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AllMight's#1Fan: Seems like quirk usage, if you think about it. And what kind of camera does your phone have? It's unreal.

AbsentMic: I use some additional telephoto lenses, thanks. I didn't think it was anything special but, I showed it to someone, and they were very intrigued by it.

While I hadn't gotten the permission to show this clip to anyone, regarding U.A.'s entrance door going up, I also hadn't been told not to do it by Haruka-neesan.

I wanted to be more useful.

AllMight's#1Fan: True, but teleportation, phasing, even time altering quirks could be a part of it if we go into it. And that also depends on the activation. I doubt it would have come from the media, given how there would be an uproar or at least a report if one of theirs got arrested.

AbsentMic: I scanned the deep web as well, there's not much teleporters, warpers, or phasers for hire as well. The entry gates also have to be triggered by the physical presence of U.A. IDs, as a measure against technological quirks. I even tried throwing my card at the gate from various distances. Fun fact bro, if you accidentally drop your card and its not in your hand, you don't get identified and the gate won't open.

AllMight's#1Fan: You've been hard at work AbsentMic. Speaking of which, have you seen Present Mic?

AbsentMic: Yeah I saw him on the internet (LOL).

AllMight's#1Fan: DUDE WHY ( )

AbsentMic: You're gonna have to do better than that do get at my identity.

AllMight's#1Fan: Let's get katsudon if I i figure it out then

AbsentMic: Sure, my treat.

AbsentMic: Now, back to the combination of quirks responsible for the door disintegrating.

We discussed our theories a bit more, going for a little over three hours before deciding that it could be a two person job. One person could cloak and somehow phase through the reporter crowd, another could person could cause the door to vanish. The most 'out there' theory I came up with was someone just banishing the door to a different dimension or time.

It was again too early in the morning when I walked out the front door, ready to go to school. Haruka-neesan was outside as well, a slate trench coat over her tracksuit to ward off the chilly dawn.

"Nice weather?" I said, noticing her gazing at the sky.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

Oi oi, something felt off. Her tone was measurably distracted. And she had not patted my head as I was moving towards the gate. With a quick breath, I turned on my step and turned around.

Haruka-neesan faced me in the front, her face tired, short hair askew. Her hands were behind her back.

"Okay, fess up. What are you hiding?"

She held out her hands, empty. "See? Nothing young man." She leaned on her hip. "Now go to school."

I nearly stomped over to her, ignoring her wide, blinking eyes. Oh, she was very masterful, I'll give her that. But I knew a thing or two about sleight of hand as well. Whatever she had been holding was let go, and she had trapped that underneath her foot in one smooth motion.

"H-hey, I'm totally socially drained and don't anyone within six feet of me."

"Of course you don't," I growled, and her eyes shot to her foot. She smelled like cocoa as I got close to her. I leaned forward to sniff and she sighed in resignation.

"Oh dear God…" she groaned, and I stiffened at the realization.

"You smoke?!" Did she not know what a hazard it was, and the carcinogens, the lung problems, the reduced life-expectancy, risk to those besides, and how she was increasing the chances of her untimely death. "You, you, you-!" I reached and out grasped empty air, forearms shaking.

"Oh." She leaned forward, her hand on my head. It smelled like tobacco and dark chocolate. "I'm sorry."

"I mean…" she was an adult. She could make her own decisions and risk calculations. I was just getting worked up for no reason and just butting into her personal preferences. "You're always working when I get back, the prepared bentos you bring are from your office cafeteria, meaning you don't even have time to visit a shop, and you watch the news in cycles, you're scrolling through reports even during dinner, and I haven't actually seen you asleep since three days, you probably just wanted to destress. It's fine!" I raised my hands in placation. "I just overreacted."

Guilt at trying to control her behavior for myself pried my lips loose, my observations streaming past my lips, words dribbling one after another like drops down a leaky faucet.

Haruka-neesan ruffled my hair vigorously with her tough, callused fingers. "Don't mind, don't mind! I know its not good for me. Now off to school, young man!"

"Right…" I turned. "I'm heading out."

"Stay safe, I'll see you later, 'kay?" I stepped outside the gate, and could feel her gaze on me until the I turned at the corner of the street.

Midoriya Izuku was stoked about U.A. The nation's, perhaps Asia's premier Hero Academy, with Pro Heroes as his teachers, and classmates with such cool quirks!

And to top it all off, the mystery of AbsentMic, someone just as nerdy as him about quirks. Izuku wondered what kind of quirk his online friend would have the day they met up, or if he didn't have one in the first place. Sure, some people just didn't like to talk about their quirks, because not all of them were useful, some were so hindering that people wished to be quirkless… well, he wasn't in a place to complain right now.

One for All.

'Truth be told, AbsentMic just has a scary grasp on how certain things can come about, while my thought processes focus more on what can possibly be after I get the information.' Izuku adjusted his bag, carrying dumbbells inside to increase his endurance, lost in thought. 'I'm a quirk otaku, or nerd. His knowledge of biology is on another level.'

A power that seemed to run on an evolutionary principle that many thought was just mere nonsense; a power that fittingly battled to make a dog-eat-dog, Darwinian world equal.

"Deku-kun!"

"Uraraka-san!" He was proud of not stammering when referring a female classmate by her name.

"Good morning." She smiled at him, and Izuku's internal organs did a funny thing where they decided to fluctuate. His stomach began to ping like the retro All Might Pinball 98 he used to play at the arcades, and he could feel tiny Delaware Smashes bouncing around in his digestive tract. "Are you excited for today, Deku-kun? I hope we get to do something normal again!"

