"Well… I'm here."
Izuku's voice, a little strained from the effort, came from the entrance. Yu, who was in the kitchen finishing the lunch dishes, dried her hands on a cloth and peeked down the hall. His silhouette was framed by the light from the building's corridor. At his feet were two surprisingly small cardboard boxes and a bulky yellow backpack, from which the iconic "ears" of All Might's hairstyle poked out.
Yu blinked, looking from the boxes to Izuku and back to the boxes. "That's it? Seriously?"
Izuku dropped the boxes on the floor with a huff that was half relief and half effort. "Well, yeah. Most of my valuables are in the backpack." He patted its side. "Action figures and about twenty analysis notebooks. That's the heavy stuff. My clothes barely filled one box, and the other one is… stuff."
"Stuff?" she repeated, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.
"You know, the usual assortment. A couple of books, my old console that probably doesn't work anymore, a rolled up All Might poster, and a sneaker cleaning kit. The essentials for survival," he explained, straightening up to rub the back of his neck. His expression was a mix between that of an embarrassed tenant and an excited guest. "Where… uh… where do I put everything?"
Yu leaned against the kitchen doorway. A small smile, one of those new ones he seemed to have a knack for drawing out of her, formed on her lips. "Follow me, roommate. I'll give you the grand tour of your new and vast domain."
She led him down the short hallway to the guest room. They had spent part of the previous afternoon clearing it out, a process that mostly consisted of Yu ordering Izuku around on where to stack her own boxes and how to disassemble a rowing machine she hadn't used in six months. Now, the space was clear. What remained was a simple but spacious room, with a single bed against one wall, an empty desk under the window, and a built in closet. The window overlooked a quiet inner courtyard, isolating the room from street noise.
"And here we are," Yu announced with a grand gesture, swinging the door wide open. "Welcome to your new base of operations. Courtyard view, ample closet space, and strategic proximity to the bathroom. A prime piece of real estate."
"Whoa," Izuku murmured, walking in with his things. He set the boxes down by the bed and looked around. "It's much bigger than my old room. And it doesn't have that weird damp spot on the ceiling. This is a significant upgrade."
"I try to maintain a standard of living above the 'student cave' level, yes," she joked, leaning against the doorframe as he was already opening the first box. "Need help unpacking? I can watch and silently judge the way you fold your clothes."
"No, no. I got this," he said, pulling out a stack of t-shirts so neatly folded they looked like they were from a store. "Besides, I know you hate messes. I'd rather keep the chaos contained in this room until everything's in its place. Disaster containment measures."
"I appreciate your concern for my mental health," she replied with feigned seriousness. "I'll go make some tea. A reward for your hard work of carrying two boxes."
"Hey, the backpack counts too!" he shouted after her as she walked down the hall, laughing.
The next twenty minutes passed in a comfortable and strange normality. Yu put water on to boil in the kitchen, looking for her favorite mugs. Meanwhile, the sounds coming from the guest room were methodical and efficient: the slide of hangers across the closet rod, the soft thud of objects being placed on the desk, the crinkle of bubble wrap.
When she returned with two steaming mugs of jasmine tea, she found Izuku sitting cross legged on the floor. He had taken out the contents of his backpack and was organizing them on the desk. A dozen action figures, each representing a different hero in an iconic pose, were already lined up.
"Here," she said, holding out one of the mugs to him.
"Thanks," he replied, taking it carefully so as not to look away from his task.
Yu sat on the floor beside him, leaning her back against the bed. She watched him place a Silver Age All Might figure in the center of the desk. Then, next to it, a figure of Mirko in mid kick.
"Is that a limited edition 'Debut Kick'?" Yu asked, pointing to the Mirko figure. "I thought those sold out in an hour."
Izuku's eyes lit up. "It was! I had to program a bot to buy it the second it went on sale. My old neighbor, who's a programmer, helped me. It was worth it, the level of detail is amazing."
"You're a nerd," she said, but there was a clear note of amusement in her voice.
