After having finished healing the turbo hero's legs, Recovery Girl decided to give Ingenium a shot of her quirk on his non-fatal but still painful wounds that hadn't fully healed themselves so the turbo hero could return to hero work sooner than anticipated. The young esper and school nurse decided to silently make their way out of the hospital after Recovery Girl informed the doctors of Ingenium's recovered state, for they knew that the media would be soon to follow. The two said their farewells, and the family once again gave their sincerest gratitude. Right now, the family was all sitting together at Tensei's hospital bed, eagerly conversing and still brimming with optimism.
"I still can't believe this is happening," the father said, "Our son can walk again."
"That means that I must give you back the title of "Ingenium,"" Tenya added with no sense of disappointment; he still had a long way to go before he could become worthy of that name.
Tensei let out another soft chuckle from his lips. "At least for now, little brother. I can't wait to see how my sidekicks react when they learn that the hero, Ingenium, will be back at work! It looks like at least one of the Hero Killer's victims didn't stay down."
Tenya's body momentarily tensed up at the mention of his name. "Tensei, the Hero Killer, what's your opinion of him?" Now that his brother's spine had been fixed and he could fully walk again, the teenager felt a tiny seed of doubt sprout in his mind. Though Stain had told Tenya to apologize to Tensei on his behalf, the teenager had told neither his brother nor anyone else in his family about what really happened that night.
Their father came forward with his strong opinion before his eldest son could. "I can't sympathize with a cruel man like that, someone who targeted and mercilessly killed many good heroes as if he alone decides who's worthy enough to be a hero. Who was he to decide you weren't worthy of being called a real hero and crippling you like that? There's no excuse."
The older brother was not expecting Tenya to come forward with such a question, though he fully understood why his family would hold such vehement hatred against the man that nearly ended his hero career. "Well, he's a killer who hurt many people, and anyone would find that reprehensible. However, after seeing some news stories about his past and his reasoning, I can see his overall goal in trying to change society. So in that sense, it's understandable why some people would look up to him, but he still went about his goals the wrong way. I just wish he could've seen that before he took down so many good heroes."
Tenya began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "... and what if he did realize his mistakes? What if he came to understand his methods were wrong and felt remorse for his actions?"
"Well, if that did happen, I think it'd be good to know that he could come to his senses but come on." Ingenium let out a soft chuckle of amusement, "The idea that someone with such ideals and who already killed so many people on his mission to change society is just crazy talk. There's no way that someone like that could change their views!" The hero waited for Tenya to wholeheartedly agree or make some humorous quip about how ridiculous the concept he brought up was, but he was puzzled when his brother gave no response and shifted his body further away from his seat while awkwardly staring out into the distance.
"Right? Tenya?" The two parents could see this sudden change of demeanor coming from their youngest son and were bewildered by the cause of it.
"Tenya? Is there something you have to say?" his father asked?
The spectacled teenager impatiently tapped his foot, for he found it difficult to bring this up and stayed quiet for a few more seconds. "You're all aware of the story regarding the Hero Killer's arrest, that I, along with four of my other classmates and a group of seven pro heroes, encountered the Hero Killer before Hawks singlehandedly apprehended him. Well... that was just a false story to cover up the truth about what happened that night." The Iida family felt their curiosity spike, unsure where this was leading.
Tenya sagged his shoulders and lowered his head. "That night, I went to confront the Hero Killer myself." The other family members gasped. "I wanted to avenge you, brother, and so consumed by that anger, I acted recklessly, allowing the Hero Killer to dominate me easily. It was only thanks to the arrival of my friends that I was spared from death that night." All the family members felt their faces twist with shock and horror.
"One of the friends who helped me was none other than Kageyama, but instead of choosing to try and apprehend the Hero Killer, his first reaction was to..." Tenya's fingers tensed up, "To talk to him. Kageyama talked to Stain to try and get him to give up on his mission and instead focus on improving society by changing "false" heroes. For almost the entire fight, Kageyama attempted to get through to the Hero Killer, and near the end of the fight, Hawks came in. But as soon as he arrived, Stain... surrendered." The shock spreading in the room was enough to get all three Iidas to jerk their bodies back.
"Kageyama's words somehow managed to get Stain to abandon his previous principles completely. He expressed sincere remorse for the crimes he'd committed. He even apologized to me for everything he'd done..." The blue-haired teenager now turned to his older brother. "And he told me to tell you that he was truly sorry for crippling you. He willingly gave himself up to the authorities and accepted the punishment for his crimes." Tenya looked at his family and could tell this was an intense and surprising blow to all of them.
"I understand how ludicrous it sounds, but I saw it all unfold before my eyes." All three listening family members were processing what they'd heard in their own way while Tenya decided to express his thoughts.
"Though I'll be eternally grateful to Kageyama for giving your legs back, even now, I cannot help but hold animosity for what he did, trying to help a man who hurt so many people and nearly ended your hero career."
"Hold on there, Tenya. You need to be giving Kageyama WAY more credit." The younger brother was put off by the rising tone in Tensei's voice. "What he did... that's perhaps the most unbelievable and amazing thing I've ever heard. To be able to talk to a villain, reach deep inside their hearts and bring out their humanity through just words, it's unreal. I was saying just seconds ago that the idea of a villain with such strong convictions changing their ways was impossible, and here you are telling me that's exactly what Kageyama did with Stain. I've never done anything remotely close to that with any villain. The power to change others... in the right hands, it can be a tool that can bring out the best in people and inspire them. And that's the power that Kageyama seems to hold in his hands, which he's used to change even his enemies. In a way, you could say he's more of a hero than anyone..."
