Chapter Text
We begin with a black background, which gradually lightens until it reveals the sun shining close to the earth.
MY HERO ACADEMIA
THE GREEN HEROINE
MIZUKI AND OCHAO’S DEPARTURE
The origin of heroes: Mizuki Midoriya And Ochao Uraraka
In the 18th century, the United States Declaration of Independence contained a phrase that defined humanity: “All Men Are Created Equal.” A phrase that is no longer considered true since the arrival of Quirks.
We see a light shining in the night inside a hospital.
It all began in China, in the city of Qimgqimg.
There lay a newborn baby, surrounded by a light that enveloped his entire body.
There, a radiant baby was born.
The baby’s father cried out, shocked and trembling, as he watched from the window.
After that, children with powers were born all over the world, though the cause was never discovered.
In the night sky, you could see a boy surrounded by fire, a girl with her arms completely frozen, and a boy making a book levitate.
Before long, these powers had become commonplace and were making dreams come true… or so I thought.
EPISODE 1
THE ORIGIN OF HEROE
MIZUKI MIDORIYA AND OCHAO URARAKA
Year 2092
“Mom”
A little four-year-old girl with a mane of green hair walked down the hallway holding an action figure and approached her mother, who was washing the dishes.
“Please, Mom, can I watch it again?” the girl asked, looking up at her with puppy-dog eyes.
“Again?” her mother asked as she turned off the faucet and smiled at her daughter’s puppy-dog eyes. “All right, let’s go.”
The two went to the girl’s room, which had a poster of a muscular, blond-haired man; there were also action figures of the same blond man from the poster in the room.
The mother was looking for something on the computer while the girl sat in the chair, waiting eagerly and with a touch of impatience.
“Goodness, you alone have racked up over 10,000 views,” her mother said with a slight smile. “I don’t know why you like it; personally, it scares me,” she finished saying, while the girl let out an excited giggle as her mother walked away.
The video we loved was an old one. Footage of a catastrophe that happened a long time ago. But above all, it was the debut of the greatest hero the world has ever known.
In the video, fire and destruction were everywhere. The camera shook constantly.
“Who is that? He’s already saved at least 100 people, and it hasn’t even been 10 minutes!” exclaimed a bloodied bystander, looking at the crowd watching the scene. “This is… this is crazy! I can’t believe it!”
A hero emerged from an overturned bus, carrying several people on his back. The little girl’s eyes sparkled slightly.
“HAHAHAHAHA!” The hero burst out laughing.
“Look, there are more!”
“Hahaha.” He continued laughing as the little girl stared at him in amazement.
Then, the hero climbed onto the bus to face the crowd.
“It’s okay. Why?” the man said without hesitation.
The little girl squealed with a huge smile, her eyes sparkling.
The hero was smiling broadly, too. “Because I’m here.”
The girl laughed excitedly, clapping her hands. Then she smiled, holding her action figure high above her head. “He’s the coolest in the universe! And when I get my Quirk, I’ll be a heroine, just like him!”
But what she didn’t know that day was that that dream would vanish in an instant.
"You should give up, little girl," the doctor told her bluntly.
The girl froze and collapsed. They remained silent for a few seconds before her mother spoke.
"Um... Is something wrong with her?" the girl's mother asked the doctor. “Children her age have already manifested their Quirks...” She looked at her daughter. “She’s the only one.”
“My records indicate that you’re a fourth-generation Quirk user. What powers do you and your father possess?” the doctor asked, looking at the girl who remained frozen in place.
“Nothing extraordinary. I can attract small objects, and her father breathes fire,” she said, waving her hand to bring the figure back within her daughter’s reach. “I suppose they’re quite useful.”
“Your daughter should have already manifested one of these Quirks or a combination of both but after looking at her X-rays, I don’t think she will,” said the doctor, examining an X-ray of the girl’s foot. “You see, when the powers first appeared, a lot of research was done, and doctors discovered a correlation between the bones in the foot and the likelihood of developing a Quirk. People with powers only have one joint in their little toe. Their bodies have evolved into a more streamlined version of the human form.” He pointed to the little toe on the green-haired girl’s X-ray.” The mother looked at her daughter with a blank expression while the doctor continued speaking. “Here you can see that your daughter has two joints in her little toe, which accounts for approximately 20% of the current population. Based on the available research, we can confidently state that your daughter will not develop a Quirk.
