The ride to his house was surprisingly quiet. The detective; Tsukauchi, rarely ever spoke up, as he kept his eyes on the road, which left Izuku the perfect opportunity to focus on his hero notes.

He glided his mechanical pencil across the notebook's surprisingly well-made paper. Thoughts repeating themselves. Sentences are overlapping. Theories being tested. He was losing his grip on reality as he immersed himself in his little world filled with notebook paper and pencil scribbles. Yes, this was a sandbox, and he was the shovel.

"You love heroes, Dontcha?" The detective, in a rare moment, took his eyes off the road, as they approached a red light.

"H-How could you tell?" Izuku was starting to get weary… Not many people knew of his very profound love for heroes. Even the people from his school, excluding a select few of his classmates. Did this detective know him? Had he been stalking him earlier? Come to think of it, he did feel the hairs on his neck rise up a little right as he was marching home with Melissa from yesterday. Had he been watching them from a distance?

"Oh… right. What I said must've sounded creepy, right?" Izuku silently bopped his head, as his pen stopped scribbling away in his notebook. "Hero Analysis. Volume fourteen. For the future."

Of course, anyone would be able to notice his fixation on his heroes if they just simply took one look at him. That is to say, one look at his notes. He practically kept writing in the damn thing 24/7. Of course, someone would notice it eventually. Kacchan and the others could, much less a detective, who had an eye for this type of stuff.

"Yeah… I've been writing about them for ages. How do I say this? I really love quirks… I mean, I mean…" Izuku paused, as he waited for Tsukauchi's response, and smiled once he nodded for him to continue. "They're awesome. Who wouldn't love quirks? You have one right?"

"I do. It's not particularly strong, but it suits this line of work."

"It suits it…? I thought the police couldn't utilize their quirks without specific permission from their superiors."

"It's complicated. Let's just say that there's no real reason for me not to use it. Besides, it's not like I can turn it off."

"Oh, so it's a passive quirk?!" Izuku nearly jumped up from his seat, not even noticing how close they were to the street of his apartment.

"Yeah. It gives me quite a bit of leeway. It's helpful for gathering the correct info on a crime scene. Come to think of it, I think I'm due for a slight promotion because of it." Tsukauchi grinned while scratching the side of his cheek. I don't get paid enough for this, to begin with… He sighed.

"'Correct'"? Izuku asked with a slight hint of suspicion.

"Oops! I've said too much…" The detective defused the situation with a small chuckle. "My quirk… I'd like to keep it under wraps, if possible. The more people which know about it, the less effective it becomes."

"I see… that's quite the handicap." Although, what would be a handicap to someone who doesn't even have any type of superpower?

After a few more minutes of driving, Tsukauchi's foot lightly touched the brake pedal, and the car came to an abrupt stop. "We're here."

Both the detective and Izuku stepped out of the car Izuku took a deep breath. "Haha… mom's gonna kill me…" He muttered to himself, in a despaired tone. He had a look on his face that just said 'I'm screwed.'

"How about I walk you towards your floor?" The detective asked.

"W-What...?" Izuku unconsciously took a step back. He… couldn't just ask the man for more when he's done so much already, right? He didn't use people. Not directly, at least.

"Your floor. Would you like me to walk you there and explain the situation to your mother? She's probably concerned for you, right?"

"..." The awkward silence between them put Izuku on edge for a few seconds, but he had long since learned that the detective meant no harm, and only wished to help. Why else would he bother going to such lengths if his intentions were elsewhere?

At the very least, any skepticism on Izuku's part was greatly diminishing the more time he spent with him, mostly thanks to the smile on the man's face. "We're on the fourth floor… let's hurry."

"Great." Izuku motioned for the detective to follow him, as they neared his apartment complex."Ooh! The elevator is finally working again!"

"I'm guessing that it's out of order very often?" Tsukauchi wondered as they bordered the elevator, punching in the button for the fourth floor.

"Yeah… it's kind of annoying actually," Izuku groaned a sigh of relief, as he leaned back against the elevator's wall. "There's a lot of stairs for some reason. It's exhausting to take them, especially after I go for my morning jog on Sundays."

