The warm, rushing water of the living room Hot Tub thrummed against Yoshihara's body as she sank deeper into the hot tub, only allowing her nose and her forehead to stick out above the water. The hot water relaxed her muscles and soothed her skin in such a way that a shower never could.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Showers were, inherently, better for time efficiency. But she wasn't exactly looking for that right now, was she? After an extremely stressful series of tests, the only thing that Yoshihara wanted was to sit back, relax, and let her worries melt away. She had seen Kayama-san do it multiple times, so she figured that she would be allowed to do the same.
She deserved this. After everything she'd been through in recent times, she felt as if she not only earned this, she felt as if she deserved this. The water was so warm, like an endless embrace, and if someone were to ask for her opinion, it was probably better than anything she had felt in a long, long time.
Kayama-san was right. It was nice to have hot water enveloping every inch of her body. That wasn't even mentioning the aqua jets on her back that felt as if she was being massaged. She hadn't felt this relaxed since Kayama-san had treated her to that spa day after a particularly gruelling day of training.
However, a part of her was telling her that she was being immensely stupid. She was naked, her body bare, and at any moment Kayama-san could come walking through the elevator doors and it would more than likely cause her great embarrassment.
But… the other side of her told her that it didn't matter because Kayama-san said she was going to be gone for a while. Kayama-san never usually came home early. Not unless it was for an emergency. So, with that in mind, as if in protest against her more paranoid thoughts, she sat up a little bit more, and rested her head against the lip of the hot tub, allowing her hair to drape against the floor.
Maybe she was being a bit risqué. Especially because the tops of her breasts were poking out of the water. But to hell with it, she was alone, and for the first time in a while, she felt safe. It wasn't like someone was going to smash through the top floor's window, see her, and try and rape her.
While she had several horrible nightmares of something like that happening, mostly because of the things she had experienced when she was young, that was all those were—nightmares. She knew they were fake, even if the idea was, inherently, terrifying.
The point she was trying to make was that she was safe. She didn't need to worry about those asinine fears. Besides, even if someone did try that, she could just blow them up with Killer Queen and not have to worry about it again.
"Alright, that's enough. You're trying to relax. Don't psyche yourself out," Yoshihara thought, a relaxed sigh passing her lips as she opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling. She was curious, though. When was Kayama-san going to come home? She never really specified what time she'd be home. Just that she would be.
She knew that Kayama-san was at U.A. sorting out things in yet another meeting, and that said meeting regarding classes and who would be who's teacher for the year. All she knew was that she didn't want Eraserhead as her teacher. She knew he worked there thanks to Kayama-san's drunken ramblings.
Not that she had anything against Eraserhead, but she had a feeling that their personalities would clash a lot. Not because she hated him, but because he struck her as the type of person who tried to instill stupid rules with even stupider punishments. Considering that she was a very "against the standard rules" type of person she had a feeling that it wouldn't exactly be a good thing for him to be her teacher.
Though considering how the universe liked to play stupid pranks on her and make her life worse for some stupid reason, she had a feeling that was exactly what was going to happen.
Yoshihara closed her eyes, allowing the warm water to embrace her, pushing all of her previous thoughts away as she slipped back under the water up to her nose. She felt safe in the hot tub confides, much like she had felt in the shower.
She felt her rear sit against the flooring of the hot tub, which wasn't at all that deep. She had wrapped her arms around her legs and sat there, quietly. For the first time in a long time, Yoshihara had completely dropped her guard.
The only time that she ever dropped her guard in full was when she felt the most secure. Those times that she felt like that were very few and far between. Not even in that old apartment that she used to live in had she ever dropped her guard.
The last time she had dropped her guard, it nearly cost her not only her life but her dignity. This was far before she had the displeasure of battling against Taro Tatsugi. Another time she wished to fully push it out of her mind, but would go on to haunt her for the rest of her life.
But that was enough of that. She wasn't here to mope about the past. She was here to relax, feel secure, and wash away the aches and pains.
Security was a very important thing for Yoshihara, a thing that up until recently, she never had for the longest time. The only times she ever felt safe and not on edge was when she was around Otoshi, Akira, and Otoshi's girlfriend Sayaka.
Despite all of them having connections to the porn industry, they were all extremely hands-to-themselves. You'd think that those who practically ran the porn industry within Musutafu wouldn't be like that, that they'd be more like their customers, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.
She remembered when she had moved into the living quarters at Akira's club. There were times when she couldn't be able to sleep. Living on the streets for as long as she had at that time made it hard for her to trust others. Especially adults. But Akira would always be there for her. He would read her bedtime stories when she asked with no qualms, and he'd even tuck her into bed.
It might've been strange, especially because he was a stranger, but she had always felt safe around Akira. That extended to Otoshi when, during one of the times she had been moping the floor prior to her eventual job as a private show-woman, one of the customers who had been drunk tried to sexually assault her in the gender-neutral bathroom.
She was originally just going to go with it. After all, back then, she had been so used to being violated by men twice her age that she felt as if she had deserved it in some way. That was when Otoshi showed up out of nowhere, beat the man within an inch of his life, and threw him out.
She remembered for days on end that she was forced to stand by Otoshi and that afterward, he'd check up on her now and again. Then, when she started her job as a private show-woman, a little while before she had moved out of the club and found her own apartment, he'd always talk to her about her shift, and if she wanted someone beat up for trying to do something to her without her consent.
It was… nice. To have someone watching her back. However, back then, she didn't think she deserved it. Her mind had been filled with so many toxic thoughts that she had genuinely believed that she deserved to be raped. That she had deserved to be beaten. That she had deserved to be taken advantage of.
And it was all because of that wench.
She could feel herself spiralling again. Those memories welled up in her mind, and for a split second, all of that comfort she had felt faded away. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she found herself rapidly pulling herself out of the hot tub to stop herself from having a panic attack inside it.
She found the nearest towel, which had been stationed next to the hot tub, wrapped it around her body to cover herself, and immediately curled into a ball next to the couch. Her mind blanked for what felt like twenty minutes as those memories plagued her once again.
"No… leave me alone… leave me alone… just leave me alone!" Yoshihara thought, her eyes forcing themselves shut as her shoulders flinched up her neck. She hated it. Her face had been burned into her subconscious.
She remembered that night.
She remembered it all.
She remembered that look of hate in her eyes after finally calling for help. After finally running away from the house. After finally escaping that bitch. When that guy had pinned her down and helped her run away.
She couldn't remember his face all too well. Only that he had piercing blue eyes, and he had black hair. That was it. Oh, and he had been wearing a black trenchcoat, too. But that was it. She focused on that man. She focused on what he did, how he shielded her from what she now recognized had to have been a Stand, taking a punch to the stomach from that wench before unleashing some kind of fire Quirk on her.
She remembered that man telling her to run and to never look back. She hadn't seen him since. She sincerely hoped that he was okay. From what she remembered, he already looked pretty banged up.
She just hoped that he was okay. If she could ever see him again, it would be to thank him in earnest. Assuming he was still alive. Knowing that Wench was a Stand User made it significantly less possible for that to be the case.
