Midoriya was quiet on his and Akiko's walk to Recovery Girl's office. In some ways, that degree of silence – save for the occasional quiet grunt that stemmed from the pain Midoriya was likely probably feeling now that his adrenaline was fading away, reminded Akiko of how she must have come across before she met Jomei. Midoriya kept his head down and only rarely glanced in her direction, but for the most part, it was clear that he had much greater things on his mind than the pain of his broken arm. Akiko had decided long before they even exited the arena, though, that she'd wait to broach the issue of why he was so off-kilter until after his decimated arm could be healed.

Still, despite the fact she'd pledged her patience regarding this matter, she remained curious the entire time they wandered through the halls as to why Midoriya had reacted to his loss the way he did. Granted, pretty much anyone who made it to the final stage would be disheartened if they were knocked out so close to the final stage, but Akiko and Midoriya had both agreed before their fight that they'd give it their all. For the sake of their friends and the promises they'd made to them, neither of them could afford to bring anything less than their best, which only led Akiko to assume that there simply had to be some reason she wasn't seeing for Midoriya to be so morose after their match. Perhaps the loss itself was part of a greater picture she wasn't seeing, and she'd be able to get down to the root of the issue after Recovery Girl was finished.

They arrived at Recovery Girl's office a few minutes later, and the slight soreness in Akiko's crystal core faded away on its own as she waited outside the clinic for the school nurse to give her permission to enter again.

While her Quirk was fortunate enough to be able to repair most minor damages it incurred all on its own, it appeared Midoriya was far from able to do the same. In fact, the main reason Akiko wasn't allowed to be present during Midoriya's treatment was that the damage he'd done to himself was so severe that a mere kiss from granny wouldn't be enough to assuage the issue. Apparently, shards of bone had exploded into his hand after his final attack and he required a minor surgery to remove the fragments.

Whether Akiko would be blamed for the necessity of the surgery, though… that remained to be seen. She cautiously decided to think that she wouldn't be the subject of such an uncharacteristic ire. She seriously doubted that Midoriya would reveal himself as the type to blame her for the consequences of his own actions, no matter how uncomfortable they might be.

Through the door, Akiko heard Recovery Girl's muffled voice. "Alright. It looks like we're done here, which means my clinic is available to the certain someone who I know is waiting to talk with my latest patient." She raised her voice to be clearer. "Come on in, Takara!"

After taking a moment to process Recovery Girl's tone, Akiko let out a sigh of relief and pushed off the wall she'd been leaning against. It didn't sound like there was any doom and gloom awaiting her inside, so at least she had that to comfort her. After breathing in one final breath, she entered the room.

Her eyes met Recovery Girl's the moment the door opened, and Akiko offered a nod of acknowledgment before turning her attention to Midoriya. He was sitting on what was presumably the bed that had doubled as his operating table and seemed slightly fatigued, but appeared none the worse for wear otherwise. His gaze raised to meet Akiko, and in it, she saw a level of respect and purpose that hinted at thoughts Akiko couldn't process yet.

"Well, that's that, then." Recovery Girl turned to face her patient, a stern look on her face that caused Midoriya's expression to take on a slightly surprised, even fearful flavor. "Now that Takara here has seen that you're alright… do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Midoriya blinked. "Well, what do you mean- ah!"

Recovery Girl lowered the ball of her walking stick from where it had harshly smacked Midoriya atop his head. "What I mean is what possible excuse could you have for breaking your arm? Not only did you willingly break your arm, but you even broke the fingers that I had just healed from your first match! What could have possibly compelled you to undo all my hard work?"

"Oh, right… that…" Midoriya trailed off, sheepishly looking away as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see, I was only thinking about if I made it through to another match! I couldn't afford to have both my arms damaged in the final rounds, so only using my bad arm in as decisive a way as possible was the only logical thing I could think of doing to keep at least one of my arms completely fine."

"Is that so?" Recovery Girl intoned. "Well then, I guess all's forgiven, then."

"R-really?"

She smacked her cane loudly against the floor. "Of course not! Worsening the damage you've already dealt to yourself, not giving your body time to fully recover before only compounding the problems I've only recently solved for you is only asking for trouble! As a result, I have to tell you I'll be having none of this sort of behavior anymore."

"Recovery Girl?" Akiko carefully cut in. "What do you mean?"

The pro sighed, but didn't take her eyes off Midoriya. "What I mean is that I for one won't be the one who heals his self-inflicted damage anymore. I don't often agree with Eraserhead's strict adherence to rationality, but in this instance, as a Pro Hero, U.A.'s school nurse, and a doctor, I'm obligated to now. Midoriya. You have to learn to use your power in such a way that you don't pulverize your very bones every time you use it, or else things like this," she gestured to his hand,"are going to become unacceptably commonplace."

All eyes fell on his twice-healed hand as she finished her statement. It was then that Akiko and, judging by the look on his face, even Midoriya first noticed what exactly the school nurse was referring to. Not a single one of his digits had been spared from various degrees of deformed crookedness after the operation, and long, rough scars on either side of the back of his hand ran horizontally along his once-soft skin. Compared to his other, untouched hand, the contrast was as plain to see as it was suddenly sobering to the two students who had noticed it. Akiko's shoulders went slack, her mouth slightly agape, while Midoriya's eyes widened as he moved his hand around as if to verify that the appendage before him was indeed still his own.

"Whoa…" Midoriya breathed.

"Thankfully there wasn't any severe nerve damage, so at least the use of your hand shouldn't be impaired unless you go about breaking it again sometime soon. Still, you should consider that crooked hand of yours as a reminder of what'll happen even more in the future if you continue to be so reckless." Some of Recovery Girl's justified anger faded, and she started to meander her way over to the door. "Now I see that you two might have much to discuss, so I'll leave you both to it. But please, do understand that I don't like having to reprimand promising heroes-in-training such as yourself, Midoriya. I'm only trying to make sure your body stays strong enough so that you can even be a hero in the first place. Rest well, sonny."

The door shut behind her as she departed, leaving the two students alone with nothing but an awkward feeling hanging in the air. Midoriya continued to inspect his hand for what felt like another full minute before his eyes finally flickered back to Akiko. He immediately lowered his hand and his expression shifted into something entirely unreadable once more.

"Sorry, Takara," Midoriya apologized. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I… I have a lot on my mind, is all. Thanks for sticking around to make sure I'm alright, though."

Akiko somehow only felt worse about his present situation due to his response. She made her way over to his bedside at the same time Midoriya swung his legs over the edge of the frame. "I know you do. I'm sorry."

"For?" Midoriya asked.

"Your hand," she continued. "It's my fault. I pressed you into using your already bad hand in battle so much that you ended up with scars that you're going to be stuck with for the rest of your life – even after we become pros."

Midoriya paused. "But… it isn't your fault, Takara. I was the one who decided to use it in the first place when I could've used my other hand to keep this from happening. And how I was acting before, when I lost… that wasn't because of you, either. Not really."

