Chapter 207: The I-Expo.

--Thursday, May 21st, 2172

After a while, between chatting and joking, the group ended up lying down together in the middle of the room on the cushions, with Kai in the center, his head resting on Nemuri’s lap. She was sitting between Ryuko and Shino, who each had Nejire and Momo respectively on their laps, while Tomoko was lying on Kai’s chest, visibly relaxed.

“Ah, Kai, I forgot to tell you something.”

While they were talking about random things, Momo suddenly remembered something, so she turned to look at Kai as she spoke, catching the attention of the blue-eyed boy, at which point she calmly explained.

“Yesterday, Principal Nezu called me to his office and told me that during the summer vacation, the I-Expo will take place on I-Island. So, as the winner of the Sports Festival, you received an invitation.”

“Oh, I-Island? That sounds interesting. I’ve been wanting to go for a while, but never made the time. Seems like a good opportunity. Do you want to go?” Kai said as he looked at the girls, at which point Shino spoke with a slightly disappointed tone.

“It sounds nice, but we have our duties as pro-heroes. Besides, we made an agreement with Principal Nezu to hold a summer training camp, so it’ll be difficult.”

“As for me, UA is still conducting security reviews, and they’re planning to use the summer break—when students are away—for more thorough studies, so I might be busy around that time as well…” Nemuri soon added in a tone similar to Shino’s, at which point Ryuko turned to look at Nejire in her lap and Momo in Shino’s lap, then commented with a smile.

“Looks like only the two of you will be able to go, so you’ll have to take care of our Kai.”

“I can go too?” Nejire asked, a bit surprised, then added with some confusion.

“Aren’t those invitations usually only for one guest?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Kai said calmly, then looked at Nejire beside him and added with a smile.

“Actually, those guys on I-Island are some of the best clients for my chips, and the company has sponsored several research projects there, so it won’t be hard to ask them for a few more invitations.”

“Fufu, you’re the best.” Nejire replied playfully and gave Kai a light kiss on the lips. At that moment, Momo gently tugged on Kai’s shirt and then asked shyly.

“Kai, if you can get more invitations… can I bring the girls? I think they’d really like the idea of going to that place.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll ask for a few more invitations, and we can go on the private jet. It’s been a while since it was last used; lately, it’s just been rented out.” Kai replied calmly, which brought a huge smile to Momo’s face. She quickly gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and at that moment, Nejire asked with sparkling eyes.

“Can I bring Yuyu too?”

“Your friend from UA, right? That’s fine. I think I can get enough invitations. If not, we can always apply a little pressure with the chip deliveries to make them hand some over, hahaha.” Kai replied with an evil grin, clearly amused, which earned him a nose tug from Tomoko, who scolded him in a serious tone.

“Don’t extort anyone, Kai.”

“It’s just a figure of speech, a figure of speech.” Kai said playfully, making Tomoko laugh just as cheerfully. At that moment, Shino poked Kai’s cheek with her index finger and commented with an adorable pout.

“So now you don’t care that we can’t go, huh? I see, I see… since you’ve got the girls, we don’t matter anymore…”

“How could that be? I’ll spend the day at that place, and at night I’ll sneak out using Accompany to come see you and take you out for a stroll.” Kai quickly replied with a calm smile, which brought a beautiful smile to Shino’s face as she responded cheerfully.

“I’ll be waiting then…”

Shino’s comment made everyone chuckle softly, and they continued chatting about random things until, after a while, Ryuko looked seriously at Nemuri and Shino, who nodded. The beautiful blonde then turned to Kai and spoke in a more serious tone.

“…By the way, darling, there’s something we want to talk about…” Ryuko paused, causing Kai to look at her a bit confused by the sudden seriousness, at which point she said firmly.

“We think that after everything you went through, it would be good for you to go to therapy.”

“What?” Kai replied, somewhat surprised and clearly uncomfortable, at which point Nemuri added seriously.

“It’s for the best, Kai. You’ve been through a lot, and it’s necessary—even if it’s just a couple of sessions.”

“Please don’t refuse this time.” Shino quickly added in a serious tone, looking directly into Kai’s eyes as she continued.

“At least try a couple of sessions, we’re begging you. We don’t want you to deal with something like this all on your own…”

“… Please, Kai.” Momo, who was sitting next to Kai, looked him in the eyes and spoke with an almost pleading expression. At that moment, Nejire added in a sweet and loving voice.

“We’ll be with you the whole time and do whatever you want after each session—whatever it is. We just want you to get a little support…”

“Pretty please, okay?” Tomoko added, gazing at Kai with pleading eyes. Surrounded and pressured from all sides, the blue-eyed boy could only let out a heavy sigh.

“I don’t like the idea…” Kai said in a reluctant and burdened voice, which visibly darkened the expressions of all the girls. That inevitably made Kai sigh again, and after a few seconds, he added in a somewhat defeated tone.

“But I’ll try—for you. Just don’t expect miracles or anything. I’ll just… try.”

