The world went dark.
Not the kind of darkness that came with closed eyes, but the kind that swallowed the senses whole — sound, weight, thought, everything. Something crackled in my skull, like a radio stuck between frequencies. Then even that faded.
Great.
Of all the brilliant decisions I'd made since my transmigration, apparently letting Mei Hatsume electrocute my frontal lobe with a defective prototype ranked somewhere in the top three.
"I'm such a fucking idiot .." was my last conscious thought. But even that fragment dissolved before being swallowed whole.
Then nothing.
Or—no. Not nothing.
There was a drifting sensation. Weightlessness. No floor, no ceiling, just... floating in black static. Like I had been unplugged from the world.
I couldn't tell how long I stayed like that.
Seconds? Hours? Weeks? Time didn't seem to exist here.
Eventually, something tugged at me. Not physical strangely enough. A pull, gentle but relentless.
At first there was nothing.
Then a sound.
Clink.
It came again: soft, metallic. Plates. Cutlery. And suddenly... pancakes. I smelled pancakes and syrup.
"Rei!"
A woman's voice called out with maternal gentleness. One I knew all too well.
"Come eat breakfast before it gets cold!" Sunlight spilled across a kitchen table, hitting a small glossy wooden surface and a blue ceramic plate.
I was sitting at the table — except… I wasn't me. I was small. Really small. My legs dangled from the kitchen chair, not quite reaching the floor. From my estimate, five years old, maybe six.
Which was ... Weird.
"Can I have extra syrup?" I asked, my voice high and childish.
"Just a little," she laughed, ruffling my hair. "We don't want you bouncing off the walls."
But I was already bouncing. Literally. Fog clouded my vision, and I found myself bouncing upon its clearance. Hopping from foot to foot in excitement because today was special.
Today, Dad was coming home from his business trip.
Dad.
Fog came again, bringing his face into focus upon clearance. Tall. Kind eyes behind glasses. Always smelling faintly of coffee and cologne. He worked for some company—I never really understood what he did, just that he traveled a lot and brought me presents when he came back.
He used to swing me around by the arms until I felt like I could fly. I remember shouting, "Again!" until we both collapsed laughing.
"When is Daddy getting home?" I asked Mom.
"This afternoon. He'll be here when you get back from school."
School. Kindergarten. I loved kindergarten
What I saw next was a schoolyard under the blue summer sky. Kids running past, shouting. Someone yelled, "Rei! Rei, come play tag!"
Tiny hands clutched a basic backpack. I felt my cheeks stretch in a grin.
I ran while laughing, the environment carrying squeals of delight and childish wonder.
"I'm gonna tag you!" shouted a girl —Yuki
"Heh. You gotta catch us first!" Yelled a blond haired kid with red eyes.
She chased after us, her quirk making tiny sparkles of light as her fingers glowed before shooting little fireworks at us.
"Hey! No fair."
"Hehe. No one said using quirks isn't allowed"
"That's bullying because I haven't gotten mine yet. I'll get back at you when I get mine. I swear it!"
The bell rang and we shuffled back inside, still laughing. My small hands clutched a sketchbook as I slid back into my seat. We were supposed to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up.
"Heh. That's easy. I'm gonna be a hero," a boy uttered with a puffed up chest. "Just like All Might!"
Then he pointed at me.
"Then you Rei will be my thinking sidekick. Just like All Might's first sidekick." My face visibly crumpled at that.
Then snorted.
"We'll see who's whose sidekick once I get my quirk." I stared at my blank page for a while. Then drew a picture of a boy with a big smile holding a ball of fire in his hands.
Maybe that would be my quirk, I'd thought. Fire. Or wind. Maybe laser vision. Anyway, it was definitely going to be something big.
Something that could make Dad proud.
Time passed.
I was slightly older now. Maybe six turning seven. The sky was a dull gray. Rain tapping against classroom windows as a teacher handed back graded quizzes. A red 100% circled at the top of mine.
"Well done Rei. Top of the class as always." My teacher said with a smile.
I had aced the tests as usual. Every single one since the day I was handed a test paper of any sort.
I was a favorite among the teachers fo my intelligence as a result. Though, not everyone seemed to agree.
"Hmph. What's the use of getting good grades if you don't have a Quirk?" Kenji said with a sour face. "My mom says quirkless people are useless."
Displeasure streaked across my features.
"I'm not an Quirkless. Mine's just ... late."
"Yeah. sure it is."
He laughed. Others followed. I clenched my fist. Mom had told me not to bother about them. Those who said I was Quirkless. That they were wrong.
And dad ... He told me exactly what to say to jerks who try to bully me.
"At least ... At least I still have hope for getting a really cool quirk. Being mean to me isn't going to make your quirk any less stupid."
The laughter ceased sharply.
Kenji's Quirk really was stupid. Compared to other cool quirks like Katsuki's, all he could do was stretch and wiggle his ears.
You could imagine what happened next. Kenji's face turned beet red before turning and running out of the class, tears in his eyes. I watched him run away, not understanding the lethality behind my words back then.
Things picked up after that.
The scenes continued to jump. Little fragments at first, but they were building something. Like puzzle pieces assembling into a truth I never got to see before.
Finally, they assembled alto display lunch at home. Our family of three sat at the table for dinner. Though dad just sat there staring at nothing while not eating. Mom forced a smile and told me to eat faster. Dad looked at me like he forgot what day it was.
He had been like that ever since he brought a piece of paper from the hospital. Mom said it was a test report.
"Daddy?" I said.
He blinked. "...Right. Sorry, buddy."
He smiled reassuringly. Or at least tried to.
His hand trembled as he reached for his spoon.
---
Hospital corridors. White light. Machines beeping quietly.
"He's strong," a nurse whispered to Mom. "This stage is… difficult, but there's always hope."
Mom smiled at me so gently it hurt. "Daddy's just tired."
My memory-self nodded, believing her. Because that's what kids do.
But I could see it now — the truth in her eyes. She knew.
I stared at the man in the hospital bed. His eyes were closed. Tubes everywhere. I remember wondering why they wouldn't let me hug him.
"Daddy will wake up soon, right?"
Mom's hand squeezed mine. "...Of course."
That was a lie. He never woke up.
___
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