Tide Pool

2.1

I stumbled outside with all the grace of a newborn deer, still dealing with the events that had just occurred. I barely stopped to look at the people around me whispering and pointing at the mesh of police officers swarming the store behind me as, with one more quick glance at the map the system so graciously supplied me, I made my way home.

Stepping into my apartment I locked the door behind me and threw myself down on the bed, burying my face in my pillow. I let out a small scream before I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

I couldn't believe what had just happened, what I'd done. Putting aside the potential larger consequences of directly compromising a yakuza establishment, I might've permanently blinded a man with bleach. I could try and rationalize it all I wanted, it was self defense after all, but that didn't stop the guilt I felt for potentially ruining the man's life even more than he himself already had.

Almost as though it had seen the direction of my thoughts, a small noise from the system drew my attention to the notifications that had popped up after I left the tea shop.

Quest Completed: Human Trafficking Jam!

REWARDS:

Learned the emergency number!

Unlocked Key Information Database!

50 EXP

BONUS REWARDS:

$300

Skill Book: Silk Hiding Steel

310/300 EXP

Level Up! +1 to all stats, +5 points!

"The Key Information Database…?" I mumbled to myself as I inspected the screen. Almost immediately after the words left my mouth I yelped as I felt something fall onto my head.

I rubbed the small bump on my head with one hand as I inspected the thing that fell on me with the other.

It looked like a regular old smartphone, the same model that I had seen in the hands of many of the people I'd passed today. I hadn't really thought about it before I'd left, but I probably would've ended up buying one eventually- you just couldn't operate without one in this day and age, especially if I needed to actually go to school again.

I powered it on, half expecting to see the same lock screen I'd had on my own phone before I'd died. Instead, I was greeted with a picture of the milky way and the stark white numbers of the clock shining up at me.

It didn't have a password, of course, and when I opened up the contacts the only one available was the emergency service hotline. I glared at the phone, yet another reminder that I had failed to look up the most basic and important information for living in a world where crises are common.

When I navigated to the photos app however, things got slightly more interesting. The full map of Takahashi's Tea House was stashed in an appropriately labeled album, with all the different rooms I'd been to featured in highest detail. It reminded me somewhat of the map system in another game I'd once played- with places I hadn't been outlined much more generally when compared to the acute details of the rooms I had.

There didn't seem to be much more to it, however, so I shut the phone off and dropped it onto the bedside table. Seemingly taking that as a signal, the remaining rewards dropped onto my head, first the solid and heavy thump of a book, and then the lighter weight of the money.

I considered getting an ice pack as I rubbed the now-growing bump on my head.

"Are you pissed at me or something?"

User is incorrect. System simply finds it entertaining.

I scowled and dismissed the window with a swipe of my hand, turning back to the other rewards that had been oh-so graciously deposited on my head.

I set the money aside along with the cash I had...liberated from Takahashi's wallet. It seemed I had a good amount stacking up here, at least, enough that getting a job wouldn't be life or death for the next couple days. I put that thought aside though, and focused on the book, probably the most interesting of all the rewards I'd received.

It reminded me of the history books my dad would keep in the large oak bookcase he'd built for the living room: a simple, embossed cover decrying it's title and sturdy hardcover bindings holding in it's thick rash of pages.

As I picked it up, another window opened in front of me.

You've found a skill book: Silk Hiding Steel. Learn this skill?

Y/N?

I stared at the little notification for a second before pressing yes, my mind racing with all of the possibilities that something like this would create. As I readied myself for the explanation of my new skill, however,I found myself sorely disappointed.

Skill acquisition failed. Requirements: Deception Lvl. 10, Control 20

I got the distinct impression that the system was laughing at me as I closed the window with a frown and quickly pulled up my stat sheet. 20 control… I was at 10 now, so that meant I'd need to either level up 10 more times, or dump all my points from the next two into the stat.

Control was one of those stats that I didn't really understand, as well, and despite wracking my brain for any and all ideas, I couldn't come up with anything that might raise it outside of leveling like I could with mental and physical. At least, not as I was now.

Looking at my skills list, Unarmed Combat Proficiency raised my physical by 2 every 10 levels. While that was a pretty tall order -none of my skills were anywhere close to 10- I thought that the same principle might apply to other stats, and other skills.

Skills I didn't know.

I groaned and flopped back onto the bed, running some numbers quickly in my head. I had at least enough cash to spend the next couple days goofing around without worrying about my future. So tomorrow I could go try and gain some new skills, and develop my other ones. Maybe the library would have some skill books within my reach.

I'd have to buy some new clothes, too. And laundry detergent.

God it was like being 20 all over again.

[(・へ・)]

The next morning saw me back on the town to buy some clothes and observe some people, and I made sure my path kept me as far away from last night's events as possible. It wasn't the most eventful process, and certainly not what I would think of had someone asked me what I'd do if my life were a video game, but I'd found some cute stuff, and I even managed to find a gym not too far from my place on my way back home.

