Chapter 1: First Date

Ojiro paced around just outside the school entrance. It was early in the evening, and usually, at this time, he would be in the cafeteria having dinner with his friends. However, tonight he was only going to be one of those friends. Yaoyorozu. On a date.

The thought caused the boy to shake his head a few times to wash away the disbelief that this was happening. His Sunday study sessions with the class president had morphed into this after just about a month, which still baffled Mashirao. It had to be all a dream. And as he waited for Momo to appear, it still felt as such.

The two had agreed to meet here but leave their dorms at different times to not raise suspicions. Besides Midoriya, Ojiro hadn't told anyone else what was going on, and he wanted it to keep it that way for now. He had decided to leave first, and Yaoyorozu would follow about ten to fifteen minutes later. They both figured only Ashido and possibly Aoyama would catch on to this. Luckily, the former usually left for dinner early, and the latter had a long shower, so at least this time they were in the clear.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," came a voice from behind Mashirao. The boy quickly turned to see his date for the evening. She was wearing a simple red t-shirt with some jean shorts which made Ojiro blush. "Something wrong?"

Ojiro coughed and looked away before saying, "Oh no, I just am not used to seeing you in such casual clothing, is all." The boy had only observed his friend wear expensive clothing. Even in their study sessions in her room, Yaoyorozu would wear her teaching outfit. He wondered even if her pajamas were fancy, though he quickly shook such thoughts away from his mind.

"You're not wrong. I've never even worn these shorts before, and I bought them over the summer to prepare for living in the dorms in the first place. I guess my mother's nagging of why I would even purchase anything like this is still stuck in my head."

"Jeez, that's rough. She's that controlling?"

Momo shrugged before saying, "It's more just bark than bite nowadays. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, but I still get an earful when they don't line up with mother's views." The subject was bringing a scowl to the girl's face.

Mashirao held her hand and waved it off as he stated, "Well enough about her, I guess we should start heading to the kaiten-sushi (sushi served on a conveyor belt) place you wanted to try."

"Of course," Yaoyorozu said before offering her right hand.

"Uh..."

A flustered Momo asked, "Sorry, is this not standard?"

"I mean, yeah, it's just..." Mashirao took a moment to make up his mind before exhaling loudly and taking her hand. "Nevermind, it's okay, let's just get going."

Yaoyorozu's blush faded, and she seemed delighted that the gesture had worked. However, Ojiro struggled to keep his composure as they began walking in silence. After crossing two streets, the silence was getting the best of him, and he blurted out, "So why kaiten-sushi?"

"Oh, Kendo-chan described going to one recently, and I wanted to try it. I never even heard of such a place before it was mentioned."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. Even the fancier ones still a way below your family's standard."

"And it's not like we eat out much unless traveling."

"Right, your chef, Sakurai-san. He probably makes anything you could ever desire."

Momo sighed before saying, "Well, he's very picky about it being Japanese cuisine only, but thankfully neither of my parents' mind."

Mashirao recalled the girl being upset at her chef's choice of dishes for their study sessions in the first term. They were quite flashy and expensive, something she didn't want to flaunt about, but Sakurai did regardless. Ojiro did appreciate her attempt, though, as well as their choice of dining tonight as it would be easy on his expenditure.

Yaoyorozu then asked, "So have you been to this chain before?"

"Ganso Zushi? Yeah, a few times."

"How does it compare to others?"

Ojiro raised his free hand to his chin before answering with, "Well, I more often eat sushi at shōtengai (a commercial district with local market streets) in my neighborhood, so they are family-run instead of big chains. But I have also eaten Genki Sushi, which also serves kaiten-sushi. I prefer the place we are going."

"Because?"

"It brings in a different crowd, I guess. Genki Sushi is pretty popular with tourists, so it can be a bit noisy sometimes. The service is more up-to-date, and the menus are more diverse, but I guess I like the more quiet and traditional Ganso Zushi. Still, both are definitely on the lower end for the business practice; you can find more expensive versions of kaiten-sushi establishments if you know where to look."

Momo looked impressed as she stated, "You seem to know quite a bit."

"Ah well, if my dad had a good day at work, we would go out to eat as a celebration often. It worked out well cause both the shōtengai and other food chains were near the station where both my parents used to work, which is nice since my mom can head straight there afterward since she usually works night shift and my dad could take me home. Even after my dad's work moved after his promotion, we still kept up the tradition. Even if it has happened less often in the last few years."

"Your dad having less success ever since he was promoted?"

Mashirao sighed before responding, "I don't know; he's just been a lot more tight-lipped about his cases nowadays. I can't tell if things are going well or not at all. And now it's impossible to tell since I only ever talk to him on the phone these last two months."

"Living on campus has made family time difficult for us all, it seems."

"Seems like Hagakure-chan and Midoriya-kun haven't. They have a video call together with their parents every Sunday they can."

"Oh really? That's sweet. Sadly I don't think such an arrangement would work with my folks."

"Same here, but I call them often enough over the phone."

Yaoyorozu sighed. "I've only been called by my father a few times."

"Is this expected?"

"It's not a surprise."

Back to the mom talk, Ojiro thought to himself. He then tried to turn the conversation by talking about their studies. Not something he wanted to talk about, but he knew it would be of interest to his class president. And it seemed to work, as the subject matter lasted long enough to raise Momo's spirits until they reached their destination.

The outside of the restaurant was white with a red border design throughout. A large sign in black and white adorned the top with not only its name but advertisements about the cheapness of the food. Once inside, Momo was quick to let go of Mashirao's hand as she took in the sights. In the middle of the restaurant stood two chefs as they prepared the food. They were surrounded by the conveyor belt of food, which was busily rotating plates of various colors. Outside of the rotating food was the dining table with seats. Currently, only a few people were seated, and Ojiro motioned his date to follow him after giving her some time to survey it all.

Once seated, Yaoyorozu asked, "So how does this work?"

"Well, first, do you want some tea?"

"Uh, sure?" Mashirao reached over and grabbed two yunomi (handleless tea cups). He then passed one to Momo. The girl looked inside and looked confused. "There's only powder in here."

"Yep, green tea powder. And here," Ojiro paused as he reached over to a small faucet that was just under the conveyor belt. He turned it on and poured some hot water. He then continued by saying, "Is how we make it."

Fascinated, Yaoyorozu did the same. She was quick to drink the beverage but gave a look of shock as the taste registered.

"Yeah, instant tea is probably not the best taste, but it's free with the meal, so..."

Momo coughed a few times and cleared her throat before saying, "I guess I am so used to Golden Tips Imperial tea that my mother taught me how to make that it's a bit much to compare it to this." She then more carefully sipped her drink.

Said tea was a bit too refined for Mashirao's taste, but he understood her plight. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

"Can't have anything go to waste."

"Fair enough, well, while you finish that, let me explain the dishes." He pointed forward before saying, "Not all places are like this. Sometimes the chef will personally ask you what you want, but the colored plates are a dead giveaway that this is not the case here. So each plate color represents the price of the dish, and we just take what we want. At the end, we bring the plates to the cashier and pay up. Simple."

"How do I know it's fresh, though?"

"A fair question." Ojiro then surveyed his options as they slid by and, after a few seconds, grabbed some nigari shrimp on a blue plate. He then lifted the two pieces of food off the plate with one hand and turned the plate around to show his date the bottom. "There's a radio chip on the bottom with a timer. If a plate goes long enough without being eaten, it's removed from the line." The boy then placed his plate down and the food back.

"Intriguing. And the prices?"

Mashirao pointed to a banner that hung above the chefs. They read: 100 yen (Pink) - 150 yen (Yellow) - 250 yen (Blue) - 350 yen (Green) - 450 yen (White) - 550 yen (Red).

Momo nearly gasped as she said, "That's insanely cheap."

"There are cheaper places; they'll serve everything at 100 yen, though they usually have a really limited menu. Night and day compared to what you are used to, huh?"

The class president scratched the back of her neck as she replied, "To be honest, most places I have gone with my parents don't even have prices on their menu."

Ojiro's eyes went wide as he stated, "That's even a thing?"

"Silly, huh?"

"Just surprising is all."

"Well, let's not focus on that and instead start grabbing some grub."

The two then proceeded to observe and discuss their choices for a few minutes before making a decision. Momo took inari, imitation crab gunkan, and cucumber rolls which were all on pink plates. Mashirao grabbed orange egg gunkan and teriyaki chicken rolls which were also on blue plates like the nigiri shrimp.

Before they ate, Ojiro asked, "You didn't have to take the least expensive option. You wanted to split the bill, remember?"

