MHA: LAW OF MOTION

CHAPTER TWO

It had been exactly two months since Hana and I became friends. Nothing much had changed in my school life. The subjects were still so easy that they seemed insignificant, and the teachers still praised me for being a genius.

The only real change was that I had opened up a little to my classmates. I still profusely disdained interacting with four-year-olds, but, somehow, the little rug rats had grown on me.

Mother was overjoyed when a group of students came over last week. I was sure she was relieved—after all, in her eyes, her son displayed deep anti-social tendencies. Playdates, sports events—none of the activities that involved group participation had ever piqued my interest.

Until recently, she had slowly resigned herself to the fact that her son was anti-social. But then, defying all expectations, I started getting along with others. She noticed how I went from taciturn and apathetic to a child who smiled brightly.

Honestly, I hadn't realized how much I needed proper human interaction. Because of my secret—my rebirth—I had been unduly cautious about everything, from my relationships with my birth parents and sibling to my interactions with my peers. Realizing this was a toxic approach to life, I had slowly started opening up to others, and my relationship with my family had seen a qualitative leap.

My brother was a bit taciturn, but he was genuinely fun to be around. Games, movies, even his choice in heroes were a lot like mine. He might have looked mean, but whenever I asked, he always took the time to entertain my whims. My older brother, Takeru, was a nine-year-old elementary school kid. Light brown skin, straight dark hair, and dead-fish eyes. He was reasonably tall, standing at 5'1". As a matter of fact, every single one of my family members was reasonably tall—my dad stood at an impressive 6'3", while my mom was 5'11".

Sports, academics, even games—Takeru was a veritable prodigy. In a world where quirks could allow people to think at faster speeds, grant them stronger bodies, and overall enhance their capabilities, my brother crushed all the individuals in his class with his mortal body. Takeru was quirkless—and he didn't give a shit.

Even though his dead-fish eyes could fool someone into thinking he was unmotivated and nonchalant, my brother hid an obsessive madness behind that façade. He refused to lose to anyone. For that, I was grateful. The fact that he saw me as an exception showed that he genuinely cared about me.

Although I had been reluctant before, I had gradually come to accept this family entirely.

That was why, seeing my dad convulsing on the floor in a pool of his own blood, my mind went blank.

Ten Hours Earlier

Sapporo was a big city with a slow pace of life. Unlike Tokyo—a bustling metropolis ranked among the world's major cities—Sapporo could only be described as a rural backwater in comparison.

The people here didn't mind, though. We weren't as densely populated or popular, but it was a nice place to live. We also had famous mountains, really cool national parks, and hot springs—which brought us to our agenda for today.

"Let's all go to a hot spring today," my dad said abruptly as he walked into the dining area while my mom was serving breakfast.

"Honey, what's this all about? This is a very sudden development—springing this up on us like that," my mom said in her signature drawling tone. Sometimes I worried for her—she always seemed tired for some reason. I couldn't help but wonder if Dad was wearing her out.

My dad immediately pulled out a chair for my mom while proceeding to set the dinner plates on the table in her stead. "I just thought we should all do something together today. I've been pretty busy with work lately, and I haven't set time aside to be with you all."

"Also…" Dad walked into the kitchen and brought out the pancakes Mom had prepared. "You've been doing great, Izumi—taking care of the house and the kids—so I felt I needed to show my appreciation." He immediately got to serving the pancakes.

"I didn't make any preparations for this. What am I going to wear? Should I put on makeup? We'd also need to get the kids ready, and—"

"Ssssh…" My dad ruffled my mom's hair and planted a kiss on her head, while she purred contentedly—all while Takeru and I watched with mild discomfort at their blatant PDA.

"You look pretty in whatever you wear."

That was really smooth.

I thought to myself while stuffing my mouth with Mom's pancakes.

Usually, my dad's interactions with my mom went like this—corny displays of affection from my dad and reluctant acceptance from my mom, who, despite her stoic face, I could tell was inwardly preening. Maybe. She had such a blank expression that I couldn't really tell.

"Oh, and Rio, Takeru—you've both been doing really great at school. Your teachers are all praising your performances. You guys must have worked really hard. I'm proud of you both," my dad said, beaming as he took his seat at the head of the table.

I was tempted to tell him that I hadn't really worked hard for those results—that I was an adult cosplaying as a child who had gone through this stage before. But instead, I just smiled and said, "Thank you."