"Then…" Akiko's brow furrowed. "Is there something else that's bothering you? We basically agreed on good sportsmanship before our fight but then you looked so, so… heartbroken."

"I know. Part of it is because I lost, obviously. I feel like I didn't go far enough to let the world know I exist, like I promised to someone that means a lot to me, but that isn't the only reason," Midoriya said. "I know it's going to sound weird, but… I can't help but feel like I really let down Todoroki, too."

Any words Akiko could've come up with at that moment to formulate a response died on her lips. She thought back to the event mere hours ago that had caught everyone in Class 1-A off-guard, to Todoroki's declaration of war that had been aimed completely and utterly at Midoriya alone.

"From an objective standpoint, I believe it's pretty clear that I'm stronger than you," Todoroki had asserted.

Back when it had been going down, she had thought very little of the incident. But now was not then. She had time now to ponder, and realized that Todoroki's words had impacted her opponent rather deeply. "You have All Might in your corner helping you out," he'd said. "Talking to you during lunch, dragging you away under vague reasoning to speak to you about who-knows-what. I've noticed, even if everyone else hasn't. I'm not going to pry into what this means; he could just be buddying up to you because you two both possess strength-augmenting Quirks. But know that I'm going to beat you."

Midoriya may not have possessed the competitive streak that people like Kirishima or Bakugo had, but now, remembering Todoroki's words, Akiko saw that they had been enough to spur him to feel some pride, and maybe something else, in his pursuit of taking on Todoroki.

If he'd made it far enough, Midoriya wouldn't merely be able to fulfill the promises he'd made to those who were important to him, but he'd be able to say with absolute proof to Todoroki that he wasn't someone that could simply be marked an obstacle to be overcome. He'd be a rival. An equal. In some small way, Akiko felt a comparison could be made between Jomei and Midoriya in terms of their goals for the festival.

"Well, I know this isn't quite the perfect way to make you feel better, but I can at least say I think I know where you're coming from," Akiko calmly continued. "Jomei may not have had any plans to beat anyone in our class up until he was put up against Bakugo, but he did want the chance to have the world recognize him, too."

"It's not just that though," Midoriya said, his attention shifting toward his hand again.

"You said you feel like you let down Todoroki," Akiko started. "Does it have something to do with what he said before the opening ceremony? I don't think I've seen either of you interact all that much otherwise."

Midoriya's expression fell to fit the dismal degree of quiet that was then cast over the clinic. Akiko tensed when she saw how her question had caused him to react, unknowing and worried that she'd crossed a line she hadn't even been aware of. Could he be hiding something beneath the surface that was causing him such unease?

"Midoriya?" Akiko cautiously called. "Did I…?"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Midoriya reassured. "I was thinking."

Akiko stayed silent, letting him go on at his own pace.

He abruptly looked up to face her. "Can I trust you to keep something a secret? Something really important? Not only between the two of us, either. It's something that I need you to keep from your friends the same way I've kept it away from mine."

This time, it was Akiko's turn to be taken aback. Out of all the responses she could have imagined, being implored as to her capability to keep secrets from others was below the bottom of that list. Even so, if whatever Midoriya was now most-assuredly hiding was strong enough to affect him like this, she felt it was her duty to at least attempt to make a concerted effort to ease his conscience. She wasn't one to practice her ability to keep secrets, but for Midoriya's sake, she'd do her damnedest to keep his under wraps.

"You can," Akiko answered. "You can trust me."

Midoriya seemed to relax. The bitter chill of uncertainty still pervaded the space around them, but it was nowhere near as intense as the utter dread Akiko had felt radiating from Midoriya earlier. His mouth opened to heave out a long sigh of relief. This time, although it was clear he was still uneasy about what he was about to say, his voice conveyed nothing but confidence.

"First… you know about Quirk marriages, right?"

Taken slightly aback by the seeming non-sequitur, Akiko didn't immediately respond. Instead, she felt gears turn in the back of her head as they shook off the cobwebs from some old historical lectures the staff at Korusa had thought it prudent they should involve in their curriculum. Eventually, memories of the subject matter flickered back to life.

"Quirk marriages were the practice where two people would be arranged to marry to produce offspring with more powerful Quirks down the line," she recalled aloud. "Love was oftentimes not a factor in it, since a lot of the time it was either the case that one of the people set to participate in the marriage, or even their families, would leverage their political or financial power to wed the ideal partner they desired for the marriage."

"Yeah," Midoriya said. "It was most prominently practiced during the first three generations of Quirk users, since there weren't any social taboos against doing it at the time and all anyone knew about Quirks was that there was a genetic element to it. Nowadays it's practically unheard of for people to be married just for the sake of making more powerful Quirks down the line."

"Outside of school, I think I've only heard about it being mentioned in smear campaigns against rich families sometimes," Akiko said. She blinked and looked more focusedly at her classmate again. "So… where are you headed with this, Midoriya? I don't even know of anyone personally who's ever even met someone born out of a Quirk marriage, it's so rare these days."

"Well you have now," Midoriya said darkly, and Akiko's stomach twisted into knots, dreading whatever would come next. "Todoroki was born out of one of them."

Her expression dropped like a stone. "No way… that'd mean the number two hero, that Endeavor-"

"Must have used his power and influence to find and marry someone with a Quirk he knew would complement his own," Midoriya finished. "I was surprised when I heard Endeavor would've done something like that too, but I couldn't deny it since… well, Todoroki was the one that told me. He told me about how he's Endeavor's fourth 'attempt' at creating a worthy successor to his legacy, how his mother was so traumatized by it all that she threw the boiling water on his face that gave him his scar… all of it. Endeavor only sees his own flesh and blood as a tool to overcome All Might – even if he can't himself, Todoroki says that his father 'made' him so that he'd be able to do what even he couldn't."

"That's…" Akiko searched desperately for words. "That's sick. What kind of hero would do that to someone? To their own family?"

Midoriya looked down at his hands. "Apparently, Endeavor. Because of all that, and my Quirk, Todoroki sees me as like All Might, and it seems that him calling me out before the festival was his way of setting the bar for himself. It's like he wanted to vent that feeling of being a tool on me and prove to Endeavor that he could be the number one hero without using his left side. Endeavor's side." His face scrunched up in a mix of frustration and self-loathing while his fingers curled tightly inwards to form fists. "I wanted to help Todoroki overcome what's holding him back from using flames because he's only holding himself back from being the hero he could be by not using them. But now… I don't have the chance to do that anymore."

It didn't take long for Akiko to start drawing comparisons between Midoriya, Todoroki, and even herself. Whereas Todoroki had the freedom to use his power without consequence but barred himself from making the most of his power's potential, both she and Midoriya were born unable to do the same. His actions were inextricably linked to his father's desires whether he chose to realize it or not, while they were free from such bondage. He felt remorse when his hatred for his father boiled over in his fight against Tokoyami, while they lacked such an unhealthy level of bitterness throughout their first fights.

