"How was your first day of school?" Oba asked.
The whole family was present. Haruto traveled back from Shiketsu, UA's rival high school, his provisional license allowing him to use his Light Flight quirk to make the trip in far less time than even the bullet train would have allowed. He would have to return in the morning for class. Hinata was starting her second year at Musahi Academy, the most prestigious middle school in Tokyo. Jack had not been allowed to attend Musashi as Kagayaku-san had argued he was too dangerous until he managed to fully control his quirk. Jack and Yuga were at the foot of the table, furthest from the patriarch.
"Pretty much the same as before," the elder son answered. "I'm really looking forward to graduating. This year's work studies and competitions should be fun, but I'm ready to get out there as a real hero."
"Don't denigrate the final year experiences," his father scolded. "They're all important to positioning yourself for success following graduation. I want you to make good contacts and build a solid reputation so you'll be better placed to start the Radiant Agency in a few years. With the sort of cutting edge support we can give you and your sidekicks, you'll rocket up the ratings."
"I just want to get out there and do some good," the older boy said nervously. "I'm not sure I'll be ready to run my own agency anytime soon."
Jack always had trouble remembering the hesitant teen was his grandfather. The elder Kagayaku's had never allowed him to share his future history with the other kids in the household. They all thought he was a distant cousin from America.
"Haruto, you know how long we've been waiting to have a real hero in the family to lead our company and our name into the future." The old man's voice was an odd mixture of coldly demanding and fondly cajoling. Jack had never seen the old man blow up at his recognized children, especially his elder son. He saved his cutting contempt for his unwanted descendants.
"Come Haruki, there is time to discuss this later, once Haruto is graduated and established. There's no hurry." As always Oba's tone was sweet. She never raised her voice in public. But as far as Jack knew, the old man never directly disobeyed her. "Any chance at getting top honors this year?" she asked her son.
"Not really. Tanuki still has a lock on it unless something happens to him this year. I should still be in the top five though." The boy smiled proudly.
"That's great," Oba patted his hand fondly. "How about …" she turned to the foot of the table.
"Hinata," Kagayaku-san interrupted smoothly. "Anything new or different at Musahi?"
"I think I'm going to miss Abe-sensei," the ten-year-old prodigy complained. "She, at least, knew the difference between a nucleus and a nucleotide. My new homeroom teacher, Ueda-sensei, teaches art. Ugh!"
"You will have Abe-sensei for biology, won't you?" Oba asked.
"Yes, but it's not the same thing." Hinata said.
"Let us know if there is anything we need to get involved with," her father offered.
"Jack, Yuga, tell us about UA," Oba commanded with a smile.
Before either boy could answer the old man pushed his chair back from the table and tossed his napkin onto his plate. "You'll have to excuse me," he said briskly. "I have some business to attend to." He left without looking back. Everyone watched him leave him with sad or frustrated expressions.
"Yuga? How was your introduction to the Hero course?" Oba prompted as if there had been no emotionally damaging interruption. Jack listened as Yuga offered an overly dramatized tale of the quirk tests. By the end it was obvious that only Yuga's quick wit, sparkling personality, and awesome naval laser had prevented the archvillain Aizawa from destroying the futures of the whole class.
Then Jack explained how he had won and lost a million yen of real money before his first business class had even begun.
The laughter lasted through the dessert course.
Later that evening Jack and Yuga were sitting in the French boy's rather spartan room in the smallest guest cabin. "He really hates us," the blond spat. "I understand why he treat me this way. I'm his bâtard! His mark of shame. If it wasn't for Tante Saiko, I would not have come to Japan, to UA, and he would have been able to continue pretending I never existed. But why does he hate you so? Just because you're American? That doesn't make sense. Did he hate your parents before they died?"
Jack paused. There were so many different stories about who he was and why he was living with the Kagayaku family. Of how he claimed the family name. Some people, too many in Jack's mind, knew the truth. Others knew the public story – that he was a cousin who was orphaned in America and adopted into the family. Others suggested that, like Yuga, Jack was the illegitimate son of either Saiko or Haruki. Yuga had been around for less than a month and had only heard the official lie.
"I … I don't …" Jack couldn't decide what he should tell the boy. Both desperate for companionship, at least some kind acknowledgement, they had become close in the last month. They had gone through the UA Entrance Exam, though Jack had refused to participate in the practical portion – which was not required for the Business track. The stress of the week's waiting for the results strengthened the bond.
"Jacque, are we not in this together? Tante and la petite fille are wonderful, but they cannot know what we are suffering. Please trust me. Or am I truly alone?" Yuga turned away, but not before Jack spotted the moisture in his eyes.
