Work Text:
A green-haired boy sighed.
It was early afternoon.
Midoriya Izuku sat down at one of the secluded spots in the local library. Right at the corner.
He was recommended this library by his teachers, saying if the class wanted research material, they could go here to find it.
He never really found the need to then, but a month later he discovered that they had a wide variety of comic books available.
And so, like a fish to worm, he took the bait. And he wasn't disappointed.
Not too many people could see him hidden behind the tall bookshelves, so he could get away with being a little noisy, and most of all…
Because the lighting at the spot was rather low, people rarely chose to sit down by the table, but that certain feature made Izuku sure of the spot.
He always was a little awkward around people, especially with the people in his class.
Izuku smiled to himself.
And no one would berate him for reading comic books at the library!
I mean why even have them on the bookshelves if they weren't meant to be read, right?
Nodding to himself, he opened his comic book and turned a page.
Then he noticed something in front of him. A piece of paper.
'Did someone leave this?'
Flipping the page over, Izuku contemplated on whether or not he should read it.
'Is it an invasion of privacy if I read this? I better not.'
However, looking at the sheet of paper again, curiosity got the better of him.
'But if this was important, then whoever left this wouldn't have left it, right?'
He took the plunge, and read the contents.
----
Riza Hawkeye grabbed one of Roy's hands and took it into her own.
"Roy, please do not let yourself be hurt so much. It pains me to see you like this."
Roy took his other hand and used it to move the girl's bangs away from her face.
"You know I can't do that, I have duties that I must fulfill."
"But what about your duties here? With me? Do they mean nothing?"
Roy frowned. "You know that's not what I mean, dear."
----
Izuku only read a few sentences before he recoiled in shock.
'This is… fanfiction!'
Commonly, when watching a certain program, fans of that program would think of what could be had this and that happened or not. And this brings us to here.
Fanfiction. Where people of their respective fandoms write possibilities and post it on the world wide web.
There were some of Pro-Heroes too!
'This one seems to be of FullMetal Alchemist. Brings back memories."
Although in his opinion, the writing could do better.
'Would this be another invasion of privacy?' he thought, then he shook his head. 'I have good intentions. That's gotta count… right?'
He took out a pencil from his pocket, took the sheet of paper, put his comic aside, and started writing.
The wording could do some work…
Seems too out of character…
Too wordy…
Gotta add a little bit more to this…
Eventually, minutes later Izuku sighed as he smiled to himself, feeling proud of his work. He raised his head-
And he saw a sharp, black object almost half the size of spear pointed right at his forehead. He froze and breathed in through his nose.
'Graphite?'
On the opposite end of the object, he saw a young girl, around his age, with shoulder-length, bob-shaped raven hair, side-swept to her right with some shorter strands hanging above her eyes, staring at him with a neutral expression.
'What… what in the world-?'
The girl pointed towards the sheet of paper in his hand and gestured him to hand it over.
Izuku's eyes widened.
'Could this be hers?'
He could only comply with her request.
Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him once more before turning her attention towards the sheet of paper given to her.
As she scanned the piece, her eyes widened.
Moments later, with her eyes still glued to the paper, the sharp object in front of Izuku just… disappeared.
No that's not right.
It shrunk.
It shrunk until it was about the size of a mechanical pencil lead. Once it did, the girl sat down, her eyes still on the paper, eyes were just as wide.
Izuku sighed in relief.
Just what had happened?
Just what had happened?!
Kodai Yui stared at the piece of paper she had accidentally left the day before.
Of course, she thanked the library custodian that they hadn't noticed the paper, but she was frustrated that someone had found out before her.
This was an invasion of privacy! It had to be.
She took the piece of paper from the boy in front of her to see just how bad he ridiculed her work like some others who found what she wrote before. Most likely saying how bad it was-!
Her eyes widened.
----
Riza Hawkeye grabbed one of Roy’s hands and took (one of Roy’s hands) it into her own.
“Roy, please do not (don’t) let yourself be (get) hurt so much. It pains me (I don’t like) to see(ing) you like this.”
Roy (The Flame Alchemist) (used) took his other hand and used it to move(d) the girl’s bangs away from her face.
“You know I can’t just do that, I(‘ve) have (got my) duties (to) that I must fullfill.”
“But what about your duties here? With me? Do(n’t) they mean nothing? (anything)?”
Roy frowned (sighed). “You know that’s not what I mean, dear.”
----
Now that she read it, it seemed easier on her eyes for some reason.
'Did he do this?'
Sitting down, Yui gave the paper a once over. She nodded to herself.
The girl narrowed her eyes towards the boy in front of her, who recoiled.
