In My Hero Academia with a Jujutsu Kaisen Gacha System

Chapter 64: NO. 64 - I Promise

"I apologize. I didn't intend for there to be an audience." Yuu said as we turned to a rather big crowd standing off to the side of the extensive training room Yuu had booked.

[+5 SP]

Himiko and our odd little group stood beside the crowd composed of the popular kids and some other first-year Gen Ed students. Noticing my stare, Himiko waved with a small smile while the rest of our group cheered me on. Off beside us, Cementoss stood watching over us with a patient expression as our overseer.

"Go, Shimizu-san! Kick that pretty boy's ass!" Toshio yelled with an indignant expression as Kohaku glared at him.

"As if Tajima-kun would lose." Kohaku huffed as she flipped her orange hair back. Her eyes then glanced over to me quickly with a conflicted light.

"It's whatever." I shrugged and adjusted my gym uniform. Looking around the training mat below us, I eyed Yuu with a bored look. "So, what's this about again?"

[+5 SP]

"Ah. Of course." Yuu nodded and began to stretch. "Throughout our limited practical combat classes, you and I have yet to be assigned to the same group. However, I've kept a close eye on you throughout your own matches. Despite your Quirklessness status, you've somehow been able to win your matches through sheer skill, strength, and speed alone. For this to be possible, you must hold mastery over several martial arts despite your young age... I want to see how my own physical skills compare to your own."

"I see," I said, getting the gist of what he's getting at. "What do you gain out of this? If you use your Quirk, I doubt I could keep up for long. There's no real benefit from fighting a Quirkless person."

Shaking his head, Yuu stared into my eyes with a calm, calculating look. "No, I do stand at attaining something from a pure hand-to-hand fight with you. That is getting one step closer to my goal of attaining true strength." Slowly, he slid his body into a perfect Aikido stance. "Please allow me to see where my skills stand up to yours, Shimizu-san."

Huh. He's not like how I expected. I guess I have to rethink my biases.

"...I guess that's fine. I got some free time." I nodded and slid into my own Wing Chun stance. "Show me what you got."

[+5 SP]

Hearing my agreement, Yuu smiled slightly and began to close the distance between us. Seeing us both ready, Cementoss stepped forward and held a hand up before bringing it down.

"Begin!"

Yuu darted forward, light on his feet, feinting with a quick jab before twisting into a roundhouse kick. With little effort, I stepped back, the air whooshing as the kick passed inches from my face. Without pause, I countered with a thunderous straight punch, aiming for Yuu's chest.

Yuu twisted his body, deflecting the blow with a forearm block, but the sheer force of my attack sent him sliding back a foot with a look of surprise.

"Oh?" I muttered, seeing my opponent's reaction speed and skill. "Not bad."

With curiosity welling within me, I charged. My fists flew like sledgehammers toward my grey-haired classmate. Face twisting in exertion, Yuu ducked and weaved under one of my haymakers before he tried to drive an elbow into my ribs.

The popular crowd behind us roared as the strike landed with a dull thud. However, the crowd quickly grew silent as they saw my palm holding Yuu's elbow before it could touch my torso. Seeing this, Himiko and my oddball group all cheered.

[+8 SP]

"You're fast," Yuu said with an impressed look as he tried to force me back but failed to move me even half a centimeter. "And strong."

"How observant."

Grabbing Yuu's arm with lightning speed, I yanked him forward and smashed a brutal knee into his midsection. Yuu gasped, the air driven from his lungs. Letting him go, I watched as he grunted in pain, but he quickly leaped back. As he regained his footing, he spun into a back fist. I watched his attack fly harmlessly past my jaw as I leaned back slightly.

Kids good. Very good... for a brat.

"Not bad," I said with a grin. "But you're gonna have to hit me eventually to win."

[+5 SP]

Yuu responded with a flurry of strikes: a jab to my throat; I blocked aside. A spinning elbow, I parried away. A low sweep, I leaped away.

