NO. 18 - Pink Menace

...2 Years Later...

[General POV]

The narrow alley was slick with rain, the asphalt glimmering under the dim streetlights as a middle-aged woman with black hair dressed in a blue raincoat ran. The woman's name was Fujioka Hisoka.

Known in the underground world as "The Coil," she operated under a veil of secrecy, leaving behind nothing but whispered tales and a trail of chaos. Her background was shrouded in mystery; some said she was a runaway with a sharp mind and a fierce ambition, while others speculated about a more sinister lineage.

Regardless of her origins, she had a talent for slipping through the cracks of society, always one step ahead of the law. Her expertise lies in cunning heists, drug trafficking, embezzlement, murder, and human trafficking. Especially involving those with children with promising quirks.

With a quick wit and a calm demeanor, Hisoka navigated the complexities of the criminal underworld, forging alliances and manipulating rivals to serve her purpose. Despite her darker traits, she was incredibly loyal to her boss. Hisoka would never do anything to put him at risk or capture.

Even from the infamous Demon god himself.

The King of Curses, Sukuna.

The very same Demon that was chasing her down like prey.

Hisoka's heart pounded in her ears as she sprinted through the shadows. As she ran, she looked back in fright only to see nothing behind her. Despite that, she continued running. Her grey eyes were wide with fear as they looked around wildly.

She turned sharply, narrowly avoiding a trash can that clattered to the ground behind her. The adrenaline surged through her veins, propelling her forward. Every breath felt sharp in her lungs. With a grimace, Hisoka crouched low and jumped onto the wall to her right, and springboarded herself back and forth down the alley.

Hisoka's quirk, Repeated Hopping, allowed her to use her legs like coiled springs to jump off nearby surfaces, similar to a pinball, to travel at greater speeds.

The scent of damp concrete filled the air as she bounced past a closed shop front, her mind racing to find an escape route.

Hisoka's instincts kicked in; she veered to the right, cutting through a narrow pathway that twisted between two buildings with a long jump. The darkness enveloped her like a cloak, but she knew her pursuer was relentless.

She knew once the Demon God found you, he would stop at nothing to get you.

Hisoka didn't want to end up like all her now-dead crewmates. All dead at the hands of that man.

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like a crow's caw above her, causing her to look up and momentarily lose focus of her quirk, sending her crashing along the wet ground in a painful roll.

"Heheh. Go on, get up and run. Run!"

Hisoka quickly crawled to her feet at the sound of the voice. Panic, fear, dread, and many more emotions surged within her. She needed a plan. She needed to escape!

'I don't want to die!' Hisoka screamed in her head.

Up ahead, a chain-link fence loomed. She leaped toward it, fingers gripping the cold metal. Just as she scrambled over the top, something solid coiled around her left leg and pulled her back.

"Ah! Let me go!"

Hisoka's chin slammed on the hard ground, causing her head to swim as the pain of her body being dragged along the rough ground pulsed.

Looking down at her leg, Hisoka saw a thick red liquid-like rope tied around her leg. She couldn't help but wonder if that was blood. Her eyes followed the rope to its point of origin, only to find a shadowed figure down the alleyway.

The visage of the mysterious figure caused a wave of panic through her.

It was him.

It was Sukuna.

The very man who threw a large portion of Japan's underworld into uncontrolled chaos. The killer of criminals and villains alike with no mercy.

"No! No! Let me go!"

Reaching down, Hisoka tried to remove the red rope from her leg in a frenzy. Her once well-manicured nails dug into the rope and her skin, but the most she did was scratch and rip her flesh. Leaving the rope undamaged. Hot tears streamed out of her eyes as she finally came to a stop; slowly, she looked up at the pair of cold, amused eyes looming over her.

"Well, that was fun." Sukuna's low, rough voice said as he reached down and grabbed the top of her head with his gloved right hand.

Hisoka whined and fought to remove his hand from her head, but his grip was ironclad. The man, no, the Demon before her, then effortlessly lifted her up and held her above the ground, the pressure around her skull increasing.

Hisoka whimpered as she desperately tried to remove the Demon's hand from her person, but she then made the mistake of looking down at his face in her panic, causing her to freeze like a rabbit.

A wide, merciless smile looked at her in amusement as his black eyes peered straight into her soul from beneath the black hood and high white collar. What stood out the most were the sharp, black tattoos that adorned his face.

"Now then, enough games. Where's your boss at? Oh, and I suggest you answer me quickly. It'll hurt a lot less if you do..."

x x x

[Shimizu Souta POV]

I let out a deep, long yawn as I used my hand to cover my mouth. I then smacked my lips and blearily looked around the empty storefront of Hatsume's Mechanical Repairs and Such. I was wearing my work uniform over a pair of casual clothes, the uniform being a simple black apron.

"Hmm, you getting enough sleep, Souta?" Minato asked me from his spot on a stool where he was watching a baseball game from the small television set on the far left counter. "You know, a young man like yourself needs his full eight hours to develop properly."

"Oh, yeah? How many hours of sleep does Mei get?"

[+5 SP]

"...barely six. It helps that she doesn't know that the candy she snacks on at night are actually melatonin gummies."

"Smart."

Minato then stretched his back and looked at me with a stern look, like a father would give to their misbehaving son. "Still, you should try to get some more sleep. You up all night playing those video games or something?"

"Nah, I was just up late… studying," I said with a small grin as I pulled out a book from under the counter. "Don't worry, Hatsume-san. I'm getting my sleep. Thanks for the concern."

[+5 SP]

Minato smiled and nodded at my answer. He then turned back to watch his game as I read my book. The book was on the Meta Liberation War. It was actuallya very interesting read; there were a lot of points I agreed with within it and some that I didn't.

