GOD, THIS CHAPTER WAS HARD TO PULL OFF! I'm really sorry for not posting last Saturday, but as I said, I've been really occupied recently... Just so you have an idea, to finish this chapter and deliver it today, I was forced to put the chapter on my Google Drive and write on my cellphone whenever I had free time... BUT ENOUGH OF ME COMPAINING! The chapter is here and that's what matters so...
Without any more hesitation...
Enjoy the read =D
This day would be special!
All classes had already ended and the students had been released. It was almost two o'clock, the time Izuku was told to meet the with 'Big Three' at the city's center… He couldn't be more nervous. As he finished dressing himself, the green haired stood in front of his mirror to see how he looked… And it wasn't so bad…
Izuku was wearing a black t-shirt with a green jacket on top, black jeans and his usual red boots, it was good enough. With his wallet and keys in hand, Izuku headed to the door to meet with the third years but his mother, who was watching TV in the living room, became curios…
"Where you're going all dressed up?" Inko asked innocently.
'I forgot to tell her!' he remembered.
"I-I'm just going to meet up with some friends, that's all!" Izuku explained although he did not mention who these 'friends' were.
"F-Friends? My baby has friends!" she cried. Izuku had been alone for so long that just hearing those words were enough to make her tear up, and being the affectionate mother that she was, Inko got closer to her son pulled him into a tight hug.
"Y-You've grown so much!" she said between sobs.
Although her tears were staining his shirt, Izuku understood how his mother was feeling and decided to give this moment to her, returning the hug and kindly massaging her back. They stayed like that for a couple of second until Inko, now calm, pulled away and opened the door for her son.
"You better get going… You don't want to let them waiting, do you?"
With a soft smile in his face, Izuku kissed his mother's forehead and walked through the door, leaving the chubby woman on her own.
"I wonder if he is going to meet her…"
After a short train ride, Izuku arrived at the center and began looking around, trying to find the group of third years that he was supposed to meet with and while searching he noticed that, indeed, there would be a festival happening today.
All the streets were decorated with several stalls that sold different types of products, bands of all colors connecting one pole to another, soft music being played on the background and hundreds of people enjoying everything that was offered to them. It was really nice to see everyone enjoying themselves.
It took a while, but after some time walking around, Izuku found the 'Big Three'. They were standing next to the fountain at the center of the festival and seemed to be chatting and while observing them, the introvert noticed that they had dressed up as much as he had.
As he approached the group, the cartoonic teenager noticed his presence and waved at him, drawing the attention of the other members of the group.
"Hello there Izuku, how's it going?" Mirio greeted as the green haired got closer. He was wearing a dark red button up shit, grey jeans and a pair of brown boots.
"Took you long enough!" mocked Tamaki, he was wearing loose-fitting white shirt with a black jacket over it, dark blue jeans and black shoes. "We've been waiting for almost fifteen minutes!"
"Don't be so rude! We are here to thank him, not to make him feel bad!" Nejire corrected while giving a small slap in Tamaki's head. "But if you don't mind me asking, how do I look? I bought this dress recently but I'm still not sure if it was a good idea…" she asked while leaning closer to the One for All wielder.
As Izuku observed the girl in front of him, the only thing he was able to do was blush uncontrollably. The bluenette was wearing a short sleeved blue dress with a long white stripe around the skirt, dark blue high heels and a silver collar with a heart pendant.
'SHE LOOKS SO CUTE!' the green haired though while trying to hide the redness on his cheeks.
"Y-You look n-nice!" he stuttered, looking everywhere except in her sky blue eyes.
"You really think so?" she asked again, receiving a nod from the green haired which made a huge smile appear in her face.
While the two discussed whether or not the girl looked pretty, Mirio watched them with a giant shit-eating, trying his best not to laugh at Izuku's reaction.
'They look so cute together it almost gives me cavities!' the cartoonic teenager though. 'Today is my chance, I'll make these two get together no matter what!' he exclaimed in his mind before moving closer to the bluenette and placing his hand on Nejire's shoulder, getting her attention.
"I know you're still unsure if your new dress looks good or not, but let's not make Izuku become a new type of tomato!" Mirio joked while dragging the girl away from the fresh man.
"B-But what are we going to do today?" Izuku asked, curious about what the 'Big Three' had planned for him.
"We're in a festival, we can go to whatever event they're hosting!" Tamaki explained. "They have all types of food in those stalls, some small attractions, it is up to you on what we're going to do first!"
"And, of course, we'll pay for everything!" Mirio added, shaking his arms frantically like always.
"What?! I can't make you pay for everything, it's not right!" Izuku said, finally understanding the trio's plan.
"No need to worked up about it, everything around here is very cheap. This pendant I'm wearing, for example, I bought it a couple of minutes ago and was about 250yen, and even if they weren't, we all agreed with sharing the bills beforehand!" Nejire explained, surprising the green haired.
"Is it really that cheap?"
"EVERYTHING AROUND HERE IS!" Mirio boomed, scaring the couple. "NOW LET'S STOP WASTING TIME AND BEGIN HAVING FUN!" he shouted while pulling his friends inside the crowd.
"B-But what are we going to do?" Izuku stuttered, startled with the cartoonic teenager attitude.
"Again, it is up to you where we're going first, so please, make the honors!" the blond said, still pulling everyone around.
"T-Then how about we go there first? I think it would be nice start!" Izuku suggested while pointing to an area full of carnival games.
Following Izuku's indication, the cartoonic turned around and dragged everyone to the mentioned area while everyone around them just stared at the group. Seeing a youngster like Mirio just casually dragging three other teenagers around and making a lot of noise in the process isn't something that you're used to see every day, so being the center of attention was one of the many things Mirio was making his friends go through… And they were not liking it.
Tamaki and Izuku kept covering their faces with their free arms, trying to move all attention to someone else while Nejire blushed and smiled nervously… But you must be thinking:
Why didn't they simply let go and walked on their own?
They tried… But Mirio would not let go and his grip was too strong, their only option was to endure the embarrassment. He would pay for this later!
Now in the middle of playground, Mirio released their hands, giving them room to breathe and look at their surroundings. There were all kind of attractions and stalls around them, going from small duck pounds to a freaking shooting galleries and 'whack-a-mole's, but one of them got the introvert's attention…
"So, which one you wanna go first?" the blond asked innocently.
"T-That one." Izuku said while pointing at the small red tower with a golden bell at the top…
A 'High striker'! It has been a while since the last time any of them had seen one of these, the only thing Izuku could remember about this attraction that when he was kid he tried lifting the mallet to play the game and was barely able to move it… he also remember his mother giggling a lot…
"You wanna know how strong you are? This one is sturdier than normal to prevent problems with quirks, so let's see if you're up for the challenge!" the attraction owner said, trying to convince them to spend their money on his booth.
Izuku really wanted to play, he wanted to know how much he had grown since his training with All Might. As he was about to pull out his wallet, Tamaki grabbed his wrist and handed his own money to the booth owner.
"We said that it is on our treat!" the senior said as he released the green haired.
"Each of you got one attempt, good luck!" the man informed as the machine was turned on.
Moving closer to the attraction, Izuku grabbed the mallet and lifted it and, for his surprise, he did it with ease. He didn't know if the hair itself was light or he was strong enough to lift it so easily but, with the mallet now in hand, the green haired stared at the tower, thinking of what would happen when he hit the base.
"What are you waiting for? Go for it!" Nejire motivated, curious of how well the freshman would go.
After taking a deep breath, Izuku closed his eyes and hit the lever with all he had, creating a loud noise and sending the chaser high up… What happened next surprised everyone.
