Chapter 28: Festival Looms
"Ah, there you are Midoriya-san. Sorry for the sudden text but I couldn't wait until tomorrow," Power Loader said. He patted the student's back and then they both started to head to the workshop.
Midoriya then asked, "How did you even get my number, sir?" Something didn't add up when Izuku received a message from Power Loader just before class. He knew that teachers would have access to his mother's number but not his. All Might wouldn't share it with anyone, except maybe Eraserhead. His mentor had only recently learned of his successor's number and his Tuesday visits to the Development Studio as well. There also wasn't much to go by what this was about. Maijima had asked Midoriya to meet him after school, nothing more.
The pro hero then stopped and scratched the back of his head as he said, "That isn't important now. The issue is that Hatsume-san is starting to worry me more than usual. She's becoming too obsessed with her project for the festival."
Izuku was quick to ask, "Hatsume-chan hasn't hurt herself has she?"
"No, but I'm worried about her mental state." Maijima then shook a bit before saying, "And her cleanliness." He then began to walk again with the student at his side.
Midoriya decided it was best to see what the engineer meant before asking more questions and followed. He entered the Development Studio to find number 202 looking radically different. It hadn't been a week since Izuku last saw it. For one it was bigger and now its legs had been replaced by wheels. The paint job and faceplate looked nothing like before as well.
Izuku then noticed the lack of Mei in the room but had a hunch at where she was. He put down his backpack on a table to his right and proceeded to walk forward until he was in front of the hulking machine. He then shouted, "Hatsume-chan!"
A rustling sound came from within 202. After a few moments, Mei's face popped out from one of the robot's eye sockets. Her forehead, right cheek, and hair had various dirt plus oil stains. Izuku also had never seen his friend have such unruly hair. The whole image only got worse as the pink-haired mechanic climbed out of her project.
"Is it Tuesday already Midoriya-kun? I must be losing my sense of time," Hatsume stated as she began to descend from 202.
While rubbing his forehead, Midoriya responded with, "It's still Monday."
"Oh good! It means I have more time to work then," Mei said as she planted her feet on the floor.
Now in full view, Izuku was truly understanding what Power Loader was talking about. His friend was still wearing the same clothes from his visit last week. He could tell because the large stain she received then was still there, plus various new ones. The stench too was unbearable. Midoriya needed to keep a hand over his face.
"Give me a moment. I need to juice up before I start again," Hatsume stated as she rushed her friend to her room.
Maijima made his way over and said, "See what I mean?"
Izuku was quick to ask, "You haven't tried to stop her?"
The pro hero then explained, "My philosophy is that as long as a student is safe and legal about it I won't interfere in their pursuit of knowledge or craft. Hatsume is still functional as she is now so I haven't stepped in. I just fear that if it comes to the point that she isn't in a state to be doing this then I won't be able to convince her peacefully. That girl will fight tooth and nail for her 'babies' if need be."
The sound of Mei's voice suddenly came from behind the two, "Hey Maijima-sensei where are the extra coffee grinds? I'm out!"
"Under the microwave in my room. Don't touch my Jamaican Blue Mountain blend though! That stuff isn't cheap," Power Loader answered.
Hatsume groaned, "No need to worry sensei. That stuff of yours is so mild I'd never want to drink it a second time."
Under his breath, Maijima stated, "Cause you only care for the caffeine in coffee, not the taste." He then cleared his throat and said, "So yeah, that's the situation. I think you might be able to convince her to tone back her current work ethic. I'd rather do this peacefully than with force as well."
Midoriya took a few seconds to think about it before asking, "Any suggestions on how?"
The pro hero thought for a few moments before explaining, "Bargain with her. Offering her some deal or trade has worked in the past with me, though this time all my usual offers would fall on deaf ears. I'm sure there are things you could offer I couldn't."
Izuku nodded and then said, "I'll think of something." He then saw Mei come out of her mentor's room with a bag of coffee grinds in one hand and then walk into her own place. Midoriya took a few deep breaths then approached her door. After giving a knock, he asked, "Hatsume-chan can we talk?"
"Just a minute."
Izuku spent said minute going through ideas on what to entice his friend with to take a much-needed bath and rest. Just as he was on the cusp of a plan, Mei swiftly stepped out and closed the door behind her.
"The coffee will just need a bit before it's ready then back to work for both of us. I have some ways you could help this afternoon!"
Midoriya then said, "Sure, but Hatsume-chan, when was the last time you slept if you needed to drink the stuff this late in the day?"
"Every night, I'm fine Midoriya-kun," the pink-haired engineer responded while waving her right hand to dismiss the question.
A cough from across the room got both of the teen's attention. It was Power Loader. He then stated, "Yeah one to two-hour power naps."
"I don't have time to sleep! Just like the Hero Festival, this is my chance to show myself to the world. But unlike last time with the general public that can easily be dazzled by a bunch of my babies, I will have a much smaller and sophisticated audience so I need to have a perfect baby to show my skills," Mei ranted.
"But your health," Izuku tried to argue.
Hatsume huffed before saying, "You only live once. Plus that's rich coming from the guy who used to break his bones using his quirk too much. Another two weeks of this isn't gonna cause irreversible damage to me or anything."
Midoriya sighed. She did have a point. He then said, "Fine I'll join you in your work once you have your drink. I just need to tell Tooru-chan I won't see her until dinner." As he pulled out his phone, Mei returned to her room. It didn't take long for Tooru to respond.
"What's up?"
"I have a favor to ask," Izuku answered.
There was a pause before Hagakure stated, "I'm listening."
Midoriya did his best to explain the situation over the next few minutes. Just as Hatsume stepped out of her room with a cup of coffee, he got to the point of the matter in a whisper, "I think I can convince her to bathe and sleep properly if I promise you'll spend some time with her to explain how your quirk and suit functions. She was ecstatic about getting to work with you last week."
