Wanted to get this out on Setsuna's special day, so enjoy and don't forget to wish everyone's favorite Lizard girl a happy birthday!
Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia, or any of its characters...
After the pair left the two unconscious stooges to be caught by the police, Setsuna led Izuku to the nearest cafe that was located at the neighboring block. Upon reaching the place, they took their seats at a two-person table which made them look like a couple on a date in the eyes of others.
"Wait here a moment, alright?" Setsuna told him with a smile. "Can't have a good talk without something to eat, right?"
With that, the green-haired girl stood up and headed towards the counter so she could buy them their food. Once she was gone, Izuku's eyes immediately darted towards the doors.
Okay, Setsuna was gone, and the doors were just there. He could easily slip away without anyone noticing and by the time she returns to the table, he would already be on his way home—
"…What am I thinking?!"
He quickly shook his head to remove that from his mind. There's no way he can do something like that to Setsuna, even if they were basically strangers to each other. Doing such a thing would be ridiculous and disrespectful to the girl who only offered to buy him something, so Izuku chose to remain in his seat and simply looked down while being in deep thought.
"I can't do that to her… I should just be grateful that she even thought of doing this for me when there's no need to."
During the entire walk towards the place, Izuku remained quiet and simply let himself get dragged away because of two reasons. One was due to his nervousness of being around people he didn't know, especially a girl like the one he was with and two, he didn't really know what to tell her without sounding rude or anything.
He would surely survive the day even without being paid back for his heroic action since he wasn't looking for a reward when he saved Setsuna, but he couldn't refuse her offer without turning her down, and he didn't want that.
Truly, Izuku had no way out of this and he could only accept what happened to him as a result.
After a few minutes of waiting, Setsuna came back to the table with a tray holding two milkshakes and sandwiches, which Izuku assumed was for the two of them.
"I had no idea what flavor you'd like, so I just went with the good 'ol vanilla. I also got you a club sandwich because it's either this or a normal burger. Hope ya like it!" she grinned, handing out a large vanilla milkshake towards him.
Knowing that he had to say something in return, Izuku flashed a nervous smile before taking the club sandwich from the tray as well.
"T-Thank you…!"
"You're welcome. Now let's dig in because these things aren't gonna eat themselves!"
The two began to eat at a slow pace, but for completely different reasons. Setsuna slowed down because she wanted to see if her companion was going to start talking, while Izuku literally had no idea what he should do at the moment.
Should he compliment her? Talk about the weather? Ask about her quirk? He had no clue, damn it!
Being a half-demon doesn't solve his social anxiety issues at all!
Thankfully, Setsuna seemed to understand his current dilemma from just one look and decided to make the first move herself.
"Okay, it seems fairly obvious to me that you're not going to start the conversation, so I'll do the honors," she sighed playfully, before sending him a teasing grin. "Any chance of me knowing more about my knight in shining armor?"
With the girl starting the conversation, Izuku felt a lot calmer because he would only need to respond what she says and not have to say anything unnecessary. While he never planned on going on a kind-of-a-date-but-not-really after his training in the morning, Izuku didn't want to ruin this either. Setsuna bought him something to eat and took the time to talk to him here, the least he could do was see this to the end.
Not to mention, it honestly felt good… just being with someone who didn't look down on him or made fun of him for what he is.
"Well, what exactly do you want to know about me?" he asked.
She smirked. "Hmm, since I can tell that you're not going to talk about your quirk even if I ask you, let's start with something simple! Where do you live?"
"That was a close one," he thought, getting a sudden spike of nervousness when she mentioned his quirk again, but was relieved when she asked where he lived instead. "Shizuoka."
"Ah, so you live nearby? That's neat."
Now that she was done, Izuku felt that it was his turn to ask a question out of common courtesy, so he went with a safe one.
"W-What about you, Tokage-san?"
Her smirk widened, expecting him to ask that question from a mile away.
"Saitama."
He blinked, surprised with her answer.
"W-Wait, if you live there, then what were you doing here?" Izuku asked, wondering why she was around here in the first place.
Setsuna wanted to tell him off and say that it's now her turn to ask a question, but she held herself back for now. Izuku was finally talking on his own, and this was what she wanted.
If this continues, maybe she can get him to talk about his quirk!
"I wanted to check out Dagobah Beach and see if it's really back to being free from trash. I used to go there all the time until the place got turned into a dump," she explained, until an idea struck her mind. "Hey, do you have an idea on who cleaned that place up? If you live nearby, then you must have an idea on who did it or at least, someone who could have."
Izuku did his best to hide the nervous look that was threatening to show, because it would only give away the truth.
While he felt happy to hear that his actions brought joy to someone else, he couldn't tell her that it was actually him who cleaned the entirety of Dagobah Beach on his own for obvious reasons.
"I'm sorry, I don't know either."
"Well, that's too bad. If I knew who he was, I could thank him for what he did. I liked that beach and it pissed me off that it got turned into a dump out of nowhere," she grumbled, before a smile took over her face again. "Anyway, it's your turn now, so what do you want to ask me?"
Izuku stared at her in confusion.
"My turn…? Wait, what did you ask me?"
"Hello? I just asked you if you had an idea on who cleaned the beach here," Setsuna remarked, waving her hand dumbly in front of her while resisting the urge to laugh.
"Oh," he mumbled, suddenly feeling stupid that he didn't it right away. He quickly shook his head to get over it and tried to think of something else that he can ask her and unsurprisingly, he went with the one that he was most curious about. "In that case, uhm… c-can I know what your quirk is like?"
Setsuna grinned widely to the point that it almost reached her ears, before she began to chuckle in a smug manner.
"Hoh? Isn't that a little unfair for me? You don't want to tell me more about your quirk, but now you ask what mine is?"
Izuku's face fell.
"Y-You don't have to answer it if you don't want to…! I understand why it would be unfair. I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling even worse now because she was right.
