Chapter 4

Issei stood outside the Shinjuku Sports Center, marveling at the size of the facility. The wide building was five stories tall, and it was hard to believe this was a public facility owned by the city. Kuoh couldn't even compare.

He snapped out of his astonishment and entered the building. He signed in and familiarized himself with the building's layout provided by a helpful guide sign mounted on a sidewall. The heated swimming pool was on the first floor. The third floor had the training room with all the exercise equipment. The fourth floor contained a martial arts dojo, and on the top floor was the running track room.

His karate training wouldn't be held at this facility, instead being done at a smaller, private dojo in the Yotsuya neighborhood of Shinjuku.

He went into the training room first. He had a different mindset now, compared to his indifference to physical education at elementary and middle school. He was here to reach a specific goal, to prepare himself for life at UA. With a resolute nod, he began to follow the detailed training plan. He made his way over to the closest available equipment and started his reps. Over the many days he was at the center, he underwent many changes in his physique. He upped the weight amount on the equipment while keeping the same amount of reps.

The swimming pool became an instant favorite for Issei, great for swimming laps. He became accustomed to the water, improving his strokes and the time to reach end-to-end. As he got further into his training, he started to have distractions, mostly the ogling kind.

A notable distraction happened five months in as he swam a lap from one end to the other. He looked to the right and his eyes landed on a soaked, busty woman strolling along on the pool deck. Her swimsuit hugged her figure tightly.

Then he saw the corner of the pool approaching in his peripheral vision and jerked his head back to the front, the edge fast approaching. He splayed his hands out and pushed back on the pool wall, halting himself. He sighed and then let out a mirthful laugh, his rosy cheeks evident to all the other pool-goers.

Many distractions occurred on the running track too. There was no shortage of pretty, athletic girls who used the track. Often as he ran down the track, he would pass by them, and his eyes would linger on their bodies, especially if they were stacked. A few instances had him linger too long and caused him to veer into another lane. He had caught himself a few times doing it and had to make course corrections. He was thankful these occurrences didn't lead to a collision with another runner.

However, he couldn't save himself from the few times he had over-trained and its resulting effects. There was one time where he had awoken to pained muscles in his arms and legs. He wasn't able to train that day. He had to limp his way to school and skipped out on the club meeting to return home early. When Ryuko returned home and saw his condition...

"Ise, it's not good to overtrain. Your persistence to becoming strong is good, but you need to know when to take it easy," Ryuko said.

"Sorry," Issei said.

"How about you take the time to catch up with your friends?"

Issei followed her suggestion. He opened the LINE app on his smartphone, which held just two contacts. He began a group chat with his friends, and apologized for his absence from the club meeting. His friends forgave him and they chatted throughout the night.

At the next day's club meeting...

"Wow! You weren't kidding," Nobuhiko said, adjusting his glasses.

Ryoko whistled. "Your physique has definitely improved."

Issei chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Y-yeah, constant training would do that."

"And you're doing all this because you want to be a pro hero?"

Issei nodded.

"Which school?"

Issei paused. "UA High."

"Holy hell... UA? I wish you luck in that. Their admittance odds are notorious," Nobuhiko said.

"How notorious are we talking?" Issei said.

"Like one-in-three-hundred chance of admittance."

"The hell?!"

"Almost every wannabe hero would kill to be a student at the school a lot of the top heroes had graduated from."

Issei nodded. "I see."

"Like I said, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks." Issei got up from his chair. "I apologize but I'll need to leave early today."

"You have something planned?" Ryoko said.

Issei nodded. "Yes, there's a karate exhibition I'm heading to in another part of the city."

The three exchanged their goodbyes and Issei went out.

Issei and his fellow dojo members arrived at the unassuming dojo near the heart of Nerima Ward. They were visiting the dojo as part of their training and to practice sparring with another dojo's students. They bowed before entering the building and soon sat seiza at one side of the building.

The dojo's master and his students soon showed up and took position at the other side. The two masters met at the center and bowed. After going through the motions, Issei's master called all of them to formation, side-by-side, from the newest junior to the most senior.

The practice spars soon began, with one from each side sparring before the two masters who served as judges. It was eventually Issei's turn. He stood up and sauntered to the training floor. His opponent approached him.

Issei prevented himself from cursing in his mind. His blond-haired opponent had a plain appearance for the most part, but the one unique part of him was advantageous. The man's quirk was a muscled, tail appendage that was ready to have a go at someone.

His opponent proffered his hand. "My name's Ojiro Mashirao. It's nice to meet you."

Issei returned the favor. "I'm Hyoudou Issei. It's nice to meet you too, Ojiro-senpai."

