Between Lines Unwritten (1)

I was already awake, sprawled out on my bed, lazily scrolling through my phone.

My thumb flicked the screen, but my mind wasn't really on what I was reading.

Instead, it kept drifting back to last week's mess.

Things that shouldn't have happened but somehow did.

I was elected as vice representative. That wasn't supposed to happen.

It should've been Midoriya and Momo, but somehow, it was me.

Although I later dropped the position for Momo, I was still baffled by how I got the position, considering I didn't even vote for myself.

Todoroki was supposed to be the extra vote that pushed Momo into the role of representative.

So, what happened?

Did he vote for himself? Or did he still vote for Momo, and something else threw the count off?

I couldn't remember checking at the time, I was too caught up in the absurdity of being the assistant representative.

Or, like Denki joked… did Momo actually vote for me?

At the time, I brushed it off. But now that I thought about it, was there actually a chance that he was right?

I furrowed my brows and dropped my phone onto my chest.

I had affected the storyline somehow. From when, I wasn't sure.

Did it start the moment I appeared in this world?

Was it when I replaced Sato as a member of Class 1-A?

Or was it that sparring match against Momo? I mean, I did lose my composure for a second there.

But it was something behind the panels, never actually shown in the manga, so I figured it wouldn't have any real impact.

Was I naive to think that?

Still… let's say she really did vote for me but why?

What the hell did she see in me?

What made her choose me over herself? I wasn't exactly leadership material.

I've been lazing around in class, keeping my head down, not trying to stand out.

I haven't done anything particularly special.

Unlike Midoriya and Iida who had admired their resolve, I don't think I've done or said anything that would impress her.

Heck, we haven't even had a conversation except for the training session.

Or… was it that training session?

Did the way I fought influence her opinion of me?

She was talking shit back then, I won, and—

My eyes widened slightly.

"…That's probably why she was staring at me in class."

I sighed and dragged a hand down my face.

Great. Just great.

Now I was spoiling things with my own hands.

To add to my list, there was Aoyama.

I could have gotten to him if only I remembered earlier that he eats in the classroom.

If he was truly the spy, I'd find another way to confirm my suspicions.

But at the very least, the story still followed the hallway commotion.

It made me wonder how much of this world was already shifting because of me?

How many ripples had I left just by breathing here?

And if I kept pushing forward… how much more would I change?

Would I even recognize the story by the end?

But is it worth it? Following the story till the end.

AFO is a major force in the story as he's the final villain.

If I were to follow the story, I would have to wait for a very long time till I might be free from his grasp.

Do I have the mental strength to do that? The very thought of him is suffocating, talk less on the impact he has on the family.

Even if I do change the storyline at some point, would it tilt to my favour or worse, could it favour AFO?

I couldn't help but let out a sigh, why was i even brought to this fucking world?

A sharp knock snapped me out of my thoughts.

I glanced up to see Ruki leaning against the doorframe, sipping his coffee like he was in some detective noir film.

"Hey," he cleared his throat.

"Hmm?" I sat up, rubbing my face.

"Got any plans today?"

I stared at him for a second. Did sleeping count? Because that was looking like the highlight of my day.

"Not really," I muttered, scratching my head. "Just seeing how the day goes."

Ruki took another slow sip of his coffee, like he was letting me marinate in my own lack of productivity.

"Hmm, I see." He finally spoke. "Care to tag along with me to work?"

I blinked.

It wasn't like I was against it, but… my father, the workaholic, actually inviting me somewhere?

"It's not like you'll be there the whole time," he added, like he could sense my hesitation. "Just a chance to see what your old man does."

I sighed, flopping back onto my bed.

On one hand, I could stay home, do absolutely nothing, and continue my deep dive into self-inflicted existential dread.

On the other hand… getting out of the house might not be the worst idea.

Not like I had people lining up to hang out with me.

I wasn't exactly winning in the social department.

My best interactions so far were either being distributed by Denki, and Mina, although she hasn't talked to me since the hallway incident

It was either this or spend the day scrolling my phone until my brain turned into fried rice.

"Sure," I said, stretching. "I'll get dressed in a bit."

Ruki gave me an approving nod, stepping back.

"I'll be waiting, don't take too long."

As the door shut, I exhaled, staring at the ceiling.

Great. Time to pretend I was a functioning human being for a few hours.

