Izuku was definitely scared. Or anxious? Maybe both, he really wasn't sure. He was sure that he was dreading this meeting. Maybe that was it, existential dread. He thought that he would be used to that with how the school treated him at times and all, but he was actually used to that.
Even knowing he has Yagi by his side, that the man, the hero, knows he is quirkless but Izuku can't have the weird feeling that Yagi is hiding something. His eyes look at him meanssuring his growth, his worth.
Observing is what he knows to do better, a needed skill to survive being quirkless and at any time someone sees him like a worthless, useless, not worthy- Doesn't matter, the end is the same, Izuku down beaten and the other standing proud of his duty is done.
Everyone sees him as not being valuable by simple signs. He doesn't have a body to intimidade or to fight properly, he doesn't have enough IQ to prove as a genius, and even being a fast learner that stops there. The boy can't master anything.
His journal is already at vol 13 and by all means it is enough to already have an understanding on the limits of his analysis, even being above average and high when compared to a normal person, it is nothing an experience at the front lines wouldn't fill so for heroes it is useless spend so much time in it when they could be fighting and learning by action.
It was expected for him to be the intel of Kacchan when he turned out to be a hero, so Izuku put his everything in it, to walk on the path of being a hero with his friend, with his only friend.
After the first three volumes of his analysis the blonde boy found out that his time fighting at gyms for safety quirk training is on par or higher than Izuku's notes. From there on the nickname Deku makes a lot more sense for both of them.
No food is free.
He remembers his father saying it on his eighth birthday when Katsuki asked the boy to make a party for them. It always turned out to be true because he was just nice for the time being because he misses his mother's food.
So the question still persisted in his mind. 'Why is Yagi helping me? What does he gain from doing it?' When he comes closer to the apartment one idea becomes clear like water. 'He doesn't care if I succeed or not, that doesn't matter to him. He is going to be a teacher at U.A. next year so he needs to put what he learns into test so when he turns out to do the real thing he will not compromise someone with a hero quirk.' His hands turn white around the necklace, frustration building. 'He expects to learn by teaching a worthless boy giving sweet words and warm smiles to make me think he is a kind and good man. If I by miracle become the first quirkless student of U.A. history, even not being in the Hero course, it would prove to the others Yagi's worth being a teacher. I'm just a tool.'
The laugh comes with a lot of emotions burning inside him, an overwhelming amount of information and how things were going that confronting his mother on the other hand was something he was not so much more afraid of. He is afraid of his mother not noticing it and just buys into Yagi's words, or worse, she notices it and doesn't care.
'All moms want their kids success, mom wouldn't be different, she must hates have a worthless-'
Furthermore, he still felt like he was going to hyperventilate again as they made their way to his house. He had to keep reminding himself that Yagi already knew that he was quirkless and even being a tool for the man's future career it is a one in a life opportunity. He had someone genuinely on his side to do the only thing he's ever wanted to do, even being just fake and sweet words he finds worthy believing it.
Inko on the other hand never expected Izuku to come back home smelling like tea and with a big blue scarf she never bought. His hands, trembling a little, grabbing his necklace. An uneasy feeling of coming closer to take her boy in her arms, she comes closer and Izuku looks more terrified each step. It hurted so much to see.
Tears come to her eyes, a sense of guilt, however she is not alone with her child. Behind her little boy is a man that looked more like a skeleton. She was a little cautious, his smile was something that could've been considered a weapon, kind and gentle, sincere, but she could see it's bigger than it has to be. A weapon to get on people's good side, she knows someone who is like that, Hisashi. He was a master in acting and had a smile like that too.
'He wants something. But is acting as a good man for it.'
She thought about how to get his son out there and run, however it was stupid and she knew it. Has nothing in him that would make anyone come to help her even more if he shows to be like a politician like he is showing. Flight is not an option.
"Mom, this is Yagi Toshinori-San. He is a teacher and wants to talk to you." It is a clear speech, unusual, which just makes Inko more suspicious and her worry almost grows. She didn't stop observing the man, but she put a mask on, a smile, a mirror of the one Yagi-san is using.
"Oh, it's a pleasure, sir. You want to take a seat?" Composed, calculated, cold. She starts to analyze every movement of this man and how he acts towards her child. Her small, shy and beautiful son. If she needs what Hisashi gave her-
They came inside and with a bright smile said to the man sitting on the couch asking her son to help with the tea in the kitchen and some snacks. The boy comes energetically.
