Chapter 34

Though he was tempted to agree to Ochaco's suggestion, especially knowing she was one of the more dutiful girls present, Izuku's expression softened as he replied, "I want to agree, Ochaco-san, I really do. But as I pointed out a few minutes ago, now probably isn't the best time to start a relationship. Not when we have internships, the Hero Licensing Exam, and Work Studies right around the corner..."

Turning his attention to the other girls present, Izuku added, "Besides, at this point, I'm not sure I have the right to date any of you. I thought I was being smart by casting a 'wide net.' I've since come to realize my actions were exceedingly shortsighted..."

With Izuku's final words directed her way, Toru understood she was the reason he decided not to date anyone. The realization caused her to feel pained, but deep down, she was relieved he had rejected Ochaco's offer. Even more so since she knew she was Izuku's 'number one' among all the girls in the Class...

Pouring cold water over the illusory steam rising from Toru's head, Mina pointed out, "You mentioned before that you weren't looking for a 'serious' relationship. The two of you could try dating as 'just friends' and see how things develop from there. You know, kind of like when the two of us went out. A practice date."

Making things much worse, Mina added, "Better yet, since you've clearly put a lot of thought into this, you could try going on mock dates with each of us. Not everything can be learned from simply observing people. If you want to find out if you're truly compatible with someone, you need to go on at least one date together."

Extending Toru a ray of hope, Izuku shook his head, stating, "While I can't refute your words on their merits, I'm fairly confident in my assertion it's a bad idea. One guy shouldn't date multiple girls from the same Class, even if it's just practice."

Blinking in surprise, Mina remarked, "That's a little surprising, coming from you. With how thorough you've been, I genuinely believed you were trying to form a harem. Isn't that like every guy's dream? To have a girl for every day of the week?"

"Maybe if they're children..." replied Izuku, his expression morphing into a deadpan as he asserted, "Real men are loyal to a fault. It's fine to test the waters if you're an adult trying your luck in the dating scene, but once you enter a relationship, you have an obligation–no, a duty to see it through to the end. People who sneak around or cheat on those they purport to care for deserve every punishment Hell has to give..."

Realizing that everyone was looking at him with expressions of shock and concern, the fury in Izuku's eyes abated, an apologetic smile developing across his face as he said, "Sorry about that...the truth is, my father has a second family in America. He basically abandoned my Kaa-chan and me, so I don't have a particularly good impression of people who fool around in a relationship..."

Hearing about Izuku's family circumstances, each of the girls, especially Mina, had apologetic looks on their faces. If she had known about Izuku's situation in advance, she would never have made such a tasteless joke...

Attempting an apology, Mina hung her head and muttered, "Sorry, Izuku-kun, I..." but stopped when Izuku shook his head, saying, "No. I know you were just joking, Mina-san. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me like that..."

Recalling his encounter with the baldie from the One-for-All space, Izuku couldn't help thinking his recent 'instabilities' were the result of inheriting an Emission-type Quirk. He knew better than anyone he had some shit to work through, but he usually kept his emotions hidden. At the very least, he wasn't the type to lash out at unrelated people. If that were the case, he'd be no better than Todoroki...

Regaining his calm, Izuku attempted to ease tensions by regaining his smile and stating, "To be honest, your suggestion isn't a bad one. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to try dating everyone here. I just can't view it as 'practice.' If I'm going to date someone, I intend to give it my all from start to finish. That being said..."

Turning his attention to Ochaco, causing her to sit a little straighter, Izuku added, "I really would like to date you, Ochaco-san. You're inarguably one of the kindest and most considerate girls I know. I'm just not in the best mental or emotional state right now. I don't want to hurt you...I don't want to hurt anyone..."

As his words were intended to create a bit of distance between him and the girls, at least until he could get his shit sorted, Izuku was left at a loss for words when Ochaco pumped her fists and exclaimed, "That's no good, Izuku-kun! When we're in pain or uncertain about the future, turning away from friends is never the answer! When friends work together, there's no hardship they can't overcome...!"

"..."

While Izuku was momentarily at a loss for words, Mina softly but excitedly remarked, "You go, Ochaco-san! Now finish him off~!" with sparkling eyes.

Though she wasn't paying attention to Mina's words, Ochaco looked up at Izuku, staring at him with upturned eyes as she appealed, "Please, let me help you, Izuku. Whatever you're going through, I promise it'll be easier if we face it together...!"

("How the hell am I supposed to say no to this?") thought Izuku, his gaze briefly shifting to Toru. As he pointed out previously, he was the type that took relationships seriously. If he and Ochaco started dating, there was a good chance they would continue dating throughout High School...if not much, much longer...

Seeing Izuku look her way, even if only for a brief moment, Toru's body and heart tensed. If she had known that feigning ignorance would hurt this much, she never would have broken things off between them. She had thought she was being considerate of the other girls, but now she wasn't too sure...if anything, it felt like she had sacrificed her happiness for Ochaco's benefit...

