Chapter 1: Recruiting for a Good Cause


"Mrs. Midoriya, I need you to calm down" Tamiko Abe tried to soothe the distraught woman. It was working about as well as the recruiter expected, which is to say, not well at all.

"Calm down?" the green haired mother wailed. "How can I calm down? My baby fell from a roof, and the doctors told me he's going to be paralyzed for life!"

Tamiko winced. There was no way she was going to correct the woman if she wanted to play down the extent of the boy's injuries. He was lucky to be alive, depending on how you counted luck. It would have been less painful for him, in the long run, had he died in the fall, at least with the level of care he could receive in the hospital. He was lucky that she had been in the area, scouting for potential talent. If that spirit hadn't flagged her down, she might not have heard about him in time.

Current medical science, or even most externally-applied Quirks wouldn't be able to help him, assuming anyone would be willing to. Such skills were in high demand, and anyone with such a Quirk would either be extremely hard to reach in time or too expensive. There was a reason most heroes retired from injuries taken in the field, after all.

"Not necessarily," Tamiko stated. Inko Midoriya looked up hopefully.

She, on the other hand, had access to other resources. Resources she was willing to bring to bear to help the kid in the Intensive Care Unit. The commission she would get if she was successful might not have been the largest consideration in her interest in the case, but she couldn't deny it was a factor.

She just needed to find a linchpin to start building her preferred arrangement. She had some people she had been planning to track down anyway, but a sob story often made recruitment easier. She'd feel worse about doing so, but the groups she created stayed together more often than not.

Tamiko mentally braced herself. This was always the hardest part of dealing with Charity Cases and why she tried to avoid them when possible. "I work for a company that would be willing to help your son, should you and he agree to some conditions."

"Wh-what company? What conditions?" Inko shook her head before visibly hardening her resolve. "You can help Izuku? How?"

"There are several ways we can help him, depending on what he wants," Tamiko began. "The details are a bit technical, but we'd either help fit him with the appropriate prosthetics or use even more effective means. It all depends on what he wants and what he's willing to do, really."

Tamiko swallowed nervously at the look Inko was giving her. The woman's file noted her Quirk involved the attraction of small objects, and Tamiko was remembering how much of her was made of small objects, such as her eyes. It was time to tread very carefully. "I'm going to need to go into some background for this to make sense. Is that alright, or do you want the quick and dirty version first?"

"Quick and dirty." Tamiko suppressed a shudder. Inko was definitely putting off mother bear vibes, and she didn't want to get mauled.

"Right. Bare bones it is." The recruiter took a breath before continuing. "We would want your son to take part in our reality show."

Inko stilled. "A reality show?" she calmly asked. Tamiko started sweating, as this was not the type of calm she liked. "You expect me to believe a reality show can help my son?"

The mother was putting out a surprisingly oppressive aura, and Tamiko hurried to reassure her, "I know it's hard to believe, but yes. This is part of that bigger explanation."

"Well, let's hear it."

Tamiko almost sighed in relief before catching herself. She wasn't out of the woods, yet. "Right. Well, to start, are you aware of multiverse theory?"

"The one that every decision we make creates a new universe?" Inko asked. "I don't see how unprovable theories could help with anything."

"The multiverse is very real, and it covers more than just what is and what could be," Tamiko explained. "Everything that could be or could conceivably be is real, along with things we can't even begin to comprehend." She paused for a moment before continuing. "The company I work for exists across the multiverse, so we have access to options that just don't exist on this Earth."

Inko nodded, apparently taking that explanation at face value, which was good, because Tamiko didn't really have a good way of proving anything she was saying, even though it was all true. "Can you explain more about the show you want my son on?"

Tamiko didn't quite manage to hide her wince, but it didn't seem like Inko noticed. "Now, keep in mind that everything depends on what you and Izuku decide on. It's entirely possible to have a completely bori- I mean vanil-" Tamiko gave up and blurted out, "Izuku doesn't have to have sex, but the show is called Slut Life."

"Slut Life?" Inko asked, worryingly calm again. She was either still processing or getting ready to explode.

Either way, Tamiko decided to cut off the potential explosion. "While the show does focus on sexual relations a lot, the executives do occasionally enjoy it when contestants manage a completely sex free run. It adds to the variety, if nothing else."

It looked like Inko had been processing, rather than getting angry, which Tamiko appreciated. "How long is the show?"

"That depends," Tamiko was happy to answer. This was back to what she was used to, helping people understand their options. Not handling first contact with a Charity Case. "The standard run is a year, but it can be as short as a week or it can last forever." She intentionally held up her phone and flicked across a few files, pretending she was looking up answers she had long ago memorized. "I don't recommend going shorter than the year, as that will make things more difficult to balance out. Having a longer run would make things easier, and with the right options, he could even be done with the run before we leave the hospital."

"I'm not not leaving Izuku alone for a year or more!" Inko exclaimed, mama bear in full form.

Tamiko hid a smirk. The bait had been cast. Now she just needed to get Inko on the hook. "That's perfectly understandable," she agreed. "I even know of a few ways to pull it off, as well. They will, of course, require you to fill out a contract with us as well, but, if we were to, say, make you the landlord for Izuku along with a few others, there would be no need for you to get any more involved than you want to."

"And you're sure you can help Izuku?" And there was the line.

"I can think of several different ways to help him off hand," Tamiko said honestly. "How we go about it would depend on which option he chooses. My understanding is that he wants to be a hero. With the right choices, he can gain a Quirk or other abilities along with the training to use those new abilities."

Inko bit her lip before slumping slightly. "Alright, we'll look at your contract." And there was the sinker.

"Wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work on seeing who else I can recruit for your run. If I can get things set up correctly, Izuku should also get a few life-long friends out of this."

"Izuku could definitely use more friends," Inko agreed. "The only friend I hear about anymore is Katsuki."

Tamiko hid a wince at that. Bakugo Katsuki was not someone she would consider good friend material. If she thought she could get away with it, she might have considered getting him on the show with a bit of an attitude adjustment, but it wouldn't be worth the effort. It was much better to find people who would actually be good friends with her contestant. Besides, she doubted Izuku would want a second sex slave. "I'll take my leave, then. I will hopefully be back by tomorrow to go through the details of the contract and get the two of you signed up."

"Thank you!" Tamiko left the room quickly, not wanting to be flooded out by the woman's tears.


