Chapter 76: Not You Again
Author: Geraint
♪ Yotsubashi Detnerat Company! ♪
Inside the company building, Re-Destro stood by the window, glaring outside at the massive, luxurious skyscraper that had just been completed by Yamagi Industries—his corporate rival. Unlike his, their company was booming, specializing in personalized products manufactured faster than his own facilities. His business was slowly spiraling toward bankruptcy.
"Damn it! Thanks to that corporation, my company is bleeding money every year! And now the Hero Commission is breathing down my neck—I can't sell anything on the black market anymore! They've even taken out all my Pro Hero spies!"
BAM!He kicked his table, flipping it violently.
"Damn!!"
Furious, he pulled out his phone and called one of his men.
"You! Plant the bomb on that building and blow it sky-high!"
"Re-Destro-sama... we can't..."
"What?! Why the hell not—?!"
Krrrrrr~
A strange, familiar sound crackled over the phone. Re-Destro's eyes widened.
"GYAAAH!! HE'S HERE! PLEASE, HELP—"
Tooooot~
The call ended abruptly with a scream. Re-Destro trembled.
"…Not you again."
A shadow darkened his face as his Stress Quirk activated, black energy seeping from his body.
CRASH!!
Suddenly, someone smashed through the window and rolled to the floor, immediately striking a fighting pose.
"This damn platypus boy...!"
Re-Destro snarled.
Ichika, wearing his Perry the Platypus costume, calmly placed a fedora on his head.
Krrrrrr~
"Perry the Platypus Boy!! You little bastard!"
Ichika rushed him, but the floor beneath collapsed, and he fell into a trap hole.
"Aha! You fell right into my trap! You forgot the hole you made during your last attack. I just reused it!"
Re-Destro looked down, grinning—until Ichika launched back up from the pit and smashed an uppercut into his jaw.
"UGH!"
The villain staggered back, stunned.
"H-how did you—?!"
He froze when he saw Ichika holding a trigger device.
"Wait... Is that my—?!"
Ichika pressed the button and leapt out of the building with a parachute.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the building as several floors ignited in flames.
"CURSE YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS!!" Re-Destro roared from the smoke-filled window, coughing.
Ichika teleported back into the beach's changing room, quickly swapping into navy blue swim trunks. After that, he ran off to buy drinks.
Returning with an armful of assorted drinks, he approached the tent.
"Oh! There he is!" Nejire spotted him.
Toru stormed over.
"Ichika-kun! You should've asked one of us to help carry those!"
"So… you wanted to follow me into the boys' changing room?"
Toru turned red. "I-I wasn't talking about that!"
Ichika offered her a cold drink."Here. It's your favorite."
Toru blinked in surprise. "Thank you…"
"I just couldn't help it. Carrying those was good training. I was grinding while running around the beach." He walked past her, muttering.
Toru gazed at his back with admiration.
After lunch, Toru grabbed Ichika's hand and pulled him toward the water.
Peeeeew!Toru's invisibility suddenly canceled, revealing her real form—shocking Nejire.
"Toru…?"
"Hehe~ Nice to meet you again, Nejire-senpai. I'm Hagakure Toru. This is my real appearance when Ichika's quirk cancels out mine."
Nejire frowned slightly, jealousy flickering in her eyes. She clung to Ichika's left arm, pressing it between her chest.
"Hey!"
Toru responded by hugging his other side with a pout. "I'm bored, Ichika! Let's play!"
Then Little Bel leapt onto his back, arms wrapped around his neck.
"Hey—!"
"Hehe~!"
"Little Bel! That's dangerous!" Momo scolded her.
Ichika noticed the angry glares from surrounding men on the beach. His cheek twitched. "What did I do to deserve this…"
Meanwhile, La Brava and Roboco were walking through the snack stalls.
"It's such a shame I can't eat snacks with you, Roboco."
I'll be fine.
Suddenly, a group of guys approached them.
"Hey there, cutie. Wanna hang out?"
"We know a fun spot around here…"
La Brava stepped in front of Roboco, arms out.
"Get away from my friend!"
They scowled.
"What's with this little brat?"
"I'm not a brat! I'm an adult!!" La Brava barked.
The men laughed and ignored her, focusing on Roboco.
"Hey! I said get away—KYAAAH!"
One guy shoved La Brava, and she hit the ground hard. Her snacks scattered in the sand.
"Shut up, ugly!"
Tears welled in La Brava's eyes. Roboco's normally emotionless face darkened. Her eyes gleamed red.
She raised her palm.
ZAAAAP!
The guy who insulted La Brava was blasted across the beach by a high-density beam, crashing into the distance.
Who's next? I won't forgive anyone who hurts my friend.
"GYAAH!"
"RUN!!"
The rest bolted in panic.
Are you okay, Manami-chan?
Roboco offered her hand and pulled her up.
"Y-Yeah… Thank you, Roboco."
Don't listen to them. Manami-chan is cute.
"But…"
Every girl has her own charm. Those trashbags don't know anything about you.
"…Roboco…"
La Brava hugged her, crying into her chest.
Later, when they returned to the tent, Ichika noticed La Brava's puffy eyes while he grilled more barbecue.
"What happened, Hecker? You look like crap. Did something happen?"
"It's none of your business!" La Brava snapped.
Roboco looked at him and explained:Some guys hit on me and called Manami-chan ugly.
"Roboco!!"
PFFFFT!Ichika burst into laughter.
La Brava glared. "Don't laugh!!"
"To be honest… you're actually pretty, Hecker."
Her eyes widened.
"Especially when you're working at your computer, focused and passionate. But what I don't like… is your attitude toward me. You should respect me as your boss."
La Brava's moment of awe died instantly.
"And who made me act like that?!"
"You did!"
"No, you did it first!"
The two glared and began bickering again.
Father. 2B's program is complete. We can start the test tonight.
They both paused, turning to Roboco.
(To be continued.)
A/N: I'll fix mistakes later.