A few weeks later, the paperwork finally went through
Another school transfer
Denki Kaminari: student, martial artist, lightning experiment enthusiast…and now professional school-hopper
He adjusted his new uniform collar as he stood in front of the gates of Nabu Elementary, exhaling a small spark of exhausting electricity
(Alright… statistically speaking, I have to run into someone from U.A. eventually. Just one. Please. I swear if this is a dud I’m transferring myself into a volcano)
He walked inside, letting a faint pulse of electricity roll off his shoes, mapping the flow of the hallway.
Nothing unusual—just the typical morning chaos.
kids shouting, lockers slamming, a few teachers already dead inside
He missed Ojiro a little.
They’d only trained together briefly, but the kid was solid—respectful, focused, fun to talk to.
But this was school was now just too far and he had to stop going to the dojo.
He still had his contact so it wasn’t like he was going to completely avoid him.
But the mission came first.
He needed to find people who mattered to the future
(Okay, universe. Give me ONE. Just ONE U.A. hopeful)
Denki rounded a corner—and stopped
A lone boy leaned against the wall, pale purple messy hair falling into half-lidded eyes.
His posture screamed ‘I don’t care’, he wasn’t talking to anyone.
In fact, all the students walking by gave him a wide berth, whispering under their breath
“Oh crap, that’s him—”
“Don’t answer if he talks to you—”
“Brainwashing freak—”
Denki’s eyebrow twitched
(Oh. Oh wow. It’s Shinso. You poor sleep-deprived cat)
[where is Aizawa?]
Denkki approached with a grin, already sticking out his hand
“Hey! I’m Denki Kaminari, I just—”
Shinso walked right past him
Didn’t look at him
Didn’t slow down
Didn’t even acknowledge him
He just brushed Denki’s shoulder with the bare minimum physical contact required to express, “I do not have the emotional energy for this”
Denki blinked
“…Wow. Rude”
He spun around, jogging a few steps to catch up
“Hey—hey—hold up! I’m talking to you!”
Shinso gave him a side glance.
“Don’t bother”
“Too late!” Denki chirped.
“I already bothered”
Shinso stopped walking and sighed through his nose, the universal teenager sign for please leave me alone before I collapse from social interaction
“Look” Shinso muttered “I’m not… someone people talk to. It’s better if you don’t and leave me alone” and with that he walked away leaving Denki alone to think
Well….won’t this be a challenge then.
Listen here Hitoshi Shinso I will make you come out of your shell or my name isn’t Denki Kaminari!!
~~~~~
Operation Start: Day 1 — The Casual Ambush
The next day, Shinso opened his locker to grab his shoes and nearly bumped into Denki, who was already leaning against the locker beside it like he lived there
“Morning!” Denki beamed
Shinso blinked slowly.
“…Why are you here?”
“Locker buddy system. Very official. Very scientific”
“There is no such thing”
“There is now”
Shinso shut his locker.
Denki followed.
Shinso walked down the hall.
Denki matched his pace like a friendly, persistent golden retriever
Finally, Shinso stopped.
“Please stop following me”
Denki immediately stepped back.
“Okay!”
Shinso sighed in relief.
Denki then walked beside him again
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant,” Denki said.
“But I’m choosing to misunderstand”
Day 3 — The Lunch Infiltration
Shinso always ate alone behind the gym.
Quiet, isolated, perfect for a kid the world had decided was “villain material” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Denki found him instantly
Shinso stared at him “…How?”
“I followed the emo aura,” Denki said, sitting cross-legged beside him
“Please don’t calling it that”
Denki opened his own lunch.
“I brought extra tamagoyaki. My mom says sharing food makes friends!”
“I’m not—”
Denki put a neat little egg roll on Shinsō’s napkin
Shinso glared at it
The egg roll did not apologize
Shinso ate it anyway
“…It’s good,” he muttered
“RIGHT?!” Denki beamed like a floodlight
Shinso regretted saying anything
But only a little
Day 5— The Compliment Onslaught
Denki tried a new tactic
He would complimented Shinso every time he passed him in the hallway
“Nice hair”
“It’s messy”
“Messy fit. Check”
“That’s not a thing”
“Is now”
Next day—
“Hey, nice eyesbags”
“They’re ugly”
“Eyebag fit. Check”
“Stop inventing aesthetics”
“Never”
By the third compliment Shinsō’s ears were pink with embarrassment.
He never admitted it.
Denki didn’t call him out
Day 10— progress
Shinso was sitting beneath a tree after school, earbuds in, pretending the world didn’t exist
Denki quietly sat down beside him and didn’t say anything
Shinso waited for the usual chatter
Nothing came
Denki just watched the falling leaves, calm, peaceful, not trying to force conversation
After a few minutes, Shinso finally spoke
“…You’re being quiet”
Denki shrugged.
“You looked tired. Figured I’d keep you company”
Shinso stared at him for a long, unreadable moment
“…ok” he said quietly
Denki grinned softly
Operation: Befriend the Lonely Cat Boy — progress: 60%
Day 20— Success (Mostly)
Shinso approached him at lunch
Voluntarily
“…Hey. You sitting behind the gym today?”
Denki blinked.
“Yeah. You want to join?”
Shinso rolled his eyes.
“If I say no you’re going to find me anyway”
Denki grinned.
“True”
“…So yes”
They walked together
Side by side
Not friends yet — but definitely not stranger
Shinso glanced at him.
“You’re… persistent”
Denki grinned.
“Thanks, I train”
“That’s not what I meant…you keep trying to talk to me. You’ve heard the rumors right? About my quirk”
Denki paused in step “I have, but that just made me think you never had a friend. Rumor about you having a villainous quirk, that you would take control over anyone that talks to you” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“But you haven’t done that to me. So until I see other whys your just another normal kid I want to be friends with”
Shinso blinked stunned at what Denki just said and then just kept moving forward
Denki stared at him, not really sure if he said the right thing until Shinso turned around and said
“You comin?”
Denki nearly fist-pumped in the air
~~~~~
A few days passed, and Denki could finally, proudly, declare victory!
Not verbally—because that would scare Shinso away again—but internally?
Oh, internally Denki was breakdancing with joy
Because Shinso no longer avoided him
Because Shinso actually talked to him
Because today, during lunch behind the gym, Shinso did something Denki never expected
He started the conversation!
“So…” Shinso said, poking at his curry bread, “you like hero stuff, right?”
Denki almost choked on his rice ball.
“Who doesn’t? I for one want to become a pro hero in the future”
“Huh….your not very subtle” Shinso muttered
“Thank you”
“That wasn’t a compliment”
“Still counts”
Shinso sighed but without the usual annoyance.
More like resign fondness in a brotherly-friendly way
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Shinso spoke again—quiet, hesitant, almost embarrassed
“…I’m thinking of going to UA to become a hero”
Denki froze mid-chew
Shinso stared ahead, thumb brushing the corner of his bread wrapper.
“My quirk isn’t… heroic. People assume the worst. Teachers think I’ll be a villain, students avoid me. It’s stupid but… U.A. Is the only place I think won’t judge me based on my quirk” He huffed.
“At least, that’s what I’m hoping”
Denki swallowed, thinking this situation carefully.
This wasn’t Shinsō fishing for pity, this was Shinsō trusting him
“Well” Denki said, leaning back with a grin, “then it’s a good thing you’re friends with me”
Shinso shot him a look.
“I’m getting a bad feeling”
“You shouldn’t. I’m awesome!”
“You’re loud”
“Same thing”
Shinso rolled his eyes, but his shoulders relaxed a bit.
“Listen I know my quirk is useful, but only when someone answers me. And if they don’t well…physically….you can see” he gestured at his thin arms
Denki clapped a hand on his shoulder “bro not to worry, I got you”
“Don’t call me bro”
“BRO, listen”
“Unfortunately”
Denki got up and walked a few feet infront of him “I’m serious, I can help you”
Shinso blinked at him in confusion ” help me…how?”
“Training!” Denki announced proudly “Strength training, reflex training, stamina training—heck, we can even figure out how to use your quirk in ways people won’t expect! You wanna get into U.A.? Cool. I’ll make sure you get there” Denki stared back with a mischievous grin
Shinso stared at him, stunned.
No one had ever offered something like that.
He half expected to get a reality check from him, anything.
Just not this
“…Why?” Shinso asked quietly.
“Why help me? You barely know me”
Denki shrugged.
“Because you’re my friend”
“That’s… stupid,” he muttered.
“Nope. Friendship contract is already signed”
“When did that happen?”
“When you ate my mom’s tamagoyaki”
“That’s not legally binding”
“It totally is”
Shinso groaned and covered his face with his palm but he didn’t reject or deny Denki’s help.
And Denki saw it, the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Fine” Shinso mumbled.
“If you’re offering… I’ll train with you”
Denki punched the air.
“YES! Operation: Buff the Mentally Exhausted Cat Boy is a GO—”
“Please don’t call it that”
“Too late!”
Shinso sighed