Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hatsume Mei walking through the Cafeteria was a rather rare event.

This was not because the food was bad or anything, quite the opposite actually. Lunch Rush was a true master that always went above and beyond when it came to his chosen craft, something the young inventor deeply respected.

Eating food was just so damn inefficient when it came to providing her with the nutrients she needed!

Walking to the Cafeteria, waiting in line, eating and then having to rely on her poorly designed digestive tract to do its job, all took away precious time from the thing that truly mattered. The thing she had dedicated her life to.

Making lots and lots and lots of super cute, mega awesome BABIES!

So, Mei usually relied on the contents of her lunchbox for sustenance, which most of the time meant granola bars for lunch, unless her big sister got her something different.

The fact that she was here now despite viewing it as a big waste of time had a different reason.

A green haired, emerald eyed, freckled reason that she had trouble finding in this goddamn sea of students!

Very inconvenient considering she had an important mission.

Izuku was feeling really bad for some reason and the fact that Mei had been able to pick up on that was VERY worrying.

Dealing with feelings, and people in general to be honest, were additional things the pink haired teen preferred to avoid for similar reasons why she preferred eating her bland granola bars instead of Lunch Rush’s magnificent freshly prepared meals.

Which unfortunately left her woefully unprepared for what she intended to do.

“Think Mei think! The future Co-Founder of Hatsume Industries is feeling down! It was bound to happen eventually so the sooner you learn how to deal with it the better!” the young inventor mumbled to herself while continuing her search.

Her life would be so much easier now if she would know why her rival, friend and future employee was in this depression-like state in the first place.

It didn’t make any goddamn sense! He should be super happy right now! His hard work had paid off big time! How many people outside the hero course could claim to not only have won not one but BOTH of the first two events but also facing that recommended guy with the half-burned face and giving him a run for his money!?

Sure, Izuku lost that fight in the end but it was still a great success in her book.

This fight pretty much dominated the highlight reels of the whole event, meaning everyone got to see Izuku’s amazing gear in action.

And what AMAZING gear it had been!

Hatsume Mei does not give praise easily and his gear was definitely some of the best she had seen since coming to U.A.! She was pretty sure all the support companies worth their salt had Izuku on their radar now.

THEN WHY IS HE SULKING IN THIS CORNER OVER THERE INSTEAD OF BEING HAPPY?!

Quickly forgetting her quick flash of frustration, Mei immediately used her Quirk to confirm what she had seen from a safe distance.

Messy green hair? Check.

Diamond pattern of freckles on the cheeks? Check.

Dull eyed thousand-yard stare that looked like his will to live had evaporated like Power Loader Sensei’s Goldfish he kept in his office, when Mei’s microwave gun malfunctioned? Unfortunately, double check.

Identity confirmed.

Now what?

Mei again had no idea what to do.

She was really new to this whole cheering up friends business, hell having anything resembling friends or friendly rivals in the first place was uncharted territory for her.

“Stupid Izuku with his stupid irrational emotions! Why do I have to try and fix his stupid brain for him? I should just leave him alone. He’s going to get over whatever is bothering him eventually,” Mei thought.

Unfortunately, Mei remembered that this wasn’t an option.

Baby making time was at stake here because for SOME reason Powerloader Sensei gave ONLY Izuku a key for the workshop.

While Mei was really happy for Izuku, that he was honored with almost unlimited access to the Support Departments resources for after-school projects, the simple fact that she as the BEST student of class 1-H was excluded, annoyed her a teeny tiny bit. Also Power Loader Sensei explicitly said she wasn’t allowed to stay in the workshop unsupervised anymore.

This effectively made Izuku the gatekeeper of the workshop and in turn the person that decided whether baby making would be on the agenda on a given day or not.

Which was absolutely unfair! It was almost like Power Loader Sensei was trying to punish her for causing almost three times the workshop accidents in barely half a semester than there were last year.

If she just had a key of her own then she wouldn’t have to worry about this nonsense and leave Izuku to his nonsensical misery!

A sudden unpleasant feeling, like somebody suddenly dropping a lead weight in her stomach ripped her from this train of thought.

“What was that? Did I eat something bad? No, the feeling is gone now. Weird. This is getting nowhere! I am just gonna walk up there, sit down and delicately approach the topic to find out what’s wrong!” the self-proclaimed genius hyped herself up.

“OHH HEY IZUKU, WHAT A SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE! DO YOU MIND ME SITTING HERE FOR LUNCH?” Mei called out in a reasonable conversational volume. All the people around angrily staring at her all of a sudden were just easily startled and should probably invest in some earplugs if her perfectly normal speaking voice could startle them so much.

Izuku himself seemed to barely acknowledge her, only the faintest nod towards Mei signifying his consent in her sitting with him, which in turn made the gadget obsessed teen do so in the chair opposite of him.

The next few minutes had Mei practically inhaling the mountain of food piled up on her plate since she had to make the ‘coincident’ believable by doing what people are supposed to do in the Cafeteria. That and for some reason she felt really hungry. It was almost like it had been longer than a week since she last had a warm meal in school. Or was it two weeks? Mei really didn’t keep track of trivial things like that.

How could she have forgotten to eat lunch for two weeks straight? That hasn’t happened since she and Izuku became friends. He usually made sure to drag her away from whatever she was doing at the moment to ensure she would never miss more than one or two meals a week at most!

The unpleasant heavy feeling in her stomach returned with a vengeance when the implications started to sink in.

Izuku was a good friend. A really good friend. A friend that would ALWAYS, even if it was sometimes unappreciated, look out for others. The fact that he had forgotten to interrupt her work for lunch breaks was a very bad sign.

Faintly hoping to find evidence to the contrary, Mei took the time to look up at her classmate’s side of the table for the first time since sitting down.

His usually brilliant emerald eyes were dull and unmoving, seemingly fixated on the barely touched bowl of Katsudon he was lazily poking around in. The same kind of Katsudon, which just so happened to be his absolute favorite food in the world.

She really sucked at this whole looking out for your friend thing, didn’t she?

This short moment of introspection quickly made way for an intense feeling of panic and also nausea. Partly because of the heavy feeling of guilt in her stomach and partly because she just consumed double the recommended caloric intake of a person her size and age within a few short minutes.

The Panic, however, took precedence.

What was she supposed to do now? She was barely qualified to cheer up Izuku from a minor funk, so how in hell was she supposed to help him with what looked like a full-blown depressive episode?

It was already too late to abort her plan so she had now choice but to say something, ANYTHING in a faint hope it would convince him to stay after school. Once back in the workshop she would have ample opportunities to cheer him up. Building and tinkering never failed to cheer her up so it should help him too, right? Izuku loved to build stuff too, right?

“Sooooo you got any plans after school today Izuku? I had a few ideas for new babies to work on and I could use your help to…”

“I’m sorry Mei, I can’t stay in the workshop with you today,” the green haired boy interrupted her.

Mei immediately asked for the reason while scrambling internally to find an argument to convince him otherwise.

“I’m really sorry Mei, I know how much you like to work on your projects after school but I am simply not in the mood today. Maybe tomorrow we can…”

“That’s the same thing you said yesterday and the day before!” Hatsume interrupted with rising anger and desperation.

“Most of last week was the same story! And when you finally agree to open the workshop for me you barely do anything! We used to work so well together, exchanging ideas, checking each other’s inventions and generally having a good time building stuff! Something is clearly wrong, even I can tell it now. So please Izuku tell me what is going on, I can’t keep going like this!” Mei continued her outburst.

Izuku though was already starting to stand up seemingly unwilling to answer.

“Excuse me, are you Midoriya Izuku from Class 1-H?” a new voice suddenly inquired before Izuku had a chance to walk off.

Both support course students turned their heads towards the newcomer and Mei for her part was already grateful for the distraction.

The first thing the pink haired girl noticed about the girl that had approached them, was her rather impressive height. Followed by an even more impressive bust. Clearly that girl had to be an upperclassman since nobody younger could have such a stunning figure without growth hormones or Quirks involved.

Once Mei’s quick gaze reached the girl's face though, Mei started to think she had seen this girl before. The silky raven hair formed into a rather elaborate ponytail was also looking extremely familiar.

“Oh, I remember you know! You are the cheerleader from the Sports Festival!” the chaotic inventor exclaimed excitedly before Izuku was able to answer.

This realization also proved, that apparently girls her age could in fact grow to be that tall and curvy, which made Mei wonder what in hell the parents of this girl were feeding her. Although the involvement of growth hormones or Quirk nonsense was still a possibility.

“What!? I am not a cheerleader, I am from the hero course!” the girl answered clearly exasperated by the question.

“Then why were you in a cheerleader uniform?”

“Well… You see… We were...” the cheerleader tried to answer before letting out a heavy sigh followed by sagging her shoulders.

“Is that really all? Was my performance in the Festival so unremarkable and pathetic, that people only remember me for jumping around with pompoms and a miniskirt for a moment? Is that stupid prank the only reason I got any internship offers at all?” the girl said more to herself than to the support students she had approached.

“T-t-that’s not true! I-I-I remember you from the Cavalry Battle! Those items you s-s-summoned really made my life difficult. There was n-n-nothing I could do against that and if the time l-l-limit hadn’t run out when it did, then your team w-w-would have been able to take my headband!” Izuku stuttered out in hopes of lifting the hero course student’s spirit again.

Despite his stutter and uncontrollable nervous gestures, Mei noted that Izuku’s kind words were having the intended effect. How the hell was he so good at this?

“Thank you but I guess I brought this upon myself by failing to introduce myself. I am Yaoyorozu Momo, class representative of 1-A, pleased to make your acquaintance,” the girl introduced herself while bowing politely.

“P-p-pleased to meet you too. I-I-I am Midoriya Izuku and the g-g-girl with me is my classmate H-H-Hatsume Mei,” Izuku responded before Mei had the opportunity.

“I deeply apologize for interrupting your lunch break Midoriya-san but I have a request to make. You see, my lackluster performance during the Sports Festival revealed a few rather glaring weaknesses in my approach towards heroism. I am looking for help in expanding my arsenal and widening my horizons, so to speak, in hope of finding solutions to my problems. Power Loader Sensei unfortunately was not able to provide his assistance to me because of his numerous duties around school, so he referred me to you. He said you usually spend your time after school in the support workshop, working on personal projects and I would like to know if I could join you today. Of course, I will not hold it against you if you decline, since I can understand how inconvenient a request on such a short notice could be. Still, I am in dire need of assistance and you would have my gratitude, if you let me borrow some of your precious time,” the hero course student explained with a hopeful expression.

Mei herself was starting to feel hopeful too. This girl worded her request so eloquently and gracefully that even the most dismissive of fools would have trouble denying it. For someone with as strong a natural disposition to help people as Izuku it should be virtually impossible to say no. She NEEDED to learn the secrets of this girl. This power would make acquiring the materials for future babies way easier!

“Y-y-yeah sure I-I-I don’t mind, I’d be happy to h-h-help,” the freckled boy answered unsurprisingly.

Yaoyorozu for her part was elated and thanked the boy by bowing deeply to properly show her gratitude.

Mei decided to follow the example by taking off from her seat, glomping the taller girl and exclaiming in a perfectly reasonable volume: “HURRAY! BABY MAKING IS BACK ON THE AGENDA! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I AM GOING TO NAME MY FIRSTBORN TODAY AFTER YOU!”

After her perfectly normal display of gratitude Mei happily made her way out of the Cafeteria, being followed by the eyes of most of the surrounding students, leaving behind a flustered Yaoyorozu and an embarrassed Izuku, who was desperately trying to explain what Mei had meant as if it wasn’t already perfectly obvious.

The pink haired support student could now be at ease, knowing that the tall girl had come to the rescue. Mei could tell that this girl would make a great hero in the future, if she was already saving people in need! The hero student’s powers of persuasion would come in handy in the future if Izuku continued to deny after school workshops sessions again.

This was only a temporary solution at best Hatsume thought while feelings of worry started to creep back in again.

Izuku was clearly not fine. Mei was helpless on what to do about it but that hero course girl seemed competent. She said she was a class rep right? They are usually socially competent or at least very persuasive. That girl could be a valuable ally in fixing whatever was wrong with her hopefully future business partner, but for now Mei could do nothing but wait and see.

Walking the halls of U.A. still felt unreal to Yaoyorozu Momo. 

The greatest hero school of Japan, if not the whole world, which has helped to create All Might and countless other legendary heroes, was now her school too.

She still remembered the awe and excitement she felt when she first walked through these halls to her classroom. Now, though, she felt intimidated by the expectations that attending such a prestigious institution would bring. Recent events had led to her starting to seriously doubt whether she could live up to the high standards of heroism in general and U.A. in particular.

She knew of course that these feelings were ridiculous. She earned her place in U.A. through the recommendation process, which had an even lower rate of acceptance than the general entrance exam. Her test scores were perfect and her classmates had elected her to be their class representative, which still filled her with pride.

Her feelings unfortunately were not impressed by her reasoning and would direct her mind towards a few little details, which were not particularly conducive towards improving her morale. For instance, the fact that without her parent’s support getting through the recommendation process would have been impossible. From getting the recommendation in the first place to the significant resources provided to assist with her training, much of her success so far had only been possible because of them.

Likewise, her electoral victory could be attributed more to luck than anything Momo had done. After all she only won because just one person decided to vote for her instead of themselves.

The only things she truly could call her own were her defeats.

She knew the fight with Tokoyami-san had been an incredibly bad match-up for her. Pretty much every conceivable variable was stacked against her. His direct combat quirk versus her indirect support quirk, the lack of cover or preparation time and the very rules with the instant lose condition on a ring out. There had been no way for her to win this with the skills and knowledge she had at the time. She had been completely and utterly powerless to stop him.

That too did little to dissuade her feelings of doubt. Fighting and beating the odds to protect others lies very much at the core of being a hero, as Momo understands it. She had failed miserably at doing that and she was not sure if just three short years of training would be enough to change that.

This doubt was eating her up from the inside and she was just as powerless to stop it than she was at stopping Tokoyami-san’s dark shadow.

She could only hope that she would be able to find a way. A new idea or a new approach for the application of her quirk, might help her to cover for her weaknesses better. An outside perspective might be able to help her in this regard.

This hope is what had brought her to the workshop for the first years of the support course after school.

Was there a genuine chance for her to turn her situation around or was this the last desperate resort of a future dropout?

Only one way of finding out.

Entering the workshop Momo wondered for a moment where the person she was supposed to meet was before she heard his voice.

“MEI for the last time DON’T switch it on! That power cell is not supposed to be overclocked in that way!”

“Pfff that’s what you say every time I overclock any sort of power source. It’s gonna be fine! True progress requires taking the occasional risk!”

It appeared Midoriya-san was having a rather heated discussion with his classmate, Hatsume-san if she recalled correctly. She should announce her presence before…

“MEI NO!”

“MEI YES!”

That was about the last thing Momo remembered before a bright flash followed by a loud blast disoriented her. The projectile or debris hitting her next did the rest in knocking her off her feet.

Unpleasant as this experience was, the hero course student gratefully noted that she was neither dead nor in the process of dying. She was merely pinned from the chest downwards by an object and probably bruised in several areas, which was rather inconvenient considering the sparring session Aizawa Sensei had announced for tomorrow.

Opening her eyes and trying her best to ignore the smell of burnt plastic and metal, Yaoyorozu finally saw the mostly pink head of hair belonging to the person, not object, pinning her in place.

Hatsume shortly afterwards started to raise her head from between Momo’s breasts and seemingly realizing what had happened started to talk.

“Ohh hello! You’re the hero girl! When did you get here? Thanks for providing me with a soft landing there. The softest one I ever had actually! Guess you are on roll today, what with you saving the day for a second time!”

Momo herself did not process the entire fast string of sentences following afterwards because she was rather distracted by two things. One the relief over the fact that the pink haired girl was not seriously injured by the explosion and secondly by the relief her body felt, when said girl finally stood up and stopped applying pressure on the bruises, which were already forming thanks to this ordeal.

Thankfully she recovered quickly enough to get up by the time Midoriya-san had run up, to check on them.

“Well, I guess you were right this time Izuku”

“What do you mean this time?! Every time you try to overclock this type of power cell it blows up in your face! Why don’t you use a larger one if you really need more power? Or better test your prototype on lower outputs with smaller cells and work your way up when you know your idea works and is safe! Power Loader Sensei is preaching proper testing and safety procedures to you every day, so why do you keep pulling reckless stunts like this?!”

“Well firstly Sensei doesn’t let me use the bigger cells anymore since the accident last month. Secondly, I had to try and make up for lost time since someone had been canceling our regular sessions because he felt grumpy all of a sudden!”

That last response from Hatsume-san made Midoriya-san visibly wince and Momo was also starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable, since this felt like a private discussion she was not supposed to hear.

“Anyways, now that I am here you probably want to know what exactly I needed your assistance for,” Yaoyorozu tried to change the topic.

“I-I-I guess you wanted some new support gear or costume changes, r-r-right? I am n-n-not really sure what exactly you were expecting b-b-but we are just first years. Gear requests and costume changes are u-u-usually handled by Power Loader Sensei personally and h-h-he only hands these assignments to third years he trusts when he is unavailable, s-s-so…”

“Or he hands it to us, didn’t you hear her back in the Cafeteria? Sensei sent her straight to us! That means he trusts us to handle her equipment! Oh my god does that mean I can finally start taking on clients? This day is getting better and better! Now what do you need hero girl? I bet I already got a baby or two ready to get you covered,” Hatsume-san exclaimed as she interrupted Midoriya’s statement.

“Expanding my arsenal is part of it but by no means all of what I came here for today. Midoriya-san, Powerloader Sensei told me that you are quite gifted when it comes to analysis of Quirks and their application in combat. That and your rather impressive display in the Sports Festival made me hope you could give me some insight on how to improve my fighting style and the way I utilize my Quirk,” Momo explained.

Midoriya-san looked taken back by her explanation. The fact that he had received so much praise and trust from his teacher seemed to surprise the green haired support student. His attempts to stutter out a response to deny his usefulness in this endeavor, were promptly interrupted by a reassuring slap on his back by Hatsume-san, who promptly reaffirmed that there was no better person for the job.

Momo was a bit surprised herself. This meek and unassuming boy seemed like a completely different person than the one she encountered during the festival. He had seemed quite nervous back then too in between the contests. During the events though? The ferocity he had displayed there could easily make Bakugou-san seem well adjusted in comparison.

The fight with Todoroki-san, however, was what really stood out. Like most of the audience Momo had not been able to hear exactly what the boys were yelling at each other. It was abundantly clear though, that it had been something quite personal. Midoriya-san had fought like a berserker without even the tiniest regard for his own well-being. As hard as it may have been to watch, there was no denying that Midoriya-san had pushed Todoroki-san to his limits.

Midoriya-san may have lost in the end, but having pushed Todoroki-san to the brink of defeat, WITHOUT a powerful offensive Quirk of his own, was undeniable proof of his prowess in battle, which was why she had sought him out today.

At the very least her fear of having to deal with another Bakugou was definitely not coming to pass.

Momo let out a big breath of relief at that.

She should probably get everything back on track because it seemed Midoriya-san and Hatsume-san had descended into another discussion between each other, while she had been busy contemplating Midoriya-san’s nature.

“I know my request falls more into the métier of a professional Quirk analyst rather than a support technician, but I still humbly ask for your assistance. An outside perspective might just be what I need,” Momo reaffirmed her reason for joining the support students.

Thankfully Midoriya-san seemed to have finally accepted the unusual circumstances of her request and asked her for a quick summary of her Quirk and its capabilities.

Momo in turn, gave a conclusive explanation of her creation Quirk, while Midoriya-san diligently took notes in a notebook he had suddenly procured from somewhere in the blink of an eye.

“I thought your Quirk was a warping Quirk limited to inanimate objects but this is so much better! The possibilities are almost limitless! Even with all the Quirks out there I would have never thought that something miraculous like this could be possible! Tothinkthatsimplehumanbodyfatcouldbeconvertedintoanykindofmatterissofarbeyondanythingmodernsciencecouldeverdreamtoaccomplishifthemechanismbehinditcouldeverbeunderstoodhumanitycouldeasilyreachapostscarcity…” the boy started to mumble on in a sudden fit of excitement.

Momo was a bit startled by the green haired support student’s unexpected departure from reality so she turned her attention to the other girl in the room.

The pink haired girl seemed still coherent at the very least although she was staring wide eyed at Momo with a rather worryingly maniacal grin on her face.

Thankfully Hatsume-san had the courtesy of reassuring Momo that Midoriya-san’s mumbling was a common occurrence for the boy, since he apparently tended to lose himself in his thoughts whenever he was confronted with topics he finds very fascinating, like Quirks for instance.

Unfortunately for the raven-haired girl Hatsume quickly followed up with a wild flurry of questions, which all seemed to revolve around if Momo was willing to use her Quirk to supply Hatsume with increasingly hazardous materials for her projects.

While Momo was truly grateful for the support student’s willingness to help her, she doubted that repaying this kindness by providing Tritium and Deuterium for an unsanctioned fusion reactor would be a good idea.

Thankfully pointing out to the pink haired inventor, that the creation of hazardous materials would inevitably expose Momo to these substances and in turn harm her, was enough to dissuade any further requests of this particular kind.

Midoriya-san meanwhile appeared to have returned to reality and immediately took over for Hatsume-san, asking a sheer endless amount of questions.

As hard as it was for Momo to deal with the sudden outburst of enthusiasm of both support students, she could at least appreciate the fact that Midoriya-san asked questions connected to the task at hand.

After answering his queries regarding her fighting style, Midoriya-san shared his thoughts on the matter.

“Honestly I don’t think there is much wrong with your overall concept. The only reason it didn’t work out in the Festival was because you didn’t have enough time to properly use your Quirk. Until you learn to speed up your creation ability, using some premade items is the only thing you can realistically do.”

While Momo had hoped for an insight, which was a little bit more groundbreaking, she had to agree that this was a reasonable conclusion. One that she herself had internally discussed before.

“Now you're speaking my language! Anything in particular you want hero girl? I’ve got this crossbow with custom made darts that can be filled with a wide variety of chemical compounds. Explosives, tear gas or my very own Hatsume-brand instant-hardening foam, this baby is a real workhorse! Only drawback is that carrying all these darts around is a pain, literally if the containment seals fail, but that won’t matter for you since you can simply make all the ammunition you need in the field!” Hatsume-san rambled on while showing off said, thankfully unloaded, weapon.

“While I appreciate your generous offer, I was more interested in the equipment Midoriya-san used during the Sports Festival. In particular the powered gauntlets and boots looked really promising considering the mobility and mid-range combat potential they would provide,” Momo answered, earning her a disappointed pout from the rejected inventor.

“I-I-I don’t think that’s a g-g-good idea. While the concept w-w-worked a lot b-b-better than I hoped, I had to cut a lot of c-c-corners to actually finish them on time. They a-a-are deeply flawed designs a-a-as a result. Y-Y-You saw what happened w-w-when Todoroki used his…”

“Indeed, I saw it like everyone else. Please know that Todoroki-san is deeply sorry about what happened at the end of the match. He is still blaming himself and his ‘lackluster’ control over his flames, as he says, for ending the match in such an unpleasant fashion for you,” Momo interjected when she noticed how uncomfortable the topic seemed to be for Midoriya-san.

She couldn’t blame him for that.

The burns from the molten metal and plastic were still visible on his hands.

“Prototypes have the tendency to have flaws. Regardless, the potential of your creations is undeniable. More stopping power and mobility would be a great boon to me. I would be honored if you allowed me to participate in the redesign process,” Momo continued.

The last part surprised both support course students. Midoriya-san immediately tried to dissuade her from this, saying that he didn’t want to waste her valuable time with such a tedious and time-consuming endeavor.

Hatsume-san for her part genuinely asked if Momo knew anything about ‘baby making’, as she phrased it. After another quick clarification from Midoriya-san over what Hatsume-san actually meant, Momo explained that the requirements of her Quirk necessitated an in depth understanding of several fields of engineering and the material sciences. This knowledge should allow her to contribute, even if she was inexperienced in the design process itself.

“Wow. Guess that means someone got themself a client. I never would have thought you would get one before me, Izuku. I hope that finally proves to you that you did amazing in the Sports Festival! Well, I won’t keep you from working any longer. If you need me, I’ll be at my desk over there spending some quality time with my babies,” Hatsume-san said after giving Midoriya-san an encouraging slap on the back.

Midoriya-san himself still seemed a little bit unsure about the whole situation but he did start moving to get the blueprints for his gear and everything else he might need.

The rest of their after-school time quickly flew by while the three students were busy with their respective projects.

On her way home, in the car her parents had sent for her, Momo couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

While Midoriya-san was not at all what she had imagined him to be, he still had proved to be an intelligent and highly dependable support technician. His insights had been reasonable and working on the next iteration of his powered gauntlets had been rather enjoyable.

Said gauntlets themselves were quite impressive pieces of technology, as were their boot counterparts. While Midoriya-san insistently emphasized that most of the technology he used was based of U.A. training equipment he ‘jury rigged’ together, as he worded it, how well he adapted everything for his purposes was a testament of his skill.

The repulsors used to give his gauntlets ranged capabilities and enabling his boots to make those impressive leaps were apparently based on the very same mines used in the obstacle race of the Sports Festival!

This explains how he had been able to use these mines to win the first contest despite not carrying any support gear at the time. His intimate familiarity with the mines and their capabilities allowed him to launch himself to victory!

Momo was relieved that it wasn’t suicidal overconfidence or sheer desperation that had motivated him to do this. While this move had still been reckless, she couldn’t blame him from capitalizing on this fortunate windfall.

She couldn’t wait to find out what improvements her newfound friends in the support course would suggest for her costume during their next session together!

That is if her bruises allowed her to survive tomorrow's sparring session.

Chapter Text

Midoriya Izuku loved heroes.

Ever since that fateful day when he first watched the video of All Might’s debut, where he saved hundreds of people from a burning and collapsing building with a reassuring smile, his goals were set in stone.

Fate had other plans.

Earlier than most people Izuku had to learn, the hard way, that not all men are created equal.

Despite his lack of a Quirk and the subsequent hell that his school life devolved into at Aldera Junior High, he held onto that dream.

Kacchan insisted that someone as weak and useless as him could never be a hero. That his only purpose in life was to be a stepping stone for better people. He still continued doing every little thing he could to find a way.

Eventually he found a potential path.

Many Heroes relied on support items to better control their Quirks, enhance it or to compensate for weaknesses. Some of the ancient fictional Superheroes of the pre-Quirk era even were depicted relying solely on their gear, their wits and sheer determination. Maybe Izuku could do the same?

It was not an easy path.

Since he would have to make his gear himself, he would need to learn everything related to the craft of a support technician. This meant he had to go FAR beyond the curriculum of an ordinary middle schooler in the hard sciences. With an intensive workout regime on top of that he hoped he could get himself in good enough shape for U.A.’s entrance exam.

The Dagobah Municipal Beach had been a lucky find for his preparations. Not only was he able to salvage lots of material for his first attempts at making gear there, hauling all that trash around for disposal proved to be a decent workout too!

All Might always said that community service was the most underrated form of heroism.

Unfortunately, the powers that be did not remain idle and provided setback after setback.

The first big one happened on a day that should have been the happiest one of his life.

Getting saved by All Might AND getting his autograph was well worth being nearly suffocated by a sentient lump of sludge. All Might’s answer to Izuku’s question if he could be a Hero without a Quirk, on the other hand made him almost wish the villain had succeeded in taking his life.

It took Izuku more than a month to get back to his preparations after this blow. The knowledge that he was heading into uncharted territory was what allowed Izuku to proceed despite his Idol’s well meaning but soul crushing words.

The second big setback was the fact that U.A. refused to allow him to use his items during the entrance exam. Even though this turn of events was expected and his enrollment into U.A.’s support course was guaranteed, thanks to his excellent test scores, Izuku once again couldn’t shake the feeling that the Universe enjoyed toying with him.

The Sports Festival was his last shot. Every single moment of his free time had been dedicated to refining his equipment. This time he was sure he could do it because this time he was allowed to use his creations.

The results had been a mixed bag.

Sure, he won the obstacle race on his athleticism alone thanks to his daring ploy with the repulsor mines. Likewise, he won the cavalry battle, although barely thanks to the clock saving him and his team. The battle tournament is what had him really worried.

Todoroki Shoto was easily one of the strongest if not THE most powerful hero course student among the first years. Beating him would have been undeniable proof that Izuku could make it as a hero. The most frustrating fact was that he almost pulled it off IF he had just kept his damn temper in check.

Izuku should have just capitalized on his opponent’s weakness, when Todoroki’s overuse of his ice powers had caught up to him. Instead Izuku had the brilliant idea to go off on an angry rant.

He just couldn’t help himself. Izuku was used to being underestimated or outright disregarded but his opponent’s arrogant belief he could easily win with just HALF of his Quirk made Izuku explode. Even Kacchan wouldn’t disrespect an opponent by holding himself back like that!

Which of his anger-filled words made it through to Todoroki, Izuku didn’t know. What he did know though is that this sealed his fate. Once Todoroki used his fire the fight was over.

The power gauntlets Izuku had designed were ideal for brawling thanks to their sturdy armor and the repulsor coils in the palms allowed him to fire shockwaves at his opponents, giving him short to mid range capabilities. This came at the cost of insufficient heat insulation, an overtaxed coolant system and finally a volatile and very flammable energy source. In short, the perfect conditions for a critical failure of epic proportions once Todoroki’s flames hit.

The resulting explosion was the reason Izuku spent the rest of the Sports Festival comatose in the infirmary.

With this track record he was standing in a conference room before the judging eyes of the entire U.A. faculty.

“Well, I must say that your request has been most unexpected, Midoriya. Students of the support department are usually not asking to be switched to the hero course,” principal Nezu broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Well, I-I-I always wanted to be a H-H-Hero and worked really h-h-hard for it and I know that it’s going to b-b-be difficult but I thought that I-I-I could…”

“You are not transferring,” Eraserhead interrupted, earning him uncomfortable views from all the teachers present.

“I don’t have all day and sugarcoating it benefits no one. Congratulations on your performance. You exposed quite a few glaring shortcomings of my students that I will have them work on, for which I am grateful. Your requests though? Formally denied and that’s final,” the erasure hero continued.

“Why? I placed highest of all the students not in the hero course! How much more do you want from me to let me transfer? Is it just because I am quirkless?” Izuku asked desperately, trying to keep his rising frustration in check.

“Yes,” was the blunt response of Eraserhead earning him a lot of angry looks from his colleagues this time.

“With my equipment I was able to beat most of the hero course! Why would I still need a Quirk? There are no rules or laws anywhere stating a quirkless person can’t become a Hero! You yourself rely on support gear for most of your villain takedowns!” Izuku yelled at Aizawa with his composure quickly crumbling.

“Support items, unlike a well-trained Quirk, can be lost, broken or outright fail. Without my Quirk leveling the playing field I would have died early-on in my career. Hell, even with my Quirk, my Gear and all of my experience I almost certainly would have died in the USJ if reinforcements hadn’t arrived when they did. Heroics is a very dangerous career, kid. All the cards are stacked against you and not having a quirk to help even the odds is going to get you, or worse other people, killed. Hate me for it if you want to. I gladly take that if it means one less funeral,” Aizawa responded with a very intimidating glare aimed at Izuku.

“While I do greatly enjoy passionate philosophical debates, there are other issues than the concerns Eraserhead Sensei voiced in his blunt fashion,” the principal of undetermined species said before Izuku could try to keep said debate going.

“Midoriya, do you know the definition of a Hero? Not the colloquial one mind you but the legal one?” the principal inquired.

Izuku had heard or read this definition before but when the boy took too long to remember the principal continued.

“Heroes are specially licensed emergency response and law enforcement professionals, who in pursuit of their duties are permitted to use their Quirks. That’s the shortest and simplest way I would summarize all that legalese. The problem here is not the Quirks, since they are legally not a requirement as you pointed out. The hero license on the other hand IS strictly required and tell me who is responsible for granting these?” the principal asked.

“The Hero Public Safety Commission,” Izuku answered with a rising feeling of dread as he realized where this lecture was going.

“Exactly. The HPSC is the sole authority, which decides who is allowed to call themselves a Hero. Very unfortunately for you the HPSC is a deeply conservative institution, which has dedicated itself to maintain the current status quo by any means necessary. While said status quo does not explicitly prohibit the existence of quirkless Heroes, the lack of a precedent in this case will be reason enough for the HPSC to do everything they can to prevent it from happening. Even though I do not see eye to eye with them on many issues, I am still required by law to abide by their standards and guidelines. Defiance in this case would lead to drastic consequences for U.A. which I cannot allow. For me this is the main reason why I have to deny your request. This decision is final as Eraserhead said. I am sorry,” Nezu ended his sermon somberly.

At this Izuku opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of his bedroom.

He really envied people, who lost sleep because of scary nightmares.

Ever since the Sports Festival, Izuku regularly found himself back in the conference room during his sleep, living through losing his final chance of pursuing his dream again and again.

A quick look at the clock revealed that he had more than two hours until he had to get up and get ready for another pointless day in his pointless life.

Kacchan had been right. Everybody had been right. There was no way somebody as worthless as him would ever make a difference. Even people that cared for him like his own Mom didn’t believe in him.

What was he supposed to do now? All the things he told his Mom, that he had moved on, that he wanted to be a support tech now, had been lies.

Should he have taken Kacchan’s advice? A swan dive off Aldera's school roof certainly would have spared him all this trouble. It would have also absolutely devastated his Mom. Life had not been kind to her either since the divorce with his father. He couldn’t do that to her.

So, the only option left to him was to keep going through the motions.

At the very least the Universe was trying to keep things interesting.

Why one of the recommended hero students had come to him of all people for help, he would never understand. Yaoyorozu was already pretty amazing and had quite the knack for technology. She could probably design way better gear than him if she wanted to. Obviously, she was too busy with more important things, so that had to be the reason she needed him.

That was definitely the only reason! He had nothing better to do. He would never have anything better to do. Being useful to her was the best use of his time.

The fact that he liked her company was unimportant. She was just being polite that was all. Once he had fulfilled his task, she would go back to the hero course where she belongs and leave him alone in the workshop where he belongs. He would keep this professional.

Trying to befriend her would be pointless anyways.

Nobody wanted to be friends with a Deku.

Hatsume only hangs around because she needs him to access the workshop, Yaoyorozu is only going to visit because she needs new gear.

He would not get his hopes up.

It would only hurt more if he did.

It was rare for Hatsume Mei to be in agreement with her fellow classmates of 1-H but sitting through Ectoplasm’s Math lesson left her with only one possible impression.

Math lessons suck!

Although her reasoning was a tad bit different than that of her classmates.

While everyone around her was working their ass off to solve the problems their teacher had written on the blackboard, Mei was sitting there bored out of her mind.

She could solve those and pretty much all of the others in the textbook in her sleep!

Clearly the curriculum was not designed to accommodate exceptional minds like hers!

She would rather spend her time more productively but their next lesson in the workshop was still forty nine minutes and thirty seconds away.

It would be maddening if it wasn’t for the notebook Izuku provided her. Drawing sketches and possible blueprints for future babies was not as satisfying as actually building them but it was an acceptable outlet to keep her sane whenever inspiration hit her.

Holding back her creative juices once they started flowing was like torture to her. Her overwhelming urge to create has caused her to disturb lessons like this on several occasions, usually via premature combustion of volatile prototypes.

The notebooks had helped in drastically decreasing the number of such incidents, to the collective relief of every member of the U.A. faculty and student body.

With her urges momentarily appeased, Mei looked at the clock again, which revealed that it was still thirty five minutes and fifty one seconds till the bell.

Mei closed her notebook, looked at her classmates and recalled the name to every face, because UNLIKE some very insulting rumors about her, Mei DOES know and recognize her classmates. Mei is not forgetful, in fact she has never forgotten anything in her life, it is just that she usually filters out most unimportant information most of the time. Like with a well set up computer, Mei prefers to have only the files open she needs at any given moment so she could focus the maximum amount of her significant processing power on the task at hand.

There are exceptions though.

Mei actively suppressed any memory of 11-kun and 14-chan in the faint hope it would help her forget these rather unpleasant individuals one day. She fears that this would never happen though since these two represent a whole category of people Mei could not stand. Namely lazy and mediocre people that still expect great wealth and success despite their meager efforts.

Mei takes great pride in her work but not just for the results. No, she calls her inventions her babies because they are physical manifestations of all the blood, sweat and tears she pours into her craft. Results may vary from groundbreaking to devastating failures but her efforts will never be in vain since they all help her to hone her skills further. She had always been living to go beyond previously established limits, U.A. just taught her a pretentious Latin phrase to express it!

The aforementioned students with the seat numbers 11 and 14 though? They clearly didn’t care much for their chosen craft. Mei understood nobody could be passionate about everything and that not everyone was lucky enough to make their passion their profession. 11-kun and 14-chan though were not merely dispassionately pursuing a hopefully safe career choice, oh no. They constantly boasted and acted arrogantly in class, as if they were among the top students without putting the work in!

What really got Mei’s blood close to the boiling point though was how those two coped every time reality refused to indulge in their delusions of grandeur.

They would become bitter and bitch and whine about how unfair a test or assignment was. Worse still they would belittle and bully everyone that performed better than them while gleefully kicking down on those who had worse scores, all in the name of stroking their wounded ego. Thanks to their large circle of ‘friends’ or rather cronies, not passively taking the short burst of abuse was a very good way to make your school life a lot less pleasant.

Thankfully there were limits on how far they could go, because of the U.A. staff’s commitment to crack down on bullying. Still the teachers couldn’t be everywhere…

Discreetly glaring at her two ‘favorite’ classmates, allowed the pink-haired inventor to notice the glances both of them were throwing towards Izuku.

Angry, spiteful glances.

Mei was unfortunately quite familiar with bullies and how they operate.

They have Izuku in their crosshairs now.

Of all the goddamn times they could have chosen to go after him, they of course had to just pick the time when he is going through a full-blown depression! It's not like she was already in over her head to get him out of that, now she had to deal with 11-kun and 14-chan on top of that! What’s next? Is Scarface-kun from the hero course gonna show up to finish the job and turn Izuku into fucking charcoal?!

Shaking her head, Mei chastised herself for tempting fate.

Well, she was going to ask hero girl for advice in how to deal with Izuku’s issues anyway, might as well consult her about this mess too. Who knows, maybe just her being friends with Izuku might deter them? As much as the convoluted social hierarchy among U.A. students remained a mystery to Mei, she was pretty sure that hero course students were above 11-kun and 14-chan in the pecking order. Especially stunningly statuesque class reps like that Yaosomething girl that joined them in the workshop yesterday.

Oh, who was she kidding? Nothing short of the threat of nuclear war would deter these spiteful snakes! And of course, she had no way of obtaining fissile material even though it would be for a good cause!

Maybe she could use that formula of hers, that violently reacts with citric acid in an oxygen rich environment? No, that would not work well as a deterrence, unless…

The sudden ringing of the bell ripped Mei out of her current train of thought.

FINALLY!

The upcoming class of Power Loader Sensei in the workshop and the after-school session with Izuku and their guest from the hero course would provide a welcome distraction to these heavy topics plaguing her mind.

She would also have the opportunity to work on a new delivery system for a certain formula of hers. A little part of her was hoping now that these dimwits were going to escalate things far enough to justify her in finally using that stuff.

Diplomacy of course had to come first.

Hero girl surely would be able to help her work things out with only minimal amounts of ‘spontaneous’ combustion involved.

In case of failure though?

Well, if life insisted on giving Hatsume Mei lemons…

Then she wouldn’t make lemonade…

Instead, she would get very, very mad.

That’s the kind of language all bullies understood.

Yaoyorozu Momo had learned a lot in today’s sparring session.

Especially on what to do if you have to fight in hand-to-hand combat with several fresh bruises along your upper body.

Namely DON’T fight in hand-to-hand combat with several fresh bruises along your upper body.

Thankfully Uraraka-san had been kind enough to walk her through some of the basics of the Gunhead martials arts she had learned during her internship, after knocking her down for the umpteenth time. It was quite impressive to see how much her classmate had improved her close quarter combat skills in just a week.

Must have been nice interning under a Hero willing to actually teach USEFUL skills to his interns.

It served as another reminder on how she was falling behind her classmates.

With the help of her new friends in the support department, Momo should be able to reverse this trend.

Just to be safe though, Momo would stay to the side of the heavy workshop doors and wait a few seconds before entering.

This caution on her part quickly turned out to be justified as a projectile immediately came shooting out of the doorway and embedded itself in the opposite wall.

“OHHH MY GOD! Whoever is out there are you ok?” came the familiar voice of a certain freckled support technician in training.

Momo answered in the affirmative of course but she asked if whatever device was responsible for discharging the projectile was safely disabled, before going in.

“Oh yeah my baby is off and secure! No idea who put it there, facing the door and switching it on. That is really dangerous, considering those bolas still shot out at waaay to high speed. Probably should calibrate them before somebody loses a limb,” came the voice of Hatsume-san.

Momo really thought that all the reports of the record-breaking number of accidents in the support course this year had been exaggerations, but now? She had known Hatsume-san for barely a day and was already wondering if the support department would make it through the semester without fatalities.

Her respect for Power Loader Sensei certainly went up by quite a bit, considering he had to deal with the manic inventor on a daily basis.

Finally entering the workshop itself Yaoyorozu exchanged greetings with her hosts before quickly moving to an empty workbench, which Midoriya had pointed her to, and putting the heavy suitcase containing her costume on top of it.

“You agreeing to assist me means a lot to me Midoriya-san, Hatsume-san. The new boots and gauntlets you are designing with me are going to be a tremendous addition to my arsenal. So please allow me to once again express my most sincere gratitude!”, the class 1-A representative said while bowing deeply.

“I-I-It’s f-f-fine! A-a-although I am s-s-still confused why y-y-you want to help with d-d-designing them.”, Midoriya-san stuttered out his response.

“On one hand I would say out of pure principle. I don’t like the idea of entrusting my life to equipment I don’t understand. However, there are also more practical concerns. An intimate familiarity with my equipment will allow me not only to do emergency repairs in the field but also replace it outright, if necessary thanks to my Quirk,” Yaoyorozu explained.

“Ok that makes sense but I guess you two are not gonna be reworking Izuku’s designs since you went through the trouble of bringing your costume down here,” Hatsume pointed out.

“Indeed, you are correct Hatsume-san. I am deeply sorry to burden you with another request but I need you to have a look over my costume. While you said that my overall concept to fight as a Hero is sound Midoriya-san, I still want to be as thorough as possible in reviewing my current equipment and tactics. So please go ahead and have a look!” Momo lined out her plan for today’s session.

Thanks to the quick reassurance from both support technicians, that they were happy to assist her, Momo couldn’t help but let a soft smile adorn her face. U.A. was truly an astonishing place full of dedicated and accommodating people. She was incredibly happy to finally attend a school like this!

She should start thinking about a proper way to return the favor. It didn’t feel right to her, to have them work for just her benefit. Consulting Power Loader Sensei on a potential list of banned items for Hatsume-san first would be necessary however. Maybe she should inquire with them about their preferred choice of snacks and refreshments? That should be a safe enough gift choice.

“Ehhhhh hero girl? I think you accidentally put your swimsuit in there because I can’t find your hero costume,” came the perplexed voice of Hatsume-san.

Ripped from her thoughts Momo immediately walked back to the suitcase just to find her costume in there. She affirmed this to the support students.

“Wait, THAT’S your costume?! Are you an exhibitionist or something? Not judging or anything. Just saying there are laws on how much skin your costume is allowed to expose in public and this looks awfully close to breaking them. What do you think, Izuku?” Hatsume-san said, looking visibly confused.

Midoriya-san, for his part, appeared to be dead to the world. Ever since opening the suitcase his eyes had been transfixed on the contents like a deer caught in the headlights, while his face had been taking on a progressively darker shade of red. He looked like he was just moments away from having steam come out of his ears.

While Momo brought her costume here seeking, even openly encouraging criticism, this was certainly not what she had been expecting!

Her previous smile now replaced by a pout Momo wasted no time to inform them that this was a perfectly serviceable costume, designed by a reputable support company with the specifications of her Quirk in mind AND that she WASN’T an exhibitionist!

“What did you write in the request form then? Help me out here hero girl because I can’t see ANY way in which this design could be considered practical! Ohh my god are those HEELS?! GREAT not only are all of your vital organs unprotected and your body altogether exposed to the elements, but also you risk twisting your ankles every time you move faster than a casual strut!” the pink haired inventor veered off into a rant.

Momo once again tried to defend her costume by pointing out she needed to expose her skin to use her quirk. How else was she supposed to do it, since her creations couldn’t simply phase through fabric?

“Well, how about you do it like with the gym uniforms during the Sports Festival? You know by using this amazing technology called a FUCKING ZIPPER. Please don’t take this the wrong way hero girl but whoever designed this is either an idiot, super lazy or both. Seriously! This whole ensemble just screams half-assed rush job to me!” Hatsume finished her rant.

Now this was getting a little bit unfair. Sure, the costume had flaws and probably veered a little too close towards violating certain costume regulations for comfort, but it still had been designed by a large support company and approved by U.A.! That meant it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Oh, who was she kidding? Hatsume was right! The excitement of finally being able to wear a costume and be more like the confident and capable Heroes she admired, had blinded her to the obvious downsides of her costume. She believed that her Quirk would allow her to compensate for these shortcomings but Tokoyami-san had proven that this was not the case. Her trust in the involved institutions and her inherent dislike to inconvenience others had also contributed to rationalizing her concerns away. With the flaws being laid out in front of her in such a blunt fashion Momo couldn’t find a reason to disagree anymore.

At this moment the door to the workshop opened again and Power Loader himself entered, carrying a few boxes of assorted building materials.

“Ah, you are all still here. Not up to any shenanigans I need to clean up before class tomorrow, I hope?... The heck happened to Midoriya?!” the pro-Hero asked after finally noticing his still catatonic student.

After a short explanation of what the students had been doing, Power Loader himself took a look at Yaoyorozu’s costume and to her complete and utter embarrassment repeated most of Hatsume’s criticism point by point. The fact that he did so in a calmer and more composed manner did little to reduce her embarrassment.

This ordeal did lead Yaoyorozu to ask the following question however. ”Excuse me Sensei but why are you surprised about this? Didn’t you approve of this and all the other costumes?”

“What?! Ha! I wish! No, I only get to see your costumes when I have to change or fix something. The final approval for the initial costume designs is made by the principal. Guess even he lets something fall through the cracks from time to time. We’ll have to send this back and request a redesign from the company. Unless you only want small changes made to it Yaoyorozu, which I don’t think are going to be enough to salvage this,” Maijima Sensei explained.

“Yeah, no. That thing got to go and those morons at the company proved they can’t be trusted with this! Hero girl here is Izuku’s client so it should be him who makes her new costume. With my help of course because I am a good friend and I need some more practice in textile work!” Hatsume asserted confidently.

With a weary sigh Momo agreed to Hatsume’s sentiment. Whatever benefits her current costume may have provided were not worth all these drawbacks.

“Yeah, that decision is definitely above my pay grade and since that is Nezu’s mess to begin with I’ll let him clean it up. Yaoyorozu get your costume, Hatsume return Midoriya to the land of the living, we are going to the principal’s office!” Power Loader decided.

Apparently well experienced in fulfilling her task, Hatsume-san simply yelled that Mirko was giving autographs in the hallway, which in turn resulted in Midoriya immediately running out into said hallway with a notebook in hand, which he had materialized from seemingly nowhere.

While walking to the principal’s office Momo couldn’t help herself and inquired why Hatsume’s method had worked so well at immediately waking Midoriya from his stupor.

According to the pink haired girl Midoriya-san was such ‘Hero nerd’, as Hatsume-san put it affectionately, that the chance of getting an autograph from a pro like Mirko, who was notorious for avoiding any form of fan interaction, would probably be enough to literally raise him from the dead.

Once they reached the principal’s office, they were greeted by Nezu, who didn’t seem to mind the sudden intrusion.

Power Loader Sensei wasted no time in explaining the situation and they awaited the answer of the intelligent animal.

“What an unusual request. I don’t personally see any issues with support students making full costumes for hero students, if all involved parties are in agreement. It IS a tad bit insulting to the company that made the costume originally, however. Cutting our partner companies out of the process is rarely a good idea, especially with Detnerat, which made the costume in question. Could you please explain your reasoning why we should forgo the established process in this case?” the principal asked the teacher.

“Well, the fact the costume is completely impractical aside, whoever designed this KNEW the costume would be worn by a hero student, a minor, and they still deliberately opted for a design as close to Midnight’s debut costume as possible without breaking current regulation. Midnight caused quite a stir back in the day and I fear that allowing a student to wear something similar would cause similar backlash against Yaoyorozu here and to us. Also, her mother employs like, half a dozen law firms and I really don’t want to give HER a reason to sue us,” came the reasoning from the excavation Hero.

That was ridiculous! Only one of these law firms is supposed to represent her family in court. The others are only intended to provide legal counsel to the numerous subsidiaries of the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate. Her mother would never set so many lawyers loose for mere civil litigation. Right?

“I am afraid I fail to see your argument. The costume provided by Detnerat fulfilled the requirements set by young Yaoyorozu, so I don’t see a reason to not allow them to redesign it for her.”

“Seriously? They saw no problem with dressing an underage girl in an extremely skimpy costume and that’s fine with you?! That’s a scandal in the making here Nezu!”

“I have not heard any complaints from the other teachers regarding the costumes.”

“Aizawa probably either doesn’t care or wants her to make her own mistakes.

All Might probably never thought about it because he is too busy figuring out how teaching actually works.

Kayama is on board cause she has been advocating against the regulations ever since.

The others probably never noticed since they barely get to see the kids in costume in the first place, or don’t want to sit through the three-hour interview you insist on having every time someone has a complaint or suggestion!”

“From your rather passionate way of arguing I take away that exposing large amounts of skin in this case is bad, since there appears to be less tolerance for suggestive outfits for minors. I suppose that means Kirishima’s, Tetsutetsu’s and Hagakure’s costumes will require similar alterations?”

“Those two blockheads are probably fine since the male upper body is not considered as sexual because of double standards. Still, I would advise Vlad and Eraser to at least try to drill the value of protective clothing into their heads. A smart villain could always try to take them out before they can activate their Quirks. What’s the matter with Hagakure’s costume though?”

“Detnerat provided her with just a pair of gloves and boots”

“WHAT?! Are you FUCKING serious?! She was running around NAKED the whole time?! OK that’s it! I don’t care how big a company they are! Next faculty meeting I’ll advocate for breaking ties with them!”

“I’ll put it on the agenda then. Costume reviews will also be a matter of the whole faculty from now on, since I appear to have a blind spot in this area. The disturbing enigma, that is human sexuality, appears to haunt me again.”

The rather lengthy discussion between Power Loader Sensei and principal Nezu left Momo flabbergasted. She had not expected this morning, when she got ready for school, that she would witness a discussion like that over her attire of all things!

“I deeply apologize for inconveniencing you all. If I had spoken out about my own concerns regarding my costume things could have been resolved more smoothly. I suppose the excitement of finally having a costume and starting to pursue heroics like I always dreamt of, got me carried away. Now that the matter appears to be settled, I would like to request your permission to involve myself directly into the making of my new costume. It doesn’t sit well with me to just considerably add to Midoriya-sans’s and Hatsume-san’s workload and then just leave them to fend for themselves,” Yaoyorozu spoke up.

“I don’t see any issues with this. As long as your after-school meetings with our aspiring support technicians here doesn’t negatively impact your hero training, which I sincerely doubt it will, I’d say go right ahead! Developing your skills in this field could potentially synergize very well with your Quirk. These skills could be helpful to any hero actually but alas, I can’t just change around the curriculum as I see fit. Your worries over taking advantage of others here are also unfounded. Designing and making a complete costume for a hypothetical hero is usually among the final group assignments for first years. Thanks to you they are able to have a little head start on it. Being able to refer to their work in outfitting a soon to be pro-hero will also greatly benefit their careers!” the principal stated as he voiced his approval.

“If there is anything you guys need from advice to more exotic materials feel free to just ask. I’ll see what I can do for you. Just promise me to try and keep the workshop in one piece, okay? I’m looking at you there Hatsume!” Power Loader quickly added.

“I can’t make promises like that. I can only promise to not intentionally set the workshop on fire, which is pretty much unnecessary since I never did that in the first place!” Mei answered with an annoyed pout on her face.

“Should I add another order for fire extinguishers?”

“Please do. Stocking up on more first aid kits might be a good idea too.”

With the two faculty members resigning themselves to the fact that the accident rate is not going to drop anytime soon, the three students excused themselves and made their way back to the workshop.

Momo’s schedule certainly has gotten significantly busier today. Balancing her hero studies, duties as a class representative and social life with her newfound commitment to contribute to the development of her new costume and support gear won’t be easy.

Looking at the students accompanying her, who were already enthusiastically discussing ideas, Momo couldn’t help but smile.

Dealing with busy schedules was nothing new to Momo of course, so she should be able to manage. Ever since starting to attend this school, however, she got to experience what working alongside like-minded people was like.

Whether it was with her classmates from 1-A or her newfound friends from the support course, Momo could rest easy in the knowledge that it would be time well spent.

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Momo considered herself as someone who loves learning new things. The long list of books and scientific journals Momo had used to develop her mind far beyond the academic level deemed appropriate for people her age, were a testament to that.

Yet there were more lessons for her to learn, and not all of them were pleasant.

The latest of these lessons, life had sent her way, was the realization that the development of a Hero costume from scratch was significantly more difficult than she had previously imagined.

So many different factors had to be considered. Which materials to use, how to cut and fit the different parts together without creating exploitable weak-points, and keeping everything lightweight enough to not encumber her.

The worst part by far, however, was the delicate balancing act between overall protectiveness and leaving enough skin exposed to allow her to use her Quirk. Lean too much into the latter and you get a costume, which would not be fundamentally different to the one she was trying to have replaced. A too big focus on the former could easily lead to restricting her Quirk too much.

At least she was not alone with this frustrating conundrum.

Midoriya-san had definitively been pondering a lot about this. The staggering number of sketches for possible designs he had produced were proof of that.

Said sketches also provided the young heiress with another insight.

Namely that her green haired friend was a quite talented artist, who was able to make even these rushed sketches of rough design ideas look professional. She should probably ask him sometime if he was drawing for a hobby. She would love to see his sketchbook or wherever he was keeping his drawings if given the chance.

Unfortunately for Momo and both of her friends from the support course, none of Izuku’s sketches so far had been completely satisfactory.

Progress would possibly be faster if it weren’t for some of the heated discussions that had popped up.

Momo welcomed Hatsume-sans’s input but the pink-haired inventor’s insistence on replacing the Yaoyorictionary with a wrist mounted computer had unfortunately caused tempers to rise a little bit. Momo fully understood the benefits of a digital lexicon but Hatsume had been indignant when the idea was shot down.

There were multiple reasons for this. Firstly, there would not be much space for such a device since she would be wearing the power gauntlets. Secondly, even if she had the space, the device would be too susceptible to damage for her liking. The final reason, however, was the simple fact that Momo vastly preferred simple books over computer screens. Hatsume-san can call her old fashioned as much as she wanted but Momo would always feel more comfortable flipping through the pages of the Yaoyoricitonary, which she has written herself by the way, than fumbling around with a touchscreen that was likely to break the first time she was engaged in melee combat!

Midoriya-san thankfully had been able to diffuse the situation by offering a compromise, which would maintain Momo’s wishes while addressing Hatsume-san’s constructive criticisms of the current Yaoyorictionary.

The current book would be split into two or four smaller versions, which could then easily be fitted into Momo’s future utility belt. This way she would no longer require the prominent shelf on the backside of her costume to hold her lexicon. This shelf could have been a major hazard to her if she ever suffered a hard fall and Momo was glad this issue was resolved before she could ever suffer a major injury because of it.

While the discussion had been settled in a satisfactory fashion, it also exposed the fact that frustration was running high.

A major source of this frustration in Hatsume’s case had been the lack of internship offers she and Midoriya had received.

Apparently support course students are supposed to spend their summer breaks on internships with support companies. Gaining internship offers from major support companies was difficult and usually required getting the attention of their scouts at the Sports Festival, not unlike how it worked for the hero course. 

“I can’t believe they didn’t send any offers our way! Did they send blind and deaf people as scouts this year?! We totally killed it at the Festival!”

“I am not that surprised I got no offers. The scouts usually are more interested in our gear and how it performs rather than our athletic abilities. Having my gauntlets literally blow up in my face probably didn’t do me any favors in their eyes. Guess I have to settle with one of the default options that U.A. provides.”

“That’s bullshit! I don’t want to spend my summer break cleaning out storerooms and running meaningless errands for some C-list company, like the rest of our classmates and neither should you! We deserve better after all the effort we put in!”

The raven-haired hero student could empathize with the plight of the support technicians in training. Few things could be so frustrating as a wasted internship. Her classmates had all been able to gather valuable experience during their time working under a pro-Hero, while all she got from Uwabami was ‘exposure’.

“When do you have to turn in your internship choice? If you give me a little time, then I could ask my father if he was willing to accept interns for his newest venture. Yaoyorozu Support Technologies is still a rather small company in this field, but my father is very committed to turning it into a market leader. Considering all his recent efforts in expanding, it stands to reason that he would be willing to take in promising new talent,” Momo offered.

“NO WAY! Your dad owns YST? That would be AMAZING! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…” Hatsume-san almost screamed in joy while happily bouncing up and down.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say. I-I-I hope it is okay for you to do this? I don’t want to trouble you or your father over this. I-I am sure I would be fine with the options U.A. would provide,” the freckled boy stated with a timid smile on his face.

“It is no trouble at all! I am merely going to ask my father, there won’t be any harm in that. It is the least I could do to repay the kindness you have shown me, and I fully agree with Hatsume-san that both of you deserve better,” Momo insisted while trying to put the boy at ease with a friendly smile.

With this Midoriya relented and both support students gratefully agreed to wait until she could talk with her father about a possible internship for them.

Afterwards Momo suggested to move on and let the costume be for the day, and instead divert attention towards other projects. The new power gauntlets and boots were the more important project anyways in Momo’s mind.

“Ok I agree but there is one more thing I would like to get done before we shelf the costume for the day. Say hero girl what size exactly do you want your new costume to be in? You know since your size probably fluctuates a little bit,” the support girl asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Momo responded, fearing another unnecessarily heated discussion looming on the horizon.

“You use your body's lipid reserves to fuel your Quirk, right? That means you should slim down when you use it a lot. You got any data on how much exactly you lose, like in cup size, inches on your waist and so on? You wouldn’t want your new awesome costume to just accidentally slip off of you after a long fight, right? To avoid that I think we will have to make your costume a little bit tighter and probably use a stretchier material,” Hatsume-san elaborated.

“That won’t be necessary. While I do burn a lot of fat during extended usage of my Quirk, I so far never had any trouble with my clothes not fitting properly afterwards,” Yaoyorozu answered.

“Amazing! Your Quirk must be extremely efficient at converting your lipids into different types of matter. It kinda has to be I guess since you also said that you can’t use all of your body fat. Considering how body fat is intended as an energy storage for emergencies it makes sense that your Quirk would not get access to all of it, since it could potentially harm you if food ever wasn’t readily available to you. Any idea how much exactly you can use?” Midoriya-san said as he enthusiastically went off on a Quirk related tangent.

“While you are not wrong, about the fact that my Quirk is quite efficient, it is not the whole truth Midoriya-san. Humor me for a bit you two, if you may, and tell me what you would think, if I told you that I am in fact overweight,” Momo said to the support students.

This question certainly caused quite some reaction. Both of the support students looked completely dumbfounded, like she had just said the most outlandish thing imaginable, before letting their eyes wander over Momo’s body head to toe once just to be sure.

“Yeah, no. If THAT is what you consider ‘overweight’ then I don’t wanna know what skinny looks to you!” Hatsume-san blurted out in her usual blunt manner.

“I gotta agree with that. I-I know that girls can be a little bit… peculiar about their weight but this is ridiculous! You look perfectly h-h-ho… I mean healthy to me! Who in their right mind would say that you are fat?!” Midoriya-san chimed in with no small amount of indignation.

“While I am touched by your kind words it unfortunately doesn’t change the fact that it is true. If you use my height and weight to calculate the BMI for a girl my age, then the result will put me firmly into the overweight bracket. Any ideas why that may be?” Momo said with a playful smirk on her face.

She could of course just tell her two friends but Momo had decided on a whim that it would be more fun to just let them guess for a bit.

“Are you trying to say your body is denser than usual?” Midoriya-san inquired.

“Indeed, that is correct!” Momo confirmed, unsurprised that her green haired friend had figured it out already.

“My body roughly contains two types of fat cells. The first kind is identical to what everybody else has and therefore not particularly noteworthy. The second kind on the other hand is capable of storing a significantly higher amount of lipids without taking up much more space. My Quirk exclusively takes its resources from these mutated high-capacity cells. The distribution of these cells is quite uneven, however. The overwhelming majority is situated in my belly and waist followed by my thighs, arms and legs. My breasts and buttocks on the other hand contain only a minor amount of mutated cells. Since the mutated cells never took up that much volume to begin with, depleting them does not cause my measurements to fluctuate in any meaningful way. The same is also true in reverse,” Momo continued her explanation.

As convenient as it may be to have a Quirk that maintains her slender waistline, it did come with a major drawback, which Momo did not feel comfortable enough to discuss, however.

Subtlety looking over the pink-haired girl’s arms Momo noticed with no small amount of envy how toned they were. No doubt, the copious amount of physical labor done in the workshop every day had allowed Hatsume-san to build up a respectable amount of muscle.

Momo herself was no slouch either in that regard of course. Unlike Hatsume-san, however, Momo's well-defined musculature would always remain hidden under the layer of fat her Quirk required to function. The fact that she would never be able to achieve the impressive physique of heroes she admired, like Mirko, did little to lift her spirits.

“So, your boobs are not that big because of your Quirk? Well, there goes that theory…” Hatsume again blurted out.

Why Hatsume-san was suspecting that Momo had no idea but she made it clear to her friends that this was probably just the result of simple genetics. Hatsume immediately followed up with the question if gene editing had played a role, which Momo shot down again, much to the pink-haired inventor’s disappointment.

“Ok Mei, could we maybe get back to the topic of Yaoyorozu’s Quirk? This is getting kinda awkward…” Midoriya-san tried to get the conversation back on track again while blushing heavily.

“Ohh, come on Izuku! I mean look at her! She is HUGE! Hero girl is probably taller and bigger than most of the third years! I know statistical outliers are a thing but that can’t be the only explanation for this don’t you think?” Hatsume-san exclaimed clearly disregarding the green haired teen’s efforts.

Momo had to admit that she was quite tall and… developed for her age. If her mother or her aunt are any indication there might be quite a bit of further developing ahead of her still. She sincerely hoped that her chest wouldn’t grow much further beyond her current dimensions, since reaching her mother’s impressive size would certainly not be worth the drawbacks. The rather uncanny resemblance between Momo and the pictures of her mother, when she was her age, however, made her fear that she wouldn’t be so lucky.

“You are just hoping for evidence that any form of advanced gene modding exists don’t you Mei?” Midoriya-san responded dryly.

“Two hundred years Izuku! Over two centuries since the discovery of CRSIPR-Cas9 and human gene modification is still supposedly not possible! I know scientific progress grinded to a halt when Quirks first became a thing but I refuse to believe that NOTHING has been done in all those years. Transhumanism is the future of humanity Izuku and I want to opt in at the earliest convenience. I would prefer cybernetic enhancements and brain uploading though. Imagine how much more work I could get done if I didn’t have to eat or sleep anymore!” Hatsume said as she veered off into a different direction with her tangent.

“As enlightening as this has been, don't you think this is a little bit unfair? I tell you all I know about my Quirk, yet I know next to nothing about yours. Would you mind telling me? I can tell Hatsume-san has something affecting her eyesight but yours Midoriya-san has been an enigma to me. Some sort of mental enhancement by any chance?” Momo asked the other two students to get the conversation back on track.

The young heiress immediately regretted her inquiry, when Midoriya-san’s expression fell instantly as a result. Could she have crossed a boundary here? As far as she was aware asking about a person's Quirk usually is considered little more than small talk.

The girl, who had just been raving on about the merits of transhumanism, was now also silent and looking curiously at her classmate before saying to him. “I was wondering about that too to be honest. I never saw you using your Quirk and whenever someone asked, you dodged the question, which is weird considering how much you love talking about Quirks otherwise.”

The boy in question reacted in a more nervous fashion than usual, panicked even. This subject was clearly incredibly uncomfortable to him, despite his futile efforts of maintaining any semblance of composure he had left.

“Y-y-you see… i-i-it’s like…t-t-there is…” Midoriya stumbled over his words as he desperately tried to formulate a coherent answer.

Momo, feeling guilty for causing him so much distress, tried to reassure him. “I am sorry, is this an uncomfortable subject for you? It is perfectly fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I was merely curious about your Quirk. Please know that I am no stranger to strange or downright bizarre Quirks, a look at my classmates should let you know what I mean. There is nothing you should be ashamed of or embarrassed by, I would never think any less of you, regardless of whatever your Quirk is!”

“O-o-ok. Thank you. I-I am sorry I didn’t answer your question,” the teenage boy said as he started to calm down.

“Ohhh man, I kinda hoped you would finally spill the beans. Well at least I still got something fun to theorize about when I’m bored! Seriously though, I have no idea what all the fuss is about. It’s not like I’d stop talking with you over a weird Quirk or something and hero girl feels the same! Right?” Hatsume-san added, which Momo immediately answered in the affirmative.

Properly reassured, Midoriya was able to calm down again and the three teens resumed the work on their projects.

Thankfully Momo was able to assist Midoriya-san in making headway in the redesign of the gauntlets. The new design would be lighter and smaller in exchange for sacrificing the mid-range shockwave attack. A fair trade-off, considering Momo had better options for ranged combat.

However, it was a little bit disappointing that she wouldn’t be wearing a new costume anytime soon, but her new offensive gear would make up for that. Hopefully she will be able to make use of them by the time of the finals.

Working with her new friends, Momo had proof beyond any doubt how capable they were. She would make sure they would get the internship they deserved. Her father would be a terrible fool letting them get snatched up by some third-rate company.

Hatsume Mei was a girl with many strengths and many flaws.

Chief among the latter category was keeping track of time and not getting sidetracked.

Those two flaws were usually mutually exclusive, since it was hard to get sidetracked when she was laser focused on making her newest baby. Unfortunately, she would lose herself in her little projects and if it weren’t for Izuku at school or her big sister at home shaking her out of it, when necessary, then she would probably miss out on a lot more meals and showers.

Being confronted with a task that wasn’t stimulating her vast mind, which was pretty much most tasks, on the other hand felt like time crawling to a halt. In these cases, maintaining any focus on the subject becomes pretty much impossible as Mei starts counting the seconds until she can leave, while trying to distract herself with thinking about new babies she could make or reminiscing about some of the old sci-fi books and movies from her dad she enjoyed.

Thanks to these habits of hers, getting certain things done could prove very difficult even if she knew how important they were.

Case in point, her plan of asking hero girl for help with Izuku.

Mei KNEW that she needed the help. She KNEW it was important to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her classmate!

Still, it had been DAYS since making her decision, and she still had not talked with the girl.

Granted it is not like she gets that many opportunities to talk to the 1-A class rep. Their after-school workshop sessions were pretty much the only times she gets to see her, and then Mei is usually too enthralled with baby making to think about other topics. She had to make up for lost time after all!

Also, Mei couldn’t shake the feeling that talking to someone about the fragile mental state of a different person, while said person was in the same room and able to listen in, was at the very least very awkward. Or rude. Awkward and rude? Honestly, she didn’t know for sure but she was not willing to take any chances here!

That left only one feasible option for talking with the hero girl, without Izuku present.

Catching her friend’s client after their session before she left school grounds was easier said than done, however.

She kind of had to help Izuku tidy up the workshop when they were done, which in of itself would take long enough to make intercepting hero girl difficult.

Unfortunately for her, keeping her mind on quickly tidying up was a tremendous challenge thanks to the distraction present.

Said distraction was no other than her classmate or rather his choice of workshop attire today.

You would think that something as mundane as Izuku wearing a white tank top, while carrying some boxes, wouldn’t be a particularly interesting sight. The way his biceps were straining from the weight and the low grunt he released once he had finally put them up on the shelf though was doing things to her.

A very primitive part of her brain was doing its best to keep her rooted in place, staring and waiting for the moment when Izuku would finally lift up his tank top to wipe off the sweat that had collected on his forehead.

Mei wanted to stay. She wanted to get another glimpse of those perfectly cut abs, that could make Greek gods cry in envy. The fact that she had already got a picture and burned them into her memory didn’t matter.

She also knew that this stimulating sight would make her miss her opportunity. With great difficulty she managed to tear herself away, finish tidying up and started running out of the workshop, while cursing her rampant teenager hormones.

Why couldn’t she be asexual? That would make her life way easier!

Thankfully, today’s session had been spent more behind the drawing board than actually building stuff, meaning tidying up had not taken up as much time as it usually did.

Still Mei was not leaving anything up to chance, and sprinted down the hallways in record time, finally catching her target at the school lockers near the entrance.

“HERO GIRL!” Mei yelled before stopping and desperately trying to refill her lungs with precious Oxygen.

“Hatsume-san? Do you need anything? Please take your time and regain your breath before speaking, ok? I am not in a hurry and neither is my driver,” the tall girl responded to Mei’s sudden appearance.

After catching her breath and her heart rate going down to a reasonable level again Mei wasted no time with her request. “I need your help Yaoyoru? Yaozuru? I am sorry, what was your full name again? It was something long and tongue twisty right?”

“Yaoyorozu Momo but if you prefer, you can use Yaomomo instead. My friends in the hero course call me that.”

“Perfect! Yaomomo it is! That is way easier to remember and pronounce!”

“I am glad to hear that, but what exactly did you need my assistance for?”

“What? Oh yeah! Ok look I am not sure exactly how to put that but… somethings wrong with Izuku’s brain.”

“What?! Did something happen while you two were tidying up? Is he injured? We have to immediately notify Recovery Girl!”

“No no that’s not what I mean. I was talking more about the brainy feely thing, what do you call that again? Oh yeah! Psychological! He is having psychological problems… I think.”

“Oh. Could you please elaborate?”

“Weeelll, I am not sure what to say. I am not the best with this kind of stuff to be honest but Izuku has been kinda off lately. He has been going through the motions, forgetting things like reminding me to take lunch breaks and he isn’t eating much himself either. The day we met in the cafeteria he had barely touched his Katsudon and he loves Katsudon like crazy!”

After Mei had finished her explanation Yaomomo looked skeptically at first, but she seemed to genuinely think about it.

“I can't say if anything is amiss with Midoriya-san but I admittedly haven’t known him for as long as you do, so I will entertain this notion. Anything else that you noticed by chance? Do you know since when his state of wellbeing has been in decline perhaps?” the tall girl asked.

“Again, I am a bit in over my head here. It took me a while to figure out something is wrong, but I DID notice that he hasn’t been the same since the Sports Festival. Honestly it makes no goddamn sense! He should be happy with how great he was doing!” Mei informed Yaomomo.

“Curious. He is quite meek and shy for someone that fights so ferociously. I had expected to meet somebody quite confident or boisterous even. Could this be related?”

“Nah, he has been a quiet and shy boy all semester. Humble too. He always downplayed it when he aced a test or impressed Sensei with one of his projects. Honestly it's better that way! Our class has enough entitled braggarts already!”

“That does not contradict what I said. A shy and humble person like Midoriya-san would logically try to avoid the limelight, wouldn’t he? Yet during the Festival he was going above and beyond, truly in the spirit of our school’s slogan, taking incredible risks and pulling off incredible feats. All this effort he put in and all the pressure he burdened himself with, must have been for a purpose. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that would do all of that on a whim, does he?” Yaoyorozu theorized.

“Of course, he didn’t do it for nothing! He was trying to impress the scouts for the support companies!”, Mei countered.

“That is what support students usually aim to do, yes. Yet he failed at this thanks to his perceived recklessness and the catastrophic failure of his prototype. I don’t think this was his goal however. He had no way of knowing that he would get no offers after the festival after all.”

“He was suspecting it though.”

“Yes, but he did not know for certain. It doesn’t matter anyways since I provided him with a solution because I was impressed with his performance. If internship opportunities were all he was seeking then he has succeeded already, if in a roundabout way. In that case our problem is solved,” Yaomomo continued her speculation.

“So, you wanna say everything is gonna be fine now? Wow, I knew you were good, since his mood seemed to have improved ever since we started to have these sessions. To think you fixed him already before I had a chance to ask you is just amazing! You’re my Hero!” Mei exclaimed, full of hope.

“Unfortunately, no. This is only true if the previous assumption about Midoriya-san’s goal is correct, which I doubt. Going slower and playing it safer would have provided a better chance of acquiring promising internship offers. Me reaching out to him was something he could have never been predicting,” Yaoyorozu said to the disappointment of Mei.

“Then what IS wrong with him? He is my ONLY friend in this stupid class and I want him back to normal!” Mei said louder than was necessary thanks to her rising frustration.

“I do not know. All I can do is speculate with the very limited information I have. I do have one hypothesis remaining, however. Midoriya-san’s reaction when I asked about his Quirk surprised me. While he has every right to refuse telling anyone about his Quirk, don’t you think he looked quite panicked when I asked? Could he be ashamed of it? Quirk based discrimination is an unfortunate reality some people face if their Quirk can be perceived as ‘villainous’. You said Midoriya-san is your only friend in 1-H? What about him? Does he have any other friends beside you there?” the class 1-A rep asked as she explained her hypothesis.

“Weeeellllll, this kind of relates to the other thing I wanted to ask you about,” Mei replied as she tried to think of the most diplomatic way of explaining the situation.

“You see, Izuku and I are kind of the outcasts of 1-H. It is not that big of a deal since I couldn’t care less what the rest of my classmates are thinking about me, as long as they leave me be. They are just a bunch of boring people that can’t understand the genius of my work, and are afraid or jealous of me. Izuku is on better terms with them, I think, but he barely talks with anyone else in class and he usually eats his lunch alone when I am not with him. Well, you know what they say? It’s lonely at the top,” Mei continued.

“I am sorry to hear that. I, for one, think you two are lovely people, in your own way. I am happy to count you as friends. Your classmates clearly don’t know what they are missing out on!” Yaomomo said sincerely.

That was probably the first time someone in school openly said they were glad to know Mei. Was it weird that this was making Mei feel all warm and fuzzy inside all of a sudden?

“Thank you… but let’s get back on topic. There are unfortunately two individuals in our class that I am VERY worried about. You see they have deluded themselves into thinking they are the best in our class, despite being slightly above average at best. They think they are entitled to success despite rarely putting any meaningful work in, and they get VERY unpleasant whenever they get a reality check.”

“What exactly do you mean with unpleasant?”

“Modified bully tactics. U.A. may make an effort in cracking down on abusive behavior but they can’t really do anything against the more subtle methods of bullying like spreading rumors and ostracizing. They are also fond of verbal abuse when no teachers are around.”

“How can they get away with that?! I never would have believed such a thing was possible at U.A.!”

“I hate to break it to you but U.A. is still a high school and I can speak from experience when I say that teenagers are the WORST. Especially middle schoolers. And since we are all first years some bad habits from middle school have unfortunately carried over. As for how they get away with it, finding the source of rumors is pretty much impossible once they have spread far enough, and those two individuals are smart enough to make sure no witnesses are around before they tear into you. Also, they have many friends in gen ed, business and the remaining support course classes for some reason, which means they can maintain pressure on their victims without being at risk themselves.”

“This sounds appalling! And you are trying to say they are targeting Izuku? Why would they all of a sudden?”

“Probably because he did so well in the Festival. As I said they like to think of themselves as the top of the support course and they really hate it when someone shows them up. Usually, I wouldn’t be worried that much since they never keep the bullying up for that long. I guess it's more them lashing out against someone to vent their frustration over their inability to escape their mediocracy. This time though Izuku is already in a pretty deep funk and with his defenses already low…”

“… you fear that this kind of negative influence would exacerbate his worrisome mental state.”

“Exactly! So, any ideas what I should do about them? I do have ideas, which helped me with bullies in the past, buuuuuut they may be considered a teeny tiny bit excessive. And could potentially be considered war crimes depending on your reading of the Geneva Convention,” Mei finished her explanation.

“Well, the obvious first step would be to report them to the faculty!” Momo replied immediately.

“Nah won’t work. It would be their word against mine. The faculty can’t do anything without proof and there won’t be any until they hurt Izuku.”

“What about their previous victims? Surely they could be convinced to come forward?”

“I don’t think anyone would be willing to risk it. Most prefer to just take the short time of abuse rather than risking getting on the shitlist permanently. Also, nobody would want to associate with me or Izuku since that is also an easy way to get on their bad side for good,” Mei said as she shot down the idea.

“Then let me do it. Provide me with the names of the victims and the bullies and I will investigate. As class representative… no, as a hero in training it is my duty to protect people from malicious miscreants like that!” Yaomomo proclaimed with an expression of righteous fury on her face.

“Awesome! I don’t know the names of everyone they went after though, soooo you might have to do quite a bit of digging. Also, I don’t exactly have the names of the bullies either because I am afraid that they will enter my long-term memory if I have them in my conscious mind for too long,” Mei answered.

That statement did earn her a stunned look from Yaomomo though.

“Don’t look at me like that! I have a really good memory and I dislike those two that much that this might happen. I would prefer to one day simply forget they ever existed because they are definitely not worth being remembered in any shape or form!” Mei said feeling defensive about this topic.

“I won’t be able to do much without knowing the name of the perpetrators Hatsume-san!” Yaoyorozu said exasperatedly.

“Just check the class list or something. Their seat numbers are 11 and 14. Alternatively just look for the smuggest looking boy and girl from the support course. Their inflated egos are pretty damn hard to miss!” Mei suggested in a slightly more annoyed way she intended.

“Well, I have no other choice then. I suppose getting some practice for investigative work can't hurt,” Yaomomo whispered to herself.

“Cool. So, now that my little unsanctioned fireworks display is hopefully not needed, what am I supposed to do?” Mei wondered.

Yaomomo, with a worried look on her face ever since Mei mentioned fireworks, lost no time to provide instructions. “Not much I am afraid. I will need quite a few people to come forward to convince the faculty to take action. Until then the best course of action for you would be to remain vigilant. Keep an eye on Midoriya-san whenever possible and support him if these people make a move against him. Most importantly do NOT escalate under any circumstances! Try to disengage or find a teacher but DON’T use violence unless you are assaulted first. Do you understand Hatsume-san?”

“Yeah, yeah, keep your eyes open, make sure to protect him when they do shit, get out or get a teacher, I got it! May I take a baby or two with me? Juuuuust in case things get ugly.”

The hero course student pinched the bridge of her nose in response and collected herself before she replied. “No Hatsume-san. With your track record the risk of an accidental discharge is too great.”

“Way to ruin my fun. Also just call me Mei. No need to be all formal with me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Hatsu… Mei. If Midoriya-san is unwell in the way you suspect, then the thing he needs the most is a supportive environment. As his friends we have to make sure he feels cherished and welcome, at least in my layman’s opinion. Can I trust you to do your part in this endeavor?” Yaomomo appealed to Mei.

“Yes Ma’am! I will do everything in my power to get Izuku out of his funk! Baby making just isn’t the same without my workshop buddy!” Mei returned with a mock salute.

With that Yaomomo finished getting her things from the locker and left.

With her important task finally completed, Mei went to her locker too, to start her way back home in a happy mood.

Thanks to Yaomomo she finally had something resembling a plan to fix Izuku!

This plan was sure to succeed! How could it not? It was devised by the two smartest students of U.A. after all!

There was a little caveat though.

Yaomomo had insisted on Mei not carrying any babies with her, assuming rather rudely, that there would be accidental discharges.

Preposterous! Any babies Mei had in mind for her guard duties were already way beyond prototype stage! They should be 100% reliable.

Well, more like 85%. 65% in unfavorable conditions, which was still impressive considering the stuff she had used to jumble them together, since a certain teacher of hers had denied her some important materials.

Anyways, there was no way Mei would be doing such an important mission without proper equipment.

She did feel a little bit guilty over disregarding the instructions of her pretty friend but the benefits outweighed the risks in her humble opinion.

And what Yaomomo didn’t know won’t hurt her.

Midoriya Izuku was not sure what to make of this turbulent day, as he was reminiscing on his way home.

Progress on Yaoyorozu’s costume had been frustratingly slow, and the disappointing news about his and Mei’s lack of internship offers had not helped either.

The offer from Yaoyorozu to put a word in for him and Mei had been a very pleasant surprise. Yaoyorozu Support Technologies was still new and would definitely face quite a few challenges considering how extremely competitive the support tech business was.

Still an internship there could benefit him greatly. The Yaoyorozu Conglomerate was very powerful with many hugely successful subsidiaries, so their newest venture was guaranteed to be well funded and incredibly well equipped.

He and Mei would have the opportunity to work with the bleeding edge of technology, only surpassed by what they have on I-island. That beats any of the options U.A. could have been providing by far!

Yaoyorozu is really kind to offer him and Mei this opportunity. He really hoped it wouldn’t get her into any trouble or anything. He really had to make sure that Mei won’t do anything reckless if they get that internship. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he failed to live up to the trust that was put on to  him.

He still found it hard to believe that one of the top students of the hero course had come to him for help. His performance in the festival had not been THAT great, honestly most of it had just been dumb luck. When it ran out everything literally blew up in his face!

Despite that she had put her trust in him and asked for help.

There was no way he would not do everything he could to make her the best new costume and gear he could!

He still remembered the look on Yaoyorozu’s face when she lost her fight against Tokoyami. That look of bitter defeat and helplessness after having been utterly crushed.

Izuku knew these feelings very well.

He didn’t want Yaoyorozu to look and feel like that ever again.

She had been so kind ever since they started working together after school. It was a lot of fun. It felt to him like the last time, when he actually had friends.

Even if they were not really friends. He knew she was just being polite and would leave him for her actual friends in the hero course once she got what she needed from him. He still enjoyed the time they had spent in the workshop together.

Her asking him about his Quirk was a quick reminder why he spent his time since elementary school without friends.

His reaction had been less than ideal, but Yaoyorozu and Mei had at least been kind enough to drop the subject.

He knew it was silly to try and keep his quirklessnes a secret. It would come to light eventually, and both of them had told him they wouldn't judge him. Maybe he could trust them?

No.

Not yet.

He was still too afraid of history repeating itself.

There was no point in thinking any more about this. He was almost home, just taking this corner through the narrow side street and he would soon reach his neighborhood. Thankfully he had no homework today so he had time to relax after…

“Fucking finally!” came the words from a familiar blonde boy, who was waiting behind the corner.

“Staying for HOURS after school AND taking the longest fucking route back home? Seriously its almost like you waste my FUCKING time on purpose!” Kacchan snarled.

“K-K-Kacchan? N-nice to see you. W-What can I do for you?” Izuku replied desperately trying to maintain composure for the second time this day.

“How about a nice little chat? You OWE me some FUCKING answer Deku!” Kacchan said angrily.

Izuku didn’t need to ponder anymore. Running into his childhood friend turned tormentor was reason enough to conclude that today has been horrible!

Chapter Text

If Midoriya Izuku didn’t already know that the powers that be had it out for him, he would know for certain now.

As if his disastrous attempt of dodging any questions about his Quirk by Yaoyorozu and Mei had not been stressful enough for him today, no now he was confronted with his former childhood friend on top of that!

It was like the universe wanted to remind him what the world at large was thinking about people like him.

As if he would ever forget.

Trying to escape this situation was futile.

Even if Kacchan wasn’t blocking his path, running would be pointless. The blonde teen had always been the faster sprinter between the two boys and that was BEFORE he discovered he could use his explosions as propulsion.

His only option was to comply, and hope that his former friend was in a good enough mood to not leave any scorch marks or burn scars that would be too difficult to hide.

Seeing the angry glare of the blonde boy, however, made Izuku fear that he wouldn’t be so lucky.

“So, the first question to you, Deku. Are you FUCKING DEAF?!” Kacchan yelled as he started his interrogation.

“W-well I…”

“SHUT IT NERD! That was rhetorical! I asked because I believe I made it VERY CLEAR to you that you were NOT supposed to apply for U.A. did I not?” the angry boy interrupted.

“I-I thought that you only meant the hero course? I applied for the s-support course!” Izuku timidly stammered out in reply.

“No, you FUCKING IDIOT! I was supposed to be the ONLY ONE from our shitty middle school to make it into U.A.! So, congratulations you FUCKED UP my carefully prepared backstory so I hope you had fun trying to drag me down.”

“I-I am sorry I didn’t…”

“I said SHUT IT! You talk when I tell you to!” the blonde boy snarled at Izuku.

All Izuku could do in response was to nod his head.

This was very bad.

Kacchan was clearly very angry. Izuku can clearly remember the few times when the boy was agitated in such a fashion. It usually ended with him receiving a long-lasting burn scar.

“But you know what? I could have overlooked this transgression, since it's not like anybody would have cared if some PATHETIC nerd from the support course came from the same middle school as me. It would have barely been worth a footnote in the history books. You might even be able to achieve the closest thing to relevance by building gear for people better than you but you just couldn’t help yourself, did you? You just had to rock the boat because you still think you are entitled to something better!” Kacchan ranted.

It seemed Izuku’s confused look was not the answer the volatile hero student wanted. At least that was what he thought after Bakugou angrily grabbed him by the collar of his clothes and violently shoved him against the closest wall.

“DON’T PLAY COY WITH ME YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! You know what I meant!”

“I-I don’t know what you…”

“Do I have to spell out EVERYTHING you IDIOT? The SPORTS FESTIVAL was supposed to be MY day! The day where the WORLD would witness the start of MY rise to greatness! I could have proved to everyone that I would be the next number one but you just had to butt in and RUIN EVERYTHING!” Kacchan yelled, getting angrier with every word.

“I-I don’t understand. You won!”

“OF COURSE, I FUCKING WON! That was NEVER in question from the very beginning! I could have easily achieved a FLAWLESS VICTORY if it hadn’t been for you SABOTAGING ME!”

“I-I didn’t sabotage you! I was just competing like everyone else…”

“COMPETING? You? A USELESS piece of SHIT like you has NO place in ANY competition! You are NOTHING more than a STEPPING STONE for BETTER people! If it wasn’t for your dirty little tricks and those toys you probably stole from somewhere, you would have landed in the dust where you belong.”

Izuku’s vision was getting blurry from the tears forming in his eyes, thanks to the harsh words coming from the other boy.

He had heard variations of this kind of speech all his life but it didn’t hurt any less coming from the boy, who Izuku admired so much for his skills, confidence, and willpower among other things.

He had no idea what he had done to deserve this, but he had no choice other than to continue to endure the abuse.

“You just had to keep going, as if winning the first two rounds was not enough to make me look like a chump. No, you just had to make it into the battle tournament and TAKE the HIGHLIGHT of the entire FUCKING DAY from me! I don’t know what you said to Icy-Hot during your little chit-chat in the match, but it RUINED EVERYTHING!” Kacchan yelled, emphasizing his words by setting off an explosion on the wall right next to Izuku’s head.

“Whatever mindfuck you put him through turned what was supposed to be MY CLIMATIC FINAL MATCH, INTO A SNOOZEFEST! Icy-Hot barely fought back! The fact that he went all out, using his fire, against YOU of all people, turning your match into THE HIGHLIGHT of the day, was just the cherry on top of this BULLSHIT SUNDAE! WHY? WHY did you go out of your way to RUIN THIS FOR ME?” Kacchan screamed at the end of his rant.

“T-this had nothing to do with you! I-I was just trying to do my best and go beyond! You know Plus Ult…”

“BULLSHIT!” Bakugou yelled as he interrupted Izuku with a punch into his gut, and held him up by his collar to prevent him from falling down.

“Don’t you DARE to LIE like that again! Ever since I stopped letting you ride my coattails, getting in my way was ALL you did! Every time I tried to fight some uppity little extra to put them back into their place, YOU showed up and interfered! WHY do you INSIST on getting into MY WAY?”

Why exactly Izuku yelled his next words the way he did he didn’t know. Was it out of a sudden flash of anger against his tormentor? Suicidal tendencies? Or was he desperately trying to get through to his former best friend to avoid one of his biggest fears from coming true? No matter the reason the words came out all the same.

“BECAUSE YOU WERE TURNING INTO A VILLAIN!”

Bakugou looked shocked by this statement, momentarily letting go of Izuku giving the green-haired boy the opportunity to continue.

“I-I understand why you didn’t want to be friends anymore when I got my diagnosis, b-but when you started picking on others for having weaker Quirks I started to really worry. All Might always said a Hero is supposed to protect the weak not pick on them! T-Then you started talking about putting people in their place, calling them extras, who are only good to be crushed beneath your boots. Y-You started to sound like a villain. A v-villain like Overlord Oni!”

Izuku was convinced Kacchan knew what he meant.

The blonde boy may have derided Izuku for his obsession with Heroes, but when it came to All Might’s fights, Kacchan was probably the only person in the prefecture, if not all of Japan, that could match Izuku’s knowledge in that regard.

Of all the spectacular victories against villains All Might had achieved in his career Overlord Oni was probably one of the hardest-fought ones.

The man who would later take on this now infamous villain moniker used to be little more than a simple dockworker with a mutation-type Quirk, which was both a blessing and a curse. While it gifted him with strength beyond most dedicated strength enhancement Quirks, it also made him look not unlike a very ugly red-skinned brute with horns.

The constant harassment this man faced because of his beastly appearance eventually led him to be radicalized online by some Quirk supremacist circles.

The rampage he went on after deciding that he was done following the rules of ‘flies’, as he called ordinary people, had been terrifying.

Four pro Heroes died trying to stop him, seven more were maimed or critically injured before All Might finally chased him down.

For the first time in the number one Hero’s career, his terrifying reputation among villains would come to haunt him.

Overlord Oni’s mutations were only the passive part of his Quirk. The active part was triggered by the release of adrenalin. When he was cornered by the world’s strongest Hero and his fight or flight response kicked in…

The resulting rush of adrenalin made the villain grow to truly monstrous size and strength, making him the only person in recorded history who might be physically STRONGER than All Might!

All Might’s skill and experience as a fighter lead to him prevailing in the end, but not without further collateral damage and civilian casualties.

Izuku was terrified of Katsuki becoming a similarly menacing villain.

He was already thinking in an eerily similar manner to the one the villain laid out in his manifesto, which made Izuku terrified of the kind of carnage his former friend could unleash should he ever fall off the deep end.

Their friendship might have been over, but Izuku would have been damned if he just watched idly as someone slid down this dark path!

So Izuku had done his very best to interfere whenever Bakugou’s growing cruelty caused him to bully someone. Getting between the would-be victims and their tormentor, hoping that reminding Bakugou of All Might’s words of what a Hero ought to be, would one day get through to him.

Unfortunately, he was just a useless Deku, so his words could easily be brushed aside.

Doubly unfortunately this also applied to his current predicament, if the fist coming for his face was any indication.

The punch was actually pretty sloppy, probably because the blonde was too furious to care about his form. It didn’t hurt as much as it should have as a result, but Izuku still let himself drop to the ground and coiled himself up in a position that would hopefully protect his face from the inevitable follow-up.

“FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU! YOU ARE JUST A SHITTY FUCKING DEKU! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR WORTHLESS OPINIONS!” Kacchan swore as he accentuated every word with a kick against Izuku’s body on the floor.

After a couple of kicks for good measure Bakugou calmed down enough to address the other boy lying on the ground.

“This is all our FUCKING FAULT! If you just used your brain ONCE and followed my advice, I would have happily forgotten that you ever existed and continued building my legend!”

“Taking your advice? Like taking a swan dive off the roof? Is that the legend you want? Do you really hate me so much?” Izuku whimpered as he looked up at his former friend teary-eyed.

Again, Izuku’s words shook the hero student and stunned him into silence.

He recovered faster this time, however glaring at Izuku as he said in a threatening tone.

“We are DONE! You are not going to WORM your way BACK into my life! You are going to stay put in whatever dungeon they keep you grease monkeys in. If I ever catch you even thinking of going near me or the hero course in general again, I WILL make you RUE the day you were born! Seriously, never ever get in my way again!”

