Hellllllooo Y'all! Thank you again for your everlasting patience! Here is Chapter 23! Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what y'all think with reviews!
"The one that has the quirk to disintegrate anything he touches, his name is Shigaraki," a hush fell across the UA staff, heavy with anxiety as to how this new foe had been so easily able to attack their school's students.
Naomasa cleared his throat as he continued, "We've been through the list of men in their twenties and thirties in the quirk registry with no luck. Nothing turned up on the warp gate user, Kurogiri either. Their quirks aren't registered, and they're both using aliases, making them members of the underworld…." He finished as he looked around the room of pro heroes, waiting for their response.
An irritated scoff sounded, "so you're saying we know next to nothing…I reckon we oughta learn fast…or the leader of those varmints…Shigaraki….he'll heal and be back again…" the garbled accent of Snipe came through loud and clear, frustrated with their dead end.
"Leader huh…." Yagi muttered under his breath as he pieced his thoughts together. Principal Nedzu heard his whisper and glanced upward at him, asking him to continue.
"It's just that nothing about this feels normal…It was an especially daring attack! And not just in meticulous planning…He started going on about some ridiculous ideology, bragging about that Nomu thing's quirk…then when things didn't go his way, he started throwing a tantrum!" Toshinori shook his head in disgust.
"One thing is clear…he's a man-child…unpredictable and highly dangerous…and the fact that Minami told me she over-heard the villains talking about how they're interested in the children…We potentially have a crisis on our hands if we can't apprehend this Shigaraki villain quickly."
Several other of the teachers nodded their heads in agreement at Toshinori's thoughts. The rest sat back in their chairs quietly.
"Now hold on Dad-might," Present Mic light heartedly responded, holding his hand out to stop Yagi's negative thoughts in their track. "Not all is lost yet, and with the beating we gave him he'll be down and out for a while, no reason to fret that he'll be coming for your little listener or the rest of our students anytime soon," Present Mic grinned as he shot him finger guns, his sun glasses sliding down his nose as he tilted his head.
Suddenly, a fist pounded onto the table, rattling it heavily. "Don't be stupid Mic! Of course he'll be back sooner than later! It's like All Might said, he's a kid with too much power!"
"Maybe he never received general quirk counseling in elementary school…" Midnight said quietly. Vlad King's head swiveled at her comment, irritation rolling across his face.
"So?! What does that matter anyway?!" he growled. Midnight rolled her lip back over her teeth in a very unlady like fashion, snarling back at the 1-B teacher,
"It was just a thought that came out loud! I'm not saying it justifies what he has done!"
Naomasa cleared his throat, attempting to get a word in over the bickering, with no such luck.
"Quiet!" The confident voice of Nedzu quelled the argument, silencing both heroes instantly.
"Even so, we apprehended a total of 72 villains at the USJ last week-" Naomasa was interrupted by an anxious question,
"Do you know if the villain Dream Eater was caught?" Yagi questioned immediately, his fingers drumming the table. Naomasa sent him a sympathetic look before responding.
"No All Might, it seems he is still at large, but we will continue looking for him as well…"
Toshinori's eyebrows furrowed together at that statement, worry clear in their creases.
"Yes…well….Thank you Naomasa…and sorry for my interruption…" All Might spoke quickly, lacing his fingers tightly in his lap, clearly distressed at that information as he feigned a cool composure.
"Yes, well, the villains that we were able to apprehend…They were all just back-alley thugs. But the question is why so many of them would agree to follow this…Man-child, as you so accurately described him, All Might…" Naomasa hit the nail on the head with that question.
Silence permeated the conference room as the heroes mulled over that exact question, and what their next move would be.
Animated chatter and laughter floated through the classroom on the students first day back to school. Kirishima was sitting at his desk, his thumbs connected as his index fingers pointed upward. He looked up at Minami questioningly.
"Is this right?"
Minami lightly sat at her desk across the room, one eye clamped shut as she hovered over the pinched folded paper football she made between her index finger and thumb. Her middle finger was rolled back over her thumb on her other hand, ready to flick the folded triangular piece of paper through the goal posts that were Kirishima's fingers.
"Yeah that's pretty good, hold your hands up a bit higher…" Minami murmured as she concentrated; her tongue poked out a bit as she focused.
"Yagi-chan! Please, this is not proper school protocol! We should all be sitting quietly at our desks reviewing our curriculum for the day before class starts!" Iida flapped his arms around as he tried to plead with her from his desk, craning to look over the shoulders and heads of the rest of the students that had left their seats and gathered around her's, Todoroki's, and Kirishima's desks.