Endeavor had already not been one of her favorite pros based upon his strictly-business approach to hero work, but with this insight into the man beneath the number two hero's mask… it was no wonder that Midoriya had been so downtrodden when she defeated him.

But that didn't mean she couldn't do the same thing on his behalf.

"What if I could help Todoroki use the full potential of his Quirk? If I get the opportunity to face him, anyway."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think it's unrealistic to say that both of us can feel a little envy toward Todoroki and his Quirk," Akiko explained calmly. "Your bones break for whatever reason when you use your Quirk, while when I use mine I always have to worry about my crystal core being harmed by its own use. Meanwhile, Todoroki has all the power in the world to be a greater hero than even Endeavor but, like you said, he's only holding himself back."

"That isn't the only reason why you want to help, though," Midoriya slowly deduced. "There's something else."

She spent a moment carefully considering what she would say next, and a mirthless smirk spread onto her lips.

"Well, my parents…" she started, only to sigh softly as memories of the incident only two weeks before now came to mind. "They don't support me or seem to care that much about my dream to become a hero someday. I know my situation isn't exactly the same or as bad as Todoroki's. I have my friends and my big brother to support me, and at least my parents aren't using me as a tool, but… I can't help but feel some empathy toward Todoroki when I compare myself to him – at least so far as each of our parents are concerned, anyway."

With big, empathetic eyes, Midoriya looked at her in surprise for a few long moments before he responded. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with that, Takara."

"Don't be," Akiko said wistfully. "I have people that'll be there for me no matter what. No matter how bad things have gotten, there have always been people in my life that've been willing to help me. From the sound of things, Todoroki hasn't had anyone that's been either willing or able to do the same. It's the least I can do to help him."

"Still…" Midoriya said.

"But, if it's alright with you, could you not tell anyone about what I told you about my parents?" Akiko asked. "My home life isn't exactly something I want everyone discussing during lunch sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, of course I won't. You can trust me." He nodded. "And thank you."

She smiled, and a mutual understanding seemed to pass between them. Akiko would take the time to prepare herself for the potential actions she'd need to take so that she could make good on her promise. Nevertheless, Midoriya would undoubtedly still need some time to recover in solitude before he'd be ready to return and spectate with everyone else, and a first step aimed at the future needed to be made for such a time to come.

Akiko left the clinic for Class 1-A and didn't look back.

Unlike her arrival at the booth after her victory over Kirishima, this time Akiko was prepared for the attention that she received upon her return. Kyoka, Denki, and the majority of Class 1-A either glanced or turned their heads in her direction in some capacity in recognition of her return, and all of their expressions were flavored with some variation of respect, admiration, or something of a similar vein. Jomei's reaction was the most pronounced, though instead of uncontrollably running right into her to show his affections, he stood slowly and let his beaming smile speak entirely for itself.

Akiko blushed ever so slightly, but opened her arms regardless.

Jomei moved forward in an excited blur, and she could only hope that the intensity of her blush was hidden as he ensnared her in one of his warm hugs. Akiko happily wrapped her arms around his back and opted to merely bask in the embrace for as long as it lasted. With all that she'd just recently found out and had promised to do, she'd at least give herself this comfort. Besides, a part of her really did hope that this habit of Jomei's would continue long after the festival – she couldn't imagine the fuzzy feeling his hugs gave her ever going away.

Eventually, Jomei pulled himself away first. "Akiko. You did…"

"Amazing?" she shyly guessed.

"Astonishing! Astounding, awesome, awe-inspiring, outright incredible – you don't have to choose which one you think applies, because you were all of them!" Jomei gushed.

Denki raised his hand in a wild wave to grab their attention. "I second that statement! Midoriya's freakin' nuts when it comes to the power of that Quirk of his and you still managed to beat him!"

"Yeah, even I'm impressed," Kyoka agreed. "You even had him on the defensive a few times back there. The fight might not have lasted too long, but you probably shocked a lot of people with how you managed to beat Midoriya once he was able to show what he could do."

Denki nodded. "Right, and using his own attacks against him? Where do you come up with these sorta plans?"

"Well, I imagine that when one has four classical elements and the need to efficiently come up with strategies mid-combat, one would be able to come up with the ideas on the fly that Takara does," Yaoyorozu supplied.

Tokoyami crossed his arms and bowed his head. "Unsurprising. Takara is a resourceful sort when she needs to be. We all know this."

"Y'know, Tokoyami might be onto something there. Takara isn't only book-smart, she's got a real handle on how to fight even with the Quirk she's got," Kirishima agreed. His eyes then glanced at the door, as if searching for someone who he'd expected to have arrived by now. "But hey, what about Midoriya? He okay?"

"Yeah, where is he?" Ashido added.

"In Recovery Girl's office," Akiko answered. "He should probably be back in time to watch more matches, though."

"Well that answers my next question," Jomei commented.

"Yeah, I went with him to make sure he'd be fine," Akiko said, and followed in step beside Jomei as he started their descent back down to their seats.

Jomei was the first to sit back down. "Gotcha. Looks like Cementoss is still giving the stage a good once-over after your guys' match though, so it looks like we've got a little time to relax before Uraraka and Todoroki face off."

Humming an affirmative, Akiko sat too. She was thankful no one had asked for more details about what she and Midoriya had talked about. It was difficult to keep the truth of what she'd learned from Midoriya hidden away from everyone she called her friends and classmates. But she'd made a promise to do so – for both Todoroki and Midoriya's sakes.

Besides, it's not like she'd appreciate her familial issues being made class gossip.

On a more positive note though, now that she had time to breathe, the weight of her victory finally began to resonate with her. Even if she didn't win first place for the entire festival, there was no denying that her making it this far was something worthy of note. Every victory, whether it be small or large, was proof that the quiet, timid, meek Akiko of yesteryear was only fated to fade further into obscurity with each passing day. The girl she'd been before she made it into U.A. high school would always impact her behavior as she continued to grow and change, but it was undeniable that she had indeed changed for the better as of late – and all of her own accord, no less.

Of course, she still wanted to push Todoroki to triumph over his own self-imposed restraints, so Akiko knew she couldn't afford to let herself relax yet. If for whatever reason she ended up against someone other than Todoroki in her semifinal match, assuming he made it through, she'd have to give it her all to try and gain the chance to face him in the finals.

Roaring flames once again being belched into the air from the braziers of the stage below caught her eye. With the self-imposed obstacle Todoroki had made for himself now knocked out of the running for the festival, Akiko imagined that she'd be able to at least try to learn a lot more about where his mind was at through carefully observing his behavior in his battle against Uraraka. Whether he turned out to be disheartened or enraged, though, Akiko hoped that Uraraka would be capable of putting up a decent fight against him.

Midoriya returned from the halls, and while worries and praise poured from his peers, the great screens spruced throughout the stadium switched from replays back to a live feed. It was time to see what the final two fighters of this round were made of.

