Welcome to Episode 2 of…
Fridays With The Waifus!
Today's guest is… 2B!
'Why are we here?'
Well, that's quite the question, isn't it? I like to think it's so that—
'No, I mean why are we here, wasting valuable time when I could be working with 3B to improve—'
Because the show must go on!
'...I see.'
W-well… Anyway, ignoring the scary android woman who may be looking at me like an obstacle to her mission now, here's today's questions!
"What is your waifu habitat like?"
"How does it feel to be an android? I mean, do you eat food? Do you have any sexual attraction to anyone you knew from your world?"
"Now that you know that everyone in Izuku's world is human, are you planning on taking a hobby to learn about humanity's culture?"
'I see no reason to answer any of these questions.'
Sigh… 2B, the sooner you answer these questions, the sooner I can wipe your memory of being here and send you back to Izuku.
'I do not believe I heard you properly. My audio-receptors must be damaged. Did you just—'
ANYWAY, it would be great if you could answer the questions for the audience!
'...Very well. There is no point in not answering, I suppose.'
Wonderful!
'My "Waifu Habitat," as this person put it, is a simple white space, with lines segmenting the surroundings to properly display depth.'
That sounds… boring… I can't imagine not filling all that empty space with some color, at least, as well as plenty of things to give me something to do.
'There is no need for such trivialities. When I am not working with 3B, I have no purpose. As such, I sit and wait. Occasionally, the others will visit. Ryoko seems oddly determined to get me to leave and join in her activities, but I see no point in doing so.'
Well, I'm sure something interesting will change that eventually.
'I'm not quite sure what you mean…'
Sorry! Can't do spoilers! Next question time!
'Well, I am unsure how to accurately describe what being an android is like to a human, just as I'm sure you would have a hard time doing the inverse. We are capable of ingesting matter, but receive no nutrients for it. YorHa models also have taste buds due to our efforts to properly simulate Humanity and represent them.'
Fascinating! You all really are interesting! What about the other part of the question?
'I am only vaguely aware of that topic. Command has declared that topic off-limits to most units, declaring that it would impair our efficiency if we were to learn.'
Huh. Well, I guess those parts of the fanbase aren't really thinking things through… Then again, that's kind of par for the course.
'I'm not sure what you mean...'
Don't worry about it! We're running low on time, so I'd like to get to the last question if you don't mind!
'A hobby… I see no reason for such a thing.'
Really? Even though it could help you learn about humanity?
'I… do not think that is appropriate for someone of my station. It is not my place to emulate Humanity to such a degree.'
Are you sure? You yourself said that YorHa designed you all to represent humanity…
'...I will consider it.'
I'm glad to hear that! Now, that's all the time we have for today, so I'll end things here. I'll see you all next week, folks!
Now… On with the show!
"What are you doing?"
"I'm heading out," Shoto declared matter-of-factly.
Slung over his shoulder was an insulated bag, with his coat dangling from his other hand.
"What are you saying, boy?" Endeavor asked, demanding clarification with his heavy tone.
"Exactly what I said," the teen replied tersely as he slipped his shoes on.
"You've never been this transparent about your… excursions… in the past," the man stated, suspicion dripping from his voice. "Will you be returning, or will I need to send one of my colleagues to test you?"
"Don't bother. I'll be back," Shoto stated as he stood back up.
"Hmm…" Endeavor rumbled.
After a tense moment, the man stalked off without any further questions.
Sighing in relief, Shoto stepped out of his traditional home and set to walking.
He had a training session to attend with his new acquaintance. There was no way he was going to miss this because his father was being his usual self.
Training with Izuku was an important part of his new schedule. It was a useful test of his abilities and… if he was honest… It was almost kind of fun.
Maybe even fun enough to distract him from everything else.
Izuku carefully tip-toed forward, head on a swivel as she constantly checked the room around her. Wary for traps, she slipped past the icy opening that led to the next area, making sure to make as little sound as possible.
'Now she's entering the second room, ladies and gentlemen!' Ryoko declared in her best 'radio' voice. 'What will she discover there, I wonder? A trap? A challenge? Who knows?!'
Ignoring the mental interruption, Izuku made her way across the long rectangular area, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, with the way that the entire structure was made of ice… it was rather difficult to see anything that stood out.
...Crack!
'Looks like it's a trap!'
The currently blue-haired girl burst into motion, charging forward as ice spikes shot from the walls, seemingly activated by the thin ice she'd broken with her weight. The thing was meant to symbolize a pressure plate, though it didn't actually function as one.
Dodging what she could, and using Ryoko's intangibility for most of those she couldn't, Izuku made it to the other end of the hallway within moments. She still wasn't quite perfect at using Ryoko's abilities, however, so a few bruises were already forming. Using Ryoko's energy to destroy what she couldn't dodge or phase through had occurred to her, but the blue-haired girl wasn't quite up to the task of using both abilities at the same time quite yet.
Izuku paused at the entrance to the next room, breathing a bit harder from the energy drain of using Ryoko's intangibility so many times in a brief period.
'Our challenger, the adorable little sister of your amazing announcer, is already getting winded, folks! Will she manage to clear the rest of the—'
Ryoko… Could you… Not…? Please? I'm trying to focus.
'The show must go on, Izu-chan!' the girl denied.
Sighing with a fond type of exasperation, Izuku did her best to tune out the spirit as she stepped into the next room.
It was a large circular room, with flat icy walls and a central upraised portion—upon which stood a blue pedestal. Sitting on the podium was a… bowl of soba? The thing looked freshly made, but it was also probably frozen if the frost rimming the container was any indicator.
Stalking forward warily, Izuku approached the cold meal.
'Here it is! The objective! The 'Mystic Bowl' of legend! Carried within it is the mysterious 'soba' that Izu-chan still hasn't let me try!'
I just haven't eaten it while you're around, Ryoko...
Once she reached it, Izuku tilted from side to side, examining the thing and looking around to see if there were any visible traps. The temporary-girl even phased her head partway into the icy podium to look for an internal mechanism. While, normally, she couldn't see anything when her head was slipping into an object, if there was a hollow cavity…? Well, that changed things. In this case, it would mean there was some kind of hidden function.
