Chapter 19: Nedzu, 'Secret', Invalid Quest, Giran, Inko
Izuku stares at the various screens in disbelief, then finally says, "Show screens to Nedzu."
Blue panes pop up around Nedzu, who studies the plethora in interest, in response.
"I must admit, this is quite interesting. I had quite overlooked magic and spells as something you have access to. I suppose that the spells may be quite useful when you obtain access to dungeons. The calculation of stat points is also rather useful. I didn't realize that you are shown those. Do you feel that the food nutrition analysis skill will be useful to you?"
"Uh. Maybe if I'm trying to plan a specific diet? Otherwise, I don't think so."
"Understandable. The people analysis should be useful, though, depending on what it shows. Would you like to try that?"
"Um. Observe Nedzu."
Name: Nedzu
Quirk: High Specs
Level: Player's skill level too low to observe.
High Specs gives the user increased brain function well above the human average and the ability to process up to four trains of thought simultaneously. Memory capacity and retrieval is also well above human average. This comes with the downside of having trouble forgetting unnecessary and/or unwanted information, as well as difficulty in simplifying conclusions reached by multi-processing for those only capable of single- or dual- processing.
Title: Principal of UA, The Information Hero
"Show screen to Nedzu."
Nedzu reads it with a look of pleasant surprise. "And this is at level 0. Fascinating. And amazingly accurate. My weaknesses are not recorded to my knowledge. Or rather, I corrupted and destroyed all records I could find of them."
The blue pane changes to say,
Search for records? Yes | No
"Oh? Yes, please."
There is a pause, then,
Three records found. Two in HPSC possession. Destroy records? Yes | No
"Yes, please, Find-san. May I ask who has the third record?"
Another pause.
Records corrupted and destroyed. Third record was in the possession of AFO's personal doctor. Access further information? Yes | No
Nedzu looks as surprised as Izuku feels. "All for One's doctor keeps their records accessible to the internet?"
With the absorption of OFA, I no longer need direct internet access to access databases or networks.
It's Nedzu's turn to pause, then a slow predatory smile forms. "Excellent. Do not admit that to others besides Aizawa, Yamada and Yagi. I assume that is why you were able to contact the school during the USJ incident?"
Correct.
"Hm. Would it be possible to copy their database to a UA computer and then destroy their database thoroughly?"
Another pause, this time obviously more for thought than for a task.
It would require an empty, high capacity computer or three.
"I'll have them ready for you next Tuesday." Nedzu looks at Izuku. "You don't mind, do you?"
Izuku snorts. "No, that's fine. Maybe they won't be able to create Nomus for a while this way."
"Perhaps. The human mind can retain a lot of data. That aside, which spell are you first purchasing?"
"Um." He looks at the relevant screens. "Find-san? Can I purchase them all at once?"
Yes.
"Oh, well then, I want to do that."
The available spell points changes to 11875 and suddenly his brain is flooded with knowledge of how to cast the spells. It's a little lot much. He winces and decides not to ever do that again. Picking a spell at random, he casts Dirty hands only for it to fail. Oh.
Apparently knowing how to cast a spell in theory is not the same as being actually capable of casting the spell.
He tries five more times, failing each time, before finally succeeding.
"Yes!" Victoriously he shows Nedzu his hands.
"Very good. Now try casting the counter spell."
"Uh." Counter spell? He looks at the list again and his eyes alight on Skin cleanse hands. Ah.
Apparently casting one spell successfully doesn't make it easier to cast another spell, because it takes him a full seven fails before he succeeds on the eighth try.
"Phew!" Izuku shows Nedzu his now clean hands.
"Excellent. Are you having difficulty with the spells or is there a time delay between casting and effect?"
"Uh, no, not a delay. I'm having trouble getting the spells right."
"Interesting." Nedzu observes. "I wonder if you could teach them to others?"
No. Spells for others can only be used in dungeon settings. And they must be learned manually from spell scrolls.
Izuku blinks a few times at that. "Do they have to learn all the level 1 spells before they can learn other spells?"
No. Party members can learn up to three spells. Higher level spells take longer to learn than low level ones. It is recommended that party members only learn spells that suit their skill set. Spell scrolls can be given to others, but are one use only.
"I feel like that is unfair." He complains.
Nedzu laughs. "I'm sure you can find uses for all the spells. At least you aren't limited to three."
He huffs but acknowledges that this is true. His spells aren't limited to dungeons either, which is cool.
"It also looks like you have access to two new quirks. I would like you to focus on learning how to use them as soon as possible." Nedzu says.
"Are you sure that's okay? People are going to wonder about Find-san if they see Float."
"I don't see a problem. Find-san makes floating panes to communicate. It's not a huge stretch to say that he can float you as well."
"Oh. Okay." He wonders if his classmates will buy that.
"Why don't you spend the rest of our time together getting used to those two spells so you can perform them more quickly? We don't have enough time left to play a full game. And for your assignment, pick two heroes to analyze, and compare and contrast them. Also explain which one would win in a fight against the other and why. Use a minimum of two pages and a maximum of five."
Teacher issued quest: Compare and contrast two heroes in two to five pages. Explain who would win a fight between the two and why you think that is the case.
Izuku's eyes widen in sudden excitement. "Does it matter which two?"
"Not at all. They can be retired or active, living or dead."
"Okay!" He says brightly, ideas whirring through his head.
After a few moments, he shakes himself back to awareness, hoping Nedzu hasn't noticed him spacing out, and goes back to practicing Dirty hands and Skin cleanse hands.
~
"Nerd, what are you doing? You look like an idiot spaced out holding your hands like that."
Izuku jolts and looks at Kacchan with wide eyes. 'Nerd' is loads better as a nickname than 'Deku' or 'Midoriya' said in that tone of aggravation and scorn that he normally uses. "Um. Practicing magic?"
"Are you fucking with me?" Kacchan demands.
"No!" He yelps and holds up his hands so Kacchan can see them as he uses first Dirty hands and then Skin cleanse hands.
"What the fuck? How is that supposed to help you? What's even the point?" Kacchan asks, recoiling a bit.
He doesn't actually know the answer to that himself. Hopefully Dirty hands is just a precursor to a level 2 spell that has some functionality.
"Cool your jets, Blasty. Most magic is for show anyways." Jirou says.
"Magic? I wanna see!" Kaminari enthuses.
Izuku looks around and sees most of the class staring at him. He's terrible at keeping secrets, isn't he? "Fuck."
Shinso snorts. "Leave him alone, Sparky. We already know his quirk bends reality to let him store stuff, being able to bend it for other things isn't that much of a stretch."
Thank Kami for Shinso.
"I didn't mean it that way." Kaminari whines. "I just want to see what he's doing."
Kacchan scoffs. "He's just making his hands dirty and clean. Nothing worth seeing."
Kaminari pouts. "I still want to see."
Aizawa sensei sighs. "Midoriya, come up front, show the class once, and then go back to working on what you're supposed to be working on. Which is classwork, not magic."
Izuku squeaks in embarrassment and hurries to get up and go up front. He holds his hands out towards the class and casts Dirty hands.
"Dude! That's so sick! You could use that to smear dirt on stuff you want to mark as yours or to piss people off by rubbing it on them!" Kaminari says brightly.
Half the class sweatdrops at that.
Giving him a faltering smile, Izuku casts Skin cleanse hands.
"Neat." Sero comments. "Does that only affect your hands?"
"I'm- I'm not sure?" Izuku says hesitantly. It's a good question, though!
Aizawa sensei clears his throat and Izuku starts and hurries back to his desk. He's already finished his classwork, but he'll stop practicing magic in class. Maybe he can get a head start on his extra essay about the dangers of vigilantism and programs in place to help vigilantes into more legal work.
~
"Midoriya. An extra ten laps at a steady pace." Aizawa sensei calls, then flinches as a light blue pane pops up in front of his nose.
