Chapter 3: Orientation - Bring to a Simmer
Recovery Girl tsked. "Congratulations, Midoriya-kun. You've graduated from breaking limbs to breaking fingers. Perhaps by the time you graduate you'll have settled for mild fractures or dislocation." The boy cringed under her stern gaze, the elderly woman's presence somehow taking up more of the room than All Might's could. "Perhaps I should stock up on casts before I wear out my lips."
Midoriya's face scrunched at that last droll comment. "It's only been twice!" She conked him painfully on the shin with her cane. "In a 15-minute entrance exam you shattered three limbs and on your first day back you shattered two fingers. I'm beginning to see a pattern I don't like and I don't want to see you here tomorrow."
"Aren't the fingers an improvement from the entrance exam?"
"Don't give me cheek, boy. Any medical practitioner will tell you how important a fully functioning hand is." She responded, rolling her eyes behind her visor. "Run along now, and find a way to get that strength of yours under control. Ask a friend, maybe." She waved him off, shooing him out with a packet of gummies and a burning glare.
Turning the corner from her office, Midoriya was surprised to see his group hanging back. Shinsou, leaning against the wall with a leg pushed up, notified the others with a shake of his head. The rest brightened, except Shouji - he thinks? 'Kinda hard to tell with the mask, but he doesn't look… unhappy?'
"Deku-kun!" Uraraka ran up to him, smiling brightly. "Midnight-sensei has everyone in the common room right now. Now that you're here, we can head over!" The small group turned, starting down the hall in the direction of the dorms.
"Oh, yeah. By the way, Deku-kun, was your name Deku or Izuku?" Uraraka questioned as she fell into lockstep beside Midoriya alongside Tsuyu. "You called yourself Izuku during the introductions but that Bakugou keeps calling you Deku, right?"
"I was wondering that, kero." Tsuyu agreed. "Is it your nickname?"
Midoriya scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable all of a sudden. "N-no. That's just what Kaachan calls me. He, uh. It's a childhood nickname, it's short for Dekunobu. Y'know, w-wooden doll? It means u-useless. Because I w-was quirkless. Thought I was quirkless."
Tsuyu's eyes widened, a trace of bitterness entering her voice. "That's awful. Uraraka, you should probably stop using it."
Uraraka's face dropped. "I'm so sorry Midoriya-kun!" Frantically shaking her hands, she receded back as the other two turned to look back at her. "I didn't know! I thought it meant Dekiru, l-like it was inspirational! Like 'you can do it!' Because you saved me during the entrance exam, and you said all that nice stuff about my quirk, and you tried so hard in the tests just now even if you just got your quirk! I-I'll stop using it!"
"Hm." Tsuyu vocalized. "Never mind, that's really sweet, kero."
Full-facedly blushing, Midoriya fixed his eyes on the floor and toyed with his hands. "T-that's really-r-really! Um! You can keep using Deku!"
"Really?" Uraraka's own head whipped back before she reached around the boy and wrapped him in a full-force bear hug. 'Darn,' she offhandedly thought. 'His chest feels… nice. Wanna keep holding it.' " You're the best, Deku-kun! I won't let anyone call you useless again, y'hear?" He nodded into her arm, and she pulled back, cheeks pink as always.
Tsuyu, watching the two, ribbited smugly. "Ah, I see what's going on here."
"W-w-what do you mean?" Uraraka stuttered, Midoriya still blushing but looking at her curiously. "What are you talking about, Asui-san?"
She paused for a moment, letting dread sink its claws into Uraraka's heart, before the corners of her froggy mouth curled upwards. "Isn't it obvious? You're in love with Midoriya's determination, right?"
For a split second, Uraraka looked like she'd died on the spot before her soul re-entered her body. "O-oh, yeah! Haha-how'd you guess?! Yeah, I… I want to be a hero like you, Deku-kun!"
Midoriya shrank a little under the praise, deflecting. "W-w-wow, Uraraka-san… that means a lot. Y-you're pretty cool too, though! You saved my life in the exam!"
He glanced back up, taking another look at the gravity girl. She looked… new, like he'd never seen her up close until now. Framed by the hazy orange sun shining through the windows as it set, the Auburn hair seemed to glow an almost peach colour, the rest of her face shadowed yet still shining brightly, kind eyes framed by cute lashes and pink cheeks dark on her face. Before, she was cute, but now…
'She's so beautiful…'
Unbeknownst to him, Uraraka was well aware of his focused gaze, blushing shyly as the verdette boy seemed lost in thought, studying her. Tsuyu gave a knowing chuckle.
"N-no problem!" Uraraka stammered out. "Hey, Deku-kun, Tsu-chan, we, um… do you guys wanna be friends?"
"Aren't we already?" The Frog girl replied, though looking no less happy than Midoriya.
Well, perhaps a little less happy, considering the boy was holding back tears. "Y-you guys really want to be friends with me?"
"You seem like a good guy, Midoriya-kun. You too, Uraraka-san. I'd be happy to be friends with both of you, kero. No need to cry."
"You just wanna be friends with Deku-kun 'cause of the waterworks, huh?" The amphibian girl shrugged, her shiny green hair bobbing on her back.
"Guilty as charged, kero. Let's catch up with the others and get to the common area."
The eight of them, now back into their proper UA uniforms after popping by the changing rooms, walked back into the common area to the sight of everyone else lounging around in small groups. Bakugou appeared to be getting hounded by all of his new 'followers' for something or other, Kendo talking respectfully with Shoda and Aoyama, and a generally lackadaisical atmosphere pervading the room. Noticing them as they pushed the door open, Midnight threw them a smile before raising her bullwhip and cracking it downwards, silencing them all.
"Good to see a little discipline." She nodded approvingly. "Fun as it is when it's wild~... I prefer you all tamed." She conjured up a stack of itineraries. "Could somebody help me pass these out?"
Iida's hand shot into the air with a crack almost as loud as the dominatrix's whip, but Midnight turned to Yanagi, who had also volunteered, instead. "Thanks, Yanagi." A pink glow surrounded the stack as the papers levitated towards everybody, splitting apart in the air and settling down on couches and tables. "Such is the burden of responsibility." She lamented.
