~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

Well... I'm pretty sure that I failed a final. Yippie...

But on the bright side, hey! Another chapter finished, with what's probably gonna be one of my favorite chapters to have written! I hope you guys enjoy this!

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):

Madko Ota Sanches V2: I don't know dumb nut, heh.

Exia Zero: Sorry, I would update faster, but it really takes time to work on these. And also, I can't god damn unsee Itsuka and Sonia now.

5AT05H1L1NK: Here's your Jiro content! Enjoy!

blue grimmoire: You're welcome.

TQ679: Ah, that's a good question, isn't it? Will they take over and communicate through Ikari? We're not sure. But what we do know is that he contains parts of each user. Remember the smile with his fingers in the corner of his mouth from the previous chapter? I wonder who does that?

Vidkid: And now she's here.


~{Outside Jiro's Residence-11:39AM}~

"I-I'm early..."

It was a bright and beautiful day for everyone to be out. The sky was cloud-free, the sun illuminated a gentle warmth for everyone walking about, and a cool breeze occasionally blew throughout the neighborhoods and cities alike.

Yet Izuku was too nervous to appreciate any of this, too busy shivering in front of somewhere he never thought he'd be.

He stood just outside the address provided to him by Jiro, wearing a plain black t-shirt, dark blue pants, and a thin turquoise sweater. He had on his usual yellow backpack and stared down at the map on his phone, then looking forward at his destination.

Just ahead of him was a two-story white house with a long balcony on the second floor, looking to be connecting two rooms together. In front of the house was a pristine green lawn with beautiful garden beds and a short cement path leading from the metal gate to the front door.

"This is it... This is Jiro's place..." He gulped nervously.

He stood in place and continued to stare at the house.

"So... Are you gonna go in? Or are you gonna continue to look suspicious and stare?"

Izuku flinched upon hearing Ikari's voice.

"I-I can't help it! I-I've never been to a girl's place before! I-I don't know what to expect!"

"Then expect nothing. You're overreacting about this... One, her parents are gone, so you won't have to worry about any parental threats or any teasing. Two, it's Ms. Rockstar we're talking about. She's probably the least likely person for you to have something 'unfortunate' happen with."

"Eh? Something 'unfortunate?'" Izuku blinked.

"Nevermind... The point is, you're gonna make things weird if you keep panicking about it. Didn't you already get used to girls, anyway?"

Izuku scratched his chin embarrassingly. "I-I mean... Sort of... but going to one of their houses!? I never thought it would ever happen..."

"Just don't be an idiot and act normal around her. I won't be able to help you once inside, remember? Poker Face wants me completely out of this so you can practice dealing with a girl."

Izuku sighed and hung his head in defeat.

"Okay... I guess this is it then."

"Good. Oh, quick thing, I don't get why Poker Face even wants you to learn to play an instrument. What's up with that?"

Izuku rose his head. "Oh, that? There were actually a few reasons why he thought it would be good for me."

"Liiiiiiiiiiike?"

Izuku looked up and recalled Enso mentioning it to him.

"Well... They're a bunch of small things. Musical training can change the brain's structure that both boost productivity and improve memory. And playing an instrument helps you grow more patient and mentally alert. That kind of stuff..."

"Oooooooh. Okay. So then those little improvements can help you out with fighting too?"

Izuku scratched the back of his head. "I think? I'm not actually sure. But if Enso thinks so, then it probably will."

"Well, alright then. Good luck, partner. We won't be in contact for a while when I leave you alone. Don't die, alright? Well, if something dangerous actually happens, then I'll probably come out automatically. Bye for now!"

With that, Izuku felt as if something left him, no doubt Ikari somehow going even deeper into his consciousness.

He sighed before shaking his head, then taking a deep breath and forming a determined expression straight towards the home of his friend.

"Okay... Here goes."

Izuku was going to push the gate open, only to notice that there wasn't a visible latch to unlock it.

"Eh?"

Confused, he backed up and turned left, catching sight of a device he recognized as a gate intercom.

"Oh, she's got one of these too..." Izuku thought, recalling Momo's gate having a similar one when he had walked her home.

He reached his hand and nervously pressed the button, a small buzz ringing followed by an uncomfortable silence.

He took deep breaths as he waited.

"Ikari is probably right... You're just overthinking things... She's a really good friend, and I owe it to her to help her study..."

He heard a click.

*Who's this?* Jiro's voice called through the small box, though it sounded expectant.

Despite the reassurance he gave to himself, Izuku started sweating nervously.

"I-It's me! U-Um, Midoriya!"

*Oh.*

There was a pause.

*I-I'll be down in a moment, let me just... get ready.*

"Get ready?" Izuku wondered as the intercom cut off.

What followed was another click, this time accompanied by the gate slowly opening up.

With as much confidence he could muster, Izuku pushed open the gate and made his way through the short cement path leading to Jiro's front door.

But by the time he reached the door, he was already shivering.

"Dang it, Izuku! You're freaking out already!"

His eyes shot all over the place, anxiously waiting for his friend to arrive.

He flinched when he heard footsteps coming down some stairs, making him stand up straight with his head facing forward as if in the army.

However, between hearing those footsteps, he heard a panicked cry and a tumble, followed by a small slam and a "Fucking damn it!"

"Eh?" This thankfully calmed him down at least a little. "Did... Did she just fall?"

Then he heard the click of the door unlocking, making him flinch once again as it slowly opened to reveal his classmate.

Izuku's eyes were instantly drawn to what the girl was wearing, nearly bulging them out of their sockets.

Jiro wore an artic grey tank-top with its edges outlined in black. In the center of her chest area and just below were the words DEEP DOPE, printed in bold black capital letters, but with the P's lower part extending as an arrow and pointing all the way down her shirt. Included with her outfit were navy blue short-shorts that exposed a majority of her legs.

Seeing what she was wearing made Izuku comedically sweat even more than before.

"I-Isn't she dressed a bit too revealing!?"

"Hey... You made it."

Her voice took his eyes off her clothes and focused them on the girl's face, noticing her anxiously twirling her earlobe with a finger while staring at him calmly.

Izuku straightened his back and nervously waved his hand. "H-Hi Jiro! A-Are you alright?"

The girl stopped her twirling and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... Yeah? Why wouldn't I be alright?"

Izuku embarrassingly scratched the back of his head.

"W-Well... Didn't I hear you fall down a moment ago?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Jiro immediately deadpanned.

Izuku blinked in confusion. "Eh? But I swear-"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Izuku felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Jiro giving him a death glare, to which he immediately looked away and scratched his chin with an awkward laugh.

"I-I don't either!"

The girl's glare then faltered as she stepped to the side, still holding the door open.

"Well... Come in."

Mustering his courage, Izuku walked forward.

"Th-Thank you for having me..."

Upon entering the girl's home, his eyes were drawn to several things.

To the left, upon entering, was the living room. Its components consisted of a layer of black carpet, black couches, a big-screen television, and shelves with CDs underneath. The most eye-catching thing were the two giant speakers to the sides of the wide television, along with posters of different bands on the wall, most notably-

"Deep Dope?" Izuku curiously stared at the poster of the band that had the same text as Jiro's shirt.

He stared in awe as his eyes scanned the area, only to pause when he saw a slight dent in the wall near the bottom of the stairs.

"Welp... At least I know what that thud was." He sweatdropped.

Jiro shut the door behind them and walked past Izuku as he was admiring her household.

"So... Yeah, my parents aren't here, like I said. They're at a concert." She said, walking past the living room and to a set of stairs just ahead.

Izuku turned his head as he followed Jiro, a small smile forming.

"Does all of your family like music?"

Jiro paused her walking and glanced back, embarrassingly twirling her earlobe when she saw just how many music-related items she had in just her living room.

"Yeah... We all like music... That a problem?"

Izuku frantically moved his arms in front of him, worrying that he had offended her.

"N-No, I don't! I-I just thought that it must be nice to have a common interest with your parents!"

Jiro stopped twirling her earlobe and tilted her head. "What, don't you have something in common with you folks? Everyone does, whether they notice or not."

Izuku awkwardly smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I-I mean... My mom loves cooking, and I've been talking it up recently. And if I were to point out other things... then I'd say she can get just as nervous as I do. Other than that, I wouldn't know anything else. She doesn't really like heroes as much as I do, and if anything, it always seems like she's... distant with the topic."

"What about your pops?"

Izuku's smile fell as did his gaze, his head staring down at the ground.

"I... never knew him."

Jiro's eyes slightly widened, the girl then turning her head away in a fit of guilt.

"Er... Sorry."

Izuku lightly smiled as he brought his head back up. "You don't have to be; I've been alright without him so far."

Jiro turned back to him with an unsure look.

"I... kinda find that hard to believe... I think you're the one who's been through the most shit out of anyone..."

