[Location: Kaminari Household]
[12:47 PM]
The kitchen was filled with the comforting aroma of home-cooked food—soy sauce, ginger, and something savory simmering on the stove.
Megumi Kato hummed a cheerful tune as she stirred the pot, her voice light and melodic, perfectly in sync with the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of her wooden spoon against the ceramic. She reached for the seasoning rack, sprinkling a pinch of salt into the dish with practiced ease.
"Almost done," she murmured to herself, tasting a small sample. "Mmm, perfect."
She turned to check the time—and froze.
A blur shot past the living room with yellow sparks crackled in its wake like fireflies caught in a windstorm, leaving faint trails of ozone-scented air.
The blur zipped through the hallway, disappeared into the guest room, then reappeared in the kitchen doorway—organizing, cleaning, moving with impossible speed and precision.
Megumi smiled, barely even fazed anymore.
'A year ago, I would've screamed,' she thought with amusement. 'Now? This is just Tuesday.'
"Lunch is ready, Speedy-kun!" she called out cheerfully, setting down her spoon. "Let's have bento together!"
The blur came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the living room.
And there I stood—Denki Kaminari, six years old, slightly out of breath, with yellow electricity still crackling faintly across my body.
I grinned. "Coming!"
My blonde hair was sticking up even more than usual—static electricity did that—and I had the biggest grin on my face.
"Cleaning and organizing complete!" I announced proudly, gesturing back toward the spotless living room and organized hallway. "The house is sparkling!"
'And I just shaved fifteen minutes off my previous record,' I added mentally.
.
.
.
'A year,' I thought, catching my breath as I walked toward the kitchen. 'It's been exactly one year since I got my memories back. One year since I started this insane training regimen.'
And let me tell you—it had been worth it.
Every single drop of sweat, every morning I woke up sore, every evening I collapsed into bed exhausted, every moment of discipline, sacrifice, and sheer stubborn determination.
All of it had paid off. Because now?
I had super speed. Real, honest-to-God super speed.
I didn't know my exact velocity yet—didn't have the equipment or methods to measure it properly—but I was fast. Fast enough that when I activated my Quirk and pushed myself, the world around me slowed to a crawl.
Flies looked like they were suspended in amber. Falling objects hung in the air. Sound became distorted, stretched out like a record playing at half speed.
'It's incredible,' I thought, flexing my fingers and watching the residual sparks dance. 'And terrifying. But mostly incredible.'
Of course, it hadn't been easy getting here.
There were complications, setbacks. Moments where I pushed too hard and nearly short-circuited myself into "Whey Mode" oblivion.
But through trial and error—and lots of studying—I'd figured it out.
It had taken countless hours of research.
I'd asked Megumi-nee to help me find books on human biology. I'd watched educational videos on YouTube about nervous systems and muscle physiology. I'd even convinced my parents to buy me science textbooks "for fun" because I was a "curious kid."
'They probably think I'm some kind of prodigy,' I mused. 'Which... technically isn't wrong, I guess?'
Through all that research, I'd learned the fundamental truth that, Electricity wasn't just my weapon. It was the key to unlocking my body's full potential.
The human nervous system operates on electrical signals—impulses that travel from the brain through neurons to muscles, triggering movement. The average signal travels at around 120 meters per second.
Fast, right?
But what if you could accelerate those signals?
What if you could run a constant, controlled electrical current through your entire nervous system, boosting the transmission speed of every neural impulse?
'That's what I've been doing for the past year,' I realized. 'Constantly charging myself with low-level electricity. Forcing my body to adapt.'
And adapt it did. Every cell in my body had transformed into a living capacitor, storing and conducting electrical energy with increasing efficiency.
My neural signals no longer crawled—they flew, transmitting commands from brain to muscle in fractions of a picosecond.
My muscle fibers synchronized perfectly, contracting and releasing in harmony, eliminating wasted motion.
My metabolism accelerated, converting food into energy at ridiculous rates and recycling waste products before fatigue could set in.
Even my cellular structure had changed. My tissues had stabilized under constant polarized electric fields, becoming more durable, more resilient.
'My thoughts no longer wait for commands from my brain,' I marveled. 'My movements no longer lag behind intention.'
Speed wasn't just an ability I'd gained. It was the natural result of a body that had been systematically optimized to eliminate every fraction of a second of wasted time.
But that wasn't even the best part.
