AN: Took me a little bit, but I'm FINALLY getting back to this. Sorry for the delay. It may yet be a while to figure out how this chapter proceeds.

UO: Yeah that really sucks.

Chapter 3: Affection

[Achievement Unlocked: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Thanks to your unbelievable luck, you have met two girls and introduced them to each other. Really putting that Common Sense to use, aren'tcha?
Reward: Quick-Load]

[Helpful tip: Hope you Saved, fuckboi!]

Izuku rolled his eyes at the pop up in front of him. It wasn't like he was dating either of the two girls in question.

Once he and Toga had parted ways (and after acquiring her phone number) he had of course immediately contacted Kendou for advice. Her advice was simple: as the verdette hadn't known her for very long, Kendou advised him to be very careful while he learned about Toga. Not to pry too deeply into her personal life until she felt comfortable, to make sure she understood that he wouldn't judge her, those sorts of things. Hence, they'd met up at a local cafe downtown.

"S-So, Toga-san, this is Kendou Itsuka, my friend…my only friend, really. Kendou-san, this is Toga-san, who I told you about."

Kendou bobbed her head in an awkward nod. "Er, hey. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise!" chirped Toga, who seemed either completely unphased by how out of nowhere this all was, or not noticing how socially awkward they both were.

The redhead quickly rallied, however. "So, how'd you meet her, Midoriya?" she asked him.

Kendou: And why'd you bring her here?

He rubbed the back of his head. "She was wandering around and stumbled into me in a daze."

Izuku: An emergency quest involving her popped up when I met her. If I succeed we get her as a party member. If I fail…

He sent her the screenshot of the quest from his memory.

Kendou: …Oh, that's not good. You know what Exsanguination means, right?

Izuku: Of course I do.

"Do you live around here?" asked Kendou, not wanting to make it too obvious that she and Izuku were talking privately.

Toga hummed. "Well, not necessarily close by, but I'm usually trusted to walk to and from school on my own," she answered after a moment, giving a closed-mouthed, definitely fake smile.

"Do your parents know you go around town randomly meeting people?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why would they want to know about a coincidental encounter?" There was a slight edge to her voice.

Izuku decided to change the subject quickly. "Well, I guess no one really tells their parents everything, right?"

[+1 Wisdom for avoiding the obvious red flag. You would normally get a level to your Common Sense Skill, but since you were stupid enough to get this Quest, it will remain as it is. Too bad~]

Izuku internally kept a tally of his Quirk's words. It wouldn't be polite to whip out his notebook and write it down just yet.

Either way, he noticed that a tension in Toga's shoulders eased. "Yes…exactly." Then she blinked and cleared her throat. "Oh, right, did that gelato wash out? I hope I didn't stain it, even if it was a pretty color."

"Huh? Oh, right," Izuku rubbed his head, "Yeah, it came out alright, though my mom was freaking out 'cause she thought it was blood…"

Kendou snickered. "Midoriya-san would freak out if Izuku-kun got a cut on his knee."

Izuku sighed, knowing they weren't far off. "Hey, why don't we go for some more ice cream? It's not gelato but it's pretty warm today, right?"

"Sure!" chirped the blonde, "I usually stop to get something sweet on the way back from school anyway!"

Kendo glanced at him and sent a dm.

Kendou: How does she not get fat…?

Izuku: I feel like I'd get a stat down for wondering that myself.

Kendou: F.

She stuck her tongue out at him. Toga cocked her head at them, quizzically.

DC
A few days later.

"Oro? Midoriya, whatcha drawing?"

Izuku blinked, looking up from the sketch he was carefully copying. 'Oro?' That's kinda cute. "Oh, hey, Toga-san. I'm transcribing a map of the area to create a Cartography skill."

The blonde, who had sunk down into a crouch, cocked her head. "What, just like that? Is that your Quirk? Learning skills super fast? Sorry, but I don't remember you saying what it was, but that's pretty amazing!"

"I didn't actually say this before, so don't worry," he sighed, pausing in his work, "But a Quirk like that would be pretty great, actually. My Quirk seems to work a lot like a video game…a really badly programmed one." He glared off into the distance, as if daring the interface to talk shit.

Toga's brow furrowed, and for some reason, a hint of worry entered her eyes. "Ah…I don't actually…know anything about video games," she admitted, fidgeting uncomfortably, "I hear people talking about them all the time, but I've never been allowed to play…"

Izuku frowned sympathetically. "Do your parents not like games?"

"Aha, no, well…!" she said, giving a light and very fake laugh, "They uh, they're very careful not to let me see anything too violent!"

"Why? It's not like all video games are violent, or make people violent," Kendo pointed out. She was resting at the root of a tree; today they were enjoying a warm day at the park, and Kendou had chosen to relax after her daily exercises. "Heck, there are a lot of genres that aren't violent at all, like racing, or city builders or life sims."

"Blue shells would beg to differ, Kendou-san," Izuku said without looking up

"You keep hitting me with them!"

The blonde fidgeted again, twiddling and intertwining her fingers. "Could you tell me about them?" she asked, "My friends talk about games all the time, and I can never understand what they're talking about…"

Izuku shrugged, rubbing his head. "I mean, I only just started getting them to understand my Quirk…I've got a late start. But, I can try."

"I'll fill in what he doesn't know," offered Kendou, raising a hand lazily.

Toga beamed as Izuku filled in the basics of what he knew, from the general layouts of controllers and the different consoles to the different genres of games and what made them stand out. On and on he talked, the words becoming a constant flow as he fell into a rhythm of wanting to expound on things he found interesting.

Ordinarily, when the urge to keep talking came up, people would always tell him that he was being creepy, or talking too much, or otherwise tell him to stop. She did none of those things, watching him with wide eyes as he told her as much as he could, only occasionally asking questions and listening attentively, an almost dreamy expression on her face.

[Blathering on and on: +5 Affection with Toga Himiko.]
[+3 Affection.]
[+4 Affection.]
[+5 Affection…]

[New Skill Unlocked: Oral Rhetoric! You really know how to talk at people, don't you? Doesn't really help you talking tothem, though…]

Izuku blinked then groaned. "And that's basically how my life's been the last week. Oh, my Quirk just gave me a skill for Oral Rhetoric, whatever that is…"

Himiko blinked and stirred, as if coming out of a trance. "Oh, um…I'll look it up for you!" She pulled out her phone before he could stop her. "It says…speeches and presentations?"

