Here it is, the fifty-third full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released at the right time for the set weekly chapter upload that I will always do regardless of current drafting status. This is also the longest chapter in this story to date given all that happens in it but there is a lot within this chapter around what is going on so plenty to look forward as we get ready to move into what will be a 2-3 chapter original arc coming up. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 53rd full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 53: First Dorm Activity
"Hey Marinette, you done moving in?" Mina called to her through her door in an excited tone. "If you are come on out and join us, we're going downstairs to see which guys are done."
"Yeah, one sec." Marinette said as she waved at the kwamis to hide just in case Mina barged in before getting up and heading to the door.
Marinette was in her PE pants and her usual white top with a floral design on it, the temporary tattoos Momo had given her still very visible but there wasn't much she could do about it. It was easier to work in these clothes and she had a lot to do so she went with what was comfortable to do it. It had taken a while given what she wanted to do but in the end she'd gotten everything that she wanted done and her room looked good. It was just the way she liked it, and she couldn't wait to surprise the girls with it, just not yet.
Quickly opening the door, Marinette left the room before they could see it to find Mina standing there smiling with a probably equally smiling Hagakure next to her. Both girls were like Marinette, wearing a t-shirt and their PE pants, a yellow one for Mina and a light pink on for Toru. At the end of the hallway by the elevator was Ochaco in a black tank top and the same pants as the other girls and Momo in dark pink shirt. Only Kyoka, who was leaving her room now having been gotten by Ochaco, wasn't wearing the PE pants, she was wearing black shorts though she had the PE top on and unzipped over a gray shirt.
"What's up." Marinette said as she closed the door and the girls headed to the elevator and noticed that one of them was missing. "Where's Tsu?"
"She's not feeling well." Ochaco said. "So, she's turned in early. What's with your arms Marinette?"
"Ah ok." Marinette said, that made sense as there was a lot of work and adjustment and with Tsu being cold blooded she had to have optimal conditions though Marinette was unaware of the real reason why Tsu was not with them. "And, um, Momo got a little enthusiastic with my disguise in Kamino and they won't come off."
"Sorry they had to be realistic so I used ink that will last at least a month." Momo said with a blush. "They worked with the outfit though."
"Is there a picture." Kyoka said with a grin. "I got an idea what you went for Yao-Momo, and I need to see it."
"Kirishima has it." Momo said. "Marinette looked so different."
"Yes well it did come in handy, didn't it darling." Marinette said blowing Momo a kiss that made her go red. "Anyway, what's the plan?"
"Not before you explain that as well." Toru said a mix of shock and interest in her voice. "What happened in Kamino?"
"Well at one point some guys tried to hit on Momo and me." Marinette said. "So, I pretended that we were a couple to get them away and it worked. Gotta say, I understand why Mineta is so fixated on them, your boobs are damn impressive Momo."
"Yes, well, it worked, and I guess I did deserve it for the outfit I chose." Momo said still bright red as the other girls either looked at them in surprise or laughed at what they were imagining, they'd get the full story later. "But let's move on, that is why we are doing this, to be a united class again."
"Correct and we had a great idea for our first activity as dormmates." Mina said as the elevator opened and they piled in. "I'll explain it as we go see what boys are done. Basically…"
-break-
"Ah I'm so beat." Kirishima said as he collapsed on one of the sofas in the common area. "So much stuff to get just right in my room but it's just the way I want it to be."
"Tell me about it." Adrien said. "Didn't realize how much I had until it was all in, it barely fits but it all looks good."
"You and me both." Sero said. "You done unpacking?"
Right now, Kirishima, Adrien, Sero, Izuku, Kaminari, Sato, Tokoyami, Ida and Mineta were all in the common area having come down to relax after finishing unpacking and sorting their things out. As with the girls all wore at least part of their PE kit, all pants for the guys, with various colored or graphic t-shirts. Ida wore the full kit as it was the most efficient to work in for him and Tokoyami had the unzipped top on but that was it.
They'd slowly come down here as they'd finished their work and now that a good group was present they could just relax and chat. Lunch and dinner had already been provided by Lunch Rush during the day, all needed with the work most did, but now that it was over they could just relax as a class before they went to bed.
"I think so." Kirishima said thinking to his room. "I had a fair bit of stuff to move in and set up, but it's all done I think."
"Feels good, right?" Izuku asked.
"I know we could have died but it's kinda exciting to be living here." Kaminari said as Izuku nodded. "Makes me feel more connected with the whole class."
"Yeah, it's really good for all of us." Adrien said. "Plus, now I don't have to worry about a commute, and it feels more like I'm truly part of it all now that we're around each other full time."
"Yes, a unified class." Ida said as he began his usual arm movements. "It's the perfect way to increase our cooperation and discipline in the field, how smart. Just what I would expect out of U.A."
"It will certainly get us in tune with each other for better or worse." Adrien said. "That will be really helpful in the field. I know that me and Marinette really upped our partnership since starting because we were in the same apartment."
"Separate beds I hope." Ida said seriously. "I know you two are a couple but proper decorum dictates that…"
"Yeah, yeah I know." Adrien said with a grin. "Don't worry, we didn't do anything that Mineta wouldn't have approved of. We are French after all; we do have a culture to live up to when it comes to romance and passion."
"What!" Mineta began as he now had to have details, as did Kaminari as he turned to look at his fellow blond. "Tell me…"
"Hiya boys." Mina said approaching and distracting Mineta, and the rest of them as she arrive leading all the girls but Tsu with her. "All done with your rooms?"
"Yup we're just unwinding now." Kaminari said grinning.
"Well, the girls and I have been talking and…" Mina began.
"We had a great idea." Toru finished and by we she meant her, and Mina and the others were just along for the ride at this point though they understood the need for it.
"Let's go around and see who has the coolest room." Mina said reclaiming what she wanted to say from Toru.
There was a pause before several of the boys went white at the idea. There was no way that they weren't going to start with the boys as they'd clearly targeted them and with the nearest that they'd want to enter which just so happened to be…
"Wait you can't go in there!" Izuku said with a scream as they went upstairs and right to his room first, completely avoiding Mineta's in the process.
It was, as expected from Izuku, a literal shrine to All Might. It was All Might everywhere from figures on the chest of draws, to the bedspread, to the curtains, the posters, everything. It was, well, slightly disturbing though given Marinette's past fangirl nature she was one of the few who couldn't complain seeing as she'd done the same with pictures of Adrien in her room back in Paris.
"You're such a fanboy." Ochaco said with a huge smile as she looked around at the posters and tried to convince herself at the smile was because the room was so Deku that it was amazing and not that she was currently in Deku's room as that could cause other problems she was still in deep denial about. "Just what I'd expect from your room."
"Well, I admire him." Izuku said trying to contain his embarrassment and failing while the other guys suddenly realized something.
"Does this mean that they'll be judging our rooms too?" Kaminari asked.
"Probably." Sero said. "Could end up a good time."
"Definitely." Adrien said with a look at Marinette who nodded. "Yup, we're in for it now boys. I do hope your stashes are well hidden."
The girls quickly left Izuku's room and went to the next one of the guys present who lived on this floor in Tokoyami. He was standing outside his room and wouldn't let them enter. That only made the ringleaders of Mina and Toru even more interested, and they together pushed him over to barge into his room.
It was, well, peak Tokoyami in how dark and scary it was, and dark was the operative word as the main lights were out. The only light in the room was an eerie purple light that came from two fake candelabras, a large orb on the shelf above the black spread bed, and the eyes of two skulls, one on the chest of draws that looked human and on the wall that looked like an animal's. To complete the darkness there was a black rug with a white circular pattern on it, skull and gothic posters, black robes, a high back chair by the curtains, a mirror, and even a real sword by a stone at the foot of his bed.
