Chapter 17: Working for the Weekend

Shortly after Izuku woke up, he received a text message, one from his quietest classmate.

KodaiUE: Hey, just so ur aware and don't freak out, ur trending on social media

This was not how he expected to wake up

Me: I should expect that, winning the Sports Festival and all

KodaiUE: That's not all of it, tho

KodaiUE: Someone got audio of ur last speech to Todoroki

KodaiUE: Starting with All Might not being around forever

Izuku paled.

KodaiUE: There's some neat #s

KodaiUE: #NextSymbolOfPeace, #SmallMight, #DoYouWantToBeAHero?, #TilAllAreMight, #RIPEndeavor

Me: Wait, what?!

Me: They got me saying THAT on audio?!

KodaiUE: Nah

KodaiUE: It's from the part where u said that Endeavor won't cut it

KodaiUE: Who's gonna look at him and feel safe? and all that

Me: Oh, that's good

Me: I mean, it's not GOOD, but it's better

KodaiUE: Ye

KodaiUE: Steer clear of Endeavor stans

Me: I mean, I try to anyway? Those people are weird

KodaiUE: Well, now they're rabid

KodaiUE: So, have fun with that

KodaiUE: Also, they think you were fighting Quirkless for most of the final.

Me: …

Me: What

KodaiUE: They didn't hear about ur Invis Mode

KodaiUE: They just saw u kickin butt w/out ur lightning

KodaiUE: So most ppl think you weren't using ur Quirk at all

Me: But I clearly was moving at superhuman speeds!

Me: It's impossible to do that without a Quirk!

KodaiUE: Some ppl realize that, but not many

KodaiUE: One of ur #s is #NoQuirkRequired

KodaiUE: U should check it out, it's really wholesome

Izuku switched apps to see some examples. Most of them were people saying how badass it was to nearly win the Sports Festival without using a Quirk, but there were other stories mixed in. People who had so-called "useless Quirks" or "villainous Quirks" were using the hashtag to tell the stories of their troubles, as were a few stories of Quirkless people, usually older ones, who were inspired by his performance. A number of younger people were being inspired to chase their dreams, to do things they always wanted to do, but felt they couldn't because they didn't have the right Quirk.

He had to stop before he started crying until he was a shriveled husk.

Me: Wow

Me: This is… a lot to take in

KodaiUE: I figured. Thought u should know right away.

KodaiUE: I didn't want this to blindside u.

KodaiUE: And you should probably disguise urself if u go outside.

Me: Really good advice.

Me: Thank you so much, Kodai-chan

KodaiUE: …

KodaiUE: Most of the class is calling u Izu-kun.

KodaiUE: Including me.

KodaiUE: U can call me Yui.

Me: If you insist, Yui-chan.

KodaiUE: How badly r u blushing rn?

Me: I'd need a mirror.

KodaiUE: Send me a selfie?

Me: I'd rather not.

KodaiUE: Meanie.

Izuku steeled his nerves. He readied himself. Everything was on the line.

"Buddy, you were less stressed over the Sports Festival, and that was televised," Daigoro said, simultaneously comforting and mocking.

Yes, but this is different, Izuku replied. This is my first date ever.

The girls picked the order of their dates out of a hat. Ochako had, to her dismay, picked the last slot, but was reminded that she'd spent the most time with Izuku out of all of them. And, as they'd learned, her parents surprised her with a visit today, so it was good that they hadn't made plans.

And so, today, as he reached the train station in Aichi Prefecture, he saw a familiar mop of green hair stand out from the crowd. Tsu was waiting for him, wearing a seafoam green dress over tights. He grinned.

"Hey," he said softly as he approached. He was wearing a nice button down shirt over a T-shirt that read "suit jacket", pressed jeans, a flu mask with All Might's smile plastered over it, and a cap made to resemble Gang Orca's head.

Tsu gave her typical smile upon seeing him, "Izu-chan, ribbit! I'm glad to see you. You look good… except for the disguise."

"I've gone viral," Izuku said. "I didn't want our date to be spoiled by being recognized."

Tsu put a finger to her lips, "That makes sense. I probably should have done that, ribbit, but I only made it to the quarter-finals."

"Even so, you look so good right now you'll be turning heads anyway," Izuku said. Internally, he then thought, Where the hell did that come from?!

"You're becoming smooth. It's a sight to see," Nana replied.

