Vacation, Part 1
Shouto Todoroki opens his eyes as the sun shines through the window of his room. He removes the sheets off of him and rose up from his bed. As he sits down at the side of his bed, Shouto looks down at the floor and laments that another day of his life is about to begin.
It has been eighteen days since the start of summer break, and usually during this time of the year, every student would be taking the opportunity to wind down, relax and simply having fun by themselves or with their friends before the next term of school begins. But not for Shouto. Instead, almost every day of his life since childhood, even during school breaks, he is mostly studying and trying to live up to his father's expectations so that one day, he too can become a politician like him.
But today is a rare opportunity for him to step out of his home and spend the weekend with his friends in Izu Oshima, which is a trip that they had planned since the final day of school. When Shouto told his parents about it, his father wasn't thrilled to learn that his son is planning to take some time off to slack rather than committing himself to anything important. He only reluctantly allowed his son to do so after his mother and sister managed to convince him to give him a break, but he tells him that he will get back to work once he return home.
Shouto closes his eyes and sigh. Even during opportunities for him to relax and spend his life freely like everybody else, he is still being reminded that he must cherish his break as much as he can before he returns back to the painful reality of having his freedom taken away by his father who wants nothing more but to see his son carry on his family's legacy. And sadly for Shouto, he painfully reminds himself every day that there is nothing he can do about it.
Shouto lifts his head back up and turns to the door to his room. Right now, he shouldn't be thinking so negatively about his situation. At least for today and tomorrow, he gets to relax and hang out with his friends on an island far away from home, and that is something that he yearns for a while now. He goes over to his wardrobe and grabs himself a nice set of clothes that he plans to wear to the ferry terminal today. After doing so, he picks up his sports bag from the floor and goes over to the door. He takes a deep breath and tries to reassure himself inside his head before turning the doorknob.
'Everything will be fine.'
When Shouto finished brushing his teeth, he changed into a white t-shirt and black pants, puts on a light blue long-sleeved jacket and steps out of the bathroom. He picks up his sports bag from the floor and walks down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he places his bag down on the floor again before he walks through the foyer and makes his way to the back of his home where the kitchen and dining area are. Upon entering, he sees a woman with glasses and shoulder-length white hair, flecked with some strands of red, standing behind the stove and cooking some sunny-side up eggs on a frying pan. When the woman heard his footsteps, she turns around for a brief moment.
"Good morning, Shouto." The woman greeted her younger brother.
"Good morning, Fuyumi." Shouto responded as he walks over to the dining table in front of him. He pulls out a chair and sat beside another woman with long white hair and brown-gray eyes. "Good morning, mother."
"Good morning." His mother said wearily as she nods her head to her son. "So, are you done packing for the trip?"
"Yes." Shouto nods back to his mother. "I've already prepared for it since yesterday morning."
Fuyumi sighs blissfully as she turns off the stove. "I'm so jealous. You get to go out with your friends and spend the weekend at Izu Oshima while you're still young. I on the other hand had to focus on my assignments before my job resumes on Tuesday."
"I'm glad you're spending some time to hang out with your friends. Have fun while you can." His mother said to Shouto with a weak smile.
"Thanks mother. Where is father anyway?" Shouto inquired. Just then, a tall man with short, spiked up crimson hair, a moustache and a chinstrap beard walks into the dining area while dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and white pants. Shouto frowns as he watched him. "Speak of the devil."
"What type of coffee do you want today, father?" Fuyumi asked as her cheerful personality vanished in an instant.
"Espresso." Enji Todoroki replied flatly as he grabs his chair at the right end of the table. Shouto and his mother remain silent as Enji sits down and reads the newspaper. When Fuyumi finished making breakfast, she places the food and coffee onto the dining table and the family of four ate their breakfast together.
"Arigatou Fuyumi." Shouto thanked his older sister after he finished his meal. He gets up and tries to make his way back to the foyer, hoping that he can quietly leave his home without any unnecessary commotions. But unfortunately, today isn't his lucky day.
