Chapter 120
*ding-*
Hearing the sound of the doorbell, Izuku immediately opened his eyes, gently laying Melissa on the sofa before heading to the nearby intercom display to see who was outside. It was currently 5:23 AM, so he wasn't exactly expecting guests.
"Ah..."
Recognizing the familiar figure of Melissa's father, David Shield, a wry smile developed across Izuku's face as he called out to the sleeping beauty, his voice gentle as he said, "Melissa, your father is here. I can send him away, but I don't think he'd appreciate it..."
"Mnn...?"
Rising to a seated position, Melissa asked, "Papa's here...?" while rubbing her eyes. Then, as if a switch had been flipped inside her, she bounced to her feet, exclaiming, "Papa~!" as she ran to the front entrance to answer it directly. This wasn't particularly wise, considering there were people with Quirks that could mimic other peoples' voices and appearances, but Izuku followed behind her with a relaxed smile as he fixed his shirt.
As Melissa opened the door and bounded into her father's arms, Izuku remained in the background, confirming the Professor's identity before crossing his arms and leaning against the adjoining wall. He didn't want to interrupt the duo's reunion, so he waited for them to separate of their own accord, David looking at him with a slight frown as he said, "Izuku..." in a curt, almost threatening tone.
Raising his right hand, Izuku maintained a relaxed smile as he replied, "It's good to see you, Professor. How has your research been going?"
Shaking his head, David said, "Let's not talk about that right now..." before looking to Melissa, adopting a fatherly smile and adding, "I came here to see and spend time with my daughter before the summit."
Causing the smile on David's face to cramp, Melissa looked to Izuku as she asked, "Is that okay, Izuku? I'm certain I won't be gone for too long."
"Of course," replied Izuku, smiling wryly in response to the threatening glimmer in David's eyes. The latter wasn't genuinely angry with him, but no father appreciated having their daughters defer to their boyfriends for 'permission' while they were around. The only thing more maddening was seeing their little girl call someone else daddy...
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After seeing the father-daughter duo off, Izuku returned to the sofa, lying down before pulling out his cell phone. 5:30 AM in New York was around 7:30 PM in Japan, so he wasn't surprised to find both the class and group chats were active, discussing Work Studies and 'club' activities.
Though clubs were typically associated with the General and Support Departments, nothing prevented students from the Hero Course from partaking in after-school activities. Rather, now that UA had become a boarding school, mandating that all students live on campus, joining a club was pretty much expected.
Opening an album the girls had sent him, Izuku smiled as he thumbed through images of them wearing idol-like outfits. Shino, Ryuko, Tomoko, and Yawara had agreed to become advisors for a Heroes-only club that specialized in self-promotion and marketing. Their group was one of the four hero teams that had founded the Union Affairs Office, so they had a lot to teach aspiring Heroes that wanted to establish and maintain a Hero organization...
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After idling about for several hours, bringing the time to 8:41 AM, Izuku got up from the sofa to grab something to eat. Unfortunately, while the suite had a kitchen, pantry, and fridge, the latter was filled with drinks, and most of the cupboards were empty.
"How sloppy..." remarked Izuku, closing the pantry door and heading to the front entrance. The moment he opened it, one of the agents outside, an inordinately tall man with a square jaw and notably 'angular' features, asked, "Is there something we can do for you, sir?"
Meeting the gaze of the shades-wearing man, Izuku replied, "I'm hungry. Tell me where I can grab a bite to eat."
"There are dining facilities on the first and second floors," replied the man. "However, we would appreciate it if you remained in your room. If there is a particular type of food you'd like to try, we will bring it to you."
As he had already messaged Melissa, Toshinori, and Nezu to inform them he was going out, Izuku shook his head, stating, "I'm not going to spend my entire stay in New York trapped inside my room."
Furrowing his brows, the angular man expressed, "You're free to go, but we can't guarantee your safety if you venture off alone."
Though his Intuition triggered in response to the man's warning, Izuku maintained a relaxed smile as he replied, "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. If your people can prevent strangers from entering my room while I'm away, that's more than enough."
Instead of trying to convince Izuku to stay, the angular man returned a curt nod, saying, "Understood." before stepping away, pressing his finger to his ear, and saying something to superiors. As for Izuku, he raised his hand as a casual greeting to the other agents before making his way past them, riding an antiquated-looking elevator with gold ornamentation and red carpets down to the second floor. Then, following the directions of the elevator operator, he soon found himself in a well-lit dining room with predominately white furniture accented by bronze frames.
Before Izuku could get a good look around, a sharply dressed woman with angular eyes, blue and white fur, and the literal head of a wolf approached him to ask, "Will you be dining alone, sir, or are you awaiting your companions?"
Recovering from his momentary stupor, Izuku replied, "I'll be eating alone but have reason to believe others will be joining me."
"Then I'll seat you at a table for four," responded the wolf-like woman, taking the initiative to lead the way. Izuku's eyes nearly lowered to her bushy tail as she turned around, but while he was certainly interested in heteromorphs, he wasn't a furry. He just had a healthy curiosity...
"Here we are," said the woman, gesturing toward a booth near the back corner of the dining area. Then, once Izuku had taken his seat, she adopted a practiced smile and said, "My name is Luna De Luca, and it is my privilege to be your server today, Mr...?"
"Paragon," replied Izuku. He wasn't in costume at the moment, but Nezu and Toshinori had both advised him to get used to utilizing his Hero Name while he was abroad. After all, while he didn't hold an official position, he was, technically, a representative of Japan.
