NO. 3 - Money? I Need That!

...4 Years Later...

The bustling city streets were filled with a steady stream of people, each one seemingly in a hurry to get to their destination. The sounds of car horns, chatter, and footsteps filled the air as pedestrians weaved through the crowded sidewalks. Tall buildings loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the bustling streets below.

The occasional street performer added a touch of music to the urban symphony while the smell of street food wafted through the air, tempting passersby. Amidst the chaos, a sense of purpose and determination seemed to drive each person forward, creating a captivating energy that pulsed through the city.

That was until a large explosion and thundering cracks filled the air due to four individuals dressed in dark outfits.

One of the darkly dressed individuals was crashing through brick walls and parked cars with reckless abandon with his great strength. The man had a large body that seemed to be made up of sharp blue-colored stones. His heavy footsteps caused rumbles to rock the streets as he continued his charge.

The next individual was covered in a black body suit as purple flames covered his hands and feet. Using his flames, the man was capable of pushing his body through the air to allow him to fly. Occasionally, he threw small fireballs at the cars lining the street, causing them to explode. Luckily, no one was standing near the vehicles when they exploded.

Gliding on some sort of invisible flying disc a few feet behind the two was a woman with bright blonde hair who had a large grin on her face. On her shoulder was a large backfilled with money that occasionally let loose a few loose bills through the air as she maneuvered in and out for now panicking city folk.

Lastly, A thin man with extremely long and stretchy limbs used his body to move over everyone below him with maneuvers resembling a slinky. The man's extremely stretchy limps made it easy for him to move with great speed and precision. This allowed him to move out of the way just in time as the Lion hero, Shishido, swiped the air from where he once stood.

Shishido's hero costume resembled a lion, with long, spiky, brown hair that appeared like the mane of a lion. On his costume was a large amount of golden fur, with several spikes both in front and on his back, positioned so that they resemble fangs, and a black mouth with exposed teeth that resemble a lion's maw.

"Hah! Some hero! You're slow as shit!" The man with the elastic quirk yelled as he laughed at the chasing pro hero.

"Ragh!" Shishido growled in anger as he looked over to see the large man covered in a blue-colored stone crash through another car. Nearly crushing a woman alongside her young child. Seeing this, Shishido grew even more enraged and pushed his legs to go even faster. "Stop at once, you villains!"

The lion-themed hero exploded forward and flew under the elastic villain, much to the stretchy man's surprise. Shishido's goal was for the woman to glide through the streets. But just as he was about to reach the blonde woman, she looked back and raised her hand in front of her.

"Gah!" Shishido grunted as he crashed head-first into an invisible barrier.

"Hah! Is this really what pro heroes are capable of? How funny!" The woman laughed as she and her three partners in crime all laughed and continued to run.

Shishido shook his head as blood ran down his forehead. "Damn you, Fearsome Four! I won't let you get away!" He then stood up and continued the chase. As he ran, he yelled for everyone on the streets to get out of the way for their safety.

This all happened as I leaned against one of the walls of this street's local bookstore with my hands in the front pockets of my black and red hoodie.

"These four clowns are going to get away if another Hero doesn't show up soon," I said as I watched their retreating forms disappear around the corner. "Anyways, what was I doing? Right, looking for work."

I ignored the chaos around me as people looked at the destruction caused by the fleeing villains and lone hero. Now, then. Despite being 11 years old and the legal working age in Japan being 15, I still had hope I could find a shop that would hire me for some cheap child labor. I wasn't particularly concerned about how much I would get paid as long as I got paid.

A question anyone would ask in this situation would be why an 11-year middle schooler needs a job. The answer, you simpleton, is for money. Being an orphan didn't necessarily come with a weekly allowance. To be able to complete my goals and ambitions, I needed money. One of the said goals was to have a steady stream of passive income. The way I planned to accomplish that was to begin selling my own written stories and manga from my original world. Considering most of the most prolific and famous works from my world didn't exist here, it was a guaranteed way to make some dough.

"Oh, so you're doing what most reincarnated people do in these types of situations? How original." I hear you saying.

Yes. Yes, I am.

If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Jumping over some rumble, I stopped when I saw an elderly woman struggle to get to her feet. Before I could decide what to do, an older girl in a high school uniform jogged over to the elderly lady and helped her up. Seeing that, I continued on to the street filled with several shops a few blocks away.

