Mina Ashido was many things. Easygoing, self-confident, sociable, friendly, pink…
But one thing she wasn't... was ready.
She wasn't ready for Midoriya to turn around and say her name as he took his shirt off, revealing his toned and well-defined chest and back to her as he flexed his muscular arms.
Hey, Ashido!" He called back to the her. She could only stare dumbly, mouth slightly agape. "Remember when you asked me why Stormclaw was my favorite hero?"
Mina nodded slowly, gulping unconsciously as her eyes didn't leave his toned torso. "... Yeah?"
"Well, you see..." Midoriya's eyes began to glow slightly as scales formed across his shoulder blades. Mina's mouth opened further as wings sprouted out of his back. She and the rest of the class gasped again as they unfurled. Midoriya grinned wide with pride.
"He's my dad."
A pause.
"What do you mean, 'He's my dad'?!" Kaminari shouted out. Many of the other students gasped again, some shouted, while others just stared.
"Uh, that my dad is Stormclaw?"
"What?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Kaminari was pointing at him accusingly. Tsu was also staring in disbelief, confused finger on her face.
"You're wasting our time," Aizawa interrupted the students before Midoriya could respond. "You can socialize later. Heroes must be able to focus." The students grumbled, none louder than Kaminari, but they quieted down.
Mina didn't really have the mental capacity at the moment to process Midoriya's statement or the conversations going on around her. All she could do was continue to stare at the man.
"Wow…" Mina was stunned for the second time in only a few minutes.
"Yeah…" Uraraka, who was standing beside her, sighed fondly.
Again, for the second time in only a few minutes, Mina turned to her side in surprise. She stared at Uraraka, who was staring back down at her, blush evident on her cheeks. Well, more blush than normal. They grinned at each other awkwardly.
'She's just as adorable as Midoriya is when he blushes.' Her face twitched. 'Wait do I have a thing for tall people?'
"Runners, on your mark!" A cheerful robotic voice cut through Mina's thoughts. She turned and saw Bakugou and Midoriya lined up at the starting line. Midoriya's wings were standing up, ready to propel him forward. "Ready?" The two boys tensed up.
A gunshot rang out, and the two shot off like rockets, one quite literally. Bakugou jumped forward and held his hands behind him, letting off controlled, continuous explosions to fly forward. Midoriya's wings had kicked up a considerable dust storm as then hurled him towards the finish like. He shot through the air, wings back to make himself aerodynamic. The two reached their hands out at the last second, hoping to edge out the other. They were neck-and-neck as they crossed the line, and crashed down onto the ground afterwards.
"3.51 seconds! 3.54 seconds!" Midoriya had won by a fraction of a second. Mina watched as the two staggered to their feet, dusting themselves off. They both shot looks at each other, smirking and determined.
Mina gasped slightly. She was too busy staring at his chest and abs earlier, but now she saw his eyes. They were still big and filled with those cute forest green irises, but now they glowed faintly with a bright green light, so light that it almost appeared yellow.
"Woah… hey, are his horns longer?" She looked up at Uraraka.
"Yeah… I think it has to do with when he uses his quirk. You should see his eyes when he really gets going." Uraraka was looking at him affectionately, a slight sigh in her voice.
"Oh, are they dreamy~?" Mina teased the girl, causing her to realize what she was saying and begin to blush again, but she had to admit that Uraraka's words piqued her interest.
The tests continued, and Mina couldn't help but be impressed by her classmates. Uraraka went against Tsunotori next. The foreigner got into place, her hooved feet up against the starting block. Uraraka did that thing with the pink light again, but this time she touched her own body as she got down into position on the starting line.
Mina tried to keep herself from staring at Uraraka's backside.
She didn't try that hard.
Her jaw dropped again as the gunshot went off. Tsunotori flew down the course quickly, but Uraraka was a blur. She had kicked off and shot down the course at incredible speeds, and she seemed to Mina to be actually flying. "2.36 seconds!" The robot declared as she passed the finish, and "6.25 seconds!" when Tsunotori followed up.
