His heart was racing at a hummingbird's pace. He checked the time, frowning a little as he tried to calm down. I just saw her yesterday. What am I nervous about? I already told her how I feel.

"Hey! How long have you been waiting?" Kaminari waved, grinning as he approached with Ashido beside him.

"Yuki-chan isn't here yet? She's usually early." The pink-haired girl dug in her purse for her phone and typed out a quick message to their friend.

"Sorry I'm late. Wait. Aren't we missing someone?" Sero joined the group and raised an eyebrow. "Where's Yuki-chan?"

"Bakugou's missing, too," Kaminari pointed out.

"He said he couldn't make it." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck, checking his phone again. When he invited Bakugou, the other boy had been irritated about not being able to go. He never said that, exactly, but his tone was enough to tell Kirishima how he really felt.

"…I…I'm sorry I'm late…" The voice was soft, a bit unsure. This voice came from his left and made Kirishima's heart skip a beat.

He turned his head to look at her and felt a warm, pink tint rise to his cheeks. Shirayuki was wearing a black medical mask with bright turquoise butterflies on it, matching the turquoise sundress she wore. Over the dress, she was wearing a denim jacket with a handful of little butterfly pins on it. Her long, dark violet hair was pulled away from her face with a white ribbon.

She looks adorable! How am I supposed to act manly when she looks this cute? The boy greeted her with a grin, hoping the unmanly blush on his face went overlooked. "Hey, Yuki! You look-!"

"Awww! Yuki-chan, that outfit is super cute! Where did you get it?" Ashido approached her, getting between the dark-haired girl and Kirishima.

He frowned and looked away, trying to hide his disappointment. It's okay. We've got all morning to hang out, he told himself.

As the group started walking down the sidewalk toward their destination, Kaminari came up beside him and nudged his elbow. "She looks pretty cute today, huh?" he asked with a grin.

"Uh…yeah." Kirishima was hesitant to show too much excitement, but every time he looked at her, he felt his pulse quicken a bit. His palms were starting to sweat a little and he lowered his head.

"So are you going to ask her out?"

"What?! No way! I can't do that right now!"

The blond frowned. "Why not? She's single now."

"Yeah, but it hasn't even been that long. Look, I-I like her, but I'm not going to rush things like that. That's not chivalrous at all." He lifted his eyes to focus on Shirayuki, Ashido, and Sero. The three were walking up ahead of them, talking about internships and their hopes for the rest of the semester.

I told her how I feel, he reminded himself. Kirishima had made his feelings for her clear through his note and through talking to her, but he had no desire to push her into anything. At the same time, he did want to ask her out. There were just a few obstacles that were in his way.

Kaminari crossed his arms and shook his head. "Yeah, well, if you don't do it then someone else will. I mean, Bakugou's crushing on her pretty hard."

"I know that! But I want to give it some time, okay?"

"Dude, you know what you need to do? You've got to walk her home tomorrow. I mean, the more time you spend with her, the more chances you'll get. It can't hurt, right?"

"Yeah…? Yeah! You're right, Kaminari! I've got to make the most of every opportunity, right?! I'll do it!"

"There you go! Because if you don't ask her out, she might get snatched up by an upperclassman or something! We really don't want that to happen. She's our Yuki-chan."

He's right. Kirishima looked at Shirayuki again as she lifted a hand to stifle a laugh. He could still hear her laughter and it made his heart feel like it was melting. I'd die for that smile she's hiding.

Shift P.O.V

I'm too early. Shinsou frowned and tipped his head back, staring up at the sky. Thick, dark thunderclouds were blocking out the sun and the air felt like it was charged with electricity. It smelled like rain already and it made his frown deepen a little. Should I wait for her inside? Or stay out here?

The door opened and the sweet aroma of cookies wafted out of the house. "Oh! Shinsou-kun, you're here early! Ume hasn't come back yet."

He turned to find Shirayuki's grandmother shuffling outside with a cat in her arms. "Good afternoon," he greeted her politely.

"Afternoon, indeed. If she doesn't hurry, it's going to be too late!" She handed the cat to him over the gate and unlocked the gate to let him in. "Hm? Shinsou-kun, is that a bruise I see?"

The boy tugged his sleeve down to hide the dark mark from her. "Just a training accident," he murmured.

"A training accident? Oh! I see! You're training like Ume!"

Somehow, hearing this made him feel a little proud. "That's right."

"Well, come in, come in! I'll fix you up! You know, Ume never comes to me for help with this sort of thing."

"This sort of thing?" Shinsou followed her into the house, gently closing the door behind him while still carrying the cat.

She nodded as she led the way to the kitchen and started filling a kettle to make tea. "I haven't used my quirk in a while."

I thought her quirk involved cats, he thought as he looked down at the feline in his arms. He sat at the table when she instructed him to and let the cat down onto the floor. He winced, rolling up his sleeves and looking at the bruises. They were shallow; simple impact bruises from falling during training. The pain was fading already, but he wanted to let Shirayuki's grandmother use her quirk.

The old woman dragged a chair over and gently took the boy's left arm in both hands. She turned it a little, examining the bruises, and then closed her eyes. Her fingers skimmed over the bruises, leaving a thin film in their wake.

Shinsou stared down at the film and saw it gradually melt into his skin. The bruises faded, along with what pain was left, and soon there was no sign that they had ever been there. She has a healing quirk?

Beaming, she opened her eyes and looked at her handiwork. "There we are. Now for the other arm. Give it here."

It was only after she had healed his bruises that she offered an explanation. "My husband's side of the family, the Shirayuki family, all possess quirks involving ice. My own family, the Naosu family, possess a couple of healers. My grandmother was a decent healer and I have a niece with a healing quirk even stronger than mine. I can only heal small bruises or cuts; she's able to take away much larger injuries and give them to others or take them upon herself."

"Thank you."

"Of course. I like being able to help." The old woman frowned to herself now as she stood and went to make two cups of tea. "That niece of mine. I haven't spoken to her in years. Ume's never even met her."

With a quirk like that, she probably went to UA or another school for heroes. She's probably busy. He looked down at his arm again, still amazed at how his bruises were gone. He was glad that she had insisted on helping.

Shinsou was glad that he was training. He wanted to be able to try to transfer to the hero course and he needed to be able to keep up with the students that were currently in that course. They already had months of training that he lacked. The bruises, though. He knew they would just make Shirayuki worry if she saw them.

He was halfway through his cup of tea, casually talking with her grandmother about the progress of his training, when the front door opened. Shinsou heard the soft footsteps approaching down the hall and could picture her timidly approaching. Here she is.

"…sorry…I'm sorry…I'm late…I l-lost track of time…and…I-I'm here now…"

The boy turned in his seat to look and felt warmth rise to his cheeks. He had to bow his head as a sheepish sort of smile crossed his face. Shinsou had been eager to spend some time with her again, but he forgot how she could make him blush sometimes.

Seeing her bow and listening to her apologize, he had to admire how cute she looked. Even after their time apart, even after she had interned with a pro hero, she was still the sweet, innocent girl that he liked. "We should probably hurry," he remarked, standing. "Thank you for the tea, Shirayuki-san."

Shift P.O.V

The supermarket was crowded and she had a lengthy list of groceries. Shirayuki was afraid that it would be crowded due to the sales, but this was more than she had expected. She fidgeted with the hairband around her wrist as she walked briskly through the aisles. Attempting to squeeze into spots so she could grab something quickly and retreat.

It was when she went for some sale meat that it got semi-violent. The group of housewives that were all fighting over the meat were quickly becoming vicious. An elbow slammed into her face and drove her back, but Shirayuki was caught by Shinsou.

The indigo-haired boy glared at the group of women, slipped a handkerchief into her hand for her to tend to her now bleeding nose, and charged into the crowd. He managed to dodge the worst of the fighting women's attacks and soon emerged from the battle victorious, holding up the cuts of meat triumphantly.

"…th-thank you…" She winced as she pulled the handkerchief away from her throbbing nose and lifted her shopping basket for him to put the meat in. I interned with a pro hero. I should be able to handle going to a crowded supermarket.

"How's your nose?"

"…it hurts a little…but I'm alright…" Shirayuki looked down at the bloody handkerchief and frowned. "…I'm sorry…your handkerchief…um…I'll replace it…"

"It's fine." He half-smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"…ah…s-so are we…walking to school tomorrow morning…?"

Guilt settled on his features and Shinsou looked away. "I can walk with you to school, but I can't walk you home. Sorry, but I have training after school tomorrow and it runs kind of long. Will you be okay to walk home alone?"

"…oh…um…y-yes, I can do that…" It was something she knew she had to overcome. Her fear of crowds. Her fear of being looked at. She had managed to act somewhat confidently when she was doing her internship so she needed to find whatever source she had pulled that from and use it again.

Shinsou saw the worry in her eyes and frowned. "I'm sorry."

"…it's…alright…I understand…you're trying to become stronger…" Shirayuki adjusted her mask, pulling it higher over her nose and mouth. I need to be stronger, too. Tomorrow. I'll walk home alone and everything will be fine. I'm sure that it will.

The boy helped her carry her grocery bags back to the house and even offered to help put everything away, but the girl refused. She felt bad enough for making him accompany her to go shopping. She was sure he was probably bored the entire time.

Shirayuki was pouring three cups of tea when she heard something that made her blood run cold. She nearly dropped the kettle in her haste to put it down and then sprinted through the hall to her grandmother's door. "Grandma, are you-?"

"Listen here! No, you listen to me! You have no right to decide what's best for her! Do you understand?! I won't let you bully that poor girl and try to force her to do something she doesn't want to do! Ume is making her own way in life!"

When she heard her grandmother shout, she had worried the woman might have been injured. Instead, she was sitting on her bed with the phone in her hand. In a heated argument with who Ume could only assume was her mother Hikari. "…Grandma…?" she called quietly.

"No. She isn't going anywhere with you! Listen to me! If you come here, I will call the police!"

Shirayuki was about to call to her grandmother again, but felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Turning to look, she found Shinsou nodding toward the kitchen. His hand went to hers to guide her, a deep frown settling onto his face. "…I'm sorry…my mother…I don't know what she said, but…"

"You don't have to apologize," he assured her. "Is your grandmother going to be alright?"

"…she's…strong…a lot stronger than me so…"

He regarded his cup of tea and nodded. "Your grandmother is amazing."

Her grandmother soon emerged from her room and frowned. "Ume, if that woman tries to contact you, I want you to tell me right away."