"Reaching Out With One Small Act of Kindness Can Change A Life."
This obviously applied to the series but this is more of a prevention measure for potential villains being discussed amongst characters like the hill scene between Ochako and Izuku. Prevention methods like these do exist irl in America for example but it might be different in Japan. Probably not to the wests level since mental health isn't treated very well over there but whatever here's the excerpt. It's from a League becomes hero au where Mustard and Toga were both saved. Mustard's irl name is Kinta Osore btw:
She was speaking softly now, her hands shivering despite the warm weather. Kinta glanced over at her, "I didn't think I'd see you ever again," Himiko admitted. "Not after...everything."
He knew what she meant, but kept quiet, clutching his mask taught in his hand. The abusive mother and father, their little girl who had done them so wrong by having a quirk that she hated more than anything. Kinta thought as he looked out into the field below that he hadn't seen her use it through the whole exercise. Maybe that was the reason she failed the license exam on the first go.
"Two years, I think," Himiko brushed a lock of her hair behind her head.
"Just about," Kinta said mutedly. He watched how she was almost nervous, like the squealing creature throwing her arms around him a few hours earlier was being replaced by something else.
Her eyes met his as she looked over her shoulder. Himiko seemed to consider something, "I wanted to thank you."
"...Um...for w-"
"For being my friend in middle school."
"Oh. You're...You're welcome."
Himiko watched him, then she took a seat next to Kinta and looked at him with an intensity he wasn't expecting. "I think you might have saved my life, Kinta-Kun."
There was no sarcasm, no joke, no hint of humor behind that line. She was being completely honest. Kinta felt something catch in his throat and he had to turn away. Don't cry, don't cry, cryings for girls.
"How's...that?" Kinta asked.
"Being...my friend. I'm not sure, it's...well, just being there and knowing me and...stuff, like how I felt at the time behind the mask I wore...it's hard to explain."
"I see..." He hesitated. Himiko turned to him, having picked up on that hesitation.
"You don't-" she paused and started stroking her hair. "You can be honest with me. I won't be mad or...laugh."
It was all the permission he needed, "You saved me too. I was...uh...really mad at the world and I hated myself and...all that crap. I think you were the first real friend I had, as pathetic as that sounds."
She raised an eyebrow and Kinta cringed, thinking he'd said something wrong. "That's not pathetic. You were bullied, right? Something like that can really hurt."
Oh boy did it.
"Oh, um...sorry."
"For what?"
"I dunno."
She stared at him, "Well, thank you, again. I...had help from other people, a whole lot of people, but you were the first if that makes any sense."
He nodded, "It's um...kind of been the same for me. My aunt took me in and she taught me how to really speak to people and stuff. Y'know, I still think about how um...um..." Why was he admitting all of this? "She told me that as far as anyone was concerned, I was her boy. I think I really um...uh...needed to hear that. At the time."
Himiko nodded, "Yeah, yeah...I have all these new friends and my awesome teachers. Everyone's so nice and...I think just like such small things like being nice and stuff, it really helps. It's why I wanted to become a hero, so I can reach out to people like myself and say, "Hey you're not alone.""
He wanted to tell her how different his life would have been without her, but only managed to say, "That's...That's real good of you."
Himiko smiled, "Thank you, Kinta-Kun."
Posted Sep 30, 2026, 3:46 AM UTC