It's been brought to my attention that Calc is not really a middle school subject. As I have said before, I am dumb american, so expect these mistakes. I'm just going to say kids 100-200 years from now are way smarter than us. We are the prairie kids counting sticks in a one room building to their iphone generation. Yall cool with that?

Just realized I never had Jirou recognize Izuku from slime attack. Not sure if I want to though, that story arc ended in what I thought was a neat little bow. I don't know, do yall think I should address it?

Saturdays were meant for relaxation, watching TV, hanging out with friends, and all around taking a load off. Yet here she was, in front of Izuku's apartment with the intention of studying all day. 'You did this to yourself Jirou, besides, you'll technically be spending the day with a friend.' Double-checking the address she was given she takes a deep breath before knocking on the door. Inside she heard some shuffling and a hushed back and forth, impossible for her to miss but she tried to focus instead on the nearby traffic so that she didn't hear anything said before the door opened to reveal a short and stout woman with long green hair and bright green eyes. "You must be Jirou. Come in, come in!" The girl was practically herded through the door by the short woman before she could get a word out. "I'm Inko, Izuku's mother. I'm so glad you came by today." Leading her into the next room they came across a slightly disheveled-looking Izuku fussing over his workspace.

As the purple-haired teen watched the younger Midoriya setting things up for their study session she realized she may have come under-prepared. On the coffee table, there were stacks of textbooks, several notebooks, and what looked like at least one packet for every subject. Meanwhile, all she brought with her was two textbooks and a single notebook.

"Izuku, don't be rude, your friend is here!" The short woman lightly scolded her son before disappearing into the next room, but not before flashing her one last smile.

The boy jumped up from his position at the table when he heard his mother speak, his attention being torn away from organizing his notes. "Jirou! You actually came!"

"Course I did Green, why wouldn't I? I'm totally going to flunk if I don't-" It was only then she noticed what he was wearing. This being her first time over to his house and meeting his parents, she thought it would be a good idea to dress up slightly more than she usually does. Nothing too fancy, but have some effort put in to look nice. She was currently wearing tight black jeans, a baggy blue shirt with a guitar across her chest with the strings replaced by a soundwave. On her backpack, she had pinned her new Ghost Spider button from Hidden Treasures. But Izuku? Khaki cargo shorts and a white shirt that says front on the front and back on the back. With a sigh, she muttered, "Wow. That really is your style huh?"

Izuku looked down at himself, taking in what he was wearing and remembering he met her while wearing his 'shirt' shirt. "Is it really that bad?" He knew he didn't have the greatest fashion sense but come on, these were comfy.

"I'm going to have to take you clothes shopping before we can be seen together in public." Was all she was willing to say to that question. "So, how've you been man? You hardly write anymore." Jirou asked as she found a place to get comfortable on the small couch.

The boy blushed at the mention of his silence. "Sorry about that, I didn't want to bother you too much." He was shocked when he received her text in the middle of class asking for a tutor. The sudden vibrations had made him leap out of his seat thinking there was a bug in his pants, causing the whole class to laugh at him. "But I am glad you wanted to study together. I went ahead and got everything we'll need." He gestured proudly at his assortment of books laid out on the table.

"Yeah, everything." She let out a worried laugh, pulling out her books from her backpack. "You do know I just needed help with two subjects, right?"

Izuku let a radiant smile appear on his face, nearly blinding his new friend in the process. "Of course, but if you only focus on those two the rest of your subjects will fall behind."

Jirou looked back to the sea of paper in front of her, wanting to tell him that it was too much. But when she looked back at the boy, she just couldn't bring herself to do so. "Right. I guess we better get started." She conceded out loud, but inside she was panicking. 'How do I get out of this? School doesn't even assign this much work! Does this guy study for fun?'

"So, what were you having trouble with in calculus?"

"I would say my problems start on page one."

It was a rough start but Izuku turned out the be a good teacher. The next forty or so minutes he tore down the math piece by piece and explained every step in a way she could understand. Where her teacher had left her feeling as if her brain were turning into static Izuku managed to keep her attention and have her retain the information given. They had only just started but she already felt confident she could at least get a C+ on the next test. But all good things must come to an end. "Think you can do this quick work packet?" Of course he would want to test her.

