"Ugh! Why did they have to put the kitchen all the way over here?" Mina whined as she descended the stairs, rubbing her eyes. "I should really take a page out of Momo's book and start preparing before going to bed... nah, too much work," she muttered to herself as she reached the common room.
As she made her way toward the kitchen, the sound of someone unlocking the door caught her attention. "Who would be coming into the dorms at this hour?" she wondered to herself. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she considered the possibility that it could be a villain. Acting fast, she grabbed a nearby vase and took cover behind the door, completely forgetting that she had a quirk to defend herself.
A few moments later, two individuals entered through the door, prompting Mina to react quickly and swing the vase at the first person. However, before she could make contact, they grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Mina!?" Izuku exclaimed, quickly taking the vase from her hand. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Mina retorted. "Where on earth did you two come from at this ungodly hour?"
"Hey now, don't give me that look. It was all Momo's idea. She wanted to go flying," Izuku quickly shifted the blame onto his companion.
Meanwhile, Momo ignored Izuku's words and approached Mina with a beaming smile. "Mina! We had so much fun just now!" she began in an excited voice, hooking her arm with Mina's. "Come on, let's talk! I want to tell you all about it."
However, Mina didn't share her sentiment as she whisked her arm away. "Momo, dear, I love you with all my heart, but you're crazy if you think I'm going to stay up any longer than I have to," she said and started walking toward the kitchen.
"Mina! Wait!" Momo tried to stop her friend, but Mina kept walking toward the kitchen while Momo stood there with crossed arms and a pout on her face.
"Don't worry, Momo. Whenever Mina denies something with this much confidence, she always turns back," Izuku said, smiling at Momo, who couldn't help but return his smile, knowing her friend's behavior.
And just as Izuku had predicted, after drinking her fill of water, instead of going back to her room, Mina decided to join them in the living room now, she was happily chatting with them.
"Hey, guys, I have an amazing idea," Mina lounged on the couch as she shared her brilliant idea with her friends. "We should build a huge resort on some secluded island or something, with lots of rooms for all of our friends and a special room for partying, playing games, or whatever we want to do."
"And what about work?" Izuku asked. "You know we're going to graduate in six months, right?"
"Don't be such a buzzkill!" Mina very maturely stuck out her tongue at Izuku. "And come on, even if we become heroes, we can still make time for ourselves and our friends."
"I love this idea," Momo said with a beaming smile. "We can even arrange days where all of us stay up at night like this and experience this."
"Yep, that sounds great!" Mina replied, returning her smile.
"Look at her," Izuku said, gesturing towards Momo. "An hour ago, she was asking me what the point of staying up was, and now she's trying to organize a stay-up night for all of us."
"Oh no, Izuku, I think you've corrupted our class Mom," Mina said with an exaggerated gasp. "Aizawa sensei is going to have your head for corrupting a pure soul like her."
"I know, right? I told her the same thing," Izuku said as he and Mina high-fived each other.
"Sush you two!" Momo pouted while swatting Izuku's arm. "I never knew night could be this... this..."
"Thrilling?" Mina suggested.
"Thrilling?... Yeah, that might be an apt word to describe the night," Momo nodded. "Night gives us a different kind of strength... strength to do things that we normally wouldn't do in the daytime," she said. "It makes you feel like nothing is impossible."
"In the daytime, the world is just glaring at us, which makes us feel that all the practical things are larger and consuming," Izuku added. "However, at night, our dreams become bigger, making us believe that everything is possible."
The friends sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what Izuku had just said.
After a brief period of silence, Mina spoke up. "Back when I was still in middle school, my friends planned to have a sleepover at one of our classmate's house. I asked my mom if I could go, but she said no for safety concerns, as any responsible parent would," Mina recounted. "However, I was too young and stubborn to understand my mother's reasons or concerns. So, in a fit of rebellious anger, I sneaked out of the house and decided to go to my friend's house all by myself."
"After leaving the house, I walked for a few minutes before realizing that someone was following me," Mina continued as Izuku and Momo leaned forward, looking worried and slightly interested. "I quickened my steps and decided to find a crowded area. As I paced there, I had decided in my mind that if anybody tried to come closer to me, I would unleash the strongest acid I could produce. However, even then, my heart was pounding with fear and anxiety."
"Luckily, I stumbled upon a convenience store and quickly went inside," she said, relief flooding her voice. "Fortunately, the lady managing the counter didn't throw me out, and I spent the entire night in that convenience store. The next day, when the sun rose on the horizon, I realized how much courage that night had given me. It also steeled my resolve to become a hero, so that no one has to go through the experience I went through."
"Mina, you are such a fighter," Izuku complimented his friend, while Mina returned a sweet smile, being hugged by Momo.
"Anyway, since we're planning on staying awake, why don't we do something fun?" Mina said with a wide smile.
"And what 'fun' thing do you suggest we should do?" Momo asked, knowing how absurd Mina's idea of 'fun' could be.
"Ghost stories, of course!" Mina declared excitedly, while Momo visibly paled.
Izuku noticed Momo's expression and decided to play along with Mina's tease. "A ghost story, you say?" he rubbed his chin. "I think I do have an interesting story."
"Izuku, you know... maybe you can let it be," Momo said with a strained smile. "I really don't like talking about ghosts at night."
"Are you scared, Momo?" Mina asked, while Momo reluctantly nodded her head. "Aww, poor girl," she cooed sympathetically, then turned towards Izuku. "Please continue," she said, ignoring the betrayed look in Momo's eyes.
"So, back in Aldera Middle School, we had this one classroom named 'Classroom Number 13' that the school had forbidden to enter, and to reinforce that rule, they even went as far as to barricade the door," Izuku said in a low voice.
"Why weren't students allowed to enter that class?" Momo asked with a gulp.
"Because that class has a story behind it," Izuku said as he leaned forward, trying to create a tense atmosphere. "A story that started 20 years ago. A story of a girl named Himari Amaya, a former student of Aldera Middle School."
"I am not listening," Momo said as she ineffectively placed her hands on her ears, while Mina contradicted her reaction by leaning forward with interest.
"Himari Amaya was a talented girl, excelling in both academics and sports. Her parents, teachers, and anyone who interacted with her knew that she was destined for greatness. But then one day, a couple of jealous students decided to play a cruel prank, locking her in Classroom Number 13 over the weekend," Momo gasped with a look of horror while Izuku continued. "However, when school resumed after the break, they found her lifeless body in that room."
"No one knew what happened in that classroom or how Himari died, and the school wasn't interested in finding out, fearing that it could shut them down for good. So they brushed off her death as an accident while bribing their way out of legal hassle."
"Two years went by and Himari's name and tragedy were forgotten. But then strange things started happening in that classroom, and the school staff downplayed whatever was going on there," he continued. "Then one night, four boys dared each other to enter the classroom and see what would happen. Initially, nothing seemed out of the ordinary... until it did."
Mina and Momo were engrossed in Izuku's story and didn't notice someone approaching them from behind.
"Suddenly, one of the boys noticed a girl standing at the back of the class," Izuku continued in a creepy, low voice. "Shit scared, the boys scrambled to leave the room, only to discover that the door was locked. The girl began to approach them with slow, steady steps while they desperately tried to unlock the door. Just then, relief flooded the boys as they heard the click of the door, but before they could open it, one of the boys felt a cold hand on his shoulder," as soon as those words left Izuku's mouth, Momo felt a hand on her own shoulder and froze in fear.
She slowly turned her head and saw a girl with hair covering her face behind her. In a hoarse voice, the girl said her name, "Momo..."
For a moment, Momo was paralyzed with fear before she screamed and fell off the sofa.
"Why are you screaming, Momo?" The girl ran her fingers through her hair, revealing herself to be Ochako.
"You!" Momo pointed accusingly at Ochako while clutching her heart. Then she turned her glare towards Izuku and Mina, who were both laughing uncontrollably. "Stop laughing, both of you!"
"Hmm, what's going on here?" Ochako inquired, curious about the commotion. Mina explained the situation to her.
"Okay, let me continue my story..." Izuku began, but before he could get any further, Momo leaped onto him and covered his mouth with her hand, while Ochako chuckled at their antics and Mina looked at them with an amused smile and gleeful eyes.
Eventually, Ochako joined in on the fun as they started playing cards. But one by one, their eyes grew heavy, and they drifted off to sleep, leaving only one person still awake.
******
Izuku slowly opened his eyes and gently removed Mina's leg that was resting on his chest. Getting up from his sleeping position, he glanced towards the lawn and saw Momo sitting on the edge, lost in her own thoughts while basking in the dawn.
He crept towards Momo slowly, careful not to disturb the sleeping figures of Mina and Ochako.
"Congrats, Momo," Izuku said, startling her for a moment before she smiled at him. "You won the bet. What would you like as your prize?"
"It's okay. I already got what I wanted, Izuku," Momo said, while Izuku arched his brow. "Today was a new experience for me. I never realized how beautiful the night could be." Then she smiled at Izuku and hugged his waist. "Thanks," she whispered as Izuku wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
After breaking the hug, Izuku sat down next to her. "I really corrupted the Yaoyorozu family's princess, didn't I," he grinned at her. "So should I assume that I'll have a partner every weekend now?"
"No, no, I don't think I can do this every weekend," Momo shook her head with a fond smile. "You were right, I'm more like a sunflower or a sparrow that chirps in the morning."
"And that makes me an owl, I suppose?" Izuku widened his eyes to imitate an owl, causing Momo to burst out laughing. In that moment, Izuku realized how much he loved the sound of her laughter.
"But I would love to become Night Lily again sometime," Momo said wistfully. "And flying again too."
"Deal. Just ask me whenever you want," Izuku replied with a warm smile. "Now, what do you want as your prize?"
"Izuku, I've already told you I don't want anything," Momo protested.
"No, that won't do," Izuku insisted with a shake of his head. "We can't break the sacred law of a bet."
"Fine then," Momo conceded with an exasperated but fond smile. "Since you are insisting, why don't you take me out for dinner," she suggested, locking eyes with him.
Momo's question caught Izuku off guard, causing him to pause and wonder if she was thinking the same thing he was. His mind raced, coming up with excuses for why she couldn't possibly be asking that. But he took a deep breath and decided to ask the lady herself. "As friends or as a date?"
A mischievous grin crossed Momo's face as she raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
'This girl...' Izuku couldn't help but shake his head with an amused smile. "Very well, Momo, it's a date."
"Great!" Momo clapped her hands with a beaming smile. "I am looking forward to it!"
With that settled, they both parted ways and headed back to their rooms to get some rest before their upcoming date.
Later that evening, Momo heard a knock on her door. When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to find Izuku standing there, casually yet properly dressed for their date. However, what put a smile on her face was a bouquet of flowers in his hands, made up of Night Lilies.
The End.