Chapter Text
Toshinori Yagi was sitting in his office, dealing with the immense amounts of paperwork and government phone calls, when the shadows on his walls began to move. He shot from his seat, his Mana charging, but the tense moment was cut short by two teens emerging, instead of two monstrous warriors.
“Y-You two?” All Might asked. He recognized all of the UA students, Momo and Izuku were no different.
“Us two,” Izuku confirmed with an awkward grin. He still wasn’t used to standing in front of his favorite Hero.
He sat back down with a sigh. “Well, Tsukauchi compiled a list of all possible identities for the Shadows, and you two were on it, but I didn’t believe it…” He folded his hands over his desk with a smile. “It’s good to finally ‘meet’ you in person. And since you’re here… I assume the war in Russia has ended?”
Momo nodded. Knowing that Izuku would stumble over his words in front of his idol, she jumped into the explanation. She didn’t skip a single thing, from Raia, to the Absolute Being, to Quaresha. She even brought him up to speed on Baran using Touya Todoroki’s body and interfering to save Ryukyu. Having a Shadow on her person, they had discovered Baran teleported her back to her apartment in Japan, safe and sound where she was resting currently. But when she was finished, she was shocked to see Toshinori nodding like it was all nothing.
“Aeic didn’t tell me the full story, but I knew the important bits.”
Izuku almost crouched down into a battle position. If All Might was inhabited by another Higher Being, he was as dangerous as Quaresha.
“Before he was passed along to Mirio he told me that more Higher Beings would be entering the fight. I just didn’t expect Quaresha to use such backhanded tactics.”
“You were…”
“Aeic, a Ruler. The Largest Fragment of Brilliant Light. While most Higher Beings forcibly take hosts, Aeic allowed me to be a vessel for his power while he dealt with other problems throughout the universe.” He lifted his shirt up, revealing a disgusting purple wound that seemed to sink into his body. “In the last timeline, he used my body in an attempt to fight the leader of the Monarchs, Antares. But Antares won the fight, and the wound he inflicted on my body persisted through time and space. I was no longer strong enough to channel his powers without seriously risking my own life.”
“So then, do you know what happened to Mirio?” Izuku asked, getting off-topic.
“I can only assume that, in the face of an overwhelming threat that he was not ready to fight, Aeic forcibly activated his Quirk, shifting the boy into another dimension in order to save himself and train so that he could use Aeic’s full power.” He shrugged. “But I don’t know that for a fact.” All Might cleared his throat. “So, what can I do for you? I assume you didn’t come here just to talk about the Monarchs and Rulers.”
“Well, our identity is gonna be open to the public soon, and people need to know what happened in Russia. That it was a Villain who set things in motion and manipulated the Russian people,” Izuku began.
“We were hoping you could take care of the public relations…” Momo finished.
He nodded without a second thought. “Please allow the adults to handle this part. You’ve already done more than your fair share. Your classmates should be returning from Catalina soon. I believe it would be wise to rejoin them and settle into some normality for the time being. I don’t mean to talk down to you in any way, I owe you both a great deal, but you are young and you deserve some peace and quiet.”
Both teens smiled wide. “That’s exactly what we were hoping for.”
“Then whatever you need shall be done,” All Might chuckled. “Remember, you’re… well, I suppose you’re beyond National-Ranks now… Regardless, the government will bow to just about anything you request. Treat this responsibly, but also take advantage of it to recuperate for the moment. We shall handle the finer details.”
Izuku and Momo bowed respectfully in thanks, and Izuku even got All Might’s autograph. “Deep Blue will return shortly in order to continue handling Gates. They’ll essentially be under your command.”
“Much appreciated.”
After a little while longer, working out the details they wanted to include in the press release, and the details they wanted to omit, they finally gave their goodbyes and teleported away.
