I have no powers, but I've got two hands and I know how to use them.

Hello everyone.

When I reach chapter 12, I'll start uploading advance chapters to my Patreon. For a while, I'll stop posting here to focus on that platform. For now, it's just symbolic: a way to motivate myself to keep writing.

I'm currently unemployed, so any kind of support—no matter how small—means a lot to me.

If I ever stop uploading chapters for more than a week, it's probably because work got to me.

[email protected]/novelwisp

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Anyway, after that little run-in with Aizawa, nothing particularly noteworthy happened. Contrary to what I always imagined, U.A. isn't actually all that tough academically… at least, not for me. Maybe I'm not the best person to say that, but hey, it is what it is. Now then—onto the interesting part.

But first… a quick break.

I'm standing in the school cafeteria, tray loaded with food, scanning the room for an empty seat. The place is lively, buzzing with voices and clinking utensils.

I spot Mina's group—Toru, Tsuyu, Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, and Mineta. They're all crowded around a big table. Even though they're sitting together, you can tell there's a natural split: the girls chatting with each other, the guys off in their own conversation. The table's packed, so I shrug and keep looking.

Most of the others seem to be sitting alone.

Then I see Momo. She's sitting by herself, eating with her usual elegance. I don't know why, but I swear I heard a cash register cha-ching go off in my head right then.

I was just about to head over to her table when something made me hesitate. I saw another group: Iida, Uraraka… and Izuku. The main character himself.

For a moment, I hesitated. Weighed one option against the other. But in the end, I made my choice.

I headed toward the protagonist's group.

They were in the middle of a conversation. Uraraka was talking animatedly about something that had happened during one of the tests, Iida was nodding with his usual over-the-top seriousness, and Izuku was smiling, looking as nervous as ever.

"Excuse me," I said, stopping at the edge of the table. "Mind if I sit here?"

All three turned toward me. Iida was the first to respond.

"Ah, Tachibana! Of course, go ahead," he said, adjusting his glasses.

Izuku quickly nodded too, offering a shy smile.

"Yeah, sure! Welcome."

Uraraka looked at me for a second or two before smiling warmly.

"Hi! We haven't really talked yet, huh?"

I shook my head as I took the seat across from her.

"No. You came in with the teacher, so we didn't get a chance."

"Oh, right!" she said, scratching her cheek. "I kind of got lost on the way here... But anyway, I'm Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you!"

"Riku Tachibana," I replied, giving a slight nod. "Pleasure."

Uraraka smiled, but then gave me a curious look, like something had just clicked in her mind.

"Wait… now that I think about it," she said, leaning in a bit, "you're the guy with those awesome gloves, right? And the shoes that go fwoosh!—" She made a little whooshing gesture with her hands. "Is your quirk something that needs equipment to work?"

I paused mid-bite, fork halfway to my mouth. I raised an eyebrow—not because I was surprised, but because she was the first one to actually ask out loud.

Izuku and Iida both subtly perked up, pausing their eating. Like maybe they'd been wondering the same thing but hadn't said anything yet. Maybe out of politeness, or maybe because—well, Japanese people can be weirdly sensitive about personal stuff. You never really know if a simple question is going to come off as rude.

Me, though? I'd been expecting this. Sooner or later, it was bound to come up.

I took the bite, chewed calmly, swallowed, and then replied as casually as I could:

"I don't have a quirk."

There was a moment of silence.

Uraraka blinked. Iida froze with his spoon in midair. Izuku looked like he swallowed something wrong.

"Wait, what?" Uraraka said, not even trying to hide her surprise.

"—You don't have a…?" Izuku murmured, glancing sideways at the others as if to confirm they'd all heard the same thing.

"That's right. Zero. Nothing. Not even a flicker."

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. I could still hear the distant murmur from the cafeteria, the clinking of silverware, and someone coughing from another table.

Then Iida spoke.

"Then how did you get in without a Quirk?"

His tone wasn't harsh—just genuinely confused. But still, the question carried weight.

I set my chopsticks down on the tray with a quiet clack and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You think I didn't work my ass off to get in?"

Iida straightened up like he'd been jolted by electricity. He raised both hands quickly.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't trying to imply—!"

"It's fine," I cut in calmly, even letting a small smile slip out. "I was just messing with you."

Iida let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and relaxed. Uraraka gave a nervous little laugh.

"Everything I used during Aizawa-sensei's exam," I said, resting an elbow on the table and rotating one of my gloves, "I built it myself. That's how I got in."