The girl was minding her own business, looking for cuties to love, when it happened. She had just stepped into a back alley to get to the next street over more quickly when she heard the voice. "Himiko Toga."

Startled, as she would have sworn she was alone, Himiko twirled around, knife easily coming to her hand and lashing out.

"That wasn't very polite." The woman Himiko had stabbed in the chest looked down at where the knife was sticking out of her. "Is this how you meet everyone?"

Himiko stared at where the knife was puncturing the woman's shirt. Where there was a distinct lack of lovely, red blood. "Where's the blood?" she asked instead. She pulled the knife out a little, just to be sure. Still no blood.

The woman sighed and grabbed Himiko's arm with a deceptively gentle grip. Himiko yelped and tried to pull away, but the hand didn't budge. "We'll need to work on that." She took half a step back, pulling the knife out of her chest with the motion. "Well, I suppose meeting with you remotely was the correct action, after all."

Himiko pulled at her arm again, getting nowhere. She would need to hurt herself in order to break that grip. Or… Her other hand lashed out, stabbing a knife through the woman's wrist. She flinched, and her hand spasmed for a moment, but all that accomplished was adding a few bruises to Himiko's arm. And there still wasn't any blood. "Who are you?"

The woman grabbed Himiko's wrist in a way that forced her to let go of the knife in her arm with a another sigh before she answered. "My name is Tamiko Abe. I had been hoping to speak with you without any violence, but," she looked down at the knives in her meaningfully, "that obviously didn't happen."

"Who just sneaks up on innocent little girls walking through an alley like that?" Himiko, quite reasonably, demanded. "You're not even as cute as I was hoping you would be."

"Miss Toga," the Abe deadpanned. "We both know you're hardly innocent."

Himiko gave a little shrug; that was fair enough. Society did not approve of how Himiko liked to express her love.

"However, I wanted to speak with you about an offer my company is willing to make. I'll put it simply. You participate in a little show we'll be organizing, and we'll provide you with multiple people who are willing to let you drink their blood. If things go well, you may even get a boyfriend or girlfriend out of the deal who will last a bit longer than your usual crushes."

That sounded… too good to be true, actually. "There has to be some sort of a catch, if that's your starting offer."

Abe nodded. "That is very true. I will be frank with you. Based off of what I know of you, the biggest issue will be that you are not allowed to kill any of the other participants for the duration of the show. With that said, I think you will find that the opportunity to be more than worth it. If nothing else, you will have an opportunity to win some fairly impressive rewards."

Himiko thought for a moment. The woman had her dead to rights, having immobilized both of her arms without even having the decency to bleed from the wounds Himiko had managed to make. Another attack wasn't likely to go any better, and she would probably hurt her hands if she tried to run for it, assuming she could get out of Abe's grip at all. Then there was her offer. Himiko had to admit that it was tempting. Almost all the blood she could drink, even if she couldn't express her love for them as much as she'd like. That thought brought up something else.

"And the others are cute?"

"I've been reliably informed that you would find the principal contestant cute," Abe stated. "And the majority of the others I plan on recruiting would also be considered cute. If you you play your cards right, and everyone takes the right options, I see no reason you can't form a more permanent relationship with at least one of them."

Well, that did sound good. "Fine, I'll listen to what you have to say. Not making any promises, though."

Abe smiled in a way that made Himiko uncomfortable. "That's all I ask." It was the kind of smile Himiko usually gave her most recent love before she had a chance to talk to them. "Well, come along, then. There's no reason to have the rest of this discussion in a dirty alley. I have a room rented a few streets over."


"Rumi Usagiyama, you're a hard person to track down." It had taken Tamiko about as long to find the woman as it had taken to find Himiko, but she felt the roving hero would appreciate the remark.

"That's the point," Mirko shot back. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Tamiko Abe, and I am here to make you an offer." That was apparently the wrong way to put things, as the Rabbit Hero tensed, looking like she was getting ready to attack.

"An offer I can't refuse, right?" The shorter woman snorted, her ears swaying. "Lady, you made a big mistake if you think you can pull that on me."

"Not at all, I am merely here to extend the offer. If you decide you don't want to take it, that will be the end of things." Tamiko needed to calm the hero down, despite currently using an android for the conversation. The body wasn't cheap, and stabbings were much easier to fix than being spread across the ground in little pieces. Even if Mirko was surprisingly good at minimizing damage, Tamiko's current body would likely go from completely fine to falling apart with very little change in the impact forces.

"Fine. Not interested. You can leave now."

Tamiko faked a sigh and turned away. "Alright. I should have known you wouldn't be interested in a legal fighting pit." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bunny's ear twitch. Sometimes, it was all about knowing the right bait to use. "Have a nice day, Miss Usagiyama."

There was suddenly a rabbit in Tamiko's face. "Now, hold on a minute," Mirko started, her voice deadly serious. "What was this about a legal fighting pit? I keep my ear to the ground for those, make sure they're on the up and up, and this is the first I'm hearing about it."

Based on the look in Rumi's eyes, Tamiko would put her interest at about sixty percent professional interest, as the hero had stated, and forty percent personal interest, wanting to get into the fighting herself. "The fighting pit is a fair distance away," she began, understating things a fair deal for her own amusement. "And are legal primarily by virtue of not being bound by Japanese law. If you would like, I could arrange for you to have a chance to inspect them and possibly participate in a match or two."

Mirko snorted. "Then I wouldn't have jurisdiction, anyway."

Tamiko acknowledged the point. "Fair enough. To be honest, I was just getting your attention. The offer would be closer to a vacation than a professional visit."

"Ha! As if I could take a vacation." Mirko shook her head. "Don't you know? Heroes can't take vacations. If I disappear for more than a day or two, my rating will start to slip."

Tamiko quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't think you would be the type to care about your rating."

"I don't," the Rabbit Hero bluntly stated. "But all of the girls who look up to me do, and I don't want to let them down."

"I see. Being one of the two female top ten hero must be stressful."

"It can be, but I love what I do." Rumi grinned. "And beating up villains is great stress relief."

Tamiko nodded her understanding. "That makes sense. But, hypothetically, what if you could have your vacation without worrying about that?"

Rumi cocked her head. "What? You have some kind of time dilation quirk or something?"

"Something like that," Tamiko agreed. In reality, it was nothing like that, but it was a convenient explanation. "We might even be able to throw in some pretty nice perks that should help you be an even better hero."

