—Cole POV—
Speaking to Midnight after school, I told her what I wanted her to talk about with the girls in 1-B and 1-A. Telling her I had no issue with the way they wanted to dress, I just wanted them to understand that the world wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows when it came to Heroes. Even before I got Interface, I had stumbled upon many sites that made AI-generated photos of Heroines based on just a few compromising photos that perverts took. The last thing I wanted was for those girls to have problems with it in the future.
“Understandable, they really don’t teach women about that aspect of this job. That said most of us just shrug it off because it’s not really us in those photos. I do see where you are coming from though, I will brooch the subject with them.”, Midnight assured me, “Also…”
Getting close to me, she gave me a playful wink.
“You don’t have to admire me on the computer screen. I will give you a front-row seat if you want, I don’t make the offer lightly.”, she purred.
“I will take a rain check on that, I am not into BDSM.”, I replied.
Laughing at that, she backed away with an amused smile.
“You know this is just a costume right, I am not like this all the time. Even the strongest woman has a soft side to her.”, she informed me.
Thanking her for that information, I excused myself and left the room. I knew all too well about that, the first woman I married in my fifth life was called the Ice Queen for a reason. She was a Pure Blood Snow Elf, one of the last of her kin, and she lived alone in the Boral Mountains on the northern end of the world. Her kingdom thrived nearly five hundred years before my arrival, but that all ended when a Dragon came for their wealth.
When it was all said and done, the Snow Elves were left with maybe a thousand people. Abandoning their homeland, the majority joined other races to survive but she clung to the past hoping one day she could rebuild her nation. For nearly four hundred years she toiled away rebuilding her capital, and when it was done she called her people home…but no one came. She lived in seclusion there till I showed up looking to annex the mountain range to my country. Of course, this didn’t go over well with her, she fought me tooth and nail to protect the legacy of the Snow Elves.
‘In the end, I married her to join the countries together. At first, she treated me coldly, never once sharing a room with me let alone a bed. It took five years for us to start sharing a bed, and even then she treated me coldly in the public’s eye. Only when we were alone would she act like a spoiled woman wanting my attention exclusively.’, I thought remembering how terrified she was of being left alone again, ‘I promised her I wouldn’t leave her alone, but I failed her. She brought two beautiful children into the world with me, and I couldn’t even be there to hear them call us Mom and Dad.’
That was my biggest regret up till now, not being able to see all of my children grow up into the amazing adults I knew they’d become. I left my wives to raise them alone, the guilt kept me up some nights as I would think about the lives I would have had with my family.
‘I will find a way to get back them. With my current ability to travel through time, all I need to do is figure out how to get back to those worlds.’, I told myself, ‘I won’t give up till I can hold my family again!’
—Later That Evening—
Heading out for dinner, since grandpa had friends over for a card game, I decided to find someplace new to eat. Walking around the downtown area looking for anything that caught my eye, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me.
“Mr. Kessler!!”, Kota shouted running down the street.
“Kota slow down, it’s dangerous to run off like that!”, Shino yelled chasing after her cousin.
Seeing her and her teammates chasing after him, it appeared they were out for dinner too. Kneeling down to give him a hug, I asked him what they were doing out here.
“Those people wanted to go have something to eat.”, he said referring to the team of Heroes behind them.
“Ah I see, so Shino and company wanted to come out for dinner. I am looking for something to eat too, can I join you?”, I inquired partially looking at Shino for permission.
Giving me a nod as Kota told me it was fine, I picked him up and put Kota on my shoulders. Immediately telling me about his day, I could feel Shino staring at the back of my head. Listening to him talk while we looked at our options, it was Kota who decided where we should it. Pointing at a Burger Queen, he said he wanted to eat there and adamantly insisted it wasn’t because of the play area inside.
Ordering our meals, we sat down and waited for our food to be brought out. Unsurprisingly Kota ran off to play with the other kids while we waited.
“He really has taken a liking to you.”, Yawara stated, “He has started treating us a bit nicer, though he gets stubborn when we praise him.”
“I figured as much, you are still trying to get to know his hobbies, likes, and dislikes right?”, I asked.
“Of course, he’s just a bit slow with sharing that.”, Shino admitted, “How’s your job at UA going?”
Telling them that it was going well, I said the worst part was dealing with Midnight. Laughing at that, they said she was a nice person under her flirty exterior. Nodding my head I agreed she was, it was just the flirting that was getting annoying.
“Oh, so you don’t like her?”, Tomoko inquired.
“Not in a romantic sense, no. She is a good colleague and a skilled Pro Hero.”, I answered.
“I…I see…”, Tomoko replied with a smile.