Tsu blushed, "Ribbit, Izu-chan, you…" she paused. "Part of me was worried you wouldn't show. It's happened to me before. People calling my appearance weird and everything…"

Izuku blinked, "Do you have names? I just want to talk to them."

"Izu-chan, ribbit, no. You can't become a vigilante over my past," Tsu replied.

"It wouldn't be vigilantism. A pipe wrench isn't a Quirk," Izuku replied.

"Ribbit. No," Tsu said firmly.

Izuku sighed, "Fine. It's just, that's happened to me, too. So I know how awful that feels. And you especially don't deserve to be treated like that."

Tsu blinked, "So, apparently, I'm a hypocrite, ribbit, because now I want a list of names."

Izuku shook his head, "Between Nezu and Occhan, I've had enough people getting revenge for me. Maybe we should focus on our date."

"Where are we heading?" Tsu asked. She had wanted to be surprised, to see what Izuku came up with using the Bond as a guide.

"Ushimitsudoki Aquarium!" Izuku said, showing off the tickets on his phone. "In addition to being one of the best aquariums in the country, it's also the home of Gang Orca's hero agency! They-"

"Izu-chan," Tsu said, interrupting his mutterstorm before it began.

"Oh, sorry," Izuku said sheepishly.

"It's fine, I know how you get when something excites you, ribbit. But you don't have your noise-cancelling mask and you don't want people to notice you, ribbit," Tsu pointed out.

"Too true," Izuku said as they departed.

The day was excellent. The drama and excitement of the Sports Festival was replaced with the calming nature of watching various aquatic animals. It was a very soothing experience.

They took a seat at one point, while in front of the beluga whale exhibit, and Tsu said, "It's much less crowded today than I thought. I mean, it is Golden Week, ribbit."

"A lot of people are watching the Second Year Sports Festival," Izuku said. "Typically, it gets much more media attention than our year, but this year was an exception."

"Tell me about it," came a deep voice from behind. Startled, both of them turned around and assumed combat stances. They blinked and relaxed somewhat at what they saw. Well, Tsu relaxed. Izuku…

"Whoa, it's Gang Orca!" he said, marveling at the humanoid orca whale appraising him, "The Number 10 Hero himself! It's an honor!"

Gang Orca chuckled, "The honor is mine, young man. One of my staff noticed you two were attending and let me know. I hope I'm not interrupting your day."

"Ribbit, technically, you are. But I'd say it's a welcome interruption," Tsu replied. Izuku nodded rapidly.

Gang Orca smiled, which was unnerving given his appearance. "I must say I was impressed with your performances yesterday. Especially you, young lady. That was an expert use of your skill and power. Though, I am curious about your match in the quarter-finals. I couldn't help but feel that was a battle you were capable of winning. I wonder if you were worried about the next opponent in your bracket."

"Ribbit, if you're implying that I threw my match against Occhan, you're wrong," Tsu said, blunt as ever. "We both rely on touch-based attacks, ribbit, mine just have a longer range thanks to my tongue. We knew our tactics and were being cautious with each other. Occhan just managed to surprise and defeat me, ribbit."

"I suspected as much, but I had my doubts," Gang Orca nodded.

"If I'd won, I would have conceded afterwards and settled for bronze, ribbit," Tsu replied. "I know that I had no chance to defeat Todoroki-kun, ribbit, but I wanted to get as far as I could."

There was an appreciative rumble from the whale-man, as he looked at Izuku, "And you, young man. Many are claiming you spent the first portion of your final battle fighting Quirkless. I don't believe that to be true, but I cannot be certain."

"I wish I could have risked doing that. While it wasn't what I wanted, winning without using a Quirk would have been gratifying, given how long I spent thinking I didn't have one," Izuku said. "I can currently use around ten percent of my power. If I operate at half of that or less, the usual visual indicators don't appear."

Gang Orca's eyes widened. "That last burst was only ten percent of your power?!"

"No, I went overboard for that one. That's why I broke my arm," Izuku clarified.

The pro Hero looked no less shaken, "Still, for you to sail throughout the Sports Festival at only ten percent…" He shook his head. "I guess that's why you've been making waves throughout the world of Heroics."

