The SUV and the moving truck convoy had been traveling along the long expressway for a good few hours. Eventually, they took an exit to visit a rest stop. As soon as the Midoriya family's SUV parked, everyone got out of the car.
"Restroom..." Grandpa Midoriya muttered gruffly as he left immediately.
"Okay, be careful, dear~," Grandma Midoriya responded with a soft smile to her husband. She then looked back to the others behind her front-row passenger seat. "Inko, Chisa-chan, do you want to visit the convenience store for some snacks?"
"Yes, mother, I would like that," Inko replied. Meanwhile, Chisa didn't say anything but nodded her head in excitement at the prospect of getting some snacks.
All three of them were about to get out of the car when Inko realized something... Izuku hadn't said anything since the beginning of the trip! She promptly looked back at the back row seat and found Izuku using his personal laptop and headphones, seemingly engrossed in whatever was on his screen.
"Izuku...?" She tried calling him, but he either didn't hear her because of his headphones or was too focused on what he was watching. "Izuku? Can you hear me?"
She kept calling him, but he didn't respond, still focusing on his laptop. Eventually, Inko opened up the middle row seat that blocked the way to the back row seat (which still didn't faze Izuku) and tapped his shoulder. "Izuku?"
"Wah!?" Izuku suddenly jolted from the unexpected tap on his shoulder. He then realized it was his mother, looking at him with concern. "M-mom?! W-what's wrong...?"
"Izuku... we are currently at a rest stop..." Inko said to him, her voice filled with concern as she thought Izuku hadn't been paying attention during the trip.
"R-rest stop? What is that...?" He echoed back, sounding more confused by the term itself than by their current situation.
"Izuku... you didn't hear the explanation I gave you and Chisa, did you?" she replied accusingly. "I told you both it's a resting area for long journeys. We decided to take one right now."
She briefly explained their previous plan, though he still seemed indifferent to it.
"I-I see..." he said, trying to sound understanding, but his eyes slowly drifted back toward his laptop screen, as if too preoccupied with whatever he was watching.
"Izuku...?" Inko's curiosity deepened, wondering what had him so focused. She tapped his shoulder again, earning another yelp of surprise. "Izuku, what are you watching...?"
"W-what am I watching...?" Izuku was somewhat taken aback by her sudden question. He averted his head slightly, unsure how to answer, though his eyes flicked toward the box beside him—the box filled with his dad's tokusatsu superhero show collection. Inko noticed this...!
"Izuku...! Are you watching your dad's tokusatsu videos?" she asked, not just with curiosity but also with a hint of hope.
"Y-yeah..."
"Oh, Izuku...!" Inko was quite happy to hear that her son had started watching his late father's tokusatsu superhero shows. She had thought Izuku wouldn't be interested or might even be repulsed by anything related to heroism. But it seemed these shows helped him out of his brooding as he was quite engrossed in them now.
"How is it? Is it interesting?" she asked again with curiosity, wanting to know if her son was actually enjoying the very stuff her late husband had been so into.
"Y-yeah... it's... interesting..." he replied nervously, still averting her sudden warm gaze.
"I see," Inko said with a small smile of understanding. It meant that her son was starting to come out of his shell. She hoped Izuku would now recover his previously lost hopes and belief in the superheroes that help protect their society. "Well then... continue on, honey. Just remember to stay hydrated, okay?"
"Y-yes, mom." Izuku frantically nodded, a small smile etched on his face, happy that his mother was allowing him to continue watching these tokusatsu shows.
"Well then, Chisa, your grandma, and I will pick out some snacks for the road, so just enjoy your show. Okay, sweetheart?"
"Yes, mom!" Izuku frantically nodded again, which earned a giggle from Inko as she closed the middle row seat, allowing Izuku to have some privacy to continue his binge-watching.
As she left the car, she approached the two other female members of the Midoriya family, who had been waiting for her... and Izuku.
"Hmm? Where's Izuku-chan, dear?" Grandma Midoriya asked Inko.
