You twirled your newest pen between your fingers and let out a listless sigh. You still couldn't believe that this was the reward you'd gotten for smashing your lips against Katsuki's. It was almost like you were being pranked or something.
["That pen's pretty nice, isn't it?"]
You rolled your eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't fall out your skull.
Yeah, right. I thought they said there would be better rewards for clearing tasks of higher difficulty. I'd say kissing someone is pretty hard to pull off. If I'd kissed Katsuki on purpose rather than by mistake, he would've probably lost his mind.
Either the system had been lying to you-which was nothing new, really-or that meant that there would be tasks in the future that would be way harder than the one you'd just completed. You didn't even want to try and imagine what they could possibly be. You had enough on your plate as it was.
["Since you don't have school today, how about you start training? Remember, your goal is to get into U.A, so you'll need to develop some skills. You'll keep on gaining skill points as you rank up with your targets, but you can't rely solely on those. You need to build up some fighting prowess on your own."]
"How am I supposed to fight?" you frowned. "I don't technically have a Quirk. Am I just supposed to punch and kick? Will that be enough for me to become a hero?"
["If you had superhuman strength like All Might, sure, but you aren't strong enough to get away with hand-to-hand combat. Not yet, at least. You have plenty of room to grow. There's no telling how strong you'll get. But for the time being, I think it'd be best if you stuck to using weapons."]
That didn't sound much better, because you obviously couldn't remember having ever used a weapon before. Perhaps you actually had, but you'd simply lost your memories of it. There was such a thing as muscle memory, so even if your amnesia was impeding your recollection of things, perhaps your skills would come back to you once you actually picked up a weapon.
You were kind of hoping this was the case, because you got the sense that becoming a weapon expert would take a lot of hard work.
["Are you wondering if you might have used weapons before?"]
You blinked rapidly. "Um. You can't also read my mind... can you?"
["Of course not. That would be highly unethical."]
Bitch! Like that's ever stopped you before!
You supposed they would have done plenty more crappy things if they could see your innermost thoughts. You also wouldn't be able to curse them out in your head like you were doing right now. Motherfucker, asshole, dickhead, creepy bastard-the list of things you'd secretly called them went on and on.
["Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you're going to be an absolute beginner. You've never used weapons before."]
"How do you know that?" you challenged. "Honestly, how much of my life are you keeping from me? I already said I'd do as you wanted, but can't you tell me a bit more about myself? Please. I won't ask for much. I just want to remember who I am."
["It's difficult to explain, but I have a way of assessing your physical condition and knowing what sort of skills you have. Fighting with weapons isn't one of them, so that's why we need to start working on it while you've still got time before the U.A entrance exam."]
It was always so hard to get a straight answer. They were hiding more things than you could probably even count. Even if you did exactly as they demanded, there was really no guarantee you would be able to recover your memories. So far, you'd only seen a brief snippet-the one of your mother. And it felt like you'd recalled it naturally, not through the system's help.
But maybe that was for the best. With enough time, it was possible that all sorts of things would trigger your memory and help you remember. And once you did, perhaps you would also find the key to getting rid of the system once and for all.
Yeah. It was a really, really good thing they couldn't read your thoughts.
"Fine," you said, pressing your lips into a thin line. "Let's say for the sake of argument that I believe you. So, how do I start training? Where would I even find weapons to use?"
["Well, that's a silly question. You're going to craft the weapons yourself, of course. Here. Let's start with something simple."]
[Craft Beginner-Level Baton?]
>>[YES]
Is the beginner-level part really necessary? Well, whatever. I guess a baton isn't too difficult to use.
As always, you felt fatigue crash over you once you crafted the item, but it wasn't quite as intense as the previous instances. Maybe because up until now you'd been crafting furniture that was a lot larger? Perhaps the size and intricacy of the object were proportionate to the energy required. Or maybe your body was slowly getting used to all of this.
["How do you feel? Do you think you have it in you to craft a second object?"]
"I guess so," you nodded. "But why would I need to craft a second one? You're not going to make me train with two weapons at the same time, right?"
