1Chapter 3: A Change of Pace
Ojiro felt awkward sitting on the steps outside the 1B dorm. He had been asked to meet his girlfriend here by text just minutes ago. Yaoyorozu typically held a group study on Sunday morning and then privately taught her boyfriend afterward, but today she had scheduled some time with Kendo. For what, however, was unknown to the boy.
Either way, the reason for the uneasiness? Monoma was in the main room. Sure the two were on somewhat better terms, but Ojiro didn't want to deal with him right now. He wasn't the only one there, and the boy also saw Awase, Komori, and Kodai. However, Mashirao knew there was no way Neito would let him be if he went in. In fact, he was surprised the blonde hadn't gone outside to bother him yet. Ojiro had been sitting outside for around five minutes by this point.
But then the wait became longer and longer. Eventually, Mashirao checked his phone, it had already been fifteen minutes, and he was starting to worry. Before he could ponder what to do further, he heard a door open from behind. Upon turning around, the boy saw Yui approaching him. She was wearing a white t-shirt and a red skirt. "Oh uh hey, Kodai-san. I'm just waiting for-."
"Yaoyorozu-san. We know." Kodai interrupted.
"We?"
The girl pointed behind her as she explained, "My classmates. No one was doing anything despite acknowledging you needed to be addressed. So now I am here to get this over with. Follow me."
"Uh, To where?"
"Kendo-chan's room. That is where your girlfriend is at the moment." Yui stated as she began to walk back inside.
Mashirao hesitated for a second but then followed her. As he stepped inside, he noticed Neito and Yosetsu on a couch together, both looking away awkwardly. Kinoko, however, seemed uninterested and was drinking some tea. He exchanged his shoes for some slippers before going further. Once they started to ascend the stairs to the girl's rooms, he spoke up and asked, "Is it okay that I come here?"
Kodai stopped and turned her head as she asked, "Are you not allowed on the girl's side back in 1A?"
"Oh, we are, but you know, it's our class. This isn't."
"We are of the same year, Ojiro-san. Besides, I believe our joint events together have proven there is no need for us to distance ourselves from each other."
Ojiro sighed before saying, "I get that, but if that was true, why did the others downstairs do nothing while I waited outside."
"Oh." Yui then completely turned around. "That." She then looked lost in thought before continuing with, "Well, Monoma-kun felt confronting you wasn't for the best. You are not Komori-chan's type, and Awase-kun had a crush on your girlfriend. Just about anyone else in our class would have been fine."
"Woah Woah, step back about Awase-san. He what?" Sure, the fact Neito was holding himself back was off, and what was said about Kinoko was weird, but the last statement hit him like a brick to the head.
"It's in the past now, Ojiro-san. Regardless, we should get going and see what's keeping the meeting between our class reps from lasting so long." Kodai then proceeded to ascend the stairs once more. They reached the top floor and went past two rooms before stopping.
A loud voice from inside the room stated, "Come on, you are leaving me high and dry here."
Yui sighed. "Well, that explains the hold-up."
"What?"
The girl ignored his question and then knocked on the door. "It's Kodai."
The door quickly opened. Kendo had answered the door and had a face of relief. She was wearing jeans and a black sweater. Behind her was a kotatsu (low table with an electric heater, heat is kept in by a blanket) with Yaoyorozu at it facing the door and Tokage to her left side. The former was still in her pink teaching outfit and sporting her glasses. The latter was in jean shorts and a purple tank top.
Itsuka put a hand on Yui's shoulder as she said, "Thanks for bringing Ojiro-san up here, Yui-chan. Momo-chan was just about to make her leave."
Setsuna was quick to whine. "Hey, I wasn't done asking questions!"
"Some other time, Tokage-san." Momo hurryingly stated before grabbing a red jacket to her side and standing to leave. As she did, Setsuna stood up too.
"But I barely learned anything."
Yui stepped forward to block the way. "That's quite enough."
Tokage's head detached to go around her classmate. It then floated up to Ojiro, which had him take a step back as she said, "Hey, now that you are here, maybe I can get the details more easily."
"Excuse me?"
However, said head was then grabbed by Kendo's enlarged left hand. "We're done here, Setsuna-chan."
The disembodied head groaned as Kodai walked beside her with a small trash can. "This should be enough to stop her from trying to get some gossip."
"Uh, that's a bit much, Yui-chan," Itsuka stated with a concerned look.
Setsuna's head nodded as she added, "No need to get so bent out of shape, Yui-chan. You're just jealous that these two are a gold mine of secrets compared to you and your little romantic interest."
Kodai looked severely at Kendo and presented the trash can with both hands. "I insist this is necessary."
Itsuka just gave an awkward laugh.
