Chapter Text
Yoichi lies flat on his back. A bubble of blood forms between his lips, then pops with a sickening squelch. His ears ring from repeated explosions. A beat throbs between his temples. He might be concussed. He might be in shock. He might be both.
It all happened so fast. All for One attacked the vigilante hideout at full strength. He’d known all their defenses and everyone’s abilities.
There must have been a traitor. Yet Yoichi can’t imagine such a thing of any of his friends. Besides, no one was spared during the attack.
Yoichi’s eyes blur with tears as he remembers watching all his friends die in front of him. Through hazy vision, he can barely make out the man in a suit bending over him. Just a flash of white hair and red eyes.
Fury compels him to thrash and try to rise. But a dark goo sticks him to the ground.
All for One places a hand on Yoichi’s forehead. “It’s over, little brother. Give me back the quirk. Ah, I mean the metahuman ability.”
“Never.” All Yoichi’s hatred burns in that one word. He knows that his brother is right—their meager resistance movement has been utterly broken. He hates himself for surviving when all his friends are dead. “I’ll never stop fighting you, so just kill me already.” What he’d intended as a defiant curse emerges closer to a plea.
His older brother sighs. “I should. The first time around, you ruined everything. When your eighth successor ripped off my face, I thought he was the worst of the lot. Then I met number nine! Are heroes allowed to be rabidly feral? He looked so cute and innocent up until he crushed my entire organization and turned my own successor against me. Then he almost decapitated me—twice.” He shudders. “I don’t even want to think about the ninth one.”
Yoichi has no idea what his brother is talking about. The first time around? Successors? Either he’s more concussed than he realized or his brother has lost his mind. The world is in real trouble if All for One has gone insane. But he still can’t stand up.
“You’re nothing but trouble. At worst you’re an active threat, and even at best you’re a weak spot my enemies could exploit.” A note of tenderness enters his brother’s voice. “But I still love you, my foolish younger brother.”
Yoichi tries to bite his brother’s hand. He doesn’t even come close, but it’s the principle of the thing.
All for One strokes his hair. “I’m going to become a god. I can allow myself one indulgence.”
Yoichi doesn’t have time to express what he thinks of the god delusion. His brother’s hand tightens on his forehead, then the world dissolves into white light.
Yoichi stirs, shifting the blankets piled over his body. The softness sets him on alert immediately—this bed is too large and plush compared to his ancient college dorm furniture. The maroon comforter looks nothing like his usual Spiderman-themed one.
His eyes snap open. Everything about this room is strange, from the large, antique-looking wardrobe to the long white shelves decorated by potted plants. The space is far too big, with a window covered by blinds filling one entire wall. A sticky pad and a pen look oddly normal sitting on a gilded ebony nightstand. The marble pillars on the bed headboard and the grey vase next to the curved armchair bespeak wealth.
His heart hammers. He doesn’t know where he is, but he’s afraid he might be in more trouble than an ordinary college student like him can handle.
Someone knocks on the door. “Sir, are you awake? May I come in? I’ll explain everything to you.”
Yoichi croaks, “An explanation would be nice.” He pulls the covers closer to his chest. Oh, god, he doesn’t recognize these silk pajamas—isn’t that creepy?
A middle-aged woman enters. Her greying hair is pulled back into a librarian’s bun. She has small butterfly wings on her back, so tiny they probably can’t support her weight. Metahuman abilities always fascinate him. How strange, to see someone not making any attempt to hide hers.
She says, “My name is Asashi. I’m your health aide, sir.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not who you think I am. I’m a student at Tokyo University—”
“Yes, you are, sir. You just don’t remember. You have anterograde amnesia.” Asashi pauses, allowing him to take this in.
Yoichi remembers the term from one of his favorite suspense movies. The main character lost all his memories every fifteen minutes. He still remembered his past from before his head injury, but he’d lost the ability to form any new memories. Thus, the character needed to constantly leave himself notes as reminders of what he’d been doing. “That means I can’t retain information, right?”
“Yes, sir. In your case, you lose all your memories at the end of every day.” Asashi speaks in the tone of someone who’s repeated this story a million times. “The last thing you always remember is college, but it’s been several years since then.” She pulls out a handheld mirror and shows it to him.
His familiar white hair and green eyes stare back at him. He looks healthier than the last time he saw his own face, and he’s forced to admit he does look a couple years older.
It’s all too much to take in. His head spins. His stomach growls.