With that Bakugou left, leaving Izuku with several new bruises on his right side, which at least would be easy to hide.

While in regards to physical pain Izuku may have gotten off lightly, emotionally this encounter has easily been one of the more harrowing.

After several minutes being spent on calming himself down from crying Izuku finally was able to head home.

Still, Izuku couldn’t help but wonder what he has ever done to his former childhood friend to deserve this virulent hatred.

Hatsume Mei’s schedule has been shifting recently.

As much as the reduction in baby-making time was hurting her, it was a necessary sacrifice!

Keeping an eye on Izuku and backing him up should he get in trouble with certain unpleasant people, required her to be constantly by his side.

Thankfully she was able to do this without raising much suspicion.

Izuku was already spending most of his time between classes at U.A. either in their homeroom or the workshop of the first years, since he didn’t feel the need to wander around the school during breaks like their classmates.

Mei shared that sentiment, so her staying behind and keeping him company was nothing out of the ordinary.

Following Izuku into the cafeteria during lunchtime, WITHOUT his prompting was what stood out.

Mei claimed that she had already used up her allowance for granola bars this month, so she had no other choice but to eat the free lunch, U.A. provided for its students.

It was a lame excuse, and she would need a new one next month but it would suffice for now.

If Mei was lucky, Yaomomo would have dealt with the bully problem by then.

As annoying as it was for Mei to waste precious time with this inefficient way of feeding herself, she had to admit it came with some perks.

For instance, Lunch Rush’s famous chocolate pudding.

Pretty much everything the culinary hero provided for the students was easily the tastiest thing they would eat all day, but his chocolate pudding was easily among the most popular dishes among the student body.

Every day it found its way onto the menu, Ectoplasm specifically had to keep watch in the cafeteria to prevent the dessert section from devolving into a bloodbath.

Mei, for once, completely understood the average student in this regard.

She had NO doubt in her mind that she could kill a fellow student if that would guarantee her another helping of this heavenly chocolatey goodness.

And that was not just because Mei loved chocolate almost as much as making babies, and definitely more than life itself.

The pudding was just THAT good.

Which immediately made Mei realize that, once again, something was amiss with Izuku, since his helping of the divine dessert was only HALF eaten.

A selfish part of Mei’s mind hoped that she could have the rest of his pudding, before she could focus her full attention on his face.

He seemed to look a little gloomy. Nowhere near the lifeless thousand-yard stare, she witnessed on the day they met Yaomomo for the first time, thankfully, but still gloomier than normal.

At least so she thought.

Honestly trying to figure out someone’s emotional state just by looking at his face and talking to him was still a huge challenge for Mei, even if she was improving like she believed.

Food-based mood assessments, which were the only ones that she had shown any proficiency in, were unfortunately impractical since she couldn’t employ them outside a lunchtime-based setting.

She should ask Yaomomo for some advice in this regard, and while she was at it, she should also ask for some specific instructions on how to cheer up Izuku once she realized he was feeling down.

She really should have asked about it yesterday when she had the chance but she kinda forgot about it in all the excitement of the hero student’s proclamation, that she would work to take the bullies of 1-H down.

Now she was in the same position she was in when she first noticed Izuku being troubled.

Great!

It's not like she had a terrible track record when it came to cheering Izuku up on her own!

Why must this be so hard?

She was whipping up blueprints for ray guns whenever she was bored damnit! Coming up with some topics for friendly small talk should be a cakewalk for her!

Once again Mei decided that she should take the direct route, and address the problem head on, but this time maybe with a little bit of… of…

What was that word again?

Oh yes!

Restraint!

“You okay there buddy? I am pretty sure I have never seen a bowl of Lunch Rush’s chocolate pudding left half-eaten for that long. Something on your mind?” Mei asked, hoping she came off only mildly concerned instead of the full-blown worry she was actually experiencing.

“Something like that, yeah. Don’t worry, it's nothing serious,” he said, giving her a faint smile.

If only she could believe that so easily. She needed to dig deeper.

“So, what is on your mind? Must be quite something if it can keep you from enjoying your dessert.”

“W-well you see, uhm, I was…”

He let go of a deep sigh before continuing.

“Yaoyorozu’s costume. I still have no solution that is both practical and allows her to use her Quirk relatively unhindered. She is putting so much trust into us and I-I don’t want to disappoint her,” Izuku answered.

That was a very frustrating conundrum, Mei had to admit.

There was no need to worry though.

Yaomomo was very understanding about this, and emphasized that it would be better if they took their time to make the best costume they possibly could.

Mei was convinced they would solve any issues soon enough.

At the latest, once summer came along and they had the opportunity to work with the most advanced tech money can buy during their internship, a breakthrough was guaranteed to occur!

If Mei could keep Izuku’s spirits from spiraling down again, which would be difficult if he kept telling such bold-faced lies to her.

She KNEW that this was not what had been bothering him.

She had seen his face when he was deep in thought about practical problems time and time again.

The intense stare, the hand on his chin, and the already rapidly moving lips, all signs that one of his infamous mutter-storms was imminent, none of which had been there when Mei had looked at him.

Mei would have preferred witnessing one of them over his current gloomy expression.

Most people considered Izuku’s mutter-storms annoying and distracting.

To Mei they were fascinating!

They were the first thing that had made Izuku stand out to her.

Initially, she was going to dismiss him as just another boring unimaginative person, who would never try to understand her passions and why she was doing things the way she was. A person that would simply label her as ‘weird’ and avoid her from that moment onwards.

His mutterings, as difficult as they were to decipher thanks to the speed of his muttering, gave her little glimpses into his mind that had started to intrigue her.

Also confused the hell out of her. His by the book style of work seemingly clashed with the sparks of creativity she found.

That was until she realized that he was following a completely different design philosophy than her.

Mei used to think that words like ‘practicality’ and ‘iterative design process’ were just the excuses of lazy hacks, that wouldn’t recognize progress if it hit them in the face.

Izuku proved her wrong.

Then they just clicked.

Hatsume Mei, genius innovator, capable of producing concepts and ideas that could make the very laws of nature tremble in fear!

Midoriya Izuku, master iterator, whose capable eyes and sharp analytical mind could miss no flaws and improve anything to perfection!

They fitted together better than the gears of a master-crafted Swiss watch!

Mei wasn’t sure if the words existed to properly describe how it felt when they worked together on their equipment for the Sports Festival.

All-nighters have never been this fun!

Of all these fond memories one stood out.

Mei could still see it before her clearly, like it just happened a second ago.

Izuku hunched over the workbench doing finishing touches on the first iteration of his gauntlets.

The intense look in his eyes.

The FIRE behind them.

A fire so hot it would make a fucking blast furnace feel like a fridge in comparison.

Like every time when she conjured up this memory, Mei started to feel this weird but really nice fluttery sensation in her stomach. Probably just her remembering how excited she was over wanting to see his gear in action.

Somehow, without her noticing, however, this flame had been snuffed out.

It was such a goddamn shame!

She wanted to know how this could have happened and FIX IT. She wanted Yaomomo to have a chance to SEE and FEEL his fire. She wanted her workshop buddy back. She wanted the WORLD to see how AMAZING he could be!

But first of all, she needed to be a better friend. The kind of friend he deserves. The kind of friend that would have never allowed this to happen in the first place.

Mei, returning from her memories, was looking at Izuku again, who had started to finish his dessert.

With the unfamiliar fluttery sensation in her stomach remaining, Mei decided to do something a little riskier to raise Izuku’s mood.

Using the fact that she was sitting next to him she leaned her head onto his shoulder and pulled him into a tight side-hug, relishing the feeling of his firm and solid body against her, her heart rate spiking in response.

“M-M-Mei what are you doing!?”

“You worry too much you big dork! We are going to solve everything and you know why? Because we are THE BEST! Yaomomo thinks so, Power Loader Sensei thinks so and the principal too. Don’t you think it's high time for you to finally accept that?” Mei said while flashing him a brilliant smile.

Izuku for his part didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he started to sport one of his cute wobbly and unsure smiles, which at the very least seemed genuine.

Mei’s own smile grew wider still at that before releasing her friend.

Solutions for everything would be found.

For Yaomomo’s costume and gear, together with Izuku.

For whatever was making Izuku hurt, together with Yaomomo.

She would light those fires inside him again!

Together they would make the cutest and most amazing babies the world has ever seen and help Yaomomo become the greatest Hero she could be!

NO force in the universe would convince her otherwise.

Yaoyorozu Momo being nervous while walking to her father’s office was unusual.

Momo didn’t get to see her parents as often as she’d like, thanks to their extremely busy schedules. The Yaoyorozu Conglomerate’s countless holdings never slept, therefore requiring new direction and orders on a near-constant basis.

The young heiress didn’t resent her parents for this. She learned early in her life that the livelihood of countless people was dependent on her parent’s leadership. Them being able to focus more of their attention on their businesses would guarantee their continued success and therefore secure the future of their employees and their families.

Having to spend part of her childhood feeling lonely had been a small price to pay for that because Momo still knew that her parents loved her.

Every single second they could get away with they spent showering her with their love and support stood testament to that.

Especially after her Quirk manifested and she found her calling in heroics.

No effort had been spared to support her in her dream, even if her mother had her reservations about Momo’s career choice, mostly motivated by her worries for her daughter’s safety.

They proved that she could always count on them to listen to her and support her choices even if they didn’t always fully agree.

Still, Momo couldn’t help but feel a little nervous over what she was about to do.

Asking her father to send job offers to her friends is not something she has ever done before.

Was she crossing a line here? Father had always been more willing to indulge Momo’s whims, but she had no idea if that would extend to her meddling with his business affairs.

Could it be that she had promised her friends too much?

Letting out a heavy sigh, Momo looked up at the door of her father’s study.

She needed to put her worries aside and focus on the task ahead of her.

Her parents would always hear her out, so she would have the opportunity to make the case for her friends.

She KNEW for a fact that Midoriya-san and Hatsume-san would be excellent candidates for internships at her family’s new support company. The Sports Festival should offer plenty of evidence of that and her vouching for them should provide enough points in their favor.

Having put herself in the right mindset she knocked on the door and entered shortly afterwards.

“Momo? I’m sorry dear I am a bit busy at the moment, is there anything you need from me?” Her father inquired after looking up from the pile of documents on his desk and seeing her.

“In fact, I do. I was wondering how your efforts with your new support company are going.”

“Well, I don’t think I have to tell you how stressful the last few weeks have been but I am happy to report that all these meetings I had are starting to pay off. Just today we got our first few exclusive contracts with a few Hero agencies and you won’t believe who I was able to get onboard!”

“Don’t tell me you got someone from the top ten. That would be incredible!”

“Top ten? Try the top three! I got a call from Hawks agent an hour ago.”

That made Momo gasp in surprise. Yaoyorozu Support Technologies had just started operations this year and big names like Hawks were already signing on? If they kept that kind of momentum going YST would be a major contender in the support tech sector by the end of the year!

“That is amazing! I am so happy your hard work paid off!” Momo said, her excitement starting to get the better of her.

Now she just HAD to get her friends this internship! Having the name of such a successful company in their résumé would be a great boon for their future careers!

“I can’t wait to tell Masami the news! She thought moving into support tech was too risky! That should finally put her at ease. I should, however, get back to work. All this paperwork is not going to be dealt with by itself, unfortunately,” her father remarked while gesturing to the countless documents cluttering his desk.

“I fully understand but there is still something I need to ask you. Could you possibly make space for two more interns this summer? I know two very capable support course students at U.A. who for unfathomable reasons received no noteworthy internship offers. You were complaining about the difficulties of finding new talent and while it may be three years until they can be full-time employees, I am convinced they will be a great addition for YST!” Momo explained to her father.

That earned her a raised eyebrow from her father and he wasted no time in inquiring. ”You want me to offer jobs to your friends? That is quite unusual for you Momo. I didn’t know you had friends in the support course. Who are they?”

“I didn’t have the opportunity to tell you yet but for the last few weeks, I have been meeting two students from the support course on a regular basis. Their names are Midoriya Izuku and Hatsume Mei and I sought them out for help after my disappointing performance at the Sports Festival. Not only are they helping me expand my arsenal with new equipment they also volunteered to redesign my hero costume! You won’t find any interns that are more capable and diligent than these two I promise!” Momo asserted.

“Wait! Aren’t those the support students that made it into the third round of the Sports Festival? The reckless boy who blew himself up and the manic girl that turned her match into an infomercial? I am not sure I am comfortable with having people like that work in our brand-new facilities,” Mr. Yaoyorozu voiced his concerns.

“I can assure you that your assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth! Midoriya-san’s ferocity is limited to the arena only! When I met him in school he was nothing but kind, considerate, and dedicated to his work. Power Loader himself had nothing but praise for the boy when I initially came to him for assistance. His performance in the arena was likely just informed by his desire to prove himself,” Momo insisted in defense of her friend.

“What about the Hatsume girl then? I hope you take no offense but she came off as quite unhinged. Her match against that Iida boy was especially egregious! If I didn’t know better, I would think it was staged! There is also no way a highschooler could possibly build THAT many support items.” Her father continued.

“I am afraid you are wrong on this count again, father. While I admit her behavior is… unorthodox, she is not ‘crazy’! She is one of the most driven and passionate persons I have ever met and she merely lost herself in the moment when she finally had a chance to show off the fruits of her labor. The numerous fruits of her labor. What she showed off at the Festival was merely the tip of the iceberg. Once you see her at work you will know what I mean. She will not disappoint you, believe me.” Momo argued in favor of the other student.

Her father did not retort after that. He was sitting in his chair contemplating.

Momo hoped that vouching for her friends so passionately would be enough to convince him.

She never liked leaving things to chance, however, so Momo decided to use the strongest weapon any daughter could bring to bear against her father.

“Please daddy! They have shown me nothing but kindness and I really want to return the favor to them after everything they have been doing for me! They will not disappoint you if you give them a chance! Please daddy do it for me!” Momo pleaded, making sure to give her father her best puppy dog eyes and raising her voice an octave higher than usual for maximum effectiveness.

Were the puppy dog eyes overkill?

Possibly.

Was using her cutesy little girl voice a dirty trick?

Almost certainly.

Exploiting her father’s affection for her was never something Momo liked doing, but if that was what it took to secure Midorya’s and Hatsume’s internships…

“Hmm, I suppose the singing tutor we hired back in the day was not completely in vain. You almost sounded the same way you did when you were six years old! They must be quite the friends if you were willing to use your sweet little princess voice to sway your father” came the voice of Momo’s Mother from the side entrance of the room.

Without either Momo or her father noticing Yaoyorozu Masami had made her entrance into the study, which was the kind of complication Momo had hoped to avoid.

“Sway me?! I was merely hearing her out dear, I would never jump to a conclusion without considering all the available information!” Her Father huffed at her Mother’s comment.

“Honey please don’t take this the wrong way, but I vividly recall you making arrangements for replacing our hedge maze with stables for half a dozen ponies, once. I know Momo has been the sweetest little girl but completely restructuring our gardens according to the whims of a seven-year-old goes a little far.” The Yaoyorozu matriarch replied flatly.

“I was just researching how feasible that would have been! I was not going to just do that without talking to you about it!” Momo’s father protested with an embarrassed tone of voice.

Her Mother answered this with an amused smirk that made it clear she didn’t believe a single word of her husband.

After being brought up to speed by her husband, Momo’s Mother wasted no time to weigh in with her opinion on the matter. “I must say I am surprised to hear that. While I find your intentions commendable, I fear we just can’t hand out internship positions like that on a whim.”

Momo herself wasn’t particularly surprised about this.

Her Mother has never been the kind of person to blindly put her trust in others. Together with her extremely cautious nature, she would not like the idea of hiring seemingly very disruptive students as interns.

Momo was not willing to give up just yet, however.

“This is not a simple whim on my part, mother. Neither am I advocating for them solely out of my desire to repay their favors. Midoriya-san and Hatsume-san are both exceptionally talented students, easily top of their class if not the very best of the support department’s first years. You always told me of the importance of identifying and binding capable subordinates to you. I am convinced Midoriya and Hatsume will have a great impact on the industry in the future. I want to make sure they would do so to our benefit,” Momo affirmed.

“You must really want them to get this job, don’t you? Don’t you find it a little bit suspicious how these two have been treating you? Couldn’t what you have been advocating for be what they were after from the beginning?”

“Mother! It was me who approached them in the first place!”

“Yes, and they have done nothing but cater to your every desire since then, haven’t they? Capable or not, can you really be sure that they have not been currying your favor in hope of a reward like this the whole time?”

“This is preposterous! They are not trying to extract favors from me! They didn’t even know I had the means to do so until I brought it up with them!”

“Momo, a five-minute internet search is all it takes to find out who you are, who we are, and to get a fairly accurate estimate of our combined net value. Please don’t take this the wrong way my dear but your biased view on them is not a good basis to make a proper decision.”

This was exactly why Momo had tried to catch her Father alone.

She loved and admired her Mother, but whenever her borderline paranoid tendencies reared their ugly head talking to her became almost impossible!

Momo wasn’t a little child anymore! She was very well able to identify people with deceitful intentions like the ones her Mother had the gall of prescribing on her friends!

“If I may have your attention for a moment, I might be able to propose a solution,” her Father weighed in before the argument could get any more heated.

“Since the final decision in this matter is supposed to be with ME, I would like to have a little interview with them. It would give me the opportunity to properly assess them without any bias and for them it could be a great learning experience. After all, they will eventually have to get used to job interviews once they join the workforce,” He continued.

That sounded like a reasonable compromise to Momo. She wouldn’t be able to give Midoriya and Hatsume the promised internship outright, like she had hoped, admittedly. She had faith, however, that they would be able to convince her Father on their own merit.

Showing the two women in the room a playful smirk, Momo’s Father added to his statement. “Also since I have reason to celebrate, why not make this whole affair more fun? We could invite Momo’s friends and their families over for dinner! I get to have my interview, you get to sate your… curiosity about them by meeting their parents, my dear, and Momo can have a nice relaxing evening with her new friends before the end of term exams start eating up her whole free time. Everyone wins!”

“Reason to celebrate? May I know what you mean by that honey?”

“Oh, nothing big, just that fact that the number three pro-Hero Hawks is willing to make me his exclusive provider for support gear.” Momo’s Father remarked with no small amount of satisfaction in his voice.

“That is excellent news! Certainly, worth a little celebratory indulgence! I see no issue with this plan of action,” her Mother replied.

These news were certainly not what Momo was expecting when she had entered her Father’s office but she could not say that she was upset with this turn of events.

Quite the opposite.

The prospect of having friends come over to visit her home for… the first time in her life actually, had her nothing short of feeling giddy with excitement!

All the things she could show them! The gardens, the libraries, the grand ballroom, her training room, her ACTUAL room! They could watch a movie in the projector room! They would love to see the lab she had used to experiment with her Quirk! She had to show them mother’s atelier, a talented artist like Midoriya-san would surely appreciate it. Could they play instruments? If so, they could play something together in the music room, even if Momo’s piano skills were only average at best!

Without noticing Momo had raised her hands to the height of her chin, closed and with her fingers to her palms. The air of refined grace she usually projected, like the proper lady she was raised to be, was gone without a trace, replaced by the boundless joy and enthusiasm more commonly seen on much younger girls, whose cutesy voice she had emulated just minutes earlier.

Overwhelmed with excitement and happiness Momo turned to her parents with the brightest smile she could muster. “This is a marvelous idea! I shall contact them immediately and find an agreeable date for the event! You will not regret this, they are wonderful people and they will not disappoint you, I promise!”

With this Momo left the office of her Father, more hopping and bouncing ecstatically than walking, back into her own room to spread the wonderful news.

Momo would be able to keep her promise and have her friends over for an entire evening of fun!

She could hardly wait!

Chapter Text

To say that Midoriya Izuku got nervous easily would be quite the understatement.

Whether this was a result of his… eventful school life up until now or just him strongly taking after his mother, he didn’t know.

Either way, Izuku was spending the Friday afternoon a lot more nervous than usual, and how could he not?

Yaoyorozu had informed him that her parents had insisted on having a job interview before they hired him and Mei as interns and that they also wanted to use the opportunity to meet their families over dinner.

The prospect of having an interview and then dinner with two of the wealthiest people in Japan was no small deal!

Izuku had researched the Yaoyorozus a bit and the results did little to help his growing anxiety. The reach that their network of companies had was mind-boggling. It was probably safe to say that every time a product made in Japan was sold, the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate would get a sizable piece of the revenue the sale generated.

Worse still was the fact that this was nothing compared to the role Yaoyorozu’s parents played in Japan’s export economy. If their business empire ever collapsed, prices for consumer electronics, cars, household appliances, and pretty much everything requiring electronic components or high-tech materials would skyrocket worldwide.

So, in summary, there was a downright absurd amount of wealth and power behind the Yaoyorozu name.

All Izuku had to do was make it through an entire evening chock-full of opportunities for horrible faux pas for the slight chance of having a better internship this year.

No pressure.

Oh, who was he kidding he was under enormous pressure! A goddamn hydraulic press wouldn’t be able to match the pressure from his anxiety!

He couldn’t just back out of this though, Yaoyorozu had gone out of her way to give him and Mei this opportunity and it would be really rude not to take it.

In an attempt to calm his nerves a little bit, Izuku mentally went over the instructions the black-haired girl had sent him.

He was wearing a white dress shirt and his nicest pair of black pants together with a red tie that his mother had insisted on tying for him for some weird reason. That should hopefully fulfill the ‘professional but not too formal’ requirement for his clothes.

He also had filled his backpack with the materials she'd asked for. Hopefully, her parents would be as impressed by the sketches for his costume ideas as Yaoyorozu was.

Yaoyorozu herself was probably still at school because of class representative business, but she said she would pick up everyone on her way home in her family’s car.

When exactly she would show up Izuku, unfortunately, didn’t know, and all the waiting around had negatively contributed to his struggle with his nerves.

His mother wasn't faring much better. She had checked the light amount of makeup she had applied at least six times by now.

She would not get an opportunity for a seventh time, thanks to Izuku finally receiving a call from Yaoyorozu, who was double-checking the Midoriya family’s home address and informing them that it was only a matter of minutes until she would arrive.

With the arrival of the limousine, which Yaoyorozu, for some reason, had just called a simple car, came another moment Izuku had dreaded.

Introducing his mom to Yaoyorozu.

Thankfully, the girl in question, who was still in her school uniform, took the initiative and introduced herself. “Hello! You must be Midoriya-san’s mother, my name is Yaoyorozu Momo and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes, I am Midoriya Inko, Izuku’s mother, and the pleasure is mine! I'm not sure if there's a way to thank you enough for what you're doing for my son here, but regardless, you have my most sincere gratitude.”

“That is the least I could do, Midoriya-san. Your son has been a great help for me these past few weeks, and just standing idly by as his and Hatsume-san’s talents are being overlooked wouldn’t have sat right with me.”

“So, it's you, who all these new projects Izuku is working on, are for, right? I'm sorry but Izuku doesn’t talk much about school despite my best efforts, and I was a little bit worried about him starting to stay so long at school again.”

“Really? Have you never told your mother about what we were doing after school, Izuku-san? Why would you keep something that trivial secret?”

That was a… complicated question to answer.

Izuku loved his mother, but he hated needlessly worrying her and pretty much everything school-related used to be a pretty extensive source of worry for her. He hated putting her through that, so he started doing his best to keep her out of the loop.

Admittedly his school life had been a lot better ever since he started attending U.A. and he had thought about sharing more of it with Mom. Ultimately, he had decided against it. It was too risky. He had no way of knowing how long this could last. Continuing his secrecy would hurt Mom less than opening up just to suddenly clam up again when people inevitably start turning against him.

How he was supposed to explain everything without spilling any unpleasant things, he had no idea.

“Oh, don’t mind him. I'm used to such things. Izuku has this habit where he just gets so absorbed in Heroes, Quirks, or his work that he forgets the simplest things. I'm just relieved to know he isn't spending all this time in the workshop by himself. Just promise me that you keep an eye on my Izuku. I don’t want him to overwork or hurt himself,” his mother answered before Izuku could embarrass himself by attempting to stammer out a lie.

Yaoyorozu, for her part, giggled at that with a hand held before her mouth and said. “I’ll do my best, you have my word. I suppose this also explains why Izuku-san and Hatsume-san get along so well. It's like they say, birds of a feather flock together.”

Izuku would have groaned at having Mei’s obliviousness ascribed to him, but he decided against it. Better that than having to talk about things he'd rather kept unsaid.

Mom getting along well with Yaoyorozu did relieve him a bit at least, even if the opposite had been extremely unlikely to happen. He sometimes could worry about ridiculously unlikely things.

Guess that’s what having absurdly bad luck does to you.

What was worrying about his mom and Yaoyorozu, however, was that they might be getting along a little bit too well.

Izuku had to make sure his mom didn't invite Yaoyorozu to visit their home. He wasn't sure if he would survive if the raven-haired girl was to see the chapel to All Might that was his room, or worse, his mom might even try to show her his baby pictures. He’d rather blow himself up again than have to suffer that kind of embarrassment!

With the pleasantries exchanged, Yaoyorozu quickly called Mei to notify their mutual friend that they were about to arrive at her home.

Soon enough, his pink-haired friend joined them, carrying a metal suitcase from the support department and taking a seat next to Yaoyorozu, followed by a woman that looked... way too young to be Mei’s mother.

The family resemblance was obvious, the only noteworthy differences were that her hair was light red instead of pink and her eyes had an x-pattern instead of Mei’s crosshairs. While Izuku wasn't confident in his ability to judge someone’s age by their appearance, he would be quite surprised if that woman was much older than twenty-five.

“Good day! I am Hatsume Maho, Mei’s older sister, and I'm glad to finally meet you,” the woman introduced herself after she had been greeted by Yaoyorozu.

“The pleasure is mine! I am, however, a little confused. Mei, is your older sister the only person in your family to join us? You could have told me if your parents were not available for today and we could have rescheduled without issue,” the hero course student said.

“That wouldn’t have worked. It's been just me, my little sister, and our big brother in Kyoto for quite a while now. Have you never told them, Mei Mei?”

“They never asked,” came the curt answer from a frowning Mei, who was looking at her feet.

The older Hatsume sister pulled Mei into a side hug and gently kissed her on the head before continuing. “Guess I can’t blame you for that. It’s not my favorite topic either.”

“We lost our parents in a villain attack when Mei was eight years old. I've been taking care of her ever since. That isn't going to be an issue at this little dinner party, is it?” the older Hatsume asked.

“O-of course not! My mother extended the invitation to the families of my friends, which would have included you regardless. I am deeply sorry for prying, if I had known this was a sensitive subject, then I would not have brought it up!” the young heiress clarified.

After reassuring Yaoyorozu that they were not offended, Mei's sister turned her attention to Izuku. “So, you must be Izuku. I wanted to thank you for putting up with and looking after my little sister. I know my little troublemaker here doesn’t make your life any easier. Mei was never good at making friends, so I was really happy when she started talking about you. I hope you and Yaoyorozu continue getting along with her and keep her out of trouble and, failing that, try to minimize the collateral damage.”

“Maho-nee! My babies are never meant to cause any trouble! Any damage they cause are just unfortunate accidents, which are sometimes unavoidable if you want to make progress!”

“Are you sure all of them are unavoidable? I am pretty sure they have safety rules in the support department to minimize any risk for accidents. Knowing you, I’d bet you ignore at least half of them. Remind me to send your teacher a gift basket once you graduate, it’s the least I can do after what you're putting them through.” Mei’s sister snarked.

Mei’s only response was to turn away from her sister with a pout.

This, thankfully, dispelled the heavy air that the revelation regarding Mei’s parents had created.

The rest of the drive remained rather uneventful with just some small talk being exchanged between the passengers until the outskirts of the Yaoyorozu estate were finally reached. Which honestly didn’t mean much since it took the limousine another couple of minutes to reach the front gate and deliver everyone to the entrance of the manor, because of the sheer vastness of the estate.

As they walked into the manor, his mother gave Izuku a look as if to ask how rich the Yaoyorozus really were. He had told her just ‘very’ rich when ‘absurdly’ or ‘mind-bogglingly’ rich would have been more accurate ways to describe the estimates he had found online. This knowledge was making him anxious enough already, he didn’t need her adding to it.

Reaching the entrance hall of the manor, the group was greeted by the owners of the lavish estate.

“Welcome! Welcome! It is a pleasure to finally meet all of you!” a tall man with dark hair and eyes, dressed in a business suit, exclaimed enthusiastically.

Yaoyorozu stepped forward at this and started introductions. “Mother, Father, allow me to introduce you to Midoriya Izuku and his mother Midoriya Inko. Likewise, these two are Hatsume Mei and her older sister Hatsume Maho.”

“Good afternoon to all of you," the tall woman dressed in an elegant black dress responded. "I am Yaoyorozu Masami, and this is Yaoyorozu Hideyoshi, my husband. Our daughter has told us so much about you, and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.”

Izuku himself was taken aback a little when he got a good look at the mistress of the manor. The resemblance between mother and daughter, once again, was striking. The biggest difference he was able to make out was the sharper, piercing and steely gaze of the mother compared to the warmer and softer onyx eyes of the daughter which she seemingly inherited from her father.

The first thing he had noticed however, was the fact that this woman was an absolutely breathtaking beauty.

The woman’s dress, while not designed to show off much, failed to hide the voluptuous hourglass figure underneath. Her dark black, shoulder-length hair looked like it was woven out of silk and at first glance it looked that at least half of her impressive height was made up by her sensual legs.

Time itself had left none of the marks on her body that age usually causes. Could it be that her Quirk helped her in maintaining her youthful looks like it was with Mitsuki-ba-san?

Either way she looked like she had walked straight out from a magazine cover... or the wet dreams of people with certain tastes.

When the daughter walked up to her mother and he saw them both side by side, Izuku started to wonder what he had done to be allowed to meet the archetypal incarnations of maidenly and matronly beauty. Maybe he was still in a coma from the explosion of his gauntlets and everything that has happened since has just been a fever dream?

Mei, for her part, had her own theory, he knew for sure. The way she was lightly tapping him in the side and looking between the Yaoyorozu women was clearly meant to convey that this was further proof for her genetic modification hypothesis.

Izuku honestly couldn’t blame her. The odds of any person winning the genetic lottery THAT hard were absurdly low.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he himself had lost said lottery in the statistically least likely way, he might have been willing to entertain the notion of artificial means being involved.

Izuku was quickly ripped from his thoughts when he heard the Yaoyorozu matriarch speak again. “Now with the pleasantries behind us, let us go on with business, shall we? Momo dear, go to your room and change into something more appropriate for a hostess entertaining her guests, would you? If the adults would please follow me into the salon, we have plenty of refreshments for you ready there while we wait for dinner. The hopeful applicants shall follow Hideyoshi to his office so he can conduct the interviews. Once you are done, we can go on with dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Izuku gulped nervously as he walked up to Yaoyorozu's father.

This was it. No backing out now.

Mei and Yaoyorozu both believed he could do this.

He couldn’t let them down.

Midoriya Inko loved her son, like any good mother should.

To this day, the fact that she has been unable to support Izuku with his longest-held dream, or worse, that she might be responsible for making it impossible, ate away at her.

She knew it was stupid of her to blame herself for Izuku being quirkless. Still, having to helplessly watch her once so happy little ray of sunshine turn into the secretive nervous mess he was now had been painful. Worse, he refused to tell her anything about what was going on during his school years, instead, doing everything he could to hide the bullying he was obviously going through.

High School seemed to be different at first, but it turned out Izuku had lied to her about his reason for attending U.A., which had hurt more than all the secrecy of the years before combined. For a short time, she had believed he had moved on and that his life would finally turn for the better, because that is what she had so desperately wanted for him.

To be happy.

Instead, the time right after the Sports Festival had been the worst she had ever seen.

She had been scrambling to find a way to stop her son’s descent into depression, when he suddenly was shaken out of his lethargy and started staying late at school again, working on new projects as he had said.

Inko, while happy about Izuku’s improving mood, had taken this with a grain of salt. He might have lied to her again, preparing another reckless and desperate plan. Naturally, when Izuku, all of a sudden, told her that they had been invited to dinner at the home of a new friend of his, who he was working on these new projects for, AND that they might give him a lucrative internship spot, he caught Inko completely off guard.

Of course, her son had failed to mention a few tiny details.

For instance, the fact that this new friend of his was one of the nicest and prettiest girls Inko had ever met. She had already known about the Hatsume girl thanks to the Sports Festival, and now the hero course student he was working with turned out to be one too.

He had always been so shy with girls around his age, and now all his friends she knew about were not only girls, but also very pretty ones!

Could it be that her little baby had started to grow up?

She should probably have the TALK with him soon, just to be sure. While Inko would love to have grandchildren one day, she would like for Izuku to graduate high school first at the very least.

The other and currently more important detail was the fact that her son had understated who, exactly, it was they were having dinner with today. A family that could afford to live on an estate large enough to fit her ENTIRE neighborhood with room to spare could be considered a little bit more than just ‘very’ rich, in Inko’s mind.

To say that Inko has gotten nervous ever since setting foot inside this palace would be an understatement.

The fact that the woman sitting opposite of her also towered over her, even in a sitting position, and had a steely gaze that felt like it was piercing right through her soul, contributed to Inko’s feeling of intimidation.

The woman of the house did at least take her duty as hostess very seriously and immediately asked her guests for the kind of drink they would like to have.

“I would like some simple sencha tea please," Inko responded, hoping the soothing beverage would help her calm her nerves.

“Just a simple sencha? I could offer you a heavenly fukamushi blend or this kabuse-cha a business partner of mine is recommending. I also have a wide assortment of imported blends if you are feeling a little adventurous. There is no need to hold back, Midoriya-san, if there is any particular kind of tea you want, please ask, I am very confident that I can provide it!” Yaoyorozu-san offered.

“T-then I’ll take any soothing blend you would recommend, Yaoyorozu-san. I need something to calm my nerves, my poor baby never had to go through a job interview before and I can’t help but feel worried.”

Mrs. Yaoyorozu nodded and quickly moved on to Hatsume for her order.

“I’ll take a black coffee. I don’t particularly care what kind as long as it's strong. I had a difficult shift today and I need the caffeine, otherwise, I’ll spend the whole evening with a headache," Hatsume answered quickly.

The refreshments arrived shortly, and to Inko’s delight, the soothing warmth of her drink had the hoped-for effect.

“I hope everything is to your liking? Yes? Excellent! Now I must say that when I told Momo to invite the families of her friends, I expected more guests to show up. I suppose it is just us ladies for the time being then. Would you mind introducing yourselves again and telling me a little bit about your families and your children? My daughter has never requested favors from us like this before, so I would like to get to know better what surely must be close friends of hers," their hostess said.

“Well, I am Hatsume Maho. Mei’s my little sister, not my daughter, because I took custody of her after our parents died and I got old enough to take it from our older brother.”

“Taking care of a child is quite the responsibility, especially for someone so young. Is everything alright for you two?” Inko asked.

“Everything is alright, don’t worry. I have a job in the call center for Docodemo’s customer service hotline. Not a dream job by any imagination, but it gets the bills paid and if money ever gets to be an issue, then our brother Michi can help out thanks to his successful car workshop.”

“If your brother owns a successful business, why did you not stay with him and share the responsibility of raising your little sister, if you don’t mind me asking?" Yaoyorozu-san inquired.

After letting out a heavy sigh, the older Hatsume sister started explaining: “Well, how do I put this? The members of the Hatsume family have a tendency to be quite obsessive. I’m the black sheep because I took more after dad, who had married in. My siblings took heavily after Mom, and boy does it show. Michi is obsessed with anything that is powered by engines, combustion, or otherwise, while Mei Mei is crazy about tech gizmos in general. While this makes them pretty much geniuses in their fields, it comes to the detriment of… everything else. Michi’s heart is in the right place, but taking care of a little girl is beyond him. That’s why I took our little sister with me once I was old enough and got a job.”

“I see. You mentioned they are taking after their Mother? What was she like? What was her ‘obsession’?” their hostess dug further.

“Law. She was a public prosecutor. You’d think that’d be a much safer career to immerse yourself in than working with machines, right? Unfortunately, her career ambitions led her to take on the wrong case. The minions of the villain she was trying to get sent to Tartarus killed her and Dad when they showed up at the trial to bust their boss out. Bastards got to dodge the ‘long’ arm of the law for years before they were finally locked up for good," Hatsume recalled bitterly.

“That’s all in the past though. All that matters to me now is making sure Mei is taken care of. Not an easy task thanks to her obsessive nature and her shenanigans. She’s worth it, though, and I know for sure that she’ll make a big impact once she graduates. If she only realizes a quarter of the inventions she’ll come up with in her lifetime, then villains are going to be in for a very rough time," the young woman proudly asserted with a confident smile.

“What a touching sentiment. If your sister is only half as impressive as you make her out to be, then I am confident that my husband will give her the opportunity to learn and grow. I would also recommend keeping your eyes peeled for a job opening in one of our companies. Many of my subordinates can’t stop complaining about the lack of experienced customer service personnel.”

“With all due respect, I said we're doing fine. I do not need a job offer out of pity.”

“Please don’t misunderstand me, Hatsume-san, all I was offering was advice. There is a need for people with your experience in a few of our subsidiaries, and I can assure you they offer better pay and career opportunities than this soul-sucking phone service provider. It wouldn’t be the first time I poached talent from another company. Also, as commendable as your dedication to your sister is, you should not be forced to put your own life on hold for her sake. Your little sister would surely hate to think that she is the reason why you failed to fulfill your own ambitions. Just take your time and consider it.”

Hatsume, despite her initial protest, agreed to think about it.

With that, unfortunately, the attention of the room switched to Inko, who even after having the chance to calm down a bit, couldn’t fully shake her nervousness as she started to explain. “W-well, there’s not that much to talk about me and my son. I worked as a clerk in city hall before meeting my now-ex husband through a mutual acquaintance. I became a housewife after I married and had my lovely little son. All his life, he greatly admired heroes in general and All Might in particular. His dream of becoming a Hero himself wasn't to be, unfortunately, because of his lack of a s-suitable Quirk. He still worked really hard to make it into U.A.’s support course, so he could still find a way to help people the best way he can. He is very shy and had not many friends, so I was very happy to hear that he started coming out of his shell, even if just a little.”

“Are you still married, Midoriya-san? I am sorry if I am prying too much, but you are here alone and I can’t see a ring on your finger," her hostess noted.

“Hisashi and I divorced shortly before Izuku started middle-school. Honestly, it wasn’t a big surprise, we… were only going through the motions for a while at that point. So we decided to move on with our lives. I’ve been raising Izuku on my own ever since, and Hisashi is providing a generous amount of money to support us.”

Inko had also caught him cheating on her with a younger woman before the divorce, but the people present here did not need to know that. Being left for a younger woman wasn’t a nice experience, but if Hisashi would have been honest and talked with her, then they might have been able to pull off a more amicable divorce.

The generous ‘child support’ he was paying showed at least that he felt some kind of remorse for what he did.

Or fear.

Mostly fear probably.

There was a reason Hisashi left for Anchorage, Alaska, after all. Turns out cheating on the woman that is known to and well-liked by almost all the wives of your superiors at work has consequences.

“So, am I right to assume that you have never remarried since your divorce and have been raising your son on your own, Midoriya-san? That must be quite challenging, even if your ex-husband still financially supports you. I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t have Hideyoshi supporting me.”

“I am not against remarrying, but I didn’t really have the time to get back to dating. Middle school was really bad for Izuku because… well, I fear he was being bullied there.”

“Schools in this country are the goddamn worst,” Hatsume angrily cut in. “You don’t want to know half the stuff my sister had to go through. We had to switch schools pretty much every year, and it was the same story every time. Teachers and principals these days either don’t give a shit or are too overworked to do something, so bullying is rampant! I was called into the principal’s office pretty much on a weekly basis because Mei is a fighter and refused to just take the abuse. They only ever punished her just because she is different and they couldn’t be bothered to think how to properly care for her!”

“I am horrified to hear that your son and sister had to go through such things! It makes me glad that I had Momo homeschooled, although I fear I may have sheltered her too much. Ever since she started attending U.A. and had the opportunity to spread her wings, she seemed happier than I have ever seen her before, her frustrations with the results in the Sports Festival notwithstanding. I was always afraid about the kind of people that would try to associate with her, since our wealth tends to attract the worst kind of attention. I don’t want Momo to be used by people who are intending to just ride her coattails. So far, U.A. has proven to be a beneficial experience for my daughter and I dearly hope the same is true for Izuku and Mei.”

With this, their conversation continued on to more light-hearted topics.

Inko was relieved to note that Mrs. Yaoyorozu wasn't as stern a woman as she had first appeared, starting to soften and open up as they continued to exchange stories about their children.

Throughout the conversation, however, she couldn’t stop worrying about Izuku.

Hopefully her baby was doing okay.

Hatsume Mei wasn't one to suffer from performance anxiety.

Quite the opposite.

She eagerly embraced every opportunity to show off and sing praise to her super cute babies!

The interview would be the perfect chance to show the fruits of her hard labor to a very wealthy support company executive and she couldn’t wait!

Her only regret was the fact that she was able to only gather a small number of her babies with her. U.A. was, unfortunately, very strict when it came to taking support gear off-campus. Mei had to fight Power Loader tooth and nail for permission to take any of her babies with her.

Even after explaining what she needed these prototypes for, her teacher had remained adamant on setting up a few rather ridiculous requirements to avoid her causing any accidents.

Preposterous!

As if she would be so stupid to pick any volatile prototypes for a demonstration that important!

Who did he think she was? Some kind of goddamn moron?

The end result was that Mei got a lot less material to present to her hopefully future employer than she would have preferred. Thankfully, not all of her babies were objects that could be physically locked away.

What initially surprised her was the fact that Izuku wasn't carrying a metal suitcase with prototypes with him for the interview, like Yaomomo had asked her to do.

Mei quickly realized why that was the case.

Izuku was dedicating pretty much all of his time working on stuff for Yaomomo, so he didn’t have the time to work on any personal side projects anymore. Neither the costume, the gauntlets nor the boots were ready yet, which left Izuku with no prototypes to show off.

That begged the question, what was Izuku going to show to convince Yaomomo’s dad?

Maybe the sketches he had made for the new costume?

That would make sense. Those designs were all absolutely awesome! Mei had a hard time deciding which of the designs she had seen so far was her favorite. Mr. Yaoyorozu would be speechless once he got to see Izuku’s artwork!

However, Mei found it weird how many of the sketches did not do Yaomomo’s thickness any justice. Admittedly, concept sketches like that were meant to show off the costume design and not necessarily accurately depict the figure of the wearer. Still, that fact stood out to her. Maybe the more slender depiction was faster and easier to draw?

She didn’t get much more time to ponder this question as they finally arrived at Yaomomo’s dad’s office. Seriously, how long had they been walking? They’d passed dozens of doors on their way here! Guess she really was going to play in the big leagues if everything went well.

After taking his seat behind his desk and offering seats to them, their hopefully future employer started to talk. “Well, here we are. How about we go straight down to business? Tell me a little about yourselves. Why should I hire you as an intern and what do you hope to accomplish at Yaoyorozu Support Technologies?”

“Oh, that’s easy!” Mei started off. “I want to work with bleeding edge technology! U.A. does provide good stuff, but there're soooooo many rules and restrictions. The really cool stuff is all restricted to third years cause we first years are supposed to learn the ‘basics’ first, as if I never had a screwdriver in my hands before. I built my first robot assistant when I was like ten! I know the fucking basics by now!”

Lifting her metal suitcase up, Mei continued excitedly. “As for why you should hire me? Well, why tell you myself when I have my super cute babies here to do the talking for me!”

First, she took out a syringe with her special little formula and a single lemon.

“What you see here in this syringe is something I cooked up when Power Loader Sensei during one of his grumpy fits, denied me the kerosene I asked for to power one of my other babies. For some reason, we had a crate full of lemons that were probably meant for the kitchen in the workshop and I was like, hey those are technically combustible, right? I can totally find a way to turn them into a fuel source and I succeeded! Well sort of."

Mei injected the liquid into the lemon. The skin of the fruit started to discolor into a rather unpleasant looking brown at the injection site, while a sizzling noise slowly filled the silence.

“Mei, please don’t tell me this is…” Izuku said worriedly.

“It’s gonna be fine! I refined the formula! Still, Mr. Yaoyorozu, would you kindly open the window for me? Otherwise, the room temperature might become less… liveable.”

Thankfully, she was obliged, allowing her to quickly throw the lemon as far out of the window as she could. Not a moment too soon as the fruit exploded midair into a spectacularly large fireball.

“The formula I injected into the lemon reacted with the citric acid creating a new volatile compound, which was what exploded out there. I still need to refine it a bit to make it stable enough for use as a fuel, but until that time you could sell that stuff to Hollywood, I guess. Combustible lemons should be cheaper than the gasoline bombs or whatever they use these days for pyrotechnics!” Mei told her audience of two.

An audience that looked a little pale after seeing the fireball and noting how quickly the fruit had detonated. Surely, they were impressed with her impeccable sense of timing.

Now to continue pressing the attack while they were stunned into silence!

“Next, the perfect tool for the silent infiltrator! The Hatsume Universal Entrance Facilitator, name still pending! This unassuming little plastic cylinder shoots a stream of Hatsume-brand universal molding foam, quickly filling any mechanical lock and creating an impromptu key to open it after it hardens! And why risk your neck checking every room of a villain's lair if you have THIS!”

Mei dramatically opened the palm of her hand, revealing a little robotic spider she was holding. “The Hatsume Automatic Reconnaissance Assistant! This adorable little fella can go ahead and spot any baddies waiting in ambush! Word of warning though: the battery life is pretty short for now. Changing that is my top priority for future iterations. Next up—”

“Hold on a second, Hatsume!” Mr. Yaoyorozu cut in, “I see now why Momo told me that you are quite prolific and very passionate about your work, but please tell me how many more items you have in that suitcase of yours before we go on.”

“I came here with, like, a solid dozen of my babies just to be safe.”

“Okay, that is way too much. You can show me one more item; afterward, I'd like to give Midoriya a chance to talk if that’s okay with you.”

Oh, right, this was supposed to be an interview for both of them. She had forgotten for a second there and got carried away. Now she felt a little bad for leaving Izuku with barely a chance to say anything.

Now, which baby should she pick as the last item of her presentation? She hated having to choose. All of her babies deserved a spot in the limelight, after all! Finally, she settled on one and continued her presentation.

“Okay last but not least I present to you the Hatsume Auxiliary Sensory Array! Yaomomo, like most people, doesn’t have a set of eyes in her back, making her vulnerable to attacks coming from outside her field of view. Not anymore! These little devices, packed to the brim with any sensory technology I could imagine, if placed correctly on the back and the sides of her costume will provide her with ample warning should a villain try to sneak up on her. Even better, when calibrated correctly these sensors should also be able to detect projectiles in time to give her a chance to dodge! Integration into her costume should be easy, especially if we can convince Yaomomo to wear a helmet or visor.”

“Wow, that is a fantastic addition, Mei!” Izuku said, eyes sparkling. “I am not sure if Yaoyorozu would want to wear a full helmet but I was thinking of adding a visor and headset combo. With this, a simple visor is going to increase her defensive capabilities by quite a bit!”

“Well, Yaomomo did say that she would prefer avoiding an attack instead of taking the hit. That’s why she doesn’t want heavy armor for her costume to stay mobile, so giving her a little baby to make detecting incoming attacks easier made sense.” Mei shrugged.

Mei was glad Izuku was happy to accept her addition. Yaomomo was his client first and foremost, so Mei didn’t want to intrude too much on his vision. Also developing gadgets like that was more her forte than actual costume design.

“Very impressive selection Hatsume. To think a teenager made so much equipment with such a degree of sophistication. Now, however, I would like to put my attention on Midoriya. Same deal here, young man; why should I hire you and what do you expect to achieve?” Yaoyorozu’s Father asked Izuku.

“W-w-well y-you see…” Izuku stammered as he attempted to make his pitch.

Attempted being the important word here.

That was bad. Mei had seemingly forgotten in all the excitement just how bad Izuku was at presentations. She had to basically take over for him when they had to present their first group project together in class.

“Calm down young man! Take a deep breath. It's ok; I understand you are a little nervous. Just gather yourself and start again when you are ready," Mr. Yaoyorozu told her nervous friend.

Thank God! Yaomomo had not only her height in common with her Dad, they were both really nice and considerate too!

“T-thank you. I-I am not sure what I’m supposed to say. I’m just some guy doing his best in school. There are lots of people better than me at what I do. I still don’t know why your daughter went out of her way to recommend me for this or why she approached me of all people for help in the first place. What I do know is that she is placing a lot of trust in me and I don’t want to disappoint her. I want to make her the best costume I possibly can. A costume worthy of the amazing hero she is going to be! But I am still too inexperienced to do that right now. I hope that working as an intern for your company will help me change that," Izuku expressed his motivation.

Mei, for her part, was moved by Izuku’s words. How could she not be? Such dedication! He just gets it! What’s the point if you don’t go above and beyond to make the very best gear you can?

She did not get much time to dwell on her rising fluttery feelings as she suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind her.

“I am pleased to hear that. Momo never tired of emphasizing how diligent and dedicated you are, and it seems she was not exaggerating for your benefit," Yaomomo’s Mom said as she made her way across the room to her husband.

“Dear, what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to talk with our other guests.”

“Well, I am here to inform you that the kitchen staff told me dinner is almost ready. Also, there happened to be an explosion right outside your window, if you haven’t noticed. Any idea what that was about?”

“Ohh, that was me! That was just a little demonstration of one of my many babies I brought with me! I got more amazing stuff here if you want to see, but that has to wait for later since your husband wants to get Izuku’s part of the interview done first," Mei explained to the woman before her husband had the chance.

“Are any of these ‘babies’ likely to cause any further accidents?” Yaomomo’s mom asked.

“Accident? That was no accident! That explosion was supposed to happen! It was meant to be the hook of my sales pitch. I mean, come on! What better way to get your audience’s undivided attention than a big ol’ fireball?” Mei asserted a little bit indignantly.

At that the woman turned to her husband with a raised eyebrow: “I suppose it is safe to assume Momo’s description of young Hatsume was not exaggerated either?”

“Honestly, my gut is telling me Momo might have undersold us on that front. The girl brought a suitcase full of functioning prototypes with her, from what I have seen. Still, would you mind giving me a little bit more time? I would like to finish up with Midoriya’s interview before we have dinner.”

“Not at all. Please go ahead! Act as if I wasn’t here," Yaomomo’s Mom almost purred the last part into her husband’s ear as she sat down on the armrest of his chair and leaned into him in a way that made it VERY difficult for Mei to ignore her presence as requested.

How this woman made this simple act look so graceful and sensual at the same time was beyond Mei. Her face was starting to feel very warm, however, as she started to imagine Momo doing the same to her while wearing that cheerleader uniform from the Sports Festival. Where that mental image had come from Mei didn’t know, but she had the feeling she should hold on to it for… later.

“Dear, please. We are almost done here," Yaomomo’s Dad pleaded with his wife, a deep blush clearly visible on his face.

Mrs. Yaoyorozu stood up at his request, wearing a mischievous smirk but made no move to leave, clearly intending to stay and witness the rest of the interview.

“So, back on track. Since you are designing Momo’s new costume, I hope you don’t mind telling me what your ideas for it are. It's not the kind of task you would usually hand to inexperienced first years, so I am very curious to see for myself why Momo chose you over a professional design company," Mr. Yaoyorozu stated after he had regained his composure.

“I-I don’t really have that much yet; we're still at the beginning of the design process. I do have a few sketches with possible concepts with me. Your daughter has rejected most of those so far, but she found a few of those ideas in them interesting enough that I am going to include them in the next set of sketches," Izuku said as he got the stack of papers containing said sketches from his backpack and handed them over to the approaching wife.

The Yaoyorozus wasted no time in spreading out the papers on the desk and examining them.

Mei could finally relax seeing this. There was NO way that Momo’s parents would reject Izuku now. He may not be the best at giving sales pitches thanks to his nerves, but he honestly didn’t need to. His work could easily do the convincing for him.

The stunned expressions of their future employers made it clear that they had it in the bag now.

“These are really all from you?” Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked.

“Y-yes, those are the first batch of rough drafts I made. I know they are not much. I tried to capture a wide variety of different styles and now, with the input of your daughter, I should hopefully be able to produce something more concrete.”

“Ha! Rough drafts, he calls them!” Yaomomo’s Dad remarked amusedly.

“Midoriya, while I must admit that I am very much a layman in this field, these sketches look very professionally done to me. I must say I am quite impressed with what I am seeing here, even if your anatomy might need a little bit of work in a few places," Yaomomo’s Mom said.

Izuku himself looked stunned after getting such praise.

The expressions of their hosts morphed into full-blown smiles when they reached the last few sheets of paper.

“Oh my! Young Midoriya, I am almost inclined to have my husband reject your application based on these!” Mrs. Yaoyorozu exclaimed excitedly, holding up a sheet of paper with a very detailed sketch showing a smiling Yaomomo sitting at a desk in profile.

Like a REALLY good one too. Holy shit. Mei knew Izuku could draw, but she had no idea he was THAT good.

Mei quickly stood up to get a look at the other papers and yep, like she expected, they all had amazingly lifelike sketches of their mutual friend doing mundane things he likely saw her do during their workshop sessions.

“I must say such talent is wasted sitting in a workshop all day working with machinery. Are you sure you don’t want to pursue an artistic education? I have friends in high places at the Tokyo University of the Arts. If you hone this gift properly, getting accepted there should pose no challenge for you," their hostess continued.

It seemed to take a moment for Mrs. Yaoyorozu’s words, as well as the situation, to fully sink in for Izuku. After a moment though, Mei did see something click, and he started responding with his face progressively turning a darker shade of red as he spoke: “W-w-wha… OHMYGODwhatarethosedoingintherehowdidmypersonalsketchesendupwiththecostumeconceptsohmygodiamsosorrythosearejustsomesillydoodlesplease…”

That reaction was unexpected for their hosts. While Mei herself also didn’t really understand what there was to be so embarrassed about, she quickly calmed her friend down with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

After taking care of Izuku, Mei addressed the wealthy couple again. “Soooo, do we have the job now or what? I’m starting to feel kinda hungry.”

Instead of an immediate response to Mei’s question, Mr. Yaoyorozu threw a pointed look at his wife.

“Why are you looking at me? YST is your company, so the decision is yours.”

“Is it?” Yaoyorozu’s Father asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Of course! Why would you think otherwise?”

“Well maybe because someone insisted on getting involved after Momo came to me with her request, I feared this wasn’t the case anymore.”

“I was merely being careful. I hope we both agree that Momo handing out favors like that is a worrying development. Don’t even try to deny that this whole event today was not merely a ploy to appease me," the Yaoyorozu matriarch huffed indignantly.

“Still, I’d like to hear your verdict dear.”

“Well, consider me appeased then. I am still not a fan of the precedent this sets, but I shall not veto your decision.”

“Excellent! Young Midoriya, young Hatsume let me officially welcome you to Yaoyorozu Support Technologies! I will make sure to take care of the paperwork for U.A. by Monday so your families should be able to fill out the final forms by the end of the week. Now let us—”

“Let me clarify just one more thing honey, if you don’t mind," Mrs. Yaoyorozu interrupted her husband.

“You two seem to already have the right mindset, but I prefer to leave as little room for misunderstandings as possible. You will be employees of the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate and as such there will be expectations. Do not think for a second that my daughter’s favor exempts you from this. Quite the opposite. I despise nepotism, so expect your conduct to be scrutinized heavily. Fall short, and this will be little more than a one-time summer job, even if quite a lucrative one. If you use this opportunity to impress us, however, then I’ll guarantee you that you will find your coming internships and careers with us to be exceptionally rewarding. Do I make myself clear?” Mrs. Yaoyorozu asserted.

While Mei wasn't particularly worried about not living up to expectations, she still, like Izuku, nodded obediently in response.

Damn, Yaomomo’s mom could be intimidating when she wanted to, while somehow still coming off way hotter than any woman had any right to be.

With the boring formalities out of the way though, they could finally move on to the more fun parts of the evening.

Mei had never been over to a friend’s house before. Hell, she’d never even had friends before U.A. at all! This was going to be exciting, she could tell!

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Momo was nervously pacing up and down her room.

She knew that it was rather silly of her to worry that much.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel that this has been her fault. She had promised them a proper internship and because of her failure to avoid getting her mother involved, they had to sit through a job interview.

Momo had done her best to stack the odds in favor of her friends. With Hatsume-san’s prototypes and Midoriya-san’s costume sketches her father should be convinced that Momo had not been exaggerating, when she had been advocating in their favor.

Logically she knew that this interview should not be a big obstacle. It was most likely just her Father’s way of appeasing her Mother’s overbearing skepticism.

Yet, the heiress couldn’t keep herself from thinking about all the ways everything could go wrong. This overthinking habit of hers was starting to become her biggest flaw. It was likely the main reason Tokoyami-san had been able to overwhelm her so easily. She really needed to find a better way to deal with that, since so far, her only way of stopping it was to distract herself with a different task.

Freshening up had been a welcoming distraction after arriving. Unfortunately, now that she had showered and slipped into the pink blouse, black tights and white knee length skirt she was wearing now, she was running low on possible diversions.

Well, pleasant diversions. Her growling stomach had been an incessant reminder how much she was yearning for the dinner she had invited her friends and their families for. At one point it had been so loud she could have sworn it sounded more like an explosion in the distance.

Thankfully she was not forced to wait any longer when she finally heard a few knocks on her door. Seeing both of her friends AND both of her parents in the hallway had been a worrying development at first. Her Mother being present during the interview would have meant a much harder time for her guests. Hopefully Mother had just decided to personally collect everyone to lead them into the dining hall.

Looking at her friends, however, allowed her to take a breath of relief.

Well, mostly looking at Mei. The wide ear to ear grin Hatsume sported coupled with the fact that she was excitedly bouncing in place made it pretty easy to infer the result of the interview.

Momo herself couldn’t help but beam her brightest smile in return. How could she not? The knowledge that she had been able to fulfill her promise and that they would be able to spend their summer in a productive way, was a major weight of her shoulders.

The metaphorical weights were suddenly replaced with a very literal one once Mei jumped her and pulled her into a tight hug. “We got the job! We GOT THE JOB! This summer is gonna be the best one EVER! Thank you so much Yaomomo!” Mei expressed her gratitude in her typical unrestrained fashion.

“There is no need to thank me, Mei. I am merely trying to return the favor and I can speak from personal experience when I say that I know how unpleasant an experience an internship can be. I rest easy now that I know you will be in an environment that will help you learn and grow.”

“Wait, you already had a bad internship experience? What happened?” Midoriya-san inquired.

“Well, I made the mistake of choosing the Hero I wanted to work under solely based on their ranking. This led me to spend a week at the Uwabami agency, which turned out to be a grave mistake. Don’t get me wrong she was not treating me bad or anything it was just… that she couldn’t provide me guidance in the matters where I needed it the most. This entire affair has been a huge waste of time, which I frankly can’t afford considering the limited opportunities for gathering field experience I will get.”

“Uwabami? Ohhh boy let me guess, she spent more time on her modeling career than doing any Hero work didn’t she?” Midoriya-san guessed.

“More time? She spent almost our entire time working on this ridiculous shampoo commercial! We had precisely one ‘patrol’ which was just an excuse for her to get out and sign autographs and smile for the cameras! Me and Kendo-san were little more than unpaid personal assistants for her. Worst of all, when the other models that were to star beside her had to cancel all of a sudden, Uwabami had us star in their stead!” Momo remarked as she vented her frustrations.

“Wait, are you telling me that this Uwabami woman had you and this Kendo girl, two minors , star in a commercial without asking permission from the parents first? Why am I hearing about this just now?” Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked, as her face took on a very displeased scowl.

“I did, didn’t I? I could have sworn that I told you about the internship after I returned home.”

“Well, it appears you left out this rather important little detail Momo dear,” her Mother replied.

Could she really have forgotten to tell her parents about the commercial? She remembered that she was not in the mood to go much into detail, thanks to her dropping spirit, but she could have sworn that she at the very least mentioned it once.

“I suppose it slipped my mind. Why would that be important? While it was a waste of time, Kendo-san and I were obligated to follow Uwabami’s instructions since we were her interns. Shouldn’t the documents for the internship you signed cover the parental consent?”

“Momo, those forms we signed for U.A. cover parental consent only for Hero work. If Uwabami had you do work outside the legal bounds of Hero work then she broke the law or at the very least bent it heavily to suit her needs. At best she exploited a legal gray zone there,” her Father clarified.

“Not for much longer,” her Mother grimly asserted.

Oh

Oh, dear!

Momo turned to her Mother and seeing the darkening scowl on her face made it abundantly clear that someone was going to hear from her family’s lawyers pretty soon.

Should she try to reign her Mother’s wrath in a little and prevent her from completely destroying Uwabami’s career? The woman was a fairly competent rescue Hero, on the occasion where she actually bothers to do Hero work. Losing an experienced Hero to scandal like that could have unpleasant repercussions for society at large.

On the other hand… Uwabami DID neglect her duties and used her and Kendo-san for her own convenience. Having her face the consequences for her actions could be a wake up call and make her reflect on her life priorities. It could feasibly lead to Uwabami becoming a better Hero. At the very least it would prevent others from having their time wasted like she and Kendo-san did.

It would probably be for the best to save herself the trouble of getting involved in this matter any further, since she herself wasn’t sure how to proceed. Hopefully that was not her own bitterness about this whole affair speaking.

“Anyways, we should probably hurry to the dining hall since we wouldn’t want to delay dinner any longer do we? Making our guests wait any longer would be terribly rude and I for one feel like I am starving!” Momo attempted to change the subject.

“Yeah! What she said! This sales pitch made me really hungry!” Mei voiced her agreement.

“The fact that you only had two granola bars during lunch break probably didn’t help either,” Midoriya-san added with no small amount of snark.

“I was busy ok?! Also, why waste time eating lunch at school if you can have a nice fancy dinner in the evening? Think Izuku! Don’t you want to have the largest possible amount of room available for this?” Mei shot back.

“Well, I suppose it is fortunate you came here on an empty stomach. I had our chefs prepare a multiple course meal in celebration of today, so nobody should have to leave hungry.” Momo’s Mother commented.

That was indeed sounding fortunate. Momo’s own appetite had been tormenting her for a while now despite her having a nice meal during lunch period. A nice hearty, multiple course feast was exactly what she needed right now!

Midoriya Izuku was in high spirits for once.

Well, relatively speaking.

He made it past the main hurdle of this evening with only minimal embarrassment!

How his personal sketches of Yaoyorozu had ended up in his backpack he had no idea. Those had just been intended as practice so he could make better illustrations for her entry in his Hero analysis notebook. His first sketch had been really rough and with all the new things he had learned about her during their sessions, revising her entry was overdue anyways.

Izuku was even thinking about starting a new notebook for this purpose, maybe even a new series. Having separate notebooks for thoughts regarding his current and future clients would make sense. He could even show these without having to worry about exposing his more… personal ideas.

It’s not like Hero analysis for the future would do him much good in the foreseeable future anyways. U.A. won’t transfer him into the Hero course no matter what he does, so he was stuck in the support course. This was the path his life would be following now for better or worse. This path at the very least appeared to be less rocky, which was probably more because of the help he was receiving.

He had not expected to learn today why Yaoyorozu had been so incredibly supportive in getting him and Mei this internship. It had been more than just repaying them for helping with her costume, she wanted to help them avoid a bad internship experience like she had. Considering she had wanted to work on her combat skills, Uwabami really was among the worst possible choices she could have made. Ryukyu, Majestic, Gunhead, Edgeshot and maybe even Death Arms would have been significantly more helpful for her and those were just the ones that came to Izuku’s mind from the top of his head.

It’s a shame he didn’t meet her sooner. He might have been able to offer her advice if he could have seen her list of offers beforehand. It’s really a shame that someone so kind like Yaoyorozu had such a rough time during her first internship…

“Midoriya-san? Hello, can you hear me? We have arrived,” the girl in question said as she tried to get his attention.

“Is that normal for him? He was mumbling so fast I was barely able to make out a word, apart from him name dropping a few pro-Heroes,” Mr. Yaoyorozu added.

“Pffft, that was nothing! You should see him when he REALLY gets going, it's like he’s in his own little world. It’s awesome though, because he always has his best ideas during his mutter-storms!” Mei explained.

Izuku for his part was mortified. Had he really just said all of this stuff out loud?!

First the unwanted reveal of his personal sketches and now this! How many more blunders would he have to endure before the end of the evening?

He was ripped from his thoughts when Yaoyorozu gently touched his shoulder and told him. “If it is any consolation your mumbling was a lot less intelligible than usual. Would you mind telling me what was on your mind?”

“W-well I was thinking about which Heroes might have been able to offer you a better internship,” Izuku told her.

“I suppose I should have spent more time researching. Well, it can’t be helped, what’s done is done. At least some good has come from this ordeal. I might have never sought out you and Mei if my internship had gone better. For what it’s worth, I think making new friends is the better outcome!” Yaoyorozu remarked while giving him a soft smile.

After Izuku’s heartbeat had the opportunity to get down to levels that wouldn’t overload a heart monitor again, they met up with his Mom and Mei’s sister and took their seats in the dining hall.

With Mei to his left and his Mom to his right Izuku quickly noticed the… worrying amount of cutlery in front of him. He started to suspect they would be having European food. Great! More opportunities to make a fool of himself.

His suspicions were validated once a man, who he assumed to be the chef, entered and announced the menu to them. Izuku could not remember when he last heard so many French words in a sentence.

Probably that time when he researched that Franco-Canadian Hero, who fought alongside All Might once, during his early years in California. Izuku foolishly assumed that his, admittedly remarkable for his age, English skills would make translating other European languages easier.

Boy had he been wrong!

At the very least he should have an easier time with the French food, since he wouldn’t need to be able to pronounce it to eat. Figuring out which fork and knife he was supposed to use, however, could be an issue. Thankfully just watching his wealthy friend should suffice in finding the right utensil.

The problem was moot for the Entrée at least, since it consisted of some sort of cake which you were apparently allowed to eat with your fingers if Yaoyorozu was any indication. Cake Salé, much to Izuku’s surprise, was quite savory rather than sweet.

The following courses consisted of grilled salmon with sorrel in a creamy sauce, a lime sorbet as palette cleanser, chicken in red wine sauce, a French salad and then… cheese. Just a plate with a variety of different kinds of cheese.

“By the way Momo, please send my utmost thanks to that classmate of yours. That import business he recommended is exquisite!” Mrs. Yaoyorozu said as she enjoyed her slice of cheese.

“I’ll make sure to let Aoyama-san know, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised his family knows a good source for French wine and cheese considering he has a strong affinity for the latter,” Yaoyorozu responded.

Izuku already felt that he was close to bursting after five or six courses when it dawned on him that there would be one more.

Dessert.

Closing their rather expansive meal would be a serving of mousse au chocolat which made Mei, who until that moment had been clutching her overstuffed belly like Izuku, perk right up.

Guess when it came to chocolate, Mei always had some more room left.

His pink-haired friend definitely enjoyed dessert more than the previous courses, if the visible shiver that went down her spine after her first spoonful was any indication.

Or the ecstatic squeals after every spoon.

Or the heavy panting between every mouthful.

Or her heavily dilated pupils.

Honestly, Izuku started worrying Hatsume may have been enjoying her dessert a tad bit too much.

She looked like she was only moments away from actually moaning in ecstatic bliss! Even Lunch Rush’s chocolate pudding couldn’t coax such a reaction from Mei! Izuku tried really hard NOT to think about all the images Mei’s suddenly surprisingly husky voice was conjuring up in his mind. The way she was licking her lips was NOT helping either!

Thankfully Mei finished her plate before she experienced a full blown foodgasm in front of everyone. Her older sister snatching her plate away, before she could start licking the last traces of chocolate mousse from it, probably helped too.

Yaoyorozu’s parents for their part were not particularly fazed by this. They seemed to see this more as an endorsement of their kitchen staff’s skills than anything else.

Izuku’s second hand embarrassment for Mei remained, however. So did the unwanted inappropriate images in his head. Which of those had contributed more to his flushed cheeks he was not able to tell. The fact that he had felt jealous of a spoon for being licked suggestively by Mei, though, was definitely annoying him more. He was sort of friends with two very pretty girls now. He was already awkward enough around girls his age, so having his head drop down into the gutter at the slightest provocation was the last thing he needed! He wouldn’t want to give Mei and Yaoyorozu a reason to think he was some kind of perv!

“Oh my, that was sorely needed after such a long day! Mother, Father, would you mind if me and my friends excuse ourselves? I’d like to show them my room and maybe give them a little tour of our home later,” the heiress addressed her parents.

“Of course sweety, have fun! You’ll know where to find us if you need anything. I for one am looking forward to getting to know the lovely families of my future interns in the meantime,” Yaoyorozu’s Father answered.

With that a very cheerful Yaoyorozu started leading Izuku and Mei back to her room, happily bouncing and smiling all the way.

Izuku couldn’t help himself from getting excited. The usually calm and collected heiress's suddenly very lively demeanor was just that infectious! She was already very cute as is, but this unbridled enthusiasm made her just so much more endearing.

Izuku was unsure what he was supposed to do though, he had never hung out with girls before after all. Well, it was also a very long time since he had hung out with people his age at all. Facing the boundless vivacity of Yaoyorozu, which was also gleefully reciprocated by Mei, however, Izuku decided to stop overthinking and just go with the flow.

After spending the better part of the afternoon worrying himself sick, he deserved some time relaxing.

Hatsume Mei was elated, and that was not just because of the sugar high caused by what had possibly been the best chocolate dessert she had ever had the pleasure of eating. 

Turns out Yaomomo could be quite the mood maker if she really wanted to.

Ever since leaving the dining hall Yaomomo had basically been happiness personified, bouncing and bopping ahead, as she led them to her room. The girl was so bright and her enthusiasm so strong, that not getting swept away by it was impossible, so Mei didn’t bother even the slightest to resist. Who would have thought a girl, who was usually so refined and serious, could become so friggin adorable out of nowhere?

Yaomomo’s room on the other hand was not a big surprise once they reached it. Parts of it looked more like they were part of a library, what with all the high, filled to the brim bookshelves.

What did stand out, though, was the huge queen sized bed with a Matryoshka doll on the nightstand. All three of them could easily snuggle up in there with lots of room to spare! It also looked very, very soft. Not one to leave an hypothesis untested, Mei leapt straight into it.

Yep!

As expected!

Very, very soft indeed!

“Mei! You can’t just jump in there! We are guests here!” Izuku said.

“In my defense: This is like, SUPER comfy! Easily the comfiest bed I ever jumped in!” Mei remarked.

“It’s fine.” Yaomomo interrupted, giggling. “It would be very hypocritical of me to chastise you Mei, considering how much I used to do this.”

Sitting up from the bed, Mei asked her friends. “So, what are we gonna do now? With my belly full and the internship in the bag I am up for anything!”

“Well, eventually I do hope to get the chance to show you around a bit. There’s so much so see! The grand Ballroom, the music room, the projector room, our library and so much more! I just have to show you Mother’s atelier, I am sure you would like that one Midoriya-san! A stroll through the gardens would be lovely too and I suppose I could show you my training gym if you want to, although I am not in the mood for any more strenuous physical activities for today.”

“Wow. How many rooms does your mansion have? With all the doors I have seen walking around here I don’t think we can see everything even If we stayed over for the whole weekend!” Izuku wondered out loud.

“To be frank I am not… really sure myself. I know this wing fairly well and I know most of the rooms my parents have set aside to display their collections and interests. I have no idea, however, how many rooms we have for our staff or guests and I shan't forget about all the utility closets, bathrooms…” Yaomomo thought out aloud, seemingly trying to give at least a rough estimate to answer Izuku’s question.

While Yaomomo was busy listing off everything she knew about her home to Izuku, Mei used the time to look around the room a little more. Naturally the near ubiquitous bookshelves catched her eyes. Honestly, Mei was not really surprised about all the books lined up there. It made sense that someone as smart as Yaomomo would be well read. Mei quickly noticed that not all the books were about matters concerning the hard sciences, however. In true polymath fashion there were books covering a wide array of topics from philosophy, history, mythology of various cultures up to classical Japanese and English literature. 

There was one section in particular that caught her interest. A section whose contents could be summarized with one word:

Fiction!

It was good to know her erudite friend was also able to enjoy reading just for fun. Mei recognized quite a few names from the works in front of her. Asimov, Herbert, Dick, Le Guin, Jules Verne, yep pretty much all the names from her Dad’s sci-fi novel treasure trove were represented here. Yaomomo truly had excellent taste! She even had…

“Neuromancer!”

“Hmm? Everything alright over there, Mei?” the tall girl asked.

“You’ve got Neuromancer! Even in the original English! My Dad tried like forever to get a genuine copy!”

“Not surprising, it is a very old book after all and quite a niche genre so demand for reprints is low.” Yaomomo revealed. “You can borrow it if you want,” she then offered with a smile.

“You… you sure?”

“Of course! I already read it years ago so all it’s doing here is gather dust. I’d much rather have it in the hands of a friend that appreciates the genre!” Momo affirmed, maintaining her friendly smile from before.

Mei, for her part, was suddenly overwhelmed by a cavalcade of different emotions. Joy, sadness and a whole lot of confusion. Why was she getting so riled up over a silly little book? Sure her Dad had been a big fan of the genre in general and that author in particular, and sure his collection of sci-fi movies and novels was one of the few things she had left of him, but that was no reason to get shaken like that all of a sudden. Still… all the memories of watching those silly movies with her Dad and him passionately talking about the books that had inspired them rushed to the forefront of her mind.

Before she knew what she was doing, Mei walked up to Yaomomo and hugged her tightly. She was still very confused why her vision was so blurry and why this storm of emotions was running through her, but the hand of her friend closing around her gave her comfort.

“Mei are you okay?” a concerned looking Izuku asked as he added his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

“I think? Sorry guys, I don’t know what came over me.” Mei told them after she had calmed down and let go of Momo. “I guess I got a bit emotional since this reminded me of my Dad. He was really into that stuff too, you know? Sorry for bringing down the mood.”

“It’s alright. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose your parents, so please take your time,” Yaomomo comforted her. “Meanwhile, if you’d like Midoriya-san you can look through my books too. If something catches your eye and you want to borrow it just ask!”

With that Izuku seemingly reluctantly started looking through the bookshelves, occasionally peeking back awkwardly to the bed where Mei and Momo had sat down together. Mei kept clutching the book close to her, feeling a little embarrassed because of her emotional outburst.

“Oh, crap.” Izuku uttered, when he accidentally knocked down a few books, sending them tumbling to the floor, when he wasn’t watching his step. “Sorry! I’ll put them back immediately and… hey i think I know that one! Mom really liked that one!”

Izuku held up the book he had recognized. Mei didn’t recognize neither the title nor the author but the cover art kinda gave away what the book was about. The cover featured a hot and muscular guy without shirt princess carrying a half undressed woman in Victorian English attire. The name of the publishing company was the final clue needed for Mei to conclude that this book was one of these cheap and saucy romance novels which lined the shelves of every airport or train station bookstore.

Yaomomo, for her part, looked absolutely mortified, if her quickly reddening cheeks, that could give Izuku’s a run for their money, were any indication. She wordlessly stood up, gently took the book from Izuku and put it back into the shelf with its spine to the wall before sitting down again next to Mei.

“Could… could you please forget what you just saw? I’d rather have my guilty pleasures remain secret,” Momo asked them with a pleading tone, while her cheeks were still almost glowing red. 

Izuku quickly nodded in confirmation but Mei couldn’t hold it anymore and started laughing out loud. “Seriously Yaomomo? That’s what gets you embarrassed? You’re almost as bad as Izuku! It’s just some softcore erotic romance novel! It’s totally fine if you like them!” Mei told her tall and dark-haired friend, after she recovered from her laughing fit.

“W-well it’s not just… this one.”

“So? If you like it you like it, nothing wrong with that! I may not really get the appeal but I won't think anything less of you because of that. Neither will Izuku, right?”

“Y-yeah and it’s not like it can be that bad of a book if my Mom read and liked it.”

“While I appreciate your reassurances I’d still prefer that my… affinity for lowbrow literature like that doesn’t become common knowledge.” Momo said with a heavy sigh. “Anyways, would you like to do something else now? I’d love to show you around!”

Mei, feeling a lot better after having a good laugh over the ridiculous reason for Yaomomo’s embarrassment, promptly agreed. Yaomomo wanted to show them the atelier of her Mom first, since she was convinced Izuku would like it.

Mei herself was looking forward to the projector room, which supposedly was more akin to a huge home-cinema, according to Yaomomo’s description. If she could get a good look at the projector and find it compatible, then she could provide some fun entertainment to her friends with one of her recreational babies, which she packed for the occasion.

Midoriya Izuku was in awe of the size and splendor of the Yaoyorozu family’s home. It was difficult for him to wrap his head around the sheer size of the mansion. The fact that Yaoyorozu, who grew up in this lavish estate, was unable to provide even a rough estimate of the number of rooms, didn’t make it easier.

It was not just the size that stood out. Izuku had not noticed before the interview, since his nerves were distracting him, but the hallways were richly decorated. Paintings, exotic plants, very expensive looking vases and even a couple of sets of European style plate armor to name a few items he had seen. Everything was so expensive looking that Izuku worried that he could cause damages in the billions just by sneezing in the wrong direction.

Mei, naturally, didn’t share his concerns and got uncomfortably close to the most recent display they came across. “Wow, Yaomomo, you could outfit a whole army with the amount of suits of armor you have standing around here! Where did you get them from? Was there a clearance sale in Europe or something?”

Yaoyorozu snickered at the comment, but wasted no time to clarify afterward. “No, these are merely reproductions. My Father knows a few specialists in Europe that remake authentic weapons and armor.”

“Is there a reason why there are only displays for western armor?” Izuku threw in curiously.

“My Father has a very wide array of interests, history being chief among them. He was always fascinated by the European early modern period in particular. My Mother too, in a way, considering her love for Renaissance era paintings and sculptures.”

“So they are history and art history nerds, who filled their huge mansion with old looking western stuff from the era they liked most, huh? Gotta say I do like the commitment to a theme! There is a glaring lack of swords, guns and other weapons though.” Mei remarked

“Mother doesn’t like the idea of weapons, even just decorative ones, being strewn around our home. We set aside a secure display room just for them, but it is quite far away from here, since my Mother was adamant for them to be kept outside of my reach. I suppose it is better this way. My eight year old self might have rejoiced at the opportunity to play with a sword, but it would have been too dangerous.”

“Wait! Is that the reason you use smooth bore cannons for your ranged attacks so much? Warfare in that period was shaped by the invention of gunpowder weapons like that!” Izuku theorized.

“I suppose that played a role, but it was not the only reason. Cannons like that are in effect just metal cylinders filled with gunpowder and a projectile. It is a very simple design and I am able to make it relatively quickly as a result. Relative to more modern artillery equipment with all its moving parts at least. Also, cannonballs are less prone to cause excessive collateral damage like artillery shells.”

“Well if historic artillery weapons are your thing, why not try out a mortar? They are smaller, lighter and not that much more complicated than a smooth bore cannon. I am pretty sure the IJA used a pretty good design in the second World War that should work well for you, otherwise I should be able to cook one up for you if you want. I’ll even include suitable stun and smoke grenades for it!” Mei offered.

“I sincerely hope that I’ll never need firepower of that magnitude, but I'll take any designs you show me into consideration. Anyway, let’s shelf this topic for now, we’re here.”

With that they entered yet another room that exceeded the size of the apartment Izuku and his Mom lived in by a substantial amount. One corner of the room contained a canvas with a half finished painting and all the respective supplies at hand to finish it. The remaining space was used to display a wide variety of artwork.

“Wow, has your Mother really painted all of these?” Izuku asked as he stopped in front of a portrait of Yaoyorozu. The painting looked very well made and showed a younger Yaoyorozu, probably somewhere between ten or twelve, sitting in a chair with her hands folded in her lap in a ladylike pose. What really made the portrait stand out, though, was the exceptionally detailed face which perfectly emphasized the bright smile the pictured girl was sporting.

“Indeed she has. Painting is her favorite pastime and according to her nothing is more relaxing than immersing herself in the process of making art like this. I reckon you might be familiar with what she means yourself, are you not Midoriya-san?”

“W-what do you mean?!”

“Well you seem to be quite the prolific artist yourself. The artwork you produced to show your costume ideas was really well done! One of these days I’d love to see your sketchbook. I am sure you have some lovely pieces hidden in there.”

“I-it’s nothing special, they are just some doodles i make from time to time”

This earned Izuku a giggle from Yaoyorozu before she continued. “That’s quite similar to what my Mother says about her art. She fervently denies that she has any talent and insists that all we are seeing here is just the product of her accumulated experience. It appears most artists tend to be their own harshest critics. Anyways, I really liked your sketches and I hope that I can see more in the future.”

“If you wanna see more of Izuku’s drawings, then why not ask him to show you his Quirk analysis notebooks? I only got a few fleeting glances at them but they do seem to have plenty of sketches in them.” Mei commented.

“Ah yes, I was wondering about those notes too. How many of those do you have and about which people?” Yaoyorozu wondered.

“W-well, mostly about pro-Heroes I saw on the news and the students from the Festival I got to get a good look at. I do like theorizing about Quirks, strategies and potential support gear after all.” Izuku said desperately hoping he wouldn’t be questioned about the purpose of his notes any further. 

“Judging by what I have seen of your abilities so far those notes must contain quite valuable insights. Could I possibly see your material about my classmates as well? As their class representative they often turn to me for advice. I am confident that some of your ideas would help me in counseling them better in Quirk related matters.”

“S-sure, but word of warning, those notes are pretty messy, so I should probably revise them first, since my handwriting and shorthand can make them pretty difficult to follow for others.” Izuku stammered out in reply, hoping that would appease her.

Oh boy, he really hoped she would forget what he just said, since actually revising his notebooks to filter out all the ideas he was uncomfortable with sharing would be a lot of work.

“Ohhhh, come on Izuku! Just let us have a peek! You always have cool ideas even if they are not always the best, and it’s not like we want to read your diary or something.” Mei chirped in, and unknowingly guessed the reason why Izuku was uncomfortable with sharing his notes. He might not have titled his notebooks as diaries but with how much of his hopes, dreams and most intimate thoughts he was pouring into them, they might as well were.

“Indeed, while striving for perfection is not in itself a bad thing, you’d do well to remember not to waste your energy. Not everything you do requires the same level of effort and polish, your notes being among them. Please feel free to share, so far your gift for out of the box thinking has not disappointed, and even if it did I would still like to hear your thoughts. Friends are supposed to be able to share what’s on their mind are they not?”

“I-I’ll keep that in mind. Still, I have to touch them up a bit since my scribbles can be hard to read even for me sometimes.” 

Momo shook her head at that, smiling, before going off in mock exasperation. “Here I go trying to tell you not to unnecessarily burden yourself, and how is it received? It is truly like my Father says! You’re more likely to convince a wall to move out of the way than getting a perfectionist to stop looking at their work too harshly!” 

“Or Izuku is just too humble for his own good. I’ve never met a person that has so much trouble accepting a compliment before. Seriously Yaomomo’s Mom loved your sketches, dude, and so did I!” Mei commented.

“That reminds me: what was my Mother doing at the interview? She was not giving you any trouble was she?”

“No, she showed up pretty late, just before your Father could finish up with me. She was mostly just watching, but she did tell us that she is expecting us to work hard after your Father decided to hire us.”

“On an unrelated note, Yaomomo your Mom is pretty damn scary…” Mei blurted out.

Izuku wholeheartedly agreed with that. That steely gaze of Yaoyorozu’s Mother felt like it was piercing right through him, and made it abundantly clear that she was not a woman to be trifled with. He was kinda proud of himself that he did not faint from the combination of his nervousness and the intimidating effect of the woman’s authoritative aura.

“...and also kinda hot”

With that Izuku’s head snapped immediately to his pink-haired friend. He did not disagree with that sentiment, but hearing it spelled out that bluntly did shock him.

“I-I beg your pardon?!” Yaoyorozu stammered, clearly sharing Izuku’s surprise.

“Well, your Mom was doing this thing where she sexily sat on the armrest of your Dad’s chair and… wait sexy is not the right word… how do you call something that is sexy but kinda in an elegant way? Sensual? I’ll go with sensual. Anyways, she was leaning over your Dad after sitting down and his face was getting so red it could almost give Izuku a run for his money, and I just can’t wrap my head around how she did that with just such a simple pose. It was almost magical!” Mei veered off on a tangent, unaware of the uncomfortable silence of Izuku and possibly Momo.

“That woman is unbelievable! As happy as I am that their marriage is still going strong, flirting like that in front of guests, let alone my friends, is… is… it’s inappropriate!” Yaoyoorzu lamented, while pinching the bridge of her nose. “I am deeply sorry that she barged in on your interview like this. Knowing her, that was some kind of test, which you thankfully seemed to have passed. Still, I’ll need to have a little word with her afterwards.”

“Anyways, I think it would be best for us to move on with our tour, there are plenty of rooms left I’d like to show you. ” Yaoyorozu said as she started slowly walking towards the door and gestured to Izuku and Mei to follow her.

While they walked through the hallways towards their next destination, Izuku was busy internally discussing what to do about his notebooks. Should he try and stall for time until he has a ‘safe’ version ready to present or just show them the unedited originals? Doing the latter would be impossible without exposing his true dream and the reasons why he was unable to pursue it.

No doubt he would lose sleep over this, wouldn’t he?

Yaoyorozu Momo was enjoying herself tremendously.

The emotional outburst of Mei, in her room, had her worried for a moment, but fortunately it seemed that comforting her pink-haired friend had been successful. She would have preferred it without Midoriya accidentally exposing some of her less… sophisticated reading material, however. The rest of the tour thankfully has been going swimmingly so far and Momo was happy her friends were having a good time too.

The next stop Momo had intended was the projector room, which her family used as a home-cinema. They had a fairly large selection of movies to choose from, which should make for ample opportunities for entertainment. Making use of the room would unfortunately also mean that the tour would likely come to an end here, since there would be nowhere near enough time left to show the other areas to her friends. Pitiable as it was, Momo admitted to herself that her plans for this afternoon had been overly ambitious. At the very least that would mean she would have new things to show her friends for their next potential visit.

What was concerning Momo most at the moment, however, was the fact that Mei had insisted on getting her metal suitcase, which she had used to transport her prototypes in, with her. Mei had so far refused to explain her reasons, only saying that it would be a ‘surprise’, which only worried Momo more. Mei had sworn on the name of Masamune Shirow that the risk of her ‘surprise’ causing a fire was ‘minimal’, which seemed to have calmed down a similarly concerned Midoriya for a little bit.

Arriving at their destination, Momo showed her friends into the room, and like in most rooms before this one, they were in awe of the fact that her home not only was so spacious, but also contained such apparently extraordinary amenities. Were all these facilities in her home really that unusual? It made sense to her that gyms and libraries were not common in most homes, since there would be no need for the corresponding public facilities otherwise. The reactions of her guests and their habit of measuring the rooms of her home in relation to the sizes of their entire apartments made Momo seriously question how accurate her assumptions about the lives of the common citizens were. She should probably make the effort and discreetly ask Kyoka some questions regarding this topic. She wouldn’t want to commit any faux pás because of her ignorance!

“So, here we are.” Momo began. “This is the projector room, if you’d like we could end our little tour here and spend our remaining time before you have to leave watching a movie.”

“Actually, I have a waaaaay better idea!” Mei interrupted with her hand raised, and a wide grin on her face. “First I need to get a close look at the projector, though.”

Reluctantly Momo allowed Mei to inspect the equipment, while keeping a close eye on her pink-haired friend to ensure no unsanctioned modifications were made to it.

“Yes! That should work!” Mei exclaimed as she sprung to action. Within a short few moments the manic inventor had pulled out an odd contraption that looked like the haphazardly jumbled together insides of a small computer, plugged it into the projector and switched everything on with a device that looked like a jury rigged game console controller.

“Who’s up for some Super Hero Smash: Ultra?” Mei asked, wiggling her brows as she pulled two more controllers out of her suitcase.

That took Momo for a spin for a moment. Did the other girl seriously build a bootleg game console? Admittedly something like that wasn’t that far fetched considering the kind of contraptions Hatsume was making on a regular basis, it did make Momo seriously question where that girl was taking the time to do things like that, however. She seriously hoped that all the comments Mei had made over considering sleep ‘a waste of time’ were not indicative of an unhealthy sleep schedule.

“Mei, Ultra is over five years old,” Midoriya stated flatly.

“Yep, and it’s still the best one of the franchise by far!” Mei chirped.

“Debatable… Also, its servers were shut down at the beginning of the year and I am pretty sure they never released it for PC.” He continued.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you Izuku but game consoles are nothing more than dumbed down PC’s. I thought you knew that. Also, emulators are a thing and I modded the game to add a little workaround to its need for the official game-servers.”

“Is… Is that legal?” Momo asked, concerned.

“Well, no. It is a victimless crime though.” Mei answered without missing a beat.

“Are you sure? What about the developers of the game? Their livelihood depends on the sales numbers, do they not?” Momo argued.

“You serious? Yaomomo the devs got their salaries during development and that’s it, they don’t get royalties! The money from the sales almost entirely went to the publisher, who is so greedy and scummy that I can’t call them villainous, because that would be an insult to villains! They shut down the servers to force the Ultra community, which was still going strong after all those years, to move on to the shitty sequels they ruined by stuffing them chock full of micro transactions!”

“Hey! SHS: Revenge was not bad! I also like the roster updates they have been doing for SHS: Mayhem!” Izuku countered impassionedly.

“Roster updates? Ohhh, you mean those overpriced DLC with which they resell you most of the features of the previous games piece by piece!”

“They are not DLC! You could still play the new Heroes, only their story mode and alternative costumes are locked behind microtransactions!”

“You know how you unlock those very same things in Ultra? Just by playing the damn game! Updated graphics are the ONLY thing the newer SHS games have over Ultra!”

With that the two support course students continued their passionate argument over which game of the series was the superior one, the initial concerns over the dubious legality of Hatsume’s pirated and modified version seemingly forgotten. Momo herself was quite startled how people could argue over something that trivial. Thankfully it didn’t seem to be a serious argument, but Momo was still scrambling to think of a way to prevent further escalation.

“You just like the newer ones better because you are such a Hero fanboy! Bigger roster does not equal a better game!”

“And you are blinded by nostalgia! Ultra was amazing for its time but they have refined the mechanics a lot since then!”

Mei gasped at that. “You take that back! Ultra is still the best in the series by its own merits! I’ll prove it. We are gonna play, and you’ll have more fun having your butt kicked than you ever had with the sequels!”

“Ohhh you are on! I am going to make you curse Ultra’s clunky blocking mechanics and its unbalanced combo system!” Midoriya proclaimed as he picked up the second homemade controller and took a seat next to Mei.

With their compromise achieved, both students now turned to Momo. “Ohh yeah Yaoyorozu… sorry we got a little carried away there, you can join in too if you want.” Midoriya sheepishly offered.

“I am content with observing for the moment and letting you settle your little argument amongst yourselves. Also, I am still not sure how I am supposed to feel about Hatsume’s foray into digital piracy.”

“Ohhh come on Yaomomo! What’s next, you gonna complain about me jaywalking?”

“Mei please tell me that you at least own one legal copy of the game”

“Yes! Well, actually no. My brother did when Maho-nee and I were still living with him.”

“Alright, I suppose that means you did not completely cheat the developers off the money they are owed,” Momo remarked. “I am going to look past this but please Mei consider refraining from further engaging in illicit activities like that.” She appealed to her gadget obsessed friend.

“Nope! Unlike fanboy over there I am not gonna waste a single Yen on a greedy publisher that nickel and dimes us! The way I see it I am doing my part in preserving a timeless classic of the hero brawler genre that was unjustly abandoned by the greedy corporate suits, who own the franchise!” Mei contended.

Unwilling to spend the remaining time of the evening engaging in a fruitless discussion with Hatsume, Momo settled the matter by agreeing to disagree with her pink-haired friend.

