BNHA: Spiritual Aura

--Thursday, July 30, 2172

Sitting on a comfortable sofa in a spacious, well-lit room, Kai typed on a laptop at great speed while communicating with his trusted assistant. Meanwhile, Salem and Tama took advantage of the time to sunbathe in front of one of the room's enormous windows.

[Any news regarding Tanaka?]

[Not much, master. Just this morning the police finished reviewing the recordings from nearby security cameras and have already informed the family and opened the case for his disappearance. But nothing strange has happened yet; it doesn't seem like 'they' are looking for him for now. It's possible he doesn't have overly compromising information, or they have other methods to ensure his silence, and that's why they decided to discard him.]

Sage replied while working with several holographic screens around her. Kai let out a subtle sigh without stopping his typing on the laptop and soon replied after reflecting for a few moments.

[Then let's wait a little longer to interrogate him. If they really aren't looking for him, we'll have to increase our efforts in preparing countermeasures for the tricks those guys have. I don't want another lead to turn into a damn puddle.]

[Understood, master.] Sage nodded and replied with simple words, sensing her master's bad mood.

Right at that moment, a man of about 40 years old entered the room with a small notebook. The man had a kind expression on his face, pale skin, and light blue hair and was dressed in a simple shirt and cloth trousers.

The man entered the room in silence and cast a brief glance at Kai, who continued typing on his laptop, before sitting down across from him. Without saying a word, the man opened his small notebook and began writing in it, causing the only sound filling the room to be that of the keys and his pen against the paper.

…

Time continued to pass with the man taking notes in silence and Kai typing on his computer until, after a while, the man closed his notebook and commented in a calm voice, showing a kind smile on his face.

“Thank you for coming today, Saito Kai-san. We'll see each other again at the next appointment.”

Upon hearing the voice, Kai finally looked up from his screen and turned to look at the clock on one of the walls, realizing that 45 minutes had passed since the man entered. Letting out a small sigh, Kai closed his laptop and, for the first time, directed his gaze at the man, who had begun calmly making tea with the electric kettle on the table between them.

“I promised I'd say something, so I'll make use of these 15 minutes.”

“It's a pleasure to finally be able to hear you, Saito-san. Do you like tea?” The man looked up and commented in the same calm, unhurried voice. Kai nodded casually and asked.

“Do you have Gyokuro?”

“I don't have anything that exclusive here, sorry. Do you like something more mundane?” The man asked with a quiet chuckle. Kai soon replied while setting his computer aside.

“Darjeeling or Earl Grey are fine.”

“What interesting choices—I have some Earl Grey.”

The man replied in a calm voice, then walked over to a cabinet nearby on the opposite wall. After taking the tea from the cabinet, the man prepared it and passed it across the table to Kai while commenting casually.

“You have quite particular tastes, Saito-san. Normally young people don't enjoy such deep and complex flavors.”

“They're certainly things one learns to enjoy with time.”

Kai replied calmly as he took the tea and felt the warmth in his hands, but he didn't drink it immediately. The man, with the same warm smile, took his own tea and had a sip, then asked calmly.

“So tell me, Saito-san, what brings you here?”

“Not long ago I had an accident that nearly cost me my life, so my family asked me to come since they fear there may be non-physical aftereffects.” Kai replied in a calm voice, to which the man nodded, then commented after taking another sip of tea.

“I see, that must have been difficult for you.”

“A little. Life is truly unpredictable, and it certainly made me reflect deeply… Now I can realize how fortunate I am—although I was marked by tragedy, at the same time life gave me a family that loves… Life is somewhat strange.” Kai commented in a calm, reflective voice, then brought the cup to his lips. The man nodded again and drank his tea, then commented.

“You're a very brave person, Saito-san. Few could say the same after looking death in the eyes.”

“Let's say it's not the first time I've seen death…” Kai replied calmly while looking at the man, who soon asked quietly while picking up his notebook.

“I see. Would it be alright for you to tell me a little about that?”

Kai let out a small sigh, then drank his tea and looked toward the window where the cats were relaxing. After a few moments of silence, Kai began to speak in a calm, measured voice.

