"Do you believe in God?"
Izuku Midoriya's pencil scratched along his notebook, the crack bouncing off the walls of books flanking either side of the green boy. He looked up from his notes to his vine-haired classmate, Shiozaki Ibara, staring at him from across the table, intently looking for an answer to her softly asked question. He looked around himself a moment to see if anyone else in the library was looking their way to respond, but he was the only one around in their section.
He turned to the girl quizzically. "I'm sorry?"
"What do you have to be sorry for?"
"No, I mean" - Izuku dropped his pencil on the open spine of his book and clasped his hands in his lap - "that question's kinda outta nowhere. What brought it up?"
"Oh, well." Realization of how strange her impromptu question was decorated her expression before it calmed to a soft determination. "It's not something I've actually asked you before. You know my belief already but I have yet to ask about your own. My apologies for springing this topic on you so suddenly."
Izuku didn't actually mind talking to Ibara about her beliefs. Her energy when speaking of her faith in God and her dreams to rise into Heaven after a good life reminded him of his own desire to become a hero. In his own eyes, heroes were reminiscent of angels; it would be an honor to his family to be one.
"Even then," Ibara continued, eyeing Izuku from across the table, "what do you believe in?"
Did Izuku believe in God? Yes.
Was there really any doubt? No.
Could he tell Ibara why he believed in God? Probably not.
There was only so much you can tell your Christian friend when your own father is Satan himself. Most literally.
Izuku had never met God, really. Hell, he hadn't even visited Heaven before. Not even the angels above had visited him on the surface. He lived in Purgatory, in a nice little shack his father had constructed for him and mom to live in. Had a Yellowstone cabin feel to it since his mom enjoyed the atmosphere of the lodge. The only company he had were devils on the clock and wandering souls of the damned.
Even then, he had no reason to doubt God didn't exist. His father existed and recounted old memories of his time with the Big Guy, and Izuku had no reason to doubt his dad's word, so it went without saying that the creator of literally everything was real. A couple religions butchered the specifics and muddled the history, but at least they knew his simple name and his son Christ.
"I...didn't grown up to a church like you did," Izuku began, holding a hand out to the girl across from him. "I'm not practiced in prayer and stuff like that. And I'm usually a more see-it-to-believe-it kinda guy, but that usually has to do with heroes." He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. "But for God? I don't have a problem with him existing. If he does, then he does. If he's All-Might, then the shrine of goods in my closet is well spent." Ibara cracked a laugh with him. "If not, then I'm not gonna hate him. And I'm not gonna hate you either for believing in him. I'm just more hung up on being a good person and a hero. Sorry."
Ibara held her hands up between them. "Don't be. It's alright if you're not a believer in him like me. You've chosen to respect my beliefs, I don't see why I can't do the same for you. Thank you for being that good person."
"Anytime." Izuku smiled back. "I'm happy you have something to believe in. I'll never make fun of you for it."
She nodded in understanding. "Then, if you don't mind me asking, do you have any thoughts on the devil?"
Dad forgive me. I love you, I swear.