It was a rainy day, with grey hues painting the world. There was a five-year-old boy in a yellow raincoat, running and jumping in puddles on his way home.
Splash splash
As he got closer to his house, he started hearing sounds beyond the quiet rain and the occasional passing car.
Wiuuuuu wiuuuuu wiuuuuu
Turning the final corner toward his home, he saw several police cars, an ambulance, and a small crowd gathered around his house, his neighbors, though now they only looked like shadows.
The boy walked toward the crowd and his house, and that's when he saw it...
A pair of paramedics with some sort of stretcher, with something inside. It was wrapped in a dark bag. He also saw his parents at the door, crying uncontrollably, with his mother reaching out her hand and screaming:
"Don't take her, don't take h—!"
His father was holding her, crying just as much as she was.
The boy could only smell something burnt, like when his dad forgot the meat on the grill. He stood there, confused, wondering: What happened? Who were those people? And most of all... where was his sister?
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In that moment, he opened his eyes under the strong sunlight streaming through the window, slipping past the curtains—a teenager with black mushroom-cut hair that extended down to his shoulders in the back, along with some stubborn white strands always sticking up in a spiral.
He didn't look athletic, but he didn't look like he was dying of malnutrition either. He was just thin and a bit short, with a light skin tone, wearing only a pair of black underwear and a white T-shirt, lying in bed with no real intention of getting up.
"That dream again, huh..."
He wondered why he kept having that dream, even after all these years. He sighed and grabbed his phone to check the time.
10:00 AM
He bolted up, he had overslept and was running late for school. He jumped up, turned on the light, and started getting dressed in his gakuran, brushing his teeth quickly as he moved.
Now dressed, he proceeded to leave the house as quietly as possible, tiptoeing so his parents wouldn't notice. Although they were usually not home at this hour, or simply still asleep after a long day/night at work.
But he noticed the dining room light was on, which either meant they were awake, or they had forgotten to turn it off when they came home early that morning. He didn't want to find out which was true—he just hoped for the latter.
Sneaking around the furniture, crouched down slightly, using everything in the living room as cover, lower cabinets, the table, even the box his cat Momo used to play and hide in.
Just as he was about to reach the door—freedom—he heard a voice. His mother's voice:
"And where do you think you're going, Yuto?"
There stood Yuto Konpyuuta, frozen, with the door halfway open but unable to leave. He only heard his mother let out a soft, tired sigh.
"I see you forgot today's Saturday, didn't you?"
She rubbed her temples and turned back to continue preparing breakfast.
"If you're not going out for something other than school, I recommend you get comfortable and sit down for breakfast. I made some nice sweet and sour chicken onigiri."
Ashamed, Yuto went back to his room to change into something more comfortable, ending up in a green cotton sweater and black cloth pants, and sat down at the kotatsu.
The weather had started cooling with the final months of the year approaching, and the kotatsu's warm blankets certainly helped him stay cozy as he waited for his mother's breakfast.
The smell of sweet and sour chicken floated through the air, accompanied by the gentle crackle of the stove, just enough to make Yuto's mouth water in anticipation.
Ding
The timer beeped, and his mother removed the chicken and vegetables from the pan, placing them in a big bowl at the kotatsu, finishing with seasoning.
"Here's your favorite. Or were you planning to leave without eating, especially with your Quirk?"
Yeah, his Quirk definitely made skipping meals... unpleasant. But that wasn't something he would admit, knowing he'd be walking into a trap.
"Of course not, Mom. I was planning to grab something on the way to school. I heard there's this tofu stall, and a new seafood place, sounds good, haha."
Yuto trying to play it off with a nervous laugh.
"Mmm, and how exactly were you planning to pay for that, sweetie?" his mom asked with a small smile.
Yuto could only wave his hands awkwardly and say, "From some savings I have, of course, Mom. I've really been craving sushi lately."
"Mmm, so what you're saying is... you don't like Mom's sweet and sour chicken?" Her smile stretched even wider.
"Ehh, no no, of course I do, Mom! It's delicious!" Yuto replied weakly.
"Then why haven't you taken a single bite during this whole conversation?"
-_-
Yuto, like any living being with survival instincts, began eating the chicken quickly.
"What are you talking about, Mom? I've eaten a lot of chicken, really." he said, mouth still full.
His mother watched him with that same smile for a few seconds before finally saying, "Alright," then softened her expression into a warm, genuine smile—unlike the previous one, which felt like danger was near.
They continued eating at the kotatsu until only about a quarter of the food remained in the pot, and two dirty bowls sat on the table. Silence followed.
It didn't last long.
"So, son... have you thought about what you want to study or do after graduation?" his mother asked.
Yuto sighed. "Mom, we've talked about this. I really don't know. I'll see when the time comes."
His mother stayed silent for a moment and sighed too. "You know... you could study accounting. I could help you, you're smart, you know."
She finished speaking and resumed eating from her now-empty bowl.
Then she picked up the dishes, cleaned them, and stored away the remaining chicken and rice for Yuto's father.
Meanwhile, Yuto got up and escaped the area.
"I'll be back later, Mom. Have a nice day."
His mom called out from the kitchen:
"Yuto, just think about what we talked about, please."
As Yuto shut the door behind him, it made a slight slam.
His mother frowned slightly, a look of concern on her face as she watched the door from the kitchen.
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Yuto lightly jogged toward the park, though his thoughts were still spinning.
Yeah... I don't know what job I should take. On one hand, there's my Quirk, when I get hurt, instead of that part taking damage, the pain and impact distribute across my whole body. I can even see the damage level, because cracks appear on my skin depending on how bad it is. It also boosts some things overall… but nothing particularly great.
Maybe becoming some kind of licensed lab rat wouldn't be a bad gig?
A professional weapon tester? Though, now that I think about it, that just sounds like being a glorified Doomie guy.
Or maybe I could do shows like my dad—pull off something seemingly dangerous or stupid, and walk away perfectly fine?
As he kept thinking, he reached the park and sat on a bench in the shade of a large maple tree, its leaves a bright, beautiful red thanks to the autumn season.
It was noon, with a slightly chilly breeze, and leaves ranging from yellow to red and even some purples gathered into leafy carpets. Maybe the cleaning crew was on break. Or maybe… I'm the one who needs a break.
Yuto tried shifting around on the bench, looking for a way to sit comfortably.
A job like…...?