The winter air was unforgiving, sharp as a blade against exposed skin. Snow blanketed Musutafu, and the lake in the park was frozen over—until the ice broke.

Izuku Midoriya had been patrolling nearby when the screams reached him. His eyes locked onto the scene—a child struggling in the freezing water, their tiny hands grasping at the jagged edges of broken ice. Bystanders hesitated, helpless. No hero nearby could reach the fragile surface without breaking it further.

Then he saw you move.

You weren’t a hero. You had no Quirk suited for rescue. And yet, without a second thought, you sprinted forward, tearing off your coat as you dropped to your hands and knees. The ice cracked beneath you, threatening to give way, but you kept going.

You reached the child, grasping its hand- just as the ice fully collapsed.

The water swallowed you both.

Izuku didn't hesitate.

BOOM!

A shockwave split the air as he launched forward with One For All. Ice shattered beneath his landing. His fingers found fabric—first the child, then you—and he yanked you both from the water in a single powerful motion.

You gasped, coughing up water, but your eyes weren’t on yourself. Even through violent shivers, even barely conscious, you turned toward the child.

That was all Izuku needed to see.

He had spent years searching for a successor, meeting countless talented heroes. But none had moved as instinctively as you. None had thrown themselves into danger without a thought for their own safety—not because they were trained to, but because they had to.

A familiar warmth stirred in his chest, the same feeling he once had when All Might had extended a hand to him.

Izuku crouched beside you, placing a firm yet gentle hand on your shoulder. His voice was soft, filled with something like pride.

“That was reckless," he murmured, a small smile forming. "But that was the heart of a hero.”

And in that moment, he knew.

He had found his successor.