Deer

Chapter 7

Momo simply blinked in surprise when Midoriya Izuku appeared, unabashedly whining behind a teacher who dragged his feet in exhaustion.

It was the day of the entrance exam, and UA had invited the recommendation students to watch along with the staff if they wanted to. It was a unique opportunity to view their potential classmates and to judge their capabilities for hero work. Momo sat at the very corner of the observation room, chatting amicably with a white-haired boy when the door slammed open, causing everyone present to immediately seek out the interruption.

That was when she noticed the homeless-looking man, dressed in shabby black clothes, and hiding his face behind messy, limp hair and a long scarf. Momo surmised that this adult was one of their teachers, likely an underground hero. The boy he dragged along with him, however, looked to be around her age, with green hair tied in a simple ponytail, and clutching a deer plushie almost childishly, was someone she didn't recognize. They were embroiled in a fierce argument. About the man not respecting boundaries, about the appropriate time and place to nap, about yellow sleeping bags, and hypocrisy. The other teachers just watched with amusement, so this was likely a common sight. Momo wondered who the boy could be. Another recommendation student? Was he late for his own exam? Midoriya, she heard someone say, ended the display by walking up to the monitors and letting out a small hum.

"Someone caught your interest, Little Listener?" she heard Present Mic's voice ask.

Izuku grunted this time. His finger pointed to one of the screens, he opened his mouth, and a flood of information poured out.

Momo was pretty sure her jaw dropped open, and the other students looked equally thrown. It was outrageous how the boy broke down each examinee's personality traits, visible quirk, chances of success or failure based upon their performance, and approximate final scores. His comments might not have been 100% accurate, but he did sound confident as he spoke, and the teachers were nodding right along.

Vaguely, Momo wondered if Izuku had an intelligence or clairvoyance quirk to help with his observations. One of the conversations she remembered so clearly was where Izuku spoke about one particular student, who looked to be failing, where he could actually showcase his Quirk more easily if the exam was not biased towards those people with a flashy Quirk.

Then that same student saved a girl who was trapped under the rubble caused by the insane Zero-Pointer.

Izuku appeared unamused. His blank eyes glared hard at Nezu, while the creature himself grinned in faux innocence.

Momo had to agree with Izuku. Some students might have had powerful quirks, but deploying a robot as tall as a skyscraper was just overkill.

Once the exam finished, the underground hero ushered everyone out so the teachers could calculate the participants' scores. The green-haired boy trailed behind them, yawning while he embraced the plushie even tighter to his chest. He really did look like a small child, acting like that even though he was the same age as Momo. Inasa, the friendliest of them all, decided to strike up a conversation, his booming voice echoed in the halls. He gushed about how cool the entrance exam was, how cool Izuku was when he guessed almost everything right, and how that Quirk of his would help him a whole lot in a writing exam, he must've been the smartest person in his previous school and—

"I don't have a Quirk."

And everything screeched to a halt.

Inasa blinked owlishly as Izuku yawned once more, his eyebrows rose in a challenging manner. Like he was ready for mockery or a look of pity. Perhaps, if Momo hadn't seen him in action—

How Izuku broke down every student's quirk with a single glance.

How, when Present Mic returned from the field screaming in excitement, he neutralized the presenter's deafening screech with a sharp jab to the throat.

How he threw a small wad of paper down the barrel of Snipe's gun with accuracy, causing it to backfire and disrupt the increasingly violent debate between Snipe and Vlad King over student placements.

Momo would never admit it, but her lips quirked in amusement as the two teachers coughed with their faces covered in soot. Present Mic did not have the decency to restrain himself and laughed with a hand still to his throat.

If Momo hadn't witnessed all of that, she might have felt the urge to mother-hen Izuku. Quirkless did not equal useless, she knew that. But it did mean he was another normal civilian for the heroes to protect.

It was clear, however, that Izuku would protect himself. With a mind like his, collecting information in seconds on how others' quirks worked... Momo didn't think it would be wise to underestimate this normal-looking kid. She knew the other recommendation students felt the same.

And the atmosphere had become uncomfortably chilly, the moment Izuku announced that he didn't have a Quirk. It felt like the very air itself was bearing down on them in a threatening manner. One wrong move, one wrong word, and they might never breathe again.

Inasa shook his head furiously, denying the unspoken implication of prejudice. He even went so far as to prostrate himself in a dogeza bow. After Izuku made a small sound of acknowledgment, dispersing the feeling of chilly air, Inasa stood back up. The teen continued to speak loudly, although Momo could hear some hesitance in his voice as he asked the question on all their minds.

"Why are you here then?"

Fortunately, Inasa managed to make it sound more like a curiosity than judgment, as his personality was too straightforward for that. Izuku leaned back on his heels and closed his eyes. He answered in an even tone, Yet it almost sounded like a gong of doom in her ears.

"Because UA thinks that forcing me to attend this school is guaranteed protection against any villain's attack."

...What?

They did not get the chance to ask for further details regarding his ominous words, however. Aizawa appeared to shepherd them to their next destination, while Izuku broke off toward the building she vaguely recognized as the new dormitory. Huh. Did he live there? Momo hadn't realized that the boarding house was open for the students to move in. If that was the case, maybe she should bring it up with her parents again. If they knew Momo wouldn't be completely alone, maybe they would support her desire for independence!

The oddity of the student named Midoriya Izuku would never be forgotten. But for now, Yaoyorozu Momo let herself be distracted by thoughts of her future, and of convincing her overbearing parents that their daughter was finally ready to spread her wings.