Chapter 3 and almost at U.A!
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User/Reviewer Phantom Aficionado: You nailed it! When I was coming up with 'Drift' I also found myself comparing it to the 3D Manuever gear from Attack on Titan. Your review made me feel good about the way I devised the quirk both in its capabilities and how I've shown Izumi using it.
User/Reviewer EndlessChains: Izumi in this story is definitely someone who loves an adrenaline rush. I'm still stuck on pairings but I'll go into that more at the end like usual. Thanks for your reviews as always!
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Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Chapter 3: Tune Up
*Izumi POV*
Izumi hummed while she waited for her stop, she would never get tired of riding on the suspended monorail. Itsuka had messaged her saying she was already waiting for her at the station and Izumi tapped a response back. There was only a few more days before their first term at U.A would start so they decided to meet up to shop as well as enjoy to just enjoy their day out together. Having reached her stop, Izumi exited and made her way down while looking for her orange haired friend.
"Izumi, over here!" Her friend called, walking over to meet her and Izumi happily jogged over.
"Itsuka! Did you wait long?" She asked, hugging the orange haired girl.
"Nah, I only got her a few minutes ago," Itsuka answered, her eyes darting up and down before she circled around the taller girl.
"The heck are you doing?" Izumi questioned.
Itsuka gave her a cheeky smile, "Just making sure you're in one piece. Still got all your fingers?"
Izumi snorted in amusement at Itsuka weird display of caring and teasing, "That's a good excuse to check me out, but yeah still got all my body parts I think."
"Yeah, yeah, glad to see you're doing fine," Itsuka laughed, "Anyway let's get going. Shoes first?" The girl asked, beginning to lead to way while Izumi followed beside her.
"Sounds good. My last pair of sneakers are almost worn down anyway." Izumi agreed.
"That's what I figured burnout queen." Itsuka snickered and Izumi sighed.
"You're not much different," Izumi shot back, "You keep talking about getting a motorcycle and you weren't opposed to the idea of joining in the night sessions."
Itsuka shrugged, "True. By the way we should look at motorcycles too and you should consider getting one with me eventually."
"Wait why would I need a motorcycle?" Izumi perked an eyebrow at her friend.
"Oh come on, we used to ride our bikes together all the time. It'll be fun!" Her best friend assured her. "It'll be like that scene from Bubblegum Crisis that you love."
"Ugggh, how do you even remember that?" Izumi grumbled, that happened like 10 years ago.
"Well clearly you remember it too," Itsuka pointed out, "What were your words? Something about it being the prettiest thing ever and you wanted to do it too?"
Izumi's face flushed and she lightly pinched Itsuka's cheeks, "Is this the mouth that's trying to sully my reputation?" Izumi fumed, her face a dark red while her best friend laughed.
"Which reputation? The adrenaline high one or the closet romantic one?" Itsuka poked and Izumi yelped in embarrassment, curse childhood friends! Well she still had one advantage.
Izumi sighed in defeat and circled around behind the orange haired girl and placed her chin on the top of Itsuka's head, the orange haired girl immediately stilled and Izumi got a wicked smile. Itsuka had used to be taller than Izumi when they were children and they had even been the same height for a long time. Eventually Izumi's growth spurt kicked in and she was much taller than her best friend.
"What a cheap way to win," Itsuka pouted beneath the taller girl.
"Oh hush you deserved it," Izumi said smugly, "I'll pay for coffee later."
"Fine, fine, come on we're at the store already." Itsuka pointed out.
-break-
After having done a good deal of shopping, the two sat and relaxed at the cafe they were in.
"I'm glad we're gonna be in the same class, I don't think I'd survive if we weren't." Izumi admitted honestly. She had a best friend deficiency, sue her.
"Yeah, honestly it would have kinda sucked if we were in different classes." Itsuka agreed, taking a sip of her cup of coffee, "By the way did you get your costume all finished?"
"Yeah more or less, I might make some revisions to it but I want to get Gran Torino's opinion on it to maximize my abilities." Izumi replied, she'd visit the old man tomorrow.