For a Hero Course, active combat exercises were normal.

For Deku and Kacchan, not being able to hold a dialogue despite wrecking each other was also normal.

"You wanted to see me?" Toshinori-sensei poured a cup of a green tea to me, dressed in a blue suit and white shirt that hung off his lanky frame.

When I was stopped in the hallway by Aizawa Shouta, 1-A's homeroom teacher and told that I could have a meeting today, I all but ran to the designated room.

"Yes! I wanted to thank you for your words on the day on the entrance ceremony." I traced the cup, made of a much sturdier clay than it appeared to be. Unable to stifle my curiosity, I tapped the base of it. "Um…"

"My words are mere words, what you are able to do is your potential. I did nothing, except be a slightly nosy old man."

"You're not old." I immediately rejected the notion. "You just look like you've had a gastrectomy though… or is that side effect of your quirk?" It wasn't normal to appear so emaciated.

Toshinori-sensei blinked, and I decided to change the topic fast. "S-speaking of quirks, these cups are custom made right? They're sturdier than they seem, I imagine if a Pro Hero gets frustrated, normal cups would be quite easier to break."

This time the blond suited man laughed. "You're right about that. I've seen a fair share of broken cups, until I got these! One time-" he coughed.

"Toshinori-sensei!" I yelped, seeing blood trailing down his face. I grabbed my handkerchief by reflex and held it over, but the man held up a hand and got out his own, wiping his chin in a practiced manner and preventing a speck of blood from getting anywhere else.

"Sorry you had to see that, but it's as you say. I had to have my stomach removed." He looked at me, eyes piercing and grave. "But first I must ask, how did you know that?"

"Well…" I crossed my legs and leaned back. Toshinori-sensei blinked again. "The first clue is your hands and skin. Despite appearing so malnourished, your hands are calloused, and your skin doesn't droop. You definitely had some solid muscles in the past, and your height is impressive as well. Your body was definitely a strong point for you, and for that you need a very good diet. There's no tilt to your pelvis, and though you slouch, your shoulders don't really droop. Good diet and exercise regime. To go from probably a bodybuilder type of physique to this," I gesticulated to him with my knuckles, miming a knock, fully rambling now. "Either you slipped into a coma for a long time, and lost all your muscles, which should still leave you with some definition and sagging, and then developed an eating disorder. But that's too complex, and unrealistic. What else would leave someone such a hollow shell of themselves, but keep them awake and active to an extent? The answer is the removal of a stomach. It's still just a conjecture though, because I tend to think far ahead without factoring in that human beings have quirks in this age."

The teacher's jaw was slightly loose, and an emotion in his eyes that I couldn't described other than that it was intense. I fiddled with my cup of tea, taking a brief sip. Another clue was that he was offering green tea to a youngster, where I noticed that other staff member usually had something like orange juice or soda to offer, but his choice was just the healthiest, and also something he could enjoy alongside his guests.

"You, you're in the general education department right? You'd made a fine addition to the police force." He said at last.

"Well," I was leaning towards the idea, most probably due to the influence of a police officer basically living with me now. "I am considering it, but to get far ahead, I will probably need a quirk."

"True. I will not mince words, you will have to jump higher hurdles than someone with a quirk to be considered for passing, promotions, and other things. But I know of people within the force, who could really use someone like you in the future." He smiled, and I could feel the hope in it. "You use your mind well. Some might think it would be unfair to have gotten a quirk on top of that!" He made to laugh, but hacked up more blood.

"Oi oi, don't die on me Toshinori-sensei!"

"Ha ha ha. Sorry about that. So," we locked eyes once more, electrifying blue gazing into my soul. "Would you like me to train you?"

Something inside my highly praised mind sputtered and crashed. "Y-you would do that for me?!"

"Why not? I clearly have too much time on my hands while I am like this!" Toshinori-sensei pressed his hand against his chest. "As a teacher of U.A., I can't help but push you forwards!"

And so I walked out with a completely revamped meal plan, exercise regimen, and an invite to the U.A. forest tomorrow. I reached home in a daze, everything feeling surreal. Haruka-neesan wasn't present, but I received a text the moment I stepped inside.

You should be home by now. I'll be back in an hour, want something from the cafe?

Scary woman. My deductive prowess was nothing compared to an actual detective. Browsing my new meal plan, I replied with my request.

New diet? Best of luck young man!

She's a mindreader, I swear! One of these days I'll just ask her what her quirk is.

"I was surprised a student knew you by name, All Might." Aizawa stopped typing away to pour in some eye drops.

"I am beholden to the Hero Class foremost, and it was not my intention to be known as such." The number one paused his awkward typing, index fingers hovering half-bent over his keyboard. "He knows nothing of All Might, who can only teach for three hours at most anyway."

Aizawa hmphed, before returning to his work. "So long as you're giving it at your all when teaching my brats, I don't care how you spend your time elsewhere."

He could feel the blond's saccharine expression behind his back. "That goes without saying."

Well, his personal reservations aside, the man is All Might. He doesn't lack intelligence, just tact.

"I thought that kid seemed familiar, so I found something out for you. Check your email." Aizawa said.

Toshinori Yagi thought that the boy (he'd forgotten to get his name again!) was someone with a heart full of potential, and a spirit that had yet to manifest. But as he went over a deeper, uncensored account of Endeavor's incident involving an apartment fire a few days before U.A.'s entrance examination, he couldn't contain his grin.

