'Ah... I fell asleep.'
Waking up and seeing an unfamiliar ceiling gives me déjà-vu for some reason.
Looking around the room to see that I am currently in a hospital. The smell of medicine and antibacterial scents cleared my mind.
'I really let down my guard this time.' Sighing, I notice that I'm wearing something different.
My jumpsuit was replaced with a hospital gown that consists of a separate top and bottom. My helmet and ribbon are also go-
"My ribbon?!"
Abruptly sitting up, I immediately check closest place near me, the beside table and breathe a sigh of relief to find my ribbon right there. Scrutinizing each detail on it, double checking just to be sure it's mine and not some copy.
This is very important to me after all. I would've panicked if my lost something so precious. Nearly everyone from Gensokyo had a ribbon so losing mine is almost as bad a losing a hand.
Tying a bow at the back of my head and waiting for someone to appear. Since I've already told Recovery Girl of my origin, I assume she already told nezu.
No use crying over spilt milk, might as well take advantage of the situation. Although I am curious as to what will happen next.
After waiting for a few more minutes in boredom, someone finally knocks on the door.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Entering the room is All Might, a bone-thin man wearing the same hospital gown and covered in bandages. He has sharp, angular features and long limbs, his neck extended and his eyebrows absent. His hair is wavy, with two long strands coming down from his hairline and framing his face.
On his shoulders is the infamous principal of U.A. sporting a white dress shirt, a dark red tie around his neck, a black double-breasted waistcoat and matching dress pants.
And the last person just so happened to be Recovery girl who was also the first person to speak.
"You're finally awake. You've been asleep for a while now, 5 hours in fact. Does anything hurt? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"I feel fine." Even if I sound calm, my heart is practically beating out of my chest. Having my face exposed after all this time is nerve-racking, not to mention being seen by a bunch of big shots.
"I see. That's good to hear, dearie." She gave a gentle smile. "As for these to gentlemen behind me-"
"My name Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might. I'd like to thank you for saving my life." He said while gave a deep bow.
"N-no, it's fine. Please raise your head."
'I know he's grateful and all but isn't this too much? Being reborn and living here for the past 10 years gave a sense of just how much this implies. It's like, one of the biggest courtesy here?!'
All Might raised his head and looked at me. His sunken eyes and near skeletal physique made me feel guilty.
'I could have acted sooner or shoot lasers from a distance. If I didn't hesitate or get frozen in fear...'
Thoughts on how the situation could've been better, on how I could've done this or that. In the end, things have hardly changed from canon. All Might is still injured rather than healthy, plenty of people have died...
"...I'm sorry" I look down to hide my face. The guilt making it hard to look into their eyes.
'The fanfictions I've read in my previous life made if look so easy to confront strong people.'
'I barely dealt with people in my previous life. And I only interacted with the people of Gensokyo in this life. But even then, it wouldn't be in situation like this.'
Suddenly, a voice was heard in the room.
"There is nothing to apologize about, young man." Said Nezu. "It's not your fault that things have ended up this way. Or rather, things have gotten better than initially anticipated."
All Might walk over to the side of my bed and set down Nezu from his shoulders to the foot of the bed.
"The symbol of peace has survived, injured yes, but he has survived." He slowly starts. His black beady eyes focusing on me. "Not to mention the people you saved. If not for you pointing out their locations, they wouldn't have made it out of the rubble in time."
"Although it is good to reflect on your mistakes, it wouldn't do good for anyone to focus solely on the faults of one's actions." Recovery girl gently placed her hand on mine. "You have saved a lot of people. Never forget that, dearie."
"Ah! Where are my manners?" Nezu starts. "Am I a dog? A mouse? Or perhaps a bear? Not at all! My name is Nezu, the principal of the hero academy, U.A.!"
The place was oddly silent.
Ignoring the lack of reaction, he clears his throat before speaking once more.
"*Ahem*...You are in a unique situation." Nezu said after I raised my head to look at him.
"I have no doubt that, despite sounding completely ridiculous, you are speaking the truth. An environment- no, a world at least a hundred years ahead of what you have lived in is essentially alien to you."
He and All Might smiles. "And yet, you still strive to help those you can. Even with the confusion and anxiety you must be feeling, you find it in yourself to save others."
"Young man, you are a hero."
There are tears threatening to fall from the corner of my eyes at that point. I felt my face blush as happy as I was. It always felt nice to have your efforts recognised and appreciated, after all. Especially when you're going through hard times.
After calming down, the talk continued on for an hour or so as I told them more about myself and my current situation.
Omitting the important points, I told them about AFO's attack on Gensokyo before I found myself into the future. This seemed to shock both All Might and Recovery Girl but Nezu merely gave an understanding nod.
