Chapter 99

"Are you sure, man?" Kazuki asked, half concerned. "I know he's calmer these days, but that's a rather low bar," he added, glancing worriedly towards Bakugo. The bomberanian was acting far tamer than he had previously and Kazuki imagined it was all thanks to Inui, but he was still not quite what he'd call pleasant company.

He'd know, Kazuki could feel how much anger the guy still carried with him all the time.

"Yeah. I'm the only one that can just take it if he explodes-"

"Literally at that," Kyoka pointed out dryly, as much of a fan of the idea as Kazuki himself, which was to say not at all.

"-and besides," Eijiro continued, undeterred. "I want to give the guy a chance. I know he's got… his issues, but he's working on them, right? He's getting better. That's manly as hell, and… Well, I want to let him know that he's not alone."

Well, now Kazuki felt like an asshole.

Maybe he could do something for the blond, explosive guy at some point?

Something to keep in mind.

"What are we supposed to say to that?" Minoru commented with a grimace. "Good luck, man."

"Thanks," Eijiro replied, giving them a thumbs up before marching towards Bakugo. Accepting as they were, especially Kazuki after his friend's words, they still watched Eijiro go worriedly. There were some biting words that they didn't hear – except probably Kyoka –, but otherwise their friend seemed to be fine.

"Anything we should know?" Momo asked the aforementioned girl with super-hearing.

"Nope. Just usual Bakugo-ness. He's fine," Kyoka replied, leaning back a little. "So, that's Eijiro. Momo and I will work together. Kazuki's with Minoru-"

"And the two of us will make a team for this project!" Toru and Mina exclaimed in sync. That was kind of impressive, Kazuki would admit. "Oh, that leaves Shoto alone, doesn't it?" the pink-skinned girl commented, frowning and looking at the half and half boy.

"I'll be fine. Numbers are odd in the classroom now, aren't they?" he pointed out but Kazuki was seeing three of their other classmates gathering into a group already, namely Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida. "Oh," Shoto breathed out, evidently noticing this too. The realization was followed by a pang of what Kazuki would call loneliness and he couldn't let that pass.

So, time to put into motion a plan he had in mind.

"Hey, Shoto, why don't you ask Asui to partner up?" he commented, turning to look at his friend. Sure, he could have been sneaky or something but… Well, Shoto was a direct kind of guy – whether because he was kind of stunted or just being like that –, so Kazuki imagined he'd prefer an equally straightforward kind of help.

"Asui?" the half and half boy asked while everyone else looked at Kazuki, confused.

"Yeah. I think you could work well together. You're both rather direct, blunt people and I haven't seen her have a problem with anyone," he explained and Shoto turned a thoughtful look towards the girl, who was sitting by herself, writing something on her notebook. "Just thought I'd comment on it. I don't mind partnering with someone else. I've worked with everyone in training at some point, after all."

"No," Shoto replied surprisingly fast. "Hm, I guess I can try," the boy mumbled, standing up and walking towards Asui. Kazuki was kind of surprised that that was all it took. Not that he was complaining, but he'd thought it'd take more convincing or explaining. That was one plus to Shoto's approach to things, he supposed.

So, the group looked on, silently, as their friend approached the frog girl and started talking. Kazuki was probably the only one that picked up on how uncomfortable and awkward Shoto felt, but the guy soldiered on like a champ. He also noted, pleased, that Asui didn't react negatively to the approach at all. Soon, both of them nodded to each other and Shoto took a seat in front of her.

"My my," Mina commented, drawing closer to him and making Kazuki raise his eyebrows at her. "I didn't know you were a matchmaker, Kazuki. Why'd you hold out on us like this?"

"Because… I'm not?" he answered, frowning in confusion. "I just thought they'd get along well. They are both rather emotionally muted people, blunt and straightforward. Asui will be direct with him, so that means Shoto won't have to go through as many misunderstandings as he would with anyone else. Hell, he might understand her better than he does us," he explained as best he could, which might not have been much.

