Chapter 287: Were you the bastard in the black armor?!!

--Thursday, July 9, 2172

[Keep an eye on the political movement, Sage. Nezu doesn't speak idly; something must be happening.] As he left the office, Kai ordered through his mental connection with Sage, a dangerous glint shining in his eyes. The beautiful fairy, with a similar gleam, replied with a subtle yet terrifying smile on her delicate face.

[I'll get right on it, Master.]

Hearing his reliable assistant, Kai nodded, satisfied, and headed to his gym to train for a while, since he hadn't been able to at home and everyone would be training on their own this afternoon. However, after a while, Momo ended up arriving at the gym with several of her classmates, including Kirishima, Kaminari, Todoroki, and even from a distance, Kai could sense Bakugo's presence lurking.

“Isn't the weekend enough training?”

Seeing everyone enter, Kai asked with a smile without even turning to look at them, being upside down, balanced on one finger, with several bracelets weighing a few tons each on his limbs. Seeing the scene and knowing how heavy the bracelets Kai wore were, Kirishima and the others couldn't help but swallow hard.

“We just came for some light training, fufu.”

Momo commented with an amused smile as she walked to pick up a pair of small but quite heavy dumbbells. The others, somewhat unsure how to ask, started grabbing different equipment and began to train while watching Kai do one-finger handstand push-ups, alternating fingers and even switching hands.

But, although they were all burning with curiosity, in the end no one stepped forward to ask, as they knew Kai quite well. If he didn't want to tell them, he would simply play dumb or say something random, and no one had the courage to refute him. If just training, he could incapacitate them in a couple of minutes; no one wanted to know what would happen when he got serious, especially if he was already capable of fighting alongside the Symbol of Peace.

While everyone was considering how to ask, someone entered the gym with wide, visibly angry strides, drawing the attention of all present. With an expression screaming hatred, Bakugo stomped forward with large steps until he stood in front of Kai, who, still upside down, looked up with visible annoyance. Before Kai could say anything, Bakugo looked down from above and asked in an irritated, almost guttural voice.

“Were you the bastard in the black armor?!!”

In that instant, Kai pushed off the ground with one arm, did a flip in the air, and landed softly on the floor. He then looked down at Bakugo and commented in a cold, irritated voice.

“You have ten seconds to get your ass out of here.”

“You son of--”

Feeling humiliated, Bakugo's expression twisted into pure rage, and he tried to attack Kai with one of his explosions. But before he could, a brutal pressure descended upon him, weakening his legs and draining all color from his face as his words were cut short and the explosion fizzled out like a tiny firecracker.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone present, who after a long time were feeling Kai's 'intimidating aura' again—now seemingly more terrifying and dangerous than ever—Bakugo fell to his knees on the floor, as pale as a ghost. Full of contempt, Kai looked into Bakugo's eyes, which held disbelief, panic, and a hint of fear, and began counting coldly.

“Nine… Eight… Seven…”

As Kai pronounced each number, everyone could feel the intimidating aura becoming more dangerous, evoking a primal fear in them. But even so, it was clear that what Bakugo was experiencing was many times worse.

The explosive young man seemed unable to breathe, to the point his face was turning blue, and furthermore, it seemed like a mountain was on his shoulders. To the extent he began slowly collapsing to the floor, overcome by the weight. At that moment, a nervous voice echoed from the doorway, causing everyone to turn and look.

“Kacchan!”

Seeing Midoriya at the door with visible intentions to jump in and “save” Bakugo, Momo finally let out a small sigh and walked over to Kai. She then placed her hand on his right shoulder and commented in a calm voice.

“Forgive him, Kai. Even though he entered without permission and was very rude, he's still part of the class, and as class representative, I can't allow this to continue.”

Hearing Momo, Kai turned to look at her for a moment and soon nodded. At that moment, the feeling of heaviness that seemed to suffocate everyone present vanished abruptly, allowing them to take a great gulp of air. Kai then looked at Bakugo kneeling on the floor and commented coldly.