"Eh, fuck it." Rumi had made her decision. "You had my attention. Now you have my interest."

"Wonderful. Getting you on board will make it easier to recruit a Mr. Rappa as well."

"You're getting Rappa in on this, too?" Rumi gushed, perking up even more. Her excitement was revealed by how she was bouncing on her feet. "Kick ass! Now I'm even more interested! Come on, let's get a bite to eat and can tell me all about my vacation." With that, Rumi started dragging Tamiko toward the nearest QuirkBurger.


Tamiko stepped to the side just in time to avoid the door as it exploded off the hinges, along with the girl who came flying out of the room after. "I'm okay!" the girl called out as she stood up and dusted herself off. She picked up the door and set it back into the door frame.

"Excuse me, are you Mei Hatsume?"

"Future CEO of Hatsume Enterprises," the pink haired girl agreed. "What can I do you for?"

Tamiko smirked. "My, how forward. The company I work for is interested in sponsoring you and investing in your company."

"Really? Hah! My genius is so great people have heard of me before I even start high school!"

"There are, of course, some terms and conditions."

Mei's face fell a nearly imperceptible amount. "Of course there are. Your company isn't trying to steal all of my designs, are you?"

"Nothing that extreme," Tamiko stated. "You will retain full ownership of your designs and work. The terms my company are pursuing merely involve your participation in a reality show. With the position I have in mind for you, you could easily consider it free advertisement. In fact, it is even better, as you will be paid for your participation."

"That sounds great! Where do I sign up?"

Tamiko had a feeling Mai Hatsume was going to be her easiest sell. Luckily, for the young woman, it hadn't been one of the less scrupulous recruiters working on this case.


"How did you get in here," the pro-hero demanded as she began to stand. It was a fair question, since Tamiko had decided to meet her where it would be easy to find her. In the teacher's lounge of UA.

"This school's security, while generally very good, is not equipped to handle intrusions from certain orthogonal directions," Tamiko explained. "To answer the question you actually care about, I am not here to be a threat to the school, yourself, or your students." Midnight did not sit down, but she also did not move to attack, so the recruiter continued. "What I am here to do is to offer you a unique training opportunity and a chance to relax a bit more.

"Really? You're offering me a vacation?" the pro hero asked skeptically. "You do know the school year started just a month ago, don't you?"

"I am aware," Tamiko agreed, "however, that is what makes this offer so unique. Should you accept and make the correct choices, you will not miss even a single day of classes."

"I see." It was clear Midnight was suspicious. Tamiko didn't find that outlook particularly surprising, considering the world the other woman lived in. "And why are you considering me for this so-called vacation?"

"I already have two of your future students on board, and I'm expecting to recruit several others as well."

"My future students, huh? You sound pretty sure of yourself on that."

Tamiko nodded. "Oh, yes, most of the people I'm looking into would do wonderfully at UA. In fact, I believe one of the people I am considering already has a sponsor as a Recommendation, while another, had things gone differently most likely would have impressed All Might enough to be taken under his guidance. All in all, things are looking to be quite exciting."

Midnight narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound like a normal vacation."

"I'll admit, it's not just a vacation," the recruiter revealed. "I want you to join the others as participants in a reality TV show. It won't be shown locally, so you won't need to worry about compromising your identity or any ongoing cases. The show can be as easy or as difficult as you like, depending on what you want to get out of it and what you're willing to do. Some of the more difficult benefits to get are surprisingly valuable, especially in the long term."

"Such as?"

"I can't go into too much detail before you agree to sign up," Tamiko teased, "But one of the standard rewards is a fairly substantial amount of money. They only get more impressive from there."

"I see." Midnight looked at least somewhat interested. "And what would my role in things be?"

Tamiko smiled. "I was thinking you would primarily work as a combination of a den mother and a mentor to the others, only in a much more relaxed setting, without the usual hang-ups being their teacher would involve."

"Such as?"

"That is something else that should wait until we're discussing things in more detail than I can here. I will say, however, that we will not ask you to do anything illegal and that you will be in a prime position to mold a number of future heroes as you see fit." Tamiko smirked evilly and added, "If things go well, I might even swing having you in a position of authority over Mount Lady. I understand the two of you don't see eye to eye on a number of things, so…"

"I'm in," Midnight stated. "So long as it won't interfere with my classes or involve anything illegal, I'm in." She joined in with Tamiko's smirk. "Getting one over on that glory hound will be worth it."


"Mr. Rappa," Tamiko began as she came up to the large man.

"It's just Rappa," the fighter grunted. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Tamiko Abe, and my company is looking to hire your services."

"Not interested. I already have a job."

Tamiko had been expecting that. "I assure you that our offer would in no way interfere with your position in the She Hassaikai." Rappa was more wary now, though he was also paying more attention. "We are looking for your services as a martial arts instructor. We understand that your niece would appreciate new sparring partners."

Rappa instantly had Tamiko held in one beefy fist, the other drawn back to punch. If the recruiter had been in her real body, or if she didn't have extremely good health insurance, she probably would have passed out from the shock of the movement and the malice radiating off the former pit fighter. As it was, the only reason she didn't void herself was that her current body was physically incapable of doing so.

"You leave her out of this," the man demanded. "You'd better explain fast if you don't want to need a new set of teeth."

Tamkio was sure that new teeth would be the least of her worries if Rappa punched her. Once again, she was glad she didn't do most of these meetings in person. Still, she had experience dealing with concerned parents, and that was essentially what Rappa was at the moment, even if he was a bit more willing to resort to violence than most.

"I promise you that I mean Itsuka no harm." Name dropping Rappa's niece's name like that was a calculated risk. He wasn't going to like the confirmation that she, and by extension the people she worked for, knew who she was and that she was connected to him. However, it would also do a good job of focussing his attention. "We want to extend her much the same opportunity as we are for you. Help train a few people, primarily by being their sparring partner, and we'll provide the both of you some great benefits."

Rappa looked a little bit calmer, though that didn't mean all that much. "Go on."

Tamiko nodded as well as she could. "For Itsuku, those benefits would include training against a diverse group with different skills and Quirks. For this group, I am primarily focussing on kids Itsuka's age who are hero hopefuls. There is a good chance a number of them could become Itsuka's classmates at UA, and most of the rest are pro heroes. The opportunity to make friends and connections early should not be disregarded lightly. Anything more depends on what additional options she decides on. Most people tend to walk away with large sums of money or things even more valuable."