Kendou hummed. "So, for talking that much, and being so good at it, your Quirk was forced to acknowledge that you have some actual skill with it. If our Stats mean anything, that's gotta be controlled by Charisma, right?"

"Yeah, though apparently I've got one of a 'limp noodle.'" He checked his status. "Sorry, COLD, WET noodle."

"I thought your talk was super interesting!" Toga spoke up brightly and earnestly, "But, what do you mean by 'our' stats, Itsu- I mean, Kendou-san? I thought that Midoriya's Quirk only quantified his own stats?"

"Ah, you can just call me Itsuka if you want. And it does…but it can also add others to a 'Party' so he can see my stats and yours if you're in said party."

Toga tilted her head. "So I could see your…stats and talk like friends?"

Izuku winced. This was going to be tricky. "Yyyyyes," he said slowly, "But there's a problem. My Party only has room for one other person, and Kendou-san has taken that spot. I have no idea how to take her out of the Party, and even if I could, my Quirk has taken away my ability to choose who I can add."

"O-Oh." Her shoulders sagged for a moment. "Yes, I see. That's a shame…b-but I guess it can't be helped."

Izuku: Do you think it'd be a good idea to tell her about the quest?

Kendou: I dunno…it seems like it'd be kinda dicey. Definitely don't tell her about the part involving herself, that feels like a real bad idea.

"But!" he said bracingly, making the blonde look up, "I was able to unlock the ability to have a Party in the first place, and Parties usually have more than just two people, so who knows? Maybe I'll unlock another slot for you!"

[Telling lies: +7 Affection with Toga Himiko.]

Slowly, she gave him a shaky smile, which seemed to stretch wider and wider across her face, until it resembled a cheshire cat's grin. It was a smile that screamed predatory, baring abnormally long canines, and yet, Izuku realized with a start that it was the first smile he'd seen from Toga that actually reached her eyes. It suited her face surprisingly well, making her look startlingly catlike "Eheh…thanks, Midoriya." But then her eyes widened and she clapped her hands to her mouth, covering that smile. "Ah! Um…j-just forget that, okay?" She giggled nervously. "I, I know it's creepy, so I'll just, t-try to avoid doing it…"

"...Doing what, smiling?" Izuku asked, shrugging, "Smiling's natural."

"I mean, everyone has a different way of expressing themselves," added Kendou casually.

Himiko blinked, still covering her mouth as she stared at them. But they both saw her eyes starting to shimmer, and her smile once more stretched out from behind her hands. "You…you think so…?"

[Answering Kuchisake-onna: +25 Affection with Toga Himiko.]
[+25 Affection from Toga Himiko to Kendou Itsuka.]

[Toga Himiko Likes you a lot! There's no escaping now…]

Izuku ignored the system's usual insults. He was on the right track, he could feel it.

DC

The weeks went by, with Izuku slowly learning more and more skills, as well as practicing and improving the ones he knew. At the same time, he continued his studies on various video games, immersing himself deeply into their culture and design philosophies. Truly, there had been some great games, both before and after Quirks…

And the more he learned about them, the more he came to realize that his game was not only like an RPG, but a horribly designed one. Even besides all the passive aggressiveness and insults, the stats were effectively useless since they had no real benchmark to compare to, as well as being inconsistent, at least going by the difference between himself and Kendou. And that was before getting into the absolute horseshit that had been his 14 years as a Level 2 Weakling.

Izuku sighed and went into the kitchen. Cooking had become a source of stress relief, giving him something to busy himself with and improve himself, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone practicing it. Deciding to go a little more technical, he put a few eggs in a pot of water, bringing it to a boil and then turning off the heat, before leaving it for ten minutes. Once that was done, he fished it out and let it cool for a bit, before cracking and peeling off the shells and slicing them up into tiny pieces. Mixing up the chunks of egg in a bowl, he took some slices of bread and cut off the crusts, dividing them into triangles before assembling everything.

[You used a cooked item to make a new dish! Rank up! You are now an Advanced Mediocre Chef!]

[Item: Basic Egg Salad Sandwich x3.
Category: Food (Unseasoned), Consumable
Effects: +35 HP, +40 Stamina
Chance for a random effect]

He allowed himself a smile as he observed his handiwork, before wrapping up the three sandwiches. He'd have one for lunch, and give the other two to his friends when he saw them.

As he left his apartment, he began to process what had happened since he met Toga. Meeting her apparently wasn't supposed to happen…was this something that even his Quirk didn't account for? Maybe its ability to influence his life was limited by people who existed outside of it. Kendou, as a party member, would probably be taken into account by the system's abilities but something apparently the system didn't take into account was running into Toga…and the conditions surrounding the mission themselves were setting off figurative flags.

Simply put, his Quirk, or rather the force guiding it, seemed to dislike Toga for some reason. Any of its messages that involved her were made with vitriol and sarcasm, almost as much as when it addressed him directly. It was plain to see that the system did not want him to befriend her, or whatever the quest told him to do, but at the same time, it couldn't actually do anything to stop him.

Perhaps it had known ahead of time what the failure penalty would be before he'd even gotten the Quest. Most likely, since it was his Quirk, it might disappear altogether if he died. Well, it wasn't like he wanted to die anyway. It was readily apparent that Toga had issues, whether it was merely her personality or something at home, maybe even both. Still, it wasn't like it made her dislikable; on the contrary, he'd grown fairly fond of the kooky blonde over the last few weeks.

As if summoned from his thoughts, a familiar voice called out. "Heeey, Izuku-kun!" Toga called out. The green haired future hero turned to see Toga trotting towards him, her intimidatingly toothy yet pleasingly natural grin on her face. "This is my friend!"

Plodding along behind her was an equally, but differently cheerful-looking girl. She also had blonde hair, tied into a pair of cute pigtails, the ends dyed pink, and had a school blouse tied around her waist, along with a pair of leg-warmers. A dreamy smile was on her face, a pink heart drawn under one of her heavy-lidded eyes, and as she waved at him airily, he noticed that her nails were intricately painted.

