88 Chapter 87

With the Sun beginning to set over the horizon, Momo drew everyone's attention by clapping her hands and stating, "Okay, everyone, it's about time we change into our evening outfits and prepare for the reception."

Turning her gaze to Izuku, Momo asked, "Would you like to accompany us, Izuku? Or do you have to meet with All Might?"

Though he would have agreed if Momo was asking him to watch them change, Izuku knew he would probably be stuck waiting outside since they were staying in the same hotel as the majority of Class 1-A. Momo had felt guilty about leaving people out, so while not everyone would be at the reception, only Aoyama had elected to stay in Japan.

"Melissa and I should probably head back," replied Izuku. "Her father didn't seem particularly enthused the last time we arrived late, so we'll see you girls at the reception."

Nodding in affirmation, Momo narrowed her eyes and mused, "Then we'll reconvene at the reception. Until then, be sure to escort Melissa properly, okay?"

Urged by Momo, everyone offered a few parting words before departing for their hotel. In their wake, a tense silence lingered between Izuku and Melissa before the latter remarked, "They seem like a lot of fun. And that Momo girl...I was surprised to learn the two of you were engaged. Should I congratulate you?"

Shaking his head, Izuku's expression relaxed into a smile as he joked, "You're free to do so, but I know better than anyone how lucky I am..."

Turning to meet Melissa's gaze, Izuku caught her by surprise as he asked, "Why did you ask to come with us to Ōkunoshima? I'm not complaining, not in the slightest, but it should have been obvious we're not going there to simply train and study..."

Breaking eye contact with Izuku, a ruddy hue spread through Melissa's cheeks as she considered her response. The truth was that shortly after she and Toshinori began exchanging emails, the latter had sent her a few photos of Izuku and some unedited footage of his matches during the UA Sports Festival. When Toshinori later suggested that they would make an unstoppable duo once Izuku became a Hero, she may have taped Izuku's photo to the inside of her locker...

As there was no way she could admit something so embarrassing, Melissa decided to shift the burden to Izuku, staring at him from the corner of her eye as she pointedly remarked, "The way some of your girlfriends reacted to me suggests they knew about me in advance...tell me, Izuku...were you thinking the two of us might become a couple even before we met?"

Instead of denying it, Izuku flatly replied, "Blame your Uncle Might...that man is obsessed with the concept of inherited wills and legacies. He has a way of seeding ideas into peoples' minds, so I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it...quite a bit, in fact..."

"I see..." replied Melissa, kicking her feet a bit as she walked away with her hands behind her back. She had also started thinking that she and Izuku might become a couple after her exchanges with Toshinori, but the difference between them was that she was single. The notion of 'sharing' had never crossed her mind before meeting Momo, Tsuyu, Toru, Ochaco, Mina, and Kyouka. Now...she honestly wasn't sure what to think. All she knew for certain was that Izuku was the first boy she had ever taken an interest in. He also seemed to have a genuine interest in her work, so she didn't want to 'give up' without a fight...

Stopping after a few steps, Melissa turned back to meet Izuku's gaze, smiling radiantly as she admitted, "I've also thought about it quite a bit, but, at least for now, I'd like to observe and see how you get along with the other girls in your life. I don't think I could ever be a part of a harem, but I can still provide technical and emotional support to ensure you all become great Heroes."

Punctuating her words, Melissa closed her eyes and offered a smile that could rival the Sun's brilliance. Like a creature of the night, Izuku felt her smile had dealt a critical blow to his heart, but instead of exhibiting pain or suffering, he returned a smile and answered, "Even if we never become anything more, my life would be bettered having you as a friend, Melissa. Thank you..."

Covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, Melissa's blue eyes narrowed as she said, "Don't thank me yet. If you intend to make those 'Air Trecks' of yours a reality, you'll need to put your body on the line to help me test them. I'm not going to hold anything back, so you better prepare yourself~!"

Since he believed Melissa could pull off creating something functionally similar to the 'Sky Regalia,' which would greatly benefit him once he awakened Float, the corners of Izuku's smile curled upward as he replied, "I'm looking forward to it," in a sincere tone that matched his expression. He doubted the feasibility of producing the other Regalia, but so long as he could do more than simply levitate to leap vast distances, Izuku would be more than satisfied...

...

..

.

("I still ended up having to wait in a hallway...") thought Izuku, leaning against a wall and texting as he waited nearly half an hour for Melissa to get ready.

Fortunately, while Japan was nearly six hours ahead of I-Island's Time Zone, Nezu was wide awake, allowing Izuku to ask if he was aware of the 'incidents' occurring in Europe, Africa, and West Asia.

Unsurprisingly, Nezu was fully aware of the Meta World Transversal phenomenon, citing it as one of the reasons he had petitioned Pixie Bob to assist with Izuku's training. Many of the beasts she emulated with her Earth Flow were monsters one might confront in or around the breaches, so he was planning to use her power to familiarize the students with their attack patterns. As for why he didn't inform Toshinori, the answer was fairly straightforward. He didn't want Toshinori running off to try and save the rest of the world, leaving Japan and UA vulnerable when there was a high possibility of a certain 'someone' lurking in the shadows.

Though All-for-One had yet to show himself, there was a mountain of evidence to suggest he was both alive and in Japan. 'Someone' had been amassing villains in secret, and the only person with that degree of clout, especially in a country policed by All Might, was AFO. Nezu suspected the infamous villain was preparing to make his comeback and would likely use the Meta World Transversal phenomenon to herald his return...