That was surprising. From Tsukauchi's view, it looked as if Izuku lacked any sort of muscle on him. "You exercise?"

"I do. At least, on the weekends. Although, it's mostly aerobic stuff." There was a quiet chime as the elevator stopped, as the two reached their destination, before walking up to the dark oak-colored door.

Izuku, at first, offered to ring the doorbell. Knowing his mother, he figured that he was probably incredibly worried about his well-being and whereabouts. The smart thing to do, at least to him, would be to reassure her that he's alright.

The detective, or rather, Tsukauchi himself had a different opinion on the subject. "It might be easier if I just answer first, and explain the situation with you beside me. That way, she won't jump to conclusions at first."

"A-Alright…"

The detective nodded. And after three consecutive knocks, and a few footsteps from inside, the door cracked open. "Hello…?" And out came a voice.

"Hello, mam. I am Detective Tsukauchi. I'm here with your son," The tension which was kept between the two lessened considerably. "He said he was over at a friend's house."

"Is that so…?" The door was now wide open, and Inko stood out, clad in a pink nightgown. She cast Izuku a look that said "we'll talk about this later" before smiling at the detective. The strangest part of Izuku was that she didn't even look stressed or worried.

Which was a miracle in itself, given their shared habit of combusting into tears if exposed to even the slightest amount of stress. Either way, the expression on his mother's face was not a normal one, and that put a strange feeling in his stomach.

"Right, right. Come on in. I just finished preparing some tea, actually. It'd be a shame for it to go to waste."

"..." Both the detective and Izuku went silent, but for different reasons. Izuku, because normally, his mother would be smothering him in hugs and tears the moment she caught sight of him after being gone for so long.

Tsukauchi was silent for all but obvious reasons. Simply because of the fact that the woman wasn't even unnerved that Izuku spent the entire night at a friend's house without her knowing. His gut was telling him that this reeked of something… less than acceptable, for the role of a parent. But his face remained completely impassive, almost as if he was used to this.

"...Very well." It wasn't the first time that he was invited over to a stranger's house as a guest. His gut was telling him that something interesting would anyways.

He and Izuku both walked into the moderately sized apartment, kicking off their shoes, and walking towards the living room table, where a small kettle of tea was placed in the middle. "Green tea…?"

"Not for you, unless you shower. You smell terrible." Izuku flinched and Tsukauchi grinned.

"Fair…" He agreed. It's been nearly twenty-four hours since he last bathed himself. The least he could do was brush his teeth and wash his face.

I could use a good shower anyways. He thought while disappearing into the hallway.

"If I may say, this tea is nothing short of extravagant. Where'd you get it?" Tsukauchi nearly fell out of his chair the moment his tongue met the cup. He had never tasted tea this good in his life. And he had tasted a variety of brands, to boot.

"The supermarket, actually. I just modified it and added some of my own blends. The key to it is monitoring the temperature just right. Personally, I do it electronically. Makes it easier, and simpler to create."

"Interesting, I see… I suppose your son is just as good at making tea as you are then, Midoriya-san."

Inko laughed, and with a wave of her hand, disagreed. "I'm afraid that he has a long way to go before he gets on my level. Although, truthfully, I don't think tea-making is his strong suit. Or any type of cooking, really."

"That so?"

"Yes. In a way, I suppose you could consider it both a blessing and his flaw. Strictly speaking, his grades are fantastic, he's smart, and there's no doubt in mind that he could easily make it into a great university, but I don't think doing so would truly make him happy… he's that kind of child."

"I see…" Tsukauchi smiled bitterly, setting his cup of tea on the table. "Right, he wants to become a hero." It wouldn't be the first time that he's encountered somebody desperate to become a hero, more so than most. But why did she sound so sad though?

Inko was hesitant to confirm his suspicions at first, but she eventually nodded. "Yes. Even despite his… for lack of a better term, disadvantages."

"You're saying his quirk isn't suited for hero work, correct?" Tsukauchi sighed and relaxed on the sofa. "That's… kids got it rough. Although, I've seen how hard your child works, Midoriya-san. I'm sure he'll pull through."

