The morning air was crisp.
Izuku adjusted the strap of his backpack as he stepped out onto the quiet suburban street, the scent of breakfast still lingering faintly from his house behind him.
"Be careful today, Izuku!" Inko called from the doorway.
"I will!" Izuku waved back quickly.
Though just before leaving, he paused.
"...And Mom?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
Inko blinked in surprise before smiling warmly.
"...Anytime."
The bus stop wasn't crowded yet; only a few office workers and students were waiting quietly beneath the pale morning sky. Izuku slipped his hands into his pockets, trying not to think too hard about school.
Morning sunlight stretched across Musutafu in warm golden streaks as Izuku Midoriya hurried down the sidewalk, adjusting the strap of his school bag. Again.
The city already felt alive.
Cars moved steadily through intersections.
Convenience stores opened their doors.
Salarymen rushed past with coffee in hand.
Normalcy.
After I-Island, normalcy felt strangely precious.
Izuku exhaled softly as he reached the bus stop.
His body still ached beneath his uniform, but it was manageable now. Recovery Girl's treatment and several days of rest had done wonders, though he doubted he'd ever fully get used to how violently One For All punished his body.
As he stepped onto the bus and found a seat near the back, his phone vibrated.
CALLING — TENYA IIDA
Izuku blinked before answering quickly.
"Iida! Are you okay?!"
"GOOD MORNING, MIDORIYA!" Iida's voice boomed through the speaker with enough energy to startle two nearby passengers. "I AM PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT MY RECOVERY IS PROCEEDING EXCELLENTLY."
Izuku relaxed slightly.
"T-That's great..."
"Though the doctors insisted upon another day of observation, I naturally convinced them otherwise through logical discussion."
"...Did you escape the hospital?"
"...That is an irrelevant technicality."
Izuku sighed.
Yep.
Iida was definitely recovering.
Still, one thought lingered in his mind.
Carefully—
"...Your engines. Are they okay?"
For once, Iida didn't answer immediately.
The memory surfaced in Izuku's mind instantly.
Burning flesh.
Broken metal.
Blood evaporating from sheer heat.
Izuku unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone.
Then—
"They are."
Iida's voice was calmer now.
"The doctors explained that while my engines possess metallic properties, they are still biological organs. Much like muscle tissue, they regenerate stronger after significant strain."
Izuku blinked.
"...Seriously?"
"Indeed! Though the regrowth process is apparently extremely painful."
"...Ah."
A pause followed.
Then Iida spoke again.
"Midoriya."
This time, his tone carried none of its usual dramatic precision.
"I regret nothing."
Izuku went still.
"If placed in that situation again, I would still choose the same course of action."
"Iida..."
"I am aware of what you are thinking," Iida interrupted gently. "But heroes cannot afford to remain trapped in moments already passed."
The bus continued moving quietly through the city.
"We survived," Iida continued. "Kaminari survived. All Might survived. Therefore, dwelling endlessly upon what could have happened serves no productive purpose."
Izuku stared out the bus window silently.
"...You're really strong, Iida."
"Nonsense."
The response came immediately.
"Emotionally speaking, I am currently panicking over the practical portion of our final exams."
Izuku nearly choked.
"...The what?"
"The end-of-term examinations."
Izuku froze.
"...Wait, didn't we already finish exams before I-Island?"
"Those were written examinations."
Silence.
Then slowly—
"...There's a practical exam too?"
"Correct."
Izuku felt his soul leave his body slightly.
"W-What is it?!"
"I do not know."
"...You don't know?"
"The faculty has apparently decided to withhold details from us."
That somehow made it infinitely worse.
Izuku immediately started spiralling.
Combat exam?
Rescue operation?
Villain simulations?
Robot battles?
Hostage extractions?
Aizawa-sensei's emotional damage challenge?
"Oh dear," Iida muttered. "I can practically hear your muttering through the phone."
"S-Sorry!"
"Regardless, my point remains the same: focus forward, Midoriya. We have another obstacle approaching."
Izuku slowly nodded despite Iida being unable to see him.
"...Right."
"Excellent! Then let us both strive to succeed!"
The call ended shortly after.
Izuku lowered the phone slowly.
Then immediately pulled out a notebook.
"PRACTICAL EXAM POSSIBILITIES" was written at the top within seconds.
Nearby passengers collectively decided not to ask questions.
—
Meanwhile—
U.A. High School Support Department
"...I'm still not sure what exactly a unit of measurement would be for this, but let's call it one unit of ki."
Mei Hatsume's eyes sparkled with manic scientific delight.
Floating in the center of the lab, within a reinforced, transparent container, was a tiny, flickering strand of purple energy.
It pulsed softly like a living flame.
Kurokami Tenshin floated upside down nearby, staring at it with complete fascination.
"That's so cool..."
"It IS cool!" Mei declared proudly. "This changes everything literally!"
Scattered around the workshop were burned-out prototypes, broken scanners, destroyed sensors, and at least one smoking toaster that nobody questioned anymore.
"See, tangible energy isn't technically impossible," Mei rambled while rapidly writing notes. "But your ki behaves fundamentally differently from anything modern science has recorded."
Kuro tilted his head.
"Different how?"
"It exists simultaneously as physical force and non-physical perception."
"...Uh."
Mei pointed dramatically at the floating energy.
"Blind people can sense it."
Kuro blinked.
"Oh yeah. I tested that at home."
Mei immediately pointed accusingly.
"WITHOUT ME?!"
"I didn't think it'd matter."
"It ALWAYS MATTERS."
She spun back toward the container.
"I've attempted artificial replication seventeen times already."
Kuro looked around at the wrecked room.
"...Only seventeen?"
"Exactly! Terrible progress."
Mei sighed dramatically before leaning against the desk.
"Artificial ki generation keeps collapsing because it doesn't behave like electricity, heat, plasma, or radiation. It reacts to emotional output and biological flow patterns."
Kuro stared at her.
"...You lost me halfway through."
"Basically," Mei simplified, "your body is doing impossible anime nonsense."
"Oh."
Kuro nodded seriously.
"That makes sense."
Mei looked genuinely relieved.
"THANK YOU. Nobody else accepts that explanation."
The containment chamber suddenly flickered.
Both immediately leaned forward.
The tiny strand of ki pulsed once—
Then split briefly into two smaller wisps before reconnecting.
Mei's pupils dilated.
"Kuro."
"Hm?"
"...Your energy just reproduced."
A beat passed.
Then simultaneously—
"THAT'S SO COOL!"
______________________________________________________________________________
[Auther: I laughed during this and then died of shame later...still worth it.
]