"What's going on? Why did the doorbell ring right when I slapped the table?! Dad wouldn't be home this early!"
The sudden chime of the doorbell cut off Igarashi Masata mid-sentence, leaving him staring blankly toward the entrance.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—Yaoyorozu is almost here~"Mrs. Igarashi's smiling face popped out from the kitchen once again. "I didn't expect Yaoyorozu to arrive so quickly. Momo-chan only called a little while ago."
"…???"
"Nani?! You invited someone over for dinner today?!"Masata froze as realization hit him, panic surging instantly.
"Yes. Isn't Yaoyorozu in the same class as you? Since you'll all be classmates for the next three years, I thought it would be good for you to get to know each other better~"
She definitely did this on purpose.Absolutely on purpose.
Masata's face darkened internally as alarms went off in his head. What kind of cursed day was this?! First, he'd been tricked by that dead-fish-eyed teacher. Then he'd been mentally crushed by Momo. And now—now his own mother was setting traps at home?!
This was a full-blown crisis.
Click.
Before Masata could even finish spiraling, the front door opened on its own.
Standing there, calmly holding a key, was Yaoyorozu Momo.
"Good evening, Auntie. Sorry for the intrusion."
"…Nani?!"
Masata felt like his brain had officially shut down.
First, a cute, energetic classmate suddenly moved into his house.Now, his childhood friend casually showed up with a key to his home.
Both on the same day.
This had to be karma. No—this was clearly the dead-fish-eyed teacher's fault. If Aizawa hadn't lied to people, none of this would be happening.
Masata immediately decided to blame him without guilt.
"Oh my, Yaoyorozu is here! Come in, come in—dinner will be ready soon," Mrs. Igarashi said cheerfully.
Yaoyorozu Momo changed into slippers and stepped inside. Her eyes landed on the girl sitting at the table.
"…This is… Uraraka Ochaco, right?"She tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled. "Why are you at Masata's house?"
"Oh! It's Yaoyorozu-san! Hello!"Uraraka Ochaco greeted her brightly, energy overflowing as usual. "Um—because of my parents, I'll be living at Masata's house for the next three years of high school."
Saying that out loud made her blush a little. Living under the same roof as a male classmate was… embarrassing.
"…Living here?"Yaoyorozu Momo paused. "Did I hear that correctly? You're living with Masata? He's a boy."
"Well… actually, I didn't expect it either," Ochaco explained innocently, blinking her big eyes. "I came to U.A. from another city. My mom just told me I'd be staying with one of her friends. I only found out today that it was Masata's family."
Before Yaoyorozu could say more—
"Dinner's ready! Your father's already on his way home—let's eat something first~"Mrs. Igarashi interrupted cheerfully, stuffing a pastry into Yaoyorozu's hands.
The doubts were forcibly postponed.
Not long after, Masata's father returned home, and the five of them finally gathered around the table.
"Here, here. I heard you like Japanese food," Mrs. Igarashi said warmly. "Auntie made omurice just for you, Ochaco."
"Th-thank you…"
"Yaoyorozu, don't just stare at your bowl—doesn't today's food suit your taste?"
"No, Auntie! It's delicious."
"Masata, why aren't you eating your favorite shrimp tempura? You'll make Mom angry!"
It should have been a pleasant dinner.
But it was weird. Extremely weird.
One girl was shy about living with a boy.Another was quietly confused.Masata himself was still processing reality.
Mr. Igarashi ate calmly, his glasses reflecting light in a way that hid his thoughts completely.Only Mrs. Igarashi looked utterly delighted.
What was this atmosphere?!How was anyone supposed to eat like this?!
Masata grabbed a piece of tempura out of desperation.
…It was delicious.
Immediately abandoning his internal complaints, Masata began eating like his life depended on it. After all, expecting a muscle-brained guy to decipher emotional subtext was unrealistic—especially when food was involved.
"Ahem."Mr. Igarashi cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up. "Since this is a special day, I'll say a few words."
"First, congratulations to the three of you for entering U.A. High School and taking the first step toward your dreams."
"Second, let us welcome a new family member for the next three years—Uraraka Ochaco. Since you're all in the same class, there's no need for lengthy introductions. Please get along well."
"Finally, I hope all three of you gain something meaningful at U.A. and lay a solid foundation for your future as heroes."
"…That's all."
"Ara~ Dad's speech is so serious," Mrs. Igarashi laughed."My only wish is that you all grow up safely. Becoming a hero or not doesn't matter—what matters is not going down the wrong path. Now eat up!"
The tension finally eased, and the table filled with chatter about the day's events.
Mom and Dad are way too reliable, Masata thought, mouth full of food.
"Yaoyorozu-san—can I call you that?" Ochaco asked cheerfully. "Have you and Masata known each other since childhood?"
"Yes, that's fine. You can call me Ochaco," Yaoyorozu replied gently. "Masata and I have known each other since kindergarten. We've been in the same class ever since."
"Wow! Childhood sweethearts!" Ochaco's eyes sparkled. "Since I'll be living here, let's all get along!"
"Yes, let's," Yaoyorozu said with a soft smile.
Watching the two chat effortlessly, Masata felt oddly distant.Is this… female friendship?In his past life, he'd never experienced anything like this.
"Oh—right."Masata suddenly remembered something important. "Why do you have my house key?"
Mrs. Igarashi smiled. "I gave it to Momo-chan. Your father and I are going on vacation for our anniversary soon. We were worried you'd bully Ochaco, so we asked Yaoyorozu to keep an eye on you—but it seems unnecessary now~"
"It's no trouble at all, Auntie," Yaoyorozu said confidently. "I'm usually bored at home anyway. I can help Masata with his studies too."
As mentioned before, Masata's academic scores were… average at best.Most of his exams survived thanks to Yaoyorozu Momo.
Perhaps all his talent points really had gone into muscles.