Chapter 83: Best Room Contest.

Midoriya finally makes his apperance to his classmates who are taken by how...different he seems to appear, but Pony and the rest have a idea to help lower tensions and bring some joy, a dorm dorm contest.

Also, apologies for this being late, I lost a couple hours handling another task and couldn't finish this on time.

With the teachers gone, the students of the hero course set to work unpacking and decorating their new rooms. And that was how their day went. It was well after day when they had finished, with some of the boys having gathered in the new common area.

“Man, I am beat.” Kirishima groaned as he relaxed on the couch, dressed in lighter clothing now that it was so close to lights out.

"I know what you mean. Somehow, setting everything up was harder than packing it away." Kaibara sat beside him, despite how much Monoma glared at his classmates for being so buddy-buddy with class A.

“Didn’t you say your folks get you more stuff because you’ll be away from home?” Tsuburaba asked, to which Kaibara waved off.

"Yeah, but it was nothing too fancy, U.A. isn't cheap, so it's not like they got me stuff for a bachelor's apartment." His response opened things up to the others.

“Still, I know things got real intense there, but isn’t this exciting living together?” Kaminari asked, looking a lot happier than he had that morning.

“Maybe it’ll keep Monoma from declaring class B the superior one all the time if he spends more time with us.” Sero joked as Monoma looked close to speaking.

“As if.” Only for Kamakiri to cut him off, the heteromorph was drinking some water.

Rin sighed. “Should have known, listen if he gives you any trouble...”

“I’m so hurt you’re speaking of like an unruly pet.” Monoma sighed, acting as if he had suffered a great wound.

“Please, a puppy would be cuter.” Kamakiri quipped, getting some laughs from the rest.

"Placing both hero classes in the same dorm building is a perfect way to increase cooperation, discipline, and work on our social skills—how smart!" Iida, being Iida, didn't join in the roast of Monoma but focused on their living conditions.

“Does he ever rest or…?” Honenuki pointed to Iida, who had swung and chopped his arms like a retro robot.

"Nope, that's just how Iida is," Ojiro replied, pausing as he heard something.

A glance around showed he wasn’t the only one, as the entire common area fell silent as they heard it again. It sounded like someone walking, but that was too heavy to be a regular person, or anyone in their 2 classes.

“Is someone still carrying around heavy stuff?” Shishida asked, taking a moment to sniff. It smelled familiar but also not; it had hints of metal and ceramic undertones. Shoji also shifted one of his tentacle ends into an ear to try to get a better picture of the sound profile. It didn't sound like someone struggling, despite how much weight each step had.

“At this time, how much stuff did they have?” Mineta asked, as just about all the guys were here. He knew girls tended to have more stuff, but this was insane.

"No, it's not that…that scent, it's Midoriya," Shishida announced, the group turning to him in surprise, as none had seen Midoriya the whole day. He hadn't made a sound, much less left his room. But he sure as heck didn't sound like this.

Wait, the armor, the teachers told them about it, was this that?

They would get their answer when Midoriya finally appeared from the stairs, and they realized why they had gotten a heads-up beforehand; if not for that, they wouldn't have recognized him otherwise.

What they saw wasn't the boy they knew, but a large suit of armor that looked almost as tall as Shoji and was shaped as if it were designed based off a world champion power lighter. The suit had a deep-purple color with a snake-like scale pattern across its broad armor plates. Its head had a cobra-like hood akin to what Midoriya's transformed form once had, which connected to the shoulder blades. The hood seemed to be made from a more flexible and looser material.

They couldn't see Midoriya's face, the faceplate being a solid piece of purple and green metal and heat-resistant ceramic with just 2 eye glows, which at the moment remained dark as if the suit was empty. Vents line the armor, primarily its shins, shoulder blades, the backs of the elbows, and even the chest, each framed with a darker trim and a different-looking material. Lastly, a compact backpack was installed, from it they spotted 2 tubes connecting it to the back of the unit's hood as the cooling unit emitted a quiet blue glow.

The only familiar thing about him was that Koharu was secured around him, the snake wrapping him like he was her treasure horde and she the dragon, which…well, that made sense, as those who went to speak with Inko after the incident had seen just how fraught Koharu had been about things, worried sick for her human.

Tetsutetsu would have invited the serpent to rescue Midoriya, but that would have meant risking Midoriya's mom learning about the attempt, and he couldn't be sure she would just let them go.

