Izuku's phone buzzed just as the evening settled in.
A new notification.
He'd been added to a class group chat—organized, predictably, by Tenya Iida.
Deku: Hey, everyone.Momo Yaoyorozu: Who is this?Ochaco Uraraka: It's Midoriya!Toru Hagakure: Wow, that was fast, Iida. The group's already packed.Iida: Midoriya, please update your display name to your real name. It will avoid confusion.Izuku Midoriya: Right—sorry about that.
—
He spent a while scrolling through messages, watching conversations overlap and settle into something that almost felt like a class already forming around him.
After about thirty minutes, he set his phone aside and turned back to his desk.
Textbooks. Notebooks. Everything lined up neatly for the next day.
Then his attention drifted.
To the corner of the room.
Sandbags.
Iron plates.
He picked one up, weighing it in his hand.
"…Not enough anymore."
The words came quietly, more observation than complaint.
"The new set won't arrive until tomorrow…"
He turned the plate once, then set it down again.
"…Should I still wear these? Or would that just slow me down now?"
The question lingered.
Then, with a small exhale, he reached for his phone again.
Izuku Midoriya: I have a question.Iida: Go ahead.Denki Kaminari: If it's about studying, I'm logging off.Izuku Midoriya: My training weights aren't enough anymore, but the new ones won't arrive until tomorrow. Should I still wear them to school?
The chat paused.
A beat of silence in a space that had been anything but quiet.
Iida: …You train with added weight?Minoru Mineta: Wait, seriously?Yaoyorozu: If you need more immediately, I can make them for you.Izuku Midoriya: Really? That would help a lot—thank you.Yaoyorozu: Of course. My Quirk allows me to create items. How much do you need?Izuku Midoriya: Then… about 30 kilograms for now. The rest will arrive tomorrow.
—
Iida: That level of effort is admirable. Midoriya, would you be willing to share your training routine?Izuku Midoriya: I'm not sure that's a good idea. It might not suit everyone.Iida: It can still serve as a reference.Kyoka Jiro: I want to see it too.Mineta: As long as you're not exaggerating.Kaminari: Yeah, now I'm curious.Eijiro Kirishima: Same here.
Izuku paused, thumb hovering over the screen.
Then, slowly, he nodded to himself.
Izuku Midoriya: …Alright.
—
He pulled open his drawer and took out his notes.
Three versions of his training plan, each one building on the last. Each one heavier. Longer. More precise.
He photographed them carefully and sent them to the group.
Then he waited.
The chat… stopped.
No messages. No reactions.
Just silence.
Izuku blinked at the screen.
Izuku Midoriya: …Is something wrong?
A response finally appeared.
Mineta: Be honest. Is this even for a human?Kaminari: Yeah… what are you?Izuku Midoriya: …?
Iida: Ahem. I would not recommend following this plan directly. Midoriya, your regimen is… extremely demanding.Kirishima: It's intense—but kind of incredible.Jiro: It shows you didn't get strong by chance.Kaminari: But isn't this too much? Running 20 kilometers every morning? Today's 3,000 meters nearly killed me.Mineta: I'm out. Absolutely not.Mashirao Ojiro: Midoriya… can your body really handle this?
Izuku read each message slowly.
Then he typed.
Izuku Midoriya: It was really difficult at first. But after a while, I got used to it. I didn't start like this—I began with around 5 kilograms and increased it gradually.
A short pause followed.
Then—
Mineta: Yeah… no. That's not normal.
Izuku stared at the screen for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or apologize.
In the end, he simply set his phone down.
The room fell quiet again.
In the corner, the weights waited.