zombiesleuth: I see. So this is future Cyberpunk. I haven't played it but I did look up Exotics on the wiki once for some reason.
Re: Eh... Cyberpunk happens in the mid to middling-late 21st century, and I do imply that My Hero Academia takes place in the 23rd given how the "eight generations" of [One for All] users is framed, but it was more an adaptation of the Cyberpunk lore into Gun Gale Online to explain how the AmuSphere might "interpret" Heteromorphic traits in relation to gameplay, than the events of Cyberpunk being part of this world's history.
I mean, the tech for the prosthetics is somewhat feasible, but with the advent of Quirks causing untold chaos in the early 21st century, there wouldn't have been any way for Megacorps to start taking over until everything stabilized.
I mean sure, around the 2030s there was the Corporate Age of Heroes, but corporations even then didn't have the staggering influence of companies like Militech or Arasaka did in Cyberpunk. Apollon Media from Tiger & Bunny is the closest-to in the small scale, with Detnerat approaching that level in terms of product as well as influence in the small scale.
NightmareKnight1: ...huh. Interesting. Stain before he became Stain, Mustard, Rappa, Shinsou and Shigaraki. Interesting combination of people there.
Re: I didn't want to be too on the nose, but I didn't want to be too not on-the-nose either.
Given Takei doesn't have a lot of "mobility", there isn't a lot of wiggle room for him to just "bump into" wildly-different people outside of the internet.
BryanV2: I liked this chapter, partially because it reminds me of reading the Ready Player One book(The movie was always worse. I don't wish to argue about it), and also because I'm a bit excited to see how he reacts if he ever meets up with one of the squadron members irl. It'll be a very big can of worms to open, that's for sure.
Re: Ready Player One was a big inspiration for choosing to introduce VR as a highlight in this My Hero Academia crossover, and yes, the books tend to be better; then again, it is hard to compete with the source material pre-adaptation.
As for their IRL meetings... I have created wiggle room for that to occur, yes.
As for (Josh) from Chapter 4 asking- "Why is your protagonist such an a***."
Ignoring the fact that you forgot to add a QUESTION MARK to that question... I'm going to answer that one really, really, really slowly (and not keep it Private between the two of us because you quote/unquote "forgot" to use an actual Account to post that Review) because if you can't even remember to put a Question Mark (?) at the end of an inquiry, you must not be very smart in the first place.
Takehiko... Tokei (lit. "Tokei Takehiko"), the identity... I reincarnate into, is... a self-insert. AS a... self-insert..., I'm aware of... many troupes from the... Isekai sub-genre, and... am thus aware that... shit can go... very south..., very..., very..., very fast. On top of... the stress of, you... know, dying... thoughts of... all the stuff... that got left unfinished..., as well as the... existential crisis that... comes with the... multiverse ("infinite realities, nothing you do matters", etc. etc.) that come... part and parcel... with contracting "Isekaitis"... (aka The Lightnovel Virus), finding myself... two centuries into... the future, and... learning that people... are still self-centered... assholes, if not even dumber... assholes... I'd like to... see the Isekai... protagonist... that doesn't get stressed... the fuck out... and/or infuriated by... such... circumstances... when they were... a normal guy... and not just a... one-dimensional... cardboard cutout... for readers to... vicariously insert... themselves... into because "Power... Fantasy".
For those of you in the reading audience that aren't dumber than a first grader...
Takehiko Tokei (lit. "Tokei Takehiko"), the identity I reincarnate into, is a self-insert. AS a self-insert, I'm aware of many troupes from the Isekai sub-genre, and am thus aware that shit can go very south, very, very, very fast. On top of the stress of, you know, dying... thoughts of all the stuff that got left unfinished, as well as the existential crisis that comes with the multiverse ("infinite realities, nothing you do matters", etc. etc.) that come part and parcel with contracting "Isekaitis" (aka The Lightnovel Virus), finding myself two centuries into the future, and learning that people are still self-centered assholes, if not even dumber assholes... I'd like to see the Isekai protagonist that doesn't get stressed the fuck out and/or infuriated by such circumstances when they were a normal guy and not just a one-dimensional cardboard cutout for readers to vicariously insert themselves into because "Power Fantasy".
Anywho, personal drama against stupid people aside, on with the show!
*AHA*
"Hey, Take-chan! You didn't fall in again did you?" Doppel asked pounding on the bathroom door.
"No, Doppel…" I groaned.
You'd think she was joking, but given someone of Tio's… height, had to make use of the facilities like any other person, and you'd be surprised how-big some of those plus-sized toilets could get in master bathrooms.
