Chapter 9: Midgard (Part 1)
Hello, dear reader. This is chapter 9, part 1. This chapter got split into two for being too massive. Will upload the 2nd part shortly.
Edit 23/3/2020: Renamed Chapter 9 part 2 to Chapter 10 for consistency.
Previously, on [Angel on my Shoulder]:
Izuku accepts the otherworldly dimension-hopper Midoriya Izumi, aka Mimi, as his new sibling. His mother; Inko, takes some time to get used to this strange new development but ultimately accepts her as well, and the two siblings head out for ice cream where they both learn a few things about each other.
Mimi follows in her sister's footsteps and becomes a vigilante, meeting up with both the Pussycats and The Crawler, the latter of which agreeing to aid them in ensuring that Valkyrie's new partner will not be seen as a threat.
Meanwhile, Izuku experiences a memory leak when he calls his teacher Midnight the name of someone who passed away decades ago, and sees Aftermath's image reflected in a windowpane instead of his. He then experiences a memory that belongs to Mimi, seeing a mental recording of her and his great-grandmother Taiga. The scenery then shifts to two unknown boys, an ancient memory of two brothers. Before Izuku can question what he'd seen he is rescued by the first wielder of One For All, Hiro.
After an apology and a heartfelt moment with both sisters Shimura Nana appears, back from the dead and ready to train her protege's protege. In a dark room somewhere in Musutafu City, the girls of Class 1-A assemble their Investigation Squad in response to the strange events that one Ashido Mina has witnessed.
[Chapter 9]
The Yaoyorozu household was usually a place of quiet serenity, of an exquisite class and elegance. Today it seemed to be a haven of gossip and drama as all hell broke loose when six teenage girls tried to speak simultaneously.
"Midoriya-san is playing around with girls from the other class?" Momo turned a warm shade of red and wore a scandalized expression. "O-oh my…"
"Hang on a minute. What makes you say that, Mina-chan?" Tsuyu asked curiously with a hand to her chin.
"Mina, you can't just drop a bombshell like that!" Hagakure gasped. "There needs to be some preparation beforehand—"
"I knew I should have kept quiet about it." Jiro sulked.
"W-w-w-what?" Ochaco stammered, her cheeks bright crimson. She glanced around, trying to see what the others thought. "D-deku-kun's not that type of guy… right?"
"Whoa, easy! Everyone just calm down now…" Mina took a moment to fling the curtains open, sunlight streaming into the room. "One at a time!"
They soon managed to calm down but there was a clear sense of confusion and curiosity hanging in the air, many of them still contemplating what they'd just heard. The pink girl took a deep breath and sighed before clearing her throat, nodding towards her invisible compatriot.
"Me first? Alright." Hagakure shrugged. "Mina, I thought we made a promise to Iida-kun that we wouldn't spread any nasty rumors about Midoriya-kun after what we saw that day…"
"What?" Tsuyu, Jiro and Momo chroused in unison, and it took all the effort Ochaco had to not smack herself in the forehead. She wasn't supposed to say that! To her credit Hagakure looked embarrassed; or at least, as embarrassed as an invisible person could look.
"Oopsie." she mewled, the floating hoodie she wore shrinking under their collective gaze.
"I'm not trying to spread any nasty rumors or damage Midoriya-kun's reputation, don't misunderstand! He's our classmate, after all." Mina said hastily, although she looked a little guilty as well. "But this is different! I'm just saying that there's something fishy going on with him, and my investigative spirit won't rest until I uncover the truth."
Tsuyu raised her hand.
"Yes, Tsuyu-chan?"
"What makes you think that Midoriya-kun is… doing what you say he is, kero?" Tsuyu chimed, tilting her head. "I don't mean any offense but he's a very shy boy, especially around girls. It's hard to imagine that he's the sort that plays around with them."
"T-that's right! This is Deku-kun we're talking about, after all!" Ochaco nodded, glad that someone thought the same. "He's just not that type of person to play around with someone's feelings."
"Yeah, I thought so too at first. I mean, he's pretty much a nerd, y'know? I mean, he's nice and all but it's pretty hard to imagine a guy like him getting female attention," Jiro sighed, tapping at her phone. "But take a look at what I've just sent to our group chat."
The teenagers checked their phones, eyes widening by the second. It was a photo of their resident cinnamon roll, on what appeared to be an ice-cream date with a cute but stoic-looking girl. For once Midoirya Izuku didn't look like a bundle of nerves while he was talking to a member of the opposite sex; here he looked calm and relaxed, even smiling warmly at his 'date'. Various expressions of surprise and disbelief echoed through the room.
"Nice, Midoriya-kun! I knew you had it in you!"
"Oh my…"
"Right, Yaomomo? I had the exact same reaction!"
Ochaco was silent however, having recognized the girl immediately. The same girl that had greeted Deku-kun after school that day.
"Ice Queen…" the brunette whispered under her breath.
"Huh? You know this girl, Uraraka-chan?" Jiro asked.
"Well, yes—" Ochaco blinked. "—actually, no. It's, um, difficult to explain…"
"Sorry to disappoint you Mina-chan, but guys and girls can be friends without romantic feelings involved." Tsuyu hummed with a finger to her chin. "Let's try to be rational. They could just be normal friends, you know."
"Two friends on a date?" Mina challenged.
"Two friends having some dessert." Tsuyu countered logically. "In fact, didn't we all go for crepes together last week after school?"
"Good point." the pink-haired girl admitted, before clapping her hands together excitedly. "Okay, let's take it from the top ladies! To your positions!"
The other girls exchanged equally confused glances while Mina sat down beside Ochaco.
"Alright, action!" Mina snapped her fingers. "Act one, scene one. Enter me and Ochaco-chan just the other day at the school entrance…"
"What is this, we're doing a play now?" Jiro said flatly.
"Ooooh, I love plays!" Hagakure's voice thrummed with excitement as she paid utmost attention.
"At the school entrance," Mina repeated, one arm around Ochaco while the other was outstretched alongside her wild imagination. "The two of us happened to be there when we saw—"
"W-wait, Mina-chan!" Ochaco stammered. "Is this really okay? I mean…"
"Don't you wanna find out? Aren't you curious? There's a few things I wanna share too but I'll have to start with our story." Mina paused and hesitated, trying to see the situation from her friend's point of view. "Um, if you're uncomfortable with sharing it's alright, we can just drop this whole discussion—"
Ochaco thought long and hard. Mina must have seen some things in order for her to make that conclusion that Deku-kun was playing around. She felt the curiosity inside her grow like a hungry flame, desiring to know more without really understanding why.
