Cubicity

Chapter 1: I talked to an invisible girl?!

Izuku Midoriya stared at the front of the U.A. Hero Academy feeling quite woozy.

The wannabe hero had arrived with some minutes to spare. After making a mad dash home to take a quick shower, grab his backpack, and take a mind-numbing forty minute train ride to school. Just three hours before he had finished his grueling ten months of training to prepare his body to become the vessel for the quirk One for All. The teen had done nearly a year of acrobatics exercises and intense physical labor cleaning a trash-ridden beach for his hero idol All Might.

And what was his reward for his efforts? A strand of his mentor's hair in his stomach.

Today was the practical portion of the entrance exam. Izuku was not worried about the written portion, even though he felt he would barely pass it, but the practical exam was a different beast. It would require daring feats of strength, dexterity, and mastery of one's quirk. Quirks that most potential students would have had for over a decade to work with. Izuku had received his quirk today, and the only instructions on how to use it from his mentor were to, "Clench your butt and let your heart cry out saying SMASH!" Midoriya wished he had more to go on.

It didn't help Izuku's childhood friend, err bully, maybe frenemy; well, either way, Katsuki Bakugo had just seconds ago threatened him with death. Okay, the hot-headed teen probably just meant to threaten him with physical pain for having dared arrived to take the exam, but that still wasn't a good thing. So now repressed feelings of being abused and feeling useless from dealing with the explosive quirk user and other bullies were plaguing Izuku's mind. He was already physically spent, and now he was in mental anguish. These thoughts were the final tipping point. In the back of his throat, Izuku could taste what remained of his breakfast. There wasn't time; he had to find a bathroom. What strength he could muster brought him to a decent sprint. After two minutes sprinting around the campus grounds, he found one.

But Izuku didn't make it. Just a few steps from the men's door, so close. Usually, after upheaving, he would feel better; it's the typical reaction he thought. But today was different, it wasn't from being nauseous from eating something terrible or being sick. It was a breakdown of the body and mind. Midoriya's head was spinning and tears were in his eyes from a combination of the burning feeling in his legs and lungs as well as racing thoughts of what to do from having puked on the grounds of his dream school. He was also saddened because he up-chucked the breakfast his mother had worked so hard to make for him on such a short notice when he had come barreling into the household just hours ago. Knees to the ground and arms clenching some grass, Izuku tried to get it together. Just a few minutes to collect himself and clean his mess then he would head to the introduction ceremony, he told himself.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from behind. Seconds of silence passed as the boy's mind raced with excuses to say if questioned on his current position. He even positioned himself to try and hide his handiwork laid bare on the grass in front of him. But what came next completely threw such thoughts outside his head.

"Are you trying to imitate a cow or something? Or maybe a goat," came a feminine giggle.

Everything froze in the Midoriya's mind. Oh, it just had to be a girl. Positive interactions with the opposite gender outside his mother was a rarity for the teen. Minus random strangers, he really couldn't think of any. Memories of she-devils in his classes exploiting Izuku's inability to fight back came flooding back. His classmates had teased that no women would ever be interested in a quirkless like him, he would live life alone. Holding back tears, the boy quickly shook his head but kept it facing away from whoever was behind him.

She then asked, "So just taking a breather or something? I mean I guess today is a big life-changing deal." Quick successions of nods came from Izuku. In a seemingly not convinced tone, the mysterious girl asked another question, "You sure everything is alright?" Midoriya took a few moments but eventually gave a weak and shaky thumbs up with his right hand. "Ok then, if you're sure." The voice sounded as though they didn't believe a word he said but quickly changed her tone to a more helpful tone. "Better hurry though; I think they will lock the doors soon as the exam is about to start!"