50

Chapter 50: Passing Days III – Swords, Photos, and TeaNotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Damn, Greeny, you sure you wanna do this? My birthday isn't until next year, ya know?" Togaru asked for confirmation. It might have been a question, but both his tone and his grin made clear how he wanted the other teen to respond.

"Of course, Kamakiri," Midoriya said as he guided the group to their destination. "Didn't you say that you wanted somebody to duel with?"

"Yeah, but I expected it to be Heiress or Punk. Ya know, since they're the only two I've seen fight with weapons?" he snorted, pointing with his thumb at the duo walking behind them. "You're mostly a 'punch the problem until it goes away' kind of guy, if you know what I mean."

"I think we all do," Tokage commented with a chuckle, elbowing the other two greenettes. Togaru pushed Lizzy off, but she just laughed a bit more.

"It kinda fits," Jiro shrugged as she kept walking next to Yaoyorozu. "Though I think I'll wait a bit more before getting into a sword fight with a lunatic like you."

At least Punk knew how to pick her battles.

Heiress didn't.

"I'll gladly duel with you once you've settled your scheduled skirmish," the ponytailed girl added, a hint of pride in her words. "I've been hoping to refine my expertise with the blade for a while. My instructor made me promise not to let them get dull."

The girl's parents were rich, and money meant private instructors, which also meant good skills, if Heiress hadn't gotten complacent. Who was he to refuse another thrilling match?

"I'll take you on after I've dealt with Greeny then," Togaru smirked. He could hardly wait.

"Unless the 'punch the problem' guy deals with you first by obliterating you," Lizzy teased.

"Not get punched!" Pony chided in.

"I'll keep it to the sword, I swear," Midoriya chuckled.

"Come on now, as if your punches were the only card in your deck. Let's not forget about the dark whips that keep giving us so many problems during training," Monoma smugly solicited.

The Understudy knew how much he wanted a chance to try and take on those. Midoriya had spent most of his training time against "less knowledgeable fighters"—too many, in his opinion—and Scarf-Tramp and Vlad the Impaler still had to make another of his fighting dreams a reality, the damned teachers. Though he had to give them some points for putting him against the rabid Pomeranian a while back. That had been a satisfactory clash, and Grape's and Superglue's trick had been fucking hilarious. Though he still needed a win without outside interference against the explosive guy to be truly satisfied with his payback for all the kill stealing he had done during the entrance exam.

"Burying the remembrance seems to be beyond our realm of possibility," Tokoyami muttered in his fucking cryptic way, earning a nod from Yanagi. Togaru reminded himself to ignore Magpie until he learned how to speak like a normal person. "But let us not forget the mind housed in that stalwart vessel."

"Your strategies work wonders, but your overwhelming strength comes to light often," Spook added. "Though Emily is saying that she wouldn't desire to fight you even without."

"Can't forget the flying," Dark Shadow cackled.

"That just adds another taste of punching," Kaibara sighed, followed by a gleeful "A flying punching!" from Pony.

"Too much stuff in there," Lizzy pointed at the guy's head with a floating hand. "You sure there's enough space for swords too?"

Midoriya chuckled along with the others. "I know, I know. But I swear that I'm not a complete novice either," he added with a smirk in his tone. "Though it's been a while since I last tried sword fighting... I think I can put up a decent fight."

"When aren't you?" Kaibara huffed with a roll of his eyes, still feeling his last "decent fight."

"We'll see, Greeny," he said, hoping not to be disappointed. The guy knew how to fight, so his reflexes would at least make for a good challenge. Midoriya could have been boasting, but if he had "tried" fencing in the same way as he "dabbled" in Quirk Analysis, then he was in for a good time. Togaru fucking hoped it was the latter option.

"Here we are," Midoriya announced as they reached the traditional, "no Quirks allowed" gym building.

The teen knocked, soon being met with the face of what seemed to be an upperclassman, probably the club's president or something. Togaru didn't bother remembering the guy's name—Sword Prez would suffice. Midoriya showed him a teacher permit, and that was that. They let themselves in with a few words of thanks under the scrutinizing looks of the club residents, none of which Togaru remembered having seen anywhere.

- We're probably the first Hero students who've been here in a while, - he thought, remembering his disappointment at not seeing anyone wielding real weapons or a weapon Quirk during the previous years' Sports Festivals. The continued failure of his efforts in finding anybody to take inspiration from besides Yoroi Musha was frustrating to say the least.

- Though it's a damn nice place for something so far removed from Heroics... -

Togaru hadn't expected U.A. to hold many places for training things other than their Quirks, but he had been pleasantly proven wrong. Apparently, the guys outside of the Hero Course could choose from a variety of clubs to enjoy their afternoons, while the Hero hopefuls had to ask for permission as to not let the pastimes "disturb their training." Fucking strict rules.

There weren't many clubs regarding sports, as those from the pre-Quirk era weren't very popular nowadays. The most you would see on a screen nowadays was the usual "adapted to Quirk use" versions, because most liked them better. In Togaru's own opinion, the public could go eat a dick. At least there were still some people smart enough to carry on with some good old disciplines without the addition of flames, lightning, and all the shit those shows that ridiculed sport thought to add to the mix. The old Olympians were probably rolling in their graves.

By the look of it, the fencing club wasn't as popular as nerdy things like the anime club or jock stuff like the track club, but it still had a big gym of its own. The place offered watching stands for the curious, a changing room, a lot of other smaller rooms on each side, and a variety of weapons to choose from. Too many weapons, actually, for a fencing club.

"This ain't just a fencing club, right?" he asked as the rest of the group entered behind him.

"No, it's not," Midoriya shook his head. "This place houses every club that deals with weapons and fighting. Fencing, Bōjutsu, Kendo, Gatka, Boxing, Geom sul, Tahtib... You name it, it's here, even if some might not have any members now. I think there's also a place to practice Kyūdō over there," he said, pointing at an open shoji that led to an archery range.

Togaru grinned, ecstatic at seeing his supposition confirmed. And if all the weapons here were available to be used, that also meant... "And there's also a HEMA club, that's fucking great," he chuckled.

"H-E-M-A?" Yanagi asked, voicing the question on the others' faces.

"Historic European Martial Arts. Practitioners focused on techniques of medieval fighters," Heiress provided.

"Basically, they reconstruct and study the fighting styles of old Europe, including medieval and Renaissance swordsmanship. Longsword, greatsword, rapier..." Midoriya added.

"A damn mouthful, but it's the best," the mantis-headed teen nodded. "It's a lot more realistic than other sports, because it basically ain't a sport, as those things were used in life-or-death situations."

And it really got blood pumping.

"So is like stuff in fantasy movies and anime?" Pony asked, her eyes sparkling at the notion. Texas chatted so much about the shows she watched that even he had ended up hearing about them.

"Kinda, yeah," Midoriya agreed, followed by an "Interesting," by Magpie and a cackle by its shadow.

"It's not commonly seen in Japan, as our country mostly focuses on its own rich history of martial arts. I'm surprised to see that you know of it at all," Yaoyorozu commented, looking questioningly at the two boys.

"I know a lot of stuff about weapons, Heiress," he snorted. "I've got to make my own, and I won't stand for anything less than perfect." He turned to take in the armory around them. "I've watched stuff like this for years, but I could only dream of a place like this."

"Same goes for me," Greeny chuckled. "But I can't wait to try. Though perhaps we should start with some simple fencing, is that fine with you?"

Togaru shrugged. "It will do as a warm up," he said, steadying his impatience. He had to check if he hadn't gotten rusty, as unlikely as it was.

The sword fighters didn't raise any further question about their presence, but the Hero trainees decided to occupy an area of the gym a bit further from the others, just for privacy's sake. As everybody wanted to take a crack at the unique training, the group split just for the time needed to change into the appropriate gear in the nearby changing rooms. To his surprise, the place housed about a hundred sets of protective clothing.