Jack sighed. "You're more likely to think I'm either crazy or making this up, but I'll tell you the truth. I was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico in the year 2320 …"
"But that's …"
"Ninety-five years in the future? Yes, it is. Let me finish then you can ask all the questions you want. My father was Kagayaku Yosuke, Haruto's older son. My mother was an American, Isla Clacher. When I was about two years old some bad guys killed my parents and kidnapped me. The wanted to use my quirk to make money. They kept me prisoner in an isolated lunar lab for eight years, using my quirk and experimenting on me. Then one day, in the middle of a big experiment, a bunch of heroes led by a lady who I think was my grandmother, broke into the lab. Something happened, some combination of quirks and experimental energy discharges caused a massive explosion. Two things happened to me because of the explosion. First my body was converted to some exotic form of energy. Then my energy form was shunted through a tear in space-time. I woke up in 2220 Los Angeles."
"Wow! What happened? How'd you get here?" Yuga asked.
"You have to remember; I was raised in isolation. I have very few memories of my world or of its history. But I had heard of All Might. So, I recognized his name when I saw it in a newsfeed. He was mentioned alongside an American partner, David Shield, who was some sort of science and technology guru. I was stuck in an invisible, intangible energy form – almost like a ghost. I knew I needed help and it was going to take a lot of science to fix me, so I found this Shield guy. Eventually I was able to communicate with him and tell him a bit of my story. When he heard my name, Jack Kagayaku, he reached out to Saiko-san and she came to help. Together they created my first containment suit." Jack poked at his golden metallic cheek. "The first one wasn't nearly as normal looking as this one, but it was good enough for me to travel with Oba to Japan. When she found out she was my great-grandmother she decided to adopt me and raise me as her own. Kagayaku-san never really agreed with her decision. He thinks I'm either a fraud or an abomination because of my American blood. Thus, how he treats me."
"Wow!"
"You said that already." Jack smiled. "The funny thing the old man might be right. You might not be my great-uncle." Yuga's jaw dropped at that thought. "I might be from a different space-time continuum. This might not be my past and I might not be your future. So, it's just as well I don't remember much detail of that possible future, my past. Anything I remember might just be wrong for this world."
"Wait! What's your quirk that people would kidnap you for it?"
"It used to be that I could convert matter to energy. A little matter, say a dinner plate or a brick, converted to a lot of electricity. Eventually I think they were using me to power the whole base, maybe even all the colonies on the Moon."
"It used to be?"
"When the explosion happened during the rescue attempt, my quirk changed. Now it's mostly about my energy form. Oba has developed some different containment suits that let me use my energy in different ways. This one," he poked his left hand. "is the most restrictive therefore the safest. I can't do much in it."
"She's great," Yuga said. "She's the one that created my Sparkle Belt. Before she did that, I couldn't control my laser and was always in a lot of pain and was dangerous to be around."
"We do have a lot in common, more than just the old man's enmity." Jack put his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Even though we may or may not be related, we can still be friends."
"No. We can be brothers. Brothers in adversity, perhaps someday brothers in arms."
"Brothers it is." Jack smiled.
The first week of class was relatively uneventful for Jack. He had nothing like the experiences Yuga had in battle training. The two first-years had several common subjects – English, Math, Science, History, Health, Etc. But the different tracks also had unique subjects. For first-year Business students' afternoons were spent studying Basic Accounting, Macro-Economics, and Entrepreneurship. That last course was where basic economic and business principals were explored in real-world contexts through games, simulations, and other hand-on experiences – a different sort of conflict to what Yuga was learning.
"What is our golden paladin objecting to this time?" Sano Hideo, the tall boy with the moose antlers, whined. "This is a business class. Businesses make money. That's what they're supposed to do."
"Not at the expense of their customers," Jack rebutted. "Sure, the company will make money in the short term, but when the people who buy their cheap products discover that not only are they shoddy, they're potentially dangerous the people will complain, both to the net and to the authorities."
"But it's not actually illegal," Motin Maxim argued.
"Maybe not, but the reputation of the company would still tank." Takaki Mio, the girl with long purple hair and mobile pointed ears suggested.
"And the legal costs might well eat all the profits," Ando Riku, the smallest boy in the class, added thoughtfully.
"Great discussion, but we still have to decide what the CEO should do." Morita-sensei tried to conclude the dialogue, but was cut off by the bell ringing. "Alright, everyone give me a one page summary of what you think the CEO should do and why. Make sure to address the cost, quality, legal, and reputational issues. I'll see you on Monday."
"Kagayaku," Motin was waiting just outside the door. He crowded Jack against the wall, using his height to his advantage. "You are from the Radiant Innovations Kagayakus, right?"
"Yes," Jack admitted. While he had seen the Russian throwing his weight around rhetorically in the class discussions, this was the first time he had seen the exchange students getting physical with anyone. Perhaps it is a cultural difference in what personal space is, Jack thought.
"My father would like to meet with Saiko Saburovna when he visits Japan next month." The boy used the Russian patronymic convention. Jack wondered how he'd found out Oba's father's given name. "You will arrange this."
Jack stepped forward until their chests touched. There was confusion and surprise in Motin's eyes when suddenly the two were the same height. He stepped back. Jack replied calmly, "I have nothing to do with my mother's schedule. I recommend your father communicate through the company's formal channels. If this is particularly important to him, as a favor I can give his contact info to my mother's PA. Hideki-san is the one that handles all her appointments."
