Morning comes way too early after the whole "destroy-my-room-with-lightning" incident. My alarm barely makes a sound, probably because half of it is melted, but I'm already awake. Been awake for hours, actually. Hard to sleep when you awaken powers for the first time.
As a former normal human, it was intoxicating to be honest.
"Keep it together," I mutter to myself as I stare at my reflection. The bags under my eyes are impressive, but at least I'm not sparking anymore. "Just act normal. Nobody needs to know."
After last night's light show, Grandpa and I agreed it'd be smart to keep my new "quirk" on the down-low for a bit. At least until I can, you know, not blow up everything I touch.
"Remember what we practiced," Grandpa says as I grab my backpack. "Deep breaths. Stay calm. Strong emotions make it harder to control."
"Got it," I nod, trying to ignore the humming under my skin. It's like having a constant sugar rush, but instead of sugar, it's actual fucking lightning.
"And Shinra," he adds, his voice unusually serious. "Don't let anyone push you around anymore. You've got power now. But that means—"
"—I need to be responsible with it," I finish for him. "I know."
He nods, something like pride flickering in his eyes. "Good. Now get going before you're late."
The train ride to school is a whole new kind of hell. Every time someone bumps into me, I have to focus to keep the electricity from jumping out. A kid with a water quirk sits next to me, and I nearly have a panic attack remembering that water and electricity don't mix, and also, if the Devil Fruit rules apply, water might weaken me.
Great. Another thing to worry about.
By the time I get to school, I've managed to not electrocute anyone, which feels like a win. My plan is simple: keep my head down, avoid strong emotions, and tell absolutely no one about my new "quirk." At least not until I've got better control.
But of course, life has other plans.
"Shinra!" Nejire's voice rings out across the courtyard, and she's bouncing toward me before I can escape. "You look different today."
I tense. "Different how?"
She tilts her head, studying me. "I don't know. You're... glowing? Did you do something with your hair?"
"Nope. Same old me," I say quickly. Too quickly.
She narrows her eyes. "You're being weird."
"That's my natural state," I deflect, avoiding her gaze. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class."
Throughout the morning, I catch Nejire watching me, that curious look on her face like she's trying to solve a puzzle. It's one of the things I like about her, she's weirdly perceptive. But right now, it's the last thing I need.
Lunch comes, and I've made it halfway through the day without incident. No random lightning bolts. No accidentally frying the school's electrical system. I'm starting to think maybe this won't be so hard after all.
Then Takeshi and his goons decide to make an appearance.
"Look who it is," he sneers, dropping his tray across from me. His two sidekicks flank him like the world's least intimidating bodyguards. "The quirkless wonder."
I keep my eyes on my food. "Not in the mood today, Takeshi."
"Aw, what's wrong? Sad that Nejire's not here to protect you?" He leans forward, his quirk making his arms bulge unnaturally. "She's not your babysitter, you know."
I can feel the electricity building under my skin, responding to my rising irritation. I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"Just leave me alone, man,"
His hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist. "I'm not done talking to you."
I feel a little spark jump between my fingers, and Takeshi flinches, letting go. He stares at his hand, confused.
"What the—"
"Nothing," I say quickly. "Static electricity. Happens all the time."
His eyes narrow. "You trying something, Torino?"
"Just trying to eat my lunch in peace," I mutter, turning to leave.
But of course, they follow me. Because bullies can never just let things go.
The rest of the day passes in a blur of classes and me trying to keep my cool. Every time I feel the electricity building, I focus on Grandpa's advice: deep breaths, stay calm, don't blow your cover.
By the time the final bell rings, I'm exhausted from the effort of keeping everything contained. All I want to do is get home and practice controlling this new power somewhere I can't accidentally send someone to the hospital.
I'm almost to the gate when I hear Nejire calling my name.
"Shinra! Wait up!"
I turn, forcing a smile as she runs toward me. "Hey. What's up?"
"You've been avoiding me all day," she says, hands on her hips. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing's going on," I say, failing miserably at sounding convincing. "Just... didn't sleep well."
She studies my face, unconvinced. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
For a split second, I consider telling her the truth. Well, part of the truth. That I somehow developed a quirk overnight. That I can control electricity now. That everything's changed.
I take a deep breath. "Actually, Nejire, something did happen. I—"
Her eyes widen, looking at something over my shoulder. "Uh-oh."
I turn to see Takeshi and his crew approaching, looking particularly pissed off today.
"Great," I mutter. "Just what I needed."
"We can just walk away," Nejire suggests, but Takeshi's already calling out.
"Hey, Torino! Got your girlfriend fighting your battles again?"
I clench my fists, feeling sparks dancing between my fingers. No, no, no. Not now.
"Let's just go," I tell Nejire, turning away.
But Takeshi isn't having it. He steps in front of us, blocking our path. His two friends spread out, surrounding us.
"You know what pisses me off the most, Torino?" Takeshi says, stepping closer, his voice dropping. "It's not even that you're quirkless. It's that despite having no powers, you still somehow got Nejire's attention."
His eyes flick to her for a split second, and I catch it, the real reason behind all this harassment. He's jealous. Has been all along.
"She's too good for you," he continues, his voice tight with something that sounds a lot like envy. "Someone like her should be with someone who's actually got something to offer. Not some nobody riding on his grandfather's reputation."
I grit my teeth, feeling the electricity building stronger now. "Move, Takeshi."
"Or what? You'll cry at me?"
"I'm warning you," I say, my voice dropping. I can feel it getting harder to control the power. The air around us starts to smell faintly of ozone.
Nejire steps forward, her own quirk starting to manifest around her hands. "Back off, Takeshi. This isn't worth getting suspended over."
"Stay out of this, Nejire," he snaps. "This is between me and the quirkless loser."
Before I can respond, he activates his quirk fully. His arms swell to twice their normal size, muscles bulging grotesquely. He grabs the front of my uniform, lifting me off the ground.
"See? This is what real power looks like," he sneers. "Not whatever parlor trick you tried earlier."
I can feel the lightning responding to my anger, my fear. It's building inside me, begging to be released.
"Put. Me. Down,"
"Or what?" he laughs. "What's a quirkless nobody gonna do about it?"
One of his friends, a guy with some kind of stone-manipulation quirk, steps forward, his hands transforming into jagged rock.
"Let's teach him a lesson," Stone Hands says, pulling back his fist.
It all happens so fast. The stone fist coming toward my face. Nejire shouting. And then...
I snap.
Lightning erupts from every inch of my body. Blue-white electricity surges outward in a crackling wave, throwing Takeshi backward with a yelp of pain. His friends scatter, shouting in confusion and fear.
I drop to the ground, my entire body glowing with electrical energy. The concrete beneath my feet cracks as current surges through it.
"What the—" Takeshi scrambles backward, his eyes wide with shock. "You have a quirk?"
I stand there, electricity dancing around me like a living thing. My hair stands on end, crackling with static. The air smells like a thunderstorm.
"Yeah," I say, my voice eerily calm despite the chaos around me. "Looks like I do."
Stone Hands recovers first, charging at me with a roar. Without thinking, I raise my hand, and a bolt of lightning shoots from my palm, hitting the ground at his feet. The concrete explodes, sending him flying backward.
"Next one won't miss," I warn, electricity arcing between my fingers.
Takeshi and his other friend help Stone Hands up, all three backing away slowly.
"You're a freak, Torino," Takeshi spits, but there's fear in his eyes now. "This isn't over."
"Yeah, it is," I reply, letting more electricity crackle around me for emphasis. "Now get lost."
They turn and run, shoving past gawking students who've gathered to watch the commotion.
As the adrenaline fades, I realize what I've just done. So much for keeping a low profile. So much for secret training with Grandpa. So much for—
"Shinra."
I turn slowly, the electricity dying down. Nejire stands a few feet away, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open.
"I can explain," I start, but I don't know how to finish that sentence without lying.
"You have a quirk," she says softly. "All this time..."
"It just... manifested," I say, which isn't entirely a lie. "Last night. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to learn to control it first."
For a moment, she just stares at me. Then, without warning, she throws her arms around me.
"That's amazing!" she squeals, practically vibrating with excitement. "I knew it! I always knew you weren't quirkless! You were just a late bloomer!"
I stand there awkwardly as she hugs me, afraid to hug her back in case I accidentally shock her. "You're... not mad?"
She pulls back, looking confused. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"
"Because I didn't tell you right away?"
She shakes her head, laughing. "Shinra, you just discovered you have an incredible quirk after thinking you were quirkless your whole life. Of course you needed time to process!"
Relief washes over me, and I feel the last of the electricity fade away. "So... we're good?"
"We're better than good!" she grins, bouncing on her toes. "This is incredible! And your quirk is so powerful! Lightning manipulation? That's top-tier!"
I rub the back of my neck, uncomfortable with the attention. "Yeah, well... I still need to learn to control it."
She grabs my hand, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I'll help you! We can train together! Oh my gosh, this changes everything! You could apply to UA now! We could be in the hero course together!"
As she rambles on about all the possibilities, I can't help but smile. Her enthusiasm is infectious.
"Come on," Nejire says, tugging my hand. "We need to celebrate! Ice cream? My treat!"
I let her pull me along, trying to push my worries aside for now. "Yeah, sounds good."
As we walk away from the school, I catch snippets of whispers from other students:
"Did you see that?" "Torino has a quirk?" "That lightning was insane..."
My cover is blown. By tomorrow, the whole school will know. And after that? Who knows.
But as I look at Nejire's excited face, I can't bring myself to regret it. For the first time in my life, people are looking at me with something other than pity or contempt.
I glance down at my hand, where a small spark dances across my fingertips before I quickly extinguish it.
This was not bad.