Kenji
"I can't wait to go home," Kenji muttered sadly on his hospital bed.
Call him out on having a short attention span, but he had nothing to do in this empty room. His room didn't even have a TV! That was a crime beyond anything he could have imagined.
So, he was left with only his thoughts. But even that got boring after a while.
He was really annoyed that he didn't bring his phone with him to the mall that day, though there was always a possibility it would have gotten wrecked, so that he couldn't complain that much.
'I don't think I have enough money to buy another phone right now…'
Kenji was just about ready to head home and regain some sense of normalcy. Though "normal" for him might change very soon.
'Especially after this,' He stared down at his now fully healed body. 'This is just wild.'
A few days ago, he was lying here with a wound that he expected to take at least a few months to heal.
But not even a week later, he was all better and ready to be discharged. Heck, there wasn't even a scar left where the Seraph had slashed him.
'This definitely put me on some list somewhere,' Kenji grimaced.
There was a sudden knock on the door, and Kenji jolted a little as a doctor came in for the last time.
"Alright, Mr Aoyama, you're all set for discharge," He fixed his glasses a little, "But I've got to say, this recovery speed is very unusual. It's far quicker than what we'd usually see, especially with an injury like yours."
The doctor now openly and curiously gazed at him, a look that made Kenji very uncomfortable.
He was able to do a casual shrug to throw the man off, "I got lucky, I guess?"
The doctor raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Lucky indeed. It's very rare to see someone with your constitution. Have you ever done any sports? Military service, perhaps?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Kenji shook his head, "The only exercise I get is delivering packages at best. I guess I'm just lucky with my genes."
That sounded a little more like the truth for the doctor, "But don't expect this kind of healing to be the rule for every bump and bruise you sustain. I'm sure you don't need me to remind you that bodies are not designed to heal like that."
"I'll keep that in mind." Kenji chuckled, but his mind raced through the possibilities. The idea of his body healing so quickly, he started to connect the dots. In all likelihood, it was probably a part of his new powers.
The doctor nodded. "Good. Give your body time to adjust, don't do anything extreme. And remember, sometimes a quick recovery is a fluke, but if this… continues, you may want to get it checked. Just a thought."
Kenji slipped the papers into his bag, giving one last nod before he walked into the hallway. The doctor's words weighed on him as he stepped out into the corridor, replaying in his mind.
Honestly, he'd be an idiot if he didn't see any connection.
He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers slowly. The power he summoned that day didn't feel just like a boost of strength. His body felt… different somehow. He couldn't really place the feeling for some reason, but something was definitely different.
That power felt alive, like it was a part of him.
His thoughts drifted back to his fight with the Seraph. His brain unconsciously made a connection that seemed too far-fetched to be true under normal circumstances, but a feeling made him believe it might be the case.
'One For All?' he thought, the name finally appearing clear in his head. Almost like it had been waiting for him to remember.
'Did I meet a god and get an anime power as my isekai ability?'
If this followed the conventional tropes, then one of the possibilities is that he was given a choice to choose a power and he chose OFA, but forgot about it.
Other abilities from all kinds of fiction coursed through his brain. Super strength wasn't anything unusual, but the red veins and the lightning glow were super similar to OFA.
Could it really be the same thing?
The mere possibility sent a thrill through his body. If this power really was OFA, then he'd be getting a whole bunch of other quirks to boot.
He remembered Deku's struggle to control it, the way every mistake had cost him in blood and plenty of broken bones. This power wasn't something to use recklessly.
'Wait, then how did I even punch that Seraph without turning my bones to dust?'
The thought made his stomach drop. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up with every single one of his bones broken. And that was the best-case scenario.
Worst case, all his limbs would blow off.
'Scary…' Kenji was also sure there weren't any magical healers in this world that could heal him at a moment's notice. So broken bones would mean months of healing.
'Unless my fast healing is that good, but I don't really want to test that out…'
Finally, Kenji stepped out of the hospital.
He took a deep inhale, "Haah… Fresh air."
The sun was just about to drop, casting a golden glow over Nagazora. He was really glad he could hear the sound of traffic again, the hospital bed was really stale.
Or maybe he was just too overworked that a bit of rest made him uncomfortable… Who knows?
Kenji took a deep breath, his mind clearing. 'Alright, Kenji,' he thought, feeling a sense of resolve settle within him. 'Time to figure this out.'
Was it irresponsible to test his new abilities after getting out of the hospital?
Probably.
Was he going to wait longer to test out if he really had powers?
No fucking way.
Kenji made sure to keep his pace steady as he walked towards Nagazora's neglected corners. Where there were plenty of abandoned buildings and the occasional teenagers doing weird stuff.
The sound of the city slowly died out as he closed in on an abandoned warehouse. He glanced around at the area, taking a moment to see if there was anyone nearby.
Nope. Not a soul in sight.
'Perfect.' If anything went wrong, if he lost control… at least he'd only be scaring a few pigeons. And probably break a few bones.
"Alright, Kenji," he murmured, trying to reassure himself as he rubbed his hands together.
Turning his sights towards a rough-looking pillar, he walked closer to the concrete construct. He felt his heart beat faster with each passing second, anticipation and nerves building up in his stomach.
It almost felt like he needed to puke.
"No pressure. Just try not to blow up any bones... Please don't break any bones..."
Kenji closed his eyes and breathed deeply, concentrating on his heartbeat, searching his heart for that feeling.
He wanted to let it flow through him, control it rather than have it burst out uncontrollably.
But gradually a sense of warmth arose in his chest. A small ember had sparked within the depths of his body, and he felt it rise up and spread through his arm.
