Chapter 3: Wait, Doesn't This Count as a Date?

It was official. Izuku Midoriya, as of today, was broken.

Not in the way to suggest that he'd gone braindead or become a shell of his former self. Nothing as dark as that. Instead, it felt as if a fundamental part of him had been completely shattered, which had rendered him into this person that he was now, odd behaviours and all.

Case in point, they were now having a class on chemistry. Nothing particularly difficult when compared to the months he spent studying the nitroglycerine that Katsumi could secrete from her palms. He'd become fairly acquainted with complicated compounds and the like, so he was keeping up with the teacher relatively well.

As he listened to his teacher drone on, he was also busy scribbling some notes into a book. Not his notebook for classes, though; it was an altogether separate notebook that he often reserved for heroes and Quirks, something that's been a passion of his for who-knows-how-long.

Now, it was no surprise to a lot of people that it was always easy for him to lose himself to these kinds of things; to just blank out the world and retreat into a hole, focused solely on his madman's level of research. He'd gotten enough flak from Katsumi over it, even though she praised him for his observations and ideas.

But this situation right now was a huge problem. And that had to do with the fact that the person he was currently sketching was… well…

A bump of chalk against the blackboard had him tensing up and promptly snapping his book shut. The teacher was going off on a tangent, he soon realized, and that allowed him to relax with a sigh, slowly opening his book once more—then to blush at the picture he'd drawn.

'On the bright side, if anyone ever wants me to draw them a self-portrait, I'd be qualified for it…'

And that was exactly what was staring back at him. Ochako Uraraka smiled back at him from his page, her graphite appearance accurate to her real-life counterpart. He'd only managed to get her from the waist up, but that didn't take away from the beauty. Objectively, he felt like the drawing was great. Better than anything he'd ever sketched in his life, even!

And the shame lied in the fact that this was his sixth sketch today.

'Is this my Quirk secretly coming to life? Being some pervert?' He mentally groaned, shutting the book once more. 'I really, really hope not. I'd take being Quirkless over that.'

Still, knowing that all of these thoughts and emotions were his own and not planted in his head by some alien did give him some comfort. Izuku would have hated it if the only reason he liked Uraraka and Katsumi was because he was forced into feeling that.

Not like it excuses his strange obsession with the two of them. He's definitely in trouble like this. He's already drawn eleven sketches of Katsumi. She must never find out.

Izuku put away the notebook and tried to pour all his focus into the lessons. Keyword on tried, because where he was no longer working on his sketches, he was instead distracted by the sight of his girlfriend. Since she sat directly in front of him, all that he could see was her hair, its colour reminding him of sun kissed sand.

Again, the thoughts crept into his mind. Her hair may appear spiky, but they were so soft. How does she maintain her hair? What scented shampoo does she usually use? She never bothered tying up her hair, but she always looked good with a ponytail. What if she tied it up in a different way? Would she get mad if he ever asked if he could brush her hair for her? Don't boyfriends do that for their partner? Should he do that for her too?

[Katsumi Bakugou: Explosive Tsundere]
[Mood: Distracted 95/100]

God, she was so beautiful… Wait, distracted? Distracted by what?

Later on, when the class came to an end and everyone began preparing for the next class, Katsumi suddenly swivelled in her seat to face him, catching him off-guard with an expression that crossed embarrassment with anger.

"Izu, you were staring at me the whole day, weren't you?!"

She knew?! "You knew?!"

"I could literally feel you staring into the back of my head! What is it?!"

His first instinct was to make up some lie, hiding his notebook if he could. And yet, his loyalty to her won out instead, and he flipped it open and showed it to her, ashamed. Katsumi quirked a brow, taking it from him and quickly looking through it.

He wanted so badly to look away, yet he was morbidly fascinated in the way her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, only for her skin to slowly bloom in scarlet, eyes widening as she flipped page after page, drawings of both her and Uraraka staring back at her.

"O-Oh."

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. I couldn't get you two out of my head this entire time."

His lips smacked shut, but it was already too late. By the time he'd spoken those words, she was already groaning, too embarrassed to say a word to him and simply returning his book to him. He took it with a quiet nod, and the two readied themselves for the next class, butterflies in their stomachs.

[The sincerity of your adoration is portrayed through your drawings! You gain +1 in Charisma!]

Yeah. He really couldn't wait for school to be over.

