Chapter 7: Harmony
Inside a building resembling a dojo, a group of ten children dressed entirely in white sat on the floor facing a man of strange appearance who was standing in front of a table tinkering with a small laptop meant for his large hands.
The man was tall and muscular, wearing a mask with four holes, and around his arms he carried something strange resembling a revolver's magazine. This was Pro-Hero Gunhead.
"Teacher, are you sure this song is appropriate for practicing capoeira?"
Gunhead turned when he finished browsing HeroTube to play the song "Automotivo Empurra" his attention directed towards the orange-haired girl seated to the right of the group, who had her hand raised.
"Sorry, girl, I didn't hear you. Is it your first day here? Can you tell me your name and repeat what you said?"
Gunhead stopped the music, causing the gaze of the other nine children to fall on the girl, making her feel somewhat embarrassed.
"My name is Itsuka Kendo, and I was wondering if the song you just played is really suitable for a dance like capoeira."
Gunhead looked curiously at the girl and with a smirk, directed his attention to the other end of the group as he replied.
"If you're in doubt... let me show you."
Gunhead raised his finger towards a black-haired boy sitting to the left and began gesturing for him to come closer.
The boy stood up and walked towards Gunhead, who then pointed towards the computer screen, specifically to the title of the song that was playing.
After a few seconds looking at the screen, he shifted his attention from the laptop back to Gunhead with a nod.
"Alright. Introduce yourself to your new classmate."
The boy read his lips and nodded again as he turned towards the orange-haired girl, pointing to a label on his white shirt.
"Reiki Kamiji, pleasure to meet you."
That was all Rei said before walking away from Gunhead and assuming a position with his legs extended forward and his arms down, tapping his index and middle fingers at a steady rhythm.
"I'll introduce myself again since we have a new member in our classes. My name is Gunhead, and I'm a Pro-Hero who teaches self-defense. On Fridays, like today, and Sundays, I teach capoeira, but my teaching differs a bit from the standard..."
Kendo was about to ask what he meant, but before she could even utter a word, Gunhead shot forward, just like Rei.
"Here we go~."
Less than a meter from colliding, Gunhead took the initiative by leaning his body to the left and using his left foot as a pivot, executing a powerful roundhouse kick with his right leg aimed directly at his opponent's throat.
Rei leaned slightly to the right and dropped his entire body down, using his hands for support and exerting tremendous force on his forearms, he rotated his entire body generating powerful momentum channeled into a reverse roundhouse kick towards Gunhead's left foot.
"You're really showing off, Rei-chan."
Gunhead flashed a small smile behind his mask as he completed the full motion of the kick with his right leg, using it as support to leap into the air.
"But you still have a long way to GO!"
The music continued to play, harmonizing with the sounds of their strikes and movements.
The difference in reach was clear, and Rei's attack missed, leaving him exposed with both hands on the ground.
Gunhead wasted no time, spinning his body with the intent of using the force of the rotation to strike with a descending circular kick.
The children watched in amazement as instead of being hit, Rei used the momentum of his kick to spin on his elbow and narrowly dodge a devastating blow that shook the ground.
Using his arm, he made a small lateral jump fixing his gaze on Gunhead, who had already launched himself towards him again.
*SWISH*
Dodging a kick aimed at the left side of his head, he inclined his body to the right to place his elbow in the path of the kick.
*THUMP*
The force of the impact on his arm helped him spun his entire body to one side and launched a powerful spinning kick at the upper calf, causing Gunhead's movements to stop.
The air in the classroom changed, and a strange sense of oppression filled the atmosphere.
Kendo directed her gaze to the place where her senses told her not to approach—to Gunhead himself, who swayed from side to side to the rhythm of the music.
Rei's eyes narrowed, and he instantly crossed both arms in front of him while making a small jump backward.
In the blink of an eye, Gunhead dashed forward and twisted his entire body to focus all his energy into a powerful back kick that connected with Rei's arms, leaving a large footprint mark on them while sending his small body flying backward.
'Crazy.'
Using all his remaining strengt, Rei leaned his body backward and fall onto his back against the ground, unable to avoid making a grimace from the pain he felt.
He got back on his feet and began to shoot accusatory glances between the mark on his arms and Gunhead.
"...Gunhead-sensei, I told you that if you got too excited again, I'd leave on the spot."
