Villain to Hero: Naruko Motomiya

Chapter 19: A Dinner Together

They all stood over the pot on the stove in awe of their efforts, it being filled to the brim with delicious ingredients, all glistening beautifully with a scrumptious scent filling the air. "Looks like it's ready," Takamura said. He lowered the heat on the stove and set out twenty bowls and pairs of chopsticks for the class. "Dinner's ready!" He yelled, his booming voice echoing throughout the building.

From the couch, Tamakawa shot up and dashed to where the food was. She snatched a bowl and filled it to the brim with meat, vegetables, tofu, and broth. "Man, this looks so good!" She said with a smile, nearly drooling over the food.

After everyone had gotten a serving, they sat down at the tables and started eating. Motomiya picked up a piece of meat and took a bite out of it. The food had turned out amazing. The warmth and juiciness of the pork felt splendid as the savory flavors of the broth soaked into it. He had never had something this good, this comforting. He wished that he would've been able to eat something like this sooner. It made him wish that when his mother was still around, she would've cooked a meal as good as this instead of relying on take-out and microwavable meals.

"I still can't believe that we're having a hot pot in the summer," Yumiko said just before taking a bite of her food. She wore an expensive looking sweater made of white yarn.

"You're the one who's wearing a sweater in the summer," Akira replied with a smirk.

Yumiko huffed. "It's not my fault that it's freezing in here," She said. "And besides, this sweater looks good on me."

Aozaki placed her chopsticks down on the table. "Where did you transfer from, if you don't mind me asking, Motomiya?" She spoke softly.

He gulped down his food. He thought of his brief time at his old high school, only being there for the very start of the year before dropping out. "I went to Korusan High School," He answered truthfully.

Ikishida's head perked up. "Hey, my cousin goes there. They don't have a hero course, so how'd you get into UA?"

"Um... I got in through recommendation. A hero saw how powerful my quirk was and talked the principal into enrolling me here. I guess I was just lucky," He responded.

"Oh, what hero?" Katanabe asked.

"Kaillapse," He replied to her.

She rested her head on her fist. "Never heard of him. What's he ranked?" She asked.

"I don't know," He said, "I don't think he's ranked too high, but he's a really good hero."

Tetsuhara took out his phone. "Lemme look him up," He said monotone. His fingers tapped his phone at an incredible speed as he swiftly looked up Kaillapse on the internet. "Kaillapse," He read, "Ranked 612 among Japan's heroes. This hero is known for his humorous personality and constant destruction. Due to his quirk, he can't help but make anything he touches while using it collapse and break. Despite this, he's still popular with the ladies."

Tenma let out a small chuckle. "A hero that constantly damages things," He said. "That's ironic."

"What kinda music you listen to, Miya?" Saionji asked Motomiya.

Embarrassment came over him at that moment. "I... don't really listen to anything. Just whatever is on the radio?"

"Dude, that's so boring," She responded, slumped in her chair.

"Why don't we introduce you to some bands after dinner?" Shima suggested.

He smiled. "Yeah, that would be great." It felt like he could be himself around these people, like he could fully trust them.