"Hahaha!"
Seeing his handsome son looking slightly embarrassed after being teased, Kaminari's father couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
"So, you figured it out, huh?"
Realizing his father was just joking around, Kaminari relaxed, got out of bed, and asked curiously, "When did you notice?"
His dad put on a mock-serious expression, "Son, never underestimate the wisdom of adults!"
"Especially since you've chosen the path of becoming a professional Hero. You'll definitely face dangerous people in the future, so you should never let your guard down."
His father's tone was a mixture of concern and expectation. It was clear he was worried for Kaminari's future and didn't want to see the tragedy of a parent outliving their child.
"Okay, okay, Dad, I promise I'll take your advice to heart."
Even though Kaminari knew he was only aiming for U.A. High School to get the Hero license, with no actual intention of pursuing a career as a professional Hero, he understood his father's worries. There was no need to argue, so he just went along with it. With a grin, he stepped forward and hooked his arm around his father's, his tone playful.
"I'm starving. I can't wait to eat some of that delicious barbecue."
"You little glutton... fine, fine," his dad said, shaking his head and smiling. He could only hope his son had really taken his words seriously because they were extremely important.
"Your mom and I are ready to go. We've just been waiting for you."
With that, the family of three happily made their way down to the apartment's parking lot, not wasting any time.
Without further ado, they piled into the car and headed to a well-known barbecue restaurant in downtown Saitama. It was a popular spot, though the prices were a bit above the average.
As the car cruised through the city, Kaminari, seated in the back with his mom, glanced idly out the window, watching the scenery roll by. His attention was particularly drawn to the professional Heroes patrolling the streets in their unique, sometimes flamboyant costumes.
Seeing those so-called Heroes, he found himself drifting into thoughts about the nature of Hero society. With nothing else to occupy his mind at the moment, he indulged in some reflection.
His opinion hadn't changed from over a decade ago: these professional Heroes, who had essentially become state-employed civil servants, were more like "specialized police officers."
Funded by the government, they carried out duties like patrolling, arrests, disaster relief, and maintaining public order. If that didn't make them akin to policemen, what did?
Some might argue that Heroes are also ordinary people who need to make a living, so it's fair for them to be paid for their work. While this was a reasonable perspective, Kaminari felt there was a flaw in such reasoning.
Becoming a Hero should not be primarily about the money. If someone thought about how much they could earn from a rescue or whether the government would compensate them before taking action, then their motivations were questionable. If they were rescuing people solely for the reward, could they truly be considered Heroes?
In Kaminari's view, such individuals were perhaps better described as "good people" rather than genuine Heroes.
What is a Hero, really? A Hero is someone who acts selflessly, who risks their life for the well-being of others and the nation, enduring hardships without hesitation. A Hero is someone who makes great sacrifices and contributions, even to the point of giving their life.
The title of Hero is the highest honor a society can bestow upon its members, and it should carry significant weight.
It shouldn't be handed out lightly, not for minor deeds like rescuing a stray dog. At best, those people could be called "kind-hearted individuals."
If anyone could be labeled a Hero simply for small acts of kindness, then what would that make those who sacrifice their lives for their country? Wouldn't it cheapen the sacrifices of true Heroes?
Thinking further, Kaminari pondered on the concept of compensation. A person with the ability to be a so-called professional Hero, someone who could handle dangers far beyond what regular people could face, should not be dependent on the "Hero salary" to survive. Wasn't it possible for them to find other ways to make a living?
Take examples from other worlds, Spider-Man was a journalist while working as a Hero, and Superman held a job at a company. Characters like Wonder Woman, The Flash, and the Fantastic Four all balanced Hero work with other occupations.
While those were fictional cases, Kaminari knew that in this world, many Heroes did the same. Plenty of professional Heroes held one or more other roles in society.
For instance, U.A. High School's teachers were all professional Heroes, yet they also served as educators. Midnight, the "R-Rated Hero," wasn't just a teacher; she was also a celebrity, frequently appearing on TV due to her stunning looks.
Then there was Present Mic, who taught at U.A. while also working as a popular radio DJ. Cementoss ran a construction company, while Mt. Lady was a top model and a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, with multiple endorsement deals.
Death Arms ran a martial arts training gym. There were countless examples of professional Heroes who found ways to integrate into society beyond just Hero work.
In Kaminari's opinion, this demonstrated that anyone qualified to be a professional Hero could find other means to support themselves.
If a person couldn't even manage that, what made them think they were capable of handling the dangers associated with being a Hero?
Therefore, Kaminari genuinely believed that the current system of professionalizing Heroes was unnecessary. If the government needed these roles to be formalized, wouldn't it make more sense to incorporate them into the police force?
The term "Hero" itself seemed almost superfluous under such circumstances.
Interestingly, his middle school history teacher had once explained that when Quirks first started appearing, law enforcement chiefs had insisted that police officers refrain from using Quirks during duty.
To Kaminari, this reasoning seemed baffling. How did using Quirks contradict law and order?
Aren't Quirks, at their core, tools wielded by humans? Besides, he was pretty sure that militaries worldwide had their share of powerful Quirk users.
However, it wasn't as if he harbored any extreme opinions about it. He was just airing out some idle complaints.
Kaminari did hold onto a personal principle, though. Even if he obtained a Hero license, even if he found himself in situations where he could save others, he would never accept the so-called Hero remuneration from the government.
To put it simply, he wasn't going to profit from the Hero title, nor did he feel he needed to. Helping others shouldn't automatically be equated with being a Hero, just like he didn't consider every patrolling professional Hero to be the real deal.
To him, the term "professional Hero" was just a unique job title, similar to being a ninja or a pirate. It was merely a profession, nothing more.
That being the case, his goals were clear. He was an entertainer, a star who helped others as a hobby. The Hero license was just a small step towards achieving something bigger...
As for his ultimate ambition, how about becoming the world's top lightning-based Quirk user? That didn't sound bad at all.
"Heh, heh."
As Kaminari imagined a bright future, the corners of his mouth curled up. His mother, sitting beside him, couldn't help but wonder what her son was so happy about.
Just then, the car pulled to a stop. His father in the driver's seat unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, announcing, "Alright, we're here!"