Izuku expected resistance or Tooru needing time to process what was just said. Instead, she said, "Yeah, I think I can do that."
Suddenly the door to the Development Studio slid open and Hagakure stepped inside.
Midoriya threw his hands up as he asked, "Wait, you were outside the entire time!?"
"We usually walk back to the dorms together after school. You suddenly left without a word meant something was up. I guessed it had something to do with Hatsume-san so I decided to just wait outside until you were done," Tooru explained. She then turned towards Mei, who just chugged her mug of coffee, and stated, "You weren't kidding though, she looks terrible."
"Yeah it's bad, but um, you sure accepted my request quickly," Midoriya said.
Hagakure exhaled before stating, "She's your friend and you wanna help any way you can. I should be supportive of that. Besides, our introduction could have gone better and I want to fix that." She then walked forward and began to talk to Hatsume who was already beginning to climb 202 to work once more.
"As much as I would love to Hagakure-san, Maijima-sensei said I needed to focus on my project for the cultural festival," Mei stated just as she was about to crawl through her robot's eye socket once more.
From across the room Power Loader yelled, "I'll make an exception today."
Hatsume stopped in her tracks and rushed to her teacher asking, "Wait? You will?"
"Today only," the pro hero stated, unphased by nearly being tackled by his student.
Mei was quick to hug her mentor, which disgusted him for multiple reasons. She then released him and ran over to a nearby desk. Hatsume pulled out a notebook and pencil and said, "Let's start with the specifics of your quirk."
"Actually I thought maybe we could discuss this over a soak in a bath," Tooru stated while placing a hand on Hatsume's shoulder.
"Uh, sure," Hatsume replied with a confused expression.
Izuku said nothing to his girlfriend's method here but the thought of this did make his cheeks glow crimson.
Midoriya looked at his phone in disappointment.
A news blog was open on his browser app.
No results.
Also, the YouTube app was open.
No new videos.
I guess this is what I get for not waiting till Sunday, Izuku thought. It's only Wednesday.
Midoriya let himself fall back into his bed and sighed. It was unnerving this week. Two weekends ago while doing his usual Sunday viewing of the hero news blogs, he accidentally pressed a video link to an odd villain. He called himself Gentle Criminal and supposedly had been active for over four years. At first, Izuku couldn't understand why he had never heard of this villain and why he just made the news. That was until he dug further.
Gentle was an internet celebrity, specifically on YouTube. Though he was famous in a negative light as viewers saw his antics as lame. The only reason he was featured on the news blogs was because he recently took on five pro heroes and won. But even then it was hard for people to take Gentle seriously. He wore a refined purple and white costume with a cane as if he was a part of the European nobility. It made him appear like a vampire with its enlarged collar and coattails. Gentle's antics were also relatively small crimes compared to more prolific criminals from what Midoriya could tell. The villain also uploaded various videos of him drinking tea. Izuku recognized one as Imperial Golden Tips, cause Momo had mentioned learning to brew it from her mother just days ago.
There hadn't been any new news of the electric villain Midoriya had been keeping an eye on. But this Gentle Criminal for some reason had slowly captured his attention. Was it his goofy but chivalrous behavior? Was it because he was interested to know how Gentle could defeat so many pro heroes alone? Was this just a filler until the electric villain reemerged? Or was he becoming restless from all the dance training he was doing? Either way, it had Izuku almost checking in daily to see if the former had made the news or the latter had uploaded a new video.
Today, there was nothing new for either. Midoriya thought, now what? He wasn't in the mood to study, which felt odd. Perhaps it was due to exhaustion from dancing so much? Ashido was putting him through the wringer. It was almost past 10 pm so he didn't want to bother his girlfriend with another kiss practice. Even if it wasn't late Izuku didn't think Tooru would be up to it. Things had been weird since Monday.
Midoriya got no word from Hagakure about Hatsume Monday night. And all he could get out of her on Tuesday during school was that she took care of it. Izuku still went to see Mei after class and was glad to see her cleaned up and with a new pair of clothes, but even she wouldn't say anything more on the matter.
"Hagakure-chan insisted that I don't talk about it. Can't say no to someone who's going to innovate me to new heights!"
At that point, Midoriya just gave in. At least Hatsume promised up to five hours of sleep and a bath if she became messy again until the cultural festival. Plus it seemed the girls did bond a bit, another bonus.
Either way, the situation was weird because Tooru had been acting a bit distant the last two days. Less interacting and talking in general though the most obvious part was the lack of physical affection. Izuku didn't expect to be kissed every day or anything but it was odd for there to be no hugs or hand holding started by her.
Midoriya figured it had to do with Monday, but for the moment he just left it be. If the situation didn't improve by the weekend, he would ask about it.
Izuku's mind then went back to his current dilemma.
What to do?
Turn in early? Nah, he wasn't tired yet.
Force himself to study? A few quizzes were coming up on Friday, but again Midoriya wasn't in the mood.
Maybe grab a snack and then re-read a book? He licked his lips at the thought of something salty, like some chips. Yeah, perhaps that will do.
Izuku sat up and was about to stand when he felt his phone vibrate. His mind quickly thought and hoped, maybe Tooru wanted to have a kiss session. She did usually offer via text. But when Midoriya opened his phone, he found it was the group chat.
Glasses: Evening all!
Everyone then said their greetings except for Yaoyorozu.
Encyclopedia: Oh we are doing this now? Not at lunch tomorrow?
Then followed a few confused responses.
Glasses: I figured because of the secretive nature of the information that we keep it in a more private place.
All Might: Private?
Lion: Hmmm...
Blank: This sounds serious.
