Chapter 29: Close Call

Tooru shook her boyfriend as she said, "Do it again Izuku! But hit something this time!"

"Okay, okay. Give me a second," Izuku stated as he tried to regain his composure. He looked around until something caught his view. The boy then brought up his right hand towards the objects and placed his middle finger on the back of the thumb.

Midoriya then said, "Sorry Mr. Rock."

After a moment of focus, he turned on Full Cowl once more and flicked his middle forward. The glove then immediately reacted. The wrist guard folded outward and focused the sudden blast of energy towards the intended target, more a small boulder than a rock. When the force hit it, the stone cracked and then shattered. Some pieces fell to the ground before the top of the target slowly slid off.

"It's superb! Hatsume-chan came through here," Hagakure stated with glee as she ran over to inspect the damaged boulder.

Izuku sighed at this. He was still taken aback to Tooru's reaction despite his lengthy explanation of yesterday.

The cultural festival had gone and past, but it was nearly shut down, and almost everyone was none the wiser. It all began with Friday night. Midoriya had noticed the rope that was used to suspend Aoyama had frayed due to all the practicing. Yaoyorozu was already asleep, and he didn't want to bother her to make more. Izuku felt it was on him to grab some more in the morning cause he didn't properly check on the condition of the equipment until just before midnight. Besides, Midoriya was getting up early to show All Might the new gloves that Hatsume had given him while he was on break that day.

Dubbed Air Force Gloves, they worked like a charm. The equipment was white with green palms. Each knuckle had an orange sight, and it came with a sizable dual-layered band around his wrist which had a blue seam. Once Izuku told his mentor of the new support gear over a text, he was asked for a demonstration early the next morning.

So bright and early the boy awoke to train, and after both were satisfied with Air Force Glove's performance, he left to the nearby convenience store. It took some looking, but eventually, he found one that sold some.

But then it happened.

While dashing back to school, Midoriya almost ran over two individuals, a tall man, and a short woman. They were both wearing a lot of clothing and sunglasses to hide their appearance. They quickly cautioned Izuku to watch where he was going before making their leave. As they did, however, the boy caught on to what the man had mentioned before departing.

The aftertaste of the imperial golden tips was almost ruined.

Midoriya wouldn't have given it a second thought if not for recognizing the brand of tea that Yaoyorozu had made, which prompted him to state that he was surprised that there was a local tea house. The man then responded with enthusiasm at Izuku's knowledge of the tea.

From there though it was clear.

That voice.

Midoriya had heard it so many times these last few weeks on the phone.

It was The Gentle Criminal, and this was going to be the next big heist that he had been hinting at. Entering U.A. and disrupting the cultural festival!

With their cover blown, the two revealed their true selves.

Considering his options and what was at stake, Izuku attacked. Only to be sprung back from what seemed like nothing but thin air. Here the villain revealed his quirk, Elasticity. Anything he touched could become elastic, even the air. But that didn't deter the would-be hero, and he powered forward. Using 'air bullets' from his gloves he was able to slow down Gentle.

Their battle took them from the streets to a construction site and then to the forest behind the school. Midoriya was able to pin Gentle and his partner down, however, and it looked to be over. Only for his assistant to then reveal her quirk, Love.

La Brava was her name, Izuku learned. Her power allowed any individual she passionately loved to gain strength. Midoriya recognized the form Gentle took, with steam emitting from his body. This was how the villain was able to overpower so many pro heroes on his lonesome.

However, Izuku had fought stronger and faster opponents than Gentle before and was able to keep up. As the two exchanged blows, they spoke of their goals and dreams, and they were similar. To inspire others, for a brighter future for all. Their methods were vastly different, but the hope was the same. Midoriya wondered if this humbled Gentle. The result of their battle made him consider this.

The villain was pinned down once more. For good this time. However, before Izuku could try and restrain Gentle, the man used his quirk one last time and launched the teen away. Far away.

Midoriya understood why once he landed safely and dusted himself off. Pro Heroes must have been close by due to the racket the two were making, and Gentle was trying not to get the student involved. But Izuku still ran back and pleaded with the two faculty on the scene, Hound Dog and Ectoplasm. It seemed to get through, as Hound Dog reported back that there was no call for an emergency and the festival continued as if nothing happened.

