MTLNOVEL Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The Unchosen path.
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Decision-making is the art of navigating the uncertainty of life, balancing reason and intuition, freedom and responsibility.
Every choice we make is a reflection of our values, priorities, and understanding of the world.
From an existentialist perspective, decision-making is the ultimate expression of our freedom.
To a stoic, the external outcome of a decision is beyond our control; what matters is that the choice is made with integrity.
Ultimately, decision-making is a paradox: both an act of freedom and a response to circumstance, both deeply personal and universally significant. In every choice, we shape not only our future but also the essence of who we are.
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The form sat on his desk, unopened.
It had been there for days, propped up against a half-empty can of soda, blending into the mess of notes, energy drink bottles, and random trinkets that cluttered the wooden surface.
The envelope was crisp, the insignia of U.A. High School stamped in bold, official lettering, on the top of the form.
Gojo leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.
The soft hum of the city bled through his window, mixing with the muffled sound of a radio playing somewhere down the hall.
His eyes flickered to the paper again.
"Tch."
He reached forward, snatched it up, and brought it close to him, his hand crumpling up the one corner of the paper.
His gaze skimmed the words, absorbing the formal phrasing, the talk of "potential," "future," and "excellence." A recommendation form to take the entrance exam to get into UA.
He exhaled through his nose, unimpressed.
He set the letter aside and stood, stretching his arms above his head before reaching for his jacket.
He got out of his chair and walked out of the room as he put on his jacket, and grabbed his black sunglasses.
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Currently, Koun was at his appointment at the clinic, visiting his doctor.
A glance into the office of the doctor who had been overseeing Kouns health, and instantly anyone could tell it was a mess.
Crumpled papers were scattered across the desk, a coffee mug teetered dangerously close to the edge, and a stack of files sat upside down on the examination table, as if someone had knocked them over and never bothered to fix it.
At the center of this organized chaos sat Dr. Corazon, a man who was in his mid forties, messy blond hair that looked like he just woke up, dark circles under his eyes, and a cigarette tucked behind one ear.
His lab coat was wrinkled, his tie was missing, and at this very moment, he was rummaging through a drawer while mumbling curses under his breath.
"I swear I just had it.. wait, hold on."
He pulled out a stethoscope, blinked at it, then tossed it aside like it was completely useless before continuing his search.
Across from him, Gojo's uncle, Koun, sat slouched in the chair, arms crossed, watching this disaster unfold with an expression that hovered between amusement and impatience.
Finally, Corozan sighed in satisfaction, grabbed the wrong clipboard, then squinted at it like the words were written in an alien language.
"Right. Where were we?"
Koun exhaled sharply. "You were about to tell me how bad it's gotten."
Dr. Corazon's expression shifted from his lazy one to a serious one.
The casual air around him dropping for just a second.
His fingers tapped against the clipboard, then he leaned forward slightly, voice lowering, more serious.
"It's worse than before."
Koun let out a small huff, like he had already expected that answer.
He rolled his neck and muttered, "Yeah, yeah, I know."
The doctors brow twitched.
"No, you don't.."
He stood up, putting down the clipboard, and walked around his desk to sit next to him.
He pulled the cigarette from his ear and a lighter from his coat.
He say next to Koun and drew a deep breath before relaxing and exhaling the smoke towards the open window.
".. You act like this is some minor cold, but your body is-"
Koun cut him off, waving a hand lazily. "I'll try to come in every week for the treatment."
A long pause.
Dr. Corazon didn't look at all impressed. He rubbed his temples with his other hand, muttering something about 'this idiot is gonna be the death of me' before groaning.
He activated his quirk, a light blue hue came from his hand, as the hundreds of times before, Koun gave his wrist and pulled up his sleeve.
Corazon placed his hand onto Kouns wrist and held it for a minute before finally letting go.
"Trying isn't enough."
The uncle just smirked, standing up and fixing his sleeve before he spoke back.
"You ever meet someone who listens to doctors?"
The clumsy doctor immediately dropped his cigarette, burning a small hole onto the mat before he stomped on it with his feet trying to kill it.
"Goddammit. Anyways.. send regards to that nephew of yours."
The uncle just walked out, snickering.
"Ha, uh-huh will do. Send greetings to that wife and kid of yours. See you doc."
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Currently, Gojo was walking through the aisle of a convenience store.
"Been running low on some energy drinks. Should also get some meet and rice."
He said as he walked through the shop trying to find the items before speaking to one of the workers and walking away to the freezers.
"Damn it, they dont have meat, and that guy who left bought the last rice bag"
Gojo groaned.
"But hey, 3 for 1 deal on the energy dri" he said before getting distracted as the television screen flickered inside the store, causing Gojo to look at it.
"BREAKING NEWS: A Villain Incident in Musutafu nearly ended in tragedy today-"
A shaky, grainy video played on the screen. Two middle schoolers, barely recognizable through the poor quality, were struggling against a sludge-like villain.
The larger boy, Bakugo Katsuki as his name was mentioned, was thrashing violently, while the smaller one, unidentified, and had a mop of green hair, rushed forward recklessly, arms outstretched.
The scene cut to Pro Heroes intervening, followed by a still image of All Might.
Gojo stood at the register, tossing a can of energy drink onto the counter.
The cashier barely looked up as they rang it up.
Gojo glanced at the TV.
For a second, just a second, his hand stopped mid-motion as he reached for his change.
His gaze lingered on the screen.. on the boy who had thrown himself forward despite the obvious danger.
Then it switched to a clip of All Might standing there, getting thanked by the public before vanishing.
Then, without a word, he grabbed his drink and walked out.
"Tch, heros.."
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The backyard was quiet except for the distant hum of passing cars, and the sound of grunting followed by something getting hit.
Gojo was practicing his combat skills against a wooden dummy.
Meanwhile, his uncle sat on a wooden crate, one hand resting on his knee, the other holding a paper.
Gojo then stopped, pantinf heavily, the burn in his muscles were present, as his shirt stuck to his skin from the sweat, his hair sticking to his face.
He stood there catching his breath before dropping to lay down on the ground, looking up to the sky.
The form for U.A.
That is what was in the hands of Koun, before he glamcsed at it before closing his eyes.
His uncle exhaled a deep breath, opened his eyes and glances at Gojo out of the corner of his eye.
"So?"
His voice was casual, rough around the edges as usaul.
"U.A. huh. You going to apply, and pray throughout Heaven you get chosen or somethin'. Gonna be a big-time hero now?"
The man laughed.
Gojo scoffed and dismissed the man's laughter.
"Throughout Heaven? Dont make me laugh. Not interested."
His uncle gave a short laugh, shaking his head.
"Figures."
He stood up, and starting to do some light streches.
"You were never the type to play hero."
Gojo looked at the sky before sitting up, punching the ground.
He openned this mouth to say something.
His voice was lower this time, quieter.
"I don't want to be a hero."
A pause.
The air between them grew heavier, the weight of the words settling in.
Gojo finally turned his head towards Koun, his expression unreadable.
"I dont care about playing hero. I dont care ablut the money or fame, Uncle Lucky..." he paused before lookijg down at the ground
"I just want.. No. I just need to be strong enough to never be weak."
His uncle didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he stood there, letting the silence stretch between them, before he began to go inside. Shaking his head.
He then stopped at the door, and in a voice rougher than before, he muttered as he chuckled,
"That's a dangerous way to live, kid.. But whatever you decide, I'll have your back all the way."
Gojo didn't answer, but just continued starting at the ground before getting up and going back to training with the dummy.
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Later that night, Gojo sat alone in his room. It was part midnight, Koun was probably asleep.
The house was dark, and so was his room.
The only light came from his computer monitor, casting long shadows across the walls.
The form filling letter from U.A. lay open on his desk.
His hands tightened into fists.
He didnt want to be some hero who ran into danger with blind faith.
Heros like All Might and Endeavor could, because they had the power. The strength
That was the only thing that mattered.
His gaze flickered toward the letter one last time.
The screen flickered. The city outside continued to move, oblivious.
".. I wonder.. Seems like i have no choice."