Personal Shopping (Shouko)

Iwasaka Shouko had a problem. Quite the problem indeed. A problem with her quirk. To explain it, one needed to briefly consider how it functioned, and what this typically meant for her. First of all, her quirk was the simply named Stone Shell- A quirk which caused a shell of solid rock to encase her body as she slept, and requiring her to carve herself out of it in the morning if she wished to do anything. And so she did, carving it into the armor she referred to as a battle dress- A long skirt of stone which covered her legs, and a much smaller band of stone which wrapped around her torso, protecting her chest. While a little showy, she nonetheless has accepted this as her hero uniform.

The problem is what lies under the stone. That is to say, nothing. Once the stone is carved off, it cannot simply be reattached, after all. That would defeat the point. The stone does cover what must be covered, of course. And her freakish flexibility is such that she has no trouble sliding some safety measures into the depths of her skirt- An important detail indeed, given her propensity for high kicks. However, she simply cannot do the same for those bits which are directly encased in stone.

Even wearing clothes to sleep is naturally unsuitable for her, as the growing stone pushes it out from within, until it rips into shreds of fabric. Many a beloved shirt has been lost to this, to the point where she has replaced her wardrobe with a cloth wrap that acts as a tunic- Even if she falls asleep while wearing it, the slow growth of stone merely loosens the sash, leading to it unfolding and remaining perfectly intact.

In short, combined with her love of engaging her classmates in spars and other training sessions, it is a miracle the problem has lain sleeping for such a long period of the school year. It is doubly unbelievable that the girl known for placing three thoughts into every aspect of her outfit, had not been prepared for such an occurrence. And yet that night, when her friend had asked her what was wrong, all she could do was cross her arms and shiver at the memory. Truly unfortunate.

But there was a light in every darkness. Her classmate, class president Karirin, had witnessed her misfortune. And that Karirin was also of great help to her friend, whose quirk similarly restricted her clothes. Apparently she was the heir to a company which specialized in this exact case, aiding those poor souls whose quirk was a hindrance to their daily life. Reportedly, Mianon was quite happy with Karirin's help in this matter, and that was enough of a recommendation for Shouko! Who had promptly contacted their class president and asked- Nay, begged- for her assistance in this matter.

To her gratitude, Karen was always happy to help... Or at least, happy to make a sale. It didn't take long for the two girls to arrange a trip to the company store. Shouko being Shouko, she didn't even look at the name of the place Karen provided, even as she plugged the address into her mapping app... All things considered, it was a bit surprising she had made it on time. But do so she did, bursting through the crowd in her rather obvious brown robe- "Kararin! Haiyo!" The girl would enthusiastically call out, spotting the head of white hair waiting in the crowd- If there was one thing to praise Shouko for, it was her eyes! And, uh. Not much else, if we're being honest. Especially not her head.

As evidenced when she finally looked up at the logo which made clear just who owned this particular facility, and her head stopped for a moment. Eh, wasn't this logo pretty familiar? Eh? Wasn't it... "Ehhh!? Etoile Enterprises!!??" The girl would exclaim in shock, taking another look at her friend. And then back at the logo, which appeared before her eyes each time she needed to replace the reinforced bedframe which was needed to support the weight of the boulder she woke up as. And then back at her classmate. A thousand words crossed her mind, but the summation could be said to be- Must hug this thick thigh!

Note that this is not to cast any aspersions as to the body fat ratio of Karen, especially not in her legs. It is simply a turn of phrase Shouko has picked up from Chinese novels, which basically sums up as sucking up to a rich or powerful person in the hopes of receiving discounts on expensive custom bedframes that steal away all her pocket change. And that's only the price her parents let her know about- Given the rate at which Shouko goes through beds, her tiny channel can hardly be a source of enough income to pay for them. An entire face wobbles as the girl contemplates how best to curry favor. But if Shouko were someone who was good at currying favor, she wouldn't refer to it in such terms as clinging onto someone's thigh.

"That's amazing, Karirin! Wow! Hey hey, is there a friends discount?"

Brown eyes turned wide. Well, wider. No, a bit wider than that. That was how wide Shouko's eyes were after the bombshell. "Ehhh!? Me? Important?" By her tone of voice, she had never considered herself such a thing. However, no matter how insignificant she was, Shouko was still Shouko. No amount of shock could remain long! It seemed she had already recovered as she got excited about the next part- "A tour! Kaririiiiiin" Where those tears in her eyes? Needless to say, the exuberant girl would throw a hug around her class president. Eh, was a tour worth getting this emotional over? Or was it more of her plan to- No, nevermind. Shouko wasn't capable of that level of thinking ahead.

