Chapter 55: Off to the Island! The Yacht of Chaos and Izuku Midoriya's Most Dangerous Theory!

4,000 + Words

The yacht cut through the waves as a brown-haired girl clung to the railing and emptied her stomach into the sea.

"Come on, Ochako-chan, we're almost there," Izuku said, patting her back a few times.

Ochako lifted her head. Her face was pale and she could barely hold onto any dignified expression.

"I... Izuku-kun... I think this was a bad ide... Ughhh!"

She turned back toward the railing and threw up again before finishing the sentence.

Izuku scratched his head, a little embarrassed. Looking at it now, maybe bringing so many people onto the boat all of a sudden hadn't been the best idea. After discovering what Mt. Lady's Quirk was hiding, curiosity had won out over common sense, and now Ochako was paying the price.

Well... maybe I should've thought it through a little more. Though nobody told me not to, right?

He glanced over his shoulder and took in the whole scene he'd built with a single text message. His mom was going back and forth handing out food, a potential assassin was helping her with the plates, two pro heroines were arguing near the lounge chairs, and one of his classmates was staring out at the sea with an expression that made it very clear she'd rather be anywhere else.

When I put it into words, it sounds even worse. If I ever write my memoirs, this chapter's gonna be called "The Day I Turned a Secret Mission into a Themed Cruise."

"Izuku-kun," Ochako mumbled. "Next time you get one of your brilliant ideas... give me a heads up! At least that way I can be ready... and take something for motion sickness!"

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Izuku said, still rubbing her back. "Mistake number one: forgetting that the sea moves."

Ochako let out a small laugh, but immediately had to lean over the railing again.

"Ugh...!"

******

On the other side of the deck, Kyoka watched the horizon with her chin propped on one hand. She still didn't quite get how she'd ended up here.

"Is anyone gonna explain what I'm doing here?" she muttered, letting out a sigh. "A little while ago I was just hanging out with Yaoyorozu, and now all of a sudden I'm on a luxury yacht heading to an island... surrounded by pro heroines and a blonde girl who's way too weird."

She paused and glanced sideways at Himiko.

"Seriously... what's going on?"

"That, my dear, is because the more girls, the more fun," Nemuri replied, reclining on a lounge chair in a revealing swimsuit with a chilled glass swaying between her fingers. "A trip without variety is a wasted trip."

Yu was standing a few steps away, arms crossed and one eye twitching as she looked at Nemuri.

"Okay, okay... can somebody please explain this to me, because something doesn't add up," she said, jerking her thumb at her. "This is supposed to be a SECRET program, right? Then explain to me why we've got half the class here, two teachers, a mom, and a girl who looks like a rock star and, by the way, wasn't even officially invited."

Yu paused and threw her arms open in disbelief.

"At what exact moment does this still count as 'secret'? Because come on, Nemuri... even I can tell this looks more like a school field trip."

Nemuri brought a hand to her lips, looking at Yu as if she'd just heard the most exaggerated accusation in the world.

"Oh, Yu, dear... you're such a drama queen." She smiled, completely unbothered. "It's called confidentiality, not magic."

She leaned in a little and lowered her voice, taking on a conspiratorial air.

"Besides, no one here is allowed to go around telling people what happens outside of this boat. So as long as everyone knows how to keep their mouth shut..."

Nemuri leaned back again and calmly gestured at the group.

"...it's still a secret."

She paused briefly and smiled.

"Now, then... the fact that a girl showed up without an official invitation, that is a problem. But we can adapt, the more the merrier, don't you think?"

Yu wanted to argue, but she didn't know what to say, defeated by the other woman's speed. A few feet away, Kyoka looked at Nemuri and then at Yu. From the way they were looking at each other, this could turn ugly at any moment.

"Hey, are you two gonna keep this up much longer?" she said, raising one of her jacks. "Because I still don't know why I'm on a yacht heading to an island. Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of mission?"

Nemuri shrugged with a smile.

"Nobody forced you to come, Jiro. Let's just say curiosity did all the work."

"Great. So my own curiosity got me into this."

Jiro dropped the jack with a sigh.

Yu, meanwhile, dropped into the lounge chair next to her.

"Welcome to the club," Yu muttered, getting comfortable. "Trust me, you're not the only one. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is going on here."

