Chapter 10: Full Home Service! Driver, Stylist, and Masseur to a Giantess All in One Day

"Midoriya," Yu said, still sprawled out on the grass with her eyes closed. "I need to inform you of something important."

"Tell me, boss."

"My legs have just gone on strike. And from what I can feel, my arms are organizing a solidarity protest."

Izuku sat up and picked his notebook off the ground without showing an ounce of surprise.

"Makes sense. Mirko used you as a tennis ball all afternoon."

"Don't exaggerate, it was just a few hits." Yu tried to lift her head and let it drop back onto the grass. "The point is, I can't walk, and the station's two kilometers from here."

"And what exactly are you proposing?"

"That my loyal assistant, who enjoys my body so much, demonstrates his devotion by carrying me the whole way."

Izuku stood there mulling over the proposal with a seriousness that didn't fit at all with how ridiculous the situation was.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I fire you right here and give your job to the first squirrel that walks by."

---

The training field was out in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest train station was a solid two kilometers down a dirt path. Izuku found that out the worst possible way, with Yu Takeyama hanging off his back like a sack of potatoes... a very pretty and very annoying sack of potatoes.

"Midoriya, I'm warning you, if you drop me I'll grow again and squash you, and this time it'll be totally on purpose," Yu muttered against the back of his neck, arms loose around his neck.

"Duly noted, boss," he replied, adjusting his grip under her knees. "Although I gotta say, getting crushed twice in one week is starting to feel like a habit."

"Shut up and walk, slave."

"With pleasure. But for the record, this counts as overtime."

Yu let out a grunt and buried her face between his shoulders, too exhausted to argue about rates. The sun was sinking over the path, and the only sound was the crickets and Izuku's tired footsteps as he trudged on with a determination that didn't quite match the dead weight of a pro hero on his back.

By the time they got there, those two kilometers felt like twenty. The station was small and nearly deserted, an old platform with a couple of benches, a tin roof, and two lonely businesses tucked off to one side: a tiny clothing shop and a convenience store that seemed to be open more out of habit than for customers.

Izuku set Yu down carefully and sat her on the bench in the waiting area, where she sprawled out without an ounce of grace.

"Stay here, boss. I've got a plan."

"Your plans terrify me," Yu said without opening her eyes. "Last time you had a plan I ended up two cup sizes bigger and on a date with my rival."

"This one's a good one. Trust the expert."

"Every time you say 'trust the expert,' something weird happens to my body."

Izuku was already heading toward the clothing shop before she finished the sentence. He came back a while later with a bag, pulled out a loose blouse and some comfortable, plain-cut pants, nothing flashy. He also had stuff from the convenience store: a couple of onigiri, a wide-brimmed hat, some cheap sunglasses, and a foldable cloth bag.

"And what's all that for?" Yu asked, sitting up a bit with interest.

"So nobody recognizes you on the train," he said, sitting down next to her and handing her an onigiri. "It's one thing for half the country to be talking about you, and another thing entirely for someone to snap a sweaty photo of you after fighting a bunny. That photo could really sink you."

"Wow, you actually said something that makes sense." Yu took the onigiri and chomped down a huge bite. "Mmm. It's good."

"Simple things usually are."

They ate quietly for a bit, shoulder to shoulder on the bench, watching the wind blow over the empty tracks. Yu polished off her onigiri in four bites, let out a long sigh, and, without really thinking about it, let her head drop onto Izuku's shoulder.

"I'm dead," she confessed. "We shouldn't have come this far to train, Midoriya. Look at where we are. Even the crickets sound depressed."

"It was Mirko's idea," he reminded her, chewing on his own onigiri. "And hey, at least she wanted to help us train. With everything they say about her, that she's a loner who hates company and only cares about fighting, I never thought she'd actually come with us. That's already a win."

"She came because you gave her a new toy," Yu said, rubbing her eye. "You touched her leg and she almost punched a hole through a concrete wall. Now you belong to her, poor you."

"I accept the position of favorite toy as a temporary promotion." Izuku brushed a crumb off his pants. "Alright, boss, time for the transformation. Go to the bathroom and put this on. I want the woman who gets on the train to look nothing like the one who fought today."

Yu shot him an annoyed look, but the promise of getting out of sweaty spandex won out over her laziness. She got up, dragging her feet, grabbed the clothes, and disappeared into the station bathroom.