Momo then grabbed Mashirao's left arm. "Let's go." As they walked again, she shouted, "See you tomorrow in class, Kendo-chan."
Class 1B's president just gave a soft wave as the two other girls began to argue.
As the couple descended the stairs, Yaoyorozu began to put on her jacket and spoke, "Sorry about the wait. We were scheduled to end on time, but Tokage-san's sudden appearance delayed things."
"Yeah, she seems even more in your face than Ashido-chan as of late."
"Hey now, she means well. She's just happy for me."
"And Tokage-san?"
"Well, the last time she saw me was at the Christmas party."
Ojiro rubbed the back of his head. "That's fair, I guess." His girlfriend had called him out in the middle of the event, produced a mistletoe with one hand, and pulled him into a kiss with the other. It made Uraraka's reveal at Ida's birthday seem small in comparison. Ultimately, his indecisiveness in announcing their relationship to the class got the better of him, just like Ida.
The two exited the stairwell and left the building, thankfully without any fanfare from others.
"What even was your meeting with Kendo-san about?"
"Brainstorming more joint activities with 1B."
"Without Ida-kun or Sato-kun?"
"They were both busy this morning; I can fill them in later. Besides, this was more of a preliminary meeting. This specific event will be at the end of the term, so we didn't need everyone."
Mashirao did recall both of them were absent during the morning study session. He pondered what they were up to. "So, what is planned?"
With a grin, Momo responded, "Secret."
"Even I don't get special privileges?"
"Afraid not. Plus, it's not yet set in stone, so it might change." Ojiro just sighed upon getting his answer. "Anyways, how did Kodai-san end up being the one to escort you to us? She rarely gets involved if she doesn't have to."
"Well, that was exactly that. No one else in the common room wanted to, which led to her being the one." Mashirao then cleared his throat. "When I asked her why the others didn't want to greet me, I got some 'interesting' explanations."
"How so?"
"Having a hard time believing Monoma-san didn't want to make a scene as she stated."
"Well, that just means Monoma-san is being considerate."
Ojiro grunted but continued, "Komori-san couldn't care less cause I'm not her type, according to Kodai-san. Whatever that means."
"Well, she wants to be an idol hero. Komori-san probably just has high standards for their appearance."
"So is Tokoyami-kun considered a looker? She always gravitates to him."
Yaoyorozu waved the comment off with her free hand. "I believe that is because he interned under Hawks, and he is the number two hero remember?"
"Yeah, that makes more sense."
With a deep blush, Momo stated, "You don't need to compare yourself to others, Mashirao. You already have me."
"Sorry, you're right," Mashirao said with a flustered expression. He then shook his head. "Oh uh, and then there was Awase-san. Uh, apparently, he had a crush on you?"
Yaoyorozu seemed lost in thought upon hearing this. After a few moments passed, she said, "Understandable, that would have been awkward for him to greet you."
"But like, where did that come from?"
"Probably after saving me during our summer school trip."
"Isn't that supposed to work the other way around?"
Momo shrugged. "Either way, Awase-san seems to be taking it respectfully. I have seen no change in him since the end of our last term."
"Yeah, it still feels weird, though."
"Is it, though? I mean, there was a time I had a crush on Midoriya-kun."
Ojiro stopped walking as he asked, "When was this?" He wasn't mad or anything; just the randomness of it threw him off.
"Hmm, I think not long after the Sports Festival. Though it ended once I learned of his involvement with Hagakure-chan at our first lesson at my house."
"So not too long. Is that normal?"
Now it was Yaoyorozu's turn to look confused. "Typically. Have you never had one?"
"Not really. Sure, I might have noticed a girl was cute or interesting, but I never held on to any feeling of wanting to get closer to them, and never figured it was worth pursuing."
"Cause you felt you didn't have a chance?"
Mashirao nodded. "Yeah. This whole thing between us feels like a dream I'll wake up to one day and feels so unreal sometimes." He then felt one of his cheeks pinched by his girlfriend's free hand.
"Well, this is real. You need to stop thinking so lowly of yourself."
Ojiro sighed and could only nod in response. She then let go of her boyfriend, and the two began to walk again. After a few moments of silence, he said, "So, we still planning to study?"
"Yup! I figured we would start-."
"Actually, could we do something different today?"
Yaoyorozu looked concerned as she replied, "Have my lessons begun to bore you?"
Ojiro was quick to shake his head and hands. "No, they've been beneficial. It's made the regular schooling part of U.A. much more bearable for me." He then took a deep breath before continuing. "It's just; we only get to spend so much time together. Our dates are sporadic, and while the lessons guarantee we get time alone, it's always just school work."
Now curious in her tone, Momo asked, "So you want to mix things up?"
"It doesn't have to be often."