"Midoriya-kuuun! Bakugou-saaan!"
"Shut up! You're so noisy!"
"Uraraka-san, hi. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Izuku walked with his girlfriend to the gate, and at that point in time, it would have just been the two of them walking back home or going out to find someplace to eat. And yet, for the addition of a third member in their little party, that being his second girlfriend (god, he still can't get used to that), it seemed like this was going to be their norm to walk together.

Not like he was complaining. In fact, the longing in his heart evaporated right away when he heard her voice, his steps hastening just a tad as they made their way to her. Her beaming smile was as beautiful as he remembered, and he almost wanted to hug her.

Almost. He put a stop on himself before he committed to anything crazy.

"No, no! It wasn't even that long. My school isn't that far away, so it's not too much trouble to walk here and meet up with you two," she giggled. "It's so nice that you two are in the same school, though. You get to come here and leave together."

"Nah, we live in different areas, so we usually come here separately. But when we want to go places or somethin', we go together."

"I see. Well, I know we got attacked the first time we went out together, but there's no way that could happen again, right?"

Katsumi face-palmed. "Urgh, are you an idiot? You don't just say those kinds of things! That's just begging for shit to hit the fan!"

"Now now, I'm sure that our collective luck couldn't be that bad for it to happen again," Izuku sweat-dropped.

"You say that, but the fact that we got caught in all that shit to begin with already speaks of bad luck. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again today," that… wasn't wrong. "So hey, you two busy after this?"

"Nope!"
"No, I'm free."

The blonde nodded back. "Cool. Then what say we head out together? Thinking to unwind and all."

Oh? A day out with the three of them? Izuku was surprised because this was the first time ever that Katsumi had willingly invited someone else to join the both of them on an outing. Looking back on it now, she'd done so both to protect him and because she was apparently jealous enough to not want to share him. And hoo boy, how daft he'd been not to notice that particular bit. It was enough to move him to tears.

Izuku smiled happily. "Sure! I'm sure there's plenty to do here. Let's make the most out of today and get yesterday out of our heads!"

The group of three agreed on that part, and Izuku was more than ready to move ahead. A firm cough stopped him in his tracks, however, prompting him and Uraraka to look at the blonde, who was pointedly looking at the sky.

"Um, Kacchan? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just had something stuck in my throat."

"Oh, okay," satisfied with that, Izuku turned around to begin walking again—

Only for Katsumi to cough again, much louder this time. The timing couldn't have been accidental, and when he turned around to stare at her, she lasted only seven seconds before growling at him.

"You idiot! Do you seriously not get it?!"

"N-No, I don't!" He sweat-dropped. "What is it? Please, tell me what it is."

"That's not..! Urgh! Your hand!" At his confusion, the girl growled again, face heating up. "Your. Hand."

"…Ohh!" His eyes widened. "You want to… Oh, um, okay."

Embarrassed as he was (and certainly feeling stupid for not getting it the first time), he took her hand in his. He had to hold back a gasp, still not used to this despite having literally been the one to ask first earlier this morning, but he definitely liked it. Nothing could change his mind.

Before he could get a word in, however, Katsumi beat him to the punch. "And hold Round Face's, too."

"Eh?!" The girl in question blinked. "Me?"

"Duh! Who else has a round face here?"

"B-But…" Her face turned crimson in seconds, her chocolate eyes falling to his free hand before she vigorously shook her head. "T-This is too soon!"

"Bull! He already held my hand when we went to class this morning, so it's only fair if he holds yours too!" She argued, still managing to sound embarrassed despite it all. "Now stop being a pussy and just take it!"

"K-Kacchan, come now. We shouldn't be pushing her…"

"I get that, but it's only fair! Otherwise, she'd just sulk."

"I wouldn't sulk!" She whined back. Izuku had a feeling that she totally would, and he couldn't help but imagine how cute of a sight that would be. "I-I just…" A moment of hesitation. Then, she looked to him. "C-Can I, Midoriya-kun..?"

The boy inwardly squealed at her adorable look, but he did his best to offer an outward friendly smile. "O-Of course, Uraraka-san!" He raised his hand towards her. "I'd be really happy if you're willing to."

By her expression alone, it was as if she was pondering philosophy. It was a fairly comical analogy to use in the moment, but with how seriously she was staring at his hand, she would have totally burned it off if her Quirk was eye lasers. A good thing that wasn't the case here. He'd much love having both hands intact.

Eventually, with shaky movements, the brunette raised her hand towards his. It was a tap of her finger against his that suddenly forced her to freeze up, but he didn't make a move. If she wanted to hold his hand, then he was going to be patient for her. He would never rush her.

