Still completely lacking even the beginning of a plan, Izuku froze when he heard a feminine singsong voice. "Midoriiiiii~" it whispered directly into his ear as two incredibly soft somethings pressed into his back. "I'm the ghost of your fuuuuuuuuutuuurre~"
"This isn't the first time you've scared someone like this, is it?" Setsuna asked with an amused smirk, arms crossed as she glanced at Toru.
"Nope!" Toru chirped proudly, her tone brimming with enthusiasm. "I used to pull pranks like this all the time when I was a kid. It was fun at first, but eventually, it got kind of boring, so I stopped."
"You got in trouble, didn't you? Ribbit," Tsuyu said, narrowing her eyes at Toru with a suspicious look.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Toru mumbled, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her voice. Even though her face was invisible, everyone could easily imagine her turning away, flustered.
Izuku didn't dare move a muscle. He was busted. He was screwed. His career was over, his LIFE was over, and he was just standing there in the girl's changing room admiring the woodwork instead of leaving to respect the women, all because he was a coward and Iida was right there.
"Damn! We could actually file a petition for a world record and get Green a prize for how fast he can think," Jiro said with a smirk.
"Yeah, I can totally see that," Ochako chimed in, giggling at the thought. "But, like, how would they even measure something like that? It's not like we've got a speedometer for brains or something."
"We've got plenty of quirks in our world. I'm sure we could find someone with a quirk that could measure it. Maybe, like, a 'brainwave stopwatch' or something like that," Jiro replied with a casual shrug.
He didn't even try to fight the blush that rose to his cheeks once again and kept his gaze firmly trained on the wall. "H-Hagakure, what're you doing?"
The invisible woman hooked her chin over his shoulder, her face oh so close to his. No doubt she was standing on her tiptoes to do so. "I came to haunt you, of course. I wanted to show you what your future holds~"
"Toru, I think your counterpart needs to back off a little," Momo said with a strained smile. "Izuku doesn't look comfortable with you being so close to him."
"What!?" Toru exclaimed, her tone a mix of disbelief and indignation. "You're just jealous that I get to be so close to Izuku!" She crossed her arms—well, she probably did, though her transparent form made it hard to tell—and added a dramatic huff for effect.
Momo sighed softly, shaking her head in measured patience. "No, Toru, you misunderstand me," she explained. "I'm just reminding you that there's a thin line between teasing and harassment—even if the gender roles are reversed."
"Ugh~" Toru groaned before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I get it. I'll keep that in mind."
Her sultry voice caressed Izuku's mind and drew up several pleasant but very unwanted mental images. If she had any idea what he thought of, she would definitely hate him forever.
"Oh, who knows? Maybe I will, maybe I won't," Toru said, her tone light and dreamy, carrying an almost playful edge as she swayed slightly from side to side.
With some effort, Izuku stamped them all down, forcing himself to think as cleanly as possible. "What—" His voice cracked, instantly betraying his still fragile nerves. Izuku cleared his throat and tried again. "What do you mean by that?"
"Hmm..." Hagakure paused, drawing out the pensive silence just a little too long. "You've been working so hard, Mido, everyone can see that." Izuku felt invisible arms wrap around his body, gently pinning his own arms against his sides. She was so close, why was she hugging him when he just crashed into their private time? "I don't think you even got to relax in the hot springs when the boys had their chance. Did you?"
"See? That's exactly what I was talking about, Toru," Momo said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in mild exasperation. "Hugging him at that moment probably wasn't the best idea, especially since he was already panicking. And using that voice? It's only making things worse."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it already... Mom," Toru groaned dramatically, dragging out her response for effect before sneakily adding the 'Mom' at the end. The cheeky comment made Momo's cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink, drawing chuckles from all the girls.
At first, Izuku said nothing. Where was the trick? What was the answer she was looking for? His mind raced to analyze the situation he found himself in, yet couldn't think of a single useful thing.
"Hey! Why would I trick him!?" Toru huffed, crossing her arms. "I am so offended right now!"
