NeonHorizon: A quick shout out to animefairy299 again for her art of Shirayuki Ume! I absolutely adore it ^_^ I'm leaving a link so you can check out her awesome artwork, happy readers: yukio-yui-chan. And in case, for whatever reason, the link doesn't work. She's Yukio-Yui-chan on deviantart. Now here's a chapter where things amp up a little!
Shinsou had never meant to actually interfere. He knew that she wanted to show that she was strong. She wanted to prove to herself that she had what it takes to be a hero. If he had given her a little time, he was sure that she would have stood up for herself. However, when he heard what that boy said, he found himself acting without a second thought.
They're not going out. Leaning his chin into his hand, Shinsou watched the girl meekly pick at her food. She was silent, but occasionally glanced over at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"…n-no…it's…okay…" Her voice was just barely above a whisper as she spoke, keeping her head down to hide her mouth from the people around them. "…Bakugou-kun…was making me nervous…"
"Are you okay?" He saw her nod, but the look on her face said otherwise. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes drifting to her hand as she gripped her chopsticks tighter. When she bit her lip, Shinsou knew that she had more to say, but she was afraid of upsetting him. "Shirayuki, you can tell me that I messed up. I shouldn't have interfered. I know you can take care of yourself-"
"So why do it?" Uttering these words so boldly seemed to take all of her courage. She set her chopsticks down, her meal only half-finished, and she slipped her mask on over her mouth and nose once more. "…I'm…done eating so…I'm going back to my classroom…"
"Wait. Let me walk with you," he said, standing as she did.
"…no…I just…want to be alone…please…"
Shinsou lingered at the table after she left, staring down at her leftovers. A sigh left him as he carried the tray to clear her place. In all of the years that he had known her, Shinsou had never seen her truly get angry.
There were times when she lashed out in middle school or elementary school, but that was when she had been bullied and she could take no more. That was sadness and desperation. This was something else entirely. He had seen something in her eyes before she left the table. Guilt and disappointment gnawed at his gut as he walked toward the exit.
As he approached the doorway, Shinsou felt a furious gaze penetrating his back. The boy paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder, casually meeting the glower of a particular ash blond seated across the room at a table. He could blame that boy for Shirayuki's anger. After all, it was that boy's actions that caused Shinsou to interfere. That would be unfair though.
Walking down the hall, he promised himself that he would give her some space. As badly as he wanted to check on her, that would be the worst thing that he could do. With time, she might forgive him. Or her anger might escalate. He had never seen her angry before so he really had no clue which way this could go.
I need to make it up to her, he determined as he came to a window. Staring out at the sunny afternoon, he slipped his hands into his pockets and frowned. What can I do that would make her happy?
Shift P.O.V
"Yuki? Are you okay?" Ashido peeked into the room and found her classmate slouching at her desk with a book open in front of her.
"…yes…I'm sorry…um…I just…want to read…so I can calm down…" Shirayuki clutched her book tightly, frowning behind her mask. Chewing on her lower lip, she tried to focus on the words printed before her, but it was difficult.
This emotion was something she was not used to. Her pulse pounding, not with excitement or fear, but with anger. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kick something or release a calorie blast. "…I…haven't been this angry…since my father died…" she muttered, keeping her head bowed.
Ashido crossed the room and grabbed Hagakure's seat, sitting in it sideways so she could look at Shirayuki. "I can't believe he really dumped that ramen broth on Bakugou! And the whole time he had that bored look on his face!"
"…it's…his natural expression…"
"You've known him since middle school, right?" The pink-haired girl leaned forward a little, peering down at the illustration on one of the pages that were displayed. Her friend nodded in silent answer. "I think it's cute though; you can tell he really likes you. His heart was in the right place, but you wanted to handle it yourself, didn't you?"
"…a hero should be able to stand up for themselves…"
"Right, but you know you're still in training, Yuki. So, like, yeah, you're training in combat and all that, but you're training to get bolder, too! You're really quiet. Like, super quiet. I think I've heard Todoroki talk more than you have! And those first few days, you didn't even talk to anyone except to introduce yourself!"
Ashido saw Shirayuki's crimson eyes lift from the page. "See, so, you're still in training in a lot of ways. Like everyone else. It's okay if you can't do everything yet; it's a work in progress! And your friend probably just saw you looking upset and wanted to help you. I bet he wasn't even thinking about it. He probably heard Bakugou say that thing about you going out and he got jealous and dumped the broth on him."
The dark-haired girl gave a slow nod of understanding. "…but…jealous…?"
Her friend grinned. "He likes you! Like, you know! Like likes you!"
Behind her mask, Shirayuki's cheeks started to burn with a blush. "…you think that he…likes me so much…he would get jealous…?"
"Of course he does! He walks you to and from school every day, right? And I've seen the way he looks at you. It's freakin' adorable! It's obvious that he really, really likes you, Yuki!"
"…he…did say that he likes me…"
"So do you like him back?"
"…ah…y-yes, of course…he's…he makes me really happy…" Seeing Ashido's grin made Shirayuki begin to smile. "…what…?"
Her friend reached over, lowering the book and holding up a pen. "You like him and he likes you. So! The next step is asking him out, Yuki! And the best way for you to do that is with a note. We'll just make it a simple one, okay? It'll say "Will you go out with me?" and it'll have a space for his answer."
The girl's stomach began to do flips. "…oh…um…I-I couldn't…do something that bold…and…if he said "no"…"
"But he won't!" Ashido sighed as Kirishima and Kaminari entered the room. "Guys, help me out here! I'm trying to tell her that she should ask that guy out!"
"Huh? But Bakugou said-" Kirishima was cut off by a sharp look from the pink-haired girl. "I don't really think-"
"I'll help!" Kaminari grinned and perched on the desk next to Shirayuki's. "You like him, right, Yuki?"
Shirayuki nodded, her blush glowing brighter. Kirishima grudgingly walked over to the group and leaned against the wall beside Shirayuki's desk, his hands in his pockets and head turned to the side. "…um…where's…Bakugou-kun…?"
"Bathroom," Kaminari helpfully answered. "Hey, you should put a little heart on this note. It would be really cute."
"Why don't you just wait a little? How long have you been friends with that guy?" Kirishima spoke up, frowning. He leaned down a little at Shirayuki's side, looking at the card. It already had her neat handwriting spelling out "Will you go out with me?" The redhead rubbed the back of his neck and looked away when the dark-haired girl shifted her gaze to him.
"Why didn't you want to ask him out anyway? You guys look pretty close." Kaminari looked from the blushing Shirayuki to Ashido.
"She's afraid he's going to say "no"."
"Who'd say "no"?" Kirishima was glad when Bakugou showed up because then all eyes shifted from him to the other boy. "Hey, you didn't fall in?" he joked.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Their grouchy classmate set his sights on Shirayuki as he began to trudge across the classroom to his desk. "Hey! That stupid extra got my shirt wet, Ume. What're you gonna do about it?"
The girl quickly stuffed the note into her bag before he could see it and bowed her head once more. "…I'm sorry…"
He grabbed her upper arm, trying to get her to turn to look at him. "So what're you gonna do about it?"
"…I…didn't do anything…" she protested, her voice quiet while her tone was firm. There was clearly anger in his eyes as he looked down at her, but a spark of something else as well. Amusement. Excitement. She met this with her own anger and as much courage as she could muster. "…Bakugou-kun…I don't owe you…"
The smirk that curved his lips left her confused, but he released her arm and leaned back in his seat. "Fine. You can make it up to me later anyway."
"Dude, just let it go." Kirishima turned away and trudged to his own desk, Kaminari following him.
Ashido shook her head. "Look, she's allowed to like another guy," she stated, crossing her arms. "You're not going out. So just chill."
Shirayuki did not want to be left alone with him after this, but Ashido was already walking to her desk. Slouching a little, the dark-haired girl began to anxiously fidget with the hairband on her wrist. She could feel his gaze on her and knew that if she looked his way, he would be glaring.
"…I'm…sorry about your shirt…but…the best I can offer is this…" she murmured, digging in her bag for wet wipes. They were snatched out of her hand and she heard him tear open the package. "…and…um…Bakugou-kun…I n-never gave you an answer..."
"What the hell are you talking about, Ume?"
"…yesterday…you asked me out, but I didn't…"
"I wasn't asking anything! Damn it! Are you really that dense?!" He leaned forward in his seat, grabbing her shoulder and making her turn in her seat. "I said "go out with me". It wasn't a damn question, Ume!"
"…what…?" Her eyes widened and the girl jolted away from him when he tried to tug her closer to him. "…no…it doesn't…work that way…"
"If I say we're going out, we're going out! Got it?! I thought you were supposed to be smart." He scowled and wiped at his shirt with a wipe. "Quit looking so damn scared!"
When class began, she clutched her note to Shinsou tightly in her hand. If he says "yes"…then maybe Bakugou-kun will understand. She bit her lip and bowed her head. The date yesterday was fun, but…Shinsou…makes me so happy. Every day.