And then, her hand slid into his—softer than cotton candy, the little beans at the tip of her fingers rubbing against the back of his hand—and he audibly gasped.

"Dude," Katsumi muttered. "What the hell?"

"I-I couldn't help it..!" He squeaked. Even Uraraka was blushing hard. "I was just caught off-guard! A-And both of your hands are so soft! This is way more handholding than I've ever done in my fourteen years of life!"

"You're such a dork," despite her words, she was still smiling. "Yo, Round Face. How you feeling?"

"…I'm in heaven…" A pause, then a dreamy sigh. "This is the greatest thing I've ever experienced…" She looked over his chest to smile at the blonde. "Thank you, Bakugou-san."

[You reached out to take ahold of Ochako's hand with your boyish shyness! You gain +1 in Technique!]

"Tch, i-it's whatever! I just didn't want you complaining for being left out or whatever! I wasn't trying to be nice!" Such a liar. She wanted things to be fair between the three of them, and the fact that she'd been pushy for Uraraka's sake was genuinely touching. He would have to work even better to be a proper boyfriend for the three of them! "And… don't call me that," Uraraka's questioning look made her click her tongue. "Just call me by my name."

"E-Eh? You're okay with that?"

"It sounds weird enough if a person calls me Bakugou. Just do it."

"O-Okay. Then… K-Katsumi-san."

It was such a jump in intimacy that she couldn't have possibly been unaffected by it, face blooming red as she looked away. "Whatever…"

"T-Then call me by my name too!" Uraraka quickly said. "I-I'd be happy if you both do!"

"That's..!"

"Ochako," the girls looked at him, and he could feel his nerves shutting down. "T-Too soon?"

[Making the bold decision to call her by her name has brought great happiness to Ochako! You gain +1 in Charisma!]

Holy freaking shit, had Ai actually calibrated her power properly or what? He's raising his stats like no one's business! "No! I'm happy that you called me that!" She gulped. "And, c-can I call you Izuku?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then… I-Izuku. Kyaa!" Her sudden cry made him want to melt, especially when she started flailing her arm while she was still holding his hand. He almost felt his arm rip off its socket from the force of her flailing. "T-This is all too soon! We're jumping so many steps here!"

"Shut up! Stop getting embarrassed! You're making me want to jump off a building!"

"I think I'm about to get a heart attack…"

And so, hand in hand, Izuku and his girlfriends began their trip down into Musutafu, bantering all the while as joy and embarrassment overrode all common sense and control. Still, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

…Wait a minute. Were they going on a date?

How no one had given the three of them odd looks by now was certainly strange, though he wasn't going to complain about it. He was definitely concerned about being confronted about all this, and he knew he'd defend their relationship, but that fear was thankfully unfounded as they found their stride and strolled down the streets, taking in the sights and discussing what they wanted to do.

Izuku, of the three of them, was most grateful for this. He just wants some peace of mind, and this time spent with his girlfriends was literally just that. And he wanted only that.

'Ahh, but I'm already feeling great… Nothing could beat this.'

Seriously, why was he like this? Had falling in love turned him into a simpleton? He didn't think his personality had been overridden or anything, but even he could recognize that he was being weird! Urgh… Someone kill him.

"…but yeah, so long as we're not heading to anyplace costly, I don't exactly mind anything."

"Bah, you don't need to worry. We're students, not millionaires. None of us are in the position to dine on all the rich people food," Katsumi scoffed. "If I was a millionaire, though, you can bet your ass that I'd be eating wagyu every single day!"

"Wow, that's quite a declaration," giggled Ochako. "You sure you wouldn't get bored of it someday?"

"How could anyone get tired of fine cuisine? Although, I suppose switching it up every now and then keeps it fresh."

"Well, if you ever get to that point, make sure to save a plate for me, okay? Even I'd love to know what high-quality beef would taste like."

"You're being ridiculous. Sometime down the line, I know you'll make enough dough for you and your family, Ocha… O-Ochako," she grumbled. "Just work hard. Aim high. Otherwise, you'll just end up like all those losers from yesterday. No suitable Quirks, my ass," man, she really wasn't going to let that go, huh?

Nevertheless, their trip across town eventually took them to a cute little restaurant with floral décor, potted plants sitting outside of a frosted window and a colourful paintjob that would have made any child happy. Izuku definitely appreciated the choice of colours, opting for more brighter shades than classy, dark vibes.