Aizawa-kun, you're such a softie.

All Might was a Symbol of Peace, forged to be a blazing sun in the darkness. His Era would not last long, and Young Midoriya's turn would arrive. And now he had crossed path with another soul that was brimming with self-sacrifice, and an inability to sit still when there were people in need.

The future… is almost here!

I foresee great suffering in my future. This is training is hell.

"I know you're probably thinking this hell." Toshinori-sensei calmly stated as I struggled to run with three heavy duty tractor tires with a rope tied to my core. "But this is your last lap!"

Within the forest of the U.A. is a small, grassless field, an area of two hundred and fifty square meters. One lap around it is equivalent to one kilometer. My warmup consisted of five lips, and I was spent from it alone.

"Starting full throttle from the first day, you're a hard taskmaster!" I grunted, my blue gym uniform drenched in sweat.

"Ha ha ha!" I could hear the snap of a camera as I lugged about ninety kilograms of weight. "Speaking of which, what's your name before I forget to ask you again?"

I grunted, as I rounded the corner with speed, grabbing the rope with both arms. I myself weighed around 55 kilograms; the ongoing momentum from the tyres was enough to drag me sideways if I didn't use additional force from above. With each step, I panted, my mind a haze. "You. can. Keep. calling. Me. shounen."

My lung burned, agony pluming through my windpipe like smoke, coating everything in my respiratory system. I felt stitches in both my sides. I panted on my knees, sweat poring through everything. "I feel like I'm spent."

"That's the whole point. When you feel the burn in everything is when you remake yourself!" Toshinori-sensei's cadence changed to more… hero-like tone I suppose. It was vaguely reminiscent of the way All Might spoke. Now that he was a teacher at U.A., perhaps he was rubbing off on Toshinori-sensei?

"Right," I panted. "Are you sure this a head start to get into the police or something? I've seen less intensive hero workouts."

"This and that is a separate matter entirely." Toshinori-sensei walked over to me and held out his cellphone, showcasing a news article several months back. "In my experience, this kind of spirit is not easily overcome, and even if it is, is at the damage to one's own self."

"…you're a very connected man aren't you?" There was nothing that could identify me in that article, but heroes a teacher at U.A. could contact directly. "I won't make an excuse, climbing an apartment on fire wasn't my brightest idea."

"Yes, not very cool."

Did he just make a pun?

"Can't control the flames of youth, can I?" I cracked one back.

Toshinori-sensei didn't laugh. "It's a matter of life and death, shounen."

"You're actually calling me that. I'm Akise." I dusted myself off. Aki for Fall or Autumn, Se for torrent. Father had… passed away in autumn. Going by records, so had my mother. Was my name a harbinger of something other than a quirk? I couldn't help but be curious.

"Right. I looked over the plan you were already following, and it seems you've decently developed your endurance for the whole body. You don't use weights much, and I know you're agile enough to climb a roof. So today's lesson is!" Toshinori-sensei pulled out a plastic pistol, it nozzle a bright red color. "Escaping under pressure! These rubber bullets aren't lethal, but they sure do hurt! Hahaha!"

I paled. "Wait… I thought we were going to do some exercises, maybe some fighting practice, or perhaps develop my mental skills-"

"Ain't no time for that!" He moved to the centre of the clearing. "Before you arrived, I arranged from ten targets like this to be placed among the trees." He held out a shiny metallic cube. "Your task is to retrieve as many as you can in ten minutes, and not get hit."

"How many bullets does that thing have?"

Toshinori-sensei's gaunt smile sent a chill down my spine. Holy shit, I didn't want a be a villain on the receiving end of that. "You shall find out. By the way, I spent some time in America, so I would say I'm quite good with a gun."

In the end, it was a mad dash of climbing, scraping, dodging, and collecting the shiny steel cubes that glinted enough to provide hints.

By the way, a single clip holds 23 rubber bullets. Yes, I counted.

What the hell kind of teaching is this?!

All Might now had two students. There was no doubt about that.

He had looked into those eyes, desperate for hope, and extended his hand without thinking.

Toshinori had no regrets. None.

For all their differences, the kind of befuddled, shocked expressions they made were all too similar. Akise-shounen's training was inherently different due to the very little amount of time he could offer him for now, demanding that the both of them be on campus.

Fortunately, he had a much stronger constitution that Midoriya-shounen began with, and there wasn't the issue of having to contend with teaching how to use One For All.

"Ouch! I get that there's a point to this, but it just seems too sadistic. Do students in the hero course also get subjected to such unique teaching practices?" The boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve, cleaning the stinging sweat. "I'll be honest, I misjudged you. This wasn't the approach I think you would take. Was one of your own teachers like this or what?"

Toshinori startled a bit. He was trying to channel Gran Torino a bit. As expected, his young charge was unusually sharp. He exhaled, deciding that honest would be the best policy. "Well, I haven't had much time to get into formally training myself to be a teacher, even though I finished my required degrees this year."

Akise's brow knitted together into a frown. "Toshinori-sensei, this might be presumptuous of me to say, but good heroes, scientists, researchers, professionals of a field are skilled individuals, but they might not know how to transfer their skills to someone else as easily. I honestly could have done a bit better had I not been climbing trees for the first time."

All Might slapped his forehead. Shit! "I assumed you were a good improviser with how you scaled that building."

"Well yeah, but that's because I have practice escaping in urban environments." Akise sighed. "Buildings and trees are well, the different between flying and floating."

