"You know, it feels like forever since we st had barbecue here," Kaminari remarked, a hint of nostalgia in his voice as he followed his parents into the restaurant.

  Whely had it been siheir st family outing to this pce?

  He still remembered the owner vividly not because of the food, but because his appearance was so startling. The man was nearly a spitting image of Saitama from One Punch Man. Seeing someone who looked that much like a famous manga character had definitely left an impression on Kaminari.

  However, it seemed the owner wasn't around today. Kaminari gnced around a a small pang of disappoi.

  "Yeah, it must've been a few years," his dad agreed as he spoke to the hostess and then followed her to their table. "The st time we were here was when I resigned and we celebrated the successful founding of our family's pany."

  "Please, take a seat here," the waitress, who looked like a college student w part-time, said with a polite smile as she led them to ay table.

  "Thank you," Kaminari's dad replied, sitting across from him, while Kaminari and his mom took seats on the opposite side. Being the one who khe me, his dad took charge of . The family had simir tastes when it came to barbecue.

  "We'll start with tws of grade-3 Osaka beef tenderloin, two gsses of ice water, and a Coke," he said, opting for pin water since he had to drive. Kaminari, of course, got his usual Coke.

  "By the way, Dad, how's the pany doing?" Kaminari asked casually as he leaned back, listening to the music pying softly in the restaurant. The DJ responsible for the pylist was her than UA's teacher, Present Mic, Japan's top voice-Quirk user.

  "It's doing great!" his dad replied enthusiastically. He never hesitated to discuss the pany with Kaminari sis success was, in part, thanks to his son. "Pikachu merdise is selling really well, and your 'Railgun' song is steadily climbing in popurity on MTV."

  "Actually," he tinued, "the song has just reached number seven oOP list. We're also seeing some det revenue from the various chts. Overall, things are looking up!"

  Kaminari nodded in satisfa. Even without the support of the Pokémon franchise from his previous world, Pikachu's iic design was still making waves in this o wasn't the cultural phenomenon it had been in his past life, but it was enough to sustain a small pany and keep his family financially fortable.

  "But," his dad hesitated, "I think our product lineup is a bit too limited. Pikachu's great, but it would be better if we had a few more characters like it."

  "No problem. I'll draw a few more when I get some free time," Kaminari said without hesitation. While he had no iion of being a full-time manga artist, he could definitely add a few more iic characters like Squirtle or Charmao expand the pany's s.

  "And then there's the matter of new songs…"

  Kaminari didn't say this out loud but kept it in mind. He enjoyed singing far more than drawing, though he'd have to choose his rack carefully.

  "Let go! A dream engraved in my heart!"

  "You also ighe future!"

  At that moment, the familiar intro to his song suddenly filled the restaurant, followed by his own voiing through the speakers. Surprisingly, it was his mom who reacted first.

  "Hey, isn't this your song?" she asked, reizing it instantly since she had just watched Kaminari perform at his solo cert earlier that day.

  "Yeah, it is," both Kaminari and his dad replied in unison. His dad, especially, had heard the song so many times due to work that he was nearly sick of it. Yet, it also highlighted a peculiar situation—Kaminari's music opur, but he himself wasn't. Despite his song pying, no one in the restaurant seemed to realize that the artist was sitting right there.

  Kaminari didn't mind, though. He was still a student, and there would be plenty of time to worry about fame when he was older. As long as he tio release high-quality music, the reition would e eventually.

  Just then, the food arrived. The young waitress deftly hahe meat with a pair of spatus, grilling the beef on the iron pte. Her movements were smooth and effit, cutting the meat along its natural grain. There was a certain artistry to the traditional Japayle of cooking, and Kaminari couldn't help but appreciate the show.

  "All done! Now, you add any seasonings you prefer. It's best enjoyed right away," the waitress said with a polite bow before moving on to prepare the batch of beef.

  Kaminari was used to the routine. He took the bck pepper his mom handed him and spri lightly over the sizzli. Then, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and savored the rich aroma before pg it in his mouth.

  As mentioned earlier, their family shared simir tastes, and bck pepper was a favorite for barbecued meat. But just as the three of them were settling in to enjoy the meal, a news report suddenly interrupted the background musi the restaurant's TV.

  "This is NHA News. We are broadcasting an urgent update. Just an ho, poli patrol discovered the remains of professional Hero Pstique on Okasa Street."

  "Based on preliminary iigations, authorities suspect the notorious 'Hero Killer.' The Saitama City Police Department, in cooperation with professional Heroes, has unched a full-scale search for the criminal."

  "The Police Chief has also issued a warning advising professional Heroes not to act alone for the time being and urging citizens to limit their outings until further notice."

  "The Chief, Yasuhei Yanai, assures the public that every effort is being made t the Hero Killer to justid restore peace to Saitama City."

  The broadcast ended as abruptly as it began, and the usual program resumed. But now, no one in the restaurant aying attention to the show. Instead, whispers filled the air as ers discussed the sudden appearance of a super-criminal in their city.

  It wasn't surprising; the thought of a nationally wanted criminal who had murdered over a dozen professional Heroes lurking nearby would ule anyone.

  "The Hero Killer, huh… pretty straightforward name," Kaminari mused, taking a sip of his Coke.

  "Looks like no matter what world you're in, there will always be vilins like this."

  Still, he had no iion of doing something reckless, like trag down the killer to py hero. He'd just gotten a sed ce at life and wasn't about to throw it away. He was only fifteen, after all. This was clearly a job for the professionals.

  But just as Kaminari was lost in thought, a passionate voice rang out from a nearby table.

  "Dad! I'm going to bee the best Hero, and I'll catch all these bastards who harm people! If I meet this Hero Killer, he'll get a taste of my iron fist!"