- Why would they ever need so many sets when there are barely more than a dozen students in the other room? - he mentally grumbled, deciding to stop being surprised at U.A.'s apparently endless wallet and disdain for logical limits. - Plus Ulthrow away your money, I guess. -

Togaru hadn't worn his equipment in a while. He had discarded the idea of integrating the protective pieces—jacket, gloves, plastron, breeches—in his Hero Costume, as they would have just hindered his Quirk... but knowing what he now knew about his silk, things would soon change. The only part of the ensemble that he hadn't missed was the fucking mask, as it had always been a nightmare to wear thanks to his mandibles. He had lost count of how many times he'd gotten those stuck in the visor. He mentally thanked Greeny again for the pearl of wisdom that allowed him to sleep on his side without shredding his pillow and that would now allow him to say good-fucking-bye to that problem.

The girls took a bit longer to change—something about taking forever to find a mask with holes for Pony's horns—but he paid them no heed, focusing on some light exercises to stretch his muscles.

Ready in body and spirit to get some blood pumping and steel flowing, Togaru walked over the closest arena. Feeling his shoes on the strip and his hands in the gloves, the mantis-headed teen felt in his element.

"Kamakiri, you choose. Foil, épée, or saber?" Greeny asked as he walked to the closest sword rack, analyzing the blades on display.

He clicked his tongue, thinking for a second. He would have usually gone for foils or sabers for a beginner, as they were lighter, but Midoriya wouldn't have any problems lifting the slightly heavier épée, and neither would he. If Greeny had already dueled a bit, then he would know how to adapt to the different rulesets and valid targets, so there was no reason to stick with the basics. Just the chest was too little, while the whole body was too much. Since, in the end, it came down to a question of style, Togaru choose what suited him best. Thrusting was fine and all, but what was a swordfight without a little cutting?

"Let's go with the saber," he answered, settling the discipline where the blade counted for something.

"Saber it is," Midoriya nodded, taking his chosen weapon before turning back to him with a smile. "Do you also want one, or are you making your own? You've got Quirk approval as long as it's just production."

"You sure?" Kaibara asked, sounding wary of the eyes still on them.

"We should be fine with Vlad King's permit," the Class Representative answered.

"At least he won't have to pay for what he breaks," Setsuna snickered.

He didn't even have to think about it. "You should have just started with that, Greeny," he smirked, generating the hardened silk weapon—a flawless copy—from his palm and taking it with one smooth motion. Lizzy whistled, yelling something about how "anime" his move was, but he ignored her antics. "Who's the referee?"

"Allow me, I know the rules," Monoma, mask off, said as he took a stand before the two fighters. "Best of fifteen?"

"Yeah," they both replied.

"Very well. Salutes!" the blonde declared, seriously getting into the role.

Togaru snorted but took a few steps to position himself about thirteen feet away from his opponent, on his side of the box. He reciprocated Midoriya's salute and the referee's, as the last thing he wanted was to be called out by the Understudy for forgoing that noisy part.

"En-garde!" Monoma spoke in very good-sounding French. "Prêts?" he asked, his hand holding tightly onto a stopwatch. The two confirmed their readiness, raising their swords and measuring their breaths.

As soon as the "Allez!" left the blonde's lips, the two duelists flew against each other on the piste, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. The twenty centimeters he had over Midoriya would have made the difference, as his longer arm managed to touch the other's body a fraction of a second earlier than the greenette's did with his, but he grunted as Monoma called for a halt. Neither had made any attempt at evading or parrying, immediately going for the throat, so neither had acquired priority before they got into a corps a corps.

"So much for a warm up," the referee sighed theatrically. "No points. Back on your marks!"

"Damn," Midoriya clicked his tongue. "Thought I'd had you."

Togaru had always been the tallest of the bunch in any fencing club he'd been to. It wasn't common for somebody to try and rush him so quickly, right at the start. Given his natural aptitude—hotheadedness, some said—Togaru usually got priority without fail. He usually ended up scaring his opponents into coming at him by walking on eggshells, which only made things harder for them. He'd put more than a few cocky assholes in their places with uninterrupted win streaks. And now somebody was challenging him on his own territory, metaphorical teeth bared and all.

He knew that he could trust Greeny to make it fun.

"Better think again then," he shot back.

Midoriya chuckled. "Let's go at it properly this time."

