Chapter 4 In which Izuku made a girl smile

Chapter Summary: Izuku performs street magic tricks, and someone's nose is on period.

During the next class, the teachers showed them a documentary on heroes and quirks. It was a film Izuku had watched so many times if he watched any more he was sure his eyes would bleed.

While all the other students were giving their full attention to the screen, Izuku chanted GOLA's name three times in his mind. On the third time, the metallic little cyclops popped into existence, the bacon hanging out of its wide mouth inches away from Izuku's nose.

"WOAHHH!" Izuku jerked back in his seat, arms flailing and hitting the boy behind him. The wolf-eared boy hissed at him as he clutched his bleeding nose in pain. "I-I-I'm s-so sorry…" The boy ignored his profuse apology and stormed his way out of class.

The murmurs died down when Shimura-sensei made her annoyance shown.

GOLA had a nasty smirk on its face when Izuku glared at him.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, master." It sneered, and Izuku wanted so desperately to punch that fa—no, what was he thinking? That was something Kacchan would do. He had to control himself.

"Do you even need to eat?" Izuku grumbled instead in his mind.

"Do humans need cookies to survive?"

"No?"

"Then why do humans eat cookies? Why do humans sing, dance, watch movies, do so many things that aren't necessary for survival?"

Izuku had no answer for that.

"The answer is because it brings them joy." Another slice of juicy bacon materialized in thin air and GOLA snatched it inside its mouth with its long tongue. "If humans are allowed to do things for their enjoyment, why am I not allowed? Why do I get questioned for enjoying myself? Don't you think that's unfair?"

"Ugh. Yeah. You're right. Sorry." Izuku bowed his head in shame. The conversation curved downward so quickly he couldn't react in time. He could only go with what GOLA said.

"C'mon master. Don't look so down. You just made your first achievement! You should be proud of yourself! Look!" The profile screen appeared and GOLA tapped a crown icon next to Izuku's name (that wasn't there before). A new screen override the first one, showing a bookshelf with dozens of locked trophies. The first one was unlocked and the name plate said "The Lover".

"Cool!" Izuku marveled at the sight. The trophy looked so real, almost like he could touch it. "What does it do?"

"Each title comes with a quirk. You cannot use your unlocked titles and quirks until you die and restart from a save point. At that moment, you're allowed to choose a title and when your game restarts, you will be gifted with that quirk and any additional effects that comes with it."

"So what's the quirk for The Lover?"

GOLA tapped the trophy and a description popped up. It read, "'The Lover' can be unlocked by charming a person. It comes with the quirk: Charm (anyone who sees your face will fall in love with you and do anything you say. It doesn't affect those who're already in love with you)"

"Fall in love? Ewww…" Izuku pouted. Whenever someone mentioned love, there were always kissing and touching in inappropriate places involved. Izuku found them gross. He didn't want to taste other people's drool thank you very much. "No thank you."

"Are you sure? You can gain your first quirk this way."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Plus," Izuku frowned. "I can only use it when I die, right? I really don't wanna die…"

"Okay. Whatever you say, master. I do agree though. No kissing. It's gross having to taste other's blood."

Izuku glanced at GOLA's sharp gleaming teeth. Yeah. He could imagine why.

"So how to I make a save point?"

"Master, just simply call me and I will save the game for you. Game is saved automatically after quest completions and achievements."

"Oh, okay. Also, I gained a reputation point! Does that mean I can open the bazaar now?"

"See for yourself, master."

GOLA selected the bazaar tab and a wide range of items displayed:

Quirks

One Punch 100,000pts

Timetravel 70,000pts

Shapeshifting 70,000pts

Shadow Manipulation 50,000 pts

Mind-reading 50,000 pts

Costumes

Digital Goggles 7000pts

Invisible body suit 5000pts (swim SPE 6)

SmashGuard Steel-Toed Running Boots 3000pts (SPE 3 STR 4)

SAP Defense Gloves 3000pts (STR 4)

Airwalkers 2000pts

Gadgets

Devil's Mask 50,000pts (changes appearance at will)

Time Travel Microwave 30,000pts

Elmore Ghost Motorbike 10,000pts

Pistol: Beretta M9 5000pts

Portal Sticker Set (PSS) 3000pts

Disposable Items

Cataclysm 100,000pts (destroys this planet)

