Can We Be Heroes?

Chapter 44• Early Tales of Future Heroes V

All that Glitter and shatters like Glass

Yuga Aoyama was the Boy with the flamboyant Golden Shine. There was no better way to put it because looking at him had left most speechless in more ways than one. His hair shimmered like it had never known a dry day or split end. His lashes were curled with military precision and his smile had enough wattage to outshine a classroom ceiling bulb.

To most people, Yuga Aoyama's biggest life concerns boiled down to:

Staying golden (figuratively and literally).

Perfect posture.

And making sure no one ever stepped on his custom-shined boots.

He walked through Retkem Junior High like a fashion commercial on legs. Head tilted. Back arched. A sparkle in his eye that he may or may not have bought at a cosmetics counter.

"Bonjour, peasants~!" he'd often greet, flicking his fingers like he was scattering confetti in the air. Most people rolled their eyes and some glared, clearly green with envy and bitterness. How could someone so spoiled have such an appearance?

But what they didn't know, what he could never let them know was that his whole identity was a carefully arranged lie. That even his power-the brilliant, light-shooting naval laser-wasn't his to begin with.

He hadn't been born without a quirk.

He remembered the moment too well. The way the doctor looked at his parents with silent apology. The way his mother's smile trembled at the corners.
The way his father's grip on his shoulder felt just a little too tight.

And the whisper in the car that followed.
"Don't worry. We'll fix this. We'll make it right."

They did. Just not on their own. Their help came in the form of a visitor who dressed too well with eyes too calm and words too smooth and measured.

He came with a promise that made his mother cry and his father shake hands with someone they should have feared.

All For One.

They made a deal with a devil to give their son a future. And Aoyama? He was too young to say no. Too desperate to say yes.

And when the pain started-the searing, body-wracking rejection of a quirk that wasn't his-he never blamed them. He smiled instead and wore shiny clothes. He made jokes and winks and sparkled.

Because that's what people needed to see. That's the persona he could bare with rather than facing the reality of what he actually was.

But at night? When the house was quiet, and the pain returned in his stomach like a curse the blonde would simply curl in bed and whisper to the dark ceiling,

"I didn't ask for this. I didn't want to be special this way." He was a puppet. A soon- to-be spy. A glowing, smiling, lying boy. He was told to stay close to the strongest. To listen, watch and report back.

And every day, it got harder to play the fool. Because some of them? Some of them were good. Some of the ones he knew he would meet at UA deserved to be heroes. And he was going to be the reason they got hurt.

But if he told anyone, if he even hinted at the truth-They'd kill his parents. And that was a nightmare he could never allow to come true..So Yuga Aoyama stayed decided golden, perfect, radiant and completely alone.

Present Day.....

Aoyama sighed and slowly sat up in bed, the soft satin of his sheets wrinkling under his stiff limbs. The room around him shimmered faintly-stars projected onto the ceiling, gold-framed mirrors catching the soft glow of fairy lights draped across the walls. It was like a dreamscape. A fantasy. A place where nothing could hurt.

But his body? Felt like it was turning into glass.

He frowned. A rare thing for him as his usual plastered, perfect, polite smile had slipped during the night. Something was wrong.

His stomach had always hurt. That was no surprise. From the moment he got his quirk, the pain had become a constant companion-a sharp ache after every blast, a twist in his gut even when he wasn't using it. But this was different.

He lifted the hem of his shirt, his fingers trembling slightly. His skin looked fine. Smooth. No rashes or bruises but underneath he felt like something was moving. Not literally-but a deep, prickling irritation, like tiny shards of glass were shifting beneath his muscles.

His arms itched. His back pulsed. His neck felt heavy. Like something wanted out. Something that wasn't his.

"The doctor says it's just a side effect," he muttered aloud, repeating it like a mantra. He could still hear the man's voice. "It's nothing, Aoyama-kun. You're adjusting. These things take time."

He bit the inside of his cheek. Adjusting? He'd had this power for years. Why was it suddenly getting worse?

The blonde walked to the mirror, pressing his palm against the cool glass as his reflection smiled at him, even though he wasn't smiling. His eyes were too wide, hair too perfect. It was nothing but a mask over a ticking time bomb.

"I'm a hero," he whispered as tears threatened to spill. "I'm a hero. I sparkle. I protect."

The words didn't soothe him. Not anymore.

He turned away, brushing a manicured hand through his hair to hide the tremble. He had school today. Another perfect performance to give. But somewhere deep inside, something screamed at him.

It was a small crack, slowly forming beneath the shine and in that crack self destruction awaited.

Loud Colors, Quiet Corners

Mina Ashido was a wildcard, a radiant burst of color in an otherwise dull black-and-white world. She was a literal walking contradiction-loud but not careless, cheerful but not clueless, and above all else, impossible to ignore.

With her bright pink skin, golden eyes, and constant beat of music from her earbuds, Mina moved through life like it was a dance floor. Always in motion, always on rhythm and always smiling.

To anyone watching, she had it all together. She was confident, very stylish and effortlessly cool. She wasn't someone who blended in-and honestly, she never wanted to.

Why should she when she was unapologetically proud of who she was. Of what she looked like.
Of her sharp horns and skin that shimmered like bubblegum in the sun.

But that said confidence wasn't born. Instead it was built.

Mina remembered what it was like when she first manifested her quirk- Acid.

They called her names. Alien Girl. Monster Girl... all those uncreative names only brainless people could come up with and asked if she could melt people with her spit.

But instead of feeling insecure she laughed it off then. Learned to laugh before they could. Learned to smile first and to be so loud, no one noticed when she felt small.

These days, she was the heartbeat of any room she entered. A pink blur across hallway with sneakers tapping, music blaring and laughter spilling from her like confetti.

But even now- In quiet moments, like when her music died out, or when she sat alone under the bleachers while the world kept spinning- Mina wondered if she was really being seen.
Or just... enjoyed.

She wanted to be a hero, not just a fun friend or cool classmate. A real hero. Someone who could be taken seriously. One who could save and protect, even when people were scared of what she looked like.

Still, every day, she got up and danced. Blasted her music. Wore her boldest jackets and ocked the brightest accessories life had to offer.

Because if life was going to throw acid at her-
She'd be the one to shape it.

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Word Count [1302]