Asashi says, “You can eat while I answer your questions. Emica?”
A second, younger woman wearing an identical white gown and cap enters, holding a breakfast tray. It’s loaded down with scrambled eggs, a short stack of pancakes, syrup, and a plate of fruit.
Asashi gestures. “This is my assistant, Emica. We’re both here to help you with anything you need.”
“Do you know where my medicine is? I take it with my breakfast every morning.”
“Your disease was cured a long time ago, sir,” Asashi says as Emica hands him the tray.
“Oh.” He’d like to be happy, but his new condition sounds significantly worse. “What caused my antegrade amnesia?” He stumbles over the terrifying term, still not wanting to face it.
“You were hit by a drunk driver while walking to class. Do you have any other questions?”
Yoichi can tell Asashi has repeated this speech to him every day for years. She doesn’t sound impatient, exactly, but there’s a note of boredom that makes him squirm. Softly, he says, “Just one. Who’s paying for all of this?” He gestures at the opulent bedroom. “I doubt that I can hold down a job if I can’t form any new memories.”
“Your older brother covers all expenses. You don’t need to worry about anything. He’s extremely wealthy.”
“Whoa.” Yoichi’s brother used to brag about how great he was going to be someday. Last Yoichi remembers, he’d even hinted about starting his own business. According to him, he was going to become the richest businessman in Japan. Perhaps Yoichi owes him an apology for his skepticism. “Where’s my brother? Sorry, that’s another question.”
“My job is to answer all your questions,” Asashi says without a smile. “He’s currently at work. He usually joins you for dinner.”
They leave him alone to eat. It’s a very good breakfast. He couldn’t afford anything so fancy on his scholarship stipend.
Staring at the empty plate, Yoichi fights back the urge to cry. Before, he had dreams of going to law school and studying human rights. Actually, he had dreams of being a hero, but that had been silly for an ordinary person without even a metahuman power. Instead, he’d decided to become a lawyer to defend metahumans from discrimination. Now, all his dreams are dust. With his inability to remember, he’ll be unable to look after himself, much less anyone else.
Depressingly, he’s probably felt like this every single morning since his brain injury. He doesn’t want to waste his entire life on regrets over a tragedy from years ago. He’s determined to try to enjoy his day.
That’s easier than he first though. This room is full of marvels. The bathroom attached has a whirlpool. The second door leads to a gaming room. Beyond that is a miniature library. The balcony attached to his bedroom overlooks a mansion and massive gardens.
Asashi wasn’t kidding about his brother being rich.
The library has been well-stocked by someone who knows his tastes. All of his favorite mangas are complete now. That’s the one bright spot to this miserable situation. Even though he’s probably read them before, he starts again.
At noon, Emica brings him lunch on another tray. He examines her, subtly looking for a metahuman power.
Without looking up, she says, “I can read people’s moods. Just a general outline of how they’re feeling. Nothing intrusive.”
“Oh!” Yoichi blinks. “I suppose I must have asked you that a million times.”
“You have. You like quirks.”
“What’s a quirk?”
“That’s what people call metahuman abilities these days.”
“I like that.” Yoichi smiles. “It’s quirky.”
Probably to be polite, she laughs.
Yoichi spends most of the afternoon grilling Emica on quirks. There are so many cool new ones! He develops a longing to go out in the world and see all of them. She also claims that discrimination has gotten better. According to her, his older brother was a big part of that. It’s a bit surprising, since his brother always insisted he only cared about making money, not ideals. But a welcome surprise.
He asks, “Can I take a trip outside to see what’s changed in the future?”
Emica says, “It’s too late to plan an outing. Why don’t you go tomorrow?”
“I won’t remember tomorrow.” He bites his lip. “Will you remind me that I planned to go outside?”
“Yes, sir. I promise.”
A chill skitters like a centipede down his spine. For some reason, he doesn’t believe her.
Asashi knocks on the door to the library. “Time for dinner, sir.”
“My brother is home?” he asks hopefully.
“Yes, sir. I’ll take you to see him after you get changed.” She gestures at a green checkered suit with a bowtie lying on his bed.
Yoichi stares. Though he doesn’t doubt her good intentions, it feels uncomfortable to have his clothes picked out for him. He may be amnesiac, but he’s not incapable of making his own decisions. So what if he lounged around in his pajamas all day today? He enjoys doing that. Unlike his brother, he’s always disliked formal wear. He asks, “A bowtie?”
“They’re considered the height of fashion in moderns times.”
