NO. 5 - Confrontation

At the sound of the school bell, everyone in the classroom began packing their stuff to head home. Some cliques were discussing what to do or where to go; other students headed toward their after-school clubs. At the front, the teacher began to organize and gather all the work from their busy day to start the slow grading process.

Still in my chair, I lifted my arms above my head and stretched them. Hearing a few pops from my stiff joints, I sighed in relief and stood up. Grabbing my bag, I walked out of the classroom to head towards my job, or if a police officer asked, my apprenticeship. Heh-heh. Who knew breaking the law was so rewarding? Oh, criminals and villains did. No wonder they did it.

It's been around three weeks since I completed my fridge assignment, much to Minato's approval. He was genuinely impressed that I could complete the fridge within three weeks of watching and observing him or Mei. He was so impressed that he placed me in charge of refurbishing and repairing all appliances brought to the store/workshop.

It was a large responsibility that pushed me to continue learning. It didn't hurt that the pay was good. Minato didn't start paying seven hundred yen like I originally asked during our initial professional interview. No, Minato began my hourly wage at two thousand yen. How generous of the guy.

Thanks to my generous wage, I was able to buy the materials I needed to start working on the drafts for the stories I planned on writing.

I decided to begin with writing and selling three books before moving on to work on making the manga I had planned. Thankfully, my ability to draw from my previous life carried over, so I had confidence that I could pull this off. I just needed to save up some more money for the art supplies I needed to get.

In terms of my planned books, I had already completed the first entries for two of my books, with my third one halfway done. The three stories I wanted to tell were the novelization of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games. These were some of the most prolific works from my world that had sold millions on their own, with successful movies to go along with them.

When I had finished my first two books, my next challenge was to find a publisher that would take a chance at taking me in. So, instead of searching for one in person and being brushed off due to my age, I decided to use the internet to find a publisher. I started off by selling one book instead of two; that way, I could ask for much more money on my next book once the publisher saw how much money my stories could make.

The Hunger Games series would be my first work as an author. With that in mind, I began sending the first five chapters of the book to several publishers I found online under the pen name Gege and waited to see who would bite the bait. I didn't have to wait long because, after a few days, I received several offers from at least half of all the publishers I contacted.

At that point, all I had to do was play my cards right and choose the best offer. It didn't hurt that I mentioned to my potential publishers that they were currently competing for the rights to my story, causing them to double their offers for my story.

Having my pick of the litter, I chose the offer from a publisher in America where I would receive an advance of 65 thousand USD and 8% of the royalties from each copy of the book sold. It wasn't a lot, but that was mostly due to me being a new and unknown author. But for an orphan with little money, it was enough to start.

Now, all I had to do was wait for my new publisher to begin selling my book to the public, which should take a few weeks from now. At that point, all I had to do was sit back and watch the money flow into my bank account.

Reaching the shoe lockers, I switched out my indoor shoes for my old outdoor sneakers and walked outside. I came to a stop in front of a bike rack near the entrance of the school but stopped when my ears picked up a far-off noise.

I looked over to the side of the school, where I saw four students walk around the corner. Two of the students had their arms over the shoulders of a short boy with a mutant-type quirk that gave him the appearance of a hunchbacked ogre.

"...come on, come on. We want to talk."

"U-um, but I have to go home-"

"Hah? What the hell do you say, freak? Didn't you hear Keiji? We just want to talk!"

I squinted my eyes where the four disappeared and shrugged. This wasn't really my problem, so there was no need to get involved. If I did, I could risk getting those bozos to focus on me due to me being quirkless.

It's not like I don't have my own set of hecklers to worry about or anything. Most of what they did was call me names and petty stuff like that, but it never escalated from that. I mean, there was that one time one of them got physical, but he mysteriously ended up unconscious behind the school with a bag of drugs that somehow ended up in his school bag, causing him to be expelled when one of the staff found him after receiving an anonymous tip.

How terrible.

Just as I was about to leave the front gates of my school, I found my legs frozen and unwilling to move. I stared down at my sneakers with a heavy frown and sighed. Turning around, I began to head off towards where the four students went.

Mutant decrimination.

It was a significant problem no one wanted to talk about in this society. Those with mutant-type quirks were treated like second-class citizens just for the fact that their quirks made them look so different from regular humans.

