章 73: Chapter 72: Promise and Flowing Clouds
Kyoka smiled at Kazama's eagerness, and once he was standing in front of Kaminari, she raised a hand to formally introduce them.
"Kaminari, this is the keyboard player I recommended to you, Kazama Gin. He's a first-year student in the Hero course at Seijin High School."
Then she turned to Kazama. "And this is—"
Kaminari waved his hand, stepping forward with a friendly grin and offering a handshake. "Kaminari Denki, first-year Hero course student at U.A. High. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, hello."
Kazama glanced at Kaminari's hand, hesitated for a brief moment, then shook it with a gentle, almost refined touch, giving off a calm and graceful vibe.
He seemed different from earlier when he'd greeted Kyoka—there had been an undeniable spark of excitement in his eyes when he saw her. But now, facing Kaminari, his expression was subdued, showing only a polite curiosity.
"Alright, now that the introductions are done, let's get straight to the point," Kaminari said, stepping past Kazama and moving to stand near Kyoka's electronic keyboard. He glanced around the room, taking in its cozy atmosphere. "I'm guessing you're on a bit of a time crunch too, right?"
Kazama nodded, getting to the heart of things. "You've already heard me play, and I really admire the songs you've written. I'd be thrilled to join the Pikachu Band."
Kaminari didn't answer right away, instead shifting gears with an unexpected question. "I heard from Kyoka that you're not actually interested in becoming a professional hero. So why did you apply to the Hero course in the first place? And when you didn't get into a top school, you still chose the Hero course at Seijin?"
Kazama's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Kyoka, who stayed silent, and then looked back at Kaminari.
"I'm really not interested in being a hero," he admitted. "I only took the exam because Kyoka wanted to. For me, it didn't matter whether I ended up in the general studies program or the Hero course."
Inwardly, he thought, The real reason is because it gave me another thing in common with Kyoka. But... I didn't pass the U.A. entrance exam, so here I am.
Kaminari sighed. "I see. So that's probably why you didn't pass the U.A. exam, and why your grades in the Hero course at Seijin aren't great."
He looked at Kazama thoughtfully. "You've never focused on strengthening your Quirk, and you don't care about getting a Hero license, right?"
Kazama's face soured slightly. "Pretty much. My dream is to be a famous musician. Instead of wasting time on Quirks, I'd rather spend it listening to music and practicing."
"Does this have anything to do with joining the band?" he asked, clearly a bit irked.
"Actually, yes, it does."
Kaminari nodded, speaking as if it were obvious. "Because this 'Pikachu Band' isn't just some ordinary band."
"Huh?" Kazama blinked in confusion. What did he mean, 'not an ordinary band'?
"Don't you get it yet, dummy?" Kyoka interjected with a sigh, clearly a bit exasperated. "Think about it—who am I, who is Momo, and who is Kaminari?"
Kazama's blue eyes widened as he processed this. "Aren't you all... heroes? Wait—"
He turned to Kaminari, eyes widening in realization. "You want to form a band made up entirely of heroes!"
"Not quite," Kaminari corrected, shaking his head slightly. "It's a band made up of strong heroes, not just any heroes."
With a determined look, he continued, "I don't just want to be the top superstar. I want to be the best lightning Quirk user in the world. And if you're going to be part of this band, you'll have to aim for greatness too."
Kazama stared at him, mouth open in shock, then turned to Kyoka.
Kyoka met Kaminari's gaze, a spark of determination in her eyes, and then nodded firmly. Kazama was momentarily speechless.
Kaminari stepped closer, his expression serious. "If you're not willing to grow stronger and put in the effort, you're not qualified to join the Pikachu Band."
Kazama looked down, deep in thought. Kaminari sighed, figuring the answer was clear. He whispered to Kyoka, "Sorry, let's go."
"Yeah." Kyoka cast one last glance at Kazama, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She cared about him; they'd been friends for years. Kazama was always gentle and kind, especially towards her. But his lack of drive outside of music was frustrating.
As they reached the door, Kazama's voice stopped them.
"Wait."
Kaminari turned back, but Kazama wasn't looking at him. Instead, his gaze was focused on Kyoka. "Are you sure you want to go along with this craziness?"
Kyoka didn't hesitate. She nodded firmly, and Kazama's shoulders slumped slightly.
"Alright then."
He turned to Kaminari, a hint of a smile on his face. "How can I prove to you that I'm serious about getting stronger?"
Kaminari raised an eyebrow. "Really? You can change your mind that quickly?"
Kazama chuckled to himself, It's not about my dream. It's about standing by Kyoka's side.
"Look, I know just saying 'I'll do it' won't be enough for you. So give me a condition," Kazama replied, his voice steady.
Kaminari considered him thoughtfully, then his face brightened with an idea. "Alright. You've heard of the provisional Hero license exam that Hero course students across the country take, right?"