“I don't care who you think you are, but I'm not Midoriya. This is the first and last time you enter my property without authorization and disrespect me. Is that clear?”

Hearing Kai, Bakugo raised his head and looked at him filled with infinite hatred, tears of impotence and frustration welling in his eyes. But at that moment, Midoriya ran in and crouched down to look Bakugo in the eyes, asking with genuine concern.

“Are you okay, Kacchan?! Does anything hurt?!”

“Go to hell, damn nerd!!”

Feeling even more humiliated by Midoriya's concern, Bakugo exploded in anger and pushed him away, then stomped out of the workshop with large strides, while Midoriya remained sitting on the floor watching his back, murmuring heavily.

“Kacchan…”

“Midoriya, are you gay or something?”

At that moment, Kai asked while frowning at Midoriya. The green-haired young man jumped up upon hearing the question and quickly started shaking his head profusely, almost in panic.

“N-no, I'm nothing like that.”

“Well, that attachment of yours to that delusional, arrogant bastard doesn't seem at all like 'childhood friends' to me…” Kai commented with a slight frown. Momo couldn't help but comment thoughtfully while looking at the green-haired young man.

“It certainly doesn't seem like it…” But as her voice trailed off, Momo quickly shook her head and looked at Kai, then added seriously.

“But let's leave that aside, Kai. It's not something we should meddle in.”

“No! It's true, I'm not! I even have a girl I like!”

Seeing that they were practically labeling him, Midoriya quickly retorted in a bit of a panic, something the beautiful brunette girl approaching the door heard firsthand. Seizing the opportunity, Kaminari, who was nearby, couldn't help but ask with a mischievous smile.

“Oh? Really? Who's the lucky one…? Couldn't it be Uraraka…?”

“W-what?! N-n, u-uh, this…”

Faced with the question, Midoriya went into a complete panic and tried to blurt out an answer, but nothing coherent came out of his mouth. This caused the beautiful brunette girl at the door to turn completely red and run off covering her face.

As everyone laughed at the shy couple, Kai shook his head and soon returned to his high-intensity training routine, which soon prompted everyone to stop joking and start training seriously. Meanwhile, the pair of cats in a corner lifted their heads for a moment to see what was happening, but seeing no danger, they quickly lay back down to sleep again with visible laziness.

………

Upon arriving home with Momo and Nemuri, Kai stretched lazily, then bid farewell to his beautiful girlfriends with a quick kiss and went up to his room to change out of his uniform into comfortable athletic wear. But the moment he left his room, Kai found Nemuri already out of her hero costume, wearing comfortable short shorts and a tank top.

“Sweetie, do you have a moment tonight? I want to talk to you about something important…” Seeing Kai, Nemuri commented in a serious tone, looking him directly in the eyes. Slightly curious, Kai quickly asked back.

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing the curiosity in Kai, Nemuri let out a small sigh and took a step forward to hug him, whispering in his ear with a firm voice.

“Remember what I told you in the forge the other day? I was serious. I want to be with you and help you share your burdens… You know what I mean.”

“…”

Kai fell silent for a few moments, deep in thought, which led Nemuri to hug him tighter while pressing her forehead against his, wanting to convey her resolve. After a while, Kai let out a small sigh and, looking into Nemuri's sky-blue eyes, replied seriously.

“…Alright, I'll come find you tonight… I hope you don't regret it.”

“I never will.”

Nemuri replied seriously, then initiated a loving kiss, which ended after a few minutes. At that moment, Kai turned to look at the corner of the hallway, where Yumiko and Momo could be seen poorly hidden. Following Kai's gaze, Nemuri soon found the pair who wanted to flee with amused giggles and quickly commented with a warm smile.

“Don't you want your share?”

