Chapter 4

Luckily, there were no notes to be taken during the English lesson. All they did was read the second act of Romeo and Juliet. Aside from Uraraka having to point out where they were when it was his turn to read, his lack of attention goes mostly unnoticed by his classmates and teacher. He has an easier time paying attention during the math lesson thanks to Midnight slapping his desk with a ruler every time he zoned out.

At the end of the lesson, as everyone files out of the classroom for lunch, Midnight pulls Izuku to the side. "You seem distracted, kid," she states. "This isn't like you. Is something going on?"

"No, ma'am," he assures. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

With a disbelieving glint in her eyes, she asks, "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Actually, All Might agreed to meet with me during lunch. I have a few questions I want to run by him. I'd hate to keep him waiting."

"Okay," she hums. He can tell that she's not completely convinced, but she lets him go regardless. The promise to speak with a teacher is enough for her.

With her permission, he races out of the classroom. He feels like he's on autopilot as he stops by the cafeteria. After picking up something for lunch, he makes his way to his mentor's office. He hasn't been this nervous to meet with All Might since he started training with him. He's so nervous he almost turns around and returns to the cafeteria to eat with his classmates.

"Young Midoriya?" All Might asks. "Is everything alright?"

To say the teen's soul left his body for a moment would be an understatement. "H-hi, All Might," he stutters in greeting. As he's guided into the sparsely decorated office, he continues, "I was hoping I could talk to you about my genealogy project."

"Okay, but I don't know how much help I'd be. Maybe your parents would be of more assistance."

"That's actually, um." Somewhere deep in Izuku's mind, he's praying for the soft couch under him to swallow him so he can avoid having this conversation.

"Izuku, did something happen?"

"All for One's my father," he blurts out. He can't bring himself to look up from his hands folded in his lap as the tears start to form. Silence consumes the room as both One for All wielders process what the younger admitted. Finally, Izuku manages to explain, "I didn't know until my DNA results came in yesterday."

"And what did your mother have to say about it?"

"I don't know. I was so angry, I didn't let her explain. I just left and spent the night with Kacchan."

"Does she know that you're okay? She must be worried sick."

Nodding, he explains, "Auntie Mituski called her this morning." More silence. "Can I still be a hero with a supervillain for a father?"

Izuku didn't know what he expected, but a hug from his idol wasn't it. His breath catches in his throat before coming out as a sob. "It doesn't matter who your parents are. You've proven yourself more than worthy of being a hero. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even me."

Eventually, Izuku manages to calm down. They eat in relative silence before Izuku asks, "Nana Shimura was your mentor, right?"

A fond smile tugs at All Might's lips as he nods. "She was."

"What was she like?"

"She was amazing, the best mentor I could have asked for. She believed in me even when I was quirkless. She inspired me to be the kind of hero I am. I didn't think you knew about her."

Seeing his mentor in a better mood, Izuku perks up a little. As he fishes the list from his bag, he explains, "That's the other thing I wanted to tell you." He excitedly hands All Might the paper. "She's my maternal grandmother."

"You know, I've always wondered what happened to her daughter," he says as he reads over the paper. "She had to give her kids up for adoption after someone killed her husband. Huh. Yoichi Shigaraki? Why does that name sound familiar?"

"One of the villains that attacked the USJ was Tomura Shigaraki." Green eyes once again meet folded hands, unable to look directly at his mentor. "He's also, sort of, my – uh – my cousin."