Emerging back inside their home, Izuku collapsed onto the couch, and Momo joined him. Neither had slept all that much in the past few weeks. They were just grateful for All Might, as well as Izuku’s mastery over his Dark Magic. By using Soul Magic to target someone, he could use Shadow Magic to teleport them with him. Something previously impossible for him.
Kaina, Setsuna, and Miruko, were also at the house, already asleep. Meanwhile Kei, alongside the Todorokis, were taking care of the home and getting anyone anything they needed upon their return from war. Of course, the Shadows were helping out, but a good deal of them were still securing Russia or ensuring the safety of Japanese soldiers, or they were clearing Gates in either country. After all, both Russia and Japan had been destabilized, and the Shadows took it upon themselves to clear whatever Gates they could in both countries.
Izuku wasn’t earning much experience from these Raids, as they were too far away and too disconnected, but he was still receiving some Souls and the Shadows were grabbing any rare materials, leaving the rest for the countries to scoop up themselves. They only took the things that were unlikely to be seen again so as to not get too greedy, such as a few boss parts here and there.
“So… there was something you wanted to tell me?” Izuku asked, his eyelids heavy.
“Can it wait?” Momo responded, barely awake herself.
“Absolutely…” He said, instantly passing out, with Momo following shortly after, tucked up in his arms.
*******
During the night, the Shadows moved their king and queen to their bed so that they may get a goodnight’s sleep. This was at Igris’s behest. As a former human, he knew just how nice it was to sleep in your own bed.
Izuku was the last to wake up in the house, so he hopped out of bed to go get some breakfast and say hi to everyone. He expected for everyone to be milling about, including the Todorokis, but much to his shock, it was just Momo, Setsuna, Kaina, and Miruko.
Kaina was sitting with Momo on the couch, gently rubbing her back. The two were closer than Izuku realized.
“What’s up?” He greeted light-heartedly, knowing that something was going on. It formed a pit in his stomach, like when your parents said, “We need to talk later,” but wouldn’t tell you what they needed to talk about. It was stressful.
“Just for the record, I don’t know what I’m doing here!” Miruko blurted out, causing Setsuna to swat her arm.
“It’s a girl thing, just let it play out.” She currently had Quaresha sealed away. Since her clones could appear and disappear at will, she could essentially sequester the Monarch into a tiny part of her own Soul, keeping her quiet and invisible.
Izuku sat down across from Momo and Kaina. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.” His deepest darkest thoughts told him she was breaking up with him, but he ignored it. Even if that was what she was doing, he needed to support her, that was what he swore to do, no matter what. His more logical side assumed she was having problems with the other girls and wanted to stay monogamous. No doubt that would be a painful thing to learn for Kaina and the others, as well as Izuku himself, but he also couldn’t blame it. Polyamorous relationships were a very tense and fragile thing that could break up existing love. “Stop overthinking it!” He shouted inside his mind, patiently waiting for Momo to find the words.
“Uhm… that one night… we had sex,” She began quite bluntly. “You wore a condom, I took the pill… and I thought I would be fine. But just after you left for Catalina, I missed my period.” Izuku’s eyes grew wide. “Izuku… I’m pregnant.”
None of the girls looked shocked, not like Izuku anyways. He was so stunned that he froze for a good 5 seconds. He tried to keep his face neutral, but he just couldn’t help the emotions from springing out and he let out an exhilarated laugh as a smile covered his face.
“I… you… we…” He stuttered for several more words, his brain entirely broken. “Are you happy? Are you sad? What’s the situation here?” He had wanted to remain neutral because, if Momo didn’t want the baby, then his emotions could influence her decision making, and it was her body, after all.
“I told you,” Kaina said with a smirk as Momo fell limp against the couch, tears of relief coursing down her face. She then turned to Izuku as she recovered. “She desperately wanted it, but was worried about your reaction. She thought maybe it was too soon.”
“Well it’s certainly earlier than I expected,” Izuku answered truthfully, feeling that it was necessary to be as open as possible. “But that doesn’t mean anything. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll love you.”