The best part was something I'd discovered three months ago, completely by accident.
I'd been helping Megumi-nee in the kitchen—playing with a knife like the responsible six-year-old I definitely was—when I'd accidentally sliced my finger open.
Not deep. Just a shallow cut across my index finger.
But enough to draw blood.
Megumi-nee had screamed. "DENKI-KUN!"
She'd rushed over, already reaching for the first aid kit, her face pale with panic—
And then she'd stopped.
Because the cut was already closing.
Right before our eyes, the skin knitted itself back together, blood flow stopping, the wound sealing like it had never existed.
Within thirty seconds, there wasn't even a scar.
Just smooth, unblemished skin.
Megumi-nee had stared at my finger in shock, then at me, then back at my finger. "Denki-kun... I thought your Quirk was electricity? Can you... heal yourself too? What... what is your Quirk exactly?"
I'd laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "Uh... I guess it does more than just make lightning? Surprise?"
'Understatement of the century,' I thought wryly.
'Note to self,' I'd thought afterward. 'Be more careful about revealing abilities. Megumi-neesan is starting to wonder what my Quirk actually is. Need to keep some secrets.'
What I'd discovered was Accelerated Biology—a secondary effect of constantly running electricity through my body.
My metabolism wasn't just faster. My entire biological system was accelerated.
My immune system could fight off infections before they took hold. My cells regenerated at enhanced rates. Minor injuries healed in minutes instead of days.
'It's not a true healing factor like Wolverine or Deadpool,' I noted clinically. 'I can't regrow lost limbs or survive being decapitated. But for normal human injuries? I'm basically unstoppable.'
It made sense, from a scientific perspective. Electrical stimulation had been proven to accelerate cellular repair. I was just doing it constantly, at a cellular level, throughout my entire body.
I thought with satisfaction. 'One more edge that the original Denki never had.'
But the physical changes weren't even the most surprising part.
The most surprising part was what had happened to my mind.
My thoughts had started moving faster. Not just a little faster—significantly faster.
Information processing that used to take seconds now took milliseconds. Memories that were once fuzzy had sharpened into crystal clarity. My ability to learn, analyze, and synthesize information had skyrocketed.
'I'm getting smarter,' I realized with growing excitement. 'Like, legitimately, measurably smarter.'
My IQ had probably jumped at least 10-20 points in the past year. Maybe more.
And if I kept this up—if I continued training my brain alongside my body—I might be able to develop photographic memory and perfect recall. The kind of intelligence that would make me legitimately formidable even without my Quirk.
'Hella smart,' I thought with a grin. 'I could become hella smart.'
Of course, all this progress had required clever solutions to practical problems.
Like the problem of electrical capacity.
See, increasing my speed and healing was great, but it required massive amounts of electricity. More than my six-year-old body could naturally generate or store.
I needed a way to train my electrical reserves—to push my limits safely without short-circuiting myself into temporary brain damage.
The solution? An earthing rod.
'Also known as: the greatest training tool I could've asked for, disguised as a safety measure.'
Three months ago, I'd approached my parents with a plan.
I'd used my ultimate weapon—puppy-dog eyes and logical reasoning—to convince them that having an earthing rod installed in my bedroom was a very good idea.
"What if my Quirk goes out of control while I'm sleeping?" I'd asked innocently, looking up at my father with wide, concerned eyes. "I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone or damage the house. If I have an earthing rod, it'll absorb any excess electricity and send it safely into the ground!"
My father, being quirkless himself and naturally cautious about Quirk-related accidents, had immediately seen the logic.
My mother, being a Pro Hero who'd responded to countless Quirk-malfunction incidents, had agreed it was a smart precaution.
Megumi-nee had supported the idea because she genuinely cared about my safety.
And just like that—earthing rod installed.
'Little did they know,' I thought with satisfaction, 'I was planning to use it for training.'
Every night, after everyone thought I was asleep, I'd grab onto that earthing rod and pour electricity into it.
I'd drain my reserves down to the absolute minimum safe level—right to the edge of short-circuiting—and then stop, letting my body naturally regenerate the electricity overnight.
It was exhausting. Sometimes I'd wake up feeling like I'd run a marathon.
But it worked. My maximum electrical output had increased exponentially.
My storage capacity had grown from "barely enough to power a lamp" to "enough to run an entire household."
'Speaking of which...'