Death Note (x1 page) 50,000pts

Remover Round (x1) 1000pts

Red/Blue Potion (x1) 500pts (restore half of HP/MP)

Voicechanger Bubblegum (x1 piece) 200pts

Misc

PS4 1000pts

Fake ID 500pts

Petit Fours (x1) 300pts

Toothbrush 10pts

Lifesaver candy (x1) 1pt

And there were much more. The only thing Izuku could buy with the one point he had in his possession was a piece of lifesaver candy. Even a regular toothbrush that didn't have any unique attributes cost 10 points. Izuku could only exit the page with a disappointed sigh. Well, at least he now knew that helping people solve their emotional problems could earn him reputation points.

Before Izuku closed the screen completely, he checked his profile stats:

Name: Midoriya Izuku

Title: none

LV: 2 EXP: 0/200 (required EXP doubles every level)

HP: 150/150 (0.05/s)

MP: 150/150 (0.05/s)

Age: 6

Quirk(s): none

STR: 3 (5 being average for your age)

DEF: 4

SPE: 4

DEX: 4

Attribute points: 1

LUCK: 5 (changes everyday)

REP points: 1

Techniques:

Observe Lv 2 (78/150 EXP): observe other's stats

MP usage: 5MP per use (More information will reveal as this technique levels up.)

Izuku noticed that his luck had gone down from eight to five. Nothing horrible had happened today so he guessed five meant average. He hoped he would never go under that. Who knew what could happen.

He also earned one attribute point, which he added to STRENGTH without hesitation. On the inventory page, an extra slot appeared, making it 5/6.

Izuku then closed the screen and spent the rest of the films chatting with GOLA. Apparently GOLA had a lover who was the GOLA for another Digitalization. When Izuku asked if there were other people in this world with Digitalization, GOLA replied with "Only one Game of Life is allowed per world, otherwise it'll mess up the equilibrium." Izuku didn't know what that last word mean, but when he was about to ask, the film was over and it was lunch time.

One of the highlights of YHP was that they allowed students to experience real-life hero work and use their quirks in public under the supervision of pro heroes. Every week, they allowed students to form into groups and walk around the street, searching for opportunities to help people, with or without the usage of their quirks. They could also buy lunch if they haven't brought any.

"To become a hero, what do you have to do?" Shimura-sensei cupped a hand around her ear.

The class sang in unison, "A good deed every day!"

"That's right! You don't have to fight villains to become a hero. There're many types of heroes, and most heroes deal with search and rescue missions. Many more deal with every day issues. A hero isn't measured by age, experience, or appearance. It's by what you do, and how you do it. As usual, today we're going to separate you into groups of five! Each of you will be led by a clone of Ectoplasm-sensei!"

The door opened and a tall, slender man walked in. He had a scary appearance. Large, soulless blank eyes behind a pair of glasses, exposed teeth, and arms so thin his skin appeared to be tightly wrapped around his bones with no flesh in between, very much like a skeleton that walked right out of a horror movie. His legs appeared to be prosthetic, making Izuku wonder about what he had been through.

When the man's blank eyes glanced at Izuku, he couldn't help but cower into his seat.

"Don't be afraid of him," Namamono whispered, leaning into Izuku's personal bubble. "He's as soft as a puppy. You should have seen that other time we caught him singing in the showers. It was—"

"Namamono Henshin."

Namamono flinched. He backed away from Izuku inch by inch until his head was back in his personal space, then he squeaked,

"Yes, sensei?"

"Perhaps you'd like to accompany me next time I go to karaoke. I'm sure we'll have a splendid time pouring our souls into songs."

"N-no, thank you, s-sensei."

Namamono made himself as small as possible, refusing to meet Ectoplasm's eyes.

"No, no, I insist." Ectoplasm gave a crooked grin. Even those used to his presence involuntarily shuddered. If possible, Namamono curled even more into himself.

"Stop messing with the kids, Ectoplasm-sensei," Shimura-sensei laughed and hit the bony man lightly on the shoulder. "Anyway kids, today we have invited a new hero to tag along!"

