Chương 209: 41
Chapter 41: Girl's Night II – Crush and (please don't) BurnNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Stop spamming those damn branches!" Tsuburaba cried out as his chosen character, Shishido, remained stuck in place while slowly accumulating damage.
"It's your fault for not knowing how to get out," Awase snickered, keeping up his torture with Kamui Woods' best and worst move.
"It's not even that hard," Kamakiri huffed, knowing that he could do much better.
"Somebody help me!" the brunette yelled again, but his cry was left unanswered, as Kuroiro and Tokoyami—both using different colored variants of Edgeshot—were already locked in battle in another spot of the map.
"It's a free-for-all, man," Sato laughed, entertained by the show and happy that the snacks he'd made were a huge success.
"Can't expect mercy here," Fukidashi agreed, showing a telling smile with its tongue out.
"Just accept the loss and go read your character's moves," Kaibara proposed with a sigh.
Tsuburaba groaned loudly as his Shishido was downed. He resisted the impulse to throw the controller against the screen and handed it over to Rin, who accepted it with a "Don't worry, I don't think I'll do much better," and a chuckle.
Awase wasn't as lucky against the remaining two, and the fight soon ended with a win by knockout for the black-feathered teen.
"Eh, nice match," Kuroiro smirked, receiving a grateful nod from Tokoyami.
"Who's next? Shoji? Ojiro?" the black-haired teen asked.
"I can try," the tailed boy said, having close to no experience with videogames in general.
Shoji nodded as he took Tokoyami's controller, expertly moving his pointer to Best Jeanist, one of the craftiest Heroes on the roster.
Kamakiri grinned, expecting a challenge as he picked Yoroi Musha to counter the other's long-range control.
"I think I can see where this is going," Honenuki thought aloud, seeing the two pros ready to destroy their competition. Ojiro's and Rin's characters were about to quickly turn from fighters to casualties.
On the other side of the room, Shinso lamented the noise made by the others with a lazy huff. "Can't they keep it down?"
"They are allowed noise as long as they keep it within reasonable limits," Ida replied, not taking his eyes off the chessboard.
Shoda nodded as he moved a knight to take one of the bluenette's bishops.
"Outstanding move," Shishida commented, impressed by the strategy that was slowly being displayed by his Vice Representative.
Mineta hummed along. "Yeah, but Ida can still make a comeback."
"Of course," Monoma agreed, predicting that the game was soon going to be overturned.
Koda and Bondo remained as silent observers, being more focused on pictures of animal plastic models than on the game.
Todoroki had no idea of how the match was going, having a rudimentary and just-acquired knowledge of the rules, but he was beginning to like the quiet pondering necessary... and the company.
"Who's next?" Pony asked, still cheerful from Setsuna's mistake.
"Huh, you are," Toru said, making the girl realize her blunder.
"Oops," the horned girl giggled at her honest air-headedness. "Alright! Never have I ever..." she stopped for a second, faking a thoughtful look, "got drunk!"
"Pfft, you really went for an easy win there, huh?" Setsuna snickered, sarcastic.
"Yeah!" The equine girl started moving her hand to her plate before being stopped by a shaky "N-Not so fast," by Kyoka.
They all turned towards the source of the sound with wildly surprised expression. Given the discussion from before they hadn't expected anyone to beat Pony at her own game.
Yui tilted her head to look at the girl on her left, who was half-hiding her face behind her hands and jacks.
"Oh my," Momo voiced, amazed.
"This should be interesting, ribbit," Tsuyu mused.
"Eheheh, what a rebel," Setsuna snickered.
"It was just a mistake, okay?!" Kyoka cried out in frustration. "I was young! And it wasn't on purpose!"
"H-How young?" Ochaco stuttered, getting increasingly more dubious.
"Too young," she mumbled, falling further into embarrassment.
"Come on~ Spill it," Mina grinned.
Kyoka let out a flustered groan. "I was at a big party, New Year's Eve or something. I was playing around with other kids and got thirsty, so I ran back to find the plastic cup I had left where my parents were seated."
"Go on..." the pinkette urged, not taking her eyes away for a second.
"I... I was sure I got mine, with cold tea in it. I was so parched that I drank the whole in one gulp... but I must have taken the wrong damn cup, 'cause all I got was hell down my throat."
"Ugh," Ochaco, Kinoko, and Toru grimaced. Tsu let her tongue dangle, shivering as if she could imagine the same feeling. Momo, Itsuka, and Reiko offered their sympathies. Ibara even decided not to dwell on the use of "hell," such was the pain in the declaration.