As for why I was even using the master bathroom instead of the guest, you try living in a co-ed with five women when nature calls.
*AHA*
Valentine's Day was the same day in Japan as it was in America, but differing in tradition in that it was only the girls who gave chocolate to their male (and occasionally female) friends; Giri-Choko or "Obligation Chocolate" for those they were just on friendly terms with, or Honmei-Choko aka "True Feelings Chocolate" that they dedicate entire anime episodes to characters making and/or giving and/or receiving.
Hitomi made time to swing by with Mitsumi, the older of the two giving me some kind of magical girl-themed chocolate, while from Mitsumi I wound up getting three; a tiny little square no larger than an Andes mint chocolate from 'Top-chan', a second magical girl-themed chocolate from 'Mii-chan', and an ordinary-looking bar from Mitsumi herself.
"Wait, does this mean I have to give you three gifts for White Day?"
"Don't you even think about it, buster!" 'Top-chan' growled, sounding like she'd been strong-armed into giving me what chocolate she had by her other persona, if not Hitomi herself.
"I'm sure just one will suffice…" Hitomi hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, if you say so…" I hummed as I looked at the magical girl chocolates. Feathery magical girl outfit, cat ears and a tail, frilly ribbon bow on the chest. It was a bit of a gamble making the main character of Pure Cure be a mono-eye, but Pure Cyclone was able to make it work; even if part of it was to pander to the Heteromorph demographic.
Must've ordered these from a specialty shop.
"Nee, nee, Take-chan," 'Mii-chan' whispered into my ear.
"What is it?"
"If you want an extra-warm hug from Onee-chan on White Day, make sure to give her something really sweet~"
"I'll, uh, keep that in mind…" I returned, feeling my face heat up as I glanced at the hospital hottie I first woke up to.
Even if I knew it was never going to happen, I could still have some sort of quasi-romantic interested in the busty mono-eye.
*AHA*
*THUMP!*
*Squeaaaaaak*
"Oh what fresh hell is this?" I asked aloud as Papi smeared herself on the balcony door.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Let me in!" she said getting up like it were no big deal.
"Hey there… imouto…" I said as I let her in. "To what do I owe the visit?"
"I got you some chocolates!" the little Heteromorph beamed happily as she started patting down her pockets and top. "That's weird. Where'd they go?" she asked spinning around, revealing a bar of chocolate sticking up from her back right pocket.
I decided to see how-long it would take her to realize.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Okay even for me, this was painful to watch.
"Papi… Check your back pocket."
"Huh?" she blinked childishly, patting at herself before going- "OH!" -and handing it out to me. "Here you go, onii-chan~"
"Thanks," I replied, accepting the half-melted bar bent into the shape of her butt cheek.
Had it gotten slightly bigger/rounder since least year?
I decided to suppress noticing that...
"So, so, so, what do you have for me?" she asked excitedly.
"What, do you mean for White Day?"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"White Day isn't until March."
"What's parades got to do with anything?"
" . . . "
*AHA*
After taking more time than was probably necessary to explain the difference between Valentine's Day and White Day, Papi threw me another curveball.
"Ah, I see. So you're going to give me my frilly see-through lace panties next month," she nodded twice academically.
GNAGH!
"How'd you come to that conclusion!?"
"It's what Papa gives Mommy on White Day! Then they go to their room and wrestle! We always run out of whipped cream and chocolate sauce for some reason…"
That was not an image I needed in my head…!
"Are we gonna wrestle on White Day too?" she asked getting up in my face. "I should check the fridge for whipped cream and chocolate sauce!"
If God is benevolent, please let something happen to distract her.
*Knock, Knock, Knock-Knock, Knock*
Looking over my shoulder at the first five parts of the "Shave and a Haircut" knock, I saw a cobbled-together quadcopter drone with a single red optic tapping on the glass with a manipulator arm.
"Look out! It's the robot uprising!" the little harpy screamed, throwing herself behind the sofa.
"Relax, I'm sure it's just a mail drone."
Mail drones are common in the 23rd century, right?
Opening the door, a hand going to my hip-holstered Collapsible Wrench in case this thing was weaponized, the drone flew over to the coffee table before its belly opened up, depositing a wrench-shaped chocolate crudely wrapped in aluminum foil onto the table.
"Huh?" Papi blinked.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Tiger Man!"
"Hatsume…?"
"Call me Mei-chan!"
"Then remember my freakin' name!" I snapped back. "What's with the chocolate?"
"Well, you did throw me over your shoulder, save my bacon, and we already kissed, so-!"
"Hey, Papi wants a kiss too!" the little harpy whined.