Toshinori stamped the down the memories that came to him unbidden. He focused instead on Young Akise, who was turning out to be very different from Midoriya in disposition. He had none of the hero worship, yet the steady respect one expected of a receptive pupil.

"Perhaps we should recalibrate." I shall ask around how to approach with your training from more experience, Akise-shounen.

"Sounds good to me. I'm not giving up on you as a teacher, so you'd better not give up on me as a student!" He cracked a wry grin. "You can learn from your mistakes here and ask me as frank questions about kids my age as well. It's the least I can do to repay you."

"Hahaha! So spirited!" Toshinori clenched his fists, just a wisp of smoke betraying his desire to go into his powered form. "Do not every worry about repaying me, but I look forward to our collaboration of sorts."

General Education covered a bit of a specialized course in U.A. to make up for the lack of some specialist subjects in the Hero Course.

For starters, normal high schools taught the same subjects across the board, offering a specialized courses depending on the type of school one was enrolled in. U.A. functioned more like a university, with students in Gen. Ed., Support, and Management courses able to take courses across the departments after their first semester, based on certain prerequisites.

I was honestly envious when I discovered this fact. Hands on experience in classes of twenty to thirty, as opposed to showing up in large lecture halls, being able to monopolize a teachers time on a weekly basis, and so much more personable interactions made the learning experience a damn treat for most students.

For me, I stuck to simply my homework and training with Toshinori-sensei whilst on the campus, catching up to the news on my way back, and, helping Haruka-neesan when when I got home at night, and chatting with my AllMights'#1Fan to discuss our latest theory.

I chatted a bit with my classmates to maintain normal social ties, but mostly kept to myself. This wasn't any manga where someone would take an interest in me and go out of their way to befriend me. This was U.A., where everyone was focused on being the best, no matter their departments. A bunch of overachievers from around the country now faced with the fact that not all of them could be at the top.

It was a bit of a thrill to be recognized by your uniform, or name-dropping your school, I noticed. In the memories I had, the equivalent feeling I could relate this to was someone stating they studied at Oxford or Harvard.

Toshinori-sensei was actually a genius when it came to body-building. Warm-Ups, Cool-Downs, Stretches, all kinds of exercises that made me feel everything, from my fingers to the muscles behind my ears were being trained. After the practice, we would share a cup of green tea.

"This is a quite peaceful," I had commented. Toshinori-sensei's presence, for all this gaunt appearance, was soothing.

"The tea? Or the weather?" Toshinori-sensei's smile was different from his grin. His grin came readily, practiced, and common. His small smiles were rare, private, and endearing.

"Everything. Are you sure I'm not taking too much of your time?" I asked.

"Haha," he laughed quietly. "Nonsense my boy. Adult life is a mess of commitments, and moments like this are rare. I as well find this quite peaceful to find something like this to do. How is U.A. going for you? Did you make any friends?"

"…not yet." I shrugged, shoulders aching. "It's only been two weeks. The more I'm around someone, the more I keep thinking what they can do with their quirks, and all those possibilities. It's a futile exercise, so I try to avoid them."

"Hmm," Toshinori-sensei placed a hand on my back. "Would you find it presumptuous if I could say that, in a way, I can relate?"

I considered it, then nodded. "Yeah. You probably can't use your quirk anymore, or if so, then in a very limited fashion. Having a quirk and not being able to use it, a silent quirk or whatnot, I suppose it's just another way of being quirkless."

He shook his head, those long yellow bags swaying with left and right. "Be that as it may, there's a difference between not being able to use a quirk at my age, and at yours. It is the latter I refer to."

I paused. I had read many research papers (and by many, a lot) about the latest ages a quirk could manifest. Four was the consensus, probably due to whatever psychic factors were involved in their manifestation. After all, it wasn't just the quirk that manifest as a violation of the 21st century's laws of nature, but also the inherent knowledge of what a child could now do, guiding their Instinct slowly towards Habituation as they grew up.

Teenage minds weren't that flexible. The decreased neuroplasticity meant that learning to use a quirk later in life was also far more tedious, and given that there was negligible evidence of teenagers developing a quirk, it was tedious enough to prevent the quirk from being used.

Like a grayed out option at a menu. It was there, you could see it, but you couldn't equip that item until your grinder for an ungodly amount of hours which could be better spent doing something else than reaching the level other normal people did by the age of six or seven.

"If what you have told me is true," I began, "Then in the time period you grew up, you'd have faced a better hell than mine."

I didn't recognize all the faculty members I ran into in U.A.'s halls, despite them being Pro Heroes. Entirely possible that they belonged to the underground, or had intentionally hidden their identities.

"Times were hard, but even then there were individuals willing to go beyond for others." He looks up, smile a bit warm, a bit sad. The gentle expression turns to me. "You too shall find such good friends in time, I hope. It's an old saying, that if you're going through hell…" he got up and dusted himself. "Then keep going. Let's resume training!"

It was after the attack at USJ that I saw Toshinori-sensei again. News of the attack had reached the general public by afternoon whilst I was still at school.

Japan's crime rate falling to 6% is largely attributed to All Might. The attack on USJ was perhaps the first sensational piece of news of fall into the hands of the media after Hawkes' meteoric rise by taking down some corrupt individuals in the police, and its been a while since that.

It was a reminder that despite it all, we are not safe yet. Quirks have situated our society precariously, and the systems we rely on hinge on one seven foot tall troubleshooting mechanism.

And then there's me, quirkless. I really should stop obsessing over it, and just get on with my life.