“““You’re the best, Kai/Darling!!”””

Upon hearing his response, the girls smiled with pure happiness and all exclaimed at once with enthusiasm. Immediately after, they began to passionately kiss their beloved, with Momo taking the initiative, followed by Nejire, Tomoko, Ryuko, and Shino—leaving Nemuri for last. After finishing her kiss, Nemuri spoke with a loving smile.

“Thank you, Kai. This really means a lot to us. And don’t hesitate to ask for anything as a reward—nothing is off the table…”

“In that case, let’s make a deal.” Kai said as he looked over his beautiful girlfriends, who looked back at him with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. He then quickly stated with a smile.

“I’ll go to those therapy sessions, but in return, I want you all to promise to take the idea of adding someone to the relationship a lot more seriously—and to let me know beforehand. Lately, it feels like you’re treating it like a game, and things could get out of hand.”

“…Kai… you didn’t like that I joined…?”

When Kai spoke, the smile disappeared from Tomoko’s face. She asked in a sad, almost tearful voice, to which Kai responded by gently taking her beautiful face in his hands and initiating a tender kiss. She tried to resist a little, but not even a second passed before she gave in and kissed him back.

After a while, Kai pulled away from Tomoko, though he still held her face in his hands. Looking into her eyes, he spoke in a serious and sincere tone.

“It’s not that I didn’t like it… it’s just that I’m really worried this could get out of control.”

“I understand…” Tomoko replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper, completely blushing. At that moment, Nemuri spoke up in a more serious tone.

“While I want to say that we take this relationship very seriously, it’s also true that we acted poorly by not talking to you first. So I promise not to do that again.”

At Nemuri’s words, all the girls expressed their agreement, which allowed Kai to smile and calmly say.

“I know you all take it seriously. I just thought it was necessary to say something because I don’t want anyone to end up getting hurt.”

“““We know…”””

The girls replied in unison with cheerful smiles, then began a relaxed conversation about random topics until Nejire turned on the TV to play the series they were all watching. The evening went on with occasional kisses and touches, until Momo, Nejire, and Tomoko fell asleep.

At that point, Kai carried them home and left them in their respective rooms before returning to the safe house, where he found Nemuri, Ryuko, and Shino waiting for him—wearing nothing but cat ears and their collars.

………

--Saturday, May 23rd, 2172

On Saturday morning, Kirishima stepped off the subway and walked to the bus stop, where he took one of the routes heading toward the outskirts of the city. His destination: the Saito Mansion, the meeting place they had agreed upon to begin the training session led by their classmate Saito Kai—the strongest person he had ever met, second only to All Might.

“You really think Demon King-sama won’t make his debut?”

While looking out the window at the scenery, Kirishima suddenly heard a curious female voice from the seat in front of him. Instinctively, he shifted to glance at who had spoken, spotting two young women around his age sitting together. One of them was holding a phone showing a paused video of his classmate, Saito Kai, dressed in a simple blue tracksuit with two cats on his shoulders—one black and one white.

“Who knows… his reasons for turning it down are valid. And at the end of the day, everyone’s free to choose their own path.”

At that moment, Kirishima heard the girl on the right respond with a small sigh, to which the girl on the left nodded before speaking with a slightly disappointed tone.

“That’s true… but I can’t help thinking it’s a shame. With how handsome and strong he is, he could easily make it into the top three rankings in no time. That bad-boy aura combined with his looks is a killer combo…”

“Maybe, but if he doesn’t want to do it himself, there’s nothing anyone can do. Still, I honestly find it pretty questionable that he’s at UA without wanting to be a hero. He’s taking the spot of someone who could really make the most of it…”

As the girls began a small debate, Kirishima leaned back in his seat and looked out the window again, getting lost in his thoughts. His classmate, Saito Kai, was truly a strange person. Despite being rich and strong, instead of being more like Todoroki—serious and cold—he was more like a version of Bakugo who was actually scary: confrontational, impatient, and more like a villain than a hero.

But although that was Kirishima’s first impression of him—completely opposite to Yaoyorozu Momo, who, despite radiating wealth and privilege from every pore, was cheerful, charismatic, and always willing to lend a hand when needed—over time, Kirishima came to realize that Saito Kai, that intimidating blue-eyed boy, wasn’t as bad as he had initially imagined.

The first major turning point came during the USJ attack, when that same blue-eyed boy, all on his own, was able to incapacitate an incredibly powerful monster. Just one of his attacks was enough to slice in half the dome covering those massive facilities—an awe-inspiring display of power that few professional heroes could ever hope to match.

But although such a display of strength and skill was truly impressive to Kirishima, without a doubt, what impacted him the most was the speed and decisiveness with which Saito Kai acted—even better than a trained hero. In a matter of seconds, Saito Kai swiftly incapacitated most of the villains, identified the weakness of the most powerful one, and led him away from the area, rescuing everyone.