Not only did the chaser hit the bell extremely quick, proving that Izuku had more strength than the machine could measure, but the cable of the mallet broke upon impact, separating the head from the rest of the tool's body. The 'Big Three', the stall owner and people around them just look in awe at the sheer strength that green haired demonstrated.
'WHEN DID HE BECOME SO STRONG?!' the 'Big Three' thought in unison.
Slowly opening his eyes, Izuku was surprised to see that the hammer he was holding was broken and once he turned around, he grew even more confused as everyone stared at him.
"W-What happened?" the One for All wielder asked with nervousness in his voice.
"You reached maximum score…" said Nejire.
"Broke the hammer with your hit…" continued Tamaki.
"AND WON A PRIZE!" finished the booth owner, yelling in Izuku's ear while he shoved a Thirteen plushie at the teenager.
"B-But what about your hammer?!" the green haired asked.
"I was already planning on replacing it and I have another one anyway, so enjoy your new toy!" the man said as he pulled another mallet from below the booth's counter and giving it to Tamaki. "How about you be the next one? I wanna see how everyone else will go…"
With the 'chicken' becoming the new center of attentions a furious blush covered his cheeks, his legs started to shake and he wasn't able to a word leave his tongue. Understanting the situation his friend got himself in, Mirio quickly acted…
"C'mon man, I know you can do it!" he motivated, shaking his arms frantically.
"Y-Yeah, you can do it!" said Izuku, catching the dark haired off guard.
With all this motivation, Tamaki copied Izuku. He closed his eyes and hit the lever, releasing a loud noise as well but differently from the green haired, the chacer only went a bit past the half of the meter. But before he even reacted to his result, Mirio was already by his side…
"THAT WAS AMAZING TAMAKI, I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YA!" the cartoonic teenager said while wildly shaking his friend and yanked the hammer from his hands and moved closer to the machine. "MY TURN NOW!"
With a quick swing the mallet hit the lever, sending the chacer high but it wasn't enough to make it hit the bell. In other terms, if this toy was a test, he would've scored a 9 out of 10.
"So close…" Mirio muttered hoping that, somehow, the chaser would go just a little bit higher.
"My turn! My turn! I want a Thirteen plushie too!" Nejire beamed, excited with what her prize was.
As Mirio gave her the hammer, she quickly striked the lever but, for her displeasure, the chaser barely moved, stopping just below the first quarter of the meter. The only thing she heard after her attempt were soft giggles coming from behind her.
"DON'T LAUGH AT ME LIKE THIS!" she pouted with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.
She only made it worse…
With how funny it was to see the bluenette embarrassed like that, both seniors were no longer able to hold back their laughs and bursted into giggling messes, making the girl blush even harder.
"I just don't make physical training as much as you do…" Nejire whispered softly, playing with a piece of her sky blue hair to try to calm herself down.
But while Mirio and Tamaki were almost dying of laughter, Izuku could only look at her with pity. It was funny to watch… Yes, it was, but everything she said was true. Women normally have less muscle mass than man and, because of her quirk, she probably never had a reason to do any intensive training like they had. Although he knew they were just messing around… and being the cinnamon roll that he is… Izuku had to act.
"Y-You can have the plush if you want…" he offered with a embarrassed blush on his cheeks.
This caught everyone off guard, including the booth owner, and while Izuku's face became redder than a tomato due to the stares, Nejire tried to understand what was going on…
'Is he being kind to me because we'be met before?' she wondered while staring at the green haired with shiny eyes, but she had to answer...
"I-I can't take it, you won it fair and square!" she exclaimed, shaking her arms in front of her face, trying to hide the redness of her cheeks.
"D-Don't worry about it! You really wanted one so I don't mind giving it to you and I wasn't going to do anything with it anyways… It is better if you have it!" he explained, pushing the toy even closer to her.
Silence filled the air for a moment. She really didn't want to take it from him like this but he was offering with so much kindness that it would actually look bad if she declined. Taking a deep breath, the blueberry looked at Izuku in the eyes and grabbed the plushie, squeezing it tightly in her chest.