"The retired hero you went to talk to right? Probably a good idea, he's sure to have solid advice for your costume and quirk." The orange haired girl hummed.
Having finished up their drinks the pair left and walked about aimlessly chatting about random things.
"Damn it's getting kinda late." Itsuka scowled and Izumi checked her phone huffing in annoyance.
"Yeah I need to get back soon..." She sighed, "We'll see each other at school though." Izumi reasoned and Itsuka hugged her tightly.
"Yeah, I know." Her best friend whispered quietly. Izumi hugged the girl back, she always missed her best friend.
"I'll call you tonight, cool?" Izumi offered.
"You'd better," Itsuka laughed, releasing the taller girl.
Itsuka escorted her to the station and after another set of goodbyes, Izumi was off.
-break-
As usual she had to switch lines a few times but now Izumi was on her way back home. She hadn't been paying much attention to the people around her but the girl sitting to her side caught Izumi's eye.
Her pale gray hair was slightly parted only showing one of her eyes which was blue with slight bags under them. What had caught Izumi's gaze was the girl's notebook which had what looked like a costume design on it and the girl seemed to be making slight revisions and additions. Izumi stared intently at it trying to piece together what the girl's quirk could be, she always did like quirk analysis. Eventually the girl turned her gaze upwards and trained her tired looking eye on the greenette.
"Ah sorry for staring," Izumi apologized, "I just noticed your costume design so I was curious about your quirk and what hero school you might be going to."
The girl's eye shone in understanding, "I will be attending U.A's heroics course in the next few days. I take it you also have the honor of partaking at a hero school?" The girl inquired. She seemed a bit, wordy.
"U.A? What a coincidence I made it into their hero course too." Izumi informed her, "I'm Midoriya Izumi, I'll be in class 1-B."
"Pleased to meet you, My name is Yanagi Reiko," the girl introduced herself, "I am also in class 1-B so we will have the pleasure of being classmates." Yanagi added.
"That's great! I look forward to being classmates Yanagi-san!" Izumi smiled, "Oh, my best friend Kendo Itsuka will also be in 1-B with us." Izumi added, perhaps the three of them could be friends.
"I'd be pleased to make her acquaintance when we meet." The gray haired girl replied and Izumi smiled once again.
Izumi put a hand to her chin in thought, "Do you live around the area, Yanagi-san?" She wondered, maybe the girl lived close by her.
"My home is further down, in Aichi." Yanagi clarified.
"I guess my stop comes first then," Izumi noted, "I live in Shizuoka. Oh but that does mean we'll ride the train together." The greenette said, Yanagi nodding in agreement.
"I look forward to your companionship Midoriya-san, please take care of me." The girl bowed slightly in response. Izumi had to parse through a lot of what Yanagi would say but once she got the general idea it was easier to understand her.
"Me too Yanagi-san!" Izumi beamed, happy that she had made a new friend who was also going to be her classmate.
The two talked and talked, swapping contact information and what their respective quirks did. They talked so long that when Yanagi moved to get off, Izumi finally realized that she'd missed her stop ages ago. Frantically, Izumi started speaking rapidly in embarrassment and Yanagi gave her a slight chuckle. Oh well, at least she made a friend, Izumi thought.
-break-
Izumi was about to say her greeting when the door closed in her face and she snorted in irritation.
"Open up would you? I promised I'd visit and I even brought taiyaki!" Izumi yelled, slightly pounding on the door. She saw the door open and Gran Torino grumbled at her.
"I wasn't expecting you so soon kid," the old man huffed, inviting her inside, "go ahead and heat up some of that taiyaki too."
Making her way inside, Izumi put her stuff on the table and started unpacking the snacks, "I was thinking I'd visit after I started at U.A but I wanted to get your opinions on some potential costume revisions."
The old man sat at the table while Izumi searched for a plate, "What? Getting cold feet about using Nana's costume?" He poked, causing her to groan.
"Not one bit, I was just thinking about how to maximize my quirk." She explained, "I added a visor to protect my eyes since I'm constantly on the move at relatively high speeds and I made sure the boots and gloves were a strong material since sometimes my legs and arms scrape close to the ground."
Izumi pulled out some of the heated taiyaki and placed them on the table before moving to do the rest. "So what's the deal kid? You seem to have gotten the revisions done." Gran Torino observed, biting into the dessert.
"Yeah for the most part but I wanted to know if you or Aunt Nana ever had trouble with your capes getting caught on stuff. I love the design but I don't know if the cape is going to get in the way or not." Izumi reasoned, sitting down herself and placing the rest of the snacks on the table.
Gran Torino munched on his snack with a thoughtful look, "I can't remember either of us having issues with it, plus we could us it to obscure our opponent's vision or use it as an impromptu binding," He informed her, "What did you have in mind?"
"For now I'll have it as it is but if it turns out to get into my way then I might keep the design of it but make it a short and loose scarf type of thing. I don't exactly want to remove it entirely but if I have to then it can't be helped." Izumi sighed, grabbing her own taiyaki.
"A fair assessment," Gran Torino confirmed, "Your quirk is different from Nana's so you need to adjust the costume to best fit you. Besides, you'll be the one wearing it."
"True," Izumi agreed thoughtfully, "Anyway did you have any stories or advice from when you were a hero?" Izumi wondered, she wouldn't ask about her Aunt Nana just yet but maybe the old man could impart some old school heroic wisdom.
The old man snorted at her question, "What's there to say kid? heroics has changed a lot since I was active."
"Ah come on, anything would be helpful. It'll give me some insight." Izumi pleaded.
"Fine hmmm..." The old man took a second to think, "Community service is important, and when facing villains hit them hard and fast. Who cares about sneak attacks when lives are on the line. Also the safety of the people is the priority, both physically and emotionally." He lectured and Izumi rapidly nodded in agreement, "What's that smile for kid?"
"Well I'm familiar with doing community service so no problems there and my quirk is based on high mobility and speed so I'm going to keep pushing the limits on it." Izumi confirmed, "A number of heroes now make a spectacle out of capturing a villain but simple, diligent, and effective is definitely best." She continued, see, she knew the old man would be helpful!
"Good that you seem to understand," Gran Torino chuckled, "You all prepared for U.A now?"
Izumi nodded enthusiastically, "Absolutely! I'll do my best!" Having finished that part of the conversation her eyes wandered down, "Wait, when did you eat all the taiyaki!" She whined, how did he eat all the taiyaki?
Gran Torino just laughed at her, "Based on high mobility and speed huh kid?"
"Ugh last time I bring you food old man." Izumi stated, getting a grumpy response from the old hero. She'd visit more often.
-break-
Izumi entered the train when the doors opened and quickly spotted Yanagi. "Yanagi-san, morning" she greeted, taking the spot that the gray haired girl patted.
"Good morning, Midoriya-san. Are you prepared for the day?" The girl questioned and the taller girl hummed in confirmation.
"Yeah! I was a bit nervous but going there with a friend is definitely helping." Izumi told the girl with a smile.
"I agree, I'd certainly be more affected without your presence." Yanagi drawled, getting a slight blush from Izumi.
"Well, let's do our best!" Izumi grinned, gaining a small smile from the other girl.
Izumi took out her phone and shot a quick message to Itsuka.
Multi_Track_Drifting: Just got on the train. Ready for today?
Orange_Punch: Yep, good to go. I'm on my way there too.
Orange_Punch: Sent an Image
Izumi smiled at the picture, it was simply a photo of the back of Itsuka's hand in a peace sign, so she quickly sent one of her own back.
Multi_Track_Drifting: Sent an Image
Multi_Track_Drifting: Btw I'm riding with Yanagi-san right now. The classmate I told you about.
Orange_Punch: Cool, does she want to meet up at the gate with us?
Izumi turned to the girl in question, "Yanagi-san, do you want to meet up with my friend Itsuka? The two of us were going to gather up at the gate."
Yanagi perked her eyebrow slightly before nodding, "Yes I'd be remiss to not greet my classmate and your friend."
"Cool, I'll let her know." Izumi grinned, shooting another message to Itsuka.