"I can't blame him, you know. Even I'd be suspicious of something that seems too good to be true—especially if it's coming from a prankster like you," Jiro said with a smirk, earning herself a pillow thrown in her direction by Toru.
"Still," Ochako chimed in, her cheerful expression dimming slightly. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her brow furrowing as a shadow of concern flickered across her face. "I think there's more to this than just him being surprised by the offer. It feels like... maybe there's something else bothering him." Her voice grew softer as uneasy thoughts began to cloud her mind.
Hagakure's head gently bonking the side of Izuku's own made him realize the question wasn't rhetorical. "No, I... I got some extra training with Tiger instead. That's, uh, why I ended up here. I swear I didn't land in the girl's spring on purpose, Tiger dodged a kick and—"
Hagakure lifted one of her arms and touched his lips, silencing him instantly. "So you took a big hit and got very lucky. I'm almost jealous, honestly. But!" Finally, Hagakure unwrapped herself from Izuku and took a step back, the misplaced boy finally released the breath he was holding as she did so. "That means you really deserve to spend some time soaking in a long, hot bath!"
There was something in Hagakure's voice that Izuku couldn't place. He truly had no idea where she was going with this. She couldn't possibly be suggesting...? No, absolutely not, there's no way.
"Yeah, I can totally see what's going through Izuku's mind," Momo said, a wry grin tugging at her lips. "Honestly, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't believe it either." She chuckled softly, shaking her head as if amused by the absurdity of the situation.
"If it makes you feel any better," Itsuka chimed in, crossing her arms with a resigned sigh, "I can't believe my counterpart even considered allowing a boy in the girls' bath.
"I feel the same way," Ibara said, her voice calm but laced with disapproval. Her hands clasped together almost instinctively, as though seeking divine clarity. "This isn't about doubting Midoriya's character; I trust his integrity. It's more about preserving our own sense of modesty and propriety. Even if our counterparts insisted on him being blindfolded the entire time, the situation still feels... inappropriate."
Izuku clearly took too long to respond, as Hagakure sighed and shifted her tone completely. "As cute as your Amajiki impression is, I'm being serious here." She wasn't angry, or she was hiding it very well. Her calm tone soothed Izuku's nerves, especially when he ignored the 'cute' part. "Look at me, Midoriya."
Once again, Izuku remembered the situation he was in. "Hagakure, you're naked!"
Silence followed his rather obvious statement before angelic giggling echoed through the room. "Like that matters , Mido, no one can see anything!~"
"B-but still!"
"Seriously, it's fine! I'm the only one here, and I'm telling you it's okay! Come on, pleeeeaaaase?"
"Come to think of it," Pony said, tilting her head in curiosity, "your hero costume is still just you being naked with gloves and boots? Isn't that, like, kind of grossly ignorant of safety and modesty? Not to mention how awful it must be in winter."
"Ugh, don't remind me!" Toru groaned dramatically, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. She let out a helpless sigh before slumping back into her seat. "Three years, Pony—three years! And not a single support company has managed to figure out how to make a proper costume for me! Do you know how frustrating it is? I mean, sure, I get it—my quirk is invisible, blah blah blah—but seriously, how hard can it be?"
"Now Hatsume is my only hope!" Toru added. "She's the only one crazy enough to actually come up with something functional that doesn't make me lose the advantage of my quirk. I swear, if she pulls it off, I'll owe her, like, a lifetime supply of coffee or something."
"Please, don't..." Ochako's face instantly paled, her hands lifting in a defensive gesture. "Normal Hatsume is terrifying enough for me. I can't even imagine what she'd be like on a caffeine high."
"Caffeine-high Hatsume? Yeah, now that's an Avengers-level threat," Mei added with a cheeky grin.
Izuku took a deep breath to center himself once more. Hagakure said it was fine. She asked him to turn around. He can't see Hagakure, so he won't be able to see anything like that . It's fine. He's fine. He's not dead yet, and she told him to turn around. He can do that. Slowly, the green haired boy turned to look over his shoulder. The room was completely empty. He took another stabilizing breath and turned around completely, putting his back to the wall he had studied in his panic.
