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TIMESKIP
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It all began in China, Qingqing City. There was news that a baby who gave off light had been born. Ever since then, superpowers began appearing all over the world… and time passed without the cause ever being identified.
Before anyone realized it, the supernatural had become normal, and dreams had become reality.
The world had turned into a superhero society, and about 80% of the world's population now possessed some kind of special trait.
In this world swirling with chaos, the profession that everyone once dreamed about and admired came into the limelight.
Along with superpowers came an explosive increase in crime. As the country struggled through the slow progress of drastic legal reforms, courageous individuals began performing heroic acts straight out of comic books.
Guarding against superpowers. Defending against evil.
Heroes were soon accepted by the public and eventually established as an official profession. Based on their performance, they were paid by the government and gained renown among the masses.
There was one such boy who dreamed of becoming one.
Born quirkless, rejected by everyone— even his own mother had doubts about him.
Yet despite being ridiculed again and again, he persevered.
At first he believed that even his own idol — the greatest hero of all time — All Might — had rejected him, telling him that he had no hope of becoming a hero.
But a second encounter changed everything.
It sparked something within All Might.
A memory.
A hero wasn't about the powers you had.
It wasn't about whether you could lift 500 pounds or run faster than a train.
What mattered was courage.
A hero was not a title.
It was a mindset.
The quirkless boy, Izuku Midoriya, now stood beside him on a filthy beach, the sand covered from end to end with piles of garbage.
The place stank. It almost felt radioactive. It looked like a dumping ground for the locals, and it would take a while for anyone to find a spot that wasn't littered.
Although All Might had given him hope—the words he had desperately needed to hear: "You can be a hero."
All Might also understood something else.
A skinny twig, even with the courage of a thousand heroes, still didn't have the strength of even one.
So he put him on a strict training regimen in order to build the strength he would need.
Itsuki sat on a nearby bench, watching the green-haired kid struggle to push a refrigerator with all his might.
Nearby stood a skinny man motivating him.
Sometimes with encouraging words like, "You can do it!"
And sometimes with reverse psychology.
"You'll never become a hero like that!"
Of course, Itsuki had recognized them immediately.
After all, these were arguably the two most important characters in the story—All Might and the main character himself.
"You know… it's actually pretty nice seeing this in person," Itsuki muttered to himself.
"Should I go say hi?"
He sat quietly, an apple in his hand as he watched the scene play out.
It was Saturday evening, and he didn't have anywhere else to go.
Shinso had said something had come up with family, and Hagakure was just… somewhere.
Itsuki finished the last bite of his apple with a crunch while watching Izuku struggle with the fridge.
It was pretty obvious he hadn't been training for very long yet.
He still looked like a twig.
"Eh… I'll meet them another time," Itsuki muttered.
"For now I'll probably just head home. I can talk to the greatest hero of all time later."
Itsuki stood up from the bench and began flying at a moderate speed.
For some reason, flying without a permit wasn't allowed unless you stayed below a certain height.
If you flew too high, there could be consequences.
Most likely just a fine if you got caught.
The law itself was pretty lackluster and people rarely got punished for it, but Itsuki still didn't feel like risking it today.
After three or four minutes of flying through the town, he finally arrived home.
He knocked on the door before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
His mother greeted him with a smile.
"Hey Itsuki, how have you been?" she asked.
She was preparing lunch. It was noon—usually the time when the family gathered together.
His father simply nodded toward him.
Itsuki said nothing.
He had never really understood his father. He was attentive enough, but rarely spoke his mind.
Maybe his father felt the same way about him.
Honestly, Itsuki didn't care.
"You're back," Amane said with a yawn as she flew down the stairs.
Itsuki had noticed that she had developed a habit of not using her legs at all—always relying on her wings instead.
At least their mother had told her to stop flying around the house so much. Her wings generated enough pressure to knock things over if she wasn't careful.
As she glided down the stairs and landed, their mother gave her a warm smile.
"Ame-chan, you're here. Come help me with lunch."
Amane groaned immediately.
Clearly she didn't want to help.
Cooking was one of the chores she disliked the most, but when your parents told you to do something, you did it.
"Alright, I'm coming," she said.
"Just let me… go to the bathroom first."
She walked off toward the hallway.
"Itsuki, would you mind helping as well?" their mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm down," Itsuki replied.
He took off his shoes and headed into the kitchen to help prepare lunch.
"You can help with the cutting," his mother said.
"I know you're really good at that."
She pointed toward the cutting board where red bell peppers, onions, and leeks were laid out.
"Make sure to wash them first. I'll get Ame-chan to help you if it's difficult."
Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
Since when did he find cooking difficult?
He started with the bell peppers, washing them under the sink before placing them on the cutting board.
He sliced one in half, removed the seeds, and began cutting it quickly.
His mother stirred the pot on the stove while he continued the process.
He moved on to the onions and leeks, repeating the same routine until everything was neatly prepared.
Eventually, he finished cutting the last piece.
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