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Izumi Miyamura: Xover - Chapter 75
🕑 Added 2025-04-05 01:30:31 +0000 UTCAuthor's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Taylor Pov .
I glared at the old man, who lay back down, leaving me to take care of the tent once more. Last night, I ended up going to bed late because I had to clean the entire tent from the indiscriminate attacks of dozens of hunters.
At least the old man was considerate enough to have a bed ready for me so I wouldn't have to leave in the middle of the night. Although judging by the belongings around the room, it was almost certain that it was the room Izumi stayed in when he visited here.
Also, like the day before, the old man prepared us a breakfast. It was just a cup of coffee and some simple sandwiches, but it was better than having to starve or go out to find something to eat. I took a sip of coffee to wake up and looked at him in surprise at the easily recognizable bitterness. Plain black, just the way I liked it. I hummed happily as I took a bite of the sandwich.
Ah, I finally understood why the taste felt strangely familiar. It tasted almost exactly like the food Izumi makes, except without his cheating quirk.
" Hey, Old man. Did Izumi prepare this?" I asked while continuing to eat my breakfast.
"I made it myself, kiddo. Be grateful. Though I'll admit my grandson left me his recipes. Apparently, I can't improvise in the kitchen even to save my life, but at least I can follow instructions," the old man said dryly without opening his eyes. "And living on instant ramen isn't a good diet." The old man snorted, and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, that sounds like Izumi." When he found out what I'd been eating during the time I'd been in Japan before living with him, he was practically horrified. I guess I'd have to thank the old man for going to the trouble of preparing my food.
"Finish eating quickly and start cleaning. The store won't clean itself," the old man said tersely. Forget it, fuck him.
I sighed and looked around the tent. I had cleaned everything completely the night before, leaving it spotless, and it was still spotless right now. The tent was deceptively huge. The entrance was tiny, but inside? It was almost the size of the ground floor of our dorm at UA, which is equivalent to maybe 12 single rooms.
There wasn't anything to clean. I looked at the decorative skull in the center of the room. It was the only thing that hadn't even been scratched by all the attacks from the day before. Even though the store was as large as it was, it was filled with shelves of weapons and dust of all kinds, so it was inevitable that someone would hit something, especially those with quirks in certain areas.
It must be an extremely durable decoration. I went to take another bite of my sandwich and saw that he was already finished. I sighed and finished the last of my coffee. It was time to start the pointless task of cleaning up until the customers showed up.
I stood up and grabbed Shusui to place her on my hip when I heard several cars pull up in front of the store. I frowned as I watched several women in suits walk out through my eyes. The store door opened, and I looked in its direction. It was a brown-haired woman dressed in a suit.
"Hi, are you Taylor Hebert?" the woman asked as another group of people walked in behind her, each carrying a briefcase. I frowned.
"Who's asking?" I asked carefully. I discreetly had the insects position themselves on everyone to track their movements, and I gripped Shusui firmly on my hip, preparing to draw it at any moment. The woman's gaze shifted to Shusui, and she lingered there for a few seconds before looking me in the eye and smiling professionally. I narrowed my eyes.
"Greetings, I am Reiko Sugimoto, vice guildmaster of the Draw Sword guild. I have come to make you an offer for your sword, Shusui." She said firmly. I let my emotions disperse into my swarm, so my expression didn't change in the slightest. Draw Sword. The vice guildmaster. An S-rank hunter.
"I thought I made it clear it wasn't for sale," I said coldly, as insects began to crawl inside the store. The women behind Sugimoto flinched slightly and became alert, but Sugimoto herself simply stood there, smiling confidently.
"Please listen to our offer, Miss Hebert. Shusui is not just a sword, it's a relic, a symbol of Japan. I'm sure you understand the value behind Shusui." Sugimoto said softly.
"So? It's still not for sale." I said dryly. Sugimoto's smile trembled slightly.
"I'm afraid I must insist, Miss Hebert. Shusui is important to Goto. I assure you she's being perfectly cared for, and we know her value, so we'll give you a more than acceptable price for her," Sugimoto said. One of the women in suits stepped forward, picked up the briefcase she was holding, and opened it. Money, lots of money, in the briefcase. "We'll even make sure to get you another weapon that meets your requirements."
"Oh, what a generous offer." I said, impressed. Sugimoto's smile grew.
"Of course, no-"
"It's not for sale." I interrupted. Sugimoto's smile froze before dimming several degrees, her eyes began to glow menacingly, and I could feel a pressure coming from them. I narrowed my eyes and grabbed Shusui's hilt, preparing for an attack.
"My intern already said that her sword isn't for sale-" The old man appeared behind Sugimoto without alerting any of the people, making Sugimoto startled "-Are you going to buy something from the store, or are you going to leave?" He asked as he leaned down and narrowed his eyes, staring at Sugimoto, who had paled slightly.