Taking their seats close to the window, they navigated the menu and eventually settled for their respective dishes. They chatted in the meantime, bouncing between topics of their families, U.A., talking about themselves and whatnot.

"…so like, if you two are gonna' be training together, would it be okay if I join you?" Ochako asked, sounding embarrassed. "I've never even considered going to the gym before, though I suppose that'll be important for U.A., huh?"

"Obviously. You ain't making it far without stamina," the blonde scoffed. "Even if you ain't built for fighting or whatever, it's always a good idea to work on your body so that actually have the energy to do shit. If you drop out so early, then what's the point?" She paused to hum. "Well, if you're sure about it, I don't mind. Izu?"

"Oh, it'd be nice to have Ochako with us!" He grinned, looking to the brunette next. "We typically alternate our days, and our routine might be a little heavy. We'll definitely make some adjustments so that it'll be easy for you to get started."

"Thanks! I'd appreciate that."

"But no quitting halfway!" Katsumi aimed an accusing finger at the other girl, making her blink. "You were serious about getting into U.A., so make sure you put in the effort. Don't half-ass it. If Izuku, a Quirkless, can do it, then anyone can."

"Hey now…"

Ochako shook her head. "No, she's right. You've been doing this for such a long time when you've never had some power to help you out, which just makes you incredible, Izuku!" She pumped her fists. "I'll do it! I'll show my guts!"

"Hah! That's what I wanna' hear!"

Well, he supposed that was that. Katsumi was brusque by default, but that almost made her sincerity clearer than glass. And if Ochako was motivated by her words to do well, then who was he to stop her?

It didn't take much longer before their food came. They dug into their meals with gusto, his girlfriends all too happy to finally get their food after all the walking they'd done already. Even he was appreciative of the arrival of his mac and cheese, and he looked forward to wiping his plate clean of his slice of chocolate cake. It even had a little smiley face drawn on the plate with icing!

And sure, this entire moment could have gone by peacefully if he wanted it to, but he was lying if he wasn't a little distracted himself. Not by anything particularly bad, but a quick glimpse at his girlfriends had him perking a little, especially when he looked back at his cake.

Urgh… This was only going to cater to his weird powers, but he did have the idea to do this long before they even came here. He blamed his newly discovered romantic side.

Determined to see things through, he cut into his slice of cake with his fork and carefully lifted it up. And then, with his other hand hovering below it, he slowly brought it towards the brunette. "O-Ochako?"

"Mmffh?"

"D-Do you, um, want some cake?"

She didn't get his invitation at first, but once she swallowed and paused to look at him, realization hit her with an expected—"Ehh?!"—of surprise. Even Katsumi had stopped to stare. Red bled into her cheeks. "T-That's..!"

"It's really good, I promise! Err, I think it is. This is my first time here," he sweat-dropped, but continued smiling. "But everyone loves a good chocolate cake! D-Do you?"

"I-I mean, I do, but…"

"Say aah?"

Her eyes honed in on his offered slice. "T-T-That's…" She proceeded to look around, fidgeting in her spot with a level of embarrassment that he was burning straight into his brain. Then finally, with no place to go but forwards, she closed her eyes and leaned forwards, opening her mouth a little. "A-Aaah…"

Izuku couldn't have possibly looked away even if he wanted to. He was so engrossed by the sight of her cherry lips parting and his cake disappearing that, when he eventually corrected his place in his seat, he was now just staring at his fork.

The same fork that had just touched Ochako's mouth.

The same fork that he was now supposed to be eating his cake with…

[Feeding another girl treats makes her life just a little sweeter! You gain +1 in Technique, +1 in Wisdom and +1 in Charisma!]

"Don't even try and feed me cake," Katsumi scoffed, sounding particularly amused if the way her eyes glinted said anything. "You know I'm not a sweets person."

"R-Right. But I'll feed you another time!"

"Erk..! You don't have to!"

"But I want to!"

The girl blushed, looking away with a scowl. "F-Fine! Have it your way!"

So that was definitely a 'yes'. Great! Katsumi was just as much his girlfriend as Ochako was, and he wasn't going to treat her any lesser. She deserved every bit of fair play, romance or otherwise.

Still, it would take a very long time before he eventually went back to his cake, taking time to feed some to Ochako too—she really did like sweets, it turned out.

"Yosh! Now that we've got some food in us, what say we hit the streets and see what there is to do?"

"Sure thing! Lead the way."