"It's the guy who didn't even have to move an inch to plow through his powerhouse of an opponent! His ice powers left half the audience literally frozen, and something tells me that tier of talent wasn't a fluke!" Present Mic praised. "Todoroki Shoto!"

Uraraka finished her brief climb to the stage to behold her opponent. Todoroki stood at the opposite end, his expression stoic and his gaze glued to the ground. She may not have known what the cause was for his lackluster posture and disturbed air, but she was abundantly aware she didn't like it. Todoroki didn't strike her as the type to let a mental setback impair his prowess in their match.

"Meanwhile, we've got the girl who's made it this far with the merit of her own mighty skill and dexterity! She ducked, dodged, and weaved her way through a lashing of lasers to touch her opponent and make him tackle himself outta the arena! Uraraka Ochaco!"

On the other hand, to contrast Todoroki's solemn silence, Uraraka felt as though she'd come to life with her introduction. She was the underdog in this situation, and the excitement emanating from the stands only served to energize her to meet the audience's expectations. To do what must be done for her parents to prosper sooner rather than later, paying them back for their lifetime of service unto her. Todoroki may have been a recommendation student, may have taken down Tokoyami, but she had cleverness to help carry her forward.

Deku wasn't the only one who could use his intellect to integrate some strategy seamlessly into his Quirk.

"Uraraka," Todoroki intoned.

His voice drew her eyes to his, though her voice conveyed her caution. "What?"

"You don't have to do this," Todoroki said in such a way that his voice sounded drained, devoid of the fighting spirit it had possessed before the festival started. "And I don't mean what I'm about to say as an insult. I only want to offer you a chance to drop out before things get too severe. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to."

"Okay, shall we begin, sports fans? Let the fourth match of the quarterfinals…"

"So you're afraid that I won't be able to take what you've got in store for me?" Uraraka retorted, and she raised her arms warningly before her. "Well don't think that I'd ever accept that kind of offer, because…"

"BEGIN!"

She started her sprint like an angry animal. "Giving up isn't an option for me!"

'I have to get close! Even if his Quirk wouldn't make him fly away on his own like Aoyama's did, all it'll take is my hand hitting him and that should be enough force to make him float out of bounds!'

Todoroki sighed and his right foot finally began its first move. His heel raised itself slightly into the air, and as it fell back down to the ground-

'But even if I can't touch him at first…'

A pillar of ice plowed through the ground right for her, only for Uraraka to sidestep the attack mid-stride. Her fingers brushed against the smaller jagged fragments and kept moving. When compared to his previous concussive and cataclysmic attacks, it had been almost lazy in how much speed and power it had lacked, but whatever the reason for Todoroki's lack of total engagement in their fight was, it didn't matter to Uraraka. Why?

Because his own attacks would be his undoing if he wasn't careful.

'I can still use my Quirk on what he gives me to work with!'

She needed to keep his attention on her for the plan she'd prepared, which was why she chose to remain constantly on the move, her momentum carrying her toward Todoroki at full-throttle to prevent him from catching on to what she was doing. Undaunted by the telltale signs of his next attack ready to be summoned by how his foot started to move, Uraraka felt a slightly smug satisfaction when she saw his eyes were fixed firmly on her. She paid close attention to his hand as it made an underhanded swipe at her.

Another line of ice lazily lashed out in her direction, though this time, instead of maintaining a single angle of approach, it curved along its path to try and catch her in the side. Uraraka's only response was a quick jump to the right so that the attack would miss her, and in so doing, it also obscured her hand long enough for the pads of her fingers to graze the cold surface of the ice.

Yet even after her last avoidance, not too long after she'd hit her stride again, a third attempt at incapacitating her followed in the form of a wide wall of ice headed right for her.

She dodged and touched that attack with a leap to the side.

Then a second pillar pushed to cut her off before she could speed up again.

Uraraka changed directions on a dime the second she felt her fingers meet the cold surface of the ice.

Yet another instantly expanding attack followed.

Yet another time she dodged and activated her Quirk simultaneously.

The pattern continued consistently. Todoroki would attempt to either hit or freeze her with his ice, Uraraka would dodge and use her Quirk to both clear space and set up what would hopefully become her path to success. Even when her progress pushing through Todoroki's frigid attacks ground to a complete halt, and in some capacity was even reversed as he gradually increased the intensity of his assault, Uraraka wasn't disheartened. All this meant was that Todoroki may have been taking her more seriously now, but it remained abundantly clear that he wasn't giving it his all. It may have not been all that heroic, to hinge one's hopes for a win on the willing ignorance of one's foe to see the signs of some greater strategy being built up, but Todoroki's present lack of awareness was fine by her.

She made a promise to her parents to do her best, and she planned on keeping it. Even at the cost of looking like a fool who was constantly kept on the ropes through her lack of brute force, it'd all be worth it. Everything was going according to plan, and although she was bound to rapidly reach the weight limit of her Quirk right as she became ready to make her play, she held out hope that her own kind of power would be enough to earn her a triumph over the titan that was Todoroki.

Nevertheless, she needed to hold out for as long as she could for any of this to matter. Her hand connected to another attack and it started to float upward like all the other ice she'd touched before, and she felt a queasy tug at her stomach.

It looked like she'd already held on long enough.

Todoroki's attempts to hit her abruptly halted, at which point Uraraka stopped where she stood as well, her face almost as stern and serious as her opponent's.

"You're not fighting in the way I expected you would," Todoroki noted, his eyes narrowed in an expression that seemed both confused and cautious concerning Uraraka's behavior. "Are you not taking this match, and by extension, me, seriously? It would seem as though you might be taking advantage of the brief goodwill I provided you before our battle started."

"No," Uraraka countered. "I am taking this match seriously. I'd be dumb not to – you're a recommendation student, and I'm someone who only managed to make it into U.A. because of luck and lots of hard work. You're totally above me in terms of power… but it looks like you're the one that hasn't been taking me seriously this whole time!"

When she started to touch the tips of her fingers together, she could tell Todoroki was rapidly piecing together the puzzle. His eyes widened as if he had stumbled across an eldritch abyss.

On the ground, there remained nothing but the two teens and slowly melting sleet. Had someone only tuned in to the festival at this point, it would have seemed that the two combatants hadn't done anything at all thus far. Above them, though…

There laid a floating fortress of fragmented ice and frost. Large swaths of ice broken up in the sunlight accompanied dozens of smaller stone-sized spikes and chunks of the same stuff, and all of the pieces hovered ominously overhead as they awaited their inevitable descent.

With a sudden snap of his attention back down to her, Uraraka's final fingers touched, and she smirked confidently. The only thing left to do before she unleashed her attack was to name it.

"Comet Strike!"

All at once, her Quirk's gravity-defying grip on the ice evaporated, and a hailstorm of three tons of frozen water raced toward the ground. Uraraka didn't watch to witness the beautiful rain of destruction she'd created, though, and sprang into motion the moment she withdrew her Quirk's hold on the ice.