"You'll live, Yanagi." Midnight quipped. "Now! These itineraries contain the weekly schedule of your classrooms, gym open times and etiquette, kitchen open times, and other relevant information to your classes for the rest of term as well as the way you'll be maintaining these dorms. This isn't my bedroom and I'm not your mother, so I don't expect to have to take charge of everything. You're all grown adults now. Tonight, we will be having dinner at six-thirty, giving you about two hours to hang around and… have fun amongst yourselves. Dinnertimes won't be strictly scheduled after tonight, but I think it's beneficial for you all to eat together."
Gesturing towards the kitchen, she pulled out an empty schedule. "That means you're all responsible for stocking the shelves and cooking your own meals in the kitchen. Usually, students tend to find whoever can cook to do it while they take care of everything else, though you all should honestly know how to cook by now. Any volunteers for cooks?"
"Oh! I can cook all sorts of shroomtastic dishes!" Komori exclaimed, running up to grab the form and note her name down.
"Tch. Figures an extra like you would only know one ingredient." Bakugou snatched the form from her hands and roughly scribbled his name down, too. "I didn't know you can cook, Kaachan!" Kirishima praised. A vein appeared on Bakugou's forehead. "DON'T FUCKING CALL ME THAT, SHITTY HAIR, OR I'LL FUCKING POISON YOUR FOOD!"
"I-I can cook too." Midoriya walked up and jotted himself down. "I always help my mom make dinner, she has a lot of work some nights." Uraraka walked up beside him to join, as did Tsuyu. "Same with me, but I don't know that many recipes…" "That's fine, kero." Tsuyu reassured, a hand on her shoulder. "I take care of my siblings a lot, so I know a lot of cooking."
"O-oh, we all know how to cook!" Midoriya noticed. "Do you guys know how to make Katsudon?" Uraraka shook her head, though Tsuyu nodded emphatically. "Samidare can't get enough of it, kero. I miss him already. Maybe I should make it sometime." She made to continue before a pair of pale arms draped around her shoulders over her chest. She froze.
"I'd love to try some of your cooking, Tsu-chan~" Toga cooed into her ear. A shiver ran down her spine, weak prey instincts rearing from deep within her subconscious. The predator in question chuckled, before detaching herself to scribble her name onto the form with surprisingly neat penmanship. "I actually know how to cook too! My mother made sure I began learning it as a kid, said it's useful for my future." Lifting her pen off the last letter with an exaggerated stroke, she turned on her heel and back to the three. "Isn't this cool! Now we all know how to cook!"
"Maybe you can teach me some recipes?" Offered Uraraka, extending an olive branch. Toga squealed happily and attached herself to the brunette's side.
Monoma walked up to the sheet and jotted his name down too, accompanied by Shoda. "It would be an embarrassment if I couldn't! Honestly, what kind of hero can't even feed themselves?" Shoda rolled his eyes. "Don't be rude. I can teach anyone who can't if they want to learn, it is pretty useful." A shadow appeared over him, and the stocky boy glanced up before offering the paper. A pointed hand carefully gripped it, the base of Josei's palm almost covering its entire width.
"I-I know some cooking too. I had to take turns to cook in my old foster house." Foregoing the tiny pen for her own, she clumsily scrawled her name on the sheet, before handing it to Shiozaki. "You mentioned you could cook too, right?"
"Indeed." Shiozaki quickly and elegantly signed on the paper. "I have enjoyed gardening from a young age. Surrounding myself with god's creations and harvesting his bounty has always yielded a certain satisfaction for me when saying grace before a meal. I intend to start a garden here as well if anybody would like to join."
"I'll join, shroom!" Komori's usual shyness gave way to excitement as she pumped a fist. Shiozaki frowned. "It will be a vegetable garden, not a mushroom garden" she dissuaded, but Komori remained resolute. "We can have a little mushroom section, right? I'll help you with your veggies, too!" The Christian girl, though not elated at the thought of the fungal girl having reign over a section of her garden, was tempted by the idea of company. "...very well." she conceded.
Finally, Shouji picked up a pen and put himself down on the list wordlessly, as did Koda. Midnight took it back, giving it a once-over. "Who wants to cook tonight?" Komori, Shouji, and Monoma raised their hands and were picked. With a clap of her hands, Midnight dismissed everyone else and opened her mouth before Ashido raised a hand to interrupt. Handing attention over to the pink-skinned girl, Ashido climbed and stood on top of a sofa.
"Everyone! This is super important, so listen up!" Hagakure climbed up and stood beside her. "Whoever's a romantic at heart, follow me to meet up in my room!" Everyone groaned, Bakugou cursing under his breath and the edgelord trio all scoffing.
"I'm going upstairs to pray for all of you" Shiozaki mumbled, leaving the room.
"We also must confer with the rest of you for a moment." Tokoyami announced. All eyes directed themselves to the bird-headed boy, Kuroiro, and Yanagi, all of whom were holding kitchen knives. Kuroiro nodded, pointing his own knife to his pitch-black palm. "The three of us convened during the apprehension examinations and decided to engage in ritualistic blood swapping to seal our infernal rivalry. Without further ado." The three of them slit their palms, crimson seeping out of the shallow cuts as they all cringed, stabbing pain thrusting itself down their palms. Kuroiro shook Yanagi's pale hand, before Yanagi shook Tokoyami's, and finally Tokoyami Kuroiro's. "Thus it is done." Yanagi concluded gloomily.
Everybody blinked. "I'm gonna leave." A pale Toga mumbled, quickly departing.
"Shit. Fuck. Motherfucker!"
One spiky-haired blonde stood outside of the Heights Alliance gym, the door of which was currently padlocked with a little note doodled above. On it, a cartoony version of Midnight stood beside bondage rig, adorned with the text 'No using the machines today!'
Grumbling, he turned to stomp to his room and grab his weights instead, before stopping in his tracks. Following after him stood the fucking clowns who'd been following him all day.
"What do you want ." He grumbled. "I'm going to my fucking room to exercise until dinner. Don't follow me."
"We wanna be friends, bro! I love the dedication, do you wanna work out together?" Kirishima offered a sturdy arm to the blonde, waiting for him to shake it. He'd already done this ten times today, to the same result.
Making it eleven, Bakugou slapped it aside. "How many times before I get it in your fucking head? I don't hang around with extras! I'm gonna be the best, you hear me?"
"What are you talking about, man? The hell's an extra anyway?" Sero pressed, frowning.
"Tch." Bakugou tch ed. "Extras. Background characters who can't do shit for shit."
Kaminari frowned. "Hey, we're not extras! C'mon. Lightning's a pretty cool quirk and I'm a cool guy! I'm two parts spunk and one part hunk, right ladies?"
