Classes resumed as usual, with Izuku preparing for the finals to the best of his ability. Having the fourth highest score on the midterms, that wouldn't be much of an issue. Mina, however, was towards the bottom, only being above Kaminari. She laughed it off, as if it was no big deal. Deep down, the girl was concerned, but she just figured she could wing it. She was the kind of girl to fly by the seat of her pants. Her blonde friend seemed far more panicked over his poor grades.

However, Izuku still offered support to the pink girl and electric boy. He would have done that anyway, generally having compassion for others. However, the girl he had been dating since after the sports festival was someone he wanted to encourage especially. He had grown to enjoy her company in the short time they had been talking and he didn't want her to fail. She was here to be a hero, same as everyone else in their class. She was sweet, funny, energetic, and incredibly cute. Izuku was very proud of himself for not visibly freaking out at these thoughts. However, he was screaming internally

Izuku's mind drifted to a conversation he had with his mentor about the league of villains and the Hero Killer, Stain. Izuku's life had been one of helplessness and victimhood, being treated like a pebble. Like less than nothing. And now, he was a hero in training. He held the power of the greatest hero in the world, his idol and mentor. He had friends. He was dating a girl. He had also faced villains, broken his body several times, gone toe to toe with the hero killer, and now he was destined to fight and defeat the single most evil man on the face of the planet. He had a lot riding on him now. A lot going for him and things going against him as well, yet through it all, he would give it his best.

"Midori? Hey, Midori!"

Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts by a pink finger gently flicking his nose

"Yaomomo is offering to help tutor us. Isn't that great? I mean, I know you are really smart and one of the top students, but this is still awesome!"

"Yeah! It is! It's really nice of Yaoyorozu to offer that. She's a good person. She'll be a great hero one day."

"Oh? Are you crushing on her?"

"W-what? No!"

"Pffft. Just kidding with you, man. You're too easy. Wanna come walk with me?"

Izuku turned to look for Uraraka but she had left while Mina and Izuku were speaking. She didn't know why. She just felled compelled to leave, due to a slight but sharp pain in her chest.

"By the way, your new move looks really cool. Did you learn that on your internship?" she tilted her head inquisitively.

"Yeah. I'm hoping it helps me get a better grip of my quirk."

"So, you don't blow your limbs off, right? You're like a glass cannon, dude. But anyway, you were flying around, moving like Bakugou almost. He looked pissed. I mean, more than usual."

"Y-yeah…I can't imagine Kacchan was appreciative of that."

"So, who did you intern with?"

"An older hero…. He used to teach classes at UA" Izuku couldn't give too many details, but he was sure some info was safe. It's not like it was unknown that All Might used to go to UA. That was part of the school's legacy after all.

"Oh. An old guy? I would ask if you got to fight villains in between playing Hanafuda with him but…" she paused, thinking back to his encounter with stain. He very well could have died, and she just thought he was sending his location just so they could meet up, or that he was being silly. She felt ashamed for how unhelpful she was. Then again, she also reminded herself that she had internship duties to perform with the pH Hero, Alkaline. She was on patrol with the lesser known pro, rounding up some gang members and helping free hostages. "Anyway, Alkaline was pretty cool." She decided to change the subject before making things too awkward.

"What? Oh…" Izuku scratched his head. The two of them had only recently started dating. They weren't exactly an item just yet, but he certainly had grown fonder of her. Likewise, she was growing rather attached to this broccoli-headed dork. In fact, she had fallen for him pretty hard. But even an outgoing girl like her was too awkward and nervous to just spout that out, especially during this line of conversation. She had to think of something else. It was then that she remembered her pocky that she still had in her bag: strawberry flavor. A smile crept across her face.

The two students sat on a bench at a nearby park near the train station. They had departed the train, still in their school uniforms, deciding to just spend some time together right away, upon suggestion from Mina. "So, do you know how to play?" she teased.

"A-Ashido, I haven't done any of these kinds of things. I hadn't even been on a d-date until you. "

"Fair enough. Anyway, the rule is simple." Mina took out a stick of pocky and smiled as she held it up, in demonstration. "I put it in my mouth and you take the other end in yours, aaaand we get close as possible. Whoever pulls away, loses. Sound fair?" the pink girl smirked, with a playful tone of voice.

Izuku was an utter blushing mess. He was surprised his eyes didn't pop out of his skull and roll away. Before he could respond coherently, Mina cheerfully broke the silence.

"Great. Let's get started!" She popped the pocky stick in her mouth and closed her eyes, being careful not to bite down on it just yet.

Izuku just stared blankly, screaming internally as he saw the girl before him essentially asking him to kiss her. No "You're cute." No romantic music. Just right out of the gate, "Let's play this game where we eat cookies and kiss." He should have expected this from Mina. And yet, he was utterly surprised. He sat there watching her. She was probably getting impatient. He didn't want to leave her hanging. It would be rude of him, especially after they started dating. Plus, her lips looked so soft and inviting. The way the pocky hung out of her mouth was so alluring, like it was the tastiest snack Izuku had ever seen. His palms were sweating.

His face was beet red and his heart was banging its way out of his chest. He tried to get the thoughts out of his head, but he really wanted to kiss her. After getting to know her a little better and having so much fun with her, he really wanted to feel her lips against his. To taste them. The thought was making his face heat up.

This freaked him out. He could feel his body heat up to the point he thought steam would bellow from his nostrils. He just needed to say no. She would understand, right? She seemed like an understanding girl. However, he really didn't want to be rude to her. He didn't want to leave her hanging, feeling like a fool for assuming the boy she was dating to want to kiss her. It just wouldn't be fair to her.

He exhaled and bit down gently on the other end, eliciting a gentle smile from the acid girl. Izuku closed his eyes as he took a bite, keeping one eye open as he slowly bit towards Mina. He could almost taste her lips, juicy and inviting, her breath like a warm, inviting breeze. His eyes, shot open and he found himself incredibly close to her lips as she hummed a happy tune to herself. She was beautiful. She was close. She was getting further away. He felt the pavement on his back as the sky filled his view and pocky filled his throat.

Mina would have celebrated her victory had she not been immediately more concerned by the boy before her, choking on pocky.

"Midori! Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I-I'm fine. Sorry."

"Dude, you choked on pocky and fell on the ground. What are you apologizing for?

"I…I choked."

"Well, yeah, dude. I can see that. Hey. We don't have to"

"No…I mean…"

And with that he moved in and gives her a peck on the lips while blushing intensely.

"I choked."

It was Mina's turn to blush, a bright lilac filling her cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at the green-haired boy.

"Um…Wanna play again?" Mina choked out.

"Yeah…I'd like that." Izuku nodded, red faced, yet willing.

They sat on the bench again, Mina taking out another stick of pocky. Mina repeats her actions from before, this time maintaining eye contact, with Izuku doing the same. Their eyes fluttered shut the closer they get. Their hearts were racing. Both could feel their temperatures rising. Finally, all they feel is each other's lips and a jolt passing through both. They might have had their first kiss a few moments before, but this would be the one they remembered the most.

The two students walked hand in hand, past several shops in the district. Café Mandalea, Starbug, Fukai 13, Borg music, Naboo's magic shop. Those were just a few of the stores that popped out at them as they walked hand in hand. Mina joked about getting matching tattoos at a place called Infinity Ink, but as Izuku pointed out, it wasn't a good idea, so they just opted for a game shop they came across. It was filled with toys, games, and novelties of all sorts. Mina was immediately drawn to the more bizarre games and toys, perhaps due in no small part to her own appearance. Granted, in this world, there were a variety of appearances, from multiple limbs to animal heads. However, she still wasn't exactly what one would call normal.

It was probably why she loved science fiction so much. She loved bizarre worlds and creatures and could relate to them in a way. She was rather spooked by haunted houses and ghost stories. She had cried during villain attacks. And yet, she still loved the first two Alien movies and films like John Carpenter's the Thing (Although that movie did lead to her testing everyone and everything to make sure it was safe when she was younger. Her parents loved telling those stories as much as they did ones about her bumping into lamps while running around, like a little moth girl).

