17 Count Down (2)

In a shady warehouse, a middle-aged man slowly woke up.

His head was hurting, like it had been split. Honestly, it had almost been split in two. The bloody wound on his face was proof of that.

"OW!"

Gripping his head, Bubaigawara Jin looked around the place.

'What happened here?... Right, my clones fought each other. Wait, were they my clones or am I the clone?'

A creeping doubt rose up in Jin's heart.

Was he really the true Bubaigawara Jin? Not a clone? Or was it just all a dream?

'Nah, you're not real.'

'Of course, he's not real. I'm the real one.'

'Oi, oi, oi, who do you think you're lying to? We're all fakes here.'

Many different thoughts started rising up in his mind. Each of them was like a different, distinct person.

They were the personalities of the people who recently died. Among whom, one may as well be the original.

Jin didn't have an actual way of differentiating the fakes from the real ones. He didn't see a dead body but that wasn't enough proof of his existence. As far as he knew all the clones would melt away into nothing after death, perhaps even the original could just melt away.

After all, quirks often worked in ways that people couldn't understand. Like Himiko's quirk that could now tell the deficiencies and damage of a person, when their blood was used.

Or the Himiko from the original work, who could copy the quirk of any person, when their blood was used.

"Oi, Ossan, do you really think this is the best place to have a mid-life crisis? After a life-death battle in this stinky warehouse?"

"How rude! I'm only 30. Not to worry, I'm not having a crisis! Wait, who are you? Oi, this warehouse was bought at at premium. Yeah, the agent said that this was an apex spot! Though we were probably lied to!!"

In a short amount of time, many things left Jin's mouth. Some of them were consious thoughts while the rest were uncontrolled.

Gripping his head tighter, Jin felt something strange. He was complete yet somehow broken. And each broken part was true in its own sense, each of them trying to grapple control on HIS body.

'No, am I even the real one?'

'Hehe, he's such a wimp!'

'If you don't want the body, give it here.'

Again, the inner turmoil began.

"Did he just start ignoring me?"

Masato was confused. It was usually him ignoring others not the other way around.

'Maybe a punch will fix it.'

As they say fist is closer than the law.

"Hahahahaha!"

For some reason, Jin burst out laughing with tears and blood soaking his head.

- Slap!

'Huh? Why am I on the ground?'

'Oi, why is the world shaking?'

'Where am I? Who am I? Are you guys my brothers? Pops? Mom?'

'Hahaha! I am Dio-Ahem! Wrong world.'

As he found himself on the ground, Jin suddenly felt a searing pain rise up from his cheeks.

"Ahh!"

His hands held it tightly as he rolled on the ground. His neck was almost bent the wrong way.

"Sorry, man. It was reflex when you acted so creepily.'

Masato showed no remorse in his tone. The same way a spoiled brat has to apologize because of his parents.

He even went as far as blaming his actions on Jin's creepy actions.

"Oi, what's your problem, brat? Sorry, about losing my cool there."

There were two different answers given at the same time. Each seemingly a contrast to the other.

"Huh?"

"Sorry! Sorry! It's my fault!"

Magically, the answers came out exactly the same when Masato raised his fist.

'Damn, his slap almost killed us!'

'His fist would obliterate our head. Shall we bow down to the king?'

'... Wait, shouldn't we get hit again?'

Still, there was strange kind of relief rising up within Jin. Because clones would get destroyed after taking a certain amount of damage. The only difference between the original and the clone was the amount of damage they could tank before croaking.

'Oi, this bastard is unlocking a new fetish at this time! Creepy~'

'No, he's right! I felt something rising up within me when I was hit.'

Sadly, it seemed that only one of the split personalities was smart.

'I'm not talking about a fetish here. Can't originals survive longer? If we survive his slap again, maybe that will prove our existence isn't fake!'

'....'

'....'

'....'

Somehow, all his personalities went MIA. Because of a simple reason. What if they weren't the original?

What if they would vanish after the second hit? None of the crazy personalities wanted to die yet.

- Slap!

"Oi, don't ignore me."

The thug slapped Jin again. No, was his name Masato? Well, a thug suits him better anyway.

'Is someone dissing me?'

Masato's instincts had become more acute after all his training with Stendhal.

Anyway, Jin was actually happy to be hit again. Not in that sense.

He was afraid of turning out to be a fake and dying but his searing cheeks proved that he was the original. There were still many voices in his head but that fact alone put him at ease.

"We-WE'RE REA-"

- Slap!

"Jeez, stop causing a ruckus."

Sadly, the thug wasn't one for emotions. Letting his palm lose at every opportunity he got.

'Oi, I think I just unlocked something. I actually felt happy at the pain.'

'Off with his head, my men! We shall not cower or fall!'

'You want to fight that monster?'

'No! I was talking about that fetish-guy! Let's just surrender to the monster before he hits us again.'

"Ahem! Sorry, kid, but who exactly are you? Yeah, and stop hitting us!! At least, do it on the butt. Just once, okay! Okay?!"

Comically, Jin acted in defense by raising his hands but keeping his distance from Masato.

'... What exactly does he want me to do?'

Masato actually wanted to hit one more time but the latter part of his sentence made it feel dirty.

"Anzai Masato. I was just passing by and heard a ruckus here. Now, who are you?"

As a sign of reconciliation after a fig-erm, one-sided beating, Masato raised his palm for a shake.

"No! Yes, harder!"

But Jin only contrasted between running back and forth, afraid yet expecting another hit.

"I will ask this one more time. Who are you?"

His tone became increasingly cold at Jin's antics.

"Bubaigawara Jin. Pleased to meet you. So you better be grateful, yeah! Thanks for you help!"

Though Masato didn't understand when he helped the guy, he just accepted the gratitude shamefully.

"Oh~ And what about that?"

His finger was pointed at the stolen goods, that lay on the side of the warehouse.

".... Whistle~ What is that? Where did it come from? Heh, I stole it!...."

Jin really wanted to meet the personality who said the last sentence. While the others had tacitly decided to act ignorant, that guy blatantly threw the cat out of the bag.

"Ha~ *Crack* Let's settle this."

After a few more slaps, Jin had become completely docile.

"Boss. Master. God of Slaps. Father. Is that you, Dio-Wrong world."

Suddenly, all the personalities took Masato as their leader. 

"Now, answer this honestly. Did you kill anyone?"

Though Masato wasn't against killing, he didn't really want to help anyone who killed for fun. Killing was more of a solution to problems and not an act to be reveled in.

"I never killed anyone. I could probably kill. I killed this guy."

Pointing at himself, Jin showed the only person he ever killed. Himself, or more accurately, his clones.

That could easily be deducted as Masato was present when they were fighting against each other. Because of Stendhal, he had become at least a bit proficient in sneaking around.

"Yosh, from now on, follow me. But patch up your wound first."

Normally, Masato would leave after slapping others but since there was a quest related to this guy. He would better take him along.

"Oh! And return those things. After that, come to this place."

It was about time that his ophanage got some new hands. Seeing that his quirk was creating duplicates, maybe Tsuzuru wouldn't even have a job after he shows up.

"Oh! Just know that if you don't show up... *Crack*..."

"Boss, rest assured. This guy and this guy and this guy will all be present, My Lord. Shall we build a shrine for you, God of Slaps?"

Scared of the silent meaning, all the Jins gave their affirmation.

"Then see you later, Underling 1, 2, 3, 4, 5."

"You forgot me! It's better if he doesn't remember you."

".... 6?"

Masato didn't know how many personalities Jin had but at least, 6 were subdued while the others refused to even rise up.

"Bye-Bye! Goodbye! Heh, men don't need any-See you later!"

"Ou!"

Masato acknowledged the greeting and moved out.

The quest was still ongoing but the arrow that directed Masato had disappeared.

'That quirk of his... It's familiar. Wasn't Twice's quirk [Double] similar to him?'

"Wait, was he Twice?"

A sudden influx of questions rose up in his mind.

'Toga Himiko, Chizome Akaguro and Bubu-Bab-Twice... Is this system only issuing tasks related to entities which have a connection to the series?'

If it did, then it answered a lot of questions. But it also left Masato a bit disappointed.

A system that only gave out quests to save the beings that were shown, meant that it was system that ignored the sufferings of the rest.

"I should have realized it when I didn't get a quest related to that boy 2 years ago."

A part of him wondered if that boy was doing well. But since Kaito was looking after him, the boy was probably doing great.

"In the end, I didn't even get his name...."

The name of the extra wouldn't be that important. But Masato took care of that kid for an entire week. It was normal to get slightly attached.

Sure, he forcefully took care of him but the reason behind his actions were alright, making the actions itself alright.

Anyway, Bubaigawara Jin started his new life today, leaving behind crime... More like, he was beaten into leaving behind his old life.

Still, the Jin Constructions & Co. would soon earn a high reputation in the world. With its low cost housings and many social welfare activities that it did.... Or was it made to do them forcefully?