Hi everyone! Finally got the 4th Chapter for this done! It took a little longer than I'd like, but I've also kinda just been juggling projects during this time, so I also have a few other stories I'm super excited to publish really soon - Including the 5th chapter of this, once I really get to it.
Anywho, I hope everyone enjoys ^^
"... So, due to how things panned out, would you two accept Eiko as my girlfriend as well?"
It was the most difficult thing Izuku ever had to say, to stand before his girlfriends, Katsumi and Ochako, and ask them if they would accept Eiko, a stranger to them, into their relationship.
Immediately after Izuku and Eiko left the gym, Izuku called up Katsumi and Ochako to have a serious talk about their relationship tomorrow before school - That in of itself was no hassle, but now that they were here, alone together on U.A.'s roof, Izuku found himself just as nervous as he was during the entrance exam. Scratch that, actually, because this was way more nerve-racking.
By his side, Eiko was just as nervous as he was and held her hands behind her back, sweat running down her brow while Izuku explained the situation, then dropped the big question.
Ochako had her hands cupped in front of her mouth and her head lowered slightly, covering her expression, but Katsumi was more than upfront about how she was feeling: "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!?" She shouted. Izuku didn't defend himself, he knew she had a point. "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY FUCKING INSANE, DEKU!?"
"I can't believe it…" Ochako said behind her hands in a shuddering voice, making Katsumi stop and turn toward her, her anger suddenly dropping and turning to worry. "Deku…"
"R-Round face-!" Katsumi said, stepping closer to her, before being suddenly taken aback by her expression - Pure, crying, elated joy.
"Even though you've fallen in love with her, you're not breaking up with us~!"
"ARE YOU INSANE TOO!?"
Izuku began to protest, taking a step closer as Katsumi rounded back to him. "Yes, it's true that I've fallen in love with Eiko too-!" His face got red from the proclamation and so did Eiko's, who fidgetted slightly on the spot.
"But it's not that I've fallen out of love with either of you, nor do I love you any less!" He insisted, placing a hand over his chest as he grew with a familiar kind of intensity. "It's more like I've grown more love, just for her, just like I do for you two!"
"Oh, it's that easy, huh?! Like finding more oil deposits, instead of dividing what you've already got?!" Katsumi accused, stomping forward and jabbing his chest hard like a needle, but careful not to linger there and get lost in the feeling… Again.
"I- Er, guess so?" Izuku said, flustered and rubbing over the struck spot on his chest, before shaking his head clear. "But really, a metaphor like that doesn't do it justice…"
Eiko looked up and tilted her head over, slightly taken aback by his suddenly super-intense expression. He looked even more serious than he did when he was talking about being a hero.
"I don't think there's much I can say, but besides that, it's more important than ever for me to use my actions rather than my words! So I'll only say that my promise to you still stands: I'll be a great boyfriend, and I'll never leave any of you hanging or wanting until the day I die!"
Ochako let out a small, delighted squeak from the heartfelt promise. Katsumi fidgetted, struggling between pure rage and relative calmness, before settling on crossing her arms and huffing poutingly. "..."
Finally, the stiff air between them was broken as Eiko sniffled, and rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. "Th-That's so manly! " She sobbed, wiping her eyes one last time before suddenly slinging her arm around his shoulders and pulling him in. "You're awesome, Izuku!"
"Oh…" Katsumi said, her eyelids twitching. "She's one of those tomboy types, huh?"
Ochako tilted her head slightly at her. "I mean, I've always thought of you as the same kind, Katsumi. And a bit of delinquent, too, now that I think about it."
Suddenly, she rounded on Ochako and stepped forward, snapping Eiko out of her antics for a moment. "And what are you, huh?! Just a soft, girly girl deredere archetype!" She accused.
"Y-Yeah!? And what if I am!?" Ochako huffed, crossing her arms. "Besides! You said you liked my softness!"
Eiko tilted her head slightly. "What?" She asked, just as Ochako and Katsumi clamped up and blushed profusely, seeming to have gone frozen stiff.
"Oh, near the end of chapter two," Izuku provided, "All three of us kissed, so…"
" DON'T JUST GIVE AWAY INFORMATION LIKE THAT, DAMMIT! " Katsumi roared at him, making him recoil and profusely apologize as Eiko seized up too, then suddenly began to back up as her face had become just as red as her hair.
"W-Wait… So you guys have already… L-Like, smooched, and stuff?"
Izuku was gut-checked by the amount of adorable force radiating from her, and therefore unable to answer straight away. "That's such an adorable way to say it-!" He gasped out, forcing air back into his lungs. "B-But yes, we have kissed, if that's what you mean."
Eiko became more flustered severalfold, looking almost blasphemed by the prospect. "I-I…" She stammered, before suddenly moving her hands erratically until they snapped into a defensive form in front of her. "I h-have to protect my chastity!"
"Chasity!?" Izuku squawked, now as flushed as Eiko was and trying to defend himself, saying that he had no such intentions, then apologizing for giving her any lewd impressions. Meanwhile, Katsumi and Ochako just absentmindedly thought to themselves while blushing: 'Damn, now I want to do it again…'
Finally, Eiko had calmed down again and was comfortable walking back up to his side. "Alright, just in case any of you forgot from yesterday. This-" He began, gesturing in front of EIko, who nervously waved. "Is Eiko Kirishima."
Then, he turned and made the same gesture towards Katsumi first, then Ochako. "Eiko, this is Katsumi Bakugo, and Ochako Uraraka."
"It's nice to meet you guys." Eiko greeted with a small bow, which Ochako gave back, while Katsumi just grunted to acknowledge her. "I'm sorry for that embarrassing display a moment ago, when I kinda pounced on Izuku, here."
Ochako giggled and just waved a little dismissively. "It's fine, I get how it is to try and restrain yourself around Deku."
Izuku was quick to add to this: "Besides, it's cute anyway! Honestly, it's just part of Eiko's charm, too!" He said excitedly, with a very similar expression to how he would ramble off random facts about heroes he liked: "Like how she fidgets with her hands when she feels nervous, or how she uses her Quirk when she's straining with something, or when her heart's throbbing and she swoons!"
Eiko let out a small gasp before her brow furrowed with thought. 'D-Do I really do that?' She wondered, trying to think back before suddenly realizing that he was correct. 'Wow…'
However, the love monster\hero wasn't anywhere near done: "It's really cute, especially compared to her rowdy and tomboy demeanor! - Like how Kaachan leans off the tsun and more into the dere when she's worn out! But it's also the smaller things that make Kacchan so charming, like what she does with her legs to express herself."
"She does?" Ochako asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Yeah! Like how she bounces on her heels a little when she's excited, or grinds her foot when she's scared or nervous, or taps when she's impatient, or-!"
Katsumi instinctively looked down. Her legs were slightly pointed inward, and one of her feet was idly turning on her toes. 'W-What the-!?' She asked herself as Izuku kept going on, then she blushed even harder than before.
"-It kind of reminds me of that cute thing Ochako does when she's nervous; when she swirls one of her bangs with her finger. But, of course, like with Eiko or Katsumi, that's only a trillionth of what makes her so endearing!"
All three girls felt themselves having an impending swoon-induced heart attack. They felt their hearts squeezing, faces burning and blushing, and their teeth clenching intensely - Plus, just as Izuku said, Eiko's Quirk activated a little while she clenched her teeth. 'Just how much attention does he pay to me❤!❤?❤!' They thought in unison.
Finally, Izuku seemed to snap out of his passionate rambling and turned to them, then began to blush a little too. "O-Oh… Did I say something embarrassing? I'm sorry…"
"Don't be!" Ochako insisted, giggling as she suddenly came to his side, eagerly hugging and pressing against him.
Katsumi got to his other side and took his hand, out of no particular need than to not be outdone by Ochako. "Y-You're still a dummy for saying it all out loud like that…" She pouted, although without a hint of genuine spite.
Then, Eiko paused and watched the scene for a moment longer. Her hand moved out, but quickly retracted it, almost like a reflex. She looked down and bit her lip slightly.
A week ago, it would have been hard to imagine she would actually have a boyfriend this soon into high school, or having a boyfriend at all. And since then, it only got weirder with the discovery that her boyfriend had two other girlfriends that he loved too.
In the short time she knew him, Izuku had already cemented herself as the nicest, coolest guy she knew, and while it wasn't entirely his fault, looking at them being so happy and touchy… It was easy to suddenly feel the crushing weight of inadequacy
"W-Wait, hold on a second!" Izuku said, gently pulling away from Ochako and Katsumi to stand by Eiko. "I don't think either of you answered, but would you accept Eiko as my newest girlfriend?"
They both stalled for a moment, but Ochako began smiling again, although much more tame and gentle. "Well, if you really love her as you love us, keep your promise, and we can get along, I have no objections."
Katsumi just sighed before huffing and crossing her arms in a very official manner. "Don't think we're going to be best friends or anything like that, Shitty hair!"
Izuku let out a small, relieved sigh, before making a look of slight exasperation. "Kacchan…" Izuku said, putting his hands on his hips.
"Fine! I'll call you… Red, or somethin'." Katsumi huffed, rolling her eyes. "Hey, isn't it about time we get to classes
"O-Oh, yeah! Thanks for the heads up!" He said, checking his phone. "We should go." He put it back, then held both hands out, only to stumble upon an issue he hadn't foreseen: For he had only two hands, and three girlfriends to walk with.
Then, he dropped to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground hard enough to crack it while his face scrunched up into a look of terrible pain and conflict. "Damnit! Why couldn't I have been born with another arm!? Or at least tendrils to wrap around your hands!?"
Ochako, who regained her footing the soonest after the tremor-like impact, was suddenly struck by inspiration and walked over to Izuku. "Hey Deku, I have an idea! Stay down."
Izuku sniffled, then stayed down and waited as Ochako walked behind him. Then, he felt her pressing against him, but she was weightless and he smiled brightly as her legs went around his waist.
"There! Now they can hold your hands, while I hang out back here!" She chirped happily, before rubbing her cheek against the back of his head, nuzzling it appreciatively. "Ehehehe~..."
Izuku stood up while hunched over slightly, blushing furiously. "Y-Yeah, great idea, Ochako! Alright, off we go!" He said, now holding his hands out toward Katsumi and Eiko.
Katsumi's face was completely red and her cheeks were puffed out furiously, and after a moment he realized that she was glaring at Ochako, while Ochako was just smugly looking back at her. Finally, she snapped out and grabbed his hand while still glaring at Ochako.
Eiko, however, was a lot slower. Izuku smiled gently, and she finally took his hand… Kind of. Her fingers held his, but it seemed as if she were halfway off letting go. "Alright, l-let's go!" She declared before they left and began to walk to their classroom.
Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by Izuku, Katsumi, and Ochako that they were the ones carrying the conversation almost completely, while Eiko was still blushing and only really responded with yes's and no's until they made it to Class 1-A.
Ochako released her quirk and was shocked to feel that Izuku didn't buckle or falter at all when her true weight dropped on him, then blushed as she thanked him and walked into the room as he held the door for all three of them, before finally walking in himself.
Most of the day, however, went by with hardly any note. After Aizawa was done taking attendance and 'congratulating' them, (When really she just gave them many of the same warnings she did yesterday) they met their teachers; Cementoss, for modern literature, Midnight for modern hero arts history, Ectoplasm taught mathematics, and Present Mic taught English.
When he left, the class would be left alone for a little, so Izuku cupped his chin and leaned back as he began to think. 'Eiko seemed really shy all morning… Of course, I can't blame her. Of course, being in a situation like this is odd, I should have done something… Maybe if I just waited and let her get to know Kacchan and Ochako better as classmates first? Damn…'
Then, he was suddenly struck with a very surprising thought that seemingly came out of the left field: 'Hey, how many of my classmates are my soulmates…?' Izuku's eyes went wide and he put all of his power into staring right down at the desk.
The Buddha of Love only said that he would meet them all while attending U.A., so there was an equal chance that they would be one of his schoolmates as it would be just someone he meets by chance anywhere else. Of course, he wasn't against the idea of meeting more soul mates, but rapidly meeting them would be… Less than ideal.
Then, he shook his head and had to resist the urge to slap himself. 'Oh, what's it matter!? I'll meet them when I meet them, and it's up to me to do my best! Besides, if I do too much buffering, I might not even realize someone I've been sharing a classroom with is my soulmate until it's too late.'
He sighed to himself, then propped his head up on his hand. 'Besides; I should be wondering how to help Eiko anyways right now. Problems for later can be dealt with later, I guess.'
Finally, Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts as a familiar, booming voice came from outside the door: "I AM…!" Then, the door slid open, and All Might in his silver age costume slid into the room, looking as confident and strong as ever. "Coming through the door, like a hero!"
The class began to cheer for All Might and grow excited, and even Izuku got distracted from his line of thinking as All Might closed the classroom door, and took place behind the podium.
"Goooood Morning, future heroes! While yesterday marked your true beginnings toward herodom, today, as your first hero class, marks the beginning of your official training!" Introducing himself in a gallant manner. "Today, I have something very special for you all! We're starting our first-ever lesson with a practical assignment!"
"Wow, really!? It's not going to be like Miss Aizawa's, where we'll be expelled if we fail, right?" Ochako piped up, and All Might just laughed and shook his head.
"Oh no no. I suppose it will be a bit of an assessment, since it's your first day, and near the end of the year or even the semester, you can look back and see just how mighty you've become!" He said, giving a showboaty thumbs up like a golf swing. "Now then, without further ado-!" He pressed a button on the desk, and the walls suddenly cracked open in twenty different spots along the wall, then extended numbered briefcases from the wall.
"Here are your super amazing hero costumes, all based on the notes, requests, and equipment all of you submitted! Take your cases, get dressed, and meet me in training zone Beta as soon as you can! I'll see you all out there, heroes-in-training!" And laughed again as he waved, then sped out of the classroom as everyone clamored to get their briefcases and get to the changing rooms as soon as possible.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement, but Izuku especially was hugging his briefcase close to his chest while smiling brightly.
Once inside the locker room, Izuku put the case down on the closest bench and opened up, then his eyes and smile widened even further. "Yes!"
Finally, roughly twenty minutes later, the class reassembled in the training zone designed to be a city right where All Might was waiting.