"I-I knew you'd hold it, Rei-chan~. Rei-chan? Rei-Oh..."
Gunhead tried to call out to him when he saw him leaving, but then he seemed to remember something and fell silent, watching somewhat remorsefully as Rei gathered his things.
Kendo was still sitting with the other children, her face filled with surprise and disbelief. The movements she had just witnessed were very different from conventional capoeira, given the intent to strike in the movements, yet it still seemed like a beautiful dance that still followed the rhythm of the music.
Waking from her astonishment, she saw Rei pause before exiting the dojo's entrance to look directly at her, prompting her to unconsciously tilt her head in confusion. But a second later, Rei had turned back around and left.
Kendo was somewhat puzzled, but more intrigued by what she had just witnessed, so she ignored what had just happened and hesitantly turned to the older boy beside her.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what happened?"
The boy looked at her with a playful smile and pointed to a dejected Gunhead with slumped shoulders, who had turned his back to them to drink an energy drink.
"Gunhead-sensei's martial arts are focused on efficiency, and he puts a lot of effort into teaching us. But among all of us, Reiki Kajima is the only one who has managed to learn them to the point of giving him a real challenge in less than six months, when some of us have been here for over a year...*sigh* He's a genius. The downside of it is that having someone to face 'seriously' tends to make the sensei get too excited."
Kendo nodded, understanding more about the situation, but her face showed some confusion again as she turned back to the boy.
"Sorry again, Gunhead-sensei was calling him, but that boy ignored him. Isn't that too disrespectful even if he's very capable?"
The boy's eyes showed a slight surprise, but he quickly shook his head, showing a genuine smile.
"Kajima-kun is the farthest thing from disrespectful. He don't seems to like talk but he helps us a lot, those of us who have fallen behind, even when he could be learning more on his own. He's a kind person you should try asking him help... Sadly, fate is often unfair to people like him."
Kendo involuntarily raised an eyebrow at the boy's musings, but she couldn't help but feel curious about what was going on.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, my parents say stuff like that when they see something bad happen to kind people. Anyways, I'm saying that Kajima-kun doesn't ignore us, you see, he..."
Even amidst the small commotion of children surrounding Kendo and her conversation, Gunhead was able to hear the boy and shook his head as he carried the energy drink can to the trash bin near the entrance.
'Genius? What a joke. Rei-chan is the only one who stayed late practicing all these months, except for today hehe... If there's anything he can be called a genius for, it's for the love he shows for this art at such a young age and with such a disability as his. That kid fills me with pride!'
Gunhead opened his hand, letting the can drop, and turned towards the group of children with his arms open.
"Let's practice!"
︿︿︿︿︿︿︿
'I didn't expect to encounter a character from the school so soon.'
Rei's thoughts halted along with his steps, and he looked up with a smile.
"Welcome to Burger Kin-Oh, isn't you the little one? The usual?"
He nodded to the employee and extended his hand over the counter to give her the money while hiding a brief expression of pain.
"Y-Yes, please, with extra lettuce."
The woman took the money with one hand while using the other to tousle Rei's hair.
"Of course, sweetie. Take a seat, and I'll bring it over in a bit."
"Thank you."
After thanking her, he turned around and headed to one of the few empty tables near the room's corner, pulling out a new phone from his backpack that his parents had given him.
It didn't take him even a minute of sitting down to involuntarily let out a sigh and bring a hand to his face supressing a laugh as he read the screen of his phone with a smirk.
============================================
Harmony x HeroTube ✉ Text & Call
TheComedy ☼ Writting...
[Miss your streams, little man]
[You: And I miss banning you every stream]
BlondiePitch ♪ Offline
[Are you listening my broadcast tonight?]
[You: Won't it be full of my songs? Haha]
Joe69⛇ Offline
[You: I can assure you is not your fault man, don't worry]
[I got fined man, don't ever get a car when you grow up :(]
Earphone☠ Offline
[I promise]
[You: I'll be waiting for it]
============================================
A tray with a medium-sized package bearing a familiar logo appeared in a corner of his vision, drawing his attention away from his phone screen to the smiling attendant waiting for him.
"Thank you."
The attendant nodded back, tousling his hair with a smile. Rei didn't mind, as unlike other employees he'd encountered, she was one of the few who didn't react "negatively" upon realizing he was deaf. But if there was one thing Rei would highlight about her, it was the sense of kindness she exuded and how familiar her shoulder-length bob-cut hairstyle seemed to him.