"I hope we have a good match, Hyoudou-kohai."

Issei nodded.

The Nerima dojo master positioned himself at the side of the floor, distant. "Commence!"

Issei jumped back as his opponent's tail attempted to make contact with his legs. He let his instincts take command as he dodged his opponent's attacks and made attempts at making light contact with his opponent. His opponent proved to be skilled and elaborate in his footwork, having sidestepped Issei's moves.

The match lasted a few minutes. Issei made a valiant attempt during the spar, but Ojiro's experience led to him landing enough points to win the spar outright.

"And the victory goes to Ojiro!" The dojo master said.

Ojiro stepped up to Issei, offering a hand. Issei shook his hand.

"Thank you, Ojiro-senpai, for teaching me."

Ojiro nodded. "Thank you, Hyoudou-kohai. It was a good spar. I hope to spar with you in the future."

Issei returned his nod. "Me too."

At the beginning of Issei's second year at Kaichirou Private Academy, the school became another battleground for his ever-increasing libido. An ample supply of temptations was presented in the form of pretty high-school girls who'd stroll through the campus, usually in the school's high school department.

He would see a pretty girl from that department walking by, and his perverted mind would begin to mentally strip the girls of their clothes, leaving only their naked bodies. His fantasies led to his imagination creating scenes of him asking these pretty girls out, taking them on dates, and then eventually doing them.

His mind salivated at their pleasured expressions. Hell, it was even better if he won over many girls instead of just one. He'd imagine being impressive enough for all of them to want to do him. However, those fantasies became dampened by the realization that it was just that.

Almost all the girls in this school were high-class girls who would reject his advances with no mercy. The girls he had fantasies of would not want to be with a thirteen-year-old and they would think he's too low for them to consider dating.

He had to admit he had fantasized about Ryoko a few times, especially as he noticed her growing figure and chest, but he knew that she was way out of his league. He would not make a move on her for that reason, plus he didn't want their friendship to possibly collapse.

His perverted urges began to overwhelm him. He wasn't just satisfied with lingering at their figures and mentally stripping them. He wanted to see their naked bodies in reality, but he was also aware of the risk. He didn't want to get caught. If he did, there would be many consequences. Expulsion would be the least of his problems. The worst consequence would be the shame he'd bring on Ryuko if he was caught in the act and it was publicized.

This predicament forced him to think outside the box and find a way to satisfy his urges while minimizing the risk. An epiphany soon came to him. One day after school was over, he went over to the closest Book Off and asked one of the employees for a great book on stealth. The employee led him to a shelf and pulled out a thick, hardcover book. Issei examined the book in his hand.

The book was titled "The Art of Stealth: A General's Proven Tactics" by Gen. Katsuhito Kazehaya. Issei skimmed through the first half of the book, and promptly thanked the employee for his help.

He bought the 600-yen book and began to read it at home. Issei was initially worried about the book being too verbose for him to read, but it was put to rest by the author's surprisingly clear style. He began to practice the exercises in the book, and overtime, felt like he had a pretty good grasp on stealth.

Now, he was putting all he had learned to the test. At the end of another school day, he sped off to the school's high school wing. Beside the main school building was a separate building which hosted the locker rooms. There was a boys' locker room on one side and a girls' locker room on the other. He learned about the right side from previous eavesdropping on the high school girls who chatted among themselves.

The few other students on the school grounds were few and far between, with most either heading home or retreating to their respective clubrooms. It wouldn't take long for the female members of the school's athletic clubs to come to the locker room and change.

Issei had made sure to prepare himself for this endeavor. He already scouted out the perfect location, and found the perfect peeping hole in which to peep on their bodies. He took cover in a convenient bush which prevented any passersby from spotting him.

He began to peek through the peeping hole as the girls began to filter in, chatting noisily. They began to strip themselves and Issei partook in the visual gold. He saw their glistening boobs bouncing as they stripped themselves of their shirts. Their bare hips and ass came into view when they took off their skirts. Every second of it was burned into his brain, and he matched the girls he recognized with their measurements.

He made sure to be absolutely still, not letting anyone know of his illegal activities, but there was an instance where he had to make a subtle readjustment. As he did so, he bumped into something. He reeled away from the peephole and glanced over to his right and gasped.

Enomoto was beside him, scowling. Issei was about to make a noise when the teacher's hand covered his mouth. "Kid, we need to talk."

The rooftop door slammed open as Enomoto dragged Issei over to the fenced perimeter. Enomoto didn't release his grip on the boy as he had his back to the fence.

Issei deeply bowed his head. "I-I'm sorry, Enomoto-sensei! Don't expel me, please!"