"Not to mention that animal sacrifice on Valentine's Day isn't 'cool' anymore-"
"Chuchuchuchuchuchuchu!" Papi squeaked as she puckered her lips.
"-so I couldn't come over and smack you with bloody strips of animal leather-" Hatsume continued as I held Papi back.
"Hatsume why is that thing sparking?!" I interrupted.
"It's a work in progress."
My neck-hairs doing corkscrews as the thing began to smoke, I quickly whipped out my "GigaWrench" and smacked the drone out the door like a baseball, whipping the door shut and throwing Papi and myself to the floor as the drone suddenly exploded.
"I really hope this isn't going to be a running gag with her…" I thought as the smoke cloud dissipated.
"Chu!" Papi chirped as she planted a kiss on my cheek.
"Happy Valentine's Day to you too..." I surrendered, planting a kiss on her forehead, the little harpy giggling happily as I pampered her.
*AHA*
"Take-chan! We're hooome!" Tio beamed merrily that evening.
"Hey, guys. Long day?"
"Ugh, the wooorst…" Doppel in her schoolgirl form groaned. "Damn perverts."
"Well, this is Japan, so…"
"Come out of the kitchen and help us out, will ya?" Kuroko asked.
"Hm?"
Coming out into the hall, I felt my jaw drop as I beheld plastic storage bins full of various packaged chocolates, all being carried up from the elevator on a dolly normally reserved for luggage.
"What the hell…?" I gawped, staring at the veritable mountain of tangible diabetes looming over me.
"We have a lot of admirers~" Kuroko grinned as she nibbled on the day's spoils.
"Yeah, I can see that…" I deadpanned. "These didn't all get delivered by hand, did they?"
"Some did, most didn't," Manako hummed.
"And here, we've got some for you too~" Zombina grinned handing me a box of my own. It was only about the size of a shoebox, but that it was filled with chocolate to the point the lid wouldn't close all the way…
"Did the livestream really make me that popular? All I did was stare at myself in a mirror and wig the fuck out…"
Having watched the stream at a later date, the face left on my Avatar after my ASU did a Forced Logout… was far from flattering.
Doubly-so because it made me look like Kazuma Satou after he "died of shock" from thinking he'd gotten run over by "Truck-kun"...
"Eh, some of it's from the livestream, the rest is from the memes, No Tongue-kun~"
"Kami… fucking… dammit…!"
"I've never seen so many chocolate tongues and footballs in all my life~"
I swear to Kami if this shit follows me to Damoto I will kill everyone there and then myself!
*AHA*
"Christ or, Budda or, whoever… We're all going to need Tio's plus-sized toilet by the end of all this…" I said looking at the piles of chocolate scattered throughout the living room.
When it came to the hand-made chocolates, those would all remain with their intended recipients. For the rest of the pre-packaged stuff, it was all put into a single massive pile, before being split six ways; Tio's was made smaller so she wouldn't eat herself into "another diabetic coma".
I couldn't tell if they were joking or not, but still…!
"Geez, it's going to take ages to finish all this…!" I said as I eyeballed the chocolate-splitting.
Since I was the newest to the Mon Squad, as their "mascot", it fell on me to be an impartial judge. If one member had flavors they didn't like, they could always trade later on through barter, but this was the only way to stop anyone from getting too much of the same, for good or ill.
"Still, at least I've got that new/used mini-fridge to work with."
Because there was nothing worse than lukewarm chocolates.
"Hey, you guys had these checked, right?"
Because kami forbid some douchebag laced their chocolate with anthrax or something to assassinate some, if not all, of the Mon Squad.
Death by chocolate was definitely the sort of thing the HPSC would cover up.
"We had a guy on the force give them a once-over. Only a few of them were meaningfully tampered with," Manako answered.
Ah, so there were Villains out there that could use more than two braincells.
Joy.
"Take-chan~" Kuroko grinned. "Here's a little something from me. Happy Valentine's Day~" she grinned, pressing a kiss to my cheek and a box of chocolates into my hands.
Looking down at what I'd been given with a light dusting of pink on my cheeks, I found a row of bottle-shaped liquor chocolates waiting for me.
"Just don't go through them all at once~" the resident slacker grinned as she sauntered off.
"Me! Take mine next!" Tio beamed, wrapping me up in a fierce hug and almost smothering me in her boobs before she relented, handing me a bunny-shaped chocolate, made of solid chocolate, as big as my face. "Happy Valentine's Day!" she said pressing a long kiss to the top of my head.
"Here, I made this one special~" Doppel grinned handing me a closed box. The grin on her face told me it wasn't the same sort of sappy sentiment as the others, and I was right; the thing was Lovecraftian as hell and I felt myself losing Sanity Points just looking at it.