As Tsu giggled at the pun, Izuku pulled out his notebook, seemingly from nowhere, and flipped to a page detailing the Hero in question. "Sir, if you don't mind-"

"I'd be delighted," Gang Orca took the proffered book, blinking as he read what was on the pages. He took longer than expected signing the book. When Izuku looked at the signature, he noticed that the pro had commented on his analysis and answered the questions he had. His eyes widened.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Izuku said, eyes instinctively watering. Tsu patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

"It's the least I could do," Gang Orca said. "I expect that the two of you will have plenty of offers for internships. You especially, young man, should be inundated with them. I've sent the official paperwork through U.A…" he then took two envelopes out of his suit's vest. "However, given the opportunity, I wanted to present my offer in person."

Even with her expression muddled through her mutations, Tsu looked flabbergasted as the Hero handed them the envelopes with a slight bow. Izuku was openly tearful as he took it, and the two of them bowed low in thanks.

"If there's a better fit for you among your other offers, I'll bear no ill will. Thank you both for your time, and have a lovely day," Gang Orca said, leaving the two of them.

Once out of the public areas of the aquarium, Gang Orca took out his phone and opened up the HeroNet app. On one of the off-topic channels, he posted the picture he'd stealthily taken of Tsu and Izuku leaning on each other watching the whales swim.

He grinned as other heroes responded with rage. The betting pool was his…

At least, it was as long as the Lion Hero Shishido's bet that Team Asui were a polycule was wrong…

The rest of the date went perfectly. Tsu had made a bento for them to share for lunch. When they reached the gift shop, Izuku bought Tsu a keychain shaped like a poison dart frog, in addition to a stuffed animal for her sister and a Gang Orca action figure for her brother.

...Okay, and one for him too. It was exclusively sold there, he wasn't going to get this opportunity again anytime soon!

The two of them walked back to the Asui apartment. They were in comfortable silence, up until they were close to the building.

"This was a very nice day, Izu-chan," Tsuyu said. "Ribbit, I'm really glad we could share it together."

"Me, too," Izuku said, heart swelling as they walked closer. "I'm so happy you knocked a bit of self-esteem in me or else I'd still be stammering in denial about the thought of a girl liking me."

Tsu paused and said, "Part of the reason I was so blunt about liking you was because I almost didn't believe you would like me, either, ribbit."

Izuku sputtered, "How could I possibly not?! You're sweet, you're smart, you're funny, you're gorgeous-"

Tsu stopped him there, "Ribbit, you think so, but growing up, so many people called me ugly because of my Quirk."

Izuku blinked, "Did you go to a school for people with severe visual impairments?"

Tsu made a ribbiting giggle, "See, this is why I like you."

"I thought it was because I punched a villain for you," Izuku replied.

"No, that was what made this start. Your attitude is why I stuck around, ribbit," Tsu said as they approached her actual apartment. "Just to warn you, my family's gonna want to see you."

"I've prepared for this," Izuku said. They briefly met back at the Yaoyorozu mansion, after Izuku recovered from Tsu's crush-inflicted cognitive dissonance. Still, this would be more than that.

Tsu unlocked the door. "I'm home," she called out. "And I've brought company."

"Pardon the intrusion!" Izuku managed not to stutter.

"Ah, Midoriya-kun!" called out an older female voice, and Izuku was met with the distinctive look of Beru Asui. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," Izuku said, as he locked eyes with Ganma Asui. Tsu's father looked the least human out of the family, and his expression was even harder to read than hers. Still, thanks to the time spent with her, and the Bond as a guide, he could tell he was appraising him, but was not judgmental.

"Nee-chan!" Satsuki Asui hopped over to her older sister and gave her a big hug.

From the couch, hair covering his head, Samidare Asui said, "Hey, Tsu-nee. Nice to see you, Midoriya-nii. You looked pretty cool at the Sports Festival yesterday." If the boy was ribbiting, he hid it well.

According to Tsu, her younger brother was going through a phase of trying to appear cool. So that exchange was the equivalent of one of Izuku's gushing mumble-storms that he would have unleashed upon anyone he admired at that age. Or this age. "Thanks, Asui-kun. I'm glad I didn't bore you!"

Samidare gave a nod. Apparently, Izuku met with the boy's approval.

Satsuki let go of Tsu and leapt onto Izuku, "Nee-chan's boyfriend!" she said happily.

Catching the young girl easily, Izuku pulled her into a hug, blushing slightly at her choice in addressing him. "It's really nice to see you again, Satsuki-chan!"

"Did you have fun? Wibbit, I wanted to go too, but Mommy and Daddy said that it was Nee-chan's time only, wibbit," Satsuki said glumly.