As an orphan, I knew it was only a matter of time before the orphanage would no longer be able to support me once I came of age. Meaning I had 4 or 5 years left until I got kicked out onto the streets with nothing but some pity money and a bus pass. This only made my need for money even more imperative. I needed money to fund my art supplies and writing tools. Without those, I could never bring my stolen stories to life for me to sell to a publisher.

"Hah... if only I could have gotten adopted. Then I wouldn't have to do this."

Normally, a cute and handsome, well-behaved boy like myself would have been adopted years ago like my many orphaned siblings, like Keiko. However, due to what happened to me four years ago, my body passively releases a slow and steady stream of negative energy that scared away any hopeful parents from adopting me. Then again, most people tended to avoid me due to my negative energy as well. Bad vibes, I heard some say.

Said negative energy was my cursed energy.

I paused in my trek and waited alongside many others for the passing cars to stop at an intersection. As we stood patiently, some of the people closest to me began to step away from me slightly. Their expressions were nervous and anxious. I paid them no mind. Once the cars stopped due to the red light, the do not cross sign changed to walk, allowing us all to cross the street.

"Even after four years, I was only able to pull two other techniques besides the Boogie Woogie," I muttered as I finally reached the busy shopping and service center located in my city of Hamamatsu. The sound of clinking marbles could be heard from my hip, where a small black bag was tied to my belt. "Then again, I did get a lot of lesser skills and items, so I guess it's okay. Not like I was able to rack up the points to spend for the higher tier rewards."

Besides the Boogie Woogie, I had managed to pull two other cursed techniques.

One of the techniques was Big Bro Choso's Blood Manipulation.

Blood Manipulation allows me to control and shape my blood beyond its natural form or motion for a variety of effects. It can be used to manipulate every aspect of the user's blood, including blood composition, internal blood flow, plasma, pulse rate, body temperature, and red blood cells.

The technique allows the user to control blood externally as long as it belongs to the user. The external blood can be hardened to create mid-range projectiles and or objects that the user desires. This is called Convergence.

In the hands of a competent sorcerer like Big Bro Choso, it has the potential to be an incredibly useful technique. It was the skill that allowed Choso to stand against Uraume and False Geto for a brief amount of time. Unfortunately, I don't have the same potential as Choso due to my normal human body. I could only use so much of my blood before I would pass out. Something I learned the hard way.

My third technique was Takuma Ino's Auspicious Beast Summons.

In order to use this technique, I had to hide my face using a mask. Which was the reason I had a black mask with white Spider-Man-like eyes in my back pocket. This would then allow me to become a spiritual medium that can summon forth four Auspicious beasts to use their abilities with CE. The beasts were Kaichi, Reiki, Kirin, and Ryu.

Number 1, Kaichi, would allow me to summon a horn covered in a spiral pattern on it. I can use it as a long-ranged homing projectile cloaked in CE, and it won't stop until it hits my intended target, like a blue shell from Super Mario.

Number 2, Reiki, would allow me to cover my body in cursed water that I can use to cushion myself from danger and or increase my overall mobility. Pretty much turning any environment into an ice rink while giving me a protective layer of armor.

Number 3, Kirin, allows me to fight with a massively reduced sense of pain, but it will also cause my stamina to be drained away. The downside to this beast is when my intended goal for summoning it is completed. I'll be left unable to function for a limited amount of time, which would make using this beast in a fight against multiple opponents a risky move.

Number 4, Ryu, the last Auspicious beast, summons a large serpentine dragon-like creature that will crash into my intended target to deal a large amount of damage. However, like in its fight against Sukuna in JJK, if enough damage is dealt to the dragon, it will be forced to disappear.

It's something I don't really have to worry about here since I'm the only one who can perceive beasts powered by CE. Trust me, I tested it. I had walked around this very city with Ryu flying above my head. The most his presence did was give the public a sense of anxiety and unreasonable fear.

All in all, the technique is pretty much like the baby brother of the Ten Shadows technique without the need to defeat them in a ritual in order to use them.

These two techniques were gold-tier items I had managed to pull over the course of four years. After all, saving up the minimal points from my everyday interactions was a slow and annoying process. I had thought of ways to increase my social points faster, but that would mean finding any of the main cast members from MHA. Something that is by no means easy to do in a country as big as Japan while being a little kid.

Another discovery I made once I had all three techniques was that I automatically had a perfect understanding of how to use them like their original owners. It was as if I had trained my entire life on how to use them! This is something I didn't realize when I first used Boogie Woogie due to my sheer excitement at having the technique and my gacha-based system.

