PASSED
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~~~~~~[START]
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---
The sun brought reflected light through the slightly open window.
White, clean sheets covered my sleeping body, offering warmth.
Light moved toward my face, awakening consciousness.
I straightened my figure and looked to my left.
Sleeping like a child, fully covered by the colorless white sheets, Mei rested there undisturbed.
Her face resembled an angel's,
her hair falling as if by command far from her slumbering eyes.
So I rose in hopes of not disturbing her slumber.
I moved away from the room and headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up.
Thirty minutes passed, and I emerged fully prepared, still wearing my pajamas—the ones that brought me the most comfort.
In the kitchen, I began preparing breakfast.
Its smell, so strong and potent, woke Mei.
She rushed from my room straight to its burning embrace.
She stood there, her tired eyes half-closed.
"Breakfast?" she asked.
I smiled in response—a smile she'd grown accustomed to.
I fixed our plates, and we ate.
Yet my heart couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful life had been, at least since the last time I could remember—since his death.
Two years had passed, and just last week I'd turned 15. It was crazy how death could make most people lose themselves—so much that I'd nearly forgotten the day I'd been born.
Well, at least the day my past life had been born.
This one didn't truly have an identity.
So I'd asked Nagant to register it as the one I remembered
—December 20th.
"So when's the exam?" I asked, still savoring my meal.
"Next week. I got a recommendation," she said, her voice loud as usual, brimming with enthusiasm beneath its pending tone.
"It's Power Loader. He knows my parents."
"You mean the pro hero?"
"Yeah. Turns out he and my dad were best friends. They both attended high school in Seijin," she said.
Then she launched into how her father and Power Loader had met, explaining how he'd come up with the idea for his helmet.
I listened, but soon my mind drifted into a rare state of nothingness—the absolute ability to feel completely relaxed.
Two years had passed, and in that time, the hero safety committee had called me for only two assassinations.
The missions lacked the intensity I'd known under Mirai, slowing my progress.
Two years, and I hadn't gained another template.
The only silver lining was my heavenly restriction, now at 60%.
Unlike other abilities, it had proven the hardest to develop.
With so few missions, I'd focused on controlling the mass of my Liquid Metal instead.
Mei had helped me master it after I'd given her some to craft armor for herself.
My gaze shifted to Mei, who noticed I hadn't been listening.
I scratched the back of my head and laughed awkwardly, easing the tension.
She caught my act and nearly scolded me, but before she could, Night—my little bird—flew in and landed on her head.
I was controlling him through our connection, and though he grumbled faintly,
Mei grabbed him instantly and began stroking him on instinct, her attention diverted.
---
A week passed swiftly—the most uneventful week I'd ever experienced.
Unlike how some might find it boring, I liked it.
Now I stood with Mei's parents at their house, waiting for her return from U.A. High.
"Ken, we have some ice cream in the fridge. Want some?" asked Mei's mother.
"No, I'm fine, Madam Hatsume-san."
"Oh, no need for formalities," she replied, her expression softening as she raised a hand to her mouth.
"Leave the boy be," said Mei's father, stepping in from the kitchen. He draped an arm around her in quiet comfort.
"So tell me, Ken," he said with a wide grin, "what are your plans when it comes to my daughter?" His wife elbowed him in the chest, cutting off his grin.
"What?" he laughed, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of pain.
"Don't say that," she warned. "Don't mind him, Ken. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen." She left, still eyeing her husband.
He flopped onto the couch beside me with a loud sigh, took a gulp of his beer, and glanced at me briefly before looking away.
"You know, kid, I never got to thank you," he said.
"For what?" I asked, visibly confused.
"I don't know," he admitted, deepening my confusion.
"I guess for being there. From a young age, Mei struggled to make friends. She had them, sure, but I wouldn't call them friends if all they wanted was for her to build things—like bikes or cell phones. All I'm saying is… thank you for being there."
His respect was almost tangible, though I felt it should've been the other way around. I wanted to thank him.
"It's… you don't have to," I managed.
He just smiled, his eyes glistening with emotion, but no tears fell. Silence settled between us.
*BANG!*
The door slammed open.
"I'm home!" Mei shouted, shattering the quiet as if announcing her presence to the world.
Her mother rushed from the kitchen, eager for news.
Her father and I followed suit, all eyes on Mei.
I already sensed the outcome from her wide smile, but I still wanted to hear it from her.
"I got in!" she cried, joy bursting from her.
Excitement filled the room.
Her father, a towering man, lifted her effortlessly into the air, making her seem weightless despite her 15-years and 5-foot-3 frame.
With happiness thick in the air, we moved to the dining table to eat.
"So how did it go for Ethan?" I asked Mei, who was now indulging her ice cream addiction.
"Oh, he passed too," she said dismissively. "But you should've seen his invention…" She launched into a rant about Ethan's "Baby," inspired by All Might.
I couldn't help but laugh, and soon her parents joined in.
It felt different—like I belonged somewhere.
A feeling I'd forgotten, one I'd once deemed rare even in my past life.
It reminded me of Hideyoshi.
Yes, that was it—I felt vulnerable. A vulnerability that didn't feel dangerous, needing any defense, just acceptance.
"So, Ken," her father said, breaking the moment, "the entrance exam's next week. Are you entering?"
I couldn't help but wonder—about the unknowns yet to unfold, the dangers and challenges I'd need to face, the weakness of those I held dear.
"Yes," I said. "Yes, I am."
---
~~~~~[END]
120 stones for a chapter tomorrow