MHA: The Sentry

_____[POV: Third Person]_____

The night loomed darkly over the Shie Hassaikai Compound, enveloping its traditional structure in a cloak of silence. The hideout, once pulsating with the presence of Yakuza members, now lay desolate. The heavy scent of ashes permeated the air, remnants of the charred skeletal bodies scattered across the ground. The shadows of flickering torches danced along the walls, casting distorted images that seemed to sway amidst the chaos.

A scream pierced the silence, followed by hurried, heavy footsteps echoing through the underground labyrinth. Rikiya Katsukame ran desperately, his chest heaving as cold sweat dripped down his skin. His imposing, muscular figure, clad in his signature black tank top, was now stained with blood. Half of his left arm was missing, the charred flesh and exposed nerves throbbing in agony.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he growled, gasping for air, each frantic beat of his heart echoing like a war drum in his head. The vision of his comrades being swallowed by blue flames and their desperate screams still haunted him. Those cursed flames... no matter how hard they tried to extinguish them, they burned mercilessly, as if they were living entities, hungry for their prey.

Mimic had saved him at the last moment, severing his arm infected by the fire and separating him from the enemy through a quick manipulation of the environment. If he was lucky enough to survive this, he swore he would thank Mimic for the rest of his life... if Mimic was even still alive.

He spotted the exit. One of the many secret escape routes leading outside. His hope reignited for a fleeting moment, but then he saw it.

A shadow.

At the end of the dark corridor, a figure stood elegantly still, like a predator waiting for its prey to fall into the trap. Rikiya felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His instincts screamed at him to run.

"No, no, no! Get away from me!" he shouted in panic, quickly changing his route.

But it was too late.

A wall of blue flames rose before him, blocking his only way out. The intense heat made his skin tingle, and his terror reached new heights.

Soft footsteps echoed through the tunnel as the shadow approached, revealing its identity. Esunami.

Her white-and-blue kimono floated lightly, and her slightly opened eyes glowed with an intense shade of blue. A faint smile played on her lips as she watched Rikiya's pathetic attempt to escape.

"How ironic," she murmured, her voice dripping with disdain. "A yakuza fearing death? I thought you were all ready to die. I expected more."

Rikiya opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He simply recoiled, his knees trembling.

"I could have ended this in an instant," Esunami continued, elegantly raising her fan and covering part of her face. "But that would have been no fun, so I decided to amuse myself a little. Especially with you and your little friends..."

The hitodamas floating around her grew larger, their blue flames crackling with fierce intensity. The amused expression on Esunami's face darkened for a moment.

"The look you gave me when you saw me... disgusting. As if you had any right to look at me like that." Her eyes opened wider, glowing like blue flames. "My body belongs to my master. And you... you... DESPICABLE MAN!!!"

Rikiya tried to run, tried to scream, tried to do anything to stop the inevitable. But before he could even react, the flames engulfed him.

His body burned instantly.

Agonizing screams echoed through the tunnel, but they didn't last long. Soon, only ashes remained.

Esunami sighed, snapping her fan shut with a click and glancing at the remains of her victim with disinterest. "Insolent vermin..." she murmured to herself, shaking her head. "But my mood won't be ruined because of trash like this."

She turned on her heel, a smile returning to her lips as she remembered the true purpose of her incursion that night.

"Now, time to find little Eri."

Her eyes gleamed, and her voice took on a dreamy tone. "Ah, how wonderful it will be to finally have a family... me, the master... and our little daughter. Fufufu~"

_____[POV: Ryuji]_____

I passed through the portal I had created myself and stepped into Lucifer's office. The scent of mahogany and cognac filled my nostrils. Rice Cake squirmed in my hands before I set her down on the floor. The portal closed behind me, sealing off the connection to the mess I had left behind. I took a deep breath, finally free from anyone futilely trying to kill, blow up, stab, or convince me that "we are the same."

"You'll stay here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll come pick you up and take you home." My voice was firm, but the little furball lowered her ears. Drama queen.

I knelt down and stroked her head, feeling the soft fur between my fingers. "Hey, don't be like that. I promise I'll come back. I won't abandon you."

Rice Cake seemed to accept it, though she looked at me as if I were an irresponsible dad going out to buy cigarettes. I rolled my eyes and stood up. With a simple thought, I activated my telepathic link with Lucifer. As always, the response came instantly.

"Master, what a surprise. I thought you were out there, spreading death to your equals as usual. How may I serve you?"

I ignored the sarcastic tone. "I have news about the operation. I found out what they were transporting, who was involved, and what they knew." I mentally relayed the information to Lucifer, who simply nodded. "Oh, and the guy with the falcon head? He died. But since I'm a reasonable guy, I resurrected him, took a peek at his memories, and then tossed him into the vacuum of space."

Lucifer smiled, amused. "As always, a visionary in your methods of killing."

