章 210: 42
Chapter 42: Girl's Night III – Green and Black TeaNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Never have I ever reached second base," Yui stated, deadpan.
Her perfectly calm face didn't reflect how she was feeling inside, nor had it been a good way for the others to gauge what she was going to say before disaster struck.
Mina and Setsuna sputtered before laughing madly. Some eyes widened at the reaction, but most were too busy sighing or blushing.
"I see now that the previous questions were but a warmup," Reiko pronounced, shaking her head lightly.
"Who would have thought?" Kinoko giggled as Kyoka groaned with a "Come on..."
"It's always the quiet ones, ribbit," Tsuyu croaked, unperturbed.
"Yui..." Itsuka groaned, dejected by the way she was getting to know about her friend's tendencies.
"Um, sorry, but what do you mean?" Ochaco asked, brow lightly furrowed just like Ibara's was.
"I don't believe I know the expression either. I doubt you'd be referring to baseball, so could you please explain?" Momo added, her curiosity picked. Pony nodded along, as slang wasn't her forte.
"I knew we'd end up on this," Itsuka sighed, immediately followed by Kinoko's giggling intensifying.
"Better to learn it now rather than later from boys, ribbit," Tsu pointed out.
"Yes, I'm afraid that would have been worse," Reiko concurred.
Yui turned to the two gossips and made a small gesture to request their help for the explanation.
"Well, you see, my chaste sisters," Mina raised her voice and changed her tone, trying to sound like a knowledgeable professor. "As Yaomomo figured out, we're talking about a comparison between baseball terms and... more enjoyable activities," she ended with a smirk and a lick of her lips.
"If you're trying to imitate Miss Midnight, it's not working," Kyoka huffed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, shush you!" the pinkette countered, throwing a candy at Kyoka that she easily caught.
"It's easy," Setsuna continued to speed things up. "First base is making out."
"K-Kissing?" Ochaco asked as her expression got more bewildered.
" French kissing," the lizard girl specified, moving her tongue just as Mina had.
"Second base is when the guy gets to touch these beauties," the pinkette said as her hand moved over her chest.
"Third is-" Setsuna started before being interjected by Itsuka.
"Please, spare us the rest," the redhead pleaded, "or Ibara's gonna have an aneurism here and now."
"How uncouth..." the vine-haired girl whispered, frowning and blushing fiercely as she looked as far away from the explaining duo as she could.
"Ochaco doesn't look much better," Kinoko pointed out, as the brunette in question was floating a foot away from the ground and was using her hands to hide her face, being kept relatively in place by the mushroom girl.
The frog girl helped bring the other down by stretching her tongue as Momo cleared her throat, a hint of color marking her cheeks. "I believe that was enough to answer the current query, yes," the heiress stated.
"You all are no fun," Setsuna huffed, before smirking again. "So, any takers beside little old me?"
"I knew I could count on you," Mina raised a hand and high-fived the greenette. "Which one was it?"
"The second guy I dated got a little handsy once," she explained before rolling her eyes at the huff coming from Ibara's direction. "What about you?" the lizard girl asked, getting a dramatic head shake in response.
"Tragically, I've never found the right time or person," the pinkette sighed.
Setsuna's expression became a touch flirtier as she whispered a "Door's always open if you'd like to learn~"
"God, get a room," Kyoka huffed, making the two gossips freeze and gain new shades of embarrassment.
"I'd tell you continue, ribbit, but Ibara would likely murder all of us if we let you," Tsuyu hummed.
"I would do no such thing!" the religious girl replied, scandalized. "But I will ask you to limit that behavior for tonight, if you please."
"Fair enough," Itsuka nodded giving the other two a glance. Mina and Setsuna looked just a bit apologetic, though they all suspected that it wouldn't last.
"What about other Horn Buddy?" Pony asked with a curious tone, having noticed that the two shared something. "He is nice, did you know him before U.A.?"
"I did!" Mina replied, going back to her cheerful self in a second. "But also, not really. Kiri's from my same middle school, but we didn't interact much before coming here. He was a completely different guy back then, but I'm happy he's picked himself up!"
"Different how?" Kyoka lazily asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mina smirked. "He would've gotten the point for Reiko's turn."
"No way!" Ochaco reacted, moving a hand to cover her mouth.
"Yes way! Permanently dyed for his high school debut," she shook her head with a smile. "He had it black before, and without gel it went down, like, almost to his neck."
Tsu tried to imagine old Kirishima. "So he's more eye-catching now, ribbit."
"Yup!"
"I wonder if, had he not made that choice, he would have resembled Tetsutetsu even more," Reiko though aloud, producing a few amused chuckled.
"We could always ask him for a photo," Kinoko proposed.
"Come on, you know that they'll both pretend to be offended. Again." Itsuka tried to nip the conflict in the bud.
"They can say whatever they like, but all evidence seems to be against them," Kyoka noted with a shrug.
"Let's leave those guys alone for now," Setsuna said. "Anybody else? Will you leave me all alone for this turn? Prez?"
Just as Itsuka started shaking her head to refute the fact, Tsuyu's voice cut the silence. "No, ribbit." The frog girl's tongue snatched her sixth snack, surprising the others.
"Really, Tsu?" Ochaco was the first to ask after the sudden reveal, but the girl only croaked in reply, seemingly unperturbed.
"Nice," Setsuna sung, going back to the carnal side of the discovery, "got up and personal, Tsu?"
"We simply explored a bit." She had to stop herself from saying "fooled around," since she thought that Ibara probably wouldn't have reacted well to that.
"Oooh," Mina purred, "and pray tell, who did you explore so much with, you naughty frog?"
"I thought you said that didn't have a boyfriend," Kinoko added to the question.
"I didn't, ribbit," she confirmed. "Habuko and I never gave a name to what we had last year. But I think that if we had I would have called her 'girlfriend,' ribbit."
The explanation got a few excited whistling sounds from the two she-devils, and understanding, if surprised, smiles from the rest of the group.
Still, it wasn't like Tsu's perceptive eyes could miss the moment of complete shock written on Kyoka's features. It was hidden quickly, but a second was enough for her to add a piece to the puzzle.
"So you are..." Ibara started, sounding unsure about the proper terminology.
"Bisexual, ribbit," she nodded.
"Ah, I see," the vine-haired girl nodded. "Thank you for sharing this part of yourself Asui. Even from what little I know I understand that it's not always easy to reveal it, despite society's recent progress."
"It's not a secret, but it's not something I usually flaunt, ribbit."
"Thank you for your trust then," Momo smiled, relieved that their friend felt safe enough that she could speak freely.
"Sorry if I'm asking for too much, but how was it?" Kinoko questioned as she laid forward to see the frog girl behind Ochaco.
"I wouldn't know how to describe it," Tsuyu raised a finger to her chin, "but it was nice, ribbit. Weird at first, but nice."
"That's not a lot to go on," the mushroom girl pouted before letting the issue go, "but fine, keep your secrets!"
"And suddenly the tables were turned on us," Reiko sentenced, looking at how the two greenettes had reached a tie to first place.
"We're ways behind," Ochaco sighed in defeat, rubbing the back of her neck as she noticed how the divide only kept growing.
"Yeah," Itsuka chuckled lightly. "But Kyoka and Yui could still make a comeback."
The black-haired girl shrugged as the punk shook her head. "Not that interested."
Kyoka wasn't trying to win the game, and, in that moment, she was more focused on keeping her own heart in check... and on listening in to another. Toru seemed close to having her heart jump out of her rib cage. It sounded like a damn drum, and the over-the-top beating had started with Yui's statement.
Usually, she would have kept quiet about it, but, since the girl had stayed silent for the whole round and hadn't even moved a muscle, she was starting to get a bit worried. If she had something to hide, she could just deflect, right?
"Toru, you okay?" she asked, trying and failing not to bring all the attention on the other.
"Uh?" the invisible girl flinched. "Ah, uh, yeah... I was just... thinking..."
"Something on your mind?" Mina called, picking up the concern in Kyoka's voice.
Toru pushed him back, but not away, and made them both fall onto his soft bedding. She laid on him, being as close as she could, loving the feeling of his lips on hers, the warmth of his hands in her hair and on her back.
She loved it, but she wanted him to see more of her, feel more of her.
Strange how, to do just that, she had to remove the clothing that actually made her visible.