If there was some sort of inside joke, I wasn't getting it…
"I can't help but ponder the frightening headway she'd make if she put that sort of energy into her job," Manako sighed. "Here, you like dark chocolate, right?"
The bar she handed me was the most-normal-looking out of the bunch; or at least as-ordinary-looking as a bar of chocolate could get when the wrapper featured the Snake Hero: Uwabami clad in a bright, saucy red Valentine's Day themed dress showing off plenty of leg.
She was certainly pretty enough, but I think Hitomi is prettier.
That is my honest-to-kami opinion, not my "fetish". There is a difference.
"I do. Thank you for remembering," I smiled, glad that the original of this body had a more refined taste in sweets.
"Hey, don't go forgetting about your coolest auntie! Or Onee-sama if you prefer~" Zombina grinned as she passed me a chocolate in the shape of a roaring tiger.
"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"
Between my tiger-type Cait Sith-like Avatar in GGO and my fondness for The Crusher of Justice: Wild Tiger…
"Prob'ly not~" was my answer.
*Knock*Knock*
"Who could it be this time?" Manako blinked. " . . . Takei-kun, it's for you."
"Happy Valentine's Day, Take-chan!" Nemuri Kayama beamed, the woman's niece shotting me an apologetic look as they barged into the apartment.
'Oh what fresh hell is this…?'
"Here's a little something from your Onee-sama~" the R-Rated Hero grinned handing me a frilly box.
"I am so sorry about her," Atsuka said frankly, handing me a big bar of chocolate with All Might on the wrapper screaming- "I'll SM❤️SH your heart~!" -in frilly Valentine's Day font. "I'd also like to apologize in advance."
"For what?"
"You'll see when you open it," Atsuka hummed. "Come on, Nemuri. Let's head back so we don't miss the next train."
"But we've got plenty of ti-"
*Thump*
"I temper my sense of decency in expectation…" I said after Atsuka dragged her aunt out, leaving me to slowly open Kayama's gift as though it were a live bomb.
"So, what'd she get ya?" Doppel asked laying her chin on my shoulder.
" . . . "
" . . . "
" . . . Did she miss the part where I was only TWELVE?!" I asked tearing my eyes away from a shaped bar of chocolate resembling lacy "battle panties".
"That's probably why her niece apologized well in advance," Kuroko hummed.
"In what universe is this okay to give to a twelve-year-old!?" I demanded.
"Oh please, boys your age have way worse for their spank bank~" the doppelganger grinned.
"You know damn well I don't have any of that stuff in my room…!" I bit out.
Not for any lack of trying, mind you...
"Maybe she's grooming you?" Tio blinked cutely.
The thought of which caused me to shudder in a mix of horror, revulsion, and potentially arousal.
Was it telling that Japan had risen from the fourth to the third-highest consumer of porn globally since I "died"?
Yes.
Yes, it probably was…
*AHA*
Between studying, gaming, and working out, White Day snuck up on me a month later.
The follow-up to Valentine's Day where boys gave gifts to girls, since there was still so much chocolate in the mini-fridge Tio had found for me during that utterly disastrous trip into the woods… Well, no-one could prove or dis-prove whether the cascade for the chocolate fountain I set up for everyone was melted-down surplus from last month's festivities. As for where the chocolate fountain itself camefrom, I had my former nurse to thank for that; other than her and her father who dropped it by and had helped me out with the prep for today, no-one else knew what I had planned for them on White Day.
Speaking of which…
"Ooh! What smells so good~?" Tio beamed happily as she came into the apartment.
"Takei-kun made us a feast~" Hitomi greeted brightly, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth as the burbling of melted chocolate sounded through the apartment.
The fountain itself situated on the dining room table, arrayed around it were platters of strawberries, marshmallows, rice crispies, and miscellaneous other fruits and treats in a buffet line, with lots of paper saucers and toothpicks.
"Takei-kun, you didn't have to do this," Manako hummed, the glistening of her eye notwithstanding.
"But I wanted to. I… I love you guys…" I said pouring as much of my heart out as I could, bowing deeply at the waist to them.
And I really did love them. These women took me into their home on nothing but the good word of an acquaintance, possibly damaging their brand in the long-run by the implications of such...
I had wildly confusing sexual feelings towards them since I was a 30-something in a 12-year-old body and they were all gorgeous in their own ways, but I could still sift out the gratitude I felt toward them.
Mind you, I did not find Doppel's "base form" to be sexually arousing (thank god...!), but I was grateful to her too; even if she did drive me up the wall sometimes.
