(Kata POV – I-Island, I-Expo)
'…This is bad.' I think, watching Momo's expectant face across the table. 'Once she spreads the news, and she will… everyone will want a bite of me.'
I can already picture it. Even if they don't view it as an expression of love, they'd do it out of love for the game.
I exhale slowly through my nose. 'My fate is sealed.'
"You never asked." I tell Momo, keeping my voice level. "As for biting me… I won't stop you. But are you sure now's the time?"
"Of course not. As aspiring heroes, we have to be careful about our image in public."
She says it with calm diligence, even as a light blush colours her cheeks. And the small, blossoming smile she fails to hide gives the rest of it away. "I'll be sure to hold you to your word later, though."
"I'd expect nothing less." I sigh helplessly as she slips her phone out of her bag, and a second later, is typing away, probably sending news to the other girls.
And as I mourn myself, a small tug at my sleeve pulls me back. Eri is looking up at me, brows knit together, the corners of her mouth pulled down in worry.
"Kata…" Her voice is very small. "Did I say something bad?"
The faintly resentful mood I was nursing evaporates instantly.
"Not at all." I tell her gently, brushing my hand over the top of her hair. "If anything, you made quite a few people very happy. Just take a look at Momo."
"Exactly! You did a wonderful job, Eri." Momo says warmly, reaching into her bag and producing a small wrapped sweet. "Here. And if you remember anything else you think I should know about Kata… make sure to tell me first."
My lip twitches as Eri is unknowingly, and successfully poached to be a spy.
"Mhm." Eri nods, with a degree of seriousness as she unwraps the candy with grave focus.
I clear my throat.
"Anyway…" I cut in before things can spiral any further. "Melissa, you had something you wanted to ask?"
Melissa, who has been watching this entire exchange with a look of amusement.
"O-oh! Yes!" She straightens and takes a breath as she pulls herself back to her original purpose. Then, slowly, a small grin spreads across her face. "Well… now that I know you won't bite me for asking…"
"Please don't start." I sigh.
Melissa's grin widens, but she generously moves on.
"I was actually really curious about your hero costume." She says, eyes already drifting over the dark fabric of my sleeve with open fascination. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"It does look really cool." Uraraka chimes in from the next table, leaning over with both elbows on her own. "I mean, the last one was cool too, but it was kind of, um… intimidating."
"How did you come up with the design?" Deku's voice cuts in next. "Is there a meaning behind it? The design is well executed, and is both practical and…" Deku immediately begins rambling on, muttering any and all observations and conjectures he's come up with.
"Deku." Uraraka interrupts fondly. "Breathe."
"A-ah. Right. Sorry."
"Wait… it's a new costume?" Melissa asks in surprise.
"Today was our first time seeing it too." Momo explains while calmly feeding Eri a vanilla and chocolate sundae.
"Yeah, it's new." I confirm, not sharing the same enthusiasm as them. "I've been working on it over the last week with Mei's help."
"You made it in a week?!" The three of them say, almost in unison.
Sensing an impending headache from their gazes, I decide to shift the attention to someone who'd actually be happy to have it.
"With Mei's help mostly." I add. "Most of it was only possible thanks to her. I just provided the material and a bit of input on the design."
"That's still amazing." Melissa breathes as she leans in slightly, her voice shifting to carry an air of scientific curiosity and intrigue. "If you don't mind me asking… how was it made? What material is it? Because I've been trying to identify it the entire afternoon, and I just can't."
"Huh?" Deku blinks. "What's wrong with the material?"
"Well…" Melissa hesitates for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I've spent a lot of time at the Academy working with materials for support gear. Composite fibers, smart polymers, reactive alloys… I've handled most of what's on the market, and quite a few things that aren't on the market yet."
She gestures at me.
"But I've never seen anything like this. From a distance, it looks like ordinary cloth, but it doesn't behave like it. It retracts, folds, and reforms without any visible mechanisms. When you put your helmet on earlier, it didn't come from anywhere, and just… assembled and disassembled around your head."
She continues, detailing all the weird phenomenon regarding my outfits, but mainly how malleable it's form is.
Everyone else exchanges a gaze with wry smiles, seemingly having guessed the answer already, but she doesn't notice.
"I've been trying to figure it out the whole time, and the more I look, the less it makes sense."
"Uh… Melissa… that's probably just because of his quirk." Deku says, scratching his cheek.
Melissa's expression goes through several careful stages. Skepticism. Reconsideration. A slow, dawning realization.
"…Your quirk." She repeats slowly. "Might I ask what it is?"
"Telekinesis." I say. "And Deku is right. Rather than science, it's the result of my quirk."
She opens and closes her mouth, a sense of disappointment filling her gaze.
