Shirai walked several blocks away from the school, his younger companion Hiro trailing beside him. The tension in Shirai's shoulders was evident as he pulled out his phone.

"What are we gonna do, big bro?" Hiro asked, his voice carrying a nervous edge that hadn't been there an hour earlier.

Shirai's expression hardened as he scrolled through his contacts. "I will make a call. This person is on the Japanese Hero Association senior council."

Hiro's eyes widened with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Woah. The mafia has people on the senior council as well?"

"Well, there's no lack of resources when it comes to the mafia," Shirai replied with cold pragmatism. "Plus this guy is also my dad's best friend. Now keep quiet for some time."

The phone rang twice before a gruff voice answered.

"You better tell me you took care of this small inconvenience," Toji's voice crackled through the speaker, impatience already bleeding through his words.

"There is a problem, Uncle," Shirai said, his tone carefully measured despite the gravity of his admission.

"Now what?" The irritation in Toji's voice was unmistakable.

Shirai took a steadying breath. "The suspect we had in mind is connected to Takahashi Genzo."

There was a moment of silence that stretched uncomfortably long. "And are you sure this suspect is the one who took out our men?"

"Not yet. He is a student at Tokyo Super High and he has a good alibi and seems clean mostly," Shirai admitted reluctantly.

Toji's voice exploded through the phone with barely contained fury. "Your main suspect is a student? You guys are good for nothing. Many heroes avoid clashing with the Mafia and you guys are thinking a student has decided to take arms against us?"

"He had similar features and powers. We just want to be sure. We would need more resources to confirm or like to catch this vigilante," Shirai pressed, trying to maintain his composure.

"First you ask me to clear this idiot subordinate of yours, Tanaka. Whose actions could have gotten us into serious trouble and now this? What are you there for?" Toji's exasperation was palpable.

Shirai's jaw tightened. "We need to catch this guy soon. It's not a good look if our men get beat up like this."

"Hmm. Fine." Toji's voice took on a calculating tone. "I wouldn't provide you with any resources to take in a student and I would also recommend you to cease that investigation as well. But I will provide some resources for prevention of such an event happening again and catch this vigilante in the act."

"Got it, Uncle," Shirai said with evident relief.

"And also don't forget about tomorrow night's shipment. It's worth a million yen. I hope the idiots under your watch have recovered and would be able to handle the task."

Shirai cast a meaningful look at Hiro, who was listening intently despite pretending otherwise. "Yes, they will be fine. And what if the vigilante shows up?"

"That is why I am providing the resources, you idiot," Toji snapped. "Most of our operations this year have gone smoothly, even unarmed, only your division has faltered. So we will have these guys armed this time. Proper guns, but no excuses this time."

"Understood, Uncle," Shirai replied with finality.

The call ended with an audible click, leaving the two young men standing in the fading afternoon light.

"So what did he say?" Hiro asked eagerly, bouncing slightly on his feet.

"We will drop the investigation on Kazama Raiden. And in exchange, you guys get armed from your next outing," Shirai explained, his expression unreadable.

Hiro's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "Armed? You mean guns. That's so cool. I have been waiting for this."

Shirai's expression soured immediately. "Not you. You have powers plus your aim sucks. I saw your demo during the trials. That was the worst piece of gun shooting I had ever seen."

"Oh man," Hiro deflated visibly, his excitement evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.

Meanwhile, still at school, Hana and Fujimoto-sensei were finally beginning to relax now that Kazama had evaded any kind of inquiry. The tension that had been building throughout the day was slowly dissipating from their shoulders.

"Whatever that was, it seems to be over for now," Hana said with a weary sigh.

Without warning, Fujimoto smacked a rolled newspaper against Kazama's head with practiced precision.

"Why don't you come straight to school? You see?" Fujimoto-sensei demanded sternly, his teacher instincts kicking into overdrive.

"Yes. Raiden, this wouldn't have happened if you were obedient and an upstanding student in this school," Hana added, crossing her arms with sisterly authority.

Kazama shot Hana a look of pure disgust before reluctantly bowing his head. "I apologize. I will be on time at school from tomorrow and also I will try not to get in trouble and cause trouble for others."