Her hands left his face and hair as she made the unpleasant but necessary choice to detach herself from him from the moment necessary to take her shirt off. She had barely reached the bottom hem when his hands covered her own, stopping them in place.
Toru moved her eyes to meet his, finding a gaze that told her that he understood where she was going with this, but still worried over the fact.
"A-Are you sure?" he asked, his tone carrying the same hints.
Was he scared about her changing her mind? Or was he still concerned about not knowing what she really wanted?
She couldn't have that, not now.
Toru couldn't say she wasn't a bit scared by these new experiences, but the excitement drowned the fear tenfold. It was trepidation, not dread.
She strangled her anxiety and let out a hum before moving her hands out of his grasp—it wasn't strong, far from it—by gently brushing his skin. Her left raised the hem while the right reversed the hold, swiftly bringing his palm into contact with her bra.
Knowing what she was planning didn't save her from the surprise rush the touch gave her. Toru tried to contain a squirm and failed, but managed to continue moving until the shirt was completely off and thrown to the floor.
Izuku looked like a deer caught in the headlights as she slid down again, careful to keep his hand locked in place.
"I am," she whispered before joining their lips again.
- How the hell did I manage to be that bold? - she cried out in her head.
She could lie, but she had a feeling that Kyoka and a few others would be able to catch on it. But she also couldn't say the entire truth, not after listening to the others' confessions. She still had to clarify what was going on with Izuku and, as much as she liked him, shattering the hearts of the others was the last thing she wanted to do.
Toru's clothes moved, shifting in place as the girl tried to find a more comfortable position. "I was... Well..." She exhaled with a huff before straightening her back. "Okay, uh, I think I'll take one too..." A new wave of surprised breaths cut the air. However, before anybody could speak, Toru finished her phrase. "... but I have to ask you not to ask me the specifics. Please." There was conflict in her tone. It was shaky, unsure.
Kyoka understood that Toru had been killing herself over what to do. She could share the sentiment: there were things she wouldn't say even when asked here, pact or no pact. Better to keep things under cover than to die of embarrassment. She wanted to bite her tongue for the blunder.
"Uh, sure," Itsuka nodded, feeling that the way the usually cheery girl was keeping to herself was anything but normal.
"You don't have to share anything if it's too much," Momo concurred, followed by a few sounds of agreement.
"I-I just don't want to cause problems," she let out, "b-but I promise I'll tell you as soon as I can!"
"Toru, girl, relax," Mina hugged the invisible girl from the side. "You don't have to promise us anything. Ya know I like to prod and joke around, but if you say you've got a limit, then you've got a limit."
"We will be here to listen whenever you may need us," Reiko offered, placing her hand over the girl's leg since she couldn't find her arm as easily.
"Hey, this ain't gonna fly," Setsuna tsked. "Group hug!"
"Banzai!" Pony shouted, being the first to join Mina in the embracing.
A moment was all they needed to follow the order and smother the invisible girl under a pile. Even the more reserved girls joined in, staying on the side but nonetheless offering their supporting presence.
"T-Thanks, girls," Toru muttered, sniffing as she turned the small piece of candy between her fingers once she'd been freed. "It doesn't feel really earned this way though."
"You've told us more than you needed to, ribbit," Tsu shook her head.
"Take it and keep the lead. I ain't winning because you're holding back," Setsuna said with a smirk as her fingers traced Toru's braid.
Toru sniffed once more, but the movements of her clothes and the decoration on her hair told them that she was nodding.
"Kyoka, could you offer us something more lighthearted?" Momo asked gently.
"Yup," the punkette answered, grateful of being given the chance to move on. "Never have I ever done something super embarrassing in class."
Kinoko tilted her head to the side. "Isn't that a bit generic?"
"That's the point," Kyoka smirked as her jacks brought her pillow closer. "Everybody's got different ideas on what's 'super' embarrassing, but most of it is fun stuff."
"Oh, then it's easy," the smaller girl giggled. "Once I was caught growing a mushroom under my desk during a boring lecture. They wanted me to hand it over and toss it away, but it was a perfect Agaricus bisporus!"
"Agaricus..." Ibara thought aloud, putting her gardening knowledge to use, "isn't that the name of the common white mushroom?"
"Only when it's immature and white! This one was mature and brown! A perfect Portobello! I couldn't let teach throw in the trash!" the brunette lamented, almost angry at the memory.
"So? You throw it out of window or something?" Pony questioned.
Kinoko groaned at the suggestion. "Now I wish that I did... But no, I simply tried to put it all in my mouth and swallow it."
Momo frowned as she thought aloud. "But a mature Portobello's cap can grow up to fifteen centimeters of diameter... Oh."
"Yeah, I almost choked in the attempt," the brunette sighed with a "I was pretty dumb" smile. "They had to rush me to the nurse's office."
"Damn," Kyoka commented. "It didn't leave permanent damages, did it?"
"Thankfully no," she breathed a sigh of relief. Damaging her throat would have spelled disaster for her dream. "It was shocking, but it's fine now."
The memory was a story she could tell, but the experience had been almost traumatizing. Which was also the reason why she hesitated so much on using that kind of attack on others. Suffocation hadn't been a nice experience on her, and subjecting others to it seemed the opposite of what she would consider heroic.
"You tell us if you also need group hug, right?" Pony pouted at her, making the brunette laugh and take the horned girl's arm.
"Sure will!" she smiled widely to refresh the mood. "What about you?"
Convinced of her good will, Pony spoke up. "I once shoot my horns up when teacher woke me up from nap! Got scared and cracked ceiling," she gave them a sheepish look. "Pa had to pay damages."
"Man, I'm kinda grateful I can't do that," Mina looked as if she'd dodged a metaphorical bullet. "Saved me from a bunch of trouble."
"Ribbit, you slept that much at school?"
"Nah, but since I was very, like, very physical and showed that I didn't shy away from contact, girls and guys would often surprise me. Probably had a betting pool on it too, the idiots. I spent a year getting jump scares before I got enough awareness to avoid those," she explained.
"At least you didn't react by melting things off," Toru offered.
"Oh, I got most of that under control around the first year of middle school. Did that once in class, melted my chair," she told with a shrug. "I guess that's my embarrassing thing, but I'm good now."
"I certainly hope so. I would hypothesize that my mattress wouldn't enjoy your care," Momo jokingly teased—making Mina laugh—before turning to Kyoka. "I must ask, would the 'class' also include private lessons? I'm afraid that I was privately tutored for most of my life..."
"Uh, yeah, of course," the punkette nodded, curious about what Momo could consider shameful.
"Well then, when I was young a still believed myself smarter than anybody else-"
"Which you totally are," Ochaco interjected with a light poke on her arm, making Itsuka chuckle, Tsuyu ribbit, and Momo roll her eyes before she continued.
"I thought that some of my lessons were terribly dull, so I decided that my time would have been spent better by reading for pleasure." The heiress' eyes brightened as she explained her old plan of substituting the book's covers to avoid detection.
Reiko let out an audible gasp at the notion of the books being abused in such a way, but Momo reassured her, saying that none of the damage had been permanent.
"What a dastardly wrongdoer," Setsuna proclaimed sarcastically.
"For how long did you get away with it?" Ochaco asked.
"Two months and twelve days. My tutors were completely unaware of the problem, but my mother noticed that I was slightly too entranced by the reading and moved behind me to observe," Momo sighed. "Imagine my mortification as she discovered that my book of Chemistry hid something were the word had a quite different connotation."
"Yeah, must have sucked," Kyoka and the other laughed with Momo.
"Not a conversation I'd like to have. The birds and the bees were enough for me," Toru chuckled, now being more relaxed, still held between the others' arms. "In my case, I think the worst I did was when I got distracted after P.E. and forgot to change out of my bloomers. I had the skirt over them, but it was unnerving."
"I bet," Tsu nodded. "But I doubt any of yours can beat mine, ribbit."
"Oh, come on," Setsuna rebutted. "I've done plenty of embarrassing stuff. Can you top being caught hiding your mouth in your backpack?"
"How and why the heck would you do that?" Kyoka interjected.
"Missed breakfast, was hungry hours before lunch, and teach wouldn't let us eat in class. Had to get creative with a mask and a 'cough,'" the greenette explained with a grin, making the others shake their heads or sputter at the absurdity of the idea. "Got a scolding, but I also got to fill my belly."
