Taking the cafe au lait from Midoriya, I... used my Quirk on it.
Through the plastic bottle, 'energy' from my body poured in, dissolving into the cafe au lait.
The energy itself is invisible. To Midoriya watching beside me, it probably just looks like I'm holding the cafe au lait bottle... but as the one handling it, I can understand it through sensation. Including the fact that the amount of energy dissolving into the cafe au lait is steadily increasing.
After about 15 seconds, the process was complete... and in my hand was a special cafe au lait with plenty of 'energy' dissolved in it.
I handed it back to Midoriya. After putting it in his mouth, Midoriya said,
"...Just as I thought, it's the same as my cafe au lait now."
With a surprised but convinced expression, he said that.
"You know my Quirk can transfer energy to others, right? As an application of that... I can also dissolve it into food and drinks. And if you consume that, the moment it enters your body, it recovers your stamina... it becomes a recovery item, so to speak."
Although, I can't say it's very efficient.
When pouring in energy, some of it disperses and is lost, and even the energy once poured in gradually diminishes over time. Like just now, unless it's made and immediately eaten or drunk, it doesn't serve much purpose.
I can't make large quantities in advance and stockpile energy-infused drinks for emergencies.
Also, this ability allows me to dissolve more energy into things with higher calorie content.
Into things like water or tea with almost zero calories, I can't dissolve much, and the energy drains away quickly too. Conversely, for things with relatively high calories and stronger flavor, with properties closer to 'animal protein'... I can dissolve more and it lasts longer.
In short, milk or cafe au lait are perfect for this.
Although, considering the energy loss, it's much more efficient to just hold hands or hug and transfer it directly... but this method has its uses too.
Right now, Midoriya is gulping down the cafe au lait in front of me... probably, he's realized the effect, or rather, the 'use' I intended.
"It's not just recovery. I can clearly feel the sensation of energy filling up inside my body...! Fumiko-san, maybe both that time and now... you planned this?"
"Well, that time was just... how should I say, like a treat since you were working hard, just me being meddlesome. But this time... I'm happy you reacted exactly as I hoped, Midoriya."
Perhaps because it's absorbed in a form closer to the natural process of 'obtaining energy from food'... when consumed this way, the sensation of the energy permeating your body is felt more strongly.
And that sensation... shares the commonality of "spreading power throughout the body," so it should serve as a reference for what Midoriya is about to attempt.
By the way, the taste shouldn't be any different... but apparently some people find it tastes better. The feeling of energy surging through your body feels pleasant, and your brain gets tricked, or so Mother used to say.
To grasp the sensation and also recover his stamina, Midoriya quickly downed the cafe au lait I gave him.
He then drank his own portion all at once too... and immediately after finishing, he stood up straight.
...He casually finished both bottles, but... well, whatever.
"...Huuu... haaa... Food and drink get absorbed and become part of your body... and Quirks are part of your body... So if I chase this sensation of energy permeating through me... with the feeling of making One For All part of my own body...!"
(...? One For All...?)
Right now, probably... Midoriya's bad habit of muttering to himself is showing... but he said something concerning, didn't he? And likely unconsciously... maybe he doesn't even realize it himself.
What is "One For All"...? From context, is it the name of Midoriya's Quirk?
But before I could process that... a dramatic change occurred in Midoriya's body.
—Crackle, crackle, crackle...
With a popping sound, bright green sparks began scattering across Midoriya's entire body.
They were only about the size of sparklers, or even smaller, but the way they burst from his hands, feet, torso, and shoulders gave observers a strange sense of "power."
As someone sensitive to "energy," I could tell. This is... an "omen."
The unmistakable first step toward Midoriya growing stronger, toward him climbing to the heights of a Hero. That's what this phenomenon represents.
I recall what All Might said during combat training.
"Fertilized Egg"... well said. It hasn't even been born yet... let alone taken any definite form, it's not even at the stage of being immature.
It's the period where it's just floating there, protected by its shell and parent, quietly waiting to take shape.
But...
(That's exactly why... I look forward to seeing it grow...!)
Seeing Midoriya look at the green sparks scattering across his own body, confirm that he'd crossed a certain line, and smile... I knew the two "premonitions" I'd been holding were correct.
First, that Midoriya would grow dramatically stronger from now on.
He'd managed to grasp even just a fragment of his own "Quirk," whose outline he hadn't even been able to see until now. Given his diligence, he'll probably come surging forward with tremendous momentum from here.
And the second... the reason I'm drawn to him.
That fleeting thought I had, about wanting to support this hardworking, precarious boy, that meddlesome feeling, or perhaps maternal instinct... that prediction wasn't wrong in a way.
It's just that such heartwarming emotions weren't at the root of it.
...I want to be by his side.
I want to support him from close by, to push him forward. I want him to grow strong. I want him to succeed. To put it a bit arrogantly... I want to raise him into a first-class Hero.
His "Quirk," still immature in control but likely holding boundless power.
His spirit, earnest in everything, filled with justice and ambition.
The future potential derived from these, the possibility that he might even reach the summit.
That is why I've fallen for him.
My remaining masculine sensibilities from my past life have taken a liking to his indomitable heart.
The feminine sensibilities cultivated in my second life couldn't leave his precariousness alone.
And... one last thing.
This is something I only understand intuitively. But precisely because of that, I understand it clearly.
My "Quirk" has chosen his "Quirk."
I'm gradually beginning to understand what Mother once told me.
(I get it now, Mother... this destiny of those who possess this Quirk, as you called it... I've come to understand it not with words, but with my soul.)
Hang in there, Midoriya... I've decided now.
As long as you keep facing forward... I'll push you forward with all my strength too.