"Abso-frickingly-lutely come inside!" Mrs. Bakugo said excitedly. Yaoyrozu and Bulla walked in, leaving their shoes at the front. "Hey hun, is it too late to make a little extra lunch?!" She called into the kitchen.
"No, not at all!" A man called back. Bulla could only assume that it was Mr. Bakugo, and she took a seat on the couch with Yaoyorozu.
"Actually, Mrs. Bakugo, we really can't stay long. We stopped by to make sure Bakugo was doing well after what happened." Bulla explained to her.
She turned around with a big smile, one that any mother could give. "Are ya kidding? 'Course yer stayin' for lunch!" She walked up to the two girls and took Bulla's hands in her own. "Ya don' understand how much my husband and I owe ya. Katsuki tol' me what happened, how you got him outta the way, despite how badly that monster beat ya. Ya saved my son's life, and now ya wanna try and take off 'fore we can repay ya? Don' do that to us."
Looking to her deputy, Yaoyorozu gave her a reassuring smile as Bulla let out a sigh. "Alright, we can stay for some lunch. It was getting close to lunchtime, anyway."
"That's wonderful! We're so happy to have ya!" She said excitedly. "Katsuki! Get down here!" As she called out to her son, she leaned over and raised a hand to her mouth. "Between us, Katsuki's been actin' a lot diffrent since ya saved him. 'lmost like something, or somebody, is on his mind." With a wink, Bulla fully understood what she was implying, and began to turn bright red.
"That seems so unlike Bakugo!" Yaoyorozu claimed. Looking over, Bulla could see that her deputy was also red with embarrassment as Mrs. Bakugo giggled.
"Sure is for my Katsuki. Guess ya musta made a lasting impression on him when ya practically passed out in his lap." She winked again as Bulla buried her face into the palms of her hands. "Speakin' of... KATSUKI! I SAID GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" She yelled for a second time, this time with a response.
"I'M COMING, YOU OLD HAG!" He yelled back as Mrs. Bakugo smiled.
"Well, at least he's as lively as ever..." Yaoyorozu said as Katsuki came stomping down the steps.
"What the hell do you want? I was just down here, so I know lunch isn't ready ye-!" Before he could finish, his words were cut short by the realization of his parents' guests. "What the hell are you doing here!?"
"Yer girlfriend came to check on ya, Katsuki." Mrs. Bakugo said with a teasing smile.
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"I'm not his girlfriend!" They said in unison.
"Hey! Don't copy what I'm trying to say!"
"Hey! Don't copy what I'm trying to say!" They said together again, as if speaking into a mirror.
While Katsuki growled, Bulla did her best to try and maintain her composure. "What was the point of inviting her, huh?!"
"Yer friends came to visit ya, Katsuki! Be grateful that anybody came to visit ya!" She yelled at him.
"Huh?! What's that supposed to mean!? Are you picking a fight!?" He retaliation was met with deterrent.
"Not that it's gonna be much a fight! Ya always explode on people and ya don't make friends like that!" Mrs. Bakugo yelled as she slapped her hand down on his head.
"HIT ME AGAIN, YOU HAG! I'LL KILL YOU!" He threatened as she met his force with a deterrent once again, smacking him on the head.
"Shut the hell up and go wash ya hands! We're about to have lunch!" After several more minutes of fighting, Katsuki finally left to go wash up, while Bulla and Yaoyorozu helped set the table up. After the family sat down to eat lunch with their visitors, the two girls wished them the best of luck before moving on to their next destination.
After visiting Hagakure's home, Yaoyorozu and Bulla made their way to Iida's house, and Bulla's phone began to ring. "Hello?" She said as Pan spoke from other side.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Pan asked her. "You weren't here when I woke up!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I had to run some errands. Class Rep stuff, you know?" Bulla said as Pan began to yell through the phone.
"NICE TRY! YOU CAN'T LIE TO ME, YOU'RE OUT ON A DATE, AREN'T YOU! IS IT THAT TODOROKI BOY?! OR PERHAPS THAT BAKUGO FELLOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D SNEAK AWAY FROM ME JUST TO HANG OUT WITH SOME BOY!"
"Pan, calm down, I'm with Momo!" She said over the sound of the muffled screaming. "School was closed today, so I thought it'd be the perfect time to take care of some errands! I'll be back later tonight, okay?!"
"You better! Ms. Iwase is letting me cook tonight, so you'd better be here to practice! Don't forget you still owe me a taste test since Bullan destroyed the bento box!"
"Yes, I know, I know! I'll be back tonight, I promise!" Bulla told her in an attempt to calm her down. "I have to get going so I can finish! I'll text you later." As she hung up, Yaoyorozu smiled at her. "What?"
"Nothing." She said, looking away. "You and Pan are so close. It's like you've known each other forever."
"We have, really." Bulla explained. "My dad and her grandpa were rivals. Her dad surpassed my dad in strength, so he built a family in hopes of gaining strength through protecting us. It's a whole can of worms that I couldn't even begin to unpack right now." She said, rubbing her temple.
"That's quite a tightly knit family dynamic. I guess you're just like sisters." Yaoyorozu told her as she looked up to the sky. "Tell me about it, some time. Not today, but at some point in the future. Would that be alright?"
"Yeah... One of these days, just not today..." Bulla told her as they crossed the street. Suddenly, Bulla had the strangest feeling, as if they were being followed.
The same series of footprints remained behind them for about fifteen minutes before Bulla turned around and held her hand in front of Yaoyorozu protectively. "Bulla?!" Yaoyorozu said in surprise.
"Alright, what do you want! Why are you following us!" Glaring at the person before her, Bulla's eyes slowly crept up the tall man's chest as he spoke.
"Oh, I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you. I just live this way, that's all." Seeing his face was like a slap in Bulla's. Above his orange, green, white, and navy-blue plaid shirt was a face very similar to Iida's. Both hands were full of bags, of groceries, and he smiled wide.
"N-No, we're sorry, Sir." Bulla's eyes widened as she noticed the pipes protruding from his elbows.
"It's alright. I believe I recognize you from the news. Brief, right? You're in Class 1A with my younger brother." The man's smile widened as he introduced himself. "I wish I could shake your hand, so for now I hope this suffices." He said with a bow. "My name is Tensei Iida. I'm the first Iida son of the Iida family. Tenya, my younger brother, speaks highly of you, and is very grateful for his position as the Class Secretary."
"Oh, it's really nothing, Mr. Iida. I decided that he'd be the best possible choice for the position." Yaoyorozu claimed as she returned his bow. The two straightened up and Bulla had a realization.
"Mr. Iida, is your brother at home right now?" She asked him.
"Hm... He was there when I left, so he should still be there."
"How has Iida been since yesterday? I've been checking on the students from my class, but I'm pressed for time now, so if you could fill me in on Iida's well-being, it'd help out a lot!"
With a chuckle, Tensei Iida smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it, one bit. Tenya is absolutely fine. Lately, he's been better than ever." He informed them as Bulla sighed with relief and checked Iida's name off of her roster. "I'd love to stick around, but I want to hurry and get back while the produce is fresh. I'll let Tenya know we bumped into each other!" He called out as he ran past them, disappearing in the distance.
"I'm happy to hear that he's okay. Now, who's next?" Yaoyorozu asked as Bulla looked at her notebook.
"Jiro is next on our list." Bulla told her as she began to put the directions into the map on her phone.
"Woah! Class Rep, what are you doing here?" Jiro asked her after opening the door.
"Hey, Jiro! How are you doing? How does your head feel?" Bulla asked her.
"Oh, I'm doing alright. Although, I'll be honest. For a minute back there, I really thought I was going to bite the dust!" She told her in relief.
"We were both in a rough situation. Thankfully our Class Representative was there to buy us some time." Yaoyorozu agreed as she put a hand on Bulla's shoulder.
"Kyoka! Who's at the door?!" A man called from inside.
"It's some friends from school, Dad!" She called back as woman with hair similar to Jiro's walked into view, revealing where Jiro got her Quirk from.
"Honey, don't just leave them standing out there!" The woman said as she stood by and held the door open in the place of her daughter. "Come on in, do you plan to hang around for long?"
"Thank you, and no Ma'am, we're going through the class roster and ensuring the physical and mental well-being of our classmates." Bulla explained.
"Well isn't that rockin'?!" The voice from earlier spoke as a man came into view. "It's nice to meet you, Ms...?"
"Kyoka's told us about you, she said your name was Brief, correct?" The woman spoke, leaning over. "I'm Kyoka's mother, and that over there is her father. We heard about how you protected your class despite being outclassed by the villains."
As Mr. Jiro joined his wife, the two straightened up and bowed. "W-Wha- Hey! What are you guys doing?!" Kyoka asked as her mother put her hand on her daughter's head, prompting her to join their bow.
"From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for protecting our dear Kyoka." Mrs. Jiro said. From the angle they were bent at, Bulla could see tear drops hitting the floor. "I really don't know what we would have done if anything happened to our baby."
"Not a baby, Mom..." Kyoka mumbled as her father continued.
"If there's anything we can ever do to repay you, don't ever hesitate to ask. You're welcome here anytime, Ms. Brief." Mr. Jiro spoke from the heart. All day, Bulla has seen what would be described as 'gratitude' redefined over and over again.
"I-It wouldn't be fair to exclude my Depu-" Before she could finish, Yaoyorozu put a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she shook her head with a smile. Although she didn't say a word, she could see the words in her eyes. You saved them...
"I'm sorry, Bulla. It occurred to me that I never showed you the gratitude that I should have." Yaoyorozu suddenly said as she bowed. "From the bottom of my heart, as well..."
The four spoke in unison, and their words began to finally truly resonate with Bulla. "Thank you!" They said. Their words bounced around in her head, and with a smile, a single tear streamed down her cheek. Dad... I'm doing just what you said, one person at a time. I wish you could be here to see...