16.01.2023

It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with the third chapter of this vaguely religious adventure that we've set out on just two weeks ago. Before we are able to continue however let's dive into the comment section!:

Blackdoum - Welcome neighbor to you then! The story got off to an unexpectedly great start, so I hope I can keep this trend going all the way to the end! And as someone whose English isn't a native language as well let me tell you that reading and watching things in English is a great way to learn, that's how I did it!

Notasavior - Oh yeah, Izuku interacting with people is going to be a running joke throughout the entire story I think! Especially once we learn a bit more of what his childhood was like and what he was taught in the past!

equinoxhun - Well, I hope that people come for the pairing and stay for the story then!

crazybeebee - Considering that the two chapters so far were pretty Ibara-centric it safe to say that there's more than meets the eye going on with Izuku at this point, but today's chapter will give some insight into that matter! Just in a mysterious, cryptically foreboding way!

Mew-the-Dark-Matter-buster1 - Your comment actually got me thinking quite a lot about the potential endgame for this fic. I was wondering right from the start what villain group I should introduce as the main antagonists of this story, but now I'm thinking that maybe a big bad villain isn't the thing that I need. Gotta give this more thought however, but it's definitely an idea worth exploring more thoroughly, so thanks for that!

And now let's proceed to the chapter!:

Having to abandon the place you called home for the past twelve years wasn't an easy decision, but as Izuku had quickly grown to understand it was the right choice to make.

The things he got to witness and experience over his short period of reintroduction into the society had impacted him in various ways. He wasn't oblivious to how the world outside functioned by any means, but hearing about things and experiencing them yourself were two vastly different things.

There was something truly mesmerizing in the sight of a crowd of people going about their day, bumping into strangers with every step they took but never losing the focus on their own routine. Sure, this daily show of apathy and indifference towards others was seriously concerning, but it also made the little shows of decency that much more impactful. Like a teenager hastily jogging to meet his friends stopping for a moment to help an older lady cross the street. Or a businessman already late to a meeting taking a small detour just to give directions to a lost traveler. Yes, society was a very intriguing construct, one that was able to keep itself balanced without breaking a sweat.

When people thought about the constant battle of good and evil, most of them would probably quote the heroes fighting against the villains, but was it really that shallow to them? Could they not see the day to day events tipping the scales constantly? It's not necessarily that they didn't see them, maybe they just didn't care enough?

Izuku got to experience that selfishness first hand as many people refused to give him shelter for even a night when they seemed more than able to provide far more than what he asked of them. His faith in humanity was restored however when he received help from people that'd be better off asking for help themselves rather than providing it. But that's exactly the selflessness that Izuku longed for ever since he had left his brothers and sisters behind.

He was used to living in harsh conditions so a roof over his head and a warm meal was all that he asked of them, yet those people gave him so much more than that. In a matter of weeks he forged bonds that he imagined some people might spend years cultivating without their efforts bearing fruits. They became his third family pretty quickly so having to leave them behind was another tough choice he had to make. This time however, there was no vow stopping him from ever coming back so he promised to visit them whenever he could.

Izuku passed the U.A. entrance exam with a pretty sweet score which had earned him a third spot overall. He had little care for the rankings as all that mattered to him was that he'd gotten in. Shortly after he was done watching that… 'projection' it was supposedly called - his phone had alerted him of a new message, one from Shiozaki Ibara who he'd texted a lot with for the past two weeks. She wanted to inform him of the fact that she too had passed the exam and that she'd been placed in the B class of the Heroics Course.

Izuku was a bit saddened by the fact that the Lord decided to separate them shortly after arranging their meeting, but after he gave it some thought he realized His true intentions. It'd only make sense to have two of His devoted followers in separate classes so that they could easily spread his words to a larger crowd.

Shiozaki had been very impressed with how easy it was to decipher the Lord's intentions but his score had her thoroughly surprised. Shiozaki herself had accumulated a total of sixty eight points - split almost evenly between the villain points and the secret rescue points - which put her just behind the podium in the fourth spot. Izuku on the other hand had managed to get just shy of thirty villains points but still passed thanks to earning a hefty sum of forty four rescue points for a grand total of seventy three points.

Additionally, whilst he'd only placed third overall it turns out that he had accumulated the biggest amount of rescue points out of all the examinees. Now that was something that Izuku could take pride in as helping people was his main goal as a hero that he wanted to become. Fighting was of course something that he wouldn't be able to shy away from if he didn't want to become a burden to his fellow heroes but he'd prioritize saving the civilians first and foremost.

