Friday morning arrived.
I wished it hadn't.
Waking up was a tactical operation.
I tried to lift my right arm. It screamed.
I tried to lift my left leg. It protested.
My abdominal muscles felt like they had been shredded by a cheese grater.
The "American Dream Plan" was working.
It was destroying me.
I rolled out of bed. Literally.
I hit the floor with a thud.
I lay there on the carpet for a solid minute.
YN: "I hate heroes. I hate beaches. I hate fridges."
I forced myself up.
I checked the mirror.
I looked a little less like a corpse and more like a zombie. Progress.
I put on my uniform.
Buttoning the shirt was hard. My fingers were stiff from gripping rusted metal.
I checked my phone.
Text from Yagi: Eat 4 eggs. 2 slices of toast. No sugar. See you at the beach.
YN: "Yes, drill sergeant."
I walked downstairs.
The atmosphere in the house was heavy.
Heavier than the safe I lifted yesterday.
Yukino was moving around the kitchen.
She wasn't reading. She was cleaning.
She was wiping a counter that was already clean.
She was nervous.
YN: "Morning."
Yukino: "You're late. By two minutes."
YN: "I moved slowly. To conserve energy."
Yukino: "Mother arrives at 6:00 PM. Dinner is at 6:30 PM. Do not be late."
YN: "I'll be here. Suit and tie?"
Yukino: "School uniform is fine. But press it. Make sure it is crisp."
She stopped wiping the counter.
She looked at me.
Her eyes were anxious.
Yukino was perfect. Top of the class. Beautiful.
But her mother terrified her.
I felt a pang of sympathy.
In my old life, I just had to worry about my mom finding my stash of bad grades.
Yukino had to worry about a matriarch who demanded perfection.
YN: "Hey. It'll be fine. We're the perfect siblings, remember?"
Yukino: "We need to be better than perfect today."
YN: "I'll be on my best behavior. I won't even slurp my soup."
She gave a tiny, almost invisible smile.
Yukino: "That would be a start."
School was a blur of pain.
Every time I sat down, my hamstrings tightened.
Every time I stood up, my quads fired off warning signals.
First period: English.
I slept with my eyes open.
Second period: Gym.
Disaster.
The teacher blew the whistle.
We were on the track field.
"1500 meter run! Go!"
I started jogging.
My legs felt like lead pipes.
I was usually average at sports. Not great, not terrible.
Today, I was terrible.
I was breathing hard after one lap.
Voice: "On your left!"
A green blur shot past me.
Yotsuba Nakano.
She was sprinting like she was powered by jet fuel.
She had a giant ribbon in her hair and a smile that defied physics.
Yotsuba: "Hi YN-san! Nice day for running!"
She was already ten meters ahead before I could answer.
YN: "Show off..."
I kept plodding along.
I saw Hachiman walking on the grass infield.
He had a doctor's note. "Tennis elbow."
Liar. He just didn't want to run.
He watched me struggle.
Hachiman: "You run like an old man."
YN: "I'm pacing myself. It's a strategy."
Hachiman: "Strategy for what? Coming in last?"
YN: "Preserving energy. You wouldn't understand. It's high-level athletics."
Hachiman: "Right. You look like you're about to collapse."
I ignored him.
I finished the run. Eventually.
I was dead last.
Even the guy with asthma beat me.
I collapsed on the grass.
Yotsuba bounded over. She wasn't even sweating.
Yotsuba: "Good job, YN-san! You didn't give up!"
YN: "Thanks, Nakano. I try."
Yotsuba: "You look really tired though. Are you eating enough? Athletes need protein!"
YN: "I ate four eggs this morning."
Yotsuba: "Whoa! Like Rocky! cool!"
She offered me a hand up.
I took it.
She pulled.
She was strong. Surprisingly strong.
Maybe she had a quirk?
No. Just good genes. The Nakano genes were weird.
Lunchtime.
I needed calories.
I bought three bread rolls and a carton of milk.
I sat in the cafeteria.
The noise was loud.
I saw the "cool" table.
Hayato Hayama and his clique.
They were laughing about something.
I saw Yumiko Miura flipping her hair.
Normal high school hierarchy.
It felt so small now.
Yesterday, I saw a villain crush a wall.
Today, Miura was mad because the vending machine ran out of tea.
Perspective is a funny thing.
Voice: "Is this seat taken?"
I looked up.
It was Kaguya Shinomiya.
The Ice Princess herself.
She was holding a small bento box.
She looked annoyed.
Probably hiding from someone.
YN: "It's free. Your Highness."
She glared at me.
Kaguya: "Don't call me that."
YN: "Sorry. Habit. You have the aura."
She sat down.
