Chapter Summary: Nedzu meets Toshinori's boy.

Izuku didn't like keeping things from his mother. He didn't have many people he could confide in and his mother knew that, so she made it clear quite often that he could come to her about anything. However, when it came to the secret All Might entrusted him with, he knew that he couldn't share it with her, not yet. While his mentor never explicitly told him to keep it from his mother, he hadn't said to tell her, either, so he refrained from doing so. Still, it didn't make it easier on when his mother would catch him by the arm and plant a kiss on his cheek with a gentle statement of, "I love you, stay safe, Izuku," before sending him on his way.

As he drew closer to the beach, he clutched the lunch his mother packed for his Sunday workout close to his chest with a heavy sigh. It was a simple box wrapped in a handkerchief patterned in All Might's familiar swoop of blond hair and white stars amongst red and white stripes. She had made his favorite: Katsudon. It made his heart ache.'Should I talk to All Might about it?'

Then, as if he had been summoned by Izuku's thought, his mentor popped into view in an enthusiastic leap, landing in front of him with a flourish. Standing in his muscular form, he stood over Izuku with his hands on his hips and his dazzling smile spread across his face while dressed in a simple blue tracksuit with white stars adorning the sides.

"Good morning, young Midoriya!" All Might greeted. He spared the boy a onceover. "I see you're all packed and ready for today's training session! That's good!"

"O-Oh, yeah!" he stammered, still hugging his mother's lunch. "My, uh, mom packed it for me."

All Might's laugh was warm. "That was nice of her!" He clapped a hand onto Izuku's shoulder, making him jump a bit. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something before we start in on our training. Come, to the beach!"

Izuku's stomach dropped. Was All Might reconsidering him as a protege? He thought he had been making good progress during training in the past couple of months, but he supposed it couldn't be helped; he hadn't been especially strong before All Might came along. With a nod, he followed after his mentor, still not letting go of the lunchbox.

When the two of them finally got to the beach, All Might took a seat at the bottom step and gestured for Izuku to take a seat beside him. Swallowing nervously, he did so, staring straight down at the sand in fear of meeting All Might's gaze. Then, a familiarpoof!broke his staring contest with the ground and his head snapped to his right to see All Might in his skinny form, coughing into a bony fist.

"I'm fine," All Might wheezed, holding up his other hand just as Izuku was prepared to voice his concern. After a moment, he cleared his throat and straightened up a bit. "I want to make it clear that I'm not upset with you, young Midoriya."

Izuku's heart dropped. "W-Why would you be—"

"You're about to crush your lunch from how nervous you are," he observed simply, and Izuku blinked, looking down to see the integrity of his lunch was in jeopardy. Fumbling for a moment, he set the lunchbox down beside him and clasped his hands in front of him, his cheeks warm. "Hey, kid, relax, I just said I'm not mad."

"So…" Izuku drawled out, twiddling his thumbs. "You're… You're not reconsidering me for a successor?"

All Might's eyes were soft. "No, my boy, I'm not. I just wanted to let you know that I've sought outside help for your training, is all."

Izuku's eyes widened. "W-What? O-Oh, you d-don't have to do that! I mean, we've still got six months until the entrance exam, so I'm sure there's time for me to get to where you want me to be! I promise, I've been following your regiment down to a tee, but if you're not happy with the results, I can always do more!" That was a blatant lie, he had been doing more for awhile, but All Might didn't need to know that. "I'm sorry for making you think you need to—"

"Young Midoriya," All Might interjected, his voice firm, "you haven't doneanythingwrong. The reason I've asked for help is because…" He turned towards the rising sun. "I fear that I may not be properly preparing you for my Quirk."

"What?"Izuku blurted out.

All Might sighed. "The original plan was to spend the full ten months bulking your body up so you can handle the Quirk upon receiving it. However, that would give us very little time to actually let you practice using it before the exam and that… could be dangerous." He brought a hand to his forehead. "You've lived your whole life without a Quirk, so even with the extra bulk up, you're not gonna be an expert at using it on day one."

