She felt a hand gently placed onto her shoulder.
"It's… ok." Uraraka gave a weak smile. "No one here blames you."
"I certainly don't, kerro." Tsuyu croaked.
Tanya became confused as she didn't know how to respond. "I… Thank you. That means a lot."
She internally began to cheer back up. 'We're back on track to socializing! They haven't completely alienated me.''
Mina popped up from behind the couch and tucked her arms over it. Her smile instantly started to break the tension that was forming. "How's everyone doing!?"
"Good." Sero droned with a hand wave.
"I'm a bit nervous." Uraraka chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "Aizawa is probably going to work us to death tomorrow because we missed a week."
"I'm ok, Kerro." Tsuyu tried to smile.
"I'm doing quite well. Thank you Mina." Tanya replied calmly. 'She appears to fit in wherever she goes. Impressive.'
Mina bobbed on her feet, apparently not tired after all the moving. "Agh! I hate this low energy atmosphere! How are you not all bored already?!" She swung her arms open in exasperation.
Everyone at the lounge looked at Mina in a state of weak awe. 'How can she still have more energy!?'
Mina stood up and slammed her fist into her palm as an idea crashed into her mind. "That's it! Room competition!"
Sero gave a big, goofy grin. "You're on!"
"What will the rules of the room competition be?" Tanya asked as she sat up and got intrigued.
Mina pointed at Tanya and declared, "Most votes win, you can't vote for your own room."
"I can agree to that, Kerro." Tsuyu croaked as she stood up.
Mina drew a breath and cupped her hands around her mouth. With a loud voice that rang smoothly, she cheered "Room competition! May the best room win!"
Everyone else in the class ose from their tired stupor and perked up. Their competitive spirits ignited like a dozen fuses.
"I WILL WIN THE MOST MANLY ROOM!" Kirishima shouted back as he jumped to his feet.
Kaminari shrugged and said, "Yeah but who's looking for manliness? They're looking for a cool room."
"THAT'S THE SAME THING!!!" Kirishima pointed and shouted again.
"Order everyone!" Iida stood up and held his hands high for attention. "The competition will begin shortly!"
"No wait!" Midoriya howled in fear as he waved his hands around in the air. "Wait! Wait! Please!"
Sato and Bakugo had been on a supermarket shopping spree. Both armed with baskets full of useful ingredients.
Sato squinted at the price of the eggs. "Do you thi-"
"If you ask me one more fucking time," Bakugo began to fume and growl, "go ahead, buy them! We'll get the others to pay up for a fair share!"
Sato meekly placed the eggs atop his basket and carefully made sure it wouldn't fall out.
They had fallen into a spiral of Sato being hesitant and Bakugo urging him along. Their baskets were laden with ingredients; chives, bell peppers, onions both white and green, noodles, rice, flour, cheap cuts of meat that could work in a dish, eggs, broccoli, mushrooms, the list went on and the pile grew taller.
Not that either regretted it. Ingredients were cheaper than cooked dishes unless they only wanted Lunch Rush's cooking which had a decent student discount. Bakugo wasn't willing to sink that low and rely on someone else's cooking, and Sato wanted to hone his skills and make the other students happy.
"Carrots?" Sato asked as he lifted a bundle of the vegetable.
Bakugo snatched them out of Sato's hand and shoved them into his basket before storming ahead. "Be decisive Diabetes!" He shouted over his shoulder as he continued their march through the supermarket.
Midoriya's room was wall to wall with All Might merch. Figurines of all ages, posters, his All Might signed notebook sat comfortably on his desk in a place of honor.
Tanya blinked, bewildered by the room of her competition for All Might's approval. "I… I'm at a loss for words right now."
'Is there more behind their relationship than teacher and student?' She thought with owlish eyes as she still struggled to wrap her head around the room. 'There has to be, right? There's no way All Might's most favored student would also just happen to have an All Might shrine for a bedroom?'
"Midoriya," She asked with dropped wings and a bewildered twitching eyebrow, "just why is your room All Might themed?"
