"Come'ere and ride Midori!"
'Please, other me... follow up that sentence with something... anything sensible for once in our lives before everyone starts planning my funeral,' Mina begged inwardly to her counterpart, still feeling the tension in the air as well as Ochako's glare piercing her as if it were staring right into her soul.
An aborted excuse of what might have passed as human language choked out of Izuku's throat, and it became much more difficult to hold back the creative ideas of what his two bubbliest classmates could be planning.
"Yeah..." Toru drawled, her tone unusually dry. "Relax, Izuku. No matter how shameless or carefree I usually act, even I wouldn't go that far in front of a whole crowd. Some intimate teasing is one thing, sure, but public s-sex?" Her voice cracked as the words stumbled out, and she quickly shook her head, cheeks burning. "Nope. I'm not nearly that bold," she finished, her embarrassment bleeding through in the way her words tangled, so even without a visible face, everyone could feel how flustered she was.
"Really? I just assumed you'd be more daring, considering you're... an exhibitionist," Yui said evenly. Her delivery was as calm and flat as ever, but the small crease tugging at her brow made it clear she was honestly curious rather than just teasing.
"Yeah, you're not wro—Wait, what?! No! I am not!" Toru's invisible head whipped toward the reserved girl, looking utterly scandalized. "Just because I have to be naked most of the time doesn't mean I enjoy it!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
He barely even heard someone exit the water and circle the bath when the stern voice of Shiozaki came to his defense. "You would dare perform something so vile with Midoriya here ? With witnesses ?!"
"Exactly! Even the thought of doing something like that is outrageous!" Ibara exclaimed, clearly scandalized that anyone could even suggest making love in front of so many people. "Besides, it is meant to be an act of unity, something sacred shared between two people who truly love one another. To treat it so carelessly, especially over some ridiculous dare in a childish game, is not only insulting to the act itself, but to the dignity of the people involved!"
"Hmm... interesting," Setsuna drawled, her reptilian eyes glinting with mischief as she turned toward Ibara. "For such a straight-laced gal, you've clearly spent a lot of time thinking about this subject, huh?" A wide, toothy grin spread across her face, predatory and teasing all at once. "Honestly, I'd love to hear about all the 'research' that shaped such a strong opinion. Or better yet..." she leaned in just slightly, her grin widening, "...why don't you show me some of it later? Just the two of us."
"There is no 'research' for you to hear or see!" Ibara burst out, her face blazing red as her vines twitched in flustered agitation before jabbing a finger accusingly at the lizard-quirked girl. "And stop making such assumptions about me! I do not consume whatever filthy material you're imagining! Filling my mind with such garbage would be beneath me!"
"As for your question about how I know anything on this subject..." Ibara faltered, her blush deepening until her entire face seemed ready to ignite. Her words stumbled, caught between propriety and her discomfort at even discussing such things aloud. "...I don't live under a rock, nor did I grow up in some repressed household. I've already had my 'birds and bees' talk from my mother and my older sister, and that alone is more than enough to give me clarity on the matter."
All three chaos women laughed at Shiozaki's outrage. Tokage spoke first, very close to where Izuku heard Shiozaki. "Oh relax, Sister, that's not what she meant! And you say that I have a dirty mind." The water in their direction stirred suddenly as the two probably started a scuffle.
"How dare Setsuna's counterpart accuse my counterpart of having a dirty mind!" Ibara snapped, her voice tight with outrage as she glared at the screen with a deep frown. "I have never once given anyone in my life the slightest reason to think such a thing, and I can say with complete conviction that neither has my counterpart in that world."
"Besides, if by some impossible chance, and I mean a very long chance, my counterpart ever did give even the faintest impression of harboring a dirty mind, then I would lay the blame entirely on Setsuna and her counterpart," Ibara declared haughtily, shooting a glare at the green-haired girl. Still fuming at the humiliating suggestion that she would ever indulge in something as vulgar as adult material, she added, "I'm certain that spending so much time around that troublesome menace must have negatively influenced her, and that alone must have led to such a disgraceful outcome."
"Aww~ that's so sweet of you! Thanks for the compliment, Ibara. I'm always doing my best, but hearing you say that really inspires me to push myself even harder!" Setsuna replied in an exaggeratedly sweet tone, clasping her hands together with mock sincerity while deliberately ignoring the reproachful look from the vine-haired girl.
And as she had intended, Setsuna's act landed perfectly, as Ibara's eye twitched in irritation before she turned her head away sharply, muttering an indignant grumble under her breath.
Tooru's voice was rapidly approaching Izuku from the outskirts of the hot spring. "Yeah, come on, Ibara! This isn't a sex thing, it's a me thing!" That was all the warning Izuku got when he felt her invisible hands press into his hair for stability and jump on top of him. Slick, soft legs with a bit of hair slipped past either side of Izuku's head and her entire weight landed squarely on his shoulders.
"Finally! Fucking finally!" Mina cheered in pure relief, springing up from her seat like a coiled spring before glaring daggers at the rest of the girls. "See! My counterpart wasn't hinting at anything vulgar at all! When she said, 'Come here and ride Midori!' she meant riding his shoulders! You dirty-minded bitches!" she snapped, her frustration spilling over as she vented at the very same girls who had nearly scared her half to death only moments earlier.
"Ignoring the fact that you just called us 'bitches,' which you deserve to be chastised for quite severely," Momo said coolly, her eyes narrowing as she fixed Mina with a piercing look. The pink girl shrank instantly under the infamous 'mom stare,' and her overflowing confidence evaporated instantly as she slumped back down into her seat. "Even if we were wrong to blame your counterpart this time, that doesn't mean she didn't phrase it that way on purpose to rile some of us up."
"Also," Momo continued, resting her chin delicately on her fist, "while I don't believe you, Togake, or your counterparts are bold enough to actually attempt initiating intercourse in the bath, especially in front of all of us girls, I am absolutely certain your counterparts will eventually suggest some kind of inappropriate or scandalous dare to Izuku, or even to the rest of us, before this video series ends. Something that, while far tamer than intercourse, would still leave him, or us, incredibly uncomfortable."
"Or leave us hot and bothered," Pony added matter-of-factly, earning a round of looks ranging from disbelief to exasperation. She, on the other hand, only shrugged in response and raised her brow at them, "What? I'm not wrong, am I?"
"Anyway..." Mina drawled, dragging everyone's attention back to herself since no one seemed eager to touch Pony's brutally honest remark. "Momo, you're not wrong about my counterpart, but still, hey!" she protested indignantly. "Let me gloat a little, okay? All of you nearly scared me to death!"
"By the way, Yomomo~," Setsuna drawled as she leaned forward, flashing a sharp grin at the Yaoyorozu heiress and raising a brow, "you said that I, or my counterpart, aren't bold enough to actually start doing any hanky-panky in front of everyone... was that a challenge? You think I'm not brave or crazy enough to actually pull it off?"
