Chapter 53: The Mysterious Boy

With two beautiful girls each with her own distinct style walking beside him, Kaminari strolled down the street, attracting envious glares from the men around.

"Well... even though I'm not an adult yet, this feels pretty good," Kaminari chuckled inwardly. It wasn't that he had romantic feelings for either of them, but come on, what boy wouldn't feel a little proud in this situation?

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in front of them.

"My bag! He stole my bag!"

Kaminari, Kyoka, and Momo turned their heads to see a man wearing a cat-like mask sprinting past them, clutching a woman's handbag. Behind him, a middle-aged woman in a red dress, teetering on high heels, was chasing after him, yelling for help between labored breaths.

"Kaminari?" Both Momo and Kyoka glanced at him expectantly, but Kaminari just shook his head and pulled them to the side, watching the thief dash by.

"We should leave this to the patrolling Heroes or the police," Kaminari whispered. "By law, we're not allowed to use our Quirks on people unless it's an emergency. And without Quirks, we'd probably get hurt trying to stop him."

This wasn't like the time they'd saved the elderly man. Back then, it was a matter of life and death, and Kaminari hadn't hesitated to break the rules. But for something like petty theft, there was no reason to get involved and risk trouble.

"Hey, it's broad daylight, and you're grabbing bags?" a new voice called out.

A boy with messy purple hair and narrow, triangular eyes stood calmly watching the cat-headed thief approach.

Kaminari frowned, sizing him up. "What's he planning to do? Use his Quirk? He doesn't look like a pro Hero." The boy appeared to be around the same age as Kaminari, so he probably wasn't licensed to intervene either.

"Is he just another hotheaded kid trying to be a hero?" Kaminari wondered.

The thief, now looking more desperate, snarled and raised his left hand, his nails suddenly growing long and sharp, clearly dangerous.

Seeing this, Kaminari discreetly took out a hundred-yen coin from his pocket, prepared to use it if things got out of hand.

But to his surprise, the purple-haired boy didn't do anything. He simply stepped aside and let the thief run by, just like Kaminari had.

The onlookers let out a collective sigh of relief, though many shot the boy disapproving looks. "If you're not going to do anything, why pretend to be brave?" some muttered.

Kaminari also relaxed, letting the coin fall back into his palm. He was just about to leave with Momo and Kyoka when the boy spoke again.

"Stop. Don't move."

The crowd snickered at his words. "Here we go again," someone chuckled. "Does he really think the thief is just going to stop because he said so?"

But, strangely enough... the thief did stop.

Less than ten meters away from the purple-haired boy, the thief froze in place, unable to move. His eyes darted around in panic as if something invisible was holding him back, his body refusing to obey his commands.

"Just stay there. The police or a Hero will come for you soon," the boy said calmly. Then, turning to the crowd, he added, "Don't touch him until they arrive."

Without waiting for a response, the boy turned and walked away, leaving everyone including Kaminari and his friends staring in shock.

Within minutes, several Heroes and police officers arrived on the scene. They found the thief still standing frozen, looking bewildered.

"First time I've seen a thief who doesn't try to run," one Hero remarked as he approached, handcuffs at the ready.

As soon as the handcuffs clicked around the thief's wrists, his body unfroze, and he collapsed to the ground in confusion. He seemed just as surprised as everyone else.

"What just happened?" Kaminari muttered to himself as they continued walking toward his father's company. He couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious boy and his strange Quirk.

"This is the first time I've seen an ability like that. It was almost like... mind control," Kaminari thought, replaying the scene in his head.

"Based on the distance, it seems like he can control people from afar," Kaminari mused. "But there's got to be some kind of limit. If not, his Quirk would be way too powerful, almost unfairly so."

Kaminari also thought about his teacher, Aizawa's Quirk, which could erase powers from a distance. But while Aizawa could stop someone's abilities temporarily, the boy's power seemed to completely immobilize his target.

"Kaminari, are you still thinking about that boy?" Momo asked, breaking his concentration.

"Yeah," Kaminari admitted. "His Quirk was seriously impressive. I'm trying to figure out how it worked. If I ever run into him again, I'd like to ask."

"I think I've seen him at school before," Kyoka said suddenly, surprising Kaminari.

"Wait, you've seen him at U.A.?" Kaminari asked, his interest piqued. "Is he from Class B?"

"No, I know everyone in Class B. He must be in one of the other departments," Kyoka replied thoughtfully.

"That's hard to believe," Kaminari said, thinking it over. "With a Quirk that strong, he'd have no trouble getting into the Hero Course."

But then Kaminari remembered how strict the entrance exam had been. "Actually, I guess his Quirk might not be suited for the kind of combat they test for during the exam. Still, it makes me wonder why U.A. doesn't consider abilities like his more carefully."

By this time, the three of them had arrived at Kaminari's father's office building.

Momo looked up at the structure and smiled. "Kaminari, your family's company is pretty big! It feels like one of our headquarters."

Kaminari chuckled awkwardly. "Uh... actually, we only occupy two floors..."

"Pfft!" Kyoka burst into laughter, her earlier tension melting away.

"Alright, let's head inside!" Kaminari said, leading the way into the building.

---

Meanwhile, in Shizuoka Prefecture, a blue-haired boy sat quietly, staring at his phone on the desk in front of him, waiting for a message.

"Kyoka... did you forget to mention me to Kaminari again?" he murmured to himself.

Behind him stood a brand-new electronic keyboard, waiting silently, just like its owner waiting for its first sound to be heard.