"I-I-I'm sorry I messed with it." the boy said. "I-I knew it was wrong to meddle with it but I-"
She interrupted him by sliding the piece towards him.
The green-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "W-What?" he asked her.
She only pointed towards the parts where corrections took place within the piece.
"O-oh I'm sorry if I messed with you-"
She stopped him again with a flat glare.
"T-Then do you mean w-why I put corrections?"
Yui raised an eyebrow. He got what she wanted to say, without her even needing to vocalise it.
Interesting.
She nodded.
"W-Well… I-I mean fanfiction is still a story, right?" he said. "A-And it was just laying there a-and I read it and I thought it could use a little more work and I thought that maybe I could make it a little easier to-"
He clamped his mouth shut as he realized the writer was right in front of him.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. I-I just-"
Yui said nothing. Instead, with a wave of her hand, she gestured for him to go on.
"W-Well… I mean, the premise is good and all but the execution c-could use a bit of i-improvement," he said. "I-I mean the sentences were dragged on, descriptions were too wordy, a-and n-not to mention some of the lines were too out-of-character for them…"
Yui raised an eyebrow.
He knew what she was making fanfiction of?
Her eyes wandered over to the comic book at his side.
Oh. She should've known.
"I-I'm not saying y-you're bad or anything." he looked at her. "I-it's just…"
The girl sighed.
She braced herself for any negative criticism.
"I'm just saying, w-with a bit more practice you'll g-get better. Everyone does."
Yui blinked twice.
...What?
"N-No one gets anything perfect on the very first try. I-I'm sure you'll get better if you keep at it!" the boy nervously encouraged.
Yui raised an eyebrow.
Weird.
Then, much to her surprise, the boy bowed lightly. "L-Look I'm sorry for causing you any amount of trouble." he apologized. "I-I'll just find another table to sit on-"
Without missing a beat, the girl took the comic book, flipped it open and held it upwards on his side of the table.
The boy looked confused at the gesture for a while. Until a few seconds later, his eyes widened.
"Y-You mean I can stay here?"
She nodded.
"R-Really?"
Yui nodded.
"I-I'm- I wouldn't wanna impose-"
The quiet girl's eyes narrowed.
The boy inwardly shrieked. "A-Alright. Thank you very much." he took the comic book from her hands.
The girl nodded. She took a mechanical pencil from her pocket and started writing on another sheet of paper.
She noticed the boy glance at her nervously, before eventually turning his attention towards his comic book and reading in silence.
And judging by the smile on his face, he already lost track of his surroundings.
Yui went back to her writing.
She wasn't a bad person.
She had taken to this exact same spot to avoid attention since she figured not many people came to this section of the library.
And it seemed like the boy in front of her had gotten the same idea.
After what he did for her, it was only right to let him be if only to pay him back.
Besides, he wasn't noisy or irritating, and he didn't tap his feet against the table.
She'd let him be.
But still, the boy's words sprung back to her mind.
"N-No one gets anything perfect on the very first try. I-I'm sure you'll get better if you keep at it!"
The girl only breathed in and dispelled those thoughts.
But still…
Weird.
The next day, Kodai Yui arrived at the library earlier than usual.
Raising an eyebrow when she found her usual table to be empty, she shook her head and sat down.
Putting her bag down, she took a fresh sheet of paper from her bag and placed it down on the table in front of her.
At least, she would have, had she not noticed a mop of green hair slowly scurrying away.
She sighed. She took a used sheet of paper, crumbled it into a ball, and threw it at his head.
"Ow."
Bullseye.
The boy turned around, picked the thrown object up, and found himself in the girl's blank stare.
She gestured for him to sit down.
The boy smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly and nodded. He made his way to the table and took out another comic book-
Only for it to be covered by a sheet of paper?
Raising an eyebrow, the boy looked back at her. "Y-You want me to read this?"
She nodded.
"A-Are you sure?"
She narrowed her eyes.
The boy nodded rapidly. "O-Okay, w-will do." He took the piece from her hands and began reading.
On the exterior, Kodai Yui remained composed and waited for his opinion.
Inwardly, Kodai Yui was slightly nervous of what his opinion might contain.
And not more than five minutes later, the boy smiled. He put the piece down and offered her to take it back.
The girl accepted the sheet of paper. She held the piece and raised an eyebrow at the boy.
"Y-You want to know what I think of it?" he asked.
Again, he knew what she was thinking without her having to do much.
She thought it weird, but she nodded.
The boy smiled. "W-Well, for starters if you told me that the one who made the fanfiction yesterday was the same person who made the fanfiction today I wouldn't have believed you."