"Nice try, ribbit, but I stand by my previous statement," Tsu reiterated before turning towards the blonde American. "Pony, do you get instincts? Animal instincts?" she asked and repeated after a lost look.
"Oh, yeah," the equine girl nodded. "Sometimes wanna kick or headbutt stuff when angry."
"Well, the same goes for me, only in a frog way," he said, showing the tip of her tongue. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that one of my elementary school classmates had a Quirk that let him call butterflies in the dozens, ribbit."
"You didn't!" Ibara and Setsuna replied at the same time, albeit with vastly different intonations.
"Couldn't help myself, ribbit. They flew right before me during lunch break and my tongue just did its job," she confirmed.
"A touch less color in the world," Reiko shrugged.
"Ugh," Pony stuck out her own tongue. "Terrible, was it?"
"No," Tsuyu denied, "they tasted good."
"What?" The American girl sounded amazed. "But it's insects!"
"Actually, they are a staple food in many countries, and a delicacy in others," Momo explained.
"Huh, you tried any?" Mina asked, weirded out but curious.
Momo shook her head. "Never, but my parents have. My father compared them to shellfish, but without the salty smell and taste of the sea. They instead possess more earthy qualities, much like mushrooms and root vegetables."
Kinoko perked up, suddenly interested.
"They're also good when roasted or fried," the lizard girl added, having her fair share of experience due to one side of her family.
"They can be a bit bitter, but they're usually crunchy and mild," Tsu added. "They mostly taste like whatever they're fed with. Mom made rosemary-tasting roasted crickets once."
"Oh, it would be lovely to try them together one day," the heiress suggested, though it was clear that not everybody in the group would be down for it.
"It might be an enlightening experience," Ibara thought aloud, followed by an "I'm game!" by the mushroom girl.
"I don't know if I'm interested or not," Ochaco confessed, "but I guess that I shouldn't refuse to try."
"Let's keep the idea for another time then," Itsuka closed the digression. "I don't think I've done anything that humiliating in class, so I'll skip this one. Yui? Reiko?" she asked, moving to the second person as soon as the black-haired girl started shaking her head.
"Nothing comes to mind, I'm afraid," the ghostly girl sighed. "Reading in class is my wildest transgression. How about you, Ibara?"
"Nothing of the sort," the religious girl was quick to turn away the idea.
"Huh, no wonder you get along well with Shishida," Setsuna noted teasingly.
"Shishida, unlike you, knows perfectly what's appropriate and what's not," Ibara replied with a hint of tiredness.
"Shots fired," Mina giggled.
"Trust me, dear, I know that too," the lizard girl's showed a smug grin, "I just chose to ignore it when I want to."
Ibara pouted, looking the other way.
"And that's enough from you two," Itsuka sighed. "Ochaco?"
The brunette looked up thoughtfully. "Mm, nothing interesting? Life was pretty boring in the countryside."
"No even a small Quirk accident?" Mina asked, having seen how the girl could end up floating herself by mistake.
"I-It's not that embarrassing," she stuttered. "And people got used to it quickly."
They did, though that hadn't taken away any opportunity for her to make a fool of herself. But her friends were looking for fun stories to lighten the mood, and she didn't think that a tale about how people had laughed at her because of second-hand clothes would work.
"Well, we've all seen how red you get because of those, so I'd say you can take your point," Toru giggled.
"The current judge approves," Kyoka stated, showing a thumbs up before looking around. Their circle had imploded during the impromptu hug pile, and she was too tired to count who had already had a turn. "Uh, who's next?"
"Ibara, and then Kinoko," Momo helpfully provided. "We've almost finished."
"Hey, the game ends when someone gets to zero," Setsuna complained weakly.
"Toru's almost there, ribbit," Tsu pointed out. "And so are we, though we'd need one more question."
"Let's just see how things go," Ochaco said, turning to the vine-haired girl.
"Mm..." Ibara hummed for a few second, unsure. She gathered some courage to go forward with might have seemed like a terrible idea just a few hours before, but the atmosphere in the room somehow relieved her of some inhibitions. "Never have I ever... been kissed..." she took a breath before letting out a "...on the lips."