Musutafu was a city through and through. And that meant that, wherever one would go, there was bound to be something to find themselves occupied with. Arcades, more restaurants (though they were certainly going to be steering away from food for a bit), parks and pubs. Plenty of establishments to cater to the needs of the many.

He had to admit, Izuku was far out of his league here, and it was frustrating. Granted, this day out had come out of left field, but he wished he had come up with some kind of idea or plan. Any plan was better than no plan, so he'll have to work on that another time.

A good thing they had Katsumi with them, then. Even Ochako wasn't sure of where to go—"I'm down for anything, really! I don't go out myself, so I don't know any interesting places,"—so that left the energetic blonde to handle the flow of things today as well, masterful in the art of planning activities every time they hang out together.

Personally, he was hoping she didn't take them somewhere physically taxing. After having just eaten, he wasn't looking to get into strenuous activities right off the bat.

After some walking, they came upon a bridge that crossed over a little plateau. She lead them down a flight of stone steps, upon which he was surprised by the sight that greeted them; rectangles of water were divided by stone walkways. Several people were seat upon yellow stools, a bucket by their seat and a rod in hand.

"Eh?" Ochako blinked, looking around at all the people here. Mostly adults, with caps and vests on that made them look like bona fide fishermen. "Where are we?"

"Ever heard of urban fishing? It's a thing where people construct artificial pools and throw in some fish in there for people to give a shot at," Katsumi explained, crossing her arms as she scanned the area. "Most people who don't got the time to make a quick trip to the countryside usually just fish in these places. Much easier, you could say."

"Ooh… Have you come here before?"

"Yep, this is my usual."

"I see… Wait, usual? What does that mean?"

The blonde didn't wait for her question, already approaching a middle-aged man with a jacket. When their eyes met, it looked as if he'd suddenly aged a lot more, sighing deeply. "Bakugou. Ah, and Midoriya," he smiled at the greenette, who nodded back.

"Hey, Mister Daizo."

"Oi! What's with the shit greeting? I didn't even say anything!"

"The last time you came here, you insulted everyone else and went on to catch a thre kilogram carp, just to rub it in their faces—thankfully not literally. I would have had you detained for assaulting others with a body of fish in the face."

The girl flushed at that, scowling. "It ain't my fault! Literally everyone that day couldn't even catch a thing after hours! They all sucked ass!"

"Kid, I know you mean well, but try and let everyone else have their peace. That's what they're here for. Ain't the whole thing about fishing being something about the journey and not the end? In fact," his eyes moved towards the greenette. "Ain't that what Izuku was try'na teach you all these years?"

"S-Shut up! The whole point of fishing is to get something out of it!"

"I'd argue otherwise."

"Yeah, well, your viewpoint is ancient at this point! You're a bloody fossil just waiting for his time with the fishes."

"What?! Why you little—"

"Katsumi, don't just say that!" Izuku cried out. "A-And Mister Daizo, you know she doesn't mean them. She's just very, very passionate about fishing. I promise, we won't do anything to ruin anyone else's time here."

"Midoriya, I know you won't. It's your friend that worries me," he sighed, shaking his head. "Ah well, I'll trust you to keep her on a leash. Will it be the two of you today?"

"Three," he gestured towards Ochako, who smiled timidly at him.

"Three it is. Got it. That would technically be nine thousand yen—" Behind him, a gasp sounded off. "—but you two are regulars, so you two get a discount. Seven thousand yen."

"Sure thing," he nodded, missing the strangled noises behind him. He fished out the funds and handed it to the man, who accepted it with a nod before walking off to grab some rods for them. "Man. Feels kind of bad that he'd discount a whole thousand yen for us."

"Izu, we're regulars. It's fine."

"Sure, but…"

"H-Hey, hang on a second!" The childhood friends looked at Ochako, whose eyes were wide with panic. "Seven thousand yen is way too much! A-And you already paid for dinner earlier!"

"Ah. But it's fine."

"No it's not! It's too expensive!"

"Don't even bother changing his mind. Izuku's set on this, no matter how much you try and say otherwise."

"Plus, I'm just spending the money I earned from all my community work," he said, smiling reassuringly. "Don't feel bad about this, Ochako. Really!"

"But… that's…"

Her discomfort was clear to be seen. Izuku shared a momentary look with Katsumi before moving over to the brunette. With slow movements, he took Ochako's hands in his, drawing her gaze to him.

"It's okay," he whispered. "I wasn't kidding. I've worked for a very long time, so I've saved up a lot. Plus, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't spend my money for my girlfriends every now and then?"