However, she was still quite lost. Main office? Factories? Research? This was all so complicated it made her head spin! Whatever happened to a mall being a mall? Eto, eto... In the end, she decided... To not worry about it! "Ehehe..." The girl chuckled lightly, the tears threatening to strike anew when her request was brushed off. But what else could she do!? Ehhhhhh... Sniff. Surprisingly compliant, the girl would follow her classmate inside.

"Ah, no, I wouldn't say I'm familiar by any means." Inside, she had completely returned to her normal self... Although it was clear she was not used to having a personal attendant when shopping! Her every step seemed careful, as though she was afraid something might break... Which wouldn't be strange, as normally she wore a heavy curtain of stone which was a constant threat to flooring! However! Today, they sought items which could not be put on while wearing it! And so, for likely the first day since her admittance to UA, Shouko wore nothing except underclothes beneath her signature tunic!

Frankly, it was a miracle she even had any left at all.

"Eto... My beds all come from Etoile! I mean, you know how my quirk is." She sniffled again, but why was she crying this time? "B...But! I just bought a new one over spring break! If I'd knooooown!" Ah, regret. If only she had known she could ask her good friend(?) Karirin! Ah, but perhaps there was more to it than that... After all, "But lately, my bed at UA is straining more! Katayacchi says so! What should I do, Karirin? I can't afford another new one yet!" Although considering the school paid for the first one, they would probably pay for the replacement... But wait, would her home bed be able to take a weight that her school bed couldn't?

"But other than that... Mianon says you helped her buy clothes! I really don't know anything more than that, you know! Ah, I know! Karirin, where would you like to show off first?"

Shouko blinked a few times. A bed that wouldn't break? Eh, well, her old one had lasted quite a while... Right? And the ones that broke before it... Ehehehe... Let's just say there was a reason her parents insisted she pay for the replacements. Of course, their love was shown in that they only charged her the amount she could afford... Which conveniently left them able to pay for the rest out of pocket. Although their daughter was a strange, energetic creature with interests neither of them could understand... Their helplessness towards her should not be confused for dislike! "Eto, well... It was pretty old? Ah, I think the school one is a generic brand!" She hardly wanted her thick thigh to think she was disparaging her family's products! "Eh... Beyond that, we always kinda thought my quirk would... Stop growing? After a point."

Namely, the expectation was that the stone's composition would remain constant. That when her body stopped growing, her weight would remain pretty constant at maximum boulder. However, right when they thought all was well... The stone's density had begun to increase! It was enough to make a girl cry! She hardly had the face to step on the scale anymore! Never mind that she could shed all that weight just by taking the stone off... "I can't complain about getting stronger, but!" However, whatever lay behind that 'but' remained a girl's secret. Her growing difficulty escaping the confines of her own quirk was... One of the few sore spots Shouko possessed. Fortunately, she had a roommate who was happy to help with it... But what would she do after graduating?

However, her friend's next words crushed any hints of said soreness raising- "Heeeeeeh!? Really!? As much as I want, full warranty? That sounds amazing, Kaririiiiin!" Her excited shout would arise, clearly showing how most of her beds had broken in the past- But not this last time! She swore! This time it was just that the bed was made for when she was much smaller, you know? Not that anyone believed her. Poor girl. But she had brought it upon herself... Even if she rarely stopped to acknowledge that fact. However, if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was- And as the top end model, was it really something Shouko's family could afford? "Thanks, Karirin! You're the best!" The girl would exuberantly declare- As she did to just about everyone else. But what could she say? Everyone was the best! "Eto... Money is a bit tight at the moment..." However, her enthusiasm was dampened by the thought of her wallet- And who knew how much she would have to pay for their main objective today? It seemed the bouncing bed of ultimate joy would have to wait...

It was only natural that Karirin remembered Mianon. Mianon was Mianon, after all! "Mm! I'll let her know! I'm sure she'll be excited!" Mianon had been so enthusiastic about showing off her new clothes, after all! Well, unbeknownst to the girl, there was another reason behind that... But if Shouko were the type to notice such things, Mianon wouldn't be so troubled.