Izuku ran up to Ochako, Katsumi, and Eiko, and his eyes widened again as he looked over them all, starting to blush and even form hearts in his eyes. " Aaaahhh ! You all look so cool!" He gushed, making them all blush in turn.
Ochako's was an adorable pink and black suit with bulky pink heeled boots and a helmet which made her look like a futuristic astronaut-warrior. According to Ochako, every specialized piece was designed specifically to help her with nausea. "Thanks, Deku!~ Although, I should have specified what I wanted it made of… It's kind of skintight, you know?"
"A perfect, blissful combo of cuteness and sex appeal with lots of functionality!❤ A perfectly Ochako-ish costume!❤" He declared, watching as Ochako giggled and looked down embarrassed.
Katsumi's was a black jumpsuit sans the shoulders, with an orange 'X' over her chest like a bombardier jacket - Which made it easy to imagine her pulling out massive shoulder-mounted cannons over her back- Along with black combat boots, scary-looking kneepads, and massive grenade gauntlets, which Izuku remembered could build up and deliver massive explosions over time. "Don't start drooling, nerd… I don't care if you think I-I'm cool or pretty or whatever!"
"Such a badass costume that fits Kacchan's personality like a glove!❤ You're like an action movie star!❤ I'd come to watch all your movies and buy all your merch!❤" And Katsumi, despite saying she didn't care, turned away and huffed, biting her lips while trying to contain a massive smile.
Finally, Eiko's: Like Katsumi's, her lower half was in all black, except for a cool and rugged-looking red sash that almost resembled a skirt, a belt with a big red 'R', and a cropped black shirt that covered her modestly, but still showed off a rock-hard pair of abs - Also, most interestingly, her "shoulder-guards" were red gears, and she had a wirey face guard with little fang-like points, and her hair had little points resembling horns. "..."
"Aah!❤ You look so cool and rugged, like a real warrior!❤ You look even manlier than Crimson Riot, Eiko!❤"
He grabbed his chest over his heart as Eiko fidgetted and held her lips as she giggled with embarrassment. "Ah… I could get rescued by you girls all day long! I'd spend every last Yen I had just to buy every piece of merch I could! I'd even be a villain just to get the privilege of getting arrested by one of you!"
With her Tsundere-Guage full, Katsumi jabbed Izuku in the stomach, making him keel over for a moment. "Don't say such embarrassing shit, nerd!" Then, she grabbed the green rabbit ear-like pieces on his head and tugged.
"Hey, don't damage his lil' rabbit ears! They're adorable!" Ochako protested, stepping forward before giggling. "Is that what you're going for, Deku? I love it!"
Izuku chuckled, now embarrassed himself too, "W-Well... Not really." His eyes darted towards All Might, then the girls, and All Might too at this point, realized why he had those 'ears', along with the mask designed like a wide grin.
'He's such a fanboy…!' All four of them thought at once. However, All Might just made an embarrassed cough, although he found it endearing, while the girls all internally squealed at how cute they found it. 'That's so like Deku❤!❤!/Izuku❤!❤!'
"Hm? Hey Izuku, what're those things on your collar?" Eiko pointed out, looking at his neck.
On top of his green suit costume, he also wore a short cropped jacket and a new and tactical-looking version of his normal beige backpack. Also, there were three pins attached to his collar: A pin for the hero Thirteen, a grenade, and a red fist with a jagged and rock-like forearm.
"Oh, those? They're my good luck charms!" He pointed at them and smiled brightly, seemingly shining through his mask. "They help me think that you three are always with me, and they remind me of the most important reason why I need to work so hard: For you gals."
All three girls made a very similar gesture to Izuku's a minute ago; Grabbing their hearts over their chests as an overwhelming sense of love washed over them (Eiko's skin also hardened slightly as she throbbed,) and in unison, thought: 'I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU, DEKU/IZUKU❤!❤!❤!❤!'
"I got them commissioned to be extra-strong and super-dense would be safe to be more exposed, not that I would let them get damaged anyway. While the normal ones I made are in here!" He added proudly, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and towards his backpack.
" DEKUUUU!❤" Ochako cried, suddenly lunging for him to hug him tightly, before Katsumi roared in frustration and hugged him too, all while insisting that she "wasn't jealous or anything! Shut up!"
'Goddamn, Young Midoriya…' All Might thought to himself. 'Not even a full day in, and he already has a dedicated fan club. He's my successor, alright.'
Finally, he cleared his throat loudly and began to speak to the class. "Good to see everyone assembled here, especially now that you're all in your incredible costumes!" He looked over to Izuku and Co., relieved to see that the girls got off Izuku, now just at his sides.
"As I said before, we'll be performing a practical activity for today, in this building before you. We need ten groups of two who will be randomly paired together, then randomly select two teams to face off, one hero team and one villain team per match!" He took out a raffle box and reached in, "For our first team, Team A, we have- Kirishima and Midoriya!"
Eiko gave a short jolt of surprise, then turned to Izuku who was smiling even wider. "Nice! Let's do our best, Eiko!"
Ochako pouted, but Katsumi looked absolutely blasphemed. "Hey! I want a restart, this is rigged! Besides, why can't we pick our own teams anyway!?"
"Well, it only makes sense, doesn't it?" A tall girl wearing what seemed to be a hybrid of knight's armor and cyclist gear spoke up, with her face concealed by a helmet. "More often than not, heroes don't get to plan ahead for the crimes they stop, so they typically pair with others who happen to be nearby!"
"Haha! Well done, Miss Iida. That's exactly right!" All Might praised, "It's true. Unless you're constantly being followed around by a partner of sorts, you'll be going at it alone more often than not, and will have to make do with whoever you're with."
Katsumi huffed in frustration and pouted, but stood down. "Whatever."
Finally, All Might continued, and continued to pull names, until he reached Team E and announced; "Team E, Uraraka and Bakugo!"
The two turned and looked at each other testily, and Izuku felt himself tensing up a little as they did. They had been working hard to get along, and Izuku was doing his best to help it along, but there was still a chance…
Finally, Katsumi just crossed her arms and looked forward again. "You'd better not slow me down, Round face."
Ochako crossed her arms too, looking oddly competitive in a way that made Izuku want to go into a Gap-Moe-induced swoon off his feet. "As long as you don't go and blow everyone and everything up before we can hope to win."
Izuku felt his chest welling up with affection. 'We went from a super sweet Ochako to a tangy one! that's so so so cute!' He thought, hiding his overly gleeful expression under his mask, but it did nothing to mask how much he was glowing from beneath it. 'And it's even cuter with her hero costume! They're all so adorable! I'm so so so lucky!'
Finally, when the last team, Team J, was announced, All Might finally began to explain the exercise:
"As I said, today's exercise is going to be in this building here! We'll have two randomly selected teams being pitted against each other; One the Heroes, and the other the Villains! The Villains will go inside five minutes ahead of the Heroes and will be given a dummy weapon to gaurd, and they can spend that time however they please - Devising a strategy, hiding the weapon on any floor they would please, barricading their position, whatever they can devise of in those five minutes, and will have to guard it for thirty minutes."
A few of them nodded in understanding, and All Might gave a moment for the information to set in. "The villains, of course, win by guarding it for the entire time, while the heroes will have to touch it just once - Or both teams could win by securing the enemy in tape."