Like me, she hadn't seen or felt the old man move. Something that honestly made me feel better since it wasn't my lack of skill back then. The old man was just too dangerous. And Sugimoto had just realized that. Sneaking past a group of Hunters, especially an S-rank Hunter, to get on their backs? Terrifying, damn terrifying. Sugimoto straightened herself and stood at attention as if she'd just remembered she was an S-rank Hunter.
"Now, Mr. Seller. We're just making an offer to Miss Hebert." Sugimoto tried to smile amiably.
"And she said no… so, buy something from the store, or will you leave?" the old man asked coldly.
"We don't want any trouble, sir, but this is a deal between Draw Sword and Miss Hebert," Sugimoto said confidently. The old man narrowed his eyes.
The old man grabbed one of the swords on a nearby shelf, and before anyone could react, at a speed faster than she'd ever seen before, it cut through the thick aura of an S-rank with ease as if it didn't even exist and slit Sugimoto's throat. Blood spurted out, staining the old man's entire suit. The old man didn't seem to care; he swung his sword again almost lazily, and all the other hunters were sliced in half.
I blinked a few times and saw the old man still behind Sugimoto. Sugimoto and the hunters seemed to regain their senses and took a deep breath as they paled, almost horrified. What the hell just happened? I'm sure I saw the old man massacre the hunters. And judging by the horrified expressions on the others' faces, they saw it and felt it too. It seemed completely real.
"...Are you going to buy something from the store... or are you leaving?" the old man asked slowly once more. The group stood stiffly.
"We'll… we'll be leaving, sir. Sorry to bother you," Sugimoto said quickly. She quickly signaled to the other hunters, who practically ran away. Sugimoto looked at me for a few seconds, conflicted, before looking back at the old man. I could see her mind racing.
I didn't know if she was wondering if she stood a chance against the old man despite being an S-rank. The very real sight we just witnessed, Sugimoto was practically decapitated without even being able to react.
The old man and I watched Draw Sword's group leave the tent with reluctance, but there was nothing they could do.
"They're not going to give up, kiddo," the old man growled. "Be careful. Try not to leave the store for the rest of the week." The old man said before turning around. I nodded. I wanted to ask him what the hell had happened, but I had a feeling he definitely wasn't going to answer me.
What I did know was that he was protecting me, and he was Izumi's grandfather, so he definitely wasn't a ruthless killer.
"Thanks for the help," I said honestly. the old man snorted.
"It was nothing, girl, I told you, you're family," the old man grunted as he lay back once more and stared at the television distractedly.
"Even so, thank you." I smiled slightly and then looked down. I would have to tell Izumi what had happened. If they came for Shisui, they might try something with Wado Ichimonji and Enma inside their building.
"Hmm? They're announcing the tenth S-rank in Korea, curious." The old man said, I turned to look at him just in time to see him using a remote and increasing the volume on the television that was hanging on one of the walls.
"South Korea's tenth S-rank Hunter has been announced, his name is Sung Jin-woo, son of the Korean national level Hunter, Sung Il-Hwan. This is-" The old man clicked his tongue and silenced the television once more.
"That idiot's son?" the old man snorted as he looked at the screen with a grimace, and I blinked in his direction.
"Is an S rank so important for the ad to reach Japan?" I asked, confused.
"What are you? An idiot? Of course it's important to everyone, especially the country it's in," the old man said as if it were obvious. I frowned.
"But… we from UA weren't announced. Izumi, Midoriya, the red-haired girl from 1B and I, we weren't announced… at least not in such a… public way." I said, confused, while pointing to the screen, where the image of that Sung Jinwoo was.
"And that's because you're students. You were mentioned during the sports festival, and your rank was mentioned by that loudmouthed announcer, but UA has suppressed all attempts at interviews or news completely related to you. For one simple fact. You're not a Hunter or a Hero yet. You're in training, yes, but you have no legal license to be either." The old man said simply.
"What? No, we have a hunting license." I replied quickly as I took out my scroll and showed him my license. The old man took my scroll and looked at it closely for a few seconds before snorting loudly and bursting out laughing.
"Read the line below," the old man said simply as he handed it back to me. I took it and squinted. I saw the line of smaller words at the edge of the license.
"A license is only legal as long as we're UA students?!" I asked in surprise, and the old man nodded.
"It's a temporary license; ergo, they're not full-fledged hunters," the old man said amusedly. I wrinkled my nose. Did Izumi know that? Of course, he would. Not that it mattered, though. As long as we were at UA, the license was valid, and it wasn't as if getting one would be complicated.
"Okay, so that's a reason not to have a public presentation?" I asked, saving the scroll.
"Do you want one?" the old man asked dryly.
"Hell no," I replied quickly; it sounded like torture. The old man burst out laughing.
