Wheel 1: Junior High arc — Rebel 4: The Bloodedge's tests
Naoto sighed as he looked out of the window, watching a random class doing P.E. lesson. The clicking sounds of the cicadas was hypnotic—
"KUROGANE!"
"UGH—" Dodging a chalk at the last second, Naoto glanced at who threw it. "S-Sorry Sensei!" Naoto exclaimed as the other students chuckled for the show.
"Good grief" Kanako sighed as she raised her left finger. A purple energy bursted out from it as the chalk returned to her hand. "I know that your grades are really high for someone of your age, but you cannot distract every two seconds"
'It's not my fault if I'm actually a High School student…' Naoto thought as he slightly nodded to the teacher when the bell rang through the school, indicating the lunch break.
Pulling out his lunchbox, the Bloodedge Drive user was going to open it before a certain curious girl almost teleported towards him.
"Jeez Nao-kun, you promised me the first bite was mine!" Nejire exclaimed as she sat beside Naoto's seat.
"Yeah yeah I know" Naoto sighed before he heard a spiky pink haired classmate chuckle. The result? He glared at the classmate. "The hell do you want, Ishida?!"
Kirai Ishida, the gryphon Quirk user, shrugged as he smirked. "Oh nothing, I'm just surprised at how you integrated into the class. Especially with your friendship with Hado-san"
Naoto managed to repress a sigh. It's been one month since he arrived in this "Possibility". Obviously Naoto had to build a decent social life to avoid arousing suspicion. The blood test had returned negative, but Naoto already knew it. But honestly the doubt that maybe it was positive kept him awake a few nights.
His relationship with Rumi had also improved in the past month. Sure, she still kept calling him kid or boy or brat, but at least she had started letting him free more time so she could resume her occupation of her as a Pro Hero.
She even bought a mobile phone for him, and to repay her for her kindness, Naoto kept the house clean and prepared the meals when she wasn't at home or when she was tired after her work.
Naoto also managed to make friends with the rest of the class, although the best relationship he had was with Nejire.
At the end of the day, Naoto could consider her to be her best friend in that World.
"Thanks for the meal!" A voice brought Naoto out from his thoughts.
"Ah!" Gasping, Naoto glanced first at his lunch box that was almost empty, then at the culprit. "Oh come on Nejime! It's the third time this week!"
"It's not my fault if Nao-kun's lunch is always so good!" She replied back.
"Third time?" Ishida crossed his arms, still chuckling. "What, you lost a bet or something, Kurogane?"
"..." His silence was clearly an answer.
"Yup!" Nejire nodded a few times before she made a 'V' with her fingers. "I have won five times in a row at the Dance Dance Rev!"
"Really? Ahah!" Ishida laughed a little before he stopped after he felt Naoto's glare.
"Besides, I need to eat and rest more than the others" Nejire added.
"Oh yeah, it was for your Quirk right?" Ishida said, receiving a nod from the girl.
"Wave Motion uses my lifeforce as fuel, so I need to train it" She revealed, surprising Naoto when he heard those infos.
'I never knew…' The boy then decided to activate his Eye of the Hunter, observing the girl's value. 'Almost 9500…She has almost the same value I had before Raquel saved me!'
"Oh yeah, you want to become a Hero, right?" Ishida asked.
"Yup!" Bumping her fists, Nejire smiled. "I want to enroll at the U.A. after Junior High, because I want to become a Pro Hero! What about you two?"
"It's not in my plans" Ishida said. "I want to help my family's restaurant. What about you, Kurogane?"
"O-Oh, me?" Naoto stammered before he shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe I'll just drop school"
"Huuuh?! And what will you do?" Ishida asked.
"...I want to travel around the world, see all kind of places" Naoto said after a few seconds of pause. He doesn't want them to know that he's from another world, besides he has to travel it in order to find a way to return.
"Oook! Changing topics" Nejire spoke before she gazed at the two classmates. "Next week we have the final exams"
"Heeeeh?!" Ishida exclaimed before he groaned. "I'm not ready…"
Smirking, Naoto was enjoying the scene since his knowledge as a High School student is superior. "I'm sorry for ya—"
"Then let's study all together!" Nejire proposed, noticing the reactions of her two classmates. Naoto casually shrugged while Ishida did a thumbs up.
"Count me in" The gryphon boy said. "We need a place now"
"We can go to your house, Nejire" Naoto said, leaning a bit forward. "Or maybe to your place, Ishida?"
The periwinkle haired girl shook her head. "My parents don't accept guests since the last time we blew up my room, ahah…" WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING FOR?!
"Unfortunately my house is located on the floor above the restaurant, and on Saturdays there is too much noise"
. . . Naoto blinked a few times when he sighed, mentally accepting what his two friends were going to say.
"Can we study at your place, Nao-kun / Kurogane?"
Another day was over, while Naoto and Nejire was heading towards the train station. As they walked towards the destination, Nejire was strangely silent, and this made Naoto slightly worried.
