Chapter Text
Days for Inko Midoriya tend to be similar, with very little thrill: wake up, make breakfast, eat breakfast, wave goodbye to her son and tell him she loves him a million times, do any chores needed around the house, watch TV, or scroll through social media—you know, the regular things. Sometimes, she would get calls, though they were always from the same circle of people. Today, however, was quite different: she received a call from a school.
As a worried mother, she immediately assumed something had happened to Izuku. However, they assured her this was not UA High. No matter how much she panicked about her son, the person on the line began to speak of a foreign exchange student who mentioned her name as someone they could maybe stay with. This didn’t remind her of anyone until they mentioned the girl’s name, causing her to excitedly accept the role as the child’s guardian during her stay here.
“Good news, kid. They said they’ll take care of you while you’re here, and thanks for not fighting me too much on this,” Aikuro said. He had put Ryuko up for this exchange program after her big win against Sanageyama. He had heard through the grapevine that Sanageyama was looking for a rematch, and with what he knew about the guy and the others in the elite four, he wouldn’t come unprepared. So, for reasons he wouldn’t admit, he sent her away to another school far away from him until she became stronger.
“I don’t know why you’re so worried. I beat ’em easily the first time round,” Ryuko replied, leaning against a payphone while waiting for her bus into town after a long boat ride from the artificial island she had called home for the last few weeks. “I could do it again, no problem!”
“I don’t doubt that, OK? Honest. It’s just—don’t you need to get stronger to avenge your father?” he attempted to use her ambition against her. “So play along for now, OK? I gotta go. Play nice, don’t start any fights, OK?”
She was about to give her rebuttal, though the words were caught on the dial tone after he hung up. “You litt—…” she sighed and put the phone down as the screeching sound of a bus stopping behind her cut her off.
“So, what’s the person you’re staying with like?” Senketsu asked. Though he was always with her, he felt a bit left out as Ryuko hadn’t told him anything about where she would be staying.
“With an old friend of mine,” Ryuko replied.
“How old?” Senketsu questioned nervously.
Ryuko danced around the question while boarding her bus and paying her fare. Once she sat down, she caved into the uniform’s curiosity. “We haven’t seen each other since we were five… But! We were pretty close, so it should be fine,” she replied loudly, earning weird looks from the people around her on the bus.
“…Ryuko… you’re 16 now,” Senketsu said in his usual monotone voice. (Had to age her down a year)
“He will remember me! Right?”
Senketsu was confused at the mention of her friend being a boy, though he didn’t say anything, letting the conversation end there.
About half an hour later, Ryuko arrived at an apartment complex in Musutafu with nothing but her uniform, her scissor blade, and an address. Ryuko was silent but seemed somewhat excited until she reached the door. Knocking on it less aggressively than she normally would, she showed a bit of respect for the home of her old friend. She heard frantic movements inside, then footsteps approaching the door. There were a few mutters, something pressing against the door, and then it opened to reveal a short, chubby woman with green hair and green eyes.
They both recognized each other instantly—Ryuko immediately felt an overwhelming, unconditional love being forced upon her, and Inko felt an instant maternal instinct to embrace the teen standing before her.
“Ms. Midori—?” Ryuko started but was cut off as the smaller woman all but tackled her, crying for some reason.
“Ryuko, you’ve grown so much! The last time I saw you, you were still being potty trained!”
“Pfft,” Senketsu started to laugh, though he was silenced by a glare toward his single eye from Ryuko.
“I’ve missed you too. Thanks for letting me stay here, ma’am,” Ryuko said.
“It’s no problem at all! I’m happy to have you, and I’m sure Izuku will be as well! He should be getting home soon. I haven’t told him you’ll be at the same school, so it will be a nice surprise!”
Inko grabbed Ryuko’s hand and dragged her inside. She set Ryuko up with some tea and a snack before saying she had to run out to handle some errands to account for her stay. “I won’t take long,” she promised before leaving.
Ryuko sat in the living room in silence after the door shut behind Inko, the quiet broken by Senketsu’s voice.
“She seems nice and reminds me of Mako’s mom. Are all mothers like this?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t know. It was just me and my dad while he was around,” Ryuko answered.
She set the cup down and sat up. While she was alone, she figured she might as well get acquainted with her new living arrangements. She explored the kitchen, which, of course, wasn’t anything special. The bathroom, however, was nice—complete with warm water, a privilege she hadn’t had in a while. The thought of taking a bath was tempting, though she didn’t have anything besides Senketsu and her jacket.
Inko wouldn’t mind if she borrowed something, would she? Then again, now that she thought about it, the woman’s clothes probably wouldn’t fit her, even if she still had anything from when she was younger. Opening the first door she found, Ryuko discovered Inko’s room. It was nothing special—not messy or filled with any loose makeup to make it stand out.
The next room, however, surprised her, and she instantly knew who it belonged to.
Izuku’s room was covered head to toe in All Might merchandise—posters, pictures, figurines, and even an alarm clock resembling the hero’s appearance. Picking up one of the various notebooks on a shelf, though this one was slightly burned, she flipped through it. Inside were notes about various quirks and heroes.
“Hasn’t changed a bit,” she muttered, tossing the book onto his bed.
Moving to his closet, she considered her options. She was fine wearing Senketsu during the day, but he wasn’t exactly sleepwear. If Izuku was still that same nerd who had needed her to save him from bullies, he would probably have several sets of spare pajamas—likely the All Might variety.
Izuku arrived home late. His first day was very stressful, especially with Bakugo hounding him all day about his quirk. He just wanted to get inside and lay down, so he didn’t take his time putting in his key and opening the door.
The lights were off inside. Was Mom home? he thought.
Upon reaching his room, he noticed the light was on, and he heard rustling inside. Maybe she’s cleaning my room, he thought, though there was never much of a mess to clean.
“Mom…?” he called out.
The movement stopped.
Izuku opened the door, expecting to see his mother getting his dirty clothes out of the hamper—not a girl his age sitting on his bed, wearing his clothes and reading his books.
Izuku’s mind raced. Oh my gosh! A girl is in my room! She’s pretty… and she’s wearing my clothes. W-wait! She’s wearing my clothes. How did she get in?!
He started to panic but took a deep breath and straightened himself out.
“Hello! Who are you?!” he managed to squawk out before feeling like he might have a panic attack.
Ryuko looked up at him. Yep, it was definitely him—one of her few, well, only friends before her dad sent her away to boarding school.
“Hey, Green. Been a while,” she said, trying to sound cool. She thought he would remember her that way… wouldn’t he? Yeah he definitely would, Ryuko thought before noticing they had been quiet for a while so she spoke “little Green? Are you there?” He just kept staring at her probably trying to figure who she was which caused her to get a little annoyed with him “Don’t tell me you forgot about me”
“I-I’m sorry I don’t seem to know you .. how did you get in here?” Izuku was trying to rationalize the situation. Maybe she was mentally ill and somehow wandered in. He thought about it for a moment. She called him little green which was weird. Did he know her?
Flashback
“Ya already made him cry, so stop it! Leave him alone!”
A young Izuku was trying to stand up and protect a boy who was being bullied and beaten by Katsuki Bakugo and his friends. Even though Bakugo and his crew were far stronger than he was, Izuku wouldn’t back down.
“What are you gonna do, pretend to be a hero?!” Bakugo sneered. Sparks danced in his hands as he slammed them together in an attempt to intimidate. “Ya don’t stand a chance without a quirk!”
“Katsuki, cut it out!” Ryuko yelled, as she shotgunned a rock at one of Bakugo’s friends. The rock hit the boy square on the head, leaving a rather large lump and sending the round child to the ground, crying.
“R-Ryuko?” Izuku stammered, hastily wiping his tears away in front of her. “Thanks.”
Ryuko tossed a rock into the air, catching it with a smirk. “No problem, Little Green” the older girl said
“RYUKO!”