Looking for any kind of distraction she saw a tiny glimmer of hope over his shoulder. A small All Might plaque with Izuku handwritten in white paint.

'Jackpot'

Getting up and pointing she half yells "Hey is that your room? Come on man you gotta give me the tour."

Izuku was stunned at the sudden change in subject, his train of thought crashing completely as he tried to adjust to the new conversation. It was only when Jirou had already run past him had his brain finally rebooted enough for him to run after her. ""WAIT!" he exclaimed, rushing to intercept her path and planting himself firmly in front of the door. His eyes widened with a mix of urgency and desperation as he spread his arms wide, creating a barrier between her and the entryway. "There's really nothing to see in there," he insisted, his voice carrying a tinge of nervousness. "Just absolutely normal décor and furniture. Nothing special or interesting, I promise."

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, attempting to appear casual, though the tension in his posture was evident. A forced smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he tried to maintain eye contact, hoping to convince Jirou to abandon her curiosity. The slight tremor in his voice betrayed the underlying anxiety that accompanied his words.

Seeing this only encouraged the young girl. "Oh let me guess, your walls are covered in Midnight posters." This caused him to freeze yet again, an opportunity she didn't waste as she ducked under his arm and barged into his room. She didn't know what she was actually expecting, the kid was way too shy to have pinups on his walls, but she wasn't prepared to be blinded by twenty different All Mights smiling at her from every direction. "Wow, I knew you were a big All Might fanboy but this is a little much don't you think?"

Izuku followed her into the room, feeling incredibly embarrassed at how much of his collection was still standing. "It used to be a lot more…" he muttered so quietly that anyone other than Jirou would have missed it. "I've been meaning to put up some other heroes but I've been busy."

Turning to continue teasing him, she saw just how uncomfortable he had become and realized she had made a big mistake. This was just supposed to be a quick distraction but if she didn't play this right this might put a serious dent in their friendship. In a bid to smooth things over, she quickly tried to shift the conversation. "I don't have that much room to talk," she quickly tried to turn the whole thing around. "I have an entire wall of my room, floor to ceiling, dedicated to my music collection," she admitted, hoping to draw a parallel and ease the tension. "Blu-ray concert recordings, CDs, cassette tapes, I've even managed to find some vinyl records over the years." She offered a sheepish smile, hoping to convey an unspoken apology. Her eyes sought his, trying to reassure him that her earlier comments were meant in good fun and that she had her own obsessions and quirks.

Izuku understood, but a small bit of awkwardness still held in the air. As Jirou meekly exited the room and returned to the couch, he took a seat in the recliner and pulled out his laptop while she worked on the practice packet he had printed out. After a few moments, the silence began to eat at Jirou's nerves so she struck up another conversation while solving the equations. "What are you working on?"

"I'm making that site I was telling you about." He wasn't looking at her, but it was due to focus instead of awkwardness. "I have everything just about done; I'm just trying to make it visually appealing. And functional."

"What's the site called?" She asked out of curiosity.

"That's the part I'm still stuck on," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "I'm deciding between The Turning Page or Green Thoughts."

She chuckled, "Well, you should know my opinion on that Green." She snickered.

He sighed, still uncertain. "I'm just not sure which one sounds better."

"Heads or tails?" she asked suddenly, catching him off guard.

"What?" Izuku blinked, his mind momentarily blank. She had a real knack for causing his brain to crash with her sudden topic changes.

"Heads or tails." She repeated with more force.

"Tails?" he replied hesitantly, still trying to catch up.

Jirou took out a coin from her pocket and flipped it. After catching it and showing him the results, she proclaimed, "Heads. Call it Green Thoughts."

"Is it really that simple?" Izuku wondered to himself.

"It's not like you're going to use this site forever," Jirou reassured him with a casual shrug. "You'll probably get snatched up by a big agency or make a newer, more professional site after school. Either way, this is just the practice site, so it doesn't matter that much in the long run, right?"

"I guess so…" he replied, her words sinking in as he felt some of his tension ease. He smiled at her, appreciating her perspective and the way she had a knack for making things seem simpler.

