November 4th 2022★7:00 a.m.
When my alarm went off, I turned over in bed, quickly reached for my dresser, and pressed the button to silence it. Throwing off the sheets, I got up and stretched my arms, taking in the sight of all the posters, figurines, and manga books I had collected over the years. It's been about two months since the beta test for My Hero Online ended, and a few months since I preordered the game to play it for real. I'm really looking forward to it arriving in the mail later today, right after I get back from school.
Speaking of school, I made sure my bed was neatly made before rushing out of my room. As I headed to the kitchen, I started by clearing away the newspapers and manga my mom and I had left on the counter overnight. Once that was done, I grabbed a recipe book and began preparing some toast, eggs, sausage, and two cups of coffee for both my mom and me. I placed the breakfast on a tray and carried it up to her room.
Gently opening the door, I peeked inside to see a lump under the sheets. Assuming she was still asleep, I quietly tiptoed over to her bed and set the tray of food on her nightstand. As soon as the tray touched the table, it made a small clank, causing the lump under the sheet to stir. The sheet lifted to reveal my mom in a green hospital uniform. She rubbed her eyes and sat up tiredly on the edge of the bed.
"Oh, good morning, Izuku," my mom, Inko Midoriya, said as she leaned closer and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug.
"Morning, Mom," I replied, hugging her back. Once we separated, I gestured toward the breakfast I had made. "I made breakfast for you."
"You're such a sweet boy, Izuku," she said, picking up the cup of coffee and taking a slow sip. "But you know, you don't have to do this every day. I taught you how to cook, so I can handle my own meals from time to time."
Even though she was right, I shook my head slowly and smiled at her.
"You had to work another late night shift at the hospital. I can't have you pushing yourself and not getting anything in return. So I don't mind doing it for you Mom," I said placing my hand on top of hers. "I do this because I love you"
She looked at Izuku with a surprised face and slowly chuckled.
"You really are growing up to be a good man," she said, wiping away a tear. "I know whoever you marry in the future will be a very lucky woman."
Hearing that made my face burn with embarrassment. I didn't need a mirror to know I was turning red.
"M-MOM!" I stammered, feeling flustered. "I gotta go get ready for school!"
Just as I was about to leave, I felt her hand grip my arm. I looked down to see my mom's concerned expression.
"Izuku, are you making any friends?" she asked, and my heart raced with fear. I had always kept my school life a secret, except for my grades.
"I... uh..."
"Is Katsuki still bullying you?" she pressed, making my heart race even faster.
"Well... he... uh..."
"Izuku, I appreciate your care for me, but you can't spend your whole life looking after me. I want you to focus on yourself," she said, getting off her bed and placing a hand on my shoulder. "You need to go out, find your path, set clear goals, meet some friends, and find someone who will love you for the rest of your life. That would make me the happiest mother in the world."
It was hard to agree to that, but I couldn't help but smile sadly and nod.
"I'll do whatever I can, Mom," I replied, glancing at my watch. "Crap, I gotta go!"
I hurried out of my mom's room and into mine to get ready. After a quick shower and getting dressed, I stood in front of the mirror, making sure I was all set to go.
"Alright, I'm ready," I said, glancing at my uniform. I picked up my bag from the computer chair and stepped out of my bedroom. As I reached the door, I passed my mom's room and called out, "Bye Mom! See you later!"
"Take care, sweetie! I'll see you tonight!" she replied, sipping her coffee. I grabbed the lunch bag with the breakfast I had prepared and headed out.
While riding the elevator down, I kept replaying my mom's words from this morning in my mind.
"I want you to go out and find your own path"
She mentioned that my dad had gone abroad for work, and honestly, I had no idea what he did. All I knew was that he had left her to raise me alone for years. Once I was old enough, I promised myself I would do everything I could to support her too.
As I approached the crosswalk, I looked up to see a flock of birds flying in a V formation.
"She's right. What do I really want to do?" I pondered, watching the birds soar. My thoughts drifted as I spotted a billboard for the game I had been eagerly anticipating, My Hero Online. I lost my train of thought as I crossed the street and made my way to school.
