Later

Chiba, Japan

"Thank you! Please come again!" Izuku leaves the restaurant with a paper cup filled with karaage covered in chili sauce and a smoothie. Kirishima was behind him while holding a paper bowl filled with yakitori and a protein shake.

"Damn, Mirko didn't hold anything back," Kirishima mutters while chewing his yakitori.

"That's just how she is..." Izuku said before he ate his karaage.

"My quirk grows stronger thanks to all of those beatings, but somehow she manages to make it seem irrelevant," Kirishima mutters.

"Don't think too much about it. Magic always has an edge against any Quirks due to its nature." Izuku said.

"Then what was the point of them training my quirk!?" Kirishima points out, showing his disbelief.

"To increase the strength of your quirk. Quirks are like muscle fibers, you wear them out and damage them, and a new and stronger one grows back. Using magic to increase your quirk strength is a smart move. Your enhanced durability might make it harder to improve your quirk, but since magic is a very good counter against quirk..." Izuku starts muttering as Kirishima sweatdrops and moves an inch away from his friend.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot I tend to ramble..." Izuku said, noticing how Kirishima moved away from him.

"It's...okay..." Kirishima said while shaking his head. "Anyways, how's your leveling progress?"

"It's...okay. I managed to increase my skill levels [Fire Missile] , [Sprint] , [Basic Sword Technique] , [Mana Blade] , and [Mana Proficiency]." Izuku said as Kirishima blinks.

"That much!?" Kirishima asked as Izuku shrugged.

"I've been using those skills quite often for most of our training," Izuku explains. "But, it sucks given how little my mana pool is, it prevents me from spamming it and increases my level faster."

"Ooo, what about your level?" Kirishima asked.

"I...haven't level up at all," Izuku admits as Kirishima looks at Izuku in surprise.

"Huh, why?!" Kirishima asked.

"...majority of my exp comes from killing my enemy," Izuku said.

"...that's not the full reason is it?" Kirishima said. "I mean, you did kill those monsters during the trial."

"...I admit, I...I want to spend my time with my mom...10 years of life flashes away from my eyes. During those times, I...I waste so much time...I let everyone trample me...I got in a dangerous situation just to watch hero fights...I keep my mom in the dark...unknowingly creating a rift between us...so many things I could've done...training physically...being there for my mom... trying to make friends outside my school, but I...I just refuse to take off the rose-tinted glasses...hopelessly think I can be a hero without doing anything, refuse to think my old childhood friend has become my main bully..." Izuku rubs his hair in frustration as Kirishima looks at him.

"All those times, I let myself be taken over by my self-pity...I...I want to make up all the time I have missed, you know...spending time with you, Ochako, and Mom..." Izuku said while scratching his cheeks. "I know I may seem like an idiot when I have all the time and the powers to grow even stronger but...I didn't want to repeat the same mistake...I want to enjoy my life...something I never expected I ever did..."

"..." Kirishima merely listens.

"Also...I didn't fully trust it...I...I try to avoid any unknown gates...I didn't want to get another 'kill or be killed' mission again like with Lizard's Tail." Kirishima stops before looking at Izuku.

"What...do you mean?" Kirishima asked.

"...when the Lizard's Tail reveals to be enemies...the system gave me a main quest...to kill all of them...or the penalty is having my heart stop beating." Kirishima widens his eyes in horror.

"...fuck..." Kirishima mutters.

"The worst thing is...the system gives me a reward for all the killing...and...and I accept it..." Izuku looks away.

"...why you never brought it up?" Kirishima asked.

"...it's been a bad habit of mine...thinking bringing it up is selfish...I...I try to break out of it...but, sometimes, it just happens..." Izuku said as Kirishima patted his shoulder. "Thanks..."

"...have you tried to consider using the system to your advantage?" Kirishima asked.

"Kiri..." Izuku was cut off by Kirishima.

"Hear me out...the system works like a game program, right?" Izuku merely nods. "And any game has glitch...what if...you try to grow stronger to the point...it broke the game? And that'll help you to be played by the system!" Kirishima exclaims wildly as Izuku merely stares at his partner, who slowly shrinks down and blushes in embarrassment.

"N-nevermind...it sounds so stupid..." Kirishima mutters.

"...I'll put that in a 'maybe' list," Izuku said before pulling out a small notebook and writing it down.

"W-wait, you didn't think it's stupid!?" Kirishima asked in shock.

"Kiri, I've done tons of stupid shits before the system. What's wrong with adding another one?" Izuku said in an amused tone. "Besides, it isn't something impossible, especially when magic was proven to exist."

"Oh yeah..." Kirishima looks sheepish.

"But, unless we have a concrete plan, I'll put that on a 'maybe' list...but, where did you even get the idea of breaking the system?" Izuku said as Kirigrinned grins.

"Well, I've been binging all the manhwa I've missed since I start hunting part-time jobs for moneys!" Kirishima said. "There are so many things I missed, especially the system manhwa!" Kirishima paused before widening his eyes. "Oh, my god! We've lived in a 'System' story and you're the main character!"

"...you read those shits too much, Kiri." Izuku deadpanned. "I never understood why people like those. It's merely wish fulfillment, edgy story."

"You take that back!" Kirishima said indignantly.

"Nope," Izuku said as Kirishima gaped.

"Why!? They're awesome!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"...I'm not a big fan of its story...it's too focused on getting stronger to the point it becomes an obsession, using side characters as a power measuring tool, and the main character slowly did more and more questionable things..." Izuku said as he stopped.

