Reincarnation.
Many people think they can have a better life with a second chance.
Is that really true?
Spoiler... no.
Why do I say that?
I'm living proof of it... well, for now at least.
First, let me give you some context of the story to better understand my situation and my words.
My name was once Jason Smith.
An American citizen, who ended up, without really understanding how, in the body of a delinquent teenager named Rin Bubaigawara...
You see the problem?
I literally became the twin brother of Jin Bubaigawara, who would later be called Twice.
(Image)
At first, I was confused.
How could I end up in a manga?
Is my family worried about me? Can I go back?
There were plenty of parasitic thoughts like these in my mind.
Fortunately or unfortunately, they were swept away by a brief memory surfacing in me during my reflection.
An explosion from the kitchen.
Damien died from a gas explosion.
This partly explains the "how" of my arrival in this body, but it doesn't explain the why.
Eventually, I dropped this philosophical question.
Although my parents seem to be right, because there is indeed a force or potentially several forces beyond logic...
Nevertheless, I prefer to remain atheist about anything touching on belief.
I have nothing against these practices, but I prefer to think that my arrival in MHA is a simple cosmic coincidence.
After all, digging into this subject could do me more harm than good, anyway.
So, I led a... criminal life at night, and legal during the day.
Why this decision?
This brings us back to the words from the beginning: many people think they can have a better life with a second chance.
Honestly, it's a no in my case.
My power is a more simplified, and paradoxically more complex, version of Jin's ability.
I can create clones.
Yes, I know... you're probably saying now: so what?
My clones are in all respects similar to my original body, and their death doesn't make them disappear like mud or an NPC from a video game.
They are scientifically alive.
If one of them dies, then you have to bury the body or follow the legal procedure.
This is an advantage for me, because I've been able to simulate my death several times until now.
The other advantage of my power is that it gives me a form of immortality.
If my body is about to perish, then I can take over a clone's body.
All of this is great, isn't it?
Especially since I can control my clones remotely, and filter their emotions or other undesirable senses.
Yet, there are two big weaknesses.
Creating clones systematically divides my overall strength, or that of the clone using my cloning power.
Second, I can't create a clone of another person or object like my brother Jin.
The last flaw made me significantly less efficient and powerful than my twin brother.
Yet, I had an extremely practical power.
I used it illegally to improve school grades, unlike Jin.
The idiot preferred to remain king of himself.
On the other hand, I had bigger ambitions.
I'm in MHA, right?
So why wouldn't I hope to become a hero and have waifus?
That was the main plan at the beginning.
I studied, I trained, and I practiced my theoretical lessons on the street.
In the end, I was the best in my high school.
I had gained confidence, and without hesitation, I enrolled at U.A. High School.
The result?
Failure.
My power wasn't suited against robots, and they judged my theoretical performance as insufficient.
That's when my life took a turn.
I started drinking and focusing my ambitions toward a... darker direction.
If I couldn't have this universe's approval, then I planned to tear it away.
That was my conclusion, while my clones worked on various tasks.
It took me 10 years to become a respected figure in Japan's underworld, even though I didn't have an offensive Quirk or one as versatile as my brother's.
My main body even became the mayor of Musutafu ward.
I had planned to extend my influence further in the political scene, thanks to funds drawn from the underworld.
So... why am I currently on the ground, one step away from death?
I failed.
All my clones scattered throughout Japan's 47 prefectures are being eliminated right now.
The only explanation for my situation is the betrayal of a collaborator or an information leak that I didn't notice through negligence.
This allowed them to discover my identity and better understand my power.
"It's over Red Hood... or should I say Rin Bubaigawara," an imposing voice resonated above me.
An incandescent man observed me with a look that didn't hide his contempt for my person.
"Y... cough... you really think you've won? Hehe... I... I'll rebuild my empire sooner or later, Enji-san."
(Image)
I'm not lying.
Prison will be destroyed sooner or later in the future, and then... I'll come back without a shadow of a doubt.
After all, I've already changed my face once thanks to the underworld.
It just takes a surgical operation after my supposed death to officially start a new life under another identity.
It's not my first rodeo.
Crack.
"Haaa... y... you broke my arm, damn it!"
My arm was crushed under Enji Todoroki's sole with a nonchalant gesture.
"I think you haven't understood the situation, Rin."
Endeavor leaned toward me, while his outstretched hand hid part of his face.
I could only see the flame hero's icy blue eyes.
"Your power is too dangerous, and the high officials of the 'Hero Public Safety Commission' think the same."
That's when I remembered a painful truth about this universe of heroes and villains.
I'm not in DC, and there won't be a get-out-of-jail card for me.
Surprisingly, the image of a green-haired woman and an excited boy appeared to me at my last moment under the flames.
Sorry, Inko... I wasn't good potential stepfather material anyway.
(Image)
...
[Today's news is shocking, because...]
The information about a corrupt mayor, who runs a criminal network, was a bombshell to the population's ears.
The media went wild over this unbelievable story, because the man actually called Rin Bubaigawara had a correct reputation from all angles.
He was even favored by his political party, since he was a potential candidate for the position of Interior Minister because of the effectiveness of his methods.
Unfortunately, everything was revealed to be false, even his official name and face.
The latter was the result of a surgical operation.
"M... mom, i... is that really Rin-senpai?"
Surprisingly, only three people knew his real name.
Yet, this knowledge and relationship will have to temporarily become a taboo subject.
"Izuku-kun... go to your room."
The young boy wanted to argue further, but after seeing his mother's eyes, he left without discussing further.
Once he was gone, the older woman began to cry heavily.
"...w... why didn't you stop... stupid Rin."