"Okay, Mr. Paragon," replied Luna, briefly sounding like a Bostonian as she pulled out a palm pad and asked, "What can I get you to drink?"
"A cup of ice water and some saffron tea, please," replied Izuku. He didn't know if they had saffron tea, but considering the Waldorf Astoria was one of the most prestigious hotels in New York, catering to dignitaries from all over the world, they should be able to manage just about any request.
Nodding her head, Luna offered a curt "Understood." before asking, "And can I get you any appetizers? I recommend the Scallop Mousse and the Steak Tartare. We import scallops from Novigrad and Wagyu directly from Japan, so their flavor is guaranteed."
"I'll take both," replied Izuku, adopting an innately playful smile as he added, "I have a big appetite."
"I'll be sure to inform the Chefs," mused Luna, narrowing her distinctly golden eyes slightly before abruptly turning away to convey his order to the kitchen. Her reaction caused Izuku's brows to rise, but he didn't think much of it as he habitually checked the wolf girl's status...
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Name: [Luna De Luca]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Grey Wolf
Bond Level: 71
Current Level: 18
Effective Level: 35
[Attributes]
Strength: 19
Agility: 38
Vitality: 81
Intelligence: 63
Dexterity: 45
Luck: 107
Free Attributes: 90
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
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("It seems I made a good impression...") thought Izuku, subsequently adopting a wry smile and shaking his head. He wasn't in the world of Ishuzoku Reviewers and already had more than his fair share of beautiful and amazing women. He also had reason to believe this wasn't his final life, so rather than trying to sample every interesting or exotic woman he encountered, he should focus on overcoming his Trials and becoming an actual Paragon...
With such thoughts in mind, Izuku surveyed the dining room, inspecting the statuses of everyone he could see. Most had Levels between 10-15, but there were a few outliers in the 20s and 30s, presumably serving as bodyguards or private security.
Upon finishing with his sweep, Izuku thought, ("Doesn't look like any of my future enemies or classmates are present. Yet another false positive, courtesy of Intuition...")
Though his Intuition triggered as if to spite him, Izuku ignored it, pulling out his phone and placing it on the table. Then, picking up the tablet that was present, he looked through the surprisingly diverse menu, taking note of the fact that he could send orders directly to the kitchen. Not everyone enjoyed having a waiter or waitress continually intruding upon their meal, so there were options to keep them away, change servers, or have dishes delivered to the table via a trolley-like robot.
Interrupting Izuku's perusal of the menus, Luna returned with a long-necked pitcher, an ornate crystal glass, a tiny jade teapot, and several styles of serving cups, setting them on the table as she mused, "You're in luck. We just had some fresh saffron shipped in from Tyler, Texas. I'm not particularly fond of the South, but God knows they produce some world-class spices."
Having looked into the States after his reincarnation, Izuku understood why Luna might not be fond of the South. Southern hospitality was still a thing, but, like a disheartening number of countries and communities, they weren't very welcome of heteromorphs. There were even a few extremist groups that believed heteromorphs should be subservient to humans, so most stuck to the East and West coast, choosing to live in heteromorphic communes and more 'progressive' cities.
Instead of latching onto the conversation bait Luna had dangled for him, Izuku took a moment to sample the tea she had provided. He hadn't put in any sugar or honey, so it had a subtle, sweet, and tart flavor, common among flower-based teas. Still, while it left a distinctly bitter aftertaste in his mouth, Izuku enjoyed it quite a bit.
Seeing as Luna was patiently awaiting his response, her long and bushy tail wagging ever so slightly as she loomed over his table, Izuku adopted a wry smile and said, "It's delicious."
Adopting a smile that reminded Izuku of the husky he had kept for a few years in his previous life, Luna replied, "Glad to hear it!" before pulling out her pad and asking, "Now, are you ready to order or would you like to wait until your appetizers have arrived?"
"I'll take whatever you recommend," replied Izuku, the corners of his smile naturally curling upward as he added, "This is my first time in the States, and I enjoy trying new things."
Catching Izuku more than a little off guard, Luna promptly took a seat next to him, grabbing the menu tablet and perking up quite a bit as she said, "Well, if you're not in a hurry, we have a twelve-course tasting meal that includes three types of oysters, ebony lobster, caviar with smoked sabayon, marinated duck breast, a vegetable platter, and a truffle-based puree."
Instead of responding to Luna's meal suggestion, Izuku adopted a wry smile and remarked, "I can't imagine it's customary for members of the service staff to sit at the table of guests..."
Leaving Izuku at another loss for words, Luna responded to him with a playful wink, musing, "Consider it a special service. Besides, didn't you say this was your first time in the States? Feel free to ask me anything you're curious about. New York was practically my playground growing up."
With Luna leaning a little closer to him, her nose twitching ever so slightly, Izuku realized what was happening. Nezu had informed him about the peculiarities of his blood, and Nerumi had confirmed that his pheromones were a lot more 'potent' than the average person's. Luna's Quirk gave her a sense of smell that was hundreds of times more powerful than a typical human, so even if he acted casually, she could perceive his 'interest.'
("The things some people do for tips...") thought Izuku. However, instead of outright refusing Luna's company, he suppressed his better judgment and decided to ask her a few questions, initially about New York and then about the other guests staying at the hotel. With her exceptional hearing, she was bound to have overheard a few interesting tidbits of information...
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(A/N: Comment's section be like, "Do it...")