With that Midoriya and Mei were able to focus their full attention on their battle. Unsurprisingly the green-haired boy picked All Might as his fighter. Mei chose the Buster Hero: Airjet as her champion. Momo did not recognize this particular Hero but she did recognize the jetpack, since it looked exactly like the one Hatsume had used during the Sports Festival. The green-haired student apparently was not the only one to like and pay homage to less known Heroes.

How their videogame battle was going, once it started, Momo couldn’t accurately judge thanks to her unfamiliarity with the game. For the longest time it appeared both her friends were evenly matched until Midoriya was able to catch Hatsume’s character midair and finish the match with a brutal attack combo. “Fuck, I have gotten rusty. Best out of three?” Hatsume asked, unwilling to admit defeat just yet.

Midoriya, seemingly being a good sport, agreed, a decision he would come to regret in the second match as Mei was now able to successfully pull off her evasive death of a thousand cuts strategy, finishing him off with a particular strong airblast from her Hero’s armcannon at the end. “No wonder you never recognized Ultra’s flaws, considering your very annoying playstyle,” Izuku noted while grinding his teeth.

The final match would drag on the longest, as both contenders drew on the full extent of their skills. The match was finally decided when the timer ran out and the game switched into sudden death mode. Mei, confident that her better ranged capabilities would give her the edge now, believed victory to be hers, until Midoriya, after an impressive display of his evasive skills, hit her midair with a kick, winning him the game. “What the hell! You BARELY grazed me with your damn toe!” Hatsume yelled exasperated. 

“Well, I forgot to mention that Ultra’s hitboxes were a bit on the yanky side as well, guess I win” Midoriya proclaimed. “Soo, which game is the best in the series now, Mei?” the boy asked with an uncharacteristically smug grin on his face.

“Ultra, obviously!” came the reply.

Before Midoriya could angrily retort, Mei continued. “Did you think we were fighting over which game was better? Have you forgotten my exact words? You’ll be having more fun having your butt kicked by me than you had with the sequels. Granted I was unable to live up to my boast regarding my skills, but tell me I-zu-ku, did you have more fun now than when playing the sequels?”

“Tha-that’s unfair! Every game is way more fun if you play it with friends, especially SHS! I never played any of the sequels with friends!” Midoriya admitted, shocked by this turn of events.

“Quod erat demonstrandum! I rest my case, thank you!” Mei asserted smugly while bowing, making it almost look like this had been the outcome she had been going for in the first place. Such a level of deception was not impossible, considering how she had been able to trick Iida-san during the Sports Festival.

With the argued over question finally settled in a way, Momo was now able to join in and have a few more relaxed matches with her friends, in which she was completely and utterly destroyed since she was still a complete novice going up against two people with countless hours in this game series. Her switching through the roster every match didn’t help matters either. Still, Momo enjoyed her time playing with her friends greatly, whether it was because of Izuku coaching her on the strengths and weaknesses of every Hero, trying to guide her to the ones he thought best fitting to her, or Mei gleefully sharing all the ‘cheesy’ tactics she knew to give Izuku a harder time in the game, it was all great fun!

But alas, everything has to come to an end, and so Momo eventually had to lead her friends back to the entrance hall to part ways, once their guardians had decided it was time to leave. After everybody exchanged their goodbyes the Midoriyas and Hatsumes got into the car that brought them here, to drive back to their respective homes.

“Phew, what an evening! Still, I think we can count today as a success, don’t you think Momo?” her Father said to her.

“I had a delightful evening! Thank you again for giving my friends a chance and for inviting everyone over!” Momo replied, beaming a bright smile at him.

“Indeed it was quite an enjoyable time today, I am concerned that I heard of the neglectful actions of Uwabami for the first time, however. That reminds me honey, how is your schedule for next week? I want to personally discuss our options regarding this matter with our lawyers.” Her Mother weighed in.

Her Father was unsure and immediately went ahead to his office to double check his appointments for the coming week, vowing he’d make time for this matter if need be. It seemed her Mother was indeed willing to have the Snake Hero face consequences. 

Nonetheless this was an opportunity for Momo to confront her Mother she was not willing to pass up. “I hope it is safe to assume now that you approve of my friends. Still, I don’t appreciate the assumptions you have made beforehand.”

“For the time being, I will say yes, but was that a hint of anger I heard there? My oh my, you must already be quite close to them if you feel the need to be angry on their behalf.” 

“Anger is a strong word, frustration would be more accurate. I was merely wishing to repay the kindness they have shown to me, and while everything has turned out the way I hoped for, your paranoia had needlessly complicated things.”

“Oh my sweet little daughter, let me tell you this was not out of malice. The most dangerous people are not those who openly announce their hostility to you, it’s the ones who try to get into your good graces. They’ll extract what favors they can from you and then either abandon you or jam a knife into your back. This kind of person is attracted to people with wealth and status like us, like moths are to flame. I just had to make sure this wasn’t the case here.”

“Still, your assumptions have been quite insulting to my friends and to me! Do you honestly believe I am so naive that I would easily fall for something like this?”

“I believe you are an incredibly smart young woman, Momo. Unfortunately there are things you can’t learn from books, only from experience. I hope you can forgive me from not wanting you to learn this lesson the hard way. It is mostly my fault for sheltering you so long. I should have let you go to the private school your Father suggested. I might have unwittingly left you vulnerable in this regard, since what I said before applies to villains too. The hooligan minions in the streets are nowhere near as dangerous as the masterminds, who pull the strings from behind the scenes and are able to blend in with society.”

Momo sighed heavily before responding. “I think I understand what you mean but I hope you can see where I am coming from. I just wanted to help my new friends and you were making it difficult. Believe me when I say I didn’t extend this offer to them lightly. I spent enough time with them beforehand that I could be confident in my assessment of their character.”

“I think I can see it now, and I’ll do my best to be more open minded going forward. It’s just sometimes so easy to forget how much you have grown. It feels like it was just yesterday when you made that first Matryoshka doll. I never get tired of explaining to our Russian business partners why I have that one on my desk!”

“Ohhh please, that silly thing is not that special,” Momo said bashfully.

“You made that one when you were barely five! Considering the requirements of your Quirk it is downright miraculous that you were able to achieve this! How many five year olds do you know that are familiar with the molecular composition of wood and of the paints used for such a doll? I am very proud of you Momo, not just for your achievements but also for the fact that you have remained such a kind and selfless person. I know enough people that would have let all of this get to their head, myself included. Again, I hope you can forgive me for being a bit overzealous in my desire to protect you.”

“I-it’s alright I wasn’t mad in the first place. I acknowledge that I am still inexperienced and that your concerns are not completely unjustified. I hope I am right to assume that you will try to extend more trust in my judgment in the future.”

“That you are. Anyways, as lovely as today's festivities were, I can't help but feel a little bit drained. A nice relaxing bath is exactly what I need right now.” Her Mother said as she started to make her way towards her bathroom.

Momo had to admit that she felt similar. She would probably have to turn in for today pretty soon too. Even if tomorrow was the weekend, maintaining a healthy sleep schedule was important after all!

Still, Momo was surprised to find out that having fun with your friends could be so exhausting. She was still looking forward to getting another opportunity to have them over again, however.

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Momo was content.

Some of her classmates disagreed with this sentiment, lamenting the fact that the weekend had ended and that they had to spend their time once again with schoolwork. As a proper class representative, Momo did her best to combat this resignation that some of her less… academically inclined classmates were spreading. Seriously, two full days were more than enough time to recover from the fatigue of Hero training.

Momo suspected that the approaching end of term was at the root of this. Their schoolwork had not slowed down in the slightest and keeping up with it, while rehearsing all of the previously worked through material, could certainly look daunting on paper. For a student like her, who diligently kept up with all assignments and regularly reviewed everything worked through in class, the written part of the looming exams was little reason to worry. She hoped the rest of her classmates were doing something similar and would not be foolish enough to put off studying for the written exam until the last second.

“So what did you guys do over the weekend?” a certain pink-skinned person, who Momo feared would be especially inclined to put off learning for the tests, asked around in their corner of the classroom. Jirou and Hagakure gave their answers before Mina’s attention fell onto Momo. “What about you Yaomomo? Did something good happen? You had this spring in your step all day!”

“I suppose you can say so, yes. My Father was able to close an important deal for his newest venture and we decided to celebrate a bit. I was also able to invite some friends over!” Momo replied, growing more enthused towards the end.

“Whaaaat?! Jirou, why didn’t you tell me you hung out with Yaomomo this weekend!” Mina accused Jirou, with no small amount of indignation.

“What? I was not at her place! I told you I was busy with my new guitar!” The punk music enthusiast defended herself.

“I didn’t have any of our classmates over, Mina. You do know of my visits to the support department, do you? Well, I met two very friendly students there and I invited them for the occasion.”

“Ohh yeah the guys that have been working on your new gear. Right?” Jirou assumed.

“You had a big party at your home and invited those guys but none of us? BETRAYAL! I thought we were friends!” Hagakure remarked in an overly dramatic fashion, which hopefully meant she wasn’t too serious.

“It was far from a big party, Hagakure-san, we merely had dinner and spent some time together afterward. Also, this was not a purely recreational affair. My father’s newest venture is a support company and we were using this opportunity to conduct job interviews for my friends. You see, support course students are required to have internships, in a similar way as we do, just during the summer break, and I referred them to my father for this reason.”

“Was that the reason why the support students were competing in the Sports Festival? Did they try to get the attention of support companies to get internship offers?” Ashido wondered out loud.

“Indeed that is correct. My friends didn’t get any suitable offers so I asked my Father if he was willing to consider them, which he thankfully did.”

“Good for them! Must be really hard for the other support students, since only two of them made it past the first round.” Kyoka suspected.

“Those two were crazy though! That pink-haired girl with the goggles turned Iida’s match into an infomercial and it was hilarious!” Mina noted as she started to snicker from the memory.

“Don’t forget the feral, green-haired boy! I was legit scared when that guy got going. He almost steamrolled Todoroki for crying out loud!” Hagakure added.

At this point, Momo wanted to tell her classmates that these two were the friends she had been talking about and correct their unflattering assumptions about them. She didn't get the chance since the sudden noise of the class door being opened by what everyone assumed to be their teacher interrupted her.

“YAOMOMO? YAOMOMO!”

Instead of Aizawa Sensei, Hatsume Mei walked through the door loudly calling out to Momo. When she was spotted the support student quickly walked up to her, uncaring of the confused looks of 1-A’s students.

“Yaomomo! Emergency!” The slightly out of breath girl stated.

“What emergency? Did something happen in the workshop? Has anybody been injured?” Momo asked, not noticing how she had quickly risen from her seat.

“What? No, I need you to make me some of this!” Hatsume answered while handing Momo a sheet of paper. Said paper contained the formula for graphene and additional data regarding the needed shape and amount.

Momo stared dumbfounded at the sheet for a second before sighing and sitting down again. “Mei, please don’t take this the wrong way but I am pretty sure that I told you that I was not enabling you to circumvent the support department's material requisition system unless there is a very good reason for it!” Momo stated as she pinched the bridge of her nose in slight annoyance.

“I know! And there is a good reason! One of the companies that supplies U.A. fucked up and sent a shipment of materials to god knows where. It’ll be weeks if not over a month until we get another shipment of that kind and I really need that Graphene! The stuff is for a few things I wanna try for your new costume. I even got Power Loader Sensei’s approval and everything! Please Yaomomo, you’re my only hope!” Hatsume pleaded.

“Graphene? I don’t know how I feel about adding such conductive material into my new Hero suit. Also, wouldn’t it be too flammable considering it is made out of pure carbon?” 

“I am more interested in its tensile strength. Graphene is about a hundred times stronger than steel of the same thickness! I wanted to go with a multilayered approach and the Graphene would have been the second to the innermost layer. That way your suit could potentially be stronger and lighter than even kevlar! The electrical conductivity of the material could also allow us to power any other gadgets without needing any external wiring, after finding a material for a proper insulating layer. I wanted to have a prototype ready before our next session but that stupid logistical fuckup ruined everything!” Mei explained.

“Hmmm, I suppose in that case it should be alright, providing you with some for testing purposes, so…”

“What is THIS person doing here?!” came the loud voice of Iida Tenya, as he walked up angrily hand chopping the air. The look on his face made it pretty clear that he had not forgotten the humiliating ruse he had fallen for and that he was not amused to see the person responsible for it.

“Shouldn’t you be in your own class? The break between periods is almost over, your teacher could arrive any second now and I am sure that a delinquent like you doesn’t need tardiness added to their record!”

“Yes, yes, I know, don’t worry once Yaomomo has worked her magic, and I got what I need, I'm out of your hair… ehhhh… what was your name again?” Hatsume responded.

Whatever Iida’s mood had been before it certainly soured even more. “IIDA TENYA! You USED me during our match at the Sports Festival! Have you already forgotten?! Yaoyorozu, how can you associate with this person?”

“Well, Iida-san you see…”

“Now hold on here! I DO know who you are, it is just that I wasn’t sure what your name was! During the Festival they were throwing around a lot of new names and keeping track of all of them isn’t easy! Why are you complaining about that match anyway? I handed you an easy win!” Hatsume contended, clearly not appreciating Iida’s accusatory tone.

“Now, now please calm down everybody!” Momo intervened. “Iida-san, Hatsume-san here has simply come with a simple request. While I agree with you that her timing leaves a lot to be desired, fulfilling her request shouldn’t take too much time and allow her to return to her class in a timely fashion.”

“Yeah! There is no rule that says I can't come in here and I wouldn’t have done it anyway if it wasn’t important!” Mei asserted.

“Mei, please don’t be rude. Iida-san has valid reasons to be outraged. It would probably be for the best if you apologized.”

“What?! Why, though? I gave him victory on a silver platter! I got to show off my babies and he was able to get into the next round. Win, win! Hell, he arguably got more out of this since my demonstration somehow didn’t attract any support companies! How can he be upset about this?!”

“You lied to me! I was so moved by your show of sportsmanship when you offered your equipment to me, only to find out it was a ploy to deceive me! To stoop to such lows… and make a mockery of this hallowed competition! Is nothing sacred to you?!”

Mei looked visibly confused after Iida’s statement so Momo, once again, stepped in to clarify. “Mei, in the Festival it wasn’t just the results that were important. Just imagine this: If you were having a live demonstration of your inventions by having a show fight against me, how would you feel if I was intentionally losing?”

“That would be terrible! And kinda insulting. It would also completely ruin everything if the audience notices you throwing your match and…” Mei stopped mid-sentence once, for what Momo hoped to be an epiphany.

“Wait a sec!... Do you mean?... Did I?..” Before finishing to verbalize her thoughts Hatsume suddenly put both of her hands on her face, threw her head back, and let off a long, loud groan. “I fucked up didn’t I?”

“Not the language I would use, but yes you did.” Momo commented.

Taking on a normal posture again, Mei turned towards Iida to address him, while awkwardly scratching the back of her head. “Ok, I’m sorry for what happened. I just had sooooo many babies I wanted to show off but there was no way I would be able to do so under normal combat conditions. I thought that was the best way to get the attention of the bigwigs. Had I realized that I would deny your chance to properly show off your skills then I probably wouldn’t have done it.”

“If your intentions were so benign why did you feel the need to employ such nefarious deception?” Iida inquired, looking like he was not feeling particularly forgiving yet.

“Most people are stupid. They wouldn’t recognize a win-win scenario if it kicked them in the shin, so I stopped bothering with asking nicely. Well, I guess I was wrong in this case. Sorry again for messing things up for you, I didn’t want it to turn out that way, I promise!”

Iida sighed at this and relaxed a bit from the tense posture he had been holding for the past few moments. “I must admit that what happened in the ring was far from being the worst I had to endure that day. Considering how I also had to learn how unbecoming holding grudges is for a Hero, I will do my best to leave this matter behind me. That being said, please head to your class posthaste, tardiness is unbecoming for any student of such a prestigious institution like U.A.!”

“No worries Iida-san, she will be on her way soon! This should not take too long.” Momo interjected as she started unbuttoning her uniform from the bottom up after making sure that Mineta and Kaminari had not yet returned from the toilets.

“Yes! This is going to be amazing, I can’t wait to show Izuku what I have cooked up!”. With the materials she had requested finally in her hands, Mei did indeed head back to her class faster than Iida was able to reprimand her for running in the halls.

“Ok, just so we are on the same page, that girl is the one you're staying late at school with to make your new gear right?” Hagakure tried to clarify.

“Well, not directly, no. I actually approached Midoriya-san, her classmate, initially, but since Hatsume-san is close friends with him and tends to stay after school to work on her personal projects, she usually ends up participating.” Momo explained.

“Who was that Midoriya guy again? Wait…” Mina said as realization set in and her face started to sport a mischievous grin that made Momo deeply regret sharing any information.

“Soooo you are telling me you have been spending all this time in the workshop all alone with the support course’s resident bad boy? I guess I understand now why you have been so eager to visit the support department after school.” Mina said while wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

There it is! While Momo usually considers the cheery and energetic pink-skinned girl to be pleasant company, her habit of imagining romance everywhere could be seriously grating! Momo lost no time after rolling her eyes to clarify. “First, we have never been alone in the workshop so far since Hatsume-san has always joined us. Secondly, Midoriya-san is not a ‘bad boy’! If you take the time to actually get to know him you’d quickly realize that he is a very kind and caring person. He truly is a model student and I’d prefer you stop calling him a…”

“Wait a sec! Are we talking about the same guy here? Kind and caring are not the words I’d use for the guy that looked like he was trying to fight Todoroki to death!” A confused sounding Hagakure protested.

“I’ll admit that I don’t know the reason for his… ferocity back then either. Anything I have seen from him since convinced me of his kind nature, however. By agreeing to assist me he added a significant workload to his existing schedule without ever expecting any tangible rewards. This among other reasons is why I consider him a friend, which leads me to my final point. My relationship with Midoriya-san is purely platonic in nature and I’d prefer it if you’d stop speculating about everybody's love life.”

“Hey, I was not speculating about anything, merely noting a few interesting facts.” Mina replied, still sporting her mischievous smile. “That being said, I am happy to hear that he is such a nice guy! Bad Boys are soooo overrated if you ask me. A cutie with a hidden wild side, though? Waaaay more interesting!” 

“That also sounds like a way better match for Yaomomo.” Toru chimed in.

“Don’t be ridiculous you two, ” Momo attempted to interrupt her two classmates gossiping.

“Just think about it! It could be like one of these modern-day Hero dramas. The brave Heroine and her trusted support technician who supports her not just with his gear but also emotionally as her lover! It would be so romantic! Are you really sure you two are not a thing yet?” Mina continued undeterred.

Momo desperately hoped that the sudden warmth she was feeling in her cheeks after Mina’s ridiculous assumptions was not indicative of a very visible blush. Just because she greatly enjoyed spending her time with him didn’t automatically mean she was romantically interested! She barely knew the boy! Mina and Toru were just being silly, as they always were when they lost themselves in their romantic fantasies, right?

“Wow, Mina you turned Yaomomo into a traffic light!” Hagakure exclaimed in surprise.

Tarnation!

“Holy shit you are right! I was just joking… well, half joking… I never thought I would hit the nail on the spot!” Mina said seemingly equally surprised.

“Wait… no… it’s not like…” Momo stammered out still blushing, unable to formulate a coherent response as she was still reeling from the scenario Mina had put into her head.

“Ok, you two had your fun, now get off her back!” Jirou asserted with her jacks raised in a threatening fashion.

“Aww, come on Jirou! Are you not curious what your bestie has been up to in the support department?” Hagakure pleaded.

“I sure am. However, just because I am her friend does not mean I am entitled to know about everything going on in her life. Whether she got a crush or not is none of our business until she decides to share with us. You two shojo manga addicts better get off her case now, or else…” Jirou wiggles her jacks in a threatening fashion again. “...you better watch out what you are saying from now on. I won’t feel any remorse in invading your privacy!”

“Ok, now you are being overly dramatic. Also, your hearing can’t possibly be that good to make out anything Toru and me are saying all the time,” Mina retorted.

“It’s good enough to hear Aizawa entering our hallway,” Jirou claimed. Said claim would be proven true, when class 1-A’s homeroom teacher entered the classroom mere moments after Ashido and Hagakure had made it back to their seats.

With the next class starting and Aizawa Sensei being busy reprimanding Mineta and Kaminari for returning late from their toilet break, Momo finally had some time to calm down. Still, the pictures her gossiping friends had been painting were stuck in her head now, reframing all her interactions with Midoriya in a new light. The role of a tender caregiver and love interest fitted the green-haired boy so well, and the racing of her heart at the thought made it abundantly clear that a scenario like this had a large amount of appeal to her.

Momo cursed her affinity for romantic stories for her predicament, but it couldn’t be helped. As much as she’d like to say she wasn’t interested in relationships, she was unfortunately at the age where feelings like this blossoming was considered a common occurrence. While she was still convinced that her relationship with Midoriya was strictly platonic in nature, there was no denying that she was at risk of developing crushes like that during her high school career. That begged the questions: how was she supposed to recognize feelings like that and more importantly how was she to properly deal with them?

Heroics as a field was far from conducive for romantic relationships. A quick glance at the rankings revealed that the overwhelming number of pro-Heroes were single. That meant her hypothetical love life would likely be a short-lived affair, restricted to only her remaining student days lest she severely risk her career prospects. 

That was a rather depressing thought. Teenage romance was often characterized as fickle and short-lived, but unlikely as it may be there was still the possibility that she actually finds someone to forge such a deep connection with. Would she be strong enough to cast away her feelings for the sake of her chosen career? Could doing so even be considered strength on her part and not just cowardice? Wouldn't that be cruel to her potential partner? The more she pondered these questions the more she wished that life could be more like those cheesy Hero dramas. Choosing love in those usually works out for everyone in the end.

Momo let out a quiet sigh as she refocused her attention on her teacher. This question would undoubtedly have her agonizing over it for the foreseeable future, but for now, she needed to concentrate on the task at hand. With a little luck, this matter would never amount to more than an interesting hypothetical to ponder over.

Hatsume Mei was running down the halls in a hurry.

Going to the toilet directly after having lunch with Izuku had been a bad idea. Really bad even, since it meant that Izuku had now gone ahead and started heading back to their class ALONE. Unwittingly she had provided the perfect opportunity to strike to her most ‘favorite’ classmates and their cronies!

Cursing the inefficient and deeply flawed human digestive system, Mei continued speeding down the halls, praying she would soon spot a familiar head of green hair. She really hoped that this slip-up would not have consequences for her friend!

Who could have known that keeping watch over somebody all the time could be so hard? This could have been avoided if she was just allowed to use a bottle to relieve herself! But, no if you try to do that in class everybody starts yelling at you! For some reason, she was also sent to the principal's office to endure a long-winded lecture, and all of her arguments for increasing productivity by making the walk to the restrooms unnecessary were shot down without consideration! Granted, she should have seen that coming, considering Maho-nee doesn’t let her do that at home either, probably for similar illogical reasons.

Thankfully lunch break was almost over meaning the hallways should fill up soon with students returning to their classrooms. Even if the time window for any potential bullying was small, Mei feared that a short clash could be all it took to not only ruin Izuku’s day but also undo any potential progress she and Yaomomo had made over the weekend. 

She should have known that luck wouldn't be on her side.

In one of the side corridors, Izuku was standing cornered by 11-kun and two of his cronies. Immediately Mei started working through the emergency procedure Yaomomo had suggested to her. Unfortunately, the hallway was completely empty with no teacher within sight. Leaving to get a teacher was not an option, since it would mean leaving Izuku alone with those three idiots, so Mei mentally prepared herself to intervene. Hopefully, Mei would be able to disengage with Izuku without needing to further escalate things. Without a lemon on her Mei didn’t like the odds she and Izuku would face should things get ugly. She had her work boots with the iron toe caps on at the very least.

Her mental battle preparations were cut short when she heard the boys talking. “Now come on Midoriya! Don’t you wanna help us out? I would owe you big time and believe me when I tell you that I can make it worth your while,” the leader told Izuku.

“I–I honestly don’t know what you are expecting me to do Ito-kun. I don’t know Yaoyorozu that well, except that she is very nice and friendly. If you want to befriend her that bad just go and talk with her.”

“For someone who is supposedly so smart, you are really slow on the uptake. I can’t just walk up to her like an idiot! You don’t get second chances with babes like that! I need intel first and outside the hero course you are the person that has spent the most time with her.” 

“T-that sounds awfully shady Ito-kun, I don’t like that at all!”

“It’s not shady, I’m trying to do her a favor! You of all people should know all the things pro-Heroes have to give up to do their job! Do you want her to go through all her life without ever experiencing some of the mundane joys of life like having a boyfriend? High school is the only realistic chance she and the other hero course girls will ever get to have fun like normal girls. Me and my buddies are volunteering to make this a reality for them! By getting us all the intel you can you would help us in making their time at U.A. truly the time of their lives! You’ll be our Hero if you can deliver us the info on Yaoyorozu and her classmates like… guys which girls were you aiming for again?”

“The brunette one who fought the explosion guy. I like girls that can be feisty like that!” crony number one said with a creepy look on his face that sent an unpleasant shiver down Mei’s spine.

“I am torn between the pink one and the frog girl. The frog girl has a weird face but she looks like she has a pretty sweet booty going for her. The pink girl on the other hand looks pretty cute and I like bubbly girls like that. Just look what you can find out about them, I should be able to decide once I know more,” crony number two thought out loud, doing a similarly bad job at not coming off as a creep.

That asshole was unbelievable! 11-kun honestly thought he could have a shot with Yaomomo? Granted, Mei couldn’t blame him for wanting to date 1-A’s class rep, considering how pretty much anybody attracted to girls among the first-year students had been mesmerized by Yaomomo’s beauty. Still, the fact that these guys wanted to use Izuku to get into the panties of the hero course girls in such an underhanded manner sickened her!

It was actually physically sickening her! Mei felt like she was about to throw up her lunch at the disturbing images her mind was starting to conjure up. It took Mei a considerable amount of willpower to not repeatedly smash her head into the closest wall to get the image of 11-kun shoving his tongue down Yaomomo’s throat and groping her out of her head. Never before has she yearned for brain bleach to be a thing more than now!

Mei was thankfully ripped from her stupor when Izuku gave his response to the other boys. “I-I don’t believe you. It sounds to me that you want help so you can lie your way into getting a few dates. That’s not going to work and I don’t want to be a part of this!”

The boys did not look like they liked this response and Mei used this as her cue to step in, since she didn’t want to find out how these bullies would deal with a rejection like that. With a good run up she might have been able to give 11-kun a nice hard kick into his crown jewels and spare womankind from ever having to go through the trouble of carrying this asshole’s progeny! Remembering Yaomomo’s directive of NOT escalating things, Mei instead opted for the morally superior, although tactically less advantageous, option of verbally calling out to the group. “HEY, Izuku! There you are! Why didn’t you wait up? Ohhhh, I see you got company, what do you guys want?”

“Ohhh, hey Hatsume! Me and my boys were just having a nice little chat with Izuku here since we needed his help with something. Why don’t you just go ahead, we are not gonna need much more of his time.” 11-kun lied like it was second nature to him.

“Really? Since when does someone as great and amazing as you need help from us lowly commoners? Well, whatever, I don’t care. Come on Izuku let’s go, I don’t wanna be late and have Power Loader yell at us.” Mei answered, making absolutely no effort in hiding her disdain.

“You are right Mei, that would be bad.” Izuku said before turning to the other boys. “ I’m sorry Ito-kun but I don’t think I’ll be able to help you and your friends in that matter. Who knows though, if you give it an earnest try you might be able to get the results you want.”

“What a shame, here I was coming to you in my hour of need, thinking you would be cool for once in your life and what do I get? I really would have made it worth your while. I could have introduced you to some pretty cool people, but no, you'd rather stay a loser and play chaperone for the walking disaster area!” 11-kun spat after them as Mei and Izuku tried to leave.

Mei immediately stopped after hearing the comment, her eyes twitching because of the feeling of anger rising inside her. While the insult had been rather tame, she really felt like taking her frustrations out on this idiot for causing these disgusting mental images earlier. “Mei please come on, it's not worth it.” Izuku appealed to her but it was to no avail. This slimeball was going to get a piece of her mind, even if it was not going to be as cathartic as a combustible lemon to his face or the steel caps of her work boots in his crotch would have been.

“Walking disaster area, wow, what a banger! You really used all five of your brain cells to come up with that one, didn’t you? Well, I’ll let you know that this ‘walking disaster area’ and her ‘loser’ chaperone are going places! Unlike you, we won’t be cleaning out storage rooms and wasting our valuable time doing meaningless errands for some tiny third-rate company. Me and Izuku are going to spend our internships working with the very best tech money can buy at YST!” Mei revealed at the end, sporting her biggest and smuggest grin.

Cronie number one seemed confused at the statement since he probably was a gen ed or business student but 11-kun and his other minion were stunned in disbelief. “Bullshit! How in the hell would you be able to get a spot there?!” crony number two accused her.

“Oh, you already forgot what the Y stands for? Yaoyorozu Momo class rep of 1-A is our friend and Izuku’s very first client if you haven’t heard yet! She helped us get the job after she started working with us on her new support gear. I totally get now why people are calling her smart, she did instantly recognize our talent after all!”

“TALENT?! At what? ARSON?! You are setting our workshop or the classroom on fire every other day, you lunatic!” 11-kun angrily yelled.

Mei’s grin widened at the knowledge of having gotten under her opponent's skin before she retorted. “I’m down to just every other week actually. Also, despite all the setbacks I still produce results! My babies carried me to the third round during the Festival and the same is true for Izuku! How did that go for you again? Ohh, I remember you didn’t make it past the obstacle race! What a shame those motorized roller-blades looked like a pretty solid idea for that contest. If you didn’t cut so many corners out of laziness while making them, then you might have made it past the first obstacle before they started falling apart.”

“I wouldn’t be proud of your performance if I were you. You came off like a fucking loony when you tried to show off your toys like a used car salesman. Your orbiter is not faring much better since blowing yourself up with your gear is not a good look either,” crony number one shot back.

“Say what you want it doesn’t change that we were able to keep up with the hero course. Especially Izuku! Do any of you guys seriously think you could have faced the son of the number two Hero and fared better? Izuku pushed the guy to the limits before his gear failed. Making gear that can last so long under high-stress conditions is something even third-years struggle with! Face it guys we are leaving you in the dust and no amount of name-calling is gonna change that. Think of us as losers all you want, the people who matter have already recognized our potential!” Mei boasted.

“Mei please just… just let us go back” Izuku pleaded, the concerned look he was giving her making her heart clench and draining most of her anger away almost instantly. What exactly it was that had affected her like that she was unsure. Whether it was the specific tone of his voice or the way his emerald eyes bore into her heart, Mei couldn’t stand it. As a result, she was unable to put up any resistance when Izuku took her hand and started leading her back towards their classroom.

Mei was deep in thought as she was led by her friend. That look… it wasn’t just one of concern, something else had been present there. Anger? No. Disappointment? Had she done something wrong? “Everything alright Izuku? Those jerks didn’t do anything too bad before I showed up, right?”

Izuku sighed before answering without turning around to look at her. “No, we were just… talking. While I’m grateful you showed up I don’t think you should have antagonized them like that.”

“What do you mean?! They started it! Somebody has to stand up to these assholes and tell them off! They’ll never stop harassing you otherwise!” Mei defended herself.

“Maybe… maybe not. What I am most worried about is that you told them about Yaoyorozu and the internship she got us. I don’t think she would have wanted us to go around bragging about that.”

“So what? I was just saying that to get it into those idiot’s thick skulls how wrong they are about us! Would you rather stand there and have them walk all over you because they have deluded themselves into thinking they are better than you?”

“That's better than needlessly spreading information like that around. How do you think this will make Yaoyorozu look?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“How do you think rumors are born? Once word gets around people are going to wonder why she did us such a huge favor. I doubt most of the ideas everyone is going to come up with are going to be nice ones. Best case scenario people are going to think Yaoyorozu is willing to grant favors like that to everyone and constantly harass her because of that.”

“You’re exaggerating! Also, I just couldn’t let them off the hook after they were hounding you like that! Seriously what in the world made them think they could land hero course girls and Yaomomo herself no less in such a backhanded manner?”

“Wait, you heard that?!”

“Yeah, and I can’t say that I liked what I heard. I was really close to doing womankind a favor by turning 11-kun into a eunuch with a nice hard kick into his groin!”

“Okay, then I’m grateful for your restraint too. Let’s just forget this happened and please Mei stop antagonizing Ito and Chibana. I know you don’t like them and their friends but we are going to be in the same class as them for the next three years. Just keep ignoring them, making them angry is just making things worse.” Izuku once again pleaded with her, while sending her a worried look which drained the will to talk back from her.

Mei wanted nothing more but to comply with his request but she knew this matter wasn’t up to her. Izuku had denied the bullies their request, which meant he had drawn even more of their ire than he already had. With just one slip-up from her side the danger Izuku was in had considerably increased. 

On the bright side, he did not seem much worse to wear from this encounter, oddly enough. She had feared that just one experience like that could send her friend spiraling again but he had taken it like a champ! Even though he was clearly intimidated he had firmly stood his ground and refused the three creeps request. Maybe her fears were overblown?

It didn’t matter for the immediate future. One averted crisis like that could only be a fluke or the repercussions might be delayed. The best course of action was to continue on as planned and keep an eye out for Izuku until Momo has done her part. With a little luck, her ‘favorite’ classmates might even get expelled! Even if not they surely would be forced to drop their favorite pastime from middle school once they were exposed and on the school staff’s radar.

The only thing Mei knew for sure was that she would not be caught off guard and under-equipped like that again. Carrying around a lemon for this purpose might be a little bit conspicuous, however. Thankfully her formula only needed citric acid and some oxygen to work its magic and there were a lot less conspicuous sources for the former.

Midoriya Izuku was torn.

Lying in front of him on his desk was the object causing his turmoil, the most recent and almost filled ‘Hero analysis for the future’ notebook. Ever since returning home and finishing his homework for the day he had been flipping through the pages pondering the same question over and over again.

Should he show Mei and Yaoyorzu this notebook as is or should he go through the trouble of summarizing and condensing the contents to make a ‘safe’ version to sate their curiosity?

If he intended to do the latter he would have to start immediately since he had accumulated quite a lot of material. His observations on the hero course students alone made up almost half the book, although he should be able to work through it reasonably fast if he simply discarded all of his written down speculations. Focusing on just what he had been able to observe and any plausible ideas he could derive from that would be the prudent choice.

Unfortunately for him he really didn’t have the time to take on this task. With the end of term looming ahead Izuku’s resources would be spread thin over keeping up with schoolwork, preparing for the exams, and his work on Yaoyorozu’s equipment. Unlike the two girls he had been spending so much time with recently, Izuku was not a genius so he would have to put in a lot of work to maintain his good grades. Adding revising his latest notebook for Yaoyorozu’s benefit would probably mean piling on more than he can chew.

Showing his unaltered notebook to the girls was not a particularly attractive option either. Even if Izuku could look past the atrocious handwriting of the passages he had scribbled down in a hurry, which he definitely couldn’t, he was unsure if it really was the best idea to share this. The title of the notebook alone would raise questions, which Izuku could only answer by recounting his life’s story of broken dreams. While Izuku admittedly could be wrong, he was sure that dumping your trauma on your friends out of nowhere was not something nice to do.

It would be especially unfair to Yaoyorozu. As a class representative and recommended student, there were already enough lofty expectations on her before you factored in the fact that she would have to pass a practical exam on top of everything else. She had way more important things to worry about than his pathetic sob story! He shouldn’t distract her at a time like this!

Letting his face drop on his desk Izuku let out a long and tired groan. He was getting nowhere but unfortunately, he had to make a choice, since doing nothing and hoping they would forget was not really an option. Mei had been trying to get a peek at his notes for a while by now and Yaoyorozu’s interest had been piqued ever since she saw his costume sketches. They would continue to ask until he gave them something to satisfy their curiosity.

In the long run, it would probably be better for him if he just spilled the beans about his quirklessness and his hopeless dream. He couldn’t keep avoiding or lying about this topic forever, hell the last time he did so he screwed it up so bad that his friends definitely noticed something was going on! Coming clean would save him so much trouble in the future.

This train of thought led him to a different question. Could he trust them? His gut was telling him yes, however he was not inclined to blindly trust it in this case. His intuition was very unreliable when it came to girls around his age in general thanks to the effects of teenage hormones, and both Hatsume Mei and Yaoyorozu Momo were absolutely gorgeous, which worsened the effect considerably.

His relationship with Mei was thankfully rather straightforward. Ever since their first group project they had developed a mutual respect for each other based on their skills and had become a really good team as a result. Mei was completely indifferent to things most people cared about like class, status, and popularity. Even Quirks only interested her in how much of a challenge they could provide her for making suitable support gear. The revelation of Izuku’s quirklessness would barely faze his pink-haired classmate but she could feel betrayed when she finds out that he planned to leave the support course and by extension her. How she would react if she started to believe that he wanted to abandon her was impossible to predict, much to Izuku’s worry. Mei was already capable of causing an impressive amount of mayhem by accident, so thinking about the carnage she could unleash on purpose on any poor soul who earned her ire sent a cold shiver down his spine.

How exactly he was standing to Yaoyorozu was much more difficult to gauge, not just because he had known her for less time. As a Hero in training things like reputation and popularity were likely to be a lot more important to her. That would mean that being associated with a quirkless wannabe Hero like him could be a serious liability to her. Together with the fact that he was initially only approached by her for his services made Izuku fear that she might want to cut ties with him if his secret came out and after he had served his purpose. Alternatively, she could elect to stand by him which while heartwarming would make her a target for rumors and ridicule. Izuku was honestly not sure which of these options would be worse, but if pressed he would probably prefer for Yaoyorozu to just turn her back on him. He would not be able to forgive himself if she would have to suffer even an iota of abuse because of him.

Izuku sighed and chided himself for exaggerating the scenarios in his head. While Mei feeling hurt and betrayed was a risk, she was unlikely to just start firebombing everything in sight as a result. Likewise, Yaoyorozu has not been coming off as the kind of person that would abandon people if things were going rough. After all the time he had been spending with them, Izuku knew now that they wanted to be his friends. If he wanted to keep it that way then he had to tell them that he was quirkless no matter how scary and potentially risky it was.

Honestly the fact that no one had figured out Izuku’s lack of a Quirk so far bordered on a miracle. While he was better at dodging questions than flat-out lying, somebody other than his friends should have noticed by now how he avoided the question. Izuku has also gone to U.A. fully expecting Kacchan to expose him and continue picking on him, which hasn’t really happened either if you exclude their recent little ‘chat’ when Izuku had been intercepted by his former childhood friend on his way home. The explosive blonde’s antisocial tendencies and single-minded pursuit of his goal seemed to have mostly worked in Izuku’s favor so far.

Eventually, somebody would have to connect the dots, however, and Izuku would rather tell the girls himself. Any negative repercussions would be way worse if they learned from some other source. He owed both of them at least that much trust. 

With his decision finally reached, things didn’t immediately get easier for Izuku, since now he had to ponder when the best moment would be and how exactly to tell them. His best bet would probably be during one of their upcoming sessions in the workshop. He should get this done soon since they would likely have fewer sessions together as they get closer to the end of term, since Yaoyorozu would probably need the time to study and train for the exams.

As to how he should do it, he was not completely sure yet. Just because he decided to tell them did not mean he would have to share everything with them, however. The less was said about his time at Aldera and more importantly the people involved in it the better. He wouldn’t want to distract anyone too much with his sob story after all. Also, Izuku had seen Mrs. Yaoyorozu’s face when she started plotting to take legal action against Uwabami, and given the close physical resemblance between mother and daughter, it was very easy and very, very scary to imagine Yaoyorozu doing something similar. That was probably another overblown fear of his but he would prefer to err on the safe side, since even if he didn’t know the current climate within class 1-A, causing strife between Yaoyorozu and Kacchan surely wouldn’t improve it.

It would also be better for Mei’s sake if Izuku didn’t mention his former childhood friend. His classmate was feuding with enough people already, so adding Kacchan to the mix would do nobody a favor. Considering how she seemingly wanted to kick Ito in his crotch with her heavy work boots during their unpleasant little meeting after lunch today, physical escalation was a concerningly likely scenario. Izuku had no doubt that Mei was a much more dangerous physical fighter than her appearance would suggest but Kacchan was a prodigy when it came to fighting and he proved beyond any reasonable doubt at the Sports Festival that he would not hold back just because his opponent was a girl.

He really should stop thinking about potential consequences before he changed his mind again. So Izuku distracted himself by continuing the next batch of costume sketches. It was an oddly relaxing task and dare he say fun. There were just so many different costumes of super cool Heroes he could draw from as inspiration! He almost felt sad he would only be able to make Yaoyorozu just one costume, since there were just so many styles she would look amazing in! Granted, Yaoyorozu would probably look just as breathtaking wearing a burlap sack as if she wore the very best costume mere mortals could make.

Unfortunately for him he constantly had to resist the urge to go more into detail with the sketches, since drawing perfectly lifelike faces for every single one would require him to stay up the whole night. Izuku also needed to take great care to avoid drawing the female figures anywhere close to Yaoyorozu’s actual body shape. He made that mistake once with his discarded first draft and it looked like the doodles of a very, very horny ecchi manga artist. He couldn’t show that to his friends, they’d think he was some sort of pervert!

With his artistic urges growing too strong, Izuku elected to continue one of his personal sketches to get it out of his system before he could go back to his design work. This had become a frustratingly common occurrence, so much so in fact that his stack of personal sketches had overtaken his costume ideas! There was just something about the tall, raven-haired beauty that really made him want to draw. The same was to a lesser extent true for Mei, on the rare occasion where she was sitting still long enough for him to commit a suitable scene to memory.

Maybe he should bring some of the drawings with him too? Yaoyorozu had announced interest in seeing them and while he found it a little bit embarrassing how pretty much all of them either featured her or Mei there was no need for him to tell them that. Also, there were a few sketches that had turned out really well and he kinda wanted to be praised for them again. It had felt kinda nice if you looked past the embarrassment, was it selfish of him that he wanted to feel that again?

With that Izuku spent the rest of the evening drawing until he had to turn in for the night. He went to sleep having prepared everything for the next day including the things he wanted to show both his friends at the earliest possible convenience.

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Momo didn’t like to admit it but today’s lunch period was causing some mixed feelings in her.

The culprit of this was her own lunch tray which was jam-packed with today’s delicacies prepared by the peerless cook that was Lunch Rush. While she could feel her mouth watering in anticipation of enjoying her well earned meal, a quick glance at the trays of her fellow 1-A students served as a stark reminder of the fact that she was supposedly overweight. She had piled on more food than even Shouji and Sato, both large boys who also required a large nutrient intake because of their sizable muscle mass and potentially because of their Quirks.

Momo was of course fully aware that the BMI has been far from an accurate tool to assess the health of people ever since the advent of Quirks. Even fairly subtle mutations could seriously throw off the results and Momo’s mutations severely impacted the way her body processes and stores her excess body fat, which made it incredibly difficult to properly assess what her healthy body weight might be. According to her family's doctor, she was as healthy as she could be so she was unlikely to suffer any negative side effects associated with being overweight, thankfully.   

Despite knowing that she had no tangible reason to feel insecure about her weight she couldn’t help feeling like a pig that was about to gorge itself at its trough. In the future, she should probably try to pile less food on her tray and instead elect to go and get herself a second helping after finishing the first. This should hopefully diminish these unwanted and irrational feelings.

At the very least Momo had enjoyable company. Sitting directly opposite of her was, who she easily considered her closest friend in 1-A, Jirou Kyoka. Going off the reactions of other students she saw in the hallway, many people seemed to be surprised by them getting along so well. Admittedly, they were contrasting each other quite strongly in their physical appearance, but some people seemed to assume that Jirou’s affinity for punk rock and the associated fashion was indicative of an unpleasant and abrasive personality. Nothing could be further from the truth! Kyoka was a headstrong and outspoken young woman, even if Momo was not the biggest fan of her friend's frequent use of strong language. Despite that, she still greatly admired and appreciated her friend’s witty and razor-sharp tongue.

Momo was especially awed by her friend's musical talent. Kyoka was able to play almost any instrument used by most modern genres of music although she insisted she only knew the basics for most of them and that she was only truly proficient with the bass guitar. It was still incredibly impressive since Momo knew from her own piano lessons how difficult learning an instrument could be.

Maybe Jirou also had taken some singing lessons? That would be marvelous! Momo stopping her singing lessons had been one of the few instances where she had given up on something out of frustration over her lack of progress, but she was sure the musical prodigy that was her friend must be an amazing singer. It would befit Kyoka’s outspoken nature to also have a captivating singing voice!

Quite fittingly for her right-hand man and vice representative of 1-A, Iida Tenya, was sitting to her right. With the strange way their class election had gone, Aizawa Sensei had asked Momo to simply appoint a vice representative since most students were tied at second place with just one vote and he didn't want to bother to go through a snap election to resolve the matter. Having to make such an important decision all of a sudden with very limited information had been an unpleasant surprise, but eventually, her choice fell on Iida since he had seemed the best suited for the job based on her limited knowledge. A choice that Momo did not regret in the slightest, since Iida’s conduct had been nothing short of exemplary so far.

There was no denying, however, that the events of his internship had shaken him deeply. Momo could hardly blame him since having to experience the carnage of Hosu was far from what a first-year internship was supposed to be like. Having to face the League’s Nomus so shortly after the USJ alone would have been bad enough, but the knowledge that Stain had used the chaos to strike again must have been exceptionally hard for Iida. He had confided in her, after his return from the ordeal, that he had gone to Hosu specifically in hope of confronting the Hero killer and how ashamed he felt for abandoning his duty of protecting civilians during the attack just to pointlessly run around looking for Stain. Momo had been horrified over this reveal but Iida’s feelings of guilt and his vow to aspire to be a better Hero that prioritizes the lives of civilians over taking down the villain reaffirmed in her eyes the trust she had put into him.

Sitting to Kyoka’s left was Ashido Mina. It was quite surprising that the pink girl chose to have lunch with them today since she usually spent her lunch break sitting with Hagakure, Kirishima, or Kaminari. Mina likely wanted to ask Momo for her notes from their math classes. The girl clearly struggled the most in this subject and would need any help she could get. This would at the very least be proof that Mina was actually studying and not goofing off until the last possible second as Momo had feared.

While Momo would usually eagerly help her classmates with any schoolwork-related requests, today she was feeling not particularly accomodating to Ashido. Mina’s gosh darn imagination had disturbed Momo’s sleep the last two nights! Momo usually was a heavy sleeper and rarely remembered any dreams that occurred, with the exception of the incidental nightmare, but thanks to the stupid fantasy her classmate had planted in her head, Momo had awoken in a very flustered way during the night two times in a row. The details of said dreams were a little bit hazy but, from the flashes she remembered, they looked an awful lot like they were inspired by the romantic scenes of the last Hero drama she had watched, and worse yet the lovemaking scenes too. As a result, Momo was very much willing to have Mina squirm a little bit before relenting and granting her any potential request.

Momo was of course very much aware how hypocritical she was being, blaming Mina alone for this. While she would never consider herself to be as romance obsessed as her pink-skinned friend, there was no denying that she had quite an affinity for the topic herself. The lowbrow novels she enjoyed reading and the occasional Hero dramas she indulged in were plenty of proof of this fact. Momo, however, had the decency to keep her romantic escapist fantasies to herself and not include uninvolved people, while Mina gleefully projected them onto others in her vicinity. She really needed to have a serious talk with Ashido about how unappreciated this tendency of hers was, unfortunately, all the girl had to do to derail that conversation was to reiterate her stupid fantasy involving Midoriya.

On that note, Momo subtly glanced at the person sitting to her left. Why Todoroki Shoto had decided to have lunch with them today instead of his usual routine of eating by himself, Momo had no idea. It had been pretty noticeable how the stoic and aloof boy had gradually started to open up, even if the pace had been rather… glacial, no pun intended. She had no doubt, however, that the emotional fight between Todoroki and Midoriya had been the catalyst for this development. If Momo played her cards right then she might be able to convince Todoroki to share some of the words he had exchanged with the green-haired boy between their violent clashes. The reason why Midoriya had been so ferocious during the Festival, and that fight, in particular, was still an enigma to Momo, so she was eager to use any opportunity to gain new insights.

This was also the perfect opportunity to learn a little bit about Todoroki himself. She knew pretty much nothing about the boy other than the fact that he was a fellow recommended student, fairly diligent in his studies, and the son of Endeavor. So far the only person that had been even less approachable than Todoroki was Bakugou, and she had feared that the aloof attitude of the ice and fire Quirk user was born from a similar lofty opinion of himself than the explosive blonde’s. His recent change in demeanor woke the hope in Momo that this was not the case and that he might find some friends in their class, because the last thing 1-A needed was another source of discord that shared the uncouth explosion Quirk user's superiority complex.

Her musings came to an end when Mina started addressing the group. “Soooo, how are you guys doing so far learning for the Exams?”

Ashido Mina bringing up studying and Exams on her own accord? It seemed Momo’s assumptions had been correct. This would be a cry for help.

“So far progress has been steady, I am fairly confident that I should be able to produce acceptable results, but I admit that adding a few more hours of studying just to be safe would be a prudent choice.” Iida answered in his typical overly earnest way.

“I would say everything has gone well for me so far. I have been constantly reviewing the materials we went through in class, which thankfully prevented any significant gaps in knowledge from appearing in the first place.” Momo replied.

“I’m managing.” was the terse reply Todoroki gave between slurps of his soba.

“So so. I made good gains so far but I saved the topics I am worst with for the final push. Hopefully that way that stuff will be fresh in my memory for the test. Why are you asking?” Jirou returned the question.

“Weeeeelll, math has kinda been kicking my butt, among other subjects, but I have an especially hard time with this stuff. Yaomomo? Can I copy your notes and all of the homework assignments we have done so far? That should hopefully help me make sense out of everything, cause god knows trying to listen to Ectoplasm Sensei’s droning on has not worked for me so far!”

Momo had to admit that Mina was not entirely wrong on this account. Ectoplasm Sensei, while a competent and thorough teacher did have a habit of… well… droning on. For her classmates who shared a greater inclination towards kinaesthetic learning, among which Mina was clearly the most prominent, Ectoplasm Sensei’s lessons were considered especially torturous. Although Momo suspected that Mina’s relative lack of discipline regarding schoolwork was the bigger factor contributing to her struggles.

“I would gladly share my notes but why would you need my homework too, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well, ehhh, you see my homework assignments are kinda… messy. Wrong too. I just don’t know why though, for all I know I’m doing everything correctly but once it’s time for the final result, boom, I’m completely off for some goddamn reason! If you give me your assignments I might be able to figure out what I’m doing wrong.”

Closing her eyes Momo gave Mina her best fake smile before replying. “I don’t think that would be wise. Trying to redo these assignments would be what I’d recommend since it would be the ideal practice for the exam. My notes from class should be all you need to help you make progress.”

“I concur with Yaoyorozu-kun’s opinion! The only true way to master math is via practice, practice, and even more practice!” Iida commented punctuating every ‘practice’ with one of his air chops.

“Why would you need Yaomomo’s solutions at all Mina? Ectoplasm has usually marked any mistakes on our homework already by the time he returns it to us. Have you never bothered actually going over and correcting them?” Jirou asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well,... ehhh… uhm…” Mina stammered as she tried to come up with an excuse. “Ain’t nobody got time for that Jirou!” The pink girl finally retorted at Jirou out of frustration when she failed to find an explanation that allowed her to save face. Unfortunately for Ashido, her statement was immediately contested by Jirou with dry wit to spare and by Iida in his typical overbearing fashion.

“I usually do that on the same day we get our homework back.” Todoroki surprisingly said when Mina was looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“Dammit, Todoroki! Why did you have to talk now? I wanted to interpret your silence as support!” Mina said, clearly frustrated.

“Oh. I thought participating in conversations is the whole point of sitting with others during lunch. I’ll stay in my lane then.” Todoroki said as he tilted his head slightly to the side out of what Momo guessed was confusion, while maintaining his stoic demeanor.

After reassuring Todoroki that his participation was welcome Momo had to focus her attention on Mina again. “Please Yaomomo! You’re my only hope! Math is not the only subject I am struggling with, so I just don’t have the time to work through ALL of our homework assignments like that. Please just let me copy your homework, I'm sure I’ll be able to make sense out of everything once I get to look through your stuff.”

Momo gave her classmate a long silent stare after Mina finished her request, with a small vindictive part of her enjoying the pink girl's distressed look and the nervous fidgeting of her hands. “I suppose that since assisting my classmates in their academic endeavors is my duty, allowing you to fail a class would count as a failure on my part too. I shall share all of my materials with you.” Momo said as she finally relented.

“YAY! Thank you Yaomomo you’re the BEST! With that, I can…”

“ However , I must insist on you starting to take your classwork more seriously from now on, Ashido-san . If you had been more diligent with your studies up until now then you might not be under so much stress trying to catch up again.”

“Indeed! Falling behind on your schoolwork is not becoming of a student of this venerated institution, especially for a member of the hero course! Our peers are looking up to us Ashido-kun! We need to set a proper example for them!” Iida added in support of Momo’s reprimand of their mutual classmate.

“Ohh come on guys I am not thaaat bad!” Mina attempted to deflect.

“Really? How many subjects were you having trouble with again? Cause when I overheard you and Jamming Yay whispering to each other it kinda sounded like you were in panic mode. You better listen to our reps, unlike Jamming Yay you might not be completely hopeless… yet” Jirou chimed in.

“Again it's not that bad! There’s still plenty of time for the exam! Also, could we change the topic now? Please?” Mina once again pleaded.

Her classmate’s reaction did little to reassure Momo, but she acknowledged the fact that putting further pressure on the girl would do little more than waste time. She would have to trust that Mina would do her part and put actual effort into studying, and hopefully approach her in time if additional assistance was required.

While Jirou was busy getting a little bit more mileage out of teasing Mina about the upcoming exams Momo spotted a familiar head of messy green hair. Midoriya seemed to have just gotten his food and was walking through the cafeteria all on his own. Hatsume was nowhere to be seen, probably still waiting in line or maybe in the restroom. Whatever the case may have been Momo decided on impulse to invite her friend from the support course over. There was still a seat next to Jirou free after all and should Hatsume join them then they should be able to borrow a chair from one of the adjacent tables, which were not fully occupied.

“Midoriya-san!” Momo called out to her friend from the support course once he came close enough so he would be able to see and hear her. ”Would you like to join us for lunch? We still have a seat free and we should be able to easily accommodate Hatsume-san should she decide to join us as well.”

“Ya-Yaoyorozu? N-no thanks I’m fine, I wouldn’t want to bother you guys, I’ll just head to the little table in the corner like I usually do. Thanks for the offer though!” Midoriya declined.

“Nonsense! It would be no bother to us at all! Also, why walk across the whole cafeteria if there is a perfectly fine seat free here? You don’t have to worry that we won’t have space for Hatsume-san when she shows up, we’ll easily procure another chair for her should the need arise.”

“Well,... uhm… Mei is not here. She’s in the workshop tinkering with something and since she hasn’t skipped any meals in a while I figured I could let her have a little cheat day.” Midoriya informed her with a little shrug.

“Skipping meals?! That sounds incredibly concerning, proper nutrition is vital for your health and wellbeing after all!” Iida added, shocked.

“Hatsume-san, unfortunately, has the habit of getting very absorbed in her work, thankfully she has people looking out for her wellbeing, so she should be fine.” Momo clarified. “If that is the case then why don’t you take a seat and join us Midoriya-san? I’d love to properly introduce you to some of my classmates!” she continued.

“O-ok, if you guys really don’t mind t-then I can join you.” her green-haired friend replied bashfully, reminding her that he was likely uncomfortable with meeting new people. Thankfully Momo would be here to ease him out of his shell and interfere should someone try to push his boundaries too much.

“Splendid! Without further ado this here is Midoriya Izuku from class 1-H. I approached him after the Sports Festival seeking his help to improve my capabilities. To my delight, I did not just find a capable and diligent support technician but also a great friend!” Momo said as she introduced Midoriya, causing the boy to blush heavily at the praise while he sat down with his food.

“Hey, what’s up dude? I’m Jirou Kyoka and if Yaomomo thinks you’re cool I don’t see us having any issues. Just… sorry in advance but things are about to get a bit loud…” Jirou said as she tried to introduce herself to the boy that just sat down next to her.

“HI! I’M ASHIDO MINA! BUT just call me Mina! I am soooooo happy to finally meet you! We were all wondering what our class rep has been doing after school these past weeks. I am sure you have some very interesting stories to share with us, right?” A clearly very excited Mina interrupted.

“ASHIDO-KUN! Interrupting someone while they are talking is very rude! ALSO, STOP yelling like that! There are fellow students here that would like to enjoy their meals in peace!” Iida loudly reprimanded the pink-skinned girl, ignorant of the irony. 

“If I’d get just 100 yen every goddamn time that happens I’ll be able to retire by the time I graduate,” Jirou mumbled in annoyance.

“Anyways, I am Iida Tenya and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. It is a great relief to me that there seem to be students within the support course that take their studies seriously and go above and beyond in their duties to collect vital experience! I also sincerely hope you can be a positive influence on that Hatsume character. Brilliant or not, her concerning attitude towards the rules could easily lead to her expulsion, so if you ever require assistance in steering her towards the path of a proper student, I’d be happy to oblige.” Iida introduced himself.

With that, all eyes fell on the last person sitting at their table. “I doubt that any introductions are going to be… necessary” Todoroki noted, his usually flawless stoic facade cracking a bit as he avoided eye contact with Midoriya and looking generally like he was ashamed. Likewise her green-haired friend’s awkwardness seemed to spike immediately after this statement.

This development had Momo concerned. Surely whatever hostility that had expressed itself between them had been limited to the arena, right? At least neither boy seemed willing to start an argument if there really was any lingering resentment. Still, as eager as she was to learn what exactly has been the cause for the boys going all out in that fight, Momo would feel terrible if her curiosity would be sated at the expense of either boy's emotional wellbeing.

Thankfully it would turn out that no actions on her part seemed to be necessary as Todoroki addressed Midoriya, after he himself had regained his composure. “I suppose I owe you an apology Midoriya.”

“W-what? N-no you don’t need to, it was an accident after all! Honestly, considering how many corners I cut when making my gauntlets, it bordered on a miracle that they didn’t explode earlier.”

“That… was not what I was talking about, but I think I should apologize for that too. If I had better control over my fire Quirk then I might have been able to end the fight in a way that wouldn’t have caused you injury like that.” Todoroki insisted while glancing at Midoriya’s hands which still had some faint traces of the burns he suffered during their match, which Momo hadn’t really noticed until now.

“You were right. I have been incredibly disrespectful during the Festival, to you, my classmates, and any other contestant. I held back half of my Quirk because I was so obsessed with proving something that I lost sight of why I went to U.A. in the first place. You reminded me of a few very important things, when I was at your mercy, and I feel ashamed of how I acted back then. I sincerely hope you won’t hold my words and my actions against me.” Todoroki continued.

“O-of course not! How could I? We both got carried away and I probably said a few things I shouldn’t have. Even if I was right in calling your behavior out, venting my frustrations on you the way I did was not okay! It is I who should apologize.”

“No Midoriya, your frustration was entirely justified. I was the one who didn’t treat our match seriously in the beginning, a foolish mistake that would have cost me my life in a real fight. Your harsh words were exactly what I needed to hear, and I will take what you said to me, what you reminded me of to heart. It is, as you said, my power and if I ever want to be an effective Hero, I’ll need to use all of it. You have my most sincere gratitude, and I am sorry I wasn’t able to tell you sooner. I was afraid that the way our match… concluded had led to you holding a grudge against me.”

“Not at all! I was really happy when you finally went all out! People… never really took me seriously so you holding back after everything I went through to make it that far was more or less the main reason I got so angry. When you used your fire it felt to me like I was finally being recognized as an opponent, instead of a stepping stone you could just walk over. While I am a little frustrated that I wasn’t able to fight back anymore afterwards, beating you while you were still limiting yourself to just your ice would have been worse in my opinion. That victory would have been hollow.”

Todoroki released a sigh of relief at that, before the faintest hint of a soft smile adorned his face. “As far as I am concerned, you defeated me that day Midoriya. I vowed not to use my fire and you made me break that vow. I hope that next year we’ll be able to have a proper rematch.”

“I’d love to! I don’t want to make any promises though, keeping up with you guys has been hard enough this year, and after a full year of combat training that gap is gonna be even bigger. I don’t think I’ll be able to make gear good enough to even those odds.”

“I wouldn’t count you out already Midoriya-san. The odds for first year students outside the hero course to make it as far as you did are already very low and you still bested them! I am confident that you’ll be able to do so again!” Momo chimed in, while giving him a reassuring smile.

Midoriya blushed once again at the compliment while Todoroki started to get up. “I’m glad we were able to clear this up and that there are no hard feelings, but if you excuse me I’ll take my leave now.” The ice and fire Quirk user said as he left with his now empty food tray.

With Todoroki’s departure Momo could breathe a sigh of relief. She feared for a second that either a continuation of their screaming match or deafening, awkward silence would be the result of their meeting. The possibility of both boys being still on bad terms didn’t cross her mind at all before she invited Midoriya to sit with them, but thankfully it didn’t turn out to be an issue. Quite the opposite, since with the exception of the Sports Festival, Momo could not recall her fellow recommended student ever emoting as much as he just did.

“People were never taking you seriously? What do you mean by that Midoriya?” Jirou inquired.

“W-well, people in middle school used to make fun of me when they realized I wanted to go to U.A. and I mean, I get it, it’s a really hard school to get into, but it was still not nice of them to disregard me like that no matter how slim the chance would be for me.” 

“Why would people mock you for that? There is nothing wrong with having lofty ambitions if you are willing to put the work in to realize them, which you clearly did, Midoriya-san.” Momo asked, feeling confused.

“Oh, I get it now. If it’s any consolation I had the exact same type of dipshits in my…”

“Jirou-kun! Language!” Iida interrupted.

Jirou rolled her eyes in response before continuing. “I had the same kind of jerks in my school. When they found out I was aiming for U.A. they said things like ‘Ohhh how cute, what are you gonna do when a villain shows up? Poke him with your jacks?’ or other condescending stuff like that. You know what my answer was?” Jirou suddenly had her jacks shoot forward fast enough to create an audible snapping sound. “Yes! Among other things. Don’t let talk like that get to you dude! Try imagining their faces once they saw you on national TV. It’s what I do every time the memories threaten to get me down.” Jirou concluded with a confident smile.

“What the hell?! What kinds of schools were you guys going to? I have known bullies in my middle school and I never heard stuff like that!” a clearly disturbed Mina interjected.

“My theory is that Shizuoka’s middle schools deliberately try to be as shitty as possible to compensate for the country's best Hero school being here. We would make the other prefectures look bad if we were too far above the national average after all and we can’t have that, can we?” Jirou commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I would love to refute that theory but… well… I guess Aldera Junior High would probably serve as a prime example for a bad middle school and to add insult to injury you could actually see U.A. from there!” Midoriya said as he awkwardly laughed at his attempt to lighten the discussion a little bit.

“I’m kinda surprised you have no experience with that, Mina. I thought you, Shoji, Koda, Tokoyami, Ojiro and maybe Asui had a rougher time in middle school because you had more eye-catching mutations. In my old school that would have caused you a lot of grief.” Jirou told the pink-skinned girl.

“I mean it’s not like there never were any jerks making a few stupid jokes, but I usually got along fine with everybody. I was also doing my best to get any bullies I knew to stop and even made friends with some once I convinced them!”

“I must say that is quite commendable of you Ashido-kun! Trying to rehabilitate delinquents is indeed a worthy cause! Although it probably would have been better if you notified the teachers and let them handle the affair, since they are more qualified in guiding students towards proper behavior.” Iida weighed in.

Jirou snorted at that. “Hah! Good one Iida! In all seriousness though, getting the teachers involved usually doesn’t do jack shit, if the school is already shitty. Seen it happen often enou…”

“Jirou-kun again langua…”

“Iida-san please she got the message the first time. There is no need to continue to admonish Jirou-san especially considering she is not the most egregious example of vulgar language by a significant order of magnitude.” Momo chided her vice rep for being overzealous. “I would also argue the way she worded her arguments was in line with the unpleasant nature of the discussed subject. To be quite frank I’d prefer if we could change the subject altogether, but I’d like to ask Jirou-san one last question before we do. Why do you suspect that our classmates with more visible mutations specifically, are more likely to have suffered such unpleasant experiences?” She continued unable to ignore her morbid curiosity on this subject.

“You for real Yaomomo? Looking different is like the number one thing any bullies will latch on to give you shit! Heavy mutations like four extra arms, a rock like facial structure or a fucking bird head are an easy way to get singled out! Considering how Shoji is wearing a mask all the time or how Koda is desperately avoiding talking or even interacting with others, I’m willing to bet they had a really goddamn rough time.” Jirou explained without mincing her words in the slightest.

That was rather concerning to hear. Momo had always assumed Koda was just awfully shy and just needed some more time to open up, and she had been wondering what Shoji’s mask was all about. Nobody had ever seen him without it. Even during lunch he preferred to eat using mouths created by his Quirk rather than take it off. There wasn’t much Momo could do with this information especially considering it was little more than speculation at this point, but she would try and be more mindful of her mutant classmates lest she risked adding to any potential past grievances.

“I must say, it saddens me to hear that you and Midoriya-san had suffered such treatment, Jirou-san. I’m glad for both of your efforts to make it to U.A. to succeed despite the harassment. Thankfully this school takes its duty to provide a safe and productive learning environment to its students very seriously.” Momo affirmed to her two friends, while trying not to think about the conflicting information Hatsume had provided her on this matter. “Anyways, we should move on now. How has your day been Midoriya-san?” She concluded by turning to the green-haired boy.

“Well, there’s nothing much to say honestly, the support course is not as exciting as whatever you guys are doing. At the moment we are mostly focused on the end of term and finishing our projects.”

“I think you overestimate the level of ‘excitement’ we experience in our daily routine Midoriya-san. For all intents and purposes, we are just students like the members of the other courses with roughly the same subjects in our curriculum. For better or worse the periods we spend with the Hero training unique to our course only makes up a small portion of our schedule.”

“Definitely for worse…” Mina grumbled to herself, likely annoyed over the fact that the looming exams and the more ordinary subjects she was struggling with once again became the main topic of conversation.

“I mean, I know that, but considering how amazing you guys were at the Festival I figured that Heroics must be quite an intense subject. You are also being taught by All Might himself! He is kind of… my absolutely most favorite Hero. Sitting in a classroom with him as the teacher, lecturing about all the amazing things he has done in his career… that sounds like the most exciting thing I could imagine!”

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way Midoriya but I’d say you haven’t really missed all that much. If I’m entirely honest, All Might in class comes off kinda… bumbling to me. What do you guys think?”

“Yeah, I get what you mean Jirou! During our first Heroics class he was looking at his cue cards all the time! I think it’s kinda cute though. Knowing that there’s stuff that even the number one Hero struggles with makes him a lot more approachable and relatable!” Mina added.

“While I do agree that All Might’s lessons so far have been rather… inconsistent and that there have been a few instances of tardiness on our teacher’s part I mostly chalk this up to the fact that he is still very inexperienced at this. It is a common misconception that performing a task well immediately means you are qualified at teaching it too. Nevertheless I am confident that his vast wealth of experience will benefit our training greatly!”

“While I do agree with this sentiment Iida-san, I still find it strange how woefully unprepared or ‘bumbling’ like Jirou-san put it, All Might appears to be at times. Unless the decision to have him teach at U.A. was made just days before the official announcement, which I heavily doubt, you’d think he would have partaken in a few teacher seminars beforehand to get up to speed with his future duties.” 

“All Might is usually pretty busy so finding space for that in his schedule is probably pretty hard. Also, he might have been staying away from teacher seminars out of fear of his upcoming employment at U.A. being leaked.” Izuku suggested.

“Possible, but that begs the question of why so much secrecy was necessary in the first place. I don’t see how this benefited anyone, you’d think U.A. would like to aggressively advertise having the number one Hero as a teacher.” Momo speculated.

“I think the secrecy was for U.A.’s benefit. You went through the recommendation process Yaoyorozu so you didn’t see it, but there were a LOT of people here for the entrance exams. If All Might had announced his new job well in advance of the new school year starting, then the number of applicants might have grown to an unmanageable amount.” The support course student replied.

“I suppose that might be an issue, but wouldn’t U.A. be able to just split the entrance exam up over several days to combat this?”

“That would still be a lot more work for little gain. The logistics are gonna be an issue too. The train ride on the day of the entrance exam was already atrocious even though it was a pretty short one for me, since I’m from this town. The narrow streets in this part of the city make bus transfers very difficult too. A larger than usual number of applicants could push Musutafu’s public transport to the breaking point, and I don’t think U.A. has the means to easily take care of that problem.”

“Fair enough Midoriya-san, still all this hinges on the assumption that All Might would cause such an uptick in applications. I don’t think it's impossible but I doubt that this would have been the most likely outcome.”

“Well, there is at least some evidence for my claim. All Might has for the last few years started to announce his appearance for any kind of public event only on a very short notice. Despite that, the crowds he draws are still large enough to practically paralyze the cities he is appearing in. Even if it wasn’t the main reason for the secrecy I bet it was a contributing factor.”

“I suppose I could try and ask All Might to find out whether your suspicions are correct, Midoriya-san. I can’t make any promises, however, since our Heroics teacher has the habit of leaving very quickly once class is over.”

“Wow! Look at you two go! I barely caught a word of your rapid fire discussion!” an astonished Mina exclaimed. “It’s almost like you two are really in sync with each other” she added with a playful smirk.

Momo felt the telltale heat in her cheeks which was a signifier to what must be a substantial blush from the embarrassment. Was she really just that absorbed in that little discussion that she had tuned out everything else? Was that how Midoriya felt every time he was ripped out of his mutter-storms?

“You say that as if you never get carried away. Every time you and Hagakure start gossiping you descend into squealing that barely qualifies as human speech.” Jirou quipped at Mina’s expense, earning her an annoyed look from the pink-skinned girl.

“Well, I believe it is safe to say by now that Midoriya-san and I share a certain level of familiarity, which shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise considering the time we have spent in the workshop together.” Momo explained after regaining some of her composure but unfortunately still visibly blushing.

“I meant to ask you about this Yaoyorozu-kun but is it true that you actively participate in the design process yourself? Honestly it sounded a little bit excessive to me since our support department exists specifically so we don’t need to do this. I do admit that there are advantages to be found by involving yourself this much in this matter, but to me focusing more on our Hero training seems to be the more prudent course of action.” Iida inquired.

“Yes, I am participating, Iida-san and I can assure you that I’m convinced my Hero training will benefit from it. Having a greater understanding of how my equipment is made will make not only using it effectively easier but also expand what I can create with my Quirk. If you are worried that I am spreading myself too thin between my studies, class representative duties and this, then let me reassure you that my contributions in the workshop mostly limit themselves to suggestions. The bulk of the design and development I leave to the experts, like Midoriya-san.” Momo explained to Iida.

“I-I think you shouldn’t downplay what you bring to the table Yaoyorozu-san! It’s really impressive how much you know about engineering, and I don’t think I would have been able to make as much progress with your equipment on my own. Honestly I don’t think you really need me for this in the first place, you could easily design your own support gear if you had the time! I’m still going to give it my all though! Can’t disappoint my first client!” Midoriya insisted, his earnest nature starting to push past his lingering nervousness.

The praise did little to alleviate Momo’s blush but she wasted no time to respond. “Don’t be fooled Midoriya-san, having engineering knowledge and being able to engineer such marvelous devices like you and Hatsume-san do on a regular basis are not the same thing. I could potentially learn the craft thanks to having the preliminary knowledge necessary, because of my Quirk training, but that wouldn’t guarantee that I would be any good at it. Creativity isn’t a skill that can be simply learnt and after working with you those past weeks I am certain I wouldn’t be able to match you in this regard. I will continue to lean on your expertise and support you wherever I can in turn. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing the fruits of our collective efforts and properly field test them!” 

Midoriya for his part remained silent after this but Momo was convinced that she had properly conveyed what she wanted to say, if the boy's soft smile and bashful aversion of eye contact were any indication. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case for Mina since her playful smile made it clear that the pink-skinned girl did not interpret this exchange in a platonic manner at all. Momo dreaded already that another long conversation with class 1-A’s romance enthusiasts was ahead of her in which she would have to futilely try and dissuade their misinformed notions of her relationship with Midoriya. She really wished for something to happen that would take her gossiping classmate’s mind off this subject.

“What the flying FUCK is going on HERE?!” A sudden newcomer yelled, instantly gaining the attention of everyone from Momo’s and the other surrounding tables. None other than Bakugou Katsuki had just arrived and disrupted their conversation.

“Bakugou-kun! Mind your language and your volume too while we’re at it! Disrupting our fellow students' lunch time by yelling profanities is unbecoming of an aspiring Hero!”

“Shut it four eyes I wasn’t talking to YOU!”

Bakugou approached their table, his gaze wandering between everyone seated before finally settling on Midoriya. Momo had seen the blonde boy angry plenty of times before but Bakugou’s current expression unsettled her. The intensity behind her explosive classmate’s eyes was closer to the hatred in Shigaraki’s gaze rather than the usual foul mood that drove him to verbally lash out, and all of it was leveled directly at Midoriya for some reason.

“What in the everloving FUCK are YOU doing here?!” Bakugou asked her friend, his words dripping with an amount of malice that felt excessive even for him.

“Ha-having lunch?” a very nervous Midoriya shakily replied.

“Don’t FUCK with me! You know WHAT I meant! Why the FUCK are you sitting HERE?”

“I was…”

“You know what, fuck it, I don’t care why, just get up and FUCK OFF before I change my mind again!” the blonde boy ordered seemingly unwilling to give Midoriya a chance to explain himself.

“I was INVITED!” came the indignant response of the green-haired boy, raising his voice at the end.

“Bullshit! You might be able to weasel your way into these extras letting you sit with them but we both know you don’t belong here, so FUCKING MOVE!”

“Bakugou-san he is telling the truth! He was invited!” Momo affirmed after standing up from her seat and rising to her full height. “I have no idea what the meaning of this is supposed to be but I would appreciate it if you would cease your vulgar behavior at once! This matter does not affect you in any way so leave us be!” She continued.

The explosive Quirk user unfortunately did not seem willing to comply. Instead, he was looking from person to person with a disgusted expression before asking. “Who the fuck invited this loser? I know my expectations for you extras have never been particularly high but have you no goddamn self-respect? TRASH like him is lucky enough that he is allowed to breathe the same air as us, don’t let him get any ideas by letting him act all buddy-buddy with you!” Bakugou spat with almost equal amounts of contempt directed at the seated hero course students than at Midoriya.

The venomous words stunned everyone into silence but just one look at Midoriya’s hurt expression made something snap inside of Momo’s head before she addressed the unwanted guest. “I invited him to sit with us because he is my friend ! What in the world has driven you to just come here and harass us by spitting this bile?! I expect your next words to be an apology, and don’t think for a second that I won’t report this!”

“You invited him? What the fuck Ponytail? Weren’t you supposed to be the extra with at least some brains? Whatever bullshit he fed you so you’ll tolerate him orbiting around you was obviously a LIE. Honestly, I’m doing you a FUCKING FAVOR by getting him out of your sight!”

“Ok, I don’t know who the fuck pissed in your cereal today asshole, but nobody here wants to deal with your fucking bullshit so take it somewhere else. Also, you better start thinking what lame excuse you're gonna tell Aizawa Sensei, since I know he’ll just love learning that your anger management issues just got worse again.” Jirou shot back in defense of Momo.

“Shut it ears! No one asked you, and NO amount of white knighting is gonna get you ANYWHERE!” Bakugou yelled at the purple-haired girl, shocking her into silence.

“What the Hell? Bakugou what’s gotten into you? I thought you were supposed to be the jerk with a hidden heart of gold after Kiri told me you were cool, but right now you are acting like a bully!” Mina interjected.

“Tell that to someone who cares raccoon-eyes, preferable to someone FAR AWAY cause I don’t need to deal with your annoying ass right now.”

“Ok, that’s it! You asked for…”  Mina started as she tried to get up and probably give the offender a piece of her mind face to face, but she was interrupted by Iida quickly getting up before her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“This has gone on long enough! Bakugou-kun you are out of line! For too long have I allowed your unacceptable behavior to go on with only minor warnings and reprimands! Clearly you are in dire need of disciplinary action from a teacher!” Iida firmly stated as he walked off to get a teacher.

“I look out for you extras ONE GODDAMN TIME and what do I get?! First backtalk and now you wanna sic the teachers on me! You guys have no FUCKING clue what’s good for you!” The unpleasant boy yelled after Iida indignantly.

“Doing us a favor?! I can’t for the life of me figure out how walking up here, spewing profanities at us and trying to chase a friend we invited away is supposed to be good for anyone involved. For the short period of time I had the displeasure of knowing you I had to witness how arrogant and self centered you could be, but I never would have imagined that you would see students from the other courses as lesser beings. I’m without words.” Momo said as she voiced her disapproval and profound disappointment over Bakugou’s despicable behavior.

“You’re still defending that nerd! What PATHETIC sob story did he tell you to get your attention? Don’t you see what he’s trying to do? This loser always wanted to be a Hero but there’s no way a pathetic piece of SHIT like him will ever make it so he’ll settle for the next best thing by attaching himself to one. He’ll make you dependent on his ‘help’ and then gets off on looking DOWN on you for becoming unable to do anything yourself anymore. I know that because he tried to do that with ME!” Bakugou ranted in a concerningly deranged fashion.

This left Momo truly speechless. Were they even talking about the same person still? She had not even the faintest hint of a clue how Bakugou got this horrible impression of Midoriya. One thing was for certain, however, her blonde classmate was completely delusional. Her outrage from before was now quickly making way for concern about her classmate’s mental health. Bakugou’s mood had been rapidly declining ever since the Sports Festival, with him raving about how he was robbed of a great opportunity despite winning the event. Still, the fact that he was now lashing out like this in public was unacceptable.

“I-is this really w-what you think of me Kacchan? I… I was always… Why do you…” Midoriya tried to stammer in a shaky voice, with his face scrunched up like he was close to tears. Seeing her close friend like this quickly made Momo forget any concerns regarding her classmate’s mental well-being and reignite her initial anger with vengeance. Whatever turmoil Bakugou was going through, it was NO excuse to hurt someone else! Especially not someone she cared about!

“SHUT UP nerd! I told you to stay away from me AND the hero course! It’s YOUR fucking fault for NOT LISTENING!”

“Since when do you of all people get to decide who he is allowed to associate with? This has nothing to do with you Bakugou! All of this was initiated by you alone!” Momo snapped at the blonde boy in an uncharacteristically harsh tone for her. She was honestly starting to contemplate disciplining Bakugou herself. She could double it as Quirk training if she used those bean bag loaded flintlock pistols she briefly experimented with in her pre U.A. Quirk training. She had never been able to figure out the proper amount of propellant to avoid the shot causing too much blunt trauma. Doing so would likely be overkill and get her in trouble too, but at the moment she believed it would also feel very cathartic.

“That’s where you’re fucking WRONG Ponytail! This is about ME! He is just trying to USE you and the other extras to worm his way back into MY life. Ever since I refused to let him ride my coattails and cut him off, it’s been like that and I’m SICK and TIRED of him getting in my way!”

“W-why? I don’t understand K-Kacchan. Why do you think like that? Why do you hate me so much?” Midoriya whimpered with a pleading look in his eyes.

“You KNOW full well why! Don’t think you fooled me! I know how you were looking DOWN on me and snickering behind my back. You have always been jealous at how much BETTER I was at everything than you and I still am! You are nothing but a FUCKING PEBBLE meant to be stepped on by better people and NO amount of your conniving scheming is ever going to change that!”

“Kacchan I ADMIRED you! I LOOKED UP to you! You were always so cool and confident and I wanted to be like that too, but then your Quirk came in and you started to change. I was so worried about what was happening to you, so I tried hard to get you back on track of becoming the amazing Hero I know you will be!” A clearly frustrated Midoriya confessed to Bakugou with tears starting streaming down his face.

“STOP LYING TO ME YOU SHITTY QUIRKLESS DEKU!” Bakugou roared as he slammed his hand on the table and released a very loud explosion once it made contact with the surface.

The first thing Momo saw while her ears were still ringing, was Jirou’s tortured expression as she held her ears in pain. Mina was having one of her hands on the purple-haired girl's back, likely to comfort her, while at the same time shooting Bakugou one of the angriest glares Momo had ever seen.

All eyes in the cafeteria were now on them. Not that they have been ignored before, thanks to Bakugou throwing his very loud tantrum the people sitting on the tables in the immediate area had already been throwing uncomfortable glances for some time. Now, however, Momo was confident that if her ears were to work properly, all she would be hearing would be the stunned silence of U.A.'s assembled student body.

The worst thing Momo saw, however, was the state she found Midroya in. The flash and the smoke of the explosion had obscured it from her view, but Midoriya seemed to have jumped up from his seat in fear and had fallen backwards over his chair in the process. He was now lying on his back on the floor, the contents of his food tray strewn across his torso and the floor around him.

She was already moving towards her friend to help him up again, when the ringing in her ears subsided just in time to hear Bakugou’s last words to Midoriya on this day. “FUCK. OFF.” 

Both words were emphasized by the threatening crackling of the blonde’s Quirk and by the utterly terrified look on Midoriya’s face he had gotten the message. The support course student quickly stumbled up on his feet and ran out of the cafeteria before Momo had time to react.

What followed was a little hazy in Momo’s mind, on account of happening so fast while her mind was still processing what she had just witnessed. All she remembered was a loud smacking sound, a stinging sensation in her hand and Bakugou clutching his cheek in pain.

“Serves you right you damn Jerk! What the hell were you thinking firing off your Quirk like that all of a sudden?!” Mina snapped at Bakugou before he could react.

“I was about to ask that myself,” the voice of Aizawa Sensei suddenly cut in, making every student look into the direction of the approaching teacher. “The show is over, everyone finish your lunch and go back to class, lunch break is ending soon.” He firmly stated to the crowd of students before his gaze returned to the scene of the incident. “Someone get Jirou to Recovery Girl just in case, and Bakugou… follow me to the principal's office. NOW.” Their homeroom teacher addressed them, his tone and piercing glare making it abundantly clear that no delay or backtalk would be tolerated.

Momo immediately set off running after Midoriya when Aizawa Sensei started escorting Bakugou towards his well deserved punishment. She felt guilty about leaving Jirou behind in pain but thankfully the punk rock enthusiast would be in the capable hands of her vice representative. Right now Midoriya was in greater need of her attention, having been on the receiving end of most of this ordeal, and it didn’t sit right with her that he would have to ruminate in his misery on his own.

The only thing moving faster than her feet at the moment, however, was Momo’s mind. Among the last of the horrible things Bakugou had said, something had stood out. He had called her green-haired friend quirkless, which, among revealing her hopefully soon to be ex-classmate’s bigotry, had provided her crucial information that put everything she knew about Midoriya in a new light. The implications running through her head were unpleasant, to say the least, and she sincerely hoped they were just a byproduct of her currently agitated state of mind.

Shaking the distracting thoughts away Momo refocused on the task at hand. Hopefully Midoriya’s head start was not too big for her to catch up.

Chapter Text

Aizawa Shota had known that today would be one of those days the second he stubbed his toe after getting out of bed.

The rest of the day proceeded to add one annoyance after the other and the lunch period, where he was supposed to keep an eye on the students in the cafeteria, seemed to continue this trend, when the coffee in the vending machine had been replaced with DECAF, thanks to those damn robots messing up on the last refill. As a result he had been forced to walk back all the way to the teachers lounge to get himself a cup. The short timespan that this had taken had of course been exactly the moment some stupid kids had decided to cause trouble.

What he saw when he had quickly followed Iida back to the cafeteria had managed the impressive feat of making this already disappointing day, which Shota wasn’t having any high expectations for anymore, that much worse.

He had no goddamn idea what the hell had made Bakugou think that firing off an explosion in the cafeteria was a good idea. Even now as he was watching the security footage that principal Nezu had provided when they had arrived in the latter’s office did little to illuminate this so he turned to his student. “Why? What were you thinking?!”

The boy did not answer, at least not verbally, instead he averted his eyes and huffed, clearly annoyed at being there.

Aizawa for his part still had trouble believing what he had witnessed. Bakugou was very abrasive and confrontational but just straight up walking up to a person, screaming at them and finally threatening them with his Quirk for no discernible reason was completely outlandish behavior even for him. The boy was aiming to be the next number one Hero and Aizawa had believed, that after a week of Best Jeanist drilling into Bakugou’s head that his attitude needed to change, that the boy would finally grow up. Unfortunately for him this has not been the case.

The blond boy had not been the first arrogant student Aizawa ever had to deal with. Most classes had at least one student in it, who thought they were the hottest thing since All Might. Being around similarly talented peers and the challenges of the hero course in general were usually enough to mellow most of them out by the time their first Sports Festival concluded. Bakugou unfortunately had turned out to be a particularly stubborn case, not helped by the fact that he had won the event.

Whenever Bakugou felt his status as the self proclaimed number one threatened, he would double, triple, quadruple down and channel everything he had into his training. This exceptional work ethic had served the student well so far, but Aizawa was convinced Bakugou would sooner or later hit his limit and finally calm down. Once the boy dropped this edgy, abrasive attitude, which was holding him back, he could easily become a contender for the top spot.

Unfortunately Shota’s assessment seemed to have been wrong and now he had one hell of a mess to work through as a result. This was going to be the cause of so many headaches for him in the future. Just what he needed.

“I suppose before we go to the why we should make sure you fully understand what you did.” The principal addressed Bakugou, his voice devoid of his usual chipper tone. “Verbal assault, threatening a fellow student, harming a fellow classmate and last but definitely not least unauthorized Quirk use, just to name the most concerning things I had the displeasure of watching.”

“What the Hell?! I didn’t hit anybody with my Quirk!”

“Wrong.” Aizawa coldly replied. “Jirou was sitting right next to Midoriya when you unleashed that explosion. As you should know by now her enhanced hearing makes her exceptionally vulnerable to sudden loud noises. When I arrived she was in great pain and seemed to be almost deaf, which for your sake I hope is just temporary.” He continued, going to great lengths to ensure his accompanying glare properly communicated the seriousness of the situation.

Bakugou to his credit seemed to catch on, if the shocked expression that showed up on his face for an instant was any indication, still the boy continued to talk back. “She… should be fine, I held back, you know I could have incinerated that damn desk and blown a hole to the floor below if I had let loose.”

“Your ‘restraint’ does little to change the fact that young Jirou is likely forced to go home for the rest of the day thanks to your actions. Even if she had remained unharmed, however, the fact that you had used your Quirk to threaten a student would remain.” Nezu explained.

“I didn’t threaten him! I just told him to leave!” the student cut in.

“And when he failed to comply you used your Quirk to threaten him. You see young Bakugou, threats don’t have to necessarily be just verbal in nature, certain actions can convey them as well and firing off a destructive Quirk right next to a person definitely qualifies.” Nezu lectured. “To be quite frank I’m appalled. You violated numerous school rules and behaved in a way that is unacceptable for a Hero. Threatening another student with your Quirk, a quirkless one no less! From your midterm exam results I can confidently say that you know better than this, so please let me reiterate your homeroom teacher’s question. Why ? What were you thinking?” 

Bakugou was once again silent, but his indignant facade had molten away, which was a good sign as much as Aizawa was concerned. The boy seemed to have realized by now how much he had messed up, even if he had not admitted it out loud yet. Still the boy’s reactions so far had been baffling to say the least. Any other student that got caught like that would be begging for mercy right now, yet Bakugou had initially seemed unconcerned, as if he didn't expect any consequences from his actions. As infuriating as this attitude had been, it did clue Shota in that something was very wrong with the boy beyond his temper.

“Your silence on this matter is quite disappointing, as were your attempts at re-framing the events in a more favorable light for you. If you can’t provide any further context for what happened you force me to fill in the blanks myself and let me ask you…” the principal said as he replayed the scene of Bakugou triggering his Quirk in the cafeteria, zooming in on the grimace the boy was sporting during it. “How does this look to you? What do you think the public would think after seeing this? Is this what a Hero looks like to you?”

“He… wasn’t supposed to be there.” Bakuogu mumbled, avoiding the unpleasant question of the principal.

“I think you’ll have to elaborate. The cafeteria seems the appropriate place for a student during lunch break to me.” Nezu retorted.

“He wasn’t supposed to sit with the others, hell he wasn’t supposed to be in this school in the first place! U.A. is for the best of the best and Dek… he is the furthest you could physically be away from being the best in anything other than crying!” The explosion Quirk user stated angrily.

“When did you become the arbiter of who is allowed in U.A. and who not? I personally don’t engage much with the selection process for the support course but according to Maijima Sensei, Midoriya was among the top students on the entrance exam, easily securing him a place. Quirkless people are not excluded from this school by default, if they qualify for any of the courses except Heroics, they get in. You’ve got a problem with that?” Aizawa probed. His student being an open bigot or worse a Quirk supremacist would be the cherry on top of this whole goddamn mess.

“The fuck? He could have the most amazing Quirk in the goddamn universe for all I care! It wouldn’t change the fact that he is a pathetic, whiny loser! He seriously believes he can be a Hero, since Heroics to him is just holding corny speeches and grinning like an goofy idiot for the cameras. In a REAL crisis even the lowest trash tier thugs would turn him into a red smear on the ground within seconds! The only thing he ever was any good at was getting in my way and I’m sick and tired of it! I wanted him out of my hair so I told him to stay away from me and the hero course and lo and behold the bastard suddenly sits with some of my classmates being all buddy-buddy to worm his way back in. That’s why I got so fucking angry!” Bakugou ranted on, trying to explain his outburst.

Shota was not sure what exactly to think about this explanation. On the one hand it was a slight relief to find out that his new problem student had not been motivated by bigoted hatred of the quirkless. On the other hand the boy was sounding completely delusional for assuming that Midoirya having lunch with other 1-A students was somehow part of a plot to force himself back into Bakugou’s life. Even in the very unlikely case that the boy was right, this would have been a very bad plan. Bakugou was notoriously dismissive of his classmates with Kirishima being the sole exception, and even he was merely being tolerated by Bakugou, which was a far cry from actual friendship. You’d think that Midoriya would know that if he was as obsessed with Bakugou as the blond boy implied.

“Correct me if I’m wrong but fraternization between students of different tracks is not against the rules, at least to my knowledge. To be quite frank your explanation makes even less sense than your actions Bakugou. If Midoriya has been harassing you then why did you never approach the faculty with this problem? If your claims had any merit then we would have stepped in. Instead you opted to confront the boy when he was minding his own business and escalated the situation at every opportunity. I hope you are aware that your actions today are completely unacceptable even in the exceptionally unlikely case that your assessment of Midoriya is correct.” The principal said as he pointed out the obvious flaw in Bakugou’s reasoning.

“Unlikely?! Pretty much since elementary school, he has done nothing but try and hold me back! Don’t be fooled by his innocent act, he is always trying to twist the truth to his benefit by playing the victim!” Bakugou once again raved on.

“Unless you can provide proof for your claims, Midoriya will be seen as innocent until proven guilty. Due process is important Bakugou, we went through it in class and you answered the question regarding this matter correctly in the midterms! You acted like a stupid gung ho Vigilante and ruined your ‘case’ now if it ever had any merit in the first place. Illogical behavior like that allowed many villains to get off the hook scots free on technicalities.” Aizawa countered coldly.

“I’d prefer if we could stay on topic. Midoriya’s character is not what is on trial here, your actions of today are. You have provided no proper explanation so far, instead you only tried to pin the blame for your actions on your main victim. Whatever your prior history may be, it is completely irrelevant to this matter, since violent threats, with Quirks or without, are not tolerated at this school. This is a very serious matter, young Bakugou, and your very future at U.A. is now in jeopardy, I’m afraid.” Nezu explained.

“W-what?! What do you mean by that?” Bakugou asked, his apparent attempts at remaining calm failing and revealing his rising panic.

“Expulsion or a lengthy suspension at the very least. What were you expecting after the stunt you just pulled in front of almost the entire school? Detention alone won’t cut it. Hell, if Jirou’s or Midoriya’s families decide to sue, that might be the least of your worries.” Eraserhead cut in.