The gravity and admiration in his older brother's words were palpable for Tenya, and he stewed on those words for a moment. Perhaps his brother had a point, and he was placing unnecessary anger toward his friend. "Maybe your words ring true, and it isn't fair of me to hold any animosity towards Kageyama after the miracle he gave us. But even so... I still cannot forgive the Hero Killer.
"To forgive him would be to act as though he did nothing wrong, to forget about his actions completely, and in my opinion, that would be an insult to you, brother. The fact remains that he still hurt you, and he killed many others. Kageyama blessed us with giving your legs, but he should have never even had to heal you in the first place. What he did to you... it cannot be forgiven."
Tensei could hear his younger brother's hatred: he understood that Tenya's hatred for Stain ran much deeper than it ever did for Tensei and that such hatred wouldn't be easy to root out. Because of that hatred, Tenya couldn't accept Stain's change or apology, while Tensei could. The hero internally sighed: it seemed forgiveness was still not an option for his younger brother.
It was not only within the Iida family that resentment and frustration festered. In the Todoroki households, things were still very tense. Though Endeavor had finally managed to make the first step towards self-improvement, the road to healing was still very long and arduous; honestly, it wasn't easy to see whether or not it was a road that could be traveled at all.
For so many years, the members of the Todoroki family had suffered at the hands of Endeavor. Some of them had never really gotten to know what it felt like to have a real father, while others had only ever seen a monster drowning in pride and hatred against the world, determined to make his dreams into a reality and put his family through whatever hell it took to make it happen.
But even knowing their family's nightmare and the major rifts that had been created, there was still one family member who carried the hope in her heart that they could build something new, and that person was Fuyumi Todoroki. After hearing of her father's change of heart and his reflection on his past actions, Fuyumi saw this as the chance for all of them to be a family again, which was why she decided to take the opportunity and get all of them to have dinner together. She'd planned just the right day when everyone in the family would be available to talk.
Natsuo Todoroki was the member of their family who held the most substantial animosity for their father. Not only was he treated as a failure and ignored by Endeavor all his life, but he'd had to sit silently as his mother and youngest brother suffered at Endeavor's hands. So when he first saw his sister call him and tell him of her plans, his first response was disbelief and opposition. To be told so bluntly about this sudden change of heart from the father who'd caused them so much pain all these years sounded ridiculous, and he couldn't accept it. He couldn't even be in the same room as the man, and now his sister was asking him to sit and have dinner with him. But, after much convincing from his older sister, Natsuo decided to humor her and accepted the offer for her sake.
It was late evening in the household, and the three Todoroki siblings sat in the dining room, eating dinner. The three of them had each engaged in casual conversation. Though things may have remained tense with their father, the sibling relationship was as strong as ever; in fact, it had only grown stronger after having learned that Shoto's scar had healed. So naturally, both siblings were elated by the fact that their youngest brother no longer had to be reminded of the pain of his past every time he looked in the mirror, and somehow, it managed to lessen the pain of the past very slightly.
The casual conversation between the three of them came to a screeching halt when they heard Endeavor coming in through the door, and the two male Todoroki children felt their smiles vanish.
"Long time no see," said Endeavor.
"Come on, dad, take a seat!" said Fuyumi, the only one eager for their father to join them. "The food's still warm!" The young woman looked at her siblings to see if they'd help her along, but both were giving their father icy stares.
"Hey, you two!" she said in a whispered yet still audible voice, "Can't you at least manage a "welcome back"? Dad's finally reflecting on his past and showing care for his family! Just because you might hate him doesn't mean you have to show it on your faces!"
"I can hear you..." muttered Endeavor.
Even though it'd been only seconds, Natsuo couldn't stand it any longer, and he started to get up. "Sorry, sis. I can't do this."
"Natsu!" The young man headed out the door, but Endeavor placed a hand on his shoulder before he could leave.
"Natsuo, if you'd like to say something, then you can go ahead and say it."
"Say it?" That's rich, coming from the guy who never even bothered to look me in the eye all these years. It's funny: I just learned that Soba was Shoto's favorite food today. After all, you always made sure that none of us "failures" entered his life. For whatever reason, sis doesn't seem to have any problem forgiving you, but as far as I'm concerned, the crazy, inconsiderate bastard is still going strong. She's acting as you've miraculously changed but haven't changed a bit! You completely neglected us and left us to listen to mom's screams and Shoto's cries, not to mention Toya's. And after all that, you suddenly come and decide now's the time to change your heart, to just one-sidedly come back into our lives! It makes me sick! Do you have any idea how any of us feel!"
Endeavor remained silent as his son blasted him with the truth, staring at the ground. "All I can say is that from now on, I'm going to face my past and do what I can to atone for everything I have done."
"Oh, is that so? I'm sorry, sis; thanks for the food!" Unimpressed by his declaration, Natsuo grazed past his father and left the house in a hateful march. Like Tenya, the clouds of hatred in his heart were too thick to be dispelled, and because of that, the option of forgiveness did not seem like an option for either of them.