"...you're scared that you'll be like them..." Kirishima said.

"...It's scary...knowing that the power could slowly remove your humanity..." Izuku said. "The thirst for powers...what if I slowly got consumed by it?"

"...I doubt it," Kirishima said as Izuku looked at him in bafflement. "You're too kind to be like them."

"...thanks," Izuku mutters before he blinks and notices a woman wearing a black cap, a pair of sunglasses, a white facemask, and a long black trench coat. Izuku would dismiss her as a celebrity in disguise if his enhanced sense didn't notice something about her.

The woman has pink and indigo-coloured hair and her right elbow has a thin line scar.

"Izu-bro?" Izuku moves Kirishima's head and forces him to face the woman he saw. "W-what?"

"That woman has pink and indigo hair," Izuku mutters. Kirishima looks at Izuku incredulously.

"Izu-bro, that lady might've just been a random woman who shares a similar hair with Lady Nagant," Kirishima said.

"The scars on her right elbow, that's a similar scar Lady Nagant has due to her quirk, Rifle," Izuku said as Kirishima looked conflicted. "And don't say she's on cosplay, because if they are, they wouldn't cover themselves from head to toe."

As he said that, they blinked when they saw a man with bluish-white hair waving at the woman and they both walked away. Both boys stare at them for a couple of seconds.

"...what are the chances of two couples sharing similar hair color with the suspects?" Izuku asked in a dry tone.

"...Okay fine..." Kirishima grumbles as Izuku grins victoriously.

"Let's go." Izuku drags Kirishima before he can say anything and follows the pair sneakily.

Later

"I can't believe you made me wear these." The woman grumbles before taking off her disguise, revealing herself as Lady Nagant, and stomps on it violently. "This stupid shit made me look like a celebrity in disguise!"

"Well, technically, you are." The man said as Nagant glared at him, causing the man to playfully raise his hands in surrender. "Joking, I'm joking. Hehe."

"And you wonder why I start to avoid you." Lady Nagant said coldly as the man gasped dramatically.

"Kaina, you broke my heart." The man cries in faux sadness.

"Good. Maybe you could as well get eaten by one of those monsters." Nagant deadpans. The man only wails at her response.

Meanwhile, Izuku and Kirishima were at the nearby wall, eavesdropping their conversation. Kirishima gaped at them while Izuku's smug grin couldn't get any wider.

"...I never will ever doubt you, my friend," Kirishima mutters quietly before pulling out his phone. "I never expect to encounter Lady Nagant and Agent Hail so easily."

"Made sure you chat them instead of calling them," Izuku whispered.

"Izu, I'm not smart, but I'm not stupid either." Kirishima deadpanned and texts his superiors.

"Kiri, you ask me how to turn on a television." Izuku deadpanned as Kirishima blushed.

"It was one time, one fucking time! And that was the newest model!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"There's an instruction and you ask me about it," Izuku said.

"It's been a while since I touch television, okay?!" Kirishima accidentally yells before covering his mouth. "U-um...sorry..."

"No, I'm sorry. I...didn't mean to sound like a dick. I should voice it better." Izuku said, rubbing his head.

"...how did they not notice us?" Kirishima asked before noticing a blue circle around them and looking at Izuku.

"How do you like my newly learned skill, [Anti-Noise Domain]?" Izuku said with a grin. "Been developing this shit for a while, and it took my [Mana Proficiency] in max level to fully grasp the technique."

"...cool," Kirishima mutters. "But, doesn't that mean you also cancel the noise from entering?"

"The law of Magic is different compared to the Law of Physics, so we can still eavesdrop on them." Izuku shrugs.

"Magic is bullshit," Kirishima mutters.

"Some Quirks are also bullshit." Izuku points out before they continue to eavesdrop while Kirishima sends the text.

"You made sure no one's following you, right?" The man, Hail, said.

"No. And even if I did, it'll be your fault." Lady Nagant retorts. "The disguise was attracting too much attention."

"Well, sadly, we don't have enough budget to buy a decent one." Hail shrugs.

"We would if you didn't spend them on cocaine or Trigger. And you're wondering why we broke up!" Nagant snarls as the boys blink, not expecting the revelation.

"Come on, babe, I have been clean for years." The man said as Nagant growled.

"Stop calling me babe. We're no longer dating. I told you, we're done!" Nagant said as Agent Hail sighed.

"Women...so difficult." Izuku and Kirishima sweatdrops at the man.

'You're just being a clueless idiot.' Both boys thought.

"So...what's the next mission?" Lady Nagant asked as the man pulls out his phone and grins.

"Another batch of inmates have been teleported to the nearest hidden gate. It's over here." Lady Nagant didn't say a word and followed him, much to her annoyance. Izuku and Kirishima look at each other.

"How did the UEIS not report on detecting gate around here? Or did I miss them?" Izuku has helped with dealing with the reports in Gang Orca's request and he didn't see anything that says a Gate in an alleyway.

"Maybe because their tech isn't as impressive as HPSC? I mean, I heard the coworkers complaining how HPSC keeps one-upped them." Kirishima suggests.

"Yeah..." Izuku merely nodded and they followed the pair. Izuku made sure he kept his domain on while keeping an eye on his MP bar. As they walked, they were surprised at several things, the gate in front of them, the number of inmates being free, and how they were all provided with weapons.

'What the...?!' Izuku thought in shock.

To be continued