So when I got home I'd dropped my bags, pulled on some not-smelly workout clothes, and headed right back out the door.

The gym was a small city owned one, but very well equipped. I guessed that, with the advent of heroes, there had probably been a greater influence on maintaining and building a strong body. Either way, I was thankful.

I'd never been especially fit in my past life, the only school fitness tests I'd consistently passed were the sit-n-reach for flexibility, and then the endurance swimming test in high school. Sure I'd had bouts of insecurity-fueled gym streaks, maybe one or two spin classes and a couple summers of swim team, but it'd never stuck. I was determined that this time around, I'd be better.

I was going to be a hero, after all.

So I'd made my way to the treadmill and started on a warm up, trying to ignore the way my body quickly grew tired.

As if consciously trying to mock me, a bar labeled "Stamina" appeared at the corner of my vision, slowly depleting as I ran. I scowled and ignored it, focusing instead on finishing my warm up.

As I finished and stepped off of the treadmill I watched as the bar slowly recharged. I shook my head and made my way over to the free weights.

Around 40 minutes later I was lying on the bench, bracing my hands on the bar above me as I tracked the regeneration of my stamina bar. I was just about to start on my chest presses when a face appeared over mine.

"Hey!"

I yelped and tried to sit up, smacking my face on the bar. I groaned and rubbed my nose, my eyes watering from the impact.

"Oh man I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to startle you- are you okay?"

The boy who'd surprised me was still there, fluttering about me like some kind of mother hen. He was taller than me, with long-ish black hair pulled back from his face. As I slowly sat up again I fired off a quick Observe.

Kirishima Ejirou

Level 12

A student at Chiba Middle, Ejirou idolises the former pro hero Crimson Riot. Weilding a self professed "boring" quirk and insecure over both his appearance and personality, he endeavors to work especially hard to be accepted into U.A. Academy to become a hero.

Man what're the chances. The first canon character I meet and I've already slammed my face into a barbell.

"'M fine." I told him. The pain slowly fading from my face. "Did you need something?" Kirishima laughed, showing off an impressive array of shark-like teeth, and rubbed the back of his neck.

As he did so my eyes were drawn to his biceps, and I realised that he was really, really buff. Suddenly embarrassed, I forced my eyes back to the barbell. Duh, of course he was buff. The guy's costume didn't even have a freaking shirt.

"Well you were gonna lift without a spotter! That's okay for free weights like you were using before, but for lifts like bench presses you need someone to watch your back or you might get hurt. So I thought, since you're around my age, I'd come ask if you needed some help."

His grin widened, "Didn't mean to make you hit your head, though, surprising you was pretty unmanly."

I sighed and looked up at him. Something about his demeanor reminded me so strongly of my older brother that it hurt. I shook myself out of it. This was no place for misplaced grief.

"Alright, thanks." I said, smiling, and repositioned myself back under the barbell.

It seemed that my agreement had been some kind of signal to him, however, as he followed the rest of my workout around the gym. He seemed to recognize pretty quickly that I was a beginner at most of the stuff I was attempting, and helped me adjust the weights or movements to better suit my current level. Honestly it should've been annoying, but he was so genuinely passionate about it that I couldn't help but listen.

It was good advice, too, by the time he had to leave, around 2 hours after I'd gotten there, I'd gained a skill and my physical stat had increased by 1.

Weight Limit Level 1: Be a real man and carry all the groceries in one trip! Allows easy carrying and lifting of objects up to a total of 100lbs. Excludes inventory weight.

After we finished our last set I plopped down on a bench and took a long drink from the water bottle I'd brought, watching as my stamina bar jumped up in response. Kirishima fell onto the bench next to me, sweat dripping down his face, and pulled his own water bottle out of his bag, along with his phone. He turned to me, smiling, and offered it to me.

"Hey man, today was super fun! We got a lot of good work done- wanna be gym buddies?"

I almost laughed, but the sincere, eager expression on his face had me taking his phone and plugging in my own contact information.

"Alright, what days work best for you?" I asked, handing the phone back to him. He pondered the question for a moment, tapping some things on the screen before he looked back up at me.

"I'm here every other day bro! Can't become a hero if I'm slacking off." I laughed and agreed, the familiar feeling growing even stronger. God, it really was like being with Chris all over again.

Before I could do anything about it, though, he stood up and stretched.

"Well" He glanced down at his phone, "-Katsuki-chan, I'll see you Tuesday after school!"

For a moment I was confused until I remembered that of course he thought I was going to school, I was 14. Well, technically 14. "My name's Kirishima, by the way, I just realized I didn't tell you."

I smiled and shook my head, waving as he walked back towards the locker rooms to change.

"Bye, Kirishima-kun."

