The birds chirped in the early morning, filling Izuku's home with their melodious tone. The clock had barely ticked the 6th hour mark and, despite today being a weekend, Izuku was already wide awake. He sat on the living room sofa, the television in front of him serving only as white noise.

While he has made a conscious decision to go to the meeting spot — for his curiosity if nothing else — there was still a hint of apprehension lingering within. She was a stranger, after all; who knows what she had in mind?

But, oddly enough, he got the feeling that she wasn't someone of ill will.

It wouldn't hurt to be safe though.

As his mind ruminated on what sort of precaution he should take, he heard a door softly click open along with the distressed mumblings of a woman. His mother emerged from her room, dressed in a formal suit that fit her slim form. Her wedding ring glistened in the light. The moment she saw him, however, she flashed a wide smile. "Oh, Izuku! I didn't know you were awake already."

"Yeah..." He nodded, not quite accustomed to her formal appearance. "I woke up when you were changing, I think."

Still smiling, she moved to the kitchen — which, really, was still a part of the living room and was only divided by a partition that reached her waist — and opened a cupboard. "Let me make you some breakfast first, sweetie." She said. Fortunately, there was still plenty of the steamed rice she used for her own breakfast, so she merely had to prepare the fish.

"Don't you have to go to work, mom?" He asked worriedly. If memory served him right, she was supposed to arrive there by seven sharp.

"Well, I can't let you go out today with an empty stomach, right?" She replied, oblivious to the guilt that showed on his face.

Right, he told her that he was going to hang out with his friends today. The sheer happiness present in her tone... he sighed, murmuring an apology within his mind. It felt wrong to even lie to anyone, so with his own mother, that feeling only proliferated.

Still, it was better than leaving her with no news at all.

Soon enough, a steaming plate of rice and fish presented itself on the table in front of him. The delicious smell wafted into his nose, causing him to salivate...

Truly, there was nothing better than a mother's cooking.

He was snapped out of his hunger-addled mind by his mother, sharply clicking her tongue. "Can't believe a place like that hasn't been taken down. What is the government thinking?"

Following Inko's gaze, he stared owlishly at the screen in front of him. Upon the shifting surface of the TV was an image of a decrepit apartment, starkly contrasting the relatively pristine city around it. Below that was a white, bold text that read: BOLETORIA APARTMENT UNDER SUSPICIOUN.

He previously hadn't paid any attention to the television, so the story was new to him too. The news anchor was a man with some kind of mutation jutting out of his mouth. Evidently, they gave his words a smidge more weight; enough to the point where it was difficult to ignore when you began to hear it, but not impossible.

"Boletoria Apartment, a residential complex located near the outskirts of Musutafu — more specifically in the Farros District — is once again under suspicion for forcing its tenants to live there via blackmail and a possibility of an assortment of other crimes. While there is a lack of substantial evidence, netizens are unsettled by the fact that the apartment's owner has been involved in two cases of similar accusations only 2 months and 6 months ago, respectively."

Inko shook her head as she heatedly glared at the screen. If looks could kill, the television would have long since molten...

"It's abnormal for such a thing to happen. Just look at the first case, for example: despite there being many, many reports from outsiders that the landlord has been seen treating the tenants poorly, none of them actually spoke up when the police came in! It's so—" Her passionate words were suddenly cut off by a sharp cough, emanating from her son. She blinked worriedly at him. "Are you fine, Izuku? Why did you suddenly cough?"

"No, I'm fine, mom." He smiled in exasperation. "It's just that... shouldn't you be going right now?"

Inko's eyes widened as they darted over to her wristwatch. "O-Oh— Oh, right!" With a quickened pace, she took her leather bag that was on the kitchen partition and headed outside. "I'll be going now, Izuku!" She suddenly stopped right in front of the door, facing him again. "Remember to stay away from anything dangerous when you go out! Make sure you go home before 8! A-And... don't forget to have fun, okay?" She added the last part with a soft smile.

