Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
—
-Danchi, the day before the sports festival-
It was 8 a.m. when Ryuko's alarm went off on her phone. She promptly pressed the snooze button so as not to wake Mako. The brunette slept on the soft carpeting in the main living space, all cozy in her yellow sleeping bag. The teenager yawned as she kicked off the covers and headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
Matoi would be lying to herself if she didn't admit some of the training that Izuku put her through from when he was building himself up to handle his power was a bit much. She soon stripped off her pajamas, leaving the girl in her bra and panties.
Looking into the mirror, Matoi wasn't going to complain about the results of two weeks of near-constant training. She hadn't really looked as much before, but Ryuko could clearly notice some further definition in all her muscle groups around her arms, legs, and abdomen. It wasn't anything drastic, but training as a hero certainly had some benefits.
She smiled, turning the faucet on before stripping down completely and letting the warm water help wake her body up even more. It was going to be a lighter day of training today since they didn't want to be completely exhausted for the Sports Festival tomorrow. But first and foremost, they'd be having breakfast in Izuku's apartment.
While she had missed Mako and it was great to have her here for another day or two, getting to meet up with Izuku again and all the new friends she made had been a blessing. Even outside of Katsuki being a dick and the villain attack, life moved onward. For the first time in her life, that was a good thing for Ryuko.
'To think this is my life right now. I don't know why I even had the thought of wanting to go back to Honnōji in the first place,' she chuckled lightly as the warm water cascaded down.
"Even so, I'm still going to pry some answers out of Mikisugi when I talk to him next. Before this year is up, I'll make Satsuki Kiryuin tell me everything. Because when I'm done with her, there's no way I'm going back to Honnōji ever again," Matoi mumbled under her breath.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-9 a.m.-
Ryuko knocked on the door, soon to be met by Midoriya, who smiled and welcomed the pair in. Mako was silent but grinning, which the other two weren't quite sure what that meant. After what happened yesterday, anything was possible with the wild card known as Mako Mankanshoku.
Inko had already become acquainted with Mako the night before after the group came back hungry for dinner. What Inko didn't expect was Mako's insatiable appetite. So she went shopping earlier in the morning to prepare a bigger feast so everyone would have enough to eat.
After a fulfilling breakfast, Izuku and Ryuko would make use of the fuel provided to them and dart off to the beach immediately, with Mako following behind.
Today was the last day of training for the upcoming UA Sports Festival. Izuku's eyes gleamed with newfound confidence. Thanks to Ryuko, he had gotten out of the rut of learning how to control his power and made great progress with it.
The red streaked girl felt an exciting burn in her chest. She couldn't wait to test how much stronger she had become. The brutal nature of Honnōji only left her with the goal of survival when it came to training. But here, she actually had the chance to enjoy herself and develop more efficiently thanks to UA.
Things just couldn't get any better, until something caught Ryuko's eye. Her hand stretched out to grab at the back collar of Izuku's shirt, stopping him in place. The force of her speed created a small gust of wind that wowed Mako as her skirt flowed.
"Ryuko? What's wrong? Why are we stoppin-"
"Sh!" Matoi wrapped her hand around Midoriya's lips and held him close to her chest.
"Don't say anything and follow my lead," She cautiously instructed her friend, while her eyes were fixed on a particular figure that stood on the beach nearby. She began to shuffle toward the person while unconsciously dragging Izuku with her.
Her free hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her minimized scissor blade as she was walking down the steps to the beach.
'Now's the time I finally get the jump on you. Time for payback,' Her grin became devilishly wide as the corners of her lips nearly reached her eyes. This kind of smile began to make Izuku drop cold beads of sweat as it was all too familiar.
"Is that Mr. Mikisugi? HI MR. MIKISUGI! What are you doing here?!" Mako shouted out loud while hopping and waving for the said man's attention, ruining Ryuko's element of surprise.
"Wha- MAKO!
"Ah, Matoi! What a pleasant surprise!" A familiar, laid-back gruffy greeting sourced from behind Ryuko, with Mikisugi appearing at the top of the flight of stairs she just walked down.
"SHIT!"
"Whoaaaaa how did you get up here so fast?" Mako asked.
"And do I feel this is a reference to something?" Izuku added, also taken aback by the incredible speed of the mystery man.
"So, what are ya doing here, Mr. Mikisugi? Are ya on a break? vacation?! Oh! Or maybe you're gonna meet a secret not-so-secret lover in the land of the rising sun and finally confess your undying love?! Only to be stumped to find out that she doesn't feel the same way and you're actually being used to cheat on her even richer husban-"
Before she could finish, Mikisugi pulled out an acupuncture pin and placed it into the hyperactive teen's forehead while she was mid blink.
"Sheeeeesh. She's always got something to talk about."
"Wha- You bastard!" Ryuko shouted.
"What the heck?! Mako!" Izuku exclaimed.
Slicking his hair back, the "teacher" straightened up to reveal a much younger looking guy. Izuku was clearly confused.
"My, my. What are the odds we'd run into each other, Matoi? And with a friend I assume?" Mikisugi gestured to Midoriya, who was afraid of getting knocked out like the brunette.