This got the class into a heated chatter. Izuku imagined All Might walking through the door. He knew it was very unlikely, since they couldn't have a famous hero walking with them on the street. That was just begging to be ambushed by fans and calling for the media's attention. So it must be an average hero, like the Waterhose couple, or a new hero.

"Let us welcome Eraserhead-sensei!"

The door slid open slowly and a young man around Gentle's age dragged his body through the door. He had shaggy dark hair that fell slightly over his dark eyes and was dressed in all black clothing. Strange white strips of fabrics wrapped around his neck like a scarf. All the students hitched a breath at his grim appearance. Izuku had never seen a hero looking so gloomy before.

One student tried to break the silence. "I know! It's called being emo! I read it on the internet!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and floating in the air.

The hero, Eraserhead, responded by glaring at the boy. As if an invisible wind was blowing at him, his hair began to float, every single strand sticking up against gravity. His eyes also started glowing red.

The boy who was floating previously suddenly lost control of his quirk and dropped onto his seat heavily. The class went dead silent. Even a pin-drop could be heard.

Eraserhead was the one who broke the silence. "My quirk allows me to temporarily erase other's quirk," he drawled. "If I see any of you brats using your quirks inappropriately, or using them for something that can be accomplished without the need to flaunt your powers, then I won't hesitate to erase your quirk. Are we clear?"

No one made a sound. Everyone simply nodded.

The tense atmosphere lasted until everyone was separated to their groups. Some complained about not being with their friends, some didn't care. Izuku was in a group with Manami, a pink girl, and, fortunately for him, the remaining two of his quest targets. They were a blond dazzling kid and a purple-haired boy with bangs so long they covered his eyes completely.

When Izuku circled up with his teammates, he received the quest notification.

Quest alert!

[Side Quest: Fear of Quirk (Aoyama Yuuga)]

Description: Aoyama Yuuga has some traumatizing experiences with his quirk. Help him get over his fears of his quirk.

Time Limit: none

Reward: 200 EXP, 1 reputation point

Failure: (A hero should never allow themselves to fail!)

[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]

Quest alert!

[Side Quest: Fear of Quirk (Shinsou Hitoshi)]

Description: Shinsou Hitoshi sees his quirk as a dangerous, evil power. Help him realize that his power is nothing to be feared of.

Time Limit: none

Reward: 200 EXP, 1 reputation point

Failure: (A hero should never allow themselves to fail!)

[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]

Izuku accepted both quests without hesitation.

"Alright everyone! Now that we're a team, we should get to know each others first! That'll make us easier to work together," the pink girl started. Manami tucked a strand of hair behind her ears so her vision wasn't blocked. Aoyama rested his chin in both hands as he fluttered his long eye lashes. Shinsou wasn't looking at anyone in particular, not that Izuku could tell. "I'll go first! I'm Ashido Mina! Just call me Mina! My quirk is acid! It's really strong and can melt your skin, so be careful not to be too close to me when I use it!"

Everyone in the group shuddered at her description.

"You're next, new kid!" Mina pointed at Izuku, who jumped out of his seat when his name was called.

"Y-yes! Um… My name is Midoriya Izuku, and I'm quirkless. But I'll do my best to help!"

As soon as he finished, Aoyama began in a flippant tone, "Bonjour. My name is Aoyama Yuuga. My quirk is Naval Laser and I can shoot laser out of my belly button ~!"

Izuku had to hold back his urge to flash out his notebook and jot down all the possibilities of such a quirk be traumatic.

It was Manami's turn next.

"I'm Aiba Manami and I'm quirkless. But I'll try my best."

When it was the turn of the last member of their group, Shinsou merely murmured, "Shinsou Hitoshi" before turning away, not looking at them.

"What's your quirk?"

"…Brainwashing."

"What does it do? Can you, like, control people?" Izuku asked.

"Pretty much."

Izuku understood why he would think of it as an evil power. After all, it was the type of power a villain in a superhero manga would possess. Izuku could imagine the type of comments others had made regarding Shinsou's quirk, and these must have given the other boy a negative view on it.

Sure, his power was evil, but it could also be used in many positive ways. Like in a situation where someone was about to jump off the roof, Shinsou could easily control them to step down then talk them out of it when they were no longer on the verge of death.