Likewise, Izuku returned the gesture. "I will, mom."

With a subtle click of the door, Izuku's smile faded. Turning off the TV caused the room to drown in silence as the green-haired boy leaned back his head, resting against the solid wall.

'I'm sorry for lying, mom, but...' He stared at the ceiling light, unblinking. 'This will probably be dangerous.'

Frieren stared at the sun — glaring amidst the blue sky — with extreme prejudice. Any other person would have already gone blind after looking at the sun for as long as she has...

But fortunately, there was a spell that made it so that you would be unaffected by otherwise blinding rays.

In her case, she was currently using it to have a stare-off with a star.

Breathing in the scent of burnt air — a byproduct of the scorching ball far, far above — Frieren resisted the urge to just go back home and sink into the soft embrace of her silken bed. As attractive as that idea seems, she's already made a promise to be here and she has no intention to break it.

'Himmel wouldn't like that.' She thought for all of a second before her mind took a darker turn. 'But I swear, if that kid doesn't appear here on time... Well, I wouldn't do anything to him, but I'd be very angry.' She currently stood along the edge that split the sand and the salty sea, glancing at her wrist every so often to check on the time.

[15:16]

'Maybe he really isn't going to come here.'

Her worries were unwarranted, however, when her eyes spotted the silhouette of a wild-haired boy peeking from behind the partition up above. With a small, satisfied smile, Frieren gestured for him to come to her.

The figure, that of Izuku Midoriya, stepped down the winding steps that led down to the trash-filled beach. Just as he stepped onto the sand, Frieren internally chanted a spell, raising an illusory barrier along the stone partition that would render the two of them invisible to the naked eye.

As he made his way over to Frieren, he felt worry swell inside of him. It truly wasn't within his intent to make her wait — he got cold feet right as he was about to leave, delaying him by quite a bit — but what's done is done and all that's left is to brave the consequences.

Would she be mad? Would she outright refuse to teach him?

And so, addled with worry, he hurriedly swerved past the litany of rusting cars and torn couches. On a particularly tall mound of trash, he turned and was immediately greeted by Frieren.

"You're late." Her voice held no tint of emotions.

"I-I'm sorry!" Izuku supplemented his apology with a deep bow.

Fortune seemed to be on his side, however, as the woman simply waved off his words. "Apology accepted, but no need to worry about it. You weren't late by much. More importantly," Her voice took a crucial tone. "I assume this means you are willing to trust me?"

Just like that, Izuku's shame was washed away by a sense of reluctant trust. Though he still had his doubts... "I'm willing to see if it is possible." He says.

Frieren nodded, satisfied. "Before I begin," Her eyes met green, scrutiny freely flowing from them. "I wish to ask you something. This won't affect my decision to train you; merely, it'll affect my expectations."

"A-Alright." Izuku nodded, mentally preparing himself for the worst.

"If you have no other choice... would you be willing to kill someone?"

His inner preparations instantly broke. His mouth opened and closed, not quite sure what to say — that in itself, however, was already an answer.

"Well, you're still a kid, so I guess that's to be expected." Besides, this era wasn't as harsh as when the Demon King was still at large. "Now, I'm not a Pro-Hero, but I've been in similar fields of work; enough to know that, behind all the glamour, a Hero's life is often riddled with choices that would cost precious lives. Again, this won't affect my decision to train you... but I can't do anything if you decide to quit here."

Of course, being a rabid Hero fan once, Izuku knew her words contained nothing but the truth. He's watched videos of dozens of Heroes having left the job due to that harsh expectation — of whether or not one should kill if the time calls for it.

Just because he was aware of that question, however, doesn't mean that he has an answer.

But one thing he can be sure of is that he still desires the power to be a Pro-Hero.

"That doesn't change anything. I won't quit." His words felt firm, immovable.

Seemingly convinced — though whether or not she believed his words were up in the air — Frieren gave a curt nod. "Very well, then. I'll teach you magic."

"So... where do we begin?"

