Haya said nothing to him for the rest of the school day, and Kuba likewise seemed to ignore him, though the other boy was often silent so it was harder to tell if it was intentional.

Shinsou settled for ignoring them both in turn and focusing on class as if they weren't there.

When the day finally drew to a close he gathered his things and made his way over to the bike rack, still thinking over the stuff he needed to get done as soon as he was home, and there, leaning against the shelter and tapping her foot, was Haya. It was obvious at a glance that she was waiting for him.

For a moment Shinsou considered turning around and just walking away. But honestly, he'd need his bike sooner or later, walking home would cost him too much time.

Squaring his shoulders he strode forward. Maybe if he just continued to ignore her she'd get the message.

"Hey," she said, crushing any hope of that immediately.

Shinsou raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She hesitated. "Can I trust you not to use your quirk on me again?"

"Dunno, can I trust you not to be an ass?" he retorted.

Haya opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again, taking a moment to chew over her words. "You really are in a huff today. Look, I know I must have pissed you off somehow and I'm sorry, and I'll forgive you for the brainwashing thing, just... don't make a habit of it. It feels really weird. So... are we square? Can we go back to being friends and just forget all this?"

"I never said we were friends to begin with."

Her hopeful smile drained, lips turning down in a sour line. "Now you're just being mean."

Shinsou moved past her, bending to unlock his bike. "I never asked you to follow me around, or pester me all the time. What do you even get out of that? Why would you even want to be friends?"

"Honestly?" she asked, folding her arms, foot tapping quicker. "I thought you looked kind of lonely. Everyone avoided you and when I ended up sitting next to you I was sure the moment I spoke you'd just use your quirk to get me to shut up, I know everyone else wishes they could do that, but you never did... so I knew you couldn't be a bad guy... you wanted to be in the hero course, just like me, but things didn't work out, guess I felt sympathetic."

Shinsou snorted, pulling his bike-lock loose and shoving it into his bag. "I don't need your pity. Besides, you didn't really want to be a hero."

"Excuse me?"

He looked up at her. She appeared genuinely affronted by this, and her stance shifted to something more aggressive, taking a step closer. Shinsou was not cowed in the slightest, his expression as tired and unimpressed as usual. "Last I heard you were thinking about becoming some kind of underground DJ, or a move star."

"Well yeah, I need some kind of dream," she snapped. "Not everyone wants to hang on to some kind of false hope when it's just dragging them down."

He recoiled slightly, before his fists tightened and he jabbed an accusing finger at her.

"See, that's the thing with you, you're so... fickle," he ground out, finally settling on the word. "You don't really care about anything, you just flit from one thing to the next."

"I wanted to be a hero! I did! But you know what? I knocked myself out in the first minute! You think that's the sort of thing a hero does? I'm not cut out for it, okay?"

Her voice sounded raw. Was she going to cry? He really hoped she wouldn't, he already just wanted this whole conversation to be over, but he just couldn't seem to stop himself from speaking. Maybe he wanted to put an end to things once and for all before he had a chance to re-think it, maybe his exhaustion was finally catching up with him and spurring his irritation, maybe he wanted to punish them both for some unknown reason. Whatever the case he couldn't help but spit out, "So you just gave up?"

Haya clenched her fists. "Yes! I gave up, okay? Is that what you want me to say? I didn't have what it takes!"

"You're right, you didn't, and you don't," he said, yanking his bike out of the rack. He glared at the ground for a moment. "But... you could. You could have learned, you could have improved. Instead you just abandoned that dream. That's where we're different. Because I'm not giving up, not ever, and I will be a hero... I'm sick of people telling me I won't. And if you don't mind, I've got to get home, so if you could get out my way that'd be great."

Haya didn't move, just sneered at him. "You're so full of it, Shinsou."

"Are you going to make me use my quirk again?" he asked darkly.

She said nothing in return. Oh, she looked like she wanted to, but she knew... she knew a response was all it would take for him, and she feared he would do it if she gave him the opportunity... that hurt more than he expected it to. But it was only fair. He'd already done it once today. This was precisely why people avoided him, she probably would too now...

But that was what he wanted, right? It would be easier for him to focus on his goal without people like Haya in his life.

Shinsou pushed past her, wheeling his bike off campus without a backward glance, and no one called after him.

"Is something the matter, Hitoshi?"

"Just tired," he said, slouched on the couch.

His mother gave him a concerned look. "You do look pretty worn out. Maybe you should turn in early tonight?"

Shinsou shrugged. It was already too late to be early, not that that mattered. Between his studying and his attempts to work out an extensive exercise routine he could fit into his day, he was absolutely spent, both physically and mentally. He's had no illusions about his fitness but feeling so wretched after a run and a series of basic sets just didn't seem fair. He knew it was laughable compared to what the hero students endured. How did they manage it? Shit, he was so far behind...

"You're not feeling sick at all? How's your appetite?" His mother asked, checking his empty bowl as if it might leave some clue.

"I'm fine," Shinsou promised, rubbing at the back of his neck guiltily. There was no need to worry her. He managed a half-smile, attempting to dredge up some last vestige of energy. "We have exams coming up."

