MHATG: Chapter 292/293

Chapter 292: Four People, One Family!

"Dun-dun!"

"Dun-dun!"

"Thump! Thump!"

With every climax of the song, the drum effects landed perfectly in sync, pushing the entire rhythm to its peak.

The powerful, intertwining music seemed to resonate with the very heartbeat of Kyoka's family, drawing them in completely.

"So… so amazing…"

Kyoka clutched her bass tightly, her eyes fixed on Kaminari Denki as he played with intense focus.

She wasn't sure if it was the sheer power of the music or the sight of him, head bowed, fingers dancing swiftly over the strings but at that moment, she felt an overwhelming admiration for her boyfriend.

His eyes, his posture, his presence, his music… Every detail was etched into her heart, crystal clear, as if captured in high-definition.

Meanwhile, unlike Kyoka's father, who was utterly immersed in the music, her mother's attention remained on Kyoka, watching her daughter's expression, the way she looked at Kaminari, and the emotions in her eyes.

"My husband once told me that the way I looked at him when he sang was like a fire burning brightly… That's… that's exactly how Kyoka looks now, isn't it?!"

At that moment, Kyoka's mother fully understood, there was no point in opposing them anymore. Then, her gaze shifted to Kaminari Denki.

And strangely… she found no reason to object.

No matter how she looked at them, these two children seemed like a perfect match.

If she were to oppose them now… wouldn't it be just like when others opposed her and her husband in the past?

"Since my own mother chose to trust me, support me, and bless me back then… I should do the same for Kyoka now!"

"Ding——Ding——"

As the final lingering notes faded, Kaminari's ten slender fingers came to a stop, and he slowly lifted his head.

"Pap-pap-pap-pap!"

"Pah, pah, pah, pah!"

The Jiro family clapped in unison, though their expressions varied, Kyoka's admiration was obvious, her father looked thrilled, while her mother was much quieter.

"Kaminari-kun, this piece is incredible. Truly incredible!"

Kyoka's father suddenly stood up, grabbed a yellow and black electric guitar from the wall, and plugged it into the amp.

"Dad, what are you…?"

Kyoka began to ask, but her father didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Kaminari with an eager expression.

"I've memorized the song. Let's play together?"

"What?! You memorized it after just one listen?!" Kaminari was stunned.

Even if he had once been the lead singer of a famous band, playing a song flawlessly after just one listen was absurd!

Just then, Kyoka tugged on Kaminari's sleeve shyly. He turned to her, puzzled.

"Um… my dad's Quirk is called 'Music Player.' He can remember every sound he's ever heard and process them freely, organizing, replaying, rewinding, saving, even deleting."

Kaminari blinked in shock, his mouth slightly open. But after a moment, he snapped back to reality.

"Wait, wait, hold on—if it's called 'Music Player,' then why can it only organize, replay, rewind, save, and delete?"

"Where's the actual 'play' function?!"

Hearing this, Kyoka's father chuckled and lifted the electric guitar in his hands.

"Isn't playing and singing music myself the best form of playback?"

"So, not just this song but also all your previous songs—'only my railgun,' 'Hero,' 'Braveheart,' 'Aim to Be a Pokémon Master,' 'Blue Bird'—I can play and sing them all!"

"Okay, Uncle, that's seriously impressive. What about you, Kyoka?" Kaminari asked with a wry smile.

"I've mostly memorized it, so I should be able to keep up."

Kaminari stared at the ceiling in exasperation before turning back to her.

"Are you a dual-Quirk user too? Do you have the same ability as your dad?"

"No."

This time, it was Kyoka's mother who answered. She stepped forward and explained,

"Kyoka only has one Quirk, she inherited mine, 100%."

"So she relies entirely on her natural talent for music. While she doesn't have the same ability as her father's Quirk, she can still memorize 80 to 90% of a song after hearing it just a few times."

Kaminari was speechless. This whole family is ridiculously musically gifted!

Finally, his gaze landed on Kyoka's mother.

"You… don't tell me you memorized the whole song and can play it too?"

"Huh? Me?"