Shota observed the boy as he let everything sink in. Bakugou had regained some of his composure but the way he was staring at his feet and his slumped shoulders made it clear he was still shaken from the revelation that expulsion was on the table. Admittedly it would be a shame if it would come to that, since the explosion Quirk user had a lot of potential, but with his current attitude it was clear he would be more of a risk to society than an effective Hero who could protect it. Whether correcting said attitude was possible or worth the effort, Eraserhead didn’t know. Not that it mattered, since the decision was not in his hands anymore thanks to this massive fuck up.

“Indeed, those families have valid reasons to take legal action now. I’m afraid I’ll have to make a lot of phone calls, and notify the involved parties of what happened. As for you young Bakugou, you are suspended effective immediately until I have reached a decision on what your full punishment is going to be. For now, collect your things and make your way back home, I will inform your parents once we know how to proceed” Nezu announced.

“So, that’s it? You really are going to throw me out for… this?” Bakugou said dejectedly, slumping down in his seat. “I am one of your best students and you want to kick me out because… cause… of one fuck up?! I lost my cool, that shouldn’t have happened and it’s not going to happen again I swear!” Bakugou argued passionately in a last ditch effort.

“It won’t happen again, that’s for sure. One way or another.” Shota commented.

As a dejected Bakugou left the principal’s office Eraserhead studied the unreadable face of Nezu. Leaving the full extent of the punishment hanging in the air and leaving the boy squirming and afraid for his future would hopefully ensure he would never forget about today. He was not sure whether Nezu was leaning more towards leniency or harshness in this case and Eraserhead was for once grateful that the principal insisted that expulsion in cases like this would be an executive decision. Despite his usual preference of being harsh he wasn’t entirely sure how best to proceed in this case.

Bakugou really was one of the best students in 1-A. He was also the winner of the Sports Festival of the first year students. There was no way in hell that they could expel Bakugou without drawing a whole lot of unwanted attention. The damn media would smell blood and descend on this story like vultures. Many of the larger news outlets had quite the bone to pick with U.A. thanks to their ‘uncooperative’ and ‘intransparent’ stance over the years. Apparently trying to stop them from harassing their students was ‘obstructing’ journalism from their point of view. Those organizations would jump at the opportunity to drag U.A. through the mud, hell, they already were doing that in a way, ever since the USJ incident. Aizawa certainly didn’t like the idea of providing these bastards with more ammunition.

“I knew that All Might’s first year at U.A. was bound to be an interesting one, but this is not what I had imagined.” Nezu declared, interrupting Aizawa’s thoughts. “The break-in, the attack on the USJ and the Hosu incident were more ‘excitement’ packed into barely one semester than we had in the last five years combined! And now I have to learn that even on the homefront things are looking a lot more dire than they should be. To think a hero course student would stoop to such lows, I still can’t believe it.”

“He always seemed to be a volatile one, but I thought he would eventually mellow out during the semester, most of the more cocky students do. I probably should have stepped in and call him out on his attitude in class sooner.” Shota said, wondering if that really would have helped prevent Bakugou from snapping like he had today.

“I don’t blame you for your assumptions. I too was under the impression that Bakugou was merely another one of the countless overconfident students, who would eventually shape up when they would inevitably face reality. Still we should have noticed something was amiss sooner. Him scoring so high in the entrance exam without getting even a single rescue point should have been a red flag. His behavior at the medal ceremony was the second big one we ignored. For the future adding interviews with the applicants and their parents to the application process should help us avoid surprises like this going forward. This won’t help us in sorting the mess that has already occurred, however.” Nezu said somberly.

“So what are we going to do? Expel him?” Aizawa asked

“We certainly have every reason to do so, considering the severity of his actions, but I am not sure we should do so lightly. There are many factors to consider before we take such drastic action. Expulsions from U.A. do tend to attract a lot of unwanted attention, at least when they are issued by me.”

“Are you concerned about how the media is going to react? I know a few tabloids that are going to be really uncharitable about this whole affair. Even the more ‘reputable’ outlets are still mad about how we threw out their correspondents after they trespassed on the day of the break in.”

“More sensationalist coverage is certainly the last thing we need, but I had bigger concerns in mind.” Nezu remarked. “Bakugou was one of the most active participants when it came to foiling Shigaraki’s plans at the USJ. From what little information we have about the Leader of the League of Villains it is safe to say that he is not of the forgiving sort. I’m afraid that Shigaraki might attempt to go after the students that defied him before and if we expel Bakugou he might be perceived as the easiest target. Whether he kills him outright or just kidnaps him for… worse purposes, we would be partially responsible for his fate.”

“Why would that manchild ever bother with kidnapping Bakugou? Shigaraki is an attack dog, who is frothing at the mouth, he doesn’t have the patience to pull off anything… more…” Shota asked, as he realized something horrifying mid sentence.

“True Shigaraki wouldn’t have any plans for Bakugou beyond just killing him to send a message, the true mastermind behind the League, however, has proven themselves to be exceptionally devious. His opening move in this war was flawless. Even though Shigaraki failed to achieve any of his objectives, the true goal of the attack was a resounding success. The USJ incident created a notable crack in U.A.’s reputation and also spread fear and uncertainty among the civilian population. Having one of our former students turned into a high profile villain would be a devastating blow, permanently harming the public's trust in Heroes.”

“You really think they could pull something like that off?!”

“I’m not sure, but so far the League has caught us repeatedly on the backfoot, so I’m trying to keep in mind what a worst case scenario would look like for us, since they are likely going to work towards accomplishing something similar. Those recent events have unfortunately proven that even U.A. hasn’t been safe from the rot of complacency. We must do everything we can to avoid playing into their hands.”

“I share the concern for the students, but do we really have a choice here? I don’t believe the Midorya family is going to be very understanding with this explanation, especially since the media is already writing off the League as a threat after the debacle in Hosu.” Aizawa said, already dreading having this particular family march in, demanding answers.

“Hosu is precisely why the League is so dangerous right now. Having Stain swear vengeance upon them has left them at a precipice. Either they fade into obscurity and get picked off by either Stain or the authorities, since nobody in the underworld is going to be willing to support them out of fear of the Hero killer, or alternatively they pull off another high profile attack to show their strength. The students of 1-A are the most likely targets and I severely doubt Shigaraki and the person behind him are going to overlook Bakugou just because we expelled him.” Nezu explained.

“I guess requesting protection for the Bakugou family is out of the question too? Considering how close they got to catching Stain in Hosu the HPSC is probably still getting as many Heroes as they can to comb through the city and the surrounding area before he can slip away again, now that his work there is done. Figures.” Aizawa commented on the heavy handed approach the government was taking.

“Indeed, and that will unfortunately mean that there won’t be any Heroes available for protection duty, at least not anyone capable enough to stop an attempt from the League. Bakugou must remain at U.A. so we can protect him and I will personally see to it that he’ll be back on track, assuming I’ll be able to convince the involved families. If not, this mess is likely going to get a whole lot worse…”

As Nezu started droning on about the rather unpleasant potential lawsuits, which angry parents could throw their way, among other problems, Eraserhead couldn’t help thinking about the victim, Midoriya. Of all the students that could have been involved in an incident today it had to be the very same boy, whose unrealistic dream he had shot down not that long ago. He could still hear the angry words Nemuri had directed at him after that meeting.

‘Shota, goddammit! I know what you do comes from a place of caring, but has it ever occured to you that your approach might do more harm than good sometimes? No?! Well, this was one of these times! Yes, coddling these kids would be bad but the same is also true for the opposite! One of these days you’ll drive one of your students to do something stupid that gets them hurt either out of spite or despair.’

That hasn’t been a pleasant day either for Shota, especially since Midnight was still kind of mad at him because of his brutal but honest rebuking of the boy. Hizashi too. Honestly, most of his colleagues were, which was proof to him that they were just too sentimental. A good underdog story while ‘useful’ for brand building, does not make someone qualified for being a Hero and if it made him the ‘bad guy’ when he pointed that out, then so be it.

That didn't mean he had enjoyed doing so, however. Especially considering the boy had made some surprisingly salient points considering his agitated state at the time. Still it didn’t matter. Life is cruel and won’t hesitate to tear you to shreds if you aren’t prepared. Shota himself almost suffered this fate in the USJ despite using every conceivable advantage he could.

The question of why exactly Bakugou had a bone to pick with the unassuming quirkless boy, however, was the main reason why Shota was thinking about the victim again. Bigotry was out as a reason at least if Bakugou’s statement was to be believed. The blonde boy’s statements have not been helpful in pinpointing the reason, which was unfortunate since even Nezu would struggle to rehabilitate Bakugou if he didn’t know where exactly the problem with the boy lied.

To Shota’s knowledge the boys never interacted outside the Sports Festival since starting high school. Which meant that whatever incident caused the explosion Quirk user’s hatred of his quirkless peer must have happened in middle school or earlier, depending on how far their shared history went. Investigating this might unearth some much needed answers and to this end Shota interrupted Nezu’s tangent about the repercussions of whatever scheme he had to keep Bakugou at U.A. failing, and asked him about the two student’s files.

“Hmm? Oh yes! I was going to broach this topic myself. You see, I already skimmed over both boy’s files again while I waited for your arrival and I noticed something worth looking closer into.” Nezu mentioned. “Our troublemaker has a clean record, suspiciously clean to be specific. Not a single negative entry for his whole time in middle school. Even young Iida, who we can both agree is quite the stickler for the rules, had a few instances of tardiness on his record, even if most of them were caused by his commute being disrupted by villain attacks.”

“So, you believe his records have been tampered with? Admittedly Bakugou has never been disruptive in class, but I find it hard to believe that today was the first time he snapped and lashed out at someone. With how much of a temper he has I would have expected a few fights in his history at the very least.”

“I don’t just believe it, Eraserhead, I am absolutely sure now that these records have been doctored. What baffles me is the motive behind it. Falsifying records like this is no small misdemeanour, so why take this considerable risk for the sole benefit of young Bakugou? Even if for instance the principal did it to raise his school's prestige by having one of their former students go to U.A. the consequences of discovery are just not worth it, at least in my opinion. Things become even stranger, however, if we compare this with Midoriya’s file.”

With this Nezu handed Shota the folder containing Midoriya’s school records, helpfully already opened at the relevant section. Page after page were dedicated to a whole damn litany of misdemeanours from the green-haired boy. What stood out to him was not just the sheer volume of entries but also how sparse they were in their descriptions, despite the harsh punishments. 

The overwhelming majority were ‘disruptive behavior in class’ and while Shota knew that most schools had more relaxed standards of record keeping he was pretty sure that any incident that justifies long detention as punishment deserved descriptions longer than just those four words. The picture that these records created was that of an uncontrollable delinquent, who would have been expelled from any sane school just from the frequency of incidents that he caused alone. Barely a day went by without Midoriya supposedly doing something that got him into detention, yet he never faced a worse punishment despite his repeated offences justifying suspension or even expulsion.

“Here we have the opposite extreme. Quite the contrast isn’t it? If Maijima is anything to go by then Midoriya is a model student, yet the people at Aldera Junior High seemed to have the remarkable talent of finding countless punishable offences. I was initially quite worried about this, I even considered denying him entry into our school despite his score on the entrance exam. In hindsight I’m happy that I trusted my first impression of him during the exams more than his records. Honestly I should have started investigating this immediately, but I suppose the USJ attack did divert my attention elsewhere, and with the incident today I won’t really have the time to do so now either. We can’t ignore this matter anymore, however, so I would like for you to investigate this middle school.”

Goddamnit! He just got cleared for Hero work again this week by Recovery Girl, and now Nezu just has to send him on a special mission! Granted, Aizawa probably deserved this, since he should have at least tried to do more to curb Bakugou’s nasty attitude. Sneaking into the office of some shitty middle school principal was a small price to pay considering the potential shitstorm his negligence has caused. He should be able to get this done in a night or two, which shouldn’t interfere with his plans of resuming his patrols too much.

After answering in the affirmative, Shota started to get up and leave the office, hoping that this was a sign that this rotten day was at the very least getting a tiny bit better at the end, if he made it back home without any further surprises then he could possibly…

“Oh, and Aizawa, before you leave, I’ve got one more thing I have to tell you.”

…curse himself for jinxing it. Of course Nezu was not done. He should know by now that his boss loved nothing more than to lull people into a false sense of security before throwing another curveball at them.

“In light of today’s events I’m afraid that I have to be more rigorous with maintaining our academic standards. From now on I’m going to insist on every member of the faculty participating in teacher seminars to the same extent that educators from more ‘ordinary’ institutions are required to do. I know you have a low opinion of Japan’s education system, and I share some of your criticisms, but I’m afraid I can’t afford having my teachers not staying up to date with current educational practices anymore. As much as U.A. prides itself on using unorthodox teaching methods, there is value in being able to rely on more conventional means, since some students might respond better to those. I’d suggest you keep your schedule clean for the time directly after the summer camp, that way you should be able to squeeze in a few seminars before the start of the next semester.” The principal announced in an eerily stoic fashion, which made clear that this decision was final.

Aizawa groaned internally at that. Those seminars were a complete and utter waste of his valuable time! Japan's educational system was still stuck in the pre-Quirk era, and he severely doubted that these outdated and quite frankly illogical ideas were going to help him improve his teaching in any measurable way.

Worse yet, there was a very good chance that Shota would meet Ms. Joke at one of those seminars. Knowing his luck he would probably see her at every single one he attended, no matter what he did. He’d rather have the USJ Nomu play chiropractor with him again than suffer this kind of torture.

Resigning himself to his fate, Aizawa finally took his leave from Nezu’s office to go on with the school day and prepare for the start of his investigation of Aldera Junior High tonight.

Yaoyorozu Momo was starting to develop a quite pronounced dislike for stairs.

Running after Midoriya in the hallways had seemed to be an easy enough task, but she had clearly underestimated her friend’s speed. In hindsight that shouldn’t have surprised her too much that the green-haired boy had been able to make good use of his lead, since she had witnessed his athletic prowess first hand in the Sports Festival. Still, she had hoped her long legs and all the running she had done for training would have meant that she held an advantage in speed over him, that she had not been able to capitalize on in the Festival, since someone she really didn’t want to think about right now had weighed her down.

If it hadn't been for Kendou then Momo would have been worried that she had missed the support course student after running for so long without seeing him. Her fellow class representative had seen a boy, that was stained by food, running up the stairs, allowing Momo to keep gaining on her distraught friend. With the acoustic feedback from his frantic steps and a trail of… something she suspected was soy sauce dripping from Midoriya’s sullied uniform, Momo was confident she’d be able to catch up before she would lose him.

Unfortunately for her, catching up with him would be the trivial part.

While running after her friend, Momo’s mind, despite her best efforts to focus on the immediate task and coming up with comforting words, had been racing with the revelations that blonde brute had screamed out into the world.

Midoriya Izuku was quirkless.

Midoriya Izuku wanted to be a Hero.

Together with the information, which that purple-haired boy from general education had provided shortly before the Sports Festival, about students that performed well having a chance to switch into the hero course, all pieces were falling into place for her now.

Midoriya’s tireless work to prepare for the event.

The intense fierceness with which he had fought, giving everything he had and truly living up to U.A.’s school motto in the process.

The seemingly rapid onset of depression in the aftermath of the Festival.

Everything was so obvious in hindsight, which did little to make it any less mortifying.

Like the carp of legend that swimmed up a waterfall and turned into a dragon as reward for its perseverance in overcoming this trial, Midoriya had attempted to scale a similarly insurmountable challenge for a chance at joining the hero course. Despite his stellar performance, he had evidently fallen short of what U.A. considered worthy of switching tracks, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so devastated that even the socially… less aware Hatsume had been alarmed.

What in the world was she supposed to say to him now that she knew? Was there even anything she could say to make him feel better?

Worse yet, Midorya’s troubles clearly had started before the Sports Festival. When her classmates had discussed their middle school experiences Midoriya’s… contributions, vague as they have been, had… unpleasant implications. Something was telling her the students of his old school might have done more than just ‘not taking him seriously’ as he had put it. If headstrong Jirou, who had a versatile and useful Quirk, had been the victim of ridicule for her ambitions to enter Heroics… what kind of treatment would meek and quirkless Midoriya have received from his peers for his dreams? If Bakugou’s actions were representative of Izuku’s peers back in middle school… then… Momo didn’t want to think about it.

Momo would like to believe that she wouldn’t have been judgemental in this matter, but if she was honest with herself, she’d have to admit a rather ugly truth. If you’d asked her just yesterday if a quirkless person or just someone with a very weak Quirk could be a Hero, she would answer in the negative. A powerful or very versatile Quirk was a necessary requirement to enter Heroics in a similar vein as excellent eyesight was a vital requirement for becoming a pilot, for instance. Now she wasn’t so sure anymore. She was certain, however, that she wouldn’t treat someone as a lesser person as a result!

This reminded her of one of her silly romance novels, which had featured a quirkless character as the main rival in the fight for the heroine’s heart. Brooding, deeply cynical and extremely standoffish as he was, had made it difficult for Momo to like this character, since she had never particularly appreciated the ‘bad boy’ archetype. A tragic backstory full of abuse, condescending ‘compassion’ and constant belittling was what the author used to try and make that character more likable, but in Momo’s mind it was the weakest part of the book by far. The quite frankly absurd amount of misery made it hard for her to take the story seriously, since Momo used to think that there was no way a quirkless person would suffer anything close to such an ordeal in this day and age. Could this cheap novel really have made a salient point about what the life for the quirkless could be like? That had to have been an accident, there was no way that a writer of silly escapist fantasies would add valid social commentary into their story! 

Either way the fact that this all explained the behavior of her friend so well deeply saddened Momo. All this time he had not just been shy, he had been scared… scared of history repeating itself if he let anything slip… if he stepped out of line. That was not a healthy way to live. Hatsume’s fears, as overblown as they had initially seemed, have been entirely justified.

Reaching the top floor of the staircase, Momo finally got to see Midoriya again. He was sitting next to the door, which was leading to the roof, his arms around his legs and his face hidden behind his knees. Without missing a beat she walked up and gently sat down next to him, her heart aching at hearing the soft sobbing noise coming from him.

“Is… everything alright?” was the question that slipped out of her before she had any chance to think. Obviously it was an exceptionally stupid question, since he clearly was not alright, he had just been verbally assaulted and had some private information about him revealed in public! Why in tarnation had she just asked him that of all things?!

“Ya-Yaoyorozu?! What are you doing here?” Midoriya said as he finally noticed her. As he looked up, Momo could clearly see his puffy and red eyelids, making it clear that if he hadn't shed any tears yet then he was not far from starting to cry.

“Well, I could ask you the very same question, but to answer you, I want to make sure you’re okay.” Momo answered, feeling her heart ache at seeing her friend in this state. Close to tears, his uniform dirty with the remains of his lunch and his usually shining emerald eyes dull and devoid of their light.

“I-I’m fine, I had… worse… b-but shouldn’t you be back in class? The bell rang already!”

Did it really? Momo had not noticed at all if that was the case. Listening closely she was unable to hear the usual bustling noise that came from the hallways during lunch break, which was concerning, but they were on the top floor which was as far away as physically possible from the cafeteria without leaving the building, so this area being relatively quiet was to be expected. Still, Momo couldn’t help but feel a little bit worried. A class representative being late for class? Unthinkable! She was supposed to be an example for others and… and…

What was she thinking?! To hell with her perfect attendance record! She’d be an awful future Hero and an even worse friend if she just let Midoriya sit here crying all alone! She would not move a single gosh darn inch from this place until the green-haired boy was feeling better!

“I’ll survive being late for class. I’m more concerned about you. Running up all these blasted stairs hardly strikes me as something you usually do after lunch.” 

“Well, I wanted to get some fresh air after… y-you know? Unfortunately the door to the roof is locked.”

“Why not the courtyard then? Plenty of fresh air especially with lovely weather like today.”

“W-well… uhm… you see… there are... too many people.” Midoriya whispered out the last part.

“I suppose I can’t blame you for wanting some privacy after… today’s tumultous events. Still I hope you don’t mind me keeping you company? If you insist, I will leave, but you don’t have to put a brave face on for me, I can tell that what happened in the cafeteria has shaken you. If you don’t want to talk then that’s okay too, just… let me sit here with you until you feel better.” Momo pleaded.

Momo interpreted the following silence as Midoriya consenting to her remaining with him. A silence that didn’t last very long as the boy softly whispered to her. “I-I’m sorry… ”

“I beg your pardon?!” Momo interrupted, growing slightly agitated.

“I’m sorry… f-for what happened today!”

Unbelievable. Why in the name of all that was good and holy was he apologizing?! No! No this wouldn’t do! While she may have followed him up here to be the proverbial shoulder to lean on for him, whatever twisted logic just drove Midoriya to say that needed to be rooted out! She would not allow him to blame himself, gosh darn it!

“Midoriya Izuku, look me in the eyes.” Momo told him firmly, continuing on after he complied. “You are not responsible for whatever happened in the cafeteria today. I invited you and we had a pleasant time until… that… that uncouth brute showed up to cause trouble! He is the only person at fault here.”

“If I’d just left then he…”

“No”

“But…”

“No”

“Sor…” was all he got out before Momo silenced him again with a firm look.

Momo sighed after this, before she addressed her friend again in a gentler tone this time. “Politeness is something I hold in very high regard Midoriya-san so I hope you understand how unsettling it must be if even I find your habit of apologizing for almost everything excessive . It is especially egregious in this case since you were clearly the victim! It… it almost feels like you think your very existence is an inconvenience to others which makes  you feel the need to apologize for.”

“Sor… I mean, I guess it is an old habit of mine…” the boy said, avoiding her eyes the same way he was clearly avoiding answering her.

“I’m not mad at you, just… concerned for you. Would you humor me and try to explain? I want to know what exactly happened. Clearly you and Bakugou have history with each other, I was able to gather that much from today’s… events, but there must be some explanation for why he thought he could get away with his horrible behavior.” Momo inquired, already dreading the answer, but she had to know whether or not, and to what extent the new conclusions she had drawn were true.

“That’s… a very looooong story…” Midoriya said, once again appearing to futilely try and dissuade her.

“I’ve got time.” was her immediate response.

“B-but what about your classes?!” her friend stuttered in surprise.

“I’m late for class anyways, so skipping the rest of this period shouldn’t really hurt.” were the utterly blasphemous words leaving her mouth, which Momo would have never believed she’d ever utter in a thousand lifetimes. Yet she didn’t feel a single shred of guilt like she had expected. Her class having English right now, a language she was quite fluent in already, combined with the fact that she didn’t particularly enjoy the… volume of Mic Sensei’s voice, helped with that.

“O-okay. Where do I even begin? I have known Kacchan pretty much for as long as I can remember…” Izuku said wistfully. “We lived close to each other and our Mom’s were close friends so we got to spend a lot of time together. Our shared admiration over All Might is what we initially bonded over, although we had different reasons for liking him, but we both got inspired by him and dreamt from that day onwards to become Heroes ourselves. He has always been headstrong and confident and he was so good at everything he did, so it was easy to imagine…”

“Headstrong? That is not exactly how I would describe him…” were the words slipping out of Momo before she could stop herself.

“Yeah… stubborn would fit as well and if I’m honest he had a pretty mean streak even back then every time his temper flared up, which was pretty often. Still we were friends but things took a sharp turn for the worse when Kacchan’s Quirk came in. With what many correctly saw as a powerful Quirk, everyone started treating him differently and… and…”

“...it got to his head.” Momo threw in as her friend started to struggle and finish the sentence. It was an easy conclusion to make, considering Bakugou’s incessant arrogant behavior, like his refusal to use anyone’s actual names and instead referring to them exclusively as either ‘extras’ or by a demeaning nickname. His stunt at the opening ceremony of the Sports Festival had been the final nail in the coffin, making it clear to pretty much anyone how full of himself the blonde teen was. Her job as class representative has been considerably more difficult ever since, thanks to having to always emphasize that Bakugou was not indicative of 1-A as a whole.

Midoriya for his part nodded somberly at her comment before continuing. “I guess you can say that. What was worse though was how his mean streak quickly started turning into cruelty. He got increasingly eager to hone and show off his newfound strength and every bout of roughhousing became an opportunity for that. I tried to remind him that he was being mean and that what he had started doing with the leeway he was getting was really unheroic but… but…”

Momo didn’t interrupt this time, giving her friend the time he needed to collect himself and continue talking about what clearly was a very upsetting thing for him. “After my diagnosis. After it was clear I was quirkless, things went downhill even faster. We have already been drifting apart before that, with Kacchan and his new friends calling me a crybaby or worrywart and things like that every time I tried to interrupt their ‘fun’. Afterwards they had the perfect excuse to completely disregard anything I said, since Kacchan valued strength above all else. From that day onward is was nothing else than a wo-worthless little D-Deku”

She clenched her hands, which she had folded neatly into her lap until now, into fists after hearing that. Momo knew how Midoriya’s name was spelled so it was easy for her to understand what this particular nickname was supposed to mean. That darn scoundrel properly believed he was really clever for coming up with that one. It was a ‘better’ insulting nickname than the one’s Bakugou was using for his classmates in 1-A by virtue of having at least a little bit of thought put into it, however, not that that was a good thing.

“People growing apart is a sad truth of life but to think that Bakugou would push you away like that and start bullying you because he believed you to be beneath him? Despicable! Truly despicable!” Momo commented, shaking her head in disapproval.

“You said during lunch today that middle school was a particularly trying time for you, was he the reason for it? Did he continue this behavior or dare I say it… escalate it further ?” Momo asked afterwards.

Midoriya once again stayed silent and averted his eyes from her gaze. The pained expression that showed on his face for a short moment before he suppressed it was unfortunately all the confirmation she needed.

“So he did continue.” Momo said, sighing sadly as she saw how her realization made Midoriya flinch. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, I understand. It is just so disheartening to hear that you had to go through such an ordeal. The more I learn about Bakugou, the more I am appalled. How such a rotten person ever made it into the hero course I’ll never understand.”

“He has never been… easy to get along with, even when we were still little, but I know he has what it takes to be an amazing Hero. I always admired him for that.”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way Midoriya-san but I don’t think he deserves this kind of admiration, not after the way he has been treating you. Impressive as his combat prowess is, his horrendous character was going to hold him back at the very least if it isn’t what disqualifies him from the profession altogether.”

“Y-you don’t think they’ll expel him for today, do you?!” Midoriya asked, sounding like he was… worried for his tormentor.

“Unauthorized Quirk use is a serious matter Midoriya-san, especially if it is done to threaten someone like he did to you. He also hurt Jirou-san with the noise of his explosion. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the principal expels him over that.” Momo replied, trying hard not to sound too elated over the prospect.

“No! That can’t be happening! Damnit!” were the words spilling out of her friend as he grew suddenly quite agitated.

“I’m afraid it is one of the more likely outcomes. Why are you getting so upset about this? You don’t owe him any sympathy after everything he has done to you!”

“Y-you don’t understand! I-I was always afraid that something like that w-would happen! That he would go too far and… and… lose his chance. That’s why I still tried so hard to get through to him even when we weren’t friends anymore.”

Putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, Momo said. “It’s not your fault. You are not responsible for his decisions. Even All Might can’t save people from themselves.”

“I still failed him and now he might have to give up his dream. I know better than most how it feels to yearn for something that… that… you’ll never have. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.” Izuku said as water started gathering in his eyes again.

“All I ever wanted was to be like All Might, saving people with a smile and giving them hope when they are going through the worst moment of their life. Even when I knew that I was quirkless I held on to that dream, thinking that since many Heroes relied on support gear I might be able to still do it with the right equipment. That’s how I got into support tech and  everything else I did too was meant to help find a way, especially my Quirk analysis notebooks. Without  power of my own I would need to fight smarter and being able to figure out a villain's Quirk and how they might use it quickly might have given me the edge I need. All of it was in vain… the Sports Festival was my last chance to make it and the teachers still rejected me because I’m quirkless. Now… now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore and… and… now someone else is… is… losing their… chance…” Izuku revealed, pouring his heart out as fresh tears flowed down his cheeks, before his speech degraded completely into sobbing at the end.

Before she noticed what she was doing, Momo wrapped her arms around him and pulled Izuku into a tight hug, the boy immediately burying his face into her shoulder as he cried. She cared little about how pressing his firm body into hers was staining her uniform in a similar way as Izuku’s, which was still covered in an assortment of soy sauce and other condiments. She only hoped that she could provide her distraught friend at least a tiny amount of comfort.

Life wasn’t fair. Momo has known that for a long time, ever since she had asked her mother about the sculpture that she had prominently displayed directly outside of her office. A sculpture depicting Fortuna the roman goddess of fate and fortune, who was renowned for her fickle nature.

‘ Some people may claim that we live in a just world where everyone gets what they deserve, but don’t believe them Momo! Only fools and liars can say this with a straight face. Life, fundamentally, isn’t fair. I have Fortuna displayed here to make sure I never forget how lucky I have been. One stroke of misfortune can easily invalidate the hard work of a lifetime, and I for one am grateful that I was able to avoid this fate. Make no mistake, however, for every success story like mine, there are millions of people, who were as deserving as me, if not more so, that still failed miserably. ’

Remembering the words of her Mother, Momo herself felt a few tears of her own well up in her eyes. To her sorrow the crying boy in her arms was a perfect example of the people, who were forsaken by the goddess of fortune. Knowing that her wonderful friend would be forever doomed to fail in his goal despite his considerable efforts made her once again lament the cruelty of fate.

It also made something else well up in Momo as she remembered the reason why she decided to become a Hero. All those news reports over the years that she saw of innocent people losing everything they held dear to natural disasters or villain attacks. Their homes, their livelihoods, their loved ones and even their very lives. The fact that people that never have done anything wrong could suffer like that for no discernible reason deeply unsettled Momo even from a very young age. It also led to her developing a great admiration for all the Heroes and rescue workers who risked their lives to help those people in their time of need, an admiration that eventually evolved into the resolve to join their ranks.

Hearing his reason for wanting to become a Hero, Momo was convinced now that she had found a kindred spirit in Izuku. It explained neatly why she has been getting along so swimmingly with him ever since getting to know him. Even if he was supposedly not worthy in a physical sense, which she severely doubted after witnessing his prowess in this regard, then he certainly was worthy in spirit! How could the U.A. faculty be so blind to not consider him?

With her rising resolve filling her, Momo hugged Izuku tighter, and solemnly swore to herself that she would do anything in her power to help him achieve his dream. Midoriya Izuku would become a Hero, one way or another, no matter how many mountains she might have to move. Should fate itself decide to be in her way… well, Ludwig van Beethoven put it best. ‘I will take fate by the throat, it will never completely bend me to its will!’ . If a deaf man could become a legendary composer that is still lauded around the world almost half a millenia later, then a quirkless boy should be able to become a Hero!

First she needed to lift his spirits again. She had an idea now how to achieve this, even if she didn’t like the thought of divulging something so private, but after he just shared so much with her it would only be fair.

“Just before I approached you and Hatsume-san for the first time, I was seriously considering dropping out of the U.A. hero course.” Momo revealed after Izuku had finally started calming down a bit. The reaction was immediate. The boy moved out of the hug he had been in, although Momo was maintaining a gentle grip on his shoulders to keep him close, and looked at her with shock clearly visible in his expression.

“W-what?! Why?! Y-you are a recommended student! I don’t understand, you have an amazing Quirk, are super smart a-and… you have a good heart. You’d make an amazing Hero! Why would you give up on your chance?!” Izuku said, completely blindsided by this revelation.

“Heroes, even ones who specialize in rescue work, need to be able to fight off villain attacks and the Sports Festival proved quite clearly that I am not as capable of doing so as I imagined. Something similar happened in the USJ. Me, Jirou-san and Kaminari-san valiantly fought the assailants but in the end we got overwhelmed, putting us at the mercy of villains. If the teachers hadn’t shown up the precise moment they have, then… I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I always knew I would be at a disadvantage in physical combat but I always believed that the sheer versatility of my Quirk would allow me to compensate. After Tokoyami-san swept me aside in the tournament I had to face the truth. No real villain will be courteous enough to give me time to prepare for combat.” Momo explained herself, her voice taking on a somber tone despite her best efforts.

“B-but that’s why you’re here, right? Nobody, even the most talented people, is perfect at this from the get go, that’s why you go to school!”

“It’s a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t change anything. Heroes have to fight whether they want to or not and there was ample evidence I was not ready for it. The fate of Thirteen also comes to mind. In the USJ she bravely tried to defend us from the warp villain but her heavy focus on rescue work left her woefully unprepared to face such an foe. The villain even taunted her for her lack of combat experience before he took her down and scattered us! I was helpless in the USJ, helpless against Tokoyami-san in the tournament and I started fearing that I would never be able to measure up to the challenge in a fight, despite my best efforts. I went into my internship desperately looking for guidance and direction, instead I got…”

Momo took a deep breath, doing her best to keep all the negative emotions these memories were bringing to the surface in check, before continuing. She came here to comfort Izuku after all, so it would be rather inconvenient if she ended up as the person in need of comfort. “Instead I got Uwabami. Desperately I held on to the hope that she could provide helpful advice for my struggles until she one day playfully asked me and Kendou-san what we thought the reason was that she chose us. Go ahead, have an educated guess, why do you think she sent us the offers?”

“Ehhhh… because she thought… that you’d do a good job?” Izuku timidly respondet.

Momo chuckled a bit at that before giving him the answer. “Goodness gracious, I wish! That would have implied that she had a little bit of faith in our abilities at the least. Unfortunately, no, the answer was our appearance. Not any feats we performed, or any potential she saw in our abilities, no just the fact that me and Kendou-san were conventionally attractive caused her to send us offers. Pretty faces for her darn TV commercial were all we brought to the table and nothing else. That revelation finally crushed me. If a high ranking Hero saw nothing of note in me apart from my looks… then how could I ever be anything else than a liability for those fighting to keep society safe?”

Momo took another deep breath for the sake of her nerves, before looking deeply into the emerald orbs that were her friend's eyes and finally coming to the point that she had been preparing with her story. “That was until I remembered you. Like most people in the audience I pitied you when you walked into the ring against Todoroki. I expected you to be swatted aside like an insect by the mighty son of Endeavor, as he has done to the unfortunate contestants before you. Yet what I got to witness left me speechless. With nothing more than your crude looking boots and gauntlets you fought one of the strongest students in the hero course to a standstill and had him at your mercy. After descending on him like a force of nature you didn’t take the opportunity for an easy victory, instead you dared him to use his full power against you.”

“Not the smartest decision I made that day…” Izuku commented, likely thinking about his swift defeat after Todoroki’s first flamestrike.

“You may not be aware but your actions in the ring had a very profound effect on Todoroki-san. At the beginning of the semester he was cold and dismissive to everyone, especially everytime his fire abilities were brought up even tangentially. I was very worried about him, it didn’t seem like a healthy mindset to have, but my efforts to talk with him were rather… fruitless. After the fight he has not only started training his fire Quirk he also began making an effort to open up and engage his classmates in a more cordial fashion.”

Izuku was taken aback by this information, but Momo was not willing to give him too much time to dwell on this and pressed on. “Todoroki-san is not the only person you had an impact on. Your fight is undeniable proof that overwhelmingly powerful Quirks can be matched and potentially overcome by people without raw power like that. It has given me hope that maybe if I can learn to fight like that, that there is still a chance for me to become a Hero. That is why I sought you out. The equipment I ordered was merely an excuse, your insights have always been more valuable to me. Whether the gear and the new costume perform as well as we hope or not doesn’t matter, you have done so much more for me already. You have been a good friend and helped me regain my confidence. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how grateful I am for that.”

Her friend was staring at her wide eyed and likely in complete disbelief. He truly was too humble for his own good. Time for the coup de grace to really hammer it home. “Even though I have known you for only a relatively short amount of time I can say with confidence that few people are as deserving as you. Your actions, your skills and your convictions all paint the picture of a deeply caring and selfless person. I don’t care what anybody else says, be they loud, uncouth ruffians or the most prestigious institutions in the land, to me, Izuku, you are a Hero! And I won’t be the last person to think that way!”

With that Izuku’s eyes almost looked like they had started sparkling, as they gathered water for a different kind of tears this time. “Y-you really think… I-I… could be… a…” he attempted to stammer out while still overcome with emotions.

“I don’t think you could, I know you are! What else am I supposed to call somebody that displays so many heroic qualities already?”

“B-but… I’m not in the hero course… I’ll never get a license… how could I ever work as a Hero?” 

That question made Momo frown a little, but did not weaken her resolve. “I… honestly don’t know. Without a license you would be a vigilante and earning one outside the established framework of Hero schools is going to be… challenging. There is no precedent for it that I know of, which means… we’ll have to set one ourselves I suppose.” That sounded a lot more outlandish out of her mouth than it did in her head. Izuku getting a formal Hero education would make this substantially easier. She needed to talk to the principal and find out what the exact grounds for his rejection were.

“I-is that even possible?! E-even if it were, why would you try? Y-you don’t have to go to such lengths for me!”

“You are right, I have no obligation to do this, but I want to try anyway. I suppose it is as much for the sake of my own sanity as it is for helping out a dear friend. If a person as heroic as you can’t make it after struggling for most of their lives, what hope do I have then? I crumbled the first time I was met with failure in spite of my efforts! Why should I be considered more worthy than you? Because I can turn my body fat into trinkets? I failed relying on my Quirk while you surpassed all expectations without one! This is fact and everybody who is still refusing to acknowledge your potential is a fool! Clearly Quirks are not as vital a requirement as everyone believes it to be, I see that now, and the sooner we dispel this foolish notion the better for the country!”

“You really think that could work?” Izuku said, looking at her in awe.

“We won’t know unless we try. Just promise me not to give up hope, ok? You have a friend on the inside now, there must be something we can do. I promise you I’ll do anything I can!” Momo said before pulling her friend into a hug again. The lack of sobbing made the black-haired girl smile, knowing her attempt at lifting his spirits likely succeeded.

“Awwwwwhh, that’s got to be the sweetest thing I ever saw since Shota played with that stray cat!” were the words an unknown voice said out of nowhere.

Seperating from the hug Momo immediately turned to the source of the voice, just to see her art history teacher, Midnight, standing on the stairs leading up to the platform.

“Midnight Sensei? Since when were you…” Momo tried asking the woman who silenced her with a gesture of her hand, grinning from ear to ear.

“Long enough, but I simply didn’t have the heart to interrupt your speech. Such passion! I loved it!” the teacher said as she enthusiastically hugged herself.

“W-why are you here Sensei?” Midoriya asked this time, timidly.

“Easy. I’m here to bring you to the teachers lounge and before you panic, no you are not in trouble. We called your Mother about today’s… events and she is now on her way to pick you up. Obviously you are excused for the rest of the day and if you don’t feel like you’re up to coming to school tomorrow we can easily extend this to the rest of the week. Also, we probably should get you out of these dirty clothes, same is true for you Yaoyorozu.”

In response to that Momo took a look at her clothes and unfortunately had to agree with the teacher. Her uniform blazer was quite frankly ruined thanks to the generous amount of sauce spread around its front. Thankfully the rest of her uniform had been spared this fate so she would only need to get her spare blazer from the lockers to look presentable again. Momo was certainly feeling grateful for all the extra uniform sets her Mother had ordered just in case.

“We better hurry now, especially you Yaoyorozu, unless you want to miss another class.” Midnight asked in a mock chiding tone. Before Momo could apologize for her misdeed, the teacher interrupted her with a chuckle, before saying. “Don’t worry I’ll talk with Present Mic. Knowing him he’ll agree that this little emergency takes precedence.”

Momo took a visible breath of relief at that, before Midnight teasingly continued with a wink. “See it as your reward for taking good care of your friend. It’s good to see the spirit of youth alive and well! Although back in my day we expressed our passion quite differently in such remote places.”

The rest of the walk down was spent in silence, mostly because Momo and Izuku needed to calm down from the bright luminescent blushes adorning their faces thanks to Midnight’s comment. After getting her spare blazer and exchanging goodbye’s with her friend she returned to class 1-A.

After dealing with the initial deluge of questions from her peers regarding the incident and Izuku’s current state, Momo was able to find out how Jirou had fared. Thankfully it had turned out that the purple-haired girl had not suffered any lasting damage, although Jirou still emphasized in quite colorful language that the experience had been very painful. Nevertheless, the raven-haired heiress was relieved to learn that for all the anguish caused by Bakugou’s outburst in the cafeteria, no lasting damage was done.

As the day returned to a semblance of normalcy Momo’s mind started to go back to what she had told Izuku. She had made a very big promise in an effort to lift his spirits and while some of her words had been spur of the moment the overall sentiment was decidedly not. She was committed to follow through, however unlikely success seemed to be.

Several things needed to be done. Information gathered, like the reasons for U.A.’s rejection of her friend's transfer request. A trip to the school library would be necessary too, which was fortunate, since she had been eyeing a few Hero law books for quite some time and now she had proper reason to delve into them.

The most immediate task that needed to be done was also the one she dreaded the most. She had to tell Hatsume about what happened today, and Momo was not sure if she had the energy to deal with any more drama today. That was especially true if the pink-haired girl decided to rightfully call Momo out for underestimating the threats to Izuku’s emotional well being and subsequently failing to protect him.

Despite that she had to do it. Mei was close to the green-haired boy too, arguably even closer since she had known him for longer. Having Izuku not return after lunch and then hearing whatever twisted version of events word of mouth would bring to her would be devastating for Mei, no doubt.

Momo would not allow Mei to ruminate in whatever anguish these news could potentially cause. She had not left Izuku alone in his misery, so she would not ignore her other friend from the support course either!

Chapter Text

Hatsume Mei was content.

The lost shipment on Monday had really looked like it would ruin the whole week for her but Yaomomo had thankfully come in and provided Mei with the material she needed for her newest little project.

Working with textiles was pretty new territory for her since she usually preferred playing around with mechanical parts and electronics. Costume design would have her to eventually deal with fashion and other nonsense like that. Mei perfectly understood the need of Heroes for aesthetically pleasing and distinct costumes but trying to wrap her head around fashion trends was not bound to be a good time for her considering how arbitrary and absurd they tended to be, at least from her perspective. Solving practical engineering problems was way more stimulating to her, which is why she preferred working on equipment instead of the whole costume ensemble.

Thankfully most Heroes would usually already have a particular aesthetic in mind when they commission a costume. Her job as a future support tech would be trying to strike a balance between the idealized vision of her client and what is actually physically possible. Helping Izuku with Yaomomo’s costume had given her some insight into the challenges this could bring. As frustratingly slow as progress has been on that front, the work itself had been pretty fun and Mei was looking forward to finally figuring this conundrum out and giving their heroic friend the kickass costume she deserved!

Mei was proudly looking at the result of her most recent experiment in the workshop. Thanks to the Graphene provided by Yaomomo, Mei has been able to produce a composite fabric that they could use for the costume. It was lightweight, way more durable than conventional ballistic fibers and the Graphene layer even conducts electricity! The material was quite a bit thicker than she had anticipated, however, which could negatively impact its flexibility and therefore hamper Yaomomo’s movement a little bit. Some proper testing in their next session in the workshop together should sort out whether the fabric would be useful or not.

Either way it had been a very good first try. If Yaomomo and Izuku rejected it, then Mei would definitely find a way to repurpose it! That power armor she had started working on for funsies did still need an interior lining after all. She might even save a bit of weight by removing the interior wiring and powering the servos exclusively over the composite fabric. Getting some experience in textile work and then either helping her friends with their project or making headway with one of her babies in one stroke, sounded like a win win to her!

With her newest creation finished, Mei set out to tidy up her workspace and started leaving when she finished just in time for the bell. It was at that moment that Mei realized something curious. She was all alone in the workshop.

Weird.

A quick look at her phone revealed to the pink-haired inventor that she seemed to have skipped lunch again.

Whooops. Silly her. Well it was no biggie, if she hurried back to their homeroom class she should be able to chow down a granola bar or two before the teacher for the next period arrived.

Still, as Mei was running down the hallway she couldn’t help feeling like she was forgetting something…

The feeling, annoyingly, persisted even after having her little snack. Had she been so in the zone again that something slipped her conscious mind? Mei was really starting to wonder why her usually excellent memory was capable of having lapses like that. She could easily take apart and perfectly reassemble any of U.A’s robots with not a single nut or bolt out of place without ever consultating any manuals or blueprints, for crying out loud!

As Mei was racking her brain to find out what she might have forgotten, her classmates started trickling back in. Frustrated Mei decided to simply wait for Izuku, he would be able to help her remember whatever trivial little thing had slipped her mind.

With the classroom filling more and more and still no sign of her best friend Mei started getting more and more anxious in turn. Cementos Sensei could show up literally any moment now, so where was Izuku? It wasn’t like him being late!

“Awwwh you waiting for your babysitter to come back? I wouldn’t hold my breath for him showing up anymore today, Hatsume.” were the words coming from one of the last persons on Earth Mei wanted to talk with.

Ignoring the sniggering of the two cronies accompanying 14-chan, Mei addressed the girl. “What are you talking about? Izuku wouldn’t just skip class!”

“Awwwh poor little baby, were you too deep in your own little world again during lunch break to notice anything? Did your babysitter forget to snap you out of it before leaving for lunch? Well, I guess I can’t blame him for needing a break, cause I know I wouldn’t be able to hold onto my sanity, if I was the one who had to make sure you don’t burn down the whole school everyday.” 14-chan said once again accompanied by the sniggering of her entourage of Hyenas.

“Is there gonna be a point? Listening to you laboriously trying to make anything resembling one makes the few brain cells I have committed to listening want to commit seppuku, and I’d rather keep them, even if I have more than enough to spare, unlike you.”

Glaring at her 14-chan wasted no time to retort. “That is your idea of a comeback, Hatsume? Really? You’d think someone as supposedly smart as you would be able to come up with more than just the same ‘hurr-durr-I’m-smarter-than-you’ over and over again.”

“I probably could, but it wouldn’t really be worth burning the few Joules necessary, when I have so many more interesting things to think about. Could you get to the point now? I don’t have all week.” Mei shot back, doing her best to appear indifferent to her classmate.

Unfortunately her words did little to wipe that smug grin off 14-chan’s face, before said classmate continued. “The point is Midoriya is not coming, he’s probably been running and crying halfway back to his home by now.”

“Wha-what do you mean by that?!” Mei said, failing to maintain her composure. 

“Something amazing, and if we are completely honest way overdue, happened during lunch.” 14-chan answered cryptically.

“Could you finally explain what the fuck happened?” Mei snapped sharply at the three girls, her patience finally being exhausted.

Those stupid bitches just laugehed at her after that, before 14-chan calmed down and adressed Mei again. “It’s sooo funny Hatsume, I just know you’ll looooove hearing all about it. You see, someone finally decided to teach that twerp a lesson!”

Before Mei had any chance to recover from her shock and ask what she meant, her favorite classmate wasted no time in continuing. “The champion from the Sports Festival did all of us a great service by chasing away Midoriya from the cafeteria.”

“Yeah, that guy was soooo mad seeing that loser, he got really loud and even used his Quirk to make his point! I was legit scared he’ll use Midoriya as a training dummy then and there!” the first crony added.

“Honestly, serves him right! Walking up to the hero course students and sitting with them like he belongs there! He should have stayed in the corner where losers like him belong!” crony number two chimed in.

“Ladies, ladies please! That wasn’t even the worst part” 14-chan exclaimed, to get the attention back to her. “He wasn’t sitting with just any hero course students. He was sitting with Yaoyorozu! The nerve! The most refined and graceful girl in this school, truly the princess of our grade, and then a commoner like him DARES to sit with her like he is her peer! He deserves way worse than just being scared off for that!”

“Are you for fucking real?! Yaomomo is our friend!” Mei angrily said as she interrupted.

That caused the bullies to laugh even harder than before.

“Ohhh my god… I can’t… you’re killing me!...” crony number one said, holding her belly as if it was starting to hurt from all the laughing.

“Poor girl, it would be so sad if it wasn’t so funny!” the other crony jeered.

“Oh Hatsume, how do I explain this to you in a way you can understand? Yaoyorozu isn’t your friend. Nobody is or ever will be, cause you are a completely unhinged lunatic! Even Midoriya only tolerates you because he hopes to get into your panties one day. Also, never ever call Yaoyorozu by that ridiculous nickname again. Seriously, Hatsume what are you, like six?!” 14-chan explained, her words dripping with venom.

“SHUT UP! YOU have NO idea! We ARE friends! Me and Izuku have been working with Yaomomo in the workshop after school for a while now! We even got to visit her at her home once!” Mei angrily replied, as her temper was really starting to flare up.

“I guess even an elite like Yaoyorozu makes mistakes from time to time. Don’t delude yourself into thinking she’s your friend, though, just because she requested some gear from you. Cream of the crop like Yaoyorozu has better things to do than associate with bottom of the barrel chaff like you and Midoriya. Once she gets what she asked for or more likely once she realizes what kind of human trash she got involved in, she’ll cut ties immediately!” 14-chan angrily spat.

“You don’t know her AT ALL! She is not some stuck up snobby bitch like you! She doesn’t judge people for stupid shit, NO, she is kind and caring!” Mei retorted, furious at how utterly wrong the picture was, that this superficial bitch had about Yaomomo. “You’re lying to me because you’re jealous and I won’t fall for it!”

“Fine, I don’t care if you believe me or not, either way the twerp got what he deserved.”

“What even is your deal with him?! I know why you don’t like me, since I’m smarter than you’ll ever be, but what has Izuku ever done to you? From what I recall he has never been anything but polite and friendly to you, so why do you hate him so much?!” Mei confronted the girl.

“Well, let me ask you Hatsume, do you remember what they told us in kindergarten? How everybody is a special little snowflake? Well, that was a lie. Some people are just inherently better than others. Like Yaoyorozu. She’ll be a great Hero one day and I’m going to be the person that will revolutionize the Hero fashion people like her are going to wear! For you Hatsume I can’t see anything other than you being either in a mental asylum or dead ten years from now. Midoriya on the other hand is a gullible, hard working idiot. His destiny is to be a worker ant that takes care of all the menial labor for his superiors. What I hate about him is how he refuses to accept his place and instead buys into all this idealistic ‘everyone can rise above their station if they just work hard!’ bullshit. All he achieves is making us look bad in comparison!” 14-chan ranted.

“Wow. Here I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one.” Mei snarked, at this unexpected insight into her ‘favorite’ classmate's psyche, after having regained some of her composure. “I guess the short version is you’re jealous of him too, because his hard work makes you look bad. Tough shit. How about you try and apply yourself for a change instead? Who knows, your work might even improve from forgettable to passably mediocre as a result?”

The bully and her gaggle of friends did not get an opportunity to retort since Cementoss Sensei arrived at that moment. Alone, with Izuku nowhere to be seen. The teacher quickly explained that Izuku was excused for the rest of the day after Mei asked, confirming the story her classmate had told.

A quick glance to the side revealed the bully shooting a smug smirk Mei’s way. At that Mei felt the sudden urge to send the girl a little ‘present’ to her home. Getting that bitch’s home address should be trivial, since Mei already knew she lived somewhere close to Talis station. She also knew about said bitch’s social media accounts, which she used to upload lots of selfies. Finding enough landmarks to pinpoint the location of the home by checking the pictures 14-chan had made of her neighborhood would be easy. A little electrical fire caused by a modified home appliance, Mei could send, should hopefully wipe that smug grin right off that bitch’s fucking face. Same thing would be true for the two Hyenas from Kamino and Dagobah ward respectively.

Unfortunately for Mei, pulling off such an elaborate revenge plan was not feasible. If she went through with it and gloated to her victim about it afterwards, then she would be in deep shit, since that bootlicking bitch would sic every authority she knew on Mei’s ass instead of getting the message. If she managed to make it look like an accident, however, then it would be nowhere near as satisfying. What’s the point of revenge if your enemy doesn’t know it was you?

As entertaining as these revenge fantasies were, Mei was not able to distract herself with them for long, however. Her mind would inevitably return to Izuku and whatever horrible thing happened to him during lunch. Cementoss Sensei had quickly told her that Izuku was not physically hurt, which was a relief, but hearing what 14-chan had said about the events had left Mei troubled beyond belief.

Worst of all was how it had been her fault. AGAIN. Keeeping an eye on Izuku was HER job and she had FUCKED IT UP. After that run in with 11-kun Mei should have known better, but once again she had allowed her work to consume her, enabling a bully to hurt her best friend.

What was wrong with her? Why can’t she keep her head on straight for anything that isn’t about making babies? Could it be that everyone was right, that there really was something wrong with her? She had always rationalized everybody's opinion away, thinking they were just jealous of her genius and all those claims of her being scatterbrained were easily dismissed by her thinking she had just different priorities than everyone else. It was evident now that this was not the case.

Taking care of Izuku was important to her. It was among her top priorities and yet it had completely slipped her mind when she focused on her latest project. How can she be a better friend for him if it’s possible for her to forget his goddamn existence at the drop of a hat like this?

Hurting other people was all she was good at. Whether through the accidents her experiments can cause or through her neglecting her duties to others in this case. Picturing Izuku running away crying forced Mei to fight back her own tears when her vision had started to get blurry. Things had been looking so good lately and now they were back to square one because Mei couldn’t help herself and screwed up.

She was at a complete loss about what to do. It’s not like she can just play around with a dial in her brain to make her more aware… although she did have a few ideas for neural implants. Unfortunately she needed to deep dive into Neuroscience first to get them anywhere close to right and even if she got to the point where she had a usable prototype, finding a Neurosurgeon willing to jam the thing into her brain would be pretty challenging. It’s a shame you couldn’t do surgery on your own brain… or… could you? Maybe with a few mirrors she could…

NO

BAD BRAIN!

This is EXACTLY why she was in this mess right now!

NO more distractions! She needed to find out what exactly had happened at lunch and afterwards advice on how to fix her mistake! Thankfully for her she could get two birds with one stone by talking with Yaomomo. Unfortunately for her the earliest opportunity she would get to talk to the hero course student would be AFTER final period. That’s two whole hours at least!

Two torturous periods followed by a mad dash for the lockers to catch Yaomomo before she left. That was definitely not the way Mei had envisioned how the end of this school day would go. By the time she got home she would need a big cup of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows. Scratch that she needed her comfort cocoa NOW. Any kind of comfort would be welcome to survive the oncoming avalanche of guilt.

The best Mei could do at the moment to keep the sinking feeling in her stomach in check was trying to convince herself that the information she had received had been grossly exaggerated. 14-chan and her entourage could hardly be considered reliable sources of information, considering how they relished spreading baseless rumors all the time. The incident actually happening and Izuku having gone home were obviously the kernels of truth in the story, but all the talk of him running off crying must have been just those jerks trying to get a rise out of her, right? Yaomomo has been there after all, and there’s now way she would have allowed anybody to just walk up and hurt Izuku in any way, right?

That got her thinking about the guy that had clashed with Izuku in the cafeteria. That talentless wannabee fashion designer had said that the champion of the Sports Festival was the perpetrator. Who was that again?

Her brain, deciding to cooperate with her again conjured up what she knew about that guy. 

Spiky blond hair, red eyes and an expression that made Mei finally understand what a ‘resting bitch face’ was supposed to mean. 

Incredibly full of himself, if his statement in the opening ceremony was anything to go by. 

Quirk allows to fire explosions from the palms of the hands, potentially rage powered if all the angry yelling was any indication. Either way it would border on a miracle if that guy made it to twenty five without needing a hearing aid.

Fighting style, exceptionally fast and aggressive, likelihood of violent and/or volatile personality high. Worst case scenario, unfortunately, very likely.

Fuck.

Thinking back to how that guy fought, Mei really couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d be the type that would gleefully embrace any opportunity to beat somebody up.

The next two hours would continue on like this with Mei being stuck in a loop of beating herself up over messing up her simple task, feeling miserable over how Izuku must be doing now and trying to convince her things weren't as bad as she had heard.

The inevitable passage of time would eventually put an end to this torture, however, having Mei eagerly rush for the lockers to leave school for the first time since she started high school. 

Unfortunately for her, getting the homework assignments and notes for Izuku took longer than she expected, making her fear she would miss class 1-A’s class rep. To the pink-haired girl's surprise it turned out that her hurrying towards the exit had been unnecessary. Yaomomo had apparently been waiting in front of Mei’s locker even though most students had already left.

The somber expression on her friend’s face made it clear for Mei that there was no good news in store for her. Under more favorable conditions Mei would have steeled herself for whatever Yaomomo had to say but after the last two grueling hours she didn’t have the energy for it. As a result she can’t stop her voice from cracking as she asks her most urgent question. “What happened, Yaomomo? Why did Izuku leave after lunch?”

“I’m deeply sorry, Mei, but as you might have heard already there was an… incident during lunch break.”

“I know that! I want to know what happened! My classmates told me things but that can’t be true, it was so… so…” Mei started to stammer as her vision started to get blurry from the water building up in her eyes.

“Awful? Unfortunately I have to agree with that.” Momo somberly finished Mei’s sentence before continuing on. “During lunch I saw Izuku and invited him over to sit with me and some of my classmates, since I wished to introduce him. Unfortunately another one of my classmates seemed to take great offense to that and verbally assaulted Izuku. I tried my best to stop what was unfolding before my eyes but every attempt of de-escalation fell on deaf ears. I knew Bakugou was an unpleasant and exceptionally stubborn person but I have never seen him so furious before. When his continued demands for Izuku to leave were rejected together with his delusional reasoning behind them, he snapped and unleashed an explosion on our table right in front of Izuku. Unfortunately this had the desired effect of having Izuku run away in a panicked fashion and no teacher had been present to intervene in time, although Aizawa Sensei arrived just after this outburst and immediately escorted Bakugou to the principal's office.”

“Ohh god that sounds way worse than what I heard! Why the hell would anybody do that? I thought hero course students were supposed to be paragons of virtue or some shit, not superpowered bullies! Why can’t he just catch a break? Things were going fine and now… now…” Mei said as she was interrupted by her own sobbing at the end.

“Mei, please calm down.” Yaomomo said as she closed in and took one of Mei’s hands into her own. “It is okay, Izuku is fine… considering the circumstances. I was able to catch up with him after he ran off.”

“He’s really okay?” Mei asked through her blurred vision.

“Yes, we did talk for a bit and I was able to lift his mood somewhat. I was also able to shed some light on some of the… questions surrounding him.” the raven-haired girl replied, averting her eyes at the last bit.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not entirely sure if I’m at liberty to tell but you and Izuku are close friends so it should be fine. I’d still recommend that you call him once you get home, he might give you some more details, since he was not particularly forthcoming with them while we talked, which is understandable considering the… mood at the time. Still I’m not sure how to put this…”

The hero course student quickly glanced around, possibly to confirm that they were alone before continuing. “Izuku was the victim of quite intense bullying in the past and I am reasonably sure that Bakugou was involved, if not the leading perpetrator. I don’t know the details, Izuku was understandably unwilling to delve into these painful memories, I do have a hypothesis, however.”

Releasing Mei’s hand now that she had calmed down a little bit, Yaomomo started giving her explanation in a stern tone. “According to Bakugou himself, his outburst was the result of him being outraged over Izuku associating with me and the rest of class 1-A. He seemed convinced that Izuku is merely attempting to use us to ride our coattails, so to speak, and potentially sabotage Bakugou. Suffice to say his delusional, self-centered conspiracy theory failed to convince anybody. I suspect the reason for his anger has more to do with him seeing Izuku as a lesser person. From what little information I could get it seemed Izuku’s abuse in middle school seemed to have that as a common theme, characterizing him as a worthless lesser being because… he is… quirkless.”

Mei stared at her friend for a few moments blinking while the words were sinking in. 

This explained why she has never seen him use his Quirk at all. The irony of one of the biggest Quirk enthusiasts she knew being quirkless was not lost on her, despite her usual troubles with identifying irony, at least the non dramatic kind.

It didn’t take long for Mei to be set off into a searing white hot rage, however, when she thought about Izuku being bullied for his lack of a Quirk. “What the fuck?! Are you seriously trying to tell me that Izuku, the nicest goddamn guy I have ever met, has been bullied for years just because he is fucking quirkless?!”

“Well… uhm… yes” came the hesitant response from a seemingly shocked Yaomomo.

“MOTHERFUCKER! That’s the stupidest reason I EVER heard for that! I used to be made fun of, cause people couldn’t handle me being way smarter than them. That was already a very stupid reason but hoooo boy that doesn’t even hold a candle to THAT!”

Pacing up and down the rows of lockers, Mei continued her angry rant. “Most Quirks are SHIT! My Zoom is easily replicated with any cheap set of binoculars you can get from a store! I had classmates with Quirks like turning your tongue green on command or never forgetting any Haikus you hear. The average Quirk doesn’t get much more ‘useful’ like that! Unless Izuku’s old classmates all had Quirks viable for Hero work then they have ZERO right to give him shit for that! Hell, EVEN if they had better Quirks it wouldn’t be okay at all!”

Walking back towards her hero course friend, Mei took a short breath before starting to vent her frustrations again. “As for that Cherrybombboy, well, he doesn’t have much ground to stand on in this matter either. I’d like to say that I know a thing or two about blowing stuff up and the wet FARTS this guy has been throwing around during the Festival did NOT impress me. Especially that ‘super’ move he used in the finale! Howitzer Impact? Are you fucking kidding me?! In the time this asshole spent spinning in the air before his attack I could have assembled an actual 150mm Howitzer from scratch and showed him what an actual Howitzer Impact looks like!”

“Goodness gracious Mei! I agree with the sentiment, but was this kind of language really necessary?!” the hero course student asked, using the short break Mei took to catch her breath after that rant.

“What?! Why? Don’t you think this is messed up?!” Mei started to get going again after refilling her lungs with precious oxygen.

“Of course I’m appalled at this! I’m just way past my tolerance for vulgar language like that for today. Bakugou has always been quick to resort to profanities to the point that I feel that he is going out of his way to use them in every sentence he utters. It is not his most glaring flaw but I hope you can forgive me for being a bit tired after having to deal with his worst outburst to date.” Yaomomo calmly explained.

“Oh. Okay. Was it… was it that bad? Did he yell at you too like he did to Izuku?” Mei asked in response, feeling a little guilty over her own outburst.

“Not exactly. Towards me he directed mostly condescending remarks, playing it off like he was trying to protect me from a deceitful, false friend. He was not particularly convincing considering how dismissive he usually is to me and everybody else in our class. But enough about me, there is another thing I need to tell you.” Momo said before she once again glanced around to confirm that they still had relative privacy, something Mei couldn’t blame her friend for, since her outburst might have attracted someone if they haven’t been alone.

“There is another reason Bakugou seems to have deluded himself into thinking our friend is below him. Izuku… Izuku wants to be a Hero. He told me that he wanted to ever since he was a small child, and this lofty dream of his paired with his quirklessness was likely the reason why Bakugou and those other scoundrels seemed to relish in putting Izuku down, again and again. That is why he was fighting so hard in the Sports Festival. He hoped that a good showing would allow him to switch tracks but… he came… short, apparently. The faculty rejected his request and this was likely the main reason for him being in such bad shape mentally before I met you two.” Yaomomo revealed to Mei.

Mei’s head was spinning after this reveal! Stumbling back a step or two Mei bumped her back into one of the lockers and slowly slipped down onto her butt her legs splayed out to her sides. Things were falling in place in her mind and left her with a horrible epiphany.

“I know nothing about him. Nothing beyond the most surface level stuff. I’m… I’m a horrible friend aren’t I?” Mei said out loud to nobody in particular, too numb and exhausted emotionally to muster any more tears for this sad realization.

“What are you talking about Mei? You are not a bad friend for not knowing this! Izuku always dodged the question when he got asked about his Quirk. People are entitled to have secrets even from their friends and loved ones.”

“It was so obvious though! I never ever met a person that didn’t say what their Quirk was when asked! It's the same thing as asking someone for their name! He is also an enormous Hero nerd and analyzes Quirks for fun! I missed all of that because I just… can’t think about anything else than making babies. I befriended him cause making babies with him was fun, I only noticed something was off with him when he didn’t want to anymore and I fucked up the simple task you gave me, of keeping an eye on him, because I was too absorbed in my newest project. How can I call myself a good friend when I can literally forget he exists at a moment’s notice?” Mei chastised herself.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Yes, you do have a bit of a one track mind at times but your passion for your work is not a bad thing. On the contrary it is quite an admirable trait to have! You don’t have to blame yourself for what happened today, your presence in the cafeteria wouldn’t have deterred Bakugou. I’m sure Izuku sees you as a great friend, just ask him and he’ll be able to tell you why.” Yaomomo said, bending down and offering a hand to help Mei get up again.

“You mean it?” Mei asked, her voice coming out in a soft and vulnerable way that was definitely not like her. God she was a mess. She blamed that damn classmate of hers. Conversations with 14-chan never resulted in anything good, usually leaving Mei angry and frustrated for the rest of the day. Hearing that bitch and her clique gloat about what happened to Izuku in the cafeteria had really gotten under her skin.

After helping Mei up her friend wasted no time in affirming her. “Of course I do! You don’t have to feel sorry for what happened, neither of us had a way of knowing that anything like this could have happened.” Continuing on she asked. “I did my best to do damage control, but going forward I’m going to need your help. Can I count on you?”

“Whaaaaat? What would you need my help for?! You are the one with the people skills! I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere with Izuku without you!” Mei replied, surprised and confused.

“I made a promise to Izuku. He is one of the kindest and most selfless people I ever had the pleasure of meeting. While he may not have a Quirk, he does possess qualities that are in my opinion more important for aspiring Heroes. Powerful Quirks do not necessarily qualify one to be a Hero after all, countless despicable Villains with dangerous powers stand testament to that. Izuku has something more important that can’t be just teached easily, the heart of a Hero. I want him to succeed in his goal even if there is no established precedent for that. All I know for sure is that he’ll fail without people that support him, so let me ask you again. Can I count on you?” Yaomomo proclaimed before asking again, with an expression of unwavering determination.

Mei was once again stunned. Momo had known Izuku for less than half the time than Mei, yet she has already done way more for their mutual friend than Mei ever could and still aimed to do so much more! There was no question how she’ll answer, Izuku was her first friend ever after all. She wanted nothing more at the moment than to be the kind of friend Izuku deserves, like Momo was, even if today made it clear how bad she still was at this. Like the many times she had suffered setbacks with her babies, Mei needed to change her approach and try again! Sulking around because of past failures was unproductive and would help nobody!

It wouldn’t be easy though, she had never ever heard of a quirkless Hero after all. Most people would probably say that Heroics would be too dangerous for a quirkless person. Mei didn’t really buy that if she was being honest though. Only a very small number of Heroes had Quirks powerful and versatile enough that they could forgo support gear, her chosen profession would quickly become obsolete if that wasn’t the case. Even then the outliers like All Might still needed specialized costumes that could withstand their powers, unless the government planned on giving pro Heroes carte blanche for public exposure.

You couldn’t disregard the police either! Policemen, while not quirkless, usually don’t have stronger Quirks than the average person despite being on the same frontline than Heroes. Sure the police are supposed to focus on more ordinary crime and leave villains to the Heroes but there have been more than enough incidents in the past where police were forced to engage dangerous villains before any Heroes were able to respond. For this very reason every patrol car came equipped with pretty high tier capture and suppression gear in addition to, you know, the guns cops usually carry. Turns out most Quirks don’t make you immune to having your vital organs riddled with lead. 

Admittedly the cases of cops successfully subduing villains with capture gear without Hero intervention were few and far between, but they DID exist. These instances alone should be enough empirical evidence to prove that the public perception of powerful Quirks trumping everything was not accurate. With the right equipment and the right training coming out on top of a villain with a way more powerful Quirk should be possible.

People following conventional ‘wisdom’ would still highly advise against this, likely insisting that it was still too risky, but those people were boring and also wrong. Mei has never put much stock into following conventions and she sure as hell was not going to start now! Besides Izuku knew what he was getting himself into, he was not an idiot after all! The Sports Festival alone was proof enough that he had at least as much potential than the other hero students.

Mei couldn’t suppress the wide grin that was forming on her face even if she wanted to. Lines, laws, paradigms all of them only existed to be crossed, broken and shaken in their very foundations! Helping her first and best friend with achieving his dream while at the same time revolutionizing the field of Heroics itself sounded like one hell of a long term project. 

How could she not get excited at the prospect?

“You can bet your sweet ass that I’m in! He’ll need all the gear he can get if he wants to be a Hero. I’ve already got so many ideas for babies that he could use…” Mei answered before she interrupted herself. This was not the time to let her ever present urge to create distract herself again! She would not fuck up again! “... but first I should get home and give Izuku a call like you said. I wanna do more for him than just making babies for him to use, though, so have you got any concrete plans yet?”

“Unfortunately no. As I said before we are treading on unknown ground. I’ll need to do quite some research while also preparing for the end of term. Any potential path I may uncover won’t amount to anything, however, if Izuku is not able to actually perform. Do you have any idea what kind of training regiment he was following before the Festival? He’d do well to continue if not expand on it. I don’t see this working if he is not in absolute peak physical condition.” Yaomomo explained.

“I think you don’t have to worry about that, he’s easily the fittest guy in our class, if not the whole support department!” Mei returned.

“I’m aware that Izuku already is quite… athletic so to speak. He’ll still be well advised to do everything he can to hone his body to the highest degree possible. Any advantage he can get over the average villain will be necessary I’m afraid…”

Mei attempted to continue listening to her raven-haired friend but a very intrusive thought seemed to take up all of her focus at that moment. She had seen Izuku’s cut muscles a few times already and had a really hard time imagining where any potential for improvement would be. Still the idea of Izuku getting even more shredded sent a shiver down her spine and caused a fluttery and tingly sensation down in her stomach which slowly started sinking further down.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that last bit again please?” Mei asked after regaining her focus and realizing she might have missed a sentence or five, thanks to the mental image of a shirtless engine-grease covered Izuku.

“Huh? Oh well, I was saying that while I appreciate your desire to do more at the moment, I think your free time would still be best used for devising potential support equipment for Izuku, especially more utility and defense focused ones. His boots and gauntlets should cover offense and mobility pretty well once we iron out the remaining kinks. Once he is sufficiently outfitted he’ll need a proper venue for combat training, I’ll inquire whether U.A.’s facilities are open for students of the other tracks, if not we might get away with simply referring to the training sessions as ‘equipment tests’.” Momo described her ideas going forward in response.

Well, here Mei was trying not to let baby making get in the way of helping her friend and now she is explicitly asked to do just that. Did that count as irony? Mei wasn’t sure but either way if Yaomomo thought this was the best course of action then she would trust the hero course student and gladly do what she did best! She needed to find a proper strategy to avoid becoming too absorbed with her work though, but that was a problem for later.

“I’m relieved to hear you are on board, again Izuku is going to need all the help he can get. It is getting quite late already, can you still make it in time for your train home?” Yaomomo inquired.

Oh snap! A quick glance at her phone confirmed that there was no way for Mei to get to her train in time, unless she could repair her jetpack from the Sports Festival within like the next five minutes which was a tall order even for her! Even if she pulled that off and got the permission necessary to use it, there’d be no point since flying home directly would be faster!

Relaying this information to Yaomomo her friend immediately offered. “Oh dear, did I keep you back for too long? I can have my driver drop you off at your home if the next train is too far off if you like.”

Thank god for Yaomomo! Waiting for the next train would have sucked a lot especially now that Mei was starting to become aware of the fact that she was feeling absolutely famished. Guess her body had gotten used to having a big meal at lunch and her granola bars just weren’t cutting it anymore. At this rate she would have probably blown the rest of her pocket money on overpriced vending machine snacks in the station and Maho-nee would have scolded her at home once she found out. That was the last thing she needed today!

Gratefully accepting her raven-haired friend's offer, Mei was able to think back to the lunch period she missed, after getting into the car, thanks to her rumbling stomach reminding her. While she was a little bit saddened that her time saving ploy has become significantly less effective it shouldn’t be a problem going forward. Mei would simply stop skipping lunch from now on! Lunch would now serve a greater purpose than just inefficiently taking in nutrients! She’d give this whole socializing thing a go, which if she was honest with herself she kind of was doing already in a sense when she was keeping an eye on Izuku, but now it wouldn’t be an excuse to be around him anymore!

Clearly just being with Izuku to keep watch over him had not worked out, she needed to actually want to hang out with him! Mei never forgets about things she truly enjoys and having registered her lunch breaks as ‘chore’ was likely the reason why her brain suppressed it when she had more fun activities available to distract herself with. Thankfully it shouldn’t be too difficult to have fun with Izuku during lunch when she was already enjoying their time together despite being so distracted with being on the lookout for bullies. Properly engaging with her green-haired friend should easily associate lunch time with fun in her mind.

Obviously that didn’t mean she would stop looking out for Izuku. Yaomomo may have doubted that Mei would have been able to do anything about Izuku getting harassed but she was inclined to disagree. Mei has been in enough scraps, during her school career so far, to make any violent bully regret picking a fight with her, especially overconfident ones like that blonde asshole.

Honestly you didn’t need to analyze fights as a hobby like Izuku does to notice that guy was relying too much on his Quirk and momentum for his attacks. She was convinced that a few basic Judo moves would be all she needed to knock this punk flat on his ass, and that was before she took into account all the babies she could use! Only a small selection of items had been enough for her to run circles around a Hero student with super speed without really trying! Suffice to say she could take this asshole and in a way she hoped he would give her a reason to kick his ass in the future. Beating up the champion of the Sports Festival would send a very clear message to any other bullies who had it out for Izuku!

Mei stopped herself from over indulging in a revenge fantasy again and instead focused on her plans for the remainder of the day.

First, hug Maho-nee once she gets back home.

Second, have dinner cause, damn she really is starving!

Third, call Izuku and make sure he’s ok.

Also, ignore any schoolwork she planned doing today cause fuck it, she does not have the energy for that anymore, she deserved to be lazy after such an emotionally draining day!

Fourth, watch an episode or two of Ultimate Battlebots to unwind before going to bed.

First thing tomorrow or whenever she’d see Izuku next, hug the everloving crap out of him cause goddamnit no amount of verbal reassurance that he’s fine will be enough for her! She desperately needed to feel his firm torso around her arms, hear his heartbeat with her own ears as she pressed her head into his chest and feel the tickling sensation of his breath on her scalp before she could truly accept that everything was fine!

With her arrival at her home Mei spontaneously added a hug for Yaomomo as well as a heartfelt thanks not only for the lift, but also for being there for Izuku when he needed her. It  felt almost as soft and warm as the hugs she shared with her older sister. 

The raven-haired girl truly was a Hero already in Mei’s book, having done so much for her and Izuku over the course of their still very young mutual friendship. She hoped that she could one day be as amazing a friend as Yaomomo.

Midoriya Izuku couldn’t help feeling a little bit nervous.

You’d think something as innocuous as riding the train back home with his Mom wouldn’t be enough to cause his anxiety to flare up but today’s events were pulling a few very unpleasant memories back to the surface.

Each and every instance his Mother had gone to school in the past to get answers to what was happening there to him and demanding action being taken against the rampant bullying, came to his mind. It had never amounted to anything and resulted in her spending the next days or even weeks wallowing in misery over his troubles. Izuku couldn’t stand seeing her like that, which was the main reason he started doing his best to hide everything he could about the bullying he was subjected to.

Aldera Junior High’s apathy in this regard had made hiding these things surprisingly easy for him. His frequent detention hours had been a bigger issue but considering how strangely lax the school was about informing his Mother he was able to find excuses for these too. Like him being delayed by seeing Heroes fight on his way back and him trying to get some autographs. Hell, that wasn’t even really a lie on most days, he genuinely did overlook the time when he saw a Hero in action on his walk back home!

Things at U.A. were clearly different, but not in the way he had hoped. The faculty clearly took any issues regarding bullying seriously even if there were quite a few things going on below their radar, with two cliques in his own class being the most egregious examples. Still that was nowhere near what he was used to from Aldera. Unfortunately for him the U.A. faculty’s intervention had resulted in his Mom being informed what had happened today and now he would need to be really careful with how he was going to explain things to her.

His Mother’s silence and the accompanying calm expression that were adopted after her initial fussing over him in the teacher’s lounge, was what really worried him. He has seen this calm and focused expression only on very few occasions and it usually meant she was mentally preparing herself for something. Something unpleasant. The most prominent example he remembered being the day where he suspected she confronted his so-called Father about his infidelity. He had not been there for the actual event (thank god for that!) thanks to his Mom sending him on a few errands beforehand but he did clearly remember the expression.

At least her expression was not as intense as the one he remembered, but that was little consolation to him. His Mother would demand answers and while coming clean to Yaoyorozu had felt like lifting a weight off his shoulders, he doubted it would be as easy this time. He had been keeping things from his Mom for years now, she was bound to be hurt when he told her, which was exactly what he had been trying to avoid!

Izuku had no choice, though, more lies would make everything worse. The fact that he was an atrocious liar even in cases where he had a plausible story prepared didn’t help either. As he prepared himself for the inevitability of having to tell his story again, while walking the final stretch back home, he started to feel very tired too. Apparently confronting your bad memories and feelings and sharing them with someone was very exhausting.

Finally arriving at their apartment Izuku wasted no time getting into his room to get into some more comfortable clothing. After switching clothes and putting down his schoolbag he went to their mixed dining kitchen area to finally get it over with.

“I know today has been difficult for you Izuku but I hope you are still able to tell me what has been going on between you and Katsuki. I know you two have not been friends for a long time now but him openly using his Quirk to threaten you like that… why would he snap at you like that all of a sudden?” His Mom asked him calmly with a small hint of worry still noticeable in her voice.

“W-well him still being frustrated about the Sports Festival would be my best guess.” Izuku answered.

“Really? I know Katsuki can be a very sore loser but he won the tournament didn’t he? That can’t be the only reason.” 

“You-you’re right that’s not the only reason, that was probably just one of the straws that broke the camel’s back. The thing is… me and Kacchan… he…” Izuku tried to say as he struggled to find the proper words. Where would he even begin to tell her about how messed up his relationship with his former childhood friend had gotten?

Seeing him struggling his Mom got up from her seat at the dining table and motioned him to sit beside her on the couch. Once he sat down she pulled him towards her, holding him as she started speaking. “Please Izuku, I know this is difficult but I need to know. Just answer my questions with yes or no. Can you do that for me?”

When Izuku nodded in confirmation, she wasted no time in asking her first question. “When you were being bullied back in elementary school and in Aldera, Katsuki was among the bullies wasn’t he?”

“Yes.” Izuku answered somberly.

“I thought so. Between you getting home with all those scratches, bruises and occasional burns and Mitsuki telling me on the phone how her son’s behavior was getting worse and worse it was not a difficult connection to make. Still, I didn’t want to assume, especially when you were still silent about everything.” His Mother commented with a sigh.

“I guess it was because of how people started to treat him differently after he got his Quirk. He always had a mean streak but with everyone praising him no matter what he did he quickly turned cruel…” Izuku said as he started recounted the tale of his difficult relationship with Kacchan, while leaving out the worst like the suicide baiting.

“After I had all those appointments with Aldera’s principal, did things really get better for you?” His Mom asked after digesting what he had said.

“No,” was his laconic reply.

“I knew that it had sounded too good to be true. Why would you keep going through this and hide everything from me, Izuku?” His Mother asked, her calm facade starting to crack and water starting to gather in her eyes.

“I-I saw what you looked like everytime you came back from these appointments. You were trying so hard to end the bullying without making any progress at all and it was eating you up inside! Seeing you like that hurt more than anything Kacchan or the other guys in school could have ever done to me! So I started to act like everything’s fine and hoped you’d stop worrying so much…” Izuku confessed.

“Ohh Izuku, you are my precious baby! How could I ever stop worrying about you? Especially when you were clearly not having a good time in Aldera. You always either avoided talking about school altogether or only gave the most basic barebones answers, whenever I asked about your day. Not to forget about the fact you never ever talked about doing anything with friends at all. How do you think I was feeling, seeing you clearly suffering yet not trusting me enough to say anything?”

“I-I’m sorry Mom. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it was just… the principal would have never done anything no matter what you said. He never cared at all. I just wanted you to stop having to deal with him and the school altogether. I thought I could just keep quiet and take the abuse and move on since it would only be for three years. Guess some of it followed me to U.A…” Izuku explained.

“At least U.A. seems to live up to its reputation and treats this seriously. How that oaf of a principal in Aldera has been able to keep his job is a mystery to me because I don’t believe for a second that I was the only parent sending complaints! Principal Nezu in comparison has reached out and invited me because he wants to apologize in person! Can you believe that? At Aldera they always had me jump through so many hoops for a simple appoint…”

“D-did they say anything about what they are planning to do about Kacchan?” Izuku interrupted his Mother.

“No, nothing at all. My best guess would be that he’ll inform me when I meet him at his office, if at all.” His Mom answered before addressing him with a heavy sigh. “You’re still worried about Katsuki? My heart goes out to Mitsuki and Masaru, they must feel like they are at their wits end. The boy himself, though, needs proper punishment, Mitsuki herself said as much.”

“I know. I’m not saying he should get off the hook, it’s just… getting into U.A.’s hero course was our dream ever since we were little Mom. I know what it feels like having to give up on a dream despite all the hard work you put in to pursue it. I would never wish that on anybody, not even Kacchan.” Izuku explained somberly, still feeling bad about Kacchan’s potential fate even if it was deserved.

His Mom pulled him closer to hug him before addressing him again. “Ohh Izuku, sometimes I think your heart is too big for your own good! I will ask the principal once I get the opportunity and I won’t ask for any harsher punishments, just promise me one thing Izuku. Stop hiding these things from me. I’m your Mother, I can tell when somethings wrong with you and nothing hurts me more than seeing you suffer when I could do at least something. Even if it is just listening to your problems and being there for you.”

“Yeah, okay I can do that. Keeping all of that bottled up sucked anyway. Apart from today things have been looking up anyway so there should be no more trouble like that.”

“I certainly got hopeful when I first heard you talking about a friend again! I’m really glad that you made friends at U.A. Izuku even if you didn’t make it into the hero course. I guess it is true what they say ‘if life closes a door it opens a window’. I just hope things keep looking up so you can make some good memories with your new friends!” His Mom commented, in a happier and warmer tone.

Izuku agreed with that. He was very grateful for having friends now, especially Yaoyorozu and not just because she had tried to defend him. Before her nobody had ever believed that he could become a Hero and even though he had no idea how he could ever realize his dream now, just Yaoyorozu affirming her support had meant a lot to him. Even if it was still a pipe dream, just having a single person in your corner really felt like a huge difference.

With their tense talk having come to an end without anybody breaking down in tears, which was quite weird to Izuku considering how emotional he and his mother could get, the Midoriya family thankfully fell back into their usual day to day routine. Izuku was certainly glad for the opportunity to relax a little and wasted no time doing so by engaging in one of his most favorite pastimes, which was scouring the internet for news reports on Heroes, ideally newly debuted ones.

It was after finishing a new entry in one of his notebooks when his phone was suddenly ringing. Surprised and confused, who in the world would be calling him now Izuku reached for his phone to check only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the caller ID.

It was Mei.

The same Mei, mind you, that he had forgotten about and left behind in school after lunch WITHOUT informing her about anything. God she must have felt horrible especially once she heard what happened from their classmates!

Izuku immediately picked up, his mind racing to find the best way to apologize to the pink-haired girl, but was stunned silent when he heard Mei’s voice greet him in a quieter and softer fashion than he had ever heard before. “Hi Izuku.”

“H-hi Mei! For what happened today… look I’m sorry I didn’t…”

“It’s fine! Yaomomo told me everything after school and let me know you were okay. I just called to make sure that was true. And I guess also because I’m supposed to let you know what we got for homework after you left, but fuck that! None of that is due before next week so that can wait till we see each other again.” Mei quickly explained as she interrupted him.

Izuku was relieved to hear that. The reason for that was twofold. One, Mei had been consoled already by Yaoyorozu meaning that she had hopefully not been in anguish over his sudden departure from school for the day for too long. Two, there was now no need for him to tell his sob story for a third goddamn time. Recounting it to Yaoyorozu and his Mom had been emotionally draining enough! Seriously if he had known that today was the ‘come clean with everything day’ he’d prepared a written statement! That would have saved him some of the trouble at the very least!

“Anyways, you are alright, right? What I heard about your lunch break today sounded really horrible… so… it’s okay if you are still a little rattled from everything. Just let me tell you something shortly and I’ll let you be if you don’t wanna talk okay?” Mei asked him, sounding uncharacteristically nervous towards the end.

“I’m alright Mei n-no need to worry! I also don’t mind ta-talking to you!” Izuku quickly responded, growing nervous himself when he realized that this was the first time he was actually talking to a girl over the phone. Mei usually just texted him.

“Okay. I’m sorry Izuku, for not being there for you when you needed me today and for being a bad friend in general. You have always put up with my shenanigans and helped me, yet I never returned the favor. When you were all sad and gloomy after the Sports Festival, I only noticed once it started affecting me. Hell, I don’t even know you that well, since I would have never ever guessed you tried so hard in the Festival cause you wanted to switch into the hero course!...”

“Mei, don’t be so hard yourself you’re a…”

“Please let me finish! This friendship is not gonna stay this one sided, I’m gonna be there for you too now! You wanna be a Hero? I’m gonna help make you one! I may not be able to help with all that legal mumbo jumbo that Yaomomo is looking into, but I know you're gonna need gear. Lots of gear. More gear than you’ll have time to build yourself if you take your training seriously and that’s where I’m gonna come in! With my babies and your skill we’ll revolutionize Heroics in the same way Einstein did with the whole field of physics!” Mei proclaimed her voice and demeanor regaining part of their usual energy and enthusiasm in the end.

“T-thank you! I-it’s very nice of you to say that!” Izuku stammered out his voice shaky and uneven because of the feelings bubbling up. “Just to cla-clarify though, you are not a bad a fr-friend! You helped me plenty of times! Your hoverboots were a big inspiration for my equipment even if I ultimately went a different direction with it in the end and I wouldn’t have been able to get everything ready in time for the Festival if it weren’t for y-you!”

“You mean it? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?” Mei asked, her voice once again sounding soft and vulnerable. It filled him with a strong urge to hug her tightly despite how awkward it would be for him to initiate something so… intimate.

Shaking this thought he continued. “I mean it! You’re the first real friend I had in… a while if not ever. We had a lot of fun in the workshop together didn’t we? It was also nice to have someone that isn’t weirded out or annoyed by my mumbling.”

“It still kinda feels like I should do more. I hate how people think you are just my babysitter!” Mei threw in.

“What?! Oh, let me guess. Ito-kun? Chibana-san?”

“Stupid bitch just couldn’t help herself and gloat about what happened to you! What’s her deal?! What’s everybody's deal?! You are the nicest guy I know, so why does everybody shit on you just for being quirkless?!” Mei ranted.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Me holding on to my dream probably rustled some feathers in middle school. Some people probably just don’t get along, despite our best efforts…”

“You talking about that blonde jerk? Who let that guy into the hero course in the first place? I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure threatening a civilian with your Quirk is a pretty fast way to get your license suspended if not revoked outright. I swear that asshole just got a big head cause he won the tournament!”

“Kacchan would actually make a pretty good Hero. He has the drive and the talent needed to succeed, it’s just…”

“... his personality, that is dogshit, right? Don’t give him too much credit, I’ve seen him fight and I wasn’t impressed with what I have seen! You could have taken him, hell I could have taken him with just a fraction of the babies I had with me that day! Even his biggest explosions paled in comparison to my combustible lemon and they are something I created on pure accident! Imagine what it would look like if I actually tried to make something that is meant to explode! That’s gotta teach that douche a lesson or two!”

“Please don’t,” Izuku said, a cold sweat going down his back trying to picture what she just said.

“Please don’t what? Making an explosive device or teaching that guy a lesson?” 

“Both,” was his immediate reply.

“Oooh, bummer. Well, I’m gonna keep a few lemons at hand, though, just in case that guy decides to be a huge dick again. Oh, by the way before I forget! From now on I’m gonna eat at the cafeteria every day! No exceptions!”

“Really? Don’t get me wrong Mei I’m happy to hear that but what about your precious extra time in the workshop?” Izuku inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Not worth it anymore! Granola bars kind of are no longer doing it for me, I was starving on my way home today despite eating a couple. Plus I figured that the whole social experience will help me become a better friend! You can train social skills like that, right?”

“I guess, but I’m not an expert on that. I know way more about actual muscle training than that.” Izuku said, chuckling a bit.

“On that topic, you still working out and stuff? Yaomomo did say it would be smart of you to keep up your routine and maybe look into getting even more swole, since you’ll… well you’ll need every advantage you can get.”

“Well, I guess I did start to slack off a little bit in my training recently. Keeping my current level shouldn’t be too hard but if I wanted to do some more serious strength and endurance training I’m gonna need more than just my dumbbells at home. I’ll look into it, but it won’t be easy without any affordable gyms in my area.” Izuku mused.

“Can’t you just do what you did before starting high school? You did say you started training just a little over a year before applying to U.A. which is kinda impressive considering how super buff you are. Most people take waaaay longer for results like that!” Mei suggested.

With his cheeks burning red from the compliment Izuku immediately shot that idea down. While there was no doubt that the beach he used to clean up for training would have more than enough trash left, if not more thanks to people continuing to litter there ever since he stopped, he didn’t have the time to commit to this kind of work out anymore.

“Shame, but I guess as long as you are not getting rusty things are gonna be fine.” Mei mused. “Anyway, it’s getting kinda late so… uhm… see you tomorrow? Or next week! I won’t mind if you wanna use that opportunity to get an extended weekend.”

“Yeah, sure I’ll come to school tomorrow. Heroes don’t usually get extended weekends so I shouldn’t get used to them either right? Plus staying home is only going to encourage the rumor mill further. I’d rather be there and have the chance to set things straight as low as it might be.”

“Awesome! See you tomorrow!” Mei said enthusiastically before ending the call.

After the call Izuku himself went through his evening routine to get ready for bed and finally end what had been one hell of a day. For as awful as being subjected to Kacchan’s outburst and having to come clean with his Mom had been, overall it had not been too bad.

Momo and Mei really did care for him, that much had been undeniably proven to him. Both had pledged their full support to him even if him becoming a Hero was still little more than a pipe dream. He would have never thought that there would ever be people that believed in him like that.

He couldn’t allow their faith in him to be in vain. He would work harder than ever now, even if there was no chance for him to get a license the normal way by the time he graduated. In turn he would make sure to support both of them with everything he got, now that he had one of the few things he had yearned for most of his life, besides being a Hero, thanks to them.

The one thing his Mom had wanted him to have when she brought him to the Bakugou residence for the first time when he was a little child.

True friends.

Chapter Text

Ashido Mina was excited!

Finally after almost a week she got the opportunity she had been waiting for! Nothing would stop her now on her important mission! She will get some answers today! Answers to settle a very pressing question!

What was going on between Yaomomo and that Midoriya guy?

Ever since the raven-haired girl introduced the green-haired boy last week, this question has been on Mina’s mind. The boy was so shy and awkward but with Yaomomo he was veeeeery comfortable. Suspiciously so.

Then there was Yaomomo’s impassioned defense of the guy once Bakugou had so rudely interrupted them. Mina obviously fully understood her class reps reaction, she herself would never just sit by and watch when someone was being bullied! Still she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more behind it.

Shy boy meeting pretty girl. Boy and girl spending lots of time together. Boy coming out of his shell for girl…

Mina has seen this pattern before. Clearly there was only one possible explanation!

Love!

It had to be! Most of Mina’s favorite love stories were variations on this pattern!

It was also way too hilarious to not be true! Who would have thought that the straight laced, straight A honor student that was Yaomomo, of all people, would be the first in their class to experience some romance?

Mina found it interesting, though, that Yaomomo had fallen or was falling for a guy like Midoriya. Sure he was kinda cute, those big green eyes and all those freckles were doing him a lot of favors together with his super fluffy hair, but he still looked a bit on the plain side for her taste. It's not like he was ugly or anything but you’d usually expect a beauty like Yaomomo to get together with an impossibly handsome guy, like Todoroki for instance. Poor guy is probably thinking she is way out of his league.

Lucky for him the final decision on that matter is with Yaomomo herself and watching those two go during that short time at lunch had looked quite promising. The raven-haired girl was kind of a dork after all, so it made sense that she would have great chemistry with a smart guy she can nerd out with about stuff.

