(First POV)
A week later.
I sat on the sofa with dripped blood on my face. Wasn't mine though. It belonged to the guy I just killed on my mission. With a sigh, I threw away my suit, untied the tie, and then opened one button of my shirt. I put a cigarette on my lips and lit it up.
"Phew... blessing my ass."
Laughing mockingly. The Madam, my boss, always says, "You're a blessing for society, keep up the good work." I actually don't care. I just say yes ma'am so I can get home quickly. What a joke.
Finishing the cigarette, I looked around. From up here, the night of Tokyo surrounded me. What a beautiful view. Anyway. Slowly, I put it in my mouth—I could feel the cold metal on my lips. Closing my eyes, I was ready to put an end to all of this.
BANGGG!
.
.
.
Life is fickle. The universe doesn't revolve around you. We, people, are just moving dust in uncertainty. It's easy to say eat when you're hungry. Laugh when you need to laugh. However, it's not that easy when you don't have a penny to buy a slice of bread. Laughing when there's nothing to laugh about. Or having sex when you don't have bitches.
Well, I didn't seem any different. In other words, I couldn't just die simply because I wished to.
Blood dripped down from the sofa, moving fast to the marble floor, soon to meet its warm heat. However, before all of that happened—My body had already begun to reconstruct itself.
Well, technically, it wasn't healing. After reading all the data of the body itself—including the pain I felt, which now I felt 100 times worse than the original—my quirk, Regrowth, accessed my body's information within a specific 24-hour window before it was damaged, then copied the best condition from that time.
By the time the blood dripped to the floor, I was already healed—in under a second.
"Hah..." I sighed, leaning my back against the sofa. I could feel the blood on my white shirt, but yeah... I couldn't take my own life as easily as I had sex with this country's top idol. "That will be the 231,694th time I've tried it."
I smiled at this. I hate my life. Yet my body said, 'Oh, I don't think so, homie' on every attempt.
I switched seats. As I sat, the Home Assistant Robot began cleaning up the blood. My mind dived into the life I'd been through.
No one asked, but today is my 35th birthday. But my real age is actually 55 y.o. if I stack my age together. Yep, you know the drill. Guy in his twenties dies, meets ROB, and so on. I've seen these scenarios in plenty of fanfictions I read. Now, I'm here in the world of Heroes and Villains.
I opened my eyes as a baby. I expected a husband and wife to watch me eagerly. But all I saw were a pair of... what? Sex partners arguing over who the heck would take care of this tiny baby. Ah, I'm screwed! Seems I put my expectations too high. Thought it'd be like Rudeus' family, but my dad was gone for milk, and I watched my mom bringing different men into the house. Well, I learned later that my dad was a third-rate drug dealer, and my mom was a prostitute.
One day, at the age of two, my mom stopped coming back. I was stuck for probably days in that studio apartment before the landlord found me and called the authorities. I was expecting an orphanage, but instead, I found myself in a large white room with other... um, toddlers.
Of course, I knew where this was going. I was the last toddler standing. With me being the most potential candidate—and the fact they were shocked I had two quirks—seemed like Christmas for them. But for me, it meant my new life as the dog of the Hero Public Commission was about to begin.
Hell, it was hard, but I ain't Izuku. Life is shit, and I simply bear it. If people try to use me, then I'll use them even more.
"Ack, shit..."
The pain from reading my condition still lingered. Knowing the consequence of my ability, I was certain that I wasn't enjoying this. However, sometimes I believed my ability might be getting rusty, so I thought maybe... I could finally die—at least by my own hand. But nope!
Anyway, even if there wasn't physical pain, somewhere, the pain still lingered. I needed to fix it quickly in case an emergency mission came up. I just changed my clothes and grabbed my coat.
Vrrrrr!
I looked at my phone as I stood in the elevator.
"Oh shit. Well..."
It's nothing. Some old lady advised me to try a blind date through dating apps after I bothered her a little by sending Rumi to her care. I already met a few, and two of them insisted on marriage. I'm not into hooking up either. I mean, it wouldn't be a good idea to show them these marks.
---
Long story short, I arrived at the hospital affiliated with U.A. Academy.
"Oh dear. Don't tell me you did it again? Don't try to lie to me, kid."
A short lady in a doctor's white coat stared at me, her eyes full of disappointment.
"Yes. But I was just checking my quirk, that's all."
"But that's not how you do it—"
"Well, the best way to test mine is the old-fashioned way, Sensei. And it seems I'm healthy and not rusty at all. Alright, what about kissing me already, Sensei?"
It's not sexual harassment, since the person I'm talking to is Shuzenji Chiyo, a.k.a. Recovery Girl. She could simply boost a person's recovery and heal them instantly, which means she could also take care of this lingering pain in my head.