Shiozaki had expressed a desire to meet and celebrate their amazing performance but those plans were forced to take a back seat as both teens had to make their own preparations for the upcoming school year. Thankfully they both had applied for the dormitory program that U.A. had put in place a couple of years back to accommodate the students from more distant regions, so the two could meet up during the move-in period that the school offered for the new students to explore the campus and let them get familiar with the layout so that they don't end up getting lost on their way to classes once those start as that'd be a waste of time. And wasting time was highly illogical.

And so, a couple of days before the school year, Izuku packed up what little earthly belongings he owned and made the short trip from the place he took shelter in for a few months to the gates of U.A.

Attached to the device that broadcasted their results was a one-time use entry slip which would allow them to enter the campus without having to schedule a visit and after that they could retrieve their proper student ID from the security. It must've been a very advanced and sophisticated system but it was thankfully quite intuitive so even someone like him could understand it with ease.

"I gotta say, this looks quite menacing without the droves of fellow hero hopefuls mingling about. The giant line of fortifications also does its part to set the mood." Izuku commented as he stood in front of the main gate of U.A.

He had to admit, it looked quite different from the last time he was here, but it was probably that way for a reason. Such an impressive structure could've been too intimidating for people who were already stressed out enough as it is, so the principal probably decided to rein the defenses in for the day of the exam. Sounded like a security breach waiting to happen but that too was probably taken into account and proactively resolved. That's exactly something you'd expect from the most prestigious school in the country.

"Outta my way you two-bit Extra!" Izuku heard someone yell out and so he stepped to the side to let them pass.

A blonde boy just a bit shorter than him had pushed his way past Izuku, bumping into him by accident, before scanning his pass and waltzing onto the campus like he owned the place.

"Probably an upperclassman. Albeit quite a rude one at that." Izuku thought to himself before shaking his head. "No, it's probably my fault for blocking the entrance like that. Speaking of which, I shouldn't loiter about any longer!"

Izuku walked up to the door that was built into the massive gate itself and, after fumbling with the strange device that made various noises that he could not understand, scanned his pass to enter the campus himself.

He was glad to see that at least the interior was looking exactly the way he remembered it so he shouldn't have any trouble finding his way. Especially since he came prepared and brought a map of the campus with him!

After consulting the piece of paper for a few brief moments he was able to make out the path that'd lead him towards his dormitory which was located on the outskirts of the school grounds, close enough to the school itself to make the commute quite short but still far enough away to provide at least some peace and quiet.

With the path memorized Izuku stashed the map into the backpack that held some of his stuff and was about to go on his merry way before something distracted him.

"Woah!" Someone behind him yelled before he heard the unmistakable sound of things falling to the ground.

He immediately turned around to see a boy with red hair standing amidst a mass of boxes which he'd only just dropped.

"Oh man, I might've packed more than I can handle." The new arrival said in a surprisingly upbeat tone.

"I told you that you should take only half your stuff at once!" Izuku also heard someone beyond the gate chastise the boy.

"Come on Mina, you know real men take all the groceries in one trip, right?!" The boy shouted back at his friend with a wide grin that showed off his shark-like teeth.

Izuku, amused by the exchange of friendly albeit teasing comments, decided to finally let his presence be known, as the boy had yet to notice his impressive frame.

"The way I was taught was that a real man also knows when to ask for help." Izuku said as he approached the boy who already started trying to sort his boxes into an easier to carry arrangement.

"Damn, you're one big guy!" The boy commented like a seasoned detective, his eyes open wide in amazement.

Izuku was used to hearing that a lot when he was still trying to fit in with society after having to abandon his first true home. Being just over six feet may not have been that big of an achievement, but Izuku also spent a lot of time training his body and mind to reach peak physical performance so besides his height he was also built like a brick house. Or at least that's what his friends had told him. Back to the situation at hand.

"I get that a lot!" Izuku bellowed at the comment and then motioned to the boxes on the ground. "So would you like me to help with those?" He offered with a smile which prompted the boy to grin even wider.

"How can I refuse after that manly speech of yours?!" The redhead excitedly answered.

"Manly?" Izuku wondered out loud with a bit of confusion and was about to ask for a clarification but he didn't need to in the end.

"Don't mind him, Eiji says the word 'manly' like a hundred times a day!" The boy's friend explained before finally stepping through the door herself. "He uses that to describe things that he's really passionate about or moved by and- damn, you ARE big!" She cut herself off once she laid eyes on him.

Izuku could only chuckle and grin at the reaction as he took in the newer arrival. She turned out to be a girl, something he was already aware of as her voice sounded feminine right from the start, but the way she looked was so extravagant that it almost made him stare for a moment. He could be excused this time as you don't get to see pink-skinned girls with pitch black eyes and golden irises that have horns growing on their head every day. She was almost an entire foot shorter than him and her friend was somewhere in the middle.

"That I am." Izuku confirmed with a smile, his mood being curiously lifted just by being around the two as their energy was very contagious. "Midoriya Izuku, pleased to make your acquaintance." He introduced himself with a courteous bow.

"See Eiji, you could learn to act more like a gentleman you know?" The pink-skinned girl teased her friend who responded with a quiet 'That wasn't manly at all' but was promptly ignored by the other parties for comedic purposes. "I'm Ashido Mina and this here goof is Eijiro Kirishima!" The girl introduced herself and her friend in the same constantly excited manner that she did everything.

"Would I be right to assume that you're both here to get acquainted with the layout of the campus before the school year starts?" Izuku guessed as he helped the boy now known as Kirishima arrange his boxes more neatly.

"Yup! Class A!" Kirishima was quick to confirm, any traces of the previous embarrassment long gone.

"Our meeting is most fortunate then, as I too am headed towards the very same dormitory." Izuku revealed and the other two looked at each other with wide, manic even!, smiles on their faces.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Ashido exclaimed in excitement before running off.

"The dormitories are the other way!" Izuku shouted after her and was thankfully heard.

"I knew it!" She yelled out as she passed by them, this time heading down the correct path.

Izuku, thoroughly amused by her energy, went back to her red-haired friend to relieve him of some of the boxes and together the trio was able to make it to the dormitories without any problems.

Izuku's belongings consisted of a futon that barely fit him, a couple of books on various subjects, his phone and the charger for it. Other than that he had only the most common commodities like toothpaste, some cologne that he got as a parting gift before he left his previous abode as well as a handful of casual clothes. Thankfully they would be provided with uniforms tailored specifically for them so his lacking wardrobe wasn't an issue. He also decided to bring a dumbbell and some additional weights for it as he wasn't sure if they'd be able to access a gym or some other kind of a training room any time soon and he didn't want to risk having his training regiment broken up by the lack of equipment.

Despite having very little in terms of earthly possessions he valued all of them much more than you'd expect and for a good reason. Most of those things were gifts from his friends and those he came to call family. If he had to choose something that he valued above the rest of it however then he'd be torn by two choices. First would be the more recent addition in the form of a cross necklace that he received from the first person to offer him help when he tried to find a place to stay. It had a very simple design but it wasn't the looks that mattered to him but the gesture itself. Most of the things he owned had a purpose like the dumbbells, the phone or even toothpaste. This necklace was nothing more than a decoration however and that's what made it special to him as it was simply a show of goodwill from someone else.

The other thing he'd be pressed to consider was the sword he was given when he left his brothers and sisters. Or rather the entire case that he vowed to protect at all cost as what it contained could be very dangerous if used by the wrong person. That's why he swore to keep the case under lock and key, rarely parting with it for extended periods of time. Now he'd have to get used to it however as carrying it to school was less than ideal, but he knew that when he applied. Besides, is there a place more safe than the most prestigious school in all of Japan?

Izuku didn't have much to unpack so he wasn't surprised to find out that both Ashido and Kirishima were still busy by the time he emerged from his room and Shiozaki had yet to text him about her arrival so he found himself with free time and nothing to do.

Staying indoors wasn't that appealing to him in the past and it didn't gain any appeal since then so he decided to go out and have a look around the neighborhood, probably stop by a security checkpoint to retrieve his proper student ID and wait patiently for Shiozaki to arrive. It was still fairly early in the morning and she lived in the neighboring prefecture so it shouldn't take her much longer to get to school.

Izuku decided to wear a pair of gray sweats and a simple black tank-top coupled with his trademark red sneakers before heading out. He took exactly four steps outside before he ran back to his room to get the phone which he'd forgotten to grab on his way out and then headed out to explore the surrounding area.

"It seems that my caretaker had switched homes once again. And I had nothing to do with it this time. I gotta say that after being stuck in that backwater monastery for centuries, traveling is a very welcome breath of fresh air. Now if only he'd allow me to stretch my legs so to speak. He is still lying to himself that we have nothing in common but I know better! I've seen his true self after all, the one he is trying so hard to hide… His efforts are ultimately futile, but I've waited so long for a chance to let loose once again… I guess waiting a bit longer isn't that big a deal…"

Wow, if that isn't foreshadowing then I don't know what is. And only three chapters in too! Makes ya think that there might be something wrong with the author, huh?

Blatant foreshadowing aside - I'm quite curious what that last short monologue makes you guys think. Is it perhaps a villain lurking in the shadows to bring chaos to the world or maybe a future ally waiting for the right moment to step in? I don't know, so feel free to tell me if you want!

So this chapter is following Izuku and that's how you can expect most of the story to look like, although we will of course get Ibara's side of the more important events like [Redacted] and [Redacted] as well as the infamous [Redacted].

Have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!