"So like, every third Sunday? Two lessons for every one off?"
"Oh, uh, that would be more than enough." Mashirao was thinking more likely once a month, but he was more than happy with this suggestion.
"Okay, but what would we do differently?"
"Anything really, though if you are okay with it, can we just chat today?"
Yaoyorozu pondered the prospect for a moment. "Sure, though I get to choose next time."
"Sounds fair." Ojiro was tempted to ask what, but there was no rush considering it would be in three weeks.
"Can we still meet in my room today?"
"Of course!"
Momo grabbed the boy's hand and said, "Then let's go!"
The couple stepped into the girl's room and took off their slippers. Mashirao was quick to fall back first into his girlfriend's bed. Momo instead made her way to her closet. She then asked, "Straight to it, huh?"
"This is the most comfortable thing I have ever felt. It's hard not to; plus, it's huge."
Yaoyorozu emerged from the other room with a folded pile of clothes in her arms, no longer wearing her glasses. "I guess it's hard to go back to your bed each time you visit, considering that." She then laid the articles on a desk to the side and unbuttoned her top, much to Ojiro's horror.
"W-Wait, what I just wanted for us to chat!"
Momo looked perplexed. "What's the issue? I'm just changing into something more comfortable. You've seen this before anyhow." She then removed her top, revealing a black sports bra.
"W-When!?"
"The first round of the Sports Festival. I had to unzip my top to make a cannon during the race."
Mashirao vaguely recalled the moment. He then shook his head before standing up. "That was forever ago, and I wasn't right in front of you." He then looked away. "This is a bit much for me, Momo."
"You've seen much more skin from my swimsuit during Midoriya-kun's birthday," she argued. "And that was before we dated."
"Okay, but I didn't see you change into it. This is very different."
Momo grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. "It's okay; I trust you."
Ojiro froze. In no way was he able to handle this out of the blue. What followed was an awkward stare and silence between the two.
"Did, did I screw up the order of things again?" The girl let go and hung her head.
Mashirao took a few breaths before putting a hand on top of Momo's head. "It's less the sequence of it. Just faster than I expected. It means a lot to me that you have so much faith in me, but usually, people are not this intimate this quickly."
"And why is that?"
Ojiro let his hand drop and tried to ponder an answer. "I mean, people are usually embarrassed to be exposed." On multiple occasions, he recalled this wasn't the case when it came to Yaoyorozu. "Though I guess you have always been pretty open about your body."
Momo reached over, grabbed her top, and covered her chest as she said, "I have a beautiful figure, and I've always been proud of it. Why should I be ashamed of it, you know? I understand your concern about this being too intimate, but it felt right." She then turned away from Mashirao. "I mentioned earlier about crushes, and I had a lot growing up. I tried to show interest the only way I thought I could at the time."
It took a moment, but the boy recalled how they started and asked, "Inviting them over to study?"
"Precisely. However, it quickly became apparent why they were there." Yaoyorozu sighed.
Mashirao chuckled before saying, "I guess Yasumura-san made sure they regretted ever thinking they could claim you as a trophy wife."
"Even before becoming our head butler, he always looked out for me."
"I can understand why he was so cold to us guys from the start. Though my attitude really didn't help things at the time."
"You both were being idiots regardless," Momo replied, grinning. She then looked back to her boyfriend, "Either way, you are the first to want to get to know me for real. Not for my status in society. Not for the money my family had. Not for my body. Just me. So that's why I was okay with undressing in front of you. It felt natural." There was a pause. "Though I didn't consider your standards of decency. Well, what is normal, I guess. I'll change in my closet, and we can forget about this."
However, before Yaoyorozu could make it to said room, she was stopped by Ojiro grabbing her free hand. "Wait, wait." He then looked away before asking, "So what are you wearing under your skirt?"
"Yoga briefs. I was planning on working out after our private study session. Why?"
Guess that explains the sports bra, Mashirao thought. "Well, considering that, I would be o-okay if you continued where you left off."
Now intrigued, Momo turned around and asked, "What changed?"
"I mean, it's not typical underwear, and your reasoning makes sense to me, so I think I can take it. Next time, warn me before you try something new like that."
"If you are sure."
Ojiro nodded sheepishly as he sat back down on his girlfriend's bed. The skirt and leggings were dropped once Yaoyorozu set her top aside, which revealed black yoga briefs as she said there were. She then changed into some gray lounge pants and a simple red t-shirt. Mashirao, despite having a burning sensation on his face the entire time, felt like he overreacted. The process had been swift, and Momo looked as confident as ever. The fact she had held a long blush during their conversation but none at all while undressing still threw him for a loop, even knowing the context of why. It was just so different from what he thought most girls would be like. But Momo was quite special.
Then came the kicker.
Yaoyorozu let her hair down. She sat next to her boyfriend and asked, "Um, you okay?"
"I was a little heated there, but I'll live," Ojiro stated before looking away.
Momo leaned towards him. "I meant just now. You were blushing before, but now you are like beet red."
"Well uh...". Mashirao argued to himself whether to say it, but considering how open she had been earlier, he saw no other option. "You just look a lot more mature with your hair down."
"And that's something you like?"
Ojiro just nodded.
With a playful tone in her voice, Yaoyorozu stated, "I didn't think I would see the day of you being redder than even Midoriya-kun."
"Well, it's not like watching you undress beforehand helped."
"But you took it well. I had reason to trust you."
Mashirao leaned back and fell onto the bed before sighing. "Yeah, but now I feel emotionally spent."
Momo joined him on his right side. "Well, you wanted to chat; that can be less involved than before. So was there anything, in particular, you wanted to discuss?"
"Oh, right. So did you end up telling your folks about us during New Year's?" He remembered his girlfriend making it quite clear before the winter break that she would reveal their relationship to her parents; however, she hadn't spoken of it since their third term started.
"Yup, right at dinner," Yaoyorozu said with confidence. "Would you believe Sakurai-san was the most pleased about the news?"
"Your chef? Not your dad?"
"I mean, father was happy for me, but the former was quite ecstatic. Mother acted as expected. No surprise there."
Now concerned, Ojiro asked, "She didn't threaten you with anything, did she?"
"More bark than bite, as I always have said. Besides, father surprisingly talked her down."
"How? What little I have seen of him made it look like he feared your mom's wrath."
"Father simply explained that mother's rejection of us being together was hypocritical considering how they got together." Momo then grabbed Mashirao's hand as she explained further. "Father's family and background weren't very notable, but he was incredibly gifted in his intellect. It led to enough scholarships to attend the same university mother was enrolled in, and they eventually warmed up to one another over the years. Their union got a lot of push back from my grandparents, but she was firm in them being together."
"Your mom sounds like she used to be a lot more reasonable."
"I think the stress from helping father run the company changed her. She was a lot more caring when I was a child."
Ojiro's then used his tail to pull the girl closer. "Sounds rough, and sorry to bring up old wounds."
Yaoyorozu then snuggled up to her boyfriend's side. "It's okay, and I've had plenty of time to process and look past it. Besides, now that I live here, I don't have to be reminded of it daily."
"It's like another world here." The two sat in silence for a moment, for Mashirao asked, "So, she's okay with us?
"She simply said we would talk about it later. Though later has long passed."
"So begrudgingly accepting for now. I'll take that versus actively trying to tear us apart." The boy then pondered for a moment before asking, "So what are your parent's names?"
"Hmm?"
"Well now that things are out in the open with your folks, I want to get to know them better, and I just realized I didn't know something as simple as their first names."
"I see. Well, my mother's name is Rei and father's is Toshio. Oh, and Yaoyorozu is actually from my mother's side."
"That's quite simple for your mom, though your father accepting her family name is even weirder." Ojiro didn't know of any other families that were similar in such naming conventions.
"He never cared about such things so was happy to oblige when mother asked." Momo then pressed a finger to her boyfriend's cheek and rubbed it slowly as she asked, "And how about yours?"
I walked into that one I guess, Mashirao thought. "Dad is Moroshi, and mom is Chiyuuki."
"Simple to remember." Yaoyorozu returned her hand before asking, "What else do you want to know about my family?"
"Anything you feel comfortable telling me. I'll answer anything about mine in exchange."
"Sounds fun. This is more interesting than studying, I'll admit." Momo grinned slyly before asking, "So how did your parents meet? In detail."
Mashirao sighed. "Straight to it, huh?"
"What, is that too embarrassing?"
"It's no problem; it's just going to be a long story. Though knowing my dad's illness and upbringing already does help cut out a lot."
"I have no plans since we dropped this as a study session. Explain away!"
"Well it all started with mom finding my dad collapsed on the ground after he tried to do some weight training..."
And forever later, an update. And for those wondering where chapter 47 of Cubicity is, it's still in progress (kill me) but nearing the end. I just wanted to have something ready to celebrate Cubicity's 5th anniversary.
As much as the food dates are fun to write, I got to mix things up a bit and, in the end, it was fun to write once I got around to it. Especially since this chapter gave me a lot of opportunities to address stuff I couldn't fit in the main story without it feeling too off-topic. Like the fallout of the Christmas kiss, Awase's crush, Momo's mom, and her views on her body. Even if they were short on details, they felt more appropriate here than Izuku hearing about it.
The next chapter will fast forward to the end of the term and have us meet a certain butler once more and learn his deal with the Yaoyorozu family.