That was the kind of hero Kirishima dreamed of becoming—strong and fearless, capable of facing any danger with courage and saving the day. Something that was the complete opposite of his true self: weak and cowardly, so much so that he hadn’t even been able to take a single step forward when one of his middle school classmates was in danger. Only able to watch from afar as she defended herself and her friends on her own.

For that reason, Kirishima couldn’t help but admire that terrifying blue-eyed boy—especially when he noticed the look of surprise and admiration on the face of the person who had inspired him to change: that middle school classmate who had managed to save herself while he could only watch in fear from a distance. By a twist of fate, she had ended up in the same class as him—Ashido Mina, that beautiful pink-skinned girl.

Moved by that moment, Kirishima gathered the courage to ask that intimidating boy for some advice. And in doing so, he discovered something he hadn’t expected: that terrifying boy, Kai, was even more impressive than he had imagined. Not only could he do all kinds of things—including hardening his body like himself—but he also managed to identify his weaknesses with just one glance and, with a single sentence, opened up a whole new path for his growth.

This only made his admiration for that blue-eyed boy grow even more—to the point where, taking slight advantage of Yaoyorozu Momo’s generosity, he managed to get Kai to train him for the Sports Festival. It was an opportunity that not only allowed him to become much stronger, but also helped him understand that seemingly grumpy and blunt boy a little better.

Saito Kai was actually much more likable than his first impression suggested. While he wasn’t the funniest or the kindest, and often said things that hurt—since he liked to tell people the blunt truth—he was kind in his own way. A way that, while hard to notice at first, gradually became clear and tangible over time.

The first time he noticed that “kindness” was when he realized that, even though Kai had only agreed to train him at the request of Yaoyorozu Momo—his girlfriend—he still took the job very seriously. He knew everyone’s condition down to the smallest detail, including even the most insignificant aspects of their quirks, and created personalized routines, gear, and more for each of them, all while pretending he was doing it begrudgingly and lazily.

Not only were the training routines he suggested incredibly effective—his advice even more so—allowing everyone involved to achieve tangible improvements in just a few days, but he also produced specialized support gear for anyone who needed it. And even though he claimed it was something they’d have to pay for later, the truth was there was no formal contract—it was all based on trust and a verbal agreement.

While Kirishima was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed the bus coming to a stop, which made him realize it was actually his stop. He quickly got off, since he needed to make a transfer—after all, his classmate’s house was so far from the city that only two bus routes passed near it.

But as he got off, he was a bit surprised to see two of his classmates already there: Todoroki Shoto—the strongest in the class after Kai and Momo—accompanied by Ochako Uraraka, a beautiful young woman with warm brown bob-cut hair, who had an interesting quirk that allowed her to cancel gravity on anything she touched.

“Hey guys, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Getting off the bus, Kirishima greeted with a smile.

“Hi Kirishima! Actually, we just ran into each other here, too.” Ochako greeted him with a beautiful smile, while Todoroki calmly nodded and added.

“Hey.”

After the greeting, Kirishima started a light conversation with Ochako, while Todoroki remained quietly composed, only chiming in with a few comments here and there—something quite normal for him. But that attitude changed slightly when Ochako mentioned with a cheerful smile.

“Though I’m still a bit surprised that Saito offered to train us, it’s honestly a relief, considering final exams are just around the corner.”

“Actually, I’d say it’s more concerning than anything else.” Todoroki said in a serious tone, prompting Kirishima to ask with curiosity.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’ve seen Saito in action twice.” Todoroki replied seriously, turning to look at the curious Kirishima and Ochako before explaining with a hint of solemnity.

“There’s the time we all saw him at USJ, and the second was during the fight against the villain Stain. In both cases, he was overwhelmingly superior—completely dominating the fight against incredibly dangerous opponents. And considering how he normally behaves, it’s hard to believe he’d offer to train us for free without a reason.

“But if we think about his sudden ‘disappearance’ after the internships, the disappearance of his scar, and the noticeable change in his attitude, it’s easy to deduce that something happened—something serious. Serious enough that it made him realize that, even with how powerful he is, he might not be able to handle it on his own. Not even with the help of those close to him, who are all powerful and well-known heroes, including the Symbol of Peace, All Might.”

“…”

Upon hearing Todoroki, Kirishima and Ochako exchanged concerned looks before turning their attention back to him. At that moment, Ochako asked in a serious tone.

“What do you think might’ve happened, Todoroki?”

“I have no idea,” Todoroki said, shaking his head, then looked at his classmates and added seriously.

“I even asked Endeavor, but he didn’t know anything either. What he did tell me, though, is that All Might has been unusually active lately and asked him to stay alert. So it’s highly likely that whatever is worrying the Symbol of Peace is the same thing that led Saito to propose this training.”

“Something that even worries the Symbol of Peace…”

Kirishima couldn’t help but comment solemnly in a low voice, which caused Ochako to clench her fists with apprehension. But just then, the bus route they were waiting for arrived, so they boarded in silence and took nearby seats. Still, they didn’t speak at all during the ride, as their minds were too preoccupied, each lost in thought about what could possibly be going on.

***

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