'Usually she talks most of the time' The boy glanced at his friend. "Hey, Nejire"
"…"
"Nejiire?"
"..."
With a sigh, Naoto suddenly snapped his fingers before the girl's face. "Earth to Nejire!" He exclaimed, receiving a surprised gasp from her.
"N-Nao-kun?"
"Are you okay? You were almost staring at the nothing"
Blushing a little, the girl energetically shook her head. "S-Sorry! I was just thinking…"
"Thinking huh?" Naoto said as he put his hands behind his head. "About what, if is possible to know?"
"...Nao-kun, do you really want to leave Japan?" Nejire asked. Honestly, Naoto didn't expect that question.
"H-Huh?!"
Gazing at her friend, Nejire continued. "Before, during the break, you said that you wanted to travel around the world. Do you really want to leave Japan?"
"..." Gradually decreasing his speed, Naoto eventually paused to watch the afternoon sun. Soon, Nejire did the same too.
"...So you were serious—"
"I have a promise to keep…" Naoto said as he clenched his right fist, remembering a certain vampire.
"A promise…?"
With a nod, the boy continued to gaze at the horizon. "Yeah. I have to "save" someone…"
"Then why won't you become a Hero? You can save everyone if you become one" Nejire asked, receiving a shrug from Naoto. He couldn't reveal to her that he already saved a brat and he currently lives together with a Pro Hero too.
"It'll take me too much time. I have to do it as soon as I can" Naoto answered as he glanced at Nejire. "That person…you see, is the only one that I remember from my past. And I have to save that precious person"
"Wave!" Suddenly, Nejire shouted as she bumped her right fist at the sky, releasing a small spiral shockwave.
"The hell are you doing?!" Naoto exclaimed as he was surprised.
"Nao-kun, you have the possibility to become a Hero, so why are you wasting it?!"
"I…sigh, look, we still have to study here for another two years excluding the current, y'know? Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind" Naoto said as he headpatted the girl before he resumed walking. "Come on, or you'll lose the train"
"I'm not a kid!" Nejire pouted as she followed Naoto. Yet, she smiled slightly when he touched her head…
Her ears twitched twice as the door of the apartment was closed, followed by someone that said "I'm home".
Rumi, the Pro Hero Mirko, turned her head towards the boy she was now looking after thanks to his "crimes" that happened one month ago. "You're back, kid"
"After all the help I'm giving, you still don't call me by name…" Naoto groaned as he heard Rumi slightly chuckle. "Have I earned enough trust?"
"Let me guess…no, not yet~!"
"Whatever…" Naoto murmured before he glanced at the Pro Hero, noticing that she was wearing her Hero Costume. "You're going out?"
"Yup. Present Mic called me to join him and a few Heroes for a party" Mirko said as she fixed a piece of the clothing. "What's with that face?"
"Well, we have our final exams the next week, so I was thinking if my friends could come here and study with me this saturday"
"Mh…" Rumi contemplated the request for a couple of seconds until she shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind—Shit, it's late!" She exclaimed when she glanced at the digital clock. "See you later, kid! Dinner is in the oven in case I'm late!"
Naoto couldn't repress a sigh when he saw Rumi run away from the apartment. "Oh well…" Walking towards the guest room, Naoto changed into his casual clothes.
What could you do, Naoto?
Well, he could play with the console Rumi bought for him 'till dinner time…Naoto put aside that plan, for now.
After dinner~
With the "after dinner" agenda full, Naoto stepped inside the inner gym. Cracking his left shoulder, the boy reached a punching bag before he assumed the stance of the style his mother taught him years ago, beginning to hit it.
I finally managed to adapt with this body. Sure, the speed and strength isn't the same, but now I don't need to use Bloodedge.
Then why won't you become a Hero?
Naoto frowned.
Why is everyone so fixated on becoming Heroes…
Find the Azure, Naoto!
I have a promise to keep…Raquel is waiting for me…
Nao-kun, do you really want to leave Japan?
This is not my world…
"This is not where I should be!" Naoto shouted as he smashed his right fist against the punching bag. Panting, Naoto sighed.
"I need a shower now…"
The day of the study session had arrived, and as scheduled, Naoto's two friends were sitting with him at the table. Naoto used his knowledge as a high school student to help his classmates with the various exercises they could understand.
Everything seemed to be going well, until Rumi returned home, revealing the little secret that Naoto had failed to tell his friends. The reveal marked the end of the study session due to the shock.
After the final exams, Naoto managed to pass the tests with flying colors thanks to his experience as a high school student; Nejire on the other hand had a bit of difficulty during the history test, but in the end she too easily passed the rest of the tests.
On the other hand, Ishida seemed to be so distracted that he did not notice that he had left blank some questions during various tests.
But in the end, the three students managed to be in the top 20 of the school, with Naoto and Nejire at the Top 5 while Ishida was 10th.
All is well what ends well, right?
The Wheel of Fate is Turning…