I froze.
Wait. What?
My brain short-circuited for a second.
Of all the people we could've been matched against… her?
Rubbing my temple, I tried my best to think of who Sato and Koda fought.
"...."
They didn't bother to show it, they were that minor of a character.
Momo was probably one of the worst people to go against.
I let out a slow exhale. Just earlier today, we had that awkward moment at the door.
And now? We were supposed to fight each other?
Was this some kind of joke?
Then there was Mineta.
A quick glance at him told me everything I needed to know.
The moment Momo's name was called, he practically lit up like Kaminari on a bad day.
The dude was grinning. Already bouncing on his feet like he'd won the lottery.
I was put against a genius and a pervert.
I dragged a hand down my face.
This might be a mess.
***
The air inside the training building was thick with tension,
the kind that made you feel alive.
All eyes were on the monitors, tracking every move of the current match.
Midoriya vs Bakugo.
It was a warzone on-screen.
Explosions painted the arena, smoke and debris filling the space as Midoriya scrambled to keep up.
Bakugo was relentless, attacking like a rabid animal.
I leaned against the wall, watching with a lazy stare.
Most of the class was glued to the action, whispering their predictions.
Except for Mineta.
He wasn't watching the fight.
His eyes were locked onto Uraraka.
"Dude…" His voice came out in an almost reverent whisper. "Look at her. Look at the way she moves."
"..."
I glanced around, there was nobody facing him or giving him any attention.
Was he talking to me?
"Bro…"
I ignored it.
"Bro."
I sighed.
"What?"
"Look at her."
"Uh...I am looking?"
"No. Look at her."
I glanced at him. His eyes were wide, lips slightly parted, like he'd seen God.
I followed his gaze to the screen.
"You're not gonna get anywhere if you keep staring at her like that"
I muttered, knowing full well he was ogling Uraraka's hero costume.
Mineta snapped his head toward me, his face turning red.
"I'm just... admiring her outfit! She looks so good. Bro, don't tell me you don't see it!"
I looked at him with a raised brow.
"I'm looking at the fight, not at her costume. But sure, yeah, she looks... decent."
"Decent?!" Mineta sputtered. "Bro, she looks fire! That suit—"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I cut him off.
I wasn't interested in his hormone-driven rambling, I was thinking of how I could defeat Momo.
I'm not as smart as her, even though she is not really all that powerful, she's quite efficient.
And her partner Mineta is.....Mineta.
"Oh?"
I felt a bulb light up in my head as I leaned towards Mineta.
"You know, Uraraka looks really nice in her hero costume."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying bro. Look at her in that tight suit bro!! She's curvy as fuck, man look at those boobs and ass!!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, don't let them hear you." I glanced around, pretending to look for eavesdroppers.
"Sorry about that, I just got carried away."
"Nah, it's cool. But if you're talking about a sexy and well built chick, you don't gotta look too far."
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me with sharp, inquisitive eyes. I almost felt sad for dude with his character design, like how the hell can you be built like this and have a weird personality?
"Bro, look at Momo. Your partner literally."
"Yeah, I know. I've been looking at her since we got put together, man she looks so sexy with her outfit like that showing a lot of skin..."
He kept on rambling on how naughty and sexy she looked in her outfit and talking about her boobs and ass.
Tuning him out in my head, I couldn't help but wonder, why the fuck did they make her outfit like that?
I understand that it could help with her quirk but in the original story, she was fucking fifteen. A fucking kid!!!
I pulled myself out of my thoughts, Mineta was still rambling on how sexy she was and if he had a chance with her, the kind of things he would do with her.
I had a plan to win but I'm not sure it might work, a part kinda depends on this convo.
"Say, about Momo?" I cut him off, trying to make voice quite low and serious.
"Hmm?"
"We had a conversation and we...kinda touched hands....or held hands, but we were a bit intimate."
"What?! When?"
"Shhh!!" I glanced around, a few eyes looked at us before going back to the screen. "You know she makes this serious face right? Like those strict women with all her analysis and shit."
He nodded.
I leaned in close to Mineta, lowering my voice just enough to make it feel like I was letting him in on some sacred knowledge.
"That's all just a facade, an outer shell to distract us from the kind of person she is. Look at her, think about it—Momo in that tight hero costume, all refined and you know she's got that body, man. That slim waist, those curves—she moves like royalty, but deep down? She's still a girl. A girl who just might need a little extra attention, you feel me."