"Don't worry about it, this is pretty cool." Adrien said putting a hand on Tokoyami's shoulder as he trembled while the others looked around and noted a few things that he had. "Real bastion of darkness for you. I like it. It is certainly the place for telling ghost stories or tales from the abyss."
"Thank you Agreste, I am glad a fellow friend who knows the alure and draw of the abyss can see it." Tokoyami said as things got worse and Tokoyami addressed them. "Please leave."
"Is that a real sword?" Izuku asked noticing it wanting to draw it but restraining himself.
"Get out!" Tokoyami roared and they all left the room to go to the next one.
As it was now all about showing off the last member of this floor who wasn't present, Aoyama, appeared at the idea and was more than ready to show off his room. Trust someone as vain as him to want to do so and they walked in to, well, they weren't sure as they were blinded by the sparkles in it the moment they entered. When they recovered they all blinked at the room.
It was done in blue sparkling things everywhere from the curtains to the bespread to the rug to a strip on the wall to even the ceiling though no one had any clue how Aoyama had managed that. The only decorations that Aoyama had were a collection of mirrors that a mirror room at a fun house would be envious of and they were everywhere including on the bed. The only noteworthy and surprising thing was the life sized, complete, set of medieval French armor in the corner above Aoyama's bed complete with sword.
"Aren't you dazzled?" Aoyama asked as they all recovered from the sight hoping they hadn't received permanent eye damage from it.
"It's so shiny." Mina said.
"No, no it's not shiny." Aoyama said waving his finger before posing as he spoke. "It's mag-ni-fique."
"I just want to say that not all French guys are like this." Adrien said.
"Or French in general." Marinette added looking at Aoyama and adding in their native tongue. "Trop de miroirs, c'est vain même selon les normes française, Aoyama."
"Au contraire ma compatriote." Aoyama replied sticking to French which only Adrien and Momo could understand though it was surprising and fascinating to them all that Marinette would switch to French for Aoyama as if she was scolding him for embarrassing their nation and didn't want others to hear, which she was. "Ce n'est pas suffisant, j'ai dû renvoyer les autres à la maison car ils ne correspondaient pas."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Marinette said switching back to Japanese with a sigh as she left followed by Kaminari, Mina, Toru and Momo who at least knew what Marinette and Aoyama had said and agreed with Marinette on it. "Seriously, we aren't all like that in Paris."
"What did you two say?" Mina asked while the others, now joined by Shoji and Koda at least, were still recovering from Aoyama's sparkles.
"You don't want to know." Marinette said.
"That was exactly like I pictured." Toru commented about the room.
"Honestly I expected more." Mina said. "I think he could have had more sparkles."
"It could have been." Marinette muttered while the others were finally leaving.
"This is turning out to be really fun." Ochaco said excited about it all as it was exciting to see her classmate's personalities as extensions of themselves in their rooms and it was making them feel like a class again. "The last person on this floor is…"
She turned and looked to see that it was Mineta's room, and he door was cracked with him looking at all the girls that were now looking at him as an ominous aura, and to Adrien odor, came from the room that he'd returned to at some point. There was no way in hell that any of the girls were setting foot in that den of utter objectification of the female form.
"Hey, come on in girls." Mineta said gesturing to them to do so in a way that the word creepy couldn't even begin to describe. "I've got so much to show you."
"So, the third floor?" Ochaco asked.
"Good idea, that room is unsalvageable now." Marinette said as they headed to the elevator up. "They'll have to demolish it when we move out."
"Where are you going?" Mineta asked. "Come back."
They didn't so Mineta had to hurry to join them as they went up to the third floor. As they did he was already coming up with a plan for some revenge and a way to have a little fun for himself that he could actually get away with in the process. He just needed a little more to fall into place for him to make it happen and then he'd strike at the perfect moment to ensure at least he got to see what he wanted even if he couldn't show the girls how awesome his room was.
By this point though they'd reached the third floor and the first room on the list was Ojiro's, so they went in to find, well, nothing of note. It was ordinary, almost barren with nothing but a monitor on the chest of drawers, a laptop, a wall calendar above the desk, and a small table in the middle of the room with a comb and a box of tissues in it. It didn't look like Ojiro had moved anything in and some of the class commented as such causing his tail to deflate slowly as they spoke showing his bruised ego.
"Um if we're done here then let's go." Ojiro said to get the comments over with and they did as the group moved onto the next room that just so happened to be Ida's.
Ida's room was, well, pretty much as expected from the class rep. It was neat, perfectly organized, and structured just like him. Ida had set up bookshelves on the right side of the room, moving the bed a bit to accommodate them and they were stocked to the brim with books all in perfect order. He had his own library effectively that covered many topics it seemed.
On the other side there were his school things again perfectly ordered, things for organizing everything from dirty laundry to trash and 4 shelves filled with glasses that the girls tried on and which Ida explained were spares because he expected them to get broken during training. There were no surprises with Ida be it in himself or in his room, well to those who didn't know the full truth of Hosu that is.
As with Ojiro, Ida's room had been a quick stop and then they moved on to Kaminari's with Mina and Ochaco wearing spare pairs of Ida's glasses for some reason. When they walking into Kaminari's room it was, well, there wasn't really a word that one could use to describe it.
It was a strange mix of things. He'd replaced his chest of drawers with a black set and set up a plastic shelving unit next to it that was filled with junk, same with the shelve on the wall above it. He a hat and a framed shirt on the walls, along with a dartboard, license plates on either side of AC unit and what they guessed were modern art in the forms of shelves. There was also a lamp or sculpture in one corner, a basketball by the bed and a modern but cheap looking table with a notebook and a box of tissues on it. Lastly the bedspread was a black and leopard print design in diagonals.
"Really?" All the girls said in unison at the room showing the bad start that Kaminari was in for.
"This is the store in the mall I'd avoid." Jiro said finally finding the words she needed to describe the room.
"That's actually a good way to explain whatever the hell this is." Marinette said. "It's that store that tries to be modern, hip and cheap but comes off as rather tacky."
"Exactly." Mina added.
"What? It's perfect." Kaminari said in his defense, but they all turned and left to the last room on the floor, Koda's, ignoring yet another bruised ego in the process.
This one was the biggest surprise so far and judging by the girls' reactions upon entering it was the clear front runner. That was because, while the room wasn't anything to talk about what with a green bedspread with some soft toys on it, circular rug with a yellow circular table on it, green curtains, a wall calendar, and a cork board, there was one thing, along with all the required items, that got everyone's attention.
"He's got a rabbit!" The girls squealed. "And it's so cute."
"His name is Yuwai and just be careful not to touch his ears." Koda said nervously as the girls went to the bunny with the respect necessary for it before they all began to play with it as they heeded Koda's advice. "They're sensitive."
"Hey no fair." Kaminari complained to Koda somehow missing that Todoroki was now with them having shown up during the commotion on this floor at some point. "We don't get pets. You're trying to buy the judges' love."
Koda shook his head violently to deny it, but Kaminari clearly wasn't believing him. It was clear that everyone was really getting into the competition and really enjoying it. Well, some were at least. They were halfway through the boys and while some were ok with it, others were feeling judged and down. The main ones there were Kaminari, Ojiro, Tokoyami, and Aoyama. They were complaining outside and as this was the first floor with girls on it Mineta saw this as his moment to strike. He'd been waiting for it and now, with almost everyone present, he had his opening and 4 willing dupes to back him up.
"That's because the boys are the only ones getting picked on." Mineta said walking slowly towards the group as he made his argument. "They said it was a contest to see who has the coolest dorm room. So, what about them?"
With this Mineta accented his point by pointing at the girls, mainly the ringleaders Mina and Toru. They all looked at Mineta in confusion as he called them out, but the little embodiment of lust wasn't done with his rant just yet.