After a detailed examination, she decided that it was, in fact, not trapped.
Cautious out of habit, Izuku slowly reached toward the bowl, firmly grasping it with her dainty fingers and—
Snap!
—Accidentally breaking the incredibly thin string-like formation of ice that extended from the surface of the soba into the ceiling.
'Ooh… That's not good.' Ryoko commented
A loud rumbling echoed around her and she immediately started running back toward the entrance. As she charged, the ice beneath her feet began to crumble into chunks, collapsing into a massive pit too quickly for her to avoid.
Izuku struggled to regain control mid-air, but nothing she could do would—
Crunch!
She hit the ground below painfully, an audible cracking sound echoing from the bowl in her hands. The shards dug into her stomach painfully, bringing about a similar sensation to her injuries at the power plant. This time, it was oddly… muted… in comparison.
It still hurt like hell though.
'Nooooo! The Mystic Bowl of Legend!' Ryoko cried.
Sitting up with a wince, Izuku gingerly examined her wounds.
I-I'm a little more worried about the shards of glass sticking out of me, Ryoko!
'Oh, suck it up you big baby! Just pull 'em out and it'll heal in a few seconds. Everyone knows that!' Ryoko declared confidently.
That's not how that works! Who told you that?!
'Nobody did…? I just know from experience,' the girl replied, her confusion audible. 'Although I never really understood why people scream so much when they lose fingers or limbs. They're so easy to grow back!'
...Ryoko. People can't grow those back!
'...Oh.'
Yes, 'oh!' Why would you think that people can do that?!
'Because I can…?' Ryoko replied hesitantly.
Oh.
'Yes, 'oh,'' Ryoko mirrored smugly. 'I'm just that awesome! Now, get on with it!'
Eyes watering a bit, Izuku finally began to remove the shards. To her amazement, the jagged cuts began to close in seconds, familiar orange energy filling the openings in moments and disappearing to reveal unmarred flesh.
Once all the glass pieces were removed, Izuku blinked drowsily.
Regeneration like that was clearly quite energy intensive, and she could already tell that she was running low on fuel. Letting out a yawn, Izuku spoke to the spirit.
Thanks for that, Ryoko…
'Of course, little sis! Big sisters look out for their siblings!' Ryoko declared.
With that, a familiar red light overtook Izuku, and the transformation came to an end.
"I'll never get used to seeing that."
Spinning around, Izuku turned to see the bi-colored teen standing a few meters away.
The room they were in was covered in ice shards from Izuku's fall, but had an actual dirt floor, marking it as the bottom of the giant structure that Shoto had created. The boy himself was standing there, a bowl made of ice containing another serving of soba that he was nonchalantly slurping between words.
"Um… What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
"Your quirk is weird," the other boy stated by way of explanation.
"Ohhh…" Izuku trailed off in understanding. "Yeah… It really is."
The two remained in silence, staring at each other awkwardly for several long moments. Neither of them were the best conversationalists…
The twin-toned teen slurped some more noodles.
"So, are we done for today?" Shoto queried, after he finished his bite.
"I, uh… Yeah, I think so," Izuku confirmed. "I still can't do another transformation so soon after the first one ends."
The only response was a cold stare… and some more noodles.
It was almost impressive how awkward it was to interact with him.
"Very well," the other boy finally agreed, an oddly hopeful note slipping into his next few words. "I'll see you… next time…?"
"Yeah," Izuku nodded.
The twin-toned teen paused for another awkward moment, his continuous stare quite piercing, then gave a nod of his own. From there, he walked away while continuing to ingest his meal, the wall of the icy room opening up into a doorway to the rest of the deserted lot as he approached it.
Sighing, Izuku stood up after a moment and walked out as well.
This is my life now...
It was hard to describe the relationship he had with Shoto. Given their first interaction, it would have been easy to assume for most people that Izuku would have run away and never come back to the mostly vacant lot as soon as he woke up. Of course, the green-haired teen wasn't exactly… normal.
Neither was the ice-wielding teen that had so violently assaulted him, really.
Izuku still had no idea what the boy was thinking when he'd attacked—he could really only make wild suppositions given what Shoto was shouting at the time—nor did he even know the other boy's full name. The teen hadn't offered and Izuku hadn't asked. Their awkward friendship—
Wait… were they friends? Huh. Izuku finally had a male friend again. It was the first time since he and Bakugo had… drifted apart in elementary school.
Anyway, their tentative friendship seemed reliant on the fact that neither of them pried about personal information. Shoto didn't know his full name either, so they were even in that, but it still seemed odd.
Currently, they met once—maybe twice—a week after school to train together. For personal—and therefore off-limits for discussion—reasons Shoto couldn't show up any more than that. Usually, they would do something similar to what they'd just done, Izuku practicing using one of his forms inside an obstacle course that Shoto devised.
It was obvious how these courses helped Izuku, but it was still quite useful for the other boy even if it wasn't as immediately apparent. Creating such large structures helped Shoto practice on sheer quantity, while managing the traps improved his control. He could only make them so intricate before the ice lost cohesion, so he often needed to fake it—like with the pressure plate—but it had the same result as being an actual device, so it didn't really matter.
Of course, there was only so much that Izuku could work on with the other teen around.
Testing the hero costumes he'd devised was straight out, for example, as was training with any support items that were memorable—which only amounted to Baiken's grappling hook currently, but Izuku expected that number to change eventually.
So, to circumvent the issue, Izuku had also checked out the other options he'd researched for training locations.
The place in Naruhata was, unfortunately, a bit too public to be useful, but the location in Esuha worked wonderfully. It was an abandoned apartment building, slated for demolition at some point but caught in a legal battle that had been in a stalemate for years now. Meaning, it would probably be around for a few more years at least.
The building was massive, around ten stories, and had dozens of rooms. More importantly, because of the shoddy construction that led to the legal battle in the first place, several floors had collapsed, creating pockets of larger space to work within. It was the perfect place for Izuku to push himself on his own… Except for the time it took to get there.