Izuku managed to force out a light chuckle, "Hey... Even if I've been through a lot of things, I know I wouldn't be where I am now if I didn't."

To that, Jiro managed to smile.

"I guess so. I'm just glad that you stayed the same after all that..."

She playfully smacked the side of his head.

"Dork."

Izuku nervously smiled as he rubbed the part where she hit him embarrassingly.

"I guess that's a compliment."

"Now come on, we've been standing around enough." Jiro turned towards the stairs. "Let's get to-"

She suddenly paused, her smirk faltering with a hint of red forming in her cheeks as she was reminded once again where she'd be bringing Izuku.

"My... room."

The mention turned the two nervous.

"R-Right..." Izuku stuttered.

Jiro led the way to the stairs, with Izuku following from behind. As the two made their way up, Izuku glanced upward with his eyes unconsciously drawn to Jiro's bare legs. He blinked a few times before looking a little more upward, only to suddenly jerk his head away with his face becoming beet red.

"Wha-!? Wh-Why did I stare!?" His head steamed.

Jiro had peaked back to Izuku right as the boy had turned his head away, her eyes widening.

"Wait... Was he just-!?"

She rapidly shook her head, face turning red as she made it to the top of the stairs.

"No... There's no way he would... Not to me at least..."

Now on her household's second level, Jiro kept her head forward so Izuku wouldn't see her blush. Behind her, Izuku's head shot all over the place. He tried to look anywhere but at Jiro, being conscious about where his eyes were drawn before.

So when he walked behind the girl down a small hallway, his eyes caught sight of several portraits along the walls, making Izuku come to a stop to admire them.

He saw several pictures containing younger versions of Jiro with her family. He saw her father, a middle-aged man with wavy shoulder-length, light-gold hair and triangular eyes similar to Jiro's. And he easily recognized the girl's mother, a woman with short, dark purple hair with bangs falling to the right side of her face and glasses, even having the same plug-like earlobes as her daughter.

But the picture that really caught his attention was one containing Jiro when she appeared to be around four years old. Izuku saw Jiro's father sitting on a stool and lightly tapping on a single drum with a blissful smile, he saw her mother standing near him while happily clapping, and... he saw a small Jiro holding a guitar with her mouth open in a big smile.

He saw just how happy she looked, wearing an oversized purple shirt while holding her small guitar in glee.

Izuku found himself forming a big smile of his own as he saw just how early the girl's love for music sparked.

"So adorable..."

The present Jiro stopped walking when noticing Izuku having stopped behind her, some red still remaining in her cheeks as she gazed back.

"What's up?"

She didn't receive a response from him, as he was clearly absorbed in his admiration for the pictures.

Jiro turned to the wall, and her eyes widened, being reminded that her childhood was essentially placed among the hall, especially her baby pictures.

"H-Hey!"

Izuku's vision was suddenly closed off as a pair of hands appeared over his eyes, which then yanked him back.

"Wha-!? J-Jiro!? I can't see!"

"That's the point, you idiot!" Jiro snapped as she dragged him towards her room.

"I think I was staring for too long!" Izuku realized as he clumsily stepped backward to keep from falling.

He respected Jiro's wishes and didn't bother to remove her hands off him, as he understood that he too would feel embarrassed if one of his classmates saw the hundreds of baby pictures his mother collected of him throughout his childhood.

He struggled to stay on his feet and just waited to be taken into Jiro's room, only for the pulling to stop. He felt the girl's hands increase in temperature and could swear he felt them shiver against him.

"J-Jiro? Is everything alright?"

The girl in question was frozen in front of her bedroom door, looking down with a red face as she suddenly started worrying. She didn't even know why, but repeating that Izuku would go into her room brought up some dread. What would he think? Would he be disappointed? She didn't even know what was a 'girly' room in the first place.

She looked down rather dejected, expecting the worst.

"It... It isn't much..."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"I know how guys get about this type of stuff. So don't get your hopes up..." She muttered as her earlobes went around the doorknob.

Still confused, Izuku heard the door's click, followed by Jiro removing her hands from his face. He blinked a few times to see that his vision was fine, and when he turned around to look through the open door, his eyes widened all the way.

His eyes fell upon a room with several instruments, from drums to two different guitars propped beside each other. Added with these instruments was a large speaker at each back corner for her to connect them. Against the left wall, Jiro's desk resided with a rack of headphones and a metal rack with amps next to it. Then next to it was a bookshelf stacked with CDs of several different albums.

Against the right wall of the room was Jiro's bed, the design consisting of a red color with white musical notes and two rows of a red and black checkered pattern on it. Both the floor and ceiling also had checkered pattern designs, but the roof had a red and black color scheme identical to the one on Jiro's bed, while the floor had black and white colors contrasting each other. Several posters were on the walls, but no doubt the largest one among them was the one covering the entire right wall, the text Deep Dope said once again.

Jiro held both of her earphone earlobes and was nervously tapping the tips of them together with a shy blush, watching from behind Izuku as the boy seemed to freeze upon seeing her room.

"Don't stare so much... I know it's not very-"

"Cool!" Izuku interrupted as he stepped forward right into the middle of his classmate's quarters, eyeing everything with an excited and awestruck expression.

"Wh-What?" Jiro's blush deepened, her hands fumbling with her earlobes after having been caught off guard.

The boy turned to her with stars in his eyes, nearly resembling a child at an amusement park.

"Can you play all of these!?" He asked, referring to her several instruments.

Seeing him sparkle brightly, Jiro averted her eyes and started embarrassingly twirling both of her earlobes.

"Well... Yeah. At least the basics. But I'm probably the best with the guitar."

"That's amazing! I don't even know how long it would take for me to even learn one of these!" Izuku praised, turning back to the room and admiring it.

The corners of Jiro's mouth slowly went up as she watched Izuku fawn over her room, even chuckling when she heard him go on autopilot and mutter up a storm.

She let out a breath of relief.

"Well... I guess I worried over nothing..."

Feeling calmer than ever, she walked over to the muttering Izuku and pat his shoulder, snapping him out of his rambling.

"Hey, I get that you love it enough to live here for the rest of your life, but I think we better start studying." She smirked.

Izuku realized he had gotten too excited, then turning flustered as he started flailing his arms.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I just-! I-I've never been to a room like this before..." He said, calming down and looking down nervously.

"No kidding if you got that excited." Jiro grinned.

"S-Sorry..."

"Hey, don't be." She reassured as she playfully smacked his back. "I'm actually really glad. I thought you'd judge me for being such a music junkee."

"O-Of course not! I'm glad you have such an amazing talent and passion for it! I-I never really had anything like that. I was always just into analyzing heroes..." He stuttered in some shame.

"Well, Greeny, what do you say you use that 'analyzing' of yours and help me with my math?" She nudged him.

"R-Right!"

"Heh, dork."

They sat at Jiro's desk, which was smaller than they both thought, and ended up seated relatively close to one another. Their arms even pressed lightly against each other when they squeezed in. Both blushed upon the contact, but once they opened their notebooks and Jiro nervously showed Izuku what she had trouble with, the boy's professional and analytical nature kicking in.

With his organized notes, detailed explanations, and simple examples, Jiro easily understood Izuku's teachings and got the hang of the concepts that had given her so much trouble before.

However, despite actually starting to understand everything, as the hour went by, Jiro started feeling agitated when she started... noticing something.

"And that's how you get your answer, Jiro."

"Ah, Jiro, that one's wrong."

"There! Now you should be fine for the exams, Jiro!"

Each time Izuku said her name, something felt wrong. She couldn't put her tongue on it for the longest time, but after hearing Izuku say it several times throughout their study session, she finally realized the problem.

"He's calling me by my LAST name!?"

Jiro stopped her writing and formed a completely blank expression.

"I'm the only one... the ONLY one he addresses by last name. Uraraka, Yao-Momo, and even Kendo... He calls them all by their first names like it's nothing, but..."

Jiro turned her head to Izuku with a lifeless gaze.

"Not... me?"

She felt dejected, confused, and... unimportant. Why didn't he call her by her first name like everyone else? Why was she different?

Izuku was writing in his notebook when he felt chills go down his spine, turning left and feeling the absolute terror of seeing a menacing purple aura around the girl next to him.

"J-Jiro!?"

Her eye twitched to hear her name.

"S-S-Something wrong?" He stammered out, turning blue in fear and nervously shivering in place.

"Oi... Izuku Midoriya."

"MY FULL NAME!? WHAT DID I DO!?" Izuku squeaked, turning his chair to face her completely with his hands on his lap.

"Y-Yes!?"

Jiro's lifeless stare turned into a glare.

"Why don't you call me by my first name?"

"..."

"..."

"Eh?"

Izuku blinked several times as he understood what she just asked, his fear momentarily turning into confusion.

"Wh-What?"

"I didn't think about it until now, but... You call everyone else by their first name, but not me..."

Izuku shook in his seat.

