Tomura scratched at his neck nervously as he paced back and forth in the dimly-lit bar that he called home.
Kurogiri watched him carefully as he cleaned a glass from behind the counter. "You seem more agitated than normal, Tomura Shigaraki. What is worrying you?"
He stopped pacing long enough to shoot a glance at the amorphous, gaseous man. "...Master said he was going to be calling me shortly."
"I see," Kurogiri said slowly. "I have never seen you this perturbed about him calling you before. Is there something the matter?"
Tomura didn't respond.
A cold snap in May wasn't the strangest thing in the world; Momo was actually secretly excited that she got to break out some of her favorite jackets for the unseasonably cold weather. However, there was something about the cold snap that neither her nor the rest of 1-A anticipated: just how much it would affect their favorite froggy woman.
Poor Tsuyu apparently did not do well with the cold. Momo dealt with it better than most thanks to her lipid reserves, but Tsuyu was bundled up like it was well below freezing and she was still shivering.
That was intolerable. Momo hated seeing her friends suffer; it was something hard-coded into her. She had been fussing over Tsuyu all week, watching her get more and more drowsy as the temperature dropped further, making her hot tea and making sure she had the best blankets Momo could make. Tsuyu had insisted that she was fine and while she had performed fine during class and their training, especially once she got moving, Momo couldn't help but fuss like a mother hen.
Saturday morning was the worst of it.
Momo was interrupted halfway through an enthralling chapter of one of her new novels by someone pounding on her door.
Momo had hurried over, worried about what could be causing such a stir. "Eiko? What seems to be the matter?" she asked, looking down at the red-haired woman standing wide-eyed in front of her.
"It's Tsu!" she exclaimed. "She sounds like she's really sick or something and you're like our leader or something so I came to you for help!"
"L-leader?" Momo recoiled slightly. "I suppose I am the vice representative, but-"
"What? Oh yeah, I guess you're that, too. But come on, you gotta help her!" Eiko dashed off toward the stairs, waving at her to follow.
Momo was stunned for a moment but quickly shut her door and jogged after Eiko.
"Hey, what's going on?" Mina called from behind, poking her head out of her door further down the hall.
"It's Tsu!" Momo called back, watching as Ochako poked her head out of the door as well above Mina. She felt a slight pang of envy that she couldn't be spending nights curled up with them, but the feeling quickly faded as she focused on the job at hand.
Mina and Ochako nodded, their faces full of worry as they closed their door and hurried after Momo.
The four women ran up the stairs to the fifth floor, where they saw Pony standing at the end of the hall, her ear to Tsuyu's door. "Oh, good, you got Momo. She do not sound good."
Momo hurried to the door and turned the handle. Or rather, she tried to, but found it locked.
"Let me," Eiko declared, pushing past Momo and hardening her fist.
Mina jumped forward and put a hand on Eiko's arm, holding her back. "Now just a minute, Kiri. We don't need to do that." She turned to Momo with a hopeful look. "Yaomomo, can you make a lockpick and a tension wrench for me?"
"Wait, what?" Eiko asked, stepping back.
Momo nodded, quickly producing the two items from her forearm. She had learned how to make these years ago, but she had never quite got the handle on lockpicking. In the end, she decided it would be better to put her efforts elsewhere.
Mina took the tools and kneeled down in front of the door, inserting the two and beginning to wiggle one while applying pressure with the other. In a surprisingly short amount of time, the lock turned and clicked.
Momo stepped forward and turned the handle, sliding past Mina as she entered the room.
And was immediately hit by a frigid wall of air.
"Oh my God it's freezing! " Ochako whined, hugging her arms tight around her chest.
Eiko stepped back in surprise. "What the hell? Why is it so cold?"
Momo looked over at Tsu, who was buried under her covers, huddling as tightly as she could.
She immediately sprung into action, hurrying over to the shivering woman. "Tsuyu, can you hear me?"
The woman's eyes opened slightly, looking up at her and nodding slowly. She didn't look tired, but she looked incredibly sleepy. It was a strange combination.
