Chapter 5

After her emotional epiphany, Mina found herself focusing on Izuku a lot more than she used to. It started with small things. She'd enter the common room and he would be the first person she looked for. Or in class in the morning, she'd greet him first with a smile on her face. And then there were more obvious tells. She had started eating with him at his lunch table, she took almost every opportunity possible to talk to him, and she had taken up the habit of walking him back to the dorms after class every day. And all of the attention she was giving him was paying off well; he had become increasingly comfortable around her. And that thought was very exciting to her.

It wasn't like she was actively trying to show him how she felt, she just found herself wanting to spend more and more time with him. She was also spending so much time around him because she wanted to be there when his arm implants were ready. After she had shared his pain with her, she was eager to see his growth and recovery, and the implants were the next step in the process. Of course, there was a lot more to come after, but she would be there every step of the way. Or she wanted to be, as long as Izuku would have her.

The more Mina thought about it actually, the more she could picture herself being his crutch, in more than just this point of recovery too. She could feel it deep in her heart, that she wanted to be there for him no matter the situation or circumstances. Maybe her feelings had grown quickly, but she knew they were genuine. She had enjoyed every second of time she had spent with the green-haired hero. And the warm, fond feelings in her chest had done nothing but get stronger. She felt lighter right now just thinking about him.

Speaking of, she scanned around the classroom for her object of affection. Class was almost over and she would be damned if she wasn't the first person by his side when the bell chimed. She spotted him in his usual seat and smiled to herself. A satisfied sigh found its way through her lips as she gazed at him. As if he had felt her eyes on him, Izuku turned and met her stare. His cheeks dusted a pink color and he fixed his focus afront again. She blushed in kind and tried focusing herself, but she found that math with Ectoplasm was just as boring as it was five minutes ago.

Mina decided that whatever was outside would be interesting enough to occupy the last 15 minutes of class. She caught a glimpse of a couple of birds chasing one another. She followed them with her eyes for a couple minutes before growing bored again. Her thoughts shifted to Izuku again; they were doing that a lot lately. He had become the main focus of her mind lately. She was beginning to worry that the longer she let it go on, the more it would seem like an obsession. So she finally resolved to give herself a deadline. She had fourteen days to tell Izuku how she felt about him. She felt like it wasn't so long that her feelings would grow out of control, and soon enough that she would just be able to get it over with.

Not that Mina was worried about actually confessing. It's not like he had shown absolutely no signs of liking her back…

…

…

Of course she was worried! She had been looking for a sign… any sign that he might like her back! But either she just wasn't picking up on any of them, or he just wasn't giving off any, and she really hoped it was the former. At the rate she was falling for Izuku, a no would be quite painful for her.

She pulled herself from her thoughts to check the wall clock again. Two minutes to go. She began to shift eagerly in her desk, ready to find her way to the greenette's side. She tapped her feet rapidly and squirmed back and forth. She could barely contain herself. One minute to go. One more minute and she could spend some time with her crush. She could feel the excited, nauseous feeling she had grown accustomed to welling up in her stomach. Finally, the school bell rang and everyone began to pack up.

Mina quickly crammed her things into her bag and zipped it up. She hopped over her desk and skipped to Izuku's as fast as she could.

"Heeeeey Midori. Want some help putting your phone away?" She waggled her eyebrows at him, attempting to put some suggestive emphasis on her words.

"Oh, hey Ashido. If you don't mind. It would be a huge help." He had stopped stuttering around her a couple days ago and wouldn't even blush at her minor teasing anymore. To get a rise out of him now, she either had to be very extreme about it, or tease him in front of their classmates. But she was sure she could get him this time.

"Of course. I'm always happy to help Izu." She whispered it in his ear, but just loud enough that those sitting around them could hear what she was saying. She had taken to using this new nickname as a secret weapon of sorts. It always seemed to get him flustered. But today, she wanted to take it a step further. Normally, he would keep his phone in his bag, but she had another idea in mind.

