A sleek grey McLaren rolled to a stop on the side of the quiet road.
From the driver's seat stepped out a young man with black hair, muttering under his breath.
"I really should carry more cash when visiting new places. Well, no matter, I can withdraw some from the ATM."
He headed toward the ATM, only to halt when he spotted an elderly couple already withdrawing money. With a sigh, he turned back and leaned against his car, waiting for them to finish.
A few minutes later, the couple finished their transaction and began carefully walking down the stairs. The young man was just about to approach the ATM when movement caught his eye, a broad-shouldered figure in a mask sprinting straight for the unsuspecting couple.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. He sprinted across the small distance, closing the gap in second, and launched himself at the masked man, tackling him to the ground.
They crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, the wind knocked out of him for a moment.
The young man drove his elbows into the masked man's face over and over, each strike desperate aimed to knock him out, to give himself a chance to restrain him.
Once the masked man's struggle slowed, the young man rolled him over, pressing him face-first into the pavement. He grabbed the attacker's arms, twisting them behind his back, trying to immobilize him.
In that instant, he glanced around, silently hoping someone nearby could fetch something to tie the man down.
That split-second distraction was all it took. The masked man wriggled violently, twisting his body. A sharp kick caught the young man off-guard, knocking him backward. The attacker scrambled to his knees, and in one fluid motion, pulled a pistol from his waistband.
Before the young man could recover, a deafening crack split the air.
BANG!
Pain seared through his stomach as he fell, vision blurring, disbelief clouding his thoughts.
'How does someone even have a gun in a place like this?'
Another shot rang out.
BANG!
***
||Young Man's POV||
'How does someone even have a gun in a place like this?'
The thought barely forms before another bang rings out.
BANG!
A second pain ripped through me, worse than the first, and my legs give out instantly. I collapse to the ground with a dull thud, the concrete jarring against my back. My chest heaved as I tried to breathe, each gasp shallow and uneven.
'Did I just get shot… twice?'
The thought circles in my head as I fight for air. My eyes stayed fixed on the sky above, too heavy to move.
Then I fee hands tapping running against my pockets, hurried, checking one after the other. When they brush over the keys and wallet, they are yanked out in a n instant, followed by my phone.
The sensation fades, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch a blur moving.
'The attacker, no doubt.' I think to myself.
I lie there, chest burning, trying to make sense of what just happened. My thoughts drift slow and fragmented.
'At least the old couple are safe.'
A strange calm settles over me, even as pain pulses through my stomach.
'I guess this is it. I can come to terms with that.'
'Aunt Lily… the kids at the orphanage... they'll be fine. I made a will not long ago. Thank God for that.'
I take another shallow breath, the sky above me blurred and distant. My body feels heavy, useless, but a faint pressure against my wounds reminds me someone is still here. Hands press down on me, trying to hold me together, to keep me from slipping away.
My vision is blurred, everything around me fading, but then for a moment it clears. My eyes stayed fixed in the bright blue sky, dotted with soft clouds. It feels warm, calm… like it could ease the pain if I let it.
A faint smile spreads across my lips, and without even realising it, tears slip down the side of my face. My vision begins to blur again, but the feeling of the warmth lingers.
'It's… pretty.'
***
After God knows how long, I started to regain consciousness. I could neither hear nor see anything. It was a strange kind of half-awareness, the kind where I could sense myself existing but not much else. I felt tired, so I drifted back to sleep. As I couldn't perceive anything, I didn't know how much time had passed. At some point, I began to hear a periodic, muffled sound. Still, I couldn't see anything.
'Did someone take me to the hospital? I guess I didn't die. That's… fine, I suppose. But what is this sound? It doesn't feel like a ventilator. And why do I sense a presence beside me? Is it one of the kids from the orphanage? I feel so tired… I'll think about it later.' With that thought, I let myself sink back into sleep.
I would wake up from time to time. Each time, the muffled sound was still there. The presence was there too. It felt strange; every time I regained consciousness, someone was beside me. But I couldn't do anything about it, so I ignored it. Worrying or thinking wouldn't change a thing.
