[DAILY TASK: Do 100 push-ups.]
"This again," you sighed. "Are all my daily tasks going to be related to training my body? Won't I ever get a task like, I don't know, buying a cup of coffee or something?"
["That wouldn't be much of a task, would it? And 100 push-ups is definitely manageable. You don't have to do them all in one sitting. Just within a twenty-four-hour period. For the most part, your daily tasks will consist of strengthening your body. This is beneficial to you, anyhow. You'll need to train up your body if you want your skill points to actually pay off."]
"I still don't really get why I need to do this, though. I'm not trying to become a professional athlete or anything... am I?" you asked warily.
["No, not an athlete. But you are going to have to become a hero."]
"Ah, okay."
You took a bite out of your sandwich, nearly choking in the process.
"Wait, what?!"
Even though the system couldn't talk, you were starting to get better at pinpointing how they felt about you, and right now, they were probably annoyed.
["It's a good thing. It's the best way to be close to your targets. Most of them want to become heroes as well, so this will provide you with more opportunities to be around them. Besides, you seemed to like the idea of heroes. They're people that save others. What's the issue?"]
You chugged a glass of water, then paused to take in a gulp of air. "There's a difference between admiring a person and wanting to be like that person!" you spluttered. "Don't these heroes actively risk their lives? I-I'm really not sure I'm cut out for something like that. And you said that earning skill points will make me stronger, but there still wouldn't be any drastic changes at the beginning. With the way I am right now, there's no way I'm strong enough..."
["You'll get stronger. That's exactly why you're training. You should probably pick up a few weapons eventually, but I thought I'd give you time to settle into everything before unloading all of that on you. There's no need to freak out. You have plenty of time to become a hero. It's not the sort of thing that'll happen overnight, and you've got almost a full year before U.A's entrance exam anyways."]
"U.A?" you blinked. "What is that supposed to be?"
["The most prestigious hero school there is. Even All Might, the strongest hero in the world, studied there. You're bound to meet plenty of aspiring young heroes once you get there. But like I said, it's not going to happen right away, so don't stress yourself out over it."]
You lowered your gaze to the ground. "Even so... I don't know about this. Izuku was saying that he idolizes heroes because they're so brave while rescuing people from disasters or fending off villains. It sounds like the kind of job where you have to put your life on the line. If I'm not strong enough, I could actually die. It's a scary thought."
The house was eerily quiet. Even more so because it was so empty.
Finally, the system chimed in again.
["It's not like you have a choice."]
The writing on the projection made goosebumps rise to your skin. You'd never realized that it was possible for someone-or something, actually-to be so intimidating without ever voicing a single word.
You knew exactly what they were getting at. If you didn't do as you were told, you were going back inside that lifeless void again.
"I'm sorry," you mumbled hoarsely. Fuck. You hated this. How were you supposed to live your life while being threatened every other moment? Were you really not allowed to have any will of your own? This was making you lose your mind.
["Don't be afraid. Like I said, I have no reason to hurt you. All you need to do is follow a few of my requests, and everything will be fine. You'll enjoy being a hero. It's a good thing. I promise."]
They were trying to pacify you but failing horribly. Don't be afraid, they kept on saying. It had apparently become their favorite catchphrase. Well, no shit you were afraid! You had no knowledge of yourself apart from your name, no relatives or long-time friends to turn to, and supposedly the only way you could regain your memories was to go along with everything this system dictated.
For now, you truly were helpless. But perhaps there was a way to break free of the system. Naturally, you hadn't the slightest clue how at this point in time, but if you were smart about it, you might be able to get them to let their guard down. And then, perhaps you could finally turn the tables in your favor.
But for now, you were just going to have to be patient. Act like a docile little puppy and go along with their requests. It could certainly be worse, you tried to reason. After all, they could be using you to go around murdering people and other crazy shit.
So, yeah. At least things weren't that bad.
["Penny for your thoughts?"]
"I'm fine," you recited robotically. You doubted you were being very convincing, but you could honestly care less. They couldn't seriously expect you to be thrilled about being at their complete and utter mercy.
["Hm. Alright. You weren't saying anything, so I was curious. You're obviously entitled to your privacy. Just as long as you don't forget what your goals are. Now, then. Are you going to tackle your daily quest, or focus on something else first?"]
You rolled up your sleeves. "I'll get started on the push-ups and see how many I can get through. Once I'm done, I'll take a trip to wherever the nearest mall is. I really need some new clothes. And a phone, so that I can stay in touch with Izuku."
["That sounds like a solid plan. Good luck."]
You didn't reply. Instead, you focused on pushing down on your arms and slowly lowering your body parallel to the ground.
"One," you counted aloud, furrowing your brows in concentration. You glanced up at the projection screen that was tracking your progress.