"Must have been hard liquor. Color's close enough," Setsuna thought aloud.
"How bad was it?" Pony asked, curious.
Kyoka's expression turned sour to a level of disgust they had yet to see. "Foul. The worst thing I've ever had. I coughed until I got something drinkable, and then I was out of it for a few hours. My folks told me they sprinted all the way to the hospital to get me checked, but I didn't get any complications."
"Damn girl, take your point," Mina exclaimed, somehow impressed. "Though I don't know if I'd call that a win for you."
"I'll take it anyway," Kyoka grunted as she took her sweet consolation prize to wash away the memory, "but I'm not touching a drop without a very good reason anytime soon."
"A sensible choice," Ibara agreed. She was happy to have found an ally that she would likely need if she ever was to stop further attempts at pursuing the forbidden beverage.
A loud fake cough from the resident she-devil interrupted further discussion about Kyoka's unfortunate first experience with alcohol.
"Well then, my ladies, buckle up, 'cause things are about to get interesting," Mina proclaimed, her excitement clear in her tone.
"Please, keep it mild?" Ochaco asked, though she herself didn't sound convinced that she could affect the pinkette's decision in any way.
"No can do!"
"Ah, I see that Setsuna and Tsuyu weren't the only dangers we should have kept track of," Reiko mused, seeing the lizard girl and the pink-haired one share a knowing smirk.
"Mina really enjoys teasing us all," Momo sighed, shaking her head lightly so that the ghostly girl's work wouldn't be ruined.
Tsu croaked in agreement. "Nobody's safe, ribbit."
"Yup! So, my dearest lambs to the slaughter... Never have I ever..." she stopped to look at most of them with a sly grin, "had a crush!"
"Huh, I thought you'd do something worse, Pinky," Setsuna whined, "but it's better than nothing, I guess."
"Gimme some credit, Mosshead," Mina countered with a wink, the two nicknames exchanged with more love than animosity. "I'm trying to draw out some big fishes here..."
Her eyes moved to scan the other girls in the circle and—surprise surprise—most of them looked to be in deep, flustered thought. Kinoko and Tsu were the only ones to go directly for their plates without stalling.
"Uh," Pony uttered, having been in the middle of the two she-devils all the while, "did you mean crash or crush?"
"Crush, Pony," Set replied making the girl brighten up as she let out an interested "Ooh."
"Yup. Isn't this fun?"
"Yeah. But I got nothing," the equine girl shrugged.
"Aw, no prob, sister. Let's just enjoy the show."
And what a show it was. The more the others stalled, the wider Mina's smile grew.
-Eheheh, it seems I won the lottery with this one! Let's get some answers~- the pinkette thought happily.
"Alright! If it's so hard for you all, let's just go over it all together," she smirked and clapped, bringing the others out of their trance. She decided to start her questioning from the beginning of the circle. "Ibara, honey, how about you?"
"I confess that I have never held any infatuation for another in my heart." Ibara shook her head and joined her hands together. "I treasure many friendships, but none have been raised further than that. Though I also hope to find the kind of love that moves the Sun and other stars, someday."
Mina was stunned by the wording for a moment. "That... Okay, that's one hel- heck of a wish. Respect. Kinoko, how about you?"
"Nothing great like that," the mushroom girl waved a hand as if to shoo away the idea. "Just a stupid celebrity crush."
"Girl, you can't say that and expect me not to prod," Setsuna grinned, her hand already floating and bopping the other on her nose.
Kinoko giggled, reddening a bit at the memory. "I don't think you'd know him, but it was Odd-Eye, the... Edgelord Hero."
The two gossips couldn't help but sputter, making Itsuka roll her eyes.
"Yeah, never heard of him," Kyoka said after thinking for a second. "Still, that title..."
"I knooow!" Kinoko tried to defend herself, her first shaking up and down as she wore a mask of frustration. "He was really cool, but I outgrew it! Now it's just a bit embarrassing."
"Let those memories be only memories then," Reiko proposed, giving her friend some solace.
"Ochaco, what about you?" the redhead asked.
The girl in question remained still with her head down and her gaze lost in Tsuyu's hair.
"Ochaco?" Toru called again, raising her voice. As a last resort, Kinoko gave her a light shake.
"H-Huh?" the brunette's head shot up. "What is it?"