"In fact... The only time I remember you actually calling me by my first name was when you crashed into me in the halls..."

He started sweating bullets.

"So... Why?"

Izuku could feel that Jiro was genuinely upset about it, making the boy feel confused and guilty.

"Sh-She's actually mad about that!? I didn't think she would care that much!"

He gulped nervously as he struggled to speak.

"I-I-! W-Well... I-I just thought that-!"

Jiro remained silent as she kept staring at him.

"Um... I-I just thought you wouldn't like that..."

Jiro blinked, and the color returned to her eyes, which then narrowed at the boy.

"What?"

"I-I mean..." Izuku scratched the back of his head as he looked down, trying to find his words. "Wh-When I accidentally called you by your first name in the hall, you looked ready to poke my eyes out. A-And after watching you scold Denki- Er, Kaminari, and Mineta many times with your earphone jacks, I-I really wanted to make sure to I didn't do anything to make you mad like they do. I'd rather never get stabbed... S-So I did everything I could to make sure I remember to always call you by your last name..."

Jiro seemed surprised, but thankfully, no longer angry.

"So... that's why you never addressed me like everyone else!? Because you were scared that I'd stab you in the eye!? You really think I'd do that to you just for calling me my first name!?" She asked, almost seeming offended by the thought.

"I-I mean... Yeah."

"This guy..." Jiro deadpanned, cross-veins even forming on her head.

"S-Sorry if it made it seem like I saw you differently from the others... I-I care about you just as much as everyone else!" Izuku stated, being sure to raise his voice a little to show his sincerity.

Jiro looked down, shadows hiding her eyes.

"Then... Say it."

"Eh?"

Jiro looked back up, to which Izuku felt his heart stop when he saw her... pouting?

"Call me by my first name..." She mumbled, clearly embarrassed but still pushing through anyway. She had her eyes focused on him while keeping her pout, trying to look firm, yet her red face said otherwise.

Izuku's own face turned crimson.

"C-Cute!"

Jiro said nothing as she waited for him to speak, keeping her eyes on his.

Izuku gulped nervously as he looked down. Despite having made it a habit to address his friends by their first names, most of the time, it was unconsciously. But now, he would be fully aware of addressing Jiro in such a manner. Be completely conscious about it made him feel more awkward and nervous about it.

But despite this, he didn't wish to deny her, so he mentally pushed himself forward, although looking down and avoiding her gaze as he said;

"K-Kyoka."

"..."

He then stayed silent, waiting for a reaction from her.

And the reaction came in the form of Jiro's hands placed upon his cheeks, his head forced upward.

Izuku's eyes widened to see that Jiro's face was right in front of his in a frown. She had gotten up from her chair and leaned over to him, using her hands to force him to look at her.

"J-Jiro!?"

"Kyoka."The girl repeated. "Again."

"Y-You're too close-"

"Again." She sternly commanded.

Izuku gulped down air.

"K... K-Kyoka..."

Jiro smirked.

"There? Not too hard, was it? Now, you'd better call me that from now on, alright?"

"F-From now on?" Izuku stammered.

"Yup. You'd better remember, Greeny." She chuckled.

"O-Okay... K-K-Kyoka. B-But... could you b-b-back up now?"

"Huh?"

At this point, the now addressed Kyoka realized that her face was mere inches from Izuku's. Her triangular purple eyes gazed into his round and seemingly shining orbs of green, seeing the light in them brightly shining.

Instead of letting go, she remained completely still, hands continuing to hold Izuku's cheeks. Her heartbeat increased in pace, yet she just continued to stare into his eyes as if in a trance. She saw the kindness and timidness in them, reminding herself the two particular reasons the boy had caught her eyes.

Despite always looking on edge, despite always facing dangerous circumstances and being visibly scared, this boy always fought through to the end for anyone and everyone. She saw him as plain, yet he was anything but that. She honestly didn't know when she started seeing him in with such brightness, but it was clear that, as much as she'd try to deny it, he had a special place in her heart.

So, of course, realizing that this special person was this close, especially when she was gently holding his cheeks, she immediately freaked out.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth grew agape, her skin turning as red as a tomato.

"AH!"

On instinct, Jiro pushed Izuku away, causing the boy to fall back in his chair.

"Gah!?" He landed with a small comedic crash, ending up twitching on his back.

Jiro stood up and backed up from her own seat as she realized what she just did, panting hard as her heartbeat rampaged. She didn't know what to do now, her flustered state clouding her usually snarky self.

So she just wanted to escape.

"I... I'm gonna get us some drinks!"

She retreated out of her room as Izuku was just sitting up from the ground, a baffled expression on his still red face as the door slammed shut.

There was a moment of silence before he said something.

"Wh-What... What just happened?"

He rubbed the comedic bump on the back of his head, aching as he pulled himself and his chair back up.

"One minute, she's making me call her by h-her first name, then the next thing I know, I'm knocked to the ground... It always feels like no matter what I do, it'll end badly in one way or another..."

Izuku sighed as he sat back down in his chair.

"Girls are confusing..."

Deciding to get his mind off the events that transpired, Izuku turned his chair back to the desk to continue studying, only to notice something out of place.

"Hm?" He saw that a black notebook was on top of his work, opened facing up and revealing its contents for the world to see.

"When did this get here?"

Izuku looked up and saw that there was a shelf higher above Jiro's desk.

"It must've fallen when I hit the ground..."

Understandably, he reached forward and grabbed the notebook, holding it into his hands and gazing down curiously as to discover what it held.

He blinked in surprise.

"Huh?"

Izuku saw words, but not just any words. He flipped through several pages of songs, songs with plenty of lyrics that were all no doubt been written by Kyoka, as indicated by her handwriting. Different headings for each song, different song formats for each one, and lengths varying from short to long.

"Wow... I didn't know that she even wrote her own songs." Izuku muttered as he flipped through pages of lyrics, entranced by this discovery.

He smiled as he got closer to the book's most recent pages, then stopping when a particular title caught his mind.

"Hero Too."

Izuku tilted his head at this particular title, this one more vague and eye-catching just because of the word 'hero' itself.

"Hm..."

He grabbed the corner of the page and peeled it back a crack, realizing this was the last page for the book filled out. His curiosity hit its peak here, and Izuku proceeded to read through this song, eyes absorbing word by word.

The more he read, the more his eyes widened, as he could feel a powerful and personal message coming from the lyrics.

Not only that, but Izuku could feel there was a deep message from them. He could feel a large inspiration that led to this piece's creation in the first place.

"People will judge for no reason at all..." He read aloud.

He was intrigued yet also confused as he processed these lyrics.

"Yeah, they might try, to say your dreams dumb... Don't... listen..."

These words, Izuku was drawn to them. He could feel insecurities, yet they didn't even seem to just refer to the writer. He was confused. These words, this message...

Why did it seem so familiar with him?

Izuku was so into the thought that he didn't hear the door opening behind him.

"Hey... Greeny. Sorry about-"

Izuku froze when he heard the girl, feeling a chill to hear her cut herself off.

"Well, shit."


~{Kyoka's Kitchen-Five Minutes Before}~

"Ugh... I freaked out."

Kyoka let out a stressed sigh as she placed two cups of soda on the kitchen counter, then rubbing her temples. By now, she was no longer feeling flustered and was instead just irritated at herself.

"This isn't like you... You're supposed to be the sassy one messing with Greeny... Yet you keep freaking out around him!" She groaned.

Kyoka closed her eyes and looked down, resting her hands on the counter as she took a deep breath.

"You've been doing nothing but getting nervous ever since he came... You keep expecting something to happen..."

She opened her triangular eyes back up and looked down at her somewhat loose and revealing clothing, another blush forming.

"W-Was I 'hoping' something would happen?"

She rapidly shook her head to get the thought out of her head, then looking gloomy.

"No... No more. You knew nothing would happen. If a full-on pervert like Mineta wouldn't get excited over you, then there's no way Greeny would..."

Kyoka hung her head in defeat as she placed the two drinks on a tray.

"Just stop being an idiot... Right now, you're both supposed to be studying. And... then you gotta teach him how to play something. He's been through a lot, you know this, even if he won't tell you."

She rose her head as she picked up the tray and carried it out, a new determined expression slowly forming.

"Just be the friend he needs."

She went up the stairs with a new resolution, managing to form a small smile. She kept this as she went through her hall, only to look down again as she thought about something else.

"Ugh... I gotta say sorry for pushing him..."

She used her earlobes to turn the doorknob but kept her gaze away from Izuku as she pushed the door inside, still feeling somewhat embarrassed to look at him.

"Hey... Greeny." She started as she walked in, placing the tray on a speaker on the side. "Sorry about-"

She turned back to him, freezing completely with her eyes widening in horror to see a black notebook in Izuku's hands. This was her most personal possession, the item that contained all of the personal songs she had written down.

