Chapter 52: Enter the Obsessed Inventor

"Got to say, I thought this would happen sooner," Hagakure stated before sighing.

Ojiro asked, "Any ideas what it will be about?"

Tooru leaned back into her seat. "Probably just making it official that this 'club' is toast."

Momo stood up. "I can't see that happening! There's so much more we could still work on."

The invisible girl fidgeted in her seat but said nothing. She wasn't in the mood to argue, Izuku figured.

Tenya, trying to lighten the mood, stated, "I agree with Momo-chan. However I do feel our TAC meetings might be on hold for sometime while we focus on reconstruction efforts. If it was as simple as calling for the cancellation of this club, I feel Aizawa-sensei would have told us up-front without the need to meet-up after school like this."

Ochako nodded. "Despite everything that happened, Tooru-chan, we can still learn from this. It's only a net positive for our future work as pros!"

Hagakure reached over and grabbed Midoriya's hand. "Yeah, I guess so."

Izuku knew better. His girlfriend was frustrated about the status of his quirk, which put a downer on this whole club's existence for her. She wanted to use this so they could further their dream of being a team. What was the point now? And it's not like she could tell the others why. Soon, Midoriya wanted to rectify that. Just a few more days.

Today was Monday. No one expected any more TAC meetings until All Might returned as a teacher, which they figured was months off. But after class today their homeroom teacher pulled Tenya aside and told him there would be a short meeting after dinner. It was the reason everyone was still in their school uniforms.

The conversation in the classroom soon turned to schoolwork between Ida and Yaoyorozu, the others staying quiet. Within a few minutes, the door opened, and the first occupant to enter surprised everyone.

Eraserhead was wheeling in All Might. The wheelchair-bound man wore all-black attire, jeans, and a jacket with the hoodie up. As he was placed behind the teacher's desk, he bowed slightly before saying, "Sorry for the sudden visit. However, this is just a short one. I still need to recover some more before returning here for good and didn't want to announce my presence until then." He then sat back and used his free hand to pull back his hoodie. "I couldn't miss this TAC meeting, as we have important news to announce!"

Judging by his mentor's attitude, Midoriya figured it would be mostly good news. Still, his presence did worry him somewhat.

Aizawa cleared his throat. "I still say I could have handled this by myself, but even as you are, you are quite stubborn. Sneaking you in without any fanfare was also not fun."

Yagi just gave a toothy grin and then a soft chuckle.

Eraserhead grunted. "Well, let's get to it. First and foremost, we will put a hiatus on our meetings for the rest of the summer. I hope to resume in the Fall, but we will have to wait and see how far Japan has recovered and how our faculty are feeling over these next few months."

Midoriya could feel Hagakure's grip tighten over his hand, but she didn't say anything. He felt it as a wordless, 'I told you so.'

All Might then spoke up. "But fret not because this downtime will still have some purpose. Just as we took a break last winter for you all to upgrade your equipment, we wish to do the same this summer. However, this time, you will have a particular mechanic to overlook your gear, and they wish to continue to do so going forward."

Tooru then stood up, nearly toppling her boyfriend over, as she had done. "You mean Mei-chan?!"

The head of the person in question suddenly popped out of the open door. "In the flesh!" Hatsume then proceeded to walk to the side of the teachers before saying, "Any and all concerns for your babies will now be at the top of my to-do list. Think of me as your personal mechanic going forward!" She then took a bow.

Hagakure let go of Midoriya's hand and quickly embraced her friend.

Izuku looked at the rest of the club's reactions. Ochako and Tenya didn't seem too happy to see this; however, Momo and Mashirao looked baffled at the situation.

Shota spoke up. "If you have any ideas right now, then feel free to give them to Hatsume since she's here. If not, use this break to come up with something if you require and relay it to her when you get the chance. We'll have a check-up on progress before we resume training, hopefully, sooner rather than later." He then turned to Toshinori to wheel him out.

All Might held his free hand up to stop Eraserhead. "Just a moment." He then turned back to his students. "I should be back in the U.A. by the end of summer. Until then, be sure to keep positive and not overwork yourself. You all deserve some normalcy after everything that happened."

Everyone but Midoriya said or waved their goodbyes. He instead stood up to follow the two. Before leaving the classroom, he turned to his friends to say, "I'll be right back." He then turned right to pursue the two but noticed immediately that they had stopped and were already facing him. Both looked not surprised at who stood before them.

"Probably best you close that door, Midoriya-san," Aizawa stated.

Izuku nodded and did just that.

Toshinori stated, "I expected you had something to say."

The boy gave a short bow. "Uh, yes, sir. We haven't spoken since we were at the hospital together."

The former pro hero nodded before saying, "And I must apologize for that. There's been a lot I had to do since then. I left you to your family and friends to sort out the aftermath of everything. I even went on air and announced to the world the whole truth about me and you without your consent."

Midoriya was quick to raise his hands and proclaim, "Actually, I think that was for the best!"

Yagi didn't say anything, but his face indicated that he wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from his pupil.

Aizawa noticed the man's reaction and spoke up as he stepped to the wheelchair's side. "It would have been quite awkward and tiresome for Midoriya-san to explain his 'quirk' and his relation to you to everyone. However, one of the most trusted figures of the modern era did that for him." He then sighed. "All the while still keeping his more concerning secret, still a secret."

Izuku stepped forward to take his mentor's free hand. "And I greatly appreciate you didn't mention my waning power of One For All as well."

"I figured you would want to relay that to your friends yourself. Do they know now?"

Midoriya reeled back his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, not yet. Only Tooru-chan knows. I will tell the whole class this Saturday."

