"What… what do you mean we're not qualified to kill this bear?!"

  Kaminari frowned, clearly fused and frustrated.

  "This giant bear is ten—no, twenty times more dangerous than an ordinary bck bear!" he argued. "It's full of hatred for humans. If we don't kill it now, what are we supposed to do? Stick it in a zoo?"

  Edgeshot, however, remained calm.

  "I'm not saying it 't be killed," he replied. "I'm saying we don't have the qualifications to do so."

  "Qualifications?!" Kaminari excimed, his frustration boiling over. "What qualifications do we o put down a mohat's already attacked people?!"

  Edgeshot's expression didn't waver as he began to expin.

  "The bck bear is a species listed as vulnerable oernational Union for servation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species," he said.

  "In Japan, bck bears were once found across Kyushu, Honshu, and Shikoku. But the popution in Kyushu weinct decades ago. Every bck bear left in the wild must be treated with caution. That's why our ws strictly prohibit killing bck bears without the proper authorization."

  Edgeshot's tone grew serious as he tinued. "And by w, we are not authorized to kill this bear."

  "You're saying we 't kill it? Then what—are we supposed to just let it go?" Kaminari shot back, his tone sharp.

  Edgeshot sighed but remained patient. "Of course not. As you said, it's far too dangerous to let it go. The best course of a is to restrain it, notify the police, ahem hand it over to professional hunters."

  "Hunters?" Kaminari raised an eyebrow.

  "That's right," Edgeshot nodded. "Even we, as heroes, aren't allowed to hunt bck bears without a bear hunting lise. her are the police."

  "Then who does have a bear hunting lise?" Kaminari's irritation fred. "This is ridiculous. There are so many rules, regutions, aape!"

  "Professional hunters," Edgeshot answered simply. "Usually, when a bck bear attacks, either we or the police tact the local hunting club to send someone over."

  "Hunting club…?" Kaminari's golden eyes flickered toward Hideo and Ryoichi Sato in the distaill standing silently nearby.

  "So, if we find a professional hunter with a bear hunting lise, we kill this bear legally?"

  "That's correct," Edgeshot replied, following Kaminari's gaze toward the two Matagi hunters. His eyes narrowed slightly as realization struck him. "And it seems we already have hunters here, don't we?"

  Without another word, Kaminari strode past Edgeshot and walked toward Hideo and Ryoichi.

  "Excuse me," he asked directly, "do either of you have a bear hunting lise?"

  Hideo and Ryoichi exged a gnce before the elder nodded.

  "Of course," Hideo replied. "Not only do I have one, but Ryoichi does as well. He earned his lise just st year."

  The old man's voice carried a note of pride as he spoke of his grandson's achievement.

  "That's perfect," Kaminari said with a faint smile. "Here's the situation: while we had the authority to fight the giant bear, we're not legally qualified to finish it off. So, could I ask you to take care of it?"

  Kaminari emphasized the word "qualified," a sharp uone in his voice as he said it.

  To his surprise, Hideo hesitated before shaking his head.

  "I'm sorry," Hideo said gravely. "Though I appreciate you saving us, as a Matagi hunter, I ot agree to your request."

  "What?" Kaminari asked, frowning in disbelief.

  Hideo expined, his tone resolute.

  "Matagi hunters have their own traditions. Matagi hunters do not finish off animals that others have subdued. Bear hunting must always be the work of the Matagi themselves, from beginning to end. That is the sacred tradition we've upheld for turies."

  Kaminari's jaw tightened. He let out a hollow ugh, anger simmerih the surface.

  "Rules… traditions… Is everyone just obsessed with following arbitrary rules today?"

  At that moment, Edgeshot walked over. "What's wrong?" he asked.

  Kaminari lowered his voice, expining Hideo's refusal.

  "In that case," Edgeshot said thoughtfully, "we'll have to stabilize the bear's dition and tra to the authorities. They ha."

  Kaminari didn't agree. To him, it was far simpler—and safer—to end the threat here and now. Record the act as evidence, leave the bear's body to nourish the ecosystem, and move on.

  For such a dangerous creature, this seemed like the most logical solution.

  His gaze shifted to Ryoichi, who was croug nearby, his expression troubled. A thought struck Kaminari, and he addressed the young man.

  "Your name is Ryoichi, right?"

  Ryoichi looked up, startled. "Ah, yes. We met on the Shinkansen before," he replied nervously.

  "Why did you and yrandfather e all the way out here to hunt this giant bear?" Kaminari asked, his voice calm but probing.

  "Uh… well…" Ryoichi hesitated, gng at his grandfather before l his head. "It was to… to make a name for ourselves."

  He sighed and tinued, his voice filled with frustration.

  "After bck bears were listed as protected animals, we Matagi could only hunt them in small numbers, and even then, only urict ditions. Applying for a bear hunting lise is a long and plicated process, so many desdants of ghost hunters have simply given up the professioirely.

  "With no oo carry oraditions and no attention from the outside world, my grandfather and I were worried that the legacy of the Matagi would disappear."

  Ryoichi paused before adding quietly, "So, when we heard about the 'three-meter bck bear' causing havoc, I suggested we take it down ourselves t the Matagi name bato the spotlight."

  "Ryoichi!" Hideo interrupted sternly. "But you ot go against tradition! I've told you this tless times—what makes us sacred is our adhereo those traditions!"

  Kaminari's golden eyes narrowed. He sensed an opportunity.

  "Ryoichi," he said softly, "look at that bear. That's no ordinary three-meter bck bear. It's a five-meter giant that's awakened a Quirk—a true Bear King."

  He stepped closer, his voice l.

  "Think about it. If a photo of you standing proudly over this bear, sword in hand, ublished in the media, you'd instantly bee a legend.

  "'The stro and you Matagi hunter,' they'd call you. A new Matagi hero who personally brought down a Quirk-enhanced monster. Isn't that what you've always dreamed of?"

  Ryoichi's eyes widehe fire of ambition flickered in his gaze, growing brighter with every word.

  "The stro… the you…" he murmured, swallowing nervously.

  "Ryoichi!" Hideo shouted, his voice filled with anger. "No! You must not betray the name of the Matagi!"

  But Ryoichi didn't respond. His hands trembled as he drew the Matagi bde from his belt, the traditional oo finish off bears. Step by step, he approached the injured giant bear.

  "Ryoichi!" Hideo shouted again, furious abrokeuro Kaminari, his voice filled with rage.

  "What have you done?! You've pushed him to betray everything the Matagi stands for!"

  Kaminari met the old man's gre without fling. His voice was calm, almost cold.

  "I didn't push him to do anything," Kaminari said simply. "I gave him an opportunity, to achieve his dream through his own efforts. You should be thanking me."

  He turo Edgeshot, his golden gaze sharp.

  "This follows the rules, doesn't it?"

  Edgeshot hesitated for a moment before nodding. "…It does."

  To be ho, Edgeshot hadn't expected Kaminari to take such a direct approach. He realized that the young hero didn't care about fame nition. What Kaminari cared about was solving problems and asserting his own values.

  Kaminari g the bear o time befiving an order to his battle suit's AI.

  "'Pikachu,' record everything. Make sure to get high-definition shots of Ryoichi finishing the job."

  "Yes, Master," the AI replied.

  AnnouChey new books:

  ☆DC: Rise Of The Kryptonian Tyrant

  ☆GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond the Ice

  ☆Drift Of The Multiverse

  Check my profile, under Series.

  Junkdog