Fortunately, it seemed that he hadn't done too terribly, considering the thoughtful look the group was now sending Shoto and Asui. Mina tilted her head. Momo hummed. Minoru raised a finger as if going to argue before lowering it and closing his mouth.

"Huh, I think I see it," Toru commented.

"Gee, don't sound so surprised," Kazuki replied wryly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Kazuki," Kyoka said as preface for something that he was most definitely going to take the wrong way at least a little bit. "But you're not the most… how do I say this?… Relationship savvy guy. In any use of the word," she explained and he just shrugged.

"You're not wrong," he told her, before giving his friends an annoyed look. "Doesn't mean you have to say it though."

"There there," Toru told him, patting his head comfortingly. Kazuki was slightly embarrassed to say that he liked that. Then again, he had a weakness for all kinds of physical shows of affection. "I'm sure the meanie with jacks for ears didn't mean it."

"I did though," Kyoka said flatly.

"How is it that you noticed that Asui and Shoto might be compatible but you don't notice all the girls-" Minoru started saying, only to get interrupted by Momo, who slapped her hand over his mouth. Kazuki blinked at them. What kind of perverted thing was his friend going to say there? He couldn't guess this time, actually.

"Don't notice what?"

"Never you mind," Toru told him and she was fairly nervous. Was it that bad? "So, the project. We should focus on the project, right?" the invisible girl said, poking Minoru painfully with her finger. Or maybe he punched him? It was difficult to say.

"Right," the little guy grumbled.

They were going to leave him in the dark, huh?

They were mean.

[}-o-{]

"Been a while since I made a new one, it feels like," he commented idly, standing in the middle of a mostly empty area of the training facilities. Everyone was doing their own thing except for his "agency", including even Mei and the Management Team. Apparently, they looked official enough in that respect that even his friends felt like they were intruding when they gathered like this.

Either way, they were all there mostly because Chikuchi and Neito were already there. Mei and the Management Team were there to see his new grimm in all its glory and consider what it might mean for them. Kazuki didn't think that was necessary, but they were the experts and they insisted, so he just nodded and let them be. He had them around for a reason – other than being friends, of course – and that was because they knew better than him in a number of topics.

He rather doubted what he had in mind for the next one would be great for PR though, but maybe the trio would find a way to mitigate the hit to his reputation that it might be?

"You doing this today?" Neito asked, tilting his head and giving him an infuriating half-smile that had Kazuki rolling his eyes. A moment later though, he decided that he wasn't wrong. Shrugging to relax his shoulders, he turned forward, extended his hand and with it his shadow reached forward.

And then he started the now familiar process of trial and error.

There was a lot more bone white and red in this one, he noticed, but that was hardly surprising. It was covered almost completely in plates, after all, plates that had plenty of markings on them. Beside him, from the corner of his eye, he saw Chikuchi shiver at the sight of the half-formed creature. She'd have to get used to it, because it was going to be a while before he got the process right and there'd be a lot of seeing this half-clear picture of what it was going to be.

Kazuki didn't pay her much attention though. His focus was directed at tinkering with his new summons, after all. He couldn't let himself be distracted too much or he'd get nowhere. A good move here meant that he could go forward; a bad move there meant he had to start over. Sometimes he even had to erase a good move to try some other way because he couldn't find where to go from there.

The body was the simplest part, actually and surprisingly. The legs were a bit of a pain, since they were different from what he usually made. From there though, everything else was pain. The mouth was complicated like one wouldn't believe. The tail wasn't much better, quite honestly. And the pincers…

The fucking pincers.

So much trial and error, the likes of which he didn't see since he made the Apathy. And this one didn't even have a fancy move like the aforementioned's scream. Then again, the body was unique. It was a learning experience, he supposed. Maybe he could use it as a stepping stone for future Grimm. He certainly didn't think anything could be complicated after this one. Then again, he could very well be wrong.

God, he hoped he wasn't wrong though.

"That's… impressive."

"Scary," Chikuchi said, and she wasn't even exaggerating. She was a little scared, which was… interesting? if a little hurtful. "The word you're looking for is scary."

"Coward," Neito scoffed, even though there was a bit of fear coming from him too.