Enomoto only released his grip a few seconds later and took a step back, before laughing. "It'd be hypocritical of me to get mad at you. After all, I was the one who made that peephole!"

Issei was astonished. "Huh?"

"What I'm mad about is your attempt at stealth. You were easily noticeable and had you made any more rustling, you would've been caught."

"I thought I was doing alright!"

"It was decent for a first attempt, but you need a lot of work in order to be great at it. Where are you learning this stealth information from, anyway?"

"I got this book called 'The Art of Stealth'."

Enomoto nodded. "I see. I know that book too. I read it when I was your age."

"Why?"

"It was essential when I was running with a bunch of delinquents."

"Was?"

"I gave it up, kid. There were two paths for delinquents like me back in the slums of Kobe. You either face a cruel death or get incarcerated in prison."

"I see, but you still look like one. How'd you get even hired?"

"My reputation precedes me. You see, kid, when I made the decision to change my ways, I had been arrested by the cops and was on the cusp of going to jail. There was one thing that saved me from that fate, though." Enomoto's blond hair turned black in two seconds, followed by an instant change in his eye color.

"That's your quirk?" Issei said.

Enomoto nodded. "That's right, kid. My quirk is called 'Chameleon', and for most of my life, my fellow peers saw my quirk as a joke. And I agreed with them. When I joined my delinquent gang, I had to put in a lot of hard work in becoming strong so I could be of use to the gang. Many of the fellow gang members had useful quirks which made committing crimes easier."

"So what happened at the station?"

"A cop came in to interrogate me. It was pretty standard at first and he didn't seem special. Then he saw the quirk on my papers and began to ask me questions about it. It was odd, but he eventually said that my quirk could be useful. I was like, 'How?' and he said that my quirk was useful in going undercover. It was like the scales had fallen from my eyes. He then made a deal with me at the table. I wouldn't be going to jail in exchange for me to turn over a new leaf and work for them, specifically as an undercover cop. I took the deal right then and there because it beats going to prison.

"I've taken down many criminal organizations during my time as a cop, although you won't hear much about my role in taking them down in the news. The news would rather focus on All Might taking down criminal organizations such as the majority of the Yakuza. Eventually, I had my sights on new goals, so when the opportunity to become a teacher opened up, I took it. The interviewers were impressed with my track record, so I was a quick hire."

Issei nodded. "I see."

"Anyway, I'll stop the recounting of my past and get straight to the point. You want to become great at stealth and you've been wanting to put into practice what you've learned from the book. If you do, I'll give you an assignment."

"I'm all ears."

"Alright, so I have a stash of great hentai you might like. I will bring it into my office tomorrow at an undisclosed location. Your goal will be to sneak onto the school grounds at 9 PM sharp tomorrow night, locate and retrieve the stash, and then sneak off the school grounds. The catch is I want you to stay out of sight from the security cameras throughout the school grounds. You will have tomorrow to prepare for this mission. Now, are you willing to accept?"

Issei mulled over the offer. After a minute, he nodded. "Yes, I accept!"

"That's good to hear." Enomoto dug out his smartphone. "Let's exchange contact details, kid."

They exchanged contact details. Enomoto nodded as he pocketed his smartphone. "Remember what we talked about, kid."

"Yes, Enomoto-sensei! I won't let you down!"

Issei's next day was eventful. He explored every inch of the school grounds whenever he had the time, making note of each security camera installed throughout the campus. This extended to the time after school. Issei made a mental note to apologize to his friends later on once he was done with the mission.

When he was finished, he went over to a ramen restaurant nearby, dining on the warm, flavorful noodles and broth to calm his anxious nerves. He sauntered over to the school's closed front gate around the exact time. For a minute, he stood still, recalling the circumstances which led to this moment.

He was about to undertake a stealth mission. All the previous ones were in one video game he played a couple years ago. He felt like a thief about to break in and steal a valuable item from guarded premises, like Sly Cooper, the gentleman thief protagonist of that one video game he recalled in his mind. He had to remind himself that this was the real deal, however. There was no Bentley or Murray to support his missions, nor were there the blue, shimmering aura specks to aid him in looking for the most opportune spots to break in. He had to reflect on the mental map of the school and all the flaws to exploit.

A minute after the given time, he began to move, running up the wall and catching onto the ledge. He shimmied left to the top of the gate and latched on, before making the final kick to vault over the gate and onto the school grounds.

He dusted himself off from his brief fall and wended his way to the administration building, making sure to stay out of the security cameras. He had to put his back to the wall and slowly sidestep underneath the affixed security camera. Issei reached the administration building's front doors but stopped himself short of opening it. It was probably locked, and if it wasn't, he would open himself up to be caught on security cameras that were most certainly installed on the ceiling beyond the front door.

