Technical Support

Chapter 7

"Aya-chan!!!" Midoriya burst into the hospital room, accidentally slamming the doors open in the process. This earned him some heavy glares from a couple of nurses that were walking by.

"S-Sorry!!" He frantically bowed and then gently shut the door closed. He turned to look at his childhood friend, and it seemed like she was completely unfazed at his sudden appearance. As usual, she was tinkering with something.

Ayano sat up on the hospital bed, another one of her machines on her lap. She was poking and prodding it with her right hand, but her progress was incredibly slowed because her left hand was still impaired.

Seeing that she was completely normal other than her left arm, Midoriya began tearing up. "Aya-chaaaan..." She had been in the hospital for approximately three weeks now.

The first week, she was completely unconscious. The second week, the doctors and nurses wished to monitor her closely for any changes while she was awake, so Midoriya was unable to properly see her then as well. This third week, she was to be released soon so it was the first time that he was actually able to talk to her.

Her arm wasn't completely healed but it was significantly better. After repeated visits from Recovery Girl, Ayano made a much quicker recovery. Both the sling and cast were now removed, leaving only the bandages. Her arm, from mid-bicep to finger tips, was covered in the white cloth.

Upon hearing her friend's sniffling, she finally acknowledged his presence. "I'm glad to see that you're...okay..." She began speaking before looking at him but as she turned her head to face him, her speech slowed and hesitated.

The green-haired boy was too busy using his sleeve to rapidly wipe at his eyes to notice that Ayano was looking him up and down. She was observing him, analyzing him, for something out of place.

After finally having calmed down, Midoriya composed himself enough to realize that Ayano was just staring at him. It wasn't her usual impassive stare, but one coupled with a slight furrow to her brow. "Aya-chan...?" He prodded.

She responded by suddenly reaching out to him with her uninjured hand. She started feeling him all over, from his arms, to his chest, to his abdominals. "A-A-A-A-AYA-CHAN???"

Midoriya could feel the heat rapidly spreading over his cheeks. "B-B-But we're both so y-y-young! M-MaybeWeShouldWaitUntilWe'reAtLeastInHighSchoolBeforeDoingThingsLikeThis!" He spoke quickly, jumbling his words. His eyes were swirling and he was flailing his arms about, unsure what to do at his friend's sudden boldness.

Ayano completely ignored his statements. "You've been working out." It wasn't a question but a statement. Midoriya completely paused his flailing. "Y-You noticed...?"

He had only started his training with All Might a couple weeks ago, a couple days after the sludge incident. There was no obvious way to tell that he had been training, but Ayano had known him nearly all of their lives.

She was also one of the most observant people that he knew. If anybody was going to notice a change in him, it would be her.

He didn't have any significant muscles, but his body was just...tighter. He wasn't exactly flabby before, but he definitely didn't really work out too much. After feeling his body, Ayano had confirmed her suspicions.

Midoriya began feeling a bit nervous. She knew he was applying to U.A. so it wasn't unusual for him to be training, but he definitely couldn't tell her about his relationship with All Might no matter how much he wanted to. He hadn't even told his own mother!

Ayano scanned him over again. "You're overworking yourself." Another statement rather than a question. "E-Eh? N-No, I'm not! I'm fi—" "There are bags under your eyes." She stared him dead in the eyes and Midoriya could feel the cold sweat coming on.