Bubbles: Agreed, what's going on?
Encyclopedia: I guess I'll start.
Glasses: Go ahead Yaoyorozu-chan.
Encyclopedia: Thank you.
Encyclopedia: Anyways, we might have accidentally found out why Aizawa-sensei has been restless at our team training.
Blank: Oh nice! Spill the beans!
Bubbles: Accidently?
Lion: Okay now you have me interested.
Izuku tensed up. Did they find out by Eraserhead being hounded by federal agents? If so, how? Or was this completely different?
Glasses: It wasn't Hagakure-chan. We walked into the conversation in the teacher's office while dealing with some paperwork.
Encyclopedia: We were trying to set up another joint activity with 1B once the cultural festival was over and needed to get sensei's approval.
Blank: That's nice and all but can we get to the point? I'm dying to know!
Lion: Gonna have to agree with Hagakure-chan here.
Bubbles: Oh another joint activity? What do you two have in mind?
Encyclopedia: That's a secret!
Glasses: We'll discuss with everyone once the Cultural Festival is over. No need to go over things that might not be.
Glasses: Getting to the point as requested, Present Mic-sensei was showing concern for Aizawa-sensei's well being. He mentioned that training us, watching over Eri-san, and giving private lessons to a student on top of his regular duties was going to burn his candle at both ends.
Lion: Private lessons? Did they say who?
Encyclopedia: They weren't specific, and we didn't ask. Aizawa-sensei was quick to end the conversation once he noticed we were there.
Blank: I wonder who in our class needs the extra lessons.
Bubbles: It might not even be someone in 1A though.
Glasses: Or even in our year.
Midoriya looked away from his phone for a bit as he recalled a memory. It was after the final exams for the first term and Eraserhead was walking with Hitoshi Shinso just behind him. A stretch, but another tidbit that made the possibility more likely was what Sero had told Midoriya at the start of the second term. Izuku was desperate for information on the new term, and once Tenya allowed it, he first turned to Hanta, as he was happy to answer any questions. Sero mentioned noticing Shinso at the opening looking rougher. Midoriya figured the student from 1C was training on his own to fulfill his desire to join the hero course at the time, but this recent revelation connected some dots.
But should Izuku say anything about it to his friends? He suddenly felt his phone vibrate.
Bubbles: Midoriya-kun hasn't said anything for a bit. Is he still here?
Blank: You there?
Lion: Probably lost in thought on who it might be.
Izuku chuckled and then began typing.
All Might: You guessed right, Ojiro-kun. I got nothing though. I'm stumped.
Midoriya felt it was meant to be under wraps, as with their team training. Might as well keep it as such for now.
The chat continued for a few minutes with everyone throwing out their guesses, though none of them even came close. In the end, everyone was relieved that their homeroom teacher was only overworked. Momo and Tenya did say they were considering putting something together for Eraserhead. His birthday was only two weeks away; the class presidents found out. It was the least they could do.
Izuku was a bit more worried though for the pro hero. Cause this was all on top of having to deal with the federal agents as well. But before he could ponder the situation more, another phone vibration pulled him away from his thoughts.
Lion: Hey. Are you awake enough to talk for a bit?
Midoriya looked to see that it was a private message. Everyone else had said their goodbyes in the group chat, and he quickly typed one as well. Izuku then turned his attention to his friend's request. He guessed at the subject matter and typed away.
All Might: Of course. Need some advice with Yaoyorozu-chan?
Lion: Ha. Not this time. It's a bit more serious though.
Izuku's interest turned to concern.
All Might: Everything okay?
No immediate response came. After a few minutes, one did come.
Lion: Monoma contacted me and wants to talk.
All Might: When?
All Might: How?
All Might: Did he say anything shady?
Lion: Woah there, everything's under control. I think he wants to continue our conversation from karaoke night. I mean it's Monoma, so it's always suspicious, but I need to see this through for Momo-chan's sake.
All Might: Cause she thinks you should talk to him?
Lion: She helped set the whole thing up.
Lion: Monoma tried to get my number through Ida-kun, who refused but she was there too at the time. After talking with him, Momo-chan gave him my number because we would try to work out our differences.
Lion: I just wanted to talk over the phone, but he insisted we talk face to face.
All Might: So are you just anxious?
Lion: Mostly...
Lion: Would you mind tagging along?
All Might: Monoma-san isn't going to be happy if I do, but it wouldn't hurt if I came.
Lion: Well I don't care if it bothers him but thanks.
All Might: No problem.
All Might: So when and where is this meetup?
Lion: That's still up in the air. All I did was agree with talking.
Lion: But I said I needed some time because of practice for the festival. Which isn't exactly a lie because Ashido-chan's training regiment is tough.
Midoriya sighed before typing a response.
All Might: You can say that again.
Lion: I'll try and connect him tomorrow to set a time and place.
Lion: For sure before the cultural festival. I want this behind me before that.
All Might: Let's hope for the best then!
Lion: I just want this to be over. See ya.
Izuku put down his phone and went over to turn off his lights. As he settled into his bed, he wondered why Mashirao was treating this as more of an annoyance than anything. Midoriya wondered, was Ojiro-kun that eager to move on?
"Mon pauvre. You're sulking Midoriya-kun," came a voice from behind Izuku's left as he was about to open his door.
Midoriya nearly jumped up at the declaration. He then collected himself, turning his head to see Aoyama's head poking out from his room. Izuku wasn't sure how his new friend knew he was there but didn't bother to think about it this time. These sudden appearances were familiar with Yuga after all.
Midoriya tried to smile as he said, "Afternoon Aoyama-kun. What makes you say that?"
Aoyama opened his door a bit more as she answered, "It's become increasingly obvious as the week has gone by, especially during dance practice. And I'm willing to bet it involves Hagakure-chan."