A power like this could minimize so much damage in the usual hero fights and save the heroes so much time and money. How could Shinsou not realize it?

Izuku had to let him know. Even without the quest, Izuku would make Shinsou realize that his quirk wasn't evil. Like with Manami, Izuku would hate to see Shinsou become a hero and yet still not using his quirk. The heroes would lose a major advantage if that happened.

But now wasn't the time, Izuku would just have to wait until they have a time to themselves so he could have a one-on-one conversation with Shinsou.

Everyone was given five minutes to get to know their group, then they were led onto a bus parked by the entrance. According to Shimura-sensei, they would be taken to a more peaceful part of the town for their activity.

The bus ride was short and anything but quiet. Izuku noticed Eraserhead rubbing his temples in desperation. Of course, a moody, dark, and 'emo' (whatever that meant) person wouldn't enjoy such clamor.

While they were on the bus, Izuku received another quest notification.

Quest alert!

[Daily Quest: Daily Good Deed]

Description: No matter if you're the Symbol of Peace, or the Big Bad Boss, everyone has to start somewhere. Begin your first step to a hero by doing something good each day!

Status: 0/1 completed

Time Limit: 11:59:59

Reward: 100 EXP

Failure: (You'll never achieve your dream if you don't make daily commitments!)

[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]

He was given twelve hours, which was until midnight, to do something good. That shouldn't be too hard. And even though there was no reputation point rewarded, Izuku wasn't disappointed. Because he didn't want to be a hero for rewards, he wanted to become a hero like Gentle, like All Might, who saved people simply because they needed help, not because they would be rewarded for saving that person.

When they arrived, Ectoplasm created six clones, one for each team.

While the teachers were huddled together discussing plans, Namamono's group went up to Izuku. One of the kids, the wolf-eared boy who sat behind Izuku, snickered.

"I can't believe it! Two quirkless kids, two with dangerous quirks, and a nobody with a useless quirk all in one team? You guys are in for a hell of a day!"

"Hey! Ahogami*! Stop insulting my team!" Mina was quick to defend them. "Besides, your werewolf quirk is just as dangerous as mine!"

"At least I can control who I bite, but you can't control who you accidentally splashes your acid onto!"

Mina wasn't backing down. "Oh yeah? Is that a challenge!?"

The werewolf boy crouched down, baring his canines and growling. Mina slouched with hands positioned like claws in front of her chest, hissing.

At that moment, a vein-throbbing hand landed on their respective heads. Shimura-sensei popped in between them with an angry look.

"Stop fighting this instant or both you and your teams are staying on the bus while everyone else participates."

Mina and the werewolf boy didn't say anything but they straightened their postures. When Shimura-sensei left, he threw Mina a dirty look and stalked away. Namamono hurried to apologize.

"I'm so sorry for what he just did. Ogami just has a habit of insulting everyone he meets. He didn't mean it!"

"Hey! It's fine! Don't worry about it!" Mina grinned and patted him on the back. "We aren't affected by it, right guys?"

Everyone nodded. Izuku said, "Yeah. We're all good. No harm done."

Namamono looked relieved. He apologized once more before returning to his team. Ogami stuck out his tongue at them before wrapping an arm around Namamono, jokingly giving him a headlock.

"Ahogami's always making fun of people. Everyone's already used to it and no one took his insults seriously. So just ignore him and you'll be fine."

"Okay. Thanks." Izuku nodded.

"Besides, there're a few more quirkless kids in our class who're friends with Ahogami. He'll be nicer once he gets to know you. I'm sure we'll do just fine, right?" Mina asked casually. "Like sensei said, there're tons of ways to help people without using our quirks!"

At this time, the teachers were done with their hushed whispers. Clones of Ectoplasm went to their respective groups. Izuku was amazed at Ectoplasm's hero costume. He looked hulky… and nothing like his original self, except his exposed teeth.

To his surprise, Eraserhead also came to their group.

"What're you doing here, Eraserhead-sensei?" Mina wondered.

"To keep an eye on our new kid here." Eraserhead groaned. "Please stay out of trouble to the best of your capabilities and make my job easier."

"I-I-I promise I won't cause trouble!" Izuku insisted.

"I'll see to it."

