Hello! Much to my surprise, I was able to tear through all of my school work pretty quickly, freeing me up to write this chapter! Hope you enjoy!
"Hey!" Miruko called out in the small apartment, raising her small cup of tea to him. She was dressed in a relatively simple outfit, a white t-shirt, shin-length jeans, and boots. It seemed like she dressed more for practicality than to impress.
"M-Miruko?" Izuku asked, surprised by the presence of the teenager, "What are you doing here?"
"Or rather… how'd you find out where I lived?"
"What? Am I not allowed to thank my savior?!" She asked with a massive smirk as she lightly punched him on the shoulder.
Well, maybe lightly was the wrong word for it. It looked light, but the "attack" was enough to stumble the unprepared Izuku a tiny bit. "Is she bad at holding back? No, she would've broken a normal person's arm with strength like that, she's testing me… isn't she?" That thought ran through his head as an unexpected event occurred.
Beru leapt from Izuku's Shadow, grabbing at the Hero's wrist with more than enough force to break it. Izuku's eyes widened, "He must've thought she meant to harm me in some way."
Izuku's gauntlets wrapped around his hands and he stopped Beru's fingers moments before they were about to crush Miruko's wrist. Then he grabbed the bug by the head and dragged him back away from Miruko, "You ever try to hurt someone I know ever again, and I will cancel your Extraction… I don't care how strong you are." The threat was quiet, but it held considerable weight for Beru.
Within the blink of an eye, Beru was kowtowing on the floor, his head pressed up against the hardwood. "Forgive me my Liege! It will never happen again!"
Izuku sighed heavily and called the bug back to his Shadow, storing away his gauntlets at the same time, "Sorry about him… he's… hasty…"
But Miruko only smiled in response, while his mother and sister seemed surprisingly relaxed.
"W-Why aren't you guys freaking out?"
Inko smiled warmly, "Honey, your father was an S-Rank before… well… Anyways, I saw plenty of exchanges like that when I went to his Agency, back when we were younger."
"I just think he's cool," Sakura responded.
"And I'll never turn down a good fight!" Miruko looked at Mrs. Midoriya sheepishly for a second, "Ah… but, I'd also hate to ruin your home."
Inko chuckled as she began dragging away Sakura, "Well, we'll let you two have your chat."
"What? No!" Sakura cried out, "We just started talking with her… it's Miruko for crying out loud!" But Izuku's mom was having none of that, and easily dragged away her daughter.
Izuku did feel a slight pang of guilt for his younger sister. After all, S-Ranks, especially the Top Ten, held more fame than any other celebrity. Getting pulled away from the Miruko, who had entered your house for a chat, well, it was simply unimaginable.
As soon as the two were out of the way, Miruko set down her cup and got within a few centimeters of Izuku, mirroring the first time they had met at the UA Sports Festival, or rather during its incident. Her nose twitched imperceptibly as she got uncomfortably close.
Silence enveloped the two of them for a few moments before Izuku asked, "Why are you really here? Something tells me you wouldn't track down my family home just to thank me."
Miruko's serious gaze disappeared, replaced by her trademark smirk, "I want two things!"
"Quite demanding towards her savior," Izuku thought with amusement in his eyes.
"Number one I wanna go on a date with you!"
The first declaration was made with such seriousness that Izuku couldn't help but bark out a laugh, it didn't dissuade her in the slightest.
"Second, I wanna fight your strongest Summon!"
"Hmm, now that's an interesting request!" He thought to himself, prepared to respond as Miruko opened her mouth a third time.
"Finally-"
"Hold on, didn't you say tw-"
"I want to start an Agency with you!"
Once again, Izuku felt like belting out a laugh, but he restrained it, only because this conversation now served to go his way.
"Well, I can't say I'm against your last two requests, but I am already seeing someone."
Miruko shook her head, "What, is she the jealous type?"
"Um… I don't think so, but when a guy in a relationship goes out on a date with another girl, the-"
"Then if she's not the jealous type, I see no problem in sharing you. I'm not necessarily opposed to it."
"Sharing me? What's up with this girl?"
"You don't even know me and yet you're already willing to share me with another girl?"
Miruko gave him a teasing glare, "Hey, if there's one thing that turns me on, it's strength, and you're just about the strongest person I've met that doesn't stink like a rabbit's turds."
