Chapter 24: Looming Training
Rikido took a sip of tea before asking, "You okay over there Midoriya-kun?"
"Yeah. I'm just still adjusting to being back at school after everything that happened," Izuku responded as he laid down on his back on a couch opposite of his friend.
It was Monday night, and Midroiya was exhausted. He thought going back to classes would be no big deal after the raid, but classes felt different. Perhaps he needed more time to process everything, Izuku thought. But his date last night with Tooru had helped somewhat. Though there was still a lot to discuss. Midoriya figured it would be best to tell his girlfriend the details tomorrow, as he wanted to go to Sir Nighteye's funeral on Wednesday after school. But should he tell her to meet him after school tonight? Or maybe over breakfast or lunch? Or pull her aside after school?
"Well if you need anything from me just ask. I'd be happy to help," Sato stated with confidence.
Midoriya answered, "Thanks but I think I just need time if anything." He then sighed and stretched his arms a bit.
As Sato drank the rest of his tea, Midoriya looked around the common room as he wondered what topics the two could talk about. Mineta, Kaminari, and Sero were watching some TV show that Midoriya didn't recognize. Hagakure and Uraraka were happily eating some mochi that Sato had made earlier. Finally, Ojiro was currently rummaging through one of the refrigerators.
Eventually, something sparked in Izuku's mind, and he asked, "Hey how's that activity we're supposed to do with 1B going along?"
Rikido cupped his chin with one hand and gave a mischievous grin as he replied, "Oh quite well I would say. I should be able to reveal our plans sometime next week. We're only awaiting permission from the faculty to do this. They have a board meeting later this week, and hopefully, our request gets looked at."
Izuku got up into a sitting position as he asked, "What if it gets rejected?"
Sato chuckled as he answered, "Oh I'm sure it will be accepted. The class presidents and vice presidents from both classes already approved it."
Midoriya wondered if Ida and Yaoyorozu approved of this while he was away. Or had they just been tight-lipped about it?
Before Izuku could respond, however, Mashirao showed up with a glass of milk in hand and said, "Evening you two." He then quickly turned to Rikido and asked, "Mind if I talk with Midoriya-kun in private Sato-kun?"
Sato seemed a bit surprised at this and replied, "Oh um, sure. I need to clean up from making that mochi earlier anyhow." He then got up and left, and Ojiro sat in the same spot.
Midoriya then asked, "What's going on?"
"Sorry. I guess we could discuss this over the phone later, but I couldn't wait any longer," Ojiro answered sounding a bit exhausted. He then looked over to Sato before saying, "I'll apologize to Sato-kun later about me being rude."
Izuku then realized what he meant. Before this, he had been talking with Tooru, Tenya, and Ochako for some time. Then Sato appeared and asked if anyone wanted some treats and Uraraka immediately requested mochi, which he happily made. Midoriya and Ida weren't hungry, however. The former decided to go lay down. The latter was ready for bed and hugged his girlfriend goodnight before going upstairs. After giving the girls the desserts, Rikido made his tea and began to chat with Izuku. During this whole time, Mashirao was in the common room keeping his distance just looking at his phone and occasionally giving Izuku glances.
Midoriya then said, "It's okay, I kept you waiting for a chance to talk with me alone." He then paused before asking, "Does this have to do with Yaoyorozu-chan?"
"Heh, you know me too well at this point," Mashirao responded with a smirk on his face.
Well, it's about all we've talked about in private; lately, Izuku wanted to say but held his tongue.
Ojiro then said, "If you remember, her birthday was earlier this week."
Midoriya nodded, "Yeah I do. She said she didn't wanna make it a big deal." He remembered Hagakure bringing it up on Wednesday during lunch, the 23rd. Momo stated she was going to visit her parents on Sunday to celebrate, so there was no need for a party. Everyone at the table decided to drop the subject after that.
Izuku then asked, "What about it?"
"Well after her study lesson here on Sunday I figured Yaoyorozu-chan would head out to her place, but she pulled me aside to talk to me alone," Mashirao answered in a quiet voice as he leaned in closer to his friend. He paused a moment before saying, "And then she asked me if I'd be interested in going to some nearby kaiten-sushi restaurant next Sunday with her."
Midoriya's eyes widened at his, but he was at a loss for words. He thought Ojiro was going to say that he asked Yaoyorozu about her feelings. Not this. Izuku then focused on her asking to go to such a restaurant. It was the same place Sato and Kendo had gone earlier this month. He remembered Momo was interested in going to such a place.
During Izuku's silence, Mashirao drank his milk slowly. When finished, he said, "I said yes but didn't bring up the whole what she feels about me thing since I figured she was in a hurry to celebrate her birthday."
"Well, it sounds great Ojiro-kun! I bet this has lifted a lot of stress off your shoulders," Midoriya responded with a raised voice.
Mashirao was quick to say, "Keep it down will you."
"Oh sorry. I'm just happy things have worked out," Izuku stated as he grinned happily.
"Well we don't know for sure yet," Ojiro answered with a huff. He then stated, "This could just be us hanging out. Not a date."
Now Midoriya was the one to huff as he said, "Now you sound like the old me Ojiro-kun. This looks like a date to me."
The tailed teen blushed slightly and looked away but remained silent.
Izuku's toned turned serious as he asked, "You still having self-doubts about being worthy for her or not?"
Mashirao grunted as he replied, "Of course."
"Well then just ask Yaoyorozu-chan during the date," Midoriya stated.