After spending so much time around Hagakure, and perhaps as a side effect of his quirk, he had grown something of a sixth sense when it came to the invisible woman. When she wasn't trying to hide herself, Izuku could usually find where she was in the room. It was never a strong enough feeling to tell what she looked like, but it helped when he wanted to address her. Right now, she was probably sitting at the end of the closest bench to Izuku.
"Oh... that's really nice of him," Toru said in a sentimental tone, her voice soft with appreciation. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she thought about Izuku's small yet meaningful gestures. Despite her quirk rendering her invisible, he always made an effort to greet her the moment she entered a room and maintained remarkably steady eye contact during their conversations. It was a level of attentiveness she rarely experienced, and it warmed her heart to know that it was a deliberate effort on his part.
"I was unaware that you two spent so much time together that Izuku developed such an acute intuition about you," Yanagi remarked, glancing curiously at Toru.
"You'd be surprised how many unusual friendships we have here in the dorms," Toru replied with a shrug. "For instance, you'd never guess that Sato and Bakugo are pretty close friends."
Yanagi's eyebrows raised slightly, her expression a mix of intrigue and disbelief. "Bakugo? And Sato? That... seems unlikely," she admitted.
"Right?!" Toru said, laughing. "Their personalities couldn't be more opposite—one's got a temper like a firecracker, and the other's super laid-back. But their shared love of cooking? Oh, that can keep them talking for hours. I walked into the kitchen one time, and they were deep in a debate about the perfect frosting-to-cake ratio for cupcakes. It was wild."
"There we go!" Izuku could almost see the wide smile from the sound of Hagakure's voice. Unbidden, his mind drew up the image of the woman swinging her legs as she sat in front of him. "So, serious talk, for real this time. None of us are angry with you, first of all. Hell, most were just relieved you weren't Mineta."
"Yeah, Toru's counterpart isn't wrong," Kinoko said, nodding thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'd say we'd have let any of the boys—well, except for that creep—explain themselves if they'd ended up in a similar situation."
"Not Kaminari," Jiro interjected sharply, her expression turning flat as she crossed her arms. "Normally, he's not that bad, especially when he's hanging out with Kirishima and the others. He's chill, maybe even fun to be around." Her tone shifted, tinged with annoyance. "But the second you leave him alone with Mineta? It's like something short-circuits in his brain. They start giggling like total perverts and plotting creepy stuff together."
Mina grimaced, rubbing her arms as if to shake off the unsettling mental image. "Yeah, I've seen them huddled together, whispering and glancing around. It's like they think they're criminal masterminds or something. It's... unsettling."
Jiro nodded, rolling her eyes. "Exactly. And don't even get me started on how quickly Kaminari changes his tune when he realizes someone's caught him in the act. Suddenly, he's all, 'It wasn't my idea!'" She mimicked his panicked voice, drawing a few chuckles from the group.
Izuku grimaced before he could stop himself. Mineta would do something like this... He still remembered the time when the pervert carefully constructed a super move to feel Ashido up during the first A versus B exercise.
"And I'm still pissed off that he got away with that!" Mina exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. Her normally bubbly demeanor had been replaced by a fiery glare.
"The same thing happened during our very first Battle Trial exercise," Momo sighed, her expression tightening as the memory resurfaced. "Mineta spent the entire match ogling me while I did all the work. We ended up losing because of his uselessness, and I was absolutely livid when Aizawa-sensei didn't even address his behavior afterward."
"I'm not surprised, ribbit," Tsu chimed in calmly. "Even Bakugo and Izuku only got a slap on the wrist for nearly killing themselves—and their partners—in that same exercise."
"Hey! It was Bakugo's fault for releasing a deadly blast indoors and almost killing Deku with it!" Ochako interjected, springing to her best friend's defense with an indignant huff.
"And a moment later, Izuku nearly brought down the entire building with that stunt he pulled, ribbit," Tsu replied with a deadpan expression.
"But it was part of our plan!" Ochako protested, her voice rising slightly as she tried to justify their actions.