Following along, Shouko would display the suitable awe at the scale of the operation- Eyes held wide at each site they passed- And the accompanying exclamations of 'Wao!" and "Amazing" were certain to make any tour guide feel as though she was simply too easily impressed. "Heeeh, is that so? Wow, Karirin, your company really goes above and beyond!" No wonder they had such a good reputation. Nor was Shouko the type to think about how this level of control must frustrate investors- Planned obsolescence? What was that? Nor was she considering how high the prices must be to accommodate this level of research! In short, none of the hard questions would be asked!

"So this is where we'll test out my quirk, right!?" Shouko asked excitedly. She always loved testing out other people's quirks, but it was rare to test her own! At least, outside of a combat environment, and that was more testing her martial arts than her quirk! "Nyahaha, this is going to be fun!" She said, looking straight at the laser... It may be necessary to explain to her that for her case, the laser will most likely be unnecessary. She's going to be so disappointed, but that has nothing to do with her quirk's particular problem! "Are we going to stop here and do that now, Karirin? Or are we going to finish the tour first?" By the tone of her voice that was like a dog wagging it's tail, it was clear that either option would only increase her excitement.

"Thanks, Karirin! I knew you were the best!" SHouko would cry out, attempting to hug her friend. Her wallet couldn't afford much more of this! Though her bed was purchased so recently, it was unlikely to need replacement in the immediate future. This time, her parents had a much better idea of their daughter's quirk's growth rate- The real concern was her bed at school. Which the school was responsible for, and what were the odds of them buying a relatively expensive one? Even so, at the moment, Shouko's head was filled with nothing but dreams of bouncing like a trampoline, and pillow fights against faceless opponents. The truth would no doubt come crashing down on her eventually- But then, it was likely best she be snipped in the bud, before becoming addicted to the use of credit to pay for objects she most definitely cannot afford.

However, a beautiful dream is still beautiful. It is enough to have imagined it, and let the crush of reality press upon her another time.

As to how much fun testing her quirk would be- "Awwww..." It seemed she was disappointed by the lack of danger. But nothing kept a good girl down for long! "That's okay! It doesn't have to be dangerous to be fun, you know!" Had her classmate really gained that type of impression of her...? Well, objectively, it would be weirder if she hadn't. Considering Shouko's frequent trips to the infirmary, tendency to randomly come up with ridiculous training exercises, and general battle mania. But from her own point of view, Shouko thought it was really strange! Everyone treated her like she loved to fight, you know? But what she loved was battles!

The distinction was that she didn't have to be participate to enjoy it. Which was why it was unsurprising that their entire year misunderstood her intention, and most of her upperclassmen as well. But as the one who never stopped to explain her thoughts on the matter... It seemed things would remain in this pattern for a long while to come.

"Ehhh, prototypes?" However, in keeping with the theme of being unable to stay down for long, Shouko soon latched onto the class president's next words. Didn't the word prototype just bring a sense of romance to one's heart? A weapon to surpass all others! The gun that punches through mountains! The reactor drive that reaches ludicrous speeds! Weren't those the type of things that came to mind under the umbrella of prototypes? Once more, it seemed the girl was meant for disappointment. "En, lead the way, Karirin!" Each step brought new items, and new items brought excitement anew!

"Woooooah! How can it stretch like that! Ehhh, that's not the limit? Whaaaa!?" Such cries would ring out for each article they passed- Although tailored to the specific test that it was undergoing. Naturally. But although stretching clothes would solve her problem of them ripping off overnight, they would do nothing for her inability to wear them beneath the stone! She almost missed the comment about her own issues, that annoying dash of reality. Almost. If one were to compare her to a dog wagging her tail, that comment would cause her ears to droop... Though her tail still wagged as excitedly as ever! "Ehehe... I suppose so..."

However, compared to the reminder of her recent wardrobe malfunction... What truly embarrassed her was actually being told they had never faced her challenge before! Wasn't it, you know, totally out there to have this amazing facility... Working on an outfit for yours truly? It was, wasn't it!? Her head flushed at the plain terms her issue was put into. As true as it was, she didn't like thinking of it as sweat, you know? That made it sound dirty! "En, since it doesn't just need to go over it, but to let it pass through without being harmed, right?" However, she did her duty! And asked the questions that would lead into the answers she knew her classmate was raring to give! "Ehehe, I'm sorry for having such a weird quirk..." It seemed even Shouko knew shame, apologizing for the trouble she had caused. After all, if her quirk wasn't such an outlier, no such research would have been required! In all her life, she hadn't heard of a second one even close to it!

Karirin said it wasn't as exciting, but it didn't stop her customer's face from lighting up like an evergreen on Christmas! She was the child in the candy store, and what a candy store it was! Although there was no heavy duty testing equipment, that did not stop the girl's enthusiasm from overflowing! "Eh, you already had some ready? That was fast, Karirin!" Came the excited cry. The laid out fabrics on the table, were those the prototypes Karen had mentioned? They might not be doomsday devices, but they were something Shouko was in even greater need of at the moment! En, let's do this!" As excited as she was, it was clear she was just as excited about the promise of checking out the rest of the facility! Which was why, she was ready to leap into testing!

Practically bounding alongside Karirin to the table, Shouko would look over the tops provided. But, ahem... It seemed there'd been some miscommunication. "Eh? But my quirk doesn't produce that much, if we test like that, it'll take forever!" Shouko exclaimed. While her entire body produced sweat in her sleep, when she was awake, the buildup was marginal at best. Even if she wore them as a top, it wouldn't really get them the data they needed. "I can only produce it on command from my arms... So wouldn't something like an arm wrap be more suitable?" Unfortunately for the tube tops, they were the exact opposite of what Shouko needed for testing! She needed something to cover underneath her armor, not over it!

She completely overlooked the part about taking measurements- Or perhaps, having never been measured before, she simply didn't realize the sinister undertones of the statement. She was far too focused on the clothing on the table- Clothes the likes of which she would never have had the chance to wear before! At least, not for more than a day, before she inevitably fell asleep with them on, and... Yeah. In any case, together with Karirin and the attendant, they would somehow adjust those cute clothes into something more suitable for testing... It was a shame, but fashion could come after they had figured out which material to use!

Without much ado, Karen would pass the first test subject to Shouko. Given that she was only testing it on her arm, the dressing room was no longer a necessity. As she listened to the explanation... "Ehh? Wao! That's incredible! Let's try it out!" Being made for an oil, it was naturally a long shot... Which was probably why they were trying it first. Wrapping the fabric around her arm, Shouko flexed her arm a few times. True to the company's reputation, it was super comfy! Flexible and elastic! Amazing! But the real question was, could it stand up to her quirk? Given that it was disposable, Shouko wouldn't hold back!

As could probably be expected, material made for oil... Didn't really do much for Shouko. It was immediately obvious- The second the liquid began pouring forth from her forearms, the material started to stretch, a credit to its elasticity... But even that only lasted so long before rips and tears appeared in the material, finally... Bursting entirely, to the sheepish look on Shouko's face. "Eto... I guess that one wasn't it, Karirin." Was all that really needed to be said. Clearly, it wasn't porous enough for the thick goop of her quirk to pass through... Nor was it anywhere similar to an oil, so even the special chemical was pointless. All in all, a failure... But not an unexpected one.

With a wistful look at the fabric scraps floating to the floor, Shouko made ready for the next test. She couldn't expect to get it right in one shot, but... It would have been nice to have even a slight glimmer of hope, you know!? With a swift movement she readied herself for the next piece, tucking her now encased arm underneath her free one- And with a wrenching movement, broke off the shell. "Eto, I guess... It wasn't porous enough? Even as a liquid, my stone is pretty thick, you know. It's like cement or concrete, so... I'd say the particle size is probably pretty big? Relatively speaking? In the hopes of guiding the process, the girl gave her thoughts on the matter. In this case, none of her sweat had even leaked outside of the wrap! They needed something that could let even bigger particles out!

The hardest part would be finding a fabric which was porous enough for the rock to pass through it, instead of building up underneath. If it built up underneath, it defeated the point! They needed something that could go underneath, so that when the rock broke, there was something underneath to... Eto, she didn't really get why that was important. Was there really something wrong with her body that people didn't want to see? The thought made her a bit sad... She didn't really get it! Hers looked the same as anyone else's, and she didn't have a problem with seeing theirs! But they insisted that this was something that needed to be done, so... Here she was.