"H-he's the greatest hero ever." Midoriya shivered as he squeaked. 'There are girls in my room!' His mind raced. "A-and he inspired me!"
"Wooooah!" Uraraka was amazed as she walked in. "It's all All Might! A real Otaku's room!"
Midoriya's soul immediately left his body. He stood there like a frozen corpse, eyes wide with his death. "I just really admired him is all." He whispered.
"No way!" Mina laughed as she covered her stomach. "We're off to a dramatic start!"
"This is foolish." Tokoyami warned as he leaned against his door, foot up behind him. Internally, he felt like a bomb was about to go off, 'I cannot allow my and Dark Shadow's inner darkness to be uncovered. Our lair must go unseen by mortal eyes.'
Mina blinked as she watched Tokoyami pose lean against his door. 'There has to be something cool in there.'
"Can we see?" Toru asked as she bounced in front of him.
"No." He declared. He didn't look up from his pose.
Mina began to lightly and playfully push him. "Scoot." She jested.
His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to stand his ground.
Toru pushed Mina's back and Tokoyami began to lose balance. "Move!" She groaned. "We have to see!"
"HEY!" Iida chopped high in the air. "If he doesn't want to reveal his room, he doesn't have to!"
Toru visibly sagged in despair. Her voice was half joking, half pleading, "But then we'll never get to see what dark and brooding secrets he holds!"
Tokoyami sighed. 'Sorry Dark Shadow, she got me. The darkness is open to any who desire to delve into it.' He reached back and opened his door before stepping away. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to look over his shoulder as the class began to inspect his room.
"Thank you." Toru whispered as she walked past and into the dark. She got a huff in response.
Tokoyami's room was nearly pitch black. Gothic curtains and skull banners hung from the wall. The skull of an ox hung by the door and stared at the lightbringers. Silver model swords were set throughout the room and glimmered in the purple gloom. The rug was a spiral, darkness with no light to balance it out. A pentagram poster was delicately taped up.
"This class is a goldmine of awesome rooms!" Mina cheered as she skipped in.
Tanya was impressed and nodded at the room. 'He calls his Quirk dark shadow, his costume is a massive cloak, and his room just feels like a natural extension of him. He's more dedicated to the gothic theme than the empire was to their own. His Quirk seems effective and well rounded but I'm not sure about his skillset.'
Tokoyami had peeked over and saw Tanya's nod. 'They say birds of a feather flock together, but while I may embody the dark, I yearn for light. She, however, embodies light yet I feel a great darkness within her.'
She examined his sword collection, all without touching them, and asked, "Do you know how to use a sword?"
"A dark hero like myself should study the blade." Tokoyami said coldly. "I get the feeling you know your way around weapons as well?" He asked genuinely.
Tanya's wings flinched at the cold toned accusation. She didn't look at him as she answered, "Bladed weapons are still fairly new to me, but yes I have used weapons before."
Kirishima squatted down as he examined a sword with a miniature sword keychain attached. "Huh. I stopped buying these kinds of things in middle school."
Tokoyami felt the hit to his pride and turned his head away once more.
Jiro's eyes widened and she smiled when she pointed at the skull banner. "Hey. I recognise that band!"
"I prefer their logo over their music." Tokoyami said as he brooded.
"Not a fan?" Jiro asked, a little stunned. "They're one of the best goth metal bands out right now!"
"Too wordy." He grunted with his arms firmly crossed. "It interrupts the aesthetic."
Deku kneeled and nearly reached for Tokoyami's prized sword. "So cool." His voice wobbled with excitement.
"GET OUT! No touching the swords!" Tokoyami shouted and began to push Midoriya out.
Aoyama placed his hand on the door and declared, "Behold! For it is my turn to dazzle you all." He pushed his door open for all to see.
As soon as the first crack appeared, dazzling light shot out.
Sero covered his eyes, "Ack! How bright is your room?!"
A disco ball hung above a room of mirrors and star covered curtains. Light bounced and reflected off of his racks of jewelry and his suit of armor that stood watch over his room. Every mirror had a custom gold frame.