Izuku pondered, is it that obvious? Or was Yuga as observant as Koji when it came to such things? Either way, he shrugged while stating, "It's not that serious."
"Perhaps it isn't. But it's still dragging you down," Aoyama said with a grunt. He then took a step forward as he asked, "Mind spilling the beans? I can offer assistance like last time if you so wish."
Midoriya weighed his options. His plan was to try and talk to his girlfriend about what happened on Monday as things weren't improving. Admittedly things weren't getting worse either, but this odd energy between the two was getting on Izuku's nerves. He figured giving her space would work things out, but after a couple of days, nothing was changing. And now Yuga was interested in his plight. Though the thought of what happened with his previous suggestion still was fresh in Midoriya's mind.
"Like last time? The time you forgot to mention Ida-kun and Uraraka-chan were also using the roof," Izuku stated with his arms crossed.
"Désolé. Still, it's not my fault you decided to go up there the same time they were bonding. Or perhaps it was fate," Yuga replied with a shrug.
Midoriya sighed as he shook his head. He then said, "Fine but let's talk about it in my room."
Aoyama's grin grew more extensive, but he didn't say a word as he closed his door and entered his friend's room.
From there Izuku recounted what happened on Monday. He was prepared for a reaction about the detail of Tooru and Mei bathing together, but Yuga stayed quiet and continued listening. Midoriya almost didn't mention that part but felt, in the end, it might better explain why his girlfriend was acting so strangely.
When finished Izuku asked, "So what do you think-."
Yuga hushed him and then said, "Un instant. I must concentrate on a solution."
Minutes passed, and Aoyama's face became increasingly more frustrated. Finally, he proclaimed, "I've got it! I need your phone."
"Uh, okay," Midoriya said as he pulled out his phone and unlocked it before giving it to his friend. He then asked, "So what did you come up with?"
"Nothing," Aoyama responded as he happily typed away on the cellular device. He then put it up to his ear as he said, "So we go the more direct method."
Before Izuku could fathom what was going on, Yuga spoke into the phone saying, "Good evening Hagakure-chan."
Aoyama's face then turned to disgust as he stated, "No I did not steal his phone. He willingly gave it to me."
The two then argued for about a minute until Yuga huffed and tried to calm himself. He then said, "Look, the reason I am using his phone isn't the point. Can you come to his room right now? You two need to talk."
Midoriya immediately started shaking his head and hands at this statement.
"Of course he is okay chatting with you in person. He just needed a little push from his ami," Aoyama replied with a wink towards his host. His grin then subsided and looked at his phone in disappointment. "She hung up on me."
Izuku sighed before saying, "Was that necessary?"
"Of course. We both had no idea what to do so you need to simply talk it out I say. She did say she was coming over before rudely hanging up," Aoyama replied while handing back his host's phone. He then coughed before saying, "I best make my leave though. Hagakure-chan will be most displeased with my presence if I linger. Bonne chance!"
And with that Yuga exited Midoriya's room before the latter could even ask what that last sentence even meant. He then pushed the thought aside and turned his thoughts to what to do when Hagakure arrived. Izuku thought, would she even know what they needed to talk about? Tooru would have to, right? Would it be wrong to assume she did?
Midoriya kept on asking himself questions in his head for the next couple minutes until he heard a knock on his door. He was paralyzed by the fact that he had let his opportunity to think this through go to waste by his endless brainstorm of questions.
Hagakure's voice suddenly could be heard on the other side of the door saying, "Are you even there Izuku-kun?"
Izuku tapped his cheeks a few times with his hands to snap out of it and then reached to open the door. Upon its opening, all he could muster to say was, "Hey."
Tooru was quick to ask, "Is he in there?"
"Aoyama-kun? No, he left after he finished talking to you on the phone," Midoriya responded as he watched his girlfriend enter his room. He then said, "He was only trying to help."
"Alright enough about him, let's just focus on us," Hagakure stated as she sat down on her boyfriend's bed. Just as he sat down to her right, she said, "Sorry for this week."
Izuku gulped but then stated, "It's been weird alright."
Tooru groaned before saying, "It's not your fault." She then laid back on his bed with her legs hanging off the side of the bed.
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Midoriya said as he joined her in laying down. As much as he hated to say that cause he wanted to know, he didn't want to rush her into this if it was bothering her so much.
"I'm here aren't I? Might as well talk about it. Besides, I want to know how you feel about it," Hagakure explained as she grabbed his left hand.
Izuku squeezed her hand as he asked, "About what?"
"About when we get physical," Tooru answered in an awkward tone.
Midoriya's mouth hung open as he tried to think of words to say, but nothing came out. So she did know, he thought. But what to say?
After a few moments, Hagakure said, "And this is one reason why I didn't want to discuss this earlier this week."
Izuku was quick to clear his throat before saying, "I've calmed down now we can talk about it."
Tooru then asked, "But are you forcing yourself to?"
Concerned at the question, Izuku replied with confidence, "Of course not. Why would you ask that?"
Hagakure let go of her boyfriend's hand and stood up to get off the bed as she said, "Let me explain first." She then paced back and forth a few times before saying, "The shower I had with Hatsume-san on Monday was an eye-opener for me. It made me think that maybe I'm too forceful on you when it comes to getting physical."
Midoriya then stood up and said, "But you haven't always been the one to start it. I mean I was the one that tried to french kiss first for example."
"But did you do that more for yourself or me? Did it stress you out? Did it make you uncomfortable? That's what I'm getting at," Tooru stated. She then huffed before saying, "Sorry, let me clarify."
Izuku sat back down before his girlfriend continued.
"I underestimated how curious Hatsume-san was about my quirk, and during our shower together she became too touchy-feely for my tastes."