Remembering the conversation they had while in her uncle's shop, she asked, "How much of that money did you end up spending?"

"Not much to be honest," he replied, glancing up from his laptop. "I found a hosting service for when I'm ready to go live. It's pretty cheap on a monthly subscription. Most of that money will probably go toward travel expenses."

"Shouldn't that be included in the cost you give them?"

"I don't want to charge too much. I looked it up and consultations are expensive. I want to be the cheap guy people come to. The whole point of this is to get experience anyway, the money was just a nice bonus." He continued typing, trying to see which color worked best for the background on his website. "I'm not exactly strapped for cash. I get a decent allowance and I just sold a bunch of merch online. That's been a nice boost."

"I don't know dude," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I already said you should never do free gigs, but underpaying yourself isn't that much better."

He paused for a moment, considering her words. "I get it," he conceded. "But I'm still new to this, and I don't want to scare people away with high prices. I figure once I have more experience and a solid reputation, I can adjust my rates accordingly."

She nodded, understanding his point but still feeling the need to emphasize, "Just make sure you value your time and effort, okay? You deserve to be compensated fairly for your work." With a moment's thought, she added, "How about adding half the travel cost into the price? Prices will vary from case to case, but most people will be understanding and you would still be the cheapest game in town."

He smiled, appreciating her concern. "I will. Thanks for looking out for me."

"You know I got your back. Also," she threw the packet into his lap, "ready for my grade teach."

Sometime later

After covering four subjects they decided to take a break. Or more specifically, Inko came in to save Jirou from Izuku's studying torture. "I hope you kids are hungry." She called out as she walked to the room with a warm smile and carrying several plates. As she entered the room, balancing the dishes with practiced ease, she added, "I didn't know what you liked sweety so I made a little of everything." Setting things down on the table around all the books and notes with practiced ease, she had brought plates of fresh berries, apple, and orange slices, a bowl of potato chips, a very small bowl of chocolate treats, and in the center of it all was freshly cooked pork dumplings.

Jirou thought she had smelled something cooking but she assumed it was just her mind playing tricks on her. "Thank you, Miss Midoriya. You really didn't have to go to all this trouble for my sake though."

"Oh nonsense." The older lady waved her off, "A healthy mind needs a healthy body." She leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "And food is the only thing that can distract him from studying. Take the break while you can."

Jirou chuckled softly, grateful for Inko's thoughtfulness and understanding. The warmth of the room, combined with the delicious food, made the break feel like a much-needed respite. She glanced over at Izuku, who was already eyeing the dumplings with a deep hunger, and realized just how lucky she was to be in the company of such kind people. As the teens settled down to enjoy the sudden feast, the atmosphere in the room shifted from focused intensity to lazy Saturday relaxation, a welcome change for both friends.

As Inko walks back to the kitchen, Jirou turns to Izuku. "Your mom is really nice."

He smiled, trying to quickly swallow the dumpling he was chewing on before he replied. "Thanks. I've always been grateful to have her in my life."

As they ate and talked the purple-haired girl realized something strange. There wasn't a single picture of his dad in sight. There were plenty of the son and mother together, but she couldn't see any sign of Izuku's father. Thinking back to their online conversations she couldn't remember a single time he mentioned a father either, it was always his mother. Looking back to him she saw the content expression on his face and decided she wouldn't ask about it.

"I was surprised you wanted to come over and study today," Izuku said, his words slightly muffled as he stuffed his face with berries. He normally wasn't a messy eater but he didn't realize how hungry he was until his mother brought out the food. It always turned out like that. "With a bright, sunny day like this, I thought you'd rather spend it with your friends."

"You are my friend dude," Jirou replied, her tone casual as she attacked the orange slices with enthusiasm.

He tried to hide his blush by wiping away the berry juice from his lips. "You know what I meant."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, anyway, they're spending today doing a movie marathon at Eiga Theatre. Some rom-com series about a girl discovering she's a princess? I don't know, I was only half paying attention."

"I love romantic comedies. Six of my top ten movies are rom-coms." Izuku admitted with a shy smile.

She couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "I bet your girlfriend loves that."

He blushed again, this time not having an excuse to hide his face. "I, um, don't have a girlfriend."

Jirou knew this, of course, she just wanted to open up that line of discussion. "Really? A cute guy like you I figured you'd have one by now." As nervous as the boy was, she was a little surprised he wasn't in a relationship. There were plenty of girls in her school who liked the skinny ball of nerves type. Maybe she should hook him up with that girl from drama club…

Izuku didn't know what to say so he just shoved another dumpling into his mouth to have an excuse for staying quiet. And maybe she would buy that his cheeks were red because of the hot food.

Well, if he wasn't going to answer, she would just tease him some more. "You know I actually thought you were going to ask me out at Hidden Treasures."

The young boy almost choked on his food as she said that, "What?!"

"Well yeah. Can you blame me? The second you saw me you went and hid a few aisles down until your heart rate calmed down. Then you came back to my aisle but hid around the corner for a moment before you approached me. What was I supposed to think?"

Izuku's face turned a new shade of red, "You noticed all of that?"

She raised a jack to point at him, "I have really good hearing dude."

A few hours later

The two teens were on the last subject for the day. Izuku turned out to be a good teacher, helping her understand the subjects on a much deeper level than she had when she walked in. But it looked like even the study machine that was Izuku Midoriya had a limit, as for the last two subjects he had been slowing down.

It wasn't all bad though, the two fell into a comfortable silence as they worked on their respective projects. A silence that was unexpectantly broken by the green-haired boy. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but I just didn't know how to do so without sounding insane."

That caught the girl's attention fairly quickly. "This I gotta hear. Lay it on me."

He let out a sigh, deciding it was better to not beat around the bush. "When I was at Hidden Treasures, it was a maze of shelves and it felt like I walked for miles while there. But when we turned to leave, the store seemed incredibly small and the exit was only a few meters from us. What happened."

"Oh, that's my uncle's quirk. Lost and Found. I don't really understand it but the way he described it to me is he can create a 'pocket space' and that space is sporadically filled with, and these are his words, the lost items of the world looking for a new home. What you described sounds like the other effect, the space creates a light 'attraction aura' that lures people in and subtly guides them to the item or person they need to find. I guess his quirks decided you needed to find me before your books." Looking up from her last packet she saw Izuku hastily writing down everything she said into a notebook. Muttering to himself theories and potential tests one could perform with such a quirk.

After he was done writing he looked up with a slightly perplexed expression. "If he has such a powerful quirk why is he running a shop in the middle of the city? With that kind of power, he could potentially solve cold cases for the police or-"

"Not everyone has heroics on the mind." Jirou cut him off. "Most people just want to live peaceful lives. I want to be a hero, but it could have just as easily ended with me wanting to be a rock star. I wouldn't be too surprised if you found a construction worker with strength to rival All Might's." She half-joked.

Izuku struggled to imagine such a thing. He has spent his whole life admiring, almost worshiping heroes and wanting to join their ranks that having a powerful quirk and not using it for the greater good was too alien a thought for the young boy. It was just another thing he would have to learn to accept if he wanted to work as an analyst. He would probably get plenty of clients asking how to use their quirks for a wide variety of professions outside of heroics and he would need to be able to help them as well.

"So how did your family go from reality-warping to good hearing?" Izuku asked, a teasing cadence in his voice as he lounged comfortably on the recliner.

"Alright jerk lay off, it's more than just good hearing." Jirou retorted playfully, picking up a couch cushion and tossing it at him with a grin. "And that's just my uncle on my dad's side of the family. My quirk is basically a one-for-one copy of my mom's." She settled back into her seat, brushing a few stray crumbs from her shirt before continuing. "It's called Earphone Jack and it allows me to hear just about anything, and by plugging them into a wall or the floor my hearing gets even better."

Izuku nodded, clearly fascinated by her explanation.

Jirou went on, her voice carrying a note of pride. "Offensively they allow me to amplify my own heartbeat, sending the vibration into whatever my jacks are plugged into. It took a lot of training but I can break apart a decent-sized boulder these days." She paused, recalling the countless hours spent training in the nearby woods. There were days where she came home with her jacks wrapped in cotton rags to ease the pain of plugging into rocks and trees all day.

