The staff paper stared back at him, taunting him like a playground bully. Kacchan came to mind at first. He and his friends came and had pushed him to the ground, making fun of his meager attempts at composition. Of course, Kacchan had kind of matured since elementary school and wouldn't do that now, but Izuku couldn't help but picture the other boy as his own brash inner critic. Izuku never told him that he could already picture the smug satisfaction on his best friend's face.

Still, even the Kacchan in his head couldn't inspire him to get any notes down onto the paper. Instead of doing actual work, Izuku spun around in his chair for a while, about fifteen minutes, in fact. Then he browsed through a music meme subreddit. After all, Midoriya Izuku was a man of class, a connoisseur. What other way would he receive inspiration?

After about five hours of totally being productive, he finally decided to go get coffee. And, a change of environment might do him some good. Izuku grabbed his backpack, put on his signature bright red shoes, and headed out the door he sent a text to Kacchan, though he knew his friend-become-roommate wouldn't be back for another four or five hours. Still the last time Izuku disappeared without telling him, Kacchan nearly went on a warpath, sending him over ten angry, worried texts. He didn't blame him. Izuku's talents included having perfect pitch and breaking bones. In addition to that, Izuku hated the feeling of imminent death, so he always made sure to send Katsuki a text whenever he went off on his own. Izuku chuckled. As much as
Kacchan denied it, he really did care.

UA University's campus was a sprawling expanse of lecture halls, fast fast food restaurants, various fields of neatly cut grass, and much more. Luckily, the freshman dorms were nearly in the center of the hub, and it took nearly no time for Izuku to find a cafe within walking distance. With headphones, blasting Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", he entered the cafe, feeling instant relief from the sweltering heat.

The place wasn't as crowded as he thought it would be for the time of day it was. People must have been in class still. Izuku was relieved. He had never been much of a people person.

He had never really been much of a coffee drinker. Upon first glance, there wasn't really much that he found appealing. And, there were only three people in front of him in line. He heart began to pound as he realized that he yet again faced looking like he had no idea what he was doing. Finally, it was his turn.

"W-What do you recommend for a non-coffee-drinker?" he asked the bored girl at the
cash register.

"We have all of those."

She pointed to a board that read "TEAS" in bold font. Izuku's face burned.

"Heh, I didn't see that.."

"I figured," the cashier replied. She drummed her garish pink nails on the counter.

"Uh, I'll take... that one! " he pointed to the first one he saw, his voice cracking like it did when he was back in junior high.

"That'll be five hundred yen."

Shakily, he grabbed the money from his wallet, hoping that it wasn't soaked from his sweaty hands.

Have a good day," she said, lacking the expected enthusiasm. He exited the line and found a booth in a dark corner, out of the path of the hot afternoon sun. He pulled out his staff paper and stared, hoping that notes would magically appear on the paper. Izuku checked his phone. There were no texts from Kacchan. He scrolled through his playlist until he found something he wanted to listen to, figuring that if he had music playing, he could get inspiration that way. Eventually, his waiter came by with his drink. Steam wafted from his mug.

"Huh? I don't remember ordering this hot," Izuku thought. He didn't have the heart to correct the waiter though. He embarrassed himself enough for one day. Instead, Izuku thanked him and turned his attention back to his paper.

He absently tapped keys on an imaginary keyboard, playing notes that no one could hear but him.

"F-sharp...no. Of course, I have to figure out if I want a major or a minor key."

One of the things Izuku had always loved about music were the endless possibilities. A group of notes could become a symphony, a chorale. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, except the composer cut out the pieces and decided how they would fit together, much like an inventor building a machine. If he listened hard enough, he could hear it in the traffic on the street, in the small talk made by groups of students as they rushed to class, the sound of the ocean as it ate away at cliffs. Whenever he heard it, Izuku always found himself trapped in its embrace.

But right now, he struggled to find any music within himself that was worthy enough to write down on his paper. He took a sip of his tea, which had cooled considerably. (Why did he buy hot tea during the hottest time of year, anyway?) His hand inched toward his phone, almost unconsciously. It opened to a page on Reddit.

"Might as well," he said, deciding that his efforts were worthless at this point.

That was when she walked into the room. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a
UA shirt, common apparel for a student that attended the university. She seemed to be a bit shorter than him. At least, that's what it looked like from where he was sitting. The girl was carrying a backpack covered in an assortment of patches. The only one he could really make out was a NASA patch. What really caught his attention though, was the way the sun made her bobbed hair glow like a copper-gold halo. Her light tan skin also seemed to glow with a radiance that made Izuku wonder why a goddess would bother to walk among jaded, tired college students.

She finished ordering and turned to find a seat. Izuku quickly turned away, hoping she didn't find him staring. Luckily, she didn't notice him-girls rarely did-and found a seat on the opposite side of the cafe.

Izuku replayed music in his head, trying to pick something that could fit the girl's aesthetic. "Venus, the bringer of Peace," by Gustav Holst came to mind, as did "Intermezzo". They were a start, but none of them quite fit her. Izuku glanced down at his empty staff paper again. Nothing fit. She was in a league of her own, and unfortunately, it was a league he could never hope to be in.

His phone vibrated, snapping him out of his reverie. His mom's contact picture popped up in his notifications.

Mom: Hi Izuku! I miss you! How have classes been? I know you're probably busy, so call me back whenever you get the chance!

Me: Hey mom! Classes have been good, especially my intro to music class. I think that one's my favorite so far!

Me: I'll call you soon!

He packed up his things and hurried back to his dorm, worried that the inspiration that he just received would leave him as soon as it came. He said goodbye to the girl in his head, hoping that he would see her around.

In Izuku's dreams that night, mystery girl was the first person he saw. She was standing under a tree and she was speaking something that he couldn't quite decipher. As far as he knew, she didn't notice him, in his disembodied existence A her mouth was open, forming words that he couldn't decipher at first. Then, more of her surroundings became visible and vibrant, and Izuku could see that she was looking up at the moon. He could finally hear what she was saying, or more like singing. He couldn't understand what language she was singing in, but it was melancholy, like no matter how much she sang for the moon, it would never acknowlege her.

"What a shame," he said. "The moon should be singing to you instead."