Normal POV
On the way back home, I was completely silent towards Izuku and he was completely silent towards me. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, something I wished that he could explain properly to his parents. I didn't want to get into trouble after all.
My friend was probably deep in thought. After all, his best friend since childhood had just turned on him savagely and practically renounced him as a friend. I mean, If I wasn't there then Bakugou would have beaten the crap of Izuku for sure. It would be strange for him to not be thinking about the things that just happened.
As for me, I was also thinking, but for a whole different reason entirely.
Why exactly did I say those words to Izuku in that moment? I mean, they were clearly beneficial to his mental state, but the words just seemed to pop out of my mouth at the time. Was it a newfound talent, or was it just saying the words I always wanted to day to my friend? I had no idea.
To start with, how was I already so close to Izuku that I could say these things to him? I mean, sure, we played together. That's what all little kids do right? I've been friends with the guy for a month. We knew each other, trusted each other, and liked each other. However, we didn't talk to each other about any important stuff. I obviously didn't tell him that I came from another world. He would never believe me. Other than that, I didn't even have anything too deep to talk about. I easily told him things like how blessed I was, how great my life was, how great of a friend he was, etc.
However, Izuku had never really trusted me with his inner darkness. Outside, he appeared to be an optimistic boy with the dream of becoming a hero. Many people would think that he didn't have a worry in the world. Hell, I would think the same had I not watched the anime when I first met him.
But, if you paid close attention to Izuku, you would notice that he was secretly depressed. When he was off on one of his zealous rants about All Might, sometimes he would suddenly become quiet, tilting his head downwards like he was just chasticized for stealing a jar of cookies. Other times, his eyes would lose that exited luster, becoming almost dim in a way. This was not hidden well, as it had taken me less than a week to notice this strange behavior. I was sure that his mother had realised as well. She would sometimes give a sad, almost sorry smile to her son while he wasn't looking.
However, this wasn't the real issue. The real issue was how he refused to talk about it to anyone. It was quite obvious that he had been bottling up his feelings of inferiority because he did not have an outlet to discharge them. This is why I said that he didn't completely trust me yet. The proof was right before my eyes. Izuku had never talked about his feelings with me, or any other of his "friends", if you could call them that. I was slightly hurt by this, but then accepted it as natural. It would seem that I was the only one who felt like Izuku was an old friend. In truth, we had only known each other for a short while, so logically, he wouldn't spill his guts to me yet.
This brings me to my point. What Izuku was doing was perfectly natural. It was what every normal person would. After all, what kind of person would entrust their darkest secrets and fears to someone they just met a month ago? Well, I was apparently such a person. If I did have some big dark secret, for example, a cruel backstory like Shoto's, then I would share it with Izuku without a second thought. How was I sure of this? Well, It was just a feeling. Somehow, I felt as if I could trust this boy that I had only knew for a month with my life.
While walking home with Izuku, I was attempting to understand this strange hold my friend had over me.
Was it his charisma? Probably not, even though it played a part in attracting me. Was it his determination? No, not that either. I respected and admired Izuku for being determined as he was, but that would be no reason for my unnatural degree of trust. As I walked, I continuously pondered over this, barely watching the road in front of me.
As I thought and thought and thought, I finally came upon the truth of my trust towards Izuku. I had no idea how much time had passed while I was thinking, and I didn't care much either, for I had finally discovered the reason why I felt like I had known Izuku for years rather than a month.
It was simple. This Izuku was just like his anime self, which wasn't too surprising. Because I was a friendless otaku like me, I had deluded myself into thinking the anime character known as Midoriya Izuku as a trusted companion. I had been a faithful follower of the series since the dawn of its birth to the year 2019, where I was run over by that truck. I was so engrossed in the story, so obsessed with the characters, that I felt like that they were real life friends and had treated them as such.
Therefore, even if he was a lot younger than he was than his anime version, this Izuku was still so similar to the one in the anime that I had been unconsciously been treating them as one and the same. Well, not entirely, as I had acknowledged the fact that this Izuku was still in a state of depression because of the negative emotions that came with being quirkless. Yet, despite these additions to his character, I still seemed to see him as the same as his anime version.
This was the reason for my unusual amount of trust towards my friend. As stupid as it was, I knew that I would still see him the same way, and trust him just as much even when I knew the truth.
However, I had also somewhat expected Izuku to trust me just as much, and that the thought of that just made me want to bang my head against a wall.
"Great, easily trusting a girl that you just met a month ago with your lifelong insecurities. Nope, that's not unusual at all."
I was just so stupid. For starters, friends around our age usually played around and talked about cheerful things together. This happened every time I played with Izuku. When we got tired of playing Hero vs Villain, we would sit together and Izuku would rant on and on about All Might while I kept a cold dead smile on my face, trying not to kill myself out of boredom.
Kids around our age didn't usually talk about feelings of inferiority or depression. Well, that might be thanks to the fact that we shouldn't even be feeling such things at the age of four anyways, but that's besides the point.
It was actually funny to me after I had thought it all out. I had actually gotten hurt by the fact that Izuku didn't share his burden with me. I had actually received emotional pain over this.
My body instantly facepalmed, stopping in place. Izuku still seemed to be deep in thought, so he moved on without even noticing my condition.
My mind suddenly snapped back to reality as I was done with the deep thinking. Noticing that I was now several meters behind Izuku, I quickened my pace, catching up.
As I stared at my friend's face, I noticed that his head was down, and that he was making that same stern expression he made when he analysed a hero. I sighed as I realized that he was still buried within his own thoughts. This was for the best as I still had no idea what I should say to my friend, after all, I couldn't get too chummy with him.
We might have been friends, but if I pushed too deep, or expected too much, then Izuku might have withdrawn from me. I mean, even though I meant everything I said to him earlier, I could also imagine Izuku's reaction of someone he had only known for a month saying those things to him. He must have been confused and maybe even creeped out. I mean, he needed the encouragement, but still, those words were the ones that should have come from someone who knew him for a long time, a childhood friend who could read him like an open book, not me.
Sure, he knew almost everything about me, as I had told him just about everything I did in this world. However, if I was not naturally perspective, or knew his entire character like the back of my hand because of the anime, then I would still be ignorant of his inner darkness.
The words I said to him then were supposed to be said by someone who he trusted and knew everything about, while in turn, trusted him and knew everything about him. While my part was fulfilled, he clearly did not trust me enough to tell me everything.
Yeah, this was really awkward. I said those words to him like I knew him all my life. Maybe I could have said it later on, when we became closer, but now? When Izuku had the time to think and cool down, he would realize how creepy those words were, coming from someone who he thought only had a basic grasp on his character.
It was then that I promised myself something. Judging by the way Izuku is, things probably won't get too awkward around us. We would still have the chance to become closer and form more bonds. Therefore, I silently swore to myself that I would become Izuku's most trusted friend, if nothing else, then just to live up those words I spoke today.
It probably wouldn't be that hard either. All I had to do was stick around him, protect him, and eventually listen to him when he finally trusts me enough to reveal the truth of his depression to me.
I flinched. How was I going to protect Izuku though. I just got lucky against Bakugou. What if I was to go up against someone who had no qualms about hurting a girl? I was still basically quirkless, so I would have no chance.
It was obvious that I needed to get stronger, and even without a quirk, I needed to know how to fight. I couldn't rely on a power that would appear randomly whenever it felt like it. There was no guarantee that it would be combat oriented anyway.
Determined and ready for training, I looked to the sky, vowing that I would never forget my promise. Izuku was about to have the best childhood friend ever.
I continued to walk with Izuku until I reached my house. Saying goodbye to my friend, I immediately went to the entrance of my home, not before marveling in its beauty.
My house was a small one, a small lawn of grass extending from everywhere except for the entrance, where a stone pathway stopped at the white wooden fence which surrounded the lawn. The house itself was painted brown, a normal civilian home with several rooms and a garage. It was nothing special, but it felt like it home, which made it beautiful in my eyes.
Walking over to the regular oak door, I pulled out my key and inserted it into the keyhole, a daily routine for me.
Once inside, I locked the door before taking off my shoes. Passing by my mom who greeted me cheerfully, I tiredly waved to her before walking to my bedroom. However, my mother then proceeded to remind me of an event that I had long since forgotten due to the other thoughts on my mind. With a voice that vibrated with the utmost benevolence, my mother shouted towards me, who was already locked in my bedroom.
"Make sure to take a good rest Dear! Don't forget that your birthday is tomorrow! Dad will buy a big cake for us to eat!"
My eyes widened for a fraction of a second before I simply sighed and began to undress. Normally, I would have been extremely excited at the prospect of my birthday, as my parents were always able to make every single one seem special and unique. I never really had friends to celebrate with before Izuku, which was fine with me. It meant that I could keep more of the cake to myself. I had grown something of a sweet tooth in my time in this new world.
However, I had more important things to do tomorrow, like meeting Bakugou at four o'clock. I would have to hold off celebrations until I returned from our discussion. It simply couldn't be helped. I thought of inviting Izuku over, and decided that it was a good idea. I would tell him at school tomorrow.
However, right now, I had a ridiculously large urge to sleep. I did not sleep any later than usual yesterday, so in theory, I should have been in peak condition. However, dealing with Bakugou did not just tire my physically, but mentally as well. This was natural of course, as anyone that tried to reason would probably get a headache. He just seemed so stubborn and arrogant that it was almost impossible to try to get along with him.
I barely recognised my own exhaustion on the way home as I was too busy thinking, but now that I was relaxed and in the safety of my own home, waves of it suddenly crashed into me. A tired groan escaped my lips as I climbed into the covers of my own bed after turning off the lights.
I fell asleep at record time, two seconds. I was so tired that when I closed my eyes, my consciousness immediately turned itself off, immediately putting me to sleep. My slumber would continue for the rest of the day, all the way to two o'clock in the morning. I had no idea how I could sleep for so long, but decided not to question it.
Next Morning
I woke up at two o'clock in the morning, my hair, a tangled mess. Looking at my clock, I noticed the time and could not help but voice my surprise.
"How the hell did I sleep for that long?"
The room was dark and the windows were closed. My parents were probably still asleep in their own bedroom. With nothing to do, I decided to just lay down again and began to think, staring at the violet ceiling of my bedroom.
I didn't get very far with it as the robotic voice of mature woman graced my ears. There was no emotion in it, every word spoken with the same tone, similar to an AI from science fiction films. The voice startled me to the point of rising up to a sitting position and yelping in surprise, fortunately not loudly enough to wake my parents.
"Greetings master. Thanks to the intensity of master's wish, I have awoken from my slumber."
I was extremely confused. Was I hallucinating or something? From what my ears were telling me, this voice was coming from inside my own body, which was extremely strange. Was some villain trying to influence me with mind games? No, there would be no reason to target a powerless girl like me, who was merely a drop of water in an ocean of people.
In that case, what was this voice? I couldn't form any competent hypothesis for determining its identity yet. I did not have enough information. Therefore, I decided to pay attention to the voice as I asked it my questions.
"What are you?"
I asked a simple question aloud. The words exited my mouth before I could even comprehend their existence. It was a normal, but broad question, able to be answered in a variety of ways, each explanation variating in levels of detail. I immediately regretted asking the question, wanting to exchange it with another. The voice could have answered with something like, "I'm an alien" and I would have to accept it. Granted, there was no way it would speak the truth anyways so mostly, my concern was unnecessary.
The answer I received was much more specific than I had expected, making me think for dozens of seconds trying to process the information.
"I am master's quirk, called "Birthday Wish". As the name implies, I will grant master's first heartfelt wish on the day of her birth every year. Of course, every wish will be granted in the form of a quirk specifically crafted for master's purposes."
I suddenly lost control of my jaw as it dropped to the floor. My eyes widened to the point where I felt as if my eyelids would rip, a pain my body ignored. I stayed like this for about half a minute, my thoughts in complete turmoil.
This was probably the best quirk on the whole planet, exceeding even One For All and All For One. Since quirks could come in all shapes and sizes, able to grant the user just about any power, the possibilities were literally endless. Not only would the quirks be based off of my wishes, giving me a great deal of control over what quirk I would be given, but I would also be able to get one every year. My luck was just simply amazing. And to think that I actually assumed that I would get a weak quirk unsuited for combat.
As my lips twisted into an impossibly wide grin, I chuckled malevolently. Oh, just think of the possibilities! I could get a quirk that gave me control over life and death, time and space, good and evil. Immortality, invincibility, unlimited physical and mental strength and capacity! They would all be mine! After a couple of years, I could be the most powerful thing on the planet, able to reform this imperfect society. Oh, the very thought of it made me giddy. The planet would be my oyster, and noone would be able to stop me. I could make sure that the quirkless would never be disrespected, I would be able to fix global warming and stop every war. With this quirk, was there even something I couldn't do anymore?
However, another thought entered my head that wiped the grin off of my face. In my excited state, I had almost forgot some key words my quirk spoke. "Heartfelt wish", which probably meant the thing I longed for the most. Oh no. This was bad. Gone were my dreams of world domination and reformation, replaced by cold disappointment as I partially realized the meaning of those words.
Birthday Wish would not grant any wish that did not directly come from my heart. For example, if I were to wish for money, then my quirk would probably ignore the request, as I was satisfied with my current financial state. However, I needed to identify exactly what my quirk meant by "heartfelt wish" so I could somehow take advantage of it later on. Therefore, I directly asked Birthday Wish the question.
"What do you mean by 'heartfelt wish'?"
The robotic voice answered emotionlessly.
"I will only grant master's wish when her greed rises above a certain height. Moreover, the wish will be obtaining the object of that greed. To put it metaphorically, master's heart will be in control of the wish, not her mind. Moreover, if master's greed does not rise above that required level on her birthday, then I will not grant her wish. This is the reason I have only awoken now. Master has felt content for the past four years, therefore I was kept in a state of hibernation."
I punched my bed in frustration. This was even worse than I had thought. If I didn't want something enough during my birthday then the wish wouldn't even be granted. That was just great wasn't it?
Well, even if it was like this, my quirk was still ridiculously powerful. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be but I was expecting way too much in the first place. This was fine.
My body slowly relaxed as I accepted my new situation.
Now, even if the chances were small, I needed to clear up my suspicions. Narrowing my eyes at my bare bedroom wall, I spoke suspiciously,
"Now then, how do I know that you're not some villain trying to take advantage of me?"
My question was strange. After all, what were the chances of a villain's quirk being able to sneak into someone's mind and grant their wishes?
Well then, what were the chances of a truck slamming into someone at a hundred miles an hour in a small street that was more like a road than anything? After that, what was the chance of the person who was run over being reborn into a world where everyone had superpowers?
Yeah, even if there was such a quirk, then I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen too much to be shocked at that.
However, it turns out that my worries were unfounded as the voice inside of my head instantly dispelled my suspicions with a single sentence.
"Master was run over by a truck and reborn into this world."
I grinned. The only way the voice would know that was if it shared my memories, as I have not told anyone, even my parents, of my past life. This meant that the power I was promised was the real deal, and that everything that Birthday Wish told me was true.
Even if the quirk turned out to be like the Monkey's paw, there would be nothing I could do, so I would just accept the powers it gave me with no reservations, hoping that it didn't go wrong. It was simply beyond my power to do more than that.
Seeing that I was silent, Birthday Wish continued speaking.
"This year, master's wish is to be able to become stronger. Therefore, I will now grant master that allows her strength to grow an infinite amount of times."
I gulped, excited for the reveal of my new quirk. Birthday Wish said that it would let me get stronger forever, therefore, there would be no limits to how strong I could get. If used correctly, this could be the greatest quirk ever. Depending on what it was, I could get even stronger than All Might.
I could practically feel the drool dripping from my lips as they twisted into yet another malevolent smile. I was not sure that I wanted to become a hero yet, but if there was one quirk that would secure my position at the top, this was it.
After three whole minutes of gut wrenching anticipation that felt like three whole hours, Birthday Wish finally presented me with my new quirk. When the voice stated the abilities and name of my new ability, it sounded like it was reading through a list. However, I completely ignored that as my face wrinkled in fury at the quirk I had just been given.
"Quirk name: Daemonic Blessing of the Chaotic Blood God
Abilities: For every living creature the user kills, their strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, senses, durability, and regeneration are permanently increased. The amount increased is proportionate to the mental capacity of the creature killed. After an immediate kill, the user's eyes will change to a crimson color for a short duration. For every kill, the user's stamina will be partially replenished in proportion to the mental capacity of the creature killed. Regeneration speed and physical strength will be increased for thirty seconds after kill. This too, is proportionate to the mental capacity of the creature killed."
The voice was silent, giving me time to process the information. My brain was currently overheating. It took me a whole ten seconds to understand what my quirk just said. Needless to say, I was pissed off. What the actual hell was that quirk? Actually, what the hell?
I was given possibly the most demented quirk on the whole planet with a name that only a professional chuunibyou could come up with. As my brain had almost overheated from the disbelief and anger that I was subjected to, the only thing I could actually think to ask was,
"How the hell did you come up with that name?"
I asked this while covering my face with both hands, cringing so hard at the name that I had to hide my face to avoid dying out of embarrassment.
My quirk replied with its emotionless tone,
"That matter is irrelevant. Now, our business is concluded. I will see master next year."
The voice disappeared like it had never been there in the first place. Judging by its words, I assumed that it would return on my next birthday, not any time before then. The other questions I had wanted to ask would have to be saved for next year.
I sigh, trying my hardest to compose myself. I tried to think of ways to put my quirk to good use. The best thing to do would probably have been going to the front lawn and killing every single insect I saw. Since the amount of power I receive depended on the intelligence levels of the creatures I killed, I probably wouldn't get a lot out of it. However, it was all I could do at the moment. I couldn't just start slaughtering random animals everywhere. I could get diseases and people would begin to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Judging by the information I received, I would gain the most power if I killed humans, who had possibly the highest mental capacity compared to just about every other species on the planet, but that was completely out of the question.
I had been given the worst possible superpower in this comic book world. Even if I became a hero, I would still be forbidden to kill, not that I would want to. My new quirk also did not fit well with my morals and values. I did not want to kill anyone for any reason, not even if they were psychotic murderers, since I believed that they could be reformed. There were things that could possibly have pushed me to do so, but they were the most extreme of situations. I would not kill my fellow humans for a simple power boost I respected their lives too much for that. I did not want to kill any animals or insects either, as they have never wronged me.
However, I would do so, even if it went against my morals. Even if I didn't like it, I would still do what I could to gain more power, and killing the bugs on my lawn would not make me feel too guilty anyways.
People would probably think that I had developed some sort of hatred towards insectoids and arachnids, and I wouldn't disprove their gossip, as I had no intention of revealing the truth of my quirk to anyone, not even Izuku. If word got out, then people like All For One might have came for me, and I really didn't want that. Maybe I would tell them if I became strong enough to defeat someone on All Might's level, but not before that. I would have to hide my red eyes, which would not exactly be easy, but I was sure that I would find a way to deal with it.
Oh well, in the end, it turned out that my quirk was much better as I had expected. I wouldn't have to completely rely on my own physical and mental prowess now that I had my powers. I wouldn't have to train as much as I thought.
In fact, rather than training, I resigned myself to slaughtering every single insectoid I saw from now on. I probably wouldn't do so in front of friends, but plenty when I was alone.
Sighing in slight irritation, I rubbed the back of head, as if scratching an itch. I would have to make up some excuse. It was going to be a pain.
Soon, I finished thinking, and knew immediately what I would have to do.
Rising from my bed, I quickly changed into my normal clothes and exited my bedroom. Being careful to tiptoe my way to the house's backdoor so I didn't wake up my parents, I put on a pair of shoes and entered the lawn which surrounded the whole house.
I remembered when I walked through the yard when I was younger, that there was a plethora of pests and worms, even some large caterpillars residing upon the grass and plantlife. While I used to be afraid of them, I would have to cast aside those fears in this moment. I would have to get used to seeing their mutilated corpses soon enough.
Grabbing a metal gardening shovel from my father's kit, I crouched down and scanned for any traces of life among the blades of grass.
A malevolent grin lit up my face when I found a long, brown worm crawling in the grass.
I had very mixed emotions about what I was about to do. On one hand, I was saddened at the fact that I was about to take a life, even if it was an unintelligent insect. On the other, I was practically giddy about getting more power, and was willing to sacrifice the worm without a second thought for a shred of it. It took about three seconds for the power hungry side to win.
You see, I actually had an inferiority complex that rivaled Izuku's, if not worse. It was there in my previous life as well, but it didn't matter too much then. However, here, it suddenly began to become a feeling that would swallow me whole at times. Why? Because here, I had too much to lose. In this world of super-powered heroes and villains, I would need strength to defend the life that I was living. The thing that I dreaded the most was death. Whether the death of my loved ones, or my own death, I feared both. This life was just too good. I would never give it up for anything. I would do everything in my power to keep the people I loved alive and myself alive, no matter the cost.
It could be said that my nature conflicted with itself. I wanted to better the world, to make it into a place where everyone could live life to the fullest, being happy every single day. I would also give everyone a second chance. No matter who they were, I believed that they could be redeemed. However, I was also power hungry and greedy, wanting to protect the ones I loved while also protecting myself, willing to achieve great power in any way possible.
When I realized just how much that my ideals conflicted each other, I had a massive headache. Just how far would I go for power? Would it get to the point where I would kill someone? Probably not, but you never know what could happen. It probably wouldn't be long before my light and dark sides clashed, noone being able to predict the winner. This would probably decide whether I would become a hero or villain.
However, I believed that my light side would win out. After all, the ones I cared about were all kind individuals or aspiring heros. With them around, I would probably be anchored to my light side.
Well, it was far too early to think of such things. It hasn't reached the level where my sides would clash yet. All I was doing in the moment was pest extermination. There was nothing too bad about that. If my quirk granted me more power, I probably wouldn't have to go too far to get more anyways.
My current self looked down at the worm before her for a few seconds before completely squishing it with the back of the steel gardening shovel. I sighed inside of my mind. Hopefully I wouldn't have to go further than this.
Resigning myself to my mission, I spent a few hours of time clearing the garden of pests. I wasn't tired anyways as I had slept quite a lot. Before I noticed it, the sun was already hanging in the sky.
Normal POV
The next morning, Mal's father woke up early, deciding to trim the plants in his garden before heading off to work. Humming a tune to himself, he strolled into his garden, taking in a breath of the fresh air with his nose.
Lowering his eyes, the man had aimed to see the state his bushes were in. This way he would know how much he had to trim.
However, as his eyes took in the sight of his grass lawn, they widened in horror.
Numerous compressed carcasses of several insectoid species lay upon the grass, being eagerly fed on by smaller decomposers.
The perpetrator of the mass murder of insectoids would never be found, puzzling Mal's father until the end of his days. However, he did find that one of his gardening shovels were suspiciously clean, to the point of glistening in the sunlight.
Kudos to those of you that got my reference
This is the unedited chapter, I just wanted to get it out before school started