It wasn't as bad as Naruhata, which was three hours one way, but it was still two hours from home and only slightly shorter from school. There was a train station nearby though, so there was that at least.
Because of the time it took to get there, Izuku was only able to get there once or twice a week. Which, when combined with his training sessions with Shoto, meant that he was training three out of seven days on average… but it still wasn't enough in his mind.
To make matters worse, Izuku had a major roadblock throttling his progress.
He simply could not manage to train more than one form a day. Once he was exhausted and the inevitable flash of red light appeared, whether he was ready or not, he was back to normal until he slept. This greatly slowed his progress, as you would expect.
Though, with the discovery of this problem Izuku had gained a better understanding of the watch. He already knew that the duration of time he could stay transformed was dependent on how much 'energy' he had, and that using the girls' varied abilities expended that energy rather quickly… but what he hadn't realized until now was that the amount of energy he had while transformed was not based on how much energy the girls' had themselves…
It was based on how much he had before using the watch.
Being quirkless on his own, Izuku not only didn't have an outlet to use his energy, he also didn't have the conventional methods to increase his reserves—training one's quirk being the best way to achieve this—but he still had energy. Without it, assuming Hinata was correct, he wouldn't even be alive… much less using the watch.
Thankfully, there was a work around to this: training as Izuku, not as any of the spirits.
Improving his own stamina directly affected the amount of energy he had to power the watch, presumably leading to him being able to shorten the cooldown time between uses. So, whenever he wasn't trudging through Shoto's ice-courses or working on mastering the skills and unique abilities of the girls… Izuku was jogging.
Weight-training, besides requiring a gym membership or for him to give up valuable time to make the equipment himself, would probably be a healthy option—but it wouldn't give the stamina results he needed as quickly as required…
So he jogged… and sprinted, too.
A lot.
As expected… Izuku had terrible cardio, so the experience was horrible. Usually, he was drenched in sweat and ready to keel over from just going to school on foot this way, but he kept at it. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to prove it improved cooldown time until he could transform twice in a day, but there was some effect for how long his transformations lasted, so that was good.
All in all, in spite of the unexpected obstacles, Izuku felt like he was making good progress through his efforts.
Wielding Ryoko's intangibility, as well as her energy blasts and Star-Saber was getting easier and easier; using Rias' Flower of Destruction was… a straining test in control and energy-efficiency, but one he was still working at. Her powers were definitely the most draining to use, since the amount of energy required for basic activation pushed him to the limit quite consistently, and the mental focus required to keep it under control heavily limited the scale he could use the power on. The mass display of destruction from his fight with Shoto was years away at his current pace, assuming he wanted to be controlling the energy instead of it controlling him, anyway.
Hinata's Byakugan and general Shinobi techniques were definitely improving steadily, though she was focusing more on getting him to think tactically and use her relatively simple abilities to their fullest. Unlike Ryoko and Rias, her abilities weren't inherently powerful, per se. Instead they were incredibly useful. Using them intelligently came before trying to improve their raw efficacy.
Baiken's sword-techniques and grappling hook skills were the hardest to work on. Given that Izuku needed to adapt the pink-haired body's instincts to the fact that there were still two arms and eyes to be relied upon, it would be a while before he could start trying to use and master the woman's special attacks.
2B's own unique sword skills were coming along nicely—though in her case Izuku was hindered by the fact that the white-haired woman's techniques were reliant on using two blades in concert. On top of that, Izuku was more focused on her unique android abilities because of their raw potential. It was quite the unique sensation to connect wirelessly to modern tech.
Izuku still hadn't managed to do anything with that connection, since he no doubt needed a deeper understanding of the hardware and software involved, but it was something.
Overall, it was fascinating learning about the spirits' varied powers and abilities. What struck him the most in this process, though, was the absurd difference in competence present between him and the girls. He often felt like someone who'd only ever driven a scooter trying to drive a formula one race car at top speed while the actual pro was shouting advice over a radio. Even if their bodies came with their instincts—to a point—like how cars come with various mirrors and assorted helpful features, he was still the one in control… so in the end it came down to Izuku's ability to 'drive' them properly.
'The quality of the swordsman, not the blade,' as Baiken mentioned in passing while the green-haired boy was training.
The only thing the green-haired boy was missing in his training routine was actual combat experience, since he didn't have a partner to spar with. However, his nightly patrols granted ample opportunity to fight average criminals and the occasional F-rank villain. It was fantastically helpful, even if he didn't manage to catch all of them. Thankfully, though, he'd yet to have another slip up as embarrassing as the one against the paper villain.
So far, he'd fought three more F-ranks beyond the hair-whip woman and the paper-person. Despite all his patrols, Izuku had yet to run into an E-rank villain. No one he'd fought compared to Tesla in danger level, which was something of a relief, really.
But… Izuku knew that day would come.
...Eventually.
Progress.
It was satisfying as hell.
Bakugo, of all people, was intimately familiar with the feeling. Pushing further and further ahead of your 'peers' and getting closer to your goals was cathartic beyond all reason. The feeling was comparable to the rush of adrenaline and other biological chemicals that made him enjoy fighting as much as he did.
Which is why it was incredibly frustrating when progress was denied to him.
Despite all his effort, Bakugo seemed incapable of using One For All as he desired. Flipping it on and off with ease felt impossibly beyond him in a way he'd never felt before, and it was driving him crazy.
Even with more focus on the drill, now that he wasn't being constantly taunted by imagined visions of That Bitch, the supposedly simple task was out of reach.
No matter what he did, he just could not do it.
"Is something bothering you, young Bakugo?"
Twitching in annoyance, Bakugo whirled to face his mentor.
"No shit something's bothering me!" he shouted. "I'm still stuck on this crap and we're already midway through the semester!"
"Hmm…" All Might pondered. "Perhaps we should try this another way."
The man crouched in place, his gangly form somehow supporting his weight without difficulty. Using his spindly finger, he drew a smiley face with almost rabbit-ear-like hair and another with angry eyes in place of a smile along with spiky-hair.
"As you can see, this—" he pointed to the first drawing "—is me."
His finger shifted to the other image.
"And this is you."