Yui's eyes widened before she gestured him to go on.
"T-The descriptions have greater variety, i-it's easier to read a-and… It's much better than yesterday."
The boy looked back at Yui, who only had a contemplative expression on her face.
"D-Do you plan to become a writer?"
She shook her head.
"A h-hobby then, I see." He looked away. "B-But you're pretty good at it so there's that…"
The girl said nothing. She nodded her head. The raven-haired girl took out another book from her bag, stood up, and began walking towards the counter.
The boy paid her no mind and returned to reading his own.
"What was that dear? I'm sorry but you'll have to speak up."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. He pushed his chair back and saw Kodai Yui with the female librarian. Possibly returning a book or asking for one.
Based on the book she was clutching, it was the former.
Although a couple of particular details the boy noticed told him something was amiss.
She was shaking, and sweating profusely.
"I can't help you If you don't tell me what it is you want, you know?"
The boy's eyes widened.
Could it be that… she couldn't talk?
Or rather, had trouble talking?
Breathing deeply, the boy stood up.
He had to do something.
Back with Yui, the girl froze up.
What should she do?
She tried parting her lips, but she couldn't.
She was wasting the librarian's time, she thought.
'Just one sentence… just tell her you want to-'
"Uhm, excuse me but my f-f-f-friend here wants to return her book."
Kodai's eyes widened as the boy from the same table walked up and spoke to the librarian for her.
"Oh, of course. She should've said so." the librarian said. She took the book and began writing down on a pad.
"P-Please excuse h-her, she's been down with a cough for a few days, and her voice is still hoarse."
"Oh," the librarian mumbled, "Well, in that case, get well soon."
Both of them nodded. Izuku thanked the librarian, while Yui offered a nod, and they went back to their table.
As they sat down, Yui simply stared at the boy in front of her, who had quickly begun reading another comic book.
What the heck?
Did he have some sort of mind-reading quirk or something?
Who on earth reads a situation so perfectly, helps someone out, and acts like nothing even happened moments later?
...Right after the thought, the answer came to her mind. Heroes.
She shook her head, glanced at the boy one more time, and went back to reading another book from her bag.
But the boy's action left an impression on the girl.
'And who calls someone who doesn't even talk to them a friend? So weird.'
Over the course of the week, Yui and the boy had tolerated each other's presence. With the boy's comic books, Yui's occasional writings being read, and proof-read, and corrected by the boy, the two had acquired a strange relationship with each other.
And they even talked- well, he talked, she listened, and even now it baffles her just how sharp he was when it came to what she wanted to say. In a way, they held long, drawn-out, and fun conversations with each other day after day. Turns out, they both had stuff in common; like the shows they watched, heroes they idolized…
And that was pretty much it.
Honestly, Yui couldn't say that she didn't enjoyed their time together. It brought her a nice change of pace where she didn't need to talk to actually hold a conversation. Where she could stay right in her comfort zone, with a plus one of course. That plus one being the green-haired dork across her table.
That was one of the things she liked about the boy.
...Wait what was she thinking?
And now on this day, Yui had once again arrived earlier than usual.
Or maybe it was her new usual?
Regardless, she noticed the green-haired boy wasn't there.
Yet.
Strange, the green-haired boy also wasn't present yesterday.
She suspected it was the result of the Sludge Villain yesterday. But she wouldn't know. Nothing bad happened to her anyway, and once she went to the scene All Might was there being interviewed.
She'd ask him about it sometime.
She shook her head as she took out her books and laid them on her side of the table.
Perhaps she appreciated the boy's company. He didn't ask too many questions. He didn't try to make conversation, and somehow he knew what she was talking about without her even saying anything.
If his quirk had something to do with mind-reading or telepathy, she wouldn't be surprised.
And just like some days before, she spotted a green mop of hair scurrying away from the table.
She sighed. She took out a book from her bag, shrunk it down to the size of an eraser, and threw it right to his head.
"Ow."
Bullseye, again.
What she didn't notice though, was how the shrunken book squeezed through a gap in the boy's bag.
The boy made his way to their table, however, he didn't sit down. He remained standing as he laid his bag down and took out several comic books.
Yui raised an eyebrow.
The boy appeared to notice. "W-Well I got these all from this library, a-and it'd be a waste if nobody read them."
The girl stared at him blankly and nodded.
"A-Anyways, I don't mean to be a bother for too long I-I'm just going to retur- AH!"
To the boy's surprise, a book suddenly sprang out and with it came the rest of his stuff.
"W-What the-"
"Shhh!"
"Shut up."
