"Yes, Haruto-sama, the audit report arrived a few days ago and you signed it. It stated that our security standards are up-to-date and in line, and that there were no infiltrations in our networks."
Aiko responded while looking at Haruto a bit confused, which made Haruto nod, then take a sip from his glass, his eyes still fixed on the computer. At that moment, Aiko asked with a hint of curiosity.
"But why the question, Haruto-sama?"
"Well, it's because Yumiko is now at the Saito residence, and that boy is especially good with computers…" Haruto remarked in a voice laced with slight displeasure, prompting Aiko to ask, somewhat confused.
"That boy?"
"Yes, Saito Kai, the son of Jiro and Alisa, a truly creepy brat." Haruto responded in a disgusted tone, then took another sip from his glass, causing Aiko to comment with a slightly confused expression.
"But I don't understand what a 'brat', as you call him, has to do with the company's cybersecurity review, Haruto-sama."
"Even if he's just a kid, it's a mistake to underestimate him. After all, he's the one responsible for the cyberattack on Action Palette studios more than a decade ago." Haruto answered in a serious tone while swirling the liquor in his glass, making Aiko open her eyes wide in surprise, then ask in a tone full of incredulity.
"He's the culprit? How old is he?"
"He must be around fifteen or sixteen years old right now, so you can imagine the kind of monster he is. And although I don't know why Yumiko and even Keiko treat him like the apple of their eye, what I can tell you is that the only thing that boy inspires is fear. He is, in my book, the epitome of creepiness.
"You can't imagine the chill that ran through my body when I saw a brat barely two years old speaking different languages with perfect pronunciation and complex words, but what was even more terrifying was that no one seemed to find it strange—not his mother, not his father, not even Yumiko or the great Yaoyorozu Keiko.
"They all saw it as something adorable, but for me, it was quite terrifying, like seeing an old man trying to pass himself off as an innocent child…" Haruto finished his whiskey in one gulp and proceeded to pour another while continuing to speak.
"But that was far from the strangest thing. When he was four, he was already playing with technology like it was a mere toy, mainly thanks to his mother, Alisa, who treated him like the crown jewel. She spoiled him and took care of him with extreme protectiveness, to the point that she took that brat's words as facts." Haruto took another sip of his exclusive whiskey, then looked at Aiko and asked in a serious tone.
"For example, do you know what he said to me the first time I saw him?"
"What…?" Aiko asked almost reflexively, confused, to which Haruto replied with a bitter smile.
"He said that I smelled like a rat and that I shouldn't get close to his mother."
Upon hearing Haruto's words, Aiko opened her eyes wide in surprise, finding it really hard to imagine such a small child saying something like that. But Haruto went on in a serious, though somewhat disgusted tone.
"And even though at that moment Alisa symbolically scolded him, telling him he couldn't say such a thing to people, from then on, she became distant from me. If her husband or Yumiko weren't around, she would always try to stay as far away from me as possible, and I could even swear that she encouraged Jiro to stop talking to me because from that point forward, he also distanced himself from me."
"All because of a small child's comment…?"
Aiko asked in surprise, though internally, she couldn't help but think that the boy might not be too far from the truth—not in a literal sense, but more metaphorically. After all, when she started working for him, Haruto was the worst kind of womanizer. If he was already like that back then, even if he didn't admit it, if that Alisa was a beautiful woman, he most likely would have tried something with her—of that, she had no doubt.
"Yes, all because of that brat's comment. Besides, he was always antagonistic towards me. Whenever I accompanied Yumiko to visit them or when they came to our house, he would always stare at me, as if he were analyzing me like prey, which made me incredibly uncomfortable.
"And if that weren't enough, whenever he was around, he even hid Nejire from me. That little bastard dared to hide my own daughter from me. But Yumiko always brushed it off as just child's play, and over time, she even set up an exhibition at home with the swords that monster created, which made me feel like a damn stranger in my own house..." Haruto added, filled with annoyance, then took another swig of whiskey, shook his head, and said while placing his glass aside.
"But let's stop talking about that creepy brat. He drains all my energy. Let's get back to work."
"Of course, Haruto-sama. Today, you have a meeting with three of our suppliers; they want an advance because of the cash flow problems we had…"
…
…
…
In the middle of a spacious, white, and well-lit room, surrounded by several tables, shelves, freezers, and various medical equipment, stood a large, high-tech-looking rectangular metal table. The table featured what appeared to be a sink with multiple faucets and hoses above it, along with a couple of tablets and holographic screens on its sides. It was also illuminated by a powerful surgical lamp hanging from the ceiling, giving the impression of a futuristic autopsy room or something similar.
On the metallic table lay an ugly, pale yellow monster with an exposed brain and what seemed to be a single wing on its back. Despite being completely opened up like a cadaver in the middle of an autopsy, it was connected to various medical devices that unmistakably indicated that the creature, despite its deplorable condition, was still alive.
