I didn't sleep well.
It's hard to sleep when you know you have the DNA of the world's strongest hero digesting in your stomach.
I woke up feeling groggy.
My stomach rumbled. Loudly.
It wasn't a hunger rumble. It was a genetic restructuring rumble.
I sat up and rubbed my face.
I checked my hands.
No glowing veins. No lightning.
Just normal, pale hands.
YN: "Still a background character. For now."
I looked at the clock.
6:15 AM.
Too early.
But I couldn't go back to sleep.
I had a math test today.
And then, I had "Hell Training."
My life had officially gone off the rails.
I showered.
The water was cold. I needed to wake up.
I looked in the mirror.
The bags under my eyes were getting worse.
I looked like Hachiman Hikigaya's long-lost cousin.
I dressed in the Sobu High uniform.
I tied the tie loosely. Yukino would hate it.
Perfect.
I went downstairs.
The kitchen was silent.
Yukino was already there. Of course she was.
She was buttering a piece of toast with surgical precision.
She didn't look up.
Yukino: "You're up early."
YN: "Couldn't sleep."
Yukino: "Nerves? For the math test?"
YN: "Yeah. Let's go with that."
Yukino: "It is just basic calculus. If you studied, you have nothing to fear."
YN: "Right. Basic."
I opened the fridge.
I grabbed a yogurt.
My stomach growled again. Like a dying whale.
Yukino stopped buttering her toast.
She looked at my stomach.
Then she looked at me.
Yukino: "Please tell me you are not sick. Mother hates sickness. It's a sign of weakness."
YN: "I'm fine. Just... hungry."
Yukino: "Then eat properly. Yogurt is not a meal."
YN: "Yes, ma'am."
We ate in silence.
The tension was thick.
Not because of us, but because of the looming visit from Mother.
The Yukinoshita household was always cold, but this week it was freezing.
I finished my yogurt.
I felt fine. Stronger?
No. Just full of dairy.
YN: "I'm heading out."
Yukino: "Wait. Your tie."
She stood up.
She walked over and fixed my tie.
She pulled it tight. Almost choked me.
Yukino: "Look presentable. We represent the family."
YN: "You're trying to kill me."
Yukino: "If I wanted to kill you, I would be more efficient."
YN: "Comforting."
The walk to school was a blur.
I saw the usual suspects.
Kaguya's limo drove past.
I saw Miyuki Shirogane riding his bike, looking exhausted.
That guy worked too hard.
I respected it.
I arrived at Sobu High.
I went straight to my locker.
I changed my shoes.
Voice: "Excuse me."
I turned around.
It was Miku Nakano.
She was wearing her blue headphones around her neck.
She looked shy. She was holding a history textbook.
Miku: "Um... YN-kun?"
YN: "Yeah? What's up, Nakano?"
Miku: "You're good at history, right?"
YN: "I'm average at everything."
Miku: "I... I need notes. For the Sengoku period. I fell asleep in class."
YN: "Again?"
Miku: "I was up late. Gaming."
I smiled.
A kindred spirit.
In my old life, I gamed until 4 AM.
Now, I was eating hair and fighting rock monsters.
I missed the simple life.
YN: "Sure. I'll lend you my notebook at lunch. But don't lose it. My sister will execute me."
Miku: "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
She gave a small, rare smile.
It was blinding.
Anime logic was real. The smiles actually sparkled.
She walked away.
I sighed.
If this was a harem anime, that would be a flag.
But this was a hero story now.
No time for flags.
I walked into class.
Hachiman was at his desk.
He was staring at nothing. Dead fish eyes on full display.
I sat next to him.
Hachiman: "You look like garbage."
YN: "Good morning to you too, Hikigaya."
Hachiman: "Did you get rejected or something? You have that vibe."
YN: "No. Just tired. Life is... demanding."
Hachiman: "Youth is a lie. Being tired is the truth."
YN: "Profound. Put that on a T-shirt."
The teacher walked in.
Hiratsuka-sensei.
She looked hungover. Or just single and angry.
She slammed a stack of papers on the podium.
Hiratsuka: "Books away. Test time."
The class groaned.
I put my bag away.
I looked at the test paper.
Calculus.
