Inko immediately held up her hand.

"I don't necessarily mean romantically," she told the girls, "Though if any of you are thinking about that, I would be happy to discuss it with you more privately."

She watched as all of the students blushed, except for Jirou-chan. Inko knew what Tsuyu's red cheeks meant. And given the way Ami-chan was glancing at the others, and the intensity of Uraraka-chan's forehead to neck coloring, she had a good idea of what the two of them were feeling. Yaoyorozu-chan appeared to be the opposite, rather than thinking about her son in any way, that tallest girl was simply embarrassed to be talking about boys with friends.

Inko could not get a good read on Cassandra or Mikoto. Those girls' blushes could go either way in her opinion.

"It is just," Inko continued, then she paused, "I was going to say my Izuku has had a hard life. But that isn't fair to children who are abandoned. Who don't have enough food or a roof over their head. Izuku has had more than his share of troubles, but I made sure he was always cared for, even if I couldn't always support him like I should have."

They looked at her curiously.

"Izuku always wanted to be a Hero," she said, "But I just couldn't support him, could not tell him that he could be a Hero. Because Izuku is Quirkless. It is easy forget with the power The Gamer gives him, but he doesn't have a Quirk. And because of that, he did not have friends. He has not been treated well or fairly by the children around him. Because of that, he is both cautious around people, but also desperate for friends."

Inko looked at them sternly again.

"That is what I meant," she told the ladies, "Do you want train with Izuku, to be classmates who work together? Or do you genuinely want to be his friend? It is fine either way. Izuku won't reject you, if you only want to use his power to get stronger, as long as you keep it secret. And I won't force you to leave, as long as you treat him kindly. I just ask you to think about it, and not lead him on."

They all considered her words.


I was jogging to Ichiraku, but my mind was going even faster. Mom obviously wanted to talk to them about something, without me there. But what?

If it was a sitcom, she'd be telling them an embarrassing story. Like the first time I had an American hamburger. But my life was more like a hero manga or American comic. Though there was that one story where Peter and MJ told Normie about when toddler Mayday discovered her wall crawling.

No, more likely I had done something, and Mom was apologizing. Like calling them all by their given names. Sure, they had all said I could. And Tsu and Mikoto had been pretty insistent. But maybe I had been too forward with the others. That, or maybe it was in the dungeon. I had tried to ask and suggest instead of giving orders. I could have messed up, been too rude and commanding. Or had I been looking at them inappropriately? It could have been any number of things.

Of course, maybe I was just being self-centered and a little paranoid. She could have wanted to talk about something that would have been embarrassing if I was around. Tsu had told me once, that Mom had lectured her about not having the right workout clothing. Especially wearing a normal bra instead of a sports bra. And yes, I knew that the last part was the real reason she told me the story. And Mom was even more into the fashion world now. She could be giving the others the same talk, especially in light of them needing to borrow gear. She could have been measuring them for new outfits.

"Hello, Midoriya-kun," Ayame's voice roused me from my thoughts, as I entered the store on autopilot.


Ichiraku Ayame
Quirk: Butcher
Her Quirk lets her cut meat and even bone with her bare hands, better than any metal or ceramic blade. But it doesn't work on anything alive, and only works on animal tissue, so she still needs a knife to chop veggies.


I liked Ayame. She always treated me normally. Part of it was because her father Teuchi, the shop's semi-retired owner, was also Quirkless. But mainly, she was just a nice lady. She also insisted I call her by her first name, telling me that 'Ichiraku-san was her father' more than once.

"Hello Ayame-san," I smiled at her lightly, "How are you?"

"Fine," she smiled back, "And you?"

"Good," I told her. She lifted two bags onto the counter. I had already transferred money from my Wallet to its physical counterpart, which I took out of my pocket.

"This is a big order for you two," she said, "Is Inko-san making that recipe she won't share again?"

"Probably," I nodded, "But we are having a study group at my place, since they didn't let us stay at school today. So this is to feed everyone. We still hope to have some leftovers."

"Oh, I heard about that," she said, and shook her head, "The press breaking into UA... And I thought that they weren't supposed to become part of the story themselves."

"I guess they got too worked up?" I said uncertainly. I handed her the money, and she gave me the change.

