Frieren held the 5,000 yen note up in the air, letting the light of the sun pass through it. Just a few minutes ago, Izuku and Fumikage escorted her to the nearest pawnshop, where she exchanged a few silver coins for some of the currency of this world. Or rather, this particular country in this world. "How strange," she commented. "How do you exchange this as currency when paper has no intrinsic value?"

"I… uh…" Izuku began, not sure how to respond to that. He knew something about money being backed by gold and silver, but whatexactlythat meant was lost to him. Did it have actual gold dust in the back? Or was it backed in the same way sidekicks backup heroes?

"We haven't studied that part of economics yet, or economics, for that matter," Fumikage commented. As for Dark Shadow, his concerns were most markedly different. "Don't put up your money like that lady! Someone might snatch it! Me, for instance!"

"Please do not steal Frieren-san's money, Dark Shadow," Izuku pleaded. He remembered well how Dark Shadow used to snatch people's purses and Fumikage had to forcibly pry those from the sentient quirk's claws to return them to the owners.

"I wasn't going to!" Dark Shadow retorted defensively.

As they approached the train station, Frieren was, once again, curious about everything around her. She was used to walking for miles and miles, taking up entire days and weeks in journey time. Hell, the journey she got snatched from still had more than an entire year in it. But now, this world has the technology to transport people and goods across vast distances at speeds that none of her compatriots would have imagined. Not even with magic were these feats possible! But again, if Serie were to get off her ass and stop gatekeeping magic from humanity, maybe innovations would eventually bring about something like magic trains.

Speaking of trains…

"Metal worm," Frieren dully commented as the train came into view. "You ride these every day?"

"Well, if you work or study in a different city and lack a car, then yes," Izuku replied. "But if its relatively close, one would walk or use a bike. He held the group's train tickets and had paid the fare. If Fumikage had the tickets, Dark Shadow would certainly pick them out the moment he wasn't looking. Neither of them wanted such a situation to happen… again.

"A car?" Frieren asked.

"Those are cars," this time it was Fumikage that answered, pointing at the nearby road where many metal contraptions with four wheels and glass windows were speeding about. "Private transportation."

"Interesting," Frieren commented. She paused as the three boarded the train along with a dozen or so other people. The train wasn't as congested as it would be on a weekday, as a lot of people were either staying at home or still asleep. "I would like one of those."

"Those are pretty expensive, Frieren-san," Izuku said. You'll have to put a down payment down and then slowly pay it every quarter…"

"So many differences," Frieren observed as she scanned the other passengers. There was a man with an elephant mutation, taking up two seats instead of one, though he stood up and gave up his position when a fragile-looking elderly woman with a cane came into view. A nearby woman had a bird mutation, like Fumikage's, though hers was more akin to an eagle than a crow. A man had insectoid mandibles for a jaw, another had a pair of horns on his forehead, and someone else still was a straight-up cyclops. "But all still unmistakably human."

"How do you know, Frieren-san?" Izuku asked. She was probably using a spell of some kind to ascertain the species of all those around her. It was also probably the reason why she didn't question Fumikage's appearance too much.

"I have a passive spell called Soul Sight. Different species of sapient beings have different energy signatures, so to speak," Frieren answered. "That is why I can tell that the man with horns is not an actual demon, but a human, albeit with a… quirk."

"Do you have something against demons, Frieren-san?" Izuku questioned.

The elf leaned on her seat. "I've fought and destroyed actual demons for some of my life. Most notably during my time as a member of the party of legendary heroes, though I also slew a few when they attacked and destroyed the village of my birth. I wasn't strong enough at the time, however, for I was young. I was the only survivor."

Oh.

"I'm sorry about your village," Izuku said, wondering how that would sound when the event had been a thousand years ago.

"There is no need. It has been a very long time. And those demons are long dead."

Right. She's a demon slayer.

Heroes don't kill, right? Well, they don't killpeople. Demons are something else entirely. And when you fight the literal forces of evil… you'd have tonotpull your punches. Izuku knows that even All Might killed a villain or two when the choice was either ending their lives or allowing mass civilian casualties.

"These demons of your world, what are they like?" Fumikage asked. As one who dabbled with the occult, he had a slight interest in demons, if only the "popular culture" version of them. He knew well that actual demons, if they existed, would be reprehensible, monstrous creatures that only seek to destroy and consume. The difference between the two was akin to comparing fish and lizards. There's nothing they had in common. Well, other than laying eggs to reproduce.

"If you were to face them, they would greatly unnerve you," Frieren replied. "They mimic emotion and take on more human characteristics to make it easier to consume their prey."

"By consume, you mean-"

"Yes."

"Ah. I see."

The rest of the train ride was pretty quiet, with Frieren occasionally asking questions about the various sights. But then…

The entire train car erupted into gasps as a man dressed in a multicolored poncho started flying just beside the train. He waved at the passengers, who all waved back… except for Izuku, who began to practically vibrate on his seat. "Oh my God, it's Majestic! The Magic Hero! He's like Number 39 in the rankings and his quirk allows him to createringsofenergythatheanotherscanfloaton-"

"Izuku…" Fumikage put a hand on his shoulder, making him stop. "Please, slow down."

