A minute passes, and several unlocking mechanisms later, the rooftop's solitary door slides open.
There was practically a full two yards between us and the other side – showing just how thick the door was. I don't think even Deku's 100% can break through that amount of steel… and who knows what else kind of material.
The one who let us in, standing on the other side of that distant opening, was a genius of crafting and mechanisms – one who could make any sort of door or building impenetrable to most Quirks – and one who owned the rooftop we happened to land on.

Yaoyorozu Momo stares at the two of us with cold, calculating eyes. There's no hint of familiarity or recognition in them. If one didn't know better, it's as if she was greeting a group of strangers, or glaring at a couple of pests. The latter might be more true. We did, after all, land on her roof uninvited, then started pelting sonic booms against her office's window just to get her attention.
For nearly an hour, Deku and I had been stuck on this Agency's rooftop with no comfortable way down. Having Deku leap onto another rooftop would have led into some property damages, and having me climb down with him on my back is tricky with the surface of this building… Our only available, viable, safe route back to the ground floor was through this Agency's elevator/stairs, which we had no access to. The door into the stairway was locked tight, and knocking on it didn't help any. And the one person we knew who could get us in, wasn't answering our phone calls.
We even tried knocking on her window with my grappling hooks… but the space between the rooftop and the next floor below was probably twelve yards in length. The fact that none of my grappling hooks could reach it was ridiculous. The fact that the windows could withstand Deku's Smash-blasted booms without even cracking was insane. This building had to be the most secure building in Japan!

Of course it was – this was the Hero's Rescue. The only Agency in the world dedicated to rescuing other heroes. As it stands, they're the number one target for villains and crime organizations from all over – so it has to be built to withstand any kind of attack. Nothing short of a nuclear blast could shake this place.
And nothing short of that would shake its owner's expressions.
Still staring at us without a frown or a smile, Yaoyorozu glances at each of us, then turns away.
If I wasn't mistaken, though, I think I just saw her expression change slightly – when she had looked at Deku…
"Can't you use the front door like everyone else?" she says, her voice not betraying what I might have seen.

"We kind of fell from the sky." Deku says with a laugh.

"Oh? Were you the one throwing villains down from there?" Yaoyorozu shakes her head and gestures for us to follow her.

We walk down several flights of stairs – two, possibly three floor's worth – not spotting any doorways or passageways as we went. The entrance to the floor below must be further down that I thought. As I trace my hands across the railings, something about them catches my attention too – one of them is shifting with the pressure I put on it. Looking at the rail more closely, I quickly notice that there are hinges at its corner. There's hinges on every corner…
These stairs were designed to collapse!
This building isn't 'secure', it's absolutely paranoid! How far down do these stairs drop? I look over the railing warily.

"Please refrain from doing that." Yaoyorozu's statement makes me jump. "We had to disengage several of our heroes to secure their landings. We're the Hero's Rescue. Not the Villain's Rescue."
I sigh with relief, realizing that she wasn't speaking to me.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to trouble you." Deku says with another nervous laugh.

Yaoyorozu stops in her tracks – with us jolting behind her. Her hand grips firmly to the railing, and she begins to turn… then her hand loosens, and she continues walking down the steps again.
What I saw before wasn't mistaken – she's definitely reacting to Deku.
That means something really did happen between them…

A few years ago, back in our second year of U.A., Midoriya Izuku and Yaoyorozu Momo had gotten caught up in a strange set of circumstances. Though they no longer shared attendance in the same classrooms, the two ended up seeing each other more often than not. One coincidental event somehow led into another, and the two of them became very close friends halfway through the semester. They started speaking with each other during class breaks, attended hero conventions together, and then…
… and then Momo suddenly stopped talking to Izuku. And she stopped talking to me. She stopped talking to Toru, to Mina, to every single one of her old friends from Class 1-A. Then she transferred herself to the Support Course without warning.
And that was the last time we ever saw her, until the day of our graduation.

Whatever happened between her and Deku that year, made Yaoyorozu Momo turn from a kind and sociable mentor, into an absolute recluse. Not just in her school life, but also in the career she held afterwards.
To this day, the public never sees her, not even the press. Even within her own organization, she's spoken of like a popular myth, rather than as its acting CEO. And no matter how many awards or accolades her business receives from whatever organization or individual – she never accepts them personally. Only her rotating stand-ins are seen in her place, and even they can't say for sure if they've met her personally.
Yaoyorozu's solitary nature makes her rather infamous in the hero world.
The fact that the two of us are walking and talking with her in the flesh is a little exciting… It's depressing to think about, but it's very likely that Deku and I have been the only people she's met face-to-face in over a year.
She was probably only willing to expose herself like this because it was Deku on the other side of that rooftop door.

I often wonder what happened between them… Poor Deku got harassed for it for nearly two years by Mina and the rest. And yet… he never talked about it.
No matter what sort of treatments he received, what kind of threats were thrown in his face, or how honest their pleadings were, he never spoke a word about what happened between him and Yaoyorozu. The most he's ever said about it, was that it would hurt Yaoyorozu if anyone found out.
Ochaco and I respected his silence. Neither of us pushed for him to tell us. But it's not like we didn't want to know. Of course I want to know. I want to know how the genius of our class was clearly shaken by the 'most nervous boy she's ever known' – her words, not mine. I want to know what could have happened to makes someone so influential go so far as to lock everyone out of her life – her friends, her family, even her employees. I want to know why my husband goes quiet every time someone mentions her name. I want to know everything there is to that story – every last detail.
But here I am now, right beside the two of them, and though the answer is just one inch away from me, one question away from my knowledge – I still can't bring myself to utter it. For my husband's sake, whom I respect and love. For Yaoyorozu's sake, whom I still consider a dear friend of mine.
Watching them struggle around each other like this, though, makes me think it would better for them to just settle their differences here and now.

"Please look away." Yaoyorozu says, snapping me out of my distant thoughts. Deku flinches – seems he was lost in thought too.
Deku looks away immediately. I blink in Yaoyorozu's direction first, finding myself curious – then look away.
There's a digital wall lock in front of her. Yaoyorozu wanted to make sure no one found out how she opens it. Not that it would matter if anyone found out – considering what her Quirk is, it's likely that only she's able to produce whatever key, or card, or material this door requires to open. No one would be able to break in without her wanting them to.

…

I just realized that she wants us to come in.
I'm sure she could have provided us with devices to get ourselves off her roof – parachutes or gliders, maybe. But instead, she's letting us into her office! This is making me nervous. Out of defensive habit, my hand reaches for a trigger on my belt.
A loud whirring sound is heard – causing both Deku and I to jump.

"Refrain from posturing your body in a way that could be interpreted as a threat. There are hidden weapons locked onto you until you return yourself to a natural pose." Yaoyorozu says coolly, "These weapons are lethal."

What in the world happened between you two, Deku?!

There wasn't much to Yaoyorozu's office. Literally. A three-tier filing cabinet, a basic brown table, an unimpressive laptop, a single-tone printer, two fold-out chairs, and a potted plant. That was all. Not even an executive chair or telephone to help tie everything together.
What would people think if they saw that this was the CEO's office of one of the most politically-influential Agencies in the world? I suppose if you never let anyone in here, you'd never have to worry about what anyone thinks.
But never mind that – this setup is seriously strange. The Yaoyorozu I knew was never a minimalist. She was always excessive in her furnishings. If this layout is supposed to be some kind of look into her mind, then what's this terrible plainness supposed to reveal?

"I apologize for the mess." she has the nerve to say as she moves a small stack of papers to one side of her desk. Or was that her attempt at a joke? "Would you two like to visit our medical station before you leave… or perhaps our cafeteria? You'll need clearance badges for both."

"W-We don't need anything, really. We should be getting back to helping with the operation as soon as possible." I quickly voice while trying to hide my growing anxiety.
Not much, I've noticed, phases me. But this room? And how casual Yaoyorozu is with us seeing it in the state it's in? – This all terrifies me, for some reason.

"Woah…" Deku gasps in interest. "This brings back memories."

"Hm?" Yaoyorozu turns towards him and tilts her head. What are you doing, Deku? It seriously feels like she's going to lock us in here and never let us out!

"It's exactly like how you drew it in the sketchbook!" he exclaims. "I know you said that you didn't need more than this to start the place – but I didn't think you'd keep it this way."

Yaoyorozu… is smiling? No, it's not quite a smile. "You remember." she replies to him softly.

Remember? Deku knew about this office? And it's total lack of furniture?
And 'the place'? As in – the Hero's Rescue? He knew about her plans for it?
That would mean… that before they had their falling out, Yaoyorozu had told Deku about this office, and her business – showed their blueprints to him, even. As far as I'm aware, the two never got back into contact between then and now. Which would mean that long before her graduation – since our second year in U.A., Yaoyorozu had planned to create this Agency…
So then her transfer to the Support Course wasn't 'out of nowhere'. Had the falling out between them never occurred, Yaoyorozu would have most likely told the rest of us about the transfer… Mina, Toru, Jiro, and I wouldn't have bothered sulking over her sudden leaving – we would have been by her side, cheering for her all the way. If she had only told us. If only the two of them remained friends.
Not knowing the 'what' or 'why' behind any of this is excruciating. If I have to spend another four years in the dark after hearing what little I've heard today, I'm not sure if I can keep myself from interrogating Deku. Or Yaoyorozu. This… This concerns a private event my husband's had with another woman! I have every right to know! I… I swallow hard.
"Yaomo-"

"Tsuyu." Yaoyorozu interrupts me with a direct glance.

"Y-Yes?"

My nervous panic is answered with confident action – Yaoyorozu walks briskly to one side of her office and places her hands against an unmarked portion of the wall. A square-shaped tile pops away from the wall-space beside her hands, then moves itself aside. A deep hole is found in its original space.
Yaoyorozu reaches inside and pulls out a small container.
Turning back to face us, she slides the square tile back into its slot and approaches me. "Midoriya asked me to make this for you." she says as the container is placed into my hands.