Yagi looked at Aizawa and then went back to his student. "I heard about your plan to pursue education. It suits you."

"Thanks, sir!"

"It will be interesting to see your journey to reach that goal. I look forward to assisting as much as I can and seeing as this unfolds." The man then looked back to the door. "Hmm, well, let's not worry your friends about your absence. We'll have more to talk about once I return as a teacher. Plus plenty of the faculty here wish to talk with me so I must be off. Good luck this Saturday!"

Izuku bowed again before Eraserhead started to wheel All Might away once more. The boy felt a huge weight from his shoulder's lift. One of his biggest detractors for his plan was if Toshinori didn't support it. He still would have gone ahead of it regardless, but it would have been a lot more difficult to know his idol didn't agree with his future.

Midoriya re-entered the room to see Yaoyorozu speaking with Hatsume, and the latter was writing on a notepad. Behind the vice class president was a line of his classmates: Ojiro, Uraraka, and Ida. Glad it looks to be working out so far, the boy thought.

Hagakure's voice came from the left. "Catching up with All Might-sensei?"

Izuku was startled and stepped back to see his girlfriend leaning against the wall beside the door. "Uh, you didn't hear any-."

Tooru interrupted, "As much as I would have loved to listen in, nah, I couldn't hear a thing. But now that you're asking, it does have me even more curious."

Midoriya sighed in relief. "You'll find out soon enough."

Hagakure said in a teasing tone, "I better!"

Hatsume said with surprise, "Oh, I didn't expect to see you two again so soon after last night." Her confusion then quickly turned to excitement. "Unless you two came up with upgrades you need me to work on!"

Neither asked for upgrades after the meeting. Izuku couldn't think of anything at the time, considering his predicament. Though he wasn't sure about Tooru, he answered, "Uh, no, nothing like that. We just wanted to visit. We agreed for Tuesday for me to come over, remember?"

Hagakure spoke up. "Let's be real, you didn't always show up each Tuesday."

"Yeah. Which is kind of why we are here." Midoriya took a deep breath before bowing. "Sorry, I didn't pitch you to become our club's mechanic sooner."

Mei shrugged. "You did tell them I 'worked' on Tooru-chan's suit. So that at least put me in good grace with Yaoyorozu-san, and that only grew as we worked on U.A.'s defenses together. Once she was on board, the rest seemed to accept my new position."

Ah, that must have been a conversation I missed while talking to the teachers outside the classroom, Izuku mused. "Still, I could have done more."

"Considering everything these last few months, it was probably for the best." Hatsume then patted her friend's back. "You didn't just come here to apologize, did you?"

Hagakure stated, "Actually, we came to tell you there's more to our club than the hero stuff. It's a circle of friends, and we think you should join it!"

Midoriya nodded to this.

Mei, however, looked puzzled. "By 'we,' do you mean everyone else or just you two?"

"Us two, but it's not like the others would disagree if we gave you our blessing," Tooru said as she put an arm around the other girl's shoulder.

The mechanic didn't look convinced.

"I mean, all we are asking now is that you join us for lunch when you can. We also have a group chat. We're not asking for anything big like an outing," Izuku explained.

"I approve of this, by the way," Power Loader yelled from the corner of the room.

Hatsume shouted back, "That's not the problem!" The girl then let out a sigh.

Midoriya asked, "Then what is?"

Mei walked over to her workbench and explained while having her back to the two. "I don't want to step on any toes. I might be on Yaoyorozu-san's good side, but that's about it. I don't recall Uraraka-san or Ida-san caring much for me, though I didn't bother back then. And I don't even know the other guy's name."

Tooru giggled before saying, "Oh, that wouldn't make him dislike you. That's just the way he is. He's Mashirao Ojiro, by the way."

Izuku argued, "Still, she feels like an outsider."

Hagakure shrugged. "We were all outsiders at some point. Remember when we invited Momo-chan? We barely knew each other at that point."

"Yeah, but she was essential in helping Tenya-kun and Ochako-chan before that, remember?"

Hatsume turned around to ask, "Help?"

Hagakure waved slightly before saying, "Oh uh, kinda a personal thing, but given time, we'll tell you."

Mei crossed her arms. "Well, anyway, there's also the fact that you are all couples. I would be the odd one out, wouldn't I?" Her eyes then squinted. "You're not asking me to find a partner as well are you?"

Tooru waved her right arm back and forth as she answered, "Of course not! As Izuku said, we are not asking you to accompany us on a group date or anything. It's not like we get all lovey-dovey in front of our friends anyhow; that's mostly private."

"At most, there might be a bit of flirting or peck or two," Izuku added.

"What's a peck in this context?"

"Like this!" Hagakure quickly kissed her boyfriend on the left cheek, emphasizing the sound of her smooch to get the point across. "See, nothing major."

Midoriya gave a slight blush and just sighed. He should have seen that coming.

Hatsume nodded with a hand placed on her chin. "I see. That was pretty subdued." She then let her hand down and cleared her throat. "Well, I still feel I need to gain everyone's trust more before joining your group on the social side of things." She then donned her goggles and stated with a wide grin, "And I can do that by upgrading everyone's stuff to such an amazing degree that they'll have to like me!" The girl then let out a laugh.

Izuku let his friend finish before asking, "Um, won't some upgrades take a bit?"

"Some are easy enough, but others are going to take months."

Tooru flailed her arms as she proclaimed, "That's too long! There's got to be a faster way." Suddenly, her arms stopped but stayed raised.

"Tooru-chan?"

Hagakure took a step forward and placed her arms on Hatsume's shoulders. "Sleepover."

