Kapitel 175: Chapter 174: The Inexplicable Villains

Urgent footsteps echoed down the building's hallway, followed by the rapid sound of buttons being pressed on an electronic keypad. A moment later, a soft, cheerful voice greeted Kaminari as he entered the apartment.

"Pikachu!" the welcome chime sounded.

But Kaminari had no time to pay attention to it. He dashed straight into the house, shouting, "Dad! Mom!"

"My son's home!"

However, as Kaminari took in the scene in the living room, he froze. The atmosphere wasn't anything like he had expected.

There was no panic, no anxiety. Instead, the room was calm, almost serene. His parents and Midnight were seated on the sofa, chatting and sipping black tea as though nothing had happened.

"Son, you're finally back!" his mother exclaimed, standing to greet him with a warm smile. She took his arm, her expression brimming with joy. "I've been so worried about you this past week. Let me take a good look at you!"

"Uh… you're… you're all okay?" Kaminari asked hesitantly, looking around the room. His gaze lingered on his father and Midnight, but both smiled at him reassuringly.

"Of course, we're fine," his father said, his tone calm and steady as he took another sip of black tea. "Teacher Midnight has already explained the situation to us. Don't worry, we're not so fragile that we'd be helpless in the face of a little trouble."

Kaminari's father set his cup down and leaned forward slightly. "The important thing now is solving the problem, not dwelling on it. That's why we've been discussing solutions with Teacher Midnight."

"What kind of solutions?" Kaminari asked as his mother gently guided him to sit on the sofa with her.

"In addition to police protection," his father explained, "I've reached an agreement with Midnight's Hero Office. They'll take full responsibility for the security of this apartment. We've already informed the property management."

He gestured to a document on the table before continuing, "I'm also planning to hire a professional hero as a personal bodyguard. I'm in the process of reviewing candidates now."

Kaminari stared at his father in surprise as he listened. Midnight had clearly informed them of the situation, including Kaminari's strength, but his father had correctly identified the real issue: the safety of the family.

By ensuring his and his wife's security, Kaminari's father knew he could give his son the peace of mind needed to focus on his own priorities.

For Kaminari, seeing his father take charge like this filled him with relief.

"Dad, you're handling this perfectly," Kaminari admitted, his tone softening. Then, glancing at Midnight, he added, "But this can't be cheap, right?"

His father smiled faintly. "No matter the cost, these things need to be done," he replied firmly. "Money comes and goes, but family comes first."

Kaminari's father leaned back slightly and added, "Besides, I'm also in talks with Mitsui to order an advanced intelligent security system for the entire community."

"I suggested moving to a different place," Kaminari's mother interjected with a shake of her head. "But your father refused, insisted on spending more money instead."

"And why should we move?" Kaminari's father countered, his tone sharp and unyielding. "Why should we give up our home just because some 'rats' want to cause trouble? Let them come. I'm not going to run away from a problem like this."

Kaminari's father's voice softened slightly as he continued, "This house isn't just a building. It's the home I worked hard to buy so I could marry your mother. I'll never forget the look on her face, how she smiled and cried when she first saw it. This is our home, and we're not leaving."

His words struck Kaminari deeply, filling him with a sense of pride and admiration. In this moment, he saw his father as a strong, resolute figure—the true head of their family.

"Mom," Kaminari said, clenching his fists, "I agree with Dad. We're not moving!"

Inside, however, anger simmered in his chest. His thoughts turned dark as he vowed silently, Anyone who dares to come here will regret it. And whoever put that bounty on me, I'll find you—and I won't hold back.

"Kaminari," Midnight said suddenly, her calm voice breaking through his thoughts. She had noticed the cold look in his eyes. "You can't take action yourself. Don't forget—you don't have a Hero License yet."

"A Hero License?" Kaminari let out a small, bitter laugh. "This is about my family's safety. Don't expect me to sit still because of some license. If I have to act, I won't hesitate."