How can he even hope to learn about Setsuna's quirk, when he won't even tell her about his?!
What the hell was he even thinking?
"Hey, hey, I didn't say I'm not gonna tell ya!" Setsuna laughed, shaking her head in amusement before donning a more curious look. "But I do have to wonder, why do you want to know about my quirk? Most guys would ask me the more personal questions, like if I'm seeing someone at the moment, the things that I like, and if I want to meet with them again some other time, but you… you're not like those guys at all."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head and frowned slightly upon hearing those words, calming down after his embarrassing moment just now.
"I'm not like that, I… just like learning about other people's quirks."
Setsuna could only find herself smiling after he said those words, feeling her interest in the white-haired teen grow more and more as she uttered her response.
"You have a powerful quirk yourself and you want to know more about what other people can do? You keep on surprising me, Snowball~"
He blushed upon hearing that nickname once again, but he was able to control his embarrassment a lot more this time.
Seriously, he didn't have a problem with having a nickname because Katsuki calls him 'Deku' all the time and he was used to that, but there was something about this that's just embarrassing.
Maybe it's the fact that it's a girl who calling him that way? Perhaps it's because she was teasing him for his hair color?
"Why do you call me by that name, anyway?"
"Because it's cute," she said bluntly. "So, to answer your question, my quirk is called Lizard Tail Splitter. I can split my body into as many as 50 separate pieces which I can control and move around freely, but I have a time limit for that and if I don't get them back before it, I lose control of them. I can also regenerate the parts that I lose, but that's the exhausting part that I'd rather not deal with. I'll have to put a solution to that someday, because I don't want to look pathetic while being a hero. Does that answer your question, Snowball?"
Izuku was left with his mouth slightly agape from hearing that explanation, completely blown away from the nature of Setsuna's quirk and how cool it was just by hearing it.
His mind was already coming up with many possibilities of how to apply her quirk in real-life situations just from the information he received, and he couldn't stop himself from being excited from doing so.
"T-That's a really amazing quirk, Tokage-san! I can already imagine many different scenarios where you can apply your abilities, and there are many things you can do with it. You'd be highly suitable for rescue missions where there are civilians who need to be rescued, and you can use your quirk to safely retrieve them without villains knowing it. You can also be helpful in fighting criminals up close because your power is very versatile and you can even deal with multiple enemies at once! I think you can even disarm a bomb in an imaginary scenario if said device is set to go off in a few minutes and you're the only one who can muttermuttermutter…"
"Uh, Midoriya? You're being kinda creepy right now," she sweat-dropped, watching the boy descend into one of his muttering sprees.
For a moment, she didn't see the serious and cold Izuku who saved her from a bunch of guys, but rather a nerd who was curious and asks questions about everything.
"Huh?" Izuku asked as he realized what exactly he was doing, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat in alarm, which almost caused his milkshake to spill. "O-Oh! I'm so sorry! I-I-It's just an old habit of mine… I get really excited when I learn about people's quirks and I can't help but analyze them once I do."
"Seriously, I need stop doing that," he took a moment to scold himself, before continuing to speak.
"I know it sounds kind of stupid, but ever since I was a kid, I was just fascinated about quirks and the extent of what they can do," he continued to explain while his thoughts drifted somewhere else. "Not to mention, it was the only thing I could do while being a quirkless nerd who can't do anything."
Setsuna stared at him for a few moments, thinking about the answer he gave her before she shrugged.
"Well, I wouldn't say it's stupid, Snowball. I think it's actually cool. Minus the creepy muttering you were doing, you made a few good points about my quirk just now. I never thought about disarming a bomb from a distance because of my quirk until you mentioned it, so I'll keep it in mind."
Izuku laughed nervously, before he took a bite out of his sandwich to calm his nerves a bit. Being caught in one of his muttering sprees was embarrassing, especially now that it happened in front of a girl!
He was lucky that she didn't think of him as someone weird or worse, left him hanging here.
"R-Right, uhm… I suppose it's your turn now?"
Setsuna's smirk returned, as she brought up a finger to her chin in a teasing manner.
"Hmm… let's see…"
Izuku felt nervous because there's no doubt that Setsuna was going to ask about his quirk. It was only fair, right after he asked about hers. His dilemma waa about whether he should tell her about it, or make up an excuse to keep it a secret. While he knew that he can't let anyone else know about what he really is, he also felt bad that he can't even tell the girl what she wanted to know.
Setsuna was only curious about his quirk, it's not like she was suspicious of him…
Much to his surprise however, what came out of the girl's mouth wasn't what he was expecting.
"Where were you exactly before you followed me and those three idiots earlier? I didn't exactly see you while I was running."
Izuku blinked a few times, surprised with her question before he quickly gave her an answer. "I… I was at Dagobah Beach before I saw you being chased by those three guys."
"Wait, if you were there, then how come I didn't see you? Were you having a little swim?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, having no memory of seeing a cute white-haired boy around the beach earlier.
He shook his head slowly. "No, I was… training."
"Training for what?"
"…Training for the U.A. Entrance Exam in ten months."
"What?!" she exclaimed in surprise, before a massive smile broke out on her face. She quickly forgot about the fact that she didn't see him directly at the beach in favor of this new revelation. "Dude, you're going to U.A. like me? Maybe we'll end up as classmates then!"
"You're going to U.A. too?" Izuku asked, genuinely surprised with what he heard.
She laughed. "That's what I said, didn't I? Are you part of the recommendations?"
"I'm not. I'm one of the regular applicants."
"Bummer. Guess we're not gonna be meeting together on the day of the exam," she pouted for a few moments, before shrugging it off and then taking another sip of her chocolate milkshake.
"You're a recommended student, Tokage-san?"
"Mmhm," she hummed, sending him a wink.
