Kaminari walked between Mineta and Midoriya, casually greeting the police officers and pro heroes stationed at the entrance as he stepped out of his neighborhood. Not far away, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Hey, Tetsutetsu?"
Kaminari walked up to him, puzzled. "Since you're already here, why didn't you just come inside?"
"Haha, I didn't expect Mineta to actually convince you to come out!"
Tetsutetsu looked genuinely surprised. He had seen Kaminari's strict summer schedule and knew how focused he had been on studying and training recently.
Seeing Kaminari's confusion, he explained, "I made a bet with Mineta. If he could get you to come along, I'd agree to join this so-called 'swimming strength training' with everyone."
Then, with curiosity, he asked, "So? How did he do it?"
"Uh…" Kaminari's expression stiffened.
"Heh, heh, as if I'd fail once I get serious!"
Mineta laughed smugly, hands on his hips. "Sure, Kaminari was tough to crack at first, but the moment I used my ultimate move, he was KO'd instantly!"
Midoriya, standing beside them, looked embarrassed, he still hadn't shaken off the thought that had flashed through his mind earlier.
"So, what was it?!" Tetsutetsu pressed eagerly.
"Haha, I just said—uh, Kaminari, what are you doing?!" Mineta was about to spill everything when Kaminari suddenly grabbed him in a tight hold.
Ignoring Mineta's flailing protests, Kaminari stared him down, eyes sharp. "If you tell anyone, not only will I refuse to go, but I'll personally treat you to a deluxe electrotherapy session!"
"But Midoriya already knows," Mineta muttered, pouting.
"I trust Midoriya's character, but you…"
"Fine, fine! I won't say anything!" Mineta waved him off, finally wriggling free. Then, impatiently, he urged, "Now let's get going!"
He was eager to witness the girls' "charms" outside their usual school uniforms.
"Yeah, yeah, let's hurry up!"
Kaminari quickly agreed and took the lead toward the station, leaving Tetsutetsu behind, confused. What exactly was Mineta not supposed to say…?
Soon, the four of them boarded the Shinkansen express bound for Shizuoka Prefecture. Their seats were arranged in pairs, Midoriya and Mineta in the front row, while Kaminari and Tetsutetsu sat directly behind them. Kaminari and Midoriya both had window seats.
Suddenly, Tetsutetsu leaned closer with a mysterious expression. "Hey, Kaminari, do you remember Hitoshi Shinsou?"
"Of course. The guy from Class C in General Studies, right?" Kaminari nodded, recalling their Sports Festival match vividly.
"Yeah. Well, I ran into him a few mornings ago in Omiya Park."
"Omiya Park?" Kaminari thought for a moment. "Oh, right. He does live in Saitama, but I don't think I've ever seen him there before."
He visited Omiya Park nearly every day, yet he had never once encountered Shinsou. At some point, he had simply forgotten the guy lived nearby.
"That's because, ever since the Sports Festival ended, he's been learning binding techniques from Aizawa-sensei."
"What?!" Midoriya suddenly turned his head.
"Wait, seriously?" Kaminari asked, eyebrows raised.
"But why would Aizawa-sensei personally train a General Studies student?" Mineta looked equally shocked.
Tetsutetsu shrugged, having had the same reaction when he first heard about it.
"So…" Kaminari considered for a moment before guessing, "Did Aizawa-sensei take him in as a disciple?"
At the same time, he thought of his own mentor, Edgeshot. I wonder how far I've come with my shuriken techniques… Maybe one day, I'll actually witness someone in this world performing a divine technique like Uchiha Itachi's.
Tetsutetsu nodded firmly. "That's right."
"Now that I think about it, Aizawa-sensei's Quirk and Shinsou's Quirk are quite similar," Midoriya muttered, slipping into his usual analytical mode.
Kaminari agreed. "Yeah, if Shinsou's been training under Aizawa-sensei, his strength must've improved significantly."
"That's what I thought, too! So I challenged him to a fight."
"And?" Kaminari prompted.
Tetsutetsu's expression grew serious, a stark contrast to his usual energetic demeanor. Kaminari, who knew him well, immediately realized something was off.
Wait… Don't tell me Shinsou actually won?
"He was hesitant at first, but I told him, 'Don't you want to know how strong you've become? And wouldn't I, a Hero Course student, be the perfect opponent?'"
"And Shinsou agreed?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah. So, that morning, we had a match."
"In Omiya Park? But that's a public place," Mineta pointed out.
Kaminari and Tetsutetsu exchanged a knowing glance before Kaminari smirked. "There's a hidden training spot deeper in the park."
"Right! We've been using it for years," Tetsutetsu added with a grin. "Although, you haven't been there in a while, Kaminari."
"Yeah, I guess I haven't," Kaminari admitted.
They had kept the location secret to practice their Six Styles techniques away from prying eyes.
"So, how strong is Shinsou now?" Kaminari asked.
"Well… How do I put this?" Tetsutetsu paused for a few seconds before saying, "I fought him three times. And in the first match, I lost in under a minute."
"WHAT?!" Midoriya and Mineta shouted in unison.
Kaminari, however, frowned deeply. "No way."
He refused to believe that, in just a few months, Shinsou could easily defeat Tetsutetsu, even with Aizawa's guidance and the binding techniques.
"But it's true," Tetsutetsu said with a wry smile. "I lost to his Quirk."
Kaminari's frown deepened. "You know how his Quirk works, though."
"Exactly."
That only made Kaminari more skeptical. Tetsutetsu wasn't that reckless.
"I know it seems weird, but before the fight, he took out a strange mask from his belt and put it on. That's what got me."
"A mask…?" Kaminari, Midoriya, and Mineta exchanged looks.
"It can change his voice," Tetsutetsu explained.
"Right when I was focused on dodging his binding cloth, I suddenly heard your voice, Kaminari. I thought you had just shown up, so I instinctively responded… and that was it. I was brainwashed."
Kaminari's expression darkened.
This wasn't just a sparring match. If this had been a real battle, Tetsutetsu would be dead.
For some reason, that realization weighed heavily on Kaminari's mind.
He imagined himself in Tetsutetsu's place. What if, in the middle of a fight, he suddenly heard the voices of his parents? Or Kyoka? Or even Tetsutetsu himself?
Wouldn't he react the same way?
However…
Mental-based Quirks didn't work on him. When using God-Speed or High-Voltage Mode, the rapid current surging through his body would immediately break any brainwashing effect.
In other words—he was Shinsou's natural enemy.
Midoriya, already jotting things down in his ever-present notebook, asked, "What's the name of Shinsou's mask?"
"He called it… Persona Code."
***
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