Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Eh?"

"Eh?!!!"

"Kirisame-san's family is coming this weekend?!"

Midoriya nearly waved his hands into a blur.

"Yeah," Kirisame nodded. "Yes, they're usually busy with work, so I'm not sure which ones will be coming. Please don't be too surprised when you see them."

"Um... okay." The curly-haired boy hesitated and nodded.

Kirisame-san's eyes are lighting up...

[Don't be surprised... what kind of family could it be?]

Beneath the eternal void lie countless gateways to other worlds—this much the Despair King, who vanished after the Second Great Collapse, had told Kirisame.

When that odd whistling man first latched onto Xiao Hei, Kirisame had a blade at his throat the very first time they met, and from there, a peculiar friendship blossomed. Strictly speaking, her acquaintance with the real William Macbeth came much later.

Xiao Hei never spoke of why the Despair King had possessed him, and the Despair King never mentioned what he intended to do.

...Until he vanished along with Xiaobai.

Kirisame shook her head, realizing she was whistling.

No, she had important things to do today. The girl adjusted her bag, waited at the entrance of the Gate Barrier, unwrapped a candy, and popped it into her mouth, cheering herself up.

...But why weren't they here yet?

Because of Kirisame's abilities, Libra members could enter and exit other worlds without ever needing the Sorcerers' Association's Gate Barrier. Since multiple people were visiting this time, they applied for an exit permit, meaning they had to go through a designated entrance, and Kirisame was waiting at the "gate" to pick them up.

A smooth and much-anticipated trip.

That's what Leo had thought.

The lineup for this trip—part work, part visiting Kirisame, part sightseeing—was decided after a fierce contest among the group. Of course, it started with logical persuasion, but quickly devolved into brute force.

KK's kid had school activities, so she dropped out. In the end, the boss dragged Leo to victory, and Zapp volunteered to drive them there.

...Now, looking back, Leo's bad premonition probably started then. The brown-haired girl numbly touched the bow on her head, her body covered in lace, ruffles, and cake cream, and covered her face in despair.

It all began when they passed through the Gate Barrier. Leo felt something was off when Zapp, acting completely out of character, lingered reluctantly at the entrance to see them off. But even after spending every day with him, Leo never imagined he'd still be unable to grasp even a shred of Zapp's moral limits.

The moment the barrier opened, that bastard, faster than lightning, didn't hesitate to use his ultimate technique inherited from the Blood God—Air Slash Thread—to snare the boss's thigh. He clung on tight, enduring the boss's defensive tornado kick, and rolled right through the gate together.

Leo would never forget the stunned expression on the Sorcerer in charge of opening the gate, and the instantaneous tremor in his hand.

—And then he opened the wrong exit, sending them crashing down from midair onto someone else's wedding cake.

Hoshimi Marina was twenty-two years old, a top-tier wedding host.

The reason she could handle this job so easily was because of her Quirk—Magical Girl.

True to its name, it could easily do things like transform, briefly fill everyone's hearts with love, summon a gem-encrusted staff to make someone cute, and pretty much everything magical girls in children's anime could do. Though the actual attack power wasn't that exaggerated and using it was incredibly embarrassing, it was still a fun Quirk suitable for a hero.

Contrary to mainstream thinking, the grown-up Marina was an ordinary person who only wanted to get rich, not risk her life daily fighting villains or become an idol in the spotlight. So she chose to obtain a non-hero Quirk use license, letting her Quirk serve her work.

Today was already her fourth event. The bride had specifically requested her after browsing the company's service list, tasking her with using her Quirk to add a fairy-tale atmosphere to the wedding and dress up a few flower girls from the bride's relatives' families.

Nothing difficult. After she outgrew her middle school phase, she handled tasks like this with ease.

Marina silently cursed her boss for treating employees like disposable tools, subtly shifted her aching legs, and flashed a sweet smile at the couple in front of her.

[Ah, when can I get off work...]

"O radiant starlight shining in the vast night sky—"

[Seriously, these people are grown adults and still into magical girls...?]

Magical Girl Marina raised her magic wand, and star-shaped multicolored light sparkled from its tip:

"Grant these lovers—a blessing falling like a meteor from the heavens!"