"That makes sense," Izuku replied, "I mean, I was born Quirkless, so I didn't get any counseling like Kacchan did for his Quirk, so I guess even with a powerful Quirk like yours, I'd be at a bit of a disadvantage experience-wise." He brought a hand to his chin. "You know, no one even really knows what your Quirkis…It looks like an emitter type, but since your body undergoes a transformation when it's active, would it also fall under a transformation Quirk?" His head perked up and he turned to face All Might with wide eyes. "Am I going to buff up like you?!"

His mentor let out a raspy laugh. "No, kid, you're not gonna buff up like that… I sure didn't when I got it."

Izuku would be lying if he wasn't a bit disappointed to hear that. "Oh…"

"C'mon, don't look so down!" All Might laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Even when skinny, his hands were so large on his body. "You'll be plenty strong with more training, young Midoriya! Besides, big muscles aren't all that, you know." He flexed his other arm with a playful wink. "At least I can fit through doorways this way."

A snort escaped Izuku and he clapped his hand over his mouth. "Alright, fair enough."

All Might squeezed his shoulder. "Now, the reason I sought outside help is so that way I can find the best way to shift your training to let you practice using your Quirk safely before the exam. It would be too much of a gamble to wait until the exam to incorporate it into your training."

"So… when are you going to give me your Quirk?" Izuku questioned. "A couple months before the exam?"

"I'm not certain," All Might admitted, "that's part of the reason why I asked Nedzu for help."

Izuku arched a brow. "Nedzu?"

All Might sighed. "He's an…associate of mine. I asked him for help the other day and he said he wanted to meet you so he could get an idea of what to do about your Quirk."

"He wants tomeetme?" Izuku blurted out. His hands started fidgeting again. "When are we supposed to meet? What should I wear? Something formal? No, but what if I need to show my physical capabilities? Would a tracksuit be alright?" His head perked up. "Do they have formal tracksuits, All Might? Should I get one and wear that?"

"You're overthinking it," All Might told him simply, and Izuku's ears grew hot, "just come as you are. No need to put on a show for Nedzu; he'd see right through it, anyhow. He's a smart one."

Izuku couldn't stop wringing his hands together. "Does he…know about your secret?"

All Might shifted uncomfortably. "He knows about my injury and my time limit, but as far as he knows, you're a late bloomer who hasn't gained any counseling for his newly manifested Quirk."

"But does he know that I know?" Izuku questioned.

All Might arched a brow. "Does it matter?"

Izuku pursed his lips. "Well, it's just, won't he think it's strange that I know your secret? I mean, I'm just a middle schooler, but I'm in on one of the biggest secrets in the hero world, if you think about it. Won't that worry him?"

"He knows you're my protege," All Might assured him, "so it would make sense for you to know about my condition." He waved his hand. "Relax, I'll handle the details, young Midoriya."

"Alright," Izuku replied. Then, he perked up. "You told him I was a late bloomer, right?"

"I did," All Might said.

Izuku 's brows furrowed. "And that I had trouble activating my Quirk… right?"

"Yes."

"So, what are we supposed to do if he asks me to try to activate it?" Izuku inquired, making All Might blink. "I mean, what do I do? Pretend I can't activate it? Say I'm scared I'll hurt myself?" He brought his hand to his chin in thought. "If we try to deflect, it might come off as suspicious, but if we try to play along, it could make him even more suspicious, so what do we do? I know you said you wanted to wait until my body could handle it until before you gave me your Quirk, but how are we supposed to provide examples about why my Quirk isn't working for me if I don'thaveit yet?"

"Young Midoriya, you're rambling again," All Might noted aloud, and Izuku's ears burned hotter. His mentor offered him a smile and gave his shoulder another reassuring squeeze. "Relax, my boy. Nedzu already made it clear he's not interested in having you use your Quirk right off the bat. He just wants to get to know you before we settle into doing anything strenuous."

Izuku's eyes trailed over to the lunch his mother made him. It didn't hit him until then, but this was becoming very real very fast. All Might was truly serious about training him and giving him Quirk, to bring him on as a successor… And yet his mother had no idea. How long was he supposed to keep it from her? Until he was given All Might's Quirk? How was he supposed to explain that? He very well couldn't say, "Oh, yeah, I developed a Quirk and didn't want to tell you until I got into my dream school, surprise." How long was he going to keep up the charade?

