It had been a while since Midoriya had visited his home, yet it still exuded the same warm, comforting atmosphere as ever.
This was in stark contrast to Bakugo’s place—unexpectedly large, spacious, and imbued with an air of sophistication.
Although the apartment was typical, the decor unmistakably reflected its owner’s character.
Kirishima greeted Midoriya Inko with wide-eyed enthusiasm, his friendly smile lighting up the room.
Unlike in the original tale, Inko now maintained the svelte figure of her youth—perhaps a testament to Midoriya’s own newfound brightness.
"Hello. It’s been such a long time. You seem even more beautiful than before, ma’am. Haha," he said.
"Oh my. Eijiro-chan, you’ve gotten even bigger since the last time I saw you. You’ve always been handsome, but now I really do have to crane my neck. I thought our Izuku had grown a lot too, yet he just can’t compare to you," replied Inko.
"Mom, you can’t compare him to me. He’s been enormous since he was five. It’s not that I’m small—he’s just grown too much," Midoriya teased.
Kirishima shot Midoriya a sidelong glance at his mother’s remark, noting that he now towered roughly 20 centimeters over him.
At 193 centimeters, Kirishima had indeed grown considerably taller than depicted in the original story, when he’d been one of the shorter boys. Now he stood slightly above average.
"I’ve been tall since I was little, and Midoriya’s grown a ton too. Haha. Even if his personality remains a bit immature, he’s come a long way," Kirishima declared.
"Really? Even you act like a kid when you’re with Kacchan and me sometimes. Adults ought to see that side of you," Midoriya retorted.
"Listen, kid, I adjust to your pace. Would you really want me to act like some old fuddy-duddy?"
"I’m not asking you to be a grumpy old man—I just wish you’d be a little more serious sometimes."
"Believe me, I’m serious enough. I simply don’t need to be when I’m goofing around with you," Kirishima replied with a grin.
"Oh, come on! Eijiro-chan, you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself too, so why the attitude?"
"There. That’s the spirit—just your age. It’s good to see you still so full of life," he teased.
Inko couldn’t help but smile as she watched Kirishima nudge Izuku in a playful manner. The sight reminded her how worthwhile that trip they had taken a decade ago had been.
Back then, after the devastating Quirk assessment declared him Quirkless, young Izuku had shrunk into himself, leaving her heartbroken. Every time she recalled the image of his wide, incredulous eyes reading the results, a pang of sadness hit her.
However, after meeting Kirishima on that journey, everything had changed. Izuku had blossomed into a brighter, more optimistic boy.
The once reclusive child, confined to his room watching hero videos, had begun venturing out, exercising, and even making friends thanks to Kirishima’s frequent visits.
He even got along with Bakugo, and though the battle with the Villain had been shocking, it hadn’t weighed him down. Inko felt deep gratitude toward Kirishima for risking it all to protect him and the others.
Recently, when news of Izuku’s Quirk manifestation broke, she congratulated him with a smile in front of him—even if her tears had flowed in secret.
She was overwhelmed with joy that he was finally taking steps toward his dream, and relieved that all her past anxieties had turned out to be unfounded.
"Ah, ma’am, where should I put my things?" Kirishima asked.
"Honestly, I should have mentioned it sooner. That must have been heavy," Inko replied.
"Haha. No, it feels as light as a feather. Still, I thought I'd unpack before we chat," he said.
Following Inko into a small room, Kirishima dropped his duffel bag. It turned out this room had once belonged to Izuku’s father, which explained the bare furnishings. He’d have to pull out a futon if he wanted to sleep there.
After a quick unpacking, Kirishima joined Midoriya in his room—a space awash with All Might posters, figures, and every imaginable piece of memorabilia.
"Hmm. Some things never change. You’re still an all-out All Might fan," Kirishima remarked.
"Well, I might not speak for everyone, but to me, All Might is the epitome of cool," replied Midoriya.
"Maybe not as passionately as you, but most people seem to agree—All Might is number one. Not that I’m among them," said Kirishima.
"Eijiro-chan, you’ve been like that since you were a kid," Midoriya reminded him.
"If I had to choose a Hero to really back, it’d be Endeavor. I can’t say I’m well-versed in the others, and none capture my admiration quite like he does," Kirishima explained.
"You’re as consistent as ever—still not a fan of All Might, huh?"
"To be clear, it’s not that I dislike All Might. I simply don’t have strong feelings for him either," he clarified.
"Really? I remember you saying you didn’t like him when you were little," Midoriya probed.
"That was a bit misleading. I meant I never developed a real fondness for him. Besides, he is extraordinary—a paragon of strength, justice, and tireless effort. I can’t bring myself to despise someone like that," Kirishima responded coolly.
Although Kirishima found a society that ran on a single heroic figure somewhat unsettling, there was no ill will toward All Might himself. How could anyone begrudge someone who did everything in their power as an individual? Sure, one might wish for a more strategic overhaul of society, but not everyone was born a visionary warrior destined to be a Zhuge Liang.
"As a citizen, I’m thankful to All Might. Thanks to him, I’ve grown up safely in a stable society. My parents are well, and friends like Ashido, Bakugo, and even you are thriving," he added.
"Eijiro-chan, so you’re not against All Might after all. That’s a relief," Midoriya said, half-jokingly.
"Why would it be a relief that I don’t hate him?" Kirishima countered.