“Our Liege will have an heir!” Beru said, appearing from Izuku’s shadow. “What tremendous news! I shall personally nurture them as if-”
“NO!” The entire room shouted in unison. It was one thing to have a kid at their age, it was another to hand it over to Beru.
As Momo took shaking breaths of relief and happiness, Izuku moved over to her couch to hold her close. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a big support group, and money is never going to be a problem ever again for us.” Even though the Shadows were being careful to not take too much from the Gates they were defeating, the small amount they did harvest was more than enough for a handful of people.
Hero Agencies had to pay for their office space, their own Heroes, they had to take care of a lot of upkeep costs and finely balance the resources they had to ensure their success and limit deaths and injuries. In fact, medical costs were another huge barrier for Hero Agencies. In America, most Agencies went under specifically because of medical costs accrued from injuries inside of Gates. Momo and Izuku didn’t have that problem, as the Shadows required no upkeep, regenerated on their own, and the two of them didn’t have Agency costs. Their earnings were quite literally more than they would ever spend, even whilst being extremely extravagant with their purchases, which wasn’t really like either of them to do in the first place.
On top of that, UA, being a college, had resources for expecting parents to help them navigate such uncharted waters. After all, not all of their students were quite as young as classes 1-A and 1-B were.
“I-I wasn’t doubting you,” Momo got out, her voice still shaking from the emotions coursing through her body. “I just…”
“I understand,” Izuku said with a warm smile. “It’s a big development for anyone and it’s a lot of conflicting emotions. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. So we’ll be just fine!” He noticed the emotions pouring from the other girls as well, their own desires were flaring and there was a hint of envy.
But before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door and Beru felt the annoyance from Izuku. “My Liege, should I eviscerate whoever dares interrupt this momentous occasion?”
Izuku had half a mind to say “yes” because he could tell that he didn’t know who had knocked. His identity had become an open secret so it could’ve been a journalist or someone from a Hero Agency trying to recruit them, something he wasn’t interested in.
Regardless, Momo grabbed his hand and nodded, “You should answer it.”
Izuku squinted in confusion, apparently she knew who it was.
So he moved over to the door, using his Gravity Magic to scan his body, he had just a briefcase with papers inside of it. It reminded Izuku of his first interaction with Natsuo Todoroki.
He pulled it open to reveal a sharply-dressed Caucasian man. His suit was not the sort that just anyone could afford, it was no doubt of the highest quality and price. He smelled of American money.
“Ah, what an honor to finally chance upon you!” The man held out his hand, Izuku taking it as he rehearsed his English in his head. “I am the head of the United States Federal Bureau of Heroes, Adam White. I have spoken with your partner over the phone and was assured I could speak with you both today. I’ve been attempting to reach you through the Hero Safety Commission Headquarters, where that Shadow of yours frequents, but he consistently brushed me off.” He was of course referring to Deep Blue.
This man wasn’t just rich, he was perhaps the only person other than Stars and Stripes who was truly in the President’s ear. His Mana was mediocre at best, but his influence rivaled National-Ranks.
“I’m not interested in signing with America,” Izuku dryly remarked, hoping to send the man away.
“Well, regardless of that, you did use some American Stealth Bombers over Russia and still possess them, as well as three F-54s that belonged to America. I believe we ought to chat one way or the other.” He wore a smile that Izuku would have liked to wipe off his face, but causing an international incident wasn’t exactly optimal, especially with the dozens of secret service agents standing in the street just outside their house.
“Behave yourself,” Izuku cautioned, opening the door.
Adam White, for lack of a better phrase, seemed extremely comfortable walking into other people’s houses. He screamed arrogance and narcissism. He moved like he already owned both Izuku and Momo, and their house to boot.
“Do you think that just because you can corral American Heroes, you can act so comfortably around me?”
Adam laughed. “Izuku Midoriya, do you believe that the world revolves around you just cause you’re strong?”
“Not in the slightest, I just expect guests to show a bit more respect.”