Kyoka's mother chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, you're mistaken, I don't have that kind of ability. But…"

Just as Kaminari was about to sigh in relief, he heard that word again—"but"—and his breath hitched.

Wearing a sleeveless white shirt, a black skirt, and black stockings, Kyoka's mother casually walked toward the drum set in the back.

"But I think I've memorized all the drum beats, so Kaminari-kun, can you mute the drum effects on your pedal?"

"…"

Kaminari was at a loss for words.

After going in circles, it turned out that Kyoka was the bassist, her father was the guitarist, and her mother was the drummer?!

"Hey, if only this song had lyrics, I could be the lead singer too." Kyoka's father looked at the microphone in front of Kaminari with a hint of regret.

"If that were the case, we'd be a full band, vocals, guitar, bass, and drums!" Kaminari laughed.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The four of them exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.

For some reason, as Kaminari stood among the Jiro family, he didn't feel like an outsider at all.

The way they smiled at each other, it wasn't just camaraderie. It felt like family.

And the way he and Kyoka unconsciously gazed at each other… it resembled a newlywed couple still in their honeymoon phase—natural, full of warmth, and brimming with love.

"Alright then… the first-ever full-band performance officially begins!!"

Kaminari shouted with excitement as his fingers danced swiftly across the strings once more, reigniting the electrifying energy of the song.

This time, the music felt completely different from when he had played it alone.

Perhaps… because it wasn't just music anymore.

It carried something even more precious.

Family. Love. Friendship.

And the sight and sound of this moment, captured perfectly in Kyoka's mind would become a treasured memory for all four of them in the years to come.

Four people. Three emotions. Two hearts intertwined. One family.

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Chapter 293: Kaminari of Heavenly Punishment?

Under the soft glow of the moon, Kaminari sat contentedly on the Shinkansen express back to Saitama City after having dinner at Kyoka's house, with her family watching him off.

However, in the end, they didn't get around to playing the second OP song. There was simply no way, they had poured all their energy and enthusiasm into performing "Passionate Duelists"

But as Kaminari gazed out the express train window, watching the scenery blur past at high speed, a lingering thought surfaced in his mind.

Something about the way Kyoka's mother looked at him during dinner had felt… off.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The admiration, approval, and other emotions in her gaze were all perfectly normal.

After all, no one who truly knows me dislikes me.

Yet, there was something else hidden in her eyes—something that unsettled him.

"But… Kyoka looks a lot like her mother. I wonder if she'll grow up to be just as beautiful?"

As this thought crossed his mind, Kaminari instinctively imagined an older version of Kyoka, making him look forward to the future even more.


---

Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Located in the southern Kanto region, Yokohama bordered Tokyo Bay to the east and Kawasaki City to the north. As an international port city, it remained lively and prosperous even after nightfall, illuminated by countless neon lights in every direction.

But as the saying goes, "The brightest light casts the darkest shadows."

No matter how peaceful and thriving a city appeared on the surface, hidden in its depths lurked darkness and terror.

For instance, a particular bar with no signage, tucked away beneath a certain building.

This was one of the hideouts of the League of Villains, the infamous organization responsible for the U.A. High School USJ attack and gaining further notoriety due to Stain.

Inside, a white-haired young man with a white glove covering his face sat at the dark brown wooden bar counter, staring intently at a photograph.

It was a picture of Midoriya Izuku.

Not only that, but in his left hand, he gripped another photo so tightly that the image was almost crumpled beyond recognition. However, if one looked closely at the corner peeking out, they could see a hint of golden color.

Due to the dim lighting, the details weren't entirely clear.

"Do you care about him, Tomura Shigaraki?"

Standing behind the bar, Kurogiri—dressed in a bartender's uniform casually wiped a wine glass as he spoke.

"That boy... Midoriya Izuku."

Just then, the bar door suddenly swung open, and the copper bell hanging above jingled.

An unexpected visitor.

"Shigaraki-kun?"

A middle-aged man with gray hair and glasses walked in, a cigarette resting between his fingers. His gentle smile made him appear harmless.

"We've been discussing your affairs here for days now."

"I'm guessing you guys are planning something big next, aren't you?"

"Tch."