"I'm going to heal you, but this will be the last time if it's for this stupid reason."
Chu!
After she kissed my left cheek, I could feel my body beginning to recover, though it drained my energy. But this was nothing for me.
"Thank you, Sensei. I feel better now."
"Humph! Be grateful, brat. If you weren't my student, I wouldn't play along."
Hearing this, I smiled a little. She was my homeroom teacher back when I attended U.A. as a Support Item Developer student until I graduated. And it wasn't a coincidence—she knew my origin and the secret I was hiding back then.
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll treat you to some good sushi."
"You better. Anyway, how's your date, kid?"
"Don't kid me, Sensei. I'm an adult—"
"Don't bother. It seems I already know the result. Since you're at the age of marriage, it's obvious to me. My boy here has a good face and career. If I were her, I wouldn't waste my time either and would just offer you a marriage proposal."
"Everyone's just as busy as I am, and I'm not really interested in that. Hm... a stable life?" I chuckled. "It doesn't suit me. But thank you."
Sensei went silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"Listen well, kid. I'm old. I know what you've been through. I'm aware of how strong you are. Having two quirks that are compatible with your job... However, I'm also aware that neither your restoration quirk nor my own will ever heal one thing, Yuji."
"And..." I paused. "Which is?"
She smiled at me. "Loneliness."
"Ah..."
Her words were like an arrow through my chest. I mean, she had a point.
"Right. Thank you for your time, Sensei."
---
She was not wrong. I've been single even since my past life. Romance, in a situation where I can't even take care of my own ass, is stupid. In this life, hm, firstly, I'm not biased. Objectively speaking, I've got looks and money. Even my undercover job is something people want. But again, my real job makes it even more impossible!
Everything about my life is a fabrication. The friends I have now were built on a lie, therefore, I don't have friends nor deserve them. Even if somehow I got a girlfriend, it would only cause me trouble since my life is under surveillance. The current director of the Public Commission would surely use that to keep me under their grasp.
"Huft..."
Blowing out the cold air, I stop at a small shop selling takoyaki. Taking a small bite, I stop behind a queue at Shibuya Crossing. Tilting my head, I see holograms flying around. The city is full of them. In fact, cities around the world have adopted this. They abandoned traditional screens and chose holograms to cut the huge losses caused by the aftermath of heroes and villains. Thus, 3D holograms come in really handy.
[Hello! This is Mem-chan!]
A cute 2D girl in an 18th-century detective costume hovers around, acting all cute. When I saw her, I know she's a popular Vtuber. There are a lot of lonely people, so they buy AI girlfriends as holograms. This Vtuber character is one of many.
It's ironic, it's fake, but lies are the best ingredients.
[HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!]
The crowd cheers as the hologram turns into a big guy in an American flag-themed costume. Just hearing the man's laugh ruins my mood because now I'm stuck between people and forced to watch his next line.
[It's alright because...]
"I AM HEREEEE!"
The crowd responds energetically as the number one hero, All Might, says, "HAAHAHAHA! Correct! I'm HERE!"
So lame. This is why I hate Shibuya, especially when it's still in Halloween mode. Looking around, I'm the only one wearing normal clothes today. After finishing my takoyaki, I decide to go back to my apartment.
"Hiek! Mama! Mama!"
As I wait for the green light at the crossing—who the fuck brings a kid to this place and abandons her?! The kid, dressed in a Halloween costume, keeps crying, and no one seems to be trying to help.
"Kid, where's your mom?" I ask. The girl looks at me and points to the other side of the crossing.
"Your mom is on the other side?"
The girl slowly nods. "Yes... but I'm scared to cross the road on my own."
I sigh. "Alright, I'll help you find your mom."
She grabs my coat tightly while sniffing her own snot. I decide to hold her hand so I don't lose her in the midst of the crowd.
*Green light.
"Let's go, kid."
We walk onto the crossing.
BEEEEPPPPPPP!
Before someone shouts, "Get out of the way!" I already take the girl and shield her in my arms.
It's a bike. I can tell it's a superbike that just hit me! For fuck's sake!
"Ambulance! Call the ambulance!"
I lie on the ground as the kid in my arms starts crying, but she's safe.
"Kid, are you alright?"
That hurt like hell. Through my quirk, I detect a broken spine, ribs, a compound fracture, and arterial bleeding—surely, enough to cripple me. I can hear people trying to get help, but I've already sent an emergency code to Sensei.
For now, I'm more concerned about whether I appear too healthy. I have to make sure my quirk doesn't heal me yet. Although, I can fix all the fatal injuries except the compound fracture in my right leg.
Maybe I shouldn't have canceled that date.