That evening—at home.
Bare walls, cracked floors, and not a single decoration in sight.That just about summed up Rin Hayami's current living situation.
At the moment, his real body stood by a rickety little stove, stirring ingredients in a worn-out pan.
Life wasn't exactly kind to him. Poverty had a way of pressing down on everything, even the air around him.Still, thanks to a handful of part-time jobs, he could just barely afford to survive.
Just barely.
From the outside, he looked like a rather handsome young man—tall, lean, and cloaked in his usual black coat. His hands moved with quiet precision as he tried to fry up what he hoped would resemble a proper Chinese-style meal.
A few meters away, a girl with flowing black hair knelt gracefully on a futon bed, clumsily stitching together a half-finished piece of clothing.
Her beauty was something out of a dream—smooth, porcelain skin that seemed to glow in the lamplight, jewel-like black eyes, and an outfit that looked straight out of an anime: a checkered mini skirt and black thigh-high socks. Every detail seemed perfectly balanced, as though crafted to make any onlooker's heart race.
After a few minutes of struggling, the girl suddenly dropped the fabric with a frustrated groan and collapsed backward onto the bed.
"This is impossible! Why am I even doing this? Since when did I become some kind of housewife?" she whined, her tone dripping with mock despair.
Her curvy yet delicate figure shifted slightly as she pouted.If anyone else had seen her just now, they'd have been overcome with jealousy.They'd probably have muttered something like: How does a broke guy like Rin Hayami have a girlfriend that beautiful? What cosmic injustice is this?
But of course, they'd be wrong.The truth was far stranger—
They weren't a couple.They were the same person.
That girl… was Rin's clone.
During the day, when he needed to deal with certain people—like his teacher—he used that body, the female one.
His Quirk allowed him to create a separate body—one that could look and function however he wished.
A peculiar ability, to say the least.
Right now, he was doing two things at once: his main body cooking dinner, while his clone attempted (and failed) to make clothes.It was like his brain had been split into two perfectly synchronized processors.He could multitask effortlessly, controlling both bodies at once without a hint of confusion.
It was, in short, ridiculously efficient.
A few minutes later, the sizzling stopped—the food was done.
The girl—his clone—stood up from the bed and walked over to help him serve the meal.
They both looked up at the same time, and for a fleeting second, their gazes locked.
The girl froze. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she immediately turned her head away.
"Ugh—this is so awkward…" she muttered under her breath.
Even though she knew it was technically just herself, the situation still felt embarrassingly intimate.
To be honest, ever since Rin Hayami had transmigrated into the world of My Hero Academia, he'd adapted surprisingly well.
This was a world of Quirks—supernatural abilities possessed by nearly 80% of humanity.
People could manipulate lightning, control flames, reshape matter, and perform all sorts of miracles that defied logic.
Of course, not everyone used their gifts for good.Those who chose to exploit their powers for selfish or destructive purposes became criminals—threats to peace and order.
In response, brave souls rose to oppose them.People with strong wills and stronger hearts took to the streets to fight injustice and protect the innocent.
Those people became known as Heroes.
Over time, being a hero had evolved from a calling into a profession—an admired, glamorous career path.
And Rin's unique "Clone Quirk" had awakened in this very world.
His current clone form was modeled after Yukino Yukinoshita—a cold, elegant girl archetype from a certain anime he remembered.
Once he completed 300 hours of intense combat training, he'd unlock a new mysterious heroine template, labeled simply as "Heroine X."
For now, Yukino's body didn't have much raw power, but it was perfect for academics. Thanks to it, Rin had become the top student in the entire school, dominating every written exam with ease.
Still… it wasn't enough.What he really wanted lay beyond that next milestone.
"Three hundred hours, huh…"
After dinner, Rin lay back on his bed, staring at the status window floating before his eyes. The counter read: 182 hours completed.
He let out a weary laugh.
"This is killing me."
The training was brutal—so much so that even after over 180 hours, he was tempted to give up altogether.
Knock, knock, knock!
Suddenly, someone rapped on his front door.
Rin immediately dispelled his clone, merging her back into his body, then shifted into his female form—Yukino's appearance—and went to open the door.
Floating outside was… a neatly folded set of girls' clothing.
No person in sight.
The uniform hovered gently in midair, as if possessed by a ghost.
"Oh, it's just you, Hagakure," Rin said with a sigh of relief, smiling faintly.
Toru Hagakure—U.A. High's invisible girl. Born with a Quirk that rendered her body permanently invisible, not even her closest friends knew what she actually looked like.
She was Rin's only real friend at school—and, importantly, the only student who knew his secret: that he was actually a boy.
"Hey, Rin! I brought you something sweet!" came her cheerful, disembodied voice. She held up a small box.
Rin blinked. "Cake?"
"Chocolate cake!" Hagakure said brightly, shaking the box slightly. "You've gotta keep your energy up, you know? It's nothing fancy, so don't even think about refusing it!"
"You're too kind," Rin said, scratching his cheek a little awkwardly. He wasn't used to being taken care of like this. Still, after she'd gone to all this trouble, he couldn't exactly turn her away.
"Come on in," he said.
"Thanks!"
Hagakure floated into the room happily.
The moment she saw the simple meal on the table, she let out a small sigh that carried a mix of amusement and pity. "Rin, your lifestyle hasn't changed one bit, huh?"
"It's fine," Rin replied casually.
"So? You're still planning to apply for U.A., right?" she asked, sitting down and swinging her invisible legs.
Judging from the movement of her skirt, Rin could easily imagine her posture—and, embarrassingly, her figure too.
That image triggered an old memory.
He remembered once, back in his previous life, searching the internet out of boredom—trying to find any fan art or concept drawings of Hagakure's real appearance. Of course, there weren't any official ones.
But he'd stumbled upon a ridiculous forum post that stuck in his mind.
User post: Please, I'm begging you. Does anyone have a doujin of Hagakure Toru? I've searched everywhere. I need to see one. Please!
Reply: …
Next reply: Thanks, dude. You're a real hero.
Original poster (hours later): Screw this. Damn you, you 2G gourd!
Rin couldn't help but chuckle at the memory.
"What's so funny, Rin?" Hagakure asked, her voice bright and curious. She swung her legs playfully while tossing him a can of soda.
Rin caught it, popped the tab, and took a sip. "Just… something funny I remembered."
"Well, as long as you're smiling," she giggled.
A brief silence followed—warm, comfortable, and oddly domestic.
Then Hagakure's voice lowered suddenly, almost conspiratorial.
"Hey, Rin…"
"Hmm?" He tilted his head slightly.
"Why don't you just… stay as a girl from now on?"
Pffft!
Rin choked mid-sip, spraying soda all over the table.