"Alright let's have some grub. You must be hungry after all this talking," Hagakure said as she walked back to her boyfriend.

Midoriya nodded and followed the hungry girl deeper into the forest.

It was late Sunday afternoon, and the two were having a date. A last-minute arrangement set up by Tooru. She was wearing black pants with a white t-shirt and a light purple jacket. On her wrists were some black snap bracelets and she carried a backpack as well. Her boyfriend was just in jeans and a black t-shirt.

Before Izuku could tell his girlfriend what had happened, she already knew something was up. After their performance was over, Tooru said they would talk about it later, as she wanted him to focus on spending time with Eri and Mirio.

As Hagakure laid down a blanket she pulled out of her backpack; she asked, "So did we get through to Eri-chan?"

"That and more. She was so ecstatic about our event and everything else that the festival offered. Togata-sen, I mean Togata-kun looked so overjoyed at her reactions," Midoriya responded. He also recalled seeing the small girl's cute reactions to Jiro's singing, his own dancing, Mei's presentation, and all the treats she ate.

"That's fantastic," Tooru stated as she brought out a salad and various toppings. She then said, "I can't imagine what would have felt if she wasn't pulled out of her funk considering all that you did to keep the cultural festival from continuing on."

"You're not angry? Like, at all?"

Hagakure responded in a confused tone by asking, "Why would I? The villain was caught, and the festival continued. A win-win."

Midoriya exhaled before saying, "Hound Dog-sensei was pretty clear that I made the wrong choice. That I should have let the adults do their job."

"Which would have had them shut down the festival no doubt. Sure they were more than capable of handling that pair, but you did it and kept everyone's hard work from being wasted. He's just barking at you cause he wanted a piece of the action I bet."

Izuku finished preparing his food and said nothing as he took a bite. He still felt terrible about it as All Might wasn't happy either at the decisions that his student made, though not as harsh as Hound Dog.

Tooru then asked, "You only attacked cause you didn't consider him dangerous, right?"

Midoriya swallowed before saying, "Gentle was dangerous, but his motives were not. Even before I talked to him during our fight, I had a gut feeling he wouldn't use lethal force as I contemplated fighting him or not. His videos on YouTube showed me he was more a chivalrous vigilante than an actual villain."

"Sadly our society views any individuals outside the hero system as villains no matter how good their intentions."

Both kids were surprised by the voice of All Might as he walked out from behind a nearby tree.

Hagakure then asked, "Yagi-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to hear Midoriya-san's side of the story, in detail. However, it seems he turned off his phone this afternoon," Toshinori stated with slight agitation.

Izuku groaned internally. He forgot to charge his phone last night, and it was currently charging back in his room.

The former pro hero then took a few steps forward and sat down between the two.

Izuku placed his food down and then tried to ask, "But how-."

Tooru interrupted as she answered, "From me. I told him about my plans for today during the festival."

The skeleton of a man nodded as he said, "We had a little chat yesterday."

"And before you ask, what we said is between us only," Hagakure giggled.

Midoriya gave a look of disbelief at his mentor.

Yagi shrugged as he stated with a smile, "You heard your girlfriend. It's classified info."

Izuku could only groan at this revelation.

"However you being here wasn't part of my plan," Tooru stated.

"It wasn't mine either, at first. I became more interested in this Gentle Criminal though once I read the detective's report of the two. An expelled hero student that went vigilante and a high school girl who disappears and shows up as his biggest fan. Definitely a strange case," Toshinori explained.

Midoriya recalled Gentle saying he had been enrolled in a hero course as he was being escorted away.

I, The Gentle Criminal, was born out of the despair of hero dropouts.

Izuku couldn't fathom such a thought. It did bring back memories of his mother considering him to go to a different school. It wasn't comparable, but that experience filled him with enough dread. Being kicked out of a hero academy felt like it was on an entirely different level.

All Might then looked at his pupil as he said, "It seems the police are being quite lax with their punishment considering what they did."

Midoriya then asked, "Do you know what the authorities are going to do with them?"

Yagi shook his head as he answered, "The report didn't say. The police are still going through Gentle's hideout to gather information. You also have to remember that this incident isn't their only crime. There are years of charges to go through, no matter how minor."

