"Time really flies, huh? Hard to believe it's your last day already!" Fat Gum patted her on the back, sending her stumbling forward a step.
"…I…I appreciate everything you've done for me, sir…" Shirayuki bowed respectfully. "...I've…learned a lot while I was here and...I just wish I could have been of more help…"
"Are you kidding?! Yuki, you've been great! You've come a long way. I remember when you first came here, you had trouble keeping eye contact and you mumbled everything. Now you're able to keep looking at me when you talk to me. You're still a little quiet, though, huh?" He ruffled her hair and beamed. "It's alright though! Tamaki's quiet, too!"
Fat Gum took a step back and continued to grin. "Someday you'll be able to shout like it's no big deal! I've got faith in you, Yuki. You're gonna be a great hero; just like Umetarou."
Shirayuki felt like her heart was swelling. Tears blurred the edges of her vision and she wiped at her eyes quickly. "…th-thank you…"
"Hey, no tears! Today's gonna be a great day, even if it's the last day of your internship. Let's get out there and start patrolling." He turned toward Amajiki, who was fidgeting a little off to Shirayuki's left. "Tamaki, got any words of encouragement for her?"
The boy tensed and quickly lifted his head, eyes narrowed. He glanced toward her before tugging his hood forward more. "You're…doing really well," he started. "Um…I'm not…good at this…difficult…uh…" Amajiki took a deep breath and turned toward her, his dark indigo eyes focusing on her crimson ones. "Yuki, you're…really strong. I know you'll get even better with practice and…you're a good person. Um…you're a good friend…and I…hope we can stay friends, even after your internship ends…"
She had heard him say something similar the day before, but she still felt her stomach do a flip when she heard it. Heat filled her face as she nodded, smiling shyly behind her mask. "…I…want to stay friends…" she agreed.
Shirayuki decided that since it was her last day, she would push herself a bit more than usual. Rather than walk behind Fat Gum, she made herself walk beside him. It was unnerving to have people look her way, but she knew it was necessary. People looked at heroes as beacons of hope. If she was afraid of being looked at, she felt like that would make her less of a hero.
Her bravery seemed to be contagious. Amajiki adjusted his hood and came up to walk with the other two, but kept his head down as he walked. The crowds parted for Fat Gum, who was calling greetings to various people as he went.
The girl glanced toward her mentor and felt sadness bubbling up. She really had enjoyed working with Fat Gum and Amajiki for the past few days. Fat Gum was the closest thing to a father figure she had now. He had even known her father so he had been able to tell her a few stories about when he had worked with Calorie Bomb. The thought of not seeing this hero again made her feel a little depressed.
"Kcal."
She turned her head and met her upperclassman's eyes for a second before he looked down again. "…Suneater…?"
"Um…if you want to…you should visit sometimes." He received a pat to his back that sent him forward a bit.
"That's right! Kcal, you'll have to drop by the agency to see us sometimes! You know Suneater wouldn't have a problem bringing you along! Of course, you can't really patrol with us, but it'd still be pretty nice for you to visit! I could tell you some more stories about Umetarou!" Fat Gum, pleased with the idea, beamed again.
The day was peaceful and the sunny weather made Shirayuki unable to stay sad. As she patrolled, she started to think about Shinsou. When they sat in her room, they had talked about what they had been doing that week. While she told him everything about patrolling and stopping the speeding truck a few days ago, he had been kind of quiet.
Shinsou seemed more tired than usual. He was careful about what he said. It was as if he was keeping a secret from her, but he seemed reluctant to not tell her. Like it was something he wanted to talk to her about, but he knew he had to keep it from Shirayuki.
The patrolling went without incident and her last day of the internship ended too soon. Before she had to leave, she summoned forth some courage and tugged down her mask to show her full face. "Th-thank you for letting me intern with you. I appreciate everything you've done for me, sir." Shirayuki bowed, trying to hold back tears.
"Hey, no crying, okay? What did I tell you? You're gonna visit, right?" Fat Gum saw her give a small nod. "Listen, Yuki. When you're looking for a work study in the future, you look here first, okay? I'm always gonna have a spot open for you. You show some real promise. I wanna see you use every bit of your potential and become an even better hero than Umetarou! I know you've got it in you!"
"…e-even better…than my father…?"
"That's exactly what he'd want! Umetarou would tell you to go beyond! Be even better than he was, in your own way! I know you can do it, too! He's not here to say it, but I will; I'm proud of how well you're doing." Seeing tears roll down her cheeks, he pulled the girl into a hug. "Hey, c'mon! What'd I say about crying?"