“Ah, I suppose you’re using your senses to read my emotions? Well, that’s fair, I have been watching you and your girlfriend for quite some time myself. After all, who do you think arranged the F-54s?” He asked, walking into the living room, where the girls were practically surrounding Momo like her own secret service. The only difference between them and Adam’s bodyguards was that they could scorch an entire continent if they wanted to.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Izuku asked, his nerves tingling.
“Oh come now, you didn’t think America would really give Japan 3 of her greatest weapons just to test them out did you?” He took off his coat and plopped right down into one of the cushioned seats, opposite Momo.
“You knew we’d take them?” Momo had recovered very quickly from the earlier emotions, composing herself to the intelligent, business-oriented woman she had been raised as.
“‘Knew’ is a strong word,” He responded. “No, America merely knew that you had the capacity to raise the dead. You didn’t think that little shadow organization was the only group monitoring you, right? In fact, America had even been putting in a little elbow grease to help hide some of your escapades,” Adam said, dropping a bombshell.
“You knew-”
“The entire time,” Adam confirmed. “We knew that you could bring back biological corpses, but we were also curious if your reach extended to other objects. Given your strength, and the Mana readings from Jeju Island, your presence would be required, so we figured this was a good time to bait you. Since it seemed like the higher quality of the object brought back, the stronger they would-”
“You knew about Beru?” Izuku grabbed Adam by the collar, having fully processed his words. “You knew that the Japanese and Koreans would never be able to kill that thing!”
Adam looked entirely unfazed. “Oh don’t look so betrayed. Information is the most critical aspect of any war and keeping your cards close to your chest is just as crucial. I believe Miss Yaoyorozu knows the same thing, especially with her satellite up in orbit.”
Just before the land invasion of Russia, Japan had allowed Momo to Synthesize and utilize one of their satellites. Given its Magical powers it was able to rise up into orbit without a rocket, giving her plenty of information on the progressing war. It was also how she knew about America’s stealth bombers.
“You got people killed!”
“Did I? If Japan can’t handle themselves, it’s not up to America to bail them out. Your country has been trying just as many backhanded tactics with America. Have you never heard of the Diablo Canyon disaster?”
“That was just-”
“Operator error?” Adam scoffed. “Japan has long since been jealous of America’s reach. Ever since the end of World War 2, we’ve helped raise it into a technological beast, but we’ve always managed to keep things in check. They haven’t been too happy. Some, like the Tenya family, worked with us for new prosperity, but your government isn’t so abiding.”
“Tenya?”
Adam brushed him off. “Now that is a story for another time. But Japan has been organizing small slights against us for years, special forces initiated a nuclear accident at Diablo Canyon, which then proceeded to allow an A-Rank Gate, amongst others, to break and kill tens of thousands. After that, they proceeded to sink a nuclear aircraft carrier and then crippled an air base in New York. You don’t know the half of it. Despite all your power, you’re still just a pawn to all countries, but I am offering you something more.”
Izuku dropped him. The man had made his point, and he couldn’t exactly argue with it. After all, he didn’t really know what he didn’t know. He had dropped that hint about the Tenya family to prove it. Information could practically manipulate reality itself. He decided to at least hear him out.
“Now, as promised, you’ll return the dozen bombers to patrol American airspace?” Adam asked, folding his hands delicately over his lap. “Oh and can we get some tea?”
Setsuna rolled her eyes, but moments later, Kei came walking from the kitchen with a tray in hand, and a fire in her eyes.
“Uh-oh, she’s in business mode…” Izuku realized that his sister might try to prioritize profits and work Adam White into a state where she could get a lot if Izuku and Momo agreed to his terms. Of course, she struggled to see the problem with working for America. Growing up in the environment she did, profits were king.
“Obviously, the F-54s are yours to keep, as they were part of an experiment and a slight manipulation. It’s only right that you keep them, since we never made a deal on them.”
