Izuku's half-baked plan to get Mezo-Kun and Ochaco-Chan to be friends had proven successful and Izuku happily texted the two of them in the group chat. They mostly talked out training plans and ways for them to test the boundaries of their quirks, and that night Izuku had his first sleepover with Mezo-Kun and they watched a video Ochaco-Chan sent them of her squealing as she made a paper fall to the floor like a rock.
Izuku probably stayed up just a little too late gushing over Ochaco-Chan's quirk from the half a minute of footage she had sent to the chat. He made sure to apologize to Mezo-Kun the next morning when they rushed to get ready for the day, Mezo-Kun thankfully didn't hold it against him and they both said their goodbyes at the station.
Saturday was great, helping Kaoru learn about his quirk and he had a nice trip back to the main island with Yuri-San as usual but he might have been a bit enthusiastic because he got his hands on a nice plot of land in Atago by the Karatsu Uchisawa river. He had asked the local Vespa population to keep an ear out for properties by the districts that could make good farmland and he grabbed it up once it was available.
Izuku already had so many plans for the land, the biggest of which involved raising sheep on it. Oh, it would be tough with how cold it gets in Hokkaido, but Izuku knew a few people in the districts that would be able to help cut costs without hurting his future livestock. His little farm was going to make more jobs and produce meat and cloth that he could have shipped directly to his students in the districts.
On the way back, Izuku already sent out some emails so that he could get started on recruiting staff and getting the land ready with the Urarakas constructing the necessary buildings. Yuri-San had given him some tips from when he spent a brief twenty years farming in Russia, Izuku never would have thought he'd see the day someone could call twenty years brief but Yuri-San wasn't average in any sense or fashion it seems.
Izuku couldn't wait to tell his mom. Sheep were in her top three favorite animals after all and if they got together, they could plan a day trip so she could visit the little farm. Something he was looking forward to because he could already imagine the joy his mom would have petting lambs in the snow.
He was surprised when he saw his mom waiting for him at the station but he was over the moon to see her "Mom!" He cried hugging her and Inko laughed back. Izuku noticed something different about his mom's appearance almost immediately after he pulled back but he couldn't point to a specific aspect. His mom just looked better, though he'd swear she was at least two inches taller.
"Welcome back Izuku, did you sleep alright?" She asked walking towards the car and Izuku nodded "Yeah, did you get my messages? I got the two acres in Atago! We can start work on the farmhouse and barn once the ground thaws." He answered going on to explain his plans in detail as she drove them home. Izuku had just finished telling her about the one student who could make weeds grow faster and how hay and grass both count as weeds when he realized they were home and he hadn't let her get one word in.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, you probably have things you want to talk about too, mom." Izuku apologized once he thought that. Inko just smiled back at him fondly and patted his head "It's fine Izuku, I enjoy hearing about your work." She told him "But I did wanted you to know I've made plans for today." Inko commented making Izuku perk up "Really? I thought we were just staying in this time?" He mentioned as they climbed the steps.
"We did but my schedule changed so I should be able to handle a day out. And I already got things ready for us." She replied "Well um, what are we doing then?" Izuku inquired curious and willing to roll along with his mom's sudden plans "The zoo has a new quirked animal exhibit and I thought you'd like to go see it." Mom answered. Izuku nearly burst into joyful shrieking "We're going to the zoo! Is it the shizuoka municipal nihondaira zoo? The one with a quirked animal house?" Izuku rapidly questioned.
Inko nodded happily filling him in on everything she's planned as she made them both breakfast. Izuku practically bounced around the apartment completely giddy as he packed his things and deeply resisted the urge to search for information because that would spoil his time there.
His mom had encouraged his enthusiasm so when he finally got back into the car to drive to the zoo he was about to combust. The drive was rather short only a little over ten minutes but it felt like forever in his thirteen-year-old head, Izuku all but bolted to the entrance once they parked.
The zoo had just opened so there was a small crowd making a couple of lines. Izuku was going to join one of them but he was stopped by his mom "Hold on, Izuku. I've got another surprise for you." She informed and Izuku blinked confused "Huh? What kind of surprise?" He questioned wondering just what else his mom could have planned.
She just smiled back at him and took out her phone and started typing something "Mom? Who are you-" Izuku tried to ask only to suddenly get a text from his chat with Mezo-Kun Ochaco-Chan. He quickly went to check it just in case since Mezo-Kun knew about his Sundays with his mom.
[Ochaco-Chan, Mezo-Kun...]
[Mezo-Kun: Hey, Mido-Kun could you turn around?]
Izuku cautiously turned around only for his jaw to drop when he spotted Mezo-Kun in one of the fluffy ponchos he wore in winter but his brain couldn't compute how Mezo-Kun could be here in Shizuoka "M-mezo-Kun!? What are you doing here?" He asked shocked but thrilled to see him here "Midoriya-San invited me." Mezo-Kun said once he got close enough to them.
"Huh? But how did she contact you?" He questioned baffled and Inko chuckled "You gave me Shoji-San's number when Mitsuchan and I helped with payroll back in January. I asked through her." She explained and Izuku's face became a touch reddish and he ducked his head out of his embarrassment, he had completely forgotten about that.
But before anyone could say anything else someone else joined them by running into Izuku almost knocking him down, the only reason he didn't was that Mezo-Kun caught him, and the other person "Oh no, I'm so sorry Izu-Kun!" Though dazed, Izuku recognized the person apologizing was Ochaco-Chan "I'm sorry I'm late, Midoriya-San! My train got delayed and I had to run all the way here. I didn't mean to knock you down Izu-Kun!" She cried embarrassed.
Izuku brushed it off "It's fine Ochaco-Chan. Probably just the universe balancing things out after I bumped into you." He assured and Ochaco-Chan awkwardly laughed fidgeting with the collar of her coat "Y-Yeah." Ochaco-Chan agreed only to jump to her feet when she realized she was still in Mezo-Kun's arms "I-I am so sorry! I didn't mean to intrude on your personal space!" She exclaimed her arms flailing and face red.
"It's okay Ochaco-Chan." Mezo-Kun bashfully responded rubbing the back of his neck "Well, now that everyone's here we should go on in." Inko said with a clap of her hands beaming at the three of them "You invited Ochaco-Chan? Did I give you Uraraka-San's number too?" Izuku inquired feeling a bit lost. He didn't remember giving either of Ochaco-Chan's parents' numbers to her.
"You've told me enough about the Urarakas' company and it wasn't hard to search up their work number. Saori-San was such a lovely dear when I explained I wanted to take you guys out today." Mom answered herding the group towards the entrance. Izuku noticed Ochaco-Chan was glancing at Mezo-Kun and it struck him that his friends hadn't met in person before.
"Mezo-Kun's quirk is pretty cool to look at right?" He brought up making the both of them pause "Yeah, I'm glad there are companies that specialize in alternate clothes. His poncho looks super warm and fluffy." Ochaco-Chan agreed and looking back at Mezo-Kun Izuku did find himself envious of Mezo-Kun's poncho, Mezo-Kun ducked his head slightly red where his mask didn't cover his face.
"Thank you, Ochaco-Chan. My mom worked hard on it." Mezo-Kun told them and Ochaco-Chan beamed at the taller boy "Your mom makes clothes for you? That's cool Mezo-Kun! My mom has a tough time patching up my clothes so she must be really talented!" Ochaco-Chan praised further flustering Mezo-Kun.
Their conversation continued while Inko paid for them and then ushered them inside with a map and wristbands in hand. Despite his excitement about the quirked animal house, Izuku insisted on exploring the rest of the zoo first since neither of his friends had ever been to a zoo. He probably would have been in the same boat if the Bakugous hadn't brought them to the zoo over in Minamisaigo.
It was good for his soul to watch as Mezo-Kun and Ochaco-Chan 'ooh'ed and 'awe'ed over all the animals. Ochaco-Chan's favorite was the penguins and Izuku took a lot of pictures of Mezo-Kun petting rabbits and lambs in the indoor petting zoo, and finally, as a reward for all of his patience and after getting some Teriyaki, they made their way to the quirked animal house.
Izuku was in heaven observing the different quirks the animals had, animal quirks varied as much as humans could. There was a pack of wolves with quirks that gave them the ability to shrink and grow, a tiger that could turn invisible, and even a squirrel monkey that used its psychokinesis to climb since the poor creature lost both of its arms.
Izuku's personal favorite was the latest addition to the zoo, a black rabbit with an anglerfish quirk named Lantern swimming around in his own little tank. It was a case of life imitating art because it looked a lot like the picture of a rabbit from a pre-quirk game except it didn't have the large underbite of the game counterpart.
"Wow Izu-Kun, you really are into quirks aren't you?" Ochaco-Chan rhetorically asked chuckling at how Izuku was practically glued to the glass. He just beamed at her nodding rapidly "I would think so considering he went to college for it." Mezo-Kun commented much to Ochaco-Chan's shock "What!? You were in college Izu-Kun!?" She shouted making Izuku flustered and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yes, he graduated back in October last year and he has gotten a teaching degree recently too." Mezo-Kun confirmed before Izuku could and Inko was quick to pipe in "And he's E.M.T certified too!" She proclaimed much to Izuku's chagrin. Ochaco-Chan was struck into an awed silence as she processed all of that "Um... C-congratulations Izu-Kun. A-are you planning to go back to college again then?" Ochaco-Chan stammered out.
Izuku paused and carefully considered it chewing on it for a few minutes "Well... I wouldn't be opposed to going back. I really liked learning on the platform we found but I have no idea what I'd study." He admitted. Despite it having only been a couple of days since he graduated and Izuku already missed his classes.
"Oh? Maybe you can get a medical degree? Since you have an E.M.T. certification." Ochaco-Chan offered but Izuku frowned "Even if I could, it would take far too long to get and I'd need to stop all of my work in the districts to even try for it. I could never do that to my students." He answered shaking his head, Ochaco-Chan's shoulders slumped.
"What about biology then?" Mezo-Kun inquired "You have some understanding of the matter and it might be helpful with your quirk counseling." Mezo-Kun added making Izuku's eyes widen "That's a really good idea Mezo-Kun. Knowing more about how the cells in the body interact and what fuels them could tell me so much about what my students' need outside of average human needs!" He exclaimed with a clap of his hands and stars in his eyes.
Izuku immediately turned to his mom "Mom, can we get me registered once we get home?" He begged, Inko smiled at him fondly "Of course Izuku." She told him "Now, let's go see the spotted seal made of chocolate. Puffer is only here for another day before going back to Italy." Inko said and the three children quickly followed after her.
In this chapter I've added mentions of some of my commenters in this chapter as a way to say thank you for leaving such lovely comments.
I'd like to keep this as a theme of my writing adding you guys when appropriate as I continue because your comments really do mean a lot to me and are what keep me from procrastinating on this like I usually would.
To those of you I've included I hope this gives you at least half of the joy I felt when reading your comments.