Then, the Knight-like girl raised her arm again and waited until All Might called on her. "But sir, wouldn't these conditions heavily be to the villain's advantage?"
He laughed in response. "Well spotted! Yes, it would be. You see, statistically speaking, the fights against the worst villains will be taking place indoors, as they're the ones smart enough to realize that committing such crimes in public would make it all the easier for heroes to spot and stomp them out! Therefore, the Heroes in this exercise will practice fighting against the odds, while the 'Villains' will be able to see into the minds of real villains in a similar situation."
The class perked up in realization, fully realizing the wisdom in the exercise. "I see, thank you, Sir!" Iida replied, before cupping her chin under the helmet. "Getting into the mind of a villain… It would be a valuable learning experience."
All Might nodded. "Indeed! Understanding your enemy and their line of thinking is always valuable, and in some cases will be the deciding factor in victory or defeat-! You'll find that most of our lessons will be practical as well. As valuable as a curriculum is, all pros will tell you that experience will always be the best teacher!" He announced with another laugh, before stalling as he had an idle, almost bitter thought: 'And by God do I hate doing paperwork and grading… It's a win-win!'
"So without any further ado, time for another raffle!" All Might announced, taking out another set of boxes, one labeled Heroes, and the other, Villains.
Before All Might put his hands in and dug around, Izuku excitedly turned around to Katsumi, Eiko, and Ochako. "Let's all do our best, right?"
Ochako giggled and stuck her fist out. "Yeah! Let's do it!"
Katsumi smirked in a usual, confident manner and stuck her fist out too. "Please, with me on your team, you don't even have to try. I'll kill them!"
Eiko joined in slowly. "Alright! L-Let's get them, Izuku!"
Izuku was gushing excitedly at the display, then nodded as he brought his fist out too, then joined them all in a four-way fistbump. "Yeah! Good luck, everyone!"
"- Our first match will be…! Team A vs. Team E!" All Might announced while the four had their backs turned. They were all rigid and stayed stuck. They slowly looked up, at their partners, then toward each other.
'Well… This'll be interesting.' All Might thought to himself, looking over those four before he began to move on, matching up more and more students until all ten teams had a match-up.
"Alright, everyone but teams A and E will follow me to the observing area. Team E, take these comm pieces and tape then head into the building, remember, you have just five minutes to do whatever you can before I send the Heroes in! And good luck in there!" They both took one, looked back toward Eiko and Izuku, then turned away again.
"Team A!" They both stepped forward and took them, before carefully placing and securing them in their ears. "Try your best and good luck! With that all settled, everyone else, follow me to the viewing area!"
All Might began to walk off with the herded class, but he half-looked back to Izuku and gave him a thumbs up. Izuku stiffened a little, but quickly returned it.
Finally, Izuku turned back to Eiko and offered his hand. "Come on, let's wait by the building and talk strategy."
She faltered for a moment but ended up taking it as she blushed. "Yeah, sounds good!" She said as they walked around the building, stopping near a door into the building's side, and standing against a railing. "Do you have a plan, Izuku?"
He had to think about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I have a few ideas. For one, I think Kacchan is going to come for me, so we should make a strategy around that."
That caught Eiko off guard a little, then she just tilted her head a little. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, Kacchan's end goal is to be the number one hero, and mine is to be a hero like All Might, so she kinda sees me as her competition in hero work. I think it'll be her way of telling me that even though she loves me, she's going to win."
Eiko nodded in understanding and just stood there for a moment, before breaking the silence with a small giggle. "She's pretty cool, isn't she…?" She asked, to Izuku's immediate, excited agreement. "Mhm. But how about you?"
"Hm? What do you mean?" He asked.
"Do you see Bakugo as competition? Or at the very least, would you be okay with just rolling over and letting her win?"
Izuku paused. If it would make Katsumi happy, of course, he would just do anything she asked… But if anything, not seeing her as competition would probably be the most offensive thing he could do. However, at the same time, it was hard for him to think of Katsumi as someone he was going against . It was embarrassing, but he just couldn't make a solid thought. "I-I… I don't know…"
Eiko nodded again, then leaned back against the railing. "Want to know what I think?"
"Of course."
"I think Bakugo wants you to be her rival, too." That made Izuku perk up curiously.
"Really? What makes you say that?"
"Well, she's a really competitive and fierce person, and she loves you a whole lot. If you got stronger and kept pitting yourself against her, it shows her firsthand how much you're growing, and showing herself how good she's getting too. Kinda like two gym buddies spurring each other on, but not wanting to get left behind." Eiko explained, before turning forward and shrugging. "At least that's how I see it… But I don't know her as well as you do, so maybe this is just n-nonsense, hahaha."
"No, that was perfect." Izuku said, making Eiko blush as she continued to look forward. Then, Izuku put his hand on her head, and began to slowly and affectionately pet it while she tensed up. "Thank you, Eiko. I've been with Kacchan for a long time, and I try really hard, but I have a lot to learn, don't I?"
"I-I… I…" Eiko stammered, her face completely red while he continued to pet her until Izuku noticed how embarrassed it made her, and he completely pulled away.
"O-Oh, wow! Sorry! I have no idea what compelled me to just do that out of nowhere!" Izuku stammered. Finally, he just turned and coughed into his fist awkwardly.
"It's n-no problem, really…" She said, almost like a squeak. "Anyway- W-We should probably talk strategy again, right?"
Izuku, eager and thankful to change the subject, just nodded. "Y-Yeah! I actually have another idea: Look at the windows!"
Eiko looked up and covered her eyes from above to block out the sun, but she couldn't see anything in particular. "Um… Okay. What am I looking at?"
"Do you see how near the top, the windows get spaced out further, likely meaning the rooms are bigger, with taller ceilings? Ochako could use her Quirk to make the weapon weightless and float it up, so if it's against a tall ceiling, we wouldn't be able to reach it easily."
Eiko's eyes widened a little, and she quickly nodded. "Oh, I see! With that in mind, we know where to be looking, so we don't have to waste as much time sweeping every hall!" She giggled and leaned over, affectionately jabbing his shoulder. "Good thinking, Izuku! You're really smart!"
"Thank you, Eiko. Despite her one-track mind, Kacchan is super smart! Anyway, if I'm right about Kacchan coming for me, then I'm afraid I'll be leaving the more important part to you - Getting the weapon, and by extension, dealing with Ochako too. At least until I deal with Kacchan."
Eiko just gave him a thumbs-up and smiled. "I've got you covered! I can use my quirk and punch into the wall so I can scale it if she does float it to the ceiling. But then, I'll have to find a way around her too…"
Ochako looked up as the nuclear bomb prop drifted to the ceiling like a blimp. She was worried about the weight, but it was hollow and made of cardboard so it wasn't as big of an issue as she thought it would be.
"From what you said about the entrance exam-" Katsumi piped up behind her, "Couldn't Deku just jump up there?"
She nodded, but smiled and held one finger up. "Yep! But there's one problem with that: He couldn't without breaking his legs, and he already promised not to do it again. He wouldn't just point-blank break a promise like that."
Katsumi crossed her arms and nodded. "Right."