Even so, those were still merely incidental clues for them being in a romantic relationship. Mina needed more concrete evidence! Asking Yaomomo was out of the question, she was still fervently denying everything despite all her blushing and blustering indicating otherwise. 

That left her with only one possible path…

The path to the support department to get some answers directly from Midoriya!

Hopefully the boy will be in the workshop today. According to what Yaomomo said he was usually there after school hours, but with the end of term exams looming he might have gone home today to study, which would be quite a bummer. Getting her schedule to line up with a day, where Yaomomo was guaranteed not to be in the workshop, thanks to a class rep meeting in today’s case, was not easy.

Truth be told, taking a cheat day from studying was probably not a very good idea on Mina’s part. There were still too many things she was struggling with but after the week she had suffered through so far she deserved a little treat!

All work and no play makes Mina go cray cray!

Seriously! You’d think having Aizawa Sensei vanish for a week because of some mysterious mission would have been awesome, thanks to all the free periods it would have provided. Unfortunately having the principal himself substituting eliminated any chance for the students of class 1-A to slack off.

Mina shuddered at the memory. How could someone so adorable looking be so terrifying at the same time? Seriously, a younger version of herself would have loved having a plushie looking like Nezu! Was that how U.A. was getting its sheer ungodly amount of money?! Just by Nezu selling ridiculously marketable plushies of himself overseas? Food for thought.

Back to the point, Nezu was a very… engaged teacher. He was not bad at explaining stuff, he was way better at that than Aizawa Sensei to be honest, but he could veer off on excruciatingly boring tangents that had even Yaomomo or Iida struggling with staying awake, at the drop of a hat! Also he was frighteningly enthusiastic when it came to discipline the students. Mineta alone has gotten like triple the homework than everybody else this week! Granted, it served that perv right! Who Mina really was sorry for was Tsu who got hit as well for giving Mineta a well deserved tongue slap. That had been very confusing since Aizawa Sensei had never reprimanded Tsu for doing that before.

After going through all of that all week Mina was really in need of some distraction, hence why she has decided to investigate what’s going on between the support course boy and Yaomomo.

Unfortunately for Mina there was a problem with her plans.

A purple-haired problem with earlobes that extended into earphone jacks. Jirou has been following Mina ever since she had tried to discreetly separate herself from the group of students walking to the lockers.

“Heeeeeey Jirou! What are you still doing here, aren't you going to make your way back home?” Mina said to her classmate, desperately trying not to come off as suspicious.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Was the flat reply from Jirou.

“Well, I’m on my way to the support department. I got some ideas for support gear I could use and I wanted to check if someone was still there for me to submit the requests.” Mina lied.

“So was I. Some impulse filter ear plugs would be pretty dope, I’m sick and tired from sudden loud noises fucking me up as much as they do.” Jirou said, while crossing her arms in front of her. “What do you want to get?”

“What I want? Uhhmm… something… like… ehhh… water bombs!” Mina stammered out in response.

“Water bombs?” Jirou repeated with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah! Water bombs! But acid proof obviously. I was kind of good at throwing them in middle school and I thought I could use acid filled ones against big baddies. Or big groups of baddies.” Mina lied, hoping this improvised story was convincing enough.

“You’re bullshitting me.” Jirous accused maintaining a flat tone strangely enough.

“No! No, I’m telling the truth!” Mina desperately insisted.

“How stupid do you think I am? Even Jamming Yay after shorting out his brain wouldn’t fall for that!” the purple-haired girl said, raising her voice in annoyance and pointing at her with her finger when she continued. “I know exactly what you’re doing and I’m here to make sure you don’t go through with it!”

“What are you talking about? What else could I want from the support department other than new gear?” Mina asked, trying to feint ignorance and hoping the nervous sweat running down her face was both not too visible and pH-neutral.

“Bothering Midoriya about the precise relationship status between him and Yaomomo for instance?” Jirou pointed out in an accusatory tone.

“Dammit! Busted…” Mina said slumbing her shoulders in defeat. “...which means YOU listened in on me! Have you no shame? That's a violation of privacy!” Mina accused her classmate, pointing a finger at Jirou now in turn.

“Bitch, the only thing sitting between us in class is Kaminari! You might as well be whispering all the things you mumble to yourself in class directly into my ear! I can’t stop overhearing you if I wanted to!” Jirou countered angrily. “Also your voice has a pretty distinct cadence making it very easy to filter it out among a crowd. Also, also, your attempt at ‘sneaking’ away couldn’t have been more conspicuous if you tried! Ask Hagakure to give you some pointers on stealth, you definitely need them.”

“Dammit!” Mina exclaimed at the callout of her sneaking skills. Also damn Jirou's freakishly good detection ability!

“Anyways, back on topic, you are NOT going to walk in there and harrass that boy! Do I have to remind you that Midoriya likely has enough shit on his plate already, even without you bothering him? I’ve overheard enough people still talking about last week’s lunch ‘event’ and most of the stuff revolving around him is not nice!” Jirou stated with her arms once again crossed and with an angry glare leveled at Mina.

“Awwwh, come on Jirou! I was just going to have a nice little chat with the boy! Aren’t you curious at all what’s going on between the two?” Mina responded.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s none of our goddamn business!” the purple-haired girl shot back.

“So? I’m just going to ask some questions, it’s not like I’m going to hurt anybody. Also, you are not my Mom, I don’t have to do what you tell me to!” Mina retorted, getting vexed by her classmates' attempt at interfering.

“For fucks sake Mina!” Jirou exclaimed exasperatedly. “You are not going to drop this even if you know that I’ll tell Yaomomo aren’t you?”

“Nope!” Mina answered immediately.

“Goddamnit! Fine! How about a compromise then? You can talk with Midoriya and I won’t tell Momo BUT I’ll be there with you the whole time AND we leave the fucking second your prodding makes him uncomfortable! Deal?” Jirou bargained.

“Can we have a three strike rule instead?”

“Mina!” The punk rock enthusiast almost growled.

“Okay! Okay, fine! Deal!” Mina said to appease her shorter classmate. She has seen her classmate zap Mineta and Kaminari often enough by now to know that getting on Jirou’s bad side is the last thing you’d want.

Having an audience for her little investigation could potentially be an issue, though. She should keep her eyes peeled for an opportunity to ditch Jirou, so she could have an actual one on one conversation with Midoriya. Still she should probably be grateful the purple-haired girl was at least willing to compromise. It seemed that despite all her posturing Jirou was curious herself. Mina couldn’t blame the girl for that. Jirou and Yaomomo were besties after all in a similar vein as Mina and Tooru were. Or Ochako and Tsu! Gotta look out for your bestie after all!

With both parties in agreement, they reached the door to the support workshop with no further distractions. To Mina’s relief Midoriya was there working on some kind of thingamajig. Wasting no time Mina approached the boy.

“Heya! Midoriya! Whatcha doin’?”

The boy in turn flinched in response to the sudden call out before turning their way to address them. “A-Ashido-san? Jirou-san? What are you doing here?”

“Come on dude what would two hero course students want in here? Gear obviously! Yaomomo is always going on about how good you are at not just making gadgets but also in giving advice on how to get the most out of our Quirks with the right items.” Jirou explained.

“Oh my gosh! CLIENTS!” was the sudden call from the only other person in the workshop. Within the blink of an eye that pink-haired girl that had visited their classroom earlier last week had appeared right next to Jirou. “DIBS ON THE PURPLE ONE!”

“What the hell?! Wait! I wanted to talk to Midoriya about new gear!” Jirou protested as she was being dragged away with surprising strength by the other support course girl.

“You can’t now, I already called dibs! Also, Izuku is already making stuff for Yaomomo, he can’t take on too many clients in addition to that! Don’t you worry, Hatsume Mei has everything you could ever need!” The pink-haired girl explained while continuing to nonchalantly drag Mina’s classmate away.

“I’m sorry Jirou-san but Mei is kinda right! Don’t worry she’ll be able to make you whatever you need, just remind her to properly go through all of the required testing stages beforehand! If you still need any advice on your Quirk afterwards I’ll help you out after I’m done with Ashido-san’s request.”  Midoriya called after Jirou-san in an apologetic fashion.

Huh.

Mina had wanted to find a way to ditch Jirou, but had not expected it to be that easy. Maybe she should ask Midoriya about Hatsume’s favorite snack or something before leaving, depending on how her questioning will go, since any progress in her investigation today might have been impossible without that girl.

“So… uhhm… what can I do for you Ashido-san?” Midoriya asked awkwardly.

Mina had a hard time suppressing the borderline predatory grin showing up on her face before getting in close and addressing him. “Why so formal? Ashido-san is my Mom, just call me Mina! Sounds waaaaay more cute! While we’re at it, would you mind me calling you Midori? Any friend of Yaomomo is a friend of mine, and I love giving nicknames to my friends! Unless their names are short and cute enough already.”

“O-okay I don’t mind Ashi… I mean M-Mina.” the boy stammered out looking like he was on the verge of having steam come out of his ears.

Mina couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the boy’s awkwardness. She started to see now why Yaomomo liked him, he was adorable when he got nervous! If she played her cards right then there would be lots of entertainment in her future from teasing the couple. Even if he was so easy to fluster that it almost took all the fun out of it.

Almost.

But of course that wasn’t the reason for her showing up here today, so Mina quickly took a step back to give Midori some room to breathe and told him her request. “Well, I was thinking of getting something to increase the attack range of my acid, you know? Maybe something throwable like… like… water bombs?”

Ok, going with that lame idea was not her proudest moment but Mina had to establish her alibi, so to speak, before she could start digging!

“I… don’t think that’s your best option. While you could carry around a lot of balloons thanks to them being small and lightweight, they might end up being more of a liability than an asset. When they pop the acid gets splashed everywhere in very difficult to predict ways increasing risk of collateral damage, if they don’t get popped before you throw them.” Midori responded.

“Yeah, I know. Not my best idea. I was just thinking about them cause I was really good at throwing them back in middle school when I hung out with my friends at the pool you know?”

“Do you even need something like that? You were able to flick your acid pretty far in the Festival against that blonde boy with the belt.”

“You mean the match against Aoyama? Ehhh, that was a pretty finicky move, if I had hit him anywhere else but his belt I might have hurt him pretty badly. Acid strong enough to dissolve metal is not good for your skin and stuff. I’d rather have a more reliable and precise ranged option.”

“What is your limit on your acid production? If you can produce enough and send it through a nozzle you might be able to create enough pressure for it to shoot out like it would from a firehose.” Midori mused.

“Hmmm, I never tried to see how much I can produce at once, since it’s not good for my skin when I overuse my Quirk. Also, how am I supposed to shoot the acid through a nozzle? Would holding my hands like that work?” Mina said folding her flat hands together while keeping her index fingers apart, forming a nozzle like shape.

“Yeah, that could work! You should try that during Quirk training! If that doesn’t work out like you imagined, just come back and let me know and I should be able to work out something else. Maybe a wrist mounted spray gun and…” Midoriya affirmed, starting to mumble at the end.

“Wow, barely five minutes and you already got a solution for me, even one where I might not need any new gear! You work fast, Midori! I’m starting to see why Yaomomo likes you soooo much!” Mina commented teasingly, ripping the boy out of his mumble trance and sending him sputtering.

“Wha-wha-what?!” the green-haired boy stammered his face being almost the same shade of red Kiri uses to dye his hair.

“You know what I mean, silly!” Mina answered in a more joking fashion while staying ambiguous with her words. Gotta remember not pushing him too hard too fast. “Me and the girls got curious what our class rep has been doing all those long hours after school she has spent with you in the workshop. Whenever we asked her she never had anything but the highest praise for you! Honestly, it was starting to get pretty easy to tell whenever she had a session planned on a given day, since she would grow really excited towards the end of last period!”

“I-is that true? I always worried we might be boring her a little bit. It’s not like there is a lot of new stuff I can show her, since she is already so smart. She could easily make her own gear if she wanted to!”

“Funny that you’re saying that since Yaomomo has been worried that she has been dragging you down. She believes you would be able to work faster if it weren’t for her needing to have your ideas explained to her at every step first .”

“Tha-that’s not true! Having to vocalize my ideas helps me a lot with double checking everything and even in case I missed something she’ll be there to catch up on any flaws! I’ve been able to do a lot better work on the gauntlets and the boots thanks to her help!”

“Well, I can relay the message if you want or better you can tell her yourself next time you see her! I know that Yaomomo would really love it if you told her!” Mina suggested in a coquettish fashion.

“O-okay. I’ll tell her,” the boy replied bashfully, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

“While we’re at it, I’m kinda curious to hear what you think about Yaomomo. I heard so many good things about you so I wanted to know what you liked about her. You became such good friends so fast that I wanna know what made you click so well with each other! Don’t worry if you think it’s something embarrassing, I won’t tell! Pinky swear!” Mina asked.

“The-there isn’t really that much to say, Yaoyorozu-san is very easy to get along with. I-if you really need to know then I’d say I l-like how kind and patient she is. She entrusted me with her equipment and ha-has been nothing but understanding so far despite the slow progress. It makes me feel kind of guilty that she has done so mu-much for me and I have yet to return the favor.” Midori told her with his cheeks still flushed.

“You’re worrying too much Midori! Yaomomo is perfectly fine, I bet she sees getting to tinker in the workshop with you as its own reward! Knowing her, all that engineering stuff she’s doing with you is probably the first time that big ol’ brain of hers got a proper workout! She is definitely not getting that in class since she aced pretty much every test, pop quiz or exam that has been sent our way so far.” Mina asserted.

“She really is exceptionally smart. And talented! Sometimes I wonder why she even needs my help at all. Still, I’m going to do my best to support her! She’ll be an amazing Hero! I-I just hope I can live up to what she sees in me. Nobody ever believed in me before… I’ll never forgive myself if I ever disappoint her…” The boy said seemingly deep in thought and more to himself than to Mina, while staring at his desk and sporting a wobbly smile.

Awwwwwwwwwwh!

Look at that! This smile was adorable ! Was that how he made Yaomomo fall for him? Mina knew girls whose hearts would melt at a sight like this and even she herself had a hard time stopping herself from squealing happily at this!

The poor boy had it bad for Yaomomo, that’s for sure!

Okay, that was not much of a surprise, literally every straight boy in their grade had the hots for Yaomomo. This case was different, however! There was actual chemistry between the two, in her humble opinion, and the way Midori just looked when describing what he liked about the girl and how Yaomomo fiercely defended him last week left only room for one conclusion!

LOVE!

Unfortunately they both seemed to still be in the ‘shyly pining for each other’ stage. Both of them may still be in denial but this HAD to happen! They’d be such an adorable couple! It won’t take much longer, though, if Mina had any say in this. High time to get back into the matchmaking game!

With her conclusion reached Mina would continue to engage the green-haired boy in small talk while starting to plot her next steps. Getting two people together is a lot more work than one might think, especially if at least one of them might not respond very well to outside influence. Still, it would be for their best! The world always needed some more love!

Now she just needed to survive the upcoming exams to start her work in earnest…

Jirou Kyoka was not happy with the current situation!

Noticing that pink-skinned love freak trying to ‘sneak’ away to the support department after school, Jirou had decided to intervene. No doubt that moron was going to harass that Midoriya guy to sate her hunger for gossip and with Yaomomo indisposed thanks to that class rep meeting, the ungrateful task of keeping Mina in check had fallen to her.

Even if Jirou had been able to shoo the pink-skinned girl away, Mina would have certainly tried again some other day to get something out of the support course boy, so she decided to make a compromise. That way Mina could have gotten her answers and Jirou could have made sure that Yaomomo’s friend would not suffer from the pink menace getting carried away too much. The fact that this arrangement would have potentially allowed Jirou to sate her own curiosity on the matter was completely unintentional on her part.

Oh, who was she kidding? She was dying of curiosity!

And maybe she was a little jealous too. Seriously, this guy suddenly became a thing in Yaomomo’s life to the point where she spends most of her free time with him and Kyoka was just supposed to act like nothing was strange? To add insult to injury this guy has been invited to Yaomomo’s home BEFORE she herself was and she was the raven-haired girl’s BEST friend!

Seriously, what the fuck?

At the very least he didn’t seem to be a scumbag, which helped to alleviate some of the negative feelings she had towards the green-haired boy. God knows there were enough guys in school that couldn’t stop themselves from drooling after Yaomomo if their life depended on it, and Kyoka had the questionable ‘pleasure’ of hearing what they were whispering every time she walked down the hallways with her best friend. Midoriya might also have trouble keeping eye contact but in his case it was more because of his awkwardness than him being too busy ogling Yaomomo or any of the other hero course girls.

Kyoka was aware that the main problem was just her being too worried for her best friend. While there was a seemingly endless supply of pigs wishing to get into Yaomomo’s panties, the raven-haired girl was one of the smartest and most capable people Kyoka had ever met, without any of the arrogance you’d expect from someone with her background. Surely she’d be able to spot any wannabe smooth operators from miles away, right?

Still…

Yaomomo could also be mindboggingly naive and clueless about the simplest things sometimes. The girl had struggled to get a can of soda out of a fucking vending machine one time cause she didn’t realise it wouldn’t accept tenthousand yen bills, for crying out loud!

So, yeah, Kyoka was incredibly worried about her friend getting close to a guy she didn’t know anything about, even if she was aware that she might be overreacting. Accompanying Mina has been the perfect opportunity to find out more and gain some peace of mind in return.

Or it would have been if it wasn’t for the fact that some support chick with pink dreadlocks was currently dragging her away from the answers she was seeking!

Seriously, though, what was up with that girl?! No matter what she tried she couldn’t get her hand out of the vice like grip that Hatsume girl had on her hand! Worse yet, despite pulling and resisting with all her might, Kyoka was barely able to slow down the support girl’s advance towards whatever destination they were going to. Was that chick on steroids or something or was Kyouka just that scrawny?

Unwilling to further ponder this Kyoka yelled at her abductor. “Could you fucking let go of me already? I need to talk with Midoriya!”

“Weren’t we over this already? Izuku is busy with your friend, so I’m gonna take care of whatever you need.” Hatsume replied without missing a beat.

“I did NOT agree with that!” Jirou shot back.

“Don’t be silly! Izuku is amazing and all but he can’t take care of several clients at once! Also…” the girl said before stopping for a moment and turning around, sporting an unsettling fake smile that did little to hide the angry glint in her eyes. “...Izuku does NOT like being crowded by strangers. So, no more discussion! You either come with me now or you leave the workshop empty handed. We clear?”

Unwilling to fuck around and find out what Hatsume would do if she refused to comply, Kyoka answered with just two words. “Crystal clear!”

“Excellent! I’ve got sooo many amazing babies you could use! You looking for anything in particular?” Hatsume asked, back in the bubbly excited mood she had displayed before.

“Yeah, I’d like to have some impulse filter earplugs. I’ve got very sensitive ears thanks to my Quirk which is pretty helpful for scouting but it makes me vulnerable to sudden loud noises. I got screwed over by that weakness enough times by now so I hoped you guys could help me out.” Kyoka explained.

“That’s all? I mean, sure, we got loads of those so you can have some, but there’s gotta be more you need!” Hatsume said as she grabbed a set of earplugs from her workbench and handed it over to Kyoka.

“Wait! You just have those things lying around here?!”

“Yeah. We are working around heavy machinery, if you haven’t noticed. It can get pretty loud in here!” The pink-haired girl answered. “But back on topic, that can’t be all! Maybe something for your Quirk? Those headphone cable ear thingies aren’t just for show, right? You can use them to interface with equipment, right?”

“Well, I guess I can? I’ve only ever plugged them into my phone to listen to music or into the speakers from my costume to amplify the sound of my heartbeat for attacks. Why are you asking?”

“So, you really can! You’re not just saying that?” Hatsume asked again after suddenly getting right up into Kyoka’s face, making her stumble a step back in surprise.

“I just told you! Why would I lie about my Quirk?!” Kyoka shot back out of annoyance.

Hatsume for her part reacted by starting to jump up and down excitedly while squealing like a little girl that just found the present she had always wished for under the christmas tree.

“Ohmygoohmygodohmygod! This is gonna be AMAZING! Just gimme a sec, I gotta go and get a box real quick!” were the first coherent words out of the mouth of the excited inventor before she ran off into the storage area.

Shortly afterwards Hatsume returned, carrying a large and very heavy looking metal box with her. This action paired with the fact that Hatsume was wearing just a simple tank top which completely exposed her arms, gave a very conclusive answer on why Kyoka has not been able to escape the pink-haired girl earlier.

No wonder she had been tugged along as if she was just a misbehaving toddler by that chick if she had guns like those! Hell, even Mina, the most athletic girl in 1-A, had nowhere near that amount of definition! Maybe Kyoka should get some dumbbells and add them to her workout routine?

The support course girl brought down the box with a heavy thud before addressing Kyoka again. “So, before we begin, are you familiar with the term BMI?”

“Body Mass Index?” Kyoka guessed slightly confused what that had to do with whatever the other girl had in mind.

“What? Well, I guess it fits the acronym, but no it’s not what I was talking about. I meant BMI as in Brain Machine Interface!”

While unfamiliar with the term, the implications started to dawn on Kyoka and left her a little bit skeptical to be frank. That sounded waaaay too much like something out of a cheap sci-fi story! Also, she was not exactly thrilled at the idea of becoming a guinea pig for whatever the other girl had cooked up. Thanks to Yaomomo, Kyoka was well aware of how accident prone Hatsume tended to be.

“Scientists experimented with BMI’s back in the 21st century, even managing to have a quadraplegic person write full sentences on a computer screen with the help of a brain implant! Unfortunately, like with all scientific fields, any progress came to a grinding halt with the dawn of Quirks, which I’m totally not bitter about!” Hatsume explained, sounding not particularly convincing with the last remark.

“Anyways, your wonderful Quirk could potentially allow you to do all the neat stuff without having to worry about the numerous technical and medical issues of neural implants, which science never got around to fixing. Lucky you! And I’m of course going to provide you with lots of amazing babies to fully utilize that!” The support course student continued.

“While I’m sure you got plenty of cool stuff, I don’t think I’ll need anything. Plus, I don’t like the idea of just plugging my jacks into some sort of experimental tech that’s still in its infancy. I’ve seen Kaminari short circuit his brain often enough to know I don’t want to risk that happening to me.” Kyoka declined, hoping she could get back quickly to Mina and Midoriya.

“So, let me get this straight, you decline my amazing babies before giving them even the tiniest of glances because you are afraid of getting zapped by them when you plug in? You serious?” Hatsume responded indignantly with her arms crossed in front of herself. “That would be a lot easier to believe if you didn’t just tell me you regularly plug them into your cheaply made phone!”

“What?! It’s not cheap! I’ve got a…” 

“I don’t care what brand of phone you have! ALL of them manufacture their devices for cheap in sweatshops or alternatively get most of their components that way!” Hatsume interrupted, seemingly still offended. “I know I have a bit of a reputation and it's not completely undeserved. I get carried away and skip a few steps in the development process which I shouldn’t, but I can guarantee you that I put a hell of a lot more effort and care into my babies than some overworked sweatshop wage slave! Just ask Yaomomo or that tall glasses guy, Ita or Iida or whatever, they’ll confirm it!”

“I wasn’t saying that your work is trash! I just mean that if some high power gadget I’m plugged into has a short circuit or something It will be worse than just my phone. A phone battery has just like four volts, you know?” Kyoka quickly said, hoping it would help to placate the offended inventor.

“That’s not how this works! It’s not the voltage that is dangerous! It’s the amperage! Ohm’s law defines the strength of a current as the voltage measured across a conductor divided by the resistance of the conductor. Four volts are safe if the current runs through your skin which has a relatively high resistance, usually averaged at 1000 ohm.” The pink-haired girl explained. 

“Your phone is not connected to you through your skin, though, isn’t it? Your jacks, assuming they behave like a copper cable, likely have a resistance of just 0.017 ohm. At such a low resistance even a four volts phone battery produces a current strong enough to kill you! But I guess some big corner cutting corporation is way more trustworthy than silly old me who works her butt off for her clients to provide them with quality support gear!” The indignant support course girl ended angrily.

Ok, that was not the kind of physics lesson Kyoka had wanted to have today or like ever! She also seemed to have struck a bit of a nerve with that lame excuse she had tried. She kinda felt like an asshole now, so Kyoka decided to relent and hear the inventor girl out. Hatsume was a friend of Yaomomo too, which meant she deserved the benefit of doubt.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be a bitch and doubt you. Just… just show me what you got, it can’t hurt letting you make your pitch.” Jirou offered hoping it would make the pink-haired girl chill out.

That seemed to have the desired effect. Sort of. Hatsume’s mood certainly improved as a result but her frantic rummaging through the metal box was pretty far from being something she would consider chill.

“I knew you’d see reason! Believe me I’ve got soooo many ideas on how to utilize your Quirk! Way more than would fit in this box actually! But without further ado…” Hatsume started as she pulled the first thing out of her box. “...Drones!”

With that the support course girl held up what looked like a suped up version of those commercial camera drones with her right arm. Opening the palm of her left hand she also revealed a really small spider-like drone.

“You said you had good hearing but what about visuals? Whether it's overwatch from the sky or stealthily scouting a suspected villain hideout with these babies nothing will ever escape your sight! Thanks to your Quirks mutations there will be no awkward fumbling around with remote controls necessary! I also have a few shelved ideas for remote controlled combat drones that could work really well once I iron out a few… kinks.” Hatsume started off her presentation.

“Next we got my hydraulic bracers backpack from the Sports Festival. You remember how that Iida, Ita or whatever guy kept trying to charge me but always failed because I dodged? This baby, or more specifically the motion sensors in it, were the reason for that. Connecting this baby with your Quirk would not only help you dodge better, it would also allow you to manually control the metal poles it can extend, making it a pretty useful mobility tool!” The girl continued quickly before taking a breath.

“Last but definitely not least is this!” the support course student proudly announced while holding up what looked like some jumbled together computer parts. Jirou raised a questioning eyebrow at that but before she could say anything Hatsume continued. “Okay I know it doesn’t look like much but it’s what’s on the inside what counts! This little baby here is loaded with a shitton of malware, spyware and every other type of hacking software I could think of! That should be everything you need to hack into most modern computer systems with your brain just by plugging in!”

Holy shit, that last part sounds like something straight out of some cyberpunk story! Honestly, if she thought about it, it would go really well with her current style, Kyoka had the punk part down pretty well already, after all. Getting some of those toys to fulfill the cyber part wouldn’t hurt her aesthetic and help her be a more effective Hero to boot! Kyoka should ask Hatsume if it would be possible to outfit the gadgets with some neon lights, that’d be dope as hell!

“Wow, Yaomomo wasn’t kidding when she said you’ve made an insane amount of stuff! Will it work like you described it though? Again, I’ve never used my Quirk in that way apart from listening to music on my phone and the only signal I’m able to send down my jacks so far is my heartbeat. Dunno if I can control your gadgets that way.” Kyoka stated hoping the enthusiastic inventor had an answer for that.

“Well, only one way to find out!” the girl replied as she pulled out another item from her box, surprising Kyoka with how ordinary the object in question looked compared to the other gadgets. Hatsume had pulled out what seemed to be just a simple black laptop.

“Neat, I was thinking of getting a new one for myself but… uhm… how does this one fit into everything?”

In response to Kyoka’s confusion the support course student opened the laptop revealing that the entire keyboard and the touchpad had been removed before explaining. “That’s not a simple laptop! This is a training device! With this baby you’ll be able to practice controlling electronic devices with just your thoughts! You should get the hang of it eventually, meanwhile I’ll be able to make a proper adapter for your earphone jacks to ensure compatibility.”

“What if it won’t work? What if my Quirk just doesn’t behave the way you think?”

“Unlikely, but not impossible. Considering we already have proof that your Quirk can both emit and receive electrical signals, there shouldn’t be any logical reason for it not to work. Quirks do have the annoying habit of treating the laws of nature just as suggestions, though.” Hatsume mused. “How about a first test right now? Plug into the socket for the earphones and try opening one of the files on the desktop.”

As suggested Kyoka plugged in and on Hatsume’s prodding tried to mentally move the cursor on a video file present on the very cluttered desktop which was simply named ‘GITS’. Despite her best efforts though the cursor wouldn’t budge making Jirou worried that her Quirk was limited to just the things she was using it for already.

“Imagine your hand using the mouse to move the cursor. I roughly based my software off from what they used in that experiment with the quadraplegic person and he was able to write by imagining the hand motions he would do to use a normal computer.” Hatsume suggested helpfully.

With these instructions Kyoka was finally able to move the mouse cursor, although in a really janky and imprecise fashion. Still she was able to open the video file, which apparently was some really old anime movie the pink-haired girl had downloaded from somewhere. It was a very fitting movie though, seeing as it was clearly belonging to the cyberpunk genre. Kyoka did think it looked kinda cool and made a mental note to look it up and watch it in full later, which was further helped by the fact that the heroine had similar short, dark-purple hair as her.

As Jirou closed the application and tried handing the laptop back to Hatsume, the punk enthusiast voiced her opinion. “Pretty dope stuff, it might actually work. I’m definitely gonna take the small spider drone, it’s gonna improve my scouting abilities even further for sure! The hacking thing sounds pretty neat too, if you put it into some casing and maybe add some cool neon lights for flair then I’ll have it added to my costume. I’m a bit torn on the backpack, though. On the one hand being able to reliably dodge someone as fast as Iida would be nice, but it looks so large and heavy. If you can shrink it down and make sure it doesn’t stand out from my costume like a sore thumb, then I’ll gladly take it.”

“Noted! Revisiting the hydraulic bracers and making them fit your requirements ain’t gonna be easy, which is exactly the kind of challenge I like! Also, keep the laptop. You’ll need to go through the training programs on there if you really wanna get the most out of my babies. Additionally I would recommend reading up a little bit on computer science. My hacking tools should cover your bases really well but eventually you’ll hit a wall that needs some tweaking of the code. If that’s all, I’ll go straight back to work. Pleasure doing business with you!” Hatsume affirmed.

“Wow, you really are just giving me this laptop?” Kyoka asked astounded.

“Well, no. I’m lending it to you. Once you’ve aced most of the training programmes on it, I do expect it back. Also, full disclosure, this baby does send data back to me. So don’t expect any privacy while practicing with it.” The pink-haired girl explained.

“Ok, fair enough. Please promise me, though you won’t activate the camera on that thing without asking permission first.” Kyoka requested in response.

Hatsume hummed in what Kyoka hoped to be confirmation, but considering how engrossed the support course student seemed to be in their work already, she feared that this wasn’t the case. She’ll have to remember to put a sticker or something like that across the camera, just to be safe.

With her new laptop in hand Kyoka made her way back to the workbench, where Midoirya and Mina were sitting. Hopefully the pink romance addict had not been harassing the green-haired boy while she had been occupied with Hatsume. Judging from the sound of their friendly small talk, however, it seemed the boy was not too worse off for wear. Could it really be that Mina had shown some goddamn restraint for once?

Either way it was time for them to leave and the fact that Mina was complying without raising a fuss clued Kyoka in that the pink girl had gotten what she came here for. After saying their goodbyes to Midoriya and leaving the workshop, Kyoka wasted no time in asking what Mina had found out.

“Why so curious all of a sudden? I thought you didn’t care, what with all your ‘this is none of our business!’ talk.” Mina replied in mock surprise.

“Mina. Just. Spill. It” Jirou demanded, while glaring at her classmate. She had no patience left to deal with the pink skinned girl’s antics.

“No need to be all grumpy! Regarding Midori, I’m one hundred percent sure that he is crushing on Yaomomo. He definitely got it bad! Also there doesn’t seem to be anything serious going on between the two, at least not yet.”

“That’s all you got out of him?” Kyoka asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yep. I could have gotten more but someone told me to go easy on him, so don’t blame me!” Mina retorted. “Doesn’t matter, though, I got enough to confirm my suspicions. Now I can start planning for the next step!”

“What? Mina… please… don’t tell me…”

“Yep! I’m boarding the shipping train now! This has to happen! Just imagine how cute those two will be together!” Mina announced excitedly.

Goddamnit! That was definitely one of the things Kyoka had wanted to avoid! Why does this stupid romance obsessed moron insist on meddling with other people’s love life! It’s not even like she got much to go on, literally everyone attracted to girls in their grade had some sort of crush on Yaomomo!

“Mina, don’t… just don’t do it. Asking questions is one thing but pushing two people together? That goes way too far! We’ve violated their boundaries enough as is!” Kyoka appealed, desperately hoping for her own sanity’s sake Mina would not get any more involved.

“Don’t you worry, it’s not my first rodeo! I’ll let you know I was quite the matchmaker back in middle school! No pushing required! All I’ll do is giving those two the occasional nudge and see how it develops. Given how shy Midori seems to be and how their relationship is still on a very early stage, pulling out the big guns would do more harm than good anyways.” The pink girl said, trying and failing to assure Jirou.

Kyoka for her part was now dreading what kind of ‘nudges’ Mina and her invisible bosom buddy, once Hagakure was brought up to speed, could come up with. She would have to keep an eye on them in the future from now on to ensure these two morons won’t do anything stupid, wouldn’t she?

Fucking hell…

Give Mina an inch and she takes a fucking mile!

Aizawa Shota was tired. More than usual and with very good reason.

Spending an entire week to get to the bottom of what the hell was going on with Aldera Junior High had not been good for his sleep schedule. Not that he would have spent that time sleeping if it wasn’t for this special assignment from Nezu.

Investigating that middle school shouldn’t have taken much more than one maybe two nights, but after what Shota had found he couldn’t just leave without gathering as much information as possible. Doing so had required him to go into the school during the day, disguised as a new janitor, which had been pretty easy considering Aldera got their janitors from some shady temp agency.

Now after a full week of hard work Shota was ready to present his compiled findings to Nezu and the rest of the U.A. faculty in their conference room. He had been surprised initially about his colleagues pronounced interest in this matter, but considering how high emotions have been running after dealing with Midoriya’s request for switching tracks and the fact that most of them would have to continue to deal with Bakugou in their classes going forward, quickly made him understand why he wasn’t doing this in the principal’s office.

“With everyone present I would now like to begin without further ado.” Nezu announced. “I, for one, am dying out of curiosity. I would not have thought that you would need a substitute for almost a week for this investigation, Eraserhead. It was a welcome opportunity for me, however, to personally assess your students and make sure we haven’t overlooked anything else.”

“Since you’re bringin it up, I was curious about Mineta. While a boy his age having a strong interest in girls is nothing unusual, he IS making the girls of 1-A very uncomfortable with his behavior. An intervention is overdue in my opinion, before he starts acting on his worst impulses.” Midnight remarked.

“Ah, yes that boy. I was not pleased with how often I had to reprimand him this past week. Hopefully all the extra homework I gave him will prove to be a sufficient nudge in the right direction.” Nezu answered.

“You really think that would be enough?” Midnight asked  with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. “I think we should go the extra mile here. We can’t risk him starting to actually grope our students!”

“You are free to come up with and bring forward your own plans for an ‘intervention’ Midnight, but for now having him research most of the sex scandals of the past decade involving Heroes should give him ample practical reasons to curb his behavior, since he seems to struggle with the ethical ones so much. Either way I’d rather properly fix one potential crisis after another, so let us focus on the matter we gathered here for today, shall we?” Nezu answered, gesturing for Shota to begin once he had the full attention of the room.

“As you all know I spent the last week investigating Aldera Junior High, which is the middle school both students involved in last week's incident hailed from.” Shota began. “Nezu suspected that the school records of both had been falsified by Aldera’s staff because of the vast discrepancies between their current behavior at U.A. and what was described in their files. Finding out the reasons for that was the main objective together with uncovering any potential misconduct of Aldera’s staff.”

Taking a small pause for dramatic effect Eraserhead continued. “To be frank, after everything I’ve seen there, it leaves me with only one possible verdict: Aldera Junior High is a fucking hellhole! Unauthorized Quirk use among the student body is rampant . As are most forms of bullying up to physical fights between students. The staff is mostly apathetic to these conditions with a select few actively encouraging them! Shizuoka leading our nation in the deterioration of public education thanks to our exceptionally incompetent prefectural government shouldn’t be news to anyone, but even I can’t believe for things to have gotten that bad anywhere. Having said that, our bumbling government officials are only partly to blame. Aldera’s horrific conditions have been created deliberately !”

Waiting to let this revelation sink in, Shota once again paused his report, studying the shocked reactions of his colleagues. Hisashi was the first one to recover and wasted no time asking what he meant with that. In response Aizawa handed out document folders and instructed everyone present to open them.

Once everyone had a second to skim the contents of the first page Shota once again continued. “These are the copies of documents with detailed instructions I found on principal Mutaguchi’s computer after I successfully cracked it open with a new gadget I requested from the support department, thanks for that by the way Maijima, couldn’t have been easy to make that on such a short notice.”

“No problem! I hope you won’t mind letting me run some diagnostics on it again later. Some field data would help me a lot in improving it in the future!”

“What the hell have you uncovered there Aizawa?! This reads like something out of a fucking spy thriller!” Snipe commented seemingly in disbelief of what he was currently reading.

“I hope by now everyone understands that we are dealing with something a lot more serious than just negligent school officials. Someone out there is indoctrinating Japan’s children.” Shota said, solemnly.

“Not quite indoctrination, Eraserhead.” Nezu chimed in. “But something very close. From what I’m reading here it sounds like the school is supposed to prime the students for the actual indoctrination efforts, which are meant to reach them through different means. Quite the subtle and insidious plot. What confuses me, however, is how the instructions for the day to day operation do not match up with the conditions you were describing. Would you care to elaborate on that?”

“I was going to get to that.” Aizawa said. “The instructions are quite extensive, especially the section regarding operational security. There are intelligence agencies that are less strict than what is written in these documents. The scary thing is that we got incredibly lucky that this idiot of a principal doesn’t seem to care about following protocol. If he did we’d be none the wiser.”

Telling everyone in the room to open a specific page in their folders Eraserhead explained. “The guy got ambitious and believed he knew better than his superiors on how to advance their ‘cause’ whatever that may be. Blatant favoritism for the students with supposedly strong Quirks was one of the results. They were given free reign to do as they please while the ‘weak’ were treated with an at times unreasonable degree of scrutiny in addition to the abuse they suffered from their ‘betters’. In short this bastard and his cronies covertly established some kind of Quirk based hierarchy similar to what many Quirk supremacist groups these days want for the whole of society.”

“Unreasonable degree of scrutiny? What exactly do you mean by that Aizawa?” Vlad King asked.

“Exactly what I said. For those with ‘weak’ Quirks school rules are enforced very strictly, borderline unreasonable at times. This is where I suspect Midoriya’s countless supposed infractions come from. If I heard right, the boy has a habit of mumbling to himself when he is deep in thought, in Aldera just dropping your damn pen on accident is enough to get you written up for disturbing class. Thankfully this heavily differs from teacher to teacher with most being too lazy and apathetic to enforce the principal’s ridiculous standards. The few staff members I identified as members of this cell, however, are going out of their way to punish whoever they have dubbed weak. Worse still…”

Shota took a deep breath as he put some of the upsetting things he saw while posing as a janitor in that damn school back to the forefront of his mind. The worst thing he remembered was when he observed some third years during PE and their gym teacher who was the right hand man of the principal. This piece of shit had gotten under Shota’s skin because the way he had abused and belittled one of his students hit awfully close to home.

“Unfair? UNFAIR? LIFE IS UNFAIR YOU LITTLE SHIT! Natural disasters, accidents, villain attacks and much WORSE is what you’ll have to face if you really wanna be a Hero like you said! What are you gonna do in a crisis? Bitch and whine like you’re doing now? You’ve got a weak body, a weak Quirk and ZERO potential! NO Hero school in this country is gonna waste their time with you, so do yourself and everybody else a favor and drop this pipe dream!”

Suffice to say Eraserhead was not happy about the fact that a bigoted prick had chosen similar words as him to adress a student he didn’t believe to be suited for Heroics. At the very least his standards for measuring potential were logical in comparison. Although he might have to reevaluate some points and be more careful with his assessments in the future, both to avoid another mistake like with Bakugou and to not end up like those bastards. Bigots always believe their stupid hierarchies to be natural and logical too after all.

“...the teachers in league with the principal really like belittling and talking down to the ‘weak’ students up to the point of verbal abuse. Believe me when I say you don’t want me to recount what I saw and heard.” Shota concluded his explanation wearily, while sagging back into his seat.

“HOW?” the voice of All Might boomed as he transformed into his muscle form for a moment before deflating back again and continuing angrily. “How is it possible for such a despicable state of affairs to continue for years without anything happening? By now countless parents or some of the other teachers should have come forward already with complaints!”

“I believe I should be able to answer that.” Nezu chimed in while closing the folder that he, no doubt, had just finished reading. “According to his report here Eraserhead took the liberty of breaking into the principal’s home as well and was able to recover the suspects e-mails from their private computer, thanks to Maijima’s nifty little hacking gadget. The correspondence with two individuals stood out, the first of which explaining why our suspect has been able to act with impunity. Aldera’s principal is the brother in law of Tsuji Renta, who I had the displeasure of meeting a few times in the past, as did you, All Might.”

“That name does ring a bell but where did I…” All Might started, his face scrunched up deep in thought before he started to look even more sickly than usual when it dawned on him. “The assistant of the Governor?!”

"Officially yes, unofficially his right hand man.” Nezu added before going further into detail. “Mr. Tsuji’s involvement explains the lack of consequences for principal Mutaguchi. He has connections to many local school boards within the prefecture and worse even to MEXT, undoubtedly enabling him to bury any complaints, prevent potential investigations and take care of any teachers causing trouble for Aldera or any other school this nebulous organization is involved in.”

“One school being run by horrible people like that is bad enough but the idea that there might be more… and even the Ministry of Education being compromised… I’m without words…” Ishiyama said, clearly hoping what he just learned wasn’t true.

“There’re almost certainly more schools influenced by those spooks out there. All this effort for just one shitty public school would hardly be worth it.” Maijima noted.

“That leaves the question, to what end?” Nemuri mused.

“Nefarious ends, that is for sure. These activities are undoubtedly part of a sophisticated long term strategy. That’s the only explanation I can think of for such a ploy that brings no immediate benefit.” Nezu remarked, causing an uncomfortable silence to take control of the room.

“Who was the second individual our suspect was in contact with?” Kan asked, breaking the silence and no doubt trying to distract everyone from the worst case scenario they were imagining.

“His handler. Unfortunately they are taking all the opsec guidelines very seriously, so I was not able to find out who they are. Most of the mails were them reprimanding Mutaguchi for breaking protocol and trying to reign him back in without success. Seeing that their last mail is over a year old it's safe to assume that they have put that cell under quarantine and are likely trying to have the loose ends tied up. I bet Tsuji is the only reason Mutaguchi and his cronies have not yet disappeared under mysterious circumstances, as he is likely higher in the food chain than this handler.” Shota explained.

“Which most likely means we don’t have much time to properly investigate them.” Nezu stated. “I’ll have to cash in quite a lot of favours and the HPSC needs to be informed too. As much as I personally dislike them, investigating government officials without their knowledge and permission would be very unwise. Their own investigation might also unearth more about this shadowy cabal, but either way I’m most concerned over what we stumbled here. Another villainous organization plotting against society from the shadows is the last thing we needed right now, while the League of Villains is still at large!”

That sentiment was certainly shared by Shota and the rest of U.A’s faculty but before another heavy silence could assert itself Nezu announced in a markedly more chipper tone. “Well, I suppose some good news is in order for a change and thankfully I’m able to provide! I have been able to talk with the parents of the involved students from last week’s incident and convinced them to allow me to personally handle Bakugou’s punishment instead of having to resort to expulsion!”

That was good news even if it paled in the face of the fact that they had another dangerous enemy lurking in the shadows. Shota was curious how Nezu has been able to convince the Midoriyas and the Bakugous, considering the latter family might share their son’s indignant response to the prospect of punishment in addition to the former’s justified anger over the perpetrator seemingly getting off the hook.

In response to Shota asking, Nezu answered. “Funnily enough Mrs. Midoriya and Mrs. Bakugou were very amicable to my proposal. It appears that both women share a quite strong friendship with each other which greatly helped with resolving the issue. Less pleasant, however, is the fact that Mrs. Midoriya’s experiences with Aldera’s staff has left her positively surprised that any action is being taken at all by us, which unsettled me until your report just now delivered answers, Aizawa. Likewise Mrs. Bakugou was very upset over what happened and was very eager to do anything she could to help correcting her son's behavior. From her statements I was able to infer that she was suspecting but never able to confirm her son being involved in any misbehavior, which we now know was because of their former middle school’s meddling.”

“So the families are close and Bakugou still ended up going after Midoriya like that? Damn, must have been rough for the parents to learn that their children are on bad terms that way…” Hizashi noted in a saddened fashion.

“Well, at least something is going our way for a change.” Snipe chimed in. “With that settled, what exactly are we going to do with Bakugou?”

“I’m still hashing out some of the details but in broad strokes young Bakugou will be spending most of his Heroics classes under my personal supervision.” Nezu started explaining. “He has already shown a far greater aptitude for combat than most of his peers and arguably some of the older students, so I think working on his glaring weaknesses would be a far better use of his time. Of course he’ll still be allowed to participate in any Heroics classes that deal with non combat related topics like rescue training, although I might have to pull him out of other classes to compensate on these days. I’ll make sure to properly update the lesson plans as soon as possible to keep you all informed.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea? Combat training is a big chunk of Heroics for a reason. We could risk stifling his growth, which would make him a far less effective Hero in the future.” Shota argued.

“It is a risk, yes, but one I’m willing to take. It should not prove to be too much of a problem, however, considering the talent for fighting he has displayed so far. Even if it does, a mediocre fighter who is a decent Hero apart from that is better than an exceptional fighter who is borderline villainous, at least in my opinion.” Nezu replied.

“What exactly do you plan to do with the boy during all those classes if you don’t mind me asking?” Nemuri inquired.

“That is where I’m still working out some details but for the beginning a few sessions with Hounddog would be helpful. Nobody here has more experience with how negatively the public can react to even the most minor outbursts of anger towards civilians no matter how justified they may have been.”

“Dammit! I hate having to recount those old stories!” U.A.’s guidance counsellor grumbled more to himself than anyone else.

“Having to recount one’s own mistakes is never pleasant but in this case they might help prevent someone else from committing even graver ones in the future. I also intend to dig up my old lectures on ethics from the time I was a guest speaker at the University of Tokyo. If it wasn’t for those pesky MEXT curriculum guidelines I would make them a regular part of our lesson plan! Taking a page out of All Might’s book and finding opportunities for Bakugou to do community service might also be a good idea in the long run. I can assure all of you that I will keep that boy very busy!” Nezu divulged.

“What about the summer training camp? Will Bakugou join or is this considered to be too combat focused as well? Quirk training, while certainly done with combat effectiveness in mind, also serves other vital purposes, so how is this going to be treated?” Vlad King asked.

“No, Bakuogu will not join 1-A and 1-B during the training camp.” Nezu clarified. “I am, however, inclined to engage in some Quirk training with him at U.A. while the rest of the hero course is away if he has shown satisfactory progress by that time. Breaking down the idea that strength is everything, which this boy has seemingly internalized thanks to Aldera’s indoctrination, is absolutely vital before we can allow him to engage in proper Quirk and combat training ever again.”

“I hope this works out the way you intend and makes Bakugou finally cool down. It would be a shame to let his fighting instincts go to waste. It takes most students a good chunk of their first year to get anywhere near the level he was at the entrance exam.” Shota noted.

“I’m not under the delusion that this is going to be easy but this course of action should lead to the best potential outcome. I’ll do everything I can to ensure this boy gets back on track.” Nezu proclaimed. “Before we adjourn this meeting there is one last point left to discuss, however.”

“While the Bakugous and Mrs. Midoriya were amicable to my plans, the last family I reached out to proved more… troublesome. The Jirous were quite displeased that the boy that caused their daughter so much pain would still be allowed to attend our school. While I was obviously able to address most of their concerns and convince them, I’m afraid this came at the cost of a great deal of respect that both parents, but especially the mother, held for our institution. As a result I decided that we should take care of some of the other concerns they voiced in hopes that resolving them will allow us to regain some of their trust.”

Turning to Power Loader, Nezu addressed the head of the support department. “When it comes to improving security to ensure incidents like the USJ won’t repeat themself, I’m confident the new upgrades for our security system will be well up to the task. Can you provide any estimates when the upgrades are going to be complete, Power Loader?”

“No,” was Maijimia’s terse reply. “Not at all. Mostly because someone tends to make more and more changes out of the blue that I then somehow need to integrate into our existing security system without talking to me first!”

“I see. I suppose that means we’ll need a proper meeting just between the two of us before the end of the week.” Nezu replied, causing Power Loader to groan and slam his face into the table in front of him.

Clearing his throat, Nezu continued. “The other big factor is the appearance of our staff lacking in professionalism. Mrs. Jirou was very vocal in her displeasure of and I quote ‘some no name Hero, that is looking like he was thrown out of several homeless shelters’ being allowed to teach…”

That caused some people in the room to snicker, especially Nemuri and Hizashi, which in turn made Shota seriously contemplate replacing the latter’s hair gel with super glue and adding some skin irritant to the latter’s moisturizer. They of all people should know by now how little tolerance he had for any hobo jokes!

“...Suffice to say she has a point. If even I can tell that you are looking shaggy and disheveled then something needs to change. I’d recommend you make whatever grooming routine you used in preparation for any press conferences we had in the past part of your daily routine. No journalist ever complained about you looking unprofessional at these occasions after all.”

“Oh my god! Does that mean we get to see handsome Shota as a regular thing now?! Emi is gonna lose her shit once she hears that!” Nemuri commented excitedly. 

“I’m afraid there was another much more serious complaint still. I can no longer in good conscience tolerate your habit of sleeping in class.” Nezu said, his tone taking on a serious edge he usually reserved for reprimanding someone. “You are spreading yourself too thin by working full time as a teacher and an underground Hero. If current trends continue it won’t be long before you become a serious liability both for the people that rely on you out in the field and your students who trust you for guidance. You have to take a long hard look at your current career and your aspirations for the future and make a choice. What is more important to you? Teaching the next generation or patrolling the streets? I’m not asking you to sacrifice anything here, I merely want you to reevaluate how you are allocating your limited time. You’ll help nobody by wearing yourself out the way you are doing now, so make sure you get sufficient rest at home . Did I make myself clear?” 

“Yes,” Shota answered laconicly, balling his hands into fists while working hard to remain calm and professional. Getting reprimanded like that in front of everybody because some ungrateful Karen had badmouthed him was unsurprisingly not how he liked spending his afternoon. He almost died protecting her daughter and in return that woman bitches about him, thinking she knows better how to train future Heroes than him!

It wouldn’t be of any use to try and argue with Nezu, the rodent has made his decision and those tend to be final. Thankfully there wasn’t any more opportunity to even try since the principal ended the meeting not that he had gone through all the points of the agenda head planned.

All that was left for Shota to do was go home and drop into his bed now. Whatever issues would arise from the more professional appearance that was required from him now would be the problem of his future self.

Shota Aizawa was very tired after all, and he had the ominous feeling that even a more ‘healthy’ sleep schedule won’t be able to fix that in the near future, not with all the headaches he had to deal with.

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Momo was determined to get answers.

The announcement that Bakugou’s suspension was about to end and that the student in question would join them in class again on Monday had caused mixed feelings to say the least. The majority of her classmates had reacted with caution and worry to the news. Certainly most had, like Momo, expected the abrasive blonde to be expelled after his despicable outburst. 

Momo had to concede, however, that she was very much biased in this matter. Izuku was a dear friend to her and seeing him treated like that had been very upsetting. Bakugou’s punishment being more lenient than she might prefer shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise under these circumstances. Still, the reactions from the rest of her classmates had made it clear to her that she had not been alone with her assessment. As class representative it was her duty to make the concerns of her peers heard and for that reason she was heading for the principal’s office after the last period for the day.

Principal Nezu could hopefully clarify the exact terms under which Bakugou has been permitted to attend school again. U.A.'s faculty certainly wouldn’t just brush over what the boy had done, not after she had seen the expression on Aizawa Sensei’s face when he had intervened on that day. For the sake of her own sanity and to give her classmates peace of mind she had to know what kind of punishment they had settled on, since the announcement had left out any details in this regard.

This was also a good opportunity to get to the bottom of other things. The reason for the U.A. faculty rejecting Izuku’s transfer request despite his stellar performance for instance. According to her green-haired friend his quirklessness had been the lynchpin for his rejection and Momo did not like at all what that implied. The principal owed her and by extension Izuku a proper explanation.

Arriving at the door to principal Nezu’s office, Momo stopped for a second and took a deep breath to steel her nerves. Her negative feelings may be justified but her acting rude and antagonistic would help no one. Her previous dealings with the principal have shown that he is a reasonable… mammal whose every move is deliberate. Surely he would be willing to share his reasoning to reassure his students.

Having achieved a proper state of mind for accomplishing what she had set out to do, Momo attempted to knock on the door. Attempt being the operative word here, since before her hand could connect with the door it suddenly slid open by itself.

“Ahhh, young Yaoyorozu, please come in! What can I do for you?” the principal said as he greeted her.

Blinking in surprise for a moment, Momo quickly recovered and explained after entering and bowing respectfully. “Good day principal Nezu, sir! I’m here on behalf of my class regarding some questions we have about the situation surrounding Bakugou. After we received the news today there was a palpable sense of unease. Bakugou’s actions in the past have reflected quite poorly on all of us despite some of us suffering from them too and I hoped you could clarify what your plans for him are, so I can put my classmates minds at ease.”

An understatement if she ever made one. Bakugou’s dismissive attitude towards their fellow students in the run up to the Sports Festival and especially his openly displayed arrogance at the opening ceremony harmed 1-A’s reputation among the students of their grade considerably. Even their sister class would likely share Monoma’s view on class 1-A if it wasn’t for Momo’s good rapport with Kendou and Kirishima’s friendship with Tetsutetsu. Convincing the other class representatives that Bakugou was the exception and not the rule had taken considerably more effort. The rest of the first years likely still judge her and her classmates by this bad example.

“I see. That is quite the serious topic, but I suppose I can share the broad strokes with you if it helps things go along in a smoother fashion.” the principal mused. “Please, take a seat! Would you like some tea?”

“Some tea would be lovely, thank you very much.” Momo said as she sat down and graciously accepted the offer. A soothing blend would be very welcome at this moment in time.

“Let me state right off the bat that young Bakugou is not getting off scot-free. While I elected to give him a second chance, based on his impressive performance both academically and in the Sports Festival, he is very much considered to be on probation from now on.”

“This still sounds surprisingly lenient. People might think he is getting special treatment.” Momo argued, proud of herself for sounding so neutral when she said that despite her misgivings.

“I suppose in a way he is getting special treatment. Not the kind people will envy him for, however. He won’t be joining you in your Heroics classes, except under special circumstances, until further notice. Instead I will personally instruct him during this time to ensure his behavioral issues are properly addressed.” The principal explained.

That came as a bit of a surprise for Momo. Their Heroics classes were the main thing which set the hero course apart from the other tracks, the remaining subjects in their curriculum being virtually the same as their peers. Unless Bakugou would get supplementary lessons to cover what he is missing out on, he’ll effectively be a general studies student. Considering how much stock the foul mouthed blonde put into his combat abilities and how much he relished demonstrating them, this had to be quite painful punishment.

“I see. Still, I can’t help but feel a little bit worried. Bakugou demonstrated a shocking disregard for the well being of his peers even before this outburst. His actions have shaken us deeply and I’m afraid few of my classmates are able to trust him not to lash out again. Neither am I as a matter of fact.” Momo explained, her tone growing a little harsher than she intended towards the end.

“Believe me when I tell you that I made myself eminently clear to the boy what the conditions for his continued attendance in my school are and what violating them will entail for him. I don’t believe in third chances. So, should there be any problems with his behavior going forward, please don’t hesitate to report them to me.” Nezu replied.

Momo was still feeling a bit skeptical. The principal may be a competent educator and last week had proven his small tolerance for misbehavior of any kind, but would some private lessons really be enough? Bakugou was clearly not well, addressing his superiority complex alone would likely require the concentrated efforts of a small army of therapists. Worse, taking care of any of the boy’s issues would only work if he himself was actually willing to do so. Considering Bakugou’s complete lack of remorse for any of his behavior, Momo doubted any long lasting improvement would be possible.

Any further inquiry into the principal’s plans for her classmate were unfortunately denied, since Nezu was unwilling to potentially reveal private information about a student just to assure the students of 1-A. As a result Momo started to pivot to the other topic she had intended to discuss.

“What about Midoriya? What steps have you taken to help him since he was the main victim of the incident?”

“Midoriya? Well, I did inform the boy that Hound Dog’s door is open for him anytime he might need it. I also reached out to his Mother and recommended a few exceptional therapists to her, I even offered to cover the costs. Quirkless children these days truly aren’t to be envied considering the treatment many receive from their peers, especially considering the… unsavory reputation some public schools in this area have when it comes to bullying.” Nezu said in response, in a way that suggested he believed that was all that needed to be done.

Momo’s mood soured at that. True, Izuku would certainly benefit from talking to a professional about his issues, but the bullying in his past had not been the reason for the problems he had been facing at U.A. recently. The green haired boy’s descent into depression as a result of the faculty rejecting his transfer request had been several orders of magnitudes worse for his well-being than Bakugou’s outburst and the fact that nobody apart from Mei had noticed anything being amiss did not reflect well on the school.

“Interesting that you brought him up. I understand why you would be concerned about his well-being considering your friendship with the boy, but why come to me for this when you can ask young Midoriya himself? Just speak freely Yaoyorozu, you don’t have to act under a false pretense if you want to talk about any topic with me. Considering your little speech to the boy on that day, I am fairly confident I already know what you want to ask.” Nezu stated confidently.

“How did you?... Oh, of course! Kayama Sensei reported it back to you.” Momo realized feeling a bit embarrassed over not realizing for a second how the principal knew about her words of encouragement to Izuku.

“Yes, that too, but mostly because of the cameras. Even before our recent upgrades all entrances and exits to the building were under surveillance. How do you think Midnight has been able to find you two so fast?” Nezu clarified.

“In that case please let me clarify that I’m not here under a false pretense. The concerns regarding Bakugou among class 1-A are genuine and I will relay what you told in hopes it might alleviate some of them. It is true, however, that I’m here to inquire about the reasons for the rejection of Midoriya’s transfer request. I hope we can both agree that his performance in the Sports Festival exceeded any expectations considerably. Surely there must be space in the hero course for somebody with his talents!” Momo argued.

“He most definitely has potential.” The principal started in response. “The faculty did consider his request fairly but ultimately, after much deliberation, decided to deny it. A decision that is final, which makes me wonder what you are trying to accomplish here.”

“I’m trying to understand principal Nezu, sir! He has proven his merit and I know for a fact that his character cannot be a point for his rejection either. That leaves only one possible explanation and I can’t say I like the implications of that one.” Momo explained.

“His quirklessness unfortunately was the deciding factor.” Nezu answered, his voice taking on a more sober tone. “Some members of the faculty had doubts if a Hero without a Quirk could be effective in the field even if he had a broad selection of support gear at his disposal. Ultimately, even if we had unanimously voted in favor, it wouldn’t have changed anything. I would have been forced to deny the request anyways.”

Unbelievable!

To think that U.A. the most prestigious Hero school in Japan if not the whole world would stoop to such lows! The school had even the gall to advertise itself as an open and inclusive place of learning when they denied a person a place in the hero course solely based on their Quirk or lack thereof! Shame on them!

Momo was glad now that she had spent a long time training to remain calm and composed even in very stressful situations because if a less… rational part of her mind had its way then the contents of her still half full cup of tea would have been… expelled right into principal Nezu’s face.

Suffice to say she was feeling rather upset at that moment.

“I’m starting to suspect you are interpreting this in a rather uncharitable way Yaoyorozu.” Principal Nezu said as he cut through the short silence that had befallen the office. “Let me tell you that neither me nor the rest of the faculty had been particularly happy about this turn of events. Believe me when I say that not being able to help a student fully realize his potential pains me. In Midoriya’s case however there are external reasons for forcing my hand. Political reasons.”

“Political?” Momo questioned, miraculously with only a fraction of the bile her currently flaring temper wanted to add. “With all due respect, principal Nezu, this sounds an awful lot like an excuse to obscure any unsavory bias that might be at work here!”

“While I do understand your outrage, you would do well to be careful with your accusations Miss Yaoyorozu.” Nezu warned. “I can assure you it's not just an excuse. Letting a quirkless student switch into the hero course would have complicated U.A.’s relationship with the HPSC considerably.”

“The HPSC? I’m sorry but I don’t see how they factor in on this matter. As far as I’m aware they are not involved with education apart from them organizing and overseeing the license exams. Why would this cause any trouble with them?” Momo asked, confused.

“To put it bluntly the Commission is opposed to the idea of a quirkless Hero and since they are the sole authority on who gets the required license they are also in the perfect position to make sure there never will be one.” Nezu explained to her.

“This is outrageous! Discrimination of this kind can’t possibly be legal!” Momo exclaimed, scandalized over hearing this.

“I’m afraid it is, mostly because the people in the Commission are smart enough to be subtle about it. To my knowledge they are exploiting the… tangled nature of Hero laws thanks to the rushed fashion that most of them had originally been written, when our country first set up the current system. The large amount of ambiguities and greyzones coupled with the large amount of leeway in interpreting and enforcing them, that their long lasting lobbying efforts in the Diet had granted them, means they can operate as they see fit on this matter.” Nezu illustrated to her.

“But why would they be so adamantly opposed? I see no logical reason for why there shouldn’t be a quirkless Hero! Plenty of Heroes already heavily rely on support equipment to cover for their Quirk’s limitations and weaknesses!” Momo argued indignantly.

“I wish I had a more in depth explanation but in my experience logic and rationality need not apply in places already dominated by dogmatism. Dogma being the one thing the HPSC has in abundance. A Dogma which demands to maintain ‘stability’ at all cost, resulting in them seeing any kind of change of or deviation from current norms as threats to be opposed. The fact that there never was a quirkless pro-Hero before will be reason enough for them to oppose the idea.”

These words truly sounded disheartening to Momo. She knew that getting Izuku the license would be a difficult task considering the lack of precedent, but the knowledge that the institution itself would actively oppose her efforts at every turn was a bitter pill to swallow.

“Be that as it may, it doesn’t really explain the reason for the rejection. Even if Midoriya is not eligible right now for a Hero license, laws and guidelines may change in the future, so why not let him join the hero course to properly train and prepare him now? The HPSC has no authority over U.A. or any other Hero school for that matter.” Momo contended, questioning why they should deny Izuku proper Hero training to appease an institution that had no recourse beyond denying him the certification he needed to start working as a Hero.

“I’m afraid things are not that simple. Thanks to prior ‘disagreements’ I had with members of the former and current leadership of the Commission, they will see letting a quirkless student into the hero course as an open declaration of war. As response U.A. will be the target of measures designed to inconvenience us and disrupt our operations. Messing with the scheduling of the licensing exams of our students hoping to graduate this school year for instance. These measures will continue to escalate until we either fall back in line or the president of the Commission decides to make an example out of U.A. and by going for the nuclear option.” Nezu expounded.

Momo didn’t like what she was hearing. The HPSC started to sound less like the civilian oversight institution it was supposed to be and more like a club of incredibly petty control freaks. She was certainly not looking forward, now, to having to work under their supervision once she graduates. Hopefully she would remember to invest in a larger than usual legal department once she had her own agency.

“The nuclear option being a lawsuit in which the Commission is going to argue that U.A. admitting a student into the hero course, who is not eligible for a Hero license, is equivalent to supporting vigilantism. This legal battle is likely going to drag on for years and will severely harm U.A.’s reputation no matter the outcome. Worst of all it would be a tremendous waste of time and resources which would be of better use fighting the League of Villains. I hope you understand now why I’m not willing to take this risk.” The principal concluded.

“So Midoriya is not worth taking any kind of risks for?” Momo noted bitterly, this time unable to keep all of the venom in check. “Yet Bakugou seems to be or are you trying to say your plans regarding his punishment are not risky? I can’t even begin to imagine what the public reaction would be if the families of any of the victims from his outburst would come forward complaining that he was being treated too leniently. I doubt that the kind of scandal the yellow press is going to spin out of this is going to be any less damaging to U.A.’s reputation than whatever the HPSC could do.”

“From a PR standpoint you might be right, having said that it is unfortunately not the lense through which I am judging this situation.” Nezu retorted.

“Then please enlighten me. What could potentially justify this double standard? The only explanation I see is, as you said, uncharitable.” Momo countered.

The principal sighed heavily before answering. “A Storm is coming, Miss Yaoyorozu. A tremendously large one. You should know, you and your classmates had to face the first gusts of wind it was sending forward.”

“Are you referring to the USJ incident and the League of Villains? I admit they made quite a stir but don’t you think you are being a bit dramatic? Villain groups surfacing and trying to gain notoriety through daring attacks is sadly not a new thing.”

“True, but they are different.” Nezu respondet immediately with a seriousness and intensity that surprised Momo.

“You are young and you have grown up in an era of peace and stability Japan hasn’t known since the dawn of Quirks, so I don’t blame you for not seeing the signs, but make no mistake the current rise in villain activity is no coincidence.” he continued intensely.

Taken aback Momo thought hard about what the principal could possibly mean with this cryptic statement before she addressed him in realization. “All Might! If I recall what some of my classmates said correctly, then Shigaraki was ranting and raving about All Might having supposedly grown weaker, which was likely the reason why he made the attempt. That being said, hasn't All Might’s sound defeat of that Nomu… creature proven this point wrong?” 

“You are on the right track and I hope it goes without saying that everything I’m about to tell you stays between us. I’d rather avoid worrying any more students than necessary with this knowledge.” Nezu confirmed as he swore her to secrecy.

“Ever since All Might announced his new position as Heroics teacher, rumors have been floating around about his imminent retirement. Not without good reason All Might is in his mid fifties, which is even among top Heroes considered to be way past one’s prime, after all. Most pro-Heroes that make it to this stage will have to grapple with the fact that their bodies and Quirks are likely no longer able to keep up with the demands, which this profession puts on them, for much longer. The only Heroes that stay in the industry their whole lives are unfortunately those that die in the line of duty. Everybody else will need an exit strategy eventually and All Might asked me to help him with his.” The principal explained.

“All Might really is going to retire?!” Momo exclaimed, shocked.

“Not anytime soon.” Nezu quickly assuaged her. “But someday he will. The overwhelming power of his Quirk seemingly still allows him to perform as he’s used to if his fight in the USJ is any indication. Still, All Might is no fool and he expects time to catch up with him eventually. Considering how much modern society relies on him to keep the peace, I hope I don’t have to tell you what his sudden departure from the scene would mean for our country.”

To say that this was an unpleasant thought would be an understatement! All Might was the undisputed number one Hero of Japan, if not the world, even though Endeavor had surpassed him in the sheer number of incidents resolved years ago. The Heroes of Japan would have to increase their collective efforts by at least multiple orders of magnitude to make up for All Might retiring! 

“To avoid the worst possible outcome from coming to pass, I hired him as a teacher at my school. His new duties are a convenient excuse for reducing his time spent on patrol, so he can save his strength for when it is truly needed, while at the same time helping to raise a new generation of Heroes to whom he can pass on his torch. If everything goes according to plan then society should have plenty of new pillars to rest on once All Might retires. Until then…”

…Until then society remains vulnerable. Yes, Momo understood perfectly well the argument her principal was delivering to her. The needs of the many are more important than the dreams of just one. Why risk estranging an ally that could prove vital in weathering the storm ahead just for the benefit of one boy? Sometimes sacrifices must be made, can’t save everyone after all! Life is not fair and sometimes you’re stuck in a situation where all you can do is make the choice that harms the least people and Izuku just happens to be the unfortunate soul that got the short end of the stick.

But Izuku will be fine! It’s not like he is at risk of falling into a deep depression like the one he was descending into when she first met him, which nobody apart from Mei seemed to have noticed. Surely a resourceful man like him won’t be starved of other lucrative career choices even if none of them are what he wants or deserves!

Having to hear the principal once again ask implicitly in his eloquent fashion why such risks should be taken for her friend, Momo finally lost patience and interrupted him with a firmly delivered, simple answer. “Because it’s the right thing to do!”

Taken aback by her statement Nezu remained stunned silent for a moment giving her the opportunity to continue. “I fully understand your argument and considering the large responsibilities you and All Might are shouldering it seems to be the smarter choice. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel that this is in violation of everything this institution stands for! How did All Might earn his status as the world’s greatest Hero? By carefully evaluating the odds of survival for every civilian in danger and abandoning those he deemed a waste of effort? NO! He always charged in regardless and tried saving everyone, the odds be damned!”

“Your idealism is admirable but it is an unfortunate fact of the world we live in, that we sometimes have no other choice but to make compromises. Again, it pains me that I have to deny young Midoriya the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions, in this case. It can’t be helped, I’m afraid.” Nezu said, sounding apologetic towards the end.

“You and the faculty have made your decision for better or worse.” Momo said as she started to stand up to leave. “This does not mean, however, that I have to abide by it! I intend to do everything I can to help Midoriya Izuku become the exceptional Hero he is meant to be! Can I expect permission to use U.A.’s facilities for helping him train or is the risk of the Commission taking umbrage with that too high as well?”

Shaking his head in amusement Nezu replied. “As principal I must warn you that what you are planning could potentially be a very bad idea and you’d do good to avoid antagonizing the HPSC. Still, as someone who used to rustle some feathers in the past, so to speak, all I’m going to do is urge you to be exceptionally careful in your endeavors and wish you good luck.”

“I’m not intimidated by them. I don’t have great responsibilities to worry about after all and my parents do have some of the best legal counsel in the country. Any potential legal battles won’t be one sided in their favor, I can assure you of that!” Momo countered.

“While you won’t be an easy target for sure, don’t underestimate the Commission's legal department either! An ongoing lawsuit about supposedly supporting vigilantism could potentially bar you from taking the licensing exam or if it happens after your graduation, lead to a temporary suspension of your license until the matter is resolved. Either way it could significantly delay your official entrance into Heroics if they decide to go that far.” Nezu warned.

While having her future career prospects harmed by the HPSC was not a pleasant thought, Momo nevertheless remained undaunted. Heroics has never been an attractive field for her because of the fame and fortune that were the potential rewards, far from it. The latter her family already had in abundance and she wouldn’t know what to do with the former anyways. Helping those less fortunate than her has always been her main goal.

“Regarding the use of U.A.’s training facilities, I can confirm that there shouldn’t be any issues. With the exception of a handful of gyms, which are exclusively reserved for the second and third year hero course students, everyone is welcome to make use of the resources we have on campus. As long as you follow the rules and guidelines for reserving a training spot, everything should be fine. Even so I would still recommend you do your little extracurricular training sessions under the guise of equipment tests. We do want to avoid setting off any potential alarm bells too soon in case there’s a surprise inspection, don’t we?” The principal continued.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” She answered, grateful that she would receive some form of support at the very least. Finding a proper training venue could have been quite a hassle. Following the principal’s advice won’t be an issue either since technically it wouldn’t even be a lie. Not just because Izuku would need equipment for his training, Mei would almost certainly use these opportunities to do some actual equipment tests for whatever gadgets she has cooked up for their shared friend. Any training plans would have to wait until next semester, however, she just didn’t have the time to get started right now. At least she could use the delay to prepare a proper training plan for him over the summer.

“With that I have to take my leave. Thank you for the tea and being open with me principal Nezu, even if I can’t say that I’m pleased with everything I heard. The information you provided me regarding Bakugou should be sufficient to reassure my classmates. I sincerely hope the risk you are taking with him will pay off not just for the sake of U.A.’s reputation but also for the sake of his potential future victims should you fail.” Momo said, bowing once again politely.

“Goodbye Miss Yaoyorozu! Please rest assured that I will make sure young Bakugou will get back on track! As for young Midoriya, I sincerely hope both of your efforts bear fruit. Don't get discouraged if progress is slow, always remember it’s little strokes that eventually fell big oaks!” Nezu said to see her off, his voice back to sounding more chipper and friendlier as it usually was when he engaged his students.

Shortly afterwards Momo finally left the principal’s office and made her way towards the support department to finish her day in company of her two friends from the support course. Still, she couldn’t keep her mind from what she heard today.

Her respect for the principal and U.A. as a whole had certainly taken a hit. No matter how justified his reasons may be, Nezu rejecting Izuku to appease the HPSC did not sit right with her. As useful as their resources may be to help maintain stability in the transition phase of Nezu’s and All Might’s plan, she couldn’t help but think it was the wrong call.

The Hero Public Safety Commission was one of Japan’s most controversial government institutions thanks to the wide array of privileges and power they wielded beyond their original purpose of overseeing and providing accountability for the country's Hero system. Considering how Nezu had described the Commission in their discussion, it was safe to assume that he considered all the mistrust and controversy as warranted. How could he view them as reliable allies under these circumstances? Were they that desperate?

The thing that had irked Momo the most however had been the entire spiel where Nezu likened the situation to some variation of the trolley problem. Maybe it was Momo’s personal bias at work here but sacrificing Izuku for the needs of the many didn’t sit right with her, especially since the threats, for which the Commission’s assistance might be required, are for the most part just hypothetical in nature.

It also didn’t help the matter that Momo considered only one answer to the trolley problem acceptable for a Hero. Instead of playing moral calculus and judging who gets to live or die a Hero should always opt for stopping the trolley altogether no matter what the odds are.

Momo was perfectly aware that even All Might can’t save everybody. Yet, could she, or anybody else for that matter, truly call themselves a Hero if they are not trying to at the very least?

Midoriya Izuku couldn’t help but feel a little bit melancholic today.

With good reason since any minute now the last session in the workshop, that he and Mei would have together with Yaoyorozu, was about to start. It would also be a shorter one than usual since the hero course student had told them she needed something from the principal before she could join them.

As much of a shame that this was the rapidly approaching end of term exams would occupy all of their available time going forward, especially his. Unlike his two friends, who were certified geniuses, Izuku’s grades were not the result of any inherent intelligence on his part. He would need to work hard studying to keep up, especially if he intended to continue development on Yaoyorozu’s gear and costume on the side.

Granted, the girls didn’t have it much easier either. For all her brilliance Mei could be an awful, for her standards, student in subjects that weren’t catching her attention. History and especially modern literature are topics Mei occasionally struggled with. Hopefully heeding his advice of asking Cementoss Sensei after school for some pointers before Yaoyorozu shows up would help her. She should be fine either way though considering she never got worse than an average grade in these subjects.

Yaoyorozu probably won’t have any issues with the written exams. The practical exam the hero course students had to go through was a different story though. He knew he would be worried sick about this were he in her shoes mostly because there was almost no concrete information on what the practical would entail. There were some rumors based mostly on comments from the second years that the exam would be a combat exercise against training robots not unlike the entrance exam, although Izuku highly doubted this would be the case.

The end of term exams are supposed to test you on everything you learned during the semester. Rehashing the entrance exam with some minor modifications sounded too half-assed in his opinion. Also, a combat focused exam was unlikely to be a big obstacle for class 1-A, considering the experience they gathered at the USJ and their following dominance of the Sports Festival. No, challenging students with that much combat experience would require a different approach. Something that would test their ability to plan and make decisions under pressure as much as their fighting prowess maybe?

Whatever it might be in the end Yaoyorozu would be too busy preparing for it going forward. Which would mean no more sessions in the workshop until the start of the next semester. Izuku sincerely hoped that wouldn’t mean that he would have to wait till fall to see his raven-haired friend again, however. Even if he and Mei would be busy with their summer job and Yaoyorozu would attend training camp sometime during the summer, they surely would be able to find a few opportunities in their schedules to meet up and… just… hangout with each other, right?

Although that would lead to the question of what they would do. It has been a long time since Izuku last hung out with anything resembling friends so his ideas of possible activities were a bit… outdated. The fact that said friends also just happened to be very pretty girls complicated things further. He really hoped they would have suggestions because if they ever asked him where to go during summer he would have nothi…

Before finishing his thought Izuku received a sudden burst of inspiration. Whether this was the result of infernal temptation or just a misfiring neuron allowing his hormones to get the better of him he did not know. Either way he was hit with an idea and a series of mental images.

THE BEACH.

His bikini clad friends frolicking in the shallow water, their barely contained curves swaying and jiggling as they moved around.

Both of them lying on their bellies as sunscreen is reapplied to their backs by him with them sweetly cooing as their soft and supple skin yields under his touch.

Walking through the sand with icecream in their hands, soft hums of enjoyment in his ears as they sensually lick at their frozen treats, until some of it drips into their cleava…

Almost as fast as this train of thought had appeared Izuku ripped himself away from it, cursing his imagination for the lewd direction it had taken. Even with how gorgeous they were looking, there was no excuse for fantasizing about them like that!

Desperately trying to redirect his mind, Izuku returned to the practical exam Yaoyorozu would have to face and his worries of what it would have in store for her. As well trained as she may be, her physical fighting strength was still limited to that of a teenage girl, which left her very vulnerable to overwhelming force. Sure, her Quirk could theoretically allow her to turn any situation around in her favor but her struggles with doing so fast enough under combat conditions is precisely the reason she had ordered gear from him! It was such a shame that with how things were going, getting at least the gauntlets finished in time for the exams won’t be possible…

The sound of the doors opening ripped Izuku from his thoughts, as he turned his head toward the entrance, expecting to see either of his friends entering the workshop. Instead he was treated to the sight of a different girl entering, which filled him with an immediate sense of dread. Said black-haired girl spotting him and wordlessly approaching him sent his mind racing once again.

What was Chibana doing here now? To his knowledge, she had already finished all of her projects for the semester, so there was no logical reason for her to be here today. The presence of a malicious glint in her eyes, which he recognized thanks to his experiences during his Aldera days, clued him in that whatever she wanted, it would not be pleasant.

“Ahhh! Midoriya! You’re still here. Good! I feared you stopped doing your little after school work now that the exams are getting close.” His classmate said doing a reasonably good job at coming off as casual and nonchalant.

“He-Hello Chibana-san! Well, you are lucky this uhm… is kinda the last time I planned on staying late. Wh-Why are you staying? I thought you were done with your projects already.” Izuku replied, sweating nervously.

“True, I'm done and have everything ready to be submitted. What I’m here for is your little pet projects.” the girl said ominously.

That profoundly confused Izuku. Chibana usually shows little interest in what her fellow support students are working on. The girl views herself as the person destined to revolutionize Hero fashion in the future and she considers getting advice or input from others as beneath a visionary like her. 

He certainly respected her for her ambitions, it would be pretty hypocritical of him to criticize someone for having lofty goals after all. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that Chibana had neither anywhere near the amount of talent nor the drive and work ethic required to ever achieve her goals.

Chibana’s work, or at least what Izuku has seen of it, made it pretty obvious why Mei in particular hated the girl. From an aesthetic standpoint Chibana was doing fine, her designs were usually quite bold and eye-catching. Unfortunately they also tended to be woefully impractical. Form over function was the girl’s design philosophy and everytime she received criticism specifically for that, even from Power Loader Sensei himself, she just shrugged it off as people being unable to understand her genius.

Unfortunately for everyone Chibana’s ability to brush off everything that contradicted her lofty picture of herself had limits. Everytime she gets, as Mei likes to put it, brought back to reality some unfortunate soul, which Chibana felt undeservedly overshadowed by, would get to find out how nasty the girl and her clique of friends could be. With him having consistently scored higher grades than her and his performance in the Sports Festival, Izuku had good reason to fear that he was about to be her most recent target.

“Yes I know, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t care what you and the gremlin are up to after school…”

Izuku balled his hands into fists at that. He didn’t care what Chibana and her pack of hyenas thought or said about him, he had gone through way worse at Aldera, but her insulting comments about Mei were already wearing his patience thin!

“...but hearing about you effectively getting a client from the hero course forced me to act. Let me be frank, a plebeian like you is beneath someone like Yaoyorozu Momo. Honestly, you are not even worthy of breathing the same air as her let alone work on her costume! I had no idea how she got the idea to turn to you of all people until I witnessed that little spectacle between you and the last person who’s coattails you tried to ride. I’m kinda disappointed in myself for not realizing it sooner, it’s so obvious in hindsight!”

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“You’re blackmailing her, you creep!” Chibana spat. “You probably had your pet lunatic send a camera drone into the girls changing room to get some nudes of Yaoyorozu or something like that. Here’s what’s gonna happen, you hand over your blackmail material and leave Yaoyorozu alone from now on or I’m gonna make your life a living hell! Think you’re a social pariah now? Once I’m done, the treatment Bakugou gave you in the cafeteria will be how everyone is gonna act everytime you dare to show your face!”

“Have you lost your mind?! I’m not blackmailing her! She’s my friend!” Izuku yelled in response, utterly shocked at the accusation.

“HA! As if someone as refined and sophisticated as Yaoyorozu would ever willingly associate with vulgar commoners like you and that crazy Hatsume bitch! You sound almost as delusional as that pink-haired freak!” Chibana jeered.

“How would you know? Have you ever actually talked to Yaoyorozu? She is not at all like the unapproachable princess you imagine her as! She is very kind and friendly to everyone! The reason she came to me for her equipment is because she was impressed with me during the Sports Festival. Nothing else!” Izuku defended himself fiercely. “Also, please stop antagonizing Mei! For all her faults she is at least trying to be civil! Mei would be perfectly fine with ignoring you and moving on with her life, but she can’t if you keep picking on her every opportunity you get! Like it or not we are classmates for the next three years, so it would be best for everybody if you stop being at each other's throats.”

“I’ll stop calling Hatsume out for what she is when she stops being proud of being a walking disaster area!” Chibana hissed. “Also, cut the bullshit! You seriously want me to believe one of the most popular members of the hero course was interested in your work after watching you get blown up by your own equipment? There’s no way anybody would ever think your jumbled together trash would be good enough, especially not Yaoyorozu!”

Despite his anger from getting accused like that Izuku unfortunately had to agree with his classmate on that matter. He wasn’t good enough, he was just a first year after all. There was no way that his limited skills would ever allow him to make anything near the level of quality Yaoyorozu would deserve. Despite all the help he was getting the results would turn out mediocre or deeply flawed at best. He feared that no matter how hard he tried he would inevitably fail to live up to the trust Yaoyorozu had put in him. Still, he was determined to see it through, he owed it to the hero course student for how kind she had been to him!

“Why so silent all of a sudden? No more unconvincing lies to defend yourself? Don’t test me, Midoriya! I don’t need the teachers to make you regret your tricks to get ahead of the competition! Hand over your blackmail material and make way so someone with actual talent can take care of Yaoyorozu’s new costume! Final warning!” Chibana barked at him.

So that was the reason why the girl charged in here with those ridiculous accusations! She was jealous of him! Chibana viewed herself as the foremost expert in costume design yet it was him that got the chance to design one for a Hero in training before anyone else. No wonder she was so furious with him now!

The fact that Chibana had been able to delude herself into thinking he could do something so horrible as coercing Yaoyorozu into letting him work on her equipment was very concerning, however. He would have to calm the girl down before…

Oh God…

HOLY FUCKING CRAP!

Mei could be back any fucking second now and if she would see or hear what was going on here right now she would go ballistic! Which would be very bad considering this was the support workshop where lots of dangerous power tools were lying around. Also, an impossible to determine amount of potentially weapon grade babies Mei could use to ‘accidentally’ cause U.A.’s first workshop fatality in… like ever. He had to calm down his unpleasant classmate and get them to leave quickly or their very live might be in danger!

Realizing his sudden panic, Chibana sneered at him. “Is it finally sinking in? Good! You should have known your misdeeds would catch up with you sooner or later!”

“May I inquire what any of these misdeeds might be? This sounds like a big misunderstanding which I’ll gladly sort out,” a new voice called out.

Turning towards the door, Izuku was filled with a great sense of relief as he saw that Yaoyorozu had just entered. If there was someone that could make his delusional classmate see reason and avert Mei induced pandemonium then it was her!

“Yaoyorozu-san! What a pleasant surprise! You’re just in time to witness me putting an end to that living nightmare this miscreant has put you in!”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow. Izuku, would you kindly explain what is going on?” Yaoyorozu asked, making the other girl flinch in surprise.

“Chibana-san here thinks I’m blackmailing you and…” Izuku tried to explain.

“I don’t think you are forcing her, I know!” Chibana interrupted. “You don’t have to pretend and defend him anymore Yaoyorozu-san! I’ll make sure he’ll never bother you ever again!”

“Wha… what in the world makes you think such a horrible thing?!” the hero course girl asked, completely aghast at what she was hearing. “I’m here on my own volition! Izuku would never stoop to such appalling lows!”

Now it was seemingly Chibana’s turn to be shocked. The girl had definitely not expected Yaoyorozu to back him up. Izuku could understand why a unremarkable guy like him being friends with someone as amazing as Yaoyorozu was hard to believe, hell, he himself still caught himself wondering whether all of this was just a dream his comatose self was having. Still, it saddened him to learn that there were plenty of other people beside his former childhood friend that despised him so much that they would assume the worst about him.

“Chibana-san, you are from class 1-H too I presume?” Yaoyorozu inquired after she calmed herself down from the initial shock.

“Ye-yes! I guess my reputation precedes me. Would you like to see some of my…” Chibana started out almost giving Izuku whiplash from how fast her demeanor had changed from shocked silence to excited enthusiasm.

Silencing the other girl again by raising her hand, Yaoyorozu continued while her eyes visibly narrowed. “So, you should know just from proximity alone how ridiculous your claims are! Would you care to elaborate on what it was that convinced you into making these serious accusations?”

Looking noticeably paler than before the other girl stammered out her response. “Uhm… I… kinda… heard some… rumors.”

“Rumors? You don’t happen to remember who you heard those from?” Yaoyorozu immediately followed up.

“N-no. I just overheard them in the hallways recently.” Chibana answered in an awfully nervous fashion. “B-but I mean… come on! Just look at him! What could a nobody like him ever have, other than some form of leverage, that would make a recommended student want to spend time with them?!”

“Plenty.” Yaoyorozu immediately countered, saying it in an nonchalant way like she had just explained something painfully obvious. “Izuku’s exceptional fighting prowess and equipment are the reasons I sought him out initially but after getting to know him I started enjoying his company for its own sake. Same applies for Mei. I don’t see why our difference in status should be an obstacle to our friendship, we are all just students after all. I can tell you with confidence that the overwhelming majority of hero course students would not be opposed to fraternizing with people from the other tracks. You should keep in mind not to fling around baseless accusations if you want to try and befriend some of them, however. Those tend to make for poor first impressions.”

“See? I didn’t do anything wrong! Is there anything else you wanted Chibana-san? If not then would you please leave now? I need to finish preparing.” Izuku said, trying and failing not to feel a sense of satisfaction at seeing his uninvited classmate’s delusions shattered by his raven-haired friend. He had suffered more than enough unwarranted blame recently, thank you very much!

“There actually is something I still need, if you don’t mind Chibana-san.” Yaoyorozu interjected before the other girl could leave. “Your reputation did precede you but not in the way you would prefer, I’m afraid. I have been looking into some truly despicable rumors that have been floating around the school and you seem to be the only commonality between all of them. That means you are likely either the source or someone really close to it.”

“Wha-what?! No, I didn't come up with them! They are just some stupid gossip anyways so why would you care?” Chibana defended herself in an uncharacteristically panicked fashion.

“I disagree. Some of those rumors are truly disgusting in nature and thankfully my fellow class representatives agreed when I broached the topic during the last student council meeting. Maruyama-san from 2-C in particular took great umbrage to the rumors concerning Mei and the unsavory prejudices against the neurodivergent they contain. She has a little sister who is on the spectrum, you see, which makes her quite determined to ensure the responsible parties face consequences.” Yaoyorozu explained, with her arms crossed in front of herself while leveling an intense glare at the other girl which came pretty close to the very intimidating ones her Mother could use.

“Please inform anyone who is spreading these rumors of this, so that eventually word is going to reach the perpetrators. If they are smart they’ll hopefully stop their rumor mongering and start praying Maruyama-san never finds any concrete evidence for their misdeeds. Or me for that matter. I do not take kindly to people smearing the reputation of my friends!” The hero course student concluded.

Seeing as Chibana’s face has now started looking awfully sweaty in addition to being paler than usual, Izuku didn’t like the implications. He knew the girl was a gossip hen but the fact that she might have anything to do with the really ugly ones that were floating around was a low even he would not have expected from her. He certainly did not appreciate what people were whispering about Mei thanks to those rumors!

Thankfully, the uninvited girl quickly bid her farewells and left, sparing him to deal with her presence any longer. Izuku could relax now, thankful of level-headed Yaoyorozu showing up in time to defuse the situation. Chibana had clearly already decided that he was guilty and nothing he could have said or done would have been able to convince her otherwise.

“Unbelievable!” Yaoyorozu said after letting out a heavy sigh. “How can a classmate of yours believe that you could be capable of such acts? She should have a better picture of your character, since she sees you everyday!”

“Yeah, no idea how she got that into her head. I’m just glad you showed up, Yaoyorozu. I don’t think I would have been able to talk her down and get her to leave before Mei showed up. That could have gone really bad really fast because… well, let’s just say those two don’t mix really well.” Izuku responded, while scratching the back of his head to work off the remaining nervous energy.

“Oh dear, are they really on such bad terms? I hoped Mei’s rants on that ominous 14-chan were exaggerated.” Yaoyorozu asked, the concern palpable in her voice.

“I’m honestly not quite sure myself but I’m not gonna sit idly by and let things escalate if I can help it. I don’t want Mei to get into any trouble because her temper got the better of her, especially not when it’s to defend me.” He replied.

“While I agree that escalation should be avoided it doesn’t mean you should just put up with treatment like that. You are a good and upstanding person, Izuku, you don’t deserve to be treated that way!” Yaoyorozu said.

“I know. Wish more people would see it that way. Anyways, thanks again Yaoyorozu!”

“Please call me Momo...”

“Ehhh?!” was all he got out of his mouth as he looked at her in surprise.

“...or Yaomomo if you prefer. That’s what pretty much all of my friends call me and I think we are way past acting so formal around each other, don’t you agree?” the girl said, with her cheeks slightly flush with color.

“O-okay, Yaoyo-momo… Yaomomo!” he stammered out his cheeks feeling hotter than they have ever been in his memory.

All that she did in response was send him a smile. A warm and gentle smile that did little to alleviate his spiking pulse. How could he calm down now? This was the THIRD TIME a girl had explicitly asked him to call her by her first name! Mei had been an anomaly, Mina was just a coincidence, but Momo… Momo had just made it a trend! 

Ever since his diagnosis Izuku has only ever gotten two kinds of reactions from girls his age. Cold indifference or disgusted contempt. It had taken him a while to accept that there were girls out there that would like to be friends with him, but someone as proper and polite as his raven-haired friend feeling so comfortable around him that she wanted to fully drop formalities? He would have never dared dreaming something like that being even remotely possible not that long ago!

Izuku tried to rip himself away from the feelings bubbling up inside of him and the radiant smile that, no doubt, would remain burned into his memory until he would commit it to paper in his newest private sketch. Mei could return any moment and there were still preparations to be done before they could start their last workshop session in earnest. 

He had to make this session count after all, they likely won’t get an opportunity until the start of the next semester after all.

Hatsume Mei was in a hurry.

Getting some advice from Cementoss Sensei had taken a lot longer than she would have liked! Granted she only had herself to blame, she had kinda started slacking off in modern literature, history and every other subject that was closer to the humanities than the natural sciences recently.

In her defense all that time she could have spent better keeping up with those boooorrring classes had been used for vitally important things! Like figuring out Izuku’s deal and helping him get better. Efforts that thanks to Yaomomo’s support seemed to have been starting to bear fruits! Which meant it had been time well spent! Well, mostly. A forty-sixty split at least!

At the very least Mei didn’t have to worry about failing, since struggling in her case only meant that she didn’t get an easy A or B. Still, her pride demanded she do the best she can to improve on her grades in the midterms. What would be the fucking point of attendeing U.A. if you were just gonna half-ass your education there anyways?

The teacher’s advice had thankfully been helpful and Mei’s issues regarding history shouldn’t be a big obstacle either. The only exam relevant topic that was troubling her was the damn dark age! Mostly because her preferred method of memorizing historical facts via famous inventors and groundbreaking innovations didn’t work for this era at all. The turmoil of this time had led pretty much to the full collapse of the international scientific community which left her with barely any points of interest to work with. 