"The most dedicated," he corrected without pride or shame. "It's important to honor the greats."
She took a sip of her tea. "You know," she said, her voice a little softer, "it's weird."
"That I honor the greats?" he asked, now adjusting the angle of All Might's cape by a millimeter.
"No. Having someone else here. In my space. Normally… I hate it. People leave things around, make noise, breathe my air…" She paused. "But with you… it doesn't feel like an invasion. It feels… different."
Izuku stopped fiddling with the figure and looked at her. There was such a direct sincerity in his expression that it made her feel an unexpected warmth in her chest. "I'm glad. And don't worry, my ability to take up space is minimal, as you've seen. I promise not to leave my socks on the floor."
"You'd better not," she replied, giving him a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "I have a reputation for impeccable tidiness to maintain. If my friends come over and see a sock out of place, my world will crumble."
"I couldn't live with that guilt on my conscience," he said solemnly.
Just then, Izuku's laptop, which he had left on the bed, let out the sharp ping of a notification. An email.
"Ah, that must be Nemuri-san," Izuku said, setting his mug on the floor to get up and grab it. "I sent her my final decision last night. She said she'd get back to me today with the next steps."
He sat down again, this time leaning his back against the bed next to her, and opened the laptop on his lap. Yu leaned in beside him, her curiosity overcoming her attempt to seem nonchalant. The screen lit up, displaying a new email from Nemuri Kayama.
Subject: Re: Candidate Selection - Potential Development Project
Izuku-kun,
Decision received and processed. An… interesting choice. Intriguing, in fact. Principal Nezu has given his approval with a note that only said 'Fascinating.' I have notified the candidate, Ibara Shiozaki, that she has been selected for a 'special extracurricular mentorship program.' She has been told it is to develop Quirks with unique potential. Your identity as her coach will remain secret for now. Your first official session with her will be this coming Monday in U.A.'s Gym Gamma at 4:00 PM. Don't be late.
P.S. Mirko and I demand a full explanation. Video call in five minutes.
Izuku swallowed hard. "Ah, well. It looks like the oversight committee wants an emergency meeting."
Yu sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Of course they do. They weren't going to just let this go. Get ready, they're going to interrogate you like you're some kind of villain."
"I'm ready," Izuku said, though his voice sounded a little less confident than before. "I have my arguments prepared. I've gone over my notes three times."
"You'd better have," Yu said, patting him on the back a little harder than necessary. "Because one of them is the sharpest woman I know, and the other is a bulldozer with rabbit ears. Good luck."
Five minutes later, Nemuri's smiling face appeared on the laptop screen, taking up almost the whole space. An instant later, a second window opened, showing Mirko, who seemed to be in a gym, chewing on a protein bar with almost violent energy.
"Izuku-kun!" Nemuri began without preamble. "Enlighten us. Of all the power Quirks, of all the flashy combat abilities, of all the candidates with the potential to blow things up… you chose the plant girl. Explain yourself."
"Yeah, explain yourself, short stack!" Mirko grunted, swallowing loudly. A piece of the bar flew off and stuck to the camera for a second. "The chlorophyll girl! Is this a joke? I told you to find someone with guts, not roots! I spent hours going over that damn list after our call and found at least five candidates who could take down a building. And you pick the one who probably photosynthesizes in her spare time!"
Izuku took a deep breath, his calm a stark contrast to Mirko's verbal assault. Yu, sitting beside him just out of the camera's view, watched in silence, ready to intervene if the interrogation turned into an execution.
"I chose Ibara Shiozaki because I believe she has the most untapped growth potential on the entire list," Izuku said, his voice firm and clear, that of someone who has done his homework.
"Potential?" Mirko scoffed, wiping the camera with her thumb. "Her Quirk is defensive at best. She traps people with vines. How exciting! What are you going to do, teach her to tie a stronger knot?"
