Chapter 35: The Feast of the Four Beasts!

Nemuri walked at the front of the group. Izuku expected a heroine famous for being a dominatrix to drag them to some dark red-light dive with music blasting, and instead they ended up in front of a small, cozy place with paper lanterns hanging by the entrance and a sign covered in drawings of cats.

"Here?" Yu eyed the sign with a raised eyebrow. "Nemuri, honestly, I was expecting something way flashier coming from you."

"Oh, Yu! Not everything has to be a spectacle. A woman with good taste knows how to appreciate a quiet place too," Nemuri answered, pushing the sliding door open. "Besides, I heard they serve amazing meat here."

"Well, well. So you've got good taste in restaurants too?"

"Of course," Nemuri replied, resting a hand on her hip. "Never underestimate my skills."

Rumi walked past them without stopping, clearly more interested in the food than the conversation.

"As long as the meat's good, I don't care where we are."

The inside was even warmer than the outside. Light wood on the walls, colorful cushions everywhere, and cat figurines in every corner you could imagine, from the cash register to the salt shakers. At this hour there were only a few customers left.

They picked a table in the back, far from the other diners, where nobody would bother them.

The table was zashiki style, which forced everyone to sit seiza on the cushions. Izuku settled in as best he could, trying to find the most comfortable position possible.

Yu was already heading toward the spot next to Izuku, ready to follow through on what she'd made perfectly clear at the agency, when Nemuri beat her to it with a smile.

"Come on, Ibara, sweetie. Sit next to Izuku," she said, patting the cushion beside him. "After all, he's your teacher now, right? It's only proper for the student to stay close to him so she doesn't miss a single one of his lessons."

Ibara blinked, caught off guard.

"Are you sure, Kayama-sensei?" she asked with a certain caution. "I wouldn't want to be a bother to Midoriya-sensei during dinner."

"Oh, please! Don't be so formal. I'm sure he'll be happy to have you by his side. Isn't that right, Midoriya?"

Izuku opened his mouth to say he had no problem with it, until he noticed Yu clenching her teeth on the other side of the table. He chose to smile and stay out of dangerous waters.

Yu said nothing and sat across from Izuku, on the other side of the table, while Nemuri settled at the head, delighted with her move.

Perfect. I call dibs first and this witch snatches him from me in a second, Yu thought, biting her tongue. Yu, don't give her the satisfaction of seeing you upset.

A waitress hopped over with a pair of cat ears on her head.

"Welcome, everyone!" she greeted, arms spread wide. "Table for five! Is this a group date? I'm so jealous! You girls are gorgeous."

Each of the girl's hops made her generous chest bounce, and Izuku followed the show with all his attention.

This city has way too much potential. Come to think of it, being a hero trainer is starting to sound like the best job in the world.

"I'll order for everyone," Nemuri announced, not even bothering to consult the rest. "Bring us a bit of everything. And drinks to go with it."

"Ahem... I don't drink. Just a juice for me, please," Izuku clarified.

"Juice? Seriously?" Rumi turned to him, looking at him like he'd just said the most absurd thing in the world. "What's next, you gonna order milk?"

"Someone's gotta stay sober to get you all home," Izuku answered with a shrug. "Consider me the designated driver."

Nemuri put a finger to her lips, pretending to think it over.

"How responsible... though there's one small problem."

"Huh? What?"

"We don't even have a car."

Rumi burst out laughing.

"HA! This kid jumped like three steps ahead!"

"But I like his initiative," Nemuri added with a smile. "At least someone's thinking about how we're gonna survive our night."

Rumi gave Izuku a pat on the shoulder.

"Relax, smart guy. If we get too drunk, we'll figure out some way to get back."

The waitress came back right then with a basket in her arms and set it down on the table.

"Well, since this is your first time here, there's something we can't skip."

She pulled out several headbands with cat ears and passed them around.

"On the house! It's tradition. Nobody eats here without cat ears."

Rumi looked down at the headband and then pointed at her own long white ears.

"Hey, I already came with ears. Do I still get one?"

"Of course! Two pairs of ears are better than one!"

Rumi laughed, put the cat ears on top of her rabbit ones, and glanced at her reflection in a window.