"And what would you want her to do for this?" It was good to see that Rappa was looking past the rewards and looking at the risks to his niece. Among other things, it reaffirmed Tamiko's decision to approach Rappa for this position. The other option she had considered was much more likely to focus on the rewards without considering the potential costs, even if the Number 2 Hero would have been a better trainer on paper.

"As I said, it all depends on the options she and the other participants choose. On her and your end, the bare minimum will be sharing a house with the others and training. I am sure the den mother I have in mind for the group, the mother of one of the people you would be training, will also insist on her being a student. The schooling will be acceptable for her application to UA or any other high school she decides to go to." Tamiko paused before continuing, "Depending on what she decides, that is the extent of what she will be required to do. If she decided to do nothing else, that would still be enough to earn at least one million dollars at the end of the contract period."

Rappa set Tamiko back on the ground, though he hadn't let go of her yet. "And how long would that it?"

"The length of the contract depends on the choices of all those involved, especially the principal contestant," the recruiter explained. "Considering he plans on applying to UA and will need to be available when it starts next year, I assume he and his mother will decide on a nine month contract. Don't worry, though. We will adjust your contract as needed so that you do not face any penalties for his decision."

Rappa nodded and released Tamiko, taking a step back. "That sounds like a pretty good offer for Istuka, but what do you have for me and what do I need to do for it?"

"Well, starting with the minimum, we would want you to act as a martial arts instructor and put an honest effort into training both your niece and her sparring partners. That is all you would be required to do, and you could stop with that. However, if you're willing to do more, we should be able to offer you greater rewards, including a way to make fights more equal by preventing people from cheating by using Quirks that require no actual fighting skill to use. To that end, I believe there are some other jobs you would consider especially rewarding and exciting, such as participating in the legal pit fighting my company sponsors." Tamiko noticed that Rappa's attention had been peaked and went in for the kill. "I've already gotten Tiger Bunny to agree to join, and she was looking forward to a chance to fight with you again."

"Damn," Rappa grunted as a smile came to his face. "You pretty much had me with what you were offering Itsuka, but with all that? Sign us up."

"Very well. Let us collect your niece so that we can begin going over the contracts."


Tamiko hesitated while she stood outside the door of the rundown apartment and office for a construction company. She did not have a specific role in mind for this individual, a rarity in her experience. Unfortunately, that would mean she would have to default to one of a few options, none of which would grant the others much in terms of credits, should they take her as an owner. As someone who worked to maximize what everyone was able to get out of their runs, that rankled. On the other hand, including her would help balance out the group, and she knew she would be a good friend for the others. Besides, the girl would probably be an easy sell. Doubts resolved, the recruiter knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing a chubby brown haired girl with pink cheeks. "Ochaco Uraraka, my name is Tamiko Abe. Are your parents home? I have an offer for you they would like to hear."

"Sure, stay right there. Ah'll go and find them." Ochaco shut the door, leaving Tamiko to wait.

It didn't take long for the door to open again, revealing a woman who looked like an older and more world-weary version of Ochaco. "What can Ah do fer ya?"

"You must be Miho Uraraka. I'm Tamiko Abe." She gave a short bow. "The company I am associated with is interested in providing your daughter a scholarship, of sorts, that will help her with her plans on becoming a hero."

"What kind of scholarship?" Miho asked.

"We would enroll her in something similar to a boarding school, where the remainder of her middle school education will be handled, along with the possibility of receiving some combat training to give her a leg up on the competition. She will also have more of an opportunity to practice using her Quirk in different situations."

"But I'm planning on being a rescue hero!" Ochaco protested. "Do I really need combat training?"

Tamiko sighed. "I definitely recommend it. Putting aside how all of the top heroes routinely take part in combat, it is one of those things that is better to have when you don't need it. If you suddenly find out you do need those skills, it will be too late to learn them."

Miho nodded her understanding. "It's like a hard hat. Irratatin' when ya don't need it, but ya don't have time ta put it on after somethin' falls." She turned to Ochaco and added, "Ah'll need ta hear more ta make a decision, but if we do this, ya'll be takin' that trainin'. Turning back to Tamiko, she added, "What else do Ah need ta know?"

"The thing you would be most worried about is that the scholarship is paid for by the participants being contestants in a reality TV show. At the end of the scholarship period, all of the participants get rewards, depending on the decisions they make before the show. The bright side is that there are no eliminations and very few ways to disqualify yourself."

"And what would ma daughter be expected ta do fer this show?"

"At the very minimum, we expect her to share a living space with the other contestants." She held up a hand to stall Miho before continuing, "There will be several adults on hand to make sure nothing gets out of hand. Beyond that, she will be expected to go on occasional outings with some of the other contestants and to apply herself at school. If she decides to take the combat instruction, she will be expected to apply herself to that as well."

Miho waited a moment, and when it became obvious that Tamiko was not going to continue, she asked, "That's all?"

"That's all," Tamiko agreed. "For the minimum. Depending on what other perks or rewards Ochaco may be interested in, there may be additional conditions, though Ochaco would have a say in what those conditions are."

"Ah see. And what kind of rewards are ya talkin' about here?"

"There are a number of options available," Tamiko explained. "On the low end, there's options that makes it easier to pick up other perks without needing to worry about adding as many conditions to things. Another popular option is a large amount of money." Tamiko moved right along without giving either Uraraka a chance to interject. "Another option Ochaco might be interested in is a special form of Quirk Therapy that should help mitigate or remove the drawbacks of using her Quirk. Then there are the more extravagant rewards that most people don't worry about, since many people find them prohibitively difficult to get. I'd go into more detail, but, unfortunately, I don't have proof ready and they can be hard to believe."

Mother and daughter shared a look. Miho's was considering and Ochaco's was hopeful. Eventually, Hiho turned back to Tamiko. "Ah'll need to talk it over with ma husband, but Ah think we'll be signin' Ochaco up."

Tamiko smiled. "Wonderful. Please contact me once you've made your decision and I'll get started on the paperwork. It was a pleasure meeting the both of you." With that said, she made her way from the Uraraka residence and toward her next appointment.


"Hello, Setsuna Tokage. I am Tamiko Abe."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Tamiko's current recruitment target asked.