Bringing an abrupt end to his conversation with Nezu, the electric door to Melissa's room hissed open, followed by the person in question appearing in a strapless, predominately blue, white, and purple cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline, heavily emphasizing her rather ample bosom. She also had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and had removed her glasses, nearly making her look like a completely different person, especially with a healthy coat of makeup.

Seeing the 'stupefied' look on Izuku's face, Melissa smiled broadly and did a quick pirouette, asking, "How do I look? I was a bit worried about the waistline and how much of my back and shoulders it exposed, but I wanted to try something a bit 'bolder' since this is my first time attending the reception directly. I'm not really good with formal events, so I usually just watch it from my room."

Adopting a teasing smile, Izuku replied, "It does expose quite a bit, but I doubt any of the guys at the reception will complain. I can't say the same for their girlfriends, wives, or dates..."

Covering her chest, Melissa's smile became somewhat awkward as she muttered, "When you put it like that...being bold might not be the wisest decision. I don't want people staring at me all night..."

Shaking his head, Izuku replied, "Unless you choose not to attend, I'm afraid there's not much you can do about that. So long as they can see your face, you'll be captivating just about every man in the hall. And that was 'before' you put on makeup..."

Feeling timid, Melissa reached up to cup her cheeks but stopped short. It had taken nearly a full half-hour to get her makeup just right, so she didn't want to smudge it. Instead, she retracted her shoulders and brought the tips of her fingers together, channeling her inner Ochaco as she muttered, "I know I'm the one who asked for your opinion, but you don't have to be so...thorough when providing it..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku replied, "Then I'll keep things simple and say you look amazing." Then, as Momo had advised him to escort Melissa 'properly,' Izuku extended his left elbow and asked, "Shall we head to the reception?" with a relaxed smile.

Understanding what Izuku had in mind, a faint red hue appeared at the tip of Melissa's ears. A similar shade appeared on her face, dying her cheeks, but it was indistinguishable due to her makeup. As a result, she appeared fairly calm and poised as she linked her arm through Izuku's, beaming like the Sun as she teased, "If my father sees us like this, he might bully you a bit..."

Maintaining his relaxed smile, Izuku quickly and shamelessly replied, "It would be worth it..." before escorting Melissa to the nearest elevator. The reception would be taking place on the ground floor, for security reasons, so they needed to go down nearly seventy levels to reach it. Fortunately, the elevators in the building were remarkably quick, at least under normal circumstances...

Shortly after boarding the elevator, the smiles on Izuku's and Melissa's faces cramped when it abruptly terminated its descent, followed by the emergency lights turning on. At the same time, an automated voice came over the broadcast speakers, stating, "This is an announcement from the I-Island Security System. We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the I-Expo grounds. I-Island will now be in High Alert Mode. Your safety is our top priority. Residents and Tourists should-"

While the automated message was still broadcasting, Melissa's brows furrowed as she said, "This doesn't make any sense. The High Alert Mode is typically reserved for large-scale attacks by external forces. Even if a bomb were discovered, the proper protocol would be to notify those in the immediate area and evacuate them, not broadcast the emergency to the entire island and cause a panic..."

Shaking her head, Melissa reasserted, "This makes absolutely no sense. Because of the High Alert Mode, we're effectively trapped in the elevator until the lockdown ends. If there truly were a bomb, we'd be sitting ducks until it explodes!"

Understanding what Melissa was trying to convey, Izuku postulated, "Then there are two possibilities. First, the system has malfunctioned in some way. Second, someone had tampered with it directly, causing the malfunction. Either way, we need to get out of here."

Raising his head, Izuku searched for the maintenance hatch typically found in elevators. Instead, he found a completely flat surface with no hints of a removable panel.

Following Izuku's gaze, a wry smile developed across Melissa's face as she pointed out, "Maintenance is typically performed by robots that live within the elevator shaft. People might try to access the upper floors by climbing onto the roof and ascending the shaft directly, so there are no maintenance hatches in any of our elevators..."

"..."

Though it made sense, Izuku couldn't help deadpanning when he heard Melissa's words. The doors to the elevator, not to mention the elevator itself, were thicker than the average prison. They were also comprised of literal futuristic materials, so even with Blackwhip, he might not be able to carve his way out. Not without utilizing the power of One-for-All to a fairly high degree...

Pulling out his cell phone, Izuku was going to try and message Toshinori but found he had no service. When Melissa saw this, her smile became even more awkward as she explained, "During High Alert Mode, radio and satellite frequencies below a certain level are completely jammed. I could have contacted someone, but I left my watch and phone in my room since my dress didn't have any pockets..."

"So..." muttered Izuku, turning to meet Melissa's gaze as he added, "What you're trying to say is...we're stuck..."

"Pretty much," admitted Melissa. "I could try reconfiguring the doors to open, but doing so could trigger the elevator's lockdown protocol. If that happens, we'd be spending the rest of our time trapped in aero-foam until someone came to cut us out..."

Opening his mouth, Izuku was tempted to ask if they were in a prison but stopped himself. I-Island was famous for having a security system on par with Tartarus, the most secure prison in the world, so this level of security was to be expected. After all, some of the most advanced technologies in the world were kept on the highest floor of the tower they were presently in. If people could access it easily by simply ascending the elevator shaft, they would have done so long ago...

...

..

.

(A/N: I mean...there are worse things than being trapped in an elevator shaft with a beautiful girl o_o...)