"Well," the brunette gulped, ultimately deciding to say what they'd seen that day. "That girl in the photo, she was there waiting for someone. Turned out she had been waiting for Deku-kun. She seemed, um, really familiar with him."
"Familiar is an understatement. They even hugged and he ran his hand through her hair." Mina said helpfully.
"Goodness…" Momo held her hands to her mouth, radiating a bright pink embarrassment.
"And that's not all! It looked like she tiptoed to give him a little kiss—" Mina continued.
"Kissu?!" Hagakure gasped, leaning forward with interest. Momo turned even redder than they thought was possible.
"W-w-we don't know that!" Ochaco waved her hands frantically, her eyes a pair of whirling dervishes. "The angle was bad and that's what it looked like, from our perspective. We didn't actually see that happen! I-In fact, Mina and I had a discussion after that and be both agreed it might have been a kiss, or they could just have been putting their heads close together…"
"Putting their heads close together?" Jiro raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Ochaco looked to Tsuyu for some support but the frog girl just shrugged in response. Not even she could have come up with a logical explanation for that.
"Oh, and they held hands too. Isn't that sweet?" Mina giggled.
"H-h-holding hands? W-wow. That must have taken a lot of courage, Midoriya-kun." Momo nodded, impressed. "How lewd…"
"What? Holding hands is nothing." Hagakaure chimed, her invisible fingers interlocking with Jiro's. "See?"
"Be still, my aching heart." the punk girl said dryly.
"Anyway, that's strike one. Moving on!" Mina declared. "Act two, scene one. So this just happened yesterday; I was walking towards class when I noticed Iida-kun and Midoriya-kun walking in front of me. Just when I was about to say hello, they were greeted by this girl from the other class, Kendo-san."
"Who?" Hagakure asked.
"The Class President of 1-B." Mina fiddled with her phone, causing a symphony of beeps when she sent something to their group chat. "Here, take a look."
Opening her phone Ochaco saw the full roster of the class beside theirs, featuring the names and student photos of Class 1-B. Sure enough the class president there was Itsuka Kendo, an attractive, confident-looking girl with warm orange hair. But what really drew Ochaco's attention was the photo of the pretty yet expressionless girl beside her, those eyes cold and frosty like she remembered. Yui Kodai, the Ice Queen. This girl was the one who had been so familiar with Deku-kun? Ochaco gulped. So she was a hero student too… Wait. What was this odd tightness she felt in her chest?
"Oh, Kendo-san! Yes, I've met her during the class president meeting." Momo nodded. "She was very nice."
"Hmm. Where did you get this, Mina-chan?"
"Took a quick pic yesterday when Mic-sensei wasn't looking. It seems he has trouble remembering his student's names, you see."
"Breach of opsec." Jiro waved her hand, urging the other girl to carry on anyway.
"So they talked and stuff, right? But after that Midoriya-kun asked if he could speak to Kendo-san. Alone." Mina continued, her eyes shifting from one girl to another. "I didn't manage to completely hear what they were talking about they seemed really friendly with each other."
"So you eavesdropped on them?" Ochaco mumbled, feeling slightly guilty that she wanted to know too.
"I didn't! Okay, maybe a little. It was an accident."
"I think you're blowing things out of proportion, Mina-chan." Tsuyu sipped her tea. "Again, they can just be normal friends. Just because two people interact with each other doesn't mean they are sure to be in a romantic relationship. You're connecting dots that don't exist, creating imaginary relationships or as some might call it; 'shipping' them."
"Must be all those romance comics you read." Jiro teased, her earplugs snaking through the air playfully. "Never did see why people enjoy those."
"It's called manga, and it's art." Mina said hotly. "And I am not 'shipping' them."
"I'm surprised you didn't mention how Iida-kun and Kendo-san are friends as well. Shouldn't your line of thinking include that as well?" Hagakure asked innocently.
"Well, think about it. Since Iida-kun and Kendo-san are both class presidents they must have met during that meeting, just as Yaomomo mentioned. What I find weird is how Midoriya-kun already knows her, and how they seem to be on good terms. Isn't it strange?"
"Now that you mention it, it kinda is…" One of Jiro's earplugs scratched at her chin gently as she thought.
"Exactly! Besides Yaomomo, I don't think any of us have even met anyone from class B. I find it kind of odd that Midoriya-kun already knows some of them. But wait, that's not all!" Mina said excitedly. "I was only able to overhear snippets of their conversation, but apparently Midoriya-kun wanted Kendo-san to pass on a message to another girl."
"Another girl?" Momo's face was a mask of shock. "The plot thickens!"
"Who was it?" Hagakure asked.
"Shiozaki Ibara. Refer to exhibit B, if you would." Mina gestured back to the picture she had sent them earlier.
"Oh, the plant girl?" Hagakure squinted at the roster and folded her invisible arms, impressed. "Whoa, she looks like a serious one. How much juicier can this get?"
"We'll see. Anyways, his message to her was that he was 'sorry for yesterday'."
"The heck is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know! But I do know one thing; that's strike two! Next!" Mina announced, her hand cutting through the air. "Act three, scene one!"
"How much more of this is there, kero..."
"This is the last one, I promise!" the pink-haired girl said hastily. "Toru-chan, would you do the honors?"
"Me? Okay. Ahem ahem." the invisible teenager cleared her throat, tone clear and professional. "Yesterday Iida-kun, Mina-chan, Uraraka-chan and I witnessed our local broccoli boy speaking to one grassy girl while they were walking down the hallway after school. It appears that they are friends."
Ochaco declined to mention that Shiozaki had been bright red when she called out to Deku-kun, and deep down she was really curious as to why the other girl had been so nervous and embarrassed at approaching her friend. A part of her definitely agreed with Mina that something weird was going on.
"We originally thought he was going to confess to her or vice versa, which is why we followed them to observe. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get close enough to hear what they were discussing but we did manage to hear snippets of their conversation."
"And? I don't really see where you're going with this." Jiro sighed.
"They were pretty friendly and all but get this; she specifically mentioned something about 'kids' and how it'd be nice if he could stop by!" The sleeves of Hagakure's hoodie moved up and down excitedly as she waved her arms about. "Then Mina-chan made a joke about how he had to pay child support, which was kinda funny at the time—"
Momo's hands were a blur as they shot upwards to cover her mouth, eyes widening comically. The others who didn't know of that incident were inclined to have similar, stunned reactions. Tsuyu however looked around reproachfully, unsure of whether they were seriously considering the implication that their classmate was a father at fifteen.
