Chapter 70: Family and Fighting

Kaminari looked at his mother, who was crying, and hugged her tightly, concern evident in his gaze as he glanced over her worried expression. He spoke softly, feeling a pang of guilt.

"You already know, huh?"

"Yeah, we got a call from U.A. about an hour ago..." His father sighed, then looked over at his wife. "Your mom was so worried she was ready to book a flight and head straight there."

At that moment, his mother looked up with an almost pleading expression. "Son, maybe it's time to leave this hero stuff behind. Wouldn't it be nice to just sing and paint instead?"

Kaminari fell silent. He understood his mother's concerns, but he wasn't ready to give up on U.A. so easily.

It wasn't that he had some desperate need to be a "hero," but he'd come this far, and he at least wanted to pass the licensing exam.

And... he found he actually enjoyed the thrill of fighting.

"Ah, I figured you'd feel that way," she said softly, resigning herself. "Forget it... do what you want."

But then, his mother looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Just promise me you'll stay safe. Promise me that nothing bad will happen to you!"

"You have to understand, son—your life isn't just your own anymore!"

"Promise me, okay?"

At her words, Kaminari could no longer hold back his emotions. He hugged her tightly, his voice choked with emotion. "I promise, Mom. I'll be safe. I promise."

"Alright, let's head back to the living room to calm down," his father said, voice trembling as he struggled to keep his own emotions in check. "We'll have dinner, and our son can rest afterward. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."

As the head of the family, Kaminari's father felt he needed to stay composed. If he lost his cool, the whole family would fall apart.

Later that evening, they received another call from U.A. The school informed them that Class 1-A would have a day off tomorrow, with regular classes resuming the day after. This small gesture seemed to soothe the parents' concerns somewhat, it showed that U.A. was at least trying to be considerate of their feelings.

U.A.'s strong reputation over the years was enough to earn the benefit of the doubt. They were just relieved their son had come home safe.

The next day, Kaminari skipped his usual morning jog and study session, while his father stayed home from work. The family spent the day together, enjoying homemade side dishes prepared by his mother and watching TV.

However, the news was filled with reports of heroes being attacked, and Kaminari even spotted a few short clips featuring himself and his classmates.

He couldn't help but wonder how those reporters managed to get those photos of him and the others.

It seemed that his classmates were in similar situations. Most parents had chosen to comfort their shaken children with warmth and affection. Surprisingly, it was effective by the end of the day, many were already laughing and chatting about the events of the day before.

On the third day, Kaminari met up with Tetsutetsu, and they took the Shinkansen back to U.A. Together. As they entered the classroom, they saw that Uraraka, Midoriya, Bakugo, Jiro, and Tokoyami were already there.

"Yo, Kaminari!"

"Tetsutetsu!"

"Good morning, everyone!"

Kaminari greeted them cheerfully, heading to his seat. As he settled in, he leaned over to Midoriya and whispered, "By the way, you better forget everything you saw yesterday!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Midoriya blinked in confusion, but then Kaminari's strange expressions and behavior from yesterday came rushing back to his mind. With an awkward laugh, he quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, I... I won't tell anyone."

"Good. I'd hate for you to experience a 'million-volt' reminder," Kaminari chuckled, patting Midoriya on the shoulder.

"A-ah! No need, I get it!"

Midoriya nodded in a flustered panic. He'd been standing closest to Kaminari yesterday, and he was all too aware of the terrifying power of Kaminari's 'Million Volt' move.

As the classroom filled up, everyone naturally began chatting and exchanging greetings. However, soon, an unspoken understanding passed through the room, and a quiet anticipation settled over the students.

It was time for class, but they all had one question on their minds: Who would be their homeroom teacher today? Aizawa-sensei had been hospitalized after the recent attack.

Their questions were soon answered when the door opened, and a bandage-wrapped figure walked in, surprising everyone.

"Good morning..."

"Aizawa-sensei!!"

"Isn't that recovery a bit too fast?"

"More like too dedicated, if you ask me."

Iida, the class rep, raised his hand and asked loudly, "Teacher, are you alright?"

"Does he look alright?" Uraraka muttered from her seat behind Iida, her voice tinged with concern.

Despite his injuries, Aizawa made his way up to the podium with calm steps. His voice was steady, if a bit hoarse.

"Whether I'm alright or not isn't important. What matters is that the fight isn't over yet."

His words immediately captured everyone's attention. Mineta, the most nervous among them, looked particularly pale, fearing another villain attack.

"The U.A. Sports Festival is coming up."

With those words, the heavy atmosphere lifted, and excitement sparked through the room. Even Kaminari couldn't help feeling a surge of anticipation. He'd been in this world long enough to know just how important the U.A. Sports Festival was.

"Finally! It's happening!" Kirishima jumped up, slamming his hands on the desk. "A true school-wide event!"

Kyoka raised a skeptical eyebrow. "But, sensei, we were just attacked by villains. Is it really safe to hold a sports festival right now?"

"Yeah, what if they attack again?" Ojiro asked cautiously.

"Then we'll crush them!" Bakugo growled, fists clenched with a fierce glint in his eyes.

Aizawa, looking rather tired, lifted his right arm encased in plaster. "Quite the opposite, actually. The school intends to use this sports festival to show the world how effective our crisis management system is."

He continued, "I heard security will be five times stronger than in previous years."

Raising his head slightly, he looked out over his students, his injured eyes trying to focus.

"More importantly, the U.A. Sports Festival is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of you. We can't just cancel it because of a few villains."

"Besides," he added, "our sports festival is a major national event in Japan. It's not something the school can just decide to cancel."

Aizawa went on to explain some basic information about the upcoming festival a standard briefing, really—and soon after, class was dismissed.

Even as they left the classroom, Kirishima, Bakugo, and a few others were still buzzing with excitement.

"Early April, huh? That's only a month to prepare!"

Thinking it over, Kaminari turned to Tetsutetsu. "Hey, want to start sparring together to get ready?"

Tetsutetsu scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I might not have time in the afternoon. My judo instructor, Mr. Daimon, has been starting formal lessons recently."

After a pause, he added, "But I'm free in the morning if that works."

Kaminari shook his head. "Nah, you should use the mornings to get more rest. If you're practicing late, you'll need all the quality sleep you can get."

"But what about you?" Tetsutetsu asked, concerned.

Kaminari simply shrugged. "Don't worry about me. I was training on my own before I even met you."

With that, he glanced down at his right hand, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Besides... that move... it's almost ready..."