A waiter walked over.
"We'll have one filet steak and one plate of pasta," Izuku said as he took off his suit jacket.
"Understood—one filet steak and one pasta. Coming right up."After taking the order, the waiter walked away, glancing back every few steps.
"I wonder if one steak will be enough for you," his grandmother said.
"No, Grandma. You have the steak. I'll eat the pasta," Izuku replied. After that, he stopped talking and closed his eyes to rest.
"Will one plate of pasta really be enough?"
"It's fine. I'm not very hungry right now." Izuku opened his eyes and stood up."Grandma, I'm going to wash my hands—and my face too. Can I throw these contact lenses away? They're kind of uncomfortable."
"No problem. Go on. Make sure you wash up properly."
"Okay."
Izuku went into the restroom, removed the colored contacts, and tossed them into the trash. He scrubbed his face thoroughly with water.
"Whew… that feels much better."
Izuku's skin was naturally good; the makeup artists had only covered a few faint freckles. Looking at the familiar face reflected in the mirror, Izuku let out a long sigh of relief.
This version of me feels the most real.
"So I really do need to smile more," he muttered. "If I smile, everything eventually passes. All Might smiles all the time too, doesn't he?"
He patted his cheeks lightly. The light returned to his eyes, and a gentle smile naturally formed on his lips.
When Izuku walked out of the restroom, his grandmother saw that familiar smile again.
He's back. My Izuku is back.
"Grandma, has the steak arrived yet?"
"Not yet. Do you want to order something else?"
"No thanks. I need to save room for Mom's pork cutlet rice tonight."
Soon, Izuku was chatting happily with his grandmother again.
Ochaco Uraraka:That scared me to death. When Izuku stopped smiling earlier, he was seriously terrifying!!
Kyoka Jiro:Terrifying +1. It was like a statue that didn't need to be angry to feel overwhelming. Izuku looks way better when he smiles.
Toru Hagakure:When Izuku's smile disappeared in the studio earlier, I honestly felt really bad for him.
Izuku Midoriya:...…
Izuku Midoriya:What's wrong?
Toru Hagakure withdrew a message.
Izuku Midoriya:Why did everyone stop talking?
Izuku Midoriya:Come out and have fun, guys.JPG
After a few minutes with no replies, Izuku put his phone down and began eating the pasta in front of him.
Toru Hagakure:Thank goodness my reflexes were fast.
Tenya Iida:At present, Midoriya is having lunch with his grandmother and doesn't have time. Hagakure, hurry up and post the pictures!
Toru Hagakure:Didn't I livestream earlier? Didn't anyone watch?
Ochaco Uraraka:Don't even mention the livestream. The moment Izuku appeared, the stream got flooded by fans and completely crashed—I couldn't get in at all.
Toru Hagakure:Luckily, I prepared a backup. I recorded everything!
Tsuyu Asui:Internal communication, ribbit.
Mina Ashido:Everyone hurry and spam the comments now!
A flood of meaningless messages quickly buried the earlier conversation.
Half an hour later, Izuku and his grandmother finished their meal and began drinking afternoon tea while chatting.
"Izuku, do you remember that close friend you had when you stayed with Grandma back then?"
"Of course I remember. I just can't recall his name anymore. I still have half of a photo with him," Izuku said, taking a half-torn photograph from his small bag.
"I kept this photo in a little box for a long time. I only took it out recently. It should be from when we took pictures together."
His grandmother picked up the half photo and nodded.
"That child's name was something like… Sho… or something similar. I can't quite remember. Old age really ruins your memory."
"I don't remember either," Izuku said with a smile. "But we'll meet again someday, won't we?"
His smile was bright and warm.
"He told me once that he was going to become the number one hero," Izuku said, looking up at the sky where white clouds drifted across the blue.
"I wonder how he's doing now."I kind of miss him. I wonder if he still remembers me.
An hour later, Izuku helped his grandmother into a taxi headed for the train station.
"Grandma, take care on the way."
"You're the one who needs to wear more layers," she scolded gently. "You're as skinny as a bamboo pole. Don't forget to eat properly."
"I know."
As the taxi disappeared into the distance, Izuku took out the freshly developed photos from the studio.
"...""I'll keep them. If Grandma can't find them next time she visits, it'll be troublesome."
He put the dozen or so photos back into his bag, then pulled a lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
"Candy really does calm me down," he murmured. "Time to head home."
Pressing down the cap on his head, Izuku walked back in the spring breeze.
After returning home, he shoved all the clothes he'd bought into his wardrobe.
There is absolutely no way I'm ever wearing these shame-inducing outfits!
"Though… the missionary outfit might be worth trying. And the military uniform too. The tailcoat should be stored properly."
In the end, every piece of clothing was neatly put away.
"Alright, time to browse the internet, read a bit, and see if there's anything worth buying."
The moment Izuku opened a webpage, countless videos and photos related to him popped up.
"Huh…? Aren't these—"
Before he could finish watching one video, messages started flooding his phone nonstop.
Then smoke began rising from it.
"Uh… this is the phone I've been using for three years…"
Because of the sudden phone explosion incident, Izuku had no choice but to dip into his savings to buy a new phone.
"That means… no new All Might figurine for me," he sighed gloomily, staring at the new device and wondering whether his remaining money would even be enough.
"Ah, whatever. No point thinking about it. I need to get answers from the group."
Izuku opened the class chat.
Izuku Midoriya:Did you guys take random photos again?! The moment I opened the internet, my phone got nuked by videos and pictures. My poor three-year-old phone!!
The class chat fell completely silent.
Izuku Midoriya:...…
Izuku Midoriya:Sigh.JPG
Putting his phone down, Izuku let out a long breath.
Last time I took photos with Grandma, they got uploaded online too. I was so scared I wore a mask for an entire month and didn't dare go outside.
Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. I'm never wearing those embarrassing clothes again anyway.
He shook his head, lay down on the bed, and started reading.
"I still don't know what Grandpa meant by giving me this."
Izuku opened the small notebook his grandfather had given him and began to read.
Early the next morning, Izuku went out at dawn to test a new idea.
If this works, I might finally be able to fight Katsuki head-on.
"Concentrate all the power into one point… then imagine it—blade wind, blade wind, blade wind…"
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
"Got it!"
Izuku lifted one leg and slammed it downward in a powerful axe kick. A sharp blade of wind erupted forth, slicing across the ocean at incredible speed and carving a clean line along the sea's surface.
"This is amazing!"
"Next is my hands. Gather the power in both arms…"
As he focused, an image surfaced in his mind—the knightly sword held by those eight phantom knights.
"A knight's sword… yes, I feel it!"
Izuku swung his arms with all his strength. Another blade of wind tore across the ocean.
"This is awesome!!"