"I see…" She finally says. "I had several follow-up questions, but it seems they aren't necessary…" She sighs regretfully. "I had hoped the material could be studied."
I take a moment to consider it.
Honestly… keeping the material a secret doesn't really benefit me. Not that anyone could do much, even if they knew.
"Actually." I say. "I don't really mind."
"Huh?" Melissa blinks. "What do you mean?"
"I'm fine with you studying the material. Also, there are some things I'd appreciate your help with too, if you're willing." I clarify.
"But—" She frowns in confusion. "You said the properties I described were due to your quirk."
"They are. The movement is entirely due to my quirk." I confirm. "But the properties of the material, like its increased durability, light weight, and even its current look is entirely due to the material itself. Mei and I went through quite a bit of trouble making a metal alloy that feels and behaves like fabric, while staying durable enough to survive pretty much anything."
A moment passes in silence after I finish speaking as four pairs of eyes widen at me in unison.
Deku, Uraraka, and Momo are stunned. But Melissa's eyes light up.
"S-so I was right?" She asks, voice rising half an octave. "About the material? It really isn't cloth?"
"Yeah." I confirm. "Seems like there's room for improvement if it could be noticed." I say more to myself.
The smile that spreads across her face is, frankly, blinding. Her hands fly to her cheeks as though trying to hold the grin in.
"I knew it! I knew something was off, I — okay, okay, sorry, give me a second—" She takes a steadying breath, visibly trying to compose herself, and immediately fails. "I just… I've never seen a metal-based fiber with that kind of compliance, and the surface texture didn't match anything on the market, and I kept second-guessing myself because everyone else seemed to think it was fine, but I—"
"Relax." I say, seeing her about to spiral.
"Right. Sorry. Sorry." She presses her hands together in front of her, in what I am beginning to recognize as her composure-restoring posture.
"Though, I should warn you…" I continue. "I'm not sure how much of it can be replicated without my quir—"
"That doesn't matter." She cuts in immediately. "Even if it can't be remade, analyzing it could open the door to entirely new lines of research. The structural properties alone could inform whole new categories of support gear. Do you understand how many heroes have died because their costumes couldn't take a single direct hit? If even part of this can be reverse-engineered—"
She's practically buzzing in her chair. I let her ride the wave for a moment before gently bringing her back down.
"Sure… but today's not a great day for it." I say. "We've still got the reception party later this evening, and my schedule's full tomorrow too. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you too." I tilt my head, thinking. "How about the day after tomorrow?"
I'll be spending tomorrow with Mina and Toru, since they couldn't attend with us today, but don't deserve to be left out.
"Absolutely! That works perfectly." She nods quickly, then hesitates, leaning forward slightly. "Until then, though… would you be able to tell me a little about the concept? Just an overview. I won't be able to sleep otherwise."
"Sure." I smile.
Deku, Uraraka, and Momo all subtly lean closer to listen, clearly interested for one reason or another.
Only Eri and Himiko are uninterested. Himiko scrolls on her phone, while Eri is fully absorbed in the slowly-disappearing remains of her sundae.
"Alright." I say, beginning the explanation. "We started with iron, and I used my quirk to manipulate the lattice structure, increasing the bond density past what's normally possible…"
I walk them through it. Mei's input where it applies, mine where it applies, the long stretches of trial and error where neither of us was entirely sure if the process was scientific or fantastical. Mei's contribution gets brighter and brighter as I describe it, because honestly, most of the actual engineering and theory was hers.
Melissa listens with genuine interest, asking sharp follow-up questions, and taking mental notes despite knowing most of it won't be usable. Deku is equally as engaged, though not as vocal, while Momo shows open fascination, contributing the occasional observation that she manages to work out independently. Uraraka has given up halfway through and is now just enjoying her drink.
And at some point during it all, I notice Eri nodding off, about to fall asleep. So I gently take her, laying her on my lap, and she nuzzles against me, using my arm as a pillow, before finally passing out with a smile on her face.
I continue the explanation, using my quirk to block any noise from reaching her ears.
By the time I finish, the food court has thinned out around us, the early lunch crowd long since dispersed. Melissa is still leaning forward in her chair, eyes bright with at least a dozen follow-up questions she's clearly just polite enough not to ask right now.
"The day after tomorrow." She promises, as if to ensure I don't forget.
"Day after tomorrow." I agree.
We finish the rest of our meals at a slower pace, Eri sleeping soundly against me throughout, and once we're done, we split off and head back to our hotels to get ready for the reception party that evening.
**********
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So yeah, this is the end of our slice of life arc, probably. Stuff gonna get more real soon, with the action starting in a bit. I don't have much to say about the chapter, and I'm super sleepy, so... You'll be spared from my yapping for today🫠
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