"You know, if you want I could give you a con-"

"No." She stopped that idea right in its tracks. "We'd both be too biased. I couldn't trust your word and I couldn't give you an honest review on that website."

Izuku scratched the back of his head as he sheepishly admitted, "I didn't even think about asking for a review."

"Never do free gigs man." She said once more. "I know you're trying to be nice, but that will seriously come back to haunt you." She lets out a tired moan as she recollects her own experience. "I've seen it happen to musicians trying to break into the industry only to be trapped forever doing free gigs for local restaurants and bars."

"What are you doing in bars?"

"I wasn't literally in the bar, man. I'm saying that since they did a few free gigs to start with everyone just expected them to give them one free gig, and the people who already got their free show didn't want to pay them the second time because why should they pay when it was free last time." She leaned back and picked her work packet back up, "Look, I know I'm sounding really bossy, especially since this is your own thing, I'm just trying to give you a fair warning about what could happen if you're too nice."

There was a somewhat awkward silence that fell over them after her little rant. After answering a couple more history questions she couldn't stand it anymore and decided to keep talking. "So what's your quirk anyway? Intelligence enhancer? Speed enhancer?"

Izuku should have known that question was coming. It was the obvious next step in their conversation as they had been discussing quirks for several minutes now. But could he really tell her the truth? Could he risk everything they had built between them by being honest? Could he survive her leaving? She had even given him a perfect lie, an intelligence-enhancing quirk would be invisible and without his medical records would be impossible to prove he didn't have.

In the end, he decided he had to be honest, "I'm quirkless."

Jirou glanced up from her packet, working on the final page. "Really? I didn't know that was still possible."

"It's believed this or the next generation will be the last time it's possible." He let out a nervous chuckle, not being able to read her yet. "Almost extinct now."

"Wow. So you're like really rare huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He had never heard it phrased like that before. He didn't have much brain power to really think about what she said as it felt like he was having a mini anxiety attack waiting for her response. But her only response was to hand him her packet to grade and reach for another handful of potato chips. No reaction to him being quirkless. He felt all of his nerves and worry melt off of his bones as he realized she didn't care. She wasn't going to leave him alone again. He had to hold back the tears, he didn't want to scare her off with a sudden Midoriya Waterfall, but he would be lying if he said he didn't release a few sniffles as he graded.

Jirou played it cool but in her mind, all the puzzle pieces were clicking together. The nerves, always being online, asking if she'd rather be with her friends, him nearly jumping out of his skin when she teased him at Hidden Treasures, it was all forming a complete picture now. And that picture was horrible. It was at that moment she decided she hated everyone who made this innocent boy feel the way he did for just being himself, and where she promised she would show him that it could be better.

Momo hadn't been this excited for a Monday in years, but she couldn't help herself as she had to consciously force herself not to skip down the subway stairs. Today would be her first day at Mustafa Private Middle School to act as a tutor. She had never done tutoring in person before, but she was excited to try. Miss Tanchō had managed to get her a pass to leave several hours early on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for this and she would not waste a second. She simply had to thank the woman for this somehow.

While waiting for the train to arrive, marveling at how empty the station was at this time of day, Momo felt a sense of calm wash over her. The quiet was a welcome change from the bustling corridors of Narushisuto Middle School, and she took the opportunity to clear her mind as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. It was peaceful, until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Well, didn't think I would run into you down here." She turned to see Kabuto walking towards her, wearing designer jeans and a partially unbuttoned blue shirt. "Though quick tip since you seem to be new at it; if you're going to play hooky, don't wear your school uniform. Not that it doesn't look good on you." His eyes traveled across her body, lingering a bit too long below her neck.

"Hello Kabuto," She said in a polite voice, maintaining her composure despite the unwelcome attention. "I'm not skipping school, I have permission to leave early in order to tutor somewhere else." It was more information than he needed, but being accused of skipping school struck a nerve and she couldn't help but defend her integrity.

