Chapter 19: You are my baby and no one else's

Suddenly, a powerful voice resonated in the beautiful private room of the café, immediately attracting everyone's attention. Conversations ceased as all turned to look at the door, where an imposing man stood with a broad smile on his lips.

When Kai heard the powerful voice with its iconic phrase, he immediately turned his head and saw a towering man, easily over two meters tall, with overwhelming musculature and golden blonde hair styled back with two strands extending to the sides of his face like antennae.

This person's presence left Kai bewildered; after all, he recognized this person. In fact, it would be difficult to find someone in Japan, or even the world, who didn't know him. He was Japan's number one hero, known for his worldwide achievements, the symbol of peace, All Might.

"Sorry for the delay, I ran into some issues on the way and couldn't help but intervene."

"Don't worry, All Might, we were talking with Kai and didn't notice the time"

 Nemuri responded in a calm and slightly formal tone, while the imposing man fixed his bright blue eyes on the visibly confused little boy in Yumiko's arms.

"So, you're Kai-shonen. I wanted to talk to you."

Yumiko placed Kai on the ground, while the boy wondered about the reasons for this particular meeting. To his surprise, All Might suddenly bowed deeply in front of him, speaking in a serious tone.

"I'm sorry, Kai-shonen. Despite being the symbol of peace, I couldn't prevent tragedy from striking your family. Even though Iron Palm was a friend and colleague I deeply respected, I couldn't do anything to help him. That's why I want to apologize to you, and if there's anything you need help with, you can count entirely on me."

Kai could only feel astonishment at All Might's apology, but he quickly composed himself and replied in a serious and formal tone.

"There's no need to apologize, All Might. Even though you are the symbol of peace, I don't think it's your responsibility to prevent all evil. After all, [as long as there are people, there will be evil]. But if you feel responsible and want to do something for me, I have an idea."

"You're very mature for your age, Kai-shonen. It's truly impressive. But you're right; I can't help but feel responsible for what happened. So, tell me your idea."

Seeing All Might's affirmative response, a smile escaped Kai's lips as he spoke seriously.

"I would like to see one of your punches at full strength."

Kai's request was so unusual that it caused everyone present to turn and look at him, even All Might, who straightened up again as he spoke.

"One of my punches at full strength? We'd need to find a suitable place for that, but I can do it. However, I'd like to know, why do you want something like that?"

"For future reference," Kai responded seriously, which only served to further confuse those present.

"Future reference?"

"Yes, I want to know what the minimum is necessary to be the strongest."

Kai nodded as he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which caused a powerful laugh from All Might, who shortly after commented.

"HAHAHAHAHA, I like your attitude, Kai-shonen. And don't worry, I will contact your sister in the near future to fulfill your request. For now, it's a bit late, so I must leave to be on time. See you later, goodbye."

All Might was like a whirlwind; he came and went in an instant. But Kai hoped he would remember his promise, as it would be an important reference for him in the future.

(In my past life, I deeply hated the protagonist, so I stopped watching the anime after the second season, which means I never got to know his true power. But if my goal is to be the strongest, I must at least have a reference for what I'm up against.)

"Well, Kai, All Might is right, it's time for us to get ready to leave."

Kai looked a bit confused at the three women who were getting up and putting on some black veils over their faces, which caused the realization to hit him like a truck.

From the beginning, he had tried to ignore the obvious fact that everyone, including himself, was dressed in black. He had sensed the reason from the start, but he wanted to avoid thinking about it. Now, there was no escape; it was time to accept reality.

Nemuri approached Kai with a serious expression barely visible beneath her black veil and extended her hand.

"Come on, Kai, we have to go say goodbye to Jiro-san and Alisa-san."

Kai simply nodded without saying a word, then took Nemuri's hand as she led him out of the café, closely followed by Yumiko and Keiko.

As they exited the café, Keiko offered to drive Nemuri and Kai, which Nemuri accepted. Before they left, Kai saw a mask on display in a small roadside shop and asked in a flat voice.

