hero's shadow // mha

9) ambitions

"Slow, smooth slices, honey. You don't want to be sloppy with it."

"I'm trying."

"Doesn't look like it."

Izuku groans, throwing his head back as Ms. Hanako moves him aside to show him again. She takes the knife from his hand and positions it over the slab of pork in front of them.

"You have to focus—but not too hard, or you'll mess up even more."

"Wow," Izuku says dryly. "That makes perfect sense."

The woman just smiles, continuing to cut the meat into clean, even strips. "It just takes practice. You're good with a knife, so it shouldn't take you long to get the hang of it. Here, try again."

And that's how the process goes. Ms. Hanako instructs him on how to do something, he does it, fails at it, and then she does it for him.

It's an endless cycle of frustration.

"You're doing it wrong again." Her voice comes from the opposite side of the kitchen, and the boy glances back to see her busy kneading out dough for the pizza.

"How? I'm literally doing exactly what you told me."

"I can just tell."

Izuku squawks in indignation. "You're not even looking, though! There's no way—"

The woman finishes kneading and wipes her hands on a cloth before walking over to him. "You did good," she observes. "But you're still doing it with the end result in mind. Try focusing on each individual slice, instead of on what the product should be."

Izuku feels like he's going to go insane but does as instructed anyways, receiving an approving hum in return.

"See, that's better."

There is actually no difference, Izuku thinks, but alright. Ms. Hanako certainly knows best when it comes to cooking, so he won't argue.

That's not the purpose of this, anyway. The purpose of this is for Ms. Hanako to teach him how to make cheaper meals to substitute for the diet plans All Might have him.

The man didn't even spare him a second glance after dropping the book into his hands, just telling him to read it through and tell him what he thinks about it, or maybe to give suggestions and change some of it. The book contains the exercise regimes and diets he has to follow—which is okay, Izuku isn't upset; he expected something of the sort to be in their agreement, but still.

He just can't afford to follow it. Like, at all. Who knew that eating healthier foods is actually a lot more expensive than eating junk food? Izuku didn't.

And the boy feels bad, he really does. He doesn't like lying to the man, per se, but it's not like he can just walk up to him and say sorry, All Might, I'm broke as fuck and can't afford the very basic meal plan you want me to follow, which will probably ruin what we have going on here and make you stop teaching me, but I'm still willing to work myself to the bone to continue training with you if that's alright.

No. That wouldn't be very plus ultra.

"Privileged," Ms. Hanako mutters sourly a few yards away.

Izuku squints at her. "Huh?"

"That man just doesn't understand that not everyone can afford to be healthy." She gestures aggressively with the knife, shaking her head. "And besides, you're already very fit. Your metabolism burns through most foods, so it's not like eating a salad every day will change anything."