5

Just as Mineta was being driven to tears of rage by Tokoyami’s new admirer, Ochaco Uraraka was strolling towards the supermarket, reusable shopping bag in hand. She rattled off her shopping list while counting on her fingers—each of which had a distinctive padded tip.

“Discounted carrots, onions, peppers, eggs, milk… Ah, shallots too. Dad loves shallots and Worcestershire sauce with his curry… Crud! Also need to pick up the sauce!”

In order to attend U.A. High, Uraraka had moved away from home and was now living alone. Her folks ran a construction company, but contracts were scarce these days, so times were tough. In fact, Uraraka had set out to become a hero for financial reasons, hoping to give back to her parents for all they’d done for her.

Her father would be the one attending Parents’ Day the next day, and Uraraka knew how much it would cost him just to make the trip out. She’d insisted that he didn’t need to come, but he was determined to get a glimpse of his daughter’s success all the same.

Uraraka pondered the Worcestershire sauce for a moment.

“I’ll check the price, and if it’s too much, Dad’ll just have to do without!”

She loved her father, but her strict budgeting was nonnegotiable, especially when there was something even more important than curry add-ins on her shopping list. She plucked a supermarket flyer from her bag. Giant red discounts danced across the page, but it was a bit of plain black text in the corner that shone bright for Uraraka.

Kudo Cut Mochi Jumbo Pack: ¥250!

The usual price of 600 yen was slashed by more than half, and the vacuum-sealed packaging made this mochi last as long as it needed to. Most importantly, though, Uraraka was a die-hard mochi fan who couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Unfortunately, the offer came with a fine print addendum.

*Limit: 1 Per Customer

“Stingy jerks!” said Uraraka out loud, her whole body puckering in annoyance. She knew the store just wanted as many people as possible taking advantage of the deal, but the typically upbeat girl’s face darkened over her necessarily frugal lifestyle.

“At least make it two per person… No, three… Or four… Wait, five… Why not ten packs!”

Like a salesperson driving a hard bargain, Uraraka’s fantasy pile of mochi packs grew higher and higher in her mind.

“What’s the matter, Uraraka?”

“Ten packs of what, now?”

It was her classmates—Momo Yaoyorozu and Tsuyu Asui.

“Whoa! It’s you two! Don’t see this combo too often!” said Uraraka, tickled pink to run into the girls outside of school.

“I was out looking for reference books at the bookstore, and I happened upon Tsuyu on my way home.”

Asui lifted some stationery out of her own shopping bag.

“And I needed more writing paper. Where are you headed, Ochaco?”

“Grocery shopping! My dad’s coming tomorrow, so I gotta stock up.”

“Right, you live alone, don’t you, Uraraka? How impressive that you cook for yourself. It must be a chore sometimes?”

Uraraka blushed and chuckled at Yaoyorozu’s praise.

“Wouldn’t go that far, really. It’s just that eating out or getting delivery adds up quick. Besides, I cut corners plenty. When I don’t feel like really cooking, a single piece of mochi is enough…”

With that, Uraraka gasped, suddenly remembering her predicament.

“Oh no, the mochi!” she said, hanging her head in despair. Her classmates exchanged puzzled looks.

“What’s this about mochi, then?”

“Well, y’see…”

Yaoyorozu’s and Asui’s blank stares turned to smiles as Uraraka explained.

“So that counting you were doing before—that was all about mochi packs?”

“That explains your furrowed brows as well.”

“Cuz…for me, the difference between one and two, even, would be huge. We’re talking about surviving a whole extra month for each pack.”

Uraraka’s cheeks reddened.

“Why don’t we help you out, then? We can each buy a pack of mochi.”

“Yes. I would be happy to assist if it’s a matter of my classmate’s survival.”

“Goddesses in the flesh!” cried Uraraka in reverence, as if the heavens really had taken pity on her; she might’ve gone into full kowtow mode if her friends hadn’t stopped her. They set off for the supermarket at a brisk pace, and Uraraka nearly began skipping.

“Three packs of mochi. Talk about luxury.”

