Damn it, I was looking into creating a Patreon account, but after doing some calculations, I realized I won't make anything. Patreon takes 10%, which I think is fair, but my damn country takes 45% plus 30%, so I only end up with 22%. If I sell a dollar per chapter, that's 0.225 USD, and for 100 chapters, assuming someone pays for them, I'd only make 22.5 USD... damn country.
Still, I'll create it. Money is money, and it's useful for something even if it's little.
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Previous Chapter
Smiling at the blushing Miyako, Astra said, "We'll meet again, girls."
As she stepped out of the house, the cool air enveloped her, and although her responsibilities awaited, she couldn't help but smile at the warmth of breakfast and the connection she'd shared with Miyako and Hana.
With a slightly lighter heart, she headed toward whatever the day had in store, ready to face her challenges but knowing she could always return to that home where hope and joy awaited her.
...
After leaving, Astra went straight to her new destination: a modest hotel where she planned to spend the night.
She had decided to move out on her own, stepping away from the family warmth. After many conversations, she had managed to convince her family to let her go, and although the farewell was difficult, she felt that she needed this change.
She knew she would face her own challenges without exposing her loved ones to the dangers around her.
Upon entering the hotel lobby, Astra was greeted by an older receptionist who gave her a kind smile. With a calm demeanor, she approached the counter.
"Good afternoon, book a room," she said, handing over her documentation.
The receptionist confirmed Astra's information and handed her the key to her room.
As she entered, Astra looked around the space: it was a simple but cozy room, with a bed, a small table near the window, and a slightly worn wardrobe. She placed her bag on the bed, took out her laptop, and let herself fall onto the mattress. Soon, she began writing a chapter of her novel while thinking:
"Tomorrow, I need to go see some properties. I need to buy a good house, ideally with plenty of land... though that might be tough in Japan."
After finishing her writing, Astra turned off her laptop. And just as she was about to take off her clothes to sleep, she paused.
"I don't trust this random hotel... it would be awful to see my pictures all over the internet, especially if I end up famous as a singer or if they find out my identity as a novelist. Better not take any chances."
Deciding to sleep fully dressed, she lay down and covered herself completely. Although it took her a while to fall asleep, she finally managed to doze off.
"Mwahaha! You will fall before me, star of the stage."
Dreaming of a muscular heroine, Astra slept deeply as a smile appeared on her face.
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The Next Morning
As she left the real estate office, Astra couldn't help but smile as she held the papers for her new house, located on the outskirts of Shizuoka Prefecture.
She had worked hard for three months to save up the money, earned from the sales of her books, which she had written and self-published in three languages without the help of any publisher.
Additionally, her songs, though not very well-known yet, provided a steady income, adding to her dreams fund.
Thanks to this effort, she was able to buy a spacious property near the mountains and far from the city's bustle, making the price more affordable.
The house was in a quiet neighborhood, mostly inhabited by older people who worked in the fields or enjoyed their retirement, along with some families that added life to the area.
For Astra, this place was ideal; working online allowed her to avoid the hectic city life. As she stepped into her new home, she felt a deep sense of pride and satisfaction.
The house was spacious, blending traditional Japanese style with modern touches. It had two floors, with sloped roofs and large windows that let in natural light and offered views of the mountainous landscape.
The ground floor had a warm and open main living room, with tatami mats on the floor and sliding paper shoji walls separating the rooms.
The kitchen was modern and well-equipped, perfect for someone who enjoyed cooking in peace.
Going up to the second floor, she found three rooms; one of them would become her personal study, where she could work and write in peace, and another, an empty room for now, where she planned to set up her music studio.
Outside, the house had a large backyard, surrounded by trees and a small koi pond. Looking happily at her new home, though clearly empty, Astra spoke.
"Well... Time to go shopping," Astra murmured to herself, pulling her laptop out of her bag.
She had prepared a detailed list of everything she needed, so she quickly started placing orders: furniture, appliances, and other items that would transform this house into her ideal home.
Soon after, her parents and brother arrived to help her move in. Seeing them at the door, Astra broke into a wide smile and approached them.
"Hello, family! Thanks for coming to lend a hand with all this," she said cheerfully.
Her father, Natsu, wrapped her in a hug, rubbing his beard affectionately against her cheek.
"How could we not help you, when you're our little cotton candy? Look at how grown up you are!" he joked, his eyes reflecting pride.
"Dad, I'm an adult now," Astra replied, laughing as she tried to dodge Natsu's ticklish beard, while her mother, Sakura, handed her a box of kitchen utensils.
"Well, our 'grown-up' still needs us to make sure everything is perfect, right?" her brother Ren joked as he headed to the car to get more boxes.
Sakura gave Astra a loving pat on the shoulder and smiled warmly.
"It's exciting, isn't it? Having a home all your own. But remember, you can always count on us."
For the rest of the day, with laughter, jokes, and conversation, the family worked as a team, putting everything in its place. Astra directed where she wanted each piece of furniture and shelf, the dishes in the kitchen, the decorations in the living room, and little by little, the house came to life.
When they were done, night had fallen, and they gathered in the living room to admire the result of their work.
"It turned out beautiful," Sakura commented as she wrapped an arm around Astra.
Astra nodded, feeling a mix of emotions as she looked around her new home. Glancing at her family, she made a gesture she hadn't done since her reincarnation, but she knew her family deserved it.
"Thank you all, truly. I couldn't have done this without you."
A brief silence followed before Natsu raised an eyebrow, amused.
"What was that? A heartfelt confession from our 'independent daughter'?"
"Don't get too excited, Dad," Astra replied, rolling her eyes, but a laugh escaped her lips.
Later, after an improvised dinner with snacks and family anecdotes, her family said goodbye, leaving Astra alone in her home.
Late that night, she lay down on her bed wearing only a nightgown.
"Home, sweet home," she murmured, turning on the red lights in her room. Astra put on a sleep mask and let the day's exhaustion take over.
....
[One Week Later]
Time passed quickly, and Astra began to enjoy the calm her new home offered.
Although she was getting used to the tranquility, she decided to go for a walk around downtown Shizuoka to distract herself a bit and buy a few things.
As she walked through the lively streets, Astra observed the giant screens displaying images of heroes in action, advertisements for their agencies, and some clips of their latest feats.
Around her, she saw heroes in suits posing for photos with admirers, and even people cosplaying famous heroes.
She noticed a woman dressed as Mirko, a man with a rooster-like appearance blushing at compliments from passersby, and a woman with whale-like features calling a crab-like man "dad."
Although Astra was used to the variety of quirks in the hero society, she found herself somewhat overwhelmed.
— "I knew this world had its quirks, but I never thought it would go this far..." —she murmured to herself, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the variety of extravagant forms and personalities around her. She couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
— "Am I racist if I think someone with a quirk like... mucus, or in the shape of bugs... is a bit repulsive?" —she questioned internally, feeling guilty for her thoughts. Although she knew quirks didn't define a person, some were hard for her to accept visually.
Lost in her thoughts, Astra walked absentmindedly when, suddenly, she lightly bumped into a woman who seemed to be in a hurry.
Realizing it, Astra apologized and continued walking without looking around too much, unaware that something was wrong.
Minutes later, as she checked her bag for her phone, she was surprised to find that her wallet was missing. Astra blinked, trying to recall when she could have lost it, and then the encounter with the hurried woman came to mind.
— "So you stole from me..." —Astra thought, feeling a mix of anger and frustration for her carelessness.
— "Luckily, I'm pretty paranoid," —she told herself, activating a quirk she had recently obtained after a rather unpleasant encounter at her own home.
She remembered that day as if it had been yesterday...
.....
[The Day]
It was a normal day for Astra. She woke up, took a shower, dressed carefully, had something sweet for breakfast, and then spent some time writing a new chapter of her novel while uploading the previous one.
Afterward, she edited her music videos, and by the end of the morning, she took her brother Ren to school. Her usual routine, calm and predictable.
However, that day was different. Upon returning from school, as she was heading to the kitchen, she heard a faint creak coming from her room.
She stopped, straining her ears, and noticed someone moving inside her house.
— "It can't be..." —she murmured, trying to stay calm. She locked the door and, in a rush, grabbed a knife from the kitchen.
However, as she looked at it in her hand, she rolled her eyes and reproached herself—. What an idiot I am…
Leaving the knife behind, she transformed her hands into long, sharp blades and quietly crept upstairs to her room. Cautiously, she slowly opened the door until she could see the intruder.
It was a burly man with a prominent nose and bulging eyes, holding one of her garments in front of his face, inhaling deeply with a look of delight.
— "Ah... so you're the owner of these clothes," —the man said, turning to look at her with a lewd and flushed smile.
Astra felt her anger begin to boil, and smoke started to emerge as her veins became visible, but the man misunderstood her fury, thinking she was embarrassed.
— "You don't have to be afraid, pink candy," —he continued, speaking triumphantly— "I'm Yun, the famous Bragaman, expert in acquiring women's clothes, whether they're heroes, normal, or even family members. Just pay me, and I can get you the panties you want. I work professionally, got it? And they asked for your panties, Stella, the rising singer who sings in three languages."
With a mocking grin, the man put one of her garments on his face like a mask and began dancing grotesquely.
As he continued, "I'm a genius, I can smell the panties I want and I sell them too, I've got a shark mentality," he delved into delirium while posing like JoJo with the panties on his face.
Astra didn't say a word. Instead, the silence and the frozen rage on her face seemed to serve as a warning.
"Die."
The man looked at her and smirked mockingly, but soon saw shadows surrounding him.
"Eh?"
The man, sensing danger, panicked, his words scrambled in his desperation, after the brief shock.
— "Please, forgive me! I won't do it again, I'll tell you where I hide all my treasures and the best panties!" —he gasped, delirious as he tried in vain to break free from the pink tentacles clinging to him.
Astra looked at him with disdain and simply said:
— "Disappear, trash."
The tentacles continued to envelop him, regenerating each time he tried to free himself, until finally, they covered him completely.
The pink mass slowly compressed, twisting grotesquely until it shrank to the size of a ball.
Astra extended her hand, and the sphere flew into her hand, before being absorbed into her skin, leaving subtle ripples that quickly faded.
Astra sighed, recalling one of her most useful strategies.
— "Luckily, I'm a paranoid person," —she murmured while remembering that, before leaving, she had left a small part of herself at home, just in case she needed a "second life" if something went wrong.
She took a small fragment from one of her fingers and hid it again, regenerating it instantly.
— "Pity I can't move too far away or leave too many parts behind; the farther they are, the more energy they consume. But as long as they're close, it's like a second chance. A good deal."
Astra took all her underwear, even the ones that hadn't been touched by the man, and set them on fire without hesitation, watching as the flames consumed the last trace of the intruder.
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Leaving her memories behind, Astra decided to use the quirk she had gained from that man.
[Quirk: Diverse Sense of Smell]
Her sense of smell was now a hundred thousand times more powerful than that of an average human, capable of detecting completely new scents.
Astra closed her eyes, focusing on the air and quickly picking up the trace of her wallet.
She inhaled deeply, letting the scent guide her steps, until, with a satisfied smile, she murmured:
— "I found you."
She calmly entered the crowd, moving forward without haste but with a clear purpose.
.....
On the other side of the city, in a dark and damp alley, a hooded figure moved stealthily toward an old, worn box.
Kneeling down, the woman lifted the lid, revealing a small girl curled up inside. The little one was malnourished and trembling, her pale skin contrasting with the dirt covering her face.
The woman, despite her disheveled appearance and torn clothes, smiled at the girl with immense tenderness.
— "Sweetie, don't worry... we're eating today," —the woman whispered, showing the wallet with a smile that, despite revealing dirty, worn-out teeth, seemed to light up the dark alley— "Mommy got something, see? Today, mommy will bring you food, okay?"
The girl looked up, her eyes shining despite her weakness, and the smile of her mother, with her disheveled appearance and tangled hair, and her dirty, exhausted smile, still seemed the most beautiful thing in the world to the girl.
Watching from the top of a nearby building, Astra was eating a lollipop, listening to the entire conversation.
She decided to descend nimbly like a cat, falling from the roof with the grace of a silent hunter. She approached the woman from behind and, with unsettling calmness, grabbed the woman by the head while continuing to nibble on her lollipop.
— "You were the one who stole from me," —she said in a cold voice.
The woman, frightened, struggled desperately, throwing kicks and swats to try to break free. Astra held her firmly, observing her like a scientist with her lab rat.