"So this study group," she asked conspiratorially, "any girls in it?"

I could practically feel myself start to blush, only to have the cold spike of Gamer's Mind shut it down.

"Yes," I chuckled weakly instead, "Tsu, and a few others."

"Really?" she grinned. Then she looked past me and her smile slipped. The cold in my spine hardened, even before I glanced back.

They were wearing matching green leather jackets, black ball caps, and had a bandana of their noses and mouths. The first one in was fairly tall and muscular, with tufts of dark blue hair showing under his hat. The second one was shorter and very skinny, with longer, off-white hair.

Most importantly, the bigger crook was carrying some kind of small revolver, while the second one had a hatchet.

"Analyze," I whispered.

[Name: Iori Junpei
Race: Human (Quirk metagene positive)
Age: 23
Level: 13
Health: 144/144
Stamina: 99/99
Quirk: Cash Register
Call tell approximately how much money he can get out of something or someone: less than 1000 Yen; 1000-5000; 5000-10,000; 10,000-50,000 and so on.]

That was the small guy.

[Legal name: Tatsumi Kanji
Villain name: Brick House
Race: Human (Quirk metagene positive)
Age: 25
Level: 16
Health: 233/233
Stamina: 160/171
Quirk: Brick Built
He can turn his arms from the shoulder down into clay bricks. No increased strength or defense, it is mostly cosmetic.]

The bigger guy was a bit tougher. I could have easily taken them both, but I was worried Brick House might shoot at Ayame first. I didn't think I was faster than a speeding bullet. I also might have gotten in trouble if I used my powers, but I was less concerned about that.

I suppressed the urge to sigh, on the off chance that would set them off.

"Girl!" Brick House barked, pointing the gun right at her, "Empty the register. Now!"

'Can someone please call the police?' I asked my Party silently, 'Ichiraku is being robbed.'

'Right now?' Kyoka countered, shocked.
'Are you okay?' Ami demanded.

The others remained silent.

'I'm fine,' I told them, as Ayame piled the money on the counter, 'Just a couple of crooks. The only problem is one of them has a gun, and I'm afraid Ayame might get hurt.'

'Not you?" Ochako asked.

'No,' I said flatly, 'with TK Armor and Gamer's Body, he'd have to hit me with all six shots to hurt me enough for it to show. And as soon as he was out of bullets, I'd take him down.'

"What is this?" Brick House snarled, "There's only like twenty-five thousand here. You said this place was in the one to five million yen range."

He glared at his partner.

"It was," Iori-san protested.

"Is there a safe in the back?" the gunman demanded.

"There is," Ayame said gently, "But I just sent my assistant to make a deposit and get change for the week, so it is empty."

He didn't appear to believe her. But Ayame was saved when Iori-san gasped.

"It's the kid," he pointed his axe at me, "He's worth 1 to 5 million."

I frowned. I didn't have anywhere near that much money on me. But I did have it in my Wallet. I was planning to go to the bank later this week, since Wallet didn't earn me interest. So I had almost two point five million yen in there. Could his Quirk somehow sense that, too?

"Take out your wallet, brat."

I relaxed slightly as Brick House pointed the pistol at my chest. And I did as he demanded.

"Toss it to my partner," he continued, and I complied. Iori-san looked inside.

"He's only got 27 hundred in here. But I'm still seeing him as worth a lot more."

"You holding out on us punk?" he asked, shoving the barrel closer. Almost close enough... Then he seemed to think of something and pulled back.

"Maybe he's worth that as a ransom?" Brick House prompted his accomplice.

"Never seen that before, but maybe," he kept rooting around in my wallet, and then his eyes widened nervously, and he said, "He's a UA student..."

"What..." Tatsumi-san looked surprised and angry, and his finger tightened on the trigger slightly.

Step 1A: Grab his right wrist with my right hand and force the weapon up. Especially important in the case of a gun, so if he does get a shot off, it won't hit anyone. Step 1B: Use left fingers to hit the pressure points on the back of his hand and wrist, loosening his grip.

Steps one successful. He dropped the gun.

Step 2A: As he watches his weapon, release his wrist and palm strike to the throat. Step 2B: Kick the weapon away. In this case, under the counter towards Ayame.