“How generous,” Kaina chimed in, her gaze firmly set on Adam’s neck. Having heard the admittance about Jeju Island, she was more pissed than anyone. For the first time, Adam began to sweat, feeling sincere bloodlust.
“I assure you, every country pulls these stunts, America is not special. We’re merely ‘playing ball’ with the rest of the world.”
“When it comes to the planes, I have no objections,” Momo answered.
“Excellent! Now, before we get down to the real business, I would just like to know if either of you are aware of Brandon Burnett’s whereabouts. This isn’t official business, so I won’t hold it against you if you refuse to answer.”
“He’s on Catalina Island?” Izuku was confused by the question, his whereabouts were obvious. He was a Top Ten, so even when trying to escape the public, people knew where he was.
“Hmm, you don’t seem to be lying. Well, for a number of reasons, we are keeping an eye on him. Just this morning, he pretty much vanished from the face of the island.”
“He could be in a Gate,” Izuku offered.
“No, we have… our methods, and it’s quite clear. He’s not on Catalina, and our surveillance can’t find him anywhere else. For all intents and purposes, it appears as if he simply vanished from the face of the planet.”
Izuku grunted in acknowledgement, but he was deep in thought. “I doubt the Monarchs or Rulers would be interested in him, and if the Americans were the ones to get rid of him, they wouldn’t be asking about him in the first place. If it isn’t human intervention then it could only be the Architect. He briefly met him on Catalina… but what would he want with him? What would anyone want with him?” It was a bit of a mean thought, but it wasn’t without merit. Brandon, in the scale of the universe, was next to worthless. He wasn’t a Higher Being, he wasn’t a Lord, he wasn’t even a B-Rank. In the context of the visions that Raia gave them, they had seen the true scale of the universal war being waged.
“Well, I appreciate your honesty. Now,” Adam took a brief sip from his teacup, “Let’s get down to the real business of today. America would like to buy the services of the Shadows.”
Izuku scoffed. “Star already tried. You’re not gonna be able to beat her offer.”
“I didn’t presume to. I couldn’t offer you more than what she could. So instead, I’ll lower your end of the bargain.” Adam opened his briefcase and procured a number of papers. “It’s clear you find the thought of being Heroes in America quite disgusting. So, we won’t ask for any of that. Instead, we merely ask for assistance where you can offer it.”
Momo scooped up the papers. It was a contract.
“America, in exchange for literally whatever you ask for, will be allowed to request your help for S-Rank or higher Gates that pose a significant threat to our people,” Adam explained. “Your contract will be kept secret, and your actions will be portrayed as philanthropy. You will be seen as true Heroes traversing the world to fight wherever humanity needs you. You will not be tied to America in any way, shape, or form.” He smiled. “And I know what you’re thinking. ‘I would have helped out regardless.’”
Momo shook her head, unable to deny that fact. “So why the contract?”
“Because America, for all its faults, believes that her Heroes should be well taken care of. This contract ensures you will legally be able to request anything you want from us. And the President wants confirmation, legally speaking, that you will assist us with such grievous threats when you’re able to.”
Momo was not an expert in legalities, but Deep Blue was mentally helping her flip through all the clauses and conditions. It was, without a doubt, favorable to her and Izuku. If anything, it made America their own personal servant, rather than the other way around.
A/N: I am not a lawyer, any of the statements here are very likely poor representation of the real legal world, please excuse any inaccuracies for the sake of storytelling.
‘When possible, and when deemed a significant and genuine threat, the Shadow Monarchs will assist America with any Gates above S-Rank.’
‘Should the Gate not be deemed a significant threat, the Shadow Monarchs’ presence will not be required, and requesting it of them will be a violation of this contract.’
‘In addition, the Shadow Monarchs’ presence is not explicitly required so long as they send their summons to clear it for them.’