Multi_Track_Drifting: She said she'd like to meet up.
Orange_Punch: Nice! I'll see you two there!
Multi_Track_Drifting: Alrighty, see ya!
"If it's alright for me to inquire, how do the two of you know each other?" Yanagi asked, grabbing Izumi's attention.
Izumi hummed in brief thought, "Well Itsuka and I have known each other since we were kids. We both used to go to our grandparents' places during the summer and we just started playing together. We've been friends ever since then." She summarized for the girl.
"A miraculous interaction," Yanagi stated, "What a wonderful storied meeting of two people."
Izumi quickly sorted through the words getting a 'What a nice way of meeting, childhood friends are great' from her new friend's statement. "Yeah I'm real lucky about it." Izumi admitted, rubbing at the back of her head.
The pair had reached their stop and walked in the direction of the school, wondering what the day would have in store for them. Finally reaching the gate, Izumi spotted her orange haired best friend. The taller girl gave a wave and Itsuka walked forward to meet the two.
"Glad you made it in one piece Izumi," Itsuka teased, getting a snort in response, "You must be Yanagi-san," Itsuka said, turning to the gray haired girl, "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Kendo Itsuka."
"The pleasure is mine Kendo-san. Midoriya-san has enthusiastically mentioned you to me." The girl remarked.
"Aw, no need to brag about me Izumi." Itsuka mused.
Izumi just sighed, she'd be subject to Itsuka's teasing for the rest of forever huh? Well she could do that too. "I brag about you to everyone, Itsuka." Izumi smiled, it was actually kind of half true though.
"Wha! R-really? You don't have to go that far!" Itsuka flushed.
"I'm playing Itsuka," Izumi assured her, "Kind of."
"You two make a wondrous duo," Yanagi interjected, with an eye smile, "We should enter the premises, it would not do to be late."
"Good idea, Yanagi-san," Itsuka agreed, turning and facing the school.
"Off we go!" Izumi grinned cheerfully, time to get in gear.
Notes, unpacking, and stuff
There's an awesome suspended monorail in Chiba City so I quickly threw that in there during Izumi's day out with Itsuka. Also since they've known each other for so long their relationship is definitely a bit more playful and they're real close.
The Bubblegum Crisis thing. There's a scene/gif from Bubblegum Crisis of two female characters casually riding motorcycles together and I absolutely adore it. So with Itsuka canonically liking motorcycles and me constantly associating Izumi with motor vehicles in this story I wrote out that part.
"Is this the mouth that's trying to sully my reputation?" Is a reworded reference to the anime KonoSuba btw.
Reiko is described as verbose on her fandom page so her dialogue gets a bit wordy here and there. Hope I'm doing an okay job. She's also from Aichi prefecture so I'm pretty sure her train passes through Shizuoka which is where Izumi lives so they're train buddies.
I absolutely want more interaction between Izumi and Gran Torino. It's so fun to write and he has plenty of experience and knowledge that can help her since he has a speed and mobility based quirk.
I want to let Izumi use Nana's costume design in its pure form (save the added visor) but I'm also trying to be thoughtful of maximizing Izumi's quirk. I'll be debating on the whole cape business and if you all have some opinions on the matter then feel free to let me know.
Can you believe I'm still debating on the pairings? So much so that I'm simultaneously gonna build up Izumi's relationship with both girls so the story can progress but still give me time to think. Ugh I'm so indecisive about this for some reason.
Still don't know about OFA (Izumi's out though) but I do have a slight idea going forward a little.
Izumi's online name Multi_Track_Drifting is absolutely a reference to a meme of Initial D in which a parody called Densha de D replaced the cars with trains. Honestly, look forward to a lot of vehicle drifting related references when it comes to Izumi.
Itsuka's name Orange_Punch is a little less inspired. Hair color and quirk. Originally I was thinking Orange_PunchCycle as a multilayered play on hair color, quirk, and motorcycle, plus it being kinda close to orange popsicle, which would reference back to chapter 2 in which Izumi and Itsuka met over buying ice cream. It was a bit of a stretch.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!