"Did you fall asleep or what?" Setsuna chuckled. "We're asking about your crush~"
"H-Haven't got one!" Ochaco shook her head so much that Kinoko had to keep a hold on the braid not to lose all her progress.
"You sure, ribbit?" The girl stopped as soon as Tsu spoke.
"Sure! Nothing at all!"
"Ribbit, so what Kyoka heard during your fight with Midoriya was nothing?" Tsuyu inquired, sure to hit the mark.
"Way to put me on the spot, Tsu," the rocker grunted with a vaguely annoyed tone.
The gravity user froze before slowly turning her head towards her purple-haired friend. "W-What did you hear?"
"Practically everything," she huffed, letting a jack twirl around her finger. Seeing how astonished the other was, she quickly moved to amend her statement. "But don't worry, I haven't shared a word of your, uh, talk as you exited."
"But from her reactions to it, we kinda know that it's not nothing ~" Mina hummed, smiling contently.
"You don't have to say it if you don't want to, but remember that everything stays between us," Itsuka reminded her with a calming smile. "And nobody has to answer follow-up questions either if they don't want to."
Ochaco remained silent for a few moments before sighing and nodding. "O-Okay." She took another big breath, steeling her nerves. "Y-Yeah... I might... I might have a... a crush on Izuku..." The words became progressively quieter as she spoke, but they were easily heard in the complete silence of the room.
Kinoko and Pony cooed, Yui hummed pleasantly.
"I remember you saying something about the entrance exam..." Itsuka thought aloud, remembering one of the discussions they had in their spare time during the internship. "Was it him?"
Ochaco nodded again, starting to quickly tell of her first two encounters with the greenette.
"...and when I looked around, Izuku was gone."
"Damn, what a power move," Setsuna chuckled.
"I see you are also on a first name basis," Reiko noticed. "Even if you might be undecided on your feelings, it's good to see that your relationship is already blossoming."
"But she's not the only one with those, ribbit," Tsuyu remarked, her tone neutral as she kept her big eyes squared on the greenette before her.
"Oooh," Setsuna grinned, wishing she could rotate her head to look at the other without messing up her work, "so Parsley caught your interest too?"
"Really, Tsu?" Ochaco asked, her tone conveying just how surprised she was by the sudden confession. The frog girl nodded, ribbiting affirmatively.
"Wow. No hesitation," Mina thought aloud, a bit shocked.
"I'm not easily embarrassed, ribbit," she revealed with her usual placidity. "And I feel no shame in admitting it. Midoriya's been nice with us from the very first day, and he's started more conversations with me in a month than many of my classmates in three years of middle school, ribbit. He's smart, caring, and a bit funny too. He may be somewhat awkward when he focuses too much on his analysis, but he does it to help us. And don't tell me that you haven't seen how fit he is, 'cause none of you are blind."
No, they certainly weren't. They had noticed most—if not all—of Tsu's points, but hearing them stated so bluntly put things in a different perspective.
Setsuna whistled. "No doubt, that's prime boyfriend material if I ever heard one."
"When did you start liking him?" Pony piped up, loving the sudden influx of confessions.
"Ribbit, when he saved me in the U.S.J. attack. My life was already flashing before my eyes, and then he was there... But please, let's not talk about all that." She inadvertently shuddered at the unpleasant memory.
"Of course," Itsuka nodded, having noticed the unvoluntary reflex. "Let's move on, shall we? Setsuna?"
"Nothing major," the lizard girl shrugged, "just the two guys I was with. They were cute and funny, but it didn't last that long." Setsuna moved her eyes to the girls in front of her. "You had nothing, right Pony?"
"Nuh-uh," the blonde shook her head. "Knew some nice guys, but nobody I was interested in."
"But speaking of interest and using first names!" Mina interjected, interrupting the round to satisfy her curiosity and, perhaps, to be sure that she'd be completely skipped. "Yaomomo! What's the deal with you and Midori?"
"Pardon?" the heiress questioned, surprised to have been called so suddenly.
"She's probably talking about how you started using Midori's name even before Ochaco did, ribbit," Tsu offered, proving once again just how observant she was.
"I did?"
"Yeah! At least since we got in the dorms," Mina added, remembering the shock of the discovery.
Ochaco's brow furrowed a bit as she brought a hand to her chin to think. "I think I started during the Sports Festival though?"
"Oh, me too... Just after our match," the heiress confessed.
"Aah, I see, I see," Mina nodded along, doing her best detective impression. "And say, when did you realize you had feelings for him?" She expected another Ochaco-style rebuttal, but it wasn't what she got.
