Izukus point of view:
Momo didn't so much lead us as she did pull us along—a force of cheerful momentum in a beautiful dress. Her grip on my hand was surprisingly firm, almost possessively tight, and while she eventually released Saiko's hand to gesture excitedly at a tapestry in the hallway, mine remained securely in hers.
She seemed to realize it a moment later. I felt her fingers twitch, but she didn't let go. Instead, her cheeks flushed a delicate, rosy pink, but she kept her face forward, resolutely continuing her commentary on the architectural history of the west wing. I decided not to mention it. Honestly? It felt... nice. A simple, warm connection.
"I'm sorry," she finally murmured, her voice dropping as we descended a set of stone stairs leading to a side exit. "I'm just... really excited to show you my home."
"It's fine, Yaoyorozu-san," I said, giving her hand a slight, reassuring squeeze before she could spiral into an apology. "I'm interested."
Her blush deepened, but her smile returned, brighter than before.
Our first official stop was outside the main manor, in what could only be described as a private botanical paradise. It wasn't just a garden; it was a curated ecosystem. Manicured paths wound through clusters of vibrant, exotic flowers I couldn't name, past artfully shaped bonsai trees that looked centuries old, and around serene rock formations. The air was thick with the scent of blooming jasmine and damp earth.
"This is my favorite place," Momo announced, finally releasing my hand to spread her arms wide, her face tilted up to the moonlight filtering through the canopy of a ancient willow. "The east garden!"
I glanced at Saiko, who had fallen into step beside me, a small, knowing smile on her lips. "Is she always this... energetically descriptive, Intelli-san?"
Saiko's smile grew. "Always. But you'll find it grows on you. Her enthusiasm is quite... contagious."
I couldn't help but chuckle. On my shoulder, Silk chirped in agreement, her legs tapping a happy rhythm against my collarbone. Jarvis remained a quiet, observant coil, his sensors doubtless recording every botanical and structural detail.
The sound of our laughter made Momo whirl around, her earlier embarrassment returning in a wave. "S-Saiko-chan! Don't tease me!"
Seeing her flustered, pink-cheeked, and standing amidst the beautiful, fragile flowers, an overwhelming impulse hit me. Before I could think better of it, I reached out and gently patted her head. "Don't ever change for anyone, Yaoyorozu-san," I said, my voice softer than I intended. "Always be this version of yourself. It's... good."
She froze under my touch, her eyes wide, her blush now reaching the tips of her ears. For a second, she looked like a startled, very elegant rabbit. Then she beamed, the expression so bright it seemed to outshine the garden's hidden lanterns. She gave a determined nod.
Reinvigorated, she became our passionate guide once more, pulling me along the gravel path. "And this is the night-blooming cereus from South America! And over here, Father had a stone mason from Kyoto carve this Komainu statue! And these hydrangeas change color based on the soil pH!"
She was a fountain of knowledge, her joy palpable. We eventually reached the heart of the garden: a large, perfectly still koi pond, spanned by a graceful arched bridge. The water was ink-black, reflecting the stars and the paper lanterns hung from nearby trees. Dozens of koi, their scales shimmering oranges, whites, and golds in the lantern light, drifted lazily beneath the surface.
It was postcard-perfect. My eyes, trained to assess and categorize, scanned the fish. Healthy, well-fed, no signs of parasites or fin rot. And then my gaze landed on one.
He was a massive, sturdy-looking koi, predominantly white with bold black and orange splotches. While the other fish drifted or nibbled at algae, he patrolled. He didn't swim; he cruised. If a smaller koi drifted into what he seemed to consider his personal lane, he'd give a dismissive flick of his powerful tail, nudging them aside before claiming the prime spot directly under a lantern, where the insect activity was highest.
(Image here)
I pointed. "Yaoyorozu-san. That one. What's his story?"
Momo's face lit up with pure delight. "Oh! That's Mob!"
Beside me, Saiko let out a long-suffering, fond sigh. "Here we go."
"Mob?" I asked, a grin already forming.
Momo nodded vigorously. "That's what Father named him! He says he acts like a little mob boss. He pushes the others around, always eats first, and..." she leaned in conspiratorially, "Father has a theory he 'taxes' the other fish. He says he sees Mob intercepting food meant for the smaller ones and letting them pass only after he's taken his 'share.'"
A loud, genuine laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. The image of Renjiro Yaoyorozu, titan of industry, developing elaborate criminal backstories for his koi was hilariously human. "A mafia don in a koi pond," I wheezed, shaking my head. "I love it."
Momo giggled, her laughter mixing with Saiko's softer chuckles. "I'm glad you like him! I think he's just misunderstood. He keeps the pond orderly!"
As our laughter settled into a comfortable quiet, Momo's expression grew more contemplative. She gazed out over the pond, her voice dropping. "I really do love it out here. When the lessons on etiquette or corporate law or quirk theory get to be too much... this is where I come. It's quiet. It's safe. I can just... think. Without anyone expecting anything from me."
The confession hung in the fragrant air. It was a vulnerability, a glimpse of the pressure she lived under.
"Everyone should have a place like that," I said quietly. "For me, it's my lab. The hum of servers, the smell of solder... that's where the world makes sense."
I looked at Saiko. "What about you, Intelli-san?"
She adjusted her monocle thoughtfully. "My requirements are simpler. A quiet, well-lit room, a comfortable chair, and a properly steeped pot of gyokuro tea. The environment is secondary to the internal landscape. But," she added, glancing at Momo with clear affection, "this is a very close second."
Her answer seemed to fill Momo with a quiet joy. She beamed, looking from Saiko to me, her earlier exuberance mellowed into a radiant warmth. It struck me then, with sudden clarity, that Momo was a bit like a happy puppy. Her genuine delight had this infectious quality; her happiness seemed to actively make the people around her happy just by existing in her orbit. It was a rare kind of magic.
Emboldened by the shared moment, she reached out and took my hand again, her grip warm and sure. "Okay!" she announced, her energy surging back. "Enough standing still! On to the second location!"
"Whoa, easy there," I laughed as she began to pull me down another hallway, this one lined with ancestral portraits whose eyes seemed to follow our hurried progress. "Wherever you're taking us, I promise it's not going to run away!"
My protest only made her giggle and pull a little harder. Beside us, Saiko let out a light, musical laugh, struggling to keep pace with her friend's enthusiastic march. Even Silk chirped in what sounded like amusement from my shoulder. After a brief, breathless journey through more opulent corridors, Momo skidded to a stop before a set of towering, dark wood doors carved with intricate depictions of owls and open books.
With a final, dramatic little spin, she released my hand, pushed the doors open, and swept her arm in a grand gesture.
"And this," she declared, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space beyond, "is the family library! This is where I do a lot of my studying and where I learn the most!"
I stepped inside, and my breath caught. It was less a library and more a temple dedicated to knowledge. The room was cavernous, with a vaulted ceiling lost in shadow. Three stories of dark, polished oak bookshelves, accessible by rolling ladders and delicate wrought-iron staircases, stretched towards the ceiling. The air smelled of ancient paper, leather, and beeswax. Plush armchairs and reading tables were scattered in islands of lamplight amidst the forest of books. Some of the volumes I could see from the doorway—heavy, leather-bound tomes with gilt-edged pages and embossed spines—looked like they were worth more than my old apartment building in Musutafu.
Thank Kami I created Stark Industries, I thought, a wave of surreal gratitude washing over me. Money, at least, was one problem I would never have to worry about again.
That thought, however, sparked a sudden, painful chain of association. Money. Financial struggle. The desire to help ones family. My mind flashed to a round-cheeked, determined girl with bobbed brown hair. Uraraka. Her parents' construction company. A wave of guilt and urgency hit me. I needed to reach out. I could commission them—maybe even have them be the primary builders for my future headquarters. The schematics for a towering, sleek skyscraper, my own version of the Avengers Tower, were already complete in my encrypted files. It would be the perfect project. It would help them financially, stabilize their lives, and maybe... maybe let that bright, buoyant girl chase her dream of being a hero for the right reasons, not just to save her family. The desire for financial security was human, normal. But I remembered her from the anime—her heart was bigger than her wallet. Her will to save people was her core.
And that thought, like a domino, toppled into the next, more chilling memory. If Uraraka's struggle was financial, another girl's was far darker. Himiko Toga. The little vampire. The child who was, right now, somewhere out there, being told her very nature was monstrous, being driven towards a breaking point of loneliness and blood-soaked madness if she was left to deal with it herself.
I'd forgotten. In the whirlwind of building my company, training, and securing alliances, I'd let her slip my mind. The oversight felt like a physical blow. My fist clenched at my side, tight enough to make the knuckles go white.
"Midoriya-kun?" Momo's voice, now laced with concern, cut through my spiraling thoughts. Both she and Saiko were looking at me, their excited smiles replaced by looks of gentle worry.
On my shoulder, Silk tapped my cheek with a foreleg, a soft, questioning chirp. Jarvis gave a subtle, concerned squeeze around my neck.
I forced my hand to relax, shaking my head as if to clear it. I offered them a smile, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt. "I'm fine. Sorry. Just remembered something I have to do. And Soon." I waved a hand dismissively, desperate to steer the mood back to light. "Anyway, sorry I somewhat killed the vibe. My bad. So, as an apology..."
I paused for effect, watching their expressions shift from concern back to curious anticipation.
"I'll answer any questions you have. About Jarvis, about Silk, about the AIs. All the things I know you've both been dying to ask since the lounge."
The effect was instantaneous and terrifying. Their eyes, already bright, began to sparkle with an unholy, intellectual gleam. Saiko's posture straightened into that of a researcher at the precipice of a breakthrough. Momo clasped her hands together, practically vibrating on the spot. In that moment, faced with the focused, hungry curiosity of two of the smartest girls my age on the planet, every survival instinct I had screamed at me to run. To deploy a smoke pellet, web-sling to the ceiling, anything to escape the coming interrogation.
But I'd promised. And more than that, I wanted to see them happy. I didn't want them dwelling on my strange, dark mood swing.
"Really?" Momo breathed.
"Define your parameters for 'any questions,'" Saiko said instantly, her magnified eye already analyzing Jarvis's scales.
I took a deep breath, mentally bracing myself. "Fire away."
Thirty Minutes Later...
I sort of melted into the big, squishy chair. I didn't even remember sitting down. My head felt like it was full of fizzy soda after answering a million questions. Peeking over the arm of the chair, I saw what my brainache had bought.
Saiko was standing super still, with Jarvis draped over her arm like a fancy bracelet. She was peering at him through her monocle, asking super quiet questions about how he doesn't overheat. Over on the fancy rug, Momo was sitting with Silk in her lap. Momo looked like she'd found a new favorite toy, gently petting Silk's shiny back while whispering to her.
I let out a tired little laugh. My brain was mush, but seeing them so happy and curious made it okay though.
Saiko's point of view:
This is the most amazing thing ever!!!
Izuku-kun is quirkless. Everyone acts like that means you're basically useless. But he just... ignored them and built the coolest stuff instead. He made an AI by accident with Silk! That's so crazy! And then he made Jarvis on purpose, who's a talking snake and way smarter than most people I know. Jarvis is definitely my favorite. He's sleek and clever, just like a snake should be.
When we were asking questions, Momo was all excited about the AIs being alive and having feelings. I wanted to know about Izuku's brain. His company makes helpful things, but the way he took down that bad company, Kōgaku, was really sharp. He didn't just beat them; he dug up all their secrets and made them disappear. It was kinda scary, but cool.
He's way smarter than any boy I've ever met. Sometimes he acts more like a grown-up than a kid. It's annoying, but also kinda funny. He's just... sure of himself in a way kids usually aren't.
I like him. I want to be his friend. Momo obviously wants to be his friend too. She's being extra clingy, holding his hand and dragging him around. It's... irritating. Not because of Momo, but because... ugh, feelings are confusing. I don't usually care about boys, but Izuku is different.
I walked over and handed Jarvis back to Izuku. Time for my big question.
"Okay," I said, adjusting my monocle. "You built a company and you built AIs. You said you did it to help your mom. But what's your real dream? What do you actually want to be?"
He chuckled and leaned back in the chair like a tiny CEO.
"It's simple," he said, grinning. "I'm gonna be a hero. The best kind. I'm gonna save people and show the world that a quirk doesn't make the hero. Heck, I'll make my own power—with my tech and my brains."
He looked at both of us, his eyes serious for a second. "I'm gonna be a Symbol of Hope. Because hoping for something better... that's a power anyone can have."
Then he shrugged, the serious look melting into a easy smile. "And maybe someday I'll make my own hero team. But that's way later. For now, I'm just working on being the best me."
I just stared at him for a second. He says it so... normally. Like it's totally possible.
He really is something else.
And you know what? Being on his team someday... that doesn't sound bad at all.
Momo's point of view:
I am so, so, SO excited! I want to be a hero, just like Saiko-chan does, and just like Izuku-kun says he's going to be! Mama has always said I can be anything I want, and I want to be a hero and take over the family company when I'm older. I want to do both! I'm a little worried Papa might not understand about the hero part... but it's my dream and if he's not convinced then I'll convince him myself! I'll even pull the one thing he can't fight against... my puppy eyes technique!!
I listened to Izuku-kun, and my heart was beating so fast. He wants to make his own hero team someday. I so want to be part of that! He's so nice, and he's my second friend ever! Right? Yes, he has to be my friend now. He's kind to me, and he explained everything about Silk and Jarvis, and he didn't get mad at all of my questions. If my books on friendship are right, and my experience of how I became friends with Saiko-chan, that means he wants to be my friend too! I'm so happy!
Then, after telling us his dream, Izuku-kun looked at us and asked, "So, what about you two? What do you want to be? What's your dream?"
That's when Silk skittered down from my lap, up Izuku's leg, and back to her spot on his shoulder, curling up next to Jarvis.
I couldn't help it. I pouted a little because I wanted to keep petting her. "Aww."
Izuku-kun and Saiko-chan both laughed. Izuku-kun shook his head and muttered, "That's to cute."
My face got super warm. I must be blushing again. Saiko-chan looked... annoyed? That was weird. She usually only looks like that when someone interrupts her reading time.
But then Saiko-chan and I looked at each other. We didn't even have to talk. We know. We've talked about it in secret during our tea parties. We both nodded and smiled.
We turned back to Izuku-kun at the same time, our voices chiming together. "We want to be heroes, too!"
Izuku-kun's smile got even bigger, and he chuckled. It was a nice sound. "Well, if we all have the same dream, then we should support each other, right? Let's all become heroes together, okay?"
My belly did a funny flip-flop, and my chest felt all warm and fizzy. I face felt hot again. I'll have to ask Mama what this feeling is later. I saw Saiko-chan put a hand on her chest too, her brows furrowed like she was solving a hard math problem.
She looked at the big clock on the library wall and straightened up. "We should probably head back. Our parents will worry."
"Oh! You're right!" I said, jumping up. I reached down and grabbed Izuku-kun's hand to pull him up from the giant chair. He came up easily, still smiling.
I was about to grab Saiko-chan's hand too so we could all run back together, but she was already one step ahead. She reached out and took Izuku-kun's other hand.
A huge wave of happiness washed over me! They were getting along! My first friend and my new friend. It was perfect!
"Okay!" I announced, beaming at both of them. "Let's go!"
And together, the three of us ran through the quiet halls of my home, back to where our parents were waiting. My heart felt so full. I have Saiko-chan, and now I have Izuku-kun, and we're all going to be heroes together. This is the best birthday ever!!!!!!