Rin Hayami decisively chose to change the subject.
Luckily, Toru Hagakure didn't seem interested in pursuing the matter further. After a brief, casual conversation, the lively girl waved goodbye and left.
The narrow little house immediately sank into a deathly silence.
"I need to get ready to train."
Rin's clone was unusual. Even if it died, it wouldn't affect her real body, and while in its transformed state, it gained an exaggerated regenerative ability.
Thanks to this self-healing, any physical injury the clone suffered would rapidly mend, and its overall physical capabilities would grow tremendously.
The system's assigned "violent training tasks" relied on this principle: through continuous, high-intensity, destructive exercises, combat strength could be increased.
At present, this was Rin's only way to enhance her fighting power. Its effect? Well, it could make someone like Yukinoshita Yukino capable of lifting an astonishing eighty kilograms with just one arm.
Originally, Rin had hoped to improve her own strength. But to her frustration, she realized most of the training's benefits were absorbed by the clone, leaving her real body almost entirely unchanged.
This utterly ridiculous result left her feeling incredibly exasperated.
"Forget it! I'm done! I don't want any of this mysterious heroine X nonsense!"
…
The next day, 4 a.m., a seaside park's garbage heap.
"Ha—!"
With a sharp, spirited shout, a small, snow-white hand shot out, striking a battered old refrigerator with full force.
BANG!
Though it seemed delicate, the punch carried tremendous power. The instant impact dented the fridge, producing a metallic vibration that echoed sharply through the empty lot.
"Oww—oww—so painful!"
The sudden, intense pain made the girl clutch her hand and drop to the ground. Her skin was scraped, and her bones audibly cracked.
[Body injured. Self-healing activated. Pain slightly reduced.]
A dispassionate voice echoed in her ears, followed by a strange, warm sensation coursing through her wounds.
"Keep… going."
Without hesitation, the girl steeled herself and threw a second punch.
"Haahhh!"
BANG!
This time with her left hand.
Blood streamed freely, but she gritted her teeth and didn't stop. Switching back to her right, she landed a third blow.
BANG!
Her arms were soon covered in bruises and cuts from repeated impacts, yet she pressed on. Finally, under her relentless assault, the old fridge cracked apart entirely.
CRASH!
Only then did she pull back, clutching her bloodied hands and trembling from the pain she had endured.
"It's just a little scratch."
Anyone else seeing this would likely think she was a masochist. But Rin's determination wasn't born of self-punishment—it was a method to increase her strength.
Three hundred hours of violent training would not only earn some minor rewards, but it would also steadily increase the clone's power.
Though the improvement was limited and insufficient to face true quirk users, it did provide a substantial sense of security.
"Time for something harder—let's keep kicking."
Rin approached a tall, abandoned machine. She slipped off her shoes, clenched her teeth, and delivered a powerful kick.
"Ha—!"
THUD!
The machine shook violently under the impact.
Before any pain could register, she followed up with another kick.
THUD!
…
Hundreds of meters away, another corner of the garbage pile.
"Keep running! Adjust your breathing—don't stop! Midoriya, remember why you're here!"
A tall, wiry blond man stood atop a discarded cabinet, waving his arms energetically.
Nearby, a small, green-haired boy struggled under the weight of a cabinet, sprinting forward with every ounce of effort he had left.
Sweat drenched his face, muscles trembled, steps faltered—yet he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.
"Don't stop, Midoriya!"
Almost no one knew that the voice cheering him on belonged to none other than the symbol of peace, All Might—the strongest hero in the world.
No one could have imagined that this towering, muscular hero would appear here in such a gaunt, withered state.
His quirk, One For All, had been passed down through generations, growing stronger with each successor who pushed beyond their limits.
And the boy before him was the chosen heir.
"You can't stop now, Midoriya! If you give up, you'll never inherit the quirk and enter U.A.!"
"Ah!" Midoriya's pace, slowed from exhaustion, suddenly picked up again, muscles tensing to the limit.
"Huh?"
All Might suddenly noticed a distant sound. While Midoriya wasn't looking, he crept behind a pile of trash and peeked.
Over two hundred meters away, a figure cloaked in black was mercilessly attacking a massive, solid object with fists and kicks. Blood already coated the slender arms and legs, yet the figure's movements never ceased.
"This is…"
All Might froze.
Such extreme training—was she trying to kill herself?
Squinting beneath the wide-brimmed hood, All Might glimpsed a delicate, pale side profile. Long, black hair spilled from the hood, and subtle curves confirmed what he suspected: the relentless attacker was a young girl.
A small girl, training in a near-crazed manner. Compared to Midoriya's methodical exercises, this looked far closer to self-harm than building strength.
"This… this isn't going to help. I need to stop her."
As a hero, All Might instinctively wanted to rush forward—but then he paused.
The instant the girl stopped moving, her wounds began healing before his eyes.
"This… her quirk?"
Recovery-type quirks often appeared unimpressive at first glance.
"All Might! All Might! So you're here!" Midoriya's voice came from a distance as he ran over.
The aged No.1 hero relaxed slightly, stepping aside and pointing. "Midoriya, look over there."
"That's…" Midoriya moved closer and saw the girl violently ramming her knees into an old television.
"All Might… what's she doing? There's so much blood! No, no, it's too dangerous—we have to stop her!"
At first glance, Midoriya felt he had to intervene to prevent her from hurting herself.
But simultaneously, All Might held him back.
"Wait… watch carefully."
"What?"
Midoriya stopped, observing more closely. All he saw was the girl smashing the television with relentless punches.
"She's not harming herself—she's training, Midoriya."
"Training?"
Midoriya stared, sweat forming on his forehead.
"Indeed," All Might said solemnly. "There are people in this world who work harder than you could imagine. I've observed her quirk: a very inefficient healing ability. Alone, it could treat minor injuries, but it's almost impossible to become a hero with it. Yet she uses that very ability to train herself, repeatedly strengthening her body."
Midoriya swallowed hard. "Does that… actually work?"
"It works, of course," All Might replied, "but she's still only human. No matter how much she trains, she can't compete with a true hero. And yet… she doesn't give up. Truly, she's remarkable."