Chapter 8 — Cold Reflections in Orbit
Dinner at the Midoriya household was unusually quiet. Izuku, typically animated and talkative, sat silently, his gaze fixed on the table. The cheerful clinking of cutlery echoed in the background, but it only served to emphasize the tension in the air. Inko Midoriya, always attentive to her children, glanced at Izuku with growing concern.
"Izuku, sweetie, why are you so quiet?" she asked, tilting her head and setting her chopsticks down.
Kai, without looking up from his plate, spoke flatly, "I told him what it really means to be a hero like All Might. The kind of sacrifice it takes."
Inko's expression softened into one of understanding mixed with worry. Her older son had always been realistic, grounded—never one for dreams or fantasies. Yet, that very nature made his words heavy. She glanced between the two boys, her mind caught between pride and anxiety.
After dinner, while the others began to settle into their nightly routines, Kai waited patiently. Once he confirmed they were asleep, he stood, walked to his bedroom window, and slid it open with practiced quiet. A gust of cool wind entered the room. Without hesitation, he leapt into the night sky.
In a flash, he burst through the clouds, breaking the sound barrier again and again as he climbed higher and higher—ten times, then thirty, until the world below became a glowing orb of blue and white. Now in space, he hovered calmly, bathed in the sunlight that strengthened him.
Hovering in orbit, he looked down at the Earth, small and peaceful beneath him. The vastness of space stretched endlessly around him, silent and still.
"I get why Superman used to sit here like this," he murmured to himself. "Looking at Earth from up here... everything feels small. The noise, the problems, the people. Just specs of dust."
He flipped gently, floating on his back, letting the sunlight soak into his cells. There was no need to move, no need to think. His body relaxed for the first time in days.
"I'm sleeping here tonight," he muttered, eyes slowly closing. In the void of space, surrounded by silence and solar warmth, Kai drifted into a rare, peaceful sleep.
---
Back on Earth, the aftermath of the day's chaos still echoed in the city's heart. News reports were replaying the same footage again and again: the mysterious boy who obliterated a grotesque villain with a single punch. The moment had gone viral.
At the prestigious U.A. High School, the topic of discussion among the staff was exactly what everyone else was whispering about: the potential recruitment of this unknown powerhouse.
In the principal's office, Aizawa stood with arms crossed as Principal Nezu reviewed footage on a screen. The scene of Kai disintegrating the monster played again, slower this time. The sheer force, the decisiveness—it was awe-inspiring and terrifying.
"You want to recruit him?" Aizawa asked flatly.
Nezu looked away from the screen. "Yes."
Aizawa frowned. "This is U.A. We stand on a very clear foundation. We don't kill, no matter the situation. That's part of what sets us apart from the other hero schools. And that boy—he turned the villain into vapor without a second thought."
Nezu clasped his paws together calmly. "Precisely why we must try."
"Because of All Might?"
"Because of everything All Might stood for," Nezu said. "He was our symbol. But even he, after that last battle, is no longer capable of carrying the full weight of our ideals. We need strength, Aizawa. But more importantly, we need people who challenge those ideals—so we can grow stronger by confronting them."
Aizawa sighed. "You think someone like that will listen to our teachings? You saw what he did. That wasn't mercy. That wasn't restraint."
Nezu nodded. "Yes. But it was clean. Fast. No collateral. No suffering. It was efficient. And most importantly... he saved lives. He didn't hesitate to intervene. There's something we can build from."
Aizawa didn't respond right away. He leaned back in his chair, arms still crossed. He wasn't convinced.
"Just don't expect him to be like the others," he muttered.
"Of course not," Nezu said with a slight smile. "He's something... entirely different."
---
Back in orbit, Kai stirred slightly. The sunlight continued to bathe him, keeping his body in a state of comfort. His mind drifted.
"A school that doesn't kill, huh...? Sounds like the kind of place that gets kids killed."
His eyes remained closed. The stars sparkled faintly in the distance, cold and distant. He didn't fear death—his own or anyone else's. But he knew enough to respect its weight. If people thought he was cruel for acting decisively, so be it.
"Let's see if they really try to find me," he whispered.
He rotated in the air slowly, stretching as he floated. "If they come, maybe I'll listen. Maybe."
The Earth spun quietly beneath him, the night beginning to fall over Japan once more.