"Oh, I'll give you 'properly,'" he grinned under the mask. - Seems I'll enjoy this. -

Sen waited at the ready, his fingers itching as he looked through the viewfinder. He kept his eyes glued on the action as his friends rushed at each other with fury and purpose.

The two long blades clashed, the metal ringing clearly on impact before sliding away. A beat, and they touched again, three times in quick succession, Kamakiri's attack being deflected as Midoriya kept his distance. The flow changed, the shorter guy angling the blade from the ground up in a fast cutting move, evaded by an inch as the other slid to the side. Kamakiri didn't miss a chance to strike at an open back, but Midoriya completed the motion by placing the sword behind himself at the last moment. They separated again, both changing their stance and jumping slightly, keeping themselves light on their feet and ready for any sudden movement. The swords' tips touched a few times, but neither fighter committed to the action fully, waiting for a better chance to rush forward. The tension felt sky-high as the teens stared at each other, both evading a tentative strike before getting to the real ending.

He stopped his breathing, trying to stay as still as possible for the next shots.

Midoriya faked a thrust before raising his longsword, making it circle over his head and strike the side of Kamakiri's. Deceived by the opening feint, the mantis teen hadn't kept his guard high enough and barely caught the start of the other's blade with his hilt, only managing to score a hit on Midoriya's hand. The two blades descended to cross once more in a lock, but by then the point had already been scored, as called by Monoma. The head was a high priority target, while the hand wasn't.

Only then did Sen lower his camera, satisfied with the catch. The forest-green-haired teen had been right: this was a good place to take some great shots.

"Fuck!" Kamakiri cursed as they separated, lowering his blade and raising his head to shout.

"And that's one win each," Midoriya chuckled, though he sounded a bit out of breath.

Fifteen to thirteen on fencing for Kamakiri, fifteen to fourteen on longsword for Midoriya. The bouts had been long, but very entertaining.

"Fine, you got this one, Greeny. Nice match," the 1-B student nodded and grunted.

"Thanks," the shorter teen replied with a slight puff. "You really made me work for this one, Kamakiri."

"You bet I did. I don't get that many chances to go all out, ya know?"

Tokage snorted. "I wonder why."

The taller guy turned towards the stand, showing an annoyed frown as he took off his mask. "Shit, how many times have I gotta repeat that I'm sorry? What more do you want?" he complained, half-sighing, half-grunting.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I just like to remind you that you've been an ass."

"Yeah, yeah," the teen huffed, walking away to take a swig of his water bottle.

Pony, noticing the questioning looks on the 1-A girls' faces, culled them with a "Don't ask," and a shake of her head.

It was always weird to see Kamakiri admit defeat on something, but his first fight against Tokage had been bad, and for more than just the two of them. The students' reaction to Tokage's head and torso being cut apart had been... iffy at best, and straight-up disgusted at worst.

- At least now they're not physically at each other's throat anymore, - he thought, remembering the terrible three days after the incident.

Tokage had reacted badly at being attacked without a care in the world just because of her Quirk, and Kamakiri had reacted worse at her lashing out. Staying within the two's line of sight meant being subjected to stares that could kill. The rest of the class had somehow managed to work together to keep the two as far away from each other as possible during training, with Monoma, Pony, Shoda, and Kendo doing most of the defusing. It hadn't impacted too much on the class's atmosphere, but it certainly hadn't been the most pleasant way to start their year.

Then, after a weekend where everybody else was busy focusing on that damn U.S.J. incident, their teacher had done something about it. Sen didn't know the whole story but, since he had heard Vlad King stopping the two after class and whispering about Hound Dog, he could take an appropriate guess. The two had come back from whatever counseling session they had with something resembling an understanding, and the tension had mostly collapsed since then. Their reciprocated insults were something they'd all gotten used to, and Tokage seemed to be the only one who could tease Kamakiri with no fear of repercussions—other than a middle finger and some surly comebacks, that is.

- All's well that ends well, I guess. -

His thoughts were interrupted as he was called by the mantis teen, standing next to Monoma and Pony. "Hey, Drill, wanna join us?"

"Nah, I'm fine just watching for now," Sen said, raising a hand to shoo them away and another to show his camera. "I want to take some more shots."

