Irate would not even begin to describe the emotions Jirou felt upon reading Ashido's text.
She was so angry that she re-read the message a second time just to make sure that she had read it correctly the first time.
Mina Ashido: Yo, Uraraka saw Midoriya waiting in the hallway earlier with a guitar case and she's convinced you're a couple now.
"Izuku, give me a minute. I gotta give a quick call to someone," Jirou said.
"Oh, okay... is everything alright?" Midoriya asked.
Jirou gave a slight nod. Despite wanting to ask another question, Midoriya knew it was best to not prod any further for the time being. He left his room and headed to the kitchen to prepare his plate for dinner.
Once the coast was clear, Jirou called Ashido, waiting three rings for her to answer. Each ring that went by increased the tension she felt regarding the situation.
"Hey, hey!" Ashido said, appearing on a video call.
"Alright, what's going on?" Jirou said.
"Jirou, I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't tell her anything, I didn't ask anything," Ashido said.
Jirou sighed. The tone of Ashido's voice was much different compared to prior conversations that they had shared. Memories of the apology Ashido gave after seeing her first kiss with Midoriya rang in her head as well.
"I believe you, Ashido, don't worry about that. I just need to know everything that happened so we're on the same page here," Jirou said with a much calmer tone.
"I appreciate that. So Uraraka just barged into my room a few moments ago and asked if you and Midoriya were a couple."
The thought of hearing those words made Jirou cringe. She could only imagine how she would have reacted had Uraraka asked her about her relationship directly instead.
"And? I guess she thought that since she saw Midoriya with a bass case today," Jirou continued on.
"I just played dumb, honestly. I kept asking random questions about why she would think that. She wasn't mad or anything, but she's pretty convinced you're dating."
"Ugh... well, thanks for not spoiling it at least. This shit sucks."
To Jirou's surprise, there was then silence on the phone for a few moments. For a second, she wondered if Ashido was about to say that she had spoiled the relationship to someone.
"Jirou, have you ever thought about just telling Uraraka the truth? I mean, I get it's awkward, but aren't you tired of hiding everything?" Ashido asked.
"But, but - "
Jirou stuttered and then paused.
There were many times that Jirou had thought about how to address a response regarding why she wanted to keep her relationship a secret. Whether it be from a specific person, or just anyone in general, the approach she always had was that keeping it a secret was best.
But then Bakugou found out. And then All Might learned of it as well. And, most recently, Ashido became aware of it. Each time made her cringe more than the previous one. All she really wanted was for Midoriya and herself to enjoy being a couple, after all.
However, for the first time, she saw a different angle. She had to admit that going through all of this trouble of keeping their relationship a secret was exhausting. Always having to worry about being seen together by someone new was not pleasant by any means.
"...Maybe you're right. But then again, I don't know how Izuku would feel. It's... our decision, not just mine," Jirou said with a smile.
"Exactly. It's just something to think about... then again, it seems like you can talk about it with him now, if that room is where I think it is," Ashido smirked.
Jirou gulped. She just realized that they were both using video during the call.
Ashido could see all of the All Might merchandise. There was no mistaking that she was at the Midoriya's home.
"I-It's for practice, Ashido! We wanted to be somewhere off campus to practice for the Cultural Festival!" Jirou remarked.
"Alright, tell Midoriya I said hello! Good luc - " Ashido was cut off by Jirou hanging up.
Even if she was annoyed that Ashido had once again one-upped her, the point that she made stuck in her mind.
For now, it was time to put it aside and head to dinner.
"Another person knocked on my door?" Ashido said to herself, just moments after hanging up.
This time, however, it was not Uraraka. Instead, it was Yaoyorozu.
"Ashido? Do you know where Kyouka is?" Yaoyorozu asked. "I texted her earlier and got no reply."
Even though she wanted to chuckle, Ashido again kept a straight face. It was time to enter her 'vague truth' mode once again... if that was even possible.
"I'm not sure," Ashido said - which was technically the truth, since in her mind, she had only inferred where Jirou had gone. "I've been in my room most of the afternoon."
"Ah, okay. I was hoping to ask her a question about an assignment," Yaoyorozu said.
"And you weren't gonna ask me?" Ashido pouted lightheartedly. "Wait, when do you ever need help with an assignment?"
Ashido could see that Yaoyorozu's lip curled in. Had she just caught Momo Yaoyorozu of all people lying about something?
Even though Yaoyorozu wanted to turn around and move on with her day, she knew that was not going to work in this case.
"Alright, I will come clean. I was wondering if Kyouka and Midoriya were seeing each other. Once again, the two of them are nowhere to be found. It cannot be a coincidence anymore, can it?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"So? It's not like it's any of our business," Ashido said.
Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes. No words needed to be spoken for Ashido to understand her hypocrisy.
It would take some quick thinking to navigate this situation with someone as astute as Yaoyorozu on the other side of the conversation.
"Well, I don't know. It seems like they hang out a lot at least. Maybe it's related to the Cultural Festival?" Ashido asked.
"Perhaps. But in my opinion, I think it is something more," Yaoyorozu claimed.
Ashido shuffled her feet. "I dunno. I'm sure we'll find out the truth eventually."
Yaoyorozu narrowed her eyes and gave a quick nod. "Sure. See you later."
"Katsudon, my favorite dish!" Izuku cheered as he served his plate.
Inko grinned as she saw the delight of her son eyeing up his favorite meal. Meanwhile, she served her own plate, as well as Jirou's once Izuku told her that she had to take a quick call first.
"How long have you been friends with her, Izuku?" Inko asked.
The question caught Izuku off guard. It was unlike his mother to ask such a direct, straightforward question.
"A little while now. We started listening to music together and that's how it all started," Izuku said, as he sat down at the table across from his mother.
"Oh, is this the same friend that you spent the night with at their house? And the same friend you went to that concert with?" Inko asked.
"Yep, that's her," Izuku squeaked.
An awkward silence then took over the room. It was a rarity for Izuku and Inko to have such moments. The two of them were always quick to continue the conversation, but this time, silence was doing all the talking.
Moments later, Jirou joined them at the table. Izuku could have sworn that he saw Jirou wince as she sat down, although she quickly managed to give a smile as the three of them prepared to have dinner together.
"Thank you again, Inko," Jirou said, finally addressing her casually.
The three of them then began eating. For Jirou, it was the best katsudon that she had ever had - it was not something that her parents made often, and not something she ordered when out at a restaurant, either.
Having dinner together made Jirou realize what it must have been like for Izuku to have dinner with her parents. While she was happy to meet Inko and get to know her, there were definitely some butterflies in her stomach that led her to eat slower than the Midoriya's. It was a different feeling than when she met and ate with family of her friends, like Yaoyorozu.
"It's so good!" Jirou finally managed to break the silence.
"Thank you! Dinners at our house are typically quiet since Izuku loves the food I make," Inko smiled, leading Izuku to chuckle and give a nod in agreement.
Jirou wondered if Izuku felt any nerves regarding having dinner together.
"So, what is your song going to be about for the Cultural Festival?" Inko then asked.
"Heroes, of course!" Izuku chimed in.
"Yeah, we're making a song that basically explains heroes' roles in society. We want it to highlight the value they bring rather than it being straight up admiration, if that makes sense," Jirou added.
Inko nodded. "What a wonderful idea, especially given that you're heroes in training. It sounds like you have a mature outlook on the true purpose of heroes."
The comment made Jirou blush. She could not help but wonder if there was an undertone of 'approval' in Inko's voice.
"We've definitely learned a lot about that in school," Jirou said. "It's important to respect what heroes do first and foremost. The fanfare is cool, but if you aren't in it for helping people, then it's all for not."
Midoriya immediately nodded in agreement. Although for Inko, no further explanation was needed from her son.
"It looks like the future of Japan is in great hands with your class, if you two are any indication of what's to come," Inko said.
Izuku agreed with what Inko said, despite knowing that they all still had a lot of work to do to prepare for being a hero in the future. Still, as long as they were on the right track, he was sure that they would all find success eventually.