When she came back, the difference was striking. She had on the loose blouse, the comfortable pants, the hat pulled down almost to her eyebrows, and the dark glasses covering half her face. The Mt. Lady costume was folded inside the cloth bag, hidden from any curious eyes.

"Well?" she asked, holding her arms out. "Am I still a goddess, or do I just look like a lost tourist now?"

"A lost tourist, totally. Mission accomplished."

"That wasn't a compliment, idiot."

"I know, but today my job is making sure nobody recognizes you, so I'm calling it a professional success."

The train came rattling in a couple of minutes later, nearly empty. They got on, settled into a corner at the back of the car, and Yu dropped into the seat with a relief that came straight from her soul. Izuku sat across from her, pulled out his notebook, and started writing something with his brow furrowed in concentration.

"What are you writing now?" Yu asked, peeking over her glasses.

"That my Quirk boost worked on you and Mirko, but afterward you ran out of energy. I gotta figure out how long the effect lasts and what happens when it wears off."

"What happens when it wears off is I end up hanging off your back for two kilometers. Write that one down in big letters."

"Already wrote it down, with an asterisk and everything."

Yu let out a tired laugh and closed her eyes, letting the rocking of the train lull her while the city crept closer through the window.

---

By the time they got off at Musutafu, the sky was starting to turn orange and the lights of the shops were flickering on one by one. Yu stretched her arms over her head, feeling every muscle protest the beating Mirko had given her.

"Hungry, boss?" Izuku asked, putting his notebook away.

"No," she answered automatically, and right then her stomach betrayed her with a growl that echoed across the platform.

Izuku looked at her without saying anything, one eyebrow raised.

"...Okay, a little," Yu admitted, crossing her arms. "The onigiri was good, but it didn't really fill me up."

"Then let's get something to eat." Izuku crouched down in front of her and offered his back again. "Hop on, you're too tired to walk."

"I'm not gonna hang off you like a backpack again, Midoriya. We went through that once today and it was humiliating."

"Suit yourself, but the closest place is several blocks away..."

Yu looked at him, looked at the offered back, and let out a resigned huff.

She climbed on again, blushing to her ears under the hat, praying nobody she knew would catch her in such a pose.

"If this ends up on the internet, I swear they won't find your body."

"That threat's losing its punch, boss. You tell me that like three times a day."

He carried her piggyback all the way to a brightly lit McDonald's on a busy corner, set her down in front of the counter, and before she could weigh in, ordered a large combo with extra fries and a hefty pile of nuggets for her.

"Midoriya, I don't eat that much," Yu protested, scandalized. "What are they gonna think of me?"

Izuku gave her a thumbs up with total seriousness.

"With that body of yours, boss, the motor needs to stay well fueled. A hero of your caliber isn't built on salads."

"You... ugh... Stop talking about my body out loud in public places."

They sat at a table off to the side by the window, and for the first time all day Yu felt like she could breathe. She took off the glasses, pushed the hat down a bit, and went at the fries with a hunger any gossip magazine would have killed to photograph.

"Hey," she said between bites, "did you really think my debut was good? The whole kick and all that."

"It was incredible," Izuku answered without hesitation. "A clean kick, a giant villain knocked out in less than a minute, zero civilian injuries. I saw it and my jaw hit the floor, boss."

Yu went quiet for a moment, twirling a fry between her fingers. Then she let out a short laugh that didn't have much humor behind it.

"I'm gonna tell you the truth, Midoriya. You've already seen too much for me to play the saint. I didn't take down that villain on my own. Kamui Woods already had him good and tied up with his branches. He was basically a gift on a silver platter."

"Kamui Woods? The wood hero?" Izuku asked.

"That's the one." Yu dipped a fry in sauce before popping it in her mouth. "I showed up at just the right moment, dropped my big kick, posed for the cameras... and bam! All the headlines went to me. My great hero debut was basically stealing the spotlight from a coworker. Pretty shameless, huh?"

She let out a short laugh and leaned in a little closer.

"And to top it off, I ran off with you without even saying goodbye. Poor Kamui... he probably cursed me out a few times that day. Although, well, he got over it... I think."

Izuku watched her for a moment, but there wasn't a trace of judgment on his face, just curiosity.

"And why'd you do that?"

"Because I needed it more than he did." Yu shrugged with a half smile, though this time there was no trace of bravado. "What? Did you think all heroines come out of U.A. with the same handbook tucked under their arm? Nope, Midoriya. I studied at an agricultural high school in Hokkaido. My road here was very different."

