The sun was high and warm as Yuta and Maki finally stood outside his old elementary school. It looked exactly like it did in his memories—same paint, same rusty gates, same awkwardly shaped jungle gym out front.
The only problem was that those weren't fond memories. They were dark memories he wanted to forget, yet forced himself to remember. Because this was the time when he was weak, and only by remembering could he keep longing for more power.
"I still don't get why we're here," Yuta muttered, dragging his feet as they walked closer. Of course, he didn't want to be here. Remembering those times was bad enough; reliving them was something else entirely.
Maki rolled her eyes. "Because we're time travelers now, and we don't leave little Yuta in danger."
"First, don't call me that—it sounds weird. Second, there won't be any saving to do. I survive in the end, so let's not make any time paradoxes, okay?" Yuta said with a serious look.
"How can you say that? You'd let your younger self get hit in the head and turn out like you again?"
"HEY…! I turned out okay, didn't I?"
Maki gave him a look. "Debatable."
"Wow. Rude. If you think I'm strange now, then you're gonna love me at six years old," he said with sarcasm. He knew exactly what his younger self was like—downright annoying, overly cautious, and painfully stubborn.
She smirked and leaned closer. "Admit it. You're a little scared to face yourself."
"Not myself…" Yuta huffed, crossing his arms. "I just don't like watching myself get tossed off a building, okay?" he grumbled, though that was basically a lie.
No, he wasn't avoiding himself out of embarrassment or trying to save face by not letting Maki witness him getting his ass kicked by bullies.
He was avoiding Rika.
"Relax. We're not here to laugh at you… well, maybe a little."
"Laugh, huh…" Yuta pursed his lips. He was sure Maki didn't understand how nasty kids with quirks—who thought of themselves as superior—could really be.
Soon, they found a good hiding spot behind a hedge near the school building. The plan was simple—wait, watch the incident unfold, and make sure nothing went worse than what history already wrote.
Then it happened.
A tiny version of Yuta—rounder cheeks, shorter hair, and a backpack far too big for his small frame—came rushing onto the rooftop behind two much larger boys. Maki immediately stiffened beside Yuta.
"Is that… you?"
"Yep. That's kid Yuta in all his angry, justice-filled glory." He didn't add that the backpack contained his assortment of "justice accessories."
"Wow," Maki said. "You were kinda cute."
"Kinda? Kinda cute?" Yuta pretended to be offended. "That's not 'adorable,' miss—that's a warrior right there. You don't wanna be on that guy's bad side."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving him off. "Watch."
Kid Yuta chased after the bullies who were taunting a small girl hiding behind the water tank.
Yuta's eyes widened. "Rika…"
Maki blinked. "That's her?" She remembered the girl's name, and a complicated feeling rose in her chest.
"Yeah," Yuta whispered. "She was in my class. Sweet girl. Her quirk was unstable, and kids made fun of her."
They watched as the bullies cornered her. Just like in Yuta's memories, kid Yuta didn't hesitate. He rushed in, fists flying, even without a quirk. He fought smart—ducking low, using the bullies' size against them. He even managed to knock one down with a kick to the knee.
"Not bad," Maki said, impressed.
"Yeah, I didn't have any powers back then, so I had to improvise. I'd been learning how to fight since I was four."
But things quickly spiraled out of control. One of the bullies lunged at Rika, trying to scare kid Yuta. She slipped, stumbling backward toward the railing. Kid Yuta dived, pulling her away—just like he remembered.
Maki tensed… Yuta had two thoughts about going after those kids.
'I came to take revenge from the future…' That sounded like a dope line right now.
However, his amusement was ripped away when he saw… both of the kids tumble over the edge.
'The hell…' His mind short-circuited. He clearly remembered saving Rika and falling himself. This was different—very different.
Maki and Yuta's hearts froze.
"FUCK!" Yuta shouted.
"FUCK!" Maki yelled.
Without thinking, both of them leapt from their hiding spot, vanishing in a flash of movement.
Midair, Yuta angled toward Rika while Maki shot straight for the falling kid Yuta.
"Gotcha!" Yuta shouted, wrapping his arms around Rika just before they hit the ground.
Maki caught kid Yuta like a champ, landing hard on her feet with a grunt. "Oof—how are you this heavy at six?!"
