Chapter 13: The Shadow Corps

[Shinji Takehara POV]

In his spacious office at the headquarters of the Takehara Conglomerate, Shinji sat behind his large oak desk, the city skyline visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

With his newborn daughter, Yuna, in his heart and mind, Shinji delved into the reports spread out on his desk. The papers were neatly categorized into five different stacks, representing the diverse sectors of his vast business empire. Each stack held the latest updates, challenges, and opportunities faced by the respective departments.

'Takehara Industries,' Shinji thought as he scanned through the reports in the first stack. The company played a vital role in the conglomerate, overseeing all matters related to weapons and support equipment for heroes. Shinji couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the company's contribution to the hero society. It was also through Takehara Industries that he had acquired the specialized training equipment for his son. He made a mental note to visit the R&D department soon to see what new innovations they had in the pipeline.

'Takehara International,' he mused as he moved on to the second stack. This affiliate company was responsible for advertising the conglomerate's products on a national and international level. Their reach extended far and wide, ensuring the excellence of Takehara products reached a global audience. Moreover, the management of hero agencies fell under the purview of Takehara International.

Next in line was Takehara Health. Takehara Health oversaw the management of all hospitals under the Takehara family's name and spearheaded the development of cutting-edge medical products. Shinji recognized the significance of providing top-notch healthcare to the public and strived to ensure that Takehara Health remained at the forefront of medical advancements.

The fourth stack brought a warm smile to his face. It contained reports concerning his family. Shinji cherished every moment spent with his wife, and their children, Yuki, and now, little Yuna. Despite his demanding role as CEO, he always made time to be a loving and involved father, never missing an opportunity to support his children in their pursuits.

Lastly, his gaze fell upon the fifth stack, originating from the Shadow Corps. This secret organization answered directly to the leader of the Takehara Family. The Shadow Corps undertook clandestine operations, ensuring the protection and prosperity of the conglomerate from behind the scenes. Though nearly no one knows about them, ever since they were established, the Shadow Corps played an important role in safeguarding the Takehara legacy.

It is exactly that fourth stack of reports that Shinji is currently looking through, and as always, it is the stack that gives him the most headaches. With a sigh, he begins to read the detailed accounts of his son's daily activities. The reports outline Yuki's training sessions, meetings with friends, and occasional mischief. But just as Shinji delves into the reports, frustration sets in.

'Yuki, always the elusive one,' Shinji thinks, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. The reports reveal that Yuki's 'teleportation quirk' poses a unique challenge for those assigned to protect him. The bodyguards' accounts often depict instances where they were hot on Yuki's trail, only to suddenly lose him as he teleports away to some unknown destination.

As the CEO of the Takehara Conglomerate, Shinji had access to extensive resources, and he wanted to ensure his son's safety. To that end, he had assigned dedicated bodyguards to protect Yuki at all times. Yet, Yuki's penchant for escaping the watchful eyes of his guards has proven to be a constant source of headaches for the diligent father. The bodyguards' efforts often ended up in vain.

As Shinji continues to read through the reports, he can't help but smile despite the headaches. Yuki's teleportation escapades have led to some amusing anecdotes in the reports. There were instances when the guards described how they searched high and low for Yuki, only to find him nonchalantly enjoying a cup of tea at a nearby café or taking a stroll in the park.

'Something needs to be changed, this cannot go on as it is!' Shinji's thoughts resounded with determination as he leaned forward in his chair, his mind focused on finding a solution to the ongoing challenge of protecting his son. The first six years of Yuki's life had been relatively straightforward in terms of security, but as he grew older, Shinji had to face the reality that his son's 'teleportation quirk' posed a unique and ever-evolving challenge.

At that time, his secret bodyguards could easily anticipate his destinations and ensure his safety. However, as Yuki grew older, his teleportations became more unpredictable, leaving his guardians at a disadvantage.

When he was 8, it was still doable, albeit extremely challenging, Shinji thought with a tinge of nostalgia. Back then, their efforts to protect Yuki required a specialized team of stealth experts, operating covertly to avoid his detection.

"Yuki, I only want to keep you safe," Shinji had pleaded during numerous conversations with his son. However, Yuki's response had been unwavering. "I'm strong enough to take care of myself, Dad. I don't need constant surveillance."

Shinji understood his son's desire for independence and self-reliance, but as a father, the need to protect his children was ingrained in him.