"Nah." Setsuna replied.
"Nah." Mawata replied.
"Nah." Tsubaraba replied.
"Didn't even ask you." Kaminari grumbled. "Still, lighten up man!" Bakugou stuffed his hands in his pockets and grunted, striding past the group and shoulder-checking Kaminari. "Stay outta my way. I'm aiming for the fucking top, and I don't need you fucking barnacles clinging to me when I get there."
Kirishima crossed his toned arms, chuckling. "You're aiming for the top? Then I challenge you to an arm wrestle!" Bakugou paused, before turning around. "I don't waste time on two-bit extras."
"Then let's make it worth your while!" Setsuna grinned deviously. She held up two hands. "If you win… we'll leave you alone! You'll never hear from us again." Her left hand detached, pivoting around to face the ceiling. "If one of us wins… you have to stop whining about us for the rest of the day!"
"Deal." Bakugou grabbed one of her hands and shook it, before tossing it over his shoulder. Kirishima smirked. The group of seven found a bunch nearby, Kirishima and Bakugou sitting down on either side and placing their elbows onto the seat.
"Best of three?" Kirishima offered. His opponent scoffed. "I play to win." The redhead shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"THREE!" Setsuna yelled, a hand floating between the two, three fingers on it. One popped off and flew away. "TWO!" Another followed suit. "ONE!" The last popped off, and her palm shot away. "GO!"
Immediately the two's forearms tensed as they pressed each other's, grunting and straining to gain even a centimetre. Sweat rolled down Bakugou's brow and into his mouth, tasting like caramel. For a while, both shook where they sat, everyone watching and chanting "KI-RI-BRO! KI-RI-BRO!" in unison.
Then, the tide shifted. Kirishima, gritting his teeth, began to push forward steadily, not letting Bakugou gain at all. Both their arms shook, Kirishima letting out small breaths as he managed to budge Bakugou millimetre-by-millimetre, slowly and steadily, until with a sudden SLAM Bakugou's arm hit the bench and he whipped it back towards his chest, cursing loudly.
"Hell yeah!" Cheered Sero as everyone else clapped and whooped. Kirishima chuckled again, offering a handshake to Bakugou which was promptly ignored. "No hard feelings, that was the best match I've had in a while!" Bakugou stood and made to leave before pink, hazy fog appeared beneath him and Mawata teleported him right back in front of Kirishima.
"Deal's a deal! No more ignoring us!" Kaminari declared, draping an arm around Bakugou's left shoulder as Kirishima draped his own over Bakugou's right.
"I fucking hate all of you." He grumbled. Setsuna put a hand on her hips, wagging a finger. "Ah-ah-ah! No more whining now! Them's the rules! You a man of your word?" The blonde fumed silently in response.
"Hey, if extras means like background characters, like on TV…" Mawata observed from behind. "Isn't Blasty here a tsundere?"
Bakugou somehow fumed silently louder.
"Order, order!" Mina ordered, slamming her hand down onto the pillow on her lap. "Henceforth I call the first session of the Matchmaker's Society to order! As Head Queen and Tyrant and Dictator-for-life, I call upon Secretary-General and Court Stenographer Hagakure to utter our oath and declare our mission!"
Within Mina's garish room, pink and stripey decor tainting the walls with its harsh hues and forceful patterns, sat the five chief initiates of the Society - Mina, Hagakure, Manami, Toga, and Kodai.
"Hear, hear!" Hagakure chimed, picking up a pink, glittery notebook which had a heart roughly stenciled into it. "I do declare the goal of this secret society to foster the growth and spread of romance upon Hero Class 1, to encourage love in all its shapes and forms, without discrimination for identity or orientation, and to record all and match all so one day we of the Matchmaker's Society can stand beside those in question at the altar and go 'I told you so.' All this and more to come, amen!"
Manami raised a hand. "If this is a secret society why did you announce it to everyone in the common area?" Hagakure pointed a sleeve at the pigtailed redhead. "You speak out of turn, initiate Aiba! To bring an issue to the floor, you must first petition either myself or Head Queen and Tyrant and Dictator-for-life Ashido."
"Nobody's gonna ever do that." Toga pointed out. "Mm." Kodai agreed. Hagakure slumped, turning to Mina, who shrugged. "Eh, she's kinda right…"
"Whatever." Hagakure scoffed. "We're missing the important bit - the flavour of life, our spice melange - romance! If you're here, then you must be fellow romantics, captivated by the matters of the heart!"
"Mm." Kodai corrected. "I prefer bodies."
"Then I call forth the first order of business!" Mina jumped in, leaning over a fluffy pillow she'd pulled to her chest. "Before we can thread the strings of love together across UA, we must first UN-tangle the knotted messes in our hearts! So…" Her hand wandered across the three initiates, finger pointed out accusingly. "Spill! Who are you crushin' on?"
"Mm, nobody." Kodai mumbled.
"Same." Manami added.
"Mezo-kun, Izu-kun, Tsu-chan, and Occhan!" Toga jumped excitedly, fangs peeking out from under her lips as she smiled broadly, enraptured by thoughts of her crushes. 'Mezo-kun's kind heart and strong arms and delicious blood… Izu-kun's bruised finger and fluffy hair and love for everyone's quirks… Tsu-chan's wide eyes and dry wit… Occhan's blushy pink cheeks and cute squeaks… ' She hugged herself as her wild blush spread across her face, giggling lowly. "I love 'em all so much…"
"Damn, girl, whoot whoot!" Mina cheered, shuffling over her shaggy carpet to come face-to-face with the blonde. "Dropping the L bomb so soon, eh? What's the plan?"
"I… can be patient." Toga replied. Kodai snorted. "What?" The blonde asked irritably.
"No offense, girl, but you do NOT give patient vibes." Hagakure leaned back on her elbows. "You were all over Tsu earlier, and I saw you kissing Midoriya's hand before!"
"YOU DIDN'T" Mina put her hands over her mouth. "I didn't." Toga echoed. "You weren't there, I was just giving him quirk advice." Mina raised an eyebrow, but Toga steadfastly continued. "In any case, there's… stuff, they don't know about me, and… I can't do it now."