And the Management Team… Well, they looked like they were a strong wind away from falling over and fainting. Maybe this one Grimm was more frightening than Kazuki had realized, he supposed, which was saying something. Personally, he didn't see what the big deal was about. Sure, it wasn't cute or anything but still. Although, it wouldn't be the first time he turned out to be odd about something.

"You'll do nicely," Kazuki commented then, turning back to the Grimm, walking up to it and patting one of its plated pincers. "All that plating will do great to protect people."

"That's what it's for?!" Chikuchi squeaked and he turned to look at her oddly.

"Of course. What else? People can hide under it. I very much doubt something will get to them easily," he explained, blinking at the incredulous looks that everyone was giving him. Well, everyone but Mei, who looked… mildly curious about his creation. He guessed it hadn't sparked her mad scientist brain. Was that a good thing? He felt like it was, but at the same time it wasn't.

"Of course, he says," Neito mumbled with a shake of his head.

"Anyway, yeah," Kazuki said, deciding to ignore them for a moment as he regarded his Grimm once more. He had to name it, after all, and he already had the name picked up. "Deathstalker."

"You're even naming it something scary, Boss. What the fuck?!" Chikuchi hissed at him.

"I mean, no matter what I made it for, it doesn't change what it is. And I guess it's not a bad thing that it's scary. It'll keep villains away from the hypothetical civilians hiding underneath," he commented idly, considering his new, gigantic scorpion of a Grimm. "On second thought, that was totally intentional, guys. I swear."

"Oh my God, we follow an idiot," Neito exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"I'm inclined to agree with him just this once, Boss," Chikuchi grumbled. "Anyway, we're not gonna be fighting that, are we?"

"Well, now that you mention it," he said, raising an eyebrow at the two of them and deciding on something. Since they'd been so mouthy, he might as well pull rank to get back at them, right? Was that an abuse of power? Yes, yes it was. Didn't mean he wasn't going to do it. "I do need to test it," he commented and both Neito and Chikuchi froze.

"Maybe we can leave that for later-"

"Yeah, Boss, you look tired. Maybe we-"

"You heard him!" Mei exclaimed happily and Kazuki could have cackled. "Chop chop!" Both the 1-B student and the hero-student-wannabe turned to look at her with betrayed expressions.

"I knew I liked you for a reason, Mei," he said and the tinkerer beamed at him.

"You say the sweetest things, Boss!"

[}-o-{]

"I guess that's… fair," Kazuki said reluctantly.

Nagashira had just spent a good few minutes explaining to him why the Deathstalker might not be great when dealing with civilians. Sure, it would protect them really well, but apparently people wouldn't quite see that over the fact that it was a giant, scary scorpion. Sure, Kazuki could kind of see it, but… Well, he'd expected the fact that he was a hero and helping them would help mitigate his Grimm's… creepiness.

On second thought, why hadn't he thought of that? He knew all his Grimm were unnerving at best and terrifying at worst. How was it that he'd thought people would react well to them all of a sudden? 'Well, this is new,' he thought wryly as an idea of what had happened crossed his mind. It sounded ludicrous and yet, it might even be right.

Maybe he was being a victim of overoptimism.

That was a problem he'd never had.

"On a different note," he said out loud, leaning back and trying to push away the slight issue with his new Grimm. He might need to tinker up a different kind of creature for the protection of civilians, even if he thought the scorpion monster would be great at it. He wasn't sure he wanted to terrorize the people he'd hypothetically be saving. "How's the thing about the club going?" he asked, and the entirety of the Management Team perked up.

Yeah, they were definitely enthusiastic about that.

That made three of them.

He was pretty sure Chikuchi, Neito and Mei had varying degrees of barely caring. Sure, the three found the idea of being official interesting and all, but they didn't see much difference from what they were already doing. Kazuki himself didn't see the difference either, quite honestly. The Management students though? They were ecstatic about it.

He guessed it made sense. Most of the changes would be in respect to what they could do. The club would expand the range of things they could experiment with instead of just some brainstorming to help their image and dealing with his social media work. It'd allow them to go further than just PR work and into other venues, like finances, for example.