"Right," Ojiro answered with a sigh. He then leaned back into the couch before saying, "Now I just got to get through this week of school waiting for this to get resolved, so that's gonna be a drag."
Midoriya crossed his arms as he said, "I bet it will fly by if you think positive thoughts. You're letting the unknown weigh you down Ojiro-kun."
"It won't be easy, but I'll try. Thanks, Midoriya-kun," Mashirao replied with a soft grin.
"You just sit right here and take a look at this reference material for today," Hatsume stated as she dragged Midoriya to a chair and table opposite of her current workbench.
It was Tuesday again, and Izuku was surprised to hear Mei reject him from helping today. She instead had him looking at five thick black notebooks with big letters in silver at the front. They seemed to be alphabetized as their titles merely had, A-D, E-H, I-N, O-T, and U-Z as titles. Nothing else indicated what was contained in them.
"Hatsume-san I still don't understand why I am doing this," Midoriya said in a confused voice.
Mei held up her index finger as she said, "First. I told you to address me as Hatsume-chan just a moment ago. So get to it." She then held up two fingers and continued by saying, "And second, no need to question my methods. Just immerse yourself in the knowledge I have bestowed upon you. You won't regret it!"
Izuku didn't know how to respond to this.
Mei then turned around and began to work on some contraption by beating it with a hammer.
After sighing, Midoriya figured he might as well do as she pleases and grabbed the U-Z notebook and opened it to a random page. He was shocked to see the picture of a pro hero staring back at him. And not just any pro, it was one of the best in Japan. The Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha. This bearded old man wore samurai armor as his costume with a large cape. On the page described ways to temper the metals of his hero suit and suggested future improvements.
Izuku thought, what is this? He then flipped to another random page and saw class 1B's homeroom teacher, the Blood Hero: Vlad King. Here it detailed some suggested methods of cleaning his gear that interacted with his blood to keep things as sanitary as possible. Also, it listed a procedure of what to do if any of it was damaged as to not succumb to falling unconscious or even death from blood loss.
Mei then spoke up to say, "So what do you think Midoriya-kun? It's cool yeah?"
"It is," Izuku said. He paused before stating, "Amazing even. But who wrote this? And why?"
Suddenly the sliding door to the room wheeled itself open, and Power Loader stepped inside carrying what seemed to be two carryout meals. He then said, "Ah afternoon Midoriya-san. What's that you are read-." The pro hero then stopped speaking. He then put down the food and walked over to his assistant before saying very slowly, "Hatsume. What are you doing?"
"Just letting Midoriya-kun look at your notes as a treat. Nothing to worry about Maijima-sensei," Mei responded as if it was not a big deal.
Maijima clenched a fist as he responded, "And doing so breaks the confidentiality agreement between heroes and their mechanic. This isn't like you Hatsume-san what gives?"
"Oh quit being such a stick in the mud. It's just some payment for Midoriya-kun helping me out these last couple of weeks," Hatsume stated while waving her hand like if she was shooing away a fly.
Midoriya expected Power Loader to grab the notebooks away as he reached out a hand to grab one. The pro hero stopped however and then let his arm fall to the side. He then looked over to his assistant and stated, "Fine. But that means you gotta clean up your mess from this morning before you continue working on your current project."
Mei groaned before answering, "Ugh, fine." She then got up and went to a pile of smoking trash at a far away workbench.
Maijima then pulled up a chair and sat down next to his guest. He then proceeded to take off his large helmet and placed it on the table with a loud thud.
Izuku wondered just how heavy that equipment was.
"Sorry about that. Usually, such information is limited to those that work with these pro heroes. You don't want such details falling into the wrong hands and all," Power Loader said as he grabbed the A-D notebook and placed it in front of him. He then asked, "I'm guessing she just gave this to you to read without you asking?"
"Yes, sir. She refused my help today and gave me these to read," Midoriya answered.
"Guess this is just her way of trying to cheer you up," Maijima stated as he opened his notebook to the index page.
Izuku then asked, "Cheer me up?"
"Well of course. Your little episode with the yakuza a few days ago must have been rough. Hatsume-san probably wanted to do something for you but since she is what she is, instead of doing something normal she shoves confidential information at you as a gift," the pro hero explained after a long sigh. He then said in an irritated tone, "Would have been better if she asked me about it though."
Midoriya was delighted that Hatsume was trying to make him feel better up as odd as it was. Or was it? This kind of information was something he would love to have regular access to. So much at his fingertips. Izuku felt he could get lost in it. So maybe it was perfect after all. He then collected himself and asked, "So are these all heroes you've worked with?"
"Some more than others, but yes. I started making it once I went pro, though I wished I made it sooner because I got to help work on some neat stuff while I was still in school. But I didn't realize how helpful it could be until I started to accumulate information from my work," Power Loader responded. He then brought a hand up and gently patted Midoriya's back as he said, "As long as you keep the knowledge from these notebooks to yourself it's okay to ask to read this after today Midoriya-san."
Izuku grinned as he replied, "Thanks, sir!"
Maijima then got up and said, "No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving." He then walked over and opened his takeout, which was tonkotsu ramen (pork bone based).
Hatsume noticed this and was quick to come over and eat her takeout of shoyu ramen (soy sauce based).
As the two ate Izuku poured over all the information he could before eventually, his phone alarm went off. It was dinner time.
"Alright. What's up? Asking me to come here again on such short notice," Tooru stated.
