In the year 21XX, Saki Yoshida learned quite late that not everyone was created equally. Growing up in a quirkless neighborhood in Chiba prefecture, she was never treated as a lesser being. That all changed when she and her parents moved to Musutafu for her dad's job and she was enrolled in Aldera Junior High.
After a second week of getting bullied by her classmates, Saki was going downstairs to lunch to eat from her homemade bento box when she heard a loud sound. With her curiosity getting the best of her, she decided to see what the sound was. She turned the corner to see what it was and to her horror, it was a boy with his gakuran smoking and backed up against a wall by a taller boy with spiky blond hair and two random boys standing behind the blond while a teacher just walked past the four of them.
"You should learn to keep your mouth shut, Deku. What would happen if I didn't become a hero because of you, eh?!" And just like that, Saki watched in horror as the taller boy let off another explosion and the boy fell to the floor as the other boys behind laughed at him. She was frozen in fear.
After the scary blond boy left with the two guys behind him, she ran out of the corner towards 'Deku' to check on him.
"Hey. Hey. Are you awake?" Saki pleaded in fear. "Please say something."
'Deku' groaned in pain. He saw Saki and backed up against the wall, starting to panic. "W-w-who are you? W-w-what are y-you doing here?"
Saki put her hands up in a placating gesture. "I-it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Is Kacchan gone?" The boy asked.
"The scary boy? His name is Kacchan?"
Izuku shook his head. "His actual name is Katsuki Bakugou. I call him Kacchan."
"He left already." The boy sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry. I saw him attack you and I froze in fear. I couldn't do anything to stop him or help you." Saki said with a small whimper, bowing her head in shame. "I'm so sorry."
Izuku wanted to comfort the nice girl because that's what a hero does. So he went with the safest thing, a pat on the shoulder. "It's not your fault. I don't think there's anyone who could stop him anyways. Better it was me than anyone else."
Not knowing what he meant by that, Saki stood up and pulled at the boy's arm. "Come on. I'll take you to the nurse."
The boy shook his head and pulled his arm away. "The nurse won't do anything for someone like me. Plus I have my own first aid kit in my backpack." He stood up and walked to a staircase.
'Someone like him?' Saki thought in confusion. Is he quirkless like her? She followed him to the staircase.
"What's your name?" Saki asked.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya."
"I'm Saki Yoshida. Why did that boy call you Deku?" Saki asked.
"He's been calling me that since we were five because I'm quirkless."
Saki's eyes widened behind her glasses. "You're quirkless too?"
"What do you mean 'too'? You're quirkless?"
Saki nodded. "Yeah. I have an extra toe joint like a quirkless person is supposed to."
"I never thought I would meet someone else that's quirkless." Izuku admitted in shock.
"Can we be friends?" Saki asked, hopeful that he will accept her friendship. She hated being alone here.
"You want to be friends, Yoshida? W-with me?" Izuku asked in shock.
Saki sat next to the boy she wanted to be her first friend in this horrible place. "Please call me Saki and yes, I do." Then she hugged Izuku, who slightly stiffened.
Instead of pushing away, Izuku seemed to freeze in shock... then suddenly hugged back. He couldn't believe it. For the first time, he is receiving his first friend and the first bit of positive physical affection in years. "T-t-thank you Saki. You have no idea how much this means to me. T-Thank you for being m-my friend." Izuku said, tearing up in Saki's embrace.
Saki felt herself tearing up, burying her face in Izuku's shoulder. "You're welcome, Izuku and thank you as well. Um c-can I call you Izuku?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku said with a smile. "Can we stay like this.. a little longer?"
"Yeah." Saki said, smiling in Izuku's embrace.
"This feels nice." Izuku said.
Saki agreed with him. "Yeah it does."
Izuku's stomach then grumbled. Saki tried to stifle a laugh but failed. "Ooh wow. I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. But that was adorable and unexpected."
Izuku blushed. "I just realized it's lunch and I probably wasted your time." He took a bento box out from his backpack. "If you'd like, I can offer you some of my lunch."
Saki shook her head. "You didn't waste anything and you don't need to share your food. I brought my own lunch from home too." She said as she took out her bento box from her bag. "So before the next class starts, let's dig in."