"Ooh, didn't expect it from you," Setsuna cooed, moving to avoid a flick from Itsuka.
Ibara flinched before straightening her back. "It's just a simple way to ensure that the game might end soon, since some of us have clearly more experience and will get the points," she explained, sparing a look to her fellow greenettes. "And I'm sure you won't lament the fact."
"Fair, ribbit," Tsu said before launching her tongue at her plate. "You already know. Next?"
"Eh, same," Setsuna shrugged, cracking the candy with her teeth.
Most of the group knew that they could only look at another two girls for answers.
Itsuka blushed a bit as she took a cookie, Kinoko and Mina cooing at the action. "It was just a peck, no need to get all excited."
"Still more than nothing," Kyoka argued, making a zero between her fingers with her jacks.
"Indeed," Momo concurred. She turned to the invisible girl, voicing her question as gently as possible. "Toru?"
"Um, same as before," she mumbled, taking a candy. "Sorry."
"No big deal," Mina squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Last question! Let's go! Kinoko, surprise us!"
"I'll try," the mushroom girl giggled. "Never have I ever... played Truth or Dare!"
"Yes!" the pinkette rejoiced. "That's one for me!"
"Calm down champ," Kyoka huffed. "You've just hit half."
"I can still be happy about it!"
"Ah! I have!" Setsuna laughed, reveling in being that much closer to victory.
"Me too!" Pony clapped her hands.
"I imagine that is another party game?" Momo asked, being unfamiliar.
"Yeah," Itsuka nodded. "Though I've never played it myself, I guess it's quite popular between teenagers."
"A lot," the blonde girl nodded eagerly. "Very common in America. Probably invented it."
"Actually, it might be a classical game. The earliest versions date back to the ancient Greeks," Reiko said, explaining herself as she received some surprised glances. "I happened to play it during an event similar to our current one with the members of my previous occult club. Though we mainly focus on the horror stories and proofs of courage."
"Ya know, I can totally see you doing research on eldritch stuff," Setsuna commented, making the gray-haired girl nod along.
"Tokoyami too," Ochaco agreed, "but I'd leave it to you two."
"It is hardly a path I'd suggest to whomever," the ghostly girl concurred.
"You too, Tsuyu?" Ibara asked as she saw the girl eat.
"It's my favorite sleepover game," she croaked happily. "I never lose."
"Ooh, really? Me neither." Mina crossed her arms, looking at the other as if she'd found a worthy adversary. "And I guess you won't mind proving that next time."
The two exchanged glares, one smirking, one deadpan.
"Challenge accepted," Tsuyu ribbited lowly with an air of danger they'd seen from her only on the screens of their heroic's lessons.
"And I guess that settled what we'll get to do next time," Setsuna laughed as she turned to Kinoko. "You were hoping for that, weren't you?"
The mushroom girl stuck out the tip of her tongue and winked. "Mayhaps~"
"Isn't it too early to say that?" Ochaco questioned, not sure if a harder game was the best way to go.
"We'll decide when the time comes, but it does seem like a nice option," Momo said, moving on to ask the last girls about their experiences.
"Toru?"
The group turned to look at the invisible girl, as she was the closest ending the game.
"As a matter of fact..." she started, speaking slowly to increase the tension, "I have!"
Setsuna's groan wasn't enough to cover Toru's voice as she continued. "It was only once, and I mostly went with dares 'cause they were really easy for me. Like, they asked me to get snacks from the kitchen without being seen thrice."
"Well, thanks for giving us ammunition, ribbit," Tsuyu remarked.
"Come on, at best it's good training for her," Mina waved her hand as if to discard the idea.
"And at worst she'll have to end up naked in the kitchen with the boys a few steps away. And we have at least a few classmates with enhanced hearing," Tsuyu reminded them, getting some shocked looks.
"Oh dear," Ibara covered her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.
"You wouldn't," Toru said, her tone moving from surprised to pleading.
"She's serious," Kyoka noted, a jack pointing at the frog girl. "Tsu's all out of mercy."
"I never lose," she repeated.
"Mm. We'll see," Yui voiced, generating even more surprise.
"A new challenger approaches~" Mina exclaimed, interested.
"Damn, they're multiplying," Ochaco thought aloud.
