NeonHorizon: A wild antagonist has appeared!

Shirayuki had forgotten how daunting the trip to school could be when traveling alone. Her palms were sweating as she gripped her bag, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone on the train. More than just the fear and anxiety of traveling by herself for the first time in a while, she missed Shinsou.

When he sent her a message early that morning, stating that he was staying home sick, she had offered to have her grandmother call her in sick as well so she could take care of him. He had told her to go ahead to school and assured her that it was nothing serious. She still worried, though.

He said it's just a cough, but what if he has a cold? I should send him a message after school. The girl got off of the train at her stop and started to plan what she would do that afternoon. I'll just go straight home and send him a message to ask how he's feeling. I don't think we need more groceries yet.

She was walking with her head down and thus was not paying much attention to where she was going. Shirayuki slammed into someone's back, her forehead hitting their shoulder blade hard. Wincing at the pain, she stumbled back a step and began to bow. "…I-I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, sir…I wasn't…paying attention to where I was going…!"

The man turned around the second she stepped back and his appearance left her uneasy. Tangled, light blue hair was hanging in his eyes and partially obstructing them, but she could still see the vibrant red color. His eyes were wide, as if he was just as startled as she was, and his mouth was horribly chapped. There was a scar on his lower lip and faded scratches on the man's neck.

They made eye contact for a brief moment before his gaze drifted to her school uniform and became a glare. His expression contorted into a look of outrage and he started clawing at his neck, right in front of her. Before he could say anything to her, a female hand planted on his shoulder and the man turned to look at his companion.

"No worries, kid. Hm? Oh…wow. You're a student at UA, huh?" A young woman peeked at Shirayuki from behind the man and she grinned. "That's pretty cool. You'd better hurry up or you'll be late. No worries, okay? Just pay attention to where you're going next time. Wouldn't want to step out in front of a truck or something. Or…you know…run into a villain."

"…ah…y-yes…thank you…" Shirayuki bowed again and moved around the two. She heard the man say something to his companion, but it was quiet; muttered under his breath. The girl frowned to herself behind her mask as she hurried toward the school. That man…looked so angry when he saw my uniform. Does he have something against UA?

"Yuki-chan! Hey, where's your friend from Class C?" Ashido greeted her when she arrived at the lockers.

"…he…had to stay home sick…" She looked over her shoulder toward the gate, still frowning. Something about the interaction with those two strangers had felt very unsettling. Not just because the man seemed so irritated by her being a UA student, but the woman seemed off as well. She had sounded and looked friendly. Smart even. The glasses she wore and the way she dressed made her look almost like an assistant or secretary.

"Hey, you okay? Did something happen?" Kaminari asked.

"…I…I'm fine…" The girl tried to reassure her friends. Everything is alright…isn't it? I'm sure that that man just…was anxious. Like me. She fidgeted with the hairband on her wrist, steadily calming herself down.

Kirishima walked alongside her, eyes fixed on the way her eyebrows furrowed and her shoulders drooped. It was obvious that something was wrong. "Oh, I know! Your friend is home sick, right? You want to make him a care package?"

"…care package…?"

"Yeah! You know! We'll get him some tea and medicine and stuff. He'd probably love that!" The redhead saw her face turning pink and he grinned. "Right, you guys? I know I'd love to get something like that if I was out sick!"

Ashido beamed. "That does sound cool! I'm not doing anything after school."

"I'm free, too. Don't leave me out," Kaminari chimed in.

Shirayuki began to smile and bowed her head a little more. "…you're…such good friends…I…I'm not sure what to say, but…thank you…it sounds like a great idea…and…I really want to try this…"

"That's the spirit! We'll all meet up after school and go shopping for supplies," the pink-haired girl determined.

Shift P.O.V

He had spent most of the day sleeping, trying to regain his strength and recover as quickly as possible. It was not a full blown cold yet. His throat hurt, he had a slight cough, and he felt extremely tired.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the alarm clock. It was afternoon. Shinsou frowned and coughed quietly, turning onto his side beneath the blanket. He hated making Shirayuki walk to school alone. All he could think about was how anxious she always seemed during their commute to school. The packed trains and the crowded sidewalks made her so nervous.

Closing his eyes, he nestled deeper into his blanket and frowned. The boy could just imagine her walking alone to the school with her head down and nervously messing with that hairband on her wrist. This was followed almost immediately by the thought of her classmate accosting her and making her cry. Shinsou pushed himself to sit up, running his fingers through his hair. I need to get some medicine, he decided. The sooner he was well enough to go back to school, the sooner he could be assured that she was alright.

