Greetings one and all. Firstly, apologies for the long delay. I had a newborn daughter in November last year so as you can imagine, I've been busy.
I still very much plan on getting this story properly up and running and completed but it may drag out over some time, possibly years not gonna lie.
There likely won't be an update for some time but don't worry, I've not forgotten about my stores. Until next time.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, any of it's film adaptations or the manga.
Chapter 2
Izuku was staring in the mirror of the staff toilet;
"C'mon Midoriya. She's just a girl...an attractive girl...but a girl. Get your stammering under control" he said as he gave himself a pep talk.
He splashed some water on his face and dried off before making his way out of the toilet and waited for Uraraka to get changed.
He could hear some sound from beyond the door and assumed that some of the other girls must have been in there.
A few more minutes later and Uraraka appeared from the women's locker room;
"Well...how do I look?" asked Ochaco as she did a small twirl to show off her new uniform.
Izuku was blushing. This was torture already. It was bad enough that the moment he laid eyes on her that he started falling for her, badly. The fact that she was now sporting a skirt and black leggings and doing twirls, the poor boy was ready to faint.
"It er...looks g-good" he said as he tried to control his stammering.
Ochaco also realized after doing the twirl just what she had done and with her cheeks getting even rosier from embarrassment she replied "thanks". The two of them fell in to silence for a moment as they each recuperated.
"So...why don't I show you all the different areas and introduce you to everyone" he said.
"Sure, sounds good," replied Ochaco with a heartwarming smile. All it was doing to poor Izuku was giving him a stroke.
She followed him back to the loading bay and stock room;
"As I mentioned earlier, this is the stock room and the loading bay is just on the other side of those double doors at the end. And over here, we have the guys who work in the stock room" Izuku explained as they approached three rather large men who, again, seemed relatively their ages.
"Uraraka, meet Shoji, Sato and Koda. Guys meet Ochaco Uraraka. Today's her first day and I know I can count on you guys to make her feel welcome" Izuku said as he introduced everyone[.
The three boys exchanged pleasantries with Ochaco before she and Izuku moved on and back out through the double doors back in to the corridor and then back out the first double doors in to the main shopping area.
"Okay, let's start by going up this way" said Izuku as he pointed up one of the aisles;
"Here we have the bakery where everything is baked fresh, and the guy back there is Kirishima. Hey Kirishima!" Izuku called out to the man as he turned around.
"Oh hey Midoriya. What's up?" asked Kirishima.
"Not much. I'm just showing Uraraka around. Uraraka, meet Eijiro Kirishima. Kirishima, meet Ochaco Uraraka '' said Izuku as he introduced them to each other.
"Hi" said Ochaco as she waved to the boy behind the counter.
"Hey, nice to meet ya" replied Kirishima as Midoriya continued to lead Uraraka around the store.
Izuku then lead them to the butchers counter;
"Hey Kaachan" Izuku called out to the boy who was tenderizing some meat at the back counter.
"Damnit Deku, what is it?" said Bakugo with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm just introducing our newest team member. Ochaco Uraraka, meet Katsuki Bakugou," said Midoriya.
"Hi" said Ochaco as she waved in her usual way. Bakugou took a moment to look at the girl before replying;
"S'up round face" he replied before going back to the meat tenderizing.
"Round face?" questioned Ochaco.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Kaachan has a habit of giving people nicknames. It's usually because he can't be bothered to remember people's actual names" explained Izuku.
"Oh, is that why he was calling you Deku?" she asked innocently.
"Er...no...but that's a different story. Anyway, moving on" said Izuku as he deflected quickly to continue with the tour.
He walked down the next aisle to find three people in close proximity all stacking shelves;
"Hey Jiro, Sero, Kaminara. I'd like to introduce you guys to Ochaco Uraraka. She'll be our new team member. Uraraka, meet Kyoka Jiro, Hanta Sero and Denki Kaminari" said Izuku as he introduced everyone.
"Hi", "Hey" were the replies that they got.
"Nice to meet you again" said Ochaco as she addressed Jiro.
"Likewise" replied Jiro as she had a small smile adorn her face.
Midoriya continued on to the next aisle with Ochaco in tow. He then came up to two more people who were stacking shelves;
"Hey Ojiro, hey Tokoyami" called Izuku.
