Chapter 90: The Training Has Begun
Aoi was on his hands and , methodically wiping the last traces of debris from the living room floor. The shattered plaster from the walls he had crashed through earlier still clung to the edges of the rugs and furniture, a testament to Rumi's righteous fury. He paused for a moment, cloth in hand, and let out a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle as he thought:
—Well, I asked for that kick. After all, now that I think about it, this nuclear test doesn't make much sense. It's an exaggeration. After all, in the original, just All Might's power was enough to scare the world. And if the government had the capacity to deal with that level of power, All For One wouldn't have managed to dominate Japan for centuries. Japan wouldn't have been nearly destroyed by Shigaraki and only survived by luck because Izuku managed to find the flaw in Shigaraki's defense and defeat him. Otherwise, not even Japan would exist anymore. Well, I think I just need to show power at All Might's level and not let them discover the important secrets like the new race and immortality. They won't be idiots like that. And even if they start planning, since they don't know I'm going to leave Earth, their plans will take 5 years or more to prepare. By then I'll already be gone. And it can always be an option if needed.
He straightened up, stretching his back slightly as he surveyed the now-clean space. The house had returned to its usual quiet elegance, though the faint scent of dust still lingered in the air. His thoughts drifted again, turning over the implications of his earlier plan, when a sudden, excited shout echoed from the front gate.
—What a huge house! It looks like a castle! We had to arrive by bus all the way to the door!
Aoi turned toward the entrance just as the group of his classmates spilled through the doorway, bags slung over shoulders, eyes wide with awe and excitement. The afternoon sun streamed in behind them, casting long shadows across the polished floor. He couldn't help but smile at the chaotic energy they brought with them.
—Welcome, everyone. So, what do you think of my house?
Kaminari was already spinning in place, arms wide as he took in the high ceilings and expansive halls.
—Man, it's gigantic! It must take forever to walk from one room to another.
Lida, ever the polite one, bowed slightly toward Rei who stood nearby with her usual gentle smile.
—Once again, thank you for having us, Mrs. Rei.
Rei waved a hand dismissively, her eyes warm.
—I don't mind. Finally my son has friends. It's a happy day.
Aoi felt the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily.
—What do you mean? I've always had friends.
Momo, Uraraka, and Mina exchanged knowing glances. Rei raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing but fond.
—Then name one friend who isn't a woman and isn't your siblings.
Aoi fell silent, caught off guard. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, almost sheepish.
—It's not my fault. You know it's hard to have friends with my strength. One mistake or a moment of not paying attention and they could get seriously hurt.
Rei looked at her son with that familiar expression—one that said "don't try to lie to me"—and replied gently but firmly:
—Interesting that you don't complain about that with my daughters-in-law.
Aoi's expression softened immediately.
—Of course. I love them. What's this small inconvenience if it's to be with them?
Before anyone could respond, Bakugou's voice cut through the air like an explosion.
—Shut up, you perverted aquarium-head! We came to train!
Suddenly, a furious shout rang out from the hallway:
—Who the hell is yelling at my idiot? I'm the only one who can yell at him! No one else!
Rumi stormed into view, ears twitching with barely contained rage. She zeroed in on Bakugou immediately.
—You New Year's firecracker, only I can talk bad about him!
Bakugou didn't back down for a second.
—Go fuck yourself, you old rabbit! I'll say whatever I want!
Rumi's eyes flashed with pure fury.
—I'm going to kill you, you foul-mouthed brat!
Aoi moved faster than anyone expected, wrapping his arms around Rumi's waist and holding her back just as Izuku lunged forward to grab Bakugou.
—Calm down, Rumi. You can't kick him. He's not me. He won't survive a kick. He'll die if you do that.
Bakugou, hearing this, exploded again.
—What do you mean he won't survive a kick, you extras!
Izuku tried desperately to hold him in place.
—Calm down, Kacchan!
Tsuyu tilted her head, observing the scene with her usual calm curiosity.
—Why do I feel like Izuku's and Aoi's lives are so similar right now?
Kirishima grinned, flexing one arm.
—Well, because both of them have to deal with an explosive being in their lives.
Kaminari's eyes sparkled with mischief.
—The difference is that Aoi won the lottery and Izuku is paying some kind of punishment.
Uraraka gave a tired but fond smile.
—Well, sister Rumi can be a little too energetic.
Mina laughed brightly.
