Toshinori Yagi is generally not the type of man who felt he deserved happiness. His guilt over his mentor and his failings of her family left him much to be desired that even his great strength could not grant. Not that he would have that for very much longer.
He very nearly trips on the end of his pants, stumbling for a second before regaining his balance. How he wishes not everything would be so baggy on him in this form. He straightens his tie as he approaches the house of his student. Still, despite his inadequacy, despite the poor state of his body, he can't help but smile. While he might not feel worthy of joy, the Midoriya family gave him hope that he could give someone a more personal happiness, a chance at protecting friends and family that he squandered in his youth.
The slight shaking of the ground interrupts his thoughts, and he turns his gaze to the north. Off in the distance he can see Mount Lady doing her patrols, easily visible thanks to her size. He shakes his head, glad she's doing her job and understanding she can't exactly be subtle with her quirk, but worrying she might miss something.
She suddenly stops and starts running the other direction, a gleeful grin on her face.
Yagi chuckles, guessing he probably knows exactly what she's running towards. On a similar note, he has arrived at his own destination. He knocks on the door before he unlocks it and lets himself in.
He finds Izuku sitting on the couch, staring blankly at a wall as he squeezes a grip strengthener. The boy doesn't even notice that he opened the door, much less let himself inside. Thankfully, he looks much healthier than he did when he was brought to Recovery Girl's office, having filled back out enough to have his muscles again. He observes him for a minute, expecting him to be noticed at any moment, but the lack of recognition or even acknowledgment drives him to make the first move.
"Midoriya household, I come bearing news!" He announces in his hero voice, getting a startled yelp from the kitchen.
The teen yelps and jumps into the air, flipping over the back of the couch in his surprise. Wide green eyes stare up at the much taller man. "T-Toshinori-san? Why are you here?" He swallows, shaking a bit. "Did I fail that badly? Did I lose all my points because of the Zero-Pointer and you came to say you're disappointed?"
Using the best poker face he can, Yagi hands him a sealed letter. "I think it would be best if you saw for yourself."
Slowly standing, he gently takes the letter in his shaking hands and sits back down on the couch. Gripping it firmly causes him to rip the envelope clean in half, a round disc toppling out onto the coffee table before him. "O-oops."
"Hmm... we might need to work on control soon." Yagi says with his hand on his chin.
He gives him a sheepish smile, picking up the device and turning it over in his hand. "So... the letter is a hologram?"
"They feel it's more personal, not everyone has someone to deliver the news."
The teen is about to respond when the device turns on. He shouts in surprise, the object flying from his fingertips to land on the table with the projector facing upwards.
"Your guard is non-existent right now, hmm?" He asks as Inko peeks in.
"What's going on, in here?" She asks.
Izuku looks to his mother, blushing brightly and pointing at the activated disc. "T-the letter's here."
She gasps, darting back into the kitchen to turn something off before quickly coming to sit on the couch next to him to watch it.
Izuku gives her a small smile just as the picture starts to form.
"I HAVE COME IN THE FORM OF A PROJECTION!" All Might shouts at them once the video clears.
The teen's head turns so sharply to the video he almost gives himself whiplash. "Wait, what?!"
"How much surprise could you have left in you?" Yagi asks quietly, getting a giggle from Inko.
"B-but this is from UA?" He looks between the projection and the skinny man beside him. "W-why are you...?"
"I know it's been a while, but with great power, comes a great amount of paperwork." The man in the video awkwardly coughs, then makes a hand gesture. "My apologies, Young Midoriya. The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest UA faculty member."
Izuku looks even more confused. "...but you're dating my mom...?"
Inko blushes while Yagi clears his throat. "That would be my personal life and thus not relevant in an official school notice. I did also tell you a while back that I had a surprise related to UA."
The teen laughs sheepishly. "Right… I forgot about that..."
A hand comes from off-camera and makes a hurry up gesture. "Huh? Yes, what's the matter?" His brows furrow, but he keeps the signature smile. "Who's showboating?" The hand points right at his face. "Oh, sorry. I'll wrap it up, but I have to show him something first." He pauses for a few seconds as another arm comes into view so the hand can point at its watch. He recoils, taking a step back. "Wait. I have to do how many of these things?" He sighs, clapping his hands together. "Right! So, moving on."
"And that's one reason why I came to deliver it myself." The man shakes his head. "Part of me wonders if having me do it was their way of initiating me."
"Even though you aced the written test, you got twenty-five combat points in the practical exam. I'm sorry, but that isn't enough to get in."
Izuku's head falls, hands gripping at his knees as his eyes grow glossy. "I knew it..."
"Fortunately, there were other factors." All Might's voice causes him to look back up, confusion shining in his watery eyes.
Yagi stays quiet, but has a smile on his face.
"You have a strong Quirk, yes. But it's your actions that inspire others. And that's why I am here." He gestures to himself, then holds up a single finger. "You see, the practical exam was not graded on combat alone. How could a Hero Course reject someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to himself?" He wags the finger reproachfully. "After all, that is what makes a hero. And that's what my alma mater is all about. Training those who would risk their lives for the greater good." He raises a second finger, his grin "So, we have Rescue Points. A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains." A scoreboard appears, with two number one rankings, including-
"Izuku Midoriya, sixty Rescue Points!"
Inko gasps, hands coming up to cover her mouth.
All Might shrugs a bit. "You may have tied with Bakugou." He points at the score of seventy-seven villain points and eight rescue points. "If you want more details, you can always ask." He looks off screen. "I'm not saying ask us, no sir!"
"They were keeping me on task." Yagi explains.
The teen snorts a bit from the humor, then gives him a watery smile.
The projection holds his hand out in invitation. "Welcome, Izuku. You have made it. You're now a part of the hero academia."
Yagi pats his back. "Congratulations."
Inko sniffs and hugs her boy, tears silently going down her face.
He hugs her back, openly crying tears of joy. "I made it... I made it!" Then he turns and hugs Toshinori as well, overwhelmed by happiness to the point he really doesn't think about it.
Yagi hesitates, but gently returns the hug as he chuckles.
When the green-haired teen looks up at him, he grins. "I promise I won't let you down, Toshinori-san!"
"I know you won't." He nods with authority. "You got in with your hard work, no strings pulled from me."
Izuku nods as well, patting his cheeks. "Right. I need to see how my friends are doing! I wonder how high they ranked..." He turns away and starts texting them.
The boy doesn't see it, but Yagi pulls a small face at that. Inko spots it, but doesn't say anything yet.
He nods, putting his phone away. "Alright. I asked them to come by so we can discuss the test." The teen hums softly, before looking a bit sheepish. "...when does the school year start, again?"
Yagi chuckles and hands him a brochure of information. "Here you go."
He opens it up and looks through it, brow furrowing slightly. "April fourth... okay, that's a month away, so that should be enough time to gather school supplies..."
He nods. "This part is pretty much like normal school."
He's silent a bit longer before his phone vibrates. Pulling it out, he lets his emerald eyes wander over the screen. "It looks like they're all coming... and Toga-san wants Kacchan's contact info?"
"Wait... now?" Inko asks.
He looks at his phone, humming thoughtfully. "About lunchtime, so a few hours away. Why?"
She looks thoughtful. "I'll need to make more food."
"Oh!" He moves to stand, having rushed to send Toga the information. "Do we need to go shopping? I can help!"
She hums in thought. "You're having friends over. Why don't you get the house ready while Toshinori and I go get them?"
He blinks. "Wait, me? I don't mean to impose, I came over to see young Izuku's reaction and answer questions."
"Nonsense. Plus I like seeing you dressed up." She laughs.
"Sure!" Izuku answers, finally snapping back into focus from the thought of his friends greeting his trainer with his mom. "I'll get started right away!" He gathers up the torn letter, then pauses at the disc. "...should I hide this?" He asks them.
"Up to you, they all got one." He lets him know.
"Yes, but mine kind of implies that you know me?" He says, sheepishly smiling as he offers it to him. "...sign it, please?"
He laughs, doing so. "Have I signed everything in your room by this point?"
"Only the All Might stuff," he answers without thinking. His cheeks turn cherry red as he realizes what he said, and he rushes about to clean, offering a hurried "Thank you!" as he disappears down the hallway.
"It's so nice to see him happy and with friends coming over..." Inko says softly.
Yagi nods, smiling a bit. "A kid like him deserves happiness." He gently places his hand on her shoulder. "Shall we eat before we head out? It seemed like you were making something."
"Oh, yes, come into the kitchen." She gestures to him to follow her.
He obediently does so, wondering what delicacy she made this time.
Some time later, the house is cleaner and filled with the smell of good cooking waiting to welcome guests.
Izuku, the fretter he is, is trying to clean the area behind the television, just in case. The doorbell rings, and he pauses to get it, glancing at the clock as he passes by. "Eleven fifty-five..."
He opens the door to reveal Iida, standing there in what he has come to recognize as his casual clothes. "Midoriya-san!" He bows in the doorway. "Thank you for inviting me to your house! I brought a gift of chocolates for your mother, since I was unsure what else to bring!" He holds up a box of expensive candy.
Izuku's jaw drops. "...m-mom?" He calls back over his shoulder.
"Yes, Izuku?" She comes out of the kitchen in a light blue apron.
He nervously nods towards the bar of fancy chocolate being offered them. "W-what should I do with... such a wonderful gift?" He hurries the last part of his question out upon realizing his friend's falling expression.
"Take it and put it on the table. Maybe we can all have some." She looks to the boy at the door. "Thank you for bringing this."
He bows rigidly, grateful. "Thank you for letting me into your home!"
Izuku takes the chocolate and carries it into the dining room, watching Iida remove his shoes from the doorway.
Inko heads back into the kitchen. "Lunch will be done soon, so you're right on time!"
"I appreciate the kind gesture!" He calls out to her. "Midoriya-san mentioned that you're an outstanding chef!"
"Daww..." He hears a sniff. "Thank you, Izuku!"
"It's the truth!" He calls back to her, then gestures to the table. "So, how was your week?"
"It's been productive!" He responds, chopping the air. "I caught up with my books, so now I have a free month to start on that training regimen Toshinori-san gave me!"
He blinks. "Your books?"
"Of course!" Iida nods firmly. "Just because it's a break, doesn't mean one should forget everything they learned!"
As they chat, the doorbell goes off.
Izuku glances over, then back to his friend as he gets up. "If that helps you, I don't see why it would cause problems."
The taller teen watches, confused, as the other goes to answer the door. "Why would it cause a problem, in other circumstances?" He asks himself.
On the other side of the door is revealed to be a smiling Ochako and one surprisingly half-hiding Himiko.
He smiles at both of them before stepping aside and gesturing inwards. "Hello! I'm glad you made it over safely!"
"Thanks for the invite!" Ochako beams before motioning to Himiko. "Come on, you know he won't bite." The other girl follows.
Izuku gives the nervous girl a warm, welcoming smile.
"Hey..." She says quietly, not meeting his eyes.
"Hey." He tilts his head to one side, his smile falling slightly. "Toga-san? Is-"
The duo are interrupted when Iida walks over, making chopping motions at her. "Toga-san! It is rude to simply stand in the entryway of the host's home! Let us guide you to the dining room!"
She seems almost shocked by this directness, blinking owlishly. "Oh... oh! Yeah!" She hops in place once before coming in, a smile now on her face.
Izuku relaxes at seeing her come back to her normal self. He nods and heads to the dining room, guiding his guests along the way past family portraits of himself and his mother, and one of the Bakugou and Midoriya families, with a certain skeleton beside the svelte green-haired lady that is his mother.
Himiko looks at that last one, head tilting.
"It's a nice picture, right?" Izuku asks her, smiling brightly. "I wonder if mom would take a picture of me with my friends," he muses, turning back to the dining room as they enter it.
The girl looks like she's holding something in at this point, but stays quiet.
They take a seat around the table, with Izuku's back facing the kitchen and Toga opposite him. "So... does anyone want to start?"
Iida stands, arms firmly at his sides. "I want to say how intelligent you are to figure out the secret system for the exam!"
"I was mostly grateful you saved me from being trapped in the space of a closet for the rest of the test." Ochako adds.
He blushes, having not expected this train of thought. "Y-you know I would've done it, regardless of if it gave points? I had no idea it was part of the system..."
"They did say it was secret. Still, thanks." She smiles at him.
He gives her a shy smile, then looks to their only friend who has not said anything since sitting down. "Toga-san? Is something wrong?"
She taps her fingers together before taking a breath. "I... didn't make it into the hero course, I'm sorry..."
Izuku blinks, opening his mouth, before pausing to pull out his phone, rapidly tapping on it.
Iida rests a hand on her shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to be in the hero course to be our friend," he says, nodding once.
"Thank you... I really did try!" She assures them. "It's just I couldn't really use my quirk at all on robots, so I was mostly stuck running around doing what I could." She pouts with a small huff. "It felt more like I was in the background."
"It appears some heroes agree, saying that the test seems skewed towards those with powerhouse or flashy quirks," Izuku mumbles out as he surfs the web. He raises his gaze to meet her eyes. "It's not your fault, Toga-san."
"I didn't think it was. I'm just sad we'll be in different classes now. I still got into the school, just the... regular stuff."
Izuku perks up, giving her a bright smile. "You got into General Studies? That's great news!"
The glasses-wearing teen gives him a strange look, watching as he types a bit more. "You'll have to explain that."
Before he can answer, his Pokémon-themed cell phone rings. Mildly confused, he answers it and immediately gets blasted by sound. "Deku, put me on fucking speaker!" The phone in his hands rumbles with the volume of the shout, and he nearly drops it before scrambling to press the button. "Yo, you there, you damn cat?"
She seems almost amused by him even in her current mood. "Yeah, I'm here."
"You want to be a hero?" He says, his harsh voice a bit crackly over the phone. "Earn it."
She actually bares her teeth and hisses at that, hands slapping on the table as she stands. "Hey! What do you think I was trying to do?!"
"Shut up!" He snaps, and the sound of mini-explosions come from his side. "Let me get to my point! You can still be a hero if you fucking earn it!"
Iida blinks blankly, his mind shorting a bit from all the cursing.
"Eraserhead. I know Deku mentioned him to you. He didn't pass the entrance exam for the hero course. Did he give up?" He slams his hand into something on his side, garnering shouts from outside his room. "FUCK NO! He worked his ass off to be better than the extras! Then he won his way into the hero course!"
"Huh... I didn't know that..." She murmurs before beaming like her usual self. "Thanks, boom boy! You're right!"
Ochako mouths silently to Izuku and Iida. 'Boom boy?'
Izuku shrugs while Iida seems to have blue-screened.
"Of course I am! Look at Midnight. She made her way in by winning her sports festival. So that means you have at least a month to get your sorry ass in shape, you damn cat!" He pauses a moment to take a breath. "You have to be your best, because I'm not letting a loser hang out with Deku. You'll rub off your negative shit on him."
She laughs at this. "Well, I wouldn't want to lose Izu-kun. I'll just have to try harder each time!"
"Good." There's a dial tone as he hangs up.
Izuku blinks, staring blankly at his phone. "...I completely forgot that you could earn a place in the hero course." He scratches his head awkwardly. "I was just happy you'll be able to go to school with us. We can spend time together during lunch!"
"Yeah!" She bounces in her seat.
"So that means all of us made it in some way right?" Ochako asks with a slightly awkward smile. "I'm glad."
Iida quickly comes back to himself, nodding once. "So am I! I want to enjoy Yuuei with my friends, especially since you're my only ones! On that note," he glances at Himiko. "Are you and Bakugou-san friends? Is the cat thing a nickname?"
"He doesn't seem to call anybody by their names." She observes. "But if you read between the angry and vulgar lines, yes, I think we're friends." She smiles.
"...huh." Izuku drops his hand to the table, tapping a finger on the surface. "Usually the closest thing he considers a friend is a rival..."
"I don't think our quirks are really comparable, so maybe this is his alternative." The blonde shrugs.
"Maybe you were a rival in other ways?" He scratches his head. "You could've caught his attention somehow?"
"Huh... not sure how." She shrugs.
"It may always remain a mystery," Iida muses, then stands up and smacks the table with his palm. "Now, we must talk about helping our friend prepare for her next test!"
"Huh? I thought this was a celebration of you all getting in!" Himiko argues.
"It was more to share stories about what happened during the test, and how we could improve," Izuku admits, giving her a smile. "Mom made us food so we could do a celebration. Now that we have a goal to get you into class with us, though, it would be great if we can find a way to help you."
"I mean yeah, but we're not even in school yet." She says.
"How about we enjoy today?" Ochako offers.
"Sure!" Izuku quickly says, blushing a bit. He hurries to add on to his response. "What do you think we should do, after eating?"
"We could talk about the crazy thing you did during the test." Ochako supplies.
"What? I missed something crazy? Tell me!" Himiko leans in.
"Midoriya-san evolved twice during the last minute," Iida says, gesturing to the friend in question.
"I think I Mega-Evolved," he tries to weakly clarify, slightly uncomfortable with the attention on him suddenly.
"That sounds so cool!" Himiko exclaims.
"It really was." Ochako laughs.
"I only did it to help my friends!" He tries to downplay his feat. "I'm not even sure I could do it again..."
"But you beat the towering robot!" Ochako insists.
"In a spectacular way, mind you," Iida adds.
"Sure, but I almost starved myself, and broke both my arms..." He looks down at the table, frowning a bit.
Himiko winces. "Ouch..."
"That beam was still amazing, though," his taller friend tries to continue. "What did you call it again? Aura Smash?"
He startles, staring at him, then at Ochako. "Wait, so you both actually heard what I was saying?"
"Well, yeah, your voice was... projected and deep." She explains.
Izuku blinks, mildly confused. "Deep? Really?"
"Was it manly?" Himiko asks bluntly, making the other girl make a sound of surprise as her cheeks pinken with her inability to answer.
"I believe that would be a yes," Iida comments, crossing his arms. "It rather reminded me of All Might."
Izuku looks at him, eyes wide. "Really?" He quickly turns into Lucario, the regular version. "This form sounds like All Might?"
"A bit, yeah…" Ochako answers while Himiko seems more interested in looking this new form over.
He looks at his eager friend and smiles, gesturing with his arms open. "We both know I can't stop you, so go ahead."
She giggles, scooting around him as she observes him. A finger comes forward and pokes the spike on his chest. "Can you feel that?"
HIs brow furrows slightly in thought. "...it feels like you're poking a tooth. The sensation is there, but not very well felt."
"Huh..." She rubs one of his ears. "Is it bad I thought you'd be taller?"
He does not respond. He can't respond, because his eyes are closed, the canine leaning into her hand. "Carrrr..."
Iida quietly clears his throat, making a chopping motion at Himiko. "Could you stop so he can give you his answer?" He asks.
"I mean, this is fun too." She giggles, motioning Ochako over to feel. The other girl has slightly pink cheeks as she does so.
Izuku slumps back in his seat, practically a puddle of contentment from the attention.
"Maybe you should back off, you don't know when he'll-" the Lucario immediately turns back into a teenager. "...do that."
Ochako blinks, face and finger close to the boy. She quickly blushes and hops back into her seat while Himiko laughs.
The green-haired boy blinks blearily, not quite aware enough to know what exactly happened. "…bwuh?"
"So!" Their tall friend calls out, clapping his hands together. He pauses, reaches into his breast pocket, and pulls out a tiny book labeled "Conversation Starters". He quickly flips it open to a random page. "…have you read any good books lately?"
"Unless you count the UA handbook…" Ochako says sheepishly.
"I read Rising of the Shield Hero," Izuku offers. "It... had a rough beginning, but it was a good story," he admits.
"Interesting, I'll have to look into it." The Engine user rubs his chin, then continues, "I read a story, but I wouldn't recommend it. The characters were flat and the plot was all over the place."
"What one was that?" The brunette asks.
"...you'll laugh if I tell you," he says, glancing away briefly before looking at Himiko. "What about you, Toga-san? Any good books?"
"Hmm…" she thinks. "There was this one… I think it was called Overlord."
"Really?" He leans forward without putting his arms on the table. "What is it like?"
"It's one of those Isekai ones, but of an MMO player who now runs a super powerful guild of monsters. It's interesting seeing how he thinks, and how he reacts to having all this power now while having to deal with the skewed morals of his subordinates."
"...does he at least still have his morals?" Iida asks, mildly concerned.
"Erm... he has things he values." She says tactfully. "He's very nice when he's interacting with the guild and when it comes to finding his old friends, but everyone else... eh." She waves a hand. "Probably put him on a nice neutral karma. He can do both good and evil depending on what he gets." The blonde pauses. "I might need to make sure I read better-influencing books."
"Read One Punch Man," he immediately responds. "Or Spy x Family. They're both very good."
Izuku, hoping to help her a bit, turns into a certain red and black rabbit beside her.
She instantly gasps and tries to grab him, making Ochako lean backwards to dodge her, laughing.
The bunny leaps onto Ochako's back, hanging on with one arm. The other comes up to pull down the fur covering his mouth, revealing his tongue teasingly sticking out at her.
Himiko narrows her eyes, grinning wide as she tenses.
Ochako looks wide-eyed as she's suddenly in the middle of this.
Izuku grins, flexing his legs in preparation for another leap.
"Alright, I hope you're all hungry-" Izuku's mother cuts off her words as she walks in to see the scene.
The three of them standing immediately freeze, looking at her in silence. There's barely a sound between them as the seconds tick by.
Iida raises his hand. "Midoriya-san, do you have a book you've read recently?"
Surprisingly, Ochako is the one to have a giggle work its way out of her at the absurdity of the situation.
The Raboot on her back smiles and pats her head, deciding he likes the sound of her laughter.
"Just make sure you get off before you transform back." She tells him before looking to his mother. "It smells great, ma'am."
"Rab!" He says in agreement before jumping over to Himiko's back, messing with her hair, raising her ponytails into rabbit ears.
She looks up at him, arms moving slowly before suddenly trying to grab him off her.
He does a flip, tapping her on the nose before he lands right in front of her... square on his back.
She raises her hands like claws and pounces.
He squeaks, flailing a bit as he's unable to get away in this position.
She scoops him up and hugs him, giggling. "I win, today."
He huffs and pats her arm, agreeing that she got the win that time.
She smiles and gives him one more squeeze before setting him down between herself and Ochako. The blonde looks very pleased with herself as Inko gets over her shock and sets down the food for them.
Izuku hops up on his seat, settling down before trying to reach for his bowl. His arms turn out to be too little to reach.
His mother laughs softly, scooting it closer. "I'm glad you kids are having fun."
As the rabbit happily eats, Iida starts to speak. "It was a rough start, but we managed to pull through," he gestures to Izuku and the phone on the table. "With help, of course."
The woman blinks. "Your phone?"
"Kacchan," Izuku says, blinking as he realizes he's back. He shrugs and continues to eat.
"Oh... well, that's good." She smiles and nods.
"I'm honestly surprised you didn't hear, Midoriya-san." He gestures to her with a chopping motion. "Bakugou-san was rather loud."
"I was trying not to eavesdrop and make sure nothing burned. Also I think over the years I've started having to tune his language out a bit for the sake of proper sanity." She says honestly.
"...I don't know if I can do that," he admits, watching his friends eat briefly before realizing he hasn't touched his own. "Thank you for the food!" He says, then starts properly eating his meal with a pair of chopsticks.
She smiles. "Glad you like it. Let me know if you want more."
The feeling of the dining room falls into contentment. A moment later, Izuku pipes up, asking, "So did you all get All Might as well?" He asks, curious.
"In the letter thing? Yeah. He eased me into it with positive stuff." Himiko nods.
"All Might is amazing when he does his speeches," Iida responds, nodding once. "He always makes one feel better in the end."
"If he planned it ahead of time, at least," Izuku agrees, going back to eating.
"You don't think he's good at improvising them?" Ochako asks.
He blinks, looking up at her with a small blush. "I wouldn't know. It's hard to tell when it's planned speeches or not." He pushes a bit of hair out of the way, using the action to disguise wiping away some nervous sweat.
"Huh, I wonder if heroes have speech writers…" she muses.
"Some do. I'm sure there's at least one introverted hero who isn't good with speeches," Iida points out.
"True." She gestures at him before eating another bite.
Izuku hums thoughtfully. "I might need one," he says.
"I wouldn't know about that," Tenya responds, holding up a hand. "You do well chatting with us."
"Yes, but that's because I feel comfortable around you guys," he points out.
"Maybe it'll come with experience." The brunette girl points out.
"Maybe," he says, his mouth screwing up slightly as he stares at his food. "...does this taste sweet to anyone else?"
"No...? Mine's even and smooth." Himiko says.
"Wait," his eyes bug out and he reaches for her meal, "then that's Lia!" The now-Kirlia groans, covering his face as he falls back into his seat. "...my meal."
"At least we can understand you in your dress form." Himiko says, continuing to eat.
He grumbles quietly and eats his sweet meal, knowing there's not much else he can do. "It's not even a dress, it's a tutu, at most."
"You pull it off well." Ochako tries to cheer him up.
He sighs, even the slight blush on his cheeks standing out in stark contrast to the bright white skin. "Thank you, Uraraka-san. Maybe if I finish this meal soon enough, I can change back?" He starts eating again, projecting his thoughts unintentionally. "Surely a dawn stone can't be too hard to find... or emulate? What even powers it? Radiation? Some form of electrical energy trapped inside, like with quartz? They never really explained it..." Of course, his thoughts trail off into quiet mumbles.
The brunette giggles, finishing her own food so as not to make the transformed one self conscious.
Iida tries not to stare as he eats as well, wondering how one can mumble with their thoughts alone.
The Kirlia looks up at Himiko, hopeful. "Toga-san, do you have an idea of where to find a Dawn Stone replacement?"
"What, like... one of those kinds of rocks that absorbs heat?" She guesses.
He frowns a bit, setting down his chopsticks. "I'm not sure that's quite right..."
"Hmm... that stuff solar panels are made of?" She offers next.
He frowns a bit, trying to think. "...you mean pure silicon? Where would we find that?"
"I was going to suggest a computer shop," Iida begins, "but if it needs to be pure..."
"Do you have an example of this kind of thing that's worked before?" Ochako asks, spoon in her mouth.
He shakes his head, crossing his arms in thought. "The only other special evolution methods my Pokémon use involved leveling up at night and having a large amount of friendship."
"Huh... don't suppose you have a rock collection?" she asks.
He shakes his head. "No, I collect All Might merch-" He stops mid-thought, his whole face slowly turning the red of his horns.
Ochako laughs. "No shame in that."
"Really?" He asks, not losing any of his blush. "Do you collect anything?"
"Erm… coupons?" She says with a small sheepish blush.
Izuku blinks a couple times. "Oh, that sounds responsible. Mom asks for my help with that, sometimes." He nods once, then gives her a shy smile. "If you ever need help with finding more, just let me know!"
"Oh I'm sure you have better things to do." She waves a hand. "Don't worry about it! We have school to focus on."
"Oh, right." He nods, though he can't help feeling a bit disappointed.
"I'm sure we'll hang out even when school is on." Himiko assures him.
"Sure!" He gives her a little smile. "We could even form a study group?"
"That is a wonderful idea!" Iida exclaims wholeheartedly.
"Will we be studying the same stuff?" The blonde asks, frowning softly.
"Even if we aren't," Izuku points out, "we could still help you out. We could even make sure you're up to date with ours, if it doesn't match!" He holds up a hand in what might have been a thumbs up, if he had fingers. "That way you won't have to worry about playing catch up once you join us!"
She smiles once more, taking his small 'hand' and shaking it. "Deal!"
"Then it's agreed!" Iida nods, surprising Izuku into falling off his chair, human once more. "I look forward to a productive school year!"
They all raise their glasses up, cheering to that as they keep eating and laughing.
Alright, so first things first, happy Valentine's Day. I don't have the money to give chocolates or flowers to everyone, so I hope a new chapter will be good enough! Thank you for all the follows and favorites - over two hundred favorites and two hundred fifty follows! I'm glad you all are liking the story, and I hope that I continue to entertain in the future!
Fair warning, future chapters might be longer because we rather went a bit long with certain plot points, like what I call the fitness exam and the first hero class. Yes, we are currently doing what we can to break them up, but that's... honestly easier said than done. It's hard to find points to make breaks, you know?
Also, while we are also working on other stories, I was wondering if anyone would like to throw a few games (for mechanics) or anime/universes (for the stories) in my direction so I can try to pair them up for more stories down the line. I'll likely gravitate towards those shows that I want to have happier outcomes... like Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, or... (checks notes) RWBY. I'll get around to posting the ideas I currently have somewhere (not sure where), but I'm more than happy to brainstorm and share with anyone interested.
Have a nice day! Enigma out!