Izuku and his girlfriend were once more under the Japanese maple tree. Dinner was over, and as the group got up to put away their trays, he asked her to meet him here to discuss what he needed to. And Hagakure was right; usually, Midoriya would give more of a heads up if they were going to talk.
"Sorry, I should have brought this up sooner. You're right," Izuku answered with a sigh.
Hagakure then asked, "So what's the damage?"
Izuku was quick to respond with, "Wait. What? How do you know I was going to say bad news? Did I hint-." He stopped talking as he felt Tooru place her hand over his mouth.
The invisible girl then stated, "Izuku you're easy to read sometimes." She then removed her hand and said, "Now calm down and tell me the details. I'm ready for whatever it is."
Midoriya took a deep breath before he asked, "Do you remember Camie from the license exam?"
"The goopy and nudey girl? Yeah hard to forget," Hagakure huffed in response.
"Well, it turned out that she wasn't who we thought she was," Izuku stated. He paused before continuing with, "It was Toga Himiko. The villain, you and Uraraka-chan, ran into during our summer trip."
Midoriya then explained how he figured all this out. Toga appeared during the yakuza raid disguised as another pro hero, which surprised both him and Aizawa. When she dropped her disguise thanks to Shota's Erasure quirk, Izuku immediately recognized the gooey appearance she had and was able to connect the dots. He also mentioned Ochako had seen Toga disguised as Izuku at a later point that day. She couldn't place that the Izuku she met was an imposter until the real Izuku filled her in about everything that had happened once they were both taken to the hospital.
Once Midoriya was done explaining, Hagakure asked, "So is this Camie girl alright?"
"I don't know. I just told Aizawa-sensei and the police what I was able to deduce. I hope she is okay, but things don't look good for her if Toga was able to hide the fact the real one wasn't able to attend the license exam," Izuku said
There was silence between the two before Midoriya spoke up and said, "The reason I bring this up is that I believe this villain has become obsessed with me. Both times I met her she sort of went into a frenzy because I was there. She even called me 'Deku baby' this last time."
Tooru was quiet for a moment before she said, "That makes sense though. During me and Uraraka-chan's run-in with that bastard, she said things about wanting to become like the ones you love. It explains why she went after you during our license exam to learn more about you and even disguised as you during the raid."
Izuku felt his girlfriend grab his hand as she asked, "You're worried she might come after me?"
"Yeah. While the villain was disguised as Camie, she mentioned Uraraka not being the one she was looking for. I think somehow she knows I had a girlfriend and she was looking for you," Midoriya answered with worry in his tone.
"Yeah, she had some weird sense of telling that Uraraka-chan and I were in love, so that doesn't surprise me," Hagakure stated. She exhaled before saying, "You think she'll try and disguise as you to get to me?"
Izuku nodded as he replied, "Or vice versa, but it's still only a possibility. I don't think she will be able to infiltrate U.A. considering the beefed up security as of late, but it might be good that we set up something so when we are alone outside of school we can easily identify if we are real or an imposter. I haven't thought of anything good myself though. Do you have any ideas?
Almost immediately Tooru answered, "Oh I have a perfect solution! Our failed handshake!"
It took a moment for Midoriya to understand but then it hit him, their exchange the first day they officially met all the way back in April. He then asked, "Wasn't that more of a failed fist bump?"
"That's the point! We'll ask to handshake at our initial greeting. If you're the imposter you'll try and shake my hand, but if you're you then it will be a fist bump," Hagakure explained.
"Oh so then on the flip side if I don't get a fist bump from you then it's not the real you," Izuku said with an intrigued voice.
Tooru giggled as she replied, "Exactly!" She then asked, "Do we know that villain can even copy my invisible look though? Or even how she goes about doing it?"
"I don't know if she could disguise as you Tooru, but I think her quirk has to do with blood. Aizawa-sensei thinks so too. Himiko seems obsessed with it, and she collected blood from Uraraka-san with that contraption of hers. She must have also got some blood from me during the exam, as I did get a cut on my cheek during our battle," Midoriya explained.
"That sounds about right but we better just assume she might be able to disguise as either of us just to be safe," Hagakure stated. She then leaned over and placed her head on her boyfriend's shoulders as she said, "See this wasn't so bad. I'm glad we went over this."
Izuku, however, groaned upon hearing this.
Tooru then asked, "Wait do you have more you need to tell me?"
After a nod, Midoriya answered, "Just one more thing." He exhaled before continuing with, "When I visited with Togata-senpai in the hospital, after Sir Nighteye's death, I almost attempted something idiotic."
Hagakure was quick to ask, "You thought about giving him One for All?"
All Izuku could do was keep his mouth agape upon hearing this.
"You're selfless to a T Izuku. Both a blessing and in this case a curse," Tooru huffed. She then asked, "Did you ask or did Togata-senpai refuse your offer instead?"
"The latter," Midoriya replied while hanging his head.
Hagakure sighed before saying, "Alright let's hear your reasoning."
Izuku then asked, "Wait, you're not mad?"
"Oh, I am. You don't have to worry about that. I wanna hear what you gotta say before I say anything myself," Tooru said as she pulled her head away from her boyfriend's shoulder.
Midoriya then explained Togata's candidacy to be the next user of One for All by Sir Nighteye. He also told Hagakure of All Might keeping that a secret and the exchange they had once he was approved of his internship. It ended with Izuku explaining that Mirio didn't want anyone else to feel what he was feeling at the moment and the hope that maybe one day Eri might be able to reverse him to a state to when he had his quirk again.
