Kai is 14 and hard to miss. He's got these bright blue eyes that always seem like they're up to something and messy black hair with streaks that make him look like he just ran out of a windstorm. He's lean but strong, thanks to all the training he's been putting in. There's usually a confident smirk on his face, the kind that says he's ready for anything or at least thinks he is. He dresses sharp, thanks to his rich family, but he's more about action than appearances, carrying himself like someone who's aiming to be something big one day.
For those wondering what Kai looks like...
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Kai strolled into school with his bag slung over one shoulder, his hair still a little damp from a rushed shower. The school grounds buzzed with the usual pre-class chaos—students clustered in groups, trading homework answers, sharing gossip, or just trying to wake up.
"Yo, Kai!" Riku called, waving him over from near the lockers. "Took you long enough. Did you finally decide to roll out of your mansion bed or what?"
Kai smirked. "Nah, I just spent the morning marveling at how broke you look."
Riku clutched his chest, staggering back in mock pain. "Ouch! Straight for the jugular! I'm just trying to survive out here, man."
"I don't know," Haru chimed in as he joined them, sipping from a juice box. "Kai probably spends more time styling his hair than any of us spend on actual homework."
Kai ran a hand through his streaking black hair, pretending to admire himself in a nearby window. "You say that like it's a bad thing. This level of perfection doesn't happen by accident."
Riku snorted. "Yeah, sure. We all know you just rolled out of bed and hoped gravity did the rest."
Kai grinned but didn't deny it.
First period was math, which Kai was not in the mood for. He sat next to Haru, who was doodling in the margins of his notebook instead of taking notes.
"You know," Kai whispered, leaning over, "if you keep drawing like that, the teacher's gonna think you're planning a heist."
Haru shrugged. "Might as well be. Trying to solve these problems feels like cracking a safe."
Kai chuckled, scribbling half-heartedly on his paper. "I'll take your word for it. Meanwhile, I'm over here trying to figure out if this equation even speaks the same language as me."
From across the room, Riku mimed snoring dramatically. The teacher, oblivious, kept explaining quadratic functions like it was the most thrilling topic in the world.
At lunch, the trio claimed their usual spot under the big oak tree in the courtyard. Haru had brought one of his mom's packed lunches, which, as usual, looked like something out of a cooking show.
"Do you ever bring normal food?" Riku asked, staring at Haru's perfectly arranged bento box.
Haru smirked. "Hey, don't hate me because my mom's got skills."
Kai poked at his own cafeteria tray, where a questionable-looking meat patty sat next to something that was probably mashed potatoes. "Meanwhile, I'm over here wondering if this is edible or if I'm just doing a science experiment."
Riku leaned in, squinting at Kai's tray. "Pretty sure that patty just moved. You might wanna take it to the nurse's office for treatment."
"Funny," Kai said, deadpan. "Maybe I'll give it to you. You could use the protein."
The afternoon was gym class, and the teacher had them running relay races. Kai and his friends got put on the same team, much to the dismay of their opponents.
"Alright, Kai," Riku said as they lined up, "this is your time to shine. All those years of rich-kid horseback riding or whatever should make you super fast."
Kai rolled his eyes. "First of all, I've never been on a horse. Second of all, I don't need rich-kid hobbies to outrun you. You move like a rusty robot."
Haru snickered. "He's got a point, Riku. You run like you're auditioning for a zombie movie."
When it was Kai's turn to run, he darted down the track like a blur, leaving their opponents in the dust. As he passed the baton to Riku, he couldn't resist yelling, "Don't trip, slowpoke!"
Riku, predictably, tripped.
After school, the three of them hung out near the gates, waiting for their rides.
"Man," Haru said, stretching, "that relay race really killed my legs. I'm gonna feel that tomorrow."
"Same," Riku said, wincing. "I'm pretty sure my knees are filing for early retirement."
Kai snorted. "You guys act like we just ran a marathon. It was one race. Maybe if you spent less time playing video games and more time outside, you'd actually have stamina."
Riku grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Perfect. Not all of us have secret butlers to carry us around when we get tired."