"Good morning Midoriya" replied Ojiro.
"Greetings from the Dark Abyss" replied Tokoyami.
"...oooook? Guys, I'd like you to meet Ochaco Uraraka. She'll be starting with us today as our new team member.
"Nice to meet you" welcomed Ojiro.
"A pleasure" offered Tokoyami.
"Hi" replied Ochaco as Izuku continued on. After rounding the corner, Izuku nearly bumped in to someone who was filling the freezer at the end of the aisle;;
"Oh, sorry Todoroki, I nearly ran in to you there" Izuku said in apology.
"That's ok Midoriya. How was your weekend anyway?" asked Todoroki as he continued to stack shelves.
"It was ok. I didn't get up to much to be honest" replied Izuku before he quickly remembered why he was looking for the taller boy;
"Oh, Todoroki! I wanted to introduce you to our newest team member, Ochaco Uraraka. Uraraka, meet Shoto Todoroki" said Izuku.
"Hello" said Todoroki.
"Hi" replied Ochaco as she waved once more.
"I'm assuming that you've already met Iida?" asked Izuku as he led them back towards the front of the store.
"Yeah, he let me in after berating someone called...Min...Mineta?" she asked more than stated as she tried to recall the name of the short boy.
"Yeah, unfortunately we're heading in his direction next" Izuku explained.
"You don't sound so happy about that?" she enquired.
"Well he's...got a bit of a...reputation. Specifically for trying to hit on the female workers...or customers" he explained with a troubled look.
"Oh…" said Ochaco as she let that thought linger.
"Don't worry too much though, Tsu keeps him in constant check" he replied as they both approached the checkouts.
"Speaking of which, Asui, Mineta, Aoyama," called Midoriya as the three in question turned to face them, "I'd like to introduce you to Ochaco Uraraka. Uraraka, meet Minoru Mineta, Tsuyu Asui and Yuga Aoyama. Uraraka is new here so I'm sure you guys will help me in giving her a warm welcome" said Izuku as he finished introductions.
"I'm sure I could give her a warm welc-" Mineta had began saying before something smacked him upside the head;
"Stop that" I'm not telling you again Mineta" said Tsu.
"Sorry but, didn't I see you working in the back office?" asked Ochaco as she addressed Aoyama.
"Oui, it was myself, however I was merely chatting. My magnifique should not be contained to the back office but instead should be on show to shine in all its glory" Aoyama elegantly explained.
The others were a bit dumbstruck before Tsu spoke up;
"Nice to meet you again. Please, call me Tsu. And Midoriya, I've told you before to call me Tsu" replied Tsuyu.
"S-Sorry T-Tsu" replied Izuku, his nervousness rising slightly due to directly talking to a girl and the fact that he was still forgetting to call her Tsu. He hadn't been so nervous when introducing Uraraka, but then he considered that part of his job so it was easier to push past that nervousness.
"Anyway, follow me and I'll finish introducing you to everyone" he said as Ochaco followed him in to the back office once more.
"Obviously you've met Yaoyorozu since you've already got the uniform but there's also…" Izuku trailed off as they approached the two girls before continuing, "Mina Ashido. Ashido, meet Ochaco Uraraka, our newest team member" he finished.
"Hey, nice to meet ya" said Mina in a chirpy upbeat tone.
"Nice to meet you too" replied Ochaco.
"There's also Toru Hagakure, however she works our social media and can work from home so we don't see her in the store very often. She does come in at least once every week, mostly on Tuesdays" Izuku explained.
"Dang, if I'd known there was a position like that I'd have applied for that instead" said Ochaco with a hint of sarcasm.
"No offense sweetie but you wouldn't be suited to the job" explained Mina.
"Huh? Why?" asked Ochaco with some confusion.
"Well, and please tell me if I'm wrong but, I think your best asset is that bubbly smile and attitude you carry. Your best work would be done in person here at the store" explained Mina.
"Also, while we don't see much of Toru, she does her best work when nobody can see her. You could say she's like a stealth operative" Mina had went on to explain whilst Ochaco blushed slightly at how Mina had described her.
"T-Thanks. I didn't realize I was so bubbly" smiled Ochaco.
"Well, that's everyone on the dayshift at least. If we can, I'll introduce you to the late shift when they get in. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to where you're working today" said Izuku as he made his way back out the office with Ochaco in tow.
