Izuku hummed as he helped set up the autograph table at the bookstore closest to Cathleen's house. She was there too, and Inko was also there for moral support. At the end of the talk show, his interviewer had mentioned to them that the greenette would be here, allowing for even more publicity and hopefully an increase in sales. As it neared opening time for the bookstore, he could already see a line outside. The elderly man, William Jacobs, a foreigner from Britian, couldn't help but whistle at the line. His Japanese was infected by his peculiar accent. "Wow. Ne'er had a line that big here." Izuku sighed, a nervous smile on his face, "Well, hosting a celebrity kind of does that. I'm still not used to it." Cathleen patted him on the back, nearly knocking him over. "You'll be fine. You just have to sign it, maybe leave a message if they talk to you about something specific. It's up to you." Inko gripped his hand, and he looked at her. "Don't worry, honey, you'll do fine. You've gotten this far." Izuku smiled, more confident this time. "Yeah." "Alright, opening the gates!" The brit had a flair for the dramatic, it seemed, and Izuku sat down at the table. He was dressed in a fancy suit, with a green pen. The LEAF suit wouldn't fit here, and it wasn't needed. Nobody would attack him now, especially not with his reputation. His publishing company had advised him to leave a space in the front of the book for autographs. It was a compromise for Izuku wanting his book to be a hardcover, a more pricey, but more durable choice of production. Only those who were serious would be buying anyways, so Izuku wanted it to be the best. As soon as Jacobs opened the door, the line immediately went to Izuku's table, and the first one was a small boy, 6 years of age. He was alone, without parents, and his clothes were gritty and dirty to an extent, and he was clearly being mistreated and neglected. He was nervous beyond belief, reminding Izuku of himself, when he gathered his courage and asked, "HHi..." Carefully, as to not make him frightened, the green haired author asked, "Hello, what's your name?" The child answered quickly due to his nerves. The answer broke his heart, as it was an insult. "My name is Noroi." The boy gave his book to him. It was brand new, to be expected, but it was his biggest treasure. Held close to his chest. That melted his now shattered heart. There was so much emotion this boy was able to illicit from him. Izuku asked gently, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The kid looked up to him. In both cases, because he was physically shorter... as well as his idol. "I want to be like you." The greenette smiled warmly at the small ginger, and they asked quietly, "is... is it true you're quirkless?" The author responded compassionately. "Yes, I am." "Everyone tells me I can't because I'm weak and quirkless... but... Can I be a hero like you?" Izuku realized that this was just like before, with him. This would be Noroi's defining moment. And he couldn't afford to botch this. "Is that your absolute dream?" The kid's nervousness disappeared for a moment as he responded: "It is." Izuku nodded, "Then you can be, but it will require hard work on your part. You won't get a fancy suit like me to rely on. It's a terrible, tough journey... but if you can push through it... you'll be a great hero." He signed the book, adding a personal message: Try your hardest, and you'll become a great hero. Never give up. You're already a hero in my eyes, Noroi. Sincerely, Izuku Midoriya. When he gave the book back, he told the small redhead, gesturing to the blonde woman to the side, "My friend Cathleen here works with heroes on a constant basis. I think you should talk to her about your dream." His eyes shone, edged with tears of joy, "I will!" He walked over, and the next fan stepped forward. He focused back on the task at hand. Towards lunchtime, the line finally ended with UA's heroics courses and staff. He was surprised, as he didn't think they would. "You all came?" Itsuka spoke, with Momo nodding confirmation, "Of course! That, and we heard your story from the group you spoke to before you went to fight the villains. All of us like your classes. That, and our teachers let us know you're leaving after this, so we wanted to say goodbye. Can we have a picture?" He checked to make sure there wasn't anyone waiting past them. Then nodded. "Sure." Standing together, Cathleen held the camera. "Smile!" The picture was then sent to all of those who worked with him directly. It was a great photo. They laughed, chatted, and interacted for the last time as teacher and student. Noroi stood next to Cathleen, hiding behind her. Toshinori asked, "Who is the kid?" "One just like him. Quirkless. Asked the same question he asked you a year ago." He immediately recognized what she was getting at. "And he was the better man." "Yes. Although... he's not in the best of circumstances, Izuku's asked me to give him some tips. He's quirkless." The gaunt man mused, "Well, with AFO dead... there is nothing for OFA to counter..." She looked at him. Cathleen knew the secret of Allmight's quirk, as a secret between mentor/mentee. "You think?" "If Izuku believes in him, I will as well. But I'd need to ask him another time. First we'd need to save him from his home." He glanced at the boy, who retreated behind Cathleen yet again. "I'm afraid for the boy." She nodded, smiling. "I'll leave that to you. I have no jurisdiction here, after all." He reciprocated, and the two watched over the UA crowd, confident in what the future had to offer. As the day wrapped up, Allmight and the UA staff took care of Noroi, escorting him home and seeing what would happen. Meanwhile, Shirosaki and Izuku were the last ones there. Izuku was the first to speak. "So, I'm no longer a teacher." "I know. Most of them will miss you." "And you?" "More than anything." He could barely respond as he took in the sight of the beauty before him. Her dress accentuated her hair. The sun, now starting to set, practically gave her a halo, making the vinette appear as the angel she was. "Well... I'll wait in Denver." He handed her an address. It was a card that Cathleen made the day before. "This is where my Mom, who you met today, and Cathleen, my adoptive aunt at this point, will be staying. I will probably be in the Rockies, but when you finish your hero training, come to here. Cathleen will take you in as a new sidekick. You'll probably be more popular in the US anyway, because your values reflect theirs. You'll need to learn English of course..." "Izuku. I'll take care of it. We already learn English anyways." She accepted the address, and stepped closer. "Just accept my thanks for entering my life... and as my farewell present..." She leant down slightly to his level, as Izuku was shorter than her when out of the LEAF suit, and Ibara gave him a deep kiss, shocking the greenette. It was heaven, which was to be expected from... his... angel. It lasted for a few seconds, before she stood back to full height. "I will be working as hard as I can. Wait for me." "I-I will. I promise." She smiled, then left the store. It would be years before they'd see each other again, but it would be worth it. His thoughts of the future were interrupted as Inko asked, a knowing smile on her face. "Who's she? You two seem close..." Cathleen chipped in, "I didn't know you had it in you, kid!" Izuku's face reddened: "That... Mom! Cathleen!" The two older women laughed at Izuku's attitude. Cathleen was howling as she said: "Cmon, Izuku, lighten up a little! She was pretty, and from what I heard, you two are both dedicated to each other." "Well, that's true... her name is Ibarra Shiozaki. A hero student from Class B. She has promised to become a hero student and move to Denver when finished." He sighed, remembering her appearance from a few moments ago in a daydream. Cathleen nodded, calmer now, but still completely giddy. "She sounds promising as a sidekick." Izuku snapped out of it, the blush still on his face from before. "I did recommend your agency as a place to work." Cathleen gave a thumbs up. "Perfect!" The three left the bookstore behind, glad to finally be able to leave Japan behind, as they would leave tomorrow. Free to travel, and return to the Valley once more.