Kai laughed. "You've got me there. But if you ever need a lift, I'm sure Sugihara could fit you in the trunk."
Haru shook his head, amused. "You guys are ridiculous. Let's just agree we all suck at running and move on."
As they said their goodbyes, Kai couldn't help but feel grateful. Life might have thrown him into a new world, but with friends like these, it was starting to feel like home.
Kai walked out of the school gates with his bag slung casually over one shoulder. The sun hung low in the sky, painting everything in shades of gold. His day at school had been typical—some good laughs with Riku and Haru, a bit of zoning out in class, and the occasional jab at how hilariously bad the cafeteria food was.
As he approached his family's sleek black car parked at the curb, Sugihara, his ever-dutiful butler, opened the door with a slight bow. "Master Kai. Another day of intellectual enrichment, I presume?"
Kai smirked as he climbed into the back seat. "If by intellectual enrichment you mean surviving another math class without my brain imploding, then yeah, sure."
Sugihara's lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile. "Very good, sir."
The ride home was smooth and uneventful, with the soft hum of the car engine and the cityscape blurring past the windows. When they pulled up to the grand estate, Kai hopped out, barely waiting for Sugihara to open the door.
Inside, his mother greeted him in the foyer, dressed in an elegant yet casual outfit that screamed effortless wealth. "Kai, darling. How was school?"
Kai shrugged. "The usual. Riku tripped over himself in gym class, Haru had another five-star bento, and I discovered that cafeteria meatloaf might actually be sentient."
His mother chuckled, shaking her head. "You should write these things down. You'd make an excellent comedy author."
"Maybe," Kai said, grinning. "But I'd probably just end up roasting you and Dad."
"Careful," his dad's voice boomed from the study as he appeared, a tablet in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. "You roast us too much, and we might decide to cut your allowance."
Kai smirked. "What, and miss out on funding your future top-tier hero? Bold move, old man."
His father chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, go do whatever it is you do to make yourself terrifyingly powerful. Dinner at seven."
Kai waved him off and headed to the training grounds.
The training area was a sprawling open field behind the estate, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment his parents had spared no expense in acquiring. Weighted dummies, obstacle courses, and even a small, reinforced arena for combat practice—it had everything.
Kai stretched for a few minutes, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his arms. Then, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
His quirk, Stockpile, buzzed beneath his skin like a tightly coiled spring. Over the years, he'd refined it to the point of absurdity. And the best part? He'd discovered that the key wasn't just pulling it out randomly but focusing on specific types of energy.
He started with kinetic energy. Sprinting across the field at full speed, he let every step pound into the earth, storing the force into his core like a battery. By the time he stopped, his legs tingled with the stored power.
"Alright," he muttered, clenching his fists. He released a fraction of the energy in a single punch, aimed at one of the reinforced steel dummies.
BOOM.
The dummy flew backward, slamming into the barrier at the edge of the field and leaving a dent. Kai grinned. "Still got it."
Next, he focused on sound. Clapping his hands together sharply, he stored the shockwaves from the noise. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he released it in a controlled burst, sending a ripple of soundwaves that cracked the ground in front of him.
"Man," Kai muttered, wiping his brow. "If I'm not careful, I'm gonna end up breaking the whole yard. Dad's gonna love that conversation."
He moved on to heat. Holding his hands near one of the training torches, he absorbed the warmth until the flames flickered out. His palms glowed faintly as he aimed at a distant target, unleashing a fiery blast that scorched the air.
"Note to self," he said with a smirk, "learn how to cook using this. I could be my own portable stove."
An hour later, Kai was drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead. He was experimenting with a combination move, storing kinetic energy and heat simultaneously, when Sugihara approached, holding a towel and a bottle of water.
"Master Kai," the butler said, "might I suggest a brief pause? You've been at it for quite some time."
Kai took the towel gratefully, wiping his face. "Thanks, Sugihara. But you know I'm just getting started."
