The first rays of morning sunlight flooded a room that felt unmistakably girlish. Momo Yaoyorozu woke naturally as the sun cleared the horizon, but the moment her consciousness returned, the memories of last night made her face turn a shade of red hot enough to boil water.
I can't believe I managed to escape before the final step...
Momo patted her chest, her heart hammering as she shook her head violently, scolding herself inwardly. What do you mean, "escaped"? My first kiss was stolen by that guy!
She spent several minutes aggressively punching her down pillow to vent her frustration. Eventually, a maid's voice drifted through the door.
"Miss? Are you dressed? Shall we bring breakfast to your room?"
Momo's first instinct was to hide. If she went downstairs, she would inevitably run into Wu Xuan. But then she paused. Doesn't hiding just make it look like I'm afraid of him? Unless she kicked him out of the mansion—which her parents would never allow—she couldn't avoid him forever.
Steeling her resolve, she dressed meticulously and headed down to the dining room. However, throughout the meal, she didn't dare lift her eyes from her plate. Her mother, sensing the thick tension, glanced at her husband.
Momo's father cleared his throat, attempting to break the ice. "Ahem... Wu Xuan, Momo, are you two heading out to 'cultivate' as usual today?"
"No," Wu Xuan replied, swallowing a piece of pancake. "I've done enough for now. I plan to rest until U.A. begins."
"Oh?" Her father was stunned. Ever since Wu Xuan moved in, he had been a total training fanatic. Hearing the word "rest" from him was a shock.
"Then I'll be heading out," Wu Xuan said, setting down his cutlery and standing up.
"Wait, Xuan-kun!" Momo's mother interjected, a knowing smile on her face as she rested her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Momo hasn't had a break in ages either. Why don't you two go together? You're the same age and you'll be classmates soon—it's the perfect time to relax."
"Mother!" Momo squeaked, her face flushing.
"Alright," Wu Xuan nodded simply.
Seeing his calm, indifferent expression, Momo felt a fresh surge of annoyance. This guy did all that last night, and today he acts like nothing happened?
The two were driven to a popular commercial district. The moment the driver pulled away, Momo felt a heavy arm drape casually over her shoulder.
"Let's go," Wu Xuan's voice murmured in her ear.
He was so natural, so composed, as if this were a routine he had performed a thousand times. Is he already that used to this? Momo wondered, a hint of typical teenage jealousy surfacing. Like any girl with a relatively pure heart, she found herself wondering how many other girls he had treated this way.
Throughout the afternoon, Wu Xuan led her through the city with practiced ease—dessert shops, movie theaters, and seaside paths. He knew exactly when to pull her close and when to give her space. Momo found herself caught in a whirlwind of shame, annoyance, and a strange, fluttering excitement.
Around 4:00 PM, as they were leaving the cinema, they passed a group of students in middle school uniforms. About fifty meters away, several boys from Orudera Junior High were staring at them with a volatile mix of fear and envy.
"Hey, look... isn't that Wu Xuan?"
"That guy got into U.A. on recommendation, so he doesn't even have to show up for class. Must be nice."
"Look at the girl he's with! She's gorgeous... and look at those curves!"
"Does having a strong Quirk give you the right to be that arrogant? Getting into U.A. and a girl like that?"
In the center of the group, Katsuki Bakugo's eyes weren't filled with fear—only a raw, barely suppressed rage.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Bakugo roared.
Ahead of them, Wu Xuan turned his head. He hadn't let go of Momo. He looked back at his former classmates with a disdainful smirk, raised a hand, gave them a slow thumbs-up... and then flipped it downward.
"DAMN YOU!" Bakugo snarled, lunging forward, but his classmates scrambled to hold him back.
"Katsuki, stop! There are cameras everywhere!"
"If you use your Quirk to attack a civilian, you'll violate the Quirk Management Law! You'll lose your spot at U.A.!"
Bakugo froze, his chest heaving as he forced himself to regain composure. He watched as Wu Xuan calmly led Momo away into the crowd.
"Enjoy it while you can, bastard," Bakugo growled toward the horizon. "But once we get to U.A... I'm going to kill you!"
He was blissfully unaware that while he was shouting in the street, Wu Xuan had spent the last several months undergoing a level of "crisis training" that Bakugo couldn't even imagine in his wildest dreams.
A single relevant follow-up question:
As the ten-month waiting period comes to a close, do you think Momo's newfound "sophistry" and her bond with Wu Xuan will make her a standout in Class 1-A, or will her secret "criminal" past haunt her once she's under Aizawa's watchful eye?