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Inko Midoriya checked the circuits of the new arm she had put together. Satisfied that she had welded the circuits correctly, she lined up the hollow appendage with the socket in Izuku's shoulder and clamped it on. The polymer skin swelled as nanofluid filled it.

After giving the new body a once-over, Inko tapped a button on her computer. Izuku's eyelids fluttered open, and he sat up.

"I am home," Izuku said as he examined the workshop. Prototype weapons and circuit components adorned the workbenches. A large screen brought up blueprints for Izuku's new arm.

"Good morning Izuku. How do you feel?"

Izuku flexed his new arms and legs. "Fully functional. These are a new design."

"I couldn't make you any stronger, so I made you faster instead. It's the best I could do if you'll be fighting villains like the Nomu."

Izuku stood up and stretched his legs. Working his way up, rotating his hips, flexing his shoulders, twisting his back, and curling his arms, Izuku calibrated his new body.

"No faults detected. Everything is fully operational."

"Good. Are you hungry?"

"My battery is still low. Breakfast would help replenish it."

Inko checked the camera before opening her workshop door. Ever since The Incident seven years ago, she made sure no one saw inside her workshop. Bolts clacked open, and the door swung outward with ponderous creaking.

While Inko rinsed the rice, Izuku chopped the vegetables. His knife rapidly sliced mushrooms and leeks into thin slivers. Izuku cracked the eggs, and Inko beat them over the stovetop's flame. With a flick of her wrist, Inko tossed the two omelets onto beds of rice. Izuku filled a bottle with spicy mayo and made even zigzags over the fluffy omelets.

As they bit into the omelets at the kitchen table, Inko asked, "How is it?"

Izuku swallowed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "The omelets are of optimal fluffiness, the rice has the correct texture, and the spices are in their proper ratios."

"I'm glad you like them."

Halfway through breakfast, Izuku set his fork down. "Hey mom, what would happen if the core processors in my head were damaged beyond repair?"

Inko felt herself caught flat-footed by the question. She debated telling him about the backup servers in the basement.

"Why do you ask?"

"The Nomu had sufficient strength to crush my processors. Before that, I had not considered the possibility that I could suffer enough damage to render my mental processes non-functional. I had failed my directive as a hero. Had All Might not arrived…"

Inko reached across the table and touched Izuku's hand. "Sweetie, do you still want to be a hero?"

Izuku looked into her eyes. "I do not want Kacchan or my other classmates to become non-functional. I will become a better hero."

Inko left her seat and gave her son a hug. "Then I'll make sure you have whatever you need to be the best hero there is."

494

I felt in the mood for something more wholesome than the usual insanity. I hope this is a refreshing change of pace.