"Suit yourself," Kamakiri shrugged, being followed by the blonde duo after Monoma joked about "Being sure to get his best side."

He muffled a light snort, rolling his eyes at the guy's antics.

It had been a strange thing to learn, but Monoma was awfully proud of his most-of-the-time-virtual-Quirklessness. Sen couldn't begin to guess where that came from, but the guy was weird. Smart and mostly friendly, sure, but weird.

Most of the band got up to try some fencing, splitting into three small groups. The only other that remained on the stands with him was Tokage, but they were soon joined by a tired-sounding Midoriya.

"Hey, sit here. View's better from high up," the lizard girl called.

He had to agree. They were just at the right height to get a perfect look at most of the gym.

"Sure," the guy nodded as he took off his mask, showing a mane of ruffled dark-green, a sweaty forehead, and a big smile— Sen resented losing his chance to take a photo of that movement. Just the act of taking off his gloves seemed to relieve him of some of his fatigue.

"Done for today?" he asked as he fiddled with the camera's settings.

"Just resting a bit before Kamakiri asks for a playoff match," Midoriya said as he stretched his fingers and neck.

"You've got until either Pony or Monoma crack under his yells," Tokage snickered, getting a chuckle out of them.

"I can live with that," the guy said. "You're not joining the training?"

"Nah," the lizard girl shrugged. "Don't feel like it now. And I wouldn't want to interrupt them. Playing the third wheel ain't nice, ya know?"

Sen raised an eyebrow. "What're you talking about?"

"What? Can't you see it?" she asked before pointing at the training students. "Reiko and Tokoyami over there, look at how close they are."

He eyed the two—or four, if you counted the presences of their Quirks, and wasn't that mind-blowing—as they examined a rack of weapons side by side. They were indeed quite close, and he had yet to see the ghostly girl be comfortable with somebody else in such proximity to her personal space. The two chatted animatedly, or as much as two mostly silent types ever would.

"That's cute," Midoriya said, a smile in his voice.

"Those two are almost bound to become a thing, I tell you," Tokage commented with certainty. "I give it a month at most."

"If you say so," Sen shrugged.

Gossiping was the last thing on his mind, but the two did look nice together. Silver and black did complement each other incredibly well, in his opinion. Perhaps—if they started actually using those swords instead of just admiring them—he would take a shot or two to give to the couple later.

"I also feel some good vibes from our blonde duo over there," she smirked, looking at Monoma and Pony.

"Are you just planning to make your friends hook up?" he huffed, rolling his eyes.

Being relatively good at speaking English, Monoma and Tokage had been the first two to befriend Pony on day one. Since the language was still a bit of a barrier for most of them, it made sense that the American girl would stick with those that could understand her 100% of the time.

"Hey, I'm just saying things as I see them," she declared, feigning offence. "Could be right, could be wrong. I just want everybody to have a good time." She then pointed a finger towards the trio, speaking with an annoyed tone. "Unlike Kamakiri who's unknowingly playing third wheel over there."

Midoriya guffawed at that. "Come on, they're the ones who asked him for guidance."

"Yeah, which makes it all the more frustrating to see! They're so dense!" the girl groaned.

"If you say so," Sen repeated, hoping to set the matter aside.

Tokage had other plans. "What do you say, Midoriya? You're a good judge of character, so you must have a pretty good idea of what's going on, right?"

- Why would he use his analysis for that?! - he wanted to scream, but kept it in. He now realized that he'd made a mistake by allowing the conversation to start

"Honestly, I wouldn't know that much... sorry."

Sen saw the teen apologize with a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his head as he lowered it. The poor guy was too nice to tell her to change topic and stop gossiping.

"Come on, nothing at all? Not even on your classmates? Kyoka and Momo seem pretty damn close down there, don't they?" the girl inquired with a smirk, pointing at the two girls. Yaoyorozu was helping Jiro by teaching her how to hold her weapon better, and their hands were on top of each other.

- How scandalous, - he sarcastically thought, rolling his eyes.

Tokage was probably hoping to get a reaction out of the boy. Nobody had missed how he was on a first name basis with a few of the gentler sex, though Sen couldn't care less.

