The early morning breeze drifted through the half-open bakery windows, carrying the scent of rising dough, sweet bean paste, and cinnamon sugar. Light spilled across the wooden floorboards in golden slants, dust dancing in its glow. Aunt Nari wiped down the front counter, her sleeves rolled to her elbows, her voice softly humming along to the radio in the background.
Kael stepped into the bakery from the staircase above, dragging his feet and rubbing his face. His hair—shorter now, tidier—was still damp from a quick rinse. He looked nothing like the boy who'd fought three powerful villains in the dead of night weeks ago.
His clothes were clean and casual: black joggers, a navy hoodie, and a jacket zipped halfway. The usual shadow under his eyes had faded, though tiredness still clung to his bones like a second skin.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Aunt Nari greeted, not looking up.
Kael mumbled a reply and slouched over to the corner where a paper flyer lay beside the cash register. Bright orange lettering caught his eye.
"SHIZUOKA HERO SAFETY COMMISSION – COMMUNITY DRILL: Quirk Safety & Emergency Response Training for Middle Schoolers!"
He blinked. "Seriously?"
Aunt Nari nodded without missing a beat. "Mm-hmm. They're doing it at the old training grounds up north. Heroes supervising, a full on mock city. Thought it might be… good for you."
Kael stared at the flyer for a long moment.
"I'm not really interested… ."
Nari paused, then finally looked at him. Her gaze was gentle, but sharp. "I know. That's why I think this is perfect. No masks, no real danger. No need to be on edge about anything. This event is more of a get together than a drill exercise. They want students to network amongst themselves or even with the pro heroes overseeing this training exercise."
Kael said nothing.
She added, softer now, "You said you wanted to be better role model for Hana, right? Show her what that looks like. Go out and have fun Kael."
The silence stretched. Then, Kael quietly picked up the flyer and folded it into his pocket.
…
Later that afternoon, Kael stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom.
His fingers lingered on a lock of his hair. It no longer hid his eyes. He ran water over it again, brushed it back. Clean. Controlled. Honest.
Then came the other part.
He stretched out his hand and summoned DarkBind.
The energy laced up his arm—but instead of the usual pitch black with red veins, Kael focused.
The colors shifted. The form pulsed.
Now the tendrils were a deep, oil-slick midnight blue, threaded with faint violet shimmer. Like light rippling across deep water. It was still Darkbind, just with a little makeover so that people won't connect dots.
'Equinox is gone', he thought. 'Im just plain ol Kael. And that's for the better.'
He let the tendrils dissipate and breathed deep.
…
Kael walked into the kitchen where Hana was finishing her drawing at the table. Crayons scattered everywhere. Aunt Nari watched him from the oven, where red bean buns baked in neat rows.
"You going?" she asked, not turning.
Kael nodded once.
A small cheer came from Hana. "Yay! Big bro's doing school stuff!"
He blinked. "….Just a mandatory drill. They're only doing it because of me anyway. Ah well because of Equinox I mean."
"Still counts!"
He smirked faintly. "You're impossible."
She grinned.
…
Minamino Public Middle School wasn't anything special. Small, underfunded, ordinary.
But despite never showing up, Kael's name was on every leaderboard. Top math scores. National language records. Highest placement in Quirk Theory.
The teachersstopped trying to get him to attend — some were even grateful. He never caused problems. Their only real complain was that he just wasn't… there.
And yet, his legend had grown. "Ghost of Minamino," they called him jokingly.
…
The drill grounds were built around a forgotten mock city: rows of abandoned structures, scaffolding, and training obstacles. The Hero Commission had cleaned it up and lined the perimeter with barrier tape and recording drones.
Middle schoolers gathered in clusters. Kael walked alone, hoodie over his head, backpack slung low. Eyes trailed after him—some curious, some wary—but he ignored them.
The crowd murmured as three pros approached:
Kamui Woods, tall and composed.
Mt. Lady, radiant and confident.
Manual, quiet and focused.
Taking center stage, Kamui woods cleared his throat and began his speech,
"Welcome to the Shizuoka Quirk Drill. Today, you'll work in randomized teams to simulate a coordinated response to a mock urban emergency."
Kael barely registered the words. He was scanning the crowd, observing quietly.
And then—
"Oi! Nerd! Don't get in my way this time!"
Kael turned his head.
A loud blond boy shoved his way through the group, barking at a freckled, smaller boy with green hair.
All confidence and fire, with palm sparks flaring to back it up. The other..
Meek. Nervous. Clutching a notebook and muttering to himself.
Kael narrowed his eyes. 'So these were the kids from Aldera, pins with their school logo on their shirt and or backpack backing up his statement. They were polar opposites. And yet… they were clearly tied to each other somehow, neither of them staying far from the other.
The lottery bots began assigning teams. A loud chime sounded.
"Team 1: Tanaka Riku, Fuji Mika, Sakuragi Ayumi
"Team 2: koboyashi Nao, Minoru Sato, Hirano Junpei"
They called the assigned team and finally,
"Team 9: Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Ishiro Kael."
Bakugo stared. "Huh?! You're putting me with a mophead and notebook nerd?!"
Midoriya stammered, "U-uh—hi! I guess we're partners—"
Kael didn't answer either of them. He stepped forward, hands in his pockets, eyes cool and unreadable.
Bakugo squinted at him. "The hell's your Quirk? You look like you haven't smiled in your life."
Kael replied evenly, "You'll see."
Midoriya blinked, scribbling in his notebook. "Tactical… maybe a suppression-type? Wait, no, possibly stealth-based…"
Bakugo snarled. "Great. I'm stuck with a broken calculator and a walking corpse."
Kamui's voice cut in. "Team drills begin in ten minutes. Head to your prep stations."
Kael walked silently beside his new teammates, eyes scanning the simulated city.
'Bakugo and Midoriya, huh. Same school, most likely friends or were friends at some point. Midoriya, he's quirkless, yet he's here? Oh wait, thats right. Your school nominates the student with the highest overall test scores and the student with the strongest and most control over their Quirk. How interesting..'
His put that in the back of head and focused. This isn't a fight, he reminded himself. This is a test. A step forward. No need to analyze them.
Behind him, Bakugo barked orders, already trying to take charge. Midoriya offered hesitant suggestions, mostly ignored.
Kael didn't speak.
But in his mind, he made a quiet vow:
'I'll show them what strength looks like when it doesn't need a mask.'
…