"We have to see the girls' rooms to tell which one is best." Mineta declared keeping his composure and act as this was the moment he'd been planning for since his own temple to the female form had been rejected before being seen by the girls in his class. "Their interior design skills should be held at the same standard as ours, maybe even higher. Show us those dorms."
At this there was a dramatic clap of thunder for some reason as everyone thought on it. It was a very convincing argument from Mineta of all people and with at least 4 of the guys now suffering bruised egos from the girls, and 3 of them being guys of either stellar reputation with the girls or in Aoyama's case an uncertainty about his sexuality that made him safe despite his many eccentricities, there was support.
To Mineta he just grinned at how they didn't seem to pick up on underlying goal of seeing into the forbidden zones of the girls and going plus ultra. He had hid it well behind the bruised egos of his classmates, and it was working.
"I'm into it." Mina said excitedly as their competitive spirits were stoked.
"Sure." Marinette said with a grin though with Mineta she'd always be on edge so when it came she'd keep an eye on him. "I don't mind showing off."
"Yeah I want to show my room off, so this is fair." Toru added sounded enthusiastic about it.
The only girl not interested in it was Jiro, but she wasn't going to win and with even the most uninterested in the class now involved, except Bakugo who'd called it lame and went to bed, the first Class 1-A best dorm contest began. They had to sort out the rules though and it was between best taste and overall coolest. In the end, though, they went with a one vote per person rule, and you can't vote for yourself.
No one noticed how excited Mineta was getting at how they were going along with his plan so that he could rummage around their rooms to find scintillating secrets in them. He knew what he was looking for and he also wanted confirmation on something he'd long suspected that Agreste had alluded to earlier. It was time for answers. Of course, Adrien did notice Mineta and was going to keep an eye on him when the time came though he doubted he'd need to as Mineta would blow his cover sooner rather than later and then whoever was nearest would act to restrain the gremlin in the class.
As they were already in the boys' wing and couldn't access the girls' one from here they went upstairs to the fourth floor for the next ones. This was the only floor with 3 boys on it and as Bakugo wasn't bothering they only had Shoji and Kirishima to check out. They started with Kirishima with Mina and Toru naturally leading the way as they ran towards it to see what it was going to be like while he complained about being tired but still went along with it.
"Not that I care but you might not get what I'm going for." Kirishima said as he opened the door to his rather impressive room. "But it's a den of manliness."
And that's just what it was, a man cave in all its glory. He had motivational, sports, and other such posters and sayings on the walls along with a clock with arms that were flexing, a camo bed spread, red curtains with a flame pattern, and a small shelving unit filled with books aimed at the male demographic but not the ones that were aimed at creatures like Mineta. However, the main thing in the center of the room was a punching bag that some of the guys nodded appreciatively at knowing that they'd be asking Kirishima to use it and some weights.
"If I found out my boyfriend, if I had one, had a room like this, I'd dump him." Toru said, her invisible eyes darting to one boy in particular who she wouldn't admit that she was soft on, as Mina just nodded in agreement at Kirishima's assessment of his room looking unimpressed by it. "What about you Marinette, would Agreste had a room like this?"
"You'll have to wait and see though it will be nothing like his one back in France simply because these rooms aren't large enough but when you love someone you don't care about their room tastes as it's just an extension of why you love them." Marinette said as she walked to the weights that were pretty high weight and picked them up with ease. "Huh, lighter than I was expecting from Kirishima."
"What?" Kirishima said his eyes going wide. "Those are the highest I got? I keep forgetting how manly you are Dupain-Cheng."
"Enhanced female constitution, remember." Marinette said as she put them down and looked at her friend and classmate. "But I understand, the stronger you are the stronger your Hardening, right?"
"That and the more hits it takes the tougher it gets." Kirishima said with a nod. "So, I need to keep bulking up."
"So bold, makes me want to work out." Ochaco said her fighting spirit that Gunhead had unlocked coming out again.
"You get it." Kirishima said smiling at his classmate while the crew of bruised egos grimaced at Kirishima getting at least one vote of approval from the girls who'd inflicted this contest upon them.
They left the room and went to the last room to see on this level in Shoji's. He was standing outside it and warned them with a mouth on one of his Dupli-Arms that they weren't going to find anything interesting in it before he opened the foot and, well, he wasn't wrong. There wasn't anything interesting because there wasn't anything at all. Just a low desk to kneel and a folded-up futon with the blanket and pillow on top of it and that was it.
Apparently Shoji was an extreme minimalist as everyone blinked at the empty room though Shoji simply claimed it was because he didn't understand the need to fill a room with junk. The only one interested was Mineta who went to search the sheets and futon for it was his belief that guys like this always had a super-secret pervy side. However, in this case he was again wrong.
With Shoji's spartan room done they moved up to the top floor and the final four guys' rooms before it was the girls' turn to show their rooms off. Once they got there they started with Sero and for the first time everyone was genuinely surprised by what they found while Sero just grinned as he'd played it off as cool until now knowing what was to come when they reached his room.
His room was rather cool and chill in a strange way with a style no one expected from him. There was a large, patterned run, similar but different patterned bedspread and again same style different pattern wall art. The blinds had been replaced with wooden slat ones, there was a proper changing thing in the corner, a wooden table in the center, and even wooden draws replacing the provided chest. The biggest surprises though were the plant in the corner and a white hammock in front of the blinds of all things. It was the clear frontrunner for the guys along with Koda's.
It was exotic and well done with plenty of taste and surprise in it. Sero had been the true wildcard so far and had up the stakes as they moved onto the next room on the floor, Todoroki's. This was the one that got a lot of thoughts from the girls as it was a peak into the quiet private life of one of their top and most competent classmates. They were all excited to see it.
"Let's get this over with, it's late." Todoroki said being a good sport as he opened the door and the class was once again shocked by the room because, well, it was extremely Japanese.
Todoroki had completely removed the furniture down to the bed from his room and replaced it with tatami mats like the ones he had at home as he preferred to sleep on a futon on them, the futon itself was in the closest as it should be. There were Japanese style shutters, light, beams, a low desk and chair on a rug, and even a small standing closest with a few plants and artistic items on the walls. It looked like it was even built differently.
"We've got these kinda floormats at my house." Todoroki said in a bored tone though he didn't go into details on how he'd been told where to find the mats by Recovery Girl after a strange escapade outside that started when a picture he had of him and his mother from before her troubles blew outside and he ended up in an adventure with Mei Hatsume of all people. "They're much more comfortable than hardwood."
"This isn't your house?" Kaminari pointed out.
"How did you remodel all this in just one day?" Mineta asked once again annoyed that Todoroki was showing off how good he was and likely going to get a girl before he could.
"With hard work." Todoroki said simply showing that he was a beast.
With Todoroki's shocking room done they left commenting on how good a pro he was or how pretty boys had tricks up their sleeves as they moved onto the next room, Agreste's. This one too got a lot of interest from the girls as he was up there with Todoroki for comparisons and as he had the best Quirk to counter Todoroki no one doubted that a fight between the pair would be something to watch.
"I didn't have as much space as I do back home, so I chose what I liked best." Adrien said as he opened his door making sure to be loud enough for the kwamis to hear so that they could hide. "And as such this is what I went with."
"Woah." Came the class entered his room.
Adrien's room was a small version of his old one back in France without the extra level or the, well, basketball hoop, rock wall and half pipe thing though he had put a basketball hoop in the area over the door. His bed had a black spread with pillow, he'd installed shelves on the walls by it that were organized and filled with DVDs of the latest films from America, Japan, and France, books in at least 4 languages, and video games.