Uraraka's landing was less than graceful. As she passed the finish line, Mina noted that she looked a little green, and not green like Midoriya's cute blush. She clapped her hands together and Mina saw the faint pink glow again. She pulled her legs underneath her as she did so and crashed down, skidding several feet on her big, beautiful bu-
'Mina, calm your gay. Focus on the tests.'
She looked elsewhere to try and clear her head, and her gaze fell onto Midoriya who, much to her disappointment, had put his shirt back on. She noticed that he was hastily scribbling in a notebook. He was intently watching all of the students as they took their turns, eyes glowing slightly as he focused.
'Is he studying us? Wait, where was he keeping that notebook?'
Several more pairs took their turns, and near the end it was finally Mina's turn. She took her shoes and socks off and put them to the side, letting some acid form on the bottom of her feet. She was up against Aoyama, who was standing backwards like a tool instead of getting down on the starting block.
The gunshot rang out, and Mina kicked off. 'Focus, girl. Fluid, but cohesive. Skate forward and don't dig into the dirt. You've done this a hundred times.' She maintained her cool as Aoyama shot past her with a dazzling laser coming from his stomach, monologuing about something Mina didn't care to listen to. The student crashed down on his back halfway down the course and Mina skated past him.
"4.86 seconds!" Mina was satisfied with that. "5.02 seconds!" Aoyama dusted himself off and told the class a little too much information about the downsides of his quirk. Mina could only stare in disbelief. She broke her gaze away and looked at Midoriya, who's eyes were flitting back and forth between his notebook and her. He noticed that she caught him looking and he began to blush slightly, but he didn't stop writing.
The next event was the grip-strength test, and she quickly learned that Midoriya's quirk didn't end with wings. She grabbed one of the devices and limbered her hand up; her quirk wouldn't help her here. She squeezed as hard as she could, coming out with a total of a bit over 50 kilograms. She was satisfied with that, her training before UA was more focused on endurance and agility than raw strength.
She glanced over to take a look at the rest of her class. Sero and Mineta were fawning over Shouji, who had nearly broken the device. He had wrapped three of his six hands around the handle and crushed it with a pull of 642 kilograms. Mina was impressed, but then something else caught her eye.
Midoriya was standing on the other side of the group, staring at the grip-strength device in his right hand. He took a deep breath and then his hand and arm bulked up as they grew green scales. Her eyes went wide as his hand swelled to nearly twice its normal size and he squeezed the device. He let his arm return to normal and stared with satisfaction at the number displayed. Mina wished she could have seen what it was.
Mina did fine on the standing long-jump, but wasn't surprised when she wasn't in the same league as Midoriya, Bakugou or Uraraka. All three of them had cleared the pit entirely, earning them the maximum score. Uraraka looked a little queasy again after her jump. 'Were those pancakes that Satou made bad? I ate them and I feel fine. I wonder what's up with her?'
Much to Mina's chagrin, the little creepy purple kid took the gold on the repeated side-steps. Apparently those balls on his head were bouncy, and he flew past everyone else's score. She caught him staring at Uraraka lecherously as she did her test. Mina felt a pang of disgust and even the twisting sensation of jealousy in her stomach. Before she could think about the implications, something behind her caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise.
Something with killing intent.
When she turned to check, the feeling was gone and she only saw Midoriya, clutching his head lightly.
'Huh.'
Things got interesting at the fifth event, the softball throw. Nobody had any hopes of beating Uraraka, so they were all competing for a distant second place. Bakugou stepped up and threw a massive explosion behind the ball, kicking up a dust storm, causing the rest of the class to close their eyes.
Aizawa's device read '758.5m', and Mina gasped along with the rest of the class. Midoriya stepped up next, bumping arms with Bakugou as he passed. "I've got you beat, Horns."
"Yeah, we'll see." Midoriya smiled back confidently. Mina couldn't help but smile with him.
