In the end, it was Shiroi who happened to forfeit first and so, Satoshi moved on to the top four. He was determined to win the whole 'competition' but unfortunately, he met his match— a student who has the power to control metal. Apparently, his nailguns attack were ineffective since the student had some sort of a magnetic forcefield that completely negates the acceleration of the nails. Because of that, Satoshi was forced to forfeit as he took a hard blow on his pride.
"Then again, it's not like I could catch up to everyone who has been using their superpower ever since they were teenagers. As for me, I still have a lot of things to do and discover. My journey is just getting started." Satoshi said to himself as he took one last look at the Coliseum. By far, it had been the most memorable first day of school he had.
"What are you doing, son? We'll be late for dinner." Tatsuki grabbed his son by the shoulders, forcefully turning him around. "Did everything go the way you planned it?"
Satoshi was wearing a red baseball cap on his head and he pulled it down as his dad peered closer to him. He wanted to tell everything to his parents but right now, he was incapable of doing it. He could tell that the moment he spoke about his superpowers, he would begin bawling his eyes out. And he didn't want to show that side of him to his parents after all these years. He wants to maintain the strong figure he has in their eyes, especially now that high school is starting. One might not know it but Satoshi's parents could be quite the worrywarts.
The sun was beginning to dip down the skies when the group made their way out of the school. With the sky turning into several shades of orange as it approached twilight, the family made their way to a nearby family restaurant. The nearby family restaurant was called Mgronalds and it has been so popular nowadays, probably because a rumored demon lord is currently working as a shift manager in one of the branches (it was just a rumor however since no one has proven whether he really was a demon lord or not).
"Satoshi, we should apologize to you... because of our standing as superheroes, we cannot go to crowded areas such as popular restaurants. It would've been nice if we could celebrate your successful debut at a famous steakhouse but our meal might get interrupted by fans. I hope you understand." Tatsuki sincerely apologized to his child.
"It's fine, we rarely get to have dinner together, this is more than enough. How's the agency nowadays, dad?" Satoshi was quick enough to change the topic since dragging it out would just make his parents feel more guilty. And he didn't want that. Right now, it's a rare chance for him to get dinner with his parents. He didn't want it to feel awkward.
"We're doing fine nowadays, but ever since that Boosting Incident, a few agencies are having trouble getting clients. Well, you probably already know that but I just want to tell you that the agency is doing fine. Your mom and I are fine... although, I'm quite worried about the other superheroes out there."
"Honey, now's not the time to talk about bad news, right now we should tell him the good news." Ayumu winked twice at her husband before grabbing her son by the shoulders.
"Ah right! I quite forgot about that." Tatsuki pointed his index finger in the air, lifting his head along with it. This was a weird habit of his every time he remembers something. "Satoshi, what do you think about joining our agency once you graduate?"
"Me? Join your agency... but I'm not that experienced yet."
"It would be fine. We'll only hire you in the summer. You get to earn pocket money as well! And aside from that, you get to experience what hero work is all about. This experience would greatly help you in the future when you decide to become a pro hero."
"I'll think about it, dad."
The Mgronalds restaurant was just at the intersection, covering the entire corner of that street. Just like any other Mgronalds, there's a drive-thru portion on its side. And there, an all-too-familiar black sedan drove past, making Satoshi flinch in shock.
A few seconds later, the black sedan stopped in front of them and the rear windows rolled down. Inside was a girl with bright blue eyes and clear skin that seemed to glisten on the least radiant of lights. "Satoshi! Fancy meeting you here!"
"Shiroi, you here to eat out as well?"
"Good timing, Shiroi, you should join them for now. We'll just pick you up after work. An emergency came up and we have to get to the agency as soon as we can." The man behind the wheel leaned backward as he addressed Shiroi and the others.
"Yukino-san, how are you doing? Is everything all right?" Tatsuki worriedly asked. "You got an emergency call, right? Is there an accident nearby?"
"Er, yes, apparently a train went off-course up north in the city of Chiyoda. It seems like a meteor fell from the sky, derailing the train."
"A meteor? Why was it so sudden? Usually, meteors are forecasted in the news a few days before their descent right?" Tatsuki almost screamed but he was able to maintain his composure. "In any case, this is suspicious, way too suspicious."
"Yukino-san, we're coming with you. Who knows what that meteor is... or maybe it's just a diversion or the prelude to a large-scale attack." Ayumu offered.
"That would be a great help, thanks. Please get in the back seat." Yukino opened the rear doors of the car. "Shiroi, just spend time with Satoshi for a few minutes, we'll be back soon."
"If it really is just a meteor, then we would just be undergoing a rescue operation. It wouldn't take long, with your dad's power it would be a cinch."
"Yes, mom, dad. Please be careful."
"We'll be back in a few minutes, for now, you can order as much as you want. Here's my credit card. If something happens, don't engage in a fight, just get out of the place as soon as you can." Ayumu reminded Satoshi of something that he had been hearing ever since he was a kid. It was standard procedure for a civilian to flee the scene when danger ensues, and Ayumu got the habit of always reminding Satoshi of it. Not that she meant anything bad by it, she just wanted her one and only son to be safe.
"Yes, mom."
Although Satoshi felt a bit of pain in his heart since his parents would miss another family dinner once again, he didn't feel completely empty at all. Not only did he have Shiroi for company, he would also be able to watch both his parents on the television once again. Even though he had seen his parents appear on the television one too many times, he still isn't used to it. Most of the time, he finds himself admiring both his parents and their superpowers. And today, there was no difference.
"Come on, let's head inside." Satoshi grabbed Shiroi by the hand as the two of them entered Mgronalds.
"Welcome to Mgronalds, how may I— "
"Two Combo A Set Meals please, and an additional jumbo fries. How about you, Shiroi?"
"I'll get the same combo meal as well." Shiroi smiled as her face slightly reddened. Satoshi wasn't even paying attention to her hands but somehow she felt flustered by it. She wasn't expecting Satoshi to grab it just like that.
For some reason, the entire family restaurant was filled and the only spots left were two chairs on the window seat. They went there and uncomfortably sat for dinner. And as expected, a few minutes later, the news about the Midoriyama Duo and the Iceman (Yukino Shiroi's dad) helping the passengers of the train was broadcasted on the local television. Because of that, a lot of customers who were eating in the family restaurant started screaming and cheering, oblivious to the fact that Shiroi and Satoshi were there with them. Not that they mind though, in fact, they were a bit elated by it.
But an explosion was suddenly heard nearby and the meteor suddenly opened up. The live broadcast panned through the surroundings before focusing on the meteor that seemed to have exploded. There, some sort of slime came out.
"A monster! I repeat, we have a monster inside the meteor!"
At first glance, the Slime Monster looked harmless as it slowly snailed on the train tracks. But just before everyone got their guard down, the Slime suddenly whipped a portion of its body towards one of the rescued passengers on the train.
In mere seconds, the passenger melted into the ground, leaving nothing but smoke and slime as his residue.
"Everybody, fall back!" Tatsuki screamed his lungs out as he saw the passenger die before his eyes.
And while all that was happening, the live camera feed was not turned off, it was broadcasted throughout the entirety of Japan, throwing the majority of the population in a state of panic. An example of this was the family restaurant where Satoshi and Shiroi were. Since the incident happened nearby, every customer started screaming and crawling their way out of the family restaurant, fleeing for their lives in a crazed state.
"How's your food?" Satoshi calmly asked Shiro as they continued eating without a care in the world.
"It tastes the same as yours, probably," Shiroi responded, taking in another mouthful of fries. "Dad did say that we should escape when danger is nearby right?"
"Yeah, for now, let's just finish this."