"Something else on your mind, young Midoriya?" All Might asked, making him jump a bit. When Izuku didn't answer immediately, he squeezed his shoulder again. "Talk to me, my boy."

With a swallow, Izuku faced him again. "Uh, it's nothing… Just thinking about stuff, you know?"

Although his mentor didn't look convinced, he didn't press Izuku, which he was thankful for. "Alright… But just remember, you can tell me whatever concerns you have. Nedzu and I will be more than happy to offer you help for them."

"Speaking of…" Izuku began, "when are we supposed to be meeting him?"

"Oh," All Might piped up, "that's right… He actually wanted to talk to you today."

Izuku blinked. "What?! Today?! When?!"

All Might stared down at his watch that was styled after his Silver Age hero costume— was the limited edition one? Would it be weird to ask him where he got it? —and then blinked. "Would you look at that, he'll be here in about 20 minutes or so."

"20 minutes?!"Izuku repeated. He grasped at his worn, green tracksuit. "Should I go home and change? Oh, my hair is probably amess, I should at least take a brush to it—"

"Relax, I told you not to worry," All Might assured him, "just be yourself, alright? Nothing to be nervous about."

Just as Izuku was about to ask All Might if he at least had a comb on him, the sound of someone clearing their throat made him freeze. Both he and All Might turned collectively to see a small, stout man with the head of a mouse standing at the top of the stairs. No taller than three feet, he wore a white dress shirt with a dark red necktie, as well as a black double-breasted waistcoat and matching dress pants. Strangely, he wore orange lace-up sneakers that looked to be too big for his small frame to complete the ensemble. He held a small case at his side, a smile spread across his face as he faced All Might and Izuku.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said the man.

"Nedzu," All Might said simply, and Izuku was certain his heart stopped, "you're early."

Nedzu waved a hand. "To be on time is to be late, All Might! I like to be punctual." Then, he turned his attention towards Izuku, which made him freeze. "You must be young Midoriya! All Might has told me great things about you!" He turned back to All Might and held up his case. "Is there a place where we can sit and talk, All Might? I brought green tea for us to drink."

"That sounds nice, Nedzu," All Might affirmed. He stood up and Izuku quickly followed suit thereafter, nearly stumbling before All Might righted him with a single arm. "Would it be alright if we talk at the pier? It'll shade us from the sun while we talk."

"What a lovely idea!" Nedzu replied. He made his way down the steps jovially, his eyes latched onto Izuku. "I'm quite excited to get to know you, my boy! I hope you like green tea, because this brand I bought is simply delectable!" Once he reached the bottom step, he paused to stare up at Izuku, which made him tense up in All Might's grasp. "All Might tells me you're planning on trying out for U.A. in February. I do hope that you get into our fine establishment!"

"You work at U.A.?" Izuku blurted out.

Nedzu laughed. "I do more than that; I'm the principal!" Before Izuku could respond, he nodded his head down the beach towards the pier. "Come now, let's get settled down so we can talk!"

As Nedzu started his way down the beach, Izuku slowly turned to face All Might. "'Nothing to be nervous about,' huh?"

"You'll do fine," All Might assured him, offering him a smile. He released him, allowing him to stand upright on his own. "Come now, my boy. We have much to discuss."

Despite his anxiety telling him to book it back to his apartment complex, Izuku merely sighed and picked up his mom's lunch to follow after him. He just hoped that he didn't embarrass himself.

Midoriya was a shy boy, Nedzu observed very quickly. Even when they were sitting down at the seating area at the pier and he had everything set up, the boy had hardly said a thing to him, his eyes fixed onto his teacup. When Nedzu poured him a generous amount of tea, Midoriya stammered out a "thank you" and took a restrained sip, earning a sympathetic smile from All Might.

"Young Midoriya is a bit nervous," All Might told him, and Midoriya shrunk further in on himself, "he's a worrier by nature."

"All Might…"Midoriya whined quietly, clutching his cup tightly.

Nedzu chuckled. "That's quite alright. But I assure you, there's nothing to be nervous about. This conversation isn't to have any bearing on future enrollment at U.A., so you don't have to worry about that."

