Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway – Loop Line 1
Time: 08:14 AM
Vrooom~hum. hum.
The interior of the CC Corp Support Van smelled like fresh leather and high-voltage electronics.
It was a mobile command center, lined with twelve monitors displaying biometrics, wind speeds, and live news feeds.
Ryuen gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white as he wove through the morning traffic at eighty kilometers per hour.
"He's drifting off vector again, Arisaka-kacho!"
Ryuen shouted over the roar of the engine.
"He's chasing a news helicopter!"
Kaito Arisaka sat in the passenger seat. He wasn't looking at the road. He was looking at a tablet displaying a live structural layout of the highway overpass.
He wore a crisp charcoal suit, a black tie, and a headset that connected him directly to the golden figure flying two hundred feet above them.
"Christopher," Kaito said. His voice was calm, low, and cut through the static like a knife.
"Bank left. You're drifting. The armored truck is at your twelve o'clock, not the camera crew at your three."
"But the light is hitting my profile perfectly right now!" Captain Celebrity's voice boomed in Kaito's ear, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. "The fans want to see the smile, Manager!"
"The fans want to see you stop a ten-ton truck driven by a Trigger-junkie before it plows into a school bus," Kaito replied, tapping the screen. "You have twenty seconds. Intercept."
_-_-_-_-_-_
On the monitor, the armored truck was a steel beast bulldozing through sedans.
"Nobody can stop me! Not even you, Captain Catastrophe!"
Vrooom~whoosh.
The villain behind the wheel had skin like jagged rock, hopped up on the drug, screaming about liberation.
"Alright, alright! Here comes the justice!"
Captain Celebrity dove. He hit Mach 1.
SWISSSH~WHOOSH
The sonic boom rattled the van's windows.
He slammed onto the asphalt directly in front of the speeding truck.
He dug his boots in. He grabbed the front bumper with both hands.
"HALT, EVILDOER!"
CRUNCH.
The truck stopped instantly. From eighty to zero in a fraction of a second.
The physics were catastrophic. The sudden stop should have folded the truck like an accordion.
The driver and the hostage in the back should have been turned to paste by the inertia.
Kaito watched the telemetry. He didn't blink.
He raised his right hand.
Snap.
It was silent.
Outside, reality bent. Kaito instantly rewrote the molecular density of the truck's chassis, turning the steel rigid enough to withstand the impact without crumpling.
Simultaneously, he manifested a localized, high-pressure air cushion inside the cab and the cargo hold.
The hostage slammed forward, but instead of hitting steel, they hit a wall of soft, compressed air.
"AGHH!"
The truck stopped dead. Smoke billowed from the tires. The villain groaned, dazed but alive. The hostage blinked, unharmed.
The news cameras zoomed in.
"LOOK AT THAT CONTROL!" the news anchor of the Sato News Feed screamed over the radio. "Captain Celebrity stopped a ten-ton vehicle without a single scratch on the chassis! It's like he canceled the inertia itself! What incredible precision!"
Captain Celebrity stood up, dusted off his hands, and flashed a blinding white smile at the helicopter.
"Soft hands, baby! That's the American way!"
Kaito slumped back in his seat. He marked a checkbox on his tablet.
"Ryuen," Kaito said, rubbing his temple. "Get us to Minato Ward. He's going to pose for five minutes, then we have another fire to put out."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Minato Ward – Aoyama Office Block
Time: 09:45 AM
The fire was purple. A chemical mix. It was raging on the 40th floor, spewing toxic black smoke into the skyline.
The villain, a pyromaniac with a mutation quirk, was laughing from the balcony, throwing fireballs at the police drones.
"I'll burn it all! The voices said burn it all!"
Captain Celebrity hovered outside the window. His cape fluttered dramatically in the thermal updraft.
"Don't worry, citizens!" CC bellowed, his voice amplified by his quirk. "I'll blow this candle out!"