"Not particularly," Tamiko admitted. "I do, however, have an offer for you. I understand that you have someone recommending you to UA, provided you clean up your image."

The green haired teen bristled. "What is it to you?"

"I know how hard reimaging yourself can be, so I wanted to offer you an opportunity to have one last hurrah while also working on making yourself more presentable."

Setsuna cocked her head. "That.. that sounds self contradicting."

Tamiko nodded. "Under normal conditions, you would be right. However, most people look favorably on completing school while under the direction of multiple pro heroes."

"That does sound impressive, but you'd still need to get Ryukyu to sign off on it."

"If you could contact her, I'd be happy to go over the details with the both of you," Tamiko said. "This might actually work out better than I had originally expected."

Setsuna gave her a steady look before shrugging. "If you say so." One of her arms came back in from the other room, phone in hand.

The teen seemed disappointed at Tamiko's lack of reaction, but disembodied limbs was old hat to the recruiter; it would take more than that to startle her. Once her arm was back where it belonged, Setsuna began the call. She didn't put it on speaker phone, and Tamiko decided to be polite enough to not eavesdrop, so she could only hear half the conversation.

"Hey, Ryuko, how's it going?"

There was a short pause as the Dragoon Hero answered.

"I'm fine. No, nothing is on fire. Yes, I'm staying out of trouble." She paused and made a 'what can you do?' gesture toward Tamiko. "I've got someone here with an offer to help me fit into UA better next year. I told her you'd want to vet the program, even though she says some pro-heroes are on board with running it."

She nodded her head along with whatever the hero was saying. "Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, we're over in the park behind the house, if you want to stop by?"

She paused again before replying. "Five minutes?" She looked over to Tamiko, who nodded. Five minutes was a reasonable wait to get two of her recruitment targets at once. "Yeah, that's fine, we'll wait." There was a short pause, and Setsuna looked embarrassed as she said, "Love you, too. Bye," before hanging up.

"We might as well wait for Ryukyu to arrive before discussing my offer further," Tamiko noted, "unless you think having more information would give you some levers to make her more likely to agree?"

Setsuna gave a self-deprecating grin. "That would work better if she wasn't scarily good at telling when I'm trying to get her to agree to something dumb."

"I assure you, my offer is anything but dumb."

The green haired girl waved the comment off. "Sure, you would say that, but she'd probably look at it the same way."

"Then I suppose we will have to wait to continue our discussion."

"Yeah, I guess so…" It was only a minute or so before Setsuna was beginning to fidget. "So… how 'bout them Giants?"

"The baseball team?" Tamiko asked. At Setsuna's nod, she continued, "You're lucky I even know what sport they play. Sports was never really my thing, despite the amount of effort Haruka put into trying to educate me on the subject."

"I can understand that. The recordings of the older games can be kind of interesting, but it's a bit painful to watch the players try to not use their Quirks."

"That does sound less than enjoyable," Tamiko agreed.

"I get why public Quirk use is illegal, but there's got to be a limit somewhere, right?"

"Yes, Japan did make those laws more strict than most of the world did," Tamiko agreed. "I can only assume it has something to do with the population density."

Whatever response Setsuna was going to give was drowned out when a mostly white dragon wearing a red dress landed next to them. The dragon quickly shrank down into the form of a young woman. "Alright, Setsuna, I'm here. What is this about?"

"She," Setsuna began, gesturing to Tamiko, "wanted to offer me a way to help turn my image around by going to school while working with several pro-heroes."

"Really, now?" Ryukyu asked, looking between Setsuna and Tamiko. "And how is this program supposed to work?"

Tamiko took half a step forward. "My name is Tamiko Abe. My company is putting together a program where a group of hero hopefuls, a few pro-heroes, and a few others will live and work together over the course of a few months. In return, each participant can receive a number of different perks and rewards, depending on what they want and what they are willing to put up with to get it."

"I see. So this would be something like a reality show?" Ryukyu asked.

"Exactly."

"And you really have pro-heroes willing to work with you on this?" Ryukyu asked, skepticism clear in her voice. "Who did you ask, Uwabami? That new girl, Mount Lass or whatever it was?"

"While I have yet to approach Mount Lady, she is one of the pros I plan on involving," Tamiko admitted. "The show will either firm her resolve to be a hero or cause her to quit. Either option is a net gain to society. As for Uwabami? I could see positions she could fill, but I do not think she would be a positive contribution to the dynamic I am hoping to craft."

"And what dynamic is that?" Ryukyo asked before quickly adding, "And don't think I didn't notice that you haven't answered my question!"

Tamiko coughed in embarrassment. "Ah, sorry, that was not my intent. First, the dynamic I am looking to create is one of friends or found family. I want everyone to get along as much as is possible, considering the varying personalities involved. As to the heroes I have already gotten to agree… Both Midnight and Mirko are onboard, along with a special surprise that you are probably too young to know about. Not counting Mount Lady, there are two other adults who will be involved. The rest of the participants will be hero hopefuls or support students who are likely to be going to UA next year."

"So, if I do this, I'd be going to UA with a bunch of kids I'm already friends with?" Setsuna cut in.

"That is the idea, yes."

"That sounds great!" She turned to Ryukyu. "Can I? This sounds too good to miss."

Ryukyu was wavering but not quite convinced, yet. Tamiko decided to try for two birds with one stone. "Would you feel better if you came along to oversee Setsuna and make sure she was behaving properly?"

"It would," Ryukyo agreed, "but there's still the issue of it interfering with my duties as a hero. For that matter, how are Mirko and Midnight expected to keep doing their normal work?"

Tamiko smiled. "We may be able to make use of a temporal Quirk or something similar so that you return right after you leave. I suspect that a number of the other people I am recruiting will do the same, even if it is a fairly expensive option. You could select that and not miss any work."

"Come on, Ryuko, it'll be fun, and it should really help me out at UA!"

"Fine," Ryukyu decided with a huff. "Let's see what else this entails. If it looks good, we can go for it."

"Perfect. Come with me, and we'll get started on the paperwork."


"So you want me to be part of this reality show you're putting on and want me to be part of it?"

"That is correct."

"And, in return, you'll help me be a better help by taking care of my biggest weakness? Kero." Tsuyu continued.

"Yes, one of the standard options would eliminate your issues with heat and cold," Tamiko confirmed.