This was in stark contrast to the age of industrialisation, her absolute favorite time in history, especially the nineteenth century! By now she could list all the relevant names and inventions by heart, the same way Izuku could list you all of the top five hundred pro-Heroes of Japan and the world! 

Arriving at the door to her favorite place in the school, Mei banished any thoughts of looming exams and instead focused on the fun time with her two best friends ahead of her.

To her surprise Yaomomo had arrived before her and had seemingly helped Izuku with setting their stuff up, since the hero course student had just placed a box on Izuku’s workbench. How nice of her! It did serve as an unwelcome reminder of how much time it had taken her to finish her business and come here, however. Also, it made her wonder, cause she could have sworn that her green-haired friend should have been able to finish preparations on his own, they were not needing that much stuff after all. Was he interrupted or has Yaomomo just been that early, despite announcing she might take longer before showing up today?

Ehh, whatever!

“Hey, guys! I see you finished setting everything up already! So what's on the agenda today?” Mei asked as she called them out in greeting.

“Ohh, hi Mei! Uhm I think we did not finish the work on the new cooling system last time…” Izuku started in response.

Ohh… yeah… that’s definitely gonna keep them busy all day. As clever as the new design is, installing it properly is gonna take lots of difficult, finicky work. Very important, difficult, finicky work though, considering how the slapdash nature of the 1.0 power gauntlet’s cooling system is kinda the reason why Izuku spent most of the fighting tournament in the infirmary.

“...but since it’s the last time this semester that we’re here together I thought we should show Ya-Yaomomo the prototype of the visor we made. Where did you put it, Mei?” her classmate finished.

Thank god! Not that Mei would mind if they finished the cooling system but that really isn’t the kind of job you’d need three people for. If they had elected to do that, then it would have ended up with two of them having to watch over the shoulder of whoever was soldering the thing together while they work, which would have been kinda boring. Thankfully Izuku had come in clutch with a way better idea!

“Good idea! I’ll get it! You’re gonna love that one Yaomomo!” Mei said excitedly, before running off to get the super cute baby she had made for the tall girl's future costume. “I’m gonna get the sensors for the warning system too!”

Rummaging through the boxes she used to store her babies, she quickly found the items in question and brought them to her friends. Yaoyorozu wasted no time inspecting the visor that looked like a fusion of skiing goggles and a military headset, while Mei started explaining. “It’s obviously just a prototype to serve as a proof of concept, so if you’re worried about how it looks, don’t worry I should be able to change it so it will match the aesthetic of your new costume once you and Izuku have settled on that.”

“I see. So what exactly does this creation of yours do apart from the obvious? For communication purposes a simple earpiece would have been more than sufficient after all.”

“The visor has an integrated head up display, GPS, a map of your area based on publicly available satellite data, a digital version of your Yaoyorictionary and the ability to display video feeds. I’ve got a few drone designs that would work well for recon and should be compatible with the visor. If you want I could also whip up a small body cam and some tracking devices for your future sidekicks and allies. That way you could keep better track of them during larger operations!” Mei enthusiastically went into detail.

“In short you jammed as much functionality of a complete command and control suite in that visor as possible? I suppose that would provide quite useful utility. Even so, I’m a bit worried about ease of use. There is only so much space on the earphones for buttons and I doubt I’ll be able to fumble my way through several submenus in the heat of a fight.” Yaomomo voiced her concerns.

“Weeeeelll, if you had something like a wrist mounted computer then…”

“Mei,” Izuku interrupted. “Please, don’t start that discussion again.”

“Fiiiiiineeee,” Mei pouted. “I’ll see what I can do regarding usability. Whipping up an app for your phone to help with the controls shouldn’t be too much of an issue either. You’re worrying too much, though. Most of the more advanced commands aren’t really useful if you’re engaged in a fight yourself.”

“Still, it won’t hurt if you double check if there is room for improvement. Is that all?” Yaomomo replied.

“No!” Mei answered immediately. “Take a look at these babies! I showed them to your Dad during our interview!”

Taking a closer look at the small objects that were handed to her, Yaomomo mused about their purpose. “You said something about a warning system earlier, right? I suppose that means these are meant to be sensor devices of some sort or am I wrong?”

“Yep. These sensors are meant to detect movement, incoming attacks and projectiles outside your field of vision. You remember the backpack I used in my match with the speedy guy? I used the predecessors of those in that baby! If we place them on your new costume and link them with the visor you should have an easier time dodging attacks since you’ll get early warning. Your choice whether you want the warning indicator to be visual, audible or both.” Mei explained.

“Ahhh, I remember! Iida-san wasn’t able to touch you at all! I do believe, however, that this had more to do with the fast reaction time of the computer that controlled those retractable poles your backpack was extending to push you out of harm's way.” Yaomomo pondered.

“Yeah my baby was doing pretty much all the work for me, but still the sensors and the software that detected the attacks and correctly anticipated the trajectories are still gonna be useful, right?”

“Also, it’s a pretty small addition to your costume, with a lot of potential benefit Yaomomo. I don’t think I’ll have many issues finding spots to fit those tiny sensors on your costume.” Izuku helpfully chimed in.

“I reckon you two are right. Still, I think some tests are in order, since I believe these sensors require the right placement to achieve optimal coverage, do they not?” The raven-haired girl suggested.

“We should definitely do that. You did mention that the backpack had more than just three sensors, didn't you Mei?” Izuku asked for clarification.

“Yup! We definitely should double check how different placements affect the system's efficiency! I’m gonna set up diagnostics, will you get Yaomomo something to fix the sensors on meanwhile, Izuku?” Mei said in response, already halfway there to get her equipment.

With that the three students started their series of tests mainly by having Izuku and Mei throw tennis balls to each other or directly at Yaomomo, who was standing in between them while wearing the visor and the sensors. They did lose some valuable time, though, because Mei’s friends insisted on first putting away any objects that could be potentially dangerous if hit by a stray tennis ball.

The results of their tests did not surprise Mei in the least. She had done extensive testing on the predecessors of this particular baby after all. Still, they were able to learn the best placement to gain optimal coverage and even a few good positions for some additional sensors to add some redundancy to the system.

Yaomomo herself would definitely need some time to train with this gear and tweak the settings to her liking, though. She herself had admitted to taking too long to properly react to the warnings, but that was to be expected. Fine tuning specialized equipment like that always took some trial and error. Mei herself had received countless bruises doing exactly that with her gear in preparation for the Festival and the less is said about Izuku’s visits to Recovery Girl during his own preparations the better.

With those tests out of the way Izuku proceeded to show them another set of design sketches he had prepared. He even had a potential solution for the protection versus Quirk access dilemma, at least in one area. Inspired by some things he found online while researching historical armor designs, Izuku suggested to Yaomomo that wearing an armored skirt, faulds or tassets would be a good idea. That way her thighs would be protected without denying her Quirk access to this part of her body.

Yaomomo did not seem entirely convinced, though she did admit that Izuku’s designs looked intriguing. The tall girl once again voiced her opinion that heavy armor would slow her down too much so faulds were likely a bad idea. She also added that while Izuku’s assumption that she wasn’t using kicks in her current fighting style, was correct, this could potentially change once she could get to testing out the power boots they were making. If Yaomomo did decide that using the boot’s repulsors for kicks was a viable option then a skirt would likely get in the way too much.

Mei could certainly see why Yaomomo wanted to try how well kicks would work out for her. The raven-haired girl had really nice long legs that would give her a lot more reach than her fists. Using the boots to launch you forwards, kick the enemy and immediately fire off another blast with the leg you used for kicking to add further damage and propel yourself backwards to disengage at the same time, looked like it could be a useful combo. Izuku warned, however, that he never designed the controls of the boots to pull off maneuvers like that which meant it would likely be very difficult to do.

Izuku’s other suggestions were less contested, allowing the three to actually make headway in the design of the new costume. Ok, finishing up the legs, arms and the belt was not much progress but progress nonetheless!

Eventually they finished working through the last sketch the green-haired had prepared, leading them to the moment Mei had been dreading all day.

Finishing up their last session in the workshop for a good long while.

“I guess it’s getting pretty late, we should better wrap it up now.” Izuku said much to Mei’s internal dismay.

“Oh gosh! You’re right! Time sure does fly every time we are here!” Yaomomo responded as she checked the time with her phone.

“Yeah, but I just wish we could have made more progress.” Izuku added.

“It can’t be helped I suppose, this project is beyond what first years are intended to do, so I don’t blame either of you for progress being slow. As far as I’m concerned we are making good time, all things considered.” Yaomomo said to both Izuku and Mei with a friendly smile.

“I just hoped that we could have finished the gauntlets and the boots in time for the practical exam.” Izuku lamented with a weary sigh.

“I’ll manage, don’t you worry! Even if we have not yet produced anything tangible yet, I still greatly enjoyed our time working together! While we might not be able to schedule another session until the beginning of next term, that doesn’t mean we can’t see each other over the course of the summer! Would you be interested in visiting the I-Expo together?” Their mutual friend asked them.

“HOLY SHIT! ARE you for REAL?!” Mei yelled as she all but exploded out of excitement, her growing melancholic feelings momentarily forgotten.

“Yes, I am. My Father is going there on behalf of YST to negotiate about acquiring the licenses to use their technology for future products.” Yaomomo started explaining. “Considering the fact that my parents are among the most important suppliers for I-Island, the success of these negotiations is pretty much a foregone conclusion, so Father asked me if I wanted to invite some friends for a fun weekend at the Expo. Would you like to come?”

“Wow, this is… incredible! This is such a great opportunity! Yes, I would definitely love to come! Thank you very much!” Izuku answered, while Mei was too busy squealing in joy and excitedly jumping up and down.

“We’re going to I-Island! WE’RE GOING TO I-ISLAND!” Mei yelled euphorically before pouncing her beautiful tall friend and pulling her into a tight hug. “This is going to be AMAZING! Thank you! Thank you SOOO MUCH!”

“I’m happy to hear that and believe me I’m looking forward to it too! I’m going to ask a few of my friends in my class if they are interested as well. Either way I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful time! Of course this doesn’t have to be the only occasion we meet during summer! After I return from training camp I’ll gladly partake in any opportunity for a friendly outing our busy schedules allow, so feel free to contact me.” Yaomomo exclaimed as she enthusiastically returned Mei’s hug.

“You should come visit us once while we’re working for YST! Maybe we can have a session there and get some more work done!” Mei suggested, still running high on excitement.

“While Father would surely love to give me a tour of YST’s facilities, I sincerely doubt he’d just lend us a whole workshop including tools and materials for our private projects, Mei. Still, a short visit to see how you’re doing should be easy enough to arrange.” Yaomomo responded as she finally disengaged from Mei’s hug.

That answer left Mei pouting. She really disliked having to wait till fall until they could work together again!

“Please don’t be like that Mei! It’s not like we can’t see Yaomomo anymore from now on. We can still join you during lunch, right?” Izuku chimed in.

“Of course! That’d be lovely! Still, I can see why Mei feels disappointed. I was greatly enjoying my time here and can’t help myself but feel a little melancholic too, knowing this was our last time doing this for a good while.” The tall girl started before bowing respectfully and continuing. “Once again you have my most sincere thanks for bearing with me, indulging my requests and most importantly being good friends! With that I’ll be taking my leave. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing from you again!”

As their raven-haired friend left with a happy spring in her step, Mei couldn’t help but wonder how time had flown by. It was hard to believe that almost an entire semester had passed already! 

Despite the few lows she had experienced in her time at U.A. Mei couldn’t think if there had ever been a time where she had anywhere near as much fun as she was having now! Izuku and Yaomomo were the best!

Her moment of reminiscence was interrupted when she heard the voice of her remaining friend call out to her.

“Mei.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I want to try doing something incredibly stupid.” Izuku said as his previously softly smiling face took on an expression of unwavering determination. “I want to finish the gauntlets and boots before the practical exam. I want Yaomomo to have enough time to get the basics down and use them!”

To say that this plan was ambitious would be the understatement of the century! Sure the blueprints were finished and with the exception of a few parts, whose delivery was still pending, everything was ready for assembly, but that would still take a while. There was no room for error, if any of the available parts broke and needed replacement or the still pending ones didn’t show up in time then it would be impossible to pull off! Doing that in addition to studying for the exams would be brutal!

Looking her green-haired friend in the eyes, Mei saw something that made her believe all the trouble would be well worth it, though. Within the brilliant emerald orbs that were Izuku’s eyes, Mei spotted something she’d describe as a spark.

A spark she hasn’t seen since their time preparing for the Sports Festival.

A spark that was igniting something in Mei as well, making her feel more fired up than ever before to tackle such a challenge!

“I can’t do it alone though, so… you in?” Izuku asked in a calm and nonchalant fashion as if the hours of grueling work ahead of them were not fazing him in the slightest.

“So let me get this straight. You want to finish this project in an absolutely ridiculously short time, leaving us zero room for mistakes of any kind in the process and also pretty much guaranteeing that we’ll need to take lots of all-nighters to get this done in addition to studying for our own exams?” Mei quickly asked in return. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” he replied while scrathching the back of his head. “As I said it’s a pretty stupid idea.”

“But…” Izuku continued as his expression once again made it clear he was dead serious. “I still want to do it. It’s gonna be worth it! Yaomomo deserves something more tangible than just the good times she had here with us, don't you think?"

Needing a second to recover from the greatest display of coolness she ever witnessed from a guy around her age and the pleasant shiver it had sent down her spine, Mei replied enthusiastically. “HELL YES! You can bet your sweet butt I’m in! You really know how to show a girl a good time, don’t you, Izuku?”

After her classmate and best friend recovered from sputtering from her comment, they immediately used their little remaining time to start planning. It wouldn’t be easy, but with their combined skills and a large enough supply of the hot caffeinated beverages of their respective choice, Mei had no doubt in her mind they could pull it off!

Yaomomo would completely lose it when they delivered her the gear she ordered earlier this semester! Then she could kick the ass of whatever U.A. might throw at her and ace the practical exam!

That would be the proper send-off for an amazing semester!

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu Masami considered herself to be a patient woman.

She doubted that she would have ever made it so far in the cold and ruthless world of business if that wasn’t the case. Yet that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t resent having her very valuable time wasted. Especially when it was for the juvenile displays of power some of her ‘partners’ liked to engage in.

She had taken the time out of her busy schedule to travel out to Deika City so she could personally negotiate the renewal of the contracts on which the current business partnership was built on. Almost half an hour after the scheduled start of the meeting, however, Detnerat’s CEO still had not deigned to honor her with his presence! She had been through this enough times to know the man was doing this deliberately, whether this was a purposeful psychological tactic or just Yotsubashi Rikiya being an power-tripping egomaniac, she did not know.

This would have been bad enough under normal circumstances but the fact that these negotiations were almost certainly doomed to fail made it all the more infuriating. Masami was convinced that Yotsubashi Rikiya had interpreted the opening of Yaoyorozu Support Technologies as a declaration of war. Cutting ties to his new rivals would be the logical first step to stop funding their efforts to overtake him. Granted she would probably have done the same if she was in his shoes, unlike him, however, she would at least be polite enough to show up on time.

Still, Masami would have been inclined towards maintaining the current partnership. Despite her personal misgivings about Detnerat’s CEO the benefits had been tremendous in the past. The largest support company in the country had been one of their best customers and the partnership with them had been vital to grow her empire from its humble beginnings to the size it was today. Her husband's ambitions have made this nigh impossible now for better or worse.

Maybe she should be grateful for this turn of events? The partnership with Detnerat had been one of convenience at best, considering how Yotsubashi had repeatedly tried to twist and turn any agreements to his benefit at the slightest sign of weakness on Masami’s part. As a result she returned the favor at every opportunity she got. She would certainly not miss the constant negotiations with that unpleasant man! That is of course only considering the things she knew for sure, nonetheless the things some new information uncovered by her agents were implying would make cutting ties a significantly easier decision, if she was able to confirm her suspicions. To accomplish that she would have to play a little game herself.

That being said she was led back to the question of why he had insisted on her coming all the way out here into his personal little fiefdom? Just to spitefully waste her time? No, as little as Yotsubashi let his true emotions shine through, Masami was confident that she had earned at least some modicum of respect for pushing back against him in the past.

Maybe an attempt at intimidation? Unlikely, her soon to be ex business partner should have heard enough by now to know what she does to people that dare to threaten her. Considering how cautious the man tended to be, he would likely remain pleasant while subtly probing her for any kind of information he could use to maintain favorable odds for himself. She would need to be mindful of what she says.

Thankfully Masami went to Deika City expecting hostile intentions from Detnerat’s CEO. She had done her homework, especially when it came to analyzing how exactly Detnerat had risen to its current position of prominence. The long string of convenient strokes of misfortune that all the competitors in the way of Detnerat had suffered worried Masami deeply, it supported the unsettling news she had received from her operatives after all. That being said she had no concrete proof, but if any of her suspicions had any merit then it would put everything she knew about the man in a new light.

“Ah, Masami! Good to see you! How are Hideyoshi and Momo doing? I hope I didn’t make you wait too long!” Yotsubashi greeted as he finally entered the office room, his tried and tested friendly businessman persona on full display. His fake cheeriness was almost as infuriating as the fact that he had wasted so much of her time already.

“Rikiya, good to see you too! My husband and daughter are working hard as always, which is the reason why Hideoysohi has unfortunately not been able to make it here today.” Masami replied politely, maintaining her impeccable professional demeanor even for this trivial exchange of pleasantries. She’d be damned if she allowed herself to show weakness by openly displaying her displeasure of his petty acts of provocation!

“That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, he is making waves! He must be really busy these days!” Her new business rival said as he made his way to his desk and took his seat.

That was indeed true. As much as Masami would have felt better with her husband at her side, he was unfortunately quite busy. There was just too much that needed to be taken care of before Hideyoshi left for I-Expo. At least he would get to have a little weekend vacation with Momo for his troubles, Masami herself would be stuck dealing with the repercussions of losing a big customer like Detnerat. She should make sure that he knew, after he returned, that he owed her something along the lines of a nice dinner date at the French place she liked so much and a night of using his silver tongue for something better than sweet talking potential clients.

“Still, I must say that I never thought of him doing anything so bold and committing to it to such a degree! I always pegged you as the diligent one and him more as the charmer and salesman. You gotta tell me what has gotten him going like that and how he managed to convince you to go along with his daring new venture!” The balding businessman asked her.

“There’s not much to say, really, Hideyoshi came to me with his idea, I voiced my concerns, he addressed them and now he is going ahead to make it a reality.” She replied calmly. The fact that there had been a few heated debates over this topic remained unsaid, naturally. Yotusbashi did not need to know about the initial frustrations she did have over this risky new strategy her husband was pursuing. 

The support tech boom might have been going strong for quite a while, but eventually it would have to end and Masami feared this moment would come sooner rather than later. Trading in large customers like Detnerat for a new company that might start struggling once the boom ended did not sound like a smart move to her. That being said the potential payoffs were quite enticing, but it has been nowhere near as enticing as witnessing her husband’s unbending determination to make this a reality.

“That’s it? Really? If I was a betting man, I could have sworn that your little golden girl had something to do with it.” Yotsubashi mused.

“I suppose you wouldn’t have necessarily lost that bet.” Masami admitted, hating the fact that Yotsubashi knew her family well enough that he had correctly inferred her husband's motives. There was no point in trying to deny or distract from this fact. “While Momo had not been directly involved with this decision, her successful enrollment into U.A. likely served as the impetus. Once she graduates she’ll need quality support equipment and my husband is unwilling to entrust this to just anyone, no offense.”

“HAhahaha, none taken! I’d love to wish you good luck, but unfortunately I’m in quite a pickle now.” Yotsubashi responded, hopefully finally getting to the point. “I’m afraid we can’t be competitors and partners at the same time. Every Yen I pay for your goods will ultimately end up being used against me, so I hope you don’t take it personally that I’m not interested in continuing this business partnership any longer.”

“That is very much a shame, despite the ups and downs this has been a fruitful endeavor for the both of us. I don’t suppose there is anything I could do to change your mind?” Masami said, putting in a token effort to maintain their partnership for the sake of keeping up appearances.

“I’m afraid I’ve made up my mind already,” the man sitting opposite from her replied.

“I suppose it is the end of an era then? Very well.” Masami returned. “That means I have to wish you good luck, since I can promise you that you won’t find any better suppliers for Detnerat than the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate.”

“I’m not looking forward to having to find new ones, that I can tell you! Thankfully the contracts won’t run out till the end of the year so I should have some time. That being said you should tell your dear husband in turn that support technologies are an incredibly competitive sector. I don’t intend to give up my crown so easily, so he better bring his A game! I won’t pull my punches and neither will the other companies willingly give up any of the market share they secured for themselves! He better prepares himself for his first setbacks and disappointments!” Yotsubashi declared, a subtle predatory smirk slipping past his facade. A kind of smirk she knew all too well.

This, together with what her private investigators had dug up, confirmed one of her worst fears. Yotsubashi Rikiya was not the slimeball she initially pegged him as. No, he was cut from a similar cloth than her ‘dear’ Father, the ruthless businessman behind the infamous Cheruka Corporation, who had stooped to any low imaginable if that had meant getting his way. To Yotusubashi’s credit he had been very good at hiding it until now, despite Masami having never been convinced by his benign mask. 

Being similar did not necessarily mean Yotsubashi was the same as her Father, however. Her Father had been the sponsor of some of the vilest villains Japan has ever seen, so he could use them as attack dogs against his competitors. Some of those villains had been so dangerous that All Might himself had been needed to put them down! Her Father’s pursuit of his dream of empire had been callous and ruthless, but ultimately ended in a small cell in Tartarus after his underworld connections had been discovered. Whatever ambitions Yotsubashi had, he hopefully was not willing to go to such extreme lengths to fulfill them. Either way she had to be extremely careful now.

Thankfully she had an idea. With the puzzle pieces falling in place in her mind, Masami was certain she knew what his goals were. Yotsubashi was one of the biggest donors of the Hearts and Minds party, providing them the largest part of their campaign funding if you didn’t count the numerous ‘anonymous’ small-time donations. She wouldn’t be surprised if those were from the Detnerat CEO as well, to make it look like the party had a bigger dedicated following than it actually did. Thanks to what her contacts uncovered she did know where he might be getting the money for those secret donations from!

Either way Yotsubashi was clearly trying to turn that sad excuse of a political party into a movement that could win national elections. Not an easy task considering Hearts and Minds was the biggest collection of shameless opportunists she has ever seen, and their political program lacked any consistent vision of the future. Quite frankly a flag in the wind was more steadfast in its direction than this party! Which likely was the reason Yotsuabashi had attached himself to them, since a party with only vaguely defined goals was easier to reshape to his liking. He might even run for Prime Minister himself once they gained enough momentum. Masami almost shuddered at the thought of these plans coming to fruition.

Stopping those ambitions was not her primary concern at this moment, however. Dissuading her former business partner from engineering any unfortunate accidents for her companies, employees or worse her family took precedent. Thankfully she could use her new knowledge to her advantage for this.

“You are quite right to urge caution and preparedness! This industry is not only competitive but also quite dangerous, it seems. I had my people do some quite extensive risk assessment to help my husband prepare for this endeavor. Naturally we took our cues by learning from the current market leader and I must say the findings were quite concerning.” She said to her opponent, earning an intrigued raised eyebrow from him.

“Let me be frank, Rikiya,” she started. “Detnerat is being targeted. The amount of shipments being stolen from your company is unbelievable.”

“It is quite unfortunate, I agree. Law enforcement grade support equipment and above is worth a truly staggering amount of money on the black-market, which is a powerful incentive for criminals to try stealing it. It’s only natural that Detnerat as the market leader is being hit with the lion’s share of theft attempts!”

“While you are not wrong with that assumption, my people found clues that an organized effort to intercept Detnerat shipments exists.” Masami revealed as she procured a manila folder from her briefcase and handed it over. “In here my contacts compiled all of their findings. The pattern they discovered, from the shell companies that were used to make fake orders to the warehouses where the shipments were last seen. I recommend you use those findings to conduct your own investigation into the matter, but be careful it seems that someone on the higher echelons of management seems to be behind this.”

“Those are internal documents! How did you get your hands on them, Masami?! I cannot believe you investigated my company without telling me beforehand!” Yotsubashi reacted outraged as he skimmed through the contents of the folder. The small hint of fear that had shone through his mask together with the rapidly shifting liver spots on his head once again confirmed her suspicions. He was definitely secretly supplying the black-market to fund his political ambitions!

“I’m deeply sorry for doing this but I saw no other way. If there are people out there capable of stealing merchandise worth millions if not billions of Yen from directly under your nose then I don’t want to imagine what they might try with our new company. Unfortunately my people were unable to find concrete evidence on the culprits, so I hope you will have better luck and stop them from continuing or worse expanding their operations. That being said, let me make one thing abundantly clear. If whoever is responsible for this dares to touch any of my property, harm any of my employees or even thinks about endangering my family, then I’ll find them and make an example out of them that makes Endeavor’s treatment of high rank villains look downright merciful in comparison!” Masami culminated, dropping her polite and professional demeanor in favor of an icy glare that made sure to properly communicate who she was suspecting. The stone faced silence from the man sitting opposite of her seemed to indicate that the message had been received.

With the so-called negotiations over, Masami started to leave, after exchanging goodbyes with her former business partner that were substantially colder but more honest than the greetings they shared earlier. She honestly couldn’t wait until she got home, but the journey ahead left her a lot of time to think about what just happened and what the future could have in store for her.

This was admittedly a very dangerous game that she had started playing here. Making dangerous enemies was never a good thing to do. Still, Masami had no other choice. If Yotsubashi was anything like her father then he likely had a few plots moving against the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate already. Revealing what she knew and implying she was ready to retaliate should hopefully make him hesitant of delivering his first blow for long enough so she could properly prepare for real. Hopefully the other leads, which were not disclosed in the folder she had handed over, her contacts were investigating would uncover the concrete proof necessary to neutralize this threat before this could escalate into full blown war.

Preparing for the worst case scenario would still be prudent. Hiring armed security guards, preferably with a military background, overhauling and upgrading the security systems of their most important facilities, especially the newest ones belonging to YST and so much more. It won’t be easy, there were just so many vulnerable targets that needed their defenses reinforced.

The worst part, however, would be how to explain this new development to her husband. Hideyoshi wouldn’t take the news well, likely dismissing her as paranoid. Admittedly she had the habit of being a worrywart but in this case it was completely justified. Her husband had never been confronted with the dark underbelly of society like she had. Neither did he spend his sixteenth birthday tied and gagged in the basement of a rundown Pachinko parlor like her, thanks to the enemies her father had made, nor had he to suffer through the horrific bloodbath her ‘rescue’ had been. He didn’t know the signs to look out for like she did. Hopefully she would be able to get through to him and have him realize the danger they were facing now.

In a way this whole mess was her fault. She had been comfortable with dismissing Yotsubashi as just the usual two faced, slimy wretch that was all too common in the world of business. She should have seen the signs and done an in depth investigation way earlier considering how important a business partner he had been. No matter how good he had been at hiding it, with her experience she should have noticed something!

Masami chastised herself for wasting energy over lamenting this past mistake. It was vitally important to keep a cool head from now on. Her bold opening move should have startled the Detnerat CEO quite a bit. Unquestionably a few panicked phone calls are being made by Yotsubashi right now to try and assess the current state of his black-market operations before hastily trying to cover up anything that could implicate him. Acting hastily usually meant acting sloppily and that was what she was counting on. With any luck his panicked attempts to destroy evidence will lead to her getting exactly what she needs to have him put behind bars.

Hopefully it wouldn’t come to a prolonged confrontation. Judging by publicly available information Masami had a considerable advantage in regards to resources, but this comparison obviously didn’t take into consideration how much dark money Yotsubashi had at his disposal from his illegal sales. Thankfully being a legitimate businesswoman, Masami could bring her resources to bear considerably easier than her opponent who had to be extremely careful not to expose his illicit revenue stream. As long as she remained vigilant, Yotsubashi’s use of his ill gotten gains to harm her will eventually lead to his undoing. 

Even this knowledge did little to lift Masami’s mood, since ultimately the initiative lied with her opponent. Having to wait the next few weeks or even months for Detnerat’s first move would be nerve wrecking, which was bound to interfere with her other duties let alone her family life. The changes she’d have to make for their safety could very well end up being seen with scorn. Hideyoshi already had a bodyguard with him most of the time, adding a few more shouldn’t be much of an issue, but her daughter was a different matter. Should she really burden her with such upsetting news or keep her in blissful ignorance risking her being more vulnerable as a result?

Momo just started to make friends for crying out loud, she should be allowed to be a child and have fun! But what if she wanted to go on an outing with those new friends? Her daughter would hardly appreciate a detachment of armed bodyguards following her around the city without a damn good reason! Denying the girl those simple pleasures was out of the question too. Despite the rocky start, attending U.A. and mingling with like minded children her age had made Momo happier than Masami has ever remembered her being, stifling that in any way would break the poor girl’s heart and in turn her own.

Still, Masami had to remain confident that she and her family would weather whatever storm was on the horizon for them, she couldn’t allow doubt to stop her from doing what was necessary to make it so. That being said, the challenges ahead of them didn’t look any less unpleasant.

Yaoyorozu Momo was deep in thought.

The reason being her plans for the I-Expo.

She had used every opportunity today at school to ask her closest friends if they were willing to accompany her there. After the initial success of getting Kyoka onboard, finding an occupant for the final hotel room her father had booked already had been surprisingly challenging. It turned out most of her classmates had already made plans of their own to visit the artificial island after the end of term. 

Mina, Tsu and Tooru already had a hotel room booked themselves, Iida would be visiting on behalf of his family as would Todoroki. Tokoyami, Satou, Kirishima and Shoji also had plans already and if things continued on like that, Momo would likely need to reach out to people outside of her class. Kendo would be the prime candidate in no small amount thanks to her being so kind and sharing some information on the upcoming practical exams she had heard. That being said, there was still one girl from 1-A left that Momo didn’t have the opportunity to ask yet. 

Uraraka Ochako had been among the first to return to class after lunch which should give Momo enough time to ask her quickly. Hopefully the brunette girl would be willing, it would be a shame to leave that last room empty after all. The trip would also be a great opportunity to get to know Uraraka better. As far as Momo could tell the bubbly brunette was pleasant company, but admittedly they have never interacted much with each other thanks to Uraraka usually hanging around Iida or Tsuyu.

“Uraraka-san! May I have a moment please?” Momo called out to her classmate, who was sitting in her seat, as she returned to their homeroom with Jirou in tow.

“Oh, Yaomomo. Do you need something?” The girl in question replied.

“Yes! Do you have any plans for the time after the end of term before we depart for training camp?”

“No, I don’t have any plans. Why are you asking?” Uraraka returned the question, her curiosity piqued.

“Marvelous! If that is the case would you like to accompany me and my friends to I-Expo?” Momo offered her classmate enthusiastically.

“I-I-Expo?!” Uraraka said in response, her jaw dropping in shock.

“Yes! You see, my Father happens to attend for business related reasons but he offered me to come along and bring some friends. Jirou-san here already agreed to join and so did my friends from the support course. It would be lovely if you could come along as well, Uraraka-san!” Momo explained to her classmate, who was still recovering from the surprise.

“Oh, God! I’d love to, I really do! Seeing the prototype for the new Daedalus SSTO Shuttle would be amazing! But…” Uraraka started out excitedly before a deep frown spread across her face, snuffing out the bubbly excitement she had emanated. “...it’s too much. The flight alone! Not to forget the rooms! That’s way too expensive! I’m sorry but I’ll have to tell you the same I told Tsu. I can’t go.”

That surprised Momo. Why would the cost matter? Yet before Momo could ponder this further Jirou chimed in. “Wait! You think she’s asking you to pay your share for this, Uraraka? We’re not pooling our cash together for this trip like Mina, Tsu and Tooru are doing, Yaomomo’s Dad offered to pay!”

Seeing her cue Momo joined in to clarify. “Indeed. My Father would be the one to cover the costs for travel and accommodation and I’ll gladly take care of any minor expenses for food and drink if you are worried about that.”

“That’s the problem! I can’t accept something like this! It’s way too much!” Uraraka returned in frustration.

“Awwh, shit, please don’t tell me it’s that stupid bullshit!” Jirou said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What that’s s’posed to mean?” Uraraka snapped at Jirou as she stood up from her seat, hints of an accent slipping through that Momo couldn’t immediately place despite sounding awfully familiar. Where was her brunette classmate from again?

“Look, Uraraka, I understand why you are a bit of a penny pincher, if my parents went out of their way to rent me a frigging apartment so I could attend my dream school, I’d be the same so I wouldn’t burden them too much. Some people, though, take their frugality way too far and develop such a goddamn complex about money that you can’t get them a fucking soda without them losing their shit! If a friend treats you to something then that doesn’t mean they are looking down on you or are giving you a handout out of pity! They just want to be nice! So just cut the bullshit and say yes! You obviously want to go!” Jirou called out their mutual classmate in a blunt and unapologetic fashion.

“I-it ain’t like that.” Uraraka stammered out in response, averting her eyes and fiddling with her fingers. “I don't wanna take advantage of anybody and I can’t help but feel like I’d be doing that if I accept such a huge offer.”

Uraraka’s behavior was quite puzzling to Momo. She knew that the brunette was living alone in an apartment paid by her parents on what Iida had once described as a tight budget. How this fact was related to her offering her classmate this free trip, however, Momo failed to see. Shouldn’t somebody who is required to live in an austere fashion relish every opportunity where they can indulge a little? Or did her classmate fear that she would be indebted to Momo afterward?

Either way, it was clear Momo did not really understand what exactly the problem was. She had never had to worry about money after all and had no experience with people who have a ‘money complex’ like Jirou seemingly had. What Momo did know about Uraraka, however, was the fact that the girl could be quite stubborn. Her dogged determination during the Sports Festival was quite the stark contrast to her usually bubbly and cheery personality. Continuing the confrontational path that her purple-haired classmate had chosen for some reason would almost certainly fail to lead them to the desired outcome.

With a new idea in her head Momo started her final attempt at persuading her classmate, after putting her hand on Jirou’s shoulder to signal the girl to back off. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me, Uraraka-san. In fact you might be doing me a favor.”

“Huh? How is you inviting me to a fancy vacation doing you a favor?” Uraraka asked, utterly confused.

“Well, we will also be attending the Gala event before the opening day and while I relish opportunities to dress up, all events of this kind I have attended so far have been rather… dull affairs. Parties like that are not really planned with people of our age or younger in mind, you see, which is likely the reason Father wanted me to bring along friends. The evening will certainly be much more enjoyable if I don’t have to spend it sitting alone at the table, for I don’t particularly enjoy exchanging empty pleasantries with strangers.” Momo explained. “Your attendance would help a great deal in making this a fun experience for everyone, so what do you say?” 

“The pre-opening Gala?! I-I don’t have anything to wear…” Uraraka replied nervously, fidgeting with her fingers.

“That shouldn’t be a problem! I could simply lend you one of mine! Our figures aren’t radically different, so one of my older dresses should fit you. Otherwise there is this marvelous tailor on I-Island that should be able to make some swift changes should the need arise.” Momo reassured the brunette girl, not mentioning that she would also just buy a new dress for her in case neither of those options worked out.

“Is it really okay for me to… just take one of your dresses? I wouldn’t want to ruin it or something…” Uraraka started bashfully, clearly still feeling conflicted.

“Uraraka-san please, it is no trouble. It would be one of my older dresses I would have thrown out sooner rather than later anyways. I’d be delighted if one of them could be worn one last time before I have to get rid of them!” Momo once again addressed her classmate’s concerns.

“Come on Uraraka, live a little! You’d be the only one of the girls that wouldn’t be at the Expo if you decline, which would suck! Don’t you wanna hang out and have some fun before we have to leave for training camp and deal with whatever bullshit Aizawa has in store for us?” Jirou appealed to the brunette.

“Going to the Expo with everyone does sound fun…” Uraraka said more to herself than anyone else before facing Momo and bowing deeply while continuing. “I accept! I still don’t feel like I earned any of that but I really wanna go! Thank you for having me!”

“I’m happy to hear that! Although this has nothing to do with deserving, Uraraka-san. This is merely a stroke of good fortune I wanted to share with you. If you had insisted on declining I would have simply extended the offer to someone else, but it would have been, like Jirou-san said, a shame if you would have been the only one of us not attending.”

“Well, thankfully we’ll all be there now so it will be awesome! And… uhm… sorry for coming off a little strong there, Uraraka. I had a friend that was just so damn insufferable every-time money was involved! We’re still cool right?” Jirou chimed in, fiddling with her jacks as she apologized for her earlier bluntness.

“Don’t ya worry! It’s like you said it would have sucked missing out on hanging out with you girls!” Uraraka replied, her usual cheery and bubbly disposition starting to return.

“Since you voiced interest in the Daedalus you might find this interesting too. I was unable to get confirmation for any of this but supposedly the I-Island engineers who were working with NASA on the Starhauler project got clearance to present the prototype rocket engine they have been working on for the first time at I-Expo.” Momo chimed in, having taken note of her brunette classmate’s interest in space vehicles.

“NO WAY!” the girl in question exclaimed. “Wasn’t that thing supposed to be the most powerful rocket engine ever?! They’re already far enough along to show off a prototype?”

“Apparently, yes. God, imagine what it would mean if they managed to get the Starhauler project back on schedule after all those initial setbacks! With these new carrier rockets they might be able to build a new research station in orbit before the 150th anniversary of the day the decrepit ISS had to be scrapped!” Momo affirmed, noting to herself that she should tell Mei at the earliest opportunity. Her pink-haired friend would surely love to hear that humanity’s return to space might happen earlier than expected!

“Dang, here I thought you chose the whole space aesthetic just cause it fitted your Quirk, Uraraka! Guess you’re really into that stuff!” Jirou noted.

“Hehe, guess it would be weirder if I wasn’t interested in space after all that time I spent stargazing with my folks back home. Honestly I kinda miss being able to do that ever since moving to Musutafu. Can’t see the stars at night with all that stupid light pollution…”

“On that note, where exactly did you move from, Uraraka-san, if you don’t mind me asking? I know it's far away enough that commuting to U.A. is not practical, thanks to Iida-san, but that’s about it.” Momo inquired, unable to suppress her curiosity regarding the short glimpse she had gotten of Uraraka’s accent.

“I’m from Mie and yeah, commuting is not an option for me. I’m from a small town close to Ise and there ain’t no bullet train going from there to Musutafu, I’m afraid. Would have to take the regular train to Nagoya first which, including the bus ride to Ise beforehand, would take me like two and a half hours minimum. Add the bullet train from Nagoya to it and I’m at well over three hours for just one trip!” Uraraka explained.

“So you are from the Kansai region! I’m sorry, I didn’t want to assume but your accent just now sounded awfully familiar and now I know why! One of my friends in the support course, Mei, is from Kyoto, you see. Admittedly her accent is quite faint as well, so it took me a while to notice.” Momo explained.

“Wait, isn't Kyoto-ben supposed to be like the outlier when it comes to Kansai dialects or am I confusing something?” Jirou cut in.

“As far as I know you are correct, which is why I was unsure and asked for confirmation.” Momo replied.

“Wait. Mei? Isn’t that the girl that fought Iida-kun in the Festival? She is from Kyoto?” the brunette girl asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Momo answered curious where this was leading.

The answer to this was a short giggling fit from the Zero Gravity user. After calming down she thankfully wasted no time explaining what has been so funny. “Oh sorry, but she really doesn’t fit the Kyoto stereotype at all! She’s kinda the opposite actually.”

“Ah, I see! Kyoto is a city with a reputation for elegance and sophistication and Mei certainly has not even an iota of patience for decorum of any kind. She certainly never worried about keeping up appearances.” Momo noticed. 

“Yep. Honestly considering the show she put on during her match she would fit the picture of what people think the typical Osakan is like way better! What with her being on the loud and boisterous side, ya know?” Uraraka added.

“Okay. Though this got me wondering, why are you hiding your accent, Uraraka? I think that was the first time I heard it and even then it was only faint.” Momo’s purple-haired classmate wondered.

“I’m not ashamed or anythin’ it’s just… first impressions are really important in Heroics aren’t they? I don’t wanna risk having some doors closed cause people assume I’m just some dumb hick from the boonies, ya know?” Uraraka explained.

“Well, I for one feel confident in telling you that you won’t have to hide it from anyone in this class. We have people from all over Japan as classmates, so nobody will judge you based on where you are from! Should there be any issues regardless, feel free to inform me and I’ll put an end to them posthaste!” Momo told Uraraka, once again appalled that some people have to hide parts of themselves out of fear of potential consequences from broader society.

“Thanks, I guess, but I’ll still keep tryin’ to keep it under wraps. It’s not you guys I’m worried about, it’s the national rankings. Never heard an A-lister talking in Kansai-ben, so I’m not gonna try my luck.” The brunette explained rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Accepting the logic of her classmate, even though Momo still thought it was a shame that Uraraka felt like she had to worry about the way she was talking, she made her way back to her seat as the rest of her classmates had started trickling back in. Lunch period was close to ending, meaning classes would resume any moment now.

Everybody was back in their seats by the time the bell rang, with good reason, they would have a period with Aizawa Sensei after all, before closing off the school day with an hour of supervised Quirk training in gym gamma.

The class itself was not all that remarkable, safe for the fact that their homeroom teacher used the opportunity, before leaving for the gym, to remind everybody that they had just a little over a week left before the written exam.

The reminder had an immediate effect once their teacher was out of earshot. Mina and Kaminari had clearly started panicking each in their own way. Kaminari was openly lamenting not spending any sufficient amount of time studying since he returned from his internship. Mina on the other hand was just loudly laughing to herself in an quite frankly unsettling manner, as if she thought forced positivity would help assuaging the worries she was clearly having.

Momo sighed at herself witnessing this display. She had hoped that their rankings at the bottom of the class during the midterms would have provided enough impetus for those two to take their studies more seriously, she had even lent Mina all of her math homework to that end! Yet their reaction to being teased by Mineta of all people made it clear that her hopes had been in vain. Letting them fail might serve as a great lesson to stop slacking off, but considering how heartbroken Mina in particular would be over missing out on summer camp, Momo decided to step in.

“You two, I might be able to be of assistance with the class lectures.” She graciously offered her two struggling classmates.

Their elated reaction showed that she had at the very least succeeded in lifting their spirits. Whether she would be able to properly prepare them was a different question altogether but she would certainly try her best! Summer camp just wouldn’t be the same with her two most sociable classmates absent, after all!

What surprised Momo, however, was the fact that one after another Jirou, Sero and Ojiro requested to join in as well. Apparently each of them had a subject or two they were still feeling unsure about and hoped that she could help them out thanks to her almost perfect score on the midterms.

The unexpected demand for guidance did complicate things, however. Momo had initially planned to just tutor Mina and Kaminari in the school library after school. With a group this size however, the gregarious nature of her two extroverted classmates might result in a noise level that would be highly unappreciated. No, the amount of talking and explaining she would have to do to take care of everyone alone could turn out to be problematic. A place of learning the library may be, but she doubted the staff would allow her to hold full blown lectures for so many of her classmates there.

That was quite a conundrum, it’s not like she could simply…

Or could she?

Unless…

Maybe she should invite them to her home?

Yes!

That would be perfect!

Jumping up from her seat and throwing both of her hands up out of excitement, Momo exclaimed joyfully. “Yes, of course!”

It was hard not to feel excited! It felt not that long ago that she had Mei and Izuku visit her home and now another opportunity to have friends over had presented itself to her! Surely Mother and Father wouldn’t mind? This was just her pursuing her duties as class representative after all!

“Oh, in that case, I must tell Mother and have her open up the hall!” Momo said more to herself than her classmates, unable to suppress the sheer joy she felt at the prospect. She already knew exactly which room she would use! The conference room close to the main salon would be perfect for her purposes!

“What kind of tea are you all partial to?” she asked her classmates energetically. Proper refreshments would be paramount after all! With the salon so close she would have quite the exquisite selection of tea and pastries available for any breaks they take from studying. Still, asking beforehand, so she could make sure they would have her classmates preferred beverages and snacks in stock wouldn’t hurt.

“Of course, you can trust me to help you study too! I will definitely help you any way I can!” Momo proclaimed enthusiastically. With the trust that her classmates were putting in her she would make sure everyone of them would pass or improve on their midterm scores in the written exam!

With the date for the tutoring session set at the final weekend they had before the exams, everyone started making their way towards the changing rooms to begin the last class for the day. Momo herself was having a noticeable spring in her step as she walked the halls thanks to the remaining feelings of elation her weekend plans were bringing her. Unsurprisingly Mina, Hagakure and Uraraka were quickly joining her in spreading ‘good vibes’ as a chuckling Jirou noted, since neither of those three girls liked to miss any opportunities they could to be cheery.

While they were changing into their costumes, or in Momo’s case into her gym uniform, she had another auspicious idea. What if she invited Izuku and Mei too?

Her two friends from the support course might not be in need of tutoring if their past grades were any indication, but studying in a group setting could still prove beneficial to them to cover any subjects they might be having trouble with.

Izuku and Mei would also be a great help in her tutoring endeavor. Both of them should have enough knowledge in any subjects related to math and the natural sciences that they could effectively assist Momo. Mina and Kaminari in particular would require a lot of assistance in math and Sero was not faring much better in that subject either. With the help of both support students Momo wouldn’t need to divert her attention as much, hopefully leading to their studying group achieving better outcomes in the end.

The final and most important benefit of their presence, in Momo’s mind, however, was the unique opportunity this presented for Izuku’s training. Foundational Heroics may be focused mainly on Quirk and combat training, but they had a few classes this term that have been more theoretical in nature. Giving Izuku an overview over these materials would be a great first step!

Of course these plans hinged on her two friends actually agreeing. She couldn’t exactly fault them if they declined an invitation on such a terribly short notice. Still, the fact that this would be a meeting for the explicit purpose of studying should assuage any fears that their academic performance would suffer if they indulged in her request.

To be perfectly honest with herself, though, Momo had a pretty obvious ulterior motive for inviting Mei and Izuku. She simply wanted to spend some more time with them.

Midoriya Inko was disappointed with her son.

It didn’t happen very often, Izuku was a good boy after all and she loved him from the bottom of her heart. Yet, after having been woken up and forced to go to the toilet some time after midnight, Inko was seeing light coming out from Izuku’s room, which was a direct violation of the promise he had made!

When Izuku had come to her asking for permission to stay up longer so he could get some work done for a project he and Mei were involved in, Inko had been skeptical. Obviously she had no issue with her baby fiddling around with any kind of gizmos in their apartment, since the day he successfully repaired their old dishwasher and later the microwave, Inko knew she could trust her son to be responsible enough not to endanger them with his tinkering. Unfortunately when it came to Izuku’s health Inko seemingly couldn’t afford to be that trusting. Adolescents require proper rest, which is the reason why she had been quite firm with her son when it came to bedtime negotiations.

The faint trace of light coming from under the door of Izuku’s room told Inko that the compromise they had reached was apparently moot now. The young man would have quite some explaining to do for staying up that long on a school night, especially one so close to important exams!

The prospect of chastising her son did not fill Inko with joy, but she had to put her foot down. She was starting to recognize a pattern. It was like the beginning of the school year when Izuku was drowning himself in work in preparation for the Sports Festival, which has done neither his physical nor his mental health any good. She did not want a repeat of that ordeal, so she would nip that in the bud!

Opening the door to her son’s room, which was only illuminated by Izuku’s desk lamp, Inko found her son hunched over said desk fiddling over something with his hands. The fact that he had not noticed her entering was more cause for her to be concerned and steeled her resolve to put the young man to bed and revoke the permission she had given for his own good.

As she approached his desk Izuku finally acknowledged her with a confused look. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

“Young man, do you have any idea what time it is?” Inko chided her son with her hands on her hips.

“Wha-what?” was his only response before quickly checking his phone and visibly paling as he realized how late it was. “Oh snap!”

“Oh snap indeed!” Inko parroted making sure her tone of voice made her displeasure and disappointment more than apparent.

“I’m sorry! I overlooked the time, I swear!” Izuku pleaded in a panicked fashion.

Well, at the very least Inko knew now that her son had not willfully broken the compromise they had reached, unless her baby had suddenly gotten a lot better at lying people in the face. She supposed she could view that as an extenuating circumstance, which did not mean that he was off the hook, though.

“Did you? Then would you mind me taking a look at what is supposedly so important that you’re willing to lose sleep over it?” Inko said as she took the last few steps to get a good look, driven by curiosity for her son’s newest project.

Despite stammering out weak protestations Izuku made no moves to stop her, allowing her to see what had kept him up way past the agreed upon curfew. To her great surprise it was no half finished gadget lying there but a drawing. Another drawing of the Yaoyorozu girl he had befriended, not one of the costume sketches but the incredibly lifelike ones. Like most of those detailed drawings, which Izuku was hiding for some reason in one of the boxes where he stored his merchandise he didn’t have any room to display, the girl was sporting a kind and soft smile, but also a downright adorable little blush.

“That’s what’s keeping you up at this ungodly hour?” Inko asked, unable to suppress a small chuckle. The way her question flustered Izuku certainly helped in improving her mood. Her son was just so adorable when he was embarrassed!

“I-I was working on the project like I said I would! Then I finished what I planned earlier than expected, so I thought I could use the time I have left to draw a little and relax before going to bed. So-sorry for getting carried away and forgetting the time!” Izuku explained himself.

What was she gonna do with her boy? It was so hard staying mad at him, but she had to make sure he understood he couldn’t just work himself ragged like that. She really wanted to know why this was so important that he had to sacrifice his sleep.

Thankfully when she asked him directly what this ominous project was for, Izuku seemingly decided to be open with her when he started explaining. “Well, if you really wanna know it’s because of the end of term. The hero course students have to take a practical exam in addition to the written one and nobody really knows what that’s gonna be like apart from the teachers I guess. I’m worried for Yaoyorozu so I wanted to finish the support gear she ordered when we first met, so she could use it in the exam. She helped us and spent so much time with us… time she could have used for training… so I don’t want her to go into this empty handed!”

“Is it really so important to rush this so much? Don’t you think your friend would rather have you look after yourself and catch enough sleep?” Inko brought forward.

“Probably… but still I want to do this! She sought me out specifically because she wanted this gear, Mom! When I think about how she probably has to face the practical exam without what she ordered from me, I can’t help but feel like a failure. Plus, every support technician will have to deal with crunch time eventually, so I’m gonna gain valuable experience from this!” Her son argued.

“Those technicians are adults, Izuku, their health is gonna suffer less from a lack of sleep, although, I’d argue they should get proper rest too. Where else are you going to get the energy to properly focus on your work from, if you’re so tired you barely manage to keep your eyes open? Don’t you dare to say caffeine! That’s no substitute for a good night's sleep!” Inko retorted, hoping dearly her boy would not end up at a workplace that would force him into any extensive crunch periods.

“I know. Again, I’m sorry, I overlooked the time. It’s not gonna happen again, I swear!” Izuku apologized.

Crossing her arms in front of herself and sighing heavily, Inko responded. “Alright, I’ll let it slide this time. Don’t make a habit out of this young man! As well as your intentions may be, you should not risk harming either your grades or your health over this! I’m not going to be this forgiving next time!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” her son replied immediately.

Satisfied with this Inko intended to go back to sleep after telling her son to finally hit his bed as well, but her eyes and mind lingered on the picture her son had been so absorbed in. Considering the rapidly growing collection of sketches featuring Yaoyorozu and Hatsume, it was obvious that both girls were constantly on her son’s mind. It made her both giddy with excitement and a little bit worried at the same time.

The prospect of Izuku having a crush and maybe even getting himself a girlfriend certainly sounded exciting! The big question, though, was who exactly he might be crushing on. He was drawing Yaoyorozu a lot more but he also has known Hatsume for longer. From what she has seen he was close to both of them, so close in fact that it was impossible to call who he might be closer to. That was the worrying part, love triangles might spice things up in romantic plots in fiction but in real life they tended to get… messy. Heartbreak was certainly something she wished for neither of these three kids!

Of course Inko couldn’t disregard the possibility that she might just be seeing things. From what she knew, like Izuku, both girls never really had any friends at all before meeting each other. Viewed like that it made sense that each of them would cherish the first connections they made dearly. Platonic relationships could be really close as well, after all. Still, her gut was telling her that something more was at play.

For better or worse Inko knew her son’s preferences. She certainly has learned the hard way why you should knock on a teenage boy’s door and wait for the go ahead before entering. Both girls were definitely well within what could be considered Izuku’s type. Voluptuous being the term Inko would use to describe said type and both Hatsume and especially Yaoyorozu were quite well endowed for girls their age. There was no way her son wasn’t feeling physical attraction for either of them at the very least, and if you added how kind they have been to him so far, then imagining her son catching feelings became quite plausible.

“Sometimes I wonder that if you had decided to become an artist instead things would have been a bit easier. I certainly can’t imagine you pulling stunts and worrying me like that in art school!” Inko said to her son in jest, hoping it would lighten the mood somewhat.

“I don’t think I would have made it far in art school. They actually expect you to make art using different techniques and materials and stuff. A one trick pony like me would have no chance since simple sketches are all I can do!” Izuku replied, chuckling a bit at Inko’s remark.

“Well, I think you’re quite talented! It's such a shame you decide to hide these sketches in that box under your bed instead of hanging up a few of them!” She responded to her son.

“Y-you saw all of them?!” Izuku asked, surprised.

“Well, yes, of course I did! You have been slacking off recently when it comes to cleaning your room, young man! Granted, not without reason, you have been really busy with school lately, after all. Anyway, I worked my way through your room not that long ago and that’s when I found those lovely drawings hidden away in a small box under your bed. Such a waste, you should display them!” She suggested.

“Uhhhm… I don’t know… maybe…” Izuku stammered, while fiddling with his hands.

“Do you want to try your hand at coloring them and have them framed? Maybe a pin-wall? If we take off one of the larger posters you should have enough room and then you can put all the drawings and pictures of your friends on them. Wouldn’t that be lovely?” Inko continued  over her son’s stammering.

“Do-don’t you think it's a bit creepy that I’m drawing them so much?” Izuku asked, sounding extremely unsure and nervous.

“What? No, of course not! There is nothing wrong with you enjoying drawing people! They did not tell you to stop doing that now, did they?” Inko replied, this moment being her turn to be shocked. Her sons should not feel ashamed for indulging in something that harmless!

“N-no. They seemed to like the few sketches they saw, or at least Mei and Yaomomo’s parents did. Still, everybody back in middle school always complained whenever I was scribbling or doodling in my notebook. I know everyone back then weren’t exactly the nicest people around, but I just don’t want to risk doing something that could upset my friends.They are both so pretty, they are probably sick of people staring at and making pictures of them by now.” Izuku admitted.

“Ohh, Izuku! You’re worrying about the silliest things! Your drawings have nothing to do with leering at the girls or trying to get a snapshot of them in a compromising situation! I’m sure they’re going to love all of your drawings once they get a chance to see when they come over!” Inko told her son, determined to shatter his misconception.

“Wait! What?! Co-co-come over?!” Izuku sputtered out.

“Well, yes, you are going to invite them over eventually, right? While our apartment is not like Yaoyorozu Manor and I’m not a five star gourmet chef, I still like to think I’d make for a passable host. No rush of course, but once you invite them please do ask them first what kind of japanese food they would like to have, ok? I wouldn’t know where to begin if I had to try whipping up a full course french dinner.” Inko explained half jokingly.

“O-okay, I’ll keep that in mind!” Izuku replied, before yawning.

“Oh my! I got carried away here, didn’t I? We should both go back to bed, it really has gotten late!” Inko realized, shocked at how she had allowed herself to get distracted and keep her son up even longer.

“Guess I’ll have to finish this another time. I’m gonna quickly put everything away and pack my school bag for tomor… or rather today, then I’ll go to bed.” Izuku said as he began tidying up his desk.

“Sounds like a reasonable plan. Goodnight, Izuku. Love you!”

“Goodnight, Mom. Love you too!”

With that Inko made her way back to her own bedroom to resume sleeping. It would take her a while to fully fall asleep again, however. Thoughts about the emotional rollercoaster this school year has been so far were keeping her up. At the very least she could find solace in the fact that things were finally looking up for her precious little baby.

The same could not be said for the Bakugou household. Ever since this dreadful incident in the cafeteria, Mitsuki had been devastated. The blonde woman had long been suspecting that Katsuki had been involved in delinquent-like activities just by the kind of friends, or rather cronies, he was keeping around. Unfortunately for her blonde friend, concrete evidence had been hard to come by, since there have never been any reports from school that indicated anything other than Katsuki being a model student. Having her suspicions finally confirmed by Katsuki assaulting Izuku in such a vile fashion, however, had hit Mitsuki really hard.

Inko was deeply concerned with how Mitsuki was doing as a result. The poor woman blamed herself for allowing her son to become such a bully and especially for being the one that originally brought up the idea of having the boys meet each other in hopes they would become friends. This was obviously ridiculous, since Inko herself would have suggested this very same thing if Mitsuki hadn’t beaten her to the punch and there has been no way either of them could have foreseen that Katsuki would develop such an intense dislike of her son!

The topic of Katsuki’s upbringing was a more difficult story. It was clear the blonde boy had inherited his Mother’s temper and stubbornness, which would be enough on its own to make parenting him far from easy. Pair that with the fact that Katsuki’s ego was being fed by people constantly praising him for his Quirk, according to Mitsuki, and it was easy to see why the Bakugou’s were not in an enviable position. Inko knew that she herself would be struggling to get through to a child like that, so she was not blaming Mitsuki and Masaru for how Katsuki turned out, they were clearly trying their best.

Inko should probably do something nice for her friend. Masaru would leave the prefecture on a business trip pretty much at the same time Izuku would set out for I-Island, which would be the perfect opportunity to come over and keep Mitsuki some company. Inko’s friend might be a very strong willed woman but she had known her for long enough to know that if something got under Mitsuki’s skin, then it would eat away at her for a long time. It would be better to be there and make sure Mitsuki wouldn’t wallow in her own misery.

Izuku wasn’t the only one to go out of his way to accommodate his friends, after all!

Chapter Text

Hatsume Mei was having mixed feelings about what she was doing today.

On the one hand, getting another opportunity to visit Yaomomo’s home was awesome! Even if it was just for a study session instead of hanging out, Mei had no doubt that she would be having plenty of opportunities for having fun! 

On the other hand, there was a realistic chance that spending today with this study group would ruin the already pretty tight schedule Mei and Izuku had laid out to finish Yaomomo’s gear in time. Once they had gotten the invitation from the hero course girl they had to shift quite a few things around in hope it wouldn’t disrupt things too much. To say that this sudden development had inconvenienced them would be an understatement, but neither Mei nor Izuku had the heart to say no after hearing Yaomomo being so excited over the phone, at least not without first making the effort to see if their plans could be readjusted for this occasion.

Realistically everything should be alright, since they wouldn't be just goofing off today anyways. If the study session went well then it might even save them some time in the end! To be honest it’s not like they could get any substantial work on the support items done anyway, since U.A. unfortunately wouldn’t let its students stay overnight on the weekend, or ever for that matter. Should they be able to get most of the studying for the exams out of the way today, though, then they should be able to focus all their efforts on finishing up their little surprise for Yaomomo!

Mei honestly was looking forward to finally bringing their little plan to fruition. She didn’t like to admit it but those all-nighters these past couple days had started to wear her down. Thinking about the face her raven-haired friend would make once they got to surprise her with the gear she had ordered, was what had kept Mei going so far, together with her desire to keep up with Izuku’s fierce determination. Still, in a way Mei was glad Maho-nee had put her foot down and forced her to have a good long night's rest yesterday, she doubted she would be able to benefit much from participating in a study group if she was too tired after all.

On that topic, Mei was also quite curious who else besides her and Izuku would be part of this study group. She didn’t really know any people from the hero course besides Yaomomo and Jirou. Maybe if she played her cards right Mei could snatch herself another client for the future? 

Studying, networking and even the possibility of making some new friends made this visit to Yaomomo’s home sound more and more like it will allow Mei to kill several birds with just one stone! The more she thought about it the more excited she got!

First she needed to actually get there of course. Yaomomo had instructed her to take the train to the station closest to the manor, meet up with the other participants of the study group and then together take a car she had sent for them so they could reach the lavish Yaoyorozu estate without having to walk for miles. Unfortunately for Mei she seemed to be the first to arrive, meaning she had to walk to the pick up point on her own, thanks to Izuku missing the train she had taken.

At least finding the car was not that difficult. It’s hard to overlook the large luxurious limousine parking close to the exit of the train station. Neither was the big guy standing next to it who was wearing a simple, black suit and some sunglasses, as if he was trying to cosplay as a professional bodyguard. Then again the Yaoyorozus were very rich and important people, so they probably did employ a couple bodyguards. Mei was wondering, though, why they felt the need to send one to pick up some students in one of Japan’s safest cities, crime statistics wise.

Once she approached the car Mei’s initial hunch was quickly proved right, when the man went through the trouble of confirming her identity. Having her student pass with her had made that thankfully a quick and uncomplicated affair, although she suspected the bodyguard had pictures of her and the other students he was sent to collect on his phone, since he had moved to get his phone out before Mei had shown him her ID.

With that out of the way the bodyguard suggested to Mei that she should take a seat in the car while they waited for the rest of the guests to show up. Being curious about who else would show up as she was, Mei naturally declined and remained outside, her eyes directed towards the constant stream of people leaving the train station.

Thanks to her Quirk scanning the crowd for familiar and/or unfamiliar but interesting faces was pretty easy. Using Zoom like that in public might technically be illegal, but Mei didn’t particularly care. While not officially exempt from Quirk regulations, no sane prosecutor would try to press charges against people with sensory mutation Quirks, since most of them either couldn’t be switched off or, like in her case, had very subtle signs of activation. Pupil dilation and constriction had many different causes after all, so proving she was using her Quirk was pretty darn difficult.

If Mei was perfectly honest she never quite understood what all the fuss about public Quirk usage was about. Sure there were some pretty fucking dangerous Quirks out there but the overwhelming majority of them was just lame. The average person could easily deal a lot more damage to people and infrastructure with just a swiss army knife than with sixty or seventy percent of the Quirks out there! Seriously! Being so restrictive only made sense during the dark age when there were still too many unknowns regarding Quirks!

In this day and age, after decades of Quirk research and numerous systems for Quirk identification and registration in place, the government had no logical reason to continue this harsh stance. Unless they seriously believed someone turning his tongue green in public posed a grave threat for national security. 

If Mei were to guess, she’d say the real reason for this was simply the tendency of security services in particular and governments in general to accumulate as much power as they possibly could. The era right before the dawn of Quirks was rife with examples of states doing exactly that in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’ while in truth only expanding their own power at the expanse of the human rights and privacy of their citizens.

Before Mei could spend any more time and energy thinking about the exhausting topic that was politics, she got disrupted by the bodyguard doing his ID confirmation spiel on a couple boys that had suddenly shown up. She instantly recognized them from the Sports Festival, especially the tall and lanky one from how he ended up encased in a friggin glacier and the blonde guy with the black stripe in his hair for losing in the shortest match of the whole tournament. The blonde guy with the tail was also ringing a bell, wasn’t he the guy that had declined moving up into the tournament for some weird reason?

“Oh, hey you’re that support course girl right? Did Yaoyorozu invite you too?” the blonde boy, who if Mei recalled correctly had some kind of electrical emitter Quirk, asked.

“Yep! Not gonna pass up a chance to hang out with Yaomomo!” was her enthusiastic reply.

“Hangout? Not sure we will have time for that, this is a last minute studying session, so we’ll likely be too busy cramming as much as we can,” the guy with the tail said.

“Probably not for her, the support course students are all hella smart I heard. Guess they have to be to make gadgets like that!” the blonde with the black streak in his hair commented.

“You’re not entirely wrong! When it comes to STEM related subjects, I have yet to see a test that comes even close to challenging me! Yaomomo even asked me to help out tutoring you guys in those subjects! The stuff from the other classes though… well… I guess I could use a refresher there. I have been busy lately and have fallen behind a bit as a result.” Mei explained.

“Well, I guess it's kinda comforting to know that even smart people struggle a bit with exams from time to time. It probably means there is still some hope left for us idiots!” the tall lanky guy said in a joking tone.

“Idiots?! I ranked eighth in the midterms!” the tailed guy huffed at that remark.

“Yet you are here with us, making you an idiot by association,” the black haired boy retorted with a teasing grin on his face.

“Are you going to say that to Jirou too? She was seventh and still asked to join Yaororozu’s study group.” The tail guy challenged, his arms crossed in front of him.

“Hell no! I may be an idiot but I’m not stupid enough to deliberately piss off Jirou, unless there is a easy escape route nearby. Being on the receiving end of those jacks ain’t fun let me tell you!” the tall guy answered.

“So, hey your name was Hatsume right?” the guy with the electrical Quirk asked her. Giving her a smile after she nodded in confirmation, he continued. “Nice! I’m Kaminari Denki from class 1-A nice to meet you!”

“Ohh, right where are my manners! I’m Ojiro Mashirao.” The other blonde introduced himself.

“I’m Sero Hanta” the last boy chimed in.

“With that out of the way, do you mind me asking you something Hatsume?” Kaminari asked her.

“Nope. Fire away!”

“So do you have any plans for after the exams? We could go and grab something to eat some time. My treat, you know, as thanks for helping out with tutoring and stuff.” Kaminari continued, while having his hands in his jacket’s pockets and giving her a smirk that Mei had trouble identifying the meaning of.

Electing to ignore the unknown non-verbal message Mei answered. “Yep! Yaomomo invited me to the I-Expo! It’s gonna be awesome!”

“What? Wow! That makes sense! Yaoyorozu was going around asking people if they wanted to join her there! I thought she was just asking people from our class, but I guess it makes sense that she asked people from the support course too!” Kaminare said after recovering from what looked like surprise on his part. “That means you’ll be there on the opening weekend right? That would be perfect! I’ll be there too! We could meet up, have a look around the Expo and then grab something to eat together! What do you say?”

Mei blinked for a moment out of confusion. She really had no clue at all why this boy she had never exchanged any words with before was so eager to go eat somewhere with her. While he seemed friendly enough there would be, unfortunately for him, no time to indulge in his offer. She would be there with Yaomomo and Izuku, after all, and she planned to spend every possible moment there together with her best friends!

Before Mei had the opportunity to decline the offer Kaminari suddenly flinched, his body immediately going tense, while letting out a high pitched ‘eeep’.

“Miss, I have to ask you to pull these things away from that boy!” The bodyguard demanded.

“Don’t you worry man, by now he should have built up a resistance to it, considering how often he tends to be on the receiving end of those!” Sero snickered.

“Careful Sero, if you continue running your mouth you’ll be next!” a familiar voice threatened.

“No thanks! I’m good! I’ll shut up now!” the boy in question responded with his hands held up defensively but still grinning mischievously.

Looking behind the blonde boy with the black streak in his hair, Mei could finally see what the commotion was about. Turns out Jirou and that pink-skinned girl she met the other day had arrived while she had been talking with Kaminari. Although, for some reason Jirou had currently one of her jacks buried in the blonde boy’s neck and was looking majorly pissed.

“What the hell Jamming Yay?! Can you just for once talk to a girl you haven’t met before without immediately trying to hit on her?! Seriously! It never works! Utsushimi was the only one that flirted back a little bit before turning you down!” Jirou said angrily to Kaminari.

“P-please calm down Jirou! I was just asking her if she wanted to go out for lunch sometime! It was just an innocent question! I swear!” Kaminari desperately argued.

“Innocent question my ass! You were trying to smooth talk your way into her panties weren’t you?” Jirou accused, calmer now but her voice still dripping with venom.

“I mean eventually I’d love to but… eeeph!” Kaminari started before being interrupted, likely by the jack pressing harder against his neck.

“Way to dig yourself deeper Kaminari…” Ojiro said while facepalming.

“I-I mean eventually! I’d like to get a girlfriend and go all the way before graduating, you know? I-it's not like I’ll have much time for dating once we’re out in the field!” Kaminari explained.

“And you think the best way to achieve this is to use the first few sentences you exchange with literally every new girl you meet to hit on them? You’re coming off like a damn creep!” Jirou shot back.

“Ok, I’m gonna step in here. While I agree with you Jirou, that Kami has awful timing when it comes to when and where to flirt, he’s still pretty harmless. He never bothered any girl that turned him down again after all! Also, he hasn’t tried hitting on literally every girl he meets, he never tried with Yaomomo for example.” The pink-skinned girl, Ashido if Mei remembered correctly, cut in, attempting to appease the other girl.

“Y-yeah! I never tried asking her out! She’s always so classy and refined, I feared she wasn’t into having a casual date, so I decided to first try and get to know her better before I try asking!” Kaminari added.

Sighing heavily, Jirou finally retracted her earphone jack from Kaminari’s neck, much to Kaminari’s relief, before crossing her arms in front of her and addressing him again with a pout. “Why don’t you do that everytime? U.A. isn’t a normal highschool, many of us don’t want or can’t afford to start dating! You going around asking almost every girl out makes you look like a desperate creep! Especially to someone that can actually hear every lame pickup line you use!”

“You could really hear me every time I tried asking a girl out?”

“Your annoying ass voice is pretty easy to make out even with all that background noise Jamming Yay. The universe seems to take a great deal of pleasure to make me overhear the things I want to hear the least.” Jirou deadpanned.

“Wow, I didn’t know Kami flirting with other girls is upsetting you sooo much Jirou-chan! Interesting…” Ashido whispered with a mischievous smirk.

“Nope! Not gonna go there!” Jirou cut the pink-skinned girl off adding an annoyed glare for good measure.

“Okay, if someone is feeling too grumpy already then I’ll drop it… for now.” Ashido replied before addressing Mei. “Hi Hatsume! I did not expect to see you here! Oh, my gosh does that mean Midori is coming too?!”

After confirming Ashido’s question and the other 1-A students explaining why she and Izuku would be attending, the pink-skinned girl suddenly grew quite excited. Mei could relate, having Izuku around just made things better! All those hours in the workshop and lunch-periods they were having together provided ample empirical proof!

Speaking of the devil, when Mei glanced at the train station again for a moment she quickly noticed a familiar shade of green, which upon closer inspection turned out to be her best friend. Mei lost no time calling out to Izuku, who in turn quickly joined their group and had his identity verified by the bodyguard. It also turned out that Izuku had been the last person on the list, so they were quickly ushered into the big car so they could finally make their way to Yaoyorozu Manor.

“So, you guys already visited Yaomomo’s place once, right?” Jirou asked them during the drive, continuing after getting nods of confirmation. “What’s it like?”

“I think we’ll find out soon enough.” Sero chimed in.

“Yeah, I know! I still wanna hear it, so I’m prepared. I don’t wanna spend most of my time there being floored by whatever kind of mansion Yaomomo lives in.” Jirou replied.

“That’s not gonna work. Yaomomo’s place is huge! Like mind bogglingly huge!” Mei answered.

“What do you mean by that?” Ojiro asked in turn.

“Well, I checked and I’m pretty sure that U.A.’s campus is the only single property in Musutafu that is larger than the Yaoyorozu estate and not by much. As Mei said, mind bogglingly huge!” Izuku interjected helpfully.

“No way! U.A. is bonkers! They have an Olympic sized stadium on campus for crying out loud! I know Yaoyorozu is rich and all but who would need such an enormous home?!” Kaminari said in complete disbelief.

“To be fair most of the estate seems to be made up by the gardens, the hedge maze and a pretty big forest. I guess the Yaoyorozus just like to be surrounded by nature, though, the manor itself is still pretty big.” Izuku added.

Before they could continue their conversion they reached the main gate of Yaomomo’s home, where the car was stopped for a moment. A group of security guards, at least half a dozen by Mei’s count, approached the vehicle, talked with the driver and the bodyguard in the car for a moment and checked the faces of each passenger before letting them drive in further.

“Damn, do they have a private army too?” Sero commented.

“No idea, those guys weren’t there the least time.” Mei replied, quite confused herself.

Granted, Mei has not been paying attention to the environment when she last visited, but she did remember that they had not been stopped during the drive to the manor. Maybe there were different protocols for when members of the family were present? Either way they would be arriving at the manor soon.

Like Mei had suspected, all kinds of banter died down once the huge building became visible, and the students started staring at it in silent awe. She herself had not felt all that different when she had been invited for the first time.

With the other teens still too stunned from taking in the sights, it fell to Mei and Izuku to lead the group inside once they had left the car. Yaomomo, thankfully, was already waiting for them in the huge entrance hall. Mei couldn’t help herself from looking her tall friend over, from the pink and white blouse, the tasteful cream coloured miniskirt to the light blue leggings which did wonders to emphasize Yaomomo’s long, graceful legs. It was an elegant yet casual look that suited the raven-haired beauty well, not that Mei had ever seen her friend in an outfit that didn’t suit her.

“Ah! You’re finally here! Did everyone have a nice trip?” Yaomomo asked, visibly radiating enthusiasm, stunning everyone, Mei included, into silence for a moment with how unbelievably adorable she was acting. “Marvellous! If you would kindly follow me, I had a room prepared for us where we’ll be able to work undisturbed!” their hostess continued after everyone had recovered enough to answer her.

Mei herself was quite surprised with how much into this her hero course friend seemed to be. She had known that Yaomomo was looking forward to today thanks to how she had sounded during the phone call where she had invited her, but damn had she underestimated the other girl’s enthusiasm!

There was no way Mei herself wouldn’t start to feel pumped as well!

Midoriya Izuku may be quite an anxious person, but he liked to think that he was getting better.

Compared to the first time he was walking through these halls, his anxiety was barely noticeable at all, despite all the new people he was with! Still, walking through those lavishly decorated corridors was making him feel small, out of place and insignificant, a feeling Yaomomo’s classmates seemingly shared, if he was reading their expressions correctly.

The biggest source for his feelings of unease, though, was the noticeably higher presence of security personnel. Last time he had been able to catch a short glimpse of one guard when they passed the gate in the car, and maybe one or two making their rounds through the halls when Yaomomo had been giving them the tour through the manor. Today he had seen more than a dozen between the squad at the gate, the guards in the entrance hall and the two men that were escorting them to whatever room their hostess had prepared for them. What was going on?

He really hoped the Yaoyorozus were not in trouble. Although, Izuku had a hard time imagining who in their right minds would try to threaten one of the richest families in the country. The short but stern warning he had been given by Mrs. Yaoyorozu had convinced him that the family matriarch had an intimidating aura that even seasoned Heroes or veteran police interrogators would have trouble to match.

He wouldn’t have any more time to ponder about this when the group finally reached their destination and Yaomomo asked everyone to enter and make themselves comfortable. Her friendly expression until this point started to look noticeably strained when the guards tried to position themselves within the room as well.

“Excuse me gentlemen, but would you mind waiting outside and giving me and my guests some privacy?”

“I’m sorry miss Yaoyorozu but our instructions are quite clear. Just act like we aren’t here.”

“Your dedication to your mission is commendable!” Yaomomo said as she bowed politely. “Yet, this is supposed to be a group studying session, which requires an environment as devoid of distraction as possible. I’m not doubting your professionalism but me and my friends would feel more at ease if you were waiting outside. Surely our security wouldn’t be compromised too much if you were to indulge this request, would it?”

Thankfully for his raven-haired friend, the security guards radioed whoever their superior was, asked for permission to do as she asked and left the room when they got confirmation.

“So, what’s the deal with those guys? Are your parents meeting the prime minister or something?” Sero asked.

“Ohh, how I wish that was true! That would mean all of this would only be temporary!” Yaomomo said with a heavy sigh. “I sincerely apologize, I hope all that additional security has not bothered any of you, has it?”

“No, not at all.” Ojiro replied. “I think we are all just surprised since your friends said all those guards are new.”

“There definitely were nowhere near as many of them last time.” Izuku chimed in. “Are you alright? Your family is not in trouble or anything? If you…”

“Thank you for your concerns Izuku, but they are not necessary. This increase in security is the result of the ‘risk assessment’ my Mother has been doing regarding YST.”

“Risk assessment?” he repeated curiously.

“I suppose that’s what my Mother calls it when she hires every private investigator or ‘specialist’, whatever she means with that, which she can find and throws them at a task. Although it appears that she had made a quite concerning discovery.”

“Please tell me she didn’t find the League of Villains and their plans to enact horrible vengeance upon us!” Kaminari pleaded, visibly shaken at the idea.

“Well, I can reassure you then, since that is not what she found. My Mother discovered a large-scale smuggling operation that has been inserting phony orders into Detnerats system and intercepting their shipments of high grade support equipment while on route.” Their hostess explained. “Thinking about it, this smuggling ring might be the reason why the thugs that attacked us at the USJ have been so remarkably well outfitted.”

“Damn! How did Detnerat not notice any of this? You’d think a large corporation like that would have better security.” Jirou wondered.

“While that’s awful and all, I still don’t see how that resulted in all those men in black walking around your home now. It’s not like those smugglers have stolen anything from you, right?” Mina added.

“They haven’t stolen anything from us yet , Mina. The speed and precision of their thefts convinced my Mother that they have inside help, potentially even from high ranking Detnerat executives. A young, still rapidly growing support company like YST would make an attractive target to expand their operation, hence why my parents are increasing security not only at our home but across all of our companies. I can’t shake the feeling that she might be overdoing it a little bit, however. I highly doubt those smugglers would be bold enough to assault us in our home. Still, these measures will hopefully deter these scoundrels until they can be arrested!” Yaomomo explained. 

“Come to think about it, when we went over all those crime statistics last month for that homework assignment, the numbers for possession of illegal support equipment have clearly been rising for years! Could those guys be behind it?” Ojiro mused.

“I have been thinking the same thing, Ojiro-san! While I doubt they are the only suppliers of stolen support gear, they are likely the largest in the whole country. One more reason to hope for their swift dismantlement.” The raven-haired girl replied.

“Anyway, let us move on to a more pleasant topic!” Yaomomo declared, some of her earlier enthusiasm returning. “Travelling surely must have been exhausting, right? Let me get you some refreshments from the salon! I’ve got a broad selection of tea, coffee and assorted pastries prepared in advance. Anybody wishing for something in particular?”

Izuku for his part was a bit unsure what to order. While he was definitely preferring tea over coffee, he didn’t really know all that much about all the different blends that were available out there. He usually stuck with whatever kind of sencha was available to him. Trusting the tea expertise of the raven-haired girl, Izuku simply told Yaomomo that he’d take whatever she recommended. A sentiment which, as he immediately found out, was shared by his fellow guests.

“Alright! If you excuse me for a moment, I shall leave for the salon and return with our refreshments post-haste! Please use the time and discuss what subject we should start with so we can dive right in once I return!” the heiress said to them.

“I feel so out of place, it’s making me nervous.” Ojiro said once Yaoyorozu was out of earshot.

“Me too…” Sero admitted while looking around and taking in how large the conference room, which they were using, was.

“Yeah, I felt similar too, when I first visited. This place is so huge, and everything here looks so expensive that you’re scared that one wrong move could break something you can’t really afford to reimburse the owners for. Thankfully I know now that the Yaoyorozus keep the really expensive stuff in glass showcases, so my worries were unfounded.” Izuku told the other guests.

“That’s what you were worried about? I thought you were nervous because of the job interview.” Mei cut in.

“That too, but I try not to think about it. God, I was so nervous before entering Mr. Yaoyorozu’s office I almost felt like I was about to puke…” Izuku admitted wearily.

“So, does that mean you met both of Yaoyorozu’s parents?” Ojiro inquired.

“Yep!” Mei immediately answered.

“Cool! What are they like?” Ahsido cut in, before Ojiro could follow up.

“Her Dad seemed kinda nice, he definitely was very patient and understanding with us. Yaomomo’s Mom on the other hand could be pretty scary but she was fairly nice other than that.” Mei recounted her impression on the parents.

“Uhmm, scary is not the word I would use.” Izuku interrupted, hoping to avoid a misunderstanding. “Stern and intense are better ways to describe Mrs. Yaoyorozu. She can also be very intimidating if she wants to. We kinda got a taste of that because she thought we were using our friendship with Yaomomo to get this internship, so she felt the need to tell us that we should not expect preferential treatment in the future.”

“Hmm, I guess that means Yaoyorozu is taking more after her Dad, since I have a hard time imagining her being scary.” Sero mused.

“Actually, it’s the opposite, at least physically. Her Mom pretty much looks like an upscaled version of Yaomomo.” Mei said in response.

“Really? How much of an upscale are we talking about here? Is it only in height or the whole body? Do you have pictures…” Sero enthusiastically attempted to follow up before he flinched hard all of a sudden and violently jerked and vibrated in his seat.

“While all this banter is nice and all, I think it would be better if we got back to what we are actually here for.” Jirou suggested while retracting her jack from Sero.

“Jirou is right, we should be discussing what subjects we are going to tackle first.” Ojiro joined in.

“In that case, I guess it’s better to just get it over with and start with Math. I should be fine with the stuff we did earlier this year but everything we covered from the Sports Festival onward doesn’t make a lick of sense to me…” Kaminari lamented.

“Ugh, I hate to say it, but same!” Mina said in agreement.

“Considering those two are needing this the most, I’d say we go with what they are suggesting.” Jirou suggested. “Anyone here disagreeing?” 

With nobody voicing any disagreements, the students have finally picked the first subjects to tackle. Not a second too soon, since their hostess returned just a few moments later. Pushing a large serving trolley in front of her through the doors, which were helpfully held open by one of the guards waiting outside, Yaomomo entered the room with a noticeable spring in her step.

“Here are the refreshments I promised! When it comes to keeping my energy up during studying, matcha tea has yet to fail me, so I took the liberty to prepare us a batch large enough to last us through today. Alternatively I can offer this delightful jasmine tea to everybody who is not partial to stronger blends. A soothing aroma like this can do wonders to help you recover before you tackle whatever is next on the agenda!” the heiress enthusiastically explained as she started to pour everyone a cup of their preferred beverage.

Grabbing a sizeable etagère from the trolley, Yaomomo continued as she walked around offering everyone to take from it. “Of course I brought a small selection of pastries too, for your enjoyment. I’d say everybody take one and then leave the rest for later, we wouldn’t want to gorge ourselves with food before we start working, would we? That being said, have you decided on a subject to start with already?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna start with Math, since that’s where Mina and Kaminari are the weakest.” Jirou told the heiress.

“Ah, yes! Taking care of the biggest challenge right away while you are still well rested, quite the prudent choice! Now that means we need to decide how to split everyone up. I’d say we…” Yaoyorozu started, trying to divide everyone into suitable groups.

“DIBS on Midori!” Mina yelled, while jumping up from her seat with a hand raised into the air, interrupting their hostess in turn.

This sudden outburst stunned the room into silence and had almost everybody stare at the pink-skinned girl. As surprising as this has been, Izuku was particularly confused at the reaction of Mei, that he had caught thanks to said girl sitting on the opposite side of the table, within his field of view. His classmate had noticeably tensed up and he also saw her eyebrow twitching in an eerily similar way than it usually does when she grows annoyed with something or someone. Why Mei was suddenly angry at Ashido Izuku didn’t know, yet his fellow support student’s glare, which was directed at the pink-skinned girl made it pretty obvious that was the case.

“What? When I visited him in the support department he had a solution for my problem in like five minutes tops! He’s obviously a smart cookie, so I’ll trust that he can help me out with studying as well!” Mina defended herself, clearly feeling a bit awkward after having everyone stare intensely at her in surprise.

“I, see…” Yaomomo said in a much more reserved tone than earlier and Mei visibly calming down, as if whatever had just drawn her ire was gone now almost as fast as it had appeared. “I suppose that makes sense. That means I’ll sit with you Kaminari-san and we’ll go through every issue together, step by step.” Turning to the remaining students she continued. “Recalling how you three fared in the midterms, having you share Mei as tutor should be fine. Still, if any of you are facing any difficulties feel free to join me or Izuku, especially you Sero-san.”

“Don’t worry I’ll be fine, I’m not that bad at Math!” Sero waved off the offer.

With that the students changed seats to group up like discussed. Mina for her part wasted no time to take the seat next to him with a big grin on her face and what Izuku interpreted as a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Soooo, guess it’s us two then.”

“Y-yeah…” Izuku stammered out. He may have known already that Mina was far from being a mean person, but Izuku still couldn’t help himself from feeling a little bit on edge around the pink-skinned girl. Friendly teasing was a fairly new experience for him after all, so he still had issues properly dealing with it in a way that wasn’t embarrassing. Hopefully they could just focus on studying.

“You know, I was quite jealous when I first heard that Yaomomo had invited people over. I like to think of Yaomomo and the rest of the girls in my class as close friends, so I couldn’t help feeling left out when I wasn’t invited. Getting to know you and Mei though helped me get over it. You are such good friends and unlike me and the girls, Yaomomo doesn’t get to see you almost every day, so it makes sense you two got to visit first. It’s also super nice of you to agree to help us out today! Thanks for that!” Mina told him, making Izuku feel touched by her sincerity. “That being said, words are cheap, so I’d like to show my appreciation by returning the favor!”

“T-that’s not necessary! I’m happy to help where I can, so…”

“No! I insist! I may not be able to help you with schoolwork but I do possess some particular skills that you might find useful!”

“O-ok?!”

“Yeah! Firstly, I’m being told that I have an impeccable fashion sense, so if you ever wanna dress to impress then I’ll gladly help out! Secondly, I’m an amazing dancer, so if you want to learn some awesome moves then let me know! Last but not least I’m a girl that knows how to have fun, so I can offer you a certain… perspective.”

“Uhhh… I don’t think I’m following.”

“Well… if you ever need some…” Mina started before pointedly looking in Yaoyorozu’s direction, returning her gaze to him with a coquettish smirk and whispering to him. “...dating advice… then gimme a call!”

Izuku blanked at that, feeling all his blood rushing into his face as the implications sank in. She couldn’t be serious right? This had to be a very bad joke! Sure, he admired Yaoyorozu a lot, she was amazing after all! Also smart, kind, brave, inspiring, eloquent, patient and probably the prettiest girl he has ever seen. That does not mean that he had romantic feelings for her, though! Even if he did, there was no way he could just ask her out! He didn’t want to risk everything getting super awkward, in the very likely case of a rejection!

Unfortunately for Izuku his racing mind did not translate into an eloquent reply, or anything resembling coherent human speech at all for that matter. His flustered stammering did little to dismiss the implications, instead only achieving to amuse the pink-skinned girl next to him even more.

“While I’m glad to see that you’re getting along so well with Izuku, I find it quite disappointing that I have to remind you of the purpose of today’s gathering. Please refrain from teasing him and get to work!” Yaomomo chided Ashido, seemingly unaware of what exactly they had just been talking about much to Izuku’s relief.

“Ehehe… just trying to break the ice! We’ll get going, no worries!” Mina replied to appease their hostess.

Yaoyrorozu’s response was just a skeptical look paired with an raised eyebrow, before she addressed Izuku. “If Mina starts to become too bothersome, please don’t hesitate to tell me. We can switch at any time if you’re feeling uncomfortable.”

“N-not necessary! I’m fine!”

“Alright. Just keep what I said in mind.” Yaomomo said, while giving him a gentle smile before returning her attention to Kaminari again. 

God, that smile. It always did things to him when she smiled at him like that, no matter how hard he tried to ignore the feelings that were bubbling up. Could he really be crushing on her?! How would he even know for sure? It’s not like he had any experience with this kind of thing!

Nope, he was not going to do this! Now was neither the time and definitely not the place to think about that! 

“The offer still stands,” Mina whispered to him, after throwing a nervous glance to make sure Yaomomo wasn’t listening. “But I guess it would be for the best to get down to business.”

Yes! That’s what he was here for after all! Focusing on Math should provide a welcome distraction from the thoughts and fears currently running through his head. Opening his school bag Izuku quickly got out his relevant notes and put the stack of papers on the desk.

“What the fuck?!” Mina yelped in shock, her eyes almost looking like they were jumping out of her eye sockets.

“Mina! Language!” Yaomomo chastised.

“Well excuse me, but I was not expecting Midori to just drop a stack of notes thicker than most of our school books combined!” Mina defended herself.

“Admittedly, it is quite a big stack indeed. That being said, it shouldn’t be surprising since Izuku is quite the prolific note taker,” the raven-haired girl admitted. “I suppose that means there won’t be a lack of material to cover at the very least.”

Having noticed what was going on, Mei took her time to chime in as well. “Don’t worry! Izuku has always been really bad at conserving paper. He’s always writing down every single step when he’s doing Math, which is why he’s so slow and uses up so much paper.”

“I want to be thorough and avoid making mistakes!” Izuku said to defend himself with a pout, eliciting a giggle from Mei. “Oh! That reminds me! Mei, don’t forget to…”

“Yeah, yeah I know!” Mei interrupted. “Don’t skip too many steps, cause not everyone can just do them in their heads as easily as I do, so everybody can still follow what I’m doing. I got it the first time you told me Izuku!”

“That still doesn’t explain why there is so much! I’m pretty sure our Math textbook doesn’t have enough Math problems to fill out that much paper unless Midori needs both sides of a sheet for each problem!” Mina argued.

“Well, I do use other textbooks besides the one we got from U.A., so I guess that should explain why I have more notes to cover. They should be alot more detailed as a result, though, which might be helpful!” Izuku explained.

“Seriously?! Why would you voluntarily pile on that much extra work?! It’s not like Ectoplasm Sensei is cutting us much slack!” Mina asked him, clearly still shocked.

“To be honest, I need the practice. I’m not as naturally gifted as Mei and Y-Yaomomo are, so I have to compensate by working harder. Also, making support gear like me and Mei used in the Festival is pretty much impossible with just middle school STEM knowledge. I had to work ahead of the curriculum to even have a chance.” Izuku told the pink-skinned girl.

“Wow! I’m not sure whether I should be impressed with your dedication or concerned that you apparently don’t have a life outside of school. You really gotta chill out more, at the rate you’re going you’ll suffer burnout before graduation!”

“I-I’ll keep that in mind. More importantly, though, let’s get started. Is there anything in particular you want to go through first?”

“Ugh…” Mina groaned, letting her head hit the desk. “I don’t even know where to begin! Math has never been my strongest subject, but I never struggled like that before! It’s not just that U.A. is a lot more intense, I went to a pretty good middle school you know? I just can’t deal with Ectoplasm Sensei, every time we have class with him I struggle just to stay awake!”

“He can be pretty dry, I grant you that. Mei actually did fall asleep during one of his lessons during the first school week. He tried punishing her by making her solve a difficult problem in front of the class, only for her to chew through it in five minutes at most.” Izuku recounted hoping it would raise the mood of the girl sitting next to him. “Although we will have to work our way through everything the hard way. Since you’re unsure where to start, I’ll say we go through everything step by step from the beginning of the term. Does that sound ok to you?”

Having seemingly resigned herself to her fate Mina agreed and they got to work. Izuku’s detailed notes did turn out to be quite useful, much to his delight. Mei occasionally liked to make fun of his supposed wastefulness with paper, but Mina made great progress thanks to his detailed notes, something he’ll no doubt rub in Mei’s face next time she was feeling like making this tired old joke.

With the studying session underway, Izuku could fully focus his attention on instructing Mina, without having to think too much about the offer said girl had made. Still, the confusing question regarding his feelings would undoubtedly be keeping him up tonight.

Yaoyorozu Momo was feeling optimistic, all things considered.

While discovering the true scope of the gaps of knowledge both Kaminari and Mina had allowed to develop had been an unpleasant surprise to say the least, their current work ethic was commendable. After a slow start both students had been working really hard, clearly motivated by the prospect of being left behind for supplementary lessons while everyone else would be leaving for summer camp.

Momo admittedly would have preferred the two students, who had ranked at the bottom during the midterms, to have a more high minded motivation, like pursuing knowledge for the sake of improving themselves as people and future Heroes. That being said, she wouldn’t argue with results.

Thankfully the other students, who she had agreed to tutor, were also making progress, without having to invest as much energy as the ‘slacker duo’ as Jirou had dubbed the two struggling students, much to their annoyance. Sero in particular had positively surprised Momo. He had clearly been disappointed with his ranking during the midterms and seemed to have used this as an impetus to apply himself more, and it clearly showed.

