(A/N: Edited Chapter)
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|Six years later...|
...
"Hmm..."
I groaned in annoyance as I lay on my bed with my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling with a lost expression.
"... What to do… What to do…?"
I muttered that question repeatedly, trying to keep my mind focused on the matter at hand... Or rather, on the question at hand.
... The question that has been haunting me ever since I woke up in this childish body.
"What do I do with my life now?"
It was a question that I had been trying to avoid for a while now. As to why? I was still a kid, and I planned to enjoy my childhood as much as possible... At least until the harsh life of an adult came knocking again.
However, it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
In the beginning, I ignored it pretty easily, focusing more on enjoying the freedom and lack of responsibilities that came with being a brat, and simply kept the thought that one day I'd become an adult again at the back of my mind.
The infinite free time, the chance to get my parents to buy me almost anything if I asked them, and the opportunity to do naughty things without control as I was but a simple kid. I enjoyed those privileges to the fullest during the time I have been alive in this new world, and thanks to that, it wasn't that hard to ignore the harsh reality of the passage of time.
However, by now, six years had passed in a blink, and as I became older, I became more and more unable to ignore the fact that my youth wasn't eternal.
I was, after all, still an adult inside my mind. My mind was scarred by the life I lived as an adult, and hence by the constant need to worry about responsibilities. As such, as I grew older, I also began to feel more and more pressured to hurry up and decide what I was going to do in this new life.
After all, a new life meant new opportunities and new choices. I was no longer held back by anything that might have led me to choose certain things in my previous life.
Plus, I now had several years ahead of me before I got thrown into the world of adults again. Which meant I had plenty of time to get new hobbies or skills.
If I wanted to make a solid plan for how to lead my new life, the moment was right now... well, not right now specifically, but as soon as possible, like right now for example—which is why I'm doing it no—argh, why am I even explaining this?
I could choose to study a completely different career from the one in my old world, I could become a professional player for any sport, become a renowned artist or musician... There was truly no limit to my choices in this life!
"But..."
But, even if I said all of that, the sad reality was that...
"I just want to be rich... and live a life of waste," I muttered with a pained expression, rolling on the bed to let out my complex feelings.
Eventually, though, I managed to put a temporary halt to my tantrum and began looking at the ceiling with a contemplative expression on my face.
Yes, that was my one and only desire.
I simply didn't want to get entangled in anything troublesome, nor did I feel like having big aspirations like awesome people do.
I preferred to take things slow.
Though, maybe I took things a bit too slow.
Even now, faced with an infinite number of possibilities for the future, I wasn't willing to put much effort.
But I suppose that was to be expected. I was a lame guy, after all.
Such was the kind of person that I was... or to be more precise, the kind of person I had become after losing all the years of effort I had put into my old life.
Like, how did you expect me to feel when I realized that the twelve years of school and the five years of college that I painfully led and successfully completed had become totally useless after I died?
What? Are you saying that since I completed college I should use the knowledge I gained there to make money in this life? Sure, that sounds like a great idea!
—if it wasn't for the fact that, when you live in a world with superpowers and superheroes, there are bound to be some changes to the society that reigns over it... More specifically, in what jobs still exist and which don't.
The career that I studied in my previous life was...
-Sigh...-
... It was one of those that simply didn't exist anymore, as with Quirks, and some technological and medicinal advancements, the career had become completely obsolete.
Thanks to that, plus having all my life returned to zero, it became hard to care knowing that all my efforts could easily go to waste if I were to die again.
As such, I was really reluctant to try to put in any effort in this life. Hence my current dilemma.
-Sigh...-
Honestly, I don't know for what purpose our god and savior Impostor would have reincarnated me here. If he wanted me to have some kind of great purpose, then surely there were better choices out there other than me.
… Like, you know, a person with motivation and great optimism?
Frankly, I think it picked up the worst possible guy for passing down any responsibilities.
But well, even if I asked myself why I got reincarnated here, I doubt I'd get an answer.
'I didn't even understand what it had said to me when we met. So I doubt I would understand it even if it appeared again and answered my question…'
Groaning in annoyance as I acknowledged that these secrets would never unravel, I shrugged the mystery of my divine purpose aside and went back to the dreaded topic of what to do with this new life of mine.