All in all, none of them knew what to think about this, and for that, none spoke up, creating an awkward silence between them. Even Bakugo, who had reluctantly come down after being dragged by Kirishima, had no clue what to say to Midoriya because the guy looked like he was wearing a prison cell.

“G-good evening, everyone.” When Midoriya spoke, they needed a moment to recognize his voice, as it wasn't coming out of a normal microphone but muffled and altered by whatever intake valve allowed him to breathe and speak from within it.

“Midoriya? Is that…you?” Tetsutetsu asked, getting up and slowly approaching, confirming at least to himself that the suit was bigger than he was.

Midoriya didn't move before he gave a full head nod, as he was still getting used to the armor and its lack of…facial expressions. "It is. I know I look different, but…it's for everyone's sake." He whispered, reaching to hold one arm, the boy more nervous than he had been when he first started U.A.

“Midoriya!” Tsunotori came rocketing in, and yet when she impacted the suit, it didn't so much as move. The American seemed unfazed by this, and the suit, in general, just tried to give him the biggest hug she could. “I was getting worried!”

Tokage's head floated by as she and the rest of the girls made their appearance. They had planned for something, but that was pushed aside when their missing link showed up. "We all were. You didn't respond to any of our calls. Not cool."

Midoriya again was silent, which Tokage assumed was him doing something with his face before he recalled they couldn't see it. At that point, he bent and returned Tsunotori's hug. The gesture was clunky and stiff, but Midoriya hoped they could tell he was genuine. "Sorry about that. I didn't have my phone until I was discharged."

“Hmm?” Having shaken out of his stupor as well, Monoma got up to inspect the suit, the same as the others. Tsunotori pouted at how much taller it made him; even when she counted her horns, she was still shorter than he was.

“What…is there something on my suit? I looked it over this morning.” Midoriya asked, unsure what to make of their interest in him.

Monoma smirked, shaking his head as he replied. “Nope, it just looks really cool, though I didn’t think they could make something that can keep you contained.”

"It's a special order, but Ms. Shizumi said it was based on an American design for pyrokinetic villains," Midoriya replied, and they could tell he was smiling as he said that.

“Mrs. Shizumi?” Kendo asked, as that…wasn't any teacher they knew. Was it a doctor at the hospital, or some support engineer brought in to design the thing?

“Oh, she’s the commission President. She saw me while I was in the hospital.” Midoriya looked at his suit again, marveling at its engineering and completely missing how the rest went silent. Eraser's words rang in their ears as…oh, they hadn't known how to react to it. It was clear Midoriya either didn't see what was wrong or, worse, was convinced by the President not to care.

“Is there something wrong?” Midoriya asked, raising his head.

"Nothing. We just didn't think you'd meet someone so high up the food chain, and in your first year to boot." Tokage was quick to respond to cover the silence, and several others nodded at her words as Monoma stepped up.

“It’s just proof that class B is the superior group.” He declared, putting on just a little too much arrogance to his regular amount, with Kendo hoping that Midoriya didn't catch up. However, they couldn't be sure with him locked up in the suit.

“No way in hell!” Ashido shot back at Monoma.

“Oh, but it is, accept facts!” Monoma got into Ashido's face, but the pink-skinned girl wasn't about to give up so easily. In fact, she had the perfect way to shut up Monoma for a good long while.

"Oh, but I can. Hey, Midoriya, did you manage to unpack your stuff?" Ashido turned to their odd one, whose head rose slightly in surprise at being called upon.

“Hours ago, I had a lot of free time.” Midoriya replied, with the rest ignoring how ‘free time’ meant doing God knows what with just Koharu to keep him company.

Ashido smiled as she looked towards where Hagakure was, along with Tokage and Tsunotori. "Well, the girls and I talked, and we came up with a great way to break in the new dorms." She started before she raised her hands like a TV presenter. “We’ll host a contest to see who has the best dorm room; the winner gets bragging rights!"

“Wait, what?” Several boys took issue with that, but the girls convinced them to go through it, starting with the rooms on the immediate floor above them.

“Not a chance.” Tokoyami declared, having rushed ahead, he stood guard outside his room, learning against his door with his arms folded. Nothing they’ll say could convince him to move.

Sadly for him, they knew that as Ashido looked towards Tokage, who looked towards one of her beefier classmates. "Shishida? " she asked, leading the furry student to sigh, but he didn't fight it as he marched up to Tokoyami.