Inko blushed. "Oh, that's quite flattering of you, Tsukauchi-san, but no, that's not what I'm saying," Tsukauchi raised a brow. "He's quirkless. Ever since he was four, he… The doctor said he had no chance. And ever since then, he's been trying his best." Inko shuddered with every word spoken, as her grip tightened around the mug holding her beverage.

Tsukauchi grimaced, as he took his fedora off. Christ… this kid really does have it harder than most. He sipped the remaining bits of his tea, downing it instantly, to try and drown the quiver rising through his throat.

"It's heartbreaking, watching him push on, knowing that he may never succeed. Again and again. Coming back every day a little more bruised than before." Inko took a pause and pressed a handkerchief to her eyes. "Sorry, detective. It's just… it's hard for me to openly talk about it. Even around Izuku."

"It's no problem. I deal with this kind of stuff on a weekly basis. Comes with the job, really," The detective sighed, rubbing the bottom of his chin. "So, he's quirkless? Can't say that I've met that many kids who are like that."

"Because of the discrimination?" The temperature between the two dropped almost instantly. Inko's words already amplify the already chilly atmosphere of the room.

Tsukauchi tensed. "You could attribute it to that. But for the most part, it's because there aren't many quirkless people running around these days. Most of them are elderly, or middle-aged. The whole "twenty percent" of the population thing is kind of inflated, because most people who are quirkless live in third-world countries, or places like Africa, where a good chunk of the population doesn't have a quirk factor.

Inko scoffed. "They don't tell you this on the television."

Tsukauchi chuckled, shrugging. "Yes, well… they aren't the most reliable of sources. They don't tell you anything they don't want you to hear, really."

Inko chuckled to herself, turning away towards the television, which was currently displaying the news. "Clearly. I guess this is why you can't trust the media. I would have never learned of that had you not just told me, outright."

"It's not a problem. It's basically public knowledge anyways. You just have to really dig to find any statistics. One thing's for sure, the internet certainly isn't much help-"

"Breaking! Breaking news! Just now, former pro hero, Lady Nagant, has been arrested, on several accounts of murder. One of them is the former vice president of the Hero Public Safety Commission, more widely known as the HPSC. She was taken into custody this morning after she was found standing in a room, with several of her aforementioned victims."

"Speak of the devil's name and he appears…" Tsukauchi groaned. "Who would've thought that their own employee would… goodness. I feel sorry for whoever has to deal with the paperwork of that."

"Lady Nagant…? Wasn't she the hero who was part of the team responsible for taking down the brunt of the yakuza, a few years ago? Why would she murder her superiors?"

"Don't know. Maybe that'll be addressed in court. Regardless, I never took her for the type that would just snap like that."

"You worked together?" Inko titled her head, in confusion.

"A couple of times, yeah. She was a real help to take down all of the big-name yakuza still hanging around a few years ago."

"So I've heard. Apparently, it took the combined efforts of her, All Might, and Endeavor, to take down all of their organizations."

Tsukauchi nodded. "Indeed. Even when accounting for All Might, if we didn't have her, the operation would've likely failed. Never took her as a person who would murder someone like that. She was a pretty charming lady, actually."

Inko pretended to ignore the slight blush on the detective's cheeks, as she rolled her eyes.

"We just went out for a cup of coffee a few months ago. She seemed fine, why would she do something like that? Something's fishy."

Inko saw Tsukauchi briefly tense, in what looked like a painful grimace. It didn't take long for her to figure out that the two must've been close. She wouldn't dare press him for it though. I'd probably do more harm than good anyways.

Tsukauchi sighed, as he set up from his seat and headed towards the front door. "Well… I guess I should be going. I'll have to dig into this. It is my job, after all. If you'd like to contact me," He took out a card from his trenchcoat and handed it to Inko, "Here's my card. Numbers on the back, just give me a call."

He gave her one last smile and was about to turn the knob on the door before Inko stopped him. "Thank you. So much. For… everything. Just you behind here feels like a weight's been lifted off of my shoulder. Really, I can't thank you enough."

