It had been a while since her family had held a ball; in fact, she hadn't hosted or even been to one since she was just a little girl. Despite being a rather wealthy family, her parents preferred to stay out of the spotlight. Maybe that's why she grew up so shy? Or maybe it was that every time she ventured outside she would get recognized and immediately bombarded by any curious face nearby.

"Miss Yaoyorozu, are you ready?"

Momo turned her head from the mirror where she had previously lost her thoughts in. She brushed her hands along the black dress she wore, dusting it off for the third time that evening. "I…." She paused for a moment, letting a small sigh escape from her lips before nodding her head. "Yes, I'm ready."

The servant held out her arm, and the dark-haired girl carefully locked her own with the other.

The ballroom was bustling with people; she could already tell from the mixed voices that overlapped each other and drowned each other out which echoed down the hall. The maid sincerely apologized, but Momo simply told her that it was no problem; she had expected it. Balls are supposed to bring joy, aren't they?

"Now, for the Guest of Honor tonight! The lovely hostess' daughter, Momo Yaoyorozu!"

The greeting boomed from another servant hired to address her that night, and Momo carefully stepped away from the maid, making her way down the staircase which descended from the large doors. A round of applause came up from the sea of noblemen and women attending, all watching her with eyes that were ready to notice any mistake she might've had.

It was hard not to be afraid.

Balls were fun, right? Surely they were, so why did she feel so judged and uncomfortable?

Whisking the thoughts away, Momo met her parents at a nearby stand-table set up for simple talks and the occasional glass of wine. "Mother, Father," she greeted calmly, giving a small curtsy.

"Oh, darling, you look lovely!" Her mother gently took Momo's shoulder, bringing her close for a signature side-hug; not too friendly, not too rude. It was always like that. "I'm so glad you got dressed up well! Now you'll be able to find the perfect suitor. Any older and you'll wither away!"

Momo did her best not to flinch when that sentence came out; they had been pressuring her to find a suitor and get married to a well-off man who could support her financially so that they didn't have to, but that...just wasn't her. She didn't want to get married to a man, more specifically.

She liked women.

"H-haha, as you say, Mother," the dark-haired girl replied, desperately keeping up her cheerful and pleasant act. She would've stuck to that table for the entire night had it not been for her mother shooing her off to find a soulmate at the first chance she got.

Most of the people who made their way up to her were too proud, put simply. The only reason they came up to her at all was because they were in the same position as her; pressured by parents to marry someone. None liked her at all, but they did what they had to. She refused.

"It's so hard," Momo muttered to herself, another small sigh coming from her. "Why can't any pretty girls come chat with me…?" Turning her gaze, the dark-haired girl glanced towards an oncoming commotion; two girls were holding onto a third girl's arms. By the looks of it, they were restraining her.

Momo found herself drawn to them; curiosity got the best of her once her feet began to move in their direction.

"Excuse me?"

One girl, brown hair that draped down to her shoulders, gasped. "P-Princess Yaoyorozu! I-I'm so sorry for our friend!" She apologized quickly, bowing her head. The other girl followed suit, both nervously forcing the girl in the middle to do the same.

She took a moment to look over them, but the girl in the middle was most intriguing. She had extremely pale skin, much so that it almost made her seem quite sickly, but her hair was bright pink. It looked bouncy and fluffy, wisping every which way that it contrasted against her skin nicely.

"...What's your name?"

The girl in the middle looked up, her bright eyes staring straight into Momo's entire being. It made her feel vulnerable, yet even more curious. "Mina Ashido!" She finally exclaimed, much too loud, causing a few others to glance and murmur amongst themselves.

First it was a giggle. Momo covered her mouth with a hand. "And you two?" She continued, gesturing to the other girls.

They looked up, speaking in turn.

"O-Ochako Uraraka."

"Tsuyu Asui…."

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Well, Ochako, Tsuyu, you have nothing to worry about. Your friend here is no trouble." She smiled, reassuring them that it was alright; after that, they carefully released Mina's arms. "Mina, would you like to have a chat? There's some wine if you'd like."

Mina looked around for a moment, exaggerating her movements before swaying on her tiptoes. "Mmm...can we? That sounds like fun!" She excitedly took Momo's hand in her own, walking with a little skip in her step until they were out on the balcony; it took the princess by surprise how fast she had moved. "Yep! I was right! It's so much better out here than in there with all those stuffy people. But now it's kinda lonely!" She placed her hands on her hips and looked out at the moon, then turned to Momo. "Good thing you let me bring you with!"

Momo looked at her, astonished. No one had ever treated her like this before. It felt...so much better. So much like a real friend and not someone who just wanted you for your assets. "I-is that so?" She asked, brushing herself off from the shock. It took a moment for her to truly relax. "I...agree," she finally stated.

"Right? It's so cool and calm out her!" Mina took Momo's hands in her own again, happily swinging the girl around in a frantic sort of dance. It was sloppy, but soon the latter found herself laughing with glee.

"H-hey, Mina! C-calm down!" Momo scolded between laughs, holding the other girl's hands tight so they didn't separate; she was surprisingly warm, and felt more alive than anyone she had touched before.

Mina chuckled along, spinning and twirling the two of them around the balcony. The cool air sent a shiver down her spine. "Nooope! This is waaaay too fun!"

She kept on going and going until Momo hit her foot against the side of a chair, squealing as she fell against Mina's chest. "A-ah!"

Mina caught her quickly, patting her head as if it had all been planned—as if she were a mother consoling her daughter. "Whoopsie! You okay, Miss Momo?"

The dark-haired girl blushed, quickly pushing herself to her feet. She felt too embarrassed to be embraced by the energetic girl for another second. "Y-yes, I'm alright," she replied slowly, calming her blush. "Thank you…."

"Of course! It's what friends do, silly!" Mina placed a hand on her shoulder, grinning brightly. She really was quite happy-go-lucky, wasn't she?

"F-friends…? Are we friends, Mina?"

The pink-haired girl blinked. "Well...yeah, aren't we? We just had so much fun dancing and playing together! That makes us friends, doesn't it?"

Momo looked at her, bringing her hands to her chest. She clenched them tightly. "Y-you're right, I...I guess it does," she responded, the fondness of her tone becoming obvious.

"Yay! Then let's keep going all night long, okay?" Mina took her hands for the third time that night, catching her by surprise. "Momo, we'll be friends forever and ever, okay?"

Momo blushed, though she felt that statement hurt her a little in a way. "Y-yeah…. Yeah, we'll be friends forever, Mina!"