"Hagakure, listen up."
By then Ashido had a full visual of her latest plan, formulating it days prior and practicing reciting it to Hagakure during work. Fix a couple problems here and there, and she's got the perfect call. Bringing Kirishima into the mix was a necessity, since she herself was busy with Camie.
"I call this operation, 'A walk in the park.' Eiji, I need you to ring up Bakugou and bring him to Yagi Memorial Park this Friday at 3:00 p.m.. I don't care if it's by force or not, just get him there."
Kirishima salutes, "Roger!"
A smirk finds itself on Ashido. "Hagakure, you and Ojiro are important for this, too. Get me?"
"Mashi-kun and I?" Hagakure thinks aloud. If she were visible she would have her finger held up to her cheek. "He's asleep, though…"
"That's okay, that's okay! I'll talk to him about it later, besides, you're the main factor for this mission."
"Oh?"
"Yep," Ashido intertwines her fingers, her smirk growing, and she almost looks as if she's about to say the name Shinji. "You… are gonna go full commando."
Yeah.
Camie wants to kill Ashido.
Awkwardly she exchanges looks with Bakugou, who also seems to have drawn a blank from this situation. Camie can already see the irritation boiling in his face, and he hardly acknowledges her anyway. He turns away and scoffs, glaring in the direction Kirishima and Ashido had escaped, mouthing something or other. The illusionist finds an interesting spot on the ground to stare and hides the color on her face.
What in the hell is she supposed to do?!
Is this the 'feedback' she's waited days for from Ashido?! For this ridiculous situation to fall into her lap?! What kind of…?!
Aight, aight, calm down!
This is sort of what she wanted, right? Not exactly on the bullseye, but right now she is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the love of her life. Despite her age and how she teeters on the edge of being labeled a hag, she flares like a teenage girl lingering in the presence of her crush! It may not be too far fetched, but at this point it's just embarrassing.
Wtf am I supposed to do…?
She searches for something to say, do, something that'll give her a good excuse, but colored bars are all that are playing in her head. A flatline thought.
Ffs, Ashido!
But then—!
"The hell?! Now they're ditching me here?! Why the hell are you here, they get you too?"
Camie verbally gasps, shooting her worried expression to Bakugou, and the fact that he is looking at her, talking to her, makes her double-check the situation at hand. She stares idiotically for several moments before knocking herself back to Earth.
"Uh, yeah…" she answers in what she can assume is the worst poker face on the planet. "They… Ashido said there would be, like… more of us…"
"Raccoon Eyes…" he grits to himself. He turns his gaze to the lentic creek. "I'm gonna kill her…"
…Sounds like he's had his own fair share of trouble.
Small talk has driven Camie slightly out of her hole, but now they're both just standing here with no direction whatsoever. She felt that weird presence earlier, too… Bakugou hasn't shown any sign of interest in her at all, either, and he's done most of the talking!
What can she do here…?
Every nook and cranny, she scours her brain for ideas, but when hope is dying, a message appears in her brain like a projection. Guidance from the higher, experienced human beings:
Be yourself.
Be herself…
Now, think…
If she weren't madly in love with him, if they were just acquaintances, if she just thought of him as a regular person… what would she say? She pictures she's dealing with Uraraka, or Shishikura, or even Inasa, scouting out words from the conversations she's had with plenty of other people prior. Formulate a sentence.
Be yourself.
"Soooo," she huffs, catching his attention back to her. "Haven't seen u in a while, Mr. Boom Boom Man. I lowkey missed ya, tbh."
"Yeah?" he sneers. "Can't say the same to you. You still have that stupid lisp of yours."
"Ooh, someone's edgy today."
"Only because some morons dropped me off here like dead luggage!"
He's the same as ever. Even though Bakugou has slightly mellowed out over the years, he's still going strong with that spark of confidence. Camie likes it that way. She appreciates his motivation.