'She still seems too familiar... Whatever.'
The woman raised her hand, and Rei thanked her again with a smile before beginning to unwrap the hamburger and immediately taking a bite. Instantly, he brought a hand to his cheek in reaction to the taste.
"Mmmmmm... Meat, pickles and mustard, never fails."
A vibration resonated through the table, catching Rei's attention.
[Harmony / Incoming Video Call: Hidden Number / Caller Name: Nezu.]
'Oh?'
He glanced between his phone and the hamburger with a slight frown. Reluctantly, he placed the hamburger back on the tray, wiped his hands with a napkin, and answered the call, but not before quickly checking his clothes.
'The dojo shirt should pass as a regular white one with this jacket... Lookin' good.'
Rei leaned for a second and returned as the screen changed, showing the image of a large chair being occupied by a white animal-like figure with a large scar on the right side of its face. It seemed adorable at first glance, but its gaze and the atmosphere around it were enough to convey the seriousness with which this person should be treated.
Rei glanced around and felt relieved to see that there was no one around him, as the receptionist was attending to other customers and the tables nearby were empty. He lowered the volume of the call.
[Good afternoon, young Kamiji.]
Small Japanese letters inside a speech bubble connected to Nezu's mouth appeared on the screen, courtesy of the "Deaf's Comic" application that his mother often used. After reading them, Rei smiled politely and bowed his head for a few seconds.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Nezu. I appreciate that you could take some time to see me."
Nezu's face became somewhat stern, and he showed a smile accompanied by small beads of sweat.
[I didn't have much choice...]
"Huh?"
[Nothing. Your mother told me that you were interested in meeting me and that you had some questions to ask, but unfortunately, I don't have much available time, so I came to apologize in person and delegate you to three people who I think can help you with any questions you have.]
Rei didn't feel too disappointed with this, as his intention behind this was to gather all the information about the hero course while establishing a connection with the school's director.
He put on a polite smile, although internally feeling confused by the strange smile that the director gave him.
"No problem, Mr. Nezu. I appreciate you taking the time to communicate with me, and I hope that another day we'll have the chance to talk again."
Nezu erased the strange smile from his face, adopting a more trustworthy expression, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the phone screen.
[By the way... I'm a huge fan, I'll be waiting to see you at U.A., JAD.]
Rei's body trembled for a moment but quickly relaxed. He considered the possibility that Nezu might investigate him, and with his intelligence, he figured it wouldn't be too difficult to find out that the identity linked to the JAD account on HeroTube was his mother's and, consequently, her deaf son, the same deaf musician.
'Even so... it doesn't feel good.'
Nezu showed slight surprise in his eyes before the screen completely changed, splitting into three vertically stretched squares that occupied the entire interface of the video call.
Rei looked somewhat disinterested at the three new participants in the call, expecting someone like the guidance counselor with the Quirk of a dog or the elderly Recovery Girl. However, as he looked at the people, his eyes widened for a moment.
'Crap.'
In the top-left square was a young man with spiky blonde hair with a strange speaker in front of his neck, in the top-right a dark-haired man with a dull gaze and strange bandages wrapping his neck, and finally, at the bottom, a curvaceous woman with black hair who was giving a strange look to the camera.
'They're proffesors this early?'
[Present Mic: What's wrong with the kid?]
[Midnight: Is this the interviewing boy?]
[Eraser Head: Behave. The director told us to answer all his questions.]
Rei moved his eyes at an incredible speed to read everything correctly, and when he was about to say something, the cameras of the three people vibrated at the same time, as if they had received a message simultaneously.
The gaze of the three simultaneously rose to the top of their sight, and slowly turned back to Rei. This process repeated a total of five times until finally, the three leaned forward in front of the camera with their eyes wide open.
Rei unconsciously tilted his head, but had a remote idea of what had happened and who was responsible.
'That rat...'
[Midnight: I asked for a raise, but this is much better~]
[Present Mic: N-No way...]
[Eraser Head: JAD?]
Facing the camera and their stares, Rei had a strong impulse to end the call right then and there. However, seeing their faces made it difficult for him to even move, and after a few seconds, he let out a sigh full of resignation, lowering his head only for a second to raise it instantly with an awkward look.
"Um... H-Hey?"