"Well, there’s a reason—" Midoriya began, only to be cut off as Kirishima clicked his tongue at his flustered friend.
Despite his growth, Midoriya still blushed at criticism when sensitive topics were brought up. Perhaps he was extra pleased that, in a roundabout way, Kirishima didn’t harbor any resentment toward All Might—after all, his own mentor was All Might.
Lost in thought about how All Might must be these days, Kirishima decided to ask Midoriya about how he’d met his master.
He wondered if the fateful encounters of the past had unfolded according to the original timeline, despite the changes in their lives. He recalled hearing that Bakugo had suffered greatly at the hands of the sludge Villain, yet true to form, Bakugo hadn’t shared the full details with anyone—not even Midoriya.
Midoriya, engrossed in tapping away on his phone, answered quickly, "W-well, Kacchan got attacked by the sludge Villain, right?"
"Yeah. I heard about it," Kirishima replied.
"I rushed over to save him back then, though I didn’t really manage to help," Midoriya admitted.
"That’s typical. With your build, you’d normally be more useful—if it hadn’t been for the fact that the guy’s body was practically liquid. No wonder Bakugo couldn’t land a solid hit. Otherwise, he’d probably have torn that guy apart and dragged him around by his head," Kirishima teased.
"Hearing you say that makes it sound like Kacchan really would do that," Midoriya protested.
"He’s gotten better, but his temper is still all over the place. It’s like he’s gone from a raging mad dog to, well, a regular dog. Don’t you think so?"
"I’m not going to comment on that," Midoriya mumbled.
"He’s not even here, so why beat around the bush? Anyway, what happened next?"
"Just as things were heating up, All Might showed up and rescued both Kacchan and me. That’s when I met my master—apparently, he was impressed by what I did," Midoriya recalled.
"Hmm. So your master just stood by and watched you almost get beaten up?" Kirishima asked, half in teasing reproach.
"W-wha? No, no! He said he arrived late and only saw it all afterward!"
Midoriya defended himself vehemently when Kirishima’s words sounded like an attack on All Might.
Knowing the full story, Kirishima understood that All Might had intervened at great personal risk. Still, he couldn’t resist ribbing his friend a little.
"If that were so, then it’s all good. Why are you so taken aback? Honestly, if he were that kind of person, you wouldn’t have taken him as your master anyway—after all, you don’t just admire someone because of their strength."
"I guess so? Oh! I just got a reply—he says you can come along too," Midoriya exclaimed as he read the message.
"Really? Let’s see… Then should we head out now?"
"Huh? If we go now, we might be a bit early."
"I want to meet your mentor and see how much you’ve improved before watching you train. You’re taller now, and your physique has changed—you're definitely not that frail kid you used to be."
"You thought I was that weak, did you?"
"At five years old, you were unmistakably a weakling, and you remained fragile for a long time afterward."
Observing Midoriya’s training, Kirishima concluded that the kid simply lacked raw physical talent.
Compared to Bakugo’s rapid growth, Midoriya’s progress had been rather ordinary. Yet, having seen plenty of folks in past lives who seemed doomed regardless of effort, Kirishima didn’t view it entirely negatively—improvement was improvement after all.
Still, while his body might not be exceptional, Midoriya’s mind was sharp. He approached battles with a logical strategy that often allowed him to outlast even Bakugo, whose style was raw instinct and fierce aggression.
"Come to think of it, how exactly does One For All work? Is it a percentage boost to the body, or is it simply a cumulative force passed down from user to user?"
Kirishima’s curiosity was piqued—none of what he’d seen so far had clarified that point. If it were the former, even a full 100% output from Midoriya would impose a severe penalty compared to All Might, unless his body continued to grow stronger.
"So, shall we head out? It’s been a while since we sparred," Kirishima suggested.
"Yeah. It really has been too long," Midoriya agreed.
"Tell me, are you confident you can win now? Now that you’ve got your Quirk, you should be coming at me with winning in mind!"
"Hmm…I’m not sure I can win yet. Honestly, today I won’t be able to use my Quirk against you," Midoriya admitted.
"Huh? Why not?"
Only then did Kirishima realize he had jumped the gun.
After all, when Midoriya first received One For All, he couldn’t control it—using it even in practice often meant breaking his own body. Sparring with that kind of risk was unthinkable.
"I got my Quirk later than most, so I still can’t control it properly. Every time I use it, I end up seriously injuring myself," Midoriya explained.
"Really? Well, that leaves us no choice. Today, we’ll keep it like last time—a 0.1 percent spar," Kirishima decided, with a hint of a smile.
"Eh? But last time it was 0.05 percent. Why raise it?"
"Because you’ve grown, too. The proportion should naturally increase. Why ask something so obvious?"
"Ugh…I’m still not confident at even the earlier level," Midoriya muttered.
"I thought you’d improved a lot. Come on—show some boldness and tell me you can handle it!"
"I’m not Kacchan or Eijiro-chan…" Midoriya murmured.
Kirishima laughed as he watched his friend slump slightly. They say a person’s nature hardly ever changes. Despite growing more confident, there was still an unmistakable fragility about Midoriya.
Yet no matter how delicate he appeared, he was the sort of person who would charge into danger without a second thought—no matter who the adversary. That indefatigable spirit was quintessentially Midoriya, and Kirishima found it endearing.
Patting Midoriya on the back a few times, Kirishima led him out the door.
Outside, a sparring session that promised to ignite their youthful passion eagerly awaited them.
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