One Week Later - After School

  Kaito was heading home when two familiar figures stepped into his path. Dante and Akari stood side by side, arms crossed, expressions serious.

  Kaito sighed. "What now?"

  "We need to ask you something," Dante said. "And we're not letting you leave until you answer," Akari added.

  Kaito looked between them, confused and a little wary. "Okay...?"

  "Are you sure you're quirkless?" Dante asked bluntly. Kaito blinked. "What? Where is this coming from?"

  "Just answer the question," Akari said.

  "Yes! I'm sure! I was tested when I was five—"

  "That was nine years ago," Dante interrupted. "Have you been tested since?"

  "No, but—"

  "Then how do you know?"

  Kaito stared at them like they'd lost their minds. "Because quirks don't just... appear randomly. If I had one, I'd know."

  "Would you?" Akari stepped forward. "Because I saw you get thrown into a metal garbage bin hard enough to dent it. And you got up without a scratch."

  Kaito's face paled slightly. "That was—I was just lucky—"

  "And I've seen you lift a pot that weighs at least fifty kilos with one hand," Dante added. "Like it was nothing."

  "I've been working at the stall for years, I'm just strong—"

  "And last week," Dante continued, "you read a sign from seven hundred meters away. Perfectly. I couldn't even see the letters, but you recited the whole thing."

  Kaito opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

  "You guys are acting weird," he said finally, but his voice wavered.

  "We're acting observant," Akari said. "Something's going on, Kaito. And I think you know it too."

  Kaito looked away, jaw tight. "Even if you're right—which you're not—what does it matter? I was tested. The results were clear."

  "School tests aren't always accurate," Dante said gently. "Especially for quirks that develop slowly."

  "I don't have the money for a specialist—"

  “Well, it doesn’t matter” Kaito walked to a nearby bench and sat down. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.

  "So," Akari said carefully. "Tell us about the original test. What do you remember?"

  Kaito leaned back, staring at the sky. "Not much. I was five. The school had just reopened after a reconstruction project, so everything was kind of rushed. They did the toe joint test and ran a few basic checks. Everything came back normal. No abnormalities. No quirk factor detected."

  He paused, hands clasped in his lap.

  "A month later, my parents died."

  The words hung heavy in the air.

  "Villain attack," Kaito continued, voice flat, like he'd told this story so many times it had lost its emotional weight. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that, it was just Grandma and me. We barely had enough money for rent, let alone follow-up medical tests."

  He looked at them, something fragile in his expression.

  "So yeah. I just... accepted it. Quirkless Kaito. That's who I am. That's who I've always been."

  Dante's chest tightened. Akari looked away, jaw clenched.

  "I'm sorry," Akari said quietly. "About your parents."

  Kaito shrugged, but it was forced. "It was a long time ago."

  Silence settled over them, broken only by the distant sounds of traffic and birdsong.

  Finally, Dante spoke. "When's the last time you felt... different? Like something changed?"

  Kaito frowned, thinking. "I don't know. Maybe last year? I started noticing I could see things from farther away. And lifting stuff at the shop got easier. But I just figured I was getting older. Stronger. Normal puberty stuff."

  “I can help with the test,” Akari said, “Just to be sure.”

  Kaito looked away, shoulders hunching. "I'm not going to owe anyone anything. I don't need charity."

  The words came out sharper than he intended.

  Dante and Akari exchanged a glance.

  "It's not charity," Dante started, but Kaito shook his head.

  "Yes, it is. And I don't want it." He stepped around them, walking fast. "I need to get to work. Grandma's waiting."

  "Kaito—"

  "Drop it, Dante." Kaito didn't look back. "I mean it."

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  He walked away, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders rigid.

  Dante watched him go; he felt like shit for what they made Kaito feel. "Well, that went great."

  Akari was quiet, staring after Kaito with an unreadable expression.

  "We gotta make up to him,” Dante said thrwing a pebble into the ground.

  "I know." Akari's voice was thoughtful. Calculating.

  "So what do we do?"

  Akari was silent for a long moment. Then she pulled out her phone and started typing something.

  "Akari?"

  "Nothing," she said, pocketing her phone. "We do nothing. For now."

  Dante frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "It means we back off. Pushing him will just make him dig in harder." She turned to face him. "But I have an idea. Meet me here tomorrow after school. Same time."

  "Why? What are you planning?"

  "Just trust me." Her expression was serious. "And bring Kaito. Tell him... I don't know. Tell him we want to apologize properly. Buy him food or something."

  Dante studied her face, trying to read what she wasn't saying. "Akari—"

  "Please, Dante. Just trust me on this."

  He hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Tomorrow. Same time."

  "Good." She started walking in the opposite direction, then paused and glanced back. "And don't tell him I'm coming. Just say you want to hang out."

  "Why?"

  "Because if he knows I'm involved, he won't show up."

  Before Dante could respond, she was gone, disappearing around the corner with quick, purposeful steps.

  Dante stood there alone, staring after her.

  What is she planning?