Fuyumi covered her face, greatly saddened that her brother couldn't come around to interacting with their father. "I guess things won't work out after all. But, after Shoto got accepted into U.A., and he was able to see mom again, then dad finally started to approach us and come around after all this time, and mom's started to smile after so long; I really thought... we could be a proper family." Fuyumi grabbed her brother's arm and shook him while tears formed in her eyes. "Your sister was really happy, you know?"
"Sis..." Shoto had his own thoughts on their father and their family's future. "I think... everything Natsu said was pretty much on the money. I haven't forgiven you for how you tormented mom. That's why... I want to see what kind of man you become from here on out. One small inspiration can really make a difference: I know that better than anyone."
His son's words spoke loudly: Endeavor knew that better than anyone as well. All it took was some words from a mere high schooler to make Endeavor come to his senses and make him understand how he'd been wrong for so many years. He'd been spending so much time acquiring power, trying to be the strongest hero he could be, and he'd never really thought why he was bothering to do it in the first place. A hero's job was to help people, to be there when they needed assistance, and ensure they had a future to look forward to. Well, how'd he done that with any of his family? What about the futures he'd cut short for his wife, and his son? To ask forgiveness for anything he'd done in his past was not an idea he would entertain: the damage he'd inflicted was far beyond what could be forgiven.
"Dad, now you're going off somewhere," Fuyumi complained.
"Fuyumi, Shoto... I'm truly, TRULY sorry for everything." The number two hero looked outside. "I chose the wrong words when I spoke to Natsuo just now. That wasn't right of me."
Even if it might've been too late for him to do anything significant, all he could do was try his best to secure a future for all of them. He needed to live by the words Kageyama spoke: becoming a better hero, a better human, and a better father. Though Kageyama was wrong when he said there was any chance for Endeavor to be the number one father, he had to try at least to aim for that title. As he'd said, he needed to put the same effort and determination into being a good father, to help each of his children with their problems if they'd allow it, to be there whenever they struggled. Then maybe, he'd have the chance to make fond memories with them, but even that was asking too much. Here was his first try with Natsuo, and he'd botched it up terribly. That meant he needed to try even harder, look up ways to speak to his children, and connect with them. That was now his new goal in life, and he'd do whatever it took to ensure it was reached.
Things began to return to normal after Shigeo finished healing Tenya's spine. Naturally, Ingenium was all over the news, with reporters who once said it was the end of Ingenium's hero career were eagerly discussing his return to the hero scene. Similarly, all of Tenya's classmates congratulated their class president for his elder brother's recovery, and all of them could note that Tenya's optimism and joy were now brighter than ever.
The weeks passed, and the students continued with the semester until it was nearing the final weeks of June. The next big battle that the esper and his classmates had to face was the upcoming finals. Their homeroom teacher explained that those who didn't pass their final exam would be forced to attend summer school and wouldn't be able to participate in the big summer training course planned for the hero course.
Unfortunately for the esper, the first big trek, the midterms, did not go so well for him. All the time he'd spent with the Body Improvement Club, his morning exercises with Midoriya, training his healing abilities, and sparring sessions with All Might gave him little opportunity to study hard. His already average intellectual skills did nothing to help him through this. So Shigeo sat silently with the rest of the class as Mr. Aizawa finished things for the day.
"Alright, that's it for class today. There's only one week until your final exams begin, and I'm sure you're all studying constantly, correct? Remember, don't neglect your training. The written exam is only one portion of the exam. There's also the practical portion to concern yourselves with. Good luck." The homeroom teacher closed the door, and the students immediately blurted out their thoughts.
"I've barely even taken notes this semester!" Mina and Denki exclaimed their frustration at placing in the bottom two for the class midterms. Shigeo shared their frustration and lowered his head in shame. He'd placed 18th in the class for the midterms: there were so many different topics it covered that the esper hadn't studied for that he couldn't wrap his head around easily, and All Might couldn't do much to help him in this regard.
"Yea, I've been so busy, I haven't been able to get around to studying that much," muttered Shigeo.
"Hey, come on, you three!" Izuku attempted to lift their spirits, "You've all still got time to study! That way, we'll all go the training camp together!" The psychic smiled to himself: unlike him, his friend managed to place number four in their class. In terms of intellect, Shigeo and Izuku were still far apart in the eyes of the esper.
"Don't worry about it, you three. I can catch you up on the important topics if you want." The vice president of Class 1-A offered her assistance to the three classmates, which they eagerly accepted. Mob knew that this was someone who knew what she was doing: she'd placed first in the entire class, and the gap in intellect between him and Yaoyorozu was even greater than it was with Midoriya.
"That'd be awesome," said Shigeo.
As it happened, a few other students wanted to hop on the bandwagon that the three lowest-scoring classmates were on right now.
"I've been studying, but could you help me out too?" said Jirou, "I'm having some trouble understanding quadratic functions."
"Really?"
"Tutor me, please! Classical Japanese is killing me!" Sero said while clasping his hands together in a begging fashion.
Ojiro approached the vice president with a tilted head and closed eyes. "Is there room for one more? I'm afraid I'm falling behind a bit."
"Pretty please?" the three said in unison to further their case. The young girl was flattered by their request, her cheeks tinting red while her eyes sparkled, and she brought her hands near her mouth.
"This is wonderful!" Yaoyorozu shot out of her chair and stretched her arms high. "Yes, let's do it!"
"Alright!"
"Ok, we'll hold a study session at my residence over the weekend!"
