43 Chapter 42

With his house being located on the campus, Izuku was able to take his time eating and preparing for his day before heading to class.

"Good morning, Yaoyorozu-san," said Izuku, finding the ever-reliable Class Representative waiting for him when he arrived.

Adopting her usual smile, Yaoyorozu replied, "Good morning to you as well, Izuku-kun. I trust you and Uraraka-san were able to return home without incident?"

Nodding his head, Izuku answered, "For the most part," before adding, "Thanks, by the way. Both for the cab ride home and allowing us to use your home for the celebration."

Shaking her head, Yaoyorozu asserted, "No need. Even if I weren't the Class Representative, I would have opened my home to everyone. Since I am, it was only natural to suggest hosting the party there."

Offering a second nod, Izuku made a few more comments before he and Yaoyorozu began preparing for Homeroom. There wasn't much to do, as they were returning from an extended break, but it never hurt to stay on top of things...

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With morning classes passing without incident, Izuku was seated with the boys from his Class, discussing the upcoming internships, when Kaminari, as usual, changed the subject to the girls, remarking, "Say, Midoriya-kun, I noticed you sitting at the girls' table during the Sports Festival's lunch break. Seriously, man, how are you on such good terms with them? When Mineta and I asked if we could eat together, they practically chased us away!"

"We've been over this," replied Izuku. "I haven't done anything special to win them over, so there's nothing much I can say. As for you and Mineta-kun, your problem is that you're too eager and openly perverted. If it had anything to do with our looks, you'd be fairly popular."

"Come on, man. There 'has' to be more to it than that," asserted Kaminari. "You're clearly doing something right, so share your wisdom with the rest of us single dogs."

With nearly everyone's attention focused on him, Izuku closed his eyes and exhaled a faint sigh before reasserting, "I don't have any secrets, but if you want my advice on relationships, I can share it."

Leaning forward with his elbows on the table, Kaminari remarked, "Now we're talking." with great anticipation.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Izuku explained, "Any lasting, or, at the very least, meaningful relationship is built atop a foundation of friendship. As for the actual building blocks, a healthy relationship requires passion, shared interests, and security. If you only look at women and think, 'man, she's cute; I really want to date her,' you're already undermining yourself. While attraction is important, if you lack a shared interest or can't provide for one another's mental, physical, and emotional needs, the relationship is doomed to fail."

Staring directly at Kaminari, Izuku added, "Your problem is you only care about 'being' in a relationship, not its quality. That, combined with the fact you act like a pervert, makes you seem unreliable and self-centered. Most girls seek partners that can provide for or support them emotionally. Keep thinking about your own wants and needs, and even if you get a girlfriend, they won't be with you long."

Scratching his head, Kaminari's expression became somewhat awkward as he said, "Damn, Midoriya-kun, that's harsh. I appreciate the advice, but you don't hold back, do you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku replied, "What did you expect? I mean, we are students of UA. Giving it our all and then going even further beyond is kind of our whole schtick. Plus Ultra, and all that."

Before Kaminori could respond to his words, Izuku looked around the table, adding, "I'm not some love guru, but if you ever need my advice, feel free to ask. I can at least give it to you straight."

Responding to Izuku's 'provocation,' Mineta, with a somewhat resentful look on his face, said, "It would be easier if you just told us what the girls liked. You spend so much time with them; you must know something that could be useful to the rest of us."

Resisting the urge to tell Mineta to fuck off, Izuku just shook his head, maintaining a relaxed smile as he replied, "Learning about the person you like and getting to know them personally is part of becoming friends with them. If you stop staring at the girls as objects of desire and start treating them as potential friends, everything becomes much easier."

Deciding he had had enough of talking about the girls, Izuku shifted his attention to Tokoyami, saying, "Anyways, Tokoyami-kun, you said you got a referral from the No. 3 Hero, Hawks, right? That's awesome, man. Based on what I heard, Hawks is one of the most efficient Heroes in the biz. He rarely leaves his patrol area, but things are super peaceful there thanks to his presence."

Nodding his crow-like head, Tokoyami replied, "Indeed. I was honestly a little surprised since I suffered such a crushing defeat in the tournament. I just hope I'll be able to live up to his expectations."

Returning a nod of his own, Izuku asserted, "You'll be fine. Your Quirk is one of the most versatile in the entire Class. Just being able to fly gives you a massive advantage over most people, so once you master wearing your Dark Shadow as a veil, you'll become a lot stronger."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," replied Tokoyami, his beak forming a smile as he added, "If you had not encouraged me to delve deeper into the abyss, I might never have realized my full potential."

Waving his hand in front of his face, Izuku refuted Tokoyami's words, assuring him he would have reached a similar conclusion in time. Then, as was often the case when he spent time with the boys in his Class, Izuku passed the lunch break talking about how each of them, himself included, could improve...

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With the bell ringing to announce the start of afternoon classes, Aizawa arrived in the classroom with his usual deadpan expression and haggard appearance. Everyone fell silent as he entered, remaining that way until he reached the podium at the front of the room, revealing, "There will be no training this afternoon. Instead, in preparation for your internships, you will be choosing Hero names."