Walking up to the gate, I noticed groups of students chatting. Boys were discussing plans to hang out after school, girls were gossiping about boys, and some were talking about dates. Meanwhile, I felt a bit out of place, with only the school wall beside me and my books in hand. Once inside, I reached my locker, swapped my signature red shoes for my white school shoes, and entered my classroom. As I settled into my seat, waiting for the teacher, I pulled out my notebook and started sketching. I had a special notebook filled with drawings of superheroes and their powers. My mom always encouraged me to join the art club, but I felt too shy to share my work, especially since it seemed so childish.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the nerd, Deku," I heard a voice say, making me gasp in fear. There was only one person from my childhood who called me that. Ever since my dad left, I had a friend who was always uptight, convinced he was better than everyone else. As we grew older, his arrogance only grew, and he started looking down on me because I couldn't keep up with him in sports or with girls.
As I slowly turned my head, I found myself face to face with Katsuki Bakugo, the top jock and the most intimidating person in my class.
"Oh, hey Kacchan," I said nervously, not really in the mood for his usual bragging and bullying. But of course, my wish went ungranted when he snatched my book right out of my hands. "H-Hey!"
"What do we have here, huh?" he said, scanning my book with a smirk. I lowered my head as I saw him start to snicker. That snicker quickly turned into a loud laugh, drawing the attention of everyone around us. "What the hell is this?!"
He held the book up high, showing off the page he was looking at for everyone to see.
"Hey everyone! It's our town's new hero, Dekuman!!!" he shouted, and soon the whole class was laughing. I felt my face burn with embarrassment as I lowered my head and covered it with my hands while Kacchan kept hitting my head with my book, laughing along with everyone else. They continued until the teacher finally came over to quiet us down. The rest of the school day was a blur of humiliation; I could barely look at the teacher when he asked me to stand up and read. As usual, I spent my lunch on the roof by myself, scrolling through social media and catching up on the latest news about Nervegear and My Hero Online. I was so excited about it that I almost forgot about the earlier embarrassment.
As school was wrapping up, I gathered my books and stuffed them into my bag. I hurried to the lockers to swap my shoes back to my favorite red ones. I was so eager to get home and dive into the real game of My Hero Online. But just as I was about to leave, I heard voices coming from around the corner. Recognizing one of the voices, I quickly ducked around the corner to listen.
"Hey Bakugo, I heard you managed to snag a copy of My Hero Online," one of Kachan's friends said, standing next to him. I was shocked; I never thought Kachan was into gaming.
"I got tired of everyone hyping up this game. So, I gave the old hag my cash, and she went and bought it," he replied. When he mentioned the old hag, I figured he was talking about Aunt Mitsuki, his mom.
"I bet you're going to crush it in that game. You're already a big deal here," another friend chimed in.
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CRUSH IT IF I HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED IT YET?!" he yelled, making his friends jump back in fear. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at his sudden outburst. "HEY! WHO'S THERE?!"
I froze, realizing I had laughed loud enough for him to hear. When I turned to look, I found myself staring into his fiery, angry eyes.
"Oh no!" I yelped as I took off running.
"DEKU!!!" Kachan shouted, and he and his friends started chasing after me. I sprinted around the school as fast as I could, but I knew I wasn't as fit as Kachan. When I spotted a fence ahead, I remembered how I used to pull off amazing jumps back in the My Hero Beta.
"I wonder if I can still do it..." I thought, pushing myself harder and leaping off the ground, hoping to execute my high jump skill. As I soared over the fence, I smiled, thinking I had it made—until my chest slammed into the top of the fence, sending me crashing down onto my back.
"Uhhhh...." I groaned on the ground, clutching my chest while my bag's contents were scattered around me. I was worried the wires had actually punctured me. Just then, the pressure on my chest vanished as a group of arms grabbed mine and pinned me against the fence. When I lifted my head, I saw Kacchan's goons holding me down like I was being crucified, while he stood in front of me, cracking his knuckles.
"So you thought you could make fun of me and just run away, Deku?" he said, a grin on his face that sent chills down my spine. I knew he wouldn't beat me to death, but you never know what could happen, whether by accident or on purpose.
"I... I wasn't making fun of you, Kacchan! I swea—" My words were abruptly cut off as a massive fist slammed into my stomach, forcing me to cough up saliva.
"SHUT UP!!! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU PLAY HEROES, YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE???!!!" he shouted, relentlessly punching my face while his goons held me back. "WHERE ARE YOUR SUPERPOWERS, HUH???!!!"