"And have you figured anything out?" Kyoka asked.

"Kinda. The only thing I got is that the green-haired kid touches things and people get stronger. Sounds like a scam, but it worked on me."

Kyoka let out a sigh and turned her gaze back to the sea.

"With a summary like that, even I'm tempted to stick around and see how this ends."

******

In the covered section of the deck, Inko was serving plates with overflowing enthusiasm, happy to finally have an excuse to cook for so many people. She'd brought enough food to feed a battalion, and Himiko was fluttering around her handing out silverware with a smile that showed off all her fangs.

"Here, sweetie. Can you help me with this?" Inko said, holding out a tray to the blonde girl.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Midoriya!" Himiko took the tray, hopping a little. "I love helping out, it makes me feel like part of the family so much faster."

"What a well-mannered girl," Inko said, smiling as she stroked her cheek. "You should teach those manners to Izuku. He still leaves his socks lying around."

"I'd be happy to pick them up for you!" Himiko clasped her hands together. "I could keep one as a souvenir and no one would ever notice."

"Better not, dear, then I'd go crazy looking for them."

Inko let out a knowing laugh and kept dishing out portions. She knew perfectly well that this whole floating circus had something to do with her son's Quirk, and that was enough for her to get on board without asking uncomfortable questions. If there was anything she could do to help Izuku, she'd do it without thinking twice, even if for now her role was limited to making sure none of these young girls went hungry.

With a plate in her hands, she walked over to Yu and gave her a warm smile.

"Takeyama-san, you have to eat well. With everything you do as a heroine, I'm sure you burn a lot of energy."

Yu blinked, caught off guard, and accepted the plate on reflex.

"Huh? Well... yeah. I do eat quite a bit, honestly. My Quirk leaves me worn out after a long day."

"That's wonderful!" Inko nodded with a satisfaction that was a little scary. "A girl with a good appetite and a healthy body makes beautiful grandchildren, I've always said so."

Yu choked on the bite she'd just put in her mouth.

"G-GRANDCHILDREN?!"

Izuku, who'd overheard from a distance, decided that going anywhere near Yu right now wasn't a good idea.

Mom, please, don't start handing out wedding coupons. We haven't even reached the island yet and you're already picking out names for the kids.

Yu looked around for an escape route while Inko drifted casually off toward the next plate, convinced she'd planted a promising seed. For Mrs. Midoriya, the logic was very clear: thanks to Yu, her son had gotten into UA, and that made the heroine something very close to a daughter-in-law of destiny. A little research into her tastes here and there, and maybe the future would bring a house full of children's laughter.

Himiko poked her head over Inko's shoulder with the curiosity of a cat.

"I can give you grandkids too."

******

Izuku, still by the railing, was rubbing Ochako's back when a memory hit him and got him excited.

"THAT'S RIGHT! Ochako, now that I think about it, when I boost you your resistance to motion sickness improves too," he said with renewed enthusiasm. "I could have you good as new in a matter of seconds."

Ochako's eyes lit up for a moment, tempted by the idea of no longer feeling awful. Then the image of being groped in the middle of a luxury yacht, with witnesses everywhere, made her stop. She covered her chest with both arms and took half a step back.

"I... Izuku-kun... it's not necessary, I'm fine like this, I can... ugh... I can handle it."

Izuku looked at her with concern.

"Ochako, ever since we got on board you've been saying hi to the fish. I don't think 'handling it' is working very well as a strategy."

"I'm n-not saying hi to the fish!" she protested, her cheeks going red despite the seasickness. "I just... I just need to get used to it a little!"

What a stubborn girl, would rather be seasick than lose her composure. Here I am offering my heroic services free of charge and she's treating me like a debt collector.

"You sure you wanna keep dealing with the nausea?" he tried one more time.

Ochako gave him a shaky smile and assured him, with what little firmness she had left, that there was no need to bother. Izuku let out a sigh and kept her company, resigned to letting her suffer with pride.

******

"Midoriya-san." Momo approached with her back straight and her hands clasped in front of her, so composed that she looked like she was heading to a gala rather than a boy comforting a seasick girl.