The look of surprise on Izuku's face shifted into one that showed amazement and admiration. Sitting before him was someone who got a recommendation to join the most prestigious hero school in the country, and that meant something. Not even Katsuki, whom he admired for almost his whole life, was able to get recommended for U.A. but this girl did.
"That's amazing. You're going to make it to U.A. High for sure."
"Woah, slow down there. If I was guaranteed to make it into that school, then there would be no need for a test. I'm pretty sure that we're gonna be doing a written and practical exam like the regular ones too, only harder because we've been recommended by other people."
"I still think that you'll do great. You have a really versatile quirk and you must be really smart since you were a recommended student," he insisted.
"Snowball, is this your way of flirting with me? Because let me tell you right now, you're an interesting guy and I wouldn't mind knowing more about you."
"It's not my intention to," he quickly said, his face turning red from the accusation. "Am I m-making you uncomfortable?"
"On the contrary, I'm having fun with this, Snowball. The only thing missing from this is you telling me what kind of quirk you have," she chuckled.
Izuku blanched, being reminded of his dilemma once again.
"Uh… I-I don't think that's—"
"It's alright. I won't pressure you to tell me, Snowball," she quickly cut him off before he could even get a chance to panic.
He quirked an eyebrow at her.
"You won't…?"
"Well, I can tell that you're having trouble trying to put it in words, so I'll just let it be for now. Plus, we'll go to the same school anyway, so I'll get to see you again, right?"
Izuku thought about her last statement deeply, and he remained quiet for a brief moment. Setsuna was right. They could still meet in U.A. where they can continue this talk or just see each other again, but there's no guarantee that they would even end up in the same school.
The worst case in this scenario would be that one of them fails to pass the entrance exam, which would make this the last time that they will meet. Izuku didn't want this to end with him being selfish because he wasn't like that.
Plus, she did tell him her quirk without expecting him to do the same just because he asked. It would only be fair and just for him to tell Setsuna what his quirk was about, even if it was only the cover-up that he been working on.
"N-No, actually I… I wouldn't mind telling you," he spoke, meeting her gaze with his own.
"Oh? What changed your mind?" Setsuna asked, surprised with this sudden change because she just accepted the fact that he felt uncomfortable talking about his quirk, and decided that she would ask on another day instead.
The nervous look on his face shifted into a serious one for the first time since they went here, almost as if he was now a completely different person.
"It's nothing like that. It's just hard to explain my quirk because is, like I said, it's complicated."
"Define complicated, then."
And so, Izuku told Setsuna about his quirk and the things he can do with it. The cover-up that he thought of, at least, because there's no way that he can tell her about a powerful half-demon who visited him in his dream and passed on his powers to him.
First of all, the chances of people believing such a thing was zero and second, it sounded plain ridiculous.
On the other hand, the cover-up story he thought of wasn't really complicated, but a normal person who hears about it would definitely think so, and for good reason.
"So let me get this straight. You have a mutation quirk called Devil, which gives you the abilities of a real devil and even the appearance of one, but you can control all of that which makes you look harmless in the eyes of everyone else?" Setsuna recounted all of the things that she learned about the information that was dropped on her, while looking taken aback herself.
Izuku only nodded.
"Huh… this is the first time I've heard of a quirk that's almost something that's straight out of a storybook, but with the things you did to those three clowns earlier? It sounds like a pretty awesome quirk!"
The white-haired boy was surprised at how easily Setsuna accepted this revelation, but he wasn't going to complain about that! He half-expected the girl to say something about his quirk being evil and villainous for obvious reasons, but the complete opposite was what he got.
"T-Thank you," he muttered, feeling glad that Setsuna didn't think of him as anything bad despite the nature of his powers.
"So that's your quirk, but what about that katana you have? You seem to know how to use it, but is it involved with your quirk like some kind of demon overlord with a sword like those you can find in videogames?"
"She's not far from the real thing…" he sweat-dropped, before shaking his head to show his answer. "Not exactly. My sword just helps me control my quirk. I can channel my energy through the blade and unleash it however I want whenever I pull it out."
"So that's how you can swing your arm so fast," she muttered in realization, before flashing him a wide grin after understanding the full picture now. "Dude, you have such a cool and strong quirk. Plus, I can already tell that you're pretty smart if you can say all those things about my own quirk. You're definitely gonna make it to U.A.!"
"You really think so…?" Izuku asked, caught off guard with her bold declaration.
"Hey, take it from someone like me, Snowball. With a quirk like yours, I'm surprised you weren't recommended like me, but that doesn't matter. You're gonna take over the exam, trust me! You didn't seem nervous of yourself when you were facing off with those three clowns, so what's the use getting nervous now?"
Izuku stared at the girl across him for a few moments, taking in every bit of her words and thinking about it deeply.
"I have to stop doubting myself, even in front of other people. All this time, I've been telling myself that I can do it, but now I got nervous again because I'm in front of another person…"
He was aware of how he was completely serious while he dealt with Jake and his two goons earlier, but that disappeared completely as soon as Setsuna dragged him away here to eat and talk about a few things. He couldn't even start a normal conversation with her without feeling nervous and he hated it.
He didn't want to be like this while being around other people. How can he call himself a future hero when he can't even act normal towards others?
"…but I can't be like that anymore. Thanks to Tokage-san's words… I feel a lot more sure of myself now. I'm going to do my best at the entrance exam and prove why I deserve these powers and why I deserve to be in U.A."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Izuku turned his attention back to the green-haired girl and gave her a small smile out of gratitude.
"Thank you, Tokage-san. That means a lot to me."
"Made your heart race, didn't I?" she teased, propping her arm on the table before leaning into her hand. "Besides, I don't get why should be nervous about the exam. If you were someone recommended like me, I would've understood but you're part of the normal applicants. With your quirk, you'll ace the exam and your ticket to U.A. is guaranteed!"
Izuku chuckled in an embarrassed manner, rubbing the back of his head as he started to feel a lot more comfortable with this conversation.