"Onee-chan, can you buy me that mask? I don't have any money."

"Of course, Kai," Nemuri responded affirmatively, though a bit confused. Kai thanked her in the same flat voice.

"Thank you."

Nemuri quickly bought the mask and handed it to Kai, who put it on immediately. They were then escorted to an imposing black armored limousine, which they boarded before heading to the funeral home.

The journey to the funeral home was made in complete silence. No one dared to speak, all harboring complex emotions inside. Despite this, the trip seemed excessively short, perhaps because deep down, no one really wanted to arrive at the place. Before they knew it, they were in front of the viewing room.

…

…

…

At the wake, everyone Nemuri had previously communicated with was present, all with solemn expressions and dressed in black, while a deafening silence seemed to envelop the room.

In one corner of the room were the Pussycats, who had quickly changed and come directly here after saying goodbye at the mall to welcome the guests at Nemuri's request.

Suddenly, a group of four people entered the room, consisting of three incredibly beautiful women dressed in black and wearing veils that covered their faces, plus a small five-year-old boy elegantly dressed in black, exuding a maturity that belied his tender appearance.

The boy wore a black Japanese fox mask with red details, completely covering his features, leaving only a pair of deep blue eyes visible, filled with sadness and melancholy that seemed to overflow.

Everyone present immediately understood the boy's pain and hesitated about what to do to avoid making the situation worse. At that moment, a small anthropomorphic rodent-like animal stepped forward and approached Kai.

"Hello, Kai-kun, my name is Nezu, and I deeply regret your loss. Your father was an exceptional student and a truly brave hero who will always be in our hearts. As his former principal, I am here to support you in any way you need. Please don't hesitate to ask for help."

"Thank you for your words, Principal Nezu."

After this interaction, the other guests approached Kai one by one to greet him and express their condolences, wishing him strength and offering their help.

(It really doesn't matter what world I'm in; people are always the same in these situations... Even though I didn't attend my mother's funeral, which I still regret, everyone who knew her said the same things when they saw me.

They expressed their 'sorrow' and 'condolences' while making countless promises of help they never fulfilled. In the end, the only one who helped me was, ironically, the one who never promised anything.)

After a while, the funeral rites began, with the few guests sitting in silence. Once they finished, they went one by one to the only open casket to say their final goodbyes, until it was Kai's turn, who decided to go last and alone.

When it was his turn, Kai walked slowly to the front of the room where two polished wooden coffins were placed. They dimly reflected the room's light, which, along with the sea of flowers surrounding them, gave them an almost sacred appearance.

With each step Kai took, he felt it growing heavier and more difficult. Meanwhile, his heart pounded powerfully as a deep sense of panic washed over him, quickly transforming into pure terror that seemed to want to force him to run away from there.

Determined not to repeat past mistakes, Kai bit his lips and forced himself to move forward, using every last drop of willpower he had to walk those few remaining steps that now seemed to have turned into an insurmountable mountain formed from his own fears and insecurities.

When Kai finally reached the coffin where his mother lay, he saw her—a beautiful princess with golden hair, fair skin, and rosy lips, seemingly resting peacefully on a satin pillow, dressed in a lovely light blue gown.

Seeing his mother again, Kai couldn't hold back his tears, which began to fall like waterfalls down his face. For the second time, life made him witness this scene—the scene that had stripped him of any courage he had to attend his mother's funeral in his previous life, to the point where he sought any excuse to avoid it. And maybe because of that, as punishment for his cowardice, he had to go through it again.

Kai felt hatred, sadness, loneliness, fear, and a deep longing, even in this moment, even after having lived it once already, knowing perfectly well that it was impossible, that no matter how much he cried, begged, or cursed, it wouldn't happen.

He couldn't help his heart from wishing that this was all a lie, a bad joke, that suddenly everyone would start laughing at him and his mother would open her eyes to tease the crybaby he was. But once again, that did not happen.

