The rest of the day passed without much incident after the brief hallway drama. Classes wrapped up one by one, and by the final period, everyone's attention was already drifting far ahead. When the bell rang, Shota Aizawa stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded as usual.
"You have two full weeks," he said flatly. "Train. Refine your quirks. Prepare yourselves for the Sports Festival. Don't waste the time."
With that, he dismissed them.
The room immediately exploded into noise.
Some students were buzzing with excitement, voices overlapping as they argued about strategies and rivalries. Others looked visibly stressed, already overthinking obstacle courses, cavalry battles, or one-on-one matches. A few were dead silent, staring at nothing as they mentally calculated how badly this could go.
Izuku, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head.
'Two weeks off, huh?' he thought, glancing lazily at the ceiling. 'Everyone's about to break their backs training… and me?'
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
'I don't really need to.'
'Guess this is basically vacation.'
---
By the time he made it home, the sun had dipped low in the sky, bathing Musutafu in streaks of orange and purple. The air was calm, streets quieter than usual as evening settled in. Izuku slipped off his shoes at the door and barely had time to breathe before familiar arms wrapped around him.
"Welcome home," Inko said warmly.
"Hey, Mom," he replied, hugging her back before heading upstairs.
In his room, he kicked his bag aside, peeled off his uniform, and swapped it for a comfortable black hoodie and loose sweatpants. With a satisfied sigh, he dropped into his desk chair and pressed the power button on his computer.
The screen flickered to life, its glow reflecting faintly off his glasses.
"Man… it's been a while since I touched this thing," he muttered, stretching his arms overhead.
The low hum of the machine felt oddly comforting—familiar, grounding. A few clicks later, his game library filled the screen, rows upon rows of titles he hadn't touched in weeks. His cursor drifted slowly as he scrolled.
'Let's see where I left off…'
He stopped.
One particular RPG save file caught his eye—unfinished, outdated, and frankly embarrassing.
He clicked it.
"Level 42…" Izuku read aloud, shaking his head. "Still stuck at the ice dungeon? Pfft. Easy."
A confident grin spread across his face.
"Bet I could beat the boss faster than All Might finishes a speech."
The faint clack clack of his keyboard filled the room as the game loaded. Snow-covered corridors appeared on screen, icy enemies patrolling familiar paths. Izuku leaned forward, posture sharpening—not like a hero preparing for battle, but like a gamer slipping back into his element.
Villains. Training. The looming Sports Festival.
All of it faded away.
'For now,' he thought, fingers flying across the keys, 'it's just me, snacks, and a final boss who doesn't stand a chance.'
.....
Of course, those two weeks weren't going to pass without Izuku's peace being interrupted.
A few days after he'd settled into his so-called "vacation," it happened.
A low, persistent buzz rattled against the wooden surface of his nightstand, drilling straight into his dreams. Izuku groaned, turning his face deeper into the pillow and swatting blindly until his fingers brushed plastic. The buzzing stopped the moment he grabbed his phone.
He cracked one eye open and squinted at the screen.
Momo Yaoyorozu
His brow furrowed.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced at the clock glowing faintly in the dark.
6:00 a.m.
'…The hell does she want this early?' he thought, exhaling through his nose.
With a tired swipe, he answered and lifted the phone to his ear.
"Yo," he mumbled.
His voice came out rough—low, unpolished, still heavy with sleep.
On the other end of the call, Momo completely froze.
Her grip tightened around her phone as warmth rushed to her face, a vivid blush blooming instantly. She hadn't expected that voice. Morning voices weren't supposed to sound like that. She swallowed and cleared her throat a little too quickly.
"H-Hi, Izuku," she said, trying—and only half succeeding—to keep her tone composed. "U-Um… how are you this morning?"
Izuku shifted, sitting up slightly as he stretched one arm behind his head, back pressing against the headboard.
"I'm alright," he replied honestly. "Still half asleep, though. What about you?"
"I'm fine!" she answered a bit too quickly, then slowed herself down. "Actually… the girls and I decided we'd go study at the local library today."
She hesitated, fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.
"So I was wondering," she continued, "if you'd like to join us? It won't take long—just about three hours."
Izuku blinked.
Studying?
During their break?
'Studying… while we're supposed to be training?' he thought.
