Kumo

Chapter 7

The video of Izuku's flip gone wrong went viral. The only reason why he knew was because Mei was having a field day with it, and Aizawa mentioned it to Yamada in passing, muttering something about grey hairs and problem children.

Izuku sat on his bed, halfway dressed in his gear. He was scrolling through the comments on the post. Most of them seemed like they believed it was the real deal, while a few were skeptical. Some of them were calling him out for not using his "quirk", so how could they believe?

It was a fair point. One he would have to counter. Tonight, perhaps?

He pocketed the device and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head. He bent down and reached under the bed, pulling out his Kumo hoodie and slipping it on. He then unzipped the fanny pack he had on his side. He wanted to supply it with support items in the future, but for now it housed extra webbing vials.

He placed three in there before zipping it back up. He glanced at the closed closet where he kept the supplies for making them. He was almost out. He'd have to go shopping soon.

Izuku opened the window and slid out. He closed it until he could slip his fingers underneath. He would have closed it all the way, but it'd be a hassle to get it open again when he returned. The outside didn't have indents for fingers to grip.

Satisfied that he wasn't locked out, Izuku turned and ran into the night.

He went in the opposite direction he usually went. If he was going to be living here for the time being, he needed to learn the layout. As he passed by stores and restaurants, he noted the names and filed them away for later in the back of his mind. He'd add them to his notebook later.

Izuku strolled down the sidewalk. It was a quiet night so far, so he didn't feel the need to hide on the rooftops. It gave his joints a break too. Constantly leaping from roof to roof couldn't be good for them, if how they tended to crack in the morning was anything to go by. Maybe he needed to stretch. Maybe yoga? He filed that away for later as well.

He passed by another man walking in the opposite direction. He glanced up, then back at his phone. Izuku heard him gasp and stop walking. Normally, Izuku would have continued on his way but the man spoke up.

"Wait a minute," he said. "You're Kumo!"

Izuku stiffened and looked over his shoulder. "Wow. Still can't believe people recognize me."

The man took a short step forward. "If you don't mind me asking," he said, "what's your Quirk?"

Izuku's brain short-circuited. He blinked. "Ah. . ." He rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he could lie and say it was a spider related Quirk. Given his outfit and persona, it would only be logical to assume so.

Izuku internally groaned. It's only logical . I'm spending too much time around Aizawa-san.

Luckily--or unluckily, depending on how one read the situation--a scream saved him from answering the question. Both Izuku and the man turned in the direction. It was two blocks away.

Izuku turned to run, but the man behind him called out. "Wait, you didn't answer my question!"

Izuku's eye twitched under his mask in irritation. The man clearly heard the scream, couldn't he see that someone was in danger?

His brain and mouth betrayed him as he thought of the only thing the man wouldn't believe to throw him off. "I don't have one! Now I really have to go!"

He bolted down the sidewalk, turning corners sharply. He knew the general direction, but was unable to pinpoint where the victim was. He saw a cloaked figure zoom past him. That was most likely the culprit, but Izuku couldn't go after them. He had to find whoever they attacked.