"I know, but I wanted to see what the quality was at the lowest price, is all."

"Suit yourself."

After splitting chopsticks they both ate in silence. However, it wasn't long before Yaoyorozu had finished her plates.

"Did you taste any of that?"

"Yes, but sorry, I am just so used to eating a lot."

"Cause it's the fuel of your quirk."

"Right, and I guess I have our first training session for the Team Appreciation Club tomorrow night on the mind."

Mashirao picked up another roll of teriyaki chicken before saying, "You can order more if you want. We have plenty of time."

"I'll see how it settles first," Momo stated as she patted her lower chest.

Once Ojiro finished his meal, he took a deep breath and looked at his date with a serious look.

"Everything okay?"

Mashirao took a few moments to answer with, "I should have asked this last week, but why did you want to go out with me. I'm not exactly prime boyfriend material."

Momo's look of surprise quickly turned to deep thought before she asked, "Why didn't you ask back then?"

"I guess I got caught up in the moment when you offered to do this," Ojiro stated before hanging his head slightly. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around today."

"I suppose we did skip a step here. This part was always vague in my readings."

"Readings?"

The class president waved a dismissive hand as she stated, "It's nothing. Anyways is there anything, in particular, you want to know? Your question was quite vague."

"I uh, like when did you start liking me in this way, I guess."

Yaoyorozu took another sip of her tea. Once finished, she said, "I guess you piqued my interest during the Hero Festival. Your refusal to advance into the tournament round was quite admirable. It set you apart from everyone else, well Shoda-san as well."

"You... You've had a crush on me since then?"

Momo shook her head. "Just caught my eye is all. I've had crushes before, and I didn't feel that for you quite yet. Either way, your behavior on the first visit to my home to study didn't help things along."

After a weak chuckle, Mashirao stated, "I don't blame you."

"But then there was what you did to protect Koda-kun. Then you explained your past when we came over to your house to check up on you. It had a profound effect on me."

At this point, Ojiro had noticed his date was starting to blush.

"We're in the best hero course school in the country, so I expected competition to be fierce amongst us. It's quite similar to the environment I had in my previous school back in Aichi, though that was strictly about our grades in academics. So it came as a surprise to me to find someone who turned down the easy way out of a situation and who knowingly risked expulsion to save a friend. I'm just so used to the cutthroat world of my upbringing, I guess. Sometimes normal is just so much more interesting than the best of the best considering I have spent most of my life around such people."

Mashirao gulped after hearing the girl's explanation. She had high praises for him, and it embarrassed him to all hell. He wondered if he was blushing harder than she was. "So uh...". However, the boy was cut off by the growl of Momo's stomach. This caused the girl to cover her face in shame. "Hey, if you are still hungry, it's okay. The nigari and gunkan are just two pieces each, and the rolls are four. I see people easily eat over ten orders no problem."

Yaoyorozu lowered one hand as she said, "You won't consider me over doing it?"

"Food is food. Have your fill; it's all cheap anyways."

Momo happily took the next minute, grabbing more plates: two orders of fatty yellowtail nigiri (White), genki rolls (Green), and shrimp tempura (Red). During this, Mashirao just made himself more green tea. Before digging in, the girl asked, "So while I eat, do you mind telling me why you accepted my offer in detail?"

Ojiro was caught off guard at that question, but the way she innocently smiled got the better of him. "Sure, just give me a moment." The boy began to wrack his brain as he watched his date begin to start her second course. Eventually, he said, "I had a feeling you might have been interested in me for a while."

"Since when?"

"During our summer break, after the whole school trip debacle. I had been thinking a lot about your offer for the private study sessions. At first, I thought you were just trying to be nice to me, but I started to think otherwise as time went by, and I wrestled with the thought that you would be interested in me at all."

"You're being too harsh on yourself."

Mashirao chuckled, "Midoriya-kun said about the same thing."

Momo placed down her current genji rolls as she stated, "So he knows." She then smirked, "Well, that's okay; I learned about him and Hagakure-chan before they were a thing, so I guess I have no reason to be upset."

"Yeah, I talked to him about it on his birthday before we had lunch. His words did help me lift my spirits a bit."

"Well, I guess that explains why you accepted my offer later that day."

"Looking back, it wasn't too big of a deal. It's not like we were going to start doing anything for a while. Gave me plenty of time to let it sink in."

