Daily Meme
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The moment we stepped outside, Nejire practically tackled me. "That was so cool!"
I grunted. "Get off."
She ignored me, still grinning. "Seriously! That whole 'I am a damn good hero' line? That was sick."
Mirio chuckled. "Not exactly humble."
I shrugged. "I didn't lie."
Nejire stepped back slightly, still beaming. "So, what now?"
"Like I said." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "I am gonna sleep."
Mirko clapped me on the back. "Get some rest. You earned it."
Ryukyu nodded. "Take a break while you can."
I turned to leave.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Toga.
"Took care of our little problem. Hope you don't mind a bit of extra blood."
I smirked.
Problem solved.
[FINAL REWARD SUMMARY
Base XP Earned: +2,275 XP
Stat Gains:
+1 Awareness
+1 Intelligence
+1 Strength
+1 Strength per fight where you protected an ally (+2 Total)
+3 Charisma (Manipulated situations three times)
New Skills & Passives:
"Defiance" – (Increased resistance to control-based abilities.)
"Dealbreaker" – (When making high-stakes deals, you gain an instinctual read on deception and hidden motives.)
"Fearmonger" – (When facing enemies aware of your reputation, you have a chance to intimidate them into hesitation.)
"Phantom Step" – (For a brief moment, your movements distort, allowing you to phase slightly out of sync with real-time perception. Best used for dodging or repositioning mid-combat. High Cooldown.)
"Eyes Forward" – (You are less likely to be caught off-guard from behind or ambushed. Slight improvement to rear perception and danger detection.)
New System Feature:
"Tether Link" (A system function that allows temporary shared perception with an ally. When activated, you can see and hear through their senses for a brief period, making coordinated combat and recon significantly easier.)
Reputation Shift:
Public Perception: MASSIVE SHIFT (Seen as a fearless but reckless hero. Divisive among the public—some call you a necessary force, others call you dangerous.)
Underground Reputation: MAJOR SHIFT (Feared and respected. Some view you as an independent power. Others mark you as a problem.)
Hero Public Safety Commission: NEGATIVE SHIFT (A liability. Too public to remove, but now under heavy scrutiny.)
Certain Pro Heroes: POSITIVE SHIFT (Mirko, Ryukyu, Fat Gum, and a few others openly support you. Nighteye is still against you.)
Law Enforcement: MIXED (Tsuragamae is reluctantly backing you, but others in the system are watching closely.)
Bonus Objective Rewards:
✔ "Eye for an Eye" – (+100 XP, +1 Strength)
✔ "The Devil You Know" – (Gained "Dealbreaker" Passive Skill)
✔ "Break the Chains" – (+150 XP, Gained "Defiance" Passive Skill)
✔ "Cut the Head Off" – (+200 XP, Gained "Fearmonger" Passive Skill)
✔ "The Weight of It" – (Permanent Reputation Change – Ryuu's name will not be forgotten, for better or worse.)
THE PRICE OF POWER HAS BEEN PAID.]
As I stepped into the agency, I barely had a second to breathe before I saw them... Eri and Mom.
Eri was holding onto a small juice box, clutching it like a stress toy, her eyes flicking up to me, then down to the floor. She looked nervous. Probably worried I got hurt because of her.
Mom, though?
Her entire body was stiff, her hand twitching like she was physically restraining herself from grabbing my ear and dragging me straight out of the building.
Shit.
"Mom, when did you come?" I asked, walking over to hug her before she could get any ideas about bodily harm.
She let me, but the moment I pulled back, her fingers flexed like she was still debating whether to yank my ear off. "When do you think?"
I glanced at Izuku.
He immediately looked away, pretending to examine the floor like it had never been more interesting.
Fucking traitor.
I turned back to Mom. "I am guessing you heard about the arrest."
Her lips pressed together. "Oh, did I hear about the arrest? Yes, Ryuu, I heard about the arrest. And the press conference. And the raid. And the fact that the police chief has probably aged ten years because of you."
Nejire, who had been floating nearby, tried and failed to stifle a laugh.
Mom exhaled through her nose, turning toward Eri instead. "I was just talking with her when you came in."
Eri peeked up at me. "You… you are not hurt?"
I crouched down. "Nah. Not even a little."
She looked unconvinced.
I pulled a piece of candy from my pocket and held it out to her. "See? I still got snacks. That means I am fine."
Eri hesitated before taking it, fingers still tight around her juice box. She looked at me, then back down. "I… I was scared."
"Yeah, me too," I said. "But it is over now."
She didn't say anything, just gripped the candy tighter.
Mom folded her arms. "Ryuu, do you even realize..."
"Mom," I cut in, standing back up, "I really don't need a speech right now."
Her eye twitched. "A speech? You think I am giving you a speech?"
Nejire, sensing danger, casually drifted backward, putting distance between herself and the potential explosion.
