When Izuku had first stepped off the train and arrived at the gates of UA, he still couldn't believe he was really attending the school. In any capacity. Scanning his ID at the gate really solidified this new stage in life. He was verified! Sure, he was one of the hundreds of students who had the same clearance, but it was still something!

The building was even larger than he had imagined. A person twice his size could walk without worrying about bumping into something. Unfortunately, that same size almost saw him late to his homeroom class. There he was rewarded with the sight of amazing people with Quirks he had never thought to exist. Probably. There was a high chance he had written about a power similar to the ones of his new classmates.

Yet that wasn't even the highlight of his day. That had to be the entrance ceremony where Present Mic himself welcomed everyone to the school. Not only that, but a group called the Big Three was announced too. First, there was the blonde hero named Lemillion. He reminded Izuku of All Might in a way, especially with his declaration to save over a million people. With him was an eccentric girl calling herself Nejire Chan and she was literally flying around as she introduced herself. The last of the three showed off far less than his companions, sticking only to introducing himself as the hero, Suneater.

It was amazing just to see the small display that the heroes put on for the first day at school. He couldn't wait to see what their teachers had in store for them!

That energy was exactly what he brought back into homeroom class with him, complete with a beaming smile that he couldn't wipe off his face. Better yet, he was sitting right in front of his teacher, Power Loader. Sure, the hero had one of the less flashy costumes, what with only his orange hair sticking out from his yellow mask, but those gloves hiding his claws was a treat to see. Maybe Izuku would make something like it.

"I see you lot are still excited from Mic's speech. Can't blame you kids, but don't expect all of us teachers to be so energetic in our classes. Today especially. The most you'll get is a syllabus." The hero pulled out a remote and the board behind him showed off a myriad of costumes and gadgets. "I teach Design, but am also your homeroom teacher for the year. Behind me are some of the many costumes and gadgets I've whipped up in the very same Developmental Studio that you'll be working in come next week. So get ready and be warned," he eyed the multitude of students, lingering on the more excited-looking of the bunch, "I don't tolerate messing around in the workshop. You're in there to work, not have fun. Spend too much time off task and I'll ban you from the studio and you'll fail the class."

Izuku went rigid at that. He had already worked so hard, how could he afford to lose his one chance at helping out to save lives? Messing around in the studio would be a no-go then. Only work would be done there. That he could make sure of.

~ Line Break ~

His other classes went just as Power Loader had said; they got an introduction and a syllabus. Okay, so maybe Izuku had his expectations set a bit high for a school taught by heroes. Though he supposed that for the first day at school, he shouldn't have expected to be doing something amazing. At least, not in the support department.

On the other hand, he had heard at lunch that class 1-A had skipped the entrance ceremony for some fitness test. For some reason, people were surprised that all of them passed the test. But wouldn't they all be able to pass the test if they got into the hero course? It was an odd piece of gossip that got around the cafeteria, then got inflamed when the topic of discussion actually walked into the room. Dropping dead silent wasn't the best way to welcome students tired from a test. At least some reveled in the attention.

There was only one thing that Izuku really gleaned from lunch: Katsuki was in the hero course. It should have been obvious, but he needed that confirmation. He also may have pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Turns out, no, he wasn't. He just lucked out that the blonde didn't notice him.

After that, he had one more class for the day, namely Design. Now, he may seem scared (because he was), but he was also excited. He was going to be one step closer to helping save people. Sure, there were a lot more steps before he would really know that whatever he created would help save people, but he would get there in time. Hopefully.

When he entered the classroom, there were tablets on each desk and his teacher was swiping away on another one. The hero didn't even dignify him with a glance, so he meekly took his seat. "Um, Mister Power Loader, what are these for?" he stuttered out.

"They'll be for the class. I'll explain when everyone gets here."

And so, Izuku waited. Ten minutes passed and only half the seats were filled. Were people ditching class? Who would ditch class at UA? Someone crazy, that was the only reasonable answer.

"Looks like everyone is here," the teacher sighed.

Everyone? But there were only ten people!

"Half of you actually signed up for Design, I'm surprised. Usually, the turnout's a bit smaller." Oh, now that made a bit more sense. Design wasn't a mandatory class. Of course, it wasn't. "As you can see, each of you has a tablet in front of you. They are yours to keep for as long as you take this class, but if they get damaged or lost, you'll have to pay for a replacement."

"But, sir, there's more right there," a random boy pointed out.

"So? Just because we have more doesn't mean you aren't responsible. UA is entrusting these to you, but we don't have endless funds." He paused, waiting for someone to raise their hand again. When no one did, he continued, "These tablets will be where you design every potential project you do. You won't be allowed into the studio until you have a design in here. Got it?"

This time, Izuku raised his hand. "What if we, uh, sketch our designs somewhere else?"

"That's fine. Just port it over and I'll be able to grade you."

"Grade?"

"What else am I going to grade you on? Not all of you are cut out to be making stuff every week, so preliminary and final designs will supplement most of your grade." A grin spread across the visible half of his face. "Speaking of which, your first grade will be a design. You have to draw up a tool. Any kind of tool. The only limits are our technology and it can't be lethal. Any questions?"

