Chapter 6:

Oh yeah I'm retconning the AwaMomo incident. Katsuki and Ibara are only close to dating but neither of them confessed yet. Also, it now happened before the current arc in "Okay so the thing is, hear me out its-"

"What time is it?" Awase checked his watch while watching Katsuki and Ibara from afar. He was damn sure that Setsuna and Mina would try to sneak on them again to get blackmail pictures. He'll be there to intervene.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? What?!" He looked behind him and saw nobody. Awase then looked downwards and saw Momo. He was not expecting her outside. "I did not expect you to be here. I'm sure as hell I didn't invite you."

"I could use a walk in the park. Besides, it's the weekend, Yosetsu." He was about to tell her that they weren't close enough for him to let her call him his given name. He then remembered that she insisted that he calls her Momo. Awase figured it's only fair that he lets her call him Yosetsu. "Also, weren't you the one to tell me that I need to go out more?"

Awase didn't answer her at first, since he was busy climbing down the tree. "I thought I was just repeating what presumably your friends would have told you already. I swear, you told me to my face that you didn't expect Starducks to be that cheap. It's not that cheap. You just have a warped perception of money."

"In all fairness, you're the first to suggest to me that I need to go out more. Also, forgive me for expecting Starducks to be high quality enough to warrant a higher price. The coffee they make are too sweet, and I would very much prefer tea." Momo responded to the bullshit that came out of his mouth.

"Well forgive me for assuming your definition of going out more is a high class vacation to Fiji and not a walk in the park." He snapped back at her while crossing his arms. This is not something he's willing to lose in.

"I'll have you know that I would very much prefer to have a walk in the park with a dear friend of mine than to be ogled by random snobby bystanders at a beach."

"I don't see Jirou around." Awase was pretty sure Jirou wasn't around right now. He looked around for her right now, so Momo is probably lying.

"I'm referring to you, Yosetsu, not Kyouka." She pointed at him. Momo was not lying. Technically. He was caught off guard. Awase looked away, hiding the redness of his face.

"Remember your self-pact, man. Relationships are hard." The coward told himself before shaking off the feeling. He looked back also witnessing Momo looking away while looking red. "Okay, she definitely likes me for some fucking reason. I got zero redeeming qualities and I insulted her more than once in less than a minute right now."

"Oi, Momo, what the hell are you looking red for? Knock it off." There's no point going around it. He might as well point it out now when there's nobody around. She sighed, not in annoyance. Fuck.

"Well, at least your lack of filter is charming." Oh great now she's flirting with him and it's working. He hates that it's working. "To be blunt, yes, I am flirting with you."

"I figured." Awase buried his face in his palms, not expecting that from Momo. The awkward situation turned worse. Why of all people that it had to be him?!

"You knew?"

"The moment you said 'Hopefully I could live that long' after I said the one hundred years line. I pretended not to notice. Okay, you know what? Why don't we talk this over at that spot?" He pointed at the boat by the lake. It's for public use, and they're better off without anyone hearing what both of them had to say. It was easy to get on the boat, and Awase had some experience in rowing. He made sure they're on the very middle of the lake. "Okay. Yeah. I knew. I had my suspicion at first then you said that line. You are aware that while we're friends, I've been using you as a free wallet whenever we go to Starducks, right?"

"Only in Starducks, and that was our deal beforehand. You've never done that in any other place. Well, there was Mexico, but you did so for a good cause." She tried to reason with him, but he's not having it. He still wonders what she saw. It completely baffles him that she'd like him more than just a friend.

"My counterpoint: I made a mockery of your lineage about ten times now. I also stereotyped you as some snobby rich girl." Awase reminded her of their first meeting together to help Mineta out of a frame job.

"That may be true, but I can merely attribute it to your bluntness and preconceived notions. You yourself admitted that you were wrong about me during our first meeting." Momo refutes his claims. He wondered whether or not Momo actually prepared for a scenario like this one. He slightly leaned back on the boat, but also made sure it won't tip over. The breeze was refreshing right now. "Had you truly been malicious, you would not have done that."

"There's no point in denying when I'm in the wrong. I might as well say I'm wrong when I am wrong to get over it." Awase briefly explained how simple it really is.

"I could not tell if you lack any pride or you keep control of it."

"Hey, there's a difference between me, and those two dorks over there." Awase pointed behind Momo. She turned around to see Katsuki and Ibara struggling to hold each other's hand while sitting on a bench. From what she heard, they have not made any official move yet, turning the confession into a game of pride. The one who does so first is the loser. "You'd think you'd know a lot about your friend, but then Shiozaki does that shit and is actually unironic about it."

"You do have a point."