"Seriously? I can't wait to see your fancy digs!" an excited Ashido remarked.
Though none of his classmates could see it, Mob was excited by this prospect. He'd be studying with six of his classmates over the weekend at one of their houses: in his eyes, this was also a sort of social gathering. That meant he could use the opportunity not only to study but to get better acquainted with his other classmates with whom he had yet to interact much and even potentially improve his social skills as well.
Yaoyorozu decided to start everything for this study session as soon as possible. "I must call mother and have her prepare the great hall for us to set up! It'll be the perfect spot! What kind of tea does everyone like? I'll have her make sure we're stocked! My family always drinks Harrods of Wedgewood, so if you have any other preferences, let me know! When we're finished, you'll all be model students! I'll make it my duty to push you forward!" All six in the new study group stood quietly and were taken aback by the joy and jubilance with which she was speaking, but Shigeo was the only one who couldn't find anything wrong with what she was saying. His limited social skills made him incapable of understanding that revealing her wealth in front of others was slightly inappropriate. Hence, as it happened, poor social skills were something these two shared in common.
With class dismissed, all of the students headed to the cafeteria. Mob sat alongside Izuku, Tenya, Shoto, Ochaco, and Tsuyu, who discussed what the final exam would have in store for them. While discussing this, Neito Monoma had come in, acting arrogant and condescending as usual, deriding the four students who'd faced the Hero Killer and viewing it as proof that Class 1-A only liked it when they were in the spotlight. Finally, however, Kendo knocked him out, apologizing for his rude behavior while informing them of some intel she'd gotten from a friend who was a few grades up. According to her, the final exam would be combat against robots.
After lunch, the students who'd heard about this told the rest of their classmates. Kaminari and Ashido, the two people in last place for the midterms, found this to be a relief.
"This'll be so easy if it's just against robots!" Kaminari said.
"What awesome news!" Ashido said.
"Why're you acting so excited?" Shoji asked, "You both still have a hard time controlling your quirks."
"Yea, but I can let loose with robots!"
"Melting them'll be a cinch for me!"
"We'll definitely be able to go to the camp!" they both said in unison
"What does it matter if it's actual people or robots?" Katsuki, unlike the two of them, found this fact irrelevant and detracting from the point that Shoji had made before. "Why're you morons so excited?"
Kaminari furrowed his eyebrows and pointed angrily at his classmate. "Hey, who're you callin' a moron?"
"Shut up!" His fiery attitude managed to silence the two of them. "You need to learn how to control your Quirks, got it? Hey Deku!" Already riled up, the hot-headed teenager decided to address the other issues on his mind.
"I'm not sure what's going on with your power, but I saw how you're using it now, and I want you to know: it's seriously pissing me off!" The room suddenly grew tense, old wounds opening up and the air rife with hostility. "We'll be getting individual scores in the finals, and new rankings, so we'll all know exactly where we stand! I'll show you how much better I am!
"Todoroki, don't think you're safe either! And bowl-cut!" The teenager's red eyes burned with even more tremendous anger, his veins throbbing as he pointed at the esper.
"I swear that somehow, I'm gonna find a way to beat you! I'll kill you and show you that at the end of the day, I've surpassed you!" Though everyone else in the room was put off and uneasy with Bakugo's declaration of war, Shigeo was the sole exception. The esper had changed from his earlier time in the year: the impatience and irritation he once held toward Bakugo had disappeared, and he now chose to view his classmate as a fiercely determined friend who wanted to achieve greatness. This was why he took no offense towards Bakugo's statements and replied with a warm smile.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger you've gotten."
Katsuki's head jerked backward in shock and confusion, his frustration boiling. "The hell kinda response is that? I swear I don't get you at all! You make me sick!" The teenager stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Why the hell was he still acting so friendly with him? How the hell could anyone be such a goody-two-shoes? It pissed him off to no end!
"That's new," said Tsu, "Usually, I'd expect you to be more sullen or disapproving of Bakugo."
"Maybe before, I would've been, but not anymore," replied Shigeo, the slight smile on his face remaining, "It's hard to see it, but he's changing, one step at a time, and I'll patiently wait to see him become better." The hostile atmosphere brewing from Katsuki's declaration of war was managing to clear up with Shigeo's optimism and hope for the future.
Sitting on the train alone, Shigeo Kageyama waited until he got to his next stop. Today would be the first day of his study session with his friends, and it was also a chance to see where Yaoyorozu lived. He couldn't help but feel slightly curious about what kind of house she lived in, though he imagined it would look rather lovely.
After a few more minutes of sitting in silence, the train finally pulled into the next station, and the esper got off, though his next task would be getting to her house. As it happened, he wouldn't be doing it alone, as all five of his classmates were standing near the station's exit, all wearing casual clothing.
"Kageyama! Over here!" Mina waved Shigeo over to the group. "All of us met up here at the station and thought we'd wait till you got here."
"You didn't have to do that," the esper replied, "Did I keep you waiting long?"
"Nah, it's only been five minutes," Kaminari assured, "Now come on! I can't wait to see Yaoyorozu's digs!"
Jirou held her phone out to get a good idea of what streets they'd be walking on. "I've got her address on my phone. Follow me."
The six students all began their journey through the streets, but they only stumbled upon a few people as they marched as a group, allowing them to create a casual conversation amongst themselves.
"Man, I sure hope Yaoyorozu knows what she's doing," Kaminari said, "If I bomb the written exam, there's no way I can make up for it in the practical exam."