"Again, Nezu is very protective of his students, so he steps in to keep them from getting caught up in all the hustle and bustle that comes with being an S-rank before they're ready. That's why he set up the dorms as well. To keep them safe, both from reporters and other hunters relentlessly trying to recruit them." The old man said simply. My eyes widened slightly.
"Wow, I hadn't thought of that," I said, surprised, and the old man nodded.
"As I said, Nezu is very overprotective of his students, it's a good quality for a principal." The old man said as if he was praising Principal Nezu.
"Well, it's not like we were really important," I said with a shrug. The old man looked at me again as if I were stupid.
"You're important, girl." The old man growled. I blinked several times.
"What? Why?" I asked foolishly. The old man sighed.
"You're an S-rank, you're a weapon of mass destruction, you're a pillar of Japan. When other countries look at Japan, the first thing they see is their S-rank hunters. Just like that. Do you think S-ranks just fall from Trees? There are only 21 in Japan right now. Not counting you and All Might," the old man said tersely. I stopped.
"But… there are four of us in our year…" I said timidly. The old man groaned in frustration.
"Yes, and it's extremely abnormal, too." The old man grunted. "You want to know how many S-ranks have emerged in the last five years across Japan? None. You're the first in five years," the old man said forcefully. I stopped stiffly.
"Oh," I said simply. The old man snorted.
"Yeah, oh. You're American, so you might not get as much attention since you'll likely leave after your mandatory service. Not that that's true. But Izumi and the other green guy? They're already famous on the internet. S-rank and guys, too? A lethal combination, and they'll be even more famous when they're properly announced once they graduate." The old man said as if it was obvious. I pressed my lips into a thin line.
"I really… had no idea," I said simply. The old man snorted.
"That's because you're overprotected, again, Nezu took care of that, but it's also because you're used to your and Izumi's level of fighting, that boy is a monster and he's been teaching you for over a year, I'm sure you should have noticed that you're way ahead of all your classmates." The old man said dryly, I frowned.
He wasn't entirely wrong. Looking back at the training exercises, I could easily notice the skill differences. If I had entered UA with just my insects as originally planned, there would have been less of a skill gap, but with my swords? The difference was terrifyingly noticeable.
And the less said about Izumi, the better.
"It's… enlightening," I said simply. The old man snorted and nodded.
"Don't let it go to your head, girl. You have a lot to learn, especially if you want to keep up with Izumi and that green boy." The old man said. My eyes widened slightly. huh? Izumi understood, but Midoriya?
"Why Midoriya? What's so special about him? Why him and not the redhead from 1B? Izumi said she was really dangerous," I said, confused.
"I have no idea who you're talking about," the old man said with a shrug. "What did Izumi say about her?" he asked curiously. I frowned.
"That her quirk was cheating; that she's capable of destroying anything," I said quickly. The old man raised an eyebrow.
"Destroy anything? What? Does it have some kind of super-strong devastating attack or something?" the old man asked.
"No… I believe he said she was the embodiment of the concept of destruction, that if she learned to wield her power, she could destroy anything in her path." The old man's eyebrow rose.
"Now, that's interesting. I'll be keeping an eye on her; Izumi is rarely wrong." The old man hummed. I wrinkled my nose.
"One more time, Midoriya?" I asked again. The old man rolled his eyes.
"He's All Might's son, and as you just saw-" he pointed at the screen where Sung Jinwoo was still showing, "-sometimes genes are really strong." He said dryly. My eyes widened.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!! Midoriya is All Might's son?!" I exclaimed, completely incredulous. How- how the hell do you know!? Shouldn't this be some kind of national secret?!
"That doesn't matter. Dot, who seems to have inherited his father's strength, will be a powerhouse in the future, so you'll need to put in the effort if you want to stay in that circle." The old man said simply. I stared into space contemplatively. Could I be at Izumi's level? No… I couldn't doubt it. I would be at Izumi's level, even if I had to train until my bones break.
"Train me," I said with determination. The old man smiled slightly.
"Very well, get the bugs out of the store," the old man said simply. I blinked in his direction. I saw that the swarm of insects was still inside. I quickly got rid of most of them. "Everyone, I don't want a single bug inside the store. You'll perform your duties as an employee and prevent customers from attacking you without the shared senses of your bugs," the old man said before smirking. "Try not to make me lose too much money."
I paled considerably. The reason I hadn't been hit constantly yesterday was because I could see from all angles with my bugs, and I could sense when they would move with the insects I placed on them. Aside from that, I was practically blind to any threat.
I looked at the old man, who had already closed his eyes while maintaining his mocking smile. I gritted my teeth. He definitely wasn't going to take pity on me. I gritted my teeth and removed the rest of the insects from the tent. The old man better know I was doing this.
"By the way. It's very possible that Draw Sword will send hunters to bother you all day long, beating you up until you decide to sell Shisui. And if that doesn't happen, a large number of hunters will come just to stab you. Try not to die."
….
I was going to kill this old man.