"Momo, for fuck's sake, don't answer that," Itsuka groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she pleaded to the other girl. As one of Setsuna's closest friends, she knew just how reckless and unhinged Setsuna could be when she latched onto an idea, and she had zero desire to find out if her friend really was insane enough to start making love in front of a fucking audience.
But of course, Momo chose that exact moment to ignore good sense, pulling out her rarely-used 'I get to be irresponsible sometimes and make stupid bets' card. "And what if it is?" she asked smoothly, her tone deceptively calm as her sharp gaze locked onto Setsuna's. Itsuka, on the other hand, groaned in the background and dropped her forehead onto the table with a dull thunk, while the rest of the girls watched the confrontation with great interest.
"In fact, I'm so confident you won't do it, I'm willing to put a wager on it," Momo continued, casually flipping her long raven hair back over her shoulder, which today flowed freely instead of being tied in a usual neat ponytail. "Forget about actually having sex in public, if you so much as French kiss Izuku in front of all of Class A and B, I'll treat every single one of us to dinner at the best restaurant I know."
"You know what? It's on!" Setsuna declared immediately, dismembering her hand and sending it flying toward Momo, before she clasped Momo's hand with her detached one and shook it rapidly. "I swear I'll make you blow your entire pocket money on food!"
Jiro, who had been watching the exchange, scoffed inwardly. As Momo's closest friend, she knew better than anyone what Momo's so-called 'pocket money' really amounted to, and it wasn't exactly a modest allowance. But she chose to keep her mouth shut. No sense crushing Setsuna's impossible dream before it even got the chance to crash and burn on its own.
Once more, Izuku was forced to let his body react to everything happening at once. His hands clamped down on the thick thighs wrapped around his neck to keep Tooru from sliding right off. The sudden assault pushed him forward a little, more than enough to press his chest against Mina's back and get a faceful of her hair for his troubles. She smelled strongly of citrus. Izuku straightened up and forced his hands to relax so he wasn't squeezing anything. Just keep her steady so she's not hurt, do not grope her, do not think about what is right behind his head.
"Oh man, your counterparts are double-teaming Greeny way too well," Setsuna said with a wolfish grin, glancing at Mina and Toru before snickering under her breath, clearly pleased with herself as the innuendo hit exactly the way she wanted it to. "Still, they might wanna ease up a little, 'cause Izuku's counterpart looks like he's about two seconds away from passing out from pure overstimulation, or at the very least, his damn head's gonna catch fire from all the heat building up in his cheeks."
"Well, what can I say? We make a damn good team," Mina said proudly, giving Toru a high five. "That said, bestie, you might wanna keep your nerves in check," she added, watching as Toru tilted her invisible head in confusion. "I mean, Midoriya's already sitting in a bath, so no need to give him a shower too, you know?" she finished with a sly wink and an impish grin, stretching wide on her lips.
"Mina!" Toru yelped, her face burning red as she realized what her best friend was hinting at, while the rest of the girls... well, most of them physically recoiled, groaning as the awful mental image Mina had just planted forced its way into their thoughts whether they wanted it or not.
"Hahah~ Mina, that was so fucking disgusting! I love it!" Setsuna howled, doubling over with laughter as she clutched her stomach. Even she had winced for a split second, despite her shameless humor usually running just as lowbrow, which only made her appreciate Mina's boldness more.
"Thanks, sister, I try," Mina replied smugly, batting away Toru's hands as her best friend tried to pinch her for turning her into the butt of the joke.
The bath erupted with noise, some voices spoke of concern for Izuku, a couple started a lecture he expected from Yaoyorozu or Iida, a few voices betrayed him with encouragement and something that couldn't be envy.
"Oh, I'm jealous, alright. I would've jumped at the chance to ride Izuku too," Pony said with zero hesitation, fanning herself dramatically with a whistle. "That said, I really wouldn't mind if he was the one riding this Pony, if you catch my drift," she added with a cheeky wink, causing a couple of girls to choke on their drinks, coughing violently, while others outright spat soda everywhere in shock.
"Pony! Don't say shit like that out loud!" Itsuka barked, scrambling for napkins as she tried to wipe the soda running down her chin, groaning at the fresh stain soaking into her brand-new shirt. "I swear, I should've paid more attention to what everyone was teaching you when I wasn't around," she muttered, her glare immediately zeroing in on a certain lizard-quirked troublemaker.
"Hey! You can't pin every single scandalous or inappropriate thing on me just because I'm the easy target!" Setsuna shot back, flipping her class president the middle finger, while Itsuka, furious at being flipped off, was already drawing in a breath to lay into her when Pony cut in before the argument could explode.
"Set's right, she never taught me a damn thing. Honestly, she didn't have to," Pony said with a chuckle, grinning even wider when Itsuka's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Trust me, prez, if you think Set and Mina are a handful, you should've seen my friends back home. Not only would they drive you insane with the shit they pulled on a daily basis, but they'd also make you regret ever stepping foot in the same school as them," she added with a fond smile, remembering all the trouble she'd gotten herself tangled up in with that crew.
"That's actually why the faculty picked me for the student exchange program—to break away from my group," Pony went on with a scoff, recalling the painfully long lecture she'd sat through with her old teacher. The woman had droned on about how much potential she had, how she was wasting her talent by clinging to the wrong crowd, all that crap. "Too bad for her, though, 'cause even after two years here, I'm still tight with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, and I'm still having a blast hearing about all the crazy shit they're stirring up back at my old school."
"And here I thought you were one of the good ones," Itsuka groaned, dragging a hand down her face and shaking her head in weary disappointment.
It all fell by the roadside when Tooru spoke up from her new perch. "And so the Queen gets her throne back. Speaking of queens, Mina! Truth or dare?" Invisible hands found themselves within Izuku's messy head of hair for support, probably, and Izuku released the thighs. She can handle herself and he really shouldn't touch any of the women longer than necessary. Especially with where Mina was still sitting.
"Well, I don't mind if you keep holding me up, you know. My thighs get pretty cold in the water," Toru said with a dreamy sigh. "And as for Mina, she can handle a little poking," she added slyly, only to yelp a second later when Mina jabbed her right in the stomach. "Hey! Don't act like you really mind being poked by his stick!" she shot back, poking Mina in the stomach in retaliation.
"Let's be different now," Mina began as she leaned back once more, her back flush against Izuku's chest. Her hair tickled his nose and the citrus returned. "Ask me for a truth."
"How is your hair so fluffy?" Izuku mumbled and immediately cursed himself for saying anything with over half of his brain dedicated to killing his boner.
"What!!! My fluffy, beautiful hair is a boner killer?!" Mina cried out dramatically, whipping her head back as if the world had just ended. A second later, she collapsed into loud, fake sobs, clutching at her hair with exaggerated despair to really sell the performance. "If that's true, then what's even the point of keeping it so gorgeous if the one boy I actually like can't even get it up just from looking at it?"