"Yes," Tsu said flatly, "and it was a stupid plan. Let's be honest, Ochako. Back then, Izuku's control over One for All was terrible. His lack of control was so bad, I'm honestly surprised he didn't bring the entire building down with that uppercut, burying all four of you in the rubble."
"All Might is also at fault for letting that match go on as long as it did," Momo added. "The match should have ended the moment Bakugo overstepped and refused to follow orders."
"But isn't the whole point of U.A. to train us for real-world dangers?" Mina asked, tilting her head. "I mean, real-world incidents are probably way worse than what happened in that match."
"Yes, Mina, you're not wrong," Momo replied. "However, you have to remember it was only our second day at school and our first Foundational Hero Studies class. We had no practical experience, no understanding of the intricacies of heroics, and very little awareness of just how dangerous our quirks could actually be—especially when used recklessly."
"Yeah, but doesn't that mean the trial was a wake-up call?" Mina pressed on.
"It was," Momo admitted. "But it could have been a disaster. And a wake-up call isn't worth risking injuries or worse someone's dead, especially when we're all so inexperienced."
Hagakure giggled at Izuku's apparent disgust. "Yeah, we felt the same way. Anyways, you're a great friend, Mido, and a really great guy. So, combine this with the fact that you really need to relax, we decided to help you out. And by 'help you,' I mean let you join us in the hot spring." Before Izuku could fully comprehend what Hagakure was telling him, the woman jumped to her feet and probably pointed at Izuku. "On one condition!"
Izuku decided he could think later. "What condition?"
"Wait right here, don't move!" Hagakure raced to the door to the outside and opened it a crack, causing Izuku's heart to leap into his throat. It closed just as quickly as it opened and Hagakure quickly added, "And turning around is moving, so don't do that either!" With that, the door leading to freedom opened halfway and slammed shut, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts.
"And that's pretty much the worst place you could leave Green in," Jiro said with a chuckle, shaking her head in amusement. "Seriously though, I'm starting to feel bad for him. For someone who overanalyzes everything, leaving him in suspense with barely any details to work with? That's just plain cruel."
Join us, she said. She said none of the women were angry with me, which is a common thing to say, maybe Hagakure really wasn't angry, but what if one of the others was? Jirou is sensitive to these things, and oh my god, Uraraka was NAKED she has to hate me now, I don't even know WHAT the girls from Class B think. Tokage didn't seem upset and why was she even on my chest? For that matter, what even was Hagakure doing in the beginning? She was really soft and NO bad Izuku, don't think about it. But I probably should, cause she wouldn't be the only naked woman I'll be around WHAT DID I AGREE TO what is even the condition, is it going to be weird, are they going to take pic—
"No wonder Midoriya can come up with plans on the fly," Itsuka remarked, sounding genuinely impressed. "If he can process that many thoughts in just a fraction of a second, it's like his brain's operating at some kind of supercomputer level speeds all the time."
"Yeah, but I bet it's exhausting," Jiro added, tilting her head thoughtfully. "No wonder he's always so jumpy—his mind probably never shuts off."
While the others nodded in agreement, Mina turned her attention to Toru, her golden eyes sparkling along with a mischievous grin on her lips. "Toru~" she began in a singsong tone, leaning in slightly. "Are you blushing right now, by any chance?" Her eyebrows wiggled in exaggerated teasing, her grin growing wider.
"Shut up!" Toru squeaked, throwing her hands up to cover her invisible face, her voice rising a pitch in embarrassment, much to the pink girl's amusement.
The door Izuku was standing next to opened slightly, scattering the rest of his thoughts instantly. When it closed completely, Izuku heard Hagakure release her breath. "Alright, I'm back. So! The condition is this!" Hidden within her hand was a piece of fabric. The invisible woman unfolded it and held it towards Izuku to take.
"Uh..." Carefully, Izuku accepted the fabric and looked it over. It was a fairly cute pink sleep mask with various cartoon cats scattered across it. "Do you... want me to wear this? Wait, this will make me blind, I won't be able to see any of you."