Bakugo watched carefully, waiting for the moment that this explanation would actually mean something.
"I've been using One For All for years, and it came easily to me from the beginning because I was lucky enough to have the right body to handle it all from the start," he explained, adding a wider grin to his sandy imitation.
"No shit," Bakugo muttered.
That little comment earned him a quiet sigh from the older man, but he continued anyway.
"You, on the other hand, have only had the quirk for a few months. Besides that, you have a different body type, one less inherently suited to the power. Even worse, One For All has gotten even stronger than it was when I received it; simply from the years of use it's undergone, making things even more difficult."
"...Is there a point to stating the obvious?" Bakugo growled.
The man raised a hand and flicked Bakugo on the forehead lightly.
"If you'd let me finish, young man…"
The blonde rubbed his now reddened skin idly as he restrained the urge to throttle the older man. He wouldn't be able to pull it off, as much as he hated to admit it, and it would just waste this chance to learn something.
"As I was saying," All Might continued. "You can't rush these things. Sometimes you need to let things settle properly. It's quite possible that you won't be able to master this particular trick before you get into U.A."
Instantly, Bakugo was on his feet, protest ready to—
"But since I know you won't be satisfied with that answer…" the man interjected before Bakugo could say anything. "I've thought of something else for you to work on for a bit."
"You think I'm going to give up on this because you're waving a shiny new toy in my face?" Bakugo exclaimed. "Hell no!"
Before he could even begin to react, the blonde had received another forehead flick.
"OW!" he cried. "How the fuck are you doing that so damn fast?! You're practically crippled in this form!"
All Might grinned and ignored the boy.
"I'm not suggesting you give up on activating and disabling One For All at will with the exact percentage you desire, nor am I suggesting you cease training that skill either, young man!" the older man declared. "I'm simply offering a different challenge for you to work on for a little while!" he stated.
Bakugo merely glared in reply.
"Who knows? Maybe working on something else will lead to a breakthrough?"
Bakugo kept glaring.
"...I'm not apologizing, young Bakugo. You earned those flicks," the man nodded sagely.
"Screw you! I didn't want an apology!" the blonde denied, looking away with a scowl. "I'm just waiting for you to get on with your explanation, old man!"
"Oh, of course. My apologies. How silly of me to assume that was the case," All Might laughed, though a bit of sarcasm slipped into his expression.
Fuck off you old fart!
"Well, what I'm suggesting is that you tackle a very important question. A question, that once answered, will decide the course of your future as a hero and whether you'll ever be capable of properly surpassing me…" the man continued.
Bakugo's irritation was forcefully shunted to the side, his ambition shoving it into a box so that he could focus all of his attention on his mentor's next statement.
"How will you wield One For All with your Explosions?"
With a yawn, Izuku slumped into his seat.
It was a constant battle to stay awake for school, these days. With all the vigilante work he was doing on the side, combined with getting assignments done and working with Agoyamato, his sleep schedule was reminiscent of when he was cramming to catch up to his support-relevant classes before summer. Not to mention that the second semester's midterms were happening soon, and the Advanced Math class he was taking to prepare for U.A's Support course would be having a practice exam tomorrow.
...I think my blood type is coffee now.
Izuku let his forehead rest on the cool laminate with a quiet 'thud,' waiting for the school day to start so that he could have something to keep him awake. Thankfully, his homeroom teacher didn't have a monotone voice, but that was really just a small mercy at this point.
Just before the bell rang, a familiar blonde slipped into the room, finding his assigned seat near Izuku. The cloth bag for his bokken was hanging from Bakugo's shoulder, taunting the green-haired teen with its proximity. It was so close, yet impossibly far.
For training's sake, he'd been making do with pipes and vaguely sword-shaped objects, but nothing beat a proper practice blade… especially one as sturdy and well-balanced as the one Izuku had splurged far too much of his allowance on. He still needed to make or find another, larger, blade to act as 2B's secondary weapon, too...
Sighing, he scratched the back of his head and leaned away from the other boy, resting his chin on his hand as he looked out the window.
It was a wonder that he was awake, honestly. He'd stayed up far too late last night working on fine-tuning Baiken's hook—its recall time was a bit inconsistent—and he was operating on something close to three hours of sleep. That… wasn't his best idea.
Despite his exhaustion, he felt a light smile appearing on his face.
All of this was just… so much fun! Making support gear, practicing with the girls, analyzing their 'quirks' and devising new ways to use them… All of this so that he could bring smiles to people's faces, saving people from danger—no matter how big or small… It really was a dream come true for the freckled teen. He couldn't even find it in himself to care that he was doing this all illegally.
Suddenly, a piece of chalk smacked into his face, yanking him from his thoughts with shock.
"Daydream about your girlfriend later, Midoriya," the teacher declared, earning him a few cheap laughs from the class.
"I don't have a girlfriend…" Izuku muttered under his breath.
Bakugo was leaning back in his chair, also visibly not paying any attention, but no one seemed to care about him...
"Now that you're all paying attention," Mr. Orudera began, "I can get on to the announcement I have for you all."
Most of the class sat up a bit at that, though some clearly still didn't care.
"You all know that midterms are happening soon, I'm sure—"
Pretty much everyone groaned at that reminder.
"Yeah, yeah, suck it up," the man continued. "I've got good news for you, so bear with me here."
He paused, waiting for any other interruptions.
"The faculty got together with a few other junior highschools to change up how we do this year's school festival. We'll be pooling our student bodies together this year to create a mega-festival," he explained. He paused, glancing around warily before facing the class again with a conspiratorial grin.
"...Don't tell anyone I told you this, but we're having money problems, so we're making this huge event so we can generate some revenue."
The teacher coughed, clearing his throat awkwardly for a moment, before continuing.
"Anyway, instead of creating events based on what class you're in, you'll be partnered with other people from different schools based on what club you're in. For example, all the music clubs are getting lumped together to make a big concert."
Hmm… I wonder what we're going to do with the costuming club…?
