"I Reincarnated in Boku no Hero but They Forgot to Give Me a System"

Chapter 20 — Unexpected Encounter

The park sparkled under the blue sky, filled with children's voices, the smell of popcorn in the air, and laughter that cut through the wind like summer wind chimes.

For the first time in a long while, Aoi, walking beside his siblings, looked… like an ordinary boy.

— "Woohoo! Ferris wheel first!" — shouted Fuyumi, pulling Natsuo by the hand.

— "No, no! Let's go on the Splash Ride! I'm ready to get soaked!" — Natsuo shot back, excited.

— "The pirate ship looks like the most intense one." — murmured Shoto, serious as always.

Aoi laughed loudly: — "Let's do them all. Today, the world can wait."

And they did. Bumper cars, the hall of mirrors, the octopus ride, Ferris wheel… They laughed, screamed, nearly threw up. A perfect day.

Aoi felt light. As if, for a few hours, the brutal training, the family pressure, and the burden of being "the forgotten son" didn't exist.

But then… time stopped.

He had just left a cotton candy stand when he saw two girls with their parents near the central plaza. One had pinkish skin, small horns, and messy light hair as if the wind played with it. The other clutched a red balloon tightly, her big brown eyes observing the world.

Aoi froze in place.

— "Mina… and Ochako."

Even as young as he was, their faces were unmistakable. He knew them from his past life — future heroines. Strong. Brilliant. Important.

His heart raced.

— "Do I talk to them? What if I stutter? What if I sound weird? Damn…"

He looked down at his own arms — the same ones that could lift tons and soar with blue flames.

> "I fought against stone, gravity, and pain. But I can't even say 'hi'? What kind of idiot wants to protect girls but doesn't have the guts to talk to them?"

— "Aoi?" — Fuyumi appeared beside him with an ice cream cone. — "You froze?"

— "Ah… it's nothing." — he forced a smile. — "Just saw some familiar faces."

Shoto narrowed his eyes. — "You look nervous."

Aoi didn't answer. He looked away… And that's when the world exploded.

CRACK!

A villain was leaping across the rides like platforms. When he stomped down hard on top of the Ferris wheel, one of the cabins broke loose.

The metal screeched. The structure groaned. The cabin fell like a comet — straight toward Mina and Ochako.

Screams. Panic. Heroes rushed forward. But they were too far away.

Time slowed.

Aoi crouched down. Starting position. Blue explosion at his feet.

FWOOOSH!

Like a missile, he cut through the air.

In one moment, he had both girls in his arms.

In the next, he was already meters away, clear of the impact zone. Behind him, a trail of blue fire floated like stardust.

Aoi landed softly.

— "Are you okay?"

Mina looked at him with sparkling eyes, like she was seeing a real-life manga hero.

— "Whoa!! You fly with flames?? What kind of quirk is that?!"

Ochako still clutched her balloon. Her voice came out softly:

— "Thank you…"

Aoi scratched the back of his neck, blushing.

— "Lucky I was nearby."

Mina, without hesitation:

— "Wanna be my friend?"

Aoi nodded.

They exchanged phone numbers. Ochako hesitated, looking at the ground. Aoi noticed.

— "I'd love to be your friend too." — he said kindly.

Ochako smiled shyly, and the three of them shared contacts. Mina grinned and took the other girl's number too:

— "Now all three of us are friends!"

At that moment, heroes and civilians began running over.

Aoi looked around and sighed:

— "Better disappear… before someone offers me coffee at the police station."

Blue explosion.

He vanished into the crowd.

He returned minutes later to his siblings.

— "Aoi! What was that?!" — Natsuo shouted.

— "Villain ran off. A cabin fell. I saved two girls. Nothing big. I think they'll shut down the park after this."

— "Let's grab ice cream?"

They agreed without asking questions.

Aoi walked with them, relieved, but his gaze was fixed on the sky.

> "This law about not using quirks in public… it's crap."

But then he remembered Mina's smile. Ochako's sincere thank you.

> "But saving smiles like that… makes every risk worth it."

Because that day wasn't about saving the world.

It was just a day… to be a brother.

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