"Huh? You're saying you want to cooperate with my Hero office in the future?"
Masata blinked in surprise.
It turned out that he had overthought things again. After hearing Hatsume Mei's condition, even he was caught off guard.
Not only did he wonder how she knew about his plan to open a Hero office in the future, but he also couldn't understand why she wanted to cooperate with him specifically.
"Aren't you the number one in the Sports Festival? And haven't you been really famous at school lately? Even students from the Support Department know about you now."
Hatsume Mei's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she continued.
"If I work with you, big companies will definitely notice me! Then my babies will become famous too!"
She was truly a pure technology fanatic.
Everything she did revolved around her inventions.
And strangely enough, Masata liked that about her.
After all, in some ways, he was also a bit of an egoist.
He rested his chin on his hand and carefully considered her proposal.
Honestly speaking, this deal was extremely beneficial for him.
In exchange for future cooperation, he would gain a customized battle suit, the friendship of a top-tier inventor, and potential long-term technical support. It was practically a huge win.
After thinking for a moment, Masata spoke up.
"Why don't you just join my Hero office in the future instead?"
Hatsume Mei froze.
"Since you already know I'm planning my own path, you must've looked into me a bit. Instead of just cooperating later, why not join my team directly? Wouldn't that be better?"
He looked confident, as if he had just come up with a genius idea.
However, Hatsume Mei frowned slightly.
"Huh? But your office is for Heroes, right? Most Support Department students eventually go to combat equipment companies. That's where the resources and orders are. We can do our best work there."
From her perspective, Hero offices and equipment companies were completely different worlds.
Even if Hero offices had technical facilities, their resources and production capacity were nothing compared to professional manufacturers.
"Hey! You don't understand!"
Masata suddenly adopted a mysterious expression.
"Do you know Yaoyorozu Momo from our class?"
"Of course."
"She's insanely rich. Her family runs businesses all over Japan. Every industry, every field—she's involved in everything."
"And her goal is to become a Hero. Do you think she'll never invest in combat equipment?"
Masata leaned closer.
"What if she builds a massive company in the future? A super enterprise that combines Heroes and technology?"
"And she's definitely joining my Hero office later."
"So if you join now, you'll be a founding member. Senior-level position. Great待遇. And once your inventions get approved, we'll promote them everywhere. You'll be famous in no time!"
After finishing his speech, Masata looked at Hatsume Mei expectantly.
She fell silent.
Her eyes wandered slightly as she processed his words.
Then—
"This actually sounds… really interesting!"
She suddenly looked excited.
"I agree!"
"So fast?!"
Masata almost fell over.
Was his persuasion skill improving, or was Hatsume Mei just too easy to convince?
He felt strangely unsatisfied by how easily it worked.
"Yes," she said seriously. "As long as I have enough resources, it doesn't matter where I work. And what you said is really attractive."
Her goal had always been simple: let more people see and use her inventions.
Nothing else really mattered.
"Alright, then it's settled!"
Masata clapped his hands.
"So now you'll make my battle suit, right?"
Once the agreement was finalized, his attention immediately returned to his main concern.
"But… to make it, I'll need a lot of hair, right? How long would I have to grow it?"
He touched his head helplessly.
Even if it was just shorts, wouldn't it take at least a year?
He didn't want to wait that long.
Hatsume Mei stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Don't you know about the 'Hair-Growing Hero'?"
"Huh?"
"He has a quirk that makes people's hair grow extremely fast. He even opened a studio for it. Just go there once."
She spoke casually, as if everyone should know this.
Even someone who stayed in the lab all day knew about it.
How did Masata not know?
Hearing this, Masata suddenly remembered.
A few months ago, there had been news about many hair transplant clinics closing down because of a Hero who could grow hair instantly.
So that was him.
There really were no useless quirks—only people who didn't know how to use them.
"Looks like I'll apply for an outing soon…"
Masata muttered quietly.
"Then, I want my battle suit to be like this…"
After everything was settled, the two returned to the laboratory.
By then, Chacha had finished discussing her design with the Power Loader teacher. Her new combat suit would probably be ready in a few days.
Iida had also received help.
A cooling device had been installed on his legs, and he was now touching it happily, looking at it as if it were his lover.
He was clearly extremely satisfied.
"Today was really exhausting…"
After training ended, everyone from Class A gathered in the dormitory lounge to rest.
They sat on sofas, lying down lazily.
"It's strange. Why hasn't Midoriya come back yet?"
Iida looked around, confused.
"I don't see him anywhere."
"Oh, I know where he is."
Masata replied lazily while lying on the sofa.
"I saw him outside earlier. He was doing extra physical training. Still working hard."
"What?!"
Iida's eyes widened.
"After nirvana training, Midoriya is still doing additional exercises?! That's so inspiring!"
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Everyone! We must learn from him! I can't fall behind either!"
After shouting dramatically, he rushed out of the dormitory.
"..."
Bakugo snorted.
"Tch. Boring."
He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked back to his room.
Kirishima followed shortly after, waving at Masata before running out as well.
One by one, people left.
Soon, the lounge became much quieter.
Masata stared at the half-empty sofa in silence.
"…Why did I scare everyone away with one sentence?"
He sighed deeply.
"Who's going to chat with me now…?"
...
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