Sugihara raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Indeed. However, it would be a shame if you were too fatigued to enjoy dinner. Or, heaven forbid, too tired to banter with your parents afterward."
Kai chuckled, gulping down the water. "Good point. Gotta save some energy for Dad's terrible jokes."
As he packed up for the evening, Kai couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Every day, he was getting stronger, smarter, better. And if anyone ever doubted his potential, they wouldn't stand a chance once he showed them what Stockpile could really do.
Kai lounged on one of the estate's garden benches, tossing a small rock up and down. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in fiery oranges and purples. Sugihara, ever the picture of calm efficiency, was trimming a nearby hedge with precision.
"Hey, Sugihara," Kai called, not bothering to sit up straight. "You ever get bored of being, like, the perfect butler all the time?"
Sugihara paused, turning his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Master Kai, I was under the impression that perfection was a job requirement."
Kai snorted, catching the rock mid-air. "Yeah, but doesn't it get old? You're always so serious. You ever just want to... I don't know, go skydiving or something?"
Sugihara resumed trimming, his shears snipping rhythmically. "Skydiving is an unnecessary risk, sir. However, I did once consider bungee jumping. Briefly."
Kai sat up straight, his eyes wide. "No way. You, bungee jumping? That's gotta be a joke."
The corner of Sugihara's mouth twitched—a subtle sign of amusement. "Not a joke, Master Kai. But ultimately, I decided it was not worth the potential damage to my suit."
Kai burst out laughing, almost dropping the rock. "Priorities, huh? The suit over everything."
"It is a custom-tailored suit," Sugihara said dryly, but there was a faint sparkle in his eyes.
Kai leaned back, still grinning. "Man, you're something else, Sugihara. How long have you been working for my family again?"
"Since before you were born, sir," Sugihara replied. "I was hired when your father decided the household required... a higher standard of management."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "A higher standard? What, was the last guy juggling plates and spilling tea on the carpet?"
Sugihara set down the shears and turned to face him, his hands clasped behind his back. "Let's just say that certain tasks require a level of finesse that not everyone possesses."
Kai smirked. "Finesse, huh? You mean like teaching a ten-year-old how to properly hold a fork at a fancy dinner?"
"I recall you were quite the challenge in that regard, sir," Sugihara said, his tone polite but pointed.
Kai laughed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't exactly a prodigy when it came to table manners. But hey, look at me now—almost a civilized human being."
"Almost," Sugihara agreed, a ghost of a smile on his face.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of rustling leaves and distant birdcalls filling the air.
Kai broke the quiet, his tone more serious now. "Hey, Sugihara... you've been around for a long time. You've seen, like, everything my family's gone through, right?"
"Indeed, sir."
"So," Kai continued, tossing the rock again but catching it more thoughtfully, "do you think I'm doing okay? Like... do you think I'm living up to what my parents expect?"
Sugihara studied him for a moment, his expression softening. "Master Kai, you have a tendency to doubt yourself more than is warranted. Your parents are proud of you—not for any specific achievement, but for the person you are becoming."
Kai frowned. "You sure? Because sometimes it feels like... I don't know, like I should be doing more."
Sugihara stepped closer, his posture as poised as ever but his voice warmer. "What you are doing, sir, is growing. That is all anyone can ask. And if I may say so, you are doing it remarkably well."
Kai looked up at him, surprised by the sincerity in his tone. "Wow, Sugihara. That almost sounded like a compliment."
Sugihara inclined his head slightly. "An observation, sir. I find that a compliment would be redundant in this case."
Kai grinned, tossing the rock aside and standing up. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"So I've been told," Sugihara said smoothly.
Kai stretched, his hands behind his head. "Alright, I'm starving. You wanna sneak me some snacks before dinner?"
Sugihara raised an eyebrow. "That would be highly improper, sir."
Kai gave him a playful nudge. "Come on, Sugihara. Live a little. You were this close to bungee jumping, remember?"
Sugihara sighed, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can do, sir. But only because I suspect you will bother me until I do."
Kai beamed. "You know me so well."