"Hold on." Enji said. Shouto sighed inwardly before sitting back down on his chair.
"What is it?" Shouto asked, looking back at his father.
"How do you usually study in school, Shouto?" Enji asked.
"I would either study at the library or with my friends." Shouto replied.
"No wonder." Enji said, shaking his head disappointingly.
"What's wrong?" Shouto asked frowning.
"You have been hanging out with your friends too much, Shouto. They are distracting you from what is more important to you. It's no wonder why your scores for history and social studies are lower than the ones you got in your first midterm." Enji said.
"It was only a few marks less and I still pass them anyway." Shouto replied irritably.
"That's not good enough!" Enji scolded. "I've worked so hard in getting you into that school and yet you still take one step forward and two steps back in your studies! How can you possibly become better than me in the future when your performance in school isn't consistent?!"
"I came in first in class every term since the first grade! How is that not consistent?!" Shouto suddenly yelled back at Enji. His mother and Fuyumi silently watch in concern while his father sighs heavily in frustration.
"You're still young and naïve, Shouto. Sure right now as a student, you can achieve whatever you want as long as you pass your exams. But in politics, when you make even the tiniest misstep, there is no turning back! That is why a politician needs to maintain an excellent reputation no matter what! Otherwise, people like that no-good Toshiki Miyamizu end up being a disgrace to Japan!" Enji explained. "So when you get back from your vacation, stop thinking about playing with your friends anymore and-"
Shouto suddenly gets up from his chair and turns around, causing his father to flare up.
"Shouto, I'm not done yet!" Enji yelled furiously. In response, Shouto turns back to his father and shouted in uncontrollable anger.
"At least Miyamizu cares about the people of Itomori enough to evacuate all of them in time before the comet struck! You on the other hand completely distance yourself from everybody because you lost two elections in a row and fail to make grandpa proud before he died!"
"Shouto!" His mother cried to her son in horror. Enji momentarily stares at his son in shock before he narrows his eyes and bares his teeth in pure rage.
"How dare you…" Enji muttered. Without saying another word, Shouto hurriedly walks out of the dining area and into the foyer. Enji jabs a finger at him as he bawled, "GET OUT OF HERE! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY!"
"Enji!" Shouto's mother yelled at her husband.
"Don't lecture me, Rei! Our son needs to know what's good for him!" Enji shouted back at his wife.
"Please stop!" Fuyumi added concernedly as she stands up and tries to console her parents. After picking up his sports bag from the floor, Shouto quickly head for the main doors and makes his way out of his home, leaving his parents and sister behind to argue among themselves.
Inko follow Izuku and Ochaco from behind as the two children carried their sports bags over their shoulders and step out of the Midoriya household. After putting on their shoes, Izuku and Ochaco turn around and bow down to Inko.
"Goodbye, mom." Izuku said.
"Goodbye, Inko." Ochaco said as the two stand back up.
"Take care of yourselves, you two." Inko bows down before looking back at them with a worried frown. "Remember to give me a call when you guys arrive safely at Oshima. Don't go out late at night, watch how much you spend, beware of strangers and-"
"We get it, mom." Izuku chuckled. "We are staying with our friends anyway, so everything will be fine."
"I know." Inko said as small tears well up in her eyes. "It's just that aside from your school camping trips, this is the first time you are going out on your own and-"
"Relax, Inko. I'll be at his side at all times." Ochaco said, smiling reassuringly at Inko. Izuku's cheeks blush as he smiles back at Ochaco for a moment. He looks back at his mother and places his hand on her shoulder.
"She's right, mom. So don't worry about us." Izuku said to her.
"Alright then." Inko replied as she wipes off her tears. "Have fun, you two."
"Arigatou! Bye!" Izuku and Ochaco replied, waving goodbye to Inko as they make their departure. As they make their way to the elevators, they see Yagi standing at the doorway to his apartment. "Goodbye, Yagi-san!"