[DAILY TASK: 100 push-ups remaining.]
"Oh, come on!" you exclaimed. "What was wrong with the one I just did? Am I expected to have perfect form or something? Jeez."
You tried doing another push-up, and to your immense dismay, the number on the screen still didn't dip under 100.
["Lower yourself all the way. Come on, put some muscle into it. Let's see a real push-up."]
You audibly groaned.
"Goddammit. I'm going to be here all day at this rate."
*****
One excruciating and needlessly long push-up session later-plus another shower and laundry cycle, because you weren't about to turn up to the mall like a stinky bitch-you were finally shopping for the essentials.
New clothes, an extensive list of hygienic supplies since your house was practically empty, and last but certainly not least, a phone. You had tons of stuff to get through, so it was probably a good thing you'd gotten your tedious daily task out of the way first. Even though your arms were sore as hell now.
You decided to tackle the clothes first, since between picking them out and trying them on, they would probably be the most time-consuming. It was kind of fun doing something as simple as this, though. Ever since you'd awoken without a single memory, your life had been anything but normal. For a little while, it was nice to at least pretend like everything was fine.
["Those look good. They suit you."]
Even though it was a compliment, all it did was make you scowl. Just like that, the illusion had been shattered.
You weren't normal, no matter how badly you wanted to be.
After buying everything you'd picked out, you moved onto the next stage of your errands. This one didn't take all that long since it was mostly small things like extra body wash and shampoo, a few spare toothbrushes, floss, etcetera. You were rapidly checking items off your list, and it felt pretty good getting things done. Plus, your house wouldn't look quite as empty once you brought all this stuff in. As far as stuff like furniture, the system had reassured you that you would gradually be able to craft it yourself, which would certainly save you the trouble of hiring a moving company to ship everything and assemble it.
Plus, you were fourteen and living all on your own. That would definitely raise some eyebrows.
You were lugging shopping bags along and on your way to the electronics store when you randomly heard another ping.
["Wait. Don't go buy your phone yet. There's another target nearby. This is perfect timing. Pretend to bump into him by accident and use that to strike up a conversation."]
What in the shoujo anime trope is this?
"Fine," you sighed, realizing they wouldn't let you refuse. "Where is he?"
["Just up ahead. Push through the crowds and you'll see him eventually. He's got red and white hair, plus heterochromia, a rare condition that gives someone two differently colored eyes. There's no way you'll miss him."]
It turned out that they were right, and you spotted him in no time flat. That being said, you weren't sure how to just make a meeting happen. Izuku's case was different, since you'd helped him while he was in trouble, but if your first meeting with Katsuki was any indication, most people didn't like to be accosted out of nowhere by a total stranger.
The system could tell that you were hesitant.
["Just do it. The more opportunities you create for yourself, the better."]
Well, then. Here goes nothing.
You kept your eye on the guy you were meant to approach. All you could see was the back of his head, but of all the people in front of you, he was the only one with such a distinct hairstyle. Red and white, but not a blend of it-as in, half of his head was red, and the other half was fully white. He was facing away from you, so you couldn't see his eyes, but the system had yet to correct you, so he had to be the right person.
Once you were sufficiently close to him, you took a deep breath to prepare yourself for the embarrassment you would soon face.
"Oh, no!" you wailed out, making a terribly exaggerated show of tripping and colliding against his back, whereupon you crumpled to the ground and spilled your belongings in the process. A lot of people were already staring. They didn't look too worried, though. Probably because your acting was so shitty.
Naturally, the boy turned to see who'd just crashed into him, and there they were. Two differently colored eyes. One was a warm gray, and the other was a striking shade of blue that veered towards turquoise. He had also had a rather large scar, but it wasn't your business to wonder about the story behind it.
Either way, despite his eyes being different colors, both of them were immeasurably cold.
"I-I'm sorry," you stammered. It wasn't even an act. You were sorry that you had to put on this stupid show just to appease the douchebag system.
["His name is Todoroki Shouto. But be careful not to accidentally call him that, or he'll grow suspicious of you."]
No shit. I may not have any memories, but I'm not a moron.
Shouto stared down at your fallen frame. You were on your knees, clothes and various other supplies scattered around you since they'd fallen from your bags. Like the other onlookers, he didn't look concerned in the slightest. Actually, his expression was a lot more passive than the rest of theirs. You could've sworn his face hadn't moved a single muscle.
You kept waiting for him to offer to help you pick up your things, but he did nothing of the sort.
"You should hurry and get up," Shouto said instead. "You're blocking the way for a lot of people. It's pretty crowded around here."
"Um," was all you could think to reply.
Okay. Okay. Granted, he was under no obligation to do you any favors, but wasn't the normal reaction to ask someone if they were alright after falling? At the very least, you hadn't been expecting such a blunt and disinterested response.
