Mha: Sand Sand Fruit

After Akira finished speaking, a rustling noise came from the other end of the phone.

Hearing no reply for a long time, Akira frowned slightly. "Dad?"

A muffled voice finally came through, shaky and unclear. "A-Akira?"

"Yes, it's me. What's wrong?" Akira asked, sensing an unusual tension.

"You brat… getting me this excited at my age!"

Before Akira could process the comment, a distinct shuffling noise came through, followed by a more familiar voice.

"Akira, it's me, your mother!"

"Mom? What happened?" Akira asked, his tone now filled with concern.

"Nothing serious. Your father and I just wanted to ask—when did you become All Might's apprentice?"

"All Might?" Akira blinked in confusion, his expression shifting to one of utter disbelief.

"Wait, Mom, how do you even know about that?"

"How?" his mother huffed. "The whole internet is talking about it! If not for that, we'd have no idea about your 'master-disciple relationship' with All Might!"

"Online?!" Akira exclaimed, completely bewildered. "I didn't even know this myself!"

"You can't hide it from us anymore! By the way..." Her tone softened dramatically, and Akira could almost picture the sly grin on her face.

"Son, you know how much your dad and I admire All Might. So, pick a time and invite him over for dinner, will you?"

Akira's face stiffened, his eye twitching slightly.

"Mom, enough. I've got things to do."

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the call, though not before catching his mother yelling, "Ungrateful child!"

Sighing deeply, Akira collapsed onto his bed. "This day just keeps getting worse..."

Curious about his mother's claim, Akira grabbed his phone and searched for news about All Might's apprentice. The results were instantaneous.

"Shocked! All Might's Apprentice Revealed: A Young Man Named Kitagawa Akira!"

Akira read the headline out loud, his mouth slightly agape.

Attached to the article was a blurry photo of him walking beside All Might amidst clouds of dust and smoke. Though the image was poor in quality, anyone familiar with him would immediately recognize his silhouette.

As he skimmed through the article, it became clear how the story had spread. During their encounter with Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady, All Might had introduced him as his apprentice—a statement overheard by one of the rescued hostages.

The article exaggerated the event, claiming Akira had assisted All Might in defeating criminals and saving hostages. Only a fraction of it was accurate, with the rest being sensationalized nonsense.

The comments section, however, was what truly gave Akira a headache.

---

Comment Section:

- Top Comment: Is this true? Did All Might really take on an apprentice?

- Reply: Apparently, the article's editor was at the scene and overheard it. No video proof, though.

- Random User: If it's true, then a new symbol of peace might be in the making!

- Schoolmate: Wait, Kitagawa Akira? Isn't he from our school? When the heck did this happen?!*

---

Akira rubbed his temples in frustration. "Great... just great."

Over the next few days, the news spread like wildfire. Even before stepping foot in U.A., Akira had unintentionally become a minor celebrity.

Worse still, paparazzi and gossip reporters began camping outside his house, eager for any scoop they could get.

Inside, his parents couldn't have been happier.

"Our son is famous! Even before becoming a Pro Hero!" his mother exclaimed, practically glowing with pride.

"Mom, can you calm down?" Akira asked, utterly exasperated.

"Calm down? You should be proud too! By the way, remember to invite All Might for dinner," she reminded him, again.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, Mom..." Akira muttered, trying to deflect.

"Don't just brush it off!" his father, Kitagawa Toyota, chimed in. "It's a small request from your parents."

"Fine! I'll call him! But if he doesn't come, don't blame me," Akira said, knowing full well he wouldn't actually do it.

The attention from reporters and fans was overwhelming, but Akira wasn't the only one feeling the heat. All Might soon gave him a call.

"Akira, my boy. I'm sorry about this," All Might said, his tone genuinely apologetic.

"It's fine, really," Akira replied with a faint smile. "The damage is done, and there's no point stressing over it."

"Still," All Might continued, "I'll arrange a press conference to clear things up."

"Honestly, there's no need," Akira said. "The buzz will die down on its own. It's just fresh news right now."

"Hmm. If you're sure about that..."

"I am. Don't worry about it," Akira reassured him.

"Alright then. I'll leave it at that for now."

After hanging up, Akira let out a long sigh. "First U.A., now this. My life is turning into a circus."