"Look at me! Isn't this awesome?"

Nemuri put hers on without complaining, completely natural about it. Yu let out a sigh and put hers on too.

"For the record, I'm only doing this for the meat," she clarified with an air of wounded dignity.

Izuku, seeing that everyone had given in, couldn't find a reason to refuse and put his on too. Ibara, on the other hand, was still holding the headband between both hands, staring at it with obvious distrust.

"I'm... not entirely convinced this is appropriate," she admitted seriously. "Wearing such adornments, without a clear purpose, strikes me as rather frivolous."

Izuku, determined to fulfill his role as responsible teacher, decided to step in.

"Come on, Ibara. There's nothing wrong with it. Think of it this way, a hero has to know how to adapt to any situation. Even if the setting is full of cats."

Ibara blinked.

"Adapt...?"

"Exactly... Uh, mental flexibility, just another part of the training."

Ibara's expression softened. Even so, she seemed to need one last justification before accepting.

"If it can truly contribute to my formation as a heroine... I suppose there is no reason for me to object."

Izuku then took the headband from her hands and placed it on her carefully, tucking it between her vines.

"There. You look really cute."

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she lowered her gaze, turning her face away to keep her composure.

"I-If you consider it appropriate for my formation... then I shall accept it gladly."

When the trays of raw meat and the drinks arrived, Ibara clasped her hands in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and bowed her head slightly.

Izuku, who already had his chopsticks halfway to the tray, lowered them slowly.

Are we eating dinner or taking part in a ritual? I've never prayed like this before yakiniku before...

He glanced at Ibara, who now looked completely at ease.

Well... when in Rome.

"I'll... uh... I'll handle the grill," he offered, picking up the tongs. "You all relax."

"Well, how gentlemanly," Nemuri commented. "Good manners and a great hand at the grill. Yu, if you don't take care of him, someone's gonna steal him from you."

"Nobody's stealing anything from me," Yu replied, not uncrossing her arms.

"Oh, really?" Rumi countered, pointing at her with her chopsticks. "'Cause I saw him getting real cozy this afternoon."

"YOU!"

"Girls, don't fight, there's enough Izuku for everyone," he cut in, not looking up from the grill. "Besides, if you start arguing, the meat's gonna get cold."

Yu sighed and brought a hand to her forehead.

"Please... can we have just one meal without turning it into a competition?"

Rumi let out a loud laugh.

"Ha! No promises."

"That's what I was afraid of..." Yu muttered, glancing sideways at Izuku as she crossed her arms again.

Izuku placed the cuts on the grill and served each one as it cooked. He passed Nemuri her portion, Rumi hers, Ibara another, and saved the biggest, best browned cut for Yu's plate.

She looked down at her plate and noticed the difference right away. The piece was, without question, the best on the whole tray.

Huh? This one's for me?

She lifted her eyes to Izuku, who gave her a quick wink and a thumbs up before going back to what he was doing.

Oh... so you did it on purpose.

She tried to keep her composure in front of Nemuri and Rumi. She looked at Izuku again to confirm it and, seeing him so focused on the grill, not looking for anyone's approval, a warm satisfaction filled her.

Heh. Good boy.

She brought a hand to her face, feigning normalcy.

Though... I gotta admit, he knows how to make me feel special.

Her expression brightened again, forgetting all her earlier frustrations from the day.

Hehehe... he definitely knows what he's doing.

Meanwhile, Izuku was fighting his own war beneath the table.

For a while now, a couple of Ibara's vines had slid down to his leg and were advancing with worrying persistence toward a zone no man wants to see threatened.

Remember those things have thorns, he thought, swallowing hard. If they get inside my pants, goodbye to my future descendants.

He turned to look at Ibara, ready to ask her as delicately as possible to control her vines, but when he did, he thought better of it.

Ibara was eating with puffed cheeks, chewing her bread and her meat with a childlike devotion, happy and completely oblivious to the attack her own vines were carrying out beneath the table.

...I CAN'T, Izuku surrendered internally. She looks way too cute eating. He sighed and accepted his fate. A hero protects the innocent, even when the innocent is a direct threat to his manhood.

The alcohol didn't take long to do its work, and each of the girls received it in her own way.

Nemuri was the exception at the table. She drank without so much as a hair moving out of place, with a tolerance that bordered on superhuman, and her real role wasn't to get drunk, it was to manage everyone else's drunkenness. While the rest started loosening up, she stayed perfectly aware of what was going on and, for her own amusement, seemed to have appointed herself the one in charge of keeping the night moving.

"Come on, Yu, loosen up a little," she said, sliding the glass closer. "It's a night off. Let yourself go."

"I don't need you telling me how to have fun," Yu protested, and then drank it anyway.

Rumi, on the other hand, had turned dinner into a competition that only existed inside her own head.

"You tired already, Mt. Lady?!" she threw at Yu, setting her empty glass down on the table. "I thought you'd last longer!"

"Nobody's competing with you, crazy rabbit."

"Everything's a competition. If you're not competing, you already lost."

Ibara, who was listening to them with a growing smile, raised her glass.

"Victory does not always belong to the strongest..."

The three of them looked at her.

Ibara paused for a moment, as if searching for the continuation of a sermon.

"...but to the one who perseveres."

"This girl gets me!" Rumi threw an arm over her shoulder. "Come on, green girl, another round with you."

"I do not believe this is prudent for the spirit..." Ibara began, though by that point she was already drinking.

Ibara was, by far, the surprise of the evening. She still spoke with her usual solemnity and chose her words carefully, but the filter that normally kept her from voicing certain thoughts seemed to have loosened considerably.

"You know something?" she said, pointing at her own head. "I have a suspicion that my vines have a will of their own. Sometimes they do whatever they want without consulting me."

Izuku, who knew perfectly well what her vines were up to under the table, almost choked on his juice.

YOU DON'T SAY! I had no idea!

"A will... of their own?" he repeated, a little nervous from the tingling in his groin. "How fascinating. We should work on that someday. Another time... with more light and fewer people around."

"Is it not?" Ibara nodded gravely. "You are always so wise, master."

"Ibara, are you feeling okay?" Yu asked, looking at her a little confused. "Thinking this idiot is wise... uh... you sure you're alright?"

"I am perfectly fine!" Ibara answered with a sharp movement.

The movement gave her a small dizzy spell, which she hid by closing her eyes a bit.

"It is simply... perhaps tonight my judgment is not as clear as usual. But there is no cause for concern."

A while later, Ibara had no more energy for speeches. She leaned against Izuku a little, looking for somewhere to rest.

"I am fatigued, sensei..." she murmured with half closed eyes.

Izuku held her carefully and gave her a thumbs up.

"Ibara-chan, leave it to me."

Ibara stayed leaning against him, too tired to answer right away.

"Thank you..." she whispered a few seconds later. "You are so considerate, sensei..."

But the one who really left Izuku speechless was Yu.

The usual Yu, the one who hid any show of affection behind her vanity and her tsundere attitude, seemed to have completely vanished. The drinks had brought out a side of her Izuku had never seen: much more affectionate, open, and, to his surprise, pretty hard to ignore.

She leaned over the table with a piece of meat between her chopsticks, exposing a fairly provocative cleavage, and brought the bite up to his mouth.

"Open up. Come on, say 'ahh.'"

"Boss, you really don't have to..."

Yu took advantage of his open mouth to protest and shoved the piece inside.

"Ugh... cough, cough..."

"I said open up... I'm in a good mood tonight, so take advantage of me," Yu said with a flirty smile.

When she noticed he had a smudge at the corner of his mouth, she took a napkin and wiped it away carefully.

"Oh, how messy. Come here, let me clean you up."

She ran the napkin over him slowly, savoring every second.

"There. Look at you, a total mess without me," she said as she pulled the napkin away.

Izuku was looking at her like she was a complete stranger. This side of Yu was totally new to him.

Who is this woman and what did she do with my boss? The usual Yu would've billed me for the meat and the napkin separately.

"Now you," Yu said, narrowing her eyes as she opened her mouth slightly. "A lady shouldn't have to eat alone, you know. Come on, feed me."

Izuku found it strangely pleasant. Yu had never acted like this with him, and he decided that, just this once, he could allow himself to enjoy it.