Moving in, Yuu blocked my jab but failed to avoid my hook punch into his ribs. Yuu grunted, but he ignored his pain to bring his foot down like a hammer onto my knee. With a swing of my arm, I smacked him over his ear and threw his strike off target.

Deciding it was time to end this spar, I dashed in and unleashed a volley of attacks. Panicking, Yuu sidestepped, barely dodging the blows. His face was tight and fatigued as he tried his best to avoid my attacks, but more and more punches and kicks landed.

"You're pretty good," I said, landing a jab into his face. "But you're slowing down."

Hearing this, Yuu finally lost his cool and charged, his movements heavy now. I ducked low, slipping under a wild swing, and drove a fist into the side of his knee. The pink-eyed pretty boy bellowed in pain, his leg buckling.

I seized the opportunity and spun into a flying knee that connected squarely with his jaw. But I was careful to hold back so I wouldn't break it. His eyes went blank for a second before he collapsed onto the ground.

"Enough!" Cementoss called out as he moved between us. "This spar is over!"

I nodded at the teacher and walked over to a panting and injured Yuu. "You're a pretty decent fighter, Yuu."

[+5 SP]

"...that's all you have to say?" Yuu panted before a small smile erupted on his usually calm and stoic expression. "You're a monster, Shimizu-san."

"Why, thank you."

x x x

[General POV]

"I can't believe it... Shimizu beat Tajima-san."

"H-he just got lucky! If Tajima-kun used his Quirk, then Shimizu would have lost in the blink of an eye!"

Leaning on the wall behind the chattering students, Aizawa Shota watched as Souta pulled Yuu up onto his feet while Cementoss was steadying the injured boy.

'Impressive. This kid's got potential.' Shota thought. 'Shimizu Souta. Quirkless. Even so, his skills, strength, and speed are on another level.'

Humming, Shota leaned forward and walked out of the training area with a thoughtful expression. As he turned the corner, Shota saw a poster of Endeavor on the wall bulletin board. Pausing, Shota stared at the Number Two Hero and thought back to the meeting he and several of his fellow pro heroes had a while back.

...several days ago...

Shota stood in the large, private hospital room with a heavy frown. His eyes scanned over his colleague's injured forms with a regretful light.

Best Jeanist, Hakamada Tsunagu was covered in heavy bandages while IV fluids were being passed into his system. The man was in a medically induced coma.

Ingenium, Ida Tensei had his leg in a cast while propped up on a pillow, and his face was etched into disappointment.

Crust, Kanemoto Tsuyoshi had a neckbrace below his head, and his face held slight bruises and cuts. Down below, his chest, right leg, and left arm were covered in thin casts.

Edgeshot, Kamihara Shinya was leaning against the back wall, his body covered in light bandages. The man's eyes were closed, but from his crossed arms, his fists were shaking in rage.

Mirko, Usagiyama Rumi was lying on her hospital bed with her legs crossed and arms under her head. She was wrapped in bandages while a pensive and irritated look rested on her expression.

Midnight, Kayama Nemuri was pacing back and forth with an annoyed and disappointed expression as her hands were clenched tight.

Finally, Endeavor, Todoroki Enji stood next to his own bed while only a few scattered bandages could be seen on him. The man's expression was one of anger and impatience.

"How long must I wait here?!" Enji said gruffly as he crossed his arms, his blue eyes looking over to the door next to Shota with annoyance. "I could be back in my agency working to find Sukuna!"

"And do what? Lose?" Rumi said with a grin, causing the Number Two Hero to turn to her with a glare. "If you haven't realized it, Number Two. You're no match for that guy."

"And you were?"

"Tch!" Rumi rolled her eyes and hopped onto her feet. "If it wasn't for that beam of death, I would've beat him!"

Shota rolled his eyes and walked over to his longtime friend, Nemuri, to place a hand on her shoulder. Stopping her nonstop pacing. "Easy. What happened back there wasn't your fault."