I lost track of how long he kept it up. What felt like hours later, I found myself slumped against the fence, my face bruised, my uniform battered, and my book in tatters. Realizing it was getting late, I pushed myself off the fence, stood up, and started packing my things back into my bag. Summoning all the strength I had left, I sprinted toward home, ignoring the pain. Nothing could overshadow the excitement I felt for the game waiting for me there. As I spotted my apartment, I dashed up the staircase and down the hall to my door. When I got closer, I noticed something brown and rectangular on the welcome mat. Upon closer inspection, I saw my name, address, and the logo of ARGUS, the company behind the Nervegear and My Hero Online. Knowing exactly what it was, I jumped in excitement and hugged it tightly to my still-bruised chest. As I mentioned before, my excitement overshadowed all the pain I felt.
"I guess Mom's not home yet," I muttered to myself, knowing that if she were here, she'd grab the package and set it on the kitchen counter. This was my chance. I slipped inside, tossed the package onto my bed, changed into some fresh clothes for a shower, and took a moment to cover up my bruises and cuts. Once I was all set, I flopped onto my bed, tore off the wrapping, and took a good look at the game cover.
"Finally..." I said, grinning at it. "After months of waiting, I'm about to dive back into the world where I truly belong."
It's a bummer that I only have two days before the online services go live. I really needed something to keep my mind off things.
"Izuku! Are you home!?" I heard my mom call from the kitchen. "Can you help me with the groceries?!"
Exactly like that.
November 6th 2022★12:26 p.m.
The day has finally arrived. The day I get to return to that world. I promised myself I would focus on gathering all my loot and item drops since I had played the game before and knew exactly where to go. The server was set to launch at 1:00 p.m., so I passed the time reading a comic book in front of my computer while watching the MMO Stream, which featured the first group of gamers lining up outside every game store four days ahead of the official release. Just two minutes before the launch, I heard my mom's voice calling from downstairs.
"Izuku, I'm heading to the market. Do you need anything?" she asked. "Could you grab me some hot Katsudon, please?" I realized she had left the house when I heard the front door click shut. I glanced at the clock and saw there was only one minute left until the game would officially start.
"Yes!" I shouted, jumping from my computer chair to my bed. I plugged in my Nervegear, placed it on my head, and powered it on. Then, I settled back in bed and checked my glass display to see the time.
I waited impatiently for all 4 digits to change while I regarded the clock as though I were in a staring contest. I could almost taste the coming of the decisive moment. Near arrived earlier than I anticipated, because I said the secret words to log in as soon as 12:59 p.m. became 1:00 p.m.
"LINK START!!!"
After saying those two words, I lost sight of my room's ceiling. Instead, I was drawn into a swirl of elliptical rainbow patterns that transported me into a virtual world. I entered my username and password after seeing the login screen. Once I created my avatar, I started typing the name I originally wanted.
Username: *********
Password: **************
Avatar Name: Mighty Boy
But when I pressed Enter, something unexpected happened. My username and password were accepted, but the avatar name I chose was denied. A small message popped up, saying the name had already been taken.
"I guess that name is pretty popular," I muttered to myself as I tried another name.
Avatar Name: Captain Japan
I hit enter again, but once more, it was denied. Frustration began to set in. I started experimenting with random names like Mighty Man, Thundermight, and even Superman. All of them were already in use. Realizing I was wasting time, I thought of a name that came to mind—one that wasn't common and was something I had been called for being weak in real life. Maybe in this game, it would sound strong. So, I typed it out slowly.
Avatar Name: D...e...k...u
It then asked if I wanted to be recognized as «Deku». Knowing that name was free, I clicked «Accept», and a flash of bright light made me cover my eyes. When the light faded, I opened my eyes to find myself standing in the middle of a city that looked like Japan, but wasn't quite it. I was in Neo Tokyo, the Town of Beginnings, for the game.
As I looked around, it felt like I had stepped into a comic book, with many people sporting stylized, dyed, or bleached hair. I caught my reflection in the nearest window and was surprised by what I saw. I had a completely different face, green eyes and hair, a green jumpsuit with a red belt, protective gear on my knees and elbows, and a pair of red boots that resembled what I like to wear in real life. It looked just like the initial gear I had when I first played the game in beta.
My heart was filled with pure happiness, excitement, and a sense of belonging. In this world, even though it wasn't real, I felt like I could truly be myself. I looked at my clenched fist and smiled with determination.
"Hello world, I'm back," I announced as more people began to gather around me. I was in Musatufa, a magnificent floating tower with 100 levels.