"Okay." Itsuka clapped. "Since the round's finished, let's just-"
"Start the award ceremony for the first official Hero Course girls' sleepover!" Mina threw her arms up, giving her best Present Mic impression.
"Is this necessary?" Kyoka asked, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, it's fun," Kinoko giggled, throwing a brush to the pinkette so that she could use it as an impromptu mic. A few moved to get a better look of the show, while Setsuna shifted closer to Ochaco and Reiko to whisper something in their ears.
Mina snatched it and gave one of her best winks. "Thank you! Someone appreciates a good performance!" She gave a quick look at the remaining snacks before pointing at the vine-haired girl. "Coming in last, the purest of us all! Ibara!"
The girl in question sighed, uttering a "Why did I let myself be convinced..." as Itsuka moved to put her arm around her back and a few pitying claps echoed in the room.
"Moving on, with four points, the trio who risked just enough! Kinoko, Ochaco, and Reiko!"
Kinoko went and grabbed the other two, squeezing them closer as the other clapped. Ochaco rubbed the back of her head, Reiko simply sighed.
"Then comes the cluster, the six who missed greatness by a span! Momo, Itsuka, Yui, Kyoka, Pony," she pointed at each of them before turning her hands towards herself, "and yours truly."
"Oh no, how will I ever recover from this loss," Kyoka let out, sarcastic to the bone.
"What a shame," Momo said with a shake of head, imitated by Itsuka.
"Horn Buddies!" Pony jumped up to reach the pinkette. Their high five echoed in the room as they laughed.
"And finally, the podium!" Mina exclaimed. "Tied for second place, they put up a good fight until the end... Tsu and Set!"
Tsuyu ribbited and Setsuna made some very theatrical bows as the others clapped amicably.
"And finally, tonight's shining star! I give you... Toru!"
"Hooray!" Pony cheered loudly.
"Congratulations," Momo said with mirth, clapping along.
"Thanks- Woah!" The invisible girl found herself weightless and raised above the others' heads before regaining the pull of gravity and falling on the soft mattress. "Hey!"
"The winner must get a celebration," Kinoko chuckled.
"Our apologies," Reiko bowed lightly, lowering her head but still showing a nice expression.
"Setsuna was very convincing," Ochaco rubbed the back of her head.
"And the landing's safe here, ribbit," Tsu pointed out with a rare smile.
The lizard girl gave her best doe-eyed look, which clashed terribly with the grin she gained as soon as Toru let out a "Fiiine."
"You don't sound too upset about losing," Itsuka told to the greenette.
Setsuna shrugged and kept grinning. "Well, at least two of us showed green hair superiority. And I'm sure Ibara will get better next time," she winked, making the girl in question sigh at her antics.
"Um," Toru mumbled as the others chatted, her volume on the lower side.
"Hey, it's fine," Kyoka put a hand around her shoulders. She expected her to be still hung up on her block, so she wanted to try and somewhat make up for her previous error. "You don't have to say nothing more, really."
Toru's heartbeat seemed to calm down as she shook her head.
"Thanks, Kyoka, but I'm fine. I was just thinking that... there's something I wanna try and show you."
The punkette raised an eyebrow but, hearing the new confidence in the other's voice, decided to play along. "Girls, stop squabbling and listen. Miss Star's got something to show us."
The group stopped their chatter and gathered again, looking their way expectantly.
"What is it?" Kinoko asked, unable to wait for the other to explain.
"Got a winning speech?" Setsuna teased.
"Let her talk, ribbit," Tsuyu interjected, silencing the others.
The invisible girl squirmed on her spot before talking. "Um, it's a pretty new thing, like, last few days new, and... right, it's easier if I just show it," she let out, shifting in her clothes. "Just let me focus for a sec..."
They saw one of Toru's arms moving up, her hand taking a hold of the braid, distinguishable only by the floral-patterned rubber band Mina had tied it with. The girl breathed in and out deeply, and let her Quirk do its job.
A cacophony of screams cut the silence of the dorms, Setsuna's being the loudest by far.
"You can sit, you know?" the Problem Child suggested, pointing a finger at one of the chairs around the table behind him.
