She died of illness. Specifically, lung cancer. Though the illness was a generic cause of death in stories, she thought it wasn't all that common; she didn't appreciate all of the so-called representation in fictional media. She sure didn't magically recover from cancer by the power of true love. The Fault in Our Stars was bullshit. Kinda-nice-to-imagine bullshit, but it's still shit in the end. Cancer didn't cure itself with the power of love.

What magically did happen was her reincarnating. Stranger still, was the fact that she reincarnated in a fiction, a manga series she read to pass the time. It wasn't even one she liked and knew of the most, but she knew it enough to know that she's screwed if she didn't have a broken power.

Power… That's not quite right. They called it quirk in this world, didn't they? In any case, one's quirk determined their future, and in her case, determine whether she'd go down the path of a cannon fodder citizen, a cannon fodder hero, or a hero who would survive. Being a villain wasn't an option. Being a villain, she thought, required her to have strong beliefs, determination, and conviction, all of which she didn't have much in her.

So, hero it was. At least the job paid well. Additionally, it gave her a route to an honourable death. Was she in the canon timeline? That, she didn't know. Dates weren't what she paid attention to when reading My Hero Academia, after all. She only read it for the cool powers and plot. Speaking of those two elements, both of them went wacky and all sorts of crazy in the latest chapters she read.

Considering that, she'd probably die if she was in the canon timeline. Worse was that she couldn't escape to another country even if she wanted to.The cracks in the walls, empty alcohol bottles and food takeaways didn't scream wealthy. If anything, it screamed filthy and poverty. No, the latter wasn't related to the first. She'd been a poor orphan in her previous life but being broke didn't equate to being dirty. And with all the alcohol and takeaways her mother kept buying, and no landlord coming to complain about late rent payment, it's safe to assume her family of two wasn't strapped for cash.

She sat in the living room cum kitchen, and stared at the wall which had its brown paint peeling off. The curtains were pulled close but judging by the light filtering through the small crack that the cloths didn't cover, it was already in the afternoon. The room smelt of grease, alcohol, spoilt food, and unwashed laundry. With the air so pungent and thick, she thought she could take a knife and slice it.

Scrunching her nose, she stood and tiptoed around the glass bottles to pull open the curtains. Standing on her toes, her four-year-old body struggled to reach the lock to the balcony sliding doors, but she succeeded nonetheless. She slid the doors open and stepped out to the balcony overlooking the busy streets below.

Finally, some fresh air. From the moment she woke up, she thought she'd been breathing underwater, beneath a polluted sea. She didn't know the reason, but it was only now that she had regained her past memories. Knowing that she was four, she'd soon awaken to her quirk, if she had any.

It wasn't like she had any inkling as to what kind of quirk she'd awaken, since her only parent never used her quirk in her presence. At least she knew it wasn't a mutant-type quirk considering her mother looked like a normal human, barring her rainbow eyes.

All of this wasn't as important as her waking up in this new body though. She looked down to her small pale legs that wore a pair of black shorts. Within the confines of those shorts, she knew she had an additional organ between her legs.

She became a boy.

Leaning on the balcony wall, she wiped a roll of sweat on the side of her head. Her arms ached and her eyelids were heavy. Maybe she shouldn't have cleaned up all the mess in the span of an evening, not in this child's body. Tiring as it was though, the cleaning served as a good distraction to her current predicament. It gave her hands something to do, and the monotonous task provided her with a clearer mind to think.

In the end, she concluded it wasn't that bad being reincarnated in a superhero story as the opposite sex. Honestly, being a male gave her many privileges and protections, but she'd reckon it would still take a while for her to view herself as one. Besides, the MHA world was progressive enough in terms of gender. For example, there was that villain Magne and that one muscly member of a hero group, which was called Pussycats, if she remembered correctly. Even if she didn't turn into a he, she thought that was alright.

The breeze fluttered her white hair—the colour she inherited from her father, who her memories told her that he was dead—and she sniffled. The sky was tinged with orange and red, and the wind was cool. Deciding it was too cold to stay outside, she went inside and slid close the balcony doors.

Taking the broomstick she used to clean the living room and kitchen, she used it to compensate for her sad height and smacked the light switches on. Pulling the curtains close and putting away the broomstick, she slumped onto the black leather sofa.

She clutched her stomach as it growled, curling like a shrimp. There was no food to be had in the fridge and drinking water from the tap didn't do much to abate her hunger. With no choice but to wait for her mother to come home with whatever food she bought, she fell asleep.

She only awoke when the sound of keys and the turning of the apartment's doorknob were heard. Rubbing the crust out of her eyes, she turned towards the door to see a black-haired woman with rainbow eyes coming in. The woman's hands held a leather sling bag in one hand, and a plastic bag that smelled like fried chicken in another. Of course, she didn't fail to notice the green bottleneck sticking out from the plastic bag.

Ignoring that, she stood and went to greet her mother. "Welcome home, mom." Her voice contained a smidgen of happiness in it, if only it's because of the food her mother brought back.

Her mother paused, having taken off her heels. She glanced at her before taking in the sight of the clean room. The woman turned her attention back to her, and said, "Hikari, you cleaned the room." It wasn't a question; it was a simple statement and acknowledgement that belied whatever her mother felt.

"Yes." Hikari thought the way she spoke was unlike a child but as far as her memories served her, this was the way she talked. Besides the fact she was an adult in her previous life, her living environment didn't encourage a normal childhood in any way. So, she decided it was fine to reply, "I put mom's laundry into a basket in the bathroom."

Her mother only nodded her head and went straight to the kitchen as Hikari followed behind. She said, "Wash your hands, and sit and wait at the table."

Hikari did as told, climbing into a seat and waited for the woman to finish setting up the table. It didn't take long for two plates full of fried chicken to take their place on the table with a bottle of alcohol to accompany it. For her, her mother had gotten a glass of water. There were no other food besides that.

Popping the cap off the bottle, her mother said, "Eat. If you're full afterwards and there are leftovers, put it in the fridge or throw it away." With that said, she poured herself a drink.

"What about mom?"

"I've eaten already."

Hikari nodded and ate the chicken in silence. From time to time, she couldn't help but glance at her mother. Despite the abysmal living condition, her mother looked picture perfect; there were no wrinkles and her eye bags were barely visible, skillfully hidden underneath a layer of makeup.The vibrant rainbow of her eyes contrasted against her pale skin and black hair. Overall, her mother was a beautiful woman.

Knowing she'd at least grew to be as, if not even more, beautiful than her mother was reassuring. Sad as it was, people did judge a book by its cover, and having good looks could only be an advantage in Hikari's life.

If her mother noticed her glances, she didn't say anything. She only got up when her alcohol was no more, not bothering to put away her empty bottle and glass. Hikari sighed once she heard the door to her mother's room close with a click. She licked her lips and took a sip of water. In the end, no matter how famished she was, she could only eat three chicken wings and drumsticks at most. Putting away the two plates of chicken into the fridge, cleaning up her mother's bottle and glass, and washing her hands at the sink with the help of a stool, she stretched her arms above her head.

Her mother wasn't that bad. She could be better, but at least she wasn't Endeavour. Then again, Hikari setting the bar that low spoke volumes of her mother's capability as a parent.

Well, she'd make do. It wasn't as if she was really a child. But while she's here, she'll help the woman known as her mother as much as she could. Hikari could do that much, even if it's only to repay her mother for bringing her into this world.

Hikari entered her room that, to her surprise earlier in the day, resembled a normal boy's room. There were even All Might figurines. Her memories before she became aware of her reincarnation told her that she liked the hero. And even though she had awakened to her adult self, that sentiment lingered still so she didn't have any plans to get rid of the toys.

Climbing up to her bed, she lay there, staring at the ceiling. With a full stomach and heavier eyelids, she wished her quirk would manifest itself soon.

When she woke up the next morning, Hikari was both relieved and troubled by the fact that her quirk had the potential to destroy the world.