Turning around hastily, Ryuko froze like she was in trouble. Her father stood nearby, his presence enough to make her drop the rocks she had been holding.
“Come on, we must go,” her father said, scooping her up and carrying her off.
Ryuko looked over his shoulder at Izuku as she was taken away. After that, she was sent off to boarding school. She didn’t hear from him, nor he from her, ever since.
Flashback End
“Ry-Ryuko?” Izuku stammered. He wasn’t entirely certain, but he was sure enough. She looked similar enough and even called him by the same nickname.
Ryuko smiled as he said her name. He did remember her.
“It’s been so long! How have you been?” Izuku asked.
Senketsu, who was hanging on the closet door, watched Ryuko interact with her friend. After Izuku remembered her name, they seemed to pick up where they had left off, with Ryuko telling him about her current situation and why she was there—though she didn’t tell him everything.
“Exchange student? So you’ll be staying with us and coming to U.A. with me? That’s great! You’re gonna be a great hero!” Izuku’s mind started buzzing with questions. She must have a quirk if she’ll be attending a hero school. She must’ve just been a late bloomer. What could it be? Hopefully it’s strong… but if it’s anything like her, maybe it’s a strength enhancement quirk. She was always stronger than even the older boys when we were kids.
“I wouldn’t say I’m set on being a hero, you know. I’m just browsing my options while keeping ’em open. Get it?” Ryuko said. She didn’t want to reveal the truth about why she was here—it would probably break him to know that she was only here to get stronger to kill someone. They had just reunited, and that would be too much for someone like him.
Changing the subject, she decided to talk about him instead. “Well, you’re in U.A. now—that’s something! Guess your quirk finally manifested. To hell with that toe thing!”
Now it was Izuku’s turn to lie and laugh it off. He hadn’t even told his mom the true nature of his quirk yet, and no matter how much Ryuko had meant to him before, he wasn’t about to tell someone who had just come back into his life about his power.
“It’s just like when you two were little!”
Both teens looked up immediately to see Inko Midoriya, who had come home with groceries for dinner and a new futon for their guest to sleep on. The small woman seemed to be tearing up at the sight of them being so buddy-buddy. She was just happy her son had a friend again.
After getting her to calm down, the two teens washed up for dinner.
Ryuko nearly cried when she tasted the food. Sure, Ms. Mankanshoku’s cooking was great, but this was amazing. She had been eating the same croquettes for weeks, and this was incredibly filling. For once, she didn’t have to wonder if she was eating monkey knees or moose ankles. It was 100% real chicken, and she couldn’t have been happier.
Ryuko raised some more of the food Ms. Midoriya had prepared to her mouth before biting down and letting out an exaggerated sound of satisfaction.
“This is delicious, ma’am!” Ryuko said with her mouth full.
Inko laughed and offered her more, which she happily accepted.
The extra person at dinner was welcome, but Izuku felt something as he took glances at Ryuko eating—something he felt often, sure, but it felt different now that he had his friend again. Content, besides the flurry of questions from him and his mom, dinner was uneventful.
Until it came time for bed.
As Izuku sat on his bed, he watched Ryuko set up the futon she would be sleeping on. Due to the lack of a guest room, they would be sharing a room for a while. They used to have sleepovers when they were kids, even sleeping in the same bed, so it wasn’t that weird.
“You sure you’re fine with the floor?” Izuku asked.
“It’s cool. I’ve been in a similar situation for a while, actually,” Ryuko answered.
Though her response raised another question in his mind, Izuku thought it would be rude to ask, so he stayed quiet. The silence hung in the room until Ryuko broke it with a question of her own.
“So, what’s your class like?”
“Off first impressions?” Izuku thought about his first day. A lot of his class was nice, like Uraraka and Iida, but there were others mixed into the crowd that made him less sure. “Colorful…”
“Yikes, that bad, huh? Well, I’ll see for myself tomorrow.”
Izuku nodded and turned over to sleep.
After a couple of seconds of silence, Ryuko looked up at the closet door where Senketsu was still hanging, his single eye staring down at her.