Izuku patted her on the head. Tsu asked, "Were you a good girl while Nee-chan was away?"

Satsuki nodded vigorously. Tsu turned to her mother, who winked.

"Then I guess you earned this!" Izuku said, taking out the paper-wrapped present. Satsuki's eyes widened as she grabbed it and tore through it. When it was revealed to be a plush seal, she squealed with glee and hugged it tightly. She then ran off to her room.

Samidare seemed torn between wanting to keep up his cool facade and wanting to ask if he got a present as well. Luckily, Izuku chose to intervene, "We got something for you, too, Asui-kun." He walked over and presented him with his own package.

The young boy's reservations were gone as he tore through the wrapping to reveal his action figure. He looked at the older boy and said, "You're pretty cool Midoriya-nii."

"Your older sister's been helping make sure of that," Izuku said. He could hear Tsu ribbit happily at that.

"So, Midoriya-nii, what's your Hero name going to be?" Samidare asked.

Izuku blinked, "I haven't thought of one yet."

Samidare looked at him askance, "Really? Doesn't everyone think of their Hero name? Nee-chan had hers ready since she was eleven."

"Let me rephrase that, I haven't thought of one that I'm not completely embarrassed to use," Izuku said. Sure, he wanted to be "All Might Jr." forever, but he wasn't a little kid anymore.

"Ironic that you don't want to be called that after he basically became your father," Nana teased.

Izuku ignored that comment, "What's your Hero name, Tsu-chan?"

"The Rainy Season Hero, Froppy, ribbit," Tsu said calmly.

Izuku's eyes widened, "That's perfect."

"Ribbit, glad you think so," Tsu said.

"Nii-chan!" Satsuki called out, running up with a big sheet of paper. "I drew a picture of you and Nee-chan and your friends on the TV, wibbit!"

Smiling widely, Izuku knelt down to her level, "Oh? I want to see!"

Satsuki proudly showed off her stick figure drawing. It showed four figures flying above a big circle. One was lying flat, on which the other three were standing. The biggest one with long green hair and a long tongue was obviously Tsu, with Ochako's hair looking like a brown bowl, and Mei with a pink blob of hair, and a depiction of her goggles that made her look like a horned, bug-eyed monster. Izuku was the one they were standing on, looking tough with squiggly green hair. He tried not to cry out of sheer joy that a child looked up to him enough to draw him.

Helpfully, Tsu and her friends were all labeled. The kanji used were messy, because of course they were, she was six. But looking at his name, something shocked him.

The kanji for the "izu" part of his name was correct, but for the "ku" part, Satsuki had instead used the kanji for the number nine.

"Holy crap!" Daigoro yelped.

"The trend continues," En said.

"I didn't notice he fit it until just now," Hikage replied.

"Do you think we need to find a 'ten'?" Yoichi asked.

I'm finishing a date with a ten right now, Izuku blurted out in his mind.

The vestiges laughed. "You smooth motherfucker," Ryouji said approvingly.

"This is so good, Satsuki-chan! I've never had anyone draw me before!" Izuku said proudly. "You did very well! This makes me really happy!"

Satsuki beamed at him, "Wibbit! You can have it, Nii-chan! It's a gift!"

After taking a glance at Tsu, who nodded, Izuku rolled the drawing up neatly and placed it in his bag. "Thank you so much, Satsuki-chan! This is going up on my fridge back home. I'll have to preserve the first piece of art someone ever made of me."

Samidare rolled his eyes as Satsuki looked like Izuku had given her the moon, "You're welcome, Nii-chan!"

DING!

"Oh, ribbit, there it is," Tsu thought calmly as Izuku blinked.

"Nice to have you on board, Tsu-chan! I'm Izuku's uncle Daigoro!" Daigoro said happily.

"Huh, so that's what you sound like, ribbit. Izuku was better at the impressions than I gave him credit for," Tsu said.

Here's hoping no one's within ten kilometers of each other, Izuku thought.

They hadn't been able to properly test how the Bonds improved, but they did do something quick and easy. The range, it seems, was multiplicative, not additive. Rather than increasing to twenty meters with Momo reaching stage 2 and thirty upon Mei doing so, it had improved to a hundred meters when Momo's Bond leveled and then a kilometer when Mei's did.

"So…" En asked, obviously fishing for an explanation from Tsu.

"Fine, ribbit. I saw Izu-chan interacted with my siblings and realized he's good with kids. You can infer my thought process from there, ribbit," Tsu said, somewhat angrily.