‘Should the Shadow Monarchs believe that the Gate does not require their presence or that of their summons, they may ask for the request to be reviewed by an individual party. This party will determine if the request is accurate and legally binding under the terms of this contract. If the request is deemed to be accurate, the Shadow Monarchs must help clear the Gate.’
There were dozens of other lines, but all of them went into detail about what they could ask of America, rather than what they had to do. About ninety percent of the contract was just listing all the things they could request/demand.
‘The Shadow Monarchs will have access to 10 Billion American dollars at any given time. This limit can be exceeded, but only with express permission from Congress.’
‘The Shadow Monarchs will have access to any and all technologies that America owns. Permission to view them must require security clearance and an NDA so as to not leak these technologies to the rest of the world.’
‘The Shadow Monarchs will have access to most Magical Materials that America is in possession of. However, in order to not significantly weaken America’s own forces, they may only take a percentage of these materials for themselves, based on their own choices.’
‘The Shadow Monarchs will have access to any Villain corpses America is in possession of.’
‘The Shadow Monarchs will have access to any vehicles America is in possession of. However, if these vehicles are claimed for the Shadow Monarchs, using their powers, a separate contract must be forged to ensure that America has at least partial access to them. This is to prevent America’s military, air force, and navy from being inextricably weakened.’
‘The Shadow Monarchs will be able to request the presence of any celebrity or person they may desire.’
Izuku barked out a laugh as he reached that sentence. Something about being able to just as for someone like Keanu Reeves was hysterical to him. Being put next to all these state secrets or mass amounts of money made it seem quite quaint. It went on for hundreds more lines, giving Izuku and Momo pretty much anything they could ever want. It truly was as Adam said. They were being given an entire country’s worth of resources for just a little help here and there.
“I assume Star and Andre have the same contracts?” Izuku asked.
It was Adam’s turn to laugh. “Not even close. You two are exceptionally special. You’re being given access to far more than either one of them. Make no mistake, they’re strong, but your ability to create a Magical Army is the most important power this world has ever seen.”
There was one more line that was important to note.
‘When the rest of the world falls to ruin, should the Shadow Monarchs still be alive, they will take up residence in America. If this event does not come to pass, and the world continues to exist as normal, this clause will not be invoked.’
Essentially, when the apocalypse came to pass, as the analysts projected, Momo and Izuku would stay in America while the rest of the world burned.
Momo and Izuku exchanged a glance. They were both thinking the same thing. “Remove this line and we’ll sign.”
“Done,” Adam replied without hesitation, pulling another stack of papers from his briefcase, it was the same contract, minus that one line.
“Seriously?” Izuku asked, surprised by his preparedness.
“I was personally asked by the President to acquire your support by any means necessary. And I was ready and willing to do just that. Besides, such a line is mostly unnecessary. If the rest of the world is ruined, I’m sure you’ll want a safe place for your family and friends regardless, and America will be the last bastion of humanity. One way or another, I’m certain you’ll arrive at our shores.” Adam leaned back in his chair. He wouldn’t admit it, but a sense of relief had just washed over him. He’d secured their signatures.
“And you lowered the terms by a wide margin,” Momo noted. “Star wanted to sign us as American Heroes, why are you willing to forgo that for such simple assistance?”
“I was listening to your entire conversation with Star. I became convinced you’d never sign as American Heroes, so I knew I had to acquire the next best thing. And believe me, America is willing to pay any price for power. Even if you would’ve helped us out, regardless of the situation, we needed just a few legalities, and this way you’re even more likely to help us in the event of an emergency.” He pulled two pens from his briefcase and passed them over.
Izuku checked one last time with Momo, who nodded. Her and Deep Blue, using their enhanced perception, had carefully poured over every last line multiple times. It was one-hundred percent written in their favor and asked very little of them. Even Kei had finely examined it. Turning it down would only be foolish, as they would be getting whatever they wanted in exchange for their natural desire to help people in need. There were no sneaky clauses, no fine print, nothing that evaded their notice. It was, perhaps, the most lucrative contract in history.