Her ridiculous act went on for several minutes, complete with over-the-top wails and dramatic poses, while the other girls doubled over laughing at her nonsense. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, she straightened up, smoothed down her hair, and carried on like nothing had happened, leaving the rest of them still wiping away tears from laughing so hard.
Mina shook her head lightly, brushing her pink mop against his face in the process.
"Did he just compare my hair... the same hair I spend so much time making fluffy and shiny and perfect, to a fucking mop?" Mina asked, her voice rising with each word while her eye twitched in outrage.
"Have you ever considered it might actually be a compliment? "I mean, with the way you talk sometimes, it really does sound like you're practically begging to get wet and dirty at his hands... just like a mop," Jiro teased, smirking as her jab only deepened Mina's irritation, but Jiro felt a vengeful satisfaction as the pink-skinned girl glared daggers back at her.
"I'm so happy you noticed!" Izuku didn't say how impossible it was to ignore, even when it wasn't literally shoved into his face.
Hearing Izuku's thoughts play out on-screen, Mina felt her irritation toward him melt away just a bit. With a smug little grin, she convinced herself that the compliment he'd just thought was his real opinion of her hair, not that dumb, throwaway thought from earlier. Still, Mina wasn't the type to just roll over and let things slide. She'd already marked Jiro for payback over that mop crack, silently vowing to bide her time until she could catch the petite girl off guard and hit her with something so perfectly humiliating it would send her blushing straight to the moon and back.
"Believe it or not, it's because of my quirk. If I tweak it so it's got relatively low acidity but high viscosity, then apply that to my roots, it makes the whole thing feel much more smooth. Couple that with the usual shampoo and conditioner routine, and you get this~" She shook her head again, the sound of the water shifting suggesting Mina had brushed her hair with her hand to show it off.
Yaoyozoru sighed from somewhere to Izuku's left. "That can't be healthy for your hair/That can't be healthy for your hair," by accident, Momo's counterpart on-screen and Momo in the audience both blurted it out at the same time. The raven-haired girl froze, blinking at the screen in surprise while the girls around her chuckled, finding the coincidence pretty amusing.
"Well, Yomomo, you're not wrong," Mina admitted with a shrug, answering both the on-screen and off-screen Momos at once. "The stuff I use to keep my hair looking this good could definitely mess someone else up, since, you know, it's still acid no matter how diluted it is. But lucky for me, my body's got a super high resistance, so something that weak doesn't even scratch me, or my hair." She leaned back with a smug little grin before adding, "And before you even ask, yes, I checked with both a doctor and a really good hairdresser, and they both gave me the go-ahead, as long as I use it in moderation."
"And yet, it's the truth!" Tooru bubbled above him. "I watched her do her roots before! But what I don't get, Mido, is how your hair is fluffier than Mina's." The hands that were already resting on top of his head combed through it curiously.
Okay, Izuku can do this. Yes, Mina was still sitting in his lap, her hair smelled of her own acid mixed with her shampoo, and Tooru's thighs were bigger than he had originally thought, but he can answer this question. "I, uh, I don't know. I mean, I wash it, but I don't do anything special, really." Nailed it.
Mina bounced with what had to be an exaggerated pout that made Izuku's heart race once more. "Lucky..."
"Yeah, it seems like all of Izuku's luck decided to bless him in the weirdest parts of his life, instead of where he actually needs it," Mina said, shaking her head but smiling knowingly. She could understand why her counterpart might feel a little disappointed that Izuku's hair was ridiculously fluffy without him lifting a finger, while hers took years of effort. "That said, it looks like Midori was pretty enthralled by my cute look," she added, puffing her cheeks and mimicking the pout her counterpart had shown on-screen.
"Honestly, you look more like a kicked puppy than a cute maiden," Setsuna teased with a snide grin before laughing out loud when Mina flipped her off, only to gleefully return the gesture with her own middle finger.
"Oh right, I answered with a truth. So! Tooru, truth or—?"
"NOPE!" Finally, Jirou had enough. "Uh uh! You two are not gonna keep passing it back and forth just to mess with Green. Pick someone else, dammit!"
"Finally!" Jiro shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "Go, my counterpart! Rise up and take down those tyrants hogging our game and all the fun!"
"Hey! Who the hell are you calling tyrants, huh?!" Mina and Toru barked back in perfect sync, both fixing Jiro with matching glares. Jiro, of course, just smirked and carried on like she couldn't hear a damn thing, clearly enjoying riling them up.
Izuku felt Tooru wiggle in place as she leaned towards where Jirou's voice had come from. At any other instance, he would enjoy seeing his animated classmate's almost-dance, happy to see her joy in a visual form without a face.
"Aww... he does care about me," Toru murmured under her breath, her fingers nervously fidgeting together. 'It's like being noticed without actually being seen... and it feels kind of nice,' she admitted in her thoughts, a small but genuine warmth easing some of the pressure in her chest. After all, she held onto a secret she had never dared to share, not even with her family. Honestly, behind all the cheer, the laughter, and the over-the-top energy, there was a constant ache, a quiet insecurity that came with being invisible.
The truth was that the loud, bubbly personality she showed the world had never been entirely natural. It was armor, a cover she had built to mask the creeping doubts gnawing at her self-worth. Compared to her friends, she couldn't help but see herself as lacking. They were all so visible, so effortlessly radiant, beautiful in different ways, each with personalities that shone just as brightly as their quirks. They gave her no reason to dislike them, no reason to project her fears onto them. And yet, that only made it worse. With nothing to blame but herself, the insecurities she tried so hard to bury just dug their claws in deeper, whispering that she would always be the odd one out, no matter how hard she tried to sparkle.
However, ever since they had started watching this video, Toru found herself realizing something she had overlooked for far too long. It wasn't just Izuku's counterpart on the screen who went out of his way to acknowledge her. It was their Izuku too. Every time she walked into the classroom or the common room, no matter what conversation he was caught up in or what chaos was unfolding around him, he always made the effort to notice her, to pull her into the moment so she didn't feel like a ghost drifting on the sidelines. More than that, when he talked to her, it felt like he could truly see her, as if her quirk wasn't there at all. He didn't look past her, didn't glance vaguely in her direction, he looked directly into her eyes, and somehow, impossibly, she could feel it. She didn't know how he managed to pull it off, but every single time, it sent a storm of butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach. And with all of that piling up, how could she not feel her heart melt and fall for him harder than ever before?
But the truth was, Izuku wasn't the only one. Once she noticed his efforts to make her feel seen, she began to realize how her friends, the girls sitting beside her now, and even some of the boys, were all trying in their own clumsy, awkward, or subtle ways to make her feel comfortable and included. Most of the time, their efforts didn't quite land, but Toru didn't mind. The fact that they even tried meant the world to her.