Steps two successful. Gun is out of play and target is partially incapacitated (HP reduced by 42%).

Step 3: Observe secondary opponent.

Second opponent is frozen in fear and surprise.

Step 4: Double punch to primary opponent's stomach.

Step four successful. Target is unconscious and bumped into second opponent as he fell.

The hard, mechanical feeling faded with Brick House, and more importantly his gun, out of play. I looked at Iori-san with caution. And part of me wondered if there was a way to keep Gamer's Mind from affecting me that much.

"Please, just drop the axe and sit down next to him until the police arrive?" I asked him. He looked at me. Then at his partner. Then at me again. Finally, he tossed the hatchet to the floor, just outside his reach. and he curled up on the floor.

"Wow," Ayame commented, "Did you even use your Quirk?"

"No," I told her, "Just martial arts. I don't have my license, so using my power would be illegal."

Iori-san whimpered.


After giving a statement to the police and getting my wallet back, I headed home. Between Ichiraku's cameras, and Iori-san admitting to everything, there wasn't much they needed from me. They asked if I used my Quirk, and I honestly told them no, and then showed them both my Tactile TK power and my martial arts skills to prove it.

Ayame also replaced our food, and as soon as I was safely alone, I popped the new bags of ramen noodles, broth, and toppings into my Inventory. That way it would be hot and fresh.

Despite my having kept them informed as the incident played out, I was nonetheless swarmed when I entered the apartment. Tsu and Ami were first, and my other classmates were close behind. Mom stayed back, wearing that expression. The one that said she was going to be strong and supportive, even though she was secretly worried.

I also noticed that they had all changed back to their uniforms, and Mom into casual clothes.

"No bullet holes," Tsuyu reported after giving me an embarrassingly thorough pat down.

"His HP is full," Ami added, checking the Party tab.

"I'm fine," I reassured them, "They weren't a danger to me. I was just worried Ayame might accidentally get shot."

"Shot... Bullet holes..." Mikoto's eyes narrowed, "You didn't say anything about a gun."

"Yes I did," I frowned.

"We might not have mentioned that," Ochako realized.

"I have TK Armor and Physical Resistance," I told the electrokinetic, "And it was a small caliber revolver. Even if he hit me all six times, I don't think it would have put me too far below half HP. Considering the blasts I took from Bakugou's doppelganger."

That seemed to calm her, and the others, too.

"Still, that was dangerous," Momo said, "Why did you stop them in the end?"

"One of them had Quirk, that seemed to sense about how much money I had," I explained, "It could even see what is in Inventory, in my Wallet. Since they couldn't see that, they decided to try to ransom me. And they saw my student ID. Between those two things, things were about to escalate. And since the one with the gun moved closer and pointed the gun at me, I knew I could grab it. I didn't use my powers. I would have if I had too, but it wasn't necessary."

I looked at them all, "It was my fault they were in there, the one sensed my Wallet from outside. So I couldn't let them do anything to Ichiraku."

They didn't look convinced.

"Skills," I ordered and the screen appeared. I held down the button next to Physical Resistance, putting my unassigned points into it. Then the rate they were added accelerated and instead of bumping it up to 50, it was at 63 when I jerked my finger off. Then, partly to have a round number, and partly to save face, I bumped it up to 70.

"There," I tried to comfort them more, "Now I'll be even safer."

Ami and Ochako looked pleased. But Tsu and Mikoto both looked exasperated.

"That's not what we wanted," Tsu said, "We want you to stay out of trouble."

I did it again. My weakness to upset women...

[+1 Intuition]

Still, I put on a strong expression, and looked at my best friend firmly.

"We're trying to be Heroes," I said, "Staying out of trouble is not par for the course."

"That is true," Mom agreed with me sternly. Then she smiled to lightened the mood and continued, "and it all worked out fine in the end. Now, let's eat."

"Where is the food?" Kyoka realized. I took the bags out of Inventory and maneuvered over to the table.

"That reminds me," our newest member recalled, "you promised to tell us just what all you have in there."

"Dinner first," Mom instructed.


"Okay, well," I was kind of embarrassed, so I stalled a bit. They were all staring at me expectantly, even Tsu and Mom who should have known all of this, and Cass who knew most of it.