I stared at the numbers.
They swam in front of my eyes.
I knew this stuff in my old life.
But my brain was fuzzy.
I focused.
I wrote down the answers.
Derivative of X... Integral of Y...
My pencil snapped.
I stared at the broken wood.
I didn't press that hard.
I looked at my hand.
Did I just super-strength a pencil?
No. It was probably just a cheap pencil.
I grabbed a pen and finished the test.
Lunchtime.
I went to the roof.
I needed air.
I sat against the fence.
I opened my bento.
It was quiet up here.
Or so I thought.
The door slammed open.
Marin Kitagawa walked out.
She was followed by Gojo.
Marin: "Ah! YN-chi! I knew you'd be here!"
YN: "I'm hiding, Kitagawa. Don't blow my cover."
Marin: "Hiding from who? Girls?"
YN: "From life. And my sister."
She sat down next to me. Too close.
Personal space wasn't a concept she understood.
Gojo sat a respectful distance away.
He was sewing something small. A button?
Marin: "Check it out! I got the contact lenses for Shizuku-tan!"
She opened a case.
Bright purple lenses.
Marin: "Aren't they sick?"
YN: "Very purple. You gonna poke your eye out?"
Marin: "No way! I'm a pro now. Gojo-kun helped me practice."
Gojo: "She cried the first time."
Marin: "Gojo-kun! Shhh!"
I ate my rice.
I watched them bicker.
It was peaceful.
Marin was loud, but she was genuine.
Gojo was anxious, but he was talented.
They were good people.
And they were completely clueless about the world's dark side.
If a villain attacked right now...
I looked at Gojo.
He would probably faint.
Marin would probably try to take a selfie with the villain.
I gripped my chopsticks.
I had to get stronger.
To keep this stupid, happy lunch peaceful.
YN: "Hey, Gojo."
Gojo: "Y-Yes?"
YN: "Do you know any good exercises? For... building muscle?"
Gojo blinked.
He looked at my skinny arms.
Gojo: "Um... lifting heavy fabric rolls helps? My grandfather makes me carry the dolls."
Marin: "Wait, YN-chi! Are you working out? Are you gonna get ripped?"
YN: "Don't get excited. I just... feel weak lately."
Marin: "Ooh! You should cosplay a buff character! Like from Berserk!"
YN: "Let's start with being able to open a jar, then we'll talk about Berserk."
School ended.
I packed my bag quickly.
I needed to get to the rendezvous point.
I walked to the shoe lockers.
Yukino was there.
Waiting.
Like a gatekeeper.
Yukino: "Club activities today?"
YN: "Nope."
Yukino: "Then you are coming home?"
YN: "Actually... I got a job."
She raised an eyebrow.
Yukino: "A job? You?"
YN: "Yeah. Part-time. Moving... boxes. Logistics."
Yukino: "We do not need money. Mother provides enough."
YN: "It's not about money. It's about... social experience. Building character. Isn't that efficient?"
I used her own word against her.
She paused.
She considered it.
Yukino: "Fine. But if your grades drop, you quit. Immediately."
YN: "Deal."
Yukino: "And shower before you come inside. Manual labor is dirty."
YN: "Understood."
I escaped.
I walked away from the school.
I made sure no one was following me.
I took three different trains.
I ended up at the coast.
Not a nice beach.
A trash beach.
Dagobah Municipal Beach Park.
In the anime, Midoriya cleaned this place.
It was a mountain of garbage.
Old tires. Fridges. Broken cars.
It smelled like rust and sea water.
I walked onto the sand.
The sun was setting.
The shadows were long.
Standing on top of a pile of trash was a figure.
Yagi.
He was wearing his yellow suit again.
He looked like a scarecrow.
Yagi: "You are late!"
YN: "I had to take the scenic route. Spies everywhere."
Yagi: "Good instincts! Constant vigilance!"
He jumped down.
He landed softly in the sand.
He coughed.
Yagi: "How is your stomach?"
YN: "Fine. No superpowers yet."
Yagi: "Good. If you had powers now, your arms would have blown off when you opened a door."
YN: "You keep saying that. It's really encouraging."
Yagi: "Reality is harsh, YN-shonen! Now, look at this!"