Her heartbeat calmed itself, as she found herself slowly sitting back up, her breathing returning to normal.
"Happy thoughts, Yoshihara…. Think happy thoughts…. Push it away. Push it back. Push all of those nasty memories away and focus on the now…" Yoshihara thought, fully sitting up and looking out the large window, staring out into the cityscape.
She was safe. That wench would never get to her again. Even if she did, she had a Stand to defend herself. She was safe. She focused back on the topic before she had her freak out, about her being close to the people around her.
That was what she had been thinking about before she had spiralled.
Had it not been for Sayaka, and had it not been for Otoshi, she wouldn't have been stuck out for this long. She figured she would've moved on to someplace else. She probably would've never met Nemuri and from there never met Izuku.
She would have never…. Yoshihara cut off that train of thought, squeezing her eyes shut harder than she normally did. "Banish them. Banish those vile thoughts…" She thought, frowning as she tried to relax, keeping her guard down as she was able to return to a somewhat peaceful state.
A part of her thought about getting back into the hot tub, but after what just happened, any intention or want to relax had sapped away. Just as she was about to get up and fully walk up the stairs, the sound of the elevator doors pinging, signalling that someone was going to come out of the doors, echoed throughout the suite.
Instinctively, Yoshihara ducked behind the couch, making sure to peek out from the corner whilst keeping her towel wrapped around her all the while. As she stared out at the elevator, and as the doors opened, she had fully expected just Kayama-san to walk through the doors.
However, that turned out not to be the case.
The first person to step out wasn't Kayama-san, but it was Eraserhead, who was wearing a grey T-shirt coupled with a pair of baggy black pants and loafers, which he quickly slipped off as he stepped into the suite. His appearance made him look as if he had just woken up from a nap, what with his hair being all over the place and the bags under his eyes.
The second person to come out of the elevator was the Procter for the tests—Present Mic, if she had remembered correctly. His hair wasn't in that ridiculous mohawk ponytail thing it had been in before, but rather it was let down, and it went down to his shoulders and a little bit past that, with a man bun on the back of his head.
He, much like Eraserhead, was dressed in a grey t-shirt. But where they differed was in their pants. Present Mic was dressed in a pair of jeans with tears in the knees, and he had two black belts on, with one wrapping around the other. He also had two spiked wristbands on, and she could even make out a necklace with a little speaker motif around his neck.
Oh, and he also had on a pair of glasses, most likely to aid in his vision. Which brought into question his sunglasses, and whether or not they were prescription sunglasses. Although, thinking about it a little bit more, there was a chance that was the case.
Then there was Kayama-san. Typical, normal, Kayama-san. She was dressed in one of her favourite outfits—a purple no-sleeve tank top and form-fitting black yoga pants. She even had her hair up in a ponytail, along with what appeared to be purple lipstick.
She wore a large, childish smirk on her face; the kind that someone had on their face when they had successfully pulled off a surprise. Which was the worst, because Kayama-san was awful and doing secrets and surprises. So the fact that she got one over her was a crushing blow to her ego.
Still, credit where credit was due, she had set it up masterfully. But it cut into her relaxation time. Though, it wasn't going to be in the hot tub after the little freak out she had. She probably would've just buried herself in her manga or continued binge-watching One Piece. '
"Oh, Yoshi-chan~! I brought some friends over to celebrate you getting into U.A.! I even invited Midoriya-kun and his mother, too!" Kayama-san announced, looking around the living room as Yoshihara peeked out from over the top of the couch. "Why are you hiding?"
"I'm in a towel, Kayama-san. I was using the hot tub," Yoshihara replied, gesturing over to it with her head. "You surprised me."
"Oh? I did, did I?" Kayama-san replied, a shit-eating smirk on her face. "Finally, you're always on guard. I finally got you~! Sweet~!" Kayama-san teased as Yoshihara frowned.
"That's all well and good, but can you guys like, turn around so I can move to my room?" Yoshihara said as Eraserhead wordlessly did as he was asked, forcing Kayama-san and Present Mic to do the same thing.
As Yoshihara dashed off to her bedroom, Present Mic spoke up. "You have a hot tub in your living room?" Hizashi whisper-shouted as Kayama-san smiled.
"You know me, Hizashi. I like living large. The hot tub is also good for relaxing muscles. Which was probably why Yoshi-chan was using it," Kayama-san said as Eraserhead grunted.
"You knew, didn't you?" Eraserhead asked as Kayama-san dismissed him entirely.
"Nope. I actually expected her to be a hermit in her room like she usually does. She's never used the hot tub. Like, ever. That, and I always thought that if she did, she'd actually wear something while she did," Kayama noted as Eraserhead raised an eyebrow.
"You think she was naked?"
"I know she was naked. If she was in a swimsuit, she would've been fine with standing around in a towel. Context clues, Eraserhead. It's why you're so bad with women," Kayama-san replied as Eraserhead scowled.
"Nemuri…" Eraserhead rumbled.
"C'mon, it's not like that and you know that!"
"I'm back," Yoshihara spoke up, prompting them to turn around, and unlike before where she had been in a towel, she was dressed in an overly large gray shirt that went down past her thighs…. And that was about it. Her hair was brushed back but still wet, and she looked slightly dried off.
She was standing on the stairwell and was just a few steps away from entering the living room. She had a completely bored, and tired look on her face. As if she were mere seconds away from falling asleep standing up.
"Where's the rest?" Kayama-san questioned as Yoshihara frowned.
"I have underwear on, leave me alone. I just got out of the hot tub, and I don't feel like wearing a full outfit. Besides, it's less laundry for me to do later," Yoshihara responded, her tone of voice dull and tired. It was true, she had a long day already, and the last thing she wanted to do was go through all the effort of putting on a full outfit, just to change a few hours later.
"But—"
"Let the kid do what she wants, Nemuri, besides, you'd be a hypocrite in judging what she wears, Miss wears a dominatrix suit as their hero costume," Eraserhead interrupted, patting her on her back, causing Kayama-san to pout. "It's nice to get a real chance to meet you, Kira," Eraserhead said as Yoshihara bowed toward him.
"No, the pleasure is mine, Eraserhead, if it hadn't been for you back in that forest, I think I really would've died back there. Your distraction made him vulnerable enough for me to retaliate against that villain," Yoshihara responded as Aizawa rolled his eyes.
"Don't sweat it, kid. Also, it's Aizawa outside of a professional setting. Same with Mic, though it's Yamada for him. Kay?" Aizawa corrected as Yoshihara nodded. "And another thing, I have to ask, what happened to the villain in the first place?" Aizawa asked, taking a seat on the couch adjacent to the stairwell. Hizashi and Kayama-san sat on the opposite couch across from Aizawa.
"Ah, well…" Yoshihara started, rubbing the back of her neck. Aizawa sighed, shaking his head.
"Never mind, I'm sure he's long gone by now," Aizawa stated as Yoshihara let out a sigh of relief. She was a little concerned that Aizawa was going to try and dig into what happened to Taro. Though, considering the glance he was sending her way, if she were to guess he already put two and two together.