Momo blinked twice at that, stopping her work on the redhead's smooth cascade. "I... do not know."
Strangely, Itsuka was the one questioning her before the others could. "What do you mean, 'I don't know?'"
"That, now that I'm taking a moment to think about the matter, I honestly do not have any idea as to when I started feeling something for Izuku," Momo admitted, moving her eyes down and furrowing her brow as she started thinking harder.
"No idea, like, at all?" Mina inquired, hoping to get something more than a simple "yes."
"It is not so easy." After a few moments she sighed, deciding that she could trust the others with a side of herself she wasn't used to sharing. "You see, reading is my favorite pastime. I mostly read for studying, as many do, but I enjoy it even more when I am free to peruse what I personally like, seating on an armchair and with a nice, steaming cup of tea by my side." The others had no difficulty picturing the raven-haired girl relaxing in that way. "What I'm not used to sharing, however, is that I favor romantic fiction above all," she continued.
Kyoka raised an eyebrow. "Okay, didn't expect that."
"Historical or contemporary?" Reiko, being an avid reader herself, asked.
"Everything in the genre. Chivalric, fantasy, paranormal, western, it makes no difference to me if the stories result captivating. Which they usually are, at least to me," she let out a sigh. "It may seem frivolous, I know, but I have a soft spot for stories of this variety. The impossible, hard-fought relationships, the destined, star-crossed lovers, the slow burn of characters getting close... few things have a tighter hold on my heart."
"Damn." Mina's eyes were wide open, but she wore a more easy-going smile. "So even Yaomomo has a flimsy side, huh? It's nice to see that we're more alike than I thought."
The heiress blushed lightly as she nodded.
"But what does it have to do with Midoriya?" Kinoko asked, still missing the point.
Momo sighed before showing a wry smile. "There resides the problem: I did not experience a connection of the same kind." She raised her eyes to the ceiling as if she was looking for an answer. "I know that my books are just that, books, but I have always hoped that I would feel love in the way it's described in my novels: a blinding emotion that blossoms at first sight, a light to outshine the brightest day, an emotion so beautiful that the angels would sing of it... But that is not what I felt."
"How was it?" Toru's voice was barely audible despite the stillness of the room. The group was listening intently, trying to get the full picture. Even Ibara was clutching her hands to her chest.
Momo smiled lightly, closing her eyes to gather her thoughts. "I didn't fall for Izuku the instant I saw him, on the contrary. I could only see his back, and his hair was a curly disaster."
"It's not that bad," Mina whispered while pouting, being swiftly calmed by a giggle and a head pat form Pony.
"I thought him overconfident when he spoke back to Mr. Aizawa," she continued. "And afterwards, when he approached Kyoka and me, I thought that he wanted to gloat over his first place."
"He wouldn't have..." Ochaco spoke up, recalling the scene.
"And I know that now," the heiress nodded. "But the social circles my family frequents are full of such people. I couldn't help but think that he might fall in the same category."
"How unpleasant," Ibara frowned. "I hope that none of those were welcomed within U.A."
"I doubt that they'd even want to. Heroes get their hands dirty. This ain't a job for snotty rich kids," Setsuna huffed. "No offence, Yaomomo."
"None taken. I agree completely."
"So, you never really had a big 'love at first sight' moment, huh?" Kinoko synthetized.
"Never," she nodded. "But I know that I am 'crushing on him' now, as you've put it. I believe that I find myself agreeing with Tsu on all fronts. I find his presence... reassuring. He's strong, but he's also humble about it in a way that lets me be at ease. We could converse about any topic, and I'm sure that he would be able to find a compelling argument to carry on the discussion for hours. Whenever I'm with him I feel driven to do my best, I feel... better."
- And I can't picture a school life without him, - she thought, but left unsaid.
Silence reigned for a few seconds, broken only by an impressed whistle by the lizard girl. Momo felt the dozen staring at her and couldn't help but squirm a bit.
"Thanks for sharing, Momo," Itsuka smiled, turning her head slightly to look at the blushing heiress.
"T-Thank you for allowing me this rant," the girl replied, still flushed. "Speaking about it aloud let me to put things into perspective..."
"You're welcome~" Mina sung smugly.
"That was quite introspective," Reiko said, impressed.
"Glad to see that we agree, ribbit," Tsu commented in her usual neutral tone.
"That was sweet." Kinoko seemed unable to stay still as she smiled brightly.
