"Thanks for saving me, Arthur!"
As soon as the blonde girl with glasses spoke, Arthur felt a little surprised.
She spoke Japanese, and she even knew his name.
Noticing the surprise on his face, the girl quickly explained, "Oh, my name is Melissa Shield. My dad and I watched your U.A. Sports Festival and my dad is All Might's friend!"
The girl named Melissa excitedly clenched her fists, bouncing lightly on her feet as she continued, "I came to Hawaii with my dad for research. He was also pretty surprised by your Quirk. Stopping time is seriously amazing!"
All Might's acquaintance?
Arthur didn't know much about All Might's past, but this girl probably had no reason to lie to him.
And since she knew who he was, she definitely wouldn't dare.
Arthur looked Melissa over. She was wearing a bikini like the other women on the beach, but she also had a white jacket over the top.
Even so, it didn't hide her full figure, which was just as good as Momo Yaoyorozu's. In height and, well, perkiness, she might even edge out Momo a bit.
The outfit kind of made you want to unzip her jacket and see what was underneath.
But Melissa didn't notice his gaze at all.
After praising Arthur's Quirk, she either genuinely didn't care or was purposely acting casual. With her hands behind her back, she smiled and said, "My dream is to become like my dad, to give the strongest backup support to the strongest hero. Kind of like the relationship between my dad and All Might. Especially since I'm Quirkless..."
"Oh, 'the strongest,' huh?"
Arthur pinched his chin and smiled. "Then you've already met him."
Melissa was confused. She admitted Arthur was insanely strong, at least for someone his age, but his straightforward confidence caught her off guard.
But unlike the reserved nature of Easterners, Westerners valued confidence, even arrogance.
So Melissa actually liked Arthur's attitude. She smiled and said, "Yeah. I hope someday I can provide backup for you, Arthur."
"Want to take a walk?"
Arthur stood up and invited her.
Melissa checked her watch and nodded. "Sure, I've got some time before I need to meet my dad."
The two strolled along the beach in Hawaii. Arthur remembered what Melissa said earlier and asked, "You said you're Quirkless?"
Melissa paused, kicking her bare foot through the seawater, and replied with a smile, "Yeah? Is something wrong?"
Hearing the word "Quirkless," Arthur couldn't help but think of a certain green-haired classmate.
When this topic came up, those two had totally different reactions.
"Nothing. Just the first time I've seen someone admit they're Quirkless so openly."
Arthur chuckled.
A brief shadow passed over Melissa's eyes, but she immediately smiled again. "Honestly, when I was little, I used to resent not having a Quirk. But after seeing my dad, as a Quirkless person, still able to help a hero like All Might, I stopped feeling that way."
"What do you think about heroes, Arthur?"
Melissa walked ahead, then turned to face him, tilting her head playfully.
The gap between her bikini-covered breasts, visible through the opening of her jacket, was more distracting than if she'd just been fully exposed on the beach.
"A profession born because of criminals or rather, people specifically for dealing with enemies who have Quirks."
Arthur gave his honest opinion.
If there was no crime, there would be no heroes. The police would be enough.
Sure, a lot of people look down on cops because most are Quirkless or weak, but the truth is, the police actually have more authority than heroes. High-ranking officers can even judge heroes without fear.
The stronger the hero, the more restrictions they have.
That's why Arthur didn't want to be a hero.
If anything, he preferred a world like One Piece. Do whatever you want, be strong by your own power. If you claim to be righteous and don't like me, then come and get me yourself.
Melissa thought for a moment and said, "You're really different from All Might."
"ah ah, yes yes!"
Just as Arthur and Melissa were passing a sea stack, a moaning sound suddenly came from behind the rock wall.
Arthur, who wasn't a virgin anymore, just chuckled.
Melissa, on the other hand, turned completely red and instinctively sped up, whispering, "I, I, I... let's go."
When they reached an outdoor cafe and ate two ice creams, the blush on Melissa's face had only faded a little. She was still really embarrassed, not as chatty as before.
"Hmm?"
Arthur didn't bring it up again. Instead, he pushed the parfait in front of him toward her.
"No, that's okay, I've had enough."
Melissa pursed her lips, gave an awkward smile, and tried to get back on topic. "Arthur, during the Sports Festival, your opponent in the finals said your time stop was about one to two seconds. Is that true?"
Hearing that, Arthur was silent for a few seconds.
Melissa quickly waved her hands. "Don't misunderstand, I don't have any weird intentions. I just wanted to see if there's a way to strengthen your Quirk. My dad used to help All Might like that."
"Strengthen?"
Arthur tapped his right index finger on his brow. "If I had to say, the only way is to fight stronger opponents."
Melissa frowned slightly, then her face lit up with an idea. "Arthur, did you bring your combat suit? If you did, I could help you upgrade it."
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.