"That sounds better than what I was expecting, but still you gotta consider everything All Might-sensei has done for you. He chose you, not Togata-senpai. You shouldn't take that so lightly," Tooru stated as her boyfriend finished his explanation. She then poked him in the cheeks and said, "Plus that would mean me and all your friends you made here would no longer get to spend our time together if you were quirkless again."
"Sorry," Izuku said with a sniff. He was holding back tears at this point.
"At least you acknowledge it was a dumb idea. I can understand your emotions being all over the place considering what happened though," Hagakure stated as she pulled in Midoriya in for a tight hug. As he returned the embrace, she said, "At least you're open about things, and we can discuss this as a proper couple should."
Izuku had never been to a funeral before in his life.
He wasn't prepared to have a rush of emotions as he saw Sir Nighteye in his coffin or when it was lowered into the ground.
It didn't help that this particular Wednesday evening was cold and rainy. It seemed so dumb and cliche, but it was just how it was.
Currently, Midoriya and Uraraka were sitting on a bench just outside the funeral home. Now, it was only drizzling, so the rain didn't bother them. Inside were the pro heroes and others in internship groups. Izuku needed some fresh air, and Ochako decided to tag along.
The two didn't say anything as the drizzle slowly made their clothes wet. Eventually, Uraraka spoke up and said, "This is the first time I've been to a funeral." She paused before asking, "How about you Deku-kun?"
"Same," was all Midoriya could say. He wasn't feeling like talking.
More silence followed.
Izuku looked over to Ochako. She looked to be struggling to think of what to say.
The sound of footsteps against puddles brought both of their attention towards the funeral home.
It was Aizawa. He was wearing a black suit, typical of funerals, and was holding a black umbrella. It was odd seeing him in formal wear with his hair tied back.
Their homeroom teacher then asked, "You two trying to get soaked?"
"No sir, we just needed a change of scenery is all. It's our first time attending a funeral," Ochako answered as she stood up.
"Hmm," Shota grunted as if bored. He then looked to Izuku and sighed. Clearing his throat, Eraserhead then said, "Walk with me you two."
As Midoriya stood up, Aizawa handed his umbrella to Uraraka and said, "Hold this. You two are wet enough as is."
The students then followed their teacher to the graveyard in silence. Once they arrived, the pro hero spoke up and said, "I have some good news for you both that might help cheer you up." He then turned around to see a surprised look on both of the teenagers' faces.
"Eri-chan woke up this morning. Though her psychological state is still unstable so no visits for now," Shota stated.
Izuku was quick to ask, "And her fever?"
"Gone. The doctors were also able to figure out her quirk's state is related to the size of her horn, which is just a lump now," Aizawa answered. He then motioned his students to follow as they entered the graveyard. Eraserhead then said, "In another bit of good news, Utsushimi-san, or you may know her as Camie, from Shiketsu High was found alive. She even attended the makeup exams on Monday along with Todoroki-san and Bakugo-san."
The makeup license exam. Both the 1A students took the test early that morning and skipped school that day. And they both passed it seemed. Izuku was curious about what they had to do, however.
Uraraka then asked, "Does she remember anything about Toga?"
"No. They found narcotics in her blood samples, so it's safe to assume she was drugged the whole time during her capture. But she seems healthy now," Aizawa responded while rounding a corner.
"That's a relief to hear. I dreaded that she might not be alive," Midoriya said as he rubbed his temple.
Eraserhead stopped walking and said, "You and me both Midoriya-san."
They were now in front of Sir Nighteye's grave. The dirt in front of it was now quite muddy.
The pro hero stared at the tombstone as he said, "Because of the involvement of the League of Villains the U.A. staff has agreed to halt the internship program for now."
To Izuku, it made sense. Though they had only received non-life threatening injuries, it could have been much worse. This was the best course of action for now.
Shota then turned around and looked at both students with a smirk as he said, "With the internship out of the way I'm willing to start your team training lessons. That is if you're both up to it."
Midoriya clenched both of his fists as he proclaimed, "Of course, sir!"
"I'm sure the others will be ecstatic to hear the news," Uraraka said.
"Good. I've already spoke with All Might about this. You both just need to tell the others that we'll have a meeting about it after school on Friday. It's just for setting up the rules, so the real training begins next week," Aizawa said as his smirk turned more into a gentle smile.
Seeing such an expression on the teacher's face was odd. Izuku wasn't sure he had seen it before on the man that stood before him but was glad to have seen it.
"This is still super suspicious if you ask me," Tooru said in a confused tone.
It was Friday after school. Yesterday and today had been quite odd for Izuku.
It started just before lunch on Thursday with Yuga trying to feed him some Pont-l'Évêque (a soft but pungent cheese from northwest France) out of the blue. Then it escalated to waking up to see his classmate staring down at him as he slept from outside his apartment on the veranda. Once Aoyoma left, Midoriya looked outside to find a plate full of cheese that spelled out 'I know.'
Izuku didn't know what to think as the day went on until they had super move training that afternoon with Cementos. Yuga had gone overboard using his super moves to show off. Midoriya brought him to the side to allow him to rest but also to ask him in private what happened the previous night.
When asked, Aoyoma stated that he knew that Midoriya's quirk wasn't suited for his body.