"Her Quirk is much more than that," Izuku replied, unfazed. "And her mindset is her greatest asset. Mirko, with all due respect, you value physical strength and aggression above all else. But there are different kinds of strength. Hers isn't in what she breaks, but in what she can protect and contain. Her spirit is unbreakable. She doesn't seek fame, she has no ego, her motivation is pure. That means there are no mental barriers to her growth. She's a blank canvas with a steel foundation."
Nemuri listened intently, her chin resting on her hand, an expression of genuine interest on her face. "Go on, Izuku-kun. Your reasoning is… unconventional. I like it."
"Most of the candidates on that list already have a fixed idea of who they want to be," Izuku explained. "They want to be the next All Might, the next Endeavor, or the next Mirko. Their path is already set in their minds. Trying to train them would be like fighting their own vision of themselves. But Ibara… she doesn't want to be like anyone else. Her goal is pure. And that gives me unprecedented access to her development. The Trust Equation will work with her on a level I could never reach with someone like Bakugo, for example. He would never fully trust anyone's guidance but his own."
Yu felt a small pang of surprise hearing him mention that name again, so casually.
"So it all comes down to your famous trust theory," Nemuri said thoughtfully. "You think that because her spirit is more… receptive, you'll be able to empower her faster and further than a natural born fighter."
"Exactly. With my training, she could create shields of thorns harder than steel. She could generate entire forests in seconds to evacuate civilians or completely change the battlefield. She could make her vines move with the speed and precision of whips, each one capable of disarming an opponent without causing lethal harm. The offensive potential is there, it's just underestimated because it isn't explosive. It's a power that grows, thinks, and adapts."
Mirko still wasn't entirely convinced, but her initial hostility had been replaced by a reluctant curiosity. She crossed her arms, her biceps tensing. "Hmm. An instant forest… sounds useful for cornering bad guys, I guess. But can she take a hit? All that unbreakable spirit is worthless if she snaps like a twig in the first round."
It was Yu who answered, surprising everyone, including Izuku.
"She might not need to take a hit if no one can get close to her," she said, leaning into the camera's view with a serious expression. "I think it's a good choice, Rumi. It's unexpected. And for that very reason, it's smart. No one will see her coming. They'll underestimate their opponent."
Yu's defense seemed to seal the deal. Mirko looked at her, then at Izuku on the screen, and finally let out a snort that was almost one of resignation.
"Fine, fine. It's your project, short stack. If you fail spectacularly, you'll owe me a year's worth of free carrot protein shakes." She paused. "But if you're right, and you turn the gardener into a fighting beast… then I'll buy you a beer. When you're legal, of course."
"Deal," Izuku said with a relieved smile.
"Well, this has been very productive," Nemuri chimed in, clapping her hands softly. "Now, moving on to something much more interesting. Yu-chan, Izuku-kun, why are there moving boxes on the floor?"
Nemuri's question, delivered with the casualness of an expert sniper, made Yu freeze. Izuku, in his blessed and sometimes infuriating innocence, answered without hesitation.
"Oh, that. I've moved in with Yu."
The silence that followed was absolute and deafening. Mirko's expression went from resignation to wide eyed disbelief. Nemuri's smile widened into a grin of pure, delicious delight.
"You… have moved in… with her?" Nemuri asked, savoring each word.
"Yeah," Izuku confirmed, oblivious to the storm he had just unleashed. "My old apartment was logistically inefficient. I was barely ever there, and I spend most of my time working with Yu or training. She had an empty guest room. It's a much more logical and economical solution for both of us. Plus, it makes coordinating for training and projects much easier."
Mirko brought a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Kid, you're unbelievable. You really are."
"Oh, I agree!" Nemuri exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. "This is wonderful. Yu-chan, what a considerate boss. Looking out for your assistant's well being. Making sure he's… close by. Always. For anything you might need."
Yu wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. "It's purely for logistics," she said, her voice so tense and unconvincing that even she was embarrassed by it.