Izuku robotically turned back to her with a similar look of terror, immediately starting to sweat and tremble.

"I got too caught up in reading!" The boy thought in panic.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT!?" Kyoka's face burned with red as her earlobes extended straight at his head.

"AH!" Izuku ducked out of the way, the jacks narrowly avoiding his head before retracting back.

Izuku stood up and walked backward in a panic to make space between himself and Kyoka.

"J-Jiro! Er-! Um-! I- I mean Kyoka! J-Just calm down! I can explain!"

"How did you get that!? You didn't read it, did you!?" The girl demanded to know. Her jacks were already aiming at him once again, additionally raising her arms forward in a pouncing position.

Izuku rapidly shook his head side to side.

"I-I only skimmed through most of it! I swear! I just read the last part!" He honestly answered.

But that was exactly what Kyoka didn't want to hear, as she and her eyes completely lost color upon Izuku making this declaration. Out of all the songs she wrote in that notebook, the one song she didn't want anyone to see was the one Izuku, out of everyone, read. The one song she made when she was thinking about...

About...

Him.

Only one thing went through her now static thoughts.

"I've gotta make him forget."

Izuku let out a scared squeal when he saw a dead-looking glare in Kyoka's eyes, the girl taking a step forward with her hands hanging limply to her sides.

"You... You read it." She mumbled, voice sounding as empty as the look in her eyes.

"I-I-I-!" Izuku didn't know what to say, too intimidated by the menacing purple aura coming from the girl.

"Oh god! She's gonna kill me!" Izuku internally screamed as Kyoka took another step forward, to which he responded by taking one back.

"Ji-! Kyoka! Wait! I-I'm sorry! I-I shouldn't have looked! The book fell on the desk wide open!"

The girl didn't seem to be listening and had taken yet another lifeless step forward—her earlobes twitching before flashing threateningly as they took aim once more.

"Why...? Why did...? Why did you have to be the one to read it?" Her voice whispered.

Izuku's legs trembled as he backed up once more.

"I-I didn't mean to-!"

He didn't get to finish, as Kyoka's eyes and jacks both flashed.

"GIVE IT HERE!"

She then pounced right at him, hands and earlobes shooting forward as she leaped like a lion ambushing its prey.

"GYAH!"

Kyoka collided right into Izuku, a thud echoing in the room, the shaking of which created ripples in the cups of soda.

Izuku was on his back once more and had dropped the black notebook, which was now lying next to him.

He had turned blue in fear as he witnessed Kyoka right on top of his chest. The girl had her face buried in it with her hands tightly gripping his shirt beside each side of her head. Her earlobes were currently stuck in the wall just above and behind Izuku, having flown just over him and narrowly missing his head.

"Oh god, I'm gonna DIE!" He panicked, shivering as he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitability of Kyoka's wrath.

He waited for his doom; he waited to just get pierced into his head like how Mineta and Kaminari always ended up.

But nothing happened for nearly a minute, to which he started growing confused and slowly opened one of his eyes, scared that they'd be pierced the moment he showed it.

But instead, all of his fear turned into worry as he saw Kyoka visibly trembling on top of him.

"Jiro!? Are you alright!?" Izuku panicked, even forgetting to call her by first name. He immediately tried to sit up but couldn't due to the girl being right on top of his chest. "L-Look, I'm really sorry, okay!?"

The girl didn't respond; she just popped her earphone jacks out from the wall and let them hit the ground. She started reeling them back, letting them drag on the ground as she lost her will to do anything.

They just retracted all the way back to Kyoka's ears in defeat, leaving behind a devastated girl.

Izuku felt her grip on his shirt tighten, finally hearing a murmur from the Kyoka.

"Don't... look at me."

"Wh-What?"

"You weren't supposed to see that..." Kyoka continued, wishing to be buried in a hole and hide. "I-I know I don't have a shot... I know that there's so many others better than me... I-I know I'm not good enough. Everyone says it... those girls said it too... Y-You don't have to tell me."

She brought up her head, her eyes dejected and yet, still holding onto a sliver of hope.

Izuku saw these eyes and froze, feeling... just confused. He could see the embarrassment, but he saw several other things. Pain, doubt, it conflicted his thoughts to see it. He understood that Kyoka didn't wouldn't want anyone to see her notebook, but from what he saw, the girl treated it as if it was the end of the world.

He thought about it, recounting the lyrics of the song he read to try and make out its meaning from Kyoka's perspective.

Choosing to be a hero, the judgments of others, and still pushing through despite what people said. He thought it was an upbeat song based on the lyrics, but the girl just seemed depressed about it.

Izuku's eyes widened as he came to the realization, or at least found a theoretical reason for her distress.

"Is... Is that how it is? She feels insecure about herself because of what others said about her before… But they even said things about her becoming a hero? That she couldn't... become one?"

Izuku's eyes dilated as memory after memory from his childhood came up. He realized why he sensed familiarity in that song when he read it. It was because he went through the same thing as her, or at least it was similar. Every day feeling worthless, feeling that nobody would ever believe you, that you wouldn't ever succeed in your dreams...

"So she wrote that song to give herself confidence? To keep pushing herself forward to become a hero despite what everyone said? But... now she thinks she looks foolish now that I saw it... She must be thinking that I'll just say the same thing as the others about her... I-I never knew she had these thoughts..."

"I-I know it's a long shot... I really do." Kyoka said, keeping her eyes on Izuku as she mustered all her courage to say the words. Tears were started to form right in the corner of them as she struggled to keep herself composed. "But even then... I-I still like-!"

"Kyoka!"

Izuku forced himself up in a sitting position, suddenly shifting Kyoka on his lap and pulling her into a tight hug.

Kyoka wasn't expecting this at all, her mouth becoming as open as her eyes upon feeling her head placed on Izuku's shoulder.

"Wha-Wha-!? Greeny!?" She nearly choked on her own saliva as she felt Izuku's arms hold her tightly. There was no way she could ignore how muscled they were; she couldn't ignore how... 'comfortable' they felt around her. Her face erupted in red when she felt Izuku's gently breathing against her ear, making her shiver with each breath.

"Kyoka... Don't let what other people say get to you..."

She froze completely.

"I told you before... You're an amazing person... You're level headed, strong, and you always make sure to stand up for what you believe is right..."

Izuku's hold on her grew tighter.

"I... I know how it feels... To be called something so often, to hear it from the same people to the point where you start to believe it. Every day I heard the same things, every day from the same people... It... It was hard... To be made to feel like you couldn't do anything, to feel like you can't have what you want... To feel like you can't become what you want..."

Kyoka could feel herself melt in his arms, listening intently as her breathing slowed. He was holding her so firm yet gentle... It reminded her of the time she had dragged him into the restroom and he did the same thing to reassure her. To hold her and let her know that she was important.

"When I came to U.A, I expected to be treated the same... as unimportant, as a waste of space. But the exact opposite happened. All of you reassured me that I was better than I thought I was, that I was... special. You guys cheered me on, you guys let me know I was important, and you guys always had good things to say about me... Every one of you is so amazing..."

He pulled Kyoka back and placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes staring into his classmate's flustered but captivated eyes.

"So you shouldn't drag yourself down like that! Everyone in class knows that you're amazing too! And the only reason any people outside would say otherwise is that they just haven't been around you enough! Don't feel so insecure about yourself! Feel confident that you are amazing! Don't let people talk you down!"

Kyoka saw the full meaning in Izuku's speech, reassuring her that she was just as amazing and important. That he viewed her in such a high light as he did with everyone else. His usual timid personality was replaced with the second side he had to him, his serious and earnest side that did whatever it took to ensure that another person was happy.

And... He was telling her that people would be lucky to have her. That she was important. So... she was even important to him, just as much as every other girl.

"S-So... I really got a shot?" She muttered, looking down nervously.

"Of course you do! You're already an amazing hero!" Izuku didn't hesitate.

"..."

"..."

A record scratch echoed as Kyoka blinked blankly.

"Eh?"

She looked back up to Izuku, her new deadpanned expression of pure confusion making the boy flinch.

"D-Did I say something wrong!?" Izuku wondered, sweat immediately starting to fall as his grip on Kyoka's shoulder loosened.

Kyoka continued to stare at Izuku with this gaze, question marks appearing over her head.

"Something's off..." She knew.

She suddenly started shaking nervously again, eyes remaining blank.

"I... I don't think we're talking about the same thing..."

When she heard that Izuku had read the 'last part' of her book, or more specifically, the last song of her collection, she feared her 'secret' to him had gotten out. That no matter how dense he was, reading her most personal thoughts in that song would just spell it out for him.

"E-Er... Greeny? Just... About that song, you read... wh-what was it called?" She asked, trying to confirm her suspicions.

Now Izuku turned confused by the sudden change of topic, question marks appearing over his head as his own gaze turned blank.

"Eh? Wasn't it... Hero Too?"