"This is a library, keep quiet or get out."
Several people, including the library staff, scolded the boy.
To Yui's amusement, she watched as the boy stood up and bowed a full ninety degrees and apologized to everyone.
When the boy turned back to the table, he would be greeted with a sight he never thought he would see.
The expressionless girl he often saw wasn't there. In her place, was Kodai Yui smiling.
Giggling.
It was the first time the boy had heard the girl's voice.
No doubt she made attempts to stifle herself, most likely to avoid the same attention the boy had garnered.
Eventually, Yui had stopped laughing and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. No longer did she have the blank expression, instead, she faced the boy with a rare smile on her face.
The boy's eyes went wide for a moment before he forced himself to do literally anything else.
Change subject!
"H-Hey, was that," he pointed towards the book. "Was that your quirk?"
Seeing no need to deny, she nodded.
Then three things happened at once.
First, she noticed a gleam in his eyes.
Second, he suddenly had a notebook in his hand and a pencil in the other.
And third, his expression changed from anxious, to pure curiosity and awe.
Without looking back at his notebook, the boy looked at Yui and scribbled.
She raised an eyebrow. 'What are you doing?'
Then he started asking questions.
"Was the large graphite you almost stabbed me with on the first day yours?"
She nodded.
"I'm guessing your quirk is something related to size?"
She nodded.
"And the change in size doesn't last long? For now at least?"
Another nod.
He started scribbling down. "I see, I see."
Curiosity getting the better of her, Yui gently took the notepad off of his hands.
Besides, the boy didn't seem to mind.
Flipping the notebook over, she glanced at the title.
'Hero Analysis for the future no.14?'
Yui raised an eyebrow.
The boy in front of her sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Whenever I see someone's quirk, I break it down, build it back up and write," he told her. "This is the 14th notebook I have, it's brand new.."
She nodded and looked back onto the notebook.
"Yours is on the very first page."
She turned the pages of the notebook. And it's contents made her eyes widen.
Was this even her?
On the page was a rough but detailed sketch of Kodai Yui herself standing up. Her hair, her eyes, body structure, and everything was up to par. Although one key detail stood out for her.
Her facial expression on the sketch was one of her smiling.
'Is this how he sees me?' her cheeks gained a subtle rosy tint.
The girl on the sketch was so… pretty.
Her eyes wandered over to the side of the notebook adjacent to the sketch.
Quirk: Size
Description: Can change the dimensions of an object, likely need physical contact with said object.
Known Limitations (1):
Duration of quirk effect is not infinite.
Possible Limitations:
Duration of quirk effect could vary on the size of the object affected.
Duration could also vary on the number of objects shrunk or expanded.
Possibilities:
Quirk Usage could be used in making compact projectiles. Size relative to the user.
Sneak attacks.
Possible discombobulation of an unprepared enemy.
"I-I'm a sucker for quirks is all." he chuckled.
Then the library clock made a short tune, and the boy's eyes widened.
"O-Oh I forgot." he hurriedly started to put his scattered belongings back in his bag. "I have to help my mom back at the house. I just came here to return the comic books."
Yui frowned only for a second before her usual expression took over. She waved him goodbye.
The boy smiled at her. "See you around."
Yui continued waving until she could no longer see his silhouette.
She frowned again.
Strange, she was used to being alone, but something about the green-haired boy leaving too early left her in a somber mood.
Shaking her head, she brought her attention back on the notebook-
Wait, notebook?
Her eyes went to his side of the table and saw a stray phone just sitting there.
Her eyes widened. 'He forgot his phone and notebook!'
Yui carefully put the notebook in her bag as well as her other belongings. She stood up, held the phone in her hand and hurriedly left the library hoping he was still in range.
He wasn't.
Sighing to herself, she briefly glanced at the device in her hands.
She wondered if his address could be found on the phone. He did say that he would be helping his mother.
'Would this be an invasion of privacy?'
'He wouldn't mind, right?'
Coming to a decision, Yui took the phone, opened it, and braced herself for the contents.
'The wallpaper's gonna be something like Midnight or Mount Lady.'
But when she actually saw the phone, she smiled.
His wallpaper was the top 50 heroes all compiled into one photo. Most likely self-made. She didn't see the wallpaper anywhere else. Above the picture were the words [Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!]
'Right, he's a nerd for quirks and comics. Should've known.'
Now, time to find that address.
If she recalled correctly, it could usually be found within the contacts application, right next to his own number-
Bingo.
Kodai Yui could be considered a stoic girl. Some would say nothing could ever faze her.
Those who say that could not be farther from the truth.