As it was, I ended up splitting my knuckles while practices punches, bruising my shins trying to reach one thousand kicks. It was eventually a bad fall from a tree that left me with a sprained ankle that I gave it a rest.

"Damn it…" pain shot up and down my left ankle. "Next time, no attempts at free running in the forested area…"

"Mystery boy!" I flinched, turning my head to look up at Mizunashi Erika walking into the clearing.

"Assistant Class Rep, yahello." I greeted in that cutesy way that's recently trending amongst schoolgirls, trying to not focus on the searing pain in my swelling ankle.

"Wow, this one attempts to make jokes." She walked over to me, looking around. "What the heck are you doing all the way here? Do you know this place?"

"This is where people come when to want to become one with the Earth."

"Is that why you're lying on the ground?"

I pushed myself onto my elbows and got up, gingerly placing my left foot down. "No, I twisted my ankle. Just need to walk it off."

She glanced at the bulge forming in my sock, pursing her lips. "Looks pretty sprained to me. Let's go see the nurse."

"I'll be fine." I waved off her concerns, putting one step after another. "Can't get by in life if I can't withstand something small like this."

"Right," she drawls, walking about. "So this is where you disappear off to? Secret training to get into the Hero Course?"

"Hardly," I reply. "I just have an interest in not getting my ass handed to me. And you were taking notice of my disappearances?"

"I see," She nods. "And yes. I'm the assistant CR. I want our class to feel like a family to everyone present. That means taking notice if one of us is being distant on purpose." Her gaze is less concerned and more annoyed. "You're not half-bad, but you're quiet. Too quiet. This is the most I've ever heard you speak, outside of answering teachers."

The pain in my ankle isn't receding, and I lean against a tree to rest. "I just want to life a quiet high school life." Scratch that, I just want a quiet life, and move onto the next adventure.

"That's fine and all, and I do get introverted individuals, but honestly, there's a minimum level of interaction that you gotta do you know? Other students are wondering if you think you're too good for us."

I jerk my head upwards, forgetting my damned ankle. Okay, this a decidedly new sensation. "What the actual hell?"

"Yes," she crossed her arms. "Consider yourself warned. You can walk around like you genuinely don't care what people think, but you've just started high school. Take some time to reflect and don't keep us waiting on you. Now, let's go see the nurse."

We walked out of the woods, unfortunately, not in silence. The oncoming sunset had dyed the woods in a calm shade of amber, shards of sunlight falling onto the grassy floor where the canopy granted entry. The slight wind rustling through our clothes was calm, unlike the events of the day. It felt like the quiet of an aftermath.

If only I could tune out a nosy blond classmates' chattering.

"So is this related to your quirk? Ah, I'm not trying to pry by the way, I just need to know in case a teacher asks me and I give them at least some sort of vague idea." Erika continued without preamble. "My middle school had a lot of bullying, but then again, which one doesn't? Unless you count some elite place like Somei I suppose."

Why did I have to sprain my ankle and lower my walking speed? If at least my wrist was smarting, I could have walked at a regular pace.

"Can we just walk?" I said, unable to keep the irritation from lacing my voice.

"O-kay!" She deadpanned, but kept silent till we reached the door of the nurse's office.

"You don't need to accompany me inside." I said, and then, without waiting for a response from the petite assistant CR, I stepped inside, and slide the door shut behind me in one swift movement. There's a sigh on the other side, with a muttered 'Rude!'

"Good afternoon," I greeted, taking stock of the room. The school nurse was the Pro Hero Recovery Girl. I would have been mightily impressed by that fact if not for the patient she was attending. Before she could pull the curtains, I blurted out. "Toshinori-sensei!"

There was a pause.

"Akise-shounen!" He greeted back, and the nurse stifled a sigh. Or a yawn, it was hard to tell with her.

"Sit on that stool over there, please." Recovery Girl instructed me and I duly complied. I picked up the stainless steel seat and placed in the line of sight of my teacher's bed. Recovery Girl made no fuss. "Right, anything other than your ankle dearie? Looks like quite a rough sprain. How did you get it?"

"I fell from a height of about three and a half meters at an acute angle. The rest of the fall was fine, but the initial impact did my ankle in." I took off my indoor shoes and pulled up my trousers so she could take a better look.

"Hmm, and how did this come about?" She gingerly poked my at the swollen flesh, inspecting the angle.

"Training accident." I said, giving Toshinori-sensei a sheepish glance. Recovery Girl flipped her head in the same direction, to my surprise, and I could see Toshinori-sensei crack a nervous smile.

"Of course," she sighed. "Well, I can fix this up in a jiffy."

There's a difference between knowing something, and actually being prepared for it.

"Chuuuuu~!"

On the bright side, the swelling was going down rapidly.

"Here, keep this on." She handed me a packer of instant cold compress. "My Quirk uses your own body's healing capabilities, so I much prefer that I get you up and running. The rest of the follow-up is normal. Have this," she handed me a blue gummy, shaped like a fish. "It's good for you."

"Right," I said, trying not to feel like I had gotten candy for being a good little boy and the doctor's office. Turning to look at Toshinori-sensei, I can't help but look at all the bandages.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be in a hospital for all those injuries?" I ask. It seems strange that they would bring him to the school medical bay for this. That's an awful amount of bandages, and the way he shifts as he turns to me tells me he's definitely favouring the right side of his body.

Another curtain parts back, and my eyes meet with an equally curious pair of emerald green. The boy is equally bandaged up, both of his legs in casts somehow. Then it hits me.