Everything changed when Shoto came into the picture. Shinji couldn't deny that the friendship between Yuki and Shoto was a beautiful thing, but it presented an entirely new set of complications. Before Shoto's arrival in Yuki's life, the young boy rarely ventured beyond the safety of their home or school. However, the bond between the two friends now led to countless teleportation escapades, leaving his bodyguards struggling to keep up.

"Shadowless," Shinji's voice echoed with authority as he made a decision.

With a mere utterance of the word, the room seemed to flicker, and there he stood, a figure enshrouded in darkness, appearing as if summoned from the very shadows themselves. This was Shadowless.

The figure was a master of stealth, an expert in the art of moving without a trace. Long, obsidian hair was elegantly tied in a topknot, while strands of ebony cascaded over his face, concealing his identity. His attire resembled that of a modern-day ninja, a tight black bodysuit adorned with gleaming metal plating on his limbs, shoulders, chest, and waist, evoking an air of both danger and sophistication. A striking, long purple scarf trailed down his form, an artistic touch that added a splash of color to his dark ensemble.

As Shadowless stepped forward, his presence seemed to meld with the shadows that surrounded him, making him nearly imperceptible to the untrained eye. It was as if he was born of darkness itself, a living embodiment of the night.

AN: He looks like Sonic from One Punch Man.

"I am planning on letting one of the Shadow Corps members become Yuki's maid, who do you suggest?" Shinji inquired, his mind already considering the options. He planned to assign one of the Shadow Corps members to Yuki as a maid to protect him in the open. Since protection in the darkness had failed, Shinji decided to take this approach.

The Shadow Corps, a clandestine organization known only to a select few, boasted a roster of 27 named members, each skilled in their unique areas of expertise. Half of them were male, the other half female, and they all operated under the veil of shadows, executing missions with precision. Shadowless, the leader of the Shadow Corps, is the most capable member among them.

"No one is suitable, unless Lord wants us to assassinate the young lord!" Shadowless responded with conviction. He was closely familiar with the personalities and abilities of each member, and he knew that with the personalities of the current members, such missions would inevitably fail.

Members of the Shadow Corps were experts in espionage, sabotage, and intelligence gathering, tasks that could be considered dirty work. None of them are fit to become a maid and protect Yuki in the open.

"And among the recruits?" Shinji's curiosity persisted, even though he knew the likelihood of finding a suitable candidate from their new recruits was slim. Still, it was worth exploring all possibilities, no matter how remote they seemed. After all, his son's safety and wellbeing were at stake.

Shadowless responded with a hint of intrigue in his voice, This would require a thorough inspection!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Go, go, and present me a member fit for the job when you return." Shinji commanded, urging Shadowless to seek out the one who could protect his son with unwavering loyalty.

Shadowless bowed slightly, his form disappearing into the darkness as he executed his leader's orders.

—

[Shadowless POV]

'Master's orders are absolute,' Shadowless thought as he slipped into the darkness, leaving behind no trace of his presence. His silent steps carried him swiftly through the shadows, his form almost melding with the darkness itself. He is the embodiment of stealth, a master of the unseen, and the leader of the Shadow Corps. Each core member of the Corps possessed remarkable abilities, enhanced through body modifications, granting them not one, but two additional quirks.

Years ago, the late patriarch took All For One under his care and conducted extensive experiments with his cells, determined to understand the secrets of his quirk. Decades of research and unyielding dedication eventually yielded fruit, the family discovered how to counteract the side effects of possessing multiple quirks, but their discovery only worked under the condition that the quirks are less than three.

It would be possible to counteract the effect of more quirks with this method if they were lingering resentments from previous owners, as when All For One steals the quirks, but the Takehara family members are often born with multiple quirks that, while similar, in this case, it is the upper limit of what the human body can possess without harming it. They found that the reason All For One can have more without suffering too serious side effects is because his quirk somehow suppresses these effects, but it is unable to deal with lingering resentments.

They managed to duplicate this part of All For One's quirk and integrate it into their DNA, but later realized that although they had successfully duplicated it, it was many times weaker than the original, only able to suppress up to three quirks. Still, they managed to raise the upper limit of the human body from one quirk to three, which is an achievement in itself.

Intriguingly, the Takehara family's research led to another revelation, an understanding of how to artificially create certain quirks. These artificial quirks, unlike their natural counterparts, bore no lingering emotions or sentiments of previous owners, making them inherently stable. Furthermore, just like with regular quirks, as long as one does not have too many of them, they do not put a strain on the body, which combined with their other research enables them to grant two such quirks per person with quirk and three for quirkless individuals.

However, with power came sacrifice. The artificial quirks came at the cost of impeding the natural evolution of their original quirk. Once one acquired one of these the natural quirk could essentially no longer evolve.

Born with a quirk that allowed him to move through shadows and manipulate them, Shadowless honed his abilities to what he deemed perfection long before joining the elite ranks of the Shadow Corps. The power granted by the artificial quirks was an enticing prospect, further enhancing his formidable arsenal. Without hesitation, he embraced the gifts of the late patriarch's relentless research.

His first artificial quirk allowed him to transform clothes into a katana capable of slicing through diamond. This katana is a weapon uniquely tailored to him, no one else could wield it. Any attempts to use it would cause the katana to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace of its existence, not even the clothes it was created from. The second artificial quirk granted to him was of the sensory type. With high precision, he could track down opponents with ease.

Shadowless can be said to be a man of few words, his actions speaking louder than any speech he could deliver. Loyalty and duty are his guiding principles, and the safety of the Takehara family was his solemn charge.

After hours of traversing through the shadows, Shadowless arrived at their covert 'training facility.' This hidden base is a place where the members of the Shadow Corps honed their skills and prepared for their clandestine missions.

Shadowless swiftly retrieved a communication device from the depths of his cloak. This specialized device was exclusive to the members of the Shadow Corps, engineered with cutting-edge technology and impenetrable encryption. Any conversation or message transmitted through this device remained secure, protected from any attempts at interception or decryption by unauthorized individuals.

"Alpha, let down the bridge," he commanded. Alpha, a fellow core member of the Shadow Corps, held a position of responsibility as the overseer of training for the organization's newcomers.

Alpha promptly activated the mechanism to lower the long bridge, connecting their covert 'training facility' with the mainland. To outsiders, it seemed like a high-security prison named Tartarus, but little did they know that behind its imposing walls lay the true training grounds of the Shadow Corps. The Takehara family's more or less ownership over Tartarus granted them unparalleled access to the most dangerous criminals in Japan. Some of these prisoners then were transformed into elite operatives of the Shadow Corps.

As soon as the bridge was down, Shadowless stepped over it. There he was greeted by the sight of Alpha. Alpha is a stern-faced man whose most distinctive traits are his bald head and the large, cross-shaped scar around his left eye. He is always wearing a prison guard uniform.

With the bridge now extended, Shadowless strode across it, his steps confident and soundless. As he crossed over into Tartarus, he was met by the sight of Alpha, standing tall and unwavering. A stern aura surrounded Alpha, his presence commanding respect and obedience. He had a bald head and a cross-shaped scar etched around his left eye and like always, he was clad in a prison guard uniform.

With a salute, Alpha addressed Shadowless. "What is our leader's order?" he inquired, his tone revealing his loyalty and commitment to their cause.

"The lord ordered me to find someone willing to serve the young master as a maid," Shadowless stated, his voice barely above a whisper. When it came to the Takehara family, secrecy and discretion were paramount. They spoke in veiled terms, using titles and honorifics to keep their identities hidden from prying ears. This layer of protection ensured that their enemies would never directly connect them to the Takehara Family.

"I have the perfect candidate," Alpha replied, his eyes gleaming with conviction. He was a master of observation and had studied the recruits thoroughly. "Training her to work in the shadows would have been difficult considering her backstory! This request comes at the perfect time."

After thoroughly inspecting her, as well as reading her file, Shadowless pondered, he knew that precision and thoroughness were crucial when selecting someone for this role.

He considered the task ahead, knowing that serving the young master would require not only the skills she already had but also another unique set of abilities. "Equip her with a teleportation and flight quirk," Shadowless decided. "She will need it when serving the young master."

"Is it truly okay to grant her artificial quirks?" Alpha's voice held a hint of hesitation, questioning the decision. He knew the value and significance of these artificial quirks, as they were a reward for years of dedication and sacrifice to the organization. To bestow such powers on someone who hadn't earned them seemed unjust to him, and he was not willing to bend the rules easily.

Shadowless was firm in his response. "Do I need to repeat myself, the lord wants a maid for the young master!" His tone allowed no complaint. Shadowless vanished and returned to his master's shadow after giving the command.