The words felt so wrong and weird coming out from my mouth but Mineta just stared at me, taking in everything I said.
"Mineta… you know what this means, right?"
He blinked up at me, clueless.
"This is your golden opportunity. You and Momo. In a building, together. Fighting side by side. You know how those situations go, right? The tension, the danger… emotions running high. Next thing you know, she's clinging to you, breathing heavy, maybe even a little desperate."
I saw his soul leave his body.
I smiled, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"And listen, if you actually win this fight? Man… I'll personally put in a good word for you. Make sure you and Momo get some real, uninterrupted time together. Just the two of you. She's got that elegance, that class, but let's be real, underneath all that? She's still a woman. And women? They appreciate a guy who can protect them."
I stared at him, hoping for my words to work on his dumbass. A normal guy would reject me or ask me a question like why would you want to help me when we're opponents?
but-
Mineta let out an ungodly screech.
"I HAVE TO WIN! THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION!"
I couldn't help but smile, thank God he's a fool.
Now he was thinking with his dick instead of his brain. One less distraction for me.
All Might finished announcing the winner of the match and the my match was about to begin.
I cracked my neck, stretching my arms as I locked eyes with Koda.
Time to get this over with.
***
Momo stood in her hero costume, adjusting the utility belt.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the practicality of it as her suit was designed to give her full flexibility to create objects with her quirk.
But damn, the fit was a constant reminder of how much of her body was exposed.
The belts around her waist didn't help, they only highlighted her curves, making her feel like she was on display more than she'd like to be.
She glanced over at Mineta. Of course, he wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was staring.
His eyes were glued to her, his lips parted in some kind of creepy admiration.
It wasn't subtle as his gaze kept darting over her body, his eyes lingering where they shouldn't be.
Momo forced herself not to react, she didn't know him well yet.
But already, she had a feeling she wouldn't be all that comfortable around him.
Shaking it off, she turned her focus to the match ahead. Her team was paired up against Azaria and Koda.
Azaria.
They met earlier in the day surprisingly when she thought of him and now she was paired against him.
He appeared laid back as usual but stood out like a sore thumb with his outfit as he looked more like a villain than a hero.
The mask covering his face, with those dark lenses that concealed his eyes completely, making it impossible to read what he was thinking.
She reeled back to when Mineta had been whispering with Azaria.
She hadn't been close enough to hear their conversation, but she had caught Mineta's reaction—his whole demeanor changing like he had just been let in on some grand scheme.
Azaria, on the other hand, remained unreadable, leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed.
She had expected more from him.
Her brief interaction with him at the classroom entrance left her a bit embarrassed.
Although she did seem a bit interested in him, but now he was conspiring with Mineta of all people?
Maybe she had misjudged him.
Momo took a deep breath, stepping into the training facility with Mineta.
The artificial cityscape loomed around them, and she immediately went into planning mode.
"Alright," she started, turning to him. "We should come up with a strategy. If we—"
"I got this!" Mineta cut in, puffing out his chest like some overconfident protagonist. "Don't worry, Momo! I'll protect you no matter what!"
And then—he ran.
Momo blinked.
"… Huh?"
She stared in disbelief as Mineta bolted down the hallway, disappearing around the corner.
For a second, she just stood there. Then, her lips parted slightly in shock before she exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
This was unbelievable.
"Honestly…" she muttered, straightening up. She had expected him to be difficult, but abandoning her immediately? That was beyond irresponsible.
She didn't have time to be frustrated, though. If he wasn't going to cooperate, she'd have to handle this on her own.
Squaring her shoulders, she moved deeper into the building, keeping her guard up as she scanned the corners.
If Azaria and Koda were playing the villains, then they could be hiding anywhere—
She turned a corner and stopped.
He was already there.
Azaria leaned casually against the wall ahead, arms crossed, like he had been waiting for her this whole time.
The lighting cast his figure in deep shadows, and with his mask's dark lenses covering his eyes, she couldn't read his expression at all.
"Alone already?"His voice was smooth, almost amused. "I didn't expect it to be this fast."
He walked towards her with slow, deliberate footsteps.
"If you lose...no, when you lose. Don't blame yourself, you kinda have a stupid partner."
Momo instinctively shifted into a defensive stance as he quickened his steps, running towards her.