Kyoka looked as if she discovered that her entire life was a lie, eyes losing color with her mouth hanging open. She knew Izuku had read a song, and she assumed it was the one song she didn't want him to read. But...

It wasn't the one she thought.

Kyoka looked down and covered her face with both hands, head erupting like a volcano.

"HE DIDN'T READ IT! IT WASN'T WHAT I WAS THINKING! FUUUUUUUUUUCK!".

Izuku panicked when he saw Kyoka hide behind her hands.

"EH!? Wh-What's wrong!? I-I'm sorry! I said something bad after all, didn't I!?"

"NO! You moron!" The girl instantly snapped.

Izuku recoiled in confusion, letting go of her shoulders and wondering just what she meant.

Kyoka felt like she wanted to either die or get buried, whichever came first.

"All that praise, all that reassurance... It was because he thought that I wasn't feeling confident being a hero... If he actually read that other song and knew what I was actually talking about, then he wouldn't have said the same things... There's no way he'd consider me with the rest of 'them'..."

"Kyoka..." Izuku said, not liking to see the girl look so down again. "I... I think I may have misread the situation..."

She groaned.

"Ya think!? No... It isn't even your fault... It's all mine... Fucking hell... I'm so stupid... There was no way. I don't compare to the other girls... I don't-"

"B-But... It still doesn't change what I said!" Izuku stammered, trying to keep composed.

Kyoka's self-deprecating thoughts stopped to take in Izuku's words.

"Wait... Huh...? What you mean?" She muttered, refusing to look up at him and continuing to hide behind her hands.

Izuku gulped nervously as he organized himself.

"You... You were still thinking low about yourself, weren't you? E-Even if it wasn't the way I thought?"

Kyoka just grunted as her earlobes tangled together in embarrassment. "W-Well..."

"So everything I said still stands!"

The girl was shocked by how firm Izuku sounded, removing her hands and instinctively looking up at him in surprise to see him staring sternly at her.

"I've told you again and again that you're an amazing person! A talented girl! I don't know what problem you think you have about yourself, Kyoka, but I know you're too good of a person to be lowering your opinion of yourself! I've told you that many times already!"

Kyoka's eyes widened as flashes of being with Izuku came into mind. From him calling her cute in the school hall, to...

"The restroom..." She remembered his words during the sports festival when the two were stuck in a stall. When he was gently holding her and whispering in her ear.

"Those two don't know you... If they did, then they would actually know how amazing you are. You're talented, hardworking, and care so much about others..."

She looked down to hide her eyes once more, her body growing warm as she recalled his words.

"Just... Just..." Izuku gave her a reassuring smile. "Be more confident in yourself... Remember? I think you should follow the same advice that wonderful person told me."

Kyoka couldn't help but form a small smile as she remembered that she was the one to tell him that.

"This guy..."

She felt calmer but was still too flustered.

"Um..."

Izuku couldn't see her eyes, but he saw Kyoka move the tips of her earlobes together.

"Thanks..."

Hearing that had Izuku's mouth formed into a big, open smile, getting cheerful as he could at least hear some form of joy from the girl's voice.

"Know that you're important, Kyoka... especially to me."

A poof of steam came out from the girl as her face became flushed in a deep red once again, refusing to look at Izuku as she kept her head down.

"YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT, YOU IDIOT!"

Izuku blinked several times as he realized just how different Kyoka acted that he hardly ever saw. It was the same as the times he reassured her in the school halls after she tripped, and once more was she like this when they ended up in the same restroom stall during the festival. This was the third time he saw her like this. Her slowed breathing, her body nervously fidgeting in place, and the red shade of her ears spreading all the way to her earlobes.

His awareness skyrocketed with how much he was staring at her, so much so that he finally noticed just what kind of compromising position the two were in.

The girl was seated right on his lap, having been shifted there when Izuku suddenly sat up. The boy hadn't noticed just how close they were, so close that he became conscious once again of just how revealing Kyoka's clothing was. Her tight shorts that exposed her smooth legs, her thin tank top that loosely hung, from which the angle he was at...

...showed him a sight he knew he shouldn't be looking at.

Izuku's ears blew out steam like train whistles as all the blood rushed into his head, the boy nearly snapping his neck by how fast he turned his head away.

"K-K-Kyoka! It's sh-sh-showing!"

"Huh?" Kyoka slightly rose her head with only the corner of her eye glancing at Izuku, still feeling too embarrassed to fully face him. However, she saw him more panicked than ever and noticed how he refused to look at her, causing alarms to go off in her head that something was wrong.

"Y-Your sh-sh-shirt!" Izuku clarified.

Kyoka blinked in confusion before taking a look at herself, and this was when she realized just what he meant. In fact, a blue color of despair formed around her when she realized that Izuku had looked into her cleavage, finding just what she was wearing under her loose tank top. She had been panicked on what to wear for the day, not knowing if she should be bold or to just be as casually plain as possible.

But having been anxious about having a boy in her house, the idea that anything could happen, she went with the former.

And thus, with the bold tank top and shorts, underneath she wore the same vine-like glittering purple lingerie that Izuku had seen the first time they spoke alone.

Realizing that Izuku had once again seen her wearing such a... 'bold' choice of clothing, she did the first thing she thought of.

She tried to literally drill it out of his memory.

"DON'T LOOK!" Kyoka closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her chest, pressing her shirt against her. At the same time, her earlobes flashed as they floated up beside her head, pointing directly at Izuku's forehead.

Izuku felt the danger and turned his head forward with widened eyes.

"AH!"

Kyoka's earlobes shot forward, and Izuku instinctively moved his hands in front of him, catching the dangerous weapons only an inch from his head.

"WHOA! That was close!" He thought, his eyes zoned in on the pointed jacks flashing.

"Nngh!"

All suddenly became silent upon that small moan.

"Eh?"

Izuku looked down and noticed that Kyoka had become limp against him. She fell forward with her head landing on his chest, her arms tightly hugging herself as she started suddenly shaking.

"Nnn... Nngh!"

"Eh!?"

Izuku blinked as he heard... more moans?

He noticed Kyoka shivering on his lap, struggling to move her arms as she reached her hands over Izuku's shirt.

"D-Don't... *Huff*..." She pressed her forehead harder against his chest, hands trying to reach up to the boy's head, only for her to go stiff and wince. "Haah... Uugh... Aaah..."

"K-K-Kyoka!?" Izuku was sweating a waterfall at this sudden 'change' in the girl. "Wh-Wh-What's wrong!?"

Kyoka trembled as her hands somehow managed to move onto Izuku's shirt, gripping it like her life depended on it as her breathing became slow and deep.

"D-Don't... Mmph! *huff* r-rub them... *hah* Y-You... m-moron..."

"Wha-!? Huh!? B-But-!" Izuku was confused out of his mind, staring down at the vulnerable girl while trying to figure out what was going on.

"Wh-Wh-What's happening to her!? She's so d-d-different!"

He didn't know what was wrong. Kyoka hadn't been like this moments ago while on her lap; this change only happened when-

"!?"

Izuku's eyes widened when he realized what was different. His eyes went to his hands, turning left and right to look at the earlobe jacks he was holding.

"AH! THAT'S RIGHT!" He remembered the time he grabbed hold of them during the cavalry battle. "This hurts her, doesn't it!?"

He was just about to let go to release the girl from her pain, but then...

He saw Kyoka manage to look up at him again, to which he froze completely upon seeing another new expression from her.

Her face was unlike any one he had ever seen from her before. It was so... defenseless. Her purple eyes were half open but were staring right up into his with a look he never saw from her, a look of... desire.

He felt Kyoka's body getting hot right on top of him, and the girl no longer even seemed to care that her tank top was once again hanging loose and revealing her bold choice of underwear.

It had Izuku completely petrified, his thought process in shambles as his mind registered this new side to Kyoka. Her heavy blush, her deep breathing, and those eyes... those longing eyes.

He didn't know why she was like this, but it took him a moment of replaying the situation to realize that his previous knowledge was wrong.

Kyoka wasn't in pain, but that actually frightened him even further.

"Th-Th-They're SENSITIVE!" He internally screamed, mouth hanging wide open upon the realization.

"I-Idiot... Aghh! M-Moron... Nngh! *Huff* P-Pervert!" Kyoka struggled to get her words out as she tried to catch her breath, staring up at Izuku, completely powerless.

Izuku shut his mouth as he gulped a lump down his throat. For once in his life, staring at a girl started developing something inside him.

An urge.

His thumbs slowly moved across both of Kyoka's earlobes, getting an instant response in the form of her body going firm and letting out another deep moan, then followed by a small whimper.

"H-Hey! *gasp* Qu-Quit it!" Kyoka couldn't fight the shocks tingling throughout her body.