"Izuku." She looks at him, questions her eyes and worries in her tone.
"Mom I- I don't even know what to say."
"What happened? Why do you come home with someone so suspicious and a politician?! Your father warned you about them and me too."
"He is a teacher, or he will be a teacher, of U.A. Hero course and all."
"Izuku, just heroes can be teachers in hero schools and I would know him because you would tell me about some hero who looks like him eventually. But you never told me a hero with that description."
"I really don't know his hero name. I am thinking about it. But he is really a hero, he used the Herophone in front of me before."
"You knew him before?!"
"Mom, sorry for not telling you everything."
She listens when they start to take everything they need to the guest. Hearing that her son is cleaning the beach and that is where he finds the necklace she almost wanted to squeeze him into a hug in frustration for her son to be in the danger of a place like that.
He said that the man had been keeping an eye on him, even saving him from a microwave that almost hit his feet. She was almost mad at Izuku instead. At least she now knew why he kept coming home with scrapes and cuts, and how he found the necklace she had noticed him holding tight for a while now.
"I will talk to your father about it. Geez Izuku you became insane on going to that place alone? Even before what happened to you?! My son, what is happening?"
Izuku's throat closes and his eyes become hazy again, his hands trembling like it is already winter even being the middle of spring. He didn't know the last time his mother was so emotional, of course, she cries and loves hugs, however never close to what aunt Mitsuki does with him, not like that.
Bitter taste came to his mouth. 'I am really useless.'. He thought. With big pleading eyes he looks at her grabbing her hands with his, something that surprised her and said. "Please, just play with us, he will tell you everything. Please, just think about what he is saying. I beg you mom."
If her son hands with hers she nods even don't like it, when they come to the living room her smile is back and acting like nothing happened. If Yagi listened to anything he didn't say.
"So Yagi-san, may I ask what you do for a living? Izuku said that you are a teacher." Tea is on the table and his son is actually sweating a lot. She is worried but needs to get information about the man.
"Well, I'm a retired hero who now works at UA." Inko made a shocked face for what Yagi expected for a reaction. She wondered what a retired hero wanted with her son, or why he looked as sickly as he did. She's lost and she didn't like it.
"It may be rude, but you didn't seem like a hero material Yagi-san." The man by her surprise smiled by the question like it is a funny thing he never was told about.
"I suffered a major injury a few years ago, and I was forced into retirement, so I'm taking up teaching as a way to pass the time. I had sort of a transformation quirk, so my normal form is somewhat weak looking," He push a little his shirt showing a purple line of skin and flash.
Luckily the boy was looking at the necklace more than on the man. She pushes her worry to the man deep down fighting her urge of helping others. 'That's okay. Just like old times.'
"I am better than it looks. It's just like a scar of a man who got burned, looks ugly, but doesn't hurt anymore." His smiles never fading. Deciding to have her answers she decided to attack. If this condition is needed she can fight him to save Izuku.
"Why are you so interested in my son?"
"Well Miss, he has a lot of spirit." He said this as if Inko didn't already know it, it really wasn't hard to tell that he had a lot of spirit. "He's been cleaning that beach by himself for a little over a month now. If he keeps gaining muscle doing that, like he has already, he would most likely have a better build than most of my actual class if he made it into the hero course. All I really have to do is teach him how to properly throw a punch and dodge, along with a possible meal-plan if he so chooses to follow it, and as long as he can pass the entrance exam he would be good to go in the class itself. And before you ask, even if I knew about the entrance exam, I am not permitted to give any details about it. I could also recommend him to take that exam, but I have a feeling he would want to take the regular entrance exam since if he wants to become the first quirkless hero he has more than a few points to prove." Izuku nods along with that ending statement.
"So you are offering to train my son?" Inko was somewhat puzzled at the man.
"Yes I am Ma'am, he reminds me of myself when I was that age if I am being honest with you. I want him to have the same chance I had along with the opportunity to do better than me because from what I've seen of his notebooks he has a much larger brain than me." Inko knew about the notebooks, of course, but she realized that she hadn't checked them out herself in a good while.