"Don't you touch him!" Matoi growled and tightened her grip around Izuku, drawing a yelp out of him due her overwhelming strength.
"Easy now! I'm not going to do anything to your boyfriend."
An unintelligible sound came out of both the teens as their faces both turned a beat red shade before Ryuko dropped Izuku onto his rear.
"Obviously I can't sneak my way around this. So is there a chance you can give us a minute, Midoriya?"
"Wait, how do you know my name-"
"I have my sources. One of them being someone you've encountered already."
"Oh," the boy shuddered, thinking he knew what the man meant.
"Hold on, why can't Izuku be in on this? If I'm going to be doing this around him, he deserves to know. Plus, your pal already left him with suspicions the instant he started shooting needles at him," Ryuko protested.
"Sorry kiddo, this is sensitive information. If I just freely handpicked who to give an inch, then everyone would want a mile," Mikisugi held the bridge of his nose with his fingers, letting out a deep sigh. He didn't know why he had to be explaining this, but then again, these were teenagers he was talking to.
"But-!"
Izuku stretched his arm out in front of Ryuko and gave a nod that set a profound reassurance to her, making the girl cease her push.
"I understand, Mr. Mikisugi. I'll just step back over to Mako and let you guys talk."
The boy knew the pressures of having to keep a secret, which was clearly evident with his situation regarding One For All. There was still so much he himself didn't even know about it.
He turned around and walked back to accompany Mako, who had essentially been turned into a statue. Strangely, his curiosity piqued as he began poking at Mako's cheek to see if her body had any changes from the needle. She was like stone, not even reacting to his touch.
"Wow, he's surprisingly well mannered. You definitely landed yourself a real catch here, Matoi," Aikuro said casually, which both confused and sent the girl into a momentary fit of embarrassment.
Not wanting to humor him by having a full-on spasm, she decided to get on with her objective.
"Shut it. For starters, how about you tell me why the hell are you pals with the psycho that nearly killed me and my friend?!" Ryuko pressed, wanting to get ACTUAL answers from her teacher for once.
"He's a serious guy. What can I say? I'll be the first to admit he sometimes takes things too far. But the real plan was to strengthen the bond between you and Senketsu. He is Tsumugu Kinagase. And as you already know, the two of us are working together. You stood up to him with fists of glory."
As Aikuro went along with the information dump, he grasped at both ends of his collar. Thanks to hindsight, Ryuko immediately knew what was about to happen next and took a few steps back from her teacher.
"And now you…"
One nipple.
"And Senketsu…"
Two nipples.
"Have become true partners!"
The nipples began to glow a color of purple so bright, that even Izuku could see it in the corner of his eye before laying his full gaze onto the scene.
What the hell was going on? Was the teacher forcing himself on Ryuko? Before Izuku knew it he felt an irritating heat rise within him. His good nature tried to give Aikuro the benefit of the doubt, but him leaning super closely to Ryuko while shirtless was crossing the line.
Within the blink of an eye, Mikisugi's face was met with the surface of bare knuckles that were encased in green bolts of electricity. The force of the punch sent the man skidding across the the sandy shore away from Ryuko. She then turned to see a fuming, red-faced Izuku Midoriya, glowing like a Christmas tree.
"Holy shit! Izuku?" Ryuko was in disbelief. Not because of his strength, but because she usually took him as an 'ask first, then shoot' kind of person. The vicious look in his eyes and his hair poofing upward like an angry cat was also something she hadn't seen before.
His hair settled down once the burst of violence had subsided, with Izuku seemingly returning to normal.
"Huh? Wha? HUHH? OHMYGOSH! Shit! Did I hit him too hard?!" Izuku ran straight over to the blue haired adult to help him get back on his feet. Once that was done, the greenette began to bow at such a speed that neither of the Honnōji inhabitants could follow.
"I'm so sorry! But…"
Izuku stood up straight and stared Mikisugi straight in the eye.
"Y-You shouldn't be acting that way towards your student! You're a teacher!"
Both Mikisugi and Matoi stood wide eyed at the sudden outburst from Midoriya. He himself was astonished by his actions. Earlier, his anxiety attempted to hold his tongue, but his heart had pushed back against the negative mindset.
"U-u… ugh. Wow… Your boyfriend's got a mean right hook, Matoi. Makes sense since Tsumugu now has another bandage to add to the collection."
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" They said in unison. Both of them were fed up with hearing the dating lines at this point.
"Anyway, thanks Izuku. But you don't need to worry about me. This kind of thing is regular with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he and Mr. Mohawk did this in front of each other," Ryuko reassured the greenette with a decent amount of snark behind it.
"Hey! Mine and Tsumugu's relationship is strictly professional!" The teacher protested to which Ryuko smirked, knowing she had something to get on his case about. And with that, Izuku stepped away once more to accompany the frozen Mako.
"If there's one thing I wanna know, what's the name of the organization my father founded that you were talking about before?"
"Oh, that. We're called Nudist Beach."
The bluntness from Mikisugi stunned Ryuko and further confused Izuku a few meters away. He didn't know if he should even be there.