Izuku panicked until Yuga explained that they were similar. Until he got his support belt, his naval lasers would leak out and even now overuse caused him to have lower abdominal pains. Aoyama saw Midoriya's struggle to control his quirk without wrecking his body and his recent mood cause of the aftermath of the yakuza raid. Izuku figured Yuga was just trying to encourage him to not give up in his own weird way.
"I think Aoyama-kun is genuine here with what he did and said. I think he wants to be friends too," Midoriya answered.
Hagakure huffed, "If you say so. Just keep an eye on him. I'm just worried he might have figured out about your quirk."
The two were making their way to the teacher's offices to meet up with their friends for the meeting. It was to occur directly after classes, so Izuku thought to use this small window to explain what he had experienced with Yuga.
They arrived to see Momo and Tenya seated outside one of the conference rooms. Mashirao and Ochako were not long after but as they arrived All Might opened the door and motioned them to come inside.
"Sorry about this, but Aizawa-san is gonna run a bit late today. The police had a surprise visit today and are here to question about a villain he's had run-ins with in the past. It should just be for a few minutes wait, however," the former pro hero stated as he let the students in.
Tenya was quick to bow as he said, "Thanks for giving this opportunity All Might-sensei. I was surprised to hear that you'd be involved in this when Midoirya-kun explained what this was."
"No problem. Young Midoriya has quite a way with words. It was a fascinating proposal that was hard to refuse," Toshinari responded as he took a seat on one end of a large rectangular table.
Everyone sat on the opposite end of the table, of which there were eight seats so it could easily fit them all.
"I wish we could have done this under better circumstances considering that the internship program has been put on hold, but at least it will give you all something extra to work on outside your normal studies," Yagi stated once everyone was seated.
"Not gonna lie, you being here is half the reason I decided to come here sensei," Ojiro said.
All Might wore a big grin as she said, "I'm flattered Ojiro-san. But do know that Aizawa-san and I will have equal footing here in your training."
Mashirao nodded as he replied, "Fair enough."
"Now before we begin we might as well get the paperwork out of the way," Toshinari stated as he pulled a slip of paper from a bookbag at his side.
Tooru was quick to ask, "Paperwork?"
"Yes. Any outside training like this that isn't a one on one interaction needs to be documented. It's nothing too complicated though," Yagi explained before sliding the paper to the other side of the table for the students to see. As the teens leaned in to get a good look, the teacher continued by saying, "Aizawa-san and I have already signed it for approval and filled out the purpose of this activity for you. All you need to do is sign your names and come up with a name for it is all."
Yaoyorozu and Ida immediately started brainstorming possible names to each other. The others began signing the document.
When it came to Izuku, he briefly glanced at the purpose. It read, To facilitate training and exercises to better prepare students for pro hero teams that specialize in large team numbers. There was much more after that, which felt like a checklist of things to accomplish than anything, but he got the gist of it.
Midoriya handed the paper to Ida to sign next who then brought it to Yaoyorozu.
"It's decided then, the Team Appreciation Club or TAC for short," Momo said with a grin as she signed it.
Tenya nodded at the statement.
Izuku thought it worked well enough.
Ochako and Mashirao didn't seem to be really into it judging by their faces.
"Well that sounds pretty boring, but it's just a silly name, it's the training that matters," Tooru stated.
Ojiro and Uraraka didn't argue against it, so the name was decided.
Just as Yagi grabbed the paper, Aizawa entered the room looking disgruntled, well more than usual. He took a seat beside the other teacher and glanced over at the paper and gave a slight nod. Shota then spoke up and said, "My apologies, just some past stuff creeping up again."
The students exchanged looks at one another.
Izuku wondered who this villain was. Since Eraserhead wasn't very public about his hero work, such information, like, his arch enemies he didn't know.
"Anyways. A couple of details upfront," Aizawa said as he turned to Yagi.
All Might nodded before explaining, "We plan to have weekly training opportunities every Monday after dinner. The length will be flexible depending on what Aizawa-san and I have planned, but it shouldn't run too late." He coughed before continuing with, "It will be gradual at first since we want to determine how you function as a group but once things get to full swing don't expect it to be easy. Though I hope you are all up to the task and come out as better heroes because of this special regiment we have planned."
Eraserhead then spoke up and said, "Now if there is any sign that this is affecting anyone's normal studies I might ask you to step out or even disband the entire thing. I expect good grades and performance in your regular classes if you wanna stay in this training." He then glanced around, "I know for some of you that might be easier than others, but if someone is truly struggling, then it's your job as a team to support each other. You're only as strong as your weakest member."
Toshinori stepped in again and said, "We're also still open to suggestions as well. This training is a bit unknown territory as we usually don't teach students this early in the program about such team dynamics."
Shota nodded as he explained, "As you know so far you've only had to work in pairs in your classes. Only the 2nd event of the Hero Festival and the recent first part of the Provisional Hero Licence Exam had you working in bigger groups. I have planned a bigger team exercise this December, but like All Might said, there isn't much planned for you first years on this subject."
Tenya then raised his hand.
Aizawa sighed and said, "Classes are over Ida-san, no need to raise your hand, just speak."
The class president blushed as he lowered his hand but said, "Sorry sir, a force of habit. Anyways, is this supposed to be a secret to our classmates or not?"
Eraserhead shrugged as he answered, "Up to you all. I'm guessing cause you feel it might feel unfair to your classmates?"
Ida nodded as he stated, "Indeed sensei. Some of them might want to join, but I figure this is all we can have?"
