"Deku, I thought your boss was the stripper, not you? Where the fuck is your shirt?"
In spite of himself, Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose. Three different times since he had gotten back from the exam had he been asked about the shirt. The first two were in the locker room as they saw he put on his sports coat without an undershirt. While the first guy asked about the scar, Sero had the common sense not to bring it up when he noticed it. They had been discussing their villain points, where Sero had a lowly 17 points because Bakugou had been hogging them all during the test. When the subject of rescuing people came up, though, Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. Sero had been using his tape to help people out of sticky situation throughout the exam, including saving someone who couldn't outrun the zero pointer because of their exhaustion. Izuku was sure he would get major rescue points for that, and now the main hope was that Sero didn't bump him out of the school! Izuku had quickly lied to the third girl saying his shirt was destroyed because she was being nosy, but hid his scar with his coat.
Kacchan had been the fourth person. Sero couldn't help but look a little confused. "A stripper? You work for what now!"
"No, she's an idol, Kacchan, why do you say the things you do?" His focus turned from his new friend to his old one.
"Coulda fooled me, with how she bounces around. But what the fuck happened to your shirt. It is freezing, are you an idiot? Tch." At the end, his childhood friend showed he was at least the tiniest bit concerned for him.
"Look, someone got reckless and ruined a girl's top. They needed a shirt so they could continue, so I gave it to them." He quickly explained.
"Why the fuck were you wasting your time, dumbass? The point of the exam was to beat up the robots, not worry about other fucking people." Bakugou pointed out. "Were you so shit you just gave up halfway through and played wannabe some more?"
Izuku couldn't help but grin. The exam was over, so it was okay for him to reveal the twist. "Actually Kacchan, rescuing people gets you points as well. They don't tell people about it so they can see if they have a hero's instinct."
Both Sero and Bakugou were surprised. "Wait, so I might have a chance still? I did save a few people who couldn't outrun the zero pointer." Sero asked, actually feeling confident.
He nodded. "Yeah, I figured you had a good shot when you mentioned that earlier.. How about you Kacchan, did you help anyone?" Izuku politely asked.
"Fuck off Deku, I didn't need to save anyone's ass cause I was kicking the enemies." Bakugou had a bit of a blush in embarrassment in seeing that how he had likely gotten a zero in something (even as stupid as rescue points.)
"So, uh, Kacchan, how many points did you end up getting. You were taking out the two and three pointers like they were nothing." Sero tried to steer the conversation to a different place. He quickly realized he made a mistake when Bakugou wrapped a hand around his throat.
"Deku only gets to fucking call me that because he is too stupid to stop. If you say it again, I will end you Soy Sauce Face. I am Katsuki Bakugou, future number one hero. Do you understand?" Bakugou glared at the boy.
While Sero was looking terrified, Izuku let out a long sigh and grabbed Bakugou's elbow. "Come on, it's not like he knew your name. Lay off of him."
"N-no I get it! It was kind of rude...I mean it is a… I shouldn't have assumed your name Bakugou-sir!" Sero was doing his best to maintain survival at this point, but the two of them seemed to relax the tension in him. Slowly, he let go of Sero's neck.
"Whatever fucking Deku. I hope you remember that Soy Sauce Face if I see you back here, understand me?"
"Yes, Bakugou-sir." Sero had seen the carnage he could do and didn't want it directed at him.
"Don't you have some studying to do, Kacchan? I know finals are in a few weeks." Izuku interjected.
"Does it look like I need to do some studying for some stupid ass lame finals?" Bakugou looked almost offended at the statement.
"If you want to make sure you get number one in the year, probably." He was honest to him.
Bakugou's eyes narrowed before a groan came out of his throat. "Whatever, Deku. Get a fucking shirt, no one wants to see you stripping." He waved off the duo as he left towards his house.
"Bye, Kacchan." He waved him off and turned to see Sero with a questioning look on his face. "What?"
"An underclassman you know?" Sero pointed out what he said earlier in the day.
Izuku let out a sigh. "Yeah, I was trying to be nice, you know, let Kacchan make his own impression. Yeah, our parents go way back. We have known each other since we were in the crib. His mom made me watch him to make sure he 'didn't get into anything stupid' cause I was older and he was the only person I really knew my age, but he always hated that." He gave a quick rundown on their past. Taking a second to think, he sighed. "He's probably gonna hound me about how I did and brag about how well he did when he remembers to do so. My mom likes to joke he's the little brother she is thankful she never had." He joked to Sero, who began to laugh.