"Oh my god, you even ribbit in telepathy. You're adorable!" Nana cried out.

"Didn't think you'd be at the stage of staring in each others eyes just yet," Ganma said, croaking out subtle laughter.

That shook them out of their reverie. Blushing heavily, Izuku began to stammer a bit.

"Midoriya-kun, I think you should leave. If you stay much longer, you'll miss the next train to Musutafu," Ganma said, not unkindly.

"Of course!" Izuku said, bowing to the man.

"If you'd like to stay longer, that's fine, but you'd be waiting a long time until there's another train afterwards," Beru clarified.

He looked at Tsu, and smiled, "I'd love to stay, but I'd rather that my mother not eat dinner alone tonight without much warning."

"Ribbit, say hello to Mama Inko for me," Tsu said. Izuku nodded.

"You're welcome back anytime, young man," Ganma said, as Tsu walked him to the doorway.

"See you back at school, Tsu-chan," Izu said, fumbling a bit.

"Take care, Izu-chan…" Tsu said. Then, impulsively, she gave him a peck on his cheek.

Smiling widely, he pecked her cheek in return, then bowed and left.

"Well they're happy, but this will be difficult to deal with," Tsu said in his head.

Too excited? Izuku asked.

"Yup. At least they approve of you," Tsu replied.

Hope they still do when they learn about the others, Izuku fretted.

"They know. Honestly, Mom and Dad are the weird ones in their families for being monogamous," Tsu countered.

Good to know, Izuku sighed in relief. As he walked away, the question of his Hero name rose to his head. He'd spent so much time getting to this point that a proper Hero name wasn't even on his radar.

Now, he thought about Satsuki's fortuitous misspelling. He was part of a legacy. He couldn't have become a Hero if not for All Might and the seven who came before him. While referring to it might be dangerous, he was certain All for One knew he was the ninth host of his brother's Quirk after the Sports Festival. And anyone else who knew were people either he or All Might had told.

So, he started to ponder a potential name.

A name that contained either the Japanese "kyu" or the English "nine".

The next date was Momo's. This one was set in stone, as the Yaoyorozu family was hosting a gala and Izuku was invited as Momo's plus one. Izuku was actually going to stay in a guest house on the estate grounds for the night. They claimed it was to give him time to rest as they would have school the next day. In reality, it was to give Momo a chance to commune with his vestiges.

Momo had said it was a good thing that the guest house in question was less than a kilometer away from her room. Because the estate was large enough that that was a concern.

Momo lives in a world I scarcely understand, Izuku thought as he was chauffeured into the estate.

"And tonight, you're going to have to navigate it," Yoichi replied.

Izuku paused. Can any of you give me advice?

There was a chorus of "No"s. The only one who had experience at events like these was All Might. Whose vestige couldn't actually speak.

This is fine, Izuku thought to himself as he was escorted to the mansion.

"Welcome, Izu-kun," Momo greeted him in the main hall with a smile. Izuku smiled warmly at his stunningly gorgeous girlfriend. She giggled slightly at his clothes. Izuku had worn one of his joke T-shirts, one that read "pants".

"You're the one who told me to dress 'as casually as I wanted' for the beginning," Izuku said, with a smile. He knew she genuinely enjoyed the humor of the shirt.

"Indeed," Momo said. "It's the reason you're here this early. You will need some new clothes specifically for tonight. We shall reconvene when Nuishima and his crew are finished."

"Eh?" Izuku said before a group of butlers led him away. The next hour and a half was a blur of activity. His measurements were taken. One man even took out a pair of calipers, which unnerved him greatly. Once he was fully measured, he was placed in a barber's chair. His hair was washed, trimmed, and styled. They gave him a light touch of makeup, before leading him to a fitting room. Soon, he was dressed in a bespoke suit, in a dark green color that bordered on black. The clothes were shockingly comfortable. He wore freshly cobbled shoes that fit him better than even his usual red sneakers. In lieu of a necktie, he wore a deep red cravat that bore the symbol of the Yaoyorozu Group.

Once he was dressed, he was deposited in front of Momo, utterly shocked by the high speed manhandling he was subjected to. He expected his eyes to be spirals at this point. He shook his head to clear himself.

"I suppose that such treatment would be intense if you aren't used to it," Momo said, dressed in an elegant red dress herself, looking utterly perfect.

"I still can't believe they crafted an entire suit for me in that little time," Izuku said in awe.