“I imagine you must have heard about it. During a vacation when I was 5 years old, my father was attacked by some villains, and he and my mother died. Although I tried to seek help, it was useless—my mother died before I could do anything.”

“You've suffered a great deal, Saito-san.” The man commented in a warm voice, to which Kai sighed, took another sip of tea, and replied in a measured voice.

“Yes, perhaps that's where my aversion to becoming a hero comes from. Maybe I still blame my father's profession a little for what happened.”

“That's certainly possible. But I can see you've reflected deeply about yourself.” The man commented while jotting something in his notebook, to which Kai nodded and explained.

“A little. Exercise helped me a lot in overcoming my difficult moments, and in the middle of the repetitions, my mind would sometimes end up wandering, and amid the physical pain, I was able to accept many things and take a step toward fulfilling the promise I made to my mother.”

“What did you promise her?” The man asked with a hint of curiosity, to which Kai replied in a voice laden with emotion.

“I promised her I would be a very happy man.”

“A very difficult promise to keep…” The man commented while looking at Kai, who nodded, then looked up at the ceiling and replied.

“It is, but I'm willing to keep it.”

“Quite a man of his word, Saito-san. Don't you feel your father betrayed you in some way?” The man commented with a small smile, which led Kai to lower his head and comment while bringing his teacup to his lips.

“I try my best, and no, my father didn't betray me—he simply wasn't careful enough and lacked strength.”

“You're a very understanding man, also very intelligent, and quite accustomed to dealing with a therapist.” The man took several notes in his notebook before commenting with the same smile, which made Kai raise an eyebrow.

“My mother was a great therapist.”

“Alisa Saito—a truly wonderful woman.” The man commented calmly, which led Kai to ask.

“Did you know her?”

“There's no one in this field who didn't know Alisa Saito; she was practically a legend. I was lucky enough to exchange a few words with her at a convention—she truly was a wonderful woman.” The man replied with a smile, which led Kai to comment with a sincere smile.

“Indeed.”

“I still remember what she told me once… [Your new life may not have a happy beginning, but that's what makes you who you are.]” The man commented with visible nostalgia, to which Kai couldn't help but lose himself for a second in his memories and comment, feeling the phrase resonate deeply within him.

“I feel very proud to be her son…”

“In your place, I would be too.” The man commented with a smile, then took a sip of tea and continued speaking, abruptly changing the subject.

“Getting back on topic, Saito-san—when was the last time you cried?” The man asked, staring directly at Kai, who raised his eyebrow again before lifting his head for a few seconds before answering.

“I suppose the last time was at my parents' funeral… Since then, nothing has hurt me enough to cry…”

“Perfect answer once again, Saito-san—you're really good.” The man commented with a smile, which made Kai shake his head and take a sip of tea while subtly glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Now you've recognized me as a threat. I'm not easy to deal with—could my quirk be similar to your mother's? Could it be that I can read your emotions or mind?” The man commented calmly while looking at Kai, then added, with a slight hint of surprise.

“No, you're completely sure that's not the case. When I mentioned the possibility, your gaze didn't go to me—it went to your own hand for a fraction of a second. What you actually distrust is my observational abilities. Could your quirk make you immune to things like that, and does it have something to do with your hand? Otherwise, a man as distrustful as you wouldn't be so certain.”

“…”

Seeing Kai furrow his brow slightly but stay silent while subtly seeing the clock again, the man looked Kai up and down before adding with surprise and a hint of admiration.

“You're a true man of your word, Saito-san. Even though you know your script no longer works, you looked at the clock… You promised you would come, so no matter what happens, you'll stay here until the time is up—not a second before or after.

“Your word is everything to you. You hate traitors, which is why you refuse to be one yourself, but you still exploit the loopholes in your words to avoid trouble… Truly far too mature for a young man of barely 16 years. Saito-san, you seem like a mature man in a young man's body.”

“…”

Kai remained completely silent, analyzing the man in front of him with a calm smile on his face and taking small sips of his tea. For his part, seeing that Kai wouldn't let himself be broken by his words, the man soon spoke again in a calm voice.