“Apologies.” Despite Tokoyami's struggle, he was no match for even base Shishida's strength. He carried him out, allowing Ashido and Tokage to open his door and let themselves in.

“So dark and scary!” They shivered as they took in the gloomy space. They could hardly see much of anything, as Tokoyami had left the overhead light off in all their rooms. What they could see was only because Tokoyami had installed purple mood lamps across the place, such as on his drawer, his bedside, and on the wall above his bed. What little they could see made the place feel like he was planning on summoning demons.

Many of the girls, and a few of the boys, agreed with Tokage and Ashido's initial statement, but there were dissenters. “I don’t know, it seems fine to me.” One of whom was Yanagi, who thought Fumikage had solid interior design.

“Same, it’s a welcoming gloomy space, I could zip and zoom every patch of darkness within.” Kuroiro was much the same, as an area like this was a playground for someone like him.

"Oh man, I had a keychain like this in middle school," Kirishima called out, having picked up a stylized cross with a cross at its core keychain.

“Oh my God, he’s got a sword, too?” Tetsutetsu spotted a Western-style blade to the side, still in its sheath, but it looked so damn good. Could he touch it?

“Get out!” Tokoyami yelled before Dark Shadow burst from his body, throwing them all out of his room.

Line Break

“My space isn’t as eccentric as Tokoyami’s.” Kaibara was next on the block, and unlike Tokoyami, he didn't put up a fight. Knowing a lost fight when he saw one, he opened his door and allowed them entry.

Kaibara had gone for a more earthy feel to the space. Moss green, warm beige, and charcoal were the dominant colors of his carpet, curtains, and even some wall hangings. On one wall was a gallery of framed photos showcasing a bunch of pictures, mainly landscapes of the city, parks, and natural locations like a beach, mountains, or mountain valley.

Next to his black desk was a camera left in its tripod, facing the closed and covered windows. He had even swapped out the lighting to less bright and warmer, closer to the natural light one would get from a windowed room in the middle of the day.

"Hmm, but it has a certain charm to it. It's pretty laid-back if you ask me." Kendo said she could certainly picture Kaibara in a space like this.

“You’re a fan of photography?” Todoroki asked, gesturing towards the camera.

Kaibara shrugged. "Yeah, have been since I was 10. Whenever I get the time, I try to head out and get shots."

"So you took all these? So cool!" Uraraka clapped. She thought they looked pretty good, almost at a professional level, though she found it odd that not a single one had people in it.

“Hey, you want to take some of us? I promise we can do some great poses.” Tokage offered, but Kaibara was quick to shoot her down.

"Knowing you, you'll somehow turn around and roast me for it," Kaibara replied, to which his friends nodded, even Midoriya in his suit, as they loved Tokage; they really did. She was someone you could depend on for just about anything.

That didn't take away the fact that she enjoyed teasing the hell out of them. No doubt she'll make any 'photoshoot' not so family-friendly, and unlike Jack, Kaibara wouldn't snap shots like she's 'one of his French girls.'

Line break

"Next up is Ojiro. Why don't you dazzle us? Show 'em what class A can do!" Hagakure announced, as they approached the third room, that she was confident their class martial artist would add another point to why class A had the better room décor skills.

Ojiro could hear the confidence, and he felt a little bad for what was about to happen. “Well, the thing is…” He opened his room and revealed it, and it looked nearly the same as what they had all seen as the base model that morning.

“Pretty bare, isn’t it?” Jiro was the first to state the obvious.

“Did your stuff not come in? You could have called Aizawa-sensei about it.” Midoriya's genuine concern for 'lost goods' hurt more than Ojiro cared to admit as his tail lowered.

“This is my stuff.” His tail slumped as his classmates hissed, Sero approaching and patting his back like he had just heard he got broken up with.

"Bwahahahah! Oh, this is just gold. It looks like we're still neck and neck, but I can promise you, class B will-!" Monoma, in Monoma fashion, loved that and would have continued for maybe 10 minutes roasting Ojiro on his décor skills if not for Kendo landing a chop to the back of Neito's neck, silencing him as he fell over, and Kendo grabbing him by the back of his collar to drag him out.

"He seems lively tonight," Komori commented, as it had been a while since she had seen that.

“I’m not sure what would be worse. If we win, he’ll never stop talking about it. But if we lose, he’ll never stop being salty about it.” Fukidashi commented, which wasn't appreciated, but they hoped Kendo could keep Monoma from losing.

