Kaminari Denki finally left Midoriya Izuku behind in the bustling streets of Tokyo, his steps heavy but purposeful as he made his way toward his aunt Kiko’s trauma center.
His feet ached from the long walk—half from rushing earlier to the Nighteye Agency, half from the strange supernatural incident that had drained him at the staircase of the agency.
While standing at the curb waiting for a cab, Denki muttered under his breath:
"Can I really survive the Hero-in-Training course. If I’m this weak?. I should’ve started going to the gym instead of fainting like some diva… Sleeping like Sleeping Beauty at Recovery Girl’s infirmary, with Class 1-A hovering over me like worried dwarfs. I don’t like this sudden attention. I was supposed to be a side character—helping from the sidelines, not standing at the front. Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki… they’re the mains. Not me. Nope. Never me. But why me, suddenly? After time-traveling back into this weak body with two quirks, it’s too much. I know I can use my quirk to its full potential, but those Lichtenberg scars… I never anticipated them. This body wasn’t meant for it."
His thoughts were jolted away by the sharp honk of the cab. The driver rolled down his window, squinting at him.
“Oi, aren’t you a U.A. kid? Where do you wanna go? Hurry up—the traffic gets worse in the evening. You’re my last customer, kid, so spill the address. I’ll drop you there in a jiffy. Gotta get home to watch F1—it’s race day tonight. I’m rooting for Red Bull. What about you, kid?”
Denki’s golden eyes twitched as he watched the cab driver flick his lighter with practiced ease, igniting a cigarette. Such a brash man, Denki thought.
He shook his head, smiled politely, and slid into the cab, giving the address of his aunt’s hospital. But the cab didn’t move.
Blinking in mock innocence, Denki tilted his head. The driver stared straight ahead, his tone gruff:
"You still haven’t told me your favorite team, boya.”
Denki’s eye twitched again. The man’s Osakan accent told him everything—short-tempered, easily provoked. The safest bet was to play along.
“Red Bull,” Denki replied smoothly, without hesitation.
The driver smirked, finally putting the car into gear. “Clever brat. U.A. really does enroll in clever kids—not just pretty faces.”
Denki flushed red, embarrassed, and quietly dug his hand into his pocket, reaching for his phone. He sent his live location to Todoroki Shoto and Midoriya Izuku. Safety first. After his uncle’s incident, he no longer trusted older men who ignored boundaries. Trauma still lingered beneath his ribcage, suppressed but heavy. Todoroki and Midoriya had always acted fast—his anchors in moments of danger.
After ensuring his live location is being tracked. Denki puts one of his half-charged AirPod into his ear, Denki left the other ear open in case the cab driver decided to strike up another random conversation.
He leaned against the window, restless thoughts racing at miles per hour. To distract himself, he tapped play on Spotify. The first song recommended: Megalomaniac by KMFDM.
The distorted guitars roared, and the lyrics cut through his thoughts like sparks:
"Nihilistic mystics, messianic manics—
Cataclysmic and prolific.
Celebrate relentlessness,
Menace to society.”
Denki smirked faintly. Yeah… that’s me. Not the main hero, not the chosen one. Just the spark in the shadows. But even sparks can burn.
Denki chuckles to himself as mutters Lida kun would definitely scold me. If h ever comes to come what type of songs I listen to. Ah I miss my idiot friends and their laughter.
Denki stares at the window while the music plays in his ear. The cab slowed as neon lights flickered across the windshield.
They were nearing the trauma center. Denki’s heart thudded faster, not from fear but from anticipation.
His aunt’s hospital wasn’t just a destination—it was a reminder of scars, of survival, of the weight he carried.
Meanwhile, back at U.A. High…
Iida Tenya sneezed suddenly, dropping the cup which had been filled with premium high quality tea which Yaoyorozu Momo had brewed for everyone.
“Oh no! Let me clean this up immediately. Midoriya-kun, stay back!” Iida barked, moving like a robot.
Behind him, Sero Hanta and Mineta Minoru snickered. “Someone’s talking behind the class president’s back.”
Izuku froze, rambling in panic: “Why would someone talk about Iida-kun at this hour? It’s 9:00 a.m.! Iida-kun’s circle is small—he only hangs out with his four friends and focuses on studies to be—”
Tsuyu Asui, sipping matcha beside Uraraka Ochako, interrupted calmly: “Midoriya-chan, stop. You’re scaring us.”
Izuku’s face went crimson. “Eh?! Wait, Asui—no, I mean Tsuyu-san! I’m sorry, it just happened. Sorry, it’s a bad habit I’m trying to get rid of!”
Ochako giggled, reassuring him: “It’s okay, Deku. You looked cute.”
Strike 1.
Izuku went even redder, steam practically shooting out of his ears. The room erupted in laughter, the chaos of Class 1-A echoing through the dorms.
YOU ARE READING
This time I will protect them I won't be a coward
FanfictionDuring the final war arc Kaminari Denki gets hit in the head and wakes up in his 14 year old body two months before his UA entrance exam and vows to protect his friends by supporting them as a side character from the side lines but he does not real...
