NeonHorizon: Hey. So. What kind of stuff do you like to read about? I've had some cute slice of life chapters, some sweet romantic chapters, and some heroic action chapters. What kinds of stuff do you happy readers like the best?

"Yuki went somewhere? Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what time they'll be back. Do you want me to call her and ask?" The old woman frowned and looked past Kirishima to the other figure near the gate. "Oh dear."

The redhead looked over his shoulder for a moment, confused. Just seeing Bakugou, he turned back to the old woman. "It's alright. She's going to be at school on Monday, right?"

"Of course! Ume hates missing school, you know."

"Yeah." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck and said his farewells to her, thanking her. Walking back to his classmate, he frowned. "She's not here."

"I heard what the old lady said! I wasn't standing that far away!" The blond scowled and glared at the house for a moment before turning away. "Whatever. Not like I care how she is."

Seeing him start off down the sidewalk, the other boy jogged to catch up. "Hey, wait! Do you think she's okay? After what happened yesterday…you know?"

Bakugou kicked at a pebble, sending it speeding ahead of them down the pavement. "I don't care! She's probably with that guy from that other class! Who cares?! If you're so damn worried, why don't you call her?"

Kirishima drew his phone from his pocket, but hesitated to call. "If she's hanging out with someone, we probably shouldn't bother her."

"What's this "we" bullshit?"

His eyes went from the screen to the grouchy boy walking beside him. "I thought we were both worried about her."

"Yeah right! I don't care about her!"

"So why were you standing outside of her house when I got there?"

Bakugou felt a rush of heat to his face and gritted his teeth. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he kicked another pebble. "Shut up! I was just there to get what she owes me!"

They continued to walk, both of them silent for a long moment. Just long enough for Bakugou to think that maybe Kirishima was going to let it go. "Okay so why didn't you ring the doorbell? You were just hanging out in front of her house. Did you call her or-?"

"I said to shut up! It's not what you're thinking! I just wanted a damn bun because I gave her mine! It's not like I care about her!"

"Okay, okay!" Kirishima put his hands up, but could not help grinning at the reddish hue on the other boy's face.

Shift P.O.V

He was glad to see her smile. Though it was obstructed by her mask, Shinsou knew she was smiling. The corners of her eyes lifted a little and there was a certain sheen to those crimson eyes that told him that she was happy. He allowed himself a half-smile as he watched her look at the menu. It was rare to see her so excited about something. The only other time he had seen her this animated, it was when she looked at kittens.

"…so many choices…" she murmured. "…this one…sounds so good, but…this one does, too…" Shirayuki seemed to sense that he was looking at her because she lifted her gaze from the menu and began to flush pink. "…ah…s-sorry…I'm mumbling again…aren't I…?"

"It's fine," he assured her. "Which ones are you looking at?"

When she leaned over, lowering her menu to point them out, he felt his smile falter. With the menu lowered, he could see the healing bruises and cuts on her skin. This date had been his idea. Classes were cancelled while the USJ incident was being more closely investigated so it seemed like the perfect chance for a date. Not to mention that he wanted to cheer her up. There was no way that Shinsou could let her stay home and dwell on what had happened.

As she read the descriptions of the two items she was curious about, he started to smile again. "We can get both. I'll order this one and you get that one. Then we can share and see what they're both like. What do you think?"

Shirayuki's eyes widened a little and she nodded. "…th-that sounds great…"

Their orders were placed and when their food came, Shinsou immediately noticed her eating carefully. Her mask was pulled down so it rested around her neck and she took really dainty bites of her food, keeping her head bowed. Seeing her do this made him feel guilty about taking her out somewhere. In his own excitement to have this date, he had forgotten how self-conscious she was about her mouth.

He wanted to apologize, but at the same time he knew he should say nothing. Drawing attention to it would only make her feel worse. Resolving to just make it up to her later somehow, Shinsou began eating. Every so often, he would glance toward her and saw that she was blushing. Seeing it with no obstruction made him smile. The soft, pink tint to her cheeks was rather cute and knowing that he was the cause of it filled him with happiness.

Shift P.O.V

Shirayuki could feel people looking at her in the restaurant. It was enough to almost make her want to leave, but when she saw Shinsou's half-smile, she decided to stay. He was having a good day and she did not want to be the one to bring it to an abrupt end. He had even called it a date.

