Chapter Two
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt an excruciatingly sharp pain in my head before I forcefully shut them again.
"Ahhhhh!"
The pain kept increasing until I almost lost consciousness. The continuous throbbing headache made me think that death would be preferable to this torment.
"Ugh… damn it," was all I could mutter through gritted teeth.
I opened my eyes again. As my vision slowly adjusted to the darkness, I stared at the dirty ceiling above me. Wait… this wasn't my ceiling.
I lifted my head slightly, which only worsened the pain in my skull, forcing a muffled curse from my lips. I took a deep breath, trying to comprehend what I was seeing.
"Damn it…"
The place I was in… I couldn't even call it a room. It looked more like a garbage dump. The floor beneath my body was cold and damp, clinging disgustingly to my clothes. As I turned my head, dizziness returned like a wave. Torn garbage bags littered every corner, rotting food scraps filled the air with a nauseating stench that could make anyone vomit.
I forced myself to rise slowly, relying on my trembling hands. Every time I placed my palms on the floor, I felt something sticky beneath them, but I didn't dare look. At last, I managed to stand, staggering as though I were a child learning to walk.
The sight was worse than I had imagined. The walls were covered in dark stains, some looking like creeping mold, and others… I didn't even want to guess, but they resembled dried blood. In the left corner stood a rusty iron bed, its mattress torn and stained with something I didn't dare think about. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined sleeping on it.
"Where the hell am I?" I whispered softly, as though the room might hear me and swallow me whole.
Every step I took produced the crinkling sound of plastic underfoot, along with the crunch of unknown objects I accidentally stepped on. To my right, I noticed a heap of empty bottles piled haphazardly against the wall, nearly reaching halfway up. Some contained dark liquids with a greenish tint, a sight that made my stomach churn.
I decided to head for the small window where the faint light was seeping in, hoping I could figure out where I was. I lifted my foot cautiously, stepping over trash bags. Suddenly, I tripped on something solid hidden under the garbage. I lost my balance and screamed involuntarily:
"Ahhhhh!"
My feet slipped on a plastic bag.
I reached out, trying to grab onto anything, but it was useless… there was nothing but air. I felt my body fall slowly toward the filthy floor, my heart pounding violently.
I hit the floor with my full weight. Pain spread through my back and head like fire, but I didn't scream… I couldn't. The air was knocked out of my lungs, and I lay sprawled amid the scattered trash, gasping. I tried to get up, but my limbs refused to cooperate, as though my body didn't belong to me.
Exhaling slowly, I turned my head to the right. Right next to me was a large metal basin, half-filled with murky liquid. The reflective surface of the water caught the dim light from the window, allowing me to see my face… or at least, what I thought was my face.
I froze.
"What…?" I tried to speak, but no sound came out. I opened my mouth again with all my strength, but my throat was void of words. Nothing but ragged air escaped.
I stared at the reflection, my eyes widening. The face I saw… wasn't mine.
Short silvery hair neatly framed my head, dark eyes with a hint of coldness, and a strange marking beneath my mouth stretching slightly onto my cheeks. I recognized this face… I'd seen it countless times before.
Inumaki Toge.
My breath quickened all of a sudden. There was no room for doubt. I was in his body—the mysterious character from Jujutsu Kaisen. I tried to scream, "How…?!" but what came out instead was something entirely different:
"Salmon."
I froze. What did I just say?! I tried again to ask, "Where am I?" but the sound that escaped was:
"Tuna."
My hands trembled in shock. This wasn't my voice! The words I was speaking weren't the ones in my mind! I tried over and over, but all that came out of my mouth were random food words: Salmon… Katsu… Tonkatsu… Tuna…
I clamped my hands over my mouth, my heart hammering. Now I understood… Inumaki's body wouldn't allow ordinary speech. His words were cursed—anyone who heard them could be harmed if he spoke freely. That's why he hid behind harmless food words.
But… I wasn't Inumaki! I had no idea how to control this ability or even use it properly. What if I said the wrong thing and caused a disaster?
I sank to the floor, leaning against the filthy wall, staring at my new hands. My fingers were slender but strong, and my body felt leaner and more agile than my real one. Everything about this body felt different… as though I'd been reborn in the wrong place.
I stayed pressed to the wall, listening to the heavy silence after the footsteps outside the door had stopped. My heart was racing. I don't know how much time passed, but when nothing happened, I decided to move—slowly.
The room hadn't changed… the same filth surrounding me, torn garbage bags, and stains on the walls whose source I dared not imagine. But while searching, I noticed something unusual on the ground near the broken cabinet.
I bent down and picked up a dirty piece of paper. I wiped it clean against my sleeve until I could read what was on it. It was an old magazine, its cover barely intact, showing a group of boys dressed in colorful hero costumes. My heart pounded violently… I knew those faces!
"Impossible…" I whispered to myself.
What I held in my hands was an old hero magazine, and on the cover… stood a giant man with a radiant smile, his blonde hair flowing in the wind, his massive muscles radiating absolute power. I recognized this face instantly:
"All Might."
I almost dropped the magazine out of sheer shock. This wasn't just any magazine—this was a clear message. All Might… the Symbol of Peace and the strongest hero in the world of My Hero Academia.
I sat on the floor quickly, the magazine trembling in my hands. I flipped through the pages eagerly. They were all articles about All Might's heroic feats, photos of him saving hundreds with his iconic smile, and bold headlines:
"The Symbol of Peace Saves Lives Once Again!""The Hope That Never Breaks, No Matter the Circumstances!"
Can anyone tell me what's going on?
Could it be… that I hadn't reincarnated in Jujutsu Kaisen but instead in the world of My Hero Academia?
"Damn it… I can't understand anything anymore," I muttered under my breath before throwing the magazine far from me.
I tried to get up to open the window, but the sheer amount of trash prevented me from moving freely. So, I grabbed a long stick instead and pushed the window open as best I could.
Just as I was about to succeed, I heard a bell ringing:
Ding ding.
I quickly rushed to the door before opening it, and suddenly men stood there.
"Do you know, you son of a bitch, that it's been three months and you still haven't paid back our money?" one of the men spoke, holding a large iron bat in his hands.
But there was something terrifying about that bat.
It was completely engulfed in red flames.
"Damn it… Tuna," I cursed, unable to say anything else.
End of chapter
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