Her horn buddy walked to the circle with a ball. He pulled up his sleeve and began to rotate his shoulder, preparing for a throw. Just like before, his arm began to grow scales, green like his hair and eyes, but this time his entire arm up to the shoulder began to grow.
His arm continued to grow until Mina guessed it would hang down below his knee. His hand was so large that he had to grip the ball with three fingers. As he prepared to throw, Aizawa spoke up.
"Midoriya, you're holding back. I watched your footage at the entrance exam."
Mina's eyes went slightly wide at the implication. 'Holding back?'
Midoriya turned to their professor, eyes still glowing. "Well, sure, but this is as much a test of judgement and endurance as it is the limits of our quirks, right? That's why you put the long-distance run as the final event. Those who exhausted themselves in the early events would do poorly on the later ones, especially that one. That's why Kacchan has been holding back, too."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow, then motioned for Midoriya to continue. The student reared his massive arm back and let the ball fly, shooting high into the sky. Mina watched it fly until it was only a spec in the distance, before losing track of it completely. Aizawa paused for a moment, and then held up his device, which read '757.9m'.
Midoriya stared in disbelief as Bakugou cheered in victory. Aizawa slowly moved his lazy gaze over the greenhead. "You were right, Midoriya, endurance is important. But so is knowing what it takes to get the job done. You are here to push yourself, not pace yourself. The world of heroes and villains isn't fair. You only get one shot to do it right or people will die. Don't hold back next time."
Midoriya bowed his head in defeat and walked back to the rest of the students. Mina glanced back at him as he stood next to Bakugou and noticed that he had his notebook out again. Her eyes narrowed as she looked him all over, hoping to find where he had pulled it from.
Mina did great at the sit-ups and the seated toe-touch. Her passion for dancing kept her core strong and body flexible. She had hoped to partner with Midoriya for the events, but Uraraka got to him before her. The two of them looked to be fast friends, talking and helping each other even through the slight blush on each of their cheeks. 'They look so cute together…'
Mina stopped, realizing something. 'Huh, I wonder why I'm not feeling jealous this time?'
Mina caught herself staring when Midoriya did his sit-ups. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of his abs underneath his shirt as he moved, but no such luck. In the next event, she couldn't help but laugh at Midoriya's clever subversion of the toe-touch rules. He had grown both of his arms long enough to reach his toes, and simply reached out and grabbed them.
The final event was the long-distance run, and much like Midoriya predicted, many students were already exhausted from using their quirks. He did well, likely hoping to make up for his performance on the softball throw. Because this was the final test, nobody held back. Eventually, everyone tired out except for the last three. Bakugou and Midoriya were flagging, but their competitive nature pushed them beyond, plus ultra style.
Eventually, Bakugou collapsed onto the ground, panting. Midoriya got about four steps further before he threw in the towel as well. They panted on the ground as the first place student continued.
That first place student, of course, was Yaoyorozu. Her quirk had proved exceptionally useful and her application of it was incredibly intelligent. Mina had been keeping an eye on her, watching her excel at nearly every challenge. Her quirk seemed to have limitless potential, at least to the pink girl.
A hydraulic press allowed her to crush everyone else's score on the grip-strength test, a cannon allowed her to blow even Bakugou's softball throw out of the water, and on the final test, she was still happily making laps around the track in a bicycle she created. Mina watched with a giggle as the panting Midoriya gave her a big thumbs up as she lapped him again.
'Smart, capable and sexy? You go, girl.' Mina was truly impressed by her new friend.
Mina was exhausted, but she had a great time. Using her quirk at school was a blast, and seeing all the other students use their quirks was pretty entertaining. She could tell that university was going to be fun . She was confident she was safe from expulsion, but she did feel bad for whoever the last place student was.
The scores were posted, and to nobody's surprise, Yaoyorozu came in first place. Todoroki followed her up and then third place was Midoriya, barely edging out Bakugou. The latter boy immediately swung his arm at his friend, who blocked it so their forearms were crossed. They pushed against each other, staring into each other's eyes with a competitive glare. It was a truly bizarre ritual, but caused Mina to giggle.
