Chapter Eleven: Silent Resonance
The whisper stayed with Izuku long after he returned to the dorms. It was fleeting, faint, and utterly incomprehensible, but it lingered in his chest like a forgotten melody. As he sat at his desk, staring at the pendant now resting in his palm, he couldn't help but feel like he was standing on the edge of something vast and unknowable.
The forge was alive. That much he was certain of now. But what did it want? And more importantly, why had it chosen him?
His thoughts spiraled until a knock at the door startled him.
"Izuku?" a soft voice called from the other side. It was Momo.
Quickly shoving the pendant back under his shirt, Izuku stood and opened the door, finding Momo standing there with her usual composed demeanor, though her hands fidgeted slightly at her sides. She held a small tray with tea and snacks, her eyes scanning his face with quiet concern.
"Yaoyorozu-san," he said, stepping back to let her in. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"I should be asking you that," she replied gently, setting the tray down on his desk. "You've seemed… distant lately. I know you said it's nothing, but I thought maybe some tea might help you relax."
The warmth in her voice made Izuku's chest tighten. He wasn't used to people noticing when he was struggling—not like this, not with such care. "T-thank you," he stammered, his cheeks flushing. "You didn't have to do this."
"I wanted to," she said simply, sitting down in the chair beside his. "You've been working so hard, and I know how much you put on yourself. It's admirable, but it isn't sustainable, Midoriya-san. Even heroes need help sometimes."
Her words struck a chord deep within him, and for a moment, he considered telling her everything—the forge, the pendant, the strange power that seemed to be shaping his life. But as much as he trusted her, the words caught in his throat. How could he explain something he barely understood himself?
Instead, he offered a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Yaoyorozu-san. I'll try to keep that in mind."
She studied him for a moment, her dark eyes searching his face, before nodding. "Good. And please, call me Momo."
Izuku's heart skipped a beat. "O-okay. Then you can call me Izuku."
Momo's lips curled into a soft smile, and the warmth in her expression made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as alone as he thought.
---
The next day, Izuku and Mei dove back into their work on the Harmony Suit. The lab was bustling as always, with Mei's enthusiastic chatter filling the air as she darted from one workstation to the next. Momo had joined them once again, her calm presence providing a steady counterbalance to Mei's boundless energy.
"I've been running simulations on the stabilizer module," Momo said, her voice thoughtful as she reviewed the data on her tablet. "It's holding up well under most conditions, but there's a slight energy fluctuation when the output exceeds 80%. We'll need to address that."
"Good catch," Izuku said, leaning over to look at her screen. "Maybe we can add a feedback loop to regulate the flow. That should help keep it stable."
Mei popped up beside them, her goggles pushed up onto her forehead. "Or we could just supercharge it and see what happens! Sometimes you've gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, right?"
Izuku and Momo exchanged a look, and Momo sighed with a small smile. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Hatsume-san, I think we should prioritize safety for now."
"Boo, boring," Mei teased, though her grin never wavered. "Fine, fine, we'll do it your way. But I'm still keeping my supercharge idea on the table!"
As the three of them worked, Izuku found himself relaxing into the familiar rhythm of collaboration. Mei's creativity, Momo's precision, his own analytical approach—it all came together in a way that felt almost effortless, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
But even as they made progress, the whisper from the forge lingered in the back of his mind, a quiet reminder of the mysteries he had yet to unravel.
---
That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Izuku found himself walking through the U.A. campus. The quiet of the evening was a stark contrast to the chaotic energy of the workshop, and he welcomed the chance to clear his head.
He didn't expect to run into someone else.
"Midoriya!" Mei's voice called out, and he turned to see her jogging toward him, her goggles hanging around her neck and her usual grin plastered across her face.
"Hatsume-san?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing out here?"
"Looking for you, duh!" she said, stopping in front of him and planting her hands on her hips. "You left the lab before I could show you my latest idea!"
Izuku blinked. "Oh, sorry. I just needed some air. What's your idea?"
Mei's grin widened, and she held up a small device that looked like a cross between a watch and a circuit board. "Ta-da! Portable energy stabilizer! It's still a prototype, but I think it could work as a personal backup for the Harmony Suit. What do you think?"
Izuku examined the device, his mind already racing with possibilities. "This is… incredible, Hatsume-san. You really don't stop, do you?"
"Nope!" she said proudly. "But hey, neither do you. That's why we make such a good team, right?"
Her words caught him off guard, and he felt his face heat up. "Y-yeah, I guess so."
Mei's grin softened slightly, and for a moment, her usual boisterous energy seemed to quiet. "You're a good guy, Midoriya. I'm glad I get to work with you."
Izuku's heart skipped a beat, and he struggled to find the right words. "I—thank you, Hatsume-san. That means a lot."
"Call me Mei," she said with a wink, before turning and heading back toward the lab. "See you tomorrow, Midoriya!"
As he watched her go, Izuku couldn't help but smile. Between Mei and Momo, he felt like he was finally starting to find his place—not just as a hero-in-training, but as someone who could truly make a difference.
But even as the warmth of their friendships filled him, the forge's whisper echoed in his mind, a reminder that the shadows were still watching.
And Izuku knew that sooner or later, he would have to face them.
---
To be continued.