"We'll start with the theory first, of course, so I'll be explaining how magic works." Izuku nodded at that. Right, it makes sense. "It's quite simple, really, so I'll gloss over it quickly. Essentially, every living being is akin to a glass cup that is meant to hold mana: the source of all magic. However, when someone is born into this world, they all emerge without a hint of mana held within. There is no exception to this rule."

The woman paused for a moment when she looked back at Izuku, only to find that he had already whipped out a notebook and was already scrambling to jot down her words. Even if there was still a lack of belief evident in his eyes... it seems that new information could always nudge his interest.

Shaking her head in amusement, she continued. "That is where nature comes in. The world around us is filled to the brim with mana, so simply by living, the cup within your body is constantly filled with mana."

"So... why has no one ever been able to use mana? Or magic? Are there specific requirements to use mana?" He peppered her with questions. Seeing the boy brimming with interest, Frieren couldn't find it within herself to be annoyed; not when it reminded her so of much Fern, back when she was still a young child and her love for magic was still much more palpable.

Her breath hitched, memories of Fern's sweet, smiling face entering her mind. Hiding her emotions well, she answered, "It is because, while our bodies are akin to a cup, we also have a thick filter at the top; it's meant to protect us while we're mere infants, but despite our growth and no longer needing it, the filter remains. Due to this, mana saturates our bodies at a snail's pace. It takes so long that humans could never hope to utilize it, at least, without the proper mana-gathering techniques."

"Then... how are you able to use mana?" Feeling his brow furrow, he once again felt himself untrusting of the woman's words. From her appearance alone, Izuku guessed that Frieren was in her late 30's or perhaps her early 40's.

He didn't realize how wrong he was.

At least, not until her next few words.

"Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you something else." Snapping her fingers, it was as if a haze suddenly appeared on her ears — or was just now able to be seen by Izuku — and, as quickly as it came, it flew into the searing air.

The moment it dissipated, her ears seemingly stretched into thin, dagger-like shapes that protruded outwards. His eyes widened, but not due to her refreshed appearance; pointy ears were not the most shocking thing in this day and age, after all. Nay, it came from the words she uttered next. "I am not a human, Izuku. I'm an elf, a long-extinct race that could live up to thousands of years."

That was perhaps the most unbelievable thing he's heard. And why wouldn't it be? Izuku simply nodded his head afterwards, but he couldn't deny that he was becoming less and less trusting of her words.

Sighing, he shook away his doubtful thoughts and focused on the current matter. Even if Frieren was blatantly lying about her lifespan, as long as magic remained a truth, he could easily forgive that. Frieren huffed at his apparent distrust, but to be fair, there wasn't anything she could do to prove her age. Rattling off about the known history would have chalked her up to a very, very enthusiastic historian...

And telling about anything before that would have only made her seem delusional.

"So..." He tapped his pen against his lips. "How long does it normally take for someone to unconsciously gather enough mana to the point of being able to use it?"

"Without proper technique... around a century. Humans that reach that age are more or less already senile, though, so elves were the first to discover magic." Followed by demons and dwarves, but he didn't need to know that yet.

"Ah, I see... Wait." He hummed. "Then why is magic not common knowledge already? Are elves hiding themselves from mankind, like... like the wizards in Harry Potter?" Nearing the end, his tone only got more disbelieving.

"That is for your history lesson. For now, I'm only going to teach you the basics of gathering mana." She explained. With a thought suddenly filling her mind, she asked, "How much time remains before the Exam?"

There was no need for her to specify what exam it was. "9 months." He answered, morosely. It only served to remind him how little time he had to catch up with everyone else — a desire that was not lost on the elf.

She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "9 months should be enough if you work hard. Let's not waste any time then. I'll teach you how to gather mana." In spite of his doubt, he nodded.

Izuku soon sat on the shore, the saltwater licking his feet, with Frieren right behind him as she pressed her palms against his back. Izuku's face held a red tint from how her soft hands pushed against his skin.