"You still haven't explained to me what's going on," she continued. "I agreed to bring all of you to my family's island because you told me it was a situation related to a heroic mission, but..."

She paused briefly and looked at him seriously.

"Could you explain it to me, please?"

"Momo-chan, call me Izuku!" He gave her a couple of pats on the shoulder. "Why so formal, when we're basically best friends?"

Momo blushed and looked away as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"That doesn't mean we should forget our manners, Midoriya-san."

"Huh?"

"Respect remains important, even among friends. And... I believe it's appropriate to maintain a certain formality, especially when we're outside of school."

She lowered her voice a little.

"Besides, I'm still not used to addressing you so informally."

"But we already know each other pretty well." Izuku found the whole situation kind of funny. "You fell on top of me in a hallway, we've done experiments together, you even drew me diagrams to beat the Bomberman kid. I mean, WE'RE EVEN ON YOUR YACHT! I'd say we've moved past the formal introductions phase."

Momo raised a finger, trying to maintain her composure.

"That's precisely why we should be a little careful. Getting to know each other better doesn't mean we should forget our manners."

"Do you really still think that way?"

"Of course. Being comfortable with someone is one thing. Going too far is another entirely."

Momo couldn't look at him without a blush making an appearance on her cheeks.

"Besides... I think it's better for things to remain appropriate between classmates."

Huh? Is this the famous friendzone? Omg, I'm getting rejected without even confessing! Now that's a new achievement.

"Ouch! That hurt, Momo. It's rude to reject a boy who hasn't even confessed."

Momo froze for a few moments, her eyes wide.

"R-reject you?! No, that wasn't what I meant!"

She put a hand to her face, completely flushed.

"Midoriya-san, you can't just say something like that out of nowhere! I was simply talking about maintaining a certain distance and respect between classmates."

"So... you didn't reject me?"

Momo slowly lowered her gaze.

"I didn't say that either! And besides, you haven't even made any kind of confession for me to reject!"

She stopped short at hearing her own words, realizing what she'd just said.

"..."

"..."

"Forget the last thing I said!"

Izuku laughed and decided to change the subject, though to a somewhat strange one.

"Hey, since we're here... I'm curious. What kind of swimsuit did you bring?"

Momo stayed silent for a moment. Her cheeks took on a faint pink tint.

"Guess."

The answer came out before she could think it through.

"..."

Momo opened her eyes a little wider, realizing what she'd just said.

"I m-mean...!"

Why did I say that? At what point did my mouth decide to act on its own, and why did it happen right in front of the last person I should be encouraging?

She cleared her throat and quickly recovered her posture. She caught herself playing with the strand of hair again and lowered her hand, alarmed by her own slip.

"No, forget that. That was an impulsive response," she corrected quickly. "That question has no relation to what we were discussing."

Izuku, for his part, ignored her; he was absorbed in what finally seemed to be his life's mission.

All right, Izuku, focus. This is exactly the kind of mission every romance and harem anime set in hot springs prepared me for throughout my noble life as an otaku. I'm not gonna waste years of studying the genre. What kind of swimsuit would a girl like Momo bring?

He gave her a quick look from head to toe, though his gaze couldn't get past her chest and stayed there, contemplating that voluptuous pair worthy of the heiress of a powerful family.

She definitely eats well. The Yaoyorozu genetics must be made of solid gold and good eating habits.

"Big ones..." he murmured, still distracted.

Momo caught the word and followed the direction of Izuku's gaze back to its origin.

"Mi-Midoriya-san!" She covered her chest with both arms and took half a step back. "C-could you please look somewhere else?"

Izuku landed back in reality.

Crap, I said it out loud! That's it, it's over, the Yaoyorozu family is gonna wipe me off the map. I need to fix this right now... Think, Izuku, think, your physical well-being depends on the next words that come out of your mouth.

He started looking in every direction searching for salvation, until his gaze returned to where it started, and then the best idea in the world sprang up inside his head. He grabbed Momo by the shoulders with an unconvincing smile.

"What I meant, Momo, is that I noticed something important," he said, improvising at full speed.

That was enough to distract her a little from her embarrassment.

"I noticed your breasts have grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you," he continued, pointing at them seriously, as if he were genuinely concerned. "And that can't be a coincidence. I think it might be related to my Quirk."