"You mean your quirk?" Kodai dryly asked. Toga's eyes went wide, but Manami held up placating hands. "We won't pry, though it did look really cool, but it is that, isn't it?" Dejectedly, Toga slowly nodded. Mina crawled over, giving her a surprise hug. Toga flinched, before sinking into the warmth and letting out a low, barely audible sound. "Aww, I'm sure Midori isn't gonna judge you for that. And anyway, that's not important." She whipped around to the other two, her kind look replaced with an accusatory gleam. "What's important is you two! Bo-ring! C'mon, no crushes?"
"Not in the cards for me." Manami shrugged. "Are you aromantic?" Hagakure inquired.
The pint-sized girl shook her head. "It's not that. It's my quirk." Toga gazed at her, curiosity shimmering in those yellow-slitted eyes, but made no move. "You don't have to-" Toga began, before quieting down as Manami held up a hand.
"My quirk… it's called 'Love'. It lets me give somebody a huge powerup if I love them and I say it." Her eyes, already surrounded by black rings, shadowed as she ducked her head in shame. "There's a side effect, too… I fall in love too easily. Way too easily. I confessed to like thirty classmates during the last year of middle school. Everyone thought I was creepy, or just wanted to use 'em for my quirk." She looked back at the four surrounding her on the carpet, pain and fire dueling in her eyes. "I was a shut-in for a while after in High School, before I found a herotuber called Gentle Criminal who inspired me to turn my life around."
"Gentle…Criminal?" Hagakure asked. "Like a villain?"
"He's more of a performer." Manami dismissed with a handwave. "Point is, I don't wanna make the same mistakes here. So it's not in the cards for me."
"I dunno if that's the healthiest mindset." A concerned Mina intoned. "Everyone here seems chill!" Kodai shook her head, giving her a negative mm . "Bakugou-kun, Monoma-kun, Kamakiri-kun, Intelli-san, Iida-kun." The raventte listed. "Hey, Iida-kun seems alright!" Toga defended. Kodai nodded. "Got no chill though." Toga conceded on that point.
"What about you two?" Manami asked. Hagakure chuckled. "Nobody for me yet. I dunno if I could fall in love that quick. I'd want something slow, all romantic, like a movie, y'know? The works!" She threw her hands out, gesturing broadly.
"No one for me either." Mina moaned. "You know who I do know we could get together though?"
"Spill!" Manami shouted, two fists clutched in front of her chest. Mina chuckled theatrically. "Well, when we were at the P.E. grounds, a little birdie told me-"
"Me." Hagakure interjected.
"-that Jirou and Yaoyorozu got a little chemistry goin' on!" she smoothly finished, throwing up jazz hands. "Get it? Chemistry? Cuz her quirk can, like, make shit. Anyway! I think I saw a delicate little seed of something special growing there, and by god I'm gonna water it 'till it grows into something beautiful!"
"I, uh, motion a second pairing." Toga raised a hand, smirking. "I think it would be really funny if we got Bakugou-kun and Kirishima-kun together."
"Holy shit, that's brilliant!" Hagakure exclaimed. "It's like, the cheery one and the grumpy one, that's such a great dynamic! We HAVE to get 'em together!"
"We don't have an in, though." Toga reluctantly admitted. "You're friends with Yaoyorozu-san and Jirou-san, but Bakugou's a bitch to Izu-kun. He won't go along with us."
"I don't see it anyways." Manami argued, shaking her head. "They're incompatible, it won't work. They're just too different."
"That's exactly why it works!" Hagakure objected. "You think Bakugou would work with someone like him? Like Monoma-kun? Or Kamakiri-kun ? They hate each others' guts!"
"Yeah! They got more beef than Mount Lady and Midnight!" Mina exclaimed. "Mm." Kodai mumbled in agreement. Mina air-banged an air-gavel. "Let's put a pin in that for now, since it's not actionable. We an in, which means we need connections."
"If we get Jirou with Yaoyorozu, she'll owe us a favour." Hagakure mused. "Using that connection we could recruit Kaminari to our side, I think they're friends. That would net us Sero too."
"I'll explore the Setsuna connection." Mina added. "Mawata too, I think she could be swayed. But back to Jirou and Yaoyorozu! Listen, they belong together. They're like soulmates, I swear I think they were making goo-goo eyes at each other. If one of them fucks it up and gets with someone else it'll break my poor little heart." Mina posed dramatically, clenching a fist in mock heartbreak. "In other words, they cute."
"We should also get Izu-kun, Occhan, and Tsu-chan together!" Toga cheered. "They totally belong together, and it'll help Izu-kun's confidence!"
"Then those are your two's pet projects, huh?" Manami turned to Hagakure, who was scribbling away in her notebook. "Noted and noted! The invisible girl twirled her pen in her hands. "If anyone notices any more cute couples-to-be before our next official meeting, report 'em to me, 'kay?" "Mm." Kodai agreed. The quiet ravenette raised a hand. "Question."
"Your question, good miss?" Mina inquired. "If I think someone's hot does it count as a romantic crush?"
"Ehh, nah, but I'm interested anyway. Who is it?" The pink girl studied her peer, whose face was totally blank. If Kodai gambled she'd probably be banned from Vegas for her impeccable poker face. "I think Shiozaki-san's eyes are pretty and her face is nice and I wanna kiss all over it until her lips are swollen and her neck is red and she can't breathe or stand or speak and only cry for more." Kodai continued blandly. "I also want to see what her vines can-"
"WHOAH, HEY!" Mina cut her off. "Outta pocket, where's this coming from?" Kodai shrugged. "Just a passing thought." She replied honestly. "If it helps, I also thought about Midnight-sensei and Aizawa-sensei and Todoroki-kun and Yaoyorozu-san and Camie-san and Reiko-san and Honenuki-kun and Bakugou-kun and Tokoyami-kun and Kirishima-kun and Shinsou-kun and Shouji-kun and Mawata-san and Hatsume-san and Tokage-san and Intelli-san and you and Kendo-san and-"
"Wait, HUH?" Ashido cried, Kodai looking slightly irked at being interrupted. "I wasn't finished. And Midoriya-kun and Tsuyu-san and Iida-kun and Uraraka-san and-"
"You gonna stop her from pissing on your hydrant?" Manami turned to Toga, who shook her head. "She's got good taste." she replied simply.
"Ahem. We, uh, we should call this first meeting to a close. I'm making a note here, um. Huge success." Mina interjected, blushing purple and unable to meet Kodai's eyes, which was fine because Kodai's eyes weren't on her own anyhow.
