Hello everyone. Today I bring you something a bit different. I've taken a small hiatus from Deku: The Quirk Analyst, mainly because I'm not sure which direction I want to take that story just now but once I have a thought on it, I'll go back to writing it. In the meantime, I had this idea floating around my head for a while and wanted to get it on paper before I started losing any details.
This is a Non-Quirk AU where 1-A and co are working in a supermarket. Bit of an odd concept I suppose but it's something that struck me as being plausible enough to put them all in one place without having to force a scenario too greatly. Either way, I hope you enjoy this.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, any of it's film adaptations or the manga.
Chapter 1
Today was the first day of her new job. She had applied shortly after finishing school as she wanted to help support her parents. They had told her that she didn't need to work with them and to go ahead and do what she wanted instead. Ochaco Uraraka wasn't like that. She was going to help her parents and make sure that they got to go on that vacation that they had always dreamed of.
So, once she was within her last weeks of school she had started applying to places near to where she lived. It was difficult however, since it was a quieter part of the prefecture that she lived in and jobs were not easy to come by. She had applied for libraries, butcher shops, sports arenas, you name it and she applied for it. Each of them were not hiring at that point in time or were looking for experienced staff.
Eventually, Uraraka had decided that if she were going to find a job, she'd need to start looking further afield. She had more success this way with companies that were hiring, however some of them were too far away for her to effectively commute each day. She would have been spending relatively large portions of a wage on the travel costs alone nevermind anything else.
There were a few that looked promising but she had found out that those ones were in sketchy areas once she had been for the interviews - she even skipped out on one entirely due to the area she found herself in one day.
Ochaco had searched high and low for a few weeks and had almost given up hope on finding somewhere to work. That was until she found somewhere that seemed too good to be true. It was a supermarket that was only one bus journey away from where she lived (or a longish walk if she preferred) and it was also in a relatively good area and they were hiring as a vacancy had become available.
The name of the company? U.A.
It wasn't a large supermarket but it was big enough that it served the needs for most of the area. There were in fact two sites: 1-A & 1-B. Ochaco had only been in once and that was to ask if they were hiring. When she had been in on that visit, she had noticed that most of the staff seemed to be young folk around her own age with the exception of the management.
The store manager seemed like a frail older gentleman who could have been blown over with a gust of wind. He had wild golden hair with two flicks at the front which at one point in time would probably have stood on end but now, simply hung limply to each side. She was surprised however when he hefted two heavy looking boxes without even breaking a sweat. It seemed like looks were deceiving.
The man had approached her when he noticed that she was looking around as if she were lost;
"Can I help you young lady?" he asked with a bright smile and a tone that could charm anyone it seemed.
"Oh, hi. I was just wondering if you happened to be hiring?" she had asked.
"Hehe well, today just happens to be your lucky day. We recently had to transfer one of our employees to our other store" the man replied.
"Why? What happened?" she asked.
"To be honest, the guy was a bit egotistical. He originally came from our sister store but he was always going on about how 1-B was better than 1-A, despite our sales being better than theirs. He was brought over to fill the vacancy but after a week, we decided that he would be best staying put so we started advertising again. But enough of that. I didn't catch your name?" the man then asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ochaco Uraraka. It's a pleasure to meet you" replied Ochaco.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yagi Toshinori. You can call me Mr Yagi if you'd like. Now, you asked if we were hiring. Would you like to step in to my office and we can discuss the job?" he offered.
"Oh, thank you very much" she replied as she followed him in to a back office.
They entered what looked to be an administration area where several people were hard at work. It looked like the staff in here were around her age as well. She continued following him until he stepped in to an office at the back of the room. It had a leather chair in which Yagi sat and two chairs in front of the desk. He motioned for her to sit in either of the chairs which she gladly obliged.
"So, you would like to come work here at U.A. Correct?" he asked.
"Yes sir, it would be a pleasure" she replied.
"Good. Tell me a bit about yourself, Uraraka" he asked.
"Well...I've just finished high school and passed my exams. I was looking at maybe going to university but...my family is quite poor and I want to be able to help them. My mom and dad have given me so much and...all I want is for them to be able to relax and not worry about money for a change and...I've just realised that maybe this isn't what you were asking" she said.
"No no, on the contrary. This is exactly the kind of thing I like to hear. Everyone who works here has some sort of dream. Some are similar to yours, whilst others are a bit more selfish. Either way, everyone here has a dream and as long as I work here, I intend to make every one of those dreams come true. So, I would be happy to offer you a position here at U.A. if you'd be willing to come work with us" he offered.
"R-R...Really?" she asked in surprise. She was certain she would have to try and convince the man some more.
"Of course. You've already demonstrated to me that you're willing to go beyond and help others. That's exactly the kind of person we like to hire" he explained.
"Why...thank you. I accept" she replied with a slight bow.
