[2] Countdown to the Future

I stood amidst a sea of broken bodies, their quirks ripped from their very souls. Power coursed through my veins, intoxicating and overwhelming. Each step I took left cracks in the pavement, the air around me crackling with barely contained energy.

"More," I growled, my voice distorted and unrecognizable. "I need more."

A figure emerged from the shadows, tall and imposing. His face was obscured, but I knew him. I'd always known him.

"You've done well," he said, pride evident in his tone. "But there's still so much more for you to take."

I reached out, feeling the pull of countless quirks just beyond my grasp. The hunger was insatiable, a void that demanded to be filled. People screamed and ran, but they couldn't escape. I was everywhere, I was everything.

"This is your destiny," the shadowy figure continued. "To become the ultimate power. To surpass even me."

My hand closed around a fleeing civilian's throat. I could feel their quirk, pulsing just beneath the surface. It would be so easy to take it, to make it mine.

"Do it," the man urged. "Take what's rightfully yours."

I hesitated, a flicker of doubt piercing through the haze of power. This wasn't right. This wasn't me. Was it?

The figure's voice grew harsh. "Weakness has no place in our world, Akira. Take it. Take it all."

My fingers tightened-

I jolted awake, gasping for air. A sharp pain in my side where my bruised ribs were.

"Ow! What the hell?"

A woman stood over me, her finger still extended from poking me awake. Long black hair, sharp blue eyes, and an expression that said she was about five seconds away from dumping water on my head.

Noel. My sister. My guardian

"You were thrashing around," she said, her voice clipped. "Bad dream?"

I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the lingering unease. The figure's words echoed in my mind, but they were already fading like mist in sunlight. "Yeah, I guess. What time is it?"

Noel sighed, crossing her arms. "Time for you to get up. You have twenty minutes before you need to leave for school."

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Alright, alright. I'm up. Happy?"

Noel's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Ecstatic. Breakfast is on the table. Don't be late."

She turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Oh, and Akira? Don't forget your career aptitude test. It's due today."

My stomach dropped. Shit. The career aptitude test. The one I was supposed to fill out last night. The one that was currently blank, buried somewhere in my backpack.

"Right," I said, trying to keep my voice casual. "Thanks for the reminder."

Noel gave me a look that said she wasn't buying it for a second. "You forgot, didn't you?"

I flashed her my most charming smile. "Me? Forget something important? Never."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Akira, you have three months until university entrance exams. This isn't a joke."

"I know, I know," I said, swinging my legs out of bed. "I'll handle it. Promise."

Noel stared at me for a long moment, then shook her head. "Just... don't be late. And actually fill out that form."

As she left, I flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. University entrance exams. Career aptitude tests. The future looming like a storm on the horizon.

How was I supposed to plan for a future when I was barely keeping up with the present?

I glanced at the clock. Eighteen minutes until I had to leave. Eighteen minutes to figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life.

"No pressure," I muttered, dragging myself to my feet.

I threw on my uniform, wincing as the motion pulled at my still-healing bruises. A quick check in the mirror confirmed they were mostly faded. Nothing Noel would notice, at least.

I grabbed my backpack, digging through it until I found the crumpled career aptitude form. What did I want to be? Where did I see myself in five years? What were my strengths and weaknesses?

Hell if I knew.

I stuffed the form back into my bag and headed for the kitchen. The smell of coffee and toast greeted me. Noel was at the table, laptop open, already deep into her work.

"You're going to burn out if you keep this up," I said, grabbing a piece of toast.

She didn't look up. "Someone has to pay the bills."

"I could get longer shifts," I offered, not for the first time. "Help out a bit."

Noel's fingers paused on the keyboard. She looked up at me, her expression softening. "Your job is to focus on school, Akira. I can handle the rest."

I wanted to argue, to tell her she didn't have to shoulder everything alone. But the words stuck in my throat.

Instead, I just nodded, shoving the rest of the toast in my mouth. "I should go. Don't want to be late."

Noel's eyes narrowed. "And the aptitude test?"

I patted my bag, forcing a grin. "All taken care of. See you later!"

I was out the door before she could question me further, her exasperated sigh following me down the hallway.

I bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. My thigh protested, a dull ache reminding me of last night's close call. But I pushed through it, focusing on the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement as I burst out of the apartment complex.

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of the sea mixed with the urban tang of Atami. I weaved through the early morning crowd, dodging salarymen with their briefcases and sleepy-eyed students shuffling to school.

I turned the corner, and bam—chaos. A crowd had gathered, necks craned and phones out, all gawking at the spectacle above.

Death Arms and Kamui Woods, tag-teaming some villain who thought today was a good day to cause trouble.

"Did you see that?" A kid next to me squealed, jumping up and down. "Kamui Woods just wrapped him up like a Christmas present!"

Sure, it looked impressive from down here. All flashy moves and heroic poses. The crowd ate it up, cheering and snapping photos.

For a split second, I imagined myself up there. Akira Sakamoto, Pro Hero, swooping in to save the day. The adoring public chanting my name, merch with my face plastered all over it, fat checks rolling in...

Reality check: three years of hero school, busting my ass for peanuts. Then what? Two, maybe three years of internships, fetching coffee and doing paperwork for some washed-up has-been. All for the chance to maybe, possibly, start making decent money by the time I'm 24?

Hard pass.

Besides, 24 felt like a lifetime away. Hell, 21 felt like a stretch some days.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like them!" The kid was still yapping, eyes shining with hero worship.

I patted his head, maybe a bit harder than necessary. "Dream big, kid. Just remember, heroes gotta eat too."

He looked at me, confused. I didn't bother explaining.

The crowd cheered again as Death Arms landed the final blow. Show's over, folks. Time for the clean-up crew to swoop in and the heroes to pose for the cameras.

I checked my phone. Great. Now I was definitely going to be late.

As I pushed through the dispersing crowd, my mind wandered back to that damn aptitude test. 'Future career goals.' What a joke.

Pro Hero was a possibility, but it was too long, too broke, too... something.

I could practically hear Noel's voice in my head. "You have so much potential, Akira. You could do anything you set your mind to."

Yeah, well, maybe I didn't want to do just anything. Maybe I wanted to do something that mattered. Something that paid. Something that didn't require waiting around for half a decade before I could actually start living.

A gust of wind hit me, and I winced as it aggravated my still-healing ribs. A reminder of last night's... extracurricular activities.

Now that... that was something I was good at. Something that paid. Something that got results now, not in some far-off future I might not even see.

But somehow, I didn't think "Professional Vigilante" was an acceptable answer on a high school career aptitude test.

I sighed, picking up my pace. The school gates loomed ahead, a steady stream of students rushing to beat the bell.

Time to put on the mask. Not the one I wore at night, but the one that said "Normal High School Student Akira." The one that smiled and joked and pretended to give a damn about entrance exams and career paths.

As I joined the flow of students, I felt the weight of that blank form in my bag. A whole future to plan, and all I had were question marks.

But hey, I had until the end of the day to figure it out. To decide on a future that felt about as real as those hero fantasies.

I slid into my seat just as the bell rang, earning a disapproving look from our homeroom teacher, Ms. Tanaka.

"Cutting it close again, Sakamoto," she said, adjusting her glasses.

I flashed her my most charming smile. "Traffic was crazy. Hero fight and all that."

She sighed, clearly not buying it but too tired to argue. "Just try to be on time tomorrow."

As she started taking attendance, I felt a nudge from behind. Rin, my best friend since middle school, leaned forward.

"Hero fight, huh?" she whispered. "Sure it wasn't another late-night gaming session?"

"You caught me," I whispered back, keeping my face neutral. "Started playing this retro game called Dark Souls, the bosses kept kicking my ass."

Rin snorted, earning a glare from Ms. Tanaka. She quickly straightened up, the picture of innocence.

Math class. Tick. Literature. Tock. History. Tick. That blank form in my bag seemed to grow heavier with each passing period, a time bomb of responsibility I couldn't diffuse.

By lunchtime, I was no closer to figuring out what to write. I sat with Rin in our usual spot on the roof, picking at my bento.

"Okay, spill," Rin said, pointing her chopsticks at me. "You've been weird all morning. What's up?"

I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. "Nothing much. Just thinking about that career aptitude test."

Rin's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! I forgot that was due today. What'd you put down? Let me guess, professional layabout?"

"Ha ha," I deadpanned. "For your information, I'm still... considering my options."

Rin's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? Akira, it's due at the end of the day. You haven't filled it out yet?"

I leaned back, staring at the sky. "What can I say? The future's a big place. Lots of options to weigh."

"Bullshit," Rin said, but there was no heat in it. "You're freaking out, aren't you?"

I sat up, ready to deny it, but the look on her face stopped me. Sometimes I forgot how well she could read me.

"Maybe a little," I admitted. "It's just... how am I supposed to know what I want to do for the rest of my life? I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight."

Rin nodded, her expression softening. "I get it. It's scary, thinking about the future. But you've got to start somewhere, right?"

"I guess," I muttered. "What'd you put down?"

"Nurse," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Figure it's a good mix of my quirk and what I'm good at."

Right. Rin's healing quirk. It made sense for her.

"That's great," I said, meaning it. "You'll be awesome at that."

She bumped my shoulder with hers. "Thanks. Now, what about you? There's got to be something you're interested in."

I thought about the rush of adrenaline from last night, the satisfaction of outsmarting those villains. The weight of the cash in my pocket.

"I... I don't know," I said finally. "Nothing feels right, you know?"

Rin studied me for a moment. "Well, what are you good at? Start there."

Good at? Fighting. Stealing. Lying. Somehow, I didn't think those would go over well on a career aptitude test.

"I'm good at... improvising?"

Rin laughed. "That's one way to put it. Come on, there's got to be something. What about your quirk? Kinetic Assimilation, right? That's pretty versatile."

I shrugged. "Sure, but what am I gonna do with it? Be a human battery?"

"You could be a hero," Rin suggested, her tone careful. Like she was afraid I'd snap at her.

I forced a laugh. "Right. Me, a hero. Can you imagine?"

Rin didn't laugh. "Actually, yeah. I can. You're smart, you think quick on your feet, and your quirk is seriously powerful. Why not?"

For a moment, I let myself consider it. Akira Sakamoto, Pro Hero. But then reality came crashing back. The years of training, the lack of money, the rules and regulations...

"Nah," I said, waving it off. "Not my style. Too much work, not enough payoff."

Rin looked like she wanted to argue, but the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. She sighed, gathering her things.

"Just... don't leave it blank, okay?" she said as we headed back to class. "Put something down. Anything. You can always change your mind later."