"Ochako, check the vent," she ordered, quickly producing a thick winter cap and placing it over Tsuyu's head. Momo touched the woman's cheek gentle and felt her heart sink. "Oh, you're freezing. We need to get you warmed up."
Ochako reached up and held her hand in front of Tsuyu's vent. "There's nothing coming out at all!"
"Dammit, there must have been a mechanical failure or something," Momo cursed. "Who knows how long she's been like this…"
"What's with the pajama party?" a new voice called from the door. The women in the room looked over to see Kyouka and Tooru standing there, peeking in. "We heard you all running up the stairs, what's- oh my God, did someone open a window?"
"Kyouka, take this and fill it with boiling water," Momo ordered, creating a thermos and tossing it to Kyouka in the same motion. "We need to warm her up."
Kyouka blinked for a few moments after she caught the termos. "Uh, yes, Ma'am," she replied, turning and running off to the kitchen on the ground floor.
Momo turned her head to Mina as she rummaged in the pocket of her pajama pants. "Mina, go into my room. The cabinet on your left, third drawer from the bottom on your right; grab the box of tea and bring it back." She handed the pink woman her room key firmly.
"On it!" Mina was up and out of the room as fast as she could.
Momo turned back to the rest of the women. "We need to get her out of here, but the less we move her the better. Eiko, is it alright if we put her in your room?"
"Of course!"
"Ochako, if you can make her weightless, we can move her with minimal strain on her body."
The brunette nodded, moving over to Tsuyu and touching her face gently with all five of her fingers. Momo felt the ground shift ever-so-slightly as a result of the extra mass being pushed into it.
The revelation that her quirk worked that way at the festival was still fresh in Momo's mind and still fascinated her. Ochako had kept it a secret even during their training together during Hell Week; she was clearly thinking ahead in case she and Momo faced each other. It was an advantage that she valued and she was vindicated in her match with Mina.
Momo reached down and lifted the smaller woman up out of her bed, her brow furrowing in concern as she shivered. She carried Tsuyu as gently as she could out of the room and into Eiko's, placing her in a sitting position on the redhead's bed. The warmth of Eiko's room felt amazing after the relative cold of Tsuyu's, who seemed to agree, as she immediately became a little more lively.
Tsuyu opened her eyes slowly, looking around the room and smiling softly as Momo wrapped her up in a thick blanket. As she pulled her arms back, Tsuyu grumbled softly. "What, is something- oh!" Momo sat down on the bed next to her. "The body heat is probably comforting." Tsuyu made a small, satisfied noise as Momo huddled up next to her, putting her arm around the greenette.
Ochako didn't hesitate to crawl over to the other side of the bed and press herself to Tsuyu's other side, causing the woman to smile wider.
Ochako and Momo looked down at Tsuyu and then at each other, both of them blushing slightly as they smiled softly. Momo shifted her arm the tiniest amount so she was touching Ochako's arm as well, hoping the brunette wouldn't notice. There was something both comforting and a little exciting about being this close to the only other woman who she had ever met that was as tall as she was and something even more exciting about holding a woman a full foot shorter than them between.
It didn't hurt that they were both beautiful.
Momo smiled and averted her gaze for a moment as Ochako did the same, but then stole a glance back as she dared to reminisce.
She hadn't spent much time with Ochako since their day together at Hell Week, which was a shame. It had been a hell of a day.
They had gotten paired off together on the third day and had settled in quite well. They spent most of the morning simply sparring, which they both wanted to improve on. Momo wanted to get better at making quick, simple, defensive creations to help her in close-quarters situations and Ochako, well, she was a brawler by-and-large, as her quirk required contact to work. She had also gotten some tips from Iida the previous day on kicking and was very interested in the practice.
Momo had made her some protective gear to allow them to spar without risk of too much injury; especially as Momo was creating steel plates to defend herself. Blocking a kick or a punch with metal was not very pleasant for the other person.
They had sufficiently beaten each other up by midday, Ochako's superior fitness and her quirk proving a fair match for Momo's quirk and her formal martial arts training. Hadou had flown by and delivered their food and the two of them had lunch together on a shaded bench in the fake city.
