Ch. 9: Another Word For Prison
One week after the robotic massacre that U.A. called an entrance exam, Izuku laid in his bed and stared at the white ceiling of his bedroom with anxiety filling his body. Though it was about time for him to go to sleep, Bio Scanner was tuned to sense anyone and everyone near him. He was waiting for the police to bust down the doors, crash through the windows, explode out of the floor and smash down from the ceiling. The wait was killing him as he couldn't tell what was about to happen.
'From my own estimates… I don't think I passed the written test. Nezu's help was great and all but there was a lot I wasn't sure about. It's funny in a way. The only thing I'm sure I passed is probably the part everyone else was soiling their pants over,' Izuku looked over the readings of Bio Scanner again, 'I don't sense anything suspicious but we're on the fourth floor so for all I know, they could be out there right now.' Izuku got up from his bed and left his room. His mom was sitting on the couch, reading a book.
"Mom, I'm gonna be just outside for a bit," Inko jumped a little in surprise before turning over her shoulder.
"Oh, lord…" she said as she placed a hand over her startled heart, "Okay, but remember not to go too far," she said with a motherly smile before turning back to her book. Izuku could tell that she trusted him to not do something foolish which was a nice feeling. He exited out the door and placed his hands on the railing overlooking the parking lot and looked down. There wasn't a fleet of police cars so that was reassuring. Though, knowing the people he did, they would probably try to take him in a small-scale operation. Or just send Aizawa to kick his ass into the ground. That would probably be the most efficient way to take him in since it worked last time. He looked up towards the sky and wondered how his friends were handling things. While it's true they all have their futures on the line with the test, he, very literally, had everything on the line. He fails and that would be it. Getting a job as a convict is almost impossible, so he'd have very little options to make an honest living. He'd be thrown into a correctional facility and after that, he'd be a social outcast and have nothing left. He'd lose his friends as heroes associating with "scum" like him would hurt them, his family would lose respectability for "raising a criminal" despite it never being their fault and Eri… How would Eri take it? He could tell that she adores him but to find out that she can't see him again would break her heart.
Izuku sat down next to the railing as he realized the gravity of the situation he was in. He was so distracted by getting ready for the test that he never even thought about what happened after the test. There was no Plan B. Everything was riding on test results he wasn't even close to confident in and it was driving him nuts with worry.
"Well, what are you doing out at this time of night?" Izuku jumped up in shock and surprise and assumed a stance to defend himself before he realized who he was facing, "Hehe, that's quite a hello, Midoriya," Detective Tsukauchi remarked with a chuckle. Aizawa followed up the stairs behind him, looking as tired and bored as ever, "You must not be used to being snuck up on."
Izuku took a second to realize that he turned Bio Scanner off. Aizawa then pulled out his phone and showed what looked like a GPS screen. He looked down at his tracker anklet and remembered what Aizawa told him.
'They were monitoring my quirk usage so that the second Bio Scanner went off, they could surprise me,' he looked at Aizawa with a knowing smirk. "Didn't think you had a sense of humor, Teach," Aizawa's mouth was covered by his scarf but Izuku could still see the faintest of smiles.
"I've been told I have an odd one," he said as he pointed to the door, "In any case, let's take this inside. It's like eight below out here and the heater was busted," Izuku nodded with an amused smile and let the two men inside. Inko looked over her shoulder and got her second surprise of the night.
"Detective, Aizawa, I thought the probation meeting was tomorrow," Inko's worried voice carried through the room as she led the two to the dining room table.
"Oh, it was, but we have business with Midoriya tonight so we decided to move it forward a little," Tsukauchi took off his hat as he sat down with Aizawa taking a seat next to him. Opposite him was the Midoriyas as they looked on with confusion and anxiety.
"What about?" Izuku asked.
"You forget already?" Aizawa asked as he pulled an envelope from his pocket and lightly threw it to land in front of the boy. It was addressed to him. He picked it up and turned it over to see the seal of U.A. on the other side. "Your test results are in and we decided to deliver them in person."