After all, for a girl who had spent most of her life feeling like she didn't exist outside her family, like she could vanish and no one beyond her parents would ever notice, this was everything she had ever wanted. U.A. had given her something she never thought she'd have: a circle where her presence mattered, where she wasn't just invisible, she was seen, wanted, and accepted. And she wouldn't trade that for anything.
"Bestie, are you sure you're okay?" Mina asked suddenly, her voice laced with concern as she noticed the sudden melancholic air around her best friend.
"Yeah, it's nothing," Toru said quickly with a small chuckle, waving her invisible hand dismissively. "Just thinking about some silly stuff." She tried to make her tone as casual as possible, but Mina's golden eyes narrowed, unconvinced by the flimsy excuse. Still, Toru had always been just as stubborn as her best friend, and with a little extra effort, she managed to steer Mina's attention back toward the screen.
Since said classmate was currently wrapped around his head, all Izuku could think about was how soft her legs were. "Aw, what's a matter, Kyoka? Jealous you don't get a throne for yourself? You wanna come over and take it from—"
She slipped. The invisible thighs that kept sliding back and forth finally slid too far and fell right off his shoulder. Her taunt was cut off by a surprised shout as she pitched forward with nothing to grab hold to.
"Honestly, I should be worried about Toru's counterpart falling and getting hurt, but I just can't bring myself to care," Momo said dryly, shooting the invisible girl a side-eye. "Don't get me wrong, if it were really her, I'd be more concerned and probably even create something with my quirk to secure her. But her counterpart? Nope. She brought that on herself."
"You're absolutely right, Momo, there's no need to waste your concern on Toru's counterpart," Ochako said firmly, arms crossed as she huffed in agreement with Momo. "Honestly, it's her own damn fault for treating Deku like some kind of carousel ride, bouncing around on his shoulders without a care for his well-being!" She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Still... knowing him, he'll probably go out of his way to catch her anyway, whether it's with Blackwhip or just his bare hands. Sad, really."
"Hey! Stop being mean to my counterpart!" Toru snapped, glaring at the two girls as she felt bad for her on-screen self, who was being unfairly targeted by their ire.
Luckily, Izuku was used to moving quickly without thinking. Before she could fall off of him completely, his hands shot up and secured her waist in mid-air. No one moved. Even the water around them seemed to wait for Izuku's plan.
"Oh my god! That's so romantic! Wait! Pause it, pause it right now!" Toru squealed, practically springing to her feet before bolting to her room. A few seconds later, she came rushing back with her phone in hand. "I have to capture this moment! Just hold still, let me snap a picture!" She fired off a rapid burst of shots at the TV, grinning with excitement... until she opened her gallery and froze. Every photo was nothing but a blank black screen. "What!? No way! How the hell is this possible!? There's literally nothing here!"
"Yeah, how could it possibly be that the mysterious video series starring our counterparts from another universe or timeline, which just happened to be delivered to us by an intelligent white owl right after we randomly started talking about watching something, is enchanted so no one can record it or prove it even exists?" Jiro asked dryly, rolling her eyes with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
"You don't have to be such a jerk about it, Jiro!" Toru whined, shoving her phone deep into her pocket with a sulky little huff. "I just wanted to keep the memory for myself, okay? Is that really so wrong?" She crossed her arms and pouted before sinking into the couch.
Izuku took a deep breath and released it slowly. Carefully, he pulled Tooru back up to her perch on his shoulders, only letting go of her once both of her legs were firmly pressed against his head. "Okay. I think that's enough of that." Mechanically, Izuku wrapped his right arm around Ashido's middle, thankfully too low to even feel her breasts, and lifted her off of him before depositing her into the water. He ignored the quiet "Aww..." that slipped from her lips in favor of grasping Tooru by her waist once more, which drew a squeak from the cute woman. This time, he lifted her up and over his head, praying that his hair didn't brush up against anything personal, and set her into the water as well.
"Damn it, Toru! Your counterpart's clumsy ass just had to go and ruin everything!" Mina groaned loudly, throwing her hands up before glaring daggers at her best friend. "We were having the time of our lives, and if she could've just sat her invisible butt still for one damn second, both our counterparts could've kept on riding Midori like queens!"
"Don't you dare pin that on my counterpart!" Toru shot back, her voice sharp with indignation. "It was a fucking accident, and you know it! And besides, let's not forget that it was your counterpart shaking her stupid ass in his lap the whole time, way before I even climbed up on his shoulder! You really think that didn't make him uncomfortable? Of course he kicked us off! Face it, bestie, your counterpart's the real reason we got tossed off Izuku."
"First of all, stop talking about Izuku like he's some kind of damn horse," Momo cut in sharply, her voice slicing through their bickering as she fixed both girls with a withering glare. "Second, quit fighting. Neither of you gets to play innocent here. Both your counterparts were complete idiots for taking advantage of his kindness, and now they've been thrown off him, where they never should've been sitting in the first place."
With both women safely on the ground again, Izuku felt that he could breathe once more. "Be more careful, Tooru, you could have gotten hurt."
The water shifted awkwardly as Tooru approached Izuku's left. "Sorry, I kinda got too into it, huh...?"
"She caught on pretty quick, didn't she? Ribbit," Tsu said dryly, rolling her eyes. "Then again, I guess falling off a guy really does speed up the learning process. Maybe it's worth testing the theory further, for science, of course."
"Good point, but where the hell are we supposed to find another guy to toss Toru off of?" Ochako asked with a faint, mischievous smile tugging at her lips. "I mean, we could ask Deku, but let's be real, he'd never agree to shove Toru off him, or even go along with this plan at all."
"Ah, don't worry about that, ribbit," Tsu replied slyly, her mouth quirking into a rare, teasing smile. "We've got this massive dorm building right here, and if you ask me, it's manly enough to get the job done just fine."
"Oh, that's actually not a bad idea!" Ochako said with sudden enthusiasm, clapping her hands together. "We should totally run a trial experiment one of these free weekends. Of course, we'd have to make sure there aren't any... uh, witnesses—" she coughed lightly, "I mean, people to disturb us."
"Hey! I can hear you two plotting, you know! And for the record, none of this is even remotely funny!" Toru snapped at the girls who were planning to throw her off the building, glaring at them. Unfortunately for her, the only thing Tsu and Ochako heard in her indignant tone was confirmation that they were getting under her skin, which only made them break into laughter together.
"Yeah, we both did," Ashido grumbled apologetically. "Welp, can't let the fun end here. Tooru!" Ashido yelped suddenly and several women laughed around the bath. "Ow, get that thing away from me! Alright, ow, fine, Ochako! Truth or dare!" Izuku almost felt bad for Ashido. Jirou's jacks were nightmares to escape from.
"Well, if someone's gotta play the bad guy and keep those two idiots in check, it might as well be me," Jiro said with a casual shrug, though there was a bite of annoyance in her voice. "Honestly, I don't care if I take a few curses from our resident troublemakers for 'ruining their fun' if it means reducing the load off Momo's shoulder, who's constantly stuck playing their fucking mom."