"Huh?"
"We're called ~Nudist Beeeaccch!~" Aikuro's shirt had completely fallen down his shoulders, exposing his bare chest as it glistened with a glow that shined brighter in the sun.
"What the hell…?" Ryuko mulled over.
Ironically, Izuku could hear the blue nude activist shouting the very name of the organization that he was attempting to keep a secret.
"Nudist Beach? I… I don't even know at this point." Midoriya said in a laxed nod as he had practically given up on trying to understand what the man was like. Maybe he'd give it some more thought later on.
"Our goal is to stop the Kiryuin conglomerate, just like I've said before!"
"Do you think I'm here for games?" Matoi grimaced.
"But I'm telling the truth. Though, I suppose you wouldn't understand immediately, given your teen angst and all. One day you'll get it," Mikisugi spoke with the utmost sincerity as he and Ryuko began walking back over to Izuku and Mako.
"Whatever. So how did you know to come here of all places?"
"I didn't. I needed to get myself away from the hotel Satsuki's staying at, along with some upper class two star students and one member of the Elite Four; Houka Inamuta."
"Oh? Satsuki's here, huh? Well, that saves me a lot of trouble of having to go back and pound her face in," Ryuko clamped her fist into her palm with a mighty force that put Bakugo's explosive motion to shame.
"Settle down, Ryuko. You're in UA territory. You don't want to give them trouble by attacking a guest from another school," Mikisugi disarmed the hostility in the girl.
"Tch, fine. Guess that means she'll just get a front row seat to me flipping her off. Good," A sinister aura crept up on Ryuko's face that curved her lips upward.
"I think we're both a bit on edge from the constant training. It might be a good idea to take the day off and just relax," Midoriya cautiously reached forward to grab at Matoi's shoulder in order to calm her down, and to avoid being attacked.
Oddly enough, she snapped out of her vindictive state immediately, her shoulders loosening and her posture straightening out. Matoi felt quite calm now, with not a single trace of her anger being found. She turned her head, finding all of this tranquility sourcing from the boy who kept her in check. Aikuro noticed this change in her behavior all too easily.
"Now can you unpin our friend?" Izuku asked Mikisugi politely.
The Blunette nodded as a smile followed up shortly after.
This kid. The gentle nature he embodied that could stop a raging bull had also masked a fire that could burn just as brightly. There was something about him that stuck out very well to Aikuro. Something could truly blossom here. He had to set the process.
He began to walk forward and took a few steps close to Izuku in particular, as if he was trying to whisper to him.
"Remember kid, a girl loves a man who isn't afraid to strip down."
"W-What?! What the hell do you mean by that?!"
"Trust me, kiddo. Any girl, ESPECIALLY Matoi, loves when you strip everything ya got. Get your body soaked from head to toe, look at your lover dead in the eye, and then slowly peel off those-BMMMFFF!" Mikisugi's (very) descriptive instructions were cut off by a precise wack from the blunt end of Ryuko's scissor blade.
"THE LAST THING I WANT IS YOU TURNING IZUKU INTO A DAMN STRIP FIEND. NOW GET YOUR PERVERTED ASS OUT OF HERE, YA DAMN CREEP!"
"Ah come on, one shirt wouldn't hurt."
As he finished his sentence, the lewd teacher could be seen spinning a piece of fabric. Twirling around on his finger was the shirt that read out "T-Shirt".
-WHOOSH-
Suddenly, Midoriya's chest started to feel a bit breezy.
Looking down, Izuku saw that Mikisugi relieved him of his T-shirt. Ryuko turned to shout at her teacher, only for her words to come to a grinding halt as she stared at her friend's VERY muscular torso.
'H-H-Holy shit, he's jacked!"
"I'm sensing a sudden surge of euphoria within you. Are you doing alrigh-OW OW OW OW!"
Senketsu's thoughts were interrupted by Ryuko pulling on his scarfed eye, wanting to hear none of what her kamui had to say.
Izuku, getting very uncomfortable, walked toward the downed nudist to retrieve his stolen shirt. But Mikisugi had a different idea.
"Sir, do you mind if I could have my-"
"HEY MATOI, THINK FAST!" Mikisugi then threw the shirt at the girl in question, much to Midoriya's dismay.
The shirt landed in Ryuko's hands, which were already outstretched despite still being in her lucid state.
Mikisugi switched back to his disguise, satisfied with the unique chaos he caused for his student.
"Well, I'm off. Don't want to keep Lady Satsuki waiting. The last thing I need is for her and Gamagori to double-team me out of the blue!"
"DO YOU EVEN HEAR THE WORDS COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH?!" An embarrassed Izuku screamed back, whilst doing his best to cover his naked chest, which also happened to snap Ryuko out of her stupor.
"Hm… Nope. Not really."
And with that, Mikisugi took his leave. But before he exited the beach, he reached over and took the acupuncture pin out of Mako, returning her back to consciousness.
"-d…? Hey, where did Mr. Mikisugi go? I could've sworn I saw him right here. Huh, oh well!"