"—okay, it's not so funny now." Hagakure finished with a sigh.
"And that's strike three! You're out, Midoriya-kun!" Mina declared, miming a baseball swing. "OUTTT!"
"More like he got a home run." Jiro grumbled before receiving scandalous looks from the other girls except Momo. "What? I'm just saying."
"T-t-that was probably taken out of context!" Heads turned to face Ochaco who was touching her padded fingertips together nervously. "I-I mean, they could be talking about anything, really."
"Ochaco-chan's right. For all we know she works at a daycare or something and just happened to meet Midoriya-kun there." Tsuyu took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "Look. All these incidents don't mean anything. They could just be a string of coincidences, or perhaps Midoriya-kun is just more comfortable talking to them—"
"Doesn't that mean he's uncomfortable talking to… us?" Hagakure said slowly, sounding more than a little hurt.
A sudden, sombre tone suddenly flooded the room as the girls quietly considered that thought. What if their classmate really was uncomfortable with them, to the point where he was more friendly with the people from the other class? That didn't feel good, not at all. Even if they didn't know Midoriya-kun very well, he was still their classmate. Did they intimidate or scare him in some way? To have him be so disassociated from them was… concerning, at the very least. Ochaco in particular looked downright crushed at the thought, Tsuyu easily noticing her crestfallen expression. The next few seconds were spent in an awkward silence as each girl racked their brains for a reason that he was avoiding them.
"M-maybe he just stays away from us as a sign of respect!" Mina tried, her voice full of false cheer. "I'm sure he's not avoiding us on purpose... I think."
"You know what I think?" Tsuyu said suddenly. "I think we're overreacting, and all this is one big misunderstanding. As far as I can tell Midoriya-kun is pretty okay with the rest of the class—aside from Bakugo-kun, of course. There's no reason for him to be afraid of us. Right, Ochaco-chan?"
"R-right!" Ochaco answered, regaining some of her confidence.
"I think the situation's a little fishy too, but I trust Midoriya-kun." the frog girl glanced down at her hand for a moment before making a fist. "I trust that he's a good person that puts the wellbeing of others ahead of his own. That much I'm certain of. If anything, this 'Investigation Squad' of ours can be used to help him. "
"I agree with Tsuyu-chan." Momo nodded. "As the class vice-president, I'm also worried that someone in the class is having difficulties. Our goal shouldn't be focused on antagonizing him, but rather helping him if he really is uncomfortable around us."
"Well if he's uncomfortable around us, then all we have to do is be nicer to him!" Hagakure said, her sleeves waving about in encouragement. "We'll show him that we're harmless!"
"Y-you're… you're absolutely right!" Mina rose from her seat, teacup raised up high. "So let's do this together, to help our classmate and for the good of our 1-A!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's!"
The teenagers put took that moment to clink their teacups together in a toast, downing the expensive beverage as one in a sort of rekindled camaraderie. Class 1-A had to stick together, through thick and thin!
Mina among them let out a large exhale of relief after drinking her tea, glad that the serious tone was lifted. "We're still gonna look into if he's dating the girls from class B, right?"
"Of course. But that goal can be… secondary." Momo cleared her throat with a small cough. "Our main priority is to make sure that Midoriya-kun is alright."
Whilst the tall girl and her pink compatriot began to chat, Ochaco glanced towards her froggy friend with a small smile of gratitude.
"Thanks." she mumbled in a barely audible whisper.
"Don't mention it." Tsuyu whispered back. "That's what friends are for."
The gravity-defying girl felt a warm happiness flood into her chest, glad that she had met Tsuyu. She could almost sense that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
"By the way, there's one thing I'm curious about." Momo piped up, drawing everyone's attention. "I know the child support thing was a joke, but… do you think he's actually got a kid? You know, with the… k-kiss."
A warm shade of red flooded Momo's innocent expression while the girls exchanged confused glances, trying to interpret what she was saying until Jiro decided to chime in.
"Yaomomo. How exactly do you think babies are made?" Jiro said slowly.
"W-well, when a boy and a girl k-k-kiss enough times, a letter will be written to the stork that delivers the baby, r-right?" the taller girl stammered, looking embarrassed.
The room's temperature dropped several degrees when Jiro's features twisted smugly; Mina knew what was about to happen and began mouthing the word 'no', shaking her head slowly. Tsuyu and Ochaco exchanged a single look, and both dashed towards the tomboy a moment later.
"You see Momo-chan; when a boy and a girl love each other very much," Jiro began cheerfully, ignoring the four other classmates that were charging at her in a panic. "They fu—"
[x]
"Alakazam!"
"U-um…"
"Hocus pocus!"
"Shimura-san?"
"Yes, my boy?"
"What are you doing?"
The towering woman stopped all her hand-waving and gave him a funny look.
"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to summon All Might."
"I can, um, summon him with my phone?" Izuku suggested nervously.
"Really now." Nana raised an eyebrow. "Then why isn't he here training you for the sports festival?"
"Well, he is the number one hero after all." Izuku nodded, nothing but admiration in his voice. "He probably has more important things to do."
"Don't say that! What could be more important than training his successor? Accio!"
"Helping people, for one."
"If you mean things like saving cats from trees and helping an old lady cross the road, those are things that any hero can do." Nana shrugged, still waving her hands about. "That's the problem, you see. Instead of allocating his time like a resource he wants to save everyone. A noble goal, but it's no longer viable especially when he's on a time limit with his power."
"T-then why does he still do it?" Izuku asked curiously, feeling his tiny siblings sit on his shoulders.
"Probably because he feels it's the right thing to do. Because modern 'heroes' care more about fame and status rather than actually helping people. They don't care about cats in trees or slow old ladies! You might not think it's significant but let me give you a hint; it's the little things that matter." Nana's fingers wiggled as she made an air quote. "I know how All Might thinks. He's trying to inspire people to be better but instead his strength has led to a complacent society. Isn't that ironic? Poor Toshinori…"
"Um, who is this Toshinori again?"
Nana paused and rounded on him, frowning.
"All Might didn't tell you? Toshinori Yagi? Ring a bell?"
"No, not really." Izuku admitted.
"For goodness sake…" the woman exclaimed, exhaling sharply. "That's All Might's name! He didn't tell you his real name even after you received One For All?"
"Um, no…"
"He's a genius at heroism, but apparently he sucks at teaching." Nana sighed. "Expecto patronum!"
"You're still trying to—" Kiri wiggled her fingers, mimicking Nana's hand motions. "—summon him?"
"At this point, anyone will do. I just need someone to impart his or her infinite wisdom—"
Mimi scoffed loudly from atop Izuku's left shoulder.
"—Infinite wisdom." Nana reiterated a little louder. "But I think if we call another person out you two will go back to the mansion. The power between us is already stretched thin seeing as you guys are… chibis. Mimi, why don't you show Kiri-chan around the house? Take her to the new room we built for her."
The girl in question tilted her head in curiosity.
"Right, you didn't know yet. For objects to stay permanent within our little mental world we have to put our feelings into it. It's how we built your new room as well, piece by piece with our emotions. I made quite a few plush toys for you myself. There's also snacks in the fridge."
Blue eyes lit up with interest as the child turned to her brother, with him giving her a small nod and smile to proceed. Together, the young twins linked hands, preparing to teleport.
"Tell me if Nana tries to make you do anything weird, aniki." Mimi shot a glance toward the older woman.
"Pffft. Who do you think I am?" the retired hero scoffed.
"I know exactly who you are, which is why I said that in the first place." She faced Izuku to give him a little wave. "Be seeing you, aniki."
"See you later, nii-chan." Kiri waved cheerfully.
A puff of green and they were gone, having retreated to the paradise in his mind. Izuku raised an eyebrow at the gesturing Nana, who was still doing her best to summon someone.
"Hmm. Maybe if I pose…" She flexed in a mighty yet somewhat suggestive pose, showcasing her impressive physique. "Awaken my masters!"
An array of orange wisps rushed from Izuku's forehead, momentarily stunning him until they coalesced into the form of another woman who looked to be in the middle of cooking. The large pan she had been holding shuddered violently and disintegrated into a million pieces, the food within landing on the ground with a wet splat. Everyone stared at the sad mess on the ground before Nana burst into laughter, unaffected by the cold glare that was sent her way.
"Chen, you're here. Just in time, I need you to help me teach the boy."
"That…" the stony woman gestured towards the ruined food which also promptly disappeared. "Was supposed to be everyone's dinner."
"Whatever, Misha will make dinner today."
"Yeah, but then we'll be eating borscht. Again."
"What's wrong with that?"
"I like to have a little variety in my meals, thank you. And he always adds too much sour cream."
"U-um hi, Chen-san. Meals?" Izuku interjected. "You guys eat and stuff?"
"Hello, young Midoriya." the older wielder said curtly. "Yes, we do prepare our own food and consume it just like when we were alive. One of the ways we hold on to our humanity."
"The food tastes better if you infuse it with the power of love~"
"That aside." Chen interrupted Nana with a wave of her hand. "Why me again? I thought I wasn't going to get any more screentime."
"Anyone would do, actually. You just happened to be lucky!" Nana cheered. "Come on, teach the boy something good! Like kung-fu or something. You know; swift as a coursing river, force of a great typhoon, etc."
"Now you're just stereotyping."
"But Chen, you do know kung-fu. Impart young Midoriya here with the mighty art of Waterfall frog cracking fist or whatever."
"Water Stream Rock Smashing—"
"Yeah, that's what I said." Nana smiled proudly, turning to Izuku. "I could teach you a thing or two myself, but to be honest I'm always winging it."
"W-wow. I'd be honored!" Izuku nodded eagerly, his head a blur. "Thank you so much, both of you!"
"Don't get your hopes up. Nana's idea of 'special techniques' is just her saying whatever comes to mind in the heat of the moment." the older woman grunted.
"It's the results that matter, my friend. Here young Midoriya, I made this move just for you!" Nana stretched before entering a stance. "Observe."
The air seemed to shift as Nana focused, the carefree gleam in her eyes turning into a knife-edged glint when she prepared herself. Fingers curled into fists, her entire body thrumming with formidable power. Raw strength and intimidation rolled off her like an unseen fog, promising devastation upon her unlucky target.
"I Love My Little Sisters Very Much PUNNNCCHHHH!"
Nana struck, and her fist was a white mamba, a pale alabaster thunderbolt that moved faster than the human eye could track. Even as a shade she exuded raw power, the kind that could bring lesser men to their knees with presence alone. Had she been corporeal the water would have parted before her from the sheer force of that blow alone, Izuku staring in both awe and bewilderment.
Mostly bewilderment.
"See." Chen said flatly.
"What do you think, Midoriya-kun? Impressive, right?"
"It certainly was." Izuku said weakly. He hoped he wouldn't ever have to use that lest he be labelled a pervert forever.
"Enough talk! Now it's time for training! We don't have much time so we gotta work extra, extra hard!" Nana's fist shot into the air, piercing the heavens. "Chen, take the lead!"
"Right…" the redhead sighed, clapping her hands together. "Let's get down to business—"
Nana's grin stretched to become comically wide.
"To defeat—"
"Not another word."
[x]
The majority of Izuku's free time had been used for training, and together the two women tried their very best to impart him with all the knowledge they had in that short timeframe. Unfortunately, only a genius could suddenly master their teachings in such a brief period, but it was better than nothing since the boy did learn a few useful tips and tricks.
Nana and Chen returned back to the garden within Izuku's mind, the former yawning and stretching… until she realized how close to the ground was.
"What the— Not again!"
Looking down the retired hero realized that she had been turned into a child once more, her features as youthful as any other ten-year-old's. Koko however seemed delighted as she bounded over to greet them, the others following behind shortly.
"Mini-Nana!" the dog-girl cheered, shifting into her human form mid-stride to catch the minute phantom in a tight hug. "So cuuuute!"
The now-little girl thought hard while Koko spun her about like a carousel. Perhaps this was a side-effect of using too much of their own power and not relying on Valkyrie's. But then that would mean…
She looked back to find another little girl, this one a redhead clad in an oversized dress shirt. The other wielders stared down at her in disbelief, two of them in particular shaking with barely restrained mirth.
"Don't laugh." Mini-Chen said slowly.
They laugh. They roar and howl with laughter, especially since it was the most hilarious thing they'd seen in ages. Their overly serious comrade, reduced to such an innocent and adorable form. Even the usually calm Hiro looked away with a polite smile, while the now translucent Toshinori let out a light chuckle. Kiri and Mimi walked forward curiously, the former giving her redheaded comrade a gentle poke on her soft cheek.
"Wow." Nana remarked, glancing up and down at her counterpart. "How did someone as cute as you grow up to become such a grouch?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because I haven't had a good night's sleep since I was ten." Chen grumbled.
"Oh man…" Johnny choked, wiping away a tear of mirth. "This is just like my American comics."
He then gave a slight nudge to Misha with his elbow, the big man following up nearly instantly.