Line break

Midoriya was the last room on the 2nd floor, but before he could even turn to open his door for them, they all just brushed past, and unless he was just seeing things, they moved pretty fast.

Did…they not want to see his room too? He knew he wasn't the best at this décor stuff, but he didn't think he was seen as being so bad that they wouldn't even look.

Koharu seemed to pick up on his confusion and dropping mood and assured him it wasn't anything bad, they probably knew he had one of the best rooms in class B and were saving it for later.

At least, Koharu was hoping that was the case. If not, then she'll have to ensure they all learned why you didn't upset her human. He was already bad enough with his stupid insistence on living in a suit when not in his room. She could hardly draw any heat off him as it was all contained or vent it out via one of the many outlets.

Midoriya wasn't sure about Koharu's sentiment, but he trusted her all the same as he followed them up the stairs. He was the last one up as they got to the third floor, and the first room was Honenuki's.

The lipless teen snickered as he opened his door and presented his space to them.

"Wow," Asui stated.

"I didn't see this coming," Jiro added as they took in the sight.

Honenuki's room was much more expressive than Ojiro's, though to Ojiro's discredit, which didn't say much. Soft cream walls met warm oak carpets, accented by muted tones of sage and burnt orange, the same color for his drapes, which included a second layer made from multi colour beads that must light up the room in all sorts of colors during the day. A small desk and office chair were placed to the far side, close to the door and almost out of sight, kept separate from the rest of the space.

Tapestries hung from the walls. The bed was swapped out; in its place was a low bed with black sheets with splotches of orange, red, blue, and green. In the corner sat a large circular mirror and globe lamps, with 2 pink, yellow, and orange beanbag chairs in the center of the room. Placed next to it was a small record-style side table.  

"What? I might be a little competitive, but I like being chill, and my private space should be as calm and smooth as possible." Honenuki bragged, as he had always liked how his room looked. It was nice to see it wasn't just ego talking.

“His beanbag is so big, I’m sinking in it.” Uraraka sat in one of them, and true to her word, she started sinking in it as Kaminari joined her in the second seat, which was just so comfortable.

"Hehe, you should try it with some music; it's like you're in space." Honenuki pointed towards the record player, which Jiro noted wasn't just some digital copy; it was the sort that played actual vinyl records. She even spotted a small case of vinyls to the side. She would have to ask him about that later.

Line break

When they got to the next room, Iida hadn't had a real issue with them seeing his private space, but when they got inside, they realized why.

The space was as straight-laced as Iida. As his décor was minimal, he made use of most of what was provided, with only the curtains and bedding swapped for darker blue versions. But what made Iida's room shine in the Tenya-ness was the fact that he had books stacked up next to his bed. He had a reading lamp installed over the headrest. He had installed additional shelves, which were filled with books, textbooks, and notebooks mainly.

“It looks like a library in here!” Bondo gasped as this was ridiculous.

“This totally matches Iida.” Asui nodded, as she and class A had expected something like this.

“You’ll find nothing odd in here!” Midoriya looked around, as did everyone, though he wondered why Iida made that statement. If anyone was going to be the one with the by-the-books room, it would be him.

“Look at his shelf, so many glasses!” Uraraka pointed out that, as the second shelf on the opposite well was lined up with nothing but glasses, the same type Iida was wearing right now.

"Dude, why do you need that much?" Kaibara asked, pointing at that. He figured people who had glasses had a spare pair, maybe 2, but he was counting over 30.

"Because I expect to regularly break them during training, I contacted my optician about ordering 50 pairs in advance," Iida proclaimed as if it were the most normal thing to say.

“But don’t you wear a helmet during training?” Kendo asked, as she was sure she had seen him in costume before. Oh yeah, Hosu. Did he wear glasses with the helmet as well? She was sure he could have just had the helmet made with the lenses installed.

"He's lucky he's not in America; he would have paid an arm and a leg for all that," Tsunotori muttered.

Line Break

Iida's room wasn't bad or bland like Ojiro's. Still, it was…standard, so class A, according to Tsunotori and Ashido, was behind by a single cool room design. And when it came to the next room, that being Rin's, they'll see class B's lead increase.

The foreign student's room had a similar setup to Tokoyami's, the walls covered in deep charcoal wallpaper and dark carpet. But where Tokoyami's room looked like an occult domain, Rin's followed a more cyberpunk design. All that darkness was contrasted by neon accents in electric blues, greens, and magenta that traced even his desk edges and bed frame. That bed was a sleek black one, whose room-facing side had a subdued but still visible electric billboard advertising for some fictional weapons company.

Back to the table, it was topped with a glass that doubled as a screen which could be folded out, while atop the desk sat a wireless computer, a mousepad, and even a drawing pad. On the shelf, along with books and other school-related stuff, were comics and tech collectibles. Floor-length yellow and red semi-reflective curtains shimmered under the pink and light. To finish the look, Rin had the sort of wall art that shifted the picture depending on the observer's angle, all depicting massive techno-dominated cities, people with cybernetic enhancements, or just specialized gear.

“Damn.” Tsunotori whistled as he and the rest took in the sight of the place.

"What does 'damn' mean? It's clean and well taken care of." Rin asked, as he saw nothing wrong with the space.

"No, I just didn't picture you being into the whole cyberpunk stuff." Komori commented as she looked around, focusing on the shelves. She didn't recognize any of the stuff on them, but it looked fancy and techno.

"I watched something resembling it as a child; it's been a desired aesthetic for me ever since," Rin explained.

“But nothing in your hero costume?” Shishida asked, to which Rin turned to him, confused.

"Why should my hero costume reflect that? Kaibara, Honenuki, and Iida's rooms don't have bearing on their gear." The Chinese student asked in turn.

“We just thought that well…” Yanagi started, to which Rin groaned, pinching his nose.

“If you say I should have designed my room after a kung fu temple—" he started, but Kendo had already turned to match our, grabbing onto Yanagi and Kaibara as she did so.

"Onto the next, which is…" Kendo stopped as she looked and saw the name tag outside the door, one she hoped they wouldn't see until later.

Standing right under his nametag, Mineta gestured towards his door, which was open but not wide enough to let anyone in.

“Come on in?” Mineta tried to lure them in, but he was giving off an aura so rancid that you'll need to be blind, dumb, or into it to not notice.

"Listen, I know he's not on a registry or anything." Tokage started.

"And his stuff had to be vetted by the teachers before they let it onto campus," Jiro muttered, even if it tasted like trash to admit.

“But there is no way in hell I’m going in there.” Hagakure finished. With all the girls agreeing with that sentiment and most of class A's boys following suit, class B hardly gave it any thought before affirming it, as they recalled the Sports Festival and the Summer camp. If Mineta was comfortable doing that in public, God knew what he did inside his room.

“It reeks of impure thoughts and deeds.” Shiozaki shivered as Awase pointed towards the elevator and stairs.

“Next floor?” He proposed.

“Next floor.” With that, the 2 classes turned to walk off, leaving Mineta behind, who was just a bit salty.

"Oh, come on! How am I supposed to win best dorm room when you won't even look?” Mineta yelled back. As this was meant to be a contest, and class A was behind, his room could give them some much-needed points!

“Like you could, if you did, I’ll give up spicy foods for a year!” Bakugo shot back, as he had been going along just to avoid Kirishima giving him that stupid puppy dog face. Still, he wasn't about to enter Mineta's room. Place would be something out of a bad eroge, or the smell of bleach and lotion.

Leaving Mineta to grumble as he slowly followed them, his room off the board, they got to the 4th floor and went to the first door, which had Kaminari's name on the placard next to it. “So it’s Kaminari next, come on, we kinda are working at a handicap here.” Sero reminded them as Kaminari, confident he could surprise them like Rin had just done, opened his door to his room and-

“Really?” All the girls called out as they saw it.

“Did…he not pick a style or…?” Komori asked. It wasn't bad, but it was too much. It was like Kaminari picked the 3 trendiest styles and fused them, but he paid no attention to how the 3 things would mix.

“More like a fusion, but not the best sort.” Ashido winced. She had thought Kaminari would know better, but just because 3 things were sweet didn't mean you could combine them. It was something she thought he would get since all kids tried to combine their favorite foods together, and immediately hated the monstrosity they created.

“Oh, come on, it has its style, right guys?” Kaminari turned to his bros, but found little support.

“I like it,” Midoriya voiced as the place….well, it had style to it. It showed Kaminari was a lot and often had a bunch of conflicting thoughts on his mind, but it didn't mess with the general floor. The bed was made, and the cupboards and storage spaces were well organized. It was like how Iida's room was by the book but not bland, and Ojiro's was minimalistic.

Tokage pat Midoriya's side, which he didn't feel as much as he heard as she shook her head. "Sorry, Hebimi, but you're too nice. You'll probably say Mineta's room was great."