She ate a cherry tomato with elegance.
Kaguya: "You are Yukinoshita's brother, correct?"
YN: "That's me. The shadow to her light."
Kaguya: "She is a formidable woman. I respect her academic scores."
YN: "I'll tell her you said that. She might frame it."
Kaguya: "Don't be absurd."
She looked around the cafeteria.
She was scanning for someone.
Probably Shirogane.
YN: "He's in the student council room. Eating cup noodles."
Kaguya froze.
She looked at me sharply.
Kaguya: "Who?"
YN: "The President. That's who you're looking for, right?"
She turned red.
Bright red.
Kaguya: "I-I am certainly not! I was just... observing the student body!"
YN: "Right. Observing. Well, if you want to observe him, go to the second floor."
She stood up abruptly.
Kaguya: "I have finished my lunch. Good day, Yukinoshita-kun."
She marched away. Toward the stairs.
I chuckled.
Romcoms were exhausting.
But at least nobody died in them.
School ended.
I went straight to the beach.
I didn't have time to go home first.
Yagi was waiting.
He had a stopwatch.
Yagi: "You are three minutes early! Excellent!"
YN: "I ran from the station. Cardio."
Yagi: "Good! Today, we focus on the lower body! Squats! With tires!"
He pointed to a stack of truck tires.
YN: "You're kidding."
Yagi: "I never kid about muscle! Pick it up!"
I picked up a tire.
It smelled like burnt rubber and despair.
I held it over my head.
I squatted.
My legs shook.
Yagi shouted encouragement.
Yagi: "Lower! Feel the burn! That burn is weakness leaving the body!"
YN: "It feels like my soul leaving the body!"
Yagi: "Same thing! Keep going!"
We trained for two hours.
By 5:00 PM, I was a wreck.
But I felt something different today.
A tiny spark.
When I lifted the last tire, it felt lighter.
Just a fraction.
Maybe it was adrenaline.
Maybe it was the eggs.
Or maybe, just maybe, I was leveling up.
Yagi: "Stop! That is enough for today."
He handed me a towel.
Yagi: "You have a family event tonight?"
YN: "Yeah. My mom is visiting. The Dragon Lady."
Yagi: "Family is important. Even the scary ones. Go. Clean up. Be a hero at home tonight."
YN: "Being a hero at home is harder than lifting tires."
Yagi: "I believe in you. Now go!"
I ran to the train station.
I cleaned up in the station bathroom.
I changed back into my uniform.
I brushed the sand out of my hair.
I checked the time.
5:45 PM.
I made it.
I walked into the house at 5:55 PM.
The air was freezing.
Yukino was standing by the door.
She was wearing a formal blouse.
Her hair was perfect.
She looked pale.
Yukino: "You made it."
YN: "Told you. Efficient."
Yukino: "Check your shoes. Is there mud?"
YN: "Clean. I checked."
The sound of a car engine outside.
A heavy door closing.
Clicking heels on the pavement.
The front door opened.
Mrs. Yukinoshita walked in.
She was tall.
She looked exactly like Yukino, but older and terrifying.
Her eyes scanned the room like a radar system seeking targets.
Mother: "I am home."
Yukino: "Welcome, Mother."
She bowed.
I bowed.
My back muscles seized up, but I held the bow.
YN: "Welcome, Mother."
She looked at Yukino.
She nodded slightly.
Then she looked at me.
Her gaze lingered.
She noticed the scraped knuckle on my hand.
She noticed the slight tremor in my legs.
Mother: "You look tired, YN."
YN: "Studying, Mother. Exams are coming up."
Mother: "Is that so? Your posture is slouching. Fatigue is no excuse for poor presentation."
YN: "Apologies. I'll correct it."
I straightened my spine. It hurt.
Mother: "Let us eat."
Dinner was a battlefield.
Silence was the weapon.
We ate grilled fish and miso soup.
The only sound was chopsticks hitting porcelain.
I wanted to inhale the food. My body was craving nutrients.
But I had to eat slowly. Delicately.
Like a bird. A bird with a starving beast inside its stomach.
Mother: "Yukino. Your recent mock exam results."
Yukino: "First in the year, Mother."
Mother: "I saw. However, your score in mathematics dropped by two points compared to last term."
Yukino: "The test was harder than usual."
Mother: "Excuses. Efficiency does not care about difficulty. Fix it."
Yukino gripped her chopsticks. Her knuckles turned white.
Yukino: "Yes, Mother."
Mother: "And you, YN?"
She turned the turret toward me.
YN: "Top twenty percent. Holding steady."
Mother: "Average. As always. You have no ambition to surpass your sister?"
YN: "Yukino is a genius. I'm just the support crew. Someone has to carry the bags."