She seemed poised to lift off the ground in sheer delight—and not because she’d floated herself. But she could have, because Uraraka’s Quirk was “Zero Gravity,” which removed the effects of gravity from anything she touched, including her own body.

“You sure have a thing for mochi, Ochaco.”

“Won’t you tire of it, though? Day in, day out?”

“Don’t be silly, Yaoyorozu! Every piece of mochi has unlimited potential! You can pair it with soy sauce, nori, nori and soy sauce and mayo, butter and soy sauce, sugar and soy sauce, kinako, natto, natto and kimchi, natto and kimchi and mayo, shredded radish, veggie soup, red bean soup, cheese…”

“I-I had no idea there were so many options… It seems I underestimated the power of mochi.”

“And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, mochi also goes with chocolate, weirdly enough.”

“With chocolate? Is that actually good?”

“I can hardly imagine it…”

“Something you can’t imagine? That’s a first, Yaoyorozu.”

Yaoyorozu’s Quirk, “Creation,” allowed her body to create any nonliving thing so long as she understood the molecular structure.

“Perhaps I’d just rather not imagine it.”

“Ah, I should treat you girls to some chocolate mochi as thanks for this favor!”

“Hrm, I might prefer a different variety…”

“Now I’m kind of curious to try it.”

“You bet!”

The conversation went on, and they soon arrived at the supermarket. It was a large chain store, featuring not only the usual food staples but also a section with home goods and clothing.

“Let’s do this, hmm?”

“So this is a ‘supermarket’…”

Uraraka and Asui were already through the automatic doors with a shopping basket, but Yaoyorozu had stopped to glance around.

“Yaoyorozu?”

“Oh. Apologies. It isn’t often I visit places like this…”

“That’s our princess for ya!”

“Sh-shouldn’t we use one of these carts…?” asked Yaoyorozu, indicating the shopping carts next to the baskets.

“Sure, why not.”

Uraraka placed her basket into the slot in the cart and pushed it towards her mystified classmate, who looked as if she was witnessing something rare and fantastic.

“Wanna push?”

“Yes, may I? I’ve long been intrigued about these things, actually…”

An excited Yaoyorozu pushed the cart.

“How smooth! And convenient, too. It keeps the arms from tiring too quickly.”

Asui’s somewhat expressionless face twitched into something resembling a smile.

“You’re like a little kid, Yaoyorozu.”

“It’s kinda cute!” agreed Uraraka with a nod as they reached the clothing area.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware that supermarkets also sold clothing.”

“No reason we can’t take a look later, but first up is…”

“Securing the mochi. Yeah.”

Uraraka knew the store best, so she led the way. Yaoyorozu—still with the cart—surveyed the vegetable displays in wonder.

“Uraraka, it seems there’s an all-you-can-pack deal on carrots and potatoes! Pack into what, though? The shopping bag you brought?”

“Nah, these plastic ones. Don’t want them accusing me of shoplifting!” quipped Uraraka, causing her friend to blush a bit.

“Right. Of course. I hear about that on TV now and then. ‘Shoplifting.’”

“Yeah, it comes up on the evening news. Especially people with Quirks that can warp stuff away. They’re hard to catch, which is a real problem if they’re robbing smaller stores.”

“Awful, huh. Small businesses already have enough on their plates without that,” said Uraraka, who naturally had her own family in mind. Yaoyorozu gave a solemn nod.

“Larceny, yes. Violent crimes get more focus, but a crime is a crime, and all criminals should be dealt with. Too many people think only of themselves.”

This gave Uraraka pause.

“Hang on. Given the whole one-per-person thing, should I really be asking you guys to help me get more mochi…?”

It was a serious concern, and the other two girls thought for a moment.

“It is something to consider… I can’t say I’ve ever faced a moral dilemma like this one…”

“My family pulls this trick all the time, but maybe it’s different with friends? Does it count as a scam, you think?” asked Uraraka.

“Well, if you end up with more than you should, that means someone else is going without…maybe.”

Asui’s reasoned take threw Uraraka into head-clutching despair.