Uraraka's eyes widened.

"You made all that?? Seriously?"

"All that tech?" Iida added, adjusting his glasses. "That takes serious engineering skill! You designed it yourself?"

"Plenty of trial and error, but yeah," I nodded. "No Quirk, so I had to make up for it somehow."

"That's... incredible," Iida murmured. "Designing support gear at your age? Without guidance from U.A.'s Development Studies Division? That takes precision, dedication, a focused mind!"

"Thanks." I gave a small nod of appreciation. That was enough. For them to understand. To respect it.

Then… we all turned to look at Izuku.

He hadn't said a single word since I confirmed I didn't have a quirk.He just kept staring at me—eyes wide, mouth slightly open, chopsticks frozen midair.He looked completely stunned.

"Deku-kun...?" Uraraka murmured, leaning closer.

Nothing.

"Midoriya-kun," Iida tried, knocking his knuckles against the table.

Total silence.

Just as Uraraka was about to wave a hand in front of his face, a fly came down from the ceiling and landed on his cheek.He didn't even blink.

"...That's not normal," Uraraka said.

"Is he breathing?" I asked.

"Midoriya-kun!" Iida shouted, standing up. "We need to take him to the infirmary!"

Uraraka grabbed one arm, Iida took the other.They lifted him like a stiff mannequin, his eyes still staring off into space.

I watched them carry him off—with the fly still crawling on his face—and let out a laugh.

I leaned back in my chair and kept eating.

Yeah.Solid first lunch.

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After that… rather peculiar lunch, there was still a bit of time left before the break ended.

So I decided to make good use of it.

I left the cafeteria and headed down the quieter hallways of the main building, toward the Support Course area. I hadn't had a chance to check it out since classes started. And even though I wasn't technically part of that department, Nezu had given me special access to the workshop. Of course, that didn't mean I could just stroll in and use it whenever I wanted—so I figured I'd find someone in charge and ask about the hours when I could work without bothering anyone.

I walked down a long hallway until I reached a metal door labeled: "Practice Area – Support Department."

It was massive—the kind of door that probably needed hydraulic systems to open. It looked more like it guarded a secret vault than a classroom.

I raised my hand to knock.

And right at that moment—

BOOM!

The door exploded. Literally.

A dull roar and a flash of orange hit me full force. I covered myself on instinct, but the shockwave still launched me backwards. Something metallic zipped past my head and ricocheted off the wall behind me.

I hit the ground, ears ringing, vision blurred from the smoke.

"—What… the hell—?" I mumbled, staggering.

Then—

THUD!

Something heavy landed right on top of me.

Or rather… someone.

I collapsed flat on my back. And suddenly, something soft was smothering my face.

Not one, but two soft things. Round. Warm.

Then I heard a voice. Way too close.

"Ugh. I was sure the pressure stabilizers were calibrated this time," she muttered, like she was talking to herself.

I slowly opened my eyes, still dazed—only to find a pair of golden eyes staring directly into mine, barely inches away. She blinked once. Then again.

"Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly, beaming. "Hi there!"

I couldn't respond. I was... confused. Maybe a little dead inside.

The girl on top of me—who I was only just now beginning to recognize—had light pink hair, large round goggles pushed up on her head, and wore a blue jumpsuit covered in oil stains and soot. And yes, she was still completely on top of me.

Her knees were planted on either side of my hips, her weight fully on me, and her chest... well, you already know where my face had just been.

"Skdsdj," I tried to say something. Probably, Could you please get off me? But, you know, with my face buried where it was, all that came out was a muffled, undignified sound.

Honestly... I didn't really want her to move. I mean, I'm a functional teenage boy. But the smell of burnt oil and hot metal clinging to her jumpsuit kind of killed the vibe.

Her overalls smelled like scorched oil, heated steel, and… was that industrial glue mixed with curry? I couldn't be sure. All I knew was: the moment was thoroughly ruined.

Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—she finally sat up, freeing me.

I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds without moving. My brain needed a reboot.

She held out a hand to me. It was covered in grease all the way up to the wrist. Pure black.

"I'm Mei Hatsume! Support Department, first year! What's your name?"

I grabbed her hand out of pure reflex—more autopilot than intention. I felt the grease smear across my palm.

"Riku Tachibana… Class 1-A," I said quietly, her hand slipping slightly in mine.

Mei tilted her head, interested.

"Hero Course? Oohhh! That's exciting! Did you come to see my babies?"