Midoriya didn't appear convinced. "The tea is nice…"

"It is, isn't it?" Nedzu replied, smiling a bit. He set his cup down to bring his paws together in front of him. "So, All Might here tells me you're his protege. I'm curious to know what kind of a boy would catch his eye."

"O-Oh, it's n-nothing really," Midoriya stammered, his eyes flitting towards Nedzu briefly before falling back towards his cup, "how we met isn't really that interesting…"

"Quite the contrary," All Might proclaimed, making Midoriya tense up. Still, the older man took no heed and leaned forward. "You remember that sludge villain attack a couple months back? Young Midoriya and one of his classmates got caught up in the thick of it before I stepped in."

Nedzu blinked. "Were you the boy who was trapped?"

"No," Midoriya answered, his voice small, "that was Kacchan… But I saw him out there and… I couldn't just watch something bad happen to him, so I… I started running." He clutched his glass tightly. "I know it was stupid to do in retrospect, but no one else could do anything, so I tried to do at least something." He let out an awkward chuckle. "Too bad throwing my bookbag didn't help much."

"That must have been very scary," Nedzu told him, and Midoriya finally turned to face him, "but you were very brave for doing that."

Midoriya snorted. "Not really. I was terrified out of my mind. The only thing that kept me going were my notes from my notebook."

Nedzu's ears perked up. "Is that the Hero Notebook that All Might told me about?"

"You told him about my notebook?!" Midoriya blurted out, turning towards All Might with wide eyes. He blinked, then settled back into his seat with an uncomfortable laugh. "Sorry… I'm not used to people being interested in it. Some people think it's silly."

"Nonsense," Nedzu told him, which made Midoriya blink again, "I'd love to hear more about it. Maybe next time we talk, you can bring it."

Midoriya's cheeks turned a shade of pink. "I, uh… Actually have it with me right now, if you want to look at it."

"He likes to take notes after training," All Might commented with a grin.

"That's wonderful!" Nedzu proclaimed with a small clap of his paws. "May I see it?"

The young boy hesitated for a moment, but then reached into his track bag and fished out a tattered looking notebook. It looked to be burned at the edges and had definitely sustained some water damage, but even so, Nedzu could make out the words, "Hero Analysis of the Future, Vol. 13," written across the subject line. Midoriya set it on the table gingerly and flipped through it briefly, giving Nedzu glimpses of what looked to be sketches of some Pro Heroes. He finally settled on a page and slid it over to Nedzu.

"These are some of the notes I took," he said a bit shyly, holding the book open with his middle and index finger so Nedzu could read, "this is a profile I did on Kamui Woods."

Nedzu's eyes widened. "These notes are very detailed… You even made comparisons to the different types of wood his Quirk compares to." His finger trailed across the sketch of him that was labelled his support items and potential weaknesses. "Nice job on the sketch, too. All Might didn't tell me you were an artist."

Midoriya's cheeks turned scarlet. "O-Oh, it's n-nothing, really… I just have a lot of practice from when I was a kid." He ducked into the collar of his tracksuit. "I can't draw hands very well."

"The effort is still evident," Nedzu commented, and Midoriya flushed to a darker red, "you're very observant. That will serve you well as a hero."

"R-Really?" Midoriya stammered. He withdrew his hand from the book nervously. "Most people think my notes are weird…"

Nedzu exchanged a glance with All Might, who merely shrugged. Well, they were definitely going to have a conversation about that when the boy wasn't present, that was for sure. Instead, he turned his attention back to the notebook and turned a page, revealing a profile over Mt. Lady. Just like Kamui Woods' profile, it was well-detailed and neatly organized, along with some questions written in the margins regarding her abilities and limits.

"How long have you been doing this?" he asked.

"As long as I can remember," Midoriya answered, "it's, uh, actually the 13th volume. I have 12 more back home."

Oh, Nedzu just had to see those when he got the chance. "You're well-practiced. I'm a bit of a note fiend myself. Have you considered adding tabs?"

"I have!" Midoriya proclaimed excitedly, nearly jumping out of his seat. His cheeks flushed and he settled back down into his chair. "Sorry."

