Nejire didn't want to leave the city, as Izuku would be left alone and without friends. Although he was without quirks, he remained a person with a big heart who pursued his dream while helping others in any way he could. Her heart ached at the realization that she would no longer see them having fun together and seeking new adventures. Memories of their shared joys made her feel warm, but also sad, and that sadness grew each time she realized that she would not be able to support their shared dream of becoming heroes. They had both promised each other to enroll in the best UA school, where the country's best heroes were trained — among them was the Almighty, whom Izuku considered almost the best hero.
"Dad, when are we leaving?" she asked with sparkling eyes.
"Tomorrow evening, sweetheart. I've packed all our things, and we're ready to move," he hugged her tightly to calm her down. It worked to some extent, but his little girl was still sobbing, which made him feel uncomfortable.
"Okay, sweetie, I'll let you say goodbye to him, and then we'll have to drive, okay?" Seeing his daughter's mood lift, Todao smiled and patted her on the head as he went to his chair to sort through important documents.
The next day arrived.
An enthusiastic Izuku went with his mother to a toy store for a new collection with the All might. Although Inko was happy for her son's happiness, the money sent by Hisashi was getting less and less, which made her anxious that one day it would run out and she would have to get a job to support herself and Izuku. Izuku believed that Hisashi had abandoned them because of his recklessness, but Inko thought otherwise, believing that her husband had gotten into a dangerous situation and was unable to contact them.
"Mom, look, I want this dragon lady figurine!" Izuk pointed excitedly at the display case, where there were many figurines, but he decided to choose this one. Inko was not embarrassed and bought him the dragon figurine and the heroine, who was clearly heteromorphic.
"Izuk, I thought you only admired the All might?"
"Oh, no, Mom, it's not for me." Tomorrow is Nejire's birthday, and I heard that she wants a figure like this, but her dad won't let her buy things like that." Inko was glad that he cared about his friends, especially Nejire. The mother of the family considered her almost like her own daughter, as she often came to visit and sometimes stayed overnight in Izuku's room. There was nothing inappropriate about it — just childish joy fueled by childish fun and curiosity. Izuku told her how Nejire almost cried when he mentioned her mother and the current situation in her family, and Izuku said firmly that he would support her no matter what.
"Ah, my boy has already fallen in love with his friend," Inko smiled, looking at Izuku's face, which was blushing profusely and waving his hands, insisting that it wasn't true, but the truth couldn't be hidden with such red cheeks.
"She's not my girlfriend, she's my best friend and the one who supported my dream despite my recklessness." Hearing these words, Inko felt ashamed that she had not believed in her little boy's dream, as she wanted him to be safe and not risk his life.
"Okay, I understand. Did you make her a homemade gift in addition to these figurines?"
"Homemade?"
"Yes, Izuku, homemade. These gifts last a lifetime and are more valuable than store-bought ones. If you want to surprise her and become even closer friends, I can help you with that." Izuku was excited by this idea and wanted to hurry home to make a special gift for her.
"Then why are we walking so slowly? We have to hurry to our meeting!" Holding her little boy's hand, the mother almost dropped all her purchases on the ground because of her son's eagerness, but she understood perfectly well that Izuku wanted to impress her.
"Okay, Izuku, but let's slow down a little, I'll call a taxi." Taking out her phone and approaching the road, surprisingly, the taxi arrived quickly, and Izuku didn't even realize how they got home.
After unloading their things and everything else, Inko and Izuku sat at the kitchen table, preparing for their DIY projects.
"Izuku, do you have any mementos that connect you and Nejire?" Looking at the bag, he immediately knew what to do and remembered the pearl that Nejire had left in his bag.
"Here it is!" He held out the shiny pearl, even though it had been lying in the bag for a month without any air. The matriarch of the family didn't understand where he had gotten such a pearl, but she didn't ask any unnecessary questions.
"Okay, Izuku, what do you want to do with it? For example, we can make a bracelet or a necklace. Which one will you choose?" Without thinking twice, Izuku chose the necklace, as it looked much prettier on her lovely face than on her hand, which could easily be lost.
"Come on, necklace, Mom." The two Midoriys began to work diligently, so much so that Izuku was sweating as he inserted the pearl into the metal core of the necklace. The pearl and the talisman were ready, but the chain that would hold it all together was not, which stressed Izuku.