Instead of answering you, they created another pop-up.
[Craft Bakugou Katsuki Training Dummy?]
>>[YES]
Um...
You didn't really know what to expect until you made your selection and a training dummy popped up in front of you-one that looked suspiciously similar to Katsuki. You assumed it had been fashioned in his likeness. It was kind of cute, but also kind of terrifying at the same time.
["I thought you would like to pretend like you were beating the crap out of him. I figured it would give you a motivation boost."]
Well. They weren't entirely wrong about that.
You poked the training dummy, which bobbed slightly in place. If it was the real Katsuki, he would have probably bitten your finger off by now.
The baton you'd just crafted was nestled in your other hand, and you gripped it tighter, allowing yourself to familiarize yourself with the feel of it.
Then, without even needing to be told anything, you used the baton to whack the Katsuki dummy across the face.
"Eat shit, asshole!" you cried out. "You think I wanted to kiss you? Of course not! So, what the hell are you getting mad at me for? And why are you such a dick to Izuku? Your personality sucks balls!"
This continued for quite a while longer, and by the end of your stress-relieving session, you were flushed in the face and panting heavily.
The system felt inclined to weigh in.
["Wow. That's a lot of pent-up anger."]
"Yeah, no shit!"
As much as you hated to admit that they were right, imagining Katsuki right in front of you did help you channel your frustration. It was awfully ironic, considering you were meant to pursue a romantic relationship with him, but so far, he hadn't given you much reason to think favorably of him. But maybe that would change over time. A part of you still felt like he wasn't as bad of a guy as he let on.
["Anyways. That was... okay, I guess, but I wanted to clue you in on another feature you can use. It allows you to access items without needing to scroll through the entire inventory. All you need to do is clearly visualize the item you want, and say equip. For now, store your baton and try calling it back."]
You did as they told you to and put the baton away. Then, instead of bringing up the system interface to look through it, you closed your eyes and tried to visualize the baton you'd just held in your hand. You tried to remember exactly what it looked like and how it felt in your palm.
"Equip," you said, waiting for the baton to materialize in your hand.
Nothing happened.
"Um... equip," you repeated, but yet again, the baton didn't appear. Letting out a huff of frustration, you opened your eyes. "Okay, what gives? I tried doing it, but it didn't work at all."
["Hm. It's probably because you're still a noob. I suppose you need to practice a bit more before being able to use this feature. What a shame. I didn't realize you were so incompetent."]
You were currently thinking of ways to kill someone who didn't even exist.
["Well, you'll just have to keep practicing. Like I said, it's important to have a super clear visual of the item you want to equip, otherwise it won't work. The more you get used to seeing your weapons and wielding them, the more likely it is that you can unlock the equip function. It'll be very important later on, especially if you're fighting an opponent and need to switch your weapon mid-battle."]
That certainly did sound useful. Hopefully it wouldn't take you too long to get the hang of it. Quite frankly, the prospect of becoming a hero still scared you because you knew you would have to put your safety on the line, but you didn't exactly have a choice. The possibility of dying was certainly a scary thought, but if the alternative was being mentally tortured-and made to feel pain too-then you would just have to suck it up and become strong enough that no one could fuck with you.
In that case, you were really going to have to get serious.
You combed through your inventory and retrieved the baton, then turned towards the Katsuki dummy with a determined expression.
"Alright," you huffed. "Time for round two, bitch."
*****
Training was hard. On top of your daily tasks, which were always physical-omitting the time you'd been forced to kiss someone-you now had to put in extra time to work out and get used to wielding your weapons. It was even more tiring than you would have expected, and since it didn't seem like you had a natural competence for athletic tasks, you were struggling.
You took solace in the fact that there was a long way to go until the U.A entrance exam, and you weren't the only one dreaming big. Izuku also wanted to get into U.A, so that he could attend the same school All Might had. At the very least, you had the system to help compensate for your weakness, but Izuku didn't have a Quirk at all, so you could only imagine how much more difficult it would be for him. It felt unfair to complain when you knew how badly he wanted to become a hero.