I flopped into the desk chair and spun slightly. "Now, about what really matters. Bolt, a reincarnated one. Like me. Have your scouts noticed any anomalies recently?"

"No, Master. If there were anything out of the ordinary, I would have handled it myself."

That made me think. The number of reincarnated individuals in Japan was dwindling, reaching zero in recent years. Were they emerging in other countries now? My train of thought was interrupted by Rice Cake trying to climb up my legs. I sighed and picked her up, placing her on my lap, feeling the cozy warmth of her small, furry body.

As I stroked her head, I remembered how it all began. Back then, I didn't have to deal with reincarnated individuals like this, nor did I know there were others like me. But one day, I decided to play God again, more intensely than I had anticipated. I created a telepathic link with every inhabitant on Earth to identify potential threats and possible solutions. And that was the biggest mistake of my life.

Imagine hearing all the voices, all the thoughts, all the emotions and memories of humanity pouring into your head at the same time. Yeah, it wasn't a very fun experience. I saw things no one should ever see, felt things no one should ever feel.

But the worst part?

I sensed the reincarnated ones. They were like me, reincarnated just as I was. But their thoughts diverged from one another. Different ambitions. Different desires. Many of them wanted to shape this world in their own image. Which would turn this world into a true battlefield to see who would achieve their dreams first if they ever met. A festival of pure selfishness and chaos.

So I did what anyone would do.

I decided to end them all. Because there can't be more than one reincarnated person in this world besides me.

I blinked, snapping out of the momentary trance. I looked at my hand. The same hand that had exterminated countless reincarnated individuals. And it would continue to do so. But...

Was it right? Was killing people like me really the solution? Even those who weren't evil? Wasn't it just as selfish as the others, imposing my vision of what to do with this world?

Rice Cake stirred and jumped from my lap onto the desk, looking at me. She barked once and placed her paw on my hand resting on the table.

My eyes met hers. Her blue eyes shone brighter than ever. And without making a sound, a message crossed my mind.

"No sad bad smell."

I accidentally read her thoughts. She continued.

"Have happy smell."

I took a few seconds to process that before smiling faintly. I stroked her head, feeling the fluffy texture.

"Okay."

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The day broke as I passed through the walls of my house as if they were nothing, invisible and intangible just because. After all, if you have divine powers and don't use them to take shortcuts, you're living wrong. My destination was my room, where a clone made of light pretended to be me, sleeping peacefully. I dissolved it with a snap of my fingers, instantly feeling the small gap of memories from the night before. Nothing interesting, it just slept.

Changing my clothes instantly into pajamas, I threw myself onto the bed for a few seconds. Dramatic? Maybe. But it's part of my act. It didn't take long for me to leave the room, descending the stairs with slow steps, pretending to be sleepy. An Oscar-worthy performance. And there she was, my dear mother, Aiko, preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

"Good morning, dear," she smiled when she saw me. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Mom," I replied, yawning exaggeratedly to sell the lie better. "Slept really well."

A half-truth. I didn't sleep; I don't need to.

The shower and change of clothes were quick, no fuss. I returned to the kitchen adjusting my uniform while my mother finished packing my bento. That's when I decided to ask something I'd been pondering since last night.

"Mom, can we get a dog?"

Aiko stopped what she was doing and looked at me, surprised. She seemed to process the question. Which was fair. I had never shown interest in a pet before. She thought for a few seconds and replied:

"I don't know... Why not?"

My smile was subtle but present. I grabbed my bento and said goodbye with a casual wave, leaving her thoughtful about the unusual request.

I left the house and walked through the neighborhood toward the Midoriya residence. Before I could get there, Izuku rushed out the door, holding a piece of toast in his mouth. A walking cliché.

"Seriously?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmmpf!" was his response before he grabbed the toast with his free hand. "I'm late!"

I simply pulled my phone out of my pocket and showed him the time on the screen. Izuku stopped, looked at the phone, then at me. His eyes blinked a few times. His internal processor temporarily failed.

"...I'm not late," he concluded, somewhat embarrassed.

I sighed and shook my head. "Seriously, stop staying up late planning your projects or freaking out over hero stats in the middle of the night." A bit ironic coming from me.

"I know, I know..." He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "But it's hard to stop."

"And it's hard to be your friend when you do stuff like that. Let's go."

With that, we headed to school, side by side, as we do every day.

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I should already be used to it, but the truth is, some things in life are simply inevitable. Like gravity, taxes, and teenage girls fawning over me as if I were a washed-up celebrity in need of validation to stay relevant. I was there, about to finally eat my bento, when I was swarmed by a group of girls from my class, each offering a different culinary treat. Ah, the burden of being excessively handsome...