The groups were then led to different sections of the area. It was lunch time so the streets were filled with people, but not crowded enough for everyone to have a hard time keeping up.

Class session officially started, Izuku's group began on the lookout for potential targets. Mina walked in the front, loudly describing her past experiences in different types of situations, Izuku and his other three teammates trailed after her. The two pro-heroes followed behind them in a distance, watching their backs and making sure nothing went wrong.

As they were searching, the four YHP kids all took out their respective lunches. Izuku paused with his lunch box in hand.

"Ahhh… Bad idea, Midoriya-kun," Mina gave a nervous laugh. "We don't stop to eat, so we always bring something simple like riceballs or sushi."

Izuku felt his anxiety hit him again. He panicked, almost dropping his lunch box. "W-w-what do I do?"

"Here," Mina handed Izuku one of her riceballs. "You can have one."

Before Izuku could accept or refuse, a half of a yakisoba bread was pushed onto his hand. "Sharing is caring," Manami mumbled with her mouthful.

Seeing the girls taking the initiative, the boys weren't far behind. Aoyama gave Izuku a cheese stick. "It's very healthy ~"

And Shinsou offered Izuku half of his tuna sandwich. "You're not allergic to fish, are you?"

To be surrounded by so much kindness, Izuku felt that undeniable warm feeling in his chest once again. His eyes got a little teary but no one commented on it.

"T-thank you, everyone," he mumbled, voice dry.

As they continued their search while eating lunch, they found their first target. It was an old lady who dropped her purse, but couldn't bend down due to her back issues. She was holding a hot pink walking stick that really stood out in the distance. The floating exclamation mark had appeared when Izuku was around twenty feet away and he mentally took note of the required distance. Seeing her struggles, the group rushed to her side but Izuku got there first. He had a feeling everyone else ran a tad bit slower on purpose, in order for him to arrive first.

"Here you go," Izuku offered the purse to the old lady.

"Ah… thank you." The old lady accepted her purse with a trembling hand, her other hand on the walking stick. "What would I do without you young heroes… hahaha…"

The old lady chuckled as she patted Izuku on the head. "Well, I hafta go meet up with my granddaughter. See you kids later."

[Quest — Daily Good Deed — completed. Next one in 11:36:47]

Reputation point 1

Note: Continue helping people to earn more reputation point and EXP.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Izuku had earned almost ten reputation points and a dozen EXP by helping people. Many of these situations didn't have a quest alert, Izuku noticed. Only the more important ones that would take longer to complete would have a quest notification.

Most of the problems his team encountered didn't require any of them to use their quirks. Once, Mina tried melting down an entire tree to save a cat that was stuck, but was fortunately stopped by Eraserhead, who pointed out the existence of a bird nest higher up in the tree. "Heroes also need a good situational awareness," he had said. "You don't want to save someone but have your actions indirectly cause the injury, or worth, death, of another civilian due to your neglect."

As they walked into a shopping street, Izuku noticed a familiar mop of furry silver hair, twitching wolf ears, and a wagging, bushy tail. Ogami noticed him as well, as he quickly made his way over with a smirk.

"How many people have you helped, I wonder?"

Namamono and the rest of his team caught up with him with an exasperated groan. "Not again," he mumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair, his neatly trimmed bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat.

"We've already helped fifteen people, each with different incidents!" Ogami continued to boast.

Hands on her hips, Mina retorted with her head held high. "So what? That doesn't make you any better than us! Just because you've been in the program a few weeks longer than we have doesn't mean you can pressure us with your experience!"

Just as another stare-down was about to occur, white strips of fabric shoot out from behind and wrapped around the two YHP students, their limbs locked tightly against their sides restricting their movements. Eraserhead trudged his way over. "Stop this foolish argument. You're training to be heroes, and heroes don't fight against each others."

"But sensei—"

Eraserhead's eyes glowed red and his hair began to float. The two kids gulped visibly.

A second later, Eraserhead blinked and the effect wore off. He released them, kneeling down and placing a hand on their shoulders. In a softer voice, he said, "Remember. The moment you turn saving people into a competition, you're no longer heroes. What matters most isn't how many people you've helped, or how much you've helped them. It's the simple fact that you've helped somebody in need. That is what makes a true hero."