The class shushed Iida violently at his statement, intent on seeing who won the final round of paper football; Minami or Todoroki. Minami felt bad for the straight-laced student, and looked over to Iida with a bashful look on her face to placate him,
"Sorry Iida-kun! I promise this is the last round of the game!"
Just as Minami prepared to make her field goal flick, Todoroki coughed abruptly behind her,
Cough-cough "MISS!" cough-cough
A few snickers were heard from various students, and Minami turned around and gave Todoroki a sly look full of teasing suspicion. The half and half boy just hid his smirk behind his closed fist where he had mock coughed into, his colorful eyes dancing playfully as he looked at her.
"COME ON MINAMI-CHAN! You're taking SO long!" Mina rolled her eyes as she shouted at her friend in an over dramatic manner, her patience wearing thin.
"Shut up Mina!" Minami snorted a laugh as she flipped her friend off. Mina giggled and flipped her back her own middle finger, eager to use the offensive western form of expression that Minami had taught her not too long ago. Several other students snorted a few laughs.
"FINISH THE GAME YOU FUCKING LOSERS!" Bakugo shouted , his eye twitching as he raised his hand; tiny explosions tickled his palm as he voiced his displeasure at being forced to wait.
Minami glanced up at the volatile boy, her electric blue eyes boring into the boy with her new found confidence that he would not go out of his way to attack her.
"Patience is a virtue pop rocks," Minami grinned devilishly as she felt a bit more comfortable with the boy now, enjoying the moment as the boy's face turned from pink, to red, to nearly purple as he looked ready to burst with the anger brewing in him. Izuku looked terrified, but ever the good friend he stepped forward to try to calm Bakugo.
"N-n-now Kacchan…Let's take a deep breath and think this through before you say or do something you're going to regret…" the green haired boy tentatively walked forward with his hands raised, ready to move quickly if need be.
"Shut it nerd! This is between me and the gaijin! So get the hell out of my way!"
A flick sounded suddenly and the class fell silent. Looking up the two boys could see the paper football fly through the air, and straight through Kirishima's index fingers.
The class roared, half in agony, and the other half triumphantly.
"Quiet! All of you! your screaming is giving me a head ache." The grouchy adult voice caused all the children to look to the front of the room, not daring to believe who it could be.
"Aizawa Sensei!" the teens chanted happily as they scrambled back to their seats, eager to not be expelled on their first day back.
Appearing as a mummy with all his bandages, only his bloodshot eyes could be seen between the wraps, his scruffy hair sticking out at the top. He walked slowly to his podium as he warily eyed his exuberant students.
"Glad to see you're doing well sensei!" *ribbit* Tsuyu commented, attempting to be upbeat.
Minami's eyes trailed from Tsuyu to Aizawa, her eye brow raised.
Doing well? He looks like death warmed over…should he even be able to work? Maybe he should be back in a hospital….
"My welfare isn't important, because your fight is far from over…" Aizawa stated as a matter of factly, but was interrupted by the students jumping to conclusions.
"Fight?"
"You don't mean…"
"MORE VILLAINS?!" Mineta screeched, causing Minami to wince at the pitch of his voice and cover her ears.
Aizawa sighed and rolled his eyes, "I mean U.A.'s Sports Festival is fast approaching!"
The entire demeanor of the class shifted and the teens cried out in joy.
"Sports festival!"
"That's totally ordinary and amazing!"
"Oh come on! We just had that villain attack, you sure about this?!" Mineta's shrill voice cried out above the others, likely the only student there who wasn't excited.
Man what a wimp! He didn't even get any injuries or have to fight anyone at the USJ, Minami thought to herself as she rolled her eyes as Mineta fretted in front of her.
Minami could see the familiar head of green hair sitting in front of Mineta slowly turn to face him, his freckled face shocked at Mineta's viewpoint.
"It's not an event that can be cancelled over a few villains…" Izuku stated seriously, not even able to fathom the idea of the world famous UA sports festival being cancelled.
"You sure about that?!" the purple boy responded loudly. A shocked look passed over Izuku's face.
"Mineta…are you telling me you've never seen the UA Sports Festival?!" Izuku's own voice rose at his question, daring Mineta to answer in the affirmative.
"Of course I have! That's not what I mean!" Mineta quickly answered, not wanting to be seen as what many teenagers would assume to be a loser or shut-in.
Minami's mind began to wander as their teacher explained the background of the festival which she was already familiar with, thanks to All Might.
Minami flushed slightly, realizing that she must have been the only kid in Japan who hadn't heard about this famous festival until her father had shed some light on it the previous week. She remembered it perfectly, as she lay in bed with the television playing softly in the background; the day's previous horrifying events fading away as her father smoothed back her hair with one large hand, his other squeezing her own hand while he explained the idea and excitement that surrounded the event. Minami remembered that she must have asked at least a dozen questions surrounding the event, but the never ending list of questions didn't daunt her father in the slightest, who was eager to get her mind on more positive events.
Furrowing her brow slightly, she tried to remember what her last question had been, but she had trouble remembering when her curiosity had faded into the peacefulness of sleep between her father's calming baritone voice and his constant gentle combing through her hair.
"The nation's top heroes will be there as scouts!" Minami jumped back to reality as a loud, intelligent voice behind her responded to Aizawa's explanation. Minami breathed deeply through her nose as she felt her heart slow back down, realizing the voice belonged to Yaoyorozu. She didn't dare to turn around and look at the girl, not wanting to attract her negative glare.
"Naturally, you'll gain valuable experience and popularity if you're picked up by a big-name hero. But remember, your time is limited, so show the pros what you're made of here, and you'll make futures for yourselves. This event happens once a year, so you've got three chances, so make the most of it."
Minami could feel a flutter of butterflies in her stomach as excitement and nerves kicked up at her sensei's final explanation on the matter. Glancing around the classroom, she saw a glint in many of her classmates' eyes, and was sure they likely felt the same.
Pleasant chiming sounded through the PA system, signaling the end of class. Her stomach rumbled on cue with the chiming of the bell, letting her know it was lunch time without her even having to look at the clock.
Chatter from her classmates picked up in an instant as people met and began planning their lunch hour together while speaking about the Sports Festival.
"This has got me so freaking pumped!" Kirishima grinned excitedly as he spoke to Sato, Sero, and Tokoyami.
Minami turned as she heard Iida speak next,
"This is our chance to add our names to the ranks of heroes! Of course we're in high spirits!" he spoke as he seemed to clench his entire body and hunch over, seemingly trying to contain his excitement. Mina and Tsuyu looked at the strict boy with puzzled looks on their faces.
*Ribbit* "you got a funny way of showing it Iida…" the froggie girl said while Mina grinned at how strange the boy was acting, "weird…"
Seeing the rest of the class getting worked up, Minami approached Izuku who seemed to be absorbing all of it.
The green haired boy looked over to see Minami approaching and smiled, "Everyone's so excited!"
Minami grinned back, his enthusiasm contagious, "Well yeah! This is totally awesome! Aren't you excited?!"
Izuku seemed nervous at her question, and scratched the back of his head, "Well yeah sure! It's just that…well…."
Minami tilted her head to the side, not understanding what Izuku was trying to say, when they were interrupted by a very tenacious looking Uraraka, whose energy buzzed with determination and something else to be reckoned with.
"Deku…Minami-chan…." Uraraka spoke to them as she moved closer.
Minami and Izuku stood ramrod straight, not expecting this vibe from the very soft spoken girl.
"Uraraka! What's wrong with your face?!" Izuku squeaked out his question, feeling slightly intimidated by the small girl as she stared at him like prey.
Uraraka grinned almost sinisterly as she spoke, "At this Sports Festival, let's do our best!" The girl jumped and pumped her fist into the air, unable to contain her own enthusiasm.
The rest of the class was unsure about her unusual demeanor and hesitantly followed suit, pumping their own fists into the air, pushing forth their own undecided cheers as they giggled and snorted at her comical display, her enthusiasm spurring on their own eagerness.
Giggling at Uraraka, Minami felt a nudge in her shoulder and saw Iida and Mina had joined her and Izuku.
"Yagi-Chan! Would you like to get lunch in the cafeteria with us?" Iida asked formally as he stood straight as an arrow. Minami giggled at the boy.
"Sure Iida-kun! But first, I need to do something, mind if I meet you guys there?!" Minami glanced back at their exhausted looking teacher who was slowly packing up his things. Minami suspected he was going to go take a cat nap in the teacher's lounge.
Izuku nodded at Minami's response while Iida nearly saluted military style. "Yes Yagi-chan! That should be sufficient! But please remember we have a limited time for lunch!"
"See ya Blondie!" Mina wiggled her fingers bye as she turned to leave with the two boys, following the rest of the class out of the room with Uraraka in tow, until no one else remained except for Aizawa and Minami.
Aizawa guardedly eyed the blonde girl from behind his mummified appearance as she quietly approached him, seeming eager for the conversation to be over so he could be on his way.
"Aizawa-sensei….I just wanted to say….well I never got the chance to….but at the USJ, you saved my life, despite the fact that you hate me…and well I just wanted to say thank you…thank you very much…" Minami spoke softly as she bowed lowly, feeling guilt and extreme gratitude fill her at how much this man had to suffer to save her and her classmates, especially when he cancelled Shigaraki's quirk to prevent her imminent death. Despite her dislike of him, she had never wished ill on the grumpy stealth hero.
Aizawa's eyes softened slightly for a moment behind his bandages.
"I don't hate you…Yagi-san…" The scruffy man spoke softly, but firmly, as he gathered the last of his things. "Your father is just loud and boisterous, which irritates me…and I see a lot of him in you is all… You both like the spot light and to show off…"
Minami snapped up from her bow at the comment, her eyes sparkling at his words, taking them as a compliment to be compared to All Might. "You think I'm like All Might?! Really?!" Minami couldn't help the grin that nearly split her face, as nothing else could please her more than to be compared to her father, who in her eyes could do no wrong.
Aizawa stared at her momentarily before snorting a sarcastic laugh, shaking his head.
"Even your personality is like his, what was intended to be negative you flipped to be a positive. Guess that'll never change though about you, will it kid? You're just too much like your dad." Aizawa chuckled dryly before continuing,
" Eh, that's not necessarily a bad thing. We tend to butt heads quite a bit, but your dad is a good guy, just not my cup of tea…" Aizawa shrugged his shoulders and then scoffed before giving her a sly look.
"And besides, it's not like I could let All Might's kid die, he'd have my head, number one hero or not,"
Minami giggled and rolled her eyes "Sure sensei, I'm just glad you don't hate me." Minami grinned at him, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders at her teacher's words and acceptance of her gratitude.
Seeing her dazzling smile, reminiscent of All Might's, but for once not irritating him, Aizawa reached a bandaged arm forward and lightly punched Minami's shoulder with mentorly kind of affection.
"Don't stress about it kid. Now go on, your friends are waiting for you in the cafeteria." Aizawa began shooing the blonde out the door, eager to be on his own way to the teacher's lounge.
Minami grinned as she allowed herself to be herded out the door.
"Yes sir! I will see you later!" Waving, Minami turned the corner and walked a ways, nearly skipping in her happiness at her teacher accepting her thank you. The hall ways were silent as the school's students ate lunch.
Maybe Mr. Aizawa isn't such an asshole after all… Minami hummed happily to herself until she heard a familiar male voice clearing his throat behind her. Pausing in her tracks, she turned and was met face to face with blue and grey colored eyes.
"Minami-chan…" Shoto spoke huskily as he stepped forward from a converging hallway. Minami felt surprise over take her, not expecting him to be waiting for her down the hallway. Seeing the determination in Shoto's eyes as he stared at her, Minami could feel heat rushing to her cheeks. She swallowed dryly before responding.
"Shoto! You were waiting for me?" Minami asked softly.
The half and half boy stepped closer to Minami. "I've been meaning to speak to you. And with what happened at the USJ last week, it's just been…." Todoroki paused a moment and blew a shot of air out from his mouth, looking away with a frustrated look on his face.
Looking back at Minami, he posed a question.
"I know it's lunch time, and you're probably hungry, but do you want to talk for a bit in the courtyard?"
Minami could feel her heart beat pick up at the thought of wandering the beautiful scenic area with her crush, and despite the protest she felt from her stomach, she could never refuse.
Shut-up stomach! This is way more important than food! We'll eat later!
"I'd love to," she hummed quietly, still in disbelief at the situation she found herself in, but feeling happiness jolt through her at seeing the genuine smile spread across Shoto's face.
Walking out the side doors at the end of the hallway, Minami gasped at the beauty that met her. It was well known U.A. hired only the best gardeners with plant quirks to work on the aesthetics of their flower beds, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. Minami was sure that only gardners with powerful growth quirks could create such works of art. The blooming buds and flowers were nearly as big as her head, and the leaves as green as the brightest jade stone. The bright colors and fragrant scents had attracted plenty of hummingbirds, butterflies, and honey bees; their peaceful buzzing letting Minami know they were enjoying the area as much as she was.
A tentative touch to her hand brought her back to reality. Turning her head to face him once more, she hadn't realized how close Todoroki had gotten; her nose nearly brushed his. Clearing her throat and stepping back slightly, Minami gave herself a bit of space lest she become a stuttering idiot.
Shoto sighed and turned around, starting to pace slightly in the small courtyard they were in.
"When we were separated at the USJ due to that warping villain, all I could think about was where you were, if you were ok…" the half and half boy stopped his pacing to clench his fists at his side. Releasing his fists, he reached forward with his back still turned to Minami, having a hard time looking her in the eyes, instead focusing on the robust canary colored roses, playing with the petals.
"Then…when we all met up when All Might-sensei was fighting that creature…and I saw you, wounded and battle worn…I couldn't help but think it was my fault, I could have stopped you from getting hurt if I had been able to prevent us from getting separated. Then you jumped in to finish All Might's fight against the remaining villains, putting yourself in lethal danger…"
Todoroki turned then, and Minami could see the confusion and fear, coupled with a bit of anger in his face.
"Why did you do that!? Why? He's the strongest, the best hero there is, he would have been fine taking care of those villains by himself."
Minami stood there speechless as Shoto waited for her answer. She had never seen him this emotional before. She stuttered slightly before answering.
"I….I don't know Shoto…I just moved without really thinking…I was just worried that something bad would happen if I didn't jump in,"
It's not really a lie, it is true, I was worried my dad would die if I didn't stop the villains…but Shoto doesn't know about dad's secret, and doesn't even know he's my dad… He can never know…. Minami thought to herself, feeling frustrated that she couldn't tell the whole story; bound to a secret that wasn't her own, but just as important to guard none-the-less.
The negative expression faded from Shoto's face, and he turned away again once more, facing the yellow roses and running his fingers over the petals in silence for a few moments before continuing.
"Then after seeing you pass out from that insane amount of power you displayed, I couldn't stop myself from sending you text messages all week. I had to know how you were doing. I'm sorry if I annoyed you…"
The boy looked uncharacteristically bashful for a moment as he glanced back at Minami over his shoulder, fearful of her reaction.
Minami's eyes got big and put her hands up in a non threatening manner. "Oh no! not at all, it was nice actually. My dad was really worried about me, and rarely let me leave my room or our living room couch all week. I started to get really bored laying around like a loser, so it was nice talking to you." Minami gave Shoto one of her large characteristic grins, hoping it appeared as genuine as she felt at that moment.
Shoto smiled softly and snorted at her calling herself a loser before turning back towards the attractive flowers.
"You're not a loser, Minami-chan…not in the slightest…" He spoke softer this time, and Minami had to lean forward slightly to hear him.
"…I was so worried when I saw you were unconscious, but Cementoss wouldn't let us get near you…you're….you're the first friend I've ever had…"
The boy said the last part so quietly that Minami wasn't sure if she heard him right.
"What?" Minami asked, wanting to be sure she heard him correctly.
Shoto sighed and spoke slightly louder.
"It's true…I never had a friend until I came here, to UA, and I met you. I never thought about it much, but I never questioned my upbringing, and I didn't start to realize that it wasn't normal until I got older. Then I didn't care, I thought friends weren't necessary, that it was weak to have them. There's so much more that I need to tell you about how I trained before coming to UA, but I just haven't found the words to tell you…"
Minami's eyes widened a bit, not realizing the boy's childhood had been that isolating and traumatic.
" But then, after meeting you…you make me laugh, and make me want to try new things, and even sit with our classmates at lunch and talk about the stupidest stuff, like what's the best brand of chocolate, popular bands and TV shows." Todoroki laughed to himself softly, never expecting himself to be in this situation; one where he feels the need to protect someone else; like a friend. His body tensed again though, thinking about something that obviously bothered him. Minami stiffened at his reaction, not sure what she should do.
"But I let you down, a good friend protects their friends, and I just stood there like a damn weakling, while you jumped into the fray to protect All Might. I was off fighting chump villains while that fucking monster drowned you…what kind of friend does that…" Todoroki squeezed his fists tightly as his voice warbled at the thought of how close Minami had been to dying, the multitude of new emotions creating havoc on his psyche.
Minami winced, realizing that word must have spread quickly to her classmates about exactly what happened to her. She was shocked at the amount of emotion coming from the normally quiet and enigmatic boy. The boy who told her quiet jokes and made her laugh. The boy who had the smile that captivated her. The boy who was easily the most handsome boy in their class. She took a moment to think about what he said.
It's true, he doesn't talk to other people much. And he's started regularly eating lunch with me, Izu, Iida, Uraraka, and Mina now…am I really his first friend? Just what kind of childhood did he have? Maybe it was just as shitty as mine, even though he's the son of the number 2 hero. I know he's not on good terms with his dad…but I never wanted to push the issue too much, it always seemed to upset him.
Minami sighed then, and felt guilt pierce her at the thought of how upset Shoto had been this entire time, that he had been bottling it up with no one to talk to. Worst of all, she had been responsible for all those negative feelings. She couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Shoto, it's not your fault. There were so many villains at the USJ, and it was so crazy and chaotic, there's no way anyone of us could have avoided what happened, and-"
"No! that's just it Minami, I've trained my whole life for something like this, that's all I've ever done! And when it mattered most I failed!" the boy seemed more upset at her statement, and Minami stopped speaking, biting her lip.
Crap…Now I've just made this worse… She mulled over a way to try to break him out of his self-loathing stupor. Thinking for a moment, she spoke again.
"We're not perfect, Shoto-Kun… we're only human, and we can only do our best. Just because you weren't there when I almost drowned or when I was poisoned doesn't mean you're a bad friend, how could you have known at the time that I was in trouble?" Minami reasoned with him, and could see Shoto look at her from over his shoulder, listening to her words.
"Besides, you're my friend too Shoto. In fact, no one else knows this, but before I came to Japan, I only ever had one friend in Oklahoma." Minami licked her lips, nervous to tell anyone that she had only one friend before her life changed for the better. "But I know I'd be really lucky to have a friend like you." Minami could feel her heart in her throat, nervous as to what the half and half boy's reaction would be.
Minami could see the tension ease in his shoulders as he turned fully to face her. A small smile played on his lips as he fiddled with something in his fingers.
Glancing down, Minami could see the long emerald stem attached to the most beautiful and lush yellow rose head she had ever seen.
Realizing she had seen the flower, a light blush fell across his cheeks and he hastily shoved the flower into her hands, careful to not push one of the large thorns into her palm.
"Here, the yellow roses are as bright as the sun, like you," Todoroki's words stumbled out of his mouth, the normally cool and collected boy was out of his comfort zone.
Minami glanced down at the beautiful rose, lifting it to her small nose and inhaling its luscious scent. She smiled at Todoroki, who seemed entranced by her.
"It's beautiful Shoto…like your heart," Minami spoke softly without thinking, then gasped as her thoughts tumbled from her mouth, terrified that she had just ruined a nice moment.
Shoto's eyes widened momentarily, then softened at the compliment. The only sound that could be heard were their heavy breathing, along with the birds singing in the cherry trees just above them.
Minami then blatantly realized Shoto had gotten so close she could feel his breath fanning across her face. She could feel an unfamiliar heat swirling in her lower belly and shooting down her limbs. She found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his own. The grey and blue were enchanting, as well as was the touch of cologne she could smell on him, mixed in with his natural scent.
Todoroki appeared to lean in closer, until their noses were touching. Minami could feel her heart beating out of her chest, not sure what was going to happen, but she was eager for more then. Her fingers brushed Shoto's own hands, and she could feel him lace his fingers with her own.
"Young Yagi…" a deep baritone voice broke the trance that both teenagers appeared to be in. Both teens started and jumped back a bit.
Minami's head swiveled to look up, and could see the large muscular figure of All Might standing at the top of the court yard, his smile was strained and unnatural, clearly distressed at what he was seeing. She wondered if Shoto could also sense the fakeness behind his grin.
Uh-oh, I hope I'm not in trouble, I recognize that look. I wonder why he came looking for me before my free period? Minami felt a pit form in her stomach as she tried to be casual and lifted her hand to wave back at the number one hero. However, it did little to ease the pressure coming from the number one hero as his matching electric blue eyes bore holes into her and Shoto.
Alright everyone! That's chapter 23! Wanted to have some character development between Minami and Shoto as they grow closer and start expressing some of their feelings more, though they don't really entirely understand what all their feelings mean. Hope you all enjoyed it! More to come next chapter! I will update sooner next time! Please leave reviews telling me what you think!