"SHE'S TOO CUTE! SHE'S TOO CUTE! SHE'S TOO CUTE!" Izuku was practically getting intoxicated by the sight. It was only when he stopped rubbing Kyoka's earlobes when she went limp right against his chest once again, pants hardening.

The girl mustered the last remaining strength to look up at the one holding her captive, her breath practically visible by how heated she was.

"I...zu...ku..."

Izuku's felt his heart squeeze as he heard her whisper his name with such passion.

"Y-YES!?" He spoke louder than intended, eyes practically drilling into Kyoka.

"I... I..."

Kyoka started to make her move, shifting her body and slowly moving her head up.

"L...Lo..."

Izuku found himself backing up in fear and confusion as Kyoka's face got closer to his, feeling her hands on his shoulders to lift herself up.

"Eh? Eh!? EHHH!? Is she-!? Wait, but-!? I-I'm not-!" His fragile mind couldn't comprehend the action as he unconsciously starting leaning back, only to discover that the back of his head was already against the wall.

"Sh-She's-!"

He closed his eyes as he nervously closed his mouth.

Kyoka closed her own as she moved forward.

Her lips nearly reached his, until finally...

*BWAHAHAHA! I Am Here!*

Izuku's ringtone for calls suddenly blasted out from his pocket, inciting both teens to freeze with completely open eyes.

The ringtone continued to shout as Izuku and Kyoka stared at each other, completely petrified.

For a moment, they were still, then in the next, they scrambled off of each other in a panic. Kyoka turned her back to Izuku and trying to stand up, only to feel a tingle between her legs and suddenly fall to her knees.

"N-No! No way!" She grew completely mortified as she felt her body shivered. She realized she had to get out of there, now.

She saw her black notebook still on the ground, reaching over while Izuku frantically pulled out his phone behind her.

Izuku brought his phone to his ear and tried to calm his breathing, trying to forget what transpired moments ago.

"H-H-Hello!?" He answered the best he could.

"Izuku? It's Momo! I just wanted to check on your study session with Jiro." Momo's voice rang over the call.

Izuku was surprised to hear her.

"E-Eh? Momo? Aren't you supposed to be having a study session with some of the others at your place?"

"Indeed! Everyone else is currently having a recess in the dining hall, so I decided to call you just to see how the two of you were progressing. So... has anything notable transpired?"

Izuku flinched. "N-Notable? I-I mean..."

He turned around and saw that Kyoka was still sitting on the ground, but with her back facing him to hide her face. He saw that she was hugging her legs while shivering, whether from embarrassment or from still feeling a lingering sensation from a moment ago.

"N-Not really..." He mustered.

"Izuku..."

The hero-in-making flinched when he heard Momo's voice become rather hostile.

"I can hear you lying, Izuku."

The boy frantically starting rambling in a panic.

"N-No! Nothing really happened! K-Kyoka and I just fell on top of each other!"

"F-Fell on top of each other!?" Momo's voice changed to panic.

"I-It just happened! B-But that was it!" He wasn't technically lying. He just left out a few uncomfortable details. "W-We both just got back up! A-And we were gonna get back to studying!"

"I... see." Izuku heard a breath of relief on the other side of the call. "Er... Izuku?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I just realized it, but... when did you start calling Jiro her first name?" She asked in just curiosity.

Izuku flinched, wondering how to explain this.

"E-Er... Well... It's hard to explain. But basically, I-I didn't call her by her first name because I thought she didn't want me to. B-But she pointed it out and told me it was alright..."

"Really? I... I did always wonder why you only addressed Jiro by the last name... But I guess that was also merely a habit of yours." Momo chuckled. "Speaking of which, how is Jiro doing now?"

"Well, she's-" Izuku turned around to get a look at the mentioned girl, only to stop when he saw his friend missing and with her door opened a crack.

"She's... gone." Izuku muttered, staring with a look of surprise.

"Eh? Gone?" Momo repeated in confusion.

"She was h-here a moment ago! I... I think she went to do something?" Izuku speculated, yet also wondering how she managed to leave so silently.

"Perhaps she went to use the lavatory?"

"Maybe..." Izuku muttered.

"Well, do you mind telling her to call me after you leave?"

"Hm? Why after I leave?" Izuku questioned curiously.

"That's... something between girls." Momo sternly declared.

"E-Er... Okay." Izuku shivered. "Th-Then I guess I'll get back to studying then... G-Good luck preparing for exams, Momo!"

"You too, Izuku. And..." Her voice trailed off.

"And?" Izuku piped up.

"No, it's nothing. I know you aren't the sort who would commit any sinful actions."

"Eh?" Izuku blinked with a blank gaze.

Momo realized she said that out loud and panicked.

"Nothing! Forget I said anything. Good luck with your studying!"

"O...kay?" Izuku muttered, still feeling confused.

"Oh! And Izuku?" Momo added.

"Yeah, Momo?"

He could practically picture the large smile on the mature girl's face when he heard her suddenly cheerful voice.

"Could you play for me sometime? To show me what Jiro teaches you?"

Izuku formed his own big smile.

"Of course."


~{Outside The Room}~

Kyoka struggled to move as she trudged down her own hallway, leaning against the walls for support with her head down and eyes shadowed.

"That idiot..." She breathed heavily as her legs shook with each step she took.

Around her right arm was a black notebook tightly held, the same one Izuku had read just earlier.

"I-I can't believe it... He... He..."

Kyoka's entire face was flushed as she gritted her teeth together, recalling the sensations she had just a moment ago, sensations that still lingered as she moved.

"A-And... I was going to..." She thought about just how close she had moved her head to his, her hold on her notebook tightening.

"That degenerate piece of shit! How... How could he just do this to me..." Her heart threatened to burst by how hard it was beating.

Her other arm felt the walls as she moved, managing to make her way to her destination, which was a door to the right that led into her bathroom.

She struggled to reach the doorknob without falling, but managed to push open the door and stumble inside, slamming it shut behind her. She felt embarrassed, flustered, pissed, and so much more after that humiliating experience she went through. She almost ended up doing something that would've made her relationship with Izuku... 'complicated,' even more so than it probably already was.

But despite having gone through all that, only one thing mattered to her at this moment.

"He didn't read it..."

Kyoka pulled herself onto the toilet seat and finally relaxed to catch her breath, resting the black notebook right on her lap.

"He... didn't... read..."

She remembered the exact words Izuku had used. That he had simply read the 'last' part of her collection of songs, only for the song she thought he read not to be the one he actually did.

Ignoring the itchy feeling between her legs, she flipped open her notebook to the page Izuku had read, 'Hero Too.' This song... it did have a deep message involving him, and she didn't want him to read it either, but it wasn't the song she thought he had read.

She flipped to the back of the same page, revealing another song.

"Filled With Green."

"..."

She shivered as she stared down at this song. All of her writing, writing that suddenly came one night and had her scribbling down until near morning. She thought he saw all of it.

"You idiot... You got me so scared..." She whimpered, closing her notebook hesitantly.

She covered her face with both her hands as steam erupted from her, her embarrassment overtaking every other negative emotion. The song had been filled with so much doubt for herself as a girl, and yet, still had been filled with hope and fondness for one person...

She and Izuku hadn't been talking about the same thing in her room. It was a misunderstanding of Izuku believing that Kyoka was referring to herself in that other song, getting told she wouldn't be a good hero. But...

That song, and this one, weren't about her at all.


~{Kyoka's Room}~

"She's mad at me! She must be!"

Izuku was on his knees and was sweating intensely as he stared at the ground. He was facing the direction of the door as he waited for Kyoka to come back, scared out of his wits.

After finishing his conversation with Momo, Izuku hung up, and that was when he immediately realized the severity of just what he did.

He had looked into one of Kyoka's personal belongings and had seen a song personal to her, then he ended up with the girl on top of him, which was then followed by him rubbing her earlobes. And despite knowing that rubbing them was a bad idea, he still went through and did it anyway.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god! She must be FURIOUS with me right now! I-I didn't think rubbing her earlobes made her like... l-like...!"

He gulped down air as he recalled the... 'vulnerable' state his friend had been in. He remembered how adorable she looked, how soft and warm she felt against him, and how he let his urges actually take over for a moment, urges he didn't even know he could have.

But he knew that the moment Kyoka came back, she was going to tear him apart.

He messed up; he was screwed. After all, he got carried away by looking into her personal items and doing what he could only believe was sexual harassment.

But... he to admit that he enjoyed once again seeing another adorable side to Kyoko.

"Just what am I turning into?" He thought in shame.

*Click!*

Izuku flinched as he heard the door open.

"EEP!"

He looked right at the ground as he heard the door slowly open, then bowing so hard he slammed his head against it.

"KYOKA, I'M SORRY!"

He only received silence in response, to which he could just picture the deadly glare that must be looking down at him.

"I-I was completely out of line! I shouldn't have looked into your notebook! I-It was personal to you, and I had no right to look into it! A-And then after, I-I don't know what came over me! I-I should've let go of your earlobes the first chance I had!"