Kazama nodded, already guessing where this was going.
"That's right," Kaminari confirmed. "If you pass and earn a provisional Hero license, I'll formally invite you to join the Pikachu Band as our keyboardist."
He held out his hand. "So, do we have a deal?"
"Deal!" Kazama responded immediately, shaking Kaminari's hand with renewed confidence. He wasn't one for hesitation, and once he'd made up his mind, there was no going back.
"When the time comes, I'll be waiting for that invitation."
His eyes drifted to Kyoka, a quiet determination in his gaze. No matter what, I'll be by your side.
I gave up my grades and focused on music for you. Now, I'll give my all to become stronger for you too.
Kyoka couldn't read his thoughts, but she was still thrilled by his decision, a small smile lighting up her face.
Kaminari tilted his head curiously. "By the way, I don't think I ever asked—what's your Quirk? You don't seem to have any visible physical mutation."
Kazama lifted his azure bangs with a casual gesture. "It's an engine-type Quirk."
He raised one hand, palm open, and after a brief pause, a gentle, white cloud-like mist began to gather in his hand.
"They call it 'Flowing Cloud.'"
He glanced up at the ceiling, and then, almost absent-mindedly, raised his arms, watching the mist swirl around his palms.
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章 74: Chapter 73: Meeting Again
"Can you… actually make the clouds appear?"
Kaminari considered Kazama's Quirk, Flowing Clouds, and observed the mist gathering in Kazama's hand. He began piecing together what his ability might entail.
"Yes, I can summon clouds and mist," Kazama nodded, then added with a sheepish smile, "But only if there are clouds in the sky above."
Kaminari thought for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "So... how does that work in a fight? Can you use it to obscure vision or something?"
He was really wondering how such a Quirk could be effective in combat.
Kazama fell silent, gazing down at the mist swirling in his palm. After a pause, he finally murmured, "I honestly don't know. I've never really focused on using my Quirk in that way."
Kaminari rubbed his temples, sighing in exasperation. "Then how do you plan to get stronger?"
Even Kyoka seemed stumped, wracking her brain for ways a cloud-creating ability could be useful in battle. But besides blocking someone's vision, like Kaminari suggested, nothing practical came to mind.
"Don't worry," Kazama replied with a calm smile, seemingly unfazed by the challenge. "I'll figure it out. I promised I'd get that provisional license, and I intend to keep that promise."
With that, he turned to Kyoka and said, "I might need some advice on improving my Quirk. I'll be counting on you, Kyoka."
"Uh… sure, I'll help if I can," Kyoka replied, though she sounded a bit unsure.
"Alright then," Kaminari said with a shrug. Kazama seemed confident enough, so he decided to let it go, though he couldn't help pondering Flowing Clouds himself, wondering if he could recall any similar Quirks from his favorite anime back in his past life.
With that, the three of them went downstairs to the kitchen, where Kyoka's mother had prepared refreshments. After thanking her for the snacks, they parted ways at the door.
Naturally, Kaminari and Kyoka left together.
As they walked away, Kazama stayed behind, watching them. He let the gentle breeze lift his blue hair, his gaze following Kyoka as she strolled beside Kaminari. There was something different in the way she acted around Kaminari—she seemed almost shy. It wasn't how she usually behaved with him.
Maybe she just feels a bit nervous around the band's leader, Kazama thought, brushing off the feeling.
"Alright, time to head back," he muttered to himself. He looked up at the wide blue sky and the few drifting clouds before decisively turning around and heading home.
---
Meanwhile, as they walked together, Kyoka glanced over at Kaminari. "Do you think there's a way Kazama could use his 'cloud' Quirk in battle?"
She really wanted to help her friend figure it out.
"..." Kaminari scratched his head. He was still mulling it over. He liked analyzing different Quirks, but Flowing Clouds was a tricky one.
After a pause, he suggested, "Maybe… he could use his Quirk to give himself a speed or strength boost, like with propulsion?"
"Propulsion?" Jiro tilted her head, trying to imagine it.
"If that's too hard," Kaminari continued, "he could train in stealth techniques. Using clouds to obscure visibility, he could try something like… a 'silent takedown.'"
Kyoka's face immediately twisted with a frown. "Kaminari, Kazama wants to be a hero! 'Silent takedowns' sound way too much like a villain move."
Kaminari just laughed. "Kyoka, a Quirk is just a tool. It's neither good nor evil on its own. It's how you use it that matters."
Jiro sighed, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "Then maybe we can call it something else, like… I don't know, a 'silent rescue' instead?"
Kaminari chuckled, shaking his head. "We don't even know the full extent of Kazama's Quirk yet. He didn't exactly give us much to go on. Just being able to summon clouds doesn't tell us enough to figure out his potential."
Honestly, Kaminari wasn't entirely convinced Kazama had what it took to become stronger. And even if he did, he wondered just how far he could go with a Quirk like that.
