Kirishima and the kids entered Disneyland with a one-day pass and headed for World Bazaar.
The modern American-style buildings welcomed Kirishima as soon as he stepped in.
The group paused on Center Street, debating which attraction to visit first.
"Caribbean! Let’s start with Pirates of the Caribbean!"
"Pirates of the Caribbean? Isn’t that just a movie?"
"I don’t know about the film, but here the Pirates ride is really fun."
*The movie was fun too,* he thought.
Mio was determined to begin with Pirates of the Caribbean, her enthusiasm radiating with every word.
Kirishima had only managed a brief comment—remarking that it shared its title with a movie he’d seen in a past life—before being met with nothing but reassurances of its fun factor.
Mio went on to explain enthusiastically why the ride was so enjoyable, and Kirishima gathered that it fulfilled a child’s sense of adventure.
"So, should we head there first? What do you think, Yui and Kirishima?"
"I’m in!"
"I’m not really sure about it—but if Yui likes it, I’m game too."
Aside from Mio’s mother, Kirishima was the only one mature enough to take an interest in the park, so he naturally assumed the role of Yui’s guardian, letting the children steer the day’s itinerary.
Even Yui, a first-timer at Disneyland, found that Mio’s experience practically meant Mio was calling the shots.
"You’re going to love it!"
"Mm! Mio’s recommendation is all I need—I'll trust her judgment!"
Because the line wasn’t too long, Yui and Mio were soon boarding the boat, both wearing bright, eager expressions.
"Mio, didn’t you ride this last time? You’re really excited, aren’t you?"
"You don’t get it, big brother. The first ride always feels different from the second. Each time, there’s a new thrill."
"Oh, really..."
The boat began its journey into darkness.
It passed by houses and taverns reminiscent of the pirate age before entering a tunnel adorned with a Jolly Roger and crossed cutlasses.
After navigating what looked like an underwater cave, the boat emerged into a treasure-laden cavern.
Every section boasted its own distinctive background music and narration, all crafted with impressive detail.
Then it slid through a passage designed to mimic the sound and feel of falling water.
As Davy Jones’s face appeared in the rippling water, Kirishima couldn’t help but think, “This really is the Pirates of the Caribbean I know. Amazing, Disney—you’ve managed to bring it to life in this world.”
Soon a ship resembling a slightly smaller Black Pearl came into view.
The iconic theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean, interspersed with bursts of cannon fire, resonated through the attraction perfectly.
Lost in memories of a film he’d loved years ago, Kirishima began to enjoy the dark ride.
The children, meanwhile, were completely absorbed in the experience.
The boat then entered a fortress lined with fire-spitting cannons, offering a glimpse of the town’s lively inhabitants.
The air was filled with merry shouts and singing.
After passing through the town, the boat floated past a farewell-squawking parrot and emerged into daylight.
Kirishima, pleased by how well the ride had turned out, glanced over at Yui.
Yui’s face was flushed with excitement, barely able to catch her breath.
"Hey, breathe. Even if it’s fun, you need to take a breath."
"Hah... hah... Wow! That was awesome!"
"Right? This is exactly the first ride you should try when you come to Disneyland!"
After giving her a few gentle pats on the back and some deep-breath reminders, Yui soon recovered, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Mio joined in, clearly impressed with her own excellent choice.
*Not bad at all...*, Kirishima thought, though he couldn’t quite fathom the boundless enthusiasm of the children.
Later, after a great start to the day, the group visited a treehouse, watched a performance by four singers in parrot costumes on a Hawaiian-style stage, and even rafted to Tom Sawyer Island. They explored cabins, caves, and forts before finally boarding Big Thunder Mountain, one of the few thrills in the park.
The runaway mine train ride, set in a gold mine, was exciting in its own right. However, since the train twisted sharply sideways rather than taking a steep drop, Kirishima found it a bit underwhelming.
The kids still had a blast, though.