"No, I understood everything he said," Frieren said. "The Magic Hero? That is… amusing. I could see his mana, and he has almost none."

"I mean he's called the Magic Hero because what he does looks pretty magical…" Izuku deflated. Man, how would Majestic react if he were to encounter someone who usesactualmagic? Like Frieren, for instance? Or Izuku in the near future? Would he be forced to rebrand his name from the Magic Hero to… something like Floating Ring Hero? The Ring Hero?

"What a big nerd," Dark Shadow commented from underneath Fumikage's hoodie. Unbeknownst to himself, Izuku had been voicing his thoughts out loud, just loud enough for his companions to hear him.

"Dark Shadow, don't say that." His host reprimanded.

Dark Shadow pouted. "But it's true… and I didn't say that it's a bad thing!"

Fumikage looked up as the name of the station they were heading to was announced to be the next one. "Either way, we should get ready to get off."

Within a few minutes, the Sanctum Sanctorum Bookstore of Sorcery was within view. At first glance, one wouldn't peg it as a source of occult books, what with the friendly, warm lighting, the brown wood veneers, and the general lack of overly dark aesthetics. The latter of which was something Fumikage might be thoroughly attracted to. However, as the three stepped into the bookstore, that didn't matter, as there were simply alotof books on display. It didn't end with books, either. There were staves for mage wannabes, wands for wizard wannabes, and brooms for witch wannabes. There were also voodoo dolls, amulets that contained 'the bones of ancient witches', good luck charms, tarot cards, and crystal balls.

There were quite a few other people in the store. Most of them were teenagers and young adults, though there was this old-looking guy that wore robes and had a long, grey beard (no one but Frieren would discern that said geriatric cosplayer was actually 20-something years old with a fake beard and makeup to make fake wrinkles). That customer demographic was expected, really; most of them were looking into magic simply because its cool as an aesthetic. After all… there's no actual magic. Quirks were as close as one might get.

Frieren immediately walked towards the spellbook section. By the way she moved, Izuku could tell she was in no hurry at all. Someone like her has all the time they would ever need.

Within about half a minute, Frieren was on her first book, looking at a page that supposedly told readers how to cast a spell for seeing the future.

"This one is just wrong," Frieren muttered.

"Huh? But what about the one we had?" Izuku asked.

Frieren didn't answer that question, instead continuing to read. "The magic circles have incomplete sections. Some of the chants are simply illogical and wrong, and the preparations that include… the liver of a chicken are completely unnecessary."

The elf mage put the book back on the shelf and looked at another. This time, the spell was Fireball.

Who could ever forget the Fireball spell?

Frieren sighed. "Another fake." It's just like Flamme's notes being supposedly in every seemingly importance place, only for those to all be fakes. Frieren was used to fake grimoires by now, though, so she simply carried on with looking.

Within ten minutes, Frieren had looked into each and every spellbook in the store. Almost every one of them either had the wrong chants, mismatched magic circles, strange ingredients or were, in Frieren's words, "nonsense even as magic." But most of them could be made into reality should Frieren "fix" them. "Things are forgotten and lost after a few years," so she said.

The operating word there, though, was almost.

Fumikage stared at the book in question. "This is the same one that contained the summoning spell that brought you here…"

"How's that, the only real one is the one you already have," Dark Shadow cackled.

"Hm." Frieren turned towards the section with the staves. "Izuku, as I am going to teach you basic magic, you will need a staff to focus your mana."

Izuku jumped at that. "Yes!" Several heads turned towards him, and Izuku shrunk under the sudden onslaught of attention. "I mean, yes… but are they real?"

"Unlike the grimoires, staves are just staves. They're more for helping you focus and overcome mental blocks; aiming and casting a spell with a staff aids with visualization as well," Frieren droned as she began examining the arrayed tools of magic. "A good one for a beginner like you would have to be lightweight… not too ornate, that would just be too much…"

It took her about ten minutes to choose, mostly because she wasn't sure what kind of staff Izuku would like and Izuku was too busy thinking about the spells that he might get taught to place his input. As for Fumikage, he simply watched.

"I would like this staff," Izuku placed the staff on the counter. The cashier, a teenage girl just about the same age as him and Fumikage and white hair that covered her left eye, looked at them with mild interest.

"Ah, the Obliviator. A fine staff for use in the darkness," the cashier said as she checked it in. She didn't sound like she had been made to memorize a script for each product. Rather, she sounded like… she genuinely applauded the decision to buy the "Obliviator." "That will be 6,000 yen."

"You also dwell in the darkness?" Fumikage asked. Izuku pinched his nose, while Frieren looked on like she had no idea what was going on between the bird-headed boy and the cashier.

