"No… this isn't the Marvel world…"
A six-year-old blond boy sat on his mother's lap, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him. There was a sense of relief, but also a tinge of regret.
Up until today, he had been convinced that the world he'd been reincarnated into was a comic-book version of the Marvel universe, where Earth was constantly being ravaged by all sorts of chaos.
Although the TV didn't feature any familiar superheroes or supervillains, people here referred to superpowers as "Quirks." That had confused him for a while. But he dismissed it, thinking it made sense after all, he was in Japan, not the United States. It wasn't odd that he couldn't spot Spider-Man or Iron Man swinging by on the news.
But all of that was shattered today.
Today was his first day at Saitama Municipal Elementary School. Since it was the first day, there wasn't much actual teaching. Most of the day was spent getting to know the campus, meeting the homeroom teacher, and receiving a few textbooks.
However, their teacher, Rimi Yonekura, gave a brief introduction on the basics of Quirks especially how they originated.
Listening to her explanation, Kaminari realized that this world was nothing like the Marvel universe he'd imagined. His entire understanding had been mistaken.
As soon as he got home, he begged his mother to let him use the computer to look up more information on Quirks and the world around him. His excuse? He was eager to learn more about the world.
His mother, clearly thrilled by his curiosity, complied without hesitation.
"It's so wonderful to see you so eager to learn on your very first day of school!"
And so, he finally learned the truth. This wasn't Marvel at all. No mutants, no Iron Man, no Captain America.
Even more surprising, the concept of Hero(es) in this world was vastly different from what he had expected. Here, Hero(es) were essentially government employees. They got paid for their "heroic" work, receiving significant rewards from the government for their actions.
To be honest, Kaminari found it hard to agree with that idea. In his mind, those people were more like glorified special police officers, not "heroes."
Perhaps it was his previous life's upbringing that influenced his thinking. To him, the word "Hero" wasn't something just anyone could use. A Hero, in his mind, was someone who made great sacrifices for their country or the people without expecting anything in return. That's what he believed a true hero should be.
These "special police" were just "good citizens" and "good public servants" at best, in his opinion.
Of course, Kaminari didn't have any extreme thoughts like wanting to change the system or revolt against it. He'd been given a second chance at life, and he wasn't about to waste it by doing something foolish.
Instead of fighting against the rules, it was better to adapt. That was the key to living a comfortable life.
So, while he was relieved that this wasn't the chaotic Marvel universe, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he wouldn't see those familiar heroes he'd grown up with.
As Kaminari thought more about the world's background, his mind wandered to an anime he'd watched in his previous life One Punch Man.
That world also had professionalized Hero(es), just like this one. However, after asking his mother to look up the Hero rankings, he quickly confirmed that this wasn't One Punch Man's world either.
Even though they lived in Saitama City.
He was certain because the heroes from One Punch Man didn't exist in the rankings here. For example, the number one hero, All Might, didn't exist in that anime at all.
Well, with this newfound information, Kaminari finally had a more accurate understanding of the world. Since it wasn't any world he was familiar with, he would have to carefully consider his plans for the future.
In this new life, he didn't want to be as ordinary as he had been in his previous one. He remembered a saying from his old world: "Even if a loser gets a second chance through reincarnation, they're still likely to remain a loser because laziness doesn't change just by traveling through time."
Honestly, Kaminari Denki mostly agreed with that statement. But he also believed that nothing was absolute. If out of a hundred reincarnated people, ninety remained the same, the remaining ten might change for the better.
Because those ten wanted to change their fate. Because they didn't want to be the same person they were before.
Kaminari believed he was one of those ten people. He was ready to work hard and transform his life.
As for his future plans, it was clear that his Quirk was going to be the center of it all. How to train his Quirk and make it stronger would definitely be a lifelong pursuit.
He'd asked his mother about it, and she explained that his Quirk had been officially classified as a "discharge" ability meaning he could generate and release electricity. However, it wasn't an infinite power source. He had to charge his body first, storing the energy inside before releasing it.
Upon learning this, the first thing he thought about was the most basic yet important question: How could he increase the amount of electricity he could store?
But when he asked his mother, she admitted she didn't know. She explained that professional questions about Quirks were best left to licensed Hero(es). She herself had only studied general subjects in high school and hadn't taken any Hero courses, so she didn't have that kind of knowledge.
"But Mom, don't you practice your Quirk?" Kaminari asked, tilting his head cutely.
It wasn't like he was trying to act cute it's just that as a six-year-old boy with big, bright eyes and a charming smile, everything he did naturally came across as adorable. In this life, his appearance really was quite disarming.
He could only compare it to a human version of a Pikachu.
"We don't need to practice our Quirks."
His mother, with her long, straight black hair, looked at him lovingly and explained, "The law says that only licensed Hero(es) can use their Quirks under certain conditions. For ordinary people like us, it's illegal to use them."
"Oh…" Kaminari nodded, thinking it over. He understood the reasoning behind the rule it was just about maintaining order and stability.
"Then how do you get that license?" he asked.
His mother laughed gently and kissed his forehead. "That's something your teachers will explain when you're older. For now, it's far too soon for you to worry about that."
Her soft smile widened as she added, "What's important for you now is to study hard and take care of your body! Even if I don't know much about Quirks, I know that Quirks are part of your physical self. Having a strong body will definitely help!"
Kaminari nodded again. He had to agree with her. He needed to start taking better care of his body. First thing tomorrow, he would start waking up early and go for runs!
"Alright, it's getting late. You have school tomorrow, so it's time for bed!" His mother stood up and switched off the computer, then gently placed him in his bed—a bright yellow crib adorned with lightning bolt patterns.
"Mom!"
Just as she was about to turn off the lights and leave, Kaminari called out softly.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"I… can I learn to play the guitar? I really want to learn how to play."