Inko then excused herself from the table to use the bathroom. Jirou and Izuku sat alone at the table, with the two of them happy that things had gone well so far. Izuku had always wondered how having Jirou over at his house would go after he had spent the evening at her house earlier in the school year. Needless to say, it had exceeded his expectations.
"I don't think my mom suspects anything," Izuku said in a hushed tone.
"Suspects what?" Jirou asked.
Izuku gave an odd look. "Our... relationship?" Izuku clarified.
"Oh, right. You know, I was meaning to talk to you about something."
Now Midoriya gulped. He did not like the way that she had phrased the sentence. "Um, what's up?"
"Izuku, should we make our relationship public?" Jirou asked.
"Wait, WHAT?!" Izuku yelled.
Upon realizing he how much louder his tone was, Izuku covered his mouth. He hoped that Inko had not overheard their conversation. Jirou, on the other hand, did not change her reaction.
"Oh, so you're being serious?" Izuku said.
"Yes - I am seriously saying that we should play some bass after dinner," Jirou said, raising an eyebrow.
Fortunately for her, Midoriya realized that Inko was about to re-join them. Just as Inko sat down, he realized that it was a perfectly executed deflection by Jirou.
"Do you mind if I hear you play? I'd love to hear you!" Inko suggested.
Jirou cracked her signature grin. "Of course!"
As the three of them wrapped up dinner, Izuku could not help but admire how smooth his girlfriend was. He aspired to pick up her ways eventually.
"Uraraka?"
Just as Uraraka wrapped up eating dinner in the dining area, Yaoyorozu joined her, carrying a full plate of food. Although Uraraka had plenty of school work to knock out that evening, she decided to stay for a few minutes longer.
"Hey, how's it going?" Uraraka said.
"I am doing well, lots of studying this afternoon. And you?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Doing great! It's awfully quiet around here though."
Yaoyorozu blinked and then gave a quick nod. Uraraka could tell that she was mulling over something in her mind.
"Yeah, I have not seen Midoriya and Kyouka today... nor Bakugou, Todoroki or Tsu, now that I think about it," Yaoyorozu pointed out.
Had she not already finished her dinner, Uraraka figured she would have choked after hearing that. It was obvious what Yaoyorozu was insinuating.
"Well, Deku left earlier with a guitar case. He and Jirou are probably off somewhere again," Uraraka informed.
To her surprise, Yaoyorozu gasped - something that Uraraka found odd for Yaoyorozu to do.
"They really do hang out together all the time, huh?" Yaoyorozu said.
"Just say it already," Uraraka said, her irritation growing.
"Say what?"
"Don't play dumb. You think they're a couple too, right?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. It was as if she had artfully fished the question right from Uraraka. It was the question that she viewed as an opening for their ensuing conversation together.
"Why yes, I do," Yaoyorozu said. "I apologize for being like this, but I wanted to make sure that you had the same line of thinking as me. Now, I know you like Midoriya, but considering you are close to him, I was wondering if you knew anything."
Now it was Uraraka who gasped after Yaoyorozu's accusation - although Yaoyorozu had been well aware of Uraraka's secret for awhile. Part of Uraraka was shocked that Yaoyorozu was acting like this. She had never seen this persnickity side of her before. Still, if Yaoyorozu was this interested in discussing the matter, she figured there must have been an important reason behind it.
"Well..." Uraraka stopped. Even though she knew Midoriya liked Jirou, the last thing she wanted to do was to spill it to someone else. "I honestly know nothing. I've been wondering for awhile if they were together. It seems like when we see them, they're glued together. They always sit together at lunch, they always work together in class, and they are doing their Cultural Festival performance together. Ilda, Deku and I are best friends, but still, something seems... so different with Jirou."
"I agree with you, Uraraka. Midoriya and Jirou just have to be together... but why would they want to hide it from us? Especially Jirou, seeing how close we are," Yaoyorozu said.
"Maybe they just want to keep their relationship in the dark?" A new voice mentioned.
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu looked up to see Tokoyami standing at the entrance of the dining room. He, too, had a full plate of dinner in his hands. Without a further word, he joined the two of them at the table, sitting directly across from Yaoyorozu.