"Da, is like my Chinese cartoons." he said, looking down at his tiny friend with a grin. Say the line, it'll be funny.
Chen wore a childish sulk while she shifted into a better fitting dress with a wave of her hand.
"This is just like one of my Japanese animes." she finally said, getting it over with.
Their laughter echoed once more, light-hearted and filled with camaraderie.
"We live in a world where loli-babas exist. Heavens above..."
"Younglings nowadays, no respect for their elders. Look who's youngling now! HAHAHA—"
"Ha ha. Very funny. Don't forget you two are next." the child said, voice flat.
The men stopped laughing immediately.
[X]
Izuku was sore and exhausted, his mind doing its best to move his spent frame. His entire body ached, muscles worked to the limit. Despite her casual and humorous attitude Nana's training had been downright brutal, to the point that he had to ask her to repeat herself lest he misheard her ridiculous demands. Then again she had been the one to train All Might, and the man gave him the goal of cleaning up Dagobah beach all by himself. Now he knew where he got his unique disposition. Chen's training was slightly less arduous, but the woman had been militaristic and spartan in her training methods, even draconian at times. He had to admit that he got some intriguing information from her, though he doubted he would find a use for it. So many different ways to hurt people…
Eight familiar chimes rang throughout the school, signalling that it was time for lunch. Midnight shrugged and began keeping her papers, stacking the many folders she had together.
"That's all for now, class. Good work today, I'm glad to see most of you have read the lesson material." Her hawkish gaze swept the classroom until those piercing blue eyes landed on Izuku. "Midoriya-kun, see me after class."
Looks like he wasn't going to get away after all. Izuku silently groaned to himself as the class was dismissed, looking up a moment later to find Iida and Ochaco hovering over him with worried expressions.
"Are you alright, Midoriya-kun? You're looking pretty tired."
"Y-yeah, Deku-kun. Are you sure you're doing okay? And sensei requested you stay back as well…"
"I'm fine, you two." Izuku smiled weakly. "In fact, I'm glad you guys care about me so much. Thanks, I really appreciate it."
"Of course!" Iida said proudly while his hands made several robotic motions through the air. "We're your friends, after all!"
"That's right!" Ochaco leaned in a little closer to Izuku's surprise. Up close, he couldn't help but notice her pretty eyes gleaming with concern. "If you need us, we'll be here for you! So… So don't hesitate to tell us if there's anything on your mind, alright?"
"A-alright." the green-haired boy said nervously, happy that they thought the same. Friends… he didn't have any in middle school thanks to Bakugo. Perhaps things were changing for the better. "You two go on without me. I think this one might take awhile."
The three friends parted soon after, with two of them headed towards the cafeteria while Izuku headed towards his doom. This felt familiar. The boy wondered what sentence he would get this time. A suspension, perhaps? He did technically hit a teacher, after all. Did that count as assault? He slowly marched forward, shaking in his shoes while Midnight finished arranging her papers. What would she say? Maybe she'd blackmail him into becoming her manservant—he'd heard stories of the infamous 'Midnight Boys' that she used to order around before she became a teacher. Oh no…
"Right then, Midoriya-ku—" the teacher paused upon meeting his terrified expression. "Hey, what's with that face? Come closer, I won't bite."
"Y-y-you won't?" Izuku mumbled guiltily without even realizing what he was saying.
"Not unless you want me to." Midnight smirked, causing Izuku to blush. "I'm kidding! Kidding! I'm not mad at you, I promise. Even if you were a naughty little boy."
"You're not? But I…" Izuku gulped and bowed deeply. "I'm so sorry, sensei. I overreacted yesterday—"
"No, no. It wasn't your fault. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry, Midoriya-kun. I might have been teasing you a bit too much… forgive me, I can't help it sometimes. Anyway, would you mind helping me carry these? We'll talk as we walk, I have a meeting to go to."
The boy blinked before he relaxed visibly and internally. Midnight seemed pretty casual about all this, but she was a professional. That, and she probably had one or two classes of students before she started teaching Izuku's batch. At least he wasn't being suspended, expelled, or being made into a manservant. He still wasn't sure about that last part, seeing as his arms were filled with a stack of heavy folders.
"You're a good kid, Midoriya-kun. That was why I was so surprised when you reacted so strongly. Is it the way I dress?" Midnight hummed, looking worried. "I do apologize for that. I know things can be difficult, especially for a healthy young man such as yourself with certain… urges—"
"Nono, sensei." Izuku blurted out quickly. "I'm just, um, there's just a lot of things going on in my life right now. I… wasn't in the right mindset yesterday, and I was a little stressed. It's entirely my fault."
"I see." the older woman adjusted the folders in her arms before raising an eyebrow. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Y-yes, sensei."
"I see. Well, that's a relief. Aizawa-kun would be rightfully pissed at me if I did anything to his students, after all. If there's anything you need just talk to him or me, alright? As an educational institution we're required to look out for the wellbeing of our students; we even have counseling if you need it. Interested?"
"No thank you." Izuku sighed. The last thing he needed was a psychologist poking around in his head, especially when a bunch of ghosts lived in there.
"Sure, but on the off-chance that you do or need someone to talk to, you can come speak to me, okay?" Midnight stopped walking for a moment, concern clouding her features. "Don't bottle up your emotions. A healthy mental state is the key to a healthy life."
You can say that again. Izuku thought to himself, knowing that she was just worried for him. "I'll keep that in mind, sensei."
"Alright, just turn left and on the second door down the hallway is the staff offices. I'm going to head off to my meeting now so I'm going this way." Midnight piled the folders she was carrying into his arms. "Put these on my desk, would you?"
"Yes, sensei. And um, thanks for your concern."
"Don't mention it. I'd love to stay and chat but I can't afford to miss this meeting; the last thing I need is another lecture from Mr. Sleepyhead." the teacher gave him a warm smile. "Thanks for the help, Midoriya-kun. Go on then, if you hurry you'll still have a lot of time for lunch!"
Izuku nodded and made his way towards the offices, but not before turning back one last time to make sure Midnight was okay. He didn't want her to worry too much about him either.
There was a rattling when the door to her left opened and a masked man wearing a cowboy hat appeared, the spurs on his boots jingling and jangling with each step of his confident stride.
"Snipe-san!" Midnight greeted him with a teasing smirk. "Is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"
"It's a gun." Snipe replied coolly and tipped his hat at her. "M'idnight."
They walked down the hallway together, with Midnight chatting to her colleague incessantly while he replied with simple grunts and nods. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief before smiling. Looks like she would be just fine.