She poured over several games and toys, several of which involved aliens or monsters. This shop was made for her. She even found a breakdancing toy. She would have to come back here again on another day, as she wanted to conserve her resources.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it. On the highest shelf in the far right corner was a vintage All Might game. She was surprised Izuku hadn't seen it, but he was mostly scanning some of the action figures.

"Hey! Midori! Over here!" The pink girl tugged on his shirt sleeve enthusiastically. "Look what I found, dude!"

Izuku's eyes sparkled in astonishment. He didn't have that game, and he was surprised he was able to find one that wasn't online that he could possibly ever afford on his own. He surely wouldn't be able to afford this one here, he thought, but still, it was incredible to find such a rare item in this little game shop. He stared longingly at the object, wanting it for his collection.

"ahem. Should I be jealous?" Mina teased. She was amused by what an utter fanboy this kid was. That was part of his charm, she supposed. He was strong, brave, and altruistic to a fault. He was one of the purest guys she had ever met, and she just found him incredibly sweet.

"O-oh. Um. No…I..." Izuku stammered, looking back at Mina and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Excuse me, shop keep?"

The store clerk, an older gentleman with a beard and a bandana looked at her. He stroked his chin and looked at the young lady.

"What can I do for you, missy?" He asked, getting a good look at her.

"How much is that All Might game up there? In the corner, on the top shelf?"

"Oh, that one? It's 30,000 Yen." He spoke in a gravelly voice, the years piled on like a stack of rustic magazines.

"30,000 yen, huh?" Mina looked shocked, but she should have expected as such. She looked in her wallet, figuring that might be more than she had on her. She had wanted to do some shopping for herself, but this would take a good chunk of the money she had on her. She supposed she would still have some left over to buy some food.

"A-ashido? What are you doing?"

"It's Mina, you dork. And I'm buying you this game. Because you want it and you're cute."

"You really don't have to."

"Since when did having to do things stop you, dude? I want to do something nice."

"I mean…. it's amazing and rare and…I expected it to be a lot more expensive, but that's still steep. You really don't have to. What if you see something you want for yourself."

"Then I guess you'll owe me." Mina smirked.

"Mina." He spoke up.

"That's my name~." She smiled wider, frowning again as she looked at her wallet."

"Ahem. Sorry to break up the discussion, but are you kids from UA?" the store's proprietor spoke up, taking note of the kids' appearances.

Izuku was the first to speak up. He wasn't quite used to this level of celebrity, but he was growing more used to it. "Y-yes, sir."

"Aaaaah. So, you were that young man who fought Endeavor's son in the finals at the Sport's festival. It was almost like watching two juggernauts do battle. You're crazy, kid. But you put on quite a show. For you, I'll let that old game go for 15,000 yen. Is that fair?" He grinned, stroking his beard.

It was still pricy, being roughly $370, but Izuku was able to afford it, especially after Mina insisted on paying for half of it. Still having money to spare for the rest of their date, the two purchased the game and left, waving at the shop keep. However, he stopped them before they made it through the door.

"Not just yet, kids. I lowered the price. Now I want you to do something for me." He grinned.

The two curly haired teens looked at each other with concern and confusion until the old ban went into the back and pulled out a digital camera. He set it on the counter, facing the kids. "It's not often I get celebrities in this little store of mine. Mind if I get a picture with you two whippersnappers?" he smiled, taking off his bandana to reveal messy gray hair.

Mina and Izuku looked at each other. It was a bit of a peculiar request, but they had been recognized before and stopped by people. Besides, he gave them half price on a rare item. It's the least they could do. The two posed and smiled, the old man waddling briskly towards the middle, pressing the timer on the camera and turning around just in time for the flash to go off. He had set it to take three photos rapid-fire, so there would hopefully be at least one serviceable image. After checking the camera to see how the photos turned out, he nodded sagely.

"Very well. That one turned out quite nicely. Thanks, kids. You can get going now." He said with a playful "shoo" motion. As they left, he went into the back room with the camera and looked with pride at the walls. There were several photos of past customers, all of which were now pros. He looked at the young pair in the photo with him and smiled. "Another bit of history for these old eyes."

After Izuku and Mina left the game shop, they decided to check out some of the other stores, including the ones they had passed. There was a lot to do in this area and the two certainly wouldn't be bored, especially given their present company. Mina set an alarm on her phone for when she thought the date might end, but would adjust accordingly. Hitting snooze on an alarm was nothing new to her.

"Not sure when this date will end, but I figured probably later, so I set an alarm."

"Huh…that's odd, but kind of smart. Um…"

"Thanks! This way we can hit all the shops and see what's inside! Shall we?"

Izuku nodded. Previously, he probably would have been dragged around, but now, he was more willing to just go with the flow, even if it was just a few dates in. "Sure. Which one first? I'm fine with whatever you choose."

"Hmmm" Mina pondered before snapping her fingers excitedly. "Let's go into Fukai 13. I wanna look at bathing suits."

Izuku was about to suggest dinner, but he was stuffed already from eating his words as Mina dragged him into the swimwear store to try on bathing suits. Still, he thought he thought they could check out that café nearby. That might be nice. AT least that's what he thought to distract himself from the flustering thoughts of seeing Mina's body on display for him. He bit his lip and chased the thoughts off as best he could.

The store was playing a song Izuku would later be told was a classical arrangement known as Sandstorm by the composer Darude. Fukai seemed to cater not just to swimwear, but clothes for other outdoor activities, like rock climbing. However, swimwear was their hottest item and the one they had the widest variety of. He even saw wetsuits for surfing and scuba diving. It was certainly an interesting store. Once again, Mina snapped him to attention as he looked in her direction.

"I made some selections. Let me know what you think, K?" She smiled before vanishing swiftly into the changing room to try some on. Izuku was shaking. This was both the best and worst day of his life. He calmed himself down and looked around, hoping he could find something himself. He could use a new pair of swimming trunks. He supposed. This would be a good place to look. Izuku found a rack of swim drunks that caught his eye.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any All-Might related ones, at least not ones he didn't already own. He did find some green ones with stripes down the side that reminded him a bit of his hero costume. He supposed it would be fitting in a way to have more clothes based on his own costume, rather than just All Might. He picked out a pair and some sunglasses he found on a nearby rack. He figured he might as well buy them but that trying them on would be wise to do.

"Right as he was about to change, Mina came out in a bathing suit that matched her hero costume as well. Of course, it was a bikini. He was a fool to think otherwise. He nearly dropped the items he was holding as he turned bright red.

"Well? What do ya think?" she beamed, doing a twirl for Izuku. He felt like he would have to lie down after this.

"Oh, are you looking to get a bathing suit too?" she leaned in with a raised eyebrow, her finger and thumb on her chin, and a smirk on her face. "I suppose it's only fair I see how it looks on you." She winked.

Izuku relented quite easily. He did want to see how it looked, and even if she seemed to get enjoyment out of seeing him turn into a human thermometer, he did appreciate another set of eyes to let him know how it looked. He picked up the items he was trying on and entered the men's changing rooms to get dressed.

He shut the door and changed into the swim trunks, deciding to keep his shirt on for the time being. He was anxious enough to see Mina in a bikini. Having her see him without a shirt was making his face redder. He was arguing with himself mentally, telling himself that it leveled the playing field more and that it should alleviate any awkwardness. His brain merely responded with screaming. It had put forth a convincing argument, which lead to the boy shaking like a leaf as he felt steam pour from his nostrils.

As he stepped out, Mina had changed into another swimsuit. Thankfully for Izuku's nerves, this one was a more modest one-piece, though he still blushed at how well it fit her form. He shook the thoughts from his head. It was baby blue, which looked rather nice on the pink girl. Blue seemed to suit her well. Izuku would have to take note of that for the future if he could stop blushing and stuttering.