Soon enough, they returned to U.A. for their afternoon classes. Today's combat training was led by All Might again, and they were once more split into Hero and villain teams, with a few tweaks to the rules and setting.
Overall, it was an enjoyable session. After all, they weren't allowed to use their Quirks freely outside of class, so these practical exercises were the perfect outlet.
After school, Kaminari didn't take Momo's luxury car home like he usually did. Instead, he walked with Tetsutetsu to the Shizuoka subway station.
Momo had mentioned during their tutoring session that she had a family gathering that evening, so Kaminari agreed to head home on his own. After all, she was already going out of her way to help him; it only made sense that she'd have her own family commitments.
As they exited the subway station in Saitama City, they noticed a small crowd gathered around a large tree on the sidewalk. The sound of a child crying floated over from the group, full of distress and panic.
Kaminari and Tetsutetsu exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing—was someone bullying a child? Without another word, they moved forward, ready to intervene.
As they got closer, however, they overheard someone saying that there was a cat stuck up in the tree. Among the crowd was a short, stocky man who was trying to calm down a little boy, who clung to his leg, sobbing.
"Sia-chan! Waaaaah! Sia-chan's gone… I want Sia-chan back!" The little boy's face was red and streaked with tears, and he clung desperately to his father's leg, crying his heart out.
His father patted him on the back, looking both exasperated and regretful. He mumbled to himself, I knew I shouldn't have let him hold the leash… Now the cat's stuck up there!
"So, it's just a cat, huh?" Tetsutetsu sighed, sounding a bit disappointed. He'd been hoping for a more heroic scenario, maybe even a fight.
"Yeah, but that tree's pretty tall," Kaminari noted, looking up. He could probably get up there with a burst of Godspeed, but this was technically outside Hero territory, and using his Quirk would be against the law for such a minor issue.
"Hey, that's a nice-looking tabby cat. Pretty chubby, too." A voice suddenly interrupted.
They turned to see a tall, thin boy with a familiar face, stopping nearby on his bicycle. He glanced up at the cat and seemed to recognize its breed immediately.
The boy got off his bike, approached the crowd, and asked the boy's father, "If you call its name, will it respond?"
"Uh… sometimes, yeah." The father looked a bit puzzled but went along with it.
Kaminari recognized the newcomer at once, it was the seaweed-haired boy he'd met at the shopping district a while back.
"Alright then, what's its name?" the purple-haired boy asked.
"Sia-chan! Her name's Sia-chan!" the little boy answered, sniffling, hope lighting up in his tear-stained face. "Can you help me get her back?"
"Let's give it a try."
The boy gave a reassuring smile, then addressed the crowd, "After I call her name, everyone else join in, okay? Keep calling until she responds."
The father exchanged a bewildered look with his son but nodded, willing to give it a shot. Anything was better than nothing at this point.
"Sia-chan! Look over here… Meowww—"
With a completely serious expression, the boy started meowing up at the cat, imitating cat sounds without an ounce of embarrassment. His meows were startlingly realistic, almost like he'd been practicing.
"M-meow… meow… meow—"
Then, something surprising happened. Before the father or the crowd could start calling, the cat actually responded. The boy smiled to himself and muttered, "What a good kitty."
"Alright, Sia-chan, come on down from there!"
To everyone's astonishment, the chubby black-and-white tabby began carefully making its way down the tree, tugging the leash along as it climbed. The onlookers gasped in surprise.
"Good kitty."
The boy crouched down, gently picking up the cat and cradling it in his arms. After giving it a few gentle strokes, he handed it to the little boy, who took it with a wide grin.
To prevent another runaway, the boy handed the leash to the father, making sure they had a firm grip on it this time.
"Is that… his Quirk?" Kaminari murmured to himself as he watched. "He calls, and if the other person answers, he can control them?"
Intrigued, Kaminari approached him. "Hey, wait a sec! Can we talk for a bit? You're a Hero course student too, right?"
"Hmm?"
The boy turned around, squinting his fish-like eyes at Kaminari while still holding onto his bike. "Yeah… so, you're in the Hero course too?"
"I'm Kaminari Denki, Class 1-A at U.A. High. How about you?"
Tetsutetsu looked between the two, surprised. This was the first time he'd seen Kaminari go out of his way to introduce himself like this.
"Hero course… Hitoshi Shinso, General Studies, Class C," the boy replied casually. Before Kaminari could ask anything more, Shinso swung a leg over his bike and waved.
"Sorry, but I've got to get to work at the car shop. Let's chat next time…"
With that, he pedaled away, leaving Kaminari watching his back in silence.
As Shinso disappeared into the distance, Kaminari sighed, thinking, Guess there'll be other chances. Living in Saitama and wanting to be a hero… I'll definitely get to know more about your Quirk.
クリエイターの想い
Junkdog
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