Ochako looked around the room. There were plenty of materials to barricade with, like barrels and panels of wood, but putting up a barricade would just give away their position more. From outside the room, they would have to come in to check and then look directly up, and unless they thought of that, it would've been impossible to find.
Since Katsumi seemed on edge, counting down the seconds, Ochako just sighed and stretched. "Hey, Katsumi?"
"Hm?"
"What do you think of Eiko Kirishima?"
Katsumi paused for a moment in thought. "She's pissing me off."
Ochako's eyes widened a little. That was pretty harsh… She had agreed to this in the first place, and let her into their little family, so she wondered if she just lied in front of Izuku. "Really? She seems pretty nice to me…"
"You know, I think that's part of her problem, yeah." She grunted, which made Ochako shift uncomfortably on the spot. "Whatever. The match is about to begin." She said, cracking her knuckles as she walked towards the entrance.
"H-Hey! Where are you going!?" Ochako demanded with a huff. "In case you forgot, we win by protecting the weapon!"
"I'm going to go looking for them. We can win by beating them, too." She said, before stopping and rolling her shoulders, then cracking her neck to each side. Then, she looked back at Ochako. "Besides… I need to have a talk ."
Finally, the match had begun, so Izuku and Eiko swept into the building and darted straight towards the staircase. "I think the larger rooms are on the seventh floor and up, then we should start sweeping the rooms!"
Eiko nodded and followed behind him quickly. If Katsumi were to show up, Izuku would take her attention, and Eiko would continue to look for the weapon and Ochako, who would likely be left guard it.
Finally, they reached the seventh floor, where the doors to the side were much wider, and the ceilings looked higher. Izuku looked back and nodded, Eiko nodded back, and they began to slowly creep around.
Izuku looked around the corners to check, before signaling for Eiko to follow him as they swept and scanned the halls. At least until Katsumi found them first.
She roared as she jumped around the corner and swung her arm wide. Eiko crossed her arms over her face and activated her Quirk, but just a split second before Katsumi landed her hit, Izuku leaped and tackled Eiko, holding her around the middle and holding a hand over the back of her head, keeping her secure as they landed.
Eiko blinked, completely stunned as he pushed himself up, looking down at her. Half of his mask was burnt off, but his face was unscathed. Instead of panic, fear, (or even excitement like Eiko felt,) he just looked worried for her sake, looking her over with his hands still over her. With the lighting above him and how she was positioned under him, he looked like an angel… Or a dutiful, brave, chivalrous knight who saved her from danger, even when he was in more danger than she was. "Are you okay, Eiko?"
She let out a slow, shaky, and hot breath, absolutely out of it even as she slowly nodded, and didn't recover fully until he got up and held her hand to help her back onto her feet.
Katsumi held her hands to her side popping small explosions in her open palms as Izuku fidgetted slightly. He was never on the receiving end of those explosions, but he had seen enough to know he didn't want to be. "Kacchan…!"
"Deku." She replied simply, walking closer. "Just give up… I know you wouldn't fight one of us, just make it easier for yourself."
Izuku gulped and looked at Eiko for a moment, before turning back to her. "That couldn't be more true. I'd die an infinite amount of times over before the thought of laying a hand on you like that even goes through my mind… But Eiko helped me realize something. As long as you'll have me, I'll always be your boyfriend, and when we get our licenses, I'll be your partner as well."
Katsumi was blushing now, realizing he finally outright agreed to create and join an agency with her. "But?"
Izuku continued, "But while we're still in training, you need a rival too. I'll practice and challenge you every single day, even hourly if you want! We can help each other grow, and be the best heroes, we can possibly be!"
Katsumi just stood there, watching him carefully, before smirking as she walked forward. She didn't have her arms up, and her tension just seemed to evaporate. "You're serious about this?"
He nodded quickly and held his hand out. "Of course. Would you accept me as your rival, on top of being your boyfriend?"
Katsumi stopped a couple of paces before him and looked down at his hand for a few moments, before finally reaching and taking his hand, and they shook it while smiling at each other. "I do. Just don't feel bad if I end up wrecking you over and over again."
Suddenly, they were both snapped out of it as Eiko sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her arm, then looked up teary-eyed. "I'm sorry, it's just - You guys are so cool! That was the manliest thing ever! Even manlier than Izuku was before!" She explained before wailing and rubbing her eyes again.
Izuku tried to go over to her, but found his hand completely trapped in Katsumi's grip. "I'm really happy you said that, Deku… Even if we are dating, I'd love for us to be rivals. But I didn't come down here for that."
Katsumi swung her other arm outward, and Izuku blocked his face with the other one, but instead of hitting him, Katsumi swung him backward, and blasted the floor with a powerful swing.
Eiko and Izuku cried out as they fell through, with Izuku lunging as far as he could to protect Eiko and Katsumi from the impact, but Katsumi blasted backward, throwing smoke in his face while also tackling Eiko.
"E-Eiko! Kacchan!" He shouted, just before hitting the ground on his side and scrambling to get up.
Eiko and Katsumi were wrestling now, with their hands against each other's shoulders, and Eiko had turned on her Quirk across her entire body. "J-Just go, Izuku! I'll be fine!" She promised, before screaming as Katsumi tripped her and swung her around to launch her across the corridor.
Izuku's first instinct, of course, would be to stop it, but instead, he grits his teeth. "I-I… Fine! I'll do it as fast as I can!" He promised, before turning and blitzing up the stairs as fast as he could.
Eiko had sprung from the floor and narrowly dodged Katsumi swinging in from above, causing a smokescreen with the debris from the ground and the explosion's smoke. "Come on, hairdo… Show me how strong you are!" She challenged, almost like a roar as she dashed from the smoke cloud.
Eiko turned her Quirk up more, then roared back as she ran up to her.
Izuku kept grinding his teeth as he swept through the rooms, looking up toward the ceiling in them, but his mind was still gone. He felt guilty but at the same time, he know it would be over as soon as he snagged the weapon.
'I have to trust Eiko… To trust in her strength, her durability, and her grit… And trust that Kaachan knows not to go too far…'
Finally, he skidded to a halt in one of the rooms with enough built-up speed to rattle the items around, before looking up. It was a massive bomb that looked like a nuke, and it was pressed against the top of the ceiling like a balloon.
"Finally! But if that's there, where is-?" He suddenly leaped sideways as Ochako came from behind with an open palm, trying to smack him and put him into zero gravity.
"Woah, nice reflexes, Deku!" She congratulated cheerfully, "I thought I was being pretty sneaky."
He smiled a little, then just shrugged. "Thank you. Although I guess it's hard to be sneaky in heels. But they're still really cool though!"
Ochako giggled, then began to show them off a little with a cutsey pose, then did the same with the other foot. "Thanks. I really like them too! Anyways, would you mind losing, Deku?"
Izuku had to bite his lip because his immediate thought was: "Of course not! Anything you want, Ochako! I love you!"
"Well, normally I'd like to, but it's an exercise. I can't throw the match, even though I wouldn't mind. Sorry, Ochako." He explained, rubbing the back of his head.
Ochako just shrugged. "Okay, I thought so. No harm in asking, though. Oh! What happened to your mask, Deku!?" She suddenly began to fret, pointing at the side of his face where his mask was missing.