He pulled his arm back. He was preparing a wind-pressure clap. A move designed to suffocate the fire with a massive blast of air.
Kaito stared at the thermal readout in the van parked below.
"Don't do it," Kaito whispered in the comms. "Oxygen levels inside are depleted. If you blast air in there, you'll create a backdraft. You'll blow the windows out and decapitate everyone on the street."
CC didn't hear him. Or he didn't care.
The villain released his strongest attack.
"DIE!"
Cricckle. Cracckle. BOOM
But.
Thud
"Was that your best shot? Because I didn't even feel my barrier ripple. Now, let me show you what a real star looks like"
He swung his arm.
BANG
Kaito sighed.
Snap.
A split second before the wind pressure hit the building, Kaito deleted the oxygen from the 40th floor.
He didn't freeze it; he just removed the element required for combustion.
The purple fire vanished instantly. Choked into nothingness.
Crack~ BOOM.
CC's wind blast hit the building. It shattered the glass, but there was no explosion. No fireball.
Just a cloud of grey smoke clearing away to reveal a confused villain standing in a cold room.
"What?" the villain blinked. "My fire... where did it go?"
"My justice is so strong, even the fire gave up!" Captain Celebrity laughed, grabbing the villain by the collar.
The crowd below erupted.
"He extinguished it with sheer pressure!"
"He calculated the airflow perfectly!"
On the other hand, Kaito took a sip of lukewarm coffee and looked at the notifications popping on the gadget. "Drive, Ryuen. We have another bridge disaster."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Rainbow Bridge
Time: 11:00 AM
The traffic on the Rainbow Bridge was deadlocked. People were abandoning their cars, screaming, running toward the Odaiba side.
"Run!"
"Where are the pros?!"
"My child!"
Standing in the center of the span was a nightmare.
A fifty-foot mutant crab, its shell glowing with the red veins of a Trigger overdose. It roared, spewing a stream of viscous, green acid from its mouth.
HISSSSS.
The acid hit the main suspension cables. The steel sizzled and began to dissolve like cotton candy in water.
SWISHH
Captain Celebrity swooped down.
He grabbed one of the crab's massive claws and heaved.
"Up we go, ugly!"
FWOOOP.
He lifted the multi-ton beast into the air. He held it there, looking for the best lighting for the cameras.
"Smile! You're on TV!"
"Stop playing with it!" Kaito barked into the headset. "It's dripping!"
A glob of concentrated acid fell from the crab's mouth. It landed directly on the fraying suspension cable.
PING. CLICK.
The main cable groaned.
Strands of steel wire began to unravel. The bridge deck lurched downward three feet. Cars slid. People screamed.
Kaito adjusted his glasses.
He looked up at the cable. It was hanging by a thread.
"What a mess," Kaito muttered.
Snap.
He targeted the falling acid. Instantly, the chemical structure was rewritten.
The corrosive hydrogen ions were neutralized. The green sludge turned into clear, harmless water before it hit the deck.
Snap.
He targeted the cable. The unraveling steel strands wove themselves back together. The molecular bonds tightened. The rust vanished.
The cable snapped taut, pulling the bridge deck back up to level with a groan of metal.
The bridge steadied.
Captain Celebrity finally threw the crab into Tokyo Bay.
SPLASH.
"Did you see that?" a bystander yelled, pointing at the cable. "The bridge was falling, and then it just... became steady!"
"It must be the Captain's telekinesis field!" another shouted. "He held the whole bridge up while fighting the monster!"
Meanwhile inside the van, Kaito is rubbing his temples.
"Mark it under 'Structural Maintenance,'" Kaito told Ryuen. "And get me a new suit. I sweated through this one."
_-_-_-_-_
Location: CC Corp Plaza – Roppongi
Time: 01:00 PM
"WOOOOOOHHHHHHH"
The noise was deafening. Three thousand fans were packed into the plaza, pressing against the flimsy barricades.