“He seems nice,” Senketsu said. “I don’t have your blood to go off of, but you seem to be feeling pretty nostalgic.”
Ryuko didn’t respond and turned over to sleep, leaving Senketsu feeling a little hurt.
[Next Day]
The next day, Ryuko finally saw the school she would be attending. Though she didn’t know her class or have her uniform yet, she would need to pick one up from the principal. For now, she was just wearing Senketsu and carrying her scissor blade in its guitar case.
When Izuku asked what was in it, she told him, “You’ll see.”
The other students seemed to stare at her for being out of place, though it didn’t really bother her.
Izuku went on ahead to his class, leaving Ryuko to traverse the school on her own.
“It should be on the second flo—” she muttered to herself, stopping abruptly when someone bumped into her.
The person was around her age, with pink hair and strange birthmarks. His uniform didn’t look like the ones worn at U.A.
“My bad,” he said before running off.
Two others in similar uniforms came running after him. One had hair that resembled a sea urchin, and the other was a girl who asked, “Did some pink-haired idiot come running through here?”
Ryuko nodded and pointed in the direction he had gone. The girl grabbed a hammer from her waist before running off, leaving the boy to shrug and follow her in pursuit.
“Well, that was weird,” Ryuko said to herself before continuing on to the principal’s office.
Ryuko knocked on the door, and a very squeaky voice gave her the go-ahead to enter. So, enter she did.
The office was pretty standard, though it was almost empty, save for a desk and a chair that was turned away from her. Oh great, they’re doing the thing. She walked in and closed the door behind her, which acted as the cue for the chair to turn around, revealing… a small dog? Mouse? Ehh, it didn’t matter. The underlying issue was that he was way too small for the chair, making the entire bit feel really cliché to her.
“I don’t recall your face, and due to the streak in your hair—which is clearly a prime sign of character design—I have deduced you must be Matoi, our new exchange student,” Nezu said, getting up and standing on his desk to be at eye level with her.
“Yes, that’s me. You must be the principal…” Ryuko trailed off at the end. Sure, animal quirks were nothing new, but something about him was off. “I’m just here because I didn’t get, well, anything I need to be a student here.”
“Yes, I expected this visit. It fills time and is easy to write because writer’s block is hard to get past, so cut me some damn slack, OK?” Nezu yelled at no one in particular before pausing to stare at the right wall of his office.
Ryuko just watched Nezu’s outburst. After her time spent at Honnōji and with the Mankanshokus, nothing that could be seen as “odd” really bothered her anymore.
“Riiight… well, do you mi—”
She was cut off by Nezu.
“Right, of course! Normally, wearing a uniform would be something required, though since I was told about the circumstances of your power, you will only need to wear a blazer over your sailor suit.”
Nezu attempted to snap his fingers but, due to his lack of opposable thumbs, struggled before saying, “Oh, forget it,” and doing a little clap. This caused the required piece of cloth to appear on Ryuko, which officially hit her weird limit.
She began to panic a little. Was this rodent a god? What kind of quirk does he have that lets him do this?!
Nezu climbed off his desk to open the door for her. “Now, if you would excuse yourself, you must hurry off to class… oh right, 1-A! Go, go! Hurry, hurry!”
Ryuko got up to leave, but before she did, she had to ask, “About that exchange student thing. Shouldn’t I be a transfer? Who was I exchanged with?”
[Somewhere at Honnōji Academy]
“This is a pig who attempted to defy Honnōji Academy and he had been punished as he should be…” Taiyō read the sign wrapped around the very very skinny man’s neck who was being held up at the gate of the school “Is it always like this here?” He asked the brunette next to him
“Yeah but it’s ok you're one of them fancy U.A students you’ll be fine…probably” Mako said while practically bouncing up and down while trying to tackle Taiyō how she would Ryuko
[Back at U.A]
As she approached the door, Ryuko could hear a lot of talking going on inside. She wasn’t going to be at this school for long—just this year—so she figured she might as well play around a bit and make an entrance.