"Awwwwww~ C'mere, you!" Zombina grinned burying my face into her undead bosom, lifting my feet from the floor. "You're just the sweetest little thing, aren't ya?"
"Hey, don't hog Darling all to yourself!" Tio pouted as she made a grab for me.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join in~?" the R-Rated Hero grinned.
"I tried to stop her, I really did…" Atsuka groaned behind her.
"I don't doubt it…" I sighed, gasping for air. "How'd you even know about this?"
Not that I went out of my way to exclude her or anything, but... I kinda did.
"I'm like Superman, I know when I'm needed."
*Thump!*
"Oh, there's Papi," Mitsumi hummed as a familiar bluenette smeared herself on the window.
"I guess her parents are dirty wrestling…" I hummed, shuddering at the image that came to mind. When I realized Mitsumi and Atsuka were shooting me a look, I suscinctly replied- "That girl has no filter."
"I don't doubt it…" the two of them replied.
"Hey Takoyaki! You got room for one more?" a familiar salmonette barged in.
"Hatsume?! How the hell'd you find out about this!?"
Not that I went out of my way to exclude her, but…
"I bugged your place the last time my drone was here~"
"You did what?!"
*Pop!*
"I can fix that!" she said as coiling smoke rose from behind the sofa.
"Soooooo~" Kuroko grinned resting an elbow on my head. "I notice you've got a lot of girls here~ Anything you wanna tell me~?"
"It isn't my fault I don't have any male friends my own age!"
Not that male friends typically showed up for chocolate fountain parties on White Day, but still…!
*AHA*
"So, I hear you had a little party on White Day!" Sorahiko grinned as the two of us patrolled early one morning in preparation for the daily forays I would be making to Damoto Junior High.
And not just for the daily grind. If I ever did become a target for criminal elements, I'd need to know the terrain like the back of my hand to give them the slip for as long as possible. Whether the police, a Hero, or I myself would have to deal with it, would be up for fate to decide.
Suffice it to say, I didn't like my chances...
"Yeah. What about it?" I asked, clad in my Mon Squad "Junior Hero" Costume so the police wouldn't give us a hard time.
Hopefully my Wild Tiger mask would make me seem older than I really was...
"Hear you have yourself a little harem~" the elderly Hero grinned. "The ladies do love a Hero-in-the-making~"
"I haven't even hit puberty yet. Making myself a harem is the last thing on my mind."
Given the lack of a "Cheat Ability" that put me head and shoulders above everyone else around me, I sincerely doubted a polyamorous relationship was in my future.
"As for the costume, I still feel completely ridiculous," I said adjusting the flak jacket on my frame.
If it weren't for my domino mask, I wouldn't have the stones to go out about dressed like this. Not with my mindset.
"We all feel ridiculous. Doesn't stop us from drawin' the eye if you catch my drift~" he grinned smacking the butt of my catsuit with his cane.
"Yeah, well..." I blushed, the damn catsuit still a little tight in the rear and the crotch for my liking...
*Clop-clop-Clop*
*Clop-clop-Clop*
*Clop-clop-Clop*
Nostalgic flashbacks of my high school production of Monty Python and the Holy Grail coming to mind as a sound not unlike two coconut halves knocking together sounded through the air, I threw out an arm and stepped back from the intersection.
Moments later, a well-endowed centaur-like Heteromorph with a flowing blond ponytail ran by at the speed of a moped, a piece of toast in her mouth.
" . . . Did I really just see the 'Toast of Tardiness' gag in real life just then?" I blinked.
Also, wasn't it still vacation or something?
"You pay attention to that and not the giant-"
"Oh, I saw those," I said as Sorahiko made cupping motions with his hands. "I've just seen bigger, so I'm not really shocked anymore."
Tionishia's P-Cup bosom was the subject of both recurring fantasy, and nightmare for me.
That, and, as the guy who sometimes had to wash the Mon Squad's frilly unmentionables, I held an academic appreciation for the marvel of modern engineering that was Tio's custom-made Detnerat-brand brassieres.
Not that Doppel would ever let me hear the end of it...!
" . . . You're a lucky lad, you know that, boya?"
"I really don't..." I sighed, eyeing the top of Damoto Junioro High in the distance.
*AHA*
Eventually, after so much chaos, boring-to-tears days, and teeth brushing with my sanity barely intact, it was finally time for my first day of Middle School: 2.0.
Fingers crossed there wasn't any Villain/terrorist/whatever bullshit waiting for me at Damoto.
. . .
I might wind up using that P-90 sooner rather than later.
*AHA*
AN:
The original draft was going to be way shorter, a lot more abridging, but then I thought- "I can do better than that."
So I did~