Origin Prologue: 10. Farewell to Urban

Izuku stood outside the apartment building complex with Chisa and his grandparents, waiting beside his grandpa's SUV car. A large pickup truck behind their car was being loaded with their belongings. Izuku himself had already realized they were about to leave the city life and move out to his grandparents' place in the countryside's farming village.

He felt... conflicted about everything that was happening. He wasn't sure why his mother and grandparents had decided for the three of them to move to the countryside. He also wasn't sure if he would like living there after getting used to the urban city.

Suddenly, his mother emerged from the now-former apartment building complex. She had told them she was going to run a final check to see if there was anything they had forgotten to pick up. By the look of it, she had found something they had almost missed. In her hands was an inconspicuous box, about the size of a ball. As she got closer, Izuku noticed the box had a strange label on it.

"Tokusatsu...?" Izuku muttered to himself. He had never heard of this term... or had he? It felt both familiar and unfamiliar, as if he had come across it once but never really thought much about it... until now.

"Nothing left behind, dear?" his grandma inquired, her voice filled with concern.

His mother nodded, confirming, "Nothing, Mother. Everything has been checked... oh, but I did find something." She lifted the box slightly so both his grandparents could see it. The two of them took a closer look at the box, and then, seemingly, they both had a realization about its contents.

"Hisashi's...!" Grandma suddenly gasped at the sight of the box. It wasn't a gasp of shock or dislike, but of genuine surprise.

"Hah, that idiot son of mine..." Grandpa looked at the box with a bit of amusement. It was rare to see his grandpa with this expression, so Izuku was curious about what was inside the box. He noticed that even Chisa was curious.

Noticing his stare, his mother gave him a melancholic smile. "Izuku."

"Yes, Mom?"

"I would like to give this to you," she said, gently handing the box to him. Izuku was obviously taken aback by the sudden gesture. He didn't understand why his mother and grandparents were so fond of this specific box, and now his mother was giving it to him as if it was meant for him all along.

"... What is it...?" Izuku asked, suspicion in his tone. Seeing him on guard brought a small laugh from both his mother and grandma.

"This is your dad's prized possession," his mother revealed.

"D-dad's...!" Izuku was surprised by the revelation. He couldn't believe this inconspicuous-looking box was his father's prized possession. "What's inside of it...?"

Izuku asked again, both curious and concerned about the contents of the box. The only clue he had was the label marked 'tokusatsu.' He was quite sure he had heard this term once, but he couldn't remember what it meant.

"What's inside?" His mother echoed his question, seemingly wondering herself what she was about to say. "Hmm... well, it's... his collection of vintage superhero show videos."

"Vintage... s-superhero...?!" Izuku echoed, flinching back in shock. He had never thought he would hear that word again after what had happened yesterday.

He had thought maybe living in the countryside would allow him to get away from such topics. But now his mother was showing him what she said was his late father's video collection about those dreaded superheroes...

He couldn't believe his ears when he heard such a notion that his own father was also obsessed with heroes like he used to be. "W-why...? Why are you giving this to me?"

Inko looked at Izuku, understanding the conflict and pain in his eyes. She knew her son wouldn't react positively to anything hero-related right now, but she needed to tell him about his father.

"Izuku," she began softly, kneeling down to his level. "I know it's hard for you to hear anything about heroes right now. But you need to know something important about your father..."

Izuku was taken aback by his mother's sudden approach. He even averted his head from her fond gaze, reluctant to face the truth in front of him.

"Just like you, your father was a fan of superheroes and heroism," Inko continued. "Even though he didn't have a powerful quirk and never tried to become a hero, he always adored superheroes... He admired their courage, their sense of justice, and their desire to help others."

She paused for a moment, letting her words sink into Izuku. "Your father found inspiration and joy in those shows. It connected him to a sense of hope and wonder, just like it did for you."

Inko gently placed the box in Izuku's hands. "I'm giving this to you because... I want you to have a piece of that connection. It's a part of your father's legacy, something that I hope can bring you comfort... and maybe, in time, help you remember why you loved heroes in the first place."

Izuku looked down at the box, his emotions a whirlwind of confusion, sadness, and a glimmer of curiosity. He didn't know if he was ready to embrace this part of his past again, but... seeing the way his mother and grandparents cherished these memories...

Izuku slowly accepted the box, grabbing it firmly. His mother didn't let go until he fully grasped it, ensuring it was secure in his hands. As soon as he did, Inko released her hold, and now... the box was in Izuku's possession.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a voice broke the moment between mother and son. The Midoriyas turned toward the source of the sound, which came from one of the movers. "We have secured all of your belongings, ma'am, and we are ready to go."

"Ah! Yes! Thank you! We will depart soon!" Inko immediately stood up from her crouching position and bowed several times in gratitude toward the mover, indicating that she and her family were ready as well. She then looked back at her family members, including Izuku, who was still puzzled by the box in his hands. "Shall we go?"

Both of her in-laws nodded in agreement. Her father-in-law, especially, went to the driver's seat, preparing himself for the long drive.

"Come on now, you two. Let's go," her mother-in-law urged Izuku and Chisa, her two grandchildren, to get into the car.

But before they left, two people approached them. It was none other than the Bakugou couple: Masaru and Mitsuki.

"Mitsuki-san! Masaru-san!" Inko greeted the couple with a warm smile. They seemed to have come to bid farewell to the Midoriyas, and Masaru was holding what appeared to be a goodbye gift.

Suddenly, the blonde woman quickly went over to Inko with a tight hug. "Inko, girl! I'm going to miss you!"

The sudden hug made Inko quite flustered as she still wasn't used to how affectionate Mitsuki could be. But she appreciated it and slowly returned the hug. "I'm going to miss you too, Mitsuki-san. Thank you... for everything."

"Yeah, Mitsuki was all teary-eyed when she heard you guys were moving," Masaru chimed in with a grin, earning himself a playful pinch from his wife. "Ouch!"

"Don't say weird things, dear!" Mitsuki chided him with a blush, though her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

Inko glanced around, expecting to see a certain child with them. "Where is Katsuki-chan...?"

Masaru's expression turned solemn. "Katsuki... didn't want to come."

"I see..." Inko understood the underlying tension between Katsuki and Izuku after their recent argument. She hoped time apart might heal their friendship.

Izuku, overhearing the conversation, seemed to retreat into himself slightly, his melancholy returning. Without saying a word, he quietly climbed into the back seat of the car, clutching the box containing his father's prized possession.

"Well, anyway," Masaru said, breaking the awkward moment as he handed the gift bag to Inko. "I hope you guys have a wonderful life in the countryside. I've heard great things about it myself."

"Yeah, Inko. Enjoy your new life, okay?" Mitsuki encouraged her with a fist pump, which elicited a giggle from Inko. "Don't be a stranger! You better come visit us one of these days!"

"Yes, we will," Inko replied with a heartfelt smile. "Thank you both for being the best of neighbors. We'll miss you."

Soon, the Midoriyas settled inside the car. Inko sat in the middle row seat beside Chisa, while her in-laws occupied the front row seats, with her father-in-law behind the wheel of his SUV. Izuku sat alone in the back row, still clutching his new box filled with his father's treasured possession, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

As the vehicle began to move slowly, Inko waved a final goodbye to the Bakugous, watching them grow smaller in the rearview mirror until they were out of sight.

The SUV merged onto the highway out of Musutafu. Izuku stole one last glance at the city skyline disappearing in the back window of his grandpa's car, the movers' truck trailing behind their car. The tall skyscrapers that once dominated their daily lives now shrank into tiny specks on the horizon.

And with that, they left Musutafu City behind.