Tsukauchi disregarded her compliment completely with a wave of his hand. "It's no problem. I was just…" He took a pause for a moment. If he was being honest with himself, his being here had almost nothing to do with his job.

Inko rewarding him for giving him a ride to Izuku. Her inviting him in for tea and him accepting it. Him relaxing on her sofa. Him also consoling her. He didn't have to do any of that. All of that was something that a hero would do.

And he was anything but a hero. Just someone who picked up their slack, their leftovers if anything.

Well, I guess it's not wrong to help a few people here and there. Tsukauchi smiled, waving Inko goodbye, before taking one final step out of the door, closing it on the way out.

A certain swell of uneasiness swelled up in Tsukauchi the moment he went down the first flight of stairs. Maybe it was Nagant. Izuku, Inko, or both. Perhaps it was just the fact that he had encountered a quirkless kid struggling in a suburban residential district that irked him.

Whichever the case, he had a lot on his mind. And a lot to unpack once he got back to his apartment. That much was certain.

The shower head hissed with steam as he cranked the hot water nob all the way up. The droplets condensing against the curtains, hitting his skin like rainfall easily washed away any of the tension that had been accumulating in the back of his mind.

He exhaled the hot air back out, leaning back against the bathroom wall. Damn. We're all out of apple-scented shampoo… Oh well, blueberry would do.

A good few minutes spent in the shower and washing himself up always helped organize the jumbled mess which was his thoughts after a long day of school.

Hmm… we're out of the body to wash too? Guess I'll just use the soap. He'd have to buy some at the convenience store later on he figured. And while I'm there, maybe I should grab some tea… bags.

Shit.

The shower wasn't working. If anything, the only thing it did was allow some of his thoughts from the previous night to resurface. I slept over at a girl's place… and also held a conversation with one. He didn't know how to feel about it. He didn't know what to think of Melissa after all of that.

It felt like his face was about to melt off with how hot his cheeks felt. He must've looked like a tomato. Or a… very angry piece of broccoli. Either could work.

He could still feel her fingers combing through his hair. Brushing against his curly locks, and rubbing his scalp. I'd be lying if I said it didn't at least feel good. And the lap pillow too. Most of his classmates had probably never received a lap pillow in their entire life.

He wanted to feel good, about finally having something over Katsuki, his classmates, or hell, probably most of the school, but couldn't. The heat of his cheeks combined with the blistering hot temperature of the shower was starting to exhaust him.

Okay, that's enough for now… or maybe even today. He twisted one of the shower knobs backward, cutting off the water to the shower head first, before getting turned off the hot and cold knobs second.

He stepped out and breathed a huge breath of steamy air. Drying himself off with a towel, before using it to cover his body. He then proceeded to march towards his room, to clothe himself.

After opening his door and completely drying off his wet hair, he picked out a few clothes for himself, and collapsed onto his bed, completely and utterly exhausted from the day's events.

He was wearing his favorite tracksuit. If he wanted to, he could probably march right out of his apartment door and head back to Melissa's place, but that would be horribly inconsiderate to his mother, who he forced to wait at home for at least several hours, while he was sleeping over at Melissa's.

Well, no one can blame me if I wanted to organize my thoughts first… There wasn't much to organize, chronologically speaking.

He was sleep-deprived, so Melissa, in an act of kindness, invited him over to her house, where he fell asleep for a couple of hours. He woke up to find himself resting on her lap, and her fingers digging into his hair. They held a few conversations that night before he went to sleep.

Aside from the lap pillow and hair rub, it was pretty uneventful. That said, he did find Melissa's company to be… somewhat comforting in a way. After all, Melissa was someone who didn't mind talking with him. Someone who didn't berate, insult, or belittle him. They just talked, smiled a couple of times, and seemingly, had a good time.

Maybe… maybe he could even consider her as a friend at this point. He wasn't sure if Melissa held the same feelings for him as he did for her, but she was at least nice to him this time. Unlike all of their other encounters.

And of course, there was Schrodinger. Who he was always happy to interact with.

Melissa [9:32]

U home yet?

For some reason, he had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't the only one whose mind was filled with fog.

Mido [9:33]

Yup.

