Okay, let's be honest, Izuku thought as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulder. When Momo said "summer house" I imagined something big, but... this looks more like a hotel...
Himiko was the first to cross the entrance, bouncing in a way that made the hair tied up in her two buns bounce along with her.
"Inko-san, look!" Her voice echoed through the foyer as she spun around with her arms wide open. "There are windows everywhere! I bet one of them's hiding a secret room! Wouldn't that be awesome? Huge houses always have secret places! I'm gonna find it before the night's over!"
"Himiko-chan, don't run so fast! You're gonna slip!" Inko warned her, hurrying after her and making sure she didn't knock anything over, completely resigned to her new life as caretaker to a former assassin turned tourist.
Kyoka stayed under the entrance arch, looking up with her mouth slightly open. The foyer ceiling stretched up two stories to a chandelier that looked like it came straight out of a palace.
"...No matter how you look at it, this isn't a house," Jiro muttered.
"Jiro-san!" Momo let out an embarrassed laugh as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I admit it can seem a bit... excessive. My parents usually use this place when hosting international associates, so it has plenty of rooms and spaces for guests. Truly, I didn't mean for anyone to feel uncomfortable."
"Nah, I'm not uncomfortable at all," Kyoka replied, absently starting to swing one of her earphone jacks without taking her eyes off the ceiling. "I'm just starting to seriously question every financial decision I've ever made."
Ochako, a couple of steps ahead, was turning her head from side to side, completely amazed.
"Izuku-kun, look! There's a piano! And that staircase...! Why does it curve like that?!" she asked, pointing at it. "Who needs such a complicated staircase?"
"I think it's to look elegant when you come down," Izuku answered, walking beside her with a smile. "Or to make dramatic entrances. I'd trip on the first step, so I better not try."
"Ha! Well, I could totally do it!"
Ochako climbed a couple of steps and put a hand on her hip, lifting her chin in an exaggerated pose of an important lady.
"Good evening, peasants. Thank you for coming to my mansion."
Izuku looked at her for a second.
"...Terrible."
"Eeeh?!" Ochako lowered her head. "Why?! I thought it was pretty good!"
"Keep practicing," Kyoka commented from behind, with a teasing smile.
"Jiro-chan!" Ochako protested, pouting. "Don't laugh at me! I was really getting into character!"
Inko came back from the hallway and dried her hands on an apron she'd found who knows where. She seemed to have settled into the house in a matter of minutes.
"The kitchen is huge. It has everything," she commented, clearly delighted. "It's way too late now to make an elaborate dinner, but I can put together something warm before we all head to bed. I don't want anyone going to sleep on an empty stomach."
Nemuri dropped onto one of the couches and sighed as she stretched her arms.
"Fine by me, Inko-san. At this hour I don't think anyone feels like doing much else. Whatever we came here for can wait until tomorrow."
She settled between the cushions and closed her eyes.
"The sea wears everyone out..."
Kyoka glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before turning her gaze to Momo, trying to figure out if anyone was ever going to explain anything to her.
"Hey, are you guys ever gonna tell me what exactly we came here to do?"
"Tomorrow, Jiro-chan," Nemuri answered without even opening her eyes, waving a hand casually. "A little mystery is good for the heart."
Kyoka huffed and narrowed her eyes.
"Well, the mystery is already giving me a headache."
******
Outside, the beach was just a few steps from the back terrace. The tide crept in calmly, breaking gently against the shore and leaving a steady, soothing sound that contrasted with the bustle inside the house.
Ochako had slipped away from the commotion for a while and was sitting right at the water's edge, her feet buried up to the ankles. She was still in her casual clothes; she hadn't put on her swimsuit because, with night already fallen, she had no intention of getting into the sea. For now, it was enough to enjoy the cool water sliding between her toes.
Izuku didn't take long to find her. He walked over and sat down beside her on the sand, dropping his shoes next to him.
"Hey, partner!" he greeted, giving her a couple of friendly pats on the shoulder.
Ochako turned her head to him and smiled right away.
"Izuku-kun! Hi!" she answered, shifting to make space for him. "I snuck out for a bit. There were way too many people in there."
She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes under the water.
"Also... the sand at night feels super weird." She leaned toward him curiously and pointed at the shore. "Come on, touch it! It's cold, but it feels different."
Izuku sank a hand into the sand next to her.
"You're right, it's still kinda warm." He watched the water for a moment, seeing how the waves came and went, before turning his gaze back to Ochako. "Hey, I wanted to thank you for coming. Everything happened so fast and I told you at the last minute... So... um, thanks for coming with me without giving me the third degree. I knew I could count on you."
"Huh?! But it was exciting!" Ochako answered as she gave a small kick at the water. "Okay, yeah... it was pretty sudden. I ran out of my room and I think I just shoved random stuff into my suitcase!"
She put a hand behind her head, embarrassed.
"But I'm not gonna lie, Izuku-kun. The idea of going on an adventure with you to an island sounded super fun." She looked out at the sea with an excited smile. "You don't get invited to something like this every day!"
"About that... um..." Izuku scratched his cheek, visibly nervous. His smile turned more awkward. "Hehehe... uh... there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Ochako gave him a soft punch on the shoulder.
"Come on, spit it out, Izuku-kun! After everything we've been through... at this point, I don't think there's anything you could say that would embarrass me more."
Well, Izuku thought, let's hope you still feel that way when I tell you my Quirk makes boobs grow.
For a second his mind betrayed him with the memory of the time they'd accidentally kissed. He shook his head and focused back on the conversation.
"Ahem. Look, here's the thing," he started, searching for the right words so he wouldn't come off as a pervert. "I wanted to get your opinion on something. You know, you're kinda like... my voice of reason on this stuff."
Ochako blinked and felt her cheeks start to heat up.
The voice of reason...? Me?
She looked at Izuku for a second and immediately looked away.
Does Izuku-kun really think about me when he has to make a decision?
"Y-yeah... sure," she answered, trying to sound calm. "Tell me. What's up?"
Izuku watched the sea for a few seconds before deciding where to start.
"Uh... well... turns out my Quirk has a little problem. And when I say 'problem,' I mean... Ugh, it's hard to say without sounding bad. When I boost someone's Quirk, there's this side effect I hadn't noticed. Sometimes... it causes some physical changes... like making your boobs grow."
He ran a hand through his hair as he looked away.
"...Yeah. Um... I think that sounded better in my head."
Ochako put both hands on her head.
"And how am I supposed to be the voice of reason for something like that?!" She turned to him with a red face. "Izuku-kun! That's not a normal problem! It's... it's the kind of thing that makes you wanna disappear from embarrassment!"
Ochako followed the direction of his eyes and immediately understood what he was looking at. She glanced down for a moment and turned even redder.
"Izuku-kun!"
She covered herself with her arms and looked at him reproachfully.
"Hey, easy!" Izuku raised his hands right away and gave a nervous smile. "I'm not gonna do anything stupid today, I promise. I was just thinking, that's all."
"Well, look somewhere else!" Ochako protested, puffing out her cheeks as she covered herself. "And just so you know, nothing has grown on me!"
Izuku looked at her again, this time completely confused.
"Huh?"
"You heard me!" she insisted, pointing at him with an accusing finger. "Nothing's changed, okay?! So stop looking at me like you're taking notes for a science experiment, because there's nothing to write down."
But then why did Momo get a chest increase and Ochako didn't? This is weird. Or is my Quirk discriminating against Ochako? OMG, my Quirk is picky even about that!
"Wait, didn't you tell me you'd help me understand my Quirk better? I thought you were on board."
Ochako slowly lowered her arms and started fidgeting with her fingers, looking at the sand.
"Yeah... I promised, and I'm gonna keep my word," she murmured. "It's just that... it embarrasses me a little, okay? It's not as easy as it sounds!"
"That's what I don't get," Izuku answered, amused. "That it embarrasses you, after everything we've already been through. Let me remind you that one time I ended up squeezing your chest in front of the whole class."
Ochako rubbed her cheek and smiled awkwardly, her gaze drifting toward the water.
"Well... I guess some stuff still makes me nervous," she murmured with a shy smile. "Besides, when we use the booster I feel like my Quirk responds in a completely different way. It's like all of a sudden I can do something that used to be really hard for me."
She shrugged.
"And yeah, I like that feeling. But that doesn't mean it stops being embarrassing to talk about with you, Izuku-kun. I can feel both things at once, right?"
Izuku opened his mouth, torn between asking her if he could read her manual again or leaving the subject for another day when his physical wellbeing wouldn't be in as much danger.
Before he could decide, he heard a voice from the terrace.
"Uraraka-san! Midoriya-san!"
They both looked up. Momo was standing by the railing waving a hand at them.
"Before we all go to bed, I thought we could take a little tour of the house," she explained with a smile. "It's fairly large and it would be better if everyone knew where their rooms are. Would you like to come with me?"
Ochako looked toward the lit-up mansion, and her expression shifted from relief to a new kind of doubt.
A tour?
She looked back at the house.
Wait... is it so big we need a tour just to not get lost?
Izuku stood up first, brushing sand off his pants, and held out his hand to her.
"Come on, I'll help you." She looked at him, and he added with an utterly unconvincing seriousness, "I'm practicing this whole being a good citizen thing, so take advantage while it lasts."
"Ha, ha!" Ochako let out a laugh and took his hand. "Well, with how clueless you are, I'd say you've got about five minutes!"
"Five minutes..." Izuku nodded. "That's my personal record. I'm really outdoing myself today."
"Your record?!"
The two of them ended up laughing as they walked into the Yaoyorozu mansion.
******
The tour turned out to be quite a bit longer than Ochako had imagined. Momo led them through several hallways lined with portraits, showed them a dining room with a huge table, and when they got to the two-story library, Kyoka stood staring at the shelves for a few seconds.
"I could live here," she murmured.
"Right?" Momo replied. "My mother always said that a good library..."
Izuku kept walking, half-listening to the conversation. With every room they passed, he kept thinking about what else a house like this could have.
Huge house by the sea... rich family...
He put his hands in his pockets.
There have to be hot springs.
He glanced sideways at Momo.
Please, let there be hot springs. A house like this can't fail at that. This is the classic moment where the protagonist accidentally discovers the girls are on the other side of the wall and...
"There aren't any hot springs, by the way," Momo commented over her shoulder, stopping in front of a door. "My father always said it was a waste to build something like that right next to the sea. That said, every room has its own private bath."
...And there died my dream, Izuku thought, feeling an invisible tear roll down his cheek. Goodbye, hot spring scene. We didn't have much time together but I loved you dearly.
At least there was someone in the group whose enthusiasm didn't depend on any anime cliché.
"Izuku-kun, look, this room has its own bathroom!" Himiko shot out of one room to jump into the next. "And this one too! So cool!"
"Yeah, it's a huge house, Toga-chan," Izuku said, following her with his eyes, wanting to share her excitement.
"Huge!" Himiko turned in the hallway and flashed him a radiant smile. "I could hide bodies here and nobody would find them for years! It's perfect!"
"Pfffff"
Momo, who was opening the next door, jumped and let out a forced laugh.
"Ha... haha..." She rushed over to Izuku and lowered her voice. "T-that was a joke, right, Midoriya-san?"
Izuku felt one of his eyebrows twitch.
Maybe I should start hiding the sharp objects around the house before Himiko takes inventory, he thought, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she opened a closet with way too much interest.
Instead of saying something incriminating, he gave Momo a few pats on the back, which only ended up making her more nervous than before.
Further back, at the end of the line, Yu leaned toward Nemuri.
"Hey, you sure that kid isn't a villain?"
Nemuri shrugged, without breaking her stride.
"No clue, I met her at the hospital." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I like her. The ones who are a little scary are always the most interesting at a party."
"..."
******
The house gradually fell into silence as the night wore on. Inko had left a plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk on the kitchen table before going to bed, and Izuku, unable to resist, had sat down to eat alone, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Momo appeared in the doorway and stood watching him with determination. She took a step toward him and then, to his surprise, crossed both arms over her chest and firmly covered herself.
"W-what did I do now?" he asked, watching the gesture with confusion.
"Ahem." Momo lifted her chin slightly. "Midoriya-san, I've started to notice a pattern in your behavior. Every time the conversation becomes uncomfortable for you, you find some way to change the subject. And while I normally wouldn't mind letting it slide... not this time. So we're going to talk this through calmly. I want you to tell me what we really came to do on this island."
Izuku blinked, realizing why she had covered her chest before starting to speak.
Every time Momo slipped into her scientist mode and launched into her endless explanations, the method he'd used to bring her back down to earth had always been, without exception, a squeeze of her boobs.
He looked down at his glass of milk. Then at Momo's chest.
Okay. I'm not gonna deny I just had a perverted thought.
He shook his head to chase those thoughts away and took Momo's hands, accidentally brushing her generous chest in the process.
Oops, I swear that wasn't in the script.
"Ahem... My dear Momo," he said, recovering his composure at admirable speed. "Do you really think I'd change such a serious conversation in such a vulgar way, when you lent me a place like this?" He let go of one of her hands to gesture at the entire interior of the mansion.
"Yes."
"..."
Wow. I thought she'd at least hesitate for a second.
"O-okay? That answer was way too fast, Momo. I don't know what kind of image you have of me."
Momo didn't pull her hands away from his. Within the strict, refined upbringing she'd grown up with, this sort of gesture and conversation wasn't exactly what she'd been taught to consider appropriate. And yet, with Izuku they turned out to be strangely... exciting.
Since she'd met him, her life seemed to have gotten a little more unpredictable. Sometimes she even scolded herself for not stopping him with the same firmness she'd used on any other boy who behaved inappropriately.
Maybe... because Izuku-kun really is too clueless to do it on purpose.
"I don't have a bad image of you, Midoriya-san."
Izuku let out a sigh of relief and gave her a smile.
"Ah, good..."
"However," Momo continued, "considering your extensive history of inappropriate comments, I'd say your ability to steer a serious conversation into vulgarity is... comparable to Mineta-san's."
"..."
"T-that was even worse than saying yes..."
Momo brought a hand to her lips, trying to hold back a smile.
"See? Even you know I'm right."
"I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to ask you."
"And I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to let you into my mansion."
Izuku looked at her in silence for a few seconds.
"...Touché."
---
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