Speaking of fine, Izuku brought his hand to his nose to see how he was doing. A single drop of blood was resting on his index finger but the boy quickly cleaned it off, glad that it wasn't as bad as last time. He knew that the memory leak was somehow associated with him getting a nosebleed, but there were still so many uncertain factors. One thing at a time, then. Upon reaching the offices he knocked twice, wondering if there was anyone still in there. The teachers had a meeting, after all. Maybe one of Ectoplasm's clones was here?
The door slid open with a clatter, and it was not Ectoplasm. A wall of muscle and fur towered over him, his gaze traveling up the massive blockade until they met a pair of narrowed, animalistic eyes.
"Yeah?" Hound Dog growled.
"I-I'm uh, here to d-drop something off for Midnight-sensei." Izuku mumbled, trying to keep his composure.
Gargantuan shoulders rose and fell as Hound Dog shrugged, stepping aside to let the student in and nodding towards Midnight's desk. Izuku let out a breath he hadn't realized was holding and quickly made his way over, safely delivering the stack of folders. A quick, nervous thanks was sent towards the teacher as a farewell, with Izuku trying to quickly exit the offices until a gigantic paw landed on his shoulder.
"Wait, boy." Hound Dog rumbled, face twisting behind his muzzle. "What's that smell?"
Izuku felt his heart skip a beat. Oh no...
"I never forget a smell. And yours, it's enough to make a man sick..." the teacher continued, leaning down so that he could get a better look at Izuku. He sniffed the air several times, steam rising from his nostrils. "That stench. I've smelled it before."
Cold sweat ran down Izuku's face, the boy clenching his hands in an effort to stop them from trembling. The forest battle near USJ. If the teacher was to find out about that, he'd be completely and utterly screwed. Hound Dog's eyes were a spotlight beam of suspicion that seemed to pin Izuku against the wall, rooting him on the spot.
"It's blood!" Hound Dog finally announced, a hint of concern in his growling voice. "Did you hurt yourself somewhere, boy?"
"M-my nose was bleeding just now, t-that's all!" Izuku said quickly, looking surprised when Hound Dog offered him a tissue out of his back pocket upon hearing that.
"Hmm? But I never forget a smell, wan."
"I, er, get nosebleeds from time to time? Y-you might have smelled it when I'm walking through hallways." the boy lied while taking the tissue, hoping to throw off Hound Dog's scent.
The teacher glared at him for a long few seconds, Izuku feeling his heart thump away… until Hound Dog grunted and seemed to accept his explanation, shrugging once more. The green-haired student finally allowed himself to relax, quickly making his way out of the offices.
Izuku hurried towards the cafeteria now, wanting to get as far away as possible from the teacher. He was glad that was over, thanking his lucky stars that neither Hound Dog nor Midnight had felt any suspicion. Frankly, it was a miracle that he'd managed to get away from both of them. Now it was time for some well deserved lunch.
[x]
At least, that's what he had thought.
"Where do you think you're going, geekboy?"
Izuku turned to see three unknown girls striding down the hallway towards him, the leader of whom had a menacing smile on her face with shark-like teeth glinting in the light. Flanking her was a girl with a mushroom-shaped hairstyle and another girl with long, tan horns. In his confusion Izuku had thought they were talking to someone else near him; a quick look around revealed that he was the only one there. That brief look sealed his fate when the three students cornered him, the lead girl even slamming her hand against the wall behind him as she got dangerously close. A reverse kabedon! She was slightly shorter than him so it wasn't really that intimidating, but that was balanced out by the fact that he was really nervous around girls. Especially cute ones like these.
"Is this the guy you saw, Kinoko-chan?" the shark-toothed girl asked, her dark green hair nearly brushing against Izuku's face. He noted that her hair had nearly the same shade as his, actually.
"Yeah, this is him!" the girl with the mushroom hairstyle said happily, her bangs parting to reveal an x-shaped pupil. "He's from Class 1-A, I double-checked the roster!"
"Oh, Setsuna-chan, don't hurt hiiimmm…" the horned girl whined in heavily accented Japanese, glancing between Izuku and her friends with worry.
"I'm not gonna hurt him, Pony-chan. We're just gonna ask him a few questions." the lead girl; Setsuna, grinned menacingly while her gaze met Izuku's. "Ain't that right, geekboy? Or should I say… Midoriya Izuku. You've got balls, trying to pull that shit around here."
"H-h-huh?"
"Let's see what we've got here… hmm." Setsuna eyed him from top to bottom, Izuku feeling a little warmer when her gaze traveled down his body. "Strong, healthy. Not bad! A little on the plain side, but then again vanilla is the best flavor. Still, I don't get what they see in you."
Again with the 'plain' comment. Izuku could've sworn he felt his ego deflating if he wasn't so utterly lost and confused. He wished she wouldn't get so close because she actually smelled kind of nice, the scent of her shampoo tickling his nose. That, and he didn't really like how she was examining him like a piece of livestock to be auctioned off. Who were these girls, and what did they want with him?
"I, um, I d-don't—" Izuku tried, still stunned.
"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Setsuna leaned in even further, and Izuku flattened himself against the wall. "Did you really think we wouldn't notice? What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"
The boy's mind drew a complete blank. In his panic something barely resembling common sense took ahold, telling him to remember Nana's training. Be confident! Smile! The ones who smile are the strongest of all. Use humor to hide your fear and uncertainty.
"H-hi, welcome to my personal space. How can I h-help you today?" Izuku tried, a wobbly, nervous smile plastered on his face.
To his credit the mushroom-girl; Kinoko, actually giggled before quickly cupping a hand over her mouth.
"Look what we have here, girls. A real fuckin' comedian." Setsuna smirked, her dark grin only widening by the second. "Was that how you got them interested, eh? By being funny?"
Oh dear. That was probably the wrong thing to say. The teenager started panicking internally, still unsure of what they wanted with him. He hoped this wasn't some kind of shakedown or extortion attempt.
"I, um. You girls seem real nice but as much as I'd like to get to know you, my friends are waiting for me. If you'll excuse me I'll be on my way now—" Izuku tried squeezing past them but only ended up being pressed against Setsuna when she refused to move, causing the poor boy to turn even redder when she chuckled darkly. He quickly backed off, and it was obvious that she enjoyed watching him squirm.
"There's no way you're charming your way out of this one." she said smugly, completely in control of the situation. "Take him away!"
The other two students flanked him and Izuku found himself trapped in a triangle of feminine giggles as they began leading him off somewhere. His head was spinning even while he felt their strong grip on his arms, and he noted with a little horror that he was being abducted.