Asking them about their new HQ, I inquired how things were getting everything in place. Telling me about some of the issues living on the edge of town caused, the kids in the play area started getting rowdy. Turning my head to take a look, they were getting into a fight about who the best Hero was. Hearing several Pro Heroes named, Kota was the only one that said I was the best. Telling them I could take on any bad guy out there, I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
Seeing that things were about to get physical with the kids, I snapped my fingers loudly to snap them out of it.
“It is fine to have a difference of opinion on who you think is the best Hero, but none of us would want you to fight over it. After all, all of you are the reason we work hard every day out on the streets. What would your favorite Hero think if they saw you fighting like this?”, I calmly asked them.
Backing down, the kids resumed playing normally together as if nothing had happened.
“You’d make a great husband.”, Ryuko stated before realizing what she was saying, “I mean you’d be a great father figure for your future children!”
Seeing her flushed expression, I opted not to tease her about that slip-up.
“I’d like to think so, raising a family has always been one of my goals in life.”, I told them, “Holding them for the first time, seeing them crawl then walk for the first time, tucking them in every night, and being called Dad…”
Realizing I was getting off track, I told them I would start looking for a girlfriend soon as I had settled into my life here now. Ignoring the faint smiles on their faces, I heard one of the cashiers calling out our number. Waving them over, I called out to Kota that dinner was here. Taking a seat next to me, I was about to unwrap my chicken sandwich when I felt my phone vibrate. Looking at it quickly, I tucked it back in my pocket and said I had to use the restroom really quick.
—3rd Person POV—
Several blocks away, one of All For One’s agents was perched on top of a skyscraper watching the group of Heroes and Kota at their table. Watching Kessler get up from his seat and head to the bathroom, the agent didn’t feel anything was off about his actions. Reporting to his superiors that Kessler was with the Wild, Wild Pussycats again he was certain Kessler was dating one or more of the women. Based on how the young boy was acting, he was certain that the leader of the group was dating him.
“We may have found our weak spot.”, the agent told his boss over the radio, “The boy appears to be important to him, we can try using him as leverage to make him back down.”
“Good work, keep monitoring him for any further information we can-”, his handler said before the radio cut out.
Asking his handler to repeat himself, instead of his handler, he heard Kessler speak behind him.
“So you are one of the fleas that have been sticking to the shadows.”, Kessler remarked in a cold tone, “I have been waiting for your boss to grow a pair and attack me, but he is too chicken to fight me straight on.”
Leaping up from his spot, the villain pulled out several knives from his coat. Flicking them at Kessler, he used his Esper powers to try and impale him. As the blades flew at Kessler, the villain suddenly saw an image of himself being brutally murdered. Hesitating for a moment, the knives stopped in midair as Kessler’s magnetism seized them.
“For suggesting the idea of hurting the boy, drop dead.”, Kessler ordered flicking the blades back at him faster than he could blink.
Feeling the knives plunge into his chest and abdomen, the knives didn’t stop after making contact with him. Watching them shoot right through him, they came around again and again till he looked like swiss cheese. Puking up a mouthful of blood, he tried to scream but he felt his throat get sliced open. Seeing a red bolt of lightning shoot out of Kessler’s hand, the villain felt his body go numb all of a sudden.
“Thanks for the Quirk.”, Kessler said burying the last knives in the man’s head making a mohawk with the hilts, “Enjoy your free ride to Hell.”
Flicking him over the edge of the building, the villain plummeted to the ground. Crashing into a parked car below, unjamming the radio frequency Kessler heard the handler desperately trying to get ahold of his agent.
“He’s taking a nap now…stay away from the boy, consider this your only warning. If any of you lay a finger on him, I will personally be your judge, jury, and executioner.”, Kessler told him with a sinister tone, “If you think I am bluffing, by all means, make your move All For One. I am waiting for the Doctor, Tomura, and you to step outside for some fun. After all, you can only hide for so long before I find you.”
Hijacking the signal, Kessler sent a burst of energy back towards where ever the receiver was. Back in their hidden base, the radio operator’s receiver overloaded immediately and violently exploded killing the handlers sitting nearby. Having heard what Kessler said over the radio All For One was perplexed by Kessler’s words. Almost no one knew of Tomura’s existence yet which meant he knew far more about them than All For One initially thought.
“This changes things…”, All For One said, “Tomura, I want you to get in contact with the Meta Liberation Army. We are going to need allies if we are going to take him on, they have a mutual hatred for him so let's use that to our benefit. Show me that you are ready to start taking over the reins of our organization.”
“Yes Master, I won’t let you down!”, Tomura replied hiding a small amount of fear from him, ‘How did Kessler know my name?!’