The mechanic took off her goggles before stating, "Huh?"

"Join me and the other girls on a sleepover on my birthday next week! It's what got me to learn more about them well enough.."

Hatsume pointed to Midoriya. "Don't you want to spend your birthday with your boyfriend?"

Tooru patted her friend's right shoulder a few times as she said, "Not to worry. I only plan to spend an hour or so that evening with Izuku. I've got the rest of the night free!"

Mei looked at Izuku with a look of not knowing what to do.

"I don't know what she has planned for me, but if it's not too long, I can't see the harm."

"Yeah, but even if this does work out, that only gets the girls to accept me. What about the guys?"

Hagakure took her arms back and crossed them. "Hmm, good point." She turned to Midoriya. "Any ideas?"

Izuku took the time to think about it. He knew Ida didn't like Hatsume's behavior, though she had improved. How could he show that? Then there was Ojiro. He didn't know what his friend's feelings were on the matter. But there was something he knew about his tailed friend. "I'm not sure, but knowing Mashirao-kun, he's going to want to have a sleepover among the guys once he learns about your sleepover."

Tooru sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like something he would do. Maybe we should keep it down low so he doesn't turn it into a competition again."

Mei spoke up confidently. "I'll do it and let the boys have their sleepover, too! There's no need to keep secrets."

The couple was surprised to see their friend's sudden change. Midoriya asked, "But what about—?"

"Oh, it's simple. Once the girls get to know me and like me, they'll convince their boyfriends that I am welcome," Hatsume interrupted.

"Perfect! You two have your afternoon together doing whatever, while I will tell the girls!" Hagakure hugged both of them before departing.

Izuku turned to the mechanic and asked, "Are you sure the graces of the girls will convince the guys?"

"Not really. Ida-san seems like a stick in the mud, and I have no idea about Ojiro-san to comment; that was to just convince your girlfriend to go ahead with the plan." Mei proudly nodded and snickered to herself.

Midoriya let out a low groan. "Sounds like you got a plan of your own."

"Indeed, but it's best I keep you in the dark until the day of."

"That's not giving me much confidence in this plan, Mei-chan." Izuku didn't like the sound of this. However, he doubted he could get anything else from her about it.

"You worry too much. It will all work out," Hatsume said in a low voice. "Hey, so, have you shown my little baby to Tooru-chan yet?"

"Oh, uh, no. I'm waiting for her birthday."

"Those guys were right about you wanting to give it to her that day. Glad I made that long-lasting battery for it then."

"Hey, so." Izuku paused to consider what he was going to say. "This device, is it easy to replicate?"

Mei placed a hand on her friend's back, leading him to the back of the workshop. As they walked, she explained, "As long as I have Aoyama-san around, yes. Though he's gone now, so that's not an option. I didn't spend long trying to replicate his laser artificially, but the process at a glance looked even more complicated and expensive than producing your girlfriend's suit, so I didn't even bother. An artificial laser might not even be possible to replicate the same effects as a biological one."

"I see." A part of Midoriya was relieved that it was a difficult process. Wait, should he?

The two were now at the back of the workshop, and both stopped. Hatsume then spoke a bit louder. "Well, Aoyama-san said he wanted to return to Japan one day. Maybe then I'll have a studio of my own and can dedicate myself to such a tricky task. I would be honored to make a baby that could make Tooru-chan visible to all whenever she wanted."

"I'm not sure if that's something she even wants." Or what I want on that matter, Izuku mused.

Mei removed her arm from her friend. "Really?"

Midoriya leaned on the workbench as he responded. "Tooru-chan seemed a bit lost on how to feel about it. A part of her was okay with never knowing what she looked like, and now all this happens. She never told me of Transparency glitching out while fighting that day. So I think that feeling still exists."

Hatsume pulled at her shirt collar as she asked, "Uh, does that mean my baby will complicate things?"

"No, I thought of a way that, I think, even she wouldn't refuse to accept it. But I am going to give Tooru-chan the choice." Izuku looked at his friend. "Sorry if she does refuse both my offers and we don't use the device."

"Well, it's the thought that counts. Besides, it was a fun challenge. I appreciate it regardless."

"Thanks so much for understanding Mei-chan. This device of yours is brilliant. I just hope it helps with her birthday being better than her last one."

Mei tilted her head, "That's a tall order, considering she confessed to you that day."

Izuku sighed. "Yeah, I am well aware." As much as he was curious what Tooru had in store for him, he was hedging his bets that the mechanic's gift would make his hope a reality.

Midoriya looked down at his notebook one last time. The title Cubicity, he read in his mind, steeling himself for what was about to happen. He then looked back up to his entire class. Most looked confused, and others were concerned.

They had the right to be.

It was Saturday, and at the end of homeroom that morning, he announced to the class that he wished to tell them something important after dinner. Izuku avoided going to lunch and dinner to make eating with his friends awkward. He instead ate a packed meal in both cases. But now was the time to confront everyone about this.

They were in the dorm common room. Couches and chairs had been moved to accommodate more people, but some were still sitting on the carpet or standing behind the couches.

"To start, I'm sorry I waited this long to tell you everything I am about to say. It required me to make heavy decisions about my life, and I took time to consider all that meant. I also needed to seek Aizawa-sensei for advice, and then I had to take in everything he told me." Izuku then confidently stated, "But I am ready now."

This definitely intrigued most of his classmates, judging by their faces. Midoriya just wished he knew what Hagakure would be feeling.