When the children’s energy threatened to lead them off to the next ride immediately, Kirishima managed to corral them and head to the restaurant that had been reserved in advance.
Mio’s mother had secured the booking, and even though Disneyland wasn’t overly crowded, the restaurant was completely full.
Kirishima couldn’t help but admire her foresight.
*Is this the wisdom of a true parent? Impressive,* he thought.
"Thanks to you, we got a table. I really appreciate you taking care of everything."
"Thank you!"
"Oh, it was nothing. We all need to eat, so I had to make sure everyone was taken care of. And if you keep calling me 'mother,' I start to feel like I’m getting too old for this. Just call me Inoue."
"Ah, yes. Then I’ll call you Ms. Inoue."
She answered with a gracious smile, further endearing herself to Kirishima.
Soon enough, the food arrived.
The children were served hamburger steaks complete with little flag picks, while pasta was placed in front of Kirishima and Inoue.
Normally one to steer clear of carbohydrate-heavy meals, Kirishima decided that for a day of fun, it was a worthy exception.
He cut Yui’s hamburger steak into bite-sized pieces.
Yui pouted slightly.
"I can do it myself."
"Really? Sorry about that. Just eat for now, and next time you can cut it yourself."
"Kirishima, you’re such a caring big brother. It’s really nice to see."
"It’s nothing—just the bare minimum."
Although Kirishima felt a bit flustered by the praise for something so obvious, he couldn’t help but smile.
After all, isn’t it natural to help a child who's still learning how to use a knife?
Mio, who had been glancing at Yui with a hint of envy, shook her head in denial.
"My big brother’s never done that before. You’re lucky, Yui—your big brother is not only handsome but kind too. Sometimes I wonder why our family’s little pig is like that."
"Mio, you shouldn’t talk about your brother like that."
Inoue gently but firmly chided Mio for her teasing sibling banter.
Mio glanced at her mother before slicing her own hamburger steak and offering a piece to Yui.
"Come on, Yui—try it. It’s delicious."
"Wow, it really is amazing..."
"Right? I’ve had hamburger steak at a bunch of places, but I’ve never tasted it this good."
"And the pasta isn’t bad either sometimes."
"Kirishima, you don’t usually eat Western food, do you?"
"Not really. I mean, I cook steak fairly often, but pasta is too carb-heavy for my taste."
"Oh. You mentioned you do martial arts, right? Mio couldn’t stop talking about how her handsome big brother impressed her. Hoho."
"Honestly, I was just showing off a little in front of the kids. Still, I’m glad Mio thinks so highly of it."
"Now I’m curious too. I’d love to see it sometime."
"Ah, if there’s ever a chance, I’ll show you."
The meal continued amid cheerful conversation.
The food was delicious, and the company even better.
After the satisfying meal, the group headed to Toontown—a whimsical area themed around the homes of cartoon characters—to take a breather.
Once again, following Mio’s enthusiastic suggestion, Kirishima ended up at Minnie’s house, only to frown when he saw it.
The brightly colored house was charming enough, but the doorway was lower than he expected.
It was clearly designed with little ones in mind.
In the end, Kirishima chose to wait outside while Inoue took the children inside.
"I’m going to the restroom for a bit. If I’m not there when you come out, give me a call."
"Okay."
The brief reply, as if texting were too much hassle, spurred Kirishima to head toward the restroom he had noticed earlier.
Strolling along a road whimsically decorated in keeping with Toontown’s theme, he encountered a clown heading his way.
The clown’s striking red eyes—almost as if accentuated by colored contacts—and his red-painted nose and lips made a bold impression.
The pristine white, lace-trimmed, old-fashioned outfit only added to the character’s allure.
*Did Disney really have a character like this?* Kirishima wondered, tilting his head at the mischievous expression.
He wasn’t particularly a Disney buff, but this was a costume he hadn’t seen before.
*I didn’t have time for cartoons when I was little, and as I grew older, they just never appealed to me...* he mused.