Midoriya didn't like this one bit and was about to say something, but Hagakure was quick to interject with, "Don't worry I talked to her afterward about how I wasn't okay with what she did. I think I got through to Hatsume-san cause she apologized, well in her unique way. But anyway it got me thinking, have I made you feel as uncomfortable as she made me feel?"
Izuku shook his head as he stated, "Not to the level you are describing. Hatsume-chan is a stranger to you. I'm your boyfriend. Sure, things like embracing and kissing were embarrassing and uncomfortable at first. But that's natural isn't it?"
Tooru then asked, "You're not busting your back to accommodate my advances?"
"No. Everything has worked out in the end even if it was stressful at first," Midoriya argued. Hagakure then approached, and he felt her hands grab his shoulders.
Tooru then said, "Even if." She pushed Izuku onto his back and sat on his lap before saying, "I was to pin you down like this, and I don't know." He felt his girlfriend's hands grip the bottom of his shirt before she asked, "Take off your shirt and proceed from there? Would you be okay with that right now? Would you say yes just cause you wanted to please me?"
Midoriya was quite flustered at this point, but after a few moments he collected himself mentally and said, "I w-would ask you to p-please get off me."
Hagakure did just that and sat down on her boyfriend's bed to his bewilderment. She then said, "Sorry about that. That was drastic of me but I wanted to be sure."
Izuku thought, that was a test? That was bold even for her. He then sat up and straightened out his shirt before saying, "If I was ever uncomfortable to the point that it bothered me I would tell you Tooru. Honest. I'll admit I missed you initiating our hugs and kisses, even if it wasn't even a week. I do want to please you, but I'm not going to let you have your way with me. I would explode." Midoriya chuckled after saying the last sentence, and his girlfriend joined in on the laugh.
"I guess I was worrying over nothing," Tooru stated after the laughter died down. She then continued with, "I was worried you were doing anything to please me. And while it would be sweet of you, I also don't want you to let me walk all over you. It's been so long since you told me you weren't comfortable with us doing stuff together."
Right, since that day in the rain, Izuku thought. And that back when we were just friends. With that thought in mind, he got up and embraced his girlfriend to her surprise.
Hagakure returned the favor and then said, "Straight to it huh?"
"It felt right," Midoriya responded. After a few moments they parted, and he asked, "How long did you plan for this to last?"
"I don't know. I felt I needed time to think this through but avoiding it seemed like the easy way out. Thinking I might be at fault with you horrified me so not being physical with you felt like the best solution at the time," Tooru explained.
Izuku scratched the back of his head as he said, "I didn't have a plan besides asking you on Monday if nothing came up. I guess we can thank Aoyama-kun for settling this earlier for us."
"If anything I should have followed my advice about being more open to each other. Then we wouldn't have 'required' his help," Hagakure huffed. She then asked, "Did you tell him what happened Monday in detail?"
Midoriya shrugged, "I mean kinda had to for him to give any decent advice."
"Fine. Whatever. Be sure not to be too open with him about our relationship from now on though. Same goes with Ojiro-kun, cause he'll use it to tease us both if he wants to," Tooru stated.
"I'll keep that in mind," Izuku said with a nod. He then received a quick peck on the lips which caught him off guard.
"Good. See ya later Izuku," Hagakure stated in a much happier tone than anything else she had said that night. She then made her leave leaving her boyfriend flustered for the umpteenth time.
"I'm telling you it's weird," Tokoyami proclaimed with a bewildered tone.
From across the couch, Kaminari asked, "What's wrong with 1B being friendly with us? New friends are always a plus."
"Says the one that tries to make friends with everyone," Fumikage said with a sigh.
With a smirk, Denki replied, "Tries? More like I am."
"You still haven't gotten through to Bakugo-san," Mineta stated as he grabbed another handful of chips from the coffee table before gobbling it down.
"That's not true! I call him Kacchan just like Midoriya-kun, and they're good friends," Kaminari tried to argue.
"More like he lets you get away with it. He doesn't like Izuku-kun saying it either," Hagakure said with a huff.
Denki shook his head as he responded, "Well you see, tolerance is just how Kacchan works. Tolerance is his way of early friendship. Everyone functions differently. That's his way is all."
"If you say so Mr. Friend Expert," Tooru said as she leaned on her boyfriend.
Izuku was to his girlfriend's right and was keeping out of the conversation for now. It was Monday night, and some of the students had decided to stay up rather than going to bed earlier like most of the class despite how difficult their training session had been today. It started with Midoriya and Hagakure chatting alone, but Kaminari and Mineta came with a bowl of chips to share. Tokoyami was elsewhere in the room by himself but came over once he saw Sato come back from outside and went upstairs.
Fumikage had noticed Rikido would spend a lot of time on the phone with 1B's class president and wanted to ask his classmates about it.
"I bet they are only discussing ideas of stuff to do with 1B once more. Those two were the masterminds behind the karaoke night, which was awesome, so more power to them I say," Denki argued.
"He is not the only one. Mineta-kun has also started to spend a lot of time with 1B," Tokoyami argued. He then gave the one mentioned a suspicious glare.
Mineta smirked, "Ah to be jealous that I am watching anime with a nice foreign girl. I know this feeling well Tokoyami-kun. It's okay. I forgive you."
Everyone but Denki sighed at the statement, with Fumikage even shaking his head. "I care not that you are spending time with Tsunotori-san. It's more difficult to get used to becoming friendly with 1B from how things were between our classes in the first term. And then those two who keep trying to get in contact with me."
Izuku then asked, "What's wrong with Komori-san and Kuroiro-san being interested in talking with you?" He had seen both try and approach Fumikage multiple times after class in the last few weeks.