"That is a good one, man. If I do get enough points to make it, I'm not sure I want to be in the same class as him. He is way too intense. And he called me Soy Sauce Face like...what does that even mean?"
Izuku shrugged. "I don't know, but it probably means he might respect you a little. He calls most people our age 'extras.'" Sero burst out laughing again at the ridiculousness of Bakugou. Then, he thought about something else.
"He calls you Deku, Midoriya… what does he mean?"
"It means like a puppet, since I always listened to his mom to watch over him." Technically it had a second meaning, but there was no reason to go into that.
Sero scrunched his face. "That is kinda lame. I mean, he definitely got the better nickname the two of you. People call you anything else?"
"My boss calls me greenhorn." He admitted.
Sero took a glance at hair. "I definitely see why. But you said she was like an idol or something? What the hell?" There was definitely a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Izuku wavered his hand. "I mean, kinda. She is independent, and a lot of her shows are technically illegal since we don't have permits, but she is pretty popular around here and most people would recognize her."
"How'd you get that gig?" Sero wondered aloud.
Izuku told him the story as they walked towards the train station so Sero could go back home, and agreed to catch up once the results came in. Seeing him off, Izuku rushed home while ignoring even more people ask about his shirtlessness. Thanking the heavens his mom was out shopping at the moment, he put his gear back in the closet and put on a regular shirt. He knew his mother too well to mention helping a girl his age in need.
…
It was Friday, which meant Pop Step had her duties to upkeep. Izuku had managed to get her a legit gig singing at Mangalore Park in their weekly Friday Evening Entertainment event, but that wasn't enough for Kazuho. So she decided to have a 'surprise' show near the old warehouse district that Izuku strategically leaked on social media to her supporters. As Koichi was at his day job he was unavailable to assist so he found himself running both the technical and security side of the show. He had to make sure her speakers were running, her backing tracks were in the right order and to make sure the electronics stayed working while also making sure local police or heroes that didn't support Pop Step were seen in advance so they didn't get arrested. Again.
He had been super lucky that he didn't get processed, as one of their connections in the police department made sure they were just waved off with a warning. Thankfully it had only been a show and not the other half of their activities, or else there would be no saving them.
Back to his gear, he was spread thin and getting worried. He was lucky that a few of the older fans in the cheer section were wise to the need to avoid legal repercussion and were helping him with keeping watch, but it meant he had to keep tabs on them. Also, a few of the new tracks Kazuho had downloaded for her to use were not properly named so it was a race of transferring them to a different device to listen to in order to determine what song it was. It wasn't too out of the ordinary, so he was determined to see the event through.
Pop Step was a little past halfway in her planned set, advertising her Mangalore appearance by hinting at her singing 'one or two' new songs that made Izuku groan in the short term. They were little diddies that she was proud of but he didn't think was ready. He was caught up with trying to figure out what they could do in the four or five hours in the interim to spruce those songs to performance ready when he felt someone grab his shoulder. Immediately worried it was the police shutting them down, he quickly looked around at his eyes in the crowd to see why no one had warned them. He was thankful to see that it was in fact one of the eyes coming to talk to him.
He saw who it was and fought the blush immediately. She wasn't part of the old guard of fans, but she was just as enthusiastic as the rest of them. She had to have been about his age, and was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. She was easy to recognize between her mature composure and tall ponytail.
"They sent me to warn you Mt. Lady is coming this way. It appears she heard the performance in giant form and has decided to do something about it."
He nodded, trying to keep his composure before sputtering out, "Th-thanks. Do you know where from?" He had to make sure they had a good exit plan.
"She is coming by car from the west side of the city, probably will be here in two or three minutes."
Getting his mind straight, he immediately went back to the mix, easing it into silence. He could feel Kazuho glare at him, but she was smart enough to know what that meant.
"Alright my lovely fans, it appears trouble is on the way! I have to bounce my way out of here, but remember I will be performing a full set tonight at Mangalore Park! Don't miss the fun!" With that, she bounced off the old warehouse platform she had been using as her stage and jumped to the roof. Izuku quickly packed all the electronics into the back bag while grabbing the two speakers, one with each arm. The girl saw him grab the heavy set up and looked concerned.
