Just popping in to say thanks for the reviews and favs (insert heart eyes) bless each n every one of you! Ps I've been updating this story almost every other day since first publishing it, but I'm going to be taking a tiny break while I visit the town I'm going to be moving to later this year. I'll be back with another chapter in about a week!

Over the next month or so, between article posting and days of hero work in the city, Mina and Kotomi were attached to the hip doing high intensity exercise. Kotomi couldn't see a huge difference outside of slightly increased endurance, but that in and of itself encouraged her to stick with it. They were both exhausted most of the time, and because Mina was doubly so, Kotomi insisted on doing all of the meal prep and chores around the house. She'd still planned to find her own place but needed to wait until her bank account was a little more stable. Uraraka met up with them when she was able and joined in on the body training. When they went on long distance runs, Mina led the way with vigor, Uraraka followed behind with determination, and Kotomi lagged behind them both with nothing but self-hatred for being out of shape. They always made it to their destination though and encouraged each other to push through the pain. It had been an overall good experience, and the bunch of them were becoming three peas in a pod.

Kotomi still struggled with feeling down when she was by herself, but she was beginning to find a more solid foundation. She had accepted that her family would feel the way they wanted to, whether she liked it or not. That, and the idea of helping people wasn't so bad. She'd started to think that maybe she wanted to be part of that. She didn't have to give up journalism to do something else for a limited amount of time. The past month was a blinking neon sign that read "everything in moderation."

But was moderation really possible in the hero world? Kotomi couldn't shake the face of the villain that she'd disposed of so gruesomely. Was that moderation for a hero? She couldn't hope to defend herself without hurting other people. Were heroes really heroes if they couldn't save everyone or were they just moderators of crime? If that were the case, they were technically just police with fancy powers and less publicized scandals.

It was dusk out, and the sky was stained a deep pink. Dark purple clouds were feathered across it like a loosely crocheted blanket. Mina and Uraraka yelled to Kotomi as they watched her struggling to join them at the top of the hill. When she finally met them, she collapsed onto her knees and desperately sucked air in.

"Breathe through your nose, maggot! We've got more work to do!" Mina demanded, throwing a fist into the air as she ran in place. She'd been taking her role as trainer seriously. Urakaka couldn't help but shoot the Alien Queen a surprised look. The brunette was feeling the burn herself and couldn't help but think of how attractive the idea of flopping into bed sounded.

"Hey, uh, Mina? Don't you think it might be time to at least take a little break...?" She asked.

"Whoa, that's not the fighting spirit needed to stoke the flame of growth! Where's your dedication?!" Mina yelled. The toothy grin plastered on her face almost felt antagonizing. Kotomi, having finally caught her breath, pushed herself back onto her aching feet. They'd gone a couple of miles in a considerably short amount of time, and before that, they'd worked on agility and weight training.

"Mina, why don't we find a juice bar so we can fuel up to push through the rest of the night? There's gotta be one nearby, we aren't too far from the city," Kotomi offered. Mina's eyes floated upward as she considered the idea. She finally nodded as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Oh, you guys are impossible. We can call it early today, but we go two times harder next time! Deal?" Uraraka and Kotomi shared a defeated look and hung their heads as they reluctantly agreed.

The three girls rested for a few more minutes before heading back to town to a local juice bar. Still lagging behind, Kotomi pulled her phone out and opened her text thread with Eijiro. The two hadn't had a ton of time to talk, considering how busy they'd both been, but she was happy to talk to him when they each had a free moment. They'd become what she'd consider decent friends, and it wasn't uncommon for them to talk on the phone about random happenings in the day.

"Hey, Eijiro, how's your day going?" His response came quicker than she'd expected.

New text message from Eijiro. "Oh, you know, just kicking ass and taking names! I was actually about to text you! How's training been?"

"I would expect nothing less of you! Training has been... tiring. That's the word we'll go with today. We're about to stop at a juice bar. Want anything?"

"Hey! Who are you texting, Tomi? This isn't the time for socializing! You have to put your soul into this run to train your mind!" Bzzt, bzzt.

New text message from Eijiro. "I'm not much of a juice person but sure. I think it's manly to keep an open mind and try new things. Thanks, Tomi!"

Kotomi had fun explaining to her friends that she was buying a drink for Eijiro. They snickered and commented that she was making excuses to see her favorite hero but she flusteredly brushed them off and yelled a quick goodbye as she ran out of the building. It didn't take too long to get to Esuha City using the train. When she shouldered the door of Fat Gum's Agency open, she found Red Riot kicked back in a plush chair and scrolling through his phone, clearly relieved to be off justice's clock. He looked utterly exhausted, and it showed especially so when his body jolted after she nudged his foot with her own.

"Man, you scared me!" He yelled, pocketing his phone. He looked at the drinks in Kotomi's hand with clear apprehension. Rearranging his face, he met her gaze as she apologized for startling him.

"Heh, it's okay. It's just been a long day. What'd you get?"

"Oh, they're called sunset drinks. There's a few different fruits and veggies in them, but it's better if you don't know what they are. You said you wanted to keep an open mind, yeah?" She handed the drink one of the straws to him before poking the other into her own and sitting next to him. He eyed the beverage with suspicion. He figured that she was probably right. Trying it without knowing it's ingredients would prevent unnecessary bias. He took a slow sip of the drink and was met with an interesting taste.

