The Next Day

U.A. High School

John’s Office

“Good Morning, Momo. What is this?” John asked when Momo entered his office carrying several bags.

“Good Morning, John. This is your new hero suit!” She replied, dropping the heavy bags beside his desk.

“Oh? I thought this was supposed to be dropped off at the house?”

“It was, but since you are going to have your first lesson today, I thought you should be dressed for the part.”

“Well, thank you. It’s appreciated- wait, what is all this?” He said, pulling out armoured pads and equipment from the bags. 

It almost looks like fancy hockey gear. If hockey gear were black and had spikes covering it.

“Well, your Quirk isn’t really suited for combat, so instead of trying to enhance that, we went for a variable design that lets you swap out pieces depending on the situation. Here, let’s get you suited up with the base gear, then we can get you acquainted with some of the modular equipment.”

“Ah… How long will this take? I have an appointment coming soon.”

“Only a few minutes. I just need to make sure everything fits properly, and if I need to take it back for any adjustments I can’t make on the spot.” 

“Fine. So where do I start?”

It took about five minutes to get him into the suit, which was visually similar to his leathers but made from a denser material with heavy plates under the leather jacket covering his chest, back, and forearms. The forearms had clips where he could attach equipment, from spikes that could explode outwards and deliver an electric shock to what looked like gauntlets with pneumatic rams over his knuckles that supposedly could break bricks when activated. His back had a cylinder that, when used, would shift over his shoulder and fire an electrified net, capable of incapacitating most people.

His legs were also covered in heavy leather pants, plated shin guards, and heavy combat boots with short spikes on the toes that delivered electric shocks when they connected with someone. These also had various attachments that could be activated in a fight, all with different ways to immobilize an opponent. Which led to the helmet.

It was similar to Mei’s Robocop design, but instead of a mosaic of screens on the inside, it was more like the Pelican’s HUD. It allowed him to activate any attachment with a simple thought, as if he were wearing a neurohelmet. It had a weird, flexible plated cable that attached to his back armour, protecting his neck and giving it a hardline connection to his equipment.

This is so weird. I’m like a cross between Batman, Blade, and a Battlemech. Oh god, am I Judge Dredd? Where’s a mirror?

“Momo, this is a little beyond what we talked about with your mother. I thought I was just getting a black suit with electrified knuckles and a net.” He said, trying to be diplomatic.

“Maybe a little, but this will provide you with ample protection against most villains, allowing you to bring them in safely. Oh, here! I made this for you!” She said, handing him a holster with a pistol in it.

“Wait? Did you bring an actual gun to school?”

“It’s a stun gun, not an actual gun. It fires darts capable of delivering shocks of five million volts at 5 milliamps, rendering almost anyone unconscious. It’s actually a fairly standard dart used by certain police and hero agencies here in Japan. Just don’t hit people in the neck and they should be fine.”

“How is this legal? I thought firearms were illegal here?” He said, then realized that Momo could literally make artillery pieces with her Quirk. 

“It’s not an actual gun. While you could kill someone, it’s highly unlikely to happen. Besides, you fall under the classification of a hero now; thus, different rules apply for you than what a normal civilian has to follow. As long as you only use these tools while executing your duties, they are legal. Didn’t you know that already? It’s all part of the provisional hero licensing exam we are studying for.”

“No… when I went in for my licence, they gave me a thirty-minute video lecture and a short written test. I’m not supposed to act without supervision of Ru- Mirko or Mt Lady, though, so maybe it’s a learn-on-the-job thing. Heh, maybe I should be attending some of your classes.”

“Honestly, it probably wouldn’t hurt to at least read the textbooks. The worst part of it is dealing with all the paperwork when handing villains over to the police. Did you know that nearly fifteen percent of villains are released due to improperly filed paperwork? It’s a major problem in Japan.”

Before he could reply, there was a knock on his door. Anan was standing there, wearing her spacesuit. “Mr. Wayne? Is this a bad time?”

“No, just trying on my new suit. What can I do for you, Thirteen?” He asked, setting the stun gun on his desk.

“Well, I’m trying to take a leave of absence, but Mr. Principal said I needed to talk with you before he approved it.”

“Well, let me get back into my regular outfit and- Umm… Momo, why isn’t this helmet detaching?” John said, trying to remove his headgear.

“Sit down and let me see…” She said, then started to fiddle with something behind him. “Ahh… shoot… Somehow, the magnetic couplers got stuck together. Give me a minute.”

She started pulling on things, poking around with something he couldn’t see, then tried to roughly pull his helmet off his head. All she managed to do was pull on his neck. 

“I need to think of something I can take this apart with, without damaging you or the equipment.”

“It’s fine, Momo.” He sighed, then looked at the clock. “You need to get to class. I’ll see you in a couple of hours at the training field anyway. You can fix it then.” 

“Are you sure? This shouldn’t take more than ten… fifteen minutes tops.”

Am I sure I want to be trapped in this suit? No, but I’ll break out of it with Dig if I have to. Or get Mei to look at it.