Mina grabbed Izuku's phone and slipped it directly into his pocket, along with her hand. Without removing it, she whispered in his ear once more:

"Is this good, Izu?" He shivered and blushed furiously.

"Y-Y-Yes! That's fine!" Feeling satisfied with herself, Mina pulled her hand out of his pocket before backing up to give him a bit of space. While she really enjoyed teasing him and being close to him, she noticed that her stunt and his shouting had drawn a couple of stares to the pair. And she knew hoe wouldn't want to be the center of the attention like that, so she opted for a strategic withdrawal, but later, she would come back to strike. Once he was up and ready, they began to leave the classroom.

She struck up some casual conversation about the upcoming practical exercise. She was always keen to hear his thoughts on the different exercises they had to undertake, even if he couldn't participate at the moment. She was glad he held no resentment over it either; he really was a good person. And she was sure he'd continue down his path to be the greatest hero of their generation.

On their way out of the main campus building, they were stopped by an unlikely bunch. Mr. Yagi, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Midnight, and quite a few other notable pros stood there waiting. Mr. Yagi approached them and turned to Izuku.

"Young Midoriya. We need to speak with you. In private please." Izuku looked very intimidated. Not by the skeletal man in front of him, but by the cluster of pros behind him. She thought it was a little ironic that he feared no villain, but in the face of other heroes, he was a mess.

"O-Okay." He turned to her. "Um, bye Ashido. I'll see you later."

"Okay. See you later Midori." Mina waved at him disappointedly. She really looked forward to their walk home each day and now it was being interrupted because some dumb adults needed to talk to him about something. They weren't dumb adults; that was harsh. She was just upset that her Izuku time was cut so short. She began to wonder though: what did all those pros need to talk to Midoriya about? It looked to be all the same heroes from the fight with Shigaraki and that had her worried. She didn't want to think about him reverting back to how he was a few weeks ago, so she made an adult decision.

Mina decided to follow the mixed bunch at a distance. Eventually, she watched them head into the teacher's lounge. She rushed over to the door quietly and pressed her ear against it gently. She was determined to find out their real motive. She heard Mr. Yagi first.

"…so Young Midoriya, these pros just have some debriefing questions for you about the fight with the Paranormal Liberation Front."

"O-Okay All Might." The first to speak next was Endeavor.

"Boy. What was Shigaraki after? What is… 'One for All?' I heard him mention it and I know you know what it is. So tell me."

One for All? What was that? She had never heard that before. Maybe this would reveal some juicy secret about Midoriya that no one else knew… That got her a bit excited.

"Um, well… All Might, is it okay if I tell them?" He sounded really nervous and submissive and the fact that he had asked Mr. Yagi for permission to speak led her to believe that Izuku had been sworn to secrecy over this "One for All" thingy they mentioned.

"Yes, Young Midoriya. It's important that these pros know the true motivation of the League of Villains. So please, go on."

"O-Okay. 'One for All' is the true name of my quirk." W-What?! WHAT?! The true name of his quirk? He had been lying about his quirk the entire time?! Why?! Her mind was running a mile a minute now. Endeavor spoke again.

"It says here that the name of your quirk is 'Superpower.' What do you mean by all of this?"

"W-Well, 'Superpower' is actually just a cover. 'One for All' is a special quirk. It wasn't mine originally. I-I was actually q-quirkless growing up, but one day I met All Might. Kachaan was being attacked by a villain, and I just ran in to save him. All Might saw me and saved us, but later he approached me and told me I could be a hero. He told me he could give me his quirk. And so I trained really hard and All Might gave me his quirk, 'One for All.' It's basically a quirk that stockpiles power and quirks and passes them on to someone else."

…

Izuku had All Might's quirk?! He didn't have a quirk to begin with?! That actually explained a lot. Like, a lot a lot. She didn't even know what to do with this information. Best Jeanist spoke next:

"So what did Shigaraki want with 'One for All' then?"

"Um, S-Shigaraki's master All for One actually created 'One for All.' I guess Shigaraki and All for One just wanted it back. For the sake of completing the circle."

Mina was being overloaded with information. Not only had Izuku been lying about his quirk, but he had gotten it from All Might, which explained his lack of a quirk now, and his quirk was created by the scariest villain she had ever seen! She had to get out of here. She had to get somewhere quiet and isolated, and quickly. She shuffled away quietly and once she was sure she was out of earshot, she broke into a sprint towards the dorms.

When Mina made it back to the dorms, she sprinted to the elevator, rode it to her floor, and ran into her room. She was panting and sweating. Once she had started running, she hadn't stopped. She couldn't. She just had to get away from whatever she had just eavesdropped on.

Izuku Midoriya.

The object of her affections.

An aspiring hero at UA.

Who dreamed of being the greatest hero in all of Japan.

Was quirkless.

Or he had been. As she had just learned, Izuku had been gifted a quirk from the number one hero in Japan. And with it he had inherited a centuries long battle with a force of supreme evil, that also happened to be the origin of his power. And he was completely okay with this?! Maybe he wasn't. Had anyone stopped to ask him if he was? It probably didn't matter anyways, because knowing Izuku, he would assume responsibility no matter what. But that didn't make the situation fair for him.

What made her even angrier though, was that he had lost his arms over this insane conflict. Even if it was his fault for blowing his arms up so many times, it could have all been avoided. Should she talk to him about it? Would he be mad that she had been snooping around and listening in on his private conversation? She supposed he would. After all, she had just stumbled on one of the biggest secrets she had ever heard of. She could try and approach it carefully and maybe fish it out of him, but if he was so reluctant to tell even the pros, then what reason would he have to tell her?

That made Mina feel especially bad. She really wanted to be close to the greenette, but if he was withholding information like this, then who knew what else he was hiding about himself. It made her feel like he couldn't trust her completely, and that feeling was so disheartening. She was so wrapped up in her contemplation, she hadn't even noticed she was starting to become hungry. She was only alerted once her stomach groaned loudly. Maybe if she went to make something to eat real quick, she could take her mind off of things for a bit.

Mina made her way back downstairs and into the common area. She headed into the kitchenette and set about making herself a quick snack. She tried really hard to focus on the food cooking on the stove in front of her, but her mind continued to drift back to her current predicament. She then tried to focus on what her classmates were talking about in the living area. From the sound of it, it seemed like they had gathered to study for an upcoming English test. She turned around to get a better look of things and caught Ochaco staring at her. They waved at each other.

"Hey Mina! Care to join us? We're studying for the English exam we have next week." Mina smiled at the pink-cheeked girl. As much as she probably should study for that test, she didn't think being around the rest of her class right now was such a good idea. She was still trying to process a lot of what she had heard and if she wasn't careful, she might let Izuku's secret slip to everyone. And that wouldn't do anyone any good.

"No thanks Ochaco! I've got some other work to get done for myself, but thank you. I'm just down here to grab something to eat." Her friend seemed to accept her refusal and went back to her work. She busied herself once more with the food simmering on the stove. She gently stirred the pot one last time before she pulled a bowl down and dumped the contents into it. She then poured a small glass of juice and sat down at a table to eat.

Mina quickly began to scarf her food down. While she had originally intended to use food as a distraction, being so class to her classmates had given her an itching feeling; the feeling of her desire to divulge all of the sacred information she stumbled into earlier. She heard the front door open and click shut. There he was, his green hair giving him away immediately. She gasped and ducked under the table in an attempt to hide from him.

Mina watched Izuku walk up to the rest of their class.

"Hey everybody. Have any of you seen Ashido?" He was looking for her! Oh goodness. She had to find a way out of here.

"Hey Deku. She was just down here cooking something to eat. I haven't seen her for a couple minutes though. What are you looking for her for?" It almost sounded like Ochaco struggled to get those last couple words out. Weird. Mina made a mental note of that.

"I was with her earlier, but I had to speak with All Might about something important, so I just wanted to check back in with her. I'm gonna go see if she's in her room. Thanks Uraraka." So he left out the bit where he spoke with more than just All Might. He didn't want to tip anyone else off and because he met with All Might frequently, that sort of line wouldn't draw any suspicion towards him. She tried to obscure herself a bit more under the table as she saw his legs begin to make their way towards her hiding place. Suddenly, when they were just in front of her, his legs stopped their loose march.

"Hm. This must be her food. She probably left it here while she went to go get something. I should just wait for her here instead then." Mina panicked as she saw the chair directly in front of her slide backwards. Before she knew it, Izuku was sat in the chair in front of her and he was sliding forward. He ended up smacking her in the face with his knee.

"Ow!" She jumped backwards, knocking the chair behind her down.

"W-What was that?!" Izuku peered down. Their eyes met. In sequence, his face went from confused, to surprised, to panicked.

"A-A-Ashido?! Are you okay?! What are you doing under the table?!" Mina scrambled to get out from her hiding place and stood upright immediately, nursing her face with her hand. It didn't hurt too badly, but the shock of the situation caused her to subconsciously rub herself. It took her a moment to realize, but he had just asked her a question hadn't he?

"I w-was… was hiding." She found herself unable to come up with a lie and in her haste to fill the void of silence, instead told the truth.

"Hiding? From what?" Now she needed a quick lie to respond with. She couldn't say the class. They were all sitting not even twenty feet away, so the table wouldn't make any sense. She could try saying Aizawa, but that wouldn't make much sense either; he was most likely in a faculty meeting. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that the truth was probably the most obvious answer, even to Izuku. So instead of answering his question, she decided to deflect and change the subject.

"M-Midori! I need to talk to you about something!" Mina's nerves were causing her to yell her words for everyone to hear. Now the class was staring at the two of them. They had probably noticed Mina's sudden attachment to Midoriya and were now interested to see what she was going to say to them. Too bad this was a private matter; they would have to wait. So she pressed the green-haired hero for privacy also.

"In privacy please, Izu." She finally softened her voice and grabbed his shoulders, making direct eye contact with him. His cheeks became dusted with a pink hue, most likely a result of her using his favorite nickname in tandem with her tender touch.

"O-Okay. We can go to my room if that's okay with you?" She nodded.

As the two left the room, a few of their raunchier classmates chorused in saying "Oooooo." Mina did her best to ignore it, but felt her face growing hotter with each second spent downstairs. She rushed to the elevator and called it down for her and Izuku. As soon as it arrived, they both hopped in and she pressed the button for the second floor. He cut into the silence first.

"Sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to knee you in the face. Are you okay?" She had almost completely forgotten about that in her rush to leave the common room, but she wasn't in any pain.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it Izu. See?" Mina brought her face close to his, putting them only about six inches apart: plenty of room for him to study her face extensively. They were both blushing now, but she was relishing in his embarrassment.

"I-I see. I'm glad you're okay." He backed away from her and she felt a slight pain in her chest. They arrived at their stop and made their way to Izuku's room.

Despite all the time she had been spending around him, Mina found that this was still only the third or fourth time she had been in his room. Somehow, it felt a little scandalous for her to be here, like she hadn't yet earned the right to be in here yet. Still, Izuku had been in her room several times, and he never really seemed to make too big of a deal about it, so she didn't understand why she felt this way. She just chalked up to the nervousness of being here to have a "private conversation." She was sure that most of her class thought she had brought him up here to confess some deep-seated love for him, but that would have to wait for another day. She had something different in mind for today. She needed answers. She needed the truth. And she was gonna get them.

Mina thought for a second. What would be the best way to start this conversation? Jump right into it, or ease into it slowly? She supposed either way this was going to catch him off guard, so she chose at random.

Upfront it is.

"Izuku."

"Y-Yeah?"

"What's 'One for All?'" Her friend blanched at her sudden question. She imagined if he had been taking a sip of something, whatever it was would be painting the wall in front of him. His reaction brought an odd level of satisfaction to her. He stuttered for a moment, clearly unable to find any words to say to her. He continued for like that for a moment before he finally collected himself.