"I accepted this cause it was only a couple of you. Plus you and your friends here have become a tight-knit group, which will help in making this thing work," Aizawa replied.
Izuku knew why Tenya had asked this. There was interest amongst a lot of the classmates to hero teams on Thursday. The thing started when Denki shared that Mt. Lady and Kamui were teaming up. And things escalated from there. He wondered, what was the best course of action here.
"I suggest you keep it under wraps for now but if the word gets out so be it," All Might stated.
Eraserhead then asked, "Any more questions?"
Uraraka spoke up and asked, "How long is this planned to go on?"
Midoriya hadn't considered that at all. He hoped for the rest of his time at this school, but he realized that wasn't a guarantee.
"As long as there are lessons to teach or experience I believe as long as possible. That might be until the end of your first year, or until you graduate, we'll see as we go," Yagi responded with confidence.
Aizawa glanced over at All Might and gave him a particular look. He then shrugged and sighed before saying, "And there you have it. Unless there's anything else, that will be the end of this."
No one else had anything to say, so they all slowly made their way out.
Most of them went their separate ways once they left but Izuku stayed with Tooru. Something was nagging at him all week and wanted to ask his girlfriend what was up.
They chatted about the meeting, but as they approached their dorm, Midoriya asked, "Hey Tooru. I've noticed you've been messing with your head all week. What gives?"
The invisible girl had been regularly bringing her arm to her head messing with it. He had a feeling that it had something to do with her hair, but it didn't bother him until it started happening day after day. She didn't do it much in school, but in the dorms, it was a different story.
Tooru was quick to respond, "Oh it's been that noticeable? Sorry, my hair has become longer than to my liking. Last time my mom cut it was the morning of my birthday. I usually would have had it cut by now but you know, living here complicates that."
Izuku was now quite curious and then asked, "It's that annoying?"
"I think it's more I've just had short hair for so long now that I feel weird when it's this long," Hagakure replied. She then said, "I plan to go to my parent's this Sunday after our video chat so my mom can cut it short again."
Midoriya didn't hesitate to ask, "Can I come too?"
Tooru replied, "I mean I'm just going to have my hair get cut and have some dinner. You sure you wanna come still?"
"Of course! I'm intrigued on how your mom does it," Izuku responded with zest in his voice.
Hagakure paced back and forth for a few seconds before stating, "Okay. But only under the condition that this doesn't count as our monthly date."
Midoriya nodded as he said, "That's fine." He then put a hand to his chin as said, "We should probably just do the video chat at your place to save time."
"Makes sense," Tooru said as she grabbed Izuku's arm. She then stated, "I hope it's not too boring for you."
"I'll make do," Izuku said with a grin.
"You weren't kidding Tooru, your hair is a mess," Mitsu said as she fingered through her daughter's hair.
From Izuku's view, however, it just looked like the woman was making weird hand motions above his girlfriend's head.
"Told you so, now let's get this over with. It's been forever since I let it get this long and it's driving me crazy," Tooru responded in an irritated voice.
The mother gave a short chuckle before beginning her work.
This was all currently happening in the kitchen in the Hagakure household. Mr. Hagakure and Midoriya had moved the dining table and chairs earlier and as Mrs. Hagakure set up her station. She set up a tarp and wheeled a chair that she could adjust the height of. Mitsu also pulled up a small table to hold her tools which included an electric clipper, clipper guards, a brush, a mist bottle, and some towels.
They all had previously done the video chat in the living room. Inko was surprised to see her son and Tooru not alone. It was during this time that the couple revealed the team training to their parents. The adults all seemed interested and confident in the activity. After the video chat was over Mitsu asked the guys to help move furniture.
Mrs. Hagakure began by brushing and then grabbing her electric clipper. She started on Tooru's sideburns, and with her left hand, she felt ahead of what she was cutting with the clipper in the right hand. Even afterward Mitsu would go back and explore the area she just cut and would make small snips here and there. Next, she worked on the back of Tooru's head. The red-headed women then switched to a larger clipper guard before making work on the top of her daughter's head. This went by quickly, and the only difference was that she didn't have to guide with her left hand. Once finished, Mitsu misted Tooru's head and then dried it with a towel.
Mrs. Hagakure then asked, "How does it feel?"
Judging from the movement of her white snap bracelets, Izuku could tell Tooru was feeling around her hair. After a few seconds, she replied, "Much better. Thanks, mom." The invisible girl then jumped out of her chair once her mother removed her apron. She then said, "I'm going to head upstairs and wash up."
As Tooru left Izuku approached her mother and said, "Thanks for letting me watch Hagakure-san. It was interesting!"
"You're an odd one boy. It's nothing special. Just takes practice," Mitsu said as she washed her clipper and it's guards.
Now was the time, however. Midoriya took a deep breath before asking, "Ma'am, do you mind teaching me how to cut Tooru's hair?"
The red-headed women gave the boy a perplexed look before responding with, "To what purpose?"
"Oh, um, I thought it could be a neat thing I could do for her. It might be more convenient for Tooru too," Izuku answered with a hint of nervousness in his tone.
Mitsu sighed before saying, "That's cute to offer Midoriya-san, but I prefer to do it myself, so it gives a reason for my daughter to visit. Knowing her, she would come less if you started doing it." Before her guest could reply, the woman stated, "But she is a growing girl, and maybe I'm just being selfish here." She looked back at Izuku and said, "Alright, I'll do it, but there's not much to say."
