ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
He left Aries alone with his mother, knowing this brief window of unmonitored interaction would cement Inko's emotional investment. By the time he returned, freshly showered and changed, the two were already deep in conversation.
"What's your favorite color, dear?" Inko was asking as Isaiah walked back into the room.
"Pink," Aries replied shyly. "And white."
"Those will look lovely with your complexion," Inko nodded approvingly.
Isaiah cleared his throat. "Ready when you are."
Inko turned to him with a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. "So, the two of you are going clothes shopping? Just the two of you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or... can an old mom tag along?" She gave him a conspiratorial wink. "Unless... it's a date?"
"I was hoping you'd come. I don't know the first thing about women's clothes." He lowered his voice slightly, leaning closer to his mother. "She's going to need... underwear. And bras. And... you know. Other things. That's your department, not mine."
Inko's playful expression vanished, replaced by a scandalized blush. "Izuku!" she whispered, shooting a glance at Aries, who remained blissfully unaware of the conversation's direction.
"What's underwear?" Aries asked innocently.
"You don't know what—" Inko stopped herself, taking a deep breath. "Well, all the more reason for me to come along." She grabbed her purse. "This poor girl needs everything, it seems."
As they headed for the door, Isaiah caught Aries's eye and gave her a subtle nod of approval. She beamed back at him, radiating happiness at having pleased her master.
"We're going shopping!" Aries whispered excitedly as she fell into step beside him. "I've never gone shopping before!"
"Just follow Mom's lead," Isaiah murmured. "And remember—you're just a normal girl with a mutation Quirk."
"Normal girl," Aries repeated, nodding seriously. "I will be the most normal girl ever!"
===
The mall bustled with weekend shoppers, a cacophony of voices, music, and movement that left Aries wide-eyed and overwhelmed. She stuck close to Isaiah's side, occasionally grabbing his sleeve when the crowd pressed too close.
"There's so many people," she whispered, her shoulder bumping against his arm.
"Stay close," Isaiah replied, keeping his voice low. "Mom's on a mission now."
Indeed, Inko marched ahead with purpose, consulting a mental checklist as she led them through the mall. "First, we'll need some basics," she declared. "Casual clothes, something for sleeping in, maybe a nicer outfit for special occasions..."
Isaiah trailed behind as Inko guided Aries through various stores, offering opinions when asked but mostly staying out of the way. He watched with detached amusement as Aries tried on outfit after outfit, spinning excitedly in front of mirrors and seeking Inko's approval with each new look.
"What do you think, Izuku?" Inko asked, holding up a pink sundress against Aries's frame.
"It's fine," he answered, scrolling through his phone.
"Men," Inko sighed dramatically to Aries. "No fashion sense whatsoever."
Aries giggled, a sound so genuinely delighted that it made Isaiah glance up from his screen.
They moved through the mall methodically, accumulating bags as they went. T-shirts, jeans, skirts, socks, pajamas—Inko seemed determined to outfit Aries for every possible occasion. Isaiah carried the growing pile of purchases without complaint.
Finally, Inko steered them toward the department store lingerie section. She turned to Isaiah, her expression firm.
"You wait here," she instructed, pointing to a bench near the entrance. "This part is girls only."
Isaiah nodded, relieved to have a break from the shopping marathon. He sat down, arranging the shopping bags around his feet.
"We won't be long," Inko promised, taking Aries by the elbow.
Aries looked back at Isaiah, mild panic in her eyes as Inko led her away.
"Just follow Mom's lead," he called after her, earning a sharp look from Inko.
Twenty minutes passed before Isaiah spotted them returning. Inko looked flushed but triumphant, while Aries seemed slightly dazed, clutching a pink shopping bag to her chest.
"Everything go okay?" he asked, standing up to collect the rest of their packages.
"Fine, fine," Inko said quickly, avoiding his eyes. "Just fine."
Aries leaned close to Isaiah as they followed Inko to the next store. "Midoriya-san taught me about bras," she whispered loudly. "They're like armor for your chest fruits!"
Inko stumbled slightly ahead of them.
"And panties!" Aries continued enthusiastically. "They come in so many colors! We got pink ones, and white ones with little strawberries, and—"
"That's enough, dear," Inko interrupted, her voice strangled. "I think Izuku gets the idea."
Isaiah bit back a smile as they continued through the mall. The afternoon stretched on, with Inko's maternal instincts driving her to provide Aries with everything a young woman might need. By the time they finally headed home, laden with bags, the sun had begun to set.
"Thank you so much, Midoriya-san," Aries said for perhaps the twentieth time, bowing deeply despite the packages in her arms. "Your kindness is overwhelming."
"It's nothing, dear," Inko replied warmly. "Every young woman needs proper clothes."
As they walked home through the quiet streets, Inko a few paces ahead, Aries leaned toward Isaiah.
"Did I do well, Master?" she whispered.
Isaiah nodded slightly. "Perfect. She's completely convinced."
Aries's smile could have lit the darkening street. "I'm so happy! Does this mean I can stay?"
"We'll see," Isaiah confirmed, watching his mother's back as she walked ahead of them, humming softly to herself.
The lie had worked better than he could have hoped. Inko had not only accepted Aries but had embraced her, wrapping the celestial spirit in a cocoon of maternal care. What had begun as manipulation had somehow transformed into something almost... wholesome.
Isaiah glanced at Aries, who was practically skipping beside him despite the heavy shopping bags. Her joy at such simple things—clothes, attention, belonging—was so genuine it bordered on absurd.
"Master," she whispered, her voice filled with wonder, "is this what having a family feels like?"
Something uncomfortable twisted in Isaiah's chest—an emotion he couldn't immediately identify. He pushed it aside, focusing instead on the practical benefits of their successful deception.
"Don't get too attached," he warned her quietly. "This is just a cover story."
But as Inko turned back to smile at them, her eyes warm with affection, Isaiah couldn't help wondering if he was lying to Aries—or to himself.