"Agricultural?" Izuku blinked. "Like... cows and crops?"

"Like cows and crops, obviously!" Yu stole a nugget from Izuku without the slightest remorse and tossed it whole into her mouth. "Trust me, I learned how to milk a cow before I learned how to throw a decent punch. And here's the thing. You know what a hero from the country's best school is worth on the market? Those kids have the U.A. Sports Festival. Half of Japan watches them. Agencies and brands fight over them before they even graduate. I didn't have any of that. Nobody was gonna say, 'Hire her! She's from an agricultural school!'"

"That's why you always tried to grab attention..." Izuku murmured, finally understanding.

"What other option did I have?" Yu replied, swiping another nugget. "I don't have a choice. Think about it, my Quirk is turning into a giantess. That means every time I fight for real, I destroy half the street. Buildings, light poles, cars, whatever's in the way. And all of that, my dear assistant, comes out of my pocket. The government covers part of it, but the rest I pay. So a giantess hero with no sponsors is basically a hero who goes broke for doing her job well."

Izuku stopped chewing, struck by Yu's story. The hero world apparently wasn't what he'd thought it was.

"I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Nobody does! If I don't grab attention, there are no contracts. And if there are no contracts... who do you think pays for everything I break? Me? I'd end up selling a kidney!" Yu let out a sigh and leaned back in her seat with a half smile. "It's not that I'm a show-off just because, Midoriya. Well... a little bit, yeah. I love being the center of attention! But it's also work. In this business, if people stop looking at you, you stop getting paid."

There was a brief silence, filled by the noise of the fryer and the conversations at the nearby tables. Izuku was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read, a serious calm that made her a little nervous.

"Then stop worrying about it," he finally said.

"Huh? Excuse me?"

"Stop worrying about it." Izuku leaned over the table. "Look, the two of us made a deal, right? You help me understand my Quirk, and I help you become a better hero. Well, this is part of the package. Once we really figure out how mine works and follow a real training plan, you're gonna learn to fight without destroying everything in your path. Precise hits, control, less damage. And less damage means smaller bills. It means you'll get to be famous because you're good, not because you need to be."

Yu stared at him, a nugget halfway to her mouth.

"Uh huh... says the same guy who, a few hours ago, was Googling how to train a giantess." She smirked. "You're cute when you try to sound like an expert."

"And I found nothing but garbage, but the point still stands." Izuku smiled at her. "I promise you, boss. We're gonna get to the point where one of your fights doesn't end in a demolition bill."

The knot she'd been carrying in her chest for so long started to come undone. She didn't know how to answer, so she did what she did best when something moved her too much: covered it up with snark.

"You're so cheesy... it's embarrassing," she huffed with a half smile, swiping the last fry from his box without the slightest remorse.

Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"And says the woman who's already made about six of my nuggets disappear?"

Yu shrugged, chewing with all the calm in the world.

"Sue me, I dare you!"

When the check came, Yu was faster. She pulled out her wallet, slid the bills onto the tray, and winked at him before Izuku could even reach into his pocket.

"Tonight's on the boss," she declared with a smile. "Consider it a bonus for carrying me two kilometers without complaining too much."

"I'll take the bonus. Let the record show."

---

The cab dropped them off in front of Yu's building when night was already settling in. They went up to the apartment, her dragging her feet and him behind her with the cloth bag over his shoulder, and the second they crossed the threshold Yu flopped face down on the couch with a groan.

"Ugh... I'm never moving again," she announced into the cushion. "I'm staying right here. They can bury me in this couch."

"Before you become part of the furniture, do me a favor." Izuku set the bag down on a chair. "Go take a shower and put on something comfortable. Loose, preferably."

"Loose?" Yu raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "Midoriya... if this turns out to be an excuse to put your hands on me, I'll turn you into a garden ornament."

"Just trust the expert."

Yu let out a snort and rolled her eyes.

"There you go with the expert thing again! You sure are full of yourself, huh?"

But she was way too wrecked to fight. She got up grumbling, climbed into the shower, and the hot water washed most of the horror of the day off her shoulders. When she came out, she was wearing an oversized T-shirt and some loose shorts, her wet hair falling down her back, and the face of someone who just wants to sleep for a thousand years straight.

Izuku was waiting next to the bed.

"Good. Now lie face down."

"Excuse me?"

"Face down, boss. On the bed."

Yu stared at him, stared at the bed, and let out a resigned huff as she dropped onto the mattress.

"Got it," she said, resting her face on her crossed arms. "This is the famous plan to grope my ass again, isn't it? At least have the decency to admit it."

"You're not totally wrong," Izuku answered calmly, rolling up his sleeves. "But today the butt is the last stop, not the first. Today is about something more professional."

He sat on the edge of the bed, put both hands on Yu's tense shoulders, and started pressing with slow, firm motions, digging his thumbs into the knots the fight had left behind. The effect was immediate.

"Aah...!" The sound escaped before she could swallow it. She frowned instantly, like she wanted to pretend it hadn't happened. "Ngh... There! Yes... right there..."

"Does it hurt?"

Yu let out a laugh between her teeth.

"If it actually hurt I'd have already thrown you out the window. Keep going... You're making me feel brand new, so don't stop."

Izuku worked his way down her back with a gentle massage, easing away every bit of stiffness, and Yu melted into the mattress with a moan of relief. Every muscle Mirko had pummeled gave in under his hands, and the hero who'd been threatening to bury him half an hour ago was now little more than a satisfied puddle of spandex... well, of oversized T-shirt.

"You know what the best part of all this is?" Izuku said as he pressed a spot on her lower back, drawing out another sigh. "This was literally the only coherent thing I found when I was searching for how to train a giantess. Between the crazy forums and the weird fanfics, someone said that after a tough workout you had to relax the muscles with a massage. The only useful thing out of all that internet garbage."

Yu let out a muffled laugh against her arms.

"So the genius behind my training learned how to give a massage in the same place he found pervy fanfics about giantesses?"

"Knowledge is knowledge, no matter where it comes from."

"What a stubborn guy..." Yu shifted again, sinking deeper into the mattress. "Lower. There, on the lower back. I've got that area destroyed from carrying all the work today."

"At your service, boss."

Izuku obeyed, sliding his hands down to the curve of her lower back, where the tension was a tough knot. He worked the area patiently, and Yu let out a moan that would have embarrassed her in any other situation, although now she was too out of it to care.

"Ngh... there... right there, don't move from there..."

When the knots in her lower back finally gave way, Izuku continued the natural descent of the massage, and his hands reached Yu's butt. And there, he had to admit internally, he found the most comfortable zone of the whole operation. Under the loose fabric of the shorts, her skin was soft, plush, and warm, with a firmness that gave way under each press.

This feels even better than I remembered, Izuku thought, kneading carefully. It's like squeezing the most expensive cloud in the world.

Yu buried her face in the pillow and let out a moan of satisfaction so sincere it even surprised her.

"Mmm... okay, okay, I admit it..." she murmured, her voice thick with sleep as she let out a contented sigh. "You've got magic hands, Midoriya. You sure you wanna keep being an assistant? Because you'd get rich with a spa... I mean, rich. I'd be your first client."

"I'll consider it as a plan B," he said, without stopping. "Although I doubt any other client would pay me as well in complaints and death threats."

"Shut up and keep going."

Izuku kept going, and little by little Yu's responses got further apart. The sighs grew slower, the sharp comebacks stopped coming, and her breathing turned deep and even. Somewhere between one knot and the next, Yu Takeyama, pro hero, terror of villains, and plague of municipal invoices, fell completely asleep on her own bed.

Izuku stopped slowly. He looked at her for a moment, the blonde hair spread out on the pillow, her face finally without a single line of worry, her mouth slightly open letting out a soft, very undignified snore for someone so vain.

"What a day, boss," he murmured.

He got up carefully so as not to shift the mattress, found a folded blanket on a chair, and spread it over her, covering her up to the shoulders. Yu stirred just a little, mumbled something unintelligible about nuggets and sponsorships, and sank back into sleep.

Izuku picked up his notebook, turned off the lamp on the nightstand, and walked toward the door. Before stepping out, he paused for a second at the threshold and looked back, at the sleeping giantess who had fallen out of the sky on him the morning before and had given him, without meaning to, the strangest job and the best day he could remember in years.

"Good night, Yu."

He closed the door softly and disappeared into the city's murmur, notebook under his arm and a smile he didn't bother to hide.

On the bed, between dreams, the most expensive hero in Japan was smiling too.

*******

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