Minoru Mineta could be seen standing in the middle of a construction site alongside his father, Manami Mineta. The evening sun reflected against the unfinished steel beams and concrete pillars.
Manami loosened his tie before undoing two buttons of his shirt casually, stretching his shoulders while rolling his neck. "Alright, Minoru," he said while swinging his long ponytail behind him, "today I'm gonna teach you how to use Pop Off for swift movement."
Mineta nodded seriously. "I'm listening."
Manami grinned before suddenly flicking his head. The blue sticky balls attached to his long ponytail shot outward in multiple directions, sticking to steel beams, support pillars, railings, and unfinished walls all around the building. They looked almost random, with no visible pattern between them.
Mineta's eyes immediately sparkled with stars. 'That hairstyle is so damn cool…' he thought while staring at his father's ponytail. 'When I grow older I'm definitely styling my hair like that.'
"For swift movement, you need two things. First, reflexes and reaction speed high enough to process movement while airborne."
Then he smirked. "Second…" he bent his knees slightly, "you need guts."
"Blueberry Dash!"
BOING!
Manami jumped on one of the balls.
Then vanished.
Mineta's jaw dropped open as his father transformed into nothing but a blue blur bouncing across the construction site at insane speed, rebounding from one sticky ball to another perfectly without slowing down even once.
He twisted through the air fluidly, changing direction instantly as if he already knew exactly where every bounce would send him.
There was no hesitation. No pause. No need to readjust himself.
"How are you doing this!?" Mineta blurted out in disbelief. "You threw those balls randomly!"
Manami suddenly appeared right in front of him with a grin. "Not random," he corrected while tapping the side of his head. "Calculated."
He reached into his pocket before pulling out a worn notebook and handing it over. Mineta blinked before taking it carefully. The notebook looked old, with bent corners and faded pages from years of use.
"This was my school notebook," Manami said proudly. "I spent years practicing Blueberry Dash until it became second nature. Everything about the move is written there."
Mineta quickly flipped through the pages, his eyes widening at the amount of notes, formulas, movement diagrams, angles, calculations, and body positioning instructions written inside.
"What the hell…" he muttered in shock. "How were you bouncing around that fast without adjusting your direction? The balls were everywhere!"
Manami smirked before tapping Mineta's forehead with his finger.
"First," he said, "you learn all those math formulas and angles everyone says are useless in school."
Then he tapped Mineta's chest and stomach. "Second, you keep your breathing and heart rate stable so you don't panic at high speed. And after that…" He grinned. "You trust your instincts."
Mineta absorbed every word carefully. 'So it's not just movement… it's prediction, calculation, reflexes, and instinct all combined together,' he thought seriously.
Manami stepped back and pointed upward dramatically. "Now try it."
Mineta nodded before placing the notebook carefully into his bag. He set the bag aside before plucking several purple balls from his head and throwing them toward the steel beams around him.
Mineta took a deep breath, then jumped.
BOING!
The moment his feet touched the first ball, he shot forward at high speed toward another one attached to a beam. His eyes widened as the momentum nearly made him lose control, but he forced himself to twist his body midair before bouncing toward another ball.
Then his direction shifted wrong.
"Oh crap—!"
He was about to smash face-first into a steel beam.
Manami appeared beside him instantly and grabbed Mineta by the back of his shirt before bouncing off another ball and landing safely on the ground.
Mineta exhaled shakily while his father let go of him.
"…That was terrifying," Mineta muttered. Manami burst out laughing. "Kid, do you realize you changed directions twice on your first attempt? That's actually impressive."
"Really?"
"Yep," Manami said proudly while crossing his arms. "Most people slam into walls immediately."
"…That somehow doesn't make me feel better."
Manami laughed again before pointing upward. "Again."
Mineta nodded seriously and got back into position.
Meanwhile, back at the Mineta household, Himiko Toga was helping Umeko Mineta prepare dinner inside the kitchen. The smell of cooked rice and vegetables filled the house while soft music played quietly in the background.
Himiko carefully cut vegetables with a knife before glancing around. "Aunty Umeko," she asked curiously, "where did uncle and Minoru go?"
Umeko chuckled softly while cutting liver meat on the counter. "Manami took Minoru out to train his quirk more effectively."
Himiko hummed quietly. Her eyes slowly drifted downward toward the knife in her hands.
"…Aunty," she said hesitantly after a moment, "what do you think I should become?"
Umeko paused slightly before glancing toward her.
Himiko lowered her gaze. "I want to repay Minoru somehow," she admitted quietly. "Even though he says he doesn't want repayment… I still keep thinking I haven't done anything to deserve his kindness."
Her grip on the knife tightened slightly. "I don't deserve the kindness you and uncle Manami showed me either," she whispered. "I'm just… a burden living off your family."
Silence filled the kitchen for a moment.
Then Umeko gently put down the knife she was holding.
Himiko looked up slightly in surprise as Umeko washed and dried her hands before walking toward her.
Then suddenly—Warm arms wrapped around her.
Himiko froze as Umeko gently patted her head while holding her close.
"Minoru helped you because you needed help," Umeko said softly. "That boy would do the same for anyone he saw suffering."
Himiko's eyes trembled slightly. Umeko slowly pulled back just enough for Himiko to look into her eyes.
"And do you know what Minoru would want in return?" she asked gently.
Himiko swallowed nervously. "…What is it?"
Umeko smiled warmly with her eyes closed. "Just for you to be yourself," she answered. "Live happily. Do whatever makes you happy."
Her hand gently stroked Himiko's hair. "That alone would already mean more than enough to Minoru… and to us."
Himiko's eyes immediately watered. Before she realized it, she had tightly hugged Umeko back.
Umeko simply smiled softly and patted her head and back while whispering comforting words into her ear as Himiko silently cried into her shoulder.