Momo was a little self-conscious about the sheer amount of food she had compared to Ochako, but her friend didn't seem to judge her. She knew how much Momo relied on the extra calories to use her quirk.
The two of them had sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both already a little exhausted; Hell Week was no joke. Eventually, Ochako turned to look at Momo, causing her to look over as well.
"You know," Ochako began, "I was pretty positive I was going to be the tallest girl in my class. I always had been. It's… nice to look at another woman and not have to look down."
Momo blinked. "I felt the same way and uh, feel the same way, too." Momo didn't tell her that she actually kind of enjoyed everyone having to look up to her and that it gave her a small sense of power and control that thrilled her. That would have been too crass. She wasn't lying completely; there was something nice about having another woman her height.
"I've always been pretty self-conscious about it," Ochako continued, "but you own it. I want to be more like you."
"Really?" Momo was taken aback.
"Yeah!" Ochako declared firmly. "I look up to you, you know? I think all of us do, honestly. You and Deku… we couldn't have picked better class reps. I want to have your confidence. It's pretty clear that I'm not as smart as you—I don't think anyone in our class is—but I still want to be able to stand with you and Deku and everyone else." Ochako blinked and then clapped her hands to her face. "Oh! Sorry, I was gushing."
"No, no, it's fine," Momo responded quickly. "It's flattering, actually. Ochako, you have no reason to be down on yourself. Like Midoriya said, your quirk is incredibly powerful. I heard about the way you saved Aizawa at the USJ and you told us about how you destroyed that robot at the entrance exam. If you want my advice, understand that people look up to you—not just literally—and that you have a duty to protect them. I take pride in that and you should, too."
Momo momentarily came out of her memories and smiled softly, realizing she had forgotten some of her own advice. Eiko had called her their 'leader' and she shouldn't shy away from that.
"You're right," Ochako agreed. "I told Deku that I'm gonna be the one standing between him and danger next time, instead of him protecting me, and I have to make sure I live up to that. I'm not just here for myself, but for others. That's what being a hero is about."
Momo smiled softly. "You hold a great deal of respect for Midoriya, don't you? Beyond just him being your boyfriend." She felt a pang in her chest and at the time, she wasn't sure what it had been.
"Well, yeah," Ochako admitted, looking away. "He's saved my life twice and he's… I really look up to him. He's a real hero." Ochako shifted closer to her, smiling softly. "I don't know if I can ever thank you enough for saving him."
Ochako threw her arms around Momo and pulled her into a tight hug, causing Momo to gasp. The warmth and genuine gratitude and—honestly—affection in her hug made Momo instinctively reach up and hug her back. For the first time, she didn't have to do anything awkward with her arms or head; she could simply hug her comfortably and sincerely.
"Thank you, Momo. You're a real hero, too."
At the time, that sentence had warmed her heart, but now, thinking back, it almost brought a tear to her eye.
After lunch, they spent more time practicing with their quirks. Momo focused on making large, dense objects for Ochako to float, while not just sending them into orbit. With the increased use of her quirk, Momo had to take several snack breaks and she always felt a little self-conscious at the way her body—especially her bust—shrank and grew visibly during training, especially intense training.
Ochako didn't seem to mind, but there was that one incident near the end of their training. Hadou came by and told them to make one big final push for the day, so Momo decided to give Ochako the biggest, densest thing she could create: a large sphere of iridium, one of the densest metals out there. Osmium was technically denser, but she didn't want to kill herself and Ochako with a toxic metal oxide, so she went with iridium.
It wasn't terribly complex to create simple elements, but she had to seriously focus to create the amount of mass she was after. With a final, triumphant push, she created the basketball-sized sphere, letting it crash to the ground with enough force to crush the asphalt. There was no way she was going to hold over 260 pounds up, especially with how tired she was.
Momo looked over at Ochako with a tired smile, but then saw the absolutely stunned look on her face. She was holding her face with both hands, trying to hide her eyes and stare at the same time while her cheeks were absolutely crimson .
It was at this time that Momo realized that she had neglected to turn away when she made her creation and, as she was pushing her quirk to her limit, had habitually opened the front of her hero costume to give herself full access to her lipid stores… which meant Momo had spent the last several seconds fully flashing Ochako.
Momo turned around as fast as she could, covering herself up again as her own face quickly matched the red of her costume.
She didn't know what was more embarrassing: the fact that she had given Ochako a full display of her… generous assets, which were still among the largest in the class even when she was low on fats…
Or the fact that she felt that, deep down, she enjoyed Ochako staring at her.
Maybe her day with Mina wasn't a fluke after all.
Momo had respect for Ochako before then, but after their time together, it had developed into something deeper. Sure, she wasn't as 'book smart' as Momo was, but Ochako was far from dumb. She had a naturally deft intuition that made her a quick learner and a truly challenging opponent. Momo was proud to call Ochako her classmate and well, maybe she had grown something of a crush over their long, grueling day.
But Ochako was dating Zu and Mina. That ship had sailed.
Even as she tried to forget it, Mina's offer made its way back into her mind.
"You want in?"
Thankfully, before she had a full-blown crisis thanks to her wandering mind, Mina and Kyouka arrived, giving Momo and excuse to get back to tending to Tsuyu. She took the tea and the hot thermos and quickly made a drink for her friend. It wasn't her best work, nor even up to her personal standard, but this tea was functional, not for pleasure.
She handed the thermos to Tsuyu and helped her slowly drink from it.
The results were almost instantaneous. Color returned to Tsuyu's face and her eyes opened wide for the first time that morning; she was back to her old self, more or less, causing everyone else in the room to sigh in relief.
"Mmm. Thank you all," she hummed softly, sipping the tea.
Momo wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you're alright? We should take you to Recovery Girl at the very least. You had signs of actual hypothermia."
Tsuyu shook her head. "I'm fine, I promise. It wasn't hypothermia, I was just slipping into hibernation."
"You… hibernate?" Mina asked, dumbfounded.
"Well, kinda," Tsuyu explained. "If I get too cold, I do, but I try to avoid it. By the time I realized that my vent wasn't working, I was already too cold to really move. Thank you all for helping me."
Momo sighed again. "Well, if you're sure. I'd like to keep an eye on you, nonetheless."
"Hey, I've got a good idea!" Tooru chirped. "This is like, one of our last days before our internships, why not spend it together? How about a movie marathon downstairs?"
Tomura flinched as the television kicked to life.
"Tomura Shigaraki."
"Hello, Master," Tomura responded, finally sitting down at the stool near the set.
"It is time to discuss the next phase of our operations," he continued.
That.
That was one of the small changes Tomura had picked up on recently. Instead of calling them 'your plans', his master was calling them 'our plans'. He didn't like it. Sure, the USJ had been a failure, but he could try again. He felt like a kid whose allowance was being taken away.
"Have you made the preparations that I've asked?"
"Yes, Master. Giran reported that everything is in place."
There was a small pause. "And he's been paid?"
"Yes."
Another pause.
"I would much rather you handle these things in the future instead of relying entirely upon others." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Tomura kept his cool. "I do not have the contact network that Giran has. It would have taken me months to do what he was able to do in a day. Isn't it important that this moves quickly?"
Another pause.
"Very well. I suppose that is worth the money."
Tomura began to scratch at his neck again.
It was mid-afternoon when they finished the second movie in the trilogy Tooru and Mina had convinced everyone to watch. Momo pretended to be indifferent, but she secretly had a soft spot for high fantasy, so she was enjoying the films much more than she let on. Maybe Mina had noticed, because the woman kept shooting Momo knowing smiles after any particularly impressive or dramatic scenes.
Mina and Ochako had spent the first two movies cuddling with each other peacefully, wrapped under a blanket with Tsuyu against the slight chill that hung in the air, even with the heat on. Momo pretended not to be envious, wishing she was under that blanket with them as well, but apparently, between Zu and Mina, she wasn't as good at hiding things as she thought.
Between the films, Momo noticed Mina whisper something into Ochako's ear before she got up to go get snacks. Ochako scooted over to Tsuyu and pulled the blanket closer around them, causing the short woman to ribbit happily and close her eyes. Momo was quite confused about what Mina was up to until she came back and sat down right next to Momo, giving her a warm smile as she offered her a candy.