"So, I failed and now you're here to take me into custody?"
"Who knows," Aizawa said with a creepy smile, "You'll just have to find out," Tsukauchi pulled out a set of handcuffs and placed them on the table with a smile of his own. Izuku warped the envelope to his other hand to extract the paper and… a metal disc? As it landed on the table, it shot out a beam of light.
"BOOYAH! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION NOW!" All Might's billowing voice erupted from the disk as a hologram of a screen appeared, with his face taking up about 90% of it.
"Wha-All Might?!" Izuku squeaked out as he dropped the envelope he was holding. "Why is he in this?!" Tsukauchi had to stifle a laugh from watching Izuku's reaction.
"Greetings, young man! I hope you've been well since the last time we've talked a few weeks ago but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork! You see, I am here not just as the Number One Hero and an alumnus of U.A. High. NO, I am here as its newest faculty member!"
'All Might… Teaching at U.A…. The chance to learn from the greatest hero…' Izuku's fanboying brain was barely able to process anything else as a hand appeared out of the corner of the screen. Aizawa could only roll his eyes at the recording while Tsukauchi just covered his mouth with his hand, a bit embarrassed by his friend's antics. Inko, meanwhile, just stared on as she tried to wrap her head around everything.
"What's that?" All Might asked the man off-screen, "Who's showboating? Sorry, I'll wrap it up but I have to show him something first…" All Might's face then fell at what he was told, "Wait, I have to do how many of these things? Uh…" He shrugged before placing his palm towards the screen, "Right! Moving on! Ahem. You just managed to pass the written test, finishing just a little above the cut off. Congratulations on that but it was only half the test for you! In the practical exam, you managed to finish with a final Villain Point count of 52! An impressive feat to be sure and good enough for you to score in 13th place, meaning that you, Izuku Midoriya, have passed the entrance exam!" Izuku let all the air in his lungs out in a wheezing sigh as his mother hugged him.
"Oh, my baby! I knew you could do it!" Inko said with tears flowing out, matching her son's own leaking eyes.
"HOWEVER!" All Might's voice boomed as he continued, surprising both of the Midoriyas. They braced themselves for the worst, "There was another factor involved with the exam! But first, a short video of the test!" All Might pointed a remote to a TV beside him and pressed play. On the screen, footage of Izuku running to help Iida played, showing him warping Iida out of harm's way before the robot smashed the area where they had been. "There's more to being a hero than just fighting villains. It's our duty to protect those around us as well. That, more than anything, is what makes someone a hero. And that is what my alma mater is all about: Training those who would work to save the lives of everyone around them. So, we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches and awards points for heroic actions!" The screen shifted to show Izuku's score, "Izuku Midoriya: 51 Rescue Points!" Izuku's eyes widened at the sight, seeing where his name was but having trouble really believing it. "You not only passed the exam, but you now share the claim of first place with a total of 103 points! Congratulations and welcome, Izuku," All Might held out his hand, as if for Izuku to take it, "You're now part of the hero academia!"
Izuku's face widened with a smile as he said thanks to the projection of All Might before he realized something. "Wait, I 'share the claim of first place'?"
"Yep, it's been a while since it last happened on record but you and one other entrant both scored the exact same amount of points in first place…"
"You passed the written test and scored a total of 43 Villain Points on the exam," Ochako sat with her mother and father on the floor, looking at the All Might hologram with anxiety, "With such a score, you'd get about 19th overall, good enough to pass." The Urarakas all let out a sigh of relief at the news.
"I'm so proud of you, dear," her father said with a hug, with her mother joining too.
"We both are," Ochako could feel tears welling up but All Might interrupted them.