Shoji, Spinner, and that fox lady Midoriya saved when society collapsed came to mind whenever I saw these forms of discrimination. It was just so easy for some people to mistake those with mutations for villains on the simple fact they looked monstrous. It wasn't fair.

"Hey, hey. Kagawa? You got any money?"

"Ah, n-no..."

"You're not lying to me now, are you?"

"N-no! I swear!"

I came to a stop around the corner of a rather desolate spot behind the school and peered back at the scene ahead. The boy with ogre-like mutation, Kagawa, I think I heard them say, was against a wall with the other three students incircling him. From their looks, they were a year or two older than us, making them our upperclassmen. They each had these amused and predatory looks as they watched Kagawa squirm under their gazes.

One of the boys, the one with short red hair and eyes, held up his left hand next to Kagawa's ear and lit a small pathetic fire no bigger than a match on his palm. "You better not be lying to us, Kagawa. I don't have to remind you what I do to liars."

Kagawa jumped and squealed as the red-haired asshole slowly brought the fire closer to his ear.

"I-I s-swear! I-I'm not lying! I used it all up at lunch!"

"Hmm. That so?" The boy with brushed-back purple hair said with a thoughtful look. He was what one could call handsome. But to me, he looked uglier than a pile of dog shit. "Very well. We believe you."

"R-really? I-"

"From now on, you won't be eating lunch. Instead, you'll be giving me your money every day." Purple shit stain said with an easy smile. "Got it?"

"Huh? But I-"

Kagawa was interrupted when the last of the three stooges kicked him directly in the stomach, causing Kagawa to hunch over and hold his stomach in pain. The boy who kicked him had spiky black hair and serrated teeth. Let's call him Dipshit.

"Shut it, freak!" Dipshit grabbed Kagawa's short brown hair and yanked his head up so he could look at Dipshit's angry face. "Didn't you hear what Nobuyuki said?!"

Kagawa closed his eyes and tried to look away but was once again yanked by his hair. Tears were now flowing from his mismatched eyes.

"Okay, that's enough." I said while I approached the four with my hands in my pockets. They all turned to look at me in surprise and slight fear, but the three bullies quickly relaxed when they noticed I was not a teacher.

"It's the quirkless loser," Dipshit said as he walked over to stand next to the red-haired asshole, who looked amused. Purple shit stain looked over to me and then over to Kagawa with a smile.

[+5 SP]

[+5 SP]

[+5 SP]

"This a friend of yours, Shimizu?"

I didn't respond but continued walking toward them, causing Purple shit stain to frown.

I have two options available to me right now.

One option was to go grab a teacher and tell them what was going on, letting the adults handle the situation.

Option two was to ask these clowns to kindly stop bullying Kagawa. This will cause them to reflect on their actions and, in the end, make them change their ways.

"Hey, we're talking to-"

Slap!

[+5 SP]

Dipshit's face rippled as my open palm slapped him across the face, sending him rolling across the ground. His eyes were blank, and a large red welt began to grow on his cheek.

"I choose option three," I said as I continued walking toward the other two shocked bullies, their wide eyes locked on their unconscious friend. "I choose Violence."

"W-what-"

Slap!

[+5 SP]

"Hold on, You can't just-"

Slap!

[+5 SP]

Down on the ground with red welts on their unconscious faces were the last two bullies. Purple shit stain and the red-haired asshole were both lying face down on the dirt. One of them even wet their pants. I huffed and looked over to a frozen, wide-eyed Kagawa.

"Oi. snap out of it," I said and began to leave. "I suggest you get out here before the three stooges wake up."

"Ah! Oh, uh, right!" Kagawa grabbed his school bag from where it sat and quickly caught up to me as we turned the corner. He held his bag tightly against his chest as he hobbled behind me. I didn't pay him much mind as we left the school grounds.

"T-thank-"

"Don't thank me." I interrupted him and came to a stop, causing Kagawa to almost crash into me. "I didn't do that to save you. I did that because I hate bullies. So next time, stand up for yourself. Even if that means you'll get your ass kicked. Got that?"

"..." Kagawa looked at me wide-eyed while his mouth opened and closed silently. In the end, he closed his mouth and nodded quickly.