"Of course it is, dear," Nemuri purred. "Purely and absolutely logistical. We have to celebrate this new… logistical arrangement. Let's plan another outing, soon! We have to toast to the… move."
"No!" Yu blurted out with far too much panic, which only made Nemuri's smile grow even wider.
The call ended shortly after, with Nemuri promising to "catch up" very, very soon and Mirko still muttering something about the incredible audacity of youth as she walked away to punch a sandbag.
The laptop closed, plunging the room into a sudden silence. Izuku and Yu remained sitting on the floor, surrounded by his few possessions. The adrenaline from the interrogation faded, leaving only the quiet and now slightly awkward reality of their new situation.
"Well," Izuku said, breaking the silence. "That could have gone worse. They didn't fire me."
"It could have gone a lot better if you hadn't announced you were moving in with me like you were commenting on the weather," Yu retorted, though there was no real anger in her voice, only deep resignation. She rubbed her face with her hands. "Do you know how many texts I'm going to get from Nemuri tonight?"
"Care to venture a guess?"
Yu looked at him. He gave her a small, guilty smile. She sighed, but the corner of her mouth curved upward. "You're trouble."
They fell silent again. The room, half empty and half full, was a space in transition.
"I'm hungry," Izuku said suddenly.
Yu blinked, pulled from her thoughts. "What?"
"Hungry," he repeated. "All this strategic deliberation and defending my decisions has worked up an appetite. Should we order a pizza? As a celebration. For the move. And for not being forced to train the steel guy."
Yu looked at him. His expression was so sincere, so simple. After all the drama, the tension, the selection process, and the inevitable social embarrassment, it all came down to this. Two people in a room, hungry. It was so normal.
A smile, the third of those genuine, radiant smiles, spread across her face. "Yeah," she said. "Let's order a pizza. But you're paying. A roommate has to contribute to the food fund."
"Deal," he replied, his own smile widening.
While Izuku looked up the number for the pizza place on his phone, Yu got up and looked out the room's window. The city lights were beginning to twinkle in the distance as the sun set. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel alone in her apartment. She felt… at home.
The pizza arrived forty minutes later. They ate sitting on the living room floor, using one of Izuku's empty cardboard boxes as a makeshift table.
"Pepperoni and mushrooms. A classic, safe choice," Yu commented, taking a slice.
"It was the least controversial option. Though I was tempted to order half and half with pineapple, just to see your reaction."
Yu looked at him with feigned horror. "You would have been sleeping in the hallway. Pineapple on pizza is a crime against humanity. I will not allow such an atrocity under my roof."
"I disagree," Izuku said, chewing thoughtfully. "The sweetness of the pineapple provides a gustatory counterpoint to the saltiness of the ham or pepperoni. It's culinary genius, just misunderstood."
"You're a monster," she declared, though she was smiling. "An analytical monster."
They talked about the movie they wanted to watch that night, about the ridiculous ice cream flavor they had seen at a shop the other day, and about whether Ibara's vines could be used to water hard to reach plants.
When they finished, and the day's exhaustion finally caught up with them, they got up to clear the boxes.
"Hey, Yu," Izuku said, stopping at the door of his new room.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. Really. For this." He made a vague gesture that took in the room and the apartment. "For letting me in."
His sincerity, so direct and unadorned, hit her straight in the heart. "You're welcome, Izuku. But if you snore, I'm kicking you out. No exceptions."
He smiled. "I don't snore. I've researched it. I recorded myself sleeping one night to analyze my breathing patterns."
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't suppress her own smile. "Of course you have. I should have known."
He was about to close the door when he stopped again, peeking his head out. "One last thing."
"What?" she asked.
"The bathroom. In the mornings. We both have to leave early. Do we have a schedule or is it 'first come, first served'?"
Yu stared at him for a long second, processing the absolute seriousness with which he had asked the question. And then she let out a laugh, a free and happy sound that filled the hallway.
"Good night, Izuku."
"Good night, Yu."
The door closed softly, and the apartment fell silent.