'This is my chance!'

Todoroki's gaze alternated between her and the incoming storm, as if indecisive of what action he should take next. If he attacked, he'd be hit by her own superb strategic move and be left open to her touching him, and if he defended or dodged, there would still certainly remain an opening that she could exploit to emerge victorious. Uraraka's feet pounded against the concrete like the repeated beat of war drums.

'I can do this!'

The hail fell ever closer to its imminent impact with the ground, and Uraraka's advance toward Todoroki increased as she made a final leap off the ground. Her fingers on one hand connected with the palm of her other as she made herself weightless, and the force of her final push along the path toward her target sent her flying like a thrown stone through the air. She felt nausea mounting, but she refused to entertain the possibility of her grand strategy coming this far only to fail.

'I can win!'

Even though a meter still separated her from her opponent, Uraraka reached out desperately with one hand to try and touch Todoroki-

Only to find herself encased from the shoulders down in a glacial wall of ice as he stomped his foot against the ground when she wasn't looking. She lurched when her advance came to a sudden and soul-shattering halt only half a meter away from her target, and her eyes widened in horror as Todoroki created a canopy of ice to defend himself overhead with a long, arcing motion of his arm from the ground over himself.

Then all around them, the pieces of ice from her Comet Strike came crashing back down to earth, the sound of the attacks shattering against the ground and Todoroki's protective shield both a thunderously loud accompaniment to the sound of Uraraka's heart as it climbed up to her throat. Even incapacitated and bitten by the frigid forces Todorki held at his disposal, Uraraka ignored her heart and the silence pervading the stadium and made one last desperate effort to break her arm out of the ice to try and graze her opponent.

This effort too fell short, exactly the same as the grand scheme she'd come up with to win in the first place. She'd thought of Todoroki either taking the time to attack or defend in response to her Comet Strike, not even considering his capability to do both simultaneously, and it was only now that she'd lost that she realized the fatal error she had made in doing so. To think that such a straightforward strategy would be enough to take down Todoroki…

Perhaps she really had been doomed to fail.

"Uraraka has been immobilized!" Midnight announced. "Todoroki advances to the semifinals!"

When the official declaration of her defeat reached her ears, Uraraka's only reaction was to hang her head low against her frozen cage. The cold nipped away at her soul the same as the rotten and rough sensation that followed her realization that she hadn't merely failed herself, nor her friends, but her parents. The people that she'd promised to help with everything she had as soon as possible, no matter what obstacles stood in her way.

Somehow, that hurt her heart more than her present potential for frostbite ever could.

The subdued sound of Todoroki's feet as he closed the small gap between them brought her gaze back up to meet his. No longer did he seem to feel the lack of energy and determination he had been suffering through before, but rather, appeared one again as his typical stoic self. His face betrayed neither any particular degree of care nor contempt for his opponent, and only another second or so after their eyes had met did his left hand rise to melt the prison he'd placed Uraraka within. Heat hit her chest, though she was still far too entrapped to move quite yet.

It was while he continued to thaw her out that Todoroki shocked her again. His eyes never left his hand, but his mouth opened all the same.

"You fought well, Uraraka."

And after that quiet collection of words, he fell silent again.

"Y'know, Uraraka was ultra-manly to try and pull a strategy like that on Todoroki," Kirishima commented. "She didn't have any way to get close without a fight and she still almost managed to beat him. That takes strength."

Ashido nodded. "I almost feel bad, though. She was one of the last girls in the festival to make it this far into the finals and now she's knocked out…"

"It sucks, for sure," Jomei agreed. "Her Quirk's really useful if she can get in close, but it looks like being matched up against Todoroki was what messed her up. His Quirk is more powerful and versatile than hers, no doubt about it."

Midoriya sighed. "Even some pros can find themselves at a big disadvantage when it comes to Quirk matchups. One minute you might think you're safe if a hero with strength-augmenting type Quirk comes along to save you, and the next you realize that the villain they have to fight has a speed Quirk that renders them helpless to fight back. I suppose that part of the purpose behind randomizing the quarterfinals wasn't only to spice things up, then – doing so actually simulated the random nature of villain encounters heroes have to go through every day while on patrol. Still…" His line of sight lingered down at where Uraraka continued to be thawed out from her frigid prison before he eventually stood. "It's a shame that Uraraka had to lose. I think I'm going to go catch up with her, see how she's doing."

"Hey Kyoka, do you think Uraraka could've won at all?" Denki asked.

Kyoka shrugged. "It's hard to say. On one hand, if Uraraka had sent herself flying higher and then released herself, she could've landed right behind Todoroki while also avoiding that last attack of his. On the other, she probably would've been hit by her own big move since she'd basically be jumping right into it. Even if we don't mention how much more range and speed Todoroki's Quirk gives him over Uraraka when he uses it seriously, to take him down… it'd be a tall order for anyone to take on."

Akiko hoped no one noticed how her gaze on Todoroki intensified as Kyoka's analysis of the fight came to an end. The unintended nature of the warning she'd been given wasn't lost on her, but nor was the weight of the burden she'd chosen to bear to take down Todoroki.

Fortunately, even Jomei didn't appear to suspect anything as he spoke up next. "What I'm wondering about is that lack of energy he put into his attacks, though," he mentioned. "Compare the speed and focus he put into his power this fight against all the effort he put into his and Tokoyami's, and it almost feels like he wasn't even trying up until the end, there."

"Indeed…" Tokoyami slowly said. "Todoroki never struck me as the type to toy with his opponent when his future performances in the festival are at stake, so why would he willingly mire himself in mediocrity?"

"I dunno," Mineta uselessly supplied. "Maybe he's a complete and total sadist."

Akiko maintained her focus on Todoroki and opted to ignore whatever had just happened to cause Mineta to cry out in pained indignation. Maybe his lackluster energy in this match was a consequence of his inability to fight Midoriya any longer. Without that obstacle driving him to defeat each of his opponents as efficiently as possible, Todoroki had been rendered listless. He'd missed his only opportunity to fulfill his goal of overpowering All Might's facsimile on a grand scale for an entire year, at this point.

But the fact remained that he had indeed re-attained his familiar air of efficiency by the end of his and Uraraka's fight. Akiko had a sneaking suspicion that Endeavor had some role in it all. It may have even been that he had reignited Todoroki's hopes to spite his father in a mild manner entirely unrelated to Midoriya.

Simply put, if Todoroki won the final round of the festival whilst only using his right side, then he'd still be able to call his performance a success. He'd have managed to make it abundantly clear how much he hated Endeavor and every ounce of influence he possessed, and he wouldn't even need Midoriya to do so.

It appeared to Akiko that Todoroki had finally found a new purpose for the festival that he felt was worth fighting for.