In front of her targeted apartment door, she couldn't be more anxious.
It wasn't just the boy in there, his mother was going to be in there too.
Unconsciously, she started twirling a strand of her hair around a finger.
'Do I smell?'
'Are my clothes appropriate?'
'Do I say anything? Could I say anything?'
'What would his mom say about me?'
'What would he think of me?'
'Does my hair look ruffled?'
'Why am I even thinking of this?!'
She let out a brief groan of frustration before she breathed in deeply and composed herself.
Then, with his notebook in hand, she pressed the doorbell.
"I'll get it!." a familiar voice was heard.
"Thanks a lot, Izuku. I'm still busy in the kitchen." a second voice who she assumed was his mom was heard.
Her anxiety skyrocketed.
She hugged the notebook to her chest with both arms. She stood her ground and waited for the door to open.
And it did, and out came the familiar green mop of hair she was used to seeing.
"Hello there, Midoriya residence how may I help you…" he trailed off as his eyes widened. "I-it's you-"
Yui gave his notebook back.
He smiled. "You gave my notebook back!" he laughed. "I was so worried, I thought I lost it somewhere-"
She showed him his phone as well.
"My phone too! These things cost a lot." he chuckled. "I was really careless."
She nodded, positively agreeing with him.
"A-Anyway, thanks for going all the way here to-"
"Izuku? Who's by the door?" Another figure came into view. A woman who had greenish short hair with a ponytail on the left, noticeably showing signs of her more mature age.
It was obvious that she was his mother.
The boy- Izuku, turned towards his mother. "O-Oh mom, this is the girl from the library I mentioned. You know, my book friend?"
'Friend…'
His mother's eyes lit up. She walked up to the door and shook her hand. "Hello, my name is Inko Midoriya. But in this house, we're both Midoriya, so please refer to me as Inko. Or Mom, if you will."
Both teens blushed at the implication.
Midoriya went red. "M-M-Mom! What are you saying?!"
Yui kept silent while retracting her hand. Although she couldn't deny the warmth on her cheeks.
Ignoring her son, Inko smiled at Yui. "Now, you've come all this way just to bring my Izuku's things back. Why don't you stay for some snacks and rest?"
Izuku was quick to deny.
"Mom I don't think she has the time for tha-"
"I just baked some tomato slices, if you like, you can join us?"
Yui's eyes lit up. 'Tomatoes.'
Without thinking, she nodded.
Inko smiled. "Great!" she turned around and walked back into the kitchen. "Izuku, please set the table. Also, get the lemonade from the fridge."
"B-But- W-What just... " Izuku sighed. He turned to her then smiled. "Well, I guess you'll be with us for the time being." he opened the door wider to invite her in. "Go on and make yourself at home."
The girl nodded. She took her very first steps into the room, removed her shoes and put slippers on her feet.
Just what had she gotten herself into?
"Well? Do you like them?"
"Mm!"
Inko giggled. "I'll take that as a yes."
Izuku said nothing. 'Guess she really likes tomatoes.'
Right, that brought him to a question he wanted to ask her.
"Thanks for returning my stuff," he said. "But I gotta ask, how did you even find my place?"
Without missing a beat, Yui pointed to his phone on the table.
Izuku nodded. "I-Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"
Yui stopped eating and stared at Izuku blankly.
He then remembered and chuckled nervously. "Right, I guess we're even now."
"So, Izuku," Inko called out to him. "What's her name?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Her name?" he said as he looked at the girl.
And that's when he realized,
He never knew her name!
"W-W-Well, see… the thing is-"
The girl said nothing as she chewed. She took something from her pocket and showed it to Inko.
An I.D.
The mother nodded and gave her back her I.D
Inko smiled. "Kodai Yui-chan it is. Can I call you Yui-chan?"
The girl nodded.
"Great!" she said. "Anyway, thanks for letting Izuku read comic books in the library," she said. "If it was any other person there I'm sure he might've been told off."
Yui shook her head. As if saying she didn't really do anything.
Izuku groaned. "Mom, I told you they wouldn't have been there in the first place if nobody would read it."
"And I'm pretty sure they weren't even supposed to be there in the first place." Inko chuckled.
She sat on one side of the table, while her son and Yui were sat on another side together.
"Speaking of Izuku," Inko's voice became soft. Something that didn't escape Yui's attention. "I forgot to ask you this morning, are you alright? Does something hurt? Are you feverish?"
Izuku drank his lemonade. Then he shook his head. "Mom, I told you not to worry, I didn't get hurt, honest!"
Yui swallowed her food. She then looked at Izuku and tilted her head.