"When I fought Shigaraki-san on that final day of battle, he stole Danger Sense from me. As the fighting continued, our minds started to meld together. I started to see memories of him working with his comrades, and he started to sense the rest of the visages inside me. Eventually, the remaining visages and I decided we were no match for him after he had powered up, and our only hope was to damage his soul by sacrificing my quirks by willingly transferring them over."

Izuku paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "All the visages, minus All Might's mentor, were taken for me to get through to Shigaraki-san. Through it the floodgates of his memories were opened. I learned why he turned out the way he was. Just being a puppet of All For One since the beginning. A sick revenge on the seventh user and to create a new vessel for himself. Even then, the seventh user stayed behind with her grandson after I was flung back into the real world."

It took a moment for the boy to hold back his tears. "In essence, with all the visages gone, my quirk is just embers now. Like All Might-sensei after transferring it to me, I will eventually be quirkless once again."

Silence.

Izuku looked down at the floor now, too scared to see their reactions as he waited for some response.

Minoru was the first to say anything. He stood up and yelled, "How the hell is that fair?! You did so much, and now you're just going to be a normal guy?!"

Shoto asked, "What power do you still have left, then?"

Denki followed up with, "Embers? All Might-sensei still had some strength for a time after he transferred his power to you, right?! So not all is lost?"

Koji asked, "You're not leaving U.A., are you?"

Mina shouted, "Wait, shouldn't Eri-chan be able to fix this!?"

Suddenly, the whole class seemed to erupt in questions and statements at the same time. Midoriya was paralyzed by what to do. He didn't expect this much hysteria.

"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!"

The talking ceased.

It was Bakugo. He was standing with his free hand clutching his chest. The other was still bandaged and in a sling.

Kirishima and Kaminari were quick to be at his side and talk, respectively.

"Hey man, don't work yourself up too much."

"Just calm down. Don't want to over-exert yourself."

Katsuki exhaled loudly through his nose a few times and said softly, "I know, I won't shout anymore." He then addressed everyone in a much calmer voice. "Let him finish talking before bombarding him with dumb questions I bet he will address." As he sat down, he said, "You are all freaking him out."

Izuku sighed in relief. "Thanks Kaachan." He took a moment for everyone to sit back down and to collect himself.

"I seem to have only retained some strength and speed from One for All. Everything else is gone. Danger Sense was the only quirk to not be sacrificed, but that died alongside Shigaraki. All Might-sensei was uncertain how long I would have until it peters out. He was not physically well, so that might have hastened its degradation in his case. There's also no telling how transferring parts of it versus the whole thing at once like he did might change that decay rate."

The boy glanced at Mina before saying, "Eri-chan also isn't an option to recover One For All. Yes, she can restore a standard quirk, but mine is complicated. It stores power, and that power is the visages that no longer exist. It might restore it to its original form, the one held by All For One's brother, but I don't want to start that cycle again. It was already becoming unruly by the fourth user's transfer. Requiring a quirkless host that could still destroy their body eventually is not something I want to pass along. I'm okay with it fading away." This topic dominated the bulk of what he and All Might discussed while they were in the hospital together.

Midoriya looked at Koda. "I am not leaving this school. I will use what power I have left to finish my education here and get my Pro Hero license. That dream I can still manage. If I use it only when necessary, the hope is that it lasts until then. It's impossible though for it to last any reasonable time into a possible hero career for myself however."

Izuku then laid eyes upon Minrou. Who was still standing, fighting back tears. "I know it's hard to understand that despite everything I did, I will lose the one thing I had always dreamed of having. However, I did get to live that dream for some time. My idol recognized my resolve, and I got to train with him at the number-one hero academy in the country. I got to meet all of you as well." He then walked on over and held out a hand. "I also got to meet and learn to love you, Tooru-chan."

Tooru let out a sniff and then lept up to embrace her boyfriend. They hugged for a moment. A nice strong bear hug. He then led the girl back to his original position. She stood to his left and continued to hold his hand.

"It doesn't end there, though. I want to become a teacher here in the U.A., a homeroom teacher like Aizawa-sensei."

Midoriya held up his notebook.

"You all worked together to rescue me using stuff from here. Many others have also come to me for guidance this last year, whether school-related or not. It made me realize I can use this. I want to use this last year I spent with all of you as a way to teach the next generation. So that another tragedy like Shigaraki-san, who was abandoned by our hero system, or Toga-san, who was demonized because of her quirk, or Spinner, who was hated because of his looks and mutant quirk, or Gentle Criminal who was victim of how our society treat rejected potential heroes, doesn't happen again. I know I won't be able to change everyone but even if I just start the process, get them to realize to change everything for the better, then it will be a worthwhile endeavour."

Izuku turned to his left. "Can you hold this?" He handed the notebook to Tooru, who held it with her free hand.

"Aizawa-sensei gave me some advice on how to achieve this. First, I need to go to college and specialize in something to teach here besides just being a homeroom teacher. I went over all the possible subjects but it quickly became apparent which to go with. I am choosing to have a degree in hero history, like Midnight-sensei. I've already self-taught myself a lot of the subject and feel I can excel at it to the point of becoming worthwhile to teach at a school like this."

"And for the next piece, I require all your help."

The statement surprised the crowd.

"I can't be a pro hero. I can't experience what it is like to live that life every day. Our internships are just a flash of that lifestyle. I can't teach about that if I never was a part of it. I need to see it from your eyes. Once you all become pros, I want to interview you as I go through college. It doesn't matter if you are popular or not. On a team or not. Do dangerous tasks or help little old ladies across the road."

The last statement got a few chuckles.

"It's all vital info I require to know if I am allowed to teach." Midoriya closed his eyes and let the info sink in momentarily before opening them and speaking again. "This is a lot to ask, and I will hold no hard feelings if you need to focus on your careers. But I'll take whatever you can give me, no matter how small or insignificant you might feel it is."