Average is her thought the same time she reads them, and comparing to her husband's work it was like comparing the dirty to the whole planet. However after that she doesn't look more at them, it's just a statement that it wouldn't turn big enough for her son to be in danger or worse, meet them.
If they were able to catch the attention of a former pro hero, then maybe her kid really did have a lot of potential in it. She was still worried about him getting hurt, however how could she not, he's quirkless. He doesn't have any way to protect himself or the information.
"I assume you are still worried about him, correct?" Yagi had interrupted her chain of thought. "I understand, being a hero is quite stressful, but your son has a wonderful opportunity in front of him. If you're worried because of his lack of a quirk status I can go with him into a retest. Mental quirks are difficult to identify and the joint… Well, I know someone who can overlook it. After looking in that notebook of his it wouldn't be a real problem. He could easily pass that off as an analysis quirk of some kind. Even still from what I've heard, that pinky test they used to do isn't very accurate anymore anyways."
She was really thinking she had sold her own son short, and that made her disappointed in herself. She shifted a bit in her seat as it seemed that her interrogation had been flipped to one of her almost.
"I've never met someone with as much spirit as your son, except maybe my own mentor." Inko was so stunned she almost missed the solemn look Yagi had for a split second as he mentioned his mentor, before he went back to normal as if nothing happened. Almost. She was starting to feel quite embarrassed with herself because she knew everything that she was being told by Yagi, but she never thought it would impress a former pro.
When she turned to look at Izuku, she saw that he was gaining some muscle, obviously. But enough to survive villains? To survive an encounter with them? There were good ways to go until the entrance exam as well, so maybe with some strength he could do good, but she still wasn't quite sure.
As if he had read her mind, somehow Yagi spoke up again. "He would most likely have access to a support item as well." Inko began to wonder if he had a mind-reading quirk, and that he had been lying because of how rare they were. "I am not lying about my quirk, ma'am, but it seems I know where your son gets his muttering habit." He says, starting to shake a little from where he was trying to stop himself from laughing. Both Midoriya's started to blush, with Izuku looking away and Inko rubbing the back of her neck.
"When can you get me that meal plan?" Was what Inko said after a few minutes of group embarrassment from the muttering. "If he is okay with it, I guess I can start getting the stuff for it. If you, a former pro hero, really believe my son can be a hero, then I see no reason not to do it. Of course, on one condition."
Yagi had faced many, many villains in his life, but he had never been more scared than at this moment. A decent part of him wanted to go back and fight All For One again just to get away from her stare, but a stomach-sized part of him forced him to stay in place. "He better not get hurt on your watch. I know as a hero he might get hurt, but he is not one just yet now is he?" Yagi gulped. "I thought that he forgot that dream, that maybe he would go to the art college and be a violinist."
She said, bringing the two to look at her confused. "He's all I have left. All my husband and I have left. An cozzy and good job, a happy family that comes to eat here on weekends." She signed. Understanding what's happening and giving her a view of what this man in front of him wants and what her son means by giving it a try. "Better you keep him safe, because if you let him die on your watch, not even All Might will save you." Yagi shifted his feet around a little.
Normally he would take it like a parent trying to show some sort of power to threaten him. Basics of being a teacher, Nedzu said to him. However All Might felt something different inside him, he sensed the energy of One for All running inside without his will to reinforce his physical condition. 'She is strong.' All Might said to him just letting Yagi be more confused. 'She just looks like any other house wife.'
"I understand Midoriya-San. I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn't get hurt, that's why I've been watching him at the beach anyways. As for the meal plan I will get it to you as soon as I can so that he can start on it."
Izuku was very happy at all this. He could barely sit still as he began to tap his fingers and feet. As soon as his mother got up he jumped up and hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you!" He screams.
Inko hugged back, but she and Yagi exchanged looks and didn't believe that he was hugging. He is receiving touch without space out. When he gets out of the hug jumping she touches his shoulder to hold him still, and so he looks at her processing, freezing.
Like she touched lava her hands flew back to her body seeing her boy slowly and painfully getting back, but he acted like nothing happened, smiling and sitting again at her side.
"So boy, are you ready to officially start training to be a hero?" Was all Yagi said and for the uptenth time that day, Izuku Midoriya started crying, this time tears of pure joy. "I'll take that as a yes"