"And you think I'll get a bunch of life-long friends who also want to be heroes out of this?"

Tamiko smiled. "Definitely, along with becoming close to several pro-heroes, including at least one who is likely to be one of your future teachers."

Tsuyu paused with a finger resting against her chin. Finally, she said, "I am usually very blunt. Kero. While your offer sounds good, I noticed you haven't actually told me what the show is called."

Tamiko froze. "Ah." Tsuyu was definitely one observant frog. "Would you believe you're only the second person to ask me that?"

"Out of how many?"

"About eight, though I still have a few on my list to talk to."

"And that includes a few heroes?" Tsuyu asked skeptically. "Kero."

Tamiko winced. The frog was too observant. "I may have a minor ability that usually prevents people from noticing when I gloss over something like that."

"Like how you still haven't told me the name of the show?"

"No," Tamiko replied honestly. "We got a bit sidetracked. The show is named Slut Life."

"Kero. So we're going to be sleeping around a lot?"

Tamiko greatly appreciated the empathic abilities she had picked up, because she was finding Tsuyu's face almost impossible to read. It was also the only reason she knew the frog girl was asking out of moderate interest instead of disgust.

"It depends on the individual and the choices they make," the recruiter explained. "For instance, there's Inko. She's going to be involved primarily as something of a den mother for everyone else since the main reason she's involved is that she doesn't want to leave her son for the year. I expect she's going to avoid being required to have sex at all. She'll probably still sleep with some of the others before the show is over, though."

"That makes sense. Kero." Tsuyu put her finger against her chin again. "I'm guessing others will have more sex?"

"Oh, definitely," Tamiko agreed. "More sex comes part and parcel with getting better rewards. Inko, for example, is unlikely to get some of the healing options we would recommend for anyone going into a combat heavy field like heroics."

Tsuyu looked thoughtful for a moment before she squirmed in place and blushed slightly. To get that much of a reaction out of the stoic frog, the thought must have been something special.

"I'm not really sure what I'm into," Tsuyu admitted. "But I looked up some stuff online, and…" She trailed off, blushing even harder. "Kero."

"You aren't sure which one you actually like and which ones you like the idea but wouldn't like actually doing?" Tamiko guessed. It was a fairly normal issue people had, especially when they were a virgin.

"Or which ones are even physically possible without a specialist Quirk."

Tamiko hid her grin. Tsuyu was proving herself over and over today. "I think I may have the perfect option for you, then. It's entirely about trying out new things and seeing what you like." She paused for a few moments before asking, "So, what do you think? Or do you have any questions for me?"

"I'm interested," she began, and Tamiko could hear the but coming. "But I help my parents take care of my siblings. Kero. I don't want to make things harder for them a year early."

Tamiko smiled. "Is that all? If you want, and if you're willing to work for it, we can get you back before your parents have a chance to miss you."

"Alright," Tsuyu decided after a moment's thought. "Slut me up. Kero."


Tamiko looked up at the building that housed the Mount Agency and shook her head. The hero hadn't been active even a week, but repair work had already been needed. Sighing to herself, the recruiter made her way inside, avoiding the workers with ease.

Once she was at the front desk, she found the harried looking receptionist working through piles of forms. She waited politely while the young woman finished her current form, knowing from personal experience how annoying it was to be interrupted halfway through.

It was only when the receptionist reached for the next form in the stack without looking up that Tamiko said anything. "Excuse me, Ms. Takeyama, I was looking to speak with Mount Lady."

The young woman looked up, the circles under her eyes revealing how little sleep she had gotten recently. She sighed and slumped slightly. "If you are here to report any criminal activity, the form for that is on the back counter, on the left. Any collateral damage you believe Mount Lady may have caused should be reported to the PHSC or use the form on the left. If you are looking to apply to work for the Mount Agency, I can take your resume and someone will get back to you within the week."

"I actually wanted to offer a sponsorship deal." It was interesting to watch the woman's eyes come alive at those words.

"Really? Let me take you to a meeting room, and Mount Lady will be with you shortly." She stood, a bit unsteadily at first, and led Tamiko further into the building.

Outside of the reception area, there were already signs that the janitorial staff, if it existed, was not up to the task. Tamiko was doubtful anyone else worked in the building, as the only other people she'd seen were the construction workers.

Her guide soon brought her into a small meeting room. It looked like the room was cleaned at least semi-regularly, a task made easier by not having much in it besides the table, a few chairs, and a television.

"Please wait here, and Mount Lady will be with you shortly."

The woman left, and Tamiko took a seat to wait. A short time later, approximately the time needed to change a set of clothes and apply a bit of makeup, Mount Lady returned. Tamiko rose from her seat to meet her, intentionally ignoring that she was obviously the receptionist in costume.

"Mount Lady, it is good to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well…" the hero faltered. "I'm sorry, my receptionist didn't give me your name." Covering your lapse in social etiquette with a bold faced lie and tossing yourself under the bus… classic.

"My name is Tamiko Abe, it is a pleasure to meet you."

The horned hero shifted a little, clearly unsure about how to proceed. Finally, she asked, "What can I do for you?"

"This is really more about what I can do for you." Tamiko began her pitch with a smile. "My company would like to offer you a short term position working with some students who are looking to get into a hero course next year."

Mount Lady broke from her heroic persona for a moment to ask, "And why should I care about some brats?" She paused for a moment and added, "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"It's not a problem. I can see how much work running your own agency is," Tamiko said diplomatically. "Still, I can see where you are coming from. You're working hard to get your agency off the ground while others seem to have had an easier time starting out, and working with a bunch of kids will just take away more time you already don't have."

Mount Lady nodded. "Exactly. The hero scene is really competitive, and I've already spent all of my savings on this building and insurance." She sighed and added, "I'm on a strict cup ramen diet until all my bills clear next month and I have more to work with. Hopefully by then I'll have enough coming in to hire some more staff." She sighed and stretched before slumping over the table. "You would not believe the amount of paperwork I have to deal with. I don't know how someone like Mirko deals with it all."

"That actually leads nicely into the next part of my offer," Tamiko cut in. When Mount Lady looked up curiously, she continued, "You would not be working with the kids alone. I currently have three other pro-heroes signed up to help out, including Mirko. If you join up, you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her."

Mount Lady sucked in a surprised breath. "Really? How did you get her to agree?"

"I offered her what she would enjoy most out of the arrangement. A chance to fight more than she can usually get away with and a promise to put her into contact with someone she has had fun fighting with and against in the past." Tamiko paused before adding, "I would make you an entirely different offer."

"Oh?" Mount Lady asked, failing to look bored at the way things were progressing.

"Of course. You have not shown yourself to be the kind of combat junkie Mirko is, so such an approach would be counterproductive." Tamiko paused for a moment, leaning forward with her hands steepled before her. "For you… I would offer the opportunity to receive additional instruction on combat, so you wouldn't need to rely on your large size to win, along with several possible ways to make your Quirk more effective. On top of all of that, or instead of it, depending on what choices you decide to make, there is the potential to make a generously large amount of seed money."

Mount Lady nervously licked her lips. "How generous are we talking, here?"

"Generous enough that, if you wanted to, you could be set for a comfortable retirement instead."

Mount Lady slumped back into her chair, staring into space as she processed the amount needed to make that work. Eventually, she sat forward and said, "Where do I sign?"


"Miss Shield."

"Who are you, and how did you get into my lab?" Melissa shield demanded. Tamiko suppressed the silent alarm the young inventor had pressed during her demands. It wouldn't do to have security interrupt her sales pitch, after all.

"In order, my name is Tamiko Abe and your security system is not equipped to stop trans-dimensional relocation. To answer the question you should be asking, I am here to make an offer you won't want to refuse."

Melissa gross for a second, blinked, and asked, "Don't you mean you have an offer I can't refuse?"

"No. If you decide to turn this deal down, that's fine. I'll need to reconsider my opinion of your intelligence, but I'm not going to force anything. I just want you to listen to the offer before rejecting it out of hand."

Melissa furtively looked toward the door before saying, "Fine, let's hear it."

Tamiko decided to try the blunt approach. "I want to offer you a spot on a reality show. In return, we will provide you with a number or rewards and perks, the number and quality of which depending on what options you decide on. Taking part in the show will not negatively affect your schooling, and you will have the opportunity to work with several pro-heroes as well as aspiring heroics course applicants."

"That does sound interesting," Melissa allowed. "But I have plenty of opportunities on I Island. I'm sure there are others who would benefit more from this than I would."

Tamiko sighed. It was time to bring out the big guns. "Normally, you would be right. However, those other hypothetical candidates all lack one quality you possess, or, to put it another way, you lack something all of the rest possess."

Melissa paused for a moment before the penny dropped. "You're talking about Quirks. You want me because I'm Quirkless." Her voice was flat, and her annoyance and disgust radiated off of her.

"That is correct, but probably not for the reasons you're worried about." Tamiko continued before Melissa could protest. "I probably shouldn't be sharing this with you, but you, of all people, need the context. The primary contestant for this run of the show is getting in as what we termed a Charity Case."

Melissa moved to speak, so Tamiko raised her hand to stall her before continuing. "He had fallen off the roof of a building, suffering multiple broken bones and spinal damage. Even with cutting edge medical science, he would not be able to ever walk again."

"I don't want to be insensitive; it's terrible that that happened to him, but I don't see what that has to do with me."

"I think knowing someone else who is Quirkless would be good for him." Tamiko was going to be blunt, to drive the point home. "Only two other people know this currently, but the last person to see Izuku on that roof was a pro-hero. One Izuku had looked up to for years. A pro-hero who told him it was impossible for someone Quirkless to be a hero." By now, Melissa was on the edge of her seat. "Izuku didn't fall off that roof."

Tamiko didn't outright state what had happened, but Melissa was a bright girl. It didn't take long for her to figure it out. "You're going to help him, right?" she demanded.

"We are, but having someone who understands available for him to confide in could prove invaluable." Tamiko paused and looked Melissa directly in the eye. "So, are you willing to help?"

Melissa didn't blink. "I am."


Tamiko waited patiently while waiting for the girl in front of her to finish processing the offer. Eventually, the girl asked, "You want to hire me? To be a maid? And it's going to be part of some pervy reality show?"

"That is correct." Tamiko had been upfront with her current recruit for several reasons. First, this was the last position she needed to fill for the show and she had several back up candidates in mind if she didn't work out. The second reason was fairly simple. "Though having sex does not need to be part of your required duties. You are still likely see sexual acts during your employ, however."

"But… Why me?" Toru Hagakure asked, gesturing at herself, or rather at her lack of a visible self.

"Ah, that. It's part of a bad joke, actually," Tamiko explained. At the curiosity she could feel coming from the invisible girl, she added, "Have you ever heard that the best servants are the ones you never see?" Toru groaned, making this entire trip worth it, even if the girl decided to turn down the offer.

"And in return, you'll fix things so I can become visible?" Toru asked, the repressed hope clear in her voice.

"Yes, even if all you decide to do is work as a maid and continue your schooling, you should be able to afford to get your Quirk improved at the end of the show. You'll also still receive your normal wages, of course."

Toru sat there thoughtfully for a moment before asking, "And what if I wanted more than just that?"

"At that point, it would depend on what you are willing to do and what you want to get out of this."

"Well, in that case it looks like you got yourself a maid," Toru decided. "Now how do I get my hands on those other options? I want to see how much I can get out of this."

Tamiko suddenly had a bad feeling about things. Maybe she should have looked into the other candidates first? Lady Nagent probably wouldn't be sitting there cackling quietly to herself over just the thought of what she could get.

Most of the people she recruited to be maids just did their jobs and moved on with their lives. She had a feeling that Toru was not going to be one of those people. A thought reinforced when Toru asked, "Hey, Tomiko, what's this Race Change thing all about?"

Tamiko's head snapped up to look at Toru, who, sure enough, had Tamiko's phone and was scrolling through it. The recruiter had to wonder both how the invisible girl had gotten the phone without her noticing and why she was starting in the middle of all the forms, in a section Tamiko had been planning on glossing over with most of her current batch of recruits.

After all, most of them wouldn't want to give up their quirks just to be able to get the few options having a New Body would allow them to choose. Still, Toru had asked, so Tamiko was going to explain, no matter what her gut was telling her.


"All right, everyone," Tamiko began over the public express system. "It is time to make your decisions on what you want to get out of your participation and what you're willing to do to get it. I'm sure you've noticed how each of you has been placed in your own cubicle. This is to prevent you from collaborating too much. These rooms are sound proofed and block phone reception, so you'll just have to deal with it. If you have any questions about a specific option, press the shiny red 'help' button and either I or one of my assistants will be happy to explain things further."

She looked over her displays for a moment before continuing. "Those of you who are young enough to go to school will find that this option has been preemptively locked in. As we are not going to be sending you to different schools, most of the school options will be copied over to all of you. The exception to this is Notoriety, where your teachers and fellow students will know you are one of the contestants of our show. If anyone selects this option, you will be informed so that you can decide if you also want to choose it as a form of solidarity. It will not show you how many others have taken the option." Good old peer pressure. Hopefully at least one of the kids would take it, leading to the rest joining in as well. It always made things more interesting when the contestants were well known.

Moving on, Tamiko continued. "Since all of the contestants will be sharing a home for the duration of the show, certain entertainment options can be shared. If someone selects an option that is shareable, they will be asked to indicate if they are willing to share them. Any shared options will be noted as such. You will have access to them without needing to purchase them yourself, unless you also want to have your own version that you will be able to keep after the show. On the other hand, the actual housing choices are going to be controlled by the primary homeowner. If there is a housing option you would be interested in having access to, you can request it, though it will be up to the primary owner to honor that request or not."

She checked her notes. Only a few more things to go over. "Each of you, with the exception of the primary contestant and the maid, have agreed to take on the role of an Owner for at least one other contestant. Each full-time Owner can only be selected a total of seven times without needing to take Part Time Owner to allow an additional slot, at the cost of losing one of their own Owner slots. Once all of the available Contestant Slots are filled for each Owner, additional slots can be requested, though those requests might not be accommodated. The only options available to be picked as your Owner are those listed, and each list is different depending on which Owner role you are filling. To use an option that no-one here was eligible for, if one of you had been an Alien, it would not show up in your options while it would show up in everyone else's."

Tamiko paused for breath before continuing. "Now, some of the options available require Controllers. You must pick at least one Controller if you pick one of these options. Manual means you can control the option. If you do not pick this, you will not have any control over that option. If you pick Roommate, everyone you'll be sharing living space with, that is, the other contestants filling out their forms right now, will be able to control them. If you want to grant a single, specific person or group of people control of an option, you'll want to use the Special Selection. The rest of the controller options are fairly self explanatory."

Just one more thing and Tamiko would be able to sit back and relax… until someone had a question, at least. "When you get to the Rewards option, you will be able to select what you will receive at the end of the show. Everything else you will have access to immediately. I recommend picking Dual Residency as your primary End of Show option. It indicates that you want to continue living back on your native planet while also being able to live on your new planet, as well."

Tamiko looked over her notes, just to be sure, before concluding, "That should be everything. If you have any questions, please hit the help button. If we think your question was one we should have clarified earlier, we'll inform everyone through the PA system."

With a sigh, Tamiko sat back and turned to the screens where the contestants worked through their options. Every contestant had their own individual approach to how to go through the contracts. Some would go straight for the Rewards or whatever else they were looking to get; they'd worry about paying for it later. Others started by going through all the options to gain credits, picking the ones they were willing to deal with, and then buying what they wanted that fell inside their budget. Others started from the start and worked their way back, picking everything that caught their eye and worrying about paying for any shortages when they finished.

Inko was definitely the most conservative of the contestants, which made sense. She was mostly here for Izuku, and being the primary homeowner did have some benefits. She also wasn't looking to be a hero, so she was ignoring some of the more expensive health boosting options. It was unlikely she would need to regrow a limb, after all.

Rappa was also being fairly conservative, which made sense considering he knew exactly what he wanted out of things, most of which could be found during the show. She took a moment to toggle his and Itsuka's speakers. "Just so the two of you know, you're sharing Contestants as Co-Owners, so you will both need to okay any additional spots."

Their resident ghost was, to put it very lightly, not being conservative at all. She immediately she went to the End of Show options and set herself up as Izuku's sex slave… before going on and selecting just about every option that would give the green haired boy more control over her. The soon-to-be Halfa was either an extreme submissive masochist or had a stupidly high level of most likely misplaced guilt.

Mei was fitting her role admirably, selecting all of the mechanical toys and an AI to help her control them. It was a bit concerning that the girl had selected a copy of GLaDOS to pattern her AI's personality off of, but it would probably be fine. Tamiko made a note to ensure it was a less homicidal version. It looked like she was also going to be trying her luck at building a vehicle.

Setsuna had actually decided to get a pet. This was one of the few Entertainment options that wouldn't be reflected on the other sheets, so it should be a nice surprise for everyone. It was pretty amusing to watch her agonize over what type of dinosaur she wanted.

Without prompting, Tsuyu had picked one of the body mods Tamiko had been curious about. What happened when a frog girl had her tongue modified to be even more stretchy? It should be interesting, if nothing else.

Ochaco and Yu were predictable in how they worked to maximize their earnings, though they did so in different ways, for different reasons. It also looked like Ochaco was planning for the future, taking options that would be redundant during the show but would be a great help with her family long term. At least they both also looked into ways to increase their potential as heroes at the same time.

Melissa and Izuku were also not too much of a surprise, taking New Bodies. It would get rid of any Quirk they might have had, and their improved immune systems made it unlikely that they could be given a Quirk in the future. It was a shame Izuku wasn't as adventurous as the others had been, but Tamiko supposed having two purely male contestants would have to do, even if the additional parts would have easily more than paid for themselves.

It was then that Tamiko saw Toru's information and completely derailed her train of thought. Somehow the invisible girl had managed to completely break things. Despite still living with the others, she was getting a palace of her own, even larger than the mansion the group was already going to be living in. She had also managed to sign up, and get approved, for multiple times the maximum workload. And at the end of things, she was going to own the planet!

Tamiko decided then and there that she no longer wanted to know what else her recruits were coming up with to make her life difficult. Instead, she was going to have a nice nap until somebody needed something her assistants couldn't help them with.


Author's Note: Fair warning, this project is likely to be slow to update. It will also have smaller chapters moving forward. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a good place to break this up without it getting tedious, so I decided to give it all to you at once.

I also have other projects in the works, which will also slow things down. There is no update schedule for this fic. The next chapter is completed (unless I decide to add more to it), but I want to get some of the third chapter started before posting it, and I'm very bad at having the time to write at the same time I feel like writing without also finding another distraction. The additional projects will just make this worse. We'll see how things go.