The scores went down from there. The scores were impressively close together, and some were hardly different at all. This class looked like it was going to be a tough one. Uraraka took fifth place, and Mina settled for a comfortable 10th. She shrugged, she wasn't at the top, but there was a reason she was going to school. She had a lot of room to grow, and a lot of time to do it in. Why rush it?
It was with a degree of guilt that Mina noticed that Mineta got last place. She felt a bad for him, 'but if I had to pick someone to get last…'
"Also, I was lying. Nobody's getting expelled." Aizawa grew another sick smile. "That was just a rational deception to get you to push yourselves to your limits."
The small purple boy looked like he was about to die.
Aizawa's bored drone returned. "That's it for today. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom then head back to the dorms, or wherever." He walked away with a dismissive wave and without another word.
"Hey, Deku." Bakugou spoke loudly, clearly wanting others to hear him.
Midoriya turned to look at him, then his face paled. Mina stopped walking to pay attention. "...No"
Bakugou gained an evil grin. "Yep. You lost the bet, and those were the rules. I choose the time, and I choose now."
Midoriya stared at him for a few seconds, trying to determine if he was serious. Seeing that he was, he suddenly got down on one knee in front of Bakugou. This caused nearly everyone in the class to turn and watch.
Midoriya cleared his throat, and then suddenly his fearful, nervous look was replaced by a self-satisfied smirk and he placed his hand on his chest theatrically. He began to recite something, and judging from his intonation, it was poetry. However, Mina didn't understand the language. The rest of the class was faring no better, most of them looking between Midoriya and each other, looking for an explanation. Mina saw a twinge of recognition on the faces of Yaoyorozu and Tsunotori.
Bakugou's own smirk faltered as he grew a look of disbelief, and by the time Midoriya was finished with his performance, it was a look of rage.
"What the hell was that, dumbass?!"
Midoriya stood up and dusted himself off. "We never specified what language, Kacchan. I paid up fair and square by the terms of the bet."
Bakugou's rage peaked as he sputtered, having his victory so deftly snatched out from underneath him. His rage broke just as quickly. "Fine, you clever bastard. I'm gonna beat your ass for that one, though." He turned and stomped off to the locker rooms.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Dandy." Midoriya was grinning ear to ear.
"Sonnet 18?" Tsunotori spoke up.
Midoriya blanched and whipped his head around to face the girl. "How di-" He slapped his forehead. "How stupid of me. So, you read Shakespeare?"
The girl shrugged. "No, I had project in high school."
"Your pronunciation could use some work, Midoriya." Yaoyorozu chuckled behind her hand.
Mina was confused. "Midoriya, what the heck just happened?"
Midoriya rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, likely because Tsunotori and Yaoyorozu understood what he had said. "Kacchan and I had a bet to see who would come out on top at the entrance exam. Whoever lost had to recite a poem to the other at a time and place of their choosing. I lost by a single point."
"Oh, Deku!" Uraraka looked worried. "I'm sorry! You would've won your bet if you hadn't stopped to help me."
"Uraraka, please!" Midoriya was turning green again. "I don't regret anything, really! Besides, I won the bet in the end, in my own way." He laughed awkwardly and quickly made a break for the locker room.
Mina had her eyebrow raised for the past several minutes and she finally just started giggling at the whole situation. The rest of the girls joined in too. They all made their way to their own locker room, ready to get out of their sweaty gym clothes.
"Hey, Uraraka," Mina began, "what did you mean when you said Midoriya stopped to help you?" The girls were in their locker room changing. They were taking their time, as they had no place to be after this.
"Oh. Well, if you want to know…" Uraraka seemed embarrassed.
"Well, now I do." Jirou raised an eyebrow, seeing her reaction.
"You remember the big zero-pointers?" They all nodded, except for Yaoyorozu, who looked confused.
"Wait, how did you miss them?" Hagakure asked the black-haired girl.
"I… didn't take the practical exam," she explained softly. "I was admitted on recommendation."
The girls all gasped slightly. "No wonder you beat everyone's butts out there, Yaoyorozu!" Mina praised the girl.
"The zero-pointer was a giant robot probably around fifteen or more stories tall. It was supposed to be the big obstacle, ribbit." Tsuyu informed the recommended student.
"Right. So when the robot started rumbling towards me, a building nearby collapsed and fell on me, breaking my ankle and trapping me underneath," Uraraka explained to the worried looks of the other girls. "It reared its big fist back, and started coming down to smash me." She pantomimed the fist.
"Then, out of nowhere, Deku dashed between me and the robot and stopped it!" She blushed a bit at the memory.
"Woah, really?" Kiri was intrigued now. "How? Don't get me wrong, the dude is jacked, but I can't see him stopping that monster by himself."
"If the robot was as big as you say," Yaoyorozu mused, "then I have my doubts as well. His quirk is powerful, but nothing that impressive."
"You should've seen it…" Uraraka's blush deepened. "He threw so much power at that thing. You know how his arm got all big and stuff when he was throwing that softball?" The other girls nodded. "Well it was way bigger than that! His arm was probably bigger than the rest of his body combined."
"Woah, that's what Aizawa meant when he said he was holding back…" Jirou's eyes were wide.
"Giving his all for someone he's never met?" Kiri smacked her fist to her palm. "Now that's manly."
"I can see that," Tsuyu spoke up, causing the other girls to look at her. "He's the son of a former top-ten hero, after all."
"Oh yeah!" Mina exclaimed. "I forgot about that with everything going on out there. Son of Stormclaw!"
"Wait, did you know that?" Jirou pointed one of her jacks at Yaoyorozu. "He said you knew each other."
Yaoyorozu nodded. "If he didn't tell you, then it wasn't my place to say."
"Ugh, that's so noble." Mina teased the girl. "Don't you know gossip is more important than that?"
"Ashido!"
"I'm kidding! I get it." Mina waved her hand in mock dismissal, ignoring the teasing grin Kiri was throwing at her. "Still, it's pretty crazy, huh? He must be packing all sorts of power in that buff frame."
"You have no idea," Uraraka said quietly.
"I wonder if he could get me an autograph." Tsuyu put her finger to her chin.
"Why not ask?" Tsunotori questioned.
"I will."
"Oh hey, Uraraka." Jirou got her attention. "What happened next? In the exam, I mean. Did he destroy the robot too? Was he your knight in shining armor?" Jirou teased.
"No…" Uraraka said something else, but so quietly that only Jirou could hear her.
"Woah." Jirou looked shocked, then she smirked. "Come on, speak up and say that again."
Uraraka sighed. "I destroyed it."
Mina's mouth dropped open. "By yourself?!" Uraraka nodded. "Damn, girl. I knew that body wasn't just for looks, you kick ass!"
Uraraka blushed harder. "Ashido!"
Mine playfully stuck her tongue out at the girl.
"Hey, I have a great idea!" Hagakure piped up, the others turned to look at her, or at least where they thought she was. "We're all gonna be in the same class for the next four years, right? Let's follow Tsu's example! You can all call me Tooru!"
"I love it!" Mina cheered. "Call me Mina."
"Eiko," the woman said with a bright smile.
"I'm still gonna call you Kiri."
Momo hesitated for a second before she spoke. "You may call me Momo."
"Ochako is fine." Ochako smiled brightly. Mina cooed internally.
"Kyouka." She twirled one of her jacks.
"Pony! This easier." Pony sighed. "In America, everyone says first names."
Jirou face twisted in confusion as she perked up from her relaxed position, quickly standing up as her expression shifted into one of shock and indignation. She quickly stepped over to the wall and jammed a jack into the stone to listen. The other girls were startled by her sudden outburst.
"Jir- Kyouka? What's going on?" Yaoyorozu looked worried.
Kyouka held up a hand for her to be quiet, and then lifted her other jack. Sound began to play from the jack.
"Mineta, do not look through that peephole, that is a gross violation of privacy!" Iida's muffled voice could be heard.
