Chapter 4: Rockin’

Before he knew it, the spring term of class ended in a flash. It was now summer break, which meant Izuku had much more free time on his hands. Balancing his hectic schedule was beginning to wear on the young man, though he’d never complain about spending time with his close friends. Every chance he got, he was either training with All Might, sparring with Ojiro, or spending time with Katsumi. And now, with summer break finally upon him, he’d have even more time to spend with them.

However, as luck would have it, both All Might and Katsumi were tied up with their own commitments. All Might was called away on a “business trip” to America, while Katsumi was busy with a summer job her Mom **** her to get at her fashion studio. Even Ojiro had prior commitments with a martial arts tournament on the other side of Japan, thus leaving Izuku with an unexpected surplus of free time and no one to spend it with.

Determined not to let his newfound freedom go to waste, Izuku decided to make the most of it. Recently, All Might had gifted him a retro CD player for his birthday, claiming it was a relic from a golden era of music. Having not been tremendously interested in the subject before, Izuku was more than eager to dive into something new. So, eager to explore this piece of the past given to him by his mentor, he decided to head to the only place he could think of that could assist him in his journey through music. The mall. Perhaps he could find any physical media to pair with his new gadget there.

Izuku truthfully hadn’t visited the Musutafu Mall all that often, at least not until he started dating Katsumi. The tomboy hated shopping alone, so the young man performed his boyfriend duties by escorting her whenever she had a craving to browse the many wares. So when he arrived at the mall, he had a pang of longing for the girl who had become an integral part of his life. Regardless, he powered through, determined to make good use of his free time.

The mall was teeming with life, with families, friends, and couples enjoying their day out. Izuku meandered around various stores, savoring the change of pace from his usual routine. Eventually, he finally reached the music store, its entrance adorned with colorful posters of various bands and artists. Nostalgia for a time long passed hit him instantly as he stepped inside. Rows upon rows of CDs, vinyl records, and even cassettes filled the shelves. But what truly captured his attention wasn’t the wares but rather the distinct sound of a guitar being played, accompanied by a soft voice singing.

Intrigued, Izuku followed the music to its source. In the back of the music store was a small stage meant for customers to take instruments for a test drive, but what he discovered was more than just a sampling. There, he saw a short-haired girl dressed in punk attire strumming away at a guitar. Her fingers moved deftly over the strings, producing a beautiful melody that captivated Izuku. On top of that, he noticed two long cables connecting to the lobes of her ear in the shape of earphone jacks. The quirk nerd wondered just how they worked, but he couldn’t make himself say anything. He was that enthralled by her music.

He stood silently, mesmerized by the performance. The girl seemed lost in her music. Her eyes closed as she sang with heartfelt emotion. The notes she played resonated deeply within him, evoking a sense that made him truly appreciate music.

When the song ended, the girl opened her eyes and noticed Izuku standing there. Her eyes grew wide like a small startled animal and leapt up from her seated position. "Oh, crap. Uh, didn't see you there," she said, her voice carrying a mix of nervousness as she began to fiddle with her long earlobes.

Izuku quickly apologized, waving his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude. I just heard something, and… Your music is really good."

The girl relaxed a bit, though she still tried to maintain a standoffish demeanor. "Uh, thanks, I guess." She placed the guitar down gently and turned to face him fully, her expression guarded but curious. “Uhm, did you need something? Despite what it looks like, I actually do work here.”

Izuku scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit sheepish. "Well, actually, yes. I'm looking for some music. My mentor gave me this retro CD player for my birthday, and I thought I'd start a collection. Do you have any recommendations?"

Her eyes lit up with interest, and the guarded expression softened into a genuine smile. "CD player, huh? Those things are ancient. But that's pretty sick. Not many people have those anymore."

“Yeah… My mentor is a big fan of retro and classic things.” Izuku chuckled. “He even said that CDs were from the ‘Golden’ era of music.”

“Your mentor has some good taste. Late 90s into early 2000 music hits different, ya know?” The punk clerk nodded in approval. “Here, follow me.”

The girl led him to a section filled with classic rock and punk CDs, pulling out a few of her favorites. “If you’re looking for the good stuff, then in my opinion, you should pick these up. These bands are dope AF and have stood the test of time.”

Izuku watched as the girl animatedly talked about her favorite bands and music. There was something about it that reminded him about how enamored he was talking about heroes and quirks. It was like they were kindred spirits in a way. Dorks but for vastly different subjects. His Retcon agreed, if the slight pull from it could be trusted. However, he didn’t even know her name yet.

Waiting for a pause in her excited ramble, Izuku did what he should have done already. “By the way, I’m Izuku Midoriya. Thank you for showing me all of this. I didn’t realize there was so much to music.”

“Well.. duh.” The girl snorted, rolling her eyes. Then, not wanting to feel like a jerk, she finally added her own introduction. “Kyoka Jiro. So anything pop out to you, Green?”

Izuku thought about it for a moment longer and reached out and grabbed a few of the CDs Jiro had raved about. “I think I’ll start with these. After hearing how passionate you were about them, I just have to hear them now.”

Jiro’s face turned a shade of red at the mention of her ‘passion.’ “I, uh, yeah… Good choice.”

Awkwardly, the store clerk ushered her customer toward the check-out counter and began to ring him up for his purchases. But just before Izuku could pay for his new collection of CDs, Jiro made a suggestion.

“Actually…” Izuku watched as the girl fiddled with one of his new CDs. “We could… maybe listen to them a bit before you buy them.” Izuku’s brow raised at the suggestion, but before he could say anything, Jiro hurriedly spat out some extra context. “So that you know what you’re getting! You’re literally just taking my word for it. You should at least hear them before you buy on a whim!”

The sudden outburst made Izuku inwardly chuckle. It made sense. “I trust your opinion, Jiro, but if it makes you happy, sure, I have nowhere else to be.”

Jiro stammered for a second. “I-It’s not about me! I just… ugh.. Follow me…”

The duo returned to the stage where they first met. There, Jiro fiddled with the sound system until it began playing one of the CDs Izuku was about to buy. As the tracks began to play punk-rock music, Jiro gestured toward a couple of bean-bag chairs off to the side. He joined her in sitting on the squishy seat and lounged as they listened to the music. Izuku felt himself fall into the rhythms and bounce a foot to the beat. Every once in a while, he would take a glance at his companion and watch as she smiled and silently mouthed every lyric and air-guitared every strum. She wasn’t kidding when she said she knew this music by heart. Once again, Izuku felt endeared by his new friend.

“You’re not going to get in trouble by doing this, are you?” Izuku eventually asked out of worry. He didn’t want to get his new friend in trouble.

“Nah, it’s cool.” The punk-rocker denied, still rocking to the music. “This place gets slow as fuck around this time.”

The girl then covered her mouth in worry as she went against her training and cursed in front of a customer.

Izuku snorted and laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard far worse.”

Jiro blushed and fiddled with her earlobes again. “T-Thanks, Green.”

The two went back to listening to the music, though this time partaking in some idle chatter as well. While they did, Izuku learned a bit more about his new friend. Kyoka Jiro came from a family of musicians and had been learning and appreciating the entertainment medium ever since she was young. As such, she knew and appreciated just about every genre he could think of, though classic and punk rock were clearly her favorite. When asked about whether she wanted to be a professional musician, the girl clammed up.

“Nah, it’s just a hobby. I want to be…” Jiro’s words ground to a halt as she seemed to grow embarrassed. Flustered, she attempted to change the subject. “Y-you said you had a mentor earlier. What’s that all about?”

Izuku quickly understood that she was trying to deflect, but he went along with it for her sake. “Oh, I’ve been training for the UA Exams next year. My dream is to be a great hero like All Might one day.”

Kyoka’s eyes went wide. “You too!” She blurted out, accidentally revealing her dream to the boy. “I-I mean, yeah, that makes sense. With a body like that, you've got the hero look down."

“T-Thanks.” Izuku blushed slightly at the compliment, though he didn’t want to let the words she blurted out slide by unnoticed. “So you also want to be a hero?”

Jiro sighed as her expression became complicated. "Kinda. Being a hero is pretty rockin’, you know. Saving people and bringing smiles. Shits cool. But I doubt I’d get into somewhere like UA. All I’m good at is music, and that’s not going to help with that."

Izuku's brows furrowed. Recalling motivational speeches from All Might, he couldn’t let those comments slide. "I don’t think that’s true at all. Music has more in common with Heroing than you think.”

Jiro wasn’t convinced. “How so?”

“Well, you just said it yourself. Heroes bring smiles and save people's hearts, but music can do the same thing.” Izuku gave her a warm smile. “It sure as heck made me smile when I heard yours. You’re already on your way to being a hero, Kyoka Jiro."

“I-” Jiro swallowed the words she was about to argue with. He was right, even if she didn’t want to believe it. How in the world does this cute hunk just come in here and support her like this? It wasn’t fair. “You’re a good guy, Green. I think I needed to hear that.” Jiro paused and took a deep breath, "I’m going to be a Hero."

Izuku’s smile grew wide. “That’s the spirit, Jiro! I’ll do whatever I can to help you do just that.”

Kyoka chuckled. “Can you go back in time and give me this pep talk sooner? Like seriously, the exam is in like six months. I’m so not ready.”

When Izuku looked at her puzzled, she elaborated. “I’m not exactly the picture of a powerful heroine. I don’t think I’ve worn my exercise clothes in months. Not to mention, I haven’t done anything with my quirk. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Before he could comment on her joining him for workouts and training, Izuku felt a familiar sensation as his reality editing quirk began to stir. He recognized the connection that the two now shared. He could Retcon her now, and he wondered if he could help her somehow. 'I don’t really know what her quirk is, though I might be able to guess. So maybe I can do something to boost her confidence or her physical capabilities,' he thought, carefully considering his options.

‘Or… What if she had been training with me this whole time?' Izuku wondered. ‘I’ve gained so much more strength and confidence ever since I started my One for All Training with All Might. I was going to offer for her to join me anyway, so doing what she said and ‘going back in time’ may be the exact thing I could do!’