Mako jumped from her resting spot to turn to her best friend and her not-boyfriend.
"Hey Ryuko, did ya see...huh?" Mako trailed off as she stared at the scene that unfolded before her; Ryuko was holding on to Midoriya's shirt, revealing his muscular upper torso, all while both were red-faced to the point their heads resembled tomatoes more than ever before.
"C-C-Can I please have my shirt-"
*POKE*
*SQUISH*
Izuku's words were cut off as Mako proceeded to poke at his chest repeatedly.
"Holy cow dude, you're jacked! Ryuko! Were you going to hog this all to yourself?!"
"MAKO STOP IT NOW!" A comically large puff of smoke literally POOFED out of Ryuko's ears, her face welling up with a red hue that matched her streak.
"CAN I PLEASE HAVE MY SHIRT BACK?!"
..~~~HLK~~~..
After that whole messy fiasco had thankfully wrapped up, the trio moved forward with Izuku's idea of relaxing. It was the last day of the two week break before the Sports Festival would begin. They might as well follow Izuku's advice or face the challenge of picking pieces of themselves off the ground.
Ryuko pouted subtly that she was going to have to lounge around during academics once school came back, but her face soon lit up as she felt the fire in her heart burn. She was going to attend the biggest event in the world. It was something that she would never forget.
"Look if you both wanted to be alone, all you had to do is ask, alright?" Mako brought up out of the blue.
This was something that Matoi wished she could forget. She looked off to the side and skimmed through the previous events in her head to a particular moment when Izuku was shirtless. Her cheeks flourished a red color. Maybe not everything.
'Wait, what?' Matoi snapped herself out of her enamored thought cycle. Since when did she start thinking like that horn dog, Mikisugi?! She made a quick glance to the boy that attempted to make the chirping Mankanshoku settle down before looking away again in relief that they hadn't noticed anything.
"ANYWAY, we have the whole day to ourselves. Uhm… What would you guys like to do?" Izuku asked the girls as they were right in the center of the city. A problem began to surface, specifically with both Izuku and Ryuko.
They didn't know what kind of activities they would be interested in. There were so many options, but they didn't stick out to either of them. Ryuko had a disinterest towards doing something new and would prefer to stick to things she actually liked, which ironically was very little. She spent the majority of her life only chasing one thing and never actually developed other hobbies along the way.
Thanks to his hero obsession and the bullying, Izuku spent his life locked away from the outside world as he stayed in his room during his free time. He never gave himself the chance to learn new things and find other pastimes to take leisure in due to the fear of possibly failing at those. Not to mention, he'd risk his self confidence dropping further than before. With a small grain of hope, and the want to prove everyone wrong, he continued to chase the goal of becoming a hero.
Both Matoi and Midoriya remained speechless for an awkward amount of time as they blanked out. Thankfully Mako didn't pay any attention to it as it was directed towards another source. A high pitched gasp snapped the two out of their trance as they followed Mankanshoku's finger pointing dramatically at a sign.
"KARAOKE!" The brunette rallied before hopping forward.
The green and red streaked duo looked at one another before nodding with a grin, following the bubbly girl towards the Karaoke Bar.
Mako continued marching forward before a loud thud, followed by a hushed grunt from another source sounded off when she suddenly crashed into an object that appeared around the corner. Izuku, being able to keep up the pace with her, managed to catch the girl from falling onto the pavement.
Was she always a klutz? It looked like she was forcibly shoved by whatever she bumped into.
"Oh shit. Mako, you okay?" Ryuko asked, but then her breath literally hitched as she stopped dead in her tracks in a cold sweat.
Both Midoriya and Mankansoku looked up to see the one who broke the girl's momentum, but were not ready for what they were going to find. Both of their eyes widened as their pupils shrunk, the overwhelming pressure was something that not even Mako could handle.
It was Satsuki Kiryuin.
"Lady Satsuki! Are you alright?" A poised male voice called out, which Ryuko immediately recognized. Around the corner came Houka Inumuta, who was accompanying Satsuki during their stroll.
The Student Council president alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of both Midoriya and Mankanshoku. Being half a foot taller than Izuku, her height and posture solidified her superiority to the two. A glare that rested on her face was focused on the duo like a steel bear trap that was squeezing the life out of them.
Izuku's instincts kicked in, but he felt as if his actions were delayed. It took 5 seconds before he placed Mako behind him to protect her. Why? Could it be that Satsuki's very presence struck a paralyzing fear in the duo? That might have been the case since Mankanshoku was as stiff as a board.
Ryuko however did not share the same feeling.
"What the hell? How dare you bump into Lady Satsuki and taint her clothes with your-" A hand calmly raised up in front of him, which stopped the sky blunette from continuing his lecture.
"Y-You're Satsuki Kiryuin. The Student Council President of Honnōji Academy, right?" Izuku spoke up, wanting to break up the silence.
"Correct. But anyone could put that piece together with a simple venture online. You'll have to do more than that to impress me," Kiryuin responded in a rather disinterested tone.
For some reason, her suggestion felt like a demanding task that slammed onto Izuku's shoulders with immense pressure. Of course he didn't have to humor this, but her voice was beckoning him to do so.