As she walked down the stairs and made her way across the room to sit next to Aizawa seeing as there were no other seats, she was suddenly grabbed by Kayama-san and placed on her lap. Yoshihara was caught off guard, and she nearly summoned Killer Queen out of pure shock.
The way Kayama-san was holding onto her waist… made her feel uncomfortable.
"Gah! What the—hey, don't just do stuff like that!" Yoshihara said as Kayama-san smirked.
"Only when you stop looking cute," Nemuri responded, gaining a worried look from Yoshihara. "Don't worry, I took my meds, I'm just being honest. Anyways, I got you a gift that I know you'll like," Kayama-san said, pointing at the bag with one of her fingers.
The bag was a standard plastic bag, but she could see the shape of a tall box within. It distracted her from the uncomfortable position she was being put in by Kayama-san, as her eyes glistened with genuine excitement.
"Really? Is it what I think it is?" Yoshihara asked, a gleam in her eye as Kayama-san snickered.
"Find out, and you might just be pleasantly surprised," Kayama-san replied, her smirk slowly turning into a smile. Without a delay, Yoshihara grabbed the bag and looked inside, a genuine smile on her face as she pulled out a box.
"Is this—"
"that Death The Kid statue you've been asking for? Why yes, yes it is! I found it at a local convention store that resold old anime and manga-related products. It was in mint condition, and it came in the original packaging. It cost me over 100,000 yen, so it was rather cheap all things considered. I hope you like it," Kayama-san said, letting go of Yoshihara as she jumped off of her lap before turning around and hugging her, catching the Kayama-san off guard.
"Thank you! You're the best Adoptive Mom, ever!" Yoshihara said, earning a surprised reaction from Kayama-san herself. Yoshihara paused as well, thinking about what it was she had just said. Was Kayama-san her mother, or at the very least her adoptive mother? She never took her last name, so did that just make her a guardian?
Yoshihara had lived with Kayama-san for over 9 months, nearing ten. It would only make sense if she considered her a mother figure, at the very least. Whenever the thought came up in her mind, she dismissed it, seeing as it was only a title and nothing more, but the more she thought about it, the more significance it began to hold.
Yoshihara loathed her blood-related "mother", but she never really cared to replace her. She never had a reason to do so. But yet, here she was, backing away from Kayama-san whom she had just hugged—something she had never done at all, ever—slightly embarrassed as she held the bag with the Death the Kid statue in it behind her back.
"Did you just…?" Kayama-san sputtered, causing Yoshihara to let go and look away. Did she make a mistake? Was she not supposed to say that? Was she going to get mad at her? Had she overstepped a boundary she wasn't meant to cross?
"I-I'm sorry, I—"
"No, no, I don't mind it. I liked being called that… though I never saw myself as a mother…" Kayama-san said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you… really see me as your mother?" The ravenette asked as Yoshihara turned her attention back to Kayama-san.
Did she consider her to be a replacement mother? Was that a good thing? Yoshihara truly didn't know if it was or not, so much so that it confused her. She truly didn't know what to say. She looked into Kayama-san's eyes, trying to fish out an answer, but found nothing.
It was clear to Yoshihara that Kayama-san wasn't quite so sure herself. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense that Yoshihara did see Kayama-san as her mother. At first, it was a student-teacher bond, but as time went on, she genuinely became concerned when Kayama-san came home hurt or wounded from a fight with a villain, and the same applied to Yoshihara's wounds when they trained, or, as of recently, the fight with Taro.
It was weird, this form of mutual respect blossoming into more of a motherly bond than anything else. It was… refreshing. She had been so used to adults using her in multiple different ways, not being the slightest bit remorseful for it. The only people who she viewed as parental figures were Akira, Otoshi, and Sayaka.
Kayama-san, technically, was on the same level as them. She went out of her way to take care of her, and she never expected anything back. Sure, she worked under Kayama-san as the receptionist. But the same applied to Akira in the past.
That, and Akira and Kayama-san were legally family. So….
"I… I mean, yeah…" Yoshihara started, looking to the side ever so slightly, not meeting Kayama-san in the eyes. "You've done so much for me, a random kid you didn't even know too much about. You allowed me to stay in your home, took care of me, treated me like an equal. I've never had the best experiences with adults, or hell, people in general. You were the first person to ever show me kindness, outside of Akira and Otoshi, of course. So, in that respect… yeah, I'd see you as my mother, in a roundabout sort of way…."
Without warning, Kayama-san hugged her, catching Yoshihara off guard. She was about to push her off of her, only to feel that her shoulder was getting wet, and it wasn't from her hair. She could hear, crying. Was Kayama-san crying? Why?
For Nemuri, she was happy. For years, she never wanted to get too close to children. Especially due to her… condition. But for Yoshihara to trust her so much to go as far as to call her "mom", even if it was through a figurative sense…. It meant a lot to her.
For the longest time, Nemuri had wanted to be a mother. But her mental condition had stopped her from being that. She had never succumbed to her mental condition—and never would, no matter what others might say or have said—but because of her paranoia of the "might" or the "potential" for it to happen had steered her way.
Not to mention that, even when she did attempt to adopt once, she was denied. She was kinda shocked that the government allowed her to take care of Yoshihara. Though, she figured it had to do with her age.
Age of consent laws in Japan were fucked up. In a majority of the developed countries in the world, the age of consent was 18. Though, in some States in America, Canada, Britain, and Germany, it was 15 to 16. For Japan, it was 16. Maybe the person who approved of her adoption of Yoshihara shrugged their shoulders and just let it happen.
If Nemuri was a horrible, rotten person, she would've seen that as a win-win. But, given that she wasn't truly like that, and it was a mental side-effect of her Quirk that caused her to be the way that she was and that her morals allowed her to see through the brain fog of it all, she had primarily been concerned with how it turned out.
She had to wonder just how many children were paired with predators because of the age of consent in Japan. How many children were made to suffer under that because that one custody judge did not fully care about his job?
Whatever the case was, she didn't want to linger on it for very long.
"You… You have no idea how much that means to me," Nemuri said as Yoshihara slowly hugged her back. It was odd. She hated physical affection—at least, for the most part. Normally, she'd be against it. But with Kayama-san—when it wasn't unprompted or whatever that waist hug was about before this—she was… comfortable with it.
Eventually, Nemuri let go of Yoshihara, wiping the tears off her face. As she did, Yoshihara took a step back, and started walking backwards toward the stairs. "I… I'm going to go to my room and… assemble my new statue," Yoshihara started, fidgeting slightly. "I- er… call me down when Izuku and Midoriya-san get here… or if there is anything else going on… Mom…" Yoshihara said, dashing up the stairs.
Her face was red in embarrassment. Did she really just call Kayama-san Mom? It was… weird. The idea of having a mother was weird. Especially given her history with people who claimed to be her "mother."
A part of her paranoid self told her that it would end up just like that wench. That she shouldn't trust anyone, let alone someone who wanted to be her mother.