"Great. I'm glad to hear it. The shifts are 8am-4pm Monday to Friday. You may be asked to cover weekends from time to time to cover for holidays and sickness but we usually go on a rota basis so that everyone covers them fairly and no one person gets stuck picking up the slack.
We'll have you start on Monday morning. Be here at 7am as the store opens at 'll work a little bit longer on Monday but most days we'll ask you to come in for 8am. Again, sometimes you'll be asked to come in at 7 to help setup and again, that's also on a rota basis to make it fair.
I'll have young Midoriya show you the ropes. He's not in today otherwise I'd introduce you to him. He's the dayshift assistant manager for this store. He's a good kid and he's learned real fast. The only reason he hasn't taken my job is that he's still young and has a bit of an issue with his confidence but I'm sure you'll like him" explained Yagi.
"Now, any questions?" he asked her.
"Erm...yeah, just two. Firstly, what's the pay like? I know that sounds shallow but…"she asked.
"Not at all. After what you told me, it was foolish of me not to even mention it. The pay is per hour. You'll be entitled to 20 days of holiday per year, though we'll have to pro-rata yours since you're starting part way through the year" he explained.
"Thank you. And secondly, is there a uniform that we have to wear? I only ask as I noticed that most of the employees seem to be wearing white polo shirts or t-shirts and dark green pants" she asked.
"Of course. Yes, there is a uniform. Sometimes we're a bit lenient on what the employees wear but it must be a white top and dark green bottoms. Honestly, we're probably due to give everyone a kick up the rear end to make them start wearing their proper uniforms. Speaking of which, if you'll follow me for a moment" he asked.
He got up from his chair and walked around the desk as Ochaco also got up from her seat and followed him out of the office. He walked towards a group of desks where a few employees were sat;
"Young Yaoyorozu. I'd like to introduce you to Ochaco Uraraka,'' he said as he introduced Ochaco.
"Hello there," said Yaoyorozu. Ochaco replied and did a small bow as well.
"Young Uraraka here will be starting with us on Monday to fill the vacant position" Yagi explained.
"Wonderful. I can already tell you'll fit in well here" said Yaororozu.
"Oh er...thanks" said Uraraka as she blushed slightly.
"Would you be able to get her a uniform ready for Monday morning young Yaoyorozu?" asked Yagi.
"Of course. Would you be ok if I took some measurements just now Uraraka?" asked Yaoyorozu.
"Oh...um, yeah sure" replied Uraraka as she sounded slightly uneasy.
"Great. If you'll follow me please?" said Yaoyorozu as she waved Ochaco to follow her.
The girls stepped in to the ladies locker room and Yaoyorozu motioned for Uraraka to step over to the open area of the room.
"So if you don't mind Uraraka, I'd like to start from the top and work my way down. Is that ok?" asked the taller girl.
"Yeah sure. No problem" replied Ochaco.
Yaoyorozu pulled out a tape measure from seemingly nowhere and threaded it around Ochaco's neck and pulled it tight to get a measurement but not so tight as to cut off Ochaco's airway. She then noted the measurement down on a notepad which she also seemed to have made appear out of nothing. Seriously, was this girl a magician?
Yaoyorozu then moved around to Ochaco's back and measured from the base of her neck, along her shoulder then down to her elbow. She held the measuring tape there, noted something down and then maneuvered Ochaco's arm so she could measure right down to the wrist before making another note and took the tape measure away.
"So, Uraraka was it?" asked Yaoyorozu.
"Yeah," replied Ochaco.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Momo Yaoyorozu but my friends call me Yaomomo, though I'm not entirely sure how that came about. Are you excited to start work on Monday?" as Momo.
"Well, I wouldn't say excited but I'm definitely happy to finally have a job," replied Ochaco.
"Splendid. I know the job might not seem glamorous but honestly, it's a really fun place to work. Mr Yagi is very compassionate and kind. I don't think I've ever seen him angry or even so much as frustrated whenever we have a bad day" said Momo.
Momo then asked Ochaco to lift her arms so that she could measure her chest before moving down and measuring her bust.
"I hope this isn't too embarrassing for you?" asked Momo.
"No it's...alright. I'm not too used to being measured but I've had it done a few times" said Ochaco.
"Ok. If you're uncomfortable at any point please just let me know" said Momo.
Momo continued to measure up Ochaco by roping the measuring tape around her waist and noting down the measurement before she then placed the tape along the outside of her leg taking another measurement. She finished up by taking one last measurement of the inside leg. Once that was finished and she had noted it down, she then turned back to Ochaco;
"Ok that does it. I'll have three uniforms ready for you on Monday morning when you come in and I'll have more ready for you by the end of next week" said Momo.
"Wow. Thanks Yaoyorozu" Ochaco said, thanking the taller girl.
"No problem. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Here, let me show you the way out" said Momo as she led Ochaco back out of the store. Once she was back at the entrance, Ochaco thanked Momo and began making her way home.
Ochaco was thrilled. She had only gone in to try her luck and had managed to come out with a job. She couldn't wait to tell her parents when she got home that day. Maybe she could relax a little over the weekend now and enjoy it instead.
Monday had come around and Ochaco was excited and nervous all at once. She was starting her new job today and was looking forward to it but was also scared of making a bad impression or performing poorly. So when she arrived at the front door of the building that looked so friendly before, now she could visualize the terror of the door instead. Even so, her excitement was still prevailing so with a deep breath to calm herself she tried pushing the front door open but it appeared to be locked.
"Of course, they're not open for business yet," Ochaco said to herself. She then knocked on the glass door hoping someone would let her in.
She only had to wait a few moments for someone to open the door. It happened to be a short boy with purple hair that seemed like it was...permed in to...balls? She wasn't quite sure:
"Hi, can I hel-l…" said the purple haired boy as he stopped mid sentence and appeared to be...drooling? Gross!
"Um...hi. I'm starting work here today. I've to ask for someone called Midoriya?" asked Ochaco more than said.
"Uh...sure...yeah I'm Midoriya. Why don't you come in here cutie" said the short boy with a wink and a smile.
For some reason Ochaco didn't believe that this was the same boy that Mr Yagi was describing.
"MINETA!" came a stern voice from behind the short boy. Another boy, much taller, appeared behind the boy who Ochaco now came to know as Mineta. He had darkish blue hair and wore glasses and seemed to be making arm chopping motions? Right!
"How many times have I told you to stop harassing female clientele?" said the taller boy.
"I-I wasn't, I was just er…" said Mineta trying to come up with an excuse.
"Never mind that. Now hurry up and get back to your station, the store opens in 25 mins and if we're not ready for opening we'll be behind. Then I'll have to report this to Mr Yagi" said the taller boy in a loud voice. Mineta squealed before running off to what Ochaco presumed was his 'station'.
"I must apologise for him miss, but I'm afraid we don't open until eight" said the tall boy in a quieter and calmer voice.
"Oh that's ok, but I'm actually starting work here today" replied Ochaco.
"Oh, then you'd be Ochaco Uraraka, correct?" asked the boy.
"Yep. That's me. And you are…?" asked Ochaco waiting for him to give his name.
"Of course, how rude of me. I am Tenya Iida. I'm a shift leader at the store here. Please come in." replied Iida.
"Thanks" said Ochaco as Iida stepped aside to let her in and then locked the door behind her.
"Please follow me" said Iida as Ochaco fell in step behind him. He led her to the back where she had been before. As she stepped in to the open plan room, she was greeted by Momo;
"Good Morning Uraraka. Here, I have your uniforms all ready to go" said Momo as she picked up a brown parcel which had been wrapped to hold the uniforms.
"Wow. Thanks Yaoyorozu" replied Ochaco.
"Ah, I see you two have already met. Good Morning Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Aoyama" said Iida as he greeted everyone else in the room. He then continued with Ochaco in tow to Mr Yagi's office.
"She's a cutie," said Ashido as she turned to face Aoyama.
"Oui. She has a certain charm to her" replied Aoyama.
"And Midoriya is the one who gets to show her around. *gasp* Wouldn't it be great if we could get them together?!" Ashido whisper-yelled so as to not let Mr Yagi and others hear.
"And why would we do that?" asked Momo.
"Well Midoriya may look happy but he has almost never come out to socialize with us after shifts or even on weekends. Heck, I think he's only been to one social gathering the whole time we've known him" explained Ashido.
"While I do agree and see your point regarding Midoriya, we can't just assume that they would hit it off or even be a good match for each other. Additionally, how do we know that Uraraka doesn't already have a boyfriend?" asked Momo.
"True, we don't know for sure but I believe the young mademoiselle is not being courted by any suitors" offered Aoyama.
"And what makes you say that?" asked Ashido.
"Just a hunch," replied Aoyama.
"Mr Yagi?" said Iida as he knocked on the open door.
"Hmm, yes young Iida?" asked Yagi.
"Miss Uraraka has arrived," replied Iida as he moved aside to let Ochaco in. Ochaco herself stepped just inside the door and gave the man a small wave.
"Ah yes, come in come in. Young Iida, could you do me a favour and get young Midoriya for me?" he asked.
"Of course sir" replied Iida as he turned and left the office.
"So, excited for your first day" asked Yagi.
"Oh yeah, definitely," replied Ochaco with a beaming smile on her face.
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Once young Midoriya arrives I'll introduce you two and hand you over to him. He'll take good care of you, of that I'm sure" said Yagi.
"Thank you," replied Ochaco.
Not a moment after she said this, was there another knock at the door.