Again silence, with a few murmurs.

"Dumbass." It was Bakugo again. He stood up and looked around the room with one of his hands raised. "How would any of us reject that request? We all risked our hides to drag your ass back here in April. We did it again to take down All For One and his goons. So, sitting down to talk with you every once in a while once we are pros? Easy ask." He then said a bit louder. "Right?"

"RIGHT!?"

From there, everyone stood up and approached Izuku to voice their support. It didn't take long for the tears to flow. He figured his classmates and friends would accept his plea, but he had to be sure. His self-doubts were still quite strong at times, but to hear all of them unwaveringly accept his new dream? It broke him, and his knees started to buckle.

But at his side, Tooru held him up to accept all their praise. "Still a crybaby even after all this support? That's the Izuku we know and love."

Midoriya looked up at the ceiling and let out an exhaustive sigh.

It was Sunday evening. The last few hours had been the first time he had had to himself all day. Even late into yesterday, all of his classmates wanted to talk with him. All the attention had finally gotten to him, and he retired to his room. All this time, he just lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what they discussed. However, when he ran it back, one person didn't interact with him much.

Ida.

His class president wanted to know what was happening more than anyone else except Hagakure. So why the silence? Was he satisfied enough with yesterday's speech? Maybe it was something they could discuss before class tomorrow, the boy pondered.

Izuku's thoughts came to a halt as he heard a knock coming from his door. He sat up somewhat before saying, "You can come in."

The door opened, revealing Tenya, the guy in question. However, he was wearing his blue and white striped pajamas, nightcap included. "Sorry for the late visit. I actually turned in early but couldn't sleep because I wanted to talk with you."

Midoirya scooted to the side of his bed and was fully seated now. He gestured to his desk and said, "I was just thinking about you."

Ida sat down on the chair at his desk and spun it towards his host. "About what?"

"That we haven't talked since I gave my speech."

The class president nodded. "Well, everyone else wanted to speak with you, so I let them have their time. I figured we would get a chance later, but this urge inside of me got the best of me, and I wish to address it now."

Izuku gulped. "Were you displeased with my answer?"

Tenya shook his head. "You took your time figuring things out and thought up a fantastic response to your predicament. Whatever concerns I had were rectified yesterday. I'm sorry I doubted you as I waited for your response to my concerns last month."

"Then what is this urge you spoke of?"

"My duties as the class president."

"Hmm?"

"I took the position lightly for most of last year. I only started to take it seriously after you left to try and solve Japan's plight on your own."

Midoriya still didn't understand. "If anyone took their position on the student council seriously, it was you, Tenya-kun."

"The technical side of things? Sure. However, I also need to tend to the needs of the individuals, even those outside school. Their mental health. That's what I lacked before. I found out that you addressed Shoto-kun's worries after his father fought that high-end Nomu. It made me realize that's something I should aspire to do, for everyone. That's why, since you ran away, I have been checking in on our classmates, for example, Shoto-kun, about his family and Katsuki-kun, with his heart condition, as well as needing physical therapy. I left you to your own devices because you had Tooru-chan to rely on, but yesterday, I realized you are going through even more than I could imagine."

"So, you want to check on me every once in a while?"

"In essence. Hanging out and making sure everything is okay."

"What about yourself?"

Ida smirked. "I am well aware that if I am having issues, then that compromises my ability to be helpful. My little fit after Stain's capture doesn't escape me. In such an event, just as in that instance, Momo-chan would step in. She's aware of what I am doing, and I update her as appropriate. She even handles people if I am too busy with others. For example, she took on the task of watching out for Mina-chan in April."

Now that Izuku thought about it, they rarely hang out alone as of late. It was always with the others around. He missed the heart-to-heart advice his friend would give as he did early on in their first year. "I wouldn't mind Tenya-kun. You could have just asked to hang out without telling me why."

"I just want to have my intentions known. Back in April, I mainly focused on Shoto-kun and Katsuki-kun. In their own way, both eventually grew suspicious about all my visits. Of course, everything was cleared up once I explained myself to them. So, hence me telling you this now."

"I see. Well, I appreciate the effort."

"Good. Tonight, we can have a brief chat, but going forward, if you are willing, we can meet in my room or elsewhere to do something. If you wish to keep it to just talking, that can work, too. I want this to be comfortable for you, not awkward, despite what the subject matter might be."

"Sounds good enough for me to meet at your room, at least for a start."

"Then that's where we will go. So, considering yesterday, how are you feeling?"

Midoriya lay back on his bed. "Tired but good. It's been nice to have all this attention, but by dinner, I had my fill of it."

"Looks like me waiting to seek out was for the best. And Tooru-chan is taking it well?"

"Yeah, but I still feel bad. We had promised to be a part of the team as pros last year, and now that's all up in smoke. I am sure Tooru-chan would still want anything in the world for that to happen."

Izuku didn't hear anything back from his friend and leaned forward to see what was happening.

Tenya was writing in a small flip book.

"Um, Tenya-kun?"

"Sorry, just taking notes. Nothing serious."

"Uh, okay." Is this what it was like to have someone take notes on you? Is this something he did all the time? Midoriya didn't know what to feel about that. Trying to change the subject, he instead asked, "Everything okay with Ochako-chan?"

Ida put aside his flip book. "Until this week, I wasn't sure, but I think the therapist is helping. Even if they have only met once so far, only time will really tell."

"Sorry to bring it up then." It made sense that she wouldn't magically be better quickly.