"So, in the first column, I have a twenty-five gallon water barrel. It takes up two spaces. I used to have gallon jugs, but I could only stack up to three of them in a square, so this works out better. It's mostly for paper or fire enemies, but we can also drink it."

"Paper enemies?" Ochako asked.

"He mentioned them from the kung fu skill book," Momo reminded her.

"Oh, the origami ones," she said, "I didn't know you were being literal."

I nodded.

"Under that, in the last row for column one, I have two steel folding chairs. To sit on if needed, to put the barrel on, or as back up weapons."

"The second column is supplies. A twenty-four pack of sports drinks in assorted flavors... though there's only fifteen left right now. Then three boxes of fruit and grain breakfast bars, and lastly two boxes of almond and dark chocolate granola bars."

"We should reimburse you for the bars and Gatorade you have given us," Ami suggested tentatively.

"You don't need to worry about that," Mom told them, "We generally give Izuku all of the spare change, since it is his dungeon. So it all works out."

"Right," I agreed with her, "So, the third column is survival gear. My first aid kit, a survival knife that dropped in one of the dungeons..."

This wasn't the one from the first dungeon. It was a slightly larger one with storage in the handle for fishing line, a compass, and a couple of metal spikes.

"... and a tent set that we mainly have for the tarp and the ropes. Fourth column is my stuff: my workout outfit, a spare set of casual clothing, and a stack of notebooks. The first one is my latest Hero Note, but I also have seven blanks, in case I need paper for anything. Fifth column I have a pencil box with assorted writing utensils, and a 20 cm ruler. I also keep one of Mom's workout outfits, and one of Tsu's there, though they aren't there now after our run earlier. And the last column is usually empty, for whatever items I need to carry temporarily."

I gestured at the remains of our meal as I said that.

"So are you going to start carrying outfits for all of us," Ami asked, blushing slightly.

"There isn't exactly room," Mikoto pointed out before I could.

"Given the fact that some items stack," Momo mused, "and some containers can hold multiple items, there may be a more efficient way to do this. Like if we can fit the food bars, notebooks, pencil case, and survival knife in a backpack, even if the pack ends up taking two squares, it would save three spaces."

"Except that if we need any of that stuff quickly," Tsu countered, "Izuku would have to take it out of Inventory, then out of the backpack."

They spent the next hour discussing how to use my internal storage. Some people might think I should be annoyed that they were telling me how to use my power, and to carry stuff for them. But I was just happy to be helping my friends. And a little embarrassed by the amount of women's clothing... and underwear... I was probably going to end up carrying on me.


Earphone: What do you think about all that stuff Momidoriya said?

Spoiler: What do you mean?

Uraraka O: About having crushes on him?

Earphone: Partly. I mean, if this is really mostly about being friends, why are we all girls?

Creati: We did set up the study group with mostly girls. He has been the only one of our male classmates to regularly attend.

Earphone: That is true. But still.

Froppy: It's because Izuku doesn't like boys.

Earphone: (roll eyes) That's obvious.

Froppy: :( That's not how I meant it.

Railgun: I think I get what you mean, Tsu.

Creati: What did you mean, #Froppy?

Mercury: No real names in chat, please, #Railgun.

Railgun: Sorry, I kinda forgot because of Ura O.

Zer0 G: Sorry, is this better?

Earphone: Much cooler.

Earphone: And I'd also like to know what you meant, #Froppy.

Froppy: It's not really my story to tell, and it is third hand. But #Mercury can back me up, and Railgun saw some of it, too.

Froppy: Remember, Izuku only got The Gamer last year. When Inko-baa-chan said Izuku didn't have friends and wasn't treated fairly, that's an understatement. His father basically moved away because Izuku is Quirkless. And he was bullied quite a bit.

Mercury: Mostly by the boys. They treated him very badly. A few of the girls were nice to him, but most just avoided him. The teachers were the same. The male teachers mostly supported and encouraged the bullying, while the female teachers stopped it when they could, and comforted him when they couldn't.

Railgun: Those jerks at the arcade.

Mercury: Who?

Froppy: Izuku called him Long-fingers.

Mercury: Bakugou-kun's lieutenant. He took over after Bakugou-kun died, but he was even worse.

Railgun: IDK. I thought Izuku did a pretty good job of putting him in his place.