Izuku sighed upon hearing this. Of course, it wouldn't be that simple, he thought.

"Don't be so down, they're willingly working with the police which is why they are being so lenient. This is also an unusual case that rehabilitation is a possibility for these two. People seem to forget that part about justice. It's not only to punish those that break the law but to shape them back into model citizens. Letting every criminal rot in a cell and forever be burdened by their past deeds isn't the true path of justice," Toshinori said as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you, sir," Midoriya stated as he placed his palm on All Might's hand. He appreciated that his idol always knew how to cheer him up.

Yagi then turned to Hagakure and said, "Sorry for the interruption. I'm sure you two are quite hungry and have better things to do than listen to an old man stall your date."

Tooru then said, "It's all good Yagi-sensei. Just be sure to update me on things if you ever change your mind. You have my number now remember?"

Izuku looked between both of them before saying, "Just what happened between you two yesterday!?"

"Like we said, only a chat," Hagakure stated with a giggle.

All Might then stood up and said, "I've stayed long enough; you two enjoy the rest of your day." As he made his exit, he stated, "I look forward to seeing you two and your friends next Monday for TAC training."

Midoriya too was excited about the next team training. He wished it began once more this Monday, but he understood his teacher's desire for them to have a bit of a rest after the cultural festival. Izuku wanted to see what his friends had come up with to fix their weaknesses that they discussed weeks before. Especially Tenya's, considering how intense his training seemed to be.

The two then said their goodbyes to their teacher before returning to their salads.

The conversation turned to what each did at the festival after their performance. It turned out both attended the beauty pageant, though Tooru only caught the tail end of it. She wasn't interested in the special skills category, just the dresses. So Hagakure only arrived when it was voting time.

From there Izuku, Mirio, and Eri stayed as a group with Eraserhead keeping an eye. Tooru went with Mina, Denki, and Minoru.

The former went to various food stands, even running into Ochako and Tsuyu getting crepes. Though the main attraction for Eri was the candied apple she received before heading home. Midoriya also competed in an obstacle course, but so did Bakugo, who had the best time record that day. Though he was still way behind All Might's personal record, which irked the explosive teen.

The latter group attended 1C's haunted house. Hagakure was more interested in seeing her classmates' reactions than anything else, and she seemed most pleased with the result. The highlight being a bloody Shinso hanging from the ceiling. This conversation did spur a question in the boy's mind.

"By the way, how did the scary stories on Halloween with Tokoyami-kun go?"

In a teasing voice, Tooru responded with, "So why does the scaredy-cat want to know what happened now?"

"I just wanna know if it went well is all, not the actual stories," Izuku replied in a flustered state. He was not in the mood to hear any of his brooding friend's tales.

"Oh, I had plenty of fun. His stories were definitely creepy, much better than I thought they would be. Nothing against Tokoyami-kun but I thought his type of horror would be edgy, but his tales were legit. Either way, no matter the quality of his fiction, I went more to see everyone be petrified in fear. Kaminari-kun, Ashido-chan, and Mineta-san were all quite afraid. Both that day and yesterday."

"Did anyone else go? And how did they take it?" Izuku figured more would be interested.

"Shoji-kun was stone cold in his reactions, though I appreciate that he made sure Mineta-san couldn't run away. Tsuyu-chan seemed interested in the stories as Ashido-chan clung onto her. Sero-kun was unsettled too but was better at hiding it, unlike Kaminari-kun," Tooru explained before finishing the last of her salad.

"Is that why you take me to horror movies? To see my reaction?"

"It does make it more entertaining for sure," Hagakure responded with a mischievous tone.

Izuku sighed as he stated, "Let's just keep to watching them to a minimum."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't want to break you," Tooru said with a laugh. She then placed her plate and fork aside and inched closer to her boyfriend. In a soft voice, she asked, "So how should I reward the big hero of yesterday?"

"R-reward!?"

Hagakure brought herself just in front of Midoriya as she said, "Well of course. Because of you, everyone at U.A. got to be like normal high schoolers for once. Considering all we've been through, especially our class, and more so us both, I greatly appreciated it."

Izuku gulped before saying, "Well I'll e-enjoy whatever you wanna g-give me."