Hearing Nemuri, Momo and Yumiko stopped and looked at each other. Seeing the embarrassment and desire on Yumiko's face, Momo could only smile a little and then ran to Kai to give him a kiss before leaving, leaving Yumiko and Nemuri alone. With a red face, Yumiko quickly approached Kai and, after a quick kiss, ran off scared, looking like a schoolgirl with a huge smile on her face.

“See you later.” After one last kiss, Nemuri said seriously to Kai, who nodded seriously before leaving the house, heading for the workshop.

Upon entering his workshop, Kai found Keiko there working with a serious expression in front of a screen. But feeling the door open, the beautiful black-haired woman quickly looked up, and the moment she saw her beloved, a beautiful smile formed on her face. Without waiting, Keiko quickly rose from her seat and threw herself into Kai's arms, then initiated a long, affectionate kiss.

“Did you miss me?” After finishing the kiss, Keiko, still in Kai's arms, asked while looking at him like a love-struck schoolgirl, to which Kai nodded with a smile.

“Very much.”

“I missed you all day too…” Keiko replied in a soft, affectionate voice, then initiated a new kiss, which Kai reciprocated.

After the kiss, Keiko hugged Kai tightly, as if wanting to merge with him. But after a few minutes, as if she had mustered courage, Keiko looked Kai directly in the eyes and asked in a serious tone.

“Kai, is there something Nemuri knows about you that I don't?”

“…What do you mean…?” Faced with the question, Kai couldn't help but pause briefly in surprise and quickly asked while looking at Keiko, who replied seriously.

“Don't play dumb. I know something's up. You're exchanging knowing looks, and Nemuri has seemed a bit thoughtful lately…” Keiko paused briefly to look at Kai, who couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts for a moment. Keiko then commented with a sigh.

“So there is something…”

Seeing Kai's expression shift slightly, as if considering what to say, Keiko brought her index finger to her beloved's lips, sealing them, then commented in a serious tone, looking him directly in the eyes.

“I don't want to force you to tell me or anything like that. If you prefer to keep it a secret, I'll understand. My only intention is to make you understand that I am always on your side, in good times and bad, in beauty and ugliness, in health and sickness. Forever and always, I will be your best ally and accomplice. So don't be afraid to tell me, show me, or ask me for anything.”

“My body, soul, and heart are unconditionally with you, so if there's anything bothering you or you need something, you can tell me. I'll do everything in my power to help you. So please, never doubt for a single moment that you can count on me. Never hurt yourself over that doubt… I could never forgive myself for that.”

(Nemuri already knows, and things turned out better than I ever imagined, and Keiko has always been on my side…)

Hearing Keiko's sincere and heartfelt words, Kai couldn't help but stare at her in silence, deeply lost in thought. For her part, Keiko looked at Kai with eyes full of love and concern and soon began to gently caress his face, letting Kai reflect and accept her sincere words.

“…You're right… if anyone can understand, it's you… Alright then, come on. Let me show you who I really am.”

After a while, Kai let out a sigh and spoke while looking directly into Keiko's eyes, who nodded seriously and took Kai's hands, then headed to the deepest part of the workshop. There, to her surprise, Keiko saw one of the walls move, revealing unknown underground facilities, unfamiliar to her, who always worked in the workshop.

While looking at the complex installations that gave the sensation of being a large morgue more than a hospital, despite the large amount of medical equipment, Keiko let out a heavy sigh and squeezed Kai's hand. Then she asked in a serious tone.

“How many have died here, Kai…? I need to know to start thinking about countermeasures for—”

“Nobody.”

As Keiko began verbalizing her thoughts on ways to prevent her beloved from being discovered, Kai's calm voice resonated in the hall, cutting her words short. With disbelief written on her face, Keiko turned to look at Kai, who looked back and replied with a somewhat curious expression.

“No one has died here. You know my Quirk, but this place has been used precisely for what you imagine.”

“…Where are they? No… More importantly, who are they…?” Keiko asked back with an expression between surprise and thoughtfulness. Kai looked at the ceiling and began to explain in a serious tone.

“Well, it's a long story…”

***

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