Once in the garden, Ryuko excitedly commanded her Accomplice to grow, and it quickly reached a height just above that of a normal horse. At that moment, the beautiful woman with golden hair leaped gracefully onto her enormous golden panther, quickly noticing how comfortable it felt to ride, as if her body were specially designed for it.
"This is awesome!"
Ryuko exclaimed with excitement as her Accomplice ran through the garden, swiftly entering the forest, where it began moving between the trees with impressive agility, jumping between branches and rocks with unimaginable speed for its massive figure. It was nearly 2 meters tall and 5 meters long.
Meanwhile, the others could only watch with envy as the happy Ryuko enjoyed her ride through the forest. At that moment, Nemuri couldn't help but comment in a slightly worried tone as she looked at Kai.
"Even though the Accomplices are amazing and will be very useful, what excuse are we going to give when people start asking questions? After all, even if we set aside the fact that Kai doesn't have a license to use his quirk, a skill like this would attract too much attention, especially if all of us can use it..."
Nemuri's comment caught everyone's attention, and they couldn't help but exchange worried glances. It would indeed be problematic in more than one way. Although the Accomplices performed most of their abilities inside their bodies, this 'battle mode' was too flashy and wouldn't be easy to explain.
"Nemuri is right; it'll be complicated to use the new update in public for now. It's best to keep it hidden and only use it in emergencies."
Shino commented in a serious tone, though her expression couldn't hide a hint of disappointment, which led everyone to nod in agreement. Chatora then added in a similarly serious, though equally disappointed voice.
"Certainly, it's the best course of action, although it's a shame. I guess it's better to wait until Kai can apply for his license."
"Well, if you need me to apply for the license, I have no problem. I've got something similar to show." Kai commented casually as a copy of Salem appeared next to him. The cat quickly grew until it reached the size of Ryuko's Accomplice, sparking Salem's competitive spirit. The cat then grew even larger than the nen beast and roared confidently while looking down at it.
"Fufufu, Salem got jealous." Tomoko commented, amused at the scene, causing Salem to meow in annoyance and proceed to ignore the bothersome woman.
"Fufufu, while it's nice that you want to get a license for our sake, by law, you can't apply for one until you're 15, so it's not possible at the moment." Nemuri responded after laughing at the jealous cat, who also proceeded to ignore her after a frustrated growl.
"Really? Even though I'm emancipated, I can't apply for a license?"
Kai asked curiously, as he had been legally an adult for a few years. Although he didn't say it directly, it made him uncomfortable that his money wasn't in his hands. So, he had managed to convince a judge to declare him legally an adult some time ago, something all the family happily supported.
"Yes, in the same way you still can't vote or drink."
Shino answered with a small smile, looking in awe at Salem and the nen beast. Even though it wasn't the first time she had seen them, Salem's new ability to grow in size somehow made him look even more impressive.
"While I can understand the drinking part, it's stupid that I can't vote or apply for a license to use my quirk. I'm legally responsible for myself; what sense does that make?" Kai said, disagreeing, which led Chatora to explain with a smile.
"Well, that's because it's actually compared to the legal drinking age. It's more for physical reasons, since it's believed that using a quirk too much before the age of 15 could affect a child's health and development."
"Really?" Kai asked, a bit surprised, to which Chatora nodded.
"Yes, although cases like that aren't seen much anymore, in ancient times it was relatively common for a child to hurt themselves using their quirk or to overexert themselves and end up with lifelong injuries. So, the age limit was set because most cases happened during childhood, and it seems to have worked, since cases like that are very rare today."
"How curious; I didn't know..." Kai commented as he watched Ryuko stroll on her Accomplice, a bright smile on her face, which led him to think, inspired.
"Just a question: are there the same quirk usage limitations for animals?"
"What do you mean, Kai?" Tomoko asked curiously, to which Kai quickly responded with a smile.
"Well, I was thinking, now that Salem has a quirk, and I'll give him an Accomplice soon, what's stopping us from saying that his quirk allows him to grow, have super strength, and create copies of himself to protect others? After all, the Accomplices already look a lot like him, and we could easily say his quirk is called something like 'Guardian Soul', something corny but believable."