"Um, Mom, what will hold the pearl?" Izuku asked, looking at his mother, who had already figured out how to make it even more symbolic.
"Izuku, go to your room and prepare the figurines, I'll prepare everything else, dear." Hearing his mother's kind words, he immediately ran to his room, looking for festive ribbon for the gift in his closet. Finding the gift wrapping and ribbon, he put the necessary toys inside and wrapped them, saying loudly:
"The gift is ready, Mom!" Izuku shouted, running up to his mother, who was already smiling at him, wrapping the gift in a small improvised box.
"Mine is ready too. Take it and put it in your bag. Looking at the time, I can tell that Nejire is waiting for you longer than she should." Izuku didn't understand what his mother meant, but glancing at the wall clock, he realized with horror that he was very late for his meeting.
"I'm late!" Izuku shouted, grabbing both gifts and putting them in his backpack, kicking the door open so he could run faster than usual.
"Oh, kids," Inko said, closing the door behind Izuku.
***
Meanwhile, Nejire, who was waiting for her friend, was tense and didn't know how to tell her that she was leaving for another city once and for all, but one thing was certain — they had to meet at UA as freshmen. While she was thinking about it, the bushes began to rustle as if someone was sitting in them, until Izuku jumped out, shouting her name.
"Nejire!" he shouted, heading toward her like a torpedo, knocking her off her feet.
"Freckles, is that you?" Nejire noticed that his bag was bigger than before and decided to ask.
"Freckles, why is your bag bigger than before? What's inside?"
"Ahahaha, don't worry about it, my mom put a raincoat in there in case it rains."
"But it's very sunny right now."
"Eheheh, don't worry about it, that's my mom. We're going on an adventure anyway." Lying to her, he put on his infectious smile.
"Yes. It's adventure time!"
"ADVENTURE TIME!" they both shouted, bumping fists and running deep into the forest.
Playing to their hearts' content, their adventures lasted until evening. During their adventures together, they saw many animals that delighted them. First there were birds, then squirrels and beavers. The beavers caught Nejire's attention, and she said to Izuku:
"Freckles, let's catch it! Look how cute it is. What's it called?" The couple dipped their feet in the water, taking off their shoes to catch the beaver. Izuku grabbed it by the waist, showing it to Nejire.
"Look at its sharp teeth! I want to keep it." But Izuku shook his head disapprovingly.
"No, Nejire, they're wild animals. Remember what they told us at school: you can't take wild animals home."
"Oh, yes, you're right, but he's as charming as you are. You can't help but admire him, Izuku!" Letting go of the beaver, they headed for the shore, shaking off the remaining water. Nejire had no ideas, so she decided to share hers with Izuku.
"I don't have any ideas, do you, freckles?" Putting his finger to his chin, he began to mumble, which made Nejire smile, and she listened, even though she didn't understand what he was saying.
"Oh, I remember Dagoba Beach. My mom said the sea there is beautiful. Come on, Nejire, get in, it's time to go!" Arching his back, he pointed to his back with his finger. Nejire didn't miss the opportunity and immediately jumped in. Squealing, she said with a smile on her face:
"Come on, my warhorse! We must defeat the dragon on Dagoba Beach to save the inhabitants!" She shouted, breaking her voice as Izuku carried her on his back.
When they reached the beach, they saw the sun flooding the sand with its rays, warming it. The beach was deserted, just the two of them, only the sounds of footsteps and a few cars in the distance could be heard. Izuku's attention was drawn to an ice cream truck, which he already had plans for.
"Let's go to the beach, Izuku!" Grabbing his friend's hand, he pulled him with such force that she almost tore his arm off. That's what bizarre superiority means.
Sitting on the sand, they watched the sea come and go, mesmerized by the process. While the lilac blueberry watched the waves, Izuku secretly pulled out the wrapped gift and shouted congratulations.
"Happy birthday, Nejire!" Izuku shouted, handing her the box.
Nejire's reaction was priceless. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and when she saw Izuku's smiling face, she was so delighted that she forgot where she was.
"Is this... is this... for me?" Nejire asked, taking the box with trembling hands. No one had ever given her a gift before; this was the first time anyone had given her a gift, except for her father, who didn't bother and just bought clothes for her. But the first friend to give her a gift made Nejire's heart beat faster than usual.