"Hey manager, do you need some assistance?" She asked politely, looking ready to grab one of the speakers from him.
"Th-thank you for the offer, but I can't. You know, idols want their privacy and all." He was quick to make an excuse, even if it was a halfhearted one.
"Oh well, thank you for assisting Pop Step in all her work! I wish I could attend tonight, but my family is having dinner together."
"Oh, that's, I mean I understand. No big deal. I have to get going so I don't get- well stopped by the police but I'll tell you how much you support her."
Her smile made him want to melt. "Oh thank you again, manager! Tell Pop Step I wish her best of luck." She waved to him as he began to backpedal away.
He just wildly nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Hope your family dinner goes well." And with that he began to run quickly the two blocks to Kazuho's van. Said girl jumped off the roof just as he was crossing the street to it, landing right by the side door already out of her idol costume. She opened it for him as he quickly put away the speakers and reached to take off the bag he had been carrying.
"Hope your family dinner goes well?" She snarkly asked, making bhim finally blush.
"Sh-shut up. I was being pleasant." He knew this was going to be her go to joke for weeks. He couldn't believe how much of a dork he had been.
"Yes, and it wasn't the fact she is a total bombshell that got you flustered. Seriously, I sometimes wish I had a figure like that." Kazuho thought about the fan's impressive figure.
Izuku put away the bag. "I'm sure Koichi loves you just the way you are." He wasn't sure if this was a girl thing about being jealous of someone else's form, but he figured it was. This was not the first time she had made the complaint, and he was happy he know had the perfect response for it.
She gritted her teeth. "You know us girls can care about what we look like for ourselves and not just a guy, you greenhorn idiot!" She yelled at him while slamming the car door shut, making him jump back to avoid getting hit.
It looks like that was NOT the perfect response. "Oh, I mean of course you can. I shouldn't have assumed...I'm just saying that uh well, you wouldn't be you if you looked like a bombshell. You might have a really shitty personality or be super arrogant or not do heroic stuff. I think the you you are is the best, ya know?" He tried to argue against why fitting the male definition of beauty was a bad idea and why she was perfect as she was.
"Damn straight I know that, I just said sometimes." She giggled as she walked around the car. "And you agree that she is a bombshell."
Izuku paled at the realization. "No, no it's just… you called her a bombshell and I wanted to make sure you understood what I meant and I wanted to use a specific example so you would visually understand the metaphor and I mean I know she is very attractive but that isn't all that I look for in a girl I also look for things such as a kind heart and someone who is gentle and supportive and she does at least seem the sort so maybe that is why I get all flustered around her but it isn't a big deal you know cause this is-" His denial had gone into a full-on muttering storm and Kazuho was having none of it.
"Yada yada yada, you got a crush but you're a coward who doesn't plan on doing anything about it?" She analyzed as got into the driver's seat. "Am I right?"
He was embarrassed by her words as he got into the passenger's seat. "I didn't say I have a crush or anything. I just said she was attractive and seemed nice."
"Hey, most guys get a crush after seeing someone's attractive." She pointed out. Letting out a sigh, she started the van and got them out of their parking spot. "Eh, whatever. You'll probably get a new one once you get into U.A. Anyway, I promised the people new songs and I want to make sure they are perfect. I say we head back to my place to finish them and then get ready for tonight!"
Thankful that the conversation was over, Izuku happily agreed. "Sure, and I want to start with the chorus. You are definitely hijacking them from American pop! They don't sound right at all in Japanese!"
"So I was thinking about that, and I'm thinking I just singing it in English."
"Then we have to change the lines before and after the chorus so they fit better!" Izuku complained. And that was how the hours came to occur, with the duo perfecting the lyrics of the two new songs and filling in the backing music to fit the new timing the songs needed. Koichi arrived from work and helped with the last touches while Izuku finalized the details of the Mangalore show with its organizers. They left Kazuho's prepared to take on the big show with a new set list that was sure to make the crowd go wild.
The three of them waited patiently as the first musician got the crowd interested, a local electronic music DJ whose vibes were more vibrant and happy than what the popular electronic was. They were definitely enjoying his music, and the guy who looked not much older than Koichi looked happy at how everyone was enjoying things. They made sure to focus on getting Pop Step ready, but when the time came to set up their set Izuku asked Koichi to handle it. It was no big deal for him, he had done it before Izuku had joined the group.
He waited for the DJ to get out of the zone to walk up to him. "Yuki Hayashi? Hi, I'm Izuku Midoriya, I represent Pop Step and I have to say, you make incredible music." He held out his hand.
Hayashi looked him up and down before shaking it. "Thank you Midoriya. I have to say, you are rather young to be representing someone. No offense, but you were probably in elementary school when I first heard of Pop Step."
Izuku shrugged. "Well, I kind of fell into this job but I am making sure I do my best to help her succeed. Though I haven't heard of you before, no offense. How long have you been making music?" He pried into his past seeing what he would find.
"Technically for about a decade, but it was only in the last year I got serious about it. People seem to like what I've made, but I think I've only gotten lucky."
Izuku shook his head. "No, you have a lot of talent. The first song you played, I think you called it "You Say Run" was amazing. It made me feel like I could do anything, you know."
Hayashi obviously appreciated the compliment. "Thanks, I've been tooling with that track for years." His face changed quickly, however, into a more serious and business like expression. "It's not for sale, if that is where this is going Midoriya."
He quickly shook his head. "No, no, no. I wouldn't ask that, that song is clearly yours. I wouldn't ask even if Pop Step could sing to it. No, I was going to inquire on any unreleased material you were interested in selling."
"Unreleased only?" The DJ looked surprised at that request.
"Well, if you have played it then it is yours? At best, we would be doing a remix or cover which isn't what Pop Step does. We would credit you, of course, but we don't want to deal with anything messy like royalties in the long term."
"I'm assuming this is from experience?"
Izuku sighed. "We had to scrap a Christmas song two years ago because the backing track producer made egregious demands after she saw the initial success. So we have to be careful."
Hayashi couldn't help but laugh. "Such a young man with such wisdom on how the music world works. Do you plan on being a big executive one day, Midoriya?"
Izuku shook his head. "No way, no way. It's just I'm helping my friends with their passion. And if I want to help her, I have to get way too good at this."
Hayashi pulled out his phone. "I don't know about selling you anything I have made, but I wouldn't mind a collaboration project between myself and Pop Step. Should we exchange numbers so we can discuss this later? I actually have plans that I need to attend to."
Izuku agreed and pulled out his phone. "Sure that sounds good." Numbers were quickly exchanged and their phones were put away. "Just to warn you, I might not be the one to get back to you. Is that alright?"
"If that is how it goes, then I can accept that." Hayashi then continued to pack up his things.
"Hopefully it-" RING RING RING! Izuku looked down at his phone and let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry Hayashi, I have to take this. Have a good day." He waved Hayashi goodbye as he went somewhere a little more quiet. He assumed Hayashi did the same.
After the seventh ring, Izuku accepted the call.
"Izuku! How are you doing son?" The rough echo of his future sounded through his phone, Izuku found himself with a small smile on his face. In spite of all the nonsense that came with it, it was nice hearing his dad's voice.
"Fine, just at work right now." He told him honestly.
"Work? Oh yeah, you had that job working for that singer girl. How is that going for you?" His dad seemed interested.
"Um, pretty good. She is on stage right now doing an event for the city." He told him.
"Really? That is kind of surprising. They way you told me about her I thought she was some sort of anti-government weird artsy types."
"No, no, she is pretty standard for an idol and all. She is just doing it her way and not through the system." Izuku told his father.
"I see, I see. And it doesn't have anything to do with your… other activities now does it?" His dad's voice dropped at the second part, trying to be more secretive Izuku guessed.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Come on son, it isn't like this Pop Step girl ever hid the fact she also did vigilante work. All you have to do is google your name and see the reports. Surprising someone can have so much success with that kind of open secret nowadays. And a future hero like yourself son...I doubt you're an innocent bystander in her work, am I right?" His dad had him dead to rights with that accusation.
For the sake of appearances, he couldn't help but deny it. "N-no way dad, I wouldn't- I mean I plan on being a hero! I applied for U.A! That would be ridiculous!" He denied very strongly over the phone.
"Uh-huhhh. So, it is entrance exam season already right? So have you sat for U.A. yet? How did you think you did?" His dad asked, becoming legitimately interested.
"Much better, for sure. Last year I only scored 7 points total in the practical, this year I scored at least 29. They have bonuses they add to it so I don't know for sure." He didn't feel the need to explain the specifics to his father.
"So what are the odds you think you got in? +200, +150…-150?" His dad began to rattle odds out which quickly annoyed him.
"DAD!" He forcibly barked into the phone before dropping his voice. "Come on, I thought your probation officer not to talk about gambling."
Izuku could feel his father's mood drop from beyond the phone. As his dad began to respond, he could feel the embarrassment radiate off his words. "Right, right. Sorry, bad habit. I'm still learning to break it, you know son?"
Izuku looked around, making sure no one was around. "Dad you haven't been...gambling have you? You promised mom you would quit once you got out."
"I haven't made any bets son, if that is what you are worried about." His dad was being honest, but he saw he was leaving wiggle room.
"There are other ways to gamble besides betting." He pointed out.
His dad grumbled, but relented. "I spend maybe 1000 yen a week on scratch offs. Nothing major, really."
"Dad…"
"That isn't much more than a 6 pack! I've been doing good honest. Your mom has been getting my checks on time, right?" Izuku's father was quick to point out.
"Yeah… but it doesn't mean this isn't a bad idea. You need to go cold turkey, dad. Right now it is just a few yen, but you know it can grow."
His dad let out a long sigh. "Izuku...I don't have many friends here in Kobe. It's hard on me. I hate my job, but it's the only one that will hire a guy like me at any wage worthy anything. Let me have this." His dad pleaded.
Izuku understood. Izuku knew his dad hated his warehouse job, that he was lonely, that he wasn't happy with his life. "So why… why haven't you moved back here? There are alot of jobs out here that will hire, and I wouldn't mind seeing you around." He admitted. Then, being bolder, he added, "I think Mom would like to see you more, too."
He was worried at how his dad began to laugh. It was a laugh of a man that had been broken, so it was almost haunting to him. Finally, he managed to get a hold of himself as he explained. "That is my dream. I would love to be back where I grew up, with the woman I love and my fantastic son. But I'm a mess, and Inko deserves better than that. And I know I would mess it up. I still remember all of my bookies numbers by heart." His dad admitted to him.
The man had his demons he was fighting. Even if he was doing it all alone. It was something Izuku respected about his father, even though he had lost to those demons a decade ago. Ever since he got back he had been trying. Maybe that was good enough for now? "Alright dad. How about we come down in a few weeks if Mom is up to it. Does that sound good?" He asked, hoping to hear a positive response.
He could feel the smile behind his dad's words. "Wonderful. I hope she is. I hope she doesn't mind singing, I know she is working at that karaoke spot near the old beach. I haven't heard her sing in years. I think that would be nice."
"I think it would be too." He hadn't heard his mom sing in a long time as well.
No one spoke for what seemed like forever, until his dad broke the silence. "So you are doing good, right? Happy?"
"Yeah, yeah I am." Izuku responded.
"I was just calling to make sure… and check up since I knew it was entrance season. So it would be a good bet that my son makes it into U.A. this year, wouldn't it."
He knew it was a dad joke thing, but he couldn't help but groan. His dad chuckled. "I know. Send me a message once you find out if your mom is up to visiting, alright?"
"No problem dad."
"I'm gonna let you get going, I know you said you were at work-"
"Yeah, I suppose I should be doing something to help her." Izuku jokingly commented.
"Yeah. Good luck son. Talk to you later. Love you." His dad was very open and earnest with his comments
"You too Dad. Bye." Izuku hung up the phone, hoping his dad didn't notice his obvious dodge. He put away his phone and stretched his shoulders to ease the tension talking to him seemed to cause him. He made his way back to Koichi as Pop Step was getting into the swing of her set.
"What took you so long?" He was asked as he came walking up behind him, instantly overlooking the laptop to make sure everything was where it needed to be.
"I got the number from DJ Hayashi, he is interested in working with us. I tried to see if we could buy some of his tracks to use, but he wasn't interested." Izuku admitted, still focused on the electronics.
Koichi smirked. "Are you sure you're not meant to be an idol manager?" This was far from the first time he had taken his cover story way past the line of believability.
"He asked the same thing." His focus drifted from the electronics and he stared off into nothing in particular. "And my dad called."
An eyebrow was raised. "Really? What did he want?" Koichi didn't have the best opinion of Hisashi Midoriya, to put it kindly.
"To talk. To see how I'm doing. Normal dad stuff." Izuku blinked a few times and began to check to make sure the lighting was right on Pop Step. "I said I would ask if Mom wants us to visit him in a few weeks."
"A visit." A sour tone persisted on his friend's comment. "You are really going to spend the time and money to go to Kobe just to see him? Why can't he come back here?"
Izuku could only shrug. "It is what it is. If Mom wants to see him."
"Will she?"
"Maybe. If I pass, she might be in a good enough mood to go for it?" Izuku pondered.
Koichi facial expression shifted and shifted again, obviously thinking. "Alright then Izuku, you should be getting your results Tuesday, right?"
"More or less."
"Then how about Wednesday, I take a long lunch and the three of us celebrate you entry in U.A. Heroics course?" He sounded pleased with his idea.
"Aren't you assuming a lot?" Izuku was painfully aware of how much of a close call it was going to be. The entry rate of the course spoke for itself. You could be in top 5%, and still not even have a fifty percent chance of making it. That was why most kids that applied for U.A. had at least one backup school. But not Izuku. He had to go to the best, or it wouldn't be good enough. It was definitely a fatalistic way of thinking, as his two friends had pointed out. But it was how he was going about it.
"Come on, Midnight adores you! Snipe likes your gusto! Eraserhead… could have arrested you like three different times but didn't! You have allies in U.A. If it comes down to you or some other brat, you know you have it in the bag." Koichi was definitely lying through his teeth in the end. If it came down to some random kid and Izuku, he had no shot whatsoever.
But Izuku appreciated the effort. "Fine. I know that outdoor bistro just opened back up. How about there?"
"Sounds great. Now quick, she needs the sparklers." Koichi pointed out. In no time flat, Izuku had them in hand and was standing off stage to discreetly pass them off to Pop Step. Hero stuff came later, he was helping his friends right now!
…
It was Tuesday afternoon, and Izuku and his mother were making katsudon.
As they saw it, it was either in celebration or as a pick-me-up. Even though he knew he would be sick to his stomach if he failed. To come so close and to miss?
Thank god he had great friends and a great family.
The only sounds in the apartment was the sizzling of the pork cutlet in the oil and instrumental music Izuku had stumbled upon. His mom liked them more than he did.
"So honey, how did the Musu Tech interview go?"
Izuku gritted his teeth. Yesterday, he had been forced to take an interview with his back-up school to show he had the talent to get into their programs despite his gap year. He hadn't really wanted to go, but he knew it would be foolish of him not to. "Good. They seemed to like me." He admitted. It would be a fine place for him to go...if he didn't plan on becoming a hero,
"That's wonderful, honey!" His mother bit his tongue, he could tell. He knew she wanted him to go there instead of chase his dream. Not even stop chasing his dream even, but not risking his life. She was always protective of him.
"The mail should be here soon." He noted as they continued their cooking. Their conversation stayed stop-start as they continued the cooking process. His text ringtone broke up the monotony.
17+30 rescue = acceptance into UA!
It was from Sero. He grinned at his friend's good fortune, and quickly began planning a response.
His mom got nozy and half-heartedly looked over his shoulder. "Good news from your friends?"
He quickly nodded. "Yeah. Sero, the guy I told you about from the exam? He got into UA."
"That's great for him dear!" His mom responded as he sent back a congratulation text.
"It makes me feel better about my chances too. He said 47 points was good enough for him. I think I got that much, easy." He tried to have a positive outlook on the situation.
"Even with the handicap? Something about 'less giving on rescue points?'" And she pointed out the flaws in his thinking.
He is quiet for a moment. "Yes, yes I do." He said, a little less confident than before.
His mom knew better than to push him, so she slowly turned the conversation towards Kazuho and her music. It was still stilted, with his mother asking a question and him giving an answer, but it kept the time going as they finished the dish. They had even gone as far as to set it out on the table when there was a knock on the door.
Izuku left everything on the table as he hurried to the door, quickly throwing it open to see a mail carrier who did not share his enthusiasm. She handed him a few letters and wished him a good day, which he only remembered to wish back as he closed the door. He hoped she heard him, he didn't want her to think he was being rude.