Clicking her tongue, she places a hand on her hip and hums. "I fr hate that I'm here too, Boom Boom, but like, it is rlly nice out, u know? Why not catch up while we're already here?"
Please work. Camie actually has an idea of what to talk about now that she's thought about it, and speaking to him head on isn't going as terrible as she expected it. Finally, she understands what Ashido was trying to do — a little inconspicuous date! What a setup! To lure him here and drop him off like, quote unquote Bakugou, dead luggage!
So what if he doesn't see it that way? It doesn't pare the happiness in her nerves!
Pls work.
Bakugou raises a brow, makes a face that looks as if he'd been put in time out, and after a grunt, he replies, "Fine, what the hell. You're lucky there aren't any annoying ass people here."
People barely come around this park anymore, anyway. They'd be in some deep shit if some fans of theirs came bumbling by.
"Preesh, dude!" Camie grins.
Even the author isn't sure if that word was used correctly.
Camie suggests they take a stroll. From the subtly grand entrance of Yagi Memorial Park the two walk along the concrete sidewalk leading further into the scenery. Flowers align the miniature fence placed conveniently around big patches of dirt and mulch, fruit trees growing inside the minuscule garden.
Bakugou keeps his gaze ahead as his hands are prisoned inside his pockets. Not once did he notice Camie shooting small glances down at them, internally whining at how badly she wanted to intertwine them with her fingers. She bets her hands could fit in his palms… men's hands are larger than women's, right? Could he potentially wrap both of them around her waist, like a belt? What if he lifted her up? He's strong, so it'd be easy as pie for him, right? Maybe—
"What the—?!"
—Camie trips.
No, Camie didn't trip. Something tripped her. Or rather, someone tripped her. She felt the figure of someone's leg sticking out in front of her the moment she went to step forward.
Bakugou widens his eyes and swiftly catches her before she hits the ground, snatching her arm and pulling her back to her feet, asking, "The fuck, you alright?" while Camie recovers from her heart attack.
"Yeah… I'm aight… I must have hit my foot. Thanks, b…"
…
His hands really are bigger than hers…
They coil around her arm like a spring! Absolutely no struggle was given as he heroically saved her from falling victim to the monstrous ground!
Maybe not the ground, but whoever just put her in this position.
Ghosts of his hands linger on her skin, even after he shoved them back in his pockets and eyes her weirdly. After that odd occurrence, they continue their stroll, exchanging stories of exciting hero work and villains who didn't stand a chance against them. Bakugou's was of course much more interesting, with his quirk and all, but Camie doesn't mind being the weaker of the two.
She smiles warmly, making sure to keep eye contact as he describes his enticing anecdotes of heroism. Eventually they pause midway to breathe a little. Everything is… actually going really well! Camie has to personally thank Ashido after this!
And then.
But then—
—Bakugou suddenly appears stiff, his mouth unmoving when he seems to have spotted something ahead of them.
When Camie goes to check what he sees, the blonde abruptly pulls her to the side and behind a restroom wall, muttering, "Someone's here."
The action spooks her so bad she audibly squeals, causing Bakugou to slap a hand over her mouth. Flaring, heart racing, the girl freezes in place as best she can, relishing every moment of this.
What a setup!
Thank the gods for that stranger!
Bakugou peers around the corner, and after inspecting for a moment, he lets out a gruff, "Aw, what the hell is he doing here?" and releases Camie from his hold.
It lasted no more than seven seconds, but Camie loved every moment of it. No more than three sentences, but Camie loved every word of it.
Back to reality, she follows Bakugou out from behind the structure and spots the stranger he had seen, and to her surprise, it's no stranger at all. She knows that hair anywhere. That tail anywhere.
Oh, hail Ojiro!
Ojiro Mashirao must have spotted them too, yet doesn't look surprised as he casually walks up to them.
"Oi," Bakugou growls. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Ojiro chuckles, "Nice to see you, too, Bakugou. I'm just out for a walk. Day off for me. I didn't expect you to be here, either, to be honest…"
"I would love to be anywhere else. Kirishima and Ashido dumped me off here."
