Ochako slammed her alarm, letting it auto play the local news as she began changing into casual clothes. Her entire day was planned out to a t, she would be there the SECOND the store was open.
After finishing she grabbed her phone and pop tart, slipping on her flops and running out the door. She had to make the bus at just the right moment. Fifty seconds. She wished she would have joined her friends at the amusement park, but this was far too important.
The bus came, which meant it would take about two minutes to get there. If she was lucky, there would still be at least half a shelf left of Mochi. She cursed inwardly. Why did her favorite food have a 'one per customer' policy!? It was too good to have only one at a time!
If Iruma was with her, he'd probably eat the whole shelf without even knowing it, the guy could really pack it in. Maybe when the next sale came, they could go and shop together! He needed to learn how to handle money…and numbers…there was a lot her cutest…CLOSEST friend needed to learn about. Exams were coming up, so maybe they could study together…alone…just the two of them in a room…with nobody….
And that was her stop. She jumped off the bus and made a run for it, determined to not slow down even the slightest. She would get there, she would earn this! Forget the old lady crossing the street, the last time you helped her she broke your ankle, Uraraka! In this battlefield, mercy didn't exist!
Okay, okay, she entered the store now, the asle being fifteen seconds away if she sped walked there. She had to make this count. If nothing else interrupted her day, she could rest easily at home with a nice plate of…
"Uraraka?" Ochako turned, and saw Yaoyorozou and Tsu approaching her.
"Oh, Yaoyorozou, Tsu, you're here too?" She bit her tongue. They probably weren't here for the Mochi…probably. She didn't feel like spilling blood over Mochi, but if it came to that…
"Yeah, we decided to get a little shopping done, Ribbit." Tsu responded with her usual croak. "What about you?"
"Mochi sale, wanna get there before anyone else." She huffed. "What are you guys getting?"
"I don't know, I've never been to the mall before. I'm excited to shop until we drop." She had two thousand yen before she dropped. Then again maybe she could moch off of Yaoyorozu, it was mean but the girl was loaded enough it likely wouldn't scratch. "Why don't we shop together? The more, the merrier, right?"
"Absolutely!" Free Mochi, here she comes!
==
Yaoyorozu was ecstatic! Her first shopping trip, a pleasure girl friends had with one another. Surely this would be something she couldn't mess up. It wasn't like this was the sports festival, where she needed to keep her guard up at all times, she just needed to talk casually and keep a cool head. "So you're here for Mochi?" She asked Uraraka.
"Oh yeah, It's my favorite! There's just so many flavors to try out, it's practically endless!" Uraraka squealed. "I'm gonna buy enough to make a big feast for my folks!"
"Aren't the parents supposed to do the cooking?" Tsu asked. Oh dear, she hoped this wasn't another Iruma situation.
"Oh, I guess, but I've been cooking for myself for a while." Uraraka said sheepishly. "My parents are pretty busy with their jobs, but I've been able to live freely in one the the apartments they helped construct. I just thought I'd do something nice for them to show my appreciation."
"You live on your own?" Momo knew that all children left the house one day, obviously, to do it so young is … admirable. What did she do other than use her parent's money?
"Yeah, the apartment's closer to UA than my home, so it just makes it easier." The girl smiled. "Are you going on a shopping spree too?"
"Yeah, we're low on flies." … She couldn't tell if it was a joke or not with that face. "Also thought I could get something else to go along with my appreciation letter. My parents work all the time too. Before UA, I looked after my little brother and sister a lot around the house. They cut back a little on the hours just to give me the time to attend."
It seemed both her friends were admirable. What did she do before U.A? She studied aot, but that was for her quirk, her own benefit? What had she done to help others? What has she done lately to prove her worth? Did she even deserve to be their Class President, to be their friend? What-
"HEATHENIST SCUM!" Well there was a familiar shout. The girls ran, making their way to a member of class 1-B, Ibara Shiozaki. Her face was red and her eyes had puff to them, symptoms of hayfever. "You'll suffer the lord's wrath for your transgressions against this fine establishment!" She kept shouting, while in the midst of sneezing and coughing violently.
"Shiozaki, are you okay?" Uraraka walked over and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why did you come out to the mall if you were so sick?"
"I was in good health before a loathsome sinner crossed my path!" The vine girl sneezed. "I-ACHOO-I was simply admiring the plants the store had on display when I noticed a sickly-ACHOO-and sweaty man wandering the women's-ACHOO-undergarment section of the store. I grew suspicious and intended to make him-ACHOO-confess his sinful intentions-ACHOO! Bu-but he devoured the plants and sprayed a yellow mist in my fa-ACHOO!"
"Here, I may have something for this." Momo concentrated a small portion of her quirk in her hand and created a small red pill. "Allergy relief. It should clear away most of the symptoms for the moment." One of the first things she studied for her quirk was medication ingredients
"I know it's a bad moment, but can I point out how funny it is that the plant user got hay fever?" Uraraka was right, it was a bad moment if the vines looking like they wanted to strangle her were any indication.
"I don't appreciate the cruel irony of the situation, wench." Shiozaki growled before taking the pill. "I only wished I could've stopped that man from partaking in his perversions. He ran off with an undergarment as he assaulted me."
"We should probably locate mall security then." Momo began looking around.
"I'd agree, but he made it personal against women kind." Asui states blandly. "Now it's time for action, I say we find him and beat him to a pulp."
"I couldn't agree more." The vine haired girl nodded instantly. "I won't rest until he's been grounded into mulch and left to become food for the lowly worms and maggots of the underworld.
"Let's teach him a lesson." Uraraka cracked her hands menacingly.
… And here she was thinking of the reasonable option … she really was holding everyone back. "Alright, let's do it as discreetly as possible though." She relented with a sigh. "We don't need assault charges on our records." Iruma and the other's were lucky to get out of the Hosu incident virtually unscathed.
==
To Tsu, it seemed like Ibara was the one 1-B student they kept running into. She understood why that was, she liked Iruma like Toru and possibly Ochako did, so whenever the boy was involved in anything, she seemed to pop up from almost out of nowhere. She was a bit stern and a little overzealous with her religious beliefs, but she wasn't Momona, so that alone made her likable.
However, this moment was a sheer coincidence of unprecedented levels. "So what were you doing here anyway? I never really took you for someone who hangs out at the mall." She asked bluntly.
"I genuinely don't shop for myself most of the time, I try to stray away from the materialistic temptations of the world." Again, overzealous. "But Suzuki Iruma mentioned he doesn't appear to have much of anything at all, so…I thought I could provide a nice offering for my angel."
"Oh, if we're getting something for Iruma, maybe we can go halfsies on a gift. Like cooking gear, or a sleeping bag, or maybe a diary." Ochako listed off. "He's a pretty big eater, so almost anything involving food will make his day."
"They do say the way to a man's heart is through their stomach." Momo added. She couldn't tell if that was just general knowledge or if the rich girl learned that through First Love Memories. At moments like this, Iruma wasn't the only little kid in class.
"Maybe I should take some cooking lessons then. I wonder if anyone in class knows …" Ibara trailed off. "He's there." They turned, watching a sweaty man in a hoodie come out of a bathroom. This was gonna be gross. "YOU HEATHENOUS SCUM! You'll pay for your perverted actions today! In the name of the lord, you shall pay!"
Once again, overzealous, but in this instance, it was warranted just a bit. "You ruined the element of surprise!" Momo shouted, somewhat right as she made herself a net gun.
"Wait, wait, it's not what you think!" The man tried to defend himself.
"You stole women's underwear and then went into the bathroom! Tell me you didn't do what we're all thinking you did!" Ochako painted the gross picture she wanted to burn from her memories now. The girl lifted a bench off the ground, no gravity, and tossed it straight at the creep.
"Women-no, they weren't..but that explains.." The guy muttered, barely ducking away from the bench and grabbed ahold of a nearby bed of flowers. "You wouldn't understand at all!" He started forcing the plants into his mouth.
"We understand perfectly. Your quirk spreads hay fever as long as you send the gaseous remnants of plant life you consume into the air." Momo handed each of them gas masks she had created seconds prior, and all of them immediately placed them on their faces.
"Please, this is a misunderstanding, I-" The was cut off by Ochako getting in close, grabbing the man and putting him into an armlock, twisting it with enough force to make him scream, before she let up just a bit. "Please, this is a mistake, I thought I was in the men's section."
"You didn't notice that all the clothes were made to fit smaller frames, or the frills, or the numerous amounts of pink in the room?" Tsu said with neutral disbelief.
"I didn't notice until the bathroom, I was too busy being chased by her." He gestured to Ibara. "Please I … I … just needed a replacement." The man admitted.
"Disgusting." Ibara looked away, and Ochako looked like she was seconds from letting the man go to sanitize herself.
"I was on a date and ruined mine, I couldn't go back without pants so I just took whatever I could grab." The man was in tears at this point. "I'm sorry."
"Ruined…" Momo tilted her head, before suddenly looking like she was about to gag. "You actually solid your pants…on a date?" Yeah, that was still pretty gross, and laughably embarrassing that she doubted even someone as childish as Iruma would do something so juvenile.
"Why didn't you just go commando then?" Tsu pointed out the obvious solution to this frankly STUPID problem.
"Going commando on a date? That's just embarrassing … she's way better than I could be … I need to be at my best." He wasn't wrong.
"I wouldn't have minded." A woman came up. "I like you, underwear or not, Suzuki." Okay, one, that was weird for anyone to say no matter the context, and two, WOW, wasn't that the mother of all coincidences.
"Myuki, I'm sorry, I just…" The man didn't get to finish his apology as Ibara began strangling the man's neck.
"You defile my angel by sharing his name, you blasphemous scum!"
"Hey Ibara, calm down!" Ochako let go of the man, now attempting to stop Ibara from tearing him to pieces.
"Unhand me wench!"
"I don't own a wrench!" Oh, so density was just a class thing then. Tsu sighed, the next three years were going to be a hassle weren't they?
==
Ibara took a sip of the moca Yaoyorozu so graciously paid for, may she be blessed. "This is delightful." She needed something to calm her nerves after dealing with the demon parading himself as her angel.
"It's the least I could do." Yaoyorozu gave a small nod. "I'm not sure how I feel dealing with that man. It's a shame what happened during his date, but he could've been…you know…"
"Not dumber than a bag of bricks?" Asui spoke the harsh truth of the matter.
"Yes, thank you. I can't believe he never even noticed. Could you imagine one of the boys getting stuck in women's clothing?" … Now that image was stuck in her head, great. The wench took a large sip of her tea while flushing, likely thinking horrible thoughts.
"I mean…Iruma probably wouldn't look bad in a dress…." THAT LUSTROUS SUCCUBUS! How dare she taint the image of her angel! Now the image was even more vivid!
"Could be worse, according to Tokoyami he wore a white T and cargo shorts to the amusement park." Asui added into the conversation. That didn't sound too bad, if a bit uncreative. "Along with crocs."
"He really is a little kid. I worry about him alot." Yaoyorozu added with a sigh. "Coming to UA without his quirk under control, barely knowledgeable about the outside world. It must be a lot for Iruma to take in all at once."
"But it's like that girl earlier." The wench lazily munched on a biscuit. "You take the good and bad, no matter how extreme they are. I understand it completely." The smile on her face was so serene.
"So you admit to having a crush on him." Asui, once again, stated very bluntly. She wanted nothing more than to pound the girl into the manure where she…no, don't let anger overwhelm you again. You don't need another Hagakure situation.
"I-I…It doesn't matter if I do! He's learned so much since coming to UA! If he gets into a relationship now, it'll only slow him down, and I don't want either of us getting distracted." That was oddly noble of her. Maybe she really did misjudge her.
"First Love Memory states that is a very bad idea, you know." Yaoyorozu stated.
"That book has zombie demons from the fifth dimension, I'm not going to it for love advice."
"Just saying, you're not the only one that likes him, regardless of whether or not your point is valid." Yaoyorozu indeed spoke the truth. Hagakure was still an obstacle in her way. She may have been hasty in her judgment, but she wouldn't change how her heart felt on the matter.
"Well, our motto is Plus Ultra, isn't it?" Ibara brought her own point. "There are times when we need others to push ourselves further than we ever could alone." Iruma and her placed high in the Sports Festival together, because they helped each other…she would push herself and her angel even higher.
"I guess you're right." Asui drank some more. "We should really hang out more, besides Monoma your class doesn't seem so bad."
"He and Vlad-sensei are the only ones that care about competition." Well there was Tetsutetsu, but that was more mono on mono duels at sunset sort of thing, and Kurio with … whatever occult he had going on against the raven. "It has been a pleasant experience hanging around you though. I wish to continue these moments together as well."
"Oh, we can trade numbers then!" The wen-Uraraka took out her phone. "Do you have Iruma's number? I can give it to you if you want."
"I only have a landline, but I'll take the offer anyway." Ibara felt like a school girl in those movies, sitting around in bed on the phone speaking with boys … the indecency!
==
Toru finally did it, took a few days to find due to how far it was from the city, but she finally found Iruma-kun's address thanks to Nedzu's papers. An ongoing but closed investigation … that concerned her, but other things could happen she supposed.
She took off her clothes, keeping a distance so Iruma-kun didn't notice, other than an odd feeling he was being watched. "Seriously, is someone looking at me or something?" After a few weeks she figured out how to hide just a tad from him. She just needed to stay twelve feet away from him and make sure to hide behind anything that could cover her shadow. Her soulmate's ability to always notice her was a double-edge sword in this case.
The boy opened the door as she crawled through an air vent, careful to not cause too much noise. "Mom, dad, I'm home!" He shouted out with … less innocence than usual. Red flag number one.
"Welcome home sweetie, how did you spend your day?" The mother asked.
"Writing letters for a school project and training my body to get stronger." There was less excitement in his voice. Iruma-kun was usually happy even if something mundane happened, so there was clearly something wrong here.
"That's nice. Do you have this week's rent? We spent a little too much on the cruise we took last week, and it would be nice if you'd help us out just a little bit." The father patted Iruma-kuns head.
"Okay!" The familiar immediate response he always had to 'please'. Red flag number two. She clenched her fist tightly, keeping audio only to confirm suspicion. She knew the parents were bad but … THIS BAD?
"Such a good boy. Always so well behaved and trained." The mother gave her own head pat, talking down to him like he was some sort of house pet. "You're so useful now that you have a quirk, you can help your parents get so much money now." DID THEY NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF SHAME!?
"I'll do my best mom, I'll make you both happy." He responded to what was likely the only form of affection he got raised on, considering he was effectively quirkless through the years.
"Such a big amount too, I'm guessing that recent control lets you lift more at the lumber yard?" The dad asked.
"Yeah, it … helps."
"That's our boy. As a reward, how about you sleep inside tonight? We won't need the couch since we can afford a second TV soon." And Red flag number three, they were stricken out. As soon as she got every answer she would make them suffer. But she needed to be careful, she can't let the system take her Iruma-kun away. Think logically.
As Hagakure moved to get a closer look, she accidently created a loud thump. The family quieted down, listening. She had been found out! "Damn it, the raccoons are back." Thank god, they were all morons. "Let's turn on the sharp fans." MOVE MOVE MOVE!