Smooth Izuku Smooth!

After yesterday's eventful day, Izuku was back in his school uniform. The only difference was the golden ring in his hand and the golden badge that he was wearing like a pendant, around his neck.

"Grandpa, Opera, I am leaving for school," Izuku said as he wore his bright red shoes.

"Wait a minute, Izuku-kun," Sullivan said and approached Izuku, "I have something for you?"

"Is it another gift?" Izuku asked warily.

"Well, kind of," Sullivan chuckled, "why don't you take a look for yourself," he said as he placed a dark-colored ring in his hand.

Izuku examined the ring closely and noticed two important things about it. First, he was struck by the ring's craftsmanship. It was unbelievably beautiful and detailed, and Izuku was sure he had never seen anything like it before. Second, he noticed the symbol on the ring, which resembled the skull of the long-beaked bird that was attached to Sullivan's fur coat.

"The symbol on that ring represents me and my household," Sullivan explained. "That's why I want you to have this. It will make sure that everyone knows that you are under my protection, and it will definitely help you in a lot of situations."

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Izuku asked. By now, he had realized that his grandpa was a very important figure in the netherworld, and having this ring on him would be like carrying his grandpa's name around.

"Absolutely," Sullivan replied with a reassuring smile.

Izuku then slipped the ring into his index finger.

"It looks good on you," Sullivan said, "now, get going. You don't want to be late for school."

Izuku nodded and flew towards the school.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Walking through school has always been a weird experience for Izuku.

Back in Aldera, he was used to receiving looks of either disgust or pity from his peers and teachers.

U.A. was different in that regard. At first, nobody cared enough to look at him, as everyone was busy in their own world. However, after the sports festival, he started getting these looks and could hear whispers of students calling him insane for breaking his body during his match with Todoroki. He couldn't really blame them since only he and Shoto knew what had transpired during their match.

But walking through Babyls was a completely new experience for Izuku. People looked at him with anything but disgust and pity, and even teachers smiled and returned his greetings when he passed them. They didn't think he was crazy or insane for going too far during his fight with Ameri. On the contrary, respect and admiration shone in their eyes. Izuku also noticed some boys and girls trying to subtly glance at him, but he decided not to focus on it and continued walking

And if he was being honest with himself, it wasn't a bad feeling. However, he knew he couldn't let it get to his head. The last thing he wanted was to start acting high and mighty just because of some recent success.

Finally, his train of thought came to a halt when he reached his classroom.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Fortunately for Izuku, the rest of the day passed just like a normal school day would. He also found that the subjects that sounded horrible on paper, like Torture, were quite useful in their own right.

For example, during Art Torture, March-sensei spent the entire period teaching them about the basis of demon anatomy and pressure points that bring out the maximum pain.

'Knowledge like this would have really helped me during my solo hunt,' Izuku thought, 'interrogating all those assassins was quite tiring.'

'I don't think other heroes and the public would have approved of you using torture methods on other people, assassins or not,' Nana pointed out.

'And I was way past the point of caring for any of that,' Izuku sighed as he tried to ignore the image of a woman exploding in his face, 'anyway, the next class is diabotany. I wonder what kind of unique plants they have here in the netherworld?'

'I am hoping for something pleasant and beautiful but considering this is literally hell, I not going to get my hopes up,' Nana responded in a tired voice which made Izuku chuckle.

"Hmm? Something happened?" Eiko asked as she noticed him chuckling out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, I just remembered something," Izuku said and went back to staring at the paper in his hands, just like most of his classmates.

Right now, they had fifteen minutes break before the last class so he and the rest of the misfit class were sitting in their classroom where most of them were going through the list of optional classes they can select for themselves.

"So, found something interesting?" Alice asked.

"I think I am going to join Momonoki sensei's Magic Theory class along with Dali sensei's demon history," Izuku replied.

Honestly, Izuku had a lot of trouble choosing between various interesting options in front of him but in the end, he decided to go with Magic Theory and Demon History for practical reasons.

Choosing a subject related to magic was an obvious choice. Ever since the mock battles, his interest in magic and bloodline abilities has increased quite significantly. So taking a subject that can help him understand the logic behind those just felt natural to him.

And since he had decided to live here in the netherworld, he thought that knowing the history of this world might come in handy in the future.

"What about you?" Izuku asked.

"I am taking Magic Theory, that is for sure," Alice rubbed under his chin, "I am not sure about my second subject tho. I will have to think about that."

Izuku nodded and looked at his other two friends, "Eiko, Clara have you two found your calling?" Izuku smirked.

"Izu-Kun, look," Clara said and shoved the selection paper in his face.

"Let's see... you have only marked one subject and that is...Seduction..." Izuku said.