"My Quirk should have worked on him!" Nemuri frowned and turned to him. "He should have been knocked out right there and then! Maybe... maybe it was that mask that helped him avoid the effects of my Quirk?"

"Regardless of how Sukuna did it, it doesn't change the end result," Shota said as he guided Nemuri to sit. "But... if I had gotten there in time, I could have turned off his Quirk, or Quirks, so you all could have stopped him. This was on me."

"It wasn't your fault you were several miles away, Erasure Head," Shinya said as he opened his eyes. "You hold no blame. The blame lies with all of us for failing to bring that villain down."

"Some Pro's you all are!" Rumi called out with a huff. "Even with larger numbers, Sukuna still beat you all! Pathetic!" Looking down at her hands, the Rabbit hero gritted her teeth as a frustrated growl escaped her. "I just need one more shot! I'll... beat him for sure."

Despite Rumi's frustration, her eyes became soft as a confused frown grew on her expression. 'Sukuna could have easily avoided that blast that night. But he ended up saving me and everyone else in the way. Why would he do that? What's his game?' Rumi thought.

Stepping into the room with a tired look, Tsukauchi Naomasa scanned everyone in the room. Seeing everyone present, the Detective walked over to the center and took off his hat.

"I'm sorry for being late," Naomasa began. "I'll keep this brief. I just got off the phone with the Chief and the Chairman of the HPSC. As of now, all Task Forces created to apprehend the villain Sukuna have been dissolved. Furthermore, any individual Hero attempting to take down Sukuna is now prohibited. We also need to address another important matter: the creature that Endeavor fought. There is a new mysterious third party involved with significant resources we must be cautious of."

"You can't be serious?"

"What!?"

"This can't be. Then who will stop Sukuna?!"

"Fuck that!"

In response to the Hero's heated comments and questions, Naomasa rubbed his tired face and raised a hand. "These decisions weren't made by me; they came from higher up. I'm sorry, but as we've just witnessed, having a large number of Heroes isn't sufficient to take down Sukuna... He has demonstrated that he is too powerful for any ordinary Hero to confront."

Blinking, Shota stood up and glared at the Detective. "You're saying... only he can take him down?"

Before Naomasa could respond, a tall man with large muscles entered the hospital room, dressed in a red, blue, yellow, and white costume. He had chiseled features, including a strong jawline, pronounced cheekbones, and bushy eyebrows. His short blond hair was swept back, with two distinct tufts sticking up slightly on either side of his head. A wide smile stretched across his face.

"All Might." Endeavor hissed under his breath as the Number One Hero's powerful presence filled the room.

"Fear not, for I will bring Sukuna to justice," All Might declared, his form radiating absolute strength. "On that, I promise."

...present...

Sighing, Shota rubbed his eyes and continued on his way toward the main campus. Even with the assurances that All Might was now focused on Sukuna's capture, Shota could not help but feel anxious. Perhaps it had to do with Detective Naomasa's parting words to him.

"Eraser Head, you will be acting as All Mights support. Your Quirk will prove invaluable in stopping Sukuna from using his many Quirks." Naomasa said as he handed Shota a classified folder.

"Hah... I just need some sleep."

x x x

[Shimzu Souta POV]

Now out of my gym uniform and back in my school uniform, Himiko and I were walking out of the school's main gates in a comfortable silence.

"You can't imagine all the people that were in disbelief that you beat that pretty boy," Himiko said as she held onto my blazer as we traveled down the stairs. "Still, their expressions were pretty hilarious, which reminds me. Why'd he want to fight you anyway? Is this another form of bullying I don't know about?"

"No, nothing like that." I shook my head as I looked back at her. "He just wanted to see where he stood when it came to martial arts."

"Ooh! It's like that anime Eri-chan and I are watching! So he's like your fated rival or something, right?!"

"I'm not sure if I'd call him my rival. Maybe a decent warm-up to the warm-up."

