Calvas followed Osamu through the narrow alley, the bustling noise of the city fading as they ventured further away from the main streets. When they stopped in front of a small izakaya, he frowned, glancing up at the flickering sign. It looked like a typical local restaurant—nothing suspicious or out of place.
Osamu stopped in front of the door and gestured. "This is it."
Calvas frowned, glancing around. "This is the base? I was expecting… I don't know, a warehouse? An abandoned building?"
Osamu chuckled, pushing open the door. "That's too obvious."
Stepping inside, Calvas was hit by the smell of grilled meat and the warm, cozy atmosphere of the izakaya. People chatted quietly at a few scattered tables, completely unaware of what lay beyond the public front of this place. It looked like any other small, local restaurant.
As they walked past the tables, He gave Osamu a skeptical look. "Why didn't we just eat here earlier?"
Osamu shrugged as they passed through the restaurant toward the back. "Too far from where we were. Plus, I was starving—couldn't wait."
They passed through a door at the back of the restaurant and entered a narrow, dimly lit hallway, Osamu led him down a short flight of stairs to a basement.
The basement was dimly lit, and the mismatched furniture scattered around the room gave it a cluttered but cozy atmosphere. Shelves lined the walls, filled with books, tools, and gadgets. In the corner, several monitors glowed softly, and a young woman sat in front of them, typing rapidly on the keyboard.
Her eyes darting between the screens while her fingers flew across the keyboard in a blur of motion. She barely glanced at them as they entered, completely absorbed in whatever data or code she was running.
"That's Cassidy," Osamu said, keeping his tone casual. "Our tech genius. She's the one who'll handle your new identity."
Cassidy still didn't look up. Calvas couldn't help but be impressed by her focus—she didn't even seem to register their presence.
Osamu rolled his eyes and leaned slightly closer to her. "Cass, meet the new kid. He's joining us."
Cassidy paused mid-typing, her fingers hovering just above the keys. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Calvas, her eyes flicking up and down as if appraising him. Now that she wasn't buried in her work, Calvas got his first good look at her. Her lightly messy bob haircut framed her face, strands of light ash-brown hair catching the faint glow from the monitors. But what stood out most were her eyes—brilliant, expressive green irises that almost seemed to pulse with light. Upon closer inspection, Calvas noticed an intricate pattern within them, like circuit boards, radiating from her pupils.
Cassidy's piercing gaze settled on Osamu as she snapped something in rapid-fire Japanese, her tone sharp and irritated. Her hand shot out, pointing first at Osamu, then at Calvas, as if blaming him for something. She muttered more under her breath as she walked closer, her expression one of clear annoyance.
Calvas blinked, trying to keep up. 'Guess she's not thrilled about me being here.'
Osamu, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged in response to her, replying with something in Japanese that sounded casual, almost dismissive.
Cassidy threw her hands up in the air, muttering another quick line before turning back toward the computers with an exasperated sigh.
Osamu turned to Calvas and grinned. "She says it's great."
Calvas gave him a flat look. 'Yeah, I very much doubt that.'
Cassidy sighed, muttering something under her breath, turned on her heel, and stormed off. Not long after, Cassidy returned, holding a stack of files and documents, her expression a little less annoyed but still focused, but she switched to perfect English as she set the documents down. "Alright, we're going to set you up with a visa. The easiest one to forge and keep under the radar is a dependent visa."
She pulled up a form on one of the monitors. "We're putting you down as Osamu's nephew, from America. Family from the U.S., recently moved here to 'stay with your uncle' while your parents are out of the picture for a bit."
After a few moments of watching, Calvas asked, "Why am I even getting an identity? I thought the whole point was me not having one."
Cassidy didn't look away from her work but responded smoothly, her tone patient. "Not exactly. Sure, not having a past makes you valuable, but it's also risky. With no ID, you'd stand out more. We need you to blend in, look normal. With a fresh identity, we control your narrative."
Calvas blinked. 'Makes sense… I guess.' It was strange, hearing her explain it like that—so matter-of-fact. It made him wonder how many identities she'd created, how many people were walking around with lives she'd designed from scratch.
Cassidy eyed him again, typing something into the system. "You'd pass for around 15, give or take. I'll set your birthdate to November 14th, 2177."
The numbers hit Calvas like a jolt. 'Wait, what?' He did some quick mental math. 'That means it's… 2192?'
The realization hit him—not panic, but a genuine surprise. He was far into the future. He knew My Hero Academia had taken place somewhere in the far future.' Had Midoriya already met All Might? Were they in the early stages, or had the big events already started rolling? He had no way of knowing just yet, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind.'
"Alright, new kid. What are we calling you?"
Calvas hesitated for a moment. He scratched the back of his neck, pretending to think hard. "Uh… how about—Calvas?"
Cassidy raised an eyebrow but typed the name into the system without missing a beat. "Calvas, huh? Interesting choice. But honestly, I think you look more like a Kyle. Or maybe a Blake?"
Osamu snorted from behind her. "Nah, he's more of a Dylan."
Calvas cringed internally. 'Dylan? Really?' "No, thanks, Calvas works."
Cassidy shrugged, clearly indifferent. "Fine, Calvas it is. I still think you look like a Blake—alright, that's settled." Cassidy flipped through the stack of documents on her desk. "And what about a quirk? You want me to put something down?"
Calvas hesitated, thinking of how to answer. He wasn't about to correct them—that what he had wasn't technically a quirk. Before he could respond, though, Osamu beat him to it.
"Just put it down as a basic speed quirk," Osamu said casually, without looking up.
Calvas frowned. "How do you even know my quirk's related to speed?"
Osamu smirked, leaning against the desk with a playful glint in his eyes. "I got a glimpse of it before you fell on your face back in the alley."
Calvas's face flushed, partly from the insult and partly from realization. 'So he did see me.' His mind replayed that last chaotic moment before he passed out—when Swiftstep had cornered him. He remembered seeing someone else, just a few feet away. A figure he hadn't recognized at the time. 'Guess that was him.'