“It will be fine. Thanks again for bringing it. We can just work out the bugs later.” He replied, then looked over at Anan. “Please, take a seat.”

Momo gave him a sheepish-looking glance, then left the room, leaving him alone with Anan. She sat down on the chaise lounge and popped her visor open. She had a small smile on her face, her hazel eyes filled with mirth.

“What?” He asked, though he didn’t need Scouter to figure out what she found amusing.

“Oh, just some memories about my prototype hazard suit. I was trapped in one of these for nearly two days once. I had to give up trying to fix it and used my Quirk to destroy it to escape.” She said with a bit of a chuckle. “At least yours doesn’t prevent you from going to the bathroom.”

“God, I don’t even want to think about that.” He said with a bit of a shudder. “So, suit issues aside, what brings you to finally come meet with me, Anan? Or do you prefer Thirteen?”

“Anan is fine. Well, as I mentioned, I want to take a leave of absence. A lot has happened to me recently, and I need to step back and gather myself. Nezu said he would approve up to a four-month paid leave, as long as he received your recommendation as the school therapist.”

“Well, call me John then. As for leave, I don’t mind recommending something like that, but could you tell me what is going on first? Maybe I can help?”

“Of course. It all started back at the U.S.J. Incident….” She said, then started talking about all her experiences in the last two weeks. If John hadn’t been right there beside her for each one, been her rescuer in each one, he would have had a hard time believing that it was real. It was different hearing it from her perspective, with some parts being somewhat sanitized from how he remembered them, and others sounding more unreal. She described some of his actions as if he were a Hollywood action-movie hero saving a damsel in distress at every turn. She didn’t say anything about any of their kissing, but she had a dreamy look in her eyes as she described the aftermath of nearly every rescue.

“Anyway, after the incident last night, I really need some time to myself. I have an event I need to attend this weekend, but after that, I think I’ll head out to the country for a bit. I need to reevaluate who I am and what I want out of my life. Hell, I’m twenty-eight and still single. If I don’t do something about that soon, I’m afraid I’ll become one of those crazy cat ladies. And I don’t mean the Wild, Wild, Pussycats.” She finished, laughing at the last part like it was a joke.

He chuckled a little along with her, having no idea what she was referring to. “Well, I can see you had a rough time recently. I have no problems sending along my support for you taking some time off. Just don’t go and isolate yourself. Maybe take some time and reconnect with family and friends.”

“Already planning on it. Wow, this was easier to do than I thought. I was expecting far worse coming to meet a shrink.”

“I’m not a psychologist. I’m here to help talk you through things. We didn’t really do a lot of that today. Honestly, we should be talking more about each and every one of these incidents, but I won’t force you. However, take my card. All my contact information is on here, and if something comes up while you’re off, contact me, and I’ll come running to help.” He said with a laugh, handing her one of his new business cards Nezu had left in the staff mailbox for him that morning. 

“Of course. Thank you, John. I appreciate it.” She said, standing up from the chair.

“My pleasure, darlin’.” He replied, standing up as well and offering her his hand. “I’m always- Are you okay?”

Anan was intensely staring at him, a small frown on her face. He belatedly activated Scouter.

{Is it him? They kind of sound the same… TK called me darling too… they are both tall… but why would a vigilante be working here? Nezu would have figured that out by now if he were. Wait? Didn’t John have a missing eye, too? I can’t see under his visor to check, but I’ll ask someone else. This is too much of a coincidence.}

Crap!

“Is… something wrong?” He asked.

“How…No… Nothing is wrong.” She said, then shook his offered hand. “Thank you. Thank you so much, John. For everything you have done.” 

{If it is him… I’ll keep his secret. I told him I would, and nothing has changed.}

“You’re welcome. Now, I think my next appointment is waiting for me before I need to go supervise some students. I’ll see you around.” He said, trying not to let his relief show on his face.

“Call me that again.”

“What? Darlin’?”

“Yeah… I liked it.”

“My pleasure, darlin’,” John replied, internally facepalming.

“Mmm… thanks. See you soon.” She said with a small smile before closing her visor and leaving the room. 

John watched her leave, then returned to his desk. There was nothing he could do about that for now, so he just sent Nezu the email saying he supported her taking the time off, then waited for his next appointment. It was someone from the third-year class named Nejire Hado, part of the ‘Big Three’ of that class, a group of the top students. She just happened to be at the school today instead of shadowing at an agency or doing whatever else the third-year students did on a day-to-day basis. Their schedule wasn’t as strictly regimented at the first-year students, at least for the hero courses.

“Mr. Wayne? I was told I needed to come see you. Oh, that is a cool-looking hero costume!” A short girl with long blue hair said from his doorway. She was smiling as she bounced into the room, taking a seat on one of the recliners. 

John smiled and welcomed her, putting his meeting with Anan out of his mind for now. He had a job to do here, and unless he was fired, he would keep doing it to the best of his ability. He just wished he wasn’t trapped in this damn suit. 

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep