The best part of having a secret life was that, when things got too complicated in your public life, you could always bury yourself in the other half of your existence until you stopped thinking.
For Reiji, that usually ant work.
Investigations.
Surveillance.
Anything would do as long as it kept his mind occupied.
Because honestly, after the conversation with Himiko, sitting alone and thinking was probably the worst thing he could do.
The cold Musutafu air hit his face directly as he walked through the night streets with his hands in his pockets. Winter still felt especially harsh that year, and the wind swept through the avenues, carrying dry leaves and small bits of dust among the city lights.
He had no specific destination.
That night's so-called "mission" was more of an excuse to get out of the house than anything else.
Because even now, he could still hear Himiko's voice inside his head.
"So what am I supposed to do then? Just stop feeling it?"
Reiji slowly exhaled through his nose.
He didn't regret having set a limit.
But that didn't make him feel any better.
Because the problem had never been simply rejecting her.
The real problem was that he himself wasn't completely indifferent either.
And that made the whole situation absurdly complicated.
In this world, sibling relationships weren't even viewed as an absolute taboo. Quirks had warped too many things within modern society, including family structure and human genetics. Entire families sought to strengthen bloodlines of abilities through marriages between close relatives, and as long as the Quirk Factor was stable, there were practically no significant biological consequences.
It was strange.
But normal for this world.
And precisely for that reason, from Himiko's point of view, her feelings weren't sothing monstrous. Perhaps unconventional for so, but not sothing truly forbidden.
The problem was Reiji, because he hadn't actually been born here.
During the first five years of his previous life, he lived with fairly normal freedom before ending up trapped within the system that ruined the rest of his childhood. Even after that, until he was about nine, he still had so limited access to the outside world thanks to all the bureaucracy and administration involved in fully funding his experintation.
And it was precisely during those years that he ca to understand more about the world—through reading manga and stories, playing video gas, and many other things expected of a child his age.
And precisely because of that, the idea of a romantic relationship between siblings still felt wrong in his mind, no matter how much he tried to rationalize it.
It didn't matter that this world worked differently.
It didn't matter that biologically it wasn't a real problem anymore.
It didn't even matter that part of him understood perfectly why Himiko felt that way.
He simply couldn't cross that line.
It wasn't just his thoughts; even if it were slightly permitted, it was still frowned upon. It wasn't sothing common or easy for others to handle, especially if it was for genuine reasons beyond conversation or improving Quirks.
'It's cold...'
The thought popped into his head as he barely lifted his gaze toward the half-empty streets of Musutafu. The night air kept seeping under his jacket, and the smoke escaping from so nearby street stalls contrasted with the city's icy atmosphere.
It was late, late enough for all those souls who had been at a nightclub or out with friends to return to their respective hos or go elsewhere to tend to their business.
Luckily, he had other, far more urgent problems to think about.
His footsteps continued down side streets as he remained lost in thought; an overly lovey-dovey couple passed by him, but he didn't pay them much mind.
Until he heard a scream in the distance.
It was brief.
Muffled.
Like soone trying to call for help without making the situation worse.
Reiji barely turned his gaze toward a side alley between two comrcial buildings. From the entrance, he could make out movent quickly.
Two n were holding a young woman against a wall while a third tried to rip her purse off her shoulder. She struggled desperately as one of the guys clearly began to lose his patience.
In the distance, a man was running at full speed without even bothering to look back.
"Just stay still!" one of the assailants spat irritably before slamming her against the wall.
The woman let out a muffled groan of pain.
Reiji watched the scene for another second; the sa couple that had passed him just seconds ago had just been mugged, and the couple fled, leaving the poor girl to fend for herself against them all.
'Pathetic...'
"It's three against one woman," he remarked as he finally entered the alley. "Pretty diocre even for criminals."
The n imdiately turned toward him.
One let out a mocking laugh.
"And what are you? Another brat playing the hero?"
"No," Reiji replied calmly as he continued to approach. "I just want to walk in peace again, but I can't let them keep hurting that woman, and I don't see a hero around."
The tension rose imdiately.
The closest man moved first, trying to grab his jacket.
Mistake.
Reiji shifted his body slightly and struck the man directly in the ribs. He used only his physical strength, yet the crack echoed through the alley; the man fell to the ground, gasping for air.
The other two reacted much faster than expected; they let go of the woman and turned toward Reiji. The girl didn't take long to get to her feet and position herself behind Reiji; her face was on the verge of tears.
Reiji said nothing and continued to watch his opponents; one activated a Quirk that partially hardened the skin on his arms, while the other pulled out a short blade.
That did make Reiji frown slightly.
The hardened man launched a direct punch at Reiji's face, which he dodged by re centiters before responding with a brutal elbow to the neck. The man staggered backward but didn't fall like the first one.
The one with the blade appeared imdiately afterward.
Reiji managed to partially block the attacker's arm, but the blade still managed to make a shallow cut across his palm.
Blood dripped onto the cold floor, and the wound closed instantly.