—Cole POV—
Speaking to Midnight after school, I told her what I wanted her to talk about with the girls in 1-B and 1-A. Telling her I had no issue with the way they wanted to dress, I just wanted them to understand that the world wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows when it came to Heroes. Even before I got Interface, I had stumbled upon many sites that made AI-generated photos of Heroines based on just a few compromising photos that perverts took. The last thing I wanted was for those girls to have problems with it in the future.
“Understandable, they really don’t teach women about that aspect of this job. That said most of us just shrug it off because it’s not really us in those photos. I do see where you are coming from though, I will brooch the subject with them.”, Midnight assured me, “Also…”
Getting close to me, she gave me a playful wink.
“You don’t have to admire me on the computer screen. I will give you a front-row seat if you want, I don’t make the offer lightly.”, she purred.
“I will take a rain check on that, I am not into BDSM.”, I replied.
Laughing at that, she backed away with an amused smile.
“You know this is just a costume right, I am not like this all the time. Even the strongest woman has a soft side to her.”, she informed me.
Thanking her for that information, I excused myself and left the room. I knew all too well about that, the first woman I married in my fifth life was called the Ice Queen for a reason. She was a Pure Blood Snow Elf, one of the last of her kin, and she lived alone in the Boral Mountains on the northern end of the world. Her kingdom thrived nearly five hundred years before my arrival, but that all ended when a Dragon came for their wealth.
When it was all said and done, the Snow Elves were left with maybe a thousand people. Abandoning their homeland, the majority joined other races to survive but she clung to the past hoping one day she could rebuild her nation. For nearly four hundred years she toiled away rebuilding her capital, and when it was done she called her people home…but no one came. She lived in seclusion there till I showed up looking to annex the mountain range to my country. Of course, this didn’t go over well with her, she fought me tooth and nail to protect the legacy of the Snow Elves.
‘In the end, I married her to join the countries together. At first, she treated me coldly, never once sharing a room with me let alone a bed. It took five years for us to start sharing a bed, and even then she treated me coldly in the public’s eye. Only when we were alone would she act like a spoiled woman wanting my attention exclusively.’, I thought remembering how terrified she was of being left alone again, ‘I promised her I wouldn’t leave her alone, but I failed her. She brought two beautiful children into the world with me, and I couldn’t even be there to hear them call us Mom and Dad.’
That was my biggest regret up till now, not being able to see all of my children grow up into the amazing adults I knew they’d become. I left my wives to raise them alone, the guilt kept me up some nights as I would think about the lives I would have had with my family.
‘I will find a way to get back them. With my current ability to travel through time, all I need to do is figure out how to get back to those worlds.’, I told myself, ‘I won’t give up till I can hold my family again!’
—Later That Evening—
Heading out for dinner, since grandpa had friends over for a card game, I decided to find someplace new to eat. Walking around the downtown area looking for anything that caught my eye, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me.
“Mr. Kessler!!”, Kota shouted running down the street.
“Kota slow down, it’s dangerous to run off like that!”, Shino yelled chasing after her cousin.
Seeing her and her teammates chasing after him, it appeared they were out for dinner too. Kneeling down to give him a hug, I asked him what they were doing out here.
“Those people wanted to go have something to eat.”, he said referring to the team of Heroes behind them.
“Ah I see, so Shino and company wanted to come out for dinner. I am looking for something to eat too, can I join you?”, I inquired partially looking at Shino for permission.
Giving me a nod as Kota told me it was fine, I picked him up and put Kota on my shoulders. Immediately telling me about his day, I could feel Shino staring at the back of my head. Listening to him talk while we looked at our options, it was Kota who decided where we should it. Pointing at a Burger Queen, he said he wanted to eat there and adamantly insisted it wasn’t because of the play area inside.
Ordering our meals, we sat down and waited for our food to be brought out. Unsurprisingly Kota ran off to play with the other kids while we waited.
“He really has taken a liking to you.”, Yawara stated, “He has started treating us a bit nicer, though he gets stubborn when we praise him.”
“I figured as much, you are still trying to get to know his hobbies, likes, and dislikes right?”, I asked.
“Of course, he’s just a bit slow with sharing that.”, Shino admitted, “How’s your job at UA going?”
Telling them that it was going well, I said the worst part was dealing with Midnight. Laughing at that, they said she was a nice person under her flirty exterior. Nodding my head I agreed she was, it was just the flirting that was getting annoying.
“Oh, so you don’t like her?”, Tomoko inquired.
“Not in a romantic sense, no. She is a good colleague and a skilled Pro Hero.”, I answered.
“I…I see…”, Tomoko replied with a smile.