"Kacchan ambushed Eiko and I, and she blew off some of my mask." He explained with a shrug, before reaching back and pulling it down to uncover his face. "Thankfully, I moved the pins onto the other side of my collar in time so she wouldn't get ash on them or anything."
Ochako blinked in confusion, then thought really hard about it. He was right; The pins were on the right earlier, but now they were on the left - The undamaged half of his face. "W-Woah woah woah, wait! How did you move them that fast!? She ambushed you, so she was probably attacking the moment you saw her! How does that work!?"
Izuku smiled a little wider. "I didn't want anything to mark them, so I was really quick about it."
Ochako blinked in confusion again and began to rub the side of her head. "I-I don't really get it… But that's still really sweet of you!" She said, before finally shaking her head clear and bringing her arms up in a grabby-looking way. "Alright, just let me touch you once, and it'll be over…"
Izuku's eyes narrowed slightly in concentration but paused. 'Wait, what? I mean, she's obviously talking about her Quirk, but…'
She was downright panting in excitement, and her face was even a little red. On top of that, he swore her eyes had hearts in them, and her fingers kept flexing and moving excitedly at the aspect.
"O-Ochako… By touching me, y-you meant using your Quirk on me, t-then taping me up, right?"
Like a hungry predator, she stepped forward slowly and strikingly, her arms closing in.
"That is what you meant, isn't it!?"
Then, Ochako pounced at him with her arms shot out, and Izuku yelped as he jumped to the side. "Ochako! Please!" He tried to reason, before limboing backward as Ochako lunged again towards his upper body, forcing him to awkwardly jump backward and land sliding on his back, managing to get to his feet just in time as she did it again.
He scanned the room while he ran from Ochako; While the items scattered around would usually be helpful, he still had to fight off Ochako… Then, his eyes widened as he got an idea, then skidded to a halt before turning around. "Ochako! I really want to do the thing you asked for yesterday again!"
Then, Ochako went from a predator to a puppy as her face brightened with pure delight. "Okay !" She chirped before spinning around so her back was facing him.
Yesterday, Ochako asked Deku to try something with her that she saw on TV: Where the male lead hugged the female protagonist around the waist, then kissed her ear. When Izuku and Ochako tried it, he was embarrassed but stuck to it, while Ochako broke down into a fit of excited and almost crazed giggling while her knees buckled under her.
So now, she completely abandoned her mission in order to try it again… And she waited, and waited for Izuku to hug her, but to no avail. Finally, she looked over her shoulder, and cried out in shock as Izuku disappeared.
Then, she looked up and saw Izuku wall-jumping; lunging between a wall and a pillar, finding whatever holding he could to heave himself up and jump again. She also noticed he left his backpack on the ground to leave himself unencumbered.
"Are you playing Crash Bandicoot over there!?" Ochako shouted at him, and he looked over his shoulder while clinging to a windowsill.
"I-I'm sorry, Ochako!" He shouted back, before leaping again to the pillar, hugging it tight for dear life. "I'll do it when this is over, I promise!"
Ochako growled and activated her Quirk on herself, then kicked off the ground to float towards him. "Get back here and kiss my ear now, Mister! A-And lose!" She demanded, kicking off a pillar to redirect herself towards him, but missed, and had to kick off another wall to dash at him again, until she was a mere few feet away-!
All of a sudden, Ochako's eyes shot open and she stalled in midair, before her cheeks puffed out and she shot her hands over her mouth. 'O-Oh no…' She thought. When she blinked, the room looked darker, and her eyes were rolling back slightly. 'I-I hit my limit…'
She released, instantly feeling the weight of gravity rush back to her right as she began to fall back-first toward the ground.
Just as quickly, however, Izuku had lunged from the pillar toward Ochako and grabbed her, then spun right after catching her, curling his body before slamming into the ground, then slid across it for a few moments, ripping apart the back of his costume.
Ochako panted heavily, letting her vision come back to her. She struggled to push herself up, and looked down at Izuku, who was still holding her as if they were falling. "Ochako… A-Are you okay?"
She paused for a moment before smiling. "I feel a little nauseous, but I'm okay…" Just at that moment, several feet away, the weapon fell to the ground, breaking apart the legs. "But I'm only okay thanks to you…" Ochako reached forward with her shaky hand and brushed aside some of his hair. "You're my hero, Deku. I love you."
Izuku groaned as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "I-I love you too."
Finally, Ochako pulled away from him, lightly clenching her stomach as she sat down. "Oh! Please wait here for a second, Ochako." He said, before getting up to walk to his backpack, quickly bringing it to her, and taking a knee.
She perked up curiously as he opened it, then retrieved a large container of red gummies, with a label saying "Ochako". After a moment, she realized it was the same kind of gummies that Recovery Girl gave her during the entrance exam. "Oh wow!"
Izuku smiled as he popped it open, pouring a couple into his hand before giving it to her. "I asked Recovery Girl for them, so I got one bottle just in case, and another specifically for you." He said, remembering how he had to be her janitor and assistant the night before to do so, but it was worth it.
Ochako quickly ate the gummies, then looked up to Deku gratefully. "You're the best, Deku."
He felt his heart begin beating in an abnormal manner, which in an odd way was normal, as that was how it reacted whenever the girls did something cute - Which was always. Izuku put his hand on her head, then patted it gently. "Because you deserve the best."
Izuku put the container back, zipped his backpack up, and hiked it back over his shoulders. "Do you want to sit out now?"
Ochako just nodded. "Mhm. Katsumi's going to be really mad at me, but I think you deserve to win, Deku."
"IF YOU CAN GET PAST ME!" Katsumi roared, jetting into the room with explosions, then landing in front of the weapon protectively.
Izuku took a slight step back while Katsumi growled and held her arms up, ready for a fight.
While he agreed to be Katsumi's rival and fight her, it didn't mean he thought he could really win in a no-holds-barred fight, and Eiko wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he could only assume she was on a floor below, defeated.
His only real hope would have been to use One For All, but there was a very long, very concerning list of reasons why he couldn't.
But at the same time: He didn't even have to fight. He just had to touch the weapon! He then tried thinking of a trick to pull on Katsumi, like the one he used on Ochako, but Katsumi was also a bit too one-tracked to fall for it in the middle of a fight.
"You can still just give up," Katsumi said, detecting the conflict he was facing. "Even if we're going to fight, you can't beat me. The smartest move you can make is to give up."
"Yeah…" Izuku said with a small nod, but still put his fists up. "Probably."
Katsumi smirked, before slamming her fist into her open palm. "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn ya-! ... Huh?"
Katsumi looked up, and so did Izuku. The ceiling had a large crack in it, and then it expanded with a heavy, muffled 'Thoom!'. At that point, he could tell that it was denting downward, and after a moment, there was another great impact before the ceiling blew apart - Raining debris, dust, and a flailing Eiko.
"Eiko!?" Izuku shouted, suddenly panicking and rushing forward, dodging debris and holding his arms up, catching her in bridal style while she covered her face with her Quirk activated. Besides the dust, there were clear marks from ash and Katsumi's explosions.
She uncovered her face in confusion, and upon realizing that Izuku was carrying her, began to blush furiously. "H-Hey, Izuku!"