"I'm late for work," I muttered and began walking, leaving Kagawa behind. "See ya."

[+10 SP]

I continued walking away without turning back to see that Kagawa was now bowing to me as tears streamed down his face. My eyes looked over to a floating screen that displayed my total saved-up SP.

[Total SP: 4,579]

Tonight, I finally get to spend my saved-up points! Gotta grab some snacks on the way home.

x x x

I smiled and waved at Minato and Mei as I walked out of the shop's front door once we exchanged our goodbyes. Today had been another busy and productive day at work. Besides interacting and being subjected to testing out several of Mei's recently completed babies, I had finished refurbishing a microwave and a vacuum cleaner while fixing a toaster an old lady brought in during my precious fifteen-minute break.

Usually, I wouldn't have done that so I could read up on the newest issue of Inventors Monthly featuring David Shield. However, Chiyo, the old lady who came in, was in charge of the bakery across the street.

Chiyo always gave me a peace of bread or a cookie when I passed by for free, so I was more than happy to help her. Break be damned, those baked goods of hers were to die for! This was why I was now happily chewing on a piece of melon bread on my way home, courtesy of Chiyo once she saw me step outside.

The city was bathed in the soft glow of dusk as I walked through the bustling streets. The fading sunlight painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, casting long shadows across the pavement. The city lights began to flicker to life, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. People of all shapes and sizes hurried past me, their silhouettes blending into the urban landscape. The distant hum of traffic and the occasional honking of horns filled the air as the city came alive with the energy of the evening.

"Holy crap! It's the ninja hero, Edgeshot!"

"It's him! It is him!"

"Kyaa! He's so handsome!"

I arched an eyebrow and looked down the street where a large group of people were going crazy over Japan's current number six hero. I caught a quick glimpse of the guy and saw that he had the overall appearance of a traditional ninja, like in the original series.

"Whats string-man doing here?" I said as I quickly looked around the area, my melon bread now entirely eaten. "I don't see any villain or a cat stuck in a tree. On patrol then?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to take a different path because there was no way I could walk through all these crazy fans. With my hands in my pockets, I made my way through a nearby alleyway. It was dark, and the air stank due to some built-up garbage, but as long as I could walk home unimpeded, I didn't care.

"Hey. Hey, you. Kid."

Fuck me.

I sighed and looked behind me to see a shady individual walk out of the shadows. He was a tall man dressed in a black trenchcoat and hood. The hood hid his features as two white eyes peered at me from the darkness.

"I'll be taking all your valuables." The cloaked man said in a deep, scratchy voice.

"I think the fuck not."

"...huh?" The man said, seemingly not expecting me to not be afraid.

"Dude, I'm 11. What the hell do you think I have of any value? Unless... you're a pedophile!" I said as I covered my body, my right hand discreetly grabbing one of the marbles from the bag that hung on my belt. "You fiend! Pervert!"

[+5 SP]

"Tch! Damn kids. Just give me the bag, and you won't get hurt!" The man growled and walked towards me with a knife in his right hand. His larger body loomed dangerously over my much shorter stature. This situation would have rendered most kids my age a shacking, muttering mess.

But not me. No, I was a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Unofficially, of course.

I raised my hand and threw the marble at the man. Seeing this, he leaned to the side and chuckled at my pathetic attack. "Heh. What was that? A marbl-"

Clap!

The man's white eyes grew wide when I suddenly appeared beside him, my body momentarily floating in mid-air as my right fist was coated in CE. He had no time to react, and I threw my fist smack dab in the middle of his face. The man's head snapped back from the force of my punch, and his body tumbled back onto a trash bin.

Boogie Woogie is a cursed technique that activates when the user claps their hands together. The technique switches the positions of the user and anything they desire that has above a certain amount of cursed energy.

However, due to the apparent lack of CE in this world, I'm unable to switch with anyone. Making the Boogie Woogie, a once mighty and versatile technique in the world of JJK, a limited-use technique. The only way I was able to make use of this technique was to switch with items infused with my CE or a cursed tool. Unfortunately, I haven't been lucky enough to have pulled any cursed tools yet.

This is why, over the course of four years, I've been slowly and carefully creating my own cursed tools in the shape of the bag of marbles I've been carrying every day. Thus allowing me to use the Boogie Woogie!

