The next morning arrived far sooner than I wanted.
6:00 AM.
My alarm went off.
I immediately regretted every life choice that had led to this moment.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I slapped the alarm clock.
Silence.
For several seconds, I considered going back to sleep.
Then I remembered the two completed costumes waiting inside my closet.
My eyes snapped open.
Right.
Those.
I climbed out of bed.
A quick shower.
Brushed my teeth.
Got dressed.
Ran a comb through my hair.
Then I headed straight for the closet.
The doors slid open.
Inside hung two costumes.
The first was primarily white with black and pink accents.
Clean.
Modern.
Designed specifically for Ochaco.
The second was black with silver web patterns running across the material.
A much more traditional spider-themed suit.
Both had taken an absurd amount of resources to bring into this world, just like the Ock-Drone.
I carefully removed them and laid them across the bed.
Looking at them now, I felt a little proud.
Even if they had cost me nearly all of my Accessory Tokens and a chunk of EXP.
Beside the costumes sat two wrist-mounted devices.
The web shooters.
I picked one up.
Strapped it onto my wrist.
Then pointed toward the opposite wall.
Click.
THWIP!
A strand of synthetic web shot across the room and attached itself to the wall.
The line held perfectly.
Not bad.
I gave it a tug.
Still holding.
Nice.
My web-fluid experiments were officially a success.
That was one problem solved.
I removed the device, stretched my arms overhead, then carefully folded both costumes and placed them into separate gift bags.
Once everything was packed, I headed into the living room.
Sayuri was already awake.
She looked up from the table she was cleaning.
"Oh? You're awake already?"
"Yeah."
I glanced at the clock.
"I've got somewhere to be this morning."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Does that mean you're skipping breakfast?"
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry."
She looked genuinely disappointed.
"Really? I made your favorite breakfast ramen."
That almost stopped me.
Almost.
Then her gaze landed on the gift bags.
"Aoyama."
I froze.
"...Yes?"
"Why are you actually skipping breakfast?"
I glanced toward the front door.
Freedom was so close.
"Like I said, I'm in a hurry."
"To do what?"
I lifted the bags.
"I'm delivering something to a friend."
Her eyes moved to the bags.
"And what's in those?"
"Costumes."
One eyebrow rose.
"Costumes?"
"Hero training."
I shrugged.
"The curriculum says we're doing practical exercises today."
That seemed reasonable enough.
Then she noticed something.
"You have two bags."
"...Yes."
"And two costumes."
"...Yes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why do you have two costumes?"
I looked away.
Sayuri immediately sensed weakness.
"Aoyama."
I sighed.
"One of them is for a girl whose Quirk complements mine."
Her expression changed instantly.
"Oh."
"We planned on becoming heroes together, so I made us matching costumes."
That seemed to satisfy her.
For about three seconds.
Till another realization struck.
"...Wait."
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She looked back at me.
"You didn't submit a costume request to the school?"
"...No."
"I made my own."
Her hand immediately covered her face.
"Oh dear."
I knew that tone.
It was the same tone people used after discovering a small kitchen fire.
"They have professional costume designers."
"I know."
"They would've made proper equipment."
"I know."
"And you decided to make your own anyway?"
"Pretty much."
She held out her hand.
"Show me."
With a dramatic sigh, I opened one of the bags.
A few moments later—
Sayuri stared.
Blinked.
Then stared again.
"...You made this?"
"Mostly."
"By yourself?"
"Mostly."
"...Aoyama."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you in a hero course and not a design course?"
I chose to take that as a compliment.
About thirty minutes later, I arrived outside Ochaco's apartment.
I knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Ochaco stood there wearing a cute pink apron.
She blinked.
"Aoyama?"
The smell hit me immediately.
Food.
My stomach betrayed me.
GRRRRRRRR.
Ochaco laughed.
"You skipped breakfast, didn't you?"
"...Maybe."
Her smile widened.
"Come inside."
Before I could protest, she stepped aside.
"I was making breakfast anyway."
"One more plate isn't a problem."
I glanced at the gift bags.
Then back at her.
"...Actually, I kind of owe you lunch after this."
"You don't owe me anything."
She smiled.
"It's just breakfast."
"Then how about this instead?"
I held out one of the bags.
"This is what I came here for."
Her eyes widened.
"For me?"
"Open it."
She carefully accepted the bag.
A moment later, she unfolded the costume.
Silence.
The white, black, and pink suit spread across her arms.
She stared.
Then stared some more.
"...You really made this?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"It means the details aren't important."
A laugh escaped her.
She ran her fingers across the material.
The disbelief on her face slowly transformed into excitement.
Then genuine happiness.
"Aoyama..."
Before I could react, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
The hug caught me completely off guard.
"Thank you."
Her voice was softer this time.
More sincere.
I awkwardly patted her shoulder.
"Don't get too excited yet."
She pulled back slightly.
"Hm?"
I reached into my bag, grabbed a notebook, and quickly scribbled something down.
I tore out the page and handed it to her.
"The real treasure is this."
She looked down.
Favor Coupon
Ochaco blinked.
"A coupon?"
"An official Aoyama Hikaru Coupon."
I nodded proudly.
"It lets you ask me for one thing completely free of charge."
She stared at it.
Then at me.
Then back at it.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"I don't want to use it."
"What? Why?"
She held up the costume.
"You already gave me something amazing."
"This is enough."
"If anything, I should be repaying you."
"You don't need to repay me."
"Just keep the coupon."
"You never know when it'll come in handy."
She looked down at it thoughtfully.
Then folded it and slipped it into her pocket.
When she looked back up, her expression had softened.
"I still want to repay you."
"That's literally the opposite of how coupons work."
Ochaco laughed.
"You said anything reasonable."
"I did."
"Then letting me repay you isn't unreasonable."
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because I couldn't actually argue with that logic.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The apartment felt strangely quiet.
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
Her smile had become smaller now.
Nervous.
But warm.
The sort of smile that made it difficult to look away.
Slowly, she took a small step closer.
Then another.
My heart skipped a beat.
Ochaco's cheeks turned pink.
She hesitated.
As if giving herself one final chance to back out.
Then she rose onto her tiptoes.
Her eyes closed.
And before I could fully process what was happening—
Her lips touched mine.
For a second, the world seemed to stop.
In that moment I could only feel Ochaco's gentle invitation.
When she finally pulled away, her face was completely red.
Ochaco clutched the gift bag against her chest.
Then looked away shyly.
Her face was completely red.
"...Thank you, Aoyama."