Hero La Kill Ch. 42: Retreading
Written by Aduubo and Buckichamp
Edited by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PKSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
—
-Friday, 10:00 a.m.; Train Station-
Class 1A returned to the train station for their trip to Tanaka's ball in Honnō City. And they were all going together rather than splitting into groups. Everyone was in high spirits that morning, with the students excited to be attending the event. Ever since the Sports Festival, they all felt like big celebrities.
About ten minutes later, the trains arrived and were ready for everyone to board. Midnight and Cementoss would be their chaperones for the trip. It didn't take long for everything to become a chatter-fest with twenty-one teenagers wide awake.
"So, did you guys go shopping to prepare for Tanaka's big event?" Mina propped herself on the seat to face some of the boys.
"If you must know, I had mine finely prepared-"
"We already had suits," Kaminari leaned back slightly as he cut Aoyama off.
"I did. You had to borrow one," Sero corrected him, as a nervous bead of sweat formed on Denki's forehead. That alone drew a scoff from Mineta.
"Tch, peasant. I for one was able to buy my own," Mineta boasted proudly.
"You bought the cheapest suit from a value store!" Kaminari shouted at Minoru, making him drop his facade quickly.
"Pfft, seriously?" Kyouka stifled a laugh.
"No! U-Uhh! Shoji, what suit did you get?!" he briskly changed the subject, hoping to take the heat off of him.
"I- uhh…"
"We both had our suits custom tailored. More for him because of the arms thing. I think it cost about three million yen to have it all done quickly," Todoroki answered while unintentionally cutting Shoji off.
The entire bus froze, especially Shoji.
"Not even I paid that much," Yaoyorozu said in disbelief.
"NO FAIR!" Sero, Kaminari, and Mineta cried out, which made Shoji shield himself out of embarrassment.
"Come on, Todoroki…" Shoji sighed.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Shoto wondered.
"How can one spend that much money so quickly?" Fumikage questioned, chills running down his spine.
"What about you, Tokoyami?" Kirishima asked his classmate.
"My father lent me his. He figured that I'd like it," he answered. Next to him was Koda, who was nodding quite enthusiastically.
"Oh? You too, Koda?" Kirishima turned his attention to Koji, who answered with another nod.
"Cool!"
"What about you, Kirishima?" Sato jumped in.
"I was able to scrap enough money to get one for myself! And Bakugo too!" The spiky-haired teen pointed to the blonde he sat next to.
"Oooooo! How thoughtful, Kirishima! Bakugo's really lucky to have you around~" Ashido teased while hiding her grin behind her palm.
"It's no trouble! Just helping a bro out!" Kirishima flexed his arm proudly.
"Tch!" Bakugo scoffed and looked away.
"What did you girls get for your dresses?" Kaminari leaned over to the girls' side of the bus.
"It's a secret that you'll have to wait until the ball to see!" Mina flashed a wink at the blonde, denying him any chance to imagine the girls in their dresses.
"Damn tease…!" Minoru clenched hard on his pants as he kept his spasm bottled up.
"Soooo what about you, Midoriya? I know it must have been lonely for you since Matoi was hanging out with us girls," the pinkette teased him.
"Haha, no. My mom and I were able to go out and take a look. I tried to pitch in as much as I could so that she didn't have to pay for everything," Izuku answered.
"Your mom's the best," Mina said earnestly. "Ooh! Ooh! What did you pick out?"
"Can't tell you. It wouldn't be fair for us guys if you girls get to keep what you're wearing a secret," Izuku shrugged and chuckled.
"Awww! No fair!" she pouted.
"It was your idea after all, Ashido," Ryuko teased.
"Regardless of what everyone will be wearing, need I remind you that we are guests to a big event! We must be on our best behavior if we are to pave a successful trail for our heroic careers!" Tenya spoke up while standing in his seat.
"Your class rep is correct. We may have been invited, but we still have a reputation to uphold," Cementoss agreed.