They were screaming for autographs, waving posters, and shoving each other to get a glimpse of the Golden Hero.
Security was overwhelmed. A fight broke out near the front.
Kaito walked out of the lobby. He wasn't wearing a hero costume. He held a megaphone.
"LISTEN UP!"
His voice wasn't amplified by a quirk, but by pure, unadulterated authority. The crowd quieted down, confused by the scary man.
"We are doing this efficiently or we are not doing it at all," Kaito barked.
"Zone A, move to the left. Zone B, have your pens uncapped. No selfies. Signatures only. Three seconds per person. If you push, you are ejected. If you scream in my ear, you are ejected. Move."
He began to direct the flow of traffic like an air traffic controller.
Kaito grabbed barricades and rearranged them into a serpentine queue. He pointed at people and they obeyed instinctively.
From the street corner, a man in dark clothing and a capture scarf watched.
Shota Aizawa—Eraserhead—stood with his hands in his pockets. He watched Kaito dismantle a potential riot with nothing but a megaphone and a clipboard.
"Arisaka, it's been 2 years" Aizawa muttered to himself.
He remembered the boy that was flagged by the HPSC for years.
The boy who who can't use his quirk without getting hurt.
"He's grown up and found a place," Aizawa thought, a rare, soft expression crossing his tired face.
"Logistics. Management. He's utilizing his intellect without putting his fragile body in the line of fire. Good for him. The hero world needs more competent civilians. He kept his word. He found a way to be useful without shattering his own body."
Aizawa turned and walked away, satisfied that the boy he once audited was safe and sound.
"Speaking of which, Hero X is silent now a days"
_-_-_-_-_
Location: The National Diet Building – Backstage
Time: 04:00 PM
The Green Room was less a room and more a holding pen for the biggest egos in Japan.
Endeavor was scorching the corner of the room with his presence, scowling at a catering tray.
Best Jeanist was fixing his hair in a mirror.
Kaito walked in, trailing behind Captain Celebrity. He was carrying a garment bag and a tablet.
"Arisaka-san!" A voice chirped. "Hey! Auditor-san! It's been a year."
Kaito froze.
Hawks landed in front of him, wings folding neatly behind his back.
The boy grinned, holding a skewer of yakitori.
"You left the box in Aichi! and stopped working at the HPSC building" Hawks laughed.
"I haven't had a gear malfunction since you fixed my feather-pattern. You working for the American now? Did you fix his flight stabilizers?"
Kaito adjusted his glasses. His heart rate remained steady.
"I am the Operations Manager, Takami-kun," Kaito said. "I do not discuss technical specifications in unsecure environments."
SLAP.
A heavy hand hit Kaito's back. He sensed it but he didn't bother to move.
"Oi! Glasses!"
Mirko, the Rabbit Hero, grinned at him. "My boots are still holding up! I kicked a villain through a bank vault yesterday and didn't feel a thing. You're a wizard with that 'Spring Theory' stuff. You got any tips for my knees?"
Kaito stepped back.
This was bad. He doesn't want any attention now.
But.
A shadow fell over him.
"Arisaka-shonen!"
All Might stood there. He was in his muscle form, towering over the group. He radiated health and power.
"It is good to see you!" All Might boomed. "I saw you at the signing event earlier. You are working hard! Tell me, has the Commission stopped pestering you? And how is your health? I hope you aren't straining yourself, young man; you know your body is fragile."
"...."
The room went silent.
Hawks blinked. "Pestering? Straining? What are you talking about, All Might? This guy is the Aichi Auditor last year. He's a genius, and even gave me some advice."
"Auditor? Genius" Aizawa stepped out of the shadows, looking confused. "Arisaka is a civilian. Below average in academics and he also failed the vocational audit due to a biological rejection quirk. He's fragile."
Hawks looked at Aizawa. Aizawa looked at Hawks.