Causing Toru's heart to twist painfully in her chest, Izuku, his gaze fixed on Ochaco, said, "You're right, Ochaco-san. If we work together, there's nothing we can't overcome..."

Smiling broadly, Ochaco was about to ask if that meant they could start dating but stopped herself when Izuku shook his head, adding, "But we don't need to be dating to support one another. It's barely been a month since we began attending UA. For now, it's probably for the best that we remain friends. Maybe even best friends."

Exhaling a long, adorably exasperated sigh, Ochaco deflated in her seat as she said, "I thought you might say that..." with a dispirited but smiling look. She had given it her all, but it was very clear Izuku wasn't ready to start dating. It was disappointing, but, knowing they could remain friends, Ochaco wasn't particularly upset. At least this way, things wouldn't be too awkward between her, Tsuyu, and the girls in her Class...

Adopting a somewhat self-deprecating smile, Ochaco perked back up as she said, "Well if you ever change your mind or just want to hang out, you have my phone number. Jiro-san isn't the only one who enjoys listening to music, you know?"

Suppressing the notion he was a massive prick, Izuku returned a smile of his own as he replied, "I'd like that, Ochaco-san. Just remember, that's a two-way street. If you ever want to hang out and I'm not busy, just shoot me a text. No, even if I 'am' busy, I can always make time for the people I care about."

Hearing Izuku unabashedly insinuate she was someone he cared about, Ochaco's smile became a lot broader. At the same time, she couldn't help thinking that if they exchanged texts and frequently spent time together, it wasn't much different from being a couple...

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Following the mid-festival intermission, the students participating in the Finals were gathered in the arena to hear Midnight's explanation of the rules and to draw lots. In Izuku's case, he, unfortunately, ended up being paired against Yaoyorozu in the inaugural match, surprising each of them quite a bit...

Standing across from each other on a square-shaped stage prepared by Cementoss, Yaoyorozu had a wry smile on her face as she remarked, "It looks like my journey in this year's Sports Festival ends here..." Then, with a markedly more confident look, she balled her hands into fists, striking a 'guts pose' as she added, "But make no mistake, Midoriya-kun! I have no intention of giving up...!"

Punching his right hand into the palm of his left fist, Midoriya returned a smile as he replied, "I expect nothing less from our Class Representative! Now, come at me, Yaoyorozu-san...!"

As the match had already started, Yaoyorozu kicked things off in a rather 'interesting' way, unzipping her top to reveal her toned body and a stylish black sports bra. The objects she produced with her Creation Quirk would destroy her clothes if she attempted to materialize them while clothed, so Yaoyorozu had little choice but to expose quite a bit of skin if she wanted to produce something large.

Accompanying a rainbow-hued flash, Yaoyorozu materialized a medium-sized canon from her body, shouting, "Please try not to get injured...!" as she unleashed its explosive package in Izuku's direction.

Contrasting the expectations of Yaoyorozu and many within the crowd, Izuku didn't attempt to dodge the explosive projectile. Instead, he stood his ground, waiting until the very last moment to raise his foot, kicking the cannonball directly. This, unsurprisingly, resulted in him being enveloped by the subsequent fireball, but it barely had time to form before dozens of bluish-black tendrils dispersed it, revealing him to be unharmed.

Seeing Izuku take on her most powerful attack without flinching, a look of disbelief briefly marred Yaoyorozu's face. However, true to her word, she didn't give up. Instead, she produced several flashbangs and a canister of tear gas, shouting, "Let's see how you handle this...!" before lobbing them in Izuku's direction.

Realizing what Yaoyorozu was up to, Izuku thought, ("I see she took my comment about having enhanced senses to heart. Not a bad plan, if not for the fact we're outside...")

Before the canisters could reach him, Izuku dashed forward at a blinding speed, bypassing them mid-flight and appearing before Yaoyorozu in an instant. What surprised Izuku was that despite being caught off guard by his maneuver, Yaoyorozu managed to counterattack immediately, dozens of tungsten rods erupting from her chest and abdomen to push him away and propel herself backward. At the same time, she generated canisters of pepper spray from her palms, unleashing their torrents at Izuku's face.

("I'm starting to see why she's ranked first in the Class...") thought Izuku. Yaoyorozu's ability to adapt on the fly was extraordinary, so much so that if she were given time to strategize, Izuku felt she could defeat just about anyone. Bar a few outliers...

While dodging backward faster than the tungsten rods could extrude from Yaoyorozu's body, ten tendrils of Blackwhip emanated from the tips of his fingers, surging forward like teal-tinged bolts of black lighting. Yaoyorozu did her best to dodge, but the tendrils of Blackwhip were way too fast for someone with a fairly ordinary physique to dodge. As a result, Yaoyorozu could only grit her teeth in vexation as her wrists and ankles were bound, followed by her being flung rather unceremoniously from the arena. Izuku would have preferred a gentler approach, but the raven-haired Ojou-sama was simply too capable for him to hold back without it looking like he was toying or overtly flirting with her...

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(A/N: Looks like Momo was the first to get to experience a 'fling' with the MC...)