"Accepted," Fujimoto-sensei nodded with grudging approval.

"Apology accepted. Now let's go home. Another round of scolding is left," Hana said with false sweetness.

Kazama directed another disgusted look at Hana before both siblings bowed respectfully to Fujimoto-sensei and departed for their home.

As they walked through the gradually emptying streets, Hana's expression grew more serious.

"You know this is your last chance to come clean. I can only defend you if I know fully what's going on," she said, her voice carrying the weight of genuine concern.

"What do you mean?" Kazama asked, though his defensive tone suggested he knew exactly what she meant.

"We both know you had something to do with it. Like why would they suspect you otherwise? And besides, you are not that 'shiny, bright' student either with a spotless reputation. You are late to school and sometimes you are late for home as well. Sometimes we can't even tell where you are."

I wish I could tell. And I promise I will tell you when times are simpler. But I have seen the system now. For months, I have seen corrupt and rich people controlling the system. Now I know that the mafia is also in control of many things. Including some heroes who were meant to protect us, Kazama thought, the weight of his secret life pressing down on him.

"It's nothing," he said aloud, his voice carefully neutral.

Hana stopped walking and turned to face him directly, her expression softening with a mixture of pain and determination. "See. I know this is hard. We both lost our parents on the same night. Nothing we could do and there is nothing that would change that fact. But I am trying my best to live up to their wishes and I would like you to do the same. And it's not just me who is rooting for you. Takahashi-san is there as well. So from tonight you will get your shit together and be the best version of yourself from tomorrow."

She is right. The double life is on me. If I want to continue on this path then it's me who should be making the extra effort. I can't quit now. On both fronts, Kazama realized, feeling the full complexity of his situation settling over him like a heavy blanket.

He nodded as a sign of understanding, unable to trust his voice with words.

They reached their house after walking in contemplative silence. To their surprise, Kurogane and Haruto were waiting outside, both looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Hey Yamamoto-senpai! It's been a long time," Kurogane called out with forced cheerfulness.

"It's nice to see you, Yamamoto-senpai," Haruto added politely.

"It's nice seeing you both here. So what's up? Or we can go inside first," Hana replied warmly.

"Oh no no. We just had ummm... Something to discuss with Kazama," Kurogane stammered, his usual confidence notably absent.

Hana's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Oh is that so? I am smelling some trouble here."

"Oh it's nothing like that. Just some qualifiers stuff," Haruto said quickly, though his obvious nervousness undermined his reassuring words.

"Your faces say a different thing. But fine, don't be late," Hana said with resigned suspicion before heading inside.

Once Hana had disappeared into the house, the three boys moved further away to ensure privacy.

"We fucked up, Kazama," Kurogane announced without preamble.

"You mean you fucked up and got us involved," Kazama corrected dryly.

"So you know what it's about?" Haruto asked, hope creeping into his voice.

"Lemme guess. Those bullies went to our school and lodged a complaint," Kazama said with weary certainty.

Kurogane's eyes lit up with genuine admiration. "Wow. You are not only the second coming of Nikola Tesla but also Sherlock Holmes!"

"I wish I could beat you up instead of those bullies," Kazama muttered with exasperation.

"You might get a chance in future rounds of the qualifiers, hehehe," Kurogane replied with his characteristic inappropriate timing for humor.

Kazama shot him a look. "By the way, how did you guys know about this? They sent a notice or something?"

"Yes. That is why we came over," Haruto confirmed nervously.

"Shit," Kazama said, the second notice to come to Kazama’s house.

Inside the house, Hana entered the main hall where Takahashi sat reading what appeared to be an official document.

"I am home," Hana announced as she removed her shoes.

"Welcome back. So what happened?" Takahashi asked, looking up from his reading.

"Raiden was right. It was all a misunderstanding. They thought he was someone else. It was no big deal," Hana replied, settling into a chair across from him.

"Are you sure about that?" Takahashi's tone carried a heavy weight.

"Well why would I defend him?" Hana asked with a faint smile.

"I don't know. But you might have to take care of his business tomorrow as well," Takahashi said ominously, holding up the document he'd been reading.