"Though that's if we only took in your Villain score. For you see, we don't grade our entrance exam on combat alone. See for yourself!" All Might played the clip of Uraraka stopping the zero-pointer, making sure to get all the people she saved in the shot. It even showed her falling to the ground, vomiting and useless on the ground, shocking the two adults in the room and embarrassing Ochako, "Heroes are always risking their lives to save others, no matter the consequences to themselves. That is the true test of a hero! And that's what U.A. is all about, Young Uraraka: We train those who risk their lives for the greater good. Which is why we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches the test and awards points for the heroic act of the examinees! Ochako Uraraka: 60 Rescue Points!" Ochako's jaw hit the floor as she saw her total and the 1st next to her name, "You passed the exam with a total of 103 points, tying with one other. Congratulations!" He also held out his hand for her, "Welcome, Ochako, to your hero academia!
"I passed." It sunk in for her just what she accomplished, "I passed!" she cried as she hugged her parents as hard as she could, laughing with them. "Oh my god, I've got to tell Izu-" Izuku. Did he pass? She wasn't shown anyone else's total, just her own. "Oh my god, I've got to call Izuku…"
"God, a 'logical deception'?" Izuku moaned as Tsukauchi put the handcuffs away with a chuckle, "Is that the new way of saying 'I just felt like messing with you'?"
"Did you really think we'd only bring two people to arrest you?" Aizawa said with a raised eyebrow, "Besides, it said, clear as day on the contract you signed, that you had sixty days to find a new school if you failed or were expelled," He then gave a sly smirk, "It's also fun watching my student sweat." Izuku smiled a bit. It was the first tome he called him his "student".
"But we don't have to worry about that anymore, right?" Inko asked.
"Not unless he does something stupid and gets expelled," Aizawa pointed out.
"We'll be expecting you to be on your best behavior, understand?" the detective followed up.
"Yes, sir. I'm happy for this opportunity," Izuku replied with a smile.
"Glad to hear it," Tsukauchi returned a smile of his own.
"Though, now we've got to talk about the other matter we came to talk about."
"What's that?"
"Read the letter," Izuku looked at the letter on the table that Aizawa pointed at. In all the excitement, he forgot there even was a letter. He unfolded it and began to read it aloud. It was mostly everything he had already been told at first but then he got to the "Recent Changes to U.A." portion.
"'Starting this year, we will be shifting from a private school where students live off-campus to a boarding school. All students are expected to comply with this new motion for the continued excellence of their training'…" Izuku looked up from the sheet, glaring daggers at Aizawa, "Is this because of me?"
"Yes and no. You're only a part of the reason why we went with this initiative." Izuku began to chuckle at Aizawa's words.
'Then I think there's a typo on this letter, because I find this is an odd way to write "prison",' he thought to himself as he looked at the paper with anger in his eyes, anger that Aizawa could see clearly.
"It was the Board of Directors and Nezu's decision, not mine or Tsukauchi or the police's," Aizawa clarified, not the least bit intimidated, "Trust me, I understand completely how you're feeling about this but it's out of our hands now. There's also the other reasons they did so," he turned to Tsukauchi who let out a sigh of shame.
"We still have no leads on All For One, and there's no point downplaying it; the eyes of the country will be on U.A., especially once the Sports Festival happens in the first week of May," he explained, looking at Izuku with sympathetic eyes, "This was the only way we could at least mitigate the chances of him targeting you again."
Izuku's glare faded but only slightly as he stared at the letter in his hands. It made sense that they needed to keep him safe since Shigaraki and Kurogiri were looking for him when they killed Tai. If he were in a place, surrounded by heroes, including the Number One Hero that defeated All For One before, they wouldn't be stupid enough to try and kidnap him again... Right?
Tsukauchi turned to look at Inko and had to stop himself from bowing his head in more shame. Thankfully, Aizawa had more nerves than he did to ask the question of the hour.
"Mrs. Midoriya, we do need to ask your permission to have your son attend so will you grant it?"
"Will I grant it?" she was teary-eyed like before but now her tears weren't of joy like before, "How can I agree to this as a mother?" The two men leaned back slightly as she stood from her chair, even Aizawa couldn't help but be slightly afraid of the woman as she spoke without raising her voice once, "I just got my son back after eleven years and just four. Months. Later, you two show up and have the absolute nerve to show up and ask me, not because he failed but because he succeeded, to hand him back over to you and be separated from my son again!" If the two men leaned any further back, they'd risk falling out of the chairs as Inko looked at them with rage-filled eyes, "How do you think that makes me feel, huh? I've had to miss most of my son's life, have him come back home with so many quirks and a past that I wouldn't wish on anyone, let alone him, and now, for his protection, I have to give him up again! What am I supposed to do here?!" her rage started to die down but was replaced with hopeless sadness. Everyone, including Aizawa, looked at her as she cried into her hands, "What kind of horrible mother am I that I have to give up my son again?!" Izuku wrapped his arms around his crying mother before looking at Aizawa with a glare who just responded in kind, incredulous that the boy would imply that this was hisfault.
"Then I guess we'll have to compromise," Inko looked up from her hands with confusion. Aizawa pulled out another envelope, "Nezu didn't think you would take the news well so he's willing to offer you something in return," He handed her the letter which she wasted no time opening. She read the first line at the top of the sheet before she gasped. Izuku looked at the sheet himself with wide eyes, shocked by what was being offered by Nezu.
"U.A. Employment Application".
Izuku stood outside the five-story dormitory for his class. Class 1-A. It was the day before the official move-in date but he was a special case. After all,
"So, Izuku honey, what do you think?" It's not every day your mother is the dormitory caretaker. Inko walked up next to him as she arrived in her new uniform… well kind of. It was just her normal, everyday clothes with a U.A. apron and armband.
"It's incredible though I guess it has to be since it was U.A. that built it," Izuku answered with an impressed smile, "It's wild that an entire class get a dormitory all to itself though,"
"I guess that'll make my job easier since I'll have to be taking care of this place," Inko looked at the highest floor with a mixture of amazement and apprehension, "I just wish I didn't have to climb so many stairs…"
"Well, there is an elevator," the two turned around but Izuku was surprised by a pair of tiny arms wrapping around his legs.
"I've gotcha, big bro!" Eri said with a brilliant smile as she swayed back and forth, taking her bro with her, "And this time, you're not getting away!"
"Eri, it's real hard to hug you when you won't let me bend my legs…" he said with a pat on the head. Eri acquiesced and let go just long enough for Izuku to get to a knee before she tackled him again, "Geez, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long!"
"Did you hear?!" She gleefully asked, "We get to stay in the same place again!"
"Yeah and this time, you'll have your own room instead of having to share a storage garage with me." Izuku picked her up to carry her in his arms, "Oh wow, they must be feeding you well," She giggled as Izuku poked her in the stomach before he turned to Inko, who had the brightest smile on her face. Eri slightly hid her face in Izuku's shoulder from the woman she didn't recognize.
"I take it that you're my Izuku's little sister," Inko put her hand out for Eri to shake, "I'm Inko, his mother,"
"Where were you all this time?" Eri asked innocently, taking everyone off-guard and stabbing Inko right through the heart.
'Is it just me, or has Eri gotten more biting in her questions?'Izuku thought with an amused smirk as he looked at the guiltiest party named Aizawa who just shrugged, "Sorry, Mom, she doesn't know how to mince words,"
"No, no, it's alright," Inko replied with an uneasy smile, "It's a fair question to ask though I haven't the slightest idea how to answer it."
"She didn't know where your brother was since he was kidnapped at a young age and only reunited with him last November," Aizawa stated as he walked past the scene and towards the front door of the dormitory.
"Oh! I get it!" Eri shouted as she understood what was said, causing Inko a bit of discomfort. Izuku knew about Eri's past but she didn't.
"Anyway, I'll show you inside," Aizawa unlocked the front door and walked in, with the three following behind him. The common room had green walls, massive windows looking outside, several couches in front of a television on both sides of the common room like a mirror image of itself. Situated in the middle was the kitchen as well as rooms labeled "men's bath" on the left and "women's bath" on the right. "The first floor is a common area, with showers, a kitchen and laundry rooms. The four floors above us are the living quarters with four rooms for each gender on each floor. Since we have fourteen males in the class, that means one extra will be rooming on the same floor as you three. You can see who on the assignments list on the bulletin board." Aizawa explained as he led Izuku to the bulletin board, "From what I hear, he's a familiar face," Izuku looked at the list for the fifth floor and saw his neighbor. "Minoru Mineta" was on his floor but it also meant that his friend had passed the test as well.
"Mino's here too?" Izuku smiled at Eri's question.
"He will be tomorrow but yeah, he'll be here," Izuku turned his attention to the other room assignments, specifically the girls. Ochako Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui were together on the second floor. He heard from his phone calls with them but it was nice to see it in print. Even Iida was on the list. Izuku saw another name. Katsuki Bakugou. Apparently an old friend from his childhood but he's never seen the guy since returning home. He also notices that their scores for the entrance exam were also posted which he found to be an odd addition.
"Each room will have its own toilet, A.C. fridges and closets. You three should be comfortable here. You're also allowed to decorate your rooms however you like. We've delivered all the belongings you sent ahead in your rooms so go unpack when you're ready."
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Aizawa," Inko bowed her head with a smile.
"You can thank me by keeping the kids in line when I'm not here," Aizawa said gruffly, "and try not to play favorites with your son here. I'd rather he didn't start thinking he was above the rules again," he said with a glare to Izuku who matched him one, "And I'd rather not have other students complaining about him getting special treatment."
"I'll try not to cause problems for you," Inko extended her hand which Aizawa took to shake on it.
"Good. I'm not going to be here tomorrow when the other students get here so I ask that you relay everything I told you when they arrive," Inko nodded, "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish moving into the faculty dorm," Aizawa turned to walk away before stopping, "And Nezu wants to speak with you both later in his office around four o'clock. He didn't say what," With that, Aizawa left the building to the three.
'Principal Nezu wants to see me? Fine, I needed to talk to him anyway...'
After they finished unpacking and getting Eri all set up in her new room, the Midoriyas made their way to Nezu's office, curious as to what he wanted to talk about. As they entered his secretary's office, she looked at them as she was busy with a call, mouthing "knock on the door" before refocusing on the call. Inko went ahead and took her advice.
"Come in!"
"Excuse us, sir!" Inko said through the door before opening it. Nezu was sitting on his couch enjoying a cup of tea with a smile. It widened when he saw who it was that came to see him.
"Good afternoon, you two," Nezu greeted before pouring two cups of tea for the family, "I hope the new accommodations are to your liking." Izuku sat down with his mother, both looking uncomfortable being there for different reasons.
"They were very nice, Principal," Inko agreed with a slightly forced smile.
"Though, it doesn't really help the 'prison' feel that I've been getting ever since I got here," Nezu nodded his head solemnly at Izuku's statement. "Just makes it cushier."
"Yes, I heard from Aizawa that you believe that we've done all this work to imprison you under our watch," Nezu took a sip of his tea before continuing, "I can assure you that there's far more to it than that."
"But you don't deny it."
"To deny it would be to say your interpretation of events is irrelevant," Izuku's glare hardened at the words but Nezu continued, undeterred, "You have to understand it from another point of view. We are a school that has an annual event that is broadcast to the entire country. We have the Symbol of Peace now working as a teacher. This school is going to have the eyes of the nation on it at all times and that means that if you stand out, they'll see you. Whether you like it, or you don't, the fact is this: People are eventually going to know you're here."
"People like Shigaraki and Chisaki, right?" Nezu nodded at Izuku's deduction, "So, I'm being confined to U.A. not to keep me in but to keep others out, right?" Nezu nodded again with a smile.
"We've already taken many steps to increase security, with several of last year's graduates taking on part-time security detail. We have the equivalent of a small army on campus and the Number One Hero is a teacher as well. Even your kidnappers would think twice before trying anything here."
"But these are criminals," Inko reminded him, "We can't be sure they will be deterred by all of this," Nezu looked at his cup with an almost disappointed look.
"I understand but it's the best we can do, I'm afraid. Like it or not, your son is going to be a lightning rod. The amount of favors I've had to call in and work that needed to be done to make all this possible is almost unfathomable," Izuku's face softened as he listened, "I understand you're not happy with the arrangement but, as it stands, this is what needs to happen to ensure your future." The Midoriyas looked at each other, uneasy by Nezu's words. Inko then realized something.
"Is that why you thought to offer me a job, then?" Izuku gasped at the question, not even considering it himself.
"Critical thinking skills must run in the family," Nezu remarked, all but confirming it, "You are someone of great importance to your son, just as Eri is. We couldn't rule out the chance that someone would come for you. Your husband is in a much safer situation considering he's not even in this hemisphere, let alone the country so it's unlikely they'd be able to attack him," The two looked at Nezu, understanding but not all that happy about it.
"So, what did you want to talk to us about, sir?" Inko asked, changing the uncomfortable subject.
"Ah, yes, I just wanted to tell you both something and hear your thoughts on the matter," the two shuffled in their seats in anticipation, "I've taken the liberty of informing the first-year teachers as to your… status as a student here."
"They all know about my probation, then,"
"Indeed, and all have been sworn to secrecy since they also know why. All of them have even expressed genuine interest in teaching you so I wouldn't worry about your teachers treating you any differently."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Nezu chuckled a bit at Izuku's skepticism, "Well, I'm not sure what you want me to say since I thought you were going to tell them from the start. It would be bad for you if they found out on their own or something like that, right?"
"Correct. I am in charge of people and trust is a foundation that I must maintain or this school would cease to function from lack of workers and lack of students. I also feel that it will help them identify with you and thus, help you grow here." Nezu looked up at the clock, "Ah, I must cut our meeting short for now. I need to meet with All Might and help explain to him his role in the curriculum."
"No, please, we understand." Inko and her son bowed to the principal before making their way to the door.
"Oh, by the way, my door is always open to you both if you need to talk." Nezu explained with a smile before taking another sip of tea as the two left.
"What do you think, honey?"
"I don't know but it sure seems like he's thought of almost everything,"
"Almost?"
"It's nothing," Izuku reassured her with a smile, "Just nerves acting up."
"You said Katsudon was your favorite dish so how about I make that tonight?" Izuku smiled at the sound of having his favorite food to cheer him up. It was nice having a parent again.
"Thanks, Mom."
The next morning, a hungry Izuku stepped onto the elevator before hitting the 1F button. He was still bothered by what Nezu had told him but deep down, he had to admit that everything Nezu said was true, even if it was upsetting. His mother would be a target. Then there's the other matter he would have to deal with later. The biggest event of the year is the Sports Festival and it was televised nationally. How was he going to get around that to protect himself and his family? He walked out of the elevator and was nearly floored as the common room was filled with the scents of various spices as it overpowered anything else. He walked into the kitchen to see his mother slaving over a giant pot of food.
"Whatcha making, Mom?" Izuku asked as he looked into the light brown of the soupy mixture. He could feel his mouth starting to water as he took another big whiff.
"Dinner for the new arrivals!" she answered with a warm smile, "I want to make a good first impression with all your classmates since I'll be in charge of the dorm."
"You're making soup?"
"There will be other dishes but this needs to be cooked slowly for the best results," She answered as she used her quirk to pull a lid towards her hand and set in on the pot.
"Well, I'm sure they'll love it if it tastes half as good as it smells, Mom!" Izuku heard the front door open up. He poked his head out of the kitchen to see Iida arrive with Ochako, Tsuyu and Minoru in tow.
"I'm just saying, I don't get his plot at all," Minoru said to Tsuyu, "His plot revolves around this one woman surviving all these death traps and if one thing goes wrong, it all falls to shi-"
"Izu!" Ochako shouted, cutting off Minoru as all four turned to look.
"Hey guys, wasn't expecting you to come in with Iida."
"Well, the campus just opened up for new arrivals about twenty minutes ago and we wanted to be here early so we could see you!" Tsuyu said with a smile.
"And Glasses arrived here because he wanted to be early 'because that's what model students do' or whatever," Minoru added in a mocking attempt at Iida's voice causing Iida to turn and point at him.
"My name is Tenya Iida and I sound nothing like that!"
"That's nice. And?"
"Both of you, please stop," Izuku begged with a face palm.
"Mm, what's that smell?" Ochako asked as she and Tsuyu walked to the kitchen.
"Haven't a clue. Mom's making a big pot of… something."
"Wait, 'Mom'? Your mother's here?" Iida asked, confused.
"Oh, right, you're not part of our group chat so you wouldn't know. My mom is working as our dorm's caretaker. She's in charge of the building when our homeroom teacher isn't around."
"Really?" Iida asked, surprised, "I wasn't aware that family members were allowed to work so closely with their family."
"I wouldn't worry about it. Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, already talked to her about it."
"Ah, it's reassuring that I'm not the only one who sees a potential problem here…" Iida suddenly realized what he was saying and immediately panicked, "Ah, I'm sorry! I spoke out of turn and accused your mother of favoritism!" Izuku started laughing at Iida's embarrassed face.
"It's fine, I know what you're trying to say," Izuku then turned to the bulletin board, "Our room assignments are on the board over there. If you sent some stuff ahead, it'll be in that room."
"Thank you, Midoriya," Iida said with a smile before walking over to see where he was staying. Izuku walked back into the kitchen so he didn't see the look on Iida's face when he saw the entrance exam scores.
'He got first place with 103 points? I didn't even break 70 with my score…' Iida could hear Izuku and his friends laughing about something, 'He really did understand the exam's secret scoring. And he wasn't the only one. Ochako Uraraka has the same score as him with even more rescue points. I didn't even have nine of those and they blew me out of the water because of it...'
"Holy crap, you brought this" Izuku asked as he pulled the head of a manikin from one of Minoru's boxes, "I didn't think you were still going to sew since you hate it so much."
"Yeah, well, that was before I found out I'm stuck being short forever. Do you know how hard it is to get clothes for a midget?" Minoru countered as he grabbed the head out of Izuku's hand, "Only little kids clothes fit me and all of 'em suck! They're all childish and don't have the right… look for me. Custom tailoring is also pretty expensive. I can literallydo better myself for way less money, as you and Eri know."
"I know it," Izuku agreed with a smile, "You saved me a lot of money on clothes."
"Because I can afford to sell at cost for a friend. And I don't hate it per se, just get embarrassed when people find out and make fun of me for it." Minoru clarified before he took in the room. "Still, I can't believe we get a whole floor to ourselves!"
"I think Aizawa just wants to keep you away from everyone else."
"Oh, come on, he can't have me pegged that quickly, All Might fanboy," Minoru bit back jokingly
"Oh. My. God," Ochako said as she walked into her room in awe at how spacious it was, "It's as big as my house!"
"I wouldn't call that closet you live in a house, Ocha," Tsuyu quipped, earning a small giggle from her friend as she walked into her room.
"There's so much room that I don't even know what to put in here…"
"How much did you bring?" Tsuyu saw a lone box sitting in the middle of the room with a suitcase full of clothes.
"I sometimes forget just how rough your living situation is, ribbit."
"Not all of us can be daughters of well-off parents, you know," Ochako remarked with envy as she followed Tsuyu to her room, "Anyway, how much did you bring?"
"Not much," Tsuyu opened the door to reveal about five boxes worth of things, exasperating Ochako.
"Geez, 'not much', she says. Did you take your whole room with you?"
"I left the bed," she remarked, earning a face palm in response.
After a while, more and more of the other members of Class 1-A started to arrive. Inko was busy shifting from cooking to greeting the students while everyone else was busy unpacking. The last person to arrive was a blond male with a glare permanently affixed to his face.
"Well, hello there, Katsuki," Bakugou nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned to face the green-haired woman with a look of shock, "I see that Mitsuki didn't tell you I work here now."
"No, the old hag didn't tell me a thing," He said in a low, vaguely calm voice.
"You really shouldn't be calling your mother such things, Katsuki," Bakugou scoffed before continuing.
"Why are you working here?"
"They need caretakers for the dorms and I was offered a job here," Inko said, leaving out the major details, which earned a skeptical glare from Bakugou, "I'm sorry, but I can't say much more than that right now,"
"Fine, whatever. Not my problem anyway," he said as he walked over to the bulletin board to find his room assignment. He then saw the scores for the entrance exam. He was pissed he ended up in third, likely because of that hidden rule All Might was talking about, so he decided to see who he had to crush under his feet. 'Ochako Uraraka? Some bitch no one cares about and…' Bakugou's face fell as he saw the name just under the girl, 'Izuku Midoriya?!'
"Hey, Mom?" Bakugou looked over his shoulder to see Izuku walk up to his mother, holding some gray-haired brat he didn't recognize. Suddenly, it all came back to him, "Do you know if we've got any snacks for Eri?"
"I keep them in the fridge in my room so Eri doesn't gorge herself on them." Inko's phone began to ring, "Sorry, I have to take this," she said as she walked outside. Bakugou didn't care though since he was staring death into the boy in front of him.
He remembered this sniveling, useless insect of a boy with that name. No, that wasn't his name, since he had one that was much more appropriate for a worthless piece of human trash…
"You…" Izuku turned to look at Bakugou, "Deku!"
Izuku suddenly felt a massive pain in his head at the cry, as if it was splitting open, causing him to drop Eri to the floor as he grabbed both side of his head in agony. It was the pain he felt back in the interrogation room when he saw the picture of his mother. He soon lost track of what was going on around him as more memories flooded in.
"Why are you being so mean? You're making him cry, Kacchan! If you keep hurting him, I'll… I'll stop you myself" A scared Izuku shouted at his friend, who just smiled at the declaration.
"Hmph, you think you can play the hero?" He punched his open hand, causing a small explosion to erupt, "You don't stand a chance without a quirk, Deku." A few minutes later, the quirkless Izuku laid on the ground, beaten to a pulp.
Another memory of Izuku following Kacchan on an adventure, where he destroyed a log that was in the way with his quirk.
"Wow, Kacchan! I hope when I get my quirk it'll be as cool as yours!"
"Yeah, right! It doesn't matter what quirk you get, Deku. It'll never be as good as mine."
As more memories began to flood in, Izuku finally became aware of what was going on around him. Namely, a shouting match between Ochako and Bakugou as Tsuyu, Minoru and Eri all looked at him with concerned and scared looks on their faces.
"Leave him alone!"
"Stay out of this, Round-Face before I make it Flat-Face!"
"STOP IT, KACCHAN!" Izuku shouted, causing everyone in the room to be silent as he unsteadily stood up.
"...What did you call me?" Bakugou asked in surprise before it turned to rage, "What the hell did you say?!"
"KATSUKI!" Bakugou stopped in his tracks as Inko walked in, angry at his shouting, "Enough!"
"Tsk, fine, hide behind your mom. But we aren't done here, Deku. We. Aren't. Done." Bakugou threatened as he made his way up the stairs to his room.
"You okay, Bro?"
"What happened?"
"What's a 'Deku'?"
"Some more memories came back and it felt like my head was being squeezed in a press." Izuku gripped his head as the world spun, having to lean on Tsuyu for support, "I thought he was familiar but I just remembered who he was now… everything's come back to me… He was my best friend when I was a little kid… Though I guess that means I had poor taste in friends when I was little," Izuku looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact, "'Deku'... it means 'useless', like the quirkless kid I was."
"I'll have to have a talk with him later," Inko sighed with a sad look as she had to go to the kitchen to check on that night's dinner. Ochako balled her fist, irate about how her friend was treated.
"Hey guys, I don't feel well… I think I need to lay down." His friends nodded as they helped him up to his room. Izuku walked in and promptly passed out the second he hit the mattress...
He wouldn't be down for dinner that night.