Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A fresh start!
Tsuno couldn't help but feel relieved as she moved her stuff from home into her dorm room. A slight break from all her duties as a hero would be so refreshing... no matter how much she loved the work she did, this time away to focus on her studies was much needed. Finally, she could stop being Tsuno "The Superhero" Manami, and simply be a collage girl.

However, no matter how badly Tsuno would want to be temporarily free from her previous role, The Phantom Thief of Nagoya could never release their intense rivalry. It's only natural that wherever her precious hero went, she would follow. How could she even *dream* of attempting to put such a strong rivalry on hold!? Now with a new alias, slightly fresh appearance, and new evil plans, she would make sure her nemesis would never rest.

After a tiny touch of blackmail, the villain finally got the chance to switch rooms with Tsuno's original assigned roommate. Her newly designed mask, now cropped to only hide her nose and mouth to trigger less suspicion, concealing her face brimming with joy, she finally approached the open door of her new dorm room and stepped inside.

"Excuse me, is this room 119?" a soft, slightly muffled voice called from behind Tsuno, who was opening up her suitcase full of clothes to move into her new closet. "Oh! You must be my roommate!" Tsuno turned around, smiling widely at the tall figure standing in the doorway. "My name is Tsuno Manami! It's really nice to meet you!" She walked over and offered up her hand.
Taking Tsuno's hand in her own and giving it a soft squeeze, the masked individual responded.

"My name is Okazaki Hanano. I hope we'll get along."

Chapter Text

First week into college, and Tsuno was already running late for a lecture.

Her entire morning had been going completely and totally wrong! First of all, her alarm didn't go off at all, her phone was missing, and she managed to burn her breakfast. She rushed around her dorm frantically, but without any luck.

"Okazaki, have you seen my phone anywhere?" she called out, still looking around while also rushing together a sandwich before she left.

"Mmm, I don't think I have." Okazaki replied flatly, sat on their sofa, scrolling through her phone. Tsuno looked over at her, maybe for a second too long, because she noticed something strange. "Wait a second-- Okazaki! Is that my phone!?" Tsuno rushed over, grabbing it out of her hands quickly. "Why'd you take it?" Her roommate simply looked back at her, eyes shifting into a smug, proud look.

"Mm, I could've sworn that was my phone. I'm sorry, Manami." Okazaki responded, but her expression gave her away completely. Tsuno sighed, shoved her phone in her bag and slipping her shoes on. "I'll see you later. Bye."
"Goodbye."

Tsuno ran out the door, careful not to slam it behind her, and was off to her class, leaving Okazaki all alone and very proud of her villainy.

After class, Tsuno was walking home. She opened up her phone, accidentally opening her gallery. Unusually, it was full of... pictures she had never seen before!? Pictures of Okazaki's face very close to the camera, Tsuno making her breakfast, Tsuno running around their apartment, with half of Okazaki's face peeking in from the side of the screen with her annoying, smug eyes that Tsuno hated. There must have been hundreds of these. Tsuno sighed, cleared out the photos, closed her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

She fished her keys out her pocket, entered their dorm to find that it was empty. Tsuno put her stuff down and walked over to their kitchen counter, spotting a small box on their counter with a small yellow note stuck on top.

'Sorry for this morning.'

Tsuno's eyes softened a little reading the note. Was Okazaki apologising for annoying her? She found the gesture very sweet, until she opened up the box to find...

A few slightly burnt cookies.

...Its the thought that counts.

Tsuno thought as she tucked the box away into a cupboard, slipping the note into her pocket. It was weird, but something about the whole thing made Tsuno feel warm inside.

Chapter Text

After a few weeks of being Okazaki Hanano's roommate, Tsuno was certain that she was losing her mind. The way she had been messing with her and really, really gotten to her. Since her roommate wasn't home yet, she was preparing to cook a nice dinner while on the phone with her good friend, Isono Miki.

"And I just can't understand the way she acts! She always does stupid things just to mess with me, and I KNOW it's on purpose because she always acts so-- SMUG! And I hate it so much!"

Tsuno ranted while she tied her hair up into a bun, throwing on a jumper she was okay with getting food on.

"It's so annoying. But then she does these stupid, sweet things to make up for it, and it makes me feel so..."

