It had been two days since Izuku Midoriya handled the Magician crisis. As he sat down for breakfast, he noticed that the amok feather he had brought to Master Fu was now sealed inside some kind of mystical jar.
"Is there really no other way to get rid of it, Master Fu?" Izuku asked worriedly, uneasy at the thought of the amok somehow escaping.
Master Fu shook his head. "I'm afraid only the Ladybug Miraculous can purify the feather's negative effects. No other Miraculous can de-evilize it."
"So it's finally time, Master Fu," Wayzz said. "Time to choose new wielders for the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses. Didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Nooroo looked down sadly. "So it's really that time already…"
"Why the sad face, Nooroo?" Izuku asked, noticing the unusual expression on his kwami's face.
"Well, I was fortunate enough to escape being used as a weapon by a villain," Nooroo answered quietly, "but Duusu is still missing, and she's probably suffering through the same thing I almost did."
"It's truly concerning that the Peacock Miraculous was damaged," Master Fu said, remembering how his own recklessness and impatience years ago had caused it.
"Don't worry. We'll find her and stop Vainastro from abusing her," Izuku reassured him, gently patting Nooroo on the head.
Master Fu carefully put the jar away, hoping there would be no incidents before the future wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous could de-evilize the feather. Then his expression brightened slightly as he remembered something.
"Oh, right. School starts tomorrow, Izuku. Are you ready?"
Izuku's eyes widened in realization. "Shoot! I still need school supplies! Are there any supply stores nearby, Master Fu?!"
Master Fu chuckled. "Rest assured, I'll prepare everything for you. You're still not familiar with Paris yet. For now, you should rest… or do whatever you want. Hero work, perhaps."
"I guess," Izuku said with a nervous laugh as he lifted his glass of orange juice. "Though lately it's just been low-level criminals the police can handle. I don't want to replace their jobs. I still remember Officer Raincomprix warning me not to let vigilantism get the better of me. Maybe I should just explore the city for a while."
Nooroo giggled teasingly. "Seeing someone, master?"
Izuku immediately choked on his drink and spat it out, his face turning bright red. "Nooroo!"
"Whoops!" Nooroo laughed before quickly retreating into the Miracle Box.
Wang Fu chuckled softly. "Nooroo has always been mischievous, second only to Plagg. It's nice seeing the two of you so close."
Izuku sighed helplessly. "He really is. Tomorrow… tomorrow's the start of middle school. It's kind of unfortunate that I have to repeat it, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"Yes, it is unfortunate," Wang Fu admitted. "But at least now you'll have the chance to make proper friends. From what you've told me about your past, you never really had anyone close to you. I hope that changes once you start attending class."
Izuku smiled faintly. "Yeah… I hope so too."
—
Taking a break from hero work, Izuku spent his free time exploring Paris in a simple dark green hoodie, trying to familiarize himself with the city's layout so he wouldn't get lost. It was very different from jumping across rooftops for quick travel. As he glanced at one of the billboards, Adrien Agreste's face appeared once again.
"He's really everywhere," Izuku commented. "Have you met him before, Nooroo?"
"Well, when I was temporarily in servitude to Gabriel Agreste, I briefly saw his son," Nooroo answered from beneath Izuku's hoodie. "That's about it. Though compared to all the advertisements about him… he didn't really smile that much in person. He seemed more… sad. I could be wrong, though."
"I guess being a model doesn't really let you live a normal life," Izuku muttered before shaking his head. "Anyway, where should we go? Maybe the Eiffel Tower again?"
"I suppose so. It is your favorite spot, master."
Izuku chuckled. "Yeah… I guess it is."
After walking for quite some time, he stopped at the Jardins du Trocadéro, panting heavily. He mentally noted that he seriously needed more exercise whenever he had free time. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance, he was about to continue walking when—
"Woah! Woah! Woah!"
A girl on roller skates suddenly crashed into him, sending both of them tumbling onto the ground. Izuku groaned before looking at the stranger sprawled beside him.
She had short crimson-red hair that curved outward at the ends, part of it tied into a small ponytail beneath a black cap. Her bright blue eyes were wide with embarrassment, yet still full of energy and mischief. She wore a black skating outfit accented with neon yellow-green patterns along the sleeves, along with fingerless gloves. In her hands was a black helmet she had somehow managed not to drop.
Despite the rough collision, she gave him a sheepish smile.
"Uh… sorry about that."
Izuku quickly stood up and helped her to her feet. "No, it's fine. I should've been paying attention too. Are you okay?"
The girl laughed awkwardly. "That should be my question, dude. My brakes suddenly decided they weren't friends with me anymore." She dusted the dirt off her clothes before offering her hand. "My name's Alix Kubdel. What's yours?"
"Oh! Uh… Izuku Midoriya." Izuku shook her hand awkwardly, trying to stay composed despite the fact that she was only the second girl he had really talked to.
Alix pulled her hand back. "Izuku Midoriya, huh? So you're Japanese. What brings you to Paris? Tourism?"
"Actually, I transferred here after… my parents died. I live with my grandfather now, so I'll be going to school here starting tomorrow." Izuku paused, struggling to remember the name. "I think it was called… Dupont or something."
"Oh! So you were one of the three students who enrolled at the last minute!" Alix pointed out, confusing Izuku even more. "That means we're gonna be classmates. I go there too."
"Oh, nice," Izuku replied with a nervous laugh, not expecting to meet a classmate already. He briefly wondered who the other late enrollees were, but decided not to think too much about it.
"So what brings you here?" Alix asked curiously. "Heading to the Eiffel Tower before the big first day tomorrow?"
"Kind of. I'm still not used to the city's layout, so I was heading there because it… somehow calms me down," Izuku admitted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"Seriously? That's weird. In a good way, though." Alix grinned. "I can come with you. If you're okay with that, of course."
"O-Oh! No, that'd be nice!" Izuku stammered, caught off guard by the invitation. "I just hope I'm not bothering you."
Alix chuckled as she put her helmet back on. "Nah, it's fine. I was getting bored anyway. Been here for ten minutes trying to beat my skating record." She skated ahead slightly before turning back toward him. "Come on! Let's go!"
"What a strange girl…" Izuku muttered to himself as he heard Nooroo's muffled laughter beneath his hoodie before following after Alix.
—
On the way to the Eiffel Tower, Izuku and Alix spent their time casually talking and getting to know each other better. Hiding the truth of his impossible origins, Izuku explained that he came from Japan, a country fascinated with heroes, but that his family had recently passed away. He added that he was now living with his grandfather, Wang Fu, a relative he never even knew existed before. It was a lie, but it was believable enough for a proper background story.
In return, Alix explained that she was just an ordinary girl whose father and older brother worked at the Louvre Museum. The mention of it made Izuku subtly jolt, considering he had only been there the previous night. Thankfully, Alix didn't seem to notice his reaction.
Eventually, the two finally arrived at the Eiffel Tower. Crowds of tourists and civilians filled the area, which was unsurprising given how famous the landmark was.
Izuku looked up at the massive structure and chuckled nervously to himself.
"And I could just run all the way to the top easily as Mightyfly…"
"Hm? Did you say something, Izuku?" Alix asked, not quite catching what he muttered.
Izuku quickly shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something else. Like… being nervous for school tomorrow."
Alix giggled before lightly punching his shoulder playfully. "You'll be fine, new guy. Most people there aren't bad… except for one. Pro tip: avoid Chloé Bourgeois."
"Why?" Izuku asked curiously. "Is she trouble?"
Alix sighed dramatically. "You could say that. She's a bully, and she never faces consequences because her dad's the mayor of Paris. You can probably put two and two together."
"I see… a bully," Izuku murmured quietly.
For a brief moment, memories of Kacchan flashed through his mind—his childhood friend who eventually became his tormentor because he was Quirkless. Even then, Izuku still admired Bakugo's strength and determination, just not the way he treated others.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said.
Honestly, Izuku would rather avoid trouble altogether, especially if Chloé's father held that much influence. Even if she truly was a terrible person, opposing her could easily backfire on him. From the sound of it alone, she seemed incredibly spoiled, and he hadn't even met her yet.
"Hey! Watch it!" a woman suddenly shouted after someone bumped into her.
A mugger came sprinting through the crowd, clutching the woman's stolen purse.
"Hey! Give me back my purse!"
Izuku instinctively prepared to move, ready to stop the thief himself, but before he could act, someone suddenly stuck out a leg. The mugger immediately tripped over it and slammed face-first onto the ground.
Izuku blinked in surprise as he looked at the person responsible.
The figure was immediately familiar.
It was none other than Sebastian Keynes—better known to Izuku as Sparrow. His right arm was wrapped in a cast, most likely from the injuries he suffered during the Magician incident two days ago. Honestly, Izuku was more surprised that a broken arm seemed to be the worst injury he had walked away with after that fight.
Sebastian casually picked up the purse with his left hand and returned it to the woman.
"Here you go, ma'am."
"Thank you, young man," the woman said gratefully.
Sebastian then pulled out a pair of handcuffs and secured the groaning mugger to a nearby bench for the police before finally turning toward Izuku and Alix.
"Yo, Izuku!" he greeted casually. "How's it going?"
Izuku sighed tiredly. "Never better, I guess."