Tooru then sat on her boyfriend's lap facing him. She then wrapped her arms around his back and proceeded to kiss him.

Midoriya was thrown off by the mint that she had in her mouth. The kiss was soft at first, but it quickly became more intense. Hagakure leaned in enough to push Midoriya onto his back as their make-out session continued.

Izuku noticed how much more passionate this kiss was than any of their time on the roof. Those were always from practice and experimenting. This was wistful and romantic.

Then a new feeling came.

It was coming from his rear. Tooru had her hands there and was pinching his butt.

Once Midoriya realized what his girlfriend was doing he parted his lips from her and asked, "W-what are you d-doing down there?"

"It kind of, just happened," Hagakure replied in a surprised tone. She sounded just as astonished as her boyfriend. Hagakure cleared her throat before asking, "Should I not?"

Izuku started to break out in a sweat even though it was chilly outside. Sure Tooru's proposal was one reason for being hot and bothered, but there was a much greater source.

"Can I give it a t-try?"

Tooru took a few moments to respond with, "You want to try to pinch my butt? You?"

Midoriya gave a weak nod. He didn't want to be left behind in intimacy anymore with his Hagakure. Sure the boy might not be the one to initiate every advancement, but he wanted to attempt to match her.

"I guess we can both try to be daring today," Tooru stated as she leaned back and sat down.

Izuku sat back up and wiped his forehead.

"Ready?"

"S-sure."

Hagakure then laid on her side with her tush turned towards Midoriya. Before he even moved, she said, "No full-on grabbing though. I'm not ready for that."

Izuku gave a confident nod before scooting closer. In what seemed like an eternity, he reached out his hand closer and closer to the target.

"You got this Izuku!"

Being cheered on to pinch your girlfriend's butt was not normal in any means to Midoriya, but he took the words of encouragement to heart and placed his hand on her rump. It was here he realized he had never actually felt this part of her body. Hagakure had occasionally brushed her hand by his butt while they made out on the roof, but had never had his hands below her waist.

Finally, with his index and thumb, the trembling teen did the deed.

However, laughter came from Tooru. "I pinched harder than that. You can do better," she then said.

Izuku tried again, though with slightly more oomph. And then once more for good measure.

Hagakure then flipped onto her back, which startled her boyfriend. She then said in a flustered tone, "I think that's enough for today."

Midoriya agreed, and then laid beside her and said, "I-I guess we both don't know w-what came over us."

"To be truthful, I wanted to try something more is all. Our make-out sessions on the top of the dorm are nice and all but I had the sudden urge to spice it up."

"Are our sessions getting too boring?"

"No silly. We've both improved a lot with french kissing, and I want to continue. I only had a dumb impulse today is all," Tooru explained. She then grabbed Izuku's left hand and continued by saying, "Thanks for letting me get away with my selfish desires."

"A-any time."

"Still though, I feel dumb fretting over something as harmless as a this," Hagakure stated with a sigh.

Midoriya wasn't sure what to say, as it didn't feel like it was an innocent act. In fact, it was a big leap for him. Still, even Tooru seemed uneasy about it. It was nice to know for Izuku that she had limits too. If she didn't then how would he be able to keep up?

Regardless, how to respond, Midoriya pondered. Then an idea hit, and he said, "I'm sure it's just the awkwardness of trying something new is all, even if it is small as you say. Anybody is going to be embarrassed about going into a new experience."

"Being embarrassed is a rarity for me, so I guess you're right. You're the expert in that field of being flustered after all," Hagakure replied with a giggle.

The two then watched the sunset in silence before deciding it was time to head back to the dorms.

As they exited the forest, they saw Ida in the distance, though he was closing said distance quite fast. It was obvious he was using Recipro Burst.

Tooru shouted, "Evening, Ida-kun!"

Tenya came to a halt beside the couple looking exhausted. He took a few breaths to say, "You two just get back from a date?"

"Just a little picnic," Izuku answered. He then asked, "Training already?"

The class president nodded before explaining with, "Of course. My unique training requires me to push to greater heights despite my current handicap. If I want this to work, I cannot take a break. I've put this off long enough because of the cultural festival."

Hagakure then asked, "So what does Uraraka-chan think about that?"