"Listen to me very closely, Izuku, before you go and commit to it. The process of gathering mana is similar to meditation. You must first close your eyes and clear your head of all thoughts, so as to sense the mana around you. Now, normally you shouldn't be sensitive enough to detect it, but I'll be helping you out on that aspect. When you do sense the mana, it will feel like a veritable tsunami, rushing all around you..." She explained.

"S-So?" Izuku gulped anxiously, unable to help himself. "Wha-What do I do?"

"I want you to tug on that mana and pour it inside of you. Following the metaphor of that cup..." There was a moment of pregnant silence, her brain racking up a suitable example. "...you need to adjust the filter so that just the right amount of mana enters you. Make sure it's not too much, lest your core, or your cup, cracks under the pressure. Any questions?"

There really wasn't. Izuku found her words easy enough to digest, and while he wasn't precisely aware of how to control the mana — or the veritable tsunami as she so eloquently put it — he wasn't unwilling to... test out the waters, so to speak.

Still, he at least wanted to be assured of one thing. "I-If I fail this time... nothing bad will happen, right?"

"Even if your core cracks, it can be fixed with time. You'll die if it breaks though..." Feeling his muscles tense, Frieren soothingly patted his back. "Don't worry. For your first time, I'll be guiding you through the entire process, so it won't ever get to that point." A quick nod later and a focused silence blanketed the shore, broken only by the occasional waves and the birds bellowing in the distance.

Within his mind, he materialized a space shrouded in darkness, the only occupant being an empty cup with an aluminium net capping it off. It was merely a vague image, as if a faint mist had completely covered it.

It was then that he felt... something, blowing away the mist and making the cup seem that much more real. Suddenly, he could imagine how the walls of the cup would feel brushing against his skin, or how it suddenly gained a palpable heftness to it, or how he could now see every single thread that made up the filter.

It felt weird to have someone direct his very thoughts so clearly.

He couldn't linger on that sentiment for long, however, when he suddenly saw a tidal wave sweeping across the darkness and rapidly encroaching upon his cup. He could feel the sheer power radiating off of the veritable tsunami, feel how it was pushing away even the absolute command he had over his mind, and a terrified thought glossed over him.

'Am I going to die here?' The sight of his cup began to tremble, ever so slightly...

Only for that outside force to, once again, guide his thoughts so that every detail of the cup appeared as plain as a pikestaff to him. The sea, blue and glowing, now flowed peacefully around his core. Despite the heavy weight he imagined the sea would be, only tiny droplets trickled slowly into the cup... so effective, the filter proved to be.

'Okay, I... I need to let the mana in. Let the water in.' He thought.

Heaving every ounce of focus he had, he widened the gaps intrinsic to the filter, careful not to let too much enter... and yet, the process still proved to be excruciatingly slow.

Nevertheless, he was ecstatic. It was only now, able to sense all the mana, that he was truly beginning to believe in the merit of Frieren's words. Even if the mana trickled into his core at barely above a snail's pace, he was a patient person, if nothing else; bit by bit, he was wedging open the infinitesimally thin gaps in the net, allowing more mana to drop into his core.

As time ticked by, however, his mind slowly became plagued with fatigue. The image of the cup was overcome by a haze, thickening by the second...

Yet he pressed on.

Eventually, a small crack formed on the corner of his cup, threatening to unravel like a spider's web all across the core. Before it could reach that point, a forceful tug pulled him out of his mindscape, bringing him rapid gasps as he stared dumbfoundedly at the world around him.

"What...?"

"You are reckless." Frieren's voice snapped him out of his reverie. Glancing behind him, Izuku flinched when he was met only by a disapproving stare. "I told you already to be careful. Why did you keep going when your core started to crack?"

"So-Sorry, Fri-Frieren-sa—" Reminded of his recent experience, his eyes suddenly sparkled. "Sensei!"