"Thank you very much, Izuku!" she said with a soft voice.
The green haired was happy that she had accepted the gift, but at the same time…
'SHE'S SO CUTE!' he yelled in his mind as his blush became even bigger than before.
"Y-Y-You're welcome!" he stuttered, looking down to avoid staring at her beautiful sky blue eyes.
'I won't need to do anything, THEY'RE ALREADY FALLING FOR EACH OTHER!' Mirio thought as he watched the couple interact they had to move on with their day… Wrapping his arms around the Izuku's and Nejire's necks, he pulled them closer to him, ending the moment they were sharing.
"I know you like each other but let's not waste anymore time, ok?" he teased, making the pair blush at the same time.
"ITS NOT LIKE THAT!" they yelled in unison while pulling away form the cartoonic teenager.
"C-Could you guys stop yelling! It's a drawing more attention towards us!" Tamanho begged as he hid behind the 'High striker'.
"You're right! Let's go somewhere else!" said Mirio as he, once again, grabbed everyone's wrists and began dragging them around. But this time it was quick…
He stopped in front of shooting gallery with fake rifles and multiple moving targets…
"C'mon Izuku, I think you're going to like this one!" Mirio exclaimed as he played the booth owner for one round.
"It's vey simple…" the owner started. "I'm gonna start the timer and you have to shoot down as many targets as possible, take enough down and you earn a prize… Good luck!" he said while placing a fake rifle in the green United's hands.
"A-And what do I get if I win?" Suzuki asked. The owner smirked.
"IF you win, you''ll get limited edition All Might figure!" the man said as he pulled the action figure from behind the counter. "But you only have one chance to get it!"
As Izuku looked at the mentioned prize, his eyes widened in surprise. This was, indeed a limited edition figure, one that he had been searching for years. This became personal…
"Turn it on!" Izuku shouted as he entered in stance and prepared himself to shoot.
As the timer started and the targets began moving, Izuku attempted to shoot them but, sadly, he was as precise as he thought he was… Out of the 20 target he needed, he got 3…
Oh boy was he sad about it.
"Sorry kid, better luck next time!" the owner mocked with a sly grin in his face.
Izuku felt defeated, so much that he fell onto his knees and let his forehead touch the ground. He wanted the figure so badly but as his last attempt had shown, accuracy wasn't his forte…
But while he mourned about his loss, Nejire looked at the plush and the boy who gave it to her…
With determination in her eyes, the bluenette pulled some money and slammed it at the counter.
"Give me a round!" she ordered as the owner gave her the fake gun, once again, with a sly grin in his face.
"Good luck little missie!" he mocked.
What happened next definetly shut him up for good…
One by one, Nejire shot down the targets that appeared at the gallery, all of them hitting dead in the center. As the twentieth target was shot down, a small burst of confetti was released from the booth as everyone's jaws simply dropped.
Out of all targets that appeared in the gallery, Nejire hit 20 out of 20… She was amazing.
Confidently placing the rifle at the counter, the bluenette smirked and extended a hand towards the man.
"My prize please." she said vocally as the man followed her request and placed the figure on her hand.
Quickly crouching behind Izuku, Nejire tapped the boy's shoulder and as he turned around, the first thing he saw was the action figure right up in his face.
"Now we're even!" Nejire beamed while placing the figure in the green haired's hand.
"B-But how?!" Izuku asked, unsure of how she managed to obtain the prize.
"My quirk might not require physical training but I definitely need to know how to shoot!" she explained as the dots in his mind connected. "C'mon, there's still a lot of things that we can do!" she said while pulling the All Might fanboy out of the ground.
For a couple of hours they roamed around, playing the various games the festival was hosting and even watching a magic show at one point, although Izuku could'be sworn that he saw the magician use some type of teleportation quirk in one of his tricks, but what we should be paying attention was Mirio….