"T-that hurt, you damn brat!" The man said as he shakily stood to his feet. Drops of blood dripped onto the filthy ground from his face as his white eyes glared at me hatefully. "I was just going to rob you; now I'm going to gut you as well!"

[+5 SP]

"Ooh, scary." I slid down my black Spider-Man mask on my face and got into a fighting stance, CE covering my aching fists. "You're gonna have to catch me first."

Despite the seemingly calm disposition I had, I couldn't stop the slight trembles that rocked my body. This was, after all, my first-ever encounter with someone who was seemingly willing to end my life. My first real fight. For someone who's lived a relatively normal life so far, this was a scary experience.

The only thing calming me down was the bonus feature of having a relaxed mindset in combat, thanks to Yuji's Hand-to-hand combat skills and Yuta's Swordsmanship skills.

Fuck! That hurt! What's this guy made of? I shook my hands in an attempt to get rid of the numbness.

"Die!" The large man yelled as he closed the distance in a split second thanks to his long legs. When close, he slashed his knife at me in an attempt to slice my throat.

Clap!

"Grah!"

I struck the man on his side with a powerful punch and clapped my hands again in order to appear on his left. I spun in the air and landed a kick in the man's face, causing the man to take several steps back. One of his feet rolled out from under him as he stepped on something small and round.

I jumped back and winced. Each hit I landed began to hurt my fists or feet. It was as if I was striking solid stone.

"What! They're all over the floor!" The man said in surprise as several of my marbles surrounded him. "Just what kind of quirk do you have?!"

Clap!

"What? You thought I just had one of them?" I said as I used Blood Manipulation to cover my fists in hardened blood once I reappeared to his right.

Before he could move, I landed a quick one-two combo at his midsection. The man folded over from the pain and flinched when he heard me clap again. His eyes looked around wildly to find my new position but grew confused when I didn't suddenly appear anywhere close to him. The man's head then jerked to where I originally stood, and he saw that my hands were now outstretched in front of me. Palms pressed together.

Convergence.

Blood Manipulation: Convergence. This skill involves applying pressure to blood in order to compress it to its limit. The blood compressed with convergence is then released through a single point. The initial speed of blood enhanced with CE well exceeds the speed of sound when released. The secret art of Blood Manipulation has a name...

"Piercing Blood."

I released an incredibly fast ray of blood straight at the man's shoulder, causing him to drop his knife. I could have aimed straight for the man's heart, but I had no intention of killing a man today. I knew this was risky, but I believed I could defeat him without killing him.

Crack!

"You're strong kid. I'll give you that."

The man said as he grabbed the front of his jacket and ripped it off. My eyes grew wide when I saw that his entire body was covered in grey stone.

On his shoulder, where my piercing blood attack landed, I saw a big crack stretching from his shoulder to his chest. The pale exposed skin underneath had a large bloody gash. I also noticed that everywhere else I had landed a strike, there were now small cracks on his skin. His face was composed of several large plates of stone while a pair of white eyes stared at me in begrudging respect. "But you won't beat me."

This guy is like Kirishima and Tetsutetsu... Getting past his rock-solid defense won't be easy. Using Piercing blood again isn't an option either; I'm starting to feel lightheaded. I took an unconscious step back as the stone-quirked man stepped forward. Using my blood katana against him won't work then. Where the fuck is Edgeshot when you need him!?

"I think I'm doing well for a little kid. You, on the other hand, haven't landed a single hit on me." I said with a confident and easygoing voice. I was doing my best to channel Gojo's confident personality so the guy wouldn't see how nervous I actually was. "Kinda pathetic if you ask me."

"You got guts, kid; I respect that. But I'm ending this."

The man rushed me and threw a series of punches my way, each of which I dodged and weaved away from, thanks to my shorter size and speed. The man may have a tough defense, but it seems to slow him down as well. I clapped my hands and landed another punch onto the man's back, causing him to stumble, but he then spun around to swing at me wildly. I jumped back to dodge the swing and shook my hand in pain. Despite having hardened my fist with my blood, it still hurt punching solid stone.

"Number two, Reiki!"

