"You've got to be kidding me," Izumizuki Nagasaki muttered. "We're from a family of healing-type heroes. Unless a quirk evolves, how could something like that exist? If it did, I'd want it too. Where would you even get one?"
Kurose Haruto coughed and pressed a hand against his brother's head, cutting him off.
"Hey, why stop me?" Nagasaki protested. "It's not like our family's quirk is anything amazing. It's kind of unpleasant, honestly. No big deal."
"Nagasaki," Kurose Akihito said sharply, "watch what you're saying."
"I'm serious." Nagasaki glanced at Kurose Kuro. "If he could switch to a strong offensive quirk back then, of course he'd go for the best one."
Kurose Haruto let out a quiet sigh and looked at his son. "Kuro, no matter what, accept it first. Even if these quirks seem similar, they work very differently. Just in case…"
"Then can I just take [Super Regeneration]?" Kuro asked.
He was almost certain this was a dream. Borrowing quirks didn't make sense. If something like that were possible, the entire system of hero society would fall apart. Still, if he had to choose, he'd go with something practical.
Out of the six quirks, only [Life Renewal] and [Super Regeneration] seemed useful. And for his situation, [Super Regeneration] mattered more.
Kurose Akihito fell silent.
After a long pause, he spoke.
"Super Regeneration… was taken while I was still alive."
"…What?"
"Akihito, what happened?"
"Dad?"
The room stirred with confusion.
"Is that rumor actually true?"
"What rumor?"
"We heard that—"
"Ahem." The elder with the [Return to Soul] quirk cleared his throat. "It's not a rumor. His quirk was taken while he was alive."
He looked at Kurose Akihito.
"If I'm right, the one who took it… is the same person who's been targeting our family."
"All For One."
"All For One," Akihito repeated.
The others exchanged uneasy looks.
The elder sighed. "I didn't expect him to still be alive."
Kuro frowned. "What is All For One?"
The conversation was drifting into something he couldn't understand.
"A quirk," someone answered. "One that can steal abilities… and give them to others."
Kuro didn't believe it.
First they said quirks could be shared.
Now they were saying there was a quirk that could take and redistribute others.
It sounded ridiculous.
But if this was a dream, then it didn't matter. He could just listen. It was easier than waking up in pain.
Was it really that strange to dream about the dead?
He let himself stay there.
While the others continued talking about All For One, Kuro walked out into the yard.
The moment he stepped past the corridor, a chill ran through him.
His hands and feet turned cold. His teeth began to chatter.
Just moments ago, he had been warm.
Now it felt like he had stepped into winter.
The pain returned.
Sharper than before.
"Kuro?" a woman's voice called. "Where's your father?"
"Huh? He's—ugh…"
Kuro groaned as the pain surged. Blood seeped from his wounds again.
A pair of scarred feet came into view.
Something about her felt familiar.
He slowly looked up—
And froze.
A blood-covered face stared back at him.
His eyes widened as tears spilled over.
"Mom…"
The illusion shattered.
This wasn't the same place as before.
His parents were dead.
They had died like that—brutally, helplessly.
And he had been left behind.
"Kuro, don't wander off," Miki said gently, as if nothing was wrong. "It's not safe here. Go stay with your father, okay?"
"Dad… Mom…" Kuro grabbed her clothes, not caring about the blood. "There are so many people with him, but I… I don't recognize any of them. They treat me well, I think, but it feels strange."
"It's okay," Miki said softly. "They're all your family."
Kuro shook his head.
"I'm not used to it. They just showed up out of nowhere. They talk like we've known each other forever, but when it matters, I still feel like an outsider."
He lowered his voice.
"They died so long ago. And now I'm supposed to accept them? It feels… off."
He paused, then continued.
"I know this is a dream. They said they'd give me their quirks. That's impossible. And they're all so kind to me…"
His voice trembled.
"No one treats me like that anymore."
Miki looked at him, her expression unreadable beneath the scars. Her voice, however, stayed gentle.
"That's not true. You're a good kid. Someone out there will treat you even better than we ever could."
Kuro shook his head harder, tears falling freely.
"I had another dream before this. I saw what happened ten years ago. It hurt so much."
"It still hurts."
"I ran into a villain not long ago. That hurt too." He forced a weak smile. "Lying in that hospital bed… I even thought it might've been better if Dad hadn't saved me. Then I could've stayed with you."
Miki's expression hardened.
"What are you saying?" she snapped. "Your father gave everything to save you. And you're just going to throw that away?"
"…Sorry."
In the distance, Kurose Haruto called out.
"Kuro. Come here."
The others had finished their discussion.
The table was clean. The hot pot was gone.
Everyone stood dressed in plain white, watching him.
"Kuro," Haruto said, "we've made a decision."
"Even if you don't like our family's quirks, we'll temporarily store all six inside your body."
"You'll be able to use them, but there's a cost."
"They're incomplete versions—what we had during our lives. They won't reach their full strength."
"You can come back here if you need to," someone added. "But don't rely on it. You're alive. We're not."
"And one more thing," another voice said. "If this is connected to All For One or One For All… stay as far away from both as you can."
"Oh, right," Nagasaki cut in. "After you wake up, go to the waterfront park in the city. There's something there I wanted to leave you. I can't remember the exact spot, but—hey, stop hitting me!"
The others began talking over each other.
"Dress properly."
"Don't catch a cold."
"Take care of your scars."
"Find a girlfriend someday and bring her to meet us."
"Kuro."
"…Yeah?"
"Don't let us define you," the eldest said, stepping forward. He pressed his forehead gently against Kuro's. "The Kurose family is the Kurose family. You are you."
He pulled him into a quiet embrace.
"No matter what kind of life you live, you're still our pride."
"So… live well."
Kuro stood there, stunned.
Then he managed a small nod.
Cold.
The floor was cold.
The sheets were cold.
The moonlight spilling through the window was cold.
His hands and feet were cold.
And his stomach was empty.