Of course everyone still had topics they struggled with. Sero clearly had big trouble with Japanese literature. Jirou was struggling with Biology, Chemistry and a little bit with Physics. Mei too wasn’t particularly fond of literature as a subject but she also needed a little help with history of all things, thanks to the rather odd way the support course girl tended to memorize historic facts. Ojiro was rather well rounded with his knowledge, requiring fairly little assistance to work past his problems.

Izuku himself proved to be the most curious case, however. He had warned her when she had invited him that he himself had numerous gaps of knowledge to worry about, making him unsure if he would be any help as tutor at all. So far Momo had not seen any issues occur at all, quite the opposite, really. Her green-haired friend had proven himself to be quite knowledgeable in every subject, except the theoretical parts of Heroics for obvious reasons, although even there he was remarkably quick on the uptake. Not to forget the fact that his kind and understanding nature was a great deal of help in assisting the other students to push through any slumps, whereas Mei would grow noticeably frustrated every time she had to explain a certain topic repeatedly. Despite his misgivings he had been tremendously helpful so far.

It did dampen Momo’s mood a fair bit when her thoughts strayed to the potential reasons behind this behavior. Having to grow up with being constantly belittled at every opportunity certainly was not conducive to Izuku developing a healthy self esteem. She should make sure to give him her thanks for his assistance today, while it might not seem like much right now, ensuring he would get proper affirmation from this time onwards should eventually help him get into a much healthier state of mind.

Unfortunately for her, Momo was unable to keep her mind from drifting to the one tormentor of Izuku she knew personally. To Bakugou’s credit ever since the end of his suspension he had made a conscious effort to keep his temper in check. That being said, his attitude remained far from amicable. He may not be yelling and gloating about his superiority anymore the way he used to everytime he was confronted with any kind of critique, but it was blatantly obvious that he was still thinking like that. It was most apparent in his continued use of the unflattering nicknames he had for everyone. 

While she had not expected an immediate transformation into a model classmate from the explosive blond, her patience with him was still running thin. Admittedly her personal standards for propriety might be significantly higher than most, and her personal biases against Bakugou were certainly not helping matters, yet she doubted anybody enjoyed interacting with the boy.

Perhaps she should have a little chat with him at the earliest opportunity? As little as she was looking forward to the prospect, someone had to lay down a proper code of conduct for Bakugou, which should help minimize any negative impact his ill-tempered demeanor might be having on the class. It would also provide the perfect opportunity to ask Bakugou for his side of the story regarding his relationship with Izuku.

While Momo had little reason to believe the explosive blonde would be truthful with her, if he entertained the notion at all, she still needed to know. Izuku had been frustratingly sparse with the details of what he had to go through, even if he had understandable reasons. Momo knew she would never have peace of mind until she knew the reason, any reason , for why Bakugou would turn on someone that was supposed to be his friend in such a horrid fashion!

Having made the decision, Momo once again returned her attention to the group of students in the room. As steady as progress has been, a quick glance over the faces of her friends and classmates made it quite apparent that exhaustion was setting in. She should allow everyone to take a breather, sooner rather than later.

“Everybody, may I have your attention? We have been working for a considerable amount of time and I’m happy with the strides everyone has been making! I’d say a short break is in order!” Momo addressed the gathered students.

“Ughh, finally!” Kaminari groaned in relief. “Any longer and I might have fried my brain without my Quirk!”

“Wait! That’s a thing?” Jirou inquired curiously.

“I dunno, but every time I get a big headache I do feel some sparks going off similarly to when I’m close to overusing my Quirk. Maybe with a bad enough headache I could short circuit myself sooner than normal. Not really that eager to find out if that is true, though…” Kaminar explained.

“What do you mean exactly with short circuiting? You got some implants or something?” Mei asked her interest, having clearly been piqued.

“Remember his fight during the first round of the Sports Festival, Hatsume? Have you seen the way he was standing around like an idiot with his thumbs up after his initial attack failed? That’s what he calls short circuiting his brain. That’s what happens every time he overuses his Quirk, it turns him into a drooling moron, well, a bigger moron than usual.” Jirou explained before Kaminari had the chance.

“Thanks Jirou! I almost feared my own explanation wouldn’t be insulting enough!” Kaminari shot back sarcastically.

“To be fair you were being a moron in that fight. Why did you go all out immediately? Even if that had worked you wouldn’t have been able to recover before the next fight, you know that right?” Sero chimed in.

“Not to forget that Jamming Yay tried to hit on the devout Christian girl that probably considers handholding before marriage a mortal sin.” Jirou added in a deadpan tone.

“Now that is not fair! Shiozaki-san may be a pious catholic, but she is not as narrow minded as you might imagine her to be! According to Kendo-san she seems to have a particularly pronounced dislike for lies and other forms of deception but otherwise never judges people for failing to conform to her faith’s standards.” Momo interjected.

“Say, while we’re talking about her, do you know how Kendo found out about the practical exam? I’d like to know where she heard that the exam will be against robots again.” Mina inquired.

“The way I understood, Kendo-san appears to have an acquaintance among the second years, who is from the same town as her. She met them during lunch and asked them how their practical exam last year went, with them saying it was a combat exercise against robots.” Momo explained.

“So it’s a reliable source then? Thank God! You have no idea how much of a relief it is to hear that! I’m having enough trouble as is with the written exam, having to stress about the practical as well would have been horrible!” Mina replied, seemingly happy to have been reaffirmed.

“Uhmm, guys?” Izuku meekly said, as he asked for everyone's attention. “I don’t want to ruin your mood, but… uhmm… I don’t think you guys will be fighting robots for the practical exam.”

“Really? Would you care to explain why that is the case?” Momo asked, having grown quite anxious at the green-haired boy's words, like the rest of the other Hero course students.

“Well, you see… I was sent to deliver some paperwork to Power Loader Sensei recently by one of the other teachers. No idea what that was about but the important part was where I found him.” Izuku started, having the undivided attention of everyone in the room. “He was in one of the big warehouses by the scrapyard, which was filled to the brim with the remnants of broken robots.”

“Wait! U.A. has a scrapyard?!” Mina interrupted for some godforsaken reason.

“Yeah, of course! Where else do you think all the equipment you trash during training goes?” Mei helpfully contributed.

“Well, anyway, I asked Power Loader Sensei why there are so many more broken robots there compared to the start of the year and he said… he said…” Izuku continued, clearly being extremely uncomfortable with being the bearer of what had to be very bad news. “They were all from the entrance exam and the Sports Festival. Usually there wouldn’t be that many, since the staff of the support department would spend much of the summer semester repairing as many robots as possible to make up for the deficit these events cause. This year, though…”

“They didn’t…” Ojiro said, somberly in realization.

“Yeah… Power Loader Sensei said that they have all been so busy working on upgrading U.A.’s security that they just didn’t have the time to deal with the robots. With some of the training robots having been refitted for guard duty and the broken ones piling up at the scrapyard, U.A.’s reserves of training robots are running pretty low. At least the ones suitable for first years.” Izuku confirmed soberly.

The room remained silent as the news was sinking in. Momo herself was not feeling particularly jubilant after that revelation. The robots during the obstacle race had barely been an inconvenience for her. Their armor was clearly made out of some cheap structural steel or even just iron, considering how easily the shots of her smooth bore cannon had been able to pierce them. Having to face only foes like that during the practical had been a comforting thought.

Looking around the room at her classmates, made it clear Momo was not alone with the sudden onset of worry this new information had caused. Mina and Kaminari in particular were looking like they were close to descending into panic, considering how they had been writing off the practical as an easy affair based on this false information.

“So you’re trying to tell us that we’ll either have to face robots meant to challenge second years and above, if we’re lucky, or have to deal with whatever bullshit Aizawa Sensei has cooked up for us?” Jirou inquired, being the first to regain some modicum of composure.

“In other words, we’re screwed?” Sero added sardonically, in an uncalled attempt at gallows humor.

“Now, please everyone calm down!” Momo started in an attempt to combat the doom and gloom setting among her peers. “As disappointing as these news are, Aizawa Sensei surely won’t be giving us an impossible task!”

“We’re talking about the guy that threatened to expel people literally on the first day. Anything is possible!” Sero interjected, clearly not feeling reassured at all.

“Wow, you guys are really that worried about the practical exam? Maybe I can make you guys feel better? I think I stumbled over a clue of what the teachers are planning.” Mei chimed in immediately catching everybody's attention.

“Wait! Hatsume, do you know what the teachers are planning?!” Jirou asked in disbelief.

“Nope!” the pink-haired support student replied, earning her annoyed glares. “But while Izuku was busy doing that errand I visited Power Loader Sensei’s office cause I needed to ask him about a shipment for the gau… I mean the project I’m currently working on. He wasn’t there of course, but the door was unlocked so I walked in and saw something odd lying on his personal workbench.”

“Mei! You can’t just waltz in when our teacher isn’t there!” Izuku interrupted, shocked.

“Not my fault if Sensei forgets to lock the door! Anyway, he had these weird capture handcuffs lying there that don’t match any model I’m aware of. There were also ten pairs of strange weighted bracers, which widely ranged in size and weight as if each set had been tailor made for a specific person, unlike the cuffs which were pretty large and capable of adjusting to the size of the wearer. No idea what these are for but Sensei refused to tell me when I got to ask him later, which is very odd. Usually he doesn’t mind explaining everything about the gear he makes when you ask him.” Mei explained.

“You’re right, this really is odd for him!” Izuku agreed.

“That isn’t much to go on, though… we don’t even know if this is actually connected to the practical exam!” Ojiro noted.

“While I don’t completely disagree, Ojiro-san, this information might still pose a vital clue. Creating new custom made capture equipment right before the exams is suspicious, especially since U.A. already has equipment similar to that for training, like the capture tape we use in class. Assuming the equipment is indeed for the practical, I suspect the faculty plans to do something new, likely involving subduing and capturing a target.” Momo theorized.

“Ok. If that’s true then who the hell are we going to fight against? It’s not like U.A. can just hire a temp agency to send some guys to act as villains for us!” Mina argued.

“The bracers might provide the answer for that. Mei, are you certain they are not some kind of support equipment?” Momo asked.

“Yep! I checked! They are just solid metal with additional removable metal weights on the outside. They have no other functionality, they are just fucking heavy. Seriously! Whoever is going to wear the biggest ones must be absurdly strong! I tried lifting them and I needed to put my whole body into it to get it off the workbench and I’m no wimp I can tell you that!” Mei explained, rolling up her sleeve and flexing her well developed biceps as proof.

“Why would anybody wear something heavy like that? It would only slow them down!” Kaminari exclaimed in a frustrated and confused fashion.

“Maybe that’s the point? You know, as a handicap maybe?” Izuku suggested, sounding not particularly sure about this himself.

“I’m not sure this is going to be the case, Izuku. U.A. wouldn’t just decrease the difficulty of our exams by giving our opponents a handicap unless…” Momo started when she was hit with a sudden realization. Unless their task would become impossible without a handicap. There was only one type of potential opponents she could think of where such measures would be necessary for the sake of fairness.

Looking at Izuku, whose shocked expression indicated to her that he might have come to a similar realization, she continued. “... they might have us fight pro-Heroes!”

“No way! How is that supposed to be fair?! What are we going to learn from getting our butts kicked by pros?!” a distraught Kaminari exclaimed.

“It being unfair is probably the fucking point, Kaminari. I’d bet good money that Aizawa Sensei is getting off to see us getting trounced!” Jirou hissed. 

“Jirou-san!”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you Yaomomo, but our homeroom teacher is a dick! He is having way too much fun with all those ‘logical ruses’ he’s pulling on us all the time!” Jirou said defensively.

“Logical ruses?” Mei repeated curiously.

“That’s what he calls bullshitting us! Like, for example, on the first damn day of school he had us do a Quirk assessment test instead of letting us go to orientation and threatened to expel whoever scored lowest. After presenting us with the score he of course told us he lied only to immediately add that he will make good on the treat the second he feels we’re slacking off too much. Just normal stuff any trustworthy adult would do!” Jirou explained her voice dripping with sarcasm at the last statement.

“Eh, you didn’t miss anything, Nezu’s speech during orientation was so boooooorrrrring!” Mei replied.

“Mei, you fell asleep barely ten minutes in!” Izuku interrupted.

“Yeah, your point? Did the principal say anything noteworthy that wasn’t in the syllabus?” Mei retorted.

“...”

“See? You guys didn’t miss anything!”

“Ok… that aside, who would even show up for the practical? I’d like to think that pro-Heroes have better things to do than fight us in an exam!” Ojiro wondered.

“It doesn’t have to be active pros specifically. I think prominent sidekicks or rookie Heroes are more likely. They need all the clout and renown they can get to secure the sponsors and loans necessary to start or keep afloat their own agency. U.A. could certainly offer assistance with that in exchange for help with the practical exam. Otherwise some recent retirees might also be possible candidates.” Izuku speculated, before starting to mutter off about the most likely candidates to show up.

“There he goes!” Mei giggled. “God I have to ask Power Loader Sensei if we could watch you guys during your exam! It sounds like it’ll be pretty spectacular! It certainly beats sitting at home doing nothing!”

“I’m happy that our suffering will at the very least be entertaining to you Hatsume.” Jirou deadpanned.

“That’s great to hear! Also, watching you guys fight might give me some ideas for more babies!” Mei replied in a chipper fashion, which indicated the sarcasm had flown way over her head. “You have no idea how much I hate having to go to school after the end of term exams! Sitting around doing nothing, while waiting out the clock is not fun. At least in the week after the exam Power Loader Sensei might allow me and Izuku to work on some projects to kill some time, but the day of your practical exam would have been super boring since they have given us that day off!”

“What? No fair! You get to enjoy a long weekend while we’re stuck in school to get our butts kicked?!” Mina whined out of jealousy.

“You think having to sit alone in my sister’s apartment is enjoyable? She doesn’t let me use any tools more complicated than a frigging screwdriver when she is not home! How am I supposed to get any work on my babies done like that?” Mei shot back.

Mina was obviously not convinced by Mei’s statement and continued pouting and whining about this, grave in her mind, injustice. Admittedly the knowledge that their peers would be able to wind down at home while they would have to go through an undoubtedly very intense trail, was a little bit upsetting. Still, Momo was convinced that there was a perfectly sensible reason for… this… situation…

Goodness gracious! This really was no coincidence!

“I know who we will face in the exam!” Momo loudly proclaimed, shooting up from her chair, getting the undivided attention of everyone, Izuku, who had just been ripped from his mutter induced trance, included. “On the day of the practical only the students of the hero course will be at school, meaning our teachers won’t be occupied by their usual duties!” 

“Just think about it! Ten teachers, forty students, if they test us one by one giving us fifteen minutes of time, like at the entrance exam, then they could finish everything up in one hour. If they spread those tests out over the course of a normal school day, then each teacher will have more than enough opportunity to recover before moving on to the next student!” Momo continued to her guests, who were stunned into silence.

“The teachers know us and our capabilities better than anyone, which should reduce the risk of injury dramatically compared to if they involved any third parties to test us. This also elegantly avoids any potential security risks that inviting people from outside could cause, which is an important consideration since principal Nezu is unlikely to want anything resembling the USJ incident from happening again!” Momo concluded.

“That’s… not really much of an improvement, isn’t it? We still are going to get destroyed, aren’t we?” Sero lamented.

“It is better than going in blind. We do know the Quirks of our teachers for the most part at the very least. Maybe all of us can come up with something, right Yaomomo?” Jirou said as she turned to Momo.

“We don’t have much time and we can’t disregard the possibility of me being wrong, but yes we should inform everyone and discuss some possible strategies together. I should also reach out to Kendo-san, her intel might have been wrong but she shared it with us in good faith. It’s only fair if we share what we learned with our sister class in return!”

“Oh man, this is going to suck so bad! Why can’t the teachers go easy on us for a change?” Kaminari groaned.

“Guess, that’s the price we pay for attending the best Hero school in the country. Gotta say, though, that I’d appreciate it if they stopped with the nasty surprises. Hard work I can deal with, but being thrown into the deep end over and over again without warning really is starting to get annoying!” Ojiro added in frustration.

“W-well to be fair, Heroes do have to deal with the unexpected all the time. If you get used to it early maybe it’s gonna be a help for your career later?” Izuku valiantly tried to point out the bright side. 

“I suppose that is one way of looking at things. That being said, in this instance we have the advantage of being warned ahead of time, so I suggest we do our best to make the most of it!” Momo said in encouragement.

“Yaomomo is right! We’re not beaten yet!” Jirou joined in sporting a gleeful smirk. “Also, just try to imagine Aizawa Sensei’s face when he realizes he doesn’t get to pull a fast one on us for a change!”

“I’m NOT gonna spend summer break being stuck taking remedial classes! I’m gonna go to summer camp or die trying!” Mina yelled, jumping up from her seat in turn, drawing similar cries of defiance from the other hero course students with her example.

“While I am a bit concerned with the somewhat fatalistic outlook at display here, I’d say we use this burst of motivation to continue. We’ve made great strides today but there is still plenty left to cover and any success in the practicals will be moot if any of you fail the written exam.” Momo addressed her guests.

With that the group of students continued on with renewed vigor, even though the fears and worry from the prior revelation were still very much palpable. The prospect of facing their teachers in the practical was daunting to say the least, so she fully understood why her peers were feeling anxious about that. The fact that they had no clues of the remaining parameters of the exercise didn’t help either. 

After they finished up with their agenda for the day Momo was at the very least confident that the written exam should not pose an insurmountable challenge. While some weaknesses and uncertainties remained, overall each of her guests should be able to earn a passing grade.

Momo was convinced that without the help of her two outstanding co-tutors, things might not have gone so swimmingly. As a result she elected to call out for Mei and Izuku to wait for a moment, when everybody else was starting to say their goodbyes and heading out for the car which would return them to the train station.

“I’d say today has been a tremendous success, concerning discoveries notwithstanding! I highly appreciate both of your assistance, especially considering how my invitation has been on quite a short notice. Allow me to present you with a few small tokens of my gratitude!” Momo told her two friends.

“T-that’s not necessary! Me and Mei loved to help today! Right?”

“Yeah! It was pretty fun all things considered. I’d do it again anytime!”

Reaching into the lowest compartment of the service trolley she had brought into the room, Momo recovered the little gifts for her friends before continuing. “As much as I’m happy you two enjoyed yourselves, I still must insist you take these presents! For you Izuku I took the liberty to acquire the textbooks we use to study the theory of foundational heroics in class. You’ve already shown remarkable aptitude when we covered this subject earlier, so I’m confident that these materials should enable you to keep pace with the hero course in this matter!”

“T-thanks! Is it really ok, though, since..”

“Izuku, those are just textbooks! Yaomomo is not sharing top secret documents with you, I could order them too if I knew which ones U.A. is using!” Mei interrupted, shaking her head in light-hearted disbelief.

“Mei is right, there is no reason to be concerned, Izuku. Heroics as a subject at U.A. is more than just combat training, so I got you these materials to get started over summer break. Once the winter term starts I should be able to book one of U.A.’s training gyms to allow us to do some sparring on the regular after school. Developing your skills is paramount to making sure you can fulfill your dream, even if there won’t be an opportunity to prove yourself anytime soon.”

“Wait! If you two are sparring after school, does that mean we won’t be together at the workshop anymore?” Mei asked, visibly concerned.

“I suppose that will result in making our workshop sessions a rarer occurrence, yes. You are of course invited to join us during our training. I reckon that U.A.’s training facilities will make for perfect testing grounds for your inventions,” Momo said to reassure her pink-haired friend. Thankfully she succeeded since Mei immediately perked up after hearing this, likely already having a selection of prototypes for field testing in mind.

“I also have a gift for you, Mei. It is not as practical as Izuku’s but I believe you will find this Belgian chocolate to your liking,” Momo continued while handing the other girl the little box containing the sweet treats. “I also planned to have you try some exotic Austrian chocolate I’m quite partial to, but unfortunately it hasn’t arrived yet. Maybe by the time we depart for I-Island, I’ll be able to share it.”

“Wow! Fancy chocolate! Thanks!” Mei responded while pulling Momo into a hug which she returned without hesitation.

“I guess that means it’s time for us to go. Uhm… good luck with the exams! I-if you want I could try and come up with some strategies for dealing with the teachers!” Izuku offered.

Disentangling herself from the tighter than anticipated hug from Mei, Momo closed the distance to Izuku, put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him before responding. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d prefer it if you focused on your own exams first. While you’re quite well prepared, I’d hate it if you overworked yourself for the benefit of me and my classmates. We will be fine.”

“Yeah, Izuku! I know you wanna help, but we’ll be busy with our project !” Mei chimed in, while holding onto his other arm and resting her head on his shoulder, causing the boy in question to flinch.

“Project? What project?” Momo asked her friends. Surely those two were not reckless enough to spend their time tinkering when they had exams to focus on!

Letting out a playful giggle beforehand, Mei replied. “Can’t tell you! It’s a secret!”

“I-it’s nothing you need to worry about! J-just a silly little experiment we wanted to try before the term ends!” Izuku nervously stammered out in reply, after Momo threw a concerned look his way.

“Don’t worry Yaomomo, we won’t blow up the workshop! We got to make sure we’re not getting rusty, we don’t want to embarrass ourselves once we start working for your Dad, you know?”

“I see…” Momo started, not entirely convinced but unwilling to press the issue because she has been delaying the two support course students for long enough.  “I suppose with that it is time to bid you farewell, it is getting late after all. Have a pleasant trip home and good luck with your endeavours, both the exams and your little project!”

After saying their goodbyes and Mei going in for another affectionate hug for good measure, Momo’s friends finally left the building and departed together with the other guests for the train station to head home. With the plans for the day completed she enjoyed a quick supper before retreating to her room.

Being a hostess and a tutor had been surprisingly exhausting, so the option of spending the rest of the evening relaxing and heading to bed early held quite a lot of appeal. That being said, Momo instead spent her time in front of her computer doing research on her teachers. While she had no doubt that Izuku would be able to provide great counter strategies to use against the U.A. faculty, Momo wanted first to see what she and her classmates could come up with before consulting him, if she would at all.

Was it foolish not to draw on her green-haired friends encyclopedic knowledge of Heroes and Quirks from the get go?

Possibly.

Yet she couldn’t help herself from viewing this as a great opportunity.

Thanks to Izuku’s and Mei’s kind encouragement, Momo has been able to escape the downward trajectory she had been stuck in after the Sports Festival. Despite feeling a lot better about herself now, Momo was still keenly aware that she was yet to demonstrate that her fears and doubts had been unwarranted.

The daunting challenge ahead of her at the practical exam would be her chance to rectify that!

Chapter Text

Shigaraki Tomura was furious.

At the beginning of the year when Sensei had announced that their time had finally come, Tomura’s initial reaction had been ecstatic! He had waited his entire life to finally strike at All Might, kill the bastard and start destroying all of society, which he had hated for so long! Yet, after roughly half a year he had nothing to show for his efforts.

The raid at the USJ had been supposed to be his moment of triumph! After all those painstaking preparations, Tomura had been confident the plan he and Sensei had cooked up together would be foolproof. All of that had been for nothing because All Might has been tardy as fuck and the trash units he had relied on proved completely unable to even kill some snooty brats! Those imbeciles should consider themselves lucky that they are relatively safe locked behind bars, Tomura would dust every single one of them for failing him, if he ever got the opportunity!

The worst part of that whole debacle had been the fact that Tomura’s mentor had been wrong. Sensei had been convinced that All Might had been growing weaker, yet that had clearly not been the case! The Nomu that had been engineered specifically to counter that bastard had been completely and utterly trounced for fucks sake! How Sensei had been able to stay optimistic in the aftermath of that, he thought he would never understand.

Probably because Sensei knew things could always get much worse…

In the time leading to the events in Hosu, everything looked like it was going up again. When canon fodder proves to be not worth the effort, you switch your tactics and focus on elite units instead. Tomura really couldn’t be too mad at Kurogiri for dragging that Hero killer nutjob into their base, since on paper he did fit the description well, thanks to his impressive resume. 

Unfortunately Stain’s stat sheet had not mentioned that he was fucking insane and worse another All Might dick rider! His delusions of self righteousness and inane speeches about ‘conviction’ made no goddamn sense! Getting stabbed after putting up with all of this bullshit really made Tomura regret he didn’t dust this bastard on the spot, which only became worse in hindsight!

The attack on Hosu was his attempt at payback. Tomura couldn’t imagine a better way of getting even than taking a big fat dump on that noseless freak’s stupid ‘crusade’, only for it to bite him in the ass majorly!

The media had been supposed to report on all the death and carnage caused by his Nomus! To provide undeniable proof to all the sheep out there that the League, despite the setback at the USJ, was a force to be feared! What had happened instead?

NOBODY FUCKING CARED!

The headlines had been dominated by Stain slitting the throat of some C-lister wearing the worst Native American cosplay Tomura had ever seen! The attack orchestrated by him had been barely a footnote and usually accompanied by rumors that he had been working with that self righteous asshole!

Tomura may have been able to look past all of that, thanks to Sensei explaining to him the many ways they could benefit from those rumors. Of course the noseless nut job had to ruin everything by releasing his video message barely a day after!

How anybody with two functioning eyeballs and a brain was able to take the lunatic’s raving rant seriously, Tomura would never understand. Hell, he was willing to bet good money that Stain died bleeding out in the dirty alley he had shot the video in mere minutes after uploading it! That’s how badly banged up the piece of shit had been after getting in the crossfire between the Heroes and Tomura’s Nomus during his escape. Although, the lack of a corpse being found even after weeks of the city being searched by the Heroes, indicated Stain might have made it out alive.

Unfortunately it turned out Shigaraki was the only sane person left in this goddamn country! All the NPC’s out there were thinking that it was him that would end up dead in an alley soon, now that the Hero killer had sworn revenge on him. Of course, Tomura couldn’t give any less shits about what the Hero worshiping public thought of him, but the fact that many people in the underworld were thinking similarly was starting to become a major issue. The League’s recruitment efforts for instance had suffered immensely. Most people were either too scared of Stain and his even more unhinged fanclub or refused to work with a bunch of ‘lucky amateurs’.

The people involved in the black-market shared a similar attitude. The few brokers that had not cut ties yet to avoid the ire of the noseless freak and his cult, doubled or tripled their rates at minimum. They also, without exception, refused to interact directly, instead insisting on operating via proxies and dead drops for safety reasons. Tomura didn't care much about the money, funding wasn’t an issue thanks to Sensei’s resources. No, the sheer amount of disrespect these actions displayed was what was really getting to him!

He was Shigaraki Tomura! The man that had breached U.A.’s supposedly impervious defenses, proving how vulnerable those arrogant pricks really were! His only mistake had been that he had trusted all the trash in his party to do their fucking job! He had done more to shake up the rotten status quo with his first mission than most of those cockroaches would ever achieve in their whole worthless lifetimes and they still dared to laugh at him!

He would show them! ALL OF THEM! Stain, U.A., the Heroes and every piece of trash that was mocking him right now! He’ll make them regret ever underestimating him in the last few seconds before he turned them into dirt beneath his boots! Tomura already knew who the first targets for his revenge would be.

The brats! Their meddling had been, apart from the incompetence of his trash party members, among the main reasons for the USJ raid going awry. Even if All Might would have still proved too strong for Kurogiri and the Nomu, killing all of the precious little students before the grinning idiot had a chance to intervene would have been an appropriate consolidation prize for Tomura. He would have loved watching All Might try to smile his way through all the funerals of the children he had failed with his tardiness!

The problem, though, was how was he supposed to get to them? U.A. was getting students from all over the damn country, so trying to find their exact addresses would be difficult. The break in would have been the perfect opportunity to take a few quick pictures of the student files, but unfortunately the brats had not been on his radar back then. Even if he had the data, getting to all of them would be nigh impossible. Kurogiri’s warp had limits so teleporting across the country to kill was off the table, the authorities would get wind of what was going on and step in before he could finish them all.

Tomura needed to strike when all of the brats were gathered together in the same place. If Sensei’s much vaunted source was correct, then U.A. would send them somewhere remote for a training camp over summer break, which would be the perfect opportunity! Yet, the way things were going now, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to assemble a strong enough squad in time. Underestimating those snooty Hero wannabes again was not a mistake he wanted to repeat. Add whatever teachers, which would accompany them to the mix, and Tomura had to begrudgingly admit that he didn’t like his odds.

This situation frustrated Shigaraki to no end, especially since this plan would not only restore the reputation of the League of villains but also potentially solve their recruiting problems! During his time recovering from the gunshot wounds inflicted to him by that damn cowboy wannabe, Tomura followed the U.A. Sports Festival closely on Sensei’s suggestion. 

Initially Tomura had considered it a waste of his time but watching the awards ceremony he couldn’t help himself from smiling. The winner of the tournament couldn’t be any farther from the self righteous, mass pleasing demeanor that Heroes like All Might were wearing like masks! Surely that boy must be suffering under the pressure that U.A. and society were putting on him for not fitting neatly into their beloved boxes! There was a good chance that the boy could be turned. Sensei did agree with that plan, despite the risks, since they were far outweighed by the benefits. Having one of their students kidnapped from under their nose alone would bring U.A. under massive fire but if he switched sides as well… then their reputation would dissolve faster than anything under the influence of Tomura’s Quirk!

His Master did warn him to not get too attached to this idea, though. That Bakugou boy had shown a lot of talent for combat, which would make subduing him without maiming really difficult. Sensei had also warned that obtaining some sort of leverage would be necessary to ensure the potential recruit could not easily turn on them. While that was not bad advice, Tomura figured he had time until he had the boy at his mercy to come up with something. Maybe have the brat kill a few of his classmates as proof of loyalty and film it? Either way finding a way to actually capture the boy in the first place had priority.

He would also need to start on preparing his arguments, relying on his natural charisma alone would be disastrous, Tomura considered it to be the ultimate dump stat after all. Power and fear are usually better means of controlling your underlings anyways. Coming up with a convincing speech shouldn’t be too hard, though, considering how the boy has been booed by the NPC audience during one of his matches in the tournament for daring to revel in his power instead of pandering to their sensibilities, likely meant he had little reason to love the public. The fact that U.A.’s little champion didn’t even flinch at this overwhelmingly negative reaction told Tomura that this wasn’t the first time the boy got rejected because of the mindless masses fearing his power. Offering him a chance to finally be able to let loose and enjoy true freedom should do the trick.

Adding a fast, versatile brawler with mid range capabilities would round out the Tomura’s party nicely. The meathead, that was on board already, may be a powerful berserker type unit but he was barely smarter than a Nomu and couldn’t do much against a fast skirmisher type enemy kiting him around and whittling him down. That middle schooler they recruited recently was pretty much the opposite, fairly calculating and pragmatic with a powerful AoE Quirk that could take down scores of mobs. The risk of friendly fire was a problem, though, and the boy had no real fighting skills, relying instead on a stolen gun as backup in case his Quirk is not enough. 

Groaning to himself in frustration while compulsively scratching his throat, Tomura noted that this was still a pretty pathetic party even if that Bakugou brat would join. Hopefully that death row inmate Sensei had scouted could be added sooner rather than later as well. His master had promised that getting that crazed cannibal out would be a piece of cake, thanks to the numerous favors he had called in. That better turned out to be true, Tomura would need that guy and a lot more Nomus before he could try to go after the U.A. brats!

Supposedly, Shigaraki wouldn’t have to worry about having enough of those freaks at the very least, since his master had already confirmed that he would get the number he needed this time. Although, he did warn that most of those would be ‘volatile’ or something thanks to their rushed nature, not that Tomura cared. As long as those things didn’t kill the explosion Quirk user he planned on recruiting, he didn’t really see why that should matter. Honestly, Hosu city would have gone a lot better if he had gotten the additional Nomus he had wanted that time as well! Seriously, why was Sensei so stingy with those anyway? Couldn’t he just make more of them whenever he wanted?

On that topic, the confusing way his mentor’s network operated was another source of frustration for him. Apart from whatever lab the Nomu’s were grown in, the agent they had within U.A. in particular stood out, with their unreliability. What good was having a fucking spy if you still had to get your hands dirty yourself to get any Intel?

Granted Tomura had been so starved for action at that point that he had gleefully embraced the opportunity to mess with the school and destroy their front gate as a little prelude to what was to come. Thinking about it in retrospect, there shouldn’t have been a need for him to do that personally. Why had the spy not been assigned to getting All Might’s teaching schedule, when they have already been on site? Sensei insisted that the spy would prove themselves an invaluable asset in the long run, though Tomura highly doubted it now considering they have yet to cough up any useful Intel at all. Supposedly they would provide the location of the first year's little summer trip once the school would announce it. That at the very least seemed to imply that their mole had some way of tracking the brats if nothing else, which might be all that he needed.

Needing to confirm this, Tomura stopped scowling on the bar counter for the first time in a while and yelled for his assistant. “Kurogiri!”

“Yes? How may I be of service?” the sharply dressed right hand man replied, who until now had been busy cleaning glasses and other bar utensils.

“I was wondering about Sensei’s spy at that damn school. If they can find out the location of their training camp then that means they have some way of monitoring the brats, right?”

“It appears so. If you wish to know how they are able to do that, then I unfortunately have to admit that I know no more than you do.”

“Figures,” Tomura said in an annoyed tone.

“Is there a specific reason for why you want to know? I could inquire with the master for you once he checks in again.” Kurogiri helpfully offered.

“Honestly, I don’t give a shit how exactly they are doing that. What I’m really interested in is if our mole can track the brats when they are off campus as well. If some of them, or better the whole group, meet up somewhere after school, like going to the movies, karaoke or whatever, then I want to know, especially if the champion will be there as well.”

“Are you planning to strike them in public? I was under the impression we were planning to attack them during their summer retreat, is that no longer the case?” Kurogiri asked curiously.

“No, it’s a good plan and I’d love to go through with it. U.A. will look like it’s run by complete and utter morons if we can grab their golden boy right from under their nose! The problem, though, is that there will be teachers there and those mini bosses are definitely not something we can afford to underestimate.” Shigaraki pointed out, remembering how last time doing so had ended up in him getting riddled with lead for his troubles.

“An attack in broad daylight is unlikely to be any easier. Active pro-Heroes will try to move in to intervene.” Kurogiri argued.

“That shouldn’t be an issue, with warp we’ll be able to pull off a quick smash and grab way before any mobs have any chance to show up. If for some reason some C-lister does manage to stumble into us before we can extract then we can easily turn the situation around on him. Daylight hours means there will be lots of NPCs around which will make for great meatshields.” Tomura retorted with a sadistic grin, the thought of all the potential civilian casualties improving his mood.

“I see. I shall relay this to the master then at the earliest opportunity. This new plan surely is going to impress him with its boldness.”

“I’d still rather fuck up their little camping vacation. If we just kill them and grab the explosive brat in public, then U.A. won’t be dogpiled by the media the way I want them to! Those Nomus Sensei promised better be ready by then!”

“If that is worrying you then allow me to share some good news.” Kurogiri said in an attempt to reassure Tomura. “The setback in Hosu has not been completely in vain, the master has been able to acquire a new Quirk as a result of the aftermath of this incident! A Quirk that is capable of stimulating the growth of organic tissue by quite a significant degree.”

“Wait! Does that mean Sensei is able to finally heal himself?!” 

“Unfortunately that seems not to be the case. If I understood the explanation correctly then the Quirk is too blunt of an instrument so to speak. Using it on the tissue of vital organs is very likely to create very dangerous tumorous growths. The original owner used it mainly on simple organisms like plants to provide the gang he was part of with the means to produce narcotics like cocaine very cheaply. Fortunately the Quirk can be used to help with the creation of Nomus, however.” Kurogiri continued.

“How? Does their regeneration counteract the tumors or something?”

“From what I was told, the main use of this new ability lies in how it can speed up the growth of muscle fibers. Enhancing musculature and increasing overall muscle mass are, to my knowledge, some of the lengthiest parts of the process to create a Nomu. The first batch created with this new experimental method is likely mere days away from completion.” Kurogiri concluded.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me that sooner?!” Tomura yelled at his right hand man, angry over how much grief this information could have spared him had he known sooner.

“Apologies, but I was specifically ordered to keep this from you until recently. I suspect the master wanted to avoid giving you false hope in case his experiments failed to return favorable results.”

“Fine, I forgive you. Just make sure to remember to tell Sensei everything we just discussed when you next speak with him!” Tomura said as he got up from his bar-stool and started making his way towards his room to turn in for the night.

The news that at least the Nomus would be ready was a big relief and considerably improved his mood. After a good night’s sleep Tomura would be able to start working on his pitch for the potential new recruit that U.A. has been so kind to train up for him. If that boy still refused afterwards for some reason then he’d just have him share the fate of his friends. 

Once that stupid mole finally proved themselves useful, Tomura would be able to send the message to All Might, the Heroes and society at large that he had intended to from the beginning.

That there was no future for them!

To say that Yaoyorozu Momo was on edge today would be an understatement.

With her revelation of the very likely nature of the upcoming practical exam relayed to the rest of the class, everyone agreed to remain at school for a little bit after classes to sit together and strategize. All but one.

Bakugou.

Thanks to the explosive blonde’s standoffish demeanor nobody seemed to have approached him with their plans, so it fell to Momo to chase after him before he left the school grounds and formally invited him. While Bakugou is unlikely to be missed at the strategy meeting, Momo still believed that he should at the very least have a chance to attend, even if him declining the offer was almost a foregone conclusion.

Of course intercepting the explosion Quirk user in the rapidly emptying hallways would also provide the perfect opportunity to speak with him about a select few topics that had been on her mind recently.

Catching up to the boy proved to be significantly easier than Momo had expected. Despite having left the classroom immediately after the last bell for the day, her classmate’s meandering pace had made catching up trivial. Quite the departure from Bakugou’s usual brisk pace. It felt almost like he was not looking forward to arriving at whatever destination he was heading.

“Bakugou! Would you like to…”

“Turn around Ponytail! I don’t care what everyone is cooking up, I don’t need help from anyone with the practical! Whether it’s against the teacher, robots or hell the fucking League of Villains showing up for a rematch, I’ll crush it!” was Bakugou’s brusque response before she could even finish making her offer.

“I have a name ! You’d do well to use it and the names of the others as well, while we are on the topic. To be frank, your lackluster conduct is another reason I need to talk with you.” Momo returned firmly.

“Does that have to be right fucking now? I’ve got places to be!”

“I’m afraid it has to, but I’ll try to keep it short. Plus, you don’t really give me many alternative avenues now do you? You’re nowhere to be seen during lunch and I hardly can just walk over and chat with you during class, especially for more… private matters.”

“Ever thought that I might not want to talk with anybody? Again, I’ve got better things to do! So leave me be!” Bakugou brushed her off, before trying to walk away.

“ Stop right there! Your behavior in class is not a trivial matter! If you refuse to even listen then you leave me with no other choice but to go to the principal to resolve it!” Momo called after the rude blonde, not enjoying that she had to resort to such drastic measures and force the conversation.

“What the fuck?! I’ve done nothing! You seriously want to drag me to the principal over NOTHING?!” the boy yelled at her angrily as he stopped and turned around to face her.

“I beg to differ. Your rude and disrespectful behavior has continued on. I did not delude myself that the faculty finally taking action would immediately transform you into a model classmate, still I have no words for how disappointed I am with your lack of progress.” Momo said, doing, in her opinion, a tremendous job at keeping calm and collected.

“What? Aren’t I keeping my trap shut, even if I’m getting bothered by some annoying asshole, like you and everyone else wanted? Whose precious little feelings am I hurting just by fucking sitting in class?!” her unwilling conversation partner responded in a caustic fashion.

“While the drastic reduction in your yelling and gloating are welcomed, the fact that you consider this a major concession is definitely part of the problem.” Momo calmly but firmly replied. “I expect you to treat everyone, and I mean every single student of this school, with nothing less than the proper amount of respect and courtesy that all of our peers deserve! No more dismissive glares, referring to people as ‘extras’ or derivatives thereof and most importantly no more demeaning nicknames!”

“Seriously? Anything else while you’re at it? Maybe have me give out free foot massages as well?” Bakugou shot back sarcastically.

“While this sounds like a tempting offer, I sincerely doubt there will be many people trusting you enough to take you up on it.” Momo sarcastically returned.

Seeing her classmate roll his eyes, Momo continued. “See it as a training exercise! After all, you’ll need to be able to both deal with public opinion and to work with people you don’t like. Having to handle you has certainly been a learning experience for me!”

“That’s what those losers in the business track supposedly are for and the students here are not relevant enough in either number or importance, so I don’t see how me not giving much of a shit about their opinion is gonna impact my career in any way. All that matters is to grow strong so I can destroy any fucking villains that cross my path once I’m out in the field! If you wanna play school idol and bask in the adoration of the masses, be my guest, but don’t drag me into it! I don’t give a shit about being popular!” Bakugou coldly retorted, trying his best to appear disaffected and uninterested as if this whole matter was beneath him. 

“You being rude was barely within tolerable limits without knowing the lows to which you are capable of sinking. There are severe doubts within our class now whether you really belong in the Hero course at all. It would be in your best interest to avoid having this unease grow to a breaking point. A formal complaint from our classmates could very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and result in your immediate expulsion for good.” Momo warned, trying not to sound too enthusiastic at this potential turn of events.

“Are you fucking threatening me?!”

“No,” Momo replied coldly. “This is merely a hypothetical scenario, albeit one very much within the realm of possibility. On your current trajectory I’d be surprised if you make it until October, let alone finish your first year. Make no mistake, I have plenty of personal reasons to feel delighted over the prospect of your departure from this school, but as your class representative I feel obligated to give you a warning at the very least. Who knows? Cleaning up your act the way I suggested might even contribute to the principal lowering some of the restrictions he has placed on you.”

“What if some idiot is getting on my nerves and not leaving me be? Am I supposed to just take it and say thank you?” The blonde boy asked sarcastically.

“If you’re truly being harassed by someone, finding me or Iida-san should suffice. I can guarantee you that we take our duties very seriously and we will intervene to stop any kind of harassment and abuse, no matter what our personal feelings on the matter are.” Momo said matter of factly.

“So your unasked for advice to me is to act like a goody two shoes from now on? Fucking great!” Bakugou said sardonically, although in a much more resigned than scathing fashion.

“In the end it’s up to you. If you can’t find the tiny shred of decency inside you necessary to treat everyone around you as fellow human beings, then I can at the very least rest easy in the knowledge that we won’t have to endure your seemingly unrepentant behavior for much longer.” Momo shot back, unable to restrain all of the venom in her words.

“Ohh, don’t you worry I’m regretting how things turned out! You just won’t see me crying about it!” Her blonde classmate retorted, once again trying to project an uncaring, disaffected front.

Momo herself rolled her eyes at Bakugou’s attempt to project strength. Thanks to his constant boasting over how he will be the next number one Hero, she severely doubted that the prospect of expulsion wasn’t causing the boy any amount of distress. Having to leave U.A. in disgrace is rather unlikely to aid in his goal, after all. Where her classmate’s need to constantly indulge in this, quite frankly, pathetic posturing came from she had no idea, but she would not allow herself to be deterred by it!

“I would greatly appreciate it if you could put aside this persona while we’re having a serious conversation. It’s a transparent act for literally everyone that has known you for longer than a week. If you truly didn’t care about your reputation then why are you so quick to anger every time your lofty opinion of yourself is challenged in the slightest? Thanks to talking with Izuku I feel confident in saying that it is you who craves the adoration of the masses. The only thing that changed is that you are no longer the average fish in a small pond.”

“I’m sure he told you plenty! That damn De…” Bakugou started only to be interrupted by Momo giving him an icy glare. 

“Never call him that again!” Momo told Izuku’s tormentor firmly but calmly which was in stark contrast to the spiking of her blood pressure. “To you he is Midoriya, you forfeited any rights to call him anything else when you started putting him through all of that abuse. I don’t know what exactly happened between you two to warrant such hatred, but I won’t allow any further escalation to occur! You will never hurt him again!”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

“Enlighten me then! If Izuku is such a deceitful individual like you claim, then surely there must be stories you can share to convince me, right?” Momo snapped back out of frustration.

“Why should I bother? You already decided that he is the victim and I don’t feel like wasting any more of my time! I’ve got a fucking thesis paper to finish for the rat, which he had the audacity to call just a ‘little essay’!” Bakugou answered, before turning around and started heading towards the lockers again.

“You have my utmost sympathy,” Momo venomously called out while following her retreating classmate. “Still, I expect an explanation. For better or worse we’re going to remain classmates, at least for the immediate future, so I need to know your side of the story. Izuku has understandably not been particularly forthcoming with the details of what he went through, but the picture of you that he paints is not pretty. Like most people I don’t think someone that is capable of betraying his best friend in such a horrid fashion has a place here, so it’s in your best interest to make me understand what happened. I don’t see a way for anything to work out otherwise!”

Stopping again and sighing heavily, Bakugou addressed her again. “You are not going to drop this aren’t you? Why do you give a shit? Just label me as the bad guy and be done with it like the rest!”

“It’s not that simple. Izuku clearly is still hurting from what happened between you two and I don’t think I’ll be able to properly help him if I remain ignorant. If you feel even the tiniest shred of remorse for your treatment of him, then please share your side of the story!” Momo appealed to her classmate.

“Fine! If that means you’ll leave me be from now on then I can give you the short version.” Bakugou conceded. “To set things straight, I never betrayed a friend! The nerd and I were never that close to begin with!”

“What?! Haven't you two known each other since you were little children? Izuku told me you two spend a lot of time together!” Momo interrupted out of confusion.

“Yeah, we did. Doesn’t mean we were buddies, though! My old hag and his Mom have been best friends since middle school or something, so every time Aunty Inko came over she brought her son with her or vice versa. I only ever hung out with him back then because I had to and if he thought that meant we are friends then that’s his problem not mine!” the explosion Quirk user explained.

“And it never occurred to you to just be honest and tell how you were feeling about this arrangement? Surely your Mother would not force you to associate with someone you can’t stand, would she?” she interjected.

“Hah! Good idea! Has it ever occurred to you that your precious little friend is a fucking crybaby? If I told him he would have put on the waterworks and I would have never heard the end of it! Even worse, he might have tried his best to try and befriend me afterwards. Fuck that! As annoying as he was it was at the least bearable, he didn’t have shit taste for Heroes for instance. Just putting up with it and making the best of the situation seemed like the better choice at the time…” Bakugou continued.

If that was Bakugou’s excuse for a decade’s worth of abuse then Momo was not buying it. Calling Izuku, who had been a preschooler at that time, a crybaby was highly hypocritical, considering that she highly doubted that young Bakugou never cried or threw any tantrums at that age. He never really grew out of doing the latter well into his mid-teens, after all.

“...Then I got my Quirk and he got his diagnosis that he’ll never have one. Things went downhill fast from there on. He became a fucking thorn in my side! Until the end of elementary school, if not way past that, he never let me have peace! Every damn time I was roughhousing with my Quirk for training he had to show up and hold these stupid speeches about what I was doing being unheroic, as if he of all people would know!” 

“You are aware that children are not supposed to use their Quirks in public as well, aren’t you? Especially children with very destructive Quirks! It sounds to me like he was looking out for you, since if somebody saw your ‘training’ you could have been in a lot of trouble!”

“What else was I supposed to do? Training up my Quirk means that I need to use it and the closer to combat conditions the better the training! Everybody that saw my Quirk knew immediately that I was meant to do great things, so they gave me the leeway to properly develop it!”

“To my knowledge Quirk training is supposed to happen either in private or at government licensed gyms or training facilities, which admittedly are a bit of an uncommon sight. The main reason Izuku took umbrage with your methods likely lied more with the fact that most of your training partners were unwilling, at least according to his recounting of your shared history.” 

“Then he should get over himself! I only ever challenged idiots who were stupid enough to act like big shots in my presence! I was doing them a favor by showing them their place, not that any of those morons ever had enough brain cells to spare to recognize that!”

“Am I right to assume you included Izuku in your efforts to show people their ‘place’?” Momo inquired, her voice taking on a much colder tone as she worked hard to keep herself from lashing out and ruining her chance to learn more.

“Obviously,” that damn scoundrel replied seemingly not even the slightest bit ashamed of his deeds! “You know what happens to civilians caught in the crossfire between Heroes and Villains? They end up as red smears on the walls! The sooner the damn nerd learns that he is worthless in Heroics the better it’ll be for him! There is nothing he could do out there except dying a pointless death! Since he was always getting into my way I took it upon myself to hammer that point into him over and over again! Maybe I went a bit overboard since I was so angry with him for trying to trick me, but at the end of the day I was doing him the biggest favor of all!”

“You keep insisting that, yet you haven’t mentioned a single instance of Izuku doing anything that could be misconstrued that way. All he has ever seemingly done was trying to stop you from crossing any lines that could jeopardize your future!” Momo yelled at Bakugou, outraged at the blasé attitude he had towards what by all means was criminal behavior! “I have no idea what kind of school you attended but I can tell you with confidence that using your Quirk on your peers in public without their consent no less is not a trivial matter! Any responsible adult would have immediately notified both your parents and the authorities if they saw you doing that! Depending on at what age you would have been discovered and the severity of injuries you caused it could have easily landed you in juvenile prison or at the very last resulted in earning a black mark for your records! Do you honestly believe you could have made it to U.A. with that kind of history?!”

“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, I wasn’t causing any injuries! Worst I did was make some bitch babies cry. His help on the other hand was neither wanted nor needed! That’s what I meant! He knows he has no chance to ever fulfill his delusional dream so he settles for ‘helping’ so he can make you dependent on him and drag you down to his level. I refused to play along and now he has attached himself to you. I warned you, so don’t come crying to me when everything inevitably goes to shit!”

“The only delusional party here is you !” Momo snapped back, growing tired of treating this delinquent with restraint. “How you never faced any repercussions until now is beyond me, but what you were doing was wrong! Whether or not you saw him as a friend, Izuku was acting as one when he told you the truth and tried to stop you from hurting others and ruining your future! Apparently he was the sole voice of reason during your shared childhood and the fact that you resent him for that does not reflect well on you. By standing up to your bullying as a child Izuku proved himself a greater Hero than you’ll ever be!”

“Fuck off! What do you know?! You’re just some prissy rich girl!” Bakugou snarled at her. “Birdbrain wiped the fucking floor with you within seconds! In a real fight you’d been torn to shreds! That’s the reality Ponytail, whether you like it or not, if you’re not strong enough to defeat the villain then you’re dead weight! Wave for the cameras and pander to the braindead masses all you want, the truth is you’ll never achieve anything meaningful that way!”

“If you’re so knowledgeable about the essence of Heroics, then please explain to me why All Might still is the uncontested number one Hero.” Momo asked coldly, not wanting to give her opponent the satisfaction of losing her composure after that disparaging comment about her performance in the Sports Festival. “By your logic, Endeavor, who wastes no time with the media circus and has surpassed even All Might when it comes to the number of incidents resolved years ago, should be number one or at the very least a very close contender for the spot. Yet the gap between him and All Might has remained as insurmountable as it has been when he first became the number two Hero. Curious, don’t you think?”

“That’s because All Might obviously still is way stronger than Endeavor! Plus the number of incidents resolved can easily be padded if you go exclusively after small flies, although Endeavor admittedly is not afraid to fight stronger villains if necessary.”

“Do we know that? How would we even measure who is stronger? No two Quirks are the same, Bakugou! Trying to assign some sort of ‘powerlevel’ to them is an exercise in futility, they would ultimately end up being completely arbitrary, since there's no way to empirically determine the strength or usefulness of a Quirk. How you use your Quirk is what determines its effectiveness. You should know, you interned under Best Jeanist, whose Quirk does not sound all that impressive on paper, after all!” Momo contested.

“It’s based on his opponents! All Might fought and defeated more and way stronger villains than Endeavor!”

After shaking her head at her classmate because of the metaphorical straws he was grasping to maintain his worldview, Momo continued. “We run into a similar issue here, objectively assessing a villain's strength is difficult as well. No, the actual reality is that popularity does play a role, for good reason. Combat ability is important, I’m not going to contradict that, but you are clearly overvaluing it, Bakugou! First and foremost a Hero's duty is to save lives, ideally not just physically but also by reassuring and inspiring them! All Might is called the symbol of Peace for this exact reason! By his mere presence alone he can fill the people with hope that whatever nightmare they are living through is about to come to an end! This ability is much more valuable than his physical strength and the main reason why All Might is still held in such a high regard. Like it or not, a Hero without the ability to inspire the people that a better world is possible will never have much of an impact. As my Mother says, society's ills can’t be fixed just by having people in colorful costumes constantly engage in street-brawls with each other!”

“Damn, I knew you were naive, but now I see how he was able to talk his way into your good graces!” Bakugou commented in a condescending way. “You don’t put out a fire by holding corny speeches or trying to reason with it! You stop it by stomping it out!”

“This reactive, escalatory logic is chief among the reasons why the dark age happened!” Momo argued. “Harsh crackdowns against the early Quirk users and the atmosphere of fear and distrust encouraged by the government created the very villains they wanted to stop! The Meta Liberation Army in particular was a direct response to this heavy handed approach! If society is to ever know any semblance of peace again we need to move past these toxic ideas of what constitutes strength and how it is to be wielded. All Might and the heroes he inspired know that, but if you think you know better than them, then go ahead! It’s your career that will be stuck in a dead end!”

“Yeah, whatever! I’d love to continue discussing philosophy and shit with you but I really got to go now. Can I leave now before I miss my fucking train home?” He said, while crossing his arms, clearly not interested in keeping this conversation going.

“Alright. I won't keep you any longer. However, don’t forget what I told you at the beginning! Your behavior towards your peers still leaves much to be desired. If you can’t bring yourself to treat everyone with the courtesy all upstanding members of society deserve, then your chances of rehabilitation will drop significantly, I’m afraid.” Momo reminded her foulmouthed classmate as she gave him permission to leave.

Glaring at her for a second because of the implications of her statement, before relaxing his posture and replying. “Fine! If that keeps you off may fucking case, than I’ll make sure to keep it in mind! Just make sure to tell everyone to leave me the fuck alone and to keep all their shitty wisecracks to themselves while I’m around!”

With that Bakugou turned around and swiftly walked away in an effort to make up for lost time. Momo herself started to walk back to rejoin the rest of class 1-A for their strategy meeting, thankful that this unpleasant conversation was finally over. The topic of Izuku’s past had stirred her up way more than she had liked to, but thankfully she had been able to maintain her composure for the most part. Still, what they had just talked about remained at the forefront of her mind.

The biggest thing that had stood out to her was how little Izuku’s quirkless status had been mentioned. It appeared that Bakugou’s hatred of Izuku did not primarily stem from bigotry. No, the main reason, or at least the one Bakugou had been willing to share, was that Izuku had the audacity to point out that brutalizing your peers with your Quirk was in fact morally wrong. Suffice to say that if Bakugou had intended to come off as sympathetic or the very least understandable with his reasoning, then he had failed miserably.

How, in the name of all that was good and holy, did the explosion Quirk user come to the conclusion that his way of ‘roughhousing’ was anything close to reasonable? It was seriously worrying how defensive he had gotten and the way he had tried justifying it. Had he developed such contempt for anyone he deemed as weak that he thought that harming them for his benefit was acceptable? Could this play into his dislike for Izuku as well, by interpreting her green-haired friend’s kindness as weakness? Thinking of someone with a mindset like this patrolling the streets sent a cold shudder down her back. With Heroes like that Villains would become redundant!

All of this served as another reminder how unfair life could be. Like Momo, Bakugou had been blessed with many advantages that had enabled him to pursue his dream. Unlike her, he seemed to be either ignorant of how lucky he has been or attributed all of his success solely on his personal efforts, disregarding any other factors that have benefited him. The fact he had never faced any consequences until recently for treating his peers spoke volumes about how lucky he had been!

Izuku, kindhearted as he was, wanted to leave the past behind him and Momo would do her best to respect his wishes. That did not mean, however, she would tolerate Bakugou’s despicable behavior any longer. A vindictive part of her mind was hoping the blonde boy would disregard her warning and continue being his rude, condescending self. If he gave her proper cause, being expelled from U.A. would only be the beginning of his penance, Momo could do so much worse if she really wanted to. Using her family's connections, she could easily ensure that Bakugou would have to cross multiple oceans to find a Hero school willing to take him in!

Whether or not such drastic measures would finally break the haughty blonde’s insufferable ego or not, Momo did not know. That being said she would do well to do her best in curbing these vengeful impulses. As understandable as being outraged on her friend’s behalf may be, lowering herself to Bakugou’s level was unbecoming of her!

Arriving at class 1-A thankfully provided her with reasons to not waste any more thoughts on the foul mouthed pariah of her class for the rest of the day. With the prospect of having to face their teachers at the practical exam, using this opportunity to brainstorm potential strategies together could prove vital. Momo herself had put a significant amount of work in preparing for this, by researching and summarizing all information about the careers of U.A.’s teachers, their Quirks and capabilities that she could find. This should provide a suitable foundation to build proper battle plans from.

The task ahead of them was still daunting. So many unknowns remained, especially about the parameters of the exam itself. So many potential objectives and conditions that could make anything they came up with pointless. Still as the old saying goes ‘plans are useless, but planning is indispensable’. Just by going through the available information, thinking about the most likely scenarios they could find themselves in and coming up with contingencies for things that could go wrong was a valuable use of time. Armed with this knowledge setting a workable, improvised plan into motion should be considerably easier.

Despite the palpable nervousness remaining, seeing the determined faces of her classmates as they worked, Momo was confident that they would be able to rise and meet whatever challenge U.A. had in store for them!

Principal Nezu was deep in thought.

His special lesson plan for his current most troublesome student did require the utmost care, after all. From what Nezu had been able to gleam from Bakugou’s psyche, trying to just correct him in a straightforward manner would be ill advised. The boy's pride and stubbornness would easily lead him to double down on his problematic views and make the whole process that much harder going forward.

For the moment taking inspiration from the Socratic method seemed the most prudent course of action. The boy should be a lot more accepting of new ideas and the faults in his current worldview, if he had the feeling of having discovered them himself. The sizable essay and the extensive reading list required for it about the topics of Ethics and Quirks, should hopefully prove to be an important first, if small, step for Bakugou.

Still, a talk about the boy’s behavior in class might be necessary as well. It was important to make sure Bakugou would stop antagonizing the rest of the student body in his ill-advised attempt at maintaining his image of being ‘strong’. If the boy’s current seemingly unrepentant behavior made it look like the school was being too lenient with him then that might encourage other delinquents to test the boundaries. Nezu would rather avoid that, seeing as his schedule was busy enough already.

Planning out all of this, inevitably would turn Nezu’s thoughts towards the question of how things could have gone so far to begin with. It was obvious that the blonde boy had been exposed to an environment that had repeatedly encouraged and reinforced his worst impulses for far too long. That was not to absolve the boy from his behavior, however, even if Nezu was leaning quite strongly into the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture debate. From the records he had been able to procure, it was clear that the boy had violent impulses from an disturbingly young age.

Despite all of this Bakugou might still have turned out reasonably well if it wasn’t for the staff at Aldera Junior High. To think that a school pursuing an agenda of indoctrination was able to operate here in Musutafu, his turf, undetected for so long had been a great shock! The fact that likely more schools like this existed nationwide, who were even better hidden if they actually followed the stringent operational security guidelines set up by their superiors, filled Nezu with rage! As an educator himself he took these efforts to poison Japan’s youth personally, to say the least. He was looking forward to teaching the perpetrators the true meaning of despair once he got his paws on them!

On that topic, there has been a rather sudden development much to Nezu’s surprise. When he handed over Aizawa’s compiled findings to the HPSC, he did not expect to hear back anything from the authorities anytime soon, yet the HPSC president’s right hand man had reached out to him for a meeting as soon as possible. The request had been so urgent that the man in question even agreed to hold it at U.A. which was an unexpected concession from such a high ranking government official. Those were rather worrying signs.

Checking his clock, Nezu confirmed that his guest would soon arrive. Indeed shortly after a black car with a government license plate showed up on Nezu’s camera feed, entering the campus through the driveway for delivery vehicles instead of the one reserved for visitors. Why this level of secrecy was necessary Nezu didn’t know for sure, but he was confident that he would find out soon enough.

Only a few minutes later the HPSC representative was approaching the door to Nezu’s office prompting him to press the button to open the automatic door and greet his guest. “Good Day Kishi-san! I suppose you had a pleasant journey? May I offer you some tea?”

“I must decline and I’d rather skip the pleasantries if you don’t mind.” The man in question answered as he entered and took a seat, while his escort took position in the hallway outside before closing the door.

“Then let’s get straight to business! Tell me to what do I owe the honor of welcoming a member of the esteemed HPSC president’s inner circle in my humble office?”

“You probably know the answer to that already,” the senior bureaucrat tersely replied. “The information you have sent us recently has been concerning enough but there has been a dramatic turn of events with the main suspects involved, that forced me to make this visit.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“They are dead, Nezu.”

That statement stunned Nezu into silence for a moment. How could that have happened and why did his contacts he still had on the case not report this to him yet? Admittedly, having associates that operate outside the usual boundaries of law enforcement came with the downside that getting regular updates on their activities was nigh impossible. Still, Nezu would have expected to be notified of such a drastic turn of events! What kind of rabbit hole have they gone down that they were unable to report back?

“Surprising, you’re usually so well informed. The deaths certainly were nothing that would find its way into the media, considering they look completely unsuspicious apart from the fact that they happened so shortly after we started investigating in earnest.” Kishi remarked.

“How did they die?” Nezu inquired.

“Tsuji died in Shizuoka city while driving home from work, when he came to a stop at an intersection thanks to a red traffic light. Unfortunately for him at this exact moment a group of villains struck, trapping all cars and civilians and attempting to rob everyone and the stores in the street in a smash and grab fashion. By the time the leader approached Tsuji’s car to relieve him of his valuables, local Heroes finally arrived at the scene prompting the villain, who had some kind of strength enhancement, to throw the car with the driver still in it at them. Tsuji did not survive the impact.” Kishi explained.

“A brazen attack like that in broad daylight in a city patrolled by Ryukyu no less? That seems highly suspicious to me even if we disregard the timing! Most low level villains have too strong self preservation instincts to risk having the dragon Hero descend upon them!” Nezu commented.

“The explanation for that likely lies in the fact that they thought they had an ace up their sleeves,” the bureaucrat continued. “They all had a vial of trigger with them which they used during their escape attempt. Unfortunately for them toxicological analysis later revealed that it was a very shoddily made and heavily stretched batch. The involved villains died to a man once the side effects started kicking in.”

“They died before they could even make it to the hospital? Low quality trigger is known to have potentially lethal side effects, but I never heard of an instance where they kicked in that fast. To say something is amiss with this whole ordeal would be an understatement! What happened to Mutaguchi?” Nezu mused before requesting the information about the other suspect.

“He allegedly died of a stroke. According to his secretary he spent the whole afternoon in his office with the explicit order not to be disturbed. The only unusual occurrence was when the secretary heard Mutaguchi argue in a strongly agitated fashion with somebody on his personal phone. When the school was about to be closed for the day, his secretary entered the office finding the man collapsed on his desk. According to the paramedic’s report, he had likely suffered the stroke hours before being found, meaning any medical assistance was too late to save him.”

“I suppose that Mutaguchi’s co-conspirators have suffered a similar fate considering what you are implying?” Nezu asked to clarify.

“Potentially. They have all vanished into thin air meaning they are either dead or in hiding. I think it is safe to assume now that the perpetrators know that this particular cell has been exposed. Which begs the question… how exactly did they find out?” The middle aged man replied coldly in a tone Nezu did not appreciate at all.

“Are you implying U.A. is responsible for this? You are aware that our investigation is the reason this has been uncovered in the first place aren’t you? If U.A. had a leak, why did it take so long for the perpetrators to find out and start tying up loose ends? Are you sure the problem is not on your end?” Nezu retorted in the most charitable fashion he could muster in light of such accusations.

“I’m quite confident. Also you’d be surprised how difficult and time consuming disposing of someone can be if you want to make it look like an accident. In light of these events I must insist you hand over all material concerning this matter to ensure no further leaks happen. If you refuse to comply I can come back later with an official order, if that’s what you prefer.” The HPSC representative said in response with a smug smirk.

“Oh my! A senior bureaucrat that is familiar with the intricacies of wet-work? There’s got to be a story behind that!” Nezu shot back in a mocking tone, entirely unimpressed with the threat. “However, I’m afraid I can’t comply, since I already handed over all relevant material!”

“I find that very hard to believe! Knowing you, you probably already have some of your associates stick their noses where they don’t belong, making any actual officially sanctioned investigation more difficult!” Kishi accused while glaring at Nezu.

“Well, I do love causing a little bit of mischief from time to time! Life would become awfully dull awfully quick otherwise.” Nezu joked. “In all seriousness, last time I checked, asking questions is not illegal no matter how inconvenient it might be to you. Be grateful I’m not asking questions that could prove really inconvenient to you, regarding the real motive behind the Tsutsumi Kaina murders for instance. I’m sure your superior would be delighted hearing about me sticking my nose into that affair!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Nezu’s guest angrily exclaimed while shooting up from his seat.

“Continue boring me with threats and accusations and you might find out!” Nezu shot back. “Believe it or not, but I want to have the people behind this brought to justice! Clearly, the HPSC is taking this threat we uncovered seriously as well, you wouldn’t have bothered showing up in person otherwise. Cooperation works both ways and I already shared what I currently know, so why don’t you return the favor and enlighten me as to where this paranoia is coming from all of a sudden? I always thought the commission at the very least believed that I was on the side of society and not the forces that seek to destroy it!”

After composing himself and sitting down again, Kishi addressed Nezu again. “How exactly do you intend to help? I don’t see the street urchins and whoever else you have as part of your network being a valuable asset. This is serious Nezu! A threat like this requires a proper government lead response!”

“Still so hostile… unusually so… could it be that you already knew of this organization and that you are holding a grudge against them? It would certainly explain why you were so quick to come back to me, usually you’d take longer verifying any information handed to you. My goodness don’t tell me they are the culprits behind the attack on your headquarters last year!” Nezu mused, getting all the confirmation he needed from the cold glare he got in response.

“There has been no attack on our HQ!” Kishi denied.

“Ohh please! The official explanation you gave on the news for that fire was embarrassingly flimsy!” Nezu said as he shook his head in disappointment at this pathetic denial. “I think this should support my point that this organization is dangerous. If they have the capabilities to strike the HPSC and get away with it, the resources to set up an indoctrination network in Japan’s education system and even insert moles into the government itself, than I fear trying to fight them conventionally is going to be a costly affair, if possible at all. If we want to regain initiative and drag them out of the shadows, then we need to employ unorthodox tactics. I’ll gladly help with that, all I’m asking in return is that you keep me in the loop. Surely, between foes like this, the Hero Killer and the League of Villains having a truce with me is going to be the lesser evil!”

After leaving out a heavy sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose, Kishi responded. “‘Under normal circumstances I would leave now and strongly advise my superior against indulging your arrogance, but unfortunately you have a point! The commission is spread thin as is, making handling this recent uptick in villainous activity challenging enough on its own! Also, just so you know the incident last year really wasn’t an attack. It was more along the lines of a botched break in.”

“Breaking into the HPSC headquarters? I thought such a thing was impossible!” Nezu noted curiously.

“For most criminals it would be. An employee that has spent the last half decade or so studying the intricacies of our internal security, however, might have a chance.”

“Wait…” Nezu started, shaken by the implications. “Are you implying that…”

“Yes. This group, whoever they may be, had successfully planted a mole within the commission,” the bureaucrat wearily confirmed. “A simple unassuming analyst, fooled everyone, broke into our archives, doing God knows what in there for over two hours while successfully erasing most traces he ever had been there, and only failed because he got too greedy. Security only discovered him when he tried to get into the offices of our counter villainy unit, likely trying to steal the reports of ongoing investigations. The fire was started by the mole once he was close to getting cornered, to destroy evidence, before taking his own life...”

“Goodness gracious!”

“...Initially we suspected a financial motive from the mole, the reports about ongoing investigations alone could be worth a fortune to the right buyer. After restoring some files from the suspects home computer, with great difficulty I might add courtesy of a remotely detonated incendiary device that the mole set off before committing suicide, we were able to discern this was an ideologically motivated act. An ideology eerily similar to the one Mutaguchi and Tsuji were helping to push on children. I hope that should sate your curiosity regarding the reason behind why we are treating this matter with such importance. Can I expect a report with further findings on this case soon?” Mr. Kishi concluded.

“Yes. Once I get the report from my sources I shall make sure it finds its way to you.” Nezu confirmed.

“Excellent! I’ll do my best to keep you in the loop, but don’t expect too much. My superior is going to be reluctant to hand over classified information to some third party, especially if it's you. She’ll need some convincing.” Kishi said as he started to get up and depart.

“One more thing please before you leave!” Nezu interrupted, while procuring a couple of forms from his desk.

After having them handed over to him and skimming over their contents, Nishi replied with a lifted eyebrow. “Provisional license registration forms? You are aware that all matters regarding licensing exams are handled several pay grades below me, aren’t you?”

“I am, but you’re here right now and on your way back to Tokyo, aren’t you? Turning these forms in for me shouldn’t be too much of a bother and it would make for a nice show of good faith.”

“Fine, I can drop these off for you,” the HPSC representative replied, with a small hint of annoyance in his voice. “You do know that we recommend the provisional licensing exam to second year students? You mind explaining why you want your first years to go through with it?”

“Well, recommended does not mean required, doesn’t it? That being said, I want to make sure my students have all the tools they need to protect themselves and others, should they find themselves caught up in the middle of another incident. Considering the current upwards trend for villain activity, it is safe to say that this might happen a lot sooner than either of us will be comfortable with.” Nezu replied sincerely.

“Very well. Don’t expect us to go easy on them, though! They’ll have to go through the same exam as everyone else and will be held up to the same standards. There won’t be any accommodations for their relative lack of experience.” Kishi warned.

“That’s what I’m counting on!” Nezu cheerfully exclaimed. “That would be all on my part. Save travels!”

With that the representative of the HPSC left Nezu’s office and started his journey back to Tokyo, leaving the principal once again alone with his thoughts. The news of what had happened to the major leads in this investigation had been rather unsettling to say the least. How has their elusive enemy been able to find out? Aizawa was easily one of the best in the whole country when it came to operations requiring stealth, so Nezu doubted it was a mistake on his part. However, Aizawa went in expecting only an ordinary corrupt school, so his guard might have been down regarding more subtle security measures like a silent alarm. Nezu needed to speak with Eraserhead again and get a detailed recounting of how he had infiltrated the school.

The only other explanation would be that there was still a mole within the commission. Truly an unsettling thought, especially since Nezu could do nothing against it for the time being if that was the case. He highly doubted the HPSC’s higher ups would appreciate him starting to do background checks on their employees.

Hopefully Nezu’s contacts would soon report back to him about the other leads they have been following up on. He would certainly need to urge them to be much more cautious going forward as well as granting them additional funds. This new enemy has proven itself to be quite ruthless and Nezu could not afford to lose any of his agents. Fully trustworthy associates were hard enough to come by as is.

This whole ordeal had at the very least one minor silver lining. To avoid risking jeopardizing the investigation Nezu so far had refrained from taking any direct action against Aldera Junior High itself. Even without the enemy’s operatives actively poisoning children’s minds the teaching staff there had looked the other way and tolerated this horrifying state of affairs instead of reporting the principal or at the very least leaving the school. With no case to worry about anymore, Nezu now had free reign to write the handful of emails necessary to ensure these sad excuses for teachers would never work with children again! Hopefully adequate replacements will be found until fall.

While writing said messages the principal's thoughts inadvertently drifted towards the green-haired student whose suffering had led to this investigation in the first place. Nezu didn’t even want to try and imagine what the boy had gone through during his time there. The mammal was much more familiar than most with the depths of human cruelty against those they perceived as lesser. The things he went through to become recognized as a citizen with equal rights likely being the best analogue to the discrimination young Midoriya had experienced so far.

Despite knowing that Midoriya’s school life at U.A. was passing the admittedly abysmally low bar set by Aldera by leaps and bounds, Nezu couldn’t help himself from shamefully admitting one thing to himself.

That he had failed that boy as well.

Chapter Text

Midoriya Izuku’s heart was racing.

He was nervously staring at the door in front of him, trying to calm his nerves for what he had come here for. Yet, that was easier said than done for this door he had to walk through was no ordinary door. Some may regard it as the gate of heaven or a pathway to paradise, but most importantly it was a place where Izuku under normal circumstances was definitely not supposed to be.

The girl’s changing room.

Yaoyorozu and her classmates had to be in there right now, if the faint sounds of girly giggles he could hear occasionally were any indication. According to his homeroom teacher they would be spending the rest of the afternoon having free training in gym gamma in preparation for the practical exam. This meant that this was probably the last opportunity Izuku had to present to the raven-haired girl the fruits of his and Mei’s labor, which he was carrying with him in a large metal suitcase.

Saying that the whole rush to get the gauntlets and boots ready before the practical had been agonizing would be to the understatement of the year, but in the end they had pulled it off! Power Loader Sensei had also been incredibly gracious by agreeing to immediately doing all the necessary safety checks and approving the gear when they had delivered it to him despite being quite busy himself. The teacher had apparently been so impressed with their work that he even agreed to excuse them from the last few classes today so they could deliver their gear and move on to the last important step to finish the order of their client.

Calibrations!

The boots especially would need careful adjustments in their output to ensure they were usable. The settings Izuku used for his gear at the Sports Festival would certainly be useless, since not only had the specs changed, but the intended user would have a dramatically different body shape than him. Lacking the Quirk adaptations that granted highly condensed bodyfat reservoirs like his friend and client meant that he would need to increase the output values for her potentially higher weight at the very least.

The bigger issue, though, would be to figure out how to leap with the boots. It had taken Izuku quite a bit of trial and error, with emphasis on the error, to figure out how to shift and angle his body properly in preparation for leaping, since your center of gravity had to be in the perfect spot before you trigger the repulsor coils to launch yourself in a safe trajectory. Even if you got the other settings right, if you failed to get your center of gravity into the sweet spot then you’re just going to end up doing an involuntary front-flip instead… if you’re lucky.

It should go without saying that Izuku would rather avoid Yaomomo going through a similar ordeal herself when testing the equipment he had made for her. If he could just figure out where her center of gravity was relative to his then he might be able to instruct her properly. Girls did tend to have a lower one on account of being more… bottom heavy than boys, but on the other hand Yaomomo’s figure was something he would describe as more… balanced in this regard on account of her… generous endowment. She was also a good bit taller than him which would also indicate her center of gravity would likely be higher than his.

The gauntlets themselves were slightly better in this regard. Improperly calibrated they could easily lead to the user dislocating their own shoulder from the recoil. Hell, the gauntlets he used himself were capable of doing that even with carefully chosen settings, if you trigger them while your arm is at an awkward angle! Thankfully, because of the different focus in design, the new iteration should be safer in this regard, unless he put the output to max level and forgot to teach Yaomomo how to properly brace herself against the recoil.

Sighing to himself Izuku had to acknowledge that he was getting a little bit ahead of himself. Before any calibration could get done, Yaoyorozu had to get the gear and try it on first! Which led back to his dilemma standing in front of the girl’s changing room door. Should he knock on the door and try to get in or wait outside until they were finished changing?

The latter option certainly held a lot of appeal on account of sparing Izuku a lot of potential awkwardness. He’d be mortified if the door opened and he accidentally violated the privacy of somebody by accidentally catching a glimpse of them in their underwear while they were still busy changing! Unfortunately, however, every moment he spent waiting outside would be another second less they would have to properly configure the support equipment.

Izuku was cursing the fact that Mei wasn’t here with him now, otherwise he could have simply sent her in. Regrettably his pink-haired friend was temporarily unavailable on account of her latest accident in the workshop. Honestly, for her standards it had been a rather mild incident. All Mei did was accidentally knock over a high powered nail gun from the workbench of her neighboring classmate when she put away a box with tools, although in a too hasty and clumsy fashion. That normally wouldn’t have led to any problems, if said classmate had not forgotten to engage the safety on the damn thing, before leaving his workbench unattended! The handful of shots that were released thankfully didn’t hit anybody, but they did perforate a couple oil canisters, leading to a pretty big spill on the floor. Mei was now stuck in the workshop until she and their classmate cleaned up the mess, which hopefully wouldn’t take too long.

Seeing as time was a rather valuable commodity right now, Izuku steeled himself by reminding himself that he already met roughly half of the girls inside the changing room. None of them were anything like the girls he had known earlier in his school career. They won’t make fun of him. They won’t hate him. They won’t be mean to him in any way, especially once he got to explain his reason for being here!

As silly as it may seem that Izuku had to remind himself of that, it was vital to calm his nerves. His former childhood friend might have been his most consistent tormentor and provided him with plenty of bruises and burn marks, but he had plenty of reasons to be afraid of the girls at Aldera as well. Their poisonous words just cut that much deeper, especially from those that usually were content with just ignoring his existence. Being paired up with a girl for a group assignment, who he hoped might be a friend if he could get to know her better, only to be coldly rejected by her, hit Izuku in ways that Katsuki’s fists and Quirk could never even hope to match.

With his nerves calmed down as much as they could be, Izuku finally hit the door with three short knocks. Immediately he could hear activity coming from the room, in the form of steps approaching the door, before it was opened a small gap wide.

“Izuku? What are you doing here?” Yaomomo asked while peeking out of the gap and tilting her head slightly to the right in confusion. She thankfully seemed to be finished with changing into the standard issue U.A. gym uniform at the least.

“H-h-hi, Y-Yaomomo! I…” was all he was able to stammer out before the door abruptly flew open the rest of the way, revealing another person standing next to his friend and client.

“Heeey, it's Midori!” Ashido excitedly proclaimed, while wearing her own Hero costume, which immediately made Izuku stare at his feet since he didn’t know where to look without feeling disrespectful.

Seemingly undeterred by his bashful reaction Mina wasted no time to ask, while pointing at his suitcase. “Whatcha got there?”

“W-well, you see when Yaomomo visited me in the workshop for the first time s-she did order something…” Izuku started, still feeling bashful and doing his best to avoid directly looking at either girl out of fear he might catch a glimpse of anybody in the room who might still be in the process of changing.

“Wait!” the raven-haired girl interjected, her eyes widened in realization. “You can’t possibly mean that you… that you finished my equipment!”

“Yes, I do,” Izuku replied, finally looking directly at his client while holding up the suitcase. “It wasn’t easy, but me and Mei pulled it off!”

Staring at him slack-jawed out of a mixture of surprise and awe, Yaomomo finally asked him after regaining her senses. “How?! Last time I was in the workshop with you we were barely past the halfway point! How could you have possibly finished the rest in such a short amount of time?!”

“Well, the details are a bit hazy, I admit. I think it involved copious amounts of caffeine, arguing with my Mom over bedtime and cursing the fact that a day has only twenty four hours, among other things. What matters is that Mei and I did it! and that you don’t have to go into the practical exam unarmed!” Izuku told her, unable to stop himself from grinning at the amazing girl in front of him.

“I… I am without words. As much as I appreciate the gesture, there was no need to burden yourself like that for my sake!” Yaoyorozu said in response, clearly feeling concerned over the hardships his explanation had implied.

“I know… I know… I just wanted to! It just didn’t feel… right that you would have to go out there in just your gym uniform! Just see it as me trying to show my gratitude for… for everything.” Izuku replied, nervously scratching the back of his neck out of fear she might be a little bit mad at him for overdoing it.

While Izuku would consider himself to be the last person to understand how to deal with girls, the luminescent blush adorning Momo’s cheeks as they stared into each other's eyes indicated to him that he might have stumbled over the right words for a change.

“D’awww! That’s sooo sweet!” Mina squealed joyfully, interrupting the silence that had lasted way longer than Izuku had anticipated. “Are you here now to give her the new gear so she can try it on?”

“Y-yes!” Izuku stammered out in response after struggling for a second to tear his eyes away from his blushing client, who in turn also averted her eyes after the pink-skinned girl spoke up. “I-I also have permission to accompany you to your t-training today, because of the field testing and c-calibration work I’ll have to do.”

“Well, then what are you waiting for? Come in! I’m dying to see what cool stuff you got in there for Yaomomo!” Mina said in an excited fashion while turning around, walking back into the changing room and motioning for him to follow.

“I-is that really alright?” Izuku stuttered out, his nerves starting to get the better of him again at the prospect of actually entering the girl’s changing room.

“Yes, it's alright. We were almost done with changing anyways when you knocked, so everybody should be decent.” Yaomomo kindly reassured him.

Following both girls back into the room, he was treated to the sight of the girls of 1-A in their Hero costumes, minus some odd gadgets that some of them were yet to put on. From the way their looks were all focused solely on him and his suitcase, Izuku could tell that they heard everything and were patiently waiting for him to reveal the support equipment he had brought.

While walking to the closest unoccupied bench to put down his suitcase and nervously looking around the gathered girls Izuku was unable to suppress a couple of errant thoughts coming to the forefront of his mind.

Firstly, he started to suspect that U.A. was selecting for appearance as well, when it came to choosing the lucky few who got to join the Hero course, even though he hoped that he was wrong. At least that was the best explanation he could come up with for how incredibly pretty all of the 1-A girls were.

Secondly, he noted that skin tight bodysuits remained the standard for female costumes, since more than half of the present girls were wearing them. Paired with his first observation, this resulted in Izuku feeling his face grow noticeably hotter from his, no doubt, deepening blush, even if none of Yaomomo’s classmates had an hourglass figure as pronounced as hers. He desperately hoped he’d be able to keep his eyes from drifting too much!

Thirdly, Izuku realized he would have to ensure nobody would find out he was ever invited into the girl’s changing room. Not only did he doubt that he would be able to survive the onslaught of jealousy fueled rage that would descend upon him should his classmates and the, without doubt, numerous admirers of the Hero course girls find out, Izuku also would feel terrible if his visit would cause more slanderous rumors to make their rounds.

“So, you’re the support guy who is to blame for me having to go bald now, aren’t you?” where the confrontational words coming from a seemingly disembodied pair of gloves and boots that had walked up to him, while he was busy putting the suitcase down.

To say that this statement threw everyone in the room for a loop would be an understatement most of all for Izuku. He had no idea why the girl, who likely had an invisibility Quirk, he had never met in person before would think such a thing!

Unless…

Izuku did have a faint memory where something like an costume for an invisible girl had come up once, but it was pretty hazy on account of him having been too preoccupied with suppressing any mental images of Yaomomo in her original costume at the time. Had he said anything during the meeting with the principal that could have negatively affected the girl in front of him? 

“I think you gotta explain that Toru-chan. I don't see how a guy from a different class could be connected to that of all things. Kero.” The frog girl in a green wetsuit-like costume spoke up.

“Wait what?! Toru-chan when and how did that happen?!” Mina called out as well in surprise.

“Well, you guys know about that nifty new suit I just got that turns invisible when I wear it, right? What I didn’t tell you was the steep price I had to pay for it. The damn thing is made out of my hair!” The invisible girl explained, while crossing her arms, causing another moment of awkward silence.

“I do not appreciate your tone Hagakure-san so please allow me to clarify. Izuku was indeed present during the discussion I had regarding my costume with the principal and Maijima Sensei, but neither of us suggested any changes for your suit. Power Loader came to the conclusion that your costume needed an overhaul on his own, so please don’t blame Izuku for this!” Yaomomo stepped in.

“I-I’m sorry to hear that Hagakure-san. The suit was worth the sacrifice at least, I hope?” Izuku meekly interjected hoping that would diffuse the situation.

“Eh, still too early to call, but I guess it beats having to worry about freezing my butt off next semester. Don’t worry though, I’m not mad at you!” the invisible girl replied in a casual fashion, which was such a drastic turn in demeanour all of a sudden that it caused everyone in the room to have whiplash.

“Wait, you aren’t?!” Izuku asked to clarify, feeling relieved but very much confused.

“Well, maybe I’m a little bit mad, but mostly I was just trying to pull ya leg. Who I’m really pissed at is the company that made the suit!” Hagakure cleared up.

“Oh… let me guess! Your suit is using DNA integrated fibers, right? Did the company plan for a way higher purity grade than they actually needed in the end?” Izuku asked next, already having a pretty good idea what the reason for the invisible girl being mad at the support company may be.

“Bingo! You hit the nail on the head!”

“Ok, I’m lost now. Why is she mad at them?” The brunette girl with the gravity Quirk asked.

“Like, yeah! Don’t drop all that technobabble on us all of a sudden!” a blonde girl in a black bodysuit joined in.

“Ok, there’s like this super complicated procedure where they make a costume with your DNA in it, like my hair, so your Quirk works on it as well, right? Now the problem is they can never say in advance how well it will work, if at all. If it doesn’t then they increase how much of your DNA is in the fabric until it hopefully works out. The company was really scared that they wouldn’t have enough material for even completing the tests, so they had me shave my whole head in advance. In the end it turned out they needed to put only a little bit of my DNA into the fabric, meaning I could have gotten this damn suit without having to go bald!” The invisible girl explained in a fairly accurate fashion for a layperson.

“Also…” Hagakure continued. “...I’m kinda peeved that nobody noticed!”

“Well, duh! How is anybody supposed to notice? I’ve got enhanced hearing not… infrared vision or something. Can you even see hair like that with infrared?” Jirou commented.

“Girl, I'm so sorry! I noticed how grumpy you were being lately, but I thought it was because of the exams! We gotta hang sometime before summer camp so I can make it up to you!” the blonde chimed in, who, if Izuku recalled correctly, was called Utsushimi or something like that.

“Look on the bright side! Now you have a chance to try out something completely new, while you wait for your hair to grow back!” The brunette named Uraraka awkwardly attempted to lift the mood of the invisible girl as well.

“If you want my advice, keep it short,” Jirou remarked. “Long hair like Camie, Momo or Tsu have for example may look pretty cute but I don’t find the maintenance is worth it.”

“Speak for yourself! Like, nothing worth doing ever is easy anyways, so why should looking good be any different?” Utsushimi argued.

“You had long hair once Kyoka-chan, kero?” the frog girl asked with her outstretched index finger on her chin in an inquisitive fashion.

“I tried growing it out once during my heavy metal phase at the beginning of middle school.” Jirou explained. “Still love the music, but the look was ass. I just don’t have the hair for a hairdo like that, let alone something as elaborate as the hair ribbon thing you’ve got going on, Tsu.”

“If you ever wanna try something more elaborate, Jirou, I know an expert that might be able to recommend you some product to help out with that!” Mina offered enthusiastically.

“As interesting as this all may be, I don’t see how that justifies pressuring Izuku, even if you have my utmost sympathies Hagakure-san!” Yaoyorozu sternly interrupted, as she reminded everybody how this little tangent started.

“Hehe,” the invisible girl laughed nervously in response. “I just wanted to tease him a little bit cause I still felt a bit frustrated, you know? Sorry if that came out mean or anything, I’ll be good now!”

“D-don’t worry! While I evidently don’t care as much about my hairstyle…” Izuku started, pointing to the curly mess on top of his head. “...I’d still be pissed if I had to shave it off completely when only trimming it would have sufficed, like it was the case for you Hagakure-san!”

With Izuku accepting the apology the tallest girl in the room relented, allowing him to finally move towards the suitcase and open it up for the gathered heroes in training and reveal its contents to them. Properly secured in the suitcase’s foam filling were the finished boots and gauntlets Izuku had been working on the whole semester with the help of his friends. 

“Wow! They are like, looking sooo cool!”

“Cool?! They look frigging hardcore dude!”

“So are they like the gear Midoriya-kun used in the Festival, kero? If yes, then I hope you don’t take it personally if I don’t want to spar with you today Yaomomo-chan.”

“Uhhm… I don’t think there will be much time for sparring, I do need to properly calibrate everything while she is wearing it and run some more tests. I-I hope that is okay Yaomomo?” Izuku interrupted the group of excited girls, by addressing his friend and client.

“While this is not how I envisioned spending this training session today, I’ll gladly do it!” the raven-haired girl enthusiastically confirmed.

“Oh, shit!” Jirou cursed all of a sudden, while her jacks were pointing to the far wall of the room. “We gotta hurry girls! I can hear Iida yelling at the boys to finish up and get moving. We’ll be late if we don’t get going now!”

With that the whole room erupted in a flurry of activity. Thankfully the girls were already finished suiting up only needing to put on some final accessories like goggles, visors and bracers on before moving out the door. Yaomomo instructed Izuku to pack up and follow, likely wanting to put on her new equipment in the gym hall they were heading to, but before they could leave, Mina stopped them in the doorway.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell Aizawa Sensei that you’ve been delayed for a couple minutes to properly gear up! So, take aaaaaaaall the time you two need!” the pink-skinned girl said to them while wearing a coquettish grin, before running off.

“That girl! I yearn for the day she finally gets her priorities in order!” Yaoyorozu sighed, while pinching the bridge of her nose. “I suppose I finish getting ready then, no point in racing after her at this point. At the very least I should be able to appreciate your work in peace now.”

Walking over the remaining Hero course girl picked up the first gauntlet and inspected it closely before looking back at Izuku and addressing him. “You really finished them! For such a rushed assembly the craftsmanship is outstanding, easily on par with what I’d expect from a professional!”

“T-thanks!” Izuku stammered back, feeling warm and fuzzy from the compliment despite his remaining bashfulness.

“Be honest with me Izuku, how far beyond reasonable did you go with the workload to finish this on time?” Yaomomo asked, her voice soft and her eyes full of concern.

“Uhhh… It wasn’t that big of a deal, honestly! Mei helped a lot!” Izuku replied defensively.

“Izuku you have rings under your eyes, quite noticeable ones in fact!” his friend contested. “And your hair! Admittedly, even on your best days your hairdo can’t really be described as anything but messy, however, today it is looking even more unkempt than usual! Completing this project has come at the price of your wellbeing, has it not?”

“There was just… so… little time! I really wanted to do this for you, especially with you having likely to go up against the teachers at the practical. I wanted to give you some sort of edge, no matter how small…”

After gently taking one of his hands into both of hers, Momo replied. “I’m not mad at you Izuku, but I am concerned for you. Aizawa Sensei taught us that there is a fine line between going beyond to save the day and recklessly throwing your life away, even if his way to express this sentiment was unnecessarily blunt. As inspiring as your fierce determination can be, I worry that it may lead to you developing…. very bad habits. The consequences of overworking yourself for my sake in this instance may seem benign to you, but to me the idea of seeing you crash and burn, even just metaphorically by getting yourself a bad grade, is very upsetting to me!”

“I was just worried about you,” Izuku said softly, unable to maintain eye contact due to feeling guilty. “I’d be terrified if I knew I had to fight the teachers for the practical exam! There are so many potentially bad matchups for you… I just couldn’t sit back and cross my fingers that you make it through anyways!”

“I certainly can’t say I’m not nervous at the prospect of facing the teachers, so having your gear with me is going to be helpful.” Yaomomo admitted. “Just… promise me one thing. Try to look out for your own wellbeing as well! If you constantly work yourself ragged, how can I, or anybody else for that matter, rely on you in our hour of need? You’ve got nothing to prove to me, I already know that you’ll be there for me when I need you and I won’t stop returning the favor, even if that means that I have to chastise you from time to time.” 

“I… I think I can do that.”

“Good! I’ll hold you to that!” Momo replied, giving him a radiant smile that made Izuku think he had appeased her for the moment. “With that being out of the way, we better hurry up. Excused or not, I’d feel terrible if we took too long!”

With that Izuku quickly helped the tall girl with putting on and powering up the equipment, before running a first round of diagnostics with the laptop he had kept, together with the other tools he might need, under the foam filling that had secured the gear in the suitcase.

He was particularly relieved over the fact that boots seemingly were a perfect fit. While Izuku and Mei (mostly Mei if he was honest) had measured Yaomomo’s feet thoroughly to make sure the interior would fit as well as possible, the rushed nature of the final assembly had made him worry that some deformation of the soft inner shell had occurred which would have severely impacted the comfort of the wearer.

“I must say for armored combat boots they do feel quite comfy, although I suppose it would be wise to wait until after the training session for my final verdict on that front. Still, it appears that we can add shoemaking to the impressively long list of your talents!” Momo casually praised him in response to his worried questioning of how wearing the boots felt to her.