Takeru, on the other hand, just grunted in acceptance while taking another bite of his pancakes. But I could tell from the small smirk curling at his lips that he was really happy.

After the meal, Takeru took the plates to the kitchen while I followed to offer my assistance, even though I couldn't naturally reach the sink. He quickly shooed me away, an action that annoyed me, but I reluctantly accepted his foolishness.

Humming absentmindedly, I got dressed for the outing. Despite having traveled in my past life, I had never been to a hot spring before, so I couldn't deny that I was a little excited. I threw on my All-Might hoodie and a pair of jeans.

Running down the stairs, I found my brother already dressed. He smirked triumphantly, the little shit, and then asked if I wanted to play a quick game before our parents came down. Never one to back down from a challenge, I immediately sat down, ready to destroy this arrogant brat.

By the time the game loaded, our parents had already arrived, and we both reluctantly put down our controllers to head to the car.

The drive to the resort was silent, with nothing but the snow-capped hills and the occasional passing car as our company.

When we arrived, Takeru and I immediately raced down the hallway while Dad got out to open the door for Mom.

The day passed quickly. The hot springs were an interesting experience, though nothing particularly noteworthy happened.

After checking out, Takeru and I sprinted toward the car. He won by such a slight margin that it would seem as though I had let him win intentionally. (It was not a slight margin at all).

"Go slowly, kids. I wouldn't want either of you to slip on the snow," Mom called out, sounding a little more energetic.

We descended the winding hills as my parents discussed when we could visit again. I stared out the window, watching a parkour stickman jump across power lines and speeding cars in my imagination.

"Oops, I could've sworn I covered this earlier," Dad muttered in mild annoyance.

"What is it, honey?" Mom asked with... concern?

"It's not a big deal. We're almost out of gas. We'll have to make a stop."

A few minutes later, we pulled into a gas station.

"Does anyone need anything from the mart? I'm going to pick up some things," Mom said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"I want a bag of chips," Takeru said, focused on his handheld game.

"I'm coming with you, Mom. I don't want to sit in the car," I said, unbuckling as well.

She cracked a small smile and took my hand.

We walked in silence, the atmosphere calm and serene.

Then, the screech of tires shattered that peace.

Gunshots rang out.

Three armed men stepped out of a taxi, their masked faces hard with resolve.

I could only watch in horror as they pointed their guns at my father's back as he tremblingly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

The robbers marched toward the store, their presence suffocating. The sparse customers, the cashier, and even my mother and I stood frozen in fear.

Inside, they fired two shots into the ceiling.

"Okay, people, nobody move! Hands in the air! Move funny, activate your quirks, and I'll blow your fucking heads off! Y'hear me?"

Silence. No one dared to move.

The leader's eyes burned as he scanned the room, his gun trailing over each of us. Meanwhile, one of his men forced the cashier to empty the register, stuffing the sparse cash into a duffel bag.

Dad and Mom were communicating subtly, their hands making small gestures, their eyes flickering with understanding. But the leader noticed.

"Hey, you! What did I say earlier? Huh? You lookin' down on me or something?"

The gun was now trained on my father.

Mom's eyes went wide as saucers, her whole body trembling. Dad, seeing this, softened his expression. He smiled at her, bright and calm.

"Hey, dude, you need to relax. Nobody here is resisting. You can take your money and leave. No cops, no heroes—just go."

Then, a fourth man burst into the store, his face bare, sweat beading on his forehead. "Boss, bad news! I heard sirens—we gotta scram, quick!"

"Tatsuo, you idiot! Where the hell is your mask?!"

The air in the store thickened.

I saw it all in an instant—confusion, understanding, then cold, calculating resolve.

The leader had made his decision.

He wanted to silence us.

Dad lunged at him, grappling for the gun. The two struggled, hands locked in a desperate battle for control.

For a moment, the other robbers hesitated, unsure whether to interfere.

Then—

BANG

A single shot rang out.

Dad staggered.

His hand clutched his chest in disbelief. His knees buckled. He collapsed onto the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

"DAAVIIIDD!!" Mom's anguished scream tore through the store, raw and filled with more emotion than I had ever heard from her in my life.

The leader sighed, shaking his head.

"Didn't mean for things to get messy. But one of you idiots called the cops. Don't worry, this'll be quick."

He raised the gun to Mom's head.

And then—

The world went still.