Besides those techniques, I had also pulled mostly clothes and junk from the show. Some examples are Maki's glasses, Yuji's Jujutsu High jacket, Gojo's round sunglasses, and even Geto's wooden sandals. The only other helpful reward I got from my pulls was Yuta's swordsmanship skills. While really amazing, it was an impractical skill until I got my hands on a real katana. And for that, I needed money. Or I could just steal one. But for now, I had to make do with creating a katana construct using my blood.

Over the four years, I also trained and improved my mastery of my CE. Using what I knew from the series and the advice and teachings from Gojo and Nanami, I was now pretty proficient in imbuing myself and using CE to put me around a grade 2 sorcerer or so.Then again, I didn't really have anyone to tell how well I was doing, so this was mostly conjecture on my part.

During that time, I also trained my body to better handle Yuji's martial arts. Boosting me to be a pretty decent fighter, given my current age, at least, I thought so. I haven't really been in a fight to check my progress. But if the well-defined muscles on my 11-year-old body were anything to go off by, I think I was doing pretty good for myself.

"What a slow four years... I have to find someone from the main cast. I need to start earning some real SP."

I released a long sigh and began going store to store to ask if they were willing to break the law- I mean, hire me. To my utter shock, no one wanted to hire an 11-year-old for some reason. Wonder why? Despite all those rejections, I pressed on for a few more hours, going from marketplace to marketplace.

"Sorry, kid. You're too young."

"Ah, well, I don't think I can hire someone so young. I might get arrested…"

"Where are your parents, little man?"

"This some trick? Get outta here, kid!"

...were some of my responses.

With the sun now on the horizon and my curfew coming up, I took a drink of my iced coffee and groaned from my seat on a bench. My spirits were low, and my motivation was even lower. The image of me living under a bridge quickly caused me to hop off the bench with newfound determination.

"I can't give up," I said as I walked over to the last shop on the street. "I just need a few thousand yen to start. Thats it. After that, I can sit back and watch the money flow in."

With a confident nod, I quickly reached the final shop on this street and looked up at the sign. Only to take a step back in shock at the name.

Hatsume's Mechanical Repairs and Such.

Hatsume? As in Hatsume Mei?

"Holy shit," I uttered in surprise and looked into the surprisingly big shop/store.

The inside of the store was equipped with several tools and machinery for repairing, maintaining, and servicing vehicles and machinery. The workshop was equipped with tools such as wrenches, sockets, jacks, and power tools, as well as machinery like hydraulic lifts, air compressors, and diagnostic equipment.The shelves on the walls were lined with several different pieces of equipment and refurbished appliances being sold for a cheaper price.There were a few customers inside the store, either browsing or talking to a large, burly man with long pink hair pulled up into a man bun.

Off at the back was a young girl around my age with shoulder-length pink hair and yellow eyes. A large pair of goggles, much too big for her, sat on the top of her head lopsidedly. The little girl was sitting on a tall stool while working on a large steel box with several mechanical parts strewn all around the table she was working on.

However, what caught my attention the most was the crudely drawn help-wanted sign on the glass window beside the main door.

This is my chance! If I can get hired here, I can make money and earn a lot of SP!

I clenched my fist and pumped myself up. After taking a deep breath, I plastered a confident expression on my face and entered the store.

x x x

"Sorry, kid. I'm looking for someone who knows their way around everyday appliances. You got that skill set?"

"Uh." That was my intelligent response.

The man behind the counter, Hatsume Minato, chuckled at me and patted my shoulder. When he was done, I saw a few new black soot stains on my shoulder. "It's getting late, kid. Best you go off home before your parents get worried about you."

"Please!" I placed my hands on the old, worn-down counter as Minato began to walk over to a shelf stacked full of boxes full of mechanical parts. "I can learn! Seriously, I'm pretty smart, and I can pick things up fast! I just need a shot!"

Minato looked over his broad shoulder and shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Even if I wanted to, you're like, what? 10? I can't hire you based on that. It's illegal."

Damn you, Japan's laws! Why must you be so considerate? I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists tightly in frustration. Off behind me, I heard the cackles of Mei as several loud clangs from a hammer echoed loudly. Don't give up, me! Do I really have to use that card?

"I'm 11! Also, you don't have to pay me a full wage! I'll even accept five-er, s-seven hundred yen an hour! Please!" I bowed my entire body while I used my most pathetic and sorry-sounding voice for the most empathy. Minato looked over to me with a remorseful look as he carried a box.