“Why am I still catching strays?” Mineta yelled, but got no response.

Line Break

Back on the ground floor, they had all gathered in the common area where they wrote down the current scores using a roll-out whiteboard they'd found. "All right, so thus far, we have class B standing at 3 points in favor of good room décor, and class A at a grand total of…." Tokage teased as she put a big fat zero. “One.”

“How the heck is that a grand total?” Jiro asked.

“Yeah, don’t pull a Monoma on us!” Sero yelled as Monoma, with Kendo keeping an eye on him, just smirked as his class did his work for him. Oh, he couldn’t be prouder.

"That's unfair. How come we only have one point?" Kaminari asked.

“Tokoyami’s room, while creepy,” Ashido started, her words causing Tokoyami to grow more embarrassed. It has style to it. Ojiro's does not, and Iida's was too…well, not bad, but not good. It was like the base model you should be better from." She held her hand out and waved it in the fashion one did when they wanted to convey that something was…okay.

"(Kero) It kinda looks like the rooms you're still in those student promos, the straight-laced type that'll succeed," Asui added some context. However, Iida was still in the dark about why his room didn't count towards a point for class A.

“How is that a bad thing?” Iida asked, as Kaibara stepped in to explain.

“It’s not, but we’re judging on uniqueness and impact, and yours just didn't have that, sorry, Iida." He apologized, as he didn't think his room was bad, but he just didn't see it being…well, poppin either.

"Curses, I shall endeavor to change that." Fortunately for them, Iida was not the sort to take offense, though he tried to keep his tears of frustration from showing. Oh, he'll ensure that next time they hold this contest, he will have made the improvements to it. Perhaps he could speak to his brother or have one of his friends advise him. Tokoyami seemed to have some style, and he hadn't seen the rest of his classmates' dorm rooms yet.

“What about me?” Kaminari asked, waving his hand about.

"You ever tried mixing BBQ, ice cream, and mochi? It's kinda like that." Tsuburaba waved it off, which hit Kaminari like a bullet.

"You should have picked one style and run with it." Jiro gave Kaminari a deadpan look, which made him pout as he fell into the chair, arms crossed.

“Hold it right there! You guys are forgetting something!” Mineta marched up to them.

“No, we’re not checking your room.” Yanagi cut him off from what she and the rest assumed would be his complaint.

"That's not it. You all forgot that this is the best dorm room, not dorm rooms! Class B might have better decorating stills across the board, but it won't matter if someone from class A takes the gold!" Mineta declared, to which some who were seated sat straighter.

Seeing that he had their attention, Mineta hit the nail with as big a hammer as he could find. "And up till now, it's been just us guys on the chopping block, but it was the girls who came up with this, so if anything, your interior design skills should be held to the same standard, maybe even higher!"

His words seemed to start drawing attention, but more than thought, as the 2 classes pondered them before Honenuki mused aloud. "I never thought I'd say this, but he's not wrong. We kinda got lost in the sauce there."

“I’m down for it!” Ashido chirped, as she didn’t need much more convincing.

“Same!” Tsunotori was the same, as she was sure her room would be in the running for the best.

“Wait, let’s talk about this.” Jiro tried to pause things, and while she did this, Mineta smirked as his plans were falling into place.

'Heh, looks like I'm gonna get some nice sights tonight! If I were the only one asking, they'll just say no. Gang up on me, but with Ojiro and Kaminari still salty and Tokoyami embarrassed about his room, I can blend in with the crowd all nice and sneaky like.' Mineta had to wipe his mouth, else he drooled all over his shirt, but he couldn't help it, he'll be seeing the girl's innermost private spaces, who knows what he would-

Koharu hissed right in his face, having slithered down Midoriya’s suit to be eye level with Mineta. “Wha!” Which got the expected response as he yelped and fell over, drawing attention to them, most confused, some suspicious, though the latter focused on Mineta alone.

“Koharu, is there an issue?” Midoriya asked, to which Koharu didn't turn her gaze away from Mineta. The boy always seemed off, like he was yearning for a mate, yet she couldn't see any notable qualities why a female would want him over the rest. Maybe that was why he was so…annoyingly frustrated.

“Just watching a fat rat," Koharu responded, which none but Midoriya could even hear.

“Mineta’s not a rodent.” Midoriya lightly scolded her, which only made Mineta pale, as it didn't take a rocket scientist to know why being seen as a rodent by a snake as big as Koharu was not good.