On the other wall Adrien had set up a full TV with shelves around it for surround sound and gaming consoles while his desk had 3 monitors on it and a large picture of him and his mother on the wall above it, next to an adorable one of him and Marinette somewhere in Tokyo. There were more framed photos on the chest of drawers showing Adrien with friends back home though there was clearly space for more with his new friends at U.A.
In the back in front of a black curtain was a white two-seater sofa that looked comfortable. Lastly, between the bed and desk were the was space was a foosball table on top of a black rug that had a pair of green cat's eyes on it as an homage to his costume and hero identity.
It was clear that with the way the room was and Adrien's strength it could be remodeled as a great chill place. Already some of the guys were chatting about setting up a foosball tournament that Adrien was only more than willing to host.
"Somehow this is what I was expecting." Mina said looking around the room. "It's got everything you'd expect for a guy but in a tasteful way that only someone of class and culture can manage."
"Well, these are adorable." Toru said looking at the shelf above the bed they all had where Adrien had what looked like a plush collection of strange little creatures that bore resemblances to a black cat, a purple moth, a green turtle, a green cobra-like snake, a pig, brown monkey, peacock, blue ox, a fox, and a rooster. "What are they?"
"Huh?" Adrien asked turning and using all his acting to control himself as he tried not to glare at the kwamis that had decided to be part of the room by pretending to be plushies as he came up with a backstory for them. "Oh, those are a limited-edition line of plushies released only in France a while back, hard to get and not the complete set but I managed to get a fair few in the end. The black cat one reminded me of my hero costume so that's how I got into them."
"They're so cute." Toru squealed picking up Plagg and prodding him in the stomach. "Firmer than expected. I can see why they are limited edition, they're really good quality."
"How many languages do you speak Agreste?" Momo asked as she looked over the titles of the books while Toru put Plagg down and inspected the rest of the kwamis who were going to be in for it later after this little stunt of theirs. "I'm seeing French, Japanese, and English as I'd expect but you have Mandarin, Italian and Spanish as well I think."
"That would be correct, and I speak all fluently." Adrien said with a smile. "So, 6 though I know enough Cantonese to pass in Hong Kong and if I spend more time here I'll try and pick up Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, and anything else that might be useful."
"Definitely a place for some video games." Kirishima said approvingly. "And quietly manly in a refined way."
"Thank you." Adrien said.
With that they moved onto the next room, the final boy's in Sato's who realized that now he was in for it just like so many of his classmates had been. The room itself was unremarkable with only a table with a yellow tablecloth on it, a large glass fronted shelving unit where the dresser was and a side table with a specialty baking oven on it along with a whisk, a mixing bowl, milk, eggs and other cooking items that were still out. That's when they smelt it.
"Something smells good." Ojiro noted. "What is it?"
"Oh crap, I forgot about that." Sato said going to the baking oven that had thankfully gone off when programmed and not burned what he was making. "I finished unpacking really early so I started making a chiffon cake. I thought we could all eat it together."
"Chiffon cake?" Marinette asked sounding more shocked than most had expected from her. "Not an easy thing to bake and get right."
"It hasn't been iced yet." Sato said not hearing her as he opened his oven. "But want some."
Instantly all the girls rushed him though Marinette was oddly calmer than the others as she joined them and took a slice of cake on one of the forks offered. She had to test it to see if it was properly made after all, it's what her parents would have expected from her.
"The strong guy is an expert baker!" Mineta and Kirishima exclaimed in shock at that as 5 of the 6 girls enjoyed the cake he'd made.
"It's delicious, so fluffy." Ochaco said as she ate it, a comment Marinette noted as that was a good sign for the cake's quality.
"I could eat it every day even if I shouldn't." Toru said.
"I get Sero, but this is really unexpected." Mina said.
"I think it's great that you have such a fun hobby Sato." Momo said to him with a smile. "Would you bake something to go with my tea one day?"
"I seriously did not expect this reaction." Sato said going bright red at what the girls were saying as he tried to explain his hobby. "Mostly I bake as part of the training for my Sugar Quirk, store bought sweets can get pricy."
"Depends on the store but the good ones are usually worth the price tag as the baker knows his or her salt so to speak." Marinette said as she finished inspecting the slice she had the way a wine connoisseur would with the latest vintage before she took a bite and slowly chewed it as she analyzed it. "Hmm."
"Don't you like it Marinette?" Mina asked surprised at her reaction.
"Yeah it's really good though I've never had chiffon cake I'll admit." Ochaco said but Marinette simply raised a finger and took another bite to analyze it more before turning to Sato as she swallowed it.
"Sato, are you self-taught?" Marinette asked him.
"Yes, well mostly I did use online videos for how to properly make things and then it was trial and error." Sato said a little confused. "I was a little embarrassed to ask for help so I did it all myself."
"I figured as much and for someone with no formal training this is really good." Marinette said taking another bite to confirm her analysis as the class all turned to her confused at what she was saying with the exception of Adrien who knew what was coming. "You've got this one down well and that's not easy. I can tell you're using the traditional vegetable oil rather than what most amateurs try with traditional butter or shortening so you've gotten that down well."
"Well, that's what the video said." Sato said still really confused. "So, I went with it, and it turned out as it looked in the video."
"As it should, vegetable oil is better than a solid fat like butter as it allows for more air to get into the batter when you beat it." Marinette said taking a fourth bite as everyone watched with slack jaws at this point. "That's how it becomes fluffy, and I must say that you've managed to get fluffiness of it just right as Ochaco said. That means that you also know to separate the whites from the yokes of the eggs before whisking them and beating the whites until stiff and then folding them into the batter, well done. You are right, icing would have added to it to complete it, but this works well without it. My only note is that it is a little heavy on the sugar but that is likely because of your Quirk, and I am French, so I don't mind."
"Um yes, that's entirely correct." Sato said his eyes wide as he stared at the French girl who finished her piece as if she hadn't just expertly dissected how to make a chiffon from simply eating it and knew precisely what he'd done to make it. "How'd you know all that?"
"Cakes aren't my specialty, they're more an American thing and a chiffon is an American creation, but this one is good enough to sell I'd say." Marinette said when she was done. "Good job with it, you've been doing this for a while, I can tell."
As she finished Marinette looked around the room to see everyone but Adrien openly gaping at her, he was just grinning at her in the way she loved so much. The rest all knew how good the French girl was at combat, she was easily in the top 3 of the class in most estimates with several considering her to be the very best after Kamino, and they'd seen her skills in many situations but this, this was not what any of them were expecting from. Marinette had just dissected Sato's cake expertly with complete knowledge of how to make one from just eating it and evaluated it as if she was appraising it.
"What?" Marinette asked the room looking around trying and failing to play it cool after what she'd just done as she knew she'd finally gotten the chance to reveal her family's talent and in the most surprising way possible thanks to Sato. "Do I have some cake on my face?"
"No, just, um…" Momo began still trying to process what she'd just witnessed, she swore she'd never get used to Marinette's surprises.
"How did you know all that!" Mina exclaimed. "Sato baking is a shock but the way you analyzed it, it was as if you know exactly how to make one and what is needed in it."
"Well, that is expected from me so why shouldn't I know how?" Marinette asked a bit confused though most could see that it was feigned as she finally dropped the bomb on them. "I am the daughter of the best bakers in all of Paris after all. It would be a dishonor to my family if I couldn't make or know what to look for in a Chiffon cake or any other common western pastry or bread, or anything that is specifically French."
"WHAT!" All the girls exclaimed.
"First the strong guy now the most badass girl, who else can bake?" Kaminari said his eyes bugging out at this point.
"Wait the top bakers in Paris, if not all of Europe, are the…" Momo began before she slapped her forehead as soon as she remembered the family name of the bakers in question. "The Dupain family."
"The Cheng does throw some people and it's not expected in Japan so it's understandable." Marinette said with a grin. "Mom didn't change her name when she married dad, so they gave me both to show the two sides of my heritage when I was born."
