"I'm sorry, but Ume isn't here today. She went on a trip with some friends." The old woman saw the crestfallen expression on his face and offered a kind smile. "She should be back the day after tomorrow. Do you want me to tell her that you were looking for her?"
"Oh, no; it's okay. I don't want to bother her. Thanks." Kirishima's shoulders slouched a bit as he turned to look at Bakugou over his shoulder.
Shirayuki's grandmother looked as well and her smile faltered. "Always such an unpleasant frown. Does that boy ever smile?" She shook her head and stepped back a little. "Why don't you come inside for a moment? I'm sure I have some extra cans of juice and cookies. You can take them with you and share with your friend."
Bakugou watched the redhead disappear into the house and his scowl deepened. He was already impatient and now he was bordering on furious. Checking his phone, he saw that Shirayuki still had not responded to his last message. Now he knew she went somewhere, but it only made him more annoyed.
Where the hell did she go? That old lady said she went on a trip with friends, right? What's she talking about? Shitty hair and all those others didn't go anywhere. So who the hell is she with right now?
The anger started to fade into something else as he gripped his phone. A weird, gut-clenching feeling deep down that was making the rage leave his expression. His jealousy fell to some ineffable feeling as he waited for Kirishima to return.
"Check it out. Yuki's grandma gave me some orange juice and cookies." The other boy approached with a sharp-toothed grin and held out a can of juice. "Bakugou? Hey, what's up? She still hasn't replied? You know, she's probably busy if she's hanging out with someone."
"Why the hell should I care about bothering her?! If she wanted to go somewhere, she should've told me! Damn it!" He glared down at his phone as he typed another message to her and hit "send". As it sent, the boy jolted at the feeling of cold metal against the back of his neck.
Kirishima backed up before Bakugou could retaliate and held out the can to him again. "Just chill, Bakugou. Yuki's probably going to see all of those messages and think something happened. You don't want to make her worried, right?"
He snatched the can of juice out of Kirishima's hand and his scowl returned full force. "Whatever. She should've said something if she wanted to go somewhere. I would've taken her."
"Yeah. A group trip would be pretty fun, huh? Where do you think she went?"
Shift P.O.V
"The ocean!" Togata and Nejire both exclaimed, standing at the water's edge. The blond boy turned to Shirayuki, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Yuki! You have to say it; it's a tradition! You, too, Tamaki! Okay, everyone together this time!"
"The ocean!" Nejire's voice was clear, bright, bubbly.
"…th-the…ocean…?" Shirayuki's voice was muffled behind her mask. Her face was bright pink from how much attention they were already drawing.
"M-Mirio, I can't," Amajiki stammered, looking at the blond intensely from the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry…I-I can't do it." He tugged at the hood on his t-shirt, trembling.
"Yuki, I still can't believe you've never been to the ocean! What do you want to do first? Want to collect seashells? Oh! Or we could swim first! Yuki, you know how to swim, right? Swimming in the ocean is really exciting! We might even get to see some fish!" Nejire took Shirayuki's hands, her soft blue eyes glimmering with excitement.
"…I-I don't know…um…I know how to swim, but…I don't know what to do first…what do you think…?" She glanced over at the two boys. Togata had a hand on Amajiki's shoulder and he was beaming as the other boy mumbled something under his breath. What…are they talking about?
The four of them had met up early that morning and took a series of trains to a little tourist town near the ocean. Togata and Nejire had done most of the planning and reserved a room at an inn. They had already checked in and left their belongings. Shirayuki was still trying to get over the embarrassment of the swimsuit she was wearing.
A lavender two-piece swimsuit with ruffles on the top half. It covered most of her stomach and chest, but her upper back was exposed. Shirayuki was wearing black denim shorts over the bottom half of the swimsuit, but she still felt self-conscious about the amount of skin showing.
I've only ever worn school swimsuits. I know I shouldn't be so embarrassed. Nejire-chan's bikini is…more mature than this. But I feel like people are staring at me. I feel…nervous. Shirayuki bowed her head and lifted a trembling hand to untie her mask. She took a deep breath and blinked once before pushing herself to lift her head. "I...want to try swimming," she forced out.
Togata's smile grew. "That sounds fun! I'll go with you guys! Oh. Hang on a second. You should probably eat first, right? Tamaki said your blood sugar dips pretty easily; we don't want you to faint in the water. Let's grab some food first, okay? Do you want some yakisoba? Or they have a place with grilled squid and fish."
"F-fish," Amajiki spoke up. He tensed when the others looked over at him and tugged at his hood more, trying to hide the warm tint spreading over his face and pointed ears. "For my quirk…I-I thought gills would be…"
"Alright! Grilled fish, it is! Let's go!"
Shirayuki tucked her mask into the back pocket of her shorts, trying to push herself to be braver. My mask scared Sayuri-chan's daughter. I don't want to make people uncomfortable. If I want to be a hero…I should be able to show my face. Despite this, she was still trembling a little and her face was turning red.
Long, slender fingers gently reached over to take hers and Amajiki glanced at her with narrowed, dark indigo eyes. "I…I'm sorry I didn't say it with everyone. B-but…it's just…"
"…it's…it's okay, Tamaki…" The girl was unable to stop the smile that started to take form and quickly bowed her head. My mouth. I know I look weird when I smile, but I want to try to go without my mask. I need to push myself. I…have to be braver than this.
To her surprise, his lips curved up at the corners into a small, timid smile. "I-I like your smile, Yuki," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
"You guys are soooo cute together," Nejire spoke up, beaming at the two. She met their gaze when they both looked up, then glanced at each other, then lowered their heads as they both blushed brighter. "So do you always hold hands? It's really cute, but I'm just curious because it seems like it would be difficult when you're fighting. But if it's a way to support each other, I totally get it!"
Amajiki's hand held hers a little tighter, but still careful not to hurt her. "N-no, it isn't…" he started to argue.
"Tamaki just wants to make sure she feels safe, right?" Togata slung an arm around his friend's shoulders, grinning. "Come on, you guys. I'm starving!"
She kept her head lowered while she ate, but listened as the others talked. My first beach trip, she thought as she glanced up. They were sitting in a cozy little shack that served grilled fish and squid. A calm breeze blowing through the air and carrying the salty scent of the ocean. The sound of other beachgoers enjoying themselves.
Looking at her upperclassmen, Shirayuki felt a pang of guilt. I feel bad. I went to the beach without the others. Ashido-chan, Kaminari-kun, Sero-kun, Kirishima, Bakugou. Everyone…I'm sure they would have liked to go, too. And I only told Ashido-chan where I was going. Maybe I shouldn't have come.
Seeing the way Togata smiled and joked with the other two, the way Nejire radiated such an aura of maturity and natural beauty, and the way Amajiki gradually relaxed. It made her feel like she was out of place. Intruding on their friendship.
She tried to not let it show that she was feeling bad; she wanted to make sure they had a good trip. However, when it came time for her to take off her shorts to get in the water, she was hesitant. The bottom half of her swimsuit was like a bikini so it left her legs completely exposed. Not to mention that she had tucked the bottom of the top half of her swimsuit into the waist of her shorts.
Subconsciously putting a hand on her stomach, just to the left of her bellybutton, she frowned. It's…going to be okay. As long as it doesn't slip up. Right? No one will see it. She left her shorts on the beach blanket, her face turning pink when she turned back to the other three.
"Okay! Yuki's first swim in the ocean! Let's go!" Nejire grabbed her hand and ran toward the water, towing her alongside her. The two crashed into an oncoming wave and the older girl giggled.
"I-it's cold!" Shirayuki jolted as the water lapped at her legs and let Nejire guide her further out. "…is…is it always this cold…?"
"It's not that cold, is it? Although, I think the pool at the school is heated, right? So that's probably all you have to compare it with. It's okay, though! You'll get used to it quickly!"
She could feel people staring at them and looked down self-consciously until she heard someone say something about Nejire. It was then she realized that the stares were directed at the older girl with the long, periwinkle hair and gentle smile who was still holding her hand.
Glancing over her shoulder toward Togata and Amajiki, she felt her heart skip. Amajiki quickly looked away as a warm hue spread across his cheeks. Togata waved, smiling. "…should we…w-wait for them…?"
"Huh? No, it's okay. Mirio and Tamaki will catch up with us when they're ready!" She smiled as Shirayuki nervously came up beside her. "Are you worried about Tamaki?"
"…I…um…y-yes, sort of…" she confessed. She knew he had just as much trouble with crowds as she did. He had yet to even take off his shirt, but Togata had been the first out of the group to toss his aside. Is Tamaki going to get in the water, too? I…wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to, she thought as the other girl released her hand and they began swimming side by side.
Nejire tilted her head and her smile brightened even more. "If you really want to, you should go help him! If you held his hand, I'm sure he'd be out in the water in no time, Yuki! He just needs your support!"
Shift P.O.V
Everyone looks so cool. Mirio and Nejire. And…Yuki. His eyes lifted and he drew his knees up, his arms wrapping around himself as his chin rested on his knee. Watching the violet-haired girl wade deeper into the water with his female classmate. His pulse was fast and hard as he watched her and he let a shaky sigh escape him as he slouched.
"I still can't believe Yuki's never been to the ocean before," Togata remarked. "But it's pretty cool that we got to be here for this, right? It's kind of like we're introducing her to the ocean!" He beamed and looked down at Amajiki.
He quickly averted his eyes and curled into a tighter ball. "M-Mirio?"
"You know that I know you like Yuki. And you know I totally support you guys, right? But you really need to tell her how you feel, Tamaki! You don't want her to be kept guessing and wondering! That's not really fair to either of you. Besides…" His smile faded a little and his eyes took on a sad look to them. "We're graduating at the end of this school year. Don't you want to make the most of the time you have with her before that happens?"
The dark-haired boy frowned deeply and lowered his face so his forehead rested against his knees. "T-tonight…" he stammered.
"Huh? What about tonight?"
"Tonight, I…I want to tell her. A-after dinner…um…I w-want to be alone with Yuki…and I'll give her a present and tell her how I f-feel…" His eyes widened as Togata poked his cheek. "Mirio? What…what are you doing?"
The blond boy smiled warmly. "I didn't know you were so romantic. Okay, I'm in! I'll help you set everything up and make your love confession perfect!"
"M-my love confession…" He sank inward a little more and smiled to himself slightly. Confessing my feelings. It's scary, but Mirio's right. I want her to know how I feel so we can spend as much time together as possible.
"Hey, look who it is!" Togata nudged him and nodded toward the water.
"…ah…um…T-Tamaki…?" Shirayuki approached them hesitantly and leaned down, holding out her hand to him. "…d-do you…want to swim with me…?"
Redness spread rapidly across his face to his ears. He could never turn down an invitation like that; he knew how much courage it took for her to do this. "O-okay, I guess…if I just don't think about it…" he mumbled, taking her hand. His eyes drifted down from her face as he stood and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he glimpsed something for just an instant. A deep scar on her stomach, near her bellybutton. It disappeared when her swimsuit adjusted as she turned, but just glimpsing it made him both curious about it and distraught.