He pulled the man hard, slamming his palm into the pit of his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and disarming him instantly, using his own body weight to spin and slam him into the one he had defeated first.
The man on the ground let out a small groan of pain as he felt his friend's weight on top of him.
Reiji barely noticed it before the last one tried to punch him in the face, taking advantage of his distraction. The blow was t head-on by Reiji, who had covered his face with a crimson mask that blocked the impact with relative ease.
"What?"
The assailant's confused thought echoed through the alley as a black bandage descended violently from above and caught the man who had his fist in Reiji's face before slamming him into the ground.
Eraser Head landed behind them with his typical weary expression as his immobilizing bandages moved around him like snakes.
The criminals reacted with genuine nervousness this ti.
Too much nervousness.
One tried to escape imdiately before being knocked down by another ribbon and slamd directly into the wall.
'Why... do I always run into Eraser?' Reiji's confused thought flashed through his mind as he instantly deactivated his Quirk.
"What a nuisance..." Aizawa muttered as he immobilized the last one.
The hero then looked up at Reiji.
And recognized him instantly.
"…Toga"
Reiji let out a small sigh inwardly.
Of course.
It was inevitable. If he'd connected the dots almost instantly back at U.A., it was obvious that now that she knew who he was, he'd recognize him right away. More importantly, he wasn't wearing anything to cover his face anyway.
The woman behind him finally took the opportunity to step a little further away from Reiji, finally calming down in the face of the situation. Aizawa gave her a quick glance to confirm she wasn't seriously injured before refocusing on Reiji.
"What are you doing here so late?"
"Taking a walk. I have insomnia due to my advanced recovery, and I usually walk at this hour… Though it's normally much quieter." Reiji gave the first explanation that ca to mind at that mont, even if it was only half-true.
"Uh-huh."
He clearly didn't believe him very much.
His gaze then swept over the incapacitated n and slowly returned to Reiji again.
"You move pretty well," he finally remarked.
Reiji barely raised his injured hand.
"My double Quirk helps."
The hero narrowed his eyes slightly; it was strange for soone to have two Quirks, let alone to see it.
"Double Quirk?"
"Accelerated regeneration and blood manipulation," he replied casually. "I can instantly replenish the blood lost by my second Quirk with my regeneration, as well as heighten my senses."
It wasn't exactly a lie.
Just incomplete.
Aizawa watched him for a mont longer before fixing his gaze on the woman and finally on the alley.
"Anyway, you shouldn't use your Quirk in public."
"And let them take advantage of her? I want to be a hero too, Mr. Eraser," Reiji said, justifying his recklessness with simplicity.
"..." Aizawa didn't know what to say; the truth was, he was about to go ho but heard the scream and ca to help. Clearly, what Reiji did was wrong, but from what he observed, Reiji had barely used his Quirk to defend himself, and if he took him to the police, it would be a long ti before he could finally go ho.
The hero genuinely didn't want that.
The woman lowered her gaze slightly, clearly uncomfortable being in the middle of that conversation.
Aizawa finally let out another sigh.
"This falls under self-defense," he admitted reluctantly. "And there doesn't seem to be any serious damage."
His gaze returned to Reiji.
"But you're still just a kid… You shouldn't be out here at this hour. Do your parents know?"
"..." This ti it was Reiji's turn to fall silent, as he ran one hand through the back of his neck, looking sowhat uncomfortable. The lack of a response made Aizawa look at him exactly like a weary teacher looking at a problem student.
Not convinced at all.
But not really upset either.
Probably because he already knew who Himiko was.
And because, all things considered, that did seem to have been a real incident.
Aizawa observed the scene for another second before speaking again.
"Go ho, Toga."
"Yes, sir." She paused briefly, since she didn't really know how to classify this immunity, but she made a small reference anyway. "Thank you so much for... saving both of us."
The woman finally reacted and quickly bowed toward Reiji.
"Thank you so much..." she murmured, still nervous. "If it weren't for you, I probably—"
"It wasn't who saved you," Reiji calmly interrupted her. "The hero saved both of us, please…"
She nodded quickly while nervously adjusting her purse. Reiji clearly didn't want to be involved in any way, a fact Eraser acknowledged with a nod.
"You weren't here…"
Reiji barely nodded.
"I know."
And with that, he finally began to walk away from the alley, his hands back in his pockets as the night's chill hit his face once more.
Aizawa, for his part, looked at Reiji, and then at the three thugs. He was clearly strong, and judging by his sister's character and what he'd seen the other day, he was a good kid. There would be no problem letting him go—at least this once.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the woman. He still had to resolve her situation... It would probably be much less tedious than dealing with a minor's illegal use of a Quirk in the middle of the night.
'Yeah… It definitely is.'
***
The room remained completely dark.
The only constant sound was the faint electronic hum of multiple machines running simultaneously in the shadows. Old monitors partially illuminated the room with bluish and greenish hues, reflecting off tal walls cluttered with cables, docunts, and accumulated dical records.
