บท 76: Chapter 76: Trillionaire
[Third Person's PoV]
"I'm sorry, but you can't just walk in here and start insulting us, calling us incompetent—" one of the men seated near Kazuma began, his tone edged with frustration.
Kazuma raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I take it you set up this meeting for cooperation, then, since I doubt you'd bring us all here just to waste everyone's time. And as businessmen, time is something you value greatly."
Tony turned towards Melissa with a smirk. "I always did like working with smart people; they catch up quickly, don't they?"
He leaned back in his chair, pulling the lollipop from his mouth and pointing it at Kazuma. "You're correct. I'm here to equip your forces with the necessary gadgets so there won't be a 'next time.' Shall we get on with the presentation?"
Kazuma smiled and sat up straighter, sensing the gravity of the moment. "If I had to guess, I'd say we're about to see something entirely new from the one titled 'The Mind that Outshines Power.'"
"Oh, stop it," Tony waved a hand dismissively, though the compliment clearly pleased him. "Flattery won't get you any extra benefits."
Tony then turned to Melissa. "If you will…"
Melissa set the briefcase on the table, unlocking it with practiced precision. She pulled out a pair of square handcuffs and handed them to Tony, who slid them across the table to the center, catching everyone's attention.
"Handcuffs?" one of the men asked, eyebrows raised.
"What's special about them?" another inquired, knowing that anything created by Tony Stark was bound to be extraordinary.
Tony smirked. "These are Quirk-Cancelation cuffs. They completely negate the user's ability to interact with their quirk factors, effectively rendering them quirkless. Who wants to test them?"
Without hesitation, Kazuma volunteered. "Just so it's out there, my quirk is called Barrier Crafting. It allows me to create barriers wherever my hands are facing."
Kazuma stood, holding one hand out to create a yellow barrier in front of him. With his other hand, he slipped one side of the cuffs on, and immediately, the barrier dissipated.
"I would have thought you'd need both hands for them to work, but just one is all it takes… No matter how hard I try, I can't activate my quirk… I'm impressed. Now, how do you get these off?"
"I'll get to that in a minute," Tony replied as Melissa set up her tablet, displaying an animated demonstration of the cuffs' capabilities.
"They're able to expand to fit any wearer and are quite indestructible—they're resistant to anything that might try to break them. But in this world of quirks, I might just be wrong; who knows what strange powers are out there. As for how to open them, they don't have a key."
"What?" Kazuma asked, his face dropping slightly.
"Not the conventional kind, anyway. They're unlocked by an energy signature that only those who have been tested and approved will be allowed to have," Tony explained, motioning for Melissa to demonstrate.
Melissa pulled out a stamp from the briefcase and walked over to Kazuma, pressing it against the center of the black cuff. The stamp emitted a blue energy, which the cuffs analyzed before unlocking themselves.
"Very impressive, Mr. Stark, but I must ask: why did you say only those who have been tested? Are you insinuating there's a traitor among us?" one of the men asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nope, I've already made sure of that. None of you here is a traitor or working for a villain, but I can't vouch for everyone else. And like I said, we don't really know what kinds of quirks are out there. Someone might have a quirk that lets them copy another person to the exact detail, which is why testing is necessary."
The group nodded in understanding, and Kazuma spoke up again. "Although these Quirk-Cancelation cuffs are impressive, what about those with mutant quirks? Do you have something that will have the same effect?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Tony scoffed. Melissa then pulled out four small boxes from the briefcase.
"Now then, no interruptions until I present everything. We have a lot to get through, so save your questions for the end," Tony announced.
"These are called portable containment devices. Once deployed, they expand to surround the target, immobilizing them and rendering them stunned and unable to move. They're primarily for dealing with large threats, such as giants or other mutant quirks."
He continued, displaying a small pen-like device. "This is a sonic disruptor. It emits a high-frequency sound that disrupts the motor functions of anyone who hears it."
Next, Tony held up a small, glowing disc. "This is a portable holographic shield. It will protect against most forms of serious damage."
"I've also designed a special police force suit that's shock-absorbent, though they'll still need to be careful. It's not indestructible; too much shock could cause it to rupture."
He then displayed a set of blueprints. "These are Stark-specific designs for containment vehicles. They're about ten times more durable and efficient than the ones you currently have, which, honestly, are pitiful. You should be ashamed."
Tony pulled out a small net. "These capture nets tighten the more someone struggles. Be careful with these; if the villain is too stupid, they might suffocate themselves."
Lastly, he presented a small drone. "These are portable medical drones, designed to fly around a scene and provide first aid to those in need."
Tony leaned back, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Those are all the things I managed to whip up in half a day. More can be done later. So, any questions?"
The stunned silence was palpable as every hand shot up. Tony turned to Melissa with a smile. "As my assistant, you're supposed to handle the things I'm too lazy to do. These fine gentlemen and ladies have questions I'm too lazy to answer."
Melissa didn't miss a beat, smiling as she addressed the room. "As his assistant, I'll be answering any questions you might have. Shall we get started?"
…
After a long session of Q&A where Melissa was asked about the specific functions of the products and how they were made, Tony was seen playing a racing game on his phone, his expression unusually serious.
Melissa pulled out a contract from her briefcase as she carefully packed everything else away. "Here, sign this, and we can begin our partnership. You'll be able to receive these items from Stark Industries indefinitely."
Melissa also handed copies of the contract to everyone else at the table.
"Goodness, that's so expensive! You seriously can't expect us to pay all that, can you? These items are made to save lives—surely you can be more lenient with the price," one of them exclaimed.
Melissa's expression remained serious as she replied, "We're running a business, not a charity. And as you said, these items are designed to save lives—they're not cheap to produce. We're already being very generous with the price."
"Kigo, stop," Kazuma interrupted. "She's right. They're already being generous. If any other company had developed these items, they would have charged us much more. I'm more than happy to sign this and form a partnership with Stark Industries."
At that moment, Tony shut off his phone and watched as Kazuma signed the papers, a smile spreading across his face.
They both stood up, and Kazuma handed the contract to Tony. "Thank you. This will help a lot more people than you realize."
"On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you," Tony said as they shook hands.
Kazuma looked puzzled until Tony grinned and added, "With this contract you just signed, you've just made me the world's youngest trillionaire, surpassing even my father's company in America."
Kazuma stood there with his mouth slightly agape as Tony waved the contract in a casual goodbye. "It was nice doing business with you!" Tony said smugly as he walked out the door, with Melissa following behind him, briefcase in hand and a smile on her face.
"Here I come, world! Tony Stark, the youngest trillionaire, is in town! Make way, peasants!" they all heard him shout as he exited the meeting room.
"What the hell just happened..." one of them muttered in disbelief.
Kazuma couldn't help but laugh. "You know, I always thought his other titles were just boastful exaggerations, but I guess they're the real deal. 'The All Might of Wealth and influence' indeed."
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