"What do you mean?" Hana asked, though she was beginning to suspect she didn't want to know the answer.

"Well, there was another notice. And it seems like tomorrow there is going to be a special assembly where they are going to brief everyone about the Japanese Qualifiers."

"Well that's great. It's gonna be Kazama's first time participating. Still, I don't understand why I have to take care of him?" Hana said, confusion evident in her voice.

Takahashi's expression grew even more serious. "Because after that, Kazama, Haruto, and Kurogane would have to explain why they used their powers outside school against a group of students and broke several rules while doing it."

"What!" Hana exclaimed, her voice rising.

"Says right here in the notice," Takahashi confirmed, tapping the document.

"Ugghhh. I am really going to kill him now," Hana growled.

Outside, the group of friends continued their crisis management session, their voices carrying the weight of impending doom.

"We lie a bit. We are going to tell them that they had a knife, which is in fact true, and that we had no choice," Haruto suggested.

"Yeah. We can start with that. Seems like a good defense," Kurogane agreed, nodding vigorously.

"This is a terrible idea. We used our powers first. And by 'we,' I mean Kurogane, this idiot," Kazama said with brutal honesty.

"That is why. We lie a bit. Technically it's not even a lie. Just a rearrangement of events," Haruto rationalized, his moral compass clearly spinning wildly.

"We also have Kiyomi-san. She can defend us as well," Kurogane added hopefully.

"Her statement can help, but to what degree is the question for tomorrow," Kazama replied pragmatically.

At that moment, Hana emerged from the house wearing an artificially sweet smile.

"Oh Raiden! It's time for dinner! Come inside!" she called out in a sing-song voice that sent chills down all three boys' spines.

"I will be right there. Plus it's about an hour early, it seems," Kazama replied cautiously, recognizing the danger signs.

"I will not repeat," Hana's voice dropped to a colder tone.

"Do you guys sense that tone? Seems like Kazama is about to get his ass beat," Kurogane observed.

"I think we should run so that there are no witnesses," Haruto suggested wisely.

But their escape was cut short as Hana appeared behind them with the speed and stealth of a predatory cat, her eyes glowing with demonic intent.

"F in chat, guys," Kurogane whispered with the resignation of a man facing his executioner.

Twenty minutes later, all three boys sat in front of Takahashi, each sporting identical bumps on their heads that had most definitely, certainly, and without question been administered by Hana's loving hands.

Takahashi spent the next hour counseling and scolding them with the patience of a saint and the thoroughness of a prosecutor. When he finally finished, Haruto and Kurogane departed for their homes with expressions that managed to be both funny and profoundly sad.

Kazama retreated to his room, the weight of the day's events settling over him like a heavy blanket. He pulled out the coils and wrapped them around his arms again, this time with the battery pack, carefully rearranging their orientation.

This was a tiring day. I don't think I should go out tonight and investigate more regarding this mafia. Even more than that, I am concerned about people getting bullied, scammed, or harassed by the day. I want to help all of them. It just boils my blood that people are getting hurt and the wrongdoers get away with it, he thought.

To distract himself from his brooding thoughts, Kazama focused on his training. He concentrated on attracting his metal bracelet from across the room, pleased when it flew toward him with satisfying precision. Encouraged by this success, he experimented further, successfully attracting and catching a much heavier metal box. Then, reversing the current flow and adjusting the polarity of his ability, he discovered he could repel objects as well.

"That's great. I guess this could work. I need a bit more practice though," he murmured to himself with genuine satisfaction.

Without warning, another metal piece was attracted to him from seemingly nowhere. As he examined it, recognition dawned. It was the Kurotsuki mafia badge.

"I forgot about this. This doesn't seem to have any GPS last time I checked. But if I pass current through it..."

The electrical current mapped the badge's intricate engravings, revealing details that had been invisible to the naked eye.

"So this is the district this badge is part of. This can help me track down to whom this badge belongs to. Kawasaki Hiro. Hmm. Now things are getting interesting," Kazama said to himself, a smile spreading across his face.

The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place, and tomorrow would bring new challenges that none of them could yet imagine.