"For those of you who aren't in clubs, you'll just have the day off from classes so you can attend," the man continued. "Currently, we're aiming for mid-November, even though that's later than the normal date, because we expect that making something this big will complicate preparations a lot."*
Murmurs of interest spread throughout the class. Ranging from people excited about the idea, apprehensive over it, horrified at the time-investment, or utterly ambivalent altogether.
"Aht!" the man interjected before the muttering could get too disruptive. "I'm almost done."
Everyone quieted down again.
"Because of this schedule, you should have nothing to distract you from last-minute preparation for your midterms, which are at the end of the week. After that, you'll be expected to get together with your joint-clubs to start preparing for the festival—giving you at least a couple weeks to work together. All the clubs are required to do something for the event, no exceptions."
The man waited a moment, ready to head off any protest, and then continued to his final statement.
"Alright! That's everything! Time to start the day."
…
Sleep is g-r-e-a-t…
There's nothing quite like relaxing completely, drifting off into the realm of—
"Midoriya…!"
—unconsciousness. It's a unique feeling, completely—
"Midoriya!"
—unlike any other. Ironically, it gets even better the longer you go without—
"MIDORIYA!"
Gah!
Izuku shot up in his chair, drool sticking to the faux wood surface as he banged his knee against the underside of his school desk.
"Ow…!" he groaned, tensely lowering his leg back to the floor.
Oh no! I feel asleep! It's… Advanced Math right now, given that I was just woken up by Mr. Mura...
"What's with you today, Midoriya? You've never slept in my class before..." his teacher wondered aloud, smacking a thin packet of paper onto Izuku's desk.
Glancing up, green eyes met flaky brown in confusion.
"Uh... Sir…? What's this?" he asked, gesturing at the sheets in front of him.
The man's hand rose to his own face, fingers pushing up his reading glasses as he massaged the bridge of his nose in clear frustration.
"Your practice exam for my class, Midoriya. The ones that I've been reminding everyone about for the past two weeks after I went out of my way to make a second version of the test to prepare you all.
You've only got a few more days before the real thing, so I thought I'd help give you all an idea of what weaknesses you should shore up with the time you have left," the teacher explained. "Since I'm sure you've been studying, this should give you some peace of mind that the tests aren't too difficult… As long as you've prepared."
That's today?!
Izuku chuckled nervously.
"Right… Yeah… I remember now," the freckled boy mumbled sheepishly.
The man narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but moved on a moment later, passing out the remainder of the stack in his arms. As soon as the attention was off him, Izuku's gaze slipped to the papers in front of him, a nervous twitch developing as he stared.
I've… studied enough. Right…?
His thoughts drifted to all the time he'd spent on… extracurricular activities… lately.
...Right?
…
It was an even more exhausted Midoriya Izuku that walked away from the classroom at the end of the day. Ambling through the halls like a zombie, he tried not to think about how poorly he'd just done on his practice exam.
I… probably passed it… I think. Maybe… Though I was guessing... A lot.
The green-haired teen turned the corner, narrowly avoiding smashing into another student, and continued walking.
...I really need to study…
A few minutes later, Izuku was at his destination: the Costuming Club. Honestly, he would have preferred to just go home and get to cramming, but there was a scheduled meeting today—rather than a casual meetup—so he couldn't really miss it.
Yawning, Izuku pushed open the door—
"Midoriya! Good, you're here!" Agoyamato said with uncharacteristic excitement.
Instantly, Izuku was pulled into the tiny club-room, which was covered in loose notes and documents, excepting a small area near Togeike's stool. The girl herself was sitting upon it, head in her hands as she groaned in annoyance.
"Could you use your quirk?" Agoyamato asked rapidly, already shuffling through the various documents. Somehow, he ducked under the table and managed to fit his brawny form there—searching the bins he kept various tools and fabrics for… something.
"Wait, what?" Izuku said, startled by the sudden request.
"Your quirk!" the tall boy 'clarified,' head still below his work desk.
Togeike let out a loud, put-upon, sigh, before interjecting: "For god's sake, slow down, Tsutsutaka!"
"Hm?"
The pompadoured teen popped his head up, glancing at the girl, then Izuku, and back again.
"Oh! Apologies! I didn't explain, did I?"
Izuku shook his head in confirmation.
"Right! Well… Hm… How to put this…?" the boy continued.
Agoyamato proceeded to lightly stroke the end of his oversized chin, clearly lost in thought.
"You're hopeless," Togeike chimed in. "It's not hard! Just explain the Festival!"
"But—"
"But nothing!" the girl denied. "Ah, screw it. I'll explain for you."
The girl turned on her stool suddenly, the seat literally rotating in place to accommodate, and faced a rather bewildered Izuku.
"You've heard about the Joint Festival, right?" she asked.
"Er, yeah… We're supposed to work with other clubs similar to us to create some kind of event," Izuku replied.
"Exactly," Togeike nodded, then proceeded to lean backward a bit and gesture at Agoyamato lazily. "This guy, though, has already gotten it in his head that we're doing a 'fashion pageant' instead of just a simple design showcase with dummies."
The girl paused for a moment, the sound of Agoyamato rustling through drawers filling the room.
"...So he somehow managed to get in contact with the other clubs involved before we even officially meet next week to convince them of the idea," she finished.
"And they agreed!" the tall boy interrupted, finally coming up for air away from his desk. "We're officially doing a pageant! Each club is going to submit a model, wearing designs they worked together to make, and compete to see which club's display the crowd likes the most!"
Togeike groaned again, facepalming on the side.
"As you can see, he's been a ball of energy and excitement ever since—"
Agoyamato gripped Izuku by the shoulders suddenly, rattling the boy with his good cheer and started holding up dozens of different designs and patterns to Izuku's face.
"I've got so many ideas already!" he declared. "You're the perfect model, as well! I can try so many different styles before we decide on anything!"
"M-me…?" Izuku stuttered in surprise. "Why does it have to be me?! What about Togeike!"
"Hey! Don't volunteer me!" the girl exclaimed irritably. "I'm not getting in front of that many people!"
"Er… Then what about you, Agoyamato?" Izuku asked desperately.
The boy stood up straight, a mildly serious expression slipping onto his hard features.
"I do believe I've already told you…" he began.