"Oniichan...?" Chisa was also confused about why Izuku did not come along with her mother.
"Oh! Izuku is currently preoccupied with the thing I gave him earlier this morning," Inko answered their confusion.
"Hmm? Ohh, I see, I see," Grandma Midoriya had a look of understanding as she realized what Inko was talking about.
"Hmm?" Chisa was still confused about what the two adults were talking about regarding her older brother. However, it seemed to her that whatever it was, he was fine since both her mother and grandmother weren't panicking like they had been before when he ran away from home.
The three of them went about their business at the rest stop, while Izuku stayed in the car, continuing to immerse himself in this new world of tokusatsu media entertainment.
Soon after, all of them, including Grandpa Midoriya, returned to the car, leaving the rest area alongside the moving truck trailing behind them, and continued their journey to Aso Prefecture, where the Midoriya grandparents lived.
Meanwhile, Izuku remained in the back seat, continuing his binge-watching on his laptop.
<| X | >
A few hours later, Inko felt a tug on her clothes. She looked to her side and saw Chisa with a rather downcast expression.
"Mom, I'm hungry..." Chisa murmured to her mother.
"Ah! Yes, dear!" Inko realized it was already past noon, which meant it was the right time for lunch. "Father, Mother, should we stop for lunch?" she asked her in-laws in the front row seats.
"Hmm..." Grandpa Midoriya grumbled in response.
"My, it is already past noon, isn't it?" Grandma Midoriya glanced at her own watch. "We should head to the nearest rest stop again, dear," she suggested to her husband, who was behind the wheel.
"Hmm..." He grumbled again, but she seemed to understand that he was agreeing with her as she showed a soft smile to her husband.
They soon made an exit from the expressway and into the rest stop area. As soon as they parked, all of the Midoriyas got out of the car... except for Izuku. Again.
Inko noticed this before she got out, looking back at the back row seat where Izuku sat quietly with his laptop on his lap, still engrossed in his tokusatsu shows. "Izuku..."
Inko started to worry that Izuku was becoming a bit too absorbed in these new superhero shows. She was conflicted about whether to scold him for staring at his laptop for almost half of their journey or let him continue watching as a temporary coping mechanism.
She knew he was grieving deeply, having not only found out he was quirkless but also lost his father—her husband... She herself was still grappling with lingering regret over Hisashi's passing but was trying her best to move on. It was a blessing that both of Hisashi's parents—her in-laws—were such kind and understanding people.
But still, Inko thought that Izuku needed a break from his binge-watching. As his mother, she knew he should be hungry by now. Without saying anything, she opened up the middle row seat to access the back row. Again, Izuku was not fazed at all by the opening sound of the middle row seat, preferring to focus on his laptop. With a light tap on his shoulder, Izuku jolted out of his almost hyper focus!
"M-mom?!" Izuku cried out in surprise as he realized it was his mother who had tapped him.
"Izuku, young man," she raised her voice slightly, making him flinch, expecting to be scolded. "Take a break from your shows. We are having lunch."
She spoke sternly, noticing how reluctant he was to be separated from his laptop and his new tokusatsu shows. But as his mother, Inko needed to ensure he had his daily meals for a growing boy.
"Y-yes, mom!" He quickly folded his laptop, removed his headphones, and stored them in his bag... along with the box containing his late father's tokusatsu show collection... then also brought the bag with him in person.
"Why are you bringing your backpack...?" Inko inquired with equal parts curiosity and concern. Did he not want to be separated from his laptop—from his newfound obsession?
"I want to ask for a battery recharge..." he mumbled, flustered that he was so attached to his laptop... or, to be precise, his new tokusatsu superhero shows. Inko couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Izuku finally got out of the car along with Inko as the two of them approached the waiting Midoriya grandparents and Chisa, who were near the entrance of the family restaurant.
She watched him closely, still worried about his growing obsession. As she saw how attached he was to the bag that contained his new obsession, doubt crept into her mind.
Should she continue letting Izuku immerse himself in this new world, or should she step in and set some boundaries...?