"As the Court Cartographer-" Hagakure began. "Stenographer." Toga corrected. "Right, Stenographer, I have noted the following - projects Punk Rock Princess and Green Tea with Lime are a go, project Explosive Excavation is on hold. Any objections?"
"Nay." Mina voiced.
"Nah." Manami echoed.
"Mm." Kodai agreed.
"Nope!" Toga chirped.
"Then it is done!" Hagakure finished, recording the vote in her notebook. "Meeting adjourned!"
Monoma clapped his hands together, standing up straight and tall as he watched Komori and Shouji rifle through the cabinets. "Excellent! Now, you two. We must make sure tonight's dinner is one of notable import! I've devised the perfect plan - a three-course extravaganza that shall be a sumptuous feast, one worthy of this class that-"
"Who made you the leader, shroom?" Komori grumbled with irritation lacing her voice. "I still haven't forgotten that mean trick you pulled on Pony-chan. You think I'm gonna listen to you, shroom?"
The pompous blonde was taken aback for a moment, before he rolled his eyes and scoffed. Placing a hand to his chest, he spoke with bombast, as if giving his last great performance: "What nonsense! I am a natural-born leader, and all I've done is try to uplift this class!"
An eye sprouted from one of Shouji's arms to look back at the two as he continued to search the cabinets, placing boxes and cans on the countertop. Another formed on the arm beneath it. "All you've done is put us down. With heteromorphobic insults, at that."
Monoma gasped at the audacity of the accusation. "Well, I didn't mean it like that!"
"What did you mean it like, shroom?" Komori turned back to pursue the different packages of mushrooms in one of the fridges. "You act all morel istic but amanita more than nice words to believe you."
Shouji placed a tin of spinach and a tub of cream on the countertop. "We could make western. Some sort of creamy pasta?" Monoma, could you check the spice drawer? Monoma searched through a few to find the drawer in question, glass jars rolling around inside. "Oregano and parsley would work best." he decided, taking out two canisters of the dried herbs. "Even if fresh would be better. And I'm simply offering an alternative encouragement. How will our class improve if nobody holds us accountable?"
Komori stashed a handful of white mushrooms away. "We should make mushroom pasta! I know which shrooms we want to use here. Pass the cream, Shouji-kun?"
Shouji passed the cream and a pot. As Monoma sorted a few packets of dried pasta, Shouji spoke up again. "Don't we already have the teachers for that?"
Monoma sniffed. "What's the point of the class rep position then? I'm gunning for it, you know. We deserve nothing better!"
"Now that's just harsh, shroom." Komori snarked. Shouji chuckled. "I'm going to run for the same position, you know? Word of advice, Monoma-kun - you'll do better if people like you."
"Pah! People will recognize my qualities of leadership! A class is like a ship, and it needs a strong-willed captain to steer it!"
Shouji gave a solitary, humourless chuckle. "You don't know how weak you truly are, Monoma-kun. Pass the knives, I'll take care of chopping the onions." He picked up two knives and set to work chopping two onions at once with four of his six arms, dispelling and regenerating new eyes whenever they began to tear up.
Monoma scoffed. "Haven't heard that one before. Heteromorph calling the emitter weak, tale as old as time."
Shouji stilled. "What?" The blonde continued to scowl as he measured out parmesan and herbs. "Didn't hear me? Weak old Monoma with his weak old copy quirk, gonna get ground to a paste by the first villain he can't copy." He waved a hand with pomp as he peeled garlic with the other. "Oh, that's right, I can't copy heteromorphs. Convenient for you, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" Shouji slid the remains of a few onions into a bowl, grabbing a few more. He shuffled his eyes again. "Being able to copy quirks is incredibly strong, even if it's only emitters and transformations."
"Pft. Goes to show what you know." Monoma countered. "More quirks than you'd think have mutations. I have to analyze quirks, understand them, to use my quirk correctly. Uraraka's? Activated by the finger-pads on her hands. I can't copy a mutation like that so I can't copy Zero Gravity. Ashido's Acid? Sure, but her skin's probably so different because it provides extra acid resistence, so my copy would be weaker. Fukudashi's quirk gives him that special head that lets him actually pop out massive speech bubbles. I'd probably only be able to manage small ones with my average-sized mouth. Bondo's emitter is made more versatile by his mutated head. To be honest, I'm not sure what hole I'd shoot glue from if I copied his quirk. Get it?"
The six-armed boy frowned under his mask. "That still leaves you a substantial portion of the class to copy from, though." Monoma rolled his eyes. "But I can't stock quirks for a long time to keep an advantage, and I'll never be as proficient with their quirks during training as they will." He raised a whisk from where he'd been stirring cream and butter. "Get it? I'm forever relegated to being a support hero."
"That's shiitake. Think outside the box, shroom." Komori mumbled, portioning chunks of brown mushroom into bowls. "My quirk is Mushroom. I'm gonna be a frontline idol hero anyway, even if everyone says I'm better for support. Your quirk is way better than mine, shroom."
"Don't say that." Shouji chastised. Monoma set his things down and turned to the brunette, her eyes hidden behind her heavy bangs. "Honestly, it's a wonder the Hero course's reputation isn't in tatters with downers like you every year. Aren't you going to be an idol hero? Won't reputation be your entire goal?"
"I'm not obsessed with it." She replied, walking across the kitchen to grab the peeled garlic to dice, handing half to Shouji. "And couldn't you copy the quirks of civilians, shroom?"
Monoma, sorting the cooking oil into portions on a number of saucepans, threw her a wayward glance. "Oh, what, I'll arrive on the scene when a villain is wreaking havoc and go shouting to see who has the best quirk? Usually, it's the heroes who help the civilians, you know."
"If you had a large reputation as a limelight hero you'd probably have citizens with strong quirks approach you at the scene though." Shouji countered, depositing the last of the onions from his board into a saucepan and setting the fire. "Komori-san, time for the garlic. And if you had a sidekick with a flight quirk and one with an attacking quirk, you could just keep copying that and have them follow you around so you'd have a pre-stocked arsenal to begin with."
"And what if the quirks I've got stocked aren't the right ones for the job?" Monoma snarked. Shouji shrugged. "What does every other hero who only has one quirk do?"
Monoma had nothing to respond with, silent as the whistling of the kettle indicated it was time to prepare the stock as the golden scent of sizzling garlic and onion filled the kitchen and the other two started pouring in the mushrooms.
"Dinner! Dinner's ready! Come and eat! Out of your room, Todoroki-kun!"