Kazuki couldn't say he understood why they were excited for that, but then again, not everyone was happy endangering their own lives for the sake of strangers.

"Well, we're still going over the papers, as you know, and what we want to ask for and/or propose," Masu informed him and Kazuki nodded, preparing himself for a long conversation. A long conversation in which he'd understand very little at that. "We think we are almost done though. Mostly, we're just checking in case we missed something. So we could get started going over it with you. If you want, that is." Oh, it was worse than Kazuki had thought. This was going to be a long conversation in which he'd have to try and understand at least a little.

Much, much worse than he'd thought.

"Ok," he groaned, bringing a hand to his forehead and massaging it. "I could really use a cup of coffee right about now," he mumbled under his breath. Evidently though, he didn't do so in nearly as low a volume as he thought he had.

"Oh, I can make a baby-"

"Actually," Keage interrupted Mei, which Kazuki was grateful for. The last thing he wanted was to think about Penny having a coffee dispenser module.

Although, on second thought…

"If the club does well and we can make a profit for it with certain activities, we could equip our club room with a coffee machine, if we want," the Management student finished and wasn't that tempting? If they'd told him that from the beginning, then he'd have been much more on board with the whole thing. "That's actually part of point twelve on our list. Well, it's tangentially related."

"Point twelve?" Chikuchi asked incredulously, unknowingly voicing Kazuki's own thoughts on the matter. Now he was kind of scared to ask- "How many points are there?"

"Don't answer that," Kazuki said quickly. He really didn't want to know the answer to that question. He felt like any number that could come out of the Management Team would feel like entirely too much and make him dread the ever approaching discussion all the more.

"Better you than us, Boss," Neito commented, apparently highly amused by the current situation.

"I clearly didn't train hard enough against you today," Kazuki hissed, making the blonde grin at him. Oh, he was definitely going to remember that. "Moving on thought," he sighed, trying to gather the energy he'd need for this lecture with the Management Team. "Let's start with this, alright? It's gonna take me a few days to understand what even is going on. I doubt Nezu would mind if I brought your ideas on paper, even if it's just for myself, but I want to do this properly… That's a good idea, right?" he said, before finishing with a hesitant smile.

All three of the Management students beamed at him though, which was reassuring.

"That's perfect," Nagashira said, for once not even a sliver of fear in him. Kazuki was fairly happy just with that, actually. "It'll make you seem more like a proper authority figure, a leader. Nezu knows that we're the ones putting the words in your mouth, but you'd still be standing for the decision, taking responsibility. Showing a strong, confident front will do wonders for your image, and ours for that matter."

"And even if it's not important now, it'll be important in the future, Boss," Masu chimed in at the end and Kazuki nodded slowly. It was kind of similar to how he dealt with interviews, actually. Not quite, but close enough, he supposed.

He also didn't miss the way Masu said it would be important, not that it could be important.

"Right," he replied, nodding again, more firmly this time. "Lay it on me."

[}-o-{]

"I feel my soul leaving my body," he grumbled, his voice muffled by the table where he was resting his head. "There's no light at the end of the tunnel. It was all a cruel, cruel lie."

"Or maybe you're just being dramatic and you're not dying?" Nemuri pointed out a flaw in Kazuki's logic that just wasn't there. No way he was being dramatic. He really was dying, after all. What else could his state of being at that moment be called except dying?

"You're not the one that had to sit through that lecture," he replied, and if he'd have groaned instead of any of the words, it'd have carried the same effect. "God, why do they have to be so nitpicky about everything? Some of the things I have to talk about aren't even issues. Just asking about clarifications regarding the wording of some parts. It's annoying."

"It is," Nemuri agreed and he could almost see her nodding. He didn't look up to check if his hunch was correct though. "You'll have to get used to it eventually. Better sooner rather than later, don't you think? And raise your head," the woman pointed out. Kazuki didn't want to, but he listened all the same, grumbling as he sat straight on his chair watching her place a plate in front of him.

"Thanks for the food," he mumbled and Nemuri beamed as she took her own seat.

