Early in the Morning
After the first day of training, Aokiji woke up feeling grateful that he was still in this life. Thanking whoever granted him this second chance, he immediately went to the bathroom, took a refreshing shower, and put on comfortable clothes for his training. As he headed down to the dining hall, he noticed that both of his parents were already there, reading newspapers and sipping coffee.
"How are you both always here, no matter what time I wake up?" Aokiji asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't understand why they would wake up so early, especially since they didn't have regular work to go to.
"Well, we exercise, dear. I got used to waking up at 4 AM during my hero days, so I still do it to stay in shape," Fubuki explained.
"How about you, Dad?" Aokiji asked Goro, still feeling a bit awkward calling someone 'Dad' since he never had one in his previous life.
"Your mother makes me wake up early to exercise with her. Otherwise, I'd be sleeping in the guest room," Goro said, revealing a bit too much.
"Hey! You make it sound like I'm forcing you. You don't have to come if you don't want to," Fubuki said, her tone sweet but clearly holding a warning. Goro, who had fallen for this trap before, knew exactly how to respond.
"No need, dear. I love our time together exercising. Plus, I may complain, but I enjoy waking up early with you," Goro said with a forced, overly-pleasing tone, which seemed to satisfy Fubuki as she smiled.
"Coward," Aokiji muttered, calling Goro out.
"You're not married, so shut up," Goro shot back, then asked, "What are you doing up so early anyway?"
"I plan to train again," Aokiji said. "I thought I'd give myself a head start so I could finish early and add more training later."
This statement only made Goro and Fubuki laugh as if they had just heard the funniest joke ever. Aokiji just stood there, confused, until Goro explained.
"You're not training, dummy. You're on an alternate schedule," Goro said, still chuckling. "Today, you're studying. We hired a tutor who's supposed to come at 8 AM to match your wake-up schedule, but it looks like he'll need to come earlier now."
Aokiji's jaw dropped. He thought that being homeschooled would mean escaping school altogether. Apparently, he was wrong. His parents were serious about his education, knowing that he wasn't exactly the most studious kid. They also knew that he wanted to attend U.A., and without solid academic skills, he would struggle with the entrance exam.
"You do know there's a written exam for U.A., right? Or did you plan to skip that part?" Fubuki said, using Aokiji's interest in U.A. to motivate him, and it worked.
"Now I see why Dad is scared of you. You really are a master manipulator when you want to be," Aokiji muttered, earning a burst of laughter from Goro.
But Goro's laughter was cut short by a chilling glare from Fubuki. She then grabbed Aokiji's shoulder, her grip firm, her smile terrifying. "Apologize," she said sweetly but dangerously.
Aokiji swallowed hard. "I apologize for my outburst," he said, using a serious tone despite referencing a meme. Deep down, he could feel his body reacting out of instinctive fear — a fear that was now deeply embedded in his bones, courtesy of his new body and memories.
Aokiji then sat at the chair in table silently, while Goro was looking at his son smugly, as he was teased of being a coward but his son was also one.
-----------
It did not take long before the food started coming out, both Aokiji and Goro just ate, while Fubuki was smiling innocently as both her husband and son were both afraid of her, something that made Fubuki proud.
'I still got it' Fubuki thought, as she was able to manipulate her way into anything she wanted her whole life.
----------------
After finishing breakfast, Aokiji was instructed to stay in the study room —, a common feature for wealthy families, something Aokiji was not accustomed to. He was told to do some advanced studying before his tutor arrived, a task he dreaded. He hated studying.
"Ughhh, even here, I can't escape studying," Aokiji thought as he looked at the study guide and problem sets that the tutor had prepared. To his surprise, the explanations were straightforward, and he found himself understanding the material easily. Even more surprising was how he could remember everything after reading it just once. Information seemed to stick in his mind effortlessly, something that did not happen in his past life.
"Is this another perk of having three sets of souls combined?" Aokiji wondered. It seemed that he had inherited not just the powers of Aokiji from One Piece and MHA, but also their mental capabilities.
He read through the entire study set, his reading speed increasing as he went on. In just 30 minutes, he had completed all the material and answered all the problem sets with ease. He then spent another hour revising his work, wanting to make sure everything was perfect so he could focus on training later.
At exactly 8 AM, the tutor arrived. Aokiji immediately handed over his completed work, surprising the tutor, who had expected to spend the entire session going through the material step-by-step.
The tutor began checking Aokiji's answers and was stunned to find that everything was correct.
"Are you sure you need a tutor?" the tutor asked, still flipping through the pages in disbelief.
Aokiji just smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I just had a good day," he said, downplaying the fact that he was more than just an ordinary student now.
.