You had to think quick. If you didn't find a way to make him stay, he was going to leave you in the dust.
"It'll go faster if you help me!" you blurted. "I mean... I spilled a lot of my things. I would really appreciate the help. I-If you don't mind, that is."
Shouto didn't look annoyed, and you didn't get any notifications about his love points dropping either.
It just seemed like he could honestly care less.
That being said, he still crouched down and began putting your things back in their respective bags. It was all happening so fast that you didn't really have any opportunities to engage him in conversation. By the time you blinked, all of your items were back where they belonged.
Shouto grabbed you by the hand and pulled you to your feet, then once again prepared to leave.
"Wait!" you called out again. God, you felt so pathetic! This poor guy. He probably wanted to get on with his day, and you were practically holding him hostage here.
I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. I literally don't have a choice.
You also didn't have a plan. He seemed utterly disinterested in everything and everyone, so what could you possibly say to coax him into staying?
"Was there something else?" Shouto asked. He definitely wasn't angry, but you spotted the hints of annoyance creeping onto his expression. It was subtle, but his brow was a bit furrowed now.
You mustered up a sheepish smile. "Let me, um, treat you to something. As thanks for helping me out. I also feel bad bumping into you like that. It must've hurt."
It was an incredibly weak excuse, but you really had nothing else to go off right now.
As expected, Shouto was quick to refuse.
"I'm okay," he said, giving you a deadpan response as always.
"B-But I insist!" you stammered, feeling your cheeks redden. The love points still weren't dropping, so at least he didn't dislike you. Yet.
He tilted his head to the side. "Why?"
"Because... you helped me."
"All I did was pick up a few things. Anyone else could have done the same."
"Yeah, but they didn't. That's why I'm trying to thank you. And you, uh... you seem like a nice person!" you piled on. Now you'd officially entered total bullshit territory, because if you were being honest, he wasn't exactly giving you the friendliest vibe.
Shouto seemed to think the same. "I'm really not," he said blandly.
Well, at least he's self-aware...
"I usually have a pretty good read on people," you persisted. At this point, you could tell that you were being rather pushy, but what choice did you have? For you, this was practically a matter of life and death. Being unable to move and trapped in endless darkness and silence was a form of torture you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. It ate away at your mind and made you lose all sense of reality.
You didn't want to go back there, but you hated having to harass people like this too. Basically, no matter what you did, it felt like shit. Which was just perfect.
Shouto wasn't saying anything, and you made up your mind that if he refused your offer once more, you would call it a day and just leave it at that. You would do your best to negotiate with the system so that they wouldn't be so quick to punish you.
But to your immense surprise, Shouto decided to be merciful.
"Fine," he eventually shrugged. "I really don't need anything from you, but if you want to repay me so badly, I'll go along with it. I don't have a lot of time to spare, though. It'll have to be quick."
A grin spread across your lips, and you honestly felt like you were about to cry tears of joy.
"Thank you!" you gushed. "Thank you so, so much! I really appreciate this!"
Shouto frowned. "Aren't you the one who's going to be buying me something? Why are you thanking me for letting you spend your money on me?"
Right. Your reaction was definitely pretty weird, all things considered.
"I just really like meeting new people," you chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe we could become friends or something-"
"I have no intention of making any friends."
STATUS UPDATE:
[Todoroki Shouto is thinking of something unpleasant.]
[-10 love points.]
Fuck! I even managed to get this far without pissing him off!
You weren't sure what the system meant by 'something unpleasant', though. It was strange that it wasn't telling you what specifically about your words Shouto had taken offense at. Normally it told you exactly what your targets thought of you in the moment.
Not that it really mattered. Either way, he didn't seem too keen on you.
"You're right," you swallowed. "Sorry. I guess it's way too early to bring up friendship. But still... I'd like to maybe get you something like a snack or a drink. And maybe we can start by introducing ourselves? I'm [Name], by the way. It's nice to meet you."
He stared at you for a little while before letting out a weary sigh.
"Todoroki Shouto. Alright. Take me wherever you want to go. But like I said, I don't have a lot of time to waste."
["I'll give you a freebie. He really likes cold soba. If you take him to get some, it might raise his impression of you. Or he might not care at all. It's kind of hard to tell with this guy."]
Cold soba, huh? Well, you supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least try, so you headed towards the food court in search of the noodles that could very well save your butt.
And luckily, you found a place that sold them.
"How about over there?" you pointed. "Cold soba is really yummy. Would you like some? Or something different instead?"
For the first time since you'd met, Shouto looked somewhat eager.
[Todoroki Shouto is excited that he gets to eat cold soba for free.]
[+10 love points.]
Bruh.