Contrary to his expectations, she simply pouted at him, bemused. "You're really trying to push my patience, mister…"

"Someday, you'll make it big as a hero and earn so much that your family will be able to live an easy future. All because their beautiful, kind daughter had worked so hard for their sakes," even with her put-upon look of displeasure, he could see the way her shoulders trembled, fighting so hard not to be affected by his words of genuine praise. "Until then, rely on me a little bit. That would make me really happy."

"…Nngh..! Izuuukuuu..!" She whined, stomping her foot once. "You're impossible! Of course I'd do what you ask of me when you put it like that!" She tapped her finger against his nose, pouting. "A-And I'll expect you to keep your promise! All the way to the end!"

"All the way to the end," he smiled. "For both of you."

While his girlfriends stewed in silence by his bold words, it was then that Mister Daizo returned to them. "Alright-y, I've got your standard rods here, and—" He paused, looking at them. "Uhh. Did I miss something here?"

[Smooth words flow from your lips like water—truly, a masterful play worthy of a bard! You gain +1 in Charisma!]

"A-Ahaha… No, it's nothing… Okay, Ochako! Hope you're ready," he grinned. "Because you'll be diving headfirst into the world of fishing. And keep steady. Kacchan's plenty good at it too."

"I… Alright," she sighed, letting it go with a smile. "I'll do my best to keep up, then. Let's go!"

Looking back now, today has proven to be quite an eventful day. Way more than he would have ever experienced prior to this entire mess with Ai, though he certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

From meeting outside at the school gates to having dinner together, to then just walking around the city and doing random 'sidequests' (as Katsumi would put it), before finally taking a walk by the beachside would totally constitute as a pretty fun-filled day.

And yes, they were indeed taking a walk by the beachside. Takoba Municipal Beach Park was officially open to the public today, something that had been a pleasant surprise that gave him plenty of motivation to then drag them over to check it out. Needless to say, it was a good decision.

"Seriously… You wouldn't be finding this kind of sunset all the time…"
"I know, right? It's so beautiful…"

It really was. From where it dipped into the horizon like an egg yolk, scarlet bled across the waters and the sky like lava. No stars were showing up just yet, but this sunsetting sky was beautiful in its own right. Dark clouds sailed overhead, some gradually fading into the red hues, and gulls took flight as inky silhouettes. It was such a vivid scenery that he was so glad that he'd managed to catch with his girlfriends, and which he was especially happy to take a photo of on his phone.

The throuple held hands as they walked along the coast. With their shoes taken off and put someplace safe, he could feel the crunch of the warm sand between his toes, only for cold to lap at his feet when the waves came in. It was a gentle noise that did so well in easing his nerves, and he took a deep whiff of the salty air.

"It's kind of crazy to think that this place used to be a dump," Katsumi commented. "People literally gave up on trying to clean up this place after so many years," her eyes then moved towards him, somewhat exasperated yet amused. "Then you go ahead and clean out this entire place by yourself. What the hell?"

"Hey, it was a great workout!" He chuckled back. She rolled her eyes in return. "Plus, look around us. Now, people can come here again and enjoy the beach with their families. That's more than anything I could possibly ask for."

"You could ask them to pay you."

"Ehh, it's fine."

Katsumi sighed. To his left, Ochako let out a sound a cross between a laugh and a whimper. "Man… You sure are incredible, Izuku. I don't think I could have done this whole place on my own."

"I'm sure it would have been possible. It would have just taken you a lot of time."

"And you did it in two months!"

Well, he did say that he used this opportunity as a workout of sorts. This had been sometime around three months ago, and he'd just picked this place by random because he'd heard Sakasuke mention it one time when he was discussing the beach with his boss.

Funnily enough, the man had specifically told him off of cleaning up Takoba. Said that there used to be people who frequently picked up the trash from this place. But every time a piece of junk was taken off the beach, five more washed up on the shores, and the workers eventually gave up on Takoba.

And then, in came Izuku, who looked to this place to challenge himself. Sakasuke hadn't wanted that. But, with enough insistence, he'd ultimately caved, contacting truck drivers to pick up the trash he would collect and send them off to a disposal site.

Give him two months, and look where they were now. Not a single speck of trash in sight!

"Should just rename this place to the Midori Beach or some shiz."

"No!" He laughed, bumping his shoulder against Katsumi's. "That's such a silly name! And no, I don't want a place named after me. That would be embarrassing."

"You should at least get some publicity for this," pouted Ochako, to which Katsumi shook her head.