"I commune with the shadows and speak to the dead," the cashier, whose name was apparently R. Yanagi according to her nameplate, nodded. "But soon I will leave this place and become greater."

"May the darkness guide you."

"As do you."

Izuku would have chuckled, if Fumikage wasn't his friend. Chuunis are so funny.

As the three left the bookstore, Izuku held the staff, no, his staff. It was still wrapped in paper and tape; he was supposed to unwrap it only when Frieren started teaching him.

"Izuku, Frieren-san," Fumikage said as they arrived at the train station. "I am afraid that we will have to part ways now. I have to return home."

"Oh, right, you'll be going all the way to Hokkaido, right?" Izuku said, remembering where Fumikage actually lived. "But when you go to UA…"

"My parents will grant me the funds to rent an apartment close by if I am accepted-"

"When, Fumikage, not if."

The bird-headed boy laughed. "Hah! Ehm… thank you for your faith, Izuku. Not a lot of people have faith in my ability to become a hero… what with being a heteromorphanda possessor of a rather dark and dangerous quirk."

Dark Shadow was indignant as he popped out of Fumikage's chest. "Hey! Who are you calling dark and dangerous?!"

"You, destroyer of worlds."

The sentient quirk puffed up his chest and laughed. "Yes, I am the destroyer of worlds! Bow down mortals and despair!"

"Anyway," Fumikage continued, "I will see you in class ten months from now, Izuku."

"Wha- no-"

"I meant what I said!" Fumikage smirked as he fled to the northbound train, leaving Izuku and Frieren to come back to Musutafu alone. After all, it was obvious what Izuku would do once he knew how to use magic.

The train ride back to Musutafu was rather quiet. Frieren had adamantly not given any specifics about the spells she'd teach Izuku other than "its basic offensive and defensive magic." That description didn't really spark much in the imagination, so Izuku was busy coming up with his ideas of what it might be.

As they walked back the the Midoriyas' apartment, the sound of shouting, explosions, and cursing began to get louder and louder. There was also the smell of smoke… and the pillar of smoke rising to the sky wasn't all that subtle. That, and Mount Lady was there too.

And that cursing? Izuku knew well who that was. How could he ever forget Bakugo's liberal use of expletives?

"Frieren-san! Something's happening! We should check it out!"

Frieren wordlessly nodded and followed the greenette. As they arrived, they would be greeted by a scene straight out of a disaster movie.

Bakugo was in the middle of the street. He was also in the middle of a sentient pile of sludge, which was saying something about having a new host to "play with." Several pro-heroes, including Kamui Woods, Backdraft, and Death Arms had cordoned the street, protecting the crowd of civilians. They could only watch as Bakugo unleashed explosion after explosion, only for all of them to be harmlessly absorbed by the sludge villain.

"Bak-"

"Izuku, stay back."

Izuku had been stopped from rushing into the situation by Frieren's staff. By now, people were probably thinking that they were just cosplayers or roleplayers passing by.

"But he's-"

"I can see that," Frieren replied. "It appears that the heroes present lack the spells necessary to defeat the villain."

"Frieren-san, if they see you using magic, they might think you're a vigilante and try to prosecute you for illegal quirk use!"

"Who said that I would be seen? And don't worry, I know that the pile of sludge is still human. I will only knock him away from that other child, got it?" Frieren gave Izuku a wry smirk before stepping into a nearby alleyway and disappearing into the shadows.

Oh.

Of course, she had an invisibility spell. How many spells would she have at this point, anyway? Izuku watched, and prayed, that Frieren would finish what several pros could not. It's just unfortunate that none of them have quirks suitable for dealing with a pile of sentient sludge.

And then All Might showed up.

Wait.

ALL MIGHT IS HERE!?

Toshinori Yagi's timer was up.

He already used up the three hours that he could safely use One For All for today. He probably would've been told to just let the other pros deal with it… but here he was, watching them do the exact opposite of dealing with a problem. They weren't dealing with it. They were just watching, waiting for someone with a more suitable quirk to come in.

But Yagi knows that no villain will just wait for a hero with a better quirk to come in. Neither will he.

And so he summoned the power of One For All, and confronted the sludge."NEW YORK SMA-"

Before he could actually throw that smash, however, the windroared. It roared with such power that the sludge villain was actually blown off the blonde, cursing child, allowing Mount Lady to grab him in his entirety and shove him into a box of wood made by Kamui Woods, which would seal the villain tight. The crowd began to cheer.

"All Might! His punch changed the weather!"

"Truly the greatest hero!"

"He's so strong!"

"Praise All Might!"

Yagi gently took hold of the surprised blonde, who seemed to be so awestruck that he could no longer speak. The Number One Hero turned to the cheering crowd, and smiled, as always. "Kamui Woods, take care of him, alright?" Yagi said to the other pro hero. Kamui nodded, and Yagi fled from the scene to safely return to his true form.

As the crowd cheered his name even in his absence, Yagi could only wonder.Who blew that wind?