The phone rang. I leaned back in my chair, running over my lines for the fiftieth time. This one was promising. "Improvement of security systems," the ad had said. If anyone cared about skill over age, it would be them. Right? Right.

The ringing stopped with a click.

"Hello?" A soft, calculated voice answered, smooth and almost... unnervingly cheerful.

I blinked. Something about that tone set me on edge immediately. "Uh... hi," I started, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm calling about the job posting for system improvement. I, uh, I think I could be the guy you're looking for."

"Interesting. And who, may I ask, am I speaking to?"

I froze for a split second, caught off guard by how polite he sounded. Most people taking these calls were either gruff or annoyed. But this guy? He sounded like he was having the time of his life.

"GhostSoul," I said quickly, recovering. "That's my alias. For... anonymity purposes."

"Ah, GhostSoul," the voice mused, dragging the name out like it was a fine wine. "What an intriguing choice. Please, continue. Why do you think you're suited for this position?"

Alright, here goes. I straightened up, trying to sound as confident as possible. "Well, I've got years of experience in hacking, system evaluations, and cybersecurity. I specialize in finding vulnerabilities and patching them. No system's ever too complex."

"A bold claim," the voice replied, still light and almost playful. "And what about your background? Education? Experience working with teams?"

I swallowed hard. Here it was—the part I'd been dreading. Time to sell it. "I, uh, don't have a traditional education," I admitted. "My skill set is self-taught. I've been working solo for most of my career. And, um, my quirk... it kind of makes it hard to be, uh, normal."

"Your quirk?"

I mentally kicked myself for bringing it up but pushed forward. "Yeah. It keeps me looking... young. Like, really young. It's actually a huge pain because people underestimate me all the time." I tried to inject a little humor into my voice, laughing nervously. "I mean, it's not great when people think you're some random teenager instead of the expert you are."

The voice hummed thoughtfully, as though actually considering what I said. "I see. And why should we believe that you can deliver on your claims, despite your... unique circumstances?"

"My work speaks for itself," I said quickly, leaning into my confidence now. "I can prove it. Give me access to one of your systems, and I'll find its vulnerabilities within an hour. If I can't deliver, you don't have to pay me a cent."

A brief pause. Then: "Quite the offer. And why do you wear a mask?"

Oh, crap. That question. I hesitated for a moment before scrambling for an answer. "I, uh... I'm not confident without it. I don't really like people seeing my face." That wasn't entirely a lie, at least. "But I'm really good at what I do, and the mask doesn't get in the way of that."

"Fascinating," the voice said, almost sounding amused now.

Something about the way he said that sent a shiver down my spine. It was like he already knew everything about me and was just toying with me.

"So, you're young, wear a mask, and have an impressive resume built entirely outside the system," the voice summed up. "I must say, you're quite the character, GhostSoul."

"Uh, thanks?"

The voice chuckled softly. "Well, I believe I have all the information I need for now. I'll be in touch soon. Thank you for your call."

The line went dead before I could respond.

I stared at the phone in my hand, my mind racing. Something about that whole interaction didn't sit right with me. Who the hell had I just called?

Turning back to my computer, I quickly pulled up the number I'd dialed and cross-referenced it. My stomach dropped when the name popped up.

Principal Nezu.

I slammed my head onto the desk with a groan. "I just pitched myself as a shady, masked hacker to the head of U.A. High School."

Great. 

Perfect. 

Just add that to the list of catastrophes.