I paused mid-bite, remembering the test I'd conducted last week.
It had been perfect timing. Megumi-nee had been taking an afternoon nap. My parents weren't home—shocking, I know.
And I'd had a crazy idea. 'What if I turned off the house's main power and used my electricity to run everything?'
So I did.
I'd flipped the main breaker, plunging the house into darkness, then placed my hands on the electrical panel and pushed.
Electricity flowed from my body into the house's wiring, spreading through every circuit, powering every device.
The lights came back on, the refrigerator hummed to life, TV flickered on, air conditioning kicked in.
For one full hour, I powered the entire household with nothing but my Quirk.
All running smoothly, as if nothing had changed.
And at the end of that hour, when Megumi-nee woke up and I quietly switched back to normal power?
I'd barely made a dent in my reserves.
I thought with amazement. 'I powered an entire house for one hour, and I still had energy to spare.'
The realization had been incredible.
"Denki-kun? You're spacing out again."
I blinked, snapping back to the present.
Megumi-nee was watching me with an amused smile, her chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth.
"Sorry!" I said quickly, giving her my best innocent grin. "I was just thinking about how delicious lunch smells!"
She laughed—a warm, genuine sound that filled the kitchen. "Well, then stop thinking and start eating! You need the energy with how much you've been running around."
'You have no idea how right you are,' I thought.
We were sitting across from each other at the dining table, two bento boxes laid out between us—hers neatly arranged, mine slightly larger to account for my increased metabolism.
We clasped our hands together and spoke in unison, "Itadakimasu!"
I dug in immediately, and the first bite was heaven.
"Megumi-nee, this is amazing!" I said around a mouthful of rice. "I could eat this every day for the rest of my life!"
She beamed at the compliment. "I'm glad you like it! Though I wish you'd chew before talking, Denki-kun."
"Shorry," I mumbled, swallowing.
We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sounds being the gentle clink of chopsticks and the distant hum of the air conditioning.
Eventually, Megumi-nee sighed—a soft, almost wistful sound.
"You know, Denki-kun... sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough."
I looked up, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Well..." She gestured around the spotless house. "You're the one doing all the cleaning and organizing now. You're so independent and capable. Sometimes I wonder if you even need me anymore."
'Oh no,' I thought, recognizing the genuine concern in her voice. 'She's feeling useless. Can't have that.'
"That's not true at all!" I said firmly, setting down my chopsticks. "You cook the most delicious food ever! You take me to the park! You're my friend, Megumi-nee. I need you."
She paused, her eyes softening. "Your... friend?"
"Yeah!" I nodded enthusiastically. "Even if I can clean fast now, that doesn't change anything. You're my best friend. That's way more important than just being a babysitter."
Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment I thought she might actually tear up.
Then she laughed—a soft, genuine laugh—and reached across the table to ruffle my hair. "You're too mature for a six-year-old, you know that?"
'If only you knew,' I thought wryly.
"I'm just smart!" I protested, trying to fix my now-messy hair.
"That you are," she agreed, still smiling. "But still. I want to be more helpful in the future. You need friends your own age, Denki-kun. Not just a college student babysitter."
"I have you," I said simply. "That's enough for me."
She paused, her smile turning softer, warmer. "Thank you, Denki-kun. That means a lot."
We continued eating, the brief moment of vulnerability passing into comfortable conversation.
She asked about what I wanted to do in the afternoon.
I mentioned wanting to test something at the riverside park.
She agreed immediately, already planning the trip in her head. 'She really does care,' I thought, watching her animated expression as she talked about what snacks to bring.
"By the way," Megumi-nee said suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. "Your mother seemed really pleased with how clean the house has been lately. She even gave me a raise!"
I grinned. "See? Win-win situation!"
She laughed. "I suppose so. Though I still think it's a bit unusual for a six-year-old to be so enthusiastic about housework."
'If only you knew the real reason,' I thought wryly.
Three months ago, I'd made a bold proposal to my parents.
I'd asked—using my ultimate weapon of logical arguments and adorable pleading—to take over the household cleaning duties that were normally handled by hired servants.
"I want to help!" I'd said with big, innocent eyes. "And it'll be good exercise! Plus, Megumi-nee can help, together it will be easy, and it's totally safe!"
My mother had been skeptical at first. "Denki, you're only six. Cleaning an entire house is—"
And then I'd demonstrated my speed.