She pauses and thinks about it for a minute, cooking some chicken in a pan.

"Flustered? I don't know, in a way it's strangely endearing. I don't even know how I feel about her. It's not like I dislike her in any way, it's actually the opposite because I like her a lot, and she's really sweet and fun but she's so... confusing! She's totally playing with me."

Tsuno starts to make some noodles for a stir fry, giving Isono some time to reply.

"Hmmm... well, maybe it's just her weird way of showing affection! You're really sweet, so it's not like she has a reason to be horrible to you anyway." Isono responded. "I'm sure it's not, like, malicious or anything, she's probably just having fun! And maybe it's also her weird way of showing that she appreciates you? You're always doing nice stuff for her and taking care of her, so it makes sense."

Tsuno finished up her cooking and moved her dinner over onto a plate and moves to the dinner table, taking her phone with her.

"Yeah, but It's almost like she enjoys watching me get frustrated... I can't understand it... (munch munch)" Tsuno said, as she started to enjoy the food she made.

"Oooh, Manami, what if she likes you?~ Even better, what if you like her and she realised it before you do, so she's acting on it?" Isono teased. "Okazaki is single, right? Everyone has weird ways they treat their crushes, so what if her way is messing with you to show that she's into you? And it sounds like it's working~~"

"No, no! Miki, You're definitely reaching!" Tsuno continued to shovel food into her mouth, dwelling on the concept briefly in her mind, but quickly letting it go. "I think it's just-"

She was cut off by an alarm ringing out over on Isono's end of the call.

"Awwww, I forgot I had a stream scheduled... I gotta go for now, but I'll call you later if you're up, okay?" Isono could be heard shuffling around, setting up her streaming equipment. Tsuno finished up her food and began to get up and wash her dish.

"Okay, have a good stream Miki!"
"Byeee!!~"

The call disconnected and Tsuno started to clean up the kitchen, neatly putting the rest of the stir fry she made onto a plate and putting it in the fridge.

For Okazaki.

Chapter Text

"Hanaaa!!"
Tsuno stood over her own bed, looking over it with a frustrated expression, feeling the cold and wet fabric of her blankets and sheets. On this day, she came home late to find her bedsheets and pillowcases had been replaced while they were completely wet. It was late on a cold night and they were the only set they had, aside from the ones on the other bed, so this was quite a big issue for her.

Okazaki popped around the corner, peeking into Tsuno's room. "What's the matter, Manami?" she asked in a forced playful, almost sickly sweet tone. "Is everything alright?"

"Did you replace my sheets today?"
"Hmmm... I'm not sure if I recall doing so."
"Hanano, why is my bed totally drenched?"
"I don't know what you mean."

They looked at each other from across the room for a second, Tsuno's face holding a hint of anger, Okazaki grinning ear to ear under her mask. Finally, Tsuno sighed, crossed her arms and said,
"Well, I guess that means I'll just have to go and sleep in YOUR bed instead then."
Okazaki dropped her smug expression. "Wh- Huh!?"

This was DEFINITELY not a part of Okazaki's plan. Tsuno was meant to go sleep on their couch!? Her night was meant to be completely ruined! What could she do in this scenario?

"Wh-Where am I supposed to sleep, though?"
"Figure it out!" Tsuno shot back, already beginning to make her way over to Okazaki's bed in their dorm.

Okazaki trailed behind her. "Manami, wouldn't it just be easier if you slept on the couch tonight?" she tried to awkwardly add on, but she was met with an icy look from the girl.

"You should've thought about that before giving me soggy bedsheets! How about you sleep on the couch tonight, Hana? I have an important class tomorrow. I wanna sleep properly before it."

"I don't really want to, though."

"OK, well, neither do I!"

Tsuno had already situated herself comfortably in Okazaki's bed. They were now locked in a tense staring contest from by the bedside to down in the actual bed. Okazaki, unwilling to lose this fight with her nemesis, wordlessly lifted up the blanket and crawled into her bed. "H-Hey! What are you doing?" Tsuno slightly sat up in surprise.

"I don't want to sleep on the couch. So I'm sleeping in my bed." Okazaki responded matter-of-factly, turning away and sliding off her mask, placing it on the bedside table.
"Hana, there's barely any space!"
"Hmm.. Go to the couch then."
Tsuno was lost for words. Also unwilling to lose this pointless argument, she laid back down, facing the wall.