The connection was forming. The discrepancy. Genius Engineer vs. Normal Civilian.
Kaito felt the absurdity of the atmosphere. Like, why does the topic is about him.
But the deadlock to the situation is here.
Thud.
Kaito slammed his hand onto Captain Celebrity's shoulder.
"Captain! Your cape is crooked!" Kaito said.
"The clasp is loose! We cannot go on stage like this! The camera will see the wrinkles!"
"What?! Fix it manager"
He physically shoved the massive American hero toward the dressing room door.
"Excuse us! Wardrobe emergency! Nice to meet you again everyone"
Kaito dragged CC out of the room before Hawks could ask another question.
"He is still the same. An awkward young man" Almight broke the atmosphere with a laugh.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: The Main Stage – Live Broadcast
Time: 06:00 PM
The atmosphere in the Diet Building was heavy. The air was thick with the tension of a nation under siege.
Millions of people were watching the broadcast.
Endeavor stood at the podium first. His flames were dim, controlled.
"The League of Villains has declared war," Endeavor growled. "They spread this 'Trigger' poison to our streets. They arm the weak and call it revolution. But hear this: Fire cleanses. We will burn the corruption out, root and stem."
Best Jeanist followed. "Society is a fabric. Currently, it is frayed. But when a thread snaps, we do not discard the garment—we weave it tighter. We ask for your patience. We ask for your trust."
Followed by several other veteran Pros.
Then, All Might took the stage. He didn't smile. He looked into the camera with burning blue eyes.
"I AM HERE," All Might said, his voice rumbling through the speakers. "And as long as I stand, the Demon Lord, All For One will not claim this world! Fear not, citizens! We will find him. We will stop him."
"Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!"
"Wooooohhhhh" "PLUSS ULTRAAA!"
"ALMIIIGHT!"
The crowd cheered.
"And now," the announcer said. "Our special guest. The Number One Hero of the USA. Captain Celebrity!"
Tip-tap.Tip-rtap
Captain Celebrity walked out. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't posing. He wore a serious expression that Kaito had made him practice in the mirror for three hours.
He adjusted the microphone.
"People of the world," CC began, his voice soft. "Citizens of this great city… and yes, even you back there with the cameras. Look at me"
Backstage, Kaito watched the monitor. He mouthed the words along with him.
"For a long time, I thought I was the sun," CC said. "I thought being a hero was about the flashbulbs and the billboards. I thought my job was to be watched."
He looked out at the silent crowd.
"But I've learned something lately. The suit, the cape, the quirk—they're just accessories. You can have the power to lift a skyscraper, but if you don't have the heart to stand under it when it's falling, you're just a man in a costume. I used to ask: 'Are you not entertained?' I thought that was my job."
The camera zoomed in on his face.
"I was wrong. A hero's job isn't to be watched. A hero's job is to watch over you."
"We live in a world that worships the 'Super.' We treat the Top 10 like gods and the quirkless like background noise. But being a god is easy. Being a man? Being a human being who chooses to do the right thing even when the cameras are off? That's where the real power is. A true hero isn't measured by the size of his muscles, but by the strength of his heart." Christopher continued the script Kaito made him.
In Naruhata, Koichi Haimawari sat on his floor, staring at the TV. Kazuho Haneyama held her breath.
"I know what they say about me. I know my mistakes follow me like a shadow. But that's the thing about the light—it only works if you're willing to face the dark. To those of you out there who feel 'average,' who feel like you don't have a 'flashy' enough story to matter: Listen to me. The world doesn't need more celebrities. It needs more people who are willing to stand in the gap," Captain Celebrity said.
"If we can't protect the world, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it. But I'm not here to talk about vengeance today. I'm here to talk about responsibility."
"From this moment on, I am not fighting for the rankings. I am not fighting for the sponsors. I am fighting for the person who is too scared to look up. I will be your shield. Not because I'm famous, but because I'm a Hero. And a Hero is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles" Captain Celebrity vowed.