Regardless, between juggling your training and trying to get close to your love interests, on top of having virtually no memories, it was safe to say that there was a lot on your mind.
Here we go. Let's see how today's attempt turns out.
[Name]
Hi, Shouto!
I hope you're doing well
How do you usually spend your days off from school?
One of the most challenging issues you'd encountered thus far was the fact that Shouto was nearly impossible to hold a conversation with. You'd hoped that after getting his number, you would gradually become friends with him, like you had with Izuku. But nope, it was a miracle if you even received a reply at all, and whenever you did, he usually ghosted you not long after.
[Shouto]
I mostly just train.
He responded! Okay, now how do I keep this conversation going?
[Name]
Oh, cool!
What sort of training do you do?
I've actually started training recently as well
I need to get stronger so that I can get into U.A
(seen)
Just like that, he'd left you on read again.
...or so you'd thought.
[Shouto]
You want to go to U.A?
[Name]
Yeah!
I'm trying to become a hero
Heroes are cool, right?
I'm not that strong yet, but I'm hoping that my hard work will pay off eventually :)
[Shouto]
I see.
[Name]
Mhm!
Oh, by the way, what kind of Quirk do you have?
You'd briefly explained to Izuku how your powers worked. Just vaguely, at least. You were supposed to pretend like the system was your Quirk, after all, but you didn't mention the fact that there was someone-or something-that you could regularly communicate with. You also didn't tell him about love points and the fact that you were supposed to win people over, for obvious reasons.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Izuku had marveled. "So, you can create things out of thin air? That's an amazing Quirk!"
You'd intentionally kept things pretty vague, because you figured you would end up having to make a lot of excuses later on. But for the time being, he seemed convinced, and that was really the best you could hope for.
That was why you were prepared to give Shouto the same answer you'd told Izuku if he ended up asking about your Quirk as well. But that didn't actually end up happening.
[Shouto]
I don't really feel like talking about it.
STATUS UPDATE:
[Todoroki Shouto is feeling a bit irritated.]
[-10 love points.]
[Current progress: 20/100]
Shit!
You didn't even know what could possibly have upset him, but it was clear that you'd struck some kind of nerve. He didn't like to talk about his powers? Was he embarrassed about them somehow? Or maybe he was just sick of people asking him the same question?
It had been a struggle just to get this far with Shouto, given how unsociable he was, and it was starting to feel a bit hopeless. But then again, for the longest time, you hadn't even been able to imagine Katsuki's points going up, and yet they had. You needed to try not to fixate on the points too much. The points were just to vaguely quantify your relationships with people. At the end of the day, these things were more complex than a simple numerical value.
[Name]
My bad
I'm sorry if you feel like I was being too nosy
Well, I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing
I hope you have a very nice day!
You didn't expect him to respond again, but surprisingly, he did.
[Shouto]
Ok. Thanks.
By the way, I'm planning on going to U.A too.
I guess we might see each other if you end up getting in.
Wow. He actually willingly extended the conversation. That's a first.
You decided to quit while you were ahead. As much as you wanted to suggest meeting up and actually spending some time together in person, it was clear that was going to take baby steps-and a lot of them, for that matter.
Suddenly, you heard a ping.
["Wait. Don't head home just yet. I can sense that there's another target nearby. It might be a bit premature, but... let's just see how it goes."]
Just like when you'd first navigated around to run into Katsuki, they pulled up a map and directions for you to follow. You were no stranger to this game by now, although you wondered how you would strike up a conversation with whoever it was. Unlike at the mall when you'd run into Shouto, you weren't carrying any bags, so you couldn't really pretend to trip and drop your belongings.
"I guess I'll just have to turn on the charm," you sighed loudly.
Unfortunately, you didn't yet know just how sinister the system's intentions were. Up until now, you'd been under the impression that they would only make you target normal people. People that could be construed as either good, or at the very least, morally decent. Even Katsuki, who was a bully, still wasn't downright evil.
