright, unhinged Ha-HA!
"Right! The teacher told me about this! Are you the new member? That's wonderful! You can call me The President from now on!"
The President. Okay, this girl had definitely reached another level of desire for control.
Well, women always have this sense of control, so I have no problem as long as I can get what I want.
(Suzuki)'s face was stiff, but he said in a normal tone:
"Then, President, where can I find the materials? I need some support parts. I want to improve my inventions."
This word—inventions—made the pink-haired inventor ignite with enthusiasm.
Gasp!
She grabbed (Suzuki)'s hand—her grip was strong, calloused, and slightly oily.
"Did you say inventions? WHAT inventions? Give them to me! Let me help you! I'm always ready to help! Let's give birth to more babies together!"
If there had been anyone else in the room, their face would have turned red.
Frankly, (Suzuki)'s face almost did.
But years of social isolation, plus being mentally older, allowed him to endure the rapid proximity of this energetic girl and, at the same time, accept such horrifying terminology.
But he said with extreme calm—at least, he pretended to be calm—as he slowly extracted his hand from her grip with a soft shlllp:
"These are my tools."
He opened his backpack—the zipper giving a long zzzzip—and revealed his gear.
His equipment was simple.
He had at least three devices he used permanently.
First: The Helmet.
It was equipped with a communication device plus a stabilizer attached to it, allowing him to record scenes and display them in high definition, plus a simple mounted camera.
He had made this helmet solely for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.
It was very important to have documentation of all abilities displayed, whether by other students or teachers in the area, to study them more deeply in his private time.
The helmet had a sleek, utilitarian design, with a retractable visor that clicked into place with a soft snick.
Second: The Enhancement Gauntlet.
It had many features, such as a hydraulic system that allowed him to greatly enhance his grip, enabling him to crush even cement—at least to a certain level, for adhesion purposes only.
Plus, a physical enhancement system that allowed him to slightly boost his muscles using neural activation.
Manufacturing this system had taken him a lot of time, and he had drawn full inspiration from Conan's shoes in the Detective Conan anime.
True, it needed more work to have more benefits, but it was the final product, at least given the quantity of resources he had possessed.
The gauntlet was a patchwork of metal plates and polymer, wires snaking along its surface, a small power cell humming with a faint bzzzt on the forearm.
Finally: The Boots.
These allowed him to accelerate; they had retractable skates plus a stabilization system in the sole, allowing him to jump to a height of five meters, plus an enhanced propulsion system.
Organizing this thrust had required him to study Tony Stark's systems—at least, the propulsion system mounted in these boots allowed him to activate bursts that let him change direction mid-air.
True, he couldn't really fly, but if he fell from a high place, he could use these boots to greatly reduce falling speed and even land safely.
Without these boots, his legs would have been shattered during the fight with that giant robot in the entrance exam.
The boots were his pride, scuffed yellow and black, with vents along the sides that hissed faintly when depowered.
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(Mei Hatsume)'s golden, cross-haired eyes widened as she took in the gear.
She leaned in so close he could see the individual flecks of amber in her irises.
She didn't see scrap or homemade gear.
She saw potential. She saw babies that hadn't reached their full, glorious, possibly explosive maturity.
"OH! OH! These are INTERESTING! So much personality! But they're so... restrained! So shy! We need to make them bolder! Louder! More explosive!"
She reached out, her fingers hovering over the gauntlet's power cell without touching it, as if sensing its energy.
(Suzuki) took a subtle step back, the sole of his boot squeaking on the oily floor.
"Louder" and "explosive" were the last things he wanted.
He wanted reliable. He wanted efficient.
He wanted to survive his first year without being turned into a cautionary footnote in the Support Department's safety manual.
The chapter of the scrap-metal hero had just entered its most dangerous workshop yet.
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End of Chapter.
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📝 To the Invaluable Readers,
The Support Department welcomes Suzuki with a near-death experience and the boundless, terrifying energy of Mei Hatsume! What are your thoughts on his trio of "children"? How will this chaotic partnership (or one-sided adoption) shape his gear and his chances in the hero course? And will he survive Hatsume's "improvements" with all his limbs intact? Your brilliant commentary is the best support gear an author could ask for. Please share your thoughts below!