He was home alone so he knew that he had to get the medicine himself. It would just be a quick walk to the pharmacy and then he could return to bed. He got dressed and was just opening the door to run his errand, when his calm indigo gaze settled on the girl standing right outside of his home.

Shirayuki was wearing black shorts and a long-sleeved blue shirt with black stars on it. Her long, dark violet hair was pulled back in a ponytail with the strands on either side of her face braided and clipped back loosely. The girl's mask for the day was a simple black mask and it contrasted nicely with the blush that rushed to her face when their eyes met. "…Sh-Shinsou…um…I…"

His eyes lowered to the bag in her hand and the very apparent square-shaped object inside. "Do you want to come in?"

"…I…don't want to impose…"

"It's fine," he assured her. Shinsou rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "Wait. Maybe you shouldn't. I don't want you to get sick, too."

"…n-no…ah…my mask…should protect me from catching anything so…I-I don't want to bother you though…um…"

He leaned down, putting himself at eye level with her. "That mask is pretty thick," the boy commented. Straightening, he shifted his eyes away. "You're not bothering me, Shirayuki. I'm home alone so, if you want to come in…"

Her eyes widened a bit and she nodded. "…y-yes…I actually…I brought you a care package…with some things that should help you feel better…"

Not for the first time, he found himself admiring how cute she looked when she was flustered. She was obviously embarrassed about seeking him out and being so worried, but it was flattering to have her want to take care of him. As they went to the kitchen, he watched her pull the box out of her bag and nervously set it in front of him. She had tied it closed with a violet ribbon and he could just imagine her painstakingly selecting items for this care package. Trying to make it look nice and thinking about him as she prepared it.

Urged by her to open the box, Shinsou reluctantly untied the ribbon and pulled it open. Inside was a variety of items. Cold medicine, a few small boxes of tea, a pack of tissues infused with lotion to keep from irritating his skin, a bag of lozenges, a DVD he recognized from her personal collection at her house, and a little bag of homemade cookies.

He appreciated all of it, but most of all the cookies. Shinsou immediately knew that they were made by her. They were butter cookies in the shape of cat faces with little eyes and whiskers drawn on them with chocolate. "You didn't have to do this." His voice was quiet, wanting to hide just how happy these gifts really made him. It was a little embarrassing, but he really did love that she wanted to take care of him.

Shift P.O.V

"Did I miss anything interesting today?" Shinsou was eating one of the cookies she had made, a half-smile curling his lips.

Shirayuki was making a cup of tea for him and paused mid-pour to frown. "…we…had a security breach…" she replied, a slight quiver in her voice.

"What?" He met her gaze with a look of concern as she set his tea in front of him on the table. "Are you okay?"

"…y-yes…um…it turned out to just be…some reporters that got in, but…it was still scary…" She sat across from him with her own cup, bowing her head. "…everyone…was panicking…and I almost…got trampled…b-but my friend helped me…it just…was scary…to see everyone else so afraid…"

Amid the absolute chaos of everyone reacting to the breach, she really had been nearly injured when she tripped within the crowd. Shirayuki had been saved by Kirishima shielding her as he helped her stand again and she had clung to him for security until the rest of the students calmed down. They had almost called off the afterschool shopping trip, but the thought of Shinsou suffering from his illness had pushed her to go anyway.

"…um…we chose our class president and vice president today…" Shirayuki tried to lighten the mood a little. "…did 1-C do that already…?"

"Not yet." His expression had shifted to alarm when she spoke of almost being injured in the chaos earlier that day, but now his face softened. "That boy in your class didn't pick on you, did he?" He saw her shake her head. "Good."

A silence fell between them as Shirayuki sipped her tea and Shinsou reached for another cookie. Her cheeks started to burn pink as she realized how many he had eaten. "…ah…let me…I mean…d-do you mind if I cook for you…?" He raised an eyebrow. "…you just…seem hungry…"

The boy ran a hand through his hair, tousling the indigo locks. "You don't have to. You're a guest; you shouldn't feel like you have to do things for me."

"…but…I really want to…"

A faint hint of pink rose to his face and he looked down at his teacup. "Thank you." He glanced up and saw her already looking for something to cook. "You don't know how much I appreciate this, Shirayuki."