A Song of Ice and Fire

~Ch8: hErO tRaInInG~

I was proud of my costume, to say the least.

It was a blue bodysuit with multiple bright colors at the edges, covered in mermaid-like rainbow scales. My left arm and leg were laced with multi-colored ribbons made of thick fabrics instead of being covered in normal sleeves. The suit was complemented by a long, thick cape on my right shoulder and a fully equipped belt.

It was appealing to the eye, smart in the design, and extremely practical. Everything, from the cape to the belt, and even the colorful ribbons, had a purpose.

I was enthralled by all the equally beautifully designed costumes around me (or at least, most of them. No teenager should ever even think of wearing a diaper).

I was impressed by some more than others and saw elements I wish I had thought to add to my outfit, but nothing could waver my pride.

But knowing my luck, something just had to go wrong.

"How does this even work?" I mumbled, fidgeting with the metal rod I had found in my belt. It was supposed to expand and shrink, but I couldn't figure out how to get the darned thing to work.

"So... What do you think?" Jiro had just exited the locker room, fidgeting nervously, earphone jacks on her ears twirling gracefully.

I scanned it quickly, taking in her long pink shirt, black jacket, and simple black jeans, and nodded shyly. "I love the simplicity of it." I then pointed at her feet hesitantly. She was wearing a thick, black pair of boots that appeared to be technically enhanced. "And your boots! They're speakers, aren't they?"

Jiro nodded and shuffled her feet. "If I plug my earphone jacks into them, I can release Soundwaves! I put a lot of thought into how I could utilize my quirk, so I'm glad someone noticed it!" She beamed, then gestured to my costume in turn. "I really like your costume too! It's a nice aesthetic!"

I hid my face behind a curtain of hair, thanking her profusely.

Jiro chuckled, and at that moment a pair of floating gloves burst out the locker room door.

"Ooh, I just love your costumes!" Hagakure (was her name Hagakure? I keep mixing up names...) squealed. "What do you think of mine?" She gestured to her hands and feet, as the invisible girl was wearing nothing but a pair of gloves and some thick sneakers. "I couldn't really do much in the design field since I'm literally invisible, but I think it's practical!"

"Well... There isn't really much to see for us to comment on, but as you said, it's practical!" Jiro chuckled.

"I like the shade of turquoise you used for your gloves. It's a great color! And it really suits your personality." I added.

Hagakure waved her hands, thanking us incessantly for the complements.

At that moment, Mina, the quirky and pink girl of the bunch, burst out of the locker room, clad in her blue and purple costume, sleeves rolled up to expose her pink forearms.

"Ladies, we're requesting backup. Yaomomo put on her costume, which is totally amazing by the way, but won't leave the lockers."

We all stared at her, gaping.

"Wha- why?"

"See for yourself." She exclaimed, opening the door again with a start, and gesturing for us to go inside.

I hesitated, glancing at the girls questioningly, then followed Mina inside. The others followed suit.

~~~

The scene that greeted us wasn't bad, per se.

Just...

Totally unexpected.