"Colossus?!"

  When Kaminari said this, both families were momentarily taken aback. But as they sidered the niame, they quickly realized how fitting it was for Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.

  Especially Tetsutetsu himself, who shot to his feet, nearly knog over his chair, and shouted, "Cool!!!" His face lit up with excitement. "That name is awesome, right?!"

  He was over the mooe not having even passed the Hero exam yet, and being far from a professional Hero, those thoughts didn't cross his mind. He was fident that he was destio succeed, and that was enough for now.

  Just as Tetsutetsu was about to speak again, a calm voiterrupted him.

  "Young man, this is a public pce. If yoing to shout, take it outside..."

  Tetsutetsu turo see a bald man about his ow, wearing a simple set of work clothes. As Tetsutetsu's eyes fell on the ag reading "Store Manager," he quickly put two and two together.

  He immediately bowed his head in apology, first to the manager and then to the other ers who had been startled. Though he had a rough, straightforersonality, he wasn't g in manners something drilled into him by his father, a retired soldier.

  Seeing that it was just a young boy getting a bit too excited, the patrons accepted his apologies without much fuss.

  Kaminari, sitting nearby, couldn't help but feel a bit stra was as if Saitama from One Punch Man were standing just a few meters away... The resembnce was uny, right down to the bnk expression. It was surreal to see someone who looked so much like a famous character in real life.

  The bald store manager, satisfied with Tetsutetsu's apology, merely nodded and walked away, leavietsu to sheepishly return to his seat. "Hehe, I got a bit carried away!"

  "But seriously, I really like that name, Colossus! When I bee a professional Hero, I use it?" Tetsutetsu asked, his eyes filled with hopeful anticipation.

  Kaminari didn't hesitate. "Of course! Go ahead and use it." After all, trading a cool name for the goodwill of a steel-skinned future Hero seemed like a fair exge.

  "Awesome!" Tetsutetsu beamed, g his fists like a kid who'd just been given the best present ever. "From now on, you're my partner, Kaminari!"

  "If anyone messes with you at U.A., I'll protect you!" he decred boldly.

  Kaminari's eyebrows twitched as he g his parents, who were stifling their ughter behind their hands. Suppressing a grin himself, he gave Tetsutetsu a slight nod and said, "I'll t on you then."

  "Leave it to me!" Tetsutetsu thumped his chest in response, his loyalty unmistakable.

  But as the versation tinued, Kaminari's curiosity began to grow. He wondered whether his own lightning-based Quirk would have any effe Tetsutetsu's steel transformation. He also found himself questioning how he measured up against his peers in general.

  Up to this point, his training had been in solitude, practig alone in Omiya Park. Although he had developed a few teiques that suited him, he'd never actually tested them against a real oppo. The only "bat" experience he had was using his Quirk for a makeshift electrotherapy session on an old man as first aid, which was far from an actual fight.

  This ck of real-world experience weighed on his mind, especially with the practical exam approag. It was like a martial artist who had only ever practiced in a dojo, suddenly thrust into a real fight. Mistakes were iable.

  He needed someoo spar with someoough enough to handle his abilities without getting seriously hurt. And from what he could see, Tetsutetsu might just be the perfect practice partner… or, in Kaminari's mind, the ideal pung bag—erhm, sparring partner.

  As soon as the idea popped into his head, Kaminari's gaze shifted toward Tetsutetsu with newfound i. inally, he had po take it easy before the exam, but now he felt a sudden urge to gain some practical experience.

  Although "experience" was an abstract cept, its impa bat effectiveness was very real. Kaminari khis well from the tless shoories he had ed over the years.

  "By the way, what kind of Quirk do you have?" Tetsutetsu asked out of the blue, his curiosity getting the better of him. He didn't overthink things like Kaminari did; he was simply following the natural flow of their versation.

  After all, he had shared his own Quirk, so it was only fair that Kaminari did the same. It was the kind of straightforward hoy you'd expect from a fifteen-year-old who hadn't yet been hardened by the world.

  "I have a lightning-type Quirk called 'Electrification.' It allows me to gee and release electricity from my body," Kaminari expined pinly. Since he had decided to befrieetsu, there was no reason to be secretive. Siy was the foundation of any friendship.

  "Electrification? That sounds so cool!" Tetsutetsu said, his enthusiasm as evident as ever. But his words came with the bluypical of his personality. "But I 't think of any famous lightning-type Heroes off the top of my head. Dad, do you know any?"

  The question made both fathers pause in thought. Kaminari's dad racked his brain but couldn't recall any notable lightning-based professional Heroes in Japan.

  "No, I 't say that I do," Kaminari's father admitted. He was careful with his words, preferring to say it himself rather thaetsutetsu's dad risk offending Kaminari. After all, Kaminari was still just a teenager, and young egos could be fragile.

  However, Kaminari himself wasn't so easily bothered. He took the response in stride, shrugging lightly. "Well, that just means I'll be the first. I'll bee the top lightning-type Hero iure."

  The fiden his eyes was unmistakable, radiating as brightly as his Quirk. Why should he downpy his ambition? There was no need for false modesty.

  "Well said! That's the spirit, son!" Kaminari's father cheered, his pride unmistakable. Kaminari's mother was also beaming, her heart swelling with admiration. To her, her son had always been amazing, but after seeing his solo performance, she had bee his biggest fan.

  "That's the attitude a young Hero should have!" Tetsutetsu's father agreed, impressed by Kaminari's unwavering self-belief. He and his son found the boy's fident demeanor refreshing, a stark trast to the timid types they couldn't stand.

  At that moment, Kaminari pulled out his phone. "Let's exge tafo. That way, we stay in touch."

  "Sure!" Tetsutetsu agreed enthusiastically. As soon as they had sed numbers, Kaminari made an ued suggestion.

  "By the way, how about meeting at Omiya Park tomorrow?"

  Tetsutetsu blinked in surprise. "Uh, Omiya Park? Why there? The cherry blossoms aren't even in bloom yet, right?"

  Kaminari just grinned. "Let's just say I have something in mind."

  Unfazed by the cryptiswer, Tetsutetsu spped his hands together and decred, "Deal! I'll meet you at the park entraomorrow!"