Her first date had been nerve-wracking. She had been pressured into it by Bakugou and at the end of it, he had stolen her first kiss. That date had made her so anxious that she had to miss school the next day. This date was so much different. Shinsou had arrived that morning and asked her if she wanted to go out with him for the day. She could not agree quickly enough.

Now she was sitting across from him, enjoying a nice lunch. Still, she was so nervous that it almost overshadowed the taste of the food. Every time she looked up, she saw that he seemed to be enjoying himself. He would flash her a half-smile if she started to act worried.

When they left the restaurant, she decided to let him lead the way to the next place they were going. He planned this nice day for me. Her heart raced as he looked at her over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "…ah…s-sorry…"

"Can I…?" Shinsou reached for her hand and laced their fingers. When he began walking again, it was with her beside him. "Is this okay?"

She nodded once, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks. Every time they touched, even by accident, she was reminded of his kiss the previous evening. It was abrupt and had startled her at first, but his lips had felt so nice against hers. He wasn't bothered by my mouth. He didn't even care that my mouth is like this. He…treated me like I have normal lips.

A bubbly feeling came over her as they walked down the street, her heart beating fast. "…Shinsou…thank you…for everything…you always…try so hard…"

"I like you. I don't like it when you're sad so I'm just…trying to make you feel happy," he protested. He glanced over to find her head bowed, eyes on the sidewalk below. "What's wrong?"

"…n-nothing…I just…l-last night…that kiss…um…"

"Sorry about that. Was it too rough? I should've waited longer-"

"N-No!" She placed her free hand over her mask-covered mouth and looked away, face turning red behind her mask. "…I just…I r-really liked it…but…I wanted to know…if my mouth bothered you…"

The boy's indigo eyes widened. "What?"

"…my mouth isn't…n-normal…so I thought…it might have been…unpleasant…"

Shinsou shook his head, frowning. "No. Shirayuki. I don't want to say this. It's kind of embarrassing."

She saw a slight pinkish hue rise to his face as he looked away. "…what…?"

He glanced to her and then quickly away again. "I really like you. A lot. So I really wanted to kiss you, but I didn't want to scare you. I know you get nervous easily so I was waiting for the right time. I didn't know how you'd react or what it would be like, but I really liked it. I wanted to kiss you again, but I didn't want to scare you." His free hand slid over his face, trying to hide the increasing warmth that colored his cheeks.

Her chest grew tight, heart skipping a beat at the sight of him looking so flustered. He looks so…cute…when he does that. Dropping her gaze to the ground, she felt her lips pulling into a wide smile behind her mask. She was very glad for the cover now as the two teenagers walked side by side. He really likes me that much? Really?

A sudden burst of pain in her shoulder made Shirayuki yelp softly and she was knocked into Shinsou's side. She lifted her head in time to see a young man, around college age, glaring down at her. There were three other men walking with him and all of them seemed to now have their attention on the teenagers. "…I…I'm sorry…"

"Watch where you're going! What the hell is wrong with you? Who walks around with their head down like that? What? You think you're too good to make eye contact with other people?" the man taunted.

Shinsou gripped the girl's hand tighter and nudged her behind him. "She said that she was sorry," he started. "Just let it go." He did not want to have to use his quirk on these bullies while he was on a date, but he would if he had to.

One of the men behind the first one scoffed. "Oh, she's "sorry"? What if she bumped someone into the street? What if she made him trip?"

"I spilled some coffee! I want some kinda payment for spilling my coffee on the sidewalk! Now which one of you brats is gonna pay up?!" another one chimed in.

"Hey, boys~! No worries, no worries! That stain doesn't look too bad. Let me take a look, hm?" A female voice spoke from behind them. The men turned and the two teenagers were able to see a woman with glasses and long white hair. She was smiling cheerfully up at the men as she spoke. "Heh! Yeah, that won't stain. No worries, boys! But you know…this might leave a sick burn~" Her hand went beneath the cup and smacked it upwards, dousing the man's chest in hot coffee.

Shinsou watched this with wide eyes and gripped Shirayuki's hand tighter. As the woman's gaze fell upon him, he turned and began to quickly walk away. He could tell from her expression that she was not there to help them. Her intentions were malicious. "Shirayuki, do you know that woman?"

"…I…I think I've seen her…before…on the way to school…she was with someone…a man with blue hair…" Shirayuki's eyes widened now and she began to sprint ahead of Shinsou, holding his hand securely. "…we…need to get somewhere crowded…and blend in…"

Spotting an arcade up ahead, with people their age clamoring around the entrance, he nodded. "That looks like a good place."