Chapter 24

Charging toward Izuku as if she were a piece of metal attracted by a powerful magnet, the salmon-haired girl, Mei Hatsume, exclaimed, "Is that the Shield Mk. 47 Ultimate-Series Tool Set!? How on Earth did you get your hands on such a precious set of tools!?"

As the SMK47-USTS cost well over thirty million yen, it wasn't something the typical 'hobbyist' could afford. However, as Izuku's primary revenue stream came from modifying and filing new patents, getting his hands on a top-of-the-line set of tools was very important.

Though he didn't mind in the slightest, Izuku adopted a wry smile as he replied, "You should probably change your top before we talk. At this rate, I'll be too distracted to answer your questions properly."

"Hmmm~?"

Staring down at her fairly ample bosom, Hatsume asked, "What's the problem? The bikini I wear during Summer shows off a lot more skin. Besides, it's hella hot in here. You want me to overheat and pass out?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku replied, "If that's how it is, I won't press the matter further. As for your previous statement and the question that followed, firstly, I received permission from the Principal to make use of the Support Department's facilities. Secondly, yes, this is the Shield Mk. 47 Ultimate-Series Tool Set. You have a good eye."

Raising her hands as if she were about to give double peace signs, Hatsume pointed to her eyes, controlling her reticle-like pupils to expand and contract as she explained, "It's thanks to my Quirk, Zoom. It gives me a headache if I overuse them, but if I really focus, I can see objects up to five kilometers away. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'll say," replied Izuku. "It's like having a high-powered microscope in your eyes sockets. I bet it's super useful for working with circuitry and microchips."

As quite a number of people regarded her Quirk as useless, Hatsume couldn't help smiling in response to Izuku's words, exclaiming, "I know, right!?"

Before Izuku could respond, Hatsume beat him to the punch, adding, "Anyways, Powerloader-sensei isn't here right now. Even if you really do have permission, I can't let you start working until he approves you. If it turns out you were lying and I allowed you to do as you pleased, I'd risk having my special privileges taken away."

Once again speaking before Izuku could respond, Hatsume beamed as she exclaimed, "Oh, I know! How about I show you around and introduce you to some of my babies!? You must be pretty skilled if you own a set of tools like that. Maybe you can give me some tips!"

Without waiting for Izuku's response, Hatsume grabbed his hand and hauled him toward what many would presume to be a pile of scrap metal. Instead, it was a small mountain of Support items, haphazardly packed together as if a Katamari Damacy had come through...

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Though Hatsume was a little overbearing, Izuku couldn't help smiling as she demonstrated dozens of her 'babies,' original Support items she had somehow managed to complete in the week since school began.

As he had told Mina, Izuku's preferred type was a woman who was passionate about something she loved. Hatsume embodied this to an almost ludicrous extent, so much so he didn't even mind when one of her 'babies' blew up in his face. Luckily, just before her little exhibition began, she lent him a pair of goggles with a powerful magnification property, an invention inspired by her Quirk.

Instead of asking if Izuku was okay, Hatsume exhaled a carefree laugh and commented, "Sorry about that. But you know what they say, failure is the mother of invention. Each mishap brings you one step closer to true greatness~!"

Continuing from where she left off, Hatsume picked up a glove with rings around the joints and thin wires running along the interior of the fingers, explaining, "Take this baby, for example. She can increase a person's grip strength by up to 150kg. The downside is that the wires have a tendency to break due to friction. If I could figure out a way to decrease the tension between the wires and the joints, I could increase the output five, maybe even ten times...!"

Having wiped away the soot from his face, Izuku took a look at the gloves Hatsume had presented him, asking, "Have you considered replacing the metal wires with artificial silk or micro-hydraulic cables? The latter may be bulkier, but you could get around the friction issue."

Opening her eyes wide and smiling even broader than usual, Hatsume exuded a somewhat 'scary' aura before abruptly grasping Izuku's hands and shouting, "You and I are going to make so many babies together...!"

"..."

Though he knew Hatsume was referring to Support items, Izuku's mind momentarily blanked. He hadn't even considered Hatsume as one of his potential 'targets,' but she had suddenly secured herself the top position among the girls he interacted with at school.

Realizing how her words could be misconstrued, Hatsume released her hold on Izuku's hands, crossing her arms as she casually remarked, "You have quite the active imagination, don't cha? That's a necessary trait for an inventor, but you shouldn't let it distract you. Besides, whoever I end up with needs to be able to support me, both creatively and financially. I don't have time for a romance that doesn't advance my goal of being the world's greatest inventor."

Recovering from his brief stupor, a wry smile developed across Izuku's face as he shamelessly revealed, "I currently make around ¥165,000,000 a year, and it's only-"

Before Izuku could finish touting his worth, Hatsume once again grabbed his hands, her eyes practically sparkling as she said, "Please date me with marriage in mind! I'll let you touch my boobs...!"

Underlining her point, Hatsume squished her breasts against Izuku, her reticle-like eyes staring into his as if she were attempting to peer into his thoughts. It was surprisingly intimidating, but Izuku managed to remain fairly calm as he replied, "As tantalizing an offer as that is, I think it best we start as friends. If it's financing your after, I could potentially become your Sponsor. I-"

Interrupting Izuku before he could finish, Hatsume replied, "Deal!" before giving him a firm, lingering hug as she teased, "Looks like I might have to start calling you Papa. Let's make lots of babies together...uh...what was your name again?"