Monoma, who'd been chosen to alert everyone around the dorms on the basis that he was good at annoying people (having been told it was due to his commanding presence) marched up and down throughout the dorms yelling. Midnight had offered him a metal pot and wooden spoon to use, but he'd rebuffed her, proclaiming he had far more dignity than that - Midnight, for her part, seemed disappointed.
Todoroki peeked his head out of his room, which looked… oddly Japanese-styled? Monoma couldn't judge, he had a penchant for old European himself. "Monoma-ku. What's for dinner? Cold Soba?"
He made a face. "What? No. It's creamy mushroom pasta." The son of the number two hero shrugged. "Close enough." He uttered, before slipping out the door and past a paffled Monoma. "It is NOT! How dare you insult the dish I so generously made you! Do you not understand even an iota of the culinary arts?" Todoroki ignored him so effectively you'd be forgiven for thinking he was mute, or deaf, or both.
The two arrived in the dining room, Todoroki breaking off in the hopes of finding unoccupied seating in the cafeteria-like arrangements, though settled for a spot between Koda and Kodai as there were only forty seats.
Whilst seating was self-determined for the most part, there was one chair that had an obvious owner - the titanic teal-furred fox girl Josei shuffled into the dining hall. "A-am I late? Where can I - oh!" Spotting her seat, she made her way to a massive chair twice the size of everyone else's, neighbouring Manami and Shouji and across from Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Mina, and sat with a soft " oomph ."
"Oh, I'd thought that was your seat, Josei-san." Yaoyorozu chatted, already having demolished half a bowl of mushroomy goodness - luckily the cooks had been provided a sheet detailing who required extra calories - and placed her fork down. "I hadn't considered that you'd need a special on!"
"Y-yeah, it's nice!" Josei smiled, waving appreciatively at Yanagi who'd passed out her bowl, one that was fittingly twice the usual size. She reached down to - "Oh." Disappointedly, she pulled out her custom-made chopsticks and bent over the table, hunching awkwardly to reach the pasta.
"Table's too short… s'fine." She chewed her meal slowly, enthusiasm finished. Shouji tsked, setting down his cutlery and crossing his six large arms.
"Couldn't you just sit up and lift it farther?" Jirou watched as the teal blonde fiddled with her chopsticks, getting looks of sympathy from Manami, who sat in front of a smaller bowl than the rest, as well as Mina and Shouji. Josei shook her head. "T-the chopsticks are too big. It's already kinda hard to pick them up…"
"Maybe we could get a desk or a chair or something?" Mina mused out loud. Yaoyorozu stood up,pulling away a sleeve. "I have an idea. Not to worry, Josei-san!" Plastic dowels popped out of her arm, one after the other with pegs and holes placed along their length, before slipping two flat boards out from under her loose shirt, slotting them together and onto the dowels, arranging everything to form a rudimentary scaffold. "Rudimentary yet light, and collapsible. You can place your food stop this." She gave the heteromorph girl a bright, caring smile and handed the scaffold over.
Placing her bowl on it, Josei tested its weight before smiling and sitting properly upright, taking a bite of her dinner. "It's great, Yaoyorozu! I-I honestly wish I had one of these before coming here, it would've been a while lot easier! Thank you!"
The heiress blushed, Jirou judging her and smirking. "Think you would make a pretty penny off of these. Light yet sturdy, Yaoyorozu's dinner stool."
"The Yaoyoraffold!" Mina exclaimed, earning a look of ire from the ravenette. "I don't name everything like that."
"You kinda do." Jirou admitted, patting her shoulder. "She was just telling me earlier today her costume has a visor with info for all the stuff she creates called the Yaoyorictionary."
"Quite a mouthful." Shouji noted, others nodding around him. The creation girl blushed, hands on her lap. "...call me Momo."
"Sure thing, Momo!" Mina smiled, and Jirou snorted. "If you say so, Yaomomo." The heiress brightened up. "A nickname? I'm… I'm honoured!"
"It's just a nickname, ya dip." Jirou dryly commented, taking another bite of her pasta. "'Sides, it suits you."
"I-if you insist…" Momo glanced at the punk girl hesitantly, before a mischievous grin flashed on her face and she gained a bit of confidence. "...Kyo-chan." Jirou blushed ferociously, turning away and hiding her face behind her jacks.
"D'AWWWWW!" Mina cooed, hands holding each other as she gazed theatrically into the sky. "So cute! My heart! It can't… take it… ugh." Flopping over and playing possum on her chair and receiving no attention from anyone, she uprighted herself. "Oh, c'mon, what if I died for real? Maybe Kinoko put a death cap in my pasta, what then?"
"Hey!" The usually shy girl piped up from across the hall. "I'd never ruin a shroomtastic dish like that!"
"Why on earth would she try to kill you?" Manami raised an eyebrow, poking at her pasta." Mina shoved a bite into her mouth. "I'unno. Cuth I'm tho awethum."
"Try again." The redhead prodded.
Mina swallowed with a loud gulp. "Secret club stuff."
"What secret club?" Josei questioned. Manami rolled her eyes. "Isn't the point of secret clubs to stay secret ?"
"It's still a secret club if nobody knows what the club does" Mina insisted. Jirou raised an eyebrow, now recovered from her blushing storm, and leveled Mina with an unimpressed look. "You announced it to the entire class after the quirk tests."
"Ah, but I never revealed what exactly us romantics gather under the cover of the witching hour to do !" Mina retorted. "And you'd have to torture me horribly to find out!"
Jirou rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't bother torturing you to figure out that you gossip about romance like schoolgirls."
"Do you know how to make any torture instruments, Yaomomo-san?" Manami wondered. The ravenette played idly with her ponytail. "I've never studied how to create any…" Shouji stared at her in disbelief. "That's not a no."
"Ah, well… just because I've never purposefully studied the methodology or structure doesn't mean I can't envision some." Momo began to ramble. "Take thumbscrews. Theoretically, knowing the chemical composition of iron, I could simply envision it being created in the specific shape of a base, screw, and pressure point and make a perfectly functional pair right now."
"And I thought you were boring!" Kamakiri remarked, having sat begrudgingly beside Mina. Manga, Juzo, and Koda nodded, their attention turned towards the ravenette for no reason in particular. That they had also paled considerably wasn't worth noting. Plus, it was nigh impossible to tell in Manga's case anyhow.