About how I wound up in this timeline by going through a Torii Gate and waking up in a shrine in Kyoto while not saying anything about the visions.
I also told them about my living conditions, from camping and internet cafes, to getting a bit money from thugs and delinquents alike. Of course, I didn't take everything but merely enough to count as pocket money.
I was nervous when I talked about this part. Not telling them, when they most likely had the capability to check security recordings across multiple cities, is pretty dumb.
I might sound a bit paranoid but it doesn't do much harm to be transparent. Especially after they've seen my face but also told them my situation. Trust is earned not gained, being honest here will help out more in the long run considering that I have no identity, social standing or overwhelming strength.
"Well, certainly, vigilante activities are illegal. However, no one has figured out your real identity for two reasons" Nezu holds up to fingers. "First, assuming your quirk allows you to multiply your head, obscuring your faces by growing out your hair is a good idea. You only have to be careful of not having them blown away by the wind or the like, but it was wise how you either made them huddle together or dispelled them directly."
"And second, you have no records to discern in any archive or registry simply because you didn't have one in the first place."
Nezu then puts both his arm in the air with a wide smile on his face. "Therefore it will be easy to give you an identity! In conclusion, don't think too hard and leave it to me!"
I was astonished, it was within my intentions to ask for help but having it given so easily is surprising.
All Might interjected before I could say anything. "Don't fret much about it, young man, you deserve this much from all the good you did."
"...un" I nod. "...thank you."
I felt as if some of the burden on my shoulders were lifted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days have passed after being discharged from the hospital.
Having Nezu vouch for me made most of the entire process a breeze. All Might wanted to do it to too but considering that we had to keep his current state a secret, only a small handful of people are to know of his circumstances. Therefore, he was discharged under his real identity, Toshinori Yagi.
Speaking of identity, I finally have one of my own in this era!
No more hiding! No more bugs and creepy crawlies climbing me in my sleep! No more stuffy and sweat-scented internet cafés!
After explaining their origin without compromising gensokyo, I convinced Nezu to help me sell some of my gemstones to acquire some funds.
They originally wanted to help me financially as a start up but I declined under the notion of not wanting to take advantage of their kindness. They only accepted once I proved that I can just sell some valuables.
The expression that All Might had on his face that time was all the more worth it.
Using the money from that and a little help from Nezu, I decided to get a home in Tokyo. It's close to all of important places so the cost was worth it.
Particularly two certain areas that caught my eye.
Anyway, Under the behest of Recovery Girl, I moved to an area near her place as she became my guardian.
'No matter how mature you act, you are still a 10-year-old boy' she said.
She volunteered to be my guardian meaning that my name, on paper, is now Shuzenji Kizuki.
It's not unheard of for heroes to separate hero life and private life therefore, even if someone investigates my origins they'd only be sent to a trail leading back to Nezu and Recovery girl.
The 'official' story is that both my parents are regular citizens who lost their lives in the recent villain attack orchestrated by 'Toxic Chainsaw.' Recover girl, real identity Shuzenji Chiyo, hearing that her grandson is now orphaned decided to take him in.
'Toxic Chainsaw' is the cover-up name for AFO. Since All Might needed to be separated from the public for a while during the onset of his thin frame, Nezu decided to use the 'poison' from 'Toxic Tyrant' as an excuse to push away the media.
Other than the three of me us, only a handful of other trustworthy people know about the actual status of All Might as well us the sudden appearance of the supposed grandson of the nation's top healer.
I am currently inside my new home, doing the finishing touches on the décor.
It's a standard 3LDK home located east some distance away from the heart of Tokyo. The place cost a lot but having plenty of money in the form of gemstones made me feel like a super rich guy living a frugal lifestyle.
'...Is my sense of money broken? Whatever.'
Believe it or not, this is actually a house on the smaller side. Because most heroes, particularly All Might, is usually active around Tokyo, made the place an ideal hotspot for people.
Having your safety guaranteed to be above 50% at all times is the main reason why living space near the capital of Japan is both expensive and large.
Either I get a 'small' private family home like this or renting a room in an apartment building, the choice was obvious. In addition, since I am technically acknowledged as a precious relative of Recovery Girl, a place with poor conditions would raise plenty of eyebrows.
That's why, even if this house is too big for one person, I had to live here. I like the place anyways and I enjoy the amount of space it has.
The place looked normal for the most part, if not a little bare. Out if the three bedrooms, I am using one and the other is turned into a simple guest room, just in case someone comes over.
As for the last spare bedroom, I turned it into a mini art studio where I kept my paintings and art materials.
In any case, it is still a temporary home until Gensokyo opens up. But until then, this place will be my home.