The tall boy shook his head, a condescending smirk on his face. "I don't know why you bother doing so much extra work. I mean you should really take it easy now and again." He stepped closer, invading her personal space with a familiarity she didn't welcome. "Why not tell them you can't make it today and come with me to that new sushi place that just opened up? My treat."

Did he really think that smile was charming? Momo felt like her skin was crawling, every instinct telling her to step back but she instead chose to stand her ground. "I'll have to decline. I made a commitment and I intend to see it through."

Kabuto, apparently oblivious to her discomfort, leaned against the wall with a casual air, as if they were simply two friends chatting. "I gotta say, your dedication is impressive," he continued, undeterred. "But you know, life is about more than just responsibilities. You're young, beautiful, and—" he gestured vaguely as if searching for the right words, "—full of potential. You should be out there enjoying yourself."

Momo forced a smile, determined to remain polite despite the irritation bubbling beneath her calm exterior. "I appreciate your concern, but I enjoy my responsibilities. They're part of who I am." It looked as if he was about to try again but her phone started ringing, cutting him off. It was a distinctive ringtone, one she had picked out so she would always know when the man was calling her. "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but I have to take this."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heels and walked away, answering the phone to hear Gādo speak before she could even say hello. "I pulled the car around. Screw the train." He hung up before she could respond, but that was typical of him; his directness had become a reassuring constant over the five years he had been her personal bodyguard.

Momo made a quick exit, carefully avoiding Kabuto's line of sight. She felt a sense of relief as she stepped outside, scanning the street for Gādo's familiar car. It wasn't long before she spotted it parked nearby, a sleek black sports car that had become a second home during her busy schedule. She slipped inside, closing the door with a heavy sigh. "Thank you, Gādo. You were right about not taking the train after all, it would seem," she said, settling into the plush seat.

The large man just huffed, bubbles blowing into his support item. "Don't know why you don't just kick that scrawny kid in the balls already," he muttered, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"He hasn't done anything to me," Momo replied, though her words rang hollow even to her own ears.

"He harasses you every chance he gets." He spat out.

"Kabuto is definitely more friendly than I would like but-"

"No buts there kiddo. Seriously if you don't set some boundaries and fast, he will try something. And while I am your bodyguard, I can't be with you 24/7."

Momo looked out the window, watching people fly by living their own lives and having their own problems to deal with. When looking at the bigger picture her own problems always seemed so small and insignificant, but she knew Gādo was right. But confronting Kabuto directly was a frightening prospect. Still, the encounter had been a reminder that she couldn't let her politeness be mistaken for consent. As the car sped away from the station, she resolved to take Gādo's advice to heart and ensure her boundaries were respected.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, Gādo giving her time to think things over in silence. It didn't last forever though, as soon Momo found herself standing in front of Mustafa Private Middle School. First impressions, it seemed to be a fine school. The walls were free of chipped paint, plenty of flowers around the grounds, and she even saw some students picking up trash. Walking past several students on her way to the main office she couldn't help but overhear some of the conversations going on.

A group of boys hanging around a corner;

"So you guys are coming to my birthday party this weekend right?"

"Of course man, we wouldn't miss it for the world."

"We know how much it means to you."

A couple sitting on a bench;

"Happy anniversary."

"You remembered! Is that what I think it is?"

"Yea, it took a decent chunk out of my allowa-…. Never mind that's not the important part."

She even saw a group of cheerleaders hosting their own study group in one of the classrooms she walked by. Momo knew she was only seeing the surface level, that there was no way she would be able to understand the culture of this school from a single walk through the halls, but a part of her couldn't help but wish she attended this school instead.

The office staff were kind to her, greeting her with warm smiles and offering helpful directions as she explained her purpose for visiting. One of the staff members, a friendly woman with glasses perched on her nose, offered to walk her to the library where she was supposed to meet the students in need of tutoring that day. Momo was grateful for the company, appreciating the way the woman chatted about the school and its students as they made their way through the quiet halls.

Upon entering the library, which was admittedly small but cozy, Momo immediately noticed a girl with vibrant pink skin and matching pink hair sitting at a table near the back. The girl was pulling at her hair, clearly frustrated while poring over a textbook. Beside the book lay a blank notebook, its pages untouched, as if the girl hadn't been able to make sense of what she was studying.