After all, despite how much I wanted to avoid thinking about it, this wasn't a matter that I could just ignore forever.
It had to be resolved, somehow.
"If only there was an easy way of making money..." I sighed, wishing such way existed somewhere and I only needed to find it.
Years ago, I had considered the option of entering the world of investing and all that shit since I could earn passive income... or so I had heard.
I didn't know anything about the topic, but since I still had years ahead of me, I thought that it was a simple matter of just learning while I was still a kid.
However, when I got to know how unstable it was, I gave up on it.
I was not some genius that would become a rising star in the world of investing because of my ability to predict suitable investments... No, I was just some normal dude with the power to create glasses. It was obvious that it wasn't going to go well for me if I went that way.
Not to mention the amount of scams related to that.
I'm sure I would eventually fall for one of them if I tried learning to invest. I was kind of bad when it came to searching for trustworthy information…
However, what other ways of earning money were there that didn't imply overworking myself?
I could also try to win the lottery... But, you know... Why not also hope for petrol to suddenly appear from under a rock at my house while I'm at it?
"That surely would be great... But I think my good luck already ran out when I got the chance to live again... So yeah, it ain't happening."
Now, If I gave up on the objective of becoming a rich guy and accepted my inescapable fate, then a whole lot of opportunities opened up... As much as I didn't like it.
Like going to college, but choosing a different career.
Though, I bet all of them were equally hellish to the one I chose in my previous life, or maybe even worse. Especially here in Japan, where "Effort" and "Commitment" are the most important mottos around.
Which, as you may have guessed already, was a culture that didn't suit the current me at all.
You want me to go through that hell of sleeping two hours a day again? Yeah, like hell I will do that.
"... Though, blocking practically all possibilities for a stable future isn't a good choice either... Maybe I should just be realistic and accept my fate..." I muttered with an exasperated tone.
As I reached the same conclusion over and over, finding no other option but to accept my fate and join the masses in a repetitive and endless grind for a life that could get snuffed out in a second, I gritted my teeth and looked at the ceiling lifelessly, my mind reaching the breaking point.
"Maybe I should just be an influencer..."
As those words left my mouth, I let them sink in for a moment, before snorting and shaking my head with a wry expression.
'Truly, how low have I fallen...? I better take a break or I will truly lose my mind and start considering that as an option.' I caressed my head, pushing myself up and sitting on the bed.
'Let's go watch some TV, that always helps turn off the brain.'
Arriving to that conclusion, I gave a nod to myself, before I started walking towards the door, leaving the room not long after.
-Noise...-
"...?"
However, as I walked towards the living room, I overheard the sound of the TV playing and grumbled in disappointment, knowing that my father had most likely taken his place as the king of the TV for the rest of the day.
I shrugged. 'Well, might as well watch what he is watching. After all, we are both adults—it's what I'd like to say, but with every day I spend in this childish body, playing with other kids, the more I feel my mental age regressing...' I grabbed my head, my face turning grim.
Though, like the professional problem-avoider I was, all it took was a shake of my head for me to shrug the existential crisis aside, and for me to resume my stride to the living room.
Once there, I saw my father watching the TV, much like I had deduced with this incredibly big brain of mine.
He was seeing the news, in which they were covering what had happened in a nearby city.
In it, some burly guy with a shark costume was smiling widely at the camera as the reporter next to him asked him several things. Probably about some robbery or villain the guy had stopped.
'Let me guess... his name is Sharkman.'
["Woah Selachimorpha-man, those were some deep words there. Let's hope that more heroes like you appear in our country!"]
["Haha, you flatter me."]
My smile twitched. 'Well, close enough.'
As I was wondering just what that name meant, or how that guy had even come up with something like that, suddenly my gaze moved to my father, curious to see what kind of expression he'd be making while watching this sort of stuff.
"...?"
It wasn't what I expected.
So far, whenever I had seen him watching TV, he was always grumpy or annoyed by what they showed on the news... In most cases heroes.