Down on the stage below, Uraraka stumbled with a start when the ice around her feet thawed enough for her to fall freely back down to earth. Neither she nor Todoroki moved immediately afterward, and it instead looked like the pair were either sharing a look or some sort of conversation before they'd decide to part ways. A few Pro Heroes in the stands leaped from the seats above, and by the looks of their overwhelmingly flame-centric aesthetics, it was to assist in excavating the rest of the ice Todoroki had left behind.

Present Mic didn't even need to announce to the audience that there'd be another few minutes before the semifinals started.

The muffled sound of some vibration nearby jostled Akiko out of her obliviousness. She and Jomei turned to ascertain the source, and their eyes landed on Ashido, who looked as confused as they were as she realized that the vibration had originated from her pocket. Ashido looked at her left leg oddly for a second or two longer before she decided to dig out her phone, and the second she tapped on the screen, several things happened at increasingly rapid intervals.

First, her eyes widened. Second, she gasped. Third, her entire face suddenly set itself alight in excitement as she twisted to face Kirishima in a blur of motion. Finally, she stuffed her phone back in her pocket, shook Kirishima like a ragdoll by his shoulders as she shouted something at him that was utterly unintelligible to anyone else around her, and bolted up the stairs with such speed that it looked like some semblance of Iida's alacrity must have rubbed off on her.

When she disappeared, and silence replaced her presence, all eyes then fell on Kirishima. He could only respond to the influx of attention with a bewildered look as his eyes scanned the group that'd targeted him.

"What?" Kirishima blankly asked.

"Well, someone's gotta translate what Ashido said," Denki deadpanned. "I think we all figured it should be the guy she was shouting so much at in the first place, so…"

"Oh! Uh…" Kirishima paused, his lips momentarily pursed while he scratched the back of his head. "Ashido got a text that told her she'd be taking Iida's spot in the semifinals. It even took me a minute to get what she was saying."

Jomei's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Kirishima admitted. "Even Ashido didn't tell me what exactly was going on, and I don't think it's because she had to run off and get ready for her fight. All she was told was that Iida withdrew because of something to do with his family."

"Oh, dear…" Yaoyorozu placed a hand over her mouth as concern crossed her features. "I do hope his family's alright. They may comprise of a long line of accomplished Pro Heroes, but with recent news suggesting the existence of a Hero Killer on the loose…"

"The timing is most certainly an ominous portent, given our present preoccupation with the festival," Tokoyami agreed. "Still, to assume that Team Itaden would be incapable of combating a foe whom we know nothing of would be disrespectful. Let us avoid making assumptions of a worst-case scenario and refocus ourselves on the festival."

Most of the group that paid attention to Tokoyami's reasoning nodded and returned to their own devices, but Akiko's gaze lingered on her peer for a while longer. It was at this moment that Akiko realized a great attribute Tokoyami possessed. Whether cognizantly aware of it or not, Tokoyami was world-wise. He wasn't as strictly logical or seemingly unemotional as Aizawa, but rather, he managed to keep a level-head where most of their peers would let their wily personalities guide their absurd reactions. Had he been placed up against any other opponent in the first round of the final stage, Akiko was sure that the entirety of Japan would be able to see the excellence her acquaintance possessed as well.

Still, something told her that Tokoyami wasn't the type to be a glory-hound. Yet another trait of his, but also one that Tokoyami never flaunted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with the end of that last match, I present to you our final four!"

All screens switching to display the remaining competitors punctuated the end of Present Mic's proclamation. Ashido, Bakugo, Akiko, and Todoroki at the moment of each of their most major triumphs in the festival were shown in alphabetical order alongside each other on each screen, but Akiko and Todoroki's images were swiped away to solely display Ashido and Bakugo soon after. Not a second after the animation played out, Present Mic returned to explain the meaning behind the on-screen motion.

"Now you might be wondering if we're gonna mix up the semifinal matches, but I can say with certainty that a last-minute mix-up this time is not on the menu, folks! Why? Well, at this point, with only four fighters left, there's kinda no point." Present Mic explained nonchalantly. "So with that in mind, the first match of the semifinals will be Bakugo versus Ashido, who's taking the place of Iida because of some unforeseen circumstances. I hope you all understand, and we'll be back with the start of the penultimate round shortly!"

Now armed with the knowledge of how the semifinals would play out, Akiko exhaled a short sigh of relief. With her battle against Todoroki confirmed to be on the horizon after only one more match, Akiko could at least take some comfort in the fact she no longer had to worry about winning one more of her own before she could try and make the most of her promise to Midoriya. Not too long after Present Mic finished speaking, Kyoka's unintended words of warning played in Akiko's ears one more time, and she decided to take advantage of the time she had left before her battle to go ahead and prepare by herself.

She rose to her feet, and Jomei looked at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I was thinking that I should go and tell Midoriya and Uraraka what's going on with Iida," Akiko explained and hoped Jomei wouldn't notice her preoccupation. "That, and I wanted to take a minute to prepare for my match, too. Todoroki isn't someone I can try to fight without a good plan, and all."

Jomei's brow furrowed slightly, making it abundantly clear that he could tell something was on her mind, but his head tilted thoughtfully to the side before he responded. "Well… I guess that's as good a reason as any. Go ahead. Take all the time you need."

And with that, Akiko felt her smile grow a little more real. Kyoka, Denki, and the others also stared at her as she started to head up the stairs, but she waved a friendly goodbye to them all the same. "Thank you, Jomei. I'll see you guys soon!"

A brief burst of good lucks and fortunate wishes followed her as she turned to exit into the halls of the stadium, but as the doors back to the booth closed behind her, any air of positivity Akiko could've hoped to hold onto faded away like the din of noise stemming from the stands. She wasn't anywhere near as worried about what would happen when the time came for her to square off against Todoroki as she was with Kirishima, but nor could it be said that she was entirely at ease, either.

With what she knew she'd have to do to help Todoroki use his left side.

With her withholding from her friends a plan that could get her hurt.

And most of all, with having to hope Jomei wouldn't be able to tell that there was something more going on with her than she'd let herself show.

Around the time she'd made it halfway back to the same competitor's waiting room that she and the others had followed Jomei to before his battle with Bakugo, Midoriya and Uraraka came into view. If context clues given by their presence in the halls were any indicator, they were likely headed back to Class 1-A's booth to watch the rest of the festival with everyone else.

But to put it in the gentlest terms possible, Uraraka looked terrible. Tracks left behind by tears stained her usually lively cheeks, her eyes were bloodshot and dry like a desert, and her entire body seemed so drained of energy that she had to lean up slightly against Midoriya for support as they slowly made their way through the halls. Midoriya was the first of the pair to notice Akiko.

In response to seeing Uraraka in such distress, any thought Akiko may have had of discussing Iida with either of the pair faded away for now. Instead, Akiko's eyes widened and she started to say the first thing she thought of when she saw the pair walking so close to each other.

"Are you two…"

'Wait, don't-'

"Dating?"