I'd zipped through the living room in a blur, organizing books, dusting shelves, and straightening furniture in approximately fifteen seconds.
Her jaw had dropped. My father had laughed in disbelief.
They asked how I could move like that—how I was so fast when even my mother couldn't do anything close to it. I just told them the truth, or at least the simplest version of it. I said I used my electricity on myself, that I made myself fast with it.
I don't know what they thought after hearing that. Maybe they assumed it was just another weird Quirk application. Maybe they didn't think too deeply about it at all.
In the end, they just nodded their heads and let it go.
And just like that, I'd gotten permission.
'Because what they see as "helping out" is actually perfect training,' I thought smugly. 'I get to practice speed, reflexes, and precision under the guise of being a helpful kid. And Megumi-nee gets a raise for "supervising" me. Everyone wins.'
It was the perfect cover.
And it had been working beautifully for three months now.
.
.
.
After lunch, Megumi-nee and I cleaned up quickly—well, I cleaned up quickly while she supervised—and got ready for our afternoon trip.
I'd been planning this for weeks.
Testing my speed in controlled bursts around the house was one thing, but I'd never actually pushed myself to my absolute limit. Never tested how fast I could really go in a straight line with no obstacles.
And today, I was going to find out.
We took the train to a specific location I'd scouted online—a riverside park near a major railway line. The kind of place where bullet trains passed by at regular intervals.
'Perfect for what I have in mind,' I thought as we exited the station.
The park was beautiful—a wide, open space with a walking path that ran parallel to the river. On the opposite bank, elevated on concrete supports, ran the Shinkansen railway line.
We found a bench near the water's edge and sat down.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting everything in warm golden light. The river flowed slowly, peacefully, its surface reflecting the orange and pink hues of the approaching sunset.
We sat in comfortable silence, waiting.
And then—I heard it.
The distant rumble of an approaching train.
My eyes lit up with yellow electricity, sparks crackling at the corners of my vision.
I stood up, rolling my shoulders and taking a deep breath.
Then I exhaled slowly through my mouth.
White mist emerged—not just ordinary breath, but visible vapor crackling with electrical impulses, each particle charged with energy.
"Denki-kun?" Megumi-nee also stood up, concerned. "What are you—"
I didn't let her finish.
The moment the bullet train came into view on the opposite side of the river, I moved.
My body became a blur. Yellow electricity crackled across my skin, arcing between my limbs as I shot forward along the riverside path.
The world slowed around me.
The sound of the train stretched out into a deep, distorted whoooooom.
The river's surface seemed to freeze mid-ripple.
Even the birds in the sky appeared suspended, their wings barely moving.
I ran alongside the bullet train, matching its speed—approximately 200 kilometers per hour—and I wasn't even at my limit yet.
'Faster,' I thought, pushing harder.
The electricity intensified.My legs moved so quickly they were almost invisible.
The path beneath my feet became a yellow-sparked trail of light.
And I accelerated. 'Come on,' I urged myself. 'Faster. Faster!'
I pushed everything I had into my legs, into my speed, into my Quirk—
And the world became a streak of color.
I reached the end of the riverside path in what felt like seconds—but was probably closer to ten or fifteen—and suddenly realized I had a problem.
'SHIT. I FORGOT TO PLAN FOR STOPPING.'
The path ended at a stone embankment wall.
I was moving at easily 150 miles per hour.
If I hit that wall, I'd be a paste.
'Oh no...'
My super thinking came out picture now, I saw a slanted rock formation near the wall—natural erosion had created a curved surface, almost like a ramp.
'That'll work!'
I angled my trajectory, hit the slanted rock at full speed, and used the momentum to redirect myself.
Then I was running exponentially up the wall and curved at the top—a full U-turn—and launched myself back the way I'd come.
The return trip was even faster.
And then I was back at the bench, skidding to a halt in front of a completely shell-shocked Megumi-nee.
She'd only just stood up from the bench.
To her, I'd been gone for maybe five seconds.
I was grinning like a maniac, electricity still crackling across my body, my heart pounding with exhilaration.
"Did you see that?!" I shouted, unable to contain my excitement.
Megumi-nee just stared at me, mouth open, unable to form words.
Then she noticed something. "Denki-kun... your shoes..."
I looked down and saw my shoes were on fire.
'Oh, right. Friction. That's a thing.'
"DENKI-KUN!"