"Kaminari!" Midnight's tone turned stern, her brows furrowing. "Stay calm. We heroes will protect your family. Your job is to focus on your studies and get your Hero License as soon as possible."

"I am calm," Kaminari replied evenly, his face devoid of emotion. "And I'll work hard to earn my license. But if something happens in the meantime, I'll do what I have to."

---

As his thoughts settled, Kaminari began to reflect on the absurdity of the situation.

He hadn't provoked anyone, nor had he gone out of his way to seek conflict. All he had done was receive a combat suit, and now he was the target of a $50 million bounty.

Isn't this backward? Kaminari thought irritably. Aren't villains supposed to show up after the hero does something to piss them off? What is this nonsense?!

---

"Wait a second…" Kaminari suddenly realized something.

The only people who knew the details of his combat uniform were Tetsutetsu and the team at Mitsui's research base.

It wasn't that he suspected Mitsui Buntais or Dr. Tenma of betrayal. But a spy? That was possible.

"The mole has to be someone directly involved in the production of the combat uniform," Kaminari muttered to himself.

He made a mental note to inform Dr. Tenma about his suspicions. They would need to root out the spy and track down whoever was truly behind this bounty.

---

What Kaminari didn't know was that Mitsui had already begun taking action.

As soon as Mitsui Buntais received word of the bounty, he initiated an internal investigation at the research base. Additionally, Mitsui activated covert intelligence networks to track down the source of the order.

The Yaoyorozu family, too, had joined the effort. The situation not only involved the rare SIS memory alloy but also concerned Kaminari personally—a Class 1-A student and an important friend to Momo.

***

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Kapitel 176: Chapter 175: Preparations Before the Night Attack

"Alright, alright, let's trust Midnight and the others. By the way, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, is here too!"

Kaminari's mother noticed the growing tension between Kaminari and Midnight and stepped in to diffuse it with a smile.

"Teacher Aizawa?" Kaminari's attention immediately shifted. He hadn't expected his class teacher to be involved in this situation as well.

"Where is he?"

"He went out to deal with the 'rats.' This is the kind of thing he's particularly good at," Midnight replied, shaking her head lightly.

"What about the bodyguard selection? How many options are there now?" Kaminari asked, steering the conversation toward the security arrangements.

Naturally, he hoped they could hire one of the top ten Pro Heroes. Even if the cost was high, it would be worth it. However, he also understood how unlikely that was. Heroes of that caliber rarely took bodyguard jobs unless the client was a high-profile figure like the prime minister or royalty.

"There are three options," Midnight began, diving straight into the details.

"The first candidate is 'Rope-Man,' who also lives in Saitama City. We considered him because he's familiar with the local area, and his abilities are fairly decent."

"Rope-Man… you mean that guy with the rope from before?" Kaminari asked, frowning.

"Yes, that's him."

"No way. Absolutely not," Kaminari said bluntly, shaking his head. He then explained his reasoning.

"He's too weak. If we can't afford top-tier Heroes, we should at least aim for second-tier ones, not third-rate characters like him."

Midnight smiled helplessly at Kaminari's bluntness. "If that's the case, the second candidate probably won't work either. His strength is about the same as Rope-Man's."

Midnight wasn't surprised by Kaminari's response. After all, most Pro Heroes in society weren't top-tier. The truth was, the majority of Heroes weren't powerhouses. However, Kaminari had grown accustomed to associating with elite figures, so his standards were understandably high.

"So, does that mean the third candidate is stronger?" Kaminari asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Midnight confirmed. "The third candidate used to be Endeavor's assistant. He started his own agency two years ago and is significantly stronger than most Pro Heroes."

"Endeavor's assistant?" Kaminari's interest was piqued immediately. Even his parents, who weren't well-versed in the Hero world, perked up at the mention of Endeavor.

Although Endeavor wasn't as universally admired as All Might, his reputation as the perennial No. 2 Hero made him a household name.

