The Three-Treasure Ramen at the chubby owner's shop really did live up to its reputation. At the very least, the flavor alone was enough to make Aoyama Akira decide that this place would become a regular stop for him in the future.
After finishing the complimentary juice the owner had given him, Akira stood up to settle the bill. The bowl of ramen cost ¥500. For him right now, that was a reasonable expense he could still afford.
Ramen in Japan wasn't exactly cheap. ¥500 was already considered a low price. In some areas, a single bowl could cost ¥1,000 or more, which was definitely a luxury for Akira at his current stage. Still, as long as he managed his spending carefully, meals like this were within reach.
"Take care, kid! Come again next time!" the owner called out, waving cheerfully.
Akira smiled back and nodded, promising to return.
The warmth from the ramen spread through his body as he stepped outside. It was early April, and cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Pale pink petals drifted through the air and gathered on the ground, beautiful yet fleeting.
Watching the petals fall, Akira's gaze grew distant.
"Who knows… maybe this world will change because of us," he murmured.
The "us" he referred to included himself and the other three travelers. Their presence alone could alter the course of events, subtly or drastically reshaping the future.
What Akira wanted was simple: to grow strong enough to surpass the other three—without interfering with the natural flow of events. As long as the main storyline remained intact, he could protect his own small piece of peace.
But if someone showed no restraint—if they pushed beyond the line—Akira would not tolerate it.
He wasn't a coward, nor was he someone who swallowed humiliation in silence.
If you give me respect, I'll return it in kind.If you push me, I'll push back harder.
"And who exactly do you mean by 'us'?"
A clear, familiar voice rang out behind him.
Akira turned around—and froze.
Standing there was someone who looked almost unreal, like she had stepped straight out of a fantasy.
Yaoyorozu Momo.
The future vice-representative of Class 1-A, widely regarded as the "class flower" of the Hero Course. It was said that even Midnight had once commented on her elegance and beauty. Seeing her in person now, the description felt completely accurate.
What confused Akira was why Yaoyorozu Momo was here—and why she had spoken to him.
She was known for being polite but distant, rarely striking up conversations with strangers. And right now, they were nothing more than strangers. Even if Akira knew he looked decent, he didn't believe that alone would prompt her to talk to him.
"It's nothing," Akira replied with a light smile, showing a row of white teeth. "Where are you headed?"
Seeing that Akira clearly didn't intend to elaborate, Yaoyorozu lost interest. She had only spoken up because she happened to pass by and noticed him staring at the sky while talking to himself. What he said sounded intriguing, but since he didn't want to continue, there was no need to press further.
She smiled politely and walked past him, soon disappearing down the street.
Akira didn't feel disappointed at all. On the contrary, he found the encounter interesting. Meeting someone who would one day be his classmate in Class 1-A made the future feel closer—more real.
What kind of stories awaited him and the Hero Course students?
That was something for later.
Right now, the most important thing was improving his Quirk. Otherwise, he wouldn't even qualify to pass U.A. High School's entrance exam.
Only the truly outstanding could enter Class 1-A.
Akira shook himself out of his thoughts and crossed the street. Tonight, he would take a shower and get a proper night's sleep. Tomorrow, he would head to Seaside Park and begin serious training.
The next morning, Akira finished breakfast and left before sunrise. His destination was Seaside Park.
Parts of the coastline there had been buried in trash for years. Ocean currents washed debris ashore constantly, and illegal dumping only made it worse. Local residents avoided the area entirely.
Which made it perfect.
Unless someone deliberately came looking, Akira's training wouldn't attract any attention.
By the time he arrived, the sun was rising from the horizon. A golden disk emerged from the sea, bathing the world in warm light.
Under the morning sun, Akira began training his body.
Physically, he was average by normal standards. He could do a little over thirty push-ups in one go. Forty squats were manageable. Pull-ups were harder—six clean reps was his limit. His long-distance running endurance was barely passable.
So his priorities were clear: endurance, strength, and flexibility.
Only once those reached a certain baseline could he properly train his Quirk.
Midoriya Izuku had been the same in the beginning. His body had ranked near the bottom among his peers. The power All Might intended to pass on—One For All—required a strong physique, something Midoriya had completely lacked at first.
In that sense, their starting points weren't all that different.
The difference was that Akira's physical condition was slightly better across the board. Just slightly.
"One… two… three…"
Sweat poured down Akira's face as he counted each push-up through clenched teeth. What he needed was raw strength, not muscle definition.
Training for muscle growth followed a different method—sets and reps. For example, five sets of twelve push-ups with one to two minutes of rest between sets. That kind of structure was ideal for building muscle.
But for strength?
Going until complete exhaustion in a single stretch was far more effective.
The same principle applied to squats and pull-ups.
Akira managed thirty-five push-ups in one go before collapsing onto the sand, gasping for breath. That was his limit for the day.
After a brief rest, he moved on to squats and pull-ups. There were no proper pull-up bars in Seaside Park, but the nearby dumping area was filled with metal poles and frames. He made do with those.
Half a month passed.
By then, Akira could perform seventy push-ups in a single breath—without using Holy Light. With his Quirk enhancing his body, reaching one hundred and forty was no problem at all. Holy Light was an energy-based Quirk that could temporarily reinforce the body.
He could do one hundred and twenty squats in one go. Pull-ups remained the hardest—twelve clean reps was his current limit.
That same day, the sludge villain incident appeared on the news.
What reassured Akira was that the event had unfolded exactly as it should have. Bakugo Katsuki had been captured and nearly assimilated by the sludge villain. Midoriya Izuku had rushed forward in desperation to save him, only to be stopped.
In the end, All Might arrived and defeated the villain.
The sludge criminal was taken into custody.
Everything followed the original course.
Akira felt no urge to go to the scene. With his current strength, he would only have gotten in the way. Worse, he didn't want to draw attention to himself. If the other three travelers discovered his movements, it would only invite trouble.
When you were weak, keeping a low profile was the wisest choice.
Quietly accumulating strength—that was the correct path.
After the sludge incident, All Might's condition deteriorated rapidly. At dusk, he met Midoriya Izuku once more. Moved by the boy's courage, All Might finally decided to pass on One For All.
Inheriting One For All was no simple matter. It demanded a powerful body. And so began All Might's brutal training regimen for Midoriya Izuku.
Everything progressed just as it should.
Though Akira, All Might, and Midoriya Izuku were technically training in the same location, the sheer size of Seaside Park ensured that they never crossed paths. Countless garbage zones dotted the coastline, and Akira was just one figure training beside one of them.
For now, that was enough.