Megumi-nee panicked—as any reasonable person would when a child's footwear spontaneously combusts—and quickly helped me remove the smoldering shoes before the fire spread to my actual feet.
Thankfully, my accelerated healing had already dealt with the minor burns on my soles.
We sat back down on the bench, both of us catching our breath for very different reasons.
"Denki-kun," Megumi-nee said slowly, her voice carefully controlled. "What. Was. That."
I gave her my most innocent smile. "Training?"
"Training," she repeated flatly.
"Yep!"
"You just... ran faster than a bullet train."
"Not faster," I corrected. "Slightly slower. Maybe 150 miles per hour? The train was going 200, I think."
She stared at me. Then she grabbed my ear.
"Ow ow ow ow!"
"We are going to have a serious conversation about safety when we get home," she said firmly, still holding my ear. "And you are not telling your parents about this. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Megumi-nee!"
"If you tell them, they'll never let you leave the house again. And I'll never take you anywhere again. Got it?"
"Got it!"
She released my ear, and I rubbed it gingerly.
'Note to self,' I thought. 'Megumi-nee is scary when she's worried.'
But despite the scolding, I couldn't stop grinning.
Because I'd done it. I'd actually done it.
I'd moved faster than I thought.
'150 miles per hour,' I thought with satisfaction. 'And that wasn't even my absolute limit. I still had reserves left. If I'd pushed harder...'
But I'd also learned an important lesson. Friction was a problem.
At those speeds, the heat generated by my feet hitting the ground was intense enough to ignite my shoes.
'I need better footwear,' I realized. 'Something heat-resistant. Maybe I can ask for special shoes designed for speedsters? Do those even exist yet?'
And I needed better control.
The fact that I'd almost turned myself into a wall decoration because I forgot to plan for stopping was... concerning.
'Speed is useless if I can't control it,' I acknowledged. 'Gotta work on that.'
But still. Despite the setbacks and close calls.
Despite the burnt shoes and the near-death experience.
I couldn't stop smiling.
Because for the first time since being reborn into this world, I felt truly powerful.
.
.
.
[11:34 PM]
Later that night, after the chaotic episode with Megumi-nee and our mutual agreement to keep my speed test a secret, I was back in my room.
I'd spent the last hour training with my earthing rod, draining my reserves down to about a quarter capacity—my usual nightly routine.
My body felt pleasantly exhausted, the kind of tiredness that came from productive work rather than pointless struggle.
I left my room to grab some water from the kitchen.
The house was dark and quiet, everyone presumably asleep.
But as I padded down the hallway in my pajamas, I noticed light coming from beneath my parents' bedroom door.
'They're home?'
I was about to head downstairs when I heard voices.
My parents' bedroom light was on—visible through the crack under their door.
I shouldn't eavesdrop. I really shouldn't.
But curiosity got the better of me, and I crept down the stairs as quietly as possible, enhanced hearing picking up their conversation.
"—working so hard," my mother's tired voice filtered through the door. "Do you think we're doing the right thing? Being away from him so much?"
"We don't have a choice," my father replied, his tone heavy with exhaustion. "The insurance business is brutal right now. Property damage from Quirk incidents is at an all-time high, and if I don't work these hours, we can't afford—"
"I know," my mother interrupted softly. "I know. And my hero work is the same. The city needs more active heroes, and the pay is good. It's just..."
"You wish you could spend more time with him."
"Yes."
There was a long pause.
"He's growing up so fast, Kenji. Sometimes I look at him and I barely recognize the baby we brought home from the hospital. Just six years old and he's already so smart, independent and so... capable."
"He gets that from you," my father said with a soft chuckle.
"And from you," she countered. "He has your determination. He's going to be amazing someday."
"He already is."
Another pause.
"Everything we do," my mother said quietly, "every extra shift, every long night, every moment we're away from home—it's all for him. So he can have opportunities we never had. So he can attend a good school, train properly, maybe become the hero he wants to be."
"I know," my father said. "And he knows too. He's a smart kid. He understands."
I stood there in the darkened hallway, listening to my parents talk about me with such love and dedication, and felt something shift in my chest.
Then I quietly continued downstairs, got my water, and headed back to my room.
As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I thought about everything that had happened today.
Thunder rumbled softly in the distance.
And Denki Kaminari, age six, future speedster and probable menace to physics itself, fell asleep with a smile on his face.