Time passed in silence as Kai wept quietly and apologized for all his regrets in both his lives, remembering all the moments he lived with his mother. He regretted every argument, cried at every laugh they shared, and forced his mind to remember every single characteristic of his mother—her wise sayings, her teachings, her scoldings, her jokes, her favorite songs, and the promises she made to him.

Suddenly, Kai felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder, causing him to turn his head, finding Nemuri with a face so soaked in tears that even the veil couldn't hide it. Using all her mental strength to keep her voice steady, she spoke in a soft and consoling tone.

"Kai, it's time to go."

When Kai turned to look around, only Ryuko, Shino, and Nemuri remained in the room, creating a solitary and eerie atmosphere.

"How long has it been?"

"Several hours."

"All right."

Kai turned to look at his mother one last time while making his final promise to her in his heart.

(Mom, I swear I will never let myself be life's bitch again. I will do whatever it takes and go wherever I have to, but I will never let that bitch called life take anything from me again. So, please, if there is another life for me after this, I want you to be my mother again because there is no one better than you to be my mom.)

As Kai was leaving the room, he suddenly felt a warm and nostalgic feeling in his chest. At the same time, he heard a voice he could never forget, softly whispering in his ear.

'Of course, darling, I will always be your mother, forever and ever. You are my baby and no one else's, hehe.'

Kai turned with a jump and looked at the coffins at the back of the room, where for a brief moment, so short it couldn't be described in words, he saw the most beautiful woman he has ever known or will know—his mother, smiling at him maternally.

"AHHHHH!!!"

Kai fell to his knees on the floor and began to cry like he probably never had in his life, causing his mask to fall to the ground while Nemuri, Ryuko, and Shino screamed in alarm and ran toward him.

"""KAI!!!"""

"Kai, what's wrong? Please respond, Kai, Kai, KAI!"

"Ryuko, get help! Kai is having a crisis!"

"Right away!"

At that moment, Chatora and Tomoko entered the room in alarm, and after seeing the situation, Chatora immediately picked up Kai while Shino tried to calm Nemuri, who had entered a panic, as they all ran together towards the car.

"Calm down, Nemuri. Kai needs you now."

"I'm fine, I just got a little startled, but I'm better now. I can't fail him again. Kai needs me." Despite her evident state of panic and shock, Nemuri commented in a hoarse voice while clenching her fists so tightly that her palms began to bleed.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

As soon as they started the car, Kai suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, causing everyone to turn to look at him in concern, while Nemuri, still panicking, asked.

"Kai! Are you okay? What happened to you? How do you feel? Ryuko, we need to get to the hospital quickly."

"Of course," Ryuko replied as she put the car in motion, while Kai tried to respond in a calm tone.

"I'm fine, Onee-chan. I don't need to go to the hospital. I think I just needed to vent, and my emotions got out of control."

"Are you sure, Kai-kun? It's better if we take you to the hospital to be sure," Shino said, evidently worried. But Kai shook his head and replied.

"I'm fine. I feel much better now. I really needed to let it out. For now, let's just go to sleep, and if you want, we can go to the hospital tomorrow."

"But…"

"I'm fine, Onee-chan, I assure you. Please, Ryuko Onee-chan, just take me home. I want to rest."

Ryuko was surprised by how Kai suddenly called her, so she turned to look at the others, only to find that, like her, they all had conflicted expressions on their faces.

After a moment of looking at each other, Shino spoke in a somewhat resigned and concerned tone.

"It's best if you don't stay alone today. How about staying with us?"

"Yes, I think that's best. Today has been a very tough day for both of you," Chatora quickly added seriously, to which Tomoko and Ryuko nodded.

"I agree. It's best if he sleeps at our place."

"I think so too."

Knowing that Kai's condition was concerning and that she herself was not in the best shape, Nemuri commented while her mind and heart felt weak and tired from the relentless emotional bombardment she had suffered in recent days.

"I think you're right. It's better if we don't spend the night alone. What do you say, Kai?"

"..."

When they turned to see Kai, he was already peacefully asleep in Nemuri's arms, which brought some relieved smiles from them as Nemuri softly commented.

"I guess it's decided then..."