"So, back to the

Line Break

"So, should we start on the 4th floor and work our way from there, or?" Yanagi started, only for Midoriya to raise his hand. His sheer size made the gesture hard to ignore.

"Actually, we can start from the second, since we missed my room," Midoriya suggested, though the rest weren’t so sure about that.

“Your room? Are you sure?” Kendo asked, recalling what she was sure was his room, and she couldn't imagine it was normal.

Midoriya nodded. "I mean, it's a dorm contest; it would be weird if we just skipped mine, right?" There was a pause, and they didn't know his facial expression, but then he added, “I promise I don’t have anything weird in it!”

“No-we!” Kendo stopped him, most of class B having nearly done the same thing as the last thing they wanted was for Midoriya to think that, but…dammit, it wasn’t something you could just explain. "We didn't think there would be anything weird, we just…didn't want to pressure you or anything."

Midoriya seemed to misread the issue, probably for the best, as he shook his head. “I don’t mind, it’s a little embarrassing, but I think I have a good dorm.”

"Let's just check it out. The faster we do, the faster we can move on." Bakugo got up and walked towards the stairs, hands in his pockets.

“Why, cause you think you have the best room?” Tsuburaba asked, as they could use this to keep Midoriya from thinking too hard on why they hadn’t thought of going to his room earlier.

“Hell of a lot better than the pyromaniac.” Bakugo shot back, Tsunotori glaring at him as she saw how Midoriya flinched. Asshole needed to watch his words, or she’ll make him regret it.

“Oh, you-Midoriya, lets go, we gotta prove you got better décor then the walking explosive!” Tsunotori declared, ignoring how Bakugo turned around, pissed at her insult.

“The hell you say about me?!”

Line Break

Having settled that issue, they all returned to the 2nd floor and to the room they had skipped. The outside seemed normal, at least at first.

But on closer look, they could tell it was different. All their doors looked the same, from the frames to the paint, but while Midoriya’s was the same shade of teal, it was thicker looking, its handle more studied—almost like a vault door.

Izuku didn’t seem to mind as he led them to it, but paused as Koharu cautioned. “You should warm them.”

“Oh, right!” Midoriya answered aloud, leaving them confused. They assumed Koharu had said something as Izuku turned to them. "Before we go in, are you all prepared?"

“Oh, someone’s confident.” Hagakure teased, only for Midoriya to shake his head.

"It's not that; it's just that my room is a little cold." He told them, which, for Kendo, seemed to only prove what she had seen before, especially when she looked at the door and wondered if it was less a vault door and more a fridge door.

“That’s not much of an issue; we all have our own AC in our rooms," Komori assured him, though Midoriya didn’t think they got it as he reached to open it.

Line Break

"Shit's cold in here!" Awase cursed as he and the rest of the students stood either in the room or directly outside of it, blasted by frigid temperatures.

“Why is your room a giant freezer?” Hagakure yelled as she held onto Shishida, the same as Yanagi, Rin, and Mineta, who sought warmth from the furred student. Asui was wrapped in Shoji's arms, as she had the sense to ask to fetch a sweater, and even then, she was feeling drowsy.

“Yeah, I would expect this from Todoroki or something!” Kaminari agreed as he aggressively rubbed his arms to try to warm up.

"The cold counteracts my quirk; it helps so I can move around my room without the suit," Midoriya explained, completely unaffected by it thanks to his temperature-controlled suit. “Oh, don’t worry, Koharu’s got a little spot where she can keep nice and toasty. And there’s a spot for the plants on the balcony.”

At his words, he pointed to the corner where they were a large vessel linked to a separate AC unit. It was transparent, so they could see some heat lamps and bedding within it. A quick walk to the balcony, and he opened the curtain to reveal the closed-off space as Kendo and Kaminari had seen earlier. Only they saw some plants, also in separate temperature-controlled vessels, so they didn't freeze.

“What’s with the bed?” Jiro stuttered, as she wanted to get out as fast as she could, given how cold it was.

"Oh, it has a capsule function. When I lie on it, I can turn it on and it seals itself; it's an extra layer in case of a flare-up." Midoriya seemed happy as he explained that, walking to his bed, a control screen sat by the bedside. He placed his armored hand on it and, with a few swipes and buttons, the floor and wall around the bed opened up, revealing large metallic and ceramic shutters which closed in on it with a hiss of air as it became air-tight.

