That night, Izuku gave up his bed without hesitation.
His grandmother took it, settling in comfortably, while he laid out a futon on the floor. It wasn't a big deal. If anything, it felt natural.
Before turning in, he picked up his phone and opened the class group chat.
Izuku Midoriya: Hey, I won't be able to join tomorrow's activity. I'm going out with my grandma.
Ochaco Uraraka: Seriously? I was counting on you to carry stuff!
Minoru Mineta: Your loss. Big mall, tons of cute girls. You'll regret it.
Tenya Iida: Midoriya, are you certain you can't attend?
Izuku Midoriya: I kind of have to. My grandparents had a fight, and she came to stay with us. I should spend time with her.
The chat paused for a moment, the tone shifting.
Denki Kaminari: …
Mina Ashido: …
Yuga Aoyama: …
Minoru Mineta: Wait—she ran away? That's kind of intense.
Tenya Iida: Midoriya is making the right decision. As future heroes, we may not always have time for our families. This matters.
Minoru Mineta: Or he just doesn't want to carry bags.
Izuku Midoriya: That's not it!
Denki Kaminari: Then bring her with you. We're going to a supermarket anyway.
Kyoka Jiro: If you don't want to carry stuff, just say that. Don't drag Midoriya into it.
Ochaco Uraraka: I actually like that idea.
Tenya Iida: Combining family time with a class activity is efficient. Midoriya, would that work?
Izuku paused, considering it carefully.
Izuku Midoriya: …Yeah. That should be fine. Where are we meeting?
Katsuki Bakugo: Corridor Supermarket. Don't show up, and I'll deal with you.
Izuku stared at the message for a moment.
Izuku Midoriya: …
Izuku Midoriya: Noted.
He set his phone aside.
He pulled out his notebook and began writing, the familiar motion helping him settle his thoughts.
From the bed, his grandmother leaned over slightly, watching him with quiet curiosity.
"What are you working on?"
"Just a diary," Izuku said, offering a small smile.
Her face lit up immediately.
"Then tomorrow, I'll pick out some proper clothes for you," she said, already excited. "Your wardrobe is all uniforms and training gear. You need something nicer."
Izuku froze.
The memory came back all at once.
His grandmother, years ago, happily dressing him in outfits he had no control over—and documenting every moment with photos.
A lot of photos.
"…Okay," he said, the answer coming out just a little stiff.
He reached for his phone again.
Izuku Midoriya: Quick request. Please don't take pictures of me tomorrow.
Tenya Iida: Why not?
Izuku Midoriya: My grandma has a habit of… picking outfits. I have a bad feeling about this.
Ochaco Uraraka: Don't worry! We won't use our phones.
Toru Hagakure: We'll bring a proper camera instead.
Denki Kaminari: Now I'm curious.
Minoru Mineta: Same. You have to show us at least one.
Izuku Midoriya: Absolutely not. That's private.
He locked his phone, rolled onto his side, and pulled the blanket over himself.
Sleep came quickly.
He woke at five the next morning, just like always.
A run. Training. Routine.
By the time he returned, sweat clung to his skin, and he headed straight for the shower.
"…Hopefully today stays simple."
After breakfast, he got ready and left with his grandmother.
At eight, they arrived at the Corridor Supermarket.
Izuku barely had time to take in his surroundings before his grandmother took his arm and steered him forward.
"Let's start upstairs."
"Wait—"
Too late.
He was already being pulled along.
Meanwhile, messages began to appear in the group chat.
Minoru Mineta: Just saw Midoriya. He got dragged upstairs by a woman—whoa—
Minoru Mineta has been muted for one hour by Tenya Iida.
Tenya Iida: We are currently at the center of the supermarket. If you have not arrived, we will not wait. In three hours, we will regroup at the open-air steak restaurant on the first floor.
Ochaco Uraraka: Got it. Operation stealth begins now.
Toru Hagakure: Target acquired—Midoriya.
Ochaco Uraraka: We'll keep everyone updated.