Taking a deep breath to prepare herself she approached the girl in hopes of being of service. "Hello, do you need any help?" Momo asked gently, her voice cutting through the silence of the library.

The pink-skinned girl jumped slightly in her seat at the unexpected interruption, her eyes widening in surprise. She quickly craned her neck to look up at the girl standing next to her, taking in Momo's tall figure with an expression of awe. "Girl, you are TALL," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Momo smiled, accustomed to comments about her height. "So I've been told."

"Oh, shit. Sorry, that was supposed to be an inside thought." the girl said, a blush creeping across her cheeks, deepening the pink of her skin. She seemed embarrassed but also amused by her own slip-up.

"It's okay," Momo reassured her, taking a seat across the table. "I'm Momo. I'm here to help with whatever you're working on. What's got you so frustrated?"

The girl sighed, running a hand through her curly hair again as she glanced down at the textbook. "I'm Mina, and it's this stupid chemistry stuff. I just can't seem to get it to stay in my head, and I have a test coming up that I have to pass."

"How do you usually study?" Momo asked gently, seeing if there was an immediate problem that could be fixed.

"I've tried everything! Flashcards, reading out loud, copying it down, only copying the 'important parts'," She stopped listing for a moment in order to rant. "How are only some parts 'important' if the test is on the whole thing? That never made sense." She let out a dramatic sigh as she leaned back in her chair, rocking it on its back legs. "I even tried sleeping with an audiobook on chemistry playing. But it never seems to stick."

Momo was surprised, she had expected to hear some bad study habits but if this girl was telling her the truth she was putting in an honest effort to improve her grades. The sincerity of Mina's struggle was obvious, and Momo felt a surge of determination to help. "I can certainly see why you're frustrated. To study that much and still not understand something."

"That's the worst part. I DO understand it!" Mina practically yelled, earning the two of them a light scolding by the librarian. Mina mouthed an apology before continuing in a quieter tone, "I do understand it, it's only when I'm being tested that everything just exits my brain."

"Let's see if we can find some techniques to help with that," Momo proposed, her voice gentle yet encouraging. "We can work on some relaxation methods and maybe even do some practice tests together. Sometimes getting used to the test environment can make a big difference."

Mina nodded, her expression shifting from frustration to a glimmer of hope. "That would be awesome. I just really need to pass this test."

"We'll get you there," Momo assured her, smiling warmly. "You're already putting in the effort. Now, we just need to channel that energy in the right direction."

With a newfound sense of purpose, Momo and Mina dove into the chemistry material, Momo offering tips and strategies as they worked through the problems together. Mina seemed especially responsive to assigning answers to a physical movement, letting her both release her nervous energy and better memorize the numerous formulas, symbols, and terminology.

After a couple of hours of studying they were out of time and had to start leaving the school grounds. "Uhh, man that sucked." Realizing what she said, Mina quickly tried to correct herself. "Not you, obviously. Just so much studying at once."

"I understand, I did catch you right after classes ended."

"How did you figure out those dance moves, you didn't strike me as a dancer."

"Dance moves?"

"Yeah, assigning answers or topics to a movement. I mean it's not an all-out breakdance but sitting in a seat it's gonna look like I'm trying to boogie in class." She snickered to herself.

Momo hadn't realized what that would look like in a class setting, but she was glad she could help nonetheless. "I've been feeling antsy myself lately. The anxiety of going to a new school after three years of middle school. I've had a lot of anxious energy to burn."

"I hear ya. And the more prestigious the school the more nervous you're going to be." Mina took out her phone and went pale as she saw the time. "Oh shit, sorry Momo but I have to go like right now!" She took off running, nearly running into a teacher turning the corner. "Hope I'll see you again soon!"

Momo just found the whole event amusing, taking her time exiting the school grounds as she texted Gādo to pull the car around. But just before she reached the exit, something caught her attention. The low murmur of a conversation drifted to her ears, and she slowed her pace, curious. Ahead of her were three boys, deep in discussion. One had wild black hair and sharp teeth that gave him a fierce look, another was taller and skinny with unruly brown hair, and the last was shorter and rounder, with a more subdued demeanor. They didn't seem to notice her as they talked among themselves.