“Boy, big brother must be happy about that, with his bizarre hatred of ties,” Yoichi mutters. He considers if the dinner dress code is worth arguing over. In the end, he decides not, because he badly wants to see his brother. Looking through his closet would only delay him.
After he’s dressed, Asashi leads him to dinner. The mansion is enormous even by rich people standards. Yoichi passes no less than two busts with his brother’s face and three portraits.
His older brother waits on an open air porch surrounded by hanging flowers. Two cushioned chairs sit before the glass table. He wears a suit with a bowtie and the jacket thrown over the back of his chair. He doesn’t look a day older. He glances up with a smile. “Yoichi, since it’s such nice weather today, I thought we’d eat outside.”
“Big brother, I’ve seen no less than five artistic images of you around your house. How swollen has your ego gotten over the last couple years?”
His brother bursts out laughing. “That’s the first thing you say to me this time?” He wipes away a tear of mirth. “I suppose it’s an interesting change of pace. For your information, those were gifts from famous artists. I’ve become very well-known.”
Yoichi sits down. “I can tell.” He hesitates. This is another thing that he’s probably said many times already, but it’s also something that can never be said enough. “It must have been difficult for you after my accident. You didn’t have so much money back then. Thank you for looking after me all these years.”
“You’re welcome, baby brother,” his brother says with a smug glint in his eye. Ugh, his ego doesn’t need any more inflating.
Yoichi says, “You’ve done well for yourself over the years. I’m impressed. It appears that being a businessman was your true calling after all.”
His brother laughs. “I imagine I would have been good at many things.” The opening course is carried out by maids: French bread and a tray of escargots. “How was your day?”
“I read a lot of manga and tried a few games. Probably the same as most days. How about you?”
“I’m always busy running my business. I’m CEO of a major trading company, and we had a meeting with some international shareholders.” His brother speaks in the same tone as Asashi earlier, that of someone who’s told this story over and over again.
Yoichi intended to ask more about his brother’s business, but he changes his mind. He doesn’t want to keep repeating the same conversation with his brother for years. Even if he can’t remember, it must be so unimaginably tedious for his poor brother. “Have you seen any interesting metahuman abilities lately?”
“Have I ever!” His brother perks up as he describes them in great detail.
Yoichi listens and offers ideas on how to use each quirk. They used to have these discussions all the time back during their childhood. Here’s a topic that will never turn old.
Dinner has a French theme: the main course is steak tartare with a cheese souffle on the side. Dessert is chocolate crepes.
As the staff clears away the dishes, his brother asks, “Do you want to watch a movie? I’m not too busy tonight.”
“That sounds great. I’ll let you pick one we haven’t seen before.” Yoichi hesitates. He waits until the last maid has left with their plates and they’re alone. “Emica said that I could take a trip outside tomorrow.”
“Oh, she did, did she?” His brother sounds amused. “That’s not something she had the right to promise. There are security concerns. There’s been some unrest in this city lately.”
“Yeah, I had a feeling she was just saying it because she knew I wouldn’t remember tomorrow.” Yoichi looks at his hands. “I don’t blame her. I’m sure it must be annoying to explain the same things to me over and over again.”
“That’s her job, and I’m paying her very well for it. She’s still new. If she gives you cause for complaint again, then I’ll replace her.”
How depressing, to realize that Emica is new and he had no idea, because he doesn’t remember a thing from the last couple years. It will always be like this, him never remembering. Yoichi’s voice wobbles. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I just want to see what the future world looks like. I’ll believe you if you promise.”
“You will?” An odd heaviness lurks behind the question.
“Of course I will. You’re my brother, after all.”
His brother smiles. “I’ll take you out on a trip tomorrow. I promise.”
Will wonders never cease, the mansion has an entire private movie theatre with only two seats. After the movie, his brother walks him back to his room. When he moves to enter, Yoichi rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to tuck me into bed. I’m not a child.”
“You’ll always still be small in my eyes, little brother.” His brother kisses him on the forehead and leaves.
Yoichi falls asleep easily and without dreams.
Yoichi wakes up to his older brother calling, “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!”
In his dazed state, he doesn’t question how his older brother got into his college dorm room. He just groans and tugs the covers tighter over his body.
Someone yanks the pillow out from under his head.
Yoichi squawks in protest. Before he has time to recover, his brother strips off his blankets. “No time to waste. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
“Huh?” Yoichi blinks up at blindingly white walls. “Where am I?” This ornate room is completely unfamiliar. “Did you pull a prank on me? Big brother, we can’t possibly afford a hotel room this expensive! I’m saving up for law school!”