Opening the door, Ryuko kicked it open and shoved her hands into her blazer pockets as she walked in with a bow-legged waddle toward the front of the class. The entire class stopped their conversations and turned to look at her.
Hmph, they think I’m awesome already! she thought.
During her time in boarding school, she’d learned a few things—two rules being the most important. The first: never drink toilet wine. The second: if you disrespect the teacher in any capacity on your first day, you’re automatically set near the top of the food chain.
Ryuko stopped and looked at the class, a proud smirk plastered on her face.
She didn’t see a teacher around, just a yellow sack behind the desk. Taking this as a chance to further climb the ladder, she grabbed a marker and wrote her name on the whiteboard.
“I am Ryuko Matoi, better known as the Crazy Bitch from Konto at my prior schools.”
(Pretty sure that’s her nickname.)
Ryuko turned to the class, and their reactions were mixed. Most of the girls, excluding Mina and Jiro, looked somewhat appalled by her actions. Mina’s eyes lit up with a level of admiration, clearly seeing Ryuko as “the cool girl.” Jiro, on the other hand, was eyeing Ryuko’s guitar case, assuming she was a music fanatic like herself.
On the guys’ side, the reactions were just as expected. Mineta was ecstatic about the girl-to-guy ratio getting even the slightest bit closer. Iida looked like he was about to explode from her blatant disregard for the school’s codes of conduct. Near the middle of the class, Izuk was not very subtle about letting his presence be known, aggressively waving his hand. Though it was low, it was obvious.
“Any questions?” Ryuko asked.
“Yes, just one,” a voice came from behind her.
The yellow sack behind the desk slowly rose up, unzipping enough to reveal the face of a shaggy-haired man with minimally trimmed facial hair.
“Who gave you the right to walk into my class and act this way?” he asked, his tone a mix of tired and pissed—though mostly tired the way he sounded gave Ryuko the feeling that he was going to be a rough disciplinarian.
[Honnōji Academy]
“The hell?! What do you mean you just let Matoi leave?!” Sanageyama shouted, attempting to rip Gamagoori a new one. After learning about the “new girl’s” exchange, he had been furious that she chickened out of their rematch without a word. I mean, come on, he thought, I waited there in the rain for an hour!
“IT’S NOT FAIR!”
Ira had about had it with Sanageyama’s insufferable whining. Without warning, he partially activated his uniform and began whipping Sanageyama with the tendrils that extended from his sleeves.
“QUIET, WILL YOU!? I DON’T LIKE IT ANY MORE THAN YOU DO, SO STOP CRYING TO ME ABOUT IT!” he bellowed.
He stopped, calming himself down, and cleared his throat before speaking. “Besides, the decision wasn’t mine to make—it was Lady Satsuki’s. So we have to support it.”
Sanageyama bit his lip, holding back curses about what must have happened. Deciding not to brandish his sword over this, he muttered, “Fine. If it was her choice, I’ll stand by it. I’m still getting my rematch, though, so I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Fine by me, just fill out the proper for—” Gamagoori stopped mid-sentence, twitching repeatedly before violently sneezing. The sneeze caused his uniform to activate and attack Sanageyama again, sending him flying through the window.
Ira paused, cleared his throat, and said, “Excuse me.”
A chuckle came from the other side of the room.
“Seems like someone’s thinking about ya, Mr. Disciplinary,” Nonon interjected with a smirk.
“Shut it, Jakuzure! You’re not off the hook—you haven’t been managing the clubs under your jurisdiction properly!” Ira snapped, activating his uniform once again.
[FIN]
“So how did you like the chapter?…”
Nezu and the void space went silent for a moment as he waited.
“Well, I’m waiting for you to respond. Are you just not gonna say anything? What, the ending was weird and abrupt? It’s called a Bonus Segment, you know—like Hunterpedia or an after-credits scene. No, an ending doesn’t have to lead into the next chapter. Writing’s hard, OK? I’m not here to please you; I’m here to please me, got it! Hmph!”
Nezu stopped typing and powered down his computer. He would work on his project more tomorrow.