He sighed, placing a finger on the call button. Welp, time to face the music.

Melissa never really liked having long conversations. They were boring and uninteresting, and after a while, they just began to drag on. Past their expiration date, in which neither party knew how to end the conversation.

And from what she could tell, Midoriya Izuku felt the same way. He was talkative, sure, but was shy and never really liked taking the lead in conversations. Almost as if he never knew what to say.

Hence, their current situation. "So, this Bakugo guy… you've known him since kindergarten?"

"Yes. Well… really, it was since we were toddlers. But point is-"

"You go way back?"

"Yeah…"

"It's strange because despite the amount of history that I'm sensing between you two, he just… he sounds like," Melissa took a temporary and short paused, and prepared herself what she was about to say. If she was lucky, this wouldn't rub him the wrong way. "He kind of sounds like a real asshole to be honest," Melissa said with absolutely zero hesitance as she slurped a mouthful of her oatmeal. "I met a few kids like him back in grade school. They're so annoying. No offense to your relationship with him, of course."

What offense was she even talking about? From the way it sounded, Izuku had little reason to respect Katsuki. Oh well, best to play it safe. Can never be too cautious around a guy which broke into your home, stole your cat, and named him Schrodinger…

While she had dealt with her fair share of bullies in the past, she certainly hasn't dealt with someone as rude and provocative as Bakugo. After being on the phone with Izuku for nearly ten minutes straight, and listening to him explain his experiences with him, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration.

Melissa never had a thing for public schooling. Sitting in a classroom all day and listening to someone blab their mouth all day long about mathematics, literature, and science sounded excruciating to her. Especially if she could outsmart the entire class, including the teacher.

But if she was in Izuku's shots, she'd rather deal with just that than be forced to put up with some hot shot explosive punk who thinks he's the 'shit,' as she put it.

A rude, explosive, annoying, ignorant, blasphemous, irresponsible piece of shit who doesn't know how to treat people weaker than him.

Yeah, I'll just stick with homeschooling, thank you very much.

Melissa heard what sounded like a muffled sigh from her phone. "None taken…"

Phew! That's a relief. I wonder why he still sounds so annoyed though

"To be honest, jerk is putting it mildly…" Oh damn, the feeling was mutual between them. Should she be surprised?

…Probably not.

" To tell you the truth, I don't really hate him. He's talented, his quirk is really strong, he's smart, and… he's nice to my mother at least, but for some reason, we never really got along."

"And you still hang out with him?"

There was a deathly silence between the two, as the conversation paused. Then, Izuku spoke up. "Well… I'm not saying he's a good person but-"

"Are you kidding?! How can you put up with this? At some point, you'll have to put your foot down and say 'enough is enough and stand up for yourself. You just… can't keep admiring someone who treats you like this."

She left out the part about his blatant unawareness of his own Stockholm syndrome. For now at least.

"I don't know… I've never really seen Kacchan in a negative light before. I'm not saying that I appreciate his company, but really, he's sort of like… an inspiration to me. Even with all of the bad stuff he's said."

"An inspiration…?" So he viewed someone who abused him on a daily basis as 'an inspiration.' I can't tell if this guy is crazy or just delusional… Maybe both.

"It's… complicated. When we were kids… we both vowed to start our own hero agency together. Back then, we saw each other as equals. Not friends, perhaps not even acquaintances, but we respected each other. I used to follow him around all of the time because…"

"He was strong… even as a kid, I get the feeling that maybe you saw him as more fearless and braver than you'll ever be. I bet that you looked up to him a lot, the same way you look up to All Might."

"Exactly that," Melissa grimaced upon hearing that. "Other than All Might, Kacchan was the only person that I can really look up to and aspire to be like. He has everything I lack. Strength, an amazing quirk, and confidence…"

To Izuku, Bakugo was both a nuisance and an inspiration. A double-edged sword that was both an ideal to look up to and a constant source of abuse and frustration. A perfect role model, not because of his personality or attitude, but because of his accomplishments and work ethic.