"They are the best for a reason," Momo said, smiling slightly

How are you? Izuku asked telepathically, wanting to afford Momo as much privacy as possible.

"I am well," she responded. "Mother and Father were quite proud of my achievements in the second round, and they too attributed my loss to an unfortunate run of bad luck. Truthfully, I am grateful you can be here with me today. I wouldn't have wanted to confront the crowd today alone."

Izuku transmitted a feeling of comfort. I'm certain you could've handled it, but I'm glad you don't have to. As Momo smiled, his eyes darted around, Has the gala started yet? I'm surprised that we're the only ones here.

"We aren't taking the main routes that our guests would normally take," Momo explained. " No one would be escorted this way without permission of a member of my family."

I was honored before, Izuku said, shocked. I'm so much more honored now. There needs to be something more than honored. Super-honored? Exalted, maybe?

Momo giggled as they approached the ballroom. Izuku was shocked when a butler opened the door, indicating them to stop, and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Momo Yaoyorozu, and her esteemed guest, Mr. Izuku Midoriya!"

Izuku attempted to remain calm as he descended the staircase next to Momo. I wasn't expecting that.

"Hey, just pretend you're on your way to the podium about to badmouth the people who put on the Sports Festival and call Nana's grandson a whiny little baby," Daigoro said.

There was a spike of hurt coming from Nana. Every single vestige seemed to glare at Daigoro. Neither Izuku nor Momo could glare at him, but they somehow conveyed it.

"Sorry, tried to lighten the mood, failed spectacularly, I'm gonna go now," Daigoro said, before closing himself off.

Well, it worked, I'm too angry at Daigoro-ji-san to be nervous, Izuku thought.

Izuku followed Momo's lead for the most part. Many of the people he met simply wanted to congratulate him on winning, or express amazement that he had beaten Endeavor's son. Most of the people who he met were pleasant.

There was a single exception.

The exception was a tall, lanky man in a pinstriped suit. He had a long pointed nose, elven ears, and a protruding chin. His hair was slicked back save for three spikes, his hairline was receding and he had visible liver spots on his forehead. He smiled as he saw the green-haired young man. "Ah, it's the man of the hour. Midoriya-san, I am delighted to meet you. That was a fantastic display."

Izuku blinked, "Thank you, sir," He bowed lightly. "Forgive me, please, but I do not recognize you."

The man chuckled amicably, "No need to stress over it. I am Rikiya Yotsubashi. CEO of the Detnerat Lifestyle Support company."

Izuku twitched slightly, "Ah."

"I must say, young man, your ability was a wonder to behold. Quite liberating to see you thrive in such a competition," Yotsubashi said, smiling. "In recent years, Detnerat has been expanding from our established work for the general public, and begun entering the world of Heroes. Now that I have the opportunity, I was hoping we could work out a sponsorship deal. Your popularity is growing already, and you can always begin building your career early."

Izuku gave Momo a significant look. He didn't even have to ask her, either out loud or in their minds. She gave him a nod.

He was off the leash.

"Well, sir, I'm glad to learn that your corporation is new to the field of Heroic Support. It goes a long way to explain the incompetence on display," Izuku said, politely.

Dead silence.

"A bold claim, young man," Yotsubashi said, his smile no longer reaching his eyes. "A claim that requires evidence."

"I've seen it myself. A design team from Detnerat created a few of the Hero costumes for my female classmates. Costumes that were designed with minimal protection, if any, hindering components such as high heels, and lack of any Quirk-integrated fabrics," Izuku said, breathing evenly and making sure his words weren't muttered. "When I called your Detnerat's work for U.A. incompetent, I was being charitable.

"If I were uncharitable, I would have accused your company of deliberately eschewing more expensive materials and relying on exposure as a means of cutting costs while putting future heroines' lives at risk. And if I wanted to be really uncharitable, I would say that the designer was too enamored with the idea of skimpily dressed teenagers to bother doing their jobs," Izuku said.

There was a murmur from the crowd at that.

Yotsubashi, to his credit, maintained his composure. "Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, young man. It's obvious that in our enthusiasm to enter the world of Heroes, we appointed people whose ambitions outweighed their talents. I will see that the parties involved face consequences for their actions. Perhaps we can discuss that in a private meeting? It would be a fantastic way to show our commitment to getting this right."

Izuku looked thoughtful for a bit, then shook his head, "No, I don't think I'm the kind of person with whom your company would want to be associated."

Yotsubashi looked confused, "Why would you ever think that?"

"Your staff, all the way up to senior management, was adamant that you had no wish to associate with me when my mother was looking for an affordable wardrobe option to fit my mutation," Izuku stated.

Yotsubashi blinked, "That goes against every single one of our company's goals! What sort of mutation would we ever ignore?!"

"A wider foot due to the inclusion of a second joint in the pinky toe," Izuku replied. "Accompanied by a Quirk that did not activate until I was fifteen."

There was a brief flash of a sneer, which vanished, but the man's smile did not reappear, "Oh."

"Indeed," Izuku stated.

"Detnerat feels no need to go out of its way to accommodate a customer base that is going extinct," Yotsubashi said, stone faced.

"Well, a company with such a policy would no doubt find my performance in the Sports Festival disturbing. I mean, one of the reasons I've become popular was that I nearly won against Endeavor's son, no Quirk required," Izuku stated.

Did the man gain more liver spots when Izuku said that? Clearly angered, Yotsubashi stated, "Clearly this conversation was an error. Miss, I must commend your family for throwing a lovely party."

"I will give your praise the gravitas it deserves, considering I was one of the students who was ill-served by Detnerat's attempts at Heroic Support, and that Midoriya-kun here was the one who informed me of the options your employees overlooked," Momo stated imperiously.

It was clear that his liver spots absolutely were multiplying. Saying nothing more, Yotsubashi walked away.

That felt good, Izuku said, sighing in relief.

"It was quite a sight to behold," Momo replied.

Once the gala was over, Izuku was escorted to the guest house, which was larger than the apartment building he lived in. He tried desperately not to think about that, and was surprised as he changed and found that his pajamas were somehow less comfortable than his new suit.

Much like his time when Ochako was communing with the vestiges, Izuku slept without dreams. He supposed they were giving Momo privacy.

He woke up before dawn, as he usually did, and bathed in elegance he never experienced before. Once he was dressed in his school uniform, he went down to the kitchen, expecting to make breakfast as he typically did.

He was shocked to find the kitchen staff cooking a delicious-smelling meal, and Momo sitting at the table across from him, in her school uniform, her eyes focused on him.

"I was unprepared," she said to him, clearly shaken.

I'm sorry, Izuku replied.

"At least I got a warning. I'm more angry on Occhan's behalf for diving into that uninformed," Momo said sharply.

I can give an explanation, even if it doesn't excuse me, Izuku replied. I'd gotten used to the oddity of the situation by the time Ochako first tried it. Hell, when it first happened to me, it happened after getting my Quirk, finding out I had ghosts talking in my head, learning how to use my power from them, taking the entrance exam, saving Occhan, breaking my limbs, and talking to a girl for the first time. By that point, I was just thinking 'this might as well happen.'

Momo exhaled, the ghost of a laugh, as she smirked, "I suppose that makes sense." Out loud, she said, "Izu-kun, please have some tea."

Izuku bowed, "Thank you for your hospitality." A maid came over and poured the tea for him. He took a long sip, "Is this Nezu's blend?"

"I thought it tasted odd at first, but it honestly stuck with me afterwards," Momo said.

Izuku sighed in relief, "I thought I was the only one."

"He has to be carnivorous, right? The blend lacks any sweetness," Momo hypothesized.

"I'm honestly not sure," Izuku said, contemplating it. "Part of me wonders if he's deliberately throwing us a red herring."

"I want to say he's an ermine who has been altered to lack seasonal camouflage, but it seems too obvious," Momo replied.

"His teeth aren't right for it," Izuku shook his head, as the two students were served their breakfast, Belgian waffles, fried eggs, bacon, rice, and miso soup.

"Thank you for the meal," they both said, then began to devour the spread before them.

Izuku was used to seeing Momo pack away food thanks to her Quirk increasing her metabolism, but he was surprised at the fact that he was eating just as ravenously and finished the entire meal.

"You're using your Quirk more," Yoichi said as Izuku's thoughts formed, "You need the calories, too."

"It's only going to get more intense when you use the rest of our Quirks in tandem," Daigoro said, apparently out of the doghouse he put himself in last night.

It was only when they were in the car being chauffeured to U.A. that Izuku checked his phone. It opened to his Hero news app.

He gasped in shock.

"What's the matter?" Momo asked.

"Iida…" he said, showing the press release from the Iidaten Agency.