Camie waves when Ojiro averts to her. He smirks. "And… I didn't expect you to be here with someone. I guess this is a nice place for a date, huh?"
Subarashii!
"We aren't dating," Bakugou snaps coldly. "Those clowns stranded her here, too."
When the author said what he thought didn't pare Camie's nerves, they were wrong. Insanely incorrect. Camie has never felt such tremendous heartbreak until now.
"Oh…" Ojiro must have noticed the change in her expression. "Well, you two look great together, if I'm totally honest. You'd make a great couple!"
OH, HAIL OJIRO!
Camie might just hug him! The stress immediately disperses when Ojiro gives his most genuine smile and wags his tail! He really means it! Does that mean she actually looks like she's on a date with Bakugou?
Wrong but right idea!
But Bakugou answers with a stern, "If you're so obsessed with us, why don't you do us a favor and go back to your own woman?"
"Aw, come on, don't be salty," Camie interrupts. Bakugou gives her the side-eye as she says, "He's just being nice."
"No, no, it's fine!" says Ojiro, right before Bakugou could bitch back at her. "I've gotta get going anyway. Nice to see you again, Utsushimi. Wish the best for you too!"
"I just said, we aren't dating!" Bakugou shouts back, yet Ojiro has already made it halfway down the opposite end from which he came. With another grunt and silent curse, Bakugou ends up stomping ahead of Camie, allowing her to rush after him.
"Yo, wait up, slow down! He was just joking, bro."
"Yeah, I know, 'bro'."
"So why r u real salty?"
"Because—!" he stutters, turning around to face her, "I don't know, fuck. It got to me."
"What did?"
"His fucking 'joke', that's what."
As Bakugou glares lasers into the ground, Camie tilts her head in wonder, the vague answer gradually processing. An idea pops into her head. Internally she gasps.
Does Bakugou… hate being single?
…She can relate on so many levels!
But now is not the time to bring it up. He already looks shaken from it, his eyes staring up at the statue they conveniently stopped in front of. The statue of All Might, the former symbol of peace, crafted from the finest sculptors.
Yagi Memorial Park's most popular attraction. Ever since Yagi Toshinori passed on so long ago, they built this here to remember him. The statue was made to resemble his lanky state, not his worldwide 'Hero' form. To remember him not as All Might, but as Yagi Toshinori.
Camie gazes at it too, and deciding to change the subject, she asks, "You used to rlly liked All Might, right?"
"...I still do."
He doesn't look at her as he speaks.
All Might really was pretty amazing back then, huh…
"I thought he was cool, too. When I have kids, I'll tell 'em he used to be the greatest hero."
This time, his eyes slide in her direction, pondering for a moment. She smiles at him. Ambiguous messages and signs are unreceived.
"When I have kids," Bakugou replies, "I'll tell them he is the greatest hero."
…
As if to beat her in a competition.
"You want kids?"
He shrugs.
Twins.
She wants twins.
"How many?"
He looks at her like she just spoke Martian. "...I don't know, two?"
SUBARASHII!
"Whoa, same."
…
…
H-how awkward!
What a stupid thing to spout! Realization hits her like a train, and it's suffocating! What does he even think of her now?! Suddenly asking if he wants kids, only to be given the side-eye! How stupid can she get?! If only she'd have more experience!
At least they have the same ideals!
At least…
Why does she feel like she made a huge mistake?
"Hey, um, Bakugou…"
"What."
Coming here, getting abandoned with him, and spending their day together like they planned it all out. Having it forced onto them like paperwork. She hadn't expected this at all, her only day off this month gone to whatever this is. A faux date.
Ashido… couldn't you have started with something a little more simple?
"No matter what other people say about you… like, the media, and stuff… I like you for who you are."
Bakugou stares at her, uncharacteristically silent.