Not just any candy. Her favorite chocolate bar.
"How did you…?"
Mina smiled wider, leaning into her slightly. "I saw you eating one the first week of school. I bought some while I was out shopping."
Momo blushed slightly, but took the bar graciously. "That was very kind of you, Mina. Thank you."
"Shhh, the movie's starting!" Tooru hissed, waving her sleeve at them.
Mina grabbed the blanket nearby and wrapped it around Momo and her, causing Momo to nearly choke on the chocolate. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but Mina just shushed her with a devious smile.
Mina was what would normally be called uncomfortably close to Momo, but she felt anything but uncomfortable. Truth be told, she felt terrible for feeling so at ease next to Mina and as the movie went on, she began to feel worse. Mostly because Mina kept pushing herself more and more into her.
By halfway through the movie, Mina was fully pressed into Momo, resting her head against Momo's upper arm comfortably. Her contact filled her with warmth and, for the second time that day, caused her to reminisce.
Mina and Momo were paired up for the first day of Hell Week and, while they had experienced nearly-effortless defeat at the hands of their new TA, they didn't quite have a full appreciation for just how brutal it was going to be.
Hadou was more hands-on the first and second days compared to the rest, so she stopped by to give them some pointers and guidance. While physical development was going to be relatively inconsequential between now and the festival, mental development, such as skill and strategy, were much easier to cultivate in their short time frame. Thus, Hadou set them up to spar for the morning practice, quirkless at first, before working up to full quirk integration.
Momo quickly learned that her partner was no pushover. Her body was lean and skilled, apparently due to her many years as a dancer and acrobat. Momo was able to keep up with her during their initial spars, but once Hadou had them use their quirks, she struggled. Mina was just so maneuverable that it was hard to pin her down. Every time Momo thought she had a good block, Mina would change the angle unpredictably and hit her past her guard.
It became apparent very quickly that Momo had a lot to learn.
She loved that feeling.
She loved being challenged and presented with new opportunities to learn and grow. She was among her happiest when she had a problem to solve.
The problem this time was the speed at which she could use her quirk. Mina was so quick, she could get in through Momo's guard before she could focus long enough to create a simple shield. Thinking back, it was because of Mina showing her just how much of a glaring weakness it was that she had done that well against Todoroki. The Momo of a month ago couldn't have created that taser nearly as quickly.
Their lunch break was quiet and peaceful. Perhaps too peaceful, because after she finished her food, Mina decided to take a quick nap as the two of them sat under a shady tree. This normally wouldn't have been a problem, but she had opted to use Momo's lap as her pillow. Sure, Momo could have said no and asked her to move, but she seemed so content and comfortable; who was she to take that from her?
However, this presented a new problem. Namely, Momo's titanic struggle to resist running her fingers through the soft, inviting locks of Mina's hair. It was just so tempting.
Eventually, her resolve weakened to the point where instead of trying to decide if she should do it or not, she was instead looking to see if she could get away with it. Mina seemed to be sleeping soundly, so she reached out and gently ran three fingers through a little bit of her hair.
It was even softer than it looked.
Momo petting Mina's hair for a few seconds before the woman suddenly shifted, causing Momo to pull her hand back sharply. Fortunately, Mina just seemed to be adjusting herself in her sleep, shifting her head slightly to get more comfortable.
Momo's heart was pounding like she was about to steal a diamond in a heist movie and sat utterly still for at least a minute, waiting to be sure Mina was still asleep. Slowly, gently, Momo moved her hand back, carefully tousling the pink locks. She didn't exactly understand why she was doing it, but it made her feel calmer, so it couldn't be bad, right?
After a few more minutes, Momo grew slightly more bold. She didn't know if she was more interested in the softness of Mina's hair, or just the thrill of not getting caught. Maybe it was the idea of her classmate trusting her enough to sleep like this that caused her to feel so bold. Whatever it was, she had grown just a little too bold.