“Dangit… I’m s’posed to be a hero someday, but I put my own budgeting over other people and the mochi they deserve!”

“Poor Uraraka…”

“H-hey, isn’t that the mochi?” asked Asui, pointing to a display a few paces away. Sure enough, massive bags of mochi were piled high.

“There’s so much here, Ochaco. I don’t think you should worry.”

“Indeed. Removing three packs from all this is like a drop out of the bucket.”

Encouraged by her friends, Uraraka said, “I-I guess,” and tossed one pack into the cart. But the image of tipping scales stayed her hand as she reached for a second.

“Ugh. What if a bunch of big families are about to show up, planning a mochi party or something…? But then again, what about my mochi party, huh…? Just dunno.”

“How about we wait a bit, and if this big pile’s still here, we’ll pick up another two packs? If the pile’s shrunk, then we only take one more, and if there’s barely any left, you limit yourself to that one,” said Asui, offering her conflicted friend a suggestion.

“Excellent idea. I’m sure the store would prefer to sell out the lot.”

“You two sure? I don’t wanna make you wait around…”

“Fine by me.”

“Me, as well. Besides which, I find this supermarket fascinating.”

“Thanks, girls!”

Determined to kill some time, the trio wandered the store. They passed through the snacks aisle and debated their favorite childhood treats while moving towards the clothing area.

“You mentioned buying paper, Tsuyu? Was that for the Parents’ Day letter?” asked Uraraka, while watching an excited Yaoyorozu fawn over the pajama section in wonderment.

“Yeah. I was running low on nice writing paper, and a letter’s just not the same without it, you know? You finish writing yours yet, Ochaco?”

“Yep! Totally did! How about you, Yaoyorozu?”

“Eh? Yes, of course. Still, it’s terribly embarrassing to imagine reading such a personal letter in front of everyone.”

“I hear that. I’m worried my dad’s gonna go overboard with his reaction,” said Uraraka with a nervous smile.

“So it’ll just be your dad coming, Ochaco?”

“Uh-huh. Mom wanted to come just as bad, but Dad was the winner after their discussion and a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors.”

“It sounds as though your family gets along splendidly.”

“Which of your folks are coming, Yaoyorozu?”

“My mother. It’s always her for these sorts of things.”

“Mama Yaoyorozu, huh. I’m picturing a really fancy lady!”

The image in Uraraka’s mind was basically Momo Yaoyorozu, but scaled and aged up.

“My friends used to say the same thing during my childhood, but to me, she’s always just been my mother. It’s a lady’s duty to keep herself put together while maintaining the household.”

A proud sort of smile arose on Yaoyorozu’s face, but then her brow crinkled.

“But…she can be a bit of a scatterbrain from time to time…”

“How’s that?”

“Mistaking coffee for soy sauce, sugar for salt, or washing her face with toothpaste…”

“The oldest airhead moves in the book!” snorted Uraraka.

“Better than a flawless parent. It’s little things like that that really make her feel human.”

“I suppose so… Anyhow, who from your family is coming tomorrow, Tsuyu?”

“My dad. You can’t miss him, since he’ll be the one with the froggy face… Ribbit?”

Asui had picked up on something and was now staring past her classmates.

“What is it?”

“Something about that one guy.”

Uraraka and Yaoyorozu turned to spot a thin, fidgety man who was glancing around nervously with hunched shoulders. He looked to be about twenty years old, and he was sweating buckets.

“Maybe he’s sick?”

“Then we ought to offer him help before he collapses…”

Yaoyorozu was about to march over and say something when Uraraka gasped.

“Hang on. Isn’t that the undies section…?”

Indeed, the man was pacing about the panties corner, surrounded by a bouquet of women’s underwear in pink, white, black, beige, purple, and red options. Wary of his clearly suspicious behavior, the three girls hid behind the pajama rack to get a better look.

“A panty thief, maybe…?” murmured a nervous Uraraka.

“Certainly possible,” said an anxious Yaoyorozu. “But we mustn’t prejudge. Perhaps he’s picking out a gift for his significant other…?”