Midoriya looked surprised for a moment, but the expression turned into one of happiness. "Well, I hope so, being best friends and all," he laughed. "Though I don't know really know anything more. I thought that you would be the one with the latest gossip after your girls' night and all."

She squinted her eyes a bit at that answer. "Reeeally?"

"Come on, Tokage, give the guy a break," Sen sighed, done with the pointless back and forth. Having no other ideas to give Midoriya a way out, he moved his camera closer, letting them see the shots he'd taken. "Look, I want your opinions on these."

The ploy seemed to work, as the two's focus shifted on the device, Midoriya gladly and carefully taking it into his hands and Tokage moving closer to get a better look.

"These look great, Kaibara," the boy exclaimed, eagerly examining each pic before moving to the next one.

"Uh, some aren't perfect, but you're actually good at this. Who would have thought," the girl joked, amicably pushing him with her elbow.

He shrugged at the compliments. "You could have, had you paid attention during our room competition. But I guess that I my camera was still in its box back then."

Tokage let out a "oh" of recognition. "Damn, so all those photos on your walls were yours?"

"Mostly, yeah. Though some were from some photography magazines my old man got me."

"Ah, yeah, getting a shot of a snow leopard might have been a bit much," she chuckled before shifting her focus back on the images. "How long have you been doing this for?"

He did a quick mental calculation. "About a decade or so, though it's taken a back seat during the last few years. You know, since Heroics came first."

Sen thought of himself as a man with his priorities straight. Work was work, and hobbies were hobbies.

"Totally get ya," the lizard girl nodded.

"How did you start?" Midoriya asked, sounding interested more than just polite.

"We've been subscribed to a few of those magazines since forever. I've just picked up on it on the way," he explained. "It's nothing special."

"I disagree. You've got a knack for it," the greenette commented, keeping his eyes on the camera. "And it's good to have a hobby. Can't be about Heroics all the time."

Sen and Tokage agreed. As much as their teachers and the Class Representative liked to push them to always give their all, and as much as training and fighting could be fun, some moments of rest were vital to get some energy back in the tank and prevent them from feeling overwhelmed. They were driven and focused teenagers, yes, but single-mindedly rushing for an objective three years ahead in the future would burn them out sooner rather than later. Sen had learned his lesson during his own training to get into U.A., and he'd rather not repeat the experience.

"Man, how many did you take?" Tokage asked as Midoriya kept going, having surpassed fifty or so pics and still being on the first rapier match.

Sen had pressed the shutter button almost with as much speed as the two duelists showed, capturing every moment of their fights... A video might have been quicker to look through.

"A few," he answered with a light smirk.

"I think this is my favorite," Midoriya declared after a few minutes, settling for a photo where his sword was locked against Kamakiri's, the blades terribly close to their masks. It wasn't a bad choice, and even the girl endorsed it with an approving hum.

"Mm, I'll get that printed for you then," he offered, taking a second to mentally note the photo's number.

"O-Oh, are you sure? You don't have to-"

"Just take it as a gift for the help you're giving me," he interjected the boy's refusal. Who knew that he'd be able to increase his spinning speed exponentially after only a few months of high school? "Let me do something nice, for a change."

Midoriya's face lit up like a Christmas tree, thanking him profusely.

"Hey! What about me?!" Tokage piped up.

"Get up, do some cool moves, and I'll think about it," he answered, going back to his cooler expression. "Or do you just want one of you lazing around in the Sun like a lizard?"

Tokage pouted for a moment before letting out a grunt. "Fine. You're about to see the coolest shit, Kaibara." Jumping down, she started to race towards their classmates, calling Kamakiri to teach her.

While the mantis teen shouted back that he'd deal with her petulance after his match with Yaoyorozu, Sen cracked his knuckles and relaxed back in his seat, having bought himself some time to relax and the very likely chance to photograph the girl's terrible experience with the mantis teen's teachings. With some other duels on the horizon, the rest of his cartridge would be quickly filled.

As he clicked the shutter to take a photo on the ensuing argument, the teen felt satisfied with his day.

