Chapter 2

//A week later//

It's been a week since I woke up in this world, a world where I only saw on the screen before. As I lay in the hospital bed for that long, unable to move or speak, I've learned a lot by simply listening to the conversations around me.

First, I've completely taken over the body of Mineru Mineta in the world of MHA. However, this transition did not come with the acquisition of his memories. Not that I was particularly eager to inherit the experiences of someone with such a questionable reputation.

Second, the previous owner of this body died due to tetanus spreading to his brain after someone stabbed him with a dirty, rusty pin. It's alarming to see the lack of common sense among middle schoolers in this world.

Third, just a month ago before I came here, Mineta and his family received a sad news about another tumor, this time in the brain. According to the doctor, it was still on its inactive stage which can still be suppressed with some medications. However, just last week, probably just right after my transmigration, the tumor was diagnosed to have already progressed into a malignant stage, leaving me to bear the brunt of all the suffering he should have been experiencing. To make matters worse, Mineta's family is struggling to keep up with the medical bills. With all the expenses from his previous cancer treatment, they are really tight on money, and it's hitting hard right when the family thought things were starting to look good for them.

And finally, to top it all off, I cannot fucking move my body beyond this bed. Despite being cleared for release from the hospital by my doctor, in reality, there's little he can do in the face of our financial struggles. With limited resources to cover for my ongoing medical care, we were force to go home and continue my treatment there.

*Tok Tok*

It was the sound of the door that brought me back to reality. The soft knock echoed through the room which signaled the arrival of someone.

"May I come in?"

I recognized the voice immediately - it was Mineta's mother with her soft and polite voice.

"Come in," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

The door creaked open, revealing a woman in her late 30s. Her hair, like mine, was a vibrant shade of purple. Unlike Mineta's small stature though, she stood at an average height. Apparently, it was the bone cancer, osteosarcoma, which has stunted Mineta's growth. The only reason he is this short was because of the bone cancer (osteosarcoma). It's very rare to have an impaired bone growth even from this type of tumor, but I guess Mineta was dead asleep when it was raining luck. Not like I was any different now that I'm literally in his place.

Mineta's mother settled on the edge of my bed with a bowl in her hands. "I'm sorry, baby. This is all we have for lunch."

I shifted my gaze to the bowl she offered, taking in the sight of boiled creamy rice and a small slice of potato.

"It's alright," I reassured her, meeting her eyes with a small smile.

After setting aside my meager lunch on a nearby chair, Mineta's mother helped me lean against the wall. With gentle hands, she began feeding me, and though I struggled to move, it's a relief that at least I could still manage to chew.

"Baby, we're really tight on budget right now, and you also need your medication," she began with a grave expression. "So your dad and I were thinking about selling your PC and some of our appliances. I wanted to let you know."

She lifted a glass of water with a straw and guided it to my lips, helping me wash down the food.

"I know you've put all your allowance into it and took special care of it," Mineta's mother continued, her tone heavy with guilt. "But we're really in a dire situation. I hope you understand."

I nodded weakly, but inside, I felt a surge of frustration. How could they take away my PC, especially when I don't even have a mobile phone? How will I keep up with what's happening in the world? Not everything is covered in the news.

'Why not find another job instead of resorting to selling our belongings?' I wanted to ask. But I bit my tongue, fearing she might stop feeding me if I voiced my concerns. Guess I would need to find another way.

"I see," I murmured as I lowered my head. "I'm worried about my hair slowly falling out on its own since I started my new medication. Say, did the doctor mention anything about my quirk?"

As I stole a glance at her face, I noticed a sudden flinch, indicating her surprise at my question. Based on that, I could guess what she's about to say next.

"I-it seems you can't remember," she stammered. "The doctor mentioned that you might have memory impairment due to the rapid spread of tetanus bacteria because of your weakened immune system. They weren't able to stop it in time..."

She paused, her eyes filled with hope as she looked at me. "But, at the very least, do you still remember me and your dad?"

I met her gaze, and said without any hesitation. "Sorry, but I don't."

"I-I see." With a trembling hand, she set aside the food and tears began to stream down her cheeks. She tried to stem the flow with her hands, but it was futile. "I-it's alright. W-we can start to build things up again. N-no need to worry, baby. It's okay if you don't remember us. B-but at least you still remember some things. T-that's enough for me."

With a sob, she pulled me into a tight hug, tears staining my shirt as she clung to me.

"Arghhh," I winced as the slight contact sent a shiver of pain through my body. Thankfully, she quickly retreated.

"It's okay. I understand," I managed to say, trying to reassure her. She wiped away the last traces of tears from under her eyes.

"Anyway, I'll leave now. Make sure to rest and stay strong," she said, helping me settle back onto the bed.

As she turned to leave, she paused and looked back at me with a smile, not wanting to leave a sad atmosphere lingering in the room before she departed.

"And about your concern," she began, her voice gentle and reassuring, "it's not your first time losing hair. It happened during our fight against your last cancer, so there's no need to worry."

She took a breath before continuing, "And about your quirk... When your hair finally grew back, we discovered it wasn't just a 'hair elasticity' quirk like mine, but also a combination of adhesion. Your father, if you don't remember, is quirkless, so the doctor concluded it must be a mutated version of mine that we initially didn't know about. So we updated your quirk registration accordingly. That's all. I'll be leaving now."

With those words, she turned and left.

However, I was completely speechless and engulfed in confusion. The information I had just received seemed riddled with inconsistencies.

As someone who watched the anime, I knew Mineta's quirk. His ability allowed him to produce and pluck ball-shaped objects from his head, with the balls growing back as fast as they were plucked. They were incredibly sticky and would adhere to any surface except himself. Additionally, Mineta couldn't control the stickiness, which is why he would pluck out a ball with each step when climbing a wall—because they would become stuck and couldn't be removed.

Given this knowledge, the explanation provided by Mineta's mother didn't align with what I knew. However, if what she's saying is true, then the nature of my quirk might be completely different than I thought.

For starters, she mentioned that "when your hair finally grew back," implies that there was a time when I went completely bald. But currently, even as my hair falls out one by one, it grows back almost instantly.

Then, there's the issue of my quirk initially being labeled as just "hair elasticity" before being discovered as a mutated version. This suggests that at some point, my ball-shaped hair strands weren't adhesive at all. But that contradicts what I've observed—my hair automatically produces sticky balls, just like in the show as I stated before.

The inconsistencies in her explanation and my knowledge only deepen the mystery surrounding my quirk, or perhaps, quirks as a whole.

Could it be that I've somehow transmigrated to an alternate universe instead? While I've only watched up to season 4 of MHA, there's a chance that there's something more at play here, something beyond what I currently knew.

…