Then, with a thunderous roar, the blessing crashed down from above, smashed through the roof, and landed squarely on the seven-tier wedding cake, sending cream splattering across the bride and groom, who were just about to exchange rings.

"..."

Marina flinched so hard her hand slipped.

The sparkling starlight faded, revealing a strange-looking burly man, a dark-skinned handsome guy with a smug expression, and a girl with brownish-red curls and strange goggles around her neck, wearing a lace and gem-studded little dress...

...A girl?

"..."

Girl-Leo froze for a moment, and under the shocked gaze of the dark-skinned handsome man beside her, tremblingly touched her fluffy skirt hem and let out a scream.

The air was dead silent for a long moment.

What the hell—I turned into three people?! Since when did my Quirk have this function?! No, this trio doesn't exactly look like they're here to deliver blessings... Villains?!

...And did I just use the wrong skill?!

Marina was stunned. She stared at the girl, whose curly hair seemed a bit too short for a female, and the look of utter disbelief on her face, as if remembering something.

Got it! After three years in this job, she'd personally encountered it—the specialty of today's hero society: Villains with Quirks!

—And she actually made one of them super cute!

The twenty-two-year-old magical girl covered her face in pain, considering the possibility of waving her wand to fill these people's hearts with love, thinking her beautiful youth might soon be over.

The boss, who had stepped through the gate only to slip on a pile of cream in a daze, was equally bewildered. The red-haired gentleman blinked, then gave the woman before him a confused yet polite smile.

That made her and everyone else shudder.

"Hello, I'm terribly sorry for startling you with our sudden appearance. May I ask, where is this?"

The bride, who had just been shoved forward by the startled groom: "..."

Seeing no signs of aggression, the bride took a deep breath, barely steadying herself, and tentatively said: "...Japan?"

Ah, didn't go wrong! Awesome! This must be the power of love!!

Leo, who had been drowning in the horror of suddenly becoming a girl a moment ago, instantly changed expression, jumped up happily, and flashed a victory sign with 100% cuteness. Then, realizing what he'd done, he froze in panic.

What am I doing?! What's wrong with me?! What did they do to me?! Mr. Klaus, come check on me!!

The girl with short, curly reddish-brown hair covered her face with her hands, her thin shoulders trembling slightly, looking both pitiful and adorable.

…Zapp’s face turned green with shock, and he reached out to lift Leo’s skirt: “Leo, what’s wrong?! Leo, snap out of it, don’t scare me! Leo, where the hell is your ‘bleep’?!”

Whoa, my innocence is at stake!

Leo burst into tears, desperately resisting and struggling.

The wedding guests stared blankly at the scene, a scene that was about to need a censor blur, and someone had already pulled out their phone.

The boss, who had a good idea of where they’d landed, grabbed the two of them by the back of the neck and pressed them into a bow of apology.

“Sorry for the disturbance to your wedding. We’ll do our best to compensate for any damages. Please forgive us.”

The bride took a discreet step back at the sight of the boss’s fangs, nodding frantically.

The police finally showed up. The suspects who had seemingly dropped out of nowhere apologized sincerely. The agitated crowd calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt.

—Except for one, uh, boy, who had been startled by the officiant into becoming a girl.

Their documentation had been arranged before they arrived. The boss was in the distance explaining something to the police, apparently cooking up some excuse that seemed to work. And Zapp, after his earlier antics, had lost interest in Leo, now in female form. He was now lighting a cigarette, trying to flirt with the pretty bride while the groom fumed but stayed silent.

Abandoned by both sides, Leo stood alone, overwhelmed with grief. He clung to Marina’s leg and sobbed, “I’m sorry, I was wrong… Can I change back…?”

[I’m sorry, Michella. After three years in Libra, your big brother couldn’t even keep his own gender…]

Marina felt a wave of sorrow too. The last victim of her spell had been her elementary school desk mate. “Sorry, buddy. I trained my Quirk specifically to make the visual effects last longer. It’ll take about a day to change you back…”

[After causing a scene like this, there goes my bonus this month. I might even have to pay this guy compensation…]

“Huh? Only a day?” Leo’s eyes filled with tears of relief.

“Huh? I don’t have to pay you?” Marina cried joyfully.

