AN: Hello! Two updates in one day? Don't get used to it, lol. My introductory chapter to this story is a little short, so I wanted to add one more chapter before I wait a week to update again. I don't know how many of you guessed the identity of the girl who entered the shop, but it's Uraraka! Hooray, she has a wish!
Little clarifications. Midoriya is the same age as he was in canon, 14 years old. More information about him will be given as I add more chapters, but he lives alone in the shop. He's already graduated from high school via online classes, so he's a fully independent adult. More about why Midoriya lives by himself and the powers of his quirk will be revealed later on. He's supposed to be a mix of mysterious and adorable, so don't be confused if he switches between the two. I wanted him to have a little of that Yuuko mysteriousness. That includes the clothing because I loved that aspect so much in xxxHolic. There's nothing mystic about the kimonos that Midoriya wears. They're just specially crafted kimonos that Midoriya received for a couple of wishes.
Any kimono that Midoriya wears is a kimono that was featured in the manga or anime if you get curious about what the kimonos look like. I loved the designs too much to not include them in a xxxHolic inspired story.
I'm so excited to see how many of you are interested in my story! I can only hope that I'll continue to deliver!
Uraraka Ochako had absolutely no idea why she had walked into the quaint little Japanese shop she saw. Maybe because it stood out? On the busy streets of Musutafu, it was the only shop made of wood, sporting a wooden fence and hand-painted crescent moon symbols on the spires of the roof. It was really cute compared to the modern shops and architecture in the rest of the big city. What really added to its uniqueness was the sign above the entryway that read 'Midoriya's Wish Shop.' That had to be some kinda gimmick because no way did the shop actually sell wishes. 'I like it! Whatever they're selling here, they want it to be a wish come true.' Uraraka wondered what kind of item would be sold at a shop like this. Maybe jewelry, like promise rings and charms? What if it was a café? As long as they had good mochi, she would consider that a wish granted. The bubbly girl had been admiring it from afar, completely lost in thought. That was why she was utterly horrified to realize she was suddenly opening the door to the shop. She didn't even recall walking up to it, let alone deciding to go in! Before she could back out and pretend she never entered, soft tinkling bells announced her arrival. 'May as well go in now that the owner heard me,' Uraraka thought with a sigh of exasperation. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Now that she was looking around, the teen could see that the foyer was clean but bare of personal touch. Actually, it was just bare. There weren't any signs advertising whatever product they were selling, and she didn't see a menu anywhere. Music softly filled the air from some room that she couldn't see. Was this a shop in someone's home?
"Hello! I'll be with you in a moment!"
The bubbly girl perked up in surprise. The voice was flowy, almost melodic, but still young. Maybe her age or younger? Huh… Was this a family-run business? As she was contemplating the voice, a boy walked into the room. His green hair was so dark it almost looked black, and little freckles dotted his cheeks like stars in the sky. Uraraka noticed that he was a little shorter than her, wearing a men's kimono. She couldn't help staring at it for a moment. The black fabric swished lightly as the boy walked, making the trailing golden smoke swirls dance. Golden stars decorated the bottom half with more showing up at the bottom, and a crescent moon hung from his long left sleeve. A beautiful kimono like that was only for special occasions! What ceremony was she interrupting by being here? Uraraka held her hands up nervously in surrender. "I'm so sorry! I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to barge in here like this." She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I saw your cute shop as I was walking by, and before I realized what I was doing, I was already walking inside."
He laughed, and Uraraka blushed as his laughter tinkled like the bells that marked her entrance. "It's no problem, miss." With a bright smile, Midoriya bowed. "My name is Midoriya, and welcome to my Wish Shop."
Wow, his smile was so bright it shined like the sun! Wait… "Wish shop?" Uraraka blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry. I'm finding this a little hard to believe. What do you mean by Wish Shop? That's just a playful joke, right?" The boy smiled serenely at her, and the girl just wanted to hug him. He was adorable!
"I understand that it is hard to believe, but this really is a Wish Shop. If you follow me, we can discuss your wish." Midoriya silently walked back to the room he came from, and Uraraka followed hesitantly.
She still didn't believe him, and now she was starting to worry that she had gotten tied up in some kind of crime scheme. Uraraka had seen enough movies to know that this was too good to be true. Who promises to grant wishes like that unless there's some kind of crime involved? 'Maybe I shouldn't have just waltzed into a random store on the street. Midoriya doesn't look like that kind of person, but still!' She kept her guard up as she watched the boy slide open the door and step aside to let her in. It was a large living room with many windows, a bookshelf filled with books, a couple of armchairs between a table, and a couch off to the side. Her eyes widened. "Is that mochi?" She sat down on the plush brown armchair. It was really soft! "Your home is so nice, Midoriya!"
Midoriya grinned as he gestured to the empty cup of tea beside the teapot and the clean plate. "Please, help yourself!" The teen sat down in his chair and watched as Uraraka happily placed one of each mochi on her plate. "Now, tell me about your wish."
The bubbly girl took a sip of her tea and sighed. "This is really good! Honestly, I'm tempted to say my wish has already been granted!" She munched happily on a strawberry mochi. "You're really good at baking. I think this is the best mochi I've ever had." Uraraka finished off her treat before looking over at the shopkeeper in confusion. "I'm not sure how you're going to grant my wish, though. I'm not even sure if I have a wish. It's more like a bunch of 'wants.'"