"So, keep your cameras rolling if you want. But don't look at me because I'm a star. Look at me because I'm standing my ground. And I'm not moving.
Watch me. Not for the show… but for the Hope!"
The silence in the hall held for one second.
Then, it broke.
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP
Thunderous applause. People were weeping. It was the speech of a leader. Another symbol.
Symbol of Hope.
"WOOOOOAAAAAHHHH!"
CC wiped a tear from his eye. The music swelled. 'It works. I was practicing for hours with the Manager for this.'
Then, the pivot happened.
"But!" CC shouted, cutting through the applause. "To be a Shield... you need STAMINA! You need POWER!"
The crowd paused.
CC whipped a silver bottle out from behind the podium.
He was muddle-headed for all the words and memorization for three hours straight.
'Hehe' CC laughed silently.
"That's why I drink KAITO X! The Fixer's Fuel! It tastes like bitter discipline, but it WAKES YOU UP!"
"..."
"..."
The emotional whiplash was severe.
Aizawa face-palmed in the wings.
Endeavor looked like he wanted to burn the stage down.
"Come out here, Manager Kaito!" CC yelled, beaming. "The genius behind the flavor!"
_-_-_-_-_
Kaito stood in the wings. He crossed his arms. He shook his head. No.
Kaito didn't think that this guy will really launch the product with his name.
The crowd waited.
The silence grew awkward.
CC's smile faltered. He realized Kaito wasn't moving. He panicked.
He ran to the edge of the stage, away from the mic, but still visible to the cameras.
"Psst! Kaito!" CC hissed. "Get out here! You're ruining the moment!"
Kaito stepped forward slightly, staying in the shadows. He checked his watch.
"No, this wasn't part of the plan" Kaito whispered back.
"I'll give you a bonus!" CC pleaded, sweating. "Three million yen! Cash! Just walk on stage!"
Kaito looked at him.
"One-time bonuses are taxed at forty percent," Kaito whispered, his voice flat. "I'm not interested."
"What do you want?!" CC begged. "Everyone's watching!"
Kaito adjusted his cuff.
"I want fifteen percent equity in the beverage subsidiary," Kaito whispered calmly. "And a two-hundred yen royalty on every unit sold. In perpetuity."
CC's eyes bulged. "That's extortion! That's my retirement fund!"
"Then go sell it yourself," Kaito said. He turned his back and started walking away. "I'm going home."
"WAIT!" CC screeched. "FINE! DEAL! Fifteen percent! Just save the broadcast!"
Kaito stopped. He smiled. It was a terrifyingly small, sharp smile.
"Pleasure doing business, Christopher."
'Damn it! I really can't outdo this kid!' CC thought to himself.
Kaito spun on his heel. He smoothed his jacket. He walked out of the shadows and into the blinding stage lights.
Kaito stood next to the massive, smiling hero.
He looked like a man who had just filed a very satisfying tax return.
He leaned into the microphone.
"It contains 50 grams of protein," Kaito said to the nation. "It tastes like bitter discipline. Buy it so he stops talking."
"...."
HAHAHAHAHA.
The crowd erupted in confused laughter and cheers.
In the front row, Rikiya Yotsubashi clapped slowly. He looked at the bottle. Then he looked at the manager in the suit.
The efficiency. The way the man had cornered a hero into a deal on live TV.
"Kaito X," Rikiya murmured. "A pecular product name. Rhymes with Hero X."
"Interesting. That American oaf couldn't write a speech like that. And he certainly couldn't negotiate equity." He continued as he looked at the guy next to CC.
"I wonder if I can recruit him. No one could handle that oaf before, yet he does it with a glance. That is a rare talent"
_-_-_-_-_-_
Backstage, Kaito walked off as the applause continued.
_-_-_-_-_
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(9 Advanced Chapters)