"Aw come on, Cementoss. This is still a ball they're attending, not a business meeting," Midnight interjected. "Kids need to be kids every once and a while."
"See! Midnight gets it, Iida!" Mina cheered while pushing her fist into the air.
"I see that, but-"
"Don't you throw your butts at me, Mr. Iida!" the pinkette pointed at him with authority.
"Huh?!" Tenya whipped back in defense.
Seeing something so out of the blue from both Mina and Tenya made the class burst into laughter. Midnight giggled, getting enjoyment out of seeing the students having a good time. Cementoss also found humor in their silliness and chuckled.
As much as the teachers wanted to kick back and relax, they still knew that everyone was going to Honnō City, home of Honnōji Academy. The teachers were prepared to analyze anything they could get their hands on during their trip.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-12 p.m., Honnō City-
About an hour later, the class departed from the train as they reached their stop. Next, everyone hopped onto a reserved bus that would take them to Tokyo Bay, where they would then be escorted to Honnō City.
Quite a few trips had to be made, which left some of the students wondering how much was paid just to get there. But at last, they finally set foot on the pier that showed a path towards the pyramid-like infrastructure that loomed quite largely over them.
"Holy… This is Honnō City?" Sero asked as he tried to see past the dirty fog that lurked over the slums.
"And on top, is Honnōji Academy," Izuku felt like he had to brace himself as he acknowledged the school that towered above all else. Just looking at it shook him to his core.
"RYUUUKOOOOOOO! IZUUUKUUUUUUU!"
A good chunk of the class screamed from the sudden ambush. Upon instinct, Ryuko quickly ducked out of the way. Izuku tried to figure out where he previously heard that voice before being tackled by Mako. She bounced off on impact, knocking Izuku to the ground before gravity brought her back down on him.
"Hey Izuku!" the brunette cheered, propping her elbows on his chest.
The color red started burning into Ochako's face as she saw yet another girl being so close to Izuku!
"Ryuko… Why did you dodge…?" Izuku wheezed, barely being able to even point at her.
"Sorry, Izuku. My mind's been trained to know when to duck," Ryuko said in a lower tone as she created an 'X' formation with her arms.
"Oh! Yay! You're all here too!" Mako noticed as she looked at the rest of the class.
"Mankanshoku? What are you doing here?" Tenya asked her.
"Izuku and Ryuko wrote me a letter saying that they'd be here!" she answered while helping Izuku up.
"You didn't think we'd leave Mako outta this, did ya?" Ryuko chuckled.
"Yeah! Plus, I could show you around! I know this place backwards and forwards!" the brunette gave a salute.
"Wait Madam, you live here?" Aoyama shuddered at the thought of living in the slums.
"Sure do!" Mako chirped proudly before a cable car stopped right beside her.
Out came an attendee that inspected the group of students before saying his peace.
"Hello everyone! I'll be attending you as we take this cable car up to the two-star prefecture! If you could please enter in an orderly fashion, we'll go right on up."
"Why don't you go in first, Mako?" Ryuko pointed ahead, which raised some questions from her classmate.
"Wait! Is she even allowed to come with us?" Tenya asked Matoi.
"I don't see why not. Tanaka doesn't look like the guy to get uptight about this," Ryuko crossed her arms. "Ashido, you could probably work your charms to get him on board, right?"
Mina's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. An opportunity to woo Tanaka?
"Oooooooh! You got it, Matoi!" she said with a cheeky grin and started to daydream.
"No fair! Why do you get to spend some alone time with him?!" Toru huffed out her frustration.
"Matoi asked me! I dunno what to tell ya!" Ashido stuck her tongue out.
"It should be me!" Hagakure stomped.
Mineta could only cringe and grit his teeth as he was forced to bear witness to two girls fighting over the pretty boy.
'Damn… Tanaka…! You have to make this trip hard for me even when I haven't met you yet?!'
"Let's just get in the Cable Car and decide who talks to who later, shall we?" Cementoss put his students back in order and formed a line in front of the cable car.