Mina made a small noise, causing Momo to look down and see that her eyes were open. Momo lost herself momentarily in the black sclera and golden irises of her classmate, but quickly recovered and pulled her hand back. "Oh, sorry, Mina. There… there was a bug on you! Yes, a bug. I shooed it away, sorry for waking you up."
"Oh, thanks." Mina looked up at her for a few moments with a seemingly blank expression, but Momo suspected there was far more going on in there than she let on. Mina wasn't exactly a genius, but she was smart enough to get into UA and Momo had learned that there was more than one way to be smart.
Mina pulled herself up, giving Momo a slightly scandalous feeling that her lap was suddenly very lonely. The woman shot Momo another soft look, smiling brightly as she stood up and offered her hand. "Well, we got a lot of Hell Week left, yeah?"
She was right, of course, and it wasn't about to get any easier. They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing their speed by trying to catch each other around a small obstacle course. Momo would create obstacles for Mina to melt while they both tried to race around and tag the other in the back. At first, Momo didn't really put up much of a fight. Despite a fairly decent head-start, Mina was able to melt through her creations much faster than she could produce them and catch up.
However, as the afternoon went on, it took longer and longer for Mina to tag her, to the point that Momo was actually almost keeping pace with Mina. Unfortunately, Momo had to tap out before the end, as she had run out of her reserves, but she was damn proud of herself for her rapid improvement.
Mina was clearly proud too, as she almost knocked over Momo when she barrelled into her and gave her a big hug, almost picking the taller woman off the ground. "You did so great, Yaomomo! You're amazing!"
Momo blushed, recovering from her shock and hugging Mina back gently. She tried not to focus on just how nice it felt to be holding onto Mina and how she was soft and firm in all the right places, but she was too tired to focus on a distraction. Instead, she just decided to enjoy it until Mina broke the hug.
"You know," Mina began as the two slowly walked back to the entrance of the city at the end of the day, "you're almost a literal goddess. The way you just… create stuff is so amazing, I can hardly believe it's real. You're going to be an amazing hero one day, I just know it."
A large explosion on the screen shook Momo out of her reverie, reminding her just where she was. Mina looked up at her, concerned by Momo's small flinch.
Momo shot a small, slightly nervous smile back down at her, causing Mina to giggle and scoot a little closer. Unfortunately, that caused her arm to get pinched in an awkward position, meaning she had to lift it up and put it around Mina to get comfortable again. If she didn't know any better, she would have suspected that Mina did that on purpose.
Mina leaned in a little closer, getting comfortable up against Momo's side. There was a small pause before she whispered up at Momo, so quietly that nobody else could hear… at least as long as Kyouka wasn't listening.
"You can pet my hair again if you want."
Mina really had done it on purpose. Momo's heart began to pound a little harder as she realized she hadn't fooled her at all. She looked down at Mina, who was simply watching the screen as if nothing had happened.
Cautiously, she reached a hand up and slowly passed her fingers through Mina's locks again, enjoying the strange, soothing sensation. Over the course of the movie, she grew more comfortable, to the point that Mina was resting her head on Momo, leaning into the soothing pressure.
If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she caught Mina and Ochako exchanging a small, knowing look.
The movie ended around dinner time, where Mina was eager to show off the new recipes she had gotten from Zu's mother and took it on herself to make food for them all. While she was cooking, Zu and Bakugou arrived back at the dorm from whatever they had been doing all day. Pony had asked Ochako and Mina where he had gone, but all they told them was that he and Bakugou had gone 'out'. It was nice to know that they were comfortable and trusting enough to not be overbearing, helicopter girlfriends.
Zu and Bakugou stayed for dinner, but left after helping Mina clean up, apparently to watch some new video that had been released. The sun had set by the time the eight women were left alone in the common room, which was when Mina sprung her next trap.
"Hey girls," she began, saunting over to the couches with her hands behind her back. "Do you know what would really cap this day off perfectly? It's like a college rite of passage."
"Uh… Twister?" Kyouka guessed.
"No, but that's a good idea," Mina responded. "I'm talking about…" She paused for dramatic effect. "Truth or Dare!"
"Oh, hell yeah!" Eiko declared, hopping up and pounding her fists together. "I've never backed down from a dare!"
