Chapter 123: Leaving her mark on the world.

Seated in a comfortable armchair, two women of immaculate beauty were making phone calls with angry expressions. In front of them was a huge screen broadcasting live what was possibly the most-watched event in all of Japan this season: the UA first-year sports festival.

After hanging up the phone, Keiko leaned back against the chair with a difficult expression, just as Mrs. Yoshiko handed her a cup of tea, which she drank calmly and in silence until Yumiko finished her own call. Then Yumiko also leaned back against the chair, and Keiko spoke in a grave tone.

“How did it go?”

“Well, I managed to hold back some reports about Kai and the whole ‘Iron Palm’, but you know how it is. Anything can happen; things could get out of hand like last time.” Yumiko said with a somewhat resigned tone. At that moment, Mrs. Yoshiko handed her a cup of tea, which she gratefully accepted with a smile.

“Although I have no proof, I’m almost completely sure that Nemuri and the Pussycats were the ones who convinced Kai to stand out in the sports festival…” Keiko commented in a genuinely angry tone, to which Yumiko could only nod with a complicated expression.

“That’s the most likely scenario…”

“I really don’t understand it!! Why do they have to make Kai’s life more difficult like that? Is heroism more important to them than Kai’s well-being?! Do they think Kai hasn’t suffered enough, or do they believe his well-being doesn’t matter compared to being a ‘hero’?! Why are they so selfish?!!!” Keiko spoke loudly, visibly angry and agitated, slamming the sofa’s armrest. Yumiko let out a long sigh and then replied calmly.

“I guess they didn’t measure the consequences of Kai appearing in public again. It’s been almost 10 years since then, so it’s understandable…”

“Understandable?!! They haven’t been public figures for just a day or two, and Jiro was in the damn rankings for 10 damn years. How could they not think their son would draw attention and stir up the hornet’s nest again?!!!” Keiko snapped, absolutely furious, while Yumiko responded in a steady but firm tone.

“But Keiko, that’s something Kai can’t escape for the rest of his life. He’s too outstanding to go unnoticed. Sooner or later, it had to happen. If not now, then it would be in the near future. With how strong and protective he is, if anything ever happened to any of the heroes of our family, he’d rush out to protect them and draw attention.”

“…”

Hearing Yumiko’s words, Keiko could only remain silent because she was right. With Kai’s personality and abilities, it was only a matter of time before he became known. Even his work as an engineer and blacksmith was already famous worldwide, and it was only a matter of time before his capabilities were discovered. At which point, Yumiko added in a calm tone.

“Calm down. I know it’s really frustrating, but it’s part of who we are. For better or worse, we’re public figures, and it doesn’t matter what we do; in the end, we can’t change what’s already happened, nor can we stop the world from knowing about Kai. We can’t hide him forever.”

“… I guess you’re right. I got a little worked up and lost my focus.” After nearly half a cup of tea, Keiko calmed down enough to speak in a more measured tone. Yumiko smiled brightly and spoke with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m also angry. It’s only natural to be upset if someone hurts the people we love. Let’s just watch the tournament, let’s see what our kids can do.”

“Thank you, Yumiko.” Keiko thanked her with a small smile as she looked at Yumiko, who replied with a similar smile.

“Don’t worry, we’re family. We’re here to support each other.”

After nodding with a smile, Keiko focused on the festival events, which quickly put a big smile on her face. After all, on the screen, she could see the two loves of her life teaming up and easily crushing the competition.

Watching Kai scare everyone, acting like a boss, Keiko couldn’t help but laugh happily. She really liked seeing her Kai acting like that, dominating everything and everyone with just his presence. It was truly charming in its own way, like a powerful alpha surrounded by betas. But then, seeing how the imposing image of her beloved Kai collapsed with just one pout from Momo, Keiko burst into laughter, wanting to hug those two darlings of hers with all her might.

Keiko’s cheerful laughter soon turned into a proud smile upon seeing her daughter show off her skills, incapacitating two teams in quick succession. At the same time, a warm and tender feeling filled her heart. She had truly managed to be part of her daughter’s strength, and that armor she had built and developed with Kai’s help was becoming the support that would help her greatest pride fulfill her dreams.

After the cavalry battles, Keiko couldn’t help shaking her head when she saw Momo wearing a cheerleader uniform to cheer on her classmates in the recreational events. Yet at the same time, she felt quite happy to see the huge smile of joy on her little girl’s face, who, for the first time, was enjoying having friends her own age—other than Nejire and Kai.

While watching the recreational events and the first-round battles of the final duels with only mild interest, Keiko was discussing strategies with Yumiko to minimize the wave of nosy reporters who would stir up trouble about her Kai. Their conversation took a necessary pause when Kai fought for the first time.

Soon, Momo’s first fight appeared on screen, prompting Keiko to smile proudly, not just because her daughter shone brightly in battle, but also because, as her mother, she could tell Momo wasn’t as soft as she seemed. And, as her worthy daughter, she knew how to hold a grudge and settle scores.

That fight was good evidence of it. Momo had told her about a boy with glasses who had yelled at Kai, and the fact that she didn’t even use her armor to face him was definitely Momo’s way of ‘getting revenge’. She dismissed him and took him down quickly, not letting him show much of his abilities.

