My Hero Academia: I'm Saint

As expected, Alex Carter didn't put much stock in Gin's claims that guests would show up soon. An hour later, just as Alex was on the verge of dozing off, the shop bell rang.

"Hey, Gin-san, your place has been spruced up. Thinking of making a comeback at the top?"

The visitor was a lanky young man with glasses, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old. From his casual demeanor, it was clear he was familiar with Gin.

Gin grinned, standing to greet him. "You know it! We're even hiring fresh talent now."

He gestured toward Alex, who blinked in confusion as the bespectacled man gave him a sly smile. Alex wasn't sure how to feel about being sized up like that.

"Well then," the man said with a chuckle. "I won't beat around the bush. Since the shop's open, I'd like to place an order."

"Of course, welcome!" Gin said, clapping his hands together. "So, Mr. Tenma, what's the task?"

Tenma adjusted his glasses and sighed. "It's nothing major. I accidentally dropped my phone into the ditch yesterday. It's dirty, and frankly, I don't want to deal with it myself."

Alex blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "Seriously? You need help for that?" he blurted out, feeling his IQ take a hit. "You could've just gotten some gloves and picked it up yourself!"

Gin chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Alex's outburst. "Now, now, Alex. A request is a request. This business thrives on solving all kinds of problems, no matter how minor. Gotta earn our keep somehow, right?"

Still unconvinced, Alex frowned. "How much do we even charge for something like this?"

Without missing a beat, Gin handed Alex a laminated pricing sheet. His eyes landed on the bottom row, which listed mundane retrieval tasks for 2,000 yen. It wasn't a fortune, but still… people paid for this?

"Look on the bright side," Gin murmured. "You earn commission for every task. More orders mean more money in your pocket. It all adds up."

Alex sighed. If that's how it worked, he might as well get used to it. "Alright, let's do this."

Tenma completed the order form, and with the payment settled, Gin handed Alex a pair of gloves. As they headed out, Alex couldn't help but notice how pristine the gloves looked. "You could've just used these yourself," he muttered, side-eyeing Tenma.

Tenma didn't flinch. "Why bother when I can pay someone else to do it?"

Shaking his head, Alex followed him to the alley. The stench hit him long before they reached the ditch. Garbage piled high on either side, and the stagnant water reeked worse than he imagined.

Tenma pointed to the spot. "It's in there. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

Alex suppressed a grimace. The ditch was deeper than it looked—easily a meter—and the gloves barely reached his elbows. Still, he knelt by the edge, rolling his eyes as Tenma stood back, arms crossed.

"Your Quirk wouldn't happen to be useful here, would it?" Alex asked, more out of hope than expectation.

Tenma smirked. "My Quirk enhances my mental calculations. Great for poker, not so much for physical tasks. Why do you ask?"

"Never mind," Alex muttered. Figures.

Gritting his teeth, he peeled off his jacket and leaned over the edge. Instead of relying on the flimsy gloves, he activated his Quirk, Holy Light. A soft golden glow enveloped his right hand, forming a protective layer as he plunged it into the murky water.

Tenma raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, glowing hands? Fancy. Doesn't stink as bad when you're shining like that, huh?"

Alex ignored him, focusing on the task. The light illuminated the water just enough for him to spot the vague outline of a phone buried beneath layers of grime. With a firm grip, he pulled it free, shaking off the muck.

"Got it," Alex said, standing up and tossing the phone to Tenma.

Tenma caught it, beaming. "Not bad! This Quirk of yours is pretty handy."

"Glad you think so," Alex said dryly. "Next time, maybe give me a heads-up if the ditch is home to half the city's trash."

Back at the shop, Gin greeted them with a hearty laugh. "First job done! See, Alex? Easy money."

Alex scoffed, wiping his hands on a towel. "If this is easy, I'd hate to see what's next."

Gin just chuckled. "Oh, you'll get the hang of it. Weird requests are our bread and butter."

Despite his grumbling, Alex felt a strange sense of accomplishment. If he could handle this, maybe he was cut out for this odd job after all.