"I experimented a little. Hope you don't mind," she told him and that didn't fill him with confidence. Cautiously, he poked the food a little, as if that'd reveal whatever "experiment" had taken place and whether or not the dish would kill him. Alas, everything looked relatively fine. "I didn't poison it, you know?" Nemuri asked wryly.

"You never know," Kazuki replied with a half-smile before going for it. "Hm…. Hmmmmm…" he hummed thoughtfully, considering the taste. "It's… new, that's for sure," he said and he tried not to crumble as insecurity started flowing from Nemuri. Thankfully, it wasn't too much. As for the dish... "It's good, I think. It's just a little weird too, if that makes any sense," he explained as best he could, probably doing a terrible job at it.

"Let's see," she mumbled, her nerves lessening, if not disappearing. "Hm, I think I get what you mean," she commented after getting a taste herself. She nodded. "I think it can work. Just might need to adjust the quantities a little."

"Well, if all the attempts are around this good, I'll have no problem with them," Kazuki said, his voice coming out like a sigh as he continued eating. "So, you know how my day went. How was yours?" he asked, tilting his head wearily towards the woman even as he ate.

"Same old, which is great. Most of the time, if the routine is broken, it's a bad thing. At least for us, heroes," Nemuri explained and yeah, he could see the sense in that. Especially given how they'd gone from a strictly professional minder/charge relationship to… Whatever kind of guardianship they were in now. "There was this girl that wanted an autograph though, she was adorable," the woman added and he smiled a little at the image.

"Sounds like a good day to me."

"I guess you're not wrong. It's always nice to meet fans and such. It can be a bit tiresome at times though," Nemuri replied with a thoughtful nod. "You'll get to know all about that though, I imagine," she added and he grimaced. She wasn't wrong, he supposed. Between his hero career – which would hopefully go well – and his acting career – which would also hopefully go well –, Kazuki guessed there was a good chance of that happening.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but what little experience he had on the matter told him that it wouldn't be terrible. He could only hope that the "tiresome" part Nemuri spoke of either wouldn't happen or wouldn't be too bad. Was that very optimistic of him? Yes, but such was the week he was having.

Kazuki found it both weird and refreshing.

Their conversation was interrupted when his phone rang, which was… Not at all a new development, really. He was still surprised that there were people messaging and calling him every so often. After a life of no friends and basically no family either, he thought he was justifiably still getting used to that.

"Important?" Nemuri asked, raising an eyebrow at him when he checked who it was.

"I won't know until I pick it up, will I?" he replied with a shrug. "Do you mind?" he asked, just in case she found it rude for him to do so while they were still having dinner. She didn't seem to mind though, waving for him to do it. There were some tinges of negativity coming from here, but not enough to concern Kazuki.

At least not with as good a rapport as they had built.

"Hina, what's up?" he answered with, leaning back on his chair. "How was-"

"You got it!" the woman squeed in his ear through the phone. He instantly grimaced and pulled his head away from the device a little. "You got it, you got it, you got it!"

"What did he get, Hina? Words," Nemuri asked, raising her voice so that it'd carry over even without speaker mode on.

"The role! You got the role, Kazuki! You'll be in the movie!" Hina exclaimed and he paused, blinking and raising his eyebrows. He'd been confident, of course, but there was quite the stretch between that and being told that it'd actually happened. At least for him, there was quite the difference.

"You did it!" Nemuri squealed, joining in with Hina's celebration, standing up and pulling him into a hug.

"I did it," he mumbled, unsure if it was a question or statement.

All the same, a smile formed on his face.

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How's it going?

A bit of everything happening here, huh? I'm actually fine with all the parts here, really. Sure, I have some little doubts here and there, but nothing too bad. Maybe I'm having a positive streak like Kazuki? That'd be nice.

I hope you liked the chapter too.

As always, if you can't wait until next week for next chapter, or if you just feel like supporting my writing, there's up to three new chapters in my Pa tre on:

P a treon . com (slash) AdrianKing

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: I know some people couldn't care less for the movie plotline (and most of the non-hero plotlines, sadly), but for those that do care, how do you think that's gonna go?

See you.