"I'll take anything you got Ma'am," Midoriya stated with an eager expression upon his face.
"Let's move everything back before I explain then," Hagakure said as she finished cleaning her tools.
As Mitsu folded the tarp, Izuku started to bring the dining room chairs back in. Then they both worked together to bring in the table. Mr. Hagakure had already gone to take a nap after the video chat since he worked all night to finish up an order for a client that was due today.
Once everything was back in its proper place, they both took a seat before Mrs. Hagakure started by saying, "Really it's just about knowing where you should be cutting and getting a feel for where everything is. With years of practice I only really need to be careful around her sideburns and ears. Everything else is second nature at this point."
"So I would need to feel her hair to get the gist of things," Midoriya stated as he placed a hand on his chin.
Mitsu blushed slightly as she said, "Pretty much. Not that I agree with you doing such a thing but that between you and Tooru."
"She let me feel it once, on her birthday," Izuku said with a blush of his own. He then quickly said, "S-She offered though."
This intrigued the red-headed women, judging from her face. She then said, "Interesting. The last time I cut her hair was that morning. So you already got a feel for how it is at its shortest." Hagakure then seemed to go in deep thought for a few moments before saying, "It would be best to familiarize what it feels like within a week or two because that's your target. It's best that you cut it every month and a half to two months."
"Or whenever she starts to complain about it," Midoriya stated.
They both shared a laugh at the last comment.
Once they both calmed down, Izuku asked, "What size cut does Tooru take?"
"Oh, that? Sides are number two, and the top is number four. We tried various sizes when Tooru was little, but she eventually settled for these," Mistsu responded. She then looked towards the hallway with a worried look. "I wonder what's taking Tooru so long up there," the red-headed woman stated.
"I'll go check if you want," Midoriya stated as he stood up.
"Sure. Just keep her company until I call you two down for dinner. I need to get started on cooking anyways," Hagakure said as she got up as well.
Izuku thanked her before making his way upstairs. As he rounded the corner, the door to Tooru's room was open. Midoriya walked in to find that his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. Her room was pretty bare at this point, the bed and curtains were now plain, and some new furniture was in the room. It seemed to have been converted to a guest room. But the real issue here was the pile of clothes on the bed.
Midoriya gulped as he said, "Tooru. You're not nude again are you."
"Yeah but I'm in the bathroom," said a muffled voice to Izuku's right. The door to Tooru's bathroom was closed when he looked to the right.
Midoriya was quick to ask, "Why are you naked!?"
"I'm just having a soak. And quiet down, will you? You're gonna give my parents ideas if they hear you," Hagakure responded.
Izuku sighed and then said in a quieter voice, "Sorry. I'll just head back downstairs then."
"No. Please stay. I'm almost done here," Tooru pleaded.
Izuku could hear a rush of water and realized she had gotten out of the bath. He then said, "I'll just wait outside your room then until your ready."
Hagakure then asked, "There's no need but do you mind handing me my clothes? They should be on the bed."
"A-Ah sure give me a s-second," Midoriya stuttered as he went over to pick them up. They were the same clothes she wore earlier. A yellow long sleeve shirt with a purple skirt. He was glad no underwear seemed to be hanging out as he picked it up.
The door to Tooru's bathroom suddenly opened slightly, and a wet outline extended itself outward. She then said, "Hand it over."
Izuku did as he was told and the door shut.
"Thanks, Izuku. I should just be a minute," the invisible girl said with glee.
As he waited, Midoriya took a seat on the bed. As not to think of his girlfriend wiping herself off with a towel or dressing, he thought of wanting to learn how he was going to go about learning how to familiarize himself with her hair. The main issue was where could he go to do this in private. In no way did Izuku want to do this in front of others.
Before Izuku could form any concrete ideas, the bathroom door opened. Tooru walked out with a towel on her head as she quickly dried her hair.
"That felt good," Hagakure stated with relief as she tossed the towel to the side. She then walked to the entrance of her room and closed the door.
Midoriya then heard the click of a lock, and his heart started to race. He then asked slowly, "T-Tooru why did you l-lock the door?"
"I wanna try something," Tooru replied innocently. Her voice changed to annoyance as she said, "And I don't want any interruptions."
"Uhhhh," was all the flustered boy could muster.
"Get your head out of the gutter. I just want to try french kissing again," Hagakure stated with a giggle.
That wasn't as bad as Midoriya had initially thought but was still concerning. He then responded with, "O-Okay then."
Tooru then came on over, but Izuku wasn't prepared to be pushed onto her back by her. She then sat on his lower chest, just above his waist.
Midoriya gulped loudly and tried to compose himself. After a few moments, he said, "T-Tooru you're wearing a s-skirt so that means-." He then felt a finger pressed against his lips.
"You'd have a point if that was any time before Monday, but I finally got those special panties I asked for, and I've been wearing them when wearing skirts like these ever since," Hagakure explained.
Midoriya froze as he saw his girlfriend lifted the front of her skirt. He then saw her left snap bracelet come to the side of her thighs. After a moment it extended out away from her hips. Izuku then heard a snap.
"See? There's something there even if I'm not exactly ready to show you what it looks like," Tooru stated.
Midoriya felt he didn't need a demonstration but appreciated it somewhat. After his girlfriend removed her finger from his mouth and he had taken a couple of deep breaths, he asked, "S-So they work like your hero suit?"