They made their way back to the checkouts. Izuku then announced to the checkout staff a small change for the day;
"Alright guys, we're doing things a bit different today. Mineta, I want you to swap with Asu...Tsu, I want you to swap with Tsu-" as Tsu had begun to glare at him before he corrected himself, "for today and Uraraka, if you'd like to sit in the seat behind Tsu at checkout four there and just watch over her shoulder for a while. Later we'll get you working the checkout yourself with Tsu watching over and helping you out. How does that sound?" he asked Ochaco after explaining everything.
"Sounds good to me" replied Uraraka as she had already made her way around to sit on the seat at checkout four.
"Great. I'm away to finish my morning duties, then I'll be in a meeting with Mr Yagi for a brief period. I'll come check on you later" he said as he flashed a smile at her. Ochaco smiled back before replying, "ok" and Izuku took his leave.
Tsu had settled down and turned to face Ochaco;
"I'm gonna give you a quick rundown of what we do in the morning before the store opens. First, we check our area and clear out anything that was left from the night before, so any coathangers, food to be disposed of, bins that weren't emptied. You get the point, it just needs to be a tidy workplace" Tsu had started to explain.
Ochaco nodded her head and hummed in agreement.
"Then we log in to the register. You'll get your own number later today, everyone gets theirs on their first day. Once we've logged in, we count the cash in the drawer and compare it to the end of the previous day to ensure that the money is correct. As long as there aren't any major discrepancies then you're ok. The only other thing is to make sure you've got a full rack of bags available for customers" Tsu finished explaining.
"Well that sounds simple enough. What's the most difficult part about working the checkouts?" asked Ochaco.
"Taking payment. Some people want to use all their change so they end up holding up the queue. Others want to use coupons & vouchers which, again, will hold up the queue. The hardest ones are those who don't have enough cash and will argue over the price or those who have expired coupons" Tsu further explained.
"Geez, so it's not all glamourous at the checkouts then, huh" Ochaco concluded.
"Oui, but that is why I am here to make things sparkle again" Aoyama butted in.
"I don't think that's what she meant" said Tsu as she began counting the money in her drawer whilst Ochaco watched on.
Izuku had left Uraraka at the checkout with Tsu. He knew she would be in good hands and wasn't worried too much. He done a walk round of the store to see what still needed to be done as he passed by Iida who had begun to stack a different shelf;
"Midoriya!" said Iida as the green haired boy passed by.
"Hmm, yes Iida?" questioned Izuku.
"I just wanted to report that all the safety checks have been completed this morning with no issues found" explained Iida with his usual hand chopping motions.
"Great job Iida. Is there anything else that still needs done?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. Todoroki still has a fridge and two freezers to fill" replied Iida.
"Ok, I'll be there if anyone needs me" said Izuku as he then made his way towards Todoroki and left Iida to continue stacking the shelf.
Once he arrived at where Todoroki was working, he began to unpack the crates of frozen foods which had been brought out on a trolley to help get them in the freezers quickly so that the food wouldn't be wasted.
Todoroki thanked him for his assistance then went off to get a price list for the day so that he could correct any tickets that were outdated.
Izuku had gone to the stockroom to check if there was anything else that needed to be done but was informed that everything was in hand. He then made his way to the front doors and seeing that it was now eight in the morning, he unlocked the front doors and set the doors to automatic so that customers could now get in. Once they opened, it only took a few minutes for some customers to come in.
Izuku then did a walkaround of the store to make sure that everything was in order. He did make a few stops along the way to either adjust a display that wasn't quite right or to help someone stack a shelf or just to catch up with the others in general.
Eventually, he made his way in to the back office and knocked on Yagi's open door;
"Ah, young Midoriya. Come in. How are you this morning?" asked Yagi.
"I'm good Mr Yagi. How are you?" asked Izuku.
"I'm doing alright. Time for our morning meeting?" Yagi stated more than asked.
"Of course. Where would you like to start?" asked Izuku.
"Let's start with the staff. How is everyone this morning?" asked Yagi.
"Everyone seems to be in good spirits this morning. Everyone is here and no reported sickness. Even Hagakure has checked in according to Ashido" replied Izuku.
"Good. A happy staff is a productive staff. What about young Uraraka? How do you think she'll fit in?" asked Yagi. Izuku blushed slightly and tried not to let it show. Yagi noticed but made no outward indication.
"W-Well, I think she's got a lot of energy and she seems very positive. I've put her with Asui on checkouts this morning. I think she'll fit in easily and do well" replied Izuku.
"Good, good. How are last week's sales figures looking?" asked Yagi.
"Slightly below target but nothing to worry about" replied Izuku.
"That's fine, there's always a slight slump around this time of the year so we should be fine" replied Yagi.
"Ok," Izuku replied.
"Is there anything else that you would like to mention whilst you're here?" asked Yagi.
"Nothing of note, just that Mineta is being creepy again. Iida already scolded him this morning when he tried to be sleazy with Uraraka at the front door, or so I'm told" replied Izuku.
"Haha, oh that young Mineta. I'm sure with time he'll grow up in to a fine young man. Well, if there's nothing else then I'll let you get back to your duties, young Midoriya and I'll get on this conference call with Nezu" said Yagi.
"Sure, no problem Mr Yagi" replied Midoriya as he got up and left the office and closed the door behind him.
Ashido caught sight of Izuku coming out of the office as he closed the door. She called out to him before he could leave;
"Hey Midori," she said, gaining the boy's attention.
"Hmm, what's up Ashido?" he asked as he approached her desk.
"Oh nothing, I just wanted to see what you thought about the new girl. She's quite attractive, don't ya think?" asked Mina in a very obvious manner.
"Oh…uh, well…she's…er…" was Izuku's response as Ashido had broken the poor boy.
"Ashido, that's enough" chastised Momo, "yes she's attractive but that's no reason to try and embarrass Midoriya. You know how much of a hard time he's had in the past. I apologize for her behavior Midoriya" replied Momo.
"Th-that's ok, no h-harm done. Yaoyorozu, could you do me a favour and set up a login for Uraraka on the checkouts. She's currently using Asui's login" he replied.
"Of course," replied Momo.
"Thanks" he replied before glancing at Mina and scurrying away.
"Awww Yaomomo, you never let me have fun" whined Mina. Momo simply looked up from her work to look at Mina before casting her eyes back on her work and shaking her head.
Midoriya made his way back to the shop floor and did another round of the shop. Along the way he noticed that some price tags were marked incorrectly and asked Jiro to fix them. He would have asked Kaminari or Sero but he just knew they'd goof off if he asked them to. Continuing along, he checked in with Bakugo and Kirishima, both of whom were having a difference of opinion when it came to food, as they normally did.
Eventually he made his way back towards the checkout area and he seen Tsu and Uraraka from a distance. Uraraka had taken over from Tsu and Tsu kept an eye on her as she scanned items. She didn't really need to watch the new girl scan items but more to keep an eye on the payments screen and to catch any of the less regular or more awkward payment types (who knew people still used cheques?)
Izuku had managed to catch Tsu's eye who gave him a reassuring thumbs up. It seemed that all was going well for Uraraka and Mineta was kept as far away as possible so it seemed like everything was fine.
Izuku mostly did rounds throughout the day, catching up with everyone at some point or another. Soon it was time for his shift to end but he had one last thing to do for the day.
He approached the checkout area again to find both Tsu and Uraraka chatting up a storm. It seemed like they were really getting along;
"H-Hi Tsu, hi Uraraka" he greeted both women.
"Hi Midoriya" they replied in unison.
"How have things been going?" he asked them.
"Really well, at least I thought so" replied Ochaco cheerily.
"Yep, I'd have to agree. She took to it like a duck to water" replied Tsu.
"That's great," Izuku replied before continuing, "if you don't mind, can I borrow you for a while Uraraka?" he asked.
"Sure. Thanks Tsu, talk to you later?" Ochaco half asked, half stated.
"Sure, later Ochaco" replied Tsu.
Izuku led her in to the back office once again only to find it rather quiet;
"Where'd Momo and Mina go?" asked Uraraka.
"They finish earlier as they get in earlier in the morning than almost everyone else" he replied.
"Oh. That makes sense. So, what did you need from me?" she asked.
"I just wanted to see how you thought your first day was?" he asked her as she sat down and motioned for her to take a seat at Mina's desk.
