Akira and Izumi Midoriya sat side by side on the swings in the playground, the soft creaking of the chains accompanying the distant laughter of other children.
Since Akira had shown a clear interest in talking to Izumi, and All Might believed that having a friend his age would be good for him, he had decided to give them some space.
The teacher had also suggested the same, asking Izumi to show Akira around the school while she took All Might to the teachers' office.
Akira gently pushed himself back and forth on the swing before turning his head slightly toward Izumi. "Why was that blonde kid bullying you?" he asked calmly.
Izumi's movement slowed as her gaze dropped.
"Kacchan is just… being mean like always," she said quietly. There was no anger in her voice. Only acceptance.
"He beat that boy up because he got better marks than him in a math test," she continued softly. "He wasn't like this before… but ever since he got his quirk, he's been getting meaner."
Akira listened without interrupting, his expression remaining neutral as he processed her words. After a moment, he spoke. "From what I saw," he said, "he has a superiority complex bigger than a god itself."
Izumi blinked a few times. Then, unexpectedly, she let out a small chuckle.
"It does feel like that sometimes," she admitted. "He wants to become a hero, and he thinks to beat All Might, he has to be number one at everything."
"His actions make him look more like a villain," Akira said bluntly, "and you more like a hero."
Izumi froze. The word hero echoed in her mind. No one had ever said the word hero with her name in the same sentence like that. Not without mockery. Not without pity.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the swing chains as she looked at Akira, unsure how to respond.
Akira tilted his head slightly. "Why does he call you 'Deku'?"
Izumi's expression immediately dimmed. Her shoulders slumped as she looked down again. "Because… I'm quirkless," she said in a small voice, bracing herself instinctively.
She expected it. The disgust. The awkward silence. The disappointment. But none of that came.
"Oh," Akira said simply. "But that doesn't explain why he calls you 'Deku'."
Izumi looked up, wide-eyed. "…But I'm quirkless," she repeated, confusion filling her voice.
Akira frowned slightly, genuinely not understanding. "What does being quirkless have to do with the name 'Deku'?" he asked. "How does that mean you should be called useless?"
Izumi's breath caught. Her mind stumbled at his words.
"If people call you 'Deku' just because you're quirkless," Akira continued, "then they're wrong."
Tears began to form in Izumi's eyes. "…But I want to be a hero," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't… because I'm quirkless. That's why I'm a Deku."
Akira looked at her directly. "Who says a quirkless person can't be a hero?" he asked.
Izumi's eyes widened. "You don't need a quirk to become a hero," he said.
The world seemed to go silent. All the voices she had heard before—the laughter, the insults, the doubts, the crushing weight of rejection—faded away.
Even the memory of her mother apologizing…"…I'm sorry, Izumi…" Disappeared.
Only Akira remained in front of her. And his words.
You can be a hero.
Her vision blurred as tears spilled over. She closed her eyes, letting them fall freely, her shoulders shaking slightly as she cried—not loudly, not dramatically, but enough to release everything she had been holding inside.
Akira watched quietly for a moment before gently placing a hand on her shoulder, offering silent comfort.
'…This world is cruel,' he thought. 'To put this kind of pressure on someone… just for wanting to help others.'
After a few moments, Izumi slowly began to calm down.
Akira looked at her, then asked slowly. "Do you want a quirk?"
Izumi froze again. Her crying stopped instantly. She looked at him, confusion completely overtaking her expression.
"…Eh?"