As night fell, Kamino lived up to its name as one of Japan's most prominent cities. Towering skyscrapers far surpassed those in Saitama, bathed in neon lights and surrounded by an endless stream of traffic and bustling pedestrians.
Originally, Kaminari had planned to slip quietly through the crowd toward his destination. But he had forgotten—he was no longer just a regular person.
His face, his hairstyle, and the 'Pikachu' following behind him had long become iconic across Japan, and even around the world. He was far too recognizable.
At first, things were fine. But as he reached the more crowded, vibrant streets, the young men and women nearby began to notice.
It only took a moment for their confusion to turn into shock and excitement. Soon, the sound of shrieks and cheers filled the area.
"It's… it's Kaminari Denki!!"
"Ahhh, it really is him!!"
"Why is he here?! Didn't the news say he was attacked by the League of Villains?!"
Kaminari looked around at the crowd closing in, speechless. As he stopped walking, the once-fluid stream of pedestrians ground to a halt, drawing even more attention.
"Man… with everything that's happened lately, I forgot I'm technically a celebrity." At that moment, he truly felt the burden and hassle of fame.
Now what?
Should he just activate High-Voltage Mode and fly out of here?
But that would cause a massive commotion. The police would definitely be alerted, and pro heroes would be swarming him in no time.
"Kaminari! Get in the car!"
Just as he was panicking, a familiar, sweet voice called out. He turned toward the sound and saw Momo sitting in a sleek car, waving to him. Tetsutetsu was in the front passenger seat.
Without hesitation, Kaminari pushed his way through the ecstatic crowd and jumped into the back seat.
"Ahh, I'm your biggest fan! Can I get your autograph?!"
"Wow, he's even more handsome in person! I'm dying!"
"Kaminari touched me! He touched me!!"
"Wait… isn't that Momo Yaoyorozu? The keyboardist from Pikachu?!"
As the car pulled away, the young women in the crowd nearly lost it. Flash after flash lit up the street as people took pictures of the black car vanishing into the distance.
"Haaah…" Inside the car, Kaminari let out a deep breath of relief. The outside world felt pure chaos compared to this.
For the first time, he fully realized how famous he had become. Normally, that would have been something to celebrate… but not tonight.
"You too, Kaminari! If you were gonna leave, you could've just come with us!" Tetsutetsu complained, turning around from the front. Momo nodded in agreement beside him.
"I was worried we wouldn't be able to get out together," Kaminari replied sheepishly, scratching the tip of his nose. "How'd you find me, anyway? And how did you even get out?"
Momo smiled gently. "We weren't imprisoned. We could leave if we wanted. At most, they could try to stop us verbally, but not physically."
Kaminari blinked in realization. He had been so caught up in worrying about Kyoka that he hadn't even thought about it logically.
"As for how I found you," Momo continued, petting the Pikachu in Kaminari's arms, "I remembered the map Pikachu projected earlier. I figured with how anxious you were, you'd take the route closest to your destination."
"That's… incredible…" Tetsutetsu said, stunned. He had just blindly followed Momo without thinking.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit warehouse, Tomura Shigaraki sat on a sofa, staring at Kyoka, who was tied to a chair.
Between them, black scraps of her combat suit lay strewn across the concrete floor. He had just torn them apart himself.
At the far end of the warehouse, behind a chain-link fence, a dozen horrifying Nomu hung silently. The moment Kyoka laid eyes on them, a chill ran down her spine.
"I heard you're Kaminari Denki's little girlfriend?"
"He must care about you a lot. Right now, I bet he's drowning in guilt, fear, and anxiety… right?" Tomura grinned. Just imagining it made him giddy.
"Why did you kidnap me?" Kyoka asked coldly.
Tomura slowly stood, walked up to her, and gently pressed a gloved hand to her face. He leaned in close and whispered.
"No reason. I just want to use you to lure Kaminari here. And then… right in front of him, I'll kill you."
"You…" Kyoka's pupils contracted in horror. She immediately began to struggle and shouted, "You're dreaming! I'd never let Kaminari walk into a trap!"
"It doesn't matter. We'll find a way to make him come. He will come, won't he? You're important to him, aren't you?"
His tone was eerie, almost unstable. It made Kyoka's fear deepen.
On the side, Dabi, Kurogiri, and Compress couldn't have cared less about what was happening. One silently scrolled through his phone, another built a tower out of playing cards, and the last one had found a wine glass and was polishing it casually.
Just then, Dabi spotted something interesting on his phone. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly. "Shigaraki, take a look at this. You'll love it."
"Hmm?"
Shigaraki turned around and took the phone. The video playing on the screen showed U.A.'s principal and all the Hero Course teachers bowing their heads in apology.
"Heh… heh… heh…" Shigaraki's shoulders trembled. His expression contorted, and his breathing grew heavy.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
He couldn't hold it in any longer. He clutched his face and howled with laughter. "We made the heroes bow to us!!"
To him, Principal Nezu wasn't apologizing to the public or to victims' families. He was bowing to them—to the League of Villains, to him, Tomura Shigaraki.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, the iron door of the warehouse rattled with a loud knock, cutting off Shigaraki's manic laughter. Everyone's attention immediately shifted.
Time seemed to stop. The air turned still. A strange tension filled the room.
"Hello? I'm here to deliver food. Anyone home?"
"Who ordered—"
There was silence. And just as Compress turned to ask who placed the order, the back wall of the warehouse exploded.
BOOM!
"Hey. Your delivery's here."
(To be continued.)