Momo looked down at her own chest, hesitating. She was sure everything was the same as always, and yet, now that he mentioned it, she remembered she'd been feeling them fuller lately when she got dressed in the mornings. She didn't know if it was a placebo effect freshly planted by the comment, or if there really was a change her routine had kept her from noticing.

He can't be right, an impertinent comment doesn't alter the reality of my body from one moment to the next... though my uniform blouse did fit tighter this week, and I attributed it to the washing without a second thought. What if he's noticing something I let slip by out of habit? Control yourself, Momo, a hasty deduction doesn't amount to proof, and you're not going to let a slip of his throw off your judgment in such an inappropriate way.

"Ahem, your hypothesis lacks a solid foundation, Midoriya-san," she began, her arms still crossed over her chest. "My physical development bears no relation to your Quirk, and suggesting otherwise is premature, given that for such an effect to exist, the enhancement would have to operate on a completely different system than the direct contact you employ, which, as far as I understand, is limited to reading and amplifying particularities already present in the organism..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her brow furrowed as she loosened her arms a little.

"One moment," she said, looking at him with renewed suspicion. "On what exactly are you basing that claim?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Izuku was confused; he'd lost the thread of his own lie a while ago.

Momo, I swear on All Might, I only said it so your family wouldn't wipe me off the map. I had no intention of opening a scientific debate about your boobs.

He decided the wisest thing was to keep those words to himself, and held out as best he could.

"Your Quirk can analyze and enhance certain characteristics through contact," Momo explained, gradually recovering her confidence as she spoke. "Mine converts lipids into matter. So if in some previous contact you had enhanced my metabolism, in theory an alteration in the way those lipids are administered could manifest in the distribution of tissue in certain areas of the..."

Momo stopped. Her expression changed as she understood exactly where her own reasoning had led her.

"..."

She looked down for a moment and then covered her face with both hands.

"Forget what I just said."

"Huh? So they did grow?" Izuku said, scratching his head as he observed them with renewed attention.

"I haven't confirmed anything of the sort!"

Now that I'm looking at them calmly, they definitely look more generous than before, which means they're probably softer too, and now my mind is hijacked by the urgency of confirming their softness. Izuku, I'm ashamed of you, there's a lady suffering in front of you and here you are thinking about sleeping on her chest.

Momo felt the intensity of his gaze and blushed a little more, stammering without quite forming a full complaint.

"I-in any case, Midoriya-san," she began, raising her arms in an attempted barrier, "I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop observing me so intently. I understand that curiosity can cloud one's judgment, but..."

Then, the lightbulb went off for Izuku.

"THAT'S IT!" He took both her hands with enthusiasm. "Momo, do you remember the experiment we did in the classroom, the one with the double contact?"

Momo's eyes lit up immediately, and all her embarrassment gave way to scientific curiosity.

How had I not thought of it before! The missing variable was in front of me the whole time.

"I think that, somehow, when I boosted you that time with both hands," he continued, "I made your... um... what was it called?"

Momo squeezed Izuku's hands between hers, carried away by the excitement of the discovery.

"Metabolism! You mean my metabolism!" she exclaimed, moving a little closer as she spoke faster and faster. "If the interaction between our Quirks produced any effect on my organism, it could have temporarily altered the way my body uses its energy reserves."

"Exactly, that's it!" Izuku nodded, delighted that she was doing all the intellectual work for him.

"If the hypothesis is correct, the effect should be measurable under controlled conditions," Momo continued. "We would need a baseline record, a replicable contact method, and, of course, rigorous data collection before and after each session."

"I see you've almost got it all figured out in your head, huh? Hahaha." Izuku let out a nervous laugh.

"It's what I do with interesting problems, Midoriya-san."

Momo, completely absorbed in her reasoning, took Izuku by the hand and began leading him toward the interior of the yacht.

"I want to verify something! If we're going to investigate this, we should record the data as soon as possible, before conditions change."

Izuku let himself be pulled along; put up resistance? Not a chance. Being dragged toward a cabin by a pretty girl fit squarely into the dream catalog of any straight guy. Still, he turned his head toward the railing, and the image of Ochako still fighting off her seasickness stopped him.

"Wait, Momo, let me do one thing first."

