For any student, the "Big Three" of the school day are, naturally: Lunch, Break Time, and After School.
To me, this is an indisputable fact of life, but occasionally you get people who ramble on about "studying" or "club activities." I won't deny them their personal tastes, but I will stand firm in my conviction: those three windows are the only reason school exists at all!
With that in mind, in order to enjoy the "After School" portion of the Big Three at 100% power, I had summoned the Class A girls for a meeting.
Mina, the self-appointed Boss of the Class A Girls' Association, stood before us with her hands on her hips, voice booming.
"Sound off!"
"One!" I kicked things off with plenty of energy. The others followed suit.
"Two-ya!" (Ochaco)
"Three. Ribbit." (Tsuyu)
"Four. Present." (Momo)
"Five! Five! Five! FIIIIIIIIIVE!!" (Toru)
"..."
We were all waiting for a high-energy "Six," but Jiro, the last in line, didn't say a word.
What gives?
Under our expectant gazes, she let out a resigned sigh and spoke up with a blush.
"...Six." (Roku)
"Roku! Like Rock! Air guitar shredding noises!"
"Rock and roll! Bass slapping sounds!"
"The word was made for you, Jiro! Techno-synth noises!"
"""YES! ROCK AND ROLL!"""
Thwack-thwack-thwack! Three crisp sounds echoed through the room.
Mina, Toru, and I each took an Earphone Jack slap to the cheek. Man, that stung.
"Shut up, you three idiots! This is exactly why I didn't want to say it! ...And Toru! That's a koto pose, not a guitar!"
"Whoops! My mistake!"
Honestly, we were just trying to hype her up with a pun on her number and her "Rock" personality, but Jiro seemed genuinely miffed. Talk about hard to please.
"Geez, Mina. This is scary. Is this the face of a modern teenager who's quick to anger?"
"You're right, Niko. This is the raw, unfiltered reality of today's youth. It's lamentable. Back in my day... right, Toru?"
"So lamentable. She needs more calcium. And... probably some more calcium on top of that."
"""Truly~"""
"Listen, you 'modern youth' wannabes. Stop the stupid comedy routine and get moving. We're leaving."
Sensing that Jiro was about to actually lose her cool, I gave Mina the "wrap it up" signal, and we got back on track.
The main point of today was to hold a "Girls' Night" (well, evening) to exchange info after our internships. Honestly, I just wanted to play and relax, but if I made that too obvious, the "Serious Duo"—Tsuyu and Momo—might not have come. So, we kept it official.
What's that? Is Ochaco not part of the Serious Duo?
Nah, she's fine. She's been dyed in my colors for a while now; she's always down for the bit.
So, we all headed to the bowling alley at a massive amusement complex one station over from U.A. It was a shame Tsuyu had to get home early to make dinner for her siblings—meaning we only had time for one game—but we weren't going to let that stop us. We were going to enjoy every second of it.
What about the boys? Who knows. Probably around somewhere? They mentioned doing their own "after-party" thing.
We hit the counter, handled the paperwork, rented shoes, and headed to our lane. I made sure we didn't forget to grab drinks and snacks on the way.
As we walked, I noticed Tsuyu and Momo looking around with wide, curious eyes. When I asked what was up, they both admitted they'd never been bowling before. Momo, I could understand, but Tsuyu was a surprise.
"Ribbit. My middle school banned students from going to bowling alleys or arcades alone. Of course, some people ignored the rules."
My middle school didn't ban it, but the teachers definitely gave you "the look" if they caught you there.
"What about with your parents?"
"My parents travel for work a lot, so our days off rarely match up. Even when they did, I wanted them to use that time to actually rest..."
As Tsuyu gave us that timid smile, I could swear I saw a halo behind her head. She's too cute. She's too pure. The natural "Good Girl Aura" radiating from her was literally purifying my soul. Around us, the other girls were covering their faces or dabbing at their eyes.
It was working. The Pure Beam was hitting everyone.
"To be honest, I was a little jealous," Tsuyu continued. "I know it's wrong to break school rules, but seeing everyone go out and have fun together... I sometimes wished the rules didn't exist. Though, I was so busy with studies and housework that I probably couldn't have gone anyway."
The sight of Tsuyu's lonely profile was enough to stop a passing guy in his tracks, clutching his heart as if he'd been shot. She was firing off an indiscriminate "Adorable Cannon," and everyone was a casualty.
"That's why I'm so happy today. To be here with all of you... it's like a dream. I feel bad that we can only stay for a little while because of me, but I'm just so happy—ribbit?!"
"Captain Mina! I've apprehended the dangerous biological weapon!"
"Good work, Private Niko! To prevent further casualties among the civilian population, escort her to the lane immediately! Toru, lead the way!"
"On it!"
"Ribbit?! Ri-Ribbit?!"
If I left her like that, she'd wipe out every guy in the building. I scooped Tsuyu up into a princess carry and marched her to the lane.
Move it, boys. Stop staring. I'll kick you.
+++
Once we reached the lane, everyone dropped their bags and went to pick out balls. Since we couldn't leave our stuff unattended, Momo and I stayed behind to wait our turn.
Watching Ochaco carefully guide Tsuyu through the ball selection, Momo spoke up.
"Bowling... I had heard rumors, but it really is a game where you hit sticks with a ball, isn't it? When I first heard of it, I couldn't understand why people would pay money to do such a thing... but seeing it now, it does look rather fun."
"Sticks and balls," huh? Why does it sound so dirty when Momo says it? It's a mystery.
"Do you have much experience with this, Midoriya?"
"Nothing professional, but I've played a bit. When I was a kid, our families—mine and Kacchan's—used to go together all the time. I went with friends in middle school, too."
"I see... and yet again, Bakugo's name comes up."
"Hm? Yeah, I guess. We used to be super competitive about it."
Kacchan is a natural genius at basically everything, so he was scarily good at bowling. I thought I was pretty decent, but I remember I couldn't touch him in a fair game. So, I'd just use my Pull Quirk to mess with his ball every time he threw.
"Midoriya, may I ask you something?"
I was busy reminiscing when Momo turned to me with an incredibly serious expression. I gave her a nod, and she began to speak, her voice low and steady.
She talked about the U.S.J. The Sports Festival. The basic training. Her internship.
It seemed she was really bothered by the fact that she hadn't produced the results she wanted in any of those events. From my perspective, she'd come in first in the Quirk Apprehension Test and was the smartest person in class—I thought she was incredible—but she didn't see it that way.
It seemed the pressure of being a "Recommendation Student" was acting like a noose around her neck.
"Someone like me... compared to someone like you, Midoriya..."
"Nope. Stop right there."
"—Eh?"
She was trying to put me on a pedestal again, so I cut her off. A heavy title like that doesn't suit me at all.
"That's not true. Momo is fine. In fact, 'Momo' is exactly what we need."
"That... um, what does that...?"
"You two! Sorry to keep you waiting! Switching out!"
Mina came running back, cutting Momo off. She was carrying a bright pink bowling ball. I kept the thought that it was "camouflage" to myself.
"Come on, let's go! Momo! Time to pick your ball!"
"Wait! Midoriya! At least tell me what you meant by that!"
"It's a secret!"
"How cruel!"
You don't grow if people tell you everything. Some things you have to figure out for yourself. So, I decided to be a "demon" and leave her hanging.
It definitely wasn't because explaining it would be a pain. Definitely not.
+++
I picked out a sensible ball and returned to the lane only to see the names being typed into the monitor. Mina was probably the one doing it... but what the hell was that?
Right at the top, glowing with a terrifying brilliance, was the name: KACCHAN'S WIFE.
I looked at the girls sitting on the bench, and every single one of them looked away. Even Tsuyu refused to make eye contact. I knew they were just messing around, but seriously, you guys...
"Mina? Care to explain what this means?"
"Whoa! Don't look at me! It wasn't me! It was Toru!"
As Mina pointed the finger, Toru's floating clothes jerked in surprise.
"W-Wait! It was just a joke! I was just putting it in for fun, it was supposed to be a 'vibes' thing! I was going to change it back, but then I messed up the controls! Look, everyone's name is weird! Look at mine! I'm SEARCHING FOR MY DIGNITY! It's so long it barely fits in the box! It's a tragedy!"
"But that's just accurate," Jiro deadpanned.
"It is not! I was just trying to use my Quirk creatively, and this is what happens!"
She was huffing and puffing, but I wasn't intimidated. I was the one who was truly annoyed here. I tried to put Toru in a headlock, but the others held me back.
"Calm down, Niko! Look, it's fine! It's just between us! No one else is looking! Right?!"
"Exactly, Niko! Don't let it get to you! It's just a dumb joke!"
"Yeah, yeah! You're overthinking it, Midoriya! I mean—pfft."
Oh?! You laughed, didn't you, Jiro?!
"Ah, sorry, sorry! It's just... it fits so perfectly, I couldn't help it. Pfft, ahaha!"
Watching Jiro laugh her head off, my irritation officially reached its peak.
"Jiro! Do you have any last words?!"
"Whoa! She's coming for me?!"
"Honestly, are we going to bowl or not? We're going to run out of time. Right, Asui?"
"...But this isn't so bad, is it? After all, this is the kind of thing you can only do with real friends."
"I... I suppose you're right. Yes, quite right. Hehe."
"Ribbit, ribbit!♪"
+++
Same Location, Different Floor
Arcade Area
Bakugo: "...DAMMIT!!" (BOOM!)
Passing Victim: "He's really on a tear. He's gonna break that punching machine... Whoa, 300kg. That thing is usually pretty stingy with the scores."
Kaminari: "So if you mess with Midoriya, you get that as a bonus? Terrifying. Man, he's in a foul mood."
Shoji: "Well, he went out of his way to hold their 'after-party' at the same place as the girls, and then Midoriya flat-out refused to join up. ...Wait, what is Mineta doing?"
Mineta: "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm getting plushies! These are super popular with girls right now... Hehehe."
Ojiro: "It's almost impressive how he never wavers from his ulterior motives. Even after Aizawa-sensei chewed him out."
Koda:(Staring intensely at a claw machine... then frantically gesturing as he wins a prize!)
Tokoyami: "The call of the abyss, leading to deep chaos... Lost Paradise Combo—Ah!"
Sato: "Sorry, Tokoyami. Sink quietly before my Aerial Combo—Wait, what?!"
Shoji: "Hey, using all your hands is cheating! That 'non-human' combo is broken... wait, Tokoyami, don't tell me you're using Dark Shadow for the inputs too!! Play fair, you guys! Play fair!!"
Iida: "Everyone! We must not scatter! As U.A. students, we must act with discipline!! —HEY! Bakugo! Stop taking your frustration out on the equipment!!"
Aoyama: "Even in a place like this, my sparkle cannot be stopped!"
Todoroki:(Is bored, wants to go home.)
***
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