Chapter 9: Summer on the Horizon
The final bell before lunch rang through Aldera Elementary, a sharp chime that unleashed a wave of chatter and chair-scraping chaos. It was the last day of class before summer vacation, and the air buzzed with that restless, giddy energy only freedom could spark. Izuku Midoriya sat at his desk near the back, his new haircut catching the light as he leaned back, arms crossed casual and cool. Around him, his usual crew had gathered Hana Tanaka, Kenji Mori, Aiko Sato, and Miki Yamada sprawling across nearby desks with their lunchboxes open, trading bites and gossip like it was currency. The classroom smelled of rice and soy sauce, a faint breeze drifting through the open windows to cut the late-June heat.
Izuku popped a piece of tamagoyaki into his mouth, chewing slow as he listened to Kenji groan. "Can you believe Mr. Tanaka?" the boy said, flopping dramatically over his desk. "Three chapters of math review over vacation? Three! I'm supposed to be at the beach, not crying over fractions!"
Hana giggled, poking at her rice with chopsticks. "It's not that bad, Kenji. At least it's just review. Ms. Ito's worse she gave us a whole history project. 'Pick a hero from the pre-Quirk era and write five pages.' Five! I don't even know where to start."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Miki chimed in, rolling her eyes as she unwrapped a sandwich. "She said it's due the first day back, too like, give us a break! And then there's that reading list from Mrs. Hayashi. Two novels! I peeked at The Adventures of Captain Thunder, and it's, like, 300 pages. Who has time for that?"
Aiko nodded, her braids bouncing as she sipped her juice. "Yeah, I got Thunder too, plus The Sky Runner Chronicles. They're supposed to 'inspire us,' she said. I guess it's not awful, but still summer's for fun, not books." She glanced at Izuku, who'd been quiet, picking at his bento with a small smirk. "What about you, Izuku? What'd you get stuck with?"
Izuku swallowed, setting his chopsticks down. "Same as you guys, mostly," he said, voice easy. "Math review chapters four through six, so, yeah, fractions and decimals. The history project's on my list too thinking I'll do All Might's early years, before he went pro. Easy pick." He shrugged, leaning forward. "And the reading's Captain Thunder and Sky Runner. Already started Thunder it's not bad, kinda cool actually. Guy's got no Quirk but still takes down villains with gadgets."
Kenji snorted, tossing a grape in the air and catching it in his mouth. "Of course you'd like it, Mr. Future Hero. You're probably halfway done already, huh?"
"Quarter," Izuku corrected, grinning. "Gotta pace myself. Summer's long." Long enough to grind some more, he thought, picturing his morning runs now up to two kilometers and the push-ups he'd bumped to twenty-five. Assignments won't slow me down. U.A.'s waiting.
Miki leaned in, elbows on the desk, her sandwich forgotten. "Okay, but what are you doing for vacation? Like, fun stuff? Please tell me you're not just gonna study and train the whole time you're too cool for that now."
The group perked up, eyes on Izuku. He paused, letting the moment stretch, then said, "Me and my mom are going to visit my dad in America. Two weeks." He dropped it casual, like it was no big deal, but the effect was instant.
"What?!" Kenji's grape fell out of his hand, rolling under a desk. "America? Are you serious?"
"No way!" Hana gasped, clapping her hands. "That's so cool! I've never even left Musutafu!"
Aiko's eyes went wide, juice box forgotten mid-sip. "America… like, with the skyscrapers and burgers and stuff? You're so lucky, Izuku!"
Miki slammed her hands on the desk, leaning so close she nearly tipped her lunch. "Okay, spill! Where in America? What are you gonna do? I'm dying here!"
Izuku chuckled, leaning back with a smug little tilt to his head. Got 'em hooked, he thought, savoring the envy in their voices. "My dad's in New York," he said, letting the name roll off his tongue. "He's been working there forever some overseas job. We're flying out next week to see him."
"New York?!" Kenji practically shouted, drawing a few heads from across the room. "Like, the big city with that giant statue and all the movies? Dude, that's insane!"
"Yeah," Izuku said, nodding. "We're staying in the city most of the time. Dad's got an apartment near this place called Times Square says it's all lights and billboards, kinda like a hero showcase but for ads. We're gonna check that out first, maybe grab some food there. He's talking about these huge hot dogs and pizza slices you fold in half sounds messy but awesome."
Hana's mouth dropped open. "Times Square? I've seen that on TV! It's so bright like, day all the time! What else?"
"There's this park, Central Park, I think," Izuku went on, warming up. "It's massive, like a forest in the middle of all those buildings. Dad says we can rent bikes and ride around, maybe see some squirrels or street performers. Then there's the Statue of Liberty big green lady out in the water. We're taking a ferry to get close, snap some pictures. Mom's obsessed with that one."
"Pictures with the Statue of Liberty?!" Aiko squeaked, clutching her juice box. "That's, like, postcard stuff! I'm so jealous, I'm just gonna be stuck at my grandma's farm pulling weeds!"
Miki groaned, flopping back in her seat. "Ugh, why can't my dad live in New York? I'd trade history projects for pizza any day. What else you got planned?"
Izuku grinned, ticking off spots on his fingers. "Dad's taking us up this skyscraper, the Empire State Building. Says you can see the whole city from the top, like you're flying without a Quirk. And there's this bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge kinda old but cool. We're walking it one day, maybe grab ice cream after in some place called Brooklyn. Oh, and he's got tickets to a baseball game, Yankees or something. I don't get the rules, but he says it's loud and fun."
Kenji shook his head, mock-dramatic. "Baseball? Skyscrapers? You're living a movie, man! I'm just gonna be dodging my mom's chores while you're out there being international!"
"It's not fair," Hana said, pouting playfully. "I wanted to go to the beach, but New York sounds way better. You're gonna come back all fancy and heroic, aren't you?"
"Maybe," Izuku said, smirking wider. "Gotta scope out the competition America's got some big heroes too. Might pick up a few tricks." Tricks for the spotlight, he thought, imagining himself on that skyscraper, wind in his hair, plotting his climb to U.A. and beyond. Two weeks to recharge, then back to grind, rich and famous don't wait.
Miki laughed, jabbing a finger at him. "You're already cooler than us, and now this? I'm telling everyone my friend's a New York hotshot now better bring me back a souvenir!"
"Deal," Izuku said, popping another bite of tamagoyaki. The envy in their eyes sparkled like gold, and he leaned into it, letting the chatter swirl. Summer stretched out ahead assignments to breeze through, a body to toughen, and a trip to strut his stuff across the ocean.