"I see… so it's not that you like Bakugo, it's just that-"

"I don't really hate him either. I respect him, both as a person and as someone who I can look up to get and get inspiration. I just wish he saw me in the same light…"

"Izuku, that's-"

"Weird? Strange? I know we may not have the best relationship, but to me, Kacchan is one of the only people present in my life that keeps me going. Aside from All Might and my mother, that is. Despite everything that he's said, he's still important to me."

"No, Jesus Christ Izuku. That's…" Melissa paused mid-sentence as her hand rubbed against her forehead. That is fucked…

"I know our relationship may seem unorthodox to you, and m-maybe it is, but he's an inspiration. And a pretty damn good one too."

The phone line went silent a few seconds afterward. Not a single word was spoken, nor was a single word heard. This is terrible. Melissa thought. How does he live like this? This isn't acceptable.

"Um… how about a change of topic, what does he inspire you to accomplish?"

Izuku hummed a low tune as she could hear notebook pages fluttering open. "Hmm… tough question. For the most part, I've always focused on my hero notes. Kacchan has wonderful control over his quirk, so I've spent years analyzing his fighting style. Just as I do for everyone else whose quirk I see."

"Right, you've said that was a hobby of yours… But do you ever, you know… exercise? Brains aren't everything. From what you've told me of this Bakugo guy, he doesn't just seem smart, but extremely powerful too."

"He is!" Melissa could almost envision the stars appearing in his eyes in her mind. "He's… I've never seen a stronger student than him. His quirk… everything about it is amazing."

"You said he sweats nitroglycerin, right? Hmm… that does seem impressive."

"It's not just impressive, it's incredible! Not many heroes can become airborne, and yet he's able to do it relatively easily by just detonating a few explosions to propel him upwards. His speed isn't anything to scoff at either. I once saw him travel across an entire city block in just a few seconds with a single explosion propelling him forward. Oh, and his offensive power is just-"

"Amazing too… yeah, I get it. Everything about this Bakugo guy is mesmerizing in your eyes. But what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Like I've asked before, have you ever exercised? Got into bodybuilding, put on a bit of muscle? If Bakugo is an inspiration to you, then there's no reason for you to sit around all day doing nothing but writing down notes and gawking at how amazing he is."

"..." Izuku could only go silent. Everything that Melissa said was true. If he truly looked up to Bakugo or even someone like All Might, it'd be best to start training his body. Pushing it to the limit, instead of just wasting his time feeling sorry for himself.

After all, brains will only get you so far without the brawns to back it up. That was undeniable.

"...It's a work in progress." He whispered it so quietly that Melissa barely managed to hear it.

"What do you mean?" Melissa stuttered out, confused.

"I just… don't know where to start. Don't know what type of equipment is cut out for me. I haven't even created a training plan, nor have I set any real goals beyond just getting… you know, super buff."

"Everybody starts out like that. Trying to discover themselves, and what works best for them. It sucks, but that's how life works."

"True, true… I guess even someone as talented and skilled as you or All Might must've worked hard to get where they are now. Nothing comes free."

Melissa chuckled, pretending to ignore the slight burn on her cheeks. "You don't have to flatter me…"

"I'm being serious though!" He yelled through the phone, catching Melissa off-guard. "I bet you've worked your butt off to get where you are now. Your work… it's not something that just anyone could do. I bet all of that hard work is paying off to some degree, right?"

"It is." Melissa couldn't deny that for the past few weeks, she's made some progress in her studies. A few breakthroughs, and a few experiments going successful. Everything has been going well for her, with minimal failures. "...Well, what about you? Do you ever try hitting the gym? I'm sure that would help you."

"...No. Memberships are expensive, and so is the equipment at my local sports store. My allowance wouldn't allow me to afford it even if it was at a reasonable price. I'll be broke for the next few months, unfortunately."

Of course, his being broke was a result of his obsession with All Might merch, but he'd never admit that. Not to her at least.

"Who says that you need equipment? Try calisthenics, and see how that works out for you. I've seen few guys get absolutely shredded from doing that."