"You don't work on men's clothes.../I don't design men's clothing," they said simultaneously, then paused briefly once they realized what happened.
"Furthermore, I have yet to request that you model any of my designs, despite that being our agreement…" the boy continued leadingly.
A moment later, Izuku drooped in morbid realization.
"R-right… I'm not getting out of this, am I…?" he wondered aloud.
"Nope!" Togeike cheerfully agreed.
The boy let out a dismayed groan, rubbing the bridge of his nose as part of the motion.
"...Fine. I did agree before..." he finally said. "B-but nothing too out there… please…?"
Agoyamato didn't respond, his nose buried in the different papers he had in hand, while Togeike giggled at Izuku's request.
Izuku let out one final sigh, then went to activate the watch.
…
Despite the initial idea of Izuku exchanging the occasional modeling for Agoyamato's tutelage, the taller boy hadn't actually demanded anything of Izuku since he'd measured Izuku's 'Ryoko-form,' as he'd mentioned just now.
Apparently, it was because the teen had gotten distracted with other projects, but his reasoning wasn't too important. What did matter was that this meant the Fashion Club hadn't seen any of Izuku's other transformations…
"Ow," Izuku said in perfect monotone. She'd found that 2B's natural tone is what she'd fall back on if she was reacting or speaking without much thought. Unlike Baiken's inescapable speech-patterns, however, Izuku could easily press past it. When she continued, her voice had a far more human sound to it. "Would you stop that?"
Togeike leaned back, pulling her hands away from Izuku's slightly reddened cheek and folding her arms in front of her. The girl had been poking and prodding Izuku's '2B' form for the past several minutes, getting measurements in between muttered curses.
"What the hell is with your quirk?!" the girl exclaimed. "No boy should look this good as a girl!"
Izuku stared blankly back at her.
"...Sorry…?"
Togeike shifted her weight to her back foot, placing a hand on her hip as she frowned at the temporary-girl. Either she didn't hear Izuku's confused and unsure apology, or she chose to ignore it.
"I mean look at you!" the girl exclaimed in frustration, gesturing at different parts of Izuku's body. "Your face looks ripped from a fashion magazine, your bust is a perfect medium, your legs are made for walking down a run-way, and…"
She suddenly smacked Izuku's rear, getting an effeminate "Eep!" from the white-haired girl—who, after processing what just happened, stared at the shorter girl with an utterly scandalized expression.
"Your butt is ridiculous!" Togeike complained. "Seriously, what the hell is with you?! Can you even get through doorways with hips like that?!"
"I-I-I…" Izuku stuttered, completely out of her depth.
"Is this girl's processor functioning properly? My form is optimized for combat, leading to greater leg and buttock synth-muscle so as to handle long-distance running and effective dodging. Despite this priority, there is not a single wasted bit of space, and having musculature so large as to be unable to fit through various spaces would be a horrible design flaw," 2B interrupted, dumping a logical explanation verbally.
"Hmm… Something about this one is just… not quite right," Agoyamato declared, halting Togeike before she could continue her rant.
"What are you talking about?" the brunette asked, turning to face the burly boy.
"It's just… not it," the teen stated, clarifying by not being any clearer.
"W-what do you mean…?" Izuku added, her face still red.
"How can I put this…?" Agoyamato trailed off. "Something here just… isn't right. I'm getting some ideas on what I could make for you with this look, but… Nothing that's good enough to win."
"I-Is it possible you're underselling your ideas?" Izuku asked. "Your designs are really good…"
The taller teen didn't respond, stroking his chin with his eyes closed, deep in thought.
"...Ugh. He's going full perfectionist on us…" Togeike commented.
The girl grabbed her bag and went to leave the room, patting Izuku's shoulder commiseratingly.
"Good luck," she said. "You're gonna be stuck here for hours."
Togeike opened the door and stepped out, leaving one final comment before letting the thing shut behind her.
"You two don't really need me right now, and I've got better things to do," she explained with a jaunty wave. "Toodles!"
Izuku stared at the door in silence for a few moments, blinking in astonishment.
Did she really just leave early?
"I do not detect any hardware or software failures with your optical sensors, 3B," the white-haired woman declared.
I… That's not what I…
The girl let it go with a sigh.
Don't worry about it.
"Hmm…" Agoyamato, well, hummed as he continued to think. After a moment, his eyes shot open in realization. "Ah! You have yet more forms, assuming I remember properly...?"
"Er… me?" Izuku said, admittedly somewhat dumbly. "Oh, right, of course you meant me… Who else would you be talking about?"
Togeike really threw me off, huh…?
The freckled girl chuckled awkwardly.
"Um… Yes... I do have—" the currently white-haired girl began, cutting herself off just as quickly.
Dangit! I'm trying not to let people find out more about my quirk! He wasn't even sure I had more than this, but now I've confirmed it...
"Wonderful!" Agoyamato expressed. "Can you show me the others? Perhaps one of them will better stimulate my Muse!"
"Well, actually, I'm limited to one per—"
The door burst open, narrowly missing the two, and a familiar spiky-haired blonde made himself known with a shout.
"Midoriya!" he barked.
Bakugo glanced around for a moment, scanning the room rapidly, then growled.
"That pig-tailed bitch said he was here!"
"You mean Togeike?" Agoyamato asked calmly.
"Whatever!" Bakugo exclaimed, obviously not caring what the girl's name was. "She said that Midoriya was in the fashion club, but obviously, he ain't here."
"Well actually—"
Izuku lunged, putting her pale hand over Agayamto's mouth before he could continue speaking.
OhmygodIforgottotellthemtokeepmyquirkasecret!
"What was that, 3B? I didn't quite catch what—"
Bakugo's angry gaze swiveled to the white-haired girl, his eyes narrowing in focus.
"How do you know Deku?" he demanded. "And why are you hiding him?"
"Uh…" Izuku stumbled. "We're… friends…?"
The blonde continued staring, clearly expecting an answer to his other question. When nothing followed in spite of his minimal efforts, he snorted in annoyance and turned around—shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Fuck it. None of my business if the dweeb finally managed to get some friends," the boy declared. "Just tell him that Mr. Mura wants to see him. Now."