But Yoshihara would've liked to think that it wasn't like that. That Kayama-san wasn't going to turn out like that psycho. That she could trust her, and that she didn't have to worry about anything like that happening.
"Mom... I just called her Mom..." Yoshihara thought, closing the door to her room behind her. She had a statue to put together.
[XXXX]
Out of all the things that Izuku had expected to happen today, his mother receiving a phone call from Midnight about inviting both her and Izuku over to her place for a party had not been one of them. Apparently, it was to celebrate Yoshihara getting into U.A. via the recommendation exam.
Admittedly, Izuku was a little nervous. Sure, Yoshihara had been over to his place before, but that ended in a fight between his mother and her; something he was still upset about even after a week of it happening. Not that he blamed Yoshihara for it. It was entirely his mother's fault.
He still didn't know why his mother had done what she had done. Ever since the incident, she never elaborated on her reasons. She simply refused to talk about it, saying that it didn't matter anymore.
Well, it mattered to him. But, he wasn't going to push the topic. The last thing he wanted to do was get his mother all worked up over nothing. Especially given how it was that time of the month again. His mother got especially crabby during then. So, that, coupled with the overall uneasiness about everything that happened, probably wouldn't have led to anything good.
So, he let go. Besides, he had more important things to think about. Mainly about what to expect from Midnight's place. He didn't want to be formal, especially because it was just a house party. So, he opted to wear his favourite All Might-themed hoodie, a pair of blue pants, and his favourite pair of sneakers.
His mother, on the other hand, wore a simple white blouse with a frilly colour and a pair of black pants and shoes. Nothing special, and nothing themed. Just a regular outfit that she'd normally wear.
He wondered just who else would be there. Maybe Kujo and his girlfriend? He doubted it. They seemed a little too busy for that kind of thing. "Is it really just going to be me, Mom, Midnight, and Ki—I mean, Yoshihara?" Izuku thought, a bead of sweat forming on the side of his forehead.
He was still trying to get used to calling Yoshihara by her first name. He had never gotten that close to someone before where they'd let him use their first name—not even with Kacchan. Though, he supposed with Kacchan it was out of habit. Even then, he still viewed him as a friend.
It was interesting, actually. Ever since he got into that friend group with Yoshihara, Kujo and Kujo's girlfriend—Sakunami, if he remembered correctly—Kacchan had well and truly stopped bothering him. Stopped trying to pick on him. Stopped even looking in his general direction.
Oh, sure, he'd still sneer at him from time to time, but he never laid a hand on him anymore. Not to mention that every time he'd approach Kacchan for notes on something he missed due to overworking himself with All Might's training routine, it almost seemed as if Kacchan was… scared of him.
No, not scared of him. But scared of doing something to him.
He didn't like the implications of that. Izuku didn't know much about Kujo or Sakunami. But he had a feeling one of them did something.
"Well, I suppose it's better than being pelted with explosions…" Izuku thought, glancing over to his mother, who was checking over her phone, looking at something with an annoyed expression on her face.
"When did they say we had to be there, Mom?" Izuku asked, sitting on the couch, tying his sneakers as his Mom looked up from her phone and over to Izuku with a smile on her face.
"Huh? Oh, 8:00 pm at the latest, 7:30 pm at the earliest. Do you have the gift we prepared for Kira-san?" Inko asked as Izuku looked to his left, glancing into the bag with a smile.
"U-Uh yeah, It's right beside me!" Izuku replied, standing up. He hoped Yoshihara liked it. It wasn't every day you get into U.A.! He just hoped he would be joining her at the school. Anytime this week he was going to receive All Might's Quirk, One For All, and then go to the Entrance Exam.
A part of him was nervous, seeing as it was the Symbol Of Peace's Quirk, and he didn't exactly know how he was going to get it. The other part of him was excited because he would finally have a Quirk to use to become a hero!
Although, there was another part of him that told him that he didn't deserve it. That he was being selfish for taking away someone else's rightfully earned power. The rational side of himself reminded him that he wasn't taking anything. He was being bestowed something.
All Might was selflessly gifting his Quirk to Izuku so that he could realize his dream of becoming a hero who saved others for the sake of saving others. He was being passed down One For All because All Might saw something in him. A special quality that made him a worthy successor.
There was nothing selfish about it. He had earned the power of One For All. With it, he was going to save as many people as he possibly could. He was going to make All Might proud. He was going to show him that he made the right choice.
Of course, that was in a week from now. Right now, he had a party to attend. Something he hadn't been to since Kacchan's 7th birthday. While it wasn't the same thing, it was pretty darn similar.
"Okay, Izuku! We have to get going if we're going to make it on time!" his Mom called out as Izuku made his way to the door. When they briefly made eye contact, his Mom shied away a little bit. Izuku didn't want her to feel as if she couldn't look him in the eye. While he was still a little miffed with her, it wasn't nearly as bad as he had felt last week.
"Mom…" Izuku thought despondently. He didn't want to make her feel bad. Maybe it was a personal thing on her end that made it so she couldn't look him in the eye. Maybe she didn't feel like she deserved to. But that wasn't the case.
Yes, she had made a mistake—a massive mistake, mind you, but a mistake nonetheless. All mistakes can be forgiven eventually. Izuku had already mostly forgiven her, so why was she still so apprehensive?
"Never mind that for now. I'll talk to her about it at a later date," Izuku thought, glancing at the time. It was already 7:15 PM, so they didn't have much time to get there if they wanted to be early. Thankfully there was a train that was set to go to the deeper part of Musutafu that they could take to reach the suite that Yoshihara lived in.
The train would take them to the nearest stop where Yoshihara's address was at. Seeing as the train travelled rather quickly, it would only take them 10 minutes to get there after getting on the train. The walk was also rather short, only lasting around 5 minutes—props to living in an apartment complex so close to a train station.
They passed by various people on the way there, and Izuku had to keep himself from going crazy over the amount of cool quirks he saw. Honestly, it was a little embarrassing. But at least he was able to keep himself under control.
Quirk envy was a real thing, though that wasn't his issue. He simply liked learning about Quirks. Though, now, he could also put Stands in a category that he could mess around with. It was funny. He sat Kujo down and asked about his Stands abilities, and he made a whole new journal just for Stands.
Kujo's Stand was very versatile, and he even brought up the idea of using his Soft & Wet's bubbles to temporarily sap away a person's Quirk. They were able to convince one of Sakunami's friends to help them test it out. Their Quirk was a nail extension Quirk. Upon one of the bubbles coming into contact with them, and upon asking them to use their Quirk, it didn't activate.
Obviously, Kujo returned their ability to use their Quirk, but it was cool nonetheless. Kujo had never thought that his bubbles go that far in terms of disabling individuals. He only assumed it was stuff like friction, sight, or hearing. But to be able to go as deep as someone's Quirk? That had never crossed his mind until Izuku suggested it.
Kujo could be a really powerful capture Hero if that was the route he decided to go down. The number of villains who would be stopped in their tracks just because of his bubbles would be enormous!