That, at least, seemed enough to placate her. She settled back, taking a bite of her own dinner. "Well, don't study too hard, okay? I know you take school seriously but kids your age should relax once in a while, hang out with friends or something."

"Yeah," he murmured, though he doubted he'd have time for anything like that. Nor anyone to spend it with. That was the for the best, he reminded himself. It was all for the best.

The next morning he found, to his shock, Haya lurking by the bike rack.

Her bright green eyes locked with his, and for a moment they just stared at one another.

"What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously.

"Sleepyhead! Took your time," she said, glancing at an imaginary watch on her wrist and tapping it as if to illustrate her point.

He squinted at her suspiciously. "I'm not going to apologize if that's what you want."

"Oh, forget that," she said, flapping the idea away, "you're too proud to apologize, I know, but it doesn't matter. I get it!" she declared, clapping her hands together.

"Get what?"

Shinsou was lost, and he stood where he was, clutching the handles of his bike and trying to put the pieces together. He'd expected a cold shoulder. To be ignored. To be talked about behind his back, glared at.

He hadn't expected to find Haya with her normal grin and jovial tone, ready to ambush him.

"You! I figured it out last night, you are pissed about the festival, that you didn't win, that they didn't transfer you," she said, perfectly matter o' fact. "So now you're extra grumpy, and you're pissed at us because you think we're going to stop you working your ass off. Is that about right?"

Shinsou said nothing.

She looked smug. "That's what I thought."

"Well," he said eventually, "you were getting in the way."

"Maybe, but I'll tell you what... yesterday, you were right... that's why I've got a deal for you."

"A deal," he echoed.

She grinned and Shinsou immediately felt on guard. "Lets train together!"

He gaped at her. "What?"

"You heard me. If you're so set on making it into class 1-A, then lets do it together!"

As hard as he looked, he couldn't see any trace of humor behind her her words, no sly glint in her eye... this wasn't a joke, she was dead serious... well, as serious as Haya ever was. It made absolutely no sense to him.

"Why would I want to work with you on that?"

"Well, no offense but I'm fitter than you are," she said plainly. "I can help whip you into shape. Besides, I've got connections... one of the girls from my dance class is from 1-A, she was in the sports festival too, she's really good at hand-to-hand and I bet she'd be willing to help us."

"Who?"

"Mina Ashido. Pink skin, fluffy hair, horns, these super pretty black and yellow eyes..."

Pretty, huh? Well, that wasn't the description Shinsou would have used, but he thought he knew who she was talking about now. "The acid girl?"

"Yeah, that's her quirk. She's really nice." Haya had a distant kind of smile on her face, and Shinsou blinked, struck by the fondness in her expression but quickly decided to keep that revelation under wraps for now. He had a feeling if he dared mention it he'd be met with either furious denial, or a torrent of excitable babble, neither or which he was in the mood to endure. Kuba might know more anyway...

Not that it should matter to him, Shinsou reminded himself, he didn't have time for gossip.

Haya started, coming back to the present. "Oh! And you'll need someone to try your quirk on too, right, if you want to train it. Hence, you need me."

"I thought you said you didn't like it," he said warily, "that it feels weird."

"Oh it does, and I don't, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, what do you say?" she demanded, watching him with an air of expectation.

Shinsou was still feeling lost. He really wanted to just crawl back to bed and have nothing to do with this. Why was this happening? Why was she still here? Why was he even listening to her? He was getting a headache and he wasn't sure it had anything to do with his lack of sleep.

"Why are you doing this? Why help me?"

Haya rolled her eyes. "Because we're friends, duh!"

"We're not."

"Alright, fine, we're not," she agreed, sobering slightly. "But you know, not a lot of people tolerate me... I'd rather keep those who do."

Shinsou would have scoffed, except... except any snarky retort he had died in his throat, because now that he though about it he couldn't really think of anyone except Kuba who hung out with her for any extended period of time. She talked to loads of people, and he'd always taken that to mean that she had lots of friends, that he was just someone in particular who she was fond of pestering, yet for all that she seemed to enjoy the company of just about anyone it occurred to him that most people preferred Haya in small doses...

She'd thought he looked lonely... but maybe he wasn't the only one...

Damn it, this really shouldn't matter... he shouldn't be wasting his time on things like this...

Shinsou sighed. "Spacial awareness," he said.

Haya looked at him in confusion. "Eh?"

"The reason you failed the entrance exam was because you threw yourself into a lamppost when you tried to dodge out the way of one of those robots," Shinsou explained. "You had to have seen it, you just forgot it was there. Your grades aren't bad, though I honestly don't know how, but if you ever want to make it into the hero course you need to work on your spacial awareness. It's an important part of your quirk."

Slowly, Haya broke into a blinding grin. "Shinsou, I knew it! You do care!"

She went in for a hug and he shoved her away, scowling. "I never said that, don't be weird. I'm just telling you the facts."

"Whatever you say," she drawled, giggling to herself. "I'll catch you in class, okay?"

She waved, and before he knew it she was racing off and Shinsou realized with a jolt that he needed to hurry if he didn't want to be late. Cursing under his breath he fumbled with his bike lock, wondering just what he'd got himself into.