The mischievous look on his brother’s face sobers. “You’re not in college any longer. Several years have passed since then. You have anterograde amnesia.”
“What?” Yoichi whispers.
His brother gives him the full story of the car accident and his subsequent brain damage. “I’m just happy that you’re still alive,” he finishes softly. “For a while, I thought I’d lost you.” Shadows fill his gaze.
Yoichi supposes he ought to be grateful to be alive as well, but he’s still in shock.
His older brother tugs him to his feet. “Come on, I know how to take your mind off everything. I’ve got a fun day planned.”
In short order, Yoichi finds himself dressed in hiking clothes and bundled up in a snug coat on the roof of the mansion. Is the fur on the collar real? He hopes not—he doesn’t believe in wearing fur.
A butler opens the door to helicopter. “Please enter, sir.”
“Where are we going?” he asks his brother as the pilot starts a flight check.
“We’ll hike in the forest, have a picnic lunch, then finish the day with a dinner and a movie.” His brother grins. “I haven’t taken a day off work in ages. I’m excited.”
“Oh. I guess I picked a good day to remember.” Does that make any sense? Probably not.
Yoichi quickly becomes distracted enjoying the view out the helicopter window. He’s never had the money to fly before. The pilot steers them toward a mountain.
As the helicopter starts to land, Yoichi spots a giant man with spikes all over his body. He points. “Big brother! What a cool power!”
“I know,” his brother says with a chuckle. “That’s my bodyguard. He’ll be accompanying us today. I’m an important politician, so I need high levels of security.”
“Whoa. So you made it big in politics? You always did have a natural gift for persuasion. Hey, I bet you could use your position to help out metahumans!”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m a big proponent of metahuman rights, and for that reason, I’ve been targeted by extremist groups for assassination.”
“I’m impressed, big brother. You must have done so much good for the world.” Yoichi only wishes he could have helped instead of being a passive burden.
“Why yes, I have,” his older brother says with a wide smile.
As soon as they leave the helicopter, the giant bellows, “LORD! I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU.”
“You say that every time.” His older brother laughs. “As if I didn’t see you yesterday. Little brother, this is Gigantomachia, my most loyal follower.”
Gigantomachia preens. “I’VE MET LORD’S TREASURE BEFORE, BUT YOU DON’T REMEMBER ME. YOU NEVER REMEMBER ANYTHING.”
Yoichi feels a bit strange about the pet name. He’s not an object. “People tell me I’ve forgotten a lot,” he says weakly.
His older brother tugs on his arm. “Come on, let me show you why I picked this walk.”
The mountain is covered in sakura trees. The cherry blossoms are currently in full bloom, and the petals fall over the path like snow.
Yoichi inhales deeply. “It’s beautiful.”
“We’re hiking to a waterfall for lunch. Follow me.”
It feels good to stretch his legs. Yoichi enjoys how he can walk without pain. His brother told him that his illness was cured. He certainly wouldn’t have traded it for the amnesia, but it’s a silver lining. Gigantomachia tromps after them, sending debris flying in his wake.
The waterfall is well worth the walk. A massive rush of water pours over moss-covered rocks. The air tastes wet. “It’s beautiful, big brother.”
His brother grins. “I’m tired of walking. Gigantomachia, pick us up.”
Before Yoichi has time to say anything, the giant scoops them both up and deposits them at the top of the waterfall.
In a grassy clearing, someone has already set up a table and covered it in food. The feast includes three different kinds of sandwiches, chips, apples with caramel dip, and a blueberry pie. Gigantomachia unwraps a giant foil wrapper containing a truly massive submarine sandwich.
His older brother regales him with tales of his heroic defense of metahuman rights. Although Yoichi suspects these stories are exaggerated, he offers up due praise. His brother can’t resist bending the truth a little for entertainment value—he’s always been like that. Yoichi will look up the real story on internet news sources tomorrow…oh, right, he won’t remember anything tomorrow.
That thought puts a damper on his mood, so he tries to push it from his mind. He’s been having so much fun today. No need to ruin it.
After they’re finished eating, his brother sends a text, and the helicopter arrives to pick them up.
As soon as Yoichi mentions that he’s enjoying the ride, his brother extends it to fly them all around the mountain, across the forest, and then over the city.