"Now? Midoriya-san, science doesn't wait."

Momo followed the direction of his gaze, saw her classmate doubled over the railing, and her indignation dissolved.

"Oh..."

She slowly let go of Izuku's hand.

"You're right. We should make sure Uraraka-san is okay first."

She looked at Ochako with concern.

"Afterward we can continue with our investigation. Don't worry, I'll wait for you here."

******

Izuku walked over to Ochako with a determined stride and, without warning, gave her a smack on the butt.

SLAP

"Kyaaa!" Ochako let out a high-pitched shriek and, from the surprise, activated her Quirk by accident and started to rise. "Uwaaaaa!"

Izuku caught her hands before she could float too far and guided her back down to him.

"Ochako... you don't have to feel embarrassed about asking me to use my Quirk on you," he told her, looking her in the eyes. "We're a team, remember? I don't mind doing it. You were the first girl who trusted in me and you're my best friend, so if you get seasick again, just tell me and I'll gladly give you another smack."

Ochako began releasing a stream of nonsense syllables; this had entered a new category of blushing, until her body registered a detail her embarrassment had overlooked.

"Huh? I... I don't feel seasick anymore."

"See? I told you," he replied, with a calm smile. "Now your stomach's as steady as mine."

Izuku stroked her cheek with one hand while with the other he held her steady so she wouldn't start floating again.

"I know. I had to sacrifice my heroic image to help you, but it's what a man does."

Ochako stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes a little teary.

Why does he have to get so serious when he's trying to help me? He's only making me even more nervous!

Her honest side reacted to the absurdity of the scene before the tender moment could take root, and she let out an indignant shout while shaking her fists against her own chest, still suspended above the deck.

"S-sacrifice your heroic image?! Izuku-kun, that wasn't any heroic sacrifice, that was... it was...! You don't need to put epic music behind everything you do!"

"Huh? But it worked!"

"That's not the point!" she protested, still floating above the deck. "Stop being right when I'm trying to scold you!"

Ochako turned even redder and started descending little by little. When her feet touched the deck, she took a deep breath and clasped her hands together, trying to recover her composure.

"O-okay... thanks, Izuku-kun."

She gave him a small smile.

"Really. I know you were just trying to help me."

Then she puffed out her cheeks and pointed a finger at him.

"But next time don't turn something so normal into a hero's speech! You make me feel way more embarrassed!"

Izuku blinked.

"A hero's speech?"

"Yes!" Ochako covered her face. "You're incredibly clueless sometimes, Izuku-kun!"

After a few seconds of silence, she muttered, still completely red:

"...But if you do something like that again, I swear I'll make you float until you're not laughing anymore."

"AND I'M NOT KIDDING!"

She walked off quickly toward the covered area, still with her hands over her face, leaving Izuku by the railing.

Why do I feel like I did something wrong?

******

"Well, well," Nemuri commented from her lounge chair, having followed the entire show without missing a single detail. "I don't know what surprises me more: that kid's nerve or his incredible talent for getting himself into trouble."

Yu let out a laugh as she kept eating.

"I say the nerve. Anyone with a little common sense would've apologized and stayed quiet. Him, on the other hand, he starts making a speech like he'd just saved the day."

"Exactly!" Nemuri smiled. "That kid has a special talent for turning his screw-ups into touching moments."

"And the worst part is that sometimes it works for him."

Kyoka, who'd come closer when she heard the commotion, looked first at the door Ochako had disappeared through and then at Izuku, who was still by the railing with a face that said he didn't understand what had just happened.

"You two are enjoying this way too much," she commented, resting a jack on her shoulder. "I just see one more reason not to let that kid handle any of my problems."

"Wise words from the only one on board with any common sense," Nemuri toasted, raising her cup.

On the other side of the deck, Izuku stood there watching the door Ochako had disappeared through.

I'm not entirely sure if what just happened was a sad ending or a happy one.

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Want to read ahead? You can find several advance chapters at [patreon.com/Shurazero](https://www.patreon.com/Shurazero)

P.S. I've been working on something new on the image generation side, putting together sets for some of the characters. Here's an example:

If you're curious, stop by my page and take a look! The basic SFW sets are free, so feel free to check them out.