Ethan woke up suddenly in a bed he didn't recognize, in a room that wasn't his, in a body that didn't feel like his own. He was sweating, heart racing.
"Eh… what just happened? Where am I? Why do I feel so light?" he muttered, panic creeping into his voice.
He got up and began to inspect the room. It looked like a typical bedroom for a middle school student: a small desk cluttered with notebooks and textbooks, a bed with a rumpled blanket, a cabinet with a television, and a video game console he didn't recognize. A chair was piled with clothes, and the walls were covered in posters though none of the heroes or characters were familiar to him. A few action figures and plushies were scattered around, all completely alien. Even the smallest details made him feel like he had stepped into a world he didn't understand. A door seemed to lead to a bathroom.
Without thinking, he headed for the bathroom.
As he reached it, he rushed to the mirror and froze.
"What the hell… I've reincarnated into a teenager?" he whispered, disbelief written all over his face.
Then, fragments of memories from this life started flooding in.
'Kai… that's my name… or the name of this body. Kai'.
Kai sat cross-legged, his head resting on one hand, reflecting on the memories he could salvage from his new body. It seemed he could remember the most important things, but not everything. He knew he was fifteen, that he was in Musutafu, and that almost everyone here possessed powers, called Quirks. He also learned that he had a younger sister, a year his junior, and a mother hospitalized. His father… he didn't know anything about him, or at least no memories had come through.
He also remembered that he had just finished middle school and that, not long ago, he had submitted an entrance exam to U.A. Today was Saturday the day they were supposed to return the results and he had been waiting for them.
"Wait… this feels a lot like an anime from my world… yeah, yeah… I know this world… it's MHA… damn it… but I don't know much about it, and I've never actually watched the anime or read about the story… I just know the basics from what my friends talked about," he muttered, hitting the bed in frustration.
'Damn it! Of all the worlds… it had to be this one… it couldn't have been Dragon Ball, Naruto, or even One Piece! And the worst part… I'm a freaking teenager!'
While Kai threw everything around and messed up his bed in frustration, tossing pillows and sheets into the air, someone knocked on his door.
"Kai, breakfast is rea..."
It was his sister Rin. Now that he saw her, she was like a female version of him. He was even surprised at how much they looked alike: jet-black hair down to her shoulders, delicate features somewhere between childish and already mature black eyes, and pale skin that contrasted perfectly with her hair and eyes.
"Uh… hi, Rin. You know… morning exercise…" he exclaimed, embarrassed.
"…Okay, well, come down before it gets cold. Today I made omurice," she said happily.
"Okay."
'Damn it… behave yourself, you're a 27-year-old adult,' Kai thought.
Once Rin left, he quickly changed: he put on a T-shirt with a somewhat strange print, black shorts, and his sandals.
'If I remember correctly, this is the number one hero, right?' he thought, staring at the print.
Kai knew he had to act normal; he didn't want to scare his new family, and he also needed to get used to this new life.
Just as he was about to open the door, he stopped.
"No… I haven't tried my Quirk yet," he said with a smile.
"From the memories I received… it had something to do with shadow control… hmm, let's see."
Kai focused and looked at his shadow, which was sitting there still, like a completely normal shadow.
"Move."
His shadow shook its head. Kai panicked.
'Wait… I didn't move my head. What the hell is this? And wait… why did it say no? If it's my shadow… it's my Quirk.'
"What do you mean no, you bastard! You're my shadow, come on… do something!"
His shadow stayed still, and a few seconds later, gave him a thumbs-down.
'You've got to be kidding me,' he said in resignation.
"Well… I'll have time to figure this out later. First, I'll have breakfast and try to learn a bit more about this world."
Kai sat in the dining room, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he stared at the happy face his sister had drawn in ketchup over his omurice.
Simple things like this… felt oddly comforting.
As they ate, his eyes drifted to his phone. That's when he noticed something that made him pause almost one hundred percent of the population had Quirks.
'Incredible.'
He scrolled through the current hero rankings, his thumb stopping on a familiar name. U.A. High. Supposedly, today was the day he'd get the results. A quick search confirmed it—it was the largest hero academy in Musutafu.
"What are you staring at so much, brother?" Rin asked, tilting her head.
"Eh… ah, nothing. Just a news article. All Might… took down another villain," he replied casually.
"Well, duh, dummy. That's what the number one hero does."
"How am I dum—?"
The doorbell cut him off. Rin was already on her feet, sprinting to the entrance.
"It could be U.A.'s reply!" she called out.
She dug through the mailbox, tossing aside unimportant letters until her eyes lit up. A red seal. U.A. – Important.
"It's here, Kai! Hehe… Can I read it? Come on, please? You read the one for the entrance exam, so let me read this one!"
Kai studied her for a moment. Who had even recommended him for the exam? In the memories he'd gotten, there was no trace of that… no memory of the test itself either.
Well… not like it mattered much right now.
"Alright… go ahead," he said, giving in.
'Let's see what my life in this world has in store.'
Rin carefully tore the envelope open, unfolding the letter like it was made of gold. Her voice trembled with excitement as she read:
"Dear Kai, we are pleased to inform you that… You have been accepted into U.A. Academy! Congratulations on your exceptional performance in the entrance exam."
Her smile was so bright, it was almost blinding.
"I knew it! My brother's amazing! I told you you'd get in!" she beamed, shoving the paper into his hands.
Kai glanced over the words.
'Exceptional performance… me? I don't remember a damn thing. Guess I'll have to find out myself.'
"Tomorrow's your orientation! I'm making you a special lunch for your first day!" Rin announced before dashing toward the kitchen.
"Oh, and we need to tell Mom! Let's go to the hospital!"
Kai watched her disappear, then lowered his gaze to the shadow at his feet.
"I guess we're gonna have to work together," he muttered.
The shadow gave a slow, smug thumbs-up… before lazily turning it upside down.
'…This is gonna be a pain.'