He sneaked over to the side of the building and found a cracked-open window. He latched onto the windowsill, swung his legs over, and entered the building. He hugged the wall once more. Enomoto did not tell him the exact room so he had to look for the room with the affixed name tag.

He stayed to the shadows, glancing at the name tags. At the second-to-last door at the corridor's end was Enomoto's office. He pressed down on the door handle and slowly swung the door open. He peered through the cracks, making sure there were no cameras. Even then, as he slowly stepped inside, he looked all around.

His caution proved him right as he caught the sight of a security camera at one corner of the room, aimed at the office's window.

"Damn! Did he set me up to fail?" Issei said.

He glanced at the camera again before smiling.

He hugged the wall and let the door shut behind him. He took position underneath the camera, and then glanced at his left arm. Ddraig, can you help me out with something?

"What is it, partner?"

Do you mind if I make a precision shot?

"Go right on ahead."

Thanks. I owe you one.

He opened his gauntlet-clad hand. A few seconds later, he released a weak blast at the above camera. The camera became incinerated and it eventually fell onto the ground.

He scoured through the office, looking for the promised stash. He eventually found it in the bottom drawer of his desk. He swiped an unused plastic bag from the desktop as he bagged the stash. He cracked open an office window and made his way out. He went back to the gated front entrance and tossed the bag over the wall. After vaulting over the wall, he grabbed the bag and ran off.

When he returned to the apartment, his smartphone rang. He took the call.

"Damn, kid! I didn't expect you would actually succeed! What the hell did you do to the camera?!" Enomoto said.

"Sorry about that, but nothing stands in my way when it comes to hentai!" Issei said.

"Shit. You got me there, kid. But it's gonna be hard to explain this to the principal, but that's what I get for doing this. Either way, expect more assignments to come your way in the future."

"Alright."

"By the way, kid, you better get to work on that stash. I want it back tomorrow, do you understand? And don't get those pages sticky, either. I'll kill you if you do."

Issei winced. "No need to worry, Enomoto-sensei. I'll keep it clean."

"Good. Enjoy it to your heart's content, you damn pervert."

"Will do."

"Bye."

The call ended. Issei sighed as he dug out the hentai.

Damn! He has a Midnight doujin?! Great taste!

The first semester of the second year passed by. When he wasn't at the sports center working on his strength and endurance, or at the karate dojo improving upon his martial arts abilities, he would undergo more training in stealth from Enomoto. He had become more confident in his stealth abilities and Enomoto has heaped more praise upon him.

The last day of the first semester had arrived. Summer vacation would start the day after. Issei entered the clubroom and sat beside his two friends.

"Damn, it's been a year since we first met."

Ryoko nodded. "And you've been looking better than ever!"

Issei blushed. "T-thanks, Ryoko."

Nobuhiko leaned forward. "Remember when Ryoko was swarmed by the student body? I remember those days."

Ryoko winced. "I'm glad those days have passed."

"Anyways... You guys have any summer vacation plans?"

Issei nodded. "I believe I do. I haven't been told where exactly, but stuff is getting packed."

"Hope it's something nice," Nobuhiko said, "I'll be going back to Sado Island to see my grandparents."

"Nice!"

"As for me," Ryoko said, "I'll be flying down to Guam."

"Why not Hawaii?" Nobuhiko said.

"I've visited Hawaii a few times, but I've never been to Guam before, so it'll be interesting to see the difference. I heard the beaches in Guam are much cleaner."

"You gonna bring back any souvenirs?" Issei said.

"I expect all of us to bring back trinkets from our respective vacations."

Issei nodded. "I'll see what I can get."

Issei returned home soon after at around 6 PM. He noticed that Ryuko's shoes were already there in the shoe locker. He ventured out to the living room to see Ryuko sitting at the couch. She turned to look at him.

"Welcome back, Ise," Ryuko said.

"Why are you home so early?" Issei said.

"So I have more time to pack," she said, "Because tomorrow, we'll be going somewhere."

"Where to?"

Ryuko smiled. "We're going to Okinawa."

Afterword: First off, I'd like to apologize for the delayed publication of the chapter. Although I don't guarantee scheduled updates, I've made it a habit to publish a new chapter every four days. It is unfortunate that procrastination can be a pain, but eventually I had to get to writing this chapter. Once again, short turnaround time with some revising done in the late hours.

Most of the training highlights will be in Okinawa, so it will probably be in the next few chapters. It will also give me the opportunity to characterize Ryukyu some more while I'm at it. I'm looking forward to writing those chapters.

I'd also like to express my thanks to my readers who are following my story. I appreciate your support!