— "You know, I used to think that everyone who steals should pay with their life, no matter the circumstances. But then I understood that sometimes, need forces people to do it. Still, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed: those who steal while armed deserve to die, because by carrying a weapon, they're willing to harm... or even kill. And if they're ready for that, they should also be ready to face the consequences."
Astra loosened her grip and let the woman break free. The mother quickly stepped back and grabbed a rusty metal rod from the ground, positioning herself protectively in front of her daughter, whom she hid behind her.
—"Get away. Take your wallet and leave," —said the woman, her legs trembling but with fierce determination in her gaze.
Astra observed her calmly, and a small smile appeared on her face.
—"Red woman, put down that metal or I'll be forced to do something that won't leave just your red hair…" —Astra warned, watching how the woman continued trembling but remained still.
Astra watched as the girl, barely able to move, slowly crawled out of the box. Despite her evident fear, she looked at Astra with a defiant gaze, then screamed with a cry that sounded almost like a death rattle due to her condition,
—"Don't... hurt... mommy," —the girl shouted, her voice trembling but full of strength.
Astra observed both of them, watching the mother-daughter bond, the strength in their gazes, and the tenacity in the woman's gestures.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Astra's face.
—"You two…" —she said finally, with a spark of determination in her eyes— "Convince yourselves of one thing… from now on, you belong to me."
The woman looked at her, confused and terrified, but Astra continued, extending a hand.
—"You will work for me, in exchange for safety and a place where you won't have to worry about the next meal. You won't have to steal, and your daughter can grow up without starving. Both of you will live under my protection. From now on, you'll be my servants."
The woman, still in shock, dropped the metal rod, feeling that a new opportunity was opening up not only for herself but for her daughter as well.
For a moment, her eyes filled with tears of relief; after so much suffering, the possibility of a dignified and secure life was now within reach.
Without hesitation, she quickly performed a dogeza in a deep bow, her head touching the ground in a gesture of submission and remorse.
—"We are at your service, Mistress," —she said with a trembling but firm voice, remaining in that position— "I deeply regret stealing from you and apologize. I will do whatever you order, as long as my daughter can have a better life."
Astra looked at the woman, satisfied with her humble and determined attitude. She took the wallet the woman had placed in front of her, then turned to the little girl, who was watching Astra with a mixture of awe and shyness.
In her eyes, there was curiosity, and even some hope, as if she sensed that this strange figure they now called "Mistress" might change their lives forever.
Astra crouched slightly, placing a hand on the mother's shoulder as a sign of acceptance.
The woman quickly tried to gather her belongings, but Astra stopped her with a firm hand.
—"Leave that stuff. Just take what has sentimental value; I'll get you the rest," —Astra said with authority.
The woman nodded, grateful and obedient. Carefully, she gathered only a few personal items, the only remnants of her past life, while helping her daughter to her feet.
However, seeing how much effort it took to carry the girl, Astra intervened.
—"It's better you eat well and get stronger," —Astra said as she lifted the girl effortlessly, settling her in her arms and covering her with a blanket to protect her from the cold— "If you're going to work for me, you'll need to be in shape to do the job well."
The mother observed the gesture, grateful and determined to make the most of this new opportunity.
Astra, with the girl in her arms, began to leave the alley, walking calmly, unaffected by the curious and surprised gazes of passersby.
Her imposing presence and the stillness on her face seemed to envelop both of them in an aura of security.
Thus, Astra led them toward the beginning of a new life, confident that under her protection, the mother and daughter would find a place where they belonged.
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[End of Chapter 10]
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I think many will complain again about Astra being timid, and they will compare her to Majin Buu's regeneration, so I want to explain it in a simple way.
Majin Buu can withstand planetary and galactic level attacks thanks to his extreme durability, and his regeneration is just an added bonus. He doesn't worry about damage because it simply doesn't affect him due to that durability, and if it does, he regenerates. There are very few things that actually harm him.
Astra, on the other hand, only has regeneration, but not the same durability.
A blow that would barely harm Buu could eliminate Astra before she has a chance to regenerate.
In MHA, there's a similar situation: Shigaraki vs. Star and Stripe. His regeneration helped, but it was his durability that kept him alive. If it had been the Shigaraki from Season 1, no matter how much he regenerates, he would have been reduced to cosmic dust.
[3591 words]