"I just can't seem to make any headway with my quirk." The black-haired boy said, frustration clear in his voice.

"Dude, your quirk is hardening," the taller boy replied, his tone almost casual. "It's not like there are a lot of things you can do with it."

The shorter, rounder boy spoke up hesitantly. "I know you don't want to hear it, but maybe you're just not cut out to be a hero?" His suggestion was meek, almost as if he regretted saying it the moment the words left his mouth.

The black-haired boy's expression darkened, his earlier frustration deepening into despair. He opened his locker with a resigned sigh, shoving his books inside as he grumbled, "You may be right, but I have to try or I'll never know."

The two other boys looked at each other with apprehension, it was clear to Momo that they didn't believe in the other boy but at the same time, they didn't want to hurt his feelings. The skinny one piped up, "Have you tried getting a consultation?"

"Yeah, when I was four." the black-haired boy replied, his tone dismissive.

"No, I mean recently. It's a bit on the pricey side but quirk analysts can work with teens and discuss ways to enhance their quirk."

For a brief moment, the black-haired boy's face lit up with hope, but it quickly faded into uncertainty. "Define 'pricey'" The round boy said something in a hushed tone that Momo couldn't quite catch from where she stood, but whatever it was, it made the black-haired boy's expression fall even further. "Who could possibly afford that?"

The boys had started walking away, the rest of their conversation drowned out by the noise of the school and leaving Momo in relative silence. It was quick, but after only a moment of consideration, she took out her notebook and wrote a note before slipping the paper into the kid's locker. Hopefully, she could help out two people with one note. With that thought in mind, Momo continued toward the exit, feeling a quiet resolve as she headed out to meet Gādo and leave the school behind.

Bonus Scene;

Izuku and Jirou were quietly studying their respective texts, a comfortable silence blanketed them as the only noise in the apartment emanated from Inko preparing snacks in the kitchen. After a few moments of peace, Jirou took out her phone in an effort to discreetly take a break from the mind-numbing work. "Hey, I forgot to send this to you but MtH is actually having a concert nearby."

"It's not my fault if you fail your next test." The boy lazily replied, a little tired of the girl trying to get out of studying. "Wait, Maximum the Hormone? Here?!"

Hook, line, and sinker. The purple-haired girl laughed as Izuku abandoned any pretense of being the mature one in the room. "Yeah, hold on let me pull up the poster, I have it saved here somewhere." She got up as she started looking through her screenshots, but on her way to the green-haired boy, she tripped over one of the many books that had been abandoned on the ground. Catching herself caused her to lose control of her phone, desperately trying to catch it in the air all she accomplished was juggling it while her fingers pressed random buttons.

It only took four seconds of this before disaster struck. Before she knew it her phone had been set to full volume and she had somehow entered into her workout playlist.

WHY DON'T YOU

DIE MOTHER FUCKER

DIE MOTHER FUCKER

DIE!

DIE MOTHER FUCKER

DIE MOTHER FUCKER

DIE!

Beep. She managed to silence the song but it was too late. Both the young teens were frozen as what just happened processed in their minds. Slowly they both looked over to the kitchen, unable to see the older woman residing within. The tension in the air made it seem as if time was standing still, both of them waiting for some sort of scolding to come their way.

"Was that Katsuki? I'll get the hot chips from the pantry."

Authors notes;

I've said before that I felt dialogue was my greatest weakness as a writter, but I am really proud of the dialogue this chapter. A lot less stiff than my usual writing.

Sorry Mad_Nimrod, Green Thoughts won the coin toss. Literally.

Don't repeat my mistakes. Never have Witcher 3 and Stardew Valley installed at the same time. It will devour your free time.

So imma need more practice with mina, obviously. Don't know if she will be a major supporting character or not, depends on how well I can get into the groove of her dialogue.

Izukus walls may be bare for a while. I have a scene in my head that could be genuinely emotional if done right but it will take time to build up.

As always, please leave a comment. They tell me what I did wrong, what I did right, and I just enjoy getting them.