The beginning of the commute from the hero agency felt awkward. Shirayuki had never cried in front of Amajiki. While she had been crying and Fat Gum hugged her, trying to cheer her up, the boy had stood off to the side with a frown. Now, as they sat side by side on the train, he glanced over at her.
Tears still shone in her eyes as she bowed her head and fidgeted with the hem of her blazer sleeve. I cried in front of them. Heroes…shouldn't cry. Especially over something like that. But he…Fat Gum said he was proud of me…Fresh tears spilled down her face and she raised a hand to wipe them away.
A handkerchief was swiftly held out in front of her before her sleeve could reach her face. Amajiki had his head down, a warm hue dusting his cheeks. "H-here," he stammered. When she accepted it and wiped her eyes, he slouched a bit lower and bit his lip for a moment. "I'm…not good at this. I just…don't want to see you cry…I'm not sure how to cheer you up. Mirio is better at this sort of thing."
"…th-thank you…"
He nodded. "C-Calorie Bomb…I saw him on TV when I was a kid. I didn't say anything before because I…didn't want to weird you out. Calorie Bomb…was always really confident…and outgoing. Kind of like Mirio. That's…the kind of hero that people always notice. I really respect that kind of bravery…I always…thought Calorie Bomb was amazing. But, Yuki, you're…it's like what Fat Gum said…you're going to be even better."
Shirayuki's chest felt tight as she glanced toward him. Amajiki's head was down, his face still a vibrant shade of red from embarrassment. "Tamaki." She took a deep breath as she waited for him to look her way. "I...I know you're going to be an amazing hero," the girl started. "…you…are really good with your quirk…and you're braver than I am…I-I admire how much you're able to push yourself…when you're patrolling…and your words…really do make me feel better…"
"Yuki…" He rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head again, but there was a small, timid smile curving his lips. "I…um…th-thank you."
They walked to her house at a slow pace, talking about light topics to try to keep their spirits lifted. Shirayuki was glad that she had started researching butterflies and she could tell he had been researching cats again. Their first one on one conversation had felt awkward, but by this point in their friendship it went smoothly. She found it becoming increasingly easier to talk to him.
At her gate, she looked to her upperclassman with a frown behind her mask. "…thank you…for walking me home…um…I'll have to visit the agency again…"
"If you want to go…just tell me and I'll walk you there." He held up his phone, nodding at it. "You have my number now."
"…right…I'll let you know…"
Amajiki lowered his phone and looked down at it. "If I…want to talk, is it okay if I call you?"
"…o-of course…we're…we're still going to be friends so…if you want to talk…you can call me whenever you want…"
"Right…we're friends." The small, timid smile from before began to form again. He paused, summoning some courage, and raised his eyes to meet hers. "Yuki, do you-?"
"Yuki! Awesome! I was hoping you'd be home!" The familiar voice called from down the street, near the corner behind her.
"I-I have to go. I'm sorry." Amajiki turned quickly and began walking off as swiftly as possible without running.
"…ah…?" She stared after her upperclassman and jolted when Kirishima's hand rested on her shoulder. Turning to face him, she felt her face heat with embarrassment. "…K-Kirishima…?"
The boy's eyes widened and he grinned. "That's a first!"
"…what…?"
"You always call me "Kirishima-kun". I was wondering if you'd ever drop the "-kun". You know you can call me Eijiro if you really want to!" A pink tint rose to his face when he said this. "Hey, so that was the third year from your internship, right? He walked you home?"
The girl's embarrassment grew as she nodded. "…he…walked me home every day during my internship…"
"That's pretty chivalrous." Kirishima's hand took hers, nonchalantly. He saw her face turn even redder and grinned. "I missed you. I mean, I missed everyone. But I really wanted to see you so I couldn't wait until Monday to see you again. Sorry. That probably sounds stupid-"
"N-no!" She saw him blink in surprise and lowered her head. "…I…don't think it's stupid…to want to see someone…I liked working with a hero…and Amajiki-senpai…but I m-missed seeing you…and everyone else…"
His grin spread and the faint pink tint rose to his face again. "Well good! Are you busy tomorrow? We could all go somewhere! I bet they'd want to hang out again before we have to go back to school."
Shirayuki nodded. "…I have to get groceries in the afternoon…but…I'm free in the morning…"
"Awesome! We can meet at the station. Does that sound okay?"
"…that sounds fine…um…what time…?"
"Nine? I mean, everyone should be up by then anyway, right? I'll tell everyone else." His grin softened into a smile now. "I really missed you, Yuki."