I felt water wrap around my body, covering me in a layer of defense. I pushed myself forward and slid across the rough floor as if it were made of ice. My opponent looked momentarily surprised at my boost of speed but quickly recovered. He kicked the air where he thought I was going to be but stumbled when I backflipped over his leg. He looked up just in time to receive a powerful kick that cracked the stone armor on his neck and cheek.

"Got you." The man with the stone defense quirk smirked as he grabbed my ankle while I was in mid-air.

"Shit!"

I was tugged through the air and slammed into the brick wall to our left with enough force to crack the bricks in several sections. I gasped as all the air in my lungs shot out of me from the force of the blow. The man wasn't done there; no, he pulled me out of the wall and lifted me up in the air. He pulled his other arm back and punched my stomach with bone-breaking strength. I felt myself black out for a split second as I flew back through the alley, only to crash into a stack of trash bins and boxes.

If it wasn't for Reiki and focusing a layer of blood around my stomach at the last second, All my organs would have been turned to mush.

I tried to get back to my feet, but the sheer amount of pain I was feeling forced me to stop. I glared up at the approaching man as he walked towards me with a confident stride.

Damn it! I shouldn't have hesitated and held back with my piercing blood technique! If I hadn't, I wouldn't be in this situation.

"Your quirk is something else. Teleporting and blood control! How impressive! It's almost as if you had two quirks! Seeing that mask, it seems like you wanna be a hero. Don't you, you runt? Unfortunately, the road ends here for you."

[+5 SP]

Shit. Despite having three cursed techniques, I'm still so weak! I ignored the stabbing pain in my midsection and forced myself to my feet. My cheeks suddenly swelled, and I was forced to lift my mask so I could spit out a large amount of blood. I wiped my mouth and watched as my opponent was now only ten feet away. Sliding my mask back down, I felt my legs begin to grow weak. This is bad! I have to run!

"Now then, die!"

I looked up to see the man dash towards me with his arms held above his head, ready to smash my head into a paste.

"Number four..." I held my hands in front of me in a similar manner as Potential Man would for the Devine General, but my hands were open and flat. "...Ryu!"

The stone man may not be able to see my Auspicious Beast, but he could immediately sense a wave of negative energy explode out from me, causing his eyes to grow wide in fear.

From my hands, a wave of CE took the form of a large serpentine dragon that shot straight into my opponent's chest. Ryu opened its large jaws and clamped down straight into the man's chest. Shattering his armor and cutting deep into his torso.

[+30 SP]

This was a technique that was capable of pushing back the Ryomen Sukuna in his Heian-era form.

In other words, this guy was defeated in a flash.

A loud explosion shot out from around me as Ryu and the now-dead man crashed straight through the building beside us. Ryu kept flying even after shooting out the other side of the building and released my would-be killer in the air. Ryu vanished and returned back to me just as the man's body fell to the ground with a loud crack.

Unfortunately, the man landed straight in the center of a busy road. Causing a wave of panic to flood the streets. Luckily, no vehicle or person was underneath the man's heavy body when he crashed. In no time, a large crowd of people gathered around the body.

"Ahh!"

"Is he dead?!"

"H-his chest!"

Due to pumping almost all of my remaining CE into Ryu to ensure my victory, I began to feel extremely tired. It didn't help that my injuries caused pulses of extreme agony to echo throughout my body. But I knew I couldn't stay here. I had to leave immediately. I gazed over at my dropped marbles and cursed.

No time to gather them. What a waste!

Limping away, I took off my bloodied mask and used the wall beside me to support my weight as I left the area. As I neared the street from which I entered the alley, I was relieved to see it sparsely occupied. Everyone was too focused on the large crater with a dead man in the center to pay any attention to an inconsequential 11-year-old.

Don't pass out. Don't pass out. Don't...

I had numbly walked in a single direction; it didn't matter where I went as long as I left the area of the fight. My vision was blurry, and I couldn't make out my surroundings. Sadly, after a while, my legs took me as far as they could. Like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut off, I fell to my knees and slammed face-first onto what felt like grass.

Shit, I'm passing out.

Slowly, black began to encompass my vision, and I knew no more.

-

AN:

Happy Monday, everyone. Here's a new chapter! Let me know your thoughts on this story's first fight sequence and what cursed techniques you'd like to see!

Until next time!