At some point, I began to feel pressure on my body, a firm weight pressing down on me. Then, after a few minutes, it lifted as suddenly as it had appeared. As the pressure eased, I started to notice other sounds around me, though they were still unclear.
Then, a sharp sting made me jerk, someone had slapped my bottom. The sudden pain made me cry out.
'Hey! Who's doing inappropriate things to a barely conscious person? Did no one teach them any manners?' I shouted in my head, though I couldn't move to do anything. Slowly, my vision began to return in blurry shapes and muted colours.
As my vision slowly cleared, I could make out shapes around me, massive, looming forms that seemed impossibly large. Why were there were so many gigantic things in this room? I tried to focus, but everything was blurry, and I couldn't move my head.
As I strained to understand, A sudden, high-pitched wail pierced the haze.
'A baby? Inside my room? I had no idea where it was coming from, and the sound made my head spin. Could it be that I'd been in a coma so long that my friends were married and had children now?'
My mind struggled to make sense of it, but all I could do was watch.
Even though I couldn't move, my eyes gradually adjusted. I could start to focus on the enormous objects around me, their shapes slowly becoming recognizable. And yet… everything still seemed impossibly huge.
'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… when did humans become giants? What is going on?!'
***
||About six months later||
A silver-haired baby sat staring at a large TV screen.
On the screen, an incredibly muscular man with golden hair was giving an interview.
'Seriously? MHA? Of all the worlds to reincarnate in, it had to be this one. God, couldn't you have just reincarnated me into romance or slice of life world? I guess I should be thankful, it could have been way worse. I could've ended up in the world of Berserk, fighting endless battles with monsters and darkness, or in Attack on Titan, constantly running from titans.'
I shook my head at the absurdity of it all, still staring at the golden-haired man on the TV screen.
'The world is a cruel and unjust place. There is no harmony in the universe. The only constant is suffering.'
As I was thinking, I head a baby's giggle and turned my head around to look at the source of the sound, a silver-haired baby crawling toward me.
'Oh! My little sister, Ayaka!' I thought excitedly.
I crawled toward her, my tiny hands pressing against the floor until I reached her.
I ruffled her hair and playfully poked her cheeks.
She giggled happily and tried to poke me back.
'This is the cutest, most adorable being in the world! I will fight anyone who says otherwise!'
I thought, grinning.
Then I heard footsteps approaching. I turned my head toward the sound to see two people entering.
A tall breathtakingly beautiful woman with long white hair cascading to her waist walked into the room. Beside her was an equally striking man, tall, lean with short silver hair.
'These are my parents. My mother, Aoi Shimiz, and my father, Jin Adachi. And that tiny bundle crawling beside me? My sister, Ayaka Adachi. My new Family.'
In my past life, I was an orphan. I didn't have biological parents, but I still had a family. The woman who raised us, Lily, and the other kids at the orphanage. It wasn't perfect but it was home.
Despite everything, I managed to rise above my circumstances thanks to the support of my family. Through hard work, their support and a bit of luck, I became one of the youngest millionaires. For a while, I thought I had finally found my place in the world, a place for me and for them.
But that was then.
This is now.
A different life… in a different perilous world
I don't know much at the moment. Since I never learned Japanese, I've only been able to gather bits of information.
All Might and AFO's big fight, the one where All Might gets injured, hasn't happened yet. But I can't change anything about it, so I'll use it as a bookmark in the timeline.
After a few years, I'll figure out if I'm the same generation as the protagonist.
My parents are heroes too and judging by the size of the mansion and other things, they seem quite wealthy.
But more importantly, they're good people. They aren't jerks. They have kind, decent personalities. At least, that's what I've observed.
I'll gather more information once I learn the language.
I stop my thoughts as my mother picks me up while my father carries Ayaka. They're talking, but I can't understand a word.
'There are so many things I have to do to keep my family safe, I think as I look at my parents and my little sister.'
***