Kinoko already had an image of Ibara's room in her mind, long before she was ever invited inside. First off, she knew it'd be bright and open: Ibara had made a specific Quirk accommodation request so she'd get enough sunlight for her hair. Honestly, Kinoko couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her – the sunrise had to come in like a darn laser! – but if it was good for her, it was good for her.

(Kinoko getting reassigned to a nice, shadier room where she could grow her mushrooms in peace didn't hurt either.)

Then, of course, there were those things that were perfectly Ibara: a crucifix hung above the bed, a pair of religious icons sat next to a Bible, a few smaller books, a rosary, and a candle on a stand. If not for the laptop charging a bit to the right, Kinoko could imagine a medieval monk kneeling at a little prayer corner like that.

Still, there was one thing that just didn't make sense. "I expected more plants, Ibara."

"What do you mean?

"I figure you garden, what with the…" Kinoko couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence. Didn't that sound a little…? She cringed. Like, Kinoko wouldn't mind if someone started talking mushrooms with her, that honestly sounded like a perfect evening, but not everyone was Kinoko.

Ibara sighed, but it turned into a smile. "You've realized quicker than other people I've talked with."

"Sorry. Morel of the story: don't judge a book by its cover!" She grinned at Ibara, who responded with a raised eyebrow. "Morel, like the type of mushroom, morchella? The mycologists love that joke."

That got a little chuckle, at least. "I wish I could be like you sometimes," Ibara said. "If I liked plants the way you like mushrooms…"

Not a lot of people liked anything the way Kinoko liked mushrooms, to be fair. "So… do you not like plants, or do you wish you loved them?"

"I like plants when I don't have to take care of them," Ibara said.

"Because…" Kinoko's gaze flicked to the hair.

"Yes. I understand how people reach that conclusion, of course… but every time I see a pile of plant trimmings, I start thinking about my family's shower drain. We had to install a garbage disposal."

"Ewww."

"And potted plants. Imagine someone gave you a growing lock of hair for your mantelpiece, and you have to start using your shampoo on it because obviously you can't let it die –"

Uh… nix the potted plant gift idea, then?

"Your shampoo?" Kinoko asked.

Ibara cleared her throat, her face a bit flushed. "Shampoo? Oh, ah…" she trailed off, taking a few seconds to track down the conversation. "My apologies, I got upset there."

Honestly, it seemed kind of funny… "But really, your shampoo works on plants?"

"Yes, it does, but they don't deserve it."

"They don't deserve it?" Kinoko asked.

"What's the point of giving them fertilizer if they can't even do chores?"

"And what's the Shiozaki opinion regarding all the plants out there?" Kinoko waved her hand in the direction of the window.

"I've mistaken the shrubs for my cousin several times."

"Really?"

"Really."

Huh. She'd never thought about Ibara like that before. If you spent your time looking after your own head of plant-y hair, maybe you wouldn't want to do it in your spare time. Unless it was like a mannequin head cosmetology thing…?

Unfortunately, Kinoko's mind wasn't finished with uncomfortable thoughts, and the question stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "And what about hay fever? Isn't pollen, like…"

"No comment."

It occurred to me that Ibara might find gardening either bothersome or somewhat repetitive, considering caring for plants is like, part of her morning routine. This is nothing against any gardener Ibara fics, but I just wanted to toss this out.