A soft and smooth sound flowed from Ryuko's lips, humming 'Like A Butterfly,' as she walked alongside her classmates.
"You're looking real relaxed today, Matoi. Guess that's the result of the extra beauty sleep you needed?" Kyouka asked in a teasing, but friendly tone.
"Come on, I can be a morning person!" Ryuko snickered.
"Is that what you call it when I have to drag you out of bed?" Izuku chimed in, which made the two girls laugh.
"Don't act like you don't enjoy going to a girl's place. I was doing you a favor," Ryuko joked back.
"Oh, shut up," Izuku chuckled.
"Never would have guessed Midoriya would backtalk ," Jirou said. "Matoi's got a lot of influence on you, huh?"
"Um! Yeah… I guess so," Midoriya's head shrunk into his shoulders as he started blushing.
"Yeaaaah?" Jirou peered in on Matoi, whose face was slowly turning red.
"Bah! What's your deal? Isn't that common with friends in general? Tch! What about you and Kaminari then?" Matoi pouted before storming off, taking bigger steps to get away from them.
"Hey!"
"What the hell?"
"Matoi, watch it!"
"Zip it! I was a Honnō City resident! I should be first in line too! Izuku, are ya coming?!" Ryuko called out as she sat inside.
Both Midoriya and Jirou laughed at Matoi's antics. Seeing a headstrong person like her get so flustered was adorable. Ryuko was bumping into the others to make way into the Cable Car next to Mako.
"You just won't let up, huh?" the greenette asked her.
"I could say the same about you. Besides, it's way too much fun. Especially when she always has a snappy comeback ready," Jirou responded while looking away, hiding a blush that was forming on her face.
She had to admit, Matoi could have really turned the tables on her if she continued with her banter. But the Kamui Wielder's own embarrassment saved Kyouka's bacon.
"You know, she's gotten a lot more defensive, don'tcha think?" Kyouka asked Izuku.
Izuku didn't respond right away, as he was thinking over what she said. Kyouka could tell by the silence that he knew what she was talking about. But what surprised her was that he nodded in agreement. Not only did he know, but she now suspected that his feelings were set on it.
"Yeah, you're right," he said quietly.
"So, what's keeping you then?" she followed up with another question.
"On what?"
"C'mon dude," Jirou giggled. "You know."
"Umm…" Izuku muttered, unsure of what to say next.
"If you're going to follow through with it, you should do it soon," she sighed lightly and patted his back. "I mean heck, you practically live with her. That's the luckiest a guy will ever get. Not many people get chances like that."
Kyouka decided that this was her cue to ease up on him, since the little joke became a lot more serious. She left him alone in his thoughts to go and bug Matoi again. Izuku was stuck in a rut a little bit longer before joining his friends.
Once everyone was seated in the cable car, they were taken up towards a convention center. On their way, they hovered over the various prefectures of Honnō. The rugged looks of the slums to the more refined cities above was a jarring transition. Many of the students native to UA were concerned by the island's system, while Ryuko and Mako knew how Satsuki liked to rule over the people.
Their worries were put to a halt once they reached the convention center. The interior was bustling with staff setting up the space. Tables and chairs were being placed down on the vibrant carpretting and the walls were being quickly lined with bright, golden colored paint and golden curtains to add to the aesthetic. The same type of material was being added overhead, but it was still a work in progress.
"Move it, people," a director shouted as she passed through the area. "We need this ready by early evening! Get a move on!"
"Geez, they're in a hurry," Kaminari stared straight ahead, seeing the speed everyone was working at.
"Yeah, totally," Ashido blinked.
"Well, well, well! Is that who I think it is?"
Turning around, they found Ichiro Tanaka walking up to the class and chaperones with a wave. His smile was warm and kind. He was dressed in blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a tan jacket with the sleeves partially rolled up, complete with his trademark hair. Hagukure and Ashido squealed while a lot of the other girls smiled.