Kai's comment made everyone look at each other, a bit surprised, but shortly after, Shino couldn't help but comment, her hand on her chin.
"Although it would undoubtedly be perjury, it would be hard to prove, so it's a possibility. Still, I wouldn't feel very comfortable using that excuse."
"Certainly, it could get us into trouble if we're found guilty of perjury in court, and even if that's not the case, we could lose our licenses for it." Nemuri quickly added thoughtfully, to which Kai responded casually while petting the massive Salem.
"Well, it's either that or not use the Accomplices' battle forms for two years until I can get my license. Besides, I won't get a hero license since I don't like those clauses that force me to follow the government's orders in 'emergency cases' and all the other annoying things that come with it.
So, I'll only get a civilian use license, and I'm not sure how useful that would be for the Accomplices. Not to mention, I'll have to lie a lot anyway to avoid creating Accomplices for strangers, so perjury is inevitable. But don't worry, in case of an emergency, you can blame me and say I tricked you. I doubt they could throw me in jail for it even if they wanted to, and since I won't be a hero, I don't care if they take my license."
"…"
Kai's words left everyone in silence. After all, his comment touched on several sensitive topics within his unique family, such as his extreme aversion, distrust, and disdain for the government, as well as his reluctance to be a hero or help strangers—something they all considered a shame given his incredible power.
"Kai, how could you think we would let you take the blame in a case like that?" After a moment, Nemuri commented in a sad, accusatory tone, to which Kai simply responded cheerfully.
"Hehehe, don't look at it like that. You all love being heroes, and I want to help you without being one, and especially without having to reveal my powers to the government. So the most effective solution is to let me carry the 'blame' if things go wrong. I lose very little, after all. If they're even slightly smart, I highly doubt the Japanese government would want me to renounce my nationality, since I still have nearly a decade to decide, hahaha."
"…"
Seeing that everyone had once again fallen silent, Kai just shrugged, not giving it much importance. After all, he was sure he was right. His chips, a field he had focused on in recent years, were at the cutting edge of global technology, providing the country not only significant growth but also an important piece in the geopolitical game—something they wouldn't want to lose so easily.
As for the time to decide his nationality, it was quite simple: Kai was actually a "Hafu," or, in other words, only half-Japanese. His mother had come to the country as a refugee during her childhood, one of the few in Japan. By law, he could only hold dual nationality, his father's and his mother's, until he turned 22. At that point, he would have to decide whether to renounce his mother's nationality or, on the contrary, renounce his Japanese citizenship.
"What happened? Why so quiet?" Ryuko, who had just returned from her thrilling ride, asked curiously, to which Kai responded with a smile.
"Nothing really, we were just talking about how to explain the Accomplices. In any case, I'd better get started on the next update. Onee-chan, lend me your Accomplice."
"Oh, that's right, it'll be tricky," Ryuko commented with realization dawning on her face.
Nemuri, almost instinctively, summoned her Accomplice and handed it to Kai, who simply took it and quickly headed into the house with Salem on his shoulder, having shrunk to climb onto him. Shortly after Kai left, Shino approached Nemuri, her tone evidently concerned.
"Nemuri, Kai's attitude hasn't improved at all recently. He despises the government too much, and that could cause problems in the future."
"I know, but I really don't know what to do. Although he eventually changed his opinion about the hero system, when it comes to politicians and 'traitors,' he's more resolute than ever. He despises them too much; I even think he doesn't even consider them human."
With an obviously worried expression, Nemuri explained while looking toward the house, to which Shino could only sigh, crossing her arms with evident concern.
"If it's as you say, then it's truly worrisome. And while I can understand his reasons, given what happened, I don't understand how someone as intelligent as him can't reason that not all politicians, much less the government itself, are bad."
"Honestly, I think it has to do with the fact that he sees them as traitors, which is why he despises them so much. Since he was a baby, Kai has had a deep hatred for anything related to 'betrayal,' and he reacts violently to it. But after Alisa-san's death, it worsened significantly, to the point where I'm scared of what he might do if he finds out his suspicions are true."