Mina grew her mischievous, toothy grin. "I'll keep that in mind…"
"I'm in!" Tooru bubbled. "It'll be a great way to get to know each other! Plus, I totally have some great questions to ask you all!"
Kyouka shrugged, smirking slightly. "Yeah, sure, why not? I bet you all ask a bunch of lame questions, anyway."
"Oh ho! Is that a challenge?" Eiko asked, pointing down defiantly at Kyouka.
"Only if you're up to it," Kyouka shot back, raising her eyebrows once.
Tsuyu tilted her head slightly. "People have tried to get me to balk on truths before, but it's never worked. Be careful what you ask."
"I-I'm in," Ochako added, sounding a little unsure, but her smile was genuine.
Pony hesitated. "Uh, please try not to use the big words, I'm still learning."
"Course not," Kyouka reassured her. "You're one of us, Pony. We're not leaving you behind."
The energy was too infectious for her to say no. "Sure, that sounds… exciting!" Momo finally responded. Truth be told, she wasn't a fan of the inherent unpredictability of Truth or Dare, but these were her friends. She could trust them.
Right?
"It's time for you to be more responsible when it comes to funding," the voice continued. "If I were to be captured or otherwise become unable to assist you, it is imperative that you have a way to continue to fund your operations."
There was wisdom in that. "What do you suggest?" Tomura asked.
"Once the plan is in motion, there will be chaos. You and your underlings should make good use of that chaos to… acquire valuables. It may be undignified work, but many sacrifices must be made in the course of our machinations."
"I don't have any underlings," Tomura shot back. "They're either dead or captured."
His master chuckled softly. "That sounds like something that should be remedied, then. What is a leader without followers?"
Tomura grumbled. "If I were to get this money, where should I keep it? I can't just open a bank account."
"Leave that to me," the voice said, just a little too quickly. "I am here to help you, Tomura Shigaraki. Focus on gaining us followers and executing our plan and I will handle the finances. There is nothing to worry about."
For some reason, Tomura didn't believe him.
The evening had gone quite well so far, but it was nearly time for the next step of Mina's plan. The day had started off in an unexpected way, but it had all worked out. She was, of course, glad that Tsuyu was okay, it was just convenient that the scare got all of the girls together so easily.
Tooru had been all for the idea of a movie night when Mina had subtly suggested it the previous night and had absolutely run with it, leaving Mina with plenty of time and space to maneuver. It also meant hat nobody suspected ulterior motives when Mina suggested Truth or Dare. Well, nobody but her partner in crime, of course. Ochako was nervous about the whole thing, but she trusted Mina.
"Alright, Kiri," Mina said, about an hour into their game. "Truth or dare?"
"I still can't believe you made me tell people I dye my hair," she pouted. "I'm doing a dare this time."
Mina smirked. "I dare you to go get Midori and bring him here."
"What?!" Kiri shouted, nearly falling over. "Why?!"
Kyouka sat up a little straighter. "Yeah, what gives?"
"Well, Kiri keeps talking big about not being afraid of a challenge." Mina shrugged theatrically. "I'm sure none of you are scared of a big scary man being here, right? Think of it as… upping the stakes."
She saw the rest of the girls shoot glances at each other, even Ochako pretending to be surprised and unsure. Mina had to admit, this was a gamble. She gave herself about 50/50 odds that the girls would be okay with it, but if it didn't, she had other ideas. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.
"Besides," Mina continued, "don't you want the chance to be the one to ask Midori a truth or dare?"
Boom. The uncertainty in the room was immediately turned to curiosity.
"Alright, you got me there," Kyouka admitted. "The big guy's a bit secretive, isn't he? I wouldn't be opposed to asking him some stuff."
Eiko nodded. "Yeah, and if he doesn't want to answer, we get to see him do some dares."
Tsuyu nodded as well. "I'm okay with it."
"Me, too," Ochako added quickly.
"As long as nobody is uncomfortable, him included," Momo said quietly.
Pony gave a big thumbs up. "Go get Izzy!"
Tooru shrugged. "If everyone else wants to, I guess."
"Alright," Eiko finished, standing up, "be right back."