Izuku and Momo signed their names, handing it back to Adam, who finally went limp in his seat, letting out an unashamed sigh. “Thank you both… I’d like to offer my apologies for the way I handled myself. I believed it was necessary to get your signatures.” He stood and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle to the room. “I lost both my parents to Kamish… I… I needed this to work and was willing to be brash and rude. I’m very sorry for my behavior.”
Izuku sighed. “Had you approached us politely with this contract we would’ve been even more likely to sign it. But I understand most National-Ranks aren’t like us. So we’ll forgive it this time. In the future, politeness will take you much further when it comes to us.”
“I understand completely!” Adam rose back to his full height. “I would also like to congratulate you on your pregnancy. I have two kids of my own…” A twinkle appeared in his eyes, and Izuku finally understood him.
“I see.” Izuku was a little creeped out that he knew about Momo’s pregnancy and no doubt she was too. However, it told him his motives. He was willing to do whatever to ensure that what happened to his parents never happened again. He didn’t want his children to grow up without a father, nor did he want his children to be in harm’s way.
He was a brash and arrogant man. Even though he apologized, Izuku could tell he still had a sense of superiority about him. He was, for lack of a better word, manipulative. He probably didn’t mean the apology he gave, not completely at least, but deep down, he was a halfway decent man. If only for his children.
“The bombers are already on their way to America,” Momo immediately reported. “And as a show of good faith, the F-54s are as well.”
“Excellent! I’m sure the air force and navy would be ecstatic to give you more! An entire air force of Shadow jets would be quite impressive.”
Thankfully, Izuku and Momo would always have control of the Shadows, so they didn’t have to worry about America using them to conquer the world. However, the notion was still rather unnerving, so they’d have to be careful about how much control they gave America, but that was a given.
Finally, Adam set a pair of black cell phones on the coffee table. They were flip phones, but their design made them look extremely modern, borderline futuristic. “These will connect you with myself, the President, or in the absence of either of us, a dozen other government officials who will fetch you anything you want at the drop of a hat. They can connect from anywhere in the world, no matter how remote, and are the safest lines America has. No one will ever discover these calls, that we can promise.” And Izuku believed him. They’d never so blatantly compromise the President’s calls. “Unless there is anything else you require right now, I will make myself scarce.”
Izuku nodded. “That will be all for now.” He slipped a Shadow into Adam’s shade, ensuring he’d be able to monitor the man; he'd even have the chance to use that Shadow to get another one into the President’s shadow himself.
Adam said nothing else, retreating from their home in glorious victory. That left Kei to shout at the top of her lungs.
“FILTHY STINKING RICH BABY! WOOOOOOO!”
Izuku couldn’t help but smile. Money couldn’t buy true friends or family, but Izuku resented the notion that money couldn’t buy happiness. The only fools who ever said that were those who’d never struggled with money to begin with. Money bought safety, security, and the freedom to pursue happiness. Kei had always been frugal to keep her burden on Izuku and their small life low, but now… she had 10 billion USD at her beck and call. They’d never want for anything ever again.
“So uh… what now?” Setsuna asked awkwardly.
Momo and Izuku smiled. “Now, we make up for lost time.”
Izuku extended his hand to the four girls. “I believe it’s time I took you all on some dates!”
Momo looked over to Setsuna and Miruko. “Kaina’s already been vetted, so now you guys have to go through the same process!”
Setsuna and Miruko turned pale for just a moment, feeling like Momo was suddenly some mother-in-law, testing them thoroughly. Of course, she wouldn’t be that obnoxious, she just wanted to see who the girls really were and if they were okay for Izuku.
It meant that the first date would be between him and Kaina, while Momo vetted the girls. Then he’d take Momo herself out for some time alone, and if she approved, it’d be followed by the other two. And of course, they’d need to find the time to properly celebrate the baby and do some medical checks to be safe. But for now, they got to relax and have some fun.
With money being no option, they had quite the special time ahead of them.