The top letter was from U.A., so he only gave the other two a cursory glance to make sure they weren't addressed to him. Seeing as they weren't, he simply set them on his mom's side of the table. She looked at him nervously, as he stared at the letter in his hand. Well, it wasn't a letter per say. There was a letter inside that would theoretically detail some important information a new student would need to know. But the important thing was with the hologram projection device. He walked slowly towards the wall, carefully opening the envelope as intended before looking back at his mother. He saw her tense, but nod in support. Gulping, he pulled out the device and set it to project on the wall.
A rat-like creature in a suit appeared on screen, which made his mother yelp but did little to startle Izuku. He knew who that was.
"Why hello there, Izuku Midoriya. It is I, the principal of U.A., Nedzu! I have come to tell you of your results on your entry exam into our prestigious hero course.
Let me tell you something, , I don't think you know how long we questioned the wisdom of letting you take the exam again. On those occasions we have in the past, it was usually because a student was a few points away and showed promise in both combat and being a hero. Never have we let someone who performed so poorly take it for a second time, and to be honest, I didn't think we would.
And that is not to get started on your vigilantism. I know you know we know, but it is still something that gave many of us a great pause. We all know because of your circumstances you don't have the same limitations as your allies in a legal sense, it was still a very touchy subject. But you must have made friends with a few of our staff, whether they wanted you to be or not, and they have seen your incredible growth as both a potential hero and as a person. In fact, one of them put it best by saying, "The kid has a heroic spirit that won't be killed by a no. It would better serve us to nurture and not neglect that spirit." And indeed, look at how you have done!
29 combat points, far better numbers than I expected to see from you. While it was clear you only got so far from your gear, a being like myself can appreciate the use of intellect to overcome any other disabilities. Your use of the fire extinguishing device as a grenade is the sort of on the fly creativity we need in our heroes! But, as you are well aware, even 29 points will not mean you pass our exam.
Normally at this point, a student would be surprised with the information of rescue points. But with you, how about we jump right into the numbers. As previously explained, your rescue points would follow under harsher scrutiny as we did not want you to rely on them to succeed. We identified three points in the exam in which you would have earned them, so how about we review them case by case shall we?
The first was the saving of Yasei Torako from a three point robot, which would earn the average student twelve points. While I personally did not see you attempting to farm rescue points here, my colleagues questioned your reflex to the attacking robot. A few accused you of the possibility of letting the robot grow near to maximize the impact of the rescue. As such, we agreed to give you ten of the twelve points.
The second is your assistance of Loa Fifita during her unfortunate accident. Your quick thinking allowed her to continue taking her exam while being the sort of selfless we admire in our students. All seven of the seven points that could have been rewarded were.
Finally, your assistance of examinee Rikido Sato whose quirk left him tired and in need to help getting to refuge while he recovered was under review. And to tell you the truth, it did not pass the eye test in my opinion, along with the others. Considering the circumstances, it seemed obvious it was an attempt to game our system to better your chances of acceptance. However, I gave leeway considering your other actions and saw fit to award you one of the five points.
This totals 18 rescue points which brings your total to 47 points for the exam. As I am sure you are aware if you have continued your contact with Hanta Sero, is a passing grade! Welcome to U.A. Heroics course!"
Balloons and streamers seemed to fill the air behind Nedzu as the transmission cut out but he wasn't bothering to pay attention. Izuku was balling his eyes out, the second he had said 18 it had dawned on him. His mother was by his side, matching his tears and he heard her words loud and clear.
"Oh my god, please forgive me Izuku I knew you could always do it! I had to be your doubt since I knew someone had to be it. I couldn't see you get hurt again. But it doesn't matter, honey! You did it! You made it into U.A.!"
He smiled, halfheartedly wiping the tears from his eyes even though they were still coming. He made it into U.A.
He was going to be a hero.
…
So this chapter escaped me in a few places, but I like where it took me so I kept it in (aka the whole DJ Hayashi sequence. Aka the real creator of 'You Say Run') I kind of wanted to flesh out Izuku a bit more, show how in this world where maybe he didn't have all the negative vibes Bakugou pushed out on him he would be a bit more level headed and having the ability to be pretty competent with most things if he put his mind to it.
And I doubt, except maybe in the Provisional Exam, we will see those two again. They were literally just filler characters that served a purpose.
Hope you enjoy, tell me what you think and have a good day!