All Might chuckled. "It's quite alright, my boy."

Midoriya twiddled his thumbs. "I'm, uh… Not used to people asking me about my notes. I never get to talk about them with anyone."

Then, as Nedzu turned his attention back to the notebook, he stared at the burns that marred the edges of the book hard; the love and care that went into the notes inside didn't match the destruction brought about on the outside. He couldn't imagine that Midoriya had done that himself. "Well, I think they're wonderful."

Midoriya practically lit up. "You mean that?" His expression dropped for a moment. "You're… not saying that to make fun of me, are you?"

"Of course not!" Nedzu exclaimed, bringing a paw to his chest in shock. "That'd be cruel."

"I guess it would be," Midoriya murmured, fidgeting with his hands a bit. He stared down at his teacup, though his mind seemed to be miles away.

'Who on Earth hurt this boy?'Nedzu pondered.

All Might cleared his throat, breaking him out of his thoughts. "So, Nedzu… What exactly did you want to cover with young Midoriya today? I know we're not going to be doing anything physical, but I imagine you had more in mind than tea and small talk."

"You'd be right," Nedzu replied. He turned towards Midoriya, who faced him hesitantly. "All Might tells me your Quirk is an emitter type that allows you to enhance your abilities by stockpiling power. However, you can't activate it for fear of causing damage to your body since you didn't receive any counseling for it as a child. Is that true?"

Midoriya gave a slow nod. "All Might's been trying to help me bulk up for when I use it, but… I haven't had the chance to really practice with it."

"It's a tricky situation, for sure," Nedzu admitted.

"So, what did you have in mind, Nedzu?" All Might asked.

Nedzu offered up a kind smile. "I was thinking we could ask young Midoriya, actually."

Midoriya blinked. "Huh? Me?"

"I'd like to see what you have to say," Nedzu clarified, and the young boy gaped at him, "act as though you're analyzing a Pro; what observations would you make? What advice would you give them?" His smile spread further. "I'd like to see your analysis in action."

"Oh, you're in for it," All Might teased, which made Midoriya blush again.

"Don't be shy," Nedzu assured him, prodding his notebook back towards him, "go on. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind." He fished a pen out of his breast pocket and offered it to him. "Write down anything that you think is important."

Midoriya gingerly took the pen from him and flipped to a fresh page. "A-Alright… If you insist…" He straightened up and cleared his throat. "Well, it's like you said before, my body isn't adapted to my Quirk yet since it didn't develop with the rest of my body, so it hasn't really 'matured,' so to speak. I have to work harder in order to be strong enough to handle it like a normal person whose Quirk developed normally, so I have to exercise and shift my diet to bulk up." When the tip of his pen reached the paper, it practically flew across the lines. "But it's a huge risk to activate it even after that point because there's no guarantee that muscle mass alone will be enough to allow my body to handle it, and yet, at the same time, I can't gain any experience with it because I haven't been able to incorporate it into my training. At its core, the main issue is that I can't activate my Quirk without training, but without practice, I won't have control over it." The boy paused in his writing to glance at Nedzu. "T-That all makes sense so far, doesn't it?'

"It does," Nedzu told him, and Midoriya visibly eased up, "go on, my boy."

"Alright," Midoriya began again, bringing his attention back to his notebook, "well, it's also an issue to think about how I'll be able to even move with my Quirk activated. If it puts my body under incredible strain, will I be able to dodge or even deliver attacks? Would it also be effective to incorporate combat into my training in the event I'm not able to utilize my Quirk? I mean, Eraserhead has a Quirk that isn't naturally combative, but he found a way to work as an underground hero by being adept at combat. Strength training is good and all, but is it the only thing we should be thinking about?" His head snapped towards All Might, a near-manic glint in his eyes. "Could we make an obstacle course out of the trash heap to practice parkour?"

Nedzu spared All Might a faux accusatory look. "Where have you been hiding this boy, All Might? I might try to steal him from you!"

"He's a smart one, isn't he?" All Might said, reaching over to ruffle the boy's messy green locks. "A little too smart for his own good, if you ask me!"