"It's fine. He's pretty well-known in the community for his work. He knows the locals just as much as they know him. It would be difficult to meet anyone who doesn't know him."

"And there are still people who don't like him? That's ridiculous!"

"Preaching to the choir. It's all stupid."

He wanted to argue, but at the same time, he kind of didn't care. He'd long given up trying to win over those who hated him just because he was Quirkless. After all, Katsumi had put it best; what point was there in trying to satisfy the haters when the people that mattered already liked him for who he was?

So yeah. Screw 'em. He's way happier this way.

Izuku stopped mid-walk, looking at the sunset. The girls noticed his gaze and followed, all three of them relishing the sight all over again. Something about it was so mesmerizing that it was hard to look away from, and he wanted this moment to just last.

Not like it ever could, of course. A new day would come, one after another, which meant opportunities to make more memories. And that, he felt, was so much more meaningful than a frozen point in time—even if that single point was the peak, that didn't mean it could never be replicated ever again.

Izuku sighed. Too many thoughts. Too many crazy moments. Too many uncertainties about this all.

But he wasn't afraid of any of it. Perhaps, in another world, he might have been. Here, though, holding hands with the two girls he was in love with?

A finger poked his cheek, drawing his attention to Katsumi, who was eyeing him with a smirk. "Anyone would see that grin coming from a mile away. Something funny crossed your mind?"

"Not funny, no. Just… thought about us."

The words predictably made her shudder. "Oh god, please don't get sappy on us. I get that this is the vibe for it—" sunsetting skies, peaceful waves, just the three of them holding hands. "—but please don't. Yesterday was already enough."

"Haha, yeah, sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"But it is the right place for the mood…"

"And I say can it!" Both Izuku and Ochako giggled at the blonde's frustration. "Jeez, you two… You'll be the death of me…"

"Then what else are we supposed to do when we have this sort of scenery? It's either just kicking back and watching the sky until it becomes night, or we have a barbecue, or we—"

"Kiss."

Again, Izuku had to wonder if he was ever going to be rid of the severe case called 'Foot in mouth'. A completely fatal disease that was nearly impossible to treat, despite the studies done on the subject. Psychiatrists and doctors would argue and compare data and hypothesize, yet they would get no closer to solving the disability of just speaking out one's mind despite not wanting to like a bumbling idiot.

Right here and now, with his face slowly doing its best impression of an apple, he was severely hoping that he could do something to save himself. Maybe dunk his head in the sand like an ostrich does. That would help! There was so much sand here!

"A-Ahaha! Sorry, that just came out of nowhere!" He laughed forcefully, trying to mask his embarrassment. He waved his hand frantically, looking everywhere but them. "Maaan, I-I really need to get myself checked for that. Just ignore me—"

"T-Then!" Ochako suddenly cried out. "Katsumi should go first!"

"Huh?!" The girl's head snapped towards the other so fast, it should have broken her neck. "What the fuck?!"

"You two have known each other for so much longer!" Quickly, she ran behind the blonde and pushed her by the shoulders, forcing her closer towards their lover. "N-Now, Izuku! Kiss Katsumi!"

"Oi, Round Face! S-Stop it!" Her anger was nowhere to be seen, face burning hot as she tried to dig her feet in the sand, shock in her expression at the unnatural strength in the smaller girl's physique.

"It's fine, it's fine! This is only right!"

"But he likes you just as much! I ain't taking that away from you!"

"Don't listen to her, Izuku! She deserves to be your first kiss, even though I really, really, really want to be your first!"

"Bitch! You literally just said out loud how you want to be his first kiss!"

"And you don't?!"

"I do, but still—"

He slammed his fist into one open palm. "Then we kiss each other at the same time!" Their eyes couldn't have shot towards him faster than they did.

"You're insane," Katsumi said.

"I am," he nodded, steadfastly running on moron energy and ignoring rationality. "But I'd much rather the three of us kiss together than fight to take turns," he looked between the both of them. "We love one another. This is okay."

"T-That's—"
"Izuku, you—"

Yeah, this could work. No matter what they said, he was absolutely positive that this was the best way to approach this debacle. Not a perfect solution by any means, but he had absolute faith in all of them.

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, his brain had totally shut down. Planning went out the window for the simplest, most stupidest solution he could have concocted in the time it took for Katsumi and Ochako to argue, which was apparently this.

That was the only reason he was able to take his girlfriends' hands, every argument spilling from their lips dying right away as they stared at him. They must have known he was actually serious, unable to stare away.