He was shivering on the ground as he waited for a response from the girl, not daring to look up yet.

"I-I'm really sorry..." He apologized once again.

"..."

He heard Kyoka take a step forward, making Izuku flinch and close his eyes.

He was prepared to take any punishment given, whether the girl screaming her lungs out or just plain puncturing his head with his earlobes.

But instead, the steps went past his left, which he then heard some rustling before silence ensued.

He opened his eyes with a question mark appearing over him.

"Eh?"

He blinked a few times, confused as to why nothing happened. He hesitantly rose his head, only to see that Kyoka wasn't in front of him anymore.

Izuku slowly rose from the ground, scared that any second he'd get stabbed out of nowhere with a jack. However, when he turned his head left, he was surprised that there was a large bump in Kyoka's bed.

The girl had hidden under her covers into a small ball, steam emitting from it.

"K-Kyoka?" Izuku stammered, worried to see this.

"Greeny... Could you do me a favor?" Kyoka asked in a rather stoic voice.

Izuku gulped nervously.

"Y-Yes?"

"Get out."

"Er... Come again?"

"P-Please just leave... I... I can't look at you right now..." The girl murmured under her sheets.

Izuku didn't know what to do. He had already overstepped his boundaries earlier, so it would only be right to respect Kyoka's wishes and leave for the day. But that being said, he was still worried. He didn't know how things would change between them because of what happened.

He had seen this pattern twice already, where something embarrassing happened between the two and caused Kyoka to avoid him for a while. The first time was when he had seen her lingerie in the school halls, then the second was in the school restroom.

He always enjoyed hanging around the snarky but considerate girl, even if she ended up teasing him. So he didn't wish her to avoid him once more for what could last for days.

Izuku walked back to Kyoka's desk and sat down, looking down as he got his words together.

"K-Kyoka?"

Silence.

"I... really don't want to leave yet."

Still nothing.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, Kyoka... I-I know this is... 'awkward' right now, b-but I still don't just want to leave things off like this."

"Well, I do..." He heard her mumble.

Izuku had a face of guilt, his hands on his lap.

"B-But... I... I was looking forward to coming here... I really wanted to make the most out of our time together... W-We never really have any time alone, after all."

He started fiddling with his fingers.

"A-And... I-I was really excited about something th-that I wanted to hear f-for a while..."

That caught Kyoka's interest, listening intently as Izuku continued.

"I... I wanted to hear you play."

There was a small shift under the covers as if Kyoka had turned her head in his direction.

"...Really?"

Having clearly gotten her attention, Izuku rose his head to face the bump on the bed with a small smile, trying to be both reassuring and genuine.

"Y-Yes! And not just that. When I heard from Mina that you could sing, I got really... excited. Even more than that, I felt like I just had to hear you sing."

The lump that was Kyoka seemed to squirm embarrassingly.

"Wh-Why me? I'm sure there's a lot of others you'd rather hear..."

Izuku sighed.

"This again, Kyoka? I want to hear you sing because it's you."

Under her covers, the rockstar's eyes widened.

Izuku looked surprisingly annoyed as he kept speaking, tired of hearing the girl always doubt herself. "Mina caught you singing before, didn't she? That's what brought you to that karaoke bar where Enso was teaching me. If she was that excited to hear you sing that she dragged you there, then I think it just shows how beautiful your singing must be."

He smiled comfortably once more.

"So much so that I want to hear it too... And to hear it from someone who spent her entire life around music, I'm sure you can play to make the experience even better for me."

"Ugh! This guy and his logic!" Kyoka grumbled to herself.

There was a moment of silence as she tried to get her thoughts together, yet still feeling too awkward to move from hiding.

"What...? So we're just going to forget what just happened?" She asked half-heartedly.

Being reminded of their close contact a moment ago caused a large blush to form on Izuku. His eyes shot to the ground again, awkwardly scratching his chin.

"I-If you w-want to..."

"...What?" Under her covers, Kyoka blinked in confusion.

Izuku's fingers kept nervously moving within his hands.

"K-Kyoka... If I'm being honest, I-I don't know what to think about... 'that.' I-I'm still really confused about what was happening, a-and you looked like you weren't in c-control of yourself either... I-I can only guess that all of that was because I-I touched your earlobes... Which I'm really sorry about, by the way... I didn't know th-that's what happens when... yeah..."

The musician curled into a tighter ball of embarrassment, a red shade through her entire body.

Izuku turned his gaze to the right, looking unsure.

"I-I don't think either of us meant for anything like that to happen... A-And I don't know what to make of it. Th-That was the first time I felt so... o-odd. So if you want to forget about it, then we can. B-But if you actually want to talk about it, then... we will. I will. I just... I just don't to make things uncomfortable between us. I don't want to make you feel terrible. But if you really want me to leave... then just say the word, and I will..."

Hiding in the darkness of her own bed, Kyoka remained frozen with her eyes wide open in dismay. This was her chance, wasn't it? She was alone with him. He was willing to completely hear her out, with no one to get in the way. Not only that, but Izuku claimed that he had felt... odd? ODD!? She could only think of one thing Izuku must've when she was on top of him, the expression clear on his face.

SHE was the one to make him feel that way, the FIRST one to have made him get like that. Having no girlfriends or even friends in his childhood kept him away from any sexual situations, after all. But knowing that she was the one who made him feel that way made her feel... proud. She always had low self-esteem towards herself as a girl, even with all of Izuku's praise, she knew the guy was too nice and always had doubts that he only said things to make her feel better.

However, all these negative thoughts disappeared when she thought about his face while on top of him. A face that genuinely saw her as an attractive girl worth getting flustered around. And it wasn't just from any teasing that she induced. It was just... her. Just her and her body.

She finally felt like a girl, and this new confidence was gonna help her right now.

She flung the covers off her bed and sat up with a piercing stare across at Izuku.

"Greeny!"

Izuku was scared by the sudden action, stiffening in his seat like a soldier.

"Y-YES!?"

Kyoka opened her mouth.

"I-! I-!"

She knew she could say it. She knew that she could express these feelings that had built up for god knows how long ago.

So... why was she choking on her words now?

Something kept her from saying what she wished to say—a thought lingering in the back of her head.

The thought then came to light a moment after. Kyoka found herself thinking about the girls in her class. She knew how they felt the same as her; it was obvious. And none of them had said anything at this point, the idea clear that there would be a larger focus on more important matters. So if she were to tell Izuku what was bottled up now...

What would happen to their relationship?

She closed her mouth and looked down, eyes become shadowed. To suddenly cut in front of everyone in the race... She knew that things would just get complicated if she were to finish her words right here. And even if she successfully confessed, what made her think he'd just accept her rather than one of the others? There were five others who she knew definitely harbored the same feelings. What type would he even prefer? And did she even deserve him?

"K-Kyoka?" Izuku called out, wondering what was wrong with the girl's sudden pause.

There he was, worrying about her again, you could always hear it in his voice. He really was too good for her... And it wasn't right to just selfishly move ahead like this. It'd just sour relations with everyone else. They'd have to talk to each other about this, to somehow establish just... just how they'd go about this when the time comes.

She knew this, so she came to a conclusion.

She couldn't tell him... it wasn't right. Not the right time, at least. They were just starting their hero careers; why complicate things so early? She knew the others wouldn't suddenly say anything to Izuku about their feelings... so she should respect them and do the same.

But... she finally had some alone time with him. And for several hours at that. If she continued getting flustered and made him leave, then she'd lose her chance to enjoy it.

And... he wanted to listen to her. He wanted to hear her play.

She slowly rose her head and stared ahead at Izuku, a confident and reassured smile forming.

"Greeny... Do you really want to hear me play?"

Izuku was confused by the change of composure Kyoka had, but that confusion was overshadowed by the hopeful joy forming on his face upon hearing her question.

"Of course!"

This formed an even bigger smile to Kyoka as she chuckled, letting herself fall back on her bed with her eyes closed. She let out a breath of relief as she relaxed, drowning out all her worries.

She had been worried over nothing; what they had now was fine.

"Heh... Nerd."


~{Meanwhile-Enso's Residence}~

Enso stood in his makeshift development studio, standing beside a table with equipment and vial racks. In his hands were the two vials containing Izuku's blood and Ikari's energy, both showing signs of having been slightly poured.

He had a drop of blood and a drop of Ikari's liquid energy in two separate capsules in front of him. Enso had tested them out in various ways, from mixing Ikari's energy with normal electric shocks to igniting a matchstick and lowering it into it. Each time he tested Ikari's energy with a different substance, he got some form of reaction. From large electric shocks sparking, to the flame of a matchstick flaring bigger rather than be put out. And after each time, Ikari's energy would then disintegrate away like gas being burned.