The boy began to walk off, leaving the—
"Oh, and tell him this too…" the boy said suddenly, turning to peer over his own shoulder. "We need to talk."
With that, the blonde stalked off.
Izuku stood there, waiting for several long seconds, before letting out a sigh of relief. Closing the door quickly, she turned to face Agoyamato.
"Er, sorry about that," she began. "I forgot to tell you guys, but I really don't want my quirk becoming public knowledge… especially when it comes to Bakugo."
"I… see…" the tall boy said. "I suppose we'll need to enter you in the pageant under a fake name, then."
The freckled girl blinked at that, letting out a brief laugh.
"Yeah... I guess so!"
…
I wonder what Mr. Mura wants…?
"Most likely to inform you of an assignment, or some form of mission if my experiences are accurate to your situation, 3B," 2B suggested. "I would be more concerned about Bakugo Katsuki's 'talk,' however. He is far more of a potential threat than your school teacher."
You're… not wrong… But… Bakugo's been weird lately. I'm not really sure he's a 'threat' anymore.
Izuku casually side-stepped a student rushing through the hallways, 2B's grace making the motion effortless as she continued walking.
"That is a risky assumption to make, 3B. What information have you gained that supports that idea?" the white-haired woman in Izuku's head asked.
I don't really know why, but he hasn't insulted or belittled me since… before summer, really. Not anything notable, at least. If I didn't know better, I'd think he's avoiding me, honestly. Last semester, I'd be lucky to go a few days without him bullying me. Now? The closest he's gotten was threatening me so he could get into a fight with 'Baiken.'
"...While that is noteworthy information, it is not enough to dismiss him as a threat," 2B denied.
Instead of responding, Izuku reached forward and pulled open the door to her math teacher's office. Stepping inside, she turned to face the man at the desk and spoke:
"You asked for me—"
Oh no…
In that instant, the freckled girl finally remembered something really important…
I didn't change back!
"I don't know who you are, young lady, but I'm quite sure I'm only expecting a distinctly male student from my class," the familiar teacher replied, looking at her with a raised brow. "I bumped into that young blonde fellow and sent him after another student in his grade… not you."
"Er… I'll just… Go—"
Izuku rapidly turned around and yanked the door open, stepping out and closing it behind—
"Wait!" the man ordered. "Get back in here, missy!"
...So close…!
Sighing, Izuku returned to the office—white bangs shading her eyes as she stared at the floor.
"...Yes?" she asked, 2B's monotone leaking into her voice.
"Now, correct me if I'm wrong," the man began, standing up from his desk and cracking his back. "But students aren't in the habit of barging in on teachers after school, acting oddly for no reason… So… Who are you, and why did you come in?"
"...Midoriya Izuku," the freckled girl mumbled.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? It almost sounded like you said the name of a completely different student!" the man exclaimed.
"It's… probably in the school's medical records," Izuku explained reluctantly. "I developed a quirk over the summer."
It was standard practice for schools to have documentation about their students' quirks, they were somewhat liable if the students got into trouble, after all...
"Really?" Mr. Mura asked sarcastically. "Pull the other one, missy."
"It's true!" Izuku affirmed stubbornly.
"...Fine. I'll check."
Despite his visible disbelief, the man sat back down at his desk, flipping on his computer screen and tapping at his keyboard. Several nerve-wracking minutes later, the man's eyebrows shot past where his hairline used to be a decade prior.
"Well, I'll be damned!" he exclaimed.
Spinning in his office chair, he turned to a stone-faced Izuku. 2B's poker-face was almost always present, it seemed. Even in situations like this.
"Good for you, kid! Finally got a quirk!" he stated. "Though I'm sure you've been keeping it under wraps because… well…"
He purposefully looked the freckled girl up and down to make his point.
"I can't imagine you want your classmates finding out that you can become a pretty girl their age at a whim…" the man finished. "Changing for Gym class would get very awkward quite fast, I'd imagine…"
Izuku nodded her head in silent agreement, white hair swaying with the motion.
"Well, I'll help you out a bit, within the limits of my job at least!" the man chuckled. "I remember when I was younger and my quirk developed! I won't go into details, but suffice it to say… It was rather embarrassing… So I sympathize."
The man kept chuckling for a few long moments, but then his expression darkened rapidly—losing a bit more good cheer with each laugh as he slowed down.
"Unfortunately, the reason I called you here isn't as funny," he stated.
Despite the sudden uptick in nervousness, Izuku's borrowed face remained emotionless as she awaited an answer.
"It's about your practice test," the teacher began. "...What did you think you'd accomplish with how you answered today?"
Izuku blinked, the only physical sign of her complete and utter confusion.
"...Er. I'm not sure what you're talking about sir…"
Oh god, I bombed it, didn't I?! I knew I should've answered A. on that question!
"It's not nice to lie to the man who just agreed to help you keep a secret, you know?" he replied. "I know what you did. I just want to know… Why?"
"Um…"
"You got a perfect score!" the man continued.
...What? Oh thank—
"A perfectly wrong score!" Mr. Mura corrected.
Izuku went straight back into panic mode.
"Well, er—"
"Now, the thing is, Midoriya," the man carried on. "That's not possible under normal circumstances. If you're a decent student, you'll get most of the answers correct and pass. If you're a bad one, you'll get most of the answers wrong and fail… But it's statistically unlikely that you managed to get them all wrong, with perfect accuracy… Even the worst student would accidentally get a few of the questions correct."
The freckled girl remained frozen, not daring to try and interrupt the man after he'd cut her off already. Nor was she going to correct him...
"So… Occam's Razor would suggest that you are actually an excellent student that knew all the answers… but chose to answer wrong anyway," he explained. "Now, could you explain why you did that?"
The teacher stared directly at Izuku, who refused to meet the man's eyes and was clutching her arms in front of herself awkwardly.
"Um… I'm sorry… I didn't—"
The man's phone went off before the white-haired girl could finish her sentence. The sound was very distinct… Was that the song 'Bad Girls Club…?'
