(Kata POV – I-Island, Pavilion Entrance)
By the time we reach them, Izuku and Melissa are still facing away from us, completely absorbed in their conversation.
He speaks animatedly, filled with excitement, and blissfully unaware of us, even when we stop just a few steps behind him.
Of course, Uraraka steps forward first.
"Looks like you're having fun, Deku." She says in a light, sweet tone.
And as soon as Izuku hears her, he freezes, before suddenly jolting like he's been shocked, spinning around so fast he nearly trips over his own feet.
"Huh—?! U-Uraraka?!" He squeaks. "W-What are you doing here?!"
'The picture of innocence.' I think dryly.
Uraraka tilts her head slightly, but her smile doesn't change, remaining just as bright as before.
"Looks like you're having fun." She says.
"…You—uh—you said that already." He replies weakly, still trying to process the situation.
"Ahem." Momo steps in smoothly, drawing his attention next.
"Midoriya." She greets politely. "It seems you're enjoying yourself."
He blinks.
"Yaoyorozu?! You're here too?" His gaze then moves past her, settling on the rest of us.
He looks increasingly overwhelmed with each familiar face.
"He's having a lot of fun." Himiko cuts in, stepping forward with a playful tilt of her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she looks between him and the girl beside him. "So… what were you two up to?"
Izuku stiffens instantly.
"Hello." I say calmly, not bothering to play along with teasing him, and he latches onto it like a lifeline.
"Kata?! You're here too?!" He blurts out.
"Hello, Deku!" Eri chirps brightly from my shoulder, waving enthusiastically. "We came to the expo!"
"Eri!" His nerves ease, and he waves back to her with a smile. "But when did all of you get here…?"
His voice slowly dies down as he finally realises that instead of asking us questions, he's the one who needs to be giving answers. Especially to Uraraka, who has continued smiling silently throughout it all.
Fortunately for him, Melissa steps forward.
"Hm? Are these your friends?" She asks, looking over all of us with open curiosity.
"Y-yeah!" Izuku nods quickly. "They're my classmates. I just… I didn't mention I'd be here…" He rubs the back of his neck, clearly flustered, before gesturing toward her. "This is a friend of mine, Melissa. She's been showing me around the expo."
"It's nice to meet you all." She says with a bright, welcoming smile. "My dad and Uncle Mig—"
And she's cut off by Izuku, who instantly panics.
"Ahaha—!" He grabs her arm and quickly pulls her aside. "Wait. Just hold on a second…"
They turn slightly away, whispering urgently, leaving us to watch the spectacle.
'…Your future explanations will hold a lot more credibility.'
Through my quirk, I can tell that he doesn't want us to know he's here with All Might. And as for the others, they exchange looks but say nothing.
Well… most of them.
"Kata…" Eri leans down slightly, cupping her hands near my ear. "Why are they whispering?"
I copy her motion, whispering to her.
"Deku doesn't want us to know he's here with All Might." I murmur back.
She nods, then freezes.
"…Are we supposed to know that?" She whispers, suddenly nervous. "What do I do now?"
"Whatever you want." I reply quietly, letting out a chuckle. "You can tell the others if you want. I'd have told them anyway, if they asked."
She hesitates, before nodding firmly.
"I'll keep it safe." She whispers, determination clear in her voice.
"What are we whispering about~?" Himiko suddenly appears behind us, hugging me from behind.
"Deku's here with All Might. That's what they're whispering about." I explain.
At this point, Izuku's close relationship with All Might is common knowledge. It's just that most don't know the reasoning behind it.
"…Oh." She says, her expression flattening. "That's so boring. Thought it'd be something fun." She huffs, instantly losing interest before returning to the rest of the group… and instantly exposing the secret.
Momo looks thoughtful, while Uraraka blinks in surprise, before ultimately nodding, having rationalised it somehow.
And by the time Midoriya and Melissa turn back, the "secret" has long since been known.
Melissa smiles, entirely unfazed.
"Well then…" She says brightly. "Since we've all met, would you like to explore the Pavilion together?" She gestures toward the massive structure behind her. "I've already seen quite a few of the exhibits, so I can show you around."
"Yeah!" Midoriya nods eagerly. "There's a lot of amazing tech here. You guys are gonna love it!"
"Excellent." Momo agrees with a pleased smile. "We were just about to head inside."
And just like that, our group gained two new members.
For me, the extra company doesn't change much. But the moment we step into the Pavilion… everything changes. It's like stepping into a different world.
The light dims instantly, the absence of windows sealing the space off completely. Instead, the way the entire hall is illuminated is… breathtaking.
"Whoa…" Eri's voice is soft with wonder.
I glance up at her, and retract the helmet, letting it fold back smoothly so nothing blocks her view, and her eyes instantly widen, sparkling like the lights.
Right at the center of the Pavilion stands a colossal transparent cylinder, stretching up toward the ceiling. At its core, a glowing blue energy pulses steadily, casting ripples of light through the Pavilion.
Tiny sparks drift within it weightlessly, like fireflies suspended in a starry sky.
Above us, dozens of luminous orbs float silently, washing the space in shifting hues of sapphire, cyan, and deep violet. Along the walkways, warm golden lamps cast soft pools of amber light, balancing the cool tones and giving the entire place a calm, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Even I have to admit—
"…It looks amazing."
"Mhm!" Eri nods rapidly, practically vibrating with excitement as she tries to look everywhere at once. "It's so pretty…"
"I'm glad you like it." Melissa says with a small giggle, clearly pleased as she leads us further inside.
The deeper we go, the more the space opens up.
On either side, raised platforms display large-scale inventions, each one carefully lit, rotating slowly, or accompanied by holographic demonstrations.
Midoriya leans forward slightly, eyes already sparkling.
"I've never seen this many support items in one place…" He breathes.
"As expected of I-Island." Momo adds, equally captivated. "The level of innovation here is… extraordinary."
"I bet they've got even cooler stuff hidden somewhere." Uraraka says just as excited.
"Let's start with this one." Melissa smiles, stopping beside the first display, and we gather around.
At the center of the platform rests a sleek, curved vehicle. Its surface is smooth and its shape is aerodynamic.
"Uh…" Eri squints at it, tilting her head in deep thought, trying to identify the strange object. "…Bird?"
"Close!" Melissa laughs softly. "Good guess, Eri."
Eri perks up instantly.
"This is a multi-purpose vehicle." Melissa continues, gesturing toward the screen behind it. A video begins playing, showing the craft soaring through the sky before diving cleanly into the ocean, slicing through the water at high speed. "It can fly like a bird… and swim like a fish."
Eri gasps, her earlier guess completely validated. "That's amazing…"
"So cool!" Uraraka and Izuku say at the same time.
They both pause, before glancing at each other.
Uraraka giggles, which makes Izuku turn red and looks away shyly.
"Moving on…" Melissa says smoothly, though she's clearly amused as well.
One by one, she guides us through the exhibits.
A deep-sea diving suit capable of descending seven thousand meters deep into the ocean.
A helmet with hundreds of sensors, allowing 360-degree vision…
"That would eliminate blind spots entirely…" Momo murmurs, already deep in thought. "If we could integrate something like this into our costumes…"
Izuku is right beside her, nodding rapidly. "3-dimensional movement would be more precise, and our situational awareness would skyrocket."
They begin discussing enthusiastically, far too absorbed for the rest of us to bother them.
Uraraka joins them soon after, her earlier tension forgotten as she starts throwing out ideas of her own.
Meanwhile…
Himiko is much less concerned. Her interest in heroes is practically nonexistent, so she views the inventions as closer to toys, playing and experimenting with them without the reverence everyone else shows them.
I leave them to it and focus on Eri.
"Want to try?" I ask, gesturing toward one of the interactive displays. She nods immediately.
"Yes!" She shouts excitedly.
I help her down from my shoulder, and I take my helmet back, slotting it back over my head, fitting perfectly.
Eri reaches out, putting on the 360-degree helmet cautiously, and the device flicks to life, small projections of the surrounding appearing midair.
"Oh!" Her entire face lights up, though it's obscured by the helmet. She instantly turns back to me. "This one helps heroes see better in the dark!" She explains, mimicking Melissa's tone almost perfectly.
"So you can see better than before?" I ask in amusement.
"Mhm!" She nods, completely serious. "And… I can see everything!"
"Really?" I ask, sounding surprised. "Let's test it out." I say excitedly.
I step just out of her sight, and raise two fingers. "How many fingers do I have up?"
"Two!" She beams confidently.
"Amazing." I laugh, clapping for her, which makes her laugh in joy.
We walk with Melissa, testing every invention we were allowed to experiment with in this way. I find it extremely fun.
Not because the inventions were thrilling… but testing them with Eri… watching her explain and present each one like she built them and playing along… That's the fun part.
A few hours pass as we explore the Pavilion this way, getting through almost every invention on show.
*********
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, I decided to end it here. I had more, but it ended up dragging on, given that questions about the costume and everything up to the dinner party... I wanted to cover that in one chapter since it fits better. Plus, can't the whole chapter just be Eri propaganda?🙃
But anyway, super sweet chapters don't have much else to say about it actually, except, once again, Eri is the cutest!
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a wonderful rest of your day/night😁