For the entire afternoon he had been trying to find opening to make Izuku and Nejire get closer to one another but not only did Tamaki get in his way multiple times, but almost no attractions could be used to make his plans easier to execute and he was beginning to run out of time…
Soon enough the sun would begin to set, meaning that they would have to go back to their respective homes, meaning that he would have lost one of his best opportunities to get them together...
'I swear, if I don't make them leave this festival as a couple I''ll drop from hero studies!' Mirio exclaimed in his mind although, obviously, he would not do what he thought. But before he could think of anything to push the pair closer to one another, a weird noise interrupted his thoughts…
As the trio turned around, they saw a grunting Tamaki, with his hands on his belly and a grumpy stomach.
"I-I'm sorry but... I need food!" he exclaimed as his friends simply sighed.
"Then let's find some tasty treat for Sun Eater over here!" Mirio joked as they group headed together to an area full of food stalls.
After minutes of discussion, they settled with a classic portions of takoyaki for each of them, walking around the festival while eating their delicious snack.
With Mirio walking along with Nejire and Izuku with Tamaki, a mean idea appeared in the 'chicken's' mind…
"Hey Izuku, wanna see something funny?" he asked with a small smile on his stuffed face.
"Sure!" the green haired responded.
In an instant, Tamaki's fingers became big octopus tentacles and quietly moved over the ground and tapped on Mirio's right shoulder, drawing his attention and making him turn around, interrupting his conversation with the bluenette, who was equally confused.
"Who's there?" the cartoonic teen asked but was interrupted as he felt another tap on his other shoulder.
"What is it Nejire?" he asked.
"What what?" she returned, making the situation even more confusing.
Meanwhile the pair tried to understand what was happening, Izuku and Tamaki giggled uncontrollably on the background, trying their best to stop the sounds from escaping their mouths and, in one of the multiple spasms their laughter were causing, the dark haired accidentally made one of his extended tentacle fingers hit one of Mirio's legs, making him trip and fall onto his portion of takoyaki, staining his shirt.
Immediately regretting their decision, the pair of introverts rushed to aid the blond, who slowly getting in his knees.
"I-I'm sorry, it was supposed to be just a joke…" Tamaki apologized while helping his friend stand up.
"It's fine Tamaki… I know it wans't on purpose..." Mirio responded, but then, something in his mind clicked….
'Wait, this is perfect… I can use this to push Tamaki away Izuku and Nejire can be alone, I'm such a genius!' the cartoonic teen strategized as his 'Cupid mode' activated.
Acting before the dark haired could react, Mirio grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him away from the pair and making everyone confused.
"I know it was an accident, but you're going to help me clean my shirt!" Mirio exclaimed while pulling his childhood friend towards the man's bathroom.
"W-WAIT, WHY ME?!" the 'chicken' yelled before being locked in the bathroom with the peerless hero, finally leaving Izuku and Nejire all by themselves.
Silence filled the air as no one knew how to break the ice between them but, after taking a deep breath, Nejire made her move…
"So… That was weird, wasn't it?" she asked even if the answer was obvious.
"Y-Y-Yeah, really w-weird!" Izuku stuttered as the idea that he was alone with a girl crossed his mind.
"Are you alright? You're a bit red…" the bluenette asked, wondering if her friend had a fever.
"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me!" Izuku said, shaking his arms frantically to hide his blush.
Once again, silence filled the air.
After a couple of seconds waiting for the two to pop out of the bathroom, it was Izuku's turn to try to break the ice…
"W-Well… It looks like it is going to take a while, l-let's find a place to sit!" he suggested and received a nod in return so, without wasting any more time, they began looking for a bench.
"So… Do you mind if make some questions?" Nejire asked bluntly.
"About?"
"T-The U.S.J. thing…" she answered, creating tension between the two…
"O-Oh…" he hesitated. Izuku himself wasn't sure of what had happened at the invasion but he also didn't know what she was going to ask, it could be something completely harmless… But still, he wanted to do it slowly.