"More than a point. You like me, but you really don't know that much about me, don't you?" Awase asked Momo. The question itself was quite the revelation for her. What does she know about him other than what he shows her now? "And to be fair, I admit that I do like you too. I was wrong on everything I thought you were before we first met. And... And I think I'd like to see... more of that?"

"Hmm?" Momo was sure that she did not hear him correctly. Awase only realized now that he dug himself into a deeper hole. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh come on, man, don't make me say it tw- okay fuck it. Yeah, I'd like to hang out with you more than just whenever I invite you to Starducks and you invite me to the library. Ya know, go around town and stuff? Like friends?"

"Oh. I see. That is... not really a no?" Momo smiled at him.

"Nope, not yet or even not at all. It's best we get to know each other more before we decide." Awase felt relieved now that he's able to give his side of the story to Momo. He finally smiled back at her.

"It's relieving to kn- What are those two doing?" Momo pointed behind Awase. He turned around to see Setsuna with binoculars while Mina herself was taking pictures. He wasn't sure if she was taking pictures of them or of the totally-not-a-couple sitting on the bench across the lake. Either way, he would have started rowing if it weren't for Momo creating a motor and attaching it to the boat. It sent them full speed ahead at the two, crashing into a bush. Momo summoned a bo staff while she gave steel shields for Awase to attach to himself.

"Thanks for the shields, Momo." Awase said while welding them into his body to use as armour.

"No worries, Yosetsu." Momo prepared her bo staff. Mina and Setsuna immediately held their hands up while surrendering the phone. Awase carefully approached her and took it, noticing too late the sly smile she has on her face. The photo of him and Momo on a boat and smiling at each other with heart filters around. It was already shared all over the media.

"...What have you done." Those were the only words that Awase could muster. Momo approached him and looked at the phone. Her eyes widened in surprise and horror.

*Ding*

"Oh, it seems like I've gotten an update." Ibara pulled out her phone. It was only a week ago that Setsuna introduced her to the social media site known as Chirper. Katsuki himself doesn't have it, but he was curious enough to look over his not-girlfriend's phone. Both of their eyes widened at the same time, witnessing what Mina had done.

"Oh fuck." This is not a favourable position. The two waited five minutes and the tabloids started putting themselves up.

SCANDAL: YAOYOROZU HEIRESS WITH A COMMONER?!

"Jegus. Do these vultures have any fucking standards? It only took five minutes." Katsuki sighed in exasperation. This was not Mina's smartest moments.

"Yes, yes. No, mother, in fact Yosetsu himself turned me down. Wait, why are you surprised?" Momo was too busy talking to her mother on the phone while Mina and Setsuna was busy bowing to the incredibly pissed off Awase. Well, they're not really bowing, he just welded them into the ground. They are still saying sorry nonetheless.

"You fucks. You absolute little FUCKS!" He raised his voice on the last part, causing the two to flinch. He saw Katsuki and Ibara coming over. "Oh hey guys."

"Hey." The both of them said awkwardly.

"Mother, please. Getting them expelled is not the correct decision." Momo continued to argue with her mother on the phone. Hearing the conversation only made Setsuna and Mina panic, which made Awase and Katsuki happy, much to Ibara's annoyance of the situation.

"WAIT! WAIT! WE'RE SORRY!"

"You're only sorry because you're getting caught up in the shitstorm you created. Stop pretending to actually be sorry." Awase stopped their pleading, not wanting to hear any words. "I know how your type of people work."

"I probably shouldn't be the one talking, but assuming how people work rarely fully goes your way." Katsuki told Awase.

"Shiozaki! You're the reasonable one! We're so sorry!" Setsuna pleaded her classmate.

"You have done me no wrong. You have nothing to apologize to me for." Ibara said. Awase and Katsuki would have considered her to be a complete saint if it weren't for her smiling deviously after hearing Setsuna's sigh of relief. "You have to apologize to Yaoyorozu and Yosetsu. It is up to them whether or not they forgive you."

"You sadistic woman." Katsuki grinned at Ibara. "That's just hot."

"It was not!" Ibara looked away with a blushing face. "It was a moment of weakness when I acted mean!"

"Can you two totally-not-dating fuckheads stop flirting for a bit and focus on the situation at hand. Momo is gonna need all the support she can get when those vultures come." He stomped the ground between Mina and Setsuna, causing them to flinch. "No thanks to these two shitheads."

"No, mother, Yosetsu and I are not dating. We cleared things out just before that photograph was shared all over Chirper." Momo continued to listen to her mother. Awase rolled his eyes. She seems way too distressed and frustrated right now. He took the phone out of her hand.