"Yep. Only turns transparent when coming in contact with my skin. They only come in white though. Such a plain color but then again it's not like it matters since you can't see them when it matters," the invisible girl chuckled. Before Izuku could say anything more, Tooru continued by saying, "Now enough about my underwear I wanna practice kissing some more. If we both breath this time I think it will be a more pleasing experience for both of us."
At this point, Midoriya felt like every pore on his face was probably beet red. Regardless he nodded slowly. Within moments he felt Hagakure's mouth on his. Her tongue was quick to find it's way in, and eventually so was his.
Exploration. That seemed to be Tooru's goal from what Izuku could figure. While he reacted to her advances, he noticed her slow survey of his mouth with her tongue. As Midoriya felt her exhale and inhale from her nose, he remembered to breathe himself.
There were no words exchanged for the next few minutes. Just each parting for a few seconds at a time to take a break from the experience.
To Izuku, the whole ordeal was a lot different from last time. He was enjoying it; his only problem was the taste. Last time it was minty this time it was just there. He preferred the sweetness the previous time even though it was so short.
Eventually, Tooru backed off and got off her boyfriend. She then laid down on his right and panted for a few moments.
"Well, that was an improvement from our last date," Hagakure huffed.
"Y-Yeah," Midoriya blurted out.
This caused Tooru to giggle. She then said, "I kind of took over there though. You should be a bit more into it Izuku. It just felt like you went along with everything I did."
"Oh. I'm sorry I kind of just blanked out there," Izuku replied as he rubbed his temple. It did feel like a blur just moments after the fact.
"It's okay. We'll get better as we go. I just wanted to try it again since we really won't be getting many opportunities to practice," Hagakure explained as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand.
The logic made sense to Izuku. But it then got him to think how they could practice more outside of dates, which would only come once a month as he promised. It was the same problem as finding a time to feel Tooru's hair. Perhaps this was a 'two birds with one stone' sort of approach. But an actual solution still evaded his mind at the moment.
"Izuku you're muttering at lightning speed," Tooru stated as she poked her boyfriend in the cheek with her free hand.
"R-Right. I was just considering how we could practice more outside our dates is all," Midoriya answered.
Hagakure pulled the confused boy up out of her bed as she said, "I'm sure you'll think of something. But that's enough training for today. Let's see what my mom is cooking up for us."
As the invisible girl dragged Izuku to the door and unlocked it, he thought, yeah training for another time. Just how though?
Ooof.
It's been a long time since I released a chapter this late, like chapter 9 in late September of last year.
The reason though? Trying to do too much, writer's block, and errors about the timeline.
To start, I tried starting too much in this chapter. I wanted to do things with Mina and Jiro but later felt I could do those later in this arc. Bakugo was going to have a scene, but I moved that to chapter 25. The school festival initial planning was going to be in this chapter as well. It was just too much and felt like I was jumping all over the place in this chapter (I still get that feeling in this one but too late for that).
Next, writer's block. This chapter was the first time this has occurred to me. Sure stuff before might have been difficult and slow to write previously but never me staring at my screen, writing nothing for four days. And the reason was...
Timeline errors. Going into this chapter, I thought Aizawa introduced the School Festival earlier. When I checked in on the manga for an irrelevant detail, I noticed my mistake and had to rewrite whole scenes because of this as I was late into writing the chapter. I then decided to end on the house visit and let the school festival arc begin proper next chapter.
The good news is because so much written material was moved to the next chapter, chapter 25 has a decent portion written (mostly the latter half). So the next chapter will release ahead of schedule, on September 23rd. It's the least I can do for releasing this so late.
So let's get to the chapter itself now.
Aoyama is briefly mentioned here, as skipping what he did in canon would be silly, and I want to set him up as a different role to Izuku's current list of friends. He'll have a scene next chapter depicting that role, and I hope you'll enjoy what I plan to do with him.
The activity Sato is setting up will be revealed next chapter and will be a big part of chapter 26. I'm happy that's it's finally coming to fruition as it's going to be interactions galore and revisit a character we haven't seen for a while other than being mentioned.
The visit to Tooru's ended up being expanded on as I wrote. I initially had Izuku observe her hair being cut and theorize what he could do to learn to do itself. But then the idea of Tooru wanting to practice french kissing came into my mind and so I added the bedroom stuff. The "practicing" was originally going to be in chapter 25 but I felt this would give Izuku more incentive to set something up.
The hero team training will be the early focus of the next chapter. It will be my second foray into writing fight scenes, and I'm eager to write some again.
My next commission project is currently halfway done. It's a MHA x Persona 5 crossover, with two pictures. The first is done and depicts the main group of six in Cubicity + one more portrayed as the Phantom Thieves. The second is at the line art stage and has them all doing a selfie in casual winter clothing. I want to release them together, so I'm waiting for the second picture is finished. Anush_arts on Tumblr is the artist, but school just started again for her, so it's slowed down her ability to work on it. Whenever it's finished, expect it on my Tumblr like all the other art I commission. Other than that not much on Tumblr. Post 21 goes over my thoughts over the various fanfiction websites. Post 22 is my review of the recently finished Pro Hero arc. Post 23 is about the delay of this chapter, but that ended up being pushed back even more. :(
Night Foilage finished editing chapter 13, and it's now 17,066 words long with a whopping 273 edits. To be fair most of those were added details here and there.
Anywho, I apologize for the lateness. Please look forward to the next chapter early AND ON TIME soon.