Finally opening his eyes, all the breath left his lungs as he stared at his arm. It was covered in a reddish glow, with crimson veins tracing through his forearm.
A relieved laugh left his mouth, "There you are."
The power was buzzing beneath his skin. It was an odd sensation, but not really bad. He'd probably get used to it after a while.
"This is so cool!"
Kenji clenched his fists, feeling the energy rush stronger. His eyes fixed on the concrete pillar, and he swung his fist forward.
BOOM.
The pillar shattered, sending dust debris flying everywhere.
"Whoa!" Kenji staggered back, coughing a little as the dust cloud settled. He blinked his eyes through the haze to see the result of his punch.
"That's fucking awesome, haha! And my arm is still intact!" But his knuckles did feel a little sore from the punch. Though the pain was not nearly enough to dampen the sheer joy he was now feeling.
A sense of excitement coursed through his body, but at the same time was a sense of caution. This power was too intense.
It was like lifting a weight he wasn't prepared for. Even if he had the strength, he could still hurt himself if he didn't have the proper technique.
So it looks like he won't get the anime protagonist treatment of immediately knowing how to fight.
He needed to lower the output. Which was a lot harder than it sounds, as it did take Midoriya a few seasons just to get Full Cowl.
But at least his limited knowledge of MHA could help him get his bearings quicker than Midoriya did.
Kenji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt the energy again, now a little easier, and tried to make it flow like a gentle stream of water.
And somehow, it responded. The flicker around his arm became just a tad dimmer.
He turned his sights to a nearby metal drum and gave it a quick punch.
BANG.
The hit was strong, but it was only enough to leave a dent. 'That's more like it.'
But as he looked around at the aftermath, a question crept into his mind.
'What am I supposed to do with this?'
An image of a red-haired woman flashed through his mind again.
Himeko.
She was a Valkyrie with immense strength. So much so that she was able to mow down hordes of Honkai Beast with ease.
People like her were heroes, but… He was just a normal guy who got a power-up.
Joining Schicksal, stepping into that world seemed utterly laughable.
This was real life, and not a power fantasy where he could just walk into the most important organization in the world and fight alongside people like Himeko.
He'd likely just get put in a mental asylum for insanity.
He had absolutely no experience, let alone training. Fighting just one Seraph nearly killed him. What if he had to save someone while fighting? That would not end well.
Kenji sighed as the adrenaline faded, leaving him feeling anxious. But a small, insistent thought sparked in his mind. Something that was absolutely crazy, but he couldn't throw it away.
'Why do I need permission?'
Who said he needed anyone to tell him he could be a hero? He was literally an alien!
If he could control this power, he could use it his own way, on his own terms.
The audacity of the idea made him laugh, "Yeah… Who says I can't be something more?"
It was reckless and definitely stupid. But for the first time in his second life, it felt like his life finally had a direction.
He didn't need a title or Schicksal's blessing, not that he really wanted to.
This was his power, his choice, and he'd use it how he saw fit.
/ — /
Kenji walked back towards Nagazora, his mind still occupied with his earlier test. His more logical and realistic side was taking over.
If he was really going to do this, then he needed to commit to it. Being determined wasn't enough. Having super strength wasn't enough.
He needed to actually train, and as much as it annoyed him to admit, he needed a plan.
Unable to wait until he got home, he found a quiet spot along a building near the riverbank.
He crouched down against the wall and pulled out a piece of paper he yoinked from the hospital, along with a little pen.
'Step one, figure out what this power could do.'
The strength was obvious, sure, but there had been more to it than just brute force.
There was the strange endurance he'd felt after the attack and the accelerated healing.
'Hmm, is that all?' Kenji tapped his head, 'Come on, think. Was there anything else that… Oh!'
That weird prickly feeling in his head right before the Seraph attacked him. He was pretty sure he felt the same thing back at the mall too!
'The only possibility is that it's Danger Sense.' But that didn't make sense. Midoriya had to train like hell before he could even use it. How was Kenji able to use it semi-passively?
After thinking for a while, he finally decided to write what was on his mind.
He wrote the title: [Abilities to Test], then listed out his thoughts:
___
Strength: Try lifting different weights, punching with different levels of intensity. Avoid breaking limbs (Very Important!!!).
Endurance: Figure out just how much faster I recover.
Other Quirks (???): Try to see if I can recreate that "danger sense" feeling. Maybe expose myself to something a little risky?
Limits: Keep to smaller percentages to prevent accidentally shattering walls or myself. Also, find out why I can use OFA without imploding.
___
Kenji hummed as he looked at the finished list. It was a lot of guesswork, and it was mostly based on what little he remembered of OFA and what he'd experienced so far, but it was a start.
Maybe it wouldn't be accurate, and it wasn't even One For All at all, and he's just being a hopeless weeb. But this would at least give him a direction.
Each line seemed simple enough on its own, but after remembering what Midoriya had to go through to master the power, the weight of what he was about to take on started to finally settle in.
If he went through with this, he'd never live a normal life again. He'd get himself into all sorts of danger and would most likely have his life cut short.
…But was living a monotonous, irrelevant, and impactless life really any better?
He hadn't been able to make a difference in his old life, and he'd spent too long doing the same in his new one. He wanted to be something more, to help this world that gave him a second chance at life somehow.
And now was his chance.
There wasn't anyone behind him, no one to help him if anything went wrong. But wasn't he already doing that his entire life?
"Guess it's just you and me, huh?" he muttered, glancing down at his hand.
He flexed his fingers, letting that odd but warm sensation fill his body again.
A part of him wanted to dive in right now, to see what he could do, but he knew he'd be risking his life if he pushed too hard without knowing his limits.
If he wanted this to mean something, he had to be smart about it.