And he, wanting to be a pillar of strength for them, spoke once more with as soft of a voice as he could. "It's okay," he told them, waves in the background easing their nerves. "I'm… kind of starting to panic as well, but it's not a terrible idea! I'm confident it's possible between the three of us!"

"Y-You're…" Katsumi couldn't have blushed even harder than she did. "God, you're such an idiot…"

"This, uhh, will be weird, huh?" Ochako was no better, fidgeting on the spot and looking ready to evaporate. "Are we really doing this..?"

"I won't force any of you. But I know that we can make this happen," his grip tightened. "Together."

Together. That was the only reason he had even a shred of the strength to propose such a preposterous thing.

Because he trusted his girlfriends to love one another just as they did him, and he them.

It took a very long time. Katsumi and Ochako eyed one another, blushing harder as they realized what the implications of their next action would be. This would be going beyond the norm, as they liked to think it was, and taking that first step was always going to be scary.

But eventually, as the panic died away into a calm, and his eyes caught sight of his girlfriends holding hands as well, they eventually moved closer and closer. His heart was playing a drummer's game without care, enough to knock him out cold from how hard it struck his ribs.

When they stood so close to one another, slowly, as if they'd all shared the same thought in a single instance, their heads were tilted to their respective left to make room as they leaned forwards, ever closer. His mind scanned their features—from their timidity to the crannies of their skin, to the soft scent of their floral shampoos and the light makeup, to their breaths on his lips…

And what might have been a simple kiss with just one girl in his arms turned into a messy lip-on-lip-on-lip. A kind of a chaotic lip service as they mushed their cheeks against one another, moving to some rhythm that only they knew, moist and soft.

Three seconds, his brain counted. But his heart sang for so long in that single stretch. It was a jolt in his body that reminded him of that time when he'd confessed his feelings to the girls, and his entire being felt alive in a way he couldn't even begin to understand. It was so much stimuli, he felt that dying there and then would have been completely fine.

…Well, he wasn't going to, obviously. That would just make the whole dating thing pointless. And he wasn't going to break their hearts anytime soon, much less so this soon—or at all! He won't let that happen ever!

Eventually, when air became too great a necessity, they finally pulled back. His breath left him in rhythmic gasps and pants, flushed in the cheeks and eyes wide as they stared at one another.

Another second passed. And another.

Before, eventually, smiles flitted onto their faces… "H-Haha… Hahaha!"

And the three teenagers broke into a fit of giggles, foreheads touching one another as their love for one another was reaffirmed in the strangest way possible, yet so genuine that nothing could have possibly shaken their feelings whatsoever.

[You claimed a three-way kiss with your girlfriends with immaculate style! You gain +1 in Charisma, +1 in Wisdom, and +1 in Technique!]

[Congratulations! Your date has gone without a hitch, and left all three of you with bottomless joy! You gain 2000 Amors!]

Not even the ridiculous notifications worked to disrupt his joy, far too happy with how things turned out. It was all so stupid, so ridiculous, so unlike anything he could have possibly imagined…

But, as he walked Ochako and Katsumi home, now on his way to his own, that joy threatened to burst out of his chest, warm and fluttery. It was truly a feeling that was exhilarating unlike any other, and more than once did he touch his index against his lip, remembering the taste and the feel of soft, feminine lips on his own…

And, like any ridiculous storyline, he couldn't even have five minutes of post-kiss bliss before a hulking man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, posing in front of him as his thousand-watt smile flashed through, his laughter powerful and booming. Even if he wasn't in his hero costume, there was no mistaking who this behemoth of a man was.

"HAHA! I AM HERE!" The man declared. "ALL MIGHT, IN THE FLESH! PLEASED TO MEET YOU, IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Joy from the kiss. Shock from All Might's appearance. Overloading of stimuli. Confusion. Delirium. Hysteria.

And, as expected, Izuku proceeded to pass out on the road, to the man's panic. But hey, he wasn't going to be complaining whatsoever…

Author's Notes:

Alright, and that's enough for the set-up. We've had plenty of pre-U.A. chapters, and with the next one, our boy will finally be taking the entrance exam with his friends.

Also, you'll notice how Izuku's stats grew a lot in this chapter. That's essentially me trying to highlight just how silly and non-conforming the mechanics are to traditional videogame stat growths. Rest assured, this won't be how all future chapters go. Plus, this system goes beyond mere stats and numbers! There'll obviously be more.