"Sweet nothings will only get you that. Nothing." To that, he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, despite your recklessness... you're lucky that your core merely cracked a little. You just need to rest for half a day and you can begin to gather mana again."

Nodding enthusiastically, a sudden question entered his mind. He extended it to her with brimming curiosity. "Sensei! I'm wondering... what exactly can I do with mana? Can I fly or erect those shields later?"

"Yeah, you can, though it'll take a while before you reach that point. Depends on how talented you are at controlling magic... Hm." She went quiet when she saw that the boy, after the first sentence, was no longer paying attention and instead was scribbling across the pages in his notebook.

His passion seemed to have eclipsed even that of Fern's, back when she was young.

It made sense, she thought after a moment.

After all, Fern's passion for magic had stemmed from her appreciation of the beauty she saw when Heiter cast that spell, causing butterflies to flutter across the dimly lit sky. The older she grew, the more of that child-like wonder began to shed itself away, and although she still quite enjoyed magic, it couldn't be compared to the sheer adoration she once expressed.

For Izuku, it was another matter entirely. While Fern could have chosen to become a warrior, a priest, or whatever occupation magic provided, Izuku only had one: that was to become a mage. All things considered, he could approach all those other paths since they were intertwined with magic in one way or the other but he wasn't aware of that yet.

Besides... it's not like she could teach him to be anything but a mage.

'I must say though... It's amusing to see him oblivious of the time right now.' She thought with a giggle, evoking his attention. Unable to hold herself back any longer, words spilled out of her mouth. "Are you not wondering what time it is?" Seeing his eyes widen as he looked around, she couldn't help but laugh louder.

"Ahh— It's already night?! Uh-" Glancing at the watch strapped on her wrist, he asked, "Fri-Frieren-sensei! What time is it?"

"Forty-nine past six." She quickly replied.

'It's been nearly 4 hours?!' Izuku thought with a disbelieving expression. "I-I should probably go home now, sensei." He said with an urgent heat as he abruptly stood up.

"Wait, Izuku." She said, stopping him in his tracks. "Let me accompany you home— The streets aren't usually safe at this time."

"A-Alright." He nodded nervously, still not too keen on that change of pace. Though, now that he thought about it... 'I can use this chance to ask her all sorts of questions about magic. I wish to know what exactly is the extent of what I'll be able to do, eventually...'

With that decided, the newly minted master and student made their way up the winding stairs and onto the cold, dark alleys of Musutafu — not for long, however, as with a snap of her finger a ball of light plumed above their heads, expelling the surrounding shadows. Izuku stared at the new source of light in wonder... right before his gaze wormed its way towards her finger, where an intricate ring glimmered in the radiance.

Had that always been there? How had he not noticed before?

Well... he's always kept a polite distance between them whenever they met. Even when she guided his mana earlier, she sat right behind him. It was only now that they were in such proximity that he finally noticed it.

Still, he dared not ask. It was too personal of an inquiry and besides...

He has better questions to ask.

A month has gone by since then. And eight more remained until the day of the U.A. Entrance Exam.

Of course, Izuku had not been dallying with his training. Each and every day, no matter how crowded his schedule was, he would always find a way to slot in the time to gather mana, even on the off days when he couldn't train with her. It was only during those moments that he realized just how vital Frieren's assistance was.

Without her, his imagination was much less lucid. Not only was his core — or his cup in his mind — a lot more susceptible to cracks, but the sea of mana itself appeared to be a crude facsimile of the one he saw during his training with Frieren. Besides that, though, his mana has been growing steadily; it should take him another seven months at this rate before he could use spells, according to Frieren.

He couldn't deny that he felt impatient... His days in school only worsened that.

It seemed that after Katsuki had been attacked by the Sludge Villain, the very same one that once tried to take over Izuku, his emotions became more volatile. The bullying he had to endure in school lessened, yes... but that was only if he considered the hotheaded blond. His lackeys took a sharp rise in how badly they treated him.