(Indeed, blood is thicker than water. A performance worthy of my daughter, taking him out elegantly, without leaving a stain on our record, and above all, making it clear that no one yells at our Kai. A perfect performance, fufufu.)

As Momo walked off the platform, Keiko grinned with equal parts mischief and pride, which inevitably caught Yumiko’s attention. She looked intently at the giant movie screen, searching for what was making Keiko laugh like that, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find anything strange. She just sighed in defeat, knowing Keiko wouldn’t say a word about it.

…

“That boy Kirishima seems to get along quite well with Kai. Should we invite him over for dinner sometime?” Yumiko asked in a cheerful tone as she watched the exchange of blows between Kai and Kirishima on screen. Keiko responded in a calm and elegant tone.

“Mmm, it’s better not to. Even though Kai likes him, for now, that’s all it is. It’s better to let things develop slowly at their own pace. We can see what to do in the future. If we act now, we’ll probably end up ruining it, given Kai’s personality.”

“You’re right about that. But I feel like we should celebrate in some way for Kai’s first ‘buddy’. Don’t you think?” Yumiko answered with a smile as she tucked her legs up on the armchair, prompting a broader smile from Keiko, who replied mischievously.

“You’re right. We do need to celebrate.” Keiko turned to Mrs. Yoshiko, who was gathering their tea cups, and spoke cheerfully.

“Mrs. Yoshiko, please bring us a Vega Sicilia Único from the cellar. We’re going to celebrate a bit, fufufu.”

“Right away.” Mrs. Yoshiko replied with a slight smile, then headed to the mansion’s cellar. Yumiko commented with a small smile at that moment.

“Fufufu, so we’re going with the Spanish one?”

“Yes, just to mix things up a bit, fufu.”

Keiko replied somewhat playfully. Shortly after, Mrs. Yoshiko returned with two beautiful crystal glasses and a bottle of red wine with a white label in Spanish. She opened it expertly with a corkscrew, then poured it into the two glasses and handed them to the two women, leaving the bottle on a nearby table.

“Pour one for yourself too, Mrs. Yoshiko.” Yumiko said with a smile, looking at the woman who basically managed their lives on her own, with no more help than Momo’s attempts to learn how to care for Kai. Keiko nodded in agreement.

“Yes, sit with us.”

“It would be a true pleasure, but it would be discourteous of me, so I must refuse.” Mrs. Yoshiko replied with a serious tone as she bowed slightly. Keiko and Yumiko could only shake their heads, and then Keiko spoke after letting out a sigh.

“You know it’s no bother to us, but fine, if that’s what you want, grab something from the bar or the cellar and take the rest of the day off.”

“My apologies.” Mrs. Yoshiko bowed and apologized in a serious tone before withdrawing to the kitchen. Yumiko looked at Keiko and asked with wine glass in hand.

“Why does she always refuse to share with us?”

“She’s a very stubborn woman and was raised to respect her ‘employers’ above all else. Even after she got married, that never changed, and she continued to work, even though she doesn’t need to. Although, to be fair, her husband is much the same; he’s quite wealthy, and yet, he still runs a coffee shop downtown every day.” Keiko replied with an ironic smile, to which Yumiko commented in understanding.

“Toshiaki-san, right?”

“That’s the one. They’re really a strange couple, and their children aren’t much different. They make millions, but they live in small suburban homes. The only one who strays a bit from the mold is the eldest daughter of their eldest son, but well, that’s another story.” Keiko said in a calm tone while swirling the wine in her glass, then taking a small sip. Yumiko smiled as she looked at the screen.

“Look, Momo’s match is about to start.”

“That’s true.”

Setting the wine down on the table, Keiko commented and focused all her attention on her little girl, who was about to fight. This allowed her to see firsthand not only how Momo made great use of her armor, but also how she managed to help one of her classmates. It was then that she heard a question from Momo that let her understand why her daughter was so intent on helping the young man.

[Do you really want to leave your mark on this world as a hero?]

Upon hearing those words from Momo, Keiko couldn’t help but pick up her wine glass again and take a large sip, as her mind drifted through her memories. She knew perfectly well why her beloved daughter was so obsessed with “leaving her mark on the world”. All her little girl wanted was to prove she hadn’t been a mistake, and much less a shame, all because of that piece of trash whom she had foolishly given as a father.

Even though now Keiko Yaoyorozu—an unparalleled genius among geniuses—could proudly say aloud that the best thing that ever happened to her was becoming a mother, the truth was that this relationship had taken a long time to develop. At first, she went through a lot of regret, resentment, and pain that she had to deal with before she could come to terms with the events that led to her beloved daughter inheriting her surname.

Although practically her entire fortune was self-made, Keiko had never been poor. In reality, she was born as the only late-in-life daughter of a well-known steel magnate who, while far from being among the richest, was also far from being poor. From her youth, this granted her not only the best education and the best resources, being the only daughter of an elderly father. But her father even went so far as to search high and low for someone with a quirk that would complement hers, all in order to produce descendants.

Her father’s obsession with giving birth to the perfect child, one who could not only inherit his fortune and legacy but potentially go even further, led him to meet her mother. She was a renowned and accomplished scientist famous not only for her incredibly high IQ but also for her quirk, [Molecular Reconstruction], which allowed her to manipulate the molecules of anything she touched, as long as she knew its composition.

***

You can support me on .com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.