A waiter approached their table.
"We'll have a filet steak and a pasta," Izuku Midoriya said, slipping off his suit jacket.
"Certainly—filet mignon and spaghetti. It'll be ready shortly."
The waiter nodded and walked away, glancing back more than once.
"I wonder if you'd even be able to finish a steak," his grandmother said.
"No, Grandma. You have the steak—I'll eat the pasta."
After saying that, Izuku fell quiet and closed his eyes to rest.
"Is one serving of pasta really enough?"
"It's fine. I don't have much of an appetite right now."
He opened his eyes again and stood up.
"Grandma, I'm going to wash my hands—and my face, too. Can I throw away these contact lenses? They're uncomfortable."
"Of course. Go on—make sure you clean up properly."
"Got it."
Izuku walked into the restroom, removed the colored contact lenses, and dropped them into the trash. Then he splashed water over his face, scrubbing away the remaining makeup.
"…That's better."
His skin was already in good condition—the makeup artists had only been covering small blemishes.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Izuku let out a long breath.
This was the real him.
"So… I really do smile a lot," he murmured.
"If I keep smiling, everything will pass… right?"
"Doesn't All Might always smile too?"
He lightly patted his cheeks.
The light gradually returned to his eyes.
The corners of his lips lifted again.
When he walked back out, his grandmother saw it immediately—
The Izuku she knew had returned.
"Grandma, hasn't the steak arrived yet?"
"Not yet. Izuku, would you like to eat a bit more?"
"No, I need to save room for the pork cutlet rice my mom makes."
He sat down and continued chatting casually with her.
Class Group Chat
Ochaco Uraraka:That scared me so much… Izuku without his smile was terrifying!!
Kyoka Jiro:Seriously… it felt like he had this silent pressure. But when he smiles, he looks really good.
Toru Hagakure:When his smile disappeared in the studio, I actually felt bad for him.
Izuku Midoriya:...…
Izuku Midoriya:What's wrong?
Toru Hagakure deleted a message
Izuku Midoriya:Why did everyone stop talking?
Izuku Midoriya:Come on, talk to me.jpg
After a few minutes with no replies, Izuku set his phone down and quietly started eating his pasta.
Meanwhile—
Toru Hagakure:Good thing I reacted quickly…
Tenya Iida:Izuku is currently eating with his grandmother. This is the perfect chance—post the photos now!
Toru Hagakure:Didn't you all watch the livestream earlier?
Ochaco Uraraka:Don't even mention it. As soon as Izuku appeared, the stream got flooded with fans—we couldn't even get in!
Toru Hagakure:Good thing I prepared a backup. I recorded everything!
Tsuyu Asui:Send it privately.
Mina Ashido:Quick—spam the chat and push the old messages up!
A flood of meaningless messages instantly buried the earlier conversation.
Afternoon Conversation
Half an hour later, Izuku and his grandmother finished eating and began chatting over tea.
"Izuku… do you remember? When you lived with me, you had a very close friend."
"Of course I remember. I just can't recall his name. I still have half of our photo."
Izuku pulled out the worn photograph from his pocket.
"I've kept this for a long time. I only recently took it out again… it must've been taken with him."
His grandmother looked at it and nodded.
"I remember part of his name… something like 'Sho'… but I can't recall the rest. When you get older, your memory really starts to fade."
"It's okay," Izuku said with a bright smile.
"If it's meant to be, we'll meet again someday."
He looked up at the sky, where a few clouds drifted lazily.
"He told me I'd become the number one hero."
"I wonder how he's doing now…"
I miss him a little… I wonder if he remembers me.
Farewell
An hour later, Izuku escorted his grandmother into a taxi headed for the train station.
"Take care on the way back, Grandma."
"You too. Eat properly—you're as thin as a stick."
"I will."
Izuku watched the taxi disappear into the distance.
Then he pulled out the freshly printed photos from his bag.
"…I'd better keep these safe. If Grandma loses them again, it'll be a problem."
He tucked them away and unwrapped a lollipop, placing it in his mouth.
"This kind of candy really helps me calm down."
Pulling his cap down slightly, Izuku walked home in the soft spring breeze.
Back Home
As soon as he got home, Izuku tossed all the newly bought clothes into his closet.
"I am never wearing those embarrassing outfits again!"
…Pause.
"Well… maybe the missionary outfit… and the military uniform…"
"And the tuxedo definitely needs to be stored properly."
In the end, he carefully organized everything.
"Alright, time to go online, read a bit, and see if there's anything worth buying."
The moment he opened a webpage—
"WHAT?!"
His screen was instantly flooded with photos and videos.
Of him.
"These are—?!"
Before he could react, notifications started popping up nonstop.
Then—
A faint trail of black smoke rose from his phone.
"…I've had this phone for three years."
It was completely fried.
With no choice, Izuku used his savings to buy a new phone.
"…There goes my All Might figure…"
He stared at the new device with a defeated expression.
"…Forget it."
"I need to ask them directly."
Group Chat Confrontation
Izuku Midoriya:Did you guys secretly take photos of me? The moment I opened the internet, I got flooded with videos and pictures! My three-year-old phone just died!
Silence.
Izuku Midoriya:...
Izuku Midoriya:sigh.jpg
He put the phone down.
Last time something like this happened… I had to wear a mask for a whole month just to go outside…
"…Whatever. I just won't wear those embarrassing clothes again."
He lay down on his bed and picked up the small notebook his grandfather had given him.
"I wonder what this is…"
He opened it and began reading.
Early Morning — The Next Day
Before sunrise, Izuku went out to experiment with a new idea.
"If this works… I'll finally have the confidence to face Katsuki Bakugo."
He focused.
"Gather the power into one point… then imagine it… blade… wind… blade… wind…"
"…Got it!"
He swung his leg forward.
A sharp gust of cutting wind burst outward—
Slicing across the surface of the sea at incredible speed—
Leaving a long, visible line in its wake.
"Awesome!"
"Next… hands."
He concentrated power into his arms.
Then—
He remembered the knight phantoms.
The swords they held.
"A knight's blade…"
"Feel it!"
He swung his arm.
Another blade of wind tore forward across the sea.
"Amazing!"