"Intriguing... Ikari's energy appears to enhance other sources that emit their own energy..."

But as for Izuku's blood, it didn't give any kind of reaction to those same substances.

"Hm... I assumed that One For All would have given some kind of reaction through Izuku's blood, but it appears I over speculated."

Enso slipped the small remaining amount of Izuku's blood into the vial rack to his left, then looking down at the other in his hand. The vial only contained half of the original amount of Ikari's energy from before, but Enso knew he could do much more testing with it.

He curiously swirled the contents around, exploring his thoughts.

"Ikari was Izuku's original 'quirk,' which apparently had always been with him, but was never strong enough to flourish. This was because Ikari's main strength came from anger, which was an emotion Izuku hardly felt due to his timid personality. So Ikari was never strong enough to manifest on its own, which made Izuku appear quirkless for most of his life."

Enso put a hand on his chin in thought.

"But this changed when Izuku received One For All. The stockpiled power passed onto him provided as a source for Ikari to build tremendous strength, even manifesting his own consciousness based on the previous holders, perhaps even including All Might and Izuku himself."

He narrowed his eyes.

"But... in addition to this increase of power, Izuku's aggression grew, making it so that he's more prone to anger. Ikari isn't technically aggressive in himself, but when Izuku grows hostile, Ikari will as well."

He stopped swirling the vial and put a hand to his chin.

"So then... Why does Ikari's energy in itself cause large reactions in the substances I tested?"

He started going over what he already knew about Izuku and his powers.

"It could just be a part of Ikari as a quirk in general, but it'd be an odd characteristic for him... From what I've seen of quirks and what I have been explained about them by Izuku, any abilities of a quirk all relate to a central concept of that quirk. But there are exceptions, such as Todoroki, who was essentially bred to hold two quirks."

"But when it comes to Ikari, the central concept his power centers around is the anger and personal desires from his host. Such examples are when Ikari first appeared when Izuku fought Bakugo, then once again against the Nomu, and then once more at the sports festival... All of these instances had Izuku's anger fuel his determination, and fueling his determination fuels his desire to keep fighting, which influences Ikari to emerge and fight."

Enso paced around the room, keeping his gaze to the vial in his hand while ignoring the banging and creepy giggles Mei emitted as she worked at the opposite end of the room.

"So Ikari's powers overall relate to the selfishness and aggression of Izuku. I don't see where being able to provide power to another source would fit in this concept. The only I've seen that's similar to the concept of passing power was when Toshinori passed down-"

Enso stopped walking, his eyes widening in realization.

"One For All..."

He turned back to his desk.

"It stockpiles powers over generations and can be passed to people to give them tremendous power. It's already been clarified that Ikari is Izuku's quirk after having been 'combined' with One For All. So could this be where this 'pass' power element of Ikari comes from?"

"And... If Ikari's energy could be used to add power to other forms of energy, then... what about people?"

He glanced over his shoulder to Mei, who was giggling like an evil scientist as she went through boxes of parts that she had brought over, excited about making another invention.

"Hatsume, do me a favor and bring the others down here, would you?" Enso politely asked of her.

Mei didn't even look back at him. "Can't! Busy!"

Enso narrowed his eyes. "Now, Hatsume."

Mei felt a chill in her spine as she heard Enso's hostile voice, turning around with a plastered smile despite the nervous sweating.

"Okey dokey!" She gave a salute before disappearing in an instant, leaving behind clouds of dust resembling an after-image of herself.

While she fetched the group, Enso went through his desk drawers to obtain more syringes and vials.

"Let's find out..."

About a minute later, Mei came back with Iida, Shinso, Todoroki, and even Stain. The group, aside from Mei, were all in exercise clothing, from t-shirts to shorts, aside from Stain, who wore sweatpants.

"Yo, Poker Face, what's up?" Shinso asked with a tilt of his head.

"Don't call me that." Enso sighed.

"What are we doing here?" Stain growled, this time not wearing his bandana, exposing the bone of his cut off nose.

Enso turned to the group, besides Mei, who immediately dove back to her tinkering.

"I wish for all of you to provide blood for me."

The group's eyes widened.

"Blood? What for?" Todoroki was the first to ask.

"I wish to conduct an experiment regarding Ikari's energy. I'll explain as I draw your blood." Enso said as he sat down with his syringe, motioning Todoroki to the seat next to him.

"Regarding Ikari?" Iida repeated.

"This outta be good." Shinso chuckled as he plopped into a chair next to Iida.

Stain narrowed his eyes with crossed arms as Todoroki stepped up and took a seat beside Enso. The icy-hot boy offered up his arm to be used first, curiously staring at the one who needed it.

"So, what's the experiment?" He asked as Enso didn't waste any time to start the process.

"I'm going to see if Ikari's energy can have an effect on a person's blood." Enso answered as he injected the needle.

"Hold up, what? What do you thinks gonna happen?" Shinso raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. That's what I want to find out."

"What gave you the idea?" Todoroki asked, completely unfazed as he watched his own blood get drawn.

Enso knew he couldn't exactly tell them about Ikari's creation from One For All and the theory behind it, so he gave a different explanation.

"I tested Ikari's energy with different substances, from fire to electricity, all of which had a reaction with it."

"A reaction?" Iida questioned curiously.

"Yes. It appeared to escalate the activity of each tested substance. So I wished to test his energy on a different one."

"Blood..." Stain mumbled.

"But why drag all of us down here? You could just use your own, can't ya?" Shinso sighed, digging his fingers through his hair.

"I will of course be using my own blood to test as well. But I wish to see if the results of each test differ for each person and their blood. Things like blood type, blood sugar levels, and more of the such." Enso said as he finished drawing blood from Todoroki and provided a bandage.

He repeated the process with the others, excluding the busy Mei, and got several more vials of blood with each respected person's name on them.

"Sooooooo, how are you gonna do your little tests exactly?" Shinso asked him, playing with the bandage on his arm now.

"Simple. I'll just add a drop of Ikari's energy onto your blood." Enso stated as he brought out a small glass pad and slid it onto the table.

"That simple?" Iida asked.

"Hmph. If that's all, then I'll be going back above." Stain huffed as he turned to make his way to the door.

"Aw, come on, Bloodstain, aren't you curious to see what'll happen?" Shinso chuckled.

Stain turned his head back with his red eyes flaring.

"Call me that again, and I'll gut you!"

"Urk!" Shinso flinched, his smile wiped instantaneously.

"Don't start anything. And Chizome, stay." Enso ordered as he put a few drops of Todoroki's blood on the glass pad, then screwing the vial shut and slipping it onto a vial rack on a separate table.

"Hmph! Damn brats." Stain grumbled as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Enso brought the other vial containing the remainder of Ikari's energy and unscrewed it. He carefully raised it over the drops of Todoroki's blood and slowly starting to tilt the vial. When testing Ikari's energy before, he always made sure to use just one drop. This time was no different as he focused on providing the one drop needed, making sure to be extra careful not to spill anything.

So Mei appearing right beside him threw him off.

"Hey, Poker Face! You got any-!?"

Enso's eye twitched as he accidentally tilted the vial ninety degrees more than intended, spilling black energy onto the blood below.

"Ah."

The effects were almost instantaneous.

Todoroki's blood suddenly burst into blue flames that erupted upward with a roar like a blowtorch.

Mei and Enso recoiled at the sight, their eyes widening as they backed up to avoid getting burned.

"What the hell!?" Shinso shouted, springing out of his chair.

The flames didn't last, having burst up only about two seconds before the base suddenly crystallized into thick pillars of ice that froze the entire table, putting out the flames with a hissing sound that emitted steam.

As this steam spewed into the room, another event occurred. The steam suddenly turned into a small tornado on the table, one spiraling of both icy winds and blue flames.

Everyone was completely bewildered by the spectacle, but Enso acted out of concern that it'd escalate and damage the area.

"Brute Style-Vicious Smite." His eyes turned white as an aura of the same color formed, to which he thrust his fist forward and punched the air.

The force from the punch drove forward and dispersed the disaster in front of them, putting out the flames and sending ice scattering around the area.

What followed was dead silence.

Enso's white color faded as he let out a breath of relief, seeing that he stopped anything else from occurring. Everyone else behind him had widened eyes, both amazed yet shocked by what transpired.

"What... just happened?" Shinso blinked.

Enso crouched down and picked up a piece of ice that came from the spectacle, eyes narrowing as he noticed something about it.

"Blue ice..." He muttered, noticing its deep blue color and feeling its high density.

"Not only did blue flames, the hottest of flames, emerge from Todoroki's blood, but even blue ice, the purest and toughest form of ice, emerged as well."

He turned around to face everyone, the group still suspended in a daze. He then turned to the burned and frozen table that appeared to be on the brink of breaking apart.

"I think it's safe to say we shouldn't test anything else..."

He looked down at the remains of the energy in the vial he held.

"For now."