As bashful as the praise was making him feel, it also reassured Izuku. He had expected Yaomomo to be mad over him and Mei doing overtime to finish the gear, so her gentle reaction had been a pleasant surprise. He also realized that he would have to seriously work on his time management skills, because he did not think that he would ever have it in him to break the promise he had just given her.

That was a problem for later though, for now he had more important work to do!

To say that Yaoyorozu Momo’s plans for the final training session before the end of term exams had been thrown for a loop, would be an understatement.

Never would she have imagined that the support gear she had ordered all those weeks back would be delivered to her today! Thinking about what her two friends had been going through to meet this ambitious, self imposed deadline, worried her deeply. Mei having a skewed sense of priorities was sadly nothing new, even if she had been improving on that topic, but the usually more responsible Izuku going along with this was quite worrying! Under no circumstances could she allow such borderline self destructive tendencies to become a habit! Hopefully Izuku would remember his promise, next time he would be tempted.

As concerned as Momo was for her support course friend's wellbeing, she couldn’t deny that this surprise could very well turn out to be a blessing. The little strategy session of class 1-A may have provided some solid ideas, but implementing them against experienced opponents like their teachers would be a daunting task. That was before one took into account that there were plenty of opportunities for very disadvantageous match-ups for the students!

Momo was particularly aware of how much at risk she herself was. Most of U.A.’s faculty possessed powerful Quirks that could easily overwhelm her if they managed to engage her on their terms. If the parameters of the exams would not give her the opportunity to plan and prepare then she would be doomed to suffer a repeat of her fight with Tokoyami. The unpleasant memory from her failure at the Sports Festival still stung, which was a far cry from the effect it had on her when she was at her lowest, but that didn’t mean she was keen on going through this experience again.

The new equipment would come in handy, since it should help Momo avoid another situation like this. Izuku’s invention should hypothetically give her the ability to fend off more powerful assailants long enough until she either comes up with a workable strategy to subdue them or an opportunity to disengage presents itself. These powerful, versatile tools that she did not need to create with her Quirk first would go a long way to cover her weakness in physical combat.

Yet… would that be enough? When reaching out to Izuku, any potential support gear had been an afterthought after all.

Ultimately, her success would hinge on how well she had learned the lesson from her failure. The fight with the boy wielding his living shadow had been stacked tremendously against her, but that was not the main reason she was defeated so easily. She had been overwhelmed in spirit long before she had been pushed out of bounds. Panic and uncertainty had been the most prevalent emotions of hers from the start and she seemed to have simultaneously hundreds of ideas how to handle the situation and none at all. In the end her panic caused her to play things ‘safe’, handing the initiative to her opponent, who gladly took the opportunity to end the fight in that instant. It was clear to Momo now that her hesitance and lack of mental strength had played the bigger role in her humiliating loss.

She knew now that all the advanced equipment and clever plans in the world would do her no good if she lacked the mental fortitude to take the necessary risks and follow through. Fear and doubt had clouded her mind and would undoubtedly do so again if she did not put in the effort to change, which was easier said than done. She had hoped that seeking out and observing the one person that seemed to have what she lacks in spades would lead her into the right direction.

Discreetly glancing to her side and watching one Midoriya Izuku being completely absorbed into his one little world while muttering, as they walked towards the gym, Momo couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. Things had certainly not gone the way she had expected, but maybe she still had gotten exactly what she needed? Kind, shy and meek, Izuku had few characteristics one would associate with a fearsome fighter, yet he had displayed a ferocity in the ring that would make a cornered Tiger look like a tame domestic cat in comparison. If only a fraction of that would rub off on her, Momo would never have to worry about freezing up in a fight ever again.

Another important realization had come to Momo through her interactions with Mei. The pink-haired girl was a wellspring of ideas and by just being around her it had started to dawn on Momo how much she had been unknowingly limiting her Quirk. She needed to get much more creative! Her greatest strength was the unmatched versatility of her Quirk, yet she relied on a handful of fairly ordinary items for most situations. Unlike most manufacturers Momo was not restricted by material costs and many other logistical and technical limitations when creating a piece of equipment. Asking Mei what kind of… ‘babies’ she would make if she wasn’t bound by any of the usual limitations could potentially end up quite illuminating.

“Say, Izuku, where is Mei? I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t want to miss out on the chance to help with calibrations and field testing. Is everything alright?” Momo asked as she finally realized how conspicuous their mutual friend’s absence was.

“What? Oh! Yeah everything is alright, she should join us soon… I think. You see…” Izuku started explaining after he was shaken out of his thoughts by Momo’s request.

“Hey! HEY! WAIT UP!” were the distant yet still quite loud calls that interrupted Izuku’s explanation.

“Well, speak of the devil, I guess,” Izuku commented as they turned to the person quickly approaching them from behind.

Indeed, it had been Mei, not that Momo was surprised by that since she had recognized the voice as well. Still, Momo was quite surprised at her approaching friend’s appearance which seemed to be… oilier than usual. Not that Mei having any oily or grimy stains on her was anything unusual, the girl was working with heavy machinery after all. Still the sheer amount was unusual, some of it was even in her hair!

“What happened to you?!” Momo asked out of concern.

“Small accident… in the workshop… not my fault… well… not completely at least… caused oil spill… had to help… cleaning up…” The panting girl quickly explained between the heavy breaths she took to refill her lungs with air.

Before Momo had the opportunity to ask if Mei was feeling well and why in the world she had been running through the hallways to catch up, the amber-eyed girl seemed to have recovered sufficiently enough to suddenly close the distance between them and start rapidly talking. “You got them on already! Great! What do you think of our babies? Aren’t they the cutest, most amazing things you’ve seen? Of course they are! You helped making them after all!”

Gently stopping Mei’s approach by touching the other girl's shoulder to avoid getting any oil stains on her gym uniform, Momo was relieved that Mei was as energetic as ever despite clearly showing signs of exhaustion. She was clearly able to see that Mei was sporting similar rings under her eyes as Izuku, even if hers were not quite as pronounced. That oil spilling accident was hopefully not the result of her pink-haired friend being exhausted, but either way it seemed Momo would need to have a talk with Mei as well regarding not overworking herself at the next opportune moment.

“Well, I can’t say much about the performance of the equipment yet, since we still have to start testing it. I can say that it seems to fit quite well already, however.” Momo said to Mei, while lifting her hands with the still unfamiliar weight of the gauntlets on them.

“We really should hurry up now! I want to get the calibrations out of the way as soon as possible! The sooner we finish that part the sooner I can move on to instructing Yaomomo how to properly use everything.” Izuku urged.

“Got it! Get your sweet butts moving then, we’ve got work to do! This is gonna be so fun!” Mei exclaimed enthusiastically before grabbing both Momo and Izuku’s hands and started dragging them along at a brisk pace as if it hadn't been her that had been out of breath just seconds ago.

At the very least they made it into gym gamma without any further distractions. Everybody else was already hard at work but before Momo and her friends were able to get to a spot and set up themselves, Aizawa Sensei quickly started to approach them. Momo felt quite guilty as her homeroom teacher got closer and was prepared to apologize for the unexpected delay. She knew that this free training session was an accommodation by U.A. to help them prepare for the practical and Momo did not want to come off as ungrateful and rude by being late!

“Yaoyorozu, there you are! Would you care to explain what these two are doing here?” Aizawa Sensei asked, while his eyes wandered between both of her friends. Mei didn’t seem all too fazed, but Izuku seemed to noticeably wither under her homeroom teacher’s gaze.

“I’m terribly sorry for the delay, Aizawa Sensei, but I just received the support equipment I ordered shortly after the internships…” Momo started explaining.

“Yes, Ashido said as much. I want to know what the support students are doing here,” Aizawa Sensei interrupted.

“They are here to properly calibrate the equipment and conduct some final tests. I believe they have been excused by Maijima Sensei to do so, right?” Momo explained, while turning to her friends for confirmation.

“Y-yeah,” Izuku nervously chimed in. “W-we’ve got permission! S-so if you excuse us, we’ll just set up over there and get to work!”

“Hold on!” Aizawa ordered. “Why am I learning about that just now?”

“Well, probably cause the ink on the forms ain’t even dry yet! We submitted everything for inspection just this morning and Power Loader Sensei did us a big favor by immediately doing all the checks required. We got clearance literally less than an hour ago!” Mei helpfully explained.

“Good for you, I guess,” Aizawa Sensei said in the flattest way possible. “Still, it would be for the best if you two pack up your stuff and return back to class.”

“Wait WHAT?!” Mei yelled in surprise, a sentiment which was shared by Momo as well even if she moved in immediately to make sure her pink-haired friend would not overreact before the teacher could explain himself.

“It’s a waste of time,” was the taciturn response of Momo’s teacher.

“I’m sorry but I fear I don’t quite understand Sensei. My friends have submitted everything for review and have been given permission by Maijima Sensei himself, so everything should be in order!”

“Yes and I don’t care because it's pointless. Support gear rarely provides immediate improvement, usually it takes a lot of time and effort to master before it does you any good. Time you don’t have to spare!” Aizawa Sensei spelled out to them.

“Hey! I’ll let you know that our babies are very user friendly… -ish for the amazing stuff they can do! Izuku didn’t have much time to figure out how they work either and he did really well in the Sports Festival!” an irritated Mei huffed back.

“They also sent him straight into the infirmary because Midoriya didn’t know the limits of his support gear. Using equipment without proper training can easily lead to it becoming a liability instead of an asset!” Aizawa contested.

“Aizawa Sensei, I…” Momo attempted to argue before being cut off.

“Don’t be illogical Yaoyorozu!” Aizawa interrupted. “Tomorrow is the written exam and the practical will be the day afterwards. Today is the last opportunity you’ll have to train at U.A.’s facilities to prepare! I’m not asking you to throw away the support gear you commissioned, I just want you to put this on hold! There simply isn’t enough time for you to properly familiarize yourself with your new equipment! Believe me, I speak from experience when I say that new gear is more trouble than it is worth in the field until you get the hang of it!”

This gave Momo pause, her homeroom teacher did have a point after all. Would she really be able to get proficient enough with the gauntlets in just one training session to properly make use of them? Getting used to the additional weight alone would take a while and she was not sure how well she would be able to perform in melee combat in the meantime. Could she be making a critical mistake right now?

No!

With the kind of opponents she would be facing, her usual fighting style with a bo staff would be useless against the overwhelming power some of the teachers would be able to use against her! Even if she was unable to use her new equipment to its fullest potential, the gauntlet’s stopping power and the mobility options the boots provided could still prove pivotal! Another important consideration, even if irrelevant for the exam itself, provided the bigger impetus for why Momo elected to stay the current course, however.

A single look at Izuku’s distraught face.

While Momo would have preferred it if her friends had not worked themselves to the bone to meet such an insane deadline, they still had pulled through for her sake. The thought of what it would do to Izuku if all this hard work turned out to be for nought by her going with Aizawa Sensei’s suggestion made Momo’s stomach twist and turn in agony.

There was no acceptable alternative! Momo would put her faith in her friend’s creation the same way they were putting theirs into her abilities!

“I’m afraid I have to insist, Aizawa Sensei!” Momo contested firmly but politely. “I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on the equipment I ordered very much! I do agree, however, that the circumstances under which I will be using them under combat conditions for the first time are far from ideal. Nevertheless, I am convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives!”

“Suit yourself then,” her homeroom teacher said after a heavy sigh. “It’s not like I could force you anyways if everything has been approved already. Just be careful! I’ve dealt with enough Villains that thought that their new blackmarket toys make them invincible only to effectively take themselves out because either their gear was junk or they were using it improperly. The latter can still happen to you, even with Maijima signing off on everything!”

“Well, that is exactly what we were going to work on! At least until we were interrupted !” Mei snapped back in a dangerously disrespectful tone, clearly out of frustration over having her hard work even slightly disparaged.

“Careful! Just because Power Loader gave you permission to be here doesn’t mean I have to go along! Continue talking like that or disrupt anybody's training and I won’t hesitate sending you to the principal!” Aizawa Sensei shot back while glaring at Mei, who didn't seem to be intimidated in the slightest.

“Yes! Understood! Come on Mei, let’s get to work!” Izuku intervened, which thankfully diffused the situation as intended.

Momo had sincerely believed that, with a certain ill-tempered blonde boy still confined in the principal's office during most training sessions, this session would be bereft of any tense situations. It seemed life loved finding new ways to keep her on her toes. Nevertheless, with Aizawa Sensei moving his attention elsewhere, they were free to set up now.

“Ok, I’d say we start with calibrating the boots, since that’s the more difficult part. Everybody ok with that?” Izuku suggested as he was booting up the laptop while Mei was getting the other tools ready.

Once both Momo and Mei voiced their agreement he continued. “Ok! Before I start, I kinda need to know your… um… bodyweight. Exact bodyweight preferably.”

“Oh…” Momo started after blinking in surprise and realizing why this particular information might be relevant. “Well, two days ago…”

“Y-you don’t have to say it out loud if you don’t want to! J-just type it in here and m-my program should be able to create some recommended settings we can use to start out!” Izuku immediately stammered out, with his face having noticeably more color. 

Momo in turn was grateful for the considerate gesture as she typed in the results from her last weight measurement in her bathroom two days ago, even if it wasn’t strictly necessary. She had already informed her two friends and support technicians that her actual weight did not match what you would expect from a girl her size and age, after all.

“Ok…” Izuku started continuing once the computer software had run its course. “Now we need a few test leaps to see how well these settings feel for you and then work our way closer to the configuration you’ll be most comfortable with””

“Alright!” Momo responded, starting to get excited about the prospect of finally getting to try out her new gear. “So how exactly do these work?”

“One more thing before we start!” Izuku added. “Could you maybe make yourself a helmet before we start? Something along the lines of a ski helmet should work. Oh, knee-pads and elbow protectors as well, while you’re at it! Maybe a back protector too…”

“Izuku…” Momo interrupted, having grown progressively more concerned with every item of protective wear that he mentioned. “Is all of that really necessary?!”

“Yeah…” Izuku replied without missing a beat. “Figuring out the settings the first time around was hell! Took a lot of trial and error to get things right, emphasis on the error.”

“You better listen to him on that Yaomomo!” Mei threw in. “It honestly borders on a miracle that he finished everything in time for the Festival, considering how often he was seeing Recovery Girl! I’m also pretty sure she threatened to stop treating Izuku if he continued doing his equipment tests at least once!”

Hearing that certainly did little to lessen Momo’s distress. What in the world has Izuku been going through before the Sports Festival? 

“Oh, well, you know…” Izuku started recalling after Momo asked him exactly that question. “A broken nose here, a bruised rib there and the occasional dislocated shoulder. It honestly wasn’t much worse than your average skiing or skateboarding injury, just…”

“...that you suffered a decade’s worth of them in the span of like a week?” Mei ‘helpfully’ added.

“...Yeah. Not an experience I would like to repeat, especially after Recovery Girl started chewing me out for repeatedly showing up in the infirmary! That kind old lady can be scary as hell if she wants to! Guess, it served me right for trying to rush everything…” Izuku concluded in a self-deprecating tone Momo did not want to hear at all! As a result Momo immediately got close to her green-haired friend and put a comforting hand on his shoulder hoping to remind him that the sentiment she had voiced in the changing room earlier still held true.

“On the bright side, we know most of what could possibly go wrong now, so this time around we probably shouldn’t need Recovery Girl! You getting ready now Yaomomo? I’ll man the laptop to keep an eye on the data and adjust the settings as needed, while Izuku is gonna give you a crash course on his moves!” Mei said, redirecting everyone’s attention back towards the task at hand.

With that Momo immediately started creating the protective equipment Izuku had recommended to her, since she would rather avoid having to make use of Recovery Girl’s services this close to the practical exam. Despite the concerningly high risk of injury that was involved with the work ahead of her, Momo was still glad that this also provided her the opportunity to get some training for her Quirk in as well.

She was a little bit vexed at the prospect of having to let her hair down to wear the helmet, however. Getting her elaborate ponytail to look the way she liked did take a substantial amount of time and effort every morning, hence her reluctance to make helmets a fixture in her new costume like her friends had suggested. Admittedly they had a point that wearing a helmet would be safer for her, but Momo was convinced that calming and inspiring civilians would be easier if her head was mostly unobscured.

Izuku meanwhile went over how to use the boots properly. To leap, Momo would have to lower her body somewhere in between her usual combat stance and the crouched starting pose for runners. A crouched start was used for sprinting since it facilitates a horizontal surge of energy really well. For the powered boots you want to launch yourself at a shallow angle, however, explaining why you don’t go down for a full crouch. The tricky parts would be first to get the timing of triggering the repulsors right, she had to do that the moment she jumped forward for it to work, and to properly align her center of gravity with the intended trajectory to avoid spinning herself out and making an involuntary front-flip instead.

After receiving her instructions Momo got in position to make her first attempt. The pose felt a bit awkward, although she was confident she would get used to it eventually, but she managed to trigger the charge up of the boot’s repulsors without issue. Once the charge had reached the level Izuku had recommended, she made the jump while unleashing the repulsors power to…

…immediately spin out mid air and land on her back in the most undignified way imaginable.

Lying on her back, Momo could at the very least find solace in the fact that she had heeded Izuku’s warnings. Without all that protective gear she would likely be in much greater pain right now!

“Yaomomo!”

“Oh god! You okay?”

Opening her eyes again, after her head had stopped feeling like it was still spinning, Momo could see both of her friends standing above her, looking at her with worry. “Considering the circumstances, relatively fine. I suppose listening to your advice was the right decision. That being said, I’m not exactly sure what went wrong.”

After Momo was helped up by both her friends, Izuku wasted no time analysing what had happened while Mei enthusiastically supported him by showing him the data from the laptop and making suggestions for adjusting the settings. After they finished brainstorming, Izuku came back to her with feedback regarding her posture and advice on how she could angle her body better in hopes it would lead to more beneficial results.

As encouraging as it was for Momo to see her friends work that fast, she sincerely hoped for the sake of her back that they would not have to go through this loop too many times. Regardless she readied herself for her next attempt!

There was work to do after all!

Hatsume Mei was in her element.

She had been looking forward to finally field testing the babies she and Izuku had made for Yaomomo all day! Though, it had been a bummer that she didn’t get to see the hero course girl’s reaction after being handed over the equipment for the first time, thanks to some utter moron forgetting to engage the safety on his nail gun. Seriously! Despite her unfortunate reputation, none of the accidents she caused were the result of Mei being reckless with her tools!

At the very least Mei got to enjoy watching 14-chan silently seethe in class while she was cleaning up the oil spill. Her and Izuku getting special permission to deliver their special project to their special client, whose name Mei made sure was heard by everyone in class, should have made it abundantly clear to that bitch that they were Yaomomo’s trusted friends!

With that ordeal and the unpleasant encounter with that weird, ruggedly handsome jerk, who apparently was Yaomomo’s homeroom teacher behind her, Mei could finally focus on the fun that was working with her two best friends!

Admittedly dealing with the boots had not gone smoothly so far, but that was to be expected. Launching yourself through the air safely is pretty hard, Mei should know after all! She had been trying to design a functional jetpack/jumppack since she was like seven or eight and only succeeded shortly before the Sports Festival! Admittedly she had been forced to put development on hold for extended periods of time repeatedly, thanks to a lack of testing opportunities. Apparently using her apartment’s balcony as a launchpad was in violation of several fire safety guidelines and their rental agreement among other things.

Damn landlords and pencil pushing bureaucrats! It’s almost like they are being paid to be killjoys!

In the end they had still managed to find the right settings for Momo to semi consistently pull off a short distance leap! Thankfully Yaomomo had not ended up on her back too many times, the first failed attempt had looked painful enough. Considering the force and mass involved, a landing like that can’t be pleasant, no matter how much protective gear is involved.

On the topic of mass Mei had to admit that Yaomomo had not been kidding with them when she had said that her weight did not match her appearance! The number saved on the laptop definitely looked a lot closer to the weight of those tall buff dudes in Yaomomo’s class, like that Iida guy or that boy with the big lips that bulked up even more after eating a sugar cube, than that of a girl with a body that could make gravure idols cry out of envy! Yaomomo even had a smaller waist than Mei! Quirks really were wild if they could compress body fat to such an absurd degree!

Mei certainly understood now why that snake-hair lady gave her tall friend that modeling gig during her internship. A Quirk that seemingly locks your body into an alluring hourglass shape sounds pretty useful for that line of work. Not that Yaomomo needed help from her Quirk to be the prettiest girl Mei has ever personally known! The thing with her hair that she had done, when she had let it down to put on the helmet, alone, had been so graceful it legit had taken Mei’s breath away for a moment! Considering the color on Izuku’s cheeks, her fellow support student had a similar reaction.

Despite her good looks Yaomomo was not vain at all and would rather make a living off her tremendous skills instead. Mei could definitely relate, especially ever since she realized that Kaminari had not been the first guy at U.A. to hit on her. Quite a few of her male classmates had engaged her in weird and awkward conversations like the electric blonde had, likely with the same underlying motives. Why anyone would bother doing that with her, Mei wasn’t really sure, she wasn’t as traditionally pretty and girly like Yaomomo was, after all. There was one reason she could think of, though.

Well, technically two reasons. Mei was easily the bustiest girl in 1-H if not of all the support course freshmen. The guys certainly had noticed that about her, seeing as she had caught most of them trying to get a glimpse of her cleavage everytime she wore a tank top in the workshop. While Mei did like her boobs as well, they were really fun to play with every time she indulged in her base desires, after all, yet she failed to see why people would make that big of a fuss about them. At the end of the day they were little more than lumps of fat gifted to her by sheer coincidence, aesthetically pleasing as they may be.

Being proud of having a lucky dice roll was foolish in Mei’s mind. The fact that society liked to judge people by superficial things that nobody had any real control over was proof enough to her that it was society that was crazy and not her! Yaomomo seemed to share this sentiment, since she, like Mei, didn’t really care all that much for the genetic gifts she had received. No! The stunning hero in training was working hard to make it in the field of her choice by her own merit! Like her! Like Izuku!

If anybody had told her, prior to coming to U.A. that a girl like Yaomomo existed, Mei would have thought they would have tried to pull a fast one on her! The raven-haired girl had everything that the kind of schoolgirls Mei chafed with desired, like beauty, wealth and popularity. Despite that Yaomomo was way closer to Mei’s outlook on life than she’ll ever be to those shallow bitches! To her that was like a miracle!

Was it any wonder then that Mei felt like she was soaring everytime she looked at Yaomomo wearing the babies she and Izuku had made?

With the issues regarding the boots tabled for the time being, they had moved on towards working on the gauntlets themselves. Izuku once again explains the way he was throwing his punches to make the most of the force the gauntlets could unleash, with Yaomomo mirroring his movements and occasionally throwing a question about some pertinent detail she had noticed at him. 

Mei for her part has been busy going over the data from the equipment and making notes for potential adjustments of the settings in the future before she had let her mind wander a bit. While the number crunching was the duller part of the calibration work, Mei did not mind since she was a lot faster at Math than Izuku after all! Plus, Izuku was the only person who had experience with using the boots and gauntlets so he kinda was the only one that could properly instruct Yaomomo. Mei admittedly wasn’t the greatest judge when it came to all that fancy martial artsy stuff, she usually preferred a more efficient and pragmatic approach to combat, like applying blunt force to certain anatomical weak points or just shooting her opponent. That being said, she still felt like Izuku was doing a really great job at coaching their mutual friend!

Still, as fun as watching them go through the motions was, Mei was starting to wonder when they would finally start testing the gauntlets in earnest. “Hey, everything alright with you two? I’ve gone over all the data and everything is ready on my end! You wanna take a break before we start or something?” she asked.

“No, everything is alright Mei! I just wanted to make sure my form isn’t sloppy, I’d rather avoid accidentally dislocating my shoulder.” Momo explained.

“You should be fine! That accident happened when I first tried the ranged blast of my gauntlets. Your version has fewer repulsor coils in them, so unless you set the output to max and do something really wrong, you shouldn’t hurt yourself like that!” Izuku argued.

“Are you certain? That dispersal blast feature you mentioned sounded quite formidable! I’m worried about the recoil this attack generates! I’m certainly going to feel much better once I get used to the new weight. Right now my movements feel so sluggish that I fear I might fail to brace against the recoil in time,” the hero course girl voiced her concerns.

“I’d say it's looking pretty good already! Also, everything should be fine on paper! Sure the dispersal blast is pretty strong since it can knock down several people in front of you, but don’t forget what I told you about range! My gauntlets were so dangerous because I had to make them extremely powerful thanks to the repulsor coils having quite an extreme falloff at range. The dispersal blast technically delivers a similar amount of force on a target like my ranged blast did but the latter required exponentially more power to do that at a greater distance, which also resulted in much more dangerous recoil. With the way we streamlined everything, you should be able to use it properly even if your form isn’t perfect yet!” Izuku reassured their mutual friend.

“Honestly, Yaomomo, if I were you I’d be more worried about the people you’ll be hitting with our babies during the exam! Sure, you’ll be up against experienced Heroes but as far as I know few of them have enhanced durability. I crunched the numbers and I’d guess that something in the ballpark of a twenty five to thirty percent charged punch should be enough to knock most of your potential opponents out!” Mei chimed in.

“I see. Thank you Mei! I suppose that means that I should practice getting the timing for thirty percent charged punches right then?” Yaomomo considered.

“Sounds like a plan!” Izuku agreed. “Just wait a moment! I’ll try and get us one of the training dummies! That should make for better training than just punching the air.”

With their green-haired friend leaving the scene for a moment, Mei walked over to Yaomomo to pull her other friend into a side hug. “So, what do you think? Don’t you think these babies are the cutest?”

“They are quite impressive indeed!” the stunning hero in training replied, smiling softly, before she started furrowing her brow. “I am concerned how well I’ll be able to utilize them, however. Admittedly I have no frame of reference to determine how much training I’ll need to be proficient enough, but I fear just one training session alone will be nowhere near sufficient. Aizawa Sensei might be right in the end...”

“No,” Mei interrupted firmly, getting annoyed that the unpleasant person from before was being brought up again. “I know he is your homeroom teacher and all, but that jerk is not the authority on this that he thinks he is!”

“His point unfortunately still is valid, getting the most out of equipment requires proper training…”

“So?” Mei defiantly argued. “I bet ten grand that he is underestimating both you and our babies! Just cause he has experience doesn’t mean he is infallible! I’ve proven plenty of teachers wrong, and if I can do it, then so can you!”

“I appreciate the words of encouragement but they are not necessary! Me being concerned does not necessarily mean I’m willing to give up!” Yaomomo affirmed with a determined expression that, Mei concluded, suited the other girl really really well.

“Woohoo! That’s the spirit!” Mei cheered in response. “Also, I don’t wanna toot my own horn too much and all, but since you were discussing the dispersal blast with Izuku, I kinda wanted to mention that it was me that came up with that feature.”

“Oh, really? Admittedly Izuku only ever alluded to alternative firemodes for the gauntlets in a very vague fashion,” Yaomomo mused.

“It was pretty early in development when Izuku was still busy trying to figure out how to get heat generation under control, when I had the idea. Since the gauntlets have a charging time, I worried how you would effectively deal with groups of bad guys rushing you. I figured if you had the repulsor coils fire their pulses in different directions instead of focusing them then it would trade power for area of effect kinda like the mines Izuku used as a starting point for his original design. This should allow you to push back or at the very least stagger several enemies at once. Still, it was a last minute addition, since Izuku was still a little skeptical until I showed him a little baby I made as a proof of concept earlier. He was pretty impressed and decided to quickly add it in, which should tell you all you need to know about how he feels about it being safe enough for use!” Mei explained, hoping this tidbit of information would help alleviate some of the earlier concerns.

“I see,” Yaomomo replied starting to smile at Mei again. “Your contributions are certainly appreciated! According to Izuku, without your help, finishing either iteration of the gauntlets in time would have been impossible!”

“Can’t leave either of you hangin’ now, can I?” Mei replied with a grin of her own. “I can’t wait to see you in action! Maybe Power Loader Sensei would let us watch the exams if we ask!”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the day off? God knows you two deserve some rest for a change after you’ve been working so hard to get my support gear finished!”

“Nah!” Mei waved off. “I’d spend the whole day lying on the couch being bored out of my mind! Also, Izuku would probably go all day pacing around his room worrying about you until you call or text him! Fuck that! I’d rather be here to gather some nice live data and cheer you on!”

“Mei, language!” Yaomomo chastised light heartedly, after an amused giggle. “I certainly wouldn’t mind the support! I wish you good luck with convincing Maijima Sensei then!”

“Sensei was pretty impressed when we delivered everything for inspection this morning. Unlike testing and certifying everything today, letting us watch your practical exam shouldn’t really mean any more work for him, so it should be an easy sell.” Mei mulled over. “Eh. If all else fails I’ll just bribe him!”

“Bribery?!” Yaomomo exclaimed in surprise after finally disengaging from the side hug and making Mei immediately miss the physical contact. “Please tell me you’re joking! You can’t seriously be contemplating bribing your teacher, who is a certified pro-Hero to boot!”

“Yep!” Mei replied without missing a beat while sporting a wide audacious grin. “The support department is still sitting on a huge pile of scrap metal that they need to reassemble into training bots before the next entrance exam. Quite the tall order! Helping out shouldn’t be much trouble for me, I do have a knack for robots after all!”

“How would that even work? You’re a student! I highly doubt that U.A.’s support department can just enlist students for work like that!” Yaomomo argued.

“Why not? I’m sixteen, so I could start as a part timer once the next semester starts!” Mei replied confidently.

“That is legal?” the raven-haired girl inquired, in a profoundly confused tone.

“Yeah, why shouldn’t it be? They do have to be careful what they make me do since minors are only allowed to do light labor. I’ll likely help with assembly and wiring and stuff, but as long as it's not any more dangerous work than what we do in school it should be fine.” Mei pondered aloud, while internally questioning why Yaomomo was so surprised by this.

Wait!

Right!

Rich girl!

Yaomomo probably never had to think about getting a part time job to get her hands on some spending money in addition to her allowance. Hell, her allowance was likely already bigger than what most adults would earn with a full time job!

“Also, there is another big benefit that this arrangement could bring us…” Mei started with her audacious grin from before returning in full force. “Having some robots for Izuku’s training would be pretty neat don’t you think? If I get access I might be able to ‘borrow’ them for the occasion! Hell, with access to the scrapyard I might be able to make an awesome custom made baby for that purpose! Don’t tell Izuku, though, I kinda wanna surprise him with that!”

“Oh… oh my!” A wide eyed Yaomomo stammered out in surprise. “I hadn’t thought about that yet! Access to advanced training equipment like that could have become an issue down the line!”

That comment made Mei’s grin grow into a downright smug smirk. She may have a habit of getting carried away in the moment, but that doesn't mean she can't plan ahead! Especially when it comes to stuff that's important to her like her best friends!

“That being said, I must urge you to refrain from… ‘borrowing’ school property! I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble! If any requests for us to use robots for Izuku’s training are turned down in the future, then just give me a list of materials you need. I should be able to procure anything you need for a prototype training robot which we can then… ‘field test’ with Izuku.” Yaomomo continued.

Holy shit! Now Mei was hoping any of these future requests would be denied, since that would mean she could then look forward towards Yaomomo becoming the sugar mama for her babies!

“Understood!” Mei replied with a mock salute while giggling. “Still, I’m pretty sure I could nick a few nice pieces from the scrapyard without anybody noticing!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that! With all the security upgrades since April, your only hope would be to make your caper so entertaining that Nezu would feel inclined to let you get away!” The hero in training said half serious and half in jest.

“Entertaining, eh?” Mei started, her grin shifting into a much more mischievous expression. “Oh, I can arrange that! You think some nice fireworks to cover my dastardly escape would be entertaining enough?”

“How audacious! I never knew one of my friends could be such a scoundrel!” Momo replied in mock outrage while tittering and covering her mouth with one of her hands. “Still, on behalf of the janitorial staff, I still have to urge you to reconsider!”

“Yeah, messing with the janitors probably is not a good idea. Cleaning up that oil spill wasn’t fun, so I’d rather avoid making another mess like that for the time being!” Mei said in agreement.

“You do look a bit… oilier than usual if you can forgive me my frankness. Some of it seems to have gone into your hair as well! If you need some time to freshen up, I’d understand. Izuku and I should be able to continue on without you for the time being.” Yaomomo offered.

“Nah, I’m fine!” Mei waved off. “I only got a little bit on the tips and I’m overdue for a trimming anyways, so it’s not a big deal!”

Before Yaomomo could continue, Izuku finally reappeared with a training dummy in tow. Mei wasted no time to move in to help him set it properly up for the next batch of tests.

“Sorry guys, that took way longer than expected! Turns out we’re not the only ones who got that idea, so I had to wait in line to get a training dummy. I guess everyone is working hard, I could even see Ashido-san practicing the move I suggested to her!” Izuku said after wiping some sweat off his forehead.

“No need to apologize. It’s only natural that everyone is trying to get as much training in as they can get, we do have a big day ahead of us, after all!” Yaomomo replied.

“You think I could get all the footage from the practical, not just yours? I’d love to see your classmates in action as well! They all have such interesting Quirks!” Izuku asked their mutual friend.

“Why make do with just the footage when we could be there and watch it live!” Mei used this opportunity to interject.

“Wait what?! You think the teachers would just allow that?” Izuku asked her in surprise.

“Sure they would! Why not? Sensei always said how important post release support is, after all! Would be pretty hypocritical of him to stop us from doing just that, wouldn’t it? Plus, unlike certifying the gear we made, it shouldn’t be much more work for him!” Mei retorted, grinning confidently.

“I’m not sure that’s how it works Mei. Power Loader Sensei probably still would have to ask the principal and possibly A-Aizawa Sensei for permission first and I don’t think the latter would appreciate us butting in…” Izuku argued.

“Don’t ya worry! I have my ways…” Mei answered while wiggling her eyebrows for good measure.

“Ok… now I am worried!” Izuku said much to Mei’s disappointment. She knew she had a bad track record but some more trust on occasion would be nice!

“I think this should be fine, Izuku.” Yaomomo helpfully interjected. “Mei and I were talking about it earlier and while there is no guarantee it will work the way Mei expects it to, it is a harmless plan at the end of the day.”

“Ok.” Izuku replied, clearly feeling a little skeptical still. “What exactly do you plan, Mei?”

“Well, I could tell you…” Mei started while giving Izuku a coquettish smirk. “...but where would be the fun in that? It would ruin the whole surprise! Don’t ya worry, you’ll find out soon enough!”

With that Izuku dropped the topic, clearly having resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t get anything concrete out of Mei or Yaomomo. Instead the group would continue their work of testing and calibrating the gauntlets, which thankfully went a lot smoother compared to the boots.

By the end of the training session Mei felt confident in her raven-haired friend’s chances. Yaomomo would kick ass and look amazing doing it!

The day of the practical exam couldn’t come soon enough!

Chapter Text

Aizawa Shota was in a dour mood, as he was walking with his colleagues towards the main building of U.A.’s training center, which would be the site of the practical exam they would be conducting today.

The main reason for this was that Shota’s sleeping schedule hasn’t improved much over the past week despite him cutting down on his patrols like Nezu had asked. The fact that the end of term was usually a quite stressful time for U.A.’s faculty was responsible for that and them having to come up with a completely new practical exam on the spot had done little to make things easier. At the very least he could find solace knowing that the new exam parameters were actually pretty good for preparing the students for what the future might have in store for them.

“Hey Shota, why are you so grumpy looking? Still mad that you didn’t get your way?” Hizashi unhelpfully asked, which led Aizawa to think of the second reason for his less than stellar mood.

For some godforsaken reason Maijima seemed to insist on doing some last minute changes, which was quite baffling considering he was probably the only person at U.A. with a legitimate reason to be even more tired than Shota. Despite that the man had not only green-lit new support equipment for Yaoyorozu at the last possible second, he also requested some of his students to be allowed to spectate during 1-A’s exams. The very same students that already showed up unannounced during the last training session of Shota’s class no less!

“I was merely voicing my concerns over an unnecessary deviation from protocol. I see no reason why support course students, let alone first years, need to be present, especially since any relevant data they might need can be handed to them after the fact. My concerns were overruled and I’m now dealing with them in silence, or at least I was trying to Hizashi!” Shota shot back.

“Well, somebody certainly didn’t have enough coffee this morning!” Nemuri interjected. “And seriously Shota? Deviation from protocol? You are probably the last person here that should complain about that! Unless, you honestly want me to believe that your little extracurricular activities with Shinso-kun are supposed to be part of your regular duties!”

“That is me trying to take care of a problem caused by our illogical entrance exam!” Shota snapped back at the dark-haired woman.

“Really? The fact that the boy is so eerily similar to you has nothing to do with your advocacy for him? I’m not saying that you taking that boy under your wing is wrong, but it does leave a bitter taste in my mouth, considering how you treated Midoriya, who wanted the exact same thing and is just as deserving! For a man that values logic so much, you can be quite arbitrary in how you apply your standards!” Midnight retorted, getting quite worked up in the process.

“Now, please everybody, there is no reason to get into this tired old debate again!” The third reason for Eraserheads sour mood interjected, from his place nestled in the underground Heroes capture weapon. “I fully agree that our entrance exam is flawed, but getting this rectified is unfortunately a long and arduous process. Both the MEXT and the HPSC have to approve any potential changes and the bureaucracy of neither institution is known for working particularly fast, I’m afraid. The Sports Festival is our little loophole we can use to prevent too many promising students from falling through the cracks, so I see no problem with deviation from protocol from time to time. Within reason of course!”

“And I’d say Hatsume and Midoriya are worth making an exception for!” Maijima chimed in. “Personally I prefer nurturing the success instead of cutting off the failures like you seem to be so fond of, Aizawa. I admit, it was a big surprise when those two suddenly brought in their gear for certification, but the items had been requested and approved weeks ago, so there was no sound reason for me to reject it just because the timing was inconvenient! Also, I always tell my students that a support tech's job isn’t done once they deliver the goods, providing continued support or at the very least sufficient documentation so someone else can pick up the slack is vital as well! It would have been incredibly hypocritical of me to deny them the chance to do exactly that, so I advocated in favor of them joining as spectators today!”

“While this is quite heartwarming and all, Maijima, I’m afraid that your accommodation of your students is coming at the expense of one of mine, so forgive me for not feeling cheery over this development,” Shota countered, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“Now you’re just being pessimistic! They’re all good little listeners. They’ll be fine!” Hizashi rejoined, clearly attempting to lighten the mood a little.

“Unfortunately not. Yaoyorozu has wasted the last training session familiarizing herself with new gear she had no chance of mastering in time for today’s exam. She is at high risk of failing even if she does everything else correctly, just because she won’t be able to use her new equipment properly.” Eraserhead argued.

“And you’re blaming me and my students for that?! First, you’re not giving them enough credit! Their equipment is easily on par with what I’d expect from third years and it’s also a lot more intuitive than you’d think. Secondly, nobody forced Yaoyorozu to use the new equipment for the test!” Power Loader responded, starting to get a little heated as well.

“I tried this line of reasoning with her, Maijima, and unfortunately she refused to listen. Yaoyorozu was not being rational when she made this choice, her feelings of obligation towards her friends pushed her into it. Being sentimental like this is not something a pro can afford in the field!” Shota asserted.

“Ohh please, Shota! Even if I do agree that letting your emotions run wild while on the clock is bad, nobody is an unfeeling robot. The girl just wants to use the gear her friends had worked so hard completing on time, which is very sweet and valid!” Nemuri once again interjected.

“It’s still incredibly foolish!” Shota shot back. “Or are you trying to tell me that you would be willing to completely switch up your fighting style literally two days before an important mission?”

“Could you please stop arguing, you two? Today is gonna be long enough without you constantly bickering!” an annoyed sounding Snipe cut in.

“Indeed, this back and forth is hardly productive! It is our duty to guide our students, not choose their path for them! Young Yaoyorozu made her decision and will have to live with the consequences, for better or worse. Eraser, as her teacher your responsibility, first and foremost, is to ensure that whether she passes or fails, that she’ll learn the right lesson today! If you have any doubts about your ability to do that, then now is your last opportunity to say so, otherwise we’ll continue exactly as planned.” Nezu said as he concluded the argument.

“No issues with this on my part. Those last minute changes have made things more difficult but I should be able to handle everything.” Shota confirmed.

“I hope you’re not going to overdo it, Aizawa!” Shuzenji spoke up. “That goes for everyone! I’d rather not have a bunch of kiddos stuck in my infirmary at the end of the day! I know that giving them as close to the real deal as possible of an experience is the whole point of this exercise, but that's no excuse for going overboard! Did I make myself clear?”

Everyone murmured their agreement, even Shota himself did not hesitate to join in immediately. While he still believed that being too soft would do more harm in the long run, he was not stupid enough to openly talk back to the elderly woman. She was the main reason why he wasn’t still stuck in a hospital bed, after all.

Shortly after that the U.A. faculty closed in on their destination, which allowed them to see that they were not the first ones to arrive.

“Maijima, why are your students here already?” Aizawa asked the other teacher, baffled.

“It really is them! Guess we’ll find out?” Power Loader responded, in surprise before addressing his two students. “Midoriya! Hatsume! Good morning! Why are you out here so early?”

“Power Loader Sensei! I was so excited that I woke up early and went over to Izuku’s home and get him to school so we could get prepared! Then, after grabbing our stuff, Izuku was worried we wouldn’t find the place in time, cause U.A.’s campus is so friggin’ huge, so we cut our brainstorming short and walked here first, just to be safe!” Hatsume explained, her words coming out faster than machine gun salvos, while bouncing up and down in such an excited and enthusiastic fashion that even Ashido or Hagakure after a near lethal caffeine overdose would have trouble to match. Shota felt almost as sorry for Power Loader as he felt for Snipe, who had to deal with Hado on a daily basis.

Eraserhead admittedly had to give those two some credit, showing up early was a good habit to have in his opinion. Still, in this particular case it could have caused a major headache for U.A. if All Might in his emaciated true form had walked with them. Inside U.A.’s hallways that man could easily pose as a minor staff member, but out here on the training grounds his presence would be quite conspicuous.

On the topic of that oaf, he better had followed Nezu’s instructions of resting up properly for today if he knew what was good for him! All Might would need every minute of his remaining time limit for the practicals today and if he wasted even a single fucking second of it stopping any petty crime on his way here, than Shota would finish Shigaraki’s job and strangle the symbol of peace himself!

“Seriously? You two know you didn’t need to show up this early, do you? We gave you the time when we would start and since Yaoyorozu is not going to be the first to have her exam there should have been no issue for you to make it in time! At least I hope you have not been waiting too long in front of closed doors, right?” Power Loader continued.

“No, Sensei! We arrived ten maybe fifteen minutes ago! Also, we kind of… umm…” Midoriya started before starting to stutter incomprehensibly. 

“We hoped we could talk with Yaomomo first and wish her luck! Not that she’ll need it, but it’s the thought that counts, right?” Hatsume finished what Midorya seemingly wanted to say.

“Awww! Ain’t that sweet!” Nemuri gushed, hugging herself while whipping side to side. “Of course you can! Just wait inside the observation room and I’ll make sure to send Yaoyorozu your way before her exam!”

“On that note I’d appreciate it if you two stayed in the observation room and that you refrain from distracting my students. Today is a very important day for them, so keep in mind that they have enough on their plates without random people bothering them. Also, keep your hands to yourselves! You’re here to gather live data for your support gear, not to tinker around with the equipment in the observation room. I’d rather avoid a similar spike in accidents than the one your support workshop had this term. If you can’t follow these simple ground rules, then you’ll be removed from the premises immediately. Understood?” Shota cut in, to make sure the two support students knew how quickly their guest spectator privileges could be revoked, if they behaved disruptive in any way.

With both students answering in the affirmative, Maijima took over. “Ok, then let me unlock the door for ya real quick and Recovery Girl would you be so kind and show them the way to the observation room?”

Shortly after Recovery Girl and their guests went into the building, the car Nezu had sent for All Might arrived, with the man in question bowing apologetically after getting out as he addressed the rest of the faculty members present. “I’m deeply sorry for being a bit late, but this robot chauffeur seemed to insist on taking the scenic route!”

“No harm done, All Might! I’d say you’re still on time and don’t worry about the robot! It was merely following the parameters set by me. I wanted to avoid you being tempted to do anything rash, so I ordered it to avoid the direct route through downtown. We are going to need your whole time limit for what we have planned for today, after all!” Nezu explained in response.

“I… see. Still, don’t you think that is a bit much? I can assure you I learned my lesson in the USJ!” All Might returned clearly being a little frustrated over the implied lack of trust. That made Shota wonder how the number one Hero would react if he ever got a chance to read those nasty NDAs Nezu has prepared in case a student ever accidentally saw All Might transform.

“I’m happy to hear that! Still, I hope you can understand why I feel the need to be cautious here. Having your Quirk fail in the middle of an exam would cause us quite the headache, even if the students were unable to see you transform for some miraculous reason! Even with having you participate in fewer matches than everybody else, we’re still cutting it awfully close for comfort, so I’d rather leave as little to chance as possible!” Nezu once again explained.

After sighing in defeat All Might replied. “Can’t argue with that, unfortunately. So, how long do we have until the students arrive?”

“They should be here very soon. That being said, I’d rather avoid you wasting any of your precious time limit standing here and waiting with us. How about you make your way to the roof? On my signal you could transform and jump down from there, which should make for a fitting entrance for the symbol of peace, don’t you think?” Nezu suggested.

All Might agreed and immediately made his way up and not a second too soon, since in the distance class 1-A was already approaching. With that, something Shota had been looking forward to all week was approaching as well. Some small minded people may call him sadistic or hypocritical for that, but he genuinely did enjoy making the best out of every opportunity to pull the rug from under his students feet that he could get. It was educational to boot as well! The sooner they learn how to deal with unpleasant surprises the better, their future careers will be chock full of those after all!

Once the students were close enough to see their faces, Shota got an eerie sense that something was not right, however. Instead of the typical nervousness and small tinges of fear most students had before big exams like this, the expressions of the members of class 1-A showed a grim determination. Things got even weirder when he gave them the explanation on how the practical exam would work. Shota couldn’t see a single trace of shock or surprise on his students, even All Might's dramatic entrance by dropping down from the roof barely elicited a reaction! It was as if they had come here expecting to fight the teachers and Shota was not the only one that noticed!

“Curious! We went through such great lengths to mix things up for this exam and yet your subdued reaction makes it appear as if you expected what is in store for you today. What a twist! It appears we underestimated your ability at information gathering!” Nezu noted from his place in Shota’s scarf with a chipper tone, clearly being elated at this turn of events. “Now do tell, how did you find out? It couldn’t have been from your upperclassmen, they did have a completely different exam to go through after all!”

With that many eyes shifted to Yaoyorozu, who stepped forward and started to explain. “We did hear about the exam of our upperclassmen but thanks to Midoriya-san we found out that us going up against robots was not an feasible option, since he saw with his own eyes that a significant part of U.A.’s stock still remains damaged and inoperable from the entrance exam and Sports Festival respectively. Hatsume-san provided another clue when she told us about the high density weights she spotted in Maijima Sensei’s office. With this information we concluded that we would face experienced pro Heroes and who would be better suited for this task than U.A.’s faculty itself?”

“Goddammnit!” Maijima cursed at this revelation. “I leave my office door unlocked one fucking time!...”

“Ahh, I see! I guess that goes to show once again how valuable having associates from different walks of life can be! I suppose that means you have been able to prepare now, haven’t you? Ohoho, this is going to be interesting! I have high expectations now! Maybe we should try removing the weighted bracers and go all out instead?” Nezu said in response, clearly working hard to repress the urge to laugh maniacally that he must be having at that moment. 

That at the very least got a shocked reaction out of the students, before Nezu continued. “Or maybe not. It is our fault for failing to keep this secret, so you earned any potential advantage you may have gained by preparing! Still, I am very much looking forward to how things will turn out! So, without further ado let us proceed!”

With that everybody got moving. The students started grouping up with their partners and sought out quiet places so they could properly strategise, while most of the teachers moved to their respective testing areas to get prepared themselves, except Midnight who first told Yaoyorozu to visit the observation room before heading out herself.

Shota for his part quickly made his way to ground Alpha. The suburban environment there would be perfect for his preferred fighting style using ambush tactics. His mind was not preoccupied with combat effectiveness, however. Making sure his students would learn their lessons would be the challenging part.

Todoroki was all too eager to solve every issue by brute forcing it with his ice Quirk and Yaoyorozu was too prone to hesitate and second guess herself when under pressure. Worse yet, the girl had gotten new support equipment and revamped her fighting style around it barely two days ago! While getting gear to cover for your weaknesses was not necessarily a bad idea, Shota feared his student was overcommitting and therefore putting herself at severe risk of becoming too reliant on it. 

Crutches like that had the nasty habit of failing you when you needed them the most. Like they failed for Midoriya in the Sports Festival, only in Heroics the result would almost certainly be fatal either for Yaoyorozu or the people she was trying to save.

He would need to crush Yaoyorozu to make sure she wouldn’t start seeing support gear as an easy path to success, but not too harshly to avoid demoralizing her and also preventing her from overcorrecting by dropping support items entirely.

Not an easy task by any means, but Shota should be able to pull it off. The students are not the only ones encouraged to go Plus Ultra, after all!

Todoroki Shoto was mildly concerned.

During the strategy session class 1-A had together at the beginning of the week, plenty of ideas had been exchanged and facts discovered. First and foremost among them was which teachers every student was likely to struggle the most if they head to go up against them.

Armed with this knowledge and after hearing who everyone was paired up against, Shoto had no doubt in his mind that the faculty was going out of their way to create the most unfavorable matchups possible. Everybody would clearly be facing something close to a worst case scenario.

His classmates should count themselves lucky that Yaoyorozu had been able to predict this turn of events. Shoto himself was very surprised how accurate the class rep’s suspicions proved to be. Then again Yaoyorozu was one of the smartest, if not the smartest student in class 1-A. Her insightful analysis after the battle trials had convinced him of this fact, which was among the reasons why he had voted for her in the class representative election. Still, as impressive as his raven-haired classmate’s deductive abilities were, it didn’t change the fact that they had quite the challenge ahead of them.

Shoto was quite confident in the control he had over his Quirk, or rather the ice half of it. Unfortunately this won’t be much use against Aizawa Sensei, who could disable his Quirk at will. They would need to come up with a good strategy, once they arrived at the observation room, to which Midnight Sensei had sent them for some reason.

They were not going there alone, however. For some reason Utsushimi was accompanying them, instead of being with her partner and preparing for their exam with them by…

…Oh

Right!

Utsushimi was the unfortunate soul that was paired up with Bakugou for the exam, wasn’t she? He couldn’t blame her for not being with her partner then, Bakugou did not seem like a particularly cooperative person after all. The blonde boy’s actions during the battle trials in their first Heroics lesson made it pretty clear that he viewed allies as a hindrance at best, considering how he immediately ditched his partner to take down the Hero team on his own. How this boy had made it through the Sports Festival’s cavalry battle Shoto would never understand.

Then again, Shoto was hardly in a position to criticize his ill tempered classmate on this issue. He himself had been very dismissive and disrespectful to his classmates in the time leading up to and during the Sports Festival. Just because he had not been as openly rude as Bakugou did not change the fact that Shoto had both single handedly won his battle trial without giving his partner much chance to contribute as well and that he had treated his allies in the cavalry battle as assets instead of peers.

To add to this Shoto knew now, after interning at Endeavor's agency, that even his bastard of a Father was not stooping to such lows! Endeavor may be a strict and stern taskmaster but he did treat his sidekicks and employees with the respect they deserved. The Flaming Sidekickers in general and Burnin in particular didn’t strike him as people that would put up with a boss that treats them as expendable assets.

“Hey, Yaomomo…” Utsushimi started nervously. “Would you be up to, like, swapping partners?”

“Definitely not! I’d rather switch partners with Sero-san!” Yaoyorozu replied calmly and firmly, while giving the other girl a polite smile that looked way too strained to be genuine.

“Yeah… can’t blame you for that…” Utsushimi said dejectedly in response.

“I don’t think it would have mattered either way, since I doubt the teachers would allow us to switch. Those pairings are deliberate, likely meant to make things challenging for us.” Shoto added.

“Indeed!” Yaoyorozu agreed. “All of this comes very close to the least favorable matchups we discussed. Clearly, the faculty wants to see how well we can adapt to such unfavorable conditions!”

“Don’t you think they’re overdoing it a bit, though?” the blonde girl asked. “Seriously! Being paired with Baku-douche alone is bad enough, but having to go up against friggin’ All Might?! I’m not a powerhouse, so what am I supposed to do against a guy that can level whole city blocks just by sneezing!”

“You shouldn’t discount your Quirk Utsushimi-san! Your illusions are so lifelike that you should have an easy time using them as distractions!” Yaoyorozu pointed out.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna get me anywhere. My illusions are pretty flimsy, All Might can probably create enough force to blow them away by just snapping his fingers! I can’t do this alone and unfortunately my partner is, like an egocentric jerk that thinks he is the hottest thing since sliced bread! I’m totally screwed, aren’t I?” Utsushimi vented her frustrations.

“There, there,” Todoroki said as he patted the blonde girl on her back. The girl was clearly in distress and as a good classmate he should try to comfort her, right? “I’m sure you can do it! Also, for all his faults Bakugou is not an idiot, he should be able to swallow his pride and cooperate like he did in the cavalry battle!”

Whether or not his attempt at improving his classmate’s mood was successful, Shoto couldn’t really tell thanks to some very mixed signals the girl in question was sending. On one hand Utsushimi was no longer as dejected looking as she had been before, which implied some measure of success. On the other hand the blonde girl was averting her eyes from him and fiddling with her hands, which implied a massive spike in nervousness on her part. Still, the softly uttered thanks from the girl made him believe that, at the very least, the sentiment was appreciated.

Shoto didn’t really get much of a chance to ponder this more, since they arrived at the observation room shortly thereafter. Upon entering the room he found out to his great surprise that the hero course students were not the only ones here, on account of a pink-haired girl nearly tackling Yaoyorozu to the ground.

“YAOMOMO!” the girl yelled as she clung to the raven-haired girl and transitioned this awkward looking tackle attempt into something more akin to a tight hug.

“Mei! So you did get permission for today! What a pleasant surprise!” Yaoyorozu replied while returning the hug, like that was a perfectly normal reaction to being almost toppled to the ground. Was that a normal way of girls greeting each other?!

“Of course we got permission! I told you I have my ways! It wasn’t hard at all!” The unknown girl asserted confidently. “Now we can get some sweet data and cheer you on! It’s gonna be amazing seeing you in action!”

“I’m kinda excited as well, to be honest,” Midoriya, who was also present, chimed in. “You were doing so well when we calibrated everything! I ended up hitting the ground a whole lot more than you did during my first few attempts!”

“Thank you for your kind words! That being said, I doubt I would have made anywhere near this much progress without my capable instructor!” Yaoyorozu replied as she beamed a brilliant smile to the green-haired boy, which made Midoriya’s cheeks gain a lot more colour in an instant for some reason.

“YOU!” the pink-haired girl suddenly exclaimed, while freeing one hand from the hug to point a finger at Shoto. “You’re the guy that blew Izuku up!”

“It’s okay Mei!” Midoriya, interjected.

“You sure? You looked really upset while you were fighting this guy! Also, he destroyed your gear!” the girl apparently named Mei argued.

“On accident, Mei! And yeah, while things did get really emotional during the match, we did make up and come to an understanding.” Midoriya replied.

“Okay…” The girl replied, still sounding a bit sceptical, while staring at Shoto with eyes full of suspicion.

Shoto for his part was utterly confused as a result of this reaction, but ultimately decided not to dwell on it and instead focus his attention on the pleasant surprise that was Midoriya’s presence. The boy in question already found himself engaged in conversation by Utsushimi, however.

“Hey! Yaomomo says you’re a pretty smart guy when it comes to, like, Quirks and strategies and stuff! You mind giving me some pointers? I’d be super grateful for any help!” Utsushimi requested excitedly while getting close to Midoriya and staring at him with hope filled eyes.

“S-sure! I can t-try!” The green haired boy stammered out in reply. “So who are you up against and who is your partner?”

“All Might. And my partner, if you could even call him that, is that jerk Bakugou. So what do you think I should do?” the blonde girl inquired.

“Pray,” was the immediate response of Midoriya.

“Okay. That’s, like, the least helpful advice ever. You sure you’ve got nothing more?” Utsushimi reacted in a disappointed and subdued fashion, which was in stark contrast to just moments ago.

“Sorry, but that is probably as close to a worst case scenario as this can get!” Midoriya claimed.

“Are you really sure it’s this dire Midoriya? Bakugou is not a good teamplayer, but he has proven that he is capable of working with others for the sake of his success, as teeth clenched as this cooperation may be.” Shoto argued.

“I’m not denying that. You haven’t known him for as long as I have, though. Ever since we were little he had one goal in life and that was to surpass All Might!” Midoriya started explaining. “This is his chance to do exactly that by fighting and beating all Might, so he will never consider any other course of action no matter what. His pride won’t allow him to!”

“In other words, I’m totally screwed?” The blonde girl lamented.

“Not necessarily Utsushimi-san!” Yaoyorozu interjected after having extracted herself from the hug she had been entangled in. “If all attempts of reasoning with Bakugou fail, then making it to the exit by yourself, in the hope that your ‘partner’ distracts your opponent for long enough, might be a viable option. Aizawa Sensei never specified whether we’ll be graded individually or as a group. Even if the former is the case you should still be safe this way!”

“Now dear, that is a big assumption to make. Especially considering that this goes against the spirit of the exercise. You children are supposed to work together and not throw each other to the wolves!” Recovery Girl, who had also been sitting in the observation room all this time, interrupted.

“I’m trying to be realistic! Are we supposed to go down with our partners if they adamantly refuse to cooperate? As Heroes our duty is to save lives and inspire the population, not protecting the fragile egos of our colleagues from the consequences of their actions!” Yaoyorozu argued, practically hissing the last part in disdain. Recovery Girl just sighed wearily in response, probably out of acknowledgement of the class representative’s point.

“So, ditch the jerk and hope for the best if you can’t get through his thick skull it is? Not the plan I was hoping for, but at this point I’ll take it!” The blonde said dejectedly, clearly not feeling particularly reassured.

“If it’s any consolation, Utsushimi, me and Yaoyorozu won’t have it much easier. Aizawa Sensei is a dangerous opponent as well.” Shoto said in an attempt to once again make his blonde classmate feel better. “I think we should do something similar. Sensei probably sees me as the bigger threat, so I should hold him off while Yaoyorozu heads for the exit.”

“I’m sorry to say that, Todoroki-san, but I severely doubt this would be the best course of action we could take.” Yaoyorozu politely contested.

“I agree that this is a plan in dire need of improvement, but the core idea is sound. Considering how Aizawa Sensei fought off literal waves of villains in the USJ, I doubt the two of us would have much better chances of taking him down.” Shoto argued with his partner.

“At the risk of sounding rude, Todoroki-san, please tell me how proficient at hand to hand combat you think you are,” the raven-haired girl asked him.

“Adequate, I’d say,” was his response. For all of his bastard Father’s faults the training regiment he had come up with, while intense, was fairly well rounded. Shoto knew how to throw a punch.

“Do you think that adequate close combat skills will be anywhere near sufficient to hold off an expert like Aizawa Sensei for a meaningful amount of time?” The class representative followed up.

“You make… a fair point,” Shoto conceded. Their homeroom teacher did specialize in denying enemies their Quirks and taking them down in melee. He would be playing into their opponents hands if they did commit to this plan!

“This is all before we take into account how this plan hinges on us being graded as a team.” Yaoyorozu continued. “If this assumption is incorrect, then you put yourself at an excessive risk of failing! I’d rather employ a strategy that gives both of us equal odds of passing.”

“Fair enough. That still means we need to come up with said strategy, however.” Shoto pointed out.

“I… I think I might have an idea that could help you!” Midoriya joined in.

“For real?! You’ve got advice for them but not for me? Totes unfair!” Utsushimi interrupted with a pout, hopefully half joking. Nevertheless the nervous support student added a quick apology in response.

“While I appreciate the offer Izuku, I fear I have to decline this time. You and Mei have done plenty for me already by finishing my commissioned equipment. I should be able to overcome the challenge together with Todoroki-san, especially since I think I have a workable idea myself!” Yaoyorozu explained.

“I suppose that’s good news then! What do you have in mind?” Shoto asked his partner.

“Aizawa Sensei is so fond of his logical ruses that I think it is high time that we employ a ruse of our own!” Yaoyorozu replied cryptically.

Before Shoto had the opportunity to ask for details, the door opened and Uraraka entered the room.

“Whoa, lots of people in here! I thought I’d be the only one!” Uraraka exclaimed in surprise.

“Hey Ochako-chan! What are you doing here, don’t you wanna prep with your partner for your exam?” Utsushimi asked the new arrival.

“Well… I tried,” the brunette started explaining. “...but Aoyama-kun is kinda too busy with…”

“... looking at himself in the mirror?” The blonde girl finished the sentence for her classmate to which Uraraka answered with just a weary sigh and a nod.

“I feel ya, girl! I got shafted with my assigned partner as well! Why can’t we just switch partners? I totes would love to work with you instead of Bakugou!” Utsushimi said once again venting her frustration.

“Well, it can’t be helped, so I thought it would be good to watch the fights before mine for reference. Maybe I get a good idea after seeing how the others are handling this, you know?” The brunette girl responded to Utsushimi. “Has the first match started already?”

“No, dear, you came just in time! The first fight is about to begin just now!” Recovery Girl announced.

“I’d say we use this opportunity to follow Uraraka-san’s example and carefully watch Kirishima-san and Sato-san try to overcome this challenge. We might obtain some valuable insight this way!” Yaoyorozu affirmed.

With that the students moved closer to the large screen on the wall in preparation for the footage of the exam to start, when Shoto spotted something curious about the boy from the support course.

“What is this for?” he asked Midoriya, while pointing at the notebook the green-haired boy had pulled out.

“Oh… uh… I want to make some notes about the Quirks we are about to see. It’s so rare to get good footage of things like that in action! The news rarely manages to get a good angle or they are just too far away to get a good look at what's going on!” Midroiya explained.

“So why do you do that exactly? To analyse Quirks? Is that a hobby of yours or something?” Shoto asked, feeling intrigued about this behaviour. Could this be among the reasons why Midoriya had turned out to be a much more competent opponent than anybody would have expected from a support student?

“Yeah, a little bit. I usually try not to draw too much attention to it, people seem to find it creepy of me…” the support course boy replied while awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

“HA! Good one!” The support course girl chimed in. “That notebook is almost full and it is not the first one you completely filled out this semester either! Only narrow minded idiots would think this is creepy, I think it's awesome!”

“Ah, I see! This certainly explains why Yaoyorozu values your advice that much. If Quirk analysis is something you engage in then it might be a good idea to consult you one day. My Father will only ever be able to give advice on the fire side of my Quirk and even with all his experience on the matter he still is just human meaning he has his own blindspots and biases. Talking to someone with a different outlook might prove to be more beneficial in the long run. Only if it is okay with you of course!” Shoto mused. If Yaoyorozu could benefit from an outside perspective, so could he. This also had the added benefit of avoiding him from developing a fighting style too similar to his Father’s. The chance to connect to some of his peers outside of the Hero course was nice as well.

“I’d love to!” Midoriya enthusiastically said in agreement.

“Dang, Izuku! You’ve got to tell me your secret on how you’re reeling in all these clients one day! Not that you don’t deserve them, but I’d love a piece of that!” The pink-haired girl remarked with a smile as she put her arm over Midoriya’s shoulder and got close to him.

Shoto turned his attention away from the antics of the support course students and directed them to the screens where Kirishma and Sato’s trial was about to begin. He was certainly determined to learn what he could before it would be time for his match together with Yaoyorozu. Whatever strategy they would finally settle on, one thing was for certain.

They could only pass if they worked as a team!

Kirishima Eijiro was having mixed feelings.

Feeling intimidated by having to go against pro-Heroes for their practical exam, was a perfectly normal reaction to have, after all. U.A. surely wasn’t pulling any punches, which also made him feel pumped in turn as well! He was not the kind of man that would just back down from a challenge like that!

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little weirded out by the fact that Yaoyorozu had been able to so accurately predict what they would go up against. Eijiro knew that their class rep was a smart cookie, but her figuring this out with so few clues must have been something else! At least that’s the picture he got from the way Mina, who had been present when it happened, had retold the events to him.

It’s just a shame Yaoyorozu didn’t figure everything out a week earlier. Eijiro didn’t want to sound ungrateful but he sure as hell wouldn’t have complained about having more prep time! Coming up with a good battle plan might have been easier in that case.

“You got any ideas yet?” He asked Sato.

“Not really… other than trying to escape…” his tall partner replied.

“Oh come on! Running away while a dangerous villain is causing havoc isn’t manly!” Eijiro contested.

“And failing the exam is?” Sato asked in return.

“No… but come on! Don’t be so glum! We can take Cementoss Sensei!” 

“I’m not so sure, have you already forgotten about the video Yaoyorozu dug up? The one were like a dozen villains were charging Cementoss Sensei and he just drowned them in an never ending Wave of concrete walls until they were too tired to keep fighting back? I doubt we’ll last even half as long as them if we try to just attack him, thanks to the time limits of our Quirks!” Sato argued.

“Well, I didn’t say it would be easy! Still, I’m convinced we can beat him! We just have to play it smart!” Eijiro countered.

Before Sato could answer back they were interrupted by the intercom announcement of the exam’s official start.

“Guess we better get moving! I think it would be smartest if we tried to find the exit first!” The boy in the yellow bodysuit suggested.

“You still think we can sneak our way out? Both of us are pretty much the opposite of Hagakure when it comes to stealth, so there’s now way we’ll get past Sensei without him noticing us!” Eijiro shot back, still against the idea of escaping.

“You’re probably right that we’ll have to fight Cementoss Sensei anyway. Still, I’d feel a lot more comfortable if we did it as close to the exit as possible! That way even if things go south and beating him outright becomes impossible we might still be able to pass by creating an opening to escape!” Sato explained.

“I can work with that!” Eijiro replied in agreement. A fighting retreat sounded a lot more manly to him than just running away outright! He’d still prefer passing by defeating the teacher, though.

The question still was, however, how to beat a guy that can reshape concrete that fast in an urban environment? Eijiro didn’t like to admit it, but he doubted that a simple frontal assault against their teacher would end well for him and Sato. The speed of the Japanese literature teacher’s Quirk was scary and according to Yaoyorozu’s research and the trivia contributed by some of the other students of 1-A, there was no known time limit or other limitations to it.

Maybe luring Ishiyama Sensei somewhere where there wasn’t a lot of concrete for him to use his Quirk on could work? That of course required there to be any parks or children playgrounds large enough to be in this mock city. This hope was quickly squashed when Eijiro and his partner made it to the roof of one of the taller buildings to look for the exit. The few spots of green in the urban landscape were all pretty small and none were anywhere close to the exit. Relying on Mother nature to beat the experienced pro-Hero was definitely out.

While carefully jumping from rooftop to rooftop, hoping to avoid being spotted by their opponent too early, Eijiro continued to rattle his brain for ideas. What could the weakness of Cementoss Sensei’s Quirk be? It was a strong emitter type, with no known time limit and if using it was exhausting to their teacher, then he certainly had trained up his stamina enough to make this a non issue. As long as the teacher kept his hands to the…

Wait!

Stopping immediately, Eijiro turned to address his partner. “Dude! I think I’ve got an idea!”

“Really? Great! Lemme hear it!” was Sato’s hopeful response.

“You remember how everyone compared Cementoss Sensei’s wave attacks as a stronger version of Todoroki’s ice waves right?” He started out.

“Yeah?”

“That’s actually super misleading! Todoroki’s ice attacks can be fired and forgotten if he wants to! They are weaker if he isn’t channelling them for long but he can immediately move afterwards if he wants to. Ishiyama Sensei can’t! He needs to stay in contact with the ground to keep using his Quirk. If we get close he has to either stop using his Quirk giving us the advantage since we are stronger melee fighters or he leaves himself open for attack!” Eijiro concluded enthusiastically.

“Ok,” Sato replied flatly, apparently not feeling particularly impressed by Eijiro’s deductive skills. “How will we get close?”

“Uhhhhhhh…”

“Come on Kirishima! That’s kind of the important part!” Sato replied in exasperation while facepalming.

“Ok, ok, it’s still a work in progress! We’ll figure it out eventually, don’t you worry!” Kirishima said while giving his partner a confident grin and a thumbs up. He refused to give up!

“Whatever. We should continue heading to the exit, maybe we are lucky and manage to slip past Cementoss?” Sato suggested in a hopeful tone.

“You’re almost sounding like you’re scared of Ishiyama Sensei! Don’t worry dude! We’re in this together!” Eijiro said in hopes of comforting his partner.

“I’m not scared, man!” Sato replied defensively. “I’m just trying to be careful, okay? I’ve got only one shot at this, since I’ll need a lot of sugar just so he can’t completely wipe the floor with me! Once I do, I won’t be able to think on my feet anymore thanks to my Quirks drawback. Against a dangerous opponent like that, getting stupid is a really big problem and that’s before you take my time limit into consideration, as well! If we fight Cementoss, then we either win quickly or he’ll utterly destroy us without even breaking a sweat!”

“Ok. I still think you're being a little too pessimistic here, though! The teachers wouldn’t give us an impossible task for the exam!” Kirishima asserted.

“I’m not so sure about that, if I’m honest,” Sato said to him with a sombre expression. “It would totally be like Aizawa to have us do impossible tasks and fail us just to, I dunno, prevent us from getting a big head or something!”

“Aizawa’s ‘logical ruse’ bullshit is really annoying, I give you that,” Eijiro acknowledged. “This whole exercise was planned by all the teachers, though! That means he shouldn’t be able to pull any of his usual shenanigans, right?”

“At this point I don’t even know what to think anymore,” Sato replied. “U.A. certainly has been nothing like I had imagined it to be. Anyway, we should keep going, we’re wasting valuable time here!”

With that both boys continued jumping from rooftop to rooftop to make their way towards the exit. Thankfully the trip turned out to be not as long as it had initially looked to be, so they made it to the roof of one of the buildings closest to the exit with time to spare! Unfortunately for both boys, Cementoss Sensei was guarding the exit.

“Shit,” Sato cursed. “I really hoped he’d be patrolling around so we could slip by him or something.”

“Yeah, he ain’t looking like he’ll be moving anytime soon. Which means there is only one way left for us to win this!” Eijiro replied.

“You got any bright ideas on how we could close the distance?” his classmate asked.

“Hmm…” Eijiro hummed while thinking carefully. “We do kinda have the high ground, right? Maybe we could drop down on him?”

“Can you jump that far? I know I can’t, my Quirk is more about upper body strength!” The boy in the yellow bodysuit questioned.

In response Eijiro took a good look at the distance between the rooftop and the exit. Even with a good run-up he would be able to cover half of the distance at most, which would give their opponent more than enough time to use his Quirk to stop him.

“So that’s out of the window as well, huh? Maybe… maybe one of us can lure him away?” Sato mused.

“You sure that can work? All he has to do is keep guarding the exit until the time runs out!” Eijiro argued.

“True, but he is supposed to play a villain right now, right? A villain would never pass up a chance for an easy take down on a Hero! Plus, if he takes down one of us he basically guarantees that we fail since neither of us could ever take him on one on one. Unless one of us slips through while he chases down the other of course!” Sato explained.

“I guess, that’s true…” Eijiro accepted, although he was not feeling particularly enthusiastic about this plan.

“Well, that’s all I can come up with, so unless you’ve got a better idea, let’s get going!” Sato said in response, clearly noticing Eijiro’s doubt.

“Alright! So who is gonna be the decoy?” the red-haired hero in training inquired.

“It would probably be better if I do it. You can handle a drop from this high better than me and the limits of my Quirk make me an easier target. Once Cementoss Sensei is out of position you drop down and rush the exit!” Sato explained.

“Yeah, not gonna happen man! I’m not gonna leave you behind, Sato! Even if I was willing to do something unmanly like that, there’s still many ways for it to go wrong besides Sensei not taking the bait! What if he decides to block the exit with his Quirk before he chases after you?” Eijiro vehemently contested.

“Shit… forgot about that… what else are we supposed to do then?”

“Simple!” Eijiro proclaimed as he was hit with an idea. “We’ll take Ishiyama Sensei down!”

“You’ve got an idea now on how to get close enough for that?”

“Yep! We’ll just do what you just suggested, only difference is that I will wait until Sensei is close enough so I can drop right on top of him! With a little luck a surprise attack from above will be enough to knock him out! Even if it isn't, he will be too busy blocking my punches to use his Quirk, which should give me the upper hand!” Eijiro proudly explained his variation of the plan.

“He is still an experienced pro, Kirishima, so I doubt he’ll be such a pushover in melee! What if he proves too much to handle even without him being able to actively use his Quirk?” His classmate questioned.

“That’s where you come back in of course! Even if I can’t beat him on my own, I should be able to keep him busy long enough for you to circle back around, so we can take him on together!” He replied, feeling proud how his plan covered this eventuality. 

“What if Ishiyama Sensei doesn’t take the bait?” Sato continued his questions.

“Hmmm. Yeah that would make things a bit trickier, but I think it would still be doable. Look!” Kirishima said as he carefully moved himself and his partner to the edge of the roof again so they could see the streets below. “If you initially attack from the front and then disengage through that side alley then you should eventually come out at that street that is currently to Ishiyama Sensei’s right. Should he reject taking the bait then he would still be standing there, meaning he would need to turn his back on me up here to face you. Once you engage him again, I’ll drop down and charge him from behind, that way we’ll hit him hammer and anvil style!”

“That could actually work! Still, very risky, but we might have a shot!” Sato agreed, his concerns finally having been mostly alleviated. “In none of the footage we watched of Cementoss Sensei, did he ever use his Quirk in two directions at the same time!”

“Then let’s do this! He won’t know what hit him!” Eijiro excitedly exclaimed, thanks to the fact that he was starting to feel really pumped.

With that the boys set their plan in motion. Sato first handed over the handcuffs to Kirishima, before going back down to the ground floor using the staircase inside the building. Afterwards he would get a little bit of distance from the building Eijiro was hiding in, just to be safe.

A couple minutes later Sato reappeared coming down the main road from an intersection they had passed earlier. Immediately after spotting the teacher the Sugar Rush user started charging down the road while downing a large pack of sugar. 

Eijiro meanwhile had moved from the roof to the top floor of the building in hopes that he would be less likely to be spotted in the windows since he wouldn’t have the bright blue sky as a backdrop there. He wouldn’t be able to get the timing right if he didn’t watch the events unfold, but peeking over the ledge would expose him too much and risk being spotted too early. Going down one floor would mean that his leap from the building would cover a little less distance, but hopefully the lower risk of being spotted was worth the trade-off.

Cementoss Sensei for his part did not seem to be all that impressed by the single student charging him from the front and simply crouched down and touched the ground in front of him with both of his hands to activate his Quirk. Similarly to the video footage class 1-A had watched in preparation, a huge wave of concrete burst forward, forming countless thick walls between the student and the teacher.

Sato, to his credit, was smashing these walls left and right like a beast! Unfortunately Eijiro could clearly see from his elevated position how much smashing through these walls was slowing down his classmate. Even worse, after some time, new walls were forming faster than the boy in the bright yellow bodysuit could destroy, eventually grinding his progress down to a halt. Eijiro was certainly starting to understand why his classmate had been so concerned about getting into a fight with their teacher, Ishiyama Sensei was looking like he was barely putting any effort into their clash and it had still been more than enough to stop Sato’s charge dead within moments!

Eijiro really hated that he was stuck up here watching the fight. It took a considerable amount of willpower for him to suppress the urge to just say ‘fuck it!’ and throw the plan to the wind by jumping down and helping his classmate with fighting back the seemingly unending deluge of concrete. With no other alternative he could only hope his classmate would not exhaust himself and his Quirk too much for this distraction.

The fears of his classmate being overwhelmed started to spike, when Sato was starting to show clear signs of fatigue. He was getting slower and slower at smashing the walls, which in turn meant that he was beginning to lose ground against Cementoss Sensei’s Quirk. His partner needed to retreat soon, or else things would get dicey and Eijiro would need to intervene!

Thankfully it wouldn’t come to that. Being pushed back more and more, Sato likely finally realized that now was a good opportunity to fall back before he suffered the same fate as the villains in that video.

With his sugar fueled ally heading through the designated alleyway, Eijiro got himself ready to do his part in the plan. The big question now was, whether or not their teacher would take the bait. He sincerely hoped Ishiyama Sensei would fall for it, the short fight had clearly taken a lot out of Sato, which made Eijiro worry about his partners ability to keep up another assault against their teacher’s Quirk.

To Kirishima’s disappointment and grave concern, Cementoss Sensei did not leave his position to pursue Sato. He grumbled at the prospect of both having to play the waiting game for a little longer and the added strain his ally would be put under once he had finished circling back around. Eijiro would have to work hard keeping his teacher’s attention on him instead of Sato, cause if he didn’t and his partner was focused down quickly, then he himself would be royally screwed!

Fretting about all that wouldn’t get him anywhere, so instead Kirishima tried to make use of his elevated position and take note of everything along the road he would soon be fighting on. Trashcans, lampposts and the few cars parked along the street, anything that wouldn’t directly be affected by Ishiyama Sensei’s Quirk might prove useful in one way or another. Maybe if he got close enough, ripping a car door out and throwing it at the teacher could be a good idea? At the very least that should get his attention!

As if on cue the teacher’s attention suddenly turned to his right side as Sato announced his return, by throwing a whole car! The attack was easily blocked by a quickly created concrete wall, but as a result Cementoss Sensei had now his back turned to the building Kirishima was sitting in, exactly as hoped! 

That was his cue to get going!

Going all the way back into the staircase, Eijiro took the longest run-up possible before leaping out of the window. As he sailed through the air he did his best to angle his body properly to land and roll. Usually he wouldn’t bother with that since his Quirk allows him to shrug off the impact from any kind of landing, but if he face planted here he would lose all of the momentum he would need to cross the remaining distance. A proper landing would allow him to hit the ground running, granting him some vital seconds that could make a difference in the end. At least that was the plan.

In the end the landing turned out a lot rougher than he had intended, he clearly would have to practice that a lot more if he wanted to do that in the future. If it wasn’t for his Quirk he would have certainly broken something with that clumsy roll he had attempted, but he had succeeded in keeping a lot of his momentum at the very least.

Unfortunately the noise of his impact also alerted Cementoss Sensei a tad earlier than Eijiro would have liked. Thankfully he was close enough to the first car on the side of the road so he ripped out its door as he ran past and threw it at his teacher before he could react. While his opponent successfully dodged the projectile, Eijiro still managed to get another meter or two out of the short reprieve this action brought him before the teacher would inevitably use his Quirk.

Two steps later Eijiro already had to bust through the first of many concrete walls to continue making progress. The speed at which these walls kept coming was unreal, which in turn slowed him down to the pace of a snail. Eijiro’s only solace was the fact that as he was enduring the onslaught, Sato likely was getting some room to breathe. If his partner wasn’t already down for the count, that is.

Eijiro immediately forced that intrusive thought down as it appeared. While he couldn’t see how his classmate was doing, he was convinced that Sato was still in the game, he was a strong and tough guy after all! As long as both boys were able to continue pressuring their teacher from two sides, one of them should be able to eventually make it through!

Still, Kirishama was aware that they should wrap this up sooner rather than later, there was no way of telling how much more time they had left on the clock! Sato’s Quirk would also almost certainly be the first to run out of steam, so they needed a faster way to make it to Ishiyama Sensei than just trying to smash their way through.

As he was trying to think about a solution, Eijiro suddenly realized that progress was getting easier again as if there wasn’t a new wall created every second. Which was really bad, since that could only mean their teacher was now focusing on the other student again!

Struggling to keep the rising feelings of panic in check the redhead looked up and noted that the concrete walls were not that high. By smashing his hardened fingers into the smooth wall to get a good grip, Eijiro was able to scale the wall quickly and visually confirm what he had feared. Ishiyama Sensei had turned his back on him again and was now concentrating on wearing down Sato!

As concerning as this was, Eijiro couldn’t help but suppress a smirk. The concrete obstacles ahead of him were so densely packed and almost all the same height, so it should be no problem for him to just run across them towards his teacher. He immediately started charging across, taking care to avoid having his feet getting caught in the gaps between walls. While they were not big enough to have him fall all the way down, Eijiro couldn’t allow himself to be slowed down again if he wanted to capitalize on the mistake his teacher had made and end the fight!

To the pro-Hero’s credit he did hear the quickly approaching student and immediately turned around and started using his Quirk to soften the concrete walls up into a wet clay like consistency, likely to trap Eijiro. Unfortunately for Ishiyama Sensei, Eijiro was already close enough that he could simply leap over the hastily created soft concrete trap and finally engage him in melee combat.

“That's an amazing Quirk you got there Sensei, but now let's see how well you do in hand to hand combat!” Eijiro yelled as he attacked with a big haymaker.

The teacher in turn responded with a coldly determined glare while expertly blocking and dodging Kirishima’s blows. Cementoss Sensei’s guard in fact turned out to be almost airtight not helped by the fact that he was not attempting any punches to counter, likely knowing that any haphazard attacks against the boy with the hardening Quirk would only result in him breaking his own hand. Still, Eijiro would not let up, he’d find a gap eventually and if not Sato would once he broke through and joined the fight. As long as the teacher was on the defensive he wouldn’t be able to use his Quirk and therefore be at a disadvantage.

The fight continued on for a few moments before Eijiro learned why exactly Ishiyama Sensei had been fighting so defensively. After another missed haymaker the pro-Hero countered with a precise kick to the leg of Kirishima that was further away from his opponent, which suddenly widened his stance and threw him completely off balance. The following hard shove would have the boy stumble backwards directly into the pile of softened up concrete that the walls from earlier had collapsed into! Eijiro had allowed himself to fall into a recognizable pattern during his assault and now had paid the price for it!

Eijiro desperately tried to get out of the softened mass of concrete, but he barely managed to get himself upright on his feet again when he felt the concrete start to harden rapidly. The last thing he managed to do before becoming completely encased and immobilized was to get the capture cuffs off from his belt and throw them onto solid ground. 

Did he just fuck up royally and doom himself and Sato to failing? Should he have just tried to run for the exit instead?

These and many more thoughts were going through Eijiro’s head as he lamented his failure and had to helplessly watch Cementoss Sensei turn around so he could take care of the remaining student and…

…be met with a big yellow clad fist in his stomach!

His classmate had made it in the nick of time!

Unfortunately his sugar fueled partner had hit their teacher with so much force that he sent the pro-Hero flying straight at Eijiro! Thankfully he still had his hardening Quirk active because he doubted he would have been able to take the impact otherwise, since it was strong enough to not only break him out of his concrete confinement but also sent him flying with their teacher as well!

The landing wasn’t any less pleasant. After he stopped seeing stars, Eijiro quickly noticed two things. Firstly Ishiyama Sensei was lying pretty much on top of him and was quickly coming back to his senses as well. Secondly they were not lying in the middle of the road, but in the remains of a large trash can that they had hit. Apparently Sato had launched them at an angle towards the buildings instead of a straight trajectory down the road. This meant there was no concrete in reach!

Realizing this chance Eijiro quickly started to grab his teacher from behind to prevent him from getting up and reaching for the concrete sidewalk. Looking down into the direction he had come from, the red-haired student also yelled for his classmate. “SATO! THE CUFFS! GET THE CUFFS! I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN HOLD HIM!”

Catching a glimpse of the staggering gait of his partner, Eijiro was quickly filled with a sense of dread. Sato looked like he was about to collapse any second now and he was the only one that could get the handcuffs and get them onto Cementoss Sensei! Worse yet he could start to feel fatigue catching up with him as well, while the teacher started to struggle harder and harder against the student’s grip.

Still, Eijiro refused to give in and redoubled his efforts of holding the pro Hero down and also tried to get him into a choke hold and knock him out that way. Which was easier said than done against an opponent who had a literal blockhead with no discernable throat or neck! Meanwhile he would continue yelling for his partner, hoping his voice would keep him awake and on task.

After what had felt like an eternity Sato finally made it to them and ended the whole ordeal by putting the capture cuffs on one of Ishiyama Sensei’s hands, allowing Eijiro to finally let go of the teacher and breathing a sigh of relief.

With the announcement of them passing the exam Eijiro got up, walked up to his classmate and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder before saying. “Damn dude! You came in real clutch there in the end! I almost thought we’d be done for, if I couldn’t manage to choke out Cementoss Sensei!”

“Can’t… talk… everything… hurts…” The taller boy responded while panting heavily.

“I suppose some congratulations are in order,” Ishiyama Sensei chimed in as he stood up and dusted himself off. “I certainly did not expect you two to pull anything like this!”

“Thank you, Sensei!” Kirishima cheerily replied.

“There are some points of criticism, however!” The teacher started to lecture. “You’re telegraphing your attacks too much Kirishima! I know your Quirk makes it difficult for most people to hurt you directly, but I hope you understand now that an intelligent opponent won’t need to break through your enhanced defences to get you in trouble! Also, try to vary your moves more. Your throwing of one haymaker after another made coming up with an effective counter pretty easy. As for your strategy, while it was sound, I can’t shake the feeling that you two were lacking in coordination. Your victory in the end certainly seemed more like you getting a lucky break instead of something you achieved deliberately. Still, I’d say that was not a bad showing for first years! Try to learn from the mistakes you made so next time is gonna go smoother!”

“Yes Sensei!” both students replied, although Sato was still panting heavily and looking to be slightly in pain.

“Alright! How are you feeling, Sato? You pushed your Quirk really hard, so I think it would be for the best to have Recovery Girl give you a look over,” the teacher suggested.

“I should be fine, just need some rest,” the boy in question replied, still panting.

“Better be safe than being sorry,” the pro Hero argued. “Plus Recovery Girl has lots of stuff to help with fatigue, thanks to her Quirk!”

“Here man, let me help you!” Eijiro said as he put the larger boy's arm over his shoulder so he could lean on him. “Let's get us some of those gummies! You definitely earned them!”

“One of these days I’ve gotta ask her how she is making them! They really are tasty!” Sato replied, smiling as he accepted the help and started moving.

Eijiro himself certainly wouldn’t reject any of the treats either. The exam had been intense, leaving him with no doubt that he would sleep very well tonight and wake up all sore tomorrow. Still, it was worth it, since they had not only passed the exam, they had also been able to beat a teacher to do it!

He could go and rest easy after a manly fight like that!

Chapter Text

Uraraka Ochako was feeling jubilant.

Watching Tsu’s exam, during which Ochako had obviously been loudly cheering for the frog girl, and seeing her best friend pass would do that for her, naturally. It had been an amazing thing to watch as well! The way Tsu and Tokoyami had been weaving around Ectoplasm Sensei’s clones for most of the fight had looked so cool, like it came straight from a very well choreographed movie or somethin’! The ending had been a real nail biter, though. Even with foreknowledge of Ectoplasm Sensei’s super move, there had been no way for them to dodge the giant clone in the enclosed space that they were fighting in! Thankfully, Tsu managed to secure them the win with her quick thinking!

Tokoyami-kun for his part had been doing a pretty swell job too! Not that Ochako had many reasons to believe he wouldn’t be able to work well with others. The boy’s dramatic, borderline chuuni behavior at times was really painting a completely wrong picture of him. As Ochako learned during the cavalry battle, Tokoyami-kun was actually a pretty nice and dependable guy!

Thinking of the cavalry battle, Ochako had no choice, but to address the elephant in the room, though. Well, the two support course student shaped elephants in the room to be precise. 

Gosh, she could be such a ditz at times! Ochako had been so busy, first with her worries about the exam, then with chatting with Camie and finally watching the first two matches, that she had barely noticed the other two students.

Why those two were currently in the observation room with them, Ochako didn’t know for sure, but with Yaoyorozu here with them, she could guess it had somethin’ to do with the class rep's new gear. Midoriya had talked about calibrating the boots and gauntlets back in the changing room so they were probably doin’ some last minute adjustments or somethin’. The teachers probably also figured that getting two students to school just to fiddle around with some support items would be a waste and offered them to stay and watch the other exams as well.

Ochako figured she should try and talk a little with them before she headed out to prepare for her match as well. Nothing major, just some small talk ‘bout how they’ve been doin’ or somethin’. It’d be pretty rude, in her opinion, if she just left without ever addressing those two! She should probably do so quickly, she wanted to have enough time to watch and cheer on Iida as well, after all, and after that match she would need to leave and pick up her partner so they could get ready for their exam.

“Whoa! Midoriya-kun sure is writing fast!” She noted as she walked up to the green-haired boy and saw how swiftly his pen was moving as he mumbled to himself.

“Quite impressive, I agree,” Todoroki, who was standing besides Midoriya, chimed in. “However, his penmanship appears to be lacking, I can barely make out a word.”

“What did you expect? Beautiful calligraphy? That notebook is just for Izuku’s observations, once he gets home he’s probably gonna spend all afternoon compiling all of this in one of his main notebooks. Those tend to be much cleaner and nicer looking!” The pink-haired girl explained while the support course boy continued scribbling and mumbling uninterrupted. “Hey! You look familiar! You’re the gravity girl from the Sports Festival, right?”

“Yeah! I’m Uraraka Ochako and we did work together in the cavalry battle. Sorry, I didn’t notice you at first, I woulda said hello earlier otherwise!” Ochako replied, rubbing the back of her head out of her feelings of embarrassment overlooking those two. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would run into you two here! I guess since you’re Yaomomo’s support crew it has something to do with her gear, right?”

“For the most part they are here so they can gather some live combat data for my equipment, so they can further refine and improve on it, correct Mei?” Yaoyorozu chimed in.

“Almost! You forgot the most important part! Izuku and I are also here to cheer you on!” Hatsume responded while grinning widely.

“Ah, yes! Of course! Then I must make sure not to disappoint!” The raven-haired girl replied in turn with a warm smile.

“So, Uraraka, would you mind if I asked you something?” Hatsume asked.

“Not at all!”

“What the hell are those ?!” The support girl asked as she was pointing at the boots of Ochako’s costume.

“Ehh, you mean my boots? Why do you ask? Anythin’ wrong with them?” Ochako wondered.

“Other than them looking unnecessarily bulky? Why the hell are they high heels?! First Yaomomo’s costume and now this! Did all the support companies get together and decide that all the female Heroes from now on should strut around in the most impractical and uncomfortable footwear imaginable?!” Hatsume started to rant out of seemingly nowhere.

“Like, chill girl! Those heels ain’t that high!” Utsushimi interrupted the ranting support student.

“Yeah! Also they are not just for looks! They are on a spring, which together with the thick layer of shock absorbent material and some other gizmos help soften my falls as long as I land on my feet!” Ochako explained feeling a little defensive.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to just land instead of falling down?” Midoriya chimed in, apparently having finished taking notes for now.

“I guess? I can’t really control which direction I’m going, though, once I’m weightless. Since the sky rarely has any surfaces for me to jump off from, my only way to get back to the ground usually is just cancelling my Quirk and letting gravity do the rest.” Ochako revealed to the support course students.

“That… that sounds really dangerous. No way those boots can absorb all or even most of the impact! Worse yet, what if you are carrying an unconscious civilian? The added weight is gonna cause issues. Even if you never suffer a really bad fall, even the little ones could potentially add up over your career! You’ll develop issues with your back and your knees in no time that way!” Midoriya argued.

“The boy got a point, dear! I wasn’t doing that much in the way of acrobatics back in my heyday, but those few nasty falls I have suffered, even though I recovered from them pretty well back then, I can still feel to this day.” Recovery Girl chimed in.

“Well, I guess it's fortunate that we’re here today, then! I still got the jetpack from the Sports Festival, Uraraka. Just say the word and I can set you up!” Hatsume suggested while wiggling her eyebrows.

“While I appreciate the offer and agree that I should probably look into stuff to give me more mobility control, I have to decline. I think that jetpack might be a little bit… overkill…” Ochako declined while giving a polite yet strained smile. The way that damn thing had made her stomach lurch during the cavalry battle had been only marginally better than if she had used her Quirk on herself to begin with! She’d rather avoid the risk of turning into a literal vomit comet by using that jetpack again!

“Yeah, you got a point there Uraraka-san, that jetpack flight had been rocky to say the least,” the green-haired boy added in agreement.