"Really like how you two say 'Izuku' too," Pony giggled, looking at Momo and Ochaco. "Never really understood this first name thing in Japan, but he was good at adapting when I asked to call me just Pony."
"Parsley's a bit of a people pleaser," Setsuna grinned as the two girls blushed a bit more.
"It's more about respect than anything else," Itsuka explained to the foreigner. "You should only use a first name if you're very close to that person."
"Or in the right casual environment," Toru added, "like we are now!"
"Oh, so you should be happy, right?" the blonde said, still looking at the same girls. "Two of you are already that close to Green ." Kyoka smirked a bit at hearing her own nickname for the boy used with the perfect American accent.
"Three, ribbit," Tsuyu interjected.
Ochaco's expression brightened a bit as she saw Pony's confusion. She had a chance to move the focus elsewhere and compliment a friend. And perhaps learn more of what was going on in her head...
"You're right! He started calling you Tsu as soon as you asked him!"
She ribbited affirmatively. "Yes, but that's not what I meant."
"What'd you mean then?" Kyoka inquired, raising an eyebrow. Did Tsuyu notice the same thing she had?
"Ah, you still call him Midoriya, don't you?" Reiko offered, recalling the frog girl's previous words.
"Not that either, ribbit." She turned her wide eyes towards a seemingly empty shirt. "Toru?"
The girl in question squealed, the sound produced being closer to the ones made by Koda's rabbit than anything else.
"Oh, To-" Mina started, stopping herself as her brain caught up to her mouth. "Wait, what?" The pinkette tilted her head to the side to try and catch her best friend's eyes before remembering that there was no expression to see there. "Since when?" she asked, surprise and eagerness mixed in her voice.
The invisible girl moved a bit in her clothes, twisting her feet in a familiar tic. "... A-A couple of days ago..."
"Girl! Why didn't you tell me! I'm so happy for you!" Mina excitedly gave the other a one-armed hug.
"T-Thanks," Toru managed to get out as she was being smothered by the pinkette. "But Tsu, how did you know?"
"I was close enough to hear him today during heroics, ribbit," the frog girl answered with ease. "But I was mostly guessing. You just confirmed it for us."
Toru whined, the sound the sole indicator of her embarrassment.
Mina smirked more. "Being princess carried really did it for you, huh?"
"S-Shush!" the invisible girl replied. "That didn't even happen!"
"Sure it didn't," the other chuckled.
"Would you look at that, four out of six," Setsuna mused, moving her eyes to the punkette, "or is it more, Crampy?"
Kyoka huffed as she stared back. "He's nice, but I'm not really sold on Green yet," she said as one of her jacks caught a candy and brought it up to her mouth. "Though I'll take one 'cause he looked cool when he stood over Bakugo after his match."
Itsuka's eyes opened wider as she wore a curious look. "You don't like him or something?"
"Asshole keeps trying to rupture my eardrums," she spat as her teeth cracked the sugar, "and that day was particularly bad."
"I think that Shishida may share some of that animosity, even if he might not show it," Ibara thought aloud.
"Your match was indeed hard fought," the spectral girl nodded along.
"Alright... who's left? Yui? Itsuka? Reiko?"
The black-haired girl nodded her head as she ate a cherry tomato, causing a questioning look from her martial artist friend.
"That guy in middle school?" Itsuka asked, being met with a light shake of Yui's head. "No?" she said, brow furrowed. "Someone new?"
Yui kept her stony expression and shrugged before tilting her face in a questioning look. It was clear that she wasn't going to add anything else to the discussion.
"Alright, have it your way," Itsuka sighed and settled back in her spot, grabbing her sugary point. "I've had one for that senior I went out with. Turned out to be a passing thing anyway, so there's not much else to tell."
Eyes moved to Reiko as the grey-haired girl kept braiding Momo's hair with Quirk-aided precision. "I'm afraid I also lack any story regarding infatuations and similar topics. But, since I know that your interest won't wane that easily, I will be sure to tell you all if things happen to change in the future."
"Thanks Reiko, you're the best," Setsuna grinned. "And with that we should be-"
"Wait a sec," Kyoka interjected. "The 'no lying' rule also goes for the statements, right?"
"Huh, yeah?" Ochaco answered, looking around for confirmation.
"Yes. It wouldn't make much sense otherwise, would it?" Reiko nodded.
"It's 'Never Have I Ever,' not 'I Have, Have You?'," Setsuna snickered.
"But didn't you do just that with your question?" Itsuka grinned at her, making her flinch as she recalled her mistake.