As they walked back toward the estate, the sunset casting long shadows behind them, Kai couldn't help but feel grateful. Sugihara wasn't just his butler—he was family. And no matter how chaotic life got, Kai knew he could always count on him.
—-------
Kai rolled out of bed on Saturday morning with the energy of someone who knew the day was his to dominate. The sun streamed through his curtains, warming his room with a soft glow. He stretched, yawning, and gave himself a moment to relish the weekend before jumping into his usual routine.
After a quick shower and a breakfast feast fit for royalty, he headed to the training grounds. Today was leg day—sprints, squats, and agility drills. Kai had been upping the intensity of his workouts, knowing full well that a strong body could make or break a hero.
By mid-morning, sweat dripped down his forehead, and his legs burned with the satisfaction of a hard workout. He chugged water from a bottle as he cooled down, pacing the edge of the training field.
"That's enough for today's workout," Kai muttered, though his mind was already racing. Maybe it's time to switch things up.
A sudden thought struck him. He looked toward the manor, where Sugihara was likely going about his usual tasks with the same impeccable precision.
"Sugihara!" Kai burst into the study where the butler was methodically polishing an ornate clock.
Sugihara looked up, unperturbed. "Master Kai. To what do I owe the pleasure of this... energetic entrance?"
Kai grinned. "I want to spar with you."
Sugihara blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Spar, sir?"
"Yeah! You're always going on about how precise you are, how you're prepared for any situation," Kai said, bouncing on his toes. "I've got all this power, but what if someone takes my quirk away? I've been training in martial arts, but you're the best fighter I know. Let's see if I can keep up."
Sugihara's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "A generous compliment, sir, but such an activity would require your parents' approval."
Kai groaned. "Come on, Sugihara, I'm not a kid anymore!"
"You are, in fact, still a minor," Sugihara replied smoothly. "And it would be highly inappropriate for me to engage in such an activity without explicit permission."
Kai threw his hands up. "Fine. Let's go ask them."
Kai found his parents lounging in the garden. His mother was reading a book while his father scrolled through his tablet, the picture of Saturday relaxation.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," Kai started, leaning against the patio door.
His father looked up first. "What is it, son? You look like you're about to ask for something big."
Kai grinned. "I want to spar with Sugihara."
His mother lowered her book, raising an eyebrow. "Spar? As in... fight?"
Kai nodded. "Yeah. Not, like, a real fight. Just some hand-to-hand stuff. He's always talking about how sharp he is, and I want to test myself against him. You know, for training."
His father exchanged a glance with his mother, who looked more skeptical. "Sugihara's skills are impressive," his father admitted. "But are you sure you're ready for that? He's not going to go easy on you."
"That's the point," Kai said earnestly. "If I want to be a hero, I can't expect people to hold back."
His mother sighed, closing her book. "Alright. But not today. Tomorrow, after lunch, and only if Sugihara agrees to keep it controlled."
Kai pumped his fist in victory. "Deal!"
Kai couldn't help but feel a rush of anticipation for the rest of the day. He spent the afternoon running through mental simulations of what the sparring match would be like. Would Sugihara come at him with calculated precision, or would he surprise him with something wild and unexpected?
That evening, Kai cornered Sugihara again.
"They said yes," Kai announced, grinning.
Sugihara nodded, his expression calm. "Very well, Master Kai. Tomorrow, then. I shall ensure everything is prepared."
Kai smirked. "You'd better not hold back, Sugihara."
Sugihara gave him a faint smile, his tone neutral but carrying a subtle edge. "I wouldn't dream of it, sir."
As night fell, Kai lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind raced with thoughts of the spar. Sugihara had always been a mystery—a butler, yes, but also a man of incredible skill. Kai had caught glimpses of it over the years. The way Sugihara moved, his occasional hints of a past that seemed far more exciting than polishing clocks.
Tomorrow would be a test, not just of his skills, but of how far he'd come since his second chance at life. And maybe, just maybe, he'd learn something new about the man who had been by his side through it all.
With a satisfied grin, Kai drifted off to sleep, visions of combat and victory dancing in his head.