He noticed her gaze. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it Kodai-san, I just went got myself in a little bit of trouble yesterday. That's also why I couldn't show up at the library, sorry about that."
Yui nodded. She brought her attention back to her food-
"If you mean to take getting attacked by that Sludge villain and almost being sent to the hospital as a little bit of trouble, then that's a big understatement Izuku."
The quiet girl's eyes widened. And for the first time, Izuku saw a whole new expression on the girl's face.
Anger, sadness, and worry.
In one moment, Yui went from sitting down to full-on searching the green-haired boy's body for any injuries.
He blushed. "I-I didn't get hurt! All Might saved me before anything bad could happen."
"What if something bad did happen?"
His eyes widened at the voice. As quiet as a whisper, but due to their proximity he heard her clearly.
Once the girl was finished, she looked back down. But she didn't continue eating, not just yet.
Instead, with her newfound expression, she glared at him.
Izuku was conflicted. Why was she looking at him like that?
Could it be that she was worried?
He remembered her voice. And contrary to her laugh earlier that day, her tone was… sad.
"I-I didn't want to bring it up a-and I didn't want to bring you into my mess and…"
Looking back at the girl, she was still giving him that glare.
There was only one thing to do. After all, how could he call himself a future hero if he couldn't even ease the worries of one girl?
He inhaled deeply. "Kodai-san. I'm sorry if I might've worried you but trust me when I say I'll be alright. You don't have to worry."
That seemed to do the trick. As soon as Izuku had said that, Yui's expression had gone back to normal, and she returned to eating her tomatoes with a delighted "Mm!".
Izuku chuckled nervously before eventually going back to his own meal as they all ate in a lighter atmosphere than before.
All the while, Inko Midoriya simply smiled at their interaction.
An hour of chatting, eating, and listening later, it was already late afternoon, and Inko looked at her wall clock with confirmation.
"Well, I think it's time for Yui-chan to head home now." she put the dishes in the sink. "I'll handle the dishes, you make sure Yui-chan gets home safe, okay Izuku?"
He nodded. "Alright, I'll be back!" he said as he opened the door for Yui to step through. "Bye, mom!"
"Bye honey! Bye Yui-chan! Come visit us again!"
And Izuku closed the door.
The two stood in silence for a while.
"Don't mind my mom, she's very high spirited."
She nodded.
"W-Well… lead the way then."
She nodded.
The pair walked the streets until they came across the local playground.
Yui stopped and looked at it.
Izuku followed her gaze. "The playground? Not too many kids at this hour."
Perfect
Without warning, Yui ran up to a slide, climbed up, and slid down.
She then stared at Izuku.
Izku stared right back with an unreadable gaze.
Then Yui ran back to the slide, climbed up, and slid back down again.
Cute.
After that, Yui ran to a swing, sat on one and gestured Izuku to sit down on the other.
Izuku raised an eyebrow but complied nonetheless.
And so there they were. Two people on a swing, because nobody is too old for a playground. With Yui swinging back and forth with a blank expression and Izuku simply sitting down, they made for an unusual pair.
And then Izuki remembered something he had to say.
"Hey, Kodai-san. I was thinking of telling you this tomorrow, but now is better than ever." he nodded to himself. "Starting tomorrow, I won't be able to make it to the library anymore."
The girl's eyes widened. Her feet caused the swing to stop abruptly. Her head snapped towards Izuku.
Closer inspection showed that through the girl's blank expression, he could see that she was surprised by his sudden announcement.
Without looking back at her, Izuku knew she wanted him to elaborate. And so he did.
"You know, in this very playground, I got hit too many times to count all because I wanted to stop bullies. It got me in a lot more trouble than it was worth, but I didn't care." he told her.
She was confused. Where was he going with this?
Nevertheless, she continued listening.
"But unlike most kids, I was powerless, all I had were tears to back up my words. And through those tears, I tried to fight," he said. "But now, after what happened yesterday. I started thinking of the future seriously."
He smiled at her. "This is common knowledge for the people who know me, but my goal is to attend U.A and become a hero." he told her.
She nodded. Pretty common for people her age. Heck, even she wanted to be a hero and attend U.A.
"However, everyone who knows me also told me I can't do it. Even my own mother."
At this, her eyes widened.
"N-Now don't get me wrong. I understand why my Mom sees it that way, but after yesterday, I came across a truth I was too scared to face." his tone turned somber. "Empty words aren't enough. I have to prove that I have what it takes to be a hero. Through actions."
"I was scared of facing that truth, specifically because I knew I couldn't prove it." he then looked at her with eyes filled with conviction. "But things are different now. I will become a hero. I will attend U.A. I know I can."