She's kinda pretty, though.

He took a good cut and brought it up to her mouth.

"Well, boss... if you insist that much, I guess it'd be irresponsible of me to refuse."

She chewed slowly and, for a moment, the entire table seemed to disappear for the two of them.

Izuku watched her in silence and remembered the morning. Yu had been the one to make him breakfast and, to his surprise, had even woken him up with a patience she didn't usually have.

Now that I think about it... Yu's pretty gorgeous.

Guess all that vanity and those poses are just her way of hiding it. 'Cause when she lets her guard down, she's way sweeter than she lets on.

The tender moment lasted about as long as it took for Rumi to get bored, which wasn't very long.

"Okay, that's enough," Rumi said, crossing her arms. "All this mushy stuff is putting me to sleep. Let's do something fun." She leaned an elbow on the table. "How about arm wrestling? I wanna see who lasts the longest."

"Now that I like!" Yu said as she settled into her seat. "Finally, something I can show what I'm made of."

"You're going with me first, Broccoli Boy," Rumi said, pointing at him with a challenging smile. "Let's see how strong the new teacher is."

Huh? WHERE DID MY ROMCOM MOMENT GO?!

Izuku looked at Rumi's muscular arm. Then he looked down at his own.

Yep. This is gonna be humiliating.

Even so, he set his elbow on the table.

"Haaaaah... my Quirk isn't made for this kinda thing. I'm more of a strategy guy, planning, calculating probabilities... you know, stuff that doesn't require me to physically go up against a wall of muscle."

Rumi let out a laugh.

"Already making excuses before you lose? That was fast, weakling."

She took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his.

"On the count of three. One... two..."

"Wait, shouldn't we agree on the rules first? Or do some kind of warm up? Or at least..."

"Three!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

There was no struggle or resistance worth mentioning, just a force that crushed him without mercy.

"Ow!" he complained, shaking his aching hand. "That wasn't fair, I wasn't even ready."

Rumi ignored him and slammed her hand on the table.

"Who's next?!"

Ibara tried and went down with a peaceful smile, taking it in stride. Nemuri didn't even bother putting her full strength into it. She let Rumi win with a lazy sigh, claiming she wasn't about to ruin her manicure over something so silly.

One after another, they all fell until only two were left.

Rumi and Yu.

Rumi rolled her shoulder and then cracked her neck, looking at Yu with a challenging smile.

"Alright, big girl. Let's see if that big mouth of yours has the muscles to back it up."

Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled smugly.

"Muscles? Sweetie, you just worry about not crying when you lose to me."

"Ha! I'd love to see that."

"Then open your eyes wide, rabbit. I'm not gonna give you another shot."

Yu got up from her spot, walked around the table, and dropped down right next to Izuku, nudging him a little with her hip to make room on the cushion. She was pressed up against him, shoulder to shoulder, ready to face her.

"Y-Yu?" Izuku asked, thrown by the sudden change of seat.

"Shhh. I've got better support from here," she replied, with a smile way too confident for someone who had been ground into dust by Mirko on several occasions.

Then, under the table, hidden by the tablecloth, Yu's free hand reached for Izuku's and captured it.

...And now what? What's she up to?

Yu guided that captured hand and slipped it under her skirt, sinking it into the warmth of her thigh.

Pffff... okay?! This is really bold, even for her! Now what did I miss?

Yu leaned toward him a little and whispered in his ear so only he could hear.

"I'm not as drunk as they think," she murmured, sliding Izuku's hand a little higher. "And I'm not about to lose to that rabbit. So do me a favor... use your Quirk. Now... I wanna show her I can keep up with her!"

Izuku stared up at the ceiling full of wooden cats. Somehow, this situation was absurd; more than absurd, completely ridiculous.

Hold on. Not even a goodbye kiss the other day, but today you shove my hand under your skirt to... just to beat Rumi? Wow, I really am a total ladies' man. He sighed, resigned. Wonderful. What a level of romance... they only want me for my body... such is the suffering of us handsome guys.

"Uh... you sure?" he whispered back.

"Stop talking and hurry up," she pressed, squeezing his hand against her thigh. "Less chatting, more Quirk."

There was no arguing with that logic. Izuku closed his eyes for a moment and focused on his intent, letting his Quirk flow from his hand into Yu's body.

She felt the change immediately. A pleasurable shiver ran through her body, her face flushed a little, and she had to clench her teeth to keep from letting out even a single moan in front of the girls.

"Ready now, big girl?" Rumi rested her elbow on the table and held out her hand impatiently.

"Born ready," Yu answered, and took it.

Rumi smiled when she felt the strength in her grip.

"That's more like it! Now we're talking! On the count of three! One, two, three!"

Both arms slammed together with full force. The whole table creaked under the pressure, the glasses jumped, the grill vibrated, and for an instant it looked like the wood was about to split in two. Yu pushed with a superhuman strength, trembling for two reasons at once, while Rumi growled on the other side without giving an inch.

"Come on!" Rumi grunted, clenching her teeth. "Is that all you've got?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Yu shot back, her face red from the effort and the pleasure.

Nemuri, who had been enjoying the show with an increasingly amused smile, raised a hand to call it.

"Tie!" she declared, delighted. "Well, well... who would've guessed?"

Rumi looked at her own arm and then at Yu, clearly unable to accept that result.

"A tie?! I don't tie with anyone!" she protested, shaking her arm. "Rematch! Now!"

"No way. A champion knows when to walk away at the top," Yu huffed, leaning back a little against Izuku with a teasing smile. "Besides, that tie suits me just fine."

Rumi frowned.

"That doesn't count as a win!"

"I don't need it to count. It's enough that you couldn't beat me."

Rumi leaned back while she stared at Yu, unable to understand how the weakling had matched her.

Tch... whatever.

She shook her head and decided it wasn't worth breaking her brain over. She was drunk and happy; she didn't care if Yu had tied.

"Alright... not bad," she admitted grudgingly.

Meanwhile, Izuku was facing a silent crisis of biblical proportions. On one side, a green haired girl was stroking his groin with vines he still couldn't stop. On the other, he had a hand under his boss's skirt, with his Quirk still doing its thing. That double assault was, simply put, impossible to resist, and he was already breaking into a cold sweat thinking about what would happen if anyone asked him to stand up.

Oh no. This reminds me of my dark school days, when I'd get called up to present.

And if the embarrassment weren't enough, there was another, deeper wound bleeding into his pride.

Four girls and the biggest weakling turned out to be me... what a night to find out I'm the weakest link in my own social circle. Not even Ibara could take pity on me.

With the hand he still had under her skirt, he gave Yu a few reassuring pats on the thigh, chivalrously ignoring the wetness he found between her legs. He noticed, of course. But a gentleman doesn't talk about those things.

Yep. I think she ended up in the same state as me.

Yu, without an ounce of shame, pulled back to her side with a triumphant smile. She had tied with Rumi, and to her that was as good as a win.

"Did you see that?" she told him, winking at him. "Nobody beats Mt. Lady."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it was amazing," he answered, still trying to regain his composure and control of his body.

When the bill came, Izuku pulled out his wallet ready to pay his share. Nemuri, however, stopped his hand with a smile.

"Don't even think about it, Midoriya-kun. I invited, I pay," she said, as if the matter was completely settled. "Consider it my reward for tonight's show. It was way too entertaining."

"Kayama-san, but really... at least let me pay my share."

"Mmm... what a responsible boy. But I'm not letting you pay, so put that wallet away, Midoriya-kun."

Yu had no problem at all being treated, and Rumi even less; she was already heading for the exit, stretching her arms. The only one who looked hesitant was Ibara, who was staring at her empty plate with an uneasy conscience.

"It does not seem right to accept without giving something in return," she said, clasping her hands. "Generosity should be appreciated, not taken advantage of."

"Ibara, sweetie, you invite next time and we're even," Nemuri said, patting her on the shoulder. "Now relax and enjoy."

And so, between cat ears, a glorious tie, and a well managed drunken evening, dinner came to an end.

The girls stepped out of the place, leaving it behind, and that was when Izuku faced his real problem of the day.

He looked down at the impossible to hide bulge in his pants and let out a sigh.

What a day to be a guy.

He had a tent in his pants.

******