"Bye you two! Enjoy yourselves!" Yagi grins as he waves his hand back at them.
"Take care of my mother for me." Izuku said to Yagi.
"I will." Yagi replied as he nods his head. He and Inko watch Izuku press the button and enter the elevator with Ochaco. He sighs heavily after the elevator doors closed and the two make their way down. "Watching them makes me miss being a kid."
"Well, you only think you're old when you're not having fun." Inko said as she walks over to him. The two turn their heads to each other and simply laugh.
After Izuku and Ochaco step out of Hamamatsucho Station, they make a seven-minute walk to Takeshiba Ferry Terminal. They enter the building and to their delight, they already see Tsuyu, Momo, Jirou and Denki standing in the center of the waiting area in the Passenger Terminal. Denki smiles as he spots Izuku and Ochaco walking over to them with their sports bags.
"Hey Izuku! Uraraka-senpai!" Denki greeted as he waves his hand at them. Tsuyu, Jirou and Momo stop their conversation and turn their heads to Izuku and Ochaco.
"Hi there, you two!" Jirou cried to them excitedly as she, Tsuyu and Momo smile as well.
"Hello everyone!" Ochaco responded cheerfully as she and Izuku wave back at them.
When they are near each other, Ochaco and Tsuyu clasp their hands together and giggle while Denki squealed excitedly to Izuku as he held onto the straps of his backpack tightly, "Izuku! Are you excited to go to Izu Oshima? I sure am!"
"Me too!" Izuku replied enthusiastically with his eyes wide. "And I see you and Momo brought along your guitars too, Jirou."
"Yup! Denki, Momo and I are hoping to find some inspiration to create new songs for our club when we're there." Jirou grins as she does a brief display of air-guitaring in front of Izuku.
"Calm down, you two. We'll be there soon enough." Momo smiled at Jirou and Denki as Ochaco goes over to her. Momo turns her head to her and Izuku. "It's good to see the both of you here."
"Likewise, Momo." Ochaco said. "I hope you are feeling better ever since what happened to you and your family."
"I am." Momo nodded before taking out two tickets from the pocket of her skirt and holds them out to Ochaco and Izuku. "Here are your tickets to the ferry."
"Thank you so much again for paying and organizing this trip for us, Momo." Izuku said as he and Ochaco take their tickets from her.
"You're welcome." Momo smiled at him. "It's the least I can do after what you and Uraraka-senpai had done for me and Jirou. So, where are your friends whom you invite to come along with us?"
"Hello everyone!" A voice suddenly calls out to Izuku and his friends. Izuku smiles as he immediately recognizes the voice belonging to Eliot.
"Eliot-san! Bakugo!" Izuku cried as he and his friends turn their heads to see Eliot and Bakugo walking over to them with their sports bags. Tsuyu, Denki, Jirou and Momo widen their eyes in awe to see a tall American man approaching them.
"Hi guys." Bakugo said as he and Eliot stood in front of Izuku and Ochaco. "Are you ready for our trip?"
"Yup!" Ochaco nodded as Izuku and Eliot bump their fists together. "I hope we'll have lots of fun together."
"I hope so too." Bakugo smiled at Ochaco before looking over her shoulder to see Denki cowering behind Jirou and Momo in fear. "What's wrong with your friend, Izuku?"
Izuku glances at Denki for a brief moment before looking back at Bakugo with a sheepish smile. "I guess he still hasn't gotten used to your explosive behavior yet." He said.
"I see. Anyways, we'll be at your friend's summer house before noon, right?" Bakugo inquired.
"Yes, and we'll be staying there until Monday evening." Ochaco replied.
"Thank goodness Monday happens to be Marine Day." Eliot smiled as he places his hands on the sides of his hip. "I love living and working in Tokyo. But it's still nice to leave the city once in a while to relax on a nice, sunny island without a care in the world."
"I agree." Izuku replied to him as Momo walks up to Eliot.
"Hi, you must be Eliot Smith. Izuku told me about you." Momo said to him as she hands him a ferry ticket. "I'm Momo Yaoyorozu."
"Nice to meet ya, Yaoyorozu." Eliot said as he takes the ticket from her. "You guys must be Izuku's schoolmates."
"Yes. I'm Tsuyu Asui." Tsuyu responded as she bows down to him.
"My name is Jirou Kyouka." Jirou said, giving Eliot a salute.
"And you can call me Denki Kaminari." Denki said, jabbing his thumb onto his own chest.
"Pleasure to be your acquaintances." Eliot smiled at them as he extends a hand to Denki.
"Wow Eliot, you're so tall and muscular! You should play basketball!" Denki said to him as he shakes his hand. Eliot laughed in response as he scratches the back of his head.
"I get that a lot." Eliot said as Denki releases his hand.
"Are you an American?" Jirou asked Eliot.
"I come from the Golden state of California. Which is part of America, so yes!" Eliot replied with a grin.
"That's awesome! Our English teacher is an American too!" Denki said.
"That's interesting to know." Eliot said as Jirou turns her head to her left.
"And there she is right now!" Jirou said, holding up her arm and waving her hand. "Hi Shield-sensei!"
Eliot widens his eyes and gasped upon hearing the name. 'S-S-Shield?!'
"Good morning everyone!" Melissa greeted as she walks over to them while carrying a backpack. As soon as Eliot turns his head to her, he immediately lost his ability to speak. His cheeks blushed crimson as he sees her currently dressed in a light pink t-shirt, blue jeans, brown boots and a plain sun hat over her head. When she notices Eliot standing along with her students, Melissa stares at him in astonishment and asked, "Eliot? Is that you?"
"What?" Ochaco said as she and Izuku look surprised.
"She knows who he is?" Izuku said before turning to Eliot.
"I…I-I-um…I-um-I…." Eliot mumbled as he remains awed by her beauty. Melissa laughed joyfully as she walks over to Eliot.
"What a small world we live in! I never expect to see you again!" Melissa said cheerfully as she looks up at him.
"Shield-sensei, you know who he is?" Izuku asked his teacher.
"Yes I do. We met each other a couple of times in a supermarket." Melissa replied to her student. "Is he your friend?"
"Yes! He runs my favorite comic book store in our area." Izuku said, giving Eliot a pat on his back as the man continues staring at Melissa dumbfounded.
"I see." Melissa said to Izuku. She looks back at Eliot and smiles as she extends a hand to him. "I look forward in getting to know a lot more about you over the weekend."
"Y-Y-Yeah." Eliot manages to reply as he gently grabs her hand. After shaking his hand, Melissa walks over to Momo, who hands a ferry ticket to her. When she is out of his sight, Eliot finally regains full control of himself and swiftly turns to Izuku.
"Izuku! You never told me that the woman I regularly meet at the supermarket also happens to be your English teacher!" Eliot whispered anxiously to Izuku.
"You never asked." Izuku shrugged.
"It's so nice of you to join us in our trip, sensei." Jirou said to Melissa.
"Even though it's obvious she just wanted an excuse to take leave from work and have a three-day holiday weekend." Denki whispered to Tsuyu with a small grin as the two stood far away from Melissa and the others.
"What about you, Kaminari?!" Melissa scolded Denki, causing him to yelp and realize his cover has been blown. "Don't think I didn't hear from the other teachers that you finished dead last in class! I hope you have been making use of your summer vacation to reflect upon your past performances in school! You better work harder in the next term or you will never be a respectable member of society after graduation!"
"Y-Y-Yes Sensei, yes!" Denki cried as he continuously bows down to his teacher. Izuku and Ochaco chuckled as they are happy to see Melissa putting in her heart and soul into her career as a teacher again.
"Hey guys, Shouto is here." Bakugo informed Izuku and Ochaco. He gestures them over his shoulder to see Shouto approaching them in the distance.