"Wha! W-where are you taking me?" Izuku stuttered, looking around in confusion.
"Don't worry, we're just gonna have a little chat." the green-haired girl glanced back at him. "About what you've been doing with our friends."
Friends? The boy thought for a moment before it clicked. Oh no…
"Don't try to escape, shroom~ We'll catch you~"
"Sowwee about this."
Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Still, he did owe them an explanation if this was what he thought it was; an interrogation by the members of Class 1-B. Izuku let out a small groan and sighed, shoulders slumped in defeat as they led him away towards the cafeteria.
"It's not what you think—" Izuku mumbled, embarrassment coursing through him like he was dipped into a warm bath. "It's all a m-misunderstanding—"
"Oh yes, I bet you've had plenty of happy 'misunderstandings'." Setsuna turned back to give him a cocky grin. "In class B, we look after our own. And that includes taking care of bad boys like you who try to play with our friends' feelings."
"U-u-um, I wasn't trying to…" A dark shade of crimson was manifesting on his cheeks at her words, and her silky voice certainly wasn't helping either. "I can explain."
"Tell it to the judge. I'll make sure you sing," she licked her lips, causing him to gulp. "Like a canary."
This girl was definitely dangerous in more ways than one. Izuku groaned once more, helpless and following them towards his punishment.
What the group didn't notice was an invisible head peeking out behind a wall, having seen the entire event from afar without actually overhearing their conversation. Hagakure had forgotten her purse and went back to the classroom to retrieve it, only to witness her poor classmate being cornered by a group of girls from the other class. She retreated in a panic, not sure of what to do until she made a split second decision. Taking a shortcut, the girl quickly made her way towards the cafeteria in search of her comrades—thankfully Mina was incredibly easy to spot with her signature fluffy pink hair, still in the middle of a conversation with Tsuyu at their shared table.
"So Kirishima-kun was like 'no way', then I was like 'yes way'!" Mina laughed, sipping her drink.
"Mmhm. You two seem to be pretty friendly with each other, kero."
"Yeah, me and him go way back. Did you know that he's not a natural redhead?" the pink-haired girl whispered. "I actually thought he looked cuter with black hair but eh, the red's starting to grow on me."
"Girls!" Hagakure gasped, slowing down from her jog to take a breath. "We've got trouble!"
"What is it, kero?"
"I just saw Midoriya-kun when I was getting my purse, and… well, he's been kidnapped by a group of class B girls!"
"Kidnapped?!" Mina gasped dramatically, chair clattering to the ground.
"Accosted! Womanhandled!" the empty space that was supposed to be Hagakure's head nodded frantically. "Abducted!"
"Calm down. Are you sure they were—" Tsuyu began.
"Yes, I remembered their faces from the roster! In fact, there they are!" the invisible girl pointed.
"Toru-chan, you're invisible. I can't see your finger."
"Oh, right." Hagakure paused to pick up a spoon and wiggled it in a certain direction. "There they are, look!"
They turned to look and sure enough, they saw their classmate Midoriya-kun being guided through the cafeteria by three girls from their sister class in a delta formation. He had the solemn look of a death row prisoner, of a man accepting his fate and judgement. Tsuyu's lips formed a thin line of disapproval.
"What do you think they're doing with him?" Mina asked with some concern.
"I dunno, but it looked pretty serious? They were like, surrounding him, and one of them even had him in a kabedon. They had him up against the wall, cornered and trapped!"
"Whoa, how daring!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed. "Should we do something?"
"Mmm. They might be bullying him." Tsuyu grunted, rising from her chair.
The other two teenagers glanced at her in shock before horror slowly flooded their features.
"Oh… Oh no." Hagakure whined in distress. "They could be bullying him, or… or, extorting him or something?"
"It… it would explain some things." Mina said hesitantly. "He might have been asking Kendo-san for help, since her classmates are messing around with him… but that's just a wild speculation! The more important thing is; what do we do now?"
Midoriya-kun was being bullied by them? It might sound strange, but it was also plausible. Tsuyu knew of how her friend was so nervous around girls, and how kind and forgiving he was even to Bakugo who had nearly blasted him to pieces in that combat exercise. That meek, mild personality of his was just asking to be taken advantage of, and she worried that he might be getting extorted, or even worse; blackmailed by those girls. She wasn't about to ignore a friend in trouble.
"This cannot stand."
All heads turned to Tsuyu. The frog girl narrowed her eyes, before beginning to stride forward towards an inevitable confrontation.
"T-tsuyu-chan?" Hagakure asked.
"I'm gonna talk to them."
"What about the others—"
"No time. They'll get away by the time we gather."
Mina and Hagakure exchanged glances, then nodded. And so it was that the three girls marched forward as one, determined to rescue their friend from the clutches of his supposed tormentors.
"1-A Investigation Squad, transform and roll out!" Mina declared.
Meanwhile, Izuku was wondering what they would do to him. Would there be a bunch of angry, heavyset boys just waiting to beat him up? They probably thought he was a dastardly, no-good pervert that liked fooling around with their classmates' feelings. If he were in their shoes he'd feel angry too, so he couldn't really blame them for being upset. He just hoped he was able to clear things up...
"I do believe that's our classmate you have there. Would you kindly unhand him, kero?"
The formation spun about to face Izuku's 'saviors' but the boy felt as if he'd been doomed even further. Tsuyu, Mina and Hagakure were standing opposite them; a confrontation in the middle of the cafeteria. Luckily most people didn't seem to notice yet, milling about as usual.
"Oi, oi. The hell is this?" Setsuna turned to Izuku, letting out a short laugh before whispering in his ear. "Charmed them too, eh? Forget a flower in each hand, you've got the whole fucking bouquet! You sly dog, you."
"What?! N-no, you've got it all wrong!" Izuku protested nervously, face scarlet from her close proximity.
Tsuyu frowned again upon seeing that girl whisper into his ear. Telling him to ask them to back off, perhaps? Standard bullying tactic. She would know, after all.
"What do you think you're doing with Midoriya-kun?" Mina pouted. "Give the guy a break, he hasn't even had lunch yet!"
"We haven't either." Kinoko shrugged. "Don't worry, we'll feed him!"
"F-f-feed him?" Hagakure gasped.
"No worry." Pony gave him a kind smile and an unusually strong pat on the back that nearly knocked the air out of him. "I get you burger."
"Uhh, thanks?" Izuku mumbled, wincing a bit.