"Ah!" the man exclaimed, fumbling for the device and quickly muting it. "Sorry, that's the wife!"
Holding the phone up to his ear, he winced at the sudden sound it emitted.
"Yes, yes, I'll get it on the way home, honey…" he muttered into the receiver.
With his free hand, he gestured Izuku toward the door. Pausing briefly to mute the microphone, he quickly said: "I'll let this go for now, as long as you ace the actual exam. If not… Well, I'll need to reconsider having you in my class if you're not going to put in the work you promised when I let you in a whole semester late..."
With that ominous statement complete, the man unmuted his phone and returned to speaking with his wife. Somewhat dazed, Izuku slipped out of the room and slumped against the wall nearby—deep in thought.
I am so screwed.
OMAKE
AN: So I've given the idea of omakes some thought, and had (and received) some ideas. They'll vary in whether or not they count as being extra content for the story or fun 'what if' situations, somewhat similar to how the story 'Itachi, is That a Baby?' handles things. (If you're not familiar, I can't recommend it enough.)
For the sake of consistency, they'll be labelled 'Omake' if it's an extra scene and an 'Outtake' if it's a 'what if' kind of scene.
For today, though, we have something that I tried to work into the chapter properly, but I couldn't find a natural way to include—so I cut it out and added it here as the first Omake.
So now, without further ado… What happened after Shoto fell asleep on top of Izuku at the end of their fight?
"'M Shoto…"
Izuku stared up at the sky, the boy's greater weight pressing down against her form. She couldn't move, both because of exhaustion and because she was caught beneath the twin-toned teen.
...Not a word, Rias...
'Oh, I don't know… You seem to be having a lot of fun!' Rias exclaimed teasingly. 'I thought you weren't interested in the rougher sex?'
"Um… Shoto…?" Izuku asked, using the name she'd just learned as she did her best to ignore the redhead in her mind. "Are you…?"
"Zzzzzzz…" the boy snored, still facedown on Izuku's chest.
'Oh, this is wonderful!' Rias giggled.
...Please don't.
'Don't do what, exactly?' the girl teased.
Izuku tried to shift her shoulders to roll the notably taller boy off her, but it was no use. Not only did she lack the strength because of her exhaustion, she also lacked the leverage to move effectively.
'Ooh! I didn't expect you to be so direct!' Rias joked. 'Rubbing your breasts against the boy you like!'
Izuku twitched even as her face reddened. She stopped trying to escape, and chose instead to remain perfectly still.
'Staying quiet, hm? It's okay, I understand if you're too embarrassed to admit it was love at first sight!' Rias declared. After a moment, she continued, sounding like she'd made some grand epiphany. 'It all makes sense now! This is why you wanted to 'save' him so much. You didn't want to hurt your boy toy!'
The temporary girl could feel the steam coming out of her ears.
T-that's not how it—I just want to be a hero! You know that's—
Shoto suddenly groaned, shifting to the side slightly as he moved in his sleep. His one arm slipped into the gap between Izuku's lower back and the ground, holding her tight against him like she was an overgrown plushie.
"Soft…" he mumbled in his sleep.
"Eep!"
Some time later, Shoto woke up having had one of the most refreshing naps he could remember taking, on top of some of the most comfortable pillows he could remember sleeping on. Gripping one of the pillows and pushing himself upward, he let out a quiet yawn.
Blinking, he realized something.
On the ground beneath him was the girl who had… won? Lost? It wasn't really a very decisive match, given how they'd exhausted each other, but still… She was there.
Her face was so red that he briefly worried he'd activated his flames while sleeping and burnt her, but the lack of pain in her expression put that worry to rest rather quickly. After a moment, he realized that what he'd been sleeping on wasn't a pair of memory foam cushions… and he was still holding onto one.
Blinking in surprise, he retracted the hand.
"...Er. Sorry," he said, acting calm more because he didn't really know how else to react to the absurd situation.
Suddenly, the girl emitted a bright red light, though it somehow wasn't really blinding despite it's luminosity, and the green-haired boy he was facing before the fight began properly was on his back beneath Shoto.
"...Why couldn't that have happened an hour ago?" the boy whispered morosely, face still disturbingly red.
OMAKE END
*Most schools in Japan have their School Festival (usually called a 'Culture Festival') on or around November 3rd, so Izuku's school is shifting the schedule a bit to accommodate for their 'Joint Festival' idea.
AN:
Phew! I really should have started writing the Omake and the 'Fridays With The Waifus' segment before upload day! It's really delayed my schedule! Normally I try to upload in the afternoon, not late evening!
Well, lesson learned there!
Anyway, lot's of things are happening in this chapter! Shoto and Izuku getting some guy time (sorta), Izuku's making progress with his training, Bakugo's having some trouble, and now there's a major event on the horizon!
Oh, and Izuku's laser-focus on vigilantism is coming back to bite him with his test… Whoops! That's going to be hard to fix for him!
I hope you're all looking forward to the Joint Festival! It's going to be quite… interesting…
Oh, fun fact, the vague idea of a pageant came from a reviewer! Thank you for that! It led to a massive rewrite of this current arc, but really led to a much better story direction!
Now, to wrap up, I have a question to repeat. What are your questions for the 'Fridays With The Waifus?' I have some more saved up, but I'm curious what you all will think of next! Also, I hope today's segment gives a good example of the kind of questions I'm looking for. Furthermore, what did you think of today's segment? I don't want to start getting too long, since I find when I read other's stories that excessive content prior to a chapter leads to me skipping it, but at the same time I don't want to only cover a single question each week, so I'm aiming for the often sought-after middle ground. Is it working?
As a quick note, someone pointed out that, though this story doesn't really act like a conventional crossover story, it does meet the requirements to be labelled as such. I'd considered that when I posted the first chapter, but couldn't find the multi-crossover tage listed anyway, so posted in the default manner. After having it pointed out to me, I realized I was blind and hadn't noticed the 'misc' tab. So thank you for mentioning it!
Lastly, the usual questions. What did you all think? Are you enjoying the story so far? How was the chapter?
It's been fun, but for now I must say adieu… I'll see you all next week!