"So… enough with the jokes, I… I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with you today. A lot." Brown eyes stick to red like glue. An innocent grin spreads across her face. "If you want to… maybe we could, like, hang out again? Like… how 'bout the Summer Festival?"
…
Bakugou does not answer immediately. He blinks. The wind blows between them as he ponders his next sentence, and finally, when Camie feels like she might die, Bakugou answers her with a straight face:
"Fuck it, why not. Yeah. Let's… 'hang.'"
Is she dreaming?
"Srsly? You mean it?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I have days off like this every other week."
What a tsundere thing to say!
Still, she smiles the widest she has in the longest time. Squirming in place, Camie can officially tell Ashido that this 'feedback' was the greatest idea yet! Maybe she could request more like this? Or something more specific?
"Anyway, let's get the fuck out of here already," says Bakugou, already walking past her.
"Oh, yeah, sure. Hold on tho, lemme get a pic in front of this." Camie hands him her phone, and with the most bored expression he half-heartedly snaps a photo of Camie posing in front of All Might with little peace signs. She begs to let her see, so he goes to hand her the phone ba—
"What the—?!"
—Bakugou falls.
No, Bakugou didn't fall. Something pushed him. Or rather, someone pushed him. He felt the figure of someone's hands shoving him forward, but unlike Camie, he doesn't have backup support to keep him standing, so in order to save himself, he ends up pressing against the statue.
Hands against the wall, with Camie in between. She stares up at him wildly. He stares down at her wildly.
A…
A…!
A wall slam!
Kabedon!
In front of All Might!
In a mere instant Bakugou is as far away as possible, hands up as Camie's face is redder than the hottest stove! Immediately covering it, she stares off to the side as Bakugou spouts something she can't exactly comprehend.
Wall slam wall slam wall slam wall slam wall slam.
"Don't get the wrong idea, bastard!" he yells, then checking his surroundings. "Someone fucking pushed me!"
She peeks from underneath her fingers, "Pushed you?"
"Damn right! Where are you, bastard?! You think this is funny?!"
As Bakugou searches the area, Camie's thoughts bring her back to earlier — when the sudden freak accident of her tripping over her 'foot' ended up in her favor. She knew she didn't trip over her foot. Her ankle felt something, or someone, kick her off her footing. Now Bakugou suddenly got pushed by seemingly nothing?
…
…
…!
Oh.
OH.
Were Ashido and Kirishima the only ones who dropped them off?
"Bakugou, let's get outta here…"
Bakugou complies and they both speed up down the path, checking behind them occasionally and abruptly stopping to see if someone's been following their trail. Finally, they make it back to a familiar creek and entrance with no problems whatsoever. No sign of anyone at all. With that, Bakugou bids her farewell, going off on his own.
…It was a genuinely fun day, if she's honest. Not bad, Ashido. Not bad. Camie is about to head to her car, when suddenly—
"Wagh!"
A loud splash crashes through her ears. She whirls to the source, her hero instincts taking course and heading to the creek where she finds floating droplets rushing down a figure. Or rather, an invisible figure. Recoiling, Camie zeroes in one what the hell she is seeing.
"Ha ha… hi."
"Hagakure…?"
Ashido, Kirishima, and Ojiro spring to the door the second they hear it ring. That must be Hagakure! She has the report on how things went between Bakugou and Camie! The second they open the structure, they—!
!
"Hi. You forgot this."
Camie shoves a wet Hagakure inside the house. The door slams.
...
...
Ashido blinks. "Hagakure, why are you soaking wet?"
"...I tripped and fell, ha ha ha…"
Karma.
The water outlines the way she holds her arm bashfully.
Yet Kirishima doesn't break character, "W-well? How did… you know?"
Hagakure sighs. "I may have fallen into the creek, but, as the Invisible Hero: Invisible Girl, master of stealth, I can confirm," she salutes, "the mission, 'A walk in the park', was a total success!"