"Non, non." Aoyama wagged his finger in disappointment. "Not bright," He began to go from flaunting pose to flaunting pose, "dazzling."
Tanya struggled to look into the room till she covered her face and front with a wing. 'Aoyama seems more absorbed in his looks than his dire lack of skills. Every time I've seen him use his Quirk, something had gone wrong. Glory Hounds really do exist in every era.'
"Why do you need such a bright room?!" Tanya asked sharply as she felt like she had been visually flashbanged.
Ayoma faked a faint as he held himself up off the corner of his bed. "Oh woe is me, your words cut deep, mi ange. I had figured you'd have understood."
"No." Tanya bit in annoyance as she marched out, her wing shielded her eyes from his blinding room.
"Certainly different from the last room." Mina tried to be joyful as she rubbed her eyes and backed out.
"It's exactly what I expected though." Toru stated as she walked out, kind of bored of Aoyoam's gimmick room.
"This is getting kind of fun!" Uraraka cheered as she skipped along.
"It's certainly impressive." Tanya smiled as she kept ahead of everyone. "Everyone's room so far has been an interesting display."
She felt a hand gently clasp her wing. Tanya turned around and saw Mina holding her back. 'If this was anyone else, I'd be upset.' She threatened in her mind before asking, "What is it?"
"The last person on the second floor is…" Mina grimaced like she smelt something truly awful.
Tanya felt a dark presence coming from the next door. She squinted as it creaked open to reveal Mineta gesturing for them to come in. 'Mineta. I haven't heard good things about him. In fact, I've only ever been warned about him. A shame really, his Quirk is amazing. Close to midrange restraint and utility, it's hard to pass up. If he didn't offput everyone so much, I'd want him on my team. I wonder why everyone dislikes him?'
"C-come in." He muttered. His eyes were bloodshot and his face red. "I'll show you something amazing."
Tanya stared at him. 'Huh, that is pretty creepy. A bit of discipline will do you good. It worked on the 203rd, it'd work on you.'
"Aand with that we're heading to the third floor!" Mina loudly cheered in an attempt to stomach the grossness. She began to march back to the stairwell.
"I think that'd be for the best." Tanya softly agreed as she turned around and followed the class.
"Dude." Kaminari chastised Mineta. He stood beside the door with his hands in his pockets. "If you don't stop pulling weird shit like this, you'll never get any attention."
"Like you're pulling any better." Mineta scowled as he slowly closed his door and retreated into the depths.
Kaminari rubbed a slow hand down his neck. "I'm just trying to help ya bro." He sighed and walked after the class.
Ojiro willingly opened his door to the class. He stood before his humble collection with content, tail raised high as he got to share this little piece of himself with the class.
His room was mostly barren. A simple bed. A calendar hung on the wall. A cheap pc sat on his desk. It wasn't much, but it was ok.
"Wow! It's so normal!" Uraraka cried as she peered around.
"It feels like a stock image of a room." Sero said as he held his chin and grinned.
"I like the simplicity." Tanya nodded in agreement with Ojiro's tastes. 'Ojiro is an interesting peer. According to Mina, back at the USJ he fought his way out of the fire zone by himself against villains who were in their element. It would take a quick mind to pull off something like that. Good mobility, unorthodox movement, and great melee skills. He doesn't bring anything flashy but he's nothing to scoff at.'
With each comment, Ojiro's tail dropped with sadness. Finally his shoulders sagged and he said, "It's ok if you guys don't have anything to say. I understand."
Iida proudly opened his room for the class. "Welcome everyone!" He said sharply with a hint of enthusiasm as he stood in his room.
Shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books and binders. The pages dominated the wall and left no room for anything else. On the other wall, above his desk, sat rows of prescription glasses. Each one folded and looking to the ceiling, as ready to go as Iida was.
"There is nothing strange here!" He said with his hand pointing to his collection.
Mina stood on her toes and checked out the row of glasses. "Why do you have so many?"