Izuku flinches too as he almost runs into a green pane and stops short.
Invalid quest.
Oh.
"Is it not enough laps or not enough variety?" Aizawa sensei asks.
Either.
"Alright. I'll consider more variables, but for now… Midoriya, twenty extra laps at a steady pace."
Teacher issued quest: Thirty laps at a steady pace.
"Okay, Aizawa sensei!"
"What is that about?" Ito sensei asks curiously.
"Mmn. His quirk is sentient and has opinions on how hard he should work to get credit." Aizawa sensei answers.
"Oh my. Is-"
Izuku decides to start jogging as Kacchan laps him and scoffs at him for falling behind, so he doesn't hear the rest of the conversation.
~
Giran sweats as he looks at the eyeless, masked man. "What can I do for you today, All for One?"
The monster of the underground makes an amused sound. "As you know, my pawn Tomura was captured by the police. Find me a quirkless person who is willing to turn to radical villainy under my direction for the sake of a quirk, will you?"
"Of- Of course." He stammers. "I'll start looking immediately."
There are quirkless villains, of course, but most quirkless are in their late fifties or older these days, and no more than an average percentage of the younger ones turn to villainy, so considering the low percentage of younger quirkless, the number of quirkless villains is actually quite scarce. He may actually be forced to resort to approaching a law abiding quirkless for this purpose, which makes the venture much higher risk for him. Although, really, nothing outweighs the risk of 'disappointing' the monster of the underground.
"Take all the time you need." All for One says in a generous tone.
He figures that means that he has about a month's worth of time to find an appropriate candidate. Well, that's something, at least. Hopefully whatever quirk the monster of the underground decides to give his new protégé isn't as terrifying as the one his lastprotégé has.
Giran has met that sadistic man child exactly seventeen times more than he ever wanted to. That being the number of times he's met him in total, for the sake of introducing small time villains who wanted to participate in the youth's first and only raid on UA. He can really do without being casually threatened with disintegration for every other sentence out of his mouth. Well, that's something to make a note about when seeking a quirkless: someone less fucking nuts, but still ambitious enough to accept the deal. He has better things to do than die by annoying minion in a pissy mood.
~
"So, mom. Guess what?"
Inko gives him a suspicious look. "What is it, dear?"
"I leveled my stats enough that I now have access to magic. See?"
A light blue pane pops up in front of her, detailing the spells. She studies them for a few moments, looking more confused by the second. Finally, she gives a tiny huff and gives him a smile. "That's nice, dear."
He droops. "You think they're useless, don't you?"
"Well, I don't really see a use for the majority of them offhand, but I'm sure you can come up with something!" She says encouragingly.
"…Thanks." He says glumly.
She pats his back. "It'll be fine, Izuku. You're quite creative. Just make your lists about things you can do with them and you'll have it down in no time."
That's a good idea! "Thanks, mom."
Chapter 20: Overhaul, Stick, Juggle, Mudfight, Eri, Aizawa, Nedzu
Overhaul seethes. It's been weeks since Eri escaped and a speedster took off with her and they've found no whisper of where she's gone. The one careless enough to have let her escape is a memory since cleaned off of the wall and floor, but that doesn't bring his experiment back. None of the speedsters in the city have Eri. They've checked.
She hasn't been turned over to the police, either. And if the heroes have her… No, they can't. He would know.
Thus it must be someone so new that registrations haven't caught up with them or someone from out of town. And there was a train station in the direction the speedster had carried Eri, but attacking a train station to find information is guaranteed to bring down heroes on them en masse.
He's strong. His people are strong. But he doesn't want to take unnecessary risks. For now, he'll have his people keep hacking the registries and sifting through the underworld for hints of Eri. Attacking a train station requires an in depth plan and that will take time to plan.
How dare that cursed child set back his plans like this?
~
Shinso yelps as he dodges an axe kick from Yaomomo. "Holy hell, where'd you learn that?"
Yaomomo doesn't answer, just comes at him with a high kick.
"From Miruko, obviously." Izuku offers from the sidelines. "That first kick is modeled after her Luna Fall kick."
"Oh, obviously." He says sarcastically, and does a credible leap over a low kick. Then curses as Yaomomo produces and comes at him with escrima sticks. "What did I do to deserve this?"
Izuku chuckles, because he knows Shinso's complaints are just for show.
He even manages to tangle one of the sticks in his capture weapon, only for Yaomomo to set her feet and yank him forward into the other one. At that point, it devolves into a wrestling match, which Yaomomo eventually wins. Her early weapons training has made her strong, whereas Shinso is basically a stick.
"Yeah, yeah. I know I'm a stick. I'm working on it. You can call me Hitoshi, you know? Both of you."
Oh, was he muttering again? Izuku beams.
Yaomomo rolls off of Hitoshi, cheeks flushed at the praise, and offers him a hand up. "Good match, Hitoshi."
"Yeah, same." Hitoshi takes her hand and lets her heave him up. "I really do need to put on more muscle, though. Any ideas for that?"
"I still have the American Dream Plan that All Might gave me! The first one, that is. You can have it, since I have an updated plan now." Izuku volunteers.
Hitoshi gives him a deadpan look. "Didn't you say All Might had you pulling refrigerators while he sat on top of them? No thanks. I want to get stronger, not die."
"I didn't die." He points out, then huffs. "Why don't you just ask All Might sensei for a plan, then? I'm sure he can make you one if you're clear on your goals."
"Huh. I might do that. And then run it past Aizawa sensei to see how ridiculous it is."
"Hitoshi!"
Yaomomo chuckles at them. "Running it past Aizawa sensei is probably a good idea. All Might sensei is pretty new to teaching."
"Yeah… Okay." Izuku admits. It probably is a good precaution. Yagi sensei gets carried away at times.
~
All Might tosses him three bean bags and beams at him. "Juggle these when not otherwise occupied."
Inva-
"While walking!" He adds hastily and rather loudly.
…Acceptable.
"Phew! I was actually going to have you do that anyways, but Aizawa warned me and I wanted to see if it would happen with me too." All Might says confidingly.
Izuku gives him a puzzled look. Why?
Teacher issued quest: Juggle three items while walking, when not otherwise occupied in class.
Oh. That makes more sense than 'not otherwise occupied by walking'. He shrugs and starts juggling and then starts walking, only to promptly drop two of the bean bags. This is harder than it looks.
~
Izuku grins deviously and pulls back mid-wrestle with Kacchan in Heroics and lifts his hands threateningly.
"You dick. Don't you fucking dare!"
He dares. Rapidly casting Dirty hands and Damp hands in quick succession, he wipes mud over Kacchan's face with one hand and drags the other over Kacchan's hand and down his arm.
Kacchan screams in outrage. "I'm going to kill you! DIE!"
For his pains, he gets a few minor burns, but so worth it. Even if Recovery Girl is going to smack him with her cane for being an idiot, later.
~
Blasty stomps up to him and says in a seething tone, "I'm going to murder you!"
Well, Denki can see why Blasty's in a pissy mood. There's mud smeared all over his face and arms and muddy hand prints all over his shirt and even a couple on his pants. But none of that is his doing. Midoriya did that. Everyone had stopped their own sparring to watch.
"What did I do?" He asks plaintively.
Blasty scoffs, loudly. "You know what you did."
Then he stomps off, muttering about stupid nerds.
Denki scratches his head in puzzlement and says to no one, "No, I really don't."
~
They are eating lunch together when All Might asks, "My boy, where did you get the mud you smeared on Bakugou?"
"Oh that." Izuku smirks and holds up his hands for inspection.
"My boy?"
He blinks as he realizes he hasn't told All Might yet.He does Dirty hands and Damp hands, waits a moment and then does Skin cleanse hands. "I made it. I unlocked magic spells earlier this week."
"Oh my. Why, may I ask?"