Asking them about their new HQ, I inquired how things were getting everything in place. Telling me about some of the issues living on the edge of town caused, the kids in the play area started getting rowdy. Turning my head to take a look, they were getting into a fight about who the best Hero was. Hearing several Pro Heroes named, Kota was the only one that said I was the best. Telling them I could take on any bad guy out there, I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
Seeing that things were about to get physical with the kids, I snapped my fingers loudly to snap them out of it.
“It is fine to have a difference of opinion on who you think is the best Hero, but none of us would want you to fight over it. After all, all of you are the reason we work hard every day out on the streets. What would your favorite Hero think if they saw you fighting like this?”, I calmly asked them.
Backing down, the kids resumed playing normally together as if nothing had happened.
“You’d make a great husband.”, Ryuko stated before realizing what she was saying, “I mean you’d be a great father figure for your future children!”
Seeing her flushed expression, I opted not to tease her about that slip-up.
“I’d like to think so, raising a family has always been one of my goals in life.”, I told them, “Holding them for the first time, seeing them crawl then walk for the first time, tucking them in every night, and being called Dad…”
Realizing I was getting off track, I told them I would start looking for a girlfriend soon as I had settled into my life here now. Ignoring the faint smiles on their faces, I heard one of the cashiers calling out our number. Waving them over, I called out to Kota that dinner was here. Taking a seat next to me, I was about to unwrap my chicken sandwich when I felt my phone vibrate. Looking at it quickly, I tucked it back in my pocket and said I had to use the restroom really quick.
—3rd Person POV—
Several blocks away, one of All For One’s agents was perched on top of a skyscraper watching the group of Heroes and Kota at their table. Watching Kessler get up from his seat and head to the bathroom, the agent didn’t feel anything was off about his actions. Reporting to his superiors that Kessler was with the Wild, Wild Pussycats again he was certain Kessler was dating one or more of the women. Based on how the young boy was acting, he was certain that the leader of the group was dating him.
“We may have found our weak spot.”, the agent told his boss over the radio, “The boy appears to be important to him, we can try using him as leverage to make him back down.”
“Good work, keep monitoring him for any further information we can-”, his handler said before the radio cut out.
Asking his handler to repeat himself, instead of his handler, he heard Kessler speak behind him.
“So you are one of the fleas that have been sticking to the shadows.”, Kessler remarked in a cold tone, “I have been waiting for your boss to grow a pair and attack me, but he is too chicken to fight me straight on.”
Leaping up from his spot, the villain pulled out several knives from his coat. Flicking them at Kessler, he used his Esper powers to try and impale him. As the blades flew at Kessler, the villain suddenly saw an image of himself being brutally murdered. Hesitating for a moment, the knives stopped in midair as Kessler’s magnetism seized them.
“For suggesting the idea of hurting the boy, drop dead.”, Kessler ordered flicking the blades back at him faster than he could blink.
Feeling the knives plunge into his chest and abdomen, the knives didn’t stop after making contact with him. Watching them shoot right through him, they came around again and again till he looked like swiss cheese. Puking up a mouthful of blood, he tried to scream but he felt his throat get sliced open. Seeing a red bolt of lightning shoot out of Kessler’s hand, the villain felt his body go numb all of a sudden.
“Thanks for the Quirk.”, Kessler said burying the last knives in the man’s head making a mohawk with the hilts, “Enjoy your free ride to Hell.”
Flicking him over the edge of the building, the villain plummeted to the ground. Crashing into a parked car below, unjamming the radio frequency Kessler heard the handler desperately trying to get ahold of his agent.
“He’s taking a nap now…stay away from the boy, consider this your only warning. If any of you lay a finger on him, I will personally be your judge, jury, and executioner.”, Kessler told him with a sinister tone, “If you think I am bluffing, by all means, make your move All For One. I am waiting for the Doctor, Tomura, and you to step outside for some fun. After all, you can only hide for so long before I find you.”
Hijacking the signal, Kessler sent a burst of energy back towards where ever the receiver was. Back in their hidden base, the radio operator’s receiver overloaded immediately and violently exploded killing the handlers sitting nearby. Having heard what Kessler said over the radio All For One was perplexed by Kessler’s words. Almost no one knew of Tomura’s existence yet which meant he knew far more about them than All For One initially thought.
“This changes things…”, All For One said, “Tomura, I want you to get in contact with the Meta Liberation Army. We are going to need allies if we are going to take him on, they have a mutual hatred for him so let's use that to our benefit. Show me that you are ready to start taking over the reins of our organization.”
“Yes Master, I won’t let you down!”, Tomura replied hiding a small amount of fear from him, ‘How did Kessler know my name?!’