The girl was still in shock when the screen went dark.
When she got home, it was raining. The lights in the girl’s room were off as she watched the video again… but it didn’t help much. Who is she? She’s already saved at least a hundred people, and it hasn’t even been ten minutes!
Her mother stood in front of the door as she listened to the video.
“This is… this is crazy! I can’t believe it!”
She looked back; her daughter wasn’t moving her chair or making any sounds of surprise.
The hero in the video laughed. “Look, there’s more!”
“It’s okay. Why? Because I’m here!”
“Do you see that, Mom…?” The girl turned completely to look at him as the video paused, showing the hero’s smile. “He always has a smile on his face, no matter how bad things get.” She said nothing, her sad gaze fixed on the back of the chair. “Even when things seem impossible, he never gives up...” The chair swiveled slightly, and she shuddered, tears welling in her eyes. Her daughter also had tears in her eyes, but she held them back as she pointed at the screen. “Do you think... I could be a heroine, too?”
The woman slowly approached, knelt down, and hugged her daughter. “I’m sorry, Mizuki. I wish things were different,” she sobbed as the little girl finally broke down in tears.
Mom. You didn’t need to say that. Couldn’t you see? My world was falling apart. I just wanted to hear one thing…
From that day on, my life went downhill.
—
Mizuki rubbed her eyes as she woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of shouting in the living room. She went there to see what was going on, and as she walked closer, the shouting grew louder. When she reached the doorway, she opened her eyes wide to see her parents arguing.
“I can’t keep up my reputation, Inko. I’ve been offered a job abroad.”
“B-but Hisashi, what about us?” Inko asked, breaking down in tears. “What about our daughter?”
“HER! SHE’S NOT MY DAUGHTER!” Hisashi shouted, causing Mizuki to feel a lump in her throat as she clung to the doorframe. “I COULD NEVER BE THE FATHER OF A QUIRKLESS BRAT.”
That left Mizuki in shock; unable to hear Inko shouting angrily at him, she could only watch as her father grabbed his suitcase and walked out of the house without looking back.
“D-Dad…” That was all she could say as she bowed her head; a single tear fell to the floor.
After my father abandoned us and the divorce proceedings, I’d only see my mom secretly looking at the unpaid bills a worry she didn’t usually show in front of me.
Mizuki was peeking from behind the doorframe, watching her mother sitting at the table looking at the bills; she could also see how much weight her mother had gained.
One week, Inko was seen wearing a nurse’s uniform with her bag, holding Mizuki’s hand as she took her to elementary school. The green-haired girl watched her mom, who was staring intently at the road, while Mizuki looked at her with concern, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.
Knowing that my father would no longer be bringing home money, she returned to her job as a nurse so she could support them.
In elementary school, Mizuki was sitting at a desk with her head down, drawing, while she could hear her classmates around her talking about her behind her back.
“Hey, did you hear that? Deku doesn’t have a Quirk.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, she’s Quirkless.”
“That’s so sad.”
“I feel bad for her.”
“She’s so weird!”
While all the kids were talking, one in particular a boy with blond hair just stared at her with a smug smile.
One weekend, Mizuki went to the park and was playing in the sandbox by herself; since she lived nearby, there were no problems.
While she was playing, she heard an explosion, followed by a groan of pain. She turned around and stood there, terrified, as she saw the blond boy with two other children behind him, and in front of him was a chestnut boy moaning in pain as he crouched down and clutched his stomach.
“Your Quirk is useless! In Bakugo’s squad, we don’t accept losers UNDERSTOOD!” the blond boy shouted that last part as he moved closer to the chestnut boy.
The last thing Mizuki knew, upon seeing that, was getting up from the sandbox and running toward the chestnut boy, stepping in front of him to protect him without a second thought.
“That’s enough, Kacchan! You’ve gone too far this time,” Mizuki exclaimed, leaving the blond boy taken aback.
“Hey, she’s not your friend, Quirkless, is she?” asked a chubby boy, while the one next to him burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha, it’s unbelievable that she’s your friend,” said the other one sarcastically.
The blond boy, “Bakugo,” lowered his head, closed his eyes, and bared his teeth in anger before letting out a sigh and looking up with an arrogant smile.
“I’ve never been friends with her she just gets in the way of what I do,” he said without hesitation.
Mizuki felt so hurt by those words that she couldn’t hold back her tears after hearing them from the person who had been her friend ever since their mothers had known each other their whole lives.
Bakugo just looked at her without pity before speaking again.
“Get out of the way already this is between him and me,” he said, pointing at the chestnut boy who was still moaning in pain.
“L-leave him alone, K-kachan,” Mizuki stammered, tears still in her eyes. “C-can’t you s-see he’s s-suffering?” she said, adopting a protective stance. “I-if you k-keep d-doing t-that… I-I w-won’t f-forgive you!”
Bakugo and the two boys stood there watching her before the blond let out an arrogant chuckle.
“Hmm. Knowing that you don’t have a Quirk…,” Bakugo said as one of the boys revealed red wings and the other demonstrated that he could extend his hand and strike it with his fist, causing an explosive spark. “Are you trying to be a Heroine, Deku?” he said with a mocking smile.
Mizuki gasped and took a step back. She held out her hands toward the chestnut boy protectively as the three of them lunged forward, the sun shining brightly once again.
Shortly afterward, the chestnut watched with a mixture of concern and guilt as the girl tried to help him.
Mizuki was crying, lying on her back, staring at the sky with bruises all over her body, while the screen began to fade.
Year 2104
“Huh, do you want to work for us?”
In a living room of an apartment on the outskirts of Mie Prefecture, we see a burly man and his wife looking at a nervous, chestnut boy as he clasped his hands together.
“Yes! When I grow up, I’ll help you!” the boy said to his parents, who looked at him in surprise before exchanging glances and then turning back to the boy with a smile.
“We appreciate your intentions, Ochao,” his father said as he knelt down beside him and gently stroked his hair. “But as your father, I’ll be happier if you pursue your dream. When the time comes, we’re going to Hawaii!”
Ochao could only lower his head sadly. “Dad.”
His father was about to say something, but his phone rang. After stroking his son’s hair once more, he walked away to answer the call, leaving Ochao alone with his mother.
“Don’t take it personally.” his mother said to Ochao, who still had his head bowed. “I’m so glad you want to help us, but you don’t have to give up your dreams for us.”
“But I want to do it,” Ochao exclaimed, looking up with tearful eyes. “You two are always tired and worn out from all the work you do to support us. I want to help you so you can relax.”
His mother smiled at his concern before kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder. “We’re glad you care about us, but remember what I’ve always told you. Accept the things you can’t change, have the courage to change the things you can, and have the wisdom to know the difference.”
“I still don’t get it,” Ochao said, making his mother laugh as she kissed him on the forehead.
“You’ll understand eventually,” his mother finished before walking back to her husband, who was still talking on the phone.
My parents always looked tired. It hurt to see them like that.
We see Ochao with his father among a crowd watching a showdown between some heroes and a villain.
It was the first time we’d seen a hero up close.
The villain was knocked to the ground, causing everyone to raise their hands in celebration of the hero, who stood atop some rubble, raising his fist to the sky.
I paid more attention to the faces of those around me than to the sky.
Instead of looking at the hero, Ochao looked at his parents’ faces, where the exhaustion had been replaced by happiness, causing Ochao to smile as well.
I liked seeing people happy.
—
We see an elderly woman walking along the sidewalk carrying a shopping bag, and she kept walking until she tripped and began to fall, closing her eyes as she braced herself for the hard impact… but it never came.
“It’s okay.”
The woman opened her eyes and saw that she was rubbing her head; she turned to see Ochao, now 12 years old, in his school uniform, holding a notebook in one hand and extending the other, which glowed lime green.
Ever since I gained my Quirk, I’ve decided to help anyone in need.
Ochao waved his hand, causing the woman to return to the floor, and then made the shopping bag float toward her before his hand stopped glowing, allowing her to regain her gravity.
The woman was about to thank him when she noticed Ochao looked a little dizzy, which worried her, but he told her he was fine and continued on his way home.
At that moment, my dream became to be a hero who helps others and sees them happy and in doing so, helps their parents as well, making everyone happy.
Ochao was walking slowly toward the house with the notebook in his hand, until he arrived and opened the door.
Or so I thought…
Ochao went inside and was about to put the keys in his pocket when he felt something break; he looked down to see that he was stepping on broken glass, and slowly looked up only to freeze at the sight before him.
The window was broken, and a lamp lay on the floor. On the table was a birthday cake smashed to pieces, and on the floor was a photo of Ochao with his parents, stained with blood.
Ochao’s eyes widened as he dropped his notebook to the floor; it opened from the fall, revealing a “Happy Birthday” card.
“M-Mom.” That was all Ochao could say as he saw his mother’s body slumped on the floor in a pool of blood.
Ochao had stood there frozen and didn’t even move when the authorities arrived that night to investigate the scene, covering the body with a sheet.
—
“We may never know exactly what happened an outburst that got out of hand, a disturbed mind,” said a pastor at Ochao’s mother’s funeral, noting that Ochao was there along with some neighbors. “But we do know that it was a crime and a tragedy.”
As the pastor spoke, Ochao just stared at his mother’s grave with tears in his eyes, watching as his world fell apart.
—
From then on, things didn’t get any better.
Ochao was held in the arms of an officer as he begged them not to take his father away; his father was being handcuffed and led to a patrol car while insisting he was innocent and pleading to be allowed to stay with his son.
My dad was arrested as a suspect in my mom’s death, even though I know he didn’t do it.
Ochao was taken to a small room with a bed and a desk.
They took me to an orphanage until I tried to find my family, but they couldn’t find anyone.
Ochao was lying on the bed looking at a photo of himself with his happy parents, which made him start crying and hug the photo as the scene began to unfold.
Despite what happened, it gave me even more reason to pursue my dreams so that, in the future, I can prove my father’s innocence and also prevent anyone else from going through what I went through.
We see Ochao, holding a box with his belongings, entering a small apartment.
As soon as my father was sentenced, I was taken to a small apartment in the city of Musutafu, paid for by the orphanage, which provided me with the necessary supplies until I turned 18. Then I was transferred to Aldera Academy to continue my first year of high school, and that’s when I met her…
At the Aldera Academy. In a classroom, we see Mizuki a 12-year-old girl with dark green, wavy hair that reaches her neck sitting at her desk.
Mizuki bent down to take her school supplies out of her backpack for the day. She pulled out a notebook and began writing in it until the teacher arrived to start class, accompanied by a boy standing next to him.
“Attention, class!” the teacher called out to all the students. “This is your new classmate, Ochao Uraraka.”
Mizuki looked up, only to find herself staring at him.
The boy has chestnut hair parted down the middle, which frames his face down to his neck; he has large, round eyes with light-colored irises. He’s wearing a simple gakuran uniform and brown shoes.
Mizuki kept staring at him because she felt like she’d seen him somewhere before. She kept looking at him until her whole body froze when she realized the boy with chestnut hair was watching her.
“That girl looks familiar,” Ochao thought as he approached her; she immediately panicked.
“Damn! He realized I was watching him, and now he’s coming over here!” Mizuki thought, breaking out in a cold sweat on her forehead as she nervously lowered her head.
“Hi, I’m Ochao Uraraka, but you can call me Occhan if you want.”
“He’ll think I’m a weirdo and make fun of me… wait… what?” Mizuki looked up to see Ochao standing in front of her with a friendly smile.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ochao apologized, noticing that Mizuki was staring at her, and began scratching the back of her neck. “That’s what my friends used to call me.”
Mizuki was surprised and flattered at the same time when someone mentioned “friends,” as if a glimmer of hope had suddenly appeared in her life before she sadly lowered her gaze, knowing that this glimmer would vanish in an instant.
“U-Uraraka, you shouldn’t talk to me I’ll just cause you trouble,” she finally said wistfully.
Ochao was confused by that last remark, and before she could ask about it, she heard a mocking laugh and saw Mizuki shudder with fear at the sound of it.
“Ha! For the first time ever, that piece of shit Deku is right!”
Ochao turned to look at the person who said that and saw a blond guy with an arrogant smile who also looked very familiar to him but much to his dismay.
Mizuki closed her eyes tightly while keeping her head down. “K-Kacchan.”
“You know why you’re making that melon face? Because that stupid Deku is a Quirkless,” Bakugo finished with an arrogant smirk.
Ochao, who had been offended by being called that, was simply stunned by what he heard and then looked at Mizuki, who refused to open her eyes.
“Quirkless… Wait… it’s her! I remember her now!” Ochao thought as he looked at her before turning his gaze to Bakugo. “That… that’s wrong.”
“Are you smart, ‘melon face’?” Bakugo said, still wearing that arrogant smile. “You’re right she’s just a living mistake who doesn’t deserve…”
As he spoke, Mizuki kept her eyes closed and clenched her teeth; she knew what would happen, she knew that the hope she’d felt a moment ago would vanish, she knew that…
“No! That’s not it!”
Mizuki opened her eyes when she heard that and looked up at the chestnut boy who had said it, as well as at Bakugo, who was also confused by what he’d said but the chestnut-haired boy hadn’t finished speaking.
“SHE’S NOT THE PROBLEM YOU’RE THE ONE THINKING BADLY OF HER!” Ochao shouted at Bakugo, surprising not only him but all the students who were listening. “How can you think that just because she’s…? A Quirkless.”
Mizuki, who had been listening to everything, began to well up with tears as she watched someone who barely knew her defend her as if she were worth something, when everyone around her except for her mother had treated her as if she were worthless.
Bakugo was staring at him in disbelief as if some extra who’d barely just arrived were confronting him as if he were someone important. His look of disbelief was replaced by a menacing glare as his hands began to tremble with rage.
“Watch your mouth, melon face,” Bakugo said in a threatening voice.
“I don’t know what your problem is,” Ochao continued, paying no heed to Bakugo’s glare or threatening tone. “IF YOU REALLY THINK THIS ABOUT HER BECAUSE OF SOMETHING SO INSIGNIFICANT, YOU’RE A FOOL! YOU CAN’T JUDGE HER FOR SOMETHING SHE CAN’T CONTROL!”
Bakugo’s threatening glare gave way to one of rage as he raised his hand a sight that made Mizuki’s eyes widen, knowing exactly what was about to happen.”
“I’VE HEARD ENOUGH!!!” Bakugo shouted as his hand began to fill with explosive sparks.
Ochao saw that he was about to take a step forward, and Bakugo was about to use his Quirk to send him floating up to the ceiling, but he was surprised to see the girl he was defending run over and position herself protectively in front of him.
“W-wait, K-Kacchan, h-he’s n-new h-he d-doesn’t k-know… y-you s-shouldn’t…” Mizuki stammered in fear.
“Move, you damn Deku!” Bakugo shouted at Mizuki, who flinched but stood her ground.
“N-no.”
“Deku…” Bakugo growled before grabbing her roughly by the collar of her shirt. “I TOLD YOU TO MOVE!”
“I won’t,” Mizuki exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. “I won’t just stand by and watch you hurt him like you always do to…”
SLAPPP!!!
Bakugo cut her off by slapping her hard across the cheek, knocking her to the floor.
“THAT’LL SHUT YOU UP, YOU STUPID NERD!” Bakugo shouted without a hint of remorse.
Ochao’s blood ran cold as her hands began to tremble, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her skin. She watched in disbelief as Mizuki got to her feet, her gaze hidden by her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks, and a drop of blood on her face.
Before Ochao could approach her with concern, he heard the teacher arrive on the scene.
“What the hell is going on here?” the teacher asked. Ochao was about to speak up, but Bakugo beat him to it.
“Deku tripped to get the teacher’s attention,” Bakugo told the teacher, who immediately looked at Mizuki with contempt.
“Midoriya again? That’s the fourth time this month,” the teacher scolded Mizuki, who said nothing in her defense. “Go to the office so they can take care of you.”
“But she didn’t…” Ochao tried to defend her, but the teacher placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, kid, this happens all the time,” the teacher said calmly.
“But…” Ochao tried to defend her again, but he felt the teacher’s hand squeeze his shoulder tighter before the teacher turned to the other students. “Go back to your seats; class is about to start.”
Everyone went to their seats while Ochao watched Mizuki leave the classroom without saying a word to anyone, glancing at Bakugo and then at the teacher.
“That teacher is a mystery… She knew this was going to happen and still stood up for me i don’t even know her name,” Ochao thought, looking worried.
Mizuki walked out of the principal’s office with a band-aid on her cheek and began walking down the hallways with a sad expression.
“When will you stop causing trouble?”
Her feet began to tremble the more she walked.
“I’ve already done your mother a favor by letting you attend my school.”
Her eyes began to well up as she started walking more slowly.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the woman who had to take care of that girl…”
Finally, Mizuki broke down and stopped walking; she slid against the wall, buried her head in her knees, and began to cry bitterly.