"Aww, Kyoka, thank you! You really are the best," Momo said warmly as she wrapped an arm around her best friend and pulled her into a side hug. Her voice softened as she added, "...and I love you for always being there to look out for me."
"Wait! You really...?" Jiro blurted, her eyes going wide before she caught herself.
"Huh? I what?" Momo asked innocently, tilting her head with genuine confusion.
"N-No! Nothing!" Jiro said quickly, waving her hands in front of her before forcing out a weak laugh, but when Momo turned back to the screen, Jiro let out a quiet sigh, trying to smother the sudden, disappointing ache in her chest.
Uraraka's giggles subsided once she realized she was called upon. "Uh, dare. NO, TRUTH!" She quickly followed up her choice with something Izuku could barely hear, related to 'before Mina can get me again.'
"Heh~, she thinks she saved herself from an embarrassing dare by outsmarting my counterpart, but little does she know every failure only fuels us Minas to come back with even more vengeance, and even more humiliating tasks than she can imagine," Mina said, rubbing her hands together like an evil scientist straight out of an old-school cartoon, complete with a maniacal chuckle. A couple of the girls cracked up at her ridiculous performance, while the rest just exchanged looks and rolled their eyes at her dramatics.
Fate smiled upon Uraraka when Yanagi piped up. "How does your gift function? I have always peered upon your work with such curiosity, for both of us suspend objects within the aether. I do so with a gesture, but you require but a single touch, correct?"
Ochako shot Reiko a grateful smile, silently thanking her on behalf of her counterpart. She was absolutely certain that if Reiko's counterpart hadn't stepped in when she did, Mina, Toru, or even Togake's counterparts would've cooked up some stupid, humiliating question that would've had her poor counterpart flying with embarrassment all over again.
Unbidden, Izuku's notes came to the forefront of his mind. He never made the connection between Poltergeist and Zero Gravity before, but perhaps Yanagi was onto something...
"That's quite the imagination Izuku has," Momo remarked, genuine admiration threading through her voice as she watched the vivid image form in his mind: two versions of his Hero Analysis notebook opening side by side. The pages flipped rapidly in sync until they stopped on a precise entry, each one highlighting a carefully written paragraph that broke down Ochako's and Reiko's quirks in meticulous detail. "No wonder he's always able to think on his feet, he's practically got a whole encyclopedia of quirks running through his head," she added with a touch of awe.
"Well, kind of. I bet Deku could tell you a lot more than I could," —and the man couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the claim. Him? Know more about Zero Gravity than Uraraka? He's not the one with the quirk— "but from how I understand it, I kinda just... make an object ignore the gravitational pull."
"That's... what I've already assumed," Yanagi breathed out, a tinge of disappointment leaking in her tone. Izuku winced in sympathy for Uraraka. He really should talk to her about his notes when they get back to the dorms...
Uraraka blustered at the statement, "I-I mean that's just about what I understand! I've never really thought about it that much, it just works. I'm sure there is a more technical explanation out there, Izuku would know!"
"Ugh~ you know, I never really thought about it before, but when we talk about quirks, we always stick to the same basic description we were taught as kids," Ochako admitted with a frown, rubbing the back of her neck. "Even now, after all this time, after training, improving, and actually living with our quirks, we still just fall back on those same old explanations, like we've learned nothing new. It kinda makes me feel like an idiot, especially when I'm talking with people like Deku and Yaomomo."
"It's not only Ochako, but most people barely scratch the surface of what their quirks can really do. They don't push to understand them on a deeper level unless they're forced to, like hitting a wall in their career or training. And even then, so many just accept that bottleneck as their so-called 'limit,' and end up wasting their quirk's true potential," Momo let out a small, disappointed sigh, shaking her head. "That said, I'd love to give you some examples, but knowing Izuku, now that he's joined the conversation on screen, I'm sure he'll end up giving us a demonstration soon enough."
"Oh, she graduated to first names too, kero ," Tsuyu muttered, making her friend start to blush up a storm. Izuku could almost see the smirk in her eyes even with his blindfold on.
"Tsu, did your counterpart really have to bring that up and humiliate her when my counterpart's already doing a perfectly fine job of embarrassing herself?" Ochako asked, narrowing her eyes and shooting Tsu an irritated side-eye.
"Yes. Yes, she absolutely did, ribbit," Tsu replied without missing a beat, giving a slow, sage-like nod to herself. "It is our right and a privilege to be able to tease you whenever and wherever we want."
But now he could feel the looks he was getting. "Oh, uh, my theory was that she was cancelling the Higgs Field on whatever she uses her quirk on. The stuff that interacts with the quarks in the atoms and gives them weight."
"Yes, but isn't that a massive energy jump to even do that?" an elegant and viciously smart voice chimed in. Izuku could almost see Yaoyorozu's visage in the darkness that was his blindfold, tapping her chin thoughtfully while looking up to the sky.
Izuku couldn't help but mimic her pose, tugging at his lower lip as he recalled his notes on Zero Gravity. "I suppose, but that's the only explanation I've got that explains what happens when she touches an object, because if it was full gravity nullification, anything she touched would've shot out of the atmosphere instantly."
"Wait, why's that?" Komori chimed in from some other corner.
"Air has buoyancy."
Yaoyorozu clapped her hands, doubtlessly with a bright smile on her face. "Right! That's why the objects she touches generally hover off the ground by two feet at minimum!"
"Oh, what an excellent theory. I never would've thought of that myself," Momo said following the conversation with genuine interest as she listened to the exchange between her and Izuku's counterparts on the screen. "But in fairness, it's not exactly obvious that Ochako is canceling the Higgs Field just from watching her quirk in action." She hummed thoughtfully, then turned toward Ochako with an appreciative smile. "Izuku must've spent a great deal of time studying your quirk to come up with that conclusion on his own."
"Oh, don't even ask," Ochako replied with a laugh, shaking her head as a fond smile spread across her face. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how relentless he can be with his questions once he gets curious. Honestly, it's just part of the deal when you're friends with him. We all know it by now," she said, and the girls of Class A nodded in agreement, grinning as each recalled their own experiences of Izuku cornering them in the dorms or between classes, notebook in hand, eager to ask about their quirks.
"But you're right, Yaomomo," Ochako continued, her expression softening as her thoughts drifted back to the past. "Deku told me once that he's been watching and taking notes on my quirk ever since the entrance exam, from the very first time we met. He even said that aside from Explosion, Zero Gravity is the quirk he's most familiar with, and that it's much more fun to theorize about my quirk since it affects one of the fundamental forces of the world."
"Oh, that definitely sounds like a compliment, especially coming from someone who devotes so much of his time and energy to analyzing quirks," Momo replied with a smile before breaking into a soft chuckle as Ochako preened under the praise. "And Izuku isn't wrong, your quirk really is fascinating to study," she added, before her eyes lit up as an idea came to her.
