Chapter 142: Parent's Day Arc (3)
~Third POV~
[Next Day, Supermarket, Japan]
The next day came Saturday. Ren, with permission, came to do his regular shopping for the dormitory for cooking. But he wasn't the only one on that day to be sent alone for shopping that day.
Ochaco Uraraka was strolling toward the supermarket, a reusable shopping bag in hand. She rattled off her shopping list while counting on her fingers, each with a distinctive padded tip, muttering nervously, "Discounted carrots, onions, peppers, eggs, milk… Ah, shallots, too. Dad loves shallots and Worcestershire sauce with his curry. Crud! Also, I need to pick up the sauce!"
Uraraka had to move away from home to attend UA High and was now living in the dorms with her classmates. Her folks ran a construction company, but contracts were scarce these days, so times were tough.
Ochaco 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 attending Parents' Day on Monday, and she 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. Ochaco pondered the Worcestershire sauce for a moment before finally relenting, "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 plicked 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 Ochaco as it read, 'KUDO CUT MOCHI JUMBO PACK: 250 YEN!'
The usual price of 600 yen was slashed by more than half, and the vacuum-sealed package made the mochi last as long as it needed to. Most importantly, Ochaco was a die-hard mochi fan who couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Unfortunately, the offer came with a fine print addendum that said, 'LIMIT: 1 PER CUSTOMER.' Ochaco cried out loud, "Stingy jerks!"
Her body puckered in annoyance as she knew the store just wanted as many people as possible to take advantage of the deal, but the typically upbeat girl's face darkened over her necessarily frugal lifestyle as she mumbled in an annoyed tone, "At least make it two per person… No, three… or four… Wait, five… why not ten packs!"
Like a salesperson driving a hard bargain, Ochaco's fantasy pile of mochi grew higher and higher in her mind till her friends came to see the frenzy of Ochaco again.
"What's the matter, Uraraka?"
"Ten packs of what, now?"
"You okay there, infinity girl?"
It was her classmates, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu Asui, and Ren Yuki. Ochaco tickled pink to run into her classmates outside of class in an embarrassed tone, "Whoa! It's you three! Don't see this combo too often!"
Hearing her claims, Momo briefly explained herself in a calm tone to Ochaco, "I was out looking for reference books at the bookstore, and I happened upon Tsuyu and Ren when I was returning to the Heights Alliance."
Tsuyu lifted some stationery out of her shopping bag in a blunt tone and answered Ochaco, "And I needed more writing paper, Ribbit."
Ren lifts his grocery bag as he explains himself, carrying an assortment of food items casually, "For me, I came to buy some food for the dormitory in our building and myself. Where are you headed, Ochaco?"
Smiling at this, Ochaco explained in a happy tone with an upbeat personality, "Grocery shopping! My dad's coming, so I gotta stock up!"
With that, Ochaco gasped, suddenly remembering her predicament as she said, hanging her head in despair, "Oh no, the mochi!"
Her classmates exchanged puzzled looks as Ochaco explained her predicament to them. Her classmate's blank stares turned to smiles as Ochaco explained as Ren said bluntly, "So that counting you were doing before that was all about mochi packs?"
Tsuyu added with a light smile on her face, placing a finger on her chin, "That explains your furrowed brows as well, Ribbit."
Ochaco's cheeks reddened as she explained herself in an embarrassed tone with her fingers fidgeting, "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."
Understanding her concerns, Ren suggested in a helpful tone, helping her out, "Why don't we help you out then? We can each buy a pack of mochi."
Momo nods her head, agreeing to help in an upbeat tone with a happy expression, "Yes. I would be happy to assist if it's a matter of my classmate's survival."
Ochaco cried in reverence as if the heavens had taken pity on her; she might've gone into full kowtow mode if her friends hadn't stopped her. "Goddesses and God in the flesh!"
They set off for the supermarket at a brisk pace, and Ochaco nearly began skipping happily, saying blissfully, "Four 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've with her [Zero Gravity] Quirk. Ren then asked curiously, "You sure have a thing for mochi, Ochaco."
Momo added, asking curiously about Ochaco's love for mochi, "Won't you tire of it, though? Day in, day out?"
However, Ochaco shook her head as she began to explain, turning into a tangent about her love for mochi, "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…"
Momo was stunned by how much Ochaco would put into Mochi as she replied in a sheepish tone, "I-I had no idea there were so many options… it seems I underestimated the power of mochi."
With that, the girls began to proceed to discuss the combination that would work best with Mochi as Ren thought with a deadpan expression, 'No. It is because she's willing to eat anything since she's poor… but I won't bring it up. But now I'm interested in making some of those mochi combinations into my dishes.'
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, as Momo was mystified by shopping personally, contrary to how she was used to someone paying for her.
They proceeded to get a shopping cart with Momo shining in excitement like a kid who'd never been shopping in a supermarket before, causing Ren to chuckle seeing this childish side of her. They then began to discuss the latest crimes of shoplifting, as Momo said with 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 Ochaco pause as she asked as it was a serious concern for her, "Hang on. Given the whole one-per-person thing, should I really be asking you guys to help me get more mochi?"
The others thought for a moment as Momo said in an unsure tone of the dilemma, "It is something to consider… I can't say I've ever faced a moral dilemma like this one…"
It was when Ochaco asked in a conflicted tone, looking down and facing the moral dilemma she faces, "My family pulls this trick all the time, but maybe it's different with friends? Does it count as a scam, you think?"