"Yes, his Hero name is 'Snatch.' He's a Sand Hero, and his Quirk is called 'Sand.' However, he has a bit of a rigid personality—a very traditional 'justice-first' type," Midnight explained. She sounded slightly annoyed at the prospect of dealing with such a serious character, but she didn't let her personal bias get in the way of recommending him.

"Interesting," Kaminari murmured.

He picked up the roster on the coffee table and quickly flipped through the pages until he found Snatch's profile. The details were thorough, even including a hexagonal attribute chart that outlined his strengths and weaknesses.

"Hmm… good at survival, control, and support. Decent damage output, but lacks range. He's definitely a bodyguard-type Hero," Kaminari analyzed, studying the chart closely.

He continued reading, focusing on Snatch's Quirk description.

"Quirk: 'Sand'—can freely transform into and manipulate sand, controlling every particle. Immune to most physical and elemental attacks."

As Kaminari read the description, an image formed in his mind. It reminded him of a powerful figure from one of his favorite stories.

"His Majesty Crocodile of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Kaminari thought with a small grin.

But something puzzled him. With such an impressive Quirk, how was Snatch only a second-rate Hero at the age of forty-five? If he could fully utilize his sand manipulation and partial transformation abilities, he should easily rank higher.

"Dad, let's go with him," Kaminari said decisively, closing the roster.

He was already thinking about how he could help Snatch improve. If the Hero had the right guidance, he could fully unlock the potential of his Quirk. After all, the stronger Snatch became, the better he could protect Kaminari's father.

What could a first-year student possibly teach a Pro Hero with decades of experience? Not much in terms of combat tactics. But when it came to creative uses of sand manipulation and elementalization, Kaminari had plenty of ideas.

After all, his inspiration came from legends like the Second Kazekage and Crocodile.

"Snatch's employment fee is two million yen per month," Midnight reminded him.

"Two million…" Kaminari muttered, glancing at his father.

His father simply smiled confidently. "Don't worry about the cost. We've got it covered."

Thanks to the booming success of the "Pokémon" IP, their finances were more than secure. Kaminari's father's firm confidence made it clear that money wasn't an issue.

"Understood," Midnight said, pulling out her phone. "I'll contact Snatch right away."

---

As Midnight made the call, the doorbell rang. Kaminari got up to answer it and found Officer Megure, who had accompanied him earlier.

"Mr. Kaminari," Megure began, addressing Kaminari's father, "our current intelligence suggests that the villains might make their move tonight. For your safety, I strongly recommend staying indoors."

"We've already deployed strict security measures in this neighborhood," Megure continued. "With the cooperation of the Midnight Office and the Saitama police, you can rest assured that you're well-protected."

Kaminari's father stood and exchanged polite words with Officer Megure, thanking him for his efforts. Kaminari watched from the side, impressed by his father's charisma.

His father's ability to navigate situations like this made it clear that his company's success wasn't solely due to the "Pokémon" IP. His eloquence and leadership were equally important.

---

Meanwhile, Tetsutetsu, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.

"Kaminari, do you think my combat uniform will be targeted too?" he asked nervously.

If his uniform was as valuable as Kaminari's, wouldn't that put his father at risk as well?

"Well…" Kaminari hesitated, unsure of how to answer. The possibility was definitely there. After all, Dr. Tenma had mentioned how expensive Tetsutetsu's combat uniform would have been if its materials weren't subsidized.

"Maybe you should head home and check on your dad," Kaminari suggested.

"But didn't they say the villains might attack at night? Should I really leave now?" Tetsutetsu looked conflicted.

"You're not allowed to take action here anyway," Kaminari reminded him with a helpless smile. Midnight's warning about Hero licenses had been clear.

After a moment of thought, Tetsutetsu nodded. "Alright, I'll go home and check on my dad. He's my only family, after all."

"Don't worry," Kaminari assured him. "We agreed to fight side by side if something happens."

It was a small lie. If a battle did break out, Kaminari didn't want to drag Tetsutetsu into the chaos. Still, he didn't want his friend to feel abandoned either.

***

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