"It's alright. There was only so much I could do. I'm really glad Aizawa-sensei approved of the professional help."

So he doesn't know about Present Mic being the one. A talk for later, considering he wanted to make this brief, Izuku mused.

Tenya spoke up once more. "What do you think about the addition of Hatsume-san?"

"Well, you know I am good friends with her. It's been something she wanted to do for a while. I'm more concerned about what you think."

Ida crossed his arms. "I am not a fan, but considering how half our group has befriended her at this point, I might as well give her a chance."

"That's all I can ask from you, Tenya-kun." Midoriya hoped whatever Hatsume had in mind to win the guy's trust would bridge this gap between them. He had told both his male friends about the sleepover on Wednesday, which both accepted. Ida was happy to host it in his room.

Tenya stood up and pocketed his flipbook. "Well, it's late as is, and I am finally starting to feel sleepy, so I won't keep you any longer."

Izuku got up to get the door for his guest. Just as he opened it, however, a sound came.

Meow.

Tenya looked to his right. Was that a cat? From Shinso-kun's room?

Izuku quickly said, "Oh, um, he's a cat lover, like Aizawa-san. I see him watching cat videos on his phone all the time. I bet that's what he's doing now." This was not the time for Hitoshi's secret to be outed.

"He likes cats? He never mentioned that before, but I haven't been able to talk to him outside of schoolwork."

"I am his neighbor, so we have talked here and there. I know he has two cats at home with his parents for example."

Ida nodded as he placed a hand on his chin. "I see. That's good to know for future reference." He turned to Midoriya and said, "Thanks for letting me know everything's alright. Goodnight, Izuku-kun."

"Night, Tenya-kun."

After closing his door, Midoriya took a deep sigh of relief. I can't believe I used Shinso's excuse to cover for the cats, he thought. I may need to get his phone number and text him when I have company over next time to warn him. It also made Izuku wonder if Fumikage had caught on to Hitoshi's pets at this point. He could understand why Tenya had not; the floor above would hide sound better than a wall. Either way, this wasn't important, as he figured his roommate would be asleep by now.

Midoriya turned off his light and lay in bed once more, this time pulling up the covers. As he drifted into sleep, his mind was only focused on one thing: Tooru's birthday.

Izuku sighed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Sure, whatever plan Tooru had didn't happen. Sure, she didn't get her sleepover, which also meant neither did the guys. Hagakure had a backup plan, so it wasn't all lost, right? It was hard to tell her exact feelings on the change via text.

Today was another day of helping with relief efforts. In particular, their tasks included helping rebuild a shelter for the homeless, running a food drive, and partnering with a local food bank to feed the locals. It took a lot longer than planned, even with class 2B joining with the day's efforts. They were supposed to be back by dinner, but at this point, it would be midnight in about an hour. They had only come back on campus a little over half an hour ago.

Midoriya didn't even get the opportunity to talk to his girlfriend as they traveled back in different buses, so they talked on the phone.

The boy laid back in his bed in his darkened room. The only thing on was the lamp by his desk. At this point, all he could do was wait for her.

It wasn't long before his door opened and was slowly and silently closed. However, Izuku was surprised by what he saw. Tooru was wearing pajamas. At first, he could only see they were black and white. As she walked into the lamp's light, he realized what it was. It was panda pajamas! The legs and arms were black, with her chest being white. It even had a little black ball for a tail. The clothing also had a hoodie, which was currently down and featured a panda's face with ears and eyes.

Midoriya expected to see nothing like the last time Hagakure came over to sleep over. Not this. In a hushed tone, he stated, "That sleepwear is adorable on you, Tooru."

"Thanks. It was what I planned to show off to the girls at our sleepover, but that's not happening tonight now." Even when quiet, her response at the end had a disappointed tone.

Izuku sat up on the side of his bed and said, "I'm sorry things didn't turn out as you planned."

"Oh hush, we had no control over how long things took. Besides, we were helping all those people, so I can't be mad about it. If I am angry about anything, it is that I have to push the sleepover with Mei-chan to Saturday, to prevent something like this from happening again. Plus, I can still spend the night here. So, not a total loss." The girl gave her boyfriend a tight squeeze around the waist. "I really do miss spending the night with you."

"Yeah, but we couldn't do your initial plan."

Tooru sighed. "I was looking forward to it."

"Uh, what did you want us to do anyhow?"

"Oh, right. You should have this back." The girl stopped her embrace and reached into her pocket to take out something dark green, which she immediately dropped in the boy's lap.

It took a moment, but Midoriya realized what it was. "Why did you have my swim trunks!?"

Hagakure got up to turn off the desk lamp. "I wanted us to go to the indoor pool and swim together, like we did on your last birthday. And for it to be a surprise, I needed these beforehand. If I told you to bring them, it would have given it away. That or you would have refused to sneak in."

"Sneak in?!" Midoriya figured she meant the hero training pools. As the gym pools were open year-round. It wasn't locked, but no one used it when the weather was warmer.

Tooru walked back over and sat to her boyfriend's right. "Well, it's not exactly open this time of year, and we would get caught if we used the outdoor pool."

"When did you steal these?"

"Remember I was late for dinner yesterday?"

Izuku sighed as he put a hand to his face. Luckily, he kept his swim trunks in the bottom drawer, away from his boxers. But then again, he was currently just wearing a T-shirt and his boxers, so did it even matter?

"Oh, come on, it would have been fun! I even had a new swimsuit to show off to you."

"This sounds more like a present for my birthday than yours."

Hagakure giggled. "Perhaps, but it was something I wanted to do. Teasing you is just a bonus. And if you happen to 'like' said bonus, what is there for me to say?"