"No pun intended, of course. Perhaps they just enjoy keeping their relationship private. It's not as uncommon as some people think it is," Tokoyami added.
"You might be onto something," Yaoyorozu said. "After all, Kyouka is certainly a very private person. I suppose that would make sense."
"And Deku would probably respect her wish, knowing him," Uraraka said, her voice noticeably dropping.
The three of them then sat in an awkward silence. It was unlike them to be so nosy into other people's business like this. However, given that they were trying to crack 1A's first potential relationship, they could not help themselves.
"Wait a minute," Yaoyorozu said.
"What's that?" Uraraka asked.
However, after seeing the look in Yaoyorozu's eyes, she instantly regretted asking such a question.
"I have an idea..." Yaoyorozu trailed off.
"Wonderful! You two have incredible voices, and your bass play is just fantastic!" Inko said with tears in her eyes.
Izuku and Jirou had performed "Heroes Are Dope" and "Deep Dope Syndrome" for Inko, two songs that they had played together before. Even though Deep Dope's songs were not Inko's taste (and Izuku certainly was aware of it), Inko still enjoyed seeing them do so well playing it.
"Thanks, mom!" Izuku said, with Jirou adding a nod. "We're saving our own song we've written for the concert itself."
"I totally get that! I'm sure it will be even better than the songs you sang tonight!" Inko said, although Jirou cringed over such a comment.
After a few more moments of chatting, Inko left Izuku's room, leaving Jirou and Izuku by themselves. Once they knew the coast was clear, the two of them then ran through the song they had written for the first time. Jirou could tell there were a few things that had to be adjusted in the lyrics and the sheet music right away. However, she thought it was a solid first run-through overall.
"So good! You did amazing writing this song, Kyouka!" Midoriya said.
"Thanks, Izuku, but it's our song," Jirou pointed out. "I'll fix a few things and we'll do another run-through."
After a few corrections, Jirou and Izuku played the song for a second time, and then a third time after one more slight change to the lyrics. Overall, Jirou was much more content after the third time. While Izuku enjoyed each version they played, Jirou's trained ears as a musician allowed her to quickly diagnose and fix any issues and errors that were included in the song.
"Alright, great job Izuku. We'll call it a night now. For Wednesday and Thursday, we'll play the song a few more times each day. And then on Friday morning, we'll do one last rehearsal before the Cultural Festival," Jirou said.
"I can't wait!" Midoriya said. "I hope everyone there will enjoy it as much as I do."
The word 'everyone' made Jirou wince once again. Midoriya caught her again as well. He could tell that something was on her mind.
"Is-Is everything okay? You changed your facial expression when I said that," Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, I just remembered how I asked you about taking our relationship public earlier. I think we should talk about that now."
That was not the answer Midoriya was expecting to hear. He had figured that it pertained to the crowd they would be performing for in the concert, not anything that had to do with their relationship. Still, he knew her question was an important one, so he was more than happy to discuss it now that their practice was over for the evening.
Once Jirou realized that Midoriya was not going to offer anything to start, she took the initiative to explain her side first.
"Look, I've really enjoyed our relationship so far. I wanted to keep it private to start because I didn't want the others to be all over us about it," Jirou started.
"I understand," Midoriya said, still confused over where this was going.
"But here's the thing. I thought keeping it private would be more enjoyable for us. But... it's just a complete pain in the ass now. I feel like it would be more enjoyable if we just told everyone. That way, we don't have to hide it and watch our every move."
Midoriya muttered something that was inaudible for Jirou, even with her enhanced hearing. It was hard for her to get a read on what Midoriya was feeling. His expression was so blank in that moment. It was totally unlike how he usually reacted in their conversations.
"I'm totally fine with us going public," Midoriya said, to the surprise of Jirou. "I'm just surprised that - well, you want us to go public now, that's all."
"Yeah, I know it's a total change on my part. But I really want to be your girlfriend all the time. I want to be able to have lunch together as a couple in front of the others. I want to be able to go places with you without wondering if anyone will catch us. I know everyone might be annoying at first, but I think it'll be worth it. I'm ready to deal with it."
Midoriya put his fingers to his chin. "Makes sense to me. Alright, let's do it. But, um, how exactly do we go... 'public'?" Midoriya made air quotes to say the last word.
Jirou chuckled at Midoriya's somewhat dramatic question, although Midoriya did not pick up on it. The way he said it made it sound like the two of them were well known people that everyone was eager to see get together after so much time had passed. Still, he did have a valid point, and Jirou needed to think of a quick solution.
"Let's just play it out naturally, unless you have a better idea," Jirou suggested.
"Naturally? Like, if they see us act like a couple, they'll find out themselves?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, no need to overthink things anymore. We'll just have everyone figure it out for themselves," Jirou smirked. "Now that I think about it, some people in 1A won't even realize unless we spell it out for them."
Midoriya and Jirou both shared a laugh at her last remark. The two of them embraced each other tightly, not having a care in the world about what anyone thought of them or their relationship anymore. It was such a liberating feeling that neither of them had felt before. Maybe they had just been worrying about everything way too much. Even though Uraraka was a separate story, Jirou was not willing to worry about it anymore.
After a few more hours of chatting, along with the occasional hug, the two of them looked at the All Might clock in the corner of his room. It was nearing midnight. The two of them were tired and were ready for bed.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask earlier. Where exactly am I sleeping tonight?" Jirou asked.
"Oh, you can take my bed. I'll just sleep on the couch," Midoriya said.
"W-Wait, are you sure about that? I was just wondering if there was a guest room or an air mattress, that's all," Jirou said, as she started to blush.
The nerves that she had suppressed earlier were starting to crack through again. She had not really thought about anything related to their sleeping situation that night throughout the evening whatsoever.
"We don't have any other bed here. I don't want to send you to the couch. I really don't mind you taking my bed," Midoriya said, starting to get flustered himself.
"Well, if you say so," Jirou grinned. "I guess we won't be on the couch together again after all."
Midoriya gave a confused look for about two seconds before the light bulb turned on in his head. Memories of the two of them falling asleep next to each other at the Jirou's house, all while holding hands, once again consumed his mind. Even though he enjoyed it, he still got worked up thinking back to it.
"I-I - How do you always one-up me?!" Midoriya said, laughing with Jirou.
The two of them shared a kiss and said goodnight. Midoriya left the room and closed the door to his room, going over to the living room area to see if Inko was still in there. Jirou, meanwhile, quickly dove into Midoriya's bed, more than eager to enjoy snuggling in her boyfriend's bed.
"Are you FREAKING serious?!"
It was none other than Bakugou who yelled from the top of lungs when he entered the common area room and saw the scene before him. The entirety of Class 1A - minus Midoriya and Jirou - were in the room together. Ilda and Yaoyorozu stood in front of everyone, while the rest of the students sat on the various couches and chairs that were situated in the room.
Once Bakugou stood next to one of the couches to join the class, Ilda was ready to begin talking. However, seeing that everyone was chatting amongst themselves, Ilda quickly waved his arms to hush the crowd, leading Uraraka to chuckle.
"Class 1A! As your Class President, I do apologize for calling a meeting so late in the evening," Ilda started, which made Bakugou roll his eyes. "However, this was not my idea. Vice President Yaoyorozu wanted to have us all meet to discuss something... and, now that I think about it, I do not even know what it's about! It must be something important if your Vice President called for a meeting to occur so quickly. So, Vice President Yaoyorozu, take it away!"
Yaoyorozu stepped up to the center of the room. Although she did not have such feelings earlier, her heart began to thump faster. This was likely the only chance she would have for the time being to address the topic on her mind.
"Hello, Class 1A," Yaoyorozu said. "I want us to have a debate."
"A debate about what?" Uraraka asked, who got a side eye from Asui.
Yaoyorozu took a deep breath. The following words then slipped out of her mouth much faster than she had anticipated.
"Who else thinks that Midoriya and Jirou are in a relationship and that they are hiding it from us?"
A/N: And that was the longest chapter of When Our Passions Unite so far - over 4,000 words! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter with all of the different characters and storylines involved.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a favorite, follow, or comment if you'd like. See you next time for Chapter 36!
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