"So, you're the latest in the line from Tom and Sabine Dupain?" Momo asked. "The founders of Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie and Patisserie that has been in business for over a quarter of a millennia now."
"Yes they're my pare…ancestors." Marinette said quickly correcting herself though everyone was too shocked to realize that near mistake, at least she hoped, or if they did it would come off as a translation error. "The family tradition actually starts with Rolland Dupain, Tom's father, sometime after WWII as far as I recall though it was Tom, with his wife Sabine, who started the store sometime in the 1990s I believe, if our history is correct. The place on Rue Gotlib is the family home and has been there for centuries, surviving the Quirk Wars though the family did leave Paris during the worst of it because we are upper class despite being very philanthropic without doing it for show."
"And now it's all over Europe and America though none in Japan yet and only a place in Shanghai in all of Asia." Momo said. "I know it's a place everyone has to go to whenever they visit Paris. I am so sorry for not making the connection Marinette."
"It's ok, I don't like playing on the family name." Marinette said dismissively. "And as we weren't living together I didn't feel the need to show off, now though, well I was planning on it being a surprise but having Sato bake as well I may as well say it now. I'm going to make my best item when this is all done for you guys as a welcome to the dorm celebration. I planned this before the room contest so we can do it afterwards once we know the winner."
"Your best?" Mina asked. "So, you can bake as well."
"Better than anyone here." Marinette said without a hint of arrogance in her voice as it was a simple fact. "I may be in the hero business but that doesn't mean I'm not trained in the family one as well as it will be mine one day. I have a few talents I haven't revealed yet."
"I'll back Marinette up there and not because I'm her boyfriend." Adrien said taking a slice of Sato's Chiffon cake and eating it. "Wow this is good Sato, really fluffy and flavorful, but yes Marinette's baking is better and if she's making her best, oh boy are we going to enjoy it."
"What is you best?" Ochaco asked already eager to try it as she was a huge fan of sweets and cake.
"The family's specialty, macarons." Marinette said grinning. "And I'm the best in history at them. I mastered the recipe years ago and have even improved it."
"Wait that's what the bakery is most well known for." Momo said her eyes wide. "And you can make them better?"
"Just wait and see." Marinette said to tease them. "By the time I'm done you'll not want anything else with your tea though once I know what your tea is like I can bake the best thing to pair with it and that's including things I've never baked before. Just give me a recipe and instructions and I'll show what I can do."
"Th, thank you." Momo said knowing she'd take her up on it as well as asking Sato to bake something so that not all the work was on Marinette.
"Dupain-Cheng." Sato said having fully recovered and understanding the situation and bowing to her when she turned to face him. "I would be honored if you would teach me more about baking to improve my own skills in the department. I am self-taught but having an expert look over will make me better."
"Sure." Marinette said a bit taken aback. "Though I'll only teach you how to be better and not change your style. All bakers have their own style from how they learned, and it is best to not mess with it but rather let that baker continually evolve it with their own experiences."
"Oh, ok thank you." Sato said rising.
"We'll start once all this is over." Marinette said. "I will need an assistant to bake for the whole class so you can help. You'll be better than Adrien as you already know how to bake which is a great start and he's hopeless at this kinda stuff."
"Of course, it would be an honor." Sato said.
"What is going on?" Izuku asked as most of the guys were all still trying to process what they'd learned about one of their international students that they'd not expected.
"Marinette is revealing one of her secrets." Adrien said with a grin. "But it's over and let's move on. We still have the girls rooms to see and knowing m'lady at least one more secret skill of hers."
"Yes we must hold them to the same standard." Mineta said. "And judge them like they did us."
"It is only fair." Ojiro said.
"Entirely." Tokoyami added.
"Oui." Aoyama said with a nod.
With that they all left Sato's room with the cake now gone and went to the elevator to go down to the first floor and then take the girls' elevator up to the third floor where the first rooms were. Soon they'd be moving onto the girls rooms starting with Jiro's as it was the nearest the elevator. On the way she tried to talk them out of it as she was the one who didn't want to show off her room but everyone else had so it was only fair and honorable that she did it, so she had to accept it as they went to her room.
"It's kinda embarrassing." Jiro warned as she opened her door.
It was clear that Jiro was self-conscious, but she really didn't have to be, her room was the best example so far of an extension of its occupant personality, it was totally punk rock. She had a full band's worth of instruments with three electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a keyboard and a full drum set at least.
She'd also replaced her chest of drawers with a full stereo system, placed a subwoofer in a corner and had a bookcase packed full of records. She had music posters on the wall, a checkered carpet and matching strips along the extent on the top of the walls and on the ceiling somehow as well as covering one whole wall as a black poster with two English words on it. Even her bedspread had musical notes on it.
"Can you play all these instruments?" Ochaco asked amazed as she looked around the room.
"Yeah, at least a little." Jiro said embarrassed by the whole thing and fiddling with her earphone jacks as she spoke.
She loved music, it was what her parents did, and she had a talent and passion for it as a hobby but she wanted to be a hero so that was all it was to her, it held no use to her Quirk or work as a hero. Her style though was very punk rock as Toru noted and all this, coupled with her own occasional bouts of body insecurity given her less than feminine appearance and tastes, did make her self-conscious. Jiro was a tomboy through and through and people saw that and while she liked it, it didn't make her any less of a girl. Of course, Jamming-Way in his usually stupidity noticed none of this.
"You're room is girlier than this." Kaminari said to Aoyama pointing out the obvious with absolutely no social grace whatsoever.
"That's because I got style." Aoyama said not embarrassed at all but somehow proud of it and that was the last straw for Jiro.
"We are done here." Jiro said as she sent her earphone jacks into the offending boys' ears and sent a heartbeat distortion into them causing them to spasm in pain. "Next room, now."
"That would be mine." Marinette said as she led them to it without any expression before opening the door to give the kwamis a signal that they needed to hide. "And here it is."
"Wow, just wow." Mina said her eyes wide as Marinette led them in, most having a similar reaction.
"How?" Jiro asked looking up before remembering something from early. "Though that does explain the power tools."
"Hard work, a lot of strength and a pully system that I had to look up." Marinette said smiling at her handiwork. "But it's what I'm used to, so I had to make it as such."
What they were all looking at was the big feature that Marinette had done that caught all their eyes. She'd fully lofted her bed so that it was just below the ceiling with enough room for her to sit up in and nothing more. She'd done so with a set of wooden vertical beams on the ends that faced the center of the room and brackets under it that were drilled into the wall. She'd even added a protective side, so she didn't roll out of it though how she got in was anyone's guess. It had taken Marinette a lot of time to sort it out, but it had been her primary goal with her stuff, and she'd figured it out in the end.
The bed itself was very girly with a pale pink spread and pillow with pictures of her and Adrien plastered to the walls on it that got the girls gushing at how cute it was. Then they noticed the rest of the room and continued to be shocked by what they saw. Seriously, how did this girl keep doing this.
Below the bed was Marinette's desk but not the one provided but rather the one she personally preferred, which was a long, white, benchlike desk with her monitor in the middle and various boxes and other things on the sides and a hot pink rolling chair in front of it. It was an end around desk as well as the area where the head of the bed was there was also part of the desk with a sowing machine of all things on it along with various other items for clothes making, repairs and what not and a full sewing box open next to it showing that Marinette was working on something at the moment.
There was also a large corkboard on the wall above the desk filled with pictures and the bronze medal Marinette had won at the Sports Festival pinned to it. More pictures of Marinette with various people were on the walls, along with shots of Adrien from fashion shoots back in Paris or ones of them as a couple in a few of the more touristy places that Japan had to offer.
