I forgot to put it at the end of the last chapter. But her bangs don't cover the center of her forehead. Kind of like Rudeus from Mushoku Tensei or Shiki Ryougi from Kara no Kyoukai. It's the same style.
That's it.
Enjoy.
"Hello? Hey! Are you still there?" Setsuna said, waving her hand in front of Kei's face while still in the air.
"She just kind of zones out sometimes, " Yui said, gaining Setsuna's attention.
"Ah! Sorry, you surprised me with that… Hello, I'm Kei Inari, it's good to meet you." Kei said with a smile, shaking hands with Setsuna. "Is that your Quirk?"
"Yeah! I can split my body into 30 pieces. Like this, look." Setsuna said, then split the upper part of her head, leaving a torso with half a head. The split-half levitated in front of Kei. "See?"
"It's kind of freaky… But still cool. Can you levitate only when you split?" The split parts seemed to be covered in black where it was cut, so you couldn't see inside her. And she could control all parts individually. But she could only levitate when split.
They proceeded to talk, and the three made fast friends.
Somewhere else in the school, three fan clubs would be born. Each would be dedicated to one of the three girls. And the three girls would be completely unaware for the rest of their stay in the school
'Now that I think about it. isn't she a canon character? It's been so long I can't even remember the protagonist's name…'
'Is she spacing out again?' Thought Yui, looking at Kei. Her eyes were narrowed and intensely looking at the chalkboard. "Is something wrong, Kei?"
"... Umm… Yui… Can you see what's written on the chalkboard?" Kei asked, eyes still narrowed.
Yui looked at the chalkboard. "Yes?"
"What about you, Setsuna?" Kei asked the girl sitting in front of her.
"Hm? Yes, no problems here," She said.
"... Yui, can you give me your notes by the end of the class? It seems I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist later," She said.
"Oh… Is it that bad?" Setsuna asked.
"I mean… I knew I didn't have the best eyesight, but it's gotten worse… Guess I can't ignore it anymore."
'It seems I can't escape eye problems even in a new life… Is It astigmatism again? If it is, it doesn't seem to be as bad as in my previous life…' Kei thought.
It was astigmatism. 'which sucks… But I got used to wearing glasses in my previous life, so it shouldn't be that bad,' With a prescription in hand, Kei and her mother went shopping for glasses.
She was going to go with glasses with a rectangle rim like in her last life. But she decided to go for round-rimmed glasses. 'I look cuter with glasses…' was her first thought. "Mom, I'm going with these ones,"
"Hmm? Let me seAHHH YOU LOOK SO CUTE! Let me take a photo!" Her mother said, pulling out her phone and taking a photo.
"Hey! I didn't say you could! Wait! Don't send it!" It was too late, she had already sent it to the family group. "Uhhh…" Kei covered her face in embarrassment.
"Hehe… Let's buy them!" Mayumi dragged her daughter and a couple of hours later, her new glasses were ready.
'I'll have to use these almost always… Well, at least I look cute,' Kei thought.
Kei entered the school grounds. At that moment, multiple members of her fan club noticed, and after classes, decided to have an emergency meeting…
"How can you look so good with glasses?" Asked Setsuna.
"I'm just built differently," Kei said, a smirk on her face.
'Does being proud of herself come with being a fox?' Yui thought from the side.
"Let me try them on!" Setsuna said. Kei gave her her glasses. "Ugh… I can't see anything…"
"You aren't supposed to," Kei said.
"Here! Try them on, Yui!" Setsuna put the glasses on Yui.
"Uwah… I can barely see…" Yui said. Kei was watching Yui wide-eyed but rapidly retreated to her normal resting face.
Setsuna didn't miss that look though. 'Hm?'
Yui passed the glasses back to Kei. "Thanks."
"Go back to your seats!" The teacher, who just arrived, said. Kei started looking at the front of the class
Meanwhile, Setsuna sneakily looked at Yui, who was stealing tiny glances at Kei, the same unreadable expression she always seemed to have on her face.
Kei looked back to the chalkboard. A single thought crossed her mind once her face was out of the sight of the two. A devilish grin appeared on her face. 'Teasing material~'
"Is something the matter, Setsuna? That smile kind of scares me…" Kei said, looking concerned at Setsuna.
"Hm? Nothin'... Don't worry!" Setsuna said, her smile widening.