"Yes, silly, it's for you! What are you waiting for? Open it!"
"I... I... just a moment," she said, opening it slowly and savoring the moment. She saw what she had wanted for so long — a figurine of the dragon hero Ryukyu — and fell silent, unable to express her admiration and delight.
"Izuku, this is the best gift in the world! Thank you so much, I've wanted this for so long!" Nejire cried out, taking the box with the figurine in her hands.
"It's okay, Nejire, nothing is more important than the smile on your face." The words quickly sank into her mind, and she remembered yesterday evening with her father, who had told her about the move, which made her smile turn to sadness.
"Nejire, what's wrong? Don't you like my gift? Did I say something wrong?" Izuku asked, not stopping until she dropped the box with the figurine on the ground and walked towards Izuku.
"Nejire, what are you..." Before he could finish, she hugged him tightly, crying, unable to hold back her bitter tears. She didn't want Izuku to see her gloomy face, so she lowered it so he couldn't see her like that.
"What's wrong?" Izuku whispered, and a voice broken by tears answered him.
"Izuku... I... I don't want to go anywhere," the voice trembled like a taut string ready to snap. "I want to stay with you, go to the same school, laugh and play with you. You're my best friend..." The words came with difficulty, and the tears flowed more and more. Izuku listened to her silently, without interrupting, his gaze full of sadness.
"I want us to be heroes together, Izuku, do you understand? A great and invincible duo. You always helped me, and your gift, which I had dreamed of for so long, became a reality. I want to stay with you... but I have to leave. To a city where you won't be," her voice broke completely, turning into a silent cry of pain. Izuku struggled to hold back his own tears as he looked at his friend, who was tormented by the impending separation. Her father's decision was final, unyielding, like a wall that five-year-old children could not break through.
She raised her tear-filled eyes and met his compassionate gaze.
"Nejire..." His voice was quiet, almost uncertain. "Forgive me..."
"For what?" She didn't understand, but tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
"Promise me something, Izuku. Promise me you won't give up on your dream, that you'll enroll in UA as soon as we graduate," her words were filled with despair, but there was a spark of hope in them.
Izuku hesitated. Her words hurt him. How could he promise something that seemed impossible? Getting into UA without a quirk... it was like dreaming of an unattainable star. But in her eyes, he saw expectation, a vision of their future together that kept her going.
"I promise, I'll do everything I can to make it happen," Izuku said resolutely, looking into her blue eyes.
"Then keep my promise, Nejire?" Looking up, he saw her reach out her hand, pulling out something that looked like a gift box. He opened the box, revealing a necklace he and Inko had made, which sparkled in the orange sunlight. It was the same pearl, but with a special chain that was half green and half blue, symbolizing their friendship.
"It's... it's beautiful," said Nejire, putting on the necklace.
"Promise me you'll never take it off, Nejire. As long as you wear it, you'll always know I'm with you," Izuku said slowly, placing it around his friend's neck. Nejire pulled a similar necklace out of her pockets, but it was completely different.
"Don't take yours off either, okay, Izuku?" It was an unremarkable chain, except for the round medallion in the middle that opened. When he opened it, Izuku saw his first day at the hospital when he met Nejire, and her father took a photo of them that day. He still remembers that photo. And that photo was in this medallion.
They were hugging when Nejire's father called out to them from the beach, yelling at them.
"Nejire, come on, it's time to go, sweetie!" Nejire didn't want to let go of her friend until the very last moment and hugged him as tightly as she could, which made Izuku blush.
"Nejire, you're suffocating me!" Letting go of her, she ran off, taking the figurine he had given her and, unexpectedly for Izuku, kissing him on the cheek and quickly running away from him, leaving him alone on the beach.
In the silence between them, a promise was made that would change everything.
They got into the car and drove in silence until the head of the Hado family decided to break the silence.
"He's a good boy, and he even gave her a figurine. That's a worthy deed for a hero," said Todao, driving the car. Nejire did not respond, only looking at the necklace and the figurine of her heroine.
"I promise Izuku, I will do my best to get into UA, no matter what it takes, and I will keep your smile in my heart," Nejire said to herself, vowing loyalty to herself and Izuku.
[5 chapter's until venom apearance]