Seeing the huge movement of Present Mic's mouth and how much his neck had stretched, Rei internally rejoiced at having lowered the volume in advance. His gaze shifted to the other two people who had the same reaction: no reaction at all.
The 'annoying' part of it was the noticeable difference between both 'no reactions'. Eraser didn't seem to have reacted at all, but there was a certain surprise, interest, and...
'Respect?'
While Midnight's reaction was totally different, it was the same look accompanied by a smile that his mother gave him when he was born, as if she had seen a new toy.
An indescribable shiver ran down his spine, and unconsciously, he moved a few inches away from the phone. However, this only seemed to make everything worse, as Midnight's smile grew wider.
[Eraser Head: I didn't expect this, but it's a pleasant surprise. I'm glad to finally meet you, JAD.]
[Midnight: I expected him to be more... fragile. But this doesn't look bad~]
[Present Mic: JAD! I can't believe it! FINALLY, JAD! Wait, if you're the one making questions-YOU WILL GO U.A-Wait, I'LL BE YOUR TEACHER! OMAGAAAAAAAAAD]
Upon seeing their strange expressions of surprise, Rei couldn't help but laugh until he cried for a few seconds. When he finally turned his attention back to the phone after calming down, he felt a bit embarrassed to see the three young heroes smiling at him.
"Umm, as you know, I'm him. While I'm quite familiar with Mr. Present Mic and can guess that the man with the nickname 'Eraser Head' is Eraser, unfortunately, I don't recognize you, miss. I mean I know you, but I don't remember any name I can relate to you."
PresentMic's expression changed from excitement to a mock sad smile, while Midnight's face became genuinely sad and somewhat annoyed, showing she wasn't acting in the slightest.
[Midnight: How could you forget me, JAD-chan? All those moments we spent together? Did they mean NOTHING to you?!]
[Present Mic: SIR?! After all the time we've spent together, you call me sir... What happened to 'Hey Blondie, glad to see you again.' WHERE DID THOSE MOMENTS GO?!]
Feeling somewhat confused by their exaggerated reactions, Rei's face showed a bit of guilt.
[Eraser: Stop bothering him. JAD, Present is just teasing you. As for Midnight... she is @YourSadisticWhip, @YourSadisticWhip2, and... @PleaseStopBanningMySadisticAccountJAD.]
"Oh."
Rei's face initially showed relief and annoyance, but upon reading the usernames, his expression turned completely cold, and he looked at the phone with a grimace.
"The stalker?"
Present Mic abruptly turned his face away from the camera, trying to hide his laughter, but the trembling of his body gave him away. On the other hand, Midnight's expression froze completely showing full embarrassment as she was scrutinized by a child. Meanwhile, Eraser shook his head, letting out a sigh.
[Midnight: I'm not-]
"You're the one who asked me thirty times if I had a girlfriend over six months just to make me nervous and my hands turn red. Predator."
Present Mic started pounding the table with laughter, and even Eraser had to move out of the camera's range for a few seconds.
[Midnight: Just... Just make the questions, please.]
Rei stared at the uncomfortable Midnight for a few seconds until his lips started trembling, and then he burst into a hearty laugh that confused her. Taking his time to recover, he waved his hands calmly while giving Midnight a warm and friendly smile.
"I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding~ It's a pleasure to finally meet the person who put so much effort into bothering me even more than TheComedy. I sincerely appreciate the support you've given me by spending so much time with me, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart if I've made you feel bad... but after so many months, it was my turn, right? Hehe~"
A small involuntary smile appeared on Rei's face. When he looked back at Midnight, he saw her blinking in confusion as she stared at her phone's camera. Her expression instantly changed showing a small smile accompanied by a strange look.
[Midnight: Those jokes aren't funny, JAD... But you're adorable~. Do you have parents? I wouldn't mind-]
[Eraser Head: Alright. Let's stop right there.]
[Present Mic: Absolutely.]
[Eraser Head: JAD, do you mind if we start with the questions? Depending on the questions, we may have to give you limited answers or we may not be able to answer at all. Is that okay with you?]
Rei looked a bit confused by the first thing he read but quickly nodded and reached his hands into the backpack beside him, pulling out a pen and a brown notebook.
"That sounds perfect."
Showing a big smile, he held both items in front of the camera and placed them on the table, fixing his gaze on the phone.
"Thank you for taking the time to do this. The first thing I wanted to ask is if..."
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