"You wanted to see me Mr Yagi?" asked the new voice.
"Ah yes, come in young Midoriya" said Yagi.
Ochaco turned her head to see the new person. There stood a boy around her age (just like everyone else seemed to be) with dark green hair and green eyes which were as bright as eyes could be. He was wearing a white short sleeved shirt and dark green pants and what appeared to be red high-top trainers (sneakers). He also had freckles on his cheeks which Ochaco found to be adorable;
"Young Midoriya. I'd like you to meet Ochaco Uraraka'' said Yagi
"Oh hi, I-I'm Izuku Midoriya" said Izuku as he offered his hand for her to shake.
"Nice to meet ya. I'm Ochaco Uraraka" replied Ochaco as she took the offered hand and shook. She noticed how his skin felt soft but had a bit of a rough edge to it. There also seemed to be a scar on his hand, however she didn't want to pry into something so personal.
"She is our new employee and I want her to feel right at home here at U.A. Would you show her the ropes please and get her settled in?" asked Yagi.
"Of course. So, s-shall we go?" asked Izuku as he addressed Ochaco.
"Okay. Thanks again Mr Yagi" said Ochaco as she began to follow Izuku.
"No problem and don't worry, you'll do fine" he replied as the two left the office. Yagi let his vision linger on the two a little bit longer as they left his office as a small smile crept on to his face.
"So, I guess you'll want to c-change first before starting?" asked Izuku.
"Oh yeah, of course," replied Ochaco, "is there a bathroom or something I can get changed in?" she asked.
"There's locker rooms for you to get c-changed in. C'mon I'll show you where they are" he replied.
He led her to the back of the store where there was a double swing door. He pushed one of the doors open and started pointing things out;
"On the left here is the guys locker room. On your right there is the staff toilet. There's only one I'm afraid. The next door on the left is the w-women's locker room. And at the end here is our stock room and loading bay. There's also a side door at the end there which is the staff entrance" he explained.
"If you want to go get changed just now, I'm just going to head to the bathroom real quick then meet you out here in a few minutes?" he asked.
"Sure, sounds good" she replied as she made her way in to the locker room. As they separated, Ochaco entered and noticed there were names on some of the lockers: Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Jiro, Asui, Hagakure, Hado.
She assumed that these must be the other girls who worked here. She'd already met Yaoyorozu and she had seen one of the other girls that morning but never caught her name. She struck her as someone who would be called Jiro but who knows.
She opened up the parcel that was given to her and looked at the uniforms. Two white short sleeve shirts and one white polo shirt and two pairs of dark green pants and one dark green skirt with black leggings. Ochaco oooh'd at the uniforms before deciding to choose the skirt and leggings and one of the white shirts.
She removed her t-shirt that she was wearing to reveal a vest she had on underneath and started to undo the buttons holding the shirt together when the door opened and she could hear voices as they entered. She turned her head around and covered up her front with the shirt she had in her hands (even though there was nothing to see due to the vest she was wearing) to be met with two girls she hadn't met before who both stopped and looked when they had noticed her;
"Oh hi," said Ochaco.
"Hi" they both said in Unison, "you're the new girl, right?" asked the purple haired girl.
"Um yeah. I'm Ochaco, Ochaco Uraraka" said Ochaco.
"Kyoka Jiro," replied the purple haired girl. Oh well, guess the other girl in the office wasn't a Jiro after all.
"Tsuyu Asui but please, call me Tsu" said the green haired girl now known as Tsu.
"It's nice to meet you both" replied Ochaco as she continued to put on the shirt.
"Looks like Yaomomo made you some uniforms," said Jiro as she smiled at Ochaco with her new uniform on.
"Yeah, I was surprised she managed to get them made so quickly," replied Ochaco.
"It's not surprising. The company we use for our uniforms is owned by Yaomomo's mom, so it's really easy for her to get uniforms made" explained Jiro.
"Wow. That's super handy. One question though, Yaomomo?" asked Ochaco.
"That's my nickname for her, though it seems others have taken to calling her that too. She's not too fussed with who uses it but others like Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya are a bit more traditional and will use her name properly instead" explained Jiro as she and Tsu were also both getting ready.
"Oh speaking of Midoriya, he's meant to be showing me the ropes. I'd better not keep him waiting" said Ochaco as she quickly finished getting ready.
"Don't worry, Midoriya's a kind and understanding person. He won't mind if you're a few minutes late" said Tsu.
"Thanks. I'll catch you guys later and maybe we can chat some more?" said Ochaco as she hoped for a positive response.
"Sure" said Jiro as she and Tsu both smiled at the new girl.
"Great. See ya later" said Ochaco as she left.
"I like her," said Tsu as she turned to Jiro.
"Yeah, I think she's alright. Can't be any worse than that Monoma guy from 1-B" said Jiro.
"Definitely," said Tsu.