A Gyaru! he realized with a start. He of course knew all about the fashion subculture; Aldera had a sizable clique of them always roaming the halls and chatting loudly with each other, but none of them had ever deemed him worthy of even a single glance. He chanced a glance up over her head to see her name.

Kedarui 'Ahko' Ahshii, Lvl 2 Slowpoke Gyaru

"Oh, um…nice to meet you, Kedarui-san," he said awkwardly, bowing his head in greeting, "I'm Midoriya Izuku."

The flashily-dressed girl gave him a slow blink, though her smile remained in place. "...Oh heya, Izu-chi-" she began in an airy voice.

Izu-chi?!

"It's like, nice to meet you too! Sorry if I'm being a total dummy right now, but tbh, did I tell you my name? Musta slipped my mind or something…"

"Ah, um, n-no, it's not that. It's just that my Quirk lets me see a person's name over their head."

"OMG, is that it…? I legit thought I spaced out and forgot I told you!" She put her hands to her cheeks. "Heehee, so embarrassing…" Despite saying so, and a flush of pink in her cheeks, the girl's expression remained as cheerful as ever.

"Um…are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about it~ So like, the name's Kedarui Aashii, but it's not that cute, so I'd reeeeeally like it if you called me RC, or Ahko…! My Quirk is Mellow! I can, like, make everyone around me really calm and peaceful…but I totally count as being in the middle of it, so I'm always affected. It makes me really slow, and my stamina totally sucks, so I can't really be a Hero, which also really sucks. Buuuut anyway, Mikocchi told me that she made a new friend, and I wanted to come and meet you!"

Izuku listened to her drawl and aside from her speech pattern, Ahko was indeed as cute as Himiko. "Nice to meet you, Ahko-san. I'm glad Himiko has a friend besides me and Kendou-san."

Ahko gave a sleepy giggle. "Mikocchi and I have been besties 'cause we're both weirdos."

Next to her, the other blonde flinched, eyes widening in shock and dismay.

"Ah, my b, my b. I didn't mean it like that, Mikocchi," the Gyaru assured her, patting her lazily on the shoulder, "So Izu-chi, what's your Quirk like? Is it like a video game? Ohhh, that would make sense, if you can see my name! Video games are pretty tight."

It was weird. Her words were slow and sleepy, and yet they flowed so steadily that somehow it felt hard to get a word in edgewise, almost like a bizarro version of his own ramblings.

[You have recognized your flaws reflected in another! +1 Wisdom! Now hush, chatty monkey.]

"Oh yeah, speaking of games, there's a sweet arcade nearby. We can go hang there if you want!" suggested Ahko, her perpetual smile widening a little bit.

"Um…I've never been to one," Izuku admitted, Toga saying the same.

"Whaaaat…!? Impossible, we like, need to fix that, right now!" Ahko declared, still in that lethargic way, before grabbing both her friends' hands and pulling along.

Toga and Izuku were surprised at the girl's strength, but perhaps because of her Quirk, they didn't feel any sort of trepidation. With the slow pace she set, they were able to regain their balance and walk hand in hand with the sleepy gyaru. After a bit of a walk, they arrived at their destination, Kuro Whoa Arcadia.

"Here we are, besties~ We are so gonna have a blast here! Come on, I'll show yas around~"

The two newbies were instantly surrounded by colors, sounds and lights they were not familiar with, almost giving Izuku a headache from the noise. Once he got used to it, Ahko began to show them some of the games, swinging her arms like a more energetic girl would, but still lethargically.

Toga looked around, face inscrutable, eyes narrowing almost like a cat. Finally, her gaze landed on a cabinet with two screens and two guns in front of them. "Crisis Clock 3! This is a fun one!" She pulled Izuku and Toga over. "You like, use these pedals here to point and shoot. When you're totes out of ammo or need to dodge, just release the pedal."

Izuku looked at the screen as she set up the game. "Um…Toga, do you want to play with me? Or do you want to watch?"

Toga blinked. "Maybe I can watch this one, we can play something simpler together alright?"

"Totes, I bet you'd like racing games," Ahko said as the starting cinematic booted up.

As Izuku picked up the gun, watching the tutorial, Ahko was gently correcting his stance. "You gotta relax. If you're totally tense, then it'll be hard to aim where you want."

Izuku let the gyaru guide his hand to a comfortable position before the game started. The first screen blasted into action as the baddies began to fire back. He noticed that the normal bullets seemed to miss him, which Ahko said was normal; they would have to keep an eye on the red bullets which would be outlined by red circles, with some of the enemies being more obvious they would fire at him. In the next scene, his two minute training session was put to the test as the enemies actually tried to kill him now as a red shot came at him. It was realistic enough that he reflexively leaned back, almost hitting Himiko. "Sorry!"

The blonde just smiled reassuringly at him (though he noted that she did so with one of her polite smiles rather than her more genuine grin), and moved to be more out of the way, still watching the screen raptly. When it got to act 2, Izuku was starting to get the hang of it, watching Ahko and adjusting his shots and strategies accordingly. When they got to the first boss, Izuku was able to adequately do the methods he needed to succeed. But with so many shots he got overwhelmed. "Ah, damn," he sighed, putting the gun back in its slot and stepping back.

"Like, not bad, Izu-chi~ Most people don't get to the big plane on their first try," Ahko giggled. "My reflexes are like, too bad to get any further than that. Wanna find another game we can all play…?"

Izuku smiled at Ahko. "Alright then. I kinda wanna come back to this later though." As he turned to follow the gyaru, a new message window popped up. He began to grimace on instinct, but paused when he saw that it was glitching and flickering slightly.

[Objective: Beat Stage 3 of Crisis Clock 3.
Bonus Objective: Reach Stage 3 five times. (0/5)]

That was it. No snide comments about his performance or anything. Maybe there's something to acting beyond the games parameters.

"Oooh, they have Daytona!" Ahko pointed out placidly, "We can all race each other."

The gyaru dragged them over to what looked like 8 car seats as they beckoned players to come forth.

"You've seen your parents drive, right? Then this'll be simple~" Ahko grinned as she helped set them up. "Just dont worry about the gears, 'kay?"

Izuku and Himiko nodded as they picked their cars. Once they were in, they were thrust into the race as the cars roared to the start, a countdown leading them in.

It took a few moments, but Izuku quickly found his rhythm; everything seemed to fall away as he raced down the track, quickly leaving both the other players and computer racers in the dust after just a few repetitions.