"Come on, Kaminari, stop acting like a baby," Jirou retorted, her tongue sharp as ever, "Trust me, Yaomomo's got us covered."
"Even if the written exam doesn't go too well, I'm sure that's not gonna be a problem for Kageyama," said Sero, "Thrashing robots around is just a piece of cake for you."
"I guess so," muttered Shigeo, "Still, that doesn't mean I wanna ignore the written exam and not study hard for it. Studying's been hard for me these past few weeks."
The tailed student decided to speak up. "Yea, I've seen you working out with the new club you made. A ton of our classmates've joined up and do those exercises together." Ojiro began to crack a small smile. "You know, I've spent a lot of time at the gym alone. But why do that when I can work out with company?" He lightly tapped the esper on the shoulder. "Is it too late for any new members?"
As with previous members, one of his small smiles came after a momentary bout of surprise, which was becoming more common the more he spent with his friends. "Of course, it's not."
"Hey, guys. It says we're here, but..." Jirou stopped in the middle of a large, gated doorway.
"Is this the place," Ojiro asked, "Looks like an embassy or something."
Jirou double-checked the map on her phone to make sure she was correct. "Yea, this is the place."
Sero stood with his mouth agape. "I knew she had cash, but I never knew she was this loaded."
The gate began to open with a smoothness befitting its magnificent design slowly.
"Miss Jirou, Miss Ashido, Mr. Kaminari, Mr. Ojiro, Mr. Sero, and Mr. Kageyama, I presume?" Standing behind the gate was a shortly built man with delicate facial features and delicate attire. Though an elderly man, his posture gave the presence of a much younger and energetic youth, eager to serve the guests however he could.
"Welcome, one and all. I am Uchimura, the Yaoyorozu household's butler. Miss Momo has been waiting for your visit, so please come in."
"S-sure," the esper replied. The six students all awkwardly followed behind the butler. Ashido and Kaminari gawked at the high society vibe the estate was emitting and the fact a real-life butler was leading them. Meanwhile, the others took in the breathtaking scenery before them, walking through a stunning and manicured garden the size of a small forest. Honestly, the mansion wasn't enough to describe this place. It was like a castle, the same as in Europe's most ancient and lavished parts.
"Welcome." They reached the mansion's entrance, met with a group of maids, which Kaminari took in with a dorkish smile. The visitors were too stunned to speak when a woman who looked like the mirror image of Yaoyorozu as an adult came from deep within the house.
"Hello there! I'm Mrs. Yaoyorozu. How wonderful to meet my Momo's dear friends..." The mother observed all of the young students and focused her eyes on the bowl-haired teenager. "You're Kageyama! I recognize you from the Sports Festival, who chose my daughter to be on her team for the Cavalry Battle. My Momo's told me everything about you and your club."
"Oh..." Shigeo felt a tinge of a red flare up on his cheeks. Yaoyorozu's mother was giving off such a pleasant and warm aura while speaking so highly of Mob; it was very similar to how Todoroki's mother had reacted when he first visited her.
"Well, I'm just so pleased that Momo's made so many friends! She's making preparations for you in the auditorium."
"Shall I...?" began Uchimaru.
"No, allow me," answered Mrs. Yaoyorozu, motioning the kids into the inner corridors. They followed behind her more relaxedly, but they were still in awe at the floral wallpaper, marble floor, and beautiful paintings that ordained the walls.
"It's like the Palace of Versailles... not that I've ever been there," muttered Ojiro.
"This is probably the closest you'll get to it," replied Sero.
"Totally..."
The walk to the auditorium was surprisingly short, and upon entering the room, they could see why it was called an auditorium. The vast space had a light red carpet, with contrasting yellow curtains with a floral pattern. In the center of this room was a very long table with more than two dozen chairs and a chandelier hanging several feet above them. A few feet from the table was a giant whiteboard with several black markers.
"Go on, take a seat, all of you." The students did as requested, and all sat together near the closest end of the table.
"You all sit there, and I'll get Momo. I'll be quick!" The gentle mother exited the room with a slight brisk in her steps, leaving the six students sitting silently, basking in the surroundings.
"Man, I couldn't feel any more out of place right now," Ojiro remarked, breaking the silence.
"No kidding," Sero replied, a sweat mark falling down his face. Then, the students heard a cart rolling down the hallway. They turned to find their friend pushing a cart that held multiple tea cups and pastries for the friends to enjoy. They could feel the same gentle, delightful aura emanating from Yaoyorozu they'd felt from her mother, which put all of them at ease.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's perfect." All the teenagers responded in unison with identical faces of bliss except for Kageyama, who was still somewhat tongue-tied.
"I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the front, but I was getting everything ready. Here, let me pour some tea for all of you." Yaoyorozu put all the cups out for her friends and poured the tea out for them, the steam and fragrance rising into the air. Being the polite gentleman, the esper took the first sip and found the drink a more delectable refreshment than he'd anticipated. Yaoyorozu sure knew her tea.
"Without any more delays, let's begin the tutoring!" The jubilant teenager took out a notebook she'd carried with her on the cart, full of the notes and planning for this study session she'd made to ensure optimal retention of the knowledge. "I've outlined all the topics we've gone over so far this semester. I've also plotted how much time should be invested on each subject based on your areas of difficulty. Finally, I'll use the whiteboard to help explain any problems you might encounter. So let's begin with mathematics."
"Great..." The esper sighed and lowered his head. "Math's probably one of my worst subjects. I can never get the trigonometric equations right."
"Come on. Chin up, Kageyama." Jirou gently nudged the esper in the arm. "I get the feeling. You and I're in the same boat here. It's why we're here, after all." Shigeo was touched by her small gesture of support and felt his lips turn upward. He'd never interacted with Jirou or anyone else here; hopefully, this tutoring session would allow them to all come closer together.
The past several days had been even better than Kageyama could've wished for. The effort and dedication that Yaoyorozu had put into making these study plans showed, and she'd taken the time with each of them to discuss and explain the vital concepts thoroughly. With mathematics, Yaoyorozu had several practice problems prepared for both Mob and Jirou to utilize the trigonometric and quadratic functions. The two of them had managed to bond over their shared difficulty with mathematics. At the same time, he'd also gotten to talk more with the guys in the group. For instance, Ojiro would ask Mob the kind of exercises he created for the Body Improvement Club and even compare the heaviest they lifted for each activity. There were even a few times during break sessions when Ojiro decided to get physical and do some basic exercises. The best was when they had a push-up contest with all four of the guys, which Ashido agreed to join. Though it had been a close call, Kageyama managed to win the game and prevailed over Ojiro.
At the same time, Yaoyorozu's mother would occasionally check on them to ensure they had everything, sometimes bringing them sweets. The first time she'd done this. However, the cookies had been a terrible mix of sweet and sour, though none of them dared mention that to her. They all knew she was trying to do her best to make them as comfortable as possible. Even with that, the six of them still enjoyed her company, so much so that Jirou and Ashido had decided to give her a nickname: Yaomama, almost identical to the nickname they used to refer to Yaoyorozu. Because of all these things, Mob found his time there to be quite the experience.
It was now the day before the written exam and the last day of their study session. Most of the group members had already finished their problems for the night and were each bidding their teacher farewell.
"Yaomomo, thanks a ton!" said Ashido, "I couldn't have done it without your awesome teaching skills!" Yaoyorozu blushed at her words, obviously pleased to know she'd been such a help.
"Yo, Kageyama, aren't you coming along?" asked Kaminari.
"I've still got a few more questions to finish," he replied, "It'll probably take me a few more minutes."
"K then." The five students all left, leaving Kageyama to finish his problems. Yaoyorozu went over to the whiteboard and took one of the markers.
"Kageyama, tell me the problems so I can write them on the whiteboard and go over them together."
"Sure thing." The esper listed out the last remaining trigonometric questions that he'd gotten stuck on, and Yaoyorozu proceeded to go through each of them one step at a time.
"If you want to find the value of csc, which Pythagorean identity would you use based on all the information given beforehand?"
"1 + cot^2 = csc^2?"
"Right! Square root the value, then you'll find csc!" The esper laid out the square root formula in his notebook and solved the problem.
"Great work, Kageyama! You've significantly improved from the start of our session!"
"Well, I have you to thank for my improvement." Seeing that he'd finished all his problems, Mob closed his notebook and started packing his things.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hold on." Yaoyorozu held out a hand to stop him from packing. For some reason, the girl felt it wasn't right to end the night so casually like this, not for a friend like Kageyama. "If you'd like, I could give you a tour of my house."
41%
The esper felt his body freeze up: he hadn't expected this at all! During this entire week of studying, he'd always been spending it with the group, and Yaoyorozu tutored them each in the shared space. He'd never had any one-on-one time with her! He wasn't prepared for this at all! At the same time, it felt rude to deny her request, so with a momentary difficulty, Mob gave her an answer.
"S-S-Sure thing."
"Fantastic! Follow me!" The two friends walked through the luxurious mansion. Since it was so late at night, many of the maids and butlers had already gone home, leaving the two of them to wander through the labyrinth of corridors by themselves. Standing beside Yaoyorozu, Shigeo Kageyama's eyes were glued to the floor, while his cheeks were tinged with a light shade of red. The esper felt so awkward right now: he had no idea what to say, what kind of conversation to start up with her, what to talk about. There was still so much about girls he didn't know, leaving him completely clueless about what to do right now!
Yaoyorozu noticed his friend's expression, but thanks to some of her social awkwardness, she had no idea what the cause was. "Are you alright, Kageyama? Do you need me to get you a pastry or a drink?"
"N-no, no, I'm perfectly fine," replied Mob. Come on! He had to think of something to say! "So... this house is pretty big." Shigeo mentally slapped himself. What kind of statement was that?
"Yes, it is rather grandiose. It took quite a while for me to get the house structure paved into my mind; Jirou and Ashido were equally lost when they ventured through the house." The first stop they came to was a kitchen that may as well have belonged to a restaurant.
"Here's the main kitchen, where the maids cooked the pastries and sweets for us this week." After that, the two of them took some more time walking through the mansion until they got to the next room.
"Here's the swimming pool, where I'll sometimes do laps as part of my physical training." The esper was in awe at the size of the pool, several dozen meters in length and several meters in width. "Nearby, we also have a sauna where you can relax and a very nice hot tub to relax after finishing your laps in the pool. And you can see through those windows the door leading into that room is our game room, where we have a pool table, ping-pong table, darts, and other games. My father and I will sometimes play pool and ping-pong, and while I can accurately calculate the angles for pool, I'm still rather mediocre when it comes to ping-pong."
