95 Chapter 94
With the stealth jet capable of vertical take-offs and docking, Melissa landed it directly at an airfield attached to UA. Most of the students of Class 1-A were surprised by this, but things became clear when Melissa admitted, "Oh, this jet is something my father made a few years ago. He gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday, and I received permission from the Principal to keep it here."
Hearing Melissa's casual admission, Kirishima retorted, "Are you freakin' serious!? Does that mean you can take this thing for a joy ride whenever you want!?"
Smiling awkwardly, Melissa replied, "Not exactly. I can fly it over UA, but if I wanted to take it elsewhere, I would need to submit a flight plan and receive approval from the Shizuoka Area Control Center. Japan has some pretty stringent flight regulations, especially for military-grade aircraft."
Unable to restrain his curiosity, Kaminari asked, "This jet is military-grade? Does it shoot missiles or something?"
Channeling his inner teacher, Toshinori raised his right index finger and explained, "Of course not! You see, young Kaminari, any craft capable of exceeding Mach 2.5 is automatically classified as military-grade. As this particular jet is capable of exceeding Mach 10, outfitting it with offensive weaponry would be a severe violation of more than a dozen international treaties!"
Nodding her head, Melissa added, "Uncle Might is correct. Most countries outright prohibit people from owning private aircraft capable of exceeding Mach 2.5. And for a good reason, too, as most hypersonic jets use fission engines and hydrogen scramjet propulsion. If they were to crash, it would explode with the force of a low-yield nuclear bomb."
"..." x13
While everyone else, including Izuku, was at a loss for words, Toshinori exhaled a barrel-chested laugh, easing the tensions before suggesting that everyone call their parents. Most of their families weren't expecting them back until later that afternoon, so it would be quite a surprise once they showed up around 3-4 AM. Those who couldn't contact their parents or had to wait until the trains started running were invited to gather in the cafeteria to eat breakfast or hang out. Izuku was precluded from this, not because he lived on campus, but because Nezu wished to meet with him, Toshinori, and Melissa as soon as possible...
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Seated behind his oversized mahogany desk, Nezu,paw-like fingers linked together, said, "First of all, allow me to welcome you to UA, Melissa. It is a genuine pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I look forward to seeing the changes you introduce to the Department of Support."
As Nezu was a legend among the intellectual and scientific communities, Melissa felt incredibly nervous, visibly shrinking as she kept her eyes low and replied, "I-It's an honor to be accepted as an Assistant Instructor at UA..."
Amused by Melissa's reaction, a faintly sadistic glimmer flashed across Nezu's eyes before he promptly suppressed it, stating, "Please, there's no need to humble yourself. Rather, as you are one of the key figures that will help us overcome the forthcoming crisis, you'll need to learn how to carry yourself with an air of confidence. Many people will look to you for advice or as an example of how they should behave."
Raising her gaze, a look of perplexity marred Melissa's face as she offered a confused, "Pardon...?"
"He's referring to the Meta World Transversal phenomenon," said Izuku. "It won't be long before breaches start appearing in Japan, and my power could be instrumental in preventing things from getting out of hand."
Nodding in affirmation, Nezu stated, "That's correct, Midoriya-kun. Based on the data I've collected, choosing Perks, redistributing attributes, and the ability to form Parties are unique to you. Here, this is an example of a Status Window provided by Egypt's No. 1 Hero, Salaam."
Clapping his hands together, Nezu created a holographic projection for Izuku, Toshinori, and Melissa to scrutinize. The layout was similar to the Status Windows produced by Digitalization, but that was primarily due to Nezu formatting it that way. The Status Windows observed by those who had entered the breaches were slightly different, at least visually...
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Name: [Asim Gamal]
Title: Apostle of Amon
Quirk: Papyrus
Level: 93
[Attributes]
Strength: 99
Agility: 133
Vitality: 698
Intelligence: 92
Dexterity: 165
Luck: 108
[Skills]
[Sun God's Judgment]
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As if he could read Izuku's mind, Nezu explained, "According to Salaam, his Title vested him with an additional 300 Vitality and the Skill you see listed near the bottom of his Status, Sun God's Judgment. It miraculously allows him to create an artificial sun, incinerating his enemies with intense heat, albeit only once a day."
"His Level is fairly high..." remarked Izuku. "Way higher than the average Pro in Japan..."
Nodding in affirmation, Nezu revealed, "When he first started entering the breaches, his Level was only 73. That was a little more than three months ago."
Blinking in surprise, Izuku asked, "That fast? The Experience rates in the breaches must be insane..."
"So it would seem," replied Nezu, gesturing to create several additional windows, one depicting a giant snake, another showing a flaming bird, and the final exhibiting what looked like a Griffin but with wings of gold and a mantle that resembled the headdress worn by a Pharaoh.
Before anyone could ask, Nezu explained, "Though most of the breaches contain relatively weak monsters, these three, colloquially referred to as 'Boss Monsters,' were considerably more powerful. It was by defeating these beasts that Salaam was able to increase his Level so quickly, albeit at the cost of several Heroes' lives..."
"How tragic..." muttered Toshinori, his expression becoming serious as he thought about his decision to abstain from visiting Egypt.
Seeing through Toshinori's thoughts, Nezu exhaled a faint sigh before revealing, "Even if you had gone to Egypt, there isn't anything you could have done, Toshinori-kun. We're not entirely sure how it works, but most breaches seem to have strict Level and capacity restrictions. The lowest grade breaches are inaccessible to those exceeding Level 50, so with your Level of 17,638, the most you could have done is wait for beasts to emerge."