Pondering her question, Tsuyu bluntly told Ochaco her response to her dilemma: "Well, if you end up with more than you should, that means someone else is going without… maybe…"
Asui's reasoned take threw Ochaco into head-clutching despair till Ren spoke up, shrugging his shoulders as he nonchalantly said, "Perhaps. But then again, it's a sale you can purchase. If anything, it's fine since it's first come, first serve. And besides, that pile of Mochi isn't going to be missing look over there."
Pointing in the direction of the Mochi stand. The display was a few paces away. Sure enough, massive bags of Mochie were piled as Tsuyu pointed out bluntly, "There's so much here, Ochaco. I don't think you should worry."
Momo clasped her hands together, agreeing in a cheerful tone, encouraging her friend, "Indeed. Removing four packs from all this is like a drop out of the bucket."
Encouraged by her friends, Ochaco said in an embarrassed tone, "I – I guess…"
Soon enough, she tossed one pack into the car. But the image of tipping scales stayed in her hand as she reached for a second and said nervously, "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."
Listening to her issues, Tsuyu offered her suggestion to her conflicted friend bluntly, "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, Ribbit."
Ochaco agreed to the idea as they were determined to kill some time, the four of them wandered the store. They passed through the snack aisle and debated their favorite childhood treats while moving toward the clothing area.
They began discussing their parents, but Ren remained silent, merely listening to their tales and family experiences. That was when Asui had picked up on something and was now staring past her classmates as Ren asked, noticing her silence, "What is it, Tsuyu?"
Hearing his question, Asui pointed as they hid behind some clothes racket, "Something about that one guy, ribbit."
The trio turned to spot a thin, fidgety man who was glancing around nervously with hunched shoulders. He looked about to be 20 years old, and he was sweating buckets as Ren said, confused, "Maybe he's sick?"
Momo, seeing this suggested as she was about to march over and say something, "Then we ought to offer him help before he collapses…"
But that was when Ochaco gasped, causing the group to pause as she said, "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, black, beige, purple, and red options. Wary of his suspicious behavior, the group hid behind the pajama rack to get a better look as Ochaco murmured nervously, "A panty thief, maybe…?"
Observing the situation, Ren asked, albeit with an anxious expression on his face, "Certainly possible, but we mustn't prejudge. Perhaps he's picking out a gift for his girlfriend… or for himself…"
The group shivered at the idea, but they were doing their best to maintain composure. Ochaco, meanwhile, was imagining a vast array of hobbies and proclivities, muttering out loud, "Different strokes for different folks, huh…"
The group didn't comment as they kept observing the man from behind the pajamas. Nobody else was around, causing Ochaco to laugh weakly, trying to ignore her nerves. In a nervous tone, she whispered, "Think we're overthinking this? He could just be browsing."
Ren, seeing this, used his [Observe] skill to see the issue. What he read, he blinked a bit surprised as he walked up to the guy using [New Order] in a calm tone, "I can command those who listen. Yo man, you okay?"
The man that he read was Suzuki, yelping, alarmed, answering back, "Ah! You – "
He froze as his eyes turned blank with Ren bringing up some cash. Handing it over to the man, he spoke lightly, giving a command ending his [New Order], "Just relax, man. Here, use this money to buy yourself a new pair of underwear instead of stealing. Can't be looking like a fool while out with your Miyuki. Just be yourself and calm down."
Suzuki merely nodded his head as he turned around, ending the brainwashing as he regained consciousness. He looked alarmed, gazing at Ren, but left with his group of girls staring at the cash before heading to the register.
The girls blinked with Momo with a light grin and asked curiously about Ren's actions, "I see you intervened, Ren-san. Care to explain to us why he was about to steal?"
He laughed lightly as he bluntly said, "Because he soiled himself."
This caused the girls to pause as Ochaco bluntly said, "What…?"
They seemed disappointed by the answer as Ren began to explain what he knew, chuckling at the story almost comically, "Apparently, the guy named Suzuki finally had the chance to ask out his girl after 4 years till she said yes. He was so nervous he soiled himself before his date that he tried to steal a fresh pair of underwear as he forgot his wallet… hahaha!!"
Laughing out loud at such bullshit Asui merely replied with a glint of disappointment, "Oh… here I thought he was into that kind of hobby, Ribbit."
Momo tilted her head innocently as Ochaco blushed at the ramifications. "What hobbies, Asui?"
She blushed with Ren wiggling his eyebrows, causing her face to be even redder. But it was when Ochaco stomached grumbled.
*Grumble*
Hearing her stomach, she gasped in shock as she shouted, remembering her mochi once the situation resolved, "Ah! My mochi! It totally slipped my mind when we saw that guy. I hope its still sitting there…"
Momo asked curiously, helping her friend out in a friendly tone, "Shall we go back and check?"
Asui, seeing the chance, tried to change the topic, losing her blush in an embarrassed tone, "A-Actually, I'd be willing to try your chocolate mochi concoction at this point, Ribbit..."
Having changed topics quickly, Ren smiled, shaking his head shamelessly as he thought happily, 'Oh Asui… such a perverted mind beneath that big sister aura. In more ways than one, my kinky princess Froppy.'