"I'm beginning to regret the entirety of this conversation."
Izuku shook his head, "Sorry, but I'm not about to risk something good I've got going just cause you've got compatibility issues."
"Alright… then how about this. I fight your strongest Summon. If I win, I get a date. If you win, you get to form an Agency with me."
"Hold on. Wasn't that one of your requests? Why do I have to suddenly fight for it?"
Miruko's lips curled up into something close to evil, "These bunny ears aren't just for looks you know. I know that you want an Agency with your girlfriend, so I might as well turn it into a leveraging tool if I can't get my first request."
"Well then regardless of what happens, it sounds like you win."
Miruko shrugged, "You've also got a chance to earn something you want, don't you? It just so happens to be something I also want."
"...I suppose it's not like I have anything to lose in this situation. Even if she manages to win, then what's the harm with one date? Doesn't mean it'll become some sort of regular thing." Izuku smiled, "Deal… but uh… where are we gonna fight? If we clashed anywhere around here, it would just turn everything to ash."
"The Agency Association has a gym that can withstand most attacks. We can head there."
"Hmm," Izuku murmured to himself as he sent out his perception, searching for the Soldiers he had stored within a few particular Heroes. "Ah!" He exclaimed as he found just the dragon lady he was looking for and she was right where he wanted to be.
Miruko gave him a few odd glances, but a cute squeak escaped her lips as Izuku grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close, "Mom, I'll be going out for a bit!"
"Okay! You and Miruko have fun on your date!"
"I… It's not a date!" Before Miruko could wonder any further about why Izuku had pulled her close, he spoke one word. "Exchange."
[Skill: Shadow Exchange has activated.]
Inky black Shadows crept up Miruko's and Izuku's legs as their world went dark and they appeared just behind Ryukyu, storing away some practice weapons that had been used by some of her trainees.
As appropriate of her S-Rank status, she quickly felt the presence of someone behind her, someone with immense power that hadn't been standing there moments earlier. She spun around rapidly, one hand outstretched to attack the presence with her growing claws.
Izuku caught her wrist like he was lightly snatching a leaf out of the wind as he wore an embarrassed smile. "Sorry to startle you… we were just here to use the gym."
Ryukyu's eyes widened as she realized who she had just attacked. "When did you…" Her lips curled upwards into a small smile, "Actually, nevermind… I should know by now that you don't follow any sort of normal… logic?" She trailed off as she saw Miruko was blushing bright red pressed up against Izuku's chest. "Like I said… not logical."
Miruko pushed herself away from Izuku as he asked, "Do you think the Association President would be fine with us borrowing the gym for a while, even though we're not part of any Agencies?"
Ryukyu chuckled at his request for permission, "His power makes me forget he's still young." As she walked past the two, resting a hand on Izuku's shoulder, "You're Japan and Korea's golden boy now, you can basically do whatever you want."
"Korea's?"
"Wait… did you seriously not know?"
Izuku tilted his head curiously.
"Jeju island was one of the biggest disasters in Korea's history and without you, it could've been considered one of the worst Raids in history, with Kamish being the only possible exception. In one fell swoop, Korea would've lost all of their S-Rank Heroes and it's likely those Nomu would've continued on to devastate the rest of their country." Ryukyu shook her head, "By that point, it didn't matter that you were a foreigner to them, it just mattered that you won. And now that you have, you've got more pull in Korea and Japan than most countries do."
It was a dizzying revelation to Izuku. He knew that he had become a celebrity of sorts, and that people were talking about him, but this… it sounded like he had gotten far more than he had wished for. For just a moment, a brief moment, he considered what he could do with this. He could start a bidding war between nations and become so rich he'd never have to work another day in his life. If the Americans, Russians, or Canadians became interested in him, he might have even been able to leverage his power enough to get ahold of some of their most powerful magical artifacts.
But of course, this sudden rush of greed wore off pretty quickly. Izuku could make all the money he needed off of Gates, the store and the Gates provided him with all the magical equipment he wanted, and he didn't like the idea of a country essentially owning him. Although Izuku once heard of Special Authority-Rank Heroes in America, or National-Rank as most people called them. People like Thomas Andre or Christopher Reed who were so powerful that they were considered as entire nations on their own and completely free of the influence of any government in the world.