Froppy: But that was after the UA Exam. And he mostly did it for me.

Creati: So much for Japan's supposed anti-bullying campaign.

Zer0 G: Quirks are still fair game...

Railgun: :(

Earphone: So no positive male role models or even friends? I can see why prefers to be around girls. I almost regret making that 'harem' crack.

Creati: What?

Railgun: Really?

Zer0 G: Really?

Railgun: Jinx.

Earphone: Yeah, I accused him of trying to put together a harem, and told him I wouldn't join. Maybe I should apologize.

Spoiler: And to Froppy, too.

Froppy: Why?

Zer0 G: Aren't you and Izuku... together?

Froppy: No. We are friends, and we both like each other. But Izuku hasn't had a good model for romance either, so he's not sure what he's feeling is love, and not just friendship and a helping of attraction. And I can't say I'm much better. Plus, we want to focus on classes, since getting into UA was hard, but actually attending UA is even harder. So no, Izuku and I aren't dating. Maybe we will. Or maybe we will decide we are just best friends. And if any of you really are interested in him, don't hold back on my account.

Froppy: Besides, I wouldn't mind if Izuku had a harem, as long as I was in it.

Railgun: Really...

Earphone: Seriously?

Mercury: You would be okay with that?

Froppy: Maybe harem isn't the right word. I don't mean like a real harem, where a king or someone forces a bunch of girls to serve him. Or like an anime harem, either. But a relationship where more than two people are together, and they all are either in love, or are good friends who support each other? I think that sounds pretty good.

None of her friends responded.

Froppy: I mean think about it. Let's say, just for example, #Mercury and I were both in love with Izuku...

Spoiler, Railgun, Creati and Earphone all mentally parroted 'for example' with varying degrees of sarcasm. But none of them acknowledged it.

Froppy: She is my friend too. I care about her. I wouldn't want her to be hurt, by having to see us together, by me forcing them apart. I think I would almost rather step aside, so they could be happy. But I wouldn't really want to do that either. I'd rather both of us date him, trying to help each other get time. And when Izuku isn't around, the two of us could still hang out, be friends, and commiserate about our boyfriend challenging a gunman without his powers because it might get him a slap on the wrist. Maybe it's because I'm part frog, and they aren't exactly known for monogamy. Maybe it's because my parents are happy, but they aren't around very much, either me, or each other. But I think it could work. Especially with a good guy like Izuku.

Spoiler: That actually doesn't sound too bad.

Creati: The extra support system would be good. Especially for working heroes.

Railgun: Or raising children.

Earphone: I'd be more willing to buy it if there were any examples of it working.

Earphone: In the real world I mean.

Mercury: Uther.

Creati: Oh.

Zer0 G: Who?

Creati: Uther Pendragon. Founder and president of Round Table Industries. He's a British industrialist. Famous for being a major factor in the UK's resurgence and expansion. And also for having two wives.

Mercury: Sort of wives. The UK still does not allow polygamy. So the three of them have a ceremony once a year. First Uther marries Igraine. Then they immediately divorce. Then he marries Vivian. Then they immediately divorce. The three of them all live together, and despite the best reporters' efforts to prove otherwise, are in love and happy together.

Zero G: Wow.

Earphone: I can't tell if that is incredibly romantic, or just totally messed up.

Creati: I found an interview with Vivian. "Igraine and I were best friends, but we both liked Uther. So we all discussed it, and agreed to casually date, to determine if one of us liked him more, or he liked one of us more. But after a couple of years, we didn't seem to be going anywhere. I set down and thought about it. I realized I didn't want to be hurt, but I also didn't want to hurt my best friend. I went to Igraine and talked to her about it. She had been thinking something similar. And also, she pointed out that Uther worked late a lot and traveled frequently, so if it was the three of us, we wouldn't be lonely when he was away. As we talked we realized things could be pretty rough for Uther. This was the early days, when his company was still expanding and had a lot more pressure from established competitors. And we weren't sure if either of us could support him alone. So we went to him. And we talked. It took a while. And it can be a lot of work at times. But I'm genuinely happy, and can't imagine a better life."

Zer0 G: Wow. Again.

Froppy: There you go.

The conversation ended there. But all of the young ladies kept thinking about it.