Marinette had also removed her chest of drawers and replaced that wall with a pink and black vanity where her desk had originally been, chest of all things next to it and then a full-length pink chaise long along the wall that could be moved into the space in the middle for when she had the girls around. She'd completed it with a circular pink rug in the center of the room with a black pattern around the edge.
However, that was not what really surprised the people. No that was reserved for the two full sized, one male and one female, fashion dummies in opposite corners complete with partially finished outfits, pins, notes in French, and measuring tapes around the necks. There were even rolls of fabric in the area behind the door and under the chaise.
"Um Marinette?" Mina asked as people looked around, thankfully the kwamis in Marinette's room were hiding and better behaved than their male counterparts up in Adrien's, as she looked at the tape measure on one of the fashion dummies. "What is all this?"
"Oh well, um, you see, I'm kinda really into fashion." Marinette said going red causing yet another round of gaping at the French girl who made no sense to anyone at this point. "Like really into it in the sense that I have many designs for clothes sketched out, I can draw pretty well by the way, and even make my own clothes with my own unique signature to them."
"Are they good?" Toru asked as she tried to process the second Marinette surprise in less than half an hour. "Like if I asked for you to make me something could you do it?"
"I'd need your measurements but yeah I can without much problem, I'll even show you my designs and let you pick out what you want." Marinette said with a smile. "All I ask is that you pay for the raw materials for it but I did this for my girls back home so I can do it for lot as well. I can also make men's clothes and jewelry though I'm not as good at those but with Adrien's help I am getting a lot better at the former."
"Measurements?" Mineta asked instantly intrigued. "I'd like to…"
He didn't finish before Adrien 'accidentally' tripped and kneed him in the face downing him for a moment so that he could be dragged out of the room and placed in the hallway away from everyone else. He then came to Marinette's praise to show just how good she was at fashion.
"If you want to know how good she is Hagakure." Adrien said. "She's won fashion contests held by my dad for the right to have me wear an item in a fashion show I was headlining back in France and dad's certainly impressed by her skills. If Marinette wasn't going down the hero path she could be the next top fashion designer."
"That good?" Mina asked her eyes wide as ideas for what she'd like Marinette to make her raced through her mind.
"That good." Adrien confirmed with a nod. "Right now, Marinette could create a niche line if she wanted that would be very successful but it's just a hobby. Hero work comes first."
"That's right but for my girls I'll make what you want when I have the time." Marinette said. "It's not hard and I do it when I can to relax. We all need these moments to take away from hero work and for me baking and fashion are them."
"I'm definitely hitting you up." Toru said while Mina nodded. "I can tell you can make some super cute clothes Marinette."
"Oh, you know it." Marinette said with a grin at them.
"Just who is this girl?" Jiro asked she looked around the room though she was speaking to no one in particular. "All year we've seen her in class and in training. There we learned that she's a natural leader, a total badass with or without her Quirk, and a literal powerhouse who is equal to Todoroki or Bakugo. Now we learn that she's also an expert baker and a talented fashion designer, what else can she do?"
"I'm also one of the best video gamers in my class back in France." Marinette said helpfully stunning them once again. "Yup, face me in a fighting game and I'll beat all of you."
"Oh, you are so on." Kirishima said giving her a toothy grin. "I'll make you prove it."
"Bring it, I'll win against all of you." Marinette said as her level of shock value went up yet again.
The only person who was not saying anything was Momo as she looked around the photos that were all of Marinette with her friends back in France. There was an empty space with a sticky note in French that said 'Reserved for my new friends' that Momo liked but she was more focused on the brief glimpse of Marinette past that she got with the photos. After all she'd seen and learned from and about Marinette, along with some of the odd translation errors she seemed to have from time to time, Momo couldn't help but agree with Kyoka's assessment.
Just who was Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The girl was truly an enigma to Momo despite being a good friend. She came from money but didn't show it. She was mixed race and yet her French side was extremely dominant to the point that Momo often forgot that Marinette was half-Chinese. She was the strongest in the class and yet not arrogant about it but humble and even a little oblivious to her own power levels. She was also a highly skilled individual outside the battlefield with a wide range of interests, hobbies, and abilities. Well maybe the photos could tell Momo something about Marinette.
They were all in Paris at various notable locations that she recognized from other photos and media she'd seen on the city. Paris had been badly affected by the Quirk Wars, French history with revolutions and wars was rather bloody with a huge amount of beheadings, but when the Quirk Wars ended many of the iconic places like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc du Triumph, the various gardens, and Notre Dame that had been damaged or destroyed had been rebuilt just as they had been, or as close to it, and many were in Marinette's photos.
Momo however was more focused on the people not that she'd have noticed anything amiss as Marinette had carefully curated her photos and only put-up ones that wouldn't show things that didn't exist anymore or gave away that they were from the late 2010s and not the late 2240s. It was as Momo was looking at the photos that she noticed one that caught her eye.
She'd seen plenty of shots of Marinette with her friends, mostly with the girls that she was close with but others with what had to be male classmates. They were a rather diverse bunch it seemed though none had distinctive mutant class Quirks, but Momo wasn't going to judge as some chose to hide them or in cases like Ida you wouldn't know normally that his Quirk was mutant class until you saw it in action. However, Momo's expert eye fell on one photo on the corkboard that was clearly different.
What made it different was that it was the only photo Marinette had with the other occupant so that's how Momo noticed it as the other girl wasn't in the group photos or any others of Marinette and her friends. When Momo looked at it she realized that the girl with Marinette was, well, classically Japanese with the look of one of the oldest and most noted families in all of Japan, the Tsurugi family.
Momo knew the family well; they were an old one in Japan with roots that dated back to long before the advent of Quirks and were one of the richest in the nation hence why she knew them though she doubted anyone else would, not even Todoroki. They were also an early proponent of a hero society and served as Japan's witnesses to the Providence Hero Code that created the first heroic code out in Providence, Rhode Island.
That was because the family had a great claim to fame in Japan, some of the earliest Quirks recorded in Japan were born to their family. It was a set of triplets born to the son of the matriarch at the time some 180 or so years ago if Momo recalled and each had a different power. If her memory served her from when she'd learned of them for some business meeting where the current patriarch was in attendance; one could become water, another wind, and a third lightning.
It had led to the creation of three branches of the family though only one remained in Japan that Momo recalled. As far as she was aware the other two branches had died out a century and 30 years ago or so respectively but if one had relocated to France for some reason that would also explain it. Sometimes a branch family did just that and when that happened the Japanese branch tended to not acknowledge them unless they were around.
That and Momo didn't recognize the girl. She knew the current Tsurugi patriarch, he was one of her father's better contacts, and that he had two children who weren't U.A. age yet so if one branch was now in France that made sense. This girl had the families classic black hair, cut in a bowl cut that worked for her, with brown, slanted, eyes and a stern beauty to her. She was also barely smiling but it looked good on her as it was clear that she was having a good time with Marinette, and she wore a white blazer, black shirt and red tie while making a peace sign.
Marinette was next to her looking like her usual self with a smile and holding the phone though the lighting really brought out her western features more than her eastern ones. The girls looked to be drinking some of those flavored grenadines Marinette had introduced them to at her place that one time while sitting outside in the sun so likely last summer or so and in front of Notre Dame cathedral if Momo had to guess. Momo's curiosity was peaked, and she had to ask Marinette about it and as they were still in this room due to a full-scale video games and foosball tournament being planned she could.
"Marinette." Momo said loud enough to get her attention. "Um, can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Marinette said coming over to Momo where she was, the others still arguing over how to do the brackets, who was in, and whether or not Bakugo would participate so not noticing her. "What's up?"
"I am sorry to be nosy but, um, who's this?" Momo asked pointing to the photo she'd been looking at. "It's just, well, I can tell the look of an upper-class Japanese girl well and you never mentioned knowing one, so my curiosity is getting the better of me."