Midoriya playfully pushed his hand away. "You didn't answer my question!"

"An obstacle course, eh?" All Might repeated, chuckling a bit. "Well, it would certainly repurpose some of those items, that's for sure. But do you think you can compete with the Number One Hero, kiddo?" He ruffled the boy's hair again. "Or just maybe you'll leave this old man in the dust?"

"You're not old!" Midoriya protested.

Nedzu cleared his throat, causing them both to look at him. "I must say, you made some important observations. They're definitely things to think about." He focused on Midoriya. "What notes have you been taking after your training sessions?"

Midoriya flipped back a couple of pages. "Mostly I've been keeping track of what items I've moved and the estimated weight of them, as well as what muscles I was working out when doing so. I've also been detailing the diet All Might planned for me to put in comparison to my calculations in order to better assess where I need to make changes for the next session. Though, one of my main concerns is that because each training session is so different due to the different ways I have to carry and move things to clear out the beach, it's not giving any specific part of my body consistent exercise. I've thought about incorporating other exercises in order to make sure my entire body is exercising the equal amount so that my body is more versatile in its capabilities whenever I'm using my Quirk. Realistically, I also can't expect All Might to be present at all times due to his job as the Number One Hero, so maybe it'd be good if I had other training exercises to do throughout the week whenever we're not training together, but that would also be putting me at risk of overdoing it and have the opposite effect of what we're trying to accomplish, so it's hard to gauge where the middle ground is."

"Ah, so I see," Nedzu affirmed, leaning back a bit, "you want to intensify your training without lessening your gains."

Midoriya's cheeks turned pink once again. "More or less… Sounds so simple when you put it like that."

"You do bring up an excellent point, young Midoriya," All Might observed, causing the boy to turn to him, "I came up with the Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan with your current body in mind so that way it was able to handle it. But, you are right in observing that the beach clean up isn't always consistent." He brought a hand to his chin in thought. "The initial reason I chose this place was because heroes' origins lay in doing community service, but perhaps I can adjust the plan to have you do some exercises at home when I'm not here with you… Though, that would also call for some adjustments to your diet."

"A fine idea!" Nedzu declared. He took a sip of his now warm tea. "I could also get in touch with a nutritionist and fitness trainer in order to give you some second opinions."

"You'd do that?" Midoriya asked.

Nedzu nodded. "You've brought up some excellent observations. I'll be sure to keep them in mind for when I discuss it with the specialists."

"T-Thank you," Midoriya stammered out.

"Much appreciated, Nedzu," All Might added, his smile warm, "your input has been pretty helpful."

Nedzu smiled. "Anytime, All Might."

Toshinori's anxieties had been misplaced, he realized. He wasn't sure why he was so worried about Nedzu getting to know his protege, but he was quickly proven wrong when young Midoriya showed off his analysis abilities and he just knew the boy had won Nedzu over. While Toshinori was sharp in his own right, young Midoriya was smart as a whip for his age, so it was nice to see him connect with someone who also shared a high intellect. It was also nice to see the normally reserved boy brighten up and get to share his notebook with someone who just understood; he knew that young Midoriya didn't get to have that anywhere.

As the sun began to rise higher and higher, Toshinori decided to offer Midoriya a day off from training for the day so they would have a fresh start when they reconvened next. Naturally, his protege protested, but when Toshinori assured him it was alright, Midoriya finally relented, offering another thank you and a goodbye to Nedzu before gathering his things and leaving with a wave. He and Nedzu watched from the top of the steps as the boy jogged back to his home, a smile spread across Toshinori's face even as he grew further away.

'That went far better than I thought it would,'Toshinori mused.

Then, as Midoriya finally faded from view, Nedzu finally turned towards him. "You haven't given him your Quirk yet, have you?"

Toshinori nearly choked. "W-What?"

"A boy who grew up Quirkless and yet somehow managed to develop a Quirk not unlike your own later on in life when it's exceedingly rare for such a thing to happen?" Nedzu continued, his smile never leaving his face. "It was a nice cover story, but I'd like to think I'm smart enough not to take it at face value."

"Nedzu, I—" Toshinori tried to say.