"What an existence," Izuku thought to himself as he thanked Ryukyu for her information and for her understanding with their sudden intrusion.
"The pleasure's all mine. A final warning though. With your power, you're going to be approached soon about joining the Top Ten. Sometimes the process is painless, but since we're filling so many spots right now, there's bound to be fierce competition between veterans. Some of those vets aren't going to like a teenager like yourself stepping in."
"It's true," Miruko said, the blush on her face having faded substantially, "I wasn't even that close to his spot, but Endeavor and a few other people who hadn't made it onto the Top Ten that year tried to harass me about it."
"So… what'd you do?"
"I kicked everyone except Endeavor into the side of a building," She answered like it was the most nonchalant thing in the world.
"Huh…"
Ryukyu made her farewells after that, having some Agency business to attend to.
Izuku and Miruko stepped up to the sparring space. Basically, a giant rectangular platform made of magically reinforced materials. "So… how do you wanna do this?"
"Like I said, you bring out your strongest Summon and I fight it."
Izuku smiled, "Are you trying to lose? After witnessing him while he was alive, you don't think you can handle Beru now that he's stronger do you?"
"Beru? Is that what you named that Nomu bastard?" Miruko showed no anxiety however, and before Izuku could say anything, she went to take off her shirt. Thanks to his powerful reflexes, he looked away before he saw anything.
"What are-"
"I'm wearing a sports bra, doofus. It's much easier to fight like this." She then removed her boots and then her jeans. Thankfully, she had spandex shorts on under that as well. It seemed that she wore this sort of getup at all times, just so that if she was off-duty, she could strip down to the bare necessities and fight.
As she began bouncing on the balls of her feet, Izuku realized something that he hadn't noticed during the Jeju Island Raid, "That's right! I meant to ask you. Do you just not use a weapon?"
"Nope. My legs are my biggest asset, so I like to only focus on them."
Izuku nodded, "If she was a swordsman I'd probably lead with Igris, at the very least as a warm-up, but since it's a hand to… feet… brawl, Beru is definitely the right choice. I just hope she's not frightened by him." He raised his hand to about chest level, as if he was lifting something up, "Come forth."
Beru emerged from his Liege's Shadow, still with his head on the ground after feeling remorseful about the earlier incident with Miruko, "Forgive me my Liege, I did not intend to harm the weakling."
Izuku raised an eyebrow, "Mind your manners, that "weakling" is standing right behind you."
"That is correct my Liege."
"Oh so he knew she was there… he just didn't care."
Miruko sneered at the ant, "Come on! Stop groveling and fight me!"
"My Liege?" Beru asked, looking up at Izuku, as if asking for permission.
Izuku tilted his head forwards in acknowledgment, "Fight to win, but don't do anything that'll cause permanent damage."
Miruko felt a slight chill permeate her body as Izuku gave Beru that sincere order. And at that moment, a faint memory from when she had first woken up on the helicopter from Jeju Island. Her Korean wasn't perfect, so she hadn't caught the full meaning of the conversation then, but now part of her mind was piecing it together as Beru rose to his full height and looked down on her.
As Baek trembled in his seat, adrenaline and fear beginning to leave his body, "That power… was I hallucinating?"
Choi shook his head, cleaning his glasses with a disturbing amount of focus, "No… I saw it as clear as you did…"
"Just who is he," Ma Dong-Wook began, "To control the force of life and death?"
"KIIIEEEK!"
Miruko snapped back to reality just in time to see Beru's arm heading for her side. It was the same place he had struck her back on Jeju. This time though, Miruko knew its strength and speed. Leaning back far enough that her back was perfectly parallel with the ground, she braced one palm on the concrete-like surface, lifting her right leg off the ground as Beru's hand swept over her torso. She kicked at the opposite side of the spot he was aiming for on her. But her leg only grazed open air. "That speed… that's not right." Her face was now starting to show a bit of concern, not for her life of course, but for her pride. Miruko the Hero was supposed to be undaunted by everything, right? So why was an ant suddenly filling her with such an instinctual response?