“Hey, you…” Zapp curiously stared at the groom, who had been silent since the bride pulled her hand away. “There’s something off about you…”

The dark-skinned young man pinched the groom’s cheek and leaned in to examine it. “Is this face really yours?”

This unsettling question instantly caught everyone’s attention.

Under the astonished stares of the crowd, including the police, the groom’s face reddened. “Nonsense! Of course it’s mine!”

The bride paused, growing suspicious too. “Shin-kun would never push me into danger… Who are you?!”

“…!”

What an unexpected twist!

The boss nodded to the suspicious officer, indicating that Zapp wasn’t just making things up to flirt with the bride.

Come to think of it… one of the cops suddenly recalled that there had indeed been a wedding scammer operating in this area. This guy would use some trick to transform into the groom before the ceremony, eat and drink at the wedding, collect cash gifts, and then slip away alone when the time was right. Since he was so convincing and the bride and groom barely interacted due to greeting guests, the victims usually only discovered the scam after he fled.

Because his crimes were completely random, the police had repeatedly failed to catch him. The department suspected he might have an unregistered Quirk related to changing his appearance.

Seeing the groom’s family and police closing in, the fake groom couldn’t keep it together. He shoved the bride out of the way and bolted.

Zapp caught the bride as she stumbled. The boss was too far away to stop him, and the criminal likely had some speed Quirk, so he was already almost out of the venue in a blink.

Leo had just been about to grab Marina’s business card just in case he couldn’t change back after a day, when he saw the former groom, now twice as bulky as before, charging toward the entrance.

The police, having finally caught the guy red-handed, were unwilling to let him escape. They immediately raised their stun rifles.

Seeing the trouble, the fake groom grabbed the nearest person—Marina, still frozen in place. But Leo shoved her out of the way.

—And got grabbed himself.

The criminal grabbed the hostage and fled, the police hesitating just long enough to hold their fire.

The boss and Zapp, about to chase after him, were stopped by the police. The cat-headed officer didn’t look too worried. “Don’t worry. We already notified the heroes; they should intercept him on the way. That young man will be fine.”

Midoriya went out for a workout today.

On his way home from the beach park, the boy ran into a familiar commotion.

A villain, a bit taller than All Might, carrying a lavishly dressed girl, came racing around a corner, sprinting straight toward him.

…The curly-haired girl was so scared her eyes were screwed shut, and tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall.

The pro hero hadn’t arrived yet, and the boy who aspired to be a hero hesitated.

Should he save her? His control over his smash was still far from perfect—if he messed up, he might hurt her too. But if he didn’t save her… he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Just as he was wavering, Leo had had enough.

The fake groom was still carrying him for some reason, even though he’d already escaped. It was the first time the brown-haired girl had worn a dress—Marina hadn’t even given him pants—and a chilly wind was blowing up his skirt. The feeling of being choked by the back of his collar and the sheer absurdity of this misfortune made him snap.

“Hey, you, I don’t care if you crash into a telephone pole!!”

A hum sounded. Bright blue mechanical eyes suddenly opened, with countless glowing rings and gears focusing.

Vision interference!

The villain, who had been running at full speed, abruptly lost his sight. He instinctively let go of Leo and slammed into a nearby railing.

Leo tumbled to the ground, rolling a couple times, and ended up in a perfect bow that caught Midoriya off guard.

The two curly-haired individuals—one standing, one kneeling—stared at each other.

“Pfft—ha ha ha! What are you doing, Leo?!” A hand reached out from behind and lifted the curly-haired girl to her feet. Without even looking back, she swung a fist: “Damn it, if you hadn’t insisted on coming along, this wouldn’t have happened!”

The two immediately started brawling.

Midoriya: “…”

Before he could figure out what was going on, a shadow loomed over him.

A second person today who rivaled All Might in size—a red-haired man in a suit—approached, holding the now-battered criminal. He gave a slight bow. “Nice to meet you. I am Klaus von Reinhertz. You must be Izuku Midoriya, the one Kirisame often mentions?”

“When you meet them, don’t be surprised.”

His friend’s words echoed in his mind.

“Don’t be surprised.”

“Don’t be surprised.”

“Huh?!?!!”