Izuku, also realizing what position he caught her in, began to blush as well. "H-Hi, Eiko. Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I-I'm fine… Also, this i-is really nice, but could you p-please put me down now? We're still kinda d-doing this thing…"
"Oh! Right! S-Sorry!" He stammered, putting Eiko down onto her feet while she began to brush herself off. Izuku looked up at Katsumi, and she just had her hands on her hips while staring them down.
"It's a two-on-one, Kacchan. It doesn't look good for you." Izuku said, while Katsumi just kept staring, before focusing on Eiko, then clearing her throat.
Eiko looked back at her, then her eyes widened and she blushed even harder, then just shook her head. "L-Look! I'll do it after, o-okay?"
"Er, what?" Izuku asked. Leaving the two of them alone, he would come to expect quite a few things. At worst, he would expect Katsumi to tell Eiko off for being a part of their relationship late, and at best, they would be friends, but he felt far too out of the loop here.
"Later." Katsumi grunted, before rolling her shoulders back. Now that he was paying more attention, Izuku noticed that Katsumi also had a few scrapes over her arms, and her mask was a little off-center. "So are we going to do this or not?!"
Izuku looked towards Eiko and nodded in a serious manner, before readjusting himself and fixing his fighting position. Eiko snapped from embarrassment to 'manly fighting mode', putting her hands up while grinning, and nodded back.
Izuku rushed first, positioning himself low and charging straight for Katsumi, who just held her hand out and fired, Izuku side-stepped and hooked one arm around her waist, then picked her up as he charged like he was about to slam her into a wall or the ground- But held his other hand out to reach for the weapon.
Realizing his intention, Katsumi aimed both hands backward and down diagonally, blasting herself and Izuku forward while also launching the weapon backward, sending it rolling across the ground.
Eiko dodged to the side to avoid being hit by Katsumi and Izuku. "Eiko! The weapon!" he shouted, before hitting the ground.
"Right!" She shouted back, before breaking into a sprint.
Katsumi turned and tried to fire again, but Izuku grabbed her arm and spun her around, forcing her to face him. In frustration, she swung at Izuku with her fist. "Dammit, move!"
However, right as she swung, Izuku grabbed her arm almost like he was hugging it, and the sudden counter made Katsumi stall just a moment too long before she was suddenly spun around, and Izuku was behind her. He held her tight in a bear hug, keeping her arms to her side and stopping her from aiming her arms, before leaning back and taking her feet off the ground.
'He's keeping his promise and fighting me…! But he refuses to actually hurt me, either!' Katsumi thought as she struggled, knowing that the simplest and straightforward counter would have been to throw her over his shoulder after grabbing her arm, but instead, he went for a hold.
She spread her fingers out and was about to fire at the ground in order to propel herself and Izuku towards the weapon before a buzzer sounded, and all four of them heard All Might in their ears: "Aaaand that's game! The Hero team, Team A, wins!"
Katsumi looked up and saw Eiko hoisting the weapon over her head with one had, then waved at her and Izuku with the other.
"Well done, to the hero and villain teams! Now, everyone come down to the viewing room for an evaluation, then we can begin the next team's match!"
Izuku gently set Katsumi down and she turned to face him. He was sympathetic but also had a clear underlining of pride and excitement. Her first impulse was to think, "Of course he's proud, he and Kirishima won." But the thought was shot out of her head the moment he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.
"You were awesome, Kacchan! To be honest, it was a little scary to have to face you, but it's mostly because you're just so strong! Good job."
Katsumi stiffened, and Izuku tilted his head slightly out of confusion and a slight amount of concern. "Er, Kacchan? Are you okay?"
She was completely frozen in place. Her face was burning and bright red, her eyes were wide and focused entirely on his face, and she was also shaking as if she were actually frozen. Katsumi's mouth gaped open as she tried to find something to say, only forcing out a few small, whimpering gasps, before backhanding him to the side and screaming as she ran to the door. "DON'T YOU DARE THINK I LIKE GETTING PRAISED OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, DUMMY! I DON'T LOVE IT! I DON'T CARE! SHUT UP, I'M NOT LIKE THAT! NOOO!"
"You're just trying to convince yourself !" Ochako yelled after her, now that she fought off her nausea enough to stand and chase her partner out of the room. "Tsun! Tsuuuun! Tsuuuun!"
"SHUT UP!" Katsumi screamed back, still running away, with her voice fading into the distance along with the heavy stomps of her boots.
Izuku, who recovered from the hit, just stood up straight again and smiled softly in their direction, before turning to Eiko, who was carrying the weapon over her shoulder, before setting it upright on the ground again. She smiled, but rubbed her arm as she came closer. "S-So… We won."
Izuku smiled too, and nodded. "Yeah. You did great, Eiko. I'm sorry I left you alone with Kacchan near the beginning."
She just waved it off. "It's fine, I told you to anyway… Hey, now that I think about it, is that why you rushed her first?"
Izuku chuckled nervously, then just nodded. "I did, and I wanted to show I was at least serious about treating her as my rival too." After that, he couldn't help but blush a little and smiled. "But more than all of that, I just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt."
Eiko's blushed harder, almost looking like she wanted to chastise him, but was a little too happy to do so. "D-Dummy. I'm more durable than you, she couldn't hurt me that bad anyways." She started laughing at her own comment but stopped completely as Izuku's hand gently held her shoulder.
His expression was soft, loving, and gentle. Eiko felt as though she would swoon so hard she'd fall over if he weren't holding her. "I know. But even still, I'm your boyfriend, so I'm always going to protect you anyway."
Eiko was still stunned and looked up at him with wide, starry eyes full of pure adoration.
Izuku clapped his hand over his mouth and was forced to look away, since it felt like he was staring into the face of the sun. It was a glorious, mythical display of cuteness, and direct contact would scar his eyes forever.
A moment later, however, he forced himself to look forward with a look of strained determination, telling himself: 'No! What kind of boyfriend can't take the full brunt of his girlfriend's cuteness?!'
Finally, Eiko giggled and hugged him around the middle. "That's pretty manly of you, Izuku." She shifted slowly so that her face was pressing directly against his chest, before looking up and pressing her chin against him.
Izuku felt his entire body trembling and was left blushing even harder than before while stammering slightly, only being able to form a full sentence in his own head. 'W-Woah! When d-did Eiko get so bold!? This i-is so… Amazing! She's so cute!'
She smiled wide but still showed hints of bashfulness, showing off her sharp array of teeth while letting out a small giggle. "Thank you for being my boyfriend, Izuku."
'AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! SHE'S TOO DAMN CUTE! AAAAAAAHHHHH! ' Izuku thought, feeling his entire body going rigid, almost like his heart throbbing was leading into a full-on heart attack.
"It's a higher honor for me, honestly! I can only try my hardest to be a worthy boyfriend for you, Eiko." Izuku replied, "But… You're welcome. And-"
"Er, Hero Team?" All Might's voice rang in their ears, and both teens stiffened and went wide-eyed as they remembered something crucial: Their entire class was watching, including the teacher.
"I enjoy seeing that my lesson can help bring students together and form tighter bonds, but please, save the celebrations until later." He said, before cutting out, leaving Izuku and Eiko standing awkwardly in each others' embrace.