With a grin that revealed his buckteeth, the clown passed by, and Kirishima decided to simply continue on his way.
It struck him as silly to worry about the existence of a Disney character when he hardly paid attention to Disney in the first place.
And so his irritation with the man faded.
After using the restroom and returning to Minnie’s house, Kirishima sensed that something was off.
The house, once bright and cheery, now felt oddly dark and drab.
Frowning, he was about to step inside when he noticed the door slowly creaking open.
It was like an old door left unattended for ages—crumbles of dust falling away as a figure emerged. The person, battered and torn with patches of blistered skin as if burned, limped forward.
Watching the injured figure approach, Kirishima narrowed his eyes.
"Eiji, come on in."
To his astonishment, the figure spoke in his mother’s voice.
Instantly, his face turned cold as he cranked up his [Hardening].
There was no way his mother—who was supposed to be at home—should appear in such a hideous state here.
*So this is your trick,* he thought.
Just as before, when [Hardening] first manifested, his skin transformed into rigid, polygonal shapes.
At the same time, steam-like vapor began to rise from his body.
The scene before his eyes seemed to melt away, collapsing onto the floor.
*So it was a Quirk after all. Thank goodness [Hardening] awakened in time,* he mused.
Quirks, after all, can carry a trace of human consciousness.
Kirishima recalled that, after a brutal childhood skirmish when he lost consciousness, he’d encountered a version of himself from a past life—a consciousness that had somehow taken root within his Quirk.
Perhaps because he had lived two lives, that past self—longer established or more fiercely defined—became entwined with his own Quirk.
He still couldn’t fathom why that former self had been such a cheeky, mischievous kid.
Looking back, the cryptic questions he exchanged with that part of himself now seemed like hints at the potential of his Quirk.
Should it develop as a shield, emphasizing resilience, or as a spear, focusing on explosive physical power?
At the crossroads, Kirishima had greedily chosen to harness both aspects.
*It was tough, but definitely worth it,* he thought.
After countless experiments and rigorous training, Kirishima had reached a new plateau.
By controlling his polygonal hardening down to the cellular level, he was now able to maintain [Hardening] subtly at all times.
If necessary, he could re-layer the hardened cells into a new polygonal formation to boost its durability even further.
Even his modest boost in physical strength had grown to rival that of any enhancement-type Quirk.
In that moment, Kirishima finally found answers to questions he had long harbored.
He had always found the separate category of enhancement Quirks puzzling.
Were they simply about gaining speed and strength?
Then how did those superhuman bodies survive the strain?
Kirishima concluded that most enhancement Quirks also carried a protective function for the user’s body when activated.
If so, his own [Hardening] and standard enhancement Quirks were only different in their initial emphasis, while their ultimate aim was the same.
In the end, the ideal evolution was a being of unparalleled strength, speed, and immortality.
It wasn’t just about switching a Quirk on or off—it was about evolving into a whole new class of life.
The steaming aura around Kirishima was the testament to that evolution.
*Quirk resistance. I never expected something like this, but it’s incredibly useful,* he mused.
This second awakening of [Hardening] didn’t just deflect physical attacks.
Kirishima discovered that if he pushed [Hardening] to its limits, it could even ward off Quirks that directly targeted him.
A friend’s prank—spinning a finger so long that it induced dizziness—had shown him that it worked exclusively against Quirks affecting him personally.
No matter what result a Quirk produced, he would still have to endure its impact.
For instance, if someone had a Quirk that turned whatever they touched into water, Kirishima could resist being transformed into water himself—but he couldn’t stop them from creating water and splashing it around.
Even so, that singular advantage provided Kirishima with a reliable means to protect himself in a world overflowing with absurd Quirks.
*I don’t know who you are, but I’m about to show you hell,* he vowed.
With a crooked smile, Kirishima stepped toward Minnie’s house.
The unmistakable scent of battle lingered in the air around him.
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