Kai unlocked the apartment door, the almost dizzy scent of garlic and rich broth already drifting through the air. He stepped inside, kicking off his shoes, already feeling the tension in his shoulders fade. From the kitchen came dim sounds of clinking dishes.
"Welcome back, Kai!" his mom called, her voice cheerful and warm.
"Hey, Ma," he replied, shutting the door behind him. His usual tone softened, his posture relaxing at the sight of his mother.
"I got your favorite! There was a sale at the market, so we'll be eating chicken salad tonight!"
Hearing that, Kai's mouth nearly watered at the thought of the crispy seasoned chicken.
"And wash your hands, dinner's almost ready!"
Kai saluted. "Yes, ma'am."
By the time he sat down at the table, two steaming bowls were set out, chicken chops and sautéed vegetables with sliced bananas. His mom slid into her chair opposite him, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.
"Smells good," Kai said, picking up his chopsticks.
"Hmm, just good?" she pretended to sound offended. "I didn't spend thirty minutes making this for you to say it's just good."
Kai gave a small grin. "Fine. It smells amazing."
"That's better." She smiled, satisfied, and for a moment, the room felt peaceful, filled only with the quiet clinking of chopsticks against bowls.
Kai took a bite, melting from the crunchy goodness of the chicken mixed with the delicious veggies.
"So how was it? Your first day at UA?" his mother's voice casually called out.
Kai swallowed another bite. "It was pretty unusually honestly. The teacher threatened to expel us and two kids almost fought before the first bell rang. Oh, and also, the cafeteria food is crazy good!" he paused, then added, "Uhh, almost as good as yours."
"Expelled?" his mom said out loud, ignoring the part about the food, before looking a bit worried, "On the first day? That seems a bit harsh, even for a rigorous school like UA..."
Kai shrugged lightly, a soft smile tugging at his lips, "Don't worry mom, he didn't actually expel anyone. Besides, the threat was for anyone who scores the lowest on a test we had using our quirks, and since I got first place, I wouldn't have been expelled even if he wasn't lying about that."
His mother's eyes widened, her face lighting up, "First place! Oh! I'm so proud of you Kai!"
She sat up, going around the small table to hug him. Despite the height difference, it was odd how she always treated him like he was so small. A trait of a loving mother perhaps.
When she finally sat back down, she leaned forward eagerly. "Tell me everything."
So Kai did, his retelling was filled with his idea of humor and playful exaggeration, making her laugh more than once.
After he finished his great tale, she tilted her head, her smile softening.
"So did you make any friends yet?" she asked, a slight bit hopeful.
Kai hesitated, then nodded. "Uh, ya know what, yeah. I guess you could say that they're friends."
His mother's face brightened up, "Really?! Who are they? What's their names? Are they nice?"
"Slow down Ma," he chuckled, "but, yeah I would say that they're pretty nice."
His mom waited expectantly, encouraging him to continue.
"Well, starting with the first person I met at UA, her name is Tsutsumi Kaina. She's always got a poker face on but she's pretty cool, considering she listened to my awful jokes all day long and didn't tell me to shut up."
His mother silently giggled, waiting for him to carry on.
"Honestly I would say she's the closest I've made to a friend today. There are some other people but I've kinda only talked to them during lunch, but I could see myself being good friends with them."
"I see," she said quietly, "that's very good. I'm glad you're getting along with people well Kai, I'm very proud."
His mom only chuckled and, before he could dodge, reached out and ruffled his hair.
His cheeks turned slightly red, before just accepting his fate with a smile and continuing his meal.
Halfway through the meal, Kai glanced up.
"What about you mom? No trouble around here lately, right? No one bothering you?"
His mom arched an eyebrow, clearly catching his tone. "Why do you ask?"
"Just making sure."
She gave him a knowing look, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "A certain someone has made sure there hasn't been any trouble, hasn't he?"
Kai hid a small smile behind his soup bowl. "Wonder who that could be."
His mom sighed, though there was no real anger in her voice, just concern. "Kai… You can't keep fighting all the time."
"Someone has to," he said simply, taking another bite.
"You're fifteen," she pursed her lips, shaking her head. "You should be worrying about homework or… I don't know, dating, not scaring grown men half to death."
Kai chuckled lightly. "I'll keep that in mind."
Seeing as the conversation went to the same place it always did when she brought up that particular topic, she switched it up, her expression softening. "Speaking of which, when's Knuckleduster coming back from his trip? When he's here, the work you force on yourself is halved."
Kai shrugged. "I think he told me he'll be back by the end of next week maybe. But you don't need to worry, I've got it handled."
His mom studied him for a moment, her eyes holding both pride and worry. In the end, she just sighed and smiled .
"I know you do."
Dinner passed quietly after that, and when they finished, Kai stood up and began stacking the bowls.
His mom blinked in surprise. "You're doing the dishes?"
Kai shrugged, carrying them to the sink. "You work hard enough already."
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "You're just like your father when you get that serious look."
Kai paused at the sink, glancing back with a light smirk. "Please. I'm sooo much more handsome. And I don't make a serious face like he did."
She smiled and ruffled his hair once more. "Serious face or not, you're a good kid, Kai."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, but he didn't move away.
Later that evening, Kai sat near the window, one knee drawn up as he stared at the city lights outside. The apartment was quiet now, his mom humming softly in the other room as she folded laundry.
One day of school down, about...Actually how many days were in the school year? Nevertheless, that was a problem for future Kai. Present Kai determined the best thing for his sanity was to get some peace of mind and rest for the next glorious day of high school.
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Some people might say the best part of having a telekinetic quirk would be its potential. It could easily land one in a position of a top ranking hero with a decent amount of training. Others might argue that, because of its rarity, it was a distinct trait of a privileged upbringing or noble blood.
For Kai, the best part was simpler.
Slicing through the crisp morning air, golden sunlight sparkling off his glasses. High above the city, the cool wind rushed past him. He tugged his hair as he adjusted his trajectory with small bursts of force, cutting through the sky like it was his own private highway.
Granted a telekinetic quirk that could let the user fly was rare, so Kai could count himself lucky that it worked on him.
Flying like this would never get old.
When he had time, he always found an excuse to get above it all, to leave the streets, the noise, the reckless violence, everything. Up there, it was just him, the sky, and the endless view of the city stretching out to the horizon.
At the moment, he wasn't just enjoying himself, he was training. Using his quirk on himself wasn't as effective as controlling inanimate objects. It was even less effective on other people. The longer and faster he could move, the more lives he could save one day if the situation called for it.
Which was why, as he glided through the air, six small boxes floated around him in a tight orbit.
His strength wasn't the issue; he could lift a truck a few meters off the ground if he pushed himself. His control on the other hand? Lacking compared to his power. Six separate objects was his current limit, and even that strained him if he tried keeping them steady for too long. This routine was meant to sharpen both control and speed at the same time.
Kai inhaled in a breath as he slowed to a hover, drifting lazily as he glanced at the seemingly glowing rooftops below.
'Best perk of this quirk, hands down.'
After another half hour of drills, he sighed. Classes started in an hour. Time to head back before he was late.
==============================
By the time he landed on his apartment balcony, his hair was slightly wind-tossed, even more of a mess than usual, and he could smell the bacon and egg breakfast as he slid the door open.
"Kai?" his mom's voice called out, "You back already?"
"Yeah mom," Kai replied simply, walking towards her voice and finding her in the kitchen, "was just training a bit."
"Don't push yourself too hard," she said, not turning from the stove.
Kai chuckled softly, "Don't worry ma, I won't."
After showering and eating quickly, he grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm heading out."
"Have a good day Kai," his mom called after him.
He waved casually before stepping out the door, once again feeling the cool morning breeze brushing against his face.
==============================
When he walked into class, Kai noticed Tsutsumi, like most of the class, was already seated, her usual stoic expression in place.
"You're late," she said flatly. Her lips quirked slightly, as if she were trying to tease him.
Kai raised an eyebrow and smirked, slipping into his seat. "Five minutes early isn't late. Besides, you're not exactly a model student yourself, gambling on the first day."
Tsutsumi blinked, not responding, before she reached into her pocket, "Speaking of which, would you like your 500 yen?"
"Huh? For what?"
"The first bet," she replied coolly, glancing towards Bakugo "you said someone would cause trouble before lunch yesterday."
"Well, if you're offering!" Kai grinned, taking the money without hesitation, "Nice doin' business with ya."
"No humility whatsoever," she shook her head with a drop of amusement in her deadpan voice, "Next time we make a bet, I expect you to honor it if you lose."
"Yeah don't worry," he replied smoothly, tucking the bill into his pocket, "I always keep my promises."
The rest of the morning passed by uneventfully, almost disappointingly so. The classes were normal, far more normal than Kai had expected.
He remembered what Ashido said yesterday, and she was right. For the expensive look and ridiculous tuition, UA still felt like a normal high school. A very fancy one, sure, but still just a normal school.
Unfortunately, Kai couldn't afford to space out, despite his boredom. His old school barely had any functioning projectors, let alone UA's state-of-the-art resources. so he might have been far behind his classmates in the academics apartment. That would make him stand out for the wrong reasons.
Currently, Snipe stood at the front of the class, gesturing to a holographic display projecting notes about the First Hero Commission and its role in the formation of modern hero society.
"Remember," Snipe's drawl carried over the class, "the Hero Public Safety Commission wasn't just about licensing. They were the ones who pushed for hero rankings. No commish, no top ten, no pro license. Society wouldn't have been half as organized without 'em."