They had no clue how to react as Midoriya opened it up again.

“So what do you think?” he asked, as they all decided to focus on the décor and not the fact that the room was effectively a prison cell designed to mimic Siberia in winter.

So, with such thoughts forced to the side, they appraised the space and noted immediately that Izuku was someone whose interests were worms on his sleeve. His curtains were red, white, and blue, in a style that made one assume he was an American lover, but some All Might figurines implied he just liked the Number One.

But those were in the minority as he had much more Ryukyu merch. His bedsheets, several wallpapers, all encased in fire-resistant glass frames, and shelves were filled with Ryukyu figurines and toys. Some were still in their boxes, unopened and marked as limited edition. His desk was seemingly made from porcelain, with a comfy-looking chair. On said desk, along with a desk lamp, were more Ryukyu figurines, mainly of her in her dragon form.

The bed frame was non-hero related, at least they assumed, as it was themed like a curled-up snake. Along the walls, he had other snake and nature-themed decorations. He had even managed to get wallpaper as well, though they wondered if it was fireproof.

"You're certainly a big hero fan. Did you buy out the Ryukyu merch store?" Monoma asked, walking over to a giant poster, nearly as big as he was, of the heroine posing in her dragon form.

Now, they didn’t need to see him to get the feeling Midoriya was, perhaps, just a smudge, bashful about them seeing all this. "I just really admire her; she helped me before, and I'm forever grateful. It’s why I’m at U.A. to begin with.”

"No kidding. I didn't even know they had plushies this big," Tokage noted as she picked up a plushie of the heroine, one that was half as big as her and weighed a lot more than she thought.

“They don’t….I…made them…” Midoriya paused, as he perhaps hadn't thought this through, as Tokage and several others looked at him, then at the plush, and then at him again.

“Wait, for real? How?” Fukidashi asked, his head forming a question mark symbol.

Midoriya turned his head away as he explained, his voice growing softer with each word. "Well, when I lived at the temple, I needed to learn how to fix stuff on my own, and I had some free time most days, so I picked up sewing and doll making and well…"

“You even have one for Hado, does she know?” Tetsutetsu asked, picking up another, this being of their upperclassmen in her hero costume with the biggest smile on her face. He wasn't an expert on this stuff, but he would say Midoriya was pretty damn good, as they looked like they all cleared a factory quality test.

"I showed her, and she liked it. I made a second one for Haya." Midoriya replied, as he recalled how…insistent Haya had been about that when she walked in on him making the first Hado one. Hado herself had nearly seen it, but he had been too embarrassed to show her, and lucky for him, Haya had distracted her friend long enough for him to hide it.

Shiozaki, despite how cold she felt, placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think it’s a wonderful hobby and tool to have.”

“Do you plan on making dolls and plushies of us?” Yanagi asked, to which Midoriya quickly shook his head. He didn't want his friends to think he was. "Would you like to? I wouldn't mind having a Slenderman or Freddy Fazbear.”

Midoriya's mind froze for a moment, as…she wanted one too. Wait—"Who’s Slenderman and Fazbear?”

“Same!” Komori jumped right in, as she could go for some ore shroom-based plushies, and now she could ask for added details, which would make them so unique!

“Could you make one of Thirteen?” Uraraka joined in, leading to Midoriya getting surrounded and being asked question after question about what he could do and whether he would do A, B, or E.

"No fair, he's bribing the voters," Kaminari muttered, knowing this would see Midoriya's room get another mark for class B.

“Can we leave now? It’s cold in here.” Asui croaked, struggling to stay away. They all quickly left, and Midoriya closed the door behind him to keep the cold inside.

Line Break

Well, I've seen episodes 3 and 4 of the new season, and…well, AFO is still a bitch, and I hate that he's managed to stick around as long as he has. Were those two episodes cool as shit? Yes, but I feel like half of AFO's overall screentime could have been given to Spinner and that undercooked Heteromorph discrimination storyline. But hey, I'm just happy Hori didn't just give up and claim AFO caused Heteromorph discrimination, too.

Now, for this, I was able to give it more time, if only because my free time was extended as I was reading a story, which had promise, and still does, but I needed a break as trying to finish its chapter became a chore. But for you all, it meant more time to cook up this chapter, as you can tell from the chapter name, it's going to be the room contest stuff, which I debated about having, but decided on keeping, as if anything, they all need the fun more than canon. Plus, it allows me to focus more on class B, as I tend to do for obvious reasons.