—I don't see anything wrong with that.
Momo sighed, rubbing her temples.
—These idiots have to stop. They're making Mrs. Rei angry.
Rei watched the chaos unfold with an amused smile, then raised her voice just enough to cut through the noise.
—That's enough now, isn't it?
Bakugou and Rumi froze mid-shout, turning to look at her. They muttered in reluctant unison:
—Yes, ma'am. We're done.
Rei then turned her gentle gaze to Aoi.
—Son, now that your classmates are here, help them get settled.
Aoi smiled, the tension easing from his shoulders.
—Well, true. Let's go. Your rooms are already prepared. There's one for the girls and one for the boys. Let's go so you can leave your things before training starts.
Kirishima pumped his fist.
—Let's go then!
Bakugou grunted.
—Alright, let's go quickly. I want to get stronger.
Izuku, still flushed from embarrassment on Bakugou's behalf, approached Aoi quietly and held out a neatly wrapped package.
—Aoi, my mom sent this cake as thanks for taking care of me during the time I'll be here.
Aoi accepted it gratefully, unwrapping one corner and taking a large bite right there. His eyes lit up slightly.
—Well, carrot. I liked it.
He smiled warmly.
—Tell her I really appreciate the kind gesture.
He continued eating the cake as though it were a single large cookie, crumbs falling unnoticed onto his shirt. He gestured toward the hallway.
—Well, let's go. I'll show you the place.
Izuku stared, clearly confused by how Aoi was devouring what looked like an entire cake. Momo noticed and leaned over with a small smile.
—Since his strength comes from his body and not from a strength quirk like yours, to keep his body functioning he needs to eat a lot. So for him this cake is just a cookie.
Izuku nodded slowly, processing the information.
—I understand. It's like a whale, an elephant, and a bear that need a lot of food to stay functional.
Momo's smile widened.
—Exactly. His power doesn't come from any quirk but from his own body, which results in a high calorie consumption.
Aoi, noticing they were still lingering in conversation, called over his shoulder.
—Come on, everyone. We're still going to train today. Forgot?
They then started following Aoi.
Aoi then stopped and said:
—The room on the right is for the boys. The room on the left is for the girls. Well, you can unpack your things now.
Aoi then entered the room with the boys, and Momo, Mina, Uraraka, and Tsuyu entered the girls' room.
In the living room, Rei sat on the sofa and looked at Rumi and said:
—What was that? You never fight and my son loves you too much to let you be sad. So what was the reason?
Rumi said:
—He was an idiot. He loves us so much that he forgets himself.
Nemuri appeared, sat next to Rumi with Ryuko, and said:
—The problem is that he had an idiotic plan.
She then explained the plan to Rei.
Rei put her hand on her head and said with a tired smile:
—I really don't know what to say about this. The father had the obsession of putting the world and fame above the family, and ironically it created a son who puts the family above the world, to the point of thinking about detonating a nuclear punch in space to warn the world.
Ryuko said with a tired smile:
—He already has a whole plan for Jupiter. There's no need for this. But he thinks the government is the final super powerful villain.
Nemuri said smiling tiredly:
—But they are just a bunch of fat guys who can barely handle weak villains and depend on All Might for everything. They aren't genius villains. They are greedy politicians.
Rumi said:
—Well, the main problem is that our idiot is a first-time father and with all this pressure from a new race and having to build a planet and all of this, he ends up treating the government as if it were a final boss with more powerful beings to use than the symbol of peace.
Rei, hearing this, put her hand on her heart worriedly and said:
—Girls, I ask you to take care of him so he doesn't exaggerate and do something out of pure emotion. After all, he won't listen to what others say. After all, even admiring All Might, if it involves the safety of those he loves, he doesn't care about anyone's opinion.
Nemuri took her hand and said smiling:
—Of course we're going to protect him. After receiving so much love and care, the least we can do is take care of him.
Rumi said smiling:
—I'm going to keep kicking every time if that's what it takes to wake him up.
Ryuko said:
—We can't turn him into a hero because it's impossible, but we can keep him from doing something he'll regret after the anger passes.
On the other side, Aoi left the room with the boys. Seeing that the girls were also ready, he said:
—Well, then let's go to the training area.
He then led them down a hallway with an elevator. They entered.
After a while, the elevator door opened, revealing a gigantic underground arena.
Aoi smiled and said:
—Welcome to my gym. Now let's train.