"Honnōji isn't just an ordinary school though. There are cases of missing students, specifically delinquents at Honnōji. I-I know that you also own the private prison ward which you call the detention center. But, I've heard that you guys don't just do normal sentences, don't you?"
"Oh? That's not something well known by public eyes."
"Because you rule the schools with enough fear that keeps them from looking."
"My, aren't you a sharp one?"
"W-Well I have to be. Being a hero requires one to be sharp, whether dealing with villains or other crises," Izuku swallowed hard as sweat dripped down the side of his face.
"I see. Though…" Satsuki leaned in closely, which made the boy recoil. "You should choose your battles carefully. This is a career where people can die young. Quirks or not."
"Get the HELL away from him." Matoi hissed through her bared teeth, placing her two friends behind her as she stood up tall in a defiant manner towards the formal woman.
"Matoi. What a pleasant surprise running into you here," Satsuki greeted in a calm and pleasant tone as she made eye contact with the delinquent girl.
"If you so much as touch them, I swear I will-"
"Relax, Matoi. I'm not here to fight. It'd be quite rude to start a quarrel as a guest that will be watching your Sports Festival."
"Tch, then I hope you've got yourself ready for a front row seat to this."
Ryuko placed a middle finger up so close to Satsuki's face that the tip of it nearly brushed against her nose. Inumuta was trembling in his position out of building frustration while Satsuki had no reaction, not even blinking when Matoi's hand got close.
"Hmph. I see that you haven't changed a bit. Good. Save that for the festival."
"What the hell are you doing here anyway?"
"I did not want to be stuck up in the hotel, so I'm getting myself acquainted rather nicely with Musutafu. It was of my best interest to take in everything it could provide. And I must say, it's quite the lovely city with much to explore."
Seeing Satsuki like this felt unnatural. She was showing pleasantries that weren't directed from the suffering or discipline of a Honnōji student. It was genuine tranquility from just living. Both Izuku and Ryuko took this cautiously, knowing that there must be something behind it. Mako however, took this as Satsuki finally relinquishing the heavy weights of being a Student Council President and embraced the new role of being a tourist.
"So you're basically tourists here? We're doing the same thing! OOooh - You should join us, Lady Satsuki!" The brunette slid down below and then appeared in front of her two friends as she pitched her offer, which struck a nerve with them.
"Mako! No!" Ryuko disapproved in a hushed tone.
If it were any other person suggesting this, Matoi would have struck them with enough force that would rearrange their anatomy forever. But she knew that Mako didn't know any better. Innocence could be a curse sometimes.
Midoriya had to also oppose this suggestion as he had some idea of what Satsuki was like, added with what Ryuko had told him about her. If the circumstances were different, he would have been fully on board with the idea.
The two practically trembled as they were both understandably concerned about what Kiryuin's answer would be, but were only met with a light chuckle.
"As nice as that sounds, I will have to decline your offer. Even with the luxury of exploring a new environment, I still have my responsibilities to tend to. Plus, I believe your friends aren't very approving of this arrangement."
"Eh?" Mankanshoku turned her head to see very troubled expressions on both Izuku and Ryuko's faces, neither of them taking their eyes off of Satsuki.
"I should return to my stroll. Enjoy your last day before the Festival," The formal woman walked past the trio with Inumuta following behind her. The walk was short lived once she stopped, initiating the heel click that still haunted the back of Ryuko's mind.
"I expect to see great things out there, Matoi. Make this transfer worth it."
The red streaked girl whipped her head back only to find that Kiryuin was completely out of sight, as if she had disappeared with the wind. Matoi sneered at the lingering threat that continued to set a reminder that she was never truly free from her burden. But, she would be damned if she were to allow it to harm her closest friends in any way.
Wanting to return to the pleasant atmosphere the three had earlier, she took hold of both Izuku and Mako's shoulders to shake them out of whatever mindset they were currently in.
"C'mon, let's get to this Karaoke. I'm not letting that bitch ruin our fun," She spoke in a relaxed, but snarky tone as she wanted to maintain a care-free attitude to put her friends at ease.
The two nodded and followed Matoi and entered the building. As they ventured inside, they were greeted with a mildly lit room where the lights only highlighted the warm colors on the walls. It set a rather calm tone for the interior as the dark corners balanced out the vibrant colors.
Ryuko whistled as she gazed upon the space they were in.
"Fancy."
Mako then took the initiative and hopped over to the front desk to greet the Karaoke Clerk.
"Welcome to the Dojima Karaoke Bar. We have a wide selection of songs and as well as room services you can choose from," The clerk said to the trio as they entered the establishment and handed them a menu.
The clerk was a very intimidating looking man, with a face that had been through countless fights. It was a face that only a mother could love. And to top it all off, his left pinky seemed to be missing. His name tag was easily readable on the right side of his black vest, reading off the name "Kuze".
Izuku and Ryuko took a look at the sheet while Mako stared up at the menu that was placed above the clerk.
"There's a lot to pick from here. Do we want room service?" Izuku asked.