After all, many of the students they once bullied fought back now that they were short of their leader. With Izuku being the only Quirkless student in the school and thus, the only one they could still harass, their attention has been wholly on him for the past few weeks.

Why had Katsuki left his friend group? He heard tidbits from his mom chatting with Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother, and essentially it went like this:

Katsuki has expressed his desire to get stronger, after all, so he's been distancing himself from his so-called 'friends' to focus more on his progress; apparently, he entered a dojo that would train the disciples in martial arts that would fit their Quirks best, resulting in one of the only non-Hero locations in the city that allows Quirk usage.

Which meant that he was becoming stronger.

As he sat there, listlessly watching the television, he felt a new river slither into the ever-growing lake of his aspirations, a nourishing desire to prove Katsuki wrong for all the years of distaste Izuku had bottled in.

Not exactly towards Katsuki himself — though he would be lying if he said he did not resent his former friend to an extent — but to the idea the boy seems adamant to hammer in: that those without Quirks would always find themselves at the bottom of the barrel, unable to crawl their way to the top no matter what they try.

Glancing at the clock, ticking away from its perch on the wall, Izuku smiled. There was only a moment left before the hour hand hit nine, prompting him to head over to his and Frieren's usual meet-up spot.

Ever since their first day, the schedule has changed quite a bit. When he has school, they would train for 2 hours starting from 4 P.M. On the weekends, like how it is at this very moment, they would begin training much earlier, starting from 8 A.M. and lasting all the way until 6 P.M. These were the most productive days and the ones he looked forward to the most.

The fact that his mother has been absent from home for long stretches of time further helped his endeavours.

He still had to tell her he was gone though, and since he couldn't constantly say he was going out with friends — though he does mix that in a couple of times — Izuku came up with another excuse.

"Izuku! I'm leaving, okay?" Inko approached from the kitchen, having just made him breakfast and is now setting it up on the table in front of him. Pulling him in for a kiss on the forehead, she smiled. "You take care, sweetie."

"I will, mom." He smiled back. Just before she left, he added, "I'll... I'll be going to the Hero Club today mom, like usual. There's... a fan meet-up near Uwabami's Agency."

"Ah. I... I see." She said simply, her smile turning hollow. "...Have fun, Izuku."

She didn't utter any other word as she left, the door closing behind her. Left all alone in his home, Izuku stared at the plate of katsudon, its delicious smell wafting into his nostrils. It didn't take him long before he found himself gorging on the meal, trying to ignore the constant presence of his guilt.

He may not enjoy it... but he needs to stick to the plan.

When he's capable of using spells, the first thing he will do is announce his newfound 'Quirk' to his mom and together, they'll list it at the Quirk Registry. That way, she won't feel worried when he inevitably joins the daunting U.A. Entrance Exam; that way, his guilt would at least only come to fruition due to a partial truth.

Of course, the day when he could finally start learning spells was still far away...

Inko was worried, even more so than she usually is.

Izuku's schedule has started to grow... odd, for lack of a better word. His days are now always spent outside, either hanging out with friends or mingling with the Hero Club; don't get her wrong, as a mother, she was ecstatic when she heard he was going to hang out with friends after who knows how many years spent in solitude at home. So much so she did not even bother to ask who he was going to hang out with...

While she wasn't overtly positive about his choice of going into the Hero Club, she was fine with it. Inko indulged in the thought that he was simply there due to his admiration for Heroes, not at all an emblematic of him actually wanting to be one.

After a week, it was clear that he would only do one of those two activities every single day. That was when her suspicions began.

However, what with her new work schedule... for a little more than two weeks, she never could find out if those suspicions were merely that, a brief thought, or if they were indicative of the truth. It was only now that she could finally begin to scrutinize the tiny details.

It was almost impossible to find out if Izuku was truly a part of the Hero Club. It was a universal activity that just about every school in Japan participated in, a byproduct of the Hero frenzy, so it was difficult to go over specific signees.

Thus, there was only one option remaining.