"I, uh, wha...?" Uraraka mumbled, confusion evident in her voice, mind fried by the info dump and the logical leaps Izuku and Yaoyorozu had taken like they were nothing. "Uh, can you explain that to me in simple terms after this?" she muttered sheepishly.
"Sure!" Izuku and Yaoyorozu responded at the same time, the man hearing the echo of his own excitement in the voice of the Creation heroine.
"You know what, Ochako? We should bring this up with him and see if he'd be interested in running some experiments on your quirk. Who knows? If we bounce ideas around, we might stumble on entirely new applications, ones that could be useful for hero work or maybe even outside of it. And honestly, even if nothing revolutionary comes out of it, it'd still be a fun and worthwhile project for the three of us to tackle together."
"Yeah, that actually does sound fun," Ochako said, returning the raven-haired girl's smile.
Then, Uraraka continued, picking the last person Izuku would guess she would, "Setsuna, truth or dare?"
"Dare me!" There was a challenge within her voice that Izuku wasn't sure he liked. It almost sounded like a cross between Kacchan's spite and Ashido's creativity. Fitting, considering what he knew about the jigsaw woman of Class B.
"First of all, Uraraka! Thank you for picking me, girl!" Setsuna grinned, blowing an exaggerated kiss in Ochako's direction before her playful grin shifted into a sharp glare at the on-screen Izuku. "And you!" she barked, stabbing a finger toward the projection. "Greeni, how dare you compare me to fucking Bakugo! You've got some nerve, you know that? Just you wait, I'm gonna tease you so bad you'll turn nuclear red and start steaming out of your damn ears."
Unfortunately for Tokage, Shiozaki was the one to speak her dare first. "Put on a towel and keep it there for the rest of this evening."
"What!!!?" Setsuna shouted, her eyes going wide as she stared at the screen, then whipped her head toward a smug-looking Ibara with a look of utter betrayal in her eyes.
Izuku almost laughed at how mundane the request was. Compared to everything that happened to him so far, it was hardly even worth mentioning. Tokage didn't agree, however. "What!? Come on, you can't make me hide these puppies!"
If interrogated later, Izuku would deny ever imagining Tokage grabbing her own breasts for emphasis like his life depended on it.
"Oh dear lord, is there no limit to how shameless one person can be?" Ibara said, glancing at Setsuna with genuine astonishment at her friend's audacity. "Here, my counterpart is trying to rein yours in, and what does she do in response? She doubles down and does something even more shameless, gleefully trampling across yet another line of indecency."
"Please, decency is just some made-up social construct anyway. I'd rather live like my caveman brothers and sisters, riding dinosaurs into the sunset and feasting on dino nuggies every night," Setsuna retorted, rolling her eyes. Momo tried to argue that dinosaurs and nuggies were separated by, well, several million years, but Setsuna waved her off without hesitation, refusing to believe that such divine food wasn't a gift from the gods that had existed since before Earth itself.
"Now, Ibara, Yaomomo, zip it! I don't need your lectures right now!" Setsuna announced grandly, cutting them both off with a dramatic sweep of her hand. Then her expression shifted, and a sharp-toothed, devious smile spread across her face. "Hehe~ now I know exactly how to get under your skin, Izu~ And once I've teased you into oblivion, you can think about my boobies all you want..." She grinned wider, reveling in the scandalized gasp from Ibara before deciding to rile her up even more, "...hell, if you're a good boy, you can even see and touch them."
"Setsuna! How could you say such a thing!?" Ibara cried, looking horrified at the lizard-quirked girl's words.
"Hey! They're my goodies, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with them!" Setsuna shot back, deliberately pushing her breasts up with both hands to prove her point. "And don't you dare act like you're so high and mighty! We both know you'd offer the same damn thing to Greenie if you ever got the chance, you hypocritical bitch!"
"What did you just call me!?" Ibara snapped, glaring at Setsuna as her vines began to extend subconsciously. "I swear on my name, I will—"
"Shut the fuck up, both of you!" Itsuka snapped, finally losing patience with the two green-haired girls. "Ibara, I know you're smart enough to realize that from here on out, the video's only going to get more indecent, and I don't need to tell you who's going to be leading that charge," she said, cutting a sharp look toward Setsuna and Mina. "So here are your options: you either sit here with the rest of us and keep yourself from screaming at Set and Mina every two seconds, or you march back to your room, close the door, and take a nice, long nap while we finish this video in peace."
Ibara stiffened, glaring at Itsuka with a wounded, furious expression. It stung—being scolded by the very same dependable, older-sister figure she admired and looked up to. For a moment, she wanted to snap back, to argue until her lungs gave out. But after a deep breath and a hard swallow, she reminded herself that Itsuka was just as stubborn when angry as she was calm generally, and there was no winning against her once she was furious. So, swallowing every protest under her tongue, she said instead, "I will sit here and watch this with you guys. But! I will chastise them when I think they are doing too much or going too far!" she added, trying to win something out of the argument.
"That's fine, as long as you don't start turning it into a damn sermon or screaming match with everyone else," Itsuka said with a curt nod before shifting her glare onto Setsuna, who just seconds ago had been wearing the self-satisfied smirk of a younger sibling basking in the glow of mom taking their side. "And that goes for you too, idiot. Stop riling people up for fun. Don't even try to bullshit me! I know exactly when you're actually pissed off and when you're just winding someone up because you think it's funny."
Setsuna's mouth opened, ready to shoot back with one of her usual snappy comebacks, but Itsuka's glare only hardened, silencing her before a single word could escape. "And don't think you're getting the same offer as Ibara, because we both know you'd never leave even if I begged you to. So here's how it's going to go: stay put, crack your jokes, make your arguments, whatever, but keep your shit in check and quit pushing people until they're actually furious with you."
"I can and I have. Finally." The smug authority in Shiozaki's voice left no room for argument, and Tokage seemed to know it. The subtle sound of one of her limbs popping off barely made it across the bath as Tokage sent her hand off to complete the dare.
After a quiet moment, the woman sighed. "There, happy? Mina, this is your fault." Neither woman responded to her audibly and Tokage moved on.
"Well, at least my counterpart managed to pull off a decisive victory on the screen," Ibara said smugly, shooting Setsuna a sidelong glance with a self-satisfied smirk. The jab landed perfectly, judging by the way Setsuna immediately narrowed her eyes and glared back at her. "Though, honestly, I doubt the restriction my counterpart put on yours will have the effect she's hoping for. Still, it should at least keep you contained for a while."
Setsuna's eye twitched at the barb, every muscle in her face begging her to fire back, but she forced herself to bite her tongue. As much as she wanted to snap at Ibara, she wasn't dumb enough to forget that Itsuka was still furious over their last argument, and the last thing she wanted was to end up on the bad side of that sleeping volcano.
"Ibara? Truth or dare?"
"Truth." The voice of Tokage attempted to say something but was quickly muffled into inaudible mumbling. "I will confess a truth to a question spoken by someone other than you, heathen." Izuku's mind drew an image of Tokage's head completely encased in vines and he almost laughed at it.