Both of them stared at the ground guiltily, and murmured a quiet apology.

Eraserhead stood up and folded his arms. "You two need to learn to get along. Now, as punishments for fighting during a class session, you two and your teams will work together for the remaining of this class period."

"WHAT!?" A chorus of groans was the response, but a flash of red in Eraserhead's eyes and the slightest movement of his hair shut everyone up.

Izuku stayed in the back of his team as he observed the two teams' awkward reaction around each other. Most of them are okay with working with another team; it was Ogami's scowling face (baring canines) and Mina's grumpy look (and hands that leaked acid) that put everyone on guard.

Suddenly, something, or rather, someone rammed into Izuku's back. With an "oof" Izuku fell forward and had to steady himself with Aoyama's shoulder to not faceplant.

"What was that?" Groaning, Izuku turned to look at the pressure on his back, but only saw…clothes. Floating clothes. With an exclamation mark above it. "Woah!"

Loud sniffling came from the floating clothes and Izuku felt a grip on his shirt. It then downed to him that he was possibly seeing an invisible person for the first time in his life.

"Um… Do you need help?"

"M-m-my grandma's lost! Wuahhh!" The invisible girl sobbed loudly.

Quest alert!

[Side Quest: Missing Granny]

Description: Help Hagakure Tooru reunite with her grandmother.

Time Limit: none

Reward: 100 EXP, 2 reputation point

Failure: (A hero should never allow themselves to fail!)

[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]

This time Izuku didn't even pay attention to the notification. He vaguely remembered accepting it as he had his whole focus on the wailing girl.

The two YHP groups gathered around her. The more experienced ones who had probably dealt with this kind of situation began shooting off questions that would help locate the grandma, but they were all ignored by the girl who couldn't stop crying.

"We… we gotta do something!" Mina exclaimed.

"But what!?" Ogami frowned. He watched as Aoyama handed the girl a cheesestick, which slid out of her slack grip as she continued to cry. Shoving the blond out of the way, Ogami crouched down in front of her with his head bowed. "Hey, look," his ears twitched. "Wanna feel my hair? It's pretty soft!"

That didn't seem to work.

"Maybe she's a cat person," Namamono offered. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His body began to twist and swirl, morphing into a tiny orange cat. Namaneko yowled and padded his way over to the crying girl, and placed a kitty paw against her invisible leg.

The girl stopped crying, and shrieked. She backed up so fast Izuku almost fell over with her steel grip remaining on his All Might t-shirt.

"CATS!" And she continued screaming.

"H-hey, Shinsou!" Izuku called out to the purple-haired boy who was currently petting a content Namaneko. "Can't you maybe control her and make her stop crying?"

Shinsou nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "My quirk is scary. Instead of helping, it'd probably scare her if I take control of her body. So I don't think that's a good idea."

So that was what he was afraid of.

"Then what else can we do?" Mina grasped her hair in exasperation, her horns knocking back and forth frantically.

Izuku looked around, everyone had a look of uncertainty on their face. The two pro heroes were leaning against the wall a few meters away, watching them silently. Izuku looked back at the quivering floating clothes next to him, and he made his decision.

Gently releasing her tight grip on his shirt, Izuku spread his hands in front of him, palms up. "Look."

The little flowery headband around the invisible girl's head tilted downward an inch, showing she was sparing Izuku a glance.

"Nothing's in my hand." He squeezed both fist, and when he opened his left hand, a piece of lifesaver candy was sitting quietly on his clammy palm.

The sobbing paused.

Whispers of "go Midoriya" reached his ears as he closed his left hand around the candy, and opened his right hand. The same lifesaver candy appeared on his right palm. He then closed both hands.

"How many candies do you think I have?"

"T-two?"

Izuku grinned. He opened both hands to reveal them empty. "Check your pockets."

The invisible girl stuffed both hands into the pockets of her skirt and pulled out a handfull of lifesaver candies. "How…"

"Secret ~" Izuku teased.

And finally, the crying ceased as the girl giggled.

AN:

Aho=idiot

Ogami=大神=which can also be pronounced as Okami, which means wolf

Ages:

Izuku 6

La Brava/Aiba Manami 8

Gentle/Tobita 18

Aizawa 20

Shimura-sensei 27

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