Chapter 67 Tayokama Hiroshi

"Fukushima Fuuka,"

"Sakura Cherry,"

"Tayokama Hiroshi,"

Once these three names were announced and they were given their due applause, Sai Tama then delivered an inspiring speech, pertaining to the school as a collective body that resembles a family. He then spurred everyone to cheer on the candidates and give them their one hundred percent support as they represent the entire school in the upcoming inter-high tournament. After reminding everyone and making sure that there were no visible hard feelings throughout the first years, Sai Tama's lips tightly curved upward before turning away from the podium and walking out of the stage. This left all the students in their own devices as they congratulated or comforted each other after the candidates' selection came to an end.

"Wait... that was my name, right? Right?!" Unexpectedly, Hiroshi grabbed Satoshi by the collar and squeezed it, almost choking him to death. In an impulse, Satoshi pushed him away, causing him to fall rear-first on the ground. However, that wasn't enough to faze him and he got back, dusted himself in an overexaggerated manner before going up to Satoshi and grabbing him by the collar once again. "I got in! I got in! And I was the last pick!!! HAHAHAH~" He screamed at the top of his lungs, causing spit to shower upon Satoshi's face and everyone nearby.

"Stop that, that's disgusting." Satoshi wanted to slap the living daylights out of Hiroshi but he maintained his composure and calmly pushed him away for the second time. This time though, he summoned his White Lion and told him to pin Hiroshi on the ground so he won't bother anyone. That wasn't enough for him though since he continued screaming and celebrating in his heart's content. It's as if an entity possessed him, making him hysterically make a fool of himself.

At first, Satoshi felt sorry for him and wanted to pick him up so they could head together to class. But after remembering that he was just spitting right at his face a few seconds ago, he shook his head, turned around, and headed to class just when the school bell was rung.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi stayed lying down on the ground with a foolish smile on his face. Just like Midori, he came from a poor family and the only reason why he got to the United Superheroes Academy was that his mom and dad were close to the Midoriyama Duo. They were basically the ones who recommended Hiroshi to the Midoriyama Duo and in turn, they recommended Hiroshi to the school, encouraging him to apply for a scholarship so that he won't have to pay anything. As long as he brings forth good results, he won't have to worry about the tuition fees.

.....

Hiroshi was the son of two mediocre superheroes. His dad could control fire but couldn't manifest it. And as for her mom, she could control the element of earth but she couldn't manifest it as well. They both met during a mission where they had to work together to bring down illegal smugglers in a nearby forest. Together, they managed to foil the plans of the smugglers into smuggling boosters for criminals. This was related to that historical Boosting Incident everyone knew about.

At that time, Hiroshi's dad realized that he could work well with that lady with the earth element. They both thought the same thing and so a wedding and a child were inevitable. By the time they caught up with everything in their lives, Hiroshi was born. Together, the two of them prayed that Hiroshi would get a nice superpower so he won't have to struggle in life. Hiroshi's mom and dad both experienced the harsh reality of the world where superheroes abound. Because the two of them were just mediocre superheroes, they weren't given high-class missions but instead, they were given odd jobs and mostly clean-up missions after the superheroes have done their job. Because of that, they could barely survive financially and they had to take on part-time jobs at convenience stores or family restaurants just to get by.

Growing up, Hiroshi never experienced the luxury of brand new things, even his clothes were hand-me-downs from his cousins or people he knew. He wasn't complaining though, because he realized at an early age that it's better to have clothes than to walk around naked— that it's better to have a roof over your head and a meal on the table than to have none. At an early age, he realized the truest sense behind the word 'contentment' and he became quite accustomed to his life. But then again, he could tell that his parents were somehow suffering just so he could live a comfortable life. He wanted to return that favor to them but what could he do as a kid? Ask around for money? Would he even be accepted to work part-time jobs? Of course not.

That's why, when he awakened his superpower, a huge feeling of relief overcame him. 'Now's the time to give my parents the life they deserve' or so that's what he said to himself. But at that moment, he only knew that he inherited his father's superpower. When he found out that he inherited both, he was elated, and he wanted to do his best as an upcoming superhero.

During his childhood years, that's when he was introduced to the indifferent Satoshi. As a rising superhero, he greatly admired the Midoriyama Duo who stood at the peak of all of Japan. And when he came across the fact that their one and only son didn't have a superpower, he felt great pity towards him. He wanted to console him when he got the chance to meet him.

But the scenario in his head was proven wrong. What he didn't know was that Satoshi was actually strong-willed, and he would never back down even when he didn't have a superpower. He was relentless, so relentless that no one dared to bully him even when the other side had a lot of superheroes with them. That was one thing Hiroshi didn't have and it dealt a great blow to his pride. How could someone without a superpower have such ideals whereas I was born with everything and I'm not half as strong as him? Those thoughts lingered in his mind and he somehow resented Satoshi. Compared to him, Satoshi had an even harder life. And yet. he's got everything under control. While there he was, with nothing going his way. Even his recommendation to the school was due to the fact that his parents were friends with the Midoriyama Duo. And furthermore, the reason why they were friends was that his parents were once rescued by them during one of their missions.

Since then, he looked at Satoshi as his rival, as a goal that he'd never reach no matter how strong he got. He was angry at the universe for not giving such a strong-willed person a superpower. But even more so, he was angrier at himself for having a superpower and not producing the results that Satoshi could achieve. Long story short, he grew envious... envious at the teenager who has everything yet has nothing. Midoriyama may have everything he ever wanted but at the end of the day, he didn't have a superpower. That fact alone made Hiroshi furious. And he didn't even know if that fury was directed only to Satoshi or to him— or maybe it was directed at both, which was probably the case.

p On the first day of school, the initial testing, or rather the 'entrance exam' for all the first-year occurred, Hiroshi had built-up frustration over Satoshi's situation. That's why he was bitter when he was pitted against the son of his benefactor. He wanted to lay it all out on him by defeating him in an overwhelming manner. A part of him wanted to prove that he is stronger than him even though he knew that Satoshi will always be better than him. At the back of his mind, there was a portion of him that admitted his own inferiority towards Satoshi.

That's when the most baffling thing happened. Somehow, Satoshi flew in mid-air and started controlling nails. There was no doubt in everyone's minds that Satoshi had the power to control metal all along. Out of everyone who witnessed it, it was Hiroshi who was most bewildered out of everyone. A plethora of thoughts occurred in his mind. After all, why would someone like him hide such a powerful superpower? How did he manage to cope with the bashing that the media gave him after all these years and even then, he didn't reveal his trump card? And why reveal it now? Why reveal your superpower now when he could've revealed it later. Even if he were to showcase it after graduating high school, he would still be as popular as he is right now.

While he was pondering on those mind-boggling thoughts, Satoshi had already defeated him.

However, that didn't make Hiroshi feel crestfallen. In fact, it relieved him to no end. Satoshi's identity is not the same in his mind anymore. Before, he was a teenager who got everything but no superpower. But now, he was those two things, and even when that notion made Hiroshi feel more inferior to him... at least the distance between them was so great that there's actually no point in comparing himself to Satoshi— this gave him the freedom he needed from the shackles of his confusion.

As Hiroshi lay on the ground, overlooking the clear skies that extended like the never-ending sea, he smiled to himself. He was chosen as a candidate. That was more than enough proof that his parents made the right choice... that his parents really saw something in him and believed in him when they practically begged the Midoriyama Duo to recommend him to this school.

"I did it... mom, dad." He muttered to himself, totally indifferent about the school bell that rung repeatedly throughout the entire school.