It was at times like these that Akiko wished she'd been born with a Quirk like Hagakure's instead of her own. She might've missed out on the brute battle power her Quirk provided her, but at least then she wouldn't have to worry about her crystal core sometimes making her emotions easier than a book to read. In this instance, that obvious display of emotion manifested as an incredulous level of yellow in her crystalline chest piece as Akiko's mind catapulted to catch up with what she'd stumbled into saying. When it did, though, she could only manage to think one thing.

'Why must I fail this badly basic human interaction sometimes...?'

Midoriya's face had exploded into a blush and it looked like it took everything he had to merely look anywhere else instead of outright leaping away from Uraraka, while Uraraka's face was hidden by her hair as she looked down.

Akiko made no attempts to continue speaking out of fear of another faux pax and instead decided to stand around awkwardly, as if her lack of effort to clear the air would somehow magically make the issue at hand go away. Midoriya desperately tried to regain his voice and look back in either Akiko or Uraraka's direction, but he seemed stuck in limbo, both in terms of his unresponsive body and mind.

Fortunately, Uraraka recovered faster than anyone else in the group. She let out something of a soft groan and rubbed at her eyes, but she stood upright all on her own shortly thereafter. Even though she still looked terrible, it couldn't be said she wasn't one to make a concerted effort to come across with her usual composure when the situation called for it.

"N-no Takara, we aren't…" Uraraka paused when Midoriya finally managed to look her in the eyes again. "It isn't like that between us. Man, is this how it felt when I did that thing with you and Nishimura way back before the battle trials?"

"Sorry…" Akiko apologized, her shoulders hunched forward sheepishly. "And yeah. Probably."

Now that Uraraka had proven she could power through whatever had drained her of all her energy, Midoriya released her shoulder from his grasp and took a very slight step away. Uraraka then took to combing back her messed-up hair with her hands before she spoke again. "It's alright. Really. And yeah, I know I must look awful right now. That's… got to do with Todoroki. I made a promise to my parents to do my best in the festival and well… now I lost. You don't have to worry about me though – I think I've gotten over the worst of it, by now."

Akiko nodded, and Midoriya mimicked the motion before his attention turned away from Uraraka. "Hey, so, Takara… what brings you here, anyway? Did the semifinals start already? The last thing I heard was Present Mic making some announcements about how there was going to be some kind of break so that the pros could clear the ice in the arena."

"Well, I actually had a few reasons for heading this way. Of course, since the semifinals are going to get started soon, I figured I'd go to the waiting room to think about a few things while I have the chance, but…" Akiko shifted around a little in place as she thought about how she should put her other motive for meandering through the halls in search of them. "I also wanted to find you, and maybe Uraraka too, to tell you guys that Iida withdrew from his match. Ashido's been allowed to take his place against Bakugo."

Midoriya's eyes widened in concern. "Whoa, Iida dropped out? Why?"

"Did something happen?" Uraraka asked.

"None of us have any details. The best I can tell you is that it has something to do with his family and that's about it," Akiko elaborated. "I at least thought you guys should know before you get back to the booth and wonder where Iida went."

"But if Ashido is gonna go and fight Bakugo, and their fight is the first one of the semifinals… that means that you'll be up against Todoroki," Midoriya said. "Are you nervous at all?"

Akiko hummed as she reflected on her previous fights and the pair of preliminary events that had preceded them, only to conclude that her performance had been nothing if not impressive no matter what angle she took in interpreting her actions in each instance. "You know, if you'd have asked me that even a little bit before I fought Kirishima, I might have said I was, but now…"

"Everything's changed," Midoriya finished.

"Yeah. I think against Kirishima I was nervous because I wasn't used to zoning in on a single opponent and ignoring everything else, but now, after fighting two rounds in the final stage and coming out on top, it feels like second nature," Akiko figured, her facial features calm but her eyes conveying another message entirely to Midoriya. "And hey, maybe another reason I'm not too nervous about Todoroki is that I'm finally figuring out I have some kind of strength I never knew I had before. If nothing else, I have a concrete goal in mind for the festival now."

"Oh, does it have to do with Nishimura?" Uraraka guessed.

Akiko saw a glimmer of realization in Midoriya's eyes as to what 'goal' she'd referred to, but elected to roll with Uraraka's assumption to deflect any suspicion. "Yeah. I made a promise to carry both of us as far into the festival as possible. I thought that maybe I could rub some of the glory I manage to get myself onto him, you know?"

Uraraka's expression softened. "Wow. That's really sweet of you, Takara."

"Thank you," Akiko said, and her gaze flicked to Midoriya. "I'll see you guys later, then?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go ahead and try to catch the first match," Midoriya explained.

Uraraka started after him. Midoriya, meanwhile, gave Akiko one last meaningful look before he picked up his pace to keep in stride with Uraraka. Once more, Akiko was alone, and after another brief moment, when the sound of her classmates' steps finally faded, she set out again in the direction of the competitor's waiting room.

Thankfully, upon her arrival, the isolated space in which she planned to use to strategize and smooth out any lingering concerns she felt was already empty.

She proceeded to sit down in the same seat in which she'd found herself at the start of the festival. Even with several dozen concrete walls separating her from the stadium, the screams of excitement that came from those witnessing the Sports Festival in the flesh were palpable. The vibrations thrummed through Akiko's body, but she managed to ignore the vast majority of the preliminary fanfare and introductions of the fighters, eventually even reaching a point where she figured out how to tune out the din of noise entirely.

Akiko closed her eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath through her nose. Even if she'd sought out the relative silence of the waiting room for some good reasons, and she wanted to make good on those reasons, figuring out how to prepare herself for battle against the imposingly powerful force that was Todoroki was easier said than done.

Her eyes opened, and the sound of her long exhale was the only one that filled the room.

Then her ears twitched. Aside from the action now taking place in the arena between Ashido and Bakugo, she could hear the sound of someone's steps headed her way down the hall. It didn't take her long to guess who they belonged to when they stopped at the door of the waiting room, as if hesitant to cross the threshold.

Akiko wasn't surprised he'd followed after her here. No one could read her as well as he could.

The door opened slowly, and Jomei entered the room. His eyes met hers, and he stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as the door swung shut behind him. He merely looked at her for a few seconds, and vice versa, before he finally made his way over to her.

"I know," Akiko confessed. "I must have made you worry."

"Not until now," Jomei responded. "You didn't give me a reason to be worried by walking off, but the way you're acting now makes me think something's up. There's a difference between being calm, like you're trying to act now, and putting on a mask in hopes that your friends don't realize you're not okay."

Her fingers curled nervously against the plastic table before her, and she averted her eyes.

"This isn't like you, Akiko," Jomei continued, this time much more obviously concerned as he closed the distance between them. "You don't do this. You wouldn't walk off with the excuse of wanting to tell Midoriya about what's going on when you know he'd be back before you even needed to leave for your match. There's something else going on here, so if there is, tell me. Please."