This was how she found herself calling Mitsuki in the middle of her break. The office space was abuzz with chatter and the seemingly constant ring of the phone, so she had to confine herself in the bathroom to gain some semblance of silence.

Ring... Ring...

It didn't take long for it to be picked up. "Inko-chan!" Loudly greeted the voice from the other side. "Shouldn't you be at work? Ah, wait, this should be your break time, right?"

"Yes. I want to ask a favour, Mitsuki." Inko curtly answered.

"Sure, sure. What can I do for my only favourite telemarketer?"

"Can I bother you to ask Hikari-san, Butsuji-san's mother, if her son has been hanging out with Izuku recently and then can you relay whatever she says to me?" The green-haired woman requested. "If it's too much of a bother, I'm willing to compensate..."

Right after, a snort resounded from Mitsuki. "You don't need to compensate me for anything, Inko-chan. And sure, I'll ask her that. Your next break is at noon, right...?"

"Yes," Inko said softly.

"Heard. I'll get the info from Hikari in a jiffy."

"Alright, I'll wait." The woman said, her eyes glancing over to her wrist. A few more minutes before break ended. "Thank you, Mitsuki."

"No worries."

The sky was bathed in an orange glow. The streets were littered with puddles while the plants dripped dew, glistening like crystals in the light. The alleys near the edge of Musutafu were never crowded, but when the day was still young, there would always be people clamouring to get to school or work. Now, though, it appeared completely deserted... or it would have, if not for two figures walking down the lone street.

Izuku could be seen ambling forward with short breaths, his entire body draped in sweat. Frieren bore a stark opposite to his image, walking calmly as she glanced around, not particularly looking for anything.

The two were silent all the way until one of them spotted a convenience store. Past the glass was a hill of cold drinks, a truly alluring sight for the exhausted boy. Seeing him drool out of the corner of her eye, Frieren smirked.

"I'll go buy some drinks for you. Wait out here." Before he could say anything, she stepped forward past the sliding doors and towards the drink aisle.

Staying well within the light permeating from the store, Izuku shivered as a cold breeze went by. Looking around to make sure no one was staring at him, he flexed his muscles beneath his jumpsuit, already feeling that they were a little bit denser and firmer compared to when he had just begun Frieren's exercises a month ago.

Honestly, he appreciated it.

He's always at least exercised, trying to bridge the gap between himself and his peers no matter how small it may be, so he thought he had quite a good physique. But after Frieren's training regimen — well, the knowledge came from a notebook her friend wrote in, or so she said — he's definitely become stronger.

'I do feel sore, though.' He grumbled as he found himself a bench. Beside it was a newspaper rack though he wasn't interested in it.

The only reason newspapers were still popular in this day and age was because of the decently large market of people that still purchase them. It was more of a fashion statement, to be honest, originating from the people who were deeply interested in the men's fashion of the U.S. back in the 1920s.

He was snapped out of his musing as deep footsteps resounded from the darkness. Soon, from the shadows emerged a tall, menacing figure... yet his eyes widened when he noticed hints of familiarity.

His voice was gruff, another heavy indication. "What are the damn odds."

"Y-You're... that guy fr-from the co-convenience store back then, right?" Izuku gulped. What was he doing here? He couldn't help but think he was here to try robbing the store again. This was the place Rika worked at, after all.

He could at least count the lucky stars that she was taking a sick leave today.

Whether the rock-skinned boy noticed his thoughts or not, he couldn't tell, but the boy only nodded at his question. "Were you exercising?" He asked rhetorically, his eyes roaming the sweat that poured his body.

"Y-Yeah." He nodded. "I-I'm planning on going into U.A. the Entrance Exam comes up, so I-I've been doing my best to prepare."

"U.A., huh?" The boy pursed his lips as he nodded along. "Heard a lot of good things about it. You'll get in, I'm sure. Those goody two shoes would be dumb not to recruit someone like you."

"T-Thanks..." Izuku muttered smilingly, not sure what to comment on his passive-aggressive words, but grateful nevertheless.