"Is that really the case?" asked Toshinori, regaining a glimmer of hope that had been missing from his eyes since the appearance of All-for-One. He feared that the latter had fled to a breach and was using it to get even stronger. If Nezu's words were true, which they usually were, it meant All-for-One could only rely on his subordinates to try and force monsters out of the breaches. However, even if he could increase his Level, he wouldn't be able to see or access his Status Window.
Nodding in affirmation, Nezu replied, "Yes. Also, what you're imagining is impossible, at least according to the information we have available. You see, so long as a single person enters a breach, the monsters within can no longer escape. Experiments to remove them have all ended in failure, so you can rest assured our mutual enemy won't be using the breaches to grow stronger. At the very least, not directly."
Exhaling a sigh, Toshinori muttered, "That's a relief...". At the same time, however, another concern entered his mind...
Reading Toshinori like an open book, Nezu exhaled an amused chuckle before explaining, "Worry not, Toshinori-kun. If the current trend holds, the first breaches to appear in Japan will be filled with fairly weak, easy-to-defeat monsters. Even normal citizens will be able to defeat them, so there is little risk of an accident occurring if we allow our students inside. Rather, with the Experience and resources available, it would be remiss of us 'not' to let our students enter them..."
Shifting his gaze to Izuku, Nezu added, "That's where you come in, my young, Digitalized friend. You would be surprised to learn how much land I own in Japan, and I have already convinced the Association to grant UA exclusive rights to any breaches that appear within the boundaries of my property. In exchange, I promised to develop a task force that specializes in clearing even the most troublesome breaches."
"And you want me to lead this task force?" asked Izuku, visibly perking up at the notion.
"In time," replied Nezu. "For now, I would prefer to keep your power under wraps, so the public leader of the task force would be one of the teachers in my employ. You will be allowed to join the task force, assuming you can obtain your Provisional Hero License, but certain people would make quite a fuss if I left a student in charge of such an important task."
Nodding his head, Izuku replied, "Makes sense. My only question is, who are you going to put in charge? Nemuri-sensei's Quirk would be incredibly useful within the breaches, but I don't think the public would feel at ease having her in charge..."
"You're right," replied Nezu. "Fortunately, UA has made quite a few hires in recent weeks. Including Miss Shield here, we have also recruited the Wild, Wild Pussycats, the up-and-coming team of Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms, and a certain rabbit-themed Heroine who will probably curse me to death now that I've spoiled the surprise."
Though he was aware that Rumi had met with Nezu, Izuku didn't expect that she would actually become a teacher. She actively advocated against team-ups, so it was difficult to imagine her working in a group, much less teaching others how to cooperate.
Seeing through Izuku's thoughts, Nezu clarified, "Ms. Usagiyama won't be teaching a class directly. Instead, she is one of several Pros I have hired to beef up the school's security and patrol the areas where breaches may appear..."
Shifting his gaze to Melissa, Nezu's smile broadened quite a bit as he said, "Speaking of security, I would be grateful if you could help reinforce our network and upgrade some of our outdated systems. We are about to implement a dorm system and are currently converting a large portion of the campus into a refuge. I expect our enemies will infiltrate the grounds by masking themselves as evacuees, so we're preparing countermeasures in advance."
Regaining her usual smile, Melissa replied, "I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help, but I would be happy to offer my assistance."
Nodding in approval, Nezu returned his gaze to Izuku, stating, "That being said, Ms. Shield and Toshinori-kun will be living with you and your mother until the dorms have been completed. Rest assured that your mother has already given her permission."
Contrasting Izuku's relative calm, Toshinori appeared to fluster a bit as he asserted, "I'll be sure to guard them well...!"
"Yes, I have no doubt about that..." mused Nezu, narrowing his beady black eyes as he directed a knowing look at Izuku. Then, as there wasn't much else to discuss, he added, "Let's conclude this conversation here. I still need to discuss Ms. Shield's employment contract, but I have already sent most of the information I've received on the Meta World Transversal phenomenon to your personal computers and laptop. You are welcome to scrutinize it at your leisure, and if there is anything you'd like clarification on, feel free to call or shoot me an email."
Though he rose to his feet alongside Toshinori, there was one thing Izuku was still curious about, pointing out, "You never revealed who would be in charge of the Special Task Force."
Catching Izuku a little off guard, Nezu casually replied, "That's because I'm leaving the decision to you. I can't place you in charge publically, but the Special Task Force's success hinges on your Quirk and your ability to form a Party with shared Experience. There are still a few months before the predicted appearance of the first breaches, so use the time between now and then to decide who is most qualified for the position. Be it Ms. Usagiyama, Ms. Tsuchikawa, or Ms. Takeyama, I trust in your judgment..."
With Nezu going out of his way to provide the names of Pixie Bob and Mt. Lady, the smile on Izuku's face cramped. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to his reunion with the particularly 'feisty' cat girl, but now that he had multiple girlfriends, a fiancee, and a literal mate...he felt like he should probably cool his jets a bit. Contrary to what Nemuri had led the girls to believe, he didn't 'have' to fuck every woman he had taken an interest in...even if a part of him wanted to...
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(A/N: Nezu's nefariousness knows no bounds o3o...)