"This thing is a damn work of art…"
A surprised Kai, who stood next to the metal table dressed in a white isolation suit, commented softly as he once again reviewed, on the holographic screens around him, the results of his 'autopsy' on the Nomu he had captured. This turned out to be quite different from what he'd expected.
"It certainly is, Master. The way it interconnects different quirk factors so they function as one is truly impressive. Technically, instead of many quirks, it's just one very complex quirk. It almost seems like it's imitating what the One for All does." Sage said with a hint of surprise in her tone, hovering beside Kai with her own set of holographic screens. At that moment, Kai added while manipulating one of the screens, so Sage could see.
"That's also impressive, but the reason I call it a work of art is this: its brain looks like a blend of different parts all interconnected, especially at the interface between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. It even has several implants that assist with the neuronal connection…" Kai remarked, looking at the images of the Nomu's brain. Just then, his eyes widened in realization, and he exclaimed hurriedly.
"Sage, give me all the data on All Might's and Midoriya's brains and their evolution over time. Focus on the data from the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex!"
"Right away, Master!"
Sage replied in an enthusiastic tone as her wings flashed in different colors, and in a matter of moments, new holographic screens appeared in front of Kai, showing a detailed study of All Might's and Midoriya's brains. Indeed, there was a slight change in the interface between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex, one so subtle they had previously overlooked it.
"There really is a change. In All Might's case, the activity was reduced and there are even signs of reconnection, whereas in Midoriya's case, the activity has increased and there seems to be a restructuring in the 'limbo-cortical' area..." Sage commented with a slight smile as she once again examined the images. Kai then spoke in a low, thoughtful tone.
"Could this be the 'spiritual component' we've been looking for…?"
"It's highly likely, Master." Sage nodded while checking data from other subjects to confirm this discovery, as Kai placed one hand on his chin and fell deep into thought.
This discovery, although incredibly valuable, also greatly confused Kai because he'd originally believed that this 'spiritual component' was in some way connected to his retaining the memories of his past life. Thus, it wouldn't make sense for it to be a physical change—after all, although he was strikingly similar in appearance to his past self, his body was obviously different, yet he had kept his memories.
(If this 'spiritual component' of quirks leaves clearly manipulable physical traces, then where do my memories of my life as Daniel come from? Did my subconscious really invent them…? That can't be the case because not only has my knowledge of Nen and Haki proven to be correct, even my memories about 'future events' more or less came true, though I deliberately altered one of them.
(Though, well, it might be that my quirk only developed the way it did because I believed it would, which is entirely possible. And maybe the 'future events' I knew were nothing more than my Observation Haki getting out of control, letting me see decades into the future, and my brain rearranged them as if they were an anime I watched in 'my past life'…
(I really don't see why that couldn't be the case. Sir Nighteye is living proof that it's possible to see several years into the future. Plus, I myself can see a few seconds ahead, so it might be that, due to the shock I experienced at that time, my brain constructed a movie of a past life to help me deal with it and filled it in with distant visions from my Observation Haki…
(Could it be that my life as Daniel never actually existed, and I just made it all up without realizing…? If that's true, then a lot of things would make sense. Like the fact that, aside from hair and eye color, I'm way too similar to Daniel, both mentally and physically, and Mom is an exact copy of Daniel's mother… That's too many coincidences for two different lives in two different worlds.
(But on the other hand, there's Dad—he might have been a clumsy softie at times, but I really love and respect him as my father, although not as much as Mom. I see no reason my subconscious would have reinterpreted him as the human trash that was Daniel's father, who murdered his mom. Although, well, maybe unconsciously I blamed him for what happened, and my mind reimagined him as that scumbag so I could hate him and hold him responsible…
(On top of that, a person's personality, memories, tastes, and more are strongly affected after suffering brain damage, so it makes no sense for me to retain my personality, memories, etc. after being 'reborn'. It practically confirms that there's no such thing as a soul, and I just made it all up.)
"Sage, study my brain."
His mind still wandering with these thoughts, Kai ordered Sage in a serious tone. The beautiful fairy nodded, her wings flashing in various colors, then displayed new holographic screens as she explained.
"Although your brain naturally exhibits far higher activity than that of a normal human, there are no signs of the changes observed in both All Might and Midoriya, Master. Everything is perfectly normal. Also, those changes are extremely subtle, so in people who lack special conditions like theirs, it may be difficult to spot something like this…"
"I know. That's not what I was looking for…"
Kai muttered in a low voice, looking quite disappointed, while at the same time losing himself in his thoughts, all under the curious gaze of the beautiful fairy assistant.
(Perfectly normal… Did I really make it all up…? But I have a mini-self. That thing, no matter how you look at it, seems like my soul… Wait!)