"It was also strange that you suddenly changed your mind on the day you were supposed to meet the successor Sir Nighteye had picked out for you… And howfunnyis it that it happened on the day of the sludge villain attack where you met young Midoriya?" Nedzu's eyes glinted knowingly when he gazed at Toshinori. "A strange coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

Iron coated the inside of Toshinori's mouth and he brought a hand to his lips to keep it from spilling out. He tried to think of something, anything to say, but when nothing came to mind, he simply kept his mouth shut.

'Of course he figured it out,' Toshinori thought, 'of course he did, why did I think he wouldn't?'

"Relax," Nedzu said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He held up a paw, "I'm not angry. A bit disappointed, if anything, but only because I thought we could trust each other. You already told me about One For All and that you were looking for a successor. So, why lie to me?"

Toshinori frowned. "I… I didn't know how you'd react…When I talked to Sasaki about young Midoriya, he flat out told me I was making a mistake." He sighed and brought his hand to his face, his eyes drifting down in shame. "I suppose I just didn't want to risk hearing the same thing from you."

Nedzu's gaze turned sympathetic. "And on the day he brought in a potential successor for you… Togata Mirio, if I recall correctly. Bright young lad with a sense of humor." He smiled. "He and your boy would get on well."

"Good God, they would," Toshinori agreed. Still, he knew that Nighteye wouldn't be keen on allowing his top intern anywhere near Midoriya anytime soon.

Nedzu sighed. "Nighteye was always a bit hard headed about these sorts of things. He probably took it as a personal insult after…"

"Everything," Toshinori finished, sighing a bit raggedly. He dropped his hand and faced Nedzu once again. "I apologize for lying… I guess I was just worried that if you knew off the bat that he was my successor, you'd be a bit more…"

"Critical?" Nedzu suggested, and Toshinori's shoulders slumped. "I understand your concern, but just remember I trust your judgement." His smile returned. "And I must say, you picked a bright young lad. He's very intelligent for his age."

"He is," Toshinori told him, and he meant it, "but his true strength lies in his heart. He's got the makings of a great hero in him."

Nedzu's gaze turned soft. "I can understand why you'd want to mentor him… and I'm more than happy to offer you advice for any questions you may have. You're going to need it when you start at U.A."

Toshinori tried his best not to frown. "Right. I forgot about that."

"Oh, relax!" Nedzu laughed, waving a paw. "You'll do just fine! More than fine, I'm sure! Give yourself some credit, Yagi!"

He couldn't help but bring a hand to his head. "It's going to be strange teaching young Midoriya amongst his peers if he gets into U.A…" Toshinori blinked and his hand clutched his head tighter. "Oh, God, I haven't even told him that I'm going to be teaching there yet."

"Well, he's going to find out eventually," Nedzu replied, "best to tell him so he's prepared when classes start." Then, he straightened himself up and held his case at his side. "Well, I should be heading off now. I have some paperwork to do and I should make a note to get in touch with those specialists for young Midoriya's training. Hope you have a nice Sunday!"

"The same to you," Toshinori responded, offering up a small wave.

Then, just as Nedzu started to turn, he stopped. "You know… I always liked the more clever Pros than I did the more strong, flashy ones. While I have no doubt that young Midoriya will be a strong hero with your Quirk…" He turned back to Toshinori with a smile. "It's going to be interesting to see a hero who is both strong and clever."

Toshinori returned his smile. "'Interesting' doesn't even come close."

Nedzu laughed. "You're right about that! Well, I'll be on my way! Ta-ta!"

Toshinori offered Nedzu another way while he made his way down the path and then paused. He turned towards the section of the beach horizon that was covered in trash, only small increments having been removed due to young Midoriya's hard work. They still had six months left before it would come time for his power to be put to the test at U.A.'s rigorous entrance exam, which felt so close yet so far away at the same time. Still, he knew that his protege wasn't one to back down from a challenge and that he would find a way to brave the trials ahead of him with that bright smile of his.

'Interesting doesn't even come close,' Toshinori thought, 'he's going to be incredible.'

A/N: I am of the sincere belief that Nedzu would absolutely adore getting to know Midoriya. The kid's smart and Nedzu digs that.