[(・へ・)]

I'd left the gym shortly after Kirishima. While I could've kept going, it was nearing 3 o'clock, and I'd seen online that the closest library, around a mile and a half away, closed around 5:30. So I gathered up my things and set off for the library at a steady clip.

As I jogged I tried to use observe on as many people as possible, letting the information boxes pile up just outside of my immediate field of view. It wasn't the easiest process, but since I was mainly using it on the people in front of me, it did make sure I didn't run into anyone.

I'd managed to get Observe to level 5 by the time I reached the library 15 minutes later. Now it was starting to tell me the name of each observed person's quirk alongside the more generalized background information. While it wasn't much, it was entertaining thinking about what some of the more esoteric names might mean, or how more common ones might be unique to their user.

The library, while somewhat unassuming on the outside, was a gorgeous piece of architecture on the inside. Full of crisp, clean lines and birch bookcases atop a very shiny white marble floor. It seemed pretty busy too, with multiple groups of people spread across various tables, single patrons mingling amongst the labyrinth of shelves.

Perfect.

I wandered the shelves, my fingers skimming the spines of the books as I walked. I'd started in the non-fiction section, hoping (if only for the sake of time) that simply touching the spines of a skill book would be enough to activate it.

It was around 10 minutes before I found my first skill book. As I brushed my fingers over it a small jolt ran up my arm, the title appearing in a box right before my eyes.

You've found a skill book: Stitching & Sewing for Students. Learn this skill?

Y/N?

I tapped the yes button with my other hand and watched as the book glowed. The light flowed like water down my fingers, still on the spine, to my chest. A small chime rang and another window opened in front of me.

You've gained a skill: Sewing!

Sewing Level 1: Create, repair, and attach anything your heart desires. As long as your needle can pierce it, you can sew it. Increased proficiency with needle & thread.

The glow faded, and I sighed with relief when the book didn't fade with it. I was afraid that the book would be consumed or dissolve, but it seemed that these skill books were more like Skyrim than Xenoblade.

Now that I knew it would work, and that I wasn't about to get kicked out by an angry librarian, I headed straight for the medical texts. From what I remembered about the manga, healers were in short supply, and the main character regularly maimed himself. When I considered that and some of the more horrific long-term injuries the characters experienced, I had decided almost immediately that more healing could never hurt.

I already had some experience in first aid thanks to many years as a lifeguard in my past life, but I was hoping that in this one I'd be able to do some cool magic-healing. Unfortunately, if a skill like that did exist, it seemed like I wouldn't be finding it today. Instead my time in the shelves of medical texts had given me more skills based on anatomy and toxins, as well as one for first aid.

Human Anatomy Level 1: Your understanding of the human body is unparalleled...unless you include every medical student or doctor. Boosts effects of skills which require understanding by 1%.

Animal Anatomy Level 1: Your understanding of Animal bodies is somewhat worrying for someone who isn't a veterinarian. Boosts effects of skills which require understanding by 1%

Poison Identification Level 1: From cyanide to too much salt, increased chance (5%) to detect or identify poisons passively. Activate for 20 Energy for 100% chance to identify poison & antidote.

First Aid Level 1: You're not a doctor, but sometimes a bandaid is the most you'll get. Increased healing via basic first aid, allows removal of DOT effects like bleeding. Limit: 20 HP restored.

It had also given me what looked like my first active skill. Poison Identification's active effect didn't seem all too relevant for me right now, but it did have me pulling up my character sheet to see how much energy I had to use.

It seemed like my available energy was directly related to my energy stat, every point in the energy stat resulting in 10 more energy I could use. My current energy pool sat at 100, which meant that one Poison Identification would take out a fifth.

I checked the time after I finished sorting through the windows and set off back for the entrance. While I would love to continue looking for skill books, I didn't have any desire to keep the library staff from the end of their shift.

As I neared the circulation desk by the doors I found myself distracted by the small display of classic novels they had set up. It had been a while since I'd gotten to sit down and read a good book and I still had a bit of time to pick out one or two before the library actually closed for the night.

Besides, I thought as a loud laugh from one of the tables drew my attention, it's not like I'm the only one still here.

My eyes returned to the table and I scanned the titles, my fingers skimming along the covers. Despite the events of the last couple hours I was still surprised when a new window opened in front of me decrying the skill held within the small novel's pages.

You've found a skill book: Amaterasu's Defense. Learn this skill?

Y/N?

I snatched the book from the table and headed for the checkout desk. I knew as soon as I saw the title that I wanted whatever skill this book had to offer me, but I had no desire to start glowing in the middle of the library, quirk world or not.

Soon I was back home, another level in deception under my belt and a new book on the table in front of me. I reopened the skill learning window and tapped yes, watching as yet again my body glowed with the light of the book.

You've unlocked a skill: Kyuudo!