The shopkeeper took a drink of his tea. "I assure you, Miss Uraraka, that you do have a wish. Only people with wishes can see my shop."
'Well, that wasn't ominous in any way,' Uraraka thought sarcastically. "Wait… How'd you know my name? I never introduced myself?" The hero hopeful narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.
The mysterious boy only hummed as he grabbed a mochi for himself. "Let me ask you a question. In this age of quirks, do you believe in hitsuzen?"
"Hitsuzen?" Uraraka blinked curiously. "Destiny?"
Midoriya nodded. "Yes. You found my shop because you were destined to find my shop. That's why I know your name as well. And why I prepared fresh mochi before you arrived." The girl blinked as she processed Midoriya's words. "Nothing is a coincidence, Miss Aspiring Hero. This is ultimately the power of my quirk. I can see who has a wish, when they will come, and what their wish will be. I can then grant that wish as long as it has been paid for."
Uraraka tilted her head. "Paid for?"
"Yes." Midoriya swept his hand out, gesturing to the blooming oak tree outside the window. "There is a balance to all things: Spring and Fall, life and death. One can't pay too little, and also, one can't pay too much." He turned back to his customer, green eyes shimmering with power. "You must pay an exact price for the wish you would like me to grant. It could be money, something of sentimental value, a skill, or even your time. Until you tell me your wish, I won't be able to give you the price."
His claim sounded too good to be true, but there were so many weird quirks out there. A wishing quirk didn't sound that far-fetched. The girl decided to take a chance. Throughout his speech, she had not felt like he was lying to her. He felt trustworthy. "Okay, then. There's my wish to be a hero, but that is something that I need to earn myself." She hummed to herself in thought. What else would count as a wish? "Well… I guess that I wish my parents were more well off." Uraraka set her plate down on her lap. "They run a construction company, but lately, their business hasn't been doing well. We've been getting fewer customers, and that's been making things pretty tight, money-wise." She laughed nervously. "It's part of the reason why I want to be a hero. Heroes make a lot of money, and I'd be able to help my parents out. I want them to be happy and comfortable. I'm was actually out here in Musutafu because I'm trying to find a cheap apartment close to UA. If I can find one and pass the entrance exams, then I'll be that much closer to becoming a hero and helping my parents!" The bubbly teen grinned happily at him.
Midoriya smiled softly at her, setting his plate back down on the table. "That is your wish? Very well, then." He stood and beckoned her to follow him. She raised a brow but set her plate down and stood as well. The young man walked out of the room and started down the hall. "For your first wish, there is something that I can do to help without using my quirk." They arrived at his private living room, where Midoriya pulled open the shoji doors. Uraraka gasped in amazement at the beauty of his backyard. "As you can see, I have put a lot of effort into my backyard, but the porch is nothing more than a walkway and some stairs. I would like to hire your parents to expand my porch. In addition, I would also like to add a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms to my home."
Before the young girl could say anymore, Midoriya turned and gestured to his home. "I sense that you have the true potential to become an amazing hero. Honestly, I can grant your other wish as well." She looked at him curiously. "If you get into UA, I will let you stay here while you attend UA in return for you running some errands for me." He held his hand up to stop Uraraka from protesting right away. "Nothing that would be extreme. Just some grocery runs, or I may have you deliver a message. That's all! You still need to study for your classes after all."
The bubbly girl was speechless. She didn't expect Midoriya to be so kind! Uraraka grinned widely as she pulled the smaller boy into a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Midoriya! You don't know how grateful I am! I'm gonna study really hard, and I promise you that I'll get into UA!" Midoriya couldn't help but laugh and hug her back. He knew she would get into the school, and it would be nice to have some company. It got really lonely as the only resident in the shop. Uraraka broke off the hug and looked around. "I've gotta get going, or else I'm going to miss my train back. Do you have any paper and a pen? I'll write down my parent's business number for you."
The shopkeeper nodded and grabbed the small notepad and pen from the buffet table in the room. "You can write it down here. Before you go, let me pack some mochi for you to take with you."
Uraraka shook her head, politely trying to turn him down. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to! I'm sure it'd be nice to share with other customers as well!"
The teen just laughed as he walked into his kitchen and packed a few of each flavor into a bag. He walked back out with the mochi and gently placed it in front of her. "I insist. I made these for you!"
"Thank you so much, Midoriya! It was really nice meeting you." Uraraka gave him one last hug before scooping up the bag of mochi. "I hope I'll see you again soon!" Uraraka walked out of the shop and towards the train station with a new pep in her step. She hadn't expected to make a new friend or find a new customer for her parents. The bubbly girl grinned the whole way home, excited to tell her parents about her day.
Midoriya sighed when Uraraka left the shop. He began cleaning up the utensils from his baking while thinking about the girl he had met. In a couple of months, she would be attending the entrance exams at UA. She would get in, but not without a moment of trouble. 'There is no such thing as coincidence.' Midoriya thought to himself as he finished the last of his tidying up. It was fate that brought the cheerful girl to his shop, and it was fate that she would soon become his assistant. Uraraka was the center of many important events that would come to pass.