My Hero Academia: Heavenly Restriction

I stared at my screen in disbelief, adjusting my round glasses as the powerstone count hit 1200. 

"This... this can't be right." 

The numbers didn't lie though. Three bonus chapters. Three. I'd thought setting the milestone at 400 powerstones would be safe. Who'd invest that much time and energy into my little story? 

Apparently, everyone.

"So," I mumbled, chewing on my sleeve as I scrolled through the comments, "you really like Camie and Izuku together, huh?" A small smile tugged at my lips. "Can't blame you. The way she calls him 'Izu', how naturally they fit together..."

I glanced at my plot notes, scattered across my desk. There were other possibilities there - sketches of potential relationships, alternate paths. Rumi Usagiyama's fierceness would've made an interesting contrast to Izuku's calculated strength. Nejire's boundless curiosity could've sparked fascinating dynamics. And Momo... well, who wouldn't want a brilliant sugar momma who could literally create anything?

But the readers had spoken. Their investment in Camie and Izuku's relationship was clear as day.

"Who am I to argue with such dedicated readers?" I stretched, my joints popping after hours of writing. "A single female lead it is then. Though..." I grinned mischievously, "maybe I should raise the powerstone goal? 500 next time? 600?"

No, no. Keep your word, Wisteria.

I cracked my knuckles and pulled up a fresh document. 

"Time to give the people what they want." I began typing, the words flowing easily now. "Though I still can't believe you actually did it..."

======

April 1, 2226 - First Day at UA

"Izu, we're gonna be late!" Camie's voice carried up the stairs. "Your mom's already got breakfast ready!"

I scowled at my reflection, fingers tangled in silk. The tie refused to cooperate, twisting into shapes that definitely weren't regulation knots. "One minute!"

"That's what you said ten minutes ago." Her footsteps approached, accompanied by the soft swish of her skirt. "For someone who can throw people through walls, you're surprisingly bad at-" She paused in the doorway. "Oh honey."

The tie dangled in defeated loops. "I hate these things."

"C'mere." She crossed the room, batting my hands away. "Let me fix it before you strangle yourself."

Her fingers worked quickly, smoothing wrinkles and adjusting folds. Cherry blossom perfume lingered in the air between us. Up close, I noticed she'd done something different with her makeup - subtle gold shimmer at the corners of her eyes.

"There." She tugged the knot into place, hands lingering on my collar. "Perfect."

The camera click was almost inaudible. Almost.

"Mom."

"Pretend I'm not here." Mom lowered her phone, grinning. "Though while you are posed so nicely..."

"Instagram worthy moment." Camie's fingers traced down my lapels. "The young master look makes your followers weak."

"You've been reading my comments again."

"Someone has to manage your brand." She adjusted my collar one last time. "Now give me that smolder thing you do."

"I don't smolder."

"Sure you do. That whole intense brooding hero vibe." She demonstrated, lowering her chin and gazing up through her lashes. "Like that, but more murder-y."

Mom's camera clicked rapidly. "Oh, that's good. Camie-chan, lean in a bit more- perfect!"

"We're going to be late."

"Fashion waits for no one." Camie pulled me toward the window, where morning light streamed through cherry blossoms. "Besides, your mom's right. These are going to look amazing."

More clicks. "Now one with just Camie-chan!"

"Inko, you're too sweet." Camie struck a pose, peace sign and wink perfectly practiced. "Though we should probably get some of Izu too. For posterity."

"And his fan club."

"Mom!"

"What? A mother should support her son's admirers." She gestured to the window. "Now stand there and look heroic."

Twenty minutes and several hundred photos later, we finally escaped down the stairs. Mom followed, still snapping pictures.

"Don't forget your lunches! And text me when you get there! And-"

"We will!" Camie caught my hand, tugging me toward the door. "See you, Inko!"

"Make good choices!"

The door closed behind us, cherry blossoms dancing in the morning breeze. Camie's hand stayed in mine as we walked, our joined fingers swinging gently between us.

"You're doing the thing again."

She bumped my shoulder. "What thing?"

"The hand-swinging thing."

"Maybe I like swinging hands." Her grip tightened slightly. "Dad used to do this on our walks, back when..." She shrugged. "You know."

"Before he got busy."

"Yeah." She watched our shadows stretch ahead of us. "Funny how some habits stick."