“The panties also might just be for him, Yaoyorozu,” said the unflappable Asui.

“Y-yes. I suppose it takes all types…”

Yaoyorozu was shaken but doing her best to maintain composure. Uraraka, meanwhile, was imagining a vast array of hobbies and proclivities.

“Different strokes for different folks, huh…”

“Almost feels like we’re the shoplifting police.”

“I suspect that no such law enforcement unit exists.”

The girls kept observing the man from behind the pajamas. Nobody else around. Uraraka laughed weakly, trying to ignore her nerves.

“Think we’re overthinking this? He could just be browsing.”

“That’s not a normal way to browse, I’d say… But it’s true—we can’t treat him like a criminal if he hasn’t taken anything.”

No sooner had the words left Yaoyorozu’s mouth than the man stuffed a pair of white panties into his pocket.

“Aha!”

He began to shuffle away from the scene of the crime and the three eyewitnesses.

“H-he really is a thief…”

“M-maybe he’ll go pay at the register…?”

“If he walks out now, it’s case closed.”

While Yaoyorozu and Uraraka shouted in hushed tones—still shocked by what they’d seen—Asui pursued the man silently. Her panicked friends followed. Uraraka prayed that the oddball would veer towards the checkout, but it was in vain. Instead, he made a beeline for the exit and stepped through the automatic doors.

“Yes. He’s a thief.”

“Stop right there, you!”

The man turned to spot his pursuers, yelped, grew pale, and nearly tripped over himself as he started to bolt.

“We’ve got a runner!”

“Get back here!”

“Ribbit.”

“S-sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Not sorry enough to stop, apparently, but the girls’ Hero Course training had paid off, as they soon caught up with him. The man was as good as apprehended when he did something none of them expected.

“What the…?” gasped Uraraka, taken aback as the thin man ripped some flowers out of a nearby planter and began shoveling them into his mouth. A yellow mist shot out of his nose towards the girls, enveloping them.

“What’re these yellow particles…?”

“Whatever they are, we’d better not breathe them in… Ribbit…”

“Koff, eh…koff…”

The trio had gotten a lungful of the stuff, though, and the shoplifter took the opportunity to flee once again.

“Wait, you!”

They started to give chase, but their bodies were already reacting. First, a pang of sluggishness, then itchy eyes and noses. Thinking it must be their imaginations, they kept stumbling after their target.

Itchy eyes. Tickled nostrils. No, burning nostrils even.

“S-suddenly not feeling so hot… Achoo!”

“My sinuses… So very itchy! Aahchoo!”

“I think this might be… Ribichoo, ribichoo!”

The sudden symptoms brought the girls to a dead stop, and they turned to look at each other. Bleary red eyes, running noses, and faces scrunched up in attempts to stave off impending sneezes. All in all, one big mess.

“Was that you sneezing just now, Tsuyu? Too cute.”

“Achoo! This is hardly the time for that, Uraraka… These symptoms seem like…”

“Ribbichoo! Like hay fever, yeah…”

“Ah, so maybe that yellow stuff our shoplifter shot out was…”

“Flower pollen, perhaps…? From his Quirk, somehow.”

“He can launch pollen after eating flowers…? A-a-achoo! Huh?”

During that last sneeze, one of Uraraka’s flailing hands had grazed Yaoyorozu, who was now floating away, untethered by gravity.

“Kyaah…?”

“S-sorry, lebbe just… Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

Uraraka attempted to bring her fingertips together to undo the effects, but the barrage of sneezes had her immobilized.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

Each of Yaoyorozu’s own sneezes propelled her higher and higher, until she was soon level with the tops of the roadside trees.

“I’ll geb oo down,” croaked a stuffy Asui, launching her frog tongue towards her friend.

“Ribbichoo! Ribbichoo! Ribbichoo!”

Its aim thrown off by the recoil, Asui’s tongue instead wrapped around the branches and trunk of a nearby tree, like a great pink python. And still, no end to the sneezing.

“Ribbichoo! Ribbichoo! Ribbichoo!”