"Oh poor girl, you don't even know how to read..." Alice said while looking at her with pitying eyes.

"I know how to read!" Clara pouted.

"Then select a subject that you have a chance of passing!" Alice yelled.

"Izu-Kun," Clala hid behind Izuku and glared at Alice, "Alice is bullying me."

"No, I am not," Alice retorted and continued bickering with her.

'This two...' Izuku fondly shook his head but then noticed Eiko who looked troubled as she stared at her form.

So he sat next to her and asked, "what happened? Something bothering you?"

"Don't worry, it's not something you should be concerned about," Eiko replied with a strained smile.

"Eiko," Izuku said in a serious voice, "you can always talk to me about anything that's bothering you, you know?" then he flashed a reassuring smile, "I am always there to help you with all your problems."

Eiko's cheeks flushed and she started twirling the bangs of her hair, "well it's just..." she hesitated for a moment, "I am not sure what to do about Seduction class."

Izuku raised his brow, "what about that?"

"Well you see, every year all the girls in the school do a tryout for that class so they can figure out how high their seduction levels are," Eiko explained, "even my cousin did it a few years back."

"I still don't get it. What is troubling you exactly?" Izuku asked.

"I don't want to do it, ok," Eiko let out a tired sigh, "I am neither interested in that subject nor do I feel comfortable getting judged based on something like this."

"Then don't do it, duh!" Izuku shrugged like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"It's not that simple," Eiko shook her head, "it's like a tradition. All the first-year girls do it, and if I don't do it-"

"Then it won't change a damm thing," Izuku said as seriousness returned to his voice, "you not joining in some made-up tradition is not going to turn your life upside down."

Eiko looked at the ground and clutched the hem of her skirt, "you don't understand-"

"Yes, you are right, I might not understand what is a big deal about this but that doesn't mean you have to force yourself to do something you don't want to," Izuku said.

Eiko didn't reply this time instead she just started at the ground with a restless expression in her eyes.

Izuku looked at Eiko with concern-filled eyes. From his own personal experience, he could tell that she wasn't very good with the entire self-confidence thing and right now she was torn between listing to his advice or giving in to this peer pressure thing.

And that's why he really wanted to help her but wasn't sure how.

'Why don't you try complimenting her?' Nana suggested.

'Compliment?' Izuku asked.

'Yeah, like words of encouragement,' Nana explained, 'tell her something you would have liked to hear when you were trying to become a hero without a quirk.'

Now he understood what she meant, 'thanks Nana, I got this.'

"Hey Eiko, look at me," Izuku said, lifting her head up to meet his gaze. "You don't need any of that extra stuff to impress someone you like. You're already charming enough as it is."

Suddenly her face reddened as she again started staring at the ground.

And then as Izuku was wondering what is going on with her he heard Nana crackling in his head, 'Nana, what did you do?' Izuku growled in his head.

'Me? No buddy, it was all you,' Nana said crackling harder than before.

Then suddenly he heard a thud and a muffled groan behind him. So he turned around and saw Shax laying on the ground while clutching his chest, "that was so smooth that it's starting to hurt my heart."

Beside him was Elizabetta, giggling at his antics, "you really know how to encourage a girl," she said and winked at Izuku.

It was then that Izuku realized what he had just said, "Oh!" he quickly turned around and said, "Eiko, I am sorry if I overstepped a line there," he said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"No...it's... fine," Eiko said while fidgeting with her fingers.

Then the warning bell went off indicating that the Diabotany class was about to begin. So everyone scrambled their things and started leaving the classroom.

Izuku was about to do the same when he noticed Eiko was still standing there giving shy glances at him.

'I should solve this problem before it gets any more awkward,' Izuku thought as he walked toward Eiko and asked "shall we?" with the friendliest smile he could make.

Eiko smiled back as she nodded her head. Then they started walking towards their final class of the day.

:-:-:-:-:-:

"Students of the Misfit Class, it is a pleasure to meet you all," a short, blonde-haired woman greeted them, "my name is Stolas Suzy, and I welcome you all to the botany tower."

"Today we will use magic to make some flowers bloom," Suzy said as she walked towards a sapling placed in the midline of the room, "to make them bloom, simply hold your hand over its head and say 'Quan Quan'," suddenly the sapling started glowing and in the next moment it had bloomed into a beautiful pink flower.

Then she picked up the flower and showed it to the class, "and just like this, you can use your magic to give shape to your own flower."

Then she handed a sapling to each student and asked them to bloom their own flowers, "All right let's begin everyone."

As soon as class began, Izuku produced his analytics notebook and started observing his classmates' plants with curious eyes. And sure enough, they didn't disappoint him as they all bloomed various kinds of flowers.

"Izuku, you good?" Eiko asked with her green and blonde petaled flower in her hand, "you are oddly focused on flowers."

"Well, I was just thinking about the flowers they bloomed," Izuku said as he stared at Alice and Sabnock bickering over their flowers, "like how they represent the person who bloomed them," he continued, "for example, look at Alice's flaming flower. You can literally feel the pride radiating from the flames it is producing. Or Sabnock's pot-eating plant, too eager to break its shackles and achieve whatever goal a plant could have," Izuku chuckled at the last par.

"Good observation Midoriya," Suzy said as she approached them, "it's good to know that at least one student is putting their mind behind the exercise," she praised him and took out her own notepad, "for that I am going to give you an extra point."

"Thank you Sensei," Izuku said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"But for the rest of the points you still have to bloom your own flower," Suzy said.

"Of course sensei, I am on it," Izuku said as he walked towards his own plant. Then he stared at the golden ring on his middle finger which now had a dial and four different markings engraved on it and remembered the last night's conversation with his grandpa.

:-:-:-:-:-:

*Flashback*

Izuku was laying in his bed with satisfied hunger, a less sore body, and heavy eyes. Perfect condition to get a good sleep to tackle a busy day ahead. And so when he was about to drift into dreams, somebody knocked on his door.

"Izuku-kun are you awake?' Sullivan asked him.

Izuku got up from his bed and groned a little but still answered, "yeah I am."

Upon getting his affirmation Sullivan opened the door and walked into his room, "sorry to disturb you but I forgot to tell you something important."

Izuku nodded and sat upright in his bed, "I am listing."

"You know how I told you that the ring in your hand can store magic from the host or anyone around it?" Sullivan asked and Izuku again nodded his head, "well that was just the first part of its function. The second part is that it allows the wearer to use that stored magic as well."

Suddenly Izuku's eyes went wide and stood up from his bed, "wait a minute! You are telling me that..."

"That's right Izuku-Kun, with the help of that ring you will be able to use magic as well," Sullivan cheered with his grandson, "but before that," he took Izuku's ringed hand in his and cast some sort of spell on it.

Once he was done Izuku stared at the ring in his hand which had a dial and markings on it now.

"Since you cannot control magic as demons do, I have added different modes to that ring so that you use the necessary output," Sullivan explained, "you want me to explain the four modes?"

Upon hearing the question Izuku rapidly shook his head in the affirmative.

Sullivan chuckled at his grandson's antics and continued the explanation, "the ring now has four modes. Devil, Demon, Ifrit, and Pandora. Each mode increases the spell's power by five times the previous mode except Pandora mode," Sullivan said in a serious voice, "Izuku, I am warning you. Do not use Pandora mode unless you have no other options left at your disposal, use it only as a last resort."

Izuku nodded and asked, "when can I use it."

"Now, don't need to be so hasty," Sullivan chuckled, "take a good rest for now. You will get a chance to use it tomorrow during one of your classes," Sullivan said and left his room.

:-:-:-:-:-:

'Well, Demon mode will do just fine right?' Izuku asked the adviser in his head.

'I think we will be fine, as long as you don't go, Pandora," Nana said.

'Ok,' Izuku said and switched the dial to Demon mode. Then he placed a hand on top of the plant and said, "'Qua-'" and suddenly he blanked.

"Midoriya, are you having trouble with the spell?" Suzy asked.

"Sorry sensei but I am not sure what kind of flower I want to bloom," Izuku said.

"Well, if you are unable to fill your personality in it then how about a wish or desire," Suzy suggested, "those are also quite strong emotions, try focusing on them for now," she said and left to attend to the other students.

'Wish or Desire, huh?' as he was thinking about that his mind wandered towards a conversation he had with a certain little girl before going to the first PLF war.

['Deku-nii, what are this flowers!? They are beautiful, just like my hair!'

'They are white dogwood trees and yes the flowers on them are beautiful, just like you.'

'Thank you,' she giggled and looked at Izuku with hopeful eyes, 'can we come here during your summer break? I want to go on pi..nick.'

'Do you mean picnic?'

Eri nodded her head, 'Nejire-chan told me about it. She said it is a lot of fun too.'

'Why not? We can definitely go on a picnic. We could also bring Mirio senpai along if you want.'

'Really!? Pinky promise?'

'Pinky promise.']

A faint smile appeared on Izuku's face, 'Sorry Eri, I couldn't keep my promise to you but I will make sure to honor it as best as I could,' "'Quan Quan.'"

The sapling started glowing... then growing and then it kept growing until it broke the glass ceiling and created a white-flowered dome above the botany tower.

"Fuck!" Izuku said as he looked at the broken glass around and the huge ass tree in the middle of the tower.