The girls shouted in surprise and looked frantically for the supposed hole. Kyouka found it first, and moved towards it.
Kiri crashed her fists together as she hardened them. "On the first day of class?"
"Don't be such a prude! If you don't want to see Ashido's rocking bod or Yaoyorozu's giant boobs then don't look, but you won't stop me!" Mineta was defiant.
The girls all gasped in indignation hearing the shameless words of Mineta, and made movements to cover themselves. Jirou prepared to jam one of her jacks into the hole to make the little pervert regret his choice, but before she could, a loud noise caused her to recoil, clutching at her ears.
" I WILL."
A sound like a sledgehammer slamming into the concrete wall echoed through the locker room, causing Jirou to pull her jack out of the wall as fast as she could.
The girls stood there for a few seconds in silence, reeling from what just happened. Eventually Mina spoke up. "...Was that Midoriya?"
"It sounded like him," Kyouka hesitated, "but at the same time it didn't."
"That was Deku. I know it." Ochako spoke firmly.
"What was that noise, though?" Tooru asked, still worried.
Kyouka put her jack back into the wall after calming herself down. She listened for a few seconds. "It's really quiet in there, I think most of them left already."
"I'll go take a look, then." Tooru slipped her clothes off.
"Tooru!" Mina sounded scandalized but her expression betrayed how much she approved.
"It'll just be a second. Be right back!" The invisible girl slipped out of their locker room and snuck towards the boy's. It really was only a few seconds before she returned.
"There's like, giant claw marks on the wall, at about Mineta height." She picked up her water bottle to demonstrate.
Momo gasped. "Midoriya attacked him?"
"I don't think so; there's no blood or anything. I think he only threatened him."
"Manly," Kiri whispered, shaking a fist, a single tear spilling from her eyes. Mina rolled her eyes at that with a smile.
"All that for us..." Ochako quietly added.
An idea formed in Mina's head. She stepped closer to Ochako and spoke softly. "Speaking of Midoriya… I've seen the way he looks at you. He's totally hot for you, girl."
Ochako blushed harder and waved her hands in dismissal. "W-what? No, don't b-be crazy, t-there's no way someone like him-"
"You are hot as hell, O-cha-ko~." Mina emphasized each syllable of her name, almost whispering in her ear. "You saw him staring at you in the classroom. You should have seen how he looked at you when you tossed that softball into orbit."
"W-what are you saying, Ash- Mina?" The combination of Mina's closeness and what she was saying had Ochako's face nearly neon. Mina wasn't ashamed to admit she liked the color on her.
"I'm saying that I'm thinking about asking him to come hang out after class today, as a thank you for defending us from that creep." She smiled wickedly. "I'm asking if you want to join me. No pressure, just hanging out and talking."
Ochako's eyes went wide. She clutched her chest and nodded once quickly.
"Good." Mina smiled. "We can hang out in my room. I brought card games from home."
The pink girl turned around to face the rest of her classmates. "Hey girls, since we had a short day today, want to hang out in my room and play some card games? It'll be a great way to get to know each other better!"
"That's a great idea, Mina!" Tooru was immediately into it. The rest of the girls thought it over, but quickly agreed.
"I'll bring some tea. My mother sent this new blend with me when I left that you all just have to try!" Momo was sparkling.
"Oh, and I thought that I might invite Midoriya." The other girls paused. "He seems like an interesting guy, you know?" She gestured over at the wall between the locker rooms.
"I like that. I really want to ask him about his dad, ribbit." The rest of the girls looked at each other and nodded.
The girls all hastily finished getting back into their school uniforms at that point. They headed back upstairs and grabbed Aizawa's syllabus. There were only a few other students in the room by the time they left back to the dorms, including Mineta, who was as white as a sheet. Mina felt a little bad, but only a little.
It was almost one o'clock when the girls walked back to the dorm as a group. Mina was less chatty than usual, as her brain was firing on all cylinders, planning out the rest of her day. She grinned.
Mina had her own game to play.