ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
The soft glow of dawn painted the bedroom walls in muted blues and grays. On the nightstand, a digital clock silently ticked to 4:30 AM. Izuku's eyes snapped open before the alarm could sound.
He moved to sit up but found himself anchored in place by a warm weight across his chest. Aries lay curled against him, one slender arm draped over his torso, her pink hair spilling across his shoulder. She wore the simple gray sports bra and pink shorts they'd purchased last week after Inko had gently suggested that proper workout attire would be more appropriate than her previous habit of borrowing his t-shirts.
Aries stirred, her eyes fluttering open. When she saw he was awake, a sleepy smile bloomed across her face. She snuggled closer, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "Good morning, Master."
"Morning," he murmured, absently stroking her hair. "Time to get up."
The past two months had established a routine as solid as iron. What had begun as a reluctant partnership had evolved into something far more comfortable.
Aries sighed and buried her face deeper into the crook of his neck. "Five more minutes?" she pleaded, her voice muffled against his skin.
"You said that yesterday," Izuku reminded her, though he made no immediate move to dislodge her. "And the day before."
Her horn poked gently against his chin as she looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "But today might be the day you say yes."
"Nice try." Izuku finally sat up, dislodging her. "Mom's probably already in the kitchen."
The mention of Inko had the intended effect. Aries sighed dramatically but rolled away, landing on her feet.
"Last one to the bathroom has to make the beds," she declared, already moving toward the door.
"That's not fair, you're already standing!" Izuku called after her, but she was gone in a flurry of pink hair and quiet laughter.
Izuku shook his head and reached for his running shorts.
The bathroom door clicked open fifteen minutes later, releasing a cloud of steam and the scent of strawberry shampoo. Aries emerged with her hair twisted into a practical braid, dressed in black leggings and a pink tank top.
"Your turn," she said, skipping past him. "I'll help Inko-san with breakfast."
Izuku showered quickly, letting hot water pound his muscles into alertness. As he dried off, he caught his reflection in the mirror and paused. The face staring back at him had become familiar—green eyes, freckled cheeks, a mess of dark green hair. It was Izuku Midoriya's face, but the expression belonged to someone else entirely.
Or had it?
The line between Isaiah and Izuku had blurred months ago. When exactly had he stopped thinking of himself as Isaiah wearing Izuku's skin?
When had "Izuku" become simply who he was?
It didn't matter. Isaiah was a ghost who died in an alley. Izuku was the man who lived now, with green hair and a family waiting for him in the kitchen.
Inko stood at the stove when Izuku entered, flipping protein-packed pancakes. Her own transformation over the past months was subtle but unmistakable. Her clothes hung looser on her frame, and a healthy flush had replaced the perpetual worry lines around her eyes.
"Morning, Mom."
"Good morning, sweetie." Inko smiled over her shoulder. "Your pancakes will be ready in two minutes."
Aries sat at the table, already halfway through her breakfast, her legs swinging beneath her chair like a child's. She beamed at him, mouth full of pancake. "Inko-san added blueberries today!"
"Protein and antioxidants," Inko explained, sliding a plate in front of Izuku. "You both need your strength for today."
"Today's nothing special," Izuku said, pouring a modest amount of honey over his stack. "Just another training day."
Inko and Aries exchanged a look that could only be described as conspiratorial.
"If you say so, dear." Inko patted his shoulder and returned to the stove.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them jogged through the quiet streets of Musutafu. The city slumbered under a blanket of pre-dawn stillness, their rhythmic footfalls the only sound breaking the silence.
Izuku led the way, setting a pace that would have been unthinkable for him just months ago. Behind him, Aries moved in tune with him, barely breaking a sweat. Inko brought up the rear, her steady, determined pace a far cry from the breathless stumbling of her first attempts.
Two months ago, Inko had appeared in the hallway at 5 AM, dressed in hastily purchased workout clothes.
"I'm coming with you," she had announced, leaving no room for argument.
Izuku had tried anyway. "Mom, we're running six kilometers and then I'm lifting trash for hours. It's not exactly a casual morning walk."
"Then I'll run as far as I can and walk the rest," she'd replied, her chin lifting. "But I'm coming."
The first week had been brutal for her. She'd fallen behind, struggled to catch her breath, and arrived at the beach long after they'd started working. But she never missed a day. Rain or shine, aching muscles or blistered feet, Inko Midoriya showed up.
Now, watching her maintain a steady pace behind them, Izuku felt an unfamiliar warmth that had nothing to do with exertion. Pride, he realized. He was proud of her.
"Race you to the beach!" Aries called suddenly, darting ahead with a burst of speed.
"Hey! No head starts!" Izuku accelerated after her, the cool morning air rushing past his face.
Inko laughed behind them. "I'll catch up! Go on!"
They arrived at Takoba Beach as the first rays of sunlight painted the horizon in shades of gold and amber. The transformation was staggering. What had once been a dumping ground now resembled an actual beach, with only a few stubborn piles of rubbish remaining.
Aries spun in a circle, arms outstretched. "We're so close, Izuku! Look how beautiful it's becoming!"
A notification winked into existence before his eyes: ["A Hero's Heart is a Janitor's Soul" - Progress: 23.9%]
After two and a half months of relentless labor, they stood at the threshold of completion. Just 1.1% to go.
Inko arrived a few minutes later, her breathing controlled but heavy. "What's the plan for today?" she asked, wiping her brow with a small towel.
Izuku surveyed the beach, calculating. "There." He pointed to a massive, rust-eaten refrigerator half-buried in the sand near the waterline. "That's our final boss."
The refrigerator was a monster, easily twice the size of a standard model. It had been one of the first objects Izuku had attempted to move on his initial visit to the beach. Back then, he'd barely budged it.
"It's huge," Inko said, eyeing the appliance with apprehension.
"We got this." Aries bounced on her toes. "Team Midoriya, assemble!"
The next hour passed in focused preparation. Inko cleared smaller debris from around the refrigerator, creating a clean path to their designated collection point. Aries fashioned thick, wool straps that would give Izuku better leverage for lifting. Izuku stretched thoroughly, mentally mapping the safest route across the sand.
"Ready?" he asked finally, positioning himself at the refrigerator's base.
Aries handed him the wool straps. "These won't break, I promise."
Inko stood to the side, water bottles ready. "Take your time, Izuku. No rush."
Izuku wrapped the straps around the refrigerator's bulk, threading them under the rusted bottom edge. He took a deep breath, centering himself. The challenge before him was both physical and symbolic—a monument to how far he'd come.
He tightened his grip on the straps. "Here we go."
His muscles bunched as he began to lift. The refrigerator groaned, sand shifting beneath it as decades-old rust cracked and flaked away. For a heart-stopping moment, it refused to budge.
"You can do it!" Aries called.
Izuku adjusted his stance and pulled again, channeling all his strength into a single, sustained effort.
With a screeching protest of metal, the refrigerator lifted free of its sandy prison. Izuku's veins stood out like cords along his arms and neck as he hoisted the massive appliance. It weighed easily three hundred pounds, but he held it steady.
"Clear path!" he grunted, beginning the laborious journey across the sand.
Each step was a battle. Sweat poured down his face and back as he pushed his enhanced body to its limit. The refrigerator's jagged edges bit into his hands through Aries's wool straps, but he refused to falter.
Twenty agonizing meters later, he reached the final collection pile. With a roar that came from somewhere primal and deep, Izuku heaved the refrigerator onto the mountain of scrap metal.
It landed with a thunderous crash that echoed across the empty beach.
Silence fell. Izuku stood motionless, chest heaving, arms trembling from exertion.
Then, like silent fireworks, golden notifications blazed across his vision:
[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: Clear 25% of the trash from Takoba Beach.]
[OPTIONAL WORLD QUEST: A HERO'S HEART IS A JANITOR'S SOUL - COMPLETE!]
[Rewards Distributed!]
+1000 Attribute Points (AP)!
New Unique Title Gained: \[One Man's Trash\]!
1x \[Gacha Token (Rare)\] Acquired!
[TITLE: One Man's Trash]
EFFECT: Grants a passive +10% bonus to Strength when lifting heavy/awkward objects. Grants the passive skill \[Salvage\], allowing the user a small chance to find useful materials or items when searching through junk or debris.
A slow smile spread across Izuku's face as he read the rewards. One thousand attribute points would boost his progression dramatically.
"We did it." Izuku felt a genuine laugh bubble up from his chest. "I think I completed 25% of the beach cleaning."
Aries squealed and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did it! I knew you could!"
"We did it," Izuku corrected, returning the hug. "Couldn't have done it without you. Both of you," he added, looking over at his mother.
Inko approached more sedately, but her smile was just as bright. "I'm so proud of you, Izuku." She handed him a water bottle. "You've worked so hard."
Izuku drank deeply. With one thousand attribute points, he could finally rank up to D-Rank. The title would make future heavy lifting easier, potentially saving him time and effort. And the Rare Token—Lady Luck had favored him once before with Mysticism.
Perhaps she would smile on him again.
"Can we get ice cream to celebrate?" Aries asked, still clinging to his arm. "Please? I've been reading about this place called Thirty-One Flavors, and they have something called a banana split that has three different ice creams and—"
"Sure," Izuku interrupted, ruffling her hair. "Ice cream sounds good."
Inko laughed. "Let's go home and clean up first. We all smell like a junkyard."
As they gathered their things, Izuku looked back at the transformed beach. Sunlight glinted off the remaining metal piles, but beyond them stretched clean sand and clear water. The work wasn't complete, but they had reclaimed a significant portion of what was once beautiful.
"Hey." Aries nudged his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"
Izuku smiled, all calculation once more. "The future."