Yoichi presses his nose to the glass. He can barely make out individual cars on the road below. “Big brother, everything looks so small. It’s like a massive dollhouse.”
“It’s cute how you’re always so happy to go flying.” His brother chuckles. “Every time is the first time for you, so it’s always equally exciting.”
“I suppose that’s the one and only benefit to my amnesia,” Yoichi mumbles. “I’d still rather be able to remember the last couple years of my life.”
“Of course.” His brother pats him on the back. “I have doctors currently researching your condition. I’m also looking for a quirk with healing properties. Someday, I’m sure you’ll be cured.”
“Thank you.” Yoichi turns around. “And thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the last couple years. My condition must have placed a heavy burden on you.”
“I’d happily shoulder any burden to look after my cute baby brother.”
Yoichi rolls his eyes, but he feels sincerely grateful, so he doesn’t complain about the embarrassing epithet.
The helicopter lands on top of a skyscraper. Guards surround the roof. His brother leads him down the stairs to changing room. “I prepared outfits for dinner.”
Yoichi raises an eyebrow at the matching black tuxedos. “Even at my age, you’re still trying to tell me what to wear? You know I don’t like uncomfortable clothing.”
“Don’t be difficult, baby brother. We’re going to a five star restaurant. You can’t show up there wearing dirt-stained clothing.”
Reluctantly, Yoichi concedes the point. He lets his brother slick back his hair and adjust his bowtie.
“The outfit is customized to your measurements,” his brother murmurs as he tucks a decorative red handkerchief into his pocket. “It should be quite comfortable.”
The fabric feels less restricting than most formal clothing, but Yoichi only grunts. It would go against his principles as a little brother to concede the point.
A limousine takes them to a hot pot restaurant for dinner. They’re the only people present except for the lone waiter taking their order.
Yoichi raises an eyebrow. “Apparently I could have worn whatever I pleased, since you own this place.” His voice echoes loudly in the empty room.
“I rented it out for the evening. And I would have still been embarrassed to be seen with you.” His brother arches an eyebrow over the menu. “You could have tracked dirt all over these velvet chairs.” Such a liar—he just wanted to dress Yoichi up. Clothing choices are an old argument between them.
“You’re a snob.”
“You’re a slob.”
They both laugh. Yoichi has lost this round, since he’s wearing the tuxedo. Amnesiac or not, he expects they’ll fight the battle out again another day.
Yoichi asks, “Why do we need this whole place to ourselves? It seems like a waste of money.”
“Money is no concern of mine, dear brother. It was necessary. Because of several recent assassination attempts, I can’t mingle with the public.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Yoichi bites his cheek. “Were you hurt at all?”
Smiling, his brother musses his hair. “Not a scratch on me. You know your big brother is the strongest. Don’t I always protect you?”
Assassins are a different matter from chasing off school bullies. Yoichi examines his brother’s face carefully, searching for any sign of falsehood. Big brother seems sincerely unworried about the attempts on his life, but then he’s always been overconfident. “Promise me you’ll be careful. Please. I won’t complain about your security ever again.”
Hand in chin, his brother grins. “That’s an easy promise to make. But I won’t promise not to eat all the meat in the hot pot.”
Yoichi snorts. “Challenge accepted.”
As is their brotherly custom, a battle over the best bits of meat ensues. The waiter keeps bringing more ingredients to add to the pot, until both of them are stuffed and satisfied. His brother leaves without paying, but Yoichi assumes their bill must have been already included in the exorbitant cost of renting the entire restaurant.
Bodyguards escort them to the neighboring building. The old-fashioned movie theater has a domed ceiling and red curtains around the stage. It’s completely cleared of all customers. They can even chat during the movie. His brother does love the sound of his own voice. A guard brings them drink refills and popcorn.
Once again, Yoichi wonders just how famous and powerful his brother must be, to need—and be able to obtain—such privacy. He resolves to look it up on his phone once they return home. Does he have a phone? No one offered him one, but he ought to have one lying around somewhere.
By the time he makes it back to his room, he’s completely exhausted. He does a quick scan of his enormous bedroom. The library looks fascinating and he even sees the last volume of The Hero and the Demon King. His childhood favorite is complete! He desperately wants to read it, but he couldn’t enjoy it properly with his eyelids sagging.
He staggers to the end table and finds a sticky pad. He writes two notes to himself for tomorrow:
Look up your brother’s job.
Read the last volume of The Hero and the Demon King.
He barely manages to brush his teeth before he crashes onto the bed.