NeonHorizon: Hooray for Pocky! Also, as I was editing this chapter, I realized that I totally skipped over picking hero names. No, I don't have a hero name picked out for her yet. That seems kind of important though...
I need to be useful…Shirayuki finished putting away groceries, leaving out the ingredients for the things she planned to make. After returning home from meeting Fat Gum and being offered an internship, she became determined to make herself stronger. He was an acquaintance of her father so she wanted to make a good impression.
She pulled her long, dark violet hair back away from her face and looked to the open recipe book on the counter. In order to prepare for her first day of interning, she wanted to make some high calorie foods she could eat quickly in case she had to use her quirk. Her grandmother had been making high calorie foods for her father since his quirk manifested so she had plenty of recipes.
The girl was a little cautious, though. She glanced toward the kitchen doorway, listening for any sounds of movement. Only the quiet scampering of two of the cats chasing each other around the sitting room. It was a little unsettling.
Shirayuki's grandmother rarely went out after Shirayuki returned home from school. Grocery shopping was either done in the morning or her granddaughter offered to do it for her on the weekend. However, at least once a month, the old woman took part in a casual shoji tournament with other elderly people from the area. That was where she was now.
Being home alone made her feel even more nervous than usual. Nothing terrible had ever happened. The worst was when a man came to the gate and rang the bell over and over, shouting at the house that he was selling textbooks. There was no other instance where anyone had even approached the house while she was out. Shirayuki just felt dread when she was home alone.
What…should I make first? She skimmed the list she had made for herself and settled on cakes. Small, fluffy cakes that her grandmother had always made for her father when he was a child. Shirayuki nodded to herself, pleased with her decision, and began putting together the ingredients.
I want to be a hero…like Calorie Bomb. I want to be strong and be able to protect people. I want to…be able to make friends. To talk to people. I have to! She was putting the little cakes in the oven and set a timer. I can't slow them down. When I start my internship…I have to show them that I have what it takes.
Shirayuki's determined inner dialogue was shattered by a knock at the door. She felt her blood run cold. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she stared in the direction of the front of the house.
Her pulse quickened as she stepped back, bumping into the kitchen counter. The two cats that had been in the sitting room were trotting toward the door to investigate, passing the kitchen doorway briefly. The three cats that had been keeping her company were slowly making their way there as well. She pressed a hand over her racing heart and realized that she was shaking.
"Yuki-chan! Hey, are you home?"
Shirayuki had never felt such a strong sense of relief before. She instantly began to calm down and her hand lifted to cover her smile. Kirishima-kun? But I'm…so glad that it's him and not a stranger. It was still a little confusing though. He was knocking at the front door. He would have had to climb over the locked gate to get to the front door.
When she opened the door, she saw her friend grin. "…K-Kirishima-kun…?"
"Sorry for dropping by so late, but I wanted to bring you something." He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, glancing past her down the hallway. "I didn't scare you, did I? I didn't want to ring the bell because I thought your grandma might be sleeping."
"…no, um…sh-she's actually out right now…playing shogi with friends…" Shirayuki had her head bowed, trying to hide her face. Since she was in her own home, she had left her mask in her bedroom. Her mouth was in full view and she felt herself becoming really self-conscious.
"Oh! Sorry! I shouldn't have dropped by without calling! H-here you go!" He held out a convenience store bag, heavy with what appeared to be every box of Pocky he could get his hands on.
She stared down into the bag, her crimson eyes growing wide. "…s-so many flavors…I…haven't even heard of some of these…"
Kirishima quickly recovered from his embarrassment. "Right?! I went all over the place trying to find some cool ones! There's strawberry chocolate, cookies and cream, butter flavor-!" He heard a quiet giggle escape her and his grin spread. "Awww! I thought that one was the best one I found!" he joked.
The girl put a hand over her mouth and shook her head, blushing faintly. "…I…can't imagine what butter flavor…would actually be like…"
"Want to try it? I'm curious, too." He looked almost sheepish about wanting to try butter-flavored Pocky.
The little cakes she was making still needed time to bake so she gave a small nod and opened the door further to let him in. "…um…s-since my grandma isn't here…I-I'm sorry, but…I can't have guests for long…"
"Oh! Don't worry; I won't stay more than a few minutes," he assured her. Kirishima sat down first when they got to the sitting room, completely undeterred by the cats that came running when they heard the rustle of the bag. "I need to find it first. Just a second!"
Shirayuki sat on the couch as well, but left some space between them. Fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve, she watched him rummage through the various Pocky boxes for the flavor he wanted to try. So many flavors. She stared down into the bag, her heart racing at the variety.
"Here we go!" He turned to her, holding up the box, and his face took on a slightly pink tint. "Yuki-chan, are you drooling?"
She bowed her head, embarrassed to be so excited about it, and wiped at her mouth. "…I…like trying new flavors…" she admitted. "…I'm sorry…it's not polite to…drool…" With every word, she slouched a little bit more until it almost looked like she was trying to curl in on herself.
"No way! It's cute! Er…I mean…" Kirishima turned his head to the side and frowned a little. "Uh…well, I did mean it, I guess. It's cute when you excited about stuff, Yuki-chan."
Lifting her gaze to peer at him through the stray hair falling over her face, she felt her heart skip a beat. "…d-drool is cute…?"
"No! I didn't mean that! I meant you looked cute!" He put up both hands defensively, still holding the box of Pocky. "I mean, you do look cute!"
She felt heat rushing to her face and bowed her head again. "…I-I'm…not cute…" she mumbled.
"No way! You're totally cute! Er…" He sighed in frustration and looked from her to the box in his hand. "That was so not manly. Sorry, Yuki-chan. Here; let's just try the Pocky."
From the edge of her vision, she watched him open the packaging and frown. It prompted her to look over as well, in time to see him draw a stick out. Golden brown in color with chocolate swirled around it. "…that's…butter…?"
Kirishima appeared just as confused as she was. "I guess it's supposed to be "butter cookie"? That's kind of disappointing. I was hoping it was really butter-flavored." His shoulders drooped as he held the stick up, turning it a little.
"…it…might still be good…" Shirayuki timidly held out a hand for a piece.
His mood brightened at her enthusiasm and he grinned, getting a stick for her as well. "We'll try it at the same time, okay? And then we can say what we think of it. Ready?"
"…ready…" She bit into hers the same time he did, but their version of a bite was very different. While Shirayuki just took a dainty nibble, she saw Kirishima nearly snap his in half and crunch down on it. He…looks so happy. Is that how I look around food? Is that what he meant? Looking…happy and cute. Warmth bloomed in her cheeks and she averted her gaze.
"So what do you think? I think it's still pretty good! Definitely tastes like a butter cookie with chocolate!" Kirishima's tone was bright and cheerful, reflecting in his sharp-toothed grin.
"…I…I really like this flavor…" Her lips curled into a smile as she took a small bite. It really does taste like a butter cookie dipped in chocolate.
"I'm glad you like it. I really didn't know if you'd like these or not. I just wanted to do something special before our internships start. Everyone's gonna be pretty busy. You're going to a hero agency with a third year from UA there, right? That's pretty cool!"
She slouched, remembering how she had fidgeted and mumbled in front of Fat Gum. "…I'm…actually kind of nervous…b-because the hero knew my father and…I-I don't want to slow him down…or embarrass him…" She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder and looked over.
"Hey! Yuki-chan, you're gonna do great! You've got to believe in yourself a little more! I mean, you saved my life, remember? You're already a hero, even without a license!" He saw the red tint to her cheeks and seemed to realize he had been leaning in as he spoke to her. Leaning back now, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't mean to invade your bubble like that. I know you've got a boyfriend so-"
"…ah…um…" She bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes becoming watery. "…he…b-broke up with me…before the sports festival…"
"What?! You should've said something! You shouldn't have to deal with that by yourself!"
"…it…it wasn't…something anyone could help with and…I didn't want to cause problems…" Shirayuki closed her eyes before more tears could form. "…um…we're still friends…but it's difficult t-to get over and…I'm sorry…I-I shouldn't have said anything…I don't want people to worry…"
"We're your friends! You're supposed to let us help you when you feel down!" he argued. Kirishima's hand settled on her shoulder again and he leaned over, staring at her intently when she opened her eyes. "Don't keep stuff all bottled up, okay? You don't have to go through that stuff alone! Okay? Promise me."
She gave a nod, but she was fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve again. Guilt settled in the pit of her stomach, but seeing him smile made her feel a little better. "…I won't…keep things bottled up…" she agreed. "…b-but…ah…if you have anything…that's bothering you…or anyone else has something like that…I-I want to be able to help, too…"
Kirishima's smile grew. "Yuki-chan, don't worry about it. You're probably the first person I'll tell if I'm feeling down."