chapter 4

2 years later

"Mom, I want a private tutor for me and Nejire to learn combat and enhance our quirks. I've decided to become a hero, and I'm sure Nejire-chan wants to become one too, so we can make the best use of our powers," Iori declared with a determined look.

He knew he was young, but he wanted to become strong so that no one could intimidate his sister and him. To achieve that, he needed power. While his quirk was unique in terms of power, he required training for close combat skills and better control over his flames. In the anime, his sister was already strong and had mastered her abilities, but it still wasn't enough for what the future held. Therefore, both of them needed to train to become stronger.

"I think that's a great idea. We'll talk to your father after you recover, and we'll hire the best tutor we can afford. I'm sure your father won't mind," Gara smiled at her son. She was elated that her son wanted to help others. After all, she couldn't force him to become a hero; he had to choose it for himself. She was glad he had chosen this path willingly.

"Younger brother!!" A shout interrupted them, drawing their attention to the kitchen. A blue streak sliced through the air and struck Iori in the chest. Nejire rushed forward, her eyes wide with worry as she noticed the bandage wrapped around his arm. She embraced Iori tightly, tears of both relief and concern streaming down her cheeks. "I'm just so glad you're okay, Younger brother."

Observing the bandage and the signs of his intense training, Nejire's worry transformed into tears of relief. "I was so scared something happened to you," she whispered, her voice quivering with emotion.

"I'm fine now. See? No need to worry," Iori reassured her, gently patting her head to comfort her.

"Hmhm," Nejire nodded with a small smile, her tears gradually subsiding as she felt reassured.

He had injured himself during yesterday's training, but he was fine now.

Iori's POV

Over the past two years, I focused on training my quirk. In the first year, I concentrated on controlling my flames, working through exercises like:

1. **Understanding the Nature of my Ability:** I studied the characteristics of the purple flames, including their heat intensity, color, and behavior.

2. **Mental Visualization:** I practiced visualizing the flames in my mind, imagining them dancing, spinning, and responding to my mental commands. This laid the foundation for precise manipulation.

3. **Basic Flame Manipulation:** Starting with controlled small flames in my palms, I gradually increased their intensity and size while maintaining a stable form. The goal was to keep the flames consistent and prevent them from spreading uncontrollably.

Initially, it was frustrating as I kept failing, but after a while, I managed to create purple flames in my hands and shape them into small forms.

During the second year, I decided to incorporate physical exercises with the help of our home gym, focusing on increasing my strength and physical endurance. My sister Nejire, seeing my efforts, joined in. I gave her advice on training her quirk, suggesting she release shockwaves into the sky until her stamina ran out, then eat energy bars and continue firing her quirk. And the cycle continued.

After two years, I finally decided to hire a tutor to further train us.

Normal POV

Some time later...

Iori exited the training facility, heading back into the mansion. He entered the living room and saw his mother, Gara, sitting on the couch.

Looking at her, he noticed she seemed to be getting dressed to go somewhere soon. "How was your training, Iori?" She greeted him with a smile.

"It's going well. I feel like I'm pushing my limits and breaking through to a new level of flame control," Iori replied as he walked towards the kitchen to grab a water bottle.

"That's great, but don't you think you've been training too much lately? Why don't you take a break?" Gara asked, concerned.

Iori sighed, sensing where this was going. "Well, I'm going to my room to take a nap, so that counts as rest," he replied, taking a sip from the water bottle.

"Actually, I was thinking, why don't you come with me and Nejire? We're going out soon," Gara suggested.

Lately, Gara had been taking Nejire to the park to play with other children. She and Nejire tried to persuade Iori to join them, but he always preferred staying at home to interacting with other kids. It was an annoyance to him.

"Please, big brother, I want you to meet my friend," Nejire's cute voice chimed in.

She walked up to him for a hug, but he stopped her once again. "I can tell you've just finished getting ready, Nejire, and I'm all sweaty now," Iori said, slightly amused.

Nejire pouted, "It doesn't matter! Because you're being mean."

Iori sighed and rubbed her head, immediately calming her down. "Alright, Nejire, why don't you tell me your friend's name?" he said, ruffling her hair.

"Her name is Momo, and she's your age," Nejire said with a big smile.

Gara smiled too, happy to see her son getting along with someone. After all, he had never shown any interest in kids his age and hardly interacted with anyone except Nejire. So, seeing him bonding with Momo was a source of happiness for Gara.

Iori's POV

Momo? Is this your friend? Well, this is my insane luck again, isn't it?

Whatever, I'm definitely going with them now. Building an early friendship and becoming childhood friends should help a lot.

"You know what, Nejire? I'll go to the park with you today. Maybe you can introduce me to your friend as well," Iori said as he continued to pat her head.

A bright smile spread across her face as she tried to hug me again, but I stopped her once more.

I looked at Mother Gara and said, "Give me 20 minutes, and I'll be ready. I'm going to take a shower," before rushing to my room.

Normal POV

A few hours later, three kids could be seen sitting on the grass side by side. One with black hair, one with crimson red hair, and the other with periwinkle-colored hair.

As Iori and Nejire arrived at the park, she dragged him over to meet her friend. Initially, Iori was annoyed by the barrage of questions from the kids, but he managed to calm them down.

Apparently, Nejire had bragged about him to Momo, revealing almost everything about him—his super-strong quirk and his intense training. Despite that, he got along well with Momo, who was quite intelligent, unknowingly pleasing Gara. Gara had always worried about Iori, as he had never shown any interest in kids his age, except Nejire. So, seeing him making a friend brought joy to her heart.