Hearing that they would finally be choosing their Hero names, everyone in the Class became excited. Well, almost everyone. Izuku still hadn't come up with a Hero name he was satisfied with, so his enthusiasm was lacking compared to his classmates. Fortunately, he knew what came next, so the smile on his face was genuine.

Shortly after Aizawa showed the breakdown of everyone's intern referrals and began discussing the importance of picking a proper Hero name, the door to the classroom slid open, followed by the appearance of Midnight shouting, "Because if you fail to pick a proper name, it'll be Hell from then on!"

Contrasting the excitement of the other boys in Class, Izuku maintained a faint smile, sitting contentedly at his desk in the back of the room until he noticed Midnight looking directly at him. It was only for a brief moment, but he was certain their gazes had met before the buxom, raven-haired Heroine took over at the front of the class, explaining, "Your Hero name is effectively your brand. It's what people all across the world will come to know you as, so choosing a name that reflects your Heroic principles is of paramount importance. Fail to pick a proper one, or have your name given to you by the public, and it could haunt you your entire career."

Nodding his head, Aizawa added, "The way your futures end up depends heavily on your Hero names. As they say, 'names and natures often agree.' All Might is a good example of this, as his name not only reflects strength but it's also a play on the phrase, 'everything is going to be all right.' Thus giving rise to his most iconic catchphrase."

Taking over for Aizawa, Midnight raised her hand and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Everything will be all right! Why, you ask? Because All Might is here!"

Though All Might was not, in fact, present, nearly everyone in the Class clapped in response to Midnight's outburst. Shortly after, Aizawa left the classroom, leaving the R-Rated Heroine in charge of helping the students pick their Hero names...

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With classes letting out much earlier than usual, Izuku politely refused an invitation from Ojiro and Shoji to hit the gym. He would have liked to, but he already had a prior engagement. Thus, when everyone began to head home, he pretended to do the same, accompanying Tsuyu and Ochaco to the station. Then, after seeing Tsuyu off, Izuku and Ochaco boarded a train together, making their way to the latter's apartment, a fairly simple dwelling with a single bedroom and a bath.

Rubbing the back of her head, Ochaco, appearing 'very' nervous, said, "Sorry if it's a bit cramped. I also don't have much furniture, but you can sit on my bed if you'd like..."

Making Ochaco even more embarrassed, Izuku took a whiff of the air and remarked, "It smells like you," before providing a bit of relief as he added, "It's a very pleasant aroma."

Exhaling a sigh, Ochaco patted her chest a few times before doing her best to perk up as she asked, "So, did you bring them? You didn't forget them at school, did you?"

"Of course not," replied Izuku, removing his backpack and opening it to reveal several vacuum-sealed packages. Ochaco's face paled when she noticed they were from the company that produced Mirko's actual Hero costume, but she did her best not to panic, snatching Izuku's backpack as she stammered, "J-Just give me a moment..." before rushing into the bathroom.

As the costumes he had purchased were around ¥9,000,000 a piece, Izuku wasn't even remotely surprised by Ochaco's reaction. He could have bought a much cheaper variety, but he believed it might receive some 'additional benefits' if he got his hands on the real deal. He might not want Ochaco to feel indebted to him, but feelings of 'appreciation' were always welcome...

While Ochaco was busy getting changed, Izuku resisted the urge to look around her room and settled on her bed. However, instead of sitting, he shamelessly laid down, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes in preparation for a short nap. When he heard the shower turn on a few minutes later, that was precisely what he did. After all, it would be at least half an hour before Ochaco got changed and mustered the courage to come outside...

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Rousing Izuku from his slumber, the timid voice of Ochaco called out, "I-Izuku-kun...?" in a hesitant tone.

"Hmmm...?"

Opening his eyes, Izuku was tempted to feign ignorance and pretend like he didn't know what was going on, but he immediately changed his mind when he saw Ochaco. He had expected her to look good in Mirko's outfit. After all, it was a 'very' well-designed Hero garb. However, while that was certainly the case, it was more accurate to say she was adorable...almost unreasonably so...

Seeing the stunned look on Izuku's face, some of Ochaco's nervousness began to fade away, allowing her to smile bashfully as she said, "Sorry for taking so long. My...my body was a bit sweaty due to nerves, so I decided to take a quick shower before getting changed..."

Blushing at the admission of her nervousness, Ochaco promptly decided to change topics, stammering, "A-Anyways...how do I look? I don't think it suits me that well, but...well, since it's your reward, I guess it only matters what you think...Izuku-kun?"

As Izuku was still in an open-mouthed stupor, Ochaco began to get a little worried. Fortunately, repeating his name was enough to break the spell he was under, prompting him to express, "You look amazing." with the most sincere, wide-eyed look he could manage. Then, as important things were best repeated, he added, "Like...really, really amazing...it's almost ridiculous..."

Not expecting such heavy praise, Ochaco's face became redder each time Izuku called her amazing. She was still super embarrassed to be wearing such a tight and revealing costume, but she was happy to have gone through with it. It made what came next much easier...

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(A/N: Soft bunny, warm bunny, little ball of fluff~)