Deciding to focus on their history together, with a deep breath, he let his quirk subtly weave its influence, rewriting their past so that this exact conversation happened months ago. It wasn’t the first time he’d rewritten history, but it was the first time that he purposely included himself in the retcon.

As the changes settled, Jiro's posture became more confident, her frame slightly more muscular, and her overall physical condition improved. Even the conversation flowed more naturally as if they’d known each other for far longer than they did.

"Yo Earth to Green. Answer my question." Jiro said, her voice more confident yet still had her usual snark.

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that, Jiro?” Izuku asked, shaking his head off the cobwebs from the retcon.

“First off, didn’t I tell you to call me Kyoka?” The punk girl frowned. “We’ve known each other for months, and you’re like one of my closest friends, dude. Hell, you and your bullshit training regimen are the only reason I even think I could get into UA. So you better call me by my first name or something like you call ‘Kacchan.’”

“Ah, sorry. J-Kyoka…” The man stuttered, shocked by just how close they became. She even knew the name of his girlfriend who he knows he never brought up in their previous conversation. “But you know that’s not true. You’d get into UA with or without me. You’re a natural Hero.”

“Damn you Green…” Kyoka heavily blushed before muttering under her breath. “Damn that Blonde for snatching him up.”

“What was that?” Izuku asked, not catching what the girl said.

“N-nothing.” Kyoka deflected, aiming to get back to her original question. "L-like I was saying, What did you think of the album I picked out for you?”

Blinking, Izuku searched his memories and found that his music collection was vastly larger than before. Thanks to Kyoka’s influence, no doubt. Even now, the album the two were hanging out and listening to was much different than before. It wasn’t even rock anymore. She had long since started to introduce him to more variety after they bulldozed their way through her favorites.

“Ah, yeah. It’s great.” Izuku answered, thinking about the tune they were listening to. “You know how I’m a sucker for a good saxophone solo.”

“I remembered you did!” The girl lit up, excited that her friend appreciated her choice. “This band has a knack for mixing their more 80s-style synthwave with jazz. Not my usual wheelhouse, but it’s a bop.”

Once again, the punk rocker talked Izuku’s ear off about the genre and other bands that were related to the one he liked. All the while, Izuku marveled over how much closer they were and how different Kyoka was. Although her work t-shirt covered her up, Izuku could see that his efforts in training with her were bearing fruit by how much more in shape she was. She was starting to approach where Katsumi once was, though he doubted anyone could keep up with his girlfriend's work ethic. Even more noticeable was how much more positive she was in regard to becoming a hero. Self-deprecation jokes aside, the girl had no doubts she could get into UA now after spending this much effort improving herself. After his last blunder, Izuku was quite proud of how he used his retcon on her.

The two talked a bit more about various bands, but eventually, the sight of another customer drew Kyoka’s attention.

“Uhg, sorry Green. Work calls.” Kyoka sighed as she regretfully began to get up from her beanbag chair.

Izuku nodded, happy to leave things as they were. He’d accomplished his goal and so much more. “No worries, I need to head out anyway.”

As they got up and began to say their farewells, Kyoka fiddled with her earphone jacks and asked her dear friend about a topic that’s been hot on her mind: “So, uhm. When are we going to hang out somewhere that’s not training or at my job? I swear it’s all working out with you, Green."

Izuku laughed, feeling a warm sense of friendship. "Whenever you want! We can plan something fun soon. Maybe go to the movies or just hang out at a café."

Kyoka's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she looked away slightly. "That sounds nice. Just let me know when you're free."

Izuku nodded, making a mental note to set up a non-training hangout soon. "Will do. It'll be nice to just relax together for a change."

Kyoka smiled, the blush still lingering on her cheeks. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Smiling along, Izuku looked at the time and realized that it was rapidly getting close to dinner time. With a wave, Izuku continued on his way home, feeling more relaxed and content than he had in a while. Partly due to not messing up a Retcon this time around. Everything had gone exactly how he wanted it to. He had made another new friend and potentially helped her along her path to becoming a hero. It was a good day off.

As he walked away, Kyoka watched him go, her heart fluttering slightly. 'God, he’s such a hunk… If only I got to him first,' she thought, a small smile playing on her lips. She then shook her head of the daydream and focused on the guest standing before her. Once the guest purchased her headphones and left, she let out the largest sigh. ‘No way I could do that… I’m not rockin’ enough for him. If only…’

**********

AN: Howdy Howdy! We met our resident songbird, Kyoka! I hope you liked my characterization of her and her newfound connection with Izuku. Who doesn't like it when someone hot shows interest in you, your dreams, and your hobbies? She does seem to have some self-image issues with herself, so hopefully, our boy can break her out of that. Next time we spend a bit more time with the Bakugo family and make some drastic changes along the way...

As always, thank you all for reading, and be sure to check us out on my Discord for behind-the-scenes looks at all my writing. Lastly, a special thanks to Zephyr0F8 for beta-ing this chapter!