"That's –" Deku starts.

"A lighter version of your current scale armor." Yaoyorozu finishes.

I look down at my black and green suit in sudden confusion. "This armor? But this was made after –"

"After I had refused to give Midoriya the original." she finishes for me – though with an explanation I didn't expect. "He most likely commissioned someone else to make it for you. Though I doubt anyone could figure out a way to make the scales as light as I had designed it. This one's even more durable, I'd imagine."

Unrolling the fabric from the container, I match the upper-portion of the suit to the height of my shoulders.
It is a lighter version of my scale armor. An exact replica of it, even… aside from its surprising thinness and weight. I try to bend one of the scales on its side – and it refuses to give. It even lacks the most major flaw of my armor. I'm astonished. By its weight, its durability, its design, and… its exact specifications.
I had always thought that Deku designed this suit by himself – but I suppose, thinking about it, that wouldn't make much sense. Deku is clever and creative, but he's no Support Course graduate. The blueprints he had for this were far too technical and beautifully-drawn, compared to what he's written and doodled in his Hero Notes, at least. A collaboration with an expert makes much more sense.

Yaoyorozu and Deku had designed this suit just for me… My first and only Pro Hero costume…

Knowing my Deku, he must have been crushed with guilt to go behind Yaoyorozu's back to commission this. No, no, knowing him – he would have definitely asked her first. And even with her approval, he would have felt terrible for it. To give their joint design to someone else was probably unthinkable for the both of them… but Deku would have done it for me, and Yaoyorozu would have let him – even if it furthered the distance between them. That must have been why he gave me such a worried look when he first presented it to me – and why he kept asking if I really did like it. It wasn't just a heart-felt, thought-out present from him. It was a personal, mutually-made and carefully-balanced present from two people that cared so much for me.
Except a major part of its production was missing… Yaoyorozu was supposed to make it. The suit I'm wearing is a knock-off compared to the one I'm holding now. Because the one in my hands carries both of their feelings for me.
A horrible sensation wrenches at my heart. More suffocating than the feeling of betrayal I had felt when I wondered over what truly happened between Deku and Yaoyorozu – was this intense sense of sorrow filling up inside of me. I now fully realize the gravity of this gift – what it meant for her to hold onto it for so long, and what it means for me to receive it now. The kind and caring Yaomomo, my former classmate and dear friend, had made this suit just for me, with our friendship and careers in mind. But that woman was gone now – taken away by a moment I never knew.
I don't know what had happened between her and my husband… But whatever it was, it was important enough to her that she willingly distanced herself from Deku, from me, from her friends, from the rest of the world, and from herself. Something had pushed her to hollow herself out, and never fill herself back in. Whatever it was – it must have been too much for her. For the both of them.
And I'm an awful person for wanting to pry…

"Thank you…" is all I can say. If I say anymore, then I might end up crying in front of her.

Yaomomo smiles at me… It doesn't look like a smile. It looks nonplussed in its expression. But I now understand that it's the most she can manage beyond a frown these days. It's a terribly sad and lonely smile. I want to reach out to her – to tell her that she's still one of my dear friends, and that we can go back to the way things were… But it isn't my place to do so. If anyone has to bridge this horrible gap in front of us – it has to be her or Deku.
"Take care of Midoriya." is all Yaomomo replies with. It's all she can manage to say without reaching over the gap. For whatever reason she has within herself, she doesn't want to repair, or replace, what's been broken inside of her. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, maybe, one day, she will. But for today, our conversation as old friends ends here… She turns around and walks to her table, focusing her attention onto her laptop.
Before we can take that as our cue to leave, Yaomomo quickly waves us over and spins the laptop to face us.

It's a screen filled with live security cameras, albeit zoomed in – signifying that there must be more than what's being shown. In the footage she's pointing at, is an arguing couple… in what looks like the building's lobby.
Wait, that's not a couple. It's Uravity… and Bombing Run.
I sigh. This is embarrassing. "Sorry. Sorry. This happens all the time." I grumble with annoyance, "We'll handle them."

Deku laughs nervously and bows. "I'll… um… We'll be going."

Yaomomo gives a swift, curt nod in our direction, then quietly waves. Her sealed lips show that she's trying, with uncomfortable effort, to keep herself from adding any more words to this conversation. A silent goodbye is all she wants between us.

As we head towards the office's no-handled doors – which were remotely opened before we could figure out how – Deku turns back and shouts, "If Yoro has the time – Duke is interested in making a request!"

To my surprise, Yaomomo immediately breaks her silence. With a broken voice, she shakily replies to him, "Th-Then… Then he'll have to send an email, like every other customer."

"He will!" Deku says with a gleam in his eye.

The cryptic language shared was meant for their ears only. But the two of them were horrible with their coding. It doesn't take much for me to figure out who 'Yoro' and 'Duke' are. The only question is – why those names?