"There's nothing strange about that!" Iida cried as he gripped his own glasses and reset them. "UA training will be brutal and I need extras in case mine break!"
Tanya raised her hand for Iida to see. "You know, there are athletic wear glasses. I'm surprised you don't have any?"
Iida proudly put a chop to his chest. "My helmet is specially designed to hold my glasses in place!"
Tanya smiled at the diligence of Iida. She once again had to move her wings so her classmates could see the room. 'Good speed, not much else. I suspect he's faster than me in a straight line. Not much to say about him other than that he's alright.'
Kaminari's room was a hodgepodge of things. Hats, posters, electrical stuff, random bins full of useless items.
"It's like you grabbed everything you could get your hands on." Uraraka muttered as she checked out the hat collection. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear a hat?"
Kaminari put his hands up in shock as he backed into his room, hurt by the comments of his classmate. "What! Isn't it great?!"
"This room feels like a horde." Tanya stated as she carefully maneuvered her wings not to hit anything.
Tanya sighed at his waste of studying space. 'He's a liability. His Quirk is unpredictable and barely controllable. He has zero attention span in a fight before he uses his Quirk and afterwards he's too dumb to fight back. At least Sato gets more value with less repercussions.'
Koda froze up before he opened his door for the class. His nerves went off and he began to shake. 'It'll be ok. It'll be ok, it'll be ok, it'llbeok.' His mind began to spiral into anxiety. 'They're all looking at me!'
He felt a calloused hand placed on his bicep and nearly jumped out of his skin before he saw who touched him.
"Don't worry about a thing man." Kirishima gave a sharp toothed grin as he tried to calm down the rocky faced giant.
Koda looked back at the spiky redhead and exhaled as his nerves left him for the moment. 'He's… like a dog.'
Koda's room was very green. Green bed, green curtain, green bulletin board. A few plush animals sat on watch over his bed. Then there was a litter box and pet supplies, and an animal bed. The star of his room hopped over to see what was going on.
A white, stout rabbit twitched its nose at the new humans. It stared with beady black eyes full of curiosity.
"He has a rabbit!" Toru squealed.
"Must. Pet. Bunbun!" Mina cheered as she got onto her knees and reached out her hand for the rabbit.
Tanya had a small staring contest with the fluffy creature as she thought about Koda. 'I don't think I've ever heard Koda talk before, outside of using his Quirk that is. The ability to converse with, and control, animals is incredibly powerful for safe recon. No one would suspect a bird of being a spy. He's easily one of the most important Quirks in the class for large scale operations. Almost feel bad that the training here does his Quirk little good.'
Koda gulped as he watched Tanya glare at his bunny, who was happily receiving pets from Uraraka and Mina. 'She scares me. Most humans do, but she's different. I feel like prey when she's around.'
"It's not fair to have pets around." Kaminari chastised Koda with his arms crossed. "You gotta be doing this on purpose."
Koda wrung his hands together as his voice failed him, unable to even squeak. 'Uh-unfair?! How? I'm so sorry!' He mentally panicked.
"I don't think you girls will get it, but here's my room." Kirishima said as he opened his door.
'Congrats! Big Catch!' Read a poster of the turbulent ocean. Posters of martial artists and inspirational quotes were slapped up around the room. A clock flexed its muscular arms at the class. Sitting on his desk was a row of books, underneath was a weight set. A punching bag stood strong in the center of the room and demanded attention.
"This is manliness!" Kirishima cheered and flexed at his classmates.
"Uhuh." Mina said dully as she nodded her head.
"This has to rank second for the room you'd least want your boyfriend to have." Toru pointed at him, which amounted to a short sleeve aiming a hole at him.
"I love it!" Uraraka got pumped up.
Kirishima grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "See! She gets it!"
Koda smiled weakly at Kirishima's toothy grin. The rocky giant felt happiness in the happiness of others, it's what drove him to be a hero.
"Hey! Big man!" Kirishima pushed through the crowd of students to get to Koda. "Care to hit the bag?!" He asked with extreme enthusiasm.