"Exactly!" Hagakure cheered. "I don't care either way, but that's what they want, if you're gonna be stuck with us for a while. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe!"
"I have no doubt you'll keep him safe," Setsuna said with a smirk, her sharp teeth glinting mischievously, "but who's going to save him from you?"
"Don't worry, we've got Ochako for that," Mina teased, throwing a knowing glance in Ochako's direction. "She's our class's self-proclaimed defender of Midoriya and his chastity."
"I am not!" Ochako yelled, her face lighting up like a stoplight as she waved her hands defensively. "Don't make stuff up, Mina!"
"Ochako, last year you literally tried to send a girl to outer space because she tricked Izuku into going on a date with her," Momo pointed out.
"That girl deserved it!" Ochako shot back, her tone heated as she glared at Mina. "She lied to him about having a limited-edition, invite-only Hawks plushie! What kind of monster does that?"
"Ochako, that's not the point," Momo sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
She made a good point. Izuku doesn't have any sort of escape plan, and his chest and back still hurt like hell. If the women really would accept him if he wears a blindfold... He smiled at the sleep mask. Most likely, it was Hagakure's. It fit her style, and due to her quirk, she could probably see out of her eyelids, necessitating the item for her.
"You know," Jiro began, tapping her finger on the armrest of her chair, "I've said this to Green's face before, and I'll say it again—his ability to notice details and figure such things out about the people around him is downright terrifying."
"I think it's quite cute and thoughtful, though," Toru tilted her head, clearly disagreeing.
"Of course you would," Jiro let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.
"Thank you, Hagakure."
"Oh, call me Tooru! Especially tonight, we're gonna be really close, after all!"
"Right, Hag— Tooru." Izuku lifted the sleep mask to slip it on his face, but he felt Hagakure grab his wrist.
"Ochako, calm down, girl," Toru said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "My counterpart isn't going to do anything inappropriate with Izuku. Despite her words, Ochako continued to glare at her suspiciously, her cheeks puffed slightly in a way that almost made her indignation seem cute.
Toru sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her invisible forehead. "Fine, I get it. You don't trust me." She leaned back with exaggerated resignation. "Looks like I'll need to start sleeping with one eye open from now on," she muttered under her breath.
"Ah ah ah. There's no way you can enjoy the water wearing that ." Izuku could feel Hagakure's other hand hook under the bottom of his shirt and lift it slightly. His blush from earlier returned full force.
"Damn, you move fast, girl," Setsuna whistled, leaning back with a wide grin as she glanced at Toru. "Color me impressed."
Toru's eyes widened in panic, and she whipped her head toward Setsuna, glaring daggers. "Are you trying to get me killed by Ochako?!" she hissed.
"Calm down, Toru. I'm not going to kill you," "Oh, relax, Toru," she said with a smile that was far too sweet to be comforting. Her honeyed tone sent a shiver through the room. "But I trust that, even if your counterpart overstepped a little, she wouldn't go too far without Deku's consent... right?" She stretched out the last word, her tone dipping into something distinctly more threatening as her eyes gleamed with an almost predatory edge.
Toru let out a nervous laugh, her hands instinctively raising in a gesture of innocence. "Of course not! Why would I?" she replied quickly, her smile stiff as beads of sweat ran down her invisible face... or well, that's what everyone imagined seeing her demeanor.
Hagakure just laughed when Izuku sputtered, unable to pull together a proper response. "Relax, Mido, I'll let you change on your own~ Be right back!"
Izuku couldn't help but stare at where he thought Hagakure was as she left the room, far too many thoughts and not nearly enough bouncing around his head.
"So, just normal Izuku in general, ribbit," Tsu remarked dryly, earning a round of laughter from the girls around her.
This day could not get any weirder, he decided, and lit up One for All to change in a flash.
"All For One must be seething in hell, watching the quirk he chased for nearly two decades being used by a hormonal teenager like this," Setsuna remarked, gesturing dramatically as if showcasing Izuku's antics prompting another, even louder round of laughter to erupt in the room.
To be continued...