Amidst it all, one screen remained frozen on a specific image.
A fair-haired boy walking down a street at night.
The quality was poor. The security cara barely managed to partially capture his face before losing him among the city lights. However, it wasn't the video that mattered.
It was the information on the screen right next to him
Genetic samples.
Blood tests.
Cell compatibility.
Impossible percentages.
The old doctor sat in front of the monitors as he slowly reviewed each of the results. His bony fingers held several printed reports stained with handwritten notes.
And for the first ti in many years…
his expression seed genuinely shaken.
"There is no margin for error…" he murmured slowly as he adjusted his glasses. "The compatibility is too high…"
On the main screen, multiple data streams continued to scroll one after another.
Quirk Factor.
Cellular Adaptation.
Evolutionary Response.
And finally:
GENETIC SIMILARITY TO PROJECT ORIGIN: 95.24%
That percentage simply didn't make sense. It wasn't possible to have so many matches with Project Origin without any family relation.
No descendants were recorded.
No complete viable samples remained.
Not even All For One managed to truly replicate the original results despite years of subsequent research.
And yet…
A seemingly normal thirteen-year-old boy appeared to possess the sa abilities as Project Origin for so strange reason.
The doctor took a control, and the images began to change, specifically to the image of a bony monster staring intently at a hooded boy with tattered clothes and wounds across his body.
The blood.
It had all begun there.
Subject K-01's violent reaction during his adaptation was not fear, common aggression, or evolutionary chaos. It had been pure instinct.
Survival.
That creature's body recognized Reiji's blood as an optimal source of genetic stabilization.
Exactly as had happened with Project Origin.
"Could it be…?"
The sound of chanical breathing slowly filled the room.
In front of the doctor, a huge dark screen gradually lit up.
And a figure appeared from the shadows.
There was no visible face, really.
Only darkness.
dical tubes.
And an overwhelming presence even through a monitor.
All For One remained completely silent for several seconds as he observed all the data projected before him.
The images and videos of the boy.
The genetic compatibility.
The combat records.
The connections.
Finally, he spoke.
"Na?"
"Toga, Reiji Toga," the doctor replied imdiately as he organized several docunts. "Thirteen years old. Current resident of Musutafu. Recently moved from another prefecture with his family."
New files quickly appeared on the screen.
School records.
dical history.
Personal data.
Details about his strange scholarship.
The doctor's eyes shifted slightly to the side as a new information sheet appeared before him.
"Undercover agent for the Public Safety Commission," he continued cautiously. "Not officially registered, just a scholarship for a future hero, but the operational pattern matches too closely. We've noted his presence in several covert investigations; his abilities are always the sa."
All For One looked again at the frozen image of Reiji. Kurogiri's report about the snoop in the alley had provided the key to his investigation.
A completely normal appearance for soone who probably didn't even truly understand what was inside his body.
"…Interesting," he finally murmured.
The doctor swallowed slowly before continuing.
"Should we capture him?"
"No."
The answer ca imdiately.
Cold.
Absolute.
"It would be too problematic right now," All For One continued as Reiji's image slowly faded from the main screen. "The Commission would react too quickly if an asset directly linked to them disappeared. Besides, his sister is a student at U.A., which would have the entire press on our backs, and that scoundrel would likely get involved as well… We can't allow that, especially with Tomura's current preparations."
The doctor nodded slowly.
It made sense.
And yet… The temptation was great; if there was anyone alive with the Origin Project's capabilities, then it was essential to use him for the future evolution of Quirks.
"Then…" He hesitated slightly. "Do we observe him?"
"For now, I want to know what he's capable of."
The chanical breathing filled the silence of the room once more.
And then, slowly, another image appeared on the main screen. A pale boy with sky-blue hair was shown; he appeared to be tearing up what looked like a hero's poster. Red and blue were the predominant colors, but a hint of yellow hair was also visible.
"If there really is soone capable of approaching the level of the Origin Project again…" All For One's voice grew much quieter. "Then Tomura will need to evolve much faster"
The doctor barely looked up.
And he imdiately understood what that ant.
"The boy has a lot of potential; he will undoubtedly beco a thorn in our side in the future," All For One continued as he stared intently at the genetic records floating on the screen. "We have to prepare for that."
A brief pause filled the room once more.
"Initiate Phase 3 of Tomura's developnt..."
The doctor barely looked up; clearly, that wasn't part of his plans, but it wasn't a bad thing either.
"Understood."
***
Well, that's it for today. Finally, there's going to be a small ti skip to bring us closer and closer to the "Canon," although, obviously, so things (many) will change.
I hope you enjoyed it. The goal for this week is 100 Power Stones for an extra chapter. I hope we make it—last week we barely hit the goal, but I think that was more because I was absent than anything else.
Anyway, I hope you can show your support with so Power Stones, or a review, or a comnt—whatever you want!
If I see a lot of support, I'll consider giving two chapters instead of one. (Yes, that's blackmail.)
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