Tomura Shigaraki sneered, activating his Quirk and crumbling Midoriya's photo into dust.

At the same time, his grip on the other photo in his left hand unconsciously tightened. The golden hue that had been visible a moment ago was now completely concealed within his whitened palm.

"By the way, who are they?"

Shigaraki turned his head as a man and a woman—one tall, one short—stepped into the bar behind the middle-aged man.

"So, it's you?"

The taller of the two men glanced down, his chin slightly raised, his tone laced with disdain.

"I've seen pictures before, but seeing you in person… well, it's even more disgusting."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the bar grew tense.

A suffocating dark aura began to brew, though no one had noticed it yet.


---

The Next Morning – Shizuoka Prefecture.

The weather remained bright and sunny, with clear blue skies and a gentle summer breeze.

Since it was the beginning of July, the warm, pleasant days had continued for a while now.

Dressed in casual clothes, Kaminari and Tetsutetsu arrived at Mujin District, one of the newest and most popular shopping malls in Shizuoka Prefecture.

It was the largest mall in the area, boasting the most stores and earning a reputation as the region's "fashion frontline."

Young people, especially middle school and high school students frequented the place, whether to shop, hang out, or work part-time.

By this time, all twenty students from Class 1-A had gathered there.

The trip had been suggested the day before by Hagakure, who proposed that everyone go shopping together to buy supplies for their upcoming forest training camp in Nagano.

Everyone had enthusiastically agreed, except for Bakugo, who didn't like group outings, and Todoroki, who had chosen to visit someone in the hospital instead.

"Kaminari! Tetsutetsu!"

Kyoka, who had been chatting and laughing with Ashido, Momo, and Asui, immediately noticed the two as they approached.

"Great, everyone's finally here!"

Hagakure beamed, waving her pink gloves excitedly.

"Nice! Everyone's on time. Punctuality is a good habit for Hero Course students!"

As expected, Iida couldn't resist making a serious remark.

"Heh heh heh."

Kaminari grinned as he greeted everyone. Then, he walked over to Kyoka and smiled.

"Let's go shopping today!"

But before Kyoka could respond, Momo smirked and teased,

"Kaminari, don't think you can just go on a date with Kyoka alone. We already agreed to shop together."

"Huh? That's fine with me. The more beautiful ladies around me, the better!"

Kaminari shot a playful glance at Kyoka before smiling nonchalantly.

"Wow!"

"Look! Those are heroes!"

"I've seen those first-years on TV before!"

Before the students could continue their conversation, excited chatter erupted among the surrounding shoppers.

And then—

"Kaminari Denki!!"

A group of young girls suddenly screamed in excitement.

There was no helping it, this was Shizuoka Prefecture.

Here, Kaminari's popularity rivaled that of his home turf, Saitama.

At this point, he was practically enjoying celebrity status.

"It's really him! That 'Pikachu' on his shoulder is unmistakable!"

"And the girls next to him—Kyoka Jiro and Momo Yaoyorozu! They're both in his band!"

"Look at Momo's feet—it's Vulpix!"

"Oh my god! Two Pokémon from the anime are right in front of us! This is like heaven!"

Before they knew it, Kaminari, Kyoka, and Momo were completely surrounded by enthusiastic fans.

The problem?

All the people gathering around Kaminari were girls.

With their numbers increasing, Kyoka and Momo were gradually pushed away.

Fortunately, they remained side by side and managed to keep their composure despite the overwhelming attention.

Meanwhile, Kaminari sighed in relief, at least Kyoka and Momo weren't completely separated.

Not far away, Midoriya, Uraraka, Tokoyami, Iida, Ashido, and Tsuyu looked at each other in shock.

"Should we go help Kyoka and the others?" Tsuyu asked, tapping her lips.

"How?" Uraraka and Ashido responded simultaneously.

No one had an answer.

And then—

"DAMN IT!!!!"

Mineta Minoru, his face twisted with envy, clenched his fists and screamed in frustration.

"That bastard Kaminari is already experiencing a level of happiness that only exists in heaven!!!"

"HE WILL BE PUNISHED BY THE GODS!!!"