Rumble!

Minato and I looked at one another as the store rumbled around us. We turned back as a muffled explosion could be heard behind us. I stood up and closed my book while sighing.

"I got this one."

"Don't forget the fire extinguisher," Minato said as he turned back to watch his game.

Walking towards the back of the store, I grabbed the fire extinguisher from its case and slipped on my outdoor shoes. As I did, I looked up at the large mirror set beside the coat rack to see my reflection.

I was now 170 centimeters tall, placing me slightly above average for young Japanese boys like myself. My looks had changed quite a bit as well.

This was the result of puberty, alongside my training, nightly excursions, and the constant flow of curse energy within me. Who knew CE had a passive effect of boosting my body?

That almost makes up for the fact that everyone I encounter looks at me like a crook or a creep.

Almost.

My body was well-muscled and defined. A few scars littered my body, with the most prominent scar being the one on my neck from my fight with Stain. Fuck that guy. My face and hair looked very similar to Megumi's, and my sharp eyes took after Toji himself.

"Gueh," Zaiko muttered from over my shoulder. Pulling me out of my observation of myself.

"Right. Mei."

Soon enough, I reached a large newly built shed/workshop located several meters away from the store's main building. I rolled my eyes at the sight of the wisps of black smoke rolling out of the workshop's open windows.

"Mei!" I yelled as I entered the smoking workshop, my free hand waving the bellowing smoke away. "You alive?"

"Haha! Success! A major success!"

I heard Mei excitedly yell from somewhere within the smoke. I found myself smiling at her mad cackles and walked over to the right wall where a large switch was located. Flipping it, several load fans came to life and quickly sucked out all the smoke upwards toward the large ventilation system Minato and I built.

With the smoke now gone, I took a look around the large workshop with a proud smile.

The workshop was a unique blend of controlled chaos, innovation, and, above all, a passion for engineering. As you step inside, you're greeted by the sight of messily organized tools hanging on a magnetic wall.

The workshop features expansive workbenches made from sturdy hardwood, each meticulously designed and dedicated to specific tasks—machining, welding, or assembly. Overhead, bright LED lights illuminate every corner, ensuring that even the tiniest detail is visible. Walls are adorned with pegboards displaying an array of tools, from wrenches to calipers, all easily accessible.

At the heart of the workshop is a large CNC machine, its sleek design signifying advanced technology. Nearby, a lathe and milling machine stood at the ready, showcasing a mix of traditional craftsmanship and modern innovation. Perfect for crazy steampunk enthusiasts.

There is a designated area for prototyping, filled with creative sketches pinned to a board, alongside 3D printers actively producing the latest designs. Adjacent to this is an ample open space designated for testing finished inventions. This area had signs of heavy use, with visible burns and dents from Mei's various tests and mishaps.

The air is tinged with the lingering smell of smoke and various materials; metal shavings mix with the scent of fresh paint coming from the painting booth, where pieces are completed with a focus on both aesthetics and durability.

The workshop also boasts a small, comfortable lounge area, complete with a coffee brewer and a large basket full of chocolates, where Mei would sometimes take a brief moment to recharge her creativity. Off to the back corner was the ever-growing pile of inventions Mei had created over the course of two years.

Overall, the mechanical workshop Minato and I built as a gift for Mei's 13th birthday was a pretty impressive sight, equipped for productivity and the creative exploration of engineering.

"Mei, what did your dad and I say about explosions? If you're going to cause one, have the filtration fans on." I said as I placed the fire extinguisher on a nearby table, no longer needing it due to a lack of ongoing fires.

There, standing next to the designated area for testing, was Mei in all her dirt, grime, and oil-covered glory. Her long pink hair was pulled into a high ponytail as her newly made steampunk goggles sat over her eyes. She wore thick mechanical overalls over her lower body while the upper half of the overalls were tied around her waist to expose a black tank top over her upper body. Around her waist was a brown belt full of tools.

Mei pulled her goggles off her eyes and over her head as she turned to me with a giant megawatt smile. "Souta! Look, look! My newest baby is ready!" Mei ran over to me and pulled over to her latest and greatest creation. "Isn't it beautiful?!"

[+10 SP]

I hummed and looked over the impressive-looking mechanical robot. It heavily resembled Diva's mechanical mech from Overwatch, a game from my original world, in its construction. However, unlike Diva's mech, Mei's was much smaller and had a bulkier design. Despite that, it was extremely impressive.

"It's freakin awesome," I said with a smile as I walked around the mech to inspect all of Mei's work. Mei grinned as she followed behind me with her hands behind her back. "Nice work on the coupling here. I see; this undercut you added will definitely help with the mech's lateral movement. Very nice, Mei." We stopped in front of the mech, our eyes locked on the machine's tiny cockpit. "I think this may be your best baby yet!"

[+30 SP]

"Really?!" Mei said with a large smile. Her cheeks were a tinge of pink.

"Absolutely. But I think it can get better than this." I said as I held my chin in thought, my mind whirling. "I think you can improve its design by streamlining the mech's limbs. Improving the speed and reducing its overall weight. Yeah, there's definitely more you can do."

Mei nodded along to my suggestions as she wrote down several new notes and sketches on a notepad she pulled from... somewhere.

"Mhm! Yes, I see what you mean. Frankly, I felt I could have done better with the size of my baby's arms and legs, but then I wouldn't be able to include the missiles and booster jets." Mei said nonchalantly as I froze.

"Haha, you're kidding, right?" I said with a nervous smile as I looked at the pink-haired menace I called my friend. She turned to me, her smile widening, but offered no answer to my question.

"You're kidding... right? Right?"