Chapter 6: The "funny buddy"
...
As the day went on, more students started arriving. First was Mashirao Ojiro, a muscular guy with short, blond hair tied up in front.
This time, he was the one who came up to me first, offering his hand with a polite nod.
"Mashirao Ojiro. Nice to meet you." His introduction was brief, giving me a pretty good sense of his quiet, laid-back personality… so different from mine.
"Denki Kaminari" I shook his hand politely, a little curious. The guy had a strong grip, but he didn't go overboard like Kendo had when we first met. "Likewise."
Right then, Ojiro smiled, a genuine, wide smile that made his mouth curl up at the corners. But what caught my attention more was how his eyes narrowed into thin lines, making a few almost-invisible wrinkles that made his whole face look really relaxed. Ojiro smiled with his whole face, not just his mouth. Yep, It was really funny to watch since he didn't even show his teeth.
There was something about him that just seemed so chill.
Oh, and another thing, He has a tail! Yep, a tail, hairless except for the tip… kinda interesting.
Anyway, Ojiro's definitely a calm guy. I don't know, it's like… zen, or something. After talking to him, I came to the conclusion that he's one of those guys who never causes trouble and is always training or minding his own business. Good guy, no doubt, but also… um, kind of boring.
Ojiro was actually pretty similar to the second guy I met today, Juzo Honenuki, although Ojiro was in my class while Honenuki was in Class 1-B.
I also talked a bit with Hiryu Rin, another guy from Class 1-B, but we didn't chat much. He's way too serious and disciplined for my taste. I'd already had more than enough of that with Iida. So, thanks, but no thanks…
Not that he was a bad guy or anything, but he seemed like the type who follows a strict schedule and never misses a class. He always has this "I'm taking everything seriously" look on his face. Zero humor man… And since I'd already taken a hit today, I wasn't eager to get another one. Nope, that was a big "no thanks, and see ya"
Then, in Class 1-A, I met Rikido Sato, who seemed pretty intimidating at first because of his size… until he offered me a piece of cake. And it was amazing! He'd made it himself!
Turns out Sato's like a big, friendly teddy bear. Big, strong, but a little soft inside. Definitely someone I'd want to be friends with. It's always good to have someone like that on your side. Plus, if the apocalypse ever happens, at least I'll have someone to make good desserts and look intimidating at first glance.
Oh, and there was this one guy who, at first, I confused for a little kid. He was this short guy with purple balls for hair who kept sneaking glances at the girls. Minoru Mineta, also in my class.
Mineta… well, that guy's a mess. Hilarious, but… let's just say, you don't want to leave him alone in a room with girls. He's even more of a perv than I am, but that's not the issue—the real problem is that he has zero filter, so if someone like… hmm I don't know, let say Kendo, finds out… Mineta will probably end up even shorter than he already is after she's done beating the crap out of him. He'd probably end up looking like a bonsai tree. So, yeah, I definitely need to keep him away from her.
On the other hand, Kojiro Bondo from Class 1-B is the opposite of Mineta—super big and quiet but surprisingly kind. His voice is like a whisper, and he's always very respectful. Definitely a nice guy, but I doubt I'll hear him say much.
Another guy from Class 1-B, Manga Fukidashi, is like a living comic book! Literally. Everything about him is exaggerated, loud, and… well, comic-like. He's a little strange, but you definitely don't get bored when he's around. He's the kind of guy who can turn any conversation into a spectacle. Too bad he's in Class 1-B; I would've loved to have him in Class 1-A. He's way too cool… grabs attention effortlessly. He'd make the perfect wingman—though, honestly, maybe it's not so bad we're in separate classes. He'd probably overshadow me in front of the girls.
….
All day, I kept meeting and getting to know both Class 1-A and 1-B students who were staying in the U.A. dorms.
When I got off the elevator back on the first floor, I was greeted by laughter and lively voices. Curious, I walked over to see what was going on. What I found was a unique pair, the kind you don't see every day.
On one of the couches sat a guy with bright red, spiky hair and a muscular build. His mouth was open in a deep laugh, showing some sharp, jagged teeth. Next to him was someone who honestly looked like a pink cotton candy puff with horns… but, weirdly, also super hot. The girl had big, black eyes with golden irises that matched the two horns sticking out of her messy lavender hair.
"I can't believe I didn't notice this!" she exclaimed, reaching out to touch two tufts of hair sticking up from the guy's head at angles that strangely matched her own horns. "We're totally horn buddies now!"
The redhead nodded enthusiastically and raised his fist, grinning like a kid.
"Hell yeah! Horn Buddies for life! Whatever that means, I'm pumped!"
The two burst into laughter, and finally, they noticed me standing there. The girl jumped up, waving at me in an overly dramatic way.
"Oooh! Are you in 1-A too? Or are you in 1-B?"
"Hey, yeah, Class 1-A too! Sweet horns" I replied, giving her a half-confident smile.