"Sorry about that, I… it's just the first time that someone actually said that to me, other than my Mom."
She blinked. "The first time? What are you talking about?"
"I don't really have friends, and the last time I actually hung out with someone was years ago. I didn't have a good time in middle school either, because everyone mostly ignored me. I've never even talked to someone for more than ten seconds without shutting down, especially a girl, so… you can understand why I've been quiet earlier."
Setsuna became quiet for a few seconds, taking a moment to understand his words while also feeling confused.
How can he not have friends? The guy was kind, cute, polite, a bit timid (which honestly added to his charm), and he had the heart of a hero! Who in their right minds would even ignore him?
"Is that so? Well, that changes now, Snowball!" she grinned as she stood up, before leaning over the table that their faces "I'll be your friend, and we're gonna have so much fun together! Those losers from your school missed out on you, big time."
"I don't know about that…" he muttered, doing his best to keep himself composed despite how close she was to him.
"What? I'm right, aren't I? They missed out on someone as cute, hot, smart, and strong like you," she winked, secretly enjoying the calm look that he was struggling to keep.
After hearing those words from her, Izuku couldn't stop himself from blushing deeper and forced him to hide his look by drinking the remainder of his milkshake.
Okay, he was used to his mother complimenting him and giving him words of encouragement, but he couldn't say the same for other people. After many years of being bullied and made fun of by his classmates in school, especially Katsuki, he wasn't used to being told nice words or even any kind of compliment from others.
To add to that, the one who said it was a beautiful girl who happened to treat him to a meal, which was also something that he never experienced before.
"P-Please don't say such things about me…" he mumbled, trying to keep himself calm to the best he can.
"Maybe or maybe not… no promises!" she laughed, taking her seat again with an amused smile on her face, deciding that she's had enough teasing him for now.
With that, the two continued to eat through their respective meals while they talked about various things, like their interests and even their plans for the future if they do get into U.A.
Throughout their conversation, Izuku felt more and more comfortable around the girl to the point that he stopped blushing when she teases him and just shakes his head when she does. While this didn't go well for Setsuna who was having too much fun teasing him, she didn't really complain.
After they were finally done eating, the pair leaned back into their seats in satisfaction, staying quiet for a few moments until Setsuna broke it.
"Wow, Snowball, I actually ended up enjoying this way more than I should have," she spoke, standing up from her seat and sending him a toothy smile.
Izuku stood as well, following the girl towards the doors where he assumed that they were finally going to say goodbye to each other. If so, then he wasn't going to say farewell without giving her a few words.
"M-Me too, Tokage-san. This… This is honestly the first time I've done this, eating out with someone else… w-with a girl, no less. I felt really nervous earlier when we went here, but… I forgot about it while we were talking. Thank you for doing this too, even though you really didn't have to."
"Well, that's good to hear, isn't it? That way, the next time we do this, you won't act so shy around me!" she turned around and gave him a wink. "You were completely quiet when we got here and you only talked after I did!"
"Y-You want to do this again…?" Izuku asked in surprise as he opened the door for her like a gentleman.
"Hey, we're friends now, aren't we? That question shouldn't even be asked! We should exchange each other's numbers so we can keep in touch, alright?"
He blinked owlishly.
Friend… that was something that Izuku hasn't heard in a long time.
After years of being ignored and bullied by kids of his age, he had completely forgotten what it's like to have people who understand him, all because he was quirkless. Unable to do anything against that, he simply accepted his fate that no one would want to be friends with a quirkless loser like him, but it didn't seem to be that way.
Plus, he can't say that it didn't feel good to have a friend again!
With a smile, he opened his phone and pulled up his contact number before showing it to the girl. Setsuna merely smirked in return, bringing out her own phone so she can add his number then he'll do the same for her.
"If that's the case, then I wouldn't mind doing this again, Tokage-san. I've never felt this way in a long time, but I like being around you. Would it be fair if I pay for our food the next time we eat?" Izuku asked, closing his eyes and giving her a warm smile.
The only thing that followed was silence and surprisingly, the green-haired girl who was normally talkative didn't say anything for a few moments that it caused Izuku to be confused.
Did he say something wrong?
"Tokage-san?" he opened his eyes looked at the girl before him, only to blink a few times at what he was seeing.
"A-Are you asking me out on a date, Snowball?" asked Setsuna, who had a rare blush on her face as she waited for him to give an answer.
Izuku's eyes widened completely, to the point that it looked like they were about to bulge out from their sockets.
Wait, was that how she interpreted his words?! He wasn't trying to ask her out at all! He was only offering to pay for the both of them the next time they do this! Setsuna said it herself and out of common courtesy, it should be his turn to buy them a meal!
Was this how boys ask out girls nowadays?
Izuku wanted to tell her right away that she was misunderstanding what he said, but he didn't know what would happen if he did, no thanks to his damn social anxiety. Would it remedy the problem or would it only make things worse because he rejected her?
...urgh, this was so confusing!
On the other hand, he also knew that he had to give her an answer before it's too late because Setsuna was surely waiting for him to say something. If he takes too long to say something, it may also lead to something bad and he didn't want that either!
In the end, Izuku decided to go with what he thought was the safe option.
"Uh… yes?" he spoke through a red face, entirely unsure if his answer was even the right one.
"I'm home!"
Izuku called out as he opened the door to his home, his eyes and overall expression giving off the vibe that he was beyond tired although his posture and body movements seemed to imply otherwise.
Yeah, he wasn't really tired physically, but he definitely wouldn't mind lying down on his bed for maybe an hour or two, just to recover from today's events so far. As much as Izuku could keep himself calm and collected, even he had a breaking point and right now, he wasn't as composed as his ancestor.
"Izuku, where have you been?!" The voice of his mother rang out, as Inko Midoriya rushed towards the front door with a worried look on her face. "I was so worried about you!"
The boy felt crushed at seeing the expression on his mother's face, because he knew that it was no one's fault but his that she was like this. He never intended for her to be worried, but he didn't exactly do something to prevent that from happening.
"I'm sorry if I made you worried, Mom. I… had to deal with something after I was done training," he said, having no excuse for his mistake.
"You couldn't have sent me a message then? Gave me a call? Goodness, Izuku, this is why you have your own phone, remember?" she scolded, her look of worry turning into a frown.
Yeah, that was on him. His mind was completely focused on Setsuna earlier that he forgot his mother who must have been worried the whole time. Setsuna couldn't possibly be blamed and he wouldn't do such a thing, because she didn't know that his mom would be worried for him.
All he could do was lower his head and accept that what happened was his mistake. He could have sent a message or gave his mother a call to inform her of where he was going, but he didn't.
"I know, Mom. It was my mistake. I should've called you as soon as I got off-track and went somewhere else. I shouldn't have been distracted in any way, I'm sorry.
After hearing her son's apology, Inko shook her head and released a deep sigh. She couldn't stay mad at him for very long because she knew that her son was a well-disciplined child; he knew whenever he makes a mistake and acknowledges it.
"Well, have you eaten lunch at least? If you haven't, then you can heat up the pot that's on the table."
"I did, uhm… someone invited me to eat at a cafe, and… I didn't want to be disrespectful by turning her down. That's why I came home later than usual today."
"WHAT?! YOU ATE OUT WITH SOMEONE?!"
Okay, he somewhat expected that after telling his mother about that little bit, she would freak out in some way, so… he wasn't surprised with that reaction. Now, it was time for the hard part, which was explaining the whole thing to his mother.
"Yeah…" he muttered, shifting his gaze to the side.
"Well, who was it?! Is it someone we know?" Inko asked, already hounding her son for answers.
"Uh… I only met her earlier today, but she's pretty nice."
"'Her'?! Izuku, were you going on a date without telling me?"
"N-No, it wasn't a date!" he quickly denied, waving his hands before him frantically. "I just met her after I was done training and we talked for a bit, then… she invited me to eat with her at a cafe. I couldn't say no to her without being a jerk, so I just went with her."
He lowered his head again after explaining the situation to his mother, fully prepared to take another scolding if she was going to give him one. Of course, he didn't think that his mom would forgive him right away just because he telling her what happened. It was still his fault that he didn't contact her before going with Setsuna, and he knew it.
However, her next words were the complete opposite of what he was expecting.
"Oh, then this changes everything, Izuku!" Her entire demeanor went from worried into ecstatic as she started bouncing up and down, looking considerably happy for some reason. "My little baby is finally making friends on his own! What was her name?"
He raised an eyebrow at his mother's question, but gave her the answer nonetheless.
"S-Setsuna Tokage."
"I see," Inko continued to smile, completely forgetting that she was even scolding her son just a while ago. "Well, did you have fun eating with her, then?"
"I did. It honestly feels weird having a friend again, but it's not a bad thing. We even have each other's number now…" he trailed off with a blush, still feeling a bit embarrassed that he had a friend again and what's more, it was a girl!
"Oh, really? That's good to hear, honey. Are you planning to invite her over sometime? I'd love to meet your new friend!"
The smile on Inko's face widened even more and soon turned into a grin, which further showed how she thought of this as something great and even worth celebrating. Her son who couldn't even stand being around other people without being timid, actually made a friend on his own!
He scratched his cheek nervously. "W-Well, not right away, but maybe next week. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm friends with someone again…"
"I understand, sweetie. But I'd love it if your new friend comes over one of these days for a cup of tea!"
Inko almost looked feral with her grin now, to the point that it was starting to get creepy, which her son noticed rather quickly. Izuku had a hunch that it would be a bad idea to keep continuing with this, so he wisely chose to stop now before he lets anything crucial slip out of his mouth.
"Uh… I'm just gonna go to my room, Mom."
With that, he quickly marched towards his room without looking back, fearing that his mother would continue asking him questions about Setsuna if he does.
"Okay, sweetie. Make sure to take a shower, okay?" she reminded her son, while she was internally cheering in her mind upon learning of this news. "My little Izuku's finally made friends with a girl, and they already ate somewhere together like they're having a date! I have to make them end up together, no matter what! Once they do, there's going to be lots of babies to spoil~!"
Unbeknownst to her, Izuku was going through that exact situation due to what happened between him and Setsuna earlier.
As soon as he was inside his room, Izuku closed the door and set his katana aside, before he sat on the bed and just leaned back to let himself rest. For someone who was no longer bound by the limits of a normal human, Izuku still felt tired from everything that happened today.
First, there was his normal training, but there was nothing wrong with that since it was a daily routine for him. Instead, it all started when he saw Setsuna being chased by those three stooges, which quickly drove him to help her out of instinct. He had no problem with that because he wanted to be a hero above all, but what happened after was what truly took a toll out of him.
Eating with Setsuna at a cafe was a huge leap out of his comfort zone that he was almost tempted to just leave before it happened, but he chose to stay simply because he didn't want to be disrespectful towards her.
While their shared meal didn't go off on a good start, they were still able to make the most of it and have an engaging conversation with each other. It was funny, because Izuku had somewhat expected that it would end with Setsuna deeming him as someone weird like what other people do, but she didn't and went as far as to refer to herself as his friend.
By the end of it, he was able to get to know her better like what real friends do, and he even told her about his quirk! Setsuna was the first person to know about his power (even if it was the cover-up story), even before his own mother and to add to that, she didn't think of him as anything different. Despite having a scary-looking quirk, Setsuna thought of it as a cool power to have.
As his first friend in years, Izuku felt both awkward and happy that he met someone like her, even if Setsuna seemed to love teasing him for some reason.
And then, he had unknowingly asked her out without even being aware of what he was saying.
"I don't even have any friends yet here I am, trying to think of how exactly did I ask out a girl to a date," he scratched his neck and released a deep sigh. "This isn't how I imagined my ten months of training would go, but I'm in no place to complain now."
The feeling of his phone vibrating inside his pocket interrupted Izuku in his train of thought, as he brought out his device and saw that Setsuna had sent him a text.
"Already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled up her message.
Rexy: So when do you plan on taking me out on a date, Snowball? ;)
The green-haired girl was caught off guard in a rare moment of embarrassment earlier, because from what she'd seen from Izuku so far, he was timid, shy, a bit weird, but overall a good guy. He was the perfect definition of a cinnamon roll, and it would be so easy to tease him.
Setsuna never expected him to be bold enough to ask her out on a date, which honestly caused her to blush for a few moments before regaining her composure quickly.
Needless to say, her answer to his question couldn't be more obvious.
"Good question… when exactly am I free with nothing to do?" he thought, thinking of a day where he wasn't busy before punching in his text.
Yamato: Would next Saturday be an appropriate day? I'd like to tell my mom about you first, and I can't just interrupt my daily training for this.
Rexy: Telling your mom about me, already? Why, Midoriya, you sure work fast~
Yamato: I'd rather not hide things from her.
Rexy: Want me to come over and meet her then? Text me your address, and I'll come over to introduce myself!
Yamato: Please don't rush things, Tokage-san… shouldn't we at least go on that date first before I introduce you to my Mom?
Rexy: Well, we can always move the date to tomorrow if you're eager to see me again~
Yamato: Next Saturday it is, then. :)
Izuku smirked as soon as he sent his last message, feeling satisfied that he managed to fight back against Setsuna in her own game.
He was aware of his own faults; about how he was timid, nervous, and shy around other people but he wasn't going to let himself continue to act that way!
"She didn't have to go so far as to treat me to a cafe, but there's no use getting hung up over it now. I should just be thankful that Tokage-san did something like that for me," he thought as he set down his phone and grabbed his towel from the nearby rack. "Still, I'm glad that I made people happy by cleaning the beach. If someone like Tokage-san was happy that Dagobah Beach got restored, then many others surely feel the same way."
His mother told him earlier to take a shower and honestly, the idea sounded tempting if it meant having a relaxing soak. If Setsuna wanted to continue talking to him, then she'll have to wait until he's done, that's all.
"Somehow, this still feels like a dream that I could wake up from at any second…" he remarked, walking out of his room to head to the bathroom for a nice, cold shower.
What started out as a normal day of training for him had ended up being a monumental period in his life, where he somehow saved a girl, made friends with her and asked her out all in the span of a few hours.
What's more, he still had eight months left before the U.A. Entrance Exam. Who knows what would happen within that span of time?
With a smile on her face, Setsuna Tokage knocked on the door before her and waited for someone to answer her. After yet another week of continuous training, she was looking forward to spending a day of rest with her favorite cinnamon roll.
She was wearing a green dinosaur shirt, dark purple leggings, and a pair of flip flops, while also carrying a shoulder bag with her. At first glance, it only seemed like she was going on a normal date, but Setsuna had something better in mind.
Once the door was opened, the girl found herself being face-to-face with a familiar woman whom she met months ago.
"Hi, Midoriya-san! I'm here for Izuku, he's going to take me out to the beach today," Setsuna beamed, showing off a toothy grin.
Inko Midoriya only giggled at the sight of her son's girlfriend, welcoming the girl's presence into their home.
Inko had learned about the younger girl by complete accident; a few days after their first meeting, Izuku carelessly hosted a video call with Setsuna in the kitchen regarding their upcoming date. He was completely unaware of his mother being there with him, listening to the conversation the whole time.
After ending the call, Izuku had realized that he messed up, because his mother had stood behind him with an ear-splitting grin on her face, ready to interrogate him regarding the girl whom he was taking out on a date.
No, she wasn't angry one bit and in fact, she even cheered on for her son! Inko was already hoping to set up Izuku with the girl whom he told her about, but it seemed like she didn't have to do anything at all because they were doing it all on their own.
Needless to say, by the next time she called him, Setsuna immediately understood why Izuku didn't want to introduce her to his mom right away…
"Oh Setsuna-chan, I already told you that you can just call me 'Inko', remember?" Inko smiled.
"Hehe, I still have to get used to it…"
Setsuna rubbed the back of her head in a rare of embarrassment. For all her quirks as a confident, chatty, and outgoing individual, she was still a teenage girl who can get the jitters at times, especially in front of Izuku's mother.
On the other hand, it didn't seem like Inko had any problem with her whatsoever and was even happy with her arrival.
"I'm sure you will," the woman chuckled before moving to the side and opened the door for Izuku's friend. "Come on inside, Izuku's just about done preparing himself!"
Setsuna smiled and bowed her head in gratitude before making her way inside, where she saw the white-haired teen packing a pair of homemade bentos into his own shoulder bag, dressed in a blue buttoned-up shirt and orange beach shorts.
After the first time they went out, they ended up enjoying their time together so much that they went on several more dates and, well… one can tell how their relationship progressed.
Wanting to have a little fun, Setsuna activated her quirk and detached her head from her body, before she floated over towards the table quietly.
"Heya, Snowball! Ready for our little trip?"
Izuku nearly jumped from hearing a loud voice from beside him, which quickly caused him to turn his head to see who it was.
"O-Oh, Setsuna! I… didn't notice you coming in!" he blinked a few times, before regaining his composure upon realizing that it was only his dinosaur-loving girlfriend whose quirk allowed herself to split into many pieces.
To be frank, this wasn't the first time that Setsuna used her quirk to sneak up on him like this, so he didn't react much to her little prank. Not to mention, he was already getting used to almost anything she does in order to get a rise out of him.
"Of course you didn't! I have my own ways of getting in, just so you know~" she winked, before reattaching herself to her body.
"I'm sure you have," he chuckled, before giving her a warm smile. "I missed you, by the way."
She laughed. "Dude, it's only been two weeks since we last saw each other and even so, we were texting and having video calls too! Are you getting attached to my pretty face, Snowball? There's plenty more where this came from~"
While she hid it from him, Setsuna couldn't exactly deny that she missed that mop of white hair too. Well, being close with him like this, at least.
"You can't exactly blame me for that. This is the first time I've dated a girl and it makes me happy to see her every time."
"Haha, you're really different person from when we started dating! It almost makes me wish you were still that guy so I can tease you as much as I want~"
"That would be unfair for me, would it not?"
The two shared a quick laugh afterwards. Izuku was indeed far from the nervous wreck who couldn't figure out the right words to say on the day they met and while Setsuna thought his reactions to her jokes were cute and amusing, she couldn't really complain about his current state.
On the other hand, Izuku doesn't really make a move to try and stop her whenever she does, so their dynamic as an aggressive girl and timid boy just continued.
Coming down from her laughing, Setsuna noticed the katana that rested beside his shoulder bag, and she immediately knew what it meant.
"Do you really have to bring that everywhere you go? You even bring it along with you every time we go on a date, which is damn hilarious!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at first, before he realized that she was talking about his sword. "Oh, you mean this? I just have to be always prepared in case something bad happens, Setsuna," he explained.
"You could just leave that to the pros, you know? Using quirks is not allowed in public, in case you forgot."
"They won't always be there, if you remember what nearly happened to you. At the very least, we should be able to defend ourselves when the situation calls for it. Plus, I don't have to use my quirk at all when I can just use this," he added, raising the Yamato with a grin.
Of course, Izuku would never lose his admiration for the heroes who give their lives saving people on a daily basis, but he also kept Vergil's words in mind.
Despite what the law says about the illegal usage of quirks in public, Izuku wasn't going to sit back and watch as other people be put in danger.
If he didn't come in to intervene months ago when Setsuna was cornered by three thugs, then she wouldn't have been her normal and confident self once again. No hero was around to save her that time and while he didn't blame anyone for not being there, Izuku also knew that he'd have to take matters into his own hands if the situation ever calls for it.
The law wasn't going to stop him from doing the right thing.
"You're such an interesting guy, you know that? How is it that you can say these things and still make sense?" she shook her head in amusement, before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
Izuku blushed at her sudden action, before he quickly regained his composure because this was surely a way for him to let his guard down.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he smirked.
Let it be known that Izuku had no experience with girls whatsoever before meeting Setsuna, but he wasn't someone who goes back on their word, so he proceeded with this despite not having knowledge about the subject whatsoever. Surprisingly enough, Setsuna had never gone out with a boy before and it was her first date as well!
The two had agreed to meet at the mall for their first date, which was also where they had spent the most of their time for the duration of it. They had lunch together, walked around the rooftop of the mall, went to an arcade, before finishing it with Izuku escorting Setsuna towards the station.
It may not be as fancy or extravagant as others would expect but for a first date, the two enjoyed being around each other more than anything else. In fact, Izuku was actually somewhat disappointed with himself at first because he felt he didn't live up to Setsuna's expectations but he was quickly proven wrong when the girl gave him a kiss on the cheek before they went their separate ways.
Izuku went home with a red face that day, so much that he got teased endlessly by his mother about what happened.
"…also, it wouldn't hurt to get some training done while we're there," he added in a nonchalant voice, thinking that there's nothing wrong with a little training at the beach.
Setsuna blinked in surprise, before she stared at him weirdly.
"It's supposed to be our date and you're still thinking about training? Dude, you and I know that you've been working really hard for this, so you deserve a break."
"But the exam is—"
She quickly cut him off by placing her hands on his shoulders, before giving him a serious look.
"I know and trust me, I've been working hard as well. After seeing you push yourself to your limits almost everyday, I started training harder to make my quirk stronger but right now, it shouldn't be about that. I don't want to see you collapsing out of nowhere because you overworked yourself, Snowball."
"Setsuna…" he breathed out, surprised that he was hearing this from her since she was normally eager and supportive of his training. Plus, she did think of his quirk as cool and not once did she see it as something sinister or villainous.
"It's just one day, Izuku. Enjoy the little vacation you have before you go back to working your butt off the next day. We both know that if anyone's going to make their mark on that exam, it's gonna be you."
The boy looked conflicted at first, as he had no idea that he would be receiving a lecture like this from Setsuna. On one hand, it's always a good thing to keep his abilities sharp not only for the exam but also for himself entirely and on the other, Setsuna did make a good point.
He was convinced long ago that Vergil's powers were way beyond any quirk in the world today, with the only exception being All Might's. While most quirks had drawbacks that people would need to get used to, Vergil had no such thing which is why Izuku had compared him to All Might when it came to being powerful.
And now, since Vergil had passed on those powers to him, it already made him stronger than most people out there, especially the students who will take the U.A. Entrance Exam like him. It wasn't arrogance speaking but it was only fact, because his ancestor had fought against creatures that were only considered mythical but powerful, in today's standards.
Plus, with the training that he's been doing these past few months, he would surely ace the entrance exam that he won't even need to worry about getting in because his spot is already guaranteed the moment he shows the teachers what he's capable of.
After weighing his options carefully, Izuku removed her hands from his shoulders before finally nodding his head.
"Alright," Izuku sighed, though he made no move to let go of the Yamato and instead, held it tighter as he gave her a little smirk. "I'm still bringing this, though."
Setsuna shook her head and groaned, although there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "Fair enough. Now come on, it's gonna be scorching hot later and I need to apply some sunscreen before that happens. Maybe you could help me with it~?"
The white-haired teen quickly blushed at her offer, before he shrugged and slung his bag over his shoulder. Izuku had no idea if she was serious about it or not, but he still needed to play along regardless.
"…sure, why not?"
"Well, let's stop wasting time then!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand as they prepared to leave the house.
However, that was also when Inko came out of the kitchen with a concerned look on her face, as she approached the two teenagers.
"Actually, Setsuna-chan, would you mind waiting outside? I just have one more thing to talk about with Izuku here," she asked, keeping her gaze locked towards her son.
Setsuna shrugged, but retained a smile nonetheless. "Sure. Don't keep me waiting, Snowball!"
Shooting her boyfriend a quick wink, the girl left the house with both mother and son watching her as she left. As soon as she was gone, Izuku turned his attention to his mother and decided to stop wasting time and go straight to the point.
"Mom, is there something wrong?"
Inko shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong, sweetie. I just want to tell you how happy I am that you met Setsuna-chan. I know that… you've had a hard time making friends and talking to your classmates at your old school, so I'm very happy for you, Izuku. Setsuna-chan is such a sweetheart, too!"
The boy couldn't help but smile.
"I'm happy that I met her as well. She may be my girlfriend, but… she's also a very nice friend before that. She can be pretty hard to deal with sometimes, but I guess that's part of what makes her unique and it's kind of why I like her. She's also strong, confident in herself, outgoing, and has an amazing quirk! She never makes fun of me either, and we both know she's just joking around when she teases me."
"Sweetie, with the way you talk about her, I may have to give her parents a call and tell them the wedding's on the way~"
"Mom, you know we're too young for that stuff!" Izuku shook his head frantically, having been caught off guard by that statement before he willed himself to stay calm. "B-Besides, I… we're both happy with what we have right now. We'll just see where this takes us, I guess."
"I know, sweetie. I just wanted to know what do you think of Setsuna-chan and what you want to do with her," Inko laughed, before she donned a more curious expression. "I do have to wonder if Setsuna-chan's parents know about Izuku, though. Maybe we can even have a big family dinner altogether!"
"Is that all you wanted to tell me, Mom? Setsuna's waiting for me outside…" he asked, shifting his attention to the door for a brief moment. He was already tempted to leave because it was obvious that his mother was going to tease him now, and he didn't want to go through this…
Inko noticed the look in his eye and quickly snapped her fingers in front of his face, causing him to turn back towards her.
"Not so fast, young man. There's one more thing I need to talk to you about."
"Uh, what is it?" he asked nervously.
"I may not have taught you about this until now, but you should always be mindful of what girls want from you, even if you feel uncomfortable around them. I'm not saying that you should ask girls what they want every time they're around but instead, pay attention to how they act. Women are very complicated in what they want other people to see, and that includes myself. Your father knows that more than anyone else."
Despite the confusing topic that his mother brought up, Izuku still listened and took in her words like an obedient son. She did make a lot of sense about being mindful of what girls want from him, yet he couldn't figure out why she was telling him about this now, of all times.
"I think I got it, but… why are you telling me this? Is this about Setsuna?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Inko.
"Maybe. But it's also for you to know what's the difference between those who love you and those who only want something from you, honey."
"…Huh?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Now go on and have fun on your date! Make sure not to do anything careless, alright? I don't think I'm ready to be a grandmother yet!"
"Uh… yeah," he mumbled, trying his hard not to blush at hearing those words but was failing horribly, and no one could blame him for it.
First, she was mentioning marriage and now kids?
It's definitely time for him to go before this escalates to something worse.
"S-See you later, Mom."
Giving Inko a quick smile, Izuku quietly walked out of the house without looking back because if he does, there's no telling what his mother would do.
Closing the door behind him, Izuku took a deep breath and focused his thoughts on something else so he could completely forget his mother's words and get them out of his head. Fortunately for him, the perfect distraction was just nearby…
The moment he stepped out of the house, Setsuna quickly skipped over to her boyfriend and gave him a toothy grin.
"There you are. So, what did you and your mom talk about?"
Izuku only sighed, not wanting to reminding himself of what happened a while ago. "Let's just… go to the beach, okay? I'd rather not talk about it, honestly."
With that, the two continued on their way but just from the expression on her face, it was clear that Setsuna wasn't going to back down. She hugged his arm and leaned against him in a clingy manner, which got Izuku to blush slightly.
"Oh, are you hiding something from me, Snowball?" she teased, wanting to make him feel embarrassed to the point that that he'll tell her what she wished to know.
"N-Not really. It wasn't important and Mom just wanted to mess with me."
"Then that just gives me more reason to find out what you two talked about! I'm gonna make a wild guess and say that you were talking about my good looks while I'm not around."
"Who knows…?"
Izuku only shook his head and focused on what he was supposed to do at this moment, and that is to be a good boyfriend. The more he thinks about his mother's teasing, the more it would bother him and cause him to mess up in some way.
On the other hand, he was also very fortunate that his mother was unaware that her son possessed a very sharp weapon that could kill a person if he wished. If anything, she thought of the katana that he was always carrying as a practice sword, because she would never think of Izuku holding a dangerous weapon.
Izuku was dreading the day that he would have to tell her the truth, which would be after he passes the U.A. Entrance Exam.
Don't talk to me about being too fast, please. Lol. I intend for this fic to be about Izuku being a badass, showing off his power, and just slaying some demons. Romance is definitely not the focus but I still want to give Izuku some personal attachments so that he doesn't make the same mistakes that Vergil does. He won't ever be tempted to fall to darkness or villainy with Setsuna being there for him. Now, I know that Izuku has a natural hero instinct which already makes him being tempted into villainous acts being ridiculous, but he is also keeping Vergil's words in mind. Even if he breaks the law about using quirks in public, he would do it to save people. That part of him can be exposed as something villainous and make him think that the government is the enemy but with the people he cares about, he'll never be swayed. That's all, folks!
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance