Work Text:
It began on a Monday.
Izuku arrived at his desk five minutes before class, balancing a notebook, two textbooks, and a cup of coffee.
As he set everything down, something caught his eye.
A small pink envelope.
It sat neatly in the middle of his desk.
No name.
No stamp.
Just a tiny smiling face doodled in one corner.
"...Huh?"
Curious, he opened it.
Inside was a single card.
Written in neat handwriting were just seven words.
‘You're doing better than you think you are.’
Izuku blinked.
He turned the card over.
Nothing.
No signature.
No clue who had written it.
"...Weird."
He smiled anyway.
It was... nice.
He carefully tucked the card into the back of his notebook before class began.
The next morning...
There was another one.
Different coloured envelope.
Different handwriting.
Or at least, it looked different.
This one read:
‘You always make people feel safe. Don't forget that.’
Izuku frowned thoughtfully.
"...Who keeps doing this?"
By Wednesday...
The mystery had spread through Class 1-A.
Kaminari leaned over Izuku's shoulder.
"Another one?"
Izuku nodded.
"I don't understand."
Kaminari looked offended.
"Understand what?"
"Why someone would send them to me."
Across the room, Mina almost dropped the bottle of juice she was drinking.
She coughed dramatically.
Ochaco gently patted her back.
"You okay?"
"Mhm!"
Mina squeaked.
"Perfectly fine!"
She very deliberately looked anywhere except Izuku.
The third note was tucked inside Izuku's hero notebook.
He didn't even notice it until halfway through lunch.
This one simply said:
‘Thank you for always trying your hardest. It inspires more people than you know.’
He stared at it for a long time.
Then quietly smiled.
"...I hope whoever's writing these knows
they make my day."
Across the cafeteria...
Mina immediately hid her face behind her tray.
Ochaco watched the entire exchange.
Then slowly looked toward Mina.
"...Ashido."
Mina froze.
"...Yeah?"
"You've been buying an awful lot of coloured envelopes lately."
"...Have I?"
"Mina."
"...Maybe."
Ochaco smiled knowingly.
"I thought so."
That afternoon, Ochaco cornered Mina outside the dorms.
"So..."
Mina sighed dramatically.
"...I'm not telling him."
"I didn't ask you to."
Ochaco folded her arms.
"I just want to know why."
Mina looked toward the setting sun.
Then smiled softly.
"...Because he doesn't believe nice things about himself."
Ochaco's smile faded into something gentler.
"...Yeah."
"So..."
Mina shrugged.
"...I figured maybe it'd be easier if they
came from a stranger."
"So he couldn't argue."
There was a long silence.
Finally, Ochaco laughed quietly.
"...That's the most 'you' thing I've ever
heard."
Mina grinned.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
That evening...
Izuku carefully placed all three cards on his desk.
He read each one again.
Then, almost without thinking, slipped
them into the front pocket of his notebook.
Somehow… Knowing they were there made him stand a little straighter.
Smile a little easier.
And for the first time in a while...
The voice in the back of his mind telling him he wasn't good enough...
Was just a little quieter.
The notes kept coming.
Not every day.
That would have made the mystery too obvious.
Instead...
They appeared just often enough that Izuku never knew when to expect one.
Sometimes tucked inside a notebook.
Sometimes slipped beneath his lunch tray.
Once...
Somehow...
Inside his shoe locker.
He still had absolutely no idea how that one had happened.
Each card was different.
‘You always notice when someone needs help before anyone else does.’
‘You're allowed to be proud of how far you've come.’
‘You don't have to save the whole world by yourself.’
None of them were long.
None of them were dramatic.
They were simply… kind.
By the second week… Izuku had started carrying them around.
Not because he planned to show anyone.
Because every now and then...
On difficult days...
He'd quietly read one again.
Just for a moment.
Then tuck it safely away.
Unfortunately...
Keeping secrets around Class 1-A was
nearly impossible.
"Midoriya."
Izuku looked up from the common room sofa.
Iida adjusted his glasses.
"I have noticed you have been smiling at your notebook with increasing frequency."
Izuku immediately closed it.
"I-I have?"
"You have."
Kaminari looked over from the other side of the room.
"...Wait."
"Is he smiling at notes again?"
Mina very nearly inhaled the biscuit she was eating.
The room went suspiciously quiet.
Kaminari slowly turned toward Izuku.
"...You're carrying them around."
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Maybe."
Kaminari placed a dramatic hand over his heart.
"Our boy's got a secret admirer."
"I don't think that's what's happening."
"It absolutely is."
"It could just be someone being nice."
"That's literally what a secret admirer is."
"...Oh."
Mina stared intensely at the television.
Which wasn't even switched on.
Ochaco noticed.
Again.
"...Ashido."
"...Yes?"
"...You're blushing."
"I'm warm."
"The air conditioning is on."
"...I'm emotionally warm."
Ochaco burst into laughter.
Later that evening...
Mina quietly slipped another envelope into Izuku's desk while everyone else was in the training gym.
She smiled to herself.
"...Mission accomplished."
"You know..."
Mina jumped nearly a foot into the air.
"...Yaoyorozu!"
Momo stood in the doorway carrying a stack of books.
She smiled politely.
"I had a feeling I'd find you here."
Mina laughed nervously.
"...Caught me?"
"I'm afraid so."
Momo glanced toward the envelope.
"...May I ask why you're doing this?"
Mina looked down at the desk.
"...Because he argues with compliments."
Momo blinked.
"...He does."
"If you tell him he's brave..."
"He says anyone would've done the same."
"If you tell him he's clever..."
"He starts talking about everyone else's strengths."
"If you tell him he's kind..."
"He changes the subject."
She sighed.
"So..."
"I figured..."
"...maybe if he didn't know who they were from..."
"...he might actually believe them."
Momo's expression softened.
"...That's very thoughtful."
Mina smiled.
"I just want him to see himself the way the rest of us do."
The next morning...
Izuku arrived early as usual.
Another envelope waited.
This one was bright yellow.
Inside...
A single sentence.
‘You don't have to earn kindness. You already deserve it.’
Izuku read it once. Then again.
His smile slowly disappeared.
Not because he didn't like it.
Because… He wasn't sure he believed it.
He quietly slipped the card back into the envelope.
"...I wish I knew who you were."
Across the classroom...
Mina watched him from the doorway.
She couldn't hear what he'd whispered.
But she could see the thoughtful expression on his face.
And somehow...
That felt like progress.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
One little note at a time...
He was starting to believe them.
The next note arrived on a Thursday.
Izuku found it tucked neatly between the pages of his hero notebook just before patrol.
He smiled before he'd even opened it.
Whoever they were...
They always seemed to know exactly when he needed one.
He unfolded the card.
‘Today's mission doesn't need a perfect hero. It just needs you.’
He let out a quiet breath.
"...Thank you."
He wasn't sure whether he was thanking the note...
Or the person behind it.
The patrol was uneventful.
A lost child.
A minor traffic accident.
Helping an elderly woman carry her shopping after her trolley wheel snapped.
Nothing that would make the evening news.
Yet...
As he walked back to U.A., he caught himself smiling.
Not because he'd done anything extraordinary.
Because he'd done enough.
For once… That felt like it was enough.
That evening, Ochaco found him sitting in the common room.
His notebook lay open beside him.
The little stack of colourful cards rested carefully next to it.
"You've organized them."
Izuku looked up.
"Oh..."
He smiled sheepishly.
"I guess I have."
She sat beside him.
"Can I ask something?"
"Of course."
"Which one's your favourite?"
He looked down at the pile.
"...This one."
He carefully picked out the yellow card.
‘You don't have to earn kindness. You already deserve it.’
Ochaco smiled softly.
"I like that one too."
He nodded.
"I've been thinking about it."
"...And?"
He laughed quietly.
"I'm still not sure I believe it."
She rested her chin on her hand.
"...But you're thinking about it."
"...Yeah."
"I guess I am."
Across the room...
Mina was pretending to scroll through her phone.
Pretending being the important word.
She'd heard every single sentence.
She smiled to herself.
Very small.
Very satisfied.
The following week, Class 1-A was assigned a media training exercise.
Each student had to answer questions from a mock press panel.
Most of the questions were straightforward.
Some were intentionally difficult.
Izuku stepped up to the podium.
The final question came from Present Mic.
"If you had to name your greatest strength as a hero..."
"What would it be?"
The room fell silent.
Normally… Izuku would've panicked.
Or immediately listed someone else's strengths instead.
Instead… He paused. Thought. Then answered honestly.
"...I think..."
"...I'm good at helping people feel safe."
Aizawa looked up from his clipboard.
Present Mic smiled.
"Nice answer!"
Izuku nodded.
"...Thank you."
As he stepped down, he couldn't help remembering one of the anonymous notes.
You always make people feel safe.
Don't forget that.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
They'd been right.
After training, Mina wandered onto the rooftop.
She leaned against the railing, letting the cool evening breeze play with her hair.