"Oi." Jirou grumbled. "Don't be an ass." Momo smiled placatingly. "It's fine, Kyo-chan."
"[The food is very good, Shouji-kun. You and Komori-san and Monoma-kun made it, right?] Koda signed over his bowl, the white-haired boy nodding. "Yup. To be honest, they're both better at cooking than me, I just did the prep."
"Aw, c'mon Shouji! A good chef shouldn't talk bad about his dishes!" Manga encouraged, patting him on his broad back. "I mean, I can't cook at all! And nobody could make all this for everyone here, so it's still like a third all you!" The multi-armed boy smiled a sharp grin hidden beneath his mask, emboldened by the praise. "If you say so."
"Hey, did you see that Mirko interview?" Kamakiri mentioned, the group turning to him. Holding up his phone, the mantis boy scroleld through a long article interspersed with pictures of Mirko as a child or in training, candid shots and immaculately-framed photo-ops alike. Atop it all was a black-and-white photo of the white-haired rabbit heroine staring wistfully out a window with a smirk. "Asui-san mentioned it it's kickass!"
"[Mirko's one of my favourites. What's it about?]" Koda signed enthusiastically, getting a disbelieving look. "You?" Manga asked. "Wouldnt've guessed."
"[She's brash, but… she's not particularly mean.]" The rock-faced boy replied. " [Also, she's super cool. I want to be like her, even if I don't have a physical quirk. ]"
Juzo chewed at his pasta thoughtfully. "I get it. We all want to be brave, right? We're gonna be heroes!" He raised his fork pointedly. "It's kinda hard to imagine we're in UA now. The best hero school in the country!"
"Yeah!" Manami chimed in. "Like, we're the best in the country in terms of first-years who just got in, I guess? It's weird! Surely there's gotta be someone better out there."
"Ah, who knows? Maybe Shiketsu's got a strong lineup." Juzo retorted. "Think one guy I knew from my old school managed to get in there, tried for UA but didn't make the cut. Had purple hair like sticky balls. He was as short as you, actually, Aiba-san."
The diminutive girl shrugged, somehow shrinking further into her seat. "Not sure how I got into UA in the first place with a useless quirk." She mumbled bitterly. Kamakiri scoffed. "I mean, I think you ain't shit, but the article says people used to say Mirko ain't shit either, so what do I know?" Manami shrugged again.
"They what?" Momo furrowed her brow confusedly. "That… doesn't make sense. Why would people disparage Mirko'sheroic potential? Surely they could see what was in front of their noses. She's almost cracked the top ten!"
"Y-yeah, plus Yoroi Musha's getting old and Wash…" Josei tilted her palm in a 'so-so' expression, unsure how to convey her feelings on the boxy man.
"...Is getting washed up?" Mina cheekily offered, grinning a shit-eating grin back up at the girl, who frowned. "I guess. His gimmick did get old some time ago. I'm glad Mirko will give the top ten some more heteromorph representation, even if it's… limited."
"I like Wash though!" Manga protested. Jirou Kamakiri raised an eyebrow. "That lameass good-for-nothing?" Manga's speech bubble-shaped head spiked in anger. "He saved my entire family from a fire, dipshit!" Kamakiri gaped from the gaffe, unresponding. Manga continued. "I like the costume gimmick. He could be anyone under there! It gives me hope for more top ten heroes with more… severe mutations."
"Fair." Mina shrugged, picking at one of her horns through her fluffy pink hair. "Famous heteromorph heroes are kinda… rare? I dunno. There's still loads, just…"
"...You don't see them." Shouji finished her thought for her. "And even less so for mutations that aren't appealing for a TV."
" [I like animals.] " Koda signed, frowning. " [Everyone does, so everyone likes animal mutations. But I just… look like a rock. I didn't make that many friends in high school. ]" Kamakiri shook his head. "Cute animals, maybe. Like Asui-san, she looks like a frog. Maybe got some shit for it, but you think I got less with my freaky-ass bug head?"
"Your head is not 'freaky'!" Momo protested, ponytail shaking as she glared at the world. Jirou, beside her, merely smirked. "Did you just call Tsu-san cute?" The mantis boy scoffed. "Jesus, that's your takeaway? Thought your thing was listening."
"Yeah, he's got a point though. I mean, my quirk doesn't even have a face!" Manga added, pointing at his speech bubble. "When I was real small I tried drawing a face on my face because everyone kept pointing it out! 'Course, it didn't move, so it was kinda worse. Also, I couldn't draw."
"That'll do it." Juzo nodded sagely. "I trust you all don't need me to state the obvious with my face. Not sure how many people have me saved in their phones with the skull emoji for the contact name but it's not zero."
"It's rough out here." Mina lamented, getting an annoyed head-turn from Manga. "What? You're fine, you've got an appealing mutation." The acid girl barked out a laugh, before grimacing. "Oh yeah,appealing alright. 'Least you've never got a creep grabbing you on the subway. Or asking if touching the horn makes you cum. Which, PSA , it fucking doesn't! It's a horn, dipshits! It's made of keratin!" Jirou blushed, glancing away from the girl's horns. Finishing her rant, breathing heavily and blushing purple, she crossed her arms and slumped in her seat, Momo giving her a comforting side-hug. "That's terrible, Ashido-san!" I can't believe that would happen! I'm certainly glad my family hires reputable chauffeurs."
Mina huffed. "Oh wow, you're rich rich, huh? 'Preciate it, Momo. Call me Mina, by the way."
"Yeah, that sucks. It's minor, but people asked me the same about the ears too." Jirou blushed, twirling an earjack. Mina raised an eyebrow, before smirking deviously. "Aww, someone's jealous. You want a Momo hug too?"
"Yaoyorohug." Shouji commented.
"Piss off." Jirou responded to nobody in particular, not confirming nor denying whether she wanted a hug. Momo, presumably taking an interest in philanthropy, peeled off of Mina to give her a side-hug as well, the violette brushing furiously at the close contact. Subconsciously, she leant into the taller girl's embrace, Momo smiling down upon her.
Mina had to hold in a squeal of glee at the two. 'Adorable!' Motioning Manami, she leaned over the table to pass a note - the redhead picked it up and unfolded the scrunched-up piece of paper - ' Operation Cupid is a go.'
"Oh, hey, Jirou-san?" Manami casually wondered aloud. "I think I heard from Kaminari-kun you play a few instruments? Know any small ones I'd be able to hold?"
