Chapter Text
“So okay, you sure you gonna buy all of these five?”
You smirked at the cashier with a nod, “Yeah, why would I bring them all to you if I wasn’t going to buy them?”
Honestly, you really needed to go home and rest today. But you just had to come here to buy the first five volumes of My Hero Academia manga. Oh, you were definitely not a new fan. You just thought that it was time to own some manga books after being a fan of the anime adaptation for so long.
Besides, would there be any differences between the manga and the anime? So far, four seasons of the show had been animated and you really could not wait for another season which was going to be aired in about one month.
If you hadn’t had some work to do as soon as you got home, you would have been immediately reading these five books.
But you would just have to be satisfied with reading a bit on the bus.
The middle-aged man, who had been working there for quite a while, expertly worked with the register but he opened his mouth to talk again, “You know, I have shared this with quite a lot of people, wanna hear? It’s a myth about manga books and those who read them for the first time and it isn’t for the digital copies though. I’m sure you've read a bit on the internet.”
“Well, yes, I have read some chapters, not from the beginning, of course. Just a chapter here and there. What can I say? Spoilers are interesting,” you shrugged. “And the myth also sounds interesting.”
The man hummed. “Okay then. This is just a myth but,” He paused, glancing left and right for a moment. For some dramatic effect, you reckoned. “Some say that if you die while reading a manga book for the first time, you will reawaken in the universe of whichever book you are reading. Imagine that happening while reading the first Attack on Titan volume.”
The man chuckled at his own joke. And you can see how that would be a bit bad. “Well, it suspiciously sounds like an Isekai.”
“I know, right?” The cashier put all the newly purchased books into a paper bag as you deposited the cash on the counter. “I would totally name it ‘No Spoilers: Reader’s Isekai’. Well, here you go. Enjoy your manga and take care on your way home. Thanks for shopping with us!”
You gave him a curt nod and a quiet ‘Thank you,’ before making your way to the bus stop, a certain pair of eyes following you all the way to the exit.
There wasn’t too much time until the bus came but while waiting at the bus stop, you took out the first one from the volumes you bought and started reading from the place you left off before purchasing at the store, which was almost two-thirds of the book.
Now, you could remember what happened in the first arc quite well both from reruns of the series themselves and from reading too many fanfics that had spoiled you a bit even. Some scenes about the League fighting an army or something that you could not really remember. But also, other...mhmm...major things.
However, it was not like you were not going to enjoy the book. When the bus arrived, you quickly got in and chose a seat.
You were just reading the twelfth chapter of the series before a large force collided with the bus.
Then, pain blossomed in your head and everything went dark after that.
Somehow, you knew you were slipping in and out of consciousness.
A blurry pale blue ceiling and cold tiles…
Cool liquid underneath your head...
The rise and fall of soft warm darkness that seemed to circle you…
A kiss and brightness…
And falling asleep…
When you woke up, you were lying in a comfortable bed in a room. You blinked slowly and breathed in deeply. The last time you were completely conscious was back when you were on the bus, reading the manga and then, your vision going dark. Therefore, it must mean that you were involved in some kind of accident.
You could not feel any pain though. Maybe the hospital staff gave you painkillers. Did that mean you were high?
Blinking again, you looked around with surprising ease. The room sure seems to be some sort of infirmary or hospital room. There were some windows on your left, the curtains half drawn to show that it was already dark outside.
Did you end up being unconscious for days though? Then, where were your family members? Did you even put them down for the emergency contacts? What if this was some kind of afterlife? A series of gibberish snatched your attention towards an elderly nurse or doctor who was too old to be working.
You tried to get up and could get up with surprising ease. Just how much time did you spend sleeping, or rather in a coma, that you could move and feel as if you were healed all over?
But if you spent a long time lying stiffly in a bed, would it not be uncomfortable to move?
“Umm, pardon? I didn’t quite catch that,” you squinted at the sight of the peculiar cane that the old lady was holding. It looked like a syringe for goodness’s sake. What an interesting choice. And her attire and her hairstyle -oh well, everything about her actually - sort of reminded you of someone.
Confusion flashed across her face for a moment before she said, “What did you say? I couldn’t hear it well.”
“Oh, just asking you what you said earlier,” you reluctantly replied. Did you slur or something?
“Oh, nothing. Just remarking on your consciousness.”
You blinked at her before nodding. Then, your eyes trailed down to your body. You were still wearing the clothes you wore to the manga store. Your hands made their way towards the back of the hoodie you were wearing only to find the texture a bit weird. “How are you feeling?”
“Umm, I am feeling fine. Am I on painkillers?” you questioned softly as you tried to see what happened to the hood.
Blood was the culprit, you found out.
And from what you could feel, it seemed like there was a lot of blood. Swallowing, you asked the old lady, who was trying to check the various machines surrounding you, “E-excuse me, ma’am. What happened to me? I can only think that the bus I was riding had an accident. Can you tell me where I am?”
“The bus you were riding, you say? Can you tell me its number?”
You complied, thinking that this might be a check-up of the patient’s awareness or something. But she gave you a weird look at your answer.
You were sure you got it right.
The nurse (or was she a doctor?) resumed her check-up before giving you any answer to your questions, which you thought was unfair because you answered hers. But of course, the sooner you could get on with this, the sooner you will get answers from her.
She hummed, “You are indeed in good shape. I’m glad. Now, to answer your questions, does UA ring any bells?”
You blinked and blinked again for good measure.
“Umm, UA? Did I hear it right?” Your hand came up to clinch your other wrist and your feet started to feel cold.
The lady nodded, “Yes, my dear. UA. Do you know what UA is?”
You swallowed, “You mean, you’re seriously asking that?” She gave you another nod. “What are you trying to say? The only UA I know is a hero school from “My Hero Academia” which is a manga that I read and I also watch its anime adaptation. Why would you ask that?”
“Excuse me. Did you say a manga? And anime?”
You frowned at her, “Yeah. What are you trying to say, ma'am? Where am I?’
Your eyes scanned her again and you were hit with familiarity but this time, recognition accompanied it. No wonder you felt you had seen her somewhere.
“Why are you all dressed up like Recovery Girl? Don’t play a prank on me! Tell me where I am! Or I’m suing you and whoever else behind this all,” you knew you were losing control of your emotions a bit. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
You rose to your feet, the cold creeping up your arms and legs. “Well, answer me. Please. Where am I? What happened?”
“My dear-”
“No offense but it is very unprofessional of you to use that term to refer to me,” you interrupted before you could stop those words before they spilled into your mouth from your mind. Where was that filter when you needed it?
She paused before resuming, “You are at UA right now and I don’t know why you are confused but I am Recovery Girl and I used my quirk on you to fasten up your healing process.”
Oh heck no. You were not dealing with this right now. Your impassive face stared down at the much older woman while your mind was on a marathon run with no destination but instead of running like it was supposed to for the marathon, it was sprinting at full speed. You started shaking your head, “Nope. Sorry. I will be leaving this room right now. Thank you.”
Your legs crossed the distance between the bed and the door quickly but your hand wasn’t as quick to reach the doorknob before the door opened by itself.
Oh silly, why would a door open by itself?
It was the black-haired man who looked like he seriously needed to sleep and also a glow-up. Around his neck was a bundle of greyish white scarf-like fabric.
You hated the information that the brain provided you, i.e, the fact that this homeless-looking man would be what Aizawa would have looked like if he had been a real person.
Well, Aizawa was not a real person now, was he?
A pair of dark eyes that really seemed like they were painfully dry narrowed at you. You narrowed your eyes back at the man. He dryly remarked, “I see you are trying to escape.”
“It is also possible that you are trying to go back to the place you came from,” a white thing which suddenly popped out of the grey scarf said with a smile, “I am afraid you would not be able to do that as of now.” You could already feel your face spasming as you tried to figure out how to react to the newest addition to the mix. You really hated that that ridiculous creature really talked and that you had an idea just what or rather who this creature was.
Oh, but what an idea you had.
“There is no need to worry. You are at UA and I am Principal Nedzu. This right here is Aizawa, one of the teachers at this school,” the creature introduced.
"He found you unconscious in a hallway, in a pool of your own blood no less, and brought you here actually."
Your eyes caught a glimpse of dark purple hair which belonged to a woman in a skintight suit hovering around the doorway. “Oh, goodness, no. How far are you willing to go to prank a poor person like me? I can’t- I should really sit down right now.”
And you did. Just where you were standing a moment ago. “Look, you are clearly cosplaying. Just tell me this is a joke and I’ll leave peacefully. I’m begging.”
The dark-haired man, whom you absolutely refused to acknowledge as Aizawa Shouta aka the Erasure hero, Eraserhead, said with an obviously deadpan voice, “This is a joke. And, what do you mean we are cosplaying? I assure you there is no one who would cosplay as me.”
You groaned into your hands before whipping your head to glare up at the man and the creature in his scarf with a deadpan of your own.
“What on earth happened to me? Why am I here?” you raised your voice, trying to stand up again. You were not looking up from such a low place. No, thank you. You did not need neck pain in addition to the headache that was already forming. Before you could bite out more questions, the white furry being who, if the pattern was right, should be called Nedzu cut in, “How are you here?”
“And who are you?” The woman who seemed to be cosplaying Midnight called out.
“Look, I’m not telling you anything before I know what the heck is happening to me!” You huffed, “There is no way it is true. It was just a frigging myth for goodness’s sake! I can not be at UA! UA isn’t even a real school!”
Silence followed your words and a part of you was grateful for that.
Trying to relax your tight-fisted hands, you looked around the infirmary room. You took a deep breath, staring down at the floor when a thought came to your mind, “I’m sorry for almost, well, not almost, yelling but umm, where are my belongings?”
“Your belongings are kept elsewhere in the meantime.” Your eyes flew to the Aizawa lookalike as he spoke, “We just want to know how you got into the school building and how you got hurt. If you’ve answered that, you will be free to go as long as you are found not guilty of any charges by the legal standards.”
You stared at him for a few seconds before you transferred your gaze to the other two in the room. There was one way you could deal with this and get the answers you wanted.
“How about I get one of my questions answered for every question I answer for you?”
There was no guarantee that the answers you received were the truth. However, if what you were thinking was true even though it would be one heck of truth, this was a great way to gather information. Exchanging info always worked.
The white creature smiled happily and took out a thermos flask. “Deal. Now let’s start this!” he cheerily agreed to your proposal with a raise of the teacup which he brought out of nowhere.
“Oh, I’m just in time then.” A new voice said from behind the Aizawa lookalike who stepped further into the room to make way for the newcomer. You blinked at the disheveled look the man was wearing, one hand taking off his tanned hat while the other held a coat of the same color. How you wished to think you did not have even an inkling as to just who this man was.
“Ah, Detective Tsukauchi. Come in, come in,” Nedzu lookalike said from where he was sitting. You spied the hobo man choosing a wall to lean on from the corner of your eyes. “It seems our newest friend is ready to answer some questions.”
Your eyes followed the newest addition to the room as he chose a chair to sit down before what the rat-bear-thing said caught up with you. Taking a deep breath, you sat down on the bed you were previously in.
So, were you really at UA? Were you really in the My Hero Academia universe?
You were sure as heck you heard that creature right when he said the name of the detective.
Hundreds of questions raced through your mind, some fully formed, some only half-built, some logical and some making no sense at all.
Wait, did that mean the characters you simped for were real here?
“Would you like some tea?” The question snapped you out of your own little world. But before you could reply, the dark-haired man sighed, “We should get on with this questioning, Nedzu. Some of us are busier than they would like.”
"Of course, of course. Detective, if you will," Nedzu nodded to the man and so you began to listen attentively to what he had to say.
However, the words that traveled out of his mouth were ones that you were familiar with, just as you were worried it would be.
But should one really be worried about something if one had known that there was a high chance of it being true?
"My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa and I am legally required to inform you that my quirk can detect lies and will be in use during this questioning."
You could barely keep your face neutral. Maybe, it was because you also felt numb by the sheer ridiculousness of this whole thing. This whole miracle of being involved with a myth which technically was not a myth anymore. Just your luck.
Oh, just your luck.
Your mind also presented other consequences of being transported into the My Hero Academia universe, ones that you could not bring yourself to hate or mind.
You nodded to the detective and the first question was asked, “Please state your name and birthday.”
You answered truthfully. If you were in fact in another dimension, in another world, it would be best to cooperate with the people who you knew to be heroes. You would just have to pray that the canon and even some fanon of these characters in your favorite series were true.
Letting your eyes wander around the room, you waited for their reaction. The furry creature- okay, you should just call them by their names- Nedzu appeared as if he was raising his brows and not succeeding because he did not have any, his teacup just starting to rise to his mouth after a moment. The principal began to slip his tea with a thoughtful expression.
“You,” the detective started, “you are actually speaking the truth.” He nodded and reconfirmed it by stating it for the second time for everyone in the room to hear.
Eraserhead blinked and the tired look on his face immediately disappeared. He was not even leaning on the wall anymore. Your throat suddenly went dry as you really needed them to believe your truth.
“So, the birthdate in your ID card is an official and real one,” Nedzu spoke up.
“My ID card?”
The creature set down his cup and fished out a card from the inner pocket of his vest, handing it to you. It certainly was your ID card with your name, birthday, and other information. Well, blowing up in the face of the principal of the school you were currently in who was also the most intelligent creature was not the smartest thing to do.
So you just remarked, “It is rude to go through other people’s possessions without their permission.”
You put it in your pocket.
“Well, we had to know your identity so that we could notify your emergency contacts. Also, it wasn’t as if you were there to express your permission and your belongings were all spread out on the floor around you,” the underground hero said from his place. Nedzu cheerily adds, “Also, if what you said is true, not only are you remarkably older than us but also you are certainly not from around here.”
Nodding your head, you drew in a breath. “Okay. Now, it’s my turn. If I am at UA, that means you guys have quirks. So, just demonstrate a quirk, preferably one with visible effects. So not Erasure, not Lie Detection, not High Specs. Just use a visible quirk.”
It was a bit nice to see the faint surprise in the eyes of everyone in the room, especially Aizawa, when you mentioned Erasure and other quirks.
The lady who had been standing outside the infirmary stepped into the room, “I can use Somnambulist. My sleeping gas can be seen.”
“Yeah but you can just fake some kind of purplish-pink gas and then your associate can pretend to fall asleep.” You shrugged, “And there’s no way I’m offering myself so that you can put me to sleep.”
You knew you were coming across as paranoid but you needed facts backed up with evidence, not assurances without proper proof.
Midnight tilted her head in an accepting way and said, “Okay then,” before exiting the room again. You noticed how she was positioned just outside the door. You were guarded which was understandable. It must be very confusing to see someone who was born centuries ago, more so if that someone was just lying unconscious and hurt in a hallway that no outsider could enter.
“Okay, I have an idea. If you are Recovery Girl, you’ll be able to heal injuries with your kiss which would be hard to pull off without the real quirk,” you looked at the old lady who seemed to know where you were going.
You narrowed your gaze, knowing full well that what you were going to propose was not the best idea you had come up with, “Do you have any knife or something like that?”
“I would not suggest-”
You interrupted whoever was speaking, “It’d be best for all of us if we just get this over with. Surely you must have a surgical knife in the infirmary. And also, don’t you carry a knife for emergencies, Eraserhead?”
The erasure hero blinked at the usage of his hero name before giving you the knife that he kept hidden in his hero uniform. Huh, you had not been sure that the hero had a knife. Lucky. At Recovery Girl’s look, he just said, “It’s not like you can’t heal the wound later, ma'am. Thanks for the concern but it is only rational to show a quirk in action if that’s what needed to be seen.”
You nodded in thanks before cutting your palm with it. Red beads appeared before blood was dripping down onto the white floor. Your half-lidded eyes stared at it.
“Sorry for the mess though.”
The sigh that the nurse let out was quite loud but in the end, she came over to give you a healing kiss. The cut closed, albeit slowly. The older woman remarked, “Your stamina is getting low. You should be resting or sleeping instead of wasting it.”
Licking your lips after seeing the quirk in action, you could barely say a soft, “Thank you," as some of the reality caught up with you. Not all, but some.
You accepted the towel that the heroine gave you and used it to wipe down excess blood in your hands and also that on the floor. It was a relief that none of it got onto the bed covers.
After you had finished, you sat back, caressing the now unblemished palm. You could not afford to freak out. A level head was the best in every situation. Blinking repeatedly, you slowed down your breathing.
“So, I am really at UA. I am really in a quirked society.”
Nedzu hummed, “Now, I think you have quite an idea as to what has happened to you. Would you mind sharing it? Actually, would you rather explain it to us all at once?”
You paused, considering it. Well, it would be best to just tell it all. So you did. You told them how UA was a school from a manga called My Hero Academia in your world, how that manga was about a student in class 1A (you did not see the need to mention Midoriya’s name), and what happened before you lost consciousness.
Every word from your mouth was shown as ‘Truth’ by Tsukauchi’s quirk.
However, for some reason, you were now having trouble with talking about the League of Villains.
“So the series is mainly about you guys fighting against the League of Villains led by Shigaraki Tomura who is the successor of All for One.” you stopped talking at the confused look of the heroes and the detective. “Oh, All for One is this century-old villain overlord with the ability to-”
Nedzu raised his paw, “I am sorry to interrupt you but do you know that parts of your sentences are being blocked out with the beep sound used for censoring?”
You blinked before tiredly rubbing your face. “Okay...so I can’t seem to mention the main plotline then.”
“Maybe, something is preventing you from telling us.” Tsukauchi leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, “Is it possible that what you wanted to say would have changed the outcome of our decisions or the plotline that you read?”
You blinked, “It’s possible. Umm, when was the last time class 1A was involved with a major incident?”
“Another round of beeps,” Aizawa sighed. You sighed back at him before blinking at him. Narrowing your eyes, you went a bit nearer towards the dark-haired pro hero who raised a brow at you.
“Oh.”
“What?” The man questioned.
You wetted your lips, a habit that surfaced whenever you were nervous. “Do you...Would you mind showing your elbows?”
Well, you weren’t exactly sure which elbow Shigaraki decayed. But that did not excuse the weirdness of this situation.
Aizawa gave you a long look before glancing at Nedzu who nodded. So he rolled up his sleeves to expose the scarless skin of his elbows. With the absence of a scar below his right eye taken into consideration, this could mean only one thing.
You nodded, “Thank you. This clarified a few things. So, this school year has just started, right? Maybe a week at most, I assume?”
The underground hero was staring thoughtfully at his elbows. He might even figure out what your question meant.
“Yes, that’s correct.” Nedzu continued, “So, are you implying that you can’t tell anything that we haven’t already discovered?” You nodded to the creature who added with a smile, “I see. It is almost as if you can’t spoil certain facts for us from what you have read and watched.”
“Hey, you know what? I think you’re kinda right.” You paused. What was the name that the cashier said again?
Oh.
‘No Spoilers: Reader’s Isekai’
Boy did that complicate things.