The man huffed from his spot closer to the wall, which offered a strategical advantage. He had a direct point of view and access to every exit of the flat and, unless somebody moved all the way before him, he was completely hidden from view.
"Illogical," Shota replied. As much as a seat was tempting, he was on duty.
The kid shook his head lightly as he filled the kettle and lighted the stove. He drummed his fingers along the wooden counter as the water boiled. He looked like he could start humming any moment now. Hizashi certainly would have.
Was he so confident that he could act as if he were in his own house? Surely. Did he have the skills to back it up? Most likely. Should he have be doing it? Absolutely not.
"I can almost hear your thoughts, Eraser Head," Midoriya noted with a tone that reminded him of how Nemuri sounded like when Shota isolated himself in his own head and she wanted to get him out.
He huffed again. He didn't need a whatever year old to take care of himself. Still, he could use the chance to prod him for answers.
"I'm just thinking about how we might have failed to teach you how to act during missions, if that's your standard approach," he grunted, hoping to shake something out of him.
Midoriya simply let out a single clean laugh. "You shouldn't worry about that, professor. I'm more than capable of remembering every one of your lessons," the greenette assured, turning slightly to look at him. "For example, you've taken the best one, but I could tell you another four near-perfect hiding spots in this room." His fingers pointed to as many places, and Shota had to admit that he was right.
"And calling this a mission is stretching it anyway," the teen shrugged, unruffled.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I'm not licensed to be in one, right?" the kid said with a smirk. "U.A. would never let an unlicensed student trail a Pro on a dangerous official mission, would it?"
"Thin ice," he grunted, making the boy chuckle and shake his head. After a second, he kept to his line of questioning. "What is it then?"
"A friendly greeting," Midoriya replied with a wide smile.
Shota frowned. "In a Villain's hideout?"
The boy snorted. "I'd barely describe them as Villains, Eraser Head. They're harmless."
"They have a number of infractions to their name," he pointed out. He'd done his homework as soon as Nezu had informed him of the plan. "Pro Heroes were defeated."
"Incompetent ones, maybe." Midoriya rolled his eyes before nodding. "And I won't deny that they are wanted. Though, if you fear that they could be on the same level as the League... just don't. I know that I described them as incredibly helpful to Nezu but trust me when I say that they wouldn't last a minute against you."
A helpful ally which wasn't dangerous? Those two things rarely coincided, even among Pros. The number of licensed Heroes who could make more harm than good would always be too high.
"Still, cooking in their hideout..." he trailed off, letting his unimpressed tone speak for him.
"It's a civilian apartment, Eraser Head. And trust me, they're going to love it," the boy assured just before the kettle could start to whistle. He carefully took care of the drinks, going back to silence for a few moments.
Aizawa let out another huff, looking away. Those words did relieve him of a few gripes, but he still didn't fully trust the plan. It was sensible, yes, and he had collaborated with several Vigilantes during his career, but this was a step further.
He only hoped that the rat and the not-a-boy knew what they were doing.
The door opened with a squeak, letting in a bit of light to cut the darkness and two loud voices to echo on the walls.
"Truly, my dear, this mission may have been our greatest exploit yet!"
"Yes! It really- Gentle, did you leave the stove on?"
"Ah! How careless of m-"
The couple's steps reached the kitchen, stopping before the entrance. Shota spent just a few second taking in details.
The man seemed older than the age reported on his file, but that was probably due to his style and his white hair. His costume, tough refined, was on the extravagant side and could be seen as partially impractical for a melee fighter. His stance wasn't bad, and he had reacted to the surprise by shielding his companion first.
The woman was short and unlikely to have remarkable physical skills. The briefcase she held to her chest identified her as a support and/or carrier. Her outfit was just as impractical as the man's. She had appeared scared for a moment before steeling herself, setting her pink eyes on the greenette.
"Good evening, Manami Aiba, Danjuro Tobita. Would you like a cup of tea? A friend of mine showed me a most delightful process to brew Imperial Golden Tips, and I've brought enough to share," Midoriya spoke with a smile, filling three cups and slowly taking a seat.
The Villains shared a look of confusion before returning to more comfortable poses. Shota almost couldn't believe how easy it had been.
"Please, take a seat," Midoriya turned a hand to show the chairs on the other side of the table. "We have much to discuss."
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