- Never a dull moment here, uh? -

"My, these look delightful, Sato," Yaoyorozu commented as Rikido lowered his tray, letting the three students already sitting around the table look at their afternoon snack.

"Thank you," he smiled proudly, setting the lid aside. "It's been a while since I last made some stuffed cookies, but I wanted to try Midoriya's recipe since I can't say no to raspberry jam."

He had felt oh so lucky when the other cook had suggested it, offering a jar full of fruity goodness.

"Well, it looks like you've outdone yourself. They smell heavenly," the greenette responded.

"Not the words I would use, but I agree on the aroma being most pleasing," Shiozaki readily agreed as the fragrant smell of cookies reached her. "Earl Grey?" she asked, pointing the kettle at Rikido's cup.

"Sure." He didn't know that much about teas, but he trusted the girls' knowledge on that part of their afternoon break.

"So, how was your day? Did you guys do something enjoyable?" the vine-haired girl asked.

"Yes. We spent our morning sword fighting. I enjoyed it, though I believe that my duels with Kamakiri might have revealed too much of my competitiveness," Yaoyorozu answered, being apparently slightly flustered as Midoriya let out a short chuckle.

"Oh, that does sound interesting," Shiozaki though aloud. "Maybe I'll join you next time."

Rikido saw the boy in the seat across from his own remain still for a moment, his eyes wearing a thousand-yard stare into the void...

Though it must have been in his imagination, since Midoriya immediately replied with a merry expression. "We'd be happy to have you, Shiozaki. I could teach you the basics of fencing, at least."

"Wonderful. How about you, Sato?"

Not expecting the question to be thrown at him out of the blue, the boy wore an uncertain expression. "Um, maybe? I don't know how great I'd be at it though," he chuckled, using some humor to try and deflect. How ridiculous would he look with a tiny toothpick of a sword in his hands?

"Oh, nonsense. I'm positive that putting your strength behind a blade would make for a fearsome opponent," the heiress replied between sips.

He raised an eyebrow. "Even if I'm slow and too big of a target?"

"Just the opposite actually," Midoriya interjected after downing a sweet. "I've already told you, Sato. You're a mountain of muscles, and...?"

"And muscles mean speed," he finished with an understanding sigh, recalling their last Quirk talk and the tests he'd taken with Recovery Girl.

"Yup, especially when you have a body with a nervous system optimized to call that many muscles in the fastest way possible, like yours is," the greenette smiled while pointing at his chest with the teaspoon. "Though you might be right on the weapon choice. We'd better make good use of your whole body instead... We could try and few and see what you prefer?"

Rikido shook his head a bit, but he knew that he'd go along with the suggestion eventually. "Alright, alright, I'm in," he chuckled, letting the conversation roll back to more peaceful and relaxing alleys.

The image of a rolling pin-like club appeared in his head for a moment and, as much as it would be fitting for his Hero persona, he decided to set it aside for later. You never knew what else would be added to the list of costume modification when you lived around Midoriya.

Notes:

This chapter has been inspired by FalseSeraph's "Shiozaki the Crusader". Very nice crack, just been updated too.

He's gifted us a little Omake:

Shiozaki: *picks up sword, straightens and eyes grow focused*

Kamakiri: *sees this and smiles at seeing someone taking swords seriously* Time to fight!

Yaomomo: *takes sword from Shiozaki immediately and she powers down*

Kamakiri: What did you do that for?!

Yaomomo: I... I don't know. But it felt right.

On the same note, if that part had been on Izuku's POV, what he thought during that thousand-yard stare would have been something of the lines of:

- And you won't be touching a crusader sword if I can help it, - he thought while containing a shiver.

Let's not let Shiozaki near swords when she already has that much firepower on her head.

_____

I've got some friends into historical reenactment (particularly in the medieval kind), and whenever I visit one I find the HEMA matches captivating. Trying it for myself was and it was pretty hard (the armor weights a ton), but chilling with a cup of mead while guys maul each other with swords, clubs, and shield is amazing.

Some more things about Class B as time moves on. We don't have much on Sen, but he canonically likes cameras. Built a bit on that, and now we have the course's official photographer. And I had yet to use Sato in something, and his tea time with Momo seemed like a fitting choice.