Midoriya couldn't argue that it did sound fun, even if it was against the rules. He also almost wanted to ask what her swimsuit looked like but decided it would be best to keep that a surprise for later. It also made him wonder if this was what she had in store for his birthday. The thought made him go into a deep blush.

"Even in the dark, I can tell you are flustered, " Tooru said, poking the boy in the side.

"Sorry, you are natural at doing it to me, I can't help but respond this way."

"The best!" Hagakure quickly grabbed her boyfriend and pulled him down on the bed.

As she snuggled up with her boyfriend, Midoriya asked, "So why the pajamas? Didn't you want to stay hidden in your late night visits to me?"

"Didn't care to bother this time."

"Oh." Izuku guessed she was fed up with all the change of plans to care.

"Besides, I don't think anyone will think I want to do anything naughty with you while wearing this." Tooru stated before giving a soft chuckle.

Midoriya could feel his cheeks burn once more. Not that it would stop her if she really wanted, he pondered.

Hagakure said straight into his ear, "Sounds like you wanted me to see me wear one of your shirts and be braless again."

"N-No. I was just surprised to see you came with clothes considering all your previous visits." Izuku knew he was lying through his teeth but he wouldn't admit it now as they were embraced as they were.

"Suuuuure." The girl then backed away and sat up.

The boy noticed her pajamas' arms go limp and looked flat. "What are you doing?"

"Taking off my bra."

"Y-You don't have to try and emulate our last sleepover to p-please me."

"Uh, sleeping in a bra is uncomfortable. Most girls sleep braless."

"Wait, really?"

"Skin needs to breathe. Besides, it wears them down faster if you move a lot in your sleep."

Midoriya never even considered this. However, before he could ponder further, his girlfriend's arms returned to the pajama's arms, the right arm holding the discarded blue bra.

There was silence. Izuku guessed Tooru had a nice big smirk at the moment.

Eventually, the girl asked, "Enjoying the view?"

Not looking away, Midoriya answered, "I'm more wondering why you are showing it to me."

"I figured it's okay. You've seen them before, especially from the back. And besides, you've shown me your boxers, so it felt fair."

Izuku gulped as he leaned forward a bit to get a better look. "Are they a c-certain type?"

Tooru grasped the bra with both hands and stretched it a bit as she explained, "T-shirt bra. They hide well under my clothing and rarely dig into my skin. Most of my bras are this kind."

The boy cleared his throat. "And the others?"

"A couple sport bras, a single strapless, and a special one."

Midoriya recalled the strapless one during his first visit to her house. However, the last one? "S-Special?"

"For another day. Not important now." Hagakure then giggled. "It's just like you to ask the specifics of bras instead of what most boys would want."

"Uh, and what would that be?"

"To ask to touch it."

"T-That's an option?!"

"Nope." Tooru tossed it aside. It landed on the boy's lamp by the bed, which prompted another chuckle to escape her lips.

All this teasing is going to be the end of me, the teen thought. After taking a few breaths to calm down, to change the subject, Izuku asked, "And you are positive this is a suitable substitute for your birthday? I feel it's extra special considering it also doubles as our anniversary and all."

"Izuku-kun, why do you think I have all my plushies?"

Midoriya was baffled at the context of this question. Still after a moment to ponder, he just figured she liked cute things but after giving a bit more time to mull over, he eventually answered, "It gives you something to snuggle."

"And what does spending the night with you entail?"

This time, Midoriya didn't need to think of a response. "You get to snuggle your most favorite person all night?"

"Exactly. Now you are not as fluffy as they are but you are most definitely more warm."

"N-Nice to know."

"So even if we have done this before, I immensely enjoy it. It's a proper back-up plan for me considering the circumstances. Now let's get situated in bed to sleep."

In a slightly raised voice, Midoriya stated, "Wait, I still have a present for you!"

"Shush, we don't want to wake the others."

"Uh, right." The two parted, and Izuku stood up to get off the bed. He walked over to his desk, being sure to not look at her bra hanging on his lamp, to pull out the vial. After staring at it for a moment, he took a deep breath, and turned around to take a few steps forward. "This is for you."

By now, Tooru had stood back up on the bed and took it. She inspected it for a short while. Even now, it was still giving off a faint blue glow with white sparkles. "This. This is from Yuga-kun. Isn't it?"

"What's inside? Yeah, but the device was made by Mei-chan. They worked tirelessly to make this happen before Yuga-kun left for France. Even Minrou-kun pitched in."

"Huh? Why him?"

"It was his idea to begin with."

Hagakure groaned. "So he did see me that day Yuga-kun announced his departure. Didn't he?"

Midoriya nodded.

"Which also means Yuga-kun told you what happened the day of the last battle."

Taking the girl's free hand, Izuku asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

It took some time to respond, but eventually, Tooru said, "I'm still not sure how I should feel about all this. I knew if I told you, you would push me to 'solve' my problem."

Midoriya figured it would be a complicated reason, but not like this. "Hmm." Now, it was his turn to take a while to come up with a response. But eventually something came to mind. "If it means anything, I am not giving this to you to solve anything. In fact, I was hesitant to give this to you because I didn't know how you would feel about it. It was more because I didn't want all that work put into it to go to waste."

Hagakure put the vial aside to her left and laid back on the bed. She pulled her hoodie up with her free hand and said, "So this was made without you knowing?"

Izuku joined her before saying, "Yeah. I found out about its existence as Yuga-kun gave it to me the morning before he left." He turned his face towards her to say, "You know they all meant well. Right?"

"Of course." Tooru then picked up the vial again and held it up. "So. How does it work?"