“Why is everyone here so… Ugh,” Ochao complained as he took notes in his notebook during math class.
When he finished writing, he unconsciously glanced at the desk where Mizuki had been sitting it had been empty ever since the green-haired girl left the classroom hours ago, but she still hadn’t returned.
Ochao kept staring at it until he sighed and raised his hand to get the teacher’s attention, who noticed him.
“Yes, Uraraka?” the teacher asked, seeing the raised hand.
“Can I go to the bathroom, sir?” Ochao said as the teacher granted him permission. Ochao immediately stood up and left the classroom, but took a different route.
“Maybe I’m being irrational again, but I have to make sure she’s okay,” Ochao thought as he walked down the path leading to the administration building, hoping to run into her there. “Besides, if it really is her, I want to help her more than I was able to that time.”
Ochao remembered when he was 4 years old and his parents had to go to Musutafu for a job offer they’d received; his parents had to take him along and then left him at the park to have fun while they went to check out the offer.
At the park, he saw some kids playing there and went over to join them which, as it turned out, was a big mistake.
One of the kids was a blond boy who seemed to be their leader, and he started making fun of Ochao for his goal of becoming a hero to help his parents and for the fact that his Quirk was so limited, since at that time he could only remove the gravity from tiny pebbles and they began to tease him.
Then the girl came to his defense, but she ended up getting hurt while Ochao couldn’t do anything to protect her.
“I’m sorry! You had to protect me.” Ochao apologized, worried about the girl’s condition. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… okay,” Mizuki replied painfully as she tried to wipe away her tears before looking at the boy. “It was just a few bumps,” she told him, trying to give him a forced smile.
Ochao looked at her with concern as he surveyed the girl, who was covered in dirt, with visible bruises on her forehead, arms, and legs, and a trickle of blood running from her nose.
Mizuki tried to get up, but she couldn’t because of the pain. She felt someone grab her arm and looked up to see Ochao wrap his arm around her neck, then lift her carefully while his other arm supported her waist. Mizuki blushed at his touch as Ochao walked her over to a water faucet.
He carefully sat her down near the faucet and began to rinse the dirt and wounds with tap water; while that wouldn’t heal her, at least it kept her clean.
“I’m sorry this is all I can do,” Ochao apologized after cleaning her up. “But can I help take you home? Do you live nearby?”
Mizuki nodded and pointed to the apartment where she lived, and Ochao immediately lifted her up again and carried her to the apartment. The walk was slow and difficult, especially climbing the stairs. When they reached the door, Ochao was about to ring the doorbell, but before doing so, he turned back to the green-haired girl.
“Thank you for saving me,” Ochao said before turning away and ringing the doorbell, unable to meet Mizuki’s gaze as he spoke.
The door opened and Inko stepped out; as soon as she saw her Mizuki in that state, she was immediately alarmed.
“Daughter! What on earth happened to you!?” Inko asked worriedly as Ochao handed Mizuki over to her mother, who immediately cradled her in her arms and looked at the boy.
“Thank you for bringing her back, young man,” Inko thanked Ochao.
“No problem…” Ochao replied before Inko closed the door, cutting him off.
Although he thought it was a bit rude of her, he understood how worried she was about her daughter and her desire to take her home to recover as she headed back to the park.
After that, his parents returned, and realizing they hadn’t gotten anywhere, they went back to Mie Prefecture, where Ochao thought about the girl who had saved him and whom he might never see again.
Ochao stopped reminiscing about that moment when he heard bitter sobbing nearby. He looked up and, before fully opening his eyes, saw Mizuki sitting near the wall with her head buried in her knees, crying bitterly. Seeing her like that, Ochao ran toward her without a second thought.
“Loser.”
“Nuisance.”
“I’m sorry, Mizuki.”
“Quirkless.”
“Useless.”
“Weirdo.”
“Trash.”
“Deku.”
“I can’t…” Mizuki was crying as she remembered all the things he’d said to her, clutching her hand tightly to her chest. “Breathe.”
She continued crying bitterly as she began to panic, with no one able to help her until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
She heard a voice, and Mizuki opened her tear-filled eyes to see Ochao kneeling near her with his hand resting very gently on her shoulder; she could also see tears in his eyes.
“Feel this I’m here. You won’t be alone anymore,” Ochao told her in a firm but calm voice.
