The look of delight that Shirayuki wore when she received an ice cream cone was enough to make him want to smile. It brought him so much pleasure to see her so happy that it made his heart feel fluttery. Bowing his head, Shinsou lowered his gaze to his own ice cream. "Is it good?"
"…it's…wonderful…" she replied. The mask was hanging loosely around her neck, the ice cream cone positioned in front of her mouth as she licked at it. "…Shinsou…thank you so much…I really appreciate this…"
"Your throat hurt. I just thought that this would help," he half-protested. His eyes shifted to the side, watching her happily lick the ice cream. A faint warmth rose to his face and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Your classmate is visiting your house, right?"
"…he…wanted to adopt the last kitten…but his father won't let him have her at home…so we're just…holding onto her…until he can convince him…" Shirayuki's crimson eyes slid partially closed as her expression changed from utter bliss to deep in thought. Almost crestfallen. "…my grandma…said that my father…was classmates with his father…"
"Sorry." Shinsou could feel guilt tightening his chest and he frowned. I didn't know that. She doesn't really talk about her dad. The sight of her looking so distressed made him want to do something to distract her. "What flavor did you pick?" he spoke up again.
"…ah…um…it's…mint chocolate chip…" She held up the ice cream, showing him the pale green color. "…why…?"
"I got vanilla caramel. Do you want a taste?"
Shirayuki stared up at him for a moment as they paused on the sidewalk. "…a taste…of your ice cream…?" A blush bloomed in her cheeks as the words set in.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned down toward her. "Here." Shinsou gently brushed a dark violet lock of hair behind her ear and held his ice cream near her lips. She leaned forward a bit more and licked at it timidly, still blushing almost as red as the color of her eyes. Something about this sight sent a tingle through him and he soon took a step back.
The girl shyly put a hand over her mouth, hiding a smile. "…it's…really good…um…Shinsou…did you want…to try mine, too…?"
"Yes." He brought the hand holding the cone closer to him and leaned down to lick the ice cream. The indirect kiss brought a half-smile to his lips as he straightened. "Sorry. You need to hurry home, don't you?"
"…it's alright…I…really like spending time with you…"
Shinsou noticed that despite all of the lozenges and ice cream, her voice still sounded a little rough. Remembering their interaction that morning, regarding her vocal training with her volatile classmate, he started to feel a little irritated. He disliked her classmate already, but to know that they had been alone together in the forest sent him to another level of irritation.
Thinking about the vocal training, however, sparked an idea. Not a great idea, but it was something. If she needed help to push herself to raise her voice, he could probably help her using his quirk. The amount of help that he could offer was a bit limited, but if it was just about training her vocal cords to allow her to speak louder, he could do something for her.
The ice cream was finished and they were now in their neighborhood. Walking beside her down the street, he could see that she was starting to look a little nervous. He knew right away that she was anxious about her classmate visiting so he decided to distract her from it. "Shirayuki. Can you meet me tonight around seven? I have something that I want to try."
Instantly, her face turned pink behind her mask. "…Sh-Shinsou…?"
"It's just something for training. Don't worry about it." He gently took her hand in his and leaned down, his free hand lowering her mask. The boy's lips captured hers, caressing them softly and savoring the sweet flavor of the kiss.
Shift P.O.V
What does he have planned? Shirayuki walked to her house alone, head bowed and face still a bit flushed. Biting the inside of her cheek, she hoped that whatever it was, she would be home before bedtime since they had school the next day. It couldn't be…anything too…She slipped her key into the door and entered the house with a frown.
"Ume, is that you? Your friend has been waiting for you in the sitting room! Go on ahead and say hello to him! I'll bring the tea in a few minutes!" Her grandmother's voice echoed from the kitchen.
"…ah…o-okay…" She left her bag near the door and walked to the sitting room, her stomach twisting in anxious knots.
Todoroki was seated on the couch and currently appeared to be preoccupied with petting the kitten on his lap. The feline looked extremely happy; eyes closed and loudly purring as she rubbed her face against his hand. When he saw Shirayuki enter the room, he paused in his actions and the hint of a smile was replaced by his usual stoic frown. "Thank you for having me."
Shirayuki bowed a little. "…thank you…for wanting to adopt the kitten…" She hesitantly moved closer and lifted the chubby white cat that was about to hop up onto the couch. The girl knew from experience that the cat intended to push away the kitten and she also knew how precious this time was to Todoroki.
"I thought that your name was Yuki," he remarked.
Her eyes lifted, fixing upon the boy and trying to determine whether or not he was joking. He thought my name…was Shirayuki Yuki? She stood near the couch, holding the chubby white cat in her arms and frowning behind her mask. "…it's…actually Ume…but…I don't…"
"Here we are! I made us a nice pot of green tea to go with the mochi that Todoroki-kun brought today," her grandmother interrupted. The old woman paused in the doorway, looking from Shirayuki to the boy and back. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
"…no…um…Grandma…I was just…explaining to Todoroki-kun…that my friends call me "Yuki"…" Shirayuki's voice trembled as she spoke and the cat began rubbing its cheek against her chin in an effort to console her.
"I see! So you two are becoming fast friends, aren't you?" The tray was set down on the table in front of the couch with three cups, a teapot, and a plate of mochi. "Well, here we go! Remember, Ume, don't spoil your appetite! We're having soba tonight." The old woman seated herself in the chair beside the couch and smiled in the boy's direction. "Of course, you're welcome to join us, young man."
"…my grandmother…makes really good soba…"
The boy's heterochromatic eyes shifted from his hosts to the kitten that was now staring up at him. Almost as if it anticipated an answer. Finally, he gave a small nod. "I'll need to call my sister to make sure that it's alright."
"That's fine. Here, do you want me to hold the kitten while you call? Ah. What did you name her?"
Todoroki stared blankly for a moment. "Her name is Torako." He handed the kitten to Shirayuki's grandmother and excused himself to the kitchen to call home.
The dark-haired girl looked to the silver tabby kitten and felt a bit surprised that Todoroki had chosen such a plain name for the cat. Basically, the equivalent of naming her "Tiger" or "Stripes". There was nothing wrong with it, but she had expected him to choose something more elegant.
The chubby white cat began to squirm so she set it down on the floor and accepted Todoroki's cat from her grandmother. She could hear her classmate talking on the phone in the kitchen, hardly able to make out most of the words because his voice was quiet. It was when she heard him say "Calorie Bomb's daughter" that she felt a tightness in her chest.
Her grandmother poured the cups of tea and helped herself to a piece of fruit-flavored mochi. As she chewed, she offered her granddaughter an almost sheepish smile. When she finished eating, the woman nodded toward the kitchen. "Ume, I'm glad you've made friends with that boy. He seems like the lonely type. Like he doesn't make friends easily."
"…I…don't know…he keeps to himself at school…"
Todoroki returned and his first concern was getting his kitten back from her. Only when he was seated once more and had the feline curled up on his lap, did he offer an answer to her grandmother's invitation. "I can stay for dinner."
Shirayuki's grandmother was more than pleased with this. She took another piece of mochi and set off to begin getting everything ready. As she bustled around the kitchen and dining area, Shirayuki and Todoroki sat in awkward silence as they simply appreciated the presence of the various cats.
My father was classmates with his father, she reminded herself as she sat at the table across from him. It was strange to think about, despite her knowing that it was not entirely absurd for her to cross paths with him this way.
"Is your father going to the sports festival?" Her grandmother's voice was calm, but Shirayuki could see the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"Yes. He's going to be there," Todoroki answered quietly.
"Well you must be excited!"
"No…not really."
Shirayuki timidly looked across at him as she chewed her food. He looks…upset. There was clear pain in his eyes as well as a flicker of anger. Bowing her head, she reached to her teacup. "…I…would have liked it…if my father could be there…"
"Ume, I was going to tell you sooner, but I got so excited about having a visitor. Your mother is coming back to Japan for the sports festival. She called this morning to tell me." The old woman's mouth twisted into a deep, concerned frown. "If you don't want her to come, just say the word and I'll call her and tell her not to come. She has no right to-"
"My mother…can go." Shirayuki spoke confidently, but she was trembling. "…she's…my mother...Grandma, I appreciate everything that you do, but…she's my mother…so she does have a right…but…I don't want her to stay here…"
Todoroki looked up from his meal when he heard this and he saw the girl gripping her chopsticks with a shaking hand. There were large tears forming at the corners of her eyes. All he knew about her mother was that the woman was not a hero and she was working overseas. Clearly, her relationship with Shirayuki was not good. "I'm sorry." He spoke without meaning to and frowned.
"…it's…fine…" She checked the time and stood. "…Grandma…Todoroki-kun…I need to go somewhere…I'm sorry…thank you for visiting…"