Ochaco led me down the short hallway toward her bedroom.
The moment she opened the door, I found myself staring at a surprisingly normal room.
A neatly made bed.
A study desk.
A few hero magazines stacked in the corner.
A collection of All Might merchandise occupying an entire shelf.
"Sit there," Ochaco said, pointing toward the edge of her bed.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Bossy."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Just sit."
I laughed and took a seat.
The mattress dipped beneath my weight.
Meanwhile, Ochaco grabbed the garment bag containing her new costume and disappeared into the bathroom attached to her room.
The door clicked shut.
Several minutes passed.
"Okay!"
Her voice came from the other side.
"You can look now!"
The bathroom door opened.
I blinked.
Ochaco stepped out wearing the new suit.
Black and pink panels wrapped around the costume's sleek design.
A stylized spider emblem stretched across her torso.
The hood rested over her head, giving her a surprisingly heroic appearance while still feeling uniquely hers.
The design somehow managed to look both intimidating and adorable at the same time.
Ochaco shifted nervously.
Then tugged at the sleeves.
"...Well?"
I realized I'd been staring.
"...Wow."
Her face immediately turned red.
"W-Wow good or wow bad?"
"Definitely wow good."
A smile slowly spread across her face.
She spun once.
The hood bounced slightly.
"Really?"
"It suits you."
Her smile widened even more.
For a moment, she looked genuinely happy.
Then—
DING.
A screen appeared in front of me.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
MISSION RECEIVED
[Wall Crawler]
Description:
A new hero persona has begun taking shape.
Guide Ochaco Uraraka in mastering her new abilities and identity.
Objectives:
[1] Teach Ochaco how to web swing for seven consecutive days.
Reward: Progress Toward Completion
[2] Help Ochaco integrate web shooters into her Zero Gravity combat style.
Reward: Progress Toward Completion
[3] Assist Ochaco in defeating one member of the League of Villains during the USJ Incident.
Reward: Progress Toward Completion
Mission Reward:
• Dead Spider (Earth-96283)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I nearly choked.
Is that really...
"Aoyama?"
I looked up.
Ochaco tilted her head.
"What are you staring at?"
"...Nothing."
"I was just thinking about giving you a few pointers."
Ochaco blinked.
"Pointers?"
I stood up and walked over to her.
"On those."
I pointed toward the web shooters mounted around her wrists.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh!"
Carefully, I reached for one of her hands.
"Here."
I rotated her wrist slightly and guided her fingers toward a small pressure pad resting against her palm.
"This is the trigger."
Ochaco looked down curiously.
"Really?"
"Go ahead."
She pressed it.
FWIP!
A strand of web shot across the room and stuck to her desk chair.
Ochaco jumped.
"EHH?!"
I laughed.
"Yep. They work."
Her eyes sparkled.
"That's so cool!"
I crossed my arms.
"That's how you're going to sling your way through the sky."
The image immediately formed in her head.
Swinging between buildings.
Launching herself across rooftops.
Flying through the air like a real spider-themed hero.
The grin on her face grew wider.
Then I cracked my neck.
"Unfortunately, we don't have time to test them properly."
"Aww."
"Maybe later."
I pointed toward the clock.
"For now, you should change back."
Ochaco pouted.
"But keep one glove on."
She tilted her head.
"Huh?"
"That way you can at least start familiarizing yourself with the controls on the way to U.A."
The disappointment vanished immediately.
"Oh!"
"Practice the trigger pressure. Learn where everything is without looking."
Ochaco nodded enthusiastically.
"I can do that!"
She looked down at the glove.
Then back at me.
"Aoyama..."
"Yeah?"
"You're seriously the best."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"With this, I have another trump card."
A smile spread across her face.
One filled with confidence.
The same confidence I'd been hoping to see.
I shrugged.
"If you want to repay me, just make good use of it."
Her cheeks warmed.
"I thought you didn't like me repaying you."
"I don't."
"Then why say it?"
I smirked.
"I guess people change their minds when there's proper incentive."
Ochaco narrowed her eyes.
"That sounds suspicious."
"Maybe."
She huffed.
"Fine."
Then, before I could react, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
The sudden hug caught me completely off guard.
"O-Ochaco?"
Her face turned red.
"Don't get used to this, okay?"
She spoke as she pressed herself against me.
I returned the hug she initiated and felt her chest press against mine through her suit.
Eventually, after a few unforgettable seconds, Ochaco pulled away, her face somehow even redder than before.
"Okay!"
She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from me.
Flustered by her own outburst, she couldn't quite meet my eyes.
"That's enough of that."
I couldn't help smiling.
"Enough of what?"
I teased, already aware of why she had distanced herself.
"Enough hugging!"
She pointed toward the door.
"We have class soon."
"Right."
"But..."
She glanced down at the glove still attached to her wrist.
A grin slowly spread across her face.
"I can't wait to try these out."
I chuckled.
Something told me U.A. was about to gain a very enthusiastic wall-crawler.