Once they arrived and boarded the train, it didn't take them long to get to their stop. There weren't a lot of people on the train—just a handful. Most of them kept their distance from each other, although, there was one creepy-looking guy who was constantly muttering to himself about something.
Izuku didn't pay any attention to the man. He was probably just rambling about nothing serious. He honestly kind of looked like a drug addict. It was a deeply sad thing, to be held down by addiction. His mom knew people who used to have a drug addiction. Back in high school, both herself and Auntie Mitsuki had an intervention for a close friend of theirs for trigger abuse.
It apparently got nasty. So much so the police had to be called to stop the guy from taking his life. They never saw that guy again, and frankly? Good riddance. His mother didn't need anyone like that in her life. It probably wouldn't have ended well.
Upon getting to their stop and exiting the train station, they made their way to the street where the suite was supposed to be. From the station to the address, it was a ten-minute walk away from where they were. By the time they got to where they were supposed to be, it was 7:45, and as they got to the street the building was supposedly on, Inko looked down at her phone and frowned.
"It says the building is on this street, so why can't I see it?" Inko said, looking around to find an apartment building. When her eyes scanned for the addresses on the buildings, her eyes landed on a bright red building with a luxurious entrance like that of a grand hotel. "Oh, this must be—" she stopped mid-sentence when she read the sign: Love Love Deluxe.
Izuku knew what Love Love Deluxe was. Not because he had been there before, but because he knew Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru liked going there on Valentine's Day and White Day. Out of all of the Love Hotels in Japan, this one was rated the best out of all of them. If you could afford a room, you'd be given the best experience you could possibly imagine.
Mattresses that were so comfortable, you never wanted to leave. Air Conditioning and heating were so wonderful that it was worth the price of emission. Quality showers and bathes that had all of the best soaps, conditioners, and shampoos. All for the low cost of 10,000 Yen a night, and on Valentine's Day, if you stayed the night, you were treated to a five-star breakfast in bed for free!
The only reason why he knew that was because Aunt Mitsuki could never stop gushing over the place. He only learned that they went there recently when last Valentine's Day, Kacchan complained about it to him and his mother when he had visited—he said visited, but it was more like Auntie Mitsuki forced him to come over. He was only really there for his Mom, but he didn't do anything bad while he was there.
Now, as for why they were standing in front of Love Love Deluxe, that was something that Izuku was still trying to figure out. Why did Midnight send them here? Was this some kind of bad prank?
"U-Uh, Mom, are we sure we took the right address?" Izuku asked, looking over at his mother's phone. The address—1185 Tokami St, Musutafu—was what they were looking for. Yet, when they plugged it into the map, it led them straight to the Love Hotel each time.
"Oh! You're here, good!" A voice called out to them, and as they turned around, they were met with a black-haired woman wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of form-fitting black yoga pants and black high-heels. She had sparkling blue eyes and a radiant smile. Now that he had a proper look at her, it was the same woman from the hospital that he had met after Yoshihara's hospital visit. "I was beginning to wonder if you had ghosted me or not, but at least you're here now, so that's a plus!" The woman said as confusion was strewn across the faces of the pair.
"A-Are you Midnight?" Izuku asked as the now-identified Midnight nodded.
"Yup! Although, since I'm not in my costume, just call me Kayama-san! If you're looking for the suite, it's on the top floor only my friends and family can access. I have the key to get there, come on," Kayama said, gesturing for them to follow her into the building.
As they stepped inside, Izuku was greeted with a very pink and red foyer, with heart motifs scattered across the walls. The theme of "love" and "passion" was obvious given the amount of romantic-looking paintings on the walls and the literal heart carpet in front of the front desk.
"I set up the party to be a little bit later in the day due to how busy we are. There are only a few guests here for the night, and most of them are in their rooms. Not that it really matters, seeing as you'll both be in the suite until you leave for the night," Kayama-san explained, taking them toward the elevator.
Opening the elevator with the press of a button, gesturing for them to step inside. "You two first, if you may," Kayama-san said as the pair entered the elevator, followed by Kayama-san. Once inside, she grabbed a key from her pocket and put it into a keyhole. Turning the key, the elevator dinged, and the doors began to close. A second later, they began to ascend.
"It'll be a minute or two before we get to the top floor, so allow me to give you some history about Love Love Deluxe!" Kayama-san began, looking over at Izuku and Inko. "My great, great great, great grandmother, who had been the original owner before her passing of Lung Cancer, Yukako Hirose commissioned this place to be built 100 years ago, in 2023! With the help of her husband and his friends, they were able to get this place off the ground, advertising it as the best Love Hotel in the business!"
"Of course, it was a little bit of an exaggeration at the time. There were still places better than it, but that didn't stop couple after couple, sex worker after sex worker, and people on top of people from coming to this place. It didn't matter if you were straight, gay, or whatever you identified as, as far as Yukako was concerned, love was love."
"It was passed down from generation to generation in my family. Lung Cancer had claimed all of their lives, mostly because they were frequent smokers. Finally, after generations and generations of my family managing this place, it was finally my turn. When I first received it, it had seen better days. But, with the help of some people with close connections, I was able to expand this place to what it is today!"
"Now, as of the last few years, Love Love Deluxe has produced well over 50 Million yen in terms of profit, and it has allowed me to donate heaps of money to foundations to prevent child sexual abuse, and build several centers for women who survived sex abuse in the industry and outside of it. As a victim of sex crimes in the past, I didn't want anyone else to suffer from it, or, if they had, to have a safe place to recover and work through their trauma," Kayama-san explained, looking over at Inko and Izuku.
Izuku, for his part, was awestruck, and Inko was just as shocked. "I'm sorry you have to go through that, Kayama-san…" Inko said, bowing her head as Kayama-san laughed it off.
"Oh, please, that was twenty years ago, and it's way behind me now," Kayama-san replied, brushing the concern off as Izuku smiled.
"You really are a hero, Kayama-san. You must've helped so many people by now, right?" Izuku asked as Kayama-san smiled.
"You bet! You know, being a hero is more than just having a flashy Quirk or having your own brand deal. It's the mentality that someone has. No matter what their profession is, anyone can be a hero, so long as they have the right mindset and they can put their money where their mouth is," Kayama-san said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Frankly, I think the real heroes are those who create charities support the community and aid law enforcement. Sure, we have people like All Might and Endeavor who catch the criminals. But the real heroes are those who aid the community," Kayama-san said as, finally, the elevator doors opened.
What the pair were greeted with was… interesting to say the least. When Izuku heard the word "suite" he hadn't been expecting anything like this. The living room alone was massive. Though, considering it was what most of the suite was made up of, that made sense. There were two large three-seater couches which sat across from one another with a low-to-the-ground coffee table separating them and a love seat with its back facing what appeared to be a kitchenette.
Speaking of the kitchenette, it was similar to his and his mother's apartment's kitchenette. A full-sized fridge, a stove and oven, granite counters, a sink, and a handful of cupboards and drawers to hold spices, dishes, and utensils.