"Shouto!" Izuku cried happily to him. But soon his smile disappeared as Shouto kept his head down and remained silent. When Shouto stood in front of him and Ochaco, Izuku asked in concern, "Shouto, are you okay?"
Shouto rubs his eyes for a moment before looking up at Izuku and Ochaco with a weak smile.
"Yeah, I am." Shouto said with his voice mildly distorted. Izuku and Ochaco manage to resist the urge to gasp upon seeing Shouto's tearstained eyes. It is obvious that something happened before he arrived here. But not wanting to hurt his feelings any further, both Izuku and Ochaco choose not to ask any questions and simply smile back at him.
"Come on, Shouto. We were all waiting for you." Izuku said as he places his hand on his shoulder.
"Let's relax and have fun for the rest of the weekend." Ochaco added.
Shouto's smile widened as he nods his head in agreement. "Yeah. Let's enjoy ourselves."
After passing through the security check, Izuku and his friends boarded a jet ferry that would take them to the island of Izu Oshima. Everybody head to the side of the jet ferry and take their seats next to the windows. About twenty minutes later, after all the passengers aboard the ferry have sat down, the jet ferry begins to move and leave the pier, making its way to their next destination.
Jirou, Momo and Denki sat together in the same row. Denki took out his handheld gaming device and began playing with it while Jirou and Momo converse with each other. Sitting in the row of seats behind them were Melissa, Tsuyu and Ochaco, who also spend the rest of the journey talking to each other. Eliot sat all by himself in the row behind them, staring at Melissa in both embarrassment and admiration throughout the ride. Finally, sitting in the row in front of Jirou, Momo and Denki were Shouto, Izuku and Bakugo. Earlier, Bakugo raced to grab a seat next to the window before the others do, much to his satisfaction. But only a few minutes after the ferry had left the pier, Bakugo closes his eyes and falls asleep rather than wanting to take a look at the ocean as he originally planned to. Meanwhile, Shouto and Izuku also spend the rest of the journey chatting with each other. Shouto would occasionally laugh along with Izuku after sharing a funny story, while also wishing that times like this could last forever.
Two hours later, Izuku and his friends look through the windows and see the island where they would be staying in over the weekend. Izu Oshima is a small volcanic island located miles away from the mainland. Its remote location out in the ocean obviously helped the island serve as a popular destination for tourists. Izuku and his friends could see the island's large volcano and lush greenery in the distance. Just viewing the island itself already fill Izuku and his friends with interest and excitement.
After the ferry pulled up to the pier, everyone proceed to step out with their bags. As they set foot on the pier, Bakugo lets out a heavy yawn. Ochaco playfully nudges him on his left arm.
"Stay awake, sleepyhead. Don't go falling asleep on us again." Ochaco said with a smirk.
"Fine." Bakugo replied as he rubs his eyes. As Izuku and his friends turn to their left, they could see a small town in the distance, along with a beautiful view of some mountains behind it. Eliot and Melissa sigh blissfully as they admire the view before them.
"This place is gorgeous." Melissa said.
"It's like an Asian version of Catalina Island." Eliot commented.
"I really am glad to be here." Shouto murmured with a wan smile.
"We all are." Izuku said to him before Momo turns around to face everyone. She claps her hands to get their attention.
"Okay everyone." Momo said to all of her friends. "Let's hop on a bus and make our way there."
After going through another security check, everyone leave the ferry terminal and walk their way to the bus terminal. They board into a passenger bus and place their bags into the overhead compartments before taking their seats. As Izuku sat beside Ochaco, he proceeds to take out his phone and inform his mother that they have arrived safely on the island along with their friends. As soon as he finished talking to his mother, the bus began to move and they travel through the small town of Oshima.
As he looks through the window, Shouto also couldn't help but smile as he examines how beautiful and soothing both the island and its town are. The buildings and its population are definitely a lot smaller than the busy and crowded streets of Tokyo. The sounds of the vehicles are much quieter compare to the rumble of cars and trains they would hear in the city every day. The people on the island live simpler lives too as they spend their days fishing and working in small stores. With no sign of his father and talks about politics around, Shouto could already feel that he is in a state of peace and tranquility just being here.