I accepted it all with a fake Disney prince smile, because refusing food is rude, and I am, above all, a man of principle. Meanwhile, my super senses picked up the indignant grumbles of my classmates, complaining about how "it's not fair" that I was so popular. Well, sorry, but it's not my fault I'm genetically blessed. If you want to complain, send a petition to the Big G to change current beauty standards.

As soon as the girls finally dispersed, a subtle tug on my shirt made me look back. Izuku. My good old broccoli-headed friend. He stared at me with eyes shining with hope.

"Ryuji... Can you help me? I forgot my bento..." he said, his voice filled with hunger and desperation.

I stared at him. My smile widened mischievously as I picked up a dorayaki and slowly brought it to my mouth, chewing it right in front of him while completely ignoring him. He made an offended noise, but I just kept eating and enjoying his suffering. I'm a good friend like that.

Shortly after, we were heading up to the school rooftop. Izuku was clearly downcast, maybe even a little dehydrated. If I left him like that for a few more hours, he'd probably start seeing visions of All Might riding a unicorn. But before that could happen, I tossed a few sweet buns in his direction.

"I couldn't give you food downstairs. The girls would've killed me. But eat up before you pass out and I have to carry your body like a sack of potatoes," I declared with all the generosity of a benevolent monarch.

Izuku practically lunged for the buns, devouring them as if there were no tomorrow. After a few minutes of silence (or rather, the sound of him swallowing food), he wiped his mouth and looked at me gratefully.

"Thanks, Ryuji. I've just been really focused on my new project... The U.A. entrance exams are coming up next year, so I want to give it my all to get in! I want to be a hero!" he declared with that typical shonen protagonist energy, full of naive determination and a good dose of recklessness.

I looked at him with the same expression as someone listening to a child say they're going to be an astronaut when they grow up.

"And what good is being a hero if you can't take care of yourself?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

That seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked a few times, clearly processing my words. But before he could respond, we were interrupted by the arrival of two girls. One of them apologized, while her friend shyly hid behind her.

The girl hesitated at first, but then stepped forward... and that's when my soul left my body.

She had the head of a spider.

Spider.

It was official. I, a multiversal entity, a being who, at the age of four, accidentally exploded a galaxy billions of light-years away... have arachnophobia. Yes, exactly, a fear of spiders. Every fiber of my being screamed to open a portal to another dimension and disappear forever, but I held my ground. I am a man of steel. Steady as a rock. Completely unshakable.

...Unless that rock is covered in spiders, in which case I just die.

The girl moved her mandibles.

I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst... until she turned to Izuku and handed him a letter.

…

Wait, what?

I stared at the scene in surprise. Normally, I was the one bombarded with love letters. But broccoli-head?

She turned and ran as if her life depended on it, her friend close behind.

Silence reigned for a moment. Only the cold wind on the rooftop accompanied our reflection.

I slowly turned to Izuku. My friend stood frozen, lifeless eyes, expression completely shattered as he held the letter. He looked like a stone statue that had been hit by an existential sledgehammer.

I patted his back with all the compassion in the world.

Good luck, buddy. At least your kid might end up becoming Spider-Man.

Izuku groaned, his spirit already leaving his body.

And so, another normal day at school reached its peak. And a day that Izuku would probably never forget.

_____[POV: Third Person]_____

"Keep your distance from bad or strange smells." That was the golden rule that Rice Ball followed religiously. And at the moment, that meant desperately escaping from one of the two-legged creatures' offspring. Little Eri.

"Wait, come back! I just want to give you some cuddles!"

Rice Ball didn't care. She leaped away, sliding across the floor, darting under tables and between the legs of the butlers and maids who, for some reason, had also decided to join this pointless chase. But none of them were a match for the new skill she had awakened that night. Her body was more agile, lighter, faster. Dodging clumsy hands was as easy as the time she stole food from her guardian's plate last night.

But then she felt it.

The sad smell. Not a bad smell. Just... sad.

She stopped atop a pile of clumsy butlers and looked at Eri. The little one sniffled, rubbing her teary eyes with the sleeves of her coat. Her scent was different from her guardian's, but not unpleasant. It was... familiar.

Rice Ball leaped gracefully from the pile of defeated humans and landed in front of the girl. She licked her left hand, pulling her out of her tears. Eri looked at her, surprised.

Rice Ball sat down, perking up her ears. Yes, she knew this smell. It was the same as hers when she was abandoned by her pack. Lonely.

The decision was made.

Eri smiled and, hesitantly, reached out her hand. Rice Ball closed her eyes and accepted the affection, feeling the tiny fingers tangle in her silky fur. Yes, the two-legged creature's offspring was acceptable.

For now.

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(A/N: This chapter is much shorter than the previous one, just some interaction between characters and possible plots. Changing the subject, I still don't understand this taboo about having other reincarnated people in the fic and why people keep their distance. I'm really thinking of something cool, and there's no way the MC will lose his shine. But I'm really curious about what might have caused this trauma in other readers.)