Therefore, the couple took a step back, took each other's hand, and lowered their heads in pure embarrassment as they went down, refusing to speak or even look at anyone else until the matches were over, and All Might dismissed the class for the day - Which was a few hours in total.
Finally, All Might slowly and uncertainly walked up to Izuku and tapped his shoulder. "Hm?"
"Young Midoriya, I …! Am kind of concerned! Your costume is torn and you seem to have a few cuts! Please head to the nurse's office!" He said, before turning towards Eiko. "And you, Young Kirishima, are free to join him or the rest of the class!"
He stopped talking as they got up, still blushing and still too embarrassed to look him in the eye, while the hero was left feeling like he'd done something shitty. But in his own defense, he couldn't help but feel like they would've begun making out if they were allowed to continue.
"Huh..." He said to himself, now that his class was gone. "Young Midoriya didn't strike me as someone who would have a way with the ladies…" He contemplated, before shrugging dismissively. "Well, he is my pupil, after all."
Izuku groaned as he left Recovery Girl's office, looking over his own back. He had a few shallow, but long cuts along his back which needed some bandages, and his hero costume was too torn for use for a while, so now he would have to use the P.E uniform, along with his accessories, until a replacement was finished.
"Hey, Izuku!" Eiko called from the bench outside before hopping up. "How are you? You didn't get too hurt, did you?"
He just shook his head and smiled softly. "No, I'm fine, but I wish I could say the same for my hero costume…" He said with a sigh, "But thank you for asking. How about you? Kaachan can get a little carried away, especially in a competition or fight."
"Nah, although it did get pretty toasty." She joked, before her cheeks were suddenly flushing a little. "Actually… We had a pretty good talk."
"A… Talk?" Izuku asked, before his eyes suddenly widened as several pieces suddenly clicked. "Oh, I think I get it."
"I thought you might. You see…"
Eiko's Quirk, Hardening, was kind of like flexing or holding a breath, but she liked describing it as flexing more often; because that made it sound cooler. The harder she made her skin, the more it made her muscles ache and the shorter she could hold it for. And like holding a breath, it was much harder while being active.
So of course, forcing herself to be as hard as possible while in a fight where she was being beaten by a living grenade launcher for a few minutes, she felt like she was being strained into the very last millimeter of her willpower.
She ground her teeth and revved her fist back as Katsumi charged, but blasted at a meter away, so when Eiko swung, all she did was stumble into a smokescreen while Katsumi blasted the back of her head, before landing a few feet behind her.
'She's fast… She has a range advantage too… My only hope is pushing through the force of her explosions fast enough to get a good hit on her.' Eiko thought, before punching her fists together to get herself pumped up, reapplying her Quirk across her skin before snapping back around towards Katsumi.
"Stop holding back." Katsumi demanded stiffly, before slowly dropping her guard and standing up, looking more annoyed than anything.
Eiko stopped for a moment, feeling her own guard dropping just slightly. "What are you talking about? I'm fighting my butt off here!"
"Yeah, I know that, but you're holding back. You're holding back on me, Round Face, and Deku." She said, her face scrunching slightly in annoyance. "You're starting to piss me off."
Eiko blinked in confusion. She couldn't help but feel like it was a trap, but couldn't see her making any moves. "I… I don't get it."
"Back on the roof and around us, you keep holding back around Deku. You're acting like some girl whose relationship is hidden from everyone else! As if Deku's cheating on us with you!" She explained, growing angrier with each word, finally stomping forward. "You love him, don't you!?"
"Y-Yes!?" Eiko stammered out, now blushing slightly as she stepped back.
"And he loves you, doesn't he!?"
"I-I…" Eiko gulped, before nodding. "Yes! I really th-think Izuku loves me!" She announced, before suddenly blushing much harder.
"And do you think he loves you because you hold back all the damn time!? By not being yourself, and not doing what you want!? Do you expect us to get along with someone who can't even be honest about who she is!?"
Eiko, caught off guard by the most threatening but heartfelt pep talk of her life, could only step backward as she shook her head.
"Exactly! Now- What the hell do you want!?"
She stopped and thought about it. She wanted, more than anything, to be with Izuku. She wanted to graduate with him and get along with Katsumi and Ochako, and to be a heroine just like she dreamed of. But at that thought, her eyes widened as she realized what she truly wanted.
Eiko took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and began to shout, throwing her shame to the wind. "I-I want to win! I wanna beat you, a-and I want Izuku to congratulate me with a smooch!"
Katsumi stopped coming closer, then let out a sigh. "... You know, you're not going to win. But he'll probably kiss ya to make you feel better." And just as Eiko was about to retort, Katsumi held her hand up and fired at the ceiling above Eiko, dropping the ceiling on her before she could leap out of the way.
Katsumi watched as the left bits of debris fell onto the pile above Eiko and the smoke cleared, before smirking and turning around to head upstairs. "I'll hold you to that… Hairdo."
Eiko chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "- I had to get the rubble off and run pretty hard after the sound of Bakugo's explosions, but I'm glad I made it in time."
Izuku, however, could only bring himself to nod while his insides were bursting with joy. 'I can't believe Kacchan gave her a pep talk like that! She really is just a big softie! That's so cute…!'
However, just as they were coming closer to the corridor with Class 1-A, Eiko stopped walking, and Izuku paused to turn toward her. "Is something wrong, Eiko?"
Eiko was looking down at her feet and slowly put her hands behind her back, before looking back up at him while blushing nervously. "N-Nothing really… It's just that… W-Well, there was something I-I was kinda hoping you were picking up on."
Izuku paused for a moment before he began to blush as well. "Oh… R-Right. Well, I guess we both can use a little ' congratulations ', huh?" He joked, before stepping closer to close the distance, making Eiko look up to meet his gaze.
Her arms nervously came up again. Unlike earlier, she didn't have the adrenaline rush of a good fight and splendid victory to hinder her hesitation. However, Izuku put his arms around her first, hugging her just around the middle which encouraged her to hug him back, placing her arms around his chest.
"You did great out there, Eiko. I'm really proud of you. I meant to say it earlier, so I'm sorry… I love you."
Eiko fidgetted a little, and couldn't help but to smile a little wider and blush brighter. "That was a perfectly manly confession, Izuku…" She leaned closer and giggled. "I love that about you. But most of all, I love you ."
They both moved closer and closed their eyes in an excited but slow unison, almost like a dance, and they kissed blissfully.
'Her lips are rough, but she's so soft and nervous…' He thought after the initial shock induced by joy and love. 'Eiko is so…'
Izuku opened his eye just slightly to admire her blushing, ecstasy-filled face as she continued to kiss him deeply with her eyes closed. He felt his chest bursting uncontrollably with joy as he finished his thought: 'Lovely❤.'
Btw, I have a Twitter account now, so if anyone wants to follow me we can chat easier and there'll be more updates to progress I'm making on stories. I would also like to have a few polls, so I can see what kinds of things you guys, my fans, really want to see or to see more of.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as much as I had making it, since 100Kanojo and MHA are both franchises I'm super passionate about and writing a fully self-indulgent series where I get to combine both is as fun as I thought it'd be!
Anyway, I hope everyone stays safe and considers following me on Twitter so we can interact more. Goodbye, and until next time! ^^
Brypops🍵 ( BitchBrypops)