I squeezed her fingers. "Good habits."

The train station hummed with morning commuters, most giving our UA uniforms respectful space. A few whispered behind their hands, phones discretely aimed our way.

"Hero course students," someone murmured. "Must be headed to UA."

"Both of them? In the same year?"

"Talk about power couple goals."

Camie preened slightly at the attention, while I focused on not tripping over my own feet. The platform was crowded with other students - some in UA uniforms, others bound for different schools.

"Twenty-five minutes." Camie checked her phone as we boarded. "Think that's enough time to scope out our competition?"

"They're classmates, not competition."

"Same thing." She claimed two seats by the window, pulling me down beside her. "Besides, aren't you curious? We're about to spend three years with these people."

I studied the other UA uniforms scattered throughout the car. Most looked as nervous as I felt, fidgeting with bags and phones.

"Wonder if any of them are in our class."

"Probably." Camie leaned against my shoulder, still holding my hand. "Think there'll be any cute guys?"

"Maybe. Should I be worried?"

"Nah. I should be." She traced patterns on my palm. "You've got that whole tall, dark, and dangerous thing going on. Very sexy. Very marketable."

"I thought it was brooding hero vibe."

"That too." Her head settled more comfortably against me. "Though right now you're more like a really intense teddy bear."

"I take offense to that."

"You really don't." She yawned, morning caffeine apparently wearing off. "Wake me when we get there?"

"Of course."

The train rocked gently as we crossed the city. Through the window, I watched Tokyo pass in a blur of steel and glass. Cherry blossoms dotted the scenery, pink confetti in the morning light.

Camie's breathing evened out, her hand still tangled with mine. In sleep, her carefully maintained image softened - just a girl in a school uniform, dreaming of heroes.

My girl, some possessive part of me whispered. I pushed the thought away.

The train announcement chimed - three stops to UA. Around us, students began gathering their things, excitement building in whispered conversations.

"Camie." I squeezed her hand. "Time to wake up."

She stirred, nuzzling closer. "Five more minutes."

"UA's waiting."

"Mm." Her eyes fluttered open. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

She sat up slowly, stretching like a cat. "How's my makeup?"

"Perfect." I stood, offering my hand. "Ready to be a hero?"

Her fingers slid into mine, warm and familiar. "Born ready."

I raced down UA's polished halls, Camie's hand still in mine. Our footsteps echoed off marble floors as we navigated the maze-like corridors. Three minutes until homeroom.

"1-A, 1-A..." Camie scanned the signs. "There!"

The massive door loomed before us, easily fifteen feet tall. A bold "1-A" marked our destination.

"Ready?" I asked.

Camie took a deep breath, though neither of us showed any strain from our sprint. "Born ready."

I slid the door open. Two students stood near the front - one with glasses gesturing emphatically at a spiky-haired blonde who had his feet propped on a desk.

"It's disrespectful to our upperclassmen who used these desks before us!" Glasses chopped his arms robotically.

"Like I give a shit about some extras who-" The blonde's eyes locked onto me. His scowl deepened. "Deku."

Glasses spun toward us, engine-like calves visible beneath his uniform pants. "You're nearly late! I'm Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy."

"Izuku Midoriya." I clasped his offered hand, noting the slight widening of his eyes at my grip strength. "No hard feelings about the entrance exam, man."

"I- yes, well..." His gaze caught on my emerald earrings. "Those aren't regulation-"

I released his hand and moved past him. Behind me, Camie had already drifted toward a group of girls, her voice carrying across the room.

"Your hair is literally goals. Like, the volume? Mad cute."

Near the back, I spotted a familiar face - the guy who'd sat next to me during the written exam. Manga Fukidashi's speech bubble head displayed "!!!" as he chatted with three other students - a blonde with a black lightning streak, a redhead with sharp teeth, and a tall guy with weird tape dispensers for elbows.

"Yo, Midoriya!" Manga waved me over. "Come meet the squad."

I crossed the room, exchanging fist bumps with each of them. The lightning-streak guy - Kaminari - launched into a story about nearly frying himself during the entrance exam. The redhead, Kirishima, kept interjecting with comments about how "manly" everything was.

"And then I was like, fully discharged." Kaminari demonstrated his 'whey' face, drawing laughs. "But I passed, so worth it, right?"

"Oh, it's you!"

I turned at the familiar voice. Uraraka stood there, brown hair framing her excited face.

"I never got to properly thank you after the exam!" She bounced on her toes. "That throw was amazing! How did you calculate the trajectory so perfectly? And carrying me while running - I must have been heavy but you made it look so easy!"

"Throw?" Kirishima leaned forward. "What throw?"

"He took down the zero-pointer!" Uraraka's hands moved animatedly. "Used my quirk to make this huge piece of concrete weightless, then just..." She mimed my discus throw. "Boom! Right in the robot's face!"

"Wait, that was you?" Kaminari's jaw dropped. "Dude, everyone on the ride home was talking about that! They said someone went full David versus Goliath on that thing!"

"It wasn't that impressive." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Just good timing and physics."

"Not impressive?" Manga's speech bubble displayed "?!?". "You yeeted a building at a giant robot!"

"While carrying an injured person to safety," Uraraka added. "Don't forget that part!"

More students drifted over, drawn by the conversation. Questions flew from all directions - about my training, my quirk, the exam. I answered carefully, watching Bakugo from the corner of my eye. His knuckles whitened against his desk.

"Alright, settle down." A bored voice cut through the chatter. A man in a sleeping bag stood in the doorway, dark hair falling across his face. "If you're here to socialize, you can leave. This is the hero course."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

Here we go.

The sleeping bag crumpled to the floor as our new teacher emerged like a butterfly from the world's most depressing cocoon. His movements were languid but precise, each step purposeful as he made his way to the podium.

I claimed an empty desk, noting the short kid with purple balls for hair in front of me and a tall girl with a sharp black ponytail behind. Camie slid into a seat next to me, already chatting with the girl next to her.

"Eight seconds to quiet down." He surveyed the room with bloodshot eyes. "That's eight seconds too many."

The silence deepened. Even Bakugo's perpetual scowl softened slightly.

"I'm Shota Aizawa. Your homeroom teacher." He reached into his sleeping bag, pulling out a bundle of blue and white fabric. "Everyone change into these and head to the P.E. grounds." His gaze fixed on me. "Except you, Midoriya. A word."

The fuck did I do?

Camie's eyebrows rose in question. I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral as our classmates filed out. Her fingers brushed my shoulder as she passed - a silent gesture of support.

The door slid shut, leaving me alone with Aizawa. He didn't speak immediately, studying me with the kind of focused attention that suggested he'd already compiled a detailed file on my capabilities.

"The faculty had an interesting discussion about you." He leaned against the podium. "All Might was particularly vocal."

I kept my face carefully blank. "Sir?"

"Drop the act, kid. I've read your file." A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Quirkless. Top scores in both written and practical exams. Multiple recommendations from pros who witnessed your beach cleanup project. And that thing with the zero-pointer..." He shook his head. "Impressive doesn't begin to cover it."

"Thank you, sir."

"That wasn't a compliment." His eyes narrowed. "It was an observation."

I met his gaze steadily. "So… what you want?"

"Hmph." He straightened, something shifting in his posture. "I'm planning to use today's exercise to assess everyone's potential. Show them exactly where they stand and what they need to improve."

Ah. "And you want to use me as an example."

"Sharp kid." He pulled out a juice pouch, stabbing the straw with more force than necessary. "Nothing motivates quite like watching someone with no quirk outperform those born with advantages. Question is - are you comfortable with your classmates knowing?"

The question hung in the air between us. I thought of Bakugo's face when I'd walked in, of the whispers that would follow once people knew.

"They'll find out eventually."

"Not necessarily." He sipped his juice thoughtfully. "Your file is classified. Only faculty have access. As far as anyone knows, you could have some subtle enhancement quirk."

"That feels like lying."

"It's called privacy." Another sip. "Though I notice you didn't actually answer my question."

I smiled slightly. "You're right. I didn't."

His eyes crinkled at the corners - not quite a smile, but close. "Let me be more direct then. Will you help me light a fire under your classmates' asses?"

"By showing them what's possible without a quirk?"

"By showing them that power isn't everything." He crushed the empty juice pouch. "That skill, strategy, and pure determination can overcome natural advantages."

Like you've been proving your whole life, a voice whispered. Like you proved at the beach.

"I'm in." I stood straighter. "Though you should know - I don't plan on holding back."

"Good." Now he did smile, sharp and predatory. "Neither do I."