"Hello? Is this-" He called out while Momo was still surprised.

"Who is this?! Give this back to Momo or I will-"

"This is the Yosetsu and you will not interrupt me." Awase cut her off. She cut him off so it's only fair. Momo stopped mid-grab when he said that. Katsuki was close to laughing and Ibara was facepalming.

"How dare-"

"Momo had to earn my respect and I had to earn her's. You haven't earned mine yet, and I don't care how rich you think you are. How about instead of complaining directly to your daughter, you support her and tell her you got some shit planned to handle this and also tell her that everything will be okay? And no, I'm not dating your daughter. We're just friends. Also, you wasted more of my time than you think, so I'm charging you 10 thousand yen." Awase finished up what he had on his mind and handed the phone back to Momo. "Sorry."

"...Hello, mother?" She spoke at a low voice. Then Momo acted surprised. Awase, Katsuki, and Ibara watched with anxiety about what's happening, but it ended with Momo smiling before hanging up her phone. She then slapped Awase in the face. "I'm also so-"

"Nope. Don't apologize. I'm not gonna allow it. I earned that slap." Awase held his hand up and stopped Momo from apologizing. Katsuki was howling with laughter while Ibara shook her head, amused at the sight. "Seeing you smile, what did she say?"

"Well, she does have a plan to handle it, but some of the effort will be done by us. She also called you a 'rude piece of shit'" Momo said while doing air quotes. "But she also appreciated the fact that you went straight to the point and said it as it is, shocked her enough to calm her down, and she will not sue you. That last part was a joke, my mother will not sue anyone over an insult."

"Oh that's nice."

"My mother also said that extremely honest people are rare nowadays." Momo started blushing again while struggling to say the next part. "She said you were a keeper and she 50% approves of you."

"Oh." Awase was fluttered, and he would be lying he said he wasn't happy to hear that. "You really need to have higher standards for guys you'd be willing to date."

"Stop right there. I will be using your methodology against you. I demand that you stop putting yourself down. I choose who I want to associate with. Not my mother or father, not you, not anyone. Only me." She was the one who shushed him this time before he could say more. Katsuki and Ibara was busy trying to get Setsuna and Mina off the ground, but they were distracted by the conversation they were having.

"Huh. I got no words. Well..." Awase paused a bit, wondering if he'll regret what he'll say next. "The cultural festival is coming in a few weeks or month or so. Want to... uh... want to go around school with me during our break times?"

"I would love to." Momo nodded happily and smiled at Awase's invitation. They were about to walk away but stopped as Awase remembered something.

"Oh right. I'm not leaving those two to starve." He snapped his fingers, releasing Mina and Setsuna from the ground. They were both apologizing and begging him to not do that again. He promised not to do it again outside of battle training.

"Headbands and Rich Girl making it look way too easy." Katsuki and Ibara watched the four leave. "That coulda been us if you confessed already."

"Unfortunately, I will not allow such a thing unless you confess first." Ibara lightly argued back.

"No, you do it first." He leaned closer towards her

"No can do, Katsuki." She leaned closer to him. Their lips were almost touching, but the two already backed away, avoiding to look at each other. Against all possible odds, they are still flustered.

"GWAAH!" Mineta rose from the ground between them, shocking them both.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Katsuki almost blew him up. "The hell were you underground for?!"

"Funny story. Remember that tanuki that Awase encountered? Yeah, it kinda had a hole at the back, and I decided to follow it. I was following it for a while now and then I suddenly heard Tokage and Ashido begging for their lives above ground, and then you guys. I kinda just stayed under the entire time and waited for everyone to leave." Mineta took off his goggles and looked around. "Man, that thing really digs far, don't they?"

"Well, it must be a blessing for you to be here, Mineta." Ibara said while still not looking at Katsuki. "Otherwise, the moment would have been awkward."

Mineta stayed quiet, contemplating what he should say next. He already had an idea on why these two are together in the park, but Katsuki might try to kill him if he even says one word. That is, until he was reminded of how he really dies, which means this is nothing to worry about. "So did either of you confess yet?"

"We did not!" They both yelled at him at the same time. It was rare to see Ibara irritated and Katsuki embarrassed.

"Te-he." Mineta said while putting a fist on his temple and sticking out his tongue innocently.

"Don't try to act cute, asshole! Come here!" Katsuki tried to reach for him, but he was already back underground before he could do so.

No New Members Added

Today's Result: Mina and Setsuna's loss

Damage Bills: Depends on how much they have to bribe the paparazzi

Crimes Committed: Stalking, Attempted Assault, Assault, Usage of weapons without permit, Illegal Quirk Usage

Next Incident: Deadline Incident