"Komori-san seems more interested in me working with Hawks-sensei than anything else. She won't stop asking for further details about him. I care not for his popularity or rank so I can't see how helpful I can be. Then Kuroiro-san sees me as a rival I think due to our similar views and quirk. His quirk involves shadows or dark colors or something from what vague details he has given me in his rants. It's really not my concern to know. I'm not interested in having more competition as there are enough powerhouses to deal with in our class already," Tokoyami explained.
Kaminari shrugged, "Suit yourself then, but this shows we can be friends with class B despite the tradition it has with ours. I mean even Ojiro-kun and Monoma-san seem to be getting along too."
Izuku knew better though. The meeting between the two had been set for Thursday night. There still had been no word on where it would be, but Midoriya figured it wouldn't be too long until he found it.
Mineta then said, "Don't be so hung up on it Tokoyami-kun. Just think of positive stuff, like your birthday later this week!"
"Oh right, I did mention that to you a few weeks ago," Tokoyami stated.
Kaminari nearly choked on the handful of chips he had recently put into his mouth. After a few coughs, "Wait, it's almost your birthday? When is it?"
"This Wednesday, the 30th," Fumikage answered as he closed his eyes.
Denki groaned before saying, "Awww man, wouldn't it have been cool for a guy like you to have your birthday on Halloween instead?"
"And there it is," Tokoyami sighed. He then opened his eyes and said, "I detest that holiday. If anything I would have preferred it to be on November 2nd."
Tooru then asked, "Uh, what holiday is on the 2nd?"
"The Day of the Dead. Though it's more than one day with the 2nd being the biggest of them all," Izuku explained.
"You are quite right Midoriya-kun. I much prefer the rich culture of that holiday over the generic mess Halloween has become," Fumikage said with a nod.
Minoru asked, "Hmm, both have something to do with the dead right? So what's the big deal?"
"Halloween in its original purpose is about the fear or warding off the dead, but the Day of the Dead is about honoring those that have passed. My grandmother taught me how it centered on celebrating one's ancestors. To me that is a much more appropriate way a holiday should be handled concerning the deceased," Tokoyami explained.
Midoriya then spoke up and said, "Your grandma gave you a lot of stuff and knowledge huh?" He remembered Tokoyami mentioning a lot of stuff in his room was from her. It seemed this woman was quite important to his friend.
"Yes, I owe her a lot. Trinkets, books, morals, stories, and more," Fumikage answered.
Izuku then asked, "You want us to do anything for your birthday? I'm sure Sato-kun and Ida-kun would be happy to bake a cake for you at the very least."
"Thanks but I'd rather we focus on the cultural festival. It's our final week of practice. Besides, I'm not into celebrating my birthday much anymore," Tokoyami replied.
Kaminari then placed a hand on his chin as he asked, "Stories huh? Hey, would any of these happen to be scary stories?"
Fumikage looked intrigued as he asked, "Some do carry a sense of dread in their purpose. Why do you ask?"
"Dude we should totally have a spooky story night in your room on Halloween," Denki proclaimed with glee.
Tooru shot up and said, "I'm in! I bet some of the other girls would love to go too."
Upon hearing this Minoru too stood up, though on the couch, and proclaimed, "I'm going too. I can't wait to see you all piss your pants in fear."
Tokoyami looked a bit overwhelmed at all the attention. He then closed his eyes and cleared his throat before saying, "As long as no one wears costumes or brings candy I'll consider it." Denki and Minoru then started to ask him about when would be a good time to do it on Thursday.
Hagakure sat back down and asked, "You don't wanna go huh?"
Midoriya nodded and responded with, "Yeah, I'll pass."
"Fair enough. Only I get to scare the pants off you," Tooru stated with a giggle.
Izuku sighed upon hearing this. This probably meant more horror movies in the future for him. Either way, he was happy to see Fumikage becoming more sociable. But Midoriya's mind instead turned to the meeting on Thursday. He hoped both events would go well, as they both needed it.
Mashirao asked, "You look uneasy. Is everything okay?"
"Oh sorry. I'm only thinking of the times I've spent here. It's awkward being here for entirely different reasons," Izuku responded while scratching the back of his head.
Ojiro looked around a bit before asking, "What's so special about this place?"
Midoriya leaned back and looked at the almost bare Japanese maple tree above him. He then said, "Tooru-chan and I have had some talks here."
"Well, Monoma was the one that chose this spot, so that's on him. And he's late," Mashirao stated with annoyance.
It was a chilly Thursday night. The month of November would start tomorrow and the cultural festival the day after. Izuku felt ready for both his parts in the performance. It might not have been as much as he was hoping for, but Eri would still get to see him. That's all that mattered.
Ojiro then stood up from the bench and said, "Speaking of which."
Monoma was approaching from their left looking displeased. Once he arrived, he stated, "And you are not alone. I thought I asked for this to be more private."
"Only being sure this doesn't have any nefarious intentions behind it," Mashirao said with a smirk.
"Ojiro-san. I was quite clear that such behavior from me won't be happening anymore," Neito said while crossing his arms. He then shot a glance at Izuku and said, "I guess you were expecting a throw down if you brought the muscles of your class."
Midoriya sighed and then asked, "Can we get this over with? Tomorrow's our last day of practice. We should all get to bed soon." It was late enough already. He guessed Tokoyami's scary stories were wrapping up at this point. Hagakure and everyone else left to go to his room almost two hours ago.
Monoma turned his back to the others as he said, "Well now I don't feel like discussing this matter. This is between you and me Ojiro-san. No one else."
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous."
Everyone turned to the right upon hearing the voice. It was coming from a bush beside the bench. Within moments it began to rustle, and a student from 1B emerged while holding a long block of wood.