Jomei had made his way into the seat next to her at this point, but for once, his presence wasn't a comfort, and Akiko looked away from him. "It's… it's complicated."

"By the looks of things, it's also tearing you apart," Jomei observed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I hate to see something bother you this much. You shouldn't be holding something in right before your match if you don't have to."

Akiko turned to him only to instantly regret it. The soft concern for her that so clearly appeared on his face felt like a knife being plunged straight into her heart. She knew she had the power to confess what she was trying to keep hidden within herself right now, and that out of everyone that she knew, hecould be trusted to know what was going on, but she'd also agreed to keep what Midoriya had confessed to her under wraps.

Right now, keeping it in felt like it was killing her.

"Right," she whispered. And in the next second, it almost all came flooding out, but reminding herself of the passion behind her promise, she closed her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she then opened them and met his earnest gaze again. "Someone, I can't reveal who, told me something extremely secret and wanted me not to tell anyone. And I promised them I wouldn't."

"Something you can't tell me?" Jomei's brows furrowed. "Does it have something to do with your next match? I don't want you going into that fight with something on your mind that might throw your safety out the window. Or keeping a secret that might get someone hurt. You can-"

"You don't have to worry," Akiko interrupted. "I would tell you if keeping it would get someone hurt. But I promised, and I don't want to make that promise mean nothing."

But more than anyone else, she knew what she was planning to do in her upcoming battle could injure her though, perhaps extremely seriously. Upon noticing the immeasurable care and worry that made itself at home within Jomei's expressive eyes, a sensation of guilt spread across her.

Jomei's expression looked like it was causing him physical pain not to press her further for some information – or any information – but he kept silent. Initially.

"Of course," he eventually agreed. "I understand. But I know you, Akiko. If you're thinking of doing something you don't have to, and that something will get you really hurt, I… listen to me, as long as your head's where it needs to be for this fight, that's all I'm worried about."

A sensation of heartache compounded her disconcerting guilt. Her body wouldn't let her leave this conversation at that unsatisfying note. She couldn't tell Jomei anything about Todoroki's history without betraying Midoriya, but she could confide in him at least some amount of detail concerning what she sought to accomplish.

"Listen, I can't tell you everything, but…" Akiko exhaled slowly. "In this fight, I'm aiming to make Todoroki use his left side. I want to make him use his flames, make him use the entirety of his Quirk, instead of only half the potential he was born with."

'Even if that potential was what ruined his entire life…'

Jomei's eyes widened. "Hey, whoa, why? What do you mean?"

"It's part of the secret… but that isn't really the part that affects me," Akiko explained. "This is just something that I know I have to do for him. Honestly, that's the only part about this whole secret that even affects what I'll wind up doing during my match with him. It isn't much, but telling you that much doesn't break my promise."

"Is this whole 'promise' thing why you wanted to come down here?" Jomei asked.

"I really did want to find Midoriya and Uraraka. And I did come here to get ready," Akiko said. "But I wanted to be alone for a little while… so that I'd be ready for whatever I'll have to do whenever this match starts."

Jomei's hands instantly reached out to rest lightly on her shoulder; giving it a small squeeze, his tone grew serious. "Can you maybe tell me what you mean by that? How exactly do you plan to make him use his left side?"

"I mean in order for me to even have a chance of getting Todoroki to use his left side on his own, I need to force him into a situation where he has no other option except to use his flames" Akiko explained. "Everyone's seen how powerful he is. Tokoyami didn't have to deal with any light coming from him that would weaken Dark Shadow, but he and his Quirk were still overpowered by Todoroki's right side. Only his right side. For me to even stand a chance of making Todoroki into using his flames on me, I need to brace myself for using my Quirk more without it breaking than I ever have before now. It'll hurt more than ever to do so to make myself last that long, but it's the only way I can think of that I could somehow help him. I'm sorry, Jomei."

"Don't say you're sorry. Not now." Jomei shifted around so that he sat on his chair sideways to face Akiko fully, and she did the same. He then placed his other hand on her shoulder before he continued. "All I want you to do is promise me that you won't kill yourself when your match rolls around. You mean too much to me for me to watch you do that to yourself."

"I do," she said simply.

"Say it," Jomei stressed. "Say that you promise."

Akiko gently wrapped her hands around Jomei's wrists and looked him dead in the eye. "I promise you that I won't end up killing myself in my match against Todoroki."

Jomei heaved a sigh of relief, and his hands slid down from her shoulders. His hands then wound up on her own, and he looked down at them as he squeezed them. "That's all I wanted to hear."

A ghost of a smile appeared upon her face. "I know."

Present Mic's distant voice then filled the lull in their conversation. "You heard it here first, folks! With one big ol' bombastic blast blowing Ashido out of the ring, you're all looking at Bakugo Katsuki as the first fighter headed to the finals! Let me hear some noise!"

The din of excitement grew a dozen degrees louder, and the pair rose to their feet, their hands still intertwined. Jomei finally returned his attention from Akiko's hands to her eyes, his own filled with such affection that it even made Akiko's heart ache.

"Can't say I'm surprised at that outcome…" he murmured

"Right," Akiko agreed. "So I guess this is it, then."

With an unexpected release of her hands, Jomei pulled her tightly into a hug, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Don't say it like that. You'll do great, and you'll always be great. More than because of how much you've grown since we've got here, but because of what you're even trying to do to help others."

He held onto her for a few more seconds, and in the silence of the room, it felt more like its own little eternity. No more words were exchanged when they both withdrew from each other's arms, and Akiko only stopped to look at Jomei one last time before she left for what could be her most strenuous battle yet. In his face, she saw several, seemingly conflicting emotions;

Despair, yet hope.

Sadness, yet joy.

Concern, yet confidence.

All Akiko knew with any certainty was that she wanted to make sure that only the positives would be able to apply to that look by the time her battle was done.

Authors Note: OKAY. Woo! That's done. Here's to hopin' the emotional weight of that final scene actually works because that right there is a hard 30 chapters of characterization all coming to an emotional head as the precursor to one helluva climax for the Sports Festival. Regardless, here's a random note or two – at first, I didn't plan on pulling Ashido back out of the background, but a few months back when I was still planning out this arc, I realized I'd already planned Iida's withdrawal, so… yeah. Hey presto, bubblegum girl gets another chance to fight for glory… even if she lost. Off-screen. Listen, this Sports Festival is fun and all but oh my goodness rather than forcing myself to draw things out, I'd much rather expedite the process of wrapping up this megalith of an arc instead and give this chapter a really strong through-line in the process.

Next time, we're gonna hit the climax of this arc at long last in the form of Todoroki vs Takara. Promises have been made by Akiko to many people over the course of a mere handful of matches, but only time will tell if she'll be able to make good on them. Ten bucks says you'll be able to guess if she does, but hey, I've been wrong in my assumptions of how people would interpret certain scenes before. Until next time, I eagerly await creating a climax that's well worth your time, and I hope you're all excited too!

Stay awesome, guys!