Mizuki stared at him as she emerged from her panic and her breathing returned to normal, though she still had tears in her eyes.
“Are you with me?” Ochao asked, seeing that her breathing had returned to normal.
“I… yes,” Mizuki replied, now calm.
“Good,” Ochao replied as he wiped away his own tears.
“B-but… w-why? Y-you’re crying,” Mizuki finished, not understanding why he was crying too.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that… you scared me. You looked like you were having a panic attack, and I didn’t know what to do what if…” Ochao said, telling only half the truth.
“I’m sorry,” Mizuki said, looking away as Ochao stared at her. “It was just a bad moment. I’m fine… I’ll be okay soon,” she said, pressing her hand to her chest. “Y-you can go n-now if you w-want to.”
Ochao looked at her with compassion after she said that, since he’d heard the same thing himself back in his early days when he lost his mother some of his friends at the time had approached him, and he’d said exactly that to them, and they’d left him alone. He kept looking at her, and then, with a sigh, he made a decision.
Mizuki closed her eyes as she felt Ochao walking away. “What a fool… of course he left,” she thought as she began to cry again. “Why is she crying? It’s better this way. Has it always been like this? What did she expect?”
“Here.”
Mizuki opened her eyes in surprise to see Ochao sitting next to her, offering her a blue handkerchief.
“You… stayed.” That was all Mizuki could think, stunned, as she slowly took the handkerchief.
The two of them stood there in silence while Mizuki nervously fiddled with her handkerchief until she broke the silence by asking him something she’d wanted to ask from the very beginning.”
“Um… why?…” Mizuki tried to say nervously as Ochao looked at her, waiting for her to finish speaking. “Why did you stand up for me back there?” she asked, resting her hand on her chin. “I-it’s not that I don’t appreciate it in fact, it’s quite the opposite, and it’s probably the first time anyone’s ever stood up for me but still, I don’t understand why you did it if it could get you into trouble…”
Ochao just watched her mumble rapidly, barely understanding most of what she was saying, as her words echoed around them.
Ochao kept looking at her until he let out a little chuckle and smiled with his eyes closed.
“I could ask you the same question, but first you need to take a breath,” he said with a chuckle, causing Mizuki to stop and cover her mouth, blushing.
“I-I’m s-sorry, w-what…?” She stammered, making Ochao laugh again.
“Hahahaha, that reaction,” Ochao said with a chuckle before looking at Mizuki. “Well, since we were rudely interrupted,” he said, referring to Bakugo. “How about we start over? I’m Ochao Uraraka, but you can call me Occhan, and you’re Deku Midoriya, right?” he asked, only to see Mizuki flinch, making it clear she didn’t like being called that. “Wait, isn’t that your name? That’s what that blond guy called you, right?” he asked, referring to Bakugo.
“N-No, m-my r-real n-name i-is Mizuki Midoriya,” Mizuki said shyly as she looked down at her knees again. “Deku is… kind of an insult. It’s short for Deku-nobu you know, a useless person. Someone who can’t do anything.” She explained, causing Ochao to feel embarrassed after realizing he’d insulted her without meaning to.
“I’m so sorry!” he apologized, scratching his head. Mizuki was about to tell him it was okay, but he continued. “I thought it was short for Dekiru.”
“Dekiru?” Izumi asked, confused. “What’s that?”
“It’s a verb that means ‘someone who can do anything’ or something like that. That’s why I thought they called you ‘Deku,’” he explained.
“I didn’t see it that way,” she stammered with a smile and a slight blush.
“So do you want to be my friend, Dekiru?” Ochao asked with a smile.
Mizuki was shocked and moved that someone wanted to be her friend even though she was a Quirkless. That word which she’d longed to hear from someone for so long made her shed a tear of emotion, which Ochao noticed.
“D-did I go too far by calling you Dekiru? I’m sorry…” Ochao was trying to apologize as he waved his hand nervously, thinking he’d crossed a line.
But before he could continue, Mizuki rushed toward him, taking him by surprise.
“I’d love to be your friend,” Mizuki said through her tears as she hugged him.
Ochao was taken aback by the gesture, a blush spreading across his face before he smiled and hugged her back.
And that’s when my friendship with the most important person in my life began.
“By the way, thanks again for saving me seven years ago.”
“WAIT, WHAT?!”