"Hey, don't do that! He's fragile, handle with care!" a pink finger was pointed at the horned girl's general direction, misinterpreting her foreign friendliness as show of roughhousing and dominance. "Don't bully him!"
So his classmates really did care for him in their own way. He felt touched, but that feeling was soon overwhelmed by an immediate concern as Setsuna strode forward. Honestly, that girl sort of intimidated him with how straightforward and confident she was. To make things worse she was headed right towards Tsuyu, who was just as straightforward if not more.
"So that's how it is, eh?" the taller girl stared down at Tsuyu with the same smug grin that Izuku now realized was her default expression. "He's soooooo important to you, is that it?"
"All my friends are important to me." Tsuyu said unflinchingly whilst meeting her eyes. "And I'd very much like that one in particular unharmed."
"Yeah, what she said!" Mina chimed in.
"That's admirable, you care for your friends. So do I. And right now we—" Setsuna's smile widened, showcasing her gleaming, shark-like teeth. "—are just gonna have a small chat with him, that's it. Relax~ Ain't gonna hurt the wee lad. You can have your precious little boytoy back when we're done with him."
"B-boytoy?" Hagakure squeaked. They really were treating him like a plaything!
"We really look like the bad guys here, eh? Hah!" Setsuna nodded to her comrades, prompting a few nervous chuckles.
It seemed that the two opposing parties had completely different viewpoints; Setsuna thought she was having a bit of harmless fun, but Tsuyu was taking it seriously as she believed her friend was being bullied. As for Izuku, the poor boy appeared trapped in the middle of what was ramping up to become a catfight in the cafeteria. He wondered how he often got into weird situations like this before quickly realizing that the universe just liked screwing with him.
"Look, I don't know who you are but we're wasting time. Let's just—" Mina huffed, stepping forward.
Just as Tsuyu was about to say that there might have been some miscommunication going on Setsuna narrowed her eyes and refused to back off, instead getting up in her pink counterpart's face.
"Ooooh, feisty. So I'm wasting your time, am I?"
"That's not what I meant. Why can't you just leave him alone?"
"Can't do that, pinky. We need to have a word with him, but I promise he'll be unharmed. Pinky promise, heh."
"Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"Yeah, it is. Go on, laugh."
Oh boy. The tension in the air was rising like a rocket, and more people were starting to notice. It was hard not to, especially when two pretty girls were having a staredown inches only inches away from each other. Kinoko and Pony had also noticed something was wrong, that perhaps there'd been some sort of misunderstanding since their Class A fellows were taking this much more seriously than they had expected. With Setsuna's personality thrown into the mix, things were headed straight for catastrophe.
"U-um, Setsuna-chan—" Kinoko began.
"In a minute." Her eyes never left Mina's for a second. "Gonna have me a little starin' contest with pinky here."
"Right back at ya, lizardy!" Mina pouted, doing her absolute best not to break eye contact.
"Lizardy? Hm. It's cute, I like that. Might use it."
At that point Izuku felt that he really had to step in and break them up, but the truth was he had no idea what to say. He could feel the situation escalating out of control, knowing that he had to do something. Though his nervousness and anxiety was reaching a fever pitch in the presence of all these attractive members of the opposite sex, he still had to try.
"Um—"
""Not now."" both girls said simultaneously without even looking at him, each one unwilling to back off in their impromptu standoff.
"Listen, you seem like a nice girl so let's play nice. Why don't we all just calm down and—" Mina started.
"What if I don't wanna calm down, eh?" Setsuna smirked cruelly, voice tinged with impatience. "What if I like seeing you get all hot and bothered."
"Can you not interrupt my sentences—"
"You mean like this?"
"Hey! You know, I'm starting to think that you're really mean."
"Maybe I am. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a little busy. So why don't you make like a tree and leave?"
"Calm down, you two—" Tsuyu tried mediating only to be completely ignored when they got up in each other's faces, nearly nose-to-nose now.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"Well maybe it means you should mind your own business."
"Excuuuuuuse me?!" Mina's voice rose by several octaves.
"You heard me, pinky!" Setsuna said nastily, a growl of annoyance building up in her throat.
Kinoko and Hagakure then whirled towards the boy nervously, both of them apparently expecting him to de-escalate the situation.
""Say something, Midoriya-kun!""
"Something." Izuku mumbled weakly.
Before anyone could comment any further something small and purple darted out from the side and let out a bloodcurdling shriek, stunning everyone and interrupting the teenagers' catty argument.
"I can't take it anymore!" Mineta screeched, actual tears of jealousy flowing down his face. "HOW?! How did you get to have so many girls all at once?! It's not FAIIIIRRRR!"
"Dude, stop—" Kaminari said hurriedly, rushing out from his hiding spot to silence the minute madman.
"It's not fair! They're all fighting over him, how does he do it, HOOOOOOOOWWWW?!"
"Looks like you have your own problems to deal with." Setsuna grinned victoriously, grabbing Izuku's arm and yanking him away into the crowd. "Ta-ta, toodles!"
"What the—hey!" Mina cried, only to be distracted by another inhuman screech from Mineta.
"RRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
When she turned back it was already too late. Midoriya-kun and those girls had vanished into the crowd, gone without a trace in the split second that she wasn't looking. Mina frowned and tried to pursue until Tsuyu held out a hand, stopping her.
"Tsuyu-chan, we can still get them—"
"And then what? We waste the next ten minutes searching for them in this massive cafeteria and everyone, including Midoriya-kun, misses lunch?"
The pink-haired girl opened her mouth to retort, then sighed in defeat. "I… I dunno."
"I don't like it either, but we have no choice but to trust that girl's promise that they won't hurt him. We're beaten this time." the frog girl grunted, her expression taut. "This time, kero."
"Aww…" Hagakure said sadly in disappointment. "Mission failed."
"We'll get them next time." Tsuyu promised, giving her friend a pat on the back. "As for you two…"
She turned to Mineta and Kaminari, the two boys visibly flinching under a glare that could have frozen helium.
"This was a misunderstanding, and nothing happened." Tsuyu's voice was like the surface of a pond in winter; hard, still, and devoid of warmth. "Are we clear, kero?"
"You can take my life, but you'll never take my free—" Mineta began bravely, only to have Kaminari latch a hand over his mouth.
"C-crystal. We didn't see anything." the electric teen nodded quickly, forcing his friend to nod along as well. "Right, Mineta-kun?"
"Mppphhhpmhhh!"
"Good. Enjoy your lunch, you two." Tsuyu said slowly, the implications in her words promising consequences. "Because I don't think Midoriya-kun is gonna enjoy his."