"That's actually not too bad. Thanks a bunch, man! Now that I've tried it, what's in it?"

"Beets, carrots, apples, lemon, ginger, and orange. There's probably some kind of sweetener in it, too, but I dunno. I'm glad you don't hate it though! I know you're more of a meat and rice kinda guy." Eijiro laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't deny that observation. "You're right, but new things are good. Thanks for bringing it out here. It's actually pretty refreshing after the day I've had." Kotomi watched him with worry. He had bags under his eyes and dirt smudged on his cheek. The light that seemed to always shine in him was dim today. She could feel him actively trying not to look at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Ah, yeah, just feeling a little down for the count," he replied with a dry chuckle, chewing on the straw of his juice.

"I know the feeling," she said, turning toward him. She hadn't even asked Fat Gum for the specifics of the intensive hero course but she already felt exhausted just thinking about it. "I'm here for you." His eyes finally moved up to meet hers, and a warm smile spread across his face. It soon dissipated.

"I know. It's... it's nothing crazy. I just feel like everyone's so far ahead of me. Deku and Dynamite passed me before I realized the race had even started, and everyone else from my class is doing better and better as time passes. I'm happy for them, and they each deserve it because they work so hard. So... this is crazy unmanly of me. I support them, but I can't seem to get to where I want to be because I feel like I'm not moving forward. It just makes it hard to keep my head on straight sometimes," Eijiro explained. Kotomi could relate to his feelings, even if only loosely. She softly placed her hand on his knee. The feelings of adoration she had for her friend were trumped by her concern for his well-being, but it didn't keep her heart from beating out of control.

"That's understandable. A lot of people that I grew up with are out doing amazing things. Some of them went on to be national heroes, and some of them graduated and became famous writers and researchers. It's normal to feel average or even inadequate. I want you to know, though, that you're a lot better than you realize. You're a great hero with a lot of heart and kindness and determination. The people that you've saved love you, and if you ever feel like you're not good enough, just remember that." Kotomi couldn't bring herself to make eye contact. In the middle of her monologue, panic washed over her as her brain shifted to autopilot and the word vomit began. Eijiro slowly reached to set his hand on top of hers. Surprised, she stiffened up a bit and looked at him. He'd already turned his head away in order to hide his reddened cheeks.

"You're... really sweet," he said. It came out in a tone that was uncharacteristically soft for him. She felt his fingers wrap around her hand gently, and a swell of warm and fuzzy emotions bubbled in her stomach. "Thanks... you're right, you know?. I've gotta focus on the good in me and the good that I've done and keep pushing myself to be better."

"Right!" She declared. They sat there for a moment, both equally unsure of what to do as the awkwardness wedged itself in. Kotomi felt her hand growing sweaty and it made her more nervous. Her feelings for him were on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to grab his face, force him to look her in the eyes, and tell him that he was the best man she'd ever met. The thought made her gulp, and it sounded like a gunshot in her head that she was scared he'd heard. His hand shifted around hers slightly, and he finally dared to glance at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she didn't want to find out for herself either. As if he could read minds himself, he finally piped up and asked, "Are you reading my mind? You're, uh... a little quiet."

Kotomi laughed nervously. "No, but you're one to talk. Should I?"

"N-no! I mean... it's not like I can stop you or anything. Have you ever done that?"

"With you? Um... only once. When we were sharing that pretzel. I try not to with my friends, it feels like an invasion of privacy."

"Oh, huh, I've always kinda wondered. Well... I guess I'll ask out loud then. Would you come over to my house tomorrow?" Kotomi could feel the blood rushing through her body, her heart pounding like it were trying to break free and run away. Was this just to chill as friends? It could've been but considering how increasingly warm his hand was growing... she didn't think so. This thought gave her the smallest confidence boost, but before she could say anything, he sputtered, cheeks still red. "That didn't come out how I wanted it to, that was so unmanly of me. I, uh, just wanted to hang out with you! I've got video games and movies and food! Lots of food!" Kotomi couldn't help but laugh at his expense. He looked so precious searching for words, for an alternative to save his pride. Cocking her head to the side caught his eyes. His smile was nervous, and it was one she'd only seen rare glimpses of.

"Can we make it... a date?" She asked coyly. His smile disappeared - quite frankly, he looked shocked. "I, uh - yes. I would be honored," he said quickly. Suddenly, Kotomi stood, pulling her hand with her, and took a few steps toward the door. She looked back at him as she swept her hair over her shoulder. He remained surprised- his hand hadn't yet moved from where it had been.

"Send me your address tomorrow and I'll be there at five if that's okay." Eijiro wordlessly nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna get home and sleep so I'll have time to train in the morning. I'm excited to hang out with you. 'Til tomorrow!" She held her nearly empty drink up to him and smiled before leaving. He hadn't managed to force himself to say anything but as she turned away, she saw him begin to beam. Oh, fuck. A DATE. Kotomi aggressively walked down the sidewalk, on a mission to do just what she'd told Eijiro she had planned. Her legs burned from the evening's earlier activities but she persevered. She had so much to do.