Two hours had passed since David's train stream, and the buzz hadn't died down.
His viewers were still talking about the mysterious claw mark he'd shown, wondering if it was a quirk-user or something even more bizarre.
He'd spun his narrative well, claiming to have fainted in the bathroom during the first stream, only to wake up with a nasty wound on his side.
And while he never revealed his location, the growing audience had been hooked.
His next goal: 1,000 viewers and 100 subscribers.
Was already on its way to be completed since the stream was drawing attention much more than the first one.
But for now, David had something more mundane to handle.
His Aunt Kaede's birthday was coming up, and she'd invited him to her place.
He decided to show up a bit earlier than she expected to help her out.
After all, she'd gone through a rough divorce recently, and her kids were grown and didn't live with her anymore, he figured she'd appreciate some company.
Not to mention, her place was a perfect change of scenery for his next stream.
A new, quieter location would add to the mystery he was building up for his audience.
He was already planning how to work Kaede's house into the storyline, imagining how the chat would react to the shift in atmosphere.
And who knew, maybe he could stage something creepy in her medical store.
David wandered through a small shop, looking for a gift for Kaede.
He didn't have much cash to burn, so a fancy gift was out of the question.
Instead, he settled on a simple ornamental necklace—nothing valuable, but pretty enough.
It wasn't about the price; he knew Kaede would appreciate the gesture.
She always did.
Now, with the necklace in hand, he headed to the counter.
He was actually looking forward to getting out of his apartment for a bit. Besides, Kaede's place gave him an excuse to start fresh with his streams.
After that bathroom stunt, the claw mark, and the "fainting" act, his audience was hungry for more.
As he paid for the necklace, he smirked. He was one paycheck away from being out of his job at McDonald's for good.
Blackmailing the manager with that video of him cheating on his wife had worked like a charm.
The sleazy guy had been sleeping with one of the girls who worked there, and David had caught them in the act, in the manager's car, no less.
Now, with his blackmail in place, the guy was practically throwing money at him to keep quiet.
"Not bad for a backup plan," David muttered as he left the shop, gift bag in hand.
He made his way back to his apartment to pack, thinking through his next stream.
He had to keep things fresh—if not with more quirk-powered illusions, then with the creepy atmosphere Kaede's house could provide.
The audience loved the mystery he was building, and they'd go wild when he showed up in a new location.
Maybe he'd conjure up something in the background or make it look like something weird was happening in the house.
The possibilities were endless.
As he packed, David's mind raced with ideas for how to keep the momentum going.
He had no idea how Kaede would react if she found out what he was really up to, but for now, he didn't care since he wouldn't involve her in it.
Tomorrow, he'd head to her place, help her with the birthday party, and get to work on his next big stream.
---
David walked down the quiet Musutafu streets, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he made his way to Kaede's place.
The city was eerily calm, with only the occasional sound of distant traffic or the rustling of leaves in the late-night breeze.
It was nearly 11 PM, and most of the shops had already closed, leaving the streetlights to cast long, faint shadows.
And honestly it was fair considering the amoint of villain attacks.
As he approached a narrow alley, he overheard the unmistakable sound of trouble.
A few men were gathered around a tall woman, their voices low but aggressive. David's pace slowed as he watched from a distance.
They had their quirks on display, one of them even brandishing a knife, while they demanded the woman hand over her bag.
Seriously? At this hour? Don't you guys like take a break ? David thought, shaking his head.
He wasn't exactly the "heroic" type, but he wasn't heartless either.
Sighing, he pulled out the surgical mask he had bought as a prop for his ARG streams and slipped it on.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's give them a show."
As he approached the men, he activated his quirk—Projection.
A subtle distortion rippled through the air around him as he manipulated their mind to see an illsuion.
His shadow stretched unnaturally, and his eyes glowed faintly, giving him an uncanny and eerie appearance.
The men immediately took notice, their attention shifting from the woman to David.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked, his grip tightening on the knife.
David didn't respond. Instead, he let his illusion grow darker.
The men's eyes widened as they saw his form shift, making him appear larger and growing like some sort of beast.
The knife-wielding thug's confidence wavered.
"Hey… something's not right about this guy," one of them muttered.
"I'm outta here," another said, backing away. "This ain't worth it, My quirk ain't built for this shit"
The man with the knife hesitated for a moment longer before finally caving in.
"Screw this!" he spat, before turning and bolting down the alley with the others following close behind.
David let out a breath as he dropped the illusion, watching them disappear into the shadows.
He turned his attention to the woman, who had been surprisingly calm throughout the encounter.
"Thanks," she said, a smile forming on her lips as she looked up at him.
"Not many people would go out of their way to help a stranger like that."
David nodded, still a bit surprised by how relaxed she seemed. "No problem. You alright?"
She smiled again, giving a light nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. You were pretty impressive back there."
David shrugged, trying to play it off. "Just did what anyone would do."
The woman tilted her head slightly, studying him. " What anyone would do? Not many would step up like that." She extended a hand. "I'm Nana. Nana Shimura."
David's heart skipped a beat at the name. Nana Shimura? He kept his expression neutral, though, not wanting to seem too surprised.
The name was known to him from the few things he knows about MHA—but that was years into the future.
In the manga Nana Shimura was a legendary hero, the mentor of All Might.
And the one who eventually led to the birth of Shigaraki Tomura.
But David didn't let on that he recognized her.
He realized that this was probably before the time of All Might—before she had passed on One for All to him.
He shook her hand, offering a small smile. "David. Glad I could help."
But not wanting to be involved in some fucked up plot or be on the radar of Demon Lord wannbe he continued.
" I'm really sorry but i have to go I'm already very late. You stay safe out there the villains have been pretty active around these parts"
He said, as he turned and tried to walk away from something he recognized as clearly as a source of nothing but danger.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Her voice was warm but firm, causing David to stop in his tracks and glance back.
She approached him with a bright smile, her earlier calmness replaced with confusion. "You're just going to walk off after all that? Come on, you saved my life back there, i owe you some form of reward."
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Muhahaha Cliffhanger
Stones and Reviews please