Ida's lips puckered up like he had just eaten a lemon and was quick to ask, "Please don't mention this to her! I beg you Hagakure-chan!"

Tooru then slyly asked, "So you snuck out to train huh?"

"Regrettably yes. Ochako does not approve of how much I have been working on my new technique. Currently, she is taking a nap to help with her upset stomach. She ate too many sugary foods yesterday. But this is partly my fault cause I should have accompanied her to prevent this. Sweets are her weakness," Tenya explained while pacing back and forth.

Izuku then asked, "What did you do yesterday Ida-kun?"

"I was assisting Todoroki-kun. He looked perplexed at what to do so I attempted to show him a good time. Thankfully with the help of Koda-kun and Tokoyami-kun I believe it was a success. My mistake was leaving Tsuyu-chan with Ochako. It seems she did little to halt the rampage of the bountiful sweets that were offered."

"Caramel cookies," Hagakure then stated.

Ida then asked, "Excuse me?"

"Bake me some caramel cookies tonight, and I won't tell Uraraka-chan about you sneaking in some training," Tooru stated in an impish tone.

Tenya raised both his hands as he proclaimed, "Blackmail!?"

Hagakure shrugged as she asked, "Would you prefer she found out?"

With sagged shoulders, the class president stated, "Fine, but I will only bake them after I cook Ochako a nice veggie dinner. I must counteract all the desserts she ate with some healthy food first. Also, please refrain from teasing her with the cookies."

"Deal," Tooru said as she outstretched a hand. The two then shook on it.

"I should head back and shower before she wakes up. I'll see two later then," Ida said before turning around and activating his Recipro Burst once more.

Midoriya then sighed and asked, "Was that necessary Tooru? He's our friend."

"If he said no to my offer I wouldn't have said anything to Uraraka-chan. I just saw an opportunity and was curious about what I could get away with," Hagakure replied gleefully as she began to walk home.

"You still took advantage of him," Izuku stated as he began to follow her.

"It's all worth it if it involves that caramelly goodness," Tooru swooned.

Midoriya then thought, maybe it's not only Uraraka that has a weakness for sweets.

The two then continued in silence back to the dorms. Once they arrived, they were greeted to a scene of relaxation.

Sero, Kaminari, Mineta, and Sato were playing some card game. Kirishima was snoozing on a couch, while Asui was placing a blanket over him. Jiro and Yaoyorozu were listening to music together while wearing separate headphones. The former seemed to be in bliss at the music, while the latter looked confused. Ojiro and Koda were watching Mina snuggle Koda's rabbit.

Tooru then spoke up and said, "I'm going to go shower. Wanna join me afterward for some free snacks?"

"I'll think about it," Izuku replied. He was quite full at the moment, but there was no guarantee of how he would feel by then. The idea of a shower did sound like a good one and he started to walk towards the guy's stairway. However, he was quickly stopped by a pink blur.

Ashido was quick to place her right hand on Midoriya's shoulder as she said, "There you are Midoriya-kun! I've been waiting for you all day!"

Izuku noticed Mina no longer had the bunny and looked to his side to see Koda had his pet sitting on his head. The large teen looked just as bewildered as Mashiro did.

Mina then asked with different tones, "So how was your date with Hagakure-chan? Suspenseful? Romantic? Scandalous? A dud?"

"It was just a picnic," Midoriya stated while holding up his hands defensively. The pink heroine hadn't been this inquisitive about his relationship with Hagakure since the first term. Izuku did twitch at the mention of scandalous; he hoped Mina wouldn't notice.

Ashido then let go of the boy's shoulder as she asked, "You two sure do date a lot, didn't you go out like two weeks ago?"

"We have an agreement to date at least once a month."

"But November just started."

"Tooru wanted to talk about the festival. She spent it with you and the others, not me, remember?"

Mina tapped a finger on her chin for a few moments before responding with, "Oh right. You were with that Eri-chan and that upperclassman that whipped our butts at the start of the term." She then shook her head back and forth before saying, "Sorry I'm getting off topic of why I came over here."

Izuku asked, "What is it?"

Ashido lightly tapped the boy's head as she replied, "Teaching you how to dance properly, dummy. Did you already forget already?"