"We're just here for karaoke, right? We don't need the extra stuff. We could probably pick-"
A hand slammed on the table next to them with a card held in it.
"IT'S ON ME!"
"What the hell?" Ryuko turned to see Mako handing the card over.
"We'll take the nice back room with some food please!" The brunette cheered.
"W-Wait Mako! We appreciate it, but you don't have to pay-" Izuku attempted to interject.
"Don't worry! It's my dad's! So it's not my money!"
Both Izuku and Ryuko let out a few stutters as they appeared dumbfounded by Mako once again. The clerk handed the girl her receipt and stepped from his desk.
"Please follow me. I'll show you to your room."
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Wow! He was right! So many choices…" Mako murmured as she was scrolling through the list of songs that were on the tablet she held.
Izuku sat on the lounge seat waiting both eagerly and patiently for Mako to select a song. He had never been to a Karaoke bar before, so it was no surprise that he was excited to see how it would turn out. Ryuko, on the other hand, donned an expression that one could describe as happy, but also worried.
"Ryuko… Are you okay?" Izuku asked cautiously.
"I'm fine. It's just that...Mako may not be the best singer. I've heard her once when she asked me if I had a guitar in the case I keep my scissor blade in. It was pretty rough."
"Oh. Well, it'll probably help now that she has an actual song to mimic," Izuku chuckled heartily.
"Ooh! I'll do this one!" The brunette then showed the tablet to Ryuko and Izuku with the selected song: x3 SHINE.
"You know… That song is actually very fitting for you," Matoi said with a smile.
"Really?" Mankanshoku responded excitedly.
"Yeah, I agree! Go for it, Mako!" Midoriya pitched in.
"Alright! Ooh, I'm gonna kill it!" The girl selected the song and stood up to face the monitor that began a countdown. Mako could barely keep herself at bay as the numbers wound down.
The song started to play, beginning with an opening instrumental that had nice and pleasant jingles in it. Ryuko was surprised at how accurate her statement was. It was almost uncanny how they matched Mako's energy. Soon the lyrics appeared on the screen as a marker made its way to trail over the lyrics. Now it was time to see if Mako could really match up with it.
She took a breath, lined her lips up to the mic, and began.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Tone deaf.
Off beat.
Sound peaking.
Her two friends sported very hollow smiles with beads of sweat dripping down their faces. Ryuko definitely wasn't kidding when it came to Mako's bad singing. Izuku attempted to keep the upbeat energy of the song going by clapping along with the rhythm. Oh, Ryuko couldn't help but admire his optimism.
"Who's next?!" Mako asked with a clear spark in her eyes.
"Ryuko, you should go!"
She then ushered the microphone in hand to Ryuko, to which the girl shot hers up to form a wall and block the object from her face.
"I don't know, Mako. I'm not really cut out for this sort of thing.
"C'mon Ryuko! You heard me sing! You should give it a try!"
Matoi directed her eyes away from the mic, still feeling strong on her feelings about it. Izuku then reached over to her shoulder to give a sense of reassurance.
"Let's give it a go, Ryuko. I'll even try to er… sing along with you on whatever you choose."
A smile curved on his face, but there were a few crooks that bent it a little out of shape. He was clearly nervous about doing this, but he wasn't going to leave Ryuko on the field all alone. And she knew that.
Matoi began to smile warmly, thanks to the loving support from her two closest friends. She took the mic from Mako's hand in stride.
"Ryuko," Senketsu spoke.
"What's up?"
"You were zoned out for a moment and not really engaged, but now you seem amped up on performing. These two must be motivators for you, huh?"
"Mhm," She murmured quietly while a red hue adorned her face.
"Alright! Here's the tablet! Quick! Pick a song!" Mako slapped the item onto Matoi's lap and left her to her selection.
"Hmm… Since we're both doing this, it's gotta be something good."
Midoriya looked over her shoulder as she was scrolling through numerous songs, until finally, she stopped on one.
Judgement -Shippan-
Ryuko's eyes lit up upon seeing that name. She couldn't help but admit that it was a pretty kick-ass title for a song. She looked to Izuku with a nod that solidified her decision, to which he took a closer look at the details.
"Oh would you look at that, this song needs backup vocals. Perfect!" He spoke gleefully.
With one tap, Judgement was placed onto the screen and began the countdown. Izuku had a second microphone in hand as he stood at Ryuko's side and faced the monitor.
3…
2…
1…
The strum of an electric guitar rolled in with an explosive beat and tone that lit a blazing flame inside the two that they had never felt before. The instrumental sequence went for a bit longer, which gave them a good amount of time to fully immerse themselves in the song.
A set of lyrics with a white line beneath were placed on the monitor. Both of the teens nodded, knowing that she would take the lead. With that settled, Ryuko took a breath to prepare herself for her first lines.
"Rail kara hazureta,"
Even with a somewhat shaky voice, she managed to pull off that first line without any issues. She even managed to land the segment of drawing out her vocals on that last word.
Another set of lyrics appeared with a blue highlight, which was Izuku's cue to go up next.
"Furyouhin no norainu sa."