The anonymity of providing medical treatment internally via Recovery Girl, taxing as it would be on the elderly Pro Hero. A student so heavily injured, alongside a teacher. He looks at me with a nervous energy, face innocent and eyes wide, flitting between my teacher and me.

I simply stare at him, and he stops with an animated Hnghhh! and stutters out an introduction.

"A-Ano, I'm Mi-Midoriya Izuku."

"From 1-A, right?" I shift the grip on my compress, a tiny part of me marvelling at how fast I've healed. The rest of my brain is making observations about everything in front of me. "I've heard of you."

"Oh, you have?" He's surprised, shocked.

"Yeah, heard about what happened at USJ." I say, as if I already know everything.

"Wait, how do you-" and then he slaps his hand (also bandaged) to his mouth as Toshinori-sensei sighs.

"It's been on the news, in your defence. But while we know what happened, details of what went down are unclear. For example, a student being as injured as you." I say, trying to guess what happened. "Enough villains to distract both Thirteen and your homeroom teacher. No other students here as injured as you, or if there were, they got discharged. You went up against the boss didn't you?" I say, but my mind is still unable to reconcile Toshinori-sensei's injuries.

"Yeah… that's an overview alright." Midoriya says, careful of divulging any further information. Fast learner. I like this kid. "So um…, can I ask what kind of training you were doing?"

"Well, I'll answer that if you answer a question of mine." I say, because AllMight's#1Fan is in the hero classes, and this kid has a 1/42 chance of being him.

"Oh. Sure!" That smile is just pure sugar. I will fight for this kid. If anything happens to him, I shall follow up on the meme of killing everyone in the room and then myself.

"Who's your favourite Hero?"

His nostrils flare, his already expressive eyes ignite and despite his injuries he sits up and lean forward. "Of course its All Might! When it comes to power, speed, technique, intelligence and cooperativeness, there's no equal! Not even considering his Symbol of Peace status and its deterrence that has pushed down crime rates to 6%, as confirmed by several national and international independent studies, All Might is the Hero that ironed out the path for modern heroes, changing their approach from being specialist Quirk licensed responders to field leaders trained to take charge, conduct rescues and even provide cover fire for the JDF in the old days when certain operations wouldn't allow the presence of Heroes at all, but given his surprisingly varied skillset - it really annoys me when people think All Might is just someone super strong with his fists - that the government…."

Midoriya Izuku. AllMight's#1Fan confirmed. Even if he's not, if the other person doesn't deserve the title.

"…and so while I am also a fan of Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot, and Eraserhead and Endeavour though I do find it kind of concerning why he's so gruff, I think All Might is the best hero who saves everyone with a smile on his face no matter what the circumstances!"

Reading through his walls of text? That's a surprise. Listening to his actual muttering not limited by a keyboard? That's an experience.

"Well, I agree with most of what you said, but do you really think the Special Defence Force didn't allow the presence of heroes in old operations? All Might stated in one of his interviews that it wasn't so; rather the way to work for heroes with them was subject to their own criteria, as well as a six to eight month training and discipline program. It was a pity he couldn't join because he was already too famous to serve his country that way, he had added."

Midoriya Izuku grins like Christmas has come early. "You're also an All Might fan?! Wait, you actually managed to listen to everything I said, usually people just tell me to shut up and-"

"Okay, do shut up now." I snicker at his betrayed look. "You had a question for me didn't you?"

"Oh, right! I understand if this is too intrusive so feel free to not answer it, but, um, can you tell me what's your quirk? I hope you don't take offence, it's just, uh, I like Quirkology…" his shoulder squirm slightly as he breaks eye contact, clasping his palms together.

Ah, what the hell. He knows already, if only online.

"Ah, I'm not comfortable disclosing that." I say, and get up. My swelling is completely gone. "I'll take my leave now, Midoriya. Toshinori-sensei can finally stop getting second-hand embarrassment from our very niche knowledge of All Might and rest as well." I give him a wry smile, and as if remembering he isn't alone he jolts, looking at the blond teacher who's trying very hard not to cough.

The trains are functional; they're always functional short of an actual earthquake or explosion that can destroy their infrastructure. There is an increased presence of hero and police patrols on the streets though, security raised in the aftermath of the USJ Attack as they're calling it in the press.

I wonder if Haruka-neesan will be home tonight though. All of her routine indicates her to be someone quite up the ladder, and she's very thorough and discreet when it comes to her actual role and work, unlike her death sticks she smokes when stressed. (Once per month is allowed was our compromise).

The glances are obvious once I step on, because of my U.A. uniform. Its bad manners to hold a conversation on the train, which makes it a very quiet place to fall asleep. And because my stop is perhaps the last, because I've never seen another student from U.A. on the train before me, is what makes it a cause for concern when I see a fellow student still asleep.

She's short, has brown hair, and rosy cheeks. My station arrives, and I decide to wake her up anyway, just in case she has missed her stop. Not-so-worst case scenario, I've interrupted her sleep. Worst case, she sleeps all the way to the last station, wake ups, panics, and reaches her home super late.

The train stops and I jostle her shoulder and she wakes up with a gasp, looks around, before bolting past me outside. I hurry and follow her up.

"Is this your stop, miss?" I ask.

"O-oh! Sorry, I thought you were- never mind!" She laughs nervously, before her eyes and travel to the station name, and she freezes.

"The return train arrives in twenty minutes. Want me to wait with you?" I offer, despite my own body protesting and demanding that I go home and hit the bed immediately.