"Alright," Aizawa-sensei told us in his normal, tired tone, "First thing, you all have to go home after classes again."

"Are the teachers still attempting to determine what happened with the press yesterday?" Iida-kun said quickly.

"The principal and Snipe are still looking into it, but that's not the reason," Aizawa-sensei answered, "No, 1-A has a special training lesson tomorrow. It's going to put you through your paces, so the others want to make sure you are well rested. Personally, I don't care."

"What kind of special training?" Mo-chan asked.

"It's a surprise."

'Has Aizawa told you about tomorrow yet?' All Might asked a few minutes later in Guild chat.

'Just that it is some sort of grueling, surprise training,' Jirou answered first.

'Good,' we could hear All Might's grin, 'I wanted to request that you don't do any dungeon runs either. You will definitely want to relax and get a good night's sleep.'

We glanced at each other, wondering just what we would be facing.


I was the first one of our group through the lunch line and seated. Ami joined me shortly thereafter, with a slightly nervous look.

And since no-one had told me otherwise after whatever Mom had wanted with them yesterday, I was going to keep calling my friends by name, until they ask me not to.

The bluette took the seat next to me. Which was unusual, since they had normally ceded that spot to Tsu.

"Izuku-kun?" she prompted nervously, "I was wondering, since we are supposed to rest today, and I think this would count... There is this bookstore I like to go to. Not the normal chain store. This one has a lot of second hand books, and even old and antique volumes. I thought there might even be some of them that might be special skill books, like the kung fu one. So I was wondering if you would like to go there after class? With me?"

It had been fun when we had gone to the regular bookstore last week with Ochako. And I would love to find a place that had whatever those garbled data skill books were.

"Sure," I nodded broadly, "Sounds great."

She smiled back, and began to eat.

Tsu arrived next. She looked at Ami and raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem angry. Instead, she took the spot across from me.

"Hey, Izuku?" Tsu asked, "Satsuki and Samidare have been asking when they would see you again."

"Samidare has?" I blinked in surprise.

"More Satsuki," she admitted, "But he did ask, since neither of us can keep up with him in games like you can. So I was thinking maybe you could come over after school, and help us with a puzzle we've been working on?"

I frowned sadly and glanced over at Ami. She looked down defeatedly.

"What is it?" Tsu asked.

"I already asked Izuku to go out with me after school," Ami admitted, "To a bookstore."

Then she looked directly at Tsu and insisted, "But that can wait. The books won't be going anywhere. Family is more important."

"But we aren't technically his family," Tsu argued, "And you asked first."

"Maybe you could come with us?" Ami suggested, "We could spend an hour or two at the bookstore, and then you can go see Tsuyu's siblings?"

"Do you have to pick them up early?" I asked Tsu, "Or do they have the late pick up today?"

Their school had been inconsistent lately, due to one of the teachers going out on maternity leave.

"Actually, my mom is in town, and she is picking them up today," she answered, "So we can do what Ami suggested."

Then Tsu looked at Ami, and added, "And you could come over, too. If you want."

"Is that okay?" Ami looked surprised.

"Of course," Tsu said happily, "You are my friend, too. And it will be great to have a genius help with the puzzle, especially when my brother drags Izuku away."

"Thank you," Ami smiled, tearing up, "I would like that very much."


I would never have found the store on my own. It was on the second floor above a women's clothing store. It had no outside label. It was hard to even tell that there was an outside way to get up to the store. I had probably walked by it dozens of times. It looked like it would be a small store, but small stores sometimes had the best finds.

"I wouldn't have thought this was here," Tsu unknowingly echoed my thoughts.

"My mother showed me this place," Ami said, "She knows the owner."

We walked in, and looked over aisles of shelves. At the front there was a desk, and behind it a woman in a silk kimono. She looked like she was probably in her early thirties, had a long hime cut on her jet black hair, and had a dynamite figure. She regarded us deep, knowing, amber eyes. Though they narrowed slightly and focused intently on me for a moment. I shuddered, almost wondering if I was being Analyzed.

"Good afternoon, Mizuno," she addressed Ami in a husky, sensual voice, "Are these your friends?"

"Yes, sensei," she nodded, "This is Midoriya Izuku and this in Asui Tsuyu."

