Chapter 8: Visit

Toji was already about to leave school. Several months had passed since his admission, and the end of the year was just around the corner. Surprisingly, his grades weren't that bad, thanks in large part to a persistent and nosy person who was always looking out for him.

"Fushiguro, wait!"

Speak of the devil, he thought with a mix of annoyance and resignation. He turned around, and there she was, approaching him as always. "What's up, brat?" he said nonchalantly.

Momo frowned. "Stop calling me that. We're the same age."

"Fine. So what's up, brainiac?" he replied with a mocking smile. She rolled her eyes.

"Just call me by my name," she insisted, crossing her arms with exhausted patience.

He stared at her for a few seconds, as if trying to remember something complicated. "...What was it again?"

Momo sighed, exasperated. "You're terrible! It's Momo, Yaoyorozu Momo. We've known each other for months. I'm the only one who talks to you. The least you could do is remember my name."

Toji gave her a carefree smile. "Right, Momo... I'll remember."

Momo, not expecting such a simple response, sighed and gave him a quick look. "Anyway, do you want to come eat at my house? My mom said I could invite a friend... and, well, I thought of you."

Toji raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Free food? I'm in," he said with a sly grin.

Momo couldn't hide a relieved smile. She had actually thought he would decline. "Great! Come on, the car's waiting for us."

Toji blinked. "You have a car?"

She stopped, as if it were obvious. "The driver who always picks me up."

He looked at her and smirked ironically. "Right... almost everyone here is rich. You disgust me. Share some of that wealth."

Momo shot him an annoyed look. "Who always pays for your lunch?"

Toji, far from feeling embarrassed, smirked mockingly. "I never asked you to. Actually, you seem thrilled to do it."

She blushed. "Then I won't do it anymore," she retorted, trying to sound annoyed.

He simply shrugged. "Fine, I'll never eat lunch again until graduation."

Momo huffed, exasperated. "You're such a manipulator." And, resigned, she started walking toward the car. "Let's just go."

Toji followed her without further comment. When they reached the car, the driver gave them a visibly disapproving look. Noticing this, Toji casually said, "What are you staring at, mustache?"

The man flinched slightly, but Momo quickly intervened. "He's a guest, forgive his manners... he came like this from the factory." The driver scoffed and went to the front seat, leaving the two in the back.

Once they were settled, Toji asked, "Is it far?"

Momo shook her head. "A few minutes by car. It's a bit on the outskirts of the city."

"Then it's far. Wake me up when we get there." Without waiting for a response, he reclined in the seat and closed his eyes, ready to nap.

Momo watched him and sighed, resigned. In the end, with Toji, it was pointless to expect different behavior. The driver, observing them through the rearview mirror, just shook his head before starting the car.

After a few minutes, Momo nudged him lightly. Toji, yawning, stretched and opened his eyes, still half-asleep.

"We're almo—" The last word caught in his throat as he saw the massive mansion before him. He stared at the impressive structure in disbelief. "Hey... is this... your house?" he asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

Momo looked at him as if he were a complete idiot and nodded, trying not to blush. "What do you need so much space for...?" Toji muttered disdainfully.

A bit embarrassed, Momo explained, "It's for appearances. My family is... somewhat influential in the country."

Toji looked at her, somewhat fascinated, and without much thought, blurted out, "If I poke you, do you bleed gold?"

Momo, already tired of his absurd comments, was about to step out of the car, but at that moment, she felt a pinch. "Kya! What the hell are you doing?"

Toji smiled at her, amused, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Had to make sure."

A little annoyed and not wanting to be outdone, Momo leaned toward him and tried to return the gesture using her fingernail, though somewhat clumsily. Pressing her finger against Toji's abdomen, she felt a small crack in her own finger. "Ouch! Hey, what do you have under your uniform?" she muttered while rubbing her sore finger.

Without any shame, Toji lifted his shirt, revealing his well-defined abs. "Nothing, just pure protein."

Momo's face turned as red as a tomato. "W-w-what are you doing... put that away!" she stammered, trying to regain her composure as she quickly pulled his shirt back down.

Their argument was interrupted by a feminine voice from the mansion's entrance. "Well, you two seem to be having fun, huh?"

Momo immediately turned around and found her mother standing in the mansion's grand entrance, a hand covering her smile. Momo's embarrassment grew as she noticed her mother's expression and quickly tried to justify herself. "No, it's not what it looks like! This idiot is just a shameless degenerate!"

Toji looked at her, offended, and muttered, "Me? You're the one who asked what was there."

Momo, with a vein pulsing on her forehead, retorted, "Yes, but not literally, idiot!"

The woman chuckled softly, enjoying their exchange. "Fuh fuh, it's good to see my daughter has such good friends. I'm Reika Yaoyorozu."

Toji, without much ceremony, responded with a casual, "What's up?" Before he could say more, Momo elbowed him.

"Introduce yourself," Momo whispered, trying to make him more polite.

"Oh, right. Toji Fushiguro... I guess a friend of this crazy one here," he added with a mocking smile, earning another elbow from her.

Reika watched them, amused, without losing her composure. "Ara? Fushiguro? Toji Fushiguro? Haha, I never thought you'd become friends. The world really is strange sometimes."

Toji raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You know me?"

Reika nodded, her smile widening. "Of course. Your mother mentions you whenever she can."

He frowned, confused. "How do you know my mother?"

Reika looked at him with unusual tenderness, thinking he has the same expressions as his mother. "She's been my secretary for some time now. To think my daughter would beat me to befriending her son... Well, that's something." Reika let out a light laugh, enjoying the moment. "Anyway, let's stop talking at the entrance. Come in, come in."

Toji looked at Reika and then at Momo, who was still processing what her mother had just revealed. "I see where you got them from," he murmured, glancing at her with a mischievous smile.

"Huh? What are you talking about now?" Momo asked, puzzled.

Toji, without hesitation, pointed at Momo's chest. She turned bright red and, without thinking twice, threw a punch directly at Toji's jaw, which didn't even faze him.

"Ugh! That's not fair—stop using your Quirk."

Reika, who was listening to everything with a smile, paused for a moment. "Quirk? Aren't you Quirkless, Toji?"

Toji, still with Momo's fist on his face, nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, I am."

Momo blinked, perplexed. "How can you be Quirkless if you have such ridiculous strength and speed?"

Reika also blinked, somewhat intrigued. "And how could you save me from those thieves that time? Your movements were literally imperceptible," Momo added, still incredulous.

Toji sighed, looking at her with slight boredom. "Can you move your hand off my face now?"

Embarrassed, Momo quickly pulled her fist away. Reika looked at him with a mix of amazement and gratitude. "You were the one who saved my daughter?"

Toji scratched his head, trying to recall. "If you mean the time your daughter called the police in front of everyone... yeah, that was me."

Momo, blushing from both embarrassment and irritation, glared at Toji resentfully, but he just smiled mockingly, enjoying her discomfort. When she was about to get upset again, Reika surprised them by hugging Toji, leaving him bewildered and Momo stunned. Her mother seemed on the verge of tears.

"The store cameras were of poor quality..." she murmured. "All we could see was the figure of a young man standing between that horrible man and my daughter. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you... thank you for protecting my little girl when no one else could."

Toji, though slightly uncomfortable—not because of the hug but because he had two enormous pillows in his face—was more uneasy with the emotional weight of her words. "Come on in. I'm sure you're hungry. I want to get to know my daughter's friend and savior better."

Finally, the three of them crossed the mansion's threshold, and Toji, even more astonished, was left speechless at the magnitude and opulence of the interior.