Mina pouted as she inspected her date. "Bummer. Was hoping I could get a peek. Oh well. Another day." She sighed. A smile crept across her face as she examined the swimsuit. "Glad we both had the same idea though. Bathing suits based on our hero costumes. Cool, huh?" He enthusiasm was endearing, even if it could also be overwhelming for the comparatively timider Izuku. "What do you think of mine?" She did another twirl, awaiting his review.

"You… It looks amazing on you!" he blurted out, blushing harder at his own words. He swore he could feel himself trembling. Maybe swimming would be a great idea as soon as possible, as he could feel himself heating up a bit.

Mina blushed lightly and offered a sweet smile. "You think so? "Izuku nodded, prompting her to jump at him with a friendly hug. The proximity of their cheeks was not doing the green-haired boy any favors, as he felt himself overheating a little more. He was grateful when she let him go, but also, oddly disappointed it didn't last longer. These were feelings he was not too familiar with and he would have to deal with those later.

"Awesome! I got what I wanted. Shall we change back and pay for our stuff?" the horned girl beamed with radiant excitement, infecting the boy with her exuberance as he smiled and nodded.

The rest of the date went by like a flash. It almost seemed like a film strip, each moment captured vividly yet swiftly in both kids' minds. At the end, they were sitting in the train back home, with Izuku's stop being first. Mina held a bag of candy in her lap as she smiled, holding Izuku's hand as their transportation zoomed them towards home.

"I had a great day, Midori. We probably could have both went home first to change, but I am kind of glad we just jumped right into things after school. "Mina cheered as her cheeks flushed with lilac. It truly was great. Momo would be tutoring her for the finals. Izuku and her went on a fun date. They had decided to get burgers at this American-style Diner the boy picked out due to its collection of All Might paraphernalia, and she got some cute clothes. Only one thing could make this night any better.

"Hey Midori?" she asked, feeling a lump in her throat. She was blushing, but she could do it. She was an Ashido. She would take life by the horns before it grabbed hers first.

"…I-izuku…. You can call me Izuku" he stuttered out, staring at his shoes as his face turned red." He had managed with some effort to be more casual, but after a few dates and a first kiss, he felt he might as well try.

"Mina pondered his words and smiled. "Hmmm…How bout Izu? That's cuter and less plain sounding!" she chirped. The freckled boy blushed deeper and hung his head, eliciting concern from the acid-quirk user.

"Don't like it? I could keep calling you Midori if you prefer." She offered.

"N-no…it's just…" he sighed and muttered. "My mom calls me that…"

Mina looked at the boy for a few seconds, registering the boys muttered words before a smile crept across her face. "Awwww, That's adorable. You must be close to your mom."

"Yeah…she raised me alone, pretty much…" And that dampened the mood a bit. Here she was, ready to ask him to be her boyfriend and he sprang that on her. Before she could pursue that line of questioning any further, Izuku spoke up. "Anyway…. Thanks, A…Thank you, Mina. I had a really fun time…Um…. We…. we…. WE SHOULD DO THIS REGULARLY!" After he blurted those words out, all eyes were on him, giving him the added quirk of shrinking into his seat in the fetal position, and Mina the ability to turn almost entirely lilac, both from blushing and from laughing at how adorable this green-haired goober was. That clinched it.

"Izu…. give me your hand, please. This is important." She spoke softly. He had clinched his eyes shut, but her voice soothed him and brought his attention to her and her beautiful black eyes,

Mina took a ring pop from her bag. It was watermelon flavor. She took it from the package and slid the confectionary onto the green-haired boy's scarred hand. "Izuku Midoriya of sector 2814. You are a total dork and a cutie patootie. Welcome to the Boyfriend corps." Izuku blushed intensely, but couldn't help but offer a genuine laugh, one that sounded like a chorus of adorably awkward angels to Mina's ears. The two kissed and with that, their relationship was cemented by a piece of candy. They smiled as they gazed into each other's eyes before sharing a tender kiss.

They started dating as classmates. Now they had found kindred spirits and were united by snack food, bound by geekdom, and destined for greatness.