“Since you won't speak anymore, let me take advantage of the little time remaining to tell you what I wrote in the notebook you've been eyeing with such curiosity. You're a cautious, meticulous, and highly trained man. When I entered, although you seemed relaxed working on your computer, your body was straight, firm, your feet well-positioned on the floor—ready to flee or defend at any moment.

“Furthermore, you have a strange detachment from your own life. By your scent, it's evident several women care for you with great love, and you love them enough to agree to come here—something you evidently don't enjoy… Although more than love, I'd say you feel more indebted.

“They care for you with so much love that you decided to protect them and make them happy before your life ends? Can someone who treats life like a game of accumulation truly love? What do you think, Saito-san? Can that really be called love?”

When he finished speaking, the man took a sip of his tea while, from the corner of his vision, he took note of the pair of cats that had immediately stood up with their fur bristling, staring at him intently—like a predator sizing up its prey.

“Time's up, doctor.”

At that moment, Kai set the cup on the table and commented in a calm voice, then took his computer and walked toward the door while the cats ran at full speed to follow him. The man smiled slightly while looking at the clock, which indeed showed that the time had run out. Then, just as Kai was opening the door, the man commented in a light voice.

“My name is Shiraki Junpei, Saito-san. See you at the next session.”

“…”

Kai didn't respond and simply walked out and closed the door, at which point Junpei smiled calmly and then took an elegant sip of his tea. Immediately afterward, Junpei picked up his phone and typed something, then set it aside while whispering cheerfully.

“Saito Kai… What an interesting kid—a worthy son of tigers.”

…

…

…

“How did it go, Kai?”

Upon arriving at the office reception, Kai was greeted by Keiko, who quickly asked with a small smile. Momo, Nejire, Yumiko, and Nemuri, who had also come, approached behind Keiko with somewhat anxious expressions. Kai showed a calm smile and commented while the cats on his shoulders rubbed their heads against him.

“We talked a little and had some tea—nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I see. Did you feel uncomfortable talking to him? He's a very well-known therapist, although some say his methods are sometimes unorthodox.” Yumiko asked, a little worried. Kai shook his head and replied with a smile.

“He really didn't do anything strange—maybe because it was the first time we met. It was a very normal chat. I don't think he'll have any interest in seeing me again. Let's just go.”

“You're really bad at lying, you know? That's the second time this week you've tried…” Nemuri commented with a small sigh, at which point the receptionist looked at them and asked with a professional smile.

“Dr. Shiraki has scheduled the second appointment. Would you like to review the dates now, or would you prefer to do it later through the app?”

“It would be better to do it right now, Sae. Don't you think so, Saito-san?” At that moment, a male voice resonated from behind, causing everyone to turn and look, where they found Junpei walking toward them.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Shiraki Junpei. Today I felt the conversation with Saito-san was very productive. I feel that with a couple more chats, we can start working in earnest.” Upon reaching them, Junpei spoke with elegance and courtesy. Keiko looked at the calm Kai, while Nemuri looked at Junpei and commented with a smile.

“Kai has a camp and will be away all week, so if there's an opening after that date, I don't think there'll be a problem. What do you think, Kai?” Nemuri finished by asking, looking at Kai with a smile, which led the blue-eyed young man to look at Junpei and ask in a calm voice.

“I suppose that's fine. We agreed it would be 3 sessions.”

“Then it's settled. See you in two weeks, Saito-san.” Junpei clapped before commenting with a smile, watching with a grin the dangerous glint in Kai's eyes.

Soon, the group left the office and got into the car, at which point Kai opened his computer and began typing at great speed. Momo, with a small smile, looked at Kai and commented cheerfully.

“Since you made such a great effort today, how about we make a stop for french fries and a strawberry milkshake?”

“What a great idea! I want ice cream.” Nejire soon commented with an enormous smile, to which Kai nodded with a smile and replied before turning his attention back to his computer.

“Sounds good.”

“Then let's go.” Momo replied cheerfully while Yumiko, Nemuri, and Keiko exchanged glances with furrowed brows.

***

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