Sometime after leaving the town, the bus drives on a road alongside a hill. Izuku and his friends look out the windows and widen their eyes in awe as they see the wide and beautiful view of the ocean. After more time had passed, they now travel on a road that goes through a small forest. And a few more minutes later, they arrived at a small village located miles away from the town of Oshima and surrounded by tall trees.
When they pulled up to a bus stop, Momo tells everyone to leave. They grab their bags from the compartments and step out of the bus. As the bus departs, Momo instructs her friends to follow her as she escorts them to her summer house located at the other side the village. As they walk through the village together, Izuku and the others see that the houses in this area are more spread apart from each other by several hundred feet, and their exteriors are made of wood instead of bricks and concrete like the buildings back in town.
They arrive at a lone pathway that goes through the trees surrounding the village. Momo advises everyone to stay close to each other as they walk on the pathway together. Finally, after ten minutes of walking, everyone except Momo widen their eyes in awe as they arrive at the house where they will be residing in over the weekend.
Momo's summer home is a large and wide Western style wooden house that is separated from the rest of the village by the forest. It has two floors and is built at the edge of a small cliff facing the ocean. Its walls are made of reddish-brown weathered wood and its triangular shaped roof is made of red tiles. The entrance is located at the right side of the house, with a small porch outside that has a small round table and two wooden chairs. At the second floor is a pair of sliding doors with large glass windows that leads to a balcony above the porch. Finally, beside the house is a garage that remains closed for the time being.
"Here it is! My family's summer home." Momo said to everyone.
"It's so beautiful, Momo!" Ochaco said enthusiastically as she and the others continue staring at the house.
"And it's built in front of the ocean too!" Tsuyu added.
"Well, just wait until you see the interior of the house then." Momo takes out a key from her pocket as she makes her way over to the entrance. But she came to a halt when she sees Denki walking over to her.
"Hey Momo, can I have the key please?" Denki asked, extending his hand out to her.
"Um, okay." Momo said in confusion as she places the key onto Denki's hand.
"Arigatou." Denki grins as he clutches onto the key. Suddenly, he whirls about and throws the key high into the air. Momo and the others watch the key flying through the air for a moment before it plummets and lands into a field of tall grass in the distance. Everybody momentarily stays dead silent.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone except Denki suddenly scream at the top of the lungs. Jirou rushes over to Denki and grabs him by the collar of his jacket as she yells furiously at his face, "WHY ON EARTH DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"
"Come on Jirou! It just felt like a lot of fun to do so!" Denki replied with a goofy smile as Jirou violently shakes him in rage.
Fifteen minutes have passed and Izuku, Ochaco and the others are still searching for Momo's key throughout the grassy field under the hot sun. Ochaco wipes off the sweat from her forehead as she said wearily, "It's so hot out of here."
"I wish we are inside right now." Izuku groans in agreement.
"If I had attended the same school as you guys, I would be strangling Denki to death right now." Bakugo muttered through his gritted teeth.
"Stop talking and just find the key already." Eliot said flatly as he looks through the area of grassy field he is in.
Suddenly, Tsuyu cried as she stands up and holds Momo's key in the air, "I found it!"
"RESTRAIN HIM!" Melissa shouted as she jabs a finger at Denki. Shouto and Jirou obliged as they held onto Denki's arms and pin him onto the ground.
"Hurry Tsuyu! Let's head to the door!" Momo said urgently. Tsuyu nods her head as she and Momo rush towards the door to the summer house.
"Lemme go! You can't do this to me! Just lemme go!" Denki begged as he squirms and tries to get himself free. But Shouto and Jirou firmly kept him on the ground while Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo, Eliot and Melissa surround him.
Momo inserts the key into the knob and opens the door, much to her relief. She turns around and waves her hands to the others as she calls out to them, "Come inside, everyone!"