***

The car rumbled to life as I settled into the passenger seat, adjusting the seatbelt while my dad did his usual pre-drive routine—fixing the mirrors, tapping the dashboard like it was some kind of ritual, and most importantly, securing his coffee in the cup holder like it was a national treasure.

I looked at him raising an eyebrow "Aren't you supposed to be in uniform?"

He brought out a shiny metal from the compartment.

"Pop's a detective, I'm up there with the big boys. I'm not a regular officer."

"That's kinda cringe with the slang, old man."

"Alright," Ruki laughs as he muttered, shifting into gear. "Try not to fall asleep halfway."

I scoffed. "No promises."

He gave me a look before pulling onto the road.

The city was just starting to wake up, streets not too packed yet, but there was enough movement to remind me that people actually had responsibilities.

Couldn't relate.

A comfortable silence stretched between us, only filled by the low hum of the engine and the occasional sip of coffee from my dad.

Normally, I'd be content just staring out the window and zoning out, but something was nagging at me.

I glanced at him. "How do you do it?"

Ruki didn't even look at me, eyes focused on the road. "Do what?"

I shifted in my seat. "You know… deal with everything. The job. Him."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly. Subtle, but I caught it.

For a few seconds, he didn't answer, just took a slow sip of his coffee, letting the bitter taste sit before finally speaking.

"It's not easy." His voice was calm, like he had rehearsed this answer a million times. "Some days, it feels like… like there's always something watching over us. Like even though we walked away, we're never really free."

I studied his face. No dramatic expressions, no heavy emotions. Just a man stating facts.

"And yet you still do your job."

"Because someone has to." He tapped the steering wheel lightly. "Because if I don't… who will?"

I hummed, staring out the window again. I wasn't sure if I admired that or if I thought it was kind of depressing. Probably both.

"So, what, you just push it all down and pretend it's fine?" I asked, watching his reaction.

Ruki smirked slightly. "Yeah. That's called being an adult."

I made a face. "Sounds miserable."

"You'll get there soon enough," he said, sipping his coffee again.

"Yeah, I'll pass."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You think too much."

I scoffed. "I'm always thinking too much."

"Yeah, well, don't let it eat you up." He side-eyed me before adding, "You get that from your mother."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, so now it's Mom's fault that I have a functioning brain?"

"Functioning is debatable," he shot back.

I gasped dramatically. "Wow. Father of the Year, everyone."

Ruki just laughed, shaking his head as we continued down the road.

It was stupid. The banter, the teasing. But at the same time, it wasn't.

Because beneath all of it, we both knew the truth.

We weren't free.

Even if we tried to live normal lives, AFO was like a shadow stretching over us.

Always there.

Always watching.

I wondered if they regretted that decision, going past the moral line just for me.

In this story, I'm just a quirkless failure, they had to sell their souls to provide me with an opportunity.

I hesitated.

The question clawed at the back of my throat, begging to be asked.

But did I really want the answer? What if he said yes?

What if he wished things had turned out differently?

What he wishes his son was blessed with a quirk and he didn't have to go down that path as a detective.

The thought made my stomach twist but before I could stop myself, I spoke

"…Do you regret it?"

Ruki didn't react immediately. He just kept driving, fingers tapping idly against the wheel.

"Regret what?" he asked, voice unreadable.

I exhaled. "You know what."

Another pause.

The kind that stretches long enough to make you wonder if you should've just kept your mouth shut.

Then—

"No."

I turned my head toward him, raising an eyebrow. "No?"

He glanced at me before looking back at the road. "Do I regret the circumstances? Yeah. Do I wish we had a different choice? Of course. But regret?" He shook his head. "No."

I let that sink in.

"…Even knowing what we're stuck with?"

"Even then."

I scoffed. "That's kinda crazy, old man."

He smirked. "Parenthood makes you crazy."

I shifted in my seat. "So, if you had the choice to go back, you'd still do it?"

Ruki took another slow sip of his coffee, like he was carefully picking his words.

"If I had a choice," he said finally, "we wouldn't have needed to do it in the first place."

I blinked.

That… wasn't the answer I expected.

I turned to look at him again, but he was focused on the road, the usual smirk gone.

Just a man who had done what he thought was necessary.

I didn't know what to say to that.

So I just looked back out the window, watching the city blur past us.

———

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