Unlike their kitchenette, there was an island in the center of it with even more storage and bar stools to sit on that were bolted to the ground. In fact, if he were to guess, everything was probably bolted to the ground just in case of an earthquake.
Of course, there was also a TV that was in front of a large, wall-sized window that overlooked most of Musutafu. It was a gorgeous view and one that Izuku was slightly envious of. Though, if there was one thing that seemed entirely out of place, it was the hot tub which was also close to the window, and a little bit a ways away from the TV.
Then, of course, there was the second floor, which was just an open hallway with three doors. On the far left there was a door with no name attached to it, in the middle was a door with a sign labelled "Guest Room" and a door on the far right labelled "Yoshihara's room, please knock." Of course, the hallway went a little bit past Yoshihara's room, but if Izuku had to guess, that was where the bathroom was.
"Wow…" Inko whispered, her eyes wide with shock as Izuku took a step inside. It was definitely larger than he had expected. But, at the same time, considering that this was a pro hero, he shouldn't have been surprised that she lived in a place this nice.
"Help yourselves to anything. Currently, I have two friends who're hanging out in the guest room, don't disturb them, they're busy. Midoriya-kun, Yoshi-chan is in her room, so if you want to see her, just knock first before entering. Midoriya-san, why don't you sit with me and we can have a few drinks?" Kayama asked as Inko waved her hands dismissively.
"Oh, heavens no! I don't drink, it would be bad for me, besides, I'm pretty lightweight when it comes to that stuff anyway," Inko replied, looking away sheepishly. "Not to mention I'm a nasty drunk," she continued as Kayama-san shrugged.
"Suit yourself, we have other drinks in the fridge, soft drinks to be specific," Kayama-san stated, walking over to the fridge. Izuku didn't bother to stay in the living room much longer, looking up at the stairs before ascending them. As he approached Yoshihara's room, he could hear the sounds of a radio playing faintly, the sounds of what sounded like an English song playing.
He could faintly hear the song, only just barely making out the lyrics—thank the school for making him take English courses.
Perfume came naturally from Paris (naturally).
For cars, she couldn't care less.
Fastidous and precise!
She's a Killer Queen~!
Gunpowder, gelatin~!
Dynamite with a Laser beam~!
Guaranteed to blow your mind (anytime)~!
As Izuku began to turn the doorknob, the radio stopped playing, and as Izuku peeked in, Yoshihara looked over to him, her face changing from a scowl to that of a smile. "Oh! Izuku, you're here!" She said, her tone containing a hint of enthusiasm.
She was only wearing an oversized grey T-shirt with kanji on the back of the shirt reading: Mondays are the worst. She was on her knees, sitting in front of a half-finished figurine whilst holding what appeared to be a tube of glue in one hand and an arm of a figure she was building in the other.
The shirt went down to her knees, almost making it look like a dress. One of the shoulders barely fit her, so it was drooping down to one side, exposing the top of her shoulder. Her hair was wet, so she must've just come out of a shower. In Izuku's mind, he had to admit, she looked pretty cute.
"Uh, Izuku? are you okay, your face is getting a little red," Yoshihara commented to break the silence, which made Izuku jolt slightly, looking away as he stammered to try and get a sentence out. He hadn't expected Yoshihara to be dressed in only a shirt! It was indecent, even if he couldn't see anything!
"I-I-I—"
Yoshihara simply shook her head at the boy's stuttering, a small smirk coming to her face as she walked up to him. "Come on silly, just get in here so we can talk. I'm not gonna bite," Yoshihara said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him into her room. The door closed, the sound of it closing echoing throughout the suite.
Down on the first floor, Nemuri giggled quietly to herself as Inko smiled. "Those two really get along, don't they?" Inko commented. Nemuri nodded, taking a sip from her glass of wine.
"Well, she was willing to lay down her life for the boy, and considering this is the first time Yoshihara has ever stuck her neck out that far for someone, I think she likes him," Nemuri stated, leaning forward on the stool and against the island countertop. "You know what, I have an idea."
"What's your idea, Kayama-san?" Inko asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wanna make a bet. If you win, I'll commission a one-floor house, fit with the latest appliances, and technology, and a personal maid to do all the cleaning for you on top of 5 Million Yen. Oh, and it should go without saying, the house won't cost you a dime. It'll come all out of my personal pocket. If I win, well… hmm, ah I know! You'll tell me one of your deepest, darkest secrets, and I'll take it to my grave. Does that sound fair?" Nemuri said, causing Inko smirk, a confident look in her eyes.
"I'm all for it. I've never lost a bet in my life so I'll take you up on that," Inko said, a confident smile on her face.
"Upfront, I see. I like it. I like that a lot. And you don't even know what the bet is! Ha, you didn't strike me as that kind of person when we first met, Midoriya-san!" Nemuri said, smirking as Inko shrugged.
"I don't usually take a bet unless I have a good feeling about it, and it's never led me astray before," Inko replied as Nemuri's smirk turned into a smile—the kind of smile a person would have when they were about to reveal a movie spoiler or play a bad prank.
"Well, if you're so confident without even knowing what it is, here's the bet. It might be a little prude of me, but I think we can both agree that your son and Yoshihara have a crush on one another, right?"
"Well, I don't know about that. Izuku's just nervous around girls. I don't know if he has a crush on her," Inko countered as Nemuri rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. I've seen how he looks at her. I picked her up from Aldera one day—two days ago, actually—and he was looking her up and down. I knew immediately why he was looking at her. His face was even a little bit red. Face it, Midoriya-san, your son might be a little perverted," Nemuri teased as Inko gasped.
"Huh?! No way, my son is pure and innocent! He would never!" Inko said, her expression being one of offence.
"And you mean to tell me he's never scrambled to hide something from you before? Not even once or twice? Or that you've randomly walked in on him pulling up his bedsheets and telling you to go away?" Nemuri pushed as Inko faltered, blinking a few times before it finally set in.
Izuku had done that before. That, and whenever she wants to google something on his phone, he asks her to wait a little bit so he can clear his tabs. The realization dawned on her, and her face drained of colour.
"Oh no… Izuku!" Inko cried, slumping forward slightly as Nemuri patted her on the back.
"Ah, don't worry about it, it's natural," Nemuri comforted as Inko sighed, shaking her head.
"It's just that Izuku's never been like that before! Though I suppose he's never had any friends aside from Bakugo, so maybe something caused it…"
"Well, I can see why he'd stare. Don't take this the wrong way, but Yoshi-chan isn't exactly lacking in certain departments. Any boy her age with half a brain cell would take note of it," Nemuri said as Inko glanced over at her, leaning back slightly as Nemuri continued. "That aside, I can say the same thing for Yoshihara. She might not know it, especially given how she processes things. But she's always talking about him when she gets home from school. Gushing about how he's cool and sweet and this and that. I've never said anything, but it's pretty obvious."
"So, then, what's the bet?" Inko asked as Nemuri smiled.
"Well, I'd reckon that… hmm, let's say after this year's annual Sports Festival, if they're not dating by then, then you win. But if they are, you gotta tell me your deepest, darkest secret. Bonus points if I find out that your son has lost his virginity!" Nemuri said, clapping her hands together with an innocent smile on her face.