After a few minutes of laying in silence, Tsuno realised the reason she couldn't sleep was that the lamp on the bedside table was still on.
"Hana, could you turn off the light?"
Silence.
"Hanano."
Even more silence.
Okazaki's new evil plan was to ignore her until she got even more pissed off. Absolute genius. She simply lay facing away from Tsuno, a mischievous smile still on her face. Tonight had been very fruitful in annoying her precious hero, so she felt very accomplished.
"Hananoooo."
Tsuno spun around to face Okazaki. Yet another lot of silence.

She let out a frustrated sigh, eventually giving up and sitting up in a way where she can comfortably reach over to the lamp's switch. Just as she was about to turn out the lamp...

Okazaki swiftly reached over and flicked off the light, letting out a small satisfied chuckle. Tsuno's arm froze, before she quickly retracted it, laying back down and facing the wall again.

"You're unbelievable." she said under her breath, more to herself than to her roommate.

"Hm hmm. Goodnight, Manami."

Her voice was dripping with pride and accomplishment. Okazaki was so smug, it almost made her sick. She hated it. It was so frustrating to her. She knew exactly how to push all of her buttons, and it pissed her off.

Even worse, Tsuno couldn't understand why she felt like she secretly liked it. Her roommate's dumb teasing made her heart flutter.

Okazaki Hanano was going to drive her insane.

Chapter Text

When Tsuno woke up the following morning, Okazaki had already left. Paying no mind, Tsuno simply got ready and went to her classes.

However, Okazaki had taken a little trip to an old... friend's... home.

"KONkonkonkonkon! My my, Youhei, you denied that it would be possible, but my evil plan is working better than ever!" Okazaki declared with pride, standing in her previous roommate's current accommodation. Ninomiya, who had previously been happily asleep on his couch, was rubbing his eyes and looked at the individual standing in his home with confusion. "How did you get in here...?" he said groggily. "I changed my locks last week."

"Worry not, my dear friend. I'm just here to rub my victory in your face. My newest bout of villainy proves to be more effective than ever, despite your previous denying!" Okazaki slinked over to Ninomiya's side, throwing an arm over his shoulders and sitting down next to him. "Do you feel embarrassed yet, for denying my greatness?" She chuckled smugly to herself.

Ninomiya was the first person Okazaki presented the idea of becoming her nemesis' roommate to annoy her to. Of course, Ninomiya met this with confusion and told her that it probably wouldn't end well. Clearly, this didn't deter Okazaki. Unluckily for him, this event had completely exited Ninomiya's mind, so he was actually very lost.

Ninomiya just blinked at her in confusion. "Yunta, what are you--"
"Ah ah ah, that's your first mistake." she shushed him promptly, before continuing her announcement.

"'Yunta' is no more." Okazaki jumped up theatrically. "My name is..." she spun around, striking a dramatic pose. "Okazaki Hanano!"

Completely unimpressed, Ninomiya simply stood up off his couch and began making himself something to eat. Okazaki immediately dropped her big, dramatic act and followed after him awkwardly. "Youhei, c'mon, say something."

"Yunta, I don't want to be a part of your weird little superhero roleplay anymore. I don't care about your evil plan, or whatever. I thought you would've let this go by now."

"Let this go? Don't be so stupid! A rivalry like this is nothing to simply let go--"

"Yunta. Listen. I really, really don't care." Ninomiya took a bite of the sandwich he made. "But I'm just saying. It's been years. Don't you have something better to pursue? Because it's clear, your 'rival' does. Maybe it's time you do the same."

"Grhh- I shouldn't be surprised that you don't understand." The idea of her releasing such a deep and meaningful rivalry sickens Okazaki. "Someone with such a limited level of intelligence could never grasp something of this magnitude! Someone like you who fails to commit to--"

"Cool. Could you go now? I've got things to do." Ninomiya said as he subtly ushered Okazaki towards the door, clearly growing more and more frustrated with her presence.

"KONkonkonkonkon! Don't worry, Ninomiya. Despite everything, I'm sure one day you'll-"

Okazaki was cut off by the door being slammed in her face.

She began her awkward stroll back to college.