"Rub it in, why don't you?" she hissed.
"So what? Should she lose a point?" Kinoko asked, thinking of a possible penalty.
"Let's not complicate things any further," Momo placated them with a kind smile. "Let's stick to what we have for now."
"Alright, just checking," Kyoka smiled as she settled back on her pillow. None but the interested party and a single other noticed the quick glance she had sent before speaking up. "Toru, it's your turn."
"Let's try to go with something a bit easier this time, please," Ochaco pleaded again. She didn't know if she could handle another series of confessions like that one.
"Oookay! Let's see..." the invisible girl mumbled, having recovered from the stress of being suddenly called out. "Never Have I Ever... been dumped."
"Risky play there, ribbit," Tsuyu stated, turning towards the three girls that had the only chances of gaining any points for the round.
"Is it? I can't picture any of you being dumped though," Pony noted with a sweet tone, soliciting a few coos and a grin from the lizard girl.
"I'll be damned, but you're right," she nodded, raising a hand in defeat. "Never been a dumpee. I'm too cute for that."
"How very humble of you," Reiko observed with a hint of sarcasm.
"You know me," Setsuna replied with a dramatic tone.
"I hope you let them down easy," Kinoko giggled.
"You know me," she repeated, winking.
"Not reassuring," Kyoka huffed, turning to glance at Yui. "How about you?"
The other girl shook her head before looking at the last of the trio.
"Me neither," Itsuka sighed, "the decision was mutual. It wasn't working."
"The mature thing to do," Ibara commented, taking solace in her Class Representative's sound principles.
"Guess I won the bet then," Toru clapped her hands, having finished part of Reiko's braids. She took a candy and ate it with a dramatic smack of her lips. "Ahh, tastes like victory."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, we're still even," Itsuka pointed out, chuckling.
"There is still time for the scores to fluctuate," Reiko nodded. "I believe it should be my turn. Never have I ever..." She looked around, trying to find inspiration before her eyes settled on the long, fair, raven cascade before her. "... dyed my hair."
"Huh, can't say I have," Mina huffed, followed by a few noises of assent.
"Really?" Kinoko asked, surprised. To her the pinkette seemed like someone who liked to try new things like that just for the sake of it.
Mina rolled a few curls between her fingers. "It takes a lot of work on my roots to keep this fluffiness. I don't want a dye to mess that up."
"It's so fluffy!" Pony agreed, emphasizing the point by making a show of her pats.
"I did!" Toru cheered, throwing another marshmallow in her mouth.
"What did that look like?" Kyoka asked, picturing a floating wig.
"Probably like you're imagining it," she answered with a giggle. "A friend of my mom is a hairdresser. When I was little, she offered to give me a dye so that she could teach me how to style my hair. I had it black for a while, but of course I couldn't keep it that way."
"Wouldn't quite work for heroics, ribbit."
"Nope~" The whole thing had been more trouble than it had been worth, so she didn't miss it that much. Something permanent like that wouldn't work.
"Anybody else?"
"Didn't wanna ruin my hair," Ochaco gave a reasonable excuse, not looking away from her braiding.
"I was blonde for a while," Setsuna stated remarkably fast.
"Oooh, I want see a photo," Pony piped up, though she couldn't look back
"Maybe some other time. Itsuka? Yui?" the lizard girl deflected. The others only shook their heads.
"Kyoka? How about you?" Mina asked, probably imagining that the girl could have experimented with styles.
"Nah. As I said that stuff isn't for me," the punkette shrugged before pointing a finger at the pulse-like accents on her hair with a smirk. "Why would I want to cover these anyway?"
"They do look quite good on you," Momo said with a smile.
Kyoka was quick to look away, her jacks awkwardly tinkling against each other. "T-Thanks Yaomomo."
"Wigs don't count, do they?" Kinoko asked, hopeful.
"Mm," Yui shook her head, shooting the idea down.
"Shiitake."
Ibara didn't chastise the girl for her censored curse, probably because she was too busy thinking. "I once helped stage a wedding ceremony by making an arch with my vines, but I had to color them before they could be embellished with flowers. Does that count?"
"They were dyed before you released them, were they not?" Reiko questioned, receiving a nod from the other girl. "Then I don't see why it shouldn't."
"You're too kind." Ibara smiled happily and took her second point.
Tsuyu's tongue snatched a snack before she started explaining. "A friend wanted to see me with her hair color, so we tried it on my tips, ribbit."
"Oh, what was it?" Kinoko asked, curious.