[+5 SP]

"Hah... Sorry, kid. Can't do it." He sighed and looked out his shop's glass windows. With a nod, he walked over to the yellow phone that was on the counter and brought it up to his ear. "Listen, kid, I'll call your parents to come get you. It's gotten too dark for me to comfortably send you out. Some real sketchy people are out there these days. What's their number?"

I guess I have to use that card after all. The orphan card!

"... don't got any."

"What's that?" Minato raised a brow in confusion. "Speak up, kid."

"I don't have any parents. I'm an orphan." I said with a sad but angry expression. "They died during the Iwata incident a few years back."

[+5 SP]

"...I see," Minato whispered, his eyes briefly looking over to where his daughter was working. "I'm sorry."

"I don't need any pity or empathy." I looked up into his surprised eyes. "I just need a chance! Let me prove to you that I can do what you need me to do! Please! I don't... don't want to be homeless in a few years. So, please. Let me prove to you that I can do this."

[+5 SP]

Minato stood still for several moments and maintained eye contact with me with a serious expression. I didn't flinch or look away and kept eye contact with the large man. I didn't want to have to use my orphan status to get a job, but I couldn't let this opportunity go. I had to use this chance to earn SP by interacting with Mei. She was the only person I've run into besides All Might in the past 11 years who could give me the points I needed.

Seeing as she was around my age or younger, I finally had a good grasp of where I was in the timeline. At most, I only had five or six years before the major events from the plot started. If I wanted to be able to survive and thrive in this world, I had to pull more Gold and Diamond tier rewards.

Because in this world, power meant everything. I need to pull the Limitless technique and the Six-Eyes. With that power, I would become untouchable. Nothing could stop me from living the easy-going and wealthy life I wanted. And to do that, I had to become one of Japan's top heroes-

…Is that really what I want?

Huh?

Minato closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, missing my startled and confused expression. I then heard him whisper something along the lines of "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Fine. I'll hire you." Minato said, reaching inside the box of mechanical parts he had brought over and pulled out a thick manual for a fridge and a large textbook about mechanical engineering. "But only on the condition you're capable of putting one of these together from scattered parts. Do that, and I'll hire you as an apprentice. This way, you can be paid, and I won't get in trouble with the law. Hopefully. You can come here after school to watch and learn from me so that you can accomplish your assignment. How does that sound?"

I accepted the books from his hands and flipped through the several pages full of information and mechanical jargon. I nodded and looked up at him with confident eyes.

"That sounds great. Thank you very much! I won't fail you, Hatsume-san!" I said with a deep, respectful bow.

[+5 SP]

Despite being practically guilt-tripped into this, Minato nodded with a smile and grabbed a blue jacket from one of the chairs near the wall. "We'll see, kid. Come on, I'll take you over to where you live. MeiMei!"

Off all nicknames... MeiMei?

"Hm?" Was the pink-haired girl's response.

"I'm heading out, so I'll be locking up early. I'll be back in a few minutes; try not to blow up the shop. Okay?" Minato said as he guided me to the front door.

"Okay! Can you bring back some more ball bearings and an electric actuator?" Mei called out without stopping to look at us, too entrenched in her project. "My adorable baby is almost complete!"

"Ah, I almost forgot. That's my daughter, Mei." Minato told me as we watched the young inventor work with an intense focus. "If I'm too busy, you can ask her any questions. She could put one of those fridges together once she turned four, so I advise you to learn from her, too."

"At four?" I muttered as I flipped through the thick and complicated manual. That wasn't surprising, considering what she would accomplish at UA in the future. "I see. I'll be sure to ask her for help then."

"Just a small warning, though." Minato smiled awkwardly as he rubbed the side of his head. "My daughter is a bit... eccentric. You'll understand soon. Okay, let's get you home."

"Right."

As Minato and I left the store, Mei stopped her machinations and looked back at our retreating forms with a confused expression. Shrugging, she slid her goggles over her eyes and grabbed a pair of fine tweezers to twist a tiny wire into place.

AN:

Looks like this story is picking up some traction. The metrics and power stones are picking up! So, as a thank you, here's the next chapter! Keep those reviews, comments, and power stones coming! Trust me, those really tell me you all are interested in me continuing this story. Otherwise, I'll move on to the next thing that my mind thinks up.

Until next time!