"I'm going to have to agree with Midoriya-san here that you should just get to the point," Awase stated while tapping the block of wood into his other hand.
Ojiro chuckled before saying, "Coming alone huh? It looks like you were just as concerned as I was."
"Awase-kun being here is not of my choice, believe me," Neito groaned.
Mashirao shot Yosetsu a look, and he proceeded to nod before explaining, "Due to Kendo-chan being so busy with the beauty pageant she put me in charge of making sure Monoma-san doesn't get into any more trouble. It was obvious he had something planned last week, and when I confronted him about it, he easily spilled the beans."
"I don't need you or Kendo-chan babysitting me. I want no quarrel with Ojiro-san or Koda-san anymore, so there is no reason to follow me," Monoma argued.
"Mind explaining that to us all then? Your sudden change in behavior makes no sense to me," Ojiro said while retaking his seat next to Midoriya.
"Fine to the point then," Neito stated with a shrug. Yosetsu joined his classmate's side before he continued by saying, "You know we both risked expulsion that day."
"Hard to believe," Mashirao said.
Monoma smirked before explaining further with, "While for you the threat came from our school, for me it was my parents."
Awase looked surprised to hear this. It seemed like this was kept a secret to everyone, even 1B, Midoriya thought.
"Being from a well off family means everyone has very high standards. I always got away with my antics in my last school cause it was never known to my parents but once they learned of what happened between us that day I was given an ultimatum. Clean up my ways or be pulled from U.A. for good," Neito said while looking back towards the main campus. He then exhaled loudly before saying, "My parents were already shaky in supporting my endeavor to become a hero. With my smarts, I could be anything. A doctor, a scientist, a lawyer, you name it. But I always desired to be a hero, and I felt my quirk had great potential. The field, however, is hazardous and there's no guarantee you will make it big with a quirk like mine."
There was silence for a few moments before Izuku spoke up and asked, "Cause you can't go solo with it, right?"
"Precisely. As strong as my quirk is, it's useless if I am not on a team. There's no guarantee I will be able to reach and copy the quirk from a villain or if it will be useful against itself. Plus what's to happen if I need to rescue someone and not fight. Alone, how am I different from a normal person? Even then, hero teams are usually not present in the higher ranks of our hero system anyways. Something that goes against the steep standards my kind seeks after. It was because of my excellent grades, perseverance, and acceptance into U.A. that my parents acknowledged my attempt to this dream of mine," Monoma explained.
Mashirao shook his head as he said, "And yet despite this you continued to be an asshole to people like Koda-san and I. Your 'sob story' falls apart when you consider that."
"And you have all the reasons in the world to say that. Nothing I say or do can amend what I did," Neito stated as he got on his knees.
Ojiro asked, "You're really going to do this?"
Monoma then bowed his head as he stated, "I want to move on from that part of my life. But I still feel a conflict between us despite this change of heart of mine. I understand how hard it is just to drop these years of resentment we had for one another at the drop of a hat. I want us to have a more healthy way to express it, and I feel a more traditional rivalry out of respect, not hatred could do this."
"Get up already. This isn't like you," Mashirao said, offering a hand.
Neito didn't take it as he stood back up, "I don't deserve that from you. Not yet at least. And to your previous point, it might not be like the old me but I am still trying to make amends here. Mind giving me a chance at the very least?"
Ojiro sighed before asked, "Okay then, hypothetically, how can we be legit rivals when we are in different classes?. There are few opportunities for us to compete."
Monoma shook his head as he replied, "Very soon, before the end of the year we will have a chance. And even if that doesn't pan out, I'll think of something."
Awase then asked, "Wait, what are you even talking about?"
"In due time Awase-kun, and I promise it's nothing sinister. Kan-sensei has already approved this," Neito answered. He then looked back at Mashirao and said, "That covers all I have to say tonight. Unless you have anything to ask Ojiro-san, I think I will take my leave."
After a few moments, Mashirao responded with, "Your entire plan only works if I forgive you. What makes you think I will?"
"A decent point, but I've already seen you make amends with someone of similar stature to myself already. You were willing to look past their background and establish a good relationship with them. I figured if you were capable of that, with effort and time, I could attempt to do the same," Monoma explained.
Ojiro let out a long exhale as he asked, "How long have you known?"
"I had my suspicions since our summer camp. It only became more obvious as our second term progressed, especially that night of Karaoke," Neito shrugged. He then said, "I have told no one of this of course."
Yosetsu then asked with a bewildered face, "Uh, what are you two talking about?"
Monoma turned and placed a hand on Awase's shoulder as he stated, "It's not my place to say. Anyways, let's head back to our dorms."
"I'm going to stay for a bit. You go ahead," Yosetsu said as he brushed off his classmate's hand.
"Suit yourself," Neito said as he turned around and made his exit.
Izuku then stood up and asked, "Is there something you wanted to tell us Awase-san?"
"I'm not answering that last question if that is what you want to know," Mashirao was quick to say.
"Considering that even if you want to keep a secret Ojiro-san then I don't want to know. I just wanted to say that if he tries anything funny or suspicious then contact me. After the karaoke night, I think our classes can truly get along, and I don't want him messing it up. He sounds genuine, and all but you never know with him," Yosetsu explained.
Ojiro agreed to this, and the two exchanged phone numbers. After they did, Midoriya asked, "Hey so is there anyone else in 1B that was as against our class as Monoma-san is?"
"I mean sure; there are a few that have voiced the idea of competing with 1A but not to the extent that Monoma-san has had," Awase answered.
Mashirao put away his phone as he asked, "Any idea beyond 'tradition' on why he's like that? Or is that the only reason?"