"En. And that wouldn't have worked anyways, it hardens up way too fast to store a sample!" Shouko would interject. A vial of stone wouldn't do anything and- Was there even a way to prevent it from hardening? No, they had quickly concluded that live trials were the only way to go! But to not even know this... Eh, had she not given Karirin a proper rundown of her quirk? "Eh? Karirin, have I not explained how my quirk works to you before?" The girl would ask in surprise. There were simply too many misunderstandings today! Had she just... Kinda assumed that the class president would know? Ah, if she didn't know what they were fighting against, it would be really hard to find a solution!

However, that aside, they would continue onto the second test. A breathable fabric! That should be more porous, right? "Alright, let's give it a shot!" Shouted Shouko, who held higher expectations for this fabric! The white arm wrap quickly slipped over her arm, the girl stretching her arm to get a feel for it. Would it work? Would it not? "Heeeeere I gooooo!" She would cry out loud, thrusting her arm high in the sky... She really was having too much fun with this, wasn't she?

Within moments, grey dots appeared on the surface of the fabric. "Eh? is it-" An excited voice jinxed it. Just as it started to look like a success... Before passing through the breathable fabric, the stone liquid turned brown. "Ah! It was so close! Come on... En, did you give this one a name?" However, Shouko was relatively cavalier despite visibly straining her face. She really liked this one! It was sturdy!

But to her dismay, that was as far as it went. The stone which hardened inside the fabric sealed the holes it was meant to escape through- A problem she had never had before! Normally her quirk could just build up on top of itself, right? But this time, it couldn't push out any further! As she kept trying to push, she noticed a feeling she had never felt before. A pressure, pushing in on her arm. "Gah! Ah, ah- Ow!" She yelped as the hardened stone began to pinch, squeezed in by having nowhere else to go. And in the end, the sturdy fabric seemed to be stronger than the girl's own body.

Fortunately, she was awake, and could stop herself from producing more! "Mmmm. This one... I think it's got too much air in it? It's porous enough to squeeze through, but the pores get blocked right up!" she guessed. "Eto, I think... Because it's less elastic, it also felt a bit less flush from my body than the last one. So it had room to build up underneath as well, and-" Because it was stronger than the body underneath, when the pores got clogged... The body underneath would be crushed. "So, I think... Something more form fitting would be better? And maybe a little more porous so it doesn't clog as easily?" Came the two suggestions from her mouth. But did Karen have a material that fit those specifications?

Shouko's head tilted to the side. They can do that? But in classic fashion, she chose not to hurt her head with the details. "Okay!" She would happily reply. However it worked, any quirk test was a good test to her! And with that out of the way, would proceed onto the next test. The results of which have already been seen.

"En." The girl nodded. It was convenient that Karirin was able to follow her explanations easily! Nice, Karirin! She looked forward to the next material to come out, which was... "Eh? What's this?" The girl asked, holding the black fabric. It was more of a net than a cloth! And according to Karirin, was even called as such! For Shouko, unaware of fashion, it would be easy to misunderstand. "Eh, this is used for fishing nets? Is it really okay to wear this kind of thing!?" The brunette would exclaim in shock, based on her misunderstanding. But dutifully, she would take the sample, rapping it around her arm... Karirin's words were right, you could see right through it!

But then, Shouko had never quite understood the reason she needed to cover up in the first place, so she hardly would mind this. What mattered was... Would it work? With a clenched fist, Shouko began the third test! Stone swiftly poured forth, and- It seemed as though it would work! Taking the path of least resistance, the stone would pour around the weave, and become nearly a full club in moments. The raised arm fell, swinging by Shouko's side a few times, as though to test the feel. "Eh? Karirin, I think it works!"" The girl would claim excitedly. It hadn't burst! That was a big deal, you know!

However, even if Shouko agreed with it, others would not. After all, the fishnet style ruined the point of the new garment, which was to cover herself up more! Even as the mesh shrank, it would never quite reach the level of decency required by the school- Or by Shouko's friends. A fact which would be clear to everyone present, except the girl herself. As such, when she asked- "Are we done then?" While looking at all the materials they had not gone through... Most likely, the answer would be to try a few more, and see if one was perhaps more reasonable to work with.

As for the person in question- She was happy either way! Learning about quirk-centric technology was a lot like learning about the quirks, right? Testing out materials was fun! As for the original goal... If it weren't for Karirin, Mianon, and the school telling her she had to, she probably wouldn't even be looking for new garments in the first place.