"Honestly, I've had a great time working with Tsu. She's so calm and straight to the point about everything but she's got a good heart. I think I could probably work the checkout myself for the most part, though I'd still need someone to show me how vouchers and coupons work" she explained.
"Good, that's really good to hear. Tsu thinks you've done a good job as well" replied Izuku.
"That's great" beamed Ochaco. It seemed like things were going well on her first day.
"I just have a few forms left for you to fill out and that will be you free to go home for the day" he explained.
"Ok, sure" she replied.
Izuku pulled out some forms and explained what they were and if she needed to fill anything out or just sign them. Mostly it was health and safety stuff and some related to regulations.
Eventually with all that done, Ochaco was free to go hom;
"So, will I start same time tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yeah, this week it will be eight o'clock starts. I'll have the rota up by Thursday for the following few weeks. I'll pin it up on the notice board out in the hallway and you can check what shifts you'll be. You don't have any holidays already in place or anything do you?" he asked.
"Nope, nothing planned yet anyway" she replied.
"Great. Er…well, I'm heading to g-get changed and head home? D-Do you want me to w-walk you o-out?" Izuku somewhat asked. He was doing great as well speaking to her when it was all business but since now it was just going to be him and her walking out of the store, he almost cammed up. It's not like he was asking for a date or anything, he was just being polite.
"Sure, just let me get changed and I'll meet you in the hall?" she replied.
"S-Sure" he said. He wasn't sure he could say anything else right now.
"Ok, be right back" said the brunette as she left the office making her way to the locker room.
"Jeez Izuku, pull yourself together, it's just walking someone out the door" he mumbled to himself, "a really attractive someone but still just a person" he mumbled some more.
Eventually, after they had both changed they had met up in the hallway as planned before making their way out of the store, waving and saying goodbye to their colleagues as they left.
"So, which way are you headed?" Ochaco asked.
"Oh, I'm heading this way" he replied as he pointed down the street.
"Me too, c'mon I'll walk you to my bus stop" she replied.
"So how long have you been working for U.A Midoriya?" she asked. She wanted to get to know all her colleagues better but there was something special about Izuku, she just hadn't put her finger on it yet.
"About three years nearly" he replied, not looking her in the eye. He had forgotten how attractive she was and was actively trying not to blush at any given time…or be caught staring, that would be worse.
"Really? I did wonder how you became assistant manager so quickly. I mean, you're around my age" she replied.
"Yeah I'm about half a year older than you, according to your forms anyway" he replied.
"Oh ok. Not to be nosy or anything but did you leave school early to come work here?" she asked.
Izuku stiffened slightly. It was a sensitive subject that few people knew about as to why he started working there as young as he did.
"I mean, you don't have to answer…if you don't want to" said Ochaco as if sensing his unease.
"I er…it's complicated" was his answer. It wasn't really complicated but he didn't exactly want to talk about it right now either.
"Ok, forget I said anything" she replied.
"No!" he kinda yelled a bit too loud and too quickly. "No, it's fine, it's just…I've only just met you today and the reasoning is k-kinda…" he trailed off.
"Personal?" she asked.
"Yeah" he replied, "sorry but it's just not something I'm ready to talk about" he finished.
"That's ok. You can always talk to me if you feel comfortable about it" she replied.
"Thanks Uraraka. I promise, one day I'll tell you" he replied as Ochaco looked up at a sign;
"Well, this is my bus stop. Now I've got about a twenty minute wait for my bus" she explained as she checked the time on her watch.
"Really? I pass this bus stop every day. I might see you in the morning on the way in" he said.
"Maybe" she beamed a smile at him.
"Well, I guess I'll get going" he said.
"Ok, sure…oh wait" she said before grabbing a pen and paper from her bag and scribbling something on it.
"Hmm, what is it?" he asked. Ochaco put the pen away and offered him the paper;
"I-It's my number," she replied as her cheeks began to blush, "just to text me and let me know you're home safely" she explained.
"O-oh…o-o-o-okay, s-sure. Than-Thanks" he replied as he became the big stuttering mess he was known to be.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, bye Midoriya" she said.
"S-sure, bye Uraraka" he replied as he turned and walked down the street in the direction that they were originally walking.
'OMG! I've got a girls number. A girl gave me her number!' he thought internally.
If only he knew of all the good things (and the bad) that were still to come just from knowing the new girl.