Inko's reaction was a lot more shocked and slightly appalled, recoiling slightly as she balked. "Huh!? Why that far?! Don't you think that's a little extreme!?"
"Oh, please, it's not that bad. That, and it's not that I don't trust your son, but I know Yoshi-chan. For… reasons I can't disclose, she's hypersexual, which means exactly what you think it means. So, I can only imagine that if she were to date anyone the first date would end in a sexual encounter, especially if it someone that she's constantly thinking about or finds attractive, which your son matches to a tee."
As Nemuri explained her point of view, Inko blinked, confusion warping her mind as Nemuri got up from the stool, and walked over to the fridge. Opening it, she pulled out a bottle of red wine and smiled. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a glass?"
Inko stared at the bottle of wine, before sighing. "Fine. But just one. As for that bet…" Inko paused. She didn't know whether or not she was going to take the bet. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was put any kind of bet for anything on something as important as a potential relationship with someone he had only just barely met.
Even assuming that Nemuri was right about her Izuku staring at Kira-san in a very… lecherous way was correct—which she doubted immensely considering the type of person Izuku was—she wouldn't mind that chance to have a place to live that wasn't her crappy apartment.
So, against her better judgment, she nodded. "I'll take you up on that bet. I'm confident that my son won't catch feelings for Kira-san. Besides, he's denser than a cube of tungsten. He's like his father in that way…"
Nemuri raised an eyebrow, pouring both Inko and her a glass of wine. She brought it over to the island counter, and sat back down next to Inko, prompting a cheers, which Inko replied to by clacking her glass against Nemuri's.
"Oh, do tell? What's your husband like?"
"Ex-Husband. We divorced when I was pregnant with Izuku," Inko corrected as Nemuri's expression soured.
"Deadbeat?" She asked as Inko shook her head, denying it as she spoke.
"Safety reasons. My Ex-husband was… well, his occupation wasn't exactly safe. He had a lot of enemies, and because of that, if he was tied to Izuku in any way, it would cause Izuku problems. So, we divorced. But, he still sends us money. Lots of money. It's why I don't have to work all that much," Inko said as she side glanced at Nemuri. "Hisashi is, and was, a wonderful man. He treated me right, and when we were together he treated me like his Queen and I my King. We were a match made in heaven. But he couldn't be held down by a child, and I held no ill will toward it. He made his choice, and I made mine."
"Does he keep in contact with you?" Nemuri asked as Inko smiled.
"Yes. Through burner emails. But I know it's him because he sends me a picture of our wedding before he continues the conversation with me. He can't stay in one place for too long. Again, because of his job," Inko continued as Nemuri nodded.
"Well, he sounds like a nice person," Nemuri said, sipping her wine. "What is his job, by the way?"
"Can't tell you. If you win the bet, I'll tell you," Inko answered curtly as Nemuri smirked.
"Well played, Midoriya-san. Well played…."
Back in Yoshihara's room, both Izuku and Yoshihara were sitting side by side on Yoshihara's bed, reading the first volume of Soul Eater, and it was during the fight with Stein. "Wow, Maka and Soul really are great partners! And you said this was made before the time of Quirks?" Izuku said as Yoshihara nodded.
"Yup! It came out in 2004, way before any of the stuff we have now was out. I have all twenty-five volumes of the perfect edition of this series, not to mention I have all of the Anime on DVD, and I have the soundtrack. Though the Manga is superior to the Anime. The Anime not only ended earlier, but they ruined the ending!" Yoshihara said, shrugging her shoulder. "Plus, I now have one of the figures of the main group of characters, Death The Kid! It cost me and… Kayama-san… about 200,000 Yen to get everything, though most of that cost came from the statue. But I don't regret it at all!" Yoshihara said, her smile bright and cheerful.
"It's almost like me and my All Might collection, just… a little less weird," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his neck. Yoshihara simply waved it off, dismissing the notion entirely.
"Eh? No, you're All Might collection isn't weird. Maybe a bit much, but not weird. What would be weird is if you had a body pillow of All Might, then that'd be crossing the 'okay' territory and head first diving into the bizarre and not okay territory," Yoshihara stated as Izuku froze up.
"They have… body pillows of All Might?" Izuku asked, his voice a bit shaky, which prompted her to raise an eyebrow.
"Yup…" Yoshihara said, before levelling a concerned stare at him. "Izuku, don't do what I think you're gonna—"
"Huh? No! That's gross!" Izuku exclaimed, recoiling away, repulsed. "I may like All Might, but that's an invasion of privacy. That stuff shouldn't exist, oh god, what if there's one of every hero, even the new graduates from schools, that's just creepy!" Izuku said, rubbing his arm as Yoshihara snickered.
"Oh, now that's just unfortunate. Just wait till you find out about all the porn mags of All Might. Dojinshi artists really are something else," Yoshihara joked as Izuku nearly had a full-on breakdown.
"WHAAA—"
"Okay, that's enough, calm down," Yoshihara said, bopping him on the head as Izuku grumbled.
"It's not my fault that you mentioned something so… gross. Please tell me you don't buy that type of stuff…" Izuku muttered as Yoshihara shrugged.
"Nah. Not of heroes anyway," Yoshihara answered as Izuku's face went red, but she quickly moved on from the topic. "But that's beside the point. The point is, your All Might collection isn't weird. I'd be a hypocrite if I said it was, what with my borderline obsession with Soul Eater," Yosihara continued as Izuku cleared his throat, calming himself down.
"Let's just… continue, okay?" Izuku asked as Yoshihara shrugged, shuffling back over to him and placing the manga in between them as she flipped the page.
It had been a long time since Yosihhara was able to bond over a shared love for something. Not many people had the same geeky tendencies as she did. While she hid it well, when she was around Izuku, there was just something about him that made her want to be herself.
She felt… comfortable around him. Not many people were able to make her feel comfortable around them. Even with Akira, it took years for her to be comfortable around him. But with Izuku, it was near instant.
Maybe it was because she knew he couldn't be a threat to her. To put it bluntly, he was very submissive. Like, to a near upsetting degree. However, it was clear his confidence in things was starting to pick up. It wasn't immediate, but she noticed it.
He didn't flinch anymore when she put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't yelp when Kujo shoved him slightly to get his attention. He stood normally instead of slightly hunched over. He actually used his voice and spoke out more about his opinions on things and didn't hide his dissatisfaction with things.
All it took were people to be friends with him, and he was suddenly a change guy. Sure, he was still awkward, and he was still a bit skittish around new people. Not to mention his tendency to mumble when he got too absorbed in a topic. But it was clear he wasn't a pushover anymore.
She had only met him two weeks ago, and already, there was a large change in his demeanour. That was a good thing, obviously, and a part of her wanted to stop lying to him about what kind of person she was. To let the mask slip, just a little bit, to show him who the real Yoshihara was. Not the act she played to make people comfortable around her.
But, she couldn't. She just couldn't.