'I feel like I should worry…' And she should. 'God dam-'
"So… Yui, huh? I guess it makes sense, you've been friends since really young!" Setsuna said, a teasing smile on her face. "I guess she did look pretty with your glasses…"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know what I mean! Now the fact you never change with the rest of the girls makes sense," Kei stared at her for a moment, analyzing what Setsuna said.
'What does she mean by tha-' Then she understood. "You are gonna stay silent or I'll shove a glass sword up your ass," Kei said, a blush threatening to spread through her whole face. Setsuna just laughed.
At that moment, Yui entered the classroom. "Why are you laughing," she asked.
"Oh! It's just-" Before Setsuna could speak, Kei threw her hands over her mouth.
"Nothing! Good to see you, Yui." Kei said with a wide smile.
Yui stared at them both for a moment, before shrugging. "... Good to see you too."
Setsuna was laughing in her mind. 'This is fun…' She stared at Yui for a moment. 'Next victim!' Yui suddenly felt dread go through her body.
Meanwhile Kei… 'Damn these teenager hormones…'
Yui was walking home, she had already separated from Setsuna and Kei a while ago.
Her mind was going over what she saw just two days ago when Kei came to class with a pair of glasses. She had to thank her perfect poker face for not giving her away to someone like Setsuna, she was sure she wouldn't let her live it down. 'She did look really pretty with those glasses…' A small smile formed on her face and a tiny blush adorned her face.
The presence following her decided this was the perfect moment to strike.
A sudden poke behind her head jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked behind. "..." 'What was that?'
"So… you really like Kei, huh?" A voice said from behind her. Yui turned around again. "Your face gives it away," Setsuna said with a smirk.
"Ah…" Yui stared at Setsuna. "I-It's not like that!" Compared to Kei, Yui couldn't fight back the blush spreading through her face.
"Ahaha! Your face says it all! You look like a tomato!" Setsuna couldn't contain her laugh, her reaction was even funnier than Kei's. Though she had to wonder… Why weren't they dating yet? She could understand Yui not telling Kei her feelings, she was a pretty silent girl and didn't express her emotions that easily. Kei though… Setsuna was honestly pretty confused about her… Why would she not confess?...
"Just… keep it a secret… please," Yui pleaded.
"Why though?" Setsuna asked.
"I-I'm not ready yet…" She said.
"... Ok… I wasn't gonna do it anyway. I just wanted to tease you a bit. You were stealing a lot of glances at Kei when she wasn't looking, right?" Yui tensed, then blushed hard at the mention of that.
"I wasn't…" Setsuna kept teasing her for a while before they went their separate ways.
~13 years old~ ~Park~
"Swords are cool…" Kei said before forming a glass sword in the air and moving it around. "But how about scythe!" The sword broke down, reforming into a massive scythe. Kei then held the scythe in both her hands.
"That… sounds kind of impractical," Said Yui.
"True… but still!" Kei started swinging around her glass scythe. "You can't deny it isn't cool, Yui,"
"Yui isn't wrong… Using a scythe while being a hero may be a bit impractical," Setsuna said. "That doesn't mean it isn't cool,"
"Thank you!" Kei said, pointing at Setsuna. "You have gained tail privileges!"
"Nice!" Kei sat on the ground in front of Setsuna. The gyaru instantly started touching the tail. "Ahhh~ This is great… I've been waiting for so long~" She said, rubbing her face on the fluffy tail.
"Feel honored, you are the second person ever I've let touch my tail," Kei said in a proud tone.
Yui was watching the exchange silently. Jealous that she wasn't the only one with the privilege anymore. Kei noticed this change of mood. '...Guess we'll be doing that later.'
"Can I sleep on your tail?" Setsuna asked.
"No."
"Aww…"
They stayed in the park for a couple of hours, then Setsuna had to leave. "See ya." She said.
"...Well, see you in class," Yui said, leaving for her house. But Kei stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
"Nope, you're coming with me," Kei said, then started walking the opposite way Yui was originally going.
"I have to go to sleep… I'm tired…" Yui said.
"Even better," Kei led Yui to her house, briefly greeting her parents before going to her room while dragging Yui. Takumi and Mayumi snickered at the sight, clearly aware of what was going on.
Kei and Yui entered the room, Kei closing the door behind them.
Yui was already used to this room. Ever since they were kids she spent multiple hours in here, basically becoming her second room. She had even used the bed a couple of times. Tough Kei in those instances slept on the floor.
"Sit here," Said Kei, plopping her on her bed. Kei sat beside her and took a brush that was sitting on the bed. She then started brushing her tail.
"Is something wrong?" Yui asked.
"Just wait for a moment, I'm almost done," She said. After a couple more strokes, she set the brush aside and left the room. "Wait for a moment"
'What is going on?' Yui thought. The situation was really bizarre. Kei looked quite serious while grooming her tail. 'Did she notice me earlier in the park? No… it couldn't be that…' It was.
Kei entered the room, a purple blanket on her arms. She sat in a seiza position on the carpeted floor, then tapped it with her tail while looking at Yui. She tilted her head in confusion. "Come here," Kei said, tapping the floor with her hands.
Yui sat beside Kei. Still confused.
Kei then grabbed her head and put it on her tail. "Are you sleepy? Then sleep," she said, looking away from Yui. She then covered her body with the blanket.
"Uhmm…"
"Shh… No talking,"
"Ok…" Yui closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the tail. '... now that I think about it… it's been a long time since I slept in her tail… I'm pretty sure it was only one time when we were kids… It feels nice…'
Yui had her eyes closed, so she couldn't see the massive blush spreading through Kei's face. 'God dammit… Why did I think this was a good idea?!... Okay, it was a good idea. But still! I can barely contain my blush! The moment she looks at me I'm busted! AHHHH WHY DO I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE TEENAGE PROBLEMS? I ALREADY WENT THROUGH THAT BEFORE AND IT SUCKED.' Kei took a mental breath. She looked at Yui who was almost about to sleep. 'Why are you so cute… dammit…' Kei sighed
'I can barely remember my previous life… but my conscience still tells me that this is wrong… hahh. Just hold until we are older, Kei. Then everything will be fine.' The only thing Kei hated about her reincarnation was being a teenager again. She wasn't old before her reincarnation, only a couple of months before getting to 19. 'But it still sucks…'
Kei started patting Yui's head. Still looking away to not risk her face being seen. Yui opened her eyes at the touch but decided to just enjoy it in silence. Shortly after, she fell asleep.
Kei heard snickers from the door. Looking at the door, she saw her mother watching her and Yui. She wanted to scream at her, but that would wake Yui up, so she decided to suck it up and just frown at her.
'...I can't feel my legs…'
'It took forever, but finally, I can train in hand-to-hand combat!' Kei thought. Her parents for some reason were really adverse about letting her train in any type of martial arts for a long time. She had to practically beg.
So now she was taking some basic combat classes that were not centered on Quirk usage. Yui also came with her, so that's cool.
She was also searching the internet for any tips on using scythes as a weapon, but could not find anything. So it was up to her to learn. 'I won't give up on the scythe!'
It was still better to just use glass projectiles, but she could just not give up the idea of using a scythe.
After a couple of hours, the classes ended for the day.
Kei yawned. "nghh… I'm going home… See ya later, Yui." She said.
"Bye…" Yui watched Kei's retreating figure. '... Not yet'
Yui watched as Kei did swings with a massive scythe made of glass. Her targets are multiple flying parts of Setsuna. Kei made sure to make the scythe blunt so as to not cut any of the pieces. While Setsuna did say they can regenerate and the pain is numbed, she still couldn't bring herself to inflict such pain on Setsuna.
It was quite beautiful seeing Kei use the scythe, she was practically dancing while swinging the farming tool made weapon. Which Yui thought was quite ironic, since Kei did not like dancing.
"You could use your Quirk to move the scythe faster, you know?" Setsuna said.
"I know, but there could be times when for some reason or another I can't use my Quirk. That's why I need to be proficient in using the Scythe without the help of my Quirk apart from forming it," Kei said.
"True enough," Setsuna said, evading a swing from Kei
Kei swung the scythe, catching one of Setsuna's flying hands. A sudden stroke of genius came to Kei's mind. 'I once ditched the idea of a sandstorm because I couldn't see in it… But maybe I can use my sand to feel?' Thought Kei.
"Wait, Setsuna. I got an idea, " Kei said, taking her jacket and putting it covering her eyes. "Yui, could you move away please? I don't want to pelt you with sand," Yui moved far away along with Setsuna, only leaving her hands and feet to help Kei.
The sand from a nearby box covered a wide area around Kei. 'Using all the sand to feel would be overwhelming… I'll only use a couple of grains around the perimeter' Kei could feel how Setsuna's flying body parts moved in the mini sandstorm. She swung her scythe, catching the body part and sending it to the ground.
"Woah! You can see in there?" Asked Setsuna. Kei did not respond because sand would get in her mouth.
She swung her scythe more times, getting the remaining three body parts. Then she released her control on the sandstorm. "Well, that worked really well… It works kind of like a radar," Said Kei. 'I guess I'll need some goggles and a mask for my future hero costume… But maybe I can control the sand so it doesn't touch me?'
"So now you are a walking sandstorm, huh?" Setsuna said.
"If there's enough sand that is," Kei said back. "Also… Scythes are cool… but!"
"Oh no," Yui could already see where this was going.
The scythe in Kei's hands turned to sand, and then it formed into a Zweihänder spanning 210 centimeters. "Big fucking sword!" Kei said, a big grin on her face. Yui facepalmed.
"What's with your obsession with big weapons?" Yui asked.
"Says the fluff maniac," Kei retorted. Yui rolled her eyes.
~14 years old~ ~Kei's room~
'Shouldn't canon be starting soon? I'm pretty sure Deku started his training when he was 14… I could be wrong though,' Kei thought. 'Wait… was Deku his actual name?'
During one of her classes, their teacher asked the class about their choice for future careers. Unsurprisingly, almost everyone said they wanted to be heroes. 'Not like I can say anything about that, I also want to be a hero'
When she discovered where she was reincarnated, her motivation for being a hero was "Why not? I might as well do it since I'm here!"... And that hasn't changed much… But seeing other heroes do their job on television and even in person was honestly inspiring. Her favorites were those that even after being beaten up, or seeing horrible atrocities with their own eyes, could still give big smiles to those around them even if Kei knew that deep inside their minds, they were incredibly depressed. That gave her more motivation to be a hero. Not for the money (though she couldn't deny the money was nice), or the fame. But to help those around her.
Also, she couldn't shake the feeling that if she enrolled in U.A… there was the possibility that her existence in the hero course would make a thing she didn't like disappear. It was honestly really confusing.
'Apparently, Setsuna attracted the attention of a hero, and they would give her a recommendation… That's really cool' Kei also attracted the attention of a hero named "Snatch", who has a Quirk similar to Kei, being able to control sand, though it had some differences, like not being able to turn said sand into glass. It was really tempting, but in the end decided to not accept the recommendation, mostly because she didn't want to compete with the behemoths that were recommended students, and also because she didn't want to compete with Setsuna.
She will consider interning under him when the time comes though.
Kei sighed as she observed the sketch in front of her, her future hero costume. Considering the nature of her Quirk, the only "Support Item" she would need is a certain amount of sand for weapons, and she didn't need that much since sand is practically everywhere. 'Maybe some sand inside the costume? Maybe that would let me fly? Also, a lot of heroes that require mobility in their costumes make theirs skin-tight or unobtrusive, but I don't need to move to use my Quirk… I did choose a weapon-oriented type of fighting style so maybe I will need something either skin-tight or unobtrusive. Maybe the first layer will be skintight? It should cover my whole body except my face…'
"uhhhAAAA. I should just sleep" Kei gave up.
I guess Kei even after reincarnation gets frustrated easily.
Also, if I wasn't that clear, her fox mutations did also make her more "proud". The same happens with Takumi, he is a big Tsundere.
I will make some short Omakes about Kei's parents, I have some ideas.
A big scythe is cool.
Also a Zweihänder.
I just really like the idea of the examinees in the entrance exam seeing a cute girl pull out a massive sword larger than her.
I was going to introduce Itsuka to the gang in this chapter, but I'm going to keep it as a group of three for now. But don't worry! She will join the gang eventually! That I promise!
Now on to the part where I ask desperately for help. Hero costume.
I really don't know what to do about the costume. I'll think about something, but if you have any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated.
~The music in her earphones~ ~Omake~
Kei sat in a park, eyes closed and a pair of custom-made earphones in her ears. Since she didn't have a set of normal human ears, she had to commission an especially made pair for her fox ears.
Yui watched the bobbing Kei with curiosity. 'I wonder what she's listening to…' She thought.
Meanwhile, Kei's earphones:
"I NEED A HAND I CAN HOLD UP"
"I NEED THE NICKEL AND IRON TO OUTWEIGH DESIRE"
"BY PULLING ME DOWN, PULLING ME DOWN"
"BURN ME TO THE GROUND"
'Good fucking music' Thought Kei.
'She is bobbing hard…'
The song is "Operation Pyrite" from the Arknights soundtrack.