Then he rose his fist up high and looked up to the sky. "Without caring for those who tell me I can't be a hero, that it's impossible, that I'll never make it, I won't deny them," he said. "Rather, I'll prove that I can be one. WIth my own two hands."
He brought his fist down and held the chains to the swing. "And so, starting tomorrow until U.A's entrance exam, you might see me around. All that's important is I'll be improving myself." He sheepishly chuckled. "So yeah, that's why I can't go to the library anymore. With the way I still am now I can't afford any breaks-"
"You're amazing you know that?"
Izuku paused as he turned to the girl next to him.
Yui was looking right at him as she spoke. Her voice not too loud, yet perfectly audible to his ears.
"Did you just…"
"There's a reason why I write as a hobby." she began. "I want to attend U.A too, but I mainly write to… understand better."
"Understand what?"
"Human interaction," she admitted. "I don't know how most people do it. But whenever I try to talk with people I freeze up and start thinking all sorts of things. Bad things."
"I've always had this fear that when I was really young I made myself unreadable so no one could know what I was thinking for certain, no one except my parents, relatives… and you."
Izuku pointed to himself. "Me?"
She nodded. "Yes, you." she began lightly swinging. "When you first showed up, I saw you reading the piece I wrote the other day and I thought my life was over."
"Heh, I thought the same thing what with the graphite you pointed at me."
She chuckled. "I apologize for that by the way."
"When you returned the paper to me, I thought you made a mess of it, but no." she grabbed her bag and took out the very same paper he had written on. "You wrote advice, you improved it, you proof-read it."
"You didn't tell me that I was wasting my time or why I was doing that in a library." she looked down. "No, all you told me was that I would get better eventually if I kept at it. And that's when I realized it."
"Maybe because I rarely spoke with people that my communication skills are so low. So the following day, I tried returning a book to the librarian. I thought maybe then I could do it."
She stopped swinging. "But the moment the lady talked to me, I froze up and my mind went blank and… you know what happened."
Izuku nodded.
"I had this whole thesis in my head where human interaction needed both parties involved to engage in a topic they both had an interest in and through that they would get closer." she said. 'But then you came along as a walking antithesis."
She stared straight into Izuku's eyes. But this time, her eyes expressed a sense of longing, and perhaps hope.
"I don't know how you do it but for the past week, we've had conversations where I didn't even need to talk. No, you heard what I wanted to say without me even saying it." she told him. "A-And it went against my ideas but… having those conversations with you made me… happy."
Izuku couldn't see it. But Yui's lips curled a tad bit upwards.
"I didn't need to talk to have a conversation. I didn't need to talk to get you to understand me. And most of all… I didn't need to talk to have a friend." she told him.
"Do you remember? Back when you talked to the librarian for me? You called me your friend?"
He nodded. "Y-Yeah, I remember that." Just like yesterday.
"Hearing you call me a friend when I haven't even spoken a word to you made me happy. It felt good. And even today, when you called me your friend in front of your mother, I was so happy." she closed her eyes. 'I finally made a friend. Little, shy, silent me, made a friend, with possibly the weirdest person I've ever met."
"I don't really know how to take that."
"And hearing you say all those things you said earlier, made me think of my own goals." she told him.
"I want to be a hero too. I want to attend U.A too." she stated. "I think it's amazing how you face your fears and flaws and strive to be better with them."
"I'd say I want to do the same, but It's easier said than done. Somehow I can talk to you without any worries just like I do with my parents, but with anybody else it's… I just seem to lose my voice and back up."
"A-A-And frankly, I don't know what to do."
Izuku's eyes widened. The usually stoic and composed girl he knew wasn't the girl next to him.
The girl next to him was vulnerable. Like she was letting out so much emotion in her voice that it betrayed her facial expression.
He had to watch his words, lest he does more bad than good.
"W-Well… I'm not sure about your situation. But hearing people say I can't become a hero gives me an idea of what you could do." Izuku caught her attention.
"Rather than thinking of what others will say, think on what you could say to predict just what they're really thinking. Don't go basing on assumptions until they're proven right" Izuku smiled. "You'll never lose your voice, if you drown out all the noise."
Yui's eyes widened.
Was that it?
Was she overthinking?
Was it that simple?
Somehow, his words resonated within the girl, it just… clicked.
Yui stood up, eyes hidden by the sun's orange hue. She made her way in front of Izuku.
There she was, Kodai Yui in all her glory, smiling just like how he had sketched her.
He was awestruck.
Then in one fell swoop, Yui wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him for all she was worth.