'Guess the grind really never ends.'
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then shrugged—even though she couldn't see him.
"Sure," he said easily. "I don't have anything planned, so why not. Which library?"
The relief in her voice was immediate and unmistakable.
"Oh—great!" she said, the smile audible even through the phone. She quickly rattled off the details: the library's name, the meeting time, which floor they'd be on, and even where they'd be sitting.
Izuku fumbled his phone into speaker mode and lazily typed the information into his notes app, eyes half-lidded as he fought off the urge to fall back asleep.
"Then… we'll see you there," Momo said softly, before hanging up a little too quickly.
The call ended.
Izuku let the phone drop back onto the nightstand with a dull thud and flopped backward onto his bed, arms spread out as he stared at the ceiling.
"…Well," he muttered.
'Guess I'm not free anymore.'
A beat later, Izuku swung his legs over the side of the bed and padded into the bathroom. The cold tile shocked the last remnants of sleep right out of him as he flicked on the light, squinting at the boy staring back from the mirror.
His hair was a disaster—tufts sticking up in defiance of gravity—and his eyes were still a little heavy, shadows lingering beneath them. Still, a faint grin tugged at his lips.
'Momo calling me at six in the morning to study…' he thought, splashing water on his face.
'Yeah, that's definitely not something I ever saw happening.'
He grabbed his toothbrush and started his routine, the familiar motions grounding him. As he brushed, his mind wandered—not to training, or villains, or the Sports Festival—but to what he'd wear. Nothing too casual. Nothing too stiff. Comfortable, but presentable. Something that didn't scream I just rolled out of bed.
By the time he was done, his hair was tamed, his hoodie chosen carefully, and his usual calm firmly back in place.
---
A few hours later, Izuku arrived at the library.
He slowed to a stop the moment he reached the entrance.
There was noise—actual chatter—echoing through the building. That alone was strange enough for a place dedicated to silence. But when he stepped inside, his eyes widened slightly.
Security guards stood at regular intervals along the walls. Staff members politely but firmly ushered confused civilians toward the exits, apologizing as they did. The entire first floor had been cleared out.
Izuku blinked once.
Then twice.
'…Wow,' he thought.
'She rented out the library. I didn't even know that was possible.'
A beat later, another thought followed.
'Guess anything's buyable when you're a billionaire.'
Shaking his head with a quiet laugh, he headed upstairs.
That's when he spotted them.
At a long wooden table near the windows sat the girls, books and tablets spread out in neat piles. The moment they noticed him, their faces visibly lit up—subtle for some, not subtle at all for others.
Izuku climbed the stairs and gave a small wave.
"Yo"
He slid into the nearest open chair—right beside Tsuyu Asui, who greeted him with a calm nod.
"Morning, Izuku," she said. "Kero."
That should've been the end of it.
It wasn't. Almost immediately, the seating arrangement… changed.
Ochaco Uraraka scooted her chair closer on his left, pretending she needed more space for her notes. Momo Yaoyorozu subtly adjusted her position on his right, her sleeve brushing his arm as she did. Mina Ashido giggled and slid closer with zero shame. Even Kyoka Jiro, who looked like she couldn't care less, nudged her chair just a little nearer.
Before Izuku could process it—
He was in the middle.
Clink!
Something cold landed softly in front of him.
A juice box.
"Finally!" Toru Hagakure chirped, her floating juice straw bobbing cheerfully. "I've been saving you a spot."
Izuku chuckled.
"Thanks, Toru. Almost didn't see you there."
"Ha-ha. Hilarious," she huffed, before slurping loudly from her juice in retaliation.
Izuku smiled, completely unfazed, and set his bag down. He pulled out exactly four items: a notebook, a pen, a pencil, and a ruler.
He placed them neatly on the table.
"So," he asked casually, leaning back a little, "what are we studying today?"
Mina blinked.
"…That's all you brought?"
"Yeah," Izuku shrugged. "What more do you need?"
The girls stared at his minimal setup.
At the same time, a shared thought passed through their minds.
'…He's so minimalistic.'
'Maybe I should try that.'
Izuku, blissfully unaware of the collective mental spiral he'd just caused, flipped open his notebook and waited—perfectly at ease in the center of attention, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
TO BE CONTINUED