Mei shot out of her seat. "How soon can I turn this in?"

"Starting tomorrow and until next Monday. That's your window." The pink-haired girl groaned. "You with the brown hair."

"How are we being graded? Is it based on intricacy, detail, or something else?"

"I'll be looking for good ideas first and foremost, something realistic, tangible. Other than that, I need details. How does it work, what does it run on, what is each part supposed to do, and so on. For this one, I'll lower my expectations, but when I teach you something, I expect you to start implementing it where possible." He waited a few seconds. "If there are no more questions, you have the rest of the period to work on your design or fiddle with your new tablet."

~ Line Break ~

The next day went much the same as the first for the support department. Classes went on with the beginnings of simple notes and lectures, but the most exciting moments were all the gossip being shared at lunch. Most of those bits of information came from the hero course, which was no surprise to Izuku, though it was slightly disappointing.

He came to UA to help people, just like everyone else. He didn't want to just hear about how far the real hero candidates would be doing. Their shadow had already been cast over the rest of the school. Katsuki's shadow was already cast over him. Izuku could barely do anything worthy of notice, he just didn't want to still be in the shadows. Surely he wasn't just going to be a wallflower or a grease monkey.

Maybe one day. One day he'll be able to sit and bask in the praise.

Today was not that day. It wouldn't be for years.

Instead, it was time for the Analysis class. It was a small class, even smaller than the Design class. About five people were taking it, including him.

Mei wasn't in it, so no one he knew was there. Not that he talked to Mei in Design or any of their other classes. It was just nice to see someone he knew. It was a small comfort.

Then the teacher walked in.

Of all the teachers that Izuku had seen so far, each one had stuck out in their own way. Midnight was infamous for her dubious sexual persona and she brought it into the classroom. Ectoplasm was one of many heroes who looked inhuman because of their Quirk, what with only a black dome appearing out of a large trench coat.

Their Analysis teacher was Hound Dog. As one could guess, he looked like a dog. Except he wore a trench coat, befitting his nature as a detective. He wasn't a hero that struck fear in the hearts of people nor one that inspired hope just by showing up. He was more of a behind-the-scenes guy that you'd see on the news in passing. Overall, not the most intimidating teacher.

But Izuku learned that he had a tail. That wagged. Hound Dog's tail stuck out of the folds of his coat and wagged. Frankly, it was adorable.

"Hello, class." The man ruffed too. Oh, it was too cute. "I am Hound Dog and I'll be teaching you all about investigations and solving cases. Unfortunately, since I have duties as the school counselor, we'll only be meeting once a week."

So their teacher was basically a licensed therapy dog. This day was great.

"You may not be licensed as heroes, but our job is very important. Without us, many people would be left in trafficking rings, cartels would continue to thrive, and villains would begin to get together in hideouts. We stop threats before they can happen. The heroes you see in the hero course stop crime as they happen. Understand?"

Izuku raised his hand. "How are we going to do that? Just analyzing villains won't be enough to figure out if they're working for some organization. We barely learn the full extent of a villain's Quirk from their fights, so it should be nearly impossible to glean much more."

"An excellent question," the man's tail wagged faster, "By the time you graduate, you'll be licensed detectives. That means you'll be conducting investigations to find out more. We get hints from fights, yes. But the big heroes can't leave the spotlight for long, so it's our duty to solve the mysteries. Good question," he looked down, "Midoriya."

The green-haired boy beamed.

"Sir, what else are we going to do?" Another student asked, "Surely we won't just be acting as detectives."

Now, the teacher's tail slowed down. "We also give reports to officers and the government. Essentially company paperwork." He scratched one of his floppy ears. "Sadly, there aren't too many opportunities that this class will give you alone. But if you're taking Design with Power Loader or Medical Training with Recovery Girl, then many more paths will open up to you. So think of this class as supplementary to the others. It'll help you advance past your peers."

And then they got started with their first case. A small one, but one that Izuku remembered seeing on the news. Solved by none other than the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead.

~ Line Break ~

As the week went by, Izuku found a schedule that suited him. Much of it allowed for free time so he could doodle or catch up on the news, but he was always able to keep up with his homework.

There was still one thing on his mind. It was driving him mad.

What would he design?

He had dozens of ideas, but there were literally no expectations. The only thing stopping him is lethality. Though he would never purposefully make anything lethal, if it blew up then it wasn't his fault. Not entirely at least.

So he may have picked up that very bad habit from Mei. Sue him. He wasn't trained properly. His teacher was borderline insane with her inventions.

Which brought him to a quiet Friday night at his desk. Opened in front of him were the design tablet and his sketchbook. Nothing caught his eye though. It was all too specialized. Katsuki's costume was for Katsuki. The zoom-enhancing goggles didn't really work well unless the person's Quirk enhanced their sight. And on top of that, he had sketched upgrades of Mei's technology. He couldn't take credit for that, it was Mei's ideas originally.

So he would have to come up with something new.

A/N: Slow updates because I write what I have an itch for.