But now, he had a strange expression on his face.
Almost... as if he longed for something.
'Could it be...?' I raised an eyebrow.
In the end, I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked what was on my mind.
"Dad, did you want to be a hero?"
"... Hmm?"
Hearing my question, my father looked at me baffled for a second, before a soft smile adorned his face as he let out a long and weary sigh.
"Yeah, Suzaku, your old man once aspired to become a hero. Sadly, my Quirk was not good enough to get me into that path. So, after enough time to face reality passed and I finally got to accept my limits, I ended up working at a company instead."
Then, he shook his head, leaning back on his seat and staring at the ceiling with a mocking smile. "I don't want to turn down any dreams you may have Suzaku, but keep in mind that people with weak Quirk like us don't have many chances of becoming heroes, so try not to become too obsessed with the idea... Don't make the same mistake as I."
Hearing him, I involuntarily snorted and rolled my eyes.
"What's so good about being a hero?" I muttered.
Honestly, the concept of a hero was great, cool even.
But when you take into account the numerous cases of heroes being called out because of minor mistakes by the victims they saved, sometimes even getting sued for things beyond their control; and the abnormal level of risk that heroes face every day, taking quite a few bruises in a good day, and fighting for their lives in a bad day, only for that level of sacrifice to be taken for granted by the public, I couldn't help but consider the idea of becoming a hero something that only nutjobs would consider taking.
—that, or people who are blinded by the ideal image of a hero, thinking it's all fame and glory.
The very concept of a hero in this world was, after all, a honey trap.
It was ingrained very early into the minds of every kid that the heroes were "cool" and something that only amazing people did. However, they were never told or shown the real annoyance of being a real-life hero.
Even I had yet to see the actual bad side of being a hero that I'm talking about.
The only reason I was saying this despite having no proof, was because I was an adult—at least mentally... I think—and as such, I was aware of a fundamental truth about heroes.
And that was that, despite being the great symbols of Justice and Goodness in our society, heroes were still humans in the end.
Greed, anger, laziness, envy, lust, gluttony, pride... No human wouldn't have at least a few of these characteristics in them.
So let alone them being perfect beings capable of just ignoring the critics of everyone around them and instead focusing on saving the day, sacrificing their life if necessary. I was sure that quite a few of them have had their fair share of intrusive thoughts about punching rage-baiting reporters or unsatisfiable people who demand them to risk their lives in exchange for not letting the victims receive a single scratch.
Sadly, since they had already fallen into the trap of becoming a hero and spent quite a bunch of years learning the job, I doubt they had much option but to shut up and simply take the critics.
Unless, of course, they wanted to get canceled online and have all their hero career plummet in a second.
In a way, they were just like influencers or celebrities in my previous life... Only, with the plus of a constant risk of dying while fighting villains, and still getting criticized for not doing it perfectly.
In summary, a total pain in the ass.
"What's so good about being a hero, you say?"
'Hmm? He heard me?'
Suddenly while I was still scoffing at the thought of becoming a hero, I noticed that my father overheard my muttering and was now looking at me curiously as if he was seeing something unheard of.
But then, he sneered and began looking at the ceiling with a smile and a dreamy expression.
Seeing that, I rapidly imagined what was going to happen.
'Ugh... Here comes the cliché speech about how great heroes are... I bet he will say something like "Heroes are cool and they are the noblest profession in the world".'
Scoffing slightly, I closed my eyes and waited for the answer, expecting my father to be just another fanboy of the heroes.
... However, what he said at that moment, shook me to my very core.
He opened his arms wide, and grinned like an idiot. "Of course, It's that they gain a lot of money and that the girls are crazy for them!! What else?!"
"...!!"
... What did he just say?!
Hearing that, I felt as if enlightenment had struck me at that very moment.
After many, many months of wandering without a destination—of wondering just what my purpose in this new world full of new possibilities might be—I felt as if a powerful light had, at last, cleared the darkness that dominated my mind until then.
The answer that I had been looking for, and that I had completely missed until now, had finally arrived.
"A hero... that's it."
A malicious smile appeared on my face at that moment.
...
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-To be continued...-
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