"Watch your language Midoriya," Suzy approached him, "can you explain what just happened here?"

"I'm not sure," Izuku said, "I just followed your instructions."

"And as far as I know, you didn't use excessive magic either," Suzy rubbed her chin, "that means the magic responded to your desire. You must feel very strongly about whatever thought you had when you bloomed this flower," Suzy said and then clapped her hands, "anyway, I don't mind having this tree here. It is giving a distinct look to this tower and Midoriya A+ for blooming these beautiful flowers."

"Thank you," Izuku replied with a strained smile, "let me help you clean this mess."

"Oh! That would be quite helpful," Suzy smiled, "and as for the rest of you, this concludes your first class. You all are free to go."

:-:-:-:-:-:

(Ameri's Office)

Ameri was standing near the window of her office admiring the beautiful white flowers, decorating the Botony Tower when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said and the green-haired boy entered the room.

"Good evening Ameri, how was your day?" Izuku greeted her with a smile.

"It was going good until someone decided to grow a fucking tree through one of the faculty buildings," Ameri said and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yeah, my bad," Izuku said with a sheepish-looking smile.

Ameri sighed, "Izuku, how did you always find yourself in these situations?"

"That's just my luck I guess," Izuku shrugged, "well anyway, you needed a favor right?"

"Yeah about that," she said and placed a human manga in front of him, "I want you to read me this."

"Sure," Izuku said.

"Wait! Just like that?" Ameri asked, "you don't have any questions about this?"

"Not really," he shrugged, "besides, you are really not asking me to do something absurd here, I just have to read a book to you," Izuku explained, "so shall we?"

Ameri nodded in agreement, realizing that she couldn't come up with any more counterpoints. It wasn't like she wanted him to deny it in the first place, so she simply told him to start reading the first volume of 'First love Memories.'

And then somehow 2 hours passed and Izuku finally finished reading the final chapter of the volume.

"Wow! That was fun," Izuku said as took a bite of the cake that Ameri had brought for them.

"Yeah, I agree," Ameri said, "and I must say, you are quite a good storyteller yourself."

"Thanks, I wasn't aware of that myself," Izuke smirked.

"By the way, when the heroine said something about achieving her dreams, was she talking about her ambitions?" Ameri asked.

"You can say that, I guess," Izuku shrugged.

"So that means she is going to tear apart whoever comes in her way and throw them apart?" Ameri asked a little excitedly.

"No, I don't think she is going throw anyone," Izuku giggled.

"Is that so?" Ameri said, with a disappointed frown.

Izuku noticed that and decided to change the topic, "by the way Ameri, do you have any goals? Any ambitions for the future?"

"Dreams, huh?" Ameri thought for a moment before sprouting a confident smile on her face, "I am very proud to be a demon and I want others to be proud that they are demons, too. That's why I want to improve the nature of the students here and make this a house of learning that any demon would long to attend. That is my ambition. I will be helping with my father's work after I graduate and I know what I must do before that."

Then she caught his eyes, looking at her with the utmost respect and admiration. Which made her heart feel very warm for some reason.

"What about you Izuku? What is your dream?" she asked.

As soon as she asked that question there was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two until Izuku spoke up.

"Honestly, I have no idea" he let out a humorless laugh. Then he stood up and walked to the window as he stared at the setting sun with a distant look in his eyes.

"Ever since I was a child, all I ever wanted was to become a hero and save everyone with a smile," he said, a sad smile appearing on his face. "I truly believed I could do it, no matter how many times I was denied, pushed back, or told that I wasn't going anywhere in life. I steeled my heart and kept walking towards my goal, and eventually, I did get a chance to become the hero I always wanted to be. But the price I paid was-"

He suddenly stopped, realizing he had said too much. "Sorry for dumping all of that on you," he said.

"It's all right," Ameri said and decided to lighten the mood, "I guess you are getting into a habit of spilling your secrets to me."

"You are right," Izuku smiled at her, "it's just... I don't how but, you feel like home to me," then he chuckled to himself, "that sounded way less cheesy in my head. Don't you think-"

He looked up and saw red-faced Ameri quietly taking a sip of her tea.

'Izuku, you really are a smooth-talking bastard,' Nana laughed at him.

'Shut up, Shimura,' Izuku groaned at the voice in his head.

"Anyway," Izuku said, "as I was saying, right now I have no idea what my dreams are."

"Then why don't you just climb ranks for now," Ameri suggested, "and if you want a goal to follow then I, Ameri Azazel challenge you to come and stand at my side."

Izuku smirked and looked at her with a confident smile, "then start making a place there, 'cause I will be there in no time."

And so one more day came to an end and Izuku got a new goal to set his sight on.