Mom took a step closer, voice lowering. "I was this close to storming that police station myself. Do you have any idea how it felt hearing my son got arrested? And then finding out why?"
I sighed. "I already-"
"And then watching the press conference?"
Mom grabbed me and pulled me into her arms before I could react. I barely had time to process it before she pressed my head against her shoulder.
"I am proud of you, Ryuu."
My arms twitched, unsure whether to hold on or pull away.
"I am proud of what you did," she said again. "I do not care what the world thinks. I do not care what the Commission thinks. I know that my son's heart is in the right place."
I felt my throat tighten. I forced my hands to stay at my sides, but my fingers twitched.
She didn't let go. She just held me like she had been waiting to do it since she walked into the building.
I blinked fast.
I had been arrested. I had torn apart an entire underground network in under a week. I had fought one of the most dangerous criminals I had ever faced. The Hero Public Safety Commission probably wanted me dead. And through all of that, I had been fine. I had shrugged it off.
But standing here, with Mom's arms around me, hearing her say that?
I teared up a little.
Not much. Barely anything. Just enough that I had to blink again to keep my vision clear.
Mom pulled back enough to look at me. "You idiot."
Nejire let out a soft "Aww," off to the side, and I shot her a look. She grinned but didn't say anything.
Mom flicked my forehead.
"OW-"
Izuku was still pretending he wasn't here.
Mom sighed, rubbing her temples. "You do not understand, Ryuu. When I saw the headlines, I did not know what to think. I did not know if you were hurt. If you were in jail. If they were going to let you go." She exhaled sharply. "And then, I watched you standing there at that podium, telling the world exactly what you did like you were giving a weather report."
Mom sighed again, softer this time. "You do not regret anything, do you?"
I shook my head. "No."
She studied me for a second, then nodded like she expected that. "Good."
Izuku blinked. "Wait, what?"
She gave him a look. "Do you think I wanted to hear you say you regretted saving a little girl?"
"…No?"
"Exactly." She exhaled. "I raised my sons to do what is right. Even when it is hard." Her fingers twitched like she wanted to flick my forehead again, but she settled for ruffling my hair instead. "And you are a pain in the ass, but you did that."
I ran a hand through my hair, fixing it. "Can you not mess up my hair in front of everyone?"
After Mom calmed down, I walked over to Eri. She was still clutching the candy I had given, fingers small and tight around it. She kept glancing at me, then back at the floor, like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to look for too long.
"Eri," I said, crouching down, "we caught the bad guys. All of them. Chisaki can't hurt you anymore. He can't even get close to you anymore."
Her fingers twitched. The straw of the juice box bent slightly under the pressure. She didn't say anything at first, just stared at the floor like she was waiting for something.
"You sure?" she finally asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. He is locked up. He can't do anything to you ever again."
She shifted on her feet, shoulders still tense. "But… what if he gets out?"
She didn't look at me when she asked. Just stared at the juice box, like it might protect her. Like it was the only thing in her life that hadn't betrayed her yet.
"He won't," I said. "And even if he did, he wouldn't make it two steps before someone put him back in the ground. You don't have to be scared anymore."
Her eyes flickered up, barely meeting mine. Then back down. The grip on her juice box didn't loosen.
I pulled another piece of candy from my pocket and held it out. "Here. You can start collecting them."
She hesitated, then took it. Didn't eat it, just held it, fingers curling around the wrapper.
Nejire floated closer, peeking over my shoulder. "Ooo, I see what you are doing. A candy collection! That is cute."
Eri glanced at her. "It is… a collection?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Every time something good happens, you get one. And when you are ready, you can eat them. But not before! That way, when you look at them, you will know how many good things have happened."
Eri looked down at the candy in her hand. Then at the two I had given her before. Three pieces.
"…I can keep them?"
"Of course," I said. "They are yours."
She stared at them for a second, then held them close.
Nejire smiled. "See? You've already got three good things. That is a great start!"
Eri still looked uncertain, but her grip on the candy stayed firm.
Mom stepped over, watching quietly before placing a gentle hand on Eri's head. "You are safe now," she said. "No one will hurt you anymore."
Eri blinked up at her. She looked like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she could.
Mom knelt down. "Do you like tempura?"
Eri hesitated, then nodded slowly.
Mom smiled. "Then let's go to the kitchen and make some. You can help me."
Eri's eyes flickered toward me again, like she was asking permission.
I shrugged. "Mom's cooking is good."
That seemed to be enough. She nodded again, just a little.
Mom stood back up. "Good. Then we will make extra."
I watched them walk off toward the kitchen. Mom talking, Eri nodding like she wasn't sure if it was okay to smile yet.
Three candies. And counting.
We had a feast that day.
--
You gave the Tooth Fairy your enamel.
Santa your soul.
But Ryuu?
Not even a stone?
Childhood is over.
Regret is eternal.
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