His eyes moved upward, trying to fathom why she should be jealous of his hair. He'd never really thought about it, other than hairdressers sighing in annoyance at his curls.

"Wow, and I only left junior high. Though it definitely felt like entering a new world. People actually talking to me... I didn't know what to do with that for a while. I was just happy to have friends. My class is pretty great." It was kind of a relief to talk with someone who knew what it was like to not have friends.

He was used to people doubting him, and doubting himself, so he had an answer ready:

"Yes. It was hard at first, but I'm really starting to. Aizawa-sensei isn't the type to waste time on people with no potential. He even says so." He winced slightly. It was harsh! "I figured out a way to be effective without hurting myself. Just jumping into things and throwing caution to the wind isn't going to cut it if I'm going to be a Pro Hero. I have to be more dependable than that."

If for nothing else than for the sake of his poor mother, who always looked like she was about to have a heart attack any time Midoriya mentioned being in combat, even in training.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have even passed the test for my license."