Yosetsu sighed before explaining with, "Kan-sensei is probably to blame. He's very vocal about his competitive nature with your homeroom teacher, and I think it rubs off on some of my classmates, especially Monoma-san. Though sensei still tries to reign him in at times, and Kendo-chan when he's not around."
Izuku then said, "And now you too."
"This is temporary. Once the cultural festival is over Kendo-chan will have the time and energy to focus on Monoma-san's shenanigans once more. I'll give her your number next week, Ojiro-san," Awase stated. He then put his phone into his pocket before saying, "Thanks for keeping your cool Ojiro-san, it made this a lot easier. See you guys at the festival."
As the 1B student left the two from 1A started to make their way back to their own dorms. It was silent for a bit, but eventually, Ojiro spoke up and said, "I can't believe Monoma knows about me dating Momo-chan. Like he guessed there was something between us before we were even a thing. Was I that obvious?"
"I think he was just hyper-focused on you and was able to notice it is all," Midoriya tried to argue. He then said, "It's not like anyone else has figured it out."
"That we know of," Mashirao interjected.
A thought then came to Izuku, and he asked, "What's your reasoning behind wanting to keep it a secret? Is it like mine?"
Ojiro took a few moments to respond, but when he did, he replied, "My biggest fear about dating Momo-chan is gaining her mother's approval. I think the more people that know, the more likely it is that she might find out. From what Momo-chan has said, she keeps a close eye on everything she does. I bet she has someone relaying information back to her."
"That sounds terrible," Midoriya stated. And he thought Mrs. Hagakure was a bit overbearing at times. This was completely different.
"I want us to be established enough before we confront her. I mean we've only been together for about a month," Ojiro said as he stepped onto the stairs towards 1A's dorms. He then turned to Midoriya to say, "But for now let's focus on Saturday. You need to make this performance as amazing as possible if we are to live up to Erii-chan's expectations."
Izuku nodded to this. Just one more day of practice, he thought. Eri needed this, and he was going to try his hardest to make her happy and leave behind the terrors of the past.
Another chapter is here! No April Fools here!
Yes, it's ultra-late once again but for a different reason than previous delays. I wanted to once and for all return to the monthly releases but also wanted to create a nice buffer, so if shit ever hits the fan again, I can still uphold the consistent updates. This chapter was completed back in February, and I then continued writing into Chapter 29. At this point, even chapter 30 is done, though both require some heavy editing. With 31, only the first scene is written but it's going well. I hope to continue building on this buffer until I catch up to the manga (which is slowly becoming a reality considering what I have left to work with).
So to the chapter itself, starting with the Mei scene. With how much closer Izuku is with her (and by extent Power Loader) I felt if he knew what was going on with her during this arc, he would want to help. Even if that meant he had to rely on Tooru to do this. As a side note, the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee Power Loader mentioned is a real thing. It's quite popular in Japan, and it imports more than any other country. It's not the most expensive coffee grind in the world but up there.
When writing the next scene, it made me realize how long it had been since the entire group had participated in the group chat. I originally planned it to be during lunch, but since it felt somewhat secretive, I switched it to a phone conversation. Plus it was an excellent way to ease Gentle's introduction at the start and Ojiro's asking for help from Midoriya at the end. I know I held off mentioning Gentle Criminal for some time, but it felt best to tease just before his debut because he was so short-lived compared to Overhaul and how little Izuku knew of him prior to meeting him (though he knows more here than in canon).
The next two scenes were to work upon some of our minor characters during this arc. Using Aoyama specifically is always a treat, even if it is short. The actual scary stories Tokoyami would have told happened in the third light novel if you want to read more on that (the set-up and timeline of the event are different though, plus the addition of Tooru). I didn't feel like making a scene out of it because it lacked Izuku (and the way I have written him, he wouldn't want to go) plus I didn't want to adopt the latter part of that chapter involving the rest of the class (as that's a lot of character to juggle).
Speaking of light novels, the 4th volume comes out in Japan soon. It covers the school festival arc, and it seems to only cover the day of the festival. If anything interesting comes to light once it's translated, I'll add such details/scenes to chapter 29.
Also speaking of added details, I added some more to the final scene of chapter 27. I forgot to have Hagakure mention what she learned from Todoroki about the re-test for their provisional license. This was added at the part the two were waiting for their desserts.
Now, the Monoma scene has been delayed for a bit but sitting on it got me a lot of time to think it through in more detail than I initially wanted. Stuff like Awase being there (initially it was going to be Blood King, and he was going to come out of the bushes after the meeting) and Yaoyorozu helping set up Ojiro to talk to Monoma were such things I added over time. I'm happy Neito got expanded on his latest arc as it gives, even more, to work with going forward.
Night Foliage has finished editing chapter 17, with 85 edits. She has started writing again so her edits might be going slower than usual. Luckily she only has about five more chapters left of that require major edits as starting with chapter 23 Cleric of Nayru began to spot editing for me. Hopefully, that means at that point the edits will go by quickly, and I'll have two editors helping me with current chapters eventually.
On the Tumblr/Twitter side of things, all I have to report is another commission being completed. I had commissioned Zeromomentaii in January as a birthday present to a discord friend, Chumunga64. Due to some real-life issues for the artist, it was delayed until the beginning of March. Either way, Chu is a good friend of mine that I share many discord servers with. He created the IdaCamie ship, so I had commisoned an excellent piece for his crazy but fun crackship.
Chapter 29 will cover the aftermath of the Cultural Festival arc and will be a bit shorter than usual. Chapter 30 covers the time skip before the Pro Hero Arc as I have less I want to focus on compared to the Cultural Festival's time skip. Thirty-one will have a light focus on that arc but will continue with the theme of 29. How long the gap until the Joint Training arc is undetermined as its length has changed over time in both ways in planning.
See all of you for sure on May 1st!