"Alright, alright, let's trust Midnight and the others. By the way, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, is here too!"

  Kaminari's mother noticed the growing tensioween Kaminari and Midnight and stepped in to diffuse it with a smile.

  "Teacher Aizawa?" Kaminari's attention immediately shifted. He hadn't expected his css teacher to be involved in this situation as well.

  "Where is he?"

  "He went out to deal with the 'rats.' This is the kind of thing he's particurly good at," Midnight replied, shaking her head lightly.

  "What about the bodyguard sele? How many options are there now?" Kaminari asked, steering the versation toward the security arras.

  Naturally, he hoped they could hire one of the top ten Pro Heroes. Even if the cost was high, it would be worth it. However, he also uood how uhat was. Heroes of that caliber rarely took bodyguard jobs uhe t was a high-profile figure like the prime minister or royalty.

  "There are three options," Midnight began, diving straight into the details.

  "The first didate is 'Rope-Man,' who also lives in Saitama City. We sidered him because he's familiar with the local area, and his abilities are fairly det."

  "Rope-Man… you mean that guy with the rope from before?" Kaminari asked, frowning.

  "Yes, that's him."

  "No way. Absolutely not," Kaminari said bluntly, shaking his head. He then expined his reasoning.

  "He's too weak. If we 't afford top-tier Heroes, we should at least aim for sed-tier ones, not third-rate characters like him."

  Midnight smiled helplessly at Kaminari's bluntness. "If that's the case, the sed didate probably won't work either. His strength is about the same as Rope-Man's."

  Midnight wasn't surprised by Kaminari's response. After all, most Pro Heroes in society weren't top-tier. The truth was, the majority of Heroes weren't powerhouses. However, Kaminari had grown aced to associating with elite figures, so his standards were uandably high.

  "So, does that meahird didate is stronger?" Kaminari asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Yes," Midnight firmed. "The third didate used to be Endeavor's assistant. He started his own agency two years ago and is signifitly strohan most Pro Heroes."

  "Endeavor's assistant?" Kaminari's i iqued immediately. Even his parents, who weren't well-versed in the Hero world, perked up at the mention of Endeavor.

  Although Endeavor wasn't as universally admired as All Might, his reputation as the perennial No. 2 Hero made him a household name.

  "Yes, his Hero name is 'Snatch.' He's a Sand Hero, and his Quirk is called 'Sand.' However, he has a bit of a rigid personality—a very traditional 'justice-first' type," Midnight expined. She sounded slightly a the prospect of dealing with such a serious character, but she didn't let her personal bias get in the way of reending him.

  "Iing," Kaminari murmured.

  He picked up the roster on the coffee table and quickly flipped through the pages until he found Snatch's profile. The details were thh, even including a hexagonal attribute chart that outlined his strengths and weaknesses.

  "Hmm… good at survival, trol, and support. Det damage output, but cks range. He's definitely a bodyguard-type Hero," Kaminari analyzed, studying the chart closely.

  He tinued reading, fog on Snatch's Quirk description.

  "Quirk: 'Sand'— freely transform into and manipute sand, trolling every particle. Immuo most physical and elemental attacks."

  As Kaminari read the description, an image formed in his mind. It reminded him of a powerful figure from one of his favorite stories.

  "His Majesty Crocodile of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Kaminari thought with a small grin.

  But something puzzled him. With su impressive Quirk, how was Snatly a sed-rate Hero at the age of forty-five? If he could fully utilize his sand manipution and partial transformation abilities, he should easily rank higher.

  "Dad, let's go with him," Kaminari said decisively, closing the roster.

  He was already thinking about how he could help Snatch improve. If the Hero had the right guidance, he could fully unlock the potential of his Quirk. After all, the stronger Snatch became, the better he could protect Kaminari's father.

  What could a first-year student possibly teach a Pro Hero with decades of experienot mu terms of bat tactics. But when it came to creative uses of sand manipution and elementalization, Kaminari had plenty of ideas.

  After all, his inspiration came from legends like the Sed Kazekage and Crocodile.

  "Snatch's employment fee is two million yen per month," Midnight reminded him.

  "Two million…" Kaminari muttered, gng at his father.

  His father simply smiled fidently. "Don't worry about the cost. We've got it covered."

  Thanks to the booming success of the "Pokémon" IP, their finances were more than secure. Kaminari's father's firm fidence made it clear that money wasn't an issue.

  "Uood," Midnight said, pulling out her phone. "I'll taatch right away."

  ---

  As Midnight made the call, the doorbell rang. Kaminari got up to a and found Officer Megure, who had apanied him earlier.

  "Mr. Kaminari," Megure began, addressing Kaminari's father, "our current intelligence suggests that the vilins might make their move tonight. For your safety, I strongly reend staying indoors."

  "We've already deployed strict security measures in this neighborhood," Megure tinued. "With the cooperation of the Midnight Offid the Saitama police, you rest assured that you're well-protected."

  Kaminari's father stood and exged polite words with Officer Megure, thanking him for his efforts. Kaminari watched from the side, impressed by his father's charisma.

  His father's ability to navigate situations like this made it clear that his pany's success wasn't solely due to the "Pokémon" IP. His eloquend leadership were equally important.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Tetsutetsu, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.

  "Kaminari, do you think my bat uniform will be targeted too?" he asked nervously.

  If his uniform was as valuable as Kaminari's, wouldn't that put his father at risk as well?

  "Well…" Kaminari hesitated, unsure of how to ahe possibility was defihere. After all, Dr. Tenma had mentioned how expesutetsu's bat uniform would have been if its materials weren't subsidized.

  "Maybe you should head home and che your dad," Kaminari suggested.

  "But didn't they say the vilins might attack at night? Should I really leave now?" Tetsutetsu looked flicted.

  "You're not allowed to take a here anyway," Kaminari reminded him with a helpless smile. Midnight's warning about Hero lises had been clear.

  After a moment of thought, Tetsutetsu nodded. "Alright, I'll go home and chey dad. He's my only family, after all."

  "Don't worry," Kaminari assured him. "We agreed to fight side by side if something happens."

  It was a small lie. If a battle did break out, Kaminari didn't want t Tetsutetsu into the chaos. Still, he didn't want his friend to feel abandoher.

  ***

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