"Haah…that was pretty fun!" commented Ahko. "Izu-chi, you're a natural! Although, I pretty much always suck at these kindsa' things, but they're fun anyway~"

"It…was fun," Himiko commented. "It felt like there was nothing but me and the track."

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, same for me. It all just kinda clicked, and I could move the car so easily."

She nodded as well eagerly, grinning a little. "Mmhm, mmhm! It was nice to just…stop thinking for a bit…"

[Objective: Place first in five different races. 1 of 5 ]
Bonus Objective: Finish a race in under 2 minutes and 20 seconds.]

After they finished the race, they moved on to other games as they bonded together. Himiko found the DDR machine and hit the steps almost flawlessly with catlike agility, getting the best score on most of the steps as the song continued, the game encouraging her to keep going until it ended with a high score for this particular song. When asked if she ever danced like that before, the blonde just shook her head, saying that she had always been well-coordinated like this.

"That's really cool," Izuku told her, grimacing as he thought about his own stats. "According to my Quirk, I'm about as coordinated as a brick."

"Bro, saaaame!" groaned Ahko, "I'm always like, two or three steps behind these games, so it's really nice seeing someone play it well."

The praise made Himiko grin in appreciation. As they headed back towards the rail shooter section, Izuku pulled out his card. "One more time today, then we need to go home."

Ahko and Himiko looked at each other and nodded, before Izuku slapped his game pass in and booted up the game. Once the game action started, Izuku started to focus, remembering some of the mistakes he'd made the first time around. The enemies were disappearing as fast as they were coming on-screen, his shots finding purchase as the bonus points racked up. Before too long, he was on stage two, where the enemies were more numerous and the shots were less predictable. Pushing through the stage, and at least one continue, he was able to beat the boss of this stage, setting up for the final stage.

When he got to the second level of the third stage, Ahko groaned. "This guy, like, just can't stay dead! He's in the first two games!"

Indeed, the suit-wearing man that appeared on-screen with a large gatling gun for an arm was definitely annoying. He was faster than Izuku was expecting, and his final two lives were lost before he could deplete his HP. Izuku groaned and placed the gun back in the holster. "So damn close…"

"Yeah~ But you sure picked it up quickly!" Himiko assured him, beaming.

"Y-Yeah…sorry you didn't have an opportunity to play as much. You were kinda quiet the whole time…"

"Nn, it was fine! I was just kinda taking in everything; it was all so noisy, and everyone looked like they were having fun. You had fun too, right, Izuku-kun?"

The green-haired boy thought back to his many attempts at Crisis Clock. "...Yeah. I guess that games really can be fun, huh?" He chuckled at himself. To think he'd been missing out on such things because of his stupid Quirk.

"Right~?" giggled Ahko. "Y'know…when you become a bigshot Hero, you should totally remember to chill out and have some fun every so often!"

Smiling wryly, Izuku glanced up at a system message that had appeared shortly after they'd exited the Arcade.

[Objectives Complete:
Beat Stage 3 in Crisis Clock: Not completed.
Reach Stage 3 in Crisis Clock five times. [5/5]

Reward: Shooting Skill Lv. 1]

[By pretending to shoot a gun convincingly enough, you've managed to accidentally stumble into the right way to handle a real one! Too bad you live in Japan, though, so good luck getting in any practice.]

"Ah. My Quirk just gave me a skill for using guns for playing Crisis Clock enough."

"Eh, just like that?" asked Himiko, surprised.

Ahko gave a sleepy giggle. "OMG, your Quirk really is like an RPG! Heheh, that really sends me~"

The other blonde cocked her head at her friend. "...Where?" she asked, bemused.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh.

DC

After that day at the arcade, Izuku kept in touch with Ahko and Himiko, the gyaru helping him with other gaming trivia, in addition to Kendou. The ginger girl had been mildly envious when she learned that he'd gone to the arcade without her, but was otherwise unbothered.

"So, you got a new skill from playing games? That'd be a hell of a cheat way to get them," she commented, "There's loads of games that kinda simulate being in different fields. If you can get skills just by playing those, you'd be all set!"

"It's not just that," Izuku told her, doing his daily katas alongside her, "The messages were weird. They were more impersonal than usual, not insulting, and it called them Objectives, rather than Quests."

Kendou frowned. "Huh. Yeah, that is weird. Normally, games keep things like that consistent with each other. If they're different, then there should be a reason."

"Maybe whatever's fighting back against my Quirk has less of a…I dunno, personality?" Izuku shrugged slightly, "Who knows, but with Ahko-chan and Toga-chan helping me out, I think we can get some more skills."

Kendo grinned. "Two cute girls helping you out, huh?"

Izuku shook his head. "Nah, Ahko says that she'll keep in touch, but she has prior engagements."

"Oh, fair enough. Like what?"

"Her boyfriend."

"Oof, ouch."

He snorted. "Eh, it's fine. I've still got two cute girls helping me, after all." There was a pause that followed his statement, before his face blushed bright red. "N-n-n-nevermind that! I didn't say that! Forget it!"

Kendo giggled, though her face reddened as well from his words. "Keep it up Casanova, we'll see where it goes."

[I could just barf, why do you bother? Suffice it to say, Charisma Check Failed. Take -50 Emotional Damage.]

Izuku scoffed at his Quirk's caustic remark, but took out his notebook and wrote it down. "Damn, it's back on its usual bullshit."

"Nice while it lasted, I guess," Kendo sighed commiseratingly. "Ah, also, how's the Quest going with Toga-san?"

He shrugged, idly scratching his temple with the back of his pen. "Well, after that bit about being fine with her smiling the other day, there hasn't been much change. I don't think she disliked being at the arcade, but it's more like she would've been happy anywhere…"

"With you, maybe?" Kendo asked, "Maybe next time you meet, or when you do something with her, you can do something she wants. You know what she likes, actually?"

Izuku opened his mouth, but paused. "Huh…actually, I have no clue."

"Well, dummy, you can learn that when you meet up again!"

He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, of course." Despite her teasing, this felt more good natured than whatever his Quirk usually shoved in his face, and he didn't immediately want to throttle her.

"Anyway, are you gonna meet up with her soon?"

"Yeah, tomorrow, actually. It should be interesting,"

"Tell me how it goes," Kendou said, picking up her things, "I'll be helping out at the dojo. Oh before you go, the system gave me a skill."

Izuku groaned and slumped minutely. "Seriously, you already got another skill? What is it this time?"

While he'd been struggling to scrape out any new skill at all from his Quirk, Kendou had somehow been benefiting from it far more easily. It felt like every few days, she was gaining skills, while he was stuck being treated like a leper. It wasn't exactly her fault, but that didn't stop it from grating on him something fierce.

"So uh…apparently I can do a One Inch Punch now. Which is weird, 'cause that's more of a Jeet Kune Do thing than Karate. And with my Big Hands, it would hit HARD, so it's actually kinda scary? Like, who am I supposed to use that on?"

"Maybe you could use it for breaking through walls?" he suggested.

"...Yeah, that sounds good," Kendo conceded, sighing. "Alright, might as well head back. Seeya, Izuku-kun."

"Right. Later, Kendou."

The two bid each other goodbye for now and headed their separate ways.

DC

"Izuku-kuuun! Hiiiii~!"

Izuku blinked, looking up from his book. "Oh, hey To-Toga-chan?!"

The girl running towards him had Toga's face and hair. However, the way she was dressed was completely different. Her jacket was instead tied around her waist, looking far more casual and trendy, while on her ankles were a pair of slightly baggy leg warmers,

'Wait…she's dressed like Ahko. Like a Gyaru?'

"What do you think?" Himiko asked, twirling around and letting her skirt swish. "I asked Ahko for some advice on how to dress like her, gave me a few pointers on how to dress." She gave him a grin, though a faint pinkness touched her cheeks, her fingers playing with her skirt. "H-How do you like it…?"

Izuku gaped at her, brain struggling to reboot at the sight before him, before he finally realized that he was supposed to actually answer. "O-Oh! Yeah, I like it. It looks, um…" His face flushed and he looked away, not wanting to look like he'd been staring. "It looks, well…really cute."

Her grin widened. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah!"

She brought her hands to her face and gave a wiggle. "Eheheheheheheh~! I thought you would! Ahko-chan said that you'd like it, so I wanted to surprise you~"

[How the hell did you answer that correctly?! +30 Affection with Toga Himiko!]
[Toga Himiko wants to please you…not like that, pervert!]

"So…uh…what do you want to do?" he asked her, feeling as if he was aware for the first time how pretty Toga was. It was as if her bashful pride in showing herself off for him, and her happiness at him liking it, was making her glow somehow.

She shrugged, idly swinging her hips. "I dunno. I just wanted you to see my new look! Heheh…I didn't think past that."

"Well…do you like movies?" Izuku asked, thinking of something simple.

"I've never seen one. I had no one to go with before…my parents didn't want to take me," Himiko revealed, looking away and rubbing her arms briefly.

"Well…let's go fix that," Izuku said, nodding determinedly, "This Sunday. We'll both be off then…I-I mean, if you want to."

Himiko grinned, almost seeming to puff up with delight at being asked out on what could ostensibly be called a date. "Sounds good to me! What's playing?"

Izuku hummed and tapped his chin in thought. "Oh! I know this remake of a pre Quirk film is coming out. Captain United: the Blizzard Soldier."

She tilted her head quizzically. "Is that supposed to be a hero film or something?"

"Yeah, there were a lot of comics that depicted heroes in the pre-Quirk era, they adapted a few of them into movies. I think this is based on one of the older ones."

She nodded eagerly, rocking on the heels of her feet as she beamed at him affectionately. "Alrighty~ See you Sunday!" With that, she turned and stalked away with a small pep in her step.

Izuku grinned himself, his face flushed, and began to walk home, ignorant to the events to follow that would change both of their lives forever.

DC

Izuku's walk home was pleasant, despite his Quirk continuing to occasionally ping him with passive aggressive messages about getting himself a date with an 'easy target,' whatever the hell THAT meant. He also didn't appreciate the implication that Toga was 'easy,' either.

When he got home, his mother of course asked him how his day had been. He didn't mean to blurt it out, but somehow it slipped that he had gotten a date with a girl on Sunday. After a few moments of processing, Inko squealed, tears pouring from the excitement and joy of seeing her son go on a date…while flooding their apartment. Again.

Once he'd calmed her down and had some dinner, Izuku was back on his computer. This time, he was looking up information on computer and game coding, going as deep down the rabbit hole as he could, writing down anything that stuck out to him, being as meticulous with his note-taking as he was with his hero notebooks. Every so often, his Quirk would pipe up.

[Game Saved!]

[Game Saved! Again!]

[Seriously, you don't have to keep saving every few seconds.]

[There isn't an Achievement for this, so stop it already.]

There, I'm finished. Happy? Of course, he got no answer, not that he'd expected one. Whatever, that's not important. What am I going to do for my date with Toga-chan? Oh crap, what if I mess it up? What if I lose all my progress with her? What if-

Finally, Izuku stopped himself forcefully and took a mental step back, breathing deep. Okay…I'm calm now. Now, what do I do for my date?' He paused before he started stroking his chin. Let me think about this…she didn't really like to smile until recently, she's never talked about any other friends besides Ahko, but despite that, I feel she's really started to come out of her shell. He frowned, brow furrowing in thought. Although…it feels like she's not being open to us. She seemed really nervous when she smiled around us properly. Not to mention, whenever she talks about her parents…yeah, there's a whole lot of issues there, I can tell.

[Quest Update: You have figured out that something is wrong with Toga Himiko. Only took you a month and the most blatant clues imaginable. Really putting that Intelligence to work.]

He rolled his eyes. Way to make me feel concerned. Now, what do I do? I can't just ask her, she probably won't tell me. Do I try to force it out of her? He shook his head. No. That'd just end badly. All I can do is wait for her to tell me, and be there for her.

It was then he heard a ping from his phone. He checked it, and saw he had a new message from Toga. He looked through the message, and could only blush.

The blonde had sent the verdette a picture of her in her Gyaru outfit. She was standing in what he could only assume to be her room, and was poking her fingers together as she gave him her genuine smile. Attached to the image was a message.

Toga: Do you really like it?

He stared at the message, searching for the words to reply with while trying (and failing) to keep his blush down. Finally, he replied.

Izuku: Yeah. It's really cute.

There was no answer, but his Quirk dutifully informed him that he'd gained another 15 points of Affection with Toga Himiko. He smiled slightly- he had no clue how those points translated, but at the end of the day, he was a boy who lived to make others happy.

DC

Izuku's stomach churned with nervousness as the day of the movie date quickly arrived. He dressed casually, pulling on a t-shirt and some shorts, made sure he'd texted the location of the theater to Toga, and set out. His mother hugged him tightly on the way out, kissing his head and babbling about how proud she was of him, much to his embarrassment.

They had met a few times before the date, each time with Toga wearing her gyaru outfit. She always grinned widely when she caught him staring, and Izuku couldn't complain, except for him dissolving into a wriggling, blushing mess as a result.

That was why, when he arrived at the theater and saw that the blonde was dressed not as a Gyaru, but in the same school uniform as before, he stopped dead, his heart sinking. Instead of her wide grin, the girl's smile looked more 'normal,' and after a month and change of hanging around her, he could see the strain, stress and unhappiness that lurked in the corners of her mouth. "Hey," he said softly, grabbing her attention with a wave, "You doing okay?"

"Mm…Mmhm!" she replied quickly, her fake smile straining even harder, "I just, uh, had a little t-talk last night. With my parents, you know."

A pang of dismay shot through Izuku, and he had to fight not to tear up in sympathy at the badly hidden crestfallen air given off by Toga, who was wringing her hands tightly. "Do you…still want to watch the movie?" he asked tentatively.

Her golden eyes flicked to his for a moment, then away, even as she nodded. "Yeah, I want to."

"Alright. As long as you'll enjoy it," Izuku promised her.

"Mm…" she mumbled quietly, "...Can I hold your hand?"

His face burned bright red at the idea of holding hands with a cute girl, and he stammered. "Uh-! I-If you like!" he squeaked.

At that, a little bit of her usual happiness returned to her face, and her slim, soft hand slipped into his as he led her inside the theater. Izuku watched as Toga eyed the snack bar in wonder, looking at all the colorful treats, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He ordered popcorn and drinks, figuring that it would be enough to get through the movie. The clerk could only smile at the couple as they rang up the snacks before heading into the movie.

Once the movie started, after all the trailers, the two of them settled in, quickly finding themselves engrossed in the tale of a man out of time. Izuku was torn between immersing himself in the story, and also feeling hyper-aware of the slender, female body seated right next to him. Early on, Toga had laid a soft hand atop his, and the sensation, benign as it was, was driving him to distraction.

Whenever the action picked up, he could feel her in his periphery, wriggling in her seat and gasping with awe at the cinematography. The action was impressive, especially considering that none of the actors for this remake were using their Quirks. Even the lead actor was a current pro hero. Given that his own Quirk might as well not be there, it was cathartic watching normal humans fighting villains and saving the day.

Of course, in the modern era, fighting without a proper Quirk was just asking for an ass-whooping unless you were insanely dedicated or the opponent had useless Quirks of their own, but the fantasy of it was fun nonetheless.

As the movie went on, he started paying less attention to the movie, and more to the girl next to him. This being her first movie, he had worried that whatever he took her to might sour her experience. However, judging by her wide, cheshire-cat grin whenever the Captain fought his many, many adversaries, he had nothing to worry about.

As the movie reached the climax, the Captain ended up slugging it out with the Blizzard soldier, getting beaten bloody himself in the process. Izuku couldn't help but admire the man's commitment to getting back up and getting through to his former friend. It resonated deeply with him, and he committed the scene to memory; no doubt he'd be coming back to this movie many times in the future.

Himiko, on the other hand, began breathing heavily, raggedly. She had never seen a movie before, mainly because her parents wouldn't take her, but why would her parents deny this from her. This was what normal people did, and people got excited for movies, right? The world fell away, her heart pounding in her ears as she lost herself in the brutality, the violence, the blood…

"Himiko-san?"

With a gasp, she snapped out of her stupor, to find Izuku looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Um…you're drooling a bit," he said tentatively, pointing at his chin.

Himiko quickly wiped her mouth, and was horrified to discover that, indeed, she was dripping with saliva, and an irrepressible grin was stretched across her face. "O-Oh…" She wracked her brain frantically for the right words, trying to brush off the weirdness. "S-Sorry, I was so…so focused!"

"N-No, it's alright," Izuku replied. "I get that way sometimes too."

"...You don't believe it, do you?" She asked as she started to panic. All that practice to perfect her normal smile was falling away, her mind crumbling into disarray.

Izuku grabbed her hand tight. "It's gonna be okay, you don't need to worry about anything!" he told her earnestly.

Himiko looked into his eyes. Anywhere that she couldn't see those veins, the ones with beautiful red blood. The movie faded away as her perception narrowed down, focusing only on him…and his neck. "I-Izuku…please…"

"Wh-What is it, Himiko-san?" Izuku asked, panicking slightly, face flushing at the needy tone in her voice, and the hungry light shining in her eyes.

Before she could help it, she'd crawled into his seat and straddled him, panting, her lips peeling back in a predatory grin.

"H-Himiko-san!?" Izuku asked, shocked. Then, "Ah!" He gasped as she lunged down, and he felt her teeth pierce the skin of his neck.

[You have been bitten! Toga Himiko is draining your HP!]

Izuku ignored this and tried to get Himikos attention, tapping her shoulder frantically. "Himiko-san? Himiko!?"

The shouts and the frantic smacks finally cleared the red haze that had descended on her. She unlatched from his neck with a slurp and a heated gasp…before panic set into her eyes as they cleared. Before Izuku could reach out, she jumped off him and rushed up the theater, a hand over her mouth. In the darkness, he thought he saw a wetness in her eyes, before she barged through the door and vanished from sight.

In shock, it took Izuku a few seconds to do more than press a hand to his stinging neck, wincing. However, even as he stumbled to his feet, he felt the pain fading away surprisingly quickly.

[Despite having your blood drained, you are not going to become a vampire. -23 HP in total.]

By the time he reached the door of the theater and exited, the pain was gone almost entirely. Seeing no sign of Himiko, he ducked into the bathroom to take a look at the damage. To his surprise, Izuku realized that there was barely any blood on his neck, aside from a small, dark stain on his collar. Must be my Quirk. Games don't really have you bleeding that much unless it's a status effect. Though, wouldn't her bite count? Maybe her Quirk has coagulant properties…

The mark where she'd sunk her canines into him had already closed over, leaving a pair of white pinpricks that would doubtlessly fade away with time.

Blood…it must be some kind of side effect of her Quirk, and maybe the movie set her off? Her reaction afterward was off; does she not like it? Or was there another reason? It's obvious that she has trouble at home. Could that have something to do with it? He shook his head, before looking in the mirror. I won't know anything until I get the answers from her.

A system message flashed up before his eyes. As he read it, he noted dimly that it wasn't reflected in the mirror.

[Pursue Toga Himiko. Learn who she really is.]

He blinked. Huh. No insults this time. That's gotta mean something…but it doesn't matter right now. How can I find her? She couldn't have gotten too far. He backed away from the counter and turned towards the door, ready to start searching…and paused when he saw something on the floor. A glowing red line, leading away from his feet.

It took Izuku a moment to realize what it was. "Ah! That quest path!" Every day, Izuku would get a Quest to go to school, along with a marked path to take him there. It seemed that, now that his current Quest involved a concrete destination, his Quirk could guide him there. "Once in a blue moon, you have a use," he muttered, opening the door and following the path.

DC

As it turned out, Himiko had fled quite far, but Izuku trusted his Quirk to not screw him over in this instance. It was one of the few things he could trust about it at this point. He turned into an alleyway that was a few blocks from the movie theater. The sight he found made his heart wrench. Down the alleyway, huddled against a wall, was Toga Himiko, holding her head in her hands, breathing quite rapidly and irregularly. Like she was…

She's hyperventilating! He didn't hesitate and rushed over to her. "Himiko! It's me!"

The blonde looked up and blanched when she saw him, scrambling away but falling on her butt, limbs trembling. "Get away!"

"Himiko, what's wrong…you can tell me!" Izuku pleaded as he got closer.

The girl whimpered and started to mumble to herself. "It's…this is wrong. I'm wrong. Y-You shouldn't be near me. I'll just hurt you again, n-need your blood, gotta have it, I'll hurt you, m-monsters hurt people…"

"Is it your Quirk?" Izuku asked, kneeling down beside her but giving her space.

She shuddered, refusing to look at him. "Blood…blood is the most beautiful thing in the world," the corners of her mouth twitched. "You're cute, Izuku. Kendou-chan's cute. Ahko-chan's cute. But it's even better if you bleed…! It's wrong. I know I'm messed up in the head. C-Can't help it. I try to be normal, be good, I'm not, not any of that. My Quirk lets me turn into someone when I drink their blood, but only for a while…"

He listened seriously, wondering what on earth he could say to all of that. Latching onto what he understood (Quirks), he asked, "So, you could become me right now?"

Himiko laughed wetly, finally looking up to meet his gaze. Her usual grin was smaller, mixed with the pain in her reddened, golden eyes, which were streaming with tears. "Heheh…eheheheh. Can I? Nn. I wanna. Wanna be Izuku. Wanna be anyone besides me. Do-" Her grin vanished, a look of raw grief crossing her face. "...Do you think mom and dad would like me if I was you?"

Before he could even think of a verbal response, Izuku had his arms around her and was holding her tight. She hiccuped in surprise and stiffened, but made no move to get out of his hold. "Himiko…if your parents don't like you now, then…that's not your fault. There's loads about you to like," he told her quietly, feeling her shiver in his embrace. Tears of sympathy were flooding from his eyes as he spoke to her gently. "You always listen to what others have to say, you try things even if you don't really like them…when you smile, it's scary, but in a good way! I like being friends with Himiko, more than I'd want to be friends with another me. I…I get angry, a lot. My Quirk always insults me, so I hate getting made fun of. You never make fun of me, and I'm really glad for that! So…if you need my blood, or want to be me for a little bit, you can do that. If you're with me, Himiko, then…then I won't leave you, or let you go."

Himiko whimpered, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "...You're too trusting," she mumbled, "I might bite you again like this…I'm a monster, you know? Monsters shouldn't have friends."

"Bring it on," he told her, rubbing the small of her back, "Being friends with monsters is pretty cool in some games. And don't you think that a Hero who can be a monster's friend would be cool?"

Finally, the blonde gave a weak, watery giggle, and the last of the tension melted from her body. "...If it's Izuku, you'd be the coolest," she sighed in his ear.

[Unconditional Acceptance at last! Toga Himiko's Affection has increased by 100! Affection Maxed! Toga Himiko will follow you to the ends of the earth and the depths of Hell!]

[Quest Complete! Un-fucking believable, you have tamed the wild vampire. Don't let your guard down, however; one good turnout does not end a lifetime of emotional abuse.

Reward: Party Limit expanded to 2! Toga Himiko is now part of your Party! Status Available.]

[Achievement Unlocked! Yandere Deathless Speedrun.

Against every single ounce of probability, lack of skill and charisma, you have somehow managed to befriend Toga Himiko without using the Quick-Load function even once. I don't know how you did it, but you don't looklike you cheated, so take this, you crazy-fucker.
Reward: +3 Charisma]

Izuku let out a long, shaky breath, hugging her tightly, before letting her go and offering her a hand. She took it, climbing to her feet unsteadily, wiping at her streaming eyes with her other hand. When her eyes were clear, however, she blinked, brow furrowing cutely. "Eh? Ah…am I hallucinating? Izuku, I'm seeing these weird squares…"

Izuku blinked. "Oh…I guess since you're in my party now, you can see my Quirk. I wasn't kidding when I said it was a video game."

"Eh? This is your Quirk? But, why am I seeing it all of a sudden…?" The blonde gasped, her eyes lighting up. "OH! That Party thing! Am I part of your party, Izuku?!"

"Y-Yeah…" he smiled tentatively, "You're quick on the uptake…to tell you the truth, when we first met, my Quirk gave me a Quest that said that if I befriended you, you'd join my Party."

She squealed with delight, her grin so adorably wide that he couldn't help but chuckle.

"A-Anyway, now that you're with me, I can take a look at your stats…" So saying, he did so, opening up his status menu and tabbing over to Himiko's part of the Party section.

His eyebrow twitched. "Ah."

[Toga Himiko, Lvl 5 Skinwalker

Strength: There is no escaping from her grip.
Dexterity: Slippery as an eel.
Constitution: Totally Normal™
Intelligence: Will learn everything about you. Everything.
Wisdom: Love is blind. Chronically nearsighted.
Charisma: D for Danger.]

"It…it seems a bit meaner than normal," Izuku reported finally. "Um…maybe I'll tell you later."

Izuku: We can chat in the Party like this.

A moment later, he received a, ? from Kendou. Then…

Toga: Oh wow! So I can talk to you at any time?!

Kendou: Gah, what the fuck?! Wait…oh, the system just told me you joined the Party. Heya, Toga-san, welcome.
Heh, I guess the date went well, then?

Izuku: It got a little rocky for a bit, but I think we got through it okay.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked her.

Himiko only shook her head, her grin becoming tinged with sadness. "No…now that I think about it, my parents might not like you very much either. They always get annoyed whenever I've had friends come over." But she brightened up again. "But! Now they can't stop us from talking whenever we want! So I'll be okay!" Leaning in, she kissed Izuku on the cheek, making him stiffen in shock, before skipping away out of the alley.

[Achievement unlocked: First Kiss (kinda)

You got kissed by a girl who wasn't your mother. It's not a REAL kiss, but don't expect it to happen again.
Reward: +1 Charisma, you damn playboy.]

Memorizing the message to write down in his notebook, Izuku groaned, rubbing his neck as he made his way out of the alley himself. "Geez, what a day. I feel exhausted."

"It was a day of good deeds, so some tiredness is well-earned."

"GUAH!" Izuku jumped as a deep, strangely familiar voice spoke up, whirling around. Standing just outside the entrance of the alleyway stood a tall, skeletally-thin man, wearing baggy cargo pants and a loose white t-shirt. "W-Who are you?" he asked, shocked, "How long were you standing there?!" He glanced up over his head to see his name.

Yagi Toshinori, Lvl 80 Hero

The older man let out a cackle, rubbing the back of his head. "My apologies for startling you, young man! The name's Yagi Toshinori. And, well…I must admit that I saw young Toga-san from the beginning. However, before I could step in and intervene, you rushed in. You're acquainted with her, I believe?"

He relaxed slightly when he saw that the man, Yagi, was labeled by his Quirk as a Hero. Though, it was strange, as normally it would specify if someone was a PRO Hero. "Yeah, we've been friends for a little while. We, um, were actually on a date at the movies, and I guess the action must have set her off. She, uh…well, it doesn't matter." He rubbed his neck again, where she'd bitten him. "I don't blame her or anything. It was my fault that we saw the movie, so at the very least, I wanted to let her know that I didn't think badly of her, or something…"

"And instead, you comforted her in a very dark hour," said Yagi, smiling, "I heard you mention that you wanted to be a Hero, correct? Well, I must say, Midoriya, m'boy…that was a level of heroics that I've not seen in a long time. I daresay it even reminded me of some heroic ideals that I'd almost forgotten about."

Izuku felt a swell of embarrassment and pride, being told so warmly by an actual Hero that he'd done well. "Th…Thank you, sir," he mumbled, ducking his head with a blush. "Yeah, I really wanna be a Hero, more than anything. Saving people like All Might and being able to smile while I do it…that's always been my dream, even though my Quirk is pretty useless."

Yagi's smile widened, and he chuckled, before wincing and coughing into his fist. "Haha, like All Might, you say? And pah, a Quirk is only part of the equation, m'boy! So long as you have some training and the right mindset, you'll be able to save many people indeed. In fact…" He eyed the boy for a long moment, his face pensive, before nodding. "I have some free time coming up, so I might be able to help you out with that training. Do you know where Dagobah Beach is?"

The green-haired young man blinked. "Uh…yeah, it's not too far from where I live. I've never been there before…"

"Well, if it's alright with your parents, you can meet me there next Sunday." The man's bony face twisted in a smirk. "8 in the morning. I recommend not being late."

Izuku's mind was awhirl with shock. Training from an actual Hero? A Hero who saw potential in him?! This felt almost too good to be true! "Um…i-is it alright if I invite a friend of mine?" he asked carefully, "She's also planning to become a Hero."

"Certainly!" said Yagi grandly, "I'll hardly turn away anyone willing to better themselves for the sake of justice!"

[Quest Acquired! Ten Months of Hell.

Fate has brought you into the path of one Yagi Toshinori, and due to a lack of better judgment, you have accepted his shady-ass offer of training. Who knows, maybe he CAN whip your weak ass into shape. Maybe he's a miracle worker Hero.

Time Limit: Until the Yuuei University Entrance Exams

Reward: Up to +5 in Strength, Dexterity and Constitution, ?, increased chances of joining the Yuuei Hero Course
Failure: Disappointment from a weirdly paternal figure, decreased chances of joining the Hero Course]

Well, with it all laid out like that, there was only one answer to give.

"I accept!" he answered firmly.

Yagi laughed. "A clear, bold, statement. You'll make a fine Hero for sure! Haha!"

DC

AN:

UO: That took a lot but I wonder who this Yagi figure is…sarcasm. Yes All Might shows up now because we're getting closer to canon and the defining moment of this story.

After over a fucking year, it is finished. Granted, a big chunk of that was from me working on other fics, but that still hardly excuses how long it took to get this done. Hopefully, you all will consider this chapter worth the wait.

This chapter features a special guest appearance by everyone's favorite Gyaru, Ahko! She will not be paired with Izuku, she's just a cameo appearance.

SOL: She's taken, unfortunately, and that sends me…!

Where?

SOL: Into depression.

Anyway, she may show up at some other point, because she's fun to write, but she shouldn't be a major fixture of the story. In the meantime, Izuku learns about and gets close to Himiko. She's still messed up, but she may yet find herself on the road to stability. Shame that she's one of the girls that Menu-chan wasn't fixated on, so she tried 'subtly' warning Izuku away from her. And when she joined, well…

SOL: "All victories must be rewarded."

Menu-chan curses the day that Izuku learned about that rule.

Next time! Izuku begins training, and the girls may possibly join in! What kind of monkey wrenches will his Quirk try to throw at him? Who can say?

North South Out