After having seen those areas, Shigeo and Momo went up a flight of stairs, and the next room they came across was a similarly large room filled with a huge, fancy bed with four posts on each corner of the bed, allowing curtains to be hung up in case Yaoyorozu ever wanted to keep the light out. Along the walls were extended shelves stacked with hundreds of thick books and encyclopedias. Shigeo looked to his right and felt his mouth slightly gape open when he saw her closet, which was almost the size of his apartment room.
"My Quirk isn't very easy to use. It takes a deep understanding of the object's molecular structure and atomic composition, so I had to read many of these books to learn many of the items I needed to create. As a result, most of my youth was spent working on mastering my quirk. The first object I successfully made was a Russian matryoshka doll, even though this took many tries and much studying."
Though impressed by her intellect, he took something else from it, and something he took wandering through her house in general. "Training your power as a kid, living in such a big house... did you ever feel lonely?"
Momo's hands went up to her lips; he could identify the internal pain she felt so quickly? The young girl dropped her hand, revealing slightly upturned lips contrasted with a slightly dimmed light in her eyes. "I have to admit; there were several times when loneliness lingered in my heart. The time and effort I put into training never gave me too many chances to interact with other people my age or understand how best to make friends..." Suddenly, the light dimness in her eyes disappeared, and the corners of her mouth extended even more.
"Which is exactly why I'm delighted to have had the chance to make new friends at U.A. High."
What chance was there that two people with such different backgrounds, strengths, and weaknesses could share the same desire for friendship, and the same feeling of loneliness? But, for Mob, just knowing that they had these things in common created a more profound sense of empathy for her, and it somehow allowed whatever tension he had before to loosen up.
"Come on; I have to show you my favorite part of the house!" So the two of them went through the house with a much faster and much livelier skip in their step than a few seconds ago.
Standing at the pond's edge, Yaoyorozu's mother admired the lush greenery and the breathtaking view around her. After saying goodbye to her daughter's friends, she realized Kageyama was missing from the group. When she went to check on him and Momo, she found they'd both gone. Assuming that her daughter had taken Kageyama to look inside the house, Momo's mother decided to spend the remaining time relaxing in the garden.
She always enjoyed walking through the garden in her free time, and often, when they were alone, she and her husband would walk through the garden, where he'd pick a nearby flower for her and tuck it in her ear. She always loved it when he did that. Then, near the end of their walk, they would sit on a large hill surrounded by flowers of many varying colors, where they'd admire the clear blue sky, the bright sunlight reflecting off the pond. She'd also shared many memorable moments in this garden with her daughter, the two of them planting several flowers in the different sections of the garden. Her heart would always be touched when she saw how beautifully those flowers would bloom. They were indeed some of the best moments of her day.
The mother piqued her head up when she heard footsteps and her daughter's voice coming from nearby. She went behind a corner and peered her head to see Momo and her friend walking together through the garden. The mother felt a burgeoning sense of curiosity building up inside her: what exactly were those two doing out here at night? Unable to resist her interest, the mother sat silently and listened to what they were saying.
"I only saw part of the garden when walking to your front door, but I never knew it was amazing..." the esper muttered.
Momo's face brightened like a bulb. "Yes, my mother and I planted many of the flowers you see here. Tulips, orchids, roses, dahlias, lotus flowers, we'd do our best to fill our garden with such a large variety of flowers." The young girl took a few paces towards a bushel of large flowers with a double bloom, pink and white petals contrasted with a yellow center. "These asters are my favorite."
The young girl took a few steps up the hill and relaxed her body to look up at the stars, with the esper following her lead. "My mother and father often come to sit on this spot. They gaze up at the sky in silence."
"I see why they would. It's just so beautiful..." The esper's favorite hobby was relaxing and gazing up at the sky; this scenery made the experience all the more enjoyable. He looked up at the moon, glistening with a bright grey light that reflected amazingly onto the pond.
"Hey, look, a cloud." The esper pointed to a lone cloud floating several hundred feet in the sky. Mob decided to make things a little more interesting. He lifted his hand, and using his psychic powers, he transformed the shapeless cloud into a nearly identical shape of an aster. Yaoyorozu's onyx eyes gleamed in awe, her mouth opening with a child-like fascination.
"Kageyama, that's so amazing!" she said. The esper was delighted to see it had brought that kind of reaction to his friend. After that, the two continued to sit in silence, admiring the lush scenery and the sounds of nature surrounding both of them. After about thirty seconds of this silence, Mob decided to express the most prevalent thoughts in his mind.
"Thank you again for all your help," the esper said, "You did your best to teach me and the rest of us, and I appreciate it. If it might not be too much trouble for you, could I come to you again for help with schoolwork?" Surprised at his sudden request, the young girl's eyes broke away from the sky. "You know if I ever have some problems with my assignments. Seeing how easily you taught us all made me see how much more work I have to do if I want to be good at my studies and improve myself in that area. Would that be alright with you?"
Though taking a few seconds to recover from the shock, the esper was relieved to see no trace of disagreement or disapproval on her face. "I'd be delighted to help you with your studies. Just talk to me, and I'll lend you whatever help you need."
"You really are amazing, Yaoyorozu." The young girl beamed with delight, but that bright expression quickly began to hamper away, and the esper instantly noticed it.
"You're giving me more credit than I deserve. I'm not nearly as great as you think."
"What're you talking about?" he said, shocked that she could ever say that about herself.
"I..." Momo opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the last second. "It's nothing."
"Yaoyorozu, you can talk to me. If something's bothering you, please don't be afraid to tell me." The black-haired girl sighed and drooped her head, relenting to the esper's request.
"I might be able to perform well in academics, but I'm sorely lacking in terms of the practical skills and abilities a hero needs. I've been dependent on you for most of my successes. During the battle trial, you were the one who was able to distract and detain Shoji, who was quick enough to immobilize both of them. I was entirely relying on your powers to succeed. And there was the Cavalry battle: you protected the ten million points with your barrier the entire time, and I only passed onto the third round because you chose me as a teammate. Then, when it was my turn to fight, I couldn't do anything against Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. I'm... nothing compared to you."
Watching her talk like this, seeing the broken look on her face, was something that he was all too familiar with. It was the demeanor of someone who had absolutely no confidence in themselves and viewed themselves as nobodies. It was precisely the way he viewed himself for so long. But she wasn't the same! She had no reason to feel this way about herself!
"No, that's not true at all!" Momo looked back at her friend and let out a light gasp. "Yaoyorozu, the only reason we won the battle trial was because of you. You were the one who came up with the plan to defend the weapon. You were quick enough to react to their attacks and came up with the right object to disorient them each time. If it were just me by myself, I would've been frozen to the ground, distracted by Shoji while Todoroki got the bomb. The entire time, I was following your orders because you can make plans and use your brain in way more ways than I ever could.
"During the class president election, I voted for Midoriya, but it was a tough split between him and you. Because I knew what you could do, how you could lead as the class president, and how reliable you could be, I chose you to be on my team for the Cavalry battle because I knew that if something went wrong or some quirk surprised me, you'd think of the right plan and the right object to counter it."
The esper inched nominally closer, his dull eyes slowly glistening. "Yaoyorozu, you're one of the most incredible people I've ever met. Never doubt that." She was breathless: never had anyone given her such praise and confidence in her. He truly believed she was an intelligent, capable student who'd become a spectacular hero. Her heart began to burst with an onslaught of emotions. Her onyx eyes glistened, welling up with tears as her lips trembled. Upon feeling her body's reaction, Yaoyorozu covered her mouth and closed her eyes, ensuring he couldn't see her face by looking away. How could she react like this in front of him? It was so pathetic!
"Hey." Shigeo reached out and took her hand, and when opening her eyes, she was baffled that his face had only become more gentle. "You don't have to be afraid to show your feelings in front of me." Her breath stilled when the smile on his face widened. "It's okay to cry."
This time, Yaoyorozu couldn't stop nor made any attempt to stop the tears, letting the droplets roll down her face. She dropped her hand, allowing Mob to see her trembling lips. She let out a few light sobs as she stared deep into her friend's eyes before she managed to muster up enough control of herself to give Shigeo a smile of her own.
"Thank you so much." For a split second, nothing else existed. The sky, the garden, and the noises of nature vanished as the two stood there on that hill, letting themselves be lost in the moment. Alas, that fraction of a moment was cut short. The young girl's eyes went down, and a light blush crept up on her cheeks. Mob wondered exactly what she was blushing at but understood when he looked down and saw his hand entwined with hers. The light tinge of red on Yaoyorozu's cheeks was dwarfed by the pink color staining his entire face. He felt his heart was about to beat out of his chest. He'd been so caught speaking to her that he hadn't even noticed his hand! It was as if it'd moved on its own, acted reflexively to the situation! There was no way a girl would like having their hand taken like that! He'd gone too far!
49%
Shigeo bolted up from his seated spot and took several hurried steps back. "I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to take your hand like that! I've overstayed my welcome! I'll be going now!" The bowl-haired student didn't even want to bother navigating the labyrinth of a mansion: his hair stood up, and his aura flared to life. "I'll see you at school tomorrow! Tell your mom I said thank you for her hospitality and that I really enjoyed her cooking!"
"Kageyama, wait!" Without another word, Mob flew into the sky and left before Yaoyorozu could stop him. The young girl watched him soar into the sky, the light blush on her cheeks still burning nominally. She stared off into the darkened sky before she picked up the sound of faint sniffles. Yaoyorozu turned around and felt her entire body jerk back when she saw her mother coming from around the corner with tears in her eyes and a sniffling nose.
"Mother? You were there the whole time?"
"I'm sorry, Momo. I saw the two of you walking alone through the garden and I couldn't help but listen to what you two were saying." The mother approached her daughter and wrapped her in a tender hug. "Kageyama was right: you're a talented, outstanding, and beautiful young lady, and I won't allow you to think otherwise." The young teenager looked up at her mother's tender face and wrapped her arms around her waist. After a few seconds of this embrace, Momo's mother broke free of the hug, still holding her daughter at arms-length, staring off into the sky where Kageyama had just flown off.
"I really like that boy. He has such an unbelievably sweet and gentle heart. If he ever wants to study with you, try to bring him back here. Your father will definitely want to meet him when I tell him about what happened."
"Right." The young girl stared at the hand Shigeo held and placed it over her heart. She was so lucky to have a friend like him.
Finally getting a serious MobxMomo moment! We'll see how this relationship develops in the future, and you'll see just what's in store for Shigeo and Izuku in the final exams for Chapter 31!