Both Ryuko and Mako's eyes widened a bit, being quite surprised at how well Izuku had handled that. Sure his voice was a bit shaky too, but he was able to accurately sing the correct tone.
The two smiled at one another, feeling amped up to keep going with this song. So far, the lyrics had been having them switch off at the end of a set of lyrics. So they had to stay on their toes.
"We are bad boys,
Waru ni nokosareta,
NO to iu na no,"
"JUSTICE."
"WOW, BREAKIN' THE LAW,
BREAKIN' THE WORLD kowase,
breaking the world,
kirisake TENDERNESS."
On the projection came a video of two performers that originally sang the song. Watching as they stood back to back as they continued the vocals, Izuku and Ryuko wanted to match that energy and bunched together in a similar formation as they continued.
"WOW, BREAKIN' THE RULE,
roppou zensho ja shibarenai,
breaking the world.
hanran bunshi sa."
Izuku could only look at Ryuko with pure awe as she sang her heart out with passion. Hell, he could feel the heat from where he stood.
"furiageta,
nigiri kobushi ga oretachi no,
JUDGEMENT."
Striking the final pose that was shown on the video, Ryuko had fully immersed herself and developed an understanding of the essence of Judgement and its motif. Or maybe it was just her rebellious teenage angst that found a sense of relatability with it, give or take. It didn't matter since she was absolutely thrilled.
"Whoo!" She had actually worked up some sweat on the song right there and took a quick puff to brush bits of her hair out of her eyes as well as wiping her forehead.
"Oh," Midroiya took a glance at how much Matoi poured into this performance and perhaps discovered a new feeling that he hadn't before. Could he claim that it was just the passion from her that he was somewhat enticed by?
Or was he just a perv that discovered an interest in seeing a pretty girl being sweaty? The only thing he knew was that he would keep his mouth shut about it.
"Oooh," Mako quietly watched his reaction with a risque sneer.
*CRASH*
The celebration was cut off by the sudden commotion from outside. Curious and somewhat pissed at her being interrupted, Ryuko goes to check on what was happening.
"Okay! What the hell is...going…on…?"
What the tomboy saw, was pure, unadulterated, DESTRUCTION.
The entire hall that their room was stationed in was completely demolished. It was as if a tornado had sex with an earthquake and this was the whole result. It honestly shook the poor girl to the core. That hallway was nice.
"Ryuko, is everything okay-OH MY GOD! What happened to the hall?!" Izuku exclaimed, wondering what was going on here.
"Wow, kinda reminds me of that time ya fought Satsuki, Ryuko. Except for that weirdo in the back," Mako said while pointing in a different direction.
Ryuko turned to see where her friend was pointing at.
"What weir-wwwhaaaaaaaaaaaat the fuck am I looking at?!"
To say that the group was stunned would be a hilarious understatement. Where Mako was pointing at was a corner. And in that corner, stood a man.
A man in his underpants.
Kneeling and doing pelvic thrusts while moving his hands around his body...erotically.
"Ya know, witnessing these events has made me wonder what else I've been missing in this town while I was cooped up in my room," Izuku blankly stated with a sheepish smile.
"SHINAI! KAZUMA!"
..~~~HLK~~~..
The trio left the karaoke bar shortly after that incident occurred. The hours passed as they traveled around town before heading back to Danchi for a good home cooked dinner.
The two girls thanked Mrs. Midoriya for the food before heading out. But before they could head up the stairwell, Izuku bolted out the door and called out for the pair to wait.
"Ooh, is he coming to snuggle up with us after all?" Mankanshoku wondered, getting a light karate chop to the neck from Ryuko.
"What's up, Izuku?" Matoi asked.
"Thank you. You really opened my eyes up the last two weeks and all the training really feels like it paid off. I finally feel that I've gained some control on my power, and I'm ready for tomorrow."
This Izuku Midoriya was a bit different from a few weeks ago. Was he still timid? Of course. But he certainly seemed more self assured that he was capable of winning the whole festival. His emerald green eyes glistened with a spark of competitive spirit.
"Man, save the bravado for tomorrow," Ryuko chuckled, with Izuku getting the message loud and clear as the girls went up to the apartment above to settle in for the night.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"You nervous at all Ryuko?" Mako asked.
"...I'd be lying if I didn't say there's a little bit of anxiety. But I'm amped up to really kick some ass! Especially Blondie. He's in for a rude awakening."
"Wait, the guy at the peer?"
"Heh, no. This is a guy me and Izuku knew when we were kids. The asshole somehow got stuck in our class and I have a feeling something else happened between him and Izuku when I was shipped away."
The girl with the red highlight reflected back on their first day at UA. When they talked about Bakugo on the benches outside of UA, it put Izuku through so much pain. There was also the aftermath of the Battle Trial, when Izuku thought he had to go explain himself to the bastard before she talked him out of it.
"You really care for him a lot, huh?" The brunette stated, snapping Ryuko back to the room.
"I mean, he was really the only friend I had growing up. And…"
Matoi paused, seeing Mako's legs swinging slowly from the chair.
"Look, we aren't dating. Izuku's a good friend, that's all Mako. Why does everyone keep pairing us up?"