"Hold it towards you while removing the cap; it should make you visible for about five minutes."

With little joy in her voice, Hagakure responded, "I see."

"You don't have to use it if you don't want to. I wouldn't judge you at all if you did. Mei-chan even said she wouldn't have hard feelings about it. Yuga-kun can't really know the outcome because he's no longer here. And Minoru-kun, well, we don't have to tell him."

Tooru placed the device on her chest. "I know, but it's like you said, I still don't want to waste the others' effort."

Well, time to deploy the trump card, Izuku mused. "Can I suggest something then?"

"Go ahead."

Midoriya got up on his knees and placed both his hands to cup Tooru's free hand. "I've seen your face. Briefly, but I've seen it and that's enough for me considering how you feel about the whole situation. This gift shouldn't be used between us knowing that. I think you should use it while your parents are around."

"My parents..."

"They knew what you looked like before you became invisible. However, that was over a decade ago. I've only known you for about a year and a half. If anyone would want to see their daughter again, as nearly a woman, it would be them."

Hagakure stood up on her knees as well, now with both her hands clasped to her boyfriend's. "You can come and see it, too. They wouldn't mind. I-I wouldn't mind."

Izuku gulped. Even she sounded unsure about his involvement. He took a moment before saying, "If I did, I'm sure that would make me rethink this whole invisible versus visible thing you are going through. I want to respect your choice in this, but I feel that would influence me. I feel satisfied as I know you now, and I'm not just saying that to make you happy. I mean it."

Tooru then leaned forward and kissed the boy on the lips—a quick and simple one. She leaned back and let go of his hands. She was sitting on the bed again. "Actions like these are a constant reminder that you're too good for me."

"The feeling is mutual despite what you think," Midoriya stated as he sat back down.

Hagakure let out a weak chuckle. She was on the verge of tears. "Guess I'll have to postpone the sleepover another weekend to visit my folks." She reached back to grab the vial. After a few sniffs, she stated, "I'm sure this will blow their minds."

After embracing her, Izuku said, "I can't wait to hear about it."

Quite a bit late, but... happy new year!

And Valentine's Day!

I forgot to mention the last chapter, I entered a Lunar New Year event on the Camp Kacchako discord. I worked with an artist, CherryChocoalate on Blue Sky, to write a one-shot. I wrote and they drew something for it (2 images actually.) It was released on January 28th and is my longest oneshot to date, nearly 10k! It's called "A More Prosperous Year."

So that was one reason for the delay. The second is that both my editors have been busy as of late with stuff and haven't been able to look over much of my work since early/mid January. Life happens and I understand. I waited but it's been quite some time so I am releasing this unedited. Expect more errors than usual. Once they get around to it I will of course update it. Thank you for understanding.

DailyKrumbs came through and the MashMomo commission was finished on January 12th and was posted on my Blue Sky. It was a huge hit on the BokuNoMetaAcademia subreddit, hitting 7k+ likes. Crazy! I also have commissioned them again to work on a KodaJiro piece, though it will be quite some time until that is finished. There is a new IzuTooru commission in the works being done by SaiSaixchan that should most definitely be done before the next chapter releases. This artist was the one that made my current pfp/avatar back in 2020 and I am hyped to work with them once more!

So, Mei is invited to the group in the first two scenes. While not official yet, it's still a milestone. We haven't seen a "Enter the..." chapter since Momo was brought in chapter 7. She will add more chaos to the group, which I am all for. It also means Baby Prime, by proxy, will be around, even if he wasn't featured in this chapter. Despite the delay, you won't have to wait long for the double sleepover, as it will cap off chapter 54.

The third scene is the most one-sided Izuku dialogue-heavy scene I've ever written. The boy needed to explain himself, even if we knew most of what he would say. The reveal of him only having embers left of his quirk after comforting Ochako in canon felt just rushed / not a big deal. I wanted it to be the biggest deal and to tie in how he wants to become a teacher with his friends/classmates' involvement. This also shows that Midoriya will not feel lonely as he pursues his teaching career as he did in canon and gives me the stuff to work with once this fic reaches that part of the timeline. It's very far from now, but there's nothing wrong with setting it up early on. And yes, that final sentence with Tooru is a call back to the end of chapter 10, after her boyfriend cries after being confessed to and accepted. ;p

Could I have ended the chapter after that? Sure, but it would have been way too short! This next scene lets us see the aftermath of the reveal and what Ida's been doing in the background and will continue to do. That boi is the class dad. Either way, the two haven't had any scenes together for quite some time. This gives an excuse to do that!

And finally, Tooru's birthday. It was a bit bittersweet, but it was the natural reaction these two would have if given such an opportunity. Sure, it has callbacks all the way back to chapter ten here and there, but I didn't want it to be a repeat of it. So why not make it all crash and burn? :3 But considering how busy they have been, it being a school night, and having to fit in the device plot, a simple staying the night accomplished this well enough. There's always next year. :)

The last two chapters covered only a week each. Going forward, they will span multiple weeks/a month. I have detailed outlines going all the way to December (chapter 59) at the moment. Everything beyond that is just simple notes, bullet points, and ideas. I can tell you for sure that chapter 53 will be quite beefy in content (7-8 scenes it's looking to be?) as I want it to end with Izuku's 17th birthday!

However before I touch chapter 53, I am 100% finishing the general fic update I promised two chapters ago. I've only worked on it here and there since I have been busy with everything else. KodaJiro 4 will be ready this weekend (longest short story chapter, over 6k!) and then I am spending the rest of February on the update. Then chapter 53 will come probably late March. See you then!