Growling, she lifted her other leg off the ground mere milliseconds after her first kick, now supporting her body with only one arm. To any normal observer, it might look like she was trying to perform a handstand of sorts, but to Izuku, it looked like a death blow.
Using the momentum from her first kick, Miruko's leg, now supercharged with Mana, headed straight for the ground, "LUNA FALL!"
The platform exploded, a shockwave effect rapidly approaching the somewhat stunned Beru, not expecting to be confronted with such a technique after the human had shown no such signs of strength on the island.
The shock wave was enough to off-balance both Izuku and Beru for just a moment. It was such a brief moment that only twenty-two other people on earth could've taken advantage of it before Beru's wings snapped open. Miruko was one of those people.
"LUNA ARC!"
It was a kick so powerful that she rarely got to use it during normal Raids, for fear that she hurt the other Raid members with its backlash. Unfortunately, to Beru, it was barely more than a passing breeze.
"Forgive me, weakling. I wasn't taking you seriously at first… kiek kiek kiek… it seems I gave you too much of an opening." Beru's arm was held up leisurely, Miruko's leg desperately attempting to break through it.
Beru's free arm shot forwards, his fingers, and their retracted claws, wrapping around Miruko's torso and slamming her into the ground, just hard enough to not knock the wind from her lungs.
Undaunted, Miruko's legs whipped up with an impressive amount of flexibility, wrapping around Beru's next as she pulled to the side with all her might, attempting to slam him into the ground beside her, but he didn't budge. It was like she was trying to move a marble pillar with her legs… no, it would actually be easier to move a real marble pillar with just her legs, this was like trying to move a mountain.
"Then… if I have to move a mountain… so be it!"
Izuku's gaze went wide, "She's not seriously thinking she can still win, right?"
Perhaps it was a leftover instinct from his time as a Nomu, but Beru knew in that moment, that this woman was his enemy and that he had to kill her to protect his Liege.
With one arm holding her down, two of his other arms reached up, prying her legs off his neck like it was barely an inconvenience. She only made things worse by continuing to pour Mana into her legs to strengthen them. Raising his fourth arm, razor sharp claws emerged from his fingertips. "KIIIEEEEK!"
"That's enough," Izuku said calmly, grabbing Beru's fourth arm by the wrist, "I think we both know who lost that."
Beru realized what he was doing and relaxed his grip on everything he was holding to, allowing Miruko to weakly fall to the ground, panting heavily, sweat running down her forehead. "Please forgive me, my Liege!"
Izuku shrugged it off and recalled Beru into his Shadow, after all, this likely wouldn't have happened if Miruko hadn't pushed herself so far. "I still don't get it. Even if you somehow thought I was the love of your life from the moment you met me, it doesn't make sense to go this far for it."
"Because…" She spat out, "You… saved me."
Izuku shook his head, "It's what anyone would've done in my position. If you really feel like you owe me then just say thanks. You don't need to devote your life to me for something like this."
"No… you don't get… it." Miruko shifted her brilliant red irises from the ceiling to Izuku, "I'm a… solo Hero. I don't have any Agency… or team. I just run around the… country… helping in any Raid I can. I've always been the one to save others. I never had the liberty… of having someone save me." Miruko pushed herself into a sitting position, "I know that… well, it's shallow, but that part of me just can't help it… being attracted to that strength. It… it makes me feel like I'm safe. And even though that's the only part of you that I know right now… I want to know more. I want to get to know you, so I can…" Miruko looked down, her face turning bright red, "So I can know the deeper reasons why I feel like I love you."
"Ah jeez," Izuku brushed a hand through his hair, a warm smile on his face as he gazed right back into Miruko's embarrassed eyes, "You're a handful, you know that?" He offered her a hand up, "But I don't dislike you either." Miruko's heart skipped a beat, "So… if you truly feel this way," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly for a moment, "And uh… if Yaoyorozu's okay with it… then I think I'd like to get to know you more as well."
Miruko's smile returned in full force. But this time, it was not teasing, or arrogant, it was one full of joy. She took his hand, "Then I guess we should get started on that Agency of ours."
Thanks for reading! I hope this chapter did its best to soothe some of the fears some of you had about Miruko joining the relationship! This chapter had a bit of action to it, but next chapter, we're really getting back into it, so be ready for the next update!
