Lost in the Fog

An Average Saturday

The leadup to the Sports Festival was grueling for both hero classes. Class A and B both understood why, especially why Izuku was in charge of the new training methods. They pushed them beyond anything they had done before, and were preparing them for the future. However, there wasn't much time left. The weekend before the actual festival, Izuku went back to his home. It was standard routine at this point, since his mother had still refused move to campus. Why she didn't want to didn't make sense to the greenette. He was a target, UA students had become targets, after that USJ incident. Sadako stayed on campus, in order to help those who had questions, and to relax with people her age. As he approached the apartment, the greenette couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. It's just about the sports festival on Monday. That is all. He approached his mother's door. He didn't want to just teleport inside. Better to save mental fatigue for the day he'd need it most. Besides, even though he kept it on him, he made sure to not have it visible. He'd acquired a jacket from the support department that could hide it easily, while being able to be accessed at any point. It was a great change, and necessary for the months to come. He knocked on the door, and he heard Inko call out, "Just a moment!"

It was then that the door opened. She was happy to see him, and of course he was happy to see her. After a long, meaningful hug, Inko led him inside. She took his jacket for him, and asked as they entered the living room. "So, how have things been for you?"

Smiling, he elaborated. He honestly shouldn't be talking about this... but he couldn't lie to his mother. "It's been good. We had training with Class A and Class B. Things are all on track. I am a little on edge because of the sports festival next week... but I'm sure that's just nerves. I've never been one for the spotlight..."

Inko, however, looked at him with an unusual reaffirmation. It was unusual that his mother wasn't worried for him... but chalked it up to being happy to see him after the week. "It will be amazing to see you there! Just, be careful, won't you?"
He smiled, determined to do his best. "Of course."

However, despite that, there was something, a gut feeling that something wasn't right... but Izuku pushed it down. He was at home with his mother, there shouldn't be any reason for concern...

The first clue was that the tea she offered had an off taste. Couldn't place it, but it was still decent. But that's all it was: decent. Inko's food and drinks were usually... spectacular. And that set off alarm bells. The real red flag was dinner.

It was a new tradition in the Midoriya household to have Katsudon every first night of Izuku's returns from UA's dorms. When she put down chicken katsu, instead, that caught him off guard. Alarm bells rang in his head, and now he knew something was up. This was a sacred promise that she was breaking, for daring to make something other than Katsudon. "Chicken Katsu? Not Katsudon?"
Clearly seeing that this was a red flag for Izuku, the green haired woman explained, "I wanted to make something different... you won't mind if I make that tomorrow, would you?"
"No..." He needed to think to himself, to understand what this... feeling of dread was. With few options, he used the excuse of: "I just need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
Smiling, he couldn't help but feel unnerved by her expression as she watched him leave. "Okay! Just know that dinner is waiting for you!"

Izuku went into the hall, and started to feel exhausted. This was different to normal exhaustion, this was targeted, and rapid. Like the effect of a perk, instead of a quirk. Why am I tired...?