Jirou, breaking off from Momo's side with pink tinting her cheeks, ducked away and missed Mina almost giving the same away with a broad, toothy grin. "Don't most music stores have accommodations for certain quirk types? The ones back home had some."
"I didn't know you played music!" Momo interrupted. "I listen to some classical myself, but I've been meaning to… experiment a little more in UA."
"Yeah! I love me some pop or funk, just anything with a beat really!" Mina eagerly jumped in. "Dancin' just sends my heart pumpin'! A good groove brings people together!"
"Do you play any instruments?" Manami turned to Momo, who daintily shook her head. "Unfortunately not. I have been meaning to try playing the piano though."
The acid girl's eyes gleamed at the valuable information. "Oh! Jirou! Can I call you Kyo-chan?" Mina asked teasingly, receiving a deadpan "No." She frowned, before recovering her lost momentum. "Ah, shucks. Hey, wouldn'tcha know it, I think I saw looooooooads of instruments when I walked past your room during the dinner call! I'm sure I saw a keyboard there."
Momo turned intently to face Jirou, whose eyes averted to catch Manami looking smug and Mina looking… almost hungry? She turned back to the heiress sitting beside her.
"I, um… I… have a keyboard." She replied simply. Momo's lips lifted at that, heart swelling with some fuzzy hopeful feeling, and Jirou knew the question that was coming but couldn't possibly turn the heiress down.
'I can't believe I'm such an idiot. First day crush? No way in hell. I shouldn't be this down bad, I need to pull myself together. I barely know her, she barely knows me. How could-'
"Would it be too much trouble to ask you to tutor me once or twice, Kyo-chan? I promise I can repay you somehow." Her breath caught as every calm, collected, cool response died on her lips as her thoughts died watching the excited, joyful, oh-so-pretty smile on the heiress's gorgeous face.
'Fuck. God. I really can't say no, can I? Okay, damage control, damage control.'
"Y-yeah, that'd be… That'd be cool. Uh. Don't repay me, I mean… that's what friends do, right?"
Momo's smile widened, eyes crinkling upwards as she gave Jirou a full frontal Yaoyorohug. Held in the heiress's warm embrace, Jirou could only blush and avoid looking anywhere. Momo, for her part, was absolutely delighted by the turn of events.
'A friend, oh a friend! On my first day! I'm so lucky to be friends with Kyo-chan. Maybe one day we could even be best friends? Oh, stop it! You're getting ahead of yourself!'
Mina and Manami nodded at each other, a job well done, and vacated their seats to turn in their empty bowls.
Midoriya had had a good day! No, a great day! Perhaps the best in his life, after when All Might offered his quirk. Perhaps even… better than that. Hesitant to admit it to himself, he had to acknowledge… that day had so much baggage. The slime villain, Kaachan, the rooftop, coming home to Mom… it was exhausting, and while he was so, so happy about the chance to see his crazy dream become a reality, the simple fact of the matter was that it was a bone-deep bad tired that drained him to his core that he felt as he flopped bonelessly onto his bed that night.
Tonight, Midoriya felt a relaxing, energizing good tired as he reached for his doorknob. Curfew was soon, but what a first day! Friends, finally, friends! Kaachan was a childhood friends but he wasn't a… friend friend, even Midiroya could tell by now. He could tell since he was five.
Uraraka-san and Asui-san! Iida-kun and Pony-san too, probably! Shinsou-kun, Shouji-kun, Toga-kun, Komori-san… maybe? Still, so many people just… around, milling about, treating him like an equal. In a way… it was better than the ball throw score or the grip test score. Having One for All… 'I'm… a person again.'
No quirk. No quirk. No quirk, never. Doctor said so. He stepped off the little plastic chair wordlessly, Mommy still talking to the doctor, both turning to see him walk up to the adult-sized door. He put his hand on the doorknob.
"DEKU! We ain't done today!" Midoriya's hand froze on the doorknob as Bakugou approached from behind, hands crackling as he slammed a hand onto the door - thankfully, he had the good sense not to scorch UA property on his first day, shutting down his mini-explosions.
"Ka-ka-kaachan! What do you mean! It's a-almost curfew!"
"Shut the fuck up! Shut up and listen! Why did you hide your shit fuckin' quirk from me! SAY IT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME! HUH?"
"I-I-I-uh, um, the doctor, he misdiagnosed! I-it was a s-stockpiler!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! EXCUSES! EXCUSES! FUCKING EXPLAIN! TELL ME! TELL ME!"
"Uh-uh-uh. I." His breathing failed him, coming out in short gasps, mouth cold and dry, sweat on his palms - the regular kind, not nitroglycerine, which tainted the air in the hall with a creamy, sweet scent. Midoriya smacked his lips.
Opening the door, he walked out into the waiting area and sat down numbly, fingers playing witi All-Might's little twin strands of hair as he held back tears. No quirk.
5 minutes passed. The door to the doctor's office didn't open. Mom didn't come after him.
"L-look. O-okay, Kaachan. You win. The truth is that-"
SLAM!
Both whipped their heads around to see Jirou pushing her door open and exiting her room, Midoriya looking at her with wide and pleading eyes and Bakugou with a murderous glare she somehow returned with twice the fire. "You have one second to explain why you're yelling outside my room."
Bakugou rolled his eyes, costing him precious second. "I-"
"Don't care. Piss off." Jirou interrupted. "I could hear you through my soundproofing. Get lost or I'll call Midnight and she'll tie you to your bed or something." Midoriya gaped at the short-haired girl's nonchalance, which only seemed to incense Bakugou further. "You wanna go? Huh? Me and you, outside tomorrow night, how about that?"
Jirou scoffed. "I'm not douchesexual. Should I speak your language? Don't want Midnight over on your first night? Fuck. Off."
Bakugou sneered at her for five full seconds before growling violently, violently flipping the two off as he stomped loudly back up the stairs, Jirou wincing at every step. Finally, the noises subsided as he slammed his door shut. She turned to Midoriya, who began to profusely apologize.
"I-I am so sorry! About the noise, and about him, and - well, me, and-"
"Dude." She interjected. "I don't care. He was being an ass. Just… I dunno, use some tiger balm. I hear it keeps pests away." With a nod, she retreated back to her room. With nothing to say, Midoriya returned to his, flopping down on the All Might bedsheets to look at the posters on his ceiling.
'UA really is different, huh? I think… I can't wait for tomorrow!'