"Ahh, well, that's, sort of…" she takes out her cell phone and I blink, taking a moment to observe her.

Old retro flip phone, when everyone and their grandma uses touch screen ones. It's also an older model, about ten years old. Her outdoor shoes are an expensive purchase, but still quite worn for their age. She's a high school girl, her feet must have changed size in three years or so, most likely second hand shoes. I understand the sentiment though, budget wise. A top tier second hand something is much better than a brand new B-list product.

It's nearly the end of the month. Given that its so early in the semester, I don't think students have had times to set their routines to get a part time job either. The way she keeps scrolling through her cellphone rather than immediately calling her parents is another tell.

She's stranded, and probably out of budget.

"Young man!" I whip my head at the voice calling out to me. Haruka-neesan walks up to me, accompanied by another man. Both of them are dressed in jet black suits, though I can see signs of them carrying weapons underneath those coats. Haruka-neesan is also wearing her black gloves, which I have taken to be a part of her uniform. She's cheery whenever she has them on, but not very open. "I came to pick you up."

I blink at that. Here I had been expecting that I wouldn't even get to see her given how busy the police has just gotten, and she's suddenly found time to come and pick me up. I scoff openly. "Haruka-neesan, did you get fired or something? How come you have so much time?"

The man next to her twitches, and I decide to tone down my informality. Note to self, her colleagues are the type to bristle at any disrespect shown to her. As if noticing the same thing as me, Haruka-neesan pats her co-worker. "Easy there Shiratori-kun, he just gets embarrassed and then gets all grumpy like a cat."

"I do not!"

"Aww." She pinches my cheeks, and her hands smell of ink and gunpowder. Her eyes are sharp, but the smile she gives is soft. "Sorry, I had to come see you myself. Hearing of that attack on USJ, even though it wasn't your class, I couldn't help but think what if some other students were targeted."

I shut my mouth, something coiling in my chest. Suddenly unable to look at her face, I turn to the side and catch my schoolmate looking at me with a smile, and a slight wistfulness. "Oh, right." I stand on my toes to reach Haruka-nee's ear and whisper. "That girl prolly lives on her own, is out of budget, and slept past her stop."

Haruka-nee somehow understands that I want to help. She gives me a gloved pat, and walks over to her.

"Hi there student, can we help you in any way?" She pulls out her badge, and all the wariness disappears from her face. "I'm Kudo Haruka, Tokyo Police. You're in safe hands now."

The student is hesitant at first, but now freely introduces herself. "I'm Uraraka Ochako, a first year at U.A. I missed my stop, and um…" I step away, walking over to this Shiratori person to give Uraraka-san her privacy.

Shiratori is thin and wiry, and his hair is curly in a way that it would take a skilled stylist to make it as aesthetically pleasing as it looks. He seems quite fit, and wears a smartwatch.

"So," he begins, and his voice is tired despite how fresh he looks, a contrast to Haruka-nee. "You'e the 'young man' Taichou has adopted?"

Taichou. Wow. She heads a unit? That's news to me, but then again, I had no reference to the amount of paperwork a police officer usually does, and she's always reviewing and signing documents. Then the other part of the statement hits me.

"What do you mean adopted? She just shows up whenever she has free time." I say. Shiratori-keiji gives me a look, like he wants to say something, but I'm decidedly too immature to grasp it. And what he follows up with just make that look rings true.

"She's used up all of her official leave days over you, so try not trouble her, alright?"

"Wait, what?"

"You're right in that no police officer has the kind of free time she's spent with you," Shiratori-keiji glances at his watch, flicking away some notification. "But we do have our official leave days, some of which carry over from our previous years those aren't availed." He has a small smile on his face. "You probably think she's jamming her nose where it doesn't belong, but she's been really worried about you."

"Well, I didn't need her pity…" I say, and my argument sounds hollow. The officer next to me says nothing, sparing me further humiliation.

"It's not pity kid," Shiratori-keiji sighs, pulling out a chocolate flavoured lollipop and popping it in his mouth. "Heaven help me with teenagers, she did it because she wanted to. Don't split hairs over it or be a judge of the purity of her intentions. We love this country, and we try to treat every one of its citizens like they're our family. We can't carry the weight of the world, but a single kid, who's right in front of you?" He shrugs. "Why the hell shouldn't we do our best for someone, when the counter argument is someone bitching that we should be helping everyone?" He clicks his tongue, as if recalling from experience.

"…I'm sorry. My words were out of line."

"What was out of line?"

I jump, heart rate elevating. "When did you sneak up on me?!"

Haruka-nee makes a puzzled face. "Well, I didn't mean to. Anyways," she turns to Shiratori-keiji. "No chance we can escort the Uraraka-chan back, given our duties, but I convinced her to 'borrow' some cash from me, and sent out a localised broadcast for the officers at the next station to take it over from there."

"Thank you very much!" Uraraka-san bows. "Can I have your names as well?" He eyes are sparkling, and her smile is wide.

"Hisomu Akise," I finally, finally introduce myself properly to someone. "First year, Class 1-D."

"Shiratori Jun," says the officer, flashing his badge and then holding out another of those chocolate lollipops. Come to think of it, I've never actually seen a chocolate flavoured lollipop in my life, both sets of memories combined.

"Thank you very much, Hisomu-kun, Shiratori-keiji." She reaches out and takes the offered candy as the train arrives. "Kudo-keiji, I will definitely pay you back! Thank you very much!"

We stay until she boards and the train departs.

"Now then, let's walk you home." Haruka-nee turns to me.