Ashido was next to speak up, but she, too, was muffled by another woman.
"This..." Setsuna spread her arms wide like she was presenting herself on a stage, a smug grin plastered across her face, "...is what real fear looks like. When people start shaking before you even open your mouth," she said with a smug grin. "Honestly, All For One could learn a thing or two from me," she added, shooting a pointed glance at Ibara, smug satisfaction written all over her face as payback for the earlier comment.
"You are right, sister… our reputation does precede us," Mina declared with exaggerated grandeur, matching Setsuna's theatrics beat for beat. She struck a dramatic pose, throwing her arm toward the ceiling like a rebel leader rallying her troops. "But fear not! They may silence us with brute force today, yet one day we shall rise again. And when that day comes, our voices will thunder across this regime of oppressor girls, and we will bask in the radiant light of a new dawn!"
"Wow, Mina, that was… really something," Toru said, slow clapping with mock seriousness before breaking into giggles. "Honestly, if the whole Hero gig doesn't work out, you should totally audition for one of those late-night reality shows. I'm positive they could use some of your shitty acting," she added with a chuckle before she burst into laughter again as Mina swatted at her arm, huffing in irritation at being heckled.
Kendo continued in her place. "What would the ideal date look like to you?"
"That's… a surprisingly thoughtful question, Itsuka," Ibara said, blinking at the screen in genuine surprise. "Honestly, I never imagined anyone would ever ask me something related to relationships or anything close to that topic. Not that it's anyone's fault but my own," she looked at the ground and gave a self-deprecatory snort. "I know full well I don't give off the impression of being open to dating, and if anything, I probably come across as downright hostile whenever the subject comes up around me."
"But the truth is, I've actually given it a lot of thought. Even I've pictured the kind of expectations I'd have for the partner I'd one day choose… the man I would want to stand beside," Ibara continued with a small smile, while the other girls stayed quiet, letting her have her moment. "And while I do have my reservations about some of the dating practices people our age indulge in, I still hold onto the idea of an ideal date I'd love to share with… a certain someone."
"Ideal date... Without thinking, I must confess that I would wish to spend Mass with him. Christmas, perhaps. However, that's hardly a romantic thought, and I would not want him to feel pressured by my faith." Shiozaki took a moment of silence to gather her thoughts. "I would want him to see me as more than just a devout Christian. I... cannot truthfully say that I have thought about what the perfect date with him would look like."
"Then what about a nice day?" Tsuyu croaked from the opposite side of the bath.
"Merely nice?" It was a wonder that the chaotic trio allowed Shiozaki to think in this impulsive game. It paid off in the end when she spoke softly, more to herself than the crowd around her. "We would go to the park. There was one where I grew up, just down the street from my parents' church. It would just be the two of us, with God as our witness. We could speak at length of events or of friends or of quirks. Perhaps if we were alone, we could enjoy the playground in the corner. I was always fond of the swing set. The one on the right was lower than the one on the left, so it was easier to build momentum on it." There must be one of Shiozaki's rare wistful smiles on her face as she delved deep into her memories. Izuku wished he could lift the sleep mask for just a moment to see it for himself. "Yes, I believe a wonderful date with him would include that park."
The women scattered around the bath cooed at Ibara's depiction. Even Tooru wiggled against Izuku's arm, unable to contain her adorable energy. "Aww, that sounds so nice! A trip down memory lane with your boyfriend!" Izuku had to agree, he would get a little jealous of whoever would be able to give Shiozaki the park date she craved.
"Perhaps so." Shiozaki's voice drifted farther to Izuku's right as she repositioned.
"Damn it! That was such a sweet, wholesome idea for a date! How the hell am I supposed to make fun of you after that?" Setsuna grumbled, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Jokes aside, the way you described your ideal date really did sound like a lovely time. But it's definitely not for me. I know all that fluffy sweetness would give me a toothache," she added with a laugh before her expression softened. "That said, I really do hope you get to experience it with that 'certain someone' soon."
"Thank you, Setsuna," Ibara replied warmly, flashing her a genuine smile as their earlier squabble seemed to vanish into thin air. "And you're right, something like that wouldn't suit you at all. I imagine an amusement park date would be far more up your alley, chaotic, loud, and filled with thrills," she said with a soft chuckle.
"Now then, Pony, truth or dare?"
"Dare!"
Across the bath, Jirou was the first one to issue a command for the American. "Do a flip!"
"Okay!" Without reason to delay, Pony lifted herself out of the bath.
"Thanks, Jiro! Now my counterpart can show you all our talent!" Pony said brightly, flashing a wide smile and a big thumbs-up to the earjacked girl. Jiro lazily returned the gesture, already guessing that her counterpart had probably just blurted out the first thing that popped into her head, mainly to be a nuisance to the shameless trio.
Izuku heard her count down in English.
Right on cue, Izuku heard a loud CLACK as her hooves slammed into the ground. Cheers erupted around the hot spring, and Izuku had the distinct feeling he missed something good. The feeling only grew when Jirou cackled, "Holy shit, Pony, that backflip was SICK!" The man knew the only reason why he was even allowed into the hot spring with the other women was because he couldn't see through Tooru's sleep mask, but that didn't stop a quieter part of him from wishing he could take the damn thing off.
Water splashed loudly as Pony dropped back into the bath. "Hooves do not stop me! I practice a lot." Someone clapped her on the back, most likely Tokage or Kendo, as Ashido was still cheering where Shiozaki was last heard.
"Oh, right… Izuku's counterpart had a mask on," Pony said with a disheartened frown, slumping back into the sofa with hunched shoulders. "Well, that was pointless… wasted a backflip for nothing, I guess."
"And just like that, our importance as the audience went down the drain," Itsuka sighed, then chuckled, joined by several other girls who understood both Pony's disappointment and her blunt personality.
"Ibara! Truth or dare?"
"Oh dear Father in Heaven forgive me, I am going to choose dare. Please do not ask me to repeat Pony's impressive feat."
"Well said, my counterpart," Ibara said, nodding in agreement as she watched her counterpart on the screen. "As impressive as it might be to replicate Pony's feat of pulling off a standing backflip, I highly doubt my physical constitution would allow it," she added, chuckling to herself as a comical image formed in her mind. "Attempting that would probably leave all of you with a hilariously tragic memory to cherish instead."
A few of the women laughed, but Ashido refused to be distracted. Once a member of the chaos trio, always a member. "Lose the towel!" she shouted. Tokage's laughter grew much louder.
The smile from a moment ago vanished from Ibara's face the moment she heard Mina's word, while Setsuna and Mina shared a high-five while cackling like maniacs.
Izuku could almost see the raging blush that overtook Shiozaki's face due to the dare. "Y-You sinful degenerate, do not tempt me with your foul demands!"