"True, but we did start having sessions in the first weekend of our second term. Which, judging by your face when I asked, was a lot sooner than you expected."

Ojiro rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "You got me there. You also offering to set it up in your room didn't help."

"Perhaps I did come off a bit strong doing that."

"On your bed, might I add," Mashirao added with a tone of sass. Though it's not like it would be anywhere else, the girl's bed took up a majority of her room.

Momo's cheeks just gave off a slight hue of red as she started eating her shrimp tempura.

Not going to even comment on that, huh, Ojiro thought. Though he felt he had teased her enough at this point. Instead took a deep breath before saying, "In the end, I wanted to see where this would go. How someone as extraordinary as you could see anything in ordinary little me." Yaoyorozu eyebrows furled, and began to chew quickly. Still, before she could shallow and say anything, her date instead said, "Yeah, I know I am not as boring as I say I am, but you can't deny there's a definite gap of lifestyle between us."

"Fair enough," Momo eventually said. She finished her food, and the two brought their plates to the cashier to pay for their meals.

From there, the subject of talk as they made their way back to the U.A. campus was dominated by TAC training that would be starting tomorrow. The class president was impressed that Izuku had set this all up on his own and was able to recruit All Might to assist as well. Mashriao did admit the presence of the retired hero was a big reason he agreed to tag along with this.

Just as they were about to turn the corner into the school's entrance, Yaoyorozu stopped, which halted her date since they were holding hands once more.

"Something wrong?"

"Um, before we split up to mask that we had gone together tonight, could we...". The class president was quick to pull Ojiro towards her into a kiss. However, he grasped her shoulder to halt the attempt.

"W-Woah woah, isn't this a bit too sudden? Like hand-holding was a surprise but doable. This is too much."

Confused, Momo asked, "Does that mean you didn't enjoy tonight?"

"What? Of course, I did, but kissing or not doesn't factor into that at all on a first date."

Yaoyorozu proceeded to let go of her date's hand and reach into her pocket to pull out a small notebook. As she frantically flipped pages, she said, "But it said the kiss sealed the deal for how these outings went. Maybe I misread that step or wrote it down wrong."

"Wait, a book told you that?"

"Uh, yeah."

Right, she mentioned "readings" earlier, Ojiro thought. "So you've researched dating to prepare for tonight?"

"Not exactly. I've had these notes on the books I've read for quite some time."

That makes it even weirder, Mashirao wanted to say but knew that it wasn't appropriate. He wondered how to fix this as a flustered Momo kept reading her notes. Then an idea came. Ojiro reached over and gently pulled her hand down as he knelt onto one knee. He then proceeded to give a quick peck to the back of Yaoyorozu's hand.

"How's that?"

Momo was practically beaming at the gesture. She then laughed before saying, "I'm not royalty, you know."

"You might as well be when compared to me."

Oh, look, it's the thing I thought I would release in December, coming out in March...

Oh, joy.

So this is what I've been, slowly, working on these last few months on and off. I feel as if I am finally out of my funk, so here it is at last.

For those of you not familiar with my other works, this will be a collection of side stories to my longfic, Cubicity. The main ship there is IzuTooru, so it gets a lot of the spotlight, so I had the idea to create these side works to give some focus on the side ships that the fic couldn't focus on. I also have one for Iichkao, but like this one, it only has one chapter at the moment. Since the main fic caught up to the manga, it's on hiatus until I have more material to work with, hence my focus on this side content now.

For those that have read Cubicity, this takes place around the same time as the final scene in chapter 24.

Now to the content itself, MashMomo is quite out there, but it has been interesting to write about. Momo's fascination in just thrift shopping back during the Bakugo rescue inspired the creation of this chapter and, in a sense, a significant dynamic of the ship. Her being in situations such as these just felt unique compared to most other popular Momo ships (as Todoroki, Jiro, and Bakugo are in no sense poor or ordinary) as I have written Ojiro's situation for this reason. Will it ever be popular? Of course not, but if I shipped or, in this case, delved into ships that only cause of their popularity, that would be no fun. ;p

The hand kiss at the end is a reference to the Halloween commission I did for the couple. Once I had written up to that part, it came to me and I decided to throw out my original idea of just Ojiro trying to explain why books can't properly explain love. This just felt better. :3

The next chapter will be set in the winter on another date. This time? A ramen stand!