He gestured to the beach.
Miles of trash.
It was disgusting.
YN: "Let me guess. I have to clean it."
Yagi: "Correct! This is your gym! You cannot handle One For All yet. Your vessel is too weak."
He poked my chest.
It hurt. His finger was like iron.
Yagi: "We need to build your body. Muscle. Bone density. Stamina."
YN: "And moving trash does that?"
Yagi: "Moving heavy, awkward objects on shifting sand? It is the ultimate workout!"
He pulled out a piece of paper.
"The Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan."
It was a schedule.
It looked impossible.
Sleep was optional, apparently.
YN: "This says I sleep four hours a night."
Yagi: "Heroes don't sleep! Evil doesn't sleep!"
YN: "Evil probably naps. That's why they have energy to scheme."
Yagi: "Less talking! More lifting!"
He pointed to a large, rusted safe half-buried in the sand.
Yagi: "Start with that. Move it to the truck by the road."
I looked at the safe.
It must have weighed 200 pounds.
I looked at Yagi.
He wasn't joking.
I walked over to the safe.
I grabbed the edges.
I pulled.
It didn't move.
I pulled harder.
My back cracked.
It slid an inch.
YN: "This... is... heavy!"
Yagi: "Put your back into it! Use your legs! Clench your buttocks!"
YN: "Please don't say that word!"
I grunted.
I pushed.
The safe moved. Slowly.
Sweat started to drip down my face.
My uniform was getting ruined.
Yukino was going to kill me.
But I kept pushing.
Two Hours Later.
I was lying face down in the sand.
I couldn't feel my arms.
I couldn't feel my legs.
I was pretty sure I was dead.
Yagi was standing over me.
He was drinking a bottle of water.
Yagi: "Good warm-up!"
YN: "Warm... up?"
Yagi: "That was just the upper body. Now, run!"
YN: "I can't run. My legs are jelly."
Yagi: "Villains don't care about jelly legs! Run, YN-shonen! Go beyond!"
YN: "Plus Ultra..." I wheezed.
Yagi: "Exactly! Now, run to the pier and back!"
I forced myself up.
My body screamed.
Every muscle fiber was on fire.
I started to jog.
It was more of a shuffle.
I looked at the ocean.
It was dark now. The moon was out.
This was crazy.
I was a high school student.
I should be playing video games.
I should be arguing with my sister.
But here I was.
Training to save the world.
I ran.
I tripped.
I got up.
I ran again.
Yagi ran beside me.
He wasn't even out of breath.
Yagi: "Why do you want to do this, YN?"
He asked suddenly.
I stopped panting.
YN: "Because... I saw that guy's face."
Yagi: "Which guy?"
YN: "The businessman. In the alley. He knew he was going to die."
I kept running.
YN: "I don't want to make that face. And I don't want anyone else to make it either."
Yagi smiled.
I saw it in the moonlight.
It was a proud smile.
Yagi: "A simple reason. But a strong one."
He clapped me on the back.
I almost fell over.
Yagi: "Keep running! Only ten more months until your body is ready!"
YN: "Ten months?!"
Yagi: "Yes! Then, you will receive the power fully! Until then, you are just a janitor with a dream!"
I groaned.
I kept running.
One step at a time.
Background character YN was dying on this beach.
Hero YN was being born.
And Hero YN really, really wanted a nap.
11:00 PM.
I stumbled home.
I was covered in dirt, rust, and sweat.
I smelled like a garbage truck.
I climbed back up the trellis.
It was harder going up than coming down.
My arms were shaking.
I fell into my room.
I stripped off my clothes and hid them in a bag.
I needed to wash them myself.
If Yukino saw them, she'd think I joined a fight club.
I took a shower.
The hot water stung my scrapes.
I dried off and fell into bed.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Marin.
Marin: [Image sent]
Text: Look! Gojo-kun finished the collar! We're shooting this weekend! You coming?
I stared at the screen.
Weekend.
Mother was visiting.
Training.
Cosplay shoot.
YN: "I need a clone."
I typed back.
YN: Maybe. If I survive the week.
I dropped the phone.
I closed my eyes.
I was asleep in seconds.
The nightmare of dragging fridges chased me into my dreams.