Midoriya looked at Bakugou, not taking her eyes off him until the door finally closed. With an exhale, she made a beeline for the stairs.

About halfway down the stairs, the phone rang. As soon as she saw the name of the caller, Midoriya took a breath. She checked the time and ran.

"Are you kidding me?" the voice on the phone sounded angry, making Midoriya feel guilty. "Didn't you call me?"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm on my way down," Midoriya mumbled hurriedly.

"You mean you haven't even gone outside yet?" Nakayama exclaimed irritably, mumbling something.

"Sorry, Nakayama-kun!

Midoriya turned off her phone and ran to the meeting point. Since she had the opportunity to go to her mother's house, she not only wanted to invite Nakayama for dinner to create a more pleasant atmosphere for him, but also to get him to talk. Midoriya didn't understand how to work with such children to get them to open up, as it hadn't really worked with Kota the last time.

Midoriya immediately noticed Nakayama's figure. As well as his disgruntled look. It was true that she had invited him to go for a walk this weekend, but this time she didn't say why it was necessary. To her surprise, Nakayama agreed the first time, even though his expression showed that he already regretted his decision.

"Don't be angry," Midoriya ran closer, trying to justify herself. "Kacchan came suddenly, so I was delayed."

"Seriously, you decided to sit with him instead of going to a meeting you initiated?"

Nakayama reluctantly crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Midoriya sourly.

"No, our paths crossed when I was leaving the house!"

"So you were late anyway."

"Well," Midoriya looked away. "You could say that."

"Fine," Nakayama sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, that's it, get lost. I'm going home now. Why did I agree to this in the first place?"

"Sorry, Nakayama-kun!" cried Midoriya.

Fudo, who looked like he was about to leave, stopped and said without turning around: "And what's with your hair anyway?"

"Oh, you noticed too? Midoriya mumbled, blushing slightly with embarrassment. "But it doesn't matter."

Since Aizawa had arranged for Nakayama to meet the other children who had been caught up in the same programme, his attitude seemed to have changed a little. Midoriya didn't know what they had talked about, and Aizawa had indeed written a report about that day, but she had noticed that Fudo seemed to be starting to make contact himself.

Midoriya and Nakayama left in silence. Even though Izuku had invited him to talk, she wasn't in a hurry now. There was no need to rush.

And for some reason, it worked. Nakayama had calmed down and now looked at his surroundings with interest. This was an area he hadn't been to before. He had seen Midoriya coming out of the usual apartment building. She didn't fit the image of a 'rich girl with a good pedigree', of which he thought there were many at the academy. It was common for him to think that the UA was off-limits to ordinary people, after all, it was a national institution.

Midoriya touched Nakayama's arm lightly and pointed to the playground, inviting him to go there. It was completely empty at this hour, only the sound of children laughing somewhere in the distance.

Midoriya sat down on a free swing and rocked a little. Nakayama, on the other hand, was in no hurry to take the second seat, preferring to just lean against the support. For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the creaking of the swing as Midoriya seemed to collect her thoughts. If at first Nakayama had wanted to ask what they were doing here, now he decided to give her some time to herself. He assured himself that he wasn't interested in what she was going to say, but he stood up anyway and waited for Midoriya to start talking.

"You know," Midoriya started, glancing over at some children playing something a little further away. It reminded her of her childhood, when she used to run around with the boys from her neighbourhood, imagining that they were the real heroes. "My quirk came much later than the others. I don't know what caused it, but it doesn't matter anymore.

Nakayama looked at Midoriya in surprise. The way she handled her quirk now seemed so right, so precise, as if she had been doing it since she was a child.

"That's why my peers made fun of me when they got their quirks. They laughed, called me names, and when I tried to confront them, they fought. Well, that's what usually happens."

Midoriya grinned.

"Yes, and it's not like things got any easier after the quirk came along. It proved to be too strong for my weak body. If it hadn't been for... One person, I might not have been able to handle it."

Nakayama hung on every word. After talking to Aizawa about the fate of his two disciples, he was curious to hear what they had to say about it. If Bakugou's revelation was not to be counted on, Midoriya's story might answer the most important question. Why exactly were they assigned as mentors?

Midoriya looked at Nakayama and smiled sadly.

"This power was destructive for my body. Because I got it so much later than usual, I didn't have as much time as the others to get used to it. It was ridiculous, I had dreamed of being a hero all my life, but when the chance came..."

Midoriya fell silent. She didn't need to speak any more for Nakayama to understand. That was why she had started this conversation. She knew that he would understand.

Midoriya held out her hand and took off her jacket.

"These scars came after I used the quirk too much. You see, I was too careless, too hopeful of the help I would get afterwards. It may have been my fault, but on the other hand, it became my reminder. A reminder that I have people close to me who care. That these scars will remain not only on my hands, but also on my mother's heart.

Nakayama was silent. He listened carefully to everything Midoriya told him. If at first it had been a casual interest, now he seemed to understand what Midoriya was talking about. Nakayama wavered in his doubts but finally sat down next to Izuku.

"There is great power in our hands. And this power can not only harm us but also others. But that's the difference between heroes and villains. Heroes make sure their power does good. Think of Thirteen. Even with such a dangerous quirk, she still works for the good of our society.

Midoriya got up to leave. She hadn't expected Nakayama to start talking either. But she was wrong.