As Momo steps aside to allow everyone in, Izuku, Ochaco, Shouto and the others are awestruck once again as they enter the summer house. The interior is fairly large and wide and its flooring is made of plywood tiles. In front of them is a kitchen complete with a sink, stove, dish washer and a large refrigerator. There are also counters in front of the kitchen to form its boundaries. Next to the kitchen on the right is a door that leads to the garage. On the left of the kitchen is a sliding glass door that leads to the back of the house. Beside the sliding glass door is a dining table with six chairs.
Besides the entrance on the left is the living area that has a large three-seat sofa and a reclining chair. Placed in front of them are a coffee table and a wide flat screen television hanging on the wall. Next to the living area on the left is a bathroom. Finally, next to the dining area on the left are two stairways, one that leads up to the second floor and another that goes down to the basement.
"Amazing." Izuku uttered as he and the others look around.
"You actually own this place?" Eliot asked Momo incredulously.
"Yes I do." Momo nods her head as Jirou places her hand on her shoulder.
"Her family is very rich." Jirou said to Eliot as Melissa slides her finger across the kitchen counters. Izuku, Ochaco, Shouto, Tsuyu, Bakugo and Denki walk over to the sliding doors. As they look through the glass, they widen their eyes with their mouths agape as they see a wooden staircase outside the house that leads down to the bottom of the cliff. At the bottom is a beach, which is a fairly wide stretch of coast with lots of sand and has a wide view of the ocean.
"This place is better than I expected." Bakugo said, looking impressed. Izuku, Ochaco, Shouto and Tsuyu pursed their lips and silently nod their heads in agreement.
"Alright! I can't wait to get into the water right now!" Denki cried excitedly.
"Save it for later, Denki. Right now, we have to unpack our stuff first." Jirou reminded as Denki and the others turn to her and Momo in the kitchen.
"Not to mention, this place looks kind of dusty, don't you think?" Melissa asked as she brushes off the dust on her finger which she gathered from the counters earlier.
"And the refrigerator is empty too." Eliot said after closing the fridge.
"My family and I always clean this place up first before settling down here." Momo said. "After that, we'll go to town to buy groceries and other supplies."
"So let's do just that." Ochaco said. "Let's put down our stuff, clean this place up and buy our food for dinner tonight."
"Seriously? We had to do chores as soon as we come here?" Denki whined as his arms hang limply at his sides.
"The sooner we get it done, the more time we have for relaxation later." Shouto said to him.
"And since there's ten of us here, I suggest half of us will remain here to clean the house while the other half will go to town." Tsuyu said.
"Great idea!" Ochaco smiled at Tsuyu before asking everyone. "Who wants to volunteer cleaning the house?" Denki involuntarily flinched when he heard that.
"I do." Shouto said, holding up his hand.
"I don't mind." Jirou added as she gave a thumbs-up to Ochaco.
"You guys need to be familiar with the place, so I'll stay." Momo said.
"I'll remain too since I'm sure you guys need an adult to supervise all of you." Melissa said, placing her hands on her hips.
Momo turns her head to Denki and asked, "What about you, Den-"
"I want to go to town, please!" Denki pleaded as he holds up his hand. Jirou grumbled under her breath.
"I knew you would say that." Jirou muttered as she glares at Denki.
Momo sighs heavily and said, "Fine. Denki will volunteer going to town to buy groceries."
"Yes!" Denki whooped happily, pumping his fists into the air.
"Is there any other way to go to town? I don't wish to walk all the way back to the bus stop from here." Eliot said to Momo wearily.
"My family car is in the garage." Momo said, pointing her finger at the door beside the kitchen. "If any of you have a driver's license, you can go ahead and use that to drive yourselves to town."
"Awesome! I'll drive!" Eliot perked up as he raises his hand.
"I want to go to the town too." Bakugo said.
"Me too!" Ochaco said as she holds up her hand. Izuku lets out a soft gasp, quickly realizing that if he wishes to spend more time with Ochaco, he would have to go out with her to town as well.