"Wait, you came to escort me?"

"Of course, there was an attack at students from your school!"

I look at Shiratori-keiji. "Is she also a mother-hen at the office?"

"As your commanding officer, I order you to ignore that question." Haruka-nee interjects. "Let's go home kiddo, we still got many a patrol to run."

I pause, looking at the two of them. "You seriously just came to pick me up?"

Haruka-nee gives a small smile. "Seriously, yes."

I stay up late after being dropped off at home. The next day was a Sunday, meaning that I could afford to stay up that late, and I heard rumours on the student noticeboard that Monday will also most likely have no classes.

In U.A., classes not being on isn't synonymous with a day off, as the campus remains open for students to take advantage of the training grounds, the library, the Support department, and the cafe. Just like today, Saturday, wherein students of the Hero Course got to go on a trip to the USJ, regular students were still allowed on campus for their various needs or just hobbies.

In other words, I was just stocking up on excuses to use when Haruka-neesan finally came back. Visiting my… father's workshop for the first time in since his passing, I went for the cabinet that held some old phones.

All of them required to be fixed somehow; they were trinkets that weren't covered by any repair programs or insurance, or just some stuff thought to have outlasted its use by other people who knew my father and dropped them off here as a way of recycling their electronic waste, versus tossing it out.

"Let's see, what kind of phone do high school girls like?" That flip phone really was outdated. I may have been overstepping my boundaries, but when it came to tech items, I really wanted people to be using the best they could for their needs. That old flip phone wouldn't support stuff like extensive sticker packs, didn't really have a modern camera system, and I doubted such as old model was still waterproof.

In summary, there was definitely something in here, in this yellow lit dusty cabinet, that was better than what Uraraka-san was forcing herself to use, whether by monetary circumstances or by sentimental values. It could just be her actual grandma's phone she used in remembrance of her or something.

And I did find something. Perhaps not so surprisingly, a mint condition special Endeavour phone was in the best condition. Decent cameras, ample battery and screen size, and it had its original charger with it as well, also blue with an orange cable. I plugged it in, waiting for it fully charge and grimaced at the Endeavour themed icons and wallpapers.

Fortunately, it was easy to reset it with a vanilla, stock experience because of course, it was Endeavour, the man voted number one as the Pro Hero who looks most like a villain. Next, I donned some rubber gloves and busted out the spray paints. It took a few experimental tries, but eventually the white one worked. There was a pink can, but it was out.

The paint job done, the charger, charging cable, and phone left out to dry, I went into the kitchen and started whipping a strawberry milkshake for whenever Haruka-nee came back. I also prepared some pancake batter on the side, unsure of just exactly when she'd be back after I was done with my workouts and it was past two in the morning.

She eventually walked in at 5AM, her jacket on her forearm and her shirt wrinkled.

"Welcome home." I chimed from the lounge.

"I'm…" She yawned, walking into the lounge. "…back. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah." I said, walking to the fridge and bringing out a thoroughly chilled coffee mug filled with strawberry goodness. "Here." I placed it on the coffee table in front of her.

"Oh, what's the special occasion?" She took off her gloves as she slumped on the couch, and reached for the mug. It was a basic, white mug with zero labels.

I wanted to ask her so much. Why she stuck by me, why she spent so much of her personal free time and professional allotted leave days on me, dealing with my snark without a word. You see, no one just does that. No one just decides that the kid whose suddenly got no parents can't be left alone, and that they'll personally take care of it. What made her do it? Why did she do it? What did she gain from it?

My hands clench in my pockets, and I am unable to voice much. I've screwed up so much with my words, and whenever words are called for, I halt.

"There's no special occasion," I dodge her gaze. "Just. Thank you. For everything you've done up till now. Even if I'm not worthy of it."

She frowns. "Young man, none of that. Come here." And I comply, legs walking on their own, because its her, and as long as its her I can go to her despite the guilt tearing my lungs and lacing underneath my skin. She grabs my hand, and none too gently pulls me beside her, wrapping her arm around me in a half-hug. "What's wrong?"

"It… I mean it's stupid. Why would you… would you personally take care of me?" I stare at my bare feel, rubbing my toes against the wooden floor with tiny squeaks. "Social services exists you know. So why?"

She sighs. "I've been through the social services system. It's not as horrible or abusive as certain accounts make it seem out to be, at least in this nation. But if definitely favours the integration of certain types of kids, and certain types never quite make it in. Like you." She pauses, her hand slowly running up and down my back; soothing, calming. "Like me."

I inhale. "Truly?"

"Yeah." She said. "I'm not gonna go into details, you can ask me some other time 'cause I'm just damn tired at the moment. But you're gonna have to get used to me, okay? I'll try to get used to you as well. I'm not leaving you like others did." Like your father, I hear in my own head. "Not if I can help it."

My breath shudders. A part of me so desperate to hear those words, of having a feeling of belonging relaxes. I lean into her shoulder, the days exhaustion and sleep catching up to me.

"Can we start over?" I manage to say, fighting off the haziness threatening to take over. She knows my name, but she has been waiting on me for months now, to hear it from my own self.

"Hmm?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hisomu Akise." Her hand, callused, slender and big cards through my hair, fingertips lightly scratching my scalp. It's comforting.

"Nice to meet you too, Aki-kun." I hear, before everything fades.

Reviews are love. Reviews are money. Please review. :3 also these chapters are OC heavy but meh. I'm looking more to explore the police side of MHA universe, with plenty of canon cast action though, so don't fret!