Mother stared at me.
She didn't like jokes.
But she didn't hate that answer.
Mother: "Know your place. That is a skill in itself. At least you are not causing trouble."
She took a sip of tea.
Mother: "I heard rumors. About vigilance groups in the city. 'Heroes'. People playing dress-up."
I froze.
Does she know?
No. She can't.
She's just commenting on the news.
Mother: "Disgusting. People bypassing the law. It creates disorder."
YN: "Yeah. Disorder is bad."
Mother: "If you ever get involved in such nonsense, do not bother coming home."
YN: "I wouldn't dream of it. I prefer video games."
She lost interest in me.
She went back to grilling Yukino about her future university choices.
I exhaled slowly.
That was close.
Too close.
10:00 PM.
Mother went to her hotel. She didn't stay at the house.
"Too cluttered," she said. The house was spotless.
Yukino sat on the sofa.
She looked drained.
She was hugging a cushion. The Pan-san cushion.
YN: "You survived."
Yukino: "Barely. She noticed the math score. I was careless."
YN: "Two points, Yukino. That's a rounding error."
Yukino: "To her, it is a failure."
YN: "Well, to me, you did great. You didn't stutter once."
She looked at me.
Her eyes were softer now.
Yukino: "You were... surprisingly composed. Usually, you argue with her."
YN: "I learned something recently. Sometimes, you just have to grit your teeth and endure the pain."
I rubbed my sore shoulder.
Yukino noticed.
Yukino: "You are hurt. Physically."
YN: "Just muscle pain. From the... moving job."
Yukino: "Quit the job, YN. It is taking a toll."
YN: "I can't. I signed a contract."
Yukino: "A contract?"
YN: "Yeah. Ten months. I have to see it through."
She sighed.
Yukino: "You are stubborn. Inefficiently stubborn."
YN: "Runs in the family."
My phone buzzed.
I checked it.
Sender: UA (Yagi)
Message: Come to the roof of the Central Tower. Now. Bring a mask.
I hid the screen.
YN: "I'm gonna crash. Sleep it off."
Yukino: "Goodnight. And YN?"
YN: "Yeah?"
Yukino: "Thank you. for being here."
YN: "Anytime."
I walked upstairs.
I waited ten minutes.
I changed into my black hoodie.
I put on a simple black face mask.
I opened the window.
My body hurt. My mind was tired.
But Yagi called.
I climbed down the trellis again.
I ran through the city.
The night air was cool.
I reached the Central Tower. It was a half-built skyscraper.
I sneaked past the security.
I climbed the stairs. Forty floors.
My legs burned, but I pushed.
I reached the roof.
The wind was howling up here.
Yagi was standing on the edge.
Next to him was another man.
Dressed in black. Scarf around his neck. Goggles.
Eraserhead.
Yagi: "You made it."
YN: "Forty floors. You owe me new legs."
Eraserhead: "This is the kid?"
He looked at me. His eyes were tired and bloodshot.
Yagi: "This is him. YN-shonen, this is Aizawa."
YN: "I know. Eraserhead. Underground hero."
Aizawa: "He knows his stuff. That's rare."
Yagi: "I wanted you to see this, YN."
He pointed down at the city.
From up here, the lights looked like stars.
But in the shadows between the buildings, things were moving.
Yagi: "Look closely."
I squinted.
I saw a flash of light in an alleyway.
A small explosion.
Two figures fighting.
One was shooting fire. The other was dodging.
YN: "A villain fight?"
Aizawa: "A low-level dispute. Turf war. The police will handle it in five minutes."
YN: "Why show me this?"
Yagi: "To show you what you are protecting."
Yagi spread his arms.
Yagi: "Down there, people are eating dinner. Sleeping. Arguing about math scores. They don't see the fire. They don't see the monsters."
He turned to me.
The skeletal face was grim.
Yagi: "We stand on the roof so they can sleep in their beds. We take the burden. That is the job."
I looked at the city.
I thought about Yukino on the sofa, hugging her panda.
I thought about Marin obsessing over wigs.
I thought about Miku panicking over history notes.
They were down there.
Oblivious. Safe.
YN: "Because we are the wall."
Aizawa: "Rational thought. You might survive."
Yagi: "Go home, YN. Rest. Tomorrow, we start lifting cars."
YN: "Cars? We skipped fridges?"
Yagi: "You are behind schedule! Plus Ultra!"
I sighed.
I looked at the city one last time.
It was beautiful.
And it was fragile.
YN: "Alright. Let's lift some cars."
I turned and walked back to the stairs.
My double life was just beginning.
And honestly?
I preferred lifting cars to having dinner with Mother.