Chapter 40 Creation, Expectation, Tomorrow

"Yeah, just a lot to take in, that's all. New school, new people. You know how it is."

The memory of Yaoyorozu Momo inviting Kaminari over to her place flashed through Jiro's mind again, making her feel a bit irritated.

"Yeah..."

The sound of the wind over the phone did little to mask Jiro's mood, and it didn't go unnoticed by the boy on the other end.

His normally soft gaze hardened with concern. Was Jiro being bullied at U.A.? He clenched his jaw at the thought, frustrated at his own failure to get into the hero course. If only he had spent more time on his studies.

But instead of confronting Jiro directly, he switched the topic with a casual tone, trying to lift her spirits by talking about things she liked. "By the way, have you met that Kaminari Denki?"

"Kaminari... what about him?" Jiro's brow furrowed. She suddenly had the urge to end the call.

"Hey, did you already forget?" The boy let out a small laugh. "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to start a band with Kaminari? I've been waiting to hear how that's going."

He was fully behind the idea, not only because he admired Kaminari's music, but also because it would be a way for him to stay close to Jiro, even if they were in different schools. It seemed like a win-win to him.

"A band..."

For some reason, that word sparked a faint light in Jiro's eyes, a fire that had been nearly extinguished by the day's events.

"If I start a band with Kaminari, does that mean we'd be spending a lot of time together?"

She wasn't sure why she felt this way. She couldn't even explain to herself why she felt the need to be around Kaminari so much lately, only that she didn't like the idea of him being alone with Yaoyorozu Momo.

"I'll talk to Kaminari about it tomorrow!"

"Great, don't forget this time! And maybe introduce me to him when you get the chance," the blue-haired boy teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry, I won't forget!" Jiro said with newfound resolve, then quickly ended the call. Her finger hovered over Kaminari's contact number on her phone.

Although she said she would talk to him about it tomorrow, she was tempted to call him right now. But then again... he was probably still studying with Yaoyorozu Momo at the moment.

She didn't want to disturb him, especially since he seemed so invested in learning about electromagnetism. Glancing at the time, she finally sighed and locked her phone.

"I'll just tell him in person tomorrow."

---

"7 p.m."

Kaminari had gained a lot from Momo's help and was now on the Shinkansen back to Saitama. Meanwhile, Momo herself was staring at a small whiteboard filled with complex electromagnetic equations, feeling quite pleased with today's progress.

"Just a bit more, and he'll be caught up," she murmured to herself with a satisfied smile.

However, remembering the speed at which Kaminari absorbed the material, she couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

"It looks like I need to start preparing more advanced material, or else I'll run out of things to teach him soon."

With this thought in mind, she put down the crystal glass in her hand and turned to the elderly butler standing behind her. "Please move all the books on electromagnetism to the study."

"Yes, Miss," the butler replied with a courteous bow.

---

On the train, Kaminari leaned against the window, quietly contemplating Yaoyorozu Momo's Quirk. He found himself enjoying this quiet time alone, lost in thought. After all, Momo had put so much effort into helping him; the least he could do was think about ways to reciprocate.

While he might not be as knowledgeable as Momo when it came to academics, he had his own insights, especially when it came to the development of Quirks. He was confident he could offer some helpful advice.

"Her Quirk is called 'Creation.' It allows her to create any inanimate object, as long as she understands its structure. It's an impressive ability, but it's not without its limits."

From what he knew, 'Creation' had its fair share of restrictions, just like every other Quirk in this world. The first major limitation was her own "energy reserve" in her case, body fat. The more complex or larger the object she wanted to create, the more fat she had to burn.

If she used her Quirk recklessly, it could take a toll on her body. After all, a human body with no fat reserves would face serious health risks.

The second limitation was her understanding of the objects she wanted to create. The more detailed her knowledge of an item's structure, the easier and smoother the creation process would be.

While the first issue could be resolved with a more caloric diet, the second required innate intelligence and an aptitude for learning. Not everyone had the talent to memorize complex schematics and molecular structures. Kaminari realized that if this Quirk belonged to an average person, they'd probably only manage to create simple items like tissues their entire life.

In short, Momo's Quirk was as high-end as her family's wealth—top-tier, but not without challenges.

"But why does it feel like her Quirk doesn't fully live up to the name 'Creation'?" Kaminari pondered, before suddenly realizing what was bothering him.

"If it only allows her to reproduce objects that already exist, shouldn't it be called 'Manufacturing' instead? She's not really creating something new she's just making known items based on pre-existing data."

True creation involved innovation, bringing something new into existence. If he asked Momo to create something fantastical like a 'Golden Saint Cloth,' would she be able to do it?

The answer was clearly no... at least not right now.

However, another possibility dawned on him. What if Momo's Quirk really was 'Creation,' but her current limitations were due to her age and inexperience? Perhaps, as she grew stronger, she might unlock its full potential.

"If that's the case, the key to her Quirk might not just be understanding the molecular structure of objects, but also gaining a deeper understanding of the world itself."

Whether or not this theory was correct, Kaminari had decided to maintain a close relationship with Momo. Was that opportunistic of him? Maybe, but he was an adult at heart far beyond the naive age where friendships had to be free from any ulterior motives.

Besides, he didn't have any bad intentions. He genuinely valued her potential and had elevated her position in his mind because of it.

After all, everyone had different levels of intimacy with their friends, and absolute equality was an illusion. That's just human nature.

"I need to share this theory with Momo soon... maybe tomorrow," Kaminari thought as he watched the nightscape blur past the train window.

The more he immersed himself in this world, especially since getting involved with U.A., the more he found himself genuinely excited by everything he encountered.

Living a life where there was always something to look forward to who wouldn't want that?

*****

Bonus for 800 PS