Hearing Nemuri's words, Shino moved closer, asking with a tone full of curiosity and concern.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Kai is convinced that more people were involved in the attack he suffered, and honestly, I also think so. After all, how did they manage to place that ball Kai mentioned among his things? How did they know where they were if it was confidential? How did they bypass Alisa-san's quirk, which worked very similarly to Kai's detection abilities?
Even though the case was supposedly solved, there are still many unanswered questions. Kai is completely sure the answer is that they were betrayed, and it wasn't just one person. Someone close to them manipulated the ball, someone leaked information about Alisa-san's quirk, and someone revealed their location to the attackers.
Kai has been investigating Alisa-san and Jiro-san's close contacts for years, but so far, I think he hasn't been able to confirm his suspicions, or else he would have done something already. He wouldn't just sit still, and I'm afraid that his reaction might be to run off and take out the 'traitors.'"
With an expression revealing her fear and worry, Nemuri spoke slowly, while Tomoko, Chatora, and Ryuko played with the latter's Accomplice, perhaps in an attempt to give the two some privacy—something Shino sincerely appreciated as she asked with a serious expression.
"Why are you so sure his reaction would be so violent? Even though Kai is a bit vengeful, his 'revenge' usually just involves harmless pranks at most. I don't think he's the kind of person you're describing."
"That's because you haven't seen him react to a 'traitor.' When Kai was little, there was an anime he loved, which was about young people surviving in the Stone Age using their scientific knowledge. At the time, it was his favorite show, to the point where he had everything you could buy related to it—from manga to clothes and figurines.
But suddenly, one day, the anime showed one of the characters betraying the others. I swear, I've never seen him so angry or out of control as he was that day. He was furious, to the point where he screamed at the TV, his eyes bloodshot, saying the character deserved to die.
It got so bad that, for the first time, Alisa-san put her foot down and forbade Kai from watching the show. But for the first and, I think, the only time, Kai disobeyed her. He managed to watch it online when he was left alone for a few hours while his babysitter went shopping. That's when he discovered that not only did the character not die as he wanted, but he was forgiven and even had a 'happy ending.'
That day, Kai, consumed with rage, destroyed and burned everything he had related to that show until there was nothing left. He even hacked the TV channel that aired it, the studio that animated it, and the original creator to get revenge, causing millions in damages. It was so bad that it made the news, and although they never found out who did it, Alisa-san and Jiro-san made anonymous donations to the victims to cover the damages.
That's why I'm so scared. Kai isn't himself when it comes to 'traitors'; it's almost like he's possessed by something else. And the worst part is, he never regretted doing it. No matter how much they punished and scolded him, even when Alisa-san hit him for the first time, he still refused to apologize, even through tears. Now imagine him as he is now—not only better with technology but also incredibly powerful. What could he do if he confirms his suspicions?"
Hearing Nemuri's story, Shino couldn't help but open her eyes wide in astonishment. After all, the case had been quite famous, to the point that even almost a decade later, she remembered it. That case had sparked a massive campaign to improve online security across Japan, especially among heroes, since their work was too dangerous not to take preventive measures.
For his part, Kai, who had managed to overhear the entire conversation, couldn't help but smile a little sheepishly, embarrassed by his actions back then. Though he believed he couldn't really be blamed; after all, at that time, he was still a child, and didn't know how to control his emotions. And seeing how pathetic their security system was, he couldn't fight off his intrusive thoughts and ended up making a mess.
(Though I'm sorry, Onee-chan, the truth is, I've already confirmed some of my suspicions. And even though the trail went cold, and I've been stuck for a while trying to find the rest, I still managed to get my hands on a couple of very obedient and useful lab rats.
Or did you really think I'd risk creating a parasitic nen beast for you all without first confirming not only that it was possible, but also that I could make it harmless to your health? Hehe, that's impossible. From the massages to the Accomplices, it's all been a long process of analysis, research, and testing. After all, I can't risk anything happening to my family.)
As he held the floating egg in the air, Kai thought to himself with a cheerful smile on his face, then descended with Salem to reunite with his beloved family.