Mako pondered for a moment, putting a finger up to her chin on what to say.
"You two just seem so close though. So why not?"
The question was so innocent, but Ryuko's stomach knotted up like it had a few days earlier. Why couldn't the topic just be put to bed?
"I saw him looking at one of our other classmates and I can tell he really likes her. I think he's started to realize it, too. I don't think I'm cut out to get settled with someone as good as him." Ryuko chuckled lightly as she headed into her bedroom to throw on her pajamas before coming back out to chat with Mako for a few more minutes.
"Does that mean you haven't asked if he'd rather be with you?" Mako posed.
The room became quiet, not a word spoken for what seemed like an eternity.
'This isn't important right now. Focus on how you're feeling later.'
Ryuko took a deep breath and blew the air out slowly, letting her nerves settle.
"I get that you're looking out for me Mako, but I want to just focus on the festival tomorrow. I don't want to sound rude, but I should really get some rest," the girl responded.
"Okay, I understand. Goodnight Ryuko!"
"Good night, Mako."
..~~~HLK~~~..
After turning off the lights, Ryuko flopped onto the bed and pulled the covers up over her body. Down on the floor below, Izuku did the same. They both had a goal to win tomorrow. The pair didn't train two whole weeks to let this opportunity go to waste.
'I'm going to win, no matter what it takes!'
'I'm going to win, no matter what it takes!'
The two teens soon drifted into a blissful rest, hopefully prepared for what was to come tomorrow.
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: Thank you all so much for being patient! We're happy to be back. We're also happy that the Casting Call is now out for several characters that we need for the Hero La Kill comic dubs. Please carefully read the directions, description, and the character line prompts/cues for more info if you wish to audition.
.club/projects/hero-la-kill-comic-dub-auditions
Also, Aduubo started a so we can make sure the voice actors get paid (and a small cut for us, too). But seriously, we want to make sure the VAs are compensated accordingly.
Aduubo?fan_landing=true
Aduubo A/N: Gimme money
Buckichamp: All of that, plus the Casting Call Announcement, are on his YouTube (READ THE DESCRIPTION)
watch?v=b_AylUHAT9o
Now it's time to open the mailbag!
*Note-Reviews lightly edited for clarity and length
"This chapter was great. Can't wait for the next, but take your time if you need it.
For a possible QnA my question is: Will you guys be going into manga territory with the story once you pass the point the anime is at or wait for the anime to finish before you continue posting more chapters?"-Lotus 2021
We knew this was going to come up again at some point. I'll be brutally honest: We don't exactly know for sure. I know that Season Five ended a few months ago and I believe Season Six will air later this year or in early 2023 (I am fully caught up with the manga though). There's a lot that'll go into that decision, but we haven't exactly figured out at what point the story will end. It could be with Ragyo, with Shigaraki, All For One, or something else that's more original.
But I will say we have at least AN IDEA (maybe two) of where we might stop for a while, or take a bow with an ending we feel would hold up if we chose not to go to the end of MHA or wherever we stopped. It's all very fluid. A "soft ending", if you will, would enable us to hit the continue button if we wanted to.
A huge factor in all of this hinges on where the three of us and anyone else who may become involved with the HLK project are at in their lives, as well as when the manga ends. That'll be a potential factor in our decision whenever we reach a certain point of events. (God, I hope Horikoshi doesn't rush it. I'd rather he finished it next year as long as he got as many breaks as he needed to properly finish the series. But he deserves a year long vacation for all the entertainment he's brought to millions!)
Thank you for the question Lotus and for your continued support!
"Yeah I'm with Calebturner2016. Will Izuku and Ryuko kiss or will their be something more? *looks at the m-rating*"-Omni Warrior
It's funny you bring up the M-rating. If I'm remembering right, Aduubo at one point said going from a T-rating to an M-rating actually had a lot to do with all the cursing and swears. You know, because of Ryuko and Bakugo LOL. There were other reasons, and you can probably guess which franchise most of those "other reasons" come from.
Relating to the other part of that question: I catch your drift, Omni. There isn't anything that's "something more" that I'm currently aware of. If there is, I'm going on record now to say that I AM NOT INVOLVED IN ANY CAPACITY! That "stuff" isn't happening in HLK. Aduubo owns the FFN account here. I'll know whenever you guys know if he ends up posting something of his own volition.
"Oh man. Don't let Mako meet Hatsume; they'd get along like a house on fire (would probably literally set some fires XD ). In fact, Mako is what happens when you fuse Uraraka and Hatsume together LOL XD
…
Looks like Izuku may have some mental issues to deal with. Confidence can't be built by oneself that well, especially for chronically abused introverts." -Project Iceman
I'm including the commentary because why not? I laughed so hard at how accurate this all was (including the sleeping bag, which I cut out for brevity).
And yeah, I'd really pay attention to the mental side here for what's going to happen. This won't just be an Izuku thing, but Ryuko's already shown some cracks as well if you haven't seen what's been done already or mentioned in prior reviews.
Pikachu A/N: GIVE US SOME MONEY!