"Why unlock it? My stats from all the teacher issued quests have gotten pretty high. I even unlocked two quirks. Danger Sense and Float."
All Might blinks and then beams. "My boy! That's great news! I can't wait to see you use Float. You should have told me sooner."
"Sorry about that. I guess I thought I had."
"It happens to the best of us. But tell me, why Bakugou? Has he offended you?"
"Eh." He smirks smugly. "He's had it coming for a few years."
"I…see." It is clear that he does not. "Because he's abrasive?"
"Something like that." He agrees vaguely.
~
"Novell!" Eri squeals, throwing herself at him.
He catches her on reflex. "Hey, Eri. How are you?"
"I'm good! How was your week?"
Izuku blinks at her. "Um?"
"It's something Uncle 'Zashi likes to ask." She confides.
"Oh! It was really good! Find-san let me learn magic this week!"
"Magic? Can I see?"
Uh… "Find-san, can I see the list again?"
A green screen appears in reply. Fortunately, he spots a spell that should be interesting to a little kid. Glow palm. He sets her down. "Okay, this might take a minute, cuz I haven't tried this spell yet."
"Okay!"
It takes him nearly three minutes and eight tries before his palms start glowing softly.
"Wow!" Eri breathes in astonishment. "Can you make my Novell doll's hands glow too?"
"Uh." He looks back at the screen frantically, then breathes a sigh of relief as Find-san highlights Dim glow, minor object. Doll hands should count as minor objects, right? "I should be able to. I don't know how long it will last, though."
Until you utilize End spell or want to end it.
"Wait, so I don't need a counter spell?"
No. But that's a valid use, too.
"Oh, right. You can read my intent. That makes sense."
Yes.
"Okay, Eri, where's your doll?"
She runs and grabs it off the floor, where it was laying with the rest of her dolls and her apple bunny stuffy, and holds it up for his inspection. "Here!"
Hesitantly, he places his index fingers on the tiny hands and concentrates on the spell. Surprisingly, it works the first time. Maybe because he's already gotten the hang of Glow palm? "There you go. It should stay glowing."
"'Zawa-san! 'Zawa-san!" Eri screeches excitedly after peering at the doll for a moment. And wow, he hasn't seen his teacher move that fast since the USJ! "Look! Look! Novell made his little-him hands glow like his!"
"I…see that." Aizawa sensei shoots him an exasperated look that clearly queries 'Problem Child, what did you do now?' He pats Eri's head awkwardly. "That's nice."
Sheepishly, Izuku uses Glow palm again and shows his teacher.
Aizawa sensei huffs a little. "How many types of magic do you have access to now?"
25.
"Find-san says twenty five."
His teacher closes his eyes and sighs in resignation, then looks at him again. "I shouldn't have to tell you, but you need to be more careful or people will find out."
"Yes, sensei." He looks down in embarrassment. The class had taken the reveal of magic at face value, probably because gamer quirks are so rare, but not everyone would be so easily convinced. It's probably inevitable that people will find out that Find-san is a gamer quirk, but the further in the future that happens, the better. He's so bad at lying that he almost… Izuku swallows hard. "Sorry, sensei."
That just makes Aizawa sensei sigh again. "As long as you know. So, Eri, what is mini-Novell going to do with his glowing hands?"
"Ummm. Be a nightlight! So everyone can see in the dark and walk without tripping!"
Izuku sweatdrops, because he's pretty sure that the tiny glowing hands are not bright enough to illuminate anything.
"I see. Do you want the light off so you can play pretend?"
"Nuh-uh! We can pretend with the light on!" She turns and tugs on Izuku's still glowing hand. "Novell, come help me. You can light the way so Aunti Nem and Uncle 'Zashi aren't scared of the dark."
"Okay. Is Aizawa sensei not scared of the dark?"
"He isn't! He always scares the dark and the monsters away, so he's not scared of the dark. The dark is scared of him!"
A glance at his teacher reveals him choking on thin air in open amusement.
"'Sides, his eyes glow in the dark so he doesn't need a nightlight."
"Is that so?" And yeah, he can see that. Aizawa sensei's eyes glow enough to be visible in the daylight when he uses his quirk. There's no reason it wouldn't work as a nightlight or personal flashlight.
"Uh-huh! He scared me the first time he did that."
"Errr…" He glances at his teacher again and sees a faint look of regret on the man's face. "I'm sure he didn't mean to."
"That's what he said! It doesn't scare me anymore, though! 'Zawa-san keeps me safe from the bad dreams."
"He's good at that, isn't he?" Too bad his bad dreams feature the Nomu knocking Aizawa sensei to the ground like a toy. But the man is good at keeping others safe. There's no way they would've survived USJ without him taking on most of the villains himself.
"Uh-huh! Even Overhaul runs away when he comes."
That's… He sneaks another glance at his teacher, who looks torn between concern at that statement and blushing. That's cute, he decides. "Very cool. So, who do I get to play?"
"Umm! You can play 'Zawa-san! Can you make his eyes glow?"
"I can try? I don't think it'll be the right color, though."
…
"Did I say something wrong?" He asks his quirk.
"No! That's fine!" Eri assures him.
You can change the color at will.
"Oh, Find-san says I can make the color right." Izuku tells her.
She pumps a little fist. "Yeah!"
He grins. Well, he knows where she got that from!
~
Monday afternoon…
"Midoriya, stay a moment." Aizawa sensei says as class lets out.
Once everyone is gone and the door is shut, he continues, "Nedzu said I should ask to see your stat screens now and then, to get a better idea of how your quests work."
"Oh. Show Aizawa sensei stats screens."
Quests accomplished.
Quest rewards.
Nedzu, heroes essay quest:
+345 Exp.
+2 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, vigilantism essay quest:
+451 Exp.
+2 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Mic, five words quest:
+94 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Cementoss, chapter and quiz quest:
+348 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, gender and sexuality essay quest:
+300 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ito, learn Tai Chi move quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ectoplasm, pages 26 and 27 and get 90%+ correct quest:
+293 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, chapter 9 summary quest:
+152 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while walking quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Snipe, translate paragraph into different writing systems:
+319 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ito, learn Tai Chi move quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while walking quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Nishikawa, learn Karate stances quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
----
+4012 Exp.
+7 INT
+12 WIS
+8 DEX
+16 StP
Izuku Midoriya
Level 11
Exp. 12919/24000
STR: 40
VIT: 94
DEX: 38
INT: 86
WIS: 91
HP: 564/564
MP: ∞/∞
STA: 134/134
StP: 0
"I see." Aizawa sensei says after several moments studying the panes. "More intensive or longer tasks gain you more experience and stats. Correct?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Has your strength stat gone up at all since we started these quests?"
"No? I mean, wait. It did last week. One point. For P.E."
"After which your initial quest was judged invalid. That tracks. It takes time to build strength. I'm going to add sports weights to your running quest. That should help."
Correct.
Aizawa sensei smirks. "Alright, kid. You can go now."
"Thanks, Aizawa sensei!" He waves as he lets himself out the door. It always amazes him that a teacher is so willing to help!
~
Nedzu finishes studying the stats screens, then looks at him curiously. "Have you had much luck with practicing your spells?"
"Some! I've learned Dirty hands, Damp hands, Skin cleanse hands, Glow palm and Dim glow, minor object."
"I did hear that your altercation with Bakugou got rather messy." Nedzu looks and sounds amused, so he's probably not in trouble.
"Uh, yeah. I used Dirty hands and Damp hands together a bunch of times in a row."
"Ingenious. I imagine he was furious?"
"Yeah. That was…uh, kinda the point, though."
"Recovery Girl was displeased."
Izuku winces. "She called me an idiot."
"Hm. Well, it was perhaps not the brightest thing to do, but I'm sure it fulfilled its purpose in relieving built up emotion quite handily." Nedzu observes.
He nods, because it did do that. Besides, Kacchan deserved it after all the shit he did in middle school.Izuku is glad that Nedzu seems to think it was okay to do. His mom is going to have a fit if she ever hears about it.
"You've been doing very well at chess. Would you like to learn to play Go?"
Izuku perks up. "Yes, please."
Teacher issued quest: Learn the basics of playing Go.
"Would you like some tea? I will let you choose the variety if you wish."
He blinks. It's unusual for Nedzu sensei to not have pre-made tea on hand. "Do you have, um, Lapsang Souchong? I had that once and it was really good! It's like a campfire in a cup. Mom hates it, though."
"I do indeed! I rarely drink it because the caffeine content is a little inadvisable for me, but I agree that it is lovely. That is a quite accurate description of its flavor. A very cosy flavor." Nedzu says and opens a cupboard that he had thought a part of the wall, and measures some tea out of a glass container into the teapot before adding steaming water. "There. Now we shall wait for a few minutes for it to steep. Find-san? As you can see-" He gestures to a bank of four computers set against the opposite wall. "I have the computers ready for your information download."
Understood.
Download commencing.
This may take several hours.
"Understandable. Take all the time you need. I assume proximity to the computers is not an issue?" Nedzu queries.
Not as long as they are ON.
"Excellent." He pulls out a game board and sets it on the desk between them, parceling out the pieces rapidly. "I hope you don't mind playing white?"
"Uh? It's fine. I don't care."
"Very good. Now our tea is ready and once that is poured, we can begin our game." Nedzu says and suits actions to words.
"Yes, sensei." He acknowledges and watches Nedzu pour the tea into delicate teacups. There's something artful about it. And he's looking forward to tasting it again. Normal tea is kind of boring to him, something he drinks because it's there, not because he particularly enjoys it.
"There we are." Nedzu sets down his cup and moves to get his own. "Don't burn yourself."
Izuku pauses with the teacup halfway to his mouth and sets it down sheepishly. Yeah, he should probably at least blow on it a few times before he starts sipping, shouldn't he?
Chapter 21: Games, Explosions, Flames, Arm, Skin, News Article
Tomura sulks stares at his therapist moodily. What is it with this bitch and her stupidly logical arguments as to why Sensei is in the wrong? It almost makes him want to not hate hero society. Disgusting.
She stares back calmly. "Just think about it, okay?"
"Tch." That's the problem, he doesn't want to think about it! He'll think about it despite his best efforts, he knows. "Whatever."
The bitch nods as if he agreed with her. "Alright. You're free to play video games for the rest of the session."
Yeah, that's right. This is the one and only reason he agreed to therapy. He goes to therapy for an hour, listens to this NPC's dialogue and then gets his quest reward: two hours of supervised video game playing. Of course he has to wear the quirk suppressant cuff no matter what, but that just means he doesn't have to worry about disintegrating the controller. At least the bitch is good at keeping quiet so she doesn't distract him while 'supervising' him.
~
Izuku stares at his spell list, not for the first time this day, in confusion. "Is Moisturize meant to be used on skin, hair, or objects?"
Yes.
"What?"
It's meant to be used on soil, but it can be used on skin, hair or objects that require moisturizing.
"Oh. That's surprisingly…versatile."
It's a subtle spell.
"Does that mean you rethought its use after coming up with it?"
…Yes.
"Why exactly did you pick these spells anyway? I mean, I'm not complaining, but it wasn't what I was thinking of when I asked for a magic skill. They're all 'subtle'."
…I'm not apologizing.
"I didn't ask you to!"
You do realize that flashy magic would certainly draw the HPSC's attention to you before you are in a position to oppose them, right?
"Oh." He thinks about that for a bit. "I guess you're right. I'm not going to manage to get to level 2 spells in a hurry, though. Does that mean the other levels will have flashier magic?"
Isn't having access to seven other quirks enough for you?
Izuku pouts, because Find-san is not wrong, but magic!
…
He gets the mental impression of a sigh from Find-san.
Level 3 spells get a little flashy.
But fine, I'll raise the number of level 4 spells you can learn to two and take away the requirement for the level 5 spell to be in the same category as the level 4 spells.
"Yes!" Izuku cheers. "How many level 3 spells can I learn? Since you rethought Moisturize, does that mean I can convince you to allow creative uses of other spells? Can I use spells in conjunction with my quirks? Can I use them on other people's quirks?"
All of them, if you wish. Perhaps. Maybe. Yes.
"Sweet! So I can change the color of Kacchan's explosions and Todoroki's fire?"
Yes.
Izuku begins to giggle chuckle a little madly and rub his hands together.
You have plans, I take it?
"Yup!"
~
He casts the spell in Art History when Kacchan is making casual pops to burn off sweat as he takes notes, but it's not until Heroics that Kacchan noticesthat his explosions are a soft, baby pink. Izuku hears the moment from halfway across the training grounds that they're using for the current exercise.
"WHAT THE FUCK!? MIDORRRRRRIYYYYYA! YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
Three minutes later, Izuku is laughing his head off while being chased by Kacchan who is out for blood and firing off large, pale pink explosions.
"Get back here, you fucker, and let me kill you! Change it back!"
"Which is it?" He asks, then giggles. "Do you want me to fix it?" He giggles again. "Or do you want to kill me?"
"BOTH!!!"
"Sorrrrry! No can do! Pick one or the other!"
"DIE!"
He dodges another explosion and goes back to laughing like a loon.
Eventually, of course, Kacchan tackles him and makes to explode him out of sheer rage, but All Might picks him off of Izuku before he can. "Now, now, boys. Calm down. I'm sure there is an easy way to resolve this. Midoriya, take the spell off."
"Spoilsport." He complains, but obediently cancels the spell. "Fine, it's gone."
Kacchan fires off a small explosion as a test and it's all yellow-orange light as usual. He huffs and quits struggling to get loose.
All Might sets him down gingerly. "Young Bakugou, I expect that there will be no more attempts to maim your classmate. Young Midoriya, I expect you to ask and receive permission from your classmates before you use spells on them, no matter how harmless or how funny you think it is."
"Yes, sir." Kacchan mutters, throwing Izuku a harsh glare.
"Sorry." Izuku mumbles, picking himself up. He's not really sorry, of course. Kacchan with baby pink explosions was comedy gold.
"Excellent! I know I can rely on you. You're fine young men. Also, congratulations on figuring out how to use another spell, Midoriya."
Izuku beams. "Thanks, All Might!"
~
Izuku is surprised when Todoroki approaches him after class.
"Midoriya."
"Todoroki. Um, can I help you?"
"Can you only change the color of explosions?"
"Uh? No. I mean. The spell is literally Change flame color."
"If you changed my flames, would it change Endeavor's flames as well?"
He blinks in confusion. "No? Quirks don't work that way. They're your flames, not an extension of your father's flames. Unless his quirk is somehow one of those mythical transferrable ones, which I doubt. Endeavor hasn't been losing his flames since you got your quirk, has he?"
Todoroki stares at him expressionlessly for a few uncomfortable moments, before admitting, "No."
"And he can't use your flames for you, can he?" He checks just to be sure.
"Also no."
Izuku nods. "Then your quirk is 100% yours, not his."
"I see." For some reason he thinks that maybe, yes, Todoroki does see. "Could you alter the color of my flames permanently if I asked?"
"I don't see why not." He admits. "Do you want me to? And what color?"
"Yes. Hot pink, please. Endeavor thinks it's an abomination of a color."
"Huh. Okay. I'm going to need you to actually produce some flame, though." He wonders why Todoroki dislikes his father so much, but he's not rude enough to ask.
Todoroki turns one hand up and fills it with fire, without a word.
He casts Change flame color on it. Huh, seeing hot pink flames with flickering orange-ish and purple tips is a trip.
A quick glance at Todoroki's reaction makes him stop and gawk. Todoroki is smiling.
~
Somehow, he accidentally beats even Iida to class, although Aizawa sensei is already there. He sets his stuff down by his desk, and after a moment, approaches his teacher.
"Aizawa sensei? Do you have an object that needs moisturizing?"
Aizawa sensei gives him a leery look, a mixture of disgust and amusement. "Kid-"
Izuku flushes as he realizes how that might sound to his teacher and hastily amends, "Or skin?"
"Not helping your case here, problem child."
He squeaks, blushes harder and tries again. "Or hair? Or soil!?"
His teacher huffs in open amusement and shoves up his left sleeve to above the elbow and holds out his arm. "Seriously, watch how you phrase things. But here, the skin on the patch Shigaraki disintegrated tends to get dry. Just be careful. The skin is still fragile."
He nods frantically and then focuses. "Um, this might take a couple minutes because I haven't tried the spell before."
"Understandable."
To both their surprise, he gets it on the third try.
Aizawa sensei glances down at his elbow with what, if he's not wrong, is a pleasantly surprised expression.
"Thanks, problem child." He rolls his sleeve back down and goes back to looking at the papers on his podium.
Izuku takes the chance to go to his desk and take a seat. It works! Okay, maybe he shouldn't get so excited about it, but he was able to help his teacher! And got thanked for it!
~
Midnight sensei catches him in the hall after lunch and draws him into the teacher's lounge for a chat. "Shouta told me what you did for his arm and I was wondering, do you need to see the skin in order to use it?"
So all the teachers know now? Wow, he is terrible at keeping secrets. Although the teachers already know about Find-san, so it's fine. He hesitates. "Um."
No.
"No." He repeats.
She lets out an explosive sigh of relief. "Oh, thank kami! My breasts are so dry they itch. I had to change my lotion because I became allergic to one of the ingredients, but the new one the doctor recommended doesn't work at all and it hurts to use my quirk when I'm so dry."
In the attached kitchenette, Yamada sensei chokes on thin air. "Nem! Phrasing!"
Izuku wonders if someone could cook an egg on his face from the sheer heat of embarrassment. Come to think of it, can he cook an egg with Heat hands? No, Izuku, focus! Midnight sensei doesn't mean anything sexy by talking about her breasts. She's complaining about a health issue, because using her quirk hurts her! He takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then asks, "Find-san, what is the range of Moisturize?"
5'x5'x2'6".
"Oh, okay." That should be enough. "Um. Midnight sensei, I can just do a full body version, but I think I need to hold your hands or at least put my hands really close to you to do it."
She grins at him and grabs his hands. "That works for me!"
He casts Moisturize at full strength.
Sucking a deep breath, she arches her back and then relaxes with a pleased exhalation of breath. "Thank you! That feels marvelous. Do let me take advantage of your intimate services again, will you?"
"Nem! You can't say that to a first year!" Yamada scolds again.
"Um, um. I- Um. I can use the spell on you again if you want, but please don't say it like that. Also, my mom swears by Midori no Sekai brand lotion, if you want to try it."
Midnight sensei pouts. "Fine. Your nonsexual intimate services. Spoilsports." Then she grins. "Does your mom use it because of the name?"
That's probably as good as he's going to get from her, isn't it? "She- Um. She said she tried it because of the name, but keeps using it because it's just that good."
He groans when Midnight wiggles her eyebrows at him. Seriously? Why is she like this? …Maybe he should just be grateful that she doesn't do it in class unless someone else starts it and only as a way to shut it down. Izuku could not handle this on a regular basis.
~
Maximum Security Prison Break!!Earlier today, Nagoshita Maximum Security Prison suffered a prison break, loosing such individuals as EarthRumbler, Moonfish, Muscular, Mustard and Crackle on the unsuspecting public. Investigation into how this break occurred is taking place, even as authorities scramble to find the missing prisoners, all of whom are Rank B or higher villains.
EarthRumbler is responsible for the Mitoto City disaster, having leveled over ten blocks of residential and thirty blocks of businesses during his relatively short rampage. He was eventually detained by the heroine Vibrant, who has the ability to amplify or nullify vibrations in a large area around her and was able to counter his quirk with her own. While he caused many deaths, this villain's focus is on property damage, so evacuating nearby buildings should be a priority if he is spotted.
Moonfish is a serial killer with the ability to extend and manipulate his teeth and more than 37 deaths attributed to his name. He is clinically insane and a cannibal, which in conjunction with his quirk makes him a Rank A threat. If you see him, make it your priority to get out of reach (approx. 60 ft) and warn any others around you to do the same.
Muscular is a giant-category, Rank B villain responsible for the deaths of the Water Hose duo and others. His quirk is Muscles, allowing him to grow and repair muscles on command. He is bloodthirsty and loves to fight. There is no preferred age range or characteristic for his victims, so anyone encountering him is at risk. Running from him may be fruitless unless one has a speed quirk, but do your best.
Mustard is a surprisingly young villain with a mildly poisonous gas quirk. Fortunately, he is not immune to his own quirk. Unfortunately, a gas mask and gun are his preferred equipment and his quirk has an extremely wide range. While only responsible for a couple deaths, there were many casualties during the incidents he caused, resulting in local hospitals being overwhelmed with patients that needed to be treated for gas inhalation.
Crackle is best known for hospitalizing victims with heart attacks and shock symptoms caused by his quirk, which produces a moderately dangerous bio-electric field around him in the visible spectrum. He is noted to have a weakness for money, so if you find yourself closer than 6 ft from him, offering to pay him (offer a minimum of 5000 yen) to leave you alone is considered a valid strategy for avoiding civilian casualties.
Other, lesser threats who escaped in the confusion are villains Splash, Cupid, Locomotion and GoldCup. Recommendations for dealing with these villains are more or less the same. Stay more than 20ft from them and do not antagonize them.
In the event of encountering any of the above villains, make sure to alert the police or nearest hero as soon as you are able.
Authorities say that the villains are more likely to be focused on escaping the area than causing havoc, but urge local residents to be cautious as they go about their day and to remain indoors after dark if possible.
Check Nagoshita Daily News' website for further updates regarding the situation during the course of the day.
-Reporter Satoi Hirigi
Chapter 22: Flames, Stats, Float
The look on Aizawa sensei's face when he sees Todoroki's newly pink flames and Todoroki's totally unbothered expression is just so done. He doesn't say anything, though, for which Izuku is grateful.
Kacchan on the other hand storms over and screams at Todoroki to tell him to knock it off.
Todoroki just gives him his standard blank look and asks, "Why?"
"Why!? Because it's girly as fuck!"
"Should I be insulted?" Ashido asks curiously.
"Come on, Bakubro. Pink is a manly color." Kirishima says.
"I fail to see how my quirk's appearance concerns you, Endeavor 2.0." Todoroki comments, leaving them all wondering why Todoroki is using his father's hero name as an insult. Because the mild inflection on the name clearly bespeaks insult.
"Fuck you! I'm original! Not some fucking copy! And I'm going to be the new Number 1! Remember it!" Kacchan rages.
"That's what he said, too." Todoroki remarks, unfazed by Kacchan's fury.
"Ooh, sick burn." Kaminari says in the background.
With a maddened scream, Kacchan launches himself at Todoroki, only to be snagged in Aizawa sensei's capture scarf.
"Todoroki, quit provoking him. Bakugou, stand down. You're making my dry eye worse."
Kacchan predictably struggles wildly for a minute before giving up, panting for breath.
"Aizawa sensei, can I go to Recovery Girl for a rabies shot? I think he got his spittle on me." Todoroki asks, cool as a cucumber.
"DIE!!"
Aizawa sensei sighs deeply. "You know what? Sure. Go see if you can convince her to give you a rabies shot. At least it will keep you from provoking him. Which I asked you to stop."
"I'M NOT FUCKING RABID, YOU FUCKING BROKEN FAUCET!! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!!" Kacchan screams.
"No." Todoroki says over his shoulder and walks away without another look back.
"FUCKING SHUT UP, DEKU! And the rest of you extras QUIT LAUGHING AT ME!" Kacchan screeches.
Izuku tries to muffle his giggles, but the rest of the class doesn't even pretend to until Aizawa sensei sighs again.
"Knock it off, Problem Children. I'm having Nedzu add eye drops to your school bill."
None of them really think that's a threat, but they do sober up and after a couple moments, Kacchan simmers down, too.
All of which to say that Kacchan's reaction tops All Might's the next day by a mile.
All Might stares at the pink flames, mouth dropping open a little, before sidling over to Izuku. "Midoriya, my boy, you did ask this time, didn't you?"
Izuku feels a little smug as he answers. "Nope! He asked me!"
"I see. Well, if he was the one to ask, I'm sure it's fine." All Might sounds relieved, which is a little insulting, but it's better than being scolded.
He decides to leave the part about Kacchan exploding out of it anyways. What All Might doesn't know won't hurt him.
~
Quests accomplished.
Quest rewards.
Nedzu, Go basics quest:
+223 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Nedzu, use of therapy animals in nursing homes essay quest:
+265 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 StP
Ectoplasm, quiz quest:
+241 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Kayama, 1000 words or less Art Noveau influences essay quest:
+124 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while walking quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Snipe, diagram sentences quest:
+200 Exp.
+2 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, in 1-2 pages describe punishments of breaking these laws essay quest:
+319 Exp.
+2 INT
+1 StP
Yamada, reorganize paragraphs to correct English quest:
+356 Exp.
+2 WIS
+1 StP
Cementoss, chapter and quiz quest:
+348 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Kayama, 3 page toxic masculinity/femininity affecting society essay quest:
+472 Exp.
+2 INT
+2 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps with weights quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Nishikawa, learn Karate stances quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while walking quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps with weights quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Nishikawa, learn Karate move quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while walking quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
-----
+3917 Exp.
+9 INT
+12 WIS
+2 STR
+7 DEX
+16 StP
Izuku Midoriya
Level 11
Exp. 16836/24000
STR: 42
VIT: 110
DEX: 45
INT: 95
WIS: 103
HP: 660/660
MP: ∞/∞
STA: 150/150
StP: 0
Nedzu sensei looks pleased. "Excellent. It looks like dungeons will unlock in about three weeks. Though I am a little curious as to your lack of enthusiasm for exploring that aspect of your quirk."
"Uh. Well, dungeons are where things try to kill you, right? I want to be a hero to save people, not to kill things."
"Ah, I see where your previous experiences could lead to that conclusion. Though I believe you are overlooking the aspect of dungeons called 'drops', which means your dungeon experiences could potentially be quite lucrative. Also, I believe Find-san's concern for you would prevent it from placing you in a dungeon that would bring you true harm. At least at first." Nedzu sensei says brightly.
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is." Izuku tells him drily, but the idea of drops does get his attention.
You can stick to lower level dungeons if you wish.
"Oh. Well that's nice to know."
"What's that?" Nedzu sensei inquires.
"Find-san says I can choose to stick to lower level dungeons if I want."
Nedzu sensei nods. "I suspected as much. That addresses your fears on the subject nicely."
Izuku decides to change the subject. "Was the information Find-san downloaded for you useful?"
The chimera accepts the subject change easily. "Quite! It was all rather horrifying and necessary information has been forwarded to the police to solve quite a number of missing person cases and forewarn them of the numbers of Nomu we can expect to face in the near future. I am quite glad to have this information removed from enemy hands, although I suspect that much of it had backups of one sort or another. Unfortunate, of course, but there's little we can do other than hope that we've set back All for One's plans a bit." He spreads his paws in a 'what have you' gesture. "Find-san, you have my thanks for doing this. And Midoriya, my thanks for allowing your quirk to do so."
"Oh, um." Izuku waves his hands around in embarrassment.
You are welcome.
"Um, yeah. You're welcome from me too." He hastily follows Find-san's example in relief.
"I may ask you to lend your services in the future, but rest assured, you can refuse with no repercussions. There will be no pressure put on either of you, even if the reason for asking is pressing." Nedzu says.
"Oh." Izuku says blankly, blinking a few times. That was…not what he was expecting, somehow.
That is acceptable. Though I will refuse if Izuku does not wish me to lend my services.
"Of course! I expected as much. Both of you must be in agreement or nothing will happen. None of the teachers on staff nor I will pressure you." Nedzu assures him.
"Um. The teachers know?"
"Aizawa and Yagi know. Both of them guessed when I brought them in on the matter. The others accepted that my source is anonymous. I'm afraid I had to let Detective Tsukauchi know as well. He does not know your name, however. Just that there is a student with a powerful information tech quirk on campus who found the information for me." The chimera explains. "We do take your privacy seriously, I promise. And Tsukauchi will not press for your identity."
"Oh. Um. That's good." He wonders who Detective Tsukauchi is.
The detective with a lie detector quirk. He is trustworthy and knows about One for All as well as being All Might's go-to for situations dealing with All for One.
Oh. That's good to know. He didn't know All Might had others in the loop to rely on.
"Have you tried practicing with your new quirks yet?" Nedzu's question draws him out of his head.
"No?"
"I believe that you should try working with them and at the least become familiar with their activation requirements and basic usages."
"I- Um. Is that okay? The class will see and, um."
"Seeing as your class has accepted you doing magic rather easily, I don't think you will find any issues with practicing in front of them."
"Oh." That makes sense, he guesses.
"Now that we have settled that, I have a couple Go moves I'd like to teach you today."
"Yes, Nedzu sensei." Izuku agrees, the change of subject making him feel lighter. He looks forward to the games with Nedzu, even if he's never won any of them.
~
Hitoshi watches his friend stand stock still, looking at thin air and knows he is going to do something stupid. This is why he's not surprised a couple minutes later when Izuku starts floating.
Izuku apparently doesn't notice at first, because when he does notice, he looks elated and starts floating up like a lazy balloon.
Finally he notices that he's several feet above the gym floor and looks panicked. "How do I get down!?"
Well, that's a question for the ages. Everyone is looking at Izuku now, because he was a lot louder than he probably meant to be. He floats higher as they watch, now bobbling like there's a breeze.
He groans internally and walks over and snags his friend's foot before he floats completely out of reach and reels him down until he's more like a yard up. And then. Hitoshi just holds him in place until he suddenly drops to the floor, having figured out at least how to turn it off, if not how to get down on his own.
"Hitoshi! Thank you!" Izuku exclaims and leans up to wrap him in a semi-hysterical hug of gratitude. "That was scary! I thought I was just going to keep going up until I floated into space and got pulled apart by the lack of gravity and air and just became a spatter in space until I reentered the atmosphere and burned up before I hit the ground. And my mom wouldn't even have ashes to remember me by because I'd be scattered all over Japan!"
"There, there." Hitoshi says lamely, awkwardly patting his back. "I'm sure All Might could have jumped up and brought you down. Even if we weren't in a gym. That has, y'know, a roof. You're okay now."
That only has the effect of Izuku bursting into tears and trying to snuggle into him further, which is kind of impossible, but the boy gives it a good try.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He wails. "You're such a good friend, Hitoshi! Thank you!"
Hitoshi resigns himself to being a human teddy bear and shoots a glare at the class, who are now standing around with avid expressions, looking like they're watching a soap opera. Most of them have the decency to turn back to their own training. Most.
"Oi, crybaby, get off of Eye Bags and stop wailing like you were going to die!"
Huh. Maybe the asshole has something vaguely resembling kindness under all that bark and bite.
"Kacchan! I thought I was going to die!"
"You fucking did not! Now get off, you embarrassment to humans everywhere. Cry on your own time."
Nah, probably not.
Izuku steps back and looks up at him earnestly. "Am I an embarrassment, Hitoshi?"
"No." He deadpans. "But you should probably be training instead of being a koala."
His friend sniffs dramatically and wipes away his tears, then nods firmly. "You're a great friend, Hitoshi. Thank you from saving me from certain death."
Okay, now he knows Izuku is just acting.
"Sure. You good now?"
"Yup!" Izuku beams at him.
Hitoshi raises a brow and flicks his capture scarf so it releases Izuku's leg and coils it up as he walks back to his own training. A day in the life of. Geez. Well, at least life isn't boring around Izuku.
Chapter 23: Martial Arts, Merch, Eri, Merch and Contracts
Thursday, first trimester, tenth week of school…
"Starting tomorrow, Heroics is also going to be switched temporarily to martial arts lessons, so you have time to cover all of the ones offered to first years starting second semester before finals occur." Aizawa sensei says in a bored tone. "As a reminder, you have four weeks to study before finals week, so put that to good use."
"Yes, sensei." The class responds. Mostly. There are a few moans and groans and curses as people are reminded of finals existing.
Personally, he makes a mental note to start reviewing chapters and such starting next week, because he's already agreed to come visit Eri this weekend and he needs to try out Heat hands, Lullaby, Odor: minor, Illusion, Surface cleanse: skin, and Surface cleanse: hair. And, okay, maybe that's not a lot, but he likes starting things at the beginning of a week, not the end. It throws him off if he starts studying at the end of a week for finals. Let's just say he's made that mistake before and never again. Kacchan thought it was funny and mocked him for it for a good month, acting like he got F's instead of B's.
"So that's why you see him as a goal. I didn't know he had more going for him than a strong quirk and anger issues." Banjo comments suddenly.
"Kacchan's complicated." He admits. "But he's always been the strongest in everything. He works hard to be the best."
"He's still an asshole, kid." En points out.
"Lots of people are. And it's not entirely his fault. The adults around us never did anything to correct him."Izuku points out. "He can change."
"If he chooses to, kid. If he chooses to." Nana adds.
"I think he will. UA has been helping." He tells her.
"Just don't be too disappointed if he doesn't. You can't force others to change." Uncle Yoichi says in a grave tone. "I would know."
"Yeah, yeah." Izuku says with a mental huff, done with the conversation. He knows he can't change Kacchan. Only Kacchan can do that, and he'll only do it if given a good reason to. But UA has helped. Well, and not being quirkless. Which he doesn't quite get, because he's fairly sure Kacchan isn't quirkest despite some of the shit he's said. Plus, Kacchan's started therapy and he knows that will help him figure out things and maybe just be less angry over all.
~
Friday…
Skywindblue – Hey, Novell, do you have any merch I could buy? @NovellOfficial
Gorgeousdog – Oh hey, that's a good question! Do you have any yet? @NovellOfficialHinaforlife – Better question, do you mind if we make fan merch? @NovellOfficialMirkoSimp – Even better question, do you mind if we make and sell fan merch for you? @NovellOfficialIzuku stares at the messages that pinged him and the boatload of comments under them of people excitedly discussing the possibilities and panics a little.
"What's with the deer in the headlights expression?" Hitoshi asks, leaning in to look.
On his other side, Momo tilts her head to get a better look too. "Is that a Hero Official account? I didn't think we could get one without a license?"
"Oh. Um. Yamada sensei sponsored mine because I was trending after the radio show episode and he wanted me to take advantage of that."
"Damn? They already want merch of you? You should tell them yes to the fan merch." Hitoshi opines.
"Or you could sell a limited amount of official merch." Momo suggests. "I'd be happy to make it for you until you have an opportunity to contract with a supplier."
Both of them look at her in surprise.
"Aren't you the one against messing with the economy?" Hitoshi asks.
She looks faintly embarrassed. "Yes, but it's for a good cause and I don't think a small amount of merch for a first year student will harm the economy."
Izuku bites his lip. "I don't know who to agree with here. I think I need to talk to Mic sensei."
"That's a good idea." Momo acknowledges. "He's the professional, after all. He would know more about all this than we do between the three of us."
"I'm pretty sure he's smarter than any one of us, too." Hitoshi adds.
"Yeah. Probably." Izuku agrees easily.
~
Mic sensei looks up at them curiously and smiles. "Hey, listeners. What's up?"
"Um."
"Izuku's Hero Official account is asking if he has official merch and if they can make and/or sell fan merch." Hitoshi explains.
"I offered to make him some official merch and Hitoshi thinks he should allow the fan merch." Momo elaborates.
"I don't know what to do." Izuku admits. "So I thought I should ask you."
"Hm! Give me just a minute to hop on my account and take a look." They stand there awkwardly as Yamada sensei pulls out his phone and taps and swipes several times, then scrolls for a bit. "Ah, I see. The good news is that the people asking are some of your most vocal supporters. If it was your detractors commenting, I'd have to say nix on the merch, because that inevitably devolves into a mess. But in this case, I think you can say yes to the fan merch as long as they don't make fakes of copyrighted official merch now or in the future. Make sure you add that warning or permission will bite you in the ass later on.
"As for official merch, that's very kind of you, Yaomomo. However, to make it official merch you need a business license, a logo and production numbers. Or you could talk to your parents and see if they'd be willing to lend you theirs until Midoriya gets an official contract. If they won't, you could talk with one of the Business course teachers and let them walk you through the process of obtaining a license. It's actually not that hard, but there are some requirements that have to be met and you have to be willing to deal with quarterly taxes."
Hitoshi looks smug.
Momo nods thoughtfully. "I'll talk to my parents. They should be willing to help me with the details, though I doubt they'll lend me one of their brands. They'll probably consider it a good precedence for when my merch becomes in demand, and having a company of my own would allow me to promote merch for my classmates as well."
"You- You don't have to do that." Izuku protests weakly.
She pats his head with an amused expression. "But I want to."
"Oh. Okay then." He concedes, still confused.
"Don't worry, my parents have business managers who can handle the details. I won't need to do all that much."
"Damn, girl." Hitoshi gives a low whistle. "I'm glad you're on our side."
Momo beams at him.
Izuku agrees, but turns back to his account.
NovellOfficial - @Skywindblue, @Gorgeousdog, @Hinaforlife, @MirkoSimp. After consulting with my teacher, I have been advised to give permission for fan merch. So this is me giving permission AS LONG AS you don't make imitations of official merch in the future.
As for official merch, let me just say that there is some things in the works. I don't know exactly how it will all turn out, but a friend volunteered to help me, so I should be getting a very limited amount of official merch somewhere in the next few months. So you can be on the lookout for that.Thank you for your interest and questions. I'm extremely touched that any of you want merch of me at this stage in my career and hope to uphold your trust in me during the future."Oh, that's an excellent post, Midoriya! It covers everything quite nicely." Yamada sensei praises.
"Thanks, sensei." He says shyly, then leans out of the way to let Hitoshi and Momo read what he wrote.
"Nice job." Hitoshi agrees.
"I think you've got a knack for this sort of thing." Momo praises. "I'll have to learn from you. I've never been all that good with strangers."
"Uh, sure." Izuku says, even though he doesn't think copying the format heroes usually use in posts is any great accomplishment. It's just imitation. Momo's smart. She'll pick it up in no time, he's sure.
~
Friday night…
Momo brings it up with her parents that night.
Her parents listen carefully, then exchange glances. "That's a sound plan, Momo." Her father says. "I'm proud of you for thinking of it. But I'd like to do some research on your classmate and see if he'd be a good prospect for Yaoyorozu Industries or one of our affiliates to sponsor."
"Oh." Momo deflates a little.
"In addition to your plan, not replacing it." Her mother clarifies. "We think running a small business with the potential to grow will be good experience for you for when we pass our shares to you. Obviously as a hero, you'll have to spend less time in managing your business than we do, but we have people that we trust to take over most of our duties so the shares won't become a terrible burden for you at that time. We'll have you work with Mai Ito. She's worked with quite a few of our affiliates when they were just struggling into existence, so she has plenty of experience with startups."
Momo beams at them. "Thank you so much! I won't disappoint you!"
Her dad smiles at her. "You could never be a disappointment, Momo. You're our daughter and we love you."
"What he said." Her mom says with a smile of her own.
~
Saturday…
By the time he arrives, he's an hour late and Eri is crying. Unnerved, he looks at Aizawa sensei for help.
"You said your Moisturize trick works on hair, too?"
He nods.
"We're trying to brush it out so we can wash it properly, but we're not having any luck. I tried conditioner, but…" He gestures at Eri and with a closer look, Izuku can spot a brush stuck in a patch of hair, surrounded by a white cream of some sort.
"Oh. Actually, I have a spell I can clean her hair with. If I clean it and moisturize it, would that work? And, um, I think you're supposed to use de-tangler, not conditioner on kids' hair."
"I think I have some of that." Aizawa sensei mutters and goes over to work the brush out of the hair. "Okay. Do your thing. I'll go look for the de-tangler."
It takes a couple minutes to get the spell to work for the first time, during which Eri greets him and climbs in his lap and complains about the brush hurting her hair.
"It doesn't normally do that, though, does it?" He asks, still focusing on the spell.
"Nuh-uh. But Uncle 'Zashi normally comes over and washes my hair for me. 'Zawa's just bad at it."
He nods solemnly. "That does sound like a problem. Oh! There, now your hair is clean. Let me use another spell to moisturize it and- There we go. All shiny."
She beams and snuggles further into his lap, which is kind of uncomfortable, because he's kneeling, but he'll live.
Izuku starts running his fingers through her hair, gently untangling knots as he comes across them. Most of them slide apart easily enough now that the hair is clean and moisturized. He's almost done when Aizawa sensei emerges from the hall with a bottle in hand.
"Found it in the back of the hall closet, of all places. I don't even know how it got there. Hizashi probably uses it regularly when he washes her hair."
"Maybe he ran out and this was a backup bottle?" Izuku suggests.
"Sure, but that doesn't explain why it wasn't in the bathroom closet." Aizawa sensei grumbles. "Looks like I don't need this after all. Why aren't you using the brush?"
"Uh. Cuz it needs to be washed? It still has conditioner all over it." He points out.
"Oh." Aizawa sets the detangler down and picks up the brush and conditioner. "I'll take care of these."
He nods agreeably. Leaving the detangler is fine. There's at least three spots that are going to need it so far and he's only halfway up her hair. At least it isn't as wavy as his is. Curl patterns are a pain in the ass.
~
Monday…
Her parents are nothing if not efficient and by the time Monday rolls around, Momo has two offers for Izuku.
"Izuku!"
He looks up from his notes and smiles at her. "Hey, Momo."
She stops at his desk and lays down two thin files. "Look through these and let me know what you think at lunch, okay?"
Izuku gives her a wide eyed look and nods seriously. "Thanks, Momo."
"Anything for a friend." She tells him, not entirely comfortable for being thanked for something she wanted to do for him. The offers are very modest, after all.
Her new company, Creati Enterprises is offering one free model figurine in a run of 50, all made by her. Further figurines to be arranged by the fledgling company and include production costs, depending on demand. Originals template to be made by her and agreed on by Izuku before going into production.
On the other hand, Yaoyorozu Enterprises is directly sponsoring several lines of shirts with quotes from the radio episode on them, in limited runs of 200. If there is further demand for such items, further items will be turned over to an affiliate suited to dealing with hero merch to diversify items and expand runs.
She just hopes he's satisfied with the offers. Of course she'd hoped to offer him more, but she understands her parents' and business manager's caution in the matter.
~
Monday…
Izuku reads through the first folder, finding it to be Momo's company offer. Honestly, it's a better offer than he expected. Mostly he's just thrilled for his friend to have gotten her own company set up so quickly.
Reading through the second offer has his eyes widening so far that it kinda hurts to blink. Yaoyorozu Enterprises is taking a risk on him!? Sure, it's a drop in the bucket for a company that size, but. Why? He can't even. And. There is a provision for one of their affiliates taking over and expanding production if the initial stuff does well. That's just boggling.
That's not even counting the personal note Mr. Yaoyorozu wrote at the end. "I don't entirely agree with everything you said, but anti-quirkest sentiments are always good to have promoted. Good job, kid and keep up the good work. Since you're my Momo's friend, the offer is on the generous side, so don't hesitate to take it. And do have a lawyer look over the contract before you sign."
He doesn't even notice Kacchan turning around and reading upside down.
"Oi. Why the hell do you have a merch offer from a company already?" Kacchan demands. Loudly enough to make Izuku wince.
A faint "What?" comes from the front of the class room.
Izuku barely hears it as Mineta exclaims behind him, "What? You have merch already? No fair!"
"You're really getting merch this soon?" Sero asks. "That's awesome."
And then the whole classroom starts babbling. Izuku just kind of cringes under the attention.
"Problem Children, settle down." Aizawa sensei says, glaring them into silence. "Midoriya, explain."
"Oh, um."
"Actually, may I explain, Aizawa sensei?" Momo asks.
Aizawa sensei sighs. "Sure."
"It's very simple. Midoriya has been trending since his internship, so Mic sensei helped him make a Hero Official account and recently fans have started asking about merch, so I offered to make him a limited production line of official merch. My parents helped me arrange the business license and a business manager. That said, I'm willing to do a limited production line of figurines of the whole class, if everyone is willing to sign contracts. Since I am personally making these, this is a one-time offer and further contracts would have to be negotiated with my business manager because they will involve production costs." Momo explains calmly.
The entire classroom bursts into chatter again until Aizawa sensei intervenes again. "Yaoyorozu, do you have the contracts with you?"
"I do!" She sounds slightly smug.
"Very well, then the rest of homeroom can be given to this, since this is a unique opportunity for you problem children." He doesn't even sound upset about it.
"I do have one caveat, though." Momo says, which makes everyone pause in getting up from their desks. "These will be sold as sets from a website connected to Midoriya's Hero Official and they will be auctioned. If you want an extra for yourself or your parents, you must specify that change. In short, you will do none of the work beyond approving your figurines and you will get 98% of the profits. But it will be profit split between every member of the class equally. If you have a problem with this, let me know now."
There is silence, then Kaminari says, "Well, we're never getting a deal this good again, so we'd be stupid to refuse."
"Correct." Momo replies primly, folding her hands together.
"We should approach in order of seat number." Tsu interjects sensibly.
Everyone except Hagakure sits back down.
Momo pulls a file out of her bag and waits.
Kacchan squints and says under his breath, "That's not the deal you're getting. What the hell?"
Izuku flips the file closed and mutters, "I am the one trending and being asked for merch, Kacchan."
He gets a huff in answer, but thankfully Kacchan doesn't say any more and turns back around.
~
Monday…
Momo doesn't advertise it, but Izuku, Hitoshi, Bakugou, Todoroki and Tokoyami get two part contracts. One part for the set figurine and one part for a separate figurine. Izuku because he's trending and the others because they won the sports festival and people are sure to want ones of them alone. Hitoshi gets a run of 50 like Izuku, but the others only get a run of 25.
Bakugou looks surprised briefly, then smug.
Hitoshi looks shocked and grateful when he notices the difference.
Tokoyami gives her a grave, grateful look and hushes Dark Shadow before he can announce it to the entire room.
Todoroki just looks blank as usual, but gives her a nod when he notices.
All in all, she's pleased. Even though Homeroom barely has enough time for her to finish the contracts and she has to deal with Mineta.