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"...Beautiful view."
She turned.
Momo walked over carrying two cans of juice.
"I thought you might be up here."
Mina accepted one with a grateful smile.
"Thanks."
For a while...
They simply watched the sunset.
Then Momo spoke.
"I heard Midoriya's answer today."
Mina smiled.
"...Yeah."
"He sounded more confident."
"A little."
Momo looked sideways at her.
"Your notes are working."
Mina was quiet for a long moment.
"I hope so."
She looked out across the city.
"I don't want him to become someone different."
"I just..."
She smiled softly.
"...want him to see the person we've always seen."
That night...
Izuku opened his notebook one last time before bed.
He carefully placed the newest card beside all the others.
Then, beneath them, he wrote something in his own handwriting.
One good thing about today:
After a moment's thought, he smiled and continued.
‘I believed one compliment... even if it was only for a little while.’
He closed the notebook.
Outside his window, the lights of U.A. glowed softly against the night.
Somewhere in the dorms...
Someone smiled too.
Because they knew that sometimes...
The smallest words could make the biggest difference.
The notes stopped.
Not forever. Just… for a week.
Izuku didn't realize how much he'd come to look forward to them until
Monday morning arrived with an empty desk.
Tuesday… Nothing.
Wednesday… Still nothing.
He found himself checking his notebook anyway.
Then his locker.
Then his desk one last time before heading to training.
"...Maybe they got busy."
He smiled to himself.
"They don't have to write every week."
Still...
He couldn't deny that he missed them.
Across the classroom, Mina noticed.
"...He's looking."
Ochaco followed her gaze.
"He is."
Mina sighed.
"I wanted to make sure he wasn't relying on them."
Ochaco tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't want the notes to become something he needed."
She smiled softly.
"I wanted them to remind him of something."
"...Not replace it."
Ochaco nodded.
"I think they already have."
That afternoon, Aizawa handed back the results from a recent strategy assessment.
"Highest score."
He placed a paper on Momo's desk.
"Yaoyorozu."
Another.
"Second."
"Midoriya."
Izuku accepted it with a smile.
"Thank you."
As everyone packed away, Momo glanced at his paper.
"Congratulations."
He laughed.
"You beat me by six marks."
"You still did very well."
He looked down at his results.
A few months ago...
He would've immediately started listing all the mistakes he'd made.
Instead… He smiled.
"...Yeah."
"I think I did."
Momo blinked.
Then smiled.
"I'm glad you think so."
Mina happened to overhear the exchange.
She quietly looked down at the unopened pink envelope hidden in her bag.
Maybe...
She thought...
Maybe the notes had already done what they were supposed to do.
That evening… Izuku sat alone in the common room.
His notebook rested open in front of him.
The colourful collection of anonymous cards was carefully arranged beside it.
He looked at each one in turn.
Then pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
He uncapped his pen.
And began to write.
‘To whoever has been leaving me these
notes… Thank you.
I still don't know who you are.
Part of me wants to find out.
But another part of me thinks... maybe that's not the important part anymore.
You've helped me notice things about myself that I never would have seen alone.
I'm still working on believing every word you've written.
Some days are easier than others.
But I'm trying.
So... thank you for believing in me until I could start believing in myself too.’
He folded the letter neatly.
The next morning, instead of waiting for another note...
He left his own envelope on his desk.
Addressed simply:
For My Anonymous Friend
Then he went to training.
Mina arrived a few minutes later.
She spotted the envelope immediately.
"...Huh?"
Curious, she picked it up.
She wasn't planning on reading it.
Not at first.
Then she noticed the words on the front.
Her heart skipped.
Slowly...
She unfolded the letter.
As she read, her smile gradually gave way to something softer.
By the final line...
Her eyes were glistening.
"...You absolute idiot."
She laughed quietly, wiping at the corner of one eye.
"You were supposed to feel better."
She carefully folded the letter again.
Held it against her chest for a moment.
Then looked toward the classroom door.
"...I think..."
She whispered to the empty room.
"...you're finally starting to."
She slipped the letter safely into her own notebook.
For the first time since she'd started leaving anonymous compliments...
Mina wasn't thinking about what she wanted to say next.
She was simply happy.
Because the words she'd already written had finally found their way home.
Two weeks passed.
The notes never returned.
Izuku noticed.
Of course he noticed.
But… He also noticed something else.
The voice in his head that used to dismiss every compliment… had become just a little quieter.
Sometimes, when someone thanked him…
He simply smiled. And said,
"...Thank you."
Without immediately insisting he'd done nothing special.
It wasn't a huge change.
But it was a real one.
Friday evening found most of Class 1-A spread around the common room preparing for an upcoming written assessment.
Textbooks covered the tables.
Laptops hummed quietly.
Even Kaminari was making a genuine effort to study.
"...I hate equations," he muttered.
"You hate effort," Jirō replied.
"...Also true."
Laughter rippled around the room.
Mina arrived a few minutes later.
"Sorry I'm late!"
She hurried over to the sofa, her bag already half-open.
"I brought snacks!"
"Priorities," Kirishima nodded approvingly.
"The best kind."
She laughed.
Then started rummaging through her bag.
"Okay..."
"Where did I put my notes?"
She pulled out a pencil case.
Three highlighters.
A packet of sweets.
A notebook.
Another notebook.
Then...
A folded envelope slipped free.
It floated gently onto the coffee table.
Landing directly in front of Izuku.
The room fell silent.
Mina looked down.
Then immediately covered her face with
both hands.
"...Oh no."
Izuku frowned.
The handwriting looked familiar.
Very familiar.
Carefully...
He picked it up.
On the front, written in his own handwriting, were four simple words.
‘For My Anonymous Friend’
He looked up.
Then slowly toward Mina.
"...Ashido?"
She peeked through her fingers.
"...Yeah?"
"...This is..."
"...Yep."
"My letter?"
"...Yep."
"...You wrote the notes?"
She slowly lowered her hands.
A sheepish smile crossed her face.
"...Yeah."
Nobody else said a word.
Even Kaminari understood this wasn't the time for jokes.
Mina took a slow breath.
"...I'm sorry."
Izuku blinked.
"...Sorry?"
"I never wanted you to find out like this."
She looked down at the envelope.
"I wasn't trying to trick you."
"I just..."
She smiled nervously.
"...wanted you to believe the compliments."
"If you'd known they were from me..."
"You would've thanked me every single time."
"And probably tried to pay me back somehow."
A tiny laugh escaped Izuku.
"...You're probably right."
"So..."
She shrugged.
"I stayed anonymous."
"So you'd actually listen."
Izuku looked down at the letter in his hands.
Then back at Mina.
"...You wrote every single one?"
She nodded.
"Every one."
"The envelopes."
"The cards."
"The smiley faces."
"The terrible disguises where I tried to change my handwriting."
Jirō quietly muttered,
"...They weren't very convincing."
Mina groaned.
"I know."
Izuku was quiet for a long time.
Long enough that Mina started worrying she'd made a mistake.
"...Midoriya?"
He opened his notebook.
Reached into the front pocket.
And slowly placed a small stack of colourful cards onto the table.
Pink. Yellow. Blue. Green.
Every single anonymous compliment.
Perfectly preserved.
"I..."
Mina stared.
"...You kept them?"
He nodded.
"All of them."
"I couldn't throw them away."
He smiled softly.
"There were days..."
"...when they were exactly what I
needed."
Mina felt tears prick at her eyes.
"...Seriously?"
"They reminded me..."
He glanced at the first card.
"...That maybe I wasn't as hard to believe in as I thought."
She laughed through the sudden lump in her throat.
"...Well..."
"...Mission accomplished."
Izuku stood.
Walked around the coffee table.
Stopped beside her.
"...Thank you."
"No..."
His smile grew warmer.
"...Really."
"Thank you."
"I don't think anyone's ever done something like that for me before."
Without thinking...
Mina threw her arms around him.
The hug was bright. Warm. Entirely Mina.
Izuku laughed in surprise before hugging her back.
"...You're welcome."
As everyone quietly returned to their studying, Izuku reached toward the scattered stationery still covering the table.
He picked up one unused pink envelope.
A blank card.
And a pen.
"...One second."
He quickly wrote something.
Folded the card.
Slipped it into the envelope.
Then handed it to Mina.
She looked at him curiously.
"...For me?"
He nodded.
"Go on."
She opened it.
Inside...
In unmistakably familiar green handwriting...
were eight simple words.
‘I think you're pretty amazing too.’
For a moment...
She couldn't speak.
She looked up at him.
"...Anonymous?"
Izuku smiled.
Then gently shook his head.
"...Not anymore."
Mina laughed.
A bright, happy laugh that filled the common room.
She carefully tucked the card into the front of her notebook.
Right beside the letter he'd written weeks earlier.
Some compliments...
Were exactly what someone needed to hear.
Others…
Were worth saying out loud.
And from that day on...
Neither of them felt the need to hide behind an envelope ever again.