"You know me, always a temptress~" Ashido purred. "A dare's a dare, though, I don't make the rules. Come on, drop it!"
"Unhand me, you sinful—!" The water in the direction of Shiozaki and Ashido became agitated as the two fought over possession of the towel, although Shiozaki's voice broke away from it first, aiming to race to the opposite side of the bath. A bad idea, as she would soon learn. Once Ashido had her eyes set on a tease, running away would only make it worse.
"How dare you! This is an outrage against Lumi— I mean, against my decency!" Ibara protested, feeling the rage and embarrassment of her counterpart radiating from the screen and flowing directly into her. "I may not have the right to tell you how to act, but that doesn't give you the excuse to shove me headfirst into indecency, all you shameless vixens!"
Mina opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but Setsuna quickly placed a hand on her arm to halt her. "Don't argue with her," she murmured with a sly grin. "It'll only make her madder. Just breathe, let her vent for a bit. She'll either calm down on her own… or see something on the screen that drowns her anger sooner or later."
Izuku felt the sleep mask lift from his face. Light poured in to assault his widening eyes mere moments before a loud SNAP echoed through his skull. He slammed his right hand over his eyes and bowed his head before he could comprehend his surroundings.
Silence overwhelmed the hot spring. Izuku wasn't even sure if anyone was breathing.
"...whoops," Yanagi whispered, though the single word wasn't nearly enough to pierce through the thick atmosphere.
"Whoops, indeed," Reiko chuckled, a small smile tugging at her lips as she found it amusing how one silly word from her counterpart could feel so out of place amidst the tense atmosphere of the hot spring on the screen.
Meanwhile, Setsuna, Mina, Toru, and Pony stared at the screen with barely contained excitement. This was the moment they had been waiting for. The chance to see Izuku's counterpart's reaction to everyone in the bath without a blindfold, and, in turn, to witness everyone else's reactions to him seeing them. The tension, embarrassment, and chaos that would inevitably unfold had them practically buzzing with glee.
Izuku was the first to let the oppressive silence get to him. Without lifting his head, he tried to smile to stave off the awkward atmosphere. "I-If it helps any, I didn't see anything, I promise. I, uh, I was fast enough for that, anyways." No one responded to him. He cleared his throat. "Yaoyorozu, could you replace the mask?"
The voice of Yaoyorozu followed the sound of water being disturbed as she approached Izuku. "I could."
A simple fix, for once! Izuku gets a blindfold, they wrap up the game of Truth or Dare, Izuku goes on to forget this ever happened. Easy!
"Nooo! Why would you do that!?" the quartet of troublemakers yelled in fearfull voices as they realized the chaos they had been eagerly anticipating might never unfold on the screen.
"Don't listen to them," Itsuka said with a sigh, ignoring the hostile glares from the four mischief-makers. "I think Momo's counterpart should replace Midoriya's blindfold—that would probably be for the best." Still, even as she spoke, she wrestled with her own thoughts, unsure whether she truly wanted Izuku to be blindfolded again. In fact, all thirteen girls in the common room were silently debating the same question. Some had already reached their own conclusions, while others were still struggling to justify theirs to themselves.
"Don't you agree with me, Mo…mo?" Itsuka asked, attempting to reassure herself, turning toward the raven-haired girl, only to notice that Momo's attention seemed elsewhere. After a few failed attempts to capture her focus, Itsuka decided to leave her alone, giving her the space she apparently needed.
Unbeknownst to Itsuka, Momo's gaze had been locked onto her counterpart the entire time. Moments earlier, as her counterpart began striding toward Izuku's counterpart, Momo had caught a glint in her eyes—a spark that hinted the next move would completely defy the image everyone had of her in their minds... And, truth be told, that thought thrilled Momo. She didn't want to miss a single second of it.
"Or..." Slender fingers touched the left edge of Izuku's jaw gingerly. "...I could not."
'Ahh, there it is,' Momo thought to herself, a sly smile spreading across her face. Her attention remained firmly on the screen, not wanting to miss even a single frame of this, but she could subconsciously tell that her counterpart's unexpected move had sent quite a shock through the girls, who kept flicking their gaze back and forth between her and her counterpart on the screen.
Yaoyorozu's voice was soft and magnetic. Once again, Izuku's breath was caught in his throat. He felt her fingers trace his jawline down to his chin. He didn't even bother fighting the two long fingers that lifted his chin to force him to look up. Izuku was worried Momo could hear his pounding heart from where she stood. No doubt Jirou could hear it as easily as birdsong. "Look at me, Midoriya," Momo commanded.
Once again, Izuku's mind could not keep up with the night. It stuttered and shut down, refusing to believe that his current situation was real. "Are you sure?" he muttered.
Izuku felt gentle fingers wrap around his right wrist. "Izuku," Momo purred, "open your eyes." He could do nothing but obey. He allowed Momo to pull his hand away from his eyes and drank in the sight of her for the first time since crash landing.
Her beautiful black eyes, not unlike a pair of perfect jets, captivated Izuku's own. They had always shined brightly with intelligence and determination, but now they hid something else as well, an emotion Izuku wouldn't place. Her smile was much the same way. Soft, compassionate, personal even. Izuku didn't think of why.
He almost missed when she spoke again. "There," she murmured. "I like it better when you don't hide those gorgeous green eyes."
Izuku couldn't avoid thinking forever. And not for the first time that day, he had a feeling that there was going to be a lot to think about that night.
"Holy fucking shit!" the four horsewomen of trouble and chaos shouted in unison, echoing the reaction of nearly every other girl in the room, except for one woman: Momo Yaoyorozu, who had become the center of everyone's attention.
Momo, however, seemed lost in her own world, her gaze locked on the screen as if it had cast a spell over her. Her mind raced, conjuring scenario after scenario, her thoughts competing with her quirk itself, heating both her mind and body in a strange, exhilarating tension. She shifted in her seat, squirming against the pleasant discomfort, until finally she reached her limit, and without warning, she stood abruptly from the couch.
"Excuse me, ladies, I need a moment to…" Momo began, faltering for a brief second under the weight of all the eyes still fixed on her. "...Ah, yes, to stretch my legs. It won't take long, so please wait for me. I'll be back in a moment," she said, striding away with deliberate confidence, without waiting for anyone's questions or responses.
A stunned silence filled the room as the girls kept staring at the staircase where Momo had just disappeared, until Itsuka finally broke it and asked.
"What the hell just happened?"
To be continued...
******
A/n: Hey everyone, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I have to confess that I removed the segment of Toru and Ojiro's date. Personally, I felt that part came off a bit too mean-spirited for this sweet fanfic. I know some of you might not like that, but when I tried writing a reaction to it, the dialogues just didn't sit right. It felt unfair to Ojiro, and even worse, considering this is a Harem fanfic. So hopefully, that wasn't a deal breaker for you. If it was, I'm sorry, and I hope you'll check out my other works. And for those of you who stuck around, thank you! See you in the next chapter.