"W-W-Where d-did you hear t-that from?!" Izuku's stutter was back in full swing. Mina was sure that if he could, he'd be flailing his arms in panic right now. She decided to play stupid.

"I don't know. I can't remember, but that doesn't matter. What is it? I know you know." She pointed a finger at his chest and moved closer to him. She wasn't going to back down now.

"I-I've never heard of any quirk named 'One for All!'" Aha! She had him now. One little slip up and her attack was complete. She smirked at her prey.

"I never said anything about a quirk, Izu…" If it was at all possible, she could've sworn his face had gotten paler. Was it bad that she was starting to enjoy this a little too much?

"I… I, uh… Oh alright. Y-You got me. My quirk's name isn't 'Superpower;' i-it's 'One for All.' I don't know how you found out, but that's not really important right now anyways." Izuku was utterly defeated and it was by Mina's hand. She was excited to be getting the truth out of him. Maybe this would bring the two closer?! She could barely contain her bubbling enthusiasm at the prospect. He continued after a momentary pause.

"This power, it wasn't originally mine. You see, I was born quirkless, but I always wanted to be a hero. So I kept on dreaming and believing that I could, until one day I met him. All Might. He was my idol. It was on a day like any other. I was attacked by a villain whose quirk made their body into sludge; they were trying to force their way into my body to take control of it. I thought I was a goner, but then, All Might showed up and in no time, he had defeated the villain." His expression was hard to read at first, but it quickly turned into one of pain. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"As he was leaving, I grabbed onto him out of instinct. I had to ask him something. When we finally landed on a rooftop, he transformed, and I saw the truth finally. All Might was not as perfect as everyone thought he was. But I had to know. I asked him… I asked him if I could be a hero, even without a quirk. And he said no. Just hearing that brought my whole world to a halt." Izuku stopped again. It was obvious that these memories still held a lot of weight to him. Not that she could blame him. Growing up quirkless was hard in a society where most everybody was born with a quirk. To be in the minority of the world often led to oppression and pain for those involved. She felt her chest clench in anger at the thought of her Izu growing up with that weight on his shoulders. She scooted closer and pulled him into a side hug; she wanted to do something to comfort him but wasn't sure if it would be enough.

"After that, I didn't know what to do, so I just started heading home. On the way home though, I saw the villain again. They were attacking Kachaan, and before I knew it, I was running in to help him. In the end, I didn't make much of a difference, but All Might told me that if I hadn't have done what I had, he wouldn't have been inspired to intervene. Later, he approached me again and told me that I could be a hero and… he told me he could give me his quirk. 'One for All' is a power passed from person to person, getting stronger each time. All Might was the eighth wielder of this power and I'm the ninth. That's the truth behind my quirk."

"Wow. That's… that's a lot. But, I'm glad you told me that." Mina squeezed against him harder for a moment and he relaxed against her. Somehow, after hearing it from Izuku, the information seemed so much less overwhelming to her. And she definitely felt closer to him. She just hoped he felt the same way. Not just about this, but about her feelings in general. She liked him, a lot. And she wanted to know if he felt the same, but just the thought of telling him was too much for her; it would have to wait for another time. For now, she would just enjoy his company.

Mina snuggled into him a bit more and sighed in content. She could stay like this forever, but that was unfortunately not possible. Suddenly, Izuku's phone dinged.

"One new message from… The Greatest Inventor Ever." She raised her eyebrows at the rather unique name the device had just uttered, before she realized who it was referring to. Hatsume! She wasted no time in pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning the screen on. She tapped the notification banner and read the message out loud for the two of them to hear:

"Hey Midoriya, it's your favorite inventor in the whole world. I just wanted to message you to let you know that the prototype arm skeletons are done. You can swing by tomorrow to come test em out if you want. Just text me back and let me know."

Tomorrow was going to be eventful.