"H-How di-did it g-go?" Izuku suddenly coughed, forcing his body to expel the nervousness. As much as he could, at least. "A-After you went away that day, I mean." The rock-skinned shrugged lackadaisically, not uttering another word. It was clear that he didn't want to elaborate any further than his simple gesture already did. "I-I see..."

Eager to change the topic, the unknown boy glanced into the store, taking note of the pony-tailed woman inside, and then his gaze returned to Izuku's sweaty figure with a smirk. "Is that your girl you're waiting for? Didn't know you prefer older women."

Blushing hotly at his words — as well as internally puking at the thought since he isn't into that — Izuku vehemently shook his head. "N-No! She's just my master!"

Instead of resolving the issue, that only worsened it. The boy whistled with wide eyes, impressed. "So you have that kind of kink as well? You're really painting a bad image of yourself." He chuckled.

"N-No! No!" Now, his hands joined the fray, denying his words. "I meant she's my teacher!"

"Hm, I see, I see." He just smiled, trying his hardest not to tease the boy anymore. His eyes wandered until they landed on the newspaper rack beside him and, immediately, his mood turned sour. "...Anyway, I'll be going now." He said simply right before he walked away, his steps resounding heavily.

"O-Okay, stay safe..." He politely said. Curious as to what changed his mood so drastically, he glanced at the assortment of newspapers that filled the rack. He quickly noticed a similarity among them all. 'They're all talking about the Doletoria Apartment case. Seems like the media is still frenzied about that... Ah, wait,' Izuku sighed in exasperation, having just realized he forgot to ask the boy's name. 'it's like my first two meetings with Frieren all over again. Of course, the situations are far different but still...'

He heard the doors slide open. Turning his head, he was suddenly greeted by the sight of a bottle flying towards him, its cold dew sliding along the surface.

"Urk-!"

Fortunately, he was quick enough to catch it in his hands, saving him the embarrassment. To that, Frieren simply said, "Nice catch." Ignoring his grumbles, she stared off into the dark veil surrounding them. "That boy... The one with the rock skin. He didn't threaten you, did he?" Verbally, of course.

She would have never allowed it to go physical.

"Ah, no, it's fine." Izuku waved off her worries with a shake of his head. Holding the plastic base with one hand and the cap with the other, he spun the latter, opening it. Not a moment later he was already gulping down its contents. Now emptied, he let out a satisfied breath, "So good!" as he dropped it into a nearby trash can. Frieren herself had only drunk a little bit off of the top.

Izuku stood up from his seat, nodding at her. "Thanks, Frieren-sensei. Just tell me the price and I'll-"

"No." She stopped him mid-sentence with a raised palm. "Think of it as a treat for all your hard work. You shouldn't expect much more than these, however... I am quite stingy with my money."

Nodding in acceptance, he felt his heart warm for her actions. It was a minor thing, really... but it was those little things that accumulate that people appreciate.

For him, someone whose been largely alone all his life, it felt good to have someone else care for him. His mother was the first and Izuku would always love her for it, and although he still barely knew who his teacher even was, he couldn't deny one thing.

Even if he has only known her for a month, he has never felt more grateful to anyone than he did for Frieren.

As Izuku continued his way towards the warmth of his apartment with high spirits, he looked forward to the next day.

"Who's that? She looks like you..." Frieren's voice snapped him out of his reverie. Following her gaze to a figure a mere couple of meters away, standing under a light pole... his eyes widened.

"M-Mom?"

Just as he said, it was his mother, Inko Midoriya, and her expression did not at all appear pleasant. Her eyes lingered on Izuku for one long moment, before she dragged them over to the woman beside him, and scowled.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Addressing some reviews that are saying Izuku isn't exactly acting like himself. It's intentional. Izuku will be a bit OOC, not that drastic, but palpable enough.

Again, leave behind reviews if you think there's anything I could do to improve my writing overall. Preferably not on guest accounts so that I can respond privately to them. Much love!