Chapter 42: Chapter 41
After a short train and taxi ride, Izuku found himself on a private road circling a massive gated estate, complete with its own forest, a private lake, and a European-style mansion that kind of reminded Izuku of the White House.
"I wonder if I could afford something like this..." muttered Izuku. Then, immediately dismissing such thoughts, he pressed the intercom on the ornate sliding gate bearing the name 'Yaoyorozu.' A few seconds later, a female voice asked, "Yes, how may I be of assistance?"
Since he didn't recognize the voice, Izuku presumed it to be one of Yaoyorozu's servants, answering, "My name is Izuku Midoriya. I'm here to attend the Class 1-A Post-Festival Celebration."
Without hesitation, the voice responded, "Ah, yes, Ojou-sama has been expecting you. Please wait there or walk along the main road leading to the estate. One of the servants will arrive shortly to escort you."
"That won't be necessary," replied Izuku, adding, "I'll be there in a few seconds."
"Then someone will be at the front door to receive you," responded the woman, promptly cutting the connection the moment she was finished.
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As Izuku was the last to arrive, the other members of Class 1-A, sans Todoroki, were waiting for him in an enormous dining room housing a large fireplace, multiple chandeliers, and a rectangular table more than 20m in length.
"Oh, hey, Midoriya-kun! It's about time the man of the hour showed up!" exclaimed Kirishima, the first to notice Izuku's entrance.
Spurred by Kirishima's remark, most of the other members of Class 1-A offered greetings of their own. Yaoyorozu, in particular, came right up to him, smiling radiantly as she said, "Welcome to my family's Summer Villa, Midoriya-kun. It pleases me that you were able to make it."
Resisting the urge to ask if this was really just the Yaoyorozu Family's Summer dwelling, Izuku returned a smile of his own, responding, "I'm thankful for the opportunity. Both to be here and to see you in casual clothes. Very nice."
Contrasting the school uniform Izuku usually saw her in, Yaoyorozu was wearing a short-sleeved red polo over some white, formfitting shorts that displayed most of her creamy white legs and thighs. She liked to be able to use her Quirk at a moment's notice, so short-sleeve shirts, shorts, and skirts were her go-tos when it came to casual wear.
Cupping her right cheek, Yaoyorozu exuded a bit of 'ara-ara' energy as she said, "Oh, Midoriya-kun. Ever quick with the compliments, I see. Not that I don't appreciate them~."
Raising his brows slightly, Izuku remarked, "I see you're in a particularly bubbly mood today."
Adopting a radiant smile like a cool Summer day, Yaoyorozu explained, "This is the first time I've brought friends over. The mansion is usually very quiet, so it's nice to have so many people present."
As her Grandfather was part of I-Island's Board of Directors, and her parents were constantly traveling around the world to support various humanitarian efforts, Yaoyorozu often lived alone. She wouldn't describe herself as lonely, as there were servants and aides to tend to her every need, but she couldn't help being happy to have friends over. So much so that she seemed to be exuding a subtle yet incredibly bouncy 'glow.'
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With the celebration wrapping up around 5 PM and the return trip taking around half an hour, Izuku and Toru were, unfortunately, unable to go out for karaoke. They also lived in different directions, so when Yaoyorozu was preparing cabs for everyone to return, Izuku ended up sharing a ride with Ochaco. She lived in a rent-free apartment provided by the school for 'low-income' students, so she lived fairly close to the campus, only a single train stop away.
As the cabs Yaoyorozu rented were all luxury shuttles(black, armor-plated limousines), Ochaco was visibly nervous as she sat across from Izuku, awkwardly pointing out, "I knew Yaoyorozu-san was suuuuper rich, but knowing something is quite a bit different from experiencing it directly. I never thought I'd have the chance to try caviar during a celebration with classmates..."
Hearing Ochaco's comment, the thought of annulling her family's debts briefly appeared in Izuku's mind. However, as he had already decided to leave it to the Principal, and because he didn't want Ochaco to feel even more indebted to him, he quickly suppressed it, stating, "It was quite the experience. Though, if I'm being honest, I would rather live in a medium-sized home with my family than some mansion. Unless they're a pro, no person 'needs' a private tennis court..."
Regaining her usually bubbly smile, Ochaco replied, "I know, right? It all seems so...extra. My goal when I became a Hero was to ensure my family could live happily without worrying about money. But that...just the house tour left me completely exhausted..."
"Yeah, it was a little excessive," responded Izuku. Then, as Ochaco had brought it up, he asked, "Is your goal really just to provide for your family? If that's the case, you could probably make more money as an assistant researcher on I-Island than a Pro Hero. Humanity may not be making any meaningful progress into space right now, but a Quirk like yours would be a tremendous asset for testing equipment and conditioning astronauts for spacewalks."
Blinking several times, Ochaco's brain seemed to be working overtime for a few seconds before she rubbed the back of her head, an awkward smile returning to her face as she admitted, "You know, I never even thought of that..."
Regaining a bit of her vigor, Ochaco pumped her fist and added, "Though, now that I've decided to become a Hero, I intend to see it through to the end!"
Nodding in approval, a somewhat affectionate smile tinged Izuku's face as he said, "That's great. Your power is super useful for helping people, and with adequate Support items, you could easily become one of the top female Heroes."
Reverting to her awkward state, like there was some kind of switch for it in her mind, Ochaco exhaled a nervous laugh, once again rubbing the back of her head as she said, "Let's hope the agency that accepts me has those kinds of resources. Support items are pretty expensive, especially if you have them custom-made..."
"There's no denying that," said Izuku. "However, I don't think you'll have any problems. If you befriend someone from the Support Department or become good friends with Yaoyorozu-san, you're good to go."
Though he was tempted to point out that she could also join the agency he intended to create, Izuku left that for a later date. Ochaco was one of the girls crushing on him the hardest, so if he suddenly asked if she wanted to be a part of his future team, it would presumably become her entire motivation. In other words, if things didn't work out between them, it could derail her entire career.
"I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it..." admitted Ochaco. "I just don't think I could take advantage of someone's friendship like that. If Yaoyorozu-san suddenly started gifting me expensive items or clothes, I think my brain might short-circuit..."
"I can totally see that," mused Izuku, exhaling a light chuckle as Ochaco slightly puffed her cheeks. The latter had spent much of her life wanting nothing more than to ensure her family was happy and healthy, so money was more of a burden to her than something she genuinely desired. It just so happened that money was 'necessary' to guarantee those two things, so, like most people living at or below the middle-class line, Ochaco had no choice but to pursue it.
Shifting the conversation in a beneficial direction, for both of them, Izuku suggested, "How about this? Remember me mentioning having you help with the development of Support items? If you help Mei-san and me with developing new equipment, we can provide you the prototypes for Field Testing. I'm thinking of creating a trademark in the future, so you could even become the brand's Poster Girl. You're certainly cute enough."
With Izuku reminding her of their conversation the previous day, Ochaco's thoughts began to meander. She was listening to what he was saying, but her primary concern was the agreement they had made. When she looked up Mirko costumes online, even the cheapest one cost more than a million Yen. Unless she settled for a cheap Halloween knock-off, she had no idea how she would afford one...
"You still with me, Ochaco-san?" asked Izuku, noticing the former's blank stare.
Coming back to her senses, Ochaco smiled awkwardly and replied, "Yeah, sorry about that, Izuku-kun. I got a little distracted. But yeah, if you think I'll be able to help, I'd be happy to lend my assistance. I don't know much about engineering or Support items, but I'll do my best!"
Witnessing Ochaco regain her vigor for the umpteenth time, Izuku's smile softened into an appreciative look. He also had a good idea why her mind had wandered, so he surprised her by saying, "I sent in the order for your Mirko outfit last night. I'm looking forward to seeing you try it on."
"Eh...?"
Overcoming her initial confusion, Ochaco's face began to turn red as she waved her hands in front of her and exclaimed, "No, no, no, that wasn't a part of our agreement! I'm supposed to be 'rewarding' you, not the other way around...!"
Raising his brows, Izuku countered, "Are you kidding me? I get to see a cute girl wear a bunny outfit in private. That's an opportunity some would pay an arm and a leg for."
Preempting Ochaco's response, Izuku added, "Don't get too excited. To be honest, I actually bought multiple versions of the outfit since I didn't know which would fit you. If any of the other girls in our Class are foolish enough to make a wager with me, I was planning to distribute them over time. Who knows, maybe a day will come when I get to see everyone in a bunny girl costume? Hahahaha~"
Adopting a somewhat accusatory, pouty expression, Ochaco narrowed her eyes at Izuku and asked, "You really like Mirko-san, don't you, Izuku-kun...?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku admitted, "Well, she is my favorite Pro Heroine. It would be significantly stranger if I didn't."
"Then if she offers you an internship, will you accept it?" asked Ochaco.
Since it wasn't something he could keep a secret, Izuku revealed, "She has, and I already have."
Blinking in surprise, Ochaco needed a moment to process Izuku's words before asking, "Wait, seriously? But isn't Mirko super famous for being a Solo Hero? As far as I'm aware, she doesn't even have an Agency. How are you supposed to intern with her?"
"Who knows?" answered Izuku. "She approached me after the Sports Festival and asked if I wanted to intern with her, so I accepted without hesitation. As for what I'll be doing for the internship? She said she was going to show me the ropes of being a Solo Hero."
With Izuku being the winner of the Sports Festival, Ochaco wasn't too surprised to learn a Hero had approached him directly. She did, however, feel a peculiar sense of 'urgency.' She doubted anything would happen, but with Mirko being Izuku's favorite Heroine, the chances weren't zero that something might.
Catching Izuku a little off guard, Ochaco abruptly asked, "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
Without actually waiting for Izuku to respond, Ochaco moved from her seat and plopped down next to him with zero distance between them. There was space for up to five people on the long leather seat, but she elected to sit right next to him, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she gazed up at him and asked, "How soon until the costume arrives?"
Though he hadn't actually placed the order yet, Izuku confidently replied, "It should arrive sometime tonight or tomorrow morning." Any competent Support Company had priority and overnight shipping, so if he forked over an additional fee, Izuku was certain they could get it to him within a few hours.
Adopting a broad smile, Ochaco said, "Then it's settled. Unless you have something better to do, bring them to school, and then we can go over to my place to try them on. I'm worried you'll think the costume looks dumb on me after you spend time with the actual Mirko, so this is the best time to try it out."
Without hesitation, Izuku replied, "Sounds good to me. But I am a little curious about something..."
Tilting her head to the side, Ochaco asked, "What is it...?" with an innocent look.
Turning his face to meet Ochaco's gaze completely, Izuku's smile gained a hint of playfulness as he asked, "Did you really need to sit next to me to say this?"
Instead of answering Izuku's question, Ochaco adopted an expression akin to an abandoned puppy as she asked, "Can I not sit next to you...?"
Shaking his head, Izuku's smile softened as he replied, "On the contrary. I'm glad you did..." before holding out his left hand, palm-side up. Ochaco was a little confused by his actions at first, but after several seconds had passed, she blushingly linked her fingers through his for the remainder of the car ride...
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(A/N: *Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal starts playing over the car's speakers*)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone