Chapter Text
They could have gone their separate ways after dinner and rested, but Kirishima and Ochako decided otherwise the moment they stepped out of the dining room.
“We can’t just go to our rooms and sleep now, we need to spend our time wisely!” Kirishima announced with enthusiasm.
“Right!” Ochako added, eyes sparkling. “It’s not every day you get to spend two nights inside a Japanese castle without a teacher around to make you obey some strict rules!”
Sanae understood their excitement. Even if Ryota was present, he wasn’t Aizawa.
“But what do you guys want to do?” she asked.
“Look at how huge this place is! We should play hide and seek!” Kirishima proposed immediately.
The suggestion brought back memories of her childhood—running through hallways with her cousins, laughter echoing through the estate. Still, she hesitated. Her friends didn’t know the grounds well, and getting lost here was far too easy, especially at night. Worse, it would become a burden for the staff if they had to search for students wandering around in the dark.
“We can play that during the day, not at night,” Sanae explained gently. “If you get lost, it’ll be inconvenient for the staff members.”
“Ah—” Kirishima exclaimed, guilt flashing across his face. “Sorry, Fujiwara. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble!”
“It’s alright, Kirishima-kun,” Sanae reassured him with a smile. “We can play something else.”
“Do you have something in mind, Fujiwara?” Iida asked.
“Well,” she replied after a brief pause, “my family mostly has traditional games—like Fukuwarai, Karuta, or Hanetsuki.”
The mention of traditional games earned a moment of silence as everyone tried to picture what exactly they were about to get into.
“Karuta?” Ochako repeated, tilting her head. “That’s the one where you slap cards, right?”
“Yes,” Sanae confirmed. “One person reads a poem, and the rest have to find the matching card as fast as possible.”
Midoriya’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Oh! Hyakunin Isshu Karuta! I’ve read about it before but I’ve never actually played—wait, are we using the full classical poems or the simplified version?”
“We’ll use the simplified one,” Sanae said quickly, already sensing where this was going. “Otherwise this will take all night.”
“Aw, but the classical version really tests memory and reflexes—”
“Shut up Nerd,” Bakugou cut in, “you are not reciting ancient poetry.”
His comment made Sanae smile inside. It may sound mean but compared to how Bakugou used to talk to Midoriya before, this was much more tame.
Todoroki glanced between them.
“I don’t mind either way.”
“That’s because you’d somehow win even if you didn’t understand it,” Ochako muttered.
“Do I give off that vibe?”
Sanae chuckled and gestured for them to follow her.
“Come on. There’s a tatami room near the inner garden that’s usually used for games. It’s quieter there.”
They made their way through the softly lit corridors, the wooden floors creaking faintly under their steps. Paper lanterns cast warm shadows along the walls, and the distant sound of water from the garden pond drifted in through an open shoji door. The night air was cool and calm, a stark contrast to the energy buzzing between them.
When they arrived, Sanae slid open the door to reveal a wide tatami room already prepared with low tables and cushions. From a cabinet, she brought out a wooden box and set it carefully in the center of the room.
“This is my family’s Karuta set,” she explained as she opened it. “Some of these cards are older than me, so… try not to destroy them.” Her eyes lingered on Bakugou after her last sentence.
The concerned one only cracked his knuckles.
“As long as your game is not rigged.”
“Bakugou, that’s not a reason!” Iida snapped immediately.
Ochako laughed as they all sat down in a loose circle.
“Okay, but if I lose, I’m blaming the poetry.”
“Excuses already?” Kirishima grinned. “This is getting manly.”
Karuta ? : Karuta is a fast-paced game where people gather around cards laid out on the floor, each bearing written words. One person reads aloud the beginning of a poem or proverb, and everyone else scrambles to find the single card that completes it. The fastest player to claim the correct card wins.
They sat in a loose circle on the tatami, sleeves of yukata and hakama brushing the floor as Sanae carefully spread the cards between them. The reader cards rested neatly in her hands.
“Remember,” she said calmly, “listen carefully. It’s not about strength, just speed and understanding.”
“Yeah yeah. Just start already.” Bakugou pressed as he cracked his neck.
Todoroki knelt perfectly straight, eyes half-lidded but sharp, already memorizing the layout in front of him.
Midoriya leaned forward, whispering to himself.
“Okay, opening syllables, rhythm, seasonal imagery—if it’s autumn-related it’ll probably reference leaves or wind—”
“Midoriya,” Iida warned, adjusting his glasses, “please refrain from distracting the other players.”
“Sorry—I was trying to prepare for myself—”
“For god’s sake Nerd, shut up!”
Kirishima squinted at the cards.
“Man… they all look the same.”
Ochako nodded.
“Right? It’s gonna be hard to be fast.”
Momo, meanwhile, had already committed the positions to memory, fingers hovering politely above her knees as if waiting for permission to move.
Sanae inhaled once and began.
Round 1
“Crimson sun fades,
petals drift along the stream,
a heron calls alone.”
The game just started when Bakugou’s hand shot out first, in his usual overconfident style and slapped Petal Drift.
“Wrong.” Sanae pointed out immediately.
“What!? That’s not it!?” he barked, glaring.
Momo’s fingers hovered over a card, Sanae knew it was the correct one but her friend hesitated, staring at Bakugou’s mistake.
“…Should I?” she whispered nervously.
Todoroki, on the other hand, slapped the same card with no hesitation.
“…Crimson Heron.” he murmured, eyes still on the card.
“Correct.”
Ochako and Kirishima both flung themselves half a second later, hitting Crimson Stream and Lonely Crane, respectively.
“Both of you got it wrong.”
“Ahh—!” Ochako groaned.
“I thought it was that!” Kirishima shouted.
Midoriya was still muttering numbers and letters, analyzing, but froze halfway.
“C-crimson… sun… petals… oh no, too late!”
Iida blinked, reading aloud carefully.
“Petals drift along the… oh, I missed it!”
“Sorry, Todoroki-kun already took the correct one.”
Score: Todoroki 1
Round 2
“A thousand lanterns sway,
children laughing by the river,
stars smile from above.”
Bakugou’s hand shot out like lightning. In a blink, Lantern River was clapped.
“Got it!” he growled, face smug.
“Correct.”
Ochako gasped, waving her hands in disbelief.
“How is he THAT fast!?”
“Bro, at least give us a chance too.”
“Get better on your own, idiot.”
Midoriya and Iida looked at each other, feeling the same frustration.
“We… should think less, act faster…” Midoriya muttered under his breath.
“Yes! Strategic haste!” Iida added.
Todoroki, silently impressed, gave the winner a faint nod.
“…efficient,” Momo murmured, voice almost drowned by Bakugou’s smug growl.
Score: Todoroki 1, Bakugou 1
Round 3
“Snow drifts on peaks,
footprints vanish beneath white,
wind hums a hollow hymn.”
Wasting no time, Bakugou and Todoroki raced for the same card, hands colliding, and both slapped Snowfall Hymn—
“Wrong!”
“Seriously!?” Bakugou growled.
“Incorrect?” Todoroki said, expression unreadable.
Midoriya stopped his loud calculations and slapped Hollow Wind—
“Also wrong.”
“Ahh! But the hollow hymn—!” he groaned.
On the other side, Ochako and Kirishima froze mid-reach, eyes looking over the cards, hesitating.
“Which one? Which one is it!?” Ochako whimpered.
“I only heard ‘snow’… maybe that one!” Kirishima said before slapping Vanishing Tracks.
“Wrong.”
“This one sounds so hard!” Midoriya complained.
“Is there even an answer!?” Bakugou growled, eyes looking at every card.
As if hearing their complaints, Momo’s hand shot forward and slapped Winter Peaks.
“Correct, nice one, Momo-chan!”
“Yes! I finally got one!” she cheered, triumphant.
Bakugou stared, jaw dropping.
“…You… how!?”
“Good job, Yaoyorozu.” Todoroki complimented her.
“As expected of my vice class president.” Iida said, adjusting his glasses.
Score: Todoroki 1, Bakugou 1, Momo 1
Round 4
“Leaves dance in the wind,
whispers of amber through the trees,
a crow calls alone.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Bakugou and Todoroki dove for the same card at the same instant. Their hands collided mid-air, Sanae immediately saw the tension and the potential threat to her game.
“Wait, don’t destroy my card!” She yelled, jumping up.
Both froze, hands hovering, glaring at each other.
“Move your hand!” Bakugou growled.
“Yours is in the way.” Todoroki replied, calm but firm.
Ochako, wide-eyed, saw her chance and rushed to pick up what the boys were fighting over.
“…Okay, now!” she shouted, slapping Autumn Breeze flawlessly.
“Correct.”
“What!?” Bakugou and Todoroki snapped at the same time.
“Yes!!” The brunette cheered.
“Hey, isn’t that stealing from others?” Kirishima pointed out.
“That was against the rules, Uraraka!” Iida screamed out, his hand chopping the air.
“There’s no rule against that Iida-kun!” Ochako defended herself.
Sanae shook her head, smiling.
“It’s indeed not against the rules.”
“That should have been specified!”
“It’s ok Iida-kun, let Uraraka-san have it.” Midoriya tried to calm the class president.
Momo sighed softly, watching the scene.
“…I wanted that one too…”
“You’re playing favorites!!” Bakugou growled.
“Next one.” Sanae declared, ignoring him.
“Don’t ignore me!!!”
Score: Todoroki 1, Bakugou 1, Momo 1, Ochako 1
Round 5
“Dew clings to petals,
the first rays kiss the hillside,
birds stretch their small wings.”
“Petals!! Kiss!!” Kirishima exclaimed and immediately slapped Petal Kiss.
“Wrong.”
“How!? Those were the same words!!” He groaned.
Meanwhile, Bakugou and Midoriya simultaneously dove for a card, but both landed on First Rays at the same time.
“You idiot, move away!” Bakugou screamed.
“No Kacchan! I touched it first—”
“It’s wrong anyway.”
“But—” They both shouted at the same time.
Next to them, Ochako tried reaching for Morning Dew, but Iida grabbed her hand firmly.
“Hold on! Make sure before touching!”
“I AM SURE, Iida-kun! And why are you stopping me!?” she shouted, yanking her hand free.
Todoroki and Momo, racing side by side, slammed onto the same card, and the dual haired boy moved the wanted item away from her by a hair.
“…Finally,” he muttered quietly.
“Correct.”
“My point!! Iida-kun!!!!”
“I’m sorry!”
“...I’m too slow again.” Momo sighed.
Score: Todoroki 2, Bakugou 1, Momo 1, Ochako 1
Round 6
“A silent pond lies,
ripples from a single stone,
dragonflies hover.”
Kirishima, with the same strategy as earlier, rushed for Single Ripples.
“Wrong.”
“But it has the same words!!!” The red haired boy protested.
“Are you stupid?! That’s not how the game works!!”
Bakugou scolded him as his hand slapped Tranquil Waters.
“Correct.”
“See, that’s how you do it, you dumbass!”
“My brain doesn’t work as fast as yours, I need to rely on something else!” Kirishima objected.
Meanwhile, all this time, Midoriya, eyes scanning the cards, muttering rapidly under his breath.
“…Silent pond—so stillness. But ripples mean movement… so it’s not pure calm… dragonflies hovering means light motion without disturbance…” He frowned. “…Too literal won’t work. It’s about contrast. Stillness with motion…”
His fingers twitched.
“…Tranquil… water that moves but stays calm—wait, that might be it—”
But before he could act, Bakugou had already pulled the card away.
Midoriya froze mid-reach.
Iida firmly stepped in.
“Midoriya. Stop. The round has concluded.”
“O-oh…” Midoriya blinked, snapping out of it.
Ochako gently tugged his sleeve.
“You were really close, Deku-kun! There’s always next time.”
Score: Todoroki 2, Bakugou 2, Momo 1, Ochako 1
Round 7
“Fallen leaves gather,
footsteps fade down the path,
autumn holds its breath.”
“LEAVES!” Kirishima shouted on instinct and slammed his palm down on Fallen Leaves.
Bakugou already sucked in a breath.
“Didn’t you listen—”
“…Correct.”
Everyone froze.
“Huh?” Ochako blinked.
“What!?” Bakugou snapped.
Kirishima stared at his hand.
“…Wait, Really!?”
“Yes,” Sanae confirmed, checking the card again. “That’s the right one.”
“That was so manly of me!!!” Kirishima jumped up. “See!? First word strategy, blessed by the Karuta God!!”
“That was pure luck!” Ochako protested. “I’m sure you didn’t even listen to the rest!”
“Don’t care!” Kirishima grinned. “A point is a point!”
“This game is fucking rigged.”
“Still won!!”
“Indeed, a win is a win, next round now Fujiwara! I still have yet to score a point!” Iida cut them, voice full of determination.
Score: Todoroki 2, Bakugou 2, Momo 1, Ochako 1, Kirishima 1
Round 8
Sanae hesitated slightly before reading.
“This one’s… tricky.”
Everyone leaned forward.
“Moon without reflection,
a bell unheard in the fog,
dawn arrives alone.”
Bakugou moved first and slapped Fog Bell.
“Wron—”
Sanae couldn’t clearly finish her sentence before Todoroki already tapped on a card, Unheard Chime.
“Wrong.”
“Ah—”
“I see it,” Midoriya gasped. “It’s about absence—sound without perception—That’s it!!”
He picked Silent Bell.
“Wrong.”
Midoriya couldn’t voice his disappointment when Ochako panicked and lunged.
“It’s Lonely Dawn! I’m sure!!”
“Wrong.”
“Damn it, First word god come on!” Kirishima groaned, slapping Moon Fog. “…Please?”
“No, wrong.”
Amidst the chaos of everyone failing, Momo closed her eyes briefly.
“…Isolation without despair… arrival without witness—”
Her hand landed on Veiled Morning.
“…Wrong.”
The table went silent, only Iida hadn’t moved yet.
“…Reflection denied implies separation,” he muttered, hands clenched still reflecting.
“An unheard bell confirms existence without acknowledgment—dawn arrives alone—”
Surely, carefully—
“Unwitnessed Dawn!” The class president exclaimed as he picked the card.
“…Correct.”
For a moment, Iida didn’t react.
Until her confirmation sank in his mind—
“I finally did it!” He straightened his glasses, practically glowing. “I have a point!”
“This one was hard.” Momo sighed.
“Nice one, Iida.” Todoroki congrated.
Midoriya collapsed forward with a depressed face.
“…I still have zero points.”
“Skill issue.” Bakugou snorted.
“Deku-kun, don’t give up!” Ochako tried to cheer him up.
Score: Todoroki 2, Bakugou 2, Momo 1, Ochako 1, Kirishima 1, Iida 1
Round 9
“Cracked porcelain waits,
tea grows cold beneath the stars,
no guest ever comes.”
“Cracked! First word!!” Kirishima yelled and slapped Broken Cup immediately.
“Wrong.”
“No!! Don’t give up on me, First word God!!”
Ochako jumped next and picked up a card.
“Cold Tea!”
“Wrong.”
At the same instant, Bakugou, Todoroki, and Midoriya launched toward the same direction.
“EMPTY—!”
“NO, WAIT—!”
“IT’S—!”
Only for their heads collided mid-dive, the impact pushing them away from the card they wanted.
“OW!”
“Ah—!”
“WHY ARE YOU BOTH—!?”
They collapsed in a tangled mess, completely missing the table.
The desired card sat untouched with two other people already having eyes on it as Momo and Iida moved together.
Not wanting to get hurt like the three boys before him, Iida slowed down his pace at the last fraction of second which allowed Momo to reach for it first.
“It’s mine!”
“Correct. Waiting Teacup.”
Iida froze, hand hovering in the air.
“…I—Why did I slow down!?”
“Thank you, Iida!” Momo beamed, happy to get her point.
Bakugou sat up, rubbing his head.
“Damn it! It’s your fault!!”
Todoroki exhaled, ignoring his comment.
“…That was unlucky.”
“That one could have been my first point...” Midoriya stared at the card as he lamented.
Score: Todoroki 2, Bakugou 2, Momo 2, Ochako 1, Kirishima 1, Iida 1
Round 10
“This is the final round,” she announced.
Every spine straightened.
“It’s worth three points,” she added calmly. “So, given the current scoreboard, whoever wins this round—wins the game.”
A sharp inhale ran through the group.
“Th-three points…?” Midoriya’s eyes widened
“There better be no bullshit around this one.” Bakugou cracked his knuckles.
“This is really it…” Ochako leaned forward, fingers trembling just above the tatami.
“Everyone, maintain discipline and focus.” Iida pushed his glasses up with a decisive motion.
“Alright! Last round! Manly concentration! I need you now, my First word God!!” Kirishima clenched his fists.
Momo scanned the field of cards one last time, breathing slow and steady while Todoroki remained silent, gaze already narrowed, perfectly still.
Sanae took a breath—and began to read.
“Through endless winters passed,
a hand still warms the memory of spring—
even if the path is lost,
even if the name fades,
the heart remembers.”
The instant she finished, Midoriya inhaled sharply.
“Okay—okay so ‘endless winters’ implies prolonged hardship or time passage, not literal seasons, which rules out Winter Road and Frozen Years, and ‘a hand still warms’ indicates emotional continuity rather than physical presence, meaning—”
“Deku-kun, stop talking!” Ochako snapped.
“Silence during the round is mandatory!” Iida barked.
Midoriya didn’t seem to hear their complaints and continued.
“—and ‘memory of spring’ isn’t about renewal but contrast, warmth remembered during cold, so the poem’s emotional axis is identity persistence—”
“Shut the hell up you damn Nerd!” Bakugou roared.
Instead of stopping, he spoke even louder.
“—which means ‘path is lost’ negates directional imagery, eliminating Wandering Path and Lost Footsteps, so the remaining consistent motif is origin—!”
“BRO!” Kirishima yelled with a hand shaking the green haired boy’s shoulder. “You’re gonna get us all confused!”
Midoriya ignored his touch and leaned forward, voice rising.
“—AND ‘even if the name fades’ implies loss of external identity but not internal self, so the heart remembering means—!”
“MIDORIYA STOP! THIS IS CHEATING!” Iida cried out as he was losing his mind.
“DEKU-KUN, PLEASE!” Ochako begged with both her hands on her ears to stop hearing him.
Midoriya was practically shouting now.
“—THE CORRECT CARD CAN’T BE ABOUT TIME OR SEASONS BUT MEMORY ANCHORED TO ORIGIN AND CONTINUITY WHICH MEANS—!”
“DEKU, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T STOP—”
Diving forward with an impressive speed, he cried out the name of the card he just picked.
“WHERE IT BEGAN!!”
Silence crashed over the room.
Sanae blinked, then reached for the card. She checked it once. Then again.
“…Correct.”
The explosion was instant.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” Bakugou screamed.
“HE DISTRACTED EVERYONE!” Ochako yelled.
“I PROTEST THIS ENTIRE ROUND!” Iida declared.
“I DIDN’T EVEN GET TO MOVE!” Kirishima groaned.
Midoriya froze, then slowly looked down at his hand.
“…I won?”
“…That was ridiculous.” Momo covered her face with both hands.
“…Unbelievable.” Todoroki exhaled, rubbing his temple.
Bakugou pointed at Midoriya, veins bulging.
“YOU GOT ZERO POINTS ALL GAME AND NOW YOU WIN LIKE THIS!?”
Midoriya smiled, breathless and glowing.
“I—I won…”
Sanae laughed softly, shaking her head.
“Winner of the game—Midoriya Izuku.”
Midoriya stared at the card, then at everyone else who were staring back at him with murderous intents. Suddenly, he flinched, finally realizing the reason for their displeasure.
“Guys—I’m—I didn’t—”
The room immediately erupted into shouting again. Their energy was contagious, her heart felt lighter when surrounded by their laughter. The smile kept coming to her face until it hurt.
It would have been a shame to miss out moments like these.