[+10 SP]

Just before we could leave the school's premises, a loud and cheerful voice called out behind me.

"Shimizu-kun! Shimizu-kun! I finally found you!" Running towards us was none other than a beaming Hado Nejire. Walking behind her in amusement were two other individuals, one of which was Amajiki Tamaki, who I'd already met. The other, however, was a tall, muscled blond with small eyes and a large, happy smile on his face.

It's Tintin... I mean Togata Mirio.

Jumping in front of Himiko and me, Nejire smiled widely at me as she got into my personal space. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Shimizu-kun! I tried looking through each first-year class, but I never could find you!" Turning to Himiko, Nejire somehow smiled wider. "Oh! Who's this?"

With a raised eyebrow, Himiko turned to me with confusion over our overly excited upperclassmen. "This is Toga Himiko. A friend of mine." I said before motioning to Nejire. "Himiko, this is Hado Nejire. Our Senpai."

[+25 SP]

While she still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, Himiko smiled at our periwinkle Senpai and gave her a slight bow. "It's nice to meet you, Hado-senpai!" She said before wedging herself between Nejire and me. Apparently, Himiko didn't like how close our rather pretty Senpai was getting to me.

"It's nice to meet you too, Toga-chan!" As if suddenly remembering her two friends, Nejire waved over at Tamaki and Mirio. "These two are my good friends! Amajiki Tamaki and Togata Mirio! Say hello to your Kohais, you two!"

"Togata Mirio! It's nice to meet you two!" Mirio smiled brightly as he waved at us. "And also, welcome to UA!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"...Amajiki Tamaki... Hello." Tamaki said with his head down. Looking up, he flinched when he noticed my stare and returned to staring at the floor.

"It's nice to meet you two. Please take care of us." Himiko said with a small respectful vow while I simply gave them a nod.

"Sup."

[+25 SP]

[+30 SP]

[+25 SP]

Mirio laughed at my greeting and walked closer to me with a hand under his chin. He hummed as he looked me up and down. "Hado-san was right. You do have this negative feeling about you! How interesting!" He said with a laugh before patting me on the shoulder as if we were longtime friends. "I'm sure you must get stopped by the police a lot because of it! Just kidding!"

"...actually, I do," I muttered in annoyance as I recalled the several times patrolling officers stopped to talk to me whenever I was out in the city.

"...for real?" Mirio said.

"For real, real."

[+20 SP]

[+20 SP]

[+20 SP]

"Oh! I have a great idea!" Nejire said with a cute hop, causing her rather ample chest to move. I watched them bounce around before quickly looking off to a far-off tree as I felt Himiko's stare fall on me. "As your Senpais, we'll treat you two to some ice cream! What do you all think?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Mirio said with a smile as Tamaki sighed before nodding. "Works for me." The shy boy said.

I'd rather go home, but I'm not gonna pass this chance at making points up.

"Sure, that sounds good," I said with a nod before turning to Himiko. "What do you think?"

"That sounds fun! Count me in!" Himiko said with an excited smile before grabbing onto my right arm. She then turned to Nejire and her smile somehow grew wider. "Thank you for inviting us!"

"Of course! Now let's go! I know this great spot a few minutes from here." Nejire said, oblivious to Himiko's unsaid message as she walked in front of us. Turning to my clingy blonde friend, Nejire began asking several questions as we walked to the ice cream shop.

"Wow! You have sharp teeth and cat-like eyes! Does your Quirk have something to do with cats?" Nejire said before her eyes grew wide as she gasped loudly. Jumping in front of me, she leaned into my personal space again and stared into my eyes. "I can't believe I forgot to ask you, Shimizu-kun! But, what's your Quirk?"

Scratching the back of my head, I gave her, Mirio, and Tamaki a grin. "Ah, I'm actually Quirkless."

[+55 SP]

[+55 SP]

[+75 SP]

"...eh?"