He continued on his rough voice cutting through some mild classroom chatter, "But, here's where things get interestin'. I'm sure some of you guys can recall, around two years ago, some of the upper staff of the HPSC were exposed for committin' crimes - heinous stuff, all 'in the name of justice."
The room went quiet at that.
"They pushed covert missions, manipulated public info, and justified it as keepin' society stable. Most of 'em are rottin' in jail right 'bout now, and there's a full-scale effort to rebuild the commission. New people, new structure - at least, that's the goal. Remember this, 'cause history repeats itself if you ain't payin' 'tention."
Kai tapped his pencil against his notebook, watching Snipe but not writing anything for a moment.
Two years ago... he remembered it was a pretty big deal. Heroes were stripped of their licenses and lots of public outrage. And Knuckleduster using it as another lesson to teach Kai why he was fighting against the system.
Kai scribbled notes down lazily.
Kai gave a subtle glance to the rest of the room. Most were paying attention to Snipes' History lecture.
Although half of them were probably wondering the same thing as he was. When do they get back to something as heart-pounding as yesterday?
The rest of Snipe's lecture dragged on, a mix of facts and stern warning about learning from the past. When the bell rang, Kai quickly stood and grabbed his bag.
"You..." Tsutsumi started to his right, glancing at his half-empty notebook, "didn't write much during class."
Kai smirked, tapping his noggin, "I remember what's important."
"Or... " she tilted her head slightly, "maybe you're just lazy."
"Hey, who says it can't be both?" he grinned.
Kai walked with her to the cafeteria, falling into step besides her as she walked with her usual calm stride.
Lunch itself was uneventful. Kai sat with Tsutsumi, Jirou, Kaminari once more, however it seemed that Kirishima and Ashido went to another table. When lunch ended, they all filed back towards the classroom.
Just as the bell rang, the door to the classroom slammed open with a dramatic BANG.
"I... AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!!"
All Might stood in the doorway, beaming brightly in his usual larger-than-life pose. The students straightened instantly, excitement rippling through the room.
Kai was rather surprised. The man was much bigger in person than on television. His teeth were blindingly bright and the antennas on his head seemingly defying gravity, standing straight.
Most of his classmates immediately started to fanboy, commenting on his costume and sudden appearance.
Kai however, looked at the man with wonder. All Might is considered to be one of, if not, the greatest hero of all time. Just the power of this one man created a golden age of peace and nearly obliterated crime to extinction without any regard for if it was a populated or rural area. Without a doubt, if All Might knew the problems of Kai's home, he would help immediately.
The issue was if any Pro Hero appeared in his city, many people would be wary and confused as to the reason for their presence. No one would think they would there to help. However, Kai wondered what everyone in his town would think if All Might came, years ago, saying his famous 'I am here' quote. Would they accept it and be happy for the end of the rampant villains? Or would they reject the hero for neglecting them for too long?
No, Kai already knew the answer. They would...
Smile. Shake his hand. Maybe the kids would even ask for pictures.
But deep down, they wouldn't trust him.
Not really.
Not after years of being ignored by the system. After watching neighbors disappear and stores burned down. Heroes had always been something that happened somewhere else. On TV. In other cities. Not anywhere near the impoverished sidewalks Kai walked on.
Yet, seeing All Might, standing there as a living legend, Kai couldn't help but feel something stir inside him.
Hope. Or resentment. Or maybe even envy.
"Young heroes, today marks the beginning of your true practical training experience!" he added with a laugh, "From this moment on, you will learn how to act as real heroes in the field!"
Wasn't this man at least 50 years old? How could he have so much spirit in his old age. His energy seemed infectious, as the class got fired up.
Kai leaned back into his chair, masking his thoughts behind a smile. He glanced to his side, Tsutsumi being stoic as always, but her back seemed to straighten at the mention of training. He could hear Bakugo practically exploding in the back from excitement.
All Might gestured to the wall behind him as panels slid open, revealing rows of neatly packed cases.
"Get suited up and meet me outside," All Might boomed, "It's time for BATTLE TRAINING!!!"
The class erupted with excitement, chairs scraping and voices rising as everyone scrambled to grab their costume cases.
Kai stood slower than the others, eyes still fixed on where All Might had stood a moment ago. His thoughts lingered, not on the training ahead, but on something else.
Something quieter.
"...Would they really even believe him if he said 'I am here'?"
The words left his mouth in barely more than a whisper. He wasn't sure why he said them out loud at all.
"What?"
Tsutsumi's voice cut in from beside him, her head tilted slightly, eyes steady and unreadable.
Kai blinked, caught mid-thought. Then, slowly, a grin pulled at his lips, faint at first, but growing wider as he turned to her.
"Nothing," he said with a casual shrug, slipping into his usual tone. "Just thinking about how good I'm gonna look in my costume."
Tsutsumi gave him a long, unreadable look. Just turned and walked with him toward the changing rooms, silent as ever.
Kai followed, his smile still lingering.