At this point, it was as if the soba was his love interest instead of you. Oh, well. For certain people, the way to their heart was through their stomach, you supposed.
You quickly realized that Shouto had a bit of an endearing side to him. He looked very content while he ate. His expression was still neutral for the most part, but there was something slightly different about his overall demeanor. It was nice to see him enjoying his food, if nothing else.
"Do you like it?" you asked hopefully.
Shouto nodded while slurping up lots of noodles. "Yeah. Cold soba is the best."
"Awesome! I'm glad I picked well," you grinned.
Even though I had a bit of help.
It didn't take long for Shouto to finish his meal, since he was completely focused on it. Then, he set down his chopsticks and turned towards you. You hadn't finished yet, so your cheeks were fully stuffed as you glanced over at him.
"Ish shomethin wong?" you barely managed to mumble.
You saw it then, for just a moment. It was subtle as hell, but the corner of Shouto's lips twitched a bit, as if he was about to smile.
"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full," he said. "Take your time to swallow first."
[Todoroki Shouto is somewhat amused by how funny you look with your cheeks stuffed.]
[+10 love points.]
You heeded his suggestion and fully swallowed your food. At least he was starting to take an interest in you? Somewhat, at least. Either way, you'd recovered your lost points from earlier and had begun to make a tiny bit of progress. It was definitely better than nothing.
After finishing up, you wiped your face with a napkin and smiled. "Sorry. I hope that wasn't too off-putting. Anyways, thank you for going along with my whims. I feel better now that I've had a chance to properly thank you. Um..."
Should I risk it? I don't want to push him too far, but... it'd be great if I could accomplish this one last thing.
"W-Would it be alright if I had your number?" you finally worked up the nerve to ask.
Shouto looked confused. "Why do you want my number?"
"So that I can maybe see you again someday...? You said you can't stay long today, so I was thinking it'd be nice if we could maybe meet up another time. I really enjoyed my time with you. But if I'm being too pushy, don't hesitate to tell me!" you added quickly. "I'm guilty of being a bit too eager sometimes..."
Another heavy silence fell upon you. God. Shouto was incredibly attractive, but he was quite a dreadful conversational partner. You supposed you couldn't fully blame him though, considering you'd whisked him over here at random.
"Okay," Shouto shrugged.
You couldn't believe what you were hearing. "Okay, as in...?"
"I guess you can have my number. I'm not sure what you're expecting, though. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not all that interesting to be around." He paused to add, a bit more gently, "It's the first time anyone's been so insistent on getting my number. Most people keep their distance from me once we've exchanged a few words. You're kind of weird."
If being weird meant that you got his number, then screw it-you were more than happy to be weird.
"Thank you!" you beamed, even clapping your hands a few times. "I was right. You really are nice."
"If that's what you think," Shouto frowned. He seemed remarkably unsure of himself for some reason. Why did he have such a hard time believing that he could be nice?
STATUS UPDATE:
[Todoroki Shouto isn't used to someone looking so happy around him.]
[+20 love points.]
[Current progress: 30/100]
That one gave me more points than the previous ones. It's a bit hard to tell because his expression is indifferent for the most part, but something about him seems really sad. It'd be nice if I could help him feel a bit better.
One day, you would like to see Shouto smile properly. You'd just decided that would be one of your personal goals.
You still hadn't purchased your phone, but like with Izuku, you wrote down Shouto's number on a piece of scrap paper and tucked it into your wallet for safekeeping. You'd promised Izuku that he would be the first person you added to your contact list though, so you made a mental note to add his before inputting Shouto's.
"I need to go now," Shouto said. It wasn't that much of a surprise since he'd told you from the start he wouldn't be staying long. Either way, you felt satisfied with what you'd accomplished. Before leaving, he stared at you for a little while. "Thank you for the soba," was the last thing he said.
You smiled as you waved goodbye, up until he disappeared into the crowds of people.
Then, your hand fell to your side.
"So, you seem to know quite a few things about these people I'm supposed to get close to. Couldn't you just tell me exactly what I should be saying? I feel like it'd be easier that way, no?"
["I can offer a bit of assistance, but I'm not supposed to intervene too much. And even if I did, there's no guarantee that things would go as planned. I know a few facts here and there, but those facts wouldn't necessarily make any of them fall for you. It's all up to you how you act. The things you say and do, and the way that you treat them. That's what will determine the feelings they form for you."]
Hm. You couldn't tell if they were lying. That was the shittiest part in all of this-apart from being threatened, of course. Not knowing what to believe.
But perhaps it was better this way. You shouldn't be relying on the system. These were real people with real feelings. You didn't want to treat them as objects meant to be won over. You would do your best to forge meaningful connections with them, and in the process of doing so, appease the system so that you could get your memories back.
If you were going to do this, you were going to do it right.