"L-Let's find bench first, it will be easier…" he suggested, still lost in deep thoughts.
"A bench like THIS one?" Nejire joked as she brought Izuku back to reality making he realize that she was already sitting in the mentioned bench.
It was going to happen now!
Once seated on the bench, the green haired took a deep breath and looked at the bluenette.
"A-Alright, ask me anything!"
After taking a second to see what question she would ask first, Nejire turned to the introvert and spoke…
"What exactly is your quirk?"
"W-Well…" Izuku hesitated. This was her first question and he was already unsure of what to say. Obviously he wouldn't tell her about One for All but he had to say something.
"I-It's just another strength-enhancing quirk, the difference is that mine is a lot stronger than other ones" he explained while activating 5% through his arm, small green sparks
"Is there any side effects?" the bluenette asked, amazed with how pretty the sparks were.
"If I use more power than my body can handle, my muscles and bones would be destroyed…" he answered while turning off his quirk. "Like what happened in the U.S.J…."
Why the hell did he say that...
"Y-Yeah…" she paused and looked to the floor.
All the happiness that was between them disappeared and was replaced by tension with just those few words, silence filled the air and their difficulty to restart the conversation dominated. Those few moments where Izuku declined death itself and defeated that black beast held way too many feelings in the teenagers' hearts.
Sorrow, despair, bitterness… But also happiness, hope and determination, this mess of feelings were keeping the pair from muttering any word.
But using all she had, Nejire spoke...
"W-What was that last attack anyway?" she asked, trying to stop the emotions from taking over.
"I-I don't know, It just... Happened." Izuku answered, remembering the feeling of the energy overflow.
"But… What was driving you?"
That question caught the introvert off guard.
"What was… driving me?"
"Yeah... I mean, that attack was bigger than anything you'be ever done, right?" she asked again and received an nod as a response. "And if you really hurt yourself when you over use your quirk, what kept you moving forward through all that pain?"
The green haired paused.
This was something that he had not asked himself yet… What made him keep going when all hope seemed to be lost… While searching for the answer only one thing appeared in his mind… Her.
While looking at the golden sky above his head, Izuku let his mouth move on his own.
"It was a girl I met a long time ago. She changed my life… She gave me hope… She gave me reason to continue chasing my dreams…"
"Wow, she must be really sweet then!" said the bluenette, amazed by how kind this girl seemed to be. "How did you two meet?"
"It wasn't the best but I would never change it…" he started. "She was exploring the woods next to my home when she fell into a ditch and sprained her ankle, she had been stuck there for a couple of minutes before I heard one of her cries and helped her get back to her family…"
"We even made a promise… We would both grow up and learn how to be heroes, so one day, we'd find one another and work together and be as great as our idols!" he took a small pause as the memories of that day filled his heart with joy.
"I can't remember how much of her apearence… The only thing I can remember is her beautiful blue hair, kinda like yours!" he finished while turning around to look at the girl beside him.
He just said to her something that he never told someone, and it felt good. He never spoke about it with anyone because it didn't feel necessary, but now that he opened up, his heart was feeling at ease…
But as his eyes met with hers, every feeling other than surprise completely vanished.
Nejire was crying, her smile had disappeared, her beautiful eyes now wobbly and her cheeks were red, but, surprisingly, she didn't have any expression… She just stared at the green haired while the tears rolled down her cheeks.
"N-Nejire, are you…"
"I remember you…" was all she said.
THE TIME HAS COME MY FRIENDS, IT IS TIME TO LET THE SHIP SAIL!
Aside from that, tell me what you though of the chapter overall, even though it was hard, I really enjoyed writing it and since Nejire remembered everything, I'll have to let the fluff run free from now on, so knowing if you liked this kind of chapter really helps me... But anyway...
Thank you for reading...
See ya!