Midoriya put a hand up to his head and groaned. How could he forget? This was a huge opportunity to surprise his girlfriend. He then said, "Sorry, I did. I guess the cultural festival has dominated my thought process these last few weeks.

"I getcha. Well, the festival is over now, so I'm free to teach you in private. Though because it's you this will definitely take more than a lesson or two," Mina stated with a sigh.

Izuku was quick to retort, "Hey, I got better!"

"Passing but not good either," Ashido huffed. She then said, "Ida-kun might have only been able to do the robot, but at least he was good at it. If we are going to impress your girlfriend, then you need to give me a hundred ten percent Midoriya-kun."

"Yes, ma'am," the boy proclaimed with a salute.

The card players turned their heads at the commotion coming from the entrance to the boy's stair hallway.

Mina then said in an irritated voice, "Keep it down. You want this to be a secret right?"

"Right, sorry," Izuku answered in a whisper.

Ashido then crossed her arms as she asked, "Alright, so when and where do you want to do this?"

"Give me a minute."

Midoriya then pondered, what would be the best day? Monday and Tuesday were out for sure due to TAC and Mei respectively. Sunday might conflict with video chats with the parents or any future dates. Izuku also didn't want things one right after the other. He eventually decided on Thursday but then came the bigger problem, where?

"Does Thursday work for you?"

Mina nodded before saying, "Yeah I can do that. Any ideas on where though?"

"Not a clue," Midoriya responded with a sigh.

"Hmm. Maybe I can come up with a place, but I need to check with someone first. Just leave it to me Midoriya-kun!"

Izuku then asked, "Thanks but what did you want in exchange for doing this?" This wasn't something he could forget at least.

"Oh we'll go over it on Thursday, don't you worry. Just sit tight until then," Mina replied with a devilish grin.

Midoriya gulped and then pondered, just what am I getting myself into here?

Two days late, but hey a lot better than the last couple of chapters!

Work really started ramping up this week as I approach the end of the school year. This and the constant thunderstorms knocking out my internet these last few days gave me little time to edit this chapter despite it being done for quite some time. At the very least 30 and 31 are written and are in the editing stages at the moment. I haven't touched chapter 32 minus a redone outline.

Before we get to the chapter itself, a new milestone!

1,000 Followers!

This was achieved just a day after releasing chapter 28, and I was so ecstatic at the news. :3

I planned to have a commission piece to celebrate this, but the idea morphed into a much bigger endeavor that will tie into Cubicity's upcoming second anniversary. Expect many pages of new art in July, including new cover art!

It's been a while since I've written a chapter this short since chapter 3. It initially was closer to 7k words as I had some Koda and Ojiro stuff once Izuku returned to the dorms, but I decided the former would fit better in 30 and the latter even later than that. It was always planned to be just a single scene though. This was a transition/canon plot dump heavy chapter anyways, and they usually tend to be short for me.

Things got a bit more intimate between the couple. A small step but I felt it was needed after an extended lack of progression, which was mostly offscreen since the last one. Izuku also being curious about some bum pinching just seemed to good to pass up.

I want to focus a bit more on Ida and Uraraka's relationship on the side for the next couple of chapters, as I feel I have been giving MashMomo the spotlight for long enough. Plus it gives me more opportunity to use Ochako, which as I have previously stated, I've used the least of the six.

Finally, we have Mina entering the scene. The dance practices will start substantial next chapter and then become less dominant will still stick around until chapter 33 or 34. I hope I can live up to writing Ashido, as she is my best girl and I would hate to let her fans down.

I added a few more lines to Izuku and Tooru's date in chapter 29 concerning her contacts. Just a minor detail that I needed to add to address her using a sleeping mask and having contacts. It was a sort of a plot hole without it. :x

Night Foliage also finished editing chapter 18 which had 54 edits and just started working on chapter 19.

Chapter 30 for sure will cover everything up to the Pro Hero Arc, so it should cover about two weeks like Chapter 28 did. It is also quite long at 15k words at the moment. 31 is more modest at 9k. 32 is planned to be a short gap before the Joint Training arc, with 33 covering its aftermath. From there, things are getting quite cloudy, and things largely depend on how the Villain arc goes.

Chapter 30 is releasing June 1st!