She didn't want him to run away, fearing that the feelings she held for him were fake. She didn't want Izuku to be scared of her or hate her because she couldn't feel the same way he felt about their friendship. She was an emotionless husk, who was merely mimicking how other people used their emotions.
Of course, there were times when she felt genuine emotion. Though it was mostly outrage, anger, or occasionally sadness. Those emotions she had practiced so much that she was able to fully feel them. But happiness? Love? Compassion? Empathy? She couldn't. Her brain couldn't wrap around those emotions. It was impossible for her to feel those emotions, and it annoyed her.
But, she was trying. She was learning. She wanted to feel those emotions again—though that was assuming she had ever been able to feel them in the first place. But she was learning, and that was all that mattered.
So, until she re-learned how to emote properly, and until she learned to be empathetic to others, she would have to keep the mask on for just a little bit longer. She would have to hide her true self for just a little bit longer. Just long enough until she was able to put everything behind her, and bury it all for good.
In a way, it was ironic. Putting on a mask to hide one's true self from someone that they had feelings for. Well, in Yoshihara's case, it wasn't "feelings," more than it was that she felt whole around him. Like he was the person who could fill that missing void in her heart that that bitch had clawed out of her so long ago.
Was that what love was? Perhaps, or perhaps not. She'd just have to find out. For now, she just wanted to enjoy Izuku's company, just for the time being, just so that they could be alone together and finally spend some time together.
It was nice. She wanted to stay like this forever, but she knew she couldn't. He would eventually have to go home, and she would be without him again for a while.
But that was fine. It was best to use this time that she had with him to do something that they both enjoyed and if it meant re-reading Soul Eater for the fifth time in the same month, she didn't mind.
The two sat there for what felt like ages reading Manga, giggling and laughing at the antics the main cast got up to. But if there was one thing that Izuku didn't like about the Manga, in particular, it would have to be the fan service. Seeing the girls in the Manga, regardless of their age, being sexualized put him off a little bit, but that was just his own opinion.
But, if Yoshihara liked it, he could try to stomach it, even if it meant going a little bit out of his comfort zone. He never really consumed media with too much sexualization, but sometimes it was just unavoidable. Kind of like in The Misadventures of The Radical Hero: Ms. Darkness.
Yeah… he dropped that anime after Episode 5 when a little girl who looked to be six was strung up… provocatively. It was gross, and he shut the show off before he could blink. Someone from his class had suggested the show to him, and he honestly didn't know how people could like it. Especially with something like that in it.
That aside, he enjoyed the time he had to hang out with Yoshihara. They hadn't really, truly hung out alone. Only ever at school and that was it. Last time, it didn't go so well, but this time, it was going wonderfully. Not to mention, from what he could hear, his mom and Kayama-san were hitting it off rather well.
It had been a while since his home had any real friends. She never got out a lot, so this was a good thing for her. Outside of Auntie Mitsuki, the only other friends that his mother had were work friends, and even then, they never came over or invited her to places. So for Kayama-san, a Pro Hero, to go out of her way and invite his mother over and have a couple of drinks…. He appreciated that.
Although, there was one thing that made this whole party seem… off. It had nothing to do with the people downstairs. It had everything to do with Yoshihara. Not because she was being rude or anything, but it was something that he had noticed about her that was throwing him off.
The fakeness.
All of her expressions oozed falsehoods. It was like she was putting on an act. He could tell that she genuinely wanted to be friends with him; it was obvious with how she acted around him. Hell if saving him from his mom and some random villain who wanted him dead didn't prove as such, he didn't know what would. But her expressions, there were also her emotions. They all seemed fake to a degree—like they were practiced.
Izuku knew a little bit about her past working at that gross brothel before she met Kayama-san, so perhaps that had something to do with it or something that she else wasn't telling him. But the fact of the matter remained that she was faking her smiles, faking her expressions with emotion—all of it. He would know, he had faked a smile more than a few times in his life. He knew a false smile when he saw one, but this was different.
It wasn't just a smile. It was everything.
And yet, he didn't feel upset nor was he angered by it. Even if it was fake, he could tell that she was trying and that it didn't have any kind of malicious intentions behind it. It was as if, even though she was faking it, she was trying to express something. She wasn't faking because she was trying to trick him for a negative reason, but rather a positive one.
His only question was why. Why fake anything at all? Why not just be honest and real? Was there a reason as to why she was faking her emotions? If so, what was the reason? It clearly wasn't a bad reason—after all, he was great and sensing people's intentions, and this wasn't for anything bad. He just wanted to know why.
But, he knew, at least for the moment, he wasn't going to get an answer. To right away, anyway. He'd eventually get an answer. He wasn't in a rush to figure it out anyway. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't the most pressing issue on his mind. Besides, he trusted Yoshihara to tell him eventually.
As Izuku turned the first page on the fifth volume, he was about to open his mouth to say something when he heard the sound of light snoring from his left. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw Yoshihara's head resting peacefully on his shoulder. She was huddled up to the side of his body, sitting sideways as a thin line of drool fell down the right side of her mouth.
Externally, he was calm. Internally, he was panicking. "What am I supposed to do!?" Izuku thought, his face heating up slightly as his cheeks gained a red hint to them. She looked comfortable, and a part of him worried that if he moved his body in any way she'd wake up.
The door creaked open, and Izuku snapped his attention in that direction. Standing in the doorway was Inko, who was about to open her mouth until Izuku gestured to Yoshihara, sleeping on his shoulder. Inko nodded, tapping her wrist. Izuku looked at the time, it was midnight—the latest he had stayed up without studying.
"Do you want to stay the night? The other guests left and Nemuri is cleaning the sheets on the bed so it can be used," Inko whispered as Izuku nodded. "Okay, Nemuri has a spare set of clothes you can use. I'll see you in the afternoon then, love you Izuku," Inko said, walking out of the room and gently closing the door.
Izuku looked down at Yoshihara, whose grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly. Her expression had changed from one of indifference to one of…sadness. It looked like it was sadness. He didn't know what it was she dreaming about but wasn't something that she appeared to like.
Instead of getting up and letting her sleep by herself, Izuku decided to stay, closing the volume of Soul Eater and decided to doze off right there. As they slept, over time, Izuku fell to his side and slowly started to stretch out, and while that happened, Yoshihara unconsciously tumbled in front of him.
Throughout the night, as the clock ticked on, by the time it was 1:45 am, Yoshihara had found herself laying her head on Izuku's chest, and Izuku holding her close to him like a plush toy, with Yoshihara's legs slightly curled up to her stomach and with Izuky having been stretched out across the bed.
Both of them were snoring, though it wasn't that loud. Eventually, at 2:30 am, just as Nemuri was going to go to bed, she creaked open Yoshihara's bedroom door just enough to see what was going on, and a warm smile came over her face when she saw the scene before her.
"Awe, that's cute~! I can already see it, those two are going to be a star couple at U.A.~!" Nemuri thought, creeping away from the door and closing it slowly. If it wasn't obvious to her before, it was obvious to her now.
Izuku Midoriya and Yoshihara Kira had feelings for one another.