A/N
Short chapter this time, standard one in a day or two.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: SPECIAL SCENARIO
'Ah. So this is what stage fright feels like!' Katsuo didn't even have the peace of mind to blush anymore. Bullets of sweat ran down his temple before being quickly wiped away. He didn't know if these were real people or if they were somehow made by the system, but it didn't matter at this point. Katsuo was experiencing the worst anxiety of his life: public speaking. Even worse, he had no idea what the whole ceremony was about. He had just gotten home from the UA entrance exam when he was suddenly rewarded for a "milestone". The reward was a key that placed him right in the middle of an award ceremony, with Katsuo as the guest of honor. The only clue he had to the nature of this gathering was a large white banner hung up in the back of the room that said: HERO PROMOTION AWARD PARTY. 'Okay, this is good. Actually, heroes speak to the public all the time! This is fine! This is a-okay!'
Katsuo was practically trying to convince himself he wasn't scared right now. In the corner of his eye, he saw the stagehand who pushed him toward the microphone say with hand signals that Katsuo needed to say something. 'Okay. Good thing I have a special move for stuff like this.' Katsuo clenched his hands, cleared his throat, and steeled his valor once again. 'Special move: TOTAL AND CONSTANT BULLSHIT!'
Katsuo began spouting random nonsense at a rapid pace, thanking his family and friends and whatever else he could think of for this "wonderful achievement". He still had no idea why he was on the stage, so to avoid embarrassment Katuso just kept saying "wonderful achievement" over and over again. And guess what? The crowd was loving every bit of it. By the time his speech was over, Katsuo hadn't actually said anything substantial, he just said whatever big word came to mind in the middle of the sentence and rolled with it. 'Nothing can compare to my ability to roll with the punches!' (Katsuo conveniently forgot he almost died of hyperventilation a second ago). The crowd roared with excitement, clapping for Katsuo like he didn't just say something absolutely stupid to them.
"Well uh… enjoy the party!" Katsuo waved one final goodbye and walked off stage, pretending he wasn't about to puke from anxiety. 'Some things never change I guess…' Katsuo walked around the corner of the stage's back wall, bumping into a stagehand. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." He was about to continue moving when he felt an ominous presence coming from the stagehand. He jumped back a few feet, summoning his daggers and preparing for anything. The stagehand's face was completely obscured by their hat, but a few features were still visible. The person had long, white hair that fell to their shoulders, as well as piercing red eyes peering into Katsuo's soul from the shadows under the hat. You… you are not… what are you? The person's voice seemed to echo, sounding as if it came from a distance. Katsuo felt a primal fear as the thing in front of him analyzed him.
I see… you are HIS puppet… no doubt meant to… kill us. Katsuo's hands were shaking now, and he could barely keep his grip on the daggers. It stepped toward Katsuo, holding out a hand towards him. It was not a helping one however. Katsuo didn't know how, but he knew that if the hand of this thing touched him, his soul would be gone forever. He attempted to back away, eventually finding himself against a wall as the thing approached, ready to kill him.
ATTENTION: A SYSTEM ERROR HAS OCCURRED… EJECTING PLAYER FROM SCENARIO
Katsuo felt a pain shoot through his body like a bolt of lightning. He dropped to the ground and began clutching his chest in pain as The Figure stopped moving towards him, retracting its hand. I see… you are being watched by HIM. That's no fun, but I suppose it makes sense. Until next time… Katsuo.
'How does it… know… my-' Katsuo finally dropped his head to the ground as he heard The Figure say something else before blacking out…
"What the hell. How could that thing worm its way into the scenario? I thought the system was perfect, but clearly it isn't yet. If there is even a small chance of Katsuo being exposed to one of them again before he is ready, then I need to bolster the defenses. Hopefully those morons at UA will make him stronger. After all, he needs to be as strong as possible for my plans."
A/N
Uh oh, drama alert.