"Good eye, that's my friend Kagami and she's definitely upper-class Japanese." Marinette said with a smile. "It's the only photo I've got of her though. She transferred in my second year and was placed in the other hero class we have but through various things outside of school I got to know her. We got paired on some promotional scavenger hunt that day with Adrien as the final thing to find and became friends after I realized she was trying to be friendly and I was being, well a petty jealous bitch. Before that we were, um, rivals."
"Rivals?" Momo asked. "So, you know her Quirk then despite you guys have that whole secret thing going on there."
"No, I don't know which of the heroes in the other class she is, we were rivals in a different sense." Marinette said with a blush and a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "I, er, first noticed her when she and I tried out for the fencing club, we can join clubs in France and well Adrien is in it, so I wanted to be in it with him because I was a girl in love, but Kagami is apparently a top-class fencer who'd come from Japan mainly because of that club, some business between her mother and Adrien's father, and to start hero work early and, well, there was some interesting mistakes by me that day. However, I soon noticed that she liked Adrien and soon I realized that it was as more than a friend."
"Ah that kind of rival." Momo said recalling that Marinette had said that she'd had a few back in France when it came to Adrien Agreste. "And yet you became friends?"
"Well Kagami doesn't know I like Adrien and she was trying to be friends with me and didn't know how, but I let my emotions get in the way, not my best day that." Marinette admitted she began to mix fact and fiction that was her backstory with Kagami so as to explain her, and any of her friends, to the others if need be. "But I overcame it when I realized my mistake and we abandoned the scavenger hunt and had a proper day as friends, been so since, and that's where the photo is from. No idea who she is in the other class, but she knows who I am now that I'm here. She wasn't missing the Sports Festival and congratulated me afterwards, she was rooting for me and Adrien to make the final, as were they all."
"I see." Momo said understanding more and respecting that Marinette could be so calm with a rival of that kind given how the human heart and jealousy could be. "And you said there was another, is she in any of the pictures you have here?"
"Chloe and I aren't exactly friends, so I don't have any photos with her." Marinette admitted as she couldn't use her class photo lest it cause issues with too much of a deep dive into it and that was the only photos she had with Chloe. "All my photos are from out of school activities, and we didn't really hang out outside of class. Plus, she accepted a transfer last year to an American school which was nice for the rest of us. I did mention her as my basis for who Bakugo is though I was a bit off as you know."
"I see that does make sense given how secret Francois Dupont is when it comes to their hero students." Momo asked remembering Marinette mentioning the girl on the train to Kamino Ward and deciding not to bring her up again and return to why she wanted to talk to Marinette in the first place. "Out of curiosity, what is Kagami's family name. I know that Kagami is a given name here and that she's likely using it because of the western culture she was in, but, well, you know by now how it is here."
"Yes and I'm sorry, I should have used it first." Marinette said embarrassed at her cultural fopaux. "Kagami is a French friend to me, so I forget that she's Japanese and I'm in Japan and should have used her family name not her given name when you asked. She's actually the only Japanese girl I knew before coming here but I was informed on proper etiquette when I was adapting before U.A. Anyway, her family name is Tsurugi."
"Thank you, sorry for asking." Momo said hiding her surprise at her assumption being correct.
"It's ok, I don't mind, been a while since I talked of my French friends." Marinette said with a smile. "And as Kagami is Japanese it is understandable that you'd ask about her."
"Alright the bracket is sorted pending confirmation from Bakugo now let's go." Toru said excitedly. "I'm next and I want to show off my room now to you all."
They all laughed and left but Momo was at the back with Marinette as they left her room. Something wasn't adding up, something was off to Momo, and she wasn't sure what it was. However, this was a fun contest in the class so she could dwell on this later as they went into Toru's where she welcomed them in with a lot of enthusiasm as she asked the guys what they thought of her interior design style.
Girly didn't even begin to describe Hagakure's room. It was criminally light pink. She'd even brought in her own bed that had a pink frame with pink sheets covered in roses, a pink night stand and lamp though the shade was light green and purple, a pink fluffy carped, pink table with a heart and bow design on it, pink shades with cherries, a pink chest of drawers thought the drawers were purple and pale green striped, and a pink desk with pink chair and pink shelf above it.
The only things that weren't pink was the large light blue plush bear, a purple blanket thing next to it and the smattering of wall art and other plushies on the shelf. Otherwise, it was pink, and Marinette couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of it, she could already guess that it was the color that Toru would want in any clothes she made her invisible friend.
"Now this is girly." Kaminari said as they entered. "So pink."
Mineta instantly saw his target. He hadn't in the last two rooms mainly because Jiro's was hard to find as she wasn't very girly or obvious, and he wasn't stupid enough to try in Dupain-Cheng's with her and her boyfriend able to notice, well that and Agreste had almost knocked him out before he could try, but now he had a target. The boxes that made up the drawers were perfect, and he went to the bottom one hoping it was her panties. It was time to…
The pervert didn't even get to reach the drawers for a good sniff at least before a safari net on the end of a long pole caught him and trapped him. It was yanked tight and up with a flip, so he was now caught upside down in it. Worst of all he noticed that the handle had a strange pattern to it that matched one of the girl's outfits, said girl was now grinning evilly at him as she held the pole with ease.
"Gah what is this?" Mineta wailed as he tried to struggle against it. "I was just inspecting the room like the girls did with ours."
"Did you really think you'd tricked me with your challenge to us after seeing several boys' rooms." Marinette said to the thrashing Mineta as she pulled him towards her. "I knew you'd have an ulterior motive, so I kept and eye on you and if you recall we didn't see your room, none of us want to be near it. Hell, we only looked at the rooms, none of us inspected inside things because that's wrong."
"I wasn't going to do anything I swear." Mineta tried to convince them as now all the girls were glaring at him not believing a word he said. "I was just going to make sure that they were clean."
"Toru." Marinette said looking at her friend. "By any chance do you keep your soutiens-gorge et culottes there?"
Toru didn't know the French that Marinette had used but she saw the look in her friend's eyes and with Mineta in a net she put two and two together and nodded, which was only perceptible by the top of her shirt moving which still confirmed it. She did keep those items there including a few extremely risqué and naughty ones, not that it mattered with her being invisible, just in case she ever found a boy she liked enough for them and there was one that was getting their with her though it was very slow.
"Thought so." Marinette said with a sigh. "There's no way that this creature would suggest we judge our rooms as well without a motive, but fair is fair, and we did judge the guys, so we had to be ready to put our own rooms on the line after that as we can't criticize them without facing the same. Let's move on to the next floor. Sero, can you wrap this net?"
"Sure." Sero said doing that as they left and headed to the elevator with Marinette now holding the restrained Mineta in the net with the pole resting on her shoulder as if he was some hunting prize.
"We can do mine next." Mina said even more into it now that Mineta was restrained and opening the door when they got there. "Isn't it super cute!"
It was certainly cute and girly but in a Mina way. Like with both Toru and Marinette the primary color was pink though for Mina it was a hot pink not light pink mixed with black in her chest of drawers, sitting cushion, desk chair, bed spread, rug and curtains. On the black rug with pink hearts was a purple table with a makeup case and pink thing on it and a few pink and purple cushions around it.
A more detailed makeup case sat on a pink shag rug on her chest of drawers with a mirror above it, a coat stand of all things was next to it with accessories and a jacket, and her books were in a case by the desk with a pink framed board above it and pink corner rug. Even her wastebasket and lamp were pink with black, and she had a poster of some latest idol who sported s similar look on the wall above her bed.