"Welcome to my store, Midoriya, Asui," she inclined her head to us, "Please feel free to have a look around."

We began to wander around, but I couldn't resist looking back and whispering, "Analyze."

[Legal name: ?
Race: ?
Age: ?
Level: ?
Health: ?/? (1XX %)
Stamina: ?/? (1XX %)
Ki: ?/? (1XX %)
Psions: ?/? (1XX %)
Mana: ?/? (1XX %)
Quirk: ?
A woman of power and mystery. Or maybe just a really good obfuscation Quirk.]

I frowned, but decided to focus on the store. After wandering up and down, we met at the front again.

"This place is amazing," I said, "and huge."

"It feels like it is bigger on the inside," Tsu noted. Ami smiled happily.

"Are you a Timelord?" I asked the owner.

"Doctor Who novels and guidebooks," she said with a slight grin, "Row two, shelf three and half of shelf four."

"More than one shelf?" Ami looked at her in surprise.

"That show has been on the air for two centuries, on and off," the owner sounded amused, "It has accumulated quite the collection of related books."

"That's cool," I said, glancing where she had indicated.

"Actually, sensei," Ami suddenly sounded nervous, "I want to show them the Restricted Section."

She regarded Ami again. Then Tsu. Then she stared at me, longer than she looked at my friends. More piercingly.

"Alright," she finally said. She reached under the desk, and hit a button. A door in the back popped open. Then she handed each of us a pair of white, cotton gloves.

"Touch nothing with your bare hands," she warned us, "I will be watching."

Ami and I both nodded, and we all put on the gloves.

"Forbidden Section?" Tsu's generally impassive voice sounded cautious.

"It is mainly a Harry Potter joke," Ami assured us, "But it is also where she keeps the oldest, rarest, and most expensive books. That's why she doesn't let just anyone in there."

It was impressive. There were a lot of antique, heavy, and leather bound books, like the 'Tao of Kung Fu'. But there were also more ordinary books. Well maybe 'ordinary' would be more correct, a signed first printing of Goblet of Fire was not a skill book and Goblet of Fire was not a rare book in general. But that copy...

"Oh, what's this?" Tsu took down a small, leather book. It looked more like a antique notebook, like the Da Vinci notebooks on display if various museums. She opened in, and flipped a few pages in.

"The Diary of Arsene Lupin the Third," she read.

"The manga character?" I asked.

"According to this," Tsu continued, "The real Lupin commissioned Monkey Punch to write those stories. That way he could be more famous, but have deniability."

"Is it real?" Ami frowned. Tsu handed it to me.

[This book contains the skills Pick Pockets, Pick Locks, Detect Traps, Combat Driving, Parkour, and Disguise. Learning the skills will consume the book. Proceed with learning these skills?
(Accept) (Decline)]

I hit decline, since it wasn't mine. But both girls looked at me in surprise.

"It still might not be real," I whispered, looking down, "Just that it meets whatever prerequisites The Gamer is looking for in a skill book."

"Let's ask," Tsu suggested.

We carried it gingerly up to the front. The owner was smiling broadly. She took the book from us, and opened it to the blank first page. She took out a lighter, and held it behind the page. After a moment, the heat caused letters to appear. A publishing company, publish date, and ISBN.

"This was web novel, created after the original author's death," she explained, "And a limited number of 'real' copies were produced. Though there are those who claim the web novel was written by a real Lupin. I am not sure I believe it, but that was so long ago, it is hard to be sure."

Suddenly I wish I had Analyzed it first. Because if I did it now, I was sure I would get the maybe real, maybe not explanation.

"Still, I would like to buy it," I told her, cringing slightly at the price sticker, "May we leave it here while we keep looking?"

She nodded.

We moved back to the Restricted Section. And after a few minutes looking, I found another amazing tome.

"Elemental Magic Primer," I blinked at the title, and took it out.

[This book contains the skill Elementalism and the spells Flame Arrow, Wind Arrow, Water Bullet, and Stone Bullet. You do not qualify to use this skill book.]

I dismissed the window, and opened the book. It was in a language I didn't recognize. And had illustrations of magic circles, presumably genuine.

"What is it, Izuku?" Tsu came over to me, not that this part of the store was that large.

"A spellbook," I said.

"A real one?" Ami prompted. I looked down at the book.

"I think so," I said softly, "It has a skill and four spells, but says I can't use it."

"Are you going to buy it?" Tsu asked. I looked at the price tag. And flinched again, though I was glad I had all that money in my Wallet that had caused trouble at Ichiraku yesterday.

"Yes. I might be able to use it later, and I really want to see what the Dungeon is like."


I ended up buying some more mundane books from outside the special section, plus those two skill books. Ami and Tsu also purchased a few titles. Then we went to Tsu's place.

Her mom and siblings where already there.

"Onee-chan," Satsuki raised over to the door as soon as we opened it, "And Izuku-onii-chan..."

She trailed off when she saw Ami, and backed away. I touched Ami's arm in support, Satsuki had been shy when she first met me, too.

"Hi, Satsuki, Samidare, Mom," Tsu greeted her family, "This is our friend, Mizuno Ami."

Tsu knelt down to her sister's level, something she had taught me about dealing with kids. It made them feel more at ease when you didn't tower over them.

"Ami is really nice, and really smart. I asked her if she would help us with the puzzle. Is that okay?"

"Hello, Beru-san," I said to Tsu's mom. Like her daughter, she had insisted I call her by name.

"Good to see you again, Izuku-kun."

"Okay," Satsuki agreed softly. Then she waved Ami over. Ami smiled gently and bent over to the girl.

"You're really pretty," Satsuki whispered.

"Thank you," Ami said happily, and blushed slightly.

"Will you two be staying for dinner?" Beru-san asked us.

"Sure," Tsu answered for us.


"There is something I wanted to talk to you three about," Asui Beru addressed her three children after we finished eating.

"Should we leave?" I asked. Ami expression mirrored my statement.

"No, it is nothing like that," she shook her head, "I just wanted to tell them that I am taking a position in the home office, so I won't be traveling any more."

"Mom?" Tsu looked at her.

"We paid off the mortgage," she told them, "And you have been providing money from your job helping Midoriya-san..."

I blinked, unaware that was how Tsu was explaining her Dungeon loot. But it made sense, and I guess it was technically true.

"... So even if I am making a little less, we will be more than fine," she continued, "But you are in high school now, and UA no less. So you need more time for yourself, Tsuyu. And I would like to spend more time with my children..."

Then she trailed off and looked them cautiously.

"That's not a problem, is it?" she asked.

"Of course not," Tsu said. And Satsuki hugged her mom. Samidare tried to look indifferent, but I could tell he was excited, too.


We had barely checked in the next morning, when Aizawa-sensei ushered us outside.

"Alright, line up," Iida-san barked at us, as we moved towards the bus.

"Dude you are the only one out of line," Kirishima told him, chuckling. Iida-san looked around, then pursed his lips.

"You don't need to try so hard," Ochako told him.

We filed onto the bus. On the way, we talked about what we thought the special training might be. After all the rounds of Lions and Gazelles, and the Heroes and Villains last week, we didn't think it would be combat related. The general consensus was that it might be rescue training, but Ashido-san and Toru-san made a good case for dealing with the press, after what happened Monday.

After about thirty minutes, we pulled up to a giant dome. And a familiar figure outside.

"It's Thirteen, the Space Hero," I exclaimed brightly, "The rescue Hero who has saved hundreds if not thousands of people from disasters."

"And nice to meet all of you," Thirteen said, "It is nice to be recognized. As you might have guessed, you are here today to begin training on how to deal with disasters. Heroes don't just fight Villains. They have to deal with fires, earthquakes, and any number of other catastrophes. So using my experience, I have constructed this specialized training facility."

"Welcome, to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint."


Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:

Attributes:
(I)ntuition: 47 → 48
(C)harisma: 33 → 35

Unspent Points:
Skill: 43→ 11

Skills:
Analyze (W) – Battle Scan: 45→ 47
Physical Resistance (E/D): 38 → 70


Author's Note: No, for those who ask after the last chapter, there is no version on Naruto in this story. Or anyone from that series, outside of Ayame, Teuchi, and their restaurant. Not even Hinata. Similarly, the thieves are not indicative of a Persona crossover. I just needed names for them, and picked those two.