"That's my bag—it's turtle hermit training," kid Yuta mumbled, dazed.
"What?" Maki didn't get it at all.
Rika blinked up at Yuta, confused. "Yuta…?"
Yuta froze. In his arms was the little girl staring straight at him. He looked somewhat similar to his kid version, but for her to call him out immediately?
"Hello, little miss. I'm a probationary Hero, Dynamic," Yuta smiled awkwardly.
"You're a real hero?" she asked, eyes shining.
"Sure, let's go with that."
Maki walked over with kid Yuta slung over her shoulder like a potato sack. "You good over there, hero?"
"Yeah," Yuta replied, still pondering what went wrong.
They had barely caught their breath when kid Yuta, still dangling in Maki's arms like a suspicious raccoon, narrowed his eyes. "…Who are you people?"
Maki gently put him down. "We're, uh, friends?"
Kid Yuta immediately stepped back, hands behind his back like a tiny detective. "Friends don't fall from the sky. Let alone wait until we fall down."
'So he noticed us?' Maki was surprised. Only Yuta knew this was a lie from his younger self. If they didn't deny it, he'd know his suspicions were right.
"Technically," Yuta muttered, "we jumped as soon as we got here—to save you both."
"Really? You jumped from down there, in perfect timing, and saved us? And instead of hitting the wall, you landed perfectly? Doesn't make sense where you jumped from, does it? And what reason do you have to be here anyway? It's after school hours—why two probational heroes, one in a dress no less, be donig here ?"
Maki blinked. "Isn't that what heroes do?"
"You're not pro-heroes. Your outfits are weird. Her muscles are way too scary for any agency to hire—definitely bad for PR. And you—" he pointed at Yuta, squinting, "—look suspiciously like me. But older. And taller. And… sadder."
Yuta flinched. "Ouch."
Kid Yuta leaned in, arms crossed. "Are you my evil clone? Time-traveling villain? Robot replacement?"
Maki groaned. "Why are you like this?!"
"Trauma," both Yutas said in unison.
Maki's eye twitched.
Kid Yuta paced like a tiny old man, tapping his chin. "You knew my name. You knew where I'd fall. You saved Rika without hesitation. And you—" he pointed at Maki—"said 'we don't leave little Yutas in danger' before grabbing me. I have excellent hearing."
Maki sighed. "Great. A mini detective."
"You're from the future," kid Yuta declared with complete confidence.
Yuta blinked. "Wait, what?"
"You look like me, you talk like me, I saw you staring at the muscle mommy's legs. What else could it be?"
Maki choked on a laugh. "Okay, I'm starting to like this kid."
"Not helping," Yuta mumbled.
"Let me guess," kid Yuta continued. "You traveled back in time because of some mysterious glowing fruit, or by some sort of quirk mismatch. You knew I'd fall—that's the only reason I see you being here on a Friday evening.
With the kind of dress muscle mommy's wearing, nobody visits an elementary school. That's more like a date outfit…
Your timing was way too accurate for it to be coincidence, but you didn't stop the fight. Meaning: A, you chickened out—makes sense seeing how casual I've become after growing up. You've definitely gotten stronger if you're that relaxed. B, the muscle mommy acted first and you had no choice but to follow. Or C, things didn't go like you thought they would…"
Yuta rubbed his face. "That's me at six, alright…"
"That's… frighteningly accurate," Maki gulped. This little kid had figured all that out in seconds.
Kid Yuta raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember any character like her… a non-canon character, or…" He was already trying to connect the dots.
Maki whispered to Yuta, "Is it just me, or were you kind of scary when you were young?"
Yuta sighed. "I only had my brain to fall back on when I was like him…"
Kid Yuta stood tall, proud. "So—time travelers confirmed. I've got some kind of quirk. And a girlfriend with excellent legs."
"Wow, you figured out your type early and stuck with it, huh…" Maki deadpanned.
"I'm right here," Yuta said flatly.
"Though tell me—how come you became so dull?" kid Yuta asked with genuine curiosity. He found his older self… disappointing.
He prided himself on being smart with excellent survival instincts. How come it looked like his older self traded brains for power?
"Hmm… Yuta…" Suddenly, Rika—who had been quiet until now—spoke up, making all three remember she was still there.
xxx
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