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Dangit!”

Yaoyorozu watched her pained classmates struggle to stop sneezing, and though her own nose was still running like mad, she decided to do good by her reputation as the class’s biggest brain.

“The solution to hay fever is masks!”

She plucked three flu masks from under her clothes, having created them in an instant with her Quirk.

“Here! Dese should bwock thuh pollen! Achoo!”

“Buh ib’s aweady in our systems! Achoooo!”

“Ah, how foolish ob me… Achoo! Achoo!”

Yaoyorozu’s wits were no match for the brutal hay fever.

“Achoo… Release!”

Still sneezing, Uraraka managed to bring her hands together and undo her Quirk’s effects, sending Yaoyorozu plummeting into the hammock formed by Asui’s tangled tongue. Once settled, they helped their friend unwrap her tongue from the tree.

“Thanks… Thought I’d be stuck to that tree forever.”

“Of course. It was your tongue that saved me, Tsuyu.”

“That hay fever shoplifter won’t get away with this!”

Yaoyorozu nodded at the indignant Uraraka.

“No, he won’t… Hmm? Are our symptoms clearing up?”

The fierce itchiness and torrent of sneezing seemed to subside.

“Just a passing attack, I guess?”

“We still gotta catch the guy, though.”

Sadly, the man was long gone.

“I’m fairly sure he went that way, and he can’t have gotten far!”

The allergy attack had lit a fire under the girls, stoking their rage and drive for justice. Their quest led them to a busier street, but their quarry was nowhere in sight. Passersby hadn’t spotted him, either.

“Hmm, are we sure he went in this direction?”

“Why don’t we ask that woman…? Um, pardon us!”

Ahead stood a clock that seemed perfect for rendezvous, and beneath it was an attractive woman with long hair, glancing around the area.

“Oh? Can I help you?”

“Did you happen to see a young man come past here? One in an obvious panic, perhaps…?”

The woman gave the trio a puzzled look but tried to recall.

“I did see someone. Not really panicking, though.”

“It’s possible he was acting natural. Trying not to attract attention, maybe,” said Asui.

“The guy you saw, was he kinda thin and wimpy looking? About yay high?” asked Uraraka, gesturing.

“No, this one was on the heavier side, and he wore glasses.”

“Not our man, then,” sighed a disappointed Uraraka.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

Uraraka shook her head vehemently.

“Nah, we’re sorry to have bothered you! We’ll catch this hay fever shoplifter yet.”

“Catch a what, now…?”

“He’s a shoplifter, and his Quirk gives people hay fever! So if you spot a guy with yellow powder shooting out his nose, head for the hills!”

“I will…”

As the girls turned to march away, they didn’t notice the young woman’s knit brow.

After a bit more searching, they reached a quieter residential area and decided to take a breather in a small park with public restrooms. Despite it being a Sunday afternoon, there wasn’t a soul around.

“After all that sneezing, I’d like to freshen up.”

“Same. Feeling kinda grimy.”

“I’ll be washing my stomach, too.”

But before they entered the women’s restroom, a man in an obvious hurry dashed in front of them, heading straight for the men’s.

“Eh?”

“Ack.”

It was their allergy man.

Time seemed to stop for a beat, but then a four-way cry of “Ahhh!” echoed through the park. The man tried to make another break for it.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“If ‘sorry’ was good enough, we wouldn’t need heroes or police, you!”

“We witnessed you stealing the underwear, so surrender yourself at once!”

“Oh no, look…” said Asui with a gasp. Their cornered culprit was making straight for a planter full of flowers. With trembling hands, he yanked out a bunch and spun to face the girls.

“P-please, just let me go!”

“He’s threatening to hit us with more hay fever if we approach! How cowardly!”

The threat worked, though, since they were in no hurry to experience that particular torture again.

“There’s just…somewhere I’ve got to get to… I’ll never have this chance again! So please!”

The flowers moved towards the man’s mouth, but Yaoyorozu reacted instantly, extracting the flu masks from her pocket.

“Uraraka! Tsuyu! Use these!”

“The masks you made earlier?”

In an instant, all three had donned the masks.

“Keep in mind this is just a stopgap! They won’t give us complete protection, so here’s what we need to do…”

Yaoyorozu whispered her strategy to the other two, who nodded in turn.

“Okay!”

“Gotcha.”

The man had just finished swallowing, but Uraraka’s hands were already flying towards the pavement. The affected block of cement floated up, rocking him off-balance and giving Asui the opening she needed to launch her tongue from under her mask and wrap him up tightly. He gave a weak whimper, but in one final act of defiance, he devoured another handful of flowers. The yellow substance streamed from his nose.

“Ack, here comes the pollen!”

“I’m more than prepared for it!” cried Yaoyorozu.

Uraraka and Asui turned to find their friend wielding an oversized uchiwa fan that she’d whipped up when they dove into action.

“This should eliminate our pollen problems quite nicely!”

A few strong yet graceful waves of the fan blew the pollen off course, away from the girls.

“Why not an electric fan?” asked Uraraka, mimicking Yaoyorozu’s moves with her own hands.

“I don’t see a power outlet around, do you? Besides, the Japanese uchiwa is ideal for blowing things away with minimal effort.”

“Makes sense!”

With his pollen and escape route gone, the cornered man soon found himself tied up with a length of rope, also courtesy of Yaoyorozu’s Creation.

“Back to the store, now!”

“H-hang on a sec!” protested their prisoner, now with his arms seized by Asui and Uraraka.

“You oughta learn when to call it quits,” snapped Uraraka.

He pleaded his case.

“At least gimme my one phone call…? There’s someone important I can’t keep waiting.”

“And it’s your fault that they’re going to keep on waiting! That’s what you get for stealing underwear.”

“I get that, but…”

Yaoyorozu’s reasoned scolding left no room for argument, though, so the man could only hang his head, as pathetic as a puppy abandoned in the rain.

Once everyone had calmed down, Uraraka took on the role of the compassionate seasoned detective.

“Mister, you’ve got family, yeah? You wanted those panties real bad—I get it, we’ve all been there—but stealing’s just not the way… What would your mother say…?”

“Sorry… I’ll return the underwear and… Eh? Panties…?”

Through bleary eyes, the man seemed confused by the accusation.

“Too embarrassed to buy them properly, at the register?” asked Asui, but their prisoner looked just as perplexed.

“W-wait a minute! Who’s talking about panties, here?”

“You needn’t play dumb. We understand that the world is full of people with, shall we say, alternative proclivities,” said Yaoyorozu with a shake of her head.

“Sometimes you just wanna wear some cute undies, yeah?”

Uraraka was encouraging a confession, but the man wasn’t biting.

“W-wrong! I stole a pair of tighty-whities!”

“Is that so?”

Asui plucked the women’s underwear from his pocket, and his face went as white as the stolen goods.

“A-all I wanted was some plain old undies for men! Must’ve panicked and thought those were briefs… Though I usually go with boxers!”

“So it’s not some bizarre hobby of yours?” asked Asui, eliciting an almost disappointed groan from Uraraka.

“Regardless, theft is theft.”

“Why’d you need underwear so bad?”

With all three pairs of eyes on him, the man mumbled reluctantly.

“I soiled myself…”

“Huh?”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“There’s this girl at college, Miyuki, and for me, it was love at first sight. After four long years of crushing on her, I finally asked her out on a date, and wouldja believe it, she said yes. Been so excited I haven’t sleep for three days… My nerves did a number on my stomach this morning, though… Tried to find a bathroom before we met up, but I couldn’t, and…I might’ve had a teeny-tiny accident…”

“Oh…”

Unsure how to react to this confession, the three girls decided to go with some noncommittal nodding.

“Not like I could go on our date with dirty underwear, right? So I tossed them and went to buy a new pair, but…I forgot my wallet…”

“Yikes,” said Uraraka, slapping her forehead.

“I was short on time and all outta options, so…”

Yaoyorozu gave him a sympathetic shake of her head.

“Your crime was the byproduct of a series of unfortunate events, then… But I’m afraid that’s no justification.”

“Why not just go on the date commando style? You’ve still got pants on, so she’d never know,” asked Asui, tilting her head.

“A date with Miyuki without underwear? I could never do that to her!”

As the girls tried to puzzle out the man’s romantic rationalizations, a familiar voice came from behind.

“No underwear? I wouldn’t have minded.”

The long-haired woman from under the clock was standing at the park’s entrance.

“M-Miyuki!” shouted the man in shock.

“Eh? She’s your Miyuki…?”

“Your beloved?”

Uraraka and Yaoyorozu seemed more surprised than the man himself. Asui, less so.

“So you really were after Suzuki. I started wondering, when you mentioned a pollen-shooting shoplifter…” said the woman, approaching the group. Ready to burst into tears, Suzuki tried to run but fell over in a clumsy heap, still bound by Asui’s tongue.

“I’m sorry. I overheard everything.”

Unsure if they were about to witness a brutal breakup of the young couple, the girls froze—Uraraka flustered, Yaoyorozu nervous, and Asui watching in silence.

“S-sorry, Miyuki! I-I…finally manage to get a date with you…and I ruin it by crapping myself… Go ahead. Toss me out like yesterday’s trash…”

“Underwear or no underwear, soiled or not…you’re still you, Suzuki. Always the shrinking violet, not knowing which way’s up. I could never abandon a guy like that.”

“M-Miyuki…”

Miyuki helped Suzuki up and gave him a warm smile. Now even Asui’s eyes were bulging wider than usual in shock at this unexpected turn.

“But stealing’s a crime, so you need to go apologize. I’ll come with.”

“Eh…really?”

“Like I said, someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh, Miyuki!

A complete turnabout. Somehow or other, love was still in the air.

After thanking the high school girls, the couple left for the supermarket. Only once they were out of sight did Uraraka and Yaoyorozu release a pair of pent-up sighs.

“That was…exhausting!”

“Yes. Emotionally, even…”

“We caught the shoplifter, and his love life’s gonna be okay. Things could be worse,” said a nonchalant Asui.

“All’s well that ends well, yeah? Honestly, that pitiful guy and his on-point lady seem like a match made in heaven.”

“There’s something I don’t understand, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Miyuki’s reaction. Wouldn’t she want her boyfriend to be a bit bolder? I mean, first he soils himself, and then his solution was to steal? I would expect her to become disillusioned with him, and yet…”

Yaoyorozu shook her head in confusion, but Uraraka recalled the first time she’d met Midoriya.

“I get the whole not-abandoning-him thing. She’s just worried.”

His mop of hair. His giant backpack. His legs trembling, almost comically. Something about Midoriya’s not-quite-there-but-can-do attitude had put Uraraka at ease that day, so when he’d tripped, she had instinctively reached out. Since then, it had mostly been him doing the saving.

“Why the smile, Ochaco? Remembering something funny?”

She dropped her cheeks, which must’ve floated up into a smile all on their own.

“Nah, nothing. But I bet there’re plenty of girls who have a thing for fixer-uppers. Ones who like a guy with some minor issues.”

“Sure. It takes all types.”

“I wonder, could I ever love a man who soils himself…?” asked an uneasy Yaoyorozu, raising her hands to her cheeks.

Ever the levelheaded one, Asui responded. “I say toss the dirty underwear.”

“Or just, y’know, wash them?” said Uraraka flatly. Yaoyorozu’s face crinkled.

“I’m not speaking of the actual underwear…”

Suddenly, a grumble from Uraraka’s stomach.

“All that running worked up an appetite… Ah! My mochi!” she shouted, remembering the shopping cart they’d left near the pajama rack.

“Totally slipped my mind. Let’s hope your mochi’s still sitting there…”

“Shall we go back and check?”

“Yeah.”

“Actually, I’d be willing to try your chocolate mochi concoction at this point.”

“We’ll make it happen!”

With visions of mochi dancing in their heads, the trio started running back to the supermarket, none the wiser to the challenges the very next day would bring.