Chapter 193 – Carrots And Confessions
"Get up!"
*Thump*
"Ooof! Rumi! What the hell are you doing?" John shouted, pinned underneath the muscular rabbit woman. She was wearing a pair of tight shorts and only her breast wrap, her well-defined eight-pack overshadowing his newly acquired six-pack.
"When were you going to tell me!" She said, glaring down at him.
Shit? Does she know about the Twilight Knight? Or that Yu's family is trying to get me to marry one of them? Hell, I haven't even had time to digest it all yet, let alone worry about when to tell her.
"Tell you what?" He replied, playing dumb.
*Thunk*
"Fess up now, else I'm going to keep swinging!" She said, batting his chest with a hand.
"I swear I didn't eat your carrots!" He said, valiantly trying to figure out what she was going on about without revealing a secret.
"Not that dork!" She said with a giggle, then lay on top of him, her face quite close to his. Her red eyes glinted mischievously at him.
"Then what? I had a long night and am not in the mood to play games!" He said, faking some indignation. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't enjoying having this much skin-to-skin contact with this beautiful woman, her heavy breasts pushing onto his bare chest, only the thin fabric of her wrap between them.
"This!" She pulled out an old phone from somewhere that had a picture of him rescuing a firefighter from the rubble of the building last night.
"What? I helped rescue some firefighters last night after the building collapsed." He said, now confused. Isn't that what he was supposed to be doing as a hero?
"Yes, you did, but you did it in your regular clothing. Why didn't you do it in your hero suit?" She asked, putting her phone away and getting really close to his face again.
"This is my hero suit as well. I don't have another one, and even if I did, I didn't have time to get changed into it."
"Uh uh, no apprentice of mine will be doing hero work unless you have a suit. Even if it's just a mask to hide your identity."
"You barreled into my room, jumped on me and woke me up just because I don't have a hero suit?" He asked, now even more confused.
"That and for this." She said, leaning in and giving him a full-on kiss. She opened her lips, and he poked his tongue into her mouth.
The pair of them began tongue wrestling each other for dominance, with him slowly winning the battle, having greater experience at kissing than she did. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tighter. One hand brushed her cotton ball tail, while the other went to the back of her head, his fingers running through her hair and playing with the base of one of her ears.
They finally broke apart after about a minute, a trail of saliva connecting their mouths for a moment before it broke. She lay her head down on his chest, snuggling him contentedly.
"Mmm... that was nice."
"Why do I deserve a kiss?" He asked, starting to feel a little guilty now that there were three different women kissing him in less than twelve hours.
When the hell did I become this much of a player? At least in the other worlds, I was open about it. I need to come clean to them soon, at least with Rumi and Yu. Who knows if Anan will see TK again, but those two now see each other every day.
"You got a hold of me, and I sent Yu to dig out Anan. That is Thirteen, by the way. We hang out once in a while, and I like to consider her a friend." She leaned in and started kissing him again, which he didn't try to stop. Her hands were now exploring his body more, though she seemed more interested in his shoulders than anything else.
God, now I'm feeling like a dirtbag. I'll tell her today. Just not when she is straddling my junk like this, else I might be in danger from an explosion.
"You're crazy sometimes, you know that?" He said when she broke the kiss.
"Yep! Now, get up. We are going shopping. Right after I beat your ass in the Dojo for the next thirty minutes." She replied, a sadistic glint returning to her eye.
"For the love of. Can I at least have a coffee first?"
"A glass of water. We can get coffee on the way to Yaoyorozu Creations. They make all my outfits."
"Why do I recognize that name... Oh, I think that is the same last name as one of my students."
"Maybe. We are going to see Kasi Yaoyorozu. She creates a lot of outfits for heroes, while her husband, Sanji, works mainly with augmentations and robotic supports. I think they have a daughter, but I haven't met her." She said, grinding herself a bit on top of little John, still smiling down at him.
"Fine. Well, let's get this day started then. I do need to be back at school after lunch. I have two appointments I can't miss today." He replied, trying to ignore the rigid staff that was in his pants.
"That is fine. She works fast. Now, up, up, up. You won't be able to kick my ass lazing about all day!" She gave him another quick kiss, then sprang off him, somersaulting back out the door of the bedroom.
I really think she wants me to kick her ass.
He just shook his head at the energetic rabbit, then reached into his jacket for a Substance X ball. After that, he got dressed and left the room, ready to take on the day.
*SLURP*
"Really?" John said as they were waiting in the lobby of Yaoyorozu Creations. Rumi was sucking down her frozen drink through a straw, and it was pretty much empty at this point.
"What? It’s really good!" She said innocently, then stuck her tongue out at him when he shook his head.
"Never mind." He chuckled, smiling at her.
"Rumi, my dear! What brings you in today?" A woman said, walking through a door behind the counter. She was dressed in blue overalls, and he could see some resemblance to Momo, including the wild black hair. She was a little plumper, but hardly anything you would call fat.
"Well, you see, I have taken on a sidekick, and he is in dire need of a suit," Rumi replied, not wasting time on introductions.
"You mean this gentleman. Well, you certainly look dangerous. Just your type." She said, then turned her focus on John, "My name is Kasi. Have you managed to win poor Rumi's heart by beating her impossible challenge?"
"Howdy, the name's John. Not sure what impossible challenge you are referring to."
"He made it to stage one, Kasi, though it is far too soon to say if he will beat stage two. He is learning quite fast, but his Quirk isn't combat-oriented, so he is working with an incredible handicap. Still... give him six months to a year, and I think he might win one in ten fights against me."
"You're joking? Even with your speed and power?" Kasi replied, not taking her eyes off of him. She came out from around the counter and started to circle him, like she was eyeing a piece of meat.
"It hasn't been two weeks, and he landed his first hit. I have high hopes for him." Rumi said, sounding proud. She took another slurp of her nonexistent drink.
"Are you both done talking like I'm not even here?" He said with a chuckle.
"Ahh, he is as direct as you are, too. I don't even know him, and I already like him. Sorry, John, I don't get to see Rumi that often, so when we do get together, we like to talk. This is the first time she has had something to talk about that isn't about fighting villains since she bought her dojo after becoming a pro hero, so I was a little excited."
"No worries. I shouldn't have interrupted. I just... had a long night and only a short sleep, so I'm a little off right now."
"Nonsense! We can chatter while I whip up your order. Now, what can we make for you? A full suit? Maybe some augmentations to help out since you don't have a combat Quirk?"
"No, just a mask is fine. My day job is a school counsellor, so it is only rarely that I will be out fighting villains with Rumi."
"Really? I would never have guessed."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. I was a teacher before I came to Japan."
She continued to circle him as they talked, then looked up at him. "Are you sure about the mask? I could make you a great suit with your figure. It really wouldn't look that different than your current look. We could really give you some post-apocalyptic vibes, add some shoulder spikes, maybe give you a set of my husband's electro knuckles so you can stun villains. I bet he could easily put a shoulder net launcher underneath it with this much room to work with."
Spikes? Didn't I have spikes somewhere? Which world did I leave those in?
"No, just..." John started to reply, then looked over at Rumi. She was batting her eyes at him, like she wanted him to accept her idea. He checked Scouter just to be sure.
{Yes! He would definitely look badass like that! I can see it now, he beats me down, then bags me with his net, taking the prize he earned! Though only if he earns it! No going easy on him, Rumi}
He sighed. "Suit me up, Kasi. Let's see what you can do."
U.A. High School
John's Office
"So, what are we supposed to do here? I open up about all my insecurities, and you tell me it's okay? That I'm allowed to show weakness?" Toshinori Yagi, also known as the hero All Might, said. He was in his smaller form, lying back on the chaise lounge.
"Honestly, man, I'm not sure why you're here either. Hell, you have been a hero for decades now. You can probably tell me how to deal with heroes' problems better than I can. But, let's play a game." John replied, wondering how he would get this man to open up. His Quirk was activated, though he wasn't sure how receptive this man would be to it.
"A game?"
"Yep, though honestly, it's not that fun. I'll ask you a few questions, then you give me a few answers, then we wrap this up."
"Fine. Shoot." All Might said, not sounding enthusiastic at all.
"Why did you insist on walking around in public with your powers activated when you were first injured?" He started, wanting to learn a bit more about the man's reasoning for overtaxing himself when he didn't need to.
"Oh, we are going that far back? Well, I would say it was because I wanted to show the people that the Symbol of Peace was still healthy and able to do the job. It worked for a time, but as the years passed and the injury worsened, I've had to make sacrifices to keep trying to save people in need. That is all I ever truly wanted, to help people and be their pillar of hope." All Might said earnestly. Scouter confirmed the man's words.
"I see. How-" John started, but was cut off as All Might continued to talk.
"Isn't that what all men want? To be the hero in the eyes of others? To sacrifice themselves for the greater good? I mean, I have worked myself to the bone ever since I became a pro hero to ensure I could be the hero that everyone could look up to, to hear them say Hey, there is All Might! We are safe now! What other cause is more noble than that?
"Well-" He wasn't going to disagree, but there were caveats in John's mind, but All Might seemed to be on a roll.
"Now. Now it's being taken away from them because of this damn injury. Sure, it's an injury that I sustained fighting against the greatest threat that Japan had faced in a long time, but it has destroyed me. It has destroyed the image I have worked so hard to cultivate and maintain for thirty years. I was hoping I had more time before I would be forced to step down and retire. More time for young Midoriya to come into his powers, but I can barely activate my powers at all now."
"Tell-" He was about to ask more about Midoriya, but All Might beat him to it.
"Midoriya needs more time. His power is too explosive, and his body can't handle it. He has a real heart, that kid, but his body, his body is not keeping up. I keep telling him that it is okay, that he will grow into the power, but what if he doesn't? God, I hope I didn't saddle him with a Quirk that he will never be able to learn to control. That would be horrendous and would bode ill for both him and for Japan. One For All is needed to protect the people."
"Have-" He barely got the word out before the man continued.
"I know the man who instructed me on how to control the powers is still around, but he... he is a bit problematic. Oh, he is a nice old man, but he is getting on in age, sometimes forgetting when he left the oven on, or if he is wearing pants when he walks outside. I don't know if he would be any more capable at teaching young Midoriya than I am at this point. I just... I don't want to retire until my disciple is ready to pick up the mantle, you know? I would be content if he were ready, but he isn't."
"Its-" He was going to try to reassure him, but All Might was like a train wreck. There was no stopping him.
"When that beast they called a Nomu beat me up, knocking me back into this form in front of the students, I was scared. Not for myself, but for them. I couldn't do anything to stop it, and I was about to fail them. Fail the kids, fail my fellow instructors, fail Japan as a whole. All Might needs to be seen as invincible, to never show weakness in the face of impossible odds, but all I could do was watch as Eraser Head sacrificed himself to allow us to try and escape. I was a fool, wasting what little time I had that morning to fly to the U.S.J. and stopping some villains in their tracks that were already being handled by other heroes. But I couldn't bring myself to take a train like everybody else, I just had to be All Might, be seen as All Might."
"What-" He started, but was cut off again.
I give up!
"I think I might have a problem. I can't seem to separate my hero personality from my own. They are both the same. Even as I am, I would have still tried to fight those villains. It's like I can't shut it off. Toshinori Yagi is All Might, and All Might is Toshinori Yagi. I just need... A vacation. Yes, that is it. I need to go somewhere, shut off my phone, and just relax for a while. Destress from everything. Japan lived on for centuries without me; it can get by for a couple of weeks without me, too. By the way, you have chosen some... interesting decor for this room."
"Hun?" John said, surprised he was being asked a question now.
"The motorcycle. How did you even get it up here? Did it even fit in the elevator?"
"Ahh, well, one of the students, Mei Hatsume, helped. I'm still not sure about keeping it here, but it is quite the conversation piece." He said, looking over at the Fatboy. Mei was here at lunchtime to inspect it while John napped in a chair, and he hadn't had time to hide it before All Might showed up.
"Ahh, young Mei. Talented inventor, but quite the talker. I'm not sure I could deal with someone like that other than in small doses. Speaking of, this was a great talk, John. You've really helped me work through my problems. Listen, can you keep an eye on young Midoriya for a few weeks after the sports festival? I need to get away for a bit, relax my brain and try to recover some of my stamina. Then I'll be back here, bright-eyed and ready to continue to train him with all my heart. Later!"
*Bang*
John blinked. He had no idea what had just happened, just that he had a headache.
"I need a drink."