"...Hmm, good suggestion. I'll search for some guides and advice on the internet. I frequent a few forums, and they talk about this stuff frequently. Some of the moderators are also retired heroes, so maybe I could ask them for guidance on this…"

"That's a good idea. As long as you're not overworking yourself, I'm sure you'll become… uh…" Melissa stuttered for a few seconds, trying to find the right word to encourage him."Fit! I wish you luck!"

"Oh, um… thanks?" Izuku thanked her cluelessly, wondering what drove her into such a stupor. "Although, I'm not sure if I'll achieve decent results. Getting in peak physical shape, let alone bulking up, normally takes years to accomplish."

"G-Give it ten months! I'm sure you'll be satisfied with what you've… accomplished." Melissa pretended to ignore the way her cheeks burned when pictures of a not-so-skinny greenette popped into her head.

"...Good luck to you too I guess?" The phone line went dead for a few seconds, neither teen opting to bid their goodbyes. "Well, goodbye then, Melissa-san."

"You too, Izuku-san!" And the phone line went silent for what must've been the sixth time that day… until Melissa pressed her thumb over the hang-up button, ending the call. She pretended to ignore the honorific she attached to the end of his name.

Melissa sighed, placing a hand around her custom-made mug, and downed a mouthful of hot cocoa.

She sighed again, then downed the remaining cup.

"Bulking up, huh? Dear god, this is going to drive me crazy…" She said aloud.

A/N: Before I talk about anything else, I think I owe everyone currently invested in this story an apology. It's been… a rough few months. Between the amount of crap that I've been forced to shoulder with academics, coupled with my own personal drama, and other projects, I just couldn't find the time or motivation to get this chapter out sooner.

Part of this being so late can be summed up to writer's block I guess. I've been working on this chapter for over five months, and for a while, nothing ever seemed to click with me. Not Melissa and Deku's relationship, Tsukauchi being shoe-horned in (not that it's a bad thing), and most of all, Deku's inner conflict with himself concerning his dream.

You wouldn't believe me when I say I had to scrap around five hundred words worth of unused content in this chapter so that it would make sense given the character development that I've given to Deku and Melissa. Yeah, writing this chapter was just THAT tedious…

It certainly doesn't help that I've been trying to learn how to draw for nearly a year now. I've also been busy as a writer in other categories beyond this story in particular. I don't know, but I thought it was a good idea to start a completely new fic concerning Deku being shoehorned into another series to satisfy my imagination.

There are just several unpublished works sitting in my Google Docs waiting to be published on this site. If there's any consolation I can give you guys, it's that I am absolutely terrible when it comes to managing my fic.

Sorry for the mini-rant, but I feel like I just needed to get this off of my chest, since this chapter has been sitting at the back of my mind for over a month now, just waiting to be published. And now it is.

But anyways, this is where things will start to take a turn in the story. It wouldn't be a BAMF Deku fic if he didn't even eventually enter SOME type of sigma male grindset… a grindset that involves him trying (failing) to get in peak physical shape in as little time as possible.

U.A is just around the corner, and he's just beginning to enter his adolescent years as a middle schooler, so now is the best time to grind his fucking ass off in hopes of being buff enough to muscle through U.A's entrance exams… as a Quirkless student.

And no, I won't be adding some plot armor into this story which involves turning Deku into some type of superhuman who's at the same time, just a regular human who trains his ass off. It defeats the entire point of the narrative I have planned.

Will he ever be as strong as Bakugo, physically speaking? Probably not. But will he be the strongest student in the prefecture, disregarding anything related to genetics, Quirks, and plot armor? Maybe. A lot of people seem to forget that it wouldn't really be hard for a regular human to walk up to someone who has a quirk, and beat the shit out of them if said quirk wasn't combat-oriented.

If you were to put someone like Mineta or Uraraka in a ring against someone as good as Mike Tyon or the GOAT, Muhammad Ali, they'd likely lose, due to the sheer gap in fighting experience and lack of physical prowess.

So yeah… just wait and see what I have planned for our green-beaned cinnamon roll. And keep an eye out for Melissa and All Might as well. Things are about to heat up really fast.

PS: sorry if there are any grammatical errors or parts in the chapter which have missing text. I reread this a couple of times to see if the writing was sound, but there are probably gonna be a few errors or two.