Izuku's face became as red as the tomatoes they ate earlier. "K-K-K-K-Kodai-san?!"
His right shoulder felt wet.
"Thank you. Thank you for being my friend… Thank you so much…" she managed to whisper. "I-I'll try my best and do as you say when I talk to people. I promise."
Izuku returned the embrace.
"I believe you."
A little later after that, the pair walking up to a certain district. Yui stopped at a house with the nameplate 'Kodai' on it.
"I guess this is your stop."
"Yes, it is."
Although Yui was home now, and she could finally rest after an emotionally taxing day…
Would it have been too much to ask if their moment by the playground had lasted a little bit longer?
Shaking her head, she spun around to face Izuku. "Again, I apologize for my brief moment. I… didn't mean to-"
"It's alright Kodai-san, it's not good to keep those things bottled up for too long. I'm glad you talked about them to me." he told her. "A-And besides, what are friends for?"
Yui's blank expression was betrayed by the light in her eyes. "Right, friends."
"Oh right, speaking off, we never really introduced ourselves did we?"
Yui hmm. "No, we didn't. Let's fix that."
She put her hand forward.
Izuku shook it.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Midoriya Izuku."
"My name's Kodai Yui, nice to meet you too."
They both shared a brief chuckle.
"So… til we see each other again-"
"-in U.A"
Izuku paused for a moment.
"What?"
Yui breathed in deeply.
"We'll see each other in U.A. I know you'll pass." she prepared herself for her boldest move. "But till then, if you ever want to get in touch, just know that I'm one phone call away."
She took his phone off of his hands with one hand, and used her own phone on the other.
"There, now we both have each other's contact information."
Izuku saw the blank expression on his friend, but something about it told him that she was just really happy.
Happy enough to be speaking so much anyhow.
He smiled. "Thanks. See you in U.A Kodai-san."
Inside Yui, she was feeling conflicted.
Until…
"Yui!"
The words slipped out of her mouth.
"What?"
"If… When we meet in U.A again, I want you to call me Yui."
Again, Izuku blushed at the implication. But that blush quickly wore off as he saw the girl's blank expression.
"O-Okay. No problem." he then started to walk away. "See you soon!"
Without replying, she only waved the boy goodbye until she could no longer see him.
The moment she was sure he was gone. She walked into her house, went up the stairs, and into her room. She locked her doors and…
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH'
She smacked herself down on the bed and hit her red hot face on a pillow while kicking her bed repeatedly.
And for the rest of the day, she refused to speak with anybody. She ate dinner and quickly went to sleep. All the while dreaming of a certain green mop of hair and tomatoes.
The next day, she woke up rather earlier than usual. She checked her phone and found that it was only 6:15 am.
She stood up, looked at her blank self in the mirror and stretched her lips out into a smile.
'Nope, doesn't feel the same.'
She stretched and looked out the window to see the flowers, the morning sun, and-
"Are you tired already, boy!? Come on don't give up on the very first day!"
"I-I won't!"
"That's the spirit! HAHAHAHA"
Yui looked out her window to see Midoriya Izuku jogging while on his side was a skinny, blonde man on a segway.
"That's the way! Keep at it!"
"Sir yes, sir!"
She smiled to herself at the sight.
Izuku was working hard.
Contemplating, she chose to sit down, and grab her phone. She went to the messaging app and typed.
◤Midoriya Izuku-kun. I've been thinking about what you've told me and now I feel like I know what to do now. If I'm to become a hero, then that means I'll be talking with a lot of people; distressed, hurt, and traumatized people. And to communicate with them properly, I have to get over my fear. When we meet in U.A, I'll make sure to have enough confidence to ask you to hang out with me again. Maybe even visit your place. As my first friend, I have a long list of stuff I want to do. But that can wait. You have your duties just as I have mine. And just as you told me, I won't tell you about what I've gone through by then, I'll show you instead. Because that's what it's all about isn't it? Being a hero is all about proving through action, and action speaks louder than words.
PS. Tell your mom her tomatoes were delicious for me.◢
Yui was really glad to have met Midoriya Izuku. If not for him, she wouldn't know just what she'd be doing now.
Sure some might say she would've made improvements eventually, but the sooner the better. It didn't matter if it was instigated by someone else.
But first of all, before anything else, her goal was to obtain confidence. Confidence in herself, and in her conversation skills. It was going to take a lot of work, dedication, and practice, she knew that.
But if she wanted to be a hero, then she would jump and never look back.
Besides, gaining confidence as a hero and a person were her two most important goals.
Gaining enough confidence in herself to ask out her first friend was just a bonus.
'And… sent!'