Adopting a somewhat forced smile, Izuku replied, "Izuku...Izuku Midoriya. Also, you-"

Preempting Izuku's point, Hatsume abruptly released him, hands on her hips as she shouted, "Good to meet you, Izuku! I'm Mei Hatsume, but you can just call me Mei! We'll be working together nice, close, and personally from now on, so there's no need for formalities!"

Abruptly transitioning to a more serious persona, Mei gazed at Izuku's body, muttering, "Speaking of which..."

Approaching Izuku for the umpteenth time, Mei began feeling up his body as if it were a perfectly natural thing to do.

"Whoa...you look kind of ordinary in your uniform, but it turns out you're pretty jacked, huh?"

Moving around to Izuku's back, Mei pressed her breasts against him, her hands reaching around to caress the front of his body, adding, "Nice. Is this a six—no, an eight-pack? Mind taking off your clothes so I can get a better look?"

Inhaling a deep breath, Izuku grabbed Mei's hands, preventing them from roaming his body as he warned, "You're playing with fire, Mei-san...if you mistake me for an 'ordinary,' herbivorous high schooler, you're going to get burned..."

Shrugging her shoulders, Mei responded with a dismissive, "Eh, I'm used to getting burned." while wriggling her fingers in Izuku's grasp. She knew her actions were a little inappropriate, but she could tell Izuku didn't mind them. As for his 'threat,' she didn't take it seriously. After all, what was the worst he could do while they were on campus grounds?

Just as Izuku was seriously considering teaching Mei a lesson, the door to the Development Studio opened, followed by the entrance of a short, shirtless man wearing an oversized helmet resembling an excavator claw.

Noticing the position Izuku and Mei were in, a tense, awkward silence permeated the studio before the diminutive man exhaled a tired sigh and asked, "What did I tell you about accosting other students, Hatsume-san? If you get expelled for sexual harassment, you'll never be able to become a successful inventor..."

Retracting her hands from Izuku's grasp, Mei exhaled an awkward laugh before defending her actions by pointing out, "Don't worry, Sensei. Izuku is a fellow inventor. He's also my patron, so we'll probably start dating once he overcomes his shyness. At the very least, I'm confident he won't report me to the school's Disciplinary Committee."

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, the diminutive man, Higari Maijima, also known by his Hero name, Excavation Hero: Power Loader, shifted his gaze to Izuku and said, "Please don't take this fool of a girl's actions to heart. I promise you she doesn't mean any harm. She's just..."

Sparing Power Loader the effort of having to excuse Mei's actions, Izuku shook his head and affirmed, "It's fine, Sensei. I'm well aware that Mei is simply passionate about her work. I can respect that."

Undercutting Izuku's words, Mei beamed like a lighthouse in a storm as she said, "Izuku and I are going to make tons of babies together, Sensei! You won't believe this, but he totally figured out a solution to Baby No. 26 after looking at it for, I dunno, maybe six seconds? Please, please, please let him work here...!"

Ignoring Mei's words, Power Loader directed his gaze at Izuku, stating, "I heard about you from the Principal. He lauded you as a genius in the field of Support, but I'll need to evaluate your skills personally before I let you use these facilities. I can't always be around to supervise you, so I need to know you're capable of handling yourself."

Resisting the urge to point out he allowed Mei, infamous for creating devices that exploded, to work without supervision, Izuku nodded and replied, "I'm ready." in a firm tone. He had redistributed his stats earlier that morning, so his Intelligence and Dexterity were currently sitting at 100. He might not be able to compare to a monster like Mei, but he was confident he could both meet and surpass Power Loader's expectations. After all, while his experience might be lacking, his attributes were even higher than the excavator-headed Hero's...

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Name: [Izuku Midoriya]

Quirk: Digitalization, Transfer, Stockpiling, Singularity, Gearshift(sealed), Fa Jin(sealed), Danger Sense(sealed), Blackwhip(sealed), Smokescreen(sealed), Float(sealed)

Current Level: 19 (91,069 EXP)

Effective Level: 34

[Attributes]

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Vitality: 100

Intelligence: 100

Dexterity: 100

Luck: 22

Free Attributes: 0

Rerolls Available: 2

[Perks]

[Lesser Regeneration], [Healthy Body], [Sharp Mind], [Eidetic Memory], [Nimble Fingers], [Keen Senses]

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Name: [Mei Hatsume]

Quirk: Zoom

Current Level: 12

Effective Level: 37

[Attributes]

Strength: 11

Agility: 8

Vitality: 21

Intelligence: 149

Dexterity: 83

Luck: 103

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Name: [Higari Maijima]

Quirk: Iron Claws

Current Level: 25

Effective Level: 51

[Attributes]

Strength: 91

Agility: 28

Vitality: 208

Intelligence: 73

Dexterity: 59

Luck: 54

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After passing Power Loader's tests with relative ease, Izuku earned the right to make use of the Development Studio. Better yet, instead of being restricted to Sundays, he was allowed to come in whenever he had a free afternoon. That was how much Power Loader valued his aptitude, enough that he was effectively willing to overlook the fact Mei behaved as if there were no personal boundaries between them.

Fortunately, while Izuku wasn't able to escape becoming Mei's guinea pig, he didn't especially mind the salmon-haired girl's antics. Rather, now that he had become One-for-All's successor, he knew he wouldn't have nearly as much time to dedicate to Support work as he intended. Thus, while he planned to continue inventing, he was already considering just supporting Mei. She possessed the 'spark' he lacked as an inventor, so if he focused on funding and promoting her creations, Izuku was certain he could make both of them very, 'very' rich...

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(A/N: Ah, yes, the Edison approach. Also, sneak peek at future MC...)