TIME SKIP 2 years Later ( AN : This is AU and UA only Starts at 16 years )
The new apartment overlooked the ocean. It had floor-to-ceiling windows, a clean, open design, marble counters, and a private elevator. It was far nicer than anything Takeru ever imagined himself living in. The Hero Safety Public Commission paid for everything: rent, utilities, food deliveries, along with a generous allowance which Takeru never had the need to touch.
Over the last two years, Takeru had carried out more than twenty covert missions. He assassinated a telepath who was blackmailing politicians, neutralized a hero who used her pheromone quirk to extort gullible fans, and took out a villain broker who secretly supplied Trigger to half of Osaka. He ended a corruption ring run by three low-tier heroes who abused their authority to run a protection racket. Takeru felt no remorse. Peace had to be kept, and society was a set of lies agreed upon. An illusion, but if that illusion was shattered, all they would have was chaos. No one wanted the return of the age when might made right and people rampantly used their powers to do as they pleased.
His assigned guardian, Kurosawa Ren, entered the living room carrying a stack of neatly folded laundry. "Takeru-san, your clothes," Ren said as he set the clothes on the counter. Ren was thirty-three, always well-groomed and polite. His quirk, Soft Lock, allowed him to create invisible kinetic anchors in the air—useful for carrying objects, immobilizing targets, or stabilizing equipment. It made him an excellent support operative and household attendant. To outsiders, he was Takeru's foster parent; in reality, he was an HSPC agent assigned to supervise him without interfering.
Takeru nodded in thanks. "I'll take them later."
Ren gave him a small smile. "Going to train at the beach again?"
"No, just meditate. It is a beautiful sunrise I want to enjoy." He left the apartment without further explanation. Ren understood that Takeru didn't enjoy unnecessary conversation.
The private beach behind the apartment complex had become Takeru's favorite place. He floated cross-legged on the beach, feeling the warm breeze and listening to the sound of the ocean. Takeru could hold his breath for weeks, something he had discovered by accident. The scientists had told him that although they had classified him as having a mutant quirk, they had no clue as to how it came to pass, as there was no genetic match for him in any database they could access. The quirk scientists believed he was bioengineered. There were nanites in his body that gave him super-strength and speed, making his muscles stronger and granting him his invulnerability and rapid healing. Even his flying was a result of his ability to will his nanites to create negative mass, enabling him to fly.
Takeru had still not come to terms with his reincarnation. He kept himself busy, but in quiet moments, his thoughts went to his previous life. He thought of his parents and his friends, the suffering his death must have cost them, and all the dreams he had left unfulfilled. Now he had been reborn as some invulnerable superhero who was essentially immortal. The scientists had discovered that he would never age, or would age so slowly that he would live for thousands of years. Eternal youth was not an enticing prospect when every relationship he would ever form would just crumble to dust while he would live on.
His deep musings were interrupted when he smelled floral shampoo and pre-workout. He opened his eyes to look into curious blue ones staring back at him. A beautiful girl was staring curiously at him with a smile on her face. Takeru's eyes dipped down; she was wearing a sports bra and shorts. He could see beads of sweat on those big, beautiful ivory orbs.
Takeru and the blunette stared at each other for a minute before, in a chirpy, upbeat voice, she said, "Wow, you look so strong and you can fly? Are you a pro hero? I've never seen you before. Are you from abroad? The USA? Europe? What is your quirk? Is it an emitter type?" The girl started pressing her palms against his biceps and squeezing. "Wow, do you have enhanced strength as well?"
This was the first time Takeru had talked to a girl his own age in almost a decade, and the disregard with which she invaded his personal space baffled him. He stopped levitating and stood on the ground, towering over her. "Umm, I am Takeru Kurogane. And you are?" he said, trying to restart the conversation.
"Ohhh, you're Japanese! I'm Nejire Hado. My quirk is Wave Motion, and I'm practicing for my UA exam in two months. what about you what is your hero name ? What kind of hero are you ?
Takeru raised a hand to stop the girl before she launched into another barrage of excited chatter.
"You ask so many questions," he said, trying to sound neutral.
Nejire's face fell instantly. "People always say that I'm annoying…"
Seeing her expression sink made Takeru feel guilty. He corrected himself quickly.
"No—no, it's okay. Really. It's kind of… cute."
Nejire's head snapped up, eyes wide with sudden interest. "You think I'm cute?"
Takeru felt heat rush to his face. He forced himself to stay composed. "Uh… yeah. Of course."
"Are you a pro hero then?" she asked, leaning in again with renewed enthusiasm.
"No," Takeru said firmly. "I'm only fourteen."
Nejire's mouth dropped open. "Wait—fourteen? Seriously?!"
Golden spirals of Wave Motion appeared under her feet as she floated around him, examining him from every angle as if he were some kind of sculpture.
"You look twenty!" she exclaimed.
Takeru sighed quietly. "I hear that a lot."
"So what's your quirk?" she asked, already circling him again.
"My quirk is called Smart Atoms," Takeru explained. "I can control the atomic density in my body to create what is called negative mass when I fly. I can also reinforce my muscles to increase strength."
Nejire's eyebrows shot up. "That's incredible. Seriously incredible. You could be a top-ranked hero one day."
She hovered in front of him, hands clasped behind her back. "Do you plan on going to U.A.?"
Her eager expression reminded him how little interaction he'd had with people his age. For years he'd been isolated in Commission facilities, trained like a weapon, conditioned to think like a soldier. The idea of entering a normal school—especially one as renowned as U.A.—felt strange but not unpleasant.
He had originally planned to follow Hawks's path: get licensed at eighteen, open an agency with the Commission's support, and rise to the top as quickly as possible. But U.A. was different. U.A. was a network, a gateway to society, a prestigious institution like Harvard in his old world. And after years of isolation, integrating into the world didn't seem like a bad idea.
"I think I might," Takeru said, smiling faintly.
Nejire lit up immediately. "Really?! That's awesome!"
She floated closer again. "Do you want to train with me? You look really strong."
Takeru couldn't hold back a grin. "I suppose I can."
Nejire's delighted laugh echoed across the beach, and for the first time in years, Takeru felt something warm settle in his chest something simple and human.