"Yes," Motin raised his phone to share the data with Jack. "That should suffice."
"Dominance games?" Takaki commented as she watched the ursine boy make his way through the crowded corridor.
"I don't think Maxim Mikhailovich is used to anyone questioning his orders, much less saying no," Jack replied.
"Are you going to pass the request on?" She studied the golden boy with more than curiosity.
"I couldn't do it just because he ordered me to. And it's not my job to filter possible business proposals for my mother. That's Hideki-san role. On the other hand, there's value in Motin owing me a favor. I probably will pass it on in the end." Jack explained.
"That doesn't quite fit with your paladin persona in class," she observed.
"I never claimed that title," Jake replied. "I have my own developing code of ethics. One that doesn't require me to let myself be bullied."
"Even if it had escalated to violence?"
Jack just offered a lopsided grin. "Are you considering any of the after-school activities?" He asked instead.
"My mother suggested the cooking club, but I'm wondering about the computer club," she said.
"Tough choice. Everyone has to eat, but computers can be a lot of fun," Jack replied.
"What about you?"
"I'm more interested in the science club, particularly if they have a physics or engineering group."
"That sounds more like something for the Support students," Takaki pointed out.
"Given my family, I'm already sort of support-lite. Our business designs a lot of Hero and Police support tech." Jack shrugged.
"That makes sense." She nodded.
The two had been walking while they talked and had arrived at the building entrance. With an awkward shrug Jack said, "I guess I'll head to the science annex. See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," she agreed then walked back towards the stairs. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Jack still watching her.
As Jack stepped out of the building as bus pulled up and Yuga's class started pouring out. They looked battered, exhausted, and shocked. Something was obviously wrong. Another bus with several of the teachers pulled up behind the student conveyance. The two groups quickly meshed, the adults conspicuously verifying the state of the children.
Jack saw Yuga. He was in his shining knight costume and appeared unmussed. As soon as the blond saw his avowed brother, the Hero student rushed over. "You'll never guess what happened to me! A tale of danger and daring so fantastical it can hardly be believed, but every word is true."
"I can't wait to hear it," Jack said, throwing an arm around Yuga's purple cloaked shoulder. Just then several police cruisers arrived, and officers started pouring out. "But if it's this serious, you may want to save it for Oba."
That evening, Oba, Yuga, and Jack sat in her study. The French boy had explained the events at the USJ from his point of view. Of course, he had not seen much of the action detailed in the police reports Oba had used her connections to get. They told of how several Class 1-A students had been hurt, though none too seriously. Only Aizawa-sensei had sustained severe injuries and he was expected to recover shortly.
"Regardless of the outcome, this was a very real, very dangerous attack on UA. It demonstrated the fallacy we have all believed that UA can and would keep our children safe until they were ready to face the dangers of heroing in the real world." Oba looked as grim as Jack had ever seen her. "The question is do we allow you to continue in their already compromised care?"
"Tante?" Yuga asked breathlessly.
"No place is really safe, when it comes down to it," Jack said, recalling snapshots of his parents' death. "But some are much safer than others. We have to weigh risk and reward," Jack quoted from his business text.
"Remember that in a situation like this, it has to be a personal accounting." Oba looked at each boy in turn. "The rewards are measured against your needs and desires as much as anything. An important question is do you want to stay at UA?"
"If … if I left UA, would I have to go back to France?" Yuga asked quietly.
"Would you want to?" Oba countered.
"I miss ma mère," he admitted. "But Aoyama-san has not been nice since Kagayaku-san acknowledged me. I think they may divorce."
"Very likely," Oba nodded then continued softly. "I'd imagine the contract tying him to your mother is now fulfilled. I don't know how deeply the feelings between them may have developed. It sounds like they didn't develop much. I am sorry for her pain. But to answer your question, no you would not have to leave Japan. Regardless of your name, you are a part of this family – dysfunctional as it may be. I would hope you would decide to stay."
"Then I think I would like to stay both here and at UA," Yuga decided. "If I am to be a hero, I cannot run from the first danger, especially as it is over, and I was not touched."
"I can honestly say I wasn't expecting to enjoy UA," Jack began. "I have no prior experience with formal schooling and thought it would be stifling somehow. But I'm enjoying it. Not all of it of course. There are classes I'm bored in. But there are also a lot of activities I am learning from – the discussions, the simulations, mostly the interactions with peers both structured and informal. I wasn't in any more danger today than I am any day, anywhere. So, I see no reason to leave."
"Very well. Barring new information, we'll let things stand as they are," Oba agreed. "Yuga, you've been given the day off tomorrow. I'd like to get together to look at your studies so far and help you plan out what comes next. Jack, no break for you, so it's back to the grind tomorrow. You should get some rest, or whatever you do all night instead of sleeping."
As Jack and Yuga walked out of Oba's study, they shared a quick fist bump then split to make their way to their separate apartments.