But the person you were about to run into sure was.
"Fucking shit," a young man grimaced, angrily kicking the vending machine he was standing in front of. "I paid for my drink-I want my drink, goddammit."
From where you currently were, you didn't have a very clear view of his face. He had his hood pulled up anyways, and it was obscuring most of his expression. You could see that he had rather messy pale blue hair that stuck out from under the hood, and an overall lanky frame, but that was about it.
The system's next message seemed oddly hesitant.
["That's him. But, uh, be careful not to say anything stupid and piss him off. He's got a bit of a temper."]
Great. Another asshole like Katsuki?
You'd been hoping to run into someone nice, like Izuku, but you supposed that was wishful thinking on your part. Nonetheless, you knew you had a job to do, and you weren't about to back out without even making an effort.
"Hi there," you smiled, slowly approaching him. "Did the machine eat your coins? I have a few extra ones, so you could try adding more in."
You dug into your wallet and proudly pulled out the coins, then held out your hand towards him, expecting that he would take them from you.
He didn't do that, though. It took him a little while to fully turn around, and you had to do your best not to let your shoulders jolt when you finally got a good look at his face.
His skin was noticeably dry, and you couldn't help but worry if he was in pain. He had blood red eyes that burned into yours with an intensity you hadn't known was possible. The dry skin was deceptively aging, but if you took a proper look at his features, he probably wasn't much older than you. A few years, give or take. He was also vaguely familiar, but at this point this sense of déjà vu had become so commonplace that you weren't even questioning it anymore.
"What do you want?" he snapped. His voice was thin and raspy, even more so now that he was speaking at a low register.
It was okay. You'd been prepared to be met with unfriendliness from the moment the system had told you he had a temper, so you just kept on smiling. "You can have the coins," you insisted. "I heard you say the machine wasn't giving you your drink. Usually, if you add more coins in, it'll eventually dispense what you bought."
Most people would've reacted with a smile or brief nod; some show of appreciation, at the very least.
But no, not this guy.
"I don't need your handouts," he scowled bitterly, turning away from you in one fell swoop. He opted to just give up on his drink altogether, then shoved past you so hard that you nearly lost your balance.
You considered calling out to him, but the next notification you received suggested it was better not to.
STATUS UPDATE:
[Shimura Tenko]
[Shigaraki Tomura isn't amused by your fake display of heroism.]
[-10 love points.]
[Current progress: -10/200]
Huh? For just a second, I thought his name looked different... was I imagining things?
Shigaraki was already walking away from you, and you were left standing there with your hand extended, coins piled up in the center of your palm.
So far, you had to admit, most of your love interests sucked ass. Shouto wasn't necessarily mean or anything, but he was aloof to a fault, and you struggled to imagine him ever developing feelings for you. Katsuki was hotheaded and had a rather nasty personality, which went without saying. And now this new guy seemed like he was about to be a massive pain in your ass too. The only person you really liked so far was Izuku. Izuku was great. God, why couldn't more people be like him?
["It's okay. That could definitely have gone worse. It was an honest attempt, and I won't fault you for trying."]
Weird. They normally didn't miss any chances to berate you. Why was this instance any different?
Also, you had some questions. Perhaps the name issue had been nothing more than a glitch in the system, but you were confused as to why Shigaraki's first love meter capped at a higher value than the others you'd encountered so far.
You scrolled through your system interface and opened it up to where it displayed your progress with all your love interests.
"Izuku is my friend," you mumbled aloud, "and Shouto is still my acquaintance. Katsuki is my, ugh, rival, and it says Shigaraki is my... enemy?"
What the fuck? How could he be your enemy? Enemy sounded a hell of a lot worse than rival, and that was saying something, considering how easily Katsuki got pissed off at you.
"Is this another glitch?" you couldn't help but ask. "It says Shigaraki's my enemy, but we literally just met. There's no way I managed to piss him off that much just through a first encounter. Right?"
For some reason, no matter how hard you pressed the issue, the system refused to respond.