After school was over for the day, Izuku got a text message from Saki. It felt weird to actually get messages from someone other than his mom, auntie Mitsuki or uncle Masaru. Someone of his age and a girl to be exact. But at the same time, it felt.. kind of nice.
Saki: Hey Izuku. I was wondering if you want to hang out at the arcade today.
Izuku blinked. He then pinched himself to see if he was dreaming but he was not.
Izuku: You want to hang out with me?
Saki: Of course I want to hang out with you. We're friends now. Plus we can get to know each other more
Izuku: Sure. But I never played arcade games so I may not be good
Saki: That's fine. All that matters is that we have fun right? Let's meet in front of the building in five minutes
Izuku walked out of the classroom quietly not to attract any attention from any of his tormentors, especially his main one.
While she was standing outside the school, Saki still was shocked that Izuku was bullied since he was five because he's quirkless. She's quirkless like him and her community back in Chiba treated her nicely. No wonder that he was surprised that she wanted to hang out with him. She didn't like that nickname that he was called by Bakugo. Deku. Just thinking it made her upset. Would he like it if she gave him a nickname? A better nickname?
When Saki spotted Izuku, she smiled brightly. It was a smile that was automatically returned by Izuku with a blush on his cheeks. It just took one smile from her that suddenly lit up his day for the first time in eight years.
"Hey!" Saki greeted her new friend with a wave as he walked towards her.
"H-hi." Izuku stuttered out.
"You ready to go?" Saki asked and Izuku nodded.
Once they left the arcade and started to walk home, Saki realized that she and Izuku were heading in the same direction as well as walking down the same street. 'That's weird. Why are we walking in the same direction?' She thought to herself but she didn't know how to ask Izuku.
Izuku had noticed at one point but he didn't know how to ask her.
Before Saki reached her apartment complex, she found her courage to ask Izuku the one million yen question.
"Hey, Izuku." Saki said, getting the boy's attention. "Do you live in this area by any chance?"
"Um yeah, I live in this area." Izuku said. "Funny thing is, I was wondering the same about you."
Izuku then pointed to the white buildings in the distance where her apartment complex is and her eyes widened. "You see that white building with the number 2 on it? That's where I live."
"Wait, you live there?" Saki asked, looking at him in shock.
"Y-yeah. It's just me and my mom. I know it's not much but..."
Saki shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant." She then said, her facial expression changing from shock to happiness. "I live here too."
"Are you serious?" Izuku asked. Saki nodded rapidly. "How come we never ran into each other?"
"I leave early to go to the sweets shop to buy taiyaki." Saki explained. "Oh my god, this is surprising."
"I know. How could I be so lucky? I make a new friend and she's also my neighbor." Izuku said as Saki started to giggle.
"I feel the same way," Saki said and she hugged Izuku.
"Since we live in the same building, maybe we can come over to each other's apartments and hang out sometimes." Saki offered as they walked to the building. "Do you have a favorite anime, show or movie? Do you read books or comics? Play computer games?"
"I don't watch anime. I don't have a favorite show or movie. I don't read books, comics or play computer games." Izuku admitted.
Saki gasped. "How do you not watch anime?! Everyone watches anime. Do you even have any hobbies?"
"I write about heroes and their quirks." Izuku said, tapping his index fingers against each other. "Does that count?"
Saki's eyebrows perked up. "Yeah. Do you have a favorite hero?"
Izuku nodded. "Y-yeah. All Might. What about you? Do you have one?"
Saki shook her head. "I don't really like heroes. I did when I was younger but that's it."
"That's understandable."
Saki walked into the apartment and slipped out of her high tops.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Saki came rushing into the kitchen where her mom was. "There's a boy in school that I made friends with and he lives in our building!"
Hina Yoshida turned to her daughter in surprise. "You made a friend?"
Saki nodded. "Can we invite him over? Please, please, please!" Saki looked at her.
"Sure, but only if his parents are okay with that." Hina told her.
Saki cheered and went to her room to get started on her homework and to contact Izuku.
"At least she's making friends." Hina said.