'DAMN YOU!' Mineta's face scrunched, seeing he had no chance here.
Kaminari scooted closely to Jirou, bumping into her in the process.
"Hey, watch it!" she said in between hushed words.
"Whoops! I slipped a little. You good?" Kaminari asked while looking back at her.
"Uhh, sure?" Jirou said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice before she pulled her phone back up.
Kaminari smiled, seeing that she was already checking something out on her device.
"Cool."
"I'm so glad you could all make it," Tanaka said with a courtesy bow to the class. "For the folks I haven't met, I'm Ichiro Tanaka. But you can just call me Ichiro, no offense taken."
Ashido and Hagakure went up to talk with the blonde, peppering him with questions and keeping him busy while some of the chatter behind them picked up.
"Hmm. So far, so good," Mezou analyzed while rubbing his chin.
"What do you mean?" Shoto asked while standing next to him.
"I was bored one day and did some research on Tanaka to see if Ashido's claims about him were up to snuff. He does seem friendly at the moment."
"Oh. I can already confirm that she's right," Shoto clarified.
"Really?" Mezou asked.
"Yep. My father called him over to help design my hero suit. I never knew what kind of style I wanted, but Tanaka was patient and friendly with me. He said that if I ever figured it out, I should give him a call," Shoto explained.
"Ah, well that's good to hear. Glad he's as genuine as Ashido says he is."
"I still don't trust the guy," Sero crossed his arms in a huff.
"Are you just frustrated about how people are flocking to him?" Ojiro asked him.
"N-No! Of course not!" The tape hero winced and looked away.
"Ah, you'll get your chance, Sero!" Eijiro wrapped his arm around him. "Maybe take notes on how Tanaka works."
Midoriya couldn't see anything wrong with the guy. He seemed normal and kind-hearted for the most part. He wasn't sure why everyone else was having such a fuss about the model now that he'd seen him in-person.
"Oh!" Tanaka's head poked to the left as the rest of the class eventually caught his attention. "I almost forgot how many of you were in the final rounds of the sports festival! I have to say, it was really fun to watch. You all were awesome out there!"
"Looks like we have another admirer," Sato said.
"He told us back in Tokyo he really likes heroes," Tsuyu piped up. "So I think he's currently trying not to get too excited and scare us off. Nearly crashed the mood back then."
The last part of Tsuyu's statement left the boys confused until he came up walking towards them.
"Looks like you're doing pretty good, Tanaka. How've you been?" Ochako asked.
"It's been busy and I still have to get ready for tonight," Tanaka laughed. "Other than that, I really can't complain too much."
"So, this is Tanaka?" Izuku asked Ryuko.
"Yep. Talkative as always, kinda like you are," Ryuko chuckled.
"Really?"
"Yeah. But I like it when you do it," she shrugged off.
"Oh, thanks," he said with a light smile.
"-gasp- Is that Izuku Midoriya? This is incredible! I've been looking forward to meeting you!" Ichiro hopped over to the greenette and shook his hand. "And Matoi! Good to see you again!"
"Yo," the Kamui wielder greeted.
"O-Oh, Hi! You were?" Izuku responded sheepishly, not anticipating this kind of greeting.
"You were absolutely incredible during the Sports Festival! I was on the edge of my seat while watching you breeze through the challenges!"
"Haha, thank you. I appreciate that. But it's nothing special really. I'm sure you could've wowed the crowd more than I would," Izuku chuckled, somewhat dodging the compliment.
Ryuko paid close attention and felt a grin grow on her face. He may have deflected a bit, but he still took it. Things were slowly getting better for him.
"Ah, I would have loved to be a part of the festival with you guys. Though I'm Quirkless, so that wasn't going to happen," Ichiro shrugged.
Everything went quiet for Izuku within that moment.
"Huh? Y… You're Quirkless?" Izuku blinked a few times to process what he was just told. The other boys behind him gasped as well.
"Yeah. Hard to believe, right? But I won't let that keep me down. Even if I won't ever be a hero, I'll still try to carry the example of one with everything I do," Ichiro said, his voice filled with pride.
Hearing that someone else was quirkless was still a concept Izuku needed to get used to. He had been ostracized so much that he thought he was the only one without a Quirk.
Carrying on a hero's example. That was something Izuku was still fully intent on following if he remained Quirkless. Someone else saying that really stuck with him.
"Right. Right," Izuku muttered, which caught Ryuko's attention.
"You okay? You kinda zoned out there for a minute," Ichiro waved his hand, which caught the two of them by surprise.
"Y-Yeah! Yeah! I'm fine. I'm just a little winded, that's all," Izuku kept things close to his chest. The last thing he needed was to reveal that he was originally Quirkless in front of everyone that didn't already know. Especially one particular blonde-bomber.
"No worries. Now, what do you all think? This is where we'll be dancing for the ball. Pretty exciting, huh?" Tanaka stretched his arms out, giving attention to the scale of the interior.
"I'll say! Everything looks beautiful!" Uraraka's eyes glowed as she marveled at all of the nice looking, and definitely expensive, features.
Everyone took a moment to gawk like the brunette was doing. This brought joy to Tanaka as he was impressing the top priority guests. Though as he was looking them over, he noticed someone that didn't look familiar.
"Oh hello, and who are you?" he asked, referring to Mankanshoku.
"Hiya! I'm Mako Mankanshoku!" she answered his acknowledgement.
"I'm sorry, but I don't recall you-"
"It's cool, she's with us," Ryuko quickly stepped in.
"That's nice and all, but I specifically invited-"
"Ah c'mon, it won't hurt having her come along! Mako's my best friend. She's spent too much time in the slums trying to get by for her family. At least let her have some fun up here!"
"Well… I- umm-"
Before Ichiro could further comment, he was taken by surprise from the two girls staring at him with big ol' puppy dog eyes. The very glow in their irises nearly outshined the ballroom lights above them.
'Damn it! It's too much!' Tanaka shielded his eyes momentarily as he tried to not get overly flustered.
"Okay, okay! She's welcome to stay. -sigh- I just can't say no to a face like that," the boy ruffled his hair sheepishly before turning foot. He then groaned out of frustration, making sure nobody heard him. "I'll let the staff know that you need an ID to walk around the center."
"Yes!" both girls cheered in triumph.
"Hey… I thought I was going to convince him," Ashido hunched forward, feeling down that she lost her opportunity to woo him.
"Let's keep going! I'll show you guys the hotel you'll be staying in," Tanaka called for the class to follow him.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Once everyone got situated in the hotel, Cementoss assigned them all into groups, separating the boys and girls. Ryuko bunked in with Mako, despite Mina's attempts to be the Kamui wielder's roommate.
"Hey Mako, do you have a dress for tonight's ball? Ryuko asked as she unpacked her clothes.
"Nope! All I have is pajamas and my old school uniforms!" Mako responded while bouncing on the edge of her bed.
"Really? Damn," Ryuko stopped to think. "We still have time before the ball tonight. Why don't we go get you an outfit?"
"Whaaaaat? Are you sure? I don't want you to spend your money on me!" Mako protested.
"It's cool, Mako. I've saved plenty of money since Inko's got the expenses for food covered!" Ryuko chuckled.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Mako's feet hit the floor. "Who's coming with us?"
Ryuko thought for a moment. It might be good to have a few extra eyes. She wanted Midoriya's company, and maybe Ashido could be a help with fashion. Momo might be able to lend a hand, and Ochako…
An image of Izuku dancing with the chestnut brunette at the ball later that night flashed into her head. She quickly shook it off as soon as it came about.
"Uhh, Let's go ask a few people. But only a few! I don't want things to get too stuffed like when I last went shopping," Ryuko suggested before walking towards the door.
"What do you mean?" Mako asked curiously.
"I'll explain on the way."
The girls walked down the hallway towards the stairs, traveling to the floor where the boys were all staying. Their first stop was Izuku's room, where he and Tenya were currently residing.
"Hello Matoi, Mankanshoku," Tenya greeted.
"Hey guys, what's up?" The greenette followed up.
"Mako doesn't have a dress for the ball tonight. Do you guys wanna come shop with us?" Ryuko asked them.
"Oh, sure! What about you, Iida?" Izuku looked behind his shoulder.
"As much as I'd love to, I'm actually going to sit this one out. I want to get some rest before tonight," Tenya said as he was adjusting his bed.
"Oh, alright. Well, I guess it's just me then," Izuku shrugged.
"Sure thing, let's go then! There's a few others we're gonna ask on the way too," Ryuko quickly moved him along.
"See ya later, Tenya!" Mako waved at him happily.
Within minutes, Ryuko was able to rally up a group of peeps that would help her find Mako the right dress for the evening.
"This is so exciting! You made the right choice asking me to help, Matoi," Mina winked while nudging the Kamui Wielder.
"I figured you'd know better than I would," Ryuko nodded as they walked along the path with Mako, Izuku, Ochako and Momo.
The entire trip, something had been gnawing at Izuku. He still remembered that day in class where Ryuko was zoned out after finding out she'd be coming back to Honnōji. Whether or not the others noticed, that didn't matter. He was able to pick up the small hints of how uncomfortable it was for her being so close to where her father died, too.
That night when Tsumugu attacked, Izuku learned of Isshin Matoi's fate at the mansion on the waterfront. He did some research into the incident and would try a few more web searches every now and then to see if he could dig up any new information. It still remained a cold case.
The scissor blade she carried. The mission she initially set out for before being diverted over to Musutafu. He wondered if going back to the mansion could provide any closure for her or what she wanted to do.
For as much as Ryuko's friends were able to cover up the pain she felt, he knew far too well how hard it could be to move past the pain inflicted, let alone accept it.
"Midoriya? Are you alright?"
Midoriya gasped as Yaoyorozu's voice snapped him out of his internal thought process.
"Y-yeah. Sorry guys," Midoriya mustered up. "I've just been thinking a lot, that's all!"
"Ah, I suppose I shouldn't have expected otherwise," Yaoyorozu giggled lightly.
"Join the club," Senketsu added, which made Matoi snicker under her breath.
Moving around the two-star district, it was a life of luxury for the residents. Mansions, fancy cars, nicely trimmed shrubbery, fountains and pools galore were all over the affluent neighborhood. It almost seemed too good to be true.
There were grocery stores with luxury items and a smaller shopping center compared to the ones around Tokyo, but still fancy nonetheless.
"Look at how shiny everything is!" Mankanshoku nearly had to shield her eyes from the accessories.
"And expensive," Uraraka quivered in fear.
"Oh! So you're poor just like me, huh?" Mankanshoku asked loudly.
"AGH!" Uraraka clutched her heart from what was an attack on her soul.
"Talk about blunt!" everyone else said together.
But they knew that Mako more than likely didn't read social cues very well.
"She didn't mean anything by it, Uraraka. I swear," Matoi chuckled sheepishly while she consoled the brunette.
"But she said it without hesitation…" Uraraka sobbed as tears poured out like a waterfall.
"Perhaps this will take your mind off of it, Uraraka," Yaoyorozu pointed ahead to get her attention.
It was a mochi shop. A very, very delicious looking, mochi shop. Next to it was a clothing shop, which looked as fancy as everything else.
"Why don't we take a look, Yaomomo?" Uraraka's mouth watered as the girls and Izuku giggled.
"If it makes you feel better. Why don't you guys go ahead and pick out a dress while we grab a bite? I'll take care of the expenses once you're done," Momo recommended.
"You're a lifesaver, Yaoyorozu," Izuku gulped, thinking of how large the bill could be.
"Whoa… So you're loaded!" Mako chirped.
"Welp, we don't have all day. Let's go!" Ryuko announced before giving Mako a little push inside. Mina and Izuku quickly joined them.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-1:35 p.m.-
For the next hour, the group settled on a task to find the best possible dress for Mankanshoku, which was mostly led by Ashido. Midoriya was exempt from seeing the brunette try on anything, probably because Mina wanted to keep that exclusive to the girls.
Once they were all done, Yaoyorozu was called in to make the final purchase. Mako now stepped outside, frolicking with a new dress in a bag she carried.
"The two-star district is soooo cool! Look at all this stuff!" Mankanshoku bounced around the sidewalk, looking at various items on display inside multiple stores. "Can you guys believe that people actually buy this stuff?!"
Mako gasped deeply and pressed her face against a window.
"IS THAT A RICE COOKER?!"
"It's nice, but it just shows how fucked up everything is here," Ryuko scoffed. "Shouldn't everyone be able to have a rice cooker? Even Izuku's mom has one."
"I know you guys told me that Honnō was hardcore, but I didn't expect it to be like this. Everything here looks like the shopping center we went into when we got our dresses," Mina spoke in awe as she looked around.
"Pssh, it's nothing that we don't already have back at home," Ryuko nodded off before she spotted something. "Hang on a second guys," she stopped them.
Ryuko opened a door into a German Imports shop. Everything she saw specialized in German culture; from clothes, toys, movies, and cookbooks.
"Whoa," Mako vocalized her curiosity. Just like before, she started poking around, inspecting the entire store.
"I didn't think a store like this would exist here," Izuku said as he looked at some wooden dolls.
"It shouldn't," Ryuko responded while reading some autobiographies. "Everything here looks out of place. It's so old fashioned when every other store looks modern. All of the stuff is authentic to German culture, more than what I wanna give Honnō credit for."
Momo walked beside Ryuko and picked up a few books as well. She studied them a bit before nodding.
"Matoi's right. Some of these books, I have copies of them in my room."
"How'd a place like this even get here?" Ryuko pondered.
"I've wondered the same thing myself."
All of the teens stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the shop owner. She was an older woman, but not much older than fifty. When she spoke, her accent seemed believable enough, and she wore a kind smile on her face, showing that she wasn't just some corporate sap in disguise.
"O-Oh, hi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that by the way. I was just curious," Ryuko apologized quickly before putting the book back.
"It's no trouble. I shared the same question as you when Lady Satsuki was the one who advocated for this shop to stay," the lady giggled.
"Satsuki?" Ryuko's brows raised with her confusion.
"Yes. When the shop first started, she helped with the funding, as well as paying bills that I couldn't take care of," she said and wrapped her hands together ever so tenderly. "After some time, the store was able to get on its feet and no longer needed her services."
"She really did that?" Senketsu wondered if they were talking about the same Satsuki.
Ryuko shared his feelings and paced around, processing everything.
"I-I don't understand. Why would she do that?" she questioned.
"I'm not sure. But, it's really helped me with my passion for sharing some culture on this island. Nothing brings me more joy than to see folks recognize the amount of work I put into here," the shopkeeper said warmly.
The woman's expression showed the sincerest gratitude for the opportunity. That look alone shook Ryuko to her very core, but she felt happy that this lady had a chance. It reminded her about how Izuku now had the opportunity to do what he's always dreamed of.
"That's awesome, ma'am. This whole place is. Maybe one day you can expand," Ryuko answered wholeheartedly.
"Thank you. Let me know if you folks need anything else," the lady said with a small bow before returning to her counter.
Ryuko smiled and took the book back off the shelf and continued reading. Momo watched from the side, smiling the whole time before Matoi noticed.
"What?"
"That was really sweet, Matoi," the front banged student commented.
"Yeah," Izuku said, nodding along.
Ryuko blushed from the compliments she received, but she'd be lying if she tried denying how nice they felt.
"Thanks guys."
For a few more minutes, the gang continued to immerse themselves in the shop. Everyone wandered around to see everything, except for Matoi, who stayed in the same spot to read the book.
Midoriya passed the same aisle that Ryuko stood in for a while. He smiled, his interest piquing before he went to check on her.
"You really like that book, huh?"
"Yeah. When I was at home back then, I liked to read up on some of the German stuff," Matoi said to him.
Now that she thought about it, German culture had been on her mind for a while. She knew it almost as well as she knew Japanese. It was like another side of her life.
"Hey, Izuku."
"Yeah?" he responded.
"What do you think of the name, Damenblut?" she asked. "It means 'Lady Blood' in german."
Izuku's eyes widened a bit at the question. If he was piecing this all together correctly…
"Ryuko? Are you really…?"
"Damenblut. I think that's the hero name I want to go with," Ryuko said with a wide smile on her face.
"Lady Blood? Seems on the nose," Senketsu said.
"I think that's incredible!" Izuku cheered through hushed excitement as he didn't want to disturb anyone. "Being cultural is never a bad thing. The name sounds catchy and unique! We gotta tell everyone!"
Just as fast as his excitement came through, his mind quickly slowed down as he couldn't help but wonder…
"But, I'm curious as to why you went with the German route?" Izuku asked.
Ryuko tapped her noggin, trying to remember why the German customs interested her so much.
"I guess… It's because of my German heritage. I remember that my dad said that my mom was German. Which is why we even had those books in the first place," Ryuko answered before everything around her stopped.
Her mother. It had been so long since she thought of her that she nearly forgot.
"Ryuko? Izuku asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
As she was collecting her thoughts, the others regrouped with them shortly after.
"I think it's about time we headed back. It would be a good idea to get prepared for the Ball early so that we don't accidentally have any loose ends," Momo suggested to everyone.
"Oooh! I can't wait to wear the dress for real this time!" Mako shook her hands gleefully.
"I can't wait either! You're going to look amazing!" Mina took her hands and held them tightly.
"You guys go ahead. There's something I need to check out first," Ryuko said before she went towards the door.
"Ryuko?" Senketsu asked.
"Is something wrong, Matoi?" Momo tried to follow.
"Nothing's wrong! I won't be long! Promise!" the red streaked girl said before bolting.
"Ryuko! Wait! Damn. Um, go ahead, guys! I'm going with her!" Izuku said before he followed Ryuko outside.
It took a minute before he finally caught up to her, his pace slowing as he quietly observed. She sat down in the grass, legs pulled up to her chest as she looked away from the horizon.
Izuku knew why she bolted. Ryuko's trauma wasn't an easy subject to broach, but right now, he had to do something. So he did the only thing he could do, walking slowly to seat himself to her left and gently taking his place on the ground.
"I know this trip hasn't been easy on you," Izuku spoke softly as he placed his right hand on her left shoulder. Ryuko didn't move much, but the touch was acknowledged.
"You don't have to say anything. I'm here for you, Ryuko. Always."
The only thing Matoi wanted to do was cry. The problem was Midoirya was helping to mask the pain as she leaned in closer to him, feeling the warmth of his upper torso. It felt nice.
As her head started to clear up again, Ryuko felt like she was running from a nightmare. It was already so conflicting being back at Honnōji, near the place of her father's death. Not to mention knowing next to nothing about her mother.
"Process. My father just died and the first thing I did was not process. Like, what was gonna happen if I ACTUALLY got revenge? Just sit back and wait for what happens next? Nah, I had to finally confront what happened to me and deal with it. Alone."
The words she spoke to Iida back a few weeks before hit her hard. Maybe…
"Talking isn't going to do much of anything," Ryuko muttered, much to Izuku's surprise, before she let out a sigh.
"What would help me right now is just showing you why… Why this all started."
Izuku didn't know what to expect, but he was going along for the ride regardless.
"If that's the case, then I'll go with you, Ryuko."
To be Continued…