  That Evening - Akari's Room

  Akari sat at her desk, phone in hand, staring at the screen.

  The website for Musutafu Medical Center's Quirk Analysis Department was open in front of her. Available appointments. Pricing. Requirements.

  It wasn't cheap.

  But it wasn't impossible either.

  She had her allowance. Money her mother gave her every month for "maintaining appearances"—designer clothes, expensive lunches, keeping up with the right social circles.

  Money she'd been saving for months because she didn't know what else to do with it.

  This is stupid, she thought. He already said he doesn't want charity.

  But the image of Kaito getting up from that dented garbage bin wouldn't leave her head. The way he'd brushed off the impact like it was nothing. The way he lifted impossibly heavy things without breaking a sweat.

  The way he'd declared his dream of going to UA with so much hope in his eyes.

  And the way she'd crushed that hope with cold, brutal logic.

  "You're delusional."

  Her own words echoed in her head, and her stomach twisted.

  She'd sounded just like her mother. Dismissive. Condescending. Reducing someone's dream to statistics and probabilities.

  I don't want to be like her.

  Akari took a breath and clicked "Book Appointment."

  Tomorrow, 4:30 PM. Quirk Analysis - Comprehensive Evaluation.

  She filled out the form—Kaito's name, age, basic information she'd memorized from group projects. She left the "Quirk Type" field blank and checked the box for "Late Manifestation Suspected."

  When it came to payment, she entered her own information without hesitation.

  The confirmation email arrived thirty seconds later.

  Akari stared at it for a long moment, then forwarded it to her own calendar. Not to Dante. Not to Kaito.

  Just her.

  She'd tell them tomorrow. When it was too late to argue.

  She closed her laptop and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.

  This isn't charity, she told herself. This is... making up for being a terrible person.

  This is what I can do as a friend.

  The word felt strange. Unfamiliar.

  But not wrong.

  Akari stood, walked to her bed, and pulled out the hidden notebook from under her mattress—the one filled with design sketches and hero costume concepts and dreams she'd never told anyone about.

  She flipped to a blank page and started drawing.

  A rescue hero. Simple costume. Practical. Built for durability and speed rather than flash.

  She didn't write a name. Didn't need to. She knew who it was for.

  The Next Day - After School

  Dante caught up with Kaito at the school gates.

  "Hey, wait up."

  Kaito slowed, glancing back warily. "If this is about yesterday—"

  "It's not." Dante jogged over, trying to look casual. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to grab food or something. My treat. You know, to make up for being weird."

  Kaito's expression softened slightly. "You don't have to do that."

  "I know. But I want to." Dante gave him a small smile. "Come on. We haven't hung out properly in over a week. Just the two of us."

  Kaito hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But I can't stay long. Grandma—"

  "Needs your help at the shop. I know. Just an hour."

  "Thirty minutes."

  "Deal."

  They started walking together, falling into comfortable silence.

  Kaito didn't notice Akari watching from across the courtyard, phone in hand, waiting for the right moment to "accidentally" run into them.

  She waited until they turned the corner, then followed at a distance.

  By the time they reached the meeting spot—a small plaza near the medical center—Akari was already there, leaning against a lamppost like she'd been waiting.

  Kaito stopped dead. "What is she doing here?"

  Dante looked genuinely surprised. "Akari? I thought you said—"

  "Change of plans." Akari pushed off the lamppost and walked toward them. "We're going somewhere."

  "Where?" Kaito's voice was suspicious.

  Akari pulled out her phone and showed them the confirmation email.

  "Musutafu Medical Center. Quirk Analysis Department. Appointment in fifteen minutes."

  Kaito's eyes widened. "You—what?"

  "I booked an appointment." Akari's tone was matter-of-fact. "To get you tested properly."

  "I told you I don't want—"

  "I know what you said." Akari cut him off, voice firm with subtle softness. "And I'm not asking you to owe me anything."

  Kaito stared at her, mouth slightly open.

  "You don't get to decide what I do with my money, Kaito. And you don't get to decide whether I feel guilty." She crossed her arms. "So we can stand here arguing, or we can go find out if you have a quirk. Your choice! But the appointment's in fifteen minutes, and it's non-refundable."

  Kaito looked at Dante, who raised his hands. "Don't look at me. I didn't know about this either."

  "You're both insane," Kaito muttered. He felt his chest feel lighter and heavy breaths of anxiety.

  "Probably," Akari agreed. "So are you coming or not?"

  Kaito looked between them—Dante's looked at him with confidence of hope, Akari's determined one, that just might be true.

  He thought about the dented garbage bin. The heavy pots. The things he'd been noticing but ignoring because acknowledging them felt too dangerous.

  What if they're right?

  What if I'm not quirkless?

  The hope was terrifying. But so was never knowing.

  "Fine," he said finally. "But if this comes back negative, you both owe me a month of free lunches."

  "Sure!”

  Akari just smiled—small, but genuine. They started walking toward the medical center. Tomorrow, they'd get answers.

  One way or another.

  [author] A little short chapter. A cookie for you, lovely people. stay tunned ??[/author]