There wasn't much more to say about it so the moved onto the other room on the floor, Ochaco's. It was a lot like Ojiro's though with only slightly more stuff in it. The girl had a small table and chair in the center with a fan next to it and some snacks and an old tea pot on it, a TV on a wire stand thing opposite it, a few pieces of wall art and some items on the drawers and desk. It wasn't much but they weren't expecting much from Ochaco given her family's financial status.
"Yeah it's not very interesting I know." Ochaco said a little embarrassed and hoping for them to move on as Deku was in her room seeing her things and her heart was in full subconscious mode while her brain was in full denial mode about it.
"Is this ok?" Ojiro asked for the first time a little uncomfortable since they'd started on the girls' side. "It feels kinda dirty seeing so many girls' rooms up close. This is their private space."
"Forbidden gardens." Tokoyami said.
"True but they did rate us so only fair that we see theirs, it was the good part of Mineta's argument." Adrien said patting them on the back. "Now onto the last ones. Isn't Tsu next?"
"Yeah where is she?" Sero asked looking around. "I just realized that I haven't seen here since the move in."
"Oh, Tsu wasn't feeling to good so she's in her room." Ochaco said.
"Well, we shouldn't bother her." Kaminari said. "She can show later if she wants, when she's feeling better that is."
They continued onwards and towards the last room, Momo's while Ochaco looked back at Tsu's room worried. She knew why Tsu wasn't participating, it was part of why she wanted to do this room contest, certainly not as an excuse to see Deku's room, but Tsu hadn't really said what she wanted to do about her feelings regarding everything, so Ochaco left her too it. Once it was over and the vote done, she'd sort it out.
"So, the thing is." Momo said as she opened her door but stayed in the doorway sounding embarrassed. "I maybe miscalculated a few things. My room is a little more cramped than I intended and maybe not as creative as some of the others we've seen tonight."
She opened the door to reveal a full-on king sized, four poster, bed, made from light wood with expert carvings and cream curtains and bedding and an intricate headboard. It was clearly a work of art and an expensive piece of furniture that took up almost all the room where the bed and middle part is. To the side there was just enough room for a matching desk that Momo had an actual feather quill and inkwell on, a matching vanity with small lamp, floor to ceiling bookcase filled with books that would help her Quirk, and a shelf next to an oil painting with a vase on it.
"That bed is huge!" Kaminari said as they all looked in, they actually couldn't all enter with the size of the thing. "You can't even walk in here."
"It's my furniture from home so I thought it would fit." Momo said blushing next to another tasteful and no doubt expensive piece of artwork that she'd put on the wall. "I had no idea how small these dorm rooms would end up being."
It was clear that Momo, as well as everyone else, had forgotten just how rich she was. They all knew that Momo meant nothing by it, she just lacked any and all social graces on this given her sheltered upbringing, but she was slowly adapting. Still, the whole bed thing was a lot.
"Alright back downstairs and let's vote." Mina said now that the last room had been seen.
They all did just that and everyone who'd participated in the contest went to the common area and either sat or stood behind the sofas and stools there. Momo made everyone a pen if they didn't have one and Mina passed around torn up pieces of paper so that they could write down their vote. They all did, writing down the room that they thought was best and which wasn't their own before placing the slips into a box Mina had in her hands. It took a moment but soon all the votes were in.
"Are all the votes in?" Mina asked and they nodded. "Alright let's count them and remember, you can't pick yourselves guys."
Mina then emptied out the votes onto a table and began to count them, leaving the slips there so that anyone could recount should they not trust her tally. It took a moment again, but Mina soon had the votes and kept a straight face as she finished and double checked her tally.
"And now without further ado, here are the results of the first best room competition minus Bakugo and Tsu so drumroll please." Mina said looking at the rest of the class and pausing for added effect as everyone waited with bated breath for the winner. "With a total of 5 votes, the overwhelming winner of this totally awesome contest is…Rikido Sato."
"Huh?" Sato asked shocked by the results, as were all the guys as none of them had voted for him.
"By the way, all the girls except Marinette voted for you because that cake was delicious." Mina said as all the girls remembered it and began drooling a little except again Marinette. "I want some more and if Marinette is better than you then I can't wait to try her baking."
"That's why?" Sato asked stunned.
"You villain." Kaminari and Mineta said ganging up on him. "Aspiring heroes shouldn't resort to bribery."
"It wasn't on purpose." Sato said defensively. "And I didn't get all the girls' votes."
"Yes the one you didn't get is the one who one has a boyfriend and two is apparently an expert baker." Mineta wailed. "Dupain-Cheng doesn't count when it comes to this."
"Oh right, macarons." Marinette said heading over to the kitchen. "Sato, come help me make them, I'll show some tips."
"Right." Sato said getting up from the two boys mobbing him and heading over to help out. "Do you need anything ingredients wise?"
"No, I brought everything with me that I'd need to make a selection of different flavors ahead of time." Marinette said opening up the communal fridge to reveal a box she'd placed in it earlier that day. "Just start laying out all the things that we will need for baking. That will be the first test, see if you can find and provide me with everything I need to make macarons."
"On it." Sato said as he began to set to work eager to learn more about baking from someone who was actually trained by a true master in the art as he'd heard of the bakery Dupain-Cheng's family ran and knew it's reputation but as it didn't have a location in Japan he'd yet to try it. "Let's see, we'll need…"
As this was happening, Ochaco gathered the Bakugo rescue team minus Marinette, Tsu had said that the French girl wasn't necessary as she'd not been there when Tsu had made her statement, nor was she even aware that Marinette knew of the plan let alone a member of the rescue team and took them outside. Tsu was out there already having used her balcony to get down and was waiting for them there.
They needed to sort this out now and then they could all move on as a class and enjoy Marinette's macarons which they were all dying for. As that lot left, the rest gathered around the kitchen to watch Marinette work and chatted about the contest feeling really unity as a class as their first day in the dorms came to a close.
It had been an exciting, long, day but a lot of fun. Now it was time to kick back, relax and get ready for tomorrow. Little did one of them know but the day wasn't quite over yet for that person.
Ah a little cliffhanger of foreboding for what to come in the upcoming original arc but naturally I won't say a think about it so you will just have to wait but as I already have the next chapter drafted and it's an arc I've been excited to get to it shouldn't be that long of a wait. Anyway, there it is, the best room contest has happened and while the winner hasn't change, Sato had those 5 votes locked up from the start, a lot has been learned. Once again Marinette has made everyone reassess her with her baking background reveal (macarons to come), her love of fashion, and a tease for video games, while we see Adrien's room on a small scale as I went with what he'd like just condensed. Course the male kwamis are going to get it for that little stunt but can you expect any less of Plagg? For those wondering, what Marinette said to Aoyama was (and I'm sorry to those who actually speak French as I used google translate) 'Too many mirrors, this is vain even by French standards.' Aoyama's response roughly translates as 'Contraire my compatriot. It's not enough, I had to send the others home because they don't fit.' I feel like this is something Aoyama would do, especially as the stuff about Momo having too many boxes is actually in the move in chapter in the 3rd School Briefs, as is the story of how Todoroki got those tatami mats which does involve a run in with Hatsume and Recovery Girl. As for when Marinette used French with Hagakure it was to avoid Mineta realizing that she was asking about where the other girl kept her bras and panties as that was what the little pervert was after. Anyway, if anyone is wondering, my vote would have gone for Tokoyami as I too understand the darkness and abyss (of all characters his personality is the one mine is probably closest to) and I even have a fine collection of skulls and swords. My second-place vote is to Kirishima though because my own place is a glorious man cave. The last thing to mention is that the only room location I changed from canon is Sato's as it is now at the end with Adrien between him and Todoroki and I did it so that he could still be the last of the guys done as I liked how the show did that. However, that is all I really have for this long chapter so I will leave it off here, next one should be up soon as this coming arc is one I've been itching to get to for a long time. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog
