Chapter Sixty: Support

Aisla got back to her room and cried. She felt so overwhelmed from the day's events that she finally broke down. Katsuki was trying so hard, she knew he was, but there was still a part of him that was afraid of her touch and her words. She couldn't allow herself to be vulnerable with him if there was even the slightest chance of him repeating his actions from before. Maybe it wasn't fair to him; he was doing his best to show her that he'd changed, but the truth of the matter was…Aisla had changed too. While previously she'd been open and generous with her feelings, now she was more closed off and timid, afraid even. She couldn't blame Katsuki for acting the same way. In truth, Aisla was a huge hypocrite.

That's why I asked you out tonight, she thought as she fell onto her bed and buried her face in a plush white pillow as she cried. She wanted him so desperately it was almost painful, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the fear inside of her that constantly reminded her of his betrayal. She'd meant it when she told him she forgave him, but she couldn't trust him completely yet.

His face… She pictured it now, the one he'd worn when they spoke less than an hour ago. His expression told her what he was feeling, and she'd hoped so badly that she'd read it correctly, but she was afraid of what he might say. If he said something else, then her vulnerable state wouldn't be able to handle it. If she'd guessed correctly, then she would have to deal with all of those new feelings on top of everything else she'd been experiencing.

It was all her fault, anyway. She'd ruined a perfectly good evening with her stupid emotional breakdown. Bowling with Katsuki had been one of the best days she'd ever shared with him. It felt like they were back to the way things were before, when they would simply hang out together and enjoy each other's company. For a while after their breakup, their encounters had all been laced with bitterness and hurt, but things had started to change after Katsuki stepped up to put a stop to the rumors about Aisla that were going around campus. Now, when the two of them were together, it was sweeter and more relaxed.

In the last month or so, Aisla had noticed another change. Her heart fluttered a lot more, and her body ached for more of his touch. She smiled more often, and felt happier than she had in a while. She felt almost normal again. With all of that came the familiar pull that begged to be held by him, to feel his lips on hers and his body curling around her as she slept. She wanted all of that.

Aisla wished it was as simple as allowing Katsuki back into her heart. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for at this point. Something to prove to her that he was serious this time and wanted to be with her just as badly as she wanted him? She needed undeniable reassurance that he wasn't going to shatter her world again. She'd already been through this too many times to count. Now that they'd had so much distance between them, Aisla wasn't sure if they would ever be the same again. She wanted to believe it wasn't really over between them, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of doubt inside of her.

"We all crumble when we're overwhelmed, and react poorly to situations we later regret. The truth is, no matter how hard we try, no one is perfect. Striving for that goal can be part of the problem. If you're too busy seeking perfection, you'll never be satisfied with where you are and what you have." Her father had told her when she'd visited him before the trip.

What are you striving for? she asked herself as she sat up in bed. What are you looking for, Aisla?

"I need you… Trust me, it will be different this time…"

Bold words from someone who normally wouldn't be able to speak her name much less proclamations like that. Yet, Aisla still felt a sense of indecision and insecurity inside of him, like he wasn't entirely sure this was what he wanted. Even so, she couldn't deny the vulnerability in his eyes as he begged her not to leave. He was afraid, too. He didn't want her to slip from his grasp. At the same time, he wasn't sure what to do with her once he had her back. This was what was stopping them from going further, but it wasn't going to stop Aisla from trying to make things better.

"If I was going to stay away, I wouldn't have asked you on a date tonight," she'd so boldly stated, watching his expression intently as she offered the word date for the first time. To her relief, he didn't flinch away from it as she'd expected. He appeared shocked, but in a way that told her he was pleased with her words. She couldn't spend too much time dwelling on that, though. She'd needed to be alone for a while to think and cry. She'd already cried in front of him enough times already, and needed to deal with her emotions before she could deal with his.

Now that she was calmer, she pushed to her feet and stripped out of her uncomfortable shorts and blouse, dropping them in a bag in the room's closet. She moved to the dresser and pulled out an oversized black t-shirt with a gray stripe across the front and pulled it on, then made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth for bed.

Shame started to claw its way inside of her when she replayed the night's events. Most of this feeling came from her very embarrassing show in front of the elevators. Aisla had all but begged Katsuki not to take her back to her room, only to turn around and push him away again. This was yet another example of how Aisla was just as guilty as Katsuki was with sending out mixed signals.

I should have just let him go, she thought weakly as she brushed her teeth. Now, she had to deal with the fallout of her actions tomorrow. She'd made a big deal out of nothing, and she was going to pay the price for it.

Maybe she should phone his room? Or go over there and apologize for being so hot and cold all the time? No, she couldn't do that, what if he was sleeping already? Or worse, what if he was up there crying right now because Aisla had been a huge emotional jerk?

She sighed heavily and swished some water in her mouth to rinse out the toothpaste, then wiped her mouth dry with a washcloth. Task completed, she headed back out into the room and flicked off the lights before crawling into the comfy bed. She turned onto her side and clutched a pillow against her chest as she snuggled under the blankets. She wished she had the courage to go to him and beg him to hold her in his arms while she slept, but was too afraid of his rejection. Instead, she curled up in his t-shirt and pretended he was there next to her as she drifted off into a fitful slumber.

The next morning, Aisla was awoken by a loud knock on her door. Her first thought was that it must be Katsuki coming to find her, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that was the case. Even so, it didn't stop her from hoping just a little bit.

"Coming!" she called out as she peeled off the covers that were tangled around her limbs and slipped from the bed. She yawned widely as she pulled open the door and peered out into the hallway with sleepy eyes.

"Girl, you're still in bed?" Mina tsked and shook her head. "Silly kitty, you already missed breakfast, and now it's time for the second part of our training!" Aisla stared dumbfoundedly at her. "Uh, hello? You're half naked, girlfriend!" She pushed into the room and closed the door before dropping a coffee cup into Aisla's hands.

"Goddess," Aisla declared and immediately took a sip, completely forgetting about her current ensemble.

Mina laughed. "Honestly, what would you do without me?" She went to the dresser and rummaged around in the drawers while Aisla plopped into the desk chair to drink her coffee. A second later, Mina squealed and pulled out a dark red silk panty. "Ooh, girl! These are some spicy panties!" She crowed approvingly as she held them up for inspection. "Who might these babies be for, hmm? The fine piece of meat that is Shoto Todoroki, also known as the boy who's madly in love with you? Or perhaps the spiky-haired hothead who also happens to be head over heels for you, even if he pretends not to be? Is that it? Did you two finally get back together? Or maybe these are for someone else, someone older, perhaps? Someone like—"

"For the love of god, Mina, do not finish that sentence," Aisla pleaded, covering her eyes with her free hand.

Mina gave her outburst a look of surprise. "But you don't even know what I was going to say!"

"I don't want to know," Aisla said with a shudder. "Anyway, they're for no one. I just like them. They make my butt look cute."

Mina snickered at this and tossed them onto the bed. "Fine, Miss Cute Ass, you're going to wear them today. Maybe you'll even get lucky because of my brilliant choice in undergarments!" She continued rifling through her drawers as Aisla sipped her coffee and pulled her phone off the charger to check her messages.

There were five from her father, one from Shoto asking if she wanted him to bring her breakfast, and one from Katsuki. She frowned as she tapped on the thread to open the message, a little too eagerly.

"Can I see you after training today? I want to show you something,"

"Do you match your bras, too, or just your panties?" Mina called from her clothing search.

"Both," Aisla replied passively as she read the message over and over, trying to decide how she should respond. What could Katsuki possibly have to show her that he couldn't have shown her last night? Maybe he wanted an excuse to see her? If so, did she want that, too? She enjoyed spending time with him last night, but she was also afraid that he was upset with her abrupt change in attitude.

"Is it coffee?" she texted back as she downed more of the hot beverage in her hand. Her silly answer was a way to see what sort of emotional state he was currently in. If he was angry or upset, he probably wouldn't reply. If he was hurt, he might say something about her not taking things seriously enough, but if he was in a good mood, then maybe he'd send back a funny retort.

"Aisla, are you going to shower first?" Mina asked, cutting into her thoughts again.

"Huh?" She looked up and blinked over at the pink girl who was now sprawled out on Aisla's bed, staring up at her own phone.

"Are you going to shower before training or what?" she repeated, sending Aisla a dramatic eye roll. "Because if so, you should probably put that thing down and get to it or we'll be late."

"Yeah, okay." Aisla took another moment to wait for Katsuki's reply, but when none came, she set the phone down and stripped out of her shirt.

"That's Bakugo's shirt, isn't it?" Mina accused with a devilish smirk.

Aisla blushed brightly. "N-no!" she stammered. "It's…" Think, Aisla! "It's just Eraser Head merch. You know how much I love Eraser Head shirts, and it was the only size they had, so…" She shrugged.

"Yeah, that makes sense!" Her friend agreed instantly, and Aisla let out a silent sigh of relief.

She pulled on the red bra and panties Mina had selected for her, then slipped into her costume since they'd be heading out to train right away. Once she was dressed, she brushed her teeth and combed out her hair before tying back the front strands with a matching blue ribbon. Her face was pale in the bright fluorescent lights, and her hair was frizzy today, but it would have to do for now. She would have to clean up later.

"Ready?" Mina chirped when Aisla came back into the room.

"Just a sec." She grabbed her phone and was pleased to find a response from Katsuki waiting for her.

"I'll feed your caffeine addiction if you'll let me see you. I'll pick you up at your room around 6:30."

"You sure look happy over there," Mina observed with a wicked grin.

Aisla couldn't even suppress her answering smile. "You know what, I think I am happy." Her doubts instantly vanished the moment he responded. Even after her embarrassing display last night, he still wanted to see her. She wasn't sure why his reply made her feel so giddy, but suddenly she couldn't wait to see that boy again.

Shota waited exactly one-hundred and fifty-three minutes for the rest of his class to show up for training. He wanted to scold them for being late, but the excited gleam inside mirror eyes made the words die on his tongue. He settled for a disappointed grimace in her direction, followed by a growl of annoyance as her pink-skinned companion sent him an obnoxious wink.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Haru," he said, hoping his tone was enough to let her know that he noticed her absence and didn't appreciate it. She only grinned widely in response as if she wasn't even fazed. So, she was in one of those moods today…

"Who's up next?" she asked excitedly as she skipped forward. Her gaze flitted around the room in search of something—or rather someone. He followed her line of sight over to a scowling Bakugo who hadn't noticed her tardy appearance yet.

"You are," he told her. "I was going to pair you up with Todoroki, but since you decided to sleep through the entire first part of my training exercise, now you'll be stuck with me." He thought that would be enough of a punishment to get through her stubborn skull, but Aisla Haru never ceased to amaze him with her tenacity and optimism.

"Okay!" she chirped in response.

She doesn't even care because we train together all the time, he realized. It wasn't even an acceptable punishment. To her, this was simply her mentor putting in extra time like he always did.

Dammit.

"Aren't we working with class B today?" she asked curiously.

"Later," he affirmed. "This morning, it will just be class A, then B will join us in the afternoon. We'll train with them for the first part of the afternoon, then you all get to leave early so class B can take over. Lucky you." And lucky me because I could really use a nap.

"Ooh, lucky!" Ashido exclaimed, then lowered her voice. "If you get Mr. Eraser Head, you're bound to win, girl!"

Shota stiffened but otherwise pretended not to hear that. Thus far, he'd only worked alongside one other student, Uraraka, in a battle against Bakugo and Midoriya. Obviously, the win went to the other team. The two powerhouses nearly blasted Uraraka right out of the arena in a matter of seconds. Shota could have stopped them easily, but he'd left it to her to decide what she wanted to do. It hadn't been a terrible strategy, but Shota would have probably gone for a stealthier attack. He knew, however, that Uraraka wasn't a stealth hero, and she always had this need to prove herself to others.

Just like you, Aisla Haru, he thought as his eyes flicked over to her from his periphery. The girls in his class thought they had so much to prove compared to the boys, but Shota thought they were just as capable, if not more so due to their more logical thought processes. The boys tended to jump into things without really considering other options. Specifically: Midoriya and Bakugo.

He resisted the urge to scowl as he turned his attention back to the screen. The current group had been going strong for the last fifty-two minutes. Neither team had the advantage, and at this rate they were going to time-out before anyone got a single hit in. Shota was waiting for the hour mark so he could end the torment. Sometimes these kids impressed him beyond belief, and other times he thought they were purposely trying to incense him.

Finally, he called an end to the embarrassing 'fight' with the loud crack of a flare in the sky. He waited while the foursome made their way back inside, then gave them all a withering glare as they scurried past him with fear and shame in their eyes.

It's not your fault. He knew he was just being a grouch. This was the fault of one automated generator that Shota had utilized out of laziness the night before. He'd been too tired to try and fit people together that he thought would be compatible, so he'd used the same generator that decided the teams for their end of term projects. Those teams had arguably turned out better than some of today's pairs, but he couldn't back down now. Now that he'd read off the names, he had to pretend that everything was in his plan.

"Miss Haru, come with me," he called over his shoulder, then waited as she hurried over to him, still beaming with some newfound joy. "Why are you so happy?" he asked, hating the way his words came out as an accusation. He wanted his students to be happy, but he'd seen this girl suffer so much over the last few months, he didn't want to see that happen again.

If she took offense to his words, she didn't show it. "I had a good night," she answered simply. Something dark passed through her eyes, gone in the blink of an eye. A good night, huh? Are you sure about that? "Anyway!" she continued. "What's our strategy going to be?"

He narrowed his eyes. "That's for you to decide," he told her. "If I made all the plans, it wouldn't be very fair to the other team, would it?"

Aisla stood her ground, not flinching once under his intense gaze. "But sir, doesn't that put our team at a disadvantage? Since half of our team won't participate?"

He resisted the urge to scowl. She had him there. Part of the reason Uraraka hadn't been successful was because Shota refused to assist her in planning strategy. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, Miss Haru, I'll give you some advice, but most of the plan has to be yours. Do you understand me?" She nodded seriously. "This is your training, alright? I'm merely observing your skills firsthand so that I can better teach you all in the future." Since no one except for you and Shinso voluntarily trains with me outside of class.

"Okay, but you have to tell me if it's a stupid plan or not, deal?" She put her hands on hips and looked up at him with one of her stubborn I'm not going to back down looks.

"Fine," he relented. "Let's go."

He led her out back along with Asui and Koda, who would be their opponents for this round. He'd chosen this pair without the assistance of the automated generator specifically for Aisla. He was intimately aware of how her quirk worked after all the extra training they'd done together, and thought these two would pose more of a challenge for her than Jiro and Tokoyami had. The goal of this battle wasn't to diminish his protégé's pride, but rather to teach her how to use her specific abilities against quirks she may not be compatible with. She needed to learn how to fight when she was unable to mirror back an attack.

He shooed Asui and Koda away, encouraging them to choose a starting point that would utilize their quirks well, then waited a solid two minutes before finally turning to his teammate.

"Alright, Aisla, listen up because this is the only piece of advice I'm offering," he warned. She straightened up and adjusted the goggles that rested in her hair. "We're going to start here." He gestured around the forest. "This will be the most beneficial to you since you can use all the identical trees to your advantage. I know your reflection works best when you have scenery around you that can be easily duplicated. This will also make it difficult for Asui and Koda to attack us without detection." He stopped talking and gave her an expectant look.

She blinked several times before understanding lit her features. "Oh! My turn." She cleared her throat. "Okay, so I think the best course of action would be for me to try that new move you and I have been working on with Shinso. I can use my quirk to hide your presence while you do reconnaissance. If you can locate Tsu and Koda quickly, I think it will be easy for us to get the drop on them and surprise them with a joint attack."

"Not a bad plan," he acknowledged. Her eyes twinkled with pride. "And if Asui or Koda find us first?"

She pursed her lips in thought. "Then…you can use your Erasure on me and I'll reflect it back at them. They won't even see it coming because they won't know I can mirror your attack at them."

He nodded along as she spoke. "Yes, that sounds smart. What about if Asui captures you with her tongue? You can't deflect that."

Aisla blew out a breath. "Yeah… I was worried about that with Dark Shadow, too. I couldn't really come up with a solid plan for that scenario, so I just ran for it."

Oh Aisla… he thought with a shake of his head. "That's not a plan," he gently admonished. "You need to learn how to fight against not only long-range quirks, but those who utilize their own bodies, too."

"What should I do, then?" she asked. He could see the wheels turning inside her eyes as she tried to come up with an idea on her own. She was smart and capable, but he also knew insecurity was her biggest weakness. Oftentimes, she would stop herself from trying new things out of anxiety, assuming that she couldn't possibly perform well enough to make it work. Shota had tried to break this way of thinking, but that girl was just so stubborn. Shinso was easier to work with, but that was mostly due to his teacher's pet nature that sometimes got on Shota's nerves. He enjoyed training those two, but there were times when spending his evenings with a couple of teenagers turned his whole night sour.

You know that's a lie, Shota. He scowled at the unbidden thought and returned to the task at hand.

"Tell me what you should do," he commanded when she continued to stand there silently.

She jerked in surprise. "S-sorry! I was thinking. Um…Well, Midoriya has been teaching me some combat techniques, but I'm not very strong, I'm afraid. It's this body." She gestured at herself as if that explained everything.

He arched an eyebrow. "What about it?" He didn't spend much time looking at his female students, but he was pretty sure they all pretty much looked the same as far as body type went. Aisla may have been more petite than some of her classmates and had definitely lost a lot of weight during her two-month emotional breakdown, but otherwise she was just as strong as the rest of the girls.

She gave him an incredulous expression that suggested he was an idiot for not seeing the issue at hand. "Have you seen me?"

Unfortunately, I have, he silently groaned, remembering the female pool party he'd walked into the day before when all the girls in his class were gathered in their inappropriate swimwear. Shota had wanted to spend a relaxing day lying out in the sun when a bunch of giggling teenagers disrupted his peaceful setting. He'd been just about to get up and leave when Midoriya walked by carrying two large, uncovered beverages, which he proceeded to drop right onto Shota's white muscle shirt as he tripped over his own feet. Not wanting to be a sticky mess, Shota had peeled off the shirt and submerged his body in the frigid water to rinse off. He regretted his choice the moment he emerged and found all of his female students ogling his naked chest and dripping wet hair with unabashed gazes.

Kill me, he'd thought as he hastily retreated from the scene, ignoring the giggling girls and inappropriate comments about their 'hot teacher.'

He shuddered at the memory and vowed to never show his face again so long as he lived.

"You look fine," he grumbled in annoyance. "Now, do as I say and tell me how to get out of Asui's hold."

Aisla frowned in thought for another moment. "I guess I could…I don't know!" she cried in frustration.

"You need support items," he told her gently. "Quirks like ours aren't really meant for combat, so we must use support items to assist us sometimes. That's why I keep these." He dug in a pocket for one of his ninja stars and held one up. "They look ridiculous, and they don't do much, but sometimes they're an asset in battle."

"Can I have one of those?" she asked eagerly.

"No," he said, tucking the item away once more. "You need to find something that works for you. For now, just do your best not to get tangled up with anyone. If you do, try the combat techniques you've been learning."

"Got it!" She shot him a thumbs-up, then filled him in on the rest of her plan, which mostly involved the two of them trying not to get caught by the others. It was a decent plan, but he didn't think it was foolproof. Even so, he'd made a vow to go with whatever his students offered, and if this was what Aisla thought would work, then Shota was going to do it.

Twenty minutes passed before Shota remembered he was the one who was supposed to start the match. He shot out a flare, then set his watch for an hour before gesturing for Aisla to hide. She ducked behind a tree and pulled her blue goggles over her eyes before giving him the go-ahead.

He nodded in reply and waited for her quirk to activate around him. Images—blurry and unfocused because Shota knew they weren't real—materialized around him. Just like during their games of hide-and-seek with Shinso, she didn't need to change much to the overall scenery. He watched as trees, branches, and even wildlife appeared in front of him as he strode forward at a slow, even pace. He knew from experience that her quirk worked the best when the people involved made little to no sound. Since he was Eraser Head, stealth was a skill he'd mastered long ago, so navigating through the underbrush undetected would be a breeze.

However, there was someone else just as stealthy that he had to worry about. Asui was a very capable hero with an almost masterful control over her quirk. She could easily blend into the woods around them, and Shota would have no idea where she was until he ran right into her. Unlike Aisla's illusions, Asui's quirk didn't require her to hold her eyes open for long periods of time, which put her at an advantage if she planned to simply wait them out. Aisla couldn't hold her quirk forever, and Shota couldn't do much to aid her if he wasn't able to locate their opponents.

He crept forward slowly but kept a steady pace as time ticked by. He couldn't leave his teammate alone for long, and knew the more minutes that passed, the more pain her eyes would endure, and the less her façade would stick. Already, he could see it shimmering before him like a mirage and knew she was reaching her limit.

Damn kids, he thought as he continued searching. Where are you? He kind of wanted to just get this over with so he could take a nap, but he had a feeling this particular match was going to take a lot longer than expected.

He couldn't do anything to help without being able to see Asui and Koda, so he had as much of a handicap as Aisla currently did. Even so, that didn't stop him from occasionally using his Erasure in hopes of catching one or both of them off-guard. If they were simply watching from the shadows, he'd have no trouble erasing their quirks and rendering them useless.

A shrill scream filled the air just as the illusion around him shattered like a sheet of glass. He winced and ducked down even further before sending a concerned look behind him where his teammate was stationed. God, what the hell now? He knew it was a risky plan to leave Aisla alone and defenseless, but he'd still thought this was the best course of action.

"Eraser!" she shrieked.

Dammit.

He stood to his full height and lunged forward. Just as he picked up speed, he collided with Aisla's small frame, sending her flying backward. He grabbed her arm just before she could fall, causing her to wince in pain as her limb cracked from the force. Then, he saw the problem. A hoard of insects and forest creatures were in hot pursuit of Aisla, some already crawling up her legs and attacking her.

"Goddammit," he swore aloud, and started running in the opposite direction as Aisla continued to shriek in panic, frantically swatting bugs off her costume.

He kept a firm grip on her arm as they ran, but he knew his longer stride forced her legs to scramble too fast and she kept losing her footing. He felt it when her legs momentarily left the ground, and she was being pulled forward like a kite that just barely took to the air. Her arm was probably going to be sore later, but he wouldn't concern himself with that just yet. His objective was to get away from Koda's Anivoice. Aisla couldn't mirror back the insects or creatures any more than she could with someone's physical hold on her.

Shota wasn't particularly afraid of insects, but his quirk was just as useless against them as Aisla's was. He couldn't erase their existence, only the voice that controlled them. If he could just see the boy, he could erase his quirk and they wouldn't be running like scared children right now. The risk of running into Asui was even greater now, but since neither of them knew where Koda was hiding, their only option was to flee.

The army of creatures didn't slow for a moment, which either meant Koda was nearby or he'd commanded them to follow Shota and Aisla without ceasing. Either way, he continued crashing through the trees as fast as he could, dragging a whimpering Aisla behind him who struggled to keep up without getting her arm ripped off.

"To the river!" he shouted as the bridge finally came into view. Shouting was a bad move, but if Asui didn't hear them tearing through the forest then she wasn't going to hear Shota's command.

When they were close enough to the narrow river, Shota tightened his hold on Aisla's limb and pulled her into his arms. She let out a squeak of surprise followed by a shrill scream as he threw her in the direction of the water. Her body flipped in the air before plummeting down into the water headfirst. Shota followed, jumping at the last second just as the angry hoard started to attack. For a moment he was airborne, and then he was plunged into darkness as the inky water pulled him under, momentarily concealing his vision.

He surfaced a moment later and peered around for Aisla. She was coughing and choking up water as she tried to climb the ridge on the opposite side. He followed her up, internally grateful that she hadn't drowned from him throwing her into the water without warning. At least they would be done with the bugs for now.

"Should we go through the maze?" Aisla asked when he joined her on solid ground.

"What do you think?" he asked, letting her make the choice since she was the one in charge today.

"I think we should stay where we are," she decided after a moment's thought. "We can use the water to get away from any more animal attacks, and this space limits Tsu's abilities to camouflage herself. It might be difficult to evade both attacks in the maze."

He nodded approvingly. "Good, now we should—"

Aisla's scream cut off his words as she was suddenly wrenched out of his sight. He turned just in time to see her disappear underneath the bridge. On instinct, he threw out his scarf to rescue her, anger flashing inside of him at the idea of this girl in danger again. He was brought back to the provisional licensing exam when he'd failed to rescue her because he kept fumbling with his damn scarf. She could have died because of him, but he wouldn't let that happen again. He was her teacher, and more than that, he was her mentor, which meant it was his job to protect her as well as guide her toward a better future.

"Shit," he swore when he pulled the capture item back with Asui tangled up instead of his partner. He'd been aiming for Aisla, but yet again he'd missed the opportunity to save her. With a snarl, he tugged out another piece of his scarf to send toward Aisla, but suddenly she was nowhere to be seen again. He couldn't find her beneath the inky depths of the water.

Shit, what do I do? This is an exercise and I'm supposed to be letting my students do all the work. I'm not supposed to interfere, but… A student's life is in danger.

He couldn't sit back and allow that.

He was just about to toss Asui aside and jump in after her, when she finally emerged, coughing and sputtering out water as she dragged herself onto the bank across from him. She collapsed there, and for a moment he couldn't tell if she was even breathing. Then, Koda's high-pitched voice rang out as he commanded his animals to attack her.

Shota growled and twisted the binds around Asui tight enough for her to let out a pained ribbit. He added one around her eyes and mouth, too, then started to lunge forward. Just then, Aisla peeked over at him from her slumped position and mouthed, Erasure. He didn't understand at first, but then a smirk settled on his lips as he guessed her plan.

Animals tore across the field toward Aisla, and Shota was amazed she could stay still for so long when she had to be terrified. He wasn't able to see Koda from his current position, but that didn't mean Aisla couldn't. He hoped she knew what she was doing as he looked her in the eyes—coal black embers on ice blue water—and activated his Erasure. Aisla grinned in response as she mirrored the attack over her head and hit her target. In the blink of an eye, the angry hoard of animals stopped in their tracks and looked around in confusion before scurrying off in various directions.

Shota raced over the bridge with Asui in tow just as a soaking wet Aisla scrambled to her feet and lurched forward. He followed after her in the direction the tiny army had come from and finally noticed Koda cowering under a tree.

"I'I'm s-sorry," he stammered, then a second later a swarm of pigeons descended upon them, forcing Shota to drop Asui, who disappeared in a flash behind the smoke screen of diseased birds.

Shota swore and grabbed Aisla by the wrist to anchor her there as he slowly backed away. He couldn't see what was happening with all the birds flying around his face, but he suspected Asui and Koda were using this as a way to get the drop on them.

"Eraser!" Aisla cried out, just as she tackled him to the ground and forcibly pulled his scarf from his neck.

"HEY," he growled, as Aisla straddled his chest and threw his scarf out, teeth clenched in concentration and sweat beading on her forehead. Shota tilted his head back just in time to see Koda tangled up in the capture item with Asui flat on her stomach beneath him.

"Admit defeat!" Aisla commanded, pulling the fabric tightly around them and half-choking Shota in the process, while simultaneously crushing his lungs with her body weight.

"We surrender," Asui mumbled in disappointment.

"Good job," he said flatly. "Now, get the hell off of me." He shoved her hard, making her fall onto her back and lose her grip on the piece of scarf she had wrapped around her wrists. "Don't touch my scarf," he added, even though he knew he was being petty now. No one touched his capture item. He didn't even allow his own mother to handle it.

"We needed to capture Koda!" Aisla argued in her defense. "And you told me I needed to start using support items! We were at a dead end, sir, and my quirk wasn't going to be enough this time. So, I took your advice and compensated with the first thing I could think of."

Shota groaned but made no further comment as he got to his feet and offered Aisla a hand. She took it with a meek smile and he pulled her up before dropping her hand in favor of rubbing his offended scarf. "Damn women," he grumbled as he made his way back to the training warehouse. His students followed, but he ignored them as he brushed off dirt and fingerprints from his capture item. "I need a nap."

Aisla's soft giggle fluttered over to him, but he brushed it off as he picked up his pace. Ignore her, he advised himself. He couldn't show favoritism. Even though he was irritated that she'd stolen his favorite support item, he also couldn't shake the unmistakable pride he felt that she'd used it correctly and won them the match. She'd had quick thinking, and her plan had succeeded once again. She was turning out to be much more capable than even he'd anticipated.

Good work, Aisla Haru, he silently praised as he continued to act nonchalant. Keep on improving like this, and you'll make a fine hero one day.