"Blood red, ribbit. It's beautiful on her, but it didn't work out for me," she admitted. "It was fun anyway, but I had to cut those because we made a mess, ribbit."
"I always wanted to try, but never had a chance to," Pony confessed. "Maybe you'll help me someday?"
"Sure," the two greenettes replied as one, making the equine girl rejoice.
"It may be an interesting activity to do as a group," Reiko noted, soliciting a few words of assent.
After a talk about what colors they would like, they moved on to the eighth round.
"What should I choose..." Momo voiced her thoughts, mentally listing a few options that wouldn't break the limits of the game. She didn't care too much about winning, but she wanted to make the experience as interesting as possible. "Ah, I know. Never have I ever skipped class."
"You mean on purpose, or for any reason, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have been more accurate. I meant to ask about voluntary, uncertified absences," she specified, thankful for the correction.
Everybody turned towards either Setsuna or Mina.
"What?" the lizard girl shot back, sounding annoyed. "Just 'cause I'm a free spirit doesn't mean I neglected my studies!"
"Me neither!" Mina pouted. "Believe it or not, I was a good student!"
"Eh, I'll go with 'or not'," Kyoka sneered.
"Meanie," the horned girl stuck her tongue at the rocker, who replied in the same way.
"If those two haven't, I doubt anybody else has," Itsuka chuckled. "Unless... Pony?"
"Nope! My old school was super strict, no can do!" The blonde shook her head. "But heard of some that did back in America. Is it hard to skip in Japan?"
"It's not that common, especially in cities," Reiko nodded.
"There are a lot of Heroes running around every day, so they might just bring you back if they catch you," Toru explained. "Or at least that's what they told us."
"Back in my elementary school we had a big poster with All Might's face on it and the words 'Only Villains skip school!' on it," Kinoko shuddered. "It wasn't cute at all."
"The one where the eyes looked dead and like they were following you?" Mina asked, the memory resurfacing from the depths of her subconscious.
Kinoko nodded, but she wasn't the only one to share the unpleasant recollection.
"Weird, ribbit," Tsuyu commented, "we had one too."
"Same," Ochaco frowned. "Must've been a widespread thing."
"Must have been in the same line as the 'Only Villains run in the hallways,' and 'Only Villains leave trash on the floor,'" Kyoka huffed.
"No way those are real," Setsuna uttered, disbelieving.
"You bet they are," the punkette countered, taking out her phone and looking for some photos online. "I was in a terrible school a while back and the halls were filled with that stuff. My parents moved me though, so I only had to survive that eyesore for a couple months."
She threw the device at the lizard girl, and it soon got passed down the line, evoking additional frowns directed at the terrible art that would have—and probably had—made children cry. It jumped over the line of "badly designed" and "blatantly poorly made," falling directly into "how did this get approved?" territory.
"I understand the good intentions behind the project, but I did not wish to see our teacher under this light," Ibara covered her disgusted expression with her hand.
"The Number 1 Hero against young rascals and peaceful dreams," Kyoka declared, trying to ease the atmosphere with a laugh as the phone came back to her.
"Let's just move on," Ochaco sighed, wishing she had some way to bury the memory again.
"Ribbit, the point is yours, Yaomomo," the frog girl voiced, agreeing on changing the topic.
"Much obliged," the heiress thanked, taking one of her biscuits.
In the meantime, Itsuka was already thinking of her statement. "Alright, I know I'm setting myself up for losing, but here it goes. Never have I ever snuck out of the house."
"Oh my," Momo exclaimed as everyone but herself and Ibara took a snack.
"I'm surrounded by troublemakers," Itsuka shook her head, though she was smiling as she said it.
"I-I only did it once when I wanted to train for U.A.!" Ochaco confessed quickly.
"Were you caught in the act?" Ibara sighed, not wanting to reproach the girl for following her dreams, but still curious if such a breach of conduct had received a just punishment.
"Y-Yeah," the brunette rubbed the back of her head. "My dad was angry for a bit, but the next day he helped me move a few heavy crates for me to train my Quirk. It helped me a lot to get my limit from one to three tons," she added with a grateful smile.
"That was sweet of him, ribbit," Tsu commented. "Mine was pretty similar. I needed some time away from the house and it had been a while since I managed to go to the swimming pool for training, ribbit. It was summer and my parents wanted me around the house to keep track of my siblings, but I was getting very antsy and after a while I couldn't take it anymore."
"And you left them alone?" Momo asked, quite shocked.
"Samidare and Satsuki are smarter than you would think, ribbit," she replied before shaking her head. "But no, I wasn't that stupid, ribbit. I bribed them for their silence. I got a nice swim; they got a refreshing time at the outdoor pool."
"And it worked?" Pony tilted her head to the side, excited by the risk.
"It did. My parents only came back when it was very late, so they never noticed, ribbit."
"You smart frog," Mina smirked, making the other croak smugly. "My story ain't nearly as exciting. I just wanted to go out, but I had just gotten a bad grade and Ma was between me and the door."
"'I was a good student,'" Kyoka intoned, mimicking the pinkette's previous tone, making her pout again.
"What about you then?" she retorted.
Kyoka averted her eyes, clicking the tips of her jacks together. "There was a late summer concert I really wanted to watch..."
"Figures," the pinkette snorted.
"... It was great, but I got so distracted by the music that my I didn't notice my mom sneaking up on me after she'd followed me all the way there," Kyoka sighed, a bit ashamed of the memory.
"At least you had fun," Toru giggled. "Mine was similar, though it was mostly training for me. I wanted to see how many times I could get away with before being discovered.
"Oh, that wasn't a bad idea. How many did you manage?" Ochaco asked, liking how someone else had risked a punishment for training.
"... One. Mom got into my room to say goodnight ten minutes after I had left, so I got a very angry text when she discovered that the 'Toru' under the covers was just a bunch of my stuffed animals." The girls laughed at the blunder as the invisible girl continued. "And that's why now I check everything twice whenever I'm in costume."
"A smart decision," Momo smiled, glad that her friend had learned from her mistake.
Kinoko looked up, her eyes visible under the fringe as she looked thoughtful. "Mine wasn't really 'sneaking out of the house,' I guess, since I just went to the backyard, but it was very late, and I was just six."
"What where you doing there?" Itsuka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I had a rare shroom that I wanted to plant in the best conditions!" She grinned, giving a most obvious answer.
"Of course you did," the redhead sighed.
"My decision was similarly born out of my hobbies," Reiko started, smiling as she recalled old memories. "Me and some friends decided to visit an abandoned building after sunset as a proof of courage. Nobody lasted quite as long as I did, but the scolding I received made my crown as the local queen of ghosts almost not worth it."
"I hope nobody got hurt," Ibara said, worried, "those places are dangerous."
"I can assure you that nobody faced any physical repercussions from the trip," the grey-haired girl responded before getting a dangerous glint in her eyes. "However, the same can't be said about psychological scars. For a while I feared that most of my friends would never quite recover."
"Remind me to never set foot in a haunted house with you," Toru noted, "my heart wouldn't take it."
"How about you, Setsuna?" Ochaco asked, expecting something exciting.
"Left out of the window once. Just wanted to play naughty," Setsuna shrugged, cutting her reply short. "Pony?"
"I wanted to see night sky from roof before leaving home!" the blonde replied, happy to share. "Pa had to come and get me with a ladder afterwards."
"Eh, at least you can fly now," Mina offered, "got that problem solved."
"Yup!" Pony nodded energetically before letting go of the pinkette's hair. " Horn Buddy, finished!"
"Lemme see!" the pinkette's face brightened as she was handed a small mirror. "Aw, that's perfect!"
The others were pretty much done too, so they started showing off their completed works. Most of them were good, but the braids on Kinoko and Setsuna were on a whole other level.
"Those look lovely," Momo commented, being soon joined by the others.
"Thanks, ribbit," Tsu smiled at the compliment. "I've practiced a lot with Satsuki."
"Damn, Ibara, how'd you do it? That's impressive," Setsuna grinned as she looked at her hair without the use of a mirror.
"Braiding was a common activity during my church's childrens' gatherings, so I've been doing it since I was four years old. I also found it a very useful practice for my own combat skills," she moved a few vines to twist and intertwine to form a small net. "I have yet to implement them in combat, but I'm sure that I would be able to tie some impressive knots."
"I don't think most of us would be able to break out of those," Ochaco nodded.
"Mina, Setsuna, and Momo could, ribbit," Tsu analyzed, "but it would be hard for the rest of us."
The girls nodded along, having seen the kind of strength necessary to break free from Ibara's capture.
"Yui, it's your turn," Itsuka offered as she let the long, braided ponytail fall on her shoulder.
The quiet girl nodded, looking up for a moment before speaking with the most inexpressive face.
"Never have I ever reached second base."
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