"I'll go to town as well." Izuku said firmly, holding up his hand.
"Then I guess I'll stay with Shouto, Momo, Jirou and Shield-sensei to clean the house." Tsuyu said.
"Is everybody okay with the task they are given then?" Ochaco asked. Everyone present in the house nod their heads in response. "Good! Let's get started!"
Everybody go over to the left side of the house and carefully place their bags down on the floor. After doing so, Momo tells Eliot that he will find the car keys on one of the shelves in the garage. As Eliot, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki head to the garage, Momo instructs Shouto, Tsuyu, Jirou and Melissa to follow her to the basement to grab their cleaning equipment.
When they entered the garage, Eliot, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki see a car parked in the center and covered under a waterproof sheet. Beside the car is a tool rack hung onto the wall and several shelves filled with toolboxes, gas canisters and containers of screws and bolts. Eliot spots the car keys laying on one of the shelves and grabs it while Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki removes the sheet, revealing a shiny dark blue car with five seats inside. As soon as Eliot unlocks the car, Denki quickly gets into the passenger seat. Eliot goes over to the right side of the car to get inside the driver's seat while Izuku, Ochaco and Bakugo sit together in the back. Izuku smiles and blushes as he gets to sit beside Ochaco, who sits in the center between him and Bakugo. Everybody put on their seat belts before Eliot presses a button in the car to open the garage door. When the door is fully open, Eliot drives the car out of the garage and they make their way to the town of Oshima.
Meanwhile, back inside the house, Momo, Shouto, Tsuyu, Jirou and Melissa walk up the stairs and return back into the first floor as each of them now carry a mop, a cloth and a bucket in their hands. Momo instructs Melissa, Jirou and Tsuyu to clean the kitchen and living area while she and Shouto clean the first floor bathroom. When they enter the bathroom, Momo instructs Shouto to clean the toilet and the sliding glass door that separates the shower from the rest of the room while she cleans the sink and mirror. The two remain silent for a minute as they perform their tasks, until Momo decides to start a conversation.
"So, you must be the son of a National Diet member that I've heard." Momo asked with her eyes still fixated on the sink as she cleans it.
"Yes. And you must be the same Momo Yaoyorozu I've heard who is one of the top students in our school." Shouto asked as he cleans and stands behind the shower door.
"That's right." Momo replied. "So what do you think of this house so far?"
"Well, we haven't explored the second floor yet, but I already think that this is a very nice place built on a perfect location that anybody could dream to own." Shouto said with a small smile. Momo chuckled in response. Shouto stops cleaning the door and looks back at the Momo through it as his smile disappears. "To tell you the truth, I'm just glad to be here…with all of my friends…all of you."
Momo turns her head to him and nodded. "So am I. I'm sure you already know by now what had happened to my father, right?" She said.
"Yeah." Shouto said.
"My heart ached when the truth about my father spread throughout the school. And for a while, I thought I had no one to turn to. I was all alone, and it scares me. But the student council president and your friend Izuku helped me. If it wasn't for them, I would have never reconciled with the closest person in my life. And since then, I cherish every single moment I had with her." Momo said.
"It really is good to have friends, isn't it?" Shouto said.
"It sure is." Momo said as her lips curved up into a warm smile. Shouto smiled back at her as the two simply stare at each other for a few moments.
But eventually, Shouto is able to snap out of his thoughts and said to Momo, "We better get back to cleaning now."
"Oh right." Momo laughed as she strokes her hair. "I'm sure you'll become a hypocrite if we don't finish our chores in time, huh?"
"You got that right." Shouto laughed as well before the two quickly get back to cleaning the bathroom.
Sovereign: I would like to thank ElecFlameFox, KahunaLagoona, LayLay lives, AquaBluey, AshPli and Eramis8 for reviewing my story! And special thanks to Conceptual for being the 100th follower of this story! Thanks everyone!
This is the first update to this story in 2020. So to all of my readers, I hope everyone is having a great year so far!