"Thanks! Hehe, I'm Ashido Mina, and this is my horn buddy, Kirishima Eijiro!" said the attractive girl with light pink skin, big thighs, and pretty large… assets.
Yup, totally my type. I mean, any relatively attractive girl is, but the important thing now was to take this chance to impress this absolute beauty and maybe score a date.
Putting that aside, the so-called "horn buddy" of the pink-haired girl greeted me with a big smile as he also stood up. His expression suddenly changed when he saw my shirt.
"Whoa, dude! That's a Steel Nemesis shirt! That's so manly!" the intense redhead started, "Do you like that movie? Did you see how the killer robots fought and how Annihilator took them down? So manly!"
'Manly…?' I thought, a little confused. But, okay, I guess Annihilator was pretty cool.
"Well, uh… thanks? I guess. Name's Denki Kaminari. My room's number 7 in the boys' dorm" I said, giving a more confident smile. "Looks like you two know each other well. Did you go to the same school or something?"
"Oh, got it, then I'll just stick with Kaminari, 'kay?" She grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "And yeah, we're good friends!"
Kirishima nodded in agreement with a big smile, staring at me.
"Nice to meet you, dude!" He held out his hand, and I shook it—this guy was seriously ripped and had a firm handshake. "Now, Kaminari, let's see how strong that arm of yours is"
"..."
"Huh? What?" It took me a second to process what Kirishima meant, but I finally caught on when his hand squeezed mine suddenly.
It was the most painful handshake of my life!
I'm pretty sure this guy's arm had enough strength to bend and crush steel beams. I gave up immediately, in a really embarrassing way, I'll admit, but I was suffering so much that I didn't care about looking cool in front of the hot pink-haired girl.
Luckily, Kirishima let go as soon as I gave up and then looked at me with an unexpectedly serious expression.
"You gotta train that arm, Kaminari! With some good training, it'll get stronger" he assured me with a confident smile, like he hadn't just nearly crushed my hand a second ago.
Still, I managed to suck it up and smiled back as I shook out my hand, trying to soothe the burning pain. I was pretty sure I had tears in my eyes.
'Great,' I thought, totally ruined my cool moment.
"I guess I could do some training, Kirishima" I replied, trying to sound relaxed.
Ashido let out a soft laugh, like everything that had happened was incredibly funny to her. And within seconds, she burst into full-on laughter, turning to her friend and pointing at him with a weak hand.
"K-Kirishima! You almost broke his hand! A-and and you didn't even notice!" she said, laughing. Kirishima apologized, looking a little embarrassed, while I felt even more embarrassed than him.
Once she stopped laughing, she seemed to notice the awkward silence Kirishima and I had fallen into, so she jumped in to break it.
"So, Kaminari, is that streak natural?" Mina pointed to the lightning bolt in my hair. Seeing she was encouraging me to talk about it, I figured it was a good chance to show off a little.
"Yeah!" I answered, proudly pointing to the streak, just as she probably expected. "Pretty sweet, right? I have an electricity Quirk, so it's totally on theme!"
'Chatty and pretty laid-back,' Mina mentally noted to herself. 'Not afraid to speak his mind, or just doesn't think much before speaking… and seems friendly and funny.'
This time, Mina gave me a genuine smile, not just an amused one.
"Wow, for sure, man! I assumed it was fake because it was too cool," commented Kirishima.
'…'
I grinned and looked at Mina. "I like this guy!"
After that, the three of us hung out in the common area for a while, chatting and getting to know each other. Those two seemed a little high-energy… Okay, they were really high-energy, but nothing I couldn't handle. After all, nobody's got more energy than me.
Honestly, after that first, very embarrassing, disastrous introduction, I ended up getting along with both of them right away. They were already pretty tight friends, and it was easy to talk to both of them. Plus, they were super entertaining.
Despite not making the best first impression on Kirishima, he's awesome! He's fun to hang around with, even if he's a bit intense. I have a feeling he and Iida wouldn't get along well.
But I feel like he's the kind of friend who's always gonna back me up, no matter what crazy thing I'm doing. Though he keeps going on and on about being "manly," and honestly, I don't totally get what he means… but I don't mind because I love his energy.
And Mina Ashido isn't just a hot pink treat for the eyes—she's incredibly energetic and fun.
So yeah, I really like Mina; she's fun, likes teasing, and can take teasing back. But… man, trying to impress her is like trying to scare a cat with a feather